Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 2 · Excursus 1
¶Of Teares.
TEares are counted as certayne thynges added and ioyned to repentaunce,Teares are adioyned both to repentaunce & alſo to prayers and alſo to prayers. For not onelyonly the repentaunte, when they with a grieuous ſorowe deteſte their ſynnes, do vſe to weepe: but alſo as many as do earneſtly and vehemently contend to obteyne any thyng. Howbeit the tokens of true repentaunce are not alwayes meaſured by teares.Weepyng is not alwayes a tokē of true repentaunce. Teares do not alwayes declare yt the praiers are of efficacy. 2. Sam. 12. For we reade both in the booke of Geneſis, and alſo in the Epiſtle to the Hebrues, that Eſau alſo wepte. Teares alſo do not alwayes declare, that the prayers are of efficacye to obteyne that whiche is deſired. For Dauid after hys aduoutry faſted and wepte whileſt he earneſtly prayed that lyfe might be ſpared vntounto hys ſonne whiche was borne vntounto hym by Bethſabe: whiche thyng neuertheleſſe he could not obteyne, but that teares in thoſe examples had no good ſucceſſe, there were diuerſe cauſes thereof. For Eſau as we ſhall ſtrayght waye declare, mourned not of fayth: And Dauid obtayned not that whiche he deſired, bycauſe GOD had ordayned to geue him that, whiche was much better and more noble than that whiche he required. In dede the ſonne whiche was conceaued by aduoutry remayned not a lyue. But of the ſame mother he afterwarde had Salomon, who ſucceded the Father in a peaceable and moſte ample kyngdome after his death, yea and he beyng yet lyuyng. But contrarywyſe let vsus marke howe in Peter teares were tokens of very true repentaunce. And alſo in that woman, whiche (as the Euangeliſtes declare) with her teares waſhed the feete of the Lorde.
And as touchyng prayers Ezechias was hearde, when with weepyng he prayed, and the death which was threatned hym was differred to an other tyme. Ioſias alſo was hearde, who prayed vntounto GOD with many teares. The 126. Pſalme ſpeaketh thus of the fruite of prayer, whiche hath ſighyng and teares adioyned with it: They wente and wepte, caſtyng their ſedes, but doubteleſſe they ſhall come, & with ioye ſhall bryng with thē their ſheaues. And they which ſowe in teares, ſhall reape in ioye. It is alſo written in the 7. Pſalme: The Lorde hath hearde the voyce of my weepyng. And in the 56. Pſalme: The teares of the Sainctes are in a manner put before GOD in a bottle or potte, and faythfully ſealed in hys booke. Dauid alſo in hys 95 Pſalme ſtirreth vsus vp by theſe wordes: Let vsus weepe before the Lorde whiche made vsus, &c. But muche more are we inſtigated vntounto it by the example of Chriſte, who (as it is written in the Epiſtle to the Hebrues) with a loude crye, and with teares prayed for vsus. Paul alſo in the 20. of the Actes ſayeth, that he had longe ſerued the Lorde with an humble hearte and with teares.
What teares ar not allowed of God.Neuertheleſſe God alloweth not thoſe teares, whiche are by a certayne naturall nation powred out without any affection of the mynde: as it commonly happeneth vntounto thoſe, whoſe eyes are ſtriken with any ſtroke, or to thoſe whiche runne either on foote or on horſebacke, and whiche with ouer muche drinke become dronke: for theſe are naturall accidences, neither pertayne they any thyng to godlyneſſe. But affections after which teares do followe are theſe: heauyneſſe of the mynde,After what affections teares do followe. whiche other call ſorrowe, alſo gladneſſe: and that by contrary reaſons. For of ſorowe ſpryngeth cold, whereby as the whole bodye is conſtrayned together, ſo alſo are the humors of the hed, whereby it commeth to paſſe that weapyng by violence burſteth forth. But contrarywyſe in gladneſſe the pypes, pores, & wayes about the eyes are looſed, wherby there is made a waye open vntounto teares. And vndoubtedly of thoſe two affections we hauehave a teſtimony in the booke of Eſdras. For there it is written, that when the temple was built, the people wept, but not all for one cauſe. Parte of thē very ſory that the new buylding differed muche in dignitie and ornamentes from the fyrſt. But contrarywiſe other reioyſed, that the houſe of GOD, whiche had layen ſo longe proſtrate, was rayſed vp agayne. And it is manifeſt in the holy hyſtorye, that Ioſeph when he ſawe hys brother Beniamin whome he loued, wepte for ouer muche ioye.Anger hath ſorrowe and pleaſure mingled together. Furthermore there are other affections mixed of ſorrowe and ioye, whiche make vsus to weepe: as is a vehement anger, whiche hath by reaſon of contempt ſorowe myngled with it and alſo ſome ioye and pleaſure, whileſt it goeth aboute reuengement as thoughe it were preſent. Mercy alſo ſhaketh out teares, for that we are troubled and are ſory for other mens euils, and are deſirous to profite the afflicted. For a vehement deſire alſo caſteth out teares. Wherfore the men of God, when in prayeng they earneſtly deſire to obtayne any thing, eaſely burſt forth into teares.
But what the matter of ſuche an humour is,The Phiſicall matter of teares. we leaue to the conſideration of naturall Philoſophers: for they do not well agree among them ſelues as touching it. Some thincke that they do come by reaſon of the gaule beyng troubled, vntounto which opinion agreeth the firſt booke de mirabilibus ſacrae Scripturae, Auguſtine.the x. chap: whiche booke is entituled to be Auguſtines wryting. Other ſuppoſe them to be a certayne kynde of ſweate, whiche Plutarche affirmeth,Plutarche. but ſome do thinke, that euen as from mylke is ſeperated whay, ſo alſo a watriſh humour is ſeparated from bloud, wherof the greater parte turneth into vrine, and that whiche remayneth is thruſt forth into teares. Laſtly Seneca in his 100.Seneca. Epiſtle to Lucillus thincketh that with the ſtroke of grief and ſorrowe the whole body is almoſt ſhaken, and therwithall the eyes, out of whiche eyes, the humour lyeng nighe vntounto them is expreſſed. But howſoeuer this matter be, it littell pertayneth vntounto vsus. Wherfore let vsus come to the cauſes, for whiche it beſemeth a godly man to weepe.
Auguſtine in his 4.Auguſtine. Cauſes why we ſhoulde weepe. ſermon of the firſt Sonday in Lente writeth yt there be two cauſes in true repentaunce that bryng forth weepyng: one is, for bycauſe we hauehave thoroughe negligence omitted many thynges whiche we ought to hauehave done, And by ouer muche boldeneſſe commytted many thyngs which we ought not to hauehave done.Synnes of cō mittyng and omittyng. Theſe are cōmonly called ſynnes of commyttyng and omyttyng, and in the ſame place he interpreteth thys ſentence. (Brynge forth worthy fruictes of repentaunce) after this maner, that we ſhoulde weepe for the ſynnes alreadye committed, and we ſhoulde take hede that we do not the ſame agayne. Chriſoſtome alſo vponupon the Epiſtle to the Colloſsians, Chriſoſtome.the 12 Homely cō playneth that the Chriſtians abuſed teares, and when as otherwyſe teares are good creatures of God,The abuſe of teares. they diffame them in adioynyng them to thoſe thynges whiche deſerue not weepyng. Synnes onelyonly (ſayeth he) are to be weeped for, not onelyonly our owne ſynnes, but other mens alſo. Whiche Paul performed in very dede, who in the 2. to the Corinthians: ſayde that he was affeard, not to come vntounto them, but ſo that he was deiected & compelled to weepe for very many which had fallen and not repented.Oure owne ſynnes & other mens alſo are to be wept for. Yea and he exhorted the ſame Corinthians, to weepe for other mennes ſynnes, when in hys firſt Epiſtle he ſayde, ye are puffed vp, and ye hauehave not mourned, namely for a grieuous cryme of an inceſtuous man. And Dauid in his 119 Pſalme wryteth, Myne eyes hauehave brought forth riuers of waters, bycauſe they hauehave not kepte thy lawe. That moſt holy Prophete wepte, bycauſe of the publicque tranſgreſſions of the lawe, and when he ſawe the ſame tranſgreſſions eueryevery where perpetrated, he aboundantly poured out teares.
And Ezechiell in the 8. chap:Godly men do eaſelyer weepe than laughe. commended certayn whiche wepte for the wicked Actes of other men. And hereof it commeth that when holy men ſee horrible ſpectacles of ſynnes oftentymes to happen, they eaſelyer burſte forth into teares than into laughter. For ſo Chriſt vſed, whom we read to hauehave oftentimes wepte, but neuer to hauehave laughed. Whiche ſelfe ſame thyng alſo we muſt do at thys day, when as ſo great, and euill an harueſt of ſynnes doth on eueryevery ſyde offer it ſelfe vntounto vsus.
Laſtly we muſte knowe, that all kynd of mournyng is not allowed of god.That weeping is not allowed which cōmeth onelyonly of the feelyng of the puniſhmentes. For ſome there are, which (as I hauehave before ſaid) are moued only with ye feeling of the puniſhmētes, neyther are they moued any further. To be ſory in dede for cauſe of paines and puniſhementes, is a certayne degree of true repentaunce: & for that ende, GOD doth both punyſhe and alſo threaten men whileſt they lyue here. Howebeit this ſorowe is not ſufficient, neyther is it by it ſelfe allowed of god: for it ſpryngeth of ſelfe louelove, & is in a maner a thyng vnprofitable vnleſſe it go further: Wherfore the Lorde ſayeth in Zacharie the 7. chap: that the Hebrues had faſted for them ſelues, & not for his glorye: ſo theſe wepe for them ſelues and mourne, not bycauſe they hauehave violated the commaundementes of GOD. Furthermore thou mayſte ſee other ſome ſomewhat worſe than theſe, whiche beyng moued with the ſorowe of troubles do wepe,Their teares are condemned whiche when they weape ſpeake euill of God. and among their teares do ſpeake euill of GOD hymſelfe, beyng angry with his Iuſtice, as thoughe he were to ſeuere, and a harder Lord than he ought to be, and ſuche mournyng belongeth not to repentaunce, but rather to deſperation. An example therof we hauehave in the booke of Numb. the 14. chap. Where the people when they heard the bytter relation of the ſpyes, fell to weepyng, and ſpake euill both agaynſt Moyſes and agaynſt God, and determined to returne into Egypt.
What mourning pleaſeth God moſt.The thirde kynde of mournyng, is very acceptable vntounto god, and that is when we are grieuouſly ſorye, for that we hauehave violated hys lawe, and bycauſe we ſe a great numbre of others to reſiſte hys moſte holy will. To this kynde of Lamentations did Ioel and other holy Prophetes ſtirre vp the people of the Hebrues. Chriſte alſo perſuadeth vsus vntounto them, when he ſayeth, that they are bleſſed whiche mourne, bycauſe conſolation is layed vp for them. The Churche lykewiſe vſeth ſometymes to ſtirre vp the people to theſe kynde of mournyngs, when as at ſometymes it ſet forth publicque repentaunce, whiche althoughe it ought continually to cleaue in the heartes of Chriſtians,Repētaunce is ſometymes openly to be renewed, yet by reaſon of publicque calamityes, and a certayne ſluggiſheneſſe grafted in vsus, is ſometyme to be renewed by the diligence of the Paſtors. Wherfore god in the olde lawe once in a yeare, in the 7. monethmonth I ſaye, inſtituted a faſt, whereby that daye the people of Iſraell myght for the ſynnes whiche they hadde committed, afflicte them ſelues before god. And to the ende it myght the oftener be done, he dayely ſent hys Prophetes to rebuke the people, as we ſee in this hiſtorye he did, when he commaunded this ſermon whiche we nowe expounde to be made vntounto the people.