Mary Magdalenes Tears Wiped Off, Objection 6
OBJECTION.
But you ſay, my Sins are confeſſedly very great, (being accompanyed with ſuch circumſtances as they are) even withall the Allowances your Charity or Judgement can afford them: they cannot then but require a proportionable Grief for them, which as yet I find not in my ſelf; Moſes Rod that drew water from Rocks of the Wilderneſs, being not able to break and wound my ſtony Heart into Rivers of Tears, ſuch as are fit to cleanſe and wrince away theſe ſtains of Sin.
SOLUTION VI.
11. THis complaint is but a retrive of one of thoſe Aggravations of your ſins mentioned by you at the firſt, and by me deferred to be ſatisfied at that time. I ſay therefore that it cannot be denyed, but that Grief for ſin committed ought to bear ſome proportion with the heinouſneſs of our Crimes for which we deſire to grieve and lament: but you may be very unfit to judge of this proportion; eſpecially ſeeing your Grief and Revenge, with an intermixture of other Iraſcible paſsions, hath made you already too obnoxious to the devices of Satan, 2 Cor. 2.11. and Peter three times denyed that he knew his Maſter, Mark 14.66. and that with Curſings and Swearings, Imprecations (perhaps) upon himſelf if he knew any ſuch man, Luk. 22.55. Here was a Complication of very groſs ſins, as Swearing, Curſing, Denyal of his Maſter, whom lately he profeſſed to be the Son of God; and all this a flat Perjury; yet you never read of Tears ſhed for theſe Sins more then once:Mat. 26.75. Mar. 14.72. Luk. 22.62. but then they are recorded to be Bitter ones, what they wanted in the Extrinſecal Proportion to the Standard of mans Judgement, they had in the Intrinſick value, moſt proportionable to the Judgement of God.
You muſt know then, that Grief and Shame, and ſuch like Affections of the Iraſcible Appetite, are parts of that corrective Juſtice, which we execute upon our ſelves; and very properly on the lower Soul, becauſe that hath been moſt inſtrumental in our Sins, and hath likewiſe had the greateſt ſhare of the Senſual Pleaſure received in ſinning; as alſo for that ſhe is the moſt proper inſtrument to macerate and chaſtize the Body, (the other Aſſociate and Conſpirator in offending.) That which ought to give the greateſt ſatisfaction to the Penitent, concerning the Truth and Meaſure of his Sorrow for Sin, is the Averſation of his Spirit and Minde to all former evil wayes, as ſuch; with a full Reſolution, and ſincere Endeavour, to avoid and fly all Sin for the time to come, and to imbrace and practiſe moſt impartially, all Rules of Godlineſs, Righteouſneſs and Sobriety, at what rate ſoever he purchaſe the performance of them; facilitating his way thereto, by a frequent and prudent exerciſe of ſuch helps of Mortification, as his Lord and Maſter Chriſt, and the Church his Mother, have recommended by example, or enjoyned by Precept.
Neither is there any cauſe to complain, that theſe Severe Courſes are not reconcileable to a cheerful manner of living in this World, ſo far as not to caſt any torpid Languiſhments on our frail Bodies, or to render our ſelves complyable with ſober and honeſt Converſation: for they who have, and daily do make Tryal of theſe Rules and Canons for a Chriſtian mans life, do not finde ſo much trouble in …e practice of them, as in the ſad Reflections on their former Unregenerate State; which yet they may now contemplate with Glory to God, and Comfort to themſelves, who through the Grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, hath given them the Victory over ſo Unwearied, ſo Politick, and ſo Powerful Enemies to their ſalvation: if Reaſon can perſwade you, that it is matter of Sadneſs for a man to paſs through rough and dirty wayes, that he may in ſhort time go and be poſſeſt of a Kingdom; or if you can imagine, that that man hath reaſonable cauſe of Complaint, who is ſure to eſcape the Bloody Hands of Aſſaſſines, if he will but take the pains to Winde himſelf after a ſure Guide, through a narrow Path, beſet here and there with Briars and Thorns; then, and not elſe, hath that man cauſe to complain of the unchearfulneſs of an Holy Life, who hath engaged to follow Chriſt his Leader, in the Duties and Contingencies of ſo Noble a Profeſſion.