Contemplations and Devotions, Part 13
XIII. The women follow him weeping.Luk. 33.27.
PItty, and of all other feminine pitty 'tis the poorest helplessest salve of misery: our Saviour to all these his sorrowes, and sufferings, his wrongs and wounds hath none but this, and this so farre from a salve, as 'tis one of his tenderest sores, Daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for mee. Luk. 23.28Some Schoole-men hauehave said it (I know not how warrantably) that the sorrow of his Passion was not so great, as the sorrow of his compassion, how ever, it cannot (questionlesse) but largely adde to, if not exceed it; where the sorrow is great, & the interests neere, (as betweene our Saviour and his Mother with these his other friends) society in sorrow doth not so much divide, as multiply, and mutually reflect it; wee see it in that the Apostle Pauls complaint, in a like but lighter case,Act. 20. What doe yee thus a weeping (sayes hee) and a breaking my heart? but, how great is still his louelove, how triumphant above his griefe? in the midst of all his misery hee forgets not merciemercy, his compassion breakes forth through the thi…kest of his Passion, all his sweat and bloud cannot, drowne, all his wrongs and wounds cannot bury the remembrance of his friends, in the midst of all their tortures and lowdest out-cries of contumely, of blasphemie, hee can heare his following friends weeping behind him, and neglect all his own sufferings, to comfort them, Weepe not for me; such is his patience amidst all his tortures, that it tortures his tormentours, such his louelove that it comforts his comforters, hee hath more compassion on the women that follow him weeping, then on his owne mangled selfe that reeles along fainting, bleeding even to, vntounto death; hee feeles more the teares that drop from their eyes, then all the bloud that flowes from his owne veines; hee will not vouchsafe a word to Pilat that adiures, Ioh. 19.10.that threatens him, no,Luk. 23.8. nor to Herod that entreates, that soothes him, and yet vnask'd how graciously doth he turne about his blessed bleeding face to the weeping women,Ver 28. affording them lookes and words too of compassion, of consolation, Weepe not, &c. Hee respects then (wee see) teares more then words the teares of silly women behind his backe, then the entreaties, the threats of Governours, of Kings to his face; yet did he not turne his face to them vntill hee heard them weepe; Ver. 27.nor may we ever thinke to see his face in glory, vnlesse wee first bathe our owne in sorrow; hee answeres the weeping women, but not questioning Herod, and so, he is ever ready to answere our devotion, bu… not our curiosity. Salomon when hee dedicates the Temple, prayes thus;1. King 8.52. Let thine eyes (O Lord) be open to the supplications of thy seruants; and againe, when Hezekiah prayes in that his sicknes, God (sayes he) hee heard his teares: so here he heares,2. King. 20.5. and turnes to these womens teares without words; what means it that God is said thus to see our prayers, and to heare our teares? Doth he heare with eyes, and see with eares: No; but therefore 'tis he is said to see our prayers, because none prevaile with him, but such as are (in some sort) made visible to his eyes by deedes, therfore to heare our teares, because 'tis they that make the best musick in his eares, and runne the best division on our prayers; if God then doe thus heare best with his eyes, the best way for men to speake, is, with their hands, to put our prayers vnderunder our hands in deeds, as well as put them vp with our tongues in words, to signe them, as well as signifie them; the wicked (saies Solomon) hee walkes with a froward mouth; Prov. 6.12.let the godly then (his true Antipode) tread opposite to him, and speake with towardly feet, that is, turne all his prayers into paths, tread out every word of them into steps, so shall God see his prayers before he heare them, and (as by these women here) heare their teares before hee see them.Vid 'tis Solomons owne Phrase, to speake with the feet, and to teach with the fingers: Yee daughters of Ierusalem weepe not &c. 'Twas a woman that had the first, if not the greatest share in the cause of this his death; and therefore women shall now have the least share in the execution. If a woman conuei'd to man, the fruit of death, a woman conueies to man, this fruit of life too: If the woman at first sin'd most, they're women too, that here weepe most for't: a woman first brought on man the fall, Gen. 3.12. Io. 20.2.and a woman first brings to men the resurrection. But O my blessed Saviour, thy actions (I meane not thy miraculous or meritorious, but morall ones) as well as thy commands are my instructions; and didst not thou thy selfe (Lord) weepe for Lazarus, Ioh 11.35.and for Ierusalem, Luk. 19.41. Deut 34.8. Act. 8.2.all the people wept at the death of Moses, all the Church at Stephens, the women lamented the death of Dorkas, that had made them garments, Act. 9.39.and yee daughters of Israel (saies David) weepe for Saul,2. Sam. 1.24. who clothed you with scarlet? how much more (Lord) should I weepe at the remembrance of thy death, who hast woven for mee, and that out of thine owne blood and bowels, that wedding garment of righteousnesse, and clothed mee with that richer scarlet dyed in the blood of the Lambe. Mat. 22 11.Rev. 7.14.Didst thou (Lord) so flow vntounto mee, and in so many shoures of blood, in the Garden, the Hall, the Palace, the Post, on the way here, and on the Crosse anon, and may I not drop a teare for all those purple streames of thine? weepe not for mee. Yes, (Lord) thou that here look'st backe on the women,Luk. 22.28. because they did weepe, didst looke backe on Peter, Luk. 22.6….because hee should weepe, and among those thy eight beatitudes, one is,Mat. 5.4. blessed are those that mourne: no, Lord, thou dost not here forbid mee weeping, onelyonly thou turn'st the streame of my teares the rightway, homeward, backe into mine owne bosome, pointing me to the true, both cause and subiect of all sorrow, my sinnes, the truest cause too of these thy suffrings; hadst thou suffred thus, vnwillingly, or for thy selfe, I might well have wept for thee; but 'twas for mee (Lord) and that how freely how victoriously? I will leave then that weaker, womanish moodinesse of of needlesse pitie at the outward sense of thy happy triumphant passion to the sweaty eyes of Monks and Friers, and spend my teares on the more inward cause of it, my sinnes, and so they bee the subiect of my sorrowes, bee my head (with Ieremies) a Fountaine of teares,Ier. 9.1. my teares a Sea for thee to drive the swin sh heard of my sinnes into,Mat. 8.32. to drowne them all in; so, (with David) bee my tears my meat, my drink, my lodging, feede mee with him,2 King. 20. Psa. 80.5. Psa 42.3. on the bread of teares, give mee plenteousnesse of teares to drinke, water my Couch with teares; Psa. 6.6.so let me (with Hezekiah) turne to the wall and weepe, 2. King. 20.2.to the onelyonly wall, the bulwarke of my safety, and so, every teare shall bee a common shot to batter downe that wall of partition, that is betweene vsus; 'tis with her eye (Lord) that thy Spouse doth wound thee, Ephes. 2.14.Can 4.9.'tis the Sacrifice of a broken, a bleeding heart, that thou wilt not despise. Psa 51.17.O let mee (with Eliah) then first steepe this my Sacrifice in water, 1 King. 18.34.the water of repentant teares, so, the fire of thy love shall not only accept my Sacrifice, but (as in that of his) licke vp the water too, dry vp my teares, and in the end turne (as at Cana) my water into wine, Ioh 2.my drops of teares, into flouds of ioy. O strike then (Lord) as thou didst at Rephidim, Exod. 17. Psa. 78.17this rocke of my heart with the rod of true remorse, that this water may gush out: this is that troubled poole of Bethesda, Io. 5.2.wherein I must plunge my cripled soule, if ever I would have it sound, these are those waters wherin thou breakest the heads of those spirituall Dragons: Mans life (in Davids computation) 'tis iust so long as Ierusalems captivity in Babilon, Psa. 90.10.seventie yeares, and what other is it then a captivity? if not vnderunder the tyrany of sinnes vtter bondage, yet at least vnderunder the durance, and restraint of many sinfull frailties: whil… I live here then, what should I doe but s… me … by these waters of sorrow?…sa. …37.1. …s for my harpe of mirth, what should I but hang it vp, ver. 2.vntill I come to my Ierusalem, ver. 4.what should I doe a singing here in a strange land, and that too before the victory, before I have either fought my fight, 2. Tim. 4.7.or finish'd my course.