Obrazy na stronie
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that is the reason that St Paul yieldeth, though such wicked men will not learn their own salvation themselves.

After that Nehemiah had thus dutifully behaved himself to the king, so that there could be thought no just cause of any evil suspicion in him toward the king; then he boldly declareth the cause of his sadness, and saith, "the city where his fathers lay buried lay waste, and the gates were burned." And is this so great a cause why Nehemiah should be so sad, weep, fast, and pray so long? had he not seen nor heard of greater cities and countries than it was, which were destroyed as miserably as it was? Babylon, which was much bigger than Jerusalem, was conquered not long afore by Cyrus; Samaria, their neighbour, by Sennacherib and Salmanasser, &c. But this city had a greater cause to be lamented for than others. For it was taken from wicked men by God's mighty hand, and given to God's people: it was increased with many benefits from God, beautified with religion, priests, a temple to worship the living God in; strengthened by many worthy princes and laws; and was a wonder of the world. It was "the holy city," because it was dedicated to the Lord's service; though the people were evil that dwelt in it, and misused it. The gospel saith, the devil tempting Christ our Matt. iv. Saviour "took him into the holy city, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple ;" and Christ our Lord, foreseeing the Luke xix. destruction of it to be at hand, wept for it.

This was then the cause of Nehemiah's sorrow, that God was dishonoured; for that this city, which was dedicated to his name, and given to his people to serve him in, was now defaced by heathen princes; his religion decayed, and people subject to strangers. A zealous man cannot abide any thing without great grief, that seemeth to deface the glory of his God. But if these causes were not, yet the natural love to his country had been sufficient to move him to tears. For as it is a pitiful sight to see a prince or nobleman to be cast from his dignity, to be spoiled of his honour, lands and goods, and become a carter and drive the plough, or lie tied in prison; so surely it must needs move any heathen man, to see the city where he and his elders were born and buried, to be overthrown, lie open to all enemies, unfenced with walls or gates, and be inhabited with a few cottages,

and no better than the poorest ragged hamlet in a country: much more Nehemiah must needs be touched for this city, which was so famous throughout the world. There may be good reasons alleged beside these, why he should weep for his city and country; as because it was a great relief and succour in all needs, to all that lived in it from time to time, and a great strength to the country about it.

But what is that, to be sad for the place where his elders were buried? Is there any holiness in the ground, that it is better to be buried there than elsewhere? or the dead men any thing the worse, if they be pulled out of their graves? What is the cause? Indeed it was called holy in divers places of the scriptures, as other outward things be, that are appointed and consecrated to a holy use. St Matthew saith that divers Matt. xxvii. dead bodies, "after the resurrection of our Lord and Master, Christ Jesus, rose out of their graves, came into the holy city, and appeared to many." This holiness came not by holy-water casting, or hallowing of popish bishops which hallowed church or churchyard; but by God's appointing, and choosing it for his dwellingplace, where he would be Psal. cxxxii. worshipped, as the psalm teacheth, "The Lord hath chosen Sion, he hath chosen it for a dwellingplace for himself: this is my restingplace for ever; here will I dwell, because I have chosen it." So on God's behalf and appointing it for a place where he would be worshipped, it was holy, though the wickedness of the people had defiled it, and justly procured God's anger to destroy it. Christ Jesus our Lord, finding his temple full of all usurers, buyers and sellers, gat a whip, and drave them out, saying, "My house is a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." So, by God's appointing it was "a house of prayer," and by man's misusing of it "a den of thieves." And he, seeing the wickedMatt. xxiii. ness of the people in it, wept for it, and said, “Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest to death them which are sent to thee, how oft would I have gathered thee, as the hen doth her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not!" The prophets of old time for the wickedness of the people in it have likewise rebuked Jerusalem sundry times: "How is this faithful city, which was full of justice, now become a harlot !" And again: "Hear, thou harlot," speaking

Luke xix.

Isai. i.

to Jerusalem. Thus one thing, by God's appointing it to a holy use, may be called holy; and by man's misusing of it become most unholy. But the place itself maketh nothing holy, as it is written: God chose not the man for the place sake, but the place for man's sake; and therefore this city did not make the dead men holy that were buried in it, nor any thing the worse if they were buried out of it. Therefore the papists are both wicked in teaching the people, that one place is more holy than another to be buried in, as in the church rather than in the churchyard, and near the high altar rather than in the body of the church; and they are thieves also in picking poor men's purses for the same. In these were many abuses, as in any one thing.

But he that will keep these three rules shall not err. First, that he do not cast out the dead bodies unburied, to be devoured of wild beasts; nor bury them in dunghills, ditches, or such like places, where none else is buried. Diogenes, when his friends asked him, How he would be buried? bade them cast him out, it skilleth not how. Why," say they, "the beasts will devour thee." "Nay then," saith he, "lay my staff by me, and I shall drive them away." A barbarous saying, and meet for a heathen man'! Yet I think the laying of the meteyard in the grave with the dead man came upon some such like cause, or else to drive away devils. Socrates, when he was asked the like question, answered more honestly, and bade bury him so as were most easy for his friends.

The second is, to avoid great cost and sumptuousness, as shrines, tombs, tapers, torches, candles, mourning coats, feastings, &c. which do no good to the dead, and are too chargeable and unprofitable to their friends. Yet, if civil policy add some solemnity to princes and noblemen, as their coat, armour, flag, sword, head-piece and recognizance, I dare not utterly condemn it; and yet would wish it more moderately used than many times it is. As there was difference in them, while they lived, from the common sort and state; so there may be in their burials for policy's sake, but for no religion or holiness at all.

[Yet not so barbarous, if the Qui poteris? illi: non enim senties. oberit, nihil sentienti? Cic. Tusc. Quæst. 1. 104. ED.]

remainder of the story be told: Quid igitur mihi ferarum laniatus

Luke vii.

:

The third thing to be observed is, that no superstition should be committed in them; wherein the papists infinitely offend as in masses, diriges, trentals, singing, ringing, holy water, hallowed places, years', days' and month-minds', crosses, pardon-letters to be buried with them, mourners, de profundis, by every lad that could say it, dealing of money solemnly for the dead, watching of the corpse at home, bell and banner, with many more than I can reckon.

These three abuses taken away, remaineth that comely order which christian charity requireth: as, to have neighbours quietly to accompany the corpse to the grave, as it was in the poor widow's son of Naim; brotherly to comfort those that lost their friends, as the Jews did Mary and Martha for their brother Lazarus; to confirm faith in the resurrection of the dead in the selfsame body, that there is put in the earth; to prepare themselves to die daily, not knowing when our course shall come; to praise the Lord, that granted the man so long a life among us with honesty, and in the end gave him a stedfast faith to seek his salvation only in Christ Jesus, who hath conquered death, hell and sin, by his own death, and by his rising from death hath justified us, and will raise us up from the grave in the end to live with him in heaven without end. The comely using of these in God's church is a great comfort to all good Christians, and the want of them a token of God's wrath and plague. Abraham was promised burial in his ripe age, as a blessing from God: Josias was promised that he should be buried in peace, and not see the plagues that should follow. The Gabeonites are praised of God, and rewarded also of David, for that they buried king Saul and his son, though the father was 1 Kings xiv. an ill man. Contrariwise, to king Jeroboam and Achab was threatened for a plague, that he and his posterity should not be buried, but devoured of beasts; and to king Joachim was foretold it, that he should be buried as an ass for his falling from God. Tobias was chiefly commended for burying the dead bodies of his countrymen that were cruelly slain.

Gen. xv.

2 Kings.

2 Sam. ii.

& xxi.

Tobit v.

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Thus burial is commended; and to want it was great re

[The minding or remembrance of the dead, attended with feasting, at particular periods after their decease. The "month's mind" was generally used in our country; the "day's mind" &c. elsewhere. ED.]

viii.

15.

proof. Jeremy threateneth them, that for their wicked life they Jer. xxii. should be pulled out of their graves. The place of burial needeth no bishop's blessing nor popish hallowing; but every comely place is holy enough, so it be reserved for that use only. It is called in the Greek Coimeterion (Koyunтnpior,) that is, a sleeping place, and in the Hebrew Beth-haiaim, that is, the house of the living; thereby to teach us, that the body sleepeth, and the souls live, as Salomon saith, "The earth shall go to the earth from whence it was, and the soul shall return to him that gave it." Abraham bought a field to Gen. xxiii. bury his in, and there was he and his posterity buried: and that was a common custom, continued long after by the judges and kings of Judah. So Gedeon, and generally the rest, were Judg. viii. buried. It is said of king Osias, that he was "buried in the 2 Chron. field where the other kings afore him were buried," in a place kept for that use only. And the gospel teacheth, that with the money which Judas sold Christ our Lord for, they "bought Matt. xxvii. the potter's field to bury strangers in." These places were sometimes within cities, sometimes without, as Jesus Christ our Master was buried in a garden without the city Jerusalem; and he met the poor widow of Naim at the gates of the city, going farther to bury her son. It was long after, afore they used either church or churchyards.

xxvi.

Luke vii.

Likewise mourning for the dead would be bridled, that it be not too much, and seem to grudge at God's doings in taking our friends from us. David wept for his child, and 2 Sam. xii. prayed whilst it was sick; but after it was dead, he wept no more. Our Saviour Christ cast the minstrels and mourners Matt. ix. both out of the doors, when he raised up the young woman in her father's house. By which we are taught, that we should not dance with minstrels (for that is too barbarous and against nature,) nor to be grieved with the death of our friends, nor desperately mourn with the heathen, as though there were no life after this. "I would not have you ignorant," saith St Paul, "of them that sleep in death, that ye mourn not, as they that have no hope" to rise again. Sirach appointeth a reasonable time for reasonable mourning, saying, "Mourning for the dead is two or three days;" and before he addeth, "or seven days at the most." The cost that is made for the dead is rather, as St Augustine saith full well,

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