A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

To us, that had nothing; miserable beggars. And indeed what should be the object of mercy, but misery? Present thy self, O poor soul! Miserum ante misericordem; a miserable creature before a merciful Creator. Say not with Laodicea, [Greek or Hebrew], but [Greek or Hebrew]; not,^o I have need of nothing; but, I have nothing. God doth not only forgive us, because non solvendo, we have^p nothing to pay: but he gives us, because non habendo, we have nothing to live on. There are three sorts of poor and miserable men: some sing and are miserable, some cry and are miserable; some curse and are miserable. As the Italian says; Thus go a begging; the Germans singing, the Frenchmen weeping, the Spaniards cursing. Some are poor in the world, yet sing care away. When Augustus heard that a Gentleman in Rome, concealing his broken estate, died so far in debt; he sent to buy the pillow whereon he slept. Hi non sunt solliciti ut solvant, sed ut debeant. They do not take care how to come out of debt, but how to come into debt. Thus poor are many; yet they sing in Taverns, and dance in Theatres; though wretched beggars in heavenly graces. As it is in this world for temporal things, so for the world to come in spiritual things; Cantant pauperes, lugent divites: poor men sing, and rich men cry. Who is so melancholy as the rich worldling? And who sings so merry a note, as he that cannot change a groat? So they that have store of grace, mourn for want of it: and they that indeed want it, chant their abundance. Others are poor and cry: so did Esau, because he could not recover the^q Blessing, though he sought it carefully with tears. These mad dogs bite the stone, without regard to him that threw it. Sorrow like a needle, runs through their hearts, but hath no thread of faith in it, to sow them to JESUS CHRIST. Miseriores, non meliores: they are worse in the state of this world, yet not better in the state of Grace. If GOD touch a Pharaoh, he will roar: you shall have him howl to his ending, not to his mending. The cloud of a corrupt heart, when it is squeezed and crushed with adversity, will haply pour down some drops: but to shed repentant tears in the middest of prosperity; this is like rain in Sun-shine. He that mourns for the cause of his punishment, shall mourn but a while:

To us, that had nothing; miserable beggers. And indeed what should be the object of mercy, but misery? Present thy selfe, O poore soule! Miserum ante misericordem; a miserable creature before a mercifull Creator. Say not with Laodicea, , but ; not,