of Christes passion they shall be so frutyfull that they shall bryng ioye to the aungels in heuyn meryte to the good persones lyuynge in erthe forgyuenes to the synners and great refresshyng and conforte to the soules in purgatorye And this is bycause Christe reputeth and accompteth all thynges done to any of his seruauntes whether it be good or euyll as done to hym selfe And therefore he sayeth in the gospell Quod vni ex minimis meis fecistis mihi fecistis What so euer ye haue done to one of the leest of myne ye haue done it to me And in an other place he sayd to his disciples Qui vos recipit me recipit et qui vos spernit me spernit He that receiueth you receiueth me and he that dispiseth you dispiseth me And so our sauiour Christ taketh all our paines and tribulacions committed to hym as I sayd before as his owne and oâ—â—rech them to his father as his owne with lyke effect and fruite as is sayd before Therefore euery good and faythfull person ought moche to ioye in his tribulacions and paynes For what so euer he suffre Christe doeth confesse that he suffreth the same in hym and with hym ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesus Christe sonne of the lyuynge god whiche at mydnyght thy passion drawynge nygh wolde take vpon the feare heuynes for me moost wretchyd synner graunt me continually faythfully to referre all my tribubulacions heuynes paines vnto the the god of my hert y t thou wolde vouchesafe to bere them with me in the vnion of thy passion and heuynes That so by the merites of thy moost holy passion they myght be made to me fruitfull and profitable Amen ¶ Of the blody swet of Christe The seconde article THe seconde artycle is the flowynge of the bloode of Christe into the erthe by the maner of swet or of the blody swet of Christe flowynge from his bodye into the erthe For the seconde tyme that Christ prayed for anguysshe he swet blood and the aungell descendynge from heuyn aâ—â—ered to hym and conforted hym It foloweth therfore in thâ— gospell Factus in agonia prolixius orabat et factus est sudor eius sicut gutte sanguinis decurrentis in terram Christe was in a great agony and therfore he prolonged his prayer And in this prayer for his great agony his swet was as droppes of bloode runnynge downe from his body into the erthe Here do our doctours say that whan our lorde Iesus Christe dyd so prolong his prayer his most holy hert was greatly enflamed so coÌ„sequently all his hole body most holy most innocent In so moche that thrughe that greate feruour of prayer and his excessyue loue and moost feruent desyre that he had to suffre and to dye for our helth And of the other parte thrugh the vehement angwyssh and agony that he had in his manhode in the remembraunce of his moost greuouse paynes and shamefull dethe that he shulde suffre and thrugh the stronge reluctacion and stryuynge of sensualitie naturally abhorrynge that dethe and therfore myghtely fyghtynge agaynst it for these causes I say the poorys of his body were open and so flowed out the blood for his swet That vehement angwysshe and excessyue loue constreyned the bloode to cum out of the vaynes agaynst nature as Bede sayeth in so moche that many droppes of blood ranne downe by his clothes and fell vpon the erthe The loue of god in the herte of Christe dyd ouercum in that agony his natural feare and the feare of his manhode and so the bloode of Christe so quyckened and conforted by this loue was styrred and moued as yf it wolde haue cum all furthe of the body at that tyme thrugh that excessyue loue as yf he wolde nat or might nat haue abyden the tyme of his dethe appointed whan all that blood shulde be vtterly sheddyd And so I say thrughe this vehement loue the droppes of blood dyd issue and fall from the vaynes of his body And as the inwarde cause of swet after naturall phisiciens is the naturall hete dissoluynge that is hote and moyst in the bodye so the supernaturall cause of this bloody swet myght be the feruent hete and burnynge of his excessyue loue redowndyng from the herte of Christe into al his hole body there dissoluynge the vaporouse moisture Phisiciens also say that it is possible that a man may swet naturally thrugh the vehemeÌ„ce of loue In lyke maner as our doctours say Christe swet blood aboue nature thrugh his vehement feruour of charitie for thaÌ„ the more he approched to his dethe the more he burned in loue for the feruente desyre of our helthe O how bytter and paynefull was this dethe of Christe in it selfe sythe the onely imaginacion therof dyd so greatly chaunge thorder of nature for it drew from all the partes of his bodye droppes of bloode as yf he had swet whiche blody swet shulde signifie and note to vs the helthe of his misticall body that is the catholicall chyrch Hereto sayth saint Bernarde By the erthe moisted with the bloody swet of Christ is signified that erthely men shulde be redemyd by the bloode of Christe By the whiche blood also he shulde reduce vnto lyfe all the worlde ded in synne Woo be to that wretchyd hert that wyll nat be moisted and made softe with this blood or swet Beholde thou wretche the great tribulacion of this most mylde gentyll louynge herte in what angwyssh it was whan all his bodye on euery parte swet blood O thou my stony herte quake and tremble and breke in pecys and moyst thyne iyen with blody teres for as thou mayst se thy creatour and maker is all wet in bloode for the and that with suche plenty that it ranne downe vpon the erthe And surely his body outwardly wolde neuer haue bene so wet with bloode yf his herte inwardly had nat ben broken with sorowe and heuynesse Therefore the prophete sayeth in the persone of Christe Contritum est cor meum in meipso My herte is broken within me The herte of our mooste louynge Iesus thus inwardly broken or cut the outwarde skynne also was broken so that his blood myght abundantly flow out vpon the erthe And this bloody swette was very naturall and true bloode of the moost purest body of Christe But as we sayd before it was nat shed naturally for it is agaynst nature to swet blood ⸪ ⸫ ¶ Doctrines or holsom lessons IN this artycle we may take thre holsum and profytable lessons Fyrste by the apparicion of the aungell c. We be enfourmed that the holy aungelles of god do assyst vs and also conforte vs in our prayers Hereunto sayeth the prophete Dauyd Preuenerunt principes coniuncti psallentibus The prynces or holy aungelles do preuent them that prayse god or praye to hym with theyr helpe and also be ioyned vnto them in theyr praysynges And in an other place he sayeth In
but that also the deuotion of the remeÌ„berer be enflamed by loue in his wyl And suerly yf our vnderstandynge do his diligence in the remembraunce of the said passion it shall shortly moue our affection And so the passion of our lord shall nat onely in our cogitacions be remeÌ„bred but also it shal inflame your wyl by compassion pitye Wherunto we be admonysshed by our lord saynge Pone me vt signaculum super cor tuum Put me sayth our lord as a seale vpon thy herte A seale as ye knowe if it be iÌ„prynted in to wax it leaueth in it his image So our lord wolde that his passion shuld be so imprinted in our hertes nat onely be ofte remembraunce but also by deuoute compassion that the prynt and image therof abyde in our affection and feruent desyre so that as Iesus Christe was made reed and blody on the crosse so our deuocion in vs may be made reed and feruent by the vertue of compassion And hereunto we be counselled by the wordes of Moyses saing Sumes de sanguine vituli et pones super coâ—nua altaris That thou shal take of the blode of the calf signifieng the blode of Christe and thou shal put it vpon the corners of the aulter that is vpon thy thoughtê affections with feruent remembrauÌ„ce of the blode of Christe And so we shal fulfyll the admonition of saynt Paule saynge as I sayde before Hoc sentite in vobis quod et in Christo Iesu Feale in your self that Christe Iesu felt And thus we may feele hym in our soule .ii. maner of wayes First by the bitter affection of compassion and that is when we remembre the passion of Christe with so great compassion that it bringeth forth of vs most bytter teares so y t suche a deuoute soule may say with the wise man O mors quam amara est me moria tua O deth howe bitter and sorowfull is thy remeÌ„braunce and specially the remembrauÌ„ce of the deth of Christe Secondly we may feele hym in our hertes or soules by the moste swete and pleasaunt affection of deuotion and that is when we remembre most inwardly depely the great loue and charite of Christ that wolde suffer so greuous paynes and shamefull dethe for so vyle wretches and vnkynde as we be And so this deuout remeÌ„brauÌ„ce bringeth forth of vs most swete teares of deuotion So that we may say that is writen in the boke of Iudith Fontes aquarum ob dulcorati sunt That is the bitter fountayns ben made swete and delectable A figure herof we rede in scripture where as our lord commaunded to Moyses to put a tree that was both longe and bitter in to the water that was so bitter that no man culde drynk therof and so therby the waters were made swet and delectable What is signified by this water but the passion of our lord which is so bitter and paynful that no man may taste therof And by this long and bitter tree is signified the longe and continual remembraunce Whiche if it be ioyned and put to the passion of our lord it shal make it swete and pleasaunt so that the more we taste of it by deuout remeÌ„braunce the more delectable it shal be to vs. And therfore our holy mother the churche sayth in a certen hympne Dulce lignum dulces clauos dulce pondus sustinet That is The swete tree of the crosse susteyneth and bereth a swete burden nayled fast with swete nayles For that whiche was most bitter and paynfull to our sauiour Iesu in his passion somtyme is moste delectable and comfortable to vs in our deuoute meditations These two maners of teares that is bitter and swete sprynge out of this deuout affection of the passion of our lorde And hereunto speaketh saynt Barnarde as we sayd a fore In the remeÌ„braunce of the paynes that my sauiour Iesu sufferd for me I drynke somtyme a draught of holsome bitternes And somtyme agayne I receyue the pleasaunt vnction or oyntment of deuoute consolation ¶ Howe we shuld fele Christes passion in our actes and dedes The thyrde Chapitre THyrdly we shulde fele the paynes of Christe in our effectes and outward operations That lyke as the deuout remembraunce of Christes passion enflameth our affection and loue inwardly so it myght appere be shewed outwardly in our warkes and lyuing Hereunto we be couÌ„seled by the wyse men sayng Prepara foris opus tuum That is to say Suche deuotion as thou haste inwardly conceyued by affection and loue let it be shewed outwardly in thy dedes For as saynt Gregore sayth the dede outwardly done is a sufficient argumeÌ„t or proue of the inwarde loue So by the inwarde loue of man is shewed or knowen his inwarde compassion Also it is writen in the seconde boke of the kynges Omnia que habes in corde tuo fac quoniam dominus tecum est As if he shulde say what so euer good thynge thou hast conceyued in thy hert shewe it outwarde in thy dedes Also it is writen in Exodo Fac secundum exemplar quod tibi monstratum est in monte Performe in thy lyuynge that goodnes whiche thou receyued of god in thy soule And therfore our lorde sayth to vs in his gospel Si quis vult venire post me abneget semetipsum et tollat crucem suam quotidie If any man wyll be my disciple and cum after me let hym denye hym selfe that is forsake his owne wyl and pleasure and take his own crosse that is put his owne body to payne and that dayly For we must coÌ„tinue in penaunce and so folowe Christe in our lyuyng outwardly and nat onely inwardly and hereto saith saint Paule Ostentionem caritatis vestre ostendite in faciem ecclesie That is shewe your good wyl and charitie openly in the face of the churche that is in our werkes in our dedes And saynt Peter sayth Christus passus est pro nobis relinquens exemplum vt s equamini eum Christ hath suffered paynes and deth for vs gyuynge vs example to folowe hym he doth nat say that we shulde haue a wyll desyre only to folowe hym but he sayth playnly that Christe hath left vnto vs an example that we shulde folowe hym in our dedes in sufferynge paynes as he dyd And then it myght be truely sayd of vs that we fele in our selfe that Christe felte whan he suffere lyke paynes as Christe suffred so that by suche sharpe penaunce and harde laboures our bodyes be subdued and our blode minysshed And so the sayng of scripture may be verifyed in vs Effudit sanguinem belli in pace He hath shed the blode of battell in the tyme of peace They do shed the blode of battell in the tyme of peace which by sharp penaunce great bodyly labours so subdue theyr bodyes that theyr blode is moche minisshed and theyr face made pale Suche maner of exercises of the
lofte or chamber that is in the soule of man eleuate and lyfte vp by feruent deuocion and great by longanimitie broode by the brede of charitie and strawed by the diuersitie of vertues And whan all thynges were prepared in this chambre Iesus dyd entre with his disciples to whom the Pascall lambe rosted was brought furthe And grace sayde or blyssyng made by our lorde they eat it with the iuse of wylde letuâ—e And note that in this soleÌ„pnitie of Pasce there were toure thynges that is the Pascall lambe pure wheat brede without leuyn wyne and the iuse of wylde letuse to signifie that no man might cum worthely to eat of the true lambe the body of Christe without bytternes and compunction of herte for theyr synnes This refection also doeth signifie theternall refection of glory that shal be in the ende of the worlde Than Iesus rysynge from supper his disciples syttynge and eatynge he sayd I haue with a great desyre desyred to eat this Pascall lambe with you before my passion This worde desyre twyse spoken doeth signifie a mynde of two desyres One was y t the olde testament shuld be finished and the new shuld be begun And this was moost his desyre For all the dayes of his lyfe he ranne after vs with a moost feruent desyre of our helthe And we â–ª yf we can nat at sumtyme haue good myndes and desires at the leest let vs haue a wyl to haue y t good desyre accordynge to the sayenge of Dauid Concupiuit anima mea deside rare iustificationes tuas My soule hath couetyd or desyred to desyre thy iustificacions After this Christe toke bread and wyne and gyuynge thankes to god blyssed them and so conuerted the bread into his owne body the wyne into his bloode and gaue it vnto them sayenge take and eat this is my bodye drynke of my bloode And here he shewed his great desyre y t was to cum that is to shede his bloode for our redemption that after the immolacion offeryng of the figuratiue and Pascall lambe shulde folow the oblacion of the very true lambe Iesus Christe And so the olde figures ceassed and all thynges were made new whan that Christ conuertyd and turned bread and wyne into his precyouse body and bloode And here note that in the boke called Exodus there were determined many thynges that were requyred to the eatynge of the figuratiue Pascall lambe whiche also spiritually be requyred to theatynge of the verye true lambe our sauiour Iesus Fyrst it shulde be eaten onely of them that be circumcidyd so shulde we be circumcidyd by the cuttynge away of our olde synfull conuersacion and lyfe Secondely it shulde be eaten with the iuse of wylde letuse signifienge that we shulde haue bytter contricion for our synnes Thyrdly with pure whete breade without leuyn betokenynge the puritie of our conscience without leuyn of fynne Fourthly theyr clothes shulde be gyrded vp signifienge oure chastitie of body soule Fyftely they shulde haue shoes vppon theyr fete betokenynge that our affections shulde be separate from all erthely thynges In a signe also or token herof our lord fyrst wasshed the fete of his disciples before that he gaue to them his body and blood Sixtely they shuld haue staues in theyr handes notynge therby that we shulde diligently kepe our selfe These syxe foresayd condicions ben requyred in vs as concernynge the auoidaunce of vyce and synne And in lyke maner syxe thynges ben requyred in vs yf we wyll worthely receyue the sacrament of the aulter as concernynge the operacion of good werkes and gettynge of vertues Fyrst that it be eaten in one house that is in the vnitie of the chyrche that we be nat diuided from the chyrche by any scisme or heresye Secondly that we take or eat it with our neighbours as many as shall be sufficient to eate it signifienge the loue and concorde with our neighbours Thyrdely that it be nat eaten raw that is withoute the fyre of loue ne yet sodden with water of carnall pleasures but rosted with the fyre of feruent deuocion Fourthly it shulde be eaten hastely betokenyng our feruent desyre and delectacion folowynge Fyftely it shulde be eaten all hole bothe hed fete and the inwarde partes signifieng that we shulde be incorporate vnto Christe with a hole and true fayth beleuynge the diuinitie of Christe whiche is the hed also his humanitie body flesshe whiche is as the fote and also his soule whiche is as the inwarde parte Syxtely they shulde breke no bone of the Paschall lambe signifienge the symple veneracion worshyppynge of this sacrament nat dyuydyng the godhed from the manhode nor the flesshe from the blood for vnder euery parte of the hooste consecrate there is hole Christe bothe god man soule body and blood Wherfore who so euer receiueth the sacrameÌ„t of the aulter vnder the forme of bread only he receyueth hole Christe god and man soule flesshe and blood ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe whiche in the euyn tyde made thy last supper with thy disciples in a greate and large chaumbre strawed and made redye for the and there fedde theym with thy moost sacrate body and bloode make my herte I beseche the a great large chambre prepared for the. Enlarge in it trew fayth hope and charitie Magnifie or make it great with longanimitie pacience mekenes and straw it with all maner of vertues Graunt me lorde that my herte contrite and thus prepared may take and receyue the after my pore maner whom heuyn and erthe are nat able to take and conteyne that by thy grace inhabytance in me I may thynke and performe in dede all thynges pleasyng to the and declyne or auoyde all vyce and synne by perfyte hace of them and so continuynge vnto the ende I may worthely receiue thy preciouse body and blood in the sacrament of the aulter AMEN ¶ The .x. and last particle of this fyrst parte Of the wasshynge of his disciples fete WHan this supper was done and the Paschall lambe eaten and whan the deuyll had put into the herte wyll of Iudas to betraye Christe nat dyrecâ—y mouynge his wyll as the soule moueth the bodye but onely indyrectly by suggestion mouynge and perswadynge hym to betray Christe and he consented thereunto And here note that the deuyll can nat put euyll thoughtes into y e hert of man but onely offre them vnto man which yf the man receyue theym and that appere to the deuyll by sum outewarde sygne or token than the deuyll bloweth at this coole to kynâ—â—e and make the fyre burne that is he ceasseth nat to perswade and moue that man to consent vnto that synne And so it apperech that the deuyll can nat cast a man downe and ouercum hym except the man cast hym selfe fyrste downe and rendre his armour vnto his enemy that is excepte he consent to the suggestyon and mocion of the deuyll This supper I saye done and the Paschall
to hym his dieat Seconly he wyl cast hym in a sweat Thyrdly if these be not sufficyent he wyll let hym blode to correcte the euyll humors And fourthly he wyl gyue hym a pocyon to auoyde all the euyll mater that is the cause of his sekenes So our lorde Christe that he myght cure vs from the infirmitie and seakenes of synne he fyrste kepte a dyeat for he fasted .xl. dayes Secondly he swet blode for vs. Thyrdly he was let blode in all the partes of his bodye when as he shedde his blode without weyght or mesure so that his bodye hangynge vpon the crosse was as drye as a fyrebrand Fourthly and last not content with all the other medicynes he toke a most bitter pocyon when for to cure oure synfull sekenes he toke vinegre and tasted therof and therfore he sayd conueniently Consummatum est All thynges be fulfylled that I shulde suffer for the helthe of man And thus after that he had suffred in all the membres of his bodye the sharpe dartes of moste bytter paynes and passyon he myghte well say the wordes of the prophet Repleuit me amaritudine inebriauit me absinthio He hath fulfylled me with bitternes he hath made me dronke with wormewod and so in his passyon he dranke a bytter pocyon and that to cure vs. ¶ A Lesson OF this article we maye take this lesson that in the ende of euery good werke that we do whiche hath diuerse actes and partes we shulde gather them togyther as it ware in a soÌ„me and so offer that good werke to god and so comonlye we vse in all the seruyce of the churche for euer in the ende we conclude with a collecte whiche is so called for asmoche as in that prayer all the office or seruice said before is as it ware virtually gadred and conteyned in that orison or collect as in a summe And so this worde Consummatum est is as it were the collecte of the hole passion of Christ vnto his death And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remembre breuely as it were in a summe all the forsayde artycles of Chrystes passion and so gyue thankes to all myghtie god for them and pray as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche offeryng the consummacion of thy hole passion as it ware in a â—ume â—o god thy father for we dyd say Consummatum est it is ended â–ª grant to me that I may dewly consummate and ende all the good werkes and paynes that it shall please thy grace to werke in me and by me and so ended to offre them with due thankes vnto god the father by the. Amen ¶ Of the yeldyng vp of his soule or of the death of Christe The. lxii article THe .lxii. article is the death of Christe for when Christe had sayde It is ended then he criynge agayne with a greate voyce sayd or no necessite but for our example 〈…〉 tuas coÌ„mendo spiritum meum Father I commend my spirite in to thy handes This was the .vii. and last worde that he spake vpon the crosse And by this sayng he wolde declare vnto vs that the soules of holy sayntes be in y e handes of god after theyr departyng from the bodye wher as before y t tyme all the soules ware in the hande power of hell And by this his commendacion he commendeth to his father all his electe people for we be his membres as saynt Paule sayth Omnes vnum sumus in Christo iesu We be all one in Christe iesu Which in the dayes of his mortalitie offerynge prayers to his father with a greate crye and teares was hard for his reuerence And this worde sayd and prayer made he bowed downe his heade and so gaue vp his spirite In criyng weapyng and praing As the glose sayth we that be erthly or made of y e erth do dye or giue vp our spirite with out any voyce or at most a softe or small voyce But Christ y t camme from heuen he at his death exalted his voyce and cried with a great and lowde voyce He that is not moued with this voyce is more heuy than the erth more harde than y e stone and more close and stynkyng than dead menes graues for all these ware broken moued and open by this voyce And note here that amonge al the paynes that Chryst suffered this payne of death was most sharpe and paynefull for as the Philosopher sayth Death is the moste terrible of all terrible or fearefull thynges and that is for the naturall inclinacion that the soule hathe to the bodye But there is a more speciall cause in Christe for as Damasten sayth His godhed was vnit and knyt bothe to the soule and also to the bodye and therfore that separatioÌ„ of his soule from his body was most paynfull to hym Chryste enclined and bowed downe his heade to shewe vnto vs. iiii thynges that is Fyrste the greuouse and heuy burden that was laid vpon him A man that is ouercharged or oppressyd with a heuy burden is wonte to stowpe and bowe downe his heade But Christe was oppressid with the heuy burden of our synnes as sait Petre sayth Peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super lignum Christe bare our synnes in his bodye vpon a tree that is the crosse Also Christe sayth by the prophet Conuolute sunt iniquitates et imposite collo meo The iniquites or synnes be folden or lappid vp to gether and laid vpon my necke and therfore no meruel though he bowid downe his heade to shew vnto vs what heuy burden he bare Secondely he enclined his heade to shewe his pouertie for Iesus the son of god at his death was so pore that he had no place where to reste his head and therfore he bowyd it downe Thyrdly to shewe to vs that meaknes is the way to glorie euerlastyng Herunto Hugo sayth We shall returne vnto the heuenly cuntre by the waye of meakenes And the wiseman sayth Viam sapientie monstrabo tibi c. I shall shewe to the the way of wisdom and I shall lead the by the pathes of equitie which when thou arte ones entred in to thy feet shall not letted nor thou runnyng shal haue any let or obstacle This waye is the vertu of meakenes for as Christ sayth Qui sehumiliat exaltabitur He y t meaketh hym selfe shal be exalted as y e ê“phet sayth Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit suê‘biam The prowde person shall not dwell in my house Forthly Chryste enclyned his heade to gyue thankes to his father for the victorie he had for by his death he distroyed death And hereunto saynt Paule sayth Absorpta est mors in victoria Death is destroyed by the victorie and triumphe of Chryst And in the same place Deo gracias qui fe cit nos vincere in domino nostro iesu Christo Thankes be to god that hath
shulde loue bodily or carnall pleasures but that as Christ hauyng a mortall body dyd by coÌ„tinual penaunce subdue his body coÌ„tempne all carnall worldly pleasures and was euer ioyned to god by loue so in lyke maner shuld mortal man mortifye his body by continuall penaunce dispise all vayne pleasures and euer erecte or lyfte vp his soule to god and heuenly thynges O the meruaylous blyndnes of man made of two substaunces that is the soule and the body and all thoughe the soule without comparison be moche more noble than the body yet he wyl spend and occupy all his tyme in a maner aboute the prouisyon of his body or in suche thynges as the flesshe desireth and in nothynge regarde his soule as yf he had none or that it were of no value For he wyll neyther fede nor norysshe it nor yet laboure to quiete or rest it in the loue of god thoughe he myght so do with moche more ease swetnes and also pleasure without comparison than to content and saciat the body For god is prest and redy to euery man ye he offereth hym selfe to man yf man he wyl receyue hym Ecce sto ad ostium et pulso c. Behold he sayth I stande at thy dore that is thy herte or soule and knocke yf any person wyl here my voyce and open the dore of his soule vnto me I shall entre therin and suppe with hym and he with me Se thou vnkynde man howe our lorde offereth hymselfe vnto the and requyreth none other pryce of the but the deth of his sonne with thyne obedient herte therfore gladly receyue hym to thy spirituall coÌ„forte All corporall and temporall thynges fle frome man and forsake hym and thoughe with great study anguysshe and payne he labour to get and kepe them yet he shal neuer haue y e ful possession of them to his quietnes excepte he wolde say that he hath the ful possession of them the whiche holly and fully contempneth and dispiseth them all for that person is saciate and contente with the wante of them But wyll ye se a more meruaylous blyndnes of this wretched man The soule of man which is made to thymage of god and the whiche shall neuer be saciate and content but only with god that same soule nat constrayned though partely enclyned and moued by the flesshe wylfully subdeweth her selfe vnto the flesshe redy to fulfyl the vayne pleasures and desyres of the flesshe But she coÌ„tempneth or dispiseth to subdue her self to god though she be continually moued therunto by dayly exhortatyon or preachynge continuall receyuynge of his benefytes and graces and also by inwarde inspirations Ye more ouer she wyll nat do the wyl of god in his owne gyftes that he gyueth to her Truely yf the soule were nat worse or more bestial than any brut beste she wolde loue god aboue all thynges vnto whose ymage she is made And so lytell or nothynge regarde all creatures in comparison of god Wherfore thou soule yf thou wylt loue the flesshe or the body loue none other but the flesshe and the body of Christe whiche was offered for the and for the helth of mankynde on the auter of the crosse Therfore dayly remembre in thy herte his passion For it so remembred in the soule of man is continually offered and presented to the syght of the father omnipotent for our consolation and comforte It is comenly sayd that if any man kyl or slee another man yf that mansleer come afterwarde in the presence of that deed corps or body so that he se it it wyl incontinent blede or voyde at the wounde fresshe blode So yf we wolde beholde with the deuoute eyen of our soule the blode and passion of Christe whom we haue slayne or were the occasyon of his deth nat onely by our original synne but also by our manyfolde actuall synnes we shuld fele or perceyue by spiritual grace of deuotion in our soules howe that by our compassion of his passion his blode flowethe plentuously out of his body and is offered and presented vnto his father for our saluacion and sanctification For yf the nayles that persed his handes and feet were sanctified and called holy by the tochyng of his blessed meÌ„bres how moche more then shulde our reasonable thoughtes whiche cleue fast to Christe crucifyed by continual or ofte remembraunce of his passion be called holy O most delectable passion O most meruaylous deth Meruaylous Ye what may be more meruaylous for this deth doth gyue life it cureth our woundê it maketh blode whyte that is it purifieth and clenseth our soule from the blode of synne Great bitternes and sorowe is ofte times tourned to moche swetenes pleasure The openyng of the syde of Christ ioyneth his herte to our herte The sonne hyd frome vs by the clowdes whan the clowdes be gone and paste it shineth more clerely The fyre quenched is shortlyer or soner kyndeled maketh the greater flame The ignominious and shamfull deth of Christe glorifieth both hym and vs. Christe thristyng vpon the crosse doth inebriate and saciate vs with the drynke and liquore of grace Christe hangyng naked on the crosse clotheth y e ryghtuous persones with the garmentes of vertue His handes nayled to the crosse dothe vnknytte or loose oure handes his feete nayled dothe make vs ronne to vertue Christe yeldynge his spyryte in to the handes of his father dothe inspyre and gyue lyfe of grace And he also spred abrode vpon the crosse doth call vs to heuenly thinges O the wonderfull passyon of Christe the whiche doth alyenate and chaunge the herte and mynde of hym that hath remembraunce and compassion of it For it nat only maketh hym angelical but also diuine and godly For he that coÌ„tinueth by meditation in the tormentes and passion of Christ seeth nat hym selfe bycause he alwayes and onely beholdeth his sauiour Christe crucified This person wolde bere the crosse of Christe with hym and he also bereth in his herte hym which susteynethe both heuen and erthe with whome he may easely susteyne and beare all heuy burdens and paynes This persone also that thus continueth in the mediation of Christe crucifyed wolde be crowned with thornes with Christe and for Christe and he is crowned with the sure hope and truste of the crowne of glory He wolde hynge naked on the crosse with Christe and so shake for colde and he is heated in his soule with the feruent fyre of loue He wolde taste of the bitter and sharpe vynacre and gall with Christe and he drynkethe the wyne of vnspeakable swetenes He wolde be mocked and scorned withe Christe on the crosse and he is honoured of aungelles He wolde be dispysed and forsaken with Christe and our lady hath chosen hym to her sonne He wolde be heuy with Christe and he is conforted He wolde be tormented and scourged with Christe and he is relyued with great ioy gladnes He wold hynge with Christe on the crosse and Christe most swetely doth
I adiure and charge you o you doughters of syon that ye do nat vnreste vnquiete or wake my dearebeloued spousesse vnto suche tyme it shall please her This penetration and inwarde entrynge of our hertes in to our lorde god there restyng as we sayd before is perceyued and vnderstandyd by the forsayd congruitie or conueniency taken of a similitude as we declared in the fyfte consideration as ye may more clerely perceyue by the declaration of the noble forsayd doctor Albert in his sayd boke de Eucharistia distinctione tertis tractatu primo Capi. vi ¶ The .v. particle is diuided in to .xix. Chaptres ¶ The first is of .xx. profites and fruites that cometh to man by the medytation of Christes passion and that by thordre of the letters of the Alphabete or A. B. C. Fyrste Chapitre THese profites bene writen by a deuout father of thordre of saynt Austen a reder of diuinitie or holy scripture called Rycharde of Laudenburge in his passionarie or boke y t he wrote of the passion of our lorde Iesu Christe and for your comforthe we wryte them here ¶ The fyrste profite Animorum purgat feditatem THe meditation of the passion of Christe doth purge the fylthynes of our myndes or soules Hereunto saynt Iohan sayth Sanguis Iesu Christi emundat nos ab omni peccato The blode of Iesu Christ doth clense and make vs clene from all synne And in his Apocalipse he sayth Lauit nos a peccatis nostris in sanguine suo He hath wasshed vs from our synnes in his blode And therfore Christe in his gospel called his passion a baptisme bycause it purgeth vs from our synnes sayng thus Baptismo habeo baptisari et quomodo coartor vsque dum perficiatur I must be baptysed with a certen baptisme and I am in great anguisshe vnto it be performed and done And therfore the synners that be in good wyll mynde to clense theyr coÌ„sciences from the spottes of vices and synnes shulde ofte remembre the passion of Christe Euery mortall and dampnable synne is as it were a buckler or shelde to defende the deuyll that he be nat expelled from the soule of the synner but Christe brake this buckler and shelde by his passion and deth that he suffered on the crosse And therfore the prophet Dauid sayde of Christe Arcum conteret et confringet arma et scuta comburet igne He shall breke the bowe and the armour and he shall burne in the fyer the sheldes or bucklers that is he shal burne and consume our synnes whiche be the bucklers of the deuyll with the feruent fyer of charitie whiche he had in his glorious passion that he suffered on the crosse And therfore we may say that he burned .vii. bucklers that is the .vii. deedly synnes with the foresayd fyer of charitie Fyrst pryde by the inclynation and bowynge downe of his heed for by that bowynge downe of his heed it seamed as that he wolde haue fledde from the solempne title that was written aboue his crosse Iesus naza renus rex iudeorum This is Iesus of Nazareth y e kyng of Iues. Secondly he consumed enuy by thextention and castyng abrode of his armes as redy to receyue halfe his enemyes for the great loue he had vnto them Thyrdly he burned the bukler of auarice or couitice in his large gyftes that he gaue in his passion And hereto sath saynt Barnarde Lerne thou christiane how moche thou ought to loue thy sauiour Christe whiche gaue hym selfe vnto the deth for our redemption he gaue his flesshe vnto vs in meate his blode to our drynke the water of his syde to wasshe vs his garmentes to his crucifiers his bodye to his disciples and his mother to his disciple Iohan. Fourtly he burned slouth by his wylfull and spedy comynge to his passion Fyftly he consumed wroth by his sylence and softe or gentyll speche Sextly he distroyed glotony by the drynkyng of asel gall And seuently he ouercame lychery by the openynge and woundynge of his syde And therfore we may say well that the meditation and remembraunce of the passion of Christe doth purge and clense the fylthynes of our soules ¶ The .ii. profit Bellatorum roborat pusillanimitatem THe remembraunce of the passion of Christe doth conforte and strength warryours or fyghters and that aswell in iust corporal batel as in spirittuall Of corporal batell it appered in the noble emperour Constantine whiche caused the signe of the crosse to be borne before his hoste or army to the intent that the passion of Christe shulde gyue strengthe vnto his knyghtes and sawdiours that faught vnder that baner of the crosse and so it dyd For as we rede in Historia tripertita whan theyr enemys came agaynst them he that bare the baner of the crosse was sore afrayd and for that feare he wold nat beare that banar but toke it vnto an other man and so fled from y e felde but or that he could conuey hym selfe away he was wounded and slayne where as the other ê‘son that bare the baner of y e crosse thorowe the vertue of the passion of Christe was saued from all hurt thoughe ofte tymes he were in great daunger of his enemyes and many dartes shotte at hym whiche all dyd lyght in the baner and cleued fast therin The passion of Christe doth also strength vs in our spirituall battell for therby onely we opteyne victorie Herunto speaketh saynt Paule Deo gratias qui ded it nobis victoriam per dominum nostrum Iesum Christum Praysed and thanked be god that hathe gyuen to vs the victorie by the merites of our lorde Iesus Christe ¶ The .iii. profit Christianorum excitat tepiditatem IT also exciteth and stirreth the dulnes and coldnes of christians vnto deuotion And herunto saynt Paule sayth Recogitate eum qui talem sustinuit a peccatoribê° contradictionem c. RemeÌ„bre hym that suffered such coÌ„tradiction of synners agaynst hym selfe that is suche rebukes dispisynges and shamefull deth that ye by suche remembraunce shulde nat faynt or waxe dull in your myndes As if he sayde If ye haue in mynde the passion of Christe ye shall haue no tediousnes or dulnes in your good and meritorious werkes ¶ The .iiii. profit Diabolorum fugat potestatem IT chaseth away the power of the deuyles And therfore saynt Austen sayth The signe of the crosse chaseth away from vs our gostly enemy if so be that god inhabit our hertes by ofte remembraunce of his passion We rede that Dauid with playenge on his harpe chased away the euyl spirit from kynge Saul Not y t there was so great vertue in the herpe but in the signe of the crosse figured and signified by the tree of the herpe and thextention or streynynge of the strynges And therfore at euery suggestion or temptation of the deuyll it is expedient for vs to haue recours vnto the meditation of y e passion of Christ
thy drynke that is wyne made pleasaunt with spices And this signifieth y e wine of worldly tribulacioÌ„ or aduersitie whaÌ„ it is ioyned mixte with the meditacion of y e passion of Christe Also we rede in y e boke of y e Machabeis how that kyng Antiochus whan he shuld fight against the Iues he shewed vnto his Olephantes put in theyr sight the blood that is the red colour licour of the grape of y e molbery to thintent y t those Olephantes shulde be prouoked to fight to be the more quicke in bataile In lyke maner the knightê of Christe accordyng to thexample of these Olephantê shuld be animate quickened to suffre paciently all tribulacioÌ„s aduersities whan so euer they here se or remembre the blood passion of Christe whiche was pressed out of his body at his passion as y e wyne is pressed out of the grape Moreouer the prophet Hieremy sayeth Dabis eis scutum cordis laborem tuum Thou good lorde shal gyue vnto them a buckeler or a shelde for theyr hert or soule y t is thy labour passion or deth This buckler or shelde receiueth without any perill vnto y e soule al maner of dartes specially .iii. maner of dartes that is losse of goodes infirmities of the body and contumeliouse or rebukyng worde with this buckeler that is with the feruent meditacion of y e labour paine or passion of Christe a man ouercuÌ„meth almighty god in paciently suffryng his corrections louyng visitatioÌ„s He also ouercuÌ„meth the deuyll in auoidyng his snares temptacioÌ„s And thyrdly he ouercuÌ„meth him selfe in resistyng all carnall mocioÌ„s passioÌ„s of yre or wrath in paciently suffering all infirmities of the body And thus the remembraunce of the passion of Christ doth mitigate thaduersities troubles of suche as be troubled therwith And as ye se y t a litle floode or ryuer doeth lose his name whaÌ„ he is entred into y e see or into a greater water so I like maner al labours paines passioÌ„s coÌ„pared to y e labours paines passion of Christe lese theyr name be nat to be called paines ¶ The .xviii. profite RectoruÌ„ confirmat stabilitatem THe meditacion of y e passion of Christe maketh rightuouse good men stable in faith in good werkes We rede that there is a certayn welle in Englande of this nature that yf a tree be put therin continue there any long space or tyme it is tourned into a stone So spiritually if a christian continue longe in this welle y t is in the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the wouÌ„des dethe of christe he shal be tourned into a stone that is he shal be constant stable in all vertue goodnes for thaÌ„ he shal abide fastened with christe vnto y e crosse by pacience Herunto sayth saint Bonauenture O meruelous deth passion of Christe whiche doeth allienate seclude the remembrer from dethe spuÌ„all also eternall nat only that but also it maketh him angelicall nothyng els to consider thynke but Iesu Christe crucified He wyl bere his crosse with Christe so he bereth in his hert Iesu Christe who coÌ„teineth in his haÌ„de power bothe heuyn erthe And so for y e loue of Christ he shal bere most easely suffre pacieÌ„tly al troubles paines He wold be crowned with thornes with Christe for christ christ shal crowne hym with the crowne of glory and so as ye may perceyue suche a feruent meditacion of the passion of Christe doeth greatly stable vs in goodnes ¶ The .xviii. profite Supernovum Placat displicentiam THis meditacion doeth strongly swage pacify y e wrath displeasure of god al his saintê Herunto saith saint Bernard The remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of y e labours paines of my sauiour Iesu doeth erect streÌ„gth me in al aduersities it doth represse me and kepe me iÌ„ al ê“sperites it also gydeth or ledeth me by a sure way in this lyfe where as is now ioy now sorow now pleasur now payne c. This meditacion putteth away all peryls It reconsileth me to y e high iudge of y e worlde whyles it declareth vnto me hym to be very meke mylde here in erthe to whose maiesty all auÌ„gels in heuen do reuerence haue him in reuerent feare Also the same saint entraytyng these wordes of Iob. VtinaÌ„ appeÌ„deren tur petaÌ„ mea quibê° iraÌ„ merui â–ª c saieth thus Good lorde behold y e face of thy son christe whiche was obedient to thy wyll vnto his dethe good lorde let neuer y e printes of his wouÌ„des depart froÌ„ thy sight remeÌ„brauÌ„ce CoÌ„sider good lord what satisfaction he hath done for our synnes to reconsyle vs vnto the. I wold that thou god lorde wold wey and pondre our synnes in a balance with the paynes that thy innocent sonne Iesus suffered for them And then good lorde it shulde well appere that his paynes excedeth our synnes so that thou rather shewe thy mercy vnto vs for the merytes of his passyon then to kepe our synnes in thy remembraunce to reuenge and punysshe them ¶ The .xix profit Terrenorum pessundat vanitatem IT also maketh man to contempne and set at nought the worlde with all the pleasures therof And therfore saynt Paule sayde Mihi mundus crucifixus est et ego mundo The worlde is crucified to me and I to the worlde as if he sayd I dispise the worlde and the worlde dispiseth me Auicen reciteth how that a certen man by stronge ymaginacion that he had ymaginynge him selfe to be a leprouse man therby he was made a leprouse man So in lyke maner yf a man feruently deuoutly coÌ„tinue in the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passion of Christe he may so haue a great sorow in his hert true coÌ„passion of y e passion of Christe so suffre payn with hym so consequently al Worldly pleasure shall be bytter paynfull vnto hym Herunto sayeth saynt Bonauenture Who so feruently remeÌ„breth the passion of Christe he desyreth to be crucified with Christe Iesu he reputeth thynketh hym selfe to be in seruitude bondage misery he doth sygh sorow is in continuall heuynes vnto y e tyme he be all to wasshed or drowned in the blood of Christe so traÌ„sfourmed into his lord crucified yf he be nat kept in the blood of his sauiour he thynketh him selfe no man yea worse thaÌ„ a beast yf he be nat clad with the passion of Christe Therefore who so euer doeth ofte and feruently remembre the passion of Christe he shall lytle regarde the vanities of this worlde and set them at nought ¶ The .xx. profite Viatorum gubernat prosperitateÌ„ THe meditacion of the passyon of Christe doeth gouerne direct men lyuyng in this worlde vnto the lyfe of eternall felicitie For the passion of Christe is the kynges hygh waye the right compendiouse waye to cum to the
my soule beholde here howe thy sauyour Iesus entreth vnto his iudgement bounde thurst and many other wayes vexed and all men behelde hym and mockyng hym sayd O Iesu thou art here nowe if thou had ben a prophet thou wolde haue preuyded for this before with many other lyke wordes that those cursed Iues spake then to hym And thus they brought hym bounde and delyuered hym to ponce Pylate the president and hygh iudge of Iury vnder the emperoure of Rome This presentynge vnto Pylate was most greuous of all other vnto Christe fyrste bycause he was presented before that iudge whiche had ful power vnder the emperour to condempne hym vnto the deth Secondly bycause the Iues that presented hym to Pylate dyd presente hym not as to be examyned by Pylate but they delyuered hym vnto Pylate as conuicte and founde gylty by theyr examinacyon and so to be put to y e deth without ony other examinacion or taryeng For they sayd to Pylate If this man were not a mislyuer and so worthy deth we wolde not haue delyuered hym to the. Of this we shall speake more in the next article Thyrdly this presentyng to Pylate was moste greuous to Christe bycause he had ben faty gate and weryed the nyght before many wayes by the crueltye of the Iues and therfore it was moche more payne to hym now to be brought to the iudgement of a pagane and infidele for they brought hym bound to Pylate to be slayne and deuoured by hym whiche was reputed as a dogge amonge the Iues bycause he was a gentyle and not circumcysed as they were ¶ A remembraunce of the mornynge of our Ladye WHen it was publysshed thoroughe out all the cytye of Hierusalem that Iesus was taken and howe that the Iues wolde crucifye hym his moste sorowfull mother the virgine Marye herde therof and so almoste deed for sorowe was led by her systers and other women with vnspeakeable lamentynges wepynges mornynges and syghynges to se her moste derebeloued sonne and so wepynge without ceasyng she sawght hym thorough y e brode stretes and narowe lanes of Hierusalem cryenge and sayenge where is my moste derebeloued sonne where arte thou my most swete Iesu where shal I fynd the who hath taken the from me why may not I dye for the These wordê with other lyke might this most sorowefull mother of Iesu say And whan they came to that place where as they myght se Iesus they seynge hym so bounde so tormented so deformed with theyr spyttynges forsaken of all his disciples dispysed mocked and destitute of all help and solace so shamfully and paynfully with a greate multitude of armed men cruelly led to the tribunall of the wycked Iudge and there to be condempned to the death our ladye with her systers and the other women I saye seynge and considerynge these thynges what heuynes what sorowe and bytternesse were they then fulfylled with it can not be spoken nor expressed by any sentence Also our lorde Iesus seynge and knowynge his mother with the other women in so great sorowe greatly sorowed therof for without doute he had greate compassyon of them and so was greatly greued of this compassyon and most specyally for his most kynd mother for he knewe that her sorowe was almost to the deth as it shall appere in the .lviii. article And as some doctours say there were .xl. seruantes that led Christ from Cayphas house vnto Pylate besydes the greate multitude of people that went with them and there were a thousande passes frome Cayphas house vnto the house of Pylate ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that the secular power is not to be dispised but to be honoured For as saynte Poule sayth there is no power but of god and therfore who so resisteth the power he resisteth the ordinauns of god And therfore as saynt Austen sayth Our lorde god stode before Pylate a gentyle and pagane iudge and spake neuer one word vnreuerently vnto hym So shulde we with reuerence stand before our prelates and iudges though they be not good but euyll and vicyous ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe sonne of the lyuynge god whiche in the firste houre of the day for our helth wolde be presented by the Iues vnto Pylate a pagane iudge graunte to me for the loue of thy name that I dispyse no maner of power but that I may gyue due and worthy honoure to my superiours and to all iudges Amen ¶ Howe the Iues falsely accused Christe before Pylate The .xxii. article THe .xxii. article is the false accusacyon that the Iues made of Christe for whan Christe was brought in to the mote hal and there stode bound before Pylate the iudge the Iues wolde not come in to the mote hall bycause they wolde not be defoyled and made vnclene for that day was theyr Pasch day wherin all the Iues that were clene shulde eate the pure breade that is made of pure where without leuyn and the Iues had this opinyon that yf they came in the house of any gentyle or straunger whiche was not circumcided as they were by that entrance they were made vnclene and so myght not eate of those pure breades vnto suche tyme they were fyrst purifyed And here sayth saynt Austen O wycked blyndnes the Iues feared to entre the house of a straunger bycause they wolde not be contaminate but they feared not to sley theyr innocent brother and also lorde O thou christiane note here howe the Iues kepte them selfe frome all vnclennes that they myghte eate the pure breade of wheate whiche gaue to theym no grace of god for the selfe eatynge moche more then shuldest thou keape thy selfe clenne whiche receyuest the blessed bodye of Chryste the heuenlye breade whiche gyueth to the the eternall lyfe The Iues wolde not entre in to y e iudgmeÌ„t house and thou wylt not auoyd euyl compaigny and tauernes where as oftentymes bene spoken temerary vngodlye iudgementes and also moche blode shedde by false deâ—xaccyons and other wayes Symon de Cassia also sayth here That the Iues of an olde tradycyon and ordynaunce auoyded and shunned the houses of straungers in suche hyghe solempnytyes And so they euer intendynge to suche lyghte and vayne ceremonyes and lytyll regardynge greatter thynges fell in to the deape pytte of greate synnes and Pylate seyng that they wolde not enter in to hym he went forth to them and sayd what accusacyon brynge you agaynst this man And here sayth Symon de Cassya It apperteyneth to the wisdome and iustyce of euery iudge and president not to iudge after the mynde of the accusers excepte theyr accusacyon be probable and true Therfore Pylate wysely dyd inquyre and ordinarylye dyd procede in this cause whan he sayde what accusacyon shewe yow agaynste this man For also by the lawes of the Romaynes no man shulde be condempned to deathe Excepte he be fyrste accused and that proued Also Pylate merueylynge and also moued with displeasure agaynste
sene naked and so moche the more ashamed then all other chast virgyns be in how moch that his honesty and chastitye excelled without comparison the clennes of all other virgyns And whan Iesus was thus naked Pylate toke hym to the saugiours to be scourged as ye shall se in the next article And note here that one doctor sayth that Christ was thryes scourged Fyrste with roddes bycause he dyd trouble and moue the people and there he had .xl. strokes saue one accordynge to the commaundement of the lawe Secondly with rushys of the see whiche be more sharp than thornes and this beatynge was bycause he had preached and taught a newe doctrine And here he was scourged as Heliodore was by the angelles of whome we rede in the seconde boke of the Machabeis Thyrdlye they scourged hym with whyppes ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that as Christe had his garmentes pulled of his bdye and was stryped naked so shulde we put of our olde synfull cote and lyfe and make open and naked our coÌ„science before god and his minister our curate by pure and playne confession of all our synnes auoyde all cloke and colour of excusacyon for al thynges ben open and naked before the syght of god And a man to conforme hym selfe vnto this article shulde remember howe miserably and with howe moch iniurie and shame Christe was strypt naked and his clothes violentlye pulled of hym And praye thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wold haue thy clothes pulled violentlye of thy backe and wolde be strypt naked to be scourged graunt to me that I may caste of from me myne olde synfull cote or lyfe with al his operations by true pure and playne confession of all my synnes and that I neuer apere in thy syght naked from vertues Amen ¶ Howe Christe was scourged The .xxxi. article THe .xxxi. article is the scourgynge of Christe For when Iesus was so strypt naked Pylate delyuered hym to the saugiours The gospell sayth Apprehendit illum Pilatus et flagellauit Pylate toke Christe and scourged hym that is Pliate made hym to be scourged of his saugiours that the Iues as saynt Austen sayth sacyate and content with those his paynes and rebukes shulde desyre no more his death And so he that dyd lowse them that were bounde our sauiour Iesus was bounde fast to a pyllar whiche was so great and thycke that his armes his handes myght nat compas it And therfore the saugiours corrupt by mony drewe out his armes with harde cordes that all the vaynes of his armes appered out to the extremitie And then those saugiours called in all theyr compaigney and our sauiour Iesus so bounde and naked they bette so cruelly with roddes knotted whyppes and thorny rushes of the see that they dyd teare the flesh and drewe it away so that his bones ware sene bare and also greate gobettes and pecys of the flesshe hange vpon the scourges and whyppes There stode naked before all the people the most louely yonge man eligant and sham fast beautious aboue all other men speakynge not one worde but as meake as a lambe dyd suffer pacyently the harde sharppe and paynfull beatynges of those most vyle cruell tormentours That most innocent and tender flesshe most pure and most fayre the floure of all mankynde was replete and full of strokes blomes woundes and brosers he was wounded thorow out all his moste holye bodye so that fro the toppe of the hed vnto the sole of his foote there was none hole skynne That noble and precyous blode of his ranne from euery parte of his bodye the cruell tormentours added plage vpon plage and heped wounde vppon wounde brosynge vpon brosynge blode vpon blode vnto the tyme that both the cruell tormentours and also the beholders were wery of smiâ—ynge and seynge and so he was commaunded to be lowsed from the pyllar And here sayth saynte Barnarde that the tormentours dyd on s lowse Iesus and bounde hym agayne turnynge his backe to the pyllar and bounde his handes aboue his heed that they myght scourge hym vpon bely breste and also his face and so they spared no place of his most tender bodye whose crueltye coÌ„syderynge some of the pagans there standynge and beholdynge this sorowfull scourgynge ranne to our lorde and bracke the ropes and so dyd lowse hym and those cruell tormeÌ„tours not saciate with that scourgyng pulled the heyre of his most blessed berde and also of his heed wherin was fulfylled the prophecye of Esay Corpus meum dedi percutientibus et genas meas vellentibus which auctoritie we declared before in the .xvi. article ¶ But howe many plages or woundes our sauyour Iesus had at this scourgynge it can not be knowen but by reuelacyon for they were in a maner innumerable forsythe scripture sayth Pro mensura peccati erit plagarum modus After the measure of the synne shal be the measure of the beatynges or plages and Christe was scourged for our synnes whiche be innumerable therfore his plages and woundes muste be innumerable And that noted the prophet whan he sayde of Christe A planta pedis vsque ad verticem capitis non est in eo sanitas Frome the toppe of his hed vnto the sole of his fote there was no hoole parte in hym As saynte Hierom sayth Christe wolde be scourged that therby he might deliuer vs from perpetual scourgyngê As a louynge mother seynge the father beatynge her sonne wyl runne bytwixt the rodde her sonne with her armes spred abrode and receyue the strokes to defende her sonne from that beatynge so dyd Christe for vs and therin was verifyed the saynge of the prophet that he spake of Christe sayenge Disciplina pacis nostre super eum et liuore eius sanati sumus The disciplyne of our peace dyd lyght vpon hym that is the beatynges which we deserued for our synnes and were not punysshed for them but lyued in peace and pleasure these beatynges I say dyd fall vpon Christ and so by his woundes we were made hole And after that Iesus was thus scurged they mocked hym in many thynges as it shal appere in diuers articles folowynge ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that we shuld gladly suffer y e scourges of god so that euery one of vs might say truely with the prophet Ego in flagella paratus sum I am prepared and redy to receyue beatynges And that is conuenient For syth the onely sonne of god was redye to receyue vpon his owne bodye beatynges and scourgynges for our synnes and that at the obedience of god his father moche more then shulde we that be but the adoptyue chylderne of god be redy to suffer gladly the scourges of our father in heuen whiche he by hym selfe or by his ministres doth mercyfully sende to vs for our amendement ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche wolde for me be bounde to a
in all thy hole bodie to amende all our carnall life and worldly conuersacyon But wherfore good Iesu wolde thou be lefte vp on hight Herunto saynt Austen answering saith that was he bycause he wolde also purge the ayre from the power of the deuyls and from the infeccyon oâ— our synnes And in lyke maner he clensed the erth by his blode that ranne from his body vnto the erth Of this exaltacyon and lyftynge vp Christe sayd before Si exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad meipsum If I be exalted or lyfted vp aboue the erth I shall drawe to me all thynges that is all my electe and chosen people also he drewe to hym of all nacyons or of all kynde of people who is he that hearyng these thynges wyll not haue a sure hope and truste to haue remission and forgiuenes of his synnes and that specyally when he remeÌ„breth and beholdeth the desposicyon of Christes bodie hyngynge vpon the crosse he hath his hed enclyned downe redy to kysse the his armes abrode redy to halfe the his handes open redy to gyue his hert open to loue the his fete nayled faste to abyde and continue with the his body all spred abrode redy to gyue hym selfe holly and all to gether to the. ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that we remembring the paynes and passion of our lorde shulde be exalted from the erthe that is from erthly affeccyons or worldly conuersation at lest for that tyme of our remembrance and thoughe it be not gyuen to all persons to be bodylye eleuate or lyfted vp from the erth as ware Mary Magdalene saynte Austen mother called Monica saynte Birgite with diuers other yet let vs enforce our selfe with the grace of god to be eleuate in mynde that so we maye be drawen frome the erthe vp to Christe hyngynge vpon the crosse so that we may be of the noumber of them of whome he spake saynge And I be exalted frome the erthe I shall drawe to me all my electe people And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article maye of his deuocyon rayse vp his herte and mynde vnto Christe as if he sawe hym visibly hangynge vpon the crosse Also he may somtyme shewe that deuocyon in the outwarde gesture and behauiour of his bodye and pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde be lefted vp on the crosse and so wolde be exalted from the erth make me I besech the to be eleuate from all erthly affeccyons and to be conuersant in mynde in heuenlye thynges Amen ¶ Howe .ii. theues were crucified with Christ The .liii. article THe .liii. article is the crucifyenge of .ii. theues with Christe whiche without was done to his great rebuke and shame as saynt Crisostom sayth And also to make men beleue that Christe was culpable in suche thynges as the Iues dyd accuse hym in and so worthely to suffer death O the wicked and cursed iniquitie of the Iues in this dede for they crucified Christ as a thefe and with hym as the euangeliste sayth Crucifixerunt duos latrones vnum a dextris et alium a finistris They crucified .ii. theues one of the ryghte hande of Christ and the other of his lefte hande This vilanye our lorde suffred wyllynge to be crucifyed with theues to shewe that he suffred passion and deth for synners and herin was fulfylled the saynge of the prophet Et cum sceleratis reputaâ—us est He is accompted with theues or reputed to be as one of the wicked persons he was rekened or accoÌ„pted with wicked men in his deth that by his resurreccyon he might reuyue and quicken them as saynt Ambrose sayth â–ª and so our lorde was crucifyed bytwixt .ii. theues as the capteyne and mayster of them and the worste or moste mischeuous of them and also that he seynge or hearynge theyr paynes and heuynes myghte be more troubled and vexed therby in his passyon By these .ii. theues may be signifyed those persons that be crucifyed with Christe for to do penance for theyr synnes in religion and that by ê“rofession made vnto the same but some of them vtterly leaue or forsake theyr religion by apostasie of whom is well veryfyed the sayng of saynt Paule Nomen dei per vos blasphematur inter gentes The name and religion of god is blasphemed by such apostatays amonges the worldly people and that neuer so moch as in these dayes our lorde amende it and these persons be noted by that theâ—e that hang of the lefte hande of Christe and dyd blaspheme Christ The other that kepe theyr professyon and paciently bere theyr crosse of penance be signified by the other theâ—e that hang on the right hande of Christe and confessed Christe and desyred hym of his mercy ¶ A Lesson OF this article we maye lerne howe we shulde be crucified with Christe bitwixt two theues For as Iesus was crucified and .ii. theues with hym so morally our spirite noted by Christ shuld be crucifyed bitwixt .ii. theues y t is the flesshe the worlde The flesshe is to be crucifyed as the thefe on the right syde And herunto saynt Paule sayth Qui Christi sunt carnem suam crucifixerunt cum viciis They that be verye true christians haue crucified and subdued theyr flesshe and sensualitie with all vyces The worlde is to be crucified as the thefe on the left hand And therfore saynt Paule sayth Nichi mundus crucifixus est et ego mundo The worlde is crucifyed to me and I to the worlde These theues thus crucified in vs our spirite is crucified with Christe in the myddle so that it maye saye with saynte Paule Christo confixus sum cruci viuo autem iam non ego viuit vero in me Christus I am crucifyed with Christe I lyue not nowe with myne own lyfe for Christ liueth in me and in his life I do liue And here note that the left thefe was crucified but not saued for he continued in his infidelitie So the worlde though he be crucifyed yet he is not saued for he remayneth in his miserie and wretchednes The flesshe is crucified and saued with the spirite for after the generall resurreccyon it shal be glorified with the soule And therfore Christe sayde to the ryghte thefe Hodie mecum eris in paradiso This day thou shal be with me in glorie And farthermore note here that the crosse wherupon our flesshe is crucifyed is the rigor of discipline or sharpnes of penaunce and this crosse hath .iiii. branches or partes that is watche abstinence harde or sharpe wearynge clothes and sharpe or rebukynge wordes The crosse vpon the whiche the worlde is crucified is the pouertie of spirite and this crosse hath also .iiii. armes that is the contempte of worldlye glorie the contempte of mony of our countrie and of our kynsfolke The crosse of the spirite is the feruour of deuocyon and his .iiii. armes be these hope feare loue
vnto the vinegre for thy drynk where as thou gaue them drynke in the deserte when they were thristie And he answereth in the person of Christe saynge I thriste and feruently desire the conuersyon of synners the teares of penaunce of compunction of compassion and of inwarde deuotion I thyrst your helth and the redemption of all soules Therfore that Christe dyd here expresse his greate drynes was not without great misterie For he dyd not say I thyrst for that he desyred any wyne or yet vinegre whiche he knewe that they shulde gyue to hym But what drynke suppose you dyd he desyre whiche is the founten of the lyuely and holsome water the veyne of lyfe the ryuer of all pleasure the floode wateryng the heuenly paradise Surely he thristed and desyred our helth that is by his thyrst he desyred our thirst that is that we shulde desyre and thyrst god the well of lyfe Also I thyrst sayth Christ by saynt Bernarde all you that goeth by this way that ye wold attende and se if there be any sorowe lyke vnto my sorowe that by compassyon ye myght kut your hertes for this day my herte was opened for you O good Iesu thou complaynest of thy thyrste but thou speakes not of thy crosse thou suffrest pacyently the crowne of thornes thou forgettest all thy moste greuous woundes and despysynges the Iues and the gentylles they thirsted thy blode and therfore they crucifyed the but thou thyrsted theyr helth and therfore thou wold dye for them as if Christ shuld say the helth of your soules doth more tormente me then all the paynes of my bodye But whan Christe sayd Sitio I thrist anone they gaue to hym no good nor holsome drynke but vinegre for as the euangelist sayth Erat ibi vas aceto plenuÌ„ c. There was a vessel ful of vinegre and they fylled a sponge with the vinegre and wonde it aboute with ysope and fastened it to a rede and so put it to his mouth This they dyd first for ther by was the scripture fulfylled that sayd In my thirst they gaue me vinegre to drynke Secondly to signifye the malice of the Iues whiche went out of kynde from theyr olde holy fathers for as saynt Austen sayth The Iues ware as vinegre declynynge frome the good wyne of the patriarkes and prophetes in to vynegre that is in to malice and crueltye hauynge craftye deceytfull and malicyous hertes These Iues ware conueniently signifyed by that vessell full of vinegre for they were full of iniquitye hauynge theyr hertes lyke to a sponge full of poores or hooles so theyr hertes ware full of many false deceytes and malycyousenes ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne to beware that we do not offer vnto Christe to drynke bytter wyne or mixte with gall For as then the Iues and saugiours dyd to Christe so do nowe a dayes euyl christians gyue to Christ a bitter drynke for where as Christe thirsteth and desyreth the helth of theyr soules they offer to hym the bytternes of theyr synfull lyfe Tho christians that beleue wele and werke or lyue euyll they gyue to Chryste wyne mixte with gall for they mixte the wyne of true fayth with the mirre or gall of euyll conuersacyon in as moche as by theyr euyll lyfe they sclaunder the church and specyally nowe a dayes euyll prelates our lorde amend them This mixtyng of drynke may be also taken in a good sense As ye shall se in the prayer folowynge ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche thirstynge our helth wolde haue vinegre and wyne mixte with mirre and gall offred and gyuen to the to drynke make me worthelye to offer to the the wyne of deuotion mixte with the mirre of mortifycacyon of my sensualytie and with the gall of contricyon for my synnes that I neuer drynke of the vinegre of infidelitie or of sclaunder thoughe I taste of any sclaunder that is suffer wrongfully any sclaunder Amen ¶ The consummacyon and end of the passyon of Christe The .lxi. article THe .lxi. article is the end and consummacyon of the hole passyon for when Iesus had taken or tasted of the vynegre He spake the .vi. worde vpon the crosse saynge Consummatum est It is done or ended as it in the tastynge of that vinegre the fulnes of his passyon and paynes was consummate and ended or els that tastynge done all that was prophecyed of Christe that he shulde suffer was ended onelye deth excepte And therfore as our heed and capteyne Christ sufferynge the bytternes of his passion for oure synnes perseuered and continued pacyentlye vnto the ende that is vnto that al that was spoken by the prophetes and scripture that he shulde suffer ware fulfylled so we if we wyll be the membres of this heade shulde continue in perseuerant pacyence in all oure aduersytyes and troubles so that we myght come to the ende of all our troubles our most benigne sauiour Iesu beyng our guyde and that we myght say with Christe Consummatum est That is With thy helpe Iesu and not by my vertue I haue faught a good batell or feyght I haue ended my course and kept my fayth Then a thynge is sayd to be consummate when all together is perfytly ended and gathered to gyther as it ware in a somme So our sauyour Christ after that he had suffred all the paynes that be spoken of before in the. lx articles so that there was no more to be suffred but death then he gathered all them togyther as it ware in one heape or somme and so offred them al to his father sayng Consummatum est That is to say What so euer scripture sayde that I shulde suffer I haue done it perfourmed and ended it The werke of my passyon is ended whiche I offer to my father for the redemption of man kynde Nor this consummacyon was without naturall payne as if a man hadde passed many greate perylles daungers and paynes he can not lyghtly remembre and recompte them without a grudgynge to the bodye thoughe on the other parte he be glad that he hath so escaped them Suche a paynfull horror and grudgynge had Christ at this remeÌ„brance and no meruell for he was as yet hangynge vpon the crosse to his no small payne and also this remembraunce and consummacyon conteyned in it selfe virtually al the forsaid articles of the passyon of Christ whiche all in summe he noted when he sayde Consummatum est It is ended And therfore this consummacyon doth conueniently make a specyall article ¶ Of this .vi. worde Consummatum est THe .vi. worde that Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est It is ended was a worde of greate perfeccyon notynge therby as we sayd before that he had done and suffred all thyngê which he ought to do or suffer for the redemption of man And that is declared by this example a good phisicyen wyl thus order his pacyent whose helth he intendeth First he wyll gyue or assigne
loue and seruice his hart was also openyd for the effusion of the price of our redemption As ye shall see in the next article ¶ Here folow .iii. lessons THe fyrste lesson of this article is that we shulde dye with Christe that is from the worlde and synne if we wyll lyue with hym in glorie eternall And here vnto saynt Paule sayth Si commortui sumus cum Christo et conuiuemus If we dye with Christe we shall lyue with Christe And in an other place Mortui enim estis et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in deo ⧠✚ ☞ Ye be deade fromme the worlde and all vayne or transitorie thynges and your lyfe is hyd with Christ in god The second lesson is that it is very good and profitable to say deuotely those .x. psalmes coÌ„monly called the psalmes of the passion which Christ sayd in his prayer hangyng vpon y e crosse for without doute who so reades or sayes them deuoutly shal finde great conforthe Thyrdlie euery christian at his death shulde vse and keape the forsaid .v. thynges that Christ dyd at his death he dyd pray crie weape commendyd his soule to his father and gaue vp his spirite So we at our death shulde pray crye to our lorde for his helpe at leste in hert wepe for our synnes by trewe contricion commend our soule to god and to gyue vp our spirit that is with a good will to dye and so to conforme our wyll to the will of god A man to conforme hym selfe to this article may ofte remembre these lessons with y e premisses sayd in this article and pray as foloweth ¶ A Lesson O Blissed Iesu which for me dyeng vpon y e crosse dyd commend thy soule to thy father graunt to me that I may spiritually so dye to the and with the in this life that it wold please the at the houre of my death to haue my wretched soule recoÌ„mendyd to the which liues and reignys with god the father and the holy ghost world without ende Amen ¶ The openyng of Christes side and hert with a spere the .lxiii. Article THe .lxiii. Article is the openynge or wondyng of Christes hert with a spere For at y e death of Christ there ware shewed many miracles as y e derknes of the soÌ„ne y e cuttyng of y e veyle in y e temple y e rentyng or breakyng of the stonys the openyng of the monumentes or grauys the conuersion of the noble man and capiteyn Centurio the conuersion of the thefe of many other that seyng these great thynges that ware done knocked vpon there brestes in sygne or token of penaunce and returned homewardes his moste heuy mother there abidyng with a fewe women with her The Iues then bicause it was the sabboth euyn that the bodyes shulde not remayne vpon the crosse on the saboth day for that sabboth day was an high day and festfull with them they I say besought Pilate that theyr legges myght be broken and so taken downe of the crosse then camme the sawgyours and brake the legges of both the theuys And when they camme to Iesus and saw that he was deed alredie they brake not his legges for as the legges of the paschall lambe ware not broken no more ware the legges of Christ that is the true lambe of god and in that was the scripture fulfylled that saith os non comminuetis ex eo He shall not breake a bone of hym But there cam one of the sawgiours with a spere and dyd thrust Christ in to the side and forthwith there came out blode and watre This sawgior was called Longius and he was blinde or at lest his sight was but weke and what tyme he had thrust Christ to the hert with his spere y e blode runnyng downe by the speare vnto his handes he not knowing the vertue therof touched or rubbed his yen with his blody haÌ„des and so had his syght clerely gyuen to hym Also of this blode and watre all the sacramentes of y e churche haue theyr efficacitie vertue and strenght as by theyr meritoriouse cause As the mayster of the sentence sayth and all doctours And though at that tyme the deed bodye of Christ could feale no payne yet y e Iues did this thing of a great malice and to the great rebuke of Christ for they ware not â—aciate and content with the obprobries rebukes and paynes that they put hym to in his lyfe but that also they wolde put hym to more and so persew hym after his death And for that cause this wondyng of Christes syde is taken here for a speciall article of Christes passion for all y e cruelties shames and despites that be done to y e deed corpes or corse be acompted as if they ware done to the persones lyuyng As somtyme the bodyes of deed persones be drawen hangyd headyd quarteryd or burned for the correction and punishment of suche defawtes as those persones dyd in ther liues And though Christ that tyme deed felt not that wounde of his syde yet the blessyd virgyn his mother felt it for that spere then dyd perse her most sorowfull soule as saynt Bernard sayth truly O blessid mother than the swerde of sorow did perse thy soule when that cruell spere openyd thy son syde after his death His soule then was not present with his bodye But thy soule myght not be departed from it for y e soule is rather there where it louyth than where it gyuith life so not without great cause we say that thou art more than a martyr for the effecte of compassion in the dyd exceade the fealyng of all bodilye paynes ¶ Of the miracles that ware done at this tyme we shall speake in the begynnyâ—g of the thyrd parte of this myrrour boke or treatesse OF this wounde of the side of our lorde the deuote and holy saynt Bernard saith thus O good Iesu thy side was wouÌ„ded and openid that we myght haue entrance or a way to cumme to the. Thy hert was wouÌ„ded that we absolued from al outward trobles and busines myght reste and abyde therin It was also wounded that by that visible wounde we myght see the inuisible wounde of thy loue for who so euer feruently louith he is wounded with loue And how myght his burnyng loue be more clerelie and openly declared to vs but in that y t he wold not onely haue his bodie outwardly woundyd but also haue his hart wounded with a spere therfore this bodely wounde doth shewe to vs his spiritual wounde of loue Arise therfore thou spouse of Chryst as a doue buyidyng thy nest and restyng place in the deapnes of this hole or wounde there watche coÌ„tinually as a sparow fynding thy nest there hyd thy birdes of chaste loue with the turtyll Ioyne or put thy mouth to that wounde that thou may sucke or drawe the watre of helth from y e fouÌ„tayns of our sauiour This is y e wel that
spryngeth in y e myddest of paradise whiche doth make frutefull the deuoute hertes and plentiously doth watre all the world This is the doore that was made in the side of the arke of Noe by the which dyd entre all tho bestes men that ware sauyd from the vnyuersall flode Studie and laboure therfore with all thy diligence to haue a recourse vnto the holes of this stone and vnto the caue or den in this stony wall both now in this life and also at thy death there to rest and hide thy selfe that thou myght escape the daunger of the wode lion the deuyl and also that thou myght fynde there plentiouse pasture and fode to thy eternall comforth ¶ And here note that Christ dyd shedde his blode .v. tymes this day for vs. Fyrst in his prayer when he swet blode Second in his scourgyng Thyrd in his crownyng with thornys Fourth in his naylyng to the crosse and. Fyfth in the openyng of his syde as ye haue herde before ¶ Here folow .ii. Lessons FYrste lesson of this article is this that whan we be deade with Christe from the worlde and from all synne then also we shuld be wounded in our hert with the spere of charitie so that we myght say with y e spouse in her canticles Vulnerata charitate ego sum I am wounded with y e spere of charitie Saynt Austen also desired to be wounded with this spere sayng I besech the my lord and kyng my most swete Iesu for thy moste holye wondes which thou suffered vpon the crosse for our health from y e which that most preciouse blode ran out wherwith we be redemyd I besech the I saye to wounde this my synfull soule for the which it pleasyd the to dye Wounde it I besech the with the fiery dart of thy most myghtie loue and charitie Nayle fast my hert to the with the nayle or dart of thy loue that my soule may say vnto the I am wounded with charitie and so sore wounded that from this wounde of thy loue there myght runne the full riuers of teares both nyght and day both of coÌ„tricion compassion and deuocion Smyte I beseach the good Iesu this moste hard flynt my soule with the myghty and sharpe spear of thy loue that it may myghtilie entre in to y e inwardnes or deapnes of my hard hart The second lesson is that we shuld receyue the sacramentes of the churche with that intent and deuocion as if they cam then from the syde and hert of our lorde for that wounde of his syde was as the doore wherby y e sacramentes of the churche com from Christ to vs. For as of the syde of our fyrst Adam sleapynge his wyfe Eua was formed and made so of y e syde of our second Adam that is Christ sleapyng by death vpon the crosse was formed the churche the spouse of Christ By this wouÌ„de as by a dore of loue saynt Austen dyd entre when he sayde Longyne hath openyd to me the syde of Christ with a spear and I haue entred therin and there I surely and quietly reast The nayles and the spear crie to me that I am truly reconsiled to Christ if I loue hym ¶ A prayer O Iesu which for me wold haue y e syde of thy deed bodie openyd from whens cam plentye of blode and watre for our health comforth wounde I beseach the my hert with the spear of thy charitie y t I may worthely receyue thy sacrameÌ„tes which flowed out of that thy most holie syde Amen ¶ How the bodie of Christ was taken downe of the crosse the .lxiiii. Article THe .lxiiii. article is the takyng downe of Christes bodie from the crosse For after that our sauiour Iesus had gyuen vp his spirite vpon y e crosse that was about the ix houre of the day the bodie of Christ hang styll vpon the crosse vnto euensong tyme and there abode and taried our blessid ladie and other .iii. women sittyng by the crosse and not knowyng what to doo they wold haue taken downe the bodye and haue buried it but they had no strenght therunto nor yet such instrumentes as ware necessarie for that purpose And to departe leuyng the bodie vpon the crosse they durste not and there to tary or abide y e nyght drawyng nygh they myght not Behold and considre thou deuote soule in what proplexitie they be in and haue compassion on them with all thy herte And as they sat thus in troble and heuines there cam Ioseph of y e citie of Aromathya somtyme called Ramatha where as Helchana and Anna the parentes of the prophet Samuell dwellyd This Ioseph was a riche man and of noble blode and also he was a senatour and had great office in y e courte of the emperour a good man in hym selfe and in y e syght of god iuste to his neyghbour a disciple of Christ but secreate for feare of the Iues he had a truste to come to the kyngdome of god for he dyd in no thyng consent to the cowncell and those maliciouse actes of the Iues. And as saynt Hierom sayth y e fyrst psalme was made of hym Beatus vir c. This holie Ioseph strenghthed thorow theffusion of Christes blode all feare set a part went boldly vnto Pilate not fearyng the malice of the Iues nor yet the powre of Pilate and asked of hym the bodie of Iesu for a great treasure for he preferryd that bodye aboue all erthly treasures though they be neuer so preciouse Pilate meruelyd that Iesus was so soon deed and called to hym a capten of an hundreth men and asked of hym if Iesus ware deed and whan he knew the treuth by that capteyn he gaue the bodie to Ioseph And then Ioseph bought a fayre lynyn clothe for to wrap Christê bodie therin And so Ioseph came not now as a secreat and preuy disciple of Christ but an open disciple of Iesu And also there cam with hym Nichodemus which bifore tyme cam priuely vnto Iesus in the nyght for feare of the Iues but now all feare set a parte he cam with Ioseph and brought with hym of myrre and aloes about an huÌ„dreth pownde weight to anoynt and dresse the bodie of Christ before his buriyng And when they cam nyghe to the place where Christ hang they kneled down and dyd worship our lorde And our ladie perceyuyng that they cam to take downe her soÌ„nys bodie as risyng froÌ„ death her spirit began to quicken and so our ladie receyuyd them at theyr coÌ„myng reuerently And furthwith they prepared them selfe to take down the bodye and our ladie healped as moch as she myght One drewe the nayles out of his handes an other susteyned the bodie that it shulde not fall downe our Lady standyng lifted vp her armes on heyght redy to receyue the body when it shuld com downe and as shortly as she myght touche hym she drew his heade and his handes vpon her sorowfull breste embrasyng and ofte
kyssyng his wondes wherwith she culde not be saciate and what tyme the bodie was taken downe this blessed Lady toke his heade and his shulders in to her lappe and Mary Maglene toke his feet remembryng what grace and comforth she founde by them and all the residue that stode about greatly lamentyd and morned his death ¶ The lamentacion and mournyng of our Lady SAynt Bernard speakyng of this lamentacion of our Lady sayth She lifted vp her handes on height embrasynge and kyssynge the body of her sonne but her sonne dyd not embrase her agayne for his armes ware to stiffe or starke therunto And then that blessid virgyn seyng she culd haue none other solace dyd kysse with a great and faruent desire his woundes and the blode that ran from his woundes In so moch that the face of this sorowfull Lady was made all blodie with the blode of her sonne slayne which thyng in it selfe was very pitifull and moch lamentable to behold that is that so noble a bodie shuld be so shamefully entreated as though it had ben the most vile carion and yet in truth that bodie myght neuer fall to corrupcion for the godhed was continually ioyned therunto which keapte it from al corrupcion And for this cause this article is nowmbred among the articles of Christes passion though this bodye when it was deed felt no payne but yet this blessid virgyn at this time suffred the payne for she was there present with other deuote women And then Ioseph meakly desired our Lady that she wolde suffre y e body of her sōne to be anoynted and wrapped in the lynen clothes and so to be buried but she refusyd to be so shortly departed from her sonne when they wold haue buried hym she wold haue retayned hym and so there was a godly and a pitiouse cōtencion bitwixt them And at last though not gladly yet reuerently she suffred them to take the bodie at theyr pleasure Then this blessid virgyn weapt without comforth and so such aboundaūce of teares flowed from her ien that it myght be supposed ▪ that all her bodie ware turned to watre She washed her face with tearis and also the deed bodie of her sonne specially his woundes and also the stone vpon the which the bodie was layd when it as washed And it is sayd that her teares don yet appere and may be seen vpon y t same stone which is in the entraūce of the churche of the holy sepulcre She washed and dried his blody woūdes and kyssed them and oftymes she beheld his most holie face his woūdes and his heade and there she see the prickynges of the thornys and how the heare was pulled from his berde and also his heade she beheld his face I say how it was defoyled with blode and the spittynges of the Iues and so she culd not be saciat with seyng and weapyng her sorow myght be perceiued but it culd not be declared as it was but she felt it to the extremitie ¶ Here folow .iii. lessons THe fyrst lesson of this article is that the faythfull people receyuynge the bodie of our lorde in the sacrament of the aulcer be compared to them that toke hym of the crosse and it is more to take him in the sacrament of the aulter than downe from the crosse for they that toke hym of the crosse toke hym onely in there armes and handes but we receyue hym in to our mowthes and hertes And as they dyd weappe that bodye in a fayre lynon cloth so shulde we receyue hym in to a pure hert and clene conscience The secōd lesson is that when we be com to that perfection that we be deed to the world and to all synnes so that our bodie be deed as saynt Paule sayth of Abraham and Sara then we may sumwhat release of the rigor of our penaunce and crosse so our lorde wold not discend from his crosse in the tyme of his lyfe but when he was deed he suffred his body to be taken downe The thyrd lesson is that we shuld gladly take Christ of the crosse with Ioseph Aslong as the synner continueth in synne as moch as is in hym he byndeth Christe and nayleth hym fast to the crosse For our synnes ar the cause why Christ was crucified But as shortly as we be turned by true penaūce vnto christ we lowce him take him of the crosse and receyue hym bytwyxt our armes and hādys as Ioseph dyd And as ye see that he which hath an other man bitwixt his armes may doo with hym what it shall please hym if the other man resiste not so the penitent synner embrasing Christ in his armes of loue may doo with Christe and get of hym what so euer he requireth to his soules health For Christ wyll not resiste the penitēt For he is more redy to giue grace than the other is to receyue it And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld ofte remembre these lessons and pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu which for me a wretched synner after thy death wold haue thy bodie taken downe from the crosse by Ioseph and Nicodemus and so be anoynted and dressed with swete oyntmētes and spices wold be wrapped in fayre lynen clothes graūt to me worthely to receyue thy blessed very leuyng bodie in the sacrament of the aulter as if I shuld take hym of the crosse and so to anoynte hym with the oyntmentes of vertues that I may continually keape hym in a pure hert and chaste bodie Amen ¶ Of the buriyng of Christes bodie the .lxv. Article THe .lxv. and the laste article is the buriynge of the bodie of Christ For after it was taken of the crosse and dressyd with spices and swete oyntmentes and also wrapped in fayre lynen clothes as we sayd before then they went aboute to bury hym And the time passing Ioseph meakely desired our Lady that she wold suffre the bodie to be buried before that the saboth day shuld entre for then it shuld be vnlawfull for them to doo any such labour or busynes And then our lady very gently and discreatly ordred hyre selfe to them and so crossyng and blessing that body though with great sorow yet reuerētly she suffred them to take the body and bury it And as the Euangelist sayth Erat in loco vbi crucifixus est ortus et in orto monumentum nouum c. In the place where Iesus was crucified there was a garden aud in that garden a new sepulcre or graue cut or hewen out of a rocke of stone and it apperteyned to the same Ioseph And in this new tumbe they buryed the bodie of Iesu And here sayth Simon de Cassia that Christ praynge dyed and after his death he was put in a garden that by his prayer and death there myght sprynge to vs the plantes of vertues of his inuisible garden and that therby we myght deserue to entre the garden of heuenly pleasures moch more pleasaunt than that
men is conuenient Fyrst for theyr nombre for they ware many Secondly for theyr condicyon for they were holy and the bodyes of holy sayntes Thyrdly for the noueltye for they arose after theyr death and buriyng Also for the tyme for it was after the resurrection of Christ for he was the first that rose Fyftly for the holy place for they cam into the holy citye And also for that they apperyd to many persones ¶ The .vii. Myracle THe .vii. Myracle was the coÌ„uersion of moch people Of the which the euangelist sayth Centurio et qui cum eo erant custodientes Iesum viso terre motu et hijs que fiebant timuerunt valde dicentes Vere filius dei erat iste When Centurio which was a capteyn of a C. men and they that were w t hym watchyng and keapyng Iesus sawe the erth quake and those thynges which happened then they fearyd greatly and sayd of a suerty this was the son of god This Centurio and his compaygney confessyd Christ to be the son of god and this was don for .v. causes Fyrst for that he saw so many great myracles don which mouyd hym to this confession and fayth Second was for the callyng of the paganes or gentylles to the fayth Behold sayth Simon de Cassia a great mistery that in the Natyuitie or byrth of our lorde and also at his death the gentylles dyd preuent the Iues and cam to the faith before them For at the byrth of Christ the .iii. kynges and greate wyse men which cam from the Eest to worship Christe dyd preuent the Iues at that tyme. And now at his death this Centurio with his compaigney of Rome that cam from the Weste dyd also first beleue Thyrd reason was to reuok his errours For now Centurio dyd glorifie god that so had ordred his son to suffre death He beleuyd in to god and glorifed hym beyng sory that he had obeyd to the president Pylate in so cruelly tormentynge the son of god and openly with his mouth he confessyd Christe to be iuste and innocent whom the maliciouse Iues had falsly coÌ„dempned as vniuste and worthy death In lyke maner dyd his compaigney sayng the same with great feare wondre and so commyng to the knowlege of true fayth deseruyd forgyuenes of theyr errours and infidelitie by the merit of the prayer of Christ when he prayed for his crucifiers and sayd Father forgyue them they know nat what they doo Forth reason is for to confounde the heretikes And therefore saynt Hierom sayth Note here that Centurio a gentyll and pagane seyng Christe put to most shamefull death yet for all that seyng such Myracles confessyd Christ to be the son of god and Arrius a christen man And a prest or doctor in the churche of Christe dyd blaspheme Christe and say that he was a creature not the natural son of god Fyfth reason was for the informacion of vs christians Herunto sayth the holy pope Leo. Euery man shuld tremble and be afraed in y e remembraunce of the passion of his redemar Christ as Centurio was in y e syght therof the hard hertes of men shuld be broken as ware the stones and they that be buried in the custom of synne shuld cast away all obstacles customs or occasioÌ„s of syn and without tariyng aryse vp and com vnto the holy citie that is to the church there be reconsyled and so appere to many persones that they may se and know you truly risen from y e death of synne vnto the life of grace and so that which was doon corporally at the passion of Christe may now be doon spiritually in our hertes and soulys by the remembraunce of the same passion ¶ The .viii. Myracle THe .viii. Myracle was the very blode and very watre ranne out of Christes syde after his death For as the euangelist sayth Iudei auteÌ„ quoniam parasceue erat c. The Iues bycause it was the sabboth euen that the bodyes shuld not remayne and contynue vpon the crossys on the sabboth day for that sabboth day was an hygh day and solempne fest with them they I say besought Pylate that there legges myght be broken and so taken downe of the crosse The Iues dyd make this desire to Pylate for .iiii. causes of the which Symon de Cassia maketh mencion Fyrst for the reuerence of there festfull day It was a meruelouse supersticion of the Iues sayth he that thought y t theyr sabboth day shulde be violate and defoyled if the bodies of those which ware condempned to death shulde hyng that day vpon y e crosse but they had no conscience nor wold se the coÌ„taminacion and defoylyng of theyr owne soulys whiche for enuy condempned the innocent falsly to death Secondly it was for the vnquietnes of the people that the Iues alledged for them to Pilate y e reuerence of the sabboth day but in theyr hertes was hyd great malice for they pretendyd that they wold haue his body taken downe lesse the people shuld be truobled and vnquieted vpon the sabbot day which is a day of quietnes but it was for the great signes and miracles that ware shewed at his death and after his death and they thought that if the people shuld see the bodie hyng vpon y e crosse that therby they remembryng all these signes shuld shortly be mouyd to insurrection and agaynst them that condempned hym to death Thyrdly for that they wold haue no mo myracles shewed For they ware afrayd that if he contynued long vpon the crosse that there shulde haue ben many momyracles shewed Forthly they dyd it to auoyde perilles for they councelynge to gether decreyd wisely for them selfe corporally that the bodies of the deed persones condempned to death shulde not be suffred to hyng long for the auoydyng of many perillys that myght hap It is the custome of wyse gouernars of any coÌ„mynaltie to remoue or a voyde that person quicke or deed by whome they feare any troble to com And therfore the princes of the Iues desyred Pylate that theyr leggê myght be broken and so taken downe And then the sawgioures cam brake the leggê of the .ii. theuys that was as saynt Austen sayth y t they myght the more shortly dye and also for the commauÌ„dement of the lawe but when they cam to Iesus and se that he was deed all redy they brake nat his legges And that was for .ii. causes after Symon de Cassia Fyrst for verifiyng of the figure for here of we had a figure bifore in the paschall lambe of whom it was commauÌ„dyd that they shuld breake no bone of it Nat so to be vnderstand that that figure or commaundement was the cause that Christ bonys or legges ware nat broken but contrary wise bycause that god had so prouided that no bone shuld be broken in Christ therfore it was commaundyd and keapt in the paschall lambe that was a figure of Christe Secondly it was to
sygnifie a thyng in the misticall body of our sauiour Christe that is that the bonys of this misticall body which be the perfite men shuld nat be broken or ouercum by iÌ„pacience in any tribulacion or aduersite but that they shulde continue and abyde vnsuperable redy to suffre all thynges vnto the death And though sumtyme they be ouercum in body that ther body is taken and put to prison and paynes yet in mynde and good maners they be neuer ouercum nor broken And therefore they brake nat Christes legges But one of the sawgiours with a speare dyd thrust Christ to the hert and furth with there cam out watre and blode This man was claled Longius and he dyd thus for the pleasure of the Iues which wold be certified of his death This Longyne was then a cruell and a wicked man but afterward he was conuerted and dyed an holy martyr It is sayd that his syght was very feble and as the blode ran downe by the speare from the hert of Christe by chaunche it toched his yen and furthwith he had his syght clerly and so he beleauyd in Christe lefte his sawgiourshyppe and enstructe by the apostles in the fayth of Christ he leuyd an holie monasticall lyue by the space of .xxxviii. yeares in the citie of Cesary in the county of Capadoce and after that he had coÌ„uerted moche peopâ—e to the fayth of Christ by his holie word and good example at last he was put to death for the fayth of Christe And that watre and blode cam out of the syde of Christe it was done for .iii. causes Fyrst for the multiplicacion of myracles It was a boue nature and a very myracle that pure and very blode and pure and very watre shuld com out of any deed bodie And note here that this blod and watre cam not myxte to gether but fyrst very pure blod and after that very pure watre As Symon de Cassia sayth Secondly it was done for the vertue of the sacramentes For of this wounde they had theyr efficacitie and vertue And herunto saynt Austen sayth super Iohannem the euangelist vsed here a very good and a discreat terme sayng Aperuit latus eius Non percussit nec vulnerauit Saynt Iohan sayth that the sawgiour with his spear dyd open the syde of Christ he doth nat say that he smote or wondyd it but opened it that he myght shew that that wounde was as the dore of lyfe from whens all sacramentes haue theyr vertue as we sayd in the .lxiii. article with out the which sacramentes no man may entre in to y e eterne life specially if they may be had Thyrdly this was done to enflame our loue And herunto saynt Austen sayth One of the sawgioures dyd open Christes syde with a speare that by y t open wounde we myght se and know the loue that Christ had in his hert to vs and so therby loue hym the more strongly and faythfully ¶ The .ix. Myracle THe .ix. Myracle was the buriyng of Christ for it was a meruelouse rare and a thyng neuer hard or seen that a person so vilely and rebukfully hangyd vpon the crosse as Christ was shuld be so honorally buryed of great and deuote persons as he was Of this buriyng saynt Iohan sayth Post hec rogauit Pilatum Ioseph ab Aromathia c. After that Christ was deed Ioseph of Aromathy desired Pylate to graunt and gyue to hym the bodie of Iesu This peticion he made for iiii cauâ—es Fyrst for as Crisostome sayth Ioseph supposed that the malice of y e Iues that they had agaynst Christ had ben endyd seyng that they had crucified hym and therfore he went boldly to Pylate and asked y e body Secondly bycause of his familiarytie that he had with Christ for he was the disciple of Christ thoughe then it was nat openly knowen Thyrdly Ioseph was a good man and therfore he fearyd nat to do a good dede Of his goodnes Symon de Casia sayth We may nat iustly reproue this Ioseph in any thyng whome so seriously the euangelist Luke commendith sayng Ecce vir nomine Ioseph qui erat de curio vir bonus et iustus Hic non consenserat consilio et actibus eorum c. Behold saith Luke a man called Ioseph which was a noble man worldly for he was of the ordre of the court or of the councell of the emperour a good man to god iuste to his neighboures This Ioseph dyd nat consent to the counsell and actes or deades of y e Iues agaynst Christ he dwellyd in Aromathy a citie of Iurie and he trusted also and wayted for the kyngdom of god Som sayth he was decurio bycause he was a captayne ouer .x. men And this office agreith to a mistery for he keapt the .x. commaundementes of god and thus for his goodnes he was bolde to aske of Pylate the body of Iesus Forthly it was for his dignytie for as we sayd before he was a noble man and riche and well accept with Pylate and therfore he went the more boldly to Pylate where as a poore mean man durst nat be so bolde And therfore we may say that it was done of the prouision of god that Ioseph shuld haue that riches and noblenes wherby he myght the more honorably burye the body of our sauiour Iesu c. Of this we spake in the .lxiiii. artycle ¶ The .x. Myracle THe .x. Myracle or meruell was the watche keapyng of the sepulcre for y e Iues desyred of Pylate that they myght haue sawgiours to watch and keape the sepulcre which was a rare and a meruelouse thyng that he which was put to so vile and shamefull death shuld be keapt and watched And note that I do nat take a Myracle here properly and in his most propre significacion but largely as euery rare and vn wonte thyng y t is meruelouse may be called so a myracle And of this maruell we spake sufficiently in the .lxv. article of the second parte Of other myracles that ware shewed that tyme ye shal se hereafter in the treates of Bernardyne of the .xii. merulouse frutes of the tree of life and of the wonderouse misteries of the most holye crosse Also ye haue lyke myracles in the fyrst parte of this boke in the fyrst chapiter of the .v. particle c. ¶ Why Christ wold suffre so many and such greiuouse paynes for vs. Capi. ii HEre sum doctours assygne diuerse reasons as it ware by a manere of recapitulation or rehersynge of suche thynges as haue ben spoken byfore of the passion of our lord sayng that Christ suffred so many and so greuouse paynes for vs for that that he wold by euery one of them take from vs som euyll and gyue to vs som good thyng Which thyng is to be diligently attendyd and strongly also continually to be infixed and prynted in our hert We deseruyd by our synnes eternall heuines agaynst the which
body done for god is reputed as a martirdome and therby somwhat we reanswere vnto the passion of our lord Herunto speaketh saynt Barnard sayng this dayly penaūce and affliction of the body is a certayne kynde of very martirdome and effusion of blode it is a litel more gentyl and nat so hugsome as is tormētes and deth by the swerd or other lyke but it is more paynfull for the cōtinuance therof the other is sone done but this lasteth long This is necessarie profitable for vnperfite persons that be weyke in spirite and nat stronge in fayth and therfore dare nat auenture to suffer martyrdome and deth for Christe but they be content to supply it by this martyrdome that is dayly and continuall penaunce whiche by the continuaunce is more paynfull And thus the deuoute persones do fele in them selfe by theyr outwarde penaunce the passyon of our lord As whan by sharp penaunce they subdue theyr bodies ouer come vyce and all sensuall passions and so continue in this crosse of penaunce with Christe ¶ How we shulde fele Christes passion in our pouertie and other necessites The fourth Chapitre FOurthly we shulde fele the paynes of Christe in our penury pouertie and other necessities so that remēbrynge the passion of Christe we shulde gladly suffer all pouertie and penurie and neuer to desyre that thynge that is pleasaunt to the bodye for the pleasure therof or takyng any thinge more then very necessitie requyreth saynge with holy Iob Donec deficiam non recedam ab innocentia mea As longe as I lyue I shall nat forsake myn innocencie And though we be in a maner consumed and lost thoroughe hunger and penurye so that we may say with the prophet Dauid Defecit in dolore vita mea My lyfe is consumed thorough sorowe my bodye and my herte also And surely this maner of penurie and necessitie nat onely of meate and drynke but also of all thynges that may be delectable to man is accōpted to good men in this lyfe as a kynde of martyrdome By whiche necessityes if we strongly and gladly bere them for god we satisfye partly to our lord for his passion And herunto speketh saynt Barnard saynge Wylfull pouertie is a certen kynde of martyrdome Almyghty god descendyng from thinestimable riches of heuen and cōmynge in to this worlde wolde nat any of these ryches of this world but cam in so great pouertie that anon as he was borne for his credell he was layde in to a crybbe in a vyle stable with out the towne for his mother culde haue no lodgyng in the cytie Of his pouertie also appereth by his answere that he made to one the whiche sayd that he wold folowe hym where so euer he went And our lord answered and sayd Vulpes foueas habent et volucres celi nidos filius autem hominis non habet vbi caput suum recli net Foxis haue cauys or dennys and byrdes of the ayre haue nestes but the sonne of the virgine hath no place wherin to hyde or reste his heed In this necessitie was thapostle Paule as it appereth by his wordes saynge I was in many labours ofte in pryson bette and scourged aboue good ordre very ofte in peryll of dethe in perylles of flodes in perylles of theues in perylles of gentyles in daungers within the cytye in great daūgers also in wyldernes and also in the see in perylles of the false Iues. I was also in labour great miserie in great watch in hūger and thrist in moche abstinēce in cold in nakednes These and many mo dyd thapostle suffer And the mo y t we paciently suffer of these or such lyke the more shal we fele the passion of Christ in our self ¶ How we shuld fele Christes passion in our rebukes and dispisynges The .v. Chap FYftly we ought to fele the passion of Christ in our rebukes and reproues that is with most profoūd mekenes we shulde vtterly dispyse our selfe and thynke our selfe the warst of all other sayng euer in our hertes with mournynge I am gyltye of Christes deth for I am the cause of his deth He suffered for me and I in no thynge reanswere to his benefytes And therfore it is conuenient that we somwhat recompense with a contrite and meke spirite that whiche we can nat or do nat in our warkes or dedes outwarde that as Christe dyd meke hym selfe for vs vnto the deth yea to the most vyle and shamfull deth of the crosse so we shulde meke our selfe as gyltie and culpable for his deth These maner of wayes we shulde fele that Christe suffred for vs for these maner of wayes we were in hym Fyrste we were in his vnderstandyng eternally before the begynnynge of the worlde and so in his mynde that he wyll neuer forget vs. And therfore he sayth by his prophete Esaye Nunquid potest obliuisci mater infantem suum vt non misereatur filio vteri sui Et si illa oblita fuerit ego tamen non obliuiscar tui May a naturall mother sayth our lorde by the prophet forget her yonge chylde borne of her owne body and so forget hym that she wyl nat haue any pitie of hym as he myght say Nay And though it so be that she forget hym yet I assure the I wyl neuer forget the. Secondly we were in Christe nat onely in his vnderstandynge or mynde but also in his affection and loue And this appereth wel by his owne wordes spoken by the prophet Hieremy where as he sayth thus In charitate perpetua dilexi te ideo attraxi te miserans tui I haue sayth our lorde loued the in a perpetual charitie and therfore hauyng great compassion on the I haue drawen the to me Thyrdly we were in hym that is in theffecte of his werkes for all that god wrought in this worlde was to the helpe of man And what so euer Christe dyd or suffered in this world was nat for his owne profit but all was for the comforth of man And herunto saynt Barnarde after that he had recoūted or noumbred all the labours and paynes that Christe suffered in this lyfe sayde Who is he that knoweth whether the fruite and profyt of all these labours and paynes redounde or come to my profyt or nat And he answereth and sayth It is all done and gyuen to my profit and comforth For it coulde be gyuen to none other Nat to aungell for he had no nede therof Nat to the deuyll for he myght take no profit therof for he shall neuer ryse from dampnation Also our sauiour toke nat of hym the nature and similitude of aungell nor yet the similitude of the deuyl but he toke the nature of man and that to redeme man Fourthly we were in Christe that is in his pouertie and penurie for all the payne pouertie and miserie that he suffred was for vs. And herunto speaketh saynt Paule sayng Christus cum diues esset factus est