earth all that is in them His power is infinit most to be dreade Omnipotens rex et metuendus nimis His wisedome is incomprehensible O altitudo diuitiarum sapientiae et scientiae dei His greatnesse passeth all measure Magnus dominus et laudabilis nimis et magnitudinis eius non est finis Shortly to saye when a man hathe spoken or thought all that can be to the prayse of his excellencie yet he dooth farre passe and surmount all that as the Scripture sayth Glorificantes dominū quantum cūque poteritis super valebit ad huc et admirabilis magnificentia illius Now then O thou sinfull creature maruell at his excellent worthines that was thus crucified And maruell also at thy naughtinesse for whose loue he was thus crucified Thus I say dyd the holy sainct Francis Quis es tu et quis sum ego domine Who arte thou my Lord so excellent and who am I for whome thou wouldest endure all this payne O Christen soule often beholde this booke and saye with this holy man Quis es tu et quis sum ego Marueyle that his inestimable goodnesse would thus dye for so myserable a vanitie And so maruelinge thou shalt profyt in a gracious knowledge of Christ and thy heart shall taste maruelous swéetenesse and be replenished with a deuoute sauour of his most excelent goodnesse But you maruell peraduenture why I call the crucifix a booke I will now tell you the consideracion why A booke hath boardes leaues lynes wrytinges letters booth small and great Fyrst I saye that a booke hath two boardes the two boardes of this booke is the two partes of the crosse for when the booke is opened spread the leaues be cowched vpon the boardes And so the blessed body of Christ was spred vpon the crosse The leaues of this booke be the armes the handes legges and féete with the other members of his most precious and blessed body Neuer anye Parchement skynne was more strayghtlye stratched by strength vpon the tentors then was this blessed body vpon the crosse These lorells that crucifyed him drewe by vyolence his moste precious armes with ropes vnto either braunche of the crosse that the sinowes burst in sonder and so nayled his handes fast with spykinge nayles of yron vnto the crosse After they stretched his féete lykewyse vnto an other hole beneath in the crosse and there nayled them with the third nayle thorough bothe his féete And so they reared vp this body a loft against the sunne euen as a parchment skinne is sette foorth before the heat of the Sun for to drye It was set vp a loft to the entent that all the worlde might looke vpon this booke This booke was written with in and without Fyrst within was wrytten but one worde neuerthelesse this one word compryseth in it as sayth saint Paule the whole treasure of al cunning and wisdome partayning vnto God In quo sunt omnes thesauri sapientiae dei in whome are all the treasure of the wisedome of god Of this worde Saint Iohn speaketh saying In principio erat verbum the word was in the begynning before all creatures thys worde is the second person in the godhead the sonne of God which by the holie Ghost was written in the inward syde of thys parchment For the Godheade of Christe was couered and hidde vnder the lykenesse of man The holy Ghost was the penne of almyghtie God the father He set hys most mightie word vnto the body of Christ within the wombe of the Uyrgine Marye and so this booke was written within For as Sainct Paule sayeth si cognouissent nunquam dominum gloriae crucifixissent That is to saye if they had knowne the sonne of God whiche was and is the Lorde of euerlasting glorie they woulde neuer haue crucified hym They sawe his manhood which was in outwarde sight but they sawe not hys Godheade whych was couered within the same The Godhead was the inward syde and the manhoode was the outwarde syde Furthermore when a booke is spread you sée that in the leaues are many lynes drawen And many letters some read some blacke and some blewe so in this booke the moste blessed bodie of Christ was drawne many lynes for it was all to scourged with whippes so that euery where the print of the cordes of the scourges was left behynd that in euery place from the necke downward vnto the soles of his féete so that there was no margent lefte in all thys booke there was no voyd place but euery where it was eyther drawne with lynes or els wryttē with letters for these scourges fylled not onely his moste precyous bodie with lynes drawne euerie where but also left many small Letters some blacke some blewe some reade For the bloud by the vyolence of the schourges sprunge out in euery place And for bycause no parte of thys booke shoulde bée vnwritten hys head also was pearsed with sharpe thornes These cruell Iewes put vpon hys heade a Crowne of thornes and pressed it downe vpon the same as harde as they myght presse it by vyolence beatyng it downe with a strong Réede Et Arundine percuciebant caput eius And hys blessed heade so Crowned they dyd beate it downe with a gadde or a harde Réede Thus you perceyue that this booke was full of lynes and small Letters whyche were of dyuers coulers as I sayde some black some blewe some reade some blewyshe that is to saye full of stroakes and lasshes where by the skynne was toarne and rente in a thousande places Besides these small letters yet was there also greate Capytall Letters precyouslie illumyned with Roset colour Roset is a reade colour lyke vnto the coulour of a Rose which colour that most precyous bloude whiche issued out of his hands and féete doeth represent vnto vs with this most precious blud was illumined the fyue great Capital letters in this wonderful booke I mean by these capital letters the great woūds of his body in his handes and in hys féete and in his side These fyue great woundes were ingraued with sharpe vyolēt pennes that is to say the sharpe nayles and the speare And they doe represent vnto vs the fyue capytall Letters of thys booke Thus then you maye perceyue what bée the boardes of this booke and what be the leaues howe it is written within and without howe it is lyned and leathered and what bée the Letters as well the small as the great Now wée shall heare what maner of wryting is contayned in thys booke But first héere let vs make our prayer for grace beséechyng almyghtie God to gyue vnto our hartes the gracyous lyght of his beames whereby wée may the more clearely perceiue the writings of this booke and that they may bring foorth some good fruite to our soules health Now you shall heare what wrytings be contayned in thys booke in the booke which Ezechiel did sée was written thrée maner of
But the dampned sinner shal endure in hell a more excessyue colde Iob sayth of such transibunt ab aquis niuis ad calorem nimirem they shall be shyfred out of the colde snow brought into the outragious heates O Iesus a tender hand wherin the froste and snowe it hath bene made extreme colde and sodenly is brought into the heate of the fier it féeleth a greater payne but nothynge comparable vnto that shyfting from that colde into that heate whych is in hell The fift our sauior in his crosse hard blasphemous opprobrious words and much insultinge of his enimies against him which doubtles was very paynefull vnto him But the damned sinners shall in hel heare nothiÌ„g els but continual outcryes opprobrious insulting blasphemes of the diuells and other that be dampned Blasphemabunt deum caeli doloribus they shall blaspheme the god of heauen for continuall paine and sorrowes And they shall sée before their faces continually the most horrible and ireful countenauÌ„ce of their immortal enimies the diuells The vi our sauiour wept on the crosse for the sinnes of other as s. Paul saith cuÌ„ clamore et lachimis with crying teres but the damned sinners that would not here wepe with Christ such teares as might washe theyr sinnes shall wepe in hell for theyr owne sinnes such teares as shall skalde theyr bodies and yet they shal be neuer the better Ibi erit flectus et stridor dentium Ther shal be wéeping gnashing of teeth the smoke of the Fyer shal make them for to wéepe the coldenesse of the snow shal make their téeth for to gnashe chytter in theyr heades Yea and that is more merueilous neither the colde shall attemper the heate nor contrarywyse the heate shall attemper the colde but eyther of them shall encrease the violence of the other Euen as in the forge of a Smith the colde water when it is cast into the Fyer causeth the Fyer to be much more fearse and violent The seueÌ„th our sauiour on the crosse had extrem drighnes for the which he coÌ„plained said Scitio I am dry And no maruell though he wer dry after so much payne and trauayle after so much bléeding sweting wherby no moisture almost was left in his bodi But howe vnmeasurable drighnesse shall the dampned soules endure in the fyre of hell The rich glutton that was buried in hel teacheth vs what drighnesse is there for he would haue gyuen all this worlde to haue had one drop of water or lycour to haue refreshed his tongue that was made so drye with the flame of that fyre The eight our sauiour on the crosse had much sorrow and heauinesse If he for the onely remembrance of the paine for to come was in so great an agony that he sweat water bloud who can expresse or think what sorrow and heauinesse he suffred when all the paynes were present presently did oppresse hym Neuerthelesse euery dampned person by the reason of their continuall and euerlasting paynes shall haue muche more sorrow and heauinesse for the which it is writteÌ„ in the booke of Sapience penitentiam Agentes et pretristitia spiritus gementes they verely lamentably repent them selues and for extreame heauinesse of spirite mourne and sorrowe thinking for howe briefe and transitory pleasures they loste the ioyes euerlasting and gate the paynes that euer shall endure The ninth our sauiour on the crosse did suffer muche infamy and shame And specially to deliuer as I said all sinners that would ameÌ„d theÌ„ selues and forsake their sinne from euerlasting shame But such as will not shall suffer theyr owne shame as they haue deserued The true penytent soule shall bée sacyate with perpetuall glory But he that will not repent him selfe shall haue perpetuall shame and infamy Almightie God sayeth to suche by his Prophet Naum Reuelabo pudenda tua in facie tua I wil make open all thy shamefulnesse and euill dealyng in thine owne face And the Prophet Hieremy sayeth saturabitur opprobrijs â–ª he shall bée sacyate with opprobryous shame The tenth aboue all other paynes that our sauyour dyd suffer on the Crosse was to be desolate of all comforte yea of his father and to bée as a person forsaken of almightie God and destitute of all help and succour for the which hée sore complayneth on his Crosse crying vnto his father Deus meus Deus meus vt quid dereliquistiÌ„ me O my God O my God why hast thou forsakeÌ„ me But this forsaking was but for a season for within a short time after he was raised again to immortall glory But the dampned sinners which shall be punished for their owne sinnes in hell shall euer be forsaken and fully be depryued not onely from all ioye comforte but from that moste glorious sighte of the face of almighty God wherein standeth all blessednesse and consummation of all comforte And this shall more pinche the dampned soules then all the other tormentes of hell besides For the which Chrisostome sayth Ego autem multo grauiores cruciatus duco quam gehenuam remoueri et ab duci ab illa gloria I think saith he that to be remoued and cast out from that euerlastyng glory is more gréeuous torments then all the other paynes of hell Fynally our sauiour on the crosse suffered the paynes of death for our sinnes whereby wée had deserued death And therfore he suffered death to deliuer vs from the death of sinne Neuerthelesse he remayned no long tyme in the bondes of death But the dampned sinner that must paye his owne debtes in hell shal suffer euerlasting death not so that the sinners shal haue no lyfe nor féeling in them but bycause that they shall be euer as though they were in the extreme paynes of death and yet they shall haue no perfecte sense of the paynes and neuer dye The paynes shall be to them so vyolent that they shall perish a thousand tymes and desire coÌ„tinually for to dye but death shal flie away from them desiderabunt mori et mors fugie ab eis they shal desire death and death shall fly from them O Iesu in what myserie shall they be in that euer shall couet death and neuer may fully dye The Prophet Dauid speaking of their payne sayeth Mors depascet eos which words may haue thrée senses one is that death shall bée their pastour and heardman hée shall order them and leade them to theyr pastures In hell is two pastures the one is all full of snow the other full of fyre for the whiche Iobe sayeth Ad calorem nimium transient ab aquis niuium they shal walke from the snow vnto the fyre And agayne from the fyre vnto the snow this may be one sense an other may be this they shal be the continuall meate of death as ye sée in the pastures where the shéepe féede They croppe the grasse euer as it ryseth and kéepeth it lowe and so the grasse is euer in eatyng and neuer full eaten In lyke maner death shall continually croppe the dampned persons in hell And he shall euer be gnawyng and eating vpon them and yet they shall neuer be fully consumed The third sense may be this death shall be theyr continuall meate for they shall euer long and desire for to dye they shal euer aboue all other things couet to haue death and their desire shall alway be a lyke freshe and feruent An other comforte and refresshing besides this they shall haue none but whatsoeuer the sense of these wordes be thou mayest well perceyue by them O thou christian soule that if thou shalt come to that place to pay thy debtes of thine own sinnes it shall bée to gréeuous and to importable for thée to sustayne for as I sayde looke any maner of paine that our sauiour Christ suffered on the crosse for all our sinnes If wée be not before our death by such affections as I before did rehearse made perteyners of his sufferyng we shall suffer all the same paynes in hel perpetually And therefore it is a troth we may read in the booke of the Crucifix great matter of woe whiche is the thyrde wryting that we had to speake off Now thou sinful creature haue ofteÌ„ before thyne eyes thys wonderfull booke which as I sayde is wrytten within and with out In the which also thou mayest reade thrée maner of wrytings that is to say lamentation song and wo. If thou wilt begin to lament with Iesu thou shalt therby come to sing with him And therby thou shalt be made so fully parteiner of his passion that the debtes of thy sinnes shall be throughly payde and that thou shalt escape euerlasting woe But if thou doe refuse this remedy and follow the desires of thys world and of the fleshe be thou well assured that then thou shalt pay thine owne debtes amongest the diuils in hell with euerlasting woe From the which he defend vs that for our loue as this day suffered on the Crosse his most paynfull and sorrowfull death our sauiour Christ Iesus Amen Per Iohannem Fyssher Episcopum Rofensem Memoria crucifixi vitia crucifigit Grego Quecumque momorderit astucia sathanae aspiciat Christum inligno pendenteÌ„ August Ize 2. Eze. 3. Abac. 1. Act. 13. â—at 27. Gene. 3. Gene. 18. Psal. 38. Iob. 14. Act. 〈…〉 Psal. 145. Rom. 11. Psal. 47. Psal. 144. Excle 43. Col. 2. Iohn 1. 1. Cor. 2â— Mat. 2â— Iudith 4. 1. Peter 2 â–ª â—â—cob 2. Heb. 4 â–ª Psal. 43. â— Esdrâ—ea 8 Iere. 3. Lamen Hier. ca. 1. Rom. â—â— Luke 2. Math. 27 Math. 27. 21. â— Reg. 19. 〈◊〉 10. Iohn 1â— 1. Iohn 2â— Rom. 5. 2. Tim. 1. Rom. 8. 2. Pet. â— Hiere 3. Hebr. 12. Gen. 4. â— Iohn 2. Gala. â— Col. 2â— Col. 2. Daniel 17. Luke 7. Psal. 21 Ezech. 16. Psalm 31. 2 Reg â–ª 13. Mat. â—â— Mat. 11. Io. â— Esay 14. Apoca. 14. Heb. 5. Math. 22.
then they would forgo it they gaue no force of the losse of all this world beside theyr owne life also So deare and precious was that loue to them that all the honors pleasures and possessions of this life they recompted as verie trifles in comparisō of that And what be you in comparison of thē but naughty wretched and miserable where then they which be now glorious saincts aboue in heauen so much haue valued and so greatly estéemed this most excelēt loue and you may haue the same loue for yours that is so naughtie and so little worth what should you doe of your parte howe muche should you enfore your selfe not onely to obtayn this loue but studiouslie to kéepe it sithens that you haue it once and for nothing to departe therefro He of his goodnesse doeth not repell any creature from hys loue but permitteth them assuredly that if any draw nigh vnto him by loue he will loue them agayne and giue his most precyous loue for theirs he sayeth Ego diligentes me diligo That is to say I loue them that loue mée And in an other place En qui venit ad me nō equam foras That is to say what person so euer commeth vnto me I wil not cast him away Sister if you consider this déeply it should moue you to fall downe vpon your knées with all your hart and mynde say vnto your Spouse in this maner O my blessed Sauiour Lord Iesu thou askest my loue thou desirest to haue my harte and for my loue thou wilt giue me thy loue agayne O my swéete Lorde what is this for thée to desire which arte so excelent if my poore harte were of so much value as all the hartes of men and weomen that euer were if they were put togither in one if it were as precious noble as there is price and noblenesse in all the orders of Angels if furthermore it did contayne in it all bodelie and spirituall treasure that is within the compasse of heauen or without yet it were but a little gift to giue vnto so great a lord for his most delicate precious loue to be had of him againe much rather my loue and hart as it is now naughtie wretched and miserable so is it but a small gift and of little value Neuerthelesse such as it is sithens it is thy pleasure to haue it thy goodnesse doeth aske it of mée saying Prebe mihi cor tuum That is to say giue me thy harte I fréely gyue it vnto thée and I most humbly beséech thy goodnesse and mercy to accept it and so to order me by thy grace that I may receiue into it the loue of nothing contrarie to thy pleasure but that I alwayes may kéepe the fyre of thy loue auoyding from it all other contrarie loue that may in anie wyse displease thée The finall conclusion of all NOw thē good Sister I trust that these considerations if you oftē read them with good deliberation and truelie imprint them in your remembraunce they will somewhat inflame your harte with the loue of Christ Iesu and that loue once established in you all the other points and ceremonies of your religion shall bée easie vnto you and no whit painefull you shall then comfortriblie doe euerie thing that to good religion appertayneth without any great wearynesse Neuerthelesse if it so fortune that you at any tyme begin to féele any dulnesse of mynde quicken it again by the meditatiō of death which I send you here before or els by some effectuall prayer earnestly calling for helpe succour vpon the most swéete Iesu thinking as it is in deed that is your necessitie that no where els you can haue any helpe but of him And if you will vse these short prayers following for euerie day in the wéeke one I thinke it shall be vnto you profitable For thus you may in your hart shortly pray what companie so euer you be amongest The Prayers be these O blessed Iesu make me to loue thée intierlie O blessed Iesu I would fayne but without thy helpe I can not O blessed Iesu let me déeply consider the greatnesse of thy loue towards mée O blessed Iesu giue vnto mée grace hartilie to thanke thée for thy benifites O blessed Iesu giue me good will to serue thée and to suffer O swéete Iesu giue me a natural remembraunce of thy passion O swéete Iesu possesse my hart holde and kéepe it onelie to thée THese short praiers if you wil often saye and with all the power of your soule harte they shall merueylouslie kindle in you this loue so that it shal be alway◠feruent and quicke the which is my especiall desire to knowe in you For nothyng may be to my comfort more then to heare of your furtheraunce and profiting in God in good religion the which our blessed Lorde graunte you for hys great mercie Amen FINIS ¶ A Sermon verie fruitfull godly and learned vpon thvs sētēce of the Prophet Ezechiell Lamentationes Carmen et vae very aptely applyed vnto the passion of Christ Preached vpon a good Friday by the same Iohn Fissher Bishop of Rochester THe Prophet Ezechyell telleth that hée sawe a booke spread before him the which was written both within and without there was written also in it Lamentationes Carmen et vae that is to say lamentation songe woe This was a wonderfull booke and much to be merueiled vpon Much comfortable knowledge and swéetnesse this Prophette gate by this booke as he saith in the Chapter next ensuing factum est in ore meo sicut mell dulce thys booke was in my mouthe as swéete as honye This booke to our purpose may bée taken vnto vs the Crucifixe the which doubtlesse is a merueylous booke as wée shall shewe héereafter In the which if wée doe exercise our admiration wée shall come to wonderfull knowledge Meruayling was the cause why that the Philosophers came to so greate knowledge as they had They behelde and sawe many wonderfull thynges and effectes in thys worlde as the marueylous earthquakes Thūders lightnings Snow Rayne Frostes blasinng Starres the Eclipses of the Sunne and of the Moone and suche other effectes And those marueylous wonders moued them to search for the causes of the same And so by dyligent searche and inquisition they came to great knowledge and cunning which cunnyng men call Philosophie naturall But there is an other higher Philosophie which is aboue nature which is also gottē with marueyling And this is the verye Philosophie of Christian people And doubtlesse amongest all other things concerning a christian man it is a thyng muche marueylous and most wonderfull that the sonne of God for the loue that he had vnto the soule of man woulde suffer hym selfe to bée crucified and so to take vpon him that most vyllanous death vpon the Crosse. Of thys the Prophet Abacuck sayeth Admiramini et obstupescite quia opus factum est in
diebus vestris quod nemo credet quum narrabitur marueyle and wonder you for a worke is done in your dayes which when it shall bée shewed no man will beléeue Is it not a wonderfull thyng that he whych is most to bée dreade and feared would be in so muche feare that for verie feare and dreade of payne hée had to suffer he swet water and bloud Is it not a wonderfull thing that he that was most inestimable in price and moste precyous woulde suffer hys bodie to bée solde for so little a pryce as for the value of thyrtye pence Is it not a wonderfull thyng that hée that is the Lorde of heauen and earth and all other creatures would suffer him selfe to be bound of those vyllaynes wyth ropes lyke a théefe Is it not a wonderfull thing that he that hath so great might and power would suffer him selfe to be taken of his cruell mortall enimyes and so led vnto all these paynes Is it not a wonderfull thyng that hée that is the Iudge of all the worlde woulde thus wrongfullye be iudged Is it not a wonderfull thing that hée that had in hymall wisedome would thus bée mocked and reputed as a foole Is it not a wonderfull thing that he that is so strong mightie would be made so weake and féeble that he fell vnder the wayght and burthen of the Crosse Is it not a wonderfull thing that hée that is the Lord of Angels would be spytted and bobbed of a sorte of Lorrelles in that moste dispytefull maner Is it not a wonderfull thyng that he that is the Kyng of euerlastyng glorie would suffer his head in mockerie to be crowned with thornes Is it not a wonderfull thyng that he that giueth lyfe to euery creature would suffer this most shamefull sorowfull and so painfull death Is it not a wonderfull thing that he that is the Lord and Aucthor of all libertie woulde thus be bounde with ropes and nayled hand and foote vnto the Crosse Thus who that list with a méeke harte and a true fayth to muse and to maruayle of this most wonderfull booke I say of the Crucifixe hée shall come to more fruitefull knowledge then many other which dayly studie vpon their cōmon bookes This booke may suffice for the studie of a true christian man all the dayes of his life In this boke he may finde all things that be necessarie to the health of his soule Sainct Fraunces coulde passe hys time with this booke was neuer wery thereof and his great studie was in the compasse of a fewe wordes Quis tu et quis ego domine That is to say who arte thou Lord and who an 〈…〉 Thys thought alway dyd run from hym selfe to Christ And agayne from Christ vnto hym selfe And so euer he meruayled of the most excelent noblenesse of Christ and compared it with hys owne naughtynesse alwayes meruaylynge that Christ being of so incomparable worthynesse woulde suffer that moste paynefull death for so vnworthye sinners which lesson is so playne and so common that euerie man be he neuer so simple may somewhat profite in it And agayne it is so hygh that fewe can attayne to reach to the specyall fruite of it This holie Sainct Fraūces so profited in this lesson that it caused in hys hearte such a feruent loue such a deuotion suche an affection to Christ that the capitall woundes which he behelde in the handes and féete and syde of Christ ware by myracle imprinted in hys owne handes and féete This thing the B. of R. Innocent and hys Cardinalles dyd sée and had verye proofe thereof The meditation and imagination of this booke was so earnest and so continuall that the token of the fiue woundes of Christ were imprinted and ingraued in thys holy Saynctes bodye But to this hygh fruite as I sayde fewe or none besides him doth attayne It is a singular gyfte of almightie God and not common to bée looked for of other persons Neuerthelesse who that will exercise this lesson though he come not to this hygh poynte of perfection he shall neuerthelesse greatly profite in the same and come to a great knowledge both of Christ of him selfe A man may easily say thinke with him selfe beholding in his hart the Image of the Crucifixe who arte thou and who am I. Thus euerie person both ryche and poore ▪ may thinke not onely in the church here but in euery other place and in hys businesse where about hée goeth Thus the poore laborer maye thinke when he is at plough earyng hys grounde and when hée goeth to hys pastures to sée hys Cattayle or when hée is sittyng at home by hys fire side or els when he lyeth in hys bed waking and can not sléepe Likewyse the rich man may do in his businesse that concerneth him And the poore women also in theyr businesse whē they be spinning of their rocks or seruing of their pullen The ryche weomen also in euerie lawfull occupation that they haue to doe It is an easie thyng for any man or woman to make these two questions wyth them selfe O my Lorde that wouldest dye for me vpō a Crosse how noble and excelent arte thou agayne how wretched and myserable am I Doubtlesse O thou christian soule he that hunge for thy sake on the Crosse was verelie the sonne of God as the noble Centurio sayde when at the death of Christ he sawe so many wonderfull tokens He saw the sunne withdrawe his lyght and the ayre in darkenesse and felte all the earth tremble and quake and the stones brake a sunder then he sayde vere filius dei erat iste That is to say verely thys person was the sonne of god Thinke with thy self O christan soule how great a person he is that is the sonne of God And thinke againe how vilaynous and how wretched thou art in cōparison of him What art thou but asshes ciuis es and vnto ashes thou shalt returne et in cinera reuerteris Abraham which was a man of high perfectiō yet when he should speake vnto almightie God he sayde quū sum puluis et ciuis loquar ad dominū that is to say I am but dust and asshes and yet I must speake vnto my Lorde Dauid also sayth vniuersa vanitas omnis homo viuens that is to saye man contayneth in him all vanitie Furthermore Iob speaketh of man saying in this maner Qui puasi flos egreditur et cōteritur et fugit velut vmbra Man is lyke a flower he dooth issue foorth into the worlde and soone after he is troden downe and so finally hée passeth lyke a shadowe Man is but earth and asshes shall passe away lyke a shadow and lyke a méere vanitie Contrarywyse Christe was is and euer shal be the prince of heauen the Lorde of Angells and the creator of all creatures Qui fecit coelum et terram et omnia que in eis sunt He made heauē and
things Lamētationes Carmen et vae which is to say Lamentations songes and woe And the same thrée things in lyke maner be wrytten in thys booke of the Crucifixe Fyrst is lamentation and this verie conuenientlye is written in thys booke of the Crucyfixe For whosoeuer will ioye wyth Christ must fyrst sorow with him And by sorowe and lamentation hée may come vnto ioye But hée that will not sorrowe and lament wyth Christ héere in thys lyfe hée shall come fynallye to the place where is euerlastyng woe I saye woe that shall neuer haue ende Héere therfore is written all these thrée lamentation songe and woe Fyrste then wée will speake of lamentation Lamentation aryseth of foure affections eyther of a great feare or dreade or of a great shame or of some sorrowe or els of some hatred When Holophernes with a mightie power was entred into the countrey of Iurie terribly threatned to distroy all before hym the people were in a greate feare and dreade to be oppressed and so fell downe before almyghtie God and with great lamentation dyd call for hys helpe omnius populus cetidit in faciē adorantes dominum cum lamentatione et fletu all the people fell on theyr faces worshyppyng our Lorde with wéepyng and lamentation The cause of this lamentation was the great dreade whych they were in Héere first then let vs learne to dread and doubtlesse thou Christian soule thou mayest héere learne greater matter of dread then the Iewes then were in For the Iewes then were onelye in perill of temporall death thou arte in perill of euerlastyng death Consider man how gréeuouslie thou hast sinned And also behold how gréeuously sinne was reuenged and punished in the blessed bodye of christ And thou shalt anon fynde here great cause and matter of dread The storyes telleth of Cambises the King of Persia that where one of hys Iudges had giuen a false and a wrong iudgement he depriued him of hys offyce and made an other in his place their Iudge after him Furthermore bicause of hys falsehoode he caused him to be slayne and his skinne to be hanged vp before the place of the commen iudgement to the entent that this newe Iudge beholdyng the gréeuous punishment of his predecessor might beware of falshood and alway dread to giue any wrong iudgement In like maner the Image of the Crucifix is hunge vp in euery Church to the entent that we may sée how gréeuouslie sinne was punyshed in that moste blessed bodye of our Sauyour Christ Iesu not for him self nor for hys owne sinne but for ours was he thus cruellye intreated wée were the cause wée committed the sinne But yet neuerthelesse he bare the paynes and burthens of our sinnes vpon his backe As wryteth Sainct Peter Peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super ligium crucis And therefore when we behold the Image of the Crucifixe in anye place set vp we should thynke howe gréeuously sinne was punyshed in the body of our sauiour Christ. And there by learne to dreade the gréeuous punishment of sinne Alas man thynkest thou not that thys was matter of dreade This I say that the verie sonne of God was for thy sinne put vnto thys cruell death of the Crosse If thou beléeue not thys thou arte worse then the dyuylles ▪ For as Sainct Iames sayeth demones credunt et contremiscunt the diuilles doe beléeue and tremble And if thou verely beléeue it thou mayest thereby thynke and learne howe muche our sauyour and hys father both doeth hate sinne For sith almightie God the father woulde gyue hys moste dearely beloued sonne vnto suche an horrible death onely for to quenche and to extincte sinne thou mayest bée sure that he hateth sinne very much Our Sauyour also must néedes hate sinne when hée rather would suffer thys moste vyllanous death then that sinne shoulde haue domynion vpon our soules séeyng then that thou knowest that bothe they hate sinne Howe shouldest thou dreade to receue any sinne into thy soule If sinne were so displeasant to almighty God the father that rather then hée would suffer it he would giue his owne sonne vnto death for the expulsion of it How much rather now doth it displease him when his sonne hath suffered death therfore and yet sinne rayneth neuerthelesse and more generally then euer it dyd before Furthermore if sinne was so greuously punished in him that neuer did sinne how bytterly shall it be punished in thée O sinfull creature the which haste done so many great outragious sinnes Surely wher he hath one nayle in his handes féete thou sinfull creature hast deserued one hūdreth And for euery one thorne that he suffred in his head thou hast deserued a thousande And for euery one lash that he felt of the scourges thou art worthy to haue innumerable Who that déepely considerith this that I haue sayde and with an earnest study resorteth often to looke vppon this booke I maruell if he doo not fynde here in great cause and earnest matter of dread Here also may euery sinner quicken his sinne if any be within hist breast for it is maruell that a sinner can with out shame beholde this blessed Image If a sinner call to remembrance his great vnkyndnesse repute the same vnkyndenes any maner of vice I trow that he wylbe much ashamed of his moste vnkynde and vngentle dealing against so louing a Lorde Say to me thou sinful creature wilt thou not looke that other men when thou haste béene vnto them in anye thinge beneficiall I saye wylt thou not looke that they shall be kynde and louing vnto thée againe And if any person be vnkynde vnto thée wylt thou not rebuke him fully and lay it vnto his reproofe to make him ashamed thereof I am suer that thou wylt Now then let me sée wher is thy shame beholde and vew euery part of this blessed body what payne it endured for thy sake Séest thou not his eyes how they bée fylled with blood and bytter teares Séest thou not his eares how they be filled with blasphemous rebukes and obprobrious words His chéeke necke with buffets his shoulders with the burthen of the crosse Séest thou not his mouth how in his dryghnesse they would haue filled it with Asell and Gaule Séest thou not how his backe is payned against the hard Crosse Séest thou not his sydes how they were skourged with sharpe whyps Séest thou not his armes how they were strayned by the violence of the ropes 〈◊〉 thou not his handes how they be nailed iust vnto the crosse Séest thou not his legges how they be wearyed with labour Séest thou not his féete how paynefully they stay and bere vp the wight of his whole body O moste vnkinde sinner all this he suffred for thy sake No greater kyndes euer was or could be shewed to thée by any creature then this which swéete Iesus dyd shewe for thée and for thy sake wher is now thy kindenes againe No
for very payne it myght haue brast O thou sinfull creature If thou can not sorrow come learne of thys blessed woman to sorrow for thy sin Thinke that thy sinne was the cause and occasion of all this payne and sorrow that thy Lorde and sauiour dyd suffer on the Crosse. And not onely she giueth the example of sorrowe but his blessed mother abundantly thē sorowed at his death Sainct Iohn sorrowed Sainct Peter sorrowed and wepte bitterly All the Apostles were in sorrow But wherevnto speake I of reasonable creatures the vnreasonable and the vnsensible creatures shewes a maner of sorrowe The earth quaked The mighty stones brast in sunder The monuments opened the dead courses issued out of theyr monuments All these were moued with compassion And onely thou wretched sinner for whose cause he suffred all this paine and gréeuance hast no pitie nor compassion vpon him Alas howe great is thy hardnesse Howe obstinate is thy harte that will suffer no pittie to enter in to it Uerely thou arte more harder then are the stones for they were moued by his passyon so myghtely that they brake in sunder Petrae scissae sunt When then the harde stones and all the other vnreasonable creatures were thus moued and stirred to take some compassyon of the paynfull death of Christ and yet felt no profite by his death Thou much rather shouldest be moued for whose loue he dyd endure all this gréeuous pains Looke thou therfore vpō this booke thou shalt here fynde great cause matter of sorrow Fourthly if thou canst not sorrowe yet thou maiest here learne to hate Thou maiste learne to hate sinne which was cause of all this trouble It is not for nought that the scripture sayth Quasi a facie colubri fuge peccatū dentes leonis dentes eius interficientis animas hominum Flée from sinne euen as thou wouldest flée from the face of an Adder for as the téeth of the Lion deuoureth the body of man so death doth sleay their soules Sinne is so odious and so great an iniury to god that it was necessary for the recompence of this iniury that the sonne of god should suffer this most paineful death of the crosse Sinne so prouoked almightie god the father so déeply to displeasure wrath to take vengance vpon sinners that without the sacrifice of his owne sonne in the gybbet of the crosse he wold not be appeased ne recōciled vnto sinners againe Sinne so deadly wounded blotted the soule of man that with out shedding of the most precious bloud of our sauiour Christ Iesu no lyfe could be restored vnto sinners nor the soules might be washed from the fowle abhominable corruption of sinne Sinne so debarreth and shutteth frō sinners the gates of heauen that they might not haue béene opened but only by the merit of this moste bytter passion suffering this most painfull torments on the crosse Sinne set the gates of hell so wyde open brought all this world into that daunger and thraldome of the diuell that all we should haue béene deuowred of the pyt of hell vnlesse we had béene raūsomed with this most precious treasure that was shed for vs on the crosse-O sinful creature hast thou not great cause to hate sinne that hath brought thée into that miserable cōdicion that by thy sinne thou hast done and committed high iniurie against almighty god and hast prouoked him to vengeaunce That by thy sinne thou hast thus mortally wounded thyne owne soule That by sin thou haste brought thy selfe into the daunger of the dyuill and be dampned in hell perpetually That by thy sinne thou hast shut the gates of heauē against thy selfe Alas man where canst thou fynde greater occasion of hatred If thy neyghbour doe vnto thée but a lyght iniurie thou canst anon hate him yea and so hate him that thou wilt say thou mayest not finde in thy harte to loue him Sinne hathe done vnto thée all these great iniuries and yet thou loueste sinne and canste not hate it Alas what madnesse is this Ioab sayde vnto Kyng Dauid dilegis odientes te et odio habes diligentis te Thou loueste them that hate thée and thou hatest them that loue thée The same worde may well be sayde vnto euery sinner that followeth the course of sinne And lykewyse vyce doeth procure the dystruction of sinners and yet the sinners doe follow after them Our sauiour with all grace vertue procureth the saluation of sinners but him they will not heare nor take any wayes after his counsayle And this is nothing els but an extreame madnesse for they should contrarywyse loue our sauiour that so louingly for theyr weale indured the gréeuous paynes of the Crosse and hate the diuill and sinne which was the very cause of death By thys then you may perceyue that in this booke ye may fynde matter inough of lamentation sith you may read in this booke so much cause of dread of shame of sorrow and of hatred And this is the first wryting wherof we promised for to speake The secōd writing that I said was also writtē in this booke was Carmē that is to say Songe Surely if eyther loue or hope or ioye or comfort wil make a soule to sing here he may take great occasion to sing Fyrst here is great matter of loue and so great that if any person will eyther gyue hys loue fréely or els for some certayne pryce sell it hée that died on the crosse is best worthy to haue it If thou search in heauen in earth one person vpon whom thou maist best bestowe thy loue Thou shalt fynde none comparable vnto Christ Iesus so wyse so myghty so gentle so kynde so amyable far passing all other and there to he is much desirous of thy loue for when Moyses had rehearsed the great benifites which almightie God had giuen vnto man he sayth Et nunc audi quid dominus deus tuus requirat a te nisi vt diligas eū Now here what thy Lord God dooth require of thy parte truely but that thou loue him So now if thou wylt fréely giue thy loue thou canst not more wysely nor better bestow it then vpon him which is so excelent and hath all the condicions aboue saide and there to also is so desirous to haue thy loue And if thou wylt sel thy loue I trow there is none that wyl giue vnto thée more liberally for the same than he hath done Where shalt thou finde him that wyll shedde one droppe of bloud out of his harte for thy sake Where shalte thou finde hym that will giue hys owne soule and lyfe for thy loue There can no more bée asked of any man then that Maiorem charitatem nemo habet nisi vt animam suam ponat quis pro amicis suis. No man can shewe greater charitie then for to put hys owne life in ieopardie for his friendes But thou peraduenture wilt say Syr if he had done this
sinners that doe thus re-returne And therefore Sainct Paule sayeth Accessistis ad sanguinem melius loquentem quam Abel Ye become and haue returned you vnto the bloude that speaketh more graciously then did the bloude of Abell The bloud of Abell cryed vengeaunce before almightie god As almightie God sayd vnto Caine in the booke of Genesis Sanguis Abell fratris tui clamat ad me vindictam de terra The bloude of thy brother Abell crieth vengeaunce in mine eares from the grounde where it is shead But the moste precious bloude of our sauiour Iesu Christ cryeth mercy for all sinners that doeth repent And our sauiour now before the face of hys father sheweth his woundes sheweth his most precious bloud ceaseth not to procure mercy for them This plainly doeth affyrme the blessed Apostle Saint Iohn saying in this maner filioli hec scribo vobis vt non peccatis sed et si quis peccauerit aduocatū habemus apud patrem Iesu Christum iustum et ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris That is to say Childrē I write these things vnto you to the intent that you should not sinne Neuerthelesse if it fortune any man to sinne wée haue an aduocate for vs Christ Iesus before the face of his father And he is rightuous and without sinne a verye satisfaction for al our sinnes Who thē attentiuely doth beholde this Crucifix verely beleueth that on the Crosse was payd the raūsom of all sinners how may he not fully trust that if he aske mercy for his sinnes they shall be forgiuen him So that here euery sinner may finde great matter and occasion of hope In the Crosse is also matter of ioy Héere is occasion of such excessiue ioy that a soule which verely tasteth it can not but highly reioyce in the same And therfore Sainct Paule did say Mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce domini Iesu Christi God forbid that I reioyce in any other thing then in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesu Christ. Here doubtlesse is great cause for euerye true Christian man to reioyce and specially for thrée poyntes The first is that by the death of our sauiour on the Crosse and sheding of his moste precious bloude on the Crosse we be fully reconciled to almighty God as often as we doe true repentaunce with a fast purpose of amendement Thus Saint Paule sayth ad Col Complacuit per eum reconciliari omnia in ipsum per sanguinem cruicis It hath pleased God the father that by his sonne and by his bloud shed on the Crosse all should be reconciled But you will aske me what meaneth this word reconciled It is as much to sai as to be made attone with almighty God and to be at friendship with hym As two men when they haue bene at variaunce to be made louers together againe So the displeasure which he had against vs for our sinne is taken away And his great wrath against vs is fully pacified And where we were by sin the children of the diuell now we haue recouered to be made againe the children of God and consequentlye the inheritours of heauen O thou Christian man is not here great cause to reioyce If thou haue a ritche man to thy father which had loued thée much and he for thy misdemaner had caste thée out from his fauour and so thou werte in ieopardie to lose thy enherytaunce if by meanes of a brother of thine thou mightest be brought into his fauour againe and be taken for his sonne as thou waste before and restored thereby to thine enheritance haddeste thou not great cause to be ioyous and reioyce that by this means thou hast recouered againe thy fathers loue with all the commodities belonging vnto the same In like manner it is of euery sinner for he by his lewde demainer and by his sinful dealing hath so displeased his father that he is cast out from the fauour of his father and is in perrill to lose his inherytaunce which his most louing father had prouided for hym Neuerthelesse his onelye begotten sonne by his inestimable goodnesse and charitie suffering the most painful death of the Crosse and shedding his most precyous bloude for amendes and recompence of our vngracious dealinge hath reconcyled vs agayne and made vs at one with his father and set vs at a perfecte peace concorde and vnytie And thys is concernynge the fyrste poynte The second by the vertue of the crosse and of his most blessed passyon the power of our enymies be much broken for on the Crosse our sauyour by his death gatt the victory vpō thē for the which Sainct Paule saide expolians principatus et potestates traduxit confidenter triumphans cos in seme tipso Christ Iesus spoiling the mighty power of the diuill hath openly detected theyr frauds and gotten a very triumph of them in his owne person And therfore nothing is yet more tirrible vnto them then is the signe of the Crosse. A blessed virgine sainct Christian had suche a confidence in the token of the Crosse that when shée féelt hyr selfe tempted with hyr ghostly enimy shée marked hyr selfe with the same token and at euery temptation shée gatte the better of the diuils And by this holy token chased thē away put euer to flight Thirdli by the vertue of the crosse of this most fruitful death our hand wryting the which made most against vs was clerly put out Whē where was it written In the booke of our owne conscience there is no maner of sinne that we doe but it is written in the booke of our consciēce And if we repent vs not of the same be hartily sory for it before our death thys booke of our conscience shal be shewed against vs in the dreadfull day of iudgement Neuerthelesse if we repent vs and confesse vs and doe true repentance therfore then by the vertue of this passion it shall be scraped out of the booke of our conscience Therfore Sainct Paule calleth sinne our own hand writing Deleuit quod aduersū nos erat chirographum decreti quod erat contrarium nobis et ipsū tulit de medio affigens illud cruci Christ Iesus he saith put out the hande writing of the decrée whiche was against vs and so withdrewe it fastning it vnto the Crosse. When thou perceiuest O sinfull creature that by the Crosse of Christ and by that most precious bloud which was shed on the crosse thou art reconciled and made at one with God and that the power of thine enimies be greatly represt And fynallly that thy sin which was most against thée was crucified on the same Crosse so that thou maist clearely sée that héere is great matter of excessiue ioy and to reioyce in the most blessed Crucifix Finally in the Crosse is also matter of great comfort when a person hath deserued a great open shame is broght euen to the plunge of the matter and yet by