perfection of his praier as his disciples which were with him then at his table O glorious speech O blessed praier which Christ vsed when hee said I doe not pray for them only but for those which shall hereafter beleeue in me although we had neuer seen him nor done him any seruice at all nor deserued any loue at his hands yet he praied with as great affection for vs as for those which sat at his table Rabanus sayth Because the sonne of God was the founder of the church he praied vnto his father for those of his church not forgetting nor excluding any one by reason whereof we shall aske with great confidence those things which belong to the saluation of our soule for seeing he doth pray to his Father for those things which are fit for vs it is to be beleeued that he will not deny vs of that which himselfe possesseth Theophilus sayth Marke well that Christ dooth not pray here for those which beleeue that there is a God but onely for those which doe beleeue in God The Pagan doth beleeue that there is a God the diuell doth know well that to be true which God saith but onely the good Christian doth beleeue in God because hee doth that which God dooth command him There bee many which beleeue that there is a God as the Pagan dooth and beleeue God as the diuel doth but they do not beleeue in God as the good Christian doth for the Apostle sayth that our faith is not knowne by the words which we speake but in the good works which we doe Christ doth conclude sayth Vt omnes sint Consummati in vnum that is hee entreateth his Father that all those which be at his table and all those which shall after succeed in his catholicke church may end in one faith in one baptisme in one loue and in one charity CHAP. VII Herein he entreateth of the variety and diuersity of names of the sacrifices of the old Testament and of the exellency of the sacrifice of the new Testament SI oblatio tua fuerit de sartagine similae conspersum oleo absquefermento diuides eam minutatim funde super eum oleum Leuit. 2. chap. God spake these words to holy Moyses giuing him order how the Priests should be appointed and how the sacrifices should be offered as if he would say If any Hebrew will offer vnto God any fruit to bee fried in a frying pan the floure must bee kned with oile and without leauen and after it is well fried and oile sprinkled vpon it and cut into very smal peeces so offered vnto Aaron to bee offered vpon the altar Before wee come to expound these mysteries we must shew the cause why our Lord would busie and occupy the people of the Iewes in such strange rites in such new sacrifices and in so many ceremonies being as hee was so graue a Lord and so mighty a God Stapulensis in the first of Leuiticus sayth That for three causes God commanded the Iewes to offer so many small sacrifices and made with so many ceremonies The first is that because the Iews had beene brought vp in Aegypt where all were idolatours and they giuen to Idolatry the Lord would that they should offer those sacrifices vnto him and not to the gods of the Gentiles The second reason is that because vnder those sacrifices hee would declare and figure the true sacrifice which should come into the world which was his precious sonne The third reason is that being occupied in that multitude of sacrifices they should haue no time to bestow in committing of other sinnes because the foundation of all wickednesse is accursed idlenesse It is also to be noted that there was seuen kinds of sacrifices in the old law vnto the which all other were reduced although they seemed to be infinite The first sacrifice was called Holocaustum which was the greatest and most sumptuoust of all because it was offered vnto our Lord without any other respect the second was called Pacificum because it was offered in time of warre partly because our Lord should giue them peace in their times and partly because he should giue thē victory against their enemies The third was called Propiciatory which was offered in time of great dearth or pestilence and the end of it was because our Lord should withdraw his hand from ouer them and take that plague from them The fourth was called Pontificat which was offered for the sinnes of the priest of the Temple and the end of it was because they did hold it certaine that if the Priest were loaden with sinnes that the Lord at his handes would not accept the sacrifices The fift was called Regale which was offered for the sinnes which the king had committed and the end of it was because the Lord should pardon the sins which he had committed lighten him to gouern well his Commonwealth The sixt was called Common which was offered for the sins of all the people of Israel the end of it was that the Lord should take them vnder his protection look vpon that people The seuenth was called Particular this was offered for euery particular person and the end of it was that God should pardon him for that which was past giue him grace to amend hereafter All these sacrifices differed in the beasts which were offered in them in the ceremonies with the which they were offered and in one thing they all agreed that is that there could no sacrifice be made for the remission of any sin vnlesse the bloud of one cleane beast were shed The Apostle said not without great cause Non fit sanguinis effusio sed remissio because no mā could bee made cleane of a fault in the old law but by the death of some beast Origen sayth It is certain that euery beast doth rather liue by his bloud than by his flesh or members or bones which he goeth with for when he leaueth bleeding hee leaueth breathing Although it bee true that in recompence of the least fault we are bound to offer our life for it yet God in the old law was content with the life of a dead beast in recompence of the life which that Iew did owe him O how happie we be which fight vnder the name of Christ because the parishioners of the synagogue did offer the bloud of dead beasts but the faithful Christians offer nothing but the bloud of the sonne of the liuing God insomuch that we haue no necessity to offer our liues in recompence of our offences because the life of one was sufficient to make cleane all the faults of the world S. Paule could not praise Christs buying of vs better than to say Emptiestis pretio magno giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that with the bloud of his vaines hee had bought our liues and also taken away our offences For to haue pardoned a Iew of his fault it was necessary euery time that hee had sinned to
presume to call himselfe my seruant in my church if he doe not reconcile himselfe first vnto his brother Father forgiue thē for seeing the old law endeth when I shal say Consummatum est All is finished and the new law beginneth when I shall say Commendo spiritum meum I commend my spirit it would not be reasonable that vnder the law of Grace we should cōsent that any thing should be vnfitting or vnsit nor that vnder the law of Loue wee should permit ranckor and malice Father forgiue them for if in the wildernesse of Aaron whē thou wast angry vvith all the Iewes thou diddest forgiue them and reconcile them vnto thee for no other cause but only because Moses and Aaron did offer a little incense vnto thee why wilt thou not forgiue them now seeing I doe now offer for them not incense but my selfe crucified Father forgiue them for seeing they bee thy creatures by creation thy clients by law my children by redemption my brethren by bloud my acquaintance by education my followers in doctrine and so neare of kindred vnto my disciples why should I consent to their losse and condemnation Father forgiue them seeing I came not into the vvorld to procure thee enemies but to giue thee new friends and to take thy old griefes and sorrowes from thee for otherwise if by my death this people should remaine in thy disgrace and hatred it would seeme that my death would rather moue thee to indignation than appease thy wrath If my death make not an attonement betwixt you who is able to doe it O my good father when thou diddest command me to come downe from heauen and also to die vpon the crosse diddest not thou promise and agree that thy anger and my life and my life and thy anger should haue an end at the same houre Father forgiue them and fulfill thy agreement giue that which thou hast promised and seeing in thy presence my life is deerer vnto thee than thy anger I am glad and willing to die if by that meanes thy ire may bee appeased O blessed praier O holy wish and request neuer heard of before O happie petition which thou madest sweet Iesus in thy last houre wherein thou diddest shew by deeds all that thou haddest preached with words seeing thou diddest entreat for those which put thee to death aske pardon for those which crucified thee Let all the praiers bee brought forth that euer were made in the world and we shall easily perceiue that there was neuer any equall vnto this praier of Christs for there was neuer any which had that intent which hee had nor asked that which hee asked nor compassed that which hee compassed What did the great Patriarch Iacob request of Laban his father in law but only his faire daughter Rachel for his spouse What did the women of Israell demaund of the women of Aegypt saue only their siluer and gold What did Anna Helcans wife and Samuels mother request of God in the temple sauing only that it would please him to giue her a son What did the Iew maid called Axa aske of her father Calaph but only the pasture which held water because the other which hee had giuen her was drie What did the mother of the Zebedees require of Christ but onely that hee would make them the greatest lords of his kingdome Which of all these doe aske any thing of God for their enemies or yet for their friendes Euery man did aske for that which was fittest for his owne turn euery man sought for that which was good for himselfe no man entreated for his neighbour no man remembred his enemie no man made intercession for another no man loaded himselfe with other mens faults Only the son of God made man praieth for his enemies in the last supper saying Pater keepe those which beleeue in me and praieth also vpon the crosse for his enemies saying Pater ignosce illis so that like a mercifull lord he defendeth the good and pardoneth the wicked CHAP. III. How the son of God put himself a mediator betwixt God and mankind and what torment he receiued thereby QVaesiui de eis virum qui interpeneret sepem staret oppositus contra me these are the words of the great God of Israell spoken to the Prophet Ezechiell being in the captiuitie of Babilon not far from the riuer Cobar in the two and twentith chapter of his prophesie And it is as if he would say Ezechiell I haue beene many a day angrie with Ierusalem and I seeke out a holy and a vertuous man which should put himselfe like a hedge betwixt mee and the people of Israell because their offences might not come vnto mee nor my punishment reach vnto them Wee may inferre of the complaint which our Lord maketh in this place what great scarsitie there was in the synagogue of good men seeing he found not one among them all which was worthie to appease the wrath of the Lord and to helpe and succour the people The merites of good men are of great force and power before God for to pardon the euill in their faith which is easily seene in all the cities of Sodome which he did pardon for ten good mens sake and all the twelue tribes of Israel which he pardoned for one alone but alasse neither in the synagogue was there found that one neither in Sodome those ten To say the truth it was no maruaile that hee was not to be found in all the synagogue with those conditions which God required in him for he ought to haue ben a man in discretion and not a child and the Lord himselfe was to make choice of him and no other and he was to be an Hebrew and not a Gentile he was to put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and the people and it was required that he should be partiall on neither side And our Lord was not content onely with this but that mediator ought also to haue desert and merit in him to appease Gods indignation and not sinne to stirre him to wrath S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth I doubt whether a man endued with these conditions and shining with these vertues might bee found amongst the Angelicall Hierarchies how much lesse among humane creatures because such a one should bee more than man yea he should be equall with God Abraham Isaac Iacob and Dauid and all the letanie of the old and new testament were not equall with God nor any thing more then men seeing they were borne in sinne and attained vnto no diuine secret without it were reuealed vnto them The sonne of God only was equall vnto God and the diuine vvord only vvas more than man because in him and in no other those cōditions of a holy man were found which God sought for and the vertues which should pacisie God his wrath and anger The first condition which God required was that this mediator should be a man in wisdome and not a child which may
Christ and how he beleeued and of that which the Prophet Ieremy speaketh to this purpose TOnde capillum tuum proijce sume indirectum planctum quiae perijt fides ablata est de ore eorum said God vnto the Prophet Ieremy in the 7. chap as if hee would say O Ieremy my friend and Prophet poule the haire of thy head and then cast it vnder thy feet and weepe and bewaile the Synagogue because now there is no truth in her mouth and the faith of her Commonwealth is vtterly lost Men did neuer poule their heads in holy scripture nor rent their garments nor shed many tears but for very great disasters or pitifull accidents as for the death of Iobs childreÌ„ with all the losse of all his goods for what cause holy Iob shaued his hair rent his garmeÌ„ts cried out with loud cries It is much here to be noted and also necessary to bee known that seeing the scripture saith that the soule which committeth the sin that the selfesame shal endure the punishment why God coÌ„manded Ieremy to weepe with his eies and poule his hair for the sins which others haue committed If Israel do offend fall into the sin of idolatry how is the good Prophet Ieremy to be blamed why is he commanded to poule his hair for it cast it vnder feet Hath not euery man think you inoughto do to weep for his own sins without weeping for other mens sorrows Hugo de sancto victore answereth vnto this doubt vpon those words Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Thren 1. and saith that there is nothing more natural vnto good meÌ„ theÌ„ to weep for the sins of the wicked The charity of the good is so great the carelesnes ossinners so idle that the iust meÌ„ dofirst weepe for the sins of the wicked then they do weep for theÌ„selues O how many sinners do we see in these daies sporting laughing in the world for whose sins the iust do weep and giue themselues discipline O that it would please the God of heaueÌ„ that the heart of him who sinneth would receiue such griefe as the iust in seeing him sinne I sweare by the law of a good man that none would go to rest at night with sinne nor rise in the morning without grace Is there any day saith Cyrillus vpoÌ„ Leuit. in which a good maÌ„ doth not better himself or any moment wherin he doth not merit considering that he doth imitate the good in that which they do weep for the wicked in that they commit King Dauid did weepe for the death of his deare sonne Absolon and not only because hee was his son but because he saw him die in that euil estate The son of God wept ouer the city of Ierusalem not only because they would there kil him but because they wold neuer ameÌ„d theÌ„ of their wickednes The Prophet Ieremy did weepe very much for the captiuity of his people not so much because they were in captiuity in BabiloÌ„ as because they would not neither for that punishmeÌ„t or any thing else leaue their idolatry the great captain Iosua with all the nobles of Israel wept not because of his own life which was not long but because they saw how ingrateful the synagogue was to god The Prophet Samuel wept when king Saule came froÌ„ the conquest of Amelech not so much because God had depriued him of a kingdome but because hee had falne into such a great sinne Saint Augustine in his Confessions saith thus We do not see good men so much occupied in any thing as in drawing euill men to good life and when they can neither by entreaty nor threatning conuert them then they betake themselues to weep bitterly for them When Ieremy said Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei and when Dauid said Exitus aquarum c. what else would they say but that the eies of the one of them were failed for weeping for the paines which the people endured and that the eies of the other were made a sea of teares for the great wickednesse which he saw in Israel Anselmus in his meditations saith thus O sweet Iesus O my good Lord if good men should not aid me with their holy praiers if holy men should not helpe me to weepe for my grieuous offences what would become of mee wicked and wretched creature O what infinit charity O what vnspeakable mercy saith Ierome vpon Ieremy had our Lord vpon the wicked Synagogue and alwaies hath vpon euery sinfull soule considering that he commanded the Prophet Ieremy to weep for the sins committed by her as though they were his own Wherfore thinkest thou doth our Lord command holy iust men to weepe for our sinnes but because he knoweth better then we our selues that if we haue power to fall into sins yet that we cannot lift ourselues out of them without his grace license Who then is able to obtaine vs this grace but he who is in state of grace It is to be noted that in Ieremies weeping our Lord commanded him first to poule his he are then cast it and tread it vnder his feet and that then hee should weepe ouer them of all which things there is none which wanteth a secrete and a mystery What other things are the superfluou heares in the head but the vaine and light cogitations which are in the mind When he saith That the oftner our heare is pouled and shaued the more they encrease grow what meaneth hee else but that filthy and vnclean thoughts the more they are suppressed and kept vnder the faster they grow vpon vs What doth he else mean when he commandeth Ieremy not to pul vp his hear by the root but only poule it but only that if we be able to resist vncleane thoughts yet wee are not able wholly to subdue them and pull them vp The roots of the heare remaine alwaies in the head and the rootes of vaine desires continue alwaies in the soule if our Lord dooth permit this it is because wee should haue matter wherevpon to exercise our selfe in and occasion to merit the more Then we do pâ—â—â— vp our euill cogitations wheÌ„ we throw them out of our hearts then we spurn theÌ„ with our feet when we return no more to thinke vpon them and then we weepe with all our heart when we repent that euer wee consented vnto them O how happy should I be if I could shaue the superfluous thoughts of my heart could kick at the disordinate desires of my mind could weepe the times which I haue euilly spent for in the latter day wee shall giue as strait an account of the times which we haue euilly spent as of the offences which we haue committed Speaking more particularly seeing that God coÌ„manded the Prophet Ieremy to poul his head as if he had ben a simple man kicke at that which he had pouled weep many tears it is conuenient now that