for the sighte onelie of immortall eies And if we see that by the handieworke of men certaine workes are made here so sightlie and so bewtifull that they astonishe the eies of them that doe beholde them what a worke must that be which is wrought by the hande of almightie God himselfe in that royall howse in that sacred pallace in that howse of ioye and solace which he hath built for the glorie of his electe Psal 83.1 O how amiable are thy tabernacles saiethe the Prophet ô Lorde God of vertues My sowle desireth and feinteth in beholdinge the pallaces of our Lorde The state and condition of the citizens of heauen The thinge that most principallie commendeth a cittie is the state and condition of the cittizens to witt if they be noble if they be manie if they liue in peace and concorde emonge them selues Now who is able to declare the excellencie of this cittie in this behalfe All the inhabitantes therein be noble personages there is no one emonge them of base linage forsomuch as they be all the sonnes and children of God They be so frendly and louinge one towardes an other that they be all as it were one sowle and one harte And they liue in so great peace and concorde that the verie cittie it selfe is called Ieruzalem that is to saie the vision of peace If thow desire to vnderstande the nomber of the inhabitantes in this cittie vnto this desire S. Iohn maketh answere in his reuelations Apoc. 7.9 The nomber of the blessed inhabitantes in heauen where he saieth that he sawe in spirite such a great companie of blessed Sainctes that no man was able to recken them gathered together of all kindes of nations people and tonges which stode before the throne of almightie God and of his lambe appareiled in white garmentes and with triumphante palmes in their handes singinge vnto almightie God songes of praise And vnto this sayeinge of S. Iohn doth that agrie verie well which is signified by the Prophet Daniell concerninge this holie nomber where he saieth Dan. 7.10 Thowsande thowsandes serue the Lorde of maiestie and tenne hundered thowsande thowsandes stande before him And thinke not because the nomber is so great that they be therefore disordered For there the multitude is no cause of confusion but of greater order ād harmonie For almightie God that hath with such a wonderfull consonance and agrement disposed the mouinges of the heauens and the courses of the starres Euerie one of the Sainctes hath his place and glorie in heauen accordinge to the degrie of euerie one of their merites in this lyfe callinge them euerie one by his proper name hath also ordeined all that innumerable armie of blessed Sainctes with a most wonderfull goodlie ordre and disposition appointinge to euerie one his place and glorie accordinge to his merite And so there is one place for the virgins an other for the Confessors an other for the holie Martirs an other for the Partiarkes and Prophets an other for the Apostles and Euangelistes and so forthe in all the rest And in like sorte as men are there diuided There be nine orders of Angels in heauen and placed euen so after their maner are the Angels also which be diuided into three Hierarchies and those three Hierarchies into nine orders And aboue all the Sainctes and Angels is placed the throne of that most excellent Quene of Angels The blessed virgin Marie is placed in heauen aboue all the Angels and Sainctes the mother of almightie God who alone is an order by her selfe forsomuch as she hath no peere nor anie one that is like vnto her And aboue thē all the holie humanitie of our Sauiour Christ hath the cheife place and preeminēce who sitteth at the right hande of the maiestie of almightie God in the highest Now thou Christian sowle take a vewe of all these orders walke through these streates and waies consider the order of these cittizens the bewtie of this cittie and the noblenes and worthines of these inhabitantes Salute them euerie one by their names and desire them to helpe and succour thee with their praiers Salute also this sweite and pleasaunt countrey and as a pilgrime beholdinge it as yet a farre of directe thine eies and withal thy harte vnto it and saie Alhaile sweite countrey the lande of promise the hauen of securitie the place of refuge the howse of blessinge the kingdome of all worldes the paradise of delightes the garden of eternall flowers the market place of all treasure the crowne of all iust persons and the ende of all our desires Alhaile our mother and our hope After thee haue we sighed a longe time For thee haue we mourned and doe mourne euen at this presente For the loue of thee haue we foughte and doe still fighte a longe battell in this our transitorie lyfe For we knowe assuredlie 2. Tim. 2.5 that none shal be rewarded and crowned in thee but onely such as haue here fowghten faithfullie Of the seconde Ioye that the sowle shall haue in the kingedome of heauen which is the enioyinge of the companie of the Sainctes § II. VHO is able after this great ioye to declare what a further ioye the sowle shall haue by beinge in this most happie and blessed companie For there the vertue of charitie is in her full perfection the propertie of which vertue is to cause all thinges to be common There shall that petition be perfectlie fulfilled which our sauiour made sayeinge I beseech thee ô father Ioan. 17.11 All the electe in heauen shal be more streitlie vnited together in one than the members of one bodie because all shall participate of the spirite of God that they maie be one by loue as we are one by nature For there shall the electe be more streitlie vnited together in one than the members of one same bodie because all shall participate of one same spirite which geueth vnto all one same beinge and withall one blessed lyfe If thou imagin it to be otherwise tell me what is the cause why the members of one bodie haue so great a vnitie and loue one towardes an other The reason is because they all are partakers of one same forme that is of one sowle which geueth one same beinge and one lyfe to them all Now if the spirite of a man liaue power to cause so great a vnitie betwene members that are so different in offices and natures is it anie wonder if the spirite of almightie God by whom all the electe doe liue which spirite is as it were the cōmon sowle to them all shoulde cause a farre greater and more perfecte vnitie emonge them espetially consideringe that the spirite of God is a more noble cause and of a more excellent vertue and power yea and geueth also a more noble beinge Well now if this maner of vnitie and loue doe cause all thinges to be cōmō as well good as euil as we see in the
abide to take so littell labour as he should bestowe in preparinge him selfe for the receauinge of this most holie Sacrament he will rather want the benefit of so great and inestimable diuyne treasure which is of greater valewe then all that euer almightie God hath created The fower-the cause This heauenlie bridegrome desired also to be loued of his spouse with a passinge great loue and therefore he ordeined this diuine misticall morsell consecrated with such wordes that whosoeuer receaueth it worthelie is forthwith towched and striken with this loue O wonderfull misterie worthie to be engraued euen in the innermost parte of our hartes Tell me o thou vngratefull man if a prince should beare such a great affection and loue towardes a seelie wenche that were his bond slaue that he coulde finde in his hart to take her for his spouse and make her quene and ladie of all he is Lord of how great woulde we saie that the loue of that prince had bene that woulde doe such a deede And if peraduenture after the mariage solemnized this slaue should showe her selfe coldlie affected towardes the prince her husbande and he vnderstandinge the same woulde as a man forlorne goe to seeke with all diligence for some pretious morsell and geue it her to eate whereby to winne her loue vnto him how passinge great would we saie that the loue of that prince were that should be thus affected towardes her Now therefore O kinge of glorie what meaneth this that thou for the entiere loue thou bearest vnto me hast vouchesafed not onely to take my soule to be thy spouse beinge as she was the verie bonde slaue of thine ennemie the deuill but seinge her also all this notwithstandinge verie coldlie affected towardes thee hast ordeined for her this misticall and diuine morsell which thou hast transformed with such wordes that it hath vertu in it to transforme such soules into thee as shall feede thereon and make them to burne with liuelie flames of loue There is no one thinge that declareth the affection of loue more euidentlie then when a man hath a desire to be beloued Considering therefore that thou hast bene so greatlie desirous of our loue that thou hast sowght it with such strange inuentions who shall from hence forth stand in dowte of thy loue we be certayne that if we loue God God will loue vs agayne Certayne I am o may most louinge and mercifull Lord that if I loue thee thou also louest me And certayne I am also that I neede not to seeke anie inuentions to allure thy hart to loue me as thou hast sowght toi allure my harte to loue thee That most sweet bridegrome would also be absent from his spouse The fifte cause and yet because loue cannot abide to be absente from the beloued he would depart in such wise that he might not altogether departe from her and he would so goe awaie that he might also remaine with her wherefore consideringe that it was not expedient for our Sauiour to tarrie here still and the spouse mighte not as then goe from hence with him he deuised a meane that althowgh he went his waie and his spouse remained still behinde yet should they neuer be seperated and set a sonder For this cause therefore he instituted this diuine sacrament that by meanes thereof the soules might be vnited and incorporated spirituallie with Christ and that with such a stronge bonde of loue that of them two there should be made one thinge For like as of meate and of him that eateth the meate there is made one same thinge euen so likewise after a certeine maner is there made of the soule and of Christ sauinge that as Sainct Augustine saith Christ is not changed into our soules S. August but our soules be changed into him not by nature but by loue conformetie and likenes of life Moreouer our Sauiours will and pleasure was to assure his spouse The sixte cause and to geue her a pledge of that blessed inheritance of eternall glorie that she being fortified with the hope of this felicitie An assured hope to enioye the felicitie in the kingedome of heauē maketh a mā to despise all worldelie thinges might passe chearfullie throwghe all the trowbles aduersities afflictions and persecutions of this life For trulie there is no one thinge that causeth vs so muche to despise all thinges that are to be had in this life as a assured hope of that blessednes and felicitie we shall enioye in the life to come According as our Sauiour signified vnto vs in those wordes he spake to his disciples before his passion Ioan. 14. If ye loued me said he ye would be right glad of my departure because I goe to the father As thowgh he had said it is a great felicitie to goe to the father For althowgh the waie to goe to him be throwgh whippes thornes nailes crosses and all other tribulations and martirdomes of this life Yet all that notwithstanding it is a thinge of inestimable gaine and cōfort to goe vnto him Wherefore to the intent that his spouse might haue a verie firme and assured hope of this felicetie he left her here in pledge this inestimable diuine treasure which is of as great vallue as al that is there hoped for that she should not mistrust but that almightie God will geue himselfe vnto her in glorie where she shall liue whollie in spirite seinge he denieth not himselfe vnto her in this vale of teares where she liueth in fleshe Our Sauiour purposed also The seuenthe cause at the houre of his death to make his testament and to leaue vnto his spouse some notable legacie to be as a releife and comforte for her at all times and so he left her this most blessed sacrament wherein Christe himselfe is trewlie and reallie presente which was the most pretious and most profitable bequest that he could possible leaue vnto her 4. Reg. 2. Elias when he woulde depart awaie from the earth left his clooke to his disciple Elizeus as one that had none other riches whereof to make him his heire But our most sweete louinge sauiour and master when he woulde ascende into heauen left here vnto vs the clooke of his sacred bodie in this most holie sacrament appointing vs here to be his heires as by the right of children of this so great and inestimable diuine treasure With that mantell Elizeus passed the waters of the floude Iourdan and was neither drowned nor wetshod and with the vertue and grace of this most blessed sacrament the faithfull do passe the waters of the vanities and tribulations of this life without sinne and without danger To conclude The eighte cause our Sauiour intended to leaue vnto our soules sufficient prouision and foode wherewith they might liue forso much as the soule hath no lesse nede of her proper sustenance The soule hathe as greate neede of spirituall foode as the bodie hathe of
bene tenne yeares bedridden or lyen in fetters in harde prison or in continuall necessitie trouble and dissension within his owne howse and famylie what comfort shall he finde in thee for so longe a combatte and tribulation Answer ô Lorde I beseache thee vnto this demande forsomuch as thou arte the worde and the wisedome of the father Tell me whether thou be the vniuersall comforter in all miseries be they neuer so longe Or els whether we neede to seeke anie other comforter for them Verelie ô Lorde we haue no neede of anie other comfortor but onely thee For vndowtedlie the crosse whereon thou diddest suffer was not a martirdome of one daie onely but it continued all thy whole life Our sauiour had his crosse and passion verie liuelie represented daylye before his eyes from the verie first hower of his conception vntill his deathe For euen from the verie first hower and instant of thy most holie conception there was represented vnto thee both the crosse and withall all the cruell bitter paines and tormentes that thou shouldest suffer vpon the same and so thou haddest them all continuallie verie liuelie set before thyne eyes all the daies thou diddest liue here on earth For like as all thinges both past and to come were present before the eies of thy diuine vnderstandinge euen so also were all the martirdomes and instrumentes of thy passion There were the crosse the nailles the scourges the thornes the cruell speare with all other thy most bitter paines and tormentes at all tymes as liuely present before thy sight as when thou sawest them with thy eies the verie same frydaie that thou wast crucified on the Crosse We though we suffer neuer so greate and extreme paines yet we haue alwaies some tyme of ease either by meanes of phisicke or other comforte but thy paine was alwaies in a maner continuall or at the least it did verie often times torment thee in thy sowle duringe the tyme thou diddest liue here in this worlde And albeit this consideration of thy bitter tormentes and passion had not tormented thee yet was the verie zeale of thy fathers honor and desire of the saluation of our soules a continual torment vnto thee which vndowtedlie did eate and rente thy pittiefull louinge harte and was a more cruell martirdome vnto thee than the verie death it selfe Wherevnto was also added the obstinate malice which thou sawest in that rebellious people the Iewes and with all the stubbornnes and ingratitude of all other sinners for whose remedie and redemption thou wast sent which woulde not helpe themselues with the benefite thereof nor yet acknowledge the tyme of theire visitation This was the cause of those pittiefull teares Lâ—c. 19. thou diddest sheide vpon Ierusalem and hereof rose the complainte thou madest by thy Prophet Esaie sayenge In vaine haue I traueyled Esa 49. and in vaine haue I consumed my strengthe Wherefore O my soule thou hast here with whom thou maist keepe coÌ„panie and take comforte in thy longe paines and troubles For althoughe the last paines and tormentes of the holie bodie of our Sauiour were shorte yet were the greifes and paines of his pittiefull harte and soule verie longe and continuall SATTVRDAIE MORNINGE THIS daie after thou hast made the signe of the Crosse and prepared thy selfe herevnto thou hast to meditate vpon the pearcinge of our Sauiours syde with a speare Of his takinge downe from the Crosse And withall of the pittiefull bewaylinge and lamentation of our blessed Ladie And of our Sauiours buriall I H S Factus est omnibus obtemperantibus sibi causa salutis aeternae Hebr. 5.9 The text of the holie Euangelistes THEN the Iewes because it was the feaste of Easter that the bodies shoulde not remaine vpon the Crosse on the Sabboth daie Ioan. 19. for that daye of the Sabboth was verie sollemme emonge them besoughte Pilate that there legges might be broken and that they might be taken downe from the Crosse Then came the souldiars and brake the legges of the first and of the other that was crucified with Iesus But when they came to Iesus and sawe that he was alredie dead they brake not his legges But one of the souldiars with a speare pearced his syde and forthwith there issued out bloude and water And he that sawe it bare witnes and his witnes is true And when the eueninge was come Marc. 15. there came a certeine worshipfull knight Math. 17. called Ioseph of Arimathia Luc. 23. one that loked for the kingedome of God and entered boldlie vnto Pilate and demaunded the bodie of Iesus And Pilate merueiled if he were alreadie dead and called vnto him the Centurion and asked of him whether he had bene anie while dead And when he vnderstoode the truthe of the Centurion he gaue the bodie to Ioseph There came also with him Ioan. 19. one called Nicodemus who was wonte to resorte to Iesus by night and he brought with him of Myrre and Aloes mingeled together about a hundred powndes Marc. 15. And Ioseph bought a lynnen clothe and tooke him downe from the crosse and wrapped him in that lynnen with those sweete sauours accordinge to the custome which the Iewes obserue in the buriall of the dead And in that place where Iesus was crucified Ioan. 19. there was a garden and in the gardeÌ„ a newe sepulchre wherein was neuer man yet layed There they layd Iesus by reason of the Passeouer of the Iewes for the sepulchre was neare And Marie Magdalene Luc 23. and Marie the Mother of Ioseph marked the place where they layd him MEDITATIONS VPON THESE POYNTES OF THE TEXT HETHERTO ô my soule thou hast celebrated the death and grieuous paines of the sonne It is now tyme for thee to beginne to celebrate and bewaile the grieuous sorrowes of the mother Wherefore sit downe a while at the feete of the prophet Ieremie Ierem. 1. and takinge the wordes out of his mowthe and sighinge deeplie with a bitter and sorrowfull harte saie thus vnto her How happeneth it ô most innocent virgin that thou arte now alone How is it ô ladie of the worlde that thou arte become a widowe What haue they set so sore a penaltie vpon thee without hauinge committed anie offence at all O most holie virgin I woulde gladly comfort thee and I knowe not how I woulde gladly ease some parte of thy great greifes and anguishes and I knowe not which waie O Quene of heauen if the cause of thy sorrowes were the sorrowes of thy blessed sonne and not thine owne for that thou diddest loue him more then thy selfe his sorrowes are now ended forsomuch as his bodie suffereth no more and his soule is now altogether glorious Cease therefore I beseach thee the multitude of thy sorrowfull sighes and bewailinges seinge the cause of thy sorowe is alreadie ceased and gonne When he wepte thou diddest weepe also reason it is therefore that thou shouldest reioyce with him now that he
callinge to minde his wicked and synfull lyfe and how gladly he wishethe at that time that he had taken a better waie and what an awstere kinde of lyfe he woulde then determine to leade if he might haue time to doe the same and how fayne he woulde then enforce himselfe to call vpon almightie God and to desier him of helpe and succour Howbeit the verie paine greife and continuall increasinge of his syckenes and death will scarcely permitte him so to doe Consider then also those last accidentes and panges of the sicknes Of the pāges of deathe which be as it were the messingers of death how fearfull and terrible they be How at that time the sicke mans breast panteth his voyce waxeth hoarce his feete begynne to die his knees waxe colde and stiffe his nostrels ronne out his eies sincke into his head his countenāce looketh pale and wanne his tonge faultereth and is not able to doe his office finally by reason of the hast of the departure awaye of the sowle out of the bodie all his senses are sore vexed and troubled and they doe vtterlie leese their force and vertue But aboue all the sowle is then in most payne Of the greate payne ād agonie the sowle abideth at her departure out of the bodie and suffereth greatest greifes and troubles For at that time she is in a verie great conflicte and agonie partely for her departure from the bodie and partely for feare of her dreadfull accompte which is then to be made Because she is naturally lothe to departe from the bodie and she liketh well her lodginge and is in verie great dread to come to her accompt before almightie God Now when the sowle is thus departed out of the fleashe yet there remayne two voiages for thee to make with him the one to accompanie the bodie vntill it be layed in his graue the other to followe the sowle vntill her cause be determined And thou hast to consider diligentlie what shall become of eache one of these two partes Of the funeralles ād buryenge of the bodie Consider now in what plight the bodie is after the sowle hath forsaken it and what a worthie garment they prouide to winde it in and what haste his friendes and executors doe make to get him quickly rydde awaye out of the howse Consider also the funerals with all the other circumstances that are wonte to happen therein The often ringinge of the belles the goinge aboute of the belman cryinge vnto the people to praye for his sowle the questionynge in the streates one of an other who is dead the diriges and dolefull seruice of the Churche the accompanyinge of his corps to the Churche and mourninge of his wife children kynsfolke seruātes and friendes for him and finally all th' other particulars that are then wont to happen vntill the bodie be laide and lefte in the graue where it shall lye buried vntill it be raysed agayne by the terrible sownde of the trompet at the generall daie of iudgement And such is the great chaunge and alteration in worldlie affaires that it maie so come to passe as a time maie happen when some buildinge maie be made neare vnto thy graue be it neuer so gaie and sumptuous and that they maie digge for some earthe out of the same to make morter for a walle and so shall thy seelie bodie beinge now changed into earth become afterwardes an earthen walle although it be at this present the most noble bodie and most delicately cherished of all bodies in the worlde And how manie bodies of Kinges and Emperors trowest thou haue come already to this promotion Now when thou hast left the bodie in the graue what becōmethe of the sowle after it is departed out of the bodie goe from thence forthwith and followe after the sowle and cōsider what waie it taketh through that newe region whither it goeth what shall euerlastinglie become of it for euer and euer and what iudgement it shall haue Imagin that thou arte now present at this iudgemēt and that thou seest all the whole cowert of heauen to expecte the ende of this sentence Eccles 12. vers 14. Iob. 14.13 Iob. 31.14.23 where the sowle shal giue a particular accōpte and be chardged and dischardged of all that he hath receaued euen to the valewe of a pinnes poynte yea Math. 12.36 Math. 19.17 Rom. 2.6 1. Co. 4.4 1. Cor. 9.27 2. Cor. 5.10 Ephes 6.8 Philip. 2.12 Haeb. 9.27 1. Peter 4.18 2. Pet. 1.10 Apoc. 2.23 Apoc. 14.7.13 and as our Sauiour himselfe affirmeth of euerie idell worde There an accompt shal be required of his life of his lādes ād riches of his howseholde ād familie of the inspiratiōs of almightie God of the meanes and opportunitie he hath had to leade a vertuous and godlie lyfe and aboue all he shal be streitelie examined what estimation he hath made of the most pretious bloude of our sauiour Christe and of the vse of his Sacramentes And there shall euerie man be iudged accordinge to the accompt he shall make of the giftes and graces he hath receaued of almightie God THE THIRDE TREATISE WHEREIN IS TREATED OF THE consideration of death Where the former meditation is declared more at lardge THE consideration of death is verie profitable for manie purposes and espetially for three First for the obteyninge of true wisedome that is to knowe how a man ought to gouerne and frame his lyfe For as the Philosophers doe saie in thinges that are ordeined to anie ende The consideration of death causeth a man to gouerne and frame his life the rule and measure whereby to directe them is to be taken of the same ende and therefore when men doe either builde or Saile or doe anie thinge they haue alwaies their eie fixed vpon the ende which they pretende and accordinge to the same doe frame and direct all the rest of their doinges Now consideringe that emonge the endes and tearmes of our lyfe death is one of them whither we goe all to take our rest he that will endeuour to direct his lyfe in good order let him fixe his eies vpon this marke and accordinge to the same let him dispose and directe all his affaires Let him consider how poore and naked he must depart out of this worlde and what a strait iudgement he must passe at the hower of his death and how he shall lie in his graue all betroden and quyte forgotten of all men and accordinge to this ende let him consider how to frame and direct the whole order and course of his lyfe By this rule a certaine Philosopher gouerned and directed his lyfe that saied Naked came I out of my mothers wombe Iob. 2. and naked must I retourne againe to my graue To what purpose then shoulde I lose my time in purchasinge and heapinge together landes and riches seing nakednes shal be my ende For want of consideration of this our ende doe growe all our errours and
suerlie not without good cause when he saide Iob. 14. The tree after it is cut hath hope to reuiue and springe againe and if the roote of it doe rott in the grownde and the stocke be dead in the earth yet with the freshenes of water it springeth againe and bringeth forth leaues as if it were newlie planted But man after he is once dead withered and consumed what is become of him Great vndowtedlie was the tribute that was laide vpon the children of Adam for sinne And the euerlastinge Iudge vnderstode verie well what penance he gaue vnto man when he saide Thou art dust Genes 4. and into dust thou shalt retourne againe Of the great feare and dowte the sowle hath at the hower of deathe what shall happen vnto it after it is departed out of the bodie § III. HOWBEIT this is not the greatest cause of feare that a man hath at the hower of his death but there is yet one farre greater and that is when the sowle casteth her eies further and beginneth to thinke vpon the daungers of the life to come and imagineth what shall become of her hereafter For this is now as it were to depart from the hauen mowth and to launche into the mayne Sea where none other thinge is to be seene on what side so euer ye looke but onely heauen and the water the which is woūte to be occasion of greater feare in such as are but newe Seamen For when a man considereth that eternitie of worldes which followeth after death and withall casteth his eie into that newe ād straunge region which was neuer knowen nor traueyled by anie man aliue where he must now beginne to take his iourney when he considereth also the euerlastinge glorie or paine which there must fall to his lotte and seeth that wheresoeuer the tree falleth Eccles 11. there it shall remaine for euermore and knoweth not on which of the two sides he shal falle whē he considereth I saie all these thinges he cannot but be in a verie great feare and trouble of minde We reade that when Benadad kinge of Siria was sicke 4 Reg. 8. he was in so great anguishe and greife of minde for that he knewe not whether he should die of that sicknes or not that he sent the generall of his armie with fowertie Camels loden with treasure vnto the Prophet Elizeus requestinge him with wordes of great humilitie to rid him out of that perplexitie he was in and to put him out of all dowt whether he shoulde recouer of that sicknes or not Now if the loue of so short a lyfe as this is be able to cause a man to be in such a greate care and pensiuenes how great care will a Wiseman take when he perceiueth him selfe to be in such a case as that he maie trulie saie that within two howres he shall haue one of these two lottes to witt either lyfe euerlastinge or death euerlastinge and that he knoweth not certainlie whether of theise two shall come vnto him What martirdome maie be compared to such a painfull angwishe and greife as this is Put the case now that a kinge were taken prisoner emonge the Turckes and when his Embassadours shoulde come to raunsome him the Turckes woulde propounde that the matter shoulde be determined by castinge of lottes and that if he happened to haue a good lotte he shoulde be raunsomed and goe home with his Embassadours to his kingdome but if contrariewise that thē immediatly he should be throwē into a great fyerie furnace which were there prepared burninge and flaminge before him Tell me I praie thee at the time when they shoulde be castinge the lottes and puttinge their hande into the vessell to take them out and all the worlde in great expectation waitinge what shoulde be the ende thereof and the kinge him selfe standinge there present beholdinge the doutfull happe that must be alotted vnto him in what a dolefull case thinkest thou woulde he then be How troubled How fearfull How quakinge and tremblinge And how readie to promise and vowe vnto almightie God all he cowlde possiblye doe to be quite ridde out of that terrible angwishe Now what is all this be it neuer so great but as it were a shadowe if it be compared with this daunger that we speake of How farre greater is the kingdome that we seike How farre greater is the fierye furnace that we doe feare How farre more greiuouse is the perplexitie ād doutefulnes of this matter thā of the other For on the one side the angels shal be there expectinge for vs to carrie vs to the kingedome of heauen and on th' other side the deuills to cast vs into the horrible furnace of hell fier and no man knoweth whether of these two lottes shall happen vnto him which shal be determined eyther the one waye or the other within the space of one houre after his death Consider therefore in what a heauie plight thy harte shal be at this last instant how fearfull how humble how abased before the face of him who onelie cā deliuer thee out of this daunger Suerlie I am of this opinion that there is no tonge in the worlde able to declare this matter as it is indeede How we come to vnderstande hereby the errours and blindnes of our lyfe past § IIII. AFTER this anguishe there followeth yet an other as great as it namelye in such persons as haue liued a wicked and dissolute lyfe which is to come so late to thinke vpō the accōpt they haue then forthwith to make of all the disorders and offences of their former lyfe At the houer of deythe it is a great greife to a sicke man if he haue liued licentiouslie that he thinketh so late vpō his accompte O how wōderfullie shall the wicked be confounded at that time when the griefe of their paine shall cause them to open their eies which heretofore the delight and pleasure of sinne had closed vp insomuch as they shall then clearlie perceiue what false goddes those were which they haue serued and how deceitfull those riches were which they haue so greidelie gaped after and how by followinge that waie whereby they thought to haue fownde rest they finde in conclusion their vtter ruin and destruction The seruantes of the kinge of Siria came to apprehende the Prophet Heliseus and when almightie God had stricken them all blinde by meanes of the praier of the Prophet the Prophet said vnto them Come goe with me and I will shewe you him whom you seeke 4. Reg. 6. And when he had thus said he caried them with him vnto Samaria and brought them into the market place of the cittie in the middes of al their enemies And then made his praier againe and saide O Lorde open the eies of these miserable men that they maie see where they are Now tell me I praie thee when those men opened their eies and sawe whither they were come beleuinge certainlie before that
spetiall friendes can doe then vnto him besides prayinge for his sowle is to honour him with castinge a handfull of earthe vpon him And therefore the faithfull people are wont to vse this ceremonie towardes the dead that almightie God maye dispose others to doe the same vnto them whē they shal be in the like case Now what greater confession and acknowledginge of our miserie can we diuise than to see how men doe preuent before hande that they may not want after their death so smalle a benefite as this is O greidie couetousenes of the lyuinge and great pouertie of the dead Why shoulde a man desire and gape after so manie thinges for this presente lyfe beinge so shorte as it is seinge so litle will content him at the howre of his death Then the graue maker taketh the spade and pykeaxe into his hande and beginneth to tumble downe bones vpon bones and to tread downe the earth verie harde vpon him Insomuch that the fairest face in all the worlde the best trimmed and most charily kepte from wynde and sonne shall lye there and be stamped vpon by the rude graue maker who will not sticke to laie him on the face and rappe him on the sculle yea and to batter downe his eies and nose flatte to his face that they maie lye well and euen with the earth And the fyne dapperde gentleman who whiles he liued might in no wise abide the wynde to blowe vpon him no nor so much as a litle heare or moore to falle vpon his garmentes but in all hast it must be brusshed of with great curiositie here they laie and hurle vpon him a donghill of filthines and dirte And that sweete mynion gentleman also that was wont forsooth to goe perfumed with Amber and other odoriferous smelles must be contented here to lye couered all ouer with earthe and fowle crawlinge wormes and maggottes This is the ende of all the gaie braueries and of all the pompe and glorie of the worlde In this plight doe all his freindes nowe leaue him lyenge in that strait lodginge in that earthe of obliuion and in that darcke prison where he shall remaine accompanied with perpetuall solitarines vntill the generall daye of Iudgment O worlde what is become of thy glorie O yee my howses landes and riches where is your power O my wyfe my children my freindes and kinsfolke where haue ye now left me How happeneth it that yee my olde freindes and companions doe so quickly forsake me and leaue me here in the earthe thus solitarie alone How chaunceth it that the wheele of my so great prosperitie and felicitie is so quickly ouerturned and defaced They that sawe Quene Iezabell when she was by the iust iudgement of God eaten with dogges 4. Reg. 9. when they sawe that there remained nothinge els of her bewtie but onelie her sculle and the extreme partes of her feete and handes those I saie that had knowen her before in so greate flourishinge and royall estate and sawe her at that time in such a miserable plight wonderinge at that so great alteration and chaunge demaunded and saied Haeccine est illa Iezabel Is this that Iezabell 4. Reg. 9.37 And as manie as passed by that waie and behelde her thus eaten with dogges repeted the same exclamation merueylinge at so great a chaunge and saied Is this that Iezabell Is this that great Quene and Ladie of Israëll Is this she that was so mightie that she vsurped and seased the landes and goodes of her subiectes by sheedinge of their bloude Is death able to bringe the mightie and puissaunte Princes to such a base and miserable calamitie Now therefore my deare brother goe downe I praie thee with thy spirit into the graues and Sepulchers of such Princes and great noble personages as thou hast either harde of or knowen in this worlde and consider what a horrible and deformed forme of their bodies is there to be seene And thou shalt see that thou hast good cause to make the like exclamation and to vse the same wordes and saie Is this that Iezabell Is this that amiable face which I knewe so faire and liuelie Are these those eies that were so cleare and brighte to beholde Is this that pleasaunt rowlinge tongue that talked so eloquently and made such goodlie discourses Is this that fyne and neyte bodie that was so trimlie pollished and adorned Is this the ende of the maiestie of Princes scepters and roiall crownes Is this the ende of the glorie of the worlde O how often times saieth a Wise man hath it bene my chaunce to enter into the sepulchres of some dead bodies where wonderinge or rather beinge greatlie astonied at the sight that I sawe I fixed mine eies aduisedlie vpon the shape of the dead corps I sette the bones in order I ioyned the handes together and sette the lippes in their proper places and spake thus secretlie to my selfe Beholde these feete that haue trauayled such crooked pathes and waies These handes also that haue committed so manie wicked actes These eies that haue behelde so manie vanities This mouth that hath eaten and deuoured so manie delicate and superfluous meates Beholde this sculle of his head that hath built so manie vaine castels and towers in the aier This dust and filthie skinne for whose pleasure and delight he hath committed so many sinnes and wickednes and for which cause the sowle of this bodie doth and shall perhappes suffer euerlastinge horrible tormentes in hell fier This done I departed out of that place wholy astonied and amased and meitinge with certain persons both men and women yonge and olde I behelde them likewise and considered that both they and I shoulde shortelie appeare in the like vglie forme and sieme as vyle and lothsome to beholde as those dead bodies are now presentelie Wherefore what a fonde wicked wretche am I to liue in suche wise as I doe To what ende is my purchasinge ād heapinge together of lādes and riches ād my buildinge of such sumptuous howses seinge I shall shortly be here so poore and naked To what ende are my gaie braueries and gorgious ornamentes in my apparell and furniture of howsholde stuffe seinge I shall shortly be here so filthie and lothsome to beholde To what ende are my delicate disshes my sugered sawces and deyntie fare seinge I shall shortly be here meate for the wormes and maggottes of the earthe Of the waie that the sowle taketh after it is departed out of the bodie And of the dreadfull iudgment and sentence that shal be geuen vpon it at that time § VIII Note that there be two iudgemētes one is at the hower of euerie mās deathe which is called the particular iudgemente And the other is at doomesdaye which shal be the vniuersall iudgmente of all mankinde together S. Bernarde LET vs now leaue the bodie lyinge thus buried in the graue and let vs see what waie the sowle taketh throughe that newe worlde which is
corporal foode to maintein her in the spirituall life then the bodie hath of his propre foode for mayntenance of the corporall life If thou thinke otherwise tell me I praie thee why hath the bodie neede of his ordinarie meat euerie daie vndowtedlie the cause is for that the naturall heat continuallie wasteth and consumeth the substance of our bodies and therefore it is nedefull that that be restored againe with daielie sustenance which is consumed with dailie heat For otherwise the naturall strēgth of man woulde verie soone be at an ende and his powers woulde quicklie decaie O that it pleased almightie God that men might by this vnderstand the great necessitie they haue of this diuine sacrament O that they coulde by this conceaue the greate wisedome and mercie of him that hath instituted and ordeined the same for our behoufe Is it not a thing well knowen that we haue within these bowelles of oures a certein pestilent hear that came vnto vs by the occasion of sinne with consumeth all the goodnes that is in man This is that which inclineth vs to the loue of the world of our fleshe of all vices of all sensuall pleasures and delites and so by these meanes seperateth vs from almightie God maketh vs to relente and waxe colde in the loue of him and causeth vs to become verie dull slouthfull and heauie to all good workes and verie quicke and liuelie to worke all wickednes If than we haue this continuall waster and consumer so rooted within vs were it not good reason trow ye that there should be some restoratiue prouided to restore that alwaies againe which is alwaies wasting and consuming If we haue a continuall consumer The cause of the greate feruēcie and zeale of Christians in the primetiue Church ād of the littel or no zeale of Christians in our corrupt age and haue not withall a continuall repayrer what maie be loked for of vs but a continuall decaienge and with in sort time after a most certeine and vndowted ruine For proofe hereof it shall suffice to consider the course of the Christian people by comparinge the great feruencie and zeale in religion of the Christians in the primetiue Churche with the littell or rather no zeale of the Christians in our corrupt age For in the primitiue Churche when the Christians did eate contiuuallie of this diuine meate they liued therewith a verie spirituall life and had thereby force and strength not onely to obserue Gods lawes and commaundementes but also euen to die and suffer martirdome for Gods sake But now alas in this our corrupt age the Christians for the most parte are founde to be verie weake and feable in their faythe and verie dissolute and licentious in their liues because they eate not of this diuine foode and therefore in the end they perish and die for honger Esa 5. As the prophet signified when he said Therefore was my people caried awaie into captiuetie because they had no knowledge of God and there nobles perished for honger and the multitude of them died for thirst For this cause therefore hath that wise phisition our Sauiour Christ who had also felt the pulses of our weakenes ordeined this most holie and diuine sacrament and for this purpose hath he instituted the same in forme of meate that the verie forme wherein he instituted it might declare vnto vs the effect it worketh and withall the great necessitie our soules haue of the same Consider then now if there maie be found in the whole world anie greater showe of loue then that almightie God himselfe should leaue vnto vs his owne verie fleshe and bloude for our susteynance and releefe We maie reade in manie histories Iosephus that some mothers beinge constrained with intollerable honger haue embrewed their handes in the fleshe and bloude of there owne littell children to susteine them selues with feedinge vpon them and that for the great desire they had to liue they haue bereued their owne verie naturall children of there lifes thereby to preserue their owne life This haue we red ofentimes But who hath euerred that anie mother hath fed her childe that was readie to perish and die for honger with her owne verie fleshe or that she cut of one of her owne armes to geue her childe to eate and that she would be cruell vpon her selfe to shewe her selfe pittiefull towardes her childe Certeinlie there was neuer mother liuinge yet in the earthe that euer hath done such a dede But our most louinge and sweete sauiour Christ farre passing anie mother in loue perceauinge thee to be readie to perish and die for honger and seinge withall that there was none other better meane to maintein by life then to geue thee his owne verie sleshe to eate commeth downe from heauen and yeldeth himselfe here to the cruell bouchers and tormētours to be put to deathe that thow mightest preserue and susteine thy life with this diuine meate And this he doth not at one time onelie but his blessed will is that it shal be done continuallie and therefore he ordeineth this most blessed sacrament that thou mightest hereby vnderstand an other degree of greater loue which is that as he geueth thee alwaies the same meate to witt his owne verie bodie in this most blessed Sacrament so is he readie alwaies to paie the same price and redemption if it were necessarie for thee Besides all this thou must consider Note that our sauiour hath restored man vnto his aunciēt dignitie so muche by grace as he had fallen by sinne that so by grace he maye be able to liue a holie and spirituall life that this most holie reformer of the worlde intēded to restore man vnto his auncient dignitie and to raise him vp againe so much by grace as he had fallē by sinne And therefore as his falle was frō a life that he had of God which life our first father Adam before his falle had enioyed to the life of beastes wherein after his falle he remayned euen so contrariewise his will was that he should be raised vp againe from the life of beastes in which he remayed to the life of God which throwgh sinne he had lost and so for this ende hath our sauiour Christ ordeyned the communion of this most holie and diuine sacrament by meanes whereof man atteyneth to be partaker of God and to liue the life of God as our sauiour himselfe signifieth in those most high wordes which he said He that eateth my fleshe Ioan. 6. and drinketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in him And like as by the dwellinge of my father in me the life that I liue is altogether conformable to the life of my father which is the life of God euen so he in whom I shall dwell by meanes of this diuine sacrament shall liue as I do liue and so shall he not now liue the life of a man but euen the life of god For this is that most highe diuine sacrament wherein God
vpon thee For the one I will reioyce and be glad and for the other I will sorrowe and lament And so with ioye and lamentation together I will singe and bewaile the misterie of thy most dolorous passion and I will studie continuallie in that booke of Ezechiell the contentes whereof arâ— songes Ezechiel 2. and lamentations When our sauiour had spoken these wordes he departed from his disciples a stones cast where lyenge prostrat vpon the grounde he begane his praier with verie great reuerence sayinge O father if it be possible Matth 26. let this cuppe passe from me howbeit not as I will but as thou wilt Lucae 22. and after he had made this praier three times at the third time he was in such a great agonie that he beganne to sweat euen droppes of bloud which ranne downe all a longe his sacred bodie and trickeled downe to the grownd The causes of our Sauiours greâ— te agonie and sweâ—tinge droppes of bloud while he was prayinge in the garden Consider now attentiuelie in what a dolorous case our sauiour was and how there were then represented vnto him all the cruell paynes and tormentes he had to suffer euen as thowgh they had bene then presentlie in doinge before his eies all which he apprehended after a most perfet maner in his most excellent imagination eache one in such sort as they were prepared for his bodie which was certeinlie more tender and delicate then euer anie other bodie was in the whole worlde He set also at that time before his eies all the synnes of the worlde or which he should suffer and withall the greate vnthankfulnes and ingratitude of so manie soules as he knewe would neuer acknowledge this his singuler benefit nor further aid helpe themselues with this most pretious aid so costlie remedie These thinges being profoundelie wayed and considered by our sauiour at this time his soule was vexed in such sort and his senses and most tender fleshe were so wounderfullie troubled that all the forces and elementes of his bodie were distempered and his blessed fleshe opened on euerie side and gaue place to the bloude that it might passe and distille throwgh all partes of his bodie in verie great aboundance and streame downe to the grownde Now if the fleshe suffered suche greuous paynes with the onelie remembrance and imagination of that which as then was to come in what a dolefull case then trow ye was his soule that suffered those paynes euen directlie in it selfe In other men we see when they are disquieted with anie suddaine and great anguishe the bloude vseth commonlie to haue recourse vnto the hart leauinge the other members of the bodie colde and destitute of theire streÌ„gthe to comfort the most principall member Our Sauiour suffred his greauous paynes without anie maner of comforte But our sweete Sauiour Christ contrariewise because he would suffer without anie maner of comfort thereby to make our redemption more aboundant such was his passing loue towardes vs that he would not admit so much as that little releefe and comfort of nature Beholde our sweete sauiour now in this dolorous agonie and consider not onelie the paynefull anguishes and greifes of his soule but also the forme of his sacred and reuerent countenance The sweare is wont to haue his most cheefe and principall recourse to the forehead and to the face If then the bloud issued out through all the bodie of our Sauiour in such sorte that it trickeled downe to the verie earthe in what plight then was that goodlie cleare forehead thinke you that geueth light to the verie light it selfe And how was that face beraied which is so reuerenced of the heauens beinge as it was all in droppes and couered ouer with a blouddie sweat If such as be kinde and louinge are wont when they come to visit theire frendes being sicke and in danger of death to beholde theire countenance aduisedlie and to marke the colour and other accidentes that proceed of the disease tell me o my soule that beholdest the face of our sweete sauiour what thinkest thou when thou beholdest in the same such wonderfull strange and deadlie signes What painfull fittes and dolorous greifes are those like to be hereafter if in the verie beginninge of the disease he suffer such a great agonie In what dolorous panges is he like to be when he shall feele those most greuous paynes and cruell tormentes themselues if in the onelie thinkinge of them he sweateth euen droppes of bloude If thou be not moued to take compassion of our sweete sauiour seinge him in this dolefull case for thy sake If now when he sweateth droppes of bloud throughout all his bodie thou canst not sheede anie teares from thyne eies thinke verelie with thy selfe that thou hast a verie harde and stonie hart and if thou canst not weepe for want of loue towardes him yet at the least weepe for the multitude of thy sinnes forsomuch as they were the verie cause of this his agonie Our synnes were the verie cause of our Sauiours blouddye sweare and greife Now the tormentors doe not whippe him neither doe the souldiars crowne him with thornes It is not now the nailes nor the thornes that do cause the bloud to gushe out of his bodie at this time but it is thy verie synnes and offences those are the tormentors that doe torment him those are the heauie burden that cause him to sweat this so straÌ„ge and wonderfull blouddye sweat O my sweete sauiour and redeemer how redemption O my true Adam that art comme our of paradice for my synnes and labourest here in earth with thy blouddie sweat Of our Sauiours agonie and watchinge aboute our saluation whilest his disciples be in a heauie sleepe to get the bread that I must feede vpon Consider also in this place on the one side the great agonie and watchinge of our Sauiour Christ and on the other the sownde and deepe sleepinge of his disciples and thou shalt see here represented a great misterie For trulie there is nothinge more to be lamented in the worlde then to see how careles and negligent men be in there liues and how little accompt they make of a matter of so great importance as is theire owne saluation What thinge is more to be bewayled then to see men so careles in such waightie afaires Now if thou wilt vnderstand both the one and the other consider in this matter the doinges of our sauiour and withall the doinges of his disciples See how our sauiour applieng his minde earnestlie to this busines of our redemption is in such a great care and agonie therewith that it maketh him to sweate euen droppes of bloude and see on the other side how his disciples do lie a longe on the grownd and are so heauie a sleepe that neither theire maisters rebukynge of them nor theire ill fauoured aÌ„d harde lodginge on the bare grouÌ„de nor yet the obscure and darcke dewie night are able to
tounge how is it that thou arte become domme What harte is not broken What hardnes is not mollified What eies can absteine from teares and lamentation beholdinge such a pittiefull and dolefull sight as this is O my most sweere sauiour and redeemer when I open myne eies and doe beholde this dolorous Image which is here set before me how is it that my harte doth not euen cleaue and rente in sunder for verie anguishe and griefe I see the most tender head of my Lorde and sauiour pearced with crewell thornes at whose presence the powers of heauen do tremble and quake I see his diuine face spitted vpon and buffeted I see the lighte of his goodlie brighte forehead obscured I see his cleare eies dimmed or rather blinded with showers of bloude I see the streames of bloude tricklinge downe from his head which faulle ouer ouer his eies and stayne the bewtie of his diuine face How happeneth it o Lord that the cruell whippinges thou diddest suffer before and the death that ensueth and the great quantitie of bloude that was so cruellie shed did not suffice but that the sharpe thornes also shoulde now perforce let out the bloude of thy head which the whippes and scourges before had pardoned If thou diddest receaue those reproches and buffettes to make satisfaction by them for such blowes and buffettes as I through my sinnes haue laid vpoÌ„ thee haddest thou not receaued enowghe of them all the nighte before If thy death alone was sufficiente to redeeme vs what neded so manie kindes of most shamefull villanies and reproches To what ende were all these newe inuentions and strange deuises of contemptes and mockeries Who hath euer harde or red of such a kinde of crowne or of such maner of tormentes Out of what harte came this newe inuention into the worlde that one punnishement shoulde serue in such wise as both to tormente a man and withall to dishonor him Were not those cruell tormentes sufficiente that had bene vsed in all former ages but that they must also inuent these newe and strange punnishementes at the time of thy most bitter passion I see well ô Lorde that these so manifolde iniuries were not necessarie for my redemption for euen one onelye droppe of thy most pretious bloude was sufficient for the same The causes why out sauiour woulde suffer so manyfolde paynes and iniuries for our redemption howbeit it was verie conueniente that they shoulde be so manie and so greate that thou mightest thereby declare vnto me the greatnes of thy loue and by meanes of them lincke me vnto thee with chaynes and fetters of perpetuall bonde and dewtie and confounde the gaye braueries and fonde showes of my pride and vanities and teache me thereby to despise the pompe and glorie of the worlde Wherefore ô my soule that thou maist conceaue and haue somme feelinge of this so dolefull passage set first before thyne eies the former shape of this Lorde and withall the excellencie of his vertues and then incontinentlie tourne thy selfe and beholde him in such pitiefull forte as he is here represented vnto vs. Consider therefore the greatnes of his former beawtie the modestie of his eies the sweetenes of his wordes his awthoritie his meeknes his mylde behauiour and that goodlie countenance of his so full of grauitie and reuerence Beholde how humble he was towardes his disciples how faire spoken towardes his ennemies How stowte towardes the prowde How sweete towardes the meike and how mercifull towardes all sortes of persons Consider how mylde he hath alwaies bene in sufferinge how wise in answeringe how pittiefull in his iudgemeÌ„tes how mercifull in receauinge sinners and how free and bountiefull in perdoninge theire offences When thou hast thus beholden our Sauiour and delighted thy selfe with beholdinge such a perfect forme tourne thyne eies and beholde him in this pitiefull plighte wherein he is here set out to the worlde clad in most scornefull wise with an olde purple garmente holdinge a reede in his hande in steede of a royall scepter Beholde that horrible and paynefull diademe of thorne on his head those hollowe and wanne eies and that dead countenance Beholde that strange forme of his wholie disfigured and begored with bloude and defyled with the spittle which they had besmered all ouer his face Beholde him in all partes both inwardelie and outwardelie his harte pearced with sorrowes his bodie full of woundes forsaken of his owne disciples persecuted of the Iewes scorned of the souldiers contemned of the Busshoppes baselie reiected of the wicked kinge accused vniustely and vtterlie destitute of the fauour of all men And thinke vpon this not as a thinge past but as a thinge presente not as thowghe it were an other mans payne but as thowghe it were thyne owne Imagine thy selfe to be in the place of him that suffereth and thinke with thy selfe what a terrible paine it woulde be vnto thee if in so sensible and tender a parte as the head is they shoulde fasten a noÌ„ber of thornes yea and those verie sharpe which shoulde pearce euen to the sculle But what speake I of thornes If it were but one onelie pricke of a pynne thou couldest hardlie abyde the paine of it And therefore thou maist well thinke what a sore greuous paine that most tender and delicate head of our sauiour felte at that time with this strange kinde of tormente Wherefore o brightnes of the glorie of the father who hath thus cruelly delte with thee O vnspotted glasse of the maiestie of almightie God who hath thus wholie bespotted thee O Riuer that flowest out of the paradice of delightes and with thy streames reioycest the Citie of God who hath troubled these so cleare and sweete waters It is my sinnes o Lorde that haue so troubled them Our synnes were the onelie cause of all our sauiours paynes and my iniquities haue made them so muddie Alas poore wretche and miserable caityffe that I am Woo is me how haue my sinnes bespotted myne owne soule seinge the sinnes of others haue here so fowlye bespotted and troubled the verie cleare fountaine of all bewtie My sinnes ô Lorde are the thornes that pricke thee my folies are the purple that scorne thee my hipochresie aÌ„d fayned holines are the ceremonies wherewith they despise thee my gaie garmentes and vanities are the crowne wherewith they crowne thee So that I ô Lorde am thy tormentor and I am the verie cause of thy paines and greiffes 2. Paâ—â—l 29. The kinge Ezechias purified the temple that had bene prophaned by wicked persons and commaunded that all the filthe that was therein shoulde be cast into the riuer of Cedron I O Lorde am this liuely temple that is prophaned by the diuells and defyled with infinite sinnes and thou art the cleare riuer of Cedron that doest with thy ronninge streames susteine all the bewtie of heauen In this riuer o Lorde are all my sinnes drowned In this riuer are my iniquities washed awaie in somuch
as by the merite of that vnspekeable charitie and humilitie with which thou hast humbled thy selfe to take vpon thee all my sinnes thou hast not onelie deliuered me from them but also made me partaker of thy graces and treasures For in takinge vpon thee my deathe thou hast geuen me thy life in takinge vpon thee my fleshe thou hast geuen me thy spirite and in takinge vpon thee my sinnes thou hast geuen me thy grace So that ô my mercifull redeemer all thy paines Our sauiours paynes are our treasures and riches are my treasures and riches thy purple clotheth me thy crowne honoreth me thy strookes bewtifie me thy sorowes comforte me thy angwishes susteine me thy woundes heale me thy bloude enricheth me and thy loue makethe me dronke And what wonder is it if thy loue make me dronke seinge the loue thou barest towardes me was able to make thee also dronken and to leaue thee like an other Noe to appeare dishonored and naked Geness to the open sighte of the worlde The purple of bourninge loue causeth thee to susteyne the purple of shame and reproche the earnest zeale thou hast of my profit and furtherance causeth thee to be contente to holde this reede in thy hande And the compassion thou hast of my losse and damnation moueth thee to beare this dolorous crowne of ignominie vpon thy head OF THOSE WORDES OF THE GOSPELL ECCE HOMO Beholde the man Opprobrium hominum et abiectio plebis psalm 21.7 J◠〈◊〉 presturam habâ—bitis sed 〈◊〉 ego 〈…〉 Johan â—6 33 § II. VHEN they had thus crowned and scorned our Sauiour the Iudge tooke him by the hande in such euill plight as he was and leadinge him out to the sighte of the furious people said these wordes vnto them ECCE HOMO Beholde the man Whiche is as much as if he had saied If for enuie yee seeke his deathe beholde him here in what a pitiefull and dolefull case he is A man vndowtedlye not to be enuied but to be pittied If you were afrayed least he shoulde haue become a kinge beholde him here so wholie disfigured that scarcelye he seemeth to be a man Of these handes so faste and stronglie bounde what cause is there why ye shoulde feare Of a man in this wise so sore whipped and scourged what woulde ye require more By this maist thou vnderstande ô my soule in what a lamentable case our Sauiour was at his goinge out of the iudgement haulle seinge that euen the Iudge himselfe verelie belieued that the pittiefull case in which he was mighte haue suffised to mollifie and breake the vnmercifull cruell hartes of his ennemies Whereby thou maist well perceaue what a dangerous and vnseemelie thinge it is for a Christian not to haue compassion of the most grieuous and bitter paines and sorowes of our sauiour who so loueth Christ taketh greefe and compassioÌ„ of his bitter paynes and sorowes seinge they were so great that they were able as the Iudge was perswaded to mollifie those most sauage and cruell stonye hartes of the Iewes Where loue is there is also sorrowe How can he then saie that he loueth our Sauiour Christe that beholdinge him tormeÌ„ted in this most pittiefull and dolefull plighte hath no coÌ„passion of him And if it be so wicked a thinge not to haue compassion of our Sauiour Christ what a heynous matter is it to encrease his paines and martirdomes and to adde thereunto sorowe vpon sorowe Suerlie there coulde not be anie greater crueltie in all the worlde than after that the Iudge had shewed our sauiour Christ vnto them so pittiefullye berayed for his ennemies to answere with such cruell wordes Crucifige Crucifige Crucifie him Crucifie him Now if this was so great a crueltie in the Iewes what a crueltie is that in a Christian who in his deedes and workes saieth euen as much as the Iewes did althowgh he expresse it not in wordes Heb. 6. The wycked Christians doe as it were crucifie Christ againe by theire euill and synnefull workes For dothe not S. Pawle saie That he that sinneth crucifieth the sonne of God againe Forsomuch as towchinge his parte he doth a thinge whereby he woulde binde him to dye againe if his former death had not bene sufficient How is it then ô Christian that thou hast thy harte and handes readie bent to crucifie our Lorde and redeemer so often tymes in this wise with thy sinnes Thou owghtest to consider that like as the Iudge presented that so pittiefull forme to the Iewes supposinge there was none other more effectuall meane to withdrawe them from theire furie than that dolefull sight euen so the heauenlye father presenteth that same dolefull sighte daily vnto all sinners meaninge thereby that in verie dede there is none other more effectuall meane to withdrawe them from sinne than to set before them this so pittiefull a forme Make acompte therefore that euen now the heauenlie father laieth also the same pittiefull forme of his most deere and onelie begotten sonne before thy face and that he saieth vnto thee ECCE HOMO Beholde the man As thowghe he shoulde saie Beholde this man in what a dolorous case he standeth and remember withall that he is God almightie and that he standeth in this most dolefull and lamentable plighte as here thou seest him not for anie other cause but for the verie sinnes of the worlde See into what plighte God is browght by the sinnes of man Consider how necessarie it was to satisfie for sinne And consider also How abhominable a thinge synne is in the sighte of God how abhominable and horrible a thinge sinne is in the sight of almightie God seinge it so disfigured his owne onelie sonne to destroye it Consider moreouer what a sore reuenge almightie God will take of a sinner for such sinnes as he himselfe committeth sithe he hath so sharpelie punnished his owne most dearlie beloued and innocent sonne for the sinnes of others Last of all consider the rigour of the iustice of almightie God and the fowle stayninge malice of sinne which appeareth so dreadfullie euen in the verie face of Christ the sonne of God Now what thinge coulde possiblie be done of greater efficacie both to cause men to feare God and also to abhorre synne It seemeth hereby that almightie God hath showed him selfe towardes man as a good louinge mother is wont to doe towardes her wicked dawghter that seeketh lewde meanes to plaie the harlot For when neither wordes nor punnishement be able to diswade her from her wicked diuelish purpose she tourneth her rage against her owne selfe she beateth her owne face and teareth her heare and when she is thus disfigured she setteth her self before her dawghter that thereby she maie vnderstande the greatnes of her offence and that at the least for verie pittie and compassion of her mother she maie be moued to leaue her wicked purpose Now it seemeth that almightie God hath vsed the verie same remedie here
sentence That there is nothinge more certaine than deathe nor nothinge more vncertain than the houre of deathe And therefore a certaine philosopher compared the liues of men to the belles or bubbles that are made in water pittes when it raineth of the which some doe vanishe awaie sodenlie euen at their verie risinge others doe endure a litle longer and out of hande are decaied others also doe continewe somewhat more and others lesse So that although they doe all endure but onely some litle time yet in that littell there is great varietie Wherefore if the ende of our lyfe be so vncertaine If it be so vncertein also when the dreadfull houre of our accompt shall come why doe we liue with such loosenes and negligence Why doe we not consider those wordes of our Sauiour where he sayeth vnto vs Matth. 24. watche because ye knowe not when the sonne of man shall come Marc. 13. O that men woulde waighe the force of this reason Luc. 12. Because ye knowe not the howre sayeth our Sauiour watche ye and be alwaies in a readines As if he had sayed in expresse wordes because ye knowe not the howre watche euerie howre because ye knowe not the moneth watche euerie moneth and because yee knowe not the yeare be still in a readines euerie yeare For although ye knowe not certainly what yeare he will call you yet most certaine it is that a yeare shall come in which vndowtedlie he will call you But that the force of this reason maie the better be perceaued let vs put an example Tell me if there were set before thee vpon a table thirtie or fourtie seuerall disshes of meat and thou haddest a certaine warninge geuen thee by some of thy friendes that in one of them there were poison durst thou geue the aduenture to eate of anie one of them althoughe thou were verie muche a hungered Vndowtedlie thou wouldest not doe it For the verie feare thou wouldest haue least thou mightest peraduenture light vpon that dishe that were poysoned woulde make thee to abstaine from all the rest Now let vs examin how manie yeares at the vttermost thou mayst hope yet to liue Thou wilt saie peraduenture after thou hast well considered the matter that thou mayest liue thirtie or fourtie yeares Well then if it be certaine that in one of these yeares thou art assured to die and thou knowest west not in which of them why art thou not then affraide in euerie one of them seinge thou art well assured that in one of them thy lyfe shal be taken from thee Thou wouldest not be so hardie as to put thy hande into anie one of the foresaied fourtie disshes although thou were in a verie sore honger because thou knowest that in one of them there is death present And wilt thou not also be affraide of euerie one of these fourtie yeares seinge thou art so well assured that thou shalt die in one of these yeares What answere canst thou make to this reason Harken yet to an other reason which is of no lesse efficacie than the other Tell me why doe men keepe a continuall watche in a Castell that standeth in the frontiers vpon the enemies Is it for anie other cause but onely for that they knowe not when the enemies will come to assaulte it Assuredlie for none other So that because they knowe not certainly at what time the enemie will come therefore doe they continuallie watche it at all tymes For if they knewe certainlie the time of their comminge they might be careles in the meane while and reserue the diligēce of their watche vntill that verie time Now I require thee hartely for the loue of God to be an indifferent Iudge towchinge that which I shall saye vnto thee Let vs consider well this poynte If thou watche thy Castle euerie nighte because thou art vncertain when thy enemie will come whether to daie or to morrowe this yeare or the next why doest thou not then kepe a continuall watche ouer thy soule seinge thou knowest not what howre death shall come to geue the assault vpon thee The verie same vncertaintie that is in the Castle is in thy soule also yea this vncertaintie is farre more and the matter is without all comparison of greater importance Now what iudgement haue they that are alwayes so vigilant in watchinge their castle and so careles alwayes abowt their soules so careles I saie as to sleepe alwaies without euer thinkinge vpon them What thinge can be more against reason Cōsider that thy soule is of greater valewe than all the castels and kingdoms in the worlde Yea if thou consider the price wherewith it was bought thou mayest well iudge that it is of more valewe than all the angels in heauen Cōsider also that thou hast greater enemies that doe endeuour cōtinuallie both daie and night to assault it Consider that thou canst by no meanes vnderstand the daye or the houre of assault Consider that the whole substance of the saluation or damnation of thy soule consisteth in this point whether thou be taken prouided or vnprouided at that dreadefull howre Forsomuch as accordinge to the parable of the Gospell the virgins which were founde readie and prepared entered into the mariage with the bridegrome Math. 25. and such as were founde vnprouided taried without To conclude therefore what cause is there why thou shouldest not alwaies watche as well ouer thy soule as ouer thy castell seinge the vncertaintie is greater the daunger greater the cause greater and all the rest without anie comparison farre greater and of more importance Of the frailtie of our lyfe § IIII. HOWBEIT our lyfe is not onely vncertaine but also verie fraile and brickle For I praie thee what glasse is so brickle and so subiecte to knockes and breakinge as the lyfe of man Some times the verie aier and heat of the sonne if it be vehement is able to spoyle vs of our lyfe But what speake I of the sonne seinge the verie eies yea the onely lookinge of some persone is able sometimes to bereaue a creature of his lyfe It shall not neede to drawe anie sworde or to vse anie kinde of armour or munition for the matter seinge the onely looke of some one man is able to bereeue an other of his lyfe Consider now what a sure castell this is wherein the treasure of our lyfe is kept seinge the onelie beholdinge of it a farre of is able to batter it cleane downe to the grownde But this were not so much to be wondered at in the age of infancie when the buildinge is as yet but newe and griene but the greater wonder is that after that the worke is setled and hath continued manie yeares together there happeneth some accident of no greater importāce than these beforenamed that is able vtterlie to ouerthrowe it If thou enquire and aske whereof dyed this man or whereof died that man they will answere thee that he died by drinkinge a cuppe of
colde drinke in a sweat or by surfetinge at a supper or of some other great pleasure or greife and some times they can geue no cause at all but that he went to his bed saffe and sounde and the next daie in the morninge was founde starke dead at his wiues syde Is there any glasse or earthen vessell in the worlde more brickle or subiecte to breakynge than this And certainle it is not to be wondered at that man is so brickle consideringe that he is also made of earth but it is rather to be wondered at that beinge of such stuffe and makinge as he is he is able to endure so longe a time as he doth Why is a clocke so often times disordered and out of frame The reason is because it hath so manie wheeles and pointes and is so full of artificiall worke that although it be made of yron yet euerie litle thinge is able to distemper it Now how much more tender is the artificiall composition of our bodies and how much more fraile is the matter of our fleashe than is the yron whereof a clocke is made Wherefore if the artificiall composition of our bodies be more tender and the matter more fraile why shoulde we wonder if some one pointe emonge so manie wheeles haue some impediment by reason of which defect it stoppeth and endeth the course of our lyfe Trewlye we haue rather good cause to meruayle not why men doe so quickly ende their liues but how they endure so longe the woorckmanshippe of their bodies beinge so tender and the matter and stuffe whereof they be compounded so fraile and weake This is that miserable frailtie which the Prophet Esaie signifieth in these wordes Almightie God saied vnto his Prophet Crie Esay 40. the Prophet answered what shall I saie God saied vnto him All fleash is haie and all the glorie thereof is like vnto the flower of the feild the haie wythereth the floure fadeth awaye but the worde of God continueth for euer S. Ambrose Vpon whiche wordes S. Ambrose saieth thus Trulie it is euen so for the glorie of man florisheth in the fleashe like vnto haie which althoughe it seeme to be great it is in verie deede but litle like an hearbe it buddeth like a floure and fadeth like haie So that it hath no more but a certain florishinge in apparance and no firmenes nor stabilitie in the fruite For what firmenes can there be in the matter of fleashe or what good thinges of anie longe continuance are to be founde in so weake a subiect To daye thou mayest see a yonge striplinge in the most florishinge time of his age with great strēgth lustie and iettinge vp and downe in the streetes in great brauerie with a iolye loftie countenance and if it so fall out that this verie next night he be taken with some disease thou shalt see him the next daie with a face so farre altered and chaunged that whereas before he seemed verie amiable and beautifull he will now seeme euill fauored miserable and verie irck some to beholde Now what shall I saie of the other accidentes and alterations of our bodies Some are sore broken with troubles and aduersities others are weakened with pouertie others are tormented for want of good digestion others are distempered with drinkinge of wines others waxe feeble with age others become tender and ouer delicate by much cherishinge them selues and others marre their complexion with vsinge ryotous behauiour Now then accordinge to this reckeninge is it not true trow ye that our fleash withereth like haie and that the floure thereof fadeth and vanisheth awaie Thow shalt see some other who beinge descended of a verie honorable parentage what greate alteratiō and inconstancie is in this worlde of noble bloode and of a verie auncient howse and familie wel friended and hauinge good store of kinred both by father and mother and keepinge a great howse and attended vpon with a great trayne of his tennantes and seruantes and rulynge the whole countrey where he liueth and who there but he yet neuerthelesse if a contrarie winde of fortune blowe but a litle against him then is he forthwith vtterlie forsaken of his friendes euill entreated of his equales and litle regarded of all the worlde insomuch as then verie fewe or none will put of a cappe vnto him but rather comtemne him Thou shalt see an other that hath now abundance of landes and riches and is generallie reported in all mēs mowthes to be a very courteous liberall and bountifull man and of great renowme and estimation exalted to honorable dignities and promotions and preferred so highe in the common wealth that he is a great ruler and mightie gouernour and hath the commendation of all persones to be a verie wise happie and fortunat man thou shalt see I saie the times so to alter and chaunge that euen this man who is now so highelie exalted to great dignities and offices and magnified in the mowthes of all men shal be vtterlie disgraced and thrust into that verie prison where he himselfe had heretofore imprisoned manie others and shall there ende his lyfe in verie great infamie miserie and wretchednes Vnto how manie also doth it happen to be wayted vpon and brought home to their howses this daie with a nomber of goldē chaynes footeclothes and seruinge men and with all the gaye pompe in the worlde and the verie nexte night followynge either by means of treason of some one of his owne howsholde or familiar acquaintance or by other misfortune to haue all this glorious pompe obscured yea it maie so falle out that euen a litle stitche comminge in his syde maye marre the fashion of all this gaie ruffelinge shewe wherein he tooke so great delighte O how deceitfull are the hopes of men saieth Tully how fraile is fortune how vaine are all our contentiōs and strifes which manie times doe breake and falle in the middle waie and are ouerwhelmed and drowned in saylinge before they can come to the sight of the hauē Now what a fonde madnes is this in the children of Adā vpō so weake foundations to buylde such highe castles and towers They consider not that they buylde vpon sande and that euen when the weather is most fayre a wynde will come and blowe downe all that standeth not vpon a sownde and stronge foundation O what fonde accomptes doe men make often times because they will not tourne their eies and looke into their owne consciences and take first an accompt of them selues And if this be thought so great a blindnes how much greater is the blindnes of those wicked persones that are so bolde as to continewe manie yeares in synne knoweynge that there is no greater distance betwene them and hell gates There is no more distaunce betwene vnrepentāt synners ād hell fier but onelye this brickle and shorte lyfe but onely this brickle and short lyfe Let vs imagine now that there were a man hanginge by a smale twyned threede
now first how vncertain that houre is Of the vncertaintie of the houer of our deathe in which death will assault thee For thou knowest not neither what daie nor in what place nor how thou shalt be disposed when death shall come vnto thee Onely this thou knowest for most certain that die thou shalt all the rest is vncertain sauinge that ordinarily this houre is wonte to steale vpon vs at such a time as a man is most careles and thinketh least of it Secondlye consider what a separation shall then be made Of the separation from all worldlie thinges and of the partinge of the sowle from the bodye at the hower of our deathe not onely betwene vs and all the thinges we loue in this worlde but also euen betwene the sowle and the bodie which haue bene such auncient and louinge companions If it be thought so grieuous a matter to be banished out of our natiue countrie and from the naturall aier in which a mā hath bene bredde and brought vp although the banished man myghte carie awaye with him what soeuer he loueth how much more grieuous then shall that vniuersall bannishement be from all thinges that we haue from our landes from our goodes from our howse from wife father mother children kinsfolke friendes and acquaintance from this light and common aier yea to be short from all thinges of this worlde If an oxe make so great a bellowinge at what time he is seperated from an other oxe with whom he hath bene vsed to be yoked and to drawe in the ploughe what a bellowinge will thy hart then make when death shall seperate thee from all those thinges wherewith thou hast bene yoked and carried the burthens of this lyfe Consider also what a grieuous paine it shal then be to a man Of the payne that is at the houre of our deathe to consider what shall then become of our bodie and sowle when a certayne representation shal be made vnto his mynde foreshewinge in what case his bodie and sowle shal be after his death For as towchinge the bodie he knoweth for certaine alreadie that though it hath bene heretofore neuersomuch cherished and honored yet there shall no better prouision be made for it but onelie a hoole seuen foote longe where it shall remayne in companie of other dead bodies But as concerninge the sowle he knoweth not certainlie what shall becomme of it what considerations maye moue vs at the houer of death both to hope and feare nor what lotte shall fall vnto it For although the hope which he hath in the mercie of almightie God maie strengthen and comforte him yet the consideration of his owne sinnes maie dismaie him and make him afraied especiallie if he consider withall the greate iustice of almightie God and the profoundnes of his iudgementes who vseth oftentimes to crosse his handes and to alter the lottes of men Luc. 23. The theiffe went vp from the crosse to paradise Math. 27. and Iudas fell downe from the honorable dignitie of Apostelshippe into hell fier Manasses also after his so manie abhominations 2. Paral. 33. and wickednes obteined grace to become repentant And as yet we knowe not whether Salomon obteined the like for all his vertues This is one of the greatest grieffes and angwishes that men are commonlie trowbled withall at the houre of death to vnderstande that there is to ensue glorie euerlastinge and paine euerlastinge and that then a man is so neare both vnto the one and to the other and yet knoweth not whether of these two lottes beinge so farre different as they are shall fall vnto his share Of the particular accounte we must make to almightie God at the houer of our deathe of all our whole lyfe Arsenius After this angwishe there followeth an other no lesse then this to witt the particular accompte of all our whole lyfe which at the verie hower of euerie mans deathe must be made vnto almightie God This accompt is so dreadfull that it causeth euen the most stowtest men that are to tremble and qwake for verie feare It is written of the famous holie father Arsenius that beinge at the point of death he beganne to be afraied whereat his schollers meruayled and saied vnto him What father are you now afraid of your accompt Vnto whom he answered yea yea my sonnes this feare is no newe thinge in me for I haue alwaies liued with the same At that time all the synnes of a mans former lyfe are represented vnto him lyke a squadrone of enemies readie sette in battayle arrye to assaulte him Then are the greatest sinnes and those wherein he hath taken greatest delight represented most liuely vnto him and are the cause of greater feare Then commeth the yonge virgine to his minde which he hath dishonored Then come the maides and howsholde seruantes whom he hath solicited and prouoked to lewdnes Then come the poore folkes whom he hath iniuried and euill entreated Then come his neighboures whom he hath offended Then shall there crie out against him not the bloode of Abell Genes 4. but the pretious blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ which he shedde when he gaue scandale and offence to his neighbour And if his cause must be adiudged accordinge to the lawe that saieth Eie for eie Exod. 21. tooth for tooth and wounde for wounde what shall he looke for that by his euill counsell or lewde example hath bene the occasion of the losse of a Christian sowle if he be iudged by that lawe O how bitter shall the remembrance of the delightes and pleasures past be at that time vnto him which at other times seemed so sweete Vndowtedly the Wiseman had verie good cause to saie Prouerb 23. Looke not vpon the wine when it is redde and when it shewethe his coullour in the glasse for although at the time of drinkinge it seeme delectable yet at the ende it will byte like a serpent and poison like a cockatrice O that men woulde vnderstande how true a sayinge this is that we haue here rehearsed What serpentes stinge is there that doth so prycke and and vexe a man as the dreadfull remembrance of his pleasures past shall doe at the howre of his death These are the dregges of that poisoned cuppe of the enemye Ierem. 51. These be the leauinges of the cuppe of Babilon Apoc. 14. that seemeth so gaylie gilted in outwarde apparance After this there followeth the Sacrament of Confession the blessed Sacrament of the Aultar and last of all the Sacrament of extreme Vnction How the Catholicke Churche cōforteth ād helpeth the sycke person with Sacramētes and prayers at his departure our of this worlde which is the last succour and releefe that our mother the Catholike Churche maie helpe vs withall in that troublesome time And as well herein as in the other thinges thou hast to consider what great greiffe and anguishe of mynde the sycke person shall then abide in
them all and make an euerlastinge diuision The deeper rootes the toothe hath in the iawe the greater greife it causeth at what tyme it is plucked out Now the harte of a wicked man beinge so fast rooted in the loue of the thinges of this lyfe The more we be in loue with worldelie thinges the more griefe it wil be vnto vs to departe from them at the hower of our deathe S. Augustine it cannot be but that it must needes be a very great greife vnto him when he seeth the howre is now come wherein he must depart from thē all At that time those thinges whereunto he beareth most affection shall wounde his hart most greiuously and that thinge which was wont to be a comfort vnto him in his trouble shal be then a most cruell torment in vexinge him S. Augustine declareth that at what time he determined to seperat him selfe from the worlde and from all the pleasures and delightes thereof it seemed vnto him that they all represented themselues liuely vnto him and saied What wilt thou leaue vs for euer and wilt thou neuer haue any more to doe with vs Consider now then with thy selfe what a greife it wil be to a carnall harte when those thinges that he hath most loued doe represent themselues at that hower vnto him ād when he seeth that he shal be spoyled of them all in such wise that he shal be enforced to saie Now shall this worlde haue no more to doe with me neither this aier nor this sonne nor this element Now shall I haue no longer conuersation and comfort of my children my wife my howse my landes my goodes my pleasures and delightes Of all thinges I am now left naked and bare Now will death spoile me of them all Now is my olde age at an ende now is the nomber of my daies fulfilled now shall I die vnto all maner of thinges and they all vnto me Wherefore ô thou worlde I bid thee farrewell yee my landes my goodes and riches I bid you farewell my friendes my acquintance my kinsfolke my deare wife and my louinge children I bid you all farewell For now shall we neuer see one an other anie more in this mortall fleash There is yet an other separation after this more terrible and dreadfull then this is to witt betwene the sowle and the bodie which haue kept cōpanie so longe time together and haue bene such hartie friendes The deuill had spoyled the holie man Iob of all maner of thinges sauinge onely of his lyfe and it seemed vnto him that in comparison of the spoile thereof all the rest were of none accompt and therefore he saied Skinne for skinne and all that a man hath he will geue for his lyfe This is the thinge that naturally is most loued Iob. 2.4 and the separation whereof causeth most greife If the seperation of one waifaringe man from an other when they haue trauayled in iourney together anie time doe cause such greife and solitarines what a griefe shall it be when two such entier friendes and companions as the sowle and the bodie haue bene are seperated the one from the other which haue traueyled together from their mothers wombe vntill that verie houre and haue had so manie knottes and bondes of friendshippe betwene them What a greife will it be when the spirite shall saie vnto the fleash I must now remaine all alone without thee And the fleash shall likewise make answere vnto the spirite sayeinge and in what case then shall I be without thee seinge all the beinge I haue I haue receiued of thee Of the horror and lothsomenes of our Graue § II. AFTER this it commeth naturally to a mans minde to thinke what shall become of his bodie when his sowle is departed out of it And in thinkinge hereupon he seeth that the best happe his bodie maie haue can be no better than to be laide in a little graue of earthe The basenes of which conditiō maketh him to be as it were astonnied For cōsideringe on the one side what great estimation he hath made of his bodie in tymes past and seinge on the other side what a base and vyle place that is wherein it must now be laide he cannot but wonder excedinglie at it He considereth and waygheth with himselfe that the lodginge which they will prepare for him in the earth shal be strait and narrowe that it shal be also obscure stinkinge full of wormes maggottes bones and dead mens skulles and withall so horrible that it shal be verie ircksome to thē that be aliue onely to looke vpon it And when he seeth that his bodie which he was wont to make so much of his bellie which he esteimed for his God his mowth for whose delightes the lande and sea coulde scarselie serue and his fleash for which golde and silke was wont to be wouen with great curiositie and a soft bed prepared to laie it in must now be laide in such a filthie and miserable donghill where it shal be troden vpon and eaten with fowle wormes and maggottes and within fewe daies be of as owglie a forme as a dead Carrion that lyeth in the feildes insomuch that the waiefaringe man will stoppe his nose and ronne awaie in great hast to auoid the stinkinge sauour of it when I saie he considereth all this and seeth that in steede of his soft bed he must lie there vpon the harde grownde ād in steede of his pretious and gorgious apparell he must haue there but onely a seely poore windinge sheite and in steede of his sweete odoriferous parfumes and muskes filthie rottonnes and horrible stenches and in steede of his multitude of delicate dishes and waitinge seruinge men he must haue there such an infinite nomber of crawling wormes and fylthie maggottes feedinge vpon him he cannot chuse if he haue anie sense or Iudgment remaininge in him but merueill to see vnto how base a condition such a noble creature is now come and to consider with whom he must now keepe companie there euē fellowe and fellowe like who in his life tyme had no fellowe nor equal It is not the part of wise men to wonder at thinges and the customable seinge of thinges euerie daie taketh awaye from them be they neuer so greate all admiration and wounder And yet all this notwithstandinge the great Wiseman wondered at this miserie though it be a matter whereof we haue dailie experience when he saide If man and beast doe die both after one sort Eccles 2.3 what auaileth me that I haue trauailed so much in seekinge for wisedome If it were so that the bodie in this separation shoulde ende in some thinge that were of anie price or proffit it woulde be some kinde of comfort vnto vs. But this is a thinge to be wondered at that so excellent a creature shall ende in the most dishonorable and lothsome thinge in the worlde This is that great miserie whereat the holie man Iob wondered and
they went to finde the partye they sought for how amased and ashamed were they when they sawe how fowlie they were deceiued Now what thinge in the worlde coulde make a more liuely resemblance of the proces and deceites of our lyfe We all doe walke here in this worlde by the waie of our appetites and desires Some seeke after golde others to purchace lādes others to make great buildinges others seeke for pleasures and delightes others for offices and dignities and each one is fullie perswaded that he taketh the best and wisest waie to obtein the thinge he disiereth But when the terrible presence of death and the daunger of our accompt discouereth the vanitie of our hopes then findinge our selues to be in arrerages for our accompt we shall clearlie perceiue how fowlie we haue bene deceiued and we shall see that by followinge that waie whereby we thought to haue founde quietnes and rest we finde our perdition O what miserable men are we How blindly doe we now wander vp and downe in the worlde What eies shall we then haue How shall our iudgement be then altered How farre different shall it be from that it was before Then shall we playnelie see how all the thinges of this worlde are miserable her goodes false her waies crooked her hopes vaine her promises lyinge her pleasures bitter her glorie shorte and vaine Then shall we perceiue though to late how her riches were thornes and her delightes poyson To be short then shall we see how our eies haue bene closed vp and that we neuer knewe whither we went and at the ende of our iourney we shall finde our selues in the streites of Samaria and in the snare of the iudgement of almightie God and compassed about with all our enemies to witt the diuells and our sinnes O how shall the wicked be confounded at that howre and how fowly shall they see them selues beguiled How truelie maye euerie one of them saie at that tyme O miserable wretch that I am what other commoditie haue I now by all my pleasures past but onely that I haue prouoked at this dreadfull howre the indignation of the iudge against me who must geue sentence vpon me Now my pleasures are all ended and gone and there remaineth of them neither relique nor memorie to comfort me withall no more than if they neuer had bene yea contrariewise they remaine as thornes that lye prickinge all about my harte they make my cause doutfull they torment my wofull sowle now presently and peraduenture shall torment it euerlastinglie for euer and euer This is the fruit that I haue gathered of my dissolute and wanton lyfe and of all my carnall delightes This is the settinge of my teeth on edge that my gluttonies past doe cause me now to haue My pleasures and delightes haue now forsaken me They are quite gone awaie and will neuer retourne againe yea perhapps in steede of pleasures that cōtinued but a momente there are prepared for me euerlastinge horrible tormentes in hell fier Now what blindnes can be greater than this How much better had it bene for me neuer to haue bene borne than to haue offended him of whose helpe and fauour I haue at this presente so great neide How much better had it bene for me that the earth had opened and swalowed me vp before I had once thought to offend him O vnfortunat daie O cursed howre wherein I offended thee ô Lorde Why did I not consider beforehande of this dreadfull howre Why was I not sooner mindfull of this terrible iudgement How were mine eies blynded with so smalle a glimse Is this the waie that I tooke to be so certayne and sure Is this the ende that all the honours of the worlde come vnto What are all those thinges which I haue so greatlie estiemeed heretofore of so litle accompte at this presente Of the terrour of the deadfull accompt we must make at the howere of our death vnto almightie God of all our lyfe past § V. AFTER this griefe there followeth also an other as great as this which is the feare of the accompt that shall then be required of vs. This is one of the greatest troubles and greifes we shall haue at that time For besides this that it is so terrible a matter to enter into iudgemēt with almightie God the very deuils also and fyendes of hell will increase this feare at that howre which before they were wont to extenuate and diminishe vnto vs with the hope and coulour of gods mercie Then will they put vs in minde of the greatnes and profoundenes of the iudgemēntes of almightie God and of his iustice which they will then shewe to be so great that he pardoned not his owne onely sonne for the sinnes of others Luc. 23. If this then be done in greine woode what shal be done saie they in drye woode Then the wicked man shall beginne to tremble and qwake for feare and saie to him selfe O miserable wretche that I am If that be true which al the scripture reporteth to wit that almightie God will geue to euerie one accordinge to his workes what maie I hope to receiue at his handes that haue done so manie wicked workes If the Gospell saie Math. 6. vers 27. Rom. 2.6 2. Cor. 5.10 Math. 3.10 Math. 7.19 That the tree shal be iudged accordinge to the frute that it yeldeth What iudgement maie I looke for that haue brought forthe so manie wicked fruites If it be true which the Prophet saieth That none shall ascend vp to the hill of God vnles he haue innocent handes Psal 23.3.4 and an vndefiled harte whither shall I then goe that haue had such wicked handes and such a filthie harthe If the sayeinge of the Wiseman be true Prou. 28.9 That whosoeuer shutteth his eares and will not heare the lawe shall crie and not be harde what maie I looke for that haue had mine eares shutt against almightie God and yet haue had them so open to harken after lies and vanities of the worlde Wherefore ô my omnipotent God with what face shall I now appeare before thee and desire thee to geue eare vnto me seinge thou hast so often times called me and I woulde geue no eare vnto thee How can I request thee to receiue me into thy howse seinge thou hast so often times called at my howse and I haue shutt my gates against thee How shall I finde thee now at the time of my neede seinge thou hast had so oftentimes neede of me in thy poore and impotent members and hast not found me By what title or right maie I request thee now at the ende of my iourney to graunt me heauē seinge I haue spente all my lyfe time in the seruice of the deuill thine enemie O how iustly maist thou then ô Lorde saie vnto me Thou hast serued the worlde and the deuill get thee therefore vnto them and let them geue thee thy hyre The like answere made the Prophet Heliseus
as it were an other hemespherie where it findeth a new heauen a newe earthe an other kinde of lyfe and an other maner of vnderstandinge and knowledge The sowle then after it is departed out of the bodie entereth into this newe region where those that by liuinge neuer entered a place full of feare and terrour and of shadowes of death But now what shall this new straunger doe in this so straunge a countrey vnlesse it be so that he hath deserued in this lyfe to haue the garde and defence of Angells for this time O my sowle saieth S. Bernarde what a terrible daie shal that be when thou shalt enter all alone into that vnknowen region where those hellishe monsters that are so horrible and vglie to beholde shall encounter and assault thee in the waie Who will then take thy part Who will then defende thee Who will then deliuer thee from those rampinge lions which beinge raginge madde for honger do lie there in waite to deuour thee At the hower of deathe the sowle müst rendre a particular accompte vnto almightie God of all thinges aÌ„d then it shal be iudged what shall become of her for euermore and this is termed her particular iudgemeÌ„t Math. 12.36 1. Peter 4.18 Vndoubtedlie this is a verie fearfull waie but the iudgment that shall then so solemnlie be geuen is farre more terrible Who is able to declare how strait the decision of this particular iudgement shal be How righteous the iudge How busie and solicitous the deuills our accusers How fewe intercessors on our syde What a particuler examination shal be made of euerie point of our accompte And what a longe proces shal be drawen of all our whole lyfe And as our Sauiour affirmeth we must then render an accompte of euerie idell worde Wherefore if the iust man as S. Peter saieth shal hardly be saued where shall the sinner and wicked man shewe them selues It is a thinge trulie verie worthie to be noted that whereas a man woulde thinke that those thinges that we haue most loued and for which we haue taken most paines shoulde most helpe vs in this greate distres it falleth out quite contrarie For they shall not onely not helpe vs but also be an occasion at that tyme of more paine and griefe vnto vs. 2. Reg. 14. 2. Reg. 18. The thinge that AbsoloÌ„ loued aÌ„d esteemed aboue all thinges was his goodlie heare of his head And that verie heare almightie God ordeined by his iust iudgement to be the cause of his death The thinges that we loue most in this lyfe shall make our accompte more dowtefull and be greater greife vnto vs at the hower of our deathe Now the verie same iudgement is prepared for all wicked persons at that howre that those thinges that euerie man most loued in this lyfe and for which he committed most haynous offences against almightie God the verie same thinges shall make his accompt more doutfull and be occasion of greater torment vnto him There shall our children whom we sought to enriche not passinge whether it were by right or wronge accuse vs. There shall the nawghtie harlotte for whose wanton loue we haue broken the lawes and commaundementes of almightie God pleade against vs. There shall our landes our goodes our offices our dignities our pleasures and delightes which were our idolles be our hangmen and tormente vs most cruellie There shall almightie God geue iudgement vpon all the gods of Egipt ordeyninge the matter in such sorte that those verie thinges wherein we haue put all our glorie shall at that tyme be the cause of our ruine Now if the seueritie of the dreadfull sentence of almightie God be answerable to our sinnes who shal be able to abyde it One of those auncient holie fathers that liued in the wildernes was wont to saie that of thre thinges he liued continually in greate feare The first was when his sowle shoulde departe out of his bodie The seconde when it shoulde be presented before the iudgment seat of almightie God The thirde when the sentence of his cause should be geuen and pronounced But now which is most terrible of all what if almightie God shall geue this most terrible sentence ageinst thee that thou shalt be damned for euer and euer to the horrible tormentes of hell fier there to continewe infinite millions of yeares and worlde without ende In what a terrible strait shalt thou then be What sorowe What greife What anguishe shalt thou then feele Againe what ioye and triumphes will the deuills thyne enemies make at that tyme Then shall that sentence of the Prophet be fulfilled sayeinge Ierem. Lam. 2. vers 16. All thine enemies shall open their mouthes vpon thee they shall laughe thee to scorne and gnashe their teath at thee and saie we will deuour him this is the daie we haue so longe loked for we haue found him we haue espied him But thou ô sweite Iesus Psalm 12. Illuminat the eies of my sowle I beseeche thee that I steipe not in death that myne enemie maie neuer saie I haue preuailed against him Amen THVRSDAIE NIGHTE OF THE GENERALL DAYE OF IVDGEMENT Oâ—â—â—â— nor â—â—â—festari Oportâ—t aâ—â—e Tribunal Christi est Refâ—â—â—â—Vnusquâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Coâ—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 gâ—ffâ—t finiâ—â—â— sinâ— inâ—â—â— sciâ—utes ingo timoteâ—â— domini hominibâ—s sundâ—â—â— 2. Corinth 5.10 Si Justiâ— vix saluabitur impius et peccâ—â—â—Vâ—â— pâ—rrâ—â—â— 1. petr 4. â—â— THIS DAIE WHEN THOV HAST MADE THE SIGNE OF the Crosse and prepared thy selfe hereunto thou hast to meditate vpon the daie of the generall iudgement that by meanes of this consideration those two principall effectes maye be stirred vp in thy sowle which euerie faithfull Christian ought to haue to wit the feare of God and the abhorringe of sinne CONSIDER first what a terrible daie that shal be Of the dreadfulnes and terrour of the generall iudgemente in which the causes of all the children of Adam shal be througlie examyned the proces of all our liues diligently perused and a generall definitiue sentence geuen what shall become of vs all for euermore That daie shall comprise in it all the daies of all the ages and times both present past and to come For vpon that daie the worlde shall reÌ„dre an accompte of all these times And then shall almightie God power out the anger and indignation which he hath gathered together in all ages How violentlie shall the maine floude of gods wrathe and indignation breake out at that daie which conteineth in it so manie floudes of anger and wrathe as there haue bene sinnes committed since the beginninge of the worlde vntill that daie And therefore the Prophet had good cause to saie That daie shal be a daie of anger Soph. 1.15 a daie of calamitie and miserie a daie of obscuritie and darckenes a daie of cloudes and tempestious stormes a daie of the trompette and alarom against the stronge cities and against the highe towers Of the dreadfull signes that shall goe
dead and come to iudgemente Who shall appeale from this sommons Who shal be able to auoide this iudgment Whose hart shall not tremble and quake for feare at the terrible sownde of this voyce This voyce shall take from death all her spoiles and cause her to restore againe all that she hath taken awaye from the worlde And so S. Iohn saieth that then The Sea shall restore the dead bodies which it hath had Apoc. 20. And likewise both death and hell shall restore all those bodies that they haue Now what a wounderfull sight shall that be to see the Sea and the earthe to bringe forthe in all partes such varietie of bodies and to see so manie huge armies and so manie sortes and diuersities of nations and people assemble together There shall the Alexanders appeare There the Zerxes and Artaxerxes There the Dariies and the Emperours of Rome and the most mightie Kinges and puyssante Princes of the worlde with an other maner of habite and behauiour and with other kinde of thoughtes much differinge from those that they had in this lyfe To be shorte there shall all the children of Adam meete together euerie one to geue vp an accompte of his owne lyfe and to be iudged accordinge to his workes There shal be a greate difference at the daye of resurrection betweene the bodies of the iust ād the bodies of the wicked Howbeit althoughe all persons shall rise agayne at that daye neuer to die anie more yet shall there be a great differēce betwene bodies ād bodies For the bodies of the iust shal rise verie bewtifull and bright like the Sonne But the bodies of the wicked shall rise verie darke and filthie euen like vnto death it selfe Now what a great ioye shall it be then vnto the sowles of the iust to see their desire now fullie accomplished What a ioye shal it be to see thē selues after so longe a banishement to be vnited and ioyned euerlastingly in cēpanie with their most deare and louinge brethern With what ioye maye the sowle saie then vnto the bodie O my bodie Of the ioyefull meeting of the sowles and bodies of the iust at the daye of generall iudgemēte and faithfull companion that hast holpen me to gaine this crowne that hast so oftentimes fasted watched and suffered with me the painfull strookes and lashes of discipline the trauell of pouertie the crosse of penance and the contradictions and reproches of the worlde How often times hast thou spared the meate from thine owne belly to geue it to the poore How often hast thou lacked clothes thy selfe to clothe the naked How often hast thou renounced and lost thine owne right and title for that thou wouldest not breake peace and be at discention with thy neighbour Wherefore it is meete that thou shouldest now be partaker of this heauenly treasure seinge thou hast holpēme to gaine the same And it is meete that thou shouldest be my companion in this my glorie seinge thou hast bene my companion in all my paines and labours Thē shall these two faithfull friendes be ioyned together in one subiecte not as they were in this lyfe with contrarie appetites and desires but with a leage of perpetuall peace and conformitie So as they maie singe and saie for euer Beholde what a good and ioyefull thinge it is Psal 132. Of the sorowful and greeuous meetinge that shal be of the sowles and bodies of the damned persons at the daye of generall iudgemente for brethern to dwell together in one But contrariewise what a heauines and greife shall it then be to the sowle of the damned person when he shall see his bodie in an vglie forme as there it shal be geuen vnto him to wit blacke filthie stinckinge and horrible Then shal he saie O cursed bodie O beginninge and ende of my paines and sorowes O cause of my damnation Now art thou no more my companion but mine enemie Now art thou no more my helper but my persecutor Now art thou no more my habitation but the chaine and snare of my destruction O cursed tast How dearlie doe I paie now for thy delicacies and delightes O stinckinge fleashe that hast thus brought me to these painfull horrible tormentes by yeeldinge to thy lustes and pleasures What Alas is this the bodie for whose sake I cōmitted so manie sinnes Were these the delightes of this bodie that caused me vtterlye to cast awaie my selfe Was it for this stinckinge muckhill that I haue lost for euer the kingdome of heauen Was it for this vyle and filthie carkas that I haue lost for euer the glorie of lyfe euerlastinge O ye infernall furies rise vp now against me and teare and rent me in peeces for I haue well deserued these horrible tormentes Cursed be the daie of my vnfortunat birthe seinge my happe must be so miserable as to suffer euerlastinge tormentes in the most horrible pitt of hell for so short pleasures and delightes These and other more desperate wordes shall the dāned sowle speake vnto that bodie which she loued so exceedinglie in this trāsitorie worlde But tell me ô miserable sowle why doest thou now so much abhorre that thinge which heretofore thou louedst so well Is not this fleashe thy dearlie beloued Is not this the bellie which thou madest thy God Is not this the face which thou diddest kepe so warily frō the sonne and winde Is not this the visage which thou diddest paint with so manie artificiall coloures Are not these the armes and fingers which glistered with ringes of golde and dyamondes Is not this the bodie for whose sake searche was made both by lande and Sea to furnishe a table for it with all delicate and deintie disshes to haue a fyne and softe bedde to procure curious and costly garmentes Who hath now so altered thy affection Who hath made thy bodie to looke now so horrible and vglie which before seemed so faire and amiable Thou seest here now Christian brother what ende the glorie of the worlde hath with all the vayne pleasures and delightes of the bodie Of the comminge of the Iudge Of the matter of the iudgement And of the witnesses and accusors that shal be there against the wicked § IIII. NOW when all mankinde shal be raised againe and assembled together in one place expectinge the comminge of the Iudge Act. 10. then shall he whom almightie God hath appointed to be iudge ouer the quicke and the dead come downe Note here the two cōminges of Christe the firste was with greate humilitie and the secōde shal be with great maiestie and glorie And like as at his first comminge he came with verie great humilitie and meikenes inuitinge men vnto peace and callinge them vnto penance euen so at his seconde comminge he shall come with verie great maiestie and glorie accompanied with all the powers and principalities of heauen threateninge all those with the furie of his anger that refused to vse the meeknes of his mercie At
neuer gaue sucke After this sorte shall the miserable damned wretches curse and banne all creatures and cheiflie them that were the cause of their damnation And so we read in the liues of the holie fathers of a blessed holie man that sawe by reuelation a verie deepe well full of great and horrible flames of fire and in the middest of them were the father and the sonne both of them manicled together and cursinge one an other with great furious rage and despite The father saied vnto his sonne Cursed be thou my sonne For I to leaue thee wealthie and riche became an vsurer and for vsurie am I nowe here in hell damned And the sonne saied likewise vnto his father Cursed be thou my father for that imagininge to enriche me hast bene the cause of my damnation in that thou diddest leaue me euill gotten landes and goodes and I for the wrongefull keepinge of them and not makinge dewe restitution to the righte owners am here now alas damned euerlastinglie The euill disposition of the will of the daÌ„ned againste the glorie of God and of his Sainctes Aboue all this how great shall the paines and tormentes of the malitious and euil disposed will of the damned be There shal be in the will a continuall and outragious malitious enuie against the glorie of almightie God and his electe which shal be euermore bytinge and gnawinge at their entrailes no lesse than the worme of conscience whereof we spake before Psal 111.10 Of this paine saieth the Psalme The sinner shall see and be angrie he shall gnashe with his teeth and consume And the desire of the wicked shall perishe The malice â—nd hatred of the daÌ„ned againste almightie God They shall haue also such a great abhorringe and hatred against almightie God because he deteyneth and punisheth theÌ„ in that place that like as a madde dogge stroken with a speare tourneth againe in great furie to byte and gnawe it euen so woulde the damned persons if they might possibly teare and rente almightie God in peeces because they knowe that it is he that pricketh them with his terrible speare and that it is he that striketh and tormenteth them from aboue with the dreadfull sworde of his iustice The greate obstinacie of the daÌ„ned in their wickednes They haue also a verie great obstinacie in wickednes for they are not sorie either because they are wicked or because they haue bene wicked but rather they wishe that they had bene worse And if they be sorie for their wicked lyfe it is not for anie loue they beare vnto almightie God but for the loue of them selues that so they might haue escaped these horrible tormentes if they had liued otherwise The perpetual desperation of the daÌ„ned Besides this they haue also a perpetuall desperation For they thinke so euill of almightie God and of his mercie that they haue no maner of hope therein that euer he can perdoÌ„ them and also for that they knowe for certayne that their most grieuous paines and tormentes shall neuer haue anie mitigation or ende This is the cause of their so horrible blasphemies and of their dispitefull raylinges against almightie God For as they haue no hope in him so doe they seike to be reuenged of him as much as they can with their outragious and malitious raylinge tonges Of the paine wich is tearmed by the diuins Poena damni that is the paine of losse of almightie God § III. VHO woulde thinke that after all these paines here before rehearsed there were yet more to be suffered And yet neuerthelesse it is certaine that all these paines in comparison of that which we haue now to speake of are as it were nothinge Consider then what a wounderfull payne this is like to be seinge that such horrible tormentes as we haue before mentioned maie be termed nothinge if they be compared with this tormente For all the paines that we haue hitherto spoken of appertaine for the most parte to the paine of the sense But besides all these there is yet an other paine called the paine of losse which we touched before the which without all comparison is farre greater than all the other as it maie wel appeare by this reason For paine is nothinge els but onely a priuation of some good thinge that was either had or in hope to be had Now the greater this good thinge is the greater paine and greife we haue when it is lost To loose almightie God is the greatest losse for that he is an infinite good thinge As it appeareth plainly in the losse of temporall thinges the which the greater they are in vallewe the greater is the greife that they cause Now then consideringe that almightie God is an infinite good thinge and the greatest of all good thinges it followeth necessarily that the wantinge of him shal be an infinite miserie and the greatest of all miseries Almightie God is the centre of the reasonable sowle S. Chrisostome Besides this almightie God is the center of the reasonable sowle and the place where it hath his perfect rest And thereof it commeth that the separation of the sowle from almightie God is the most grieuous and painfull separation of all that maie possibly be deuised And therfore S. Chrisostome saieth That if a thousande fiers of hell were ioyned together in one they shoulde neuer be so great a paine to the sowle as it is to the sowle to be separated in this wise for euer from almightie God It is not possible for anie man to expresse by wordes the exceydinge greatnes of this greife That seperation that is wont to happen in time of warre when the suckinge babes are taken from their mothers breastes is nothinge in comparison of the perpetuall diuision and separation which shal be from the fruition and separation which shal be from the fruition of almightie God And that thou mayst vnderstande somewhat hereof consider what a horrible kinde of death that was which certaine tyrantes caused some of the martirs to be put vnto They caused two toppes or greate boughes of two great trees to be bowed downe violentlie to the grownde and at the two endes of them they commaunded the feete of the holie Martyr that shoulde suffer death to be bounde this done they commaunded that the two bowghes shoulde sodeÌ„ly be losed with all violence that when they shoulde recoyle and mounte vp againe to their naturall places they shoulde hoyse vp the bodie on highe and so rente and teare it a sonder in the aier each one of the bowghes carienge with it that parte of the bodie that was bounde vnto it Now if this crewell separation of the partes of a mans bodie one from an other seeme so great a tormente what a torment thinke ye shall that be when the sowle shal be separated from almightie God which is not a parte but the whole of our sowle espetially seinge the separation and tormente must endure not onely
well for the vnderstandinge of the greatnes of this benefite as also for the annihilation as they terme it which is that a man maie hereby clearlie and palpably perceiue how of him selfe he is no more than verie nothinge Consider then how it is not manie yeares sithence not a thowsande nor an hundered yeares but euen as it were yesterdaie that is within a verie smalle time that thou wast nothinge at least wise as concerninge thy sowle and from the beginninge thou wast nothinge and mightest for euer haue bene nothinge that is lesse than a clodde of earthe lesse than a puffe of winde yea lesse than a strawe and to be short euen nothinge Consider then how the same nothing coulde not make it selfe any thinge and as litle coulde it deserue that an other shoulde make it any thinge for that pardy that is not can neither worcke nor deserue Now when thou wast in this darckenes and in this deepe bothomles pitte of the same nothinge it pleased the infinite goodnes and mercie of almightie God before anie deserte of thyne onelie of his mere grace to shewe vpon thee his power and omnipotencie and with his mightie hande to plucke thee out of this darcknes and out of this deipe bothomles pitte of no beinge and to bringe thee to a beinge and to make thee somewhat and as S. Augustine saiethe not euerie somewhat S. Augustine not a stone not a birde not a toode not a serpente but euen a man which is one of the most noble creatures in the worlde He gaue thee this beinge that thou now hast He compacted and framed this thy bodie and bewtified it in all partes both with members and senses and that with such a wonderfull prouidence and arte that euerie one of them if they be well considered is of it selfe a greate wonder and a verie great benefite This is that benefite which the holie mā Iob did most humblie acknowledge when he saiede Iob. 10. Thy handes ô Lorde haue made me they haue geuen me a due proportion in euerie parte Remember ô Lorde that thou hast made me as it were of a lumpe of claye and that thou shalt reduce me againe into dust Thou hast clothed me with skinne and fleashe Thou hast compacted me with bones and sinowes Thou hast geuen me lyfe and mercie and hast preserued my spirite with thy visitation Now what shall I saie of the noblenes of thy sowle The noblenes and excellencie of our sowle and of the excellencie of the ende for which it was created and of the image and capacitie that it hath The image thereof is the image of almightie God him selfe For in verie deede there is nothinge in all the earthe that more resembleth almightie God there is nothinge whereby we maie come to a more euident knowledge of him than by the sowle And therefore the aunciente Philosophers and namely Anaxagoras knewe no meeter name to be geuē vnto God than Mēs the Minde which is as much to saie as a resonable sowle by reason of the greate similitude and likenes that they perceiued to be betweene God and it And this is the cause why the substance of our sowle can not be perfectly vnderstode For beinge as it is verie like vnto the substance of God which can not be knowen in this lyfe it foloweth that the substance of the sowle is also a thinge not able to be knowen here by vs. For what ende the sowle of man was created Now the ende for which this noble creature was created is answerable to this dignitie For it is manifest that the sowle was created to be partaker of that blessed glorie and felicitie of almightie God to dwell in his howse to eate at his table to enioye those thinges that almightie God him selfe enioyeth to be clothed with the same garmente of immortalitie that he him selfe is clothed withall and to reigne euerlastingly with him And hereof it commeth that the sowle hath such a wonderfull capacitie which is so great The wonderfull capacitie of the sowle of man that all the creatures and riches of the worlde put together are no more able to fille her capacitie than a barlie corne is able to fille all the whole worlde Now therefore what recompence shall we make vnto our most gratious and bountiefull Lorde for this so passinge great benefite If we thinke our selues to be so much bounde to our carnall parentes for that they haue bene some parte in the buildinge of this our bodie how much more are we indetted vnto our heauenlie father who by meanes of our parentes hath formed our bodies and without thē hath created our sowles which be without comparison more excellent than the bodie and without which our bodie were no better than a stinckinge donghill What are our parentes but onely an instrument whereby almightie God hath made a smalle portiō of this worke Now if thou be so much bounde to the instrument of the worke how much more art thou bounde to the principalle agent that made the worke And if thou be so much bounde vnto him who was onely a meane in framinge one parte how much more art thou boūde vnto almightie God that made the whole If thou esteeme a sworde so much wherewith a cittie was conquered how much more owghtest thou to esteime the kinge him selfe that conquered it Of the benefite of our Conseruation § II. AND our Lorde hath not onely created thee in such great dignitie and glorie but it is he also that mainteneth and conserueth thee after thy creation in the same As he him selfe witnesseth by the Prophet Esaie Esa 48.17 sayeinge I am thy Lorde thy God that doe teache thee whatsoeuer is meite for thee to knowe and doe gouerne thee in the waie that thou walkest Manie mothers there be that thinke it sufficient to susteine onelye the trauaile of childe bearinge they will not burthen them selues with noursinge their children but will seike out some other nourse that maie discharge them of that trouble But almightie God dealeth not so with vs for he vouchsafeth to take vpon him selfe the whole charge and burthen insomuch as he is both the mother that bare vs and the nourse that nourishethe vs with the milke and cherishinges of his prouidence accordinge as he him selfe witnesseth by one of his Prophetes sayinge I was as it were the nourse of Ephraem and caried them in mine armes Osea 11.3 and they vnderstode not that I had care of them So that our Lorde himselfe is bothe the creator and conseruer of all thinges that be created And like as without him nothinge is made euen so were it not for him all thinges woulde goe to vtter ruine and decaie The Prophet Dauid confesseth plainlie both the one and th' other in these wordes Psal 144. The eies of all thinges doe looke vpon thee ô Lorde and thou geuest thē their foode in dewe season And whilest thou geuest it they receiue it and when thou stretchest
such feare and reuerence as is behouefull to be vsed before so great a maiestie and withall desire him that thou mayst in such wise perseuere and spende that litle time in this exercise of prayer that thou mayst in the ende arise frō the same with newe force and strength to doe all such thinges as apperteyne to his seruice It is also a good maner of preparation to saye some vocalle prayers before meditation It is thought also to be a good maner of preparation to saie some vocalle praiers before meditation of which sorte there be manie in diuers bookes of deuotion and namely in the meditations of S. Augustine and in the Psalter of Dauid where there be some verie deuout Psalmes that will helpe very much to enkendle and stirre vp deuotion For it is the propertie of deuoute sentences beinge saiede with an earnest minde and attention to wounde the harte and to lifte it vp vnto almightie God the which deuour sentences are so much the more behouefull and necessarie for vs by how much we finde our spirite to be more colde and distracted The sayinge of And these same prayers doe serue much better for this purpose when they be in mitre as are manie Hymnes of the Sainctes Hymnes proses and versicles doe stirre deuotion and the Proses and Versicles Forsomuche as I knowe not how it is that the wordes of God vsed in this kinde of stile and harmonie doe bringe with them a greater sweetenes and delighte to our sowles And therefore we finde in the workes of S. Bonauenture who was a verie deuout holie man manie of these Hymnes The like we finde in the workes of S. Bernarde and in diuers and sundrie other of the holie fathers Likewise there is great commendation geuen by manie learned men and surely not without good cause to those three diuout himnes that Ieronimo de Vida made to the three persons in Trinitie which beinge learned by harte and saiede deuoutly be as it were a most sweite Manna to sweiten the tast of our sowle at the beginninge of prayer and to dispose it to take a delighte in spirituall and diuine matters Here I thinke it necessarie to declare with what intention a man ought to come vnto prayer With what intention a man oughte to come vnto prayer For he must not goe thereunto cheifly for his owne consolation and delighte as some that be great louers of them selues vse to doe but onely to fulfill herein the will of almightie God and to desire of him his grace and to dispose him selfe for the obteyninge of the same And herewith he must submitte him selfe in such wise into the handes of almightie God that he must be as readie and contente to be without consolations in his prayer as to haue them remittinge himselfe humbly into his handes to dispose of him and of all thinges belonginge vnto him as he shall thinke good acknowledginge on the one side that he deserueth not anie thinge of him and beleeuinge on the other that althoughe it be so in verie deede yet our Lorde of his infinite goodnes and mercie will doe whatsoeuer shall be most conuenient and behouefull for his saluation And therefore a man ought to contente him selfe a-like whether the consolations be great or litle and to take in good parte whatsoeuer vsage our Lorde shall shewe vnto him accountinge him selfe vtterlie vnworthie of all those thinges that he bestoweth vpon him and beinge readie to fulfill all such thinges as he shall commaunde him not in respecte of the benefites that he hopeth to receyue but in respecte of them that he hath alreadie receyued and in consideration of his bounden duetie vnto almightie God But we see that manie persones doe quite contrarie to this rule and be like herein vnto yonge shrewde boies who vnlesse they be dandeled and cooxed will not doe the thinge that they are commaunded I thinke it also requisite here to aduertise that when a man mindeth to vse the exercise of praier in the morninge we must be carefull ouer nighte of the meditatiō we intende to make the nexte morninge So soone as we a wake in the morninge it is good to occupie our harte forthwith with some holie thowghte he doe goe to bedde with this care ouer nighte and like as those that intende to bake the next daie doe vse to laie the leuen ouer nighte euen so must a man with a godly carefulnes preuente and recommende ouer nighte vnto our Lorde that thinge which he intendeth to meditate the nexte daie followinge And in the morninge so soone as he awaketh he ought forthwith to occupie his harte with this holie thought before anie other doe enter therein For at that time the disposition of our harte is such that whatsoeuer thoughte doth first enter into vs it seasethe and taketh possession of our harte in such wise that we shall verie hardly afterwardes put it awaie from vs. And forsomuch as the praier of manie persons is very acceptable vnto our Lorde It is good to thinke when we praye how manie deuoute Christians are at that time prayinge also vnto God with vs. therefore thou shalt doe well to consider in thy prayer both in the morninge and eueninge what a nomber of Gods seruantes both mē and women as well in monasteries as without be at that time watchinge and perseueringe before the presence of almightie God sheedinge many deuoute teares yea and perhappes also disciplininge and whippinge them selues and sheedinge great abundance of bloud for the loue of God with which persones thou oughtest humbly to ioyne thy selfe that the presence and sweete remembrance of them maie be vnto thee a prouocation of deuotion and an example of perseuerance in thy praier and also that whensoeuer thou shalt finde thy selfe colde and negligent in this exercise of prayer and that some thoughtes come into thy minde mouinge thee to ende the same thou mayst be ashamed and reprehende thy selfe by the example of so manie good and vertuouse persons which with so good attention and carefulnes doe perseuere so longe time in this exercise of prayer without ceassinge offeringe there their bodies and sowles vnto almightie God in sacrifice OF READINGE CAP. VI. In what maner we must reade AFTER Preparation followeth Readinge the which ought to be done not lightlie as passed ouer in hast but with verie great deliberation and attention applyinge thereunto not onely thy vnderstandinge to conceiue such thinges as thou readest but much more thy will to taste those thinges that thou vnderstandest And when thou commest to anie deuout place thou shalte doe well to staye and pawse somewhat longer therevpon and to make there as it were a station in thinkinge vpon that matter which thou hast read and in makinge some shorte praier vpon it accordinge as S. Bernarde councelleth vs S. Bernarde sayeinge It is requisite oftentimes to gather and procure a litle spirite and deuotion out of the matters that we
geuen vnto vs. And besides this sith the principall ende of these meditations is to obtaine some deuotion and feelinge of diuine thinges it were against reason when we haue alreadie obtained the same with some good consideration that we shoulde goe about to seike for it by an other waie Howbeit althoughe this be verie true speakinge ordinarily yet maie not a man therefore take herein so great libertie as vpon euerie occasion that is offered vnto him to be moued forthwith verie lightlie to forgoe that thinge out of his handes which he hath as it were in possession for some other thinge which he is desirous to haue vnlesse it be at such a time as he perceyueth a more certaine proffit in the one than in the other The second aduise that in our Meditation we must eschewe the superfluous speculation of our vnderstandinge and commit this busines to the exercise of the affections of our will § II. THE seconde aduise is that he labour to esche we in this exercise the superfluous speculation of the vnderstandinge and endeuour to vse this matter rather with affections and feelinges of the will than with discources and speculations of the vnderstandinge It is therefore to be noted that the vnderstandinge on the one side helpeth and on the other side it maie hinder the operation of the will to witt the loue and feelinge of diuine thinges For as it is necessarie that the vnderstandinge doe goe before the will to guide it and geue it knowledge what it ought to loue so when the speculation of the vnderstandinge is ouermuch then it hindereth this operation of the will forsomuch as it suffereth it not to haue place and time to worke And therefore like as it is saied of the poison which is put into treacle that if it be litle it is holsome and necessarie but if it be ouermuch it is hurtfull euen so likewise maie we saie after a sorte in this exercise that the seekinge to knowe God with simplicitie helpeth the will the more to loue him but the seekinge to knowe him with ouermuch speculation hindereth the will and causeth the operation thereof for that time to be the more feeble and weake And the reason hereof is for that the vertue ād power of our sowle beinge finite and streyted within certaine boundes and limittes the more it employeth her vertue and force on the one parte the lesse remaineth to be employed on the other euē like the foūtaine that rūneth throughe two pypes the more water that it dischargeth by the one pype the lesse it hath to yeilde throughe the other And after the like sorte doth the sowle principallie by the operation of the vnderstandinge by the which for that it is so noble and so excellent a power the sowle employeth and powreth out all her whole force in such wise that in a maner she worketh nothinge at all by her other powers at such tyme as the vnderstandinge is verie attente and earnestlie occupied in the vehement speculation of anie matter And therefore we finde by experience that a man maie with more facilitie preserue the affection of deuotion in anie exercise of the bodie wherein he labourethe with his handes than when he hath his vnderstandinge busely occupied and attente in the speculation of anie matter For the vnderstandinge and the will be as it were two ballances of our sowle the which are disposed in such sorte that the ascendinge of the one is the descendinge of the other and so contrariewise So that if the speculation doe increase ouermuch then the affection thereby decreaseth and if contrary wise the affection doe increase then the speculation forthwith decreaseth And this is the cause why the Patriarke Iacob was made lame of one of his feete at what time he receyued benediction Gen. 32. for whereas our sowle hath two feete wherewith to goe vnto almightie God The vnderstandinge and the wil be the two feete of our sowle whereby it goeth vnto God which be the vnderstandinge and the will it is requisite that the one foot◠be weakened to witt the vnderstandinge in his speculation if the will which is th' other foote shall enioye almightie God in the rest and quietnes of contemplation And so it is seene by experience that in case at such tyme as the sowle is enioyenge of almightie God it doe but turne a-side to seke to vnderstande or searche some poynte or matter appertayninge vnto God it loseth forthwith at the verie same instante the deuotion which it had and that souereine good thinge vanisheth then awaie frō him which before he enioyed And therefore not without good cause doth the bridegrome aduise the spowse in the Canticles sayeinge Turne awaie thyne eies from me Cant. 6.4 for they haue made me to flye Wherefore I counsaile a man in this exercise of meditation to occupie his vnderstandinge in speculatiō with as litle curiositie as is possible and to contente him selfe with a simple sighte and knowledge of diuine thinges to the intent that the vertue of his sowle recollectinge all her forces together maie employe her selfe by this affectiue parte I meane by the affections of the will in louinge and reuerencinge the cheefest goodnes to witt almightie God we must not meditate vpon diuine misteries in such wife as if we studied to preache them Whereby it appeareth that those men take not the righte trade herein that in prayer doe meditate in such wise vpon diuine misteries as if they shoulde studie to preach them the which disorderlie maner is rather to cause the Spirite to wander more abrode than to recollecte it and rather to goe out of him selfe than to kepe within himselfe And hereof it commeth that when they haue made an ende of theire exercise of praier they remayne as drie and without anie ioyce of deuotion and as easely moued to followe euerie kinde of lightnes and vanitie of the worlde as they were before their exercise For to speake the verie trueth they haue not praied but rather talked and studied which is a thinge farre diferēte from praier Such persons ought to consider that in this exercise of prayer ād meditatiō we rather come to heare than to speake For as the Prophet saieth Such as come to our Lordes feite Deuter. 33.3 shall receyue his doctrine as he receyued it that saiede Psal 84. I will hearken what our Lorde speaketh within me Wherefore I conclude that all this busines of meditation consisteth in speakinge litle In meditation we must chieflie exercise the affections of our will and in louinge much and in geuinge place to the will that it maie ioyne it selfe with all his forces vnto almightie God And we must not spurre forwardes these two powers of the sowle a-like nor walke in this waie with equall pases but a spetiall dexteritie is requisite to be vsed to stirre vp the will and to quiet the vnderstandinge that it hinder not with his curious discourses the operations of loue And
with inwarde quietnes and simplicite and desire him of his grace that he maie be able to proceid in his prayer and meditation without such great trouble and daunger vnto him And in case it shall please our Lorde to graunte him this quietnes of mynde he shall feele a more inwarde hartie deuotion thereby than he was wont to feele with the disquietnes of his minde and it shall endure much longer After this sorte maie a man continewe in prayer and meditation a longe time together without feelinge anie heauines or greife but that man can not so doe that shall meditate after the other enforced maner before specified And for this cause we must take diligent heede that if at anie time there doe arise in the sowle verie feruent motions of sensible deuotion or excessiue sobbinges and sighinges we suffer not our selues to be caried awaie with thē but we must temper them with great moderation and dissemble them as much as we can and withall endeuour to kepe and continewe that consideration and thoughte within vs which caused those feruent motions I meane hereby that we must remoue awaie from vs those stormes and alterations of the fleashe to wit these vehemēt sobbinges and sighinges and enioye in our sowle with quietnes the light and deuotion which almightie God hath then sent vnto vs. And after this sorte we shall continewe in our exercise a longer time and our consolation shall take deeper roote inwardly in our sowles and shall not geue any outwarde shewe thereof with weepinge sobbinge and other externall signes which can hardlie be auoyded without great paine in case a man doe once accustome him selfe verie much vnto such sensible motiōs and feruours which the stronger and mightier they shewe outwardly the more doe they quenche the light inwardly and be an impedimente vnto vs that we can not proceede forwarde in our prayer ād meditation True it is that at the first beginninge of nouices in spirituall exercises such feruours can verie hardlie be eschewed For then the great wonder that a man hath of the newnes and profoundnes of diuine thinges maketh him to enter into so great an admiration and astonishmente that he can not refraine him selfe from this feruencie But after that with the vse of dailie meditation of diuine thinges the newnes of them ceaseth then is his harte quieted and although he loue almightie God with greater vehemencie yet hath he not such sensible feruour and disquietnes in his loue And so we see that the newe wyne and the potte of water when it beginneth first to trye the vnwonted heat of the fier it boyleth so forceablie that it bubbleth vp and runneth ouer the brimme but after that it hath boyled a certaine space it seetheth then much better and is much hoatter and yet with lesse noyce and vehemencie That man which was lame from his mothers wombe whom S. Peter healed as it is declared in the actes of the Apostles so soone as he perceyued him selfe to be whole and perfetlie cured of his former lamenes Act. 3.8 the holie Scripture saiethe that he walked and leaped and praised almightie God This man was not contented onely to goe but as one that had bene so longe time as it were bounde hande and feite and findinge by experience his newe libertie he then stretched forthe his limmes to the vttermost he coulde and leaped and skipped with great ioye and admiration Howbeit it is to be thought that afterwardes he woulde walke more quietly and not leape and skippe all his life time but as then the great ioye he had of his newe and vnaccustomed health woulde not suffer him to be in quiet The fourthe aduise which followeth of the foresaide aduises And here it is declared what maner of attention we ought to haue in our exercise of prayer and meditation § IIII. OF all these aduises aforesaiede we maie gather what maner of attention we ought to haue in praier For in this exercise it is cheiflie expediente for vs to haue our harte not heauie nor dulle but liuely attente and lifted vp on highe In figure whereof we reade that the Angell saiede to the Prophet Ezechiel Ezech. 2.1 that he shoulde arise and stande vpon his feite when the Angell woulde talke with him and declare vnto him the diuine misteries In like maner we reade that those two Cherubins which Salomon placed at the two sides of the Arke of the testament stode with their winges lifted vp on highe 3. Reg. 6. and stretched abroade as if they woulde flye to signifie what a great attention and liftinge vp of the spirite a man ought to haue at such tyme as he presenteth himselfe before almightie God to speake and stande before him But as it is necessarie on the one side to be in prayer with such an attention and close recollection of the mynde euen so on th' other side it behoueth that this attention be qualified with temperance and moderation that it be neither preiudiciall to our healthe nor anie impediment to deuotion For some there be that doe wearie their heads with ouermuch violence whiles they labour to be attente vnto those thinges that they meditate vpon And others againe there be that to avoide this inconuenience are in their meditation verie slacke and negligente and verie easie to be caried awaie with euerie winde Now to eschewe these two extremities it is expediente that we vse such a meane that we doe neither with ouer much attention wearie our head nor with carelesnes or negligēce suffer our thoughtes to goe wāderinge whither so euer they wil. So that like as we vse commonlie to saie vnto him that rydeth vpon a kickinge flinginge horse that he must take good heede how he holdeth the reines of his bridle and kepe a meane therein that is he must holde them neither to harde nor to slacke that the horse neither turne backewarde nor runne to headlonge forwarde Out attention must proceed with moderation and not with violence Prou. 30.33 euen so must we endeuour that our attention maye proceede in our prayers with moderation and not with violence and with a temperate carefulnes and diligence and not with excessiue labour and traueill Of both these poyntes we be aduertised in the holie Scripture For of the one Salomon saiethe Who so squiseth ouermuch the pappes to get out milke shall wringe out bloude And of the other poynte the Prophete Esaie saieth Esa 66.10.11 Reioyce with her all ye that mourne for her that ye maie sucke and be satisfied with the breastes of her consolation Howbeit in case we feyle of the meane and doe leane vnto anie of these two extremeties Of the two extremeties it is lesse hurt to haue ouermuch attention in our prayers than no care or regarde of our attention therein it is lesse hurte to leane vnto ouermuch attention than vnto carelesnes and neglectinge of our attention For a man is prouoked to carelesnes and negligence by his
it was wholly most pure virgins fleshe taken of the most pure and virginall bowels of our blessed Lady S. Bonauenture without anie other kinde of mixture And for this cause as S. Bonauenture saiethe his bodie was the more tender and of a more perfecte sense in feelinge The fourthe cause of his so greiuouse paynes was the very kinde of death which he suffered with all the circumstances that happened in all the continuance of his passion forsomuch as each one of them if they be well considered was a kinde of martirdome by it selfe And that thou mayst more clearly perceiue the same Twelue most greiuous paynes which our Sauiour suffered in his passion beginne euen from the first entrie of his passion vntill the ende of it and thou shalt finde emonge others twelue most greyuous paynes which our Sauiour there suffered the which I wil rehearce here very breiflie notwithstandinge that in euerie one of them there is verie much to be said and considered The first was the agonie in the garden and that wonderfull bloudie sweate which trickled drowne througheout all the partes of his bodie vnto the earthe which was the most newe and most straungest thinge of all that euer hath happened in the worlde The seconde was to be solde for so base a price of his owne Apostle and disciple vnto so cruell enemies The therde was to be so often times caried throughe the common streetes bounde and manicled as if he had bene a verie theyfe The fourthe was the punishement with whippinge and scourginge which besides that the lashes were verie crewellie laid on him and verie manie in nomber it is not a punishement for a man of any credite or honestie but for bondeslaues vagabondes and men of most vyle and base condition The fifte was that most cruell inuention of the crowne of thornes wherein were ioyned together both most greiuous shame and dishonour and withall most greiuous paine and tormente The sixte was those so manifolde blasphemies and sundrie kindes of most villeynous mockeries iniuries and reproches which were ioyned with the tormentes as to spette so often times in his face as though he had bene a blasphemer to geue him buffettes and blowes as if he had bene a vagabonde to apparell him some times in white garmentes and some times in redde as if he had bene a foole to hoodwinke his eies and to ieste at him sayeinge Areede who hath smitten thee Leuit. 22.46 as if he had bene a verie dissarde to clothe him with a purple garment to set a reide in his hande to kneele on one knee before him to smyte him on the head with a reid as if he had bene a counterfait kinge and besides all this to proclaime him throughe the common streetes as a malefactour Who euer sawe so many kindes of reprochefull iniuries heaped together vpon one man The seuenthe was that wonderfull contēpte and despite which was done vnto him beinge the sonne of almightie God when they compared him with Barrabas and made lesse accompte of him than of Barrabas Insomuch as that Lorde by whom all thinges were created and in whom all thinges doe liue and are preserued was accompted more vnprofitable and more vnwourthy to lyue than Barrabas an infamous malefactour The eight was in that they enforced him to carie vpon his shoulders which were all to rēte and breused the verie same instrument of the crosse whereupon he shoulde suffer deathe The tormentors them selues which are commonlie the ministers of crueltie doe vse to hyde the eies of them that are to be beheadded that they maie not see the instrument that shall bereue them of their lyfe but here they doe not onely not vse this kinde of humanitic towardes our Sauiour but they laie the same instrument of his deathe euen vpon his owne shoulders to the intente that his harte might first suffer the tormente of the crosse inwardlie before that his bodie shoulde proue it outwardlie The ninthe was the very martirdome of the crosse which is a most cruell kinde of torment for it is not a speydie kinde of deathe as to be hanged or beheadded but very longe and lingeringe and the woundes be in the most sensible partes of the bodie to witt in the feete and handes which are most full of vaines and sinowes which be the iustrumentes of feelinge Moreouer his paines were increased with the poyze and weight of his owne bodie which alwaies tended and swayed dounwarde and so it euer rented and enlarged his woundes and augmented the greife of his tormentes continually and this caused his martirdome to become so extremely greiuous that althoughe he had no deadlie wounde yet by reason of the passinge greatnes of his paines his most holie sowle departed out of his most precious bodie The tenthe was that whereas our Sauiour was thus tormented vpon the crosse and there became a verie Sea of paines and tormentes yea whereas he was in such a dolefull case that if we shoulde see a verie dogge in the streete so pittiefullie tormented it were able to breake our hartes yet all this notwithstandinge his cruell enemies were so farre of from takinge anie pittie or compassion vpon him that euen at that verie time they mocked and scoffed at him and wagged their heades sayeinge Fye on thee that destroiest the temple of God Math. 27. and within three daies buildest it againe The eleuenthe was to haue his most innocent mother present before his eies at all these martirdomes knowinge so well as he did what a passinge great greife it was vnto her most innocent harte The twelfthe was such a crueltie as the like was neuer seene to witt that whereas his most holie bodie was all voide of bloude and all the fountains of his veines emptied and his bowels dried vp by reason of the great abundance of bloude which he had shead when he requested a litle water they did not onely not graunt it vnto him but in steede thereof they gaue him to drincke Easell and Galle Now what thinge coulde be more cruellie done than this True it is that that riche couetous man Luc. 16. which was tormented in hell had a droppe of water denied him when he required it but yet he had no galle geuen vnto him But here they doe not onelie denie the sonne of almightie God the thinge that he desired but besides that they increase his most greiuouse paines with an other newe kinde of tormente Euerie one of these pointes beinge considered seuerally by it selfe will minister sufficient matter of verie great greife and sorowe to anie good Christian harte And therefore whosoeuer is desirous to haue an earnest and inwarde compassion of the paines of our Sauiour let him goe throughe euerie one of them and make a station at eche of them and be he neuer so harde harted it is not almost possible but that in some one or other of them he shall sinde verie vehement motions to prouoke him vnto greife and
Wherefore we must vnderstande that there be sixe thinges emonge manie others that maye be considered in the holie Passion of our Sauiour To witt The greatnes of his paines The greiuousnes of our sinnes The excellencie of the benefite The magnificencie of the goodnes of almightie God The multitude of the vertues of our Sauiour Christe which doe verie brightelie shine in his holie passion And the conueniencie of this meane whereby almightie God vouchsafed to worke our redemption These sixe pointes ought we to consider for sixe effectes wherein consisteth all the profite of the spirituall lyfe For we must consider the greatnes of the paines of our Sauiour Christe that we maie take compassion of them We must consider the greatnes of our owne sinnes that we maie abhorre them We must consider the greatnes of the benefite of his passion that we maie geue him thankes for it We must consider the excellencie of the goodnes of almightie God which in this holie passion of our Sauiour is discouered vnto vs that we maie verie hartely loue the same passinge great goodnes We must consider the multitude of the vertues of our Sauiour Christe which doe likewise shine verie brightlie in his passion that we maie be prouoked thereby to imitate them And we must consider the conueniencie of the misterie of his holie passion that we maie be brought thereby in admiratiō of the wisedome of almightie God and be the more confirmed in the faith of this holie misterie Of these sixe pointes we intende nowe to treate and of each one of them in his due place and order Of the passinge great paines and tormentes which our Sauiour Iesus Christe suffered in his most bitter Passion § I. FIRST we must consider the passinge great paines of our Sauiour Christe to prouoke our selues by that consideration to take compassion of them as reason it is that the members shoulde take compassion of their head Wherefore it is to be noted that the paines which our Sauiour suffered in his bitter passion were as the holie fathers saie the greatest that euer were suffered Summa S. Thomae 3. q. 46. artic 6. or euer shal be suffered in this worlde This shall appeare manifestlie to be true if we doe consider fiue principalle causes from whence the passinge greatnes of these paines proceeded The first cause was the passinge greatnes of his charitie which made him desirous to redeeme mankinde most abundantly and to satisfie most perfectly for the iniuries and offences committed against the diuine maiestie And because the greater paines he shoulde suffer the more perfectly he shoulde accomplishe both the one and the other and he wanted not the forces of grace to beare as great a burthen as he woulde therefore he woulde that his paines shoulde be passinge great that so likewise the satisfaction which he shoulde make for our dette and the worke of our redemption might be also passinge great The seconde cause which followeth hereof was that he suffered his payes without anie maner of ease or consolation For accordinge to the reason before mentioned he shutte vp from him selfe all the gates whereby anie maner of consolation might come vnto him either from heauen or from earthe insomuche that he was contente to be forsaken not onely of his disciples and freindes but also of his owne father yea and of him selfe also to the intent that so beinge destitute of all companie he might be burninge in the furnace of his most grieuous paines and tormentes without all maner of refresshinge of anie ease or consolation whatsoeuer that by anie meanes might come vnto him And therefore he saied in the Psalme Psal 87. I am become as a man destitute of all helpe I am left emonge the dead notwithstandinge that I alone am he that emonge the deade by righte am free from sinne and from deathe And in an other Psalme he saithe Psal 68. I am plunged in the bottome of waters and of myre and I finde no place where to staie my feete This is that forsakinge which our Sauiour signified vpon the crosse when he saiede Math. 27.46 My God My God why hast thou forsakē me Psal 21.1 For at that time his holie humanitie was forsakē in the middest of the furious streame of his paines and tormentes and was left destitute of all thinges that might either withstande or mitigate the force and vehemēcie of them Leuit. 16. This was figured in the lawe by those two beastes that were offered for the sinnes of the people of the which the one was killed and offered vp in sacrifice and the other departed awaye and was sent into the wildernes leauinge her companion alone in the tormentes The like was done in this heauenlie sacrifice where God and man was offered for the sinnes of the worlde and the one of the two natures to witt the humanitie was sacrificed and did suffer but the other nature to witt the diuinitie departed awaye leauinge her sister and companion all alone to suffer the tormentes For albeit that as concerninge the bonde of vnion the diuine nature neuer forsooke the humane nature which it had once taken yet as touchinge the consolation and ease of the paines and tormentes in the inferior parte it did wholy forsake the same And therefore we see that the Martirs when they went to suffer death shewed them selues verie courageous mearie and ioyefull as we reade of S. Agnes S. Agatha S. Laurence and of many others but our Sauiour beinge the verie fountaine of grace and of strēgthe through whose vertue the Martirs had such force and courage to be able to doe that which they did trēbled and sweated euen verie droppes of bloude when he wēt to suffer paynes and tormentes for vs. For in the martirs the vertue of charitie which redoūded into the inferior forces of the sowle caused them to haue verie great courage and ioye But in our Sauiour Christ both these and all other influences were by spetiall miracle suspended that so he might drincke the cuppe of his most bitter paines pure and without mixture of anie maner of ease or consolation The therde cause of his so grieuous paynes was the tendernes of his complexion For whereas his holie bodie was formed miraculously by the holie Ghost and the thinges that are done by miracle be more perfecte than those that be done by nature S. Chrisostome vpō S. Iohn 2. as S. Chrisostome declareth speakinge of the wyne which was turned into water at the mariage it followeth that our Sauiours bodie was the most best cōplexioned and most tender of all bodies that euer were or shal be insomuch as a holie father saiethe That if there had bene no externall violence done vnto our Sauiours bodie it woulde haue endured a verie great nomber of yeares by reason of the perfection and tendernes of the composition thereof And not onely the composition of his bodie but also the matter thereof was very tender forsomuch as the matter of