thou followest pride lust and other vices 3. They mocked him diuers waies as their wanton wickednes did prouoke them He is mocked vpon earth whose Maiestie the Angells in heauen adore But yet because God cannot be mocked doe thou shew thy selfe before him with all submission purity of heart 4. They saluted him saying haile King of the Iewes an excellent speach wherewith thou also maist salute the King of those Iewes which acknowledg their sins sing praises vnto God Blessed art thou if thou hast a King by whome thou maist be sweetly gouernd in this world after this life be made partaker of his Kingdome CoÌ„sider 2. that Christ by seeing and hearing those ignominies did cure all posterity froÌ„ the Serpents hissing into the eares of Eue and from the vanity of her eyes through the curiosity wherof shee infected our eyes Pray our Lord to conuert all these to the profite of thy soule And they spit vpon him and they tooke a reede Mat. 27. Mar. 15. Ioan. 19. and strooke his head with the reede and they gaue him blowes COnsider first 4. other kinds of mockings 1. They spit vpon him defiling in so vnworthy scurrile manner not only his face but his breast also his whole body Yea the body of him Who is the brightnes of glory and the substance of the Father Heb. 1. 1 Pet. 1 whome the Angels desire to behold 2. They take a reede faining to doe him seruice as though they would ease him being weary of the burtheÌ„ of his Scepter 3. They strike his head with the reede that the Thornes might bee deeper fastened into his head Marke how by these blowes the thornes pierced to the very Scull of his head fastned in the ioining of the bones were there brokeÌ„ 4 They gaue him blowes not with their bare hand but being armed against the pricking of the thorns Heer do thou admire together with his other vertues our Lords Charity Patience Meeknes Benignity aboue al his huÌ„ble obedieÌ„ce by which he yeilded himselfe to the will of his tormentors and being commanded to sit downe to lift vp his head to the Thornes to holde the Reede in his hand to expose his Face to blowes hee obeyed without delay Consider secondly that these Ethnicks though they offered many iniuryes to our Lord yet they neuer couered his face that Christ with the eies of his mercy might behold vs louingly and forsaking the Iewes might of Gentiles make vs Christians Thou learnest first not to couer the truth with new opinions nor to decline to Haeresie but openly to professe the true Faith how great a sinner soeuer thou beest Thou learnest secondly not to neglect thy coÌ„science when it pricketh and warneth thee of thy sinnes For the beginning of thy conuersion is when thy conscience reprooueth thee Pray vnto thy Lord that he neuer turne his face from thee that hee preserue thee in the true Faith and adorne thee with true vertues especially with humble and willing obedience that thou mayest faithfully obey thy betters not onely in light and easie thinges but also in great sharpe and difficult matters The 26. Meditation of Pilate his bringing foorth of our Lord to the People Pilate went foorth againe and said vnto them Ioan. 19 Behold I bring him forth vnto you that yee may know that I find no cause in him COnsider first that when Pilate thoght our Lord had beene so cruelly vsed that it would haue moued a stony heart to compassion then hee brought him foorth yet going himselfe a little before to prepare the hearts of the Iewes to pitty The wicked Iudge doth herein condemne himselfe when hee coÌ„fesseth him to bee innocent whome hee had handled so cruelly to please other men Consider secondly Behold I bring for it is a wonderfull thing that God who hath bestowed vpon men so many so great benefits should suffer so many wronges and wounds by meÌ„ Admire thine owne ingratitude God hath brought thee into this world adorned with all goodnes thou bringest him foorth and castest him out of thy heart shamefully misused with thy grieuous sinnes doest not suffer him to rest in thy house which thou hast filled with theft and other sinnes Doe thou rather bring him foorth to bee praysed and adored by the people First by preaching him his will to the people and then by thy good works expressing his holy life That thou mayest say with the Apostles Aâ—d now I doe not liue Galat. 6. but Christ liueth in mee And bringing him foorth let all men vnderstand that there is no cause to bee found in him why he should not be admitted by all men when as thou canst see nothing in him but signes of loue bloud shed for thee stripes and wounds so as it may be truly said of him Cernitur in toto corpore sculptus amor In all his members Loue ingrauen is Then Iesus went foorth carrying his thorny Crowne Ioan. 19. purple garment COnsider first howe thy Lord came forth amoÌ„gst the people Beholde a high place to which they ascended by twenty three marble steps which are kept till this day at Rome with great reuerence and before that a most spacious Court filled with many thousands of people who had assembled themselues out of all Iudaea against the feast of Pasch All these so soone as they espied our Lord coÌ„ming forth with Pilate came preasing nearer that they might better beholde this sadde and horrible spectacle Goe forth also yee Daughters of Ierusalem Cant. 3. and behold King Salomon in the diademe wherewith his Mother the Synagogue of the Iewes hath crowned him Goe theÌ„ also forth O my Soule behold the Diademe and the royall otnaments which thy sinnes haue set vpon thy God Marke attentiuely the whole body of thy peaceable King cruelly torn with his enemyes handes that he might gaine a most assured peace with God for thee for thy conscience Behold his Crowne wouen of boughes decked with thorns and droppes of bloud in liew of precious stones His hands and armes carry cords in stead of bracelets His necke and all his body is tyed with a rope in stead of a belt Chaine of gold The works of his apparrell is scars wounds His diuine CouÌ„tenance with fleame spittings bloud filth is as it were painted or masked and disguised Let these thinges moue horror in others coÌ„passion in thee Mark the words of Isaias Hee hath no beauty nor comelines wee saw him Isa 33 and he had no countenance That is hee looked not like a man and his countenance was as it were hidden looking downe wee esteemed him as a Leaper Doe thou reuerence this attire of thy Lord with the inward affection of thy heart in which hee fought against thy enemies got victory glory for thee For euen as thou esteemest those thinges keepest them carefully by which thy friend hath gotten riches honour for
Consider thirdly corrected or chastised I will let him goe Pilate thought to deliuer our Lord but corrected not because he deserued it but in fauour of the raging people that they might be satisfied with his stripes Thou seest first that the people could not be satisfied but with the bloud of Christ both because euill men are delighted onely in sinnes which drawe bloud from our Sauiour and also because iust men haue no sweetnes but through the bloud of our Lord nor any reioycing Galat. 6. but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Consider fourthly that Pilate intended a good work when he purposed to set Christ free but not pure but mingled with much euill to wit with beating and whipping Christ And thou doest imitate him as oft as thou attemptest any good thing mixed with sinne when thou giuest almes out of money euill gotten or goest to the Church that thou mayest seeme religious or doest any other thing not with a true intention Consider fiftly when Pilate thoght of the deliuering of our Lord after this manner then hee remembred a more milde way For he sawe the people assembled together that according to their custome one of the prisoners should be giuen vnto them whome they should choose out of many which the President should propound vnto them of what crime soeuer they were accused and that in remembrance of the people of Israell which about that time of Pasch were deliuered out of the bondage of Egypt When he remembred this Custome he resolued to name Christ alone whome he knewe to be well liked of many for his noble acts and hated onely of the Priestes and Pharisees with a Murderer a Captayne of the seditious and a hatefull man making no doubt but that they would choose Christ before that most wicked man Thou seest first that the Author of life is compared with a turbulent murtherer thou art angry if neuer so little be detracted from thy honor and tytles Thou seest secondly the holy custome of deliuering a prisoner in remembrance and fauour of the benefite of their deliuerie out of the bondage of Aegipt Thou being so often deliuered from the snares of the Deuill and from the bonds of sinne succour and helpe also thy neighbours in memorie of this benefite that by thy labour and help they may be freed from the bonds of their debtes sinnes miseries and of all other euils And as he was sitting in place of iudgement Mat. 27. his wife sent vnto him saying haue thou nothing to doe with that iust man for I haue suffered many things this day in my sleepe for him COnsider first when the people were sent away to deliberate whom they would choose Pilate sate in iudgement and receiued this message from his wife Hil. cā 33 In Mat. Chr. ho. 8 in Mat. Am. lib. 1 in Luc. Hierō in Mat. Augu. ser 121. de tē Ori. tract 35. in Mat Au. Epist ad Philip. Cip. se de Pasc Dō Gre. li. 33 Mor. c. 21 Rab. citatur in Cathena diui Thom. Ber. ser 1. de Pasc admonished either by her good Angell according to the opinion of Hilarius Chrisostome Ambrose Hierome Augustine and Origen or else by a wicked spirit who perceiuing his owne power by little and little to be weakened and that his iudgement was at hand and that the holy Fathers in Lymbo did exult for their speedy deliuerance indeuored to hinder the death of Christ according to the doctrine of Ignatius Ciprian Gregorie Rabanus and Bernard Thou learnest here the innocency of Christ witnessed by the very Angels either good or bad And if this vision came by the helpe of the deuill thou maist see the malice of men whome when the Deuill hath once incited to euil he cannot call backe from sinne For the malice of concupiscence and the force of sinne is so great that it cannot be taken away but by the help of God alone Therefore the Priestes which were prouoked by enuy were not warned but Pilate whom the disease of concupiscence had not yet stirred vp Labour thou with all thy strength to subdue the force of thy concupiscence Consider secondly the Epithetō of Christ that iust man for he is truely our Iustice perfectly iust in himselfe without sinne alwaies doing most iust workes by which he satisfied his Fathers wrath for vs and left an example for vs to imitate Consider thirdly haue thou nothing to doe with that iust man that is meddle not with his businesse let there be no dealings betweene thee and that iust man Learne that this iust man doth not appertain to wicked men and that onely good men are partakers of his iustice Doe thou pray this iust man to vouchsafe to admitte thee into his commerce and society that thy wares from his wares that is thy good workes from his merites may bring much profite to the saluation of thy soule But the chiefe priests elders stirred vp the multitude perswaded the people that they shold demaund Barrabas and destroy Iesus Mat. 27. and when the multitude were come vp Mar. 15 they began to pray Pilate that hee would doe as he did alwaies vnto them Luc. 23. And the President answering said to thē which of the two will ye haue dismissed Ioan. 18. They all cryed out together not him but Barrabas take away him and dismisse vnto vs Barabas And Pilate answering againe said to them What then shal I do with Iesus who is called Christ but they cryed out againe let him be crucified crucifie him crucifie him but Pilate said vnto them the third time for what euill hath this man done I finde no cause of death in him therefore I will correct him dismisse him but they vrged with many cryes desiring that he should be crucified and their voyces increased and they cryed more let him be crucified COnsider first that the people inclyning to Christ were ledd by the Priests to demaund Barabbas and to destroy Christ That thou maist knowe first that one speach of wicked men doth more hurt then many exhortations of Saints can profite For that which Christ had builded with great labour in three yeares is heere ouerthrown in a moment Beware therfore of the speach of euill men especially of heretiques whose words creepe like a canker Thou seest secondly that the authority of Superiours is of great force either to good or euill If therefore thou hast any of Christs sheep vnder thy charge vse thy authority to the glory of God Consider 2. the ingratitude of the people which esteemed so great a Benefactor lesse then a Theefe and chose him to the Crosse Thou learnest first to contemne the applause of the world which hath so cruell an end They cryed a little before Blessed is hee which commeth in the name of our Lord and now in other words Not this man but Let him be crucified Secondly thou seest the blinde iudgment of the world which contemning the highest good
thee so thou oughtest religiously to meditate worship and imbrace those spittings whips reproaches which haue brought aboundance of so great goods vnto thee For our Lord knoweth his owne attyre and he will more easily receiue thee comming in such garments then in worldly pompe and brauery And hee had rather haue thee to pray and worship him in this poor array then in all thy braue attyre Consider secondly that this sack of the body of Christ which came down from Heauen Ioan. 1 full of grace and truth is now opened and torne in all partes breathing out of his holy bowels a wonderfull sauour so sharpe that it driueth away Deuils Mat. 24. so peircing that it entreth into stony hearts and so sweete that it draweth the Eagles from all partes of the world For where the body shall bee Mat. 24. thither also will the Eagles be gathered Purge thou the nostrils of thy heart purge thou the filth of thy vices that being stirred vp with the sweetnes of the sauour of God Thou mayst runne into the sweet sauour of these oyntments Cant. 1 And pray vnto our Lord to drawe thee after him with his sweetnes to instill into thy heart the loue of his Passion that thou mayest contemne the world in respect therof And he said behold the man by this worde Pilate endeauoured to mooue some commiseration shewing first the bitternes of his punnishment as if hee had said knowe that hee is a man and not a beast if hee haue committed any fault he hath paid wel for it therfore ô meÌ„ take pitty vpon a man it is the part of beasts not to spare the conquered And again behold he is a man a most miserable man whom ye haue accused as King of the Iewes there is no cause why yee should be afraid of this King whome through the great deformity of his body cruell tormeÌ„ts yee can scarce knowe to be a man Doe thou apply these words profitably vnto thy selfe in this maÌ„ner 1. Behold the man he is set before thee to imitate in this habite in these gestures and in this shape of body and minde Abraham was proposed to our Auncestours for an example of life Isa 51 Marke the Rock saith Isaias out of which yee were cut Heere a man is proposed vnto thee of whom our Heauenly Father saith Heare him and the Sonne of God Learne yee of mee Mat. 27. for I am meeke and humble of heart Looke therefore not vpon other mens manners but vpon this mans vpon this face of Christ who although hee be God whose vertues and deedes thou canst not attayne vnto yet he is true man indued with the same frayle and humane nature like thee and other men Thy first Father Adam made thee of a man like to foolish Beastes Psal 84. If thou wilt returne to the auncient dignity of humane nature ioyne thyselfe with this man Secondly beholde the man to whome thou maist flye in all thy necessities these spittings are suffered for thee this bloud is shedd for thee and all these euills are indured for thy sake both that thou shouldest take away thy sinnes and cure thy wounds by these medicines and also that thou shouldest pay them to the eternall Father for thy infinite depts Thirdly behold the man marke what thy sinnes haue brought vnto this man thy pride hath caused these irrisions and this contempt thy couetousnesse this nakednes thy drunkennesse this effusion of bloud thy lust these thornes and thy sloath these bonds O man behold this man but who art thou and what is he thou a man like a worme he a man and God Oh how great glory is due vnto him and how much shame vnto thee yet what is he become for thy sake and what sufferest or doest thou for him Psal 21 he is made a worme and no man a scorne of men and an abiect of the people And this because he would carry thee vp to God But thou being carefull of nothing lesse then of exalting his glory applyest thy selfe about thine own honor wealth and commoditie The 27. Meditation of the third accusation of our Lord before Pilate Ioan. 16 Then wheÌ„ the high Priests and the Ministers sawe him they cryed saying crucifie him crucifie him COnsider first the people holding their peace and inclyning to coÌ„miseration the Priestes and their ministers and flatterers were not pacified That thou maist knowe first that no man is moued more hardly to repent his sinnes then he which sinneth of set purpose and malice For they which fall thorough weakenesse and ignorance are sooner recalled and deserue pardon but they which wittingly and willingly are euill are rather hardned indurate theÌ„ any way ameÌ„ded by admonitions 2. That the enimies of Christ and of his Church are neuer the better for being vsed geÌ„tly curteously For these kind of meÌ„ are to be subdued by thretnings terrors constancy not by sufferance Consider 2. That euen as these wicked men did vpon the sight of the bloud of Christ thirst after his death like dogges vpon the sight of the bloud of a wilde Beast So thou oughtest to be inflamed with the loue of the passion of our Lord by the contemplation of his paines Psal 38. that the fire of Deuotion may be inkindled in thy meditations Consider thirdly how the words of these wicked people did pierce the bowells of thy Lord crucifie him crucifie him of which he foretold in the Prophet I haue left my house I haue put away my inheritance Hiere 12 I haue giuen my beloued soule into the hands of her enemies my inheritance is made vnto me like a Lyon in the woâ—d Sâ—ffer with thy Lord and lament thy sinnes which continually send foorth the same cryes and are bloud-suckers instantly crying Pro. 30 Bring Bring Pilate said vnto them take yee him and crucifie him Ioan. 19. for I finde no cause in him COnsider first that Pilate being moued with disdaine answered somewhat sharply vnto the Iewes Admire thou thy own coldnesse who art a Christian knowest the dignity of Christ and the greatnesse of his paines and doest confesse that thou wert the cause thereof and yet art not moued neither with commiseration towards Christ nor with disdaine against thy selfe Learne iustly to be angry at them which goe about to incite thee and others vnto sinne that is to say at the Deuill and his ministers Say vnto him if thou wilt offend the goodnesse of God I finde no cause in him but of loue reuerence and thankesgiuing Consider 2. Though Pilate was loath to pronounce the senteÌ„ce of death aganst our Lord yet he did not hinder his death but wold put it ouer to other meÌ„ WhoÌ„ thou doest imitate as often as thou leauest to the will of others that mischife which thou thy selfe darest not coÌ„mit Consider 3. That this wicked PresideÌ„t after all this grieuous punishment found no cause in him either of
Christ But Iesus said COnsider first what thy Lord in these great paines of the Crosse did doe say or thinke when as amongst all those torments he found no comfort neither outwardly by men nor inwardly in his owne soule Yf he moued his body the woundes of the nayles tormented him if his head the thorns ranne in deeper and pricked him if he stirred not at all his torment was intollerable ouer his whole wearied body Thinke thou yppon these things in all thy labours and afflictions which thou sufferest for thy Lord. Hee reproued no man although he were slaundered diuers wayes But because the mouth speaketh from the aboundance of the hart his wordes euen vppon the Crosse were directed to thy profite and saluation and doe declare most manyfestly that he prayed to his Father incessantly for thee when by reason of his torments he was not able to vtter one word Consider secondly his swan-like song and note the last words of thy Lord which he spake to thee at the poynt of death For euen as the voyce of the Serpent hyssing out of the Tree of the knowledge of good and euill instilled the poyson of sinne so the last wordes of Christ from the Tree of the Crosse were very effectuall for our saluation and full of burning feruour as proceeding from the depth of infinite charitie Hee spake with a loud voyce and weeping teares with great affectiō and deepe sighes in fewe words but with many teares mixed with bloud streaming downe from his head His teares watered his prayers Heb. 5 and his bloud adorned them his eyes pierced his Fathers eares his sighes moued his heart Doe thou listen to these wordes marke them diligently and gather the fruite thereof For by these seauen wordes the wordes and formes of the seauen Sacraments are sanctified the seauen guiftes of the holy Ghost are obtained and the seauen deadly sinnes are driuen away Consider thirdly but Iesus said First whilst the Iewes were busie in crucifying tormenting mocking him Iesus as if he had not marked these thinges yea rather that he migh render good for euill said Secondly hee who hetherto in his owne cause to the admiration of all men held his peace and could not be brought to speake but being adiudged and had also abstayned from the most iust defence of himselfe now in the middest of his torments is not silent in thy most vniust cause but being not intreated intreateth yea and intreateth with most effectuall wordes Iesus said who the Sonne of God To whome to God the Father Where vpon the Crosse When being ready to dye and his vitall spirits being spent How not sitting nor lying easily but vpright vpon his feete with his hands lift vp and spread abroad like Moses in former times Ezo 17. and all bleeding For whome for sinners who were carelesse of their owne saluation for Christ and his frtends pray for sinners Heb. 5. before sinners pray for themselues What he craueth mercy offring his prayers and supplications appealing from this cruell sentence of the Iewes his bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children to a better sentence and full of mercy and desiring that this cruell sentence might be made frustrate Before whome openly in the hearing of his enemies to teach them mercy sweetnesse and in the presence of his Mother and of his friends both because they should bee witnesses of his pardoning them also that they should neuer pray for the reuenge of this sinne O excellent speach of highest merite and worthy to be imitated by all men full of labour charity mercy and piety Haue confidence then in Christ and pray him who by speaking first for sinners before he spake for his Mother left to vs a testimonye how much he esteemeth the saluation of sinners that hee will vouchsafe to haue continuall care of thee now in Heauen Luc. 23 Father forgiue them PAuse vpon euery word Father he doth not say Lord which is a name of seuerity and iustice but Father which is a name of mercy and of the newe Testamēt giuen vnto vs in this place by the bloud merites of Christ that euen as he would be our Brother so we should haue all one father in Heauen He saith therefore O Father knowe me thy Sonne the Father will denye nothing to his sonne I came into the world to this end that thou shouldest receiue thine enemies for thy children Heare me then praying for them For euen as the prayers of the Priestes in the Church shall hereafter be very effectuall which shall conclude in my name in these wordes through Christ our Lord so I doe now pray vnto thee my Father thorough me thy onely begotten Sonne Therefore as thou louest mee thy Son so receiue these my prayers For I ascended this crosse haue suffred all these stripes that I might obtaine mercy and pardon for them If therefore thou doest reiect the prayers of thy sonne and not hear thy sonne thou shalt impose a greater torment on mee then the Crosse it selfe which I suffer that I might take away a greater euill that is that I might turne away thy wrath from them Spare therfore the great dolors of thy Son least he seeme to haue indured them in vaine Thou giuest reward to others labours I desire onely this reward for my paines that thou wilt forgiue these men Forgiue heer our Lord doth the office of a Priest for he prayeth for the sinnes of the people and he cryeth Heb. 5. not only as a Priest but as a sacrifice desiring not a free pardon but offering a full satisfaction His wounds crye his bloud cryeth his spittings his paines and all his members crye Forgiue accept of these torments for their sinnes I haue paied their debtes I giue my bloud for the pryce my paines for the ransom my life in satisfaction my body soule for a sacrifice Be thou therfore merciful for this is a copious redemption A hard thing is required to wit that the Father should forget the death of his onely begotten Sonne and of such and so gteat a Sonne but the Sonne beggeth and hee beggeth with his bloud Secondly hee asketh it not conditionally as he praied for himselfe in the Garden If it bee possible if thou wilt if it may bee done but absolutely Forgiue Both that thou mayest learne to pray to God for pardon of thy sinnes and for his diuine grace without any cōdition because that hath alwayes relation to Gods honour And also that thou shouldest freely forgiue thy neighbours faultes without any condition Thirdly hee prayeth to haue them forgiuē presently and not to bee deferred till after his death For hee would not leaue this life till peace was made with God Parents when they are dying doe often leaue vnto their children small store of goods and those intangled with many difficulties charges debts and contentions But Christ before his death payed all debts with his owne bloud took away all difficulties and charges
naturall affectiō First that he is forsaken through no demerite of his owne Are saith he the words of my offences far from my saluation that is Psal 21. doe my sinnes hinder my saluation and thy helpe but I haue committed no sinne Secondly of the vnworthines of the cause that thou mightest saith hee redeeme a poor seruant thou hast deliuered thy Sonne to his enemies Hast thou forsaken hee sheweth that hee receiued no helpe nor comfort from the vnion of his Diuinity and that all the time of his Passion hee was left as man to his owne power Hee sayeth not doest thou forsake but hast thou forsaken not onely in this passion but in all my life thou hast not assisted mee in my labours Amongst the Prophets many thinges were spoken hereof Psal 87 I am poore in labors from my youth An vnworthy thing I haue a rich Father but hee giueth his riches plentifully amongst wicked men For of thy hidden thinges Psal 16. that is of riches which vse to bee hidden Their belly is filled but I thy Sonne am left in the meane time poore and beggerly from my child-hood am inforced to great labours Thou hast remoued farre from mee my friend and my neighbour who might comfort mee in my troubles Thy fury is setled ouer me Psal 87 and thou hast brought all thy floods vpon mee thou hast oppressed and drowned mee in calamities Mee thy Sonne whome thou hast begotten frō all eternity whom aboue all creatures thou oughtest to holde most deare In these thinges beholde the iust cause of complaint in Christ together with the most ardent loue of his Father towards thee who because hee would heare thy complaint refused to heare the cōplaints of his Son whom hee would haue not onely to knowe but also really to feele affliction and misery both that hee might take compassion vpon thy infirmityes and also bestow on thee the guift of knowledge how to vse all things to thine owne saluation Mat. 27. Mar. 15 But some standing there and hearing said Beholde this man calleth Helias COnsider first that the Romane Soldiours according to St. Hierome being ignorant of the Hebrue tongue for Eli is Hebrue and Lammasabactani Syriack and hauing heard many times among the Iewes with whome they cōuersed mention made of Helias were deceiued by the meer sound of the words and thought that our Lord had called vpon Elias Learne thou not to vse nor interpret rashly the wordes of God which thou vnderstandest not Consider secondly that all those three houres of the eclipse euery man stood amazed without motion and without speach but assoone as the light returned the wicked also returned to their irrisions that thou mayest learne First that the impiety of wicked men may bee restrained for a time but cannot be quite taken away without the speciall fauour of God Secondly to obserue diligently and feare the miracles and thratenings of God For euen as God by this darknes did foreshew vnto the Iewes the iminent darknes wherin for euer they shall remaine except they repent so by his threatning signes by comets thunder earthquakes pestilence famine and other strange thinges and euents he foresheweth the calamity and mischiefe to come Consider thirdly whereas heretofore the Iewes required a signe to bee giuen them from Heauen heere they hauing a signe are made neuer the better That thou mayest knowe that they would not haue beleeued as they promised if hee should discend from the Crosse because the desires of the wicked are not directed to their saluation but to vanity and mocking Consider fourthly what comfort is brought frō the world to wit mocking and contempt for how can they comfort others which want true comfort of minde themselues Consider fiftly that these wordes were spoken by them which stood by and heard that thou mayest learne First the idle men which are not occupied in their own affaires doe nothing but carp and scoffe at the wordes and deedes of others Secondly that such wrest Gods wordes to an euill sence which onely heare them and doe not imploy their time to the study of vertue Consider sixtly that the wicked knowe no difference betweene Helias Eli and the honour which is due vnto God and which is due vnto creatures Therefore some leauing God seeke help of his creatures to which they vse to flye in all their necessities others giue more honor to men then to God himselfe others thinke those thinges to bee done to creatures which by them are referred vnto God as the reuerence worship done to Images Saints obediēce to their Pastors c. But doe thou better interpret the wordes of Christ pray him to informe thy soule with his diuine guift of knowledg The 41. Meditation of the fift worde of Christ on the Crosse Afterwards Iesus knowing that all thinges were now consummate Ioan. 19. that the Scripture might bee fulfilled hee saide I thirst COnsider first that our Lord in all these torments of the Crosse did neuerthelesse in his minde reuolue the Scriptures and diligently view them all least perhaps there might bee somthing in them vnfulfilled for thy saluation that thou likewise being alwayes attentiue to the will of God and to the cōmandements of thy Superiours mayst neuer ouer-flip any thing belonging to thy office duty Consider secondly that Christ neuer spake nor did any thing rashly but referred all thinges to this end that the Scripture might bee fulfilled Blessed art thou if thou doest nothing but of obedience which giueth a great ornament to the dooer and deserueth an admirable recompence for the worke Consider thirdly that this thirst was most grieuous which the kingly prophet Dauid foresawe so many ages before which grewe both from the labours and torments of the Crosse and frō the continuall streams of bloud and from his fasting all the day and night before Mark the wordes of the Psalmist Psal 21. My strength is dryed like an earthen pott and my tongue hath cleaued vnto my iawes and thou hast brought mee into the dust of death that is thou hast made mee like to dry ashes Consider fourthly why the Scriptures that spake of this thirst were fulfilled last after all the rest to wit First that the first sinne cōmitted in the wood by intemperāce which infected all mankinde might as the greatest prouoker of all the rest be last of all washed away and abolished vpon the wood of the Crosse Secondly because this thirst proceeced from the decaying of his strength and from the losse of all naturall moisture that our Lord might declare vnto vs that hee had with a liberall hand bestowed all his benefits vpon vs. Consider fiftly why being inwrapped compassed with so many torments paines on euery side he complained onely of thirst First to show that he did truly and sharply feele the torments of the Crosse for Christ vseth not to complaine lightly but onely in matter of great moment Secondly to commend
but in another mans Sepulcher Sixtly In a place hard by both because no man should say hee was stollen away if the place had beene farre off and also because both aliue and dead our Lord would not bee far from his seruants but alwaies remaine amongst his people Seauenthly In the Sepulcher of a iust man both because hee dyed that hee might indue vs with Iustice and also because no man ought to receiue him in the holy Communion but a iust man Consider thirdly that the womeÌ„ rested the next day and ceased from their worke and duty by reason of the Commandement whereby the vertue of obedience is commended vnto vs which teacheth vs that for God euen the seruice of God somtimes is to bee omitted that is that many workes of deuotion and Heauenly comforts are to bee pretermitted when the Superiour so coÌ„maundeth Pray thou our Lord that hee who exercised obedience euen till his death will graunt thee the perfection of that vertue The 50. Meditation of the keeping of the Sepulcher And the next day which is after the Parasceue the chiefe Priests the Pharises came together to Pilate saying Maister wee remember that this seducer saide whilest he liued after three dayes I will rise againe Commaund therefore that the Sepulcher may bee kept till the third day Mat. 27. least perhaps his Disciples come and steale him away and say to the people hee is risen from death and the last error will bee worse then the first COnsider first what the care of these men was vpon the Sabaoth and vpon this Sabaoth also being the solemnitie of their Pasch to wit to obscure the glory of Christ and that day wherein they should speake with God they spend in busines with a prophane man whome thou doest often imitate spending thy time in worldly busines when either the Sacraments ought to bee handled or some other thing to bee done with God Consider secondly that the Sabaoth is not named the next day after the Parasceue First because the true solemnity of the Saboath and of the Pasch was to bee transferred to the next day by the new resurrection of Christ Secondly because holy dayes being prophaned by sinne are not feastiuall profitable to sinners but rather hurtful prophane Theoph. in Mat. 27. Consider 3. Maister they which refused the Messias for their Lord and Maister are worthily compelled to accept a vile Idolater for their Maister For the Deuill and the world shall rule ouer him ouer whom Christ ruleth not Consider fourthly that Christ was called by the wicked a seducer For the Deuill euen at this day indeauoreth by his seruants to perswade that Christ is a Seducer and that they are seduced to errors and wickednes whom Christ doth either conuert to the true faith or exhort to a better kinde of life whereas Christ doth seduce no man but leadeth them from the wide way of Hell to the straite and narrowe pathe of eternall life Consider fiftly that the wicked feared Christ being dead how much more then ought he to be feared being liuing and comming with Maiestie to iudge the quicke and the dead Heere thou feest two kindes of the feare of God one in the Centurion and the rest which went away striking their breasts and for feare of future euils thinking of the amendment of their liues the other of wicked men who labor to infringe the councells of God and this feare is proper to the deuill and to all the enemies of God Consider sixtly that the great care and diligence of these wicked men did much increase the glory of Christ For by this diligent carefulnes of them the rumor of the foresaid resurrection of Christ was the more published and caused veâ—y many to hope and expect the same and also tooke away all suspition of stealing him away seeing there was with such diligence a company of souldiers appointed to watch him Consider seauenthly that they feared least the Disciples of Christ should steale away his bodie Doe thou receiue it openly for it is giuen to thee borne for thee and crucified for thee and pray our Lord neither to depart from thee himselfe nor to suffer any creature els to take him from thee Pilate said to them ye haue a guard goe and keepe him as ye knowe COnsider first that Pilate who had once consented with the Iewes to the death of Christ did now assigne them a guard to wit the Garrison soldiours appointed for the watching of the Cittie For whosoeuer doth once yeild to the will of the wicked shall hardly withdraw himselfe after from their will and importunity wherof they haue experience who intangle themselues with the vnlawfull loue of women and the Deuill also hauing once got the vpper hand bringeth men into miserable bondage Consider secondly that Pilate who before had diligently defended the cause of Christ doth now conspire with the Iewes against the glorie of Christ Goe saith he keepe him as ye knowe that is be diligent in watching him for a man doth so easily fall out of one sinne into another that he also becommeth an author and prouoker of sin in others Consider thirdly that Pilate when he heard mention made of his resurrection waxed afraid both of the inconstant people and also of Caesar without whose commaundement he had condemned an innocent man to death For this is the fruite of sinne that it bringeth feare care and disquiet of minde Therefore doe thou auoide sinne and with a secure and quiet Conscience be thankfull vnto God And they going away garded the Sepulcher Mat. 27. marking the stone with Watchman COnsider first the diligent watching of the Sepulcher For First they marked the stone with a seale least the Souldiers should vse any subtiltie or deceipt Secondly they appointed a Garde that is a sufficient number of Soldiours both because the fauourers of Christ should be able to offer no violence and also least a fewe might fall asleepe and in the meane time be stolen away Consider secondly that Christ permitted them to vse all this diligence and industrie that his resurrection might be more published and knowne being proued euen by the testimony of his enemies Thou seest first that there is an admirable treasure of goods hidden in Christs Sepulchre which by all meanes thou oughtest to endeauour to keepe Secondly that thy heart in which our Lord doth rest ought to bee kept most carefully Thirdly that thou needest not to feare the wicked who by their persecutions do nothing else but keepe and watch the hidden treasure of thy soule least by any vanity or pride it should bee stollen from thee Consider thirdly that the markes of the wicked are nothing but impure spots whereby they labour to infect and pollute the cleane creatures of God Doe thou mark thy heart with Christ his seale and pray him to guard and preserue thee with his Angels in his true faith and seruice which Almighty God grant vnto mee also through thy intercessions and Prayers Laus Christo Virginique Matri Ad maiorem Dei gloriam FINIS