ponnished with whippes and scourges Certainlie I doe beleue that all the orders of angells were wholie amased and astonished when they behelde this so strange and wonderfull sight and that they adored and acknowledged the vnspekeable goodnes of almightie God which was verie manifestlie discouered vnto them in this acte Luc. 2. Wherefore if they filled the aier with highe lawdes and praises vpon the daie of his natiuitie when as yet they had seene nothinge els but onelie the swadlinge clowtes and the manger where he was layde What did they now trow ye when they behelde him so villainouslie ād most cruellie whipped and scourged at the pillar Consider thou therefore o my sowle vnto whom this busines apperteyneth much more than to the angelles Consider I saye how much more oughtest thou to be inwardly moued in thy verie hart with this so wonderfull and most pietifull dolefull sight of thy sweite sauiour and to acknowledge vnto him much more humble thanckes and prayses for his so passinge great loue shewed hereby vnto thee Goe now therefore and enter with thy spirite into Pilates concistorie and carrie with thee great store of teares in a readines which in that place shal be verie nedefull to bewaile such thinges as there thou shalt both heare and see Consider on the one side with what rudenes those cruell and blouddie tormentors doe strippe our Sauiour of his garmentes and see on th' other syde with what humilitie he suffereth himselfe to be stripped by them neuer so much as once openinge his mowthe or answeringe one worde to so manie despitefull scoffes and blasphemous speaches as they vttered there against him Consider also what hast they make to bynde that holie bodie to a pillar that beinge fast bounde they might fetche theire full strookes more at pleasure and stryke him where and how they list Consider how the Lorde of angelles standeth there post alone emonge so manie cruell tormentors hauinge on his parte neither frynde nor acquaintance to entreate or defende him from iniurie no not so muche as eies to take compassion vpon him Marcke now with what furious crueltie they beginne to discharge theire whippes and scourges vpon his most tender fleshe and how they laie on lasshes vpon lasshes strookes vpon strookes and woundes vpon woundes There mightest thou see that sacred bodie swollen with wheales all blacke and blewe the skinne rented and torne the blowde gusshinge out and streaminge downe on euerie side throwghout all partes of his bodie But aboue all this what a pittiefull sight was it to beholde that so greate and deepe open wounde that was geuen him vpon the shoulders where chieflie all theire lashes and strookes did light Verelie I am perswaded that that wounde was so large and deepe that if they had laid on a little longer they had discouered the white bones betwene the blouddie fleshe and made an ende of his holie life at the pillar before he had come to the Crosse To be short they so strooke and rente that most amyable and bewtifull bodie they so boude him and laid on such loode of strypes and lasshes vpon him they so tormented and filled his blessed bodie with most cruell strookes and woundes that he had now cleane lost the forme ād shape he had before yea and to saie further they so fowlie disfigured him that he scarselye seemed to haue the shape of a man Consider now o my soule in what a dolefull plight that goodlie and bashefull yonge man stoode there beinge as he was in that pittiefull case so euill intreated so reprochefullie vsed and set out so nakedlie to the vtter shame of the worlde Beholde how that most tender and bewtifull fleshe yea euen the flower of all fleshe is there most cruellie rente and torne in all partes of it The lawe of Moyses cōmaunded that malefactors shoulde be beaten with whippes Deut. 25 and that accordinge to the qualitie of theire offences so shoulde the nomber of the lasshes be Howbeit with this condition that they shoulde neuer passe fowertie lasshes to the ende saieth the lawe that thy brother fall not downe before thee fowlie torne and mangled seeminge to the lawe maker that to exceede this nōber was a kinde of punishement so cruell that it coulde not stande with the lawes of brotherlie loue But against thee o good Iesus that diddest neuer breake the lawe of iustice were broken all the lawes of mercie yea and that in such sorte that in steede of fowertie lasshes they gaue thee fiue thowsande and aboue as manie holie fathers do testifie If then a bodie woulde seeme so fowlie beraied beinge scourged not passinge with fowertie strypes in what plight was thy bodie my sweete Lorde and sauiour beinge scourged with aboue fiue thowsande strypes O ioye of the angelles and glorie of the sainctes who hath thus disfigured thee Who hath thus defiled thee with so manie spottes beinge the verie glasse of innocencie The loue and mercie of our Sauiour towardes vs moued him to suffer suche cruell paynes Certaine it is o Lorde that they were not thy sinnes but myne not thy robberies but myne that haue thus euill intreated thee It was euen loue and mercie that compassed thee abowte and caused thee to take vpon thee this so heauie a burden Loue was the cause why thou diddest bestowe vpon me all thy benefittes and mercie moued thee to take vpon thee all my miseries Wherefore if loue and mercie haue caused thee to enter into these so cruell and terrible conflictes Who can now stande in dowte of thy loue If the greatest testimonie of loue be to suffer paines for the beloued what els are each one of thy paines but a seuerall testimonie of thy loue What ' els are all these woundes of thyne but as it were certeine heauenlie voyces Eche one of our sauiours paynes be a seuerall testimonie of his loue towardes vs. that doe all preache and proclaime vnto me thy loue all require me to loue thee againe And if the testimonies be so manie as the strypes and blowes were that thou sufferedst for my sake who can then put anie dowte in the proofe beinge as it is so playnelie auowched ād proued by so manie witnesses What meaneth then this incredulitie of myne that is not yet conuinced with so manifolde and so great argumentes S. Iohn the Euangelist wondered at the incredulitie of the Iewes Ioan. 12. for that our Lorde wrowght so manye miracles emonge them for confirmation of his doctrine and they neuerthelesse woulde not beleue in him O holie Euangeliste wonder no more at the incredulitie of the Iewes but rather at myne Forsomuch as to suffer paines is no lesse argument to cause me to beleue the loue of Christe than is the worckinge of miracles to cause me to beleue in Christe If then it be a greate wonder that after so manie miracles wrowghte by our sauiour Christe his wordes are not yet beleued how muche more wonderfull is it that hauinge suffered for our
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
had bene no sinne to be the meane and occasion of his sufferinge it had not bene neidfull for him to haue suffered as he did It is not agreed emonge the learned diuines whether the sonne of God shoulde haue bene incarnate Summa S. Thomae 3. q. 1. artic 2. 3. quaest 46. artic 1. 2. If man had not sinned Christe had not suffered anie paines or deathe in case man had not sinned for some doe affirme it and some doe denie it but this is holden for a most certaine treuthe that in case man had not sinned the sonne of God shoulde not haue died Whereby it appeareth that our sinnes were the verie cause that moued him to suffer all these miseries and that our sinnes were they that threwe him into this prison and that our sinnes were they that nayled him vpon the crosse And thinke not because they were not thy sinnes alone which were the cause hereof that thou art therefore worthy of the lesse punishemente for accordinge to the lawes of iustice he deserueth no lesse punishemente that killeth an innocente beinge accompanied with manie in committinge the facte than if he alone had killed him So that by this rule thou feest what great reason thou hast to moue thee to abhorre thy sinnes and to be earnestly sorie for them by callinge to minde that they were the tormentours which in verie deede crucified the sonne of almightie God and caused him to suffer so great paines and tormentes This is a greater cause to moue a man to abhorre sinne and to be sorie for the same than all other losses and miseries that ensewe of sinne yea althoughe we shoulde recken emonge our losses the depriuation of the euerlastinge glorie and felicitie which is lost by a deadlie sinne and the euerlastinge horrible paynes which be purchased by the same Now acordinge vnto this doctrine when thou shalt be occupied in meditatinge vpon the holie passion and shalt see how the enemies doe apprehende our Sauiour and how they accuse him and buffette him and how they spette vpon him and whippe him c. thinke for certaine that thou art in verie deede in companie with them and that thou hast ioyned with them in this conspiracie against our Sauiour So that thou mayst treulie saie that thy sinnes doe accuse him that thy dissolute behaueour bindeth him that thy anger and mallice whippeth him that thy presumption and rashenes buffeteth him that thy pride crowneth him with thornes that thy fonde braueries and vanities doe clothe him with purple that thy pleasures and delightes geue him to drincke galle and vineger and to be shorte that thy disobedience nayleth his handes and feete vpon the crosse Forsomuch as the paines which thou deseruest by these thy sinnes he vowchsaffed of his infinite charitie to suffer for thee For it is certaine that the tormentors shoulde neuer haue had power to tormente him as they did in case thy sinnes had not geuen them force and strengthe to doe the same This is one verie profitable waie of meditatinge vpon the holie passion for all kinde of persons but it is much more requisite for such as doe but newlie beginne to enter into the seruice of almightie God and doe endeuour to cleanse the sinnes of their former dissolute lyfe with the holic exercises of Penance Of the passing great benefite of our Redemption § III. THERDLY we ought to consider in the holie passion the greatnes of the benefite which our Sauiour hath done vnto vs in redeeminge vs by this meane And althoughe there be infinite thinges to be saide in this matter yet at this presente I will doe no more but onely note breifly three principall pointes which are to be considered in this most excellent benefite of our Redemption Firste what our Sauiour hath bestowed vpon vs by the same redemption Secondlie what meane he vsed in geuinge it vnto vs. And therdlie with what passinge great loue he gaue it vnto vs. How passinge great that is which our Sauiour hath bestowed vpon vs by this benefite of our redemption there is no tonge able to expresse Howbeit we maie conceiue somewhat thereof by two waies The first waye is by consideringe all the euills and miseries whereinto mankinde incurred throughe the sinne of the first man Adam for all these miseries were sufficientlie remedied by our Sauiour Iesus Christe who bestowed vpon vs all such benefites as were contrary vnto these miseries forsomuch as it is euident that he was geuen vnto vs to be a vniuersall reparer of all the euilles and miseries of the worlde Now he that were able to recken how manie the miseries are whereinto the worlde hath fallen by the sinne of the first man Adam might also vnderstande how many the benefites are that came vnto vs by the seconde Adam to witt by our Sauiour Christe which benefites be vndoutedlie innumerable The seconde waie is by consideringe not all the miseries which our first father Adam brought vnto vs but all the benefites which came vnto vs by our Sauiour Christe Forsomuch as we are made partakers of all those benefittes by meanes of communicatinge his spirite vnto vs For all such as are made partakers of the spirite of Christe are made partakers also of the vertues and merites of Christe Wherefore the Apostle saithe Galat. 3.27 that all such as haue receiued the Sacramente of Baptisme haue put on Christe Geuinge vs thereby to vnderstande that they all are made partakers of Christe and are adorned with his vertues and merites and that so beinge clothed with this liuerey they seeme in the sighte of the heauenly father to be such after a sorte in their degree as his owne verie sonne seemeth before him And therefore for good cause dothe Ecclesiasticus alledge this wonderfull title of the sonne of God in his praier Eccl. 36.14 sayeinge haue mercie ô Lorde vpō thy people Israell whom thou hast made equal and like to thy firste begotten sonne What dignitie what glorie can be greater than this Now accordinge hereunto he that coulde recken how many the vertues and merites of our Sauiour Christe haue bene might likewise vnderstande how manie the benefites haue bene that are come vnto vs by him Forsomuch as we are made partakers of them all by the meane of his passion To conclude by him is geuen vnto vs remission of our sinnes grace glorie libertie peace saluation redemption sanctification iustice satisfaction sacramentes merites doctrine and all other thinges which he had and were behouefull for our saluation And by reason of this his so bountiefull communicatinge he is called in the holie Scriptures the father the bridegroome and the vniuersall head of the Catholike Churche because whatsoeuer the father hath appertaineth to his children and whatsoeuer the bridegrome hath he imparteth to his spowse and whatsoeuer the head hath the members are made partakers of the same These are the benefites which our Sauiour Christe hath bestowed vpon vs. But by what meane hath he
abilitie to doe the same Some can goe others can swyme others can flie to be short each one of them is able without anie instructor to seeke for such thinges as it hath need of onely man knoweth nothinge neither is he able to doe anie thinge but must of necessitie be caried in other folkes armes How longe time is it before he can learne to goe And yet he must beginne to crawle vpon all fowre feete before he can goe vpon two How longe tyme is it before he can speake so muche as one worde And not onely before he can speake but also before he can tell how to put meate into his owne mowth vnles some others doe helpe him One thinge onely I must confesse he can doe of him selfe that is he can crie and weepe This is the first thinge he doethe A man weepethe so soone as he is borne into this worlde but he laugheth not vntill fourtye dayes after his byrthe and this is the thinge onely he can doe without anie teacher And although he can also laughe of him selfe yet can he not doe it before he be fowrtie daies olde notwithstandinge that he is euer more weepinge from the first hower of his comminge into this worlde Whereby thou mayest vnderstande how farre more prompt and readie our nature is to pewlinge and weepinge than to ioye and mirthe O mere follye and madnes of men saieth a Wise man who of so poore naked and base beginninge doe perswade themselues that they are borne to be prowde Now as concerninge the verie bodie of man Of the bodye of mā whereof men esteime them selues so muche and take suche a vaine conceite I woulde thou shouldest consider with indifferent eies what our bodies are in verie deede how gaye and beawtifull soeuer they appeare to our outwarde sighte Tell me I praie thee what other thinge is the body of a man but onely a corrupt and teynted vessell which incontinentlie sowreth and corrupteth what soeuer lycour is powred into it What other thinge is mans bodie but onely a filthie donghill couered ouer with snowe which outwardlie appeareth white and within is full of filth and vncleannes What muckhill is so filthie What sincke auoideth out of it such filthie geare through all his channells as a mans bodie doth by seuerall meanes and waies The trees the hearbes yea and certaine liuinge beastes also do yeelde out of them verye sweete and pleasaunte sauours but man yeeldeth and auoydeth from him such lothsome and fowle stynckinge stuffe as he seemeth trewlie none other thinge but onely a fountaine of all sluttishnes and filthines It is written of a great wise philosopher called Plotinus Plotinus that he was ashamed of the condition and basenes of his bodie insomuch as he was verie vnwillinge to heare anie talke of his lignage and pedegree neither coulde he euer be induced with anie perswasions to giue his consent that anie man shoulde purtraite him out in picture sayeinge that it was sufficient that he him selfe caried with him all the daies of his lyfe a thinge so filthie and so vnworthie of the noblenes of his soule although he were not bownde to leaue behinde him a perpetuall remembrance of his owne dishonour It is written also of the holie Abbot Isidorus Isidorus that vpon a time whilest he was at meate he was not able to refraine from weepinge and beinge demaunded why he wepte he answered I weepe because I am ashamed to be here feedinge vpon the corruptible meate of beastes whereas I was created to be in the companie of Angels and to feed vpon heauenly foode with them Of the myseries and conditions of this lyfe and first of the shortnes of the same § II. AFTER this consider the great and manifolde miseries of mans lyfe and espetially these seuen to witt How shorte this lyfe is Hou vncertain Hou fraile Hou inconstant How deceitfull and finally how miserable it is This done thinke vpon the ende thereof which is deathe Of the shortenes of our lyfe Iob. 1.14 Consider then first of the shortnes of our lyfe which thinge the holie man Iob considered when he saied O Lorde the daies of man are verie shorte and thou knowest the nomber of the monethes that he hath to liue We see at this daie what a great matter it is for one to liue three score and tenne or foure score yeares and this is commōly the ordinarie rate of mās lyfe Insomuch as when they liue so longe they accompt them selues not to be euill delt withall As the Prophet signifieth when he saieth Psal 89. The daies of mā are at the vttermost but threescore and tenne yeares and if the strongest do reach to fourescore all that that followeth is but labour and greiffe Now if thou wilt deuyde this accōpte into partes and not recken it thus in a grosse somme it seemeth vnto me The tym◠of infancye that thou canst not well recken the tyme of our infancie for anie part of our lyfe and much lesse the time that is consumed in sleepe because the lyfe of infancie when we are not as yet come to the vse of reason which onely shewethe vs to be men can not well be called the lyfe of men but rather the lyfe of beastes euen as it were the lyfe of a yonge goate that goeth here and there skippinge and leapinge espetiallie bycause we see that in al that age there is nothinge either learned or done The tyme consumed in sleepe that maie well beseeme the dignitie of a man Now as towchinge the time that is spent in sleepe I see not how it maye be called the time of lyfe seinge the principall parte of our life is to haue the vse of our senses and reason which as then both the one and the other are suspended in vs and as it were deade And therefore a certayne Philosopher saied that in the halfe of a mans lyfe there is no difference betwene the happie man and vnhappie forsomuch as duringe the tyme of sleepe all men are equall because they be then as is were deade It is cleare that if a kinge shoulde be detained as a prisoner for the space of one or two yeares we can not saie and saie trulie that he raigned duringe that time seinge he enioyed not the kingdome nor gouerned the same lyke a kinge How then can it be saied that a man liueth whiles he sleepeth seinge duringe that time the Seignorie and vse of his reason yea and of his senses also by which he liueth stande as it were in suspense For this cause a certain Poët tearmed sleepe the cosin germayne of death and an other called it the brother of deathe for the likenes and resemblance which he perceaued to be betwene the one and the other Now then if so great a parte of our lyfe be spent in sleepe what a great part is that wherein it cannot be sayed that we doe liue at all And if it be the common custome of men
man ought to direct vnto two principal endes emonge others the one to the knowledge and contempt of the glorie of this worlde and the other to the knowledge and contempte of our selues For this consideration serueth verie well both for the one and the other But wilt thou vnderstande in worde what the glorie of this worlde is Marke and consider with attention the state and condition of mans lyfe and thereby shalte thou perceyue what the glorie of this lyfe is Tell me I praie thee can the glorie of man be more longe or more stable than the lyfe of man It is most certaine that it can not For this glorie is an accident which is grownded vpon this lyfe as vpon his subiecte or foundation and therefore when the foundation and subiecte faileth the accidentes must needes faile withall The riches pleasures and delites of this lyfe cannot contynewe anie longer than the lyfe it selfe And for this verie cause no riches no pleasures not delightes can coÌ„tinewe any loÌ„ger tyme with a man than vntill his graue Forsomuch as then faileth the foundation wherevpon all these thinges are built and haue their staie which foundation is our lyfe Now tell me then if this lyfe be such as thou hast now hearde described vnto thee to witt shorte vncertain fraile inconstante deceitfull and miserable how longe can the buildinge endure that shal be framed vpon this foundation How longe can the accidentes continewe that shal be grounded vpon so weake a substance When thou hast considered this point well with thy selfe thou must needes saye that they shall endure no longer than the foundation and substance it selfe endureth and thou must needes confesse that manie times they endure not so longe as we see by dailie experience in the goodes of fortune which with manie men haue an ende before their lyfe endeth Now if that sayeinge of the Poët Pindarus be true to witt That this lyfe is no more but a dreame of a shadowe What thinkest thou then is the glorie of this world which is of shorter continuance than our lyfe What accompt wouldest thou make of a goodly buildinge in case it stood vpon a false foundation What accompte wouldest thou make of an image of waxe very richlie and curiouslie wrought in case it were set against the sonne where it is certayne that so soone as the waxe shoulde be molten forthwith the forme of the image woulde vtterlie be defaced and leese his beautie Whie doe we make so litle accompt of the beautie of a flowre but because it groweth vpon so weake a subiect For so soone as it is nypt of from the stalke incontinentlie it looseth his faire glosse and beautie It is not possible to haue beautie of anie firme continuance in a matter so fraile and corruptible It followeth therefore that the glorie of man is such as the lyfe of man is For although glory doe continewe after the ende of our lyfe yet what shall that glorie auayle him that hath no sence nor feelinge thereof What dothe it auayle Homere now whilest thou so highelie praisest and commendest his Iliades Vndoutedly no more but as S. Ierome saieth speakinge of Aristotle Woo be vnto thee Aristotle that art praised where thou art not to witt here in the worlde and art tormented where thou art indeede to witt in hell Other inestimable commodities mayest thou gather owt of this consideration For if thou doe consider all theise miseries with good attention thine eies shal be opened forthwith and thou shalt wonder at the great blindnes of men yea the verie straungenes of it shall cause thee to saie to thy selfe Good Lorde what cause is there why this miserable lignage of Adam shoulde waxe prowde From whence commeth such puffinge and arrogancie of minde such hawtie and loftie courages so great contempt of others such estimation of our selues and so great forgetfulnes of almightie God What cause hast thou to be prowde thou dust and asshes Why doest thou magnifie and aduaunce thy selfe thou seely wretche of the earthe Why doest thou not holde downe thy peacockes taile beholdinge thy fowle feete to witt the vylenes of thy state and condition What cause hast thou to seeke so carefullie for the glorie of this worlde seinge it is myngled with so manie miseries What thinge is there so sweete but that it maie be made bitter with the mixture of so manie sower and bitter sawces Moreouer if this lyfe be a vale of teares a prison of guiltie persons and a bannishement of them that be comdemned how canst thou settle so greate vanitie so great pompe and pride of the worlde such gaye ornamentes and statelie furniture of houses and families in the place of teares How canst thou imagine to make this a place of pastymes and pleasures of feastes and bankettes How canst thou be so diligente to heape so greidelie together for the prouision of this worlde and be so forgetfull of the worlde to come as if thou were borne onely to liue here in earth with brute beastes and haddest no parte in heauen with the Angels Suerlie I must neides saie that thou art very much wedded to miserie and that thou camest out of a meruaylous miserable stocke if so manie argumentes of the miseries of this worlde be not able to open thine eies and make thee to discerne so grosse and so palpable a blindenes I H S WENSDAIE NIGHTE OF THE HOWER OF DEATHE O mors quam amara est memoria tua homini pacem habenti in substâ—â—â— suis. Eclesi 4â— 1 Gens absque consilio est et sine prudentia vtinam saperent et intelligerent ac nouissima prouiderent Deuter. 32. 28. THIS DAIE WHEN THOV HAST MADE THE SIGNE OF the Crosse and prepared thy selfe hereunto thou hast to meditate vpon the houre of deathe which is one of the most profitable consideratioÌ„s that a Christian man may haue as well for the obteyninge of true wisedome and eschewinge of sinne as also to moue him to begynne to prepare him selfe in time for the howre of death BVT to the intent that this consideration maie be proffitable vnto thee it shall behoue thee to make thy petition vnto almightie God beseachinge him to graunte thee some feelinge of such thinges as are woÌ„t to passe in this last conflicte that thou maiest dispose of thy landes and goodes accordinglie and direct thy lyfe in such sorte as at that time thou wouldest wishe thou haddest done Now therefore that thou maiest haue the better feelinge in this matter thinke vpon it not as thou wouldest of a thinge that were to come but as it were euen now present and thinke vpon it not as of a thinge that apperteyneth to others but as of a thinge that belongeth properlie to thine owne selfe makinge this accompte that thou lyest now verie sicklie and weake in thy bed aÌ„d in such a daungerous case that thou art vtterly forsaken of thy phisitions and that they are all perswaded that thou wilt die within fewe howers Consider
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
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
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
the inwarde man consisteth in hauinge almightie God presente in his harte And the composition of the outwarde man consisteth in doinge all thinges in such sorte as is seemely for one that standeth alwaies in the presence of almightie God and that hath him alwaies before his eies as the iudge and witnes of his whole lyfe After these doe followe other fower vertues wherein consisteth the somme of perfection which vertues be in such wise annexed and lincked th' one to th' other that the one can not be had without the other In these vertues consisteth the somme of perfection These vertues be perfecte obedience Mortification of our owne proper will Fortitude to ouercome all maner of difficultie and labour and to haue a hatred and contempt of our selues For it is manifest that the somme of all Christian doctrine is a perfecte obedience and conformitie vnto the will of almightie God as well in all such thinges as he commaundeth we can not haue a perfecte obedience and conformitie vnto the will of God vnlesse we denye our owne will and haue a holie hatred and contempté of our selues councelleth and inspireth as in all that he ordeyneth and disposeth concerninge vs. This obedience can not be kepte vnlesse we haue a knife in our hande to cut awaie all the inordinate appetites of our sensualitie and will which doe withstande the will of almightie God But this stroke no man is able to geue vnlesse he haue great fortitude of minde to fighte with him selfe and to make mortall warre against his owne inclinations and appetites And this kinde of warre none other shal euer make but he that hath for the loue of God atteyned to haue a true and holie abhorringe and contempre of him selfe For looke where abhorringo is there doth easilie followe euill entreatinge and contempt of the thinge that is abhorred but where is nothinge but loue there doth a man very vnwillingly take the whippe in his hande to deale roughlie with that thinge which he loueth Whereby it appeareth that no one of these vertues is able to moue one steppe without the helpe and succour of the others After these doe followe immediatlie other fowre verie highe and noble vertues which be Humilitie both inwarde and outward Pouertie both of spirite and of bodie Patience in all aduersities and tribulations Purenes of intention in good workes doinge all thinge◠that we shall doe all onelie for the loue of God without mixture of anie commoditie or respecte either temporall or spirituall After these doe followe other fowre vertues which are the beginninge and ende of all perfection to witt a most firme faith of such thinges as almightie God saith and promiseth and an assured hope in him as in our trewe and louinge father in all the necessities and tribulatiōs that shall happen vnto vs a loue of almightie God which must alwaies burne in our hartes and iointly with this loue to haue a feare and reuerence of his great maiestie and iustice which must euermore accompanie all our workes And with all these vertues aboue named we must ioyne perseuerance and cōtinuance in the exercise of all these vertues the which causeth a man in a smalle time to attaine to the toppe of perfection In these foresaid vertues doth the somme of all perfection principally consist and therefore all our studie and diligence must be emploied in seekinge them by all meanes possible and espetially by praier which is the principall meane whereby all goodnes is obtayned Here I thinke good to geue this aduise that when a man shall demaunde of almightie God any of these vertues he staie him selfe therein for a time and make as it were a station in euerie one of them in cōsideringe breifly the principall motiues that maie most induce vs to the loue and exercise of such a vertue As for example How to desier of God the vertue of Charitie When we shall desire of almightie God the vertue of charitie which is the loue of God we maie saie in this wise Graunt me grace ô Lorde I beseech thee that I maie loue thee with all my harte and with all my sowle for that thou arte an infinite goodnes and excellencie that deserueth to be loued with infinite loue and besides this for that thou arte my onely benefactor my father my creator my last ende and the spouse of my sowle vnto whom all loue is due In like maner when thou shalt desire the vertue of hope thou mayst saie in this wise How to desier the vertue of Hope Geue me grace also ô Lorde I beseech thee that in all the necessities and tribulations that shall happen vnto me in this lyfe I maie trust in thee seinge thy mercie is infinite and thy promises true and the merites of thy onely begotten sonne be of infinite value which doe speake and make intercession for me After this sorte mayst thou desire the feare of God and humilitie with other vertues The forme of which petitions I thinke not meete to note here particularly in writinge For like as it is saied that that meate doth more profite the sicke man which he him selfe eateth and cheweth with his teeth than that which is geuen vnto him in drincke euen so is that prayer wonte to be more profitable which is framed by him that praieth with such wordes as the holie Ghost teacheth him than that praier which is made and compounded with other folkes wordes which oftentimes be sayed and passed verie lightly ouer without anie maner of attention or affection This last parte which is petition besides that it is verie easie to be done is also very profitable For as we saied before it is not onely an exercise of praier but also of all vertues and as it were a readinge and conference of them all wherein a man reneweth all his good purposes and desires and recordeth in his memorie the principall pointes and articles of the lawe of God which is the continuall exercise of the iust man Psal 1.2 of whom it is saide that he meditateth vpon the lawe of our Lorde both daie and nighte These fiue partes aforesaid maie be vsed in the exercise of praier albeit as we haue saide they be not all necessarie to be vsed at all times For some times all the time of prayer is spente in meditation alone or in petition Neuerthelesse I thought good to specifie here all these partes of prayer that no man might leaue of this holie exercise for wante of matter and also that at such time as deuotion fayleth which is no iust cause why we shoulde relent and withdrawe our selues from good exercises a man might haue matter whereupon to occupie him selfe duringe that time doinge on his parte somuch as lieth in him which is the thinge that almightie God requireth principallie of vs. Here is diligentlie to be noted that emonge all these fiue partes of prayer the best is when the sowle talketh with almightie God as it doth in petition
of his manifolde busines and affaires haue but litle time to bestowe in praier and meditation Luc. 21. yet let him not omitte to offer vp his myte with the poore widowe in the temple For if he faile not of his dewtie herein through his owne negligence almightie God who prouideth for all creatures accordinge to their nature and necessitie will prouide for him also accordinge vnto his necessitie The seuenthe aduise that we must not receyue the visitations of our Lorde in vaine § VII AGREABLE vnto this foresayde aduise we will geue an other very like vnto it which is that when our sowle is visited either in praier or out of praier we must not suffer anie of our Lordes speciall visitations to passe in vayne with anie spetiall visitation of our Lorde we suffer it not to passe awaie in vaine but take the commoditie and benefite of that occasion that is offered vnto vs. For certaine it is that with this winde a man shall saile more in one howre than without it in manie daies For as S. Peeter tooke more abundance of fishe at that one draughte when our Sauiour commaunded him to cast in his nette Ioan. 21.6 than he had done in all the whole night before euen so doth it happen vnto vs oftentimes in this heauenly fisshinge in case we knowe how to helpe our selues by takinge benefite of the oportunities and occasions that be offered vnto vs therein And therefore for good cause are we aduised by Ecclesiasticus sayeinge Eccles 14.14 Omitte not to enioye the good daie that God sendeth thee and suffer not the least parte of his good gifte to passe awaie without takinge benefite thereof Opportunitie is of great force and helpeth much in all thinges and more in this exercise of prayer than in any other For herein it seemeth as it were Ioan. 5. that the Angell descendeth to moue the water of the fisheponde and to geue it vertue to heale Or els to speake more plainlie to this purpose it is as it were the descendinge of almightie God to drawe at the plowghe with a man and to helpe him in his labour whose helpe is more profitable and auailable than all the industrie and diligence in the worlde The mariner when he seeth that the time serueth him well to get out of the hauen forthwith he draweth vp his ankers and hoyseth vp his saile and staieth not anie longer for feare of losinge that good opportunetie which the time offereth vnto him The like ought all spirituall persones to doe when they receyue anie visitations from our Lorde in their praier and meditation and their diligence shoulde be so much the greater by how much this exercise of meditation is greater and this diuine blast more necessarie for praier than that for nauigation And so we reade that the blessed holie religious father S. Francis did S. Francis of whom S. Bonauenture writeth that he had such a spetiall care of this poynt that in case our Lorde did visite him with anie spetiall visitation while he was traueylinge by the waye he caused his companions to goe before and he staied alone behinde vntill he had made an ende of chewinge and digestinge that sweit morsell that was there sente vnto him from heauen Whosoeuer they be that doe not well obserue this poynte How such be punished as make no accompte of our Lordes speciall visitations in prayer are wont commonly to be chasticed with this punishement that they finde not almighie God when they seike him because he founde not them when he sought for them These be the principall aduises that are to be obserued in the exercise of meditation and in euerie of the other partes that doe accompanie the same in case we minde fullie to accomplishe this busines and not to leaue it in the midde waie Now it shall doe well that we make hast to proceede forwardes to treat of the rest and so to bringe this first parte to an ende which perhappes hath bene longer than is requisite OF SIXE POYNTES THAT ARE TO BE MEDITATED VPON in the holie Passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ THE LAST CHAPITER FORSOMVCH as the most holie Passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christe is the principall matter of meditation it is meete that sithence we haue hitherto treated of meditation in generall we doe now treat particulerly how we ought to meditate vpon the holie passion of our Sauiour Christ to the intent that we maie knowe how to behaue our selues in this matter But here we must first presuppose that emonge all the deuotions in the worlde there is none more secure none more profitable or more vniuersall for all kinde of persons than the remembrance of the holie passion of our Sauiour Christe Albertus Magnus saiethe Note what great proffit enseweth by meditation vpon the holie Passion That it is more profitable for a man to meditate euerie daie a litle vpon the holie passion of our Sauiour Christe than to fast with bread and water all the Fridaies in the yeare and to discipline and scourge him selfe vntill he shead bloude and to saie all the whole Psalter from one ende thereof to an other At the least wise this is verie certaine that this holie exercise is a passinge great helpe to directe the sowle in all vertue and goodnes For consideringe that our Sauiour Christe is as he him selfe saieth Ioan. 14.6 The waie the trueth and the lyfe there is none other exercise more fitte and cōueniente to directe vs to goe vnto God to knowe God and to enioye God than to fixe alwaies our eies vpon our Sauiour Christe For though Christe be vnto vs the waie the treuth ād the lyfe in all thinges wheresoeuer we cōsider him yet is he most espetially so vnto vs whē we beholde him vpon the Crosse And therefore S. Bernarde saide verie diuoutly S. Bernarde well maie I ô Lorde compasse about heauen and earthe yet shall I not finde the but vpon thee crosse There thou liest there thou sleipest at noone daie But leauinge now this matter for an other place I will onely treat at this presente after what sorte we ought to behaue our selues whē we meditate vpon the holie passion of our Sauiour Christe For there be some simple persons that seeke nothinge els in this holie exercise but onely to shee l a fewe teares in takinge compassion vpon the bitter paines and sorowes of our Sauiour and so doe staie them selues in this pointe alone without passinge anie further And albeit this takinge compassion of our Sauiours paines be verie good and necessarie forsomuch as it is the foundation of all the rest as hereafter shal be declared yet this is not the onely fruite that maie be gathered of this holie tree but there be others farre greater than this forsomuch as out of the meditatiō of the holie passion doth all the profite of the spirituall lyfe proceede Sixe thinges to be considered in the passion of our Sauiour