our Lord Iesus is the Sancta SanctornÌ„ I answere That it is the hart of Iesus Christ our Lord who is truly the Holy of Holyes For as he did not content himselfe to suffer only in the exteriour but with a cordiall loue so thou art not to stay vpon the seeing and imitating that which exteriourly appeares but thou must enter into his hart to behold imitate the same And to the end that this entry might be more easy for vs and that which was locked vp in his hart more manifest he permitted after he was dead that howsoeuer he then felt no paine his hart should be (b) By the point of a launce disclosed that so as by an open gate wherby we might discouer a world of admirable mysteryes men might be induced to enter into it might be inuited as to a thing wherein they were to behold that strange beauty which was there conteined But who is able with a tongue to speake therof since he that hath entrance thither and lookes vpon them cannot reach to the greatnes And eueÌ„ that which he reacheth he is not able to expresse S. Iohn (c) Apoe 11. deliuereth in figure of this that the temple of God was opened and that the Arke of the Testament was seene therein for in the hart of Christ the law of God is fulfilled and there is kept the Manna of celestiall bread and that pretious and complete (d) By the incarnation passion of Christ our Lord. sweetning of God which was signified by that couerture of gold of the ancient Arke And all this in so great excellency that it far exceedeth the very highest pitch of all our thoughtes Dauid (e) Psal 39. sayth Many meruailes hast thou wrought O Lord my God and in those thoughtes which thou hadst for my good there is none like to thee Meruailous (f) Marke this gradation is all that which God hath done and more meruailous is all that which he hath suffered But yet if thou consider the thoughts of his (g) O bottomles Abysse of the lou of our Lord Iesus to mankind hart which euen whilest lest he was suffering did through his loue think as it were but little of any thing except the same very loue thou wilt cry out with a loud cry of thy soule There is none O Lord like to thee Do thou desire him O Virgin when thou shalt see him suffer his handes and necke to be tyed when thou shalt see him endure buffets thornes nailes and death to do thee the fauour to let thee know why being so strong and so powerfull he should suffer himselfe to be treated as if he were so weake without ability of making resistance To this S. Iohn (h) Aâ—oc 2. wil answeare thee in his name He loued vs and he washed vs from our sin with his bloud Ruminate well vpon these wordes and lodge them deepely in thy hart and entertaine thy selfe in thinking what an admirable and excessiue loue that is which burneth so in his hart as to flame out by suffering such thinges in the exteriour Say within thy selfe What (i) Obserue well the gradations of this chapter which tend towards the making thee all enamoured of our Lord Iesus it is the top of any thing that I haue seene in this kind person might there be in the world for whom I or such an one as I would endure such miseryes without pretending any proper interest but only for pure loue of that other person and thou wil see that to suffer all that which our Lord suffered is not such a kind of thing as which we may looke to find elsewhere for there would be no forces fit for so heauy a burthen To endure some small part of what he endured might perhaps be found betweens fathers and sonnes brother and brother friend and friend man and wife or the like to whoÌ„ either necessity or bloud or friendship may giue strength to suffer yea and to dye though this of dying but very rarely But to suffer for strangers without any interest of a mans owne without being obliged to it yea and to dye and that for nothing but for meere loue was a thing neuer seene And yet if it should be seene that a slaue should offer to dye for a King and that before his death he wold be scourged endure some of the many tormentes which our Lord did suffer it would be such an act of prowesse as that the slaue might deserue a Pardon although he had committed many faultes And all men would iudge that he had merited many fauours at that Kinges handes if he were able to impart any in the other life Nor would this famous action depart froÌ„ the mouths of men for a long time yea the King himselfe would recount it both with much thankefullnes and much tendernesse But (k) Giue great attention now let vs turne the story the other way and conceaue that the King himselfe after hauing suffered greiuous tormentes and extreame reproach would needs dye for his slaue from whom he had receiued no seruice but great offences which deserued a most cruell death that the cause of the Kinges dying were the meere nothing but the loue which he bare this slaue This would be a thing neuer seene and neuer heard before and it would betoken such an excessiue kind of loue as would cast them that heard of it into a horrible kind of amazement and would furnish matter to men for publishing the goodnesse of that King al the dayes of their liues And so admirable so new and so sublime a loue would this be that some men of superficiall vertue and weake vnderstanding would be scandalized thereat and would not make such a iudgement of this worke as were conuenient affirming it to be a kind of absurd excesse that the maiesty of a King full of all power and vertue should so cast away his pretious life to the end that his wicked slaue might liue who had most iustly deserued death And (l) Be still attentiue for these are circuÌ„stances of high importance if moreouer it were added to this story that this King were so wise and so powerfull as that with much facility and without suffering the least inconuenience and without doing the least iniustice to any he could deliuer that slaue of his from death and that yet neuerthelesse he would make vp his loue into so huge a heape and would giue him to vnderstand that he were resolued to endure such and so many miseries as neuer any man endured and all this for no other reason but because that so it would be better for the slaue most certaine it is that few eyes would be found in the world which could be able to behold such a bright sunne of burning loue as this And if any maÌ„ should haue so good an apprehension as to thinke thereof as the thinge deserued he would escape well if he kept his wittes through
any part therof vnto himselfe as if he had not spoken therof at al. Thereby fulfilling that which he had already sayd to the Corinthians (g) â— Cor. 7. That they who had wines were to haue them as if they had them not and they who wept were to be as if they did not weep the like Wherby he had a mind to say That he vseth temporall things as he ought whether they be prosperous or aduerse whether they be of consolation or affliction who suffers not his hart to stick vnto them but it passeth by as by a thing which is transitory and vayne And certaynly S. Paul when he related those things of himselfe did speake of them with a hart which was not only a despiser of honour but a louer of contempt and dishonour for Iesus Christ his sake whose crosse he held for the highest honour Such hartes as these may well be trusted with taking honour and may relate such things as will purchase it for they wil neuer do so but wheÌ„ it shal be necessary for some good end But as it is a point of much vertue for a man to possesse a thing as if he had it not and so as that the honour which is imparted to vs by others should not cleaue vnto our hartes so (h) The more need we haue to vse all diligence is it also a matter of much difficulty and to which very few arriue For as S Chrysostome sayth To be in the middest of honour and that the hart of him that is so honoured should (i) Both these cases are full of daunger not be affected by it is as if a man were to conuerse amongst fayre women without euer behoulding them with vnchast eyes And experience hath taught vs that honourable and high place hath seldome made men better of worse hath very often made men bad of good For to beare the weight of honour to resist the occasions which grow in company thereof a man had need of much strength Because as S Hiâ—rome sayth The highest mouÌ„taynes are assaulted by the greatest winds This is certayne that greater vertue is requisite for commaunding then for obeying And not without cause great cause did our soueraigne Mayster Lord who knoweth al things fly away (k) This point deserueth great ponderation from being made a King Now since it was not possible for him to run hazard in any estate how high so euer it is playne that this doctrine was deliuered for the help of our weaknesse and that we ought to fly from that which is daungerous since he fled who was out of daunger And if it be a very great boldnesse and against the example of Christ to receyue a place of honour when it is offered what then shall it be to desire it and what againe to procure it For as for the mischeife which it bringes to purchase such a thing with money there liues not the man that can declare it We should find it very strange that a man who might walke securely vpon firme land would rather choose the daungers of going by sea (l) We should thinke that he were mad and that not in fayre weather but in a perpertuall tempest For as S. Gregory sayth What other thing is the power of honour but a tempest of the soule And besides these troubles and the daungers which are euer found in eminent place are followed by that terrible menace sounded forth by God though it be hearkned to vnderstood by few A (m) Sap. 6. most seuere iudgment shall passe vpon sâ—ch as command What kind of thing shall this be wheÌ„ (n) Let men of power commaund consider this euen the ordinary iudgment of God is such as that the men who are most refin'd in vertue do tremble thereat and say (o) Psal 141. Enter not O Lord into iudgment with thy seruant And yet there are persons so blindly bold as (p) For want of faith and the consideration of the next life that they choose to enter into his iudgement and that not such a one as may be accounted ordinary but into the most straite and hard that God affoardes And considering that Saul (q) 1. Reg. 10. the King to whom that kingdome was offered by the order of God without his prizing it or making much account thereof yea he declined it by hiding himselfe but was poynted out and shewed by the hand of God yet neuerthelesse that height of dignity with the circumstances therof treated him so ill that although God made choice of him and himselfe desired to be excused he yet passed through so wicked a life and ariued to so wretched a death that it ought to cast apprehension and feare vpon such as enter into place of honour though they be called in by the right doore and far far more vpon such others as go not in by so good a way Verily (r) A strange blindnes or rather madnes it is to be wondered at that there are persons to be found so strait-harted in the seruice of our Lord that if they be aduised to do any thing therein though it be clearely good yet do they go considering reconsidering whether or no the doing of it do oblige vnder the payne of mortal sin that so indeed they may forbeare to do it For they say that they are but weake they will not ingulfe themselues into matters of great perfection but tread in the playne beateÌ„ way And yet these very men who are so voyd of courage in the search of true vertue which by the grace of our Lord it would be no hard matter for them to obtayne are on the other side so audacious as to put themselues into dignity honour and places of Command For the innocent vse whereof without the hurt of him that hath them there is need of perfect and tryed vertue which they make themselues belieue that they haue and that forsooth they will giue a good account of the forward ranke they hold without hazarding any thing of conscience wherein yet others haue runne so much hazard So (s) How mightily doth the loue of honour intoxicate the brayne deeply doth the desire of honour and command and other humane interests blind men as to make them who dare not set vpon an enterprize which is secure and easy attempt other thinges which are accompanied with difficulty and danger Yea they who do not confide in God that he will help them in those good workes which only do concerne themselues do promise themselues with strange boldnesse that God will guide them by the hand towards those things which concerne the gouernement of others Whereas indeed he may answeare them with great reason That since they would needs plung themselues into that danger let them looke to their owne carriage therein For of such as these it is that God did say They raigned but not by my direction They were Princes and I knew
ignorant That (a) Eccl. 7. in the day of prosperity which we haue we must be calling those (b) A safe and most profitable aduice miseryes to mind which we may haue and that we must take in those diuine consolations by the weight of Humility accompanying it with the holy feare of God least otherwise he experience that which Dauid himselfe deliuered Thou turnedst thy face from me and I was troubled Another cause of his fall is giuen vs to be vnderstood in holy Scripture by saying that at such tymes as the Kings of Israel were wont to passe into the warres against the infidells King (c) 2 Reg. 1. Dauid stayed at home And walking vp and down vpon a tarrasse of his pallace he saw that which was the occasion of his adultery and of the murther also not only of one but many All this had byn auoyded if he had gone to fight the battailes of God according to the custome of other Kings and himselfe had done so other yeares If (d) A good lesson to vs Catholike to be sympathizing alwayes with the Holy Church our Mother both in sorrow and in spirituall ioy according to the diuersity of tymes occasions thou wilt be wandring vp and downe when the seruants of God are recollected if thou wilt be idle when they labour in good workes if thou wilt be dissolutely sending thyne eyes abroad whilest theirs are weeping bitterly both for themselues and others and if when they are rising vp by night to pray thou art sleeping and snorting and leauing of by occasion of euery fancy the good exercises which thou wert wont to vse and by the force and heate whereof thou wert kept on foote how doest thou thinke to preserue chastity being carelesse vnprouided of defensiue weapons and hauing so many enemies who are so stout laborious and compleatly armed in fighting against it Do (e) Note not deceiue thy selfe for if thy desire to be chast be not accompanied by deeds which are fit for the defence of that vertue thy desire will prooue vayne and that will happen to thee which did to Dauid Since thou art not more priuiledged more stout nor more a Saint then he And to conclude this matter of the occasions through which this pretious treasure of chastity is wont to be lost thou art to vnderstand that the cause why God permitted that the flesh shold rebell against reason in our first parents from whome we haue it by inheritance was for that they rebelled against God by disobeying his commandement He chastized them in conformity of their sinne and thus it was That (f) Note Lex Taliotus since they would not obey their superiour their inferiour should not obey them and so the vnbridled nesse of this flesh being a subiect and a slaue rebelling against her superiour which is reason is a punishment â—ayd vpon reason for the disobedience with she committed against her superiour which is God Be therfore very carefull that thou be not disobedient to thy superiours least God permit that thy inferiour which is thy flesh do rebell against thee as he suffered Adad to rebell against King Salomon (g) 3. Regâ— 12. his Lord and least he scourge persecute thee and by thy weakenesse draw thee downe into mortall sinne And if with the inward eyes of thy hart thou haue vnderstood that which heere with the eyes of thy body thou hast read thou wilt see how great reason there is that thou shouldest looke to thy selfe and consider what there is within thy selfe And (h) No man can see himselfe exactly but by light from heauen because thou art not exactly able to know thyne owne soule thou art to begg light of our Lord and so to sift the most secret corners of thy hart that there may be no ill thing there which eyther thou knowest or knowest not off by meanes whereof thou mightest through some secret iudgement of God runne hazard to loose the treasure of chastity which yet it doth so much import thee to keep safe by meanes of his diuine assistance CHAP. XIV How much we ought to fly from the vaine confidence of obteyning victory against this enemy by our owne only industry and labour and that we must vnderstand it to be the guist of God of whom it is to be humbly asked by the intercession of the Saintes and in particuler of the Virgin our Blessed Lady ALL that which hath byn sayd and more which might be sayd are meanes for the obtayning and keeping of this pretious purity But it happeneth oftentymes that as although we bringe both stone and wood and all other necessary materialls for the making of a house yet we do not fall vpon the buylding of it so also doth it come to passe that vsing all these remedies we yet obtayne not the chastity which we so much desire Nay there are many who after hauing had liuely desires thereof and taken much paynes for the obtayning of it do yet see themselues miserably fallen or violently at least tormented in their flesh with much sorrow they say We haue laboured all night and yet we haue taken nothing And it seemeth to them that in themselues that is fulfilled which the Wiseman sayd The (a) Eccl. 7. more I sought it the further off it fled away This (b) Take heed of trusting to thy selfe vseth oftentymes to happen by reason of a secret confidence which these proud labourers haue in themselues imagininge that chastity was a fruite which grew from their only endeauour and not that it was a guift imparted by the hand of God And for not knowing of whom it was to be asked they iustly were depriued of it For (c) God sheweth mercy sometyme euen in suffring vs to sal into â—â—nne it had byn of more preiudice to them to haue kept it since withall they would be proud and vngratefull to God then to be without it yet withall to be full of sorrow and humility and so to be forgiuen by pennance It is no small part of wisedome to know by whom chastity is giuen and he is gone a good piece of the way towardes the obteyning of it who indeed belieueth that it comes not from the strength of man but that it is the guift of our Lord. This doth he teach vs in his holy Ghospell saying All are not capable of this word but they to whome it is giuen by God And although the remedies already pointed out for the obtayning of this happinesse be full of profit and (d) We must both worke pray for neither of them both alone will serue the turne that we must employ our selues thereupon yet must that be with this condition that we place not our confidence in them but let vs deuoutly pray to God which Dauid did both practise and aduise by saying I did cast vp myne eyes to the mountayns from whence my succour shall descend my succour is of our Lord who made heauen
him So God is not solitary but in the vnity of Essence there are three persons Nor is he couetous or barren since there is a communication of an infinite Deity Neither must thou forbeare to belieue that so it is although thou know not how it commeth to be so since euen because it is so high it carryeth a kind of trace or sent to be a thing of God And because it is better to be so then not euen for this very reason it is a thing which it is fit for God to haue and that so we should belieue it since of God we are to thinke according to the greatnes of God that is the highest that possibly we can imagine CHAP. XL. Wherein answere is made to thē who obiect against the receauing of our Faith that it teacheth meane and low thinges of God and how in these meane things which God teacheth most high glory is contayned NEITHER yet is there any reason to stumble at the humility which the most high God took vpon him abasing himselfe to become man to liue in pouerty and to dye vpon a Crosse For these workes are not only not to be sayd vnworthy of God but they are most worthy if they be well vnderstood Indeed if he had abased himselfe because he could not chuse or if by that abasement he had lost the height which he had before or if he had been moued to it by any interest of such an abasement But neither did he leaue to be what he was by taking that which he was not nor came he from heauen to earth by any constraint nor was he induced by regard of profit since God cannot increase in being rich But (a) Note this well discourse and learne to loue God greatly by it he was moued to it by his owne only goodnes and by the loue which he bare to men and the desire which he had to recouer them by such meanes as might be of most glory to himselfe and of most aduantage to vs. And such was the meanes he tooke by making himselfe man and dying vpon a Crosse For there is not a greater signe of loue then that a man should dy for his friends Which loue so excellent did not spring from any desert of theirs but from his owne excellent goodnes So that his lownesse and his death do not argue in him any want of power or goodnesse For as much as he being omnipotent and wholy wise might haue giuen vs remedy by many meanes besides this but it argueth in him an immense excesse of loue and goodnes and this so much the more as God who loueth and suffereth this is the greater and as that which he suffered was more grieuous and painefull and they for whome he suffered were the more vnworthy and base And since in louing such persons his excellent goodnesse is manifested this worke is to be called a great height since in spirituall things high and good are all one and when it is the more good so much the more great and high it is And since the greatest honour which we can do any man is to hold him for good more then for being valiant or wise for as much as no mā who is sensible of honour doth not so desire it it is euident that since these workes do manifest his goodnes and loue more then all the rest they giue him consequently more honour and they giue it better then all the rest And (b) In true account nothing doth so exalt Christ our Lord as his abasement if in the opinion of ignorant persons the abasement which God hath made of himselve take honour from his dignity and height it ought in the iudgment of wise men to extoll the honour of his goodnes and consequently of his height and greatnes and so he looseth neither the one nor the other And not only doth his goodnes shine in these workes more then others but so also doth his wisedome and power other his most wonderfull attributes appeare therin For amongst all the workes which God hath wrought or is to work there is none equall in being moruailous nor is there to be found so great a miracle as that God should make himselfe man and suffer afterward for man And whosoeuer belieueth not this doth his best to take from God the greatest honour he hath and greater then if he should take the honour that is due to him for all the other workes which he hath made or is to make in (c) Since the Creation of the world Tyme Consider well of this and thou shalt discerne how the omnipotency and wisedome of Goth doth shine in making two so different extremes to meet in one as are God and man in the vnity of one person And note that his power is more declared in combatting and conquering our sinnes and death by the armes of our weaknes then if he had ouercome them with the weapons of his owne omnipotency as we sayd before whylest we were speaking of despaire And (d) An excellent discourse consider that when God continued in his greatnesse he had but a small people that serued him and the same went also dayly from him to adore strange Gods and euen when it did not so it serued him yet with much weakenes But when God abased himselfe so far as to be man and to dy for him it made such deep impression vpon the minds of men as that they who were high did abase themselues and the weake became strong the wicked good and finally there grew so great a change ouer the world as well in the destruction of idolatry as in the renouation of life and manners that the accomplishment of the word which our Lord spake was plainely seene (e) lo. m. 1◠When I shall be exalted from the earth and placed on the Crosse I will draw all things to my selfe And so it appeares that he obteyned that victory ouer the hartes of men by basenesse weakenes tormentes and death which he obteyned not whylest he remained in the height of his Maiesty And thus was that fullfilled which S. Paul (f) t. Cor. 1. sayth The weaknes of God is more thē the strength of men And so it also appeareth that God doth not only gaine the honour of goodnesse but of wisedome power also by taking vpon him our basenesse and by working that thereby which he wrought not by his greatnes For this it is that S. Paul (g) Rom. 1. sayth That he is not ashamed to preach the Ghospell since it is the vertue of God for the sauing of men For although this humanity hunger dishonour torment death be truly affirmed of God yet there is no cause for a Christian to be ashamed thereof since by meanes of these thinges God obteined the conquest ouer other thinges that were so mighty as are sinne and death and procured that man might obtayne the grace of God and his Kingdome which are the greatest things that could
one must practise first the seruice of Christ and must haue recommended it to God and that very cordially both dayes and yeares least that be negligently performed which was not groundeâ—ly intertayned But when it is once vndertaken both in that manner and for the end that is fit the person who imbraceth it is to grow chearefull vpon it because it is a state of incorruption yet a state also it is of fertility For as the Blessed Virgin Mary who through her excellent and incomparable pure Virginity is called the Virgin of Virgins and is the patronesse of Virgins did both giue fruite and yet retained the floure of her purity so other Virgins if indeed they be true Virgins do giue fruit in their soules and yet haue enâ—iernesse in their bodies For this celestiall spouse of Christ Iesus is not like them of this world who despoile their spouses of their true beauty and integrity but he is so truely a conseruer of their beauty and so great a louer of their purity as that they may say to him with (d) The sweet S. Agnes virgin Martyr sayd so when she was but 13 yeares of age S. Agnes To him alone do I keepe my Faith to him alone do I recommend my selfe with entiere deuotion whome when I loue I am chast when I touch him I am pure and when I receiue him I am a Virgin Nor will there be wanting children as the fruit of such marriages as these wherof they are deliuered without torment and their fruitefullnes is euery day increased And this did S. Agnes say as one who had tasted the suauity of this celestiall espousall And (e) It is a shame to Virgins if they aspire not to the imbracemeÌ„t of their heauenly Spouse a confusion and that no small one it ought to be to a Virgin who calleth her selfe the spouse of Christ to haue no more taste of the qualities and sweet condition of her spouse then if she were a meere stranger to him O how many afflictions doth virginity preuent how many cares how much vnquietnes Some which the very state it selfe of Matrimony betweene persons who are made of flesh bloud doth necessarily bringe with it and others which grow from that vntoward disposition which is so often found eyther in the husband or in the wife Others agayne from the ill proofe of the children But (f) The great difference betweene a spiritual corporall marriage in our case all the children are Ioy Charity Peace and such others like to these which are recounted by (g) Gal. 5. S. Paul This spouse is full of goodnes he is peaceable rich wise beautifull and as his fellow Spouse saith in the (h) Cant. â— Canticles He deserueth to be wholy desired Doth it not therefore seeme to thee that this King doth an incomparable fauour to the persoÌ„ whom he taketh I say not for a slaue or seruant but for a spouse Doth it not seeme to thee a good exchange of a birth with torment into a birth with ioy of Children which afflict with care to Children which are full of comfort yea and such as bring their dowry in their handes which is both honour and pleasure Verily sayd S. Hierome when he was speaking to the mother of a certaine virgin I cannot vnderstand the reason why thou shouldst be angry with thy daughter for refusing to be the wife of a particuler Cauallier that so she might be espoused to a (i) Christ our Lord. King by meanes whereof she hath made thee the mother-in law of Christ It doth therefore now but remaine O Virgin that thou take comfort in the state which our Lord of his goodnes hath called thee to And that thou haue care to be that very thinge to him which thou shouldest be And be no more fearefull of thine owne weakenes then thou art confident in our Lord that he will perfect that in thee which he hath begunne That (k) The middle way is the right way betweene feare and hope till we arriue to the iorneyes end which is perfect loue so neither the fauour that he hath done thee do intoxicate thee with any giddy kind of gladnesse nor yet the thought of the much thou owest him draw thee down into any dismay But walke thou on betweene feare and hope till the feare be taken away by that perfect loue which is found in heauen And hope also may be then dismissed when we shall haue (l) The very visioÌ„ of God and that for euer that thing present with vs which heere we hoped for and so as that we haue no more feare to loose it CHAP. CVI. Of foure conditions which are requisite for the making of any thinge beautifull and how all of them are wanting to a soule that is in sinne VVE haue made a long digression from the question that we asked How the soule could come by such beauty as that God should be drawne to a desire of it But the cause of this digression was the doubt of our conceauing that the King perhaps might care for the beauty of the Body Let vs now returne to our purpose Thou art to know that for the making a thing to be of perfect beauty foure conditions are necessary The first That it must haue all the parts that belongeth to it for if any of them be wanting as a hand or foot or the like it cannot be tearmed beautyfull The second is that one part haue proportion with another and if it be the picture of any life it must be made very like the originall The third is that it must haue purity of colour The fourth that it must haue a competency of greatnes For that which is little though it be well proportioned will not arriue to be absolutly accompted beautifull Now if (a) Euery soule that is in state of sinne is out right deformed we consider all these conditions in a soule that is sinfull we shall finde that it hath no one of them Not completenes because if it want either faith or charity and the giftes of the holy Ghost which it was to haue that cannot be called beautifull to which so many thinges are wanting Againe one part thereof carryeth no proportion to another for neither doth sense obey reason nor reason God Especially considering that the soule being created after the image of God it was reason that for the preseruation of her beauty she should haue resembled her Originall in vertue as shee doth in the naturall being which she hath But now God being good and the soule being wicked God being pure and the soule polluted God being milde and the soule impatient and so in the rest how can there be beauty in that image which is so vnlike to the originall As for the third which is a certaine spiritual light of grace the notions which are to refresh as it were reuiue the beauty of the soule as colours do of the body they are also wanting to
Christian Pilate might conceaue that quickly there would be no more thought of Christ nor any that would haue compassion of him yet God ordained that insteed of those few who did spit vpon him there might be may be shal be many who are with reuerence to adore him And that insteed of them who for the loathsomnesse of the spectacle could not endure to look vpoÌ„ him there should be many who might ioy in beholding that most blessed face as a most pure and perfect glasse though it were placed vpon a (s) The place of the greatest reproach that could be thoâ—hâ— of Crosse And insteed of theÌ„ who thought him to deserue all that which he suffered there should be so many who might confesse that he committed no euill for which he ought to suffer but only that themselues had sinned and that he suffered for the loue of them And lastly if their cruelty were so great as not to haue compassion of him but demanded that he might be murthered vpon the crosse God was pleased that there should be many who would desire to dye for Christ and who with all their soules would say I see (t) The wordes of a soule which is the spouse of Christ our Lord. O thou my friend that thou art wounded and full of payne and I would to God I could suffer it for thee Let not therfore Pilate thinke that he dressed Christ so in vayne though he could not moue them who then were present to compassion since now so many vpon the remembrance of those afflictions of Christ haue so great pitty of him that in their harts they are scourged crowned and crucified togeather with him as S. Paul affirmeth both of himselfe and in the person of many others CHAP. CXII How great reason it is that we should behold this man Christ with those eyes wherewith many of them to whome the Apostles preached did behold him that so we may grow beautifull And that this beauty is giuen vs through his grace and not through our owne merits A Most reasonable thing it is O Virgin that these motiues which are so pregnant and these examples which are so full of life should moue thee thou hauing first cast away all tepidity to fixe him in thy hart with a profound and cordiall loue who so much to his torment was placed nayled vpon the Crosse for thee And that thou be none of those hard-harted persons who heard those wordes spoken in vayne but of those others to whome the hearing thereof hath beene a cause of saluation Be none of them who had not the grace to esteeme that which was present to them but of those others in whose person Isay sayth We desired to see him for many Kinges and Prophets haue desired to see the face and to heare the voyce of Christ our Lord. Behold (a) How necessary it is for vs to behold Christ our Lord crucifyed therefore O Virgin this man Christ Iesus who is published by the voyce of one that is not worthy to proclaime him thus Behold this man that thou mayst then come to heare his wordes for he is that maister which the Father gaue vs. Behold this man that thou mayst imitate his life for there is no way whereby thou canst be saued but he Behold this man that thou mayst haue compassion of him for he was brought to such a passe as might haue mooued euen his enemies to compassion Behold this man to lament ouer him for it is we who by our sinnes haue brought him to the case he is in Behold this man that thou mayst loue him for he hath suffered infinitly for vs. Behold this man that thou mayest beautify thy selfe by him for in him thou shalt find all the colours of beauty that thou canst desire Red by the new buffetts which they gaue him Blew by those which he had receiued the night before Yeallow by the abstinence of his whole life and by the affliction which he had passed through in that night White by the spittle which they had discharged vpon him and Blacke by those blowes wherwith they had new moulded his sacred face his cheekes all swelled and of as many colours as those wretches could paint vpon them For Isay (b) Isa 50. prophesied thus in the person of Christ I gaue my cheekes to those that would pull them and my body to them that would afflict it What waters what enamells what white and red mayest thou find heere wherewith to beautify thy selfe if by thy negligence thou leaue them not Behold this man O Virgin for whosoeuer beholdeth him not shall not escape from death For as Moyses did exalt the serpent in the desert vpon a staffe that they who were wounded might recouer by looking on it and those others dye who did not looke so (c) It is not with fayth alone that we must looke vpon our Lord but with faith loue whosoeuer shall not looke with faith and loue vpon Christ who is placed vpon the wood of the Crosse shal dye for euer And as I told thee before that we must beseech the Father by saying Looke O Lord vpon the face of thy Christ so also doth the Eternall Father coÌ„maund and say to vs Looke O man vpon the face of (d) Christ our Lord is not only the Christ of God but of vs also thy Christ and if thou wouldst haue me looke vpon his face to pardon thee looke thou vpon his face that by him thou mayest desyre me to giue thee pardon In (e) The great God and this wretched man can only be made to meet in Christ our Lord. the face of Christ our Mediatour the Fathers sight and ours doe come to meete There do the beames of our belieue and loue there do the beames of his grace and pardon determine themselues Christ is called the Christ of the Father because the Father engendred him gaue him what he hath And Christ is called our Christ because he offered himselfe for vs bestowing vpon vs all his merits Behold therefore the face of thy Christ belieuing in him confiding in him and louing him and all others for him Behold the face of thy Christ by meditating on him and by comparing thy life with his that so as in a glasse thou mayest see thy faultes and how far thou art off from him so knowing the sinnes which deforme thee thou mayest take of his tears of his bloud which streame downe ouer that beautifull face of his and with griefe mayest wash away those spotts and so thou mayst become beautifull and iust But as the Iewes tooke off their eyes from Christ because they saw him so ill handled so doth Christ take his eyes off from that soule which is wicked and which as leaprous is abhorred by him But when he hath beautifyed it by the grace that he gained for it by his afflictions he placeth his eyes vpon it saying How (f) Cant. 4. beautifull art thou