Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
thy prayses with great ioy and to serue thee with most ardent loue Nor doest thou content thy selfe O Lord to open thyne eares towards our prayers so to heare them with attentiue speed but as one that loues another in all truth of affection and doth take pleasure to heare him speake or sing so thou O Lord doest say to the soule which is redeemed by thy bloud Shew (y) Canâ— â— 2. me thy face let thy voice sound in myne cares for thy voyce is sweet thy face is very faire What is this O Lord which thou sayest That thou desirest to heare vs and that our voyce is sweet How doth our face seeme fayre in thyne eyes which we hauing defiled with many sinnes committed by vs euen whylest thou wert looking on are a shamed to let thee see Infallibly it is true that eyther we merit much in thy sight or else thou doest loue vs much But (z) The true humility which is taught by the doctrine of the holy Catholike Church far be it from vs O Lord far be it froÌ„ vs that out of thy mercifull proceeding we should draw a reason of being proud Since that whereby we please thee and are acceptable to thee is thyne owne grace which thou didst giue vs. And besides that thou doest regale and thou doest reward thy seruants more aboundantly then becomes any merit of theirs Let glory therfore begâ—uen to thee O Lord from whom all our good proceedeth and in whome all our good consisteth to vs in vs let confusion be for our vnworthynesse and wickednes Thou art our ioy and thou art that glory wherein we glory and this we do not vniustly but vpon great reason For a high honour it is to be beloued by thee and so beloued as that thou wouldst deliuer thy selfe ouer for our sakes to the tormentes of the Crosse from whence all blessings are deriued downe vpon vs. CHAP. LXXXVI Of the great loue wherewith our Lord doth behold such as are iust and of the much that be desyreth to communicate himselfe to creatures and to destroy our sinnes which we must behold with detestation that God may looke vpon them with compassion NOvv that thou hast vnderstood the speed wherwith God heareth the prayers of such as are iust it remaineth for thee to know the great loue wherwith he behouldeth them that (a) God heareth seeth our prayers as he requireth vs to looke vp to him to giue eare to his holy inspiratioÌ„s so he may entirely performe in himselfe that of hearing and seeing which he commaundeth of vs. The eyes of our Lord saith Dauid are vpon the iust to deliuer them from death but the face of our Lord is vpon the wicked that he may cast out the memory of them from the earth Heereby it appeares that our Lord placeth his eyes vpon the iust as the pastour doth vpon his sheep that they may not perish And so also doth he place them vpon the wicked to the end that they may not passe without the punishment which their sinnes deserue Two (b) What God made and what we make thinges there are in vs one which God made and that is the creature consisting of a Body and Soule with all the good that we haue the other which our selues did make and that is sinne Now if we did not accompany that good which we haue of God by somewhat else which is an euill of our owne there could be nothing in vs which our Lord would behold with the eyes of Anger but only of Loue since it is a naturall thinge for any cause to loue the effect of it selfe But now though we haue defiled and destroyed that which the beautifull God had made fayre in vs yet will he not totally cast vs off Nor can our wickednesse hinder his supereminent goodnes which for the recouering of that which he made good resolueth to destroy that euill which our selues did make For (c) An excellent comparison set forth with great life of circumstance if we see that this corporall sunne do with so liberall a hand impart it selfe and goeth as it were inuiting men to receiue it bestoweth light and heat vpon all them who giue no impediment thereunto yea when they do yet doth it as it were euen become obstinate in making them remooue the same and if it meete with any chinke or crany how little so euer it doth by that conuey it selfe and fill the whole house full of light what shall we say of that supreame diuine goodnesse which with so great anxiety as it were and force of loue doth go circling round about the creatures that he may bestow himselfe vpon them and fill them with liuely and diuine splendours What occasions doth he seeke of doing good to meÌ„ And to many for some smal seruices he hath vouchsafed to do no small fauours What entreaties doth he vse to them who depart that they will returne againe What imbracementes doth he giue them when they come backe What seeking of such as are lost What addressing such as are gone astray What pardoning of sinnes without reproach What ioy in restoring men to saluation Letting them know that he more desireth to graunt a pardon then they care to sue it out And therefore it is that he sayth to sinners Why (d) Ezech. 33. will you needs dye Know that I desire not the death of a sinner but that he may returne and liue Returne to me and you shall liue Our (e) Note this excellent consideration death consisteth in our departure from God and therefore to returne to him is to liue Whereunto we are inuited by Almighty God whose principall intention is not to lodge the eyes of his wrath vpoÌ„ the worke of his hands which is our selues but vpon the worke of ours which are our sinnes These would God faine destroy if we did not hinder him but this we do when we loue our sinnes giuing them life by our loue which by being loued do murther vs. And so great is the hungar which that soueraigne bounty hath towards the destruction of our wickednesse to the end that so his creature may not be destroyed that (f) Let all the Angels prayse our Lord for so infinite goodnes when soeuer a man will and how oft soeuer he will and how great soeuer the sinnes be which he hath committed if he will dispose himselfe to do pennance and to begge pardon of our Lord for his part he is ready to receaue vs. Forgiuing that which we haue deserued curing that which we made sicke straightning that which we made crooked and giuing vs grace to abhorre those thinges which formerly were by vs beloued Yea in such sort doth he destroy our wickednes and deuide it from vs that Dauid (g) Psalâ— 102. sayth Looke what distance there is betweene the rising and setting of the Sunne so far hath he separated our sinnes from vs. So that the beginning and first
prouided a day for thy selfe wherein thou wilt complaine of this offence and say My name is blasphemed vpon your occasion amongst the infidells and to chastize him with seuere punishment who in steed of gathering togeather with thee that which was scattered as he ought to haue done doth eyther scatter that which was gathered or doth hinder it from being so And (l) Let men be as wicked as they will God will stil be iust good then wilt thou make the whole world vnderstand well mough that thou art good though thou haue seruantes that be wicked For the sinnes which they commit displease thee And thou doest forbid them by thy commaundmentes and thou doest seuerely punish them CHAP. XXXV That the very conscience of him that deâ—yreth to obtaine vertue doth testify that our Faâ—th is true and how the desire of leading an euill life doth both procure the loosing of Faith and hinder the getting it BY how much more the witnesse of any thing in question is nearer to vs and well knowne by vs so much doth his credit increase towards the making vs belieue that be sayth true And therefore since I haue â—old thee of some of the meanes which giue testimony of the truth of our Fayth Hearken heere to some others and those not past but present And they againe are so neere thee that they are in thy very hart if thou wilt receaue them and take particuler knowledge of them as thou vsest to take of those thinges which passe there This is grounded vpon the word which our Lord spake If (a) Ioan. 7. any man will doe the will of my Father he shall know whether my doctrine be of God or no. Blessed be thou O Lord who art so assured of the iustice of this thy cause that is the Truth of thy doctrine that thou leauest the sentence which is to proceed vpon it in the hands of whosoeuer will whether he be friend or enemy with this only condition That he who shall make himselfe the Iudge thereof will do the will of God which is but that he should be vertuous and so be saued It is (b) Note this well for it is a wise and most certayne truth certaynely so that if a man should cordially desyre to be good both towards God and towards himselfe and towards his neighbours and would seeke out the fittest doctrine that he could find for making himselfe such if before such an one I say they should lay all the Lawes and doctrines which are in the whole world both true and false to none of which he already carried any particuler affection or passion but did only ayme at the finding out of Truth this man laying aside all the rest would take in hand the Ghospell doctrine of Christ if he (c) According to the true sense therof which is only taught by the holy Catholique Church vnderstood it as a thing which might addresse him better to the end of his iust desires then any other And as he were practising the vertue that he aspired to he would be making experience of the efficacy of this doctrine how fit it were for all that is good for the soule and how wel it were framed for the reliefe of our necessityes and in how short a tyme with how great clarity it did help a man to be vertuous So that such a man comming on by the very experience of the power of this doctrine would confesse as our Lord hath sayd That it came from God and he would also say that which others sayd when they heard Iesus Christ our Lord preaching to them neuer did man speake so well And if euen they who know not Christ by fayth did but heare that admirable charitable word which our Lord himselfe did vtter with so loud a voice If (d) Ioan 7 any man be thirsty let him come to me and drinke and if they would come and make triall of that delicious fullnes and so take experience of this doctrine with desire of being vertuous it is certaine that they would not remain in their infidelity and blindnes But (c) Behold heere the most true cause why Catholik Religion is no more imbraced in England for as much as they are friendes of the world and not of true and perfect vertue nor do they seeke with care the certainty of Truth and the knowledge of God they continue without hearing receauing it And although they heard it yet would it not be receaued by some because it would be contrary to the things which they desire And for this our Lord sayd to the Pharisees certaine wordes which I cyted once before How (f) 1. Ioan. 5. will you be able to belieue since you seeke honour one of another and seeke not the honour which is of God alone And not without great waight of reason did S. Paul (g) 1. Tim 〈◊〉 affirme That some had lost their faith by giuing themselues to couetousnes Not that a man doth instantly loose fayth by committing of any sinne except heresy but for that a hart which is affected to thinges of the world disaffected from vertue when it finds in Christian doctrine certaine Truthes which are contrary to the wicked desires of the same hart and which condemneth vnder so grieuous paynes the thinges which it selfe desires to practise it growes by little and little to seeke other doctrine which may not be of so bad tast in the mouth nor keep such a barking against the ill affections actions thereof And (h) The case of most Protestants who are intelâ—â—gâ—â— so the will being ill inclined is wont to be a meanes of putting blindnes vpon the Vnderstanding and preuailes so farre at last as to make a man giue ouer that Fayth which cryeth out against wickednes that he may follow and belieue other doctrines wherin he may be more at ease and liue how he listes And as this corrupted will is a meanes sometymes to make him loose Fayth that hath it so is it also a meanes to deâ—aâ—ne him from it that hath it not For both these those carry a fastidious kind of mislike against perfect vertue without alleaging in very deed any other cause but only That it is vnsauoury or too highly good so they haue also such a mislike against the Truth of Fayth as being contrary to that wickednes which they loue CHAP. XXXVI That the admirable change which is made in the hart of sinners and the great fauours which our Lord doth to them who follow him with perfect vertue and do call vpon him in their necessityes is a great testimony to the Truth of our Fayth IN how much better case are they who with desire to serue God haue chosen to imbrace this perfectioÌ„ of vertue though al they that serue him do enioy otherwise if they will marke it many testimonyes which Fayth placeth in their hart But especially do they enioy it who serue him with a profiting and
arriue to man Hereby God gained more honour then by hauing created heauen and earth and all that is therein And therefore this worke is for the eminency and excellency of it called the work of God as our Lord sayd This is my foode to do the will of my Father in my finishing his worke which is the redemption of men Not but that God hath wrought other workes but because the Inâ—ernation and redemption which follow hereupon is the greatest worke of them all and that which he prizeth most as the thing whereby he receiueth most honour For (h) The same excellent discourse continued although to haue scourged Egypt for the loue of his people and to haue drawne it out from thence to haue conducted it through the desert did giue honour to God as Isaias saith yet already thou canst not chuse but see which is the more high and heroicall act of loue for God to whip his enemies for the loue of his people or to suffer himselfe to be scourged in his owne flesh for the loue both of his domestiques and of strangers and both of his friends and of his enemies One thing it is for God to carry his children through the desert like an eagle that would teach his yong ones how to fly taking them vp vpon his shoulders when they are weary that so they might vnweary themselues whylest yet God groweth not weary thereby and another thing it is to ouerloade his owne shoulders with a heauy Crosse which did euen flea them of their skin togeather with all the sinnes of the whole world which like the beame of a wyne-presse did straine him so far as to depriue him of life vpon the same Crosse and this to the end that men might be out of paine Who is he that will not discerne that this was a most excellent heroicall act of loue the like whereof was neuer seene which gaue more honour to God then all that was past That other was to him but a common thing and there was no need of so great loue for the doing of it But this later was a busines that would haue byn imbraced by few and hardly wil there be found a man vpon earth who would suffer himself to be publikely whipped or put to death for any good man or any frend And yet if such a man could be found there would still be no comparison to be made betweene that and the much that our Lord did loue and suffer for vs. For he hath no equal Nor is it to be greatly meruaâ—led at if a Lion carry himselfe like a Lion but that a Lion should be content to suffer like a Lambe and that the only cause therof should be his loue this is a busines of a strang extent and worthy of eternall honour And since in former tymes they sayd Let (i) Exod. 15. vs sing vnto our Lord for he hath byn magnified in a glorious manner Let vs also say with a most profound gratitude Let vs sing vnto our Lord who hath byn magnifyed in a most humble manner For as much as formerly God did neither abase himselfe nor take paines in the ease which he gaue vs nor although he imparted riches did he impouerish himselfe but here he impouerished himselfe he did sweat yea he abased himselfe to death and death of the Crosse to raise his seruantes from sinne and to conduct them to heauen and he preuailed in his enterprize and that which Isaias (k) Isa 55. sayd was fulfilled that insteed of the little shrubbe there should grow the Firre-tree and insteed of the nettle there should grow the myrtle And that our Lord should be renowned by an eternall token which shall neuer be taken away For the honour which God did gayne in placing of of this signe which is the Crosse and to dy thereon and to make men good of bad shall last for euer and there shall none be able to ouerthrow it CHAP. XLI That not only the glory of our Lord doth shine in the humble thinges of God which our Faith teacheth but also our owne great profit our strength and vertue NOT (a) He stil prosecuteth the same excelleÌ„t discourse in an excellent manner only doth the honour of God shine after an excellent manner in the workes of his humanity and humility but from thence also doth result the great profit and glory of man whome nothing doth so much exalte as that God hath put himselfe into Brotherhood with him Nor is there any thing which doth so much strengthen his hart against the swooning afflictions which sinne causeth in it as to see that God died for the remedy thereof and that he gaue himselfe to man as his owne Nor is there any thing which can so mooue him to loue God as to see himselfe beloued by him euen to the death nor to make a man despise prosperity or suffer aduersity nor to humble himselfe to God and to his Neighbour nor indeed to any good thing be it great or smal as to see God abased humaned that he was pleased to passe through these thinges giuing vs commandements to performe examples to behold and strength to go through And since this way of remedying our humility and basenes turneth more to the glory of God and to the good of men it is a signe that this is a worke of God since in that which God worketh he pretendeth the manifestation of his owne glory and mans good And therefore he that either denyeth this worke or hindreth it is an enemy of God and of all mankind Since thereby he will depriue God of the greatest honour which by his workes can come to him and man of the greatest glory and benefit that can be imagined And since he declareth himself as an enemy both to God and man it is but reason that he be punished and that with eternall death in hell And the answere that he will be able to giue when God shall aske him this question Why (b) Read this with great attention didst thou not belieue those high things of me must be this Because O Lord they seemed so high to me that I did not thinke thou hadst been so high And being asked why he did not belieue those mysteryes of his humanity and humility since they were the testimonyes of his goodnes of his loue he must answere That he did not thinke the loue and goodnes of our Lord to haue beene so great that he could find in his hart to do and suffer so much for the loue of men So that he stumbleth both vpon the high and vpon the low And the roote of all is because he thinketh basely of God And that he tooke his height and his goodnes to be a limitted kind of thinge Which root and that which proceeds thereof shall iustly burne in the fire of hell as being iniurious to the most high God whom it doth diminish and confine with in a certaine narrow compasse How much better
is distinct from that whereby Iesus Christ our Lord is iust For to belieue otherwise were to imbrace a very grieuous errour which (c) The erroneous opinion of impuâ—tiue Iustice doth extremly derogate from the great and tender loue of God to man in Christ our Lord. proceedeth from the want of knowing the loue which Iesus Christ doth beare to such as are in the state of grace Whome his bowells of mercy and loue would not permit that whyleft himselfe was iust and full of all good things he should say to such as he iustifyed Content your selues with this that I abound with these good things and esteeme them for your owne as they are in me although in your selues you remayne vniust impure and naked There (d) Think seriouly of this point is no head vvhich would hold such language as this to his liuing meÌ„bers nor one Spouse to another if he should dearely loue her and much lesse will that celestiall Spouse say so vvho is giuen for a patterne to the Spouses of this world that after his resemblance they may treat and loue their fellow-spouses You men sayth (e) Ephes 5. S. Paul loue your wines as Christ loued his Church who gaue himselfe ouer for it to sanctify it and to cleanse it by Baptisme and by the word of life If then he sanctify and wash and cleanse it and that with his owne bloud which is the thing that giueth power to the Sacraments to cleanse soules by that grace of his which they impart how can that soule remaine vniust and filthy which is washed and cleansed by a thing of so extreme efficacy Now this cleanesse God did promise that he would giue in the tyme of his Messias when he sayd I will powre forth cleane water vpon you and you shall be cleansed from all your filth And our Lord in the last supper did testify That eleuen of his disciples were cleane and not after an ordinary manner but that they were wholy cleane For the veniall faults which are caused in the soule by some inordinate affections which sticke like dust vnto our feet are remoued by help of the Sacraments and their good disposition that receaue them as corporall feet are washed by materiall water as our Lord then did vse it washing both without and within and leauing them cleane from al sinne according to this testimony of (f) â— Ioâ—â— 1. S. Iohn The bloud of Iesus Christ doth cleanse vs from all sinne This bloud was called by the Prophet (g) Mich. 7. Micheas long before it was shed the sea wherein all our sinnes are drowned And he sayd God will shoot off all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea Now if these and many other places of Scripture do giue testimony that a man is pardoned and cleansed from all sinne who is there that will presume to say That a man doth neuer come to be cleansed from it For to say that sinne remayneth in a man which really and truly shal be sinne and that yet for the loue of Iesus Christ our Lord the payne which is due to that sinne should be released to him is no (h) I beseech our Lord that the truth of this discourse may sin he as deeply into thy hart as there is cause such discourse as wil serue eyther towards the verifying of the Scriptures or for the doing of Iesus Christ sufficient honour For since the payne which is due to sinne is a lesse euill to any man then the guilt of the same sin the iniustice and deformity which is caused thereby it cannot be sayd That Christ doth saue his people from their sinnes if by his merit he only obtaine that they may not be imputed to them for their punishment vnlesse first he take the guilt away by the gift of his grace nor yet that he obtayneth purity and piety for men that so detesting sinne they may keep the law of God And if the doctrine of the holy Scripture be well obserued it wil be found that when the pardon of â—inne is graunted there is giuen with all a newnesse of life and a cleane hart as if it were newly created as Dauid did desire according to that which it was (i) Isa 50. â—geâ—h 11. prophesied that it should be I will giue you a new hart and I will place a new spirit in the middest of you And I will take away from you that hart of stone and I will giue you a hart of flesh and I will place my spirit in the middest of you and I will make that you shall walke in my commandments and that you shall keep and worke my iudgementes This doth God promise to such as formerly he had told that he would cleanse them from all their filth And afterward he sayth I I will saue you from them all To (k) Be attentiue giue vs clearely thereby to vnderstand That the sauing vs from our sinnes is not only to free vs from the paine but to impart an inward cleanesse and such a hart and such a grace and such a spirit as may haue power to enable vs to keepe the commaundements of God S. Iohn (l) Apec 3. affirmeth that our Lord saith I stand at the gate and I knocke if any man open to me I will enter into him and I will suppe with him and he with me Isay (m) Isa 55. inuiteth such as are hungry in the behalfe of God that they will eate and such as are thirsty that they will drinke Our Lord saith by the mouth of (n) 2. Cor. 6. S. Paul Get you out from the middest of the wicked and do not so much as touch any thinge that is vncleane and I will receaue you I wilâ—e a Father to you and you shal be my Sonnes my daughters By which places and many others it doth euidently appeare that the benefittes which are imparted to vs by iustification are more and better then Gods not imputing to vs that punishment which is due to sinne Since withall he giueth vs his grace and cleanesse of hart and vertues and infuseth the spirit of our Lord whereby we may keep his law and so that vnder the title of being his children and of exercising our selues in good workes we may eternally enioy him And because Christ did purchase these blessings for vs togeather with the pardon of the paine he may well be proclaimed with a full mouth to be the Sauiour of vs from our sinne and (o) We are infinitely more bound to God for freeing our soules from sin then if he had only forgâ—uen vs the punishment thereof that much more for the former respect then for the later Because in vertue of that former he freeth vs from the guilt and bringeth vs to a detestation of sinne and obteineth for vs a kind of participation of God at the present and a good title for our eternally possessing him in heauen Whereby he deliuereth vs from a greater mischeife and
vnder foote that so this most vayne honour may not be lost but that it may be esteemed aboue all things yea euen aboue God himselfe O thou vayne honour which wert condemned by Christ vpon the Crosse vpon the price of his so extreme dishonour and who is he that gaue thee place in the Temple of God which is the hart of a Christian and this with so great aduantage as that after the manner of Antichrist thou wilt more be prized then the most high God Who made thee a competitour with God yea (d) Pride makes a man esteeme himselfe more then God and that thou shouldst euen outstrip him in the harts of some by being more esteemed then he So renewing that vast affront which was done him when they preferred (e) Matth. 27. Barabbas before him We must perforce confesse that thy tyranny is great ouer such harts as make themselues thy subiects and with great expedition and facility do they performe thee seruice whatsoeuer it cost them Aaron (f) Exod. 32. made him self belieue by demanding the golden eare-rings of their wiues children who asked an Idoll at his hands that rather then to see such as they loued to be disadorned they would desist from their wicked desire of a false God But so it fell not out for those things were no sooner askt then giuen Nor did they then nor do men now take care of what is needfull for house or Children so that they may haue an Idoll of honour to which they may offer sacrifice Oftentimes it happens that euen some of them who serue thee doe yet vnderstand well inough how vayne and shaddowy a toy thou art and what a wofull thing it is to follovv thee and being able if they would to deliuer themselues from thy heauy yoake by breaking from thee all at once yet (g) A miserable case is their infirmity misery so great that they rather choose to burst and to proceed against the honour of God then to doe God honour and be at rest by flying from thee God did cast this out for a curse against thē who serued false Gods That (h) Sin makes men slaues they should serue them day and night and this is punctually fulfilled by such as do adore this Honour S. Iohn speaking of some principall people of Hierusalem which belieued in Christ but durst not declare themselues for his in respect of men doth say of them with great reproach (i) Ioan. 12. That they loued the honour of men more thē that of God Which with much reason may be verifyed vpon these louers of honour since we see that they despise God rather then they wil be despised by men and that they are ashamed to performe his law rather then to be ashamed in the sight of men But let them be doing as long as they list let them honour this Honour euen to the outside of all their power yet firme and fixed doth that sentence stand which was pronounced against them by the soueraigne Iudge Christ Iesus when he sayd He that shal be ashamed of me and of my words of him will the Sonne of the Virgin be ashamed when he shall come in his maiesty and the maiesty of his Father with his Angells And then shall al those Angells and all the saints singe out Iust (k) Psal 118. art thou O Lord thy iudgments are iust For if this vild worme were ashamed to follow the King of Maiesty be thou O Lord ashamed thou who art Honour and Altitude it selfe that a thing so base and so wicked should remayne in company of thee and thyne O (l) Read tremble with what a powder shall the honour of this Babylon be then shot down into the profoūdest pit of Hell to be tormented in company of the proude Lucifer since these men would needes be his companions in the sinne of pryde Let no man offer to make a ieast of this or esteeme that the loue of worldly honour is a sinne of small importance since our Lord who searcheth the hart said thus to the Pharisies (m) Ioa◠5. How can you belieue in me since you seeke to be honoured by one another seeke not that honour which proceedes from God alone And now for as much as this vicious affection is so powerfull as that it sufficed to make men forbeare the belieuing in Iesus Christ what mischeife is that which it will not be able to effect who will not blesse himselfe from the same S. Augustine therefore sayd that no man knowes what force he hath more or lesse to conquer the loue of Vayne-glory but he only who maketh warre against it CHAP. III. Of what remedies we are to serue our selues towards the contempt of the Vayne-glory of the world And of the greate force which Christ our Lord doth giue for the ouercomming thereof VVE ought to esteeme it as a great remedy against this mischiefe that it is condēned by the very light of Nature For as much as euen that doth teach vs That man is to do workes worthy of Honour but not for Honours sake That he should deserue it but not valew it and that a (a) True nobility noble courage ought to despise both the being esteemed and disesteemed and that nothing should be held in high account but vertue But (b) Note if notwithstanding all this a Christian haue not the hart to contemne this vanity let him rayse his eyes vp to his Lord being placed vpon a Crosse and there he shall see him so surcharged with dishonour that if it be wel considered it may enter into competition with the grieuousnes of those very torments which he there endured Nor did our Lord without cause make choice of a death which might be accompanyed with extreme dishonour but for that he knew what a powerful tyrant this loue of honour was was likely to be in the hart of many who would make no difficulty to expose themselues to death but yet would flye from the manner of the death if it were dishonourable Now to giue vs to vnderstand that neither the one nor the other ought to fright vs he (c) Our Lord chose reproach to confound and reforme our pride chose the death of the Crosse whereupon extreme torments with excessiue dishonour did ioyne hand in hand Behould then if thou haue eyes wherewith to do it how Christ is esteemed for the meanest of men and abased by deep dishonours some of which were brought vpon him by that very death of the Crosse since that was the most infamous of all deaths and others also whereby they outraged our Lord in particuler manner for as much as there was no kind of people which did not imploy it selfe vpon despising iniuring and blaspheming him with certayne fashions of dishonour which neuer were found out before Thus shalt thou perceaue how entirely that was fullfilled which he whilest he was preaching sayd (d) Ioan. ◠I do not
all thinges of the earth yea and of heauen it selfe are but very poore and vnworthy of being desyred or enioyed if from them we seuer the will of our Lord. And that there is no one thing how little soeuer or how bitter soeuer it be otherwise which if it be ioyned to the will of our Lord is not of extreame valew Better it is without comparison to be in affliction if our Lord require it then abstracting from his will to be in heauen And if once we did banish from our selues this secret couetousnes with resolution there would fall of withall many euill fruites which grow from thence and we should gather others in place thereof of more worth namely ioy and peace which vse to be deriued from the vnion of a soule with the will of God And so firme they would be withall that tribulation it selfe would not be able to take them from vs. For as much as although such persons do find themselues afflicted and forsaken yet are they not in despayre no nor greately troubled as knowing that to be the way of the Crosse to which they haue offered themselues and by which Christ did walke as it appeared when being vpon the Crosse he sayd to his Father O (o) Matt. 17. my God Why hast thou forsaken me But shortly after he sayd Into thy hands O Father I commend my spirit Our Lord had also sayd already Againe (p) Ioan. 10. Will I see you and your hart shall reioyce and no man shall take this ioy from you For if a man enioy this condition there is no tribulation which there in the most inward part of his soule doth much disquiet him because there within he is close vnited to the will of him that sendeth it If thus we would carry our selues we should deceaue the deceauer which is the diuell For as much as by not being dismayed nor retyring from our good course begun notwithstanding the euill language he speaketh but on the other syde taking that which our Lord doth send with obedience and giuing of thankes we depart without any hurt out of this skirmish although it should last as long as we liue Yea we come to greater profit then we had before since it gaue vs occasion to gaine more crownes in heauen in reward of that conformity which we had to the will of our Lord without respecting our owne euen in that which was very painefull to vs. CHAP. XXVII That the conquest of these temptations doth consist more in hauing patience to beare them and in the hope of the fauour of our Lord then inprocuring forcibly that they may not come THE conquest whereof we haue spoken proceedeth more from the stratageme of hauing patience at that which commeth vpon vs then in the force which we can vse in procuring that it may not come And for this did the spouse say in the Canticles Catch me those little foxes which spoyle our vineyards for our vine hath sâ—orished The vineyard of Christ is our soule which was planted by his hand and watered by his bloud It doth flourish when the tyme of sterility being past it beginneth to lead a new life and yealdeth fruite to him that planted it But because in such beginnings both these and other temptations of the crafty Diuell do lye in waite for vs therefore doth the noble spouse admonish vs that since our soule which is his vineyard is in flower we should procure to hunt those foxes out By which word it is giuen vs to vnderstaÌ„d that it must be done in the (a) Because the flowers come before the fruits morning as hath bin sayd By saying that they were foxes we are as good as told that they come disguised to deceaue vs seeming to byte on the onesyde they wound on the other and in saying that they are little he telleth vs that they are not so much to be feared by him that knoweth them for the knowing theÌ„ is to weaken theÌ„ if not to ouercome them out right In saying that they destroy the vines he signifyeth that they doe men much mischiefe who know them not For being frighted and not confiding to goe through with their businesse in the sight of God they leaue their way and following a lamentable perswasion they giue themselues openly to sinne conceauing that they enioy more peace in the broad way of perditioÌ„ then by the strayte one of vertue which leadeth to life The end of such persons if they returne not first to the right way many tymes is such as that it carrieth most certayne tokens of eternall perdition as the Scripture sayth He (b) Eccl. 〈◊〉 that passeth from iustice to sinne God hath prepared him for the instrument of iustice that is for hell They (c) Note should consider that as the Gabaonites were besieged and persecuted by their enemies for hauing made peace with (d) Iosue 10. Iosue and that Iosue being called vpon by them to giue them succour did relieue and free them making their case his owne because they were persecuted by their enemies in regard of the peace they made with him so they who beginning to serue God do enroll themselues in his band grow instantly to be persecuted by the Diuells which they were not before and this doth euidently appeaâ—e to be so because by forsaking the party of Christ the persecution which is made against them would cease and if they continue to suffer they suffer for holding vp the party of Christ Now this is a most particuler fauour which God doth as S. Paul (e) Phil. 1. affirmeth To you it is giuen by Christ not only to belieue in him but also to suffer for him And if the Angels of heauen were capable of enuying earthly creatures (f) The great nobility of suffering for the loue of God and for his will it would be for this that they suffer for God And although by the word of God a Crowne is promised to that man who suffereth (g) lac 1. temptations is prooued by them which reward it shal be fit for vs to consider and desyre thereby to get more spirit that we be neither tepide in working nor weake in suffering as it is sayd both of Moyses and of Dauid also that they had an eye to the reward yet the true and perfect louer of our Crucifyed Lord doth so much esteeme a being in conformity with him that he receiueth euen the very suffering it selfe as a great fauour and reward for as Saint Augustine saith A happy iniury is that wherof God is the cause And since there is not a man who will not succour another that suffereth by comming to his seruice much more may this be expected from that diuine goodnesse And that he will make that mans cause his owne as Dauid thus desyred that he would Rise vp o Lord and iudge thy cause remember the iniurious words with the foole hath vttered against thee all the day longe That businesse
not returne till they be conquered and deseated that they may no more remaine vpon their feet but they shall fall vnder mine What is there of greater profit then that which S. Augustine beggeth when he sayth O Lord make me know thee with an (r) Yea his prayer was heard amourous knowledge and let me also know my selfe Now (f) The excellent vse fruit of tēptations desolations what meanes is there so proper for the making him know himselfe as to see himselfe experimentally in such traunces That he may touch as a man may say with his owne hands his owne weakenesse and that so very truly as to be wholy vnbeguiled of any estimation which he might make of himselfe And on the otherside he findeth by experience how faythfull God is in fulfilling the promises of his succour in the tyme of necessity and how powerfull he is in deliuering his seruantes from so great weakenesse by the suddaine gift of so admirable strength and how ful he is of mercy in visiting and pittying them who are so extreamely afflicted By this meanes a man doth fall flat vpon his face acknowledging his pouerty and misery and he adoreth his God by both louing him and hoping for succour from him when he shall find himselfe in new dangers S. Paul (t) Rom. 5. affirmeth that it hapned to himselfe after this manner I will not sayth he haue you ignorant my Brethren of the tribulation that we suffered in Asia whereby we were afflicted aboue measure and aboue our owne strength so (u) We must not be deiected in being much afflicted since S. Paul himselfe was discomforted farre as that euen to liue was a trouble to vs and we did within our selues belieue assuredly that there was no meanes for vs to escape from death And this hapneth so to the end that we might not haue confidence in our selues but in God who giueth life to the dead He who hath deliuered vs out of so great dangers and by whom hereafter we also hope to be deliuered CHAP. XXX Of many reasons which there are why we must hope that our Lord will deliuer vs out of all tribulation how greiuous soeuer it be and of two significations which this worde Belieue may be accounted to haue It is true which S. Gregory sayth That the accomplishment of thinges past giueth assurance concerning things to come And since men are wont to trust others vpon taking pawnes we seeme not to do much for God if we hope for a deliuerance out of future tribulation since he hath so often done it in tymes past It (a) A liuely comparison wherin we ought to take much comfort is certayne that if any man should haue made vs find his loue and fauour in succouring vs ten or twelue seuerall times in our troubles we should belieue he loued vs and that still he would do vs fauour if in other afflictions of ours we should haue need And why then shall we not haue a confident beliefe that God will defend vs in all our dangers since they are not twelue but many more tymes that we haue taken experience of his succour in our tribulations Remember well how often he hath drawen thee with victory out of those sharpe skirmishes of thyne against thy aduersaries and thou wert gratefull vnto him for it and thereupon thou didst conceaue a reason to belieue and confide that he loued thee since after the tempest he sent fayre weather and ioy after teares and since he had byn thy true Father and defendour And why then if now he please to try thy confidence thy loue and thy patience by a present tribulation as if he hid himselfe because he answereth not to thy cryes dost thou let thy selfe fall into such weakenesse as that the present triall which commeth to thee maketh thee loose the confidence which in many former proofes thou hadst gained It is true that we feele those things most which at the present lye vpon vs and if thou markest the straytes wherin thou findest thy selfe and how our Lord doth not free thee of them thou wilt perhaps conceaue that our Lord hath layd aside the care which formerly he had of thee and thou wilt say as the Apostles did in that great sea-tempest to our Lord who then was sleeping Maister (b) Marc 4. doest thou not care though we perish and thus wilt thou be ouertaken by the reprehension of that scripture which sayth The foole changeth like the moone Because it is sometymes after one manner and sometymes after another And thou wilt be like a Vane vpon the top of a house which is subiect to many changes in one day because it is gouerned by euery wind Thou wert in possession of our Lord as one that was carefull of thee and thy defence in the tyme of trouble because then he breathed vpon thee by the wind of his mercy and comfort wherewith he gaue thee deliuerance and thou didst pay him with thankes And because now there blowes another wind wherewith our Lord is pleased to prooue and trouble thee thou art no longer of that beliefe and confidence which before thou hadst So that thou doest belieue but what thou seest thou dost not valew our Lord but according to that which at the instant tyme he doth towards thee without helping thy selfe of that which thou hast tried at many other tymes that so at the present thou mayst be comforted in our Lord. A strange incredulity was theirs who hauing seene the meruayles of God in Egypt and the victories and fauours which he wrought for them in the desert would not take his word whereby he told them that they should enter into the land of promise For this sayth S. Paul they entred not And so is it true though not according to equality yet with some resemblance that the disconfidence and pusillanimity of that man is great who notwithstanding that God hath deliuered him many tymes frō dangers past groweth not yet to confide that he shall not be abandoned nor confounded in the danger eyther present or future since as we haue sayd the hope which one putteth in our Lord if the man be not infault wil neuer faile nor wil there be cause that a man should say I was deceaued Now it is to be vnderstood that sometymes this word (c) Note Belieue is taken for that worke which the vnderstanding performeth by setling it selfe in the truthes of the Catholike fayth with a supreme kind of certitude as formerly hath been sayd And he that belieueth against this fayth is called with a full mouth and is indeed an Heretike and an incredulous person and such an errour belieued hath the name of an heresy or of incredulity But the disconfident person of whome we haue spoken hitherto is neither incredulous nor is he subiect to incredulity because he hath no obligation to belieue in quality of an article of fayth that God will deliuer him out of that present trouble
forth no other fruit then confusion sinne and death And if in any sort I haue had any good thing I receaued it of thee And whatsoeuer good I haue now the same I hold of thee If at any tyme I stood fast on foot I stood by thee but when I fell I fell of my selfe and for euer should I haue remained fallen into that durt if thou hadst not raysed me and for euer should I haue beene blind if I had not beene illuminated by thee When I was fallen I should neuer haue risen vnles thou hadst reached forth thy hand and after I was once raysed I should instantly haue returned to fall if thou hadst not held me And so thy grace and thy mercy O Lord did euer march before me deliuering me out of all mischiefe sauing me from sinnâ—s stirring me vp to auoyd such as were present preuenting me in such as were to come and remouing from before my ne eyes those snares of wickednes by diuerting the causes and occasions therof And if thou O Lord hadst not done so there is no sinne in the whole world which I might not haue committed For I know that there is no sinne which hath beene committed by any man in any kind which another man may not commit if that guide retyre himselfe by whome man was made But thou didst procure that I should not do it and thou didst command me that I should abstayne from it and thou didst infuse thy grace that I might belieue thee For thou O Lord didst conduct me towardes thy selfe and didst preserue me for thy selfe and didst giue me grace and light that I might not commit adultery and all other sinne CHAP. LXVII Wherin he prosecuteth the former exercise and of the much light which our Lord is wont to giue by meanes thereof whereby they know the greatnes of God and as it were the Nothing of their littlenes CONSIDER therefore O Virgin these wordes of S. Augustine with attention thou wilt see how farre off thou art to be from ascribing any glory to thy selfe not only of raysing thy selfe from sinne but in determining thy selfe from returning to fall For as I told thee if the hand of God should once retyre it selfe from thee thou wouldest instantly fal backe into that profound pit of being nothing so if God should forbeare to preserue thee thou wouldest returne to those and more grieuous sinnes then those from which he deliuered thee Be therefore humble and gratefull to this Lord of whome thou art at al moments in so great necessity know that thou art depending vpon him and that all thy good is to be deriued from his holy hand as Dauid sayth In thy hand O Lord are my lett es for lettes he calleth the grace of God and the eternall predestination which commeth by the (a) The first grace of God is giuen vpon no other ground then his own meer goodnes goodnes of God and they are graunted to such as to whome he graunteth them And as if he should resume the being which he gaue thee thou wouldst againe be nothing so he retiring his grace from thee thou wouldest returne to be a sinner I speake not this that thou shouldest fall into any deep discouragement or desperation in that thou seest how thou art hanging vpon the handes of God but to the end that with so much the more security thou mayst enioy the good thinges which God hath giuen thee (b) Let this be the hope of any man who by the goodnes of God doth liue lesse sinfully then he was wont mayst haue confidence that through his mercy he will finish that in thee which he hath begunne And that so much the more as thou with greater humility and profound reuerence and holy feare shalt cast thy selfe trembling and prostrate at his feete not relying any way vpon thy selfe but hauing a strong hope in him For this is a great good signe that his infinite goodnesse will not forsake thee according to that which that blessed and (c) The humility of our B. Lady was aboue all the humilities of al pure creatures humble aboue all humble creatures Mary did sing when she said (d) Luc. 1. His mercy is from generation to generation vpon them that feare him And if our Lord be pleased to giue thee this knowledge of thy selfe which thou desirest thou (e) The sweet and sublyme effects of holy humility wilt find coÌ„ming into thy hart a certaine heauenly light and a kind of feeling into thy soule whereby vpon the driuing away of all darckenesse it findeth and knoweth that there is no being nor good nor strength in any thing created but that which the blessed and deare will of God hath bin pleased to giue and conserue And then he knoweth how true that part of the other canticle is The heauens and the earth are full of thy glory For in all that is created he seeth nothing good the glory whereof is not due to God And he vnderstandeth how truly God directed (f) Exod. 3. Moyses that he should say of him to men He that Is hath sent me to you and that also which our Lord said in the (g) Marc. 10. Ghospell There is none good but God alone For as all the being and all the good which thinges haue whether they be of free will or of grace is giuen and preserued by the hand of God such a person will know that God is more to be said to be in them and to worke that which is good in them then they in themselues Not (h) How God worketh in man and how man worketh with vnder God but that they doe also worke but because they worke as second causes being moued by God who is the principall and vniuersall operatour and of whome they hold their power to worke And so looking vpon them he findeth there no hand-fast nor resting place but vpon that infinite Essence which vpholdeth them in comparison wherof they doe all how great soeuer they be appear but as a little needle which is cast into an infinite sea From (i) This is an inestimable iewell but pray hard for it and by the goodnes of God thou maist purchase it this knowledge of God there doth result to the soule which profits by it a profound and loyall reuerence to the superexcellent diuine maiesty which placeth in her such a detestation of atributing any good thing to her selfe or any other creature that she will not so much as once thinke thereof Considering that as the chast Ioseph who though he were sollicited by the wife of his Lord yet would not commit such a treason against him so must not a man rise vp and robbe God of his honour which he resolueth to keep for himselfe as the husband doth his wife according as it is written My glory I will not giue to another And then also growes a man to be so grounded in this truth that although all the world
the bloud of Christ our Lord. CONSIDER then how deformed the spot is which sinne doth cause and how farre we are to fly from it since being once receiued into the soule it could neither be washed away by the shedding of so much bloud as was offered in the Temple by the commaundment of God himselfe nor could all the force of man arriue vnto it And if that beautifull and deare (a) Christ our Lord. Word of God had not come downe to beautify vs the deformity of sinne would for euer haue remained in vs. But that lambe without spot comming downe he had the power and he had the way and he had the will to put away these spotts he destroyed our deformity and he endewed vs with beauty And to the end that thou mayest see with how much conueniency the Sonne of God rather then God the Father or the holy Ghost was to be he that should beautify our deformed soules with his bloud Consider that as Eternity is attributed to the Father and Loue to the holy Ghost so to the Sonne of God as God is attributed Beauty because he is most (b) The first quality of Beauty prefect and without the least defect and he is the (c) The second quality of Beauty image of the Father as S. Paul (d) Heb. 1. saith and so liuely an one that in regard he is engendred by way of the vnderstanding he is to all purposes as his Father who gaue him the same essence that himselfe hath in such sort as that he (e) Ioan. 14. who seeth him seeth the Father as the holy ghospell saith Now by reason of this proportion betweene the Sonne and the Father which is so absolute most iustly is beauty ascribed to him since the image is taken in so liuely a maner out of the originall Light (f) The third quality of Beauty is not wanting to him for he is called the Worde which is a thing engendred by the vnderstanding and in that vnderstanding as S. Iohn (g) Ioan. 1. saith which was true light Greatnes is not (h) The fourth quality of beauty wanting to him since he is infinitly immense and therefore was it conuenient that this beautifull God by whom we were made wheÌ„ we were not should come to restore vs when we were lost and who apparaylling himselfe with our flesh should take vpon him the resemblance of our deformity and so imparte to vs the excellency of his owne beautie And although neither our being punished or spoken faire was able to free vs from our spots yet was the valew so great of the punishing of that beautiful person that the sharp salpetre of his passion falling vpoÌ„ his shoulders there distilled downe vpon vs the sweet dew of his whitnesse And howsoeuer God doth say to the sinner Although (i) Hier. 12. thou wash thy selfe with salpetre with the Fullers hearbe thou shalt not be cleane yet telling vs that he would send a remedy against this spot he sayth in another place If thy sinnes be as red as scarlet they shal be made white like snow and if they shal be as red as bloud they shall become whyte like woll Very truly well did Dauid belieue this when he (k) Ps 50. sayd Thou shalt sprinkle me O Lord with (l) The inward meaning of this place deliuered â—yssope and I shal be cleane thou shalt wash me and I shall become more white then snow Hyssope is a litle hearbe and somewhat hot and hath the property to purge the lunges wherby we breath This hearbe they brought to a wand of Cedar they tyed it thereunto with a string of crimson double died And so being bound togeather they called it that Hyssope wherewith when first it had beene steeped in bloud and water and then with water and ashes they sprinkled both leaprous persons and such as had touched any dead body and thereupon they were held for cleane Full well knew Dauid that neither the herbe nor the Cedar nor the bloud of birdes or beastes nor yet water or ashes could giue any cleannesse to the soule although it were figured by them And therfore he desired not God that he would take into his hand a branch of Hyssope sprinkle him with it but (m) That hysop was a figure of the humility and Passion of Christ our Lord. he sayth so in respect of the humanity and humility of Iesus Christ our Lord which is called an herbe because it grew from the earth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and because he was begotten without the help of man as the flower springeth in the field which is neither plowed nor sowed For this it is that he sayth I am (n) Can. 2. the flower of the field And this her be is called little for the meanenesse which he tooke vpon himselfe in the world so far forth as to say A (o) Psal 21. worme I am and no man the dishonour of men and the very out-cast of the people This (p) The passion of our Lord is the only soueraign cure of pride humbled flesh of our Lord is such a remedy against the puffe of our foolish pride as that it may be cured by this so great humility since there is no colour for a worme to exalt it self when the King of Maiesty is so abased And forget not that Hyssope is hot For Christ by the fire of that loue which was burning in the roots of his hart was pleased to abase himself to purge vs thereby to make vs know that if he who was so high did abase himselfe how much reason there is why we who haue so true cause to abase our selues should not by our selues be exalted And if God be humble how much more should a man be so This (q) Of our Lord Iesus flesh so full of true phisicke was then put to the sticke of a Cedar when it was placed vpoÌ„ the crosse tyed by that delicate thrid of wooll twice died For although the nayles which fastned thereunto his handes and feete were hard and great and long inough yet if the thrid of his ardent loue had not fastned him to that crosse and vnles he had been willing to deliuer vp his life for the killing of our death those nayles would not haue beene strong inough for such a businsse So that it was not they but the loue he bare vs that held him there And (r) The double aspect which was carryed by the loue of our Lord the reparation of Gods honour and the remission of mans sin this loue carryed a double aspect as crimson which is double died for he suffered that which he suffered to satisfy for the honour of his father who was offended by our sinnes and for the loue of sinners who were lost thereby CHAP. CIX That the sacred humanity of Christ our Lord was figured in the gaâ—â—ent of the high Priest and in the veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make
And what that was which Dauid begged when he desired to be sprinckled with Hysâ—ope that he might so be cleansed THE garment which the high Priest of the old Law did weare was to be double died in crimson because (a) How the figurs of the old TestameÌ„t were perfected fullfilled in the person of our Lord Iesus the holy Humanity of Christ which is the garment of his soule was to be dyed in bloud being shed both for the loue of God and man And this flesh being nayled vpon the Crosse is that veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make of the (b) Exod. 18. colour of Hyacinth Crimson and Purple double died and of whyte and well and strongly wouen linnen made with the needle and curiously diuersified by seuerall workes For this holy Humanity is died with bloud like crimson it is of a fiery colour which is signified by the purple as hath been said and it is white like fyne linnen through Chastity and Innocency and it is well and strongly wouen for it is not loose or weake but firmely and fast put togeather vnder all kind of vertuous discipline and much affliction And (c) The colour of the floure hiacinthus is blew though the colour of that stone which we know by that name is of a deep yellow this is well signifyed by the Hyacinth which is of a celestiall colour because his body was framed by the supernatural worke of the holy Ghost For this reson is it called celestiall and for many other vertues perfections thereof which were contriued by the admirable knowledge of the wisedome of God! The commaundment was that this veyle should be hung vpon foure pillars which were to vphold it which signifieth that Christ was to be placed vpon the (d) The crosse was made of foure parts One was the length two the breath the other wherupoÌ„ the litle was written foure armes of the Crosse and foure Ghospells they also be which doe publish and preach it throughout the world Now for as much as Dauid being a Prophet so illuminated by God in the knowledge of those mysteries which concerned Christ who was to come seeing how deformed himselfe was growne by the foule sinne of (c) The murther which he committed vpon the persoÌ„ of Vrias that so he might coÌ„tinue to enioy Bersabee his wife stealing the sheep and murthering the sheepheard fearing the wrath of the Omnipotent God wherwith he was threatened by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan he beseecheth God to take away his (f) The deformity of sinne the beauty of grace deformity and to giue him beauty not with materiall Hyssope since the same Dauid sayd to God That he tooke no (g) Not in any thing that was only external but the externall sacrifices were to be accompanied by internall sorrow for sinne delight in the sacrifice of beasts but he beggeth to be sprinckled by the flesh bloud of Iesus Christ being tied with the strings and cordes of loue vpon the Crosse Beleeuing that though his deformity were great and that otherwise it was impossible to remoue it yet he should grow white beyond the whitenesse of snow by the bloud which was to fall from the crosse O Beautifull bloud of Christ our Lord who art so Beautiful For although thou be as red as Rubies thou hast power to make a thing more white theÌ„ snow O (h) At the least we must now consider it and lameÌ„t the cause thereof which is our sinne if a man had seene with what violence it was drawne downe by those wretches with what loue it was shed by thee O Lord when thou didst stretch forth thyne armes and feete to be let bloud therein for the remedy of that so lewd disorder and distemper which we made by our ill desires and deedes With great force did thyne enemies come vpon thee but with much more violence did thy loue assault thee for it was that and not they which ouercame thee Dauid did stile Christ (i) Psalm 44. beautifull aboue all the sonnes of men But this beautifull creature who surpassed not only men but Angells would needes as it were dissemble that beauty of his and he apparailed the exteriour of his body with the resemblance of that deformity which possest our soules That so the same deformity might be swallowed vp in the Abysse of his beauty as some little straw would be consumed in a huge fire and that he might giue vs his owne beautifull Image and make vs so resemble him CHAP. CX How Christ did as it were dissemble those foure conditions of his beauty so to make vs beautifull to which purpose there is a passage of the Prophet Isay declared YF we do well consider the conditions which haue bin shewed to be requisite for the making a man beautifull al which are in the diuine word after a most excellent manner we shal find that he dissembled and hid them all that so being concealed in him they might grow to be disclosed in vs. Most (a) The first conditioÌ„ that any thing must haue if it will be beautifull was hidden by Christ Iesus our Lord in his sacred passion entire and perfect and full is the word of God which wanteth nothing nor can it want and which remooueth the want of all thinges But yet though in the bosome of his Father he be so rich if thou looke vpon him being made man in the wombe and in the armes of his mother as also throughout the whole course of his life and death thou wilt see how he wanted both to eate and drinke yea and a bed wheron to lye when the Virgin layd him in the manger For neither was there any bed for him in the stable of Bethleem nor any other place then that How often did he want meanes to put away both heate and cold and nothing he had if they gaue him nothing And if in his life tyme he had not a place where to lay his head as himselfe affirmeth what shall we say of that extremity of pouerty to which he was subiect in his death at which tyme neither had he any thing whereupom so much as to lay his head For eyther he was to haue leaned backe with it vpon the Crosse and so to endure excessiue paine by the thornes which might pricke him so much the deeper or else he must let it fall so remaine without a rest but not without exceeding paine O sacred head whereof the Spouse (b) Cant 5. saith That it is of purest gold as being the head of God and how much to thy cost dost thou pay for that resting place which in preiudice of the loue that we owe to thy selfe we procure to find vpon thy creatures both (c) How true is this and how truly ought it to be reformed louing them and desiring to be beloued and praised by them making that to be our lodging which should be only our high way whereby we might