parts of the world according to that of Genesis In the beginning Gen 1. God created heauen and earth Heauen is the seate of the Angels and therefore he beginneth with Praise our Lord from the Heauens and referreth to it all superiour things and the earth is the seate of men and therefore he addeth in the 7. verse Praise our Lord from the earth referring vnto it all inferiour things The exposition of the Psalme PRaise yee our Lord from the Heauens praise yee him in the high places Praise yee him all his Angells praise yee him all his hostes S. Augustine well noteth vpon this place that the Prophet doth not by these words commaund the Angells to praise our Lord or exhort them to praise him as though they were slacke and remisse in this happy office or did euer cease or desist from praising him for as S. Iohn affirmeth The Apocalip 4. Psal 83. fower beasts had noe rest daie and night saying holy holy holy Lord God omnipotent and the Psalmist saieth Blessed are they that dwell in thy howse ô Lord for euer-and euer they shall praise thee But he doth hereby congratulate them in this their praising God like as we are accustomed to congratulate those whome wee see doing some worke with ioy wherewith we are well pleased saying courage goe too my Masters or the like which words we vse vnto them not that they stand in need of our incouragement to moue them to beginne that worke but that we are delighted with that they are already in hand with Praise yee him Sunne and Moone praise yee him all Starres and light The Sunne Moone Starres and light are saied to praise our Lord when by their beautie efficacy swittnesse and other proprieties they doe induce intellectuall creatures to admire praise their Creator Praise him yee heauens of heauens to witt the greatest and highest heauens and the waters that are about the saied heauens let them praise the name of our Lord as hath been saied in the precedet Canticâ—e Because he saied intellectually within himselfe to witt in his practical vnderstaÌ„ding that they should bee created and they were made of nothing that which they now are he commaunded by his diuine will and they were created for according to the Apostle God almighty calleth those Rom. 4. things that are not as those things that are as alsoe that of Genesis And God saied Gen. 1. bee light made bee à firmament made c Soe by saving all things were created for God is the cause of all things by his vnderstanding according to that Thou Psal 103. Psal 134. hast made all things in wisdome and by his will according to that All things whatsoeuer our Lord would he hath done in heauen and earth He established them to witt the Angels Sunne Moone Starres and the heauens for euer and for euer and euer for he hath giuen them an incorruptible being Notwithstanding we beleeue that the heauens and the lights of the heauens in as much as concerneth their accidentall forme shall bee changed and renewed for the better as hath been saied in our former explications He put à precept he prefixed them à certaine forme or manner of working and it shall not passe but remaine as he hath decreed He put à precept to the Sunne that it should shine by daie and behold in soe many yeares this hath been obserued to the Moone that it should increase and decrease for thirty daies and this course hath not been altered to the Sea that it should not transcend its limits and behold the surging billowes of the Ocean come wallowing to the shore burst and returne Praise our Lord from the earth all you that any wise appertaine thereunto Yee Dragons and all depthes By Dragons are here vnderstood great fishes which some call Leuiathans or VVhales and by the depthes are vnderstood the deepe placee where such fishes remaine according to that Thou hast crushed the heads of the Dragons in Psal 73 the waters Yet some in this place by Dragons doe vnderstand great serpents rough with scales which dwell in dennes caues and hollow moist places to temper their naturall heat and doe not creepe vpon the earth but fly in the aire and doe exceed other creatures in vast quantity and horrid aspect Fire haile snow yee spirit of stormes to wit tempestious winds exciting suddaine whirl winds and stormes at Sea VVhich doe his word doe obey his diuine will performing that for which they were ordained Mountaines and little hills trees that beare fruit and all Cedars Beastes wild and vntamed and all cattell tame domesticke Serpents and fethered fowles All these the Prophet doth inuite to praise our Lord according as hath been explicated in the precedent Canticle Finally the Prophet inuiteth Man to praise our Lord for whome all things were created saying Kings of the earth all that haue independent temporall authority and absolute right to gouerne and all peoples that owe fealty homage and obedience to their lawfull Soueraignes Princes that haue absolute right to gouerne their subiects within their principalities but yet are subordinate themselues to the saied Kings in some respects and all Iudges of the earth that haue authority from Kings Princes to determine differences betweene party and party and to pronounce sentence of death in criminall causes And that he might comprehend all sorts of people of what age sexe condition soeuer he addeth Yong men and Virgins old with yong All people therefore whether they bee Kings Princes or priuate persons men or women old or yong let them praise the name of our Lord because the name of him alone is exalted that is he himselfe alone doth infinitely surpasse all things in nobility and perfection Eccles 1. Whence Ecclesiasticus saieth There is one most high Creator omnipotent and mighty King and to bee feared exceedinglâ— and Mâ—yses saieth Neither is there other God Deut. 3. either in heauen or on earth that is able to doe thy workes and to bee compared to thy strength The Coâ—fession of him aboue heauen and earth to witt His praise is song in the triumphant and militant Church His glory saieth the Prophet shall couer the heauens and the earth is full of his praise Yet in neither of them can he be praised to the full for all the tongues of men and Angells are altogether in sufficient to expresse Abacuc 3. his immense goodnesse and infinite perfection He hath exalted the horne of his people to witt the power and glory of the people of Israel electing them amongst all the generations of the earth giuing them diuine lawes written with his owne finger protecting them miraculously against the fury of their enimies and gouerning them with singular prouidence and vnspeakable loue An Hymne which is the praise of God with à spirituall song properly belongeth to all his Saints in heauen and earth for they are worthy of all praise and they praise God incessantly to the Children
pleasures and commodities which quickly vanish like to the passadges of the fishes in the sea The Prophet endeth with the same verse he beganne to shew that Christ is the beginning and the end and that we ought to beginne end all our workes with his praise S. Augustine vpon those words whaâ— is man that thou art mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou visitest him distinguisheth man from the sonne of man in this sort Euery sonne of man saieth he is à man but euery man is not the sonne of man for Adam was à man but not the sonne of man Those that beare the image of the terrene man who was not the sonne of man are signified in this place by the name of man and are as it were disioyned à farre of from God and therefore he is saied to bee onely mindfull of them but those who beare the image of the heauenly man the new Adam who was the sonne of man are more properly called the sonnes of man with whome God is nearely present illustrating them with the light of his countenance and therefore he is saied to visite them The new man is borne of the old because spirituall regeneration beginneth by the change of the old secular life according to that of the Apostle That is not first which is spirituall but that 1. Cor. 15. which is naturall afterward that which is spirituall The first man of earth earthly the second man from heauen heauenly Such as is the earthly such alsoe are the earthly and such as the heauenly such alsoe are the heauenly Therefore as we haue borne the image of the earthly let vs beare alsoe the image of the heauenly By the birds of the aire which are borne aloft and sing continually maie bee vnderstood the Angells that inhabite the highest places and sing continually the praises of God And by the fishes of the sea which dwell in the lowest places and are mute maie bee vnderstood the deuills which inhabite the remotest places from the throne of God and are mute as to the praising of him The explication of the 18. Psalme and second in number in the Nocturne office THE ARGVMENT THis Psalme consisteth cheifly of two parts wherein the holie Prophet sheweth two waies whereby euery man maie come to the Knowledge of God and of diuine misteries The one by comtemplating the heauens which by their beautie greatnes exact motion doe expresse after à silent manner the Maiestie power and wisdome of their Creator according to that of the Isaiâ— 40. Prophet Isaie Lift vp your eies and see who hath created these things The other by the law of God whereby men are taught how to frame their liues conformable to the diuine will The holie Fathers grounding themselues vpon the authoritie of S. Paul in diuers places doe interpret the words of this Psalme to bee spoken by the holie Prophet of the Apostles Euangelists other preachers of the new law and of the sinceritie and excellencie of the same law wherefore I will first set downe the Propheticall or rather indeed the true literall sense of this Psalme and afterwards the plaine literall sense as the words seeme to import The heauens the Apostles and Euangelists who are tearmed heauens in respect of their celestiall conuersation and eminency of grace and for that God dwelleth in them in à sublime and vnspeakable manner in which sense likewise all perfect and spirituall men are called heauens in diuers places of holie writ Heare yee heauens what things I Deutero 32. Isa 1. speake and the earth heare the words of my mouth And the Prophet Isaie Heare yee heauens and giue eare ô earth These heauens declare the glorie of God to witt the Kingdome and excellencie of Christ and the firmament the holie Church established vpon the rocke which is Christ and perfect men who are firmely placed in her as starres in the firmament declareth vnto vs the workes of his hands to witt the vertues miraculous workes of Christ wrought by his diuine power principally which is as his right hand his humanitie instrumentally which is as his left hand Daie vnto daie vttereth the word wise holie and diuinely illuminated men doe impart vnto learned and spirituall men out of the fulnesse of their knowledge doctrine concerning the diuine nature of Christ according to that of the 1. Cor. 2. Apostle we speake wisedome among the perfect And night vnto night sheweth knowledge such contemplatiues from whom the sunne of Iustice they beinge now well grounded in à spirituall life for à long space withdraweth his rayes of sensible deuotion and comforts leauing them in aridity and darknesse of spirit and affordinge them only à glimpse of his beautie as through an obscure clowde leadinge them maruelously by à very painfull yet more secure and meritorious waye doe shew to others in this estate of desolatioÌ„ knowledge how to comport theÌ„selues in the like exigeÌ„ce to make right vse of such substraction of grace There are noe languages nor speeches whose voices are not heard vnderstood and spoaken by the Apostles for they spake with all toungs and euery one vnderstood them in his owne proper phrase of speech This verse according to the latin translation maie admitt this construction Non sunt loquelae neque sermones there are noe languages or speeches quorum non audiantur voces corum of which languageâ— and speeches the voices of them to witâ— of the Apostles are not heard and thâ—â— construction seemeth to agree with the verse following Their sound hath goone forth into all the earth for the Apostles did cast lots and diuide the nations of the earth amongst them and they in person visited the principall parts thereof and to the rest their sound hath gone forth videlicet their doctrine hath been published by their disciples Certes saietht he Apostle into all the earth hath the sound of them gone forth and vnto the ends of the whole world the words of them And vnto the ends of the round world the words of them this was foreshewed alsoe by the Prophet Isaie From the ends of the earth we haue heard praises the glorie of the iust one and Isa 24. in another place I will send of them that shall be saued to the Gentiles into the sea into Affrike and Lidia them that hold the arrow into Italie and Greece to the Ilands farre of to them that haue not heard of me and haue not seene my glorie c. The Apostle alleadgeth this verse to proue that faith is of hearing and of the preaching of the Apostles whence it followeth that this Psalme doth speake of Christ and his Apostles and of the preaching of the Euangelicall law He hath put his tabernacle in the sunne These words are expounded two waies The first is that he to wit Christ our Lord hath put his tabernacle his assumpted humane nature which is the temple of his inuisible deitie in the sunne to wit
note that the Iewes in reuerence of their Sabbaoth did number the daies of the weeke from that daie calling the daie immediatly following the first of the Sabbaoth and soe forth of the rest The Gentils called the daies of the weeke by the names of the Planets to wit SuÌ„nedaie Moonedaie c. but the holie Church doth call our Sabbaoth which was the first of the Sabbaoth according to the Iewish accouÌ„t our Lords daie in honour of the Resurrection of our Sauiour on that daie and the daie immediatly following the first Feria and soe forth of the rest signifying thereby that all good Christians ought euery daie to feriate that is to liue holily abstayning from sinne vaine vnnecessary imployment yet not desisting from lawfull labours The sense therefore of this title is The Psalme written by Dauid for the glorie of the Resurrection of Christ which was to bee vpon the first of the Iewish Sabbaoth when Christ rysing on that daie should haue all power giuen him in heauen and vpon earth THE ARGVMENT HOlie Dauid by this Psalme doth intend to shew how of the innumerable multitude of men onely Christ and some few few indeed I maie saie in respect of the multitude of others shall enter into the celestiall house of our Lord. And therefore least perhaps any should beleeue that the residue of mankind did not belong to God but were created by some other Principle as afterwards the Marcionists and Manichees did suppose he declareth and prooueth in the beginning of this Psalme that man and all things else whatsoeuer are our Lords as being their Creator and conseruer which being soe he admireth the inscrutable iudgements of almightie God that out of the plenitude of the earth soe small à number compared with the rest should ascend inâ—o the mount of our Lord that is into his holie Church and that euen of those all should not perseuer in his holie place and dispose themselues to receaue the benediction and the mercie from their Sauiour that is to bee made partakers by him of the merits of his death and Passion but onely such as should haue the fower conditions he there specifieth Next the Prophet addresseth himself towards the Princes of darknes commaunding them to open their gates that Christ maie enter and set free the captiue soules whose ransome he hath paied vpon the Crosse And lastly he speaketh â—o the celestiall powers to open their gates that Christ and his blessed traine and all others that shall euen vntill the end of the world take vp their Crosse and follow him maie enter and keepe an eternall Sabbaoth The exposition of the Psalme THe earth is our Lords and the fulnes thereof all things therein contained to wit men beasts all that groweth thereon or is within her bowells the round world the circumference of the earth and all that dwell therein all these are our Lords as being their Creator gouernour conseruer Because he hath founded firmely placed it the earth or round world vpon the sea vpon certaine armes of the Ocean which inuiron it Yet this is not to bee vnderstood as though the earth properly speaking were aboue the sea for the earth is the Center of the vniuerse whence it is necessarie that it bee in the middest of the world and consequently according to its naturall seate incompassed by the waters and for the greatest part in the middest of them but it is saied to bee placed aboue the sea because by the diuine prouidence it is not wholly ouerwhelmed by the waters but that part which boundeth vpon the sea and the superficies thereof is higher then the sea that creatures maie liue and feed thereon Me then saieth our Lord will Ierem. 5. v. 22. you not feare who haue set the sand à limit for the sea an euerlasting precept that shall not passe the waues thereof shall swell and shall not passe ouer it And vpon the riuers hath prepared it made it an habitation fit for men and other liuing creatures The two precedent verses as likewise the rest of this Psalme maie bee explained in à more spirituall sense as followeth The earth the Church militant remaining vpon earth producing plentifull fruit of holie conuersation is our Lords and the fulnes thereof the whole vertue grace perfection of the faithfull ought by all right to bee ascribed vnto him as being the author and giuer thereof the round world the holie Church spread through all the confines of the earth or collected of people from all the ends of the earth and all that dwell therein all the true beleeuers established in Ecclesiasticall vnitie of faith and operation All these belong to our Lord Iesus Christ who hath purchased them with his pretious bloud That he might present to himself Ephe. 5. à glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle Because he hath founded it vpon the Sea vpon secular men wallowing and wauering as the Sea from one vanitie and inconstancie into an other or thus He hath founded it he hath strengthned his Church vpon the Sea vpon the persecutions tribulations bitternesses and inconstances of the world Yet this is not to bee vnderstood that these before named are the bases or foundations of the Church but that Christ hath established his Church in such sort against them that although they should neuer soe much endeauour to subuert her as the vast billowes of the sea doe menace to inuolue and swallow vp the earth yet she shall subsist and neuer bee altogether ouercome by them And vpon the riuers vpon vices gliding like riuers inordinately and without ceasing from one sensuall pleasure to another but neuer satiating hath prepared it disposed the holie Church to combate against them VValking in flesh saieth the Apostle we 2. Cor. 10. warre not according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mightie to God Since therefore all things are our Lords as hath been proued VVho shall ascend into the Mount of our Lord who from the seruitude of sinne shall ascend to the obedience of the holie Church who shall forsake the world and enter into religion who from imperfection shall ascend to perfection who from this vale of teares shall ascend into the Kingdome of heauen Or who shall stand in his holie place who shall perseuer to the end in the saied mount of our Lord verily all men shall not It is true indeed that many wicked and reprobate people doe ascend into the mount of our Lord but they stand not there for that belongeth onely to them in whome are found the fower properties following The innocent of hands who hath not iniured any man by his actions and of cleane heart who hath his heart purified from the staine or guilt of sinne and affection thereunto that hath not taken his soule in vaine that hath not neglected to fulfill those things for which his soule was created and infused into the body to wit to adorne it with vertues
for thy loue for he is the Lord thy God and they to wit all that shall beleeue in him shall adore him according Daniel 7. to that of the Prophet All peoples Tribes and tongues shall serue him And the daughters of Tyre of that great cittie neare to the land of Iuda called Tyre by whome are signified the Gentils shall present him with gifts all the rich of the earth shall beseech thy countenance shall with humble praiers and gifts seeke to winne thy fauour that they maie bee admitted to bee of thy traine and by thy meanes bee brought vnto his presence All the glorie of that daughter of the King who sometymes is called the Queene the spouse of Christ and the Church is within in interiour vertues and beautie of her mynd not in exteriour vaine fading things in borders of gold in workes of charitie clothed round about with varieties with the acts of diuers vertues In these consisteth her glorie and with these she trimmeth and adorneth herselfe that she maie appeare amiable in the eies of her spouse who is not delighted with exteriour vaine dressings and attyre Virgins shall bee brought to the King after her in the first principall place after her Virgins shall bee brought to thee ô Christ and next after them her neighbours holie widowes and such as lead their liues in lawfull wedlocke vsing it for the true end for which marriage was instituted and not for carnall delectation shall bee brought to thee They shall bee brougâ—t in ioy and exultation of body and spirit they shall bee brought into the temple of the King into the Kingdome of heauen after their passadge out of this place of banishement For thy Fathers in the place of the holie Patriarks and Propâ—ets thy Fathers ô holie Church ô spouse of Christ there are borne to thee sonnes Apostles Bishops and Priests thou shalt make them Princes ouer all the earth and they shall prescribe lawes to the whole earth which neuer yet any temporall Monarch could doe They and all those they shall begett in Christ Iesus shall bee mindfull of thy name in all generation and generation shall seeke to dilate thy glorie in all ages Therefore shall peoples of all nations â—â—ome the holie Apostles and their successors haue taught and instâ—ucted Confesse vnto thee for euer shall praise thee vnto the end of the world and for euer and euer for eternitie This their praise shall beginne in this world and continue in the future without end By the espoused here mentioned all Expositors doe vnderstaÌ„d the holie Church because the Apostle in the 5. to the Ephesians doth most clearly teach that the holie Church is the espoused of Christ Notwithstanding all that is here spoken of her in this Psalme maie alsoe bee fitly applied to euery perfect soule and principally to the Blessed Virgin who although she bee the Mother of Christ according to the flesh is neuerthelesse the espoused of Christ according to the spirit and amongst the members of the holie Church is deseruedly alotted vnto her the cheifest place of dignitie which is the reason that this Psalme is appointed to bee song in all her feasts and in the feasts of the other holie virgins The title and argument of the 45. Psalme and fift in the Nocturne Office VNto the end to the Sonnes of Chore A Psalme directing to the end which is Christ to the faithfull who shall imitate Christ crucified For secrets for hidden mysteries which shall bee reueiled in the later daies This Psalme is fitly placed next to the former for in the former was foretold the exaltation of the holie Church by the spirituall nuptialls with Christ our Lord in this is foreshewed the persecution which shall happen vnto her after the departure of her beloued spouse vnto his heauenly Kingdome her deliuery from those afflictions which shall principally come to passe towards the end of the world The exposition of this Psalme OVr Lord is à refuge vnto vs when we are inforced to fly persecution and strength when we tollerate it and in both flying and tollerating he is an helper and comforter in tribulations which haue found vs exeeedingly which haue happened vnto vs aboue measure Therefore will wee not feare when the earth shall bee troubled although the earth bee wonderfully shaken and mountaines transported into the heart or middest of the sea with great violence Or thus therefore we that hane placed our confidence in God will not feare when earthly men who haue had their affections wholly bent vpon terrene transitory things shall tremble with great horror in the daie of iudgement and the proud and mightie men of the world shall bee throwne into the very depth and middest of hell Or thus as being the words of the Primitiue Church hauing placed her hope in our Lord Iesus Christ Therefore we will not feare with à carnall humane and inordinate feare when the land of Iuda or the people of the Iewes shall bee troubled labouring in vaine to extirpate the young plants of Christ and blot out the memory of him in mens hearts neither will we then feare when the Apostles and disciples of Christ shall bee inforced to leaue Iewrie and passe to the Gentils inhabiting the middest of the earth Their waters haue sounded the clamours false accusations of the Iewes and Gentils haue sounded before the tribunalls of the Presidents Kings whither they haue conuented the disciples of Christ and were troubled to behold that they laboured in vaine to hinder the propagation of the Christian faith the mountaines were troubled the high Priests and the Princes and Potentates of the earth were moued some to impatience and persecution and others to Pennance and imitation in his strength beholding his diuine power in whose name the Apostles wrought wonderfull signes and miracles for confirmation of the doctrine which they promulgated The two following verses are expounded diues waies and first of the Militant Church The violence of the riuer the fountaine of sacred Baptisme maketh the militant Church the Citty of God ioyfull with spirituall gladnesse The highest God who alone can make cleane him that is conceiued of vncleane seed hath sanctified his tabernacle the Church of the elect or the elect themselues who according to the Apostle are the temple of the liuing God in whome he will dwell walke God is in the middest thereof of the foresaied temple as à strong pillar sustaining it on all sides who saieth of himself that VVhere there bee two or three gathered Math. 18. together in his name there he is in the middest of them It shall not bee moued the holie Church shall not faile in her faith nor bee suppressed or ouerwhelmed by tentation and tribulation because God will help it in the morning presently soe soone as she shall call vpon him for aide early in the spirituall Aurora to wit in the instant of infusion of grace or illumination of the holie Ghost Secondly they are
diuine nature hath founded her By the man that shall saie these admirable things to Sion Some doe vnderstand S. Iohn the Baptist of whome is Ioh. 1. saied There was à man sent from God c. For he was the first that announced to Sion that Christ was come of whome the Prophet Isaie saieth Vpon an high mountaine Isa 40. get thee vp thou that euangelizest to Sion exalt thy voice in strength say to the Citties of Iuda behold your God Others vnderstand Christ to bee that man because he very often saied to the Iewes and to his disciples that he himselfe was the man whome they expected should bee borne the Sauiour of the world Our Lord will declare in Scriptures of peoples and of Princes of those that haue been in her By this verse the Prophet doth seeme to make answer to the interrogation made in the precedent verse And according to the first interpretation thereof to wit Shall it not bee saied of Sion c. he seemeth here to answer Yes truely it shall bee saied for our Lord will declare it c. But according to the second interpretation to wit Shall not man saie to Sion c. he seemeth to answer Yes truely man shall saie that which followeth in the verse to Sion and not onely one that is à pure man but that man who is both God and man our Lord shall declare it in à more perfect manner in the Scriptures of peoples and Princes that all ages to the end of the world maie take notice that the onely Sonne of God Christ Iesus God and man is borne in her accordâ—ng to his humane nature and that he hath founded her according to his diuine nature And moreouer he shall declare and write downe the names of those that haue been in her who are soe many that he alone is able to doe it By Scriptures of the peoples some doe vnderstand the new testament others the bookes wherein the names of the elected people are registred which shall not bee published vntil the daie of IudgemeÌ„t when the booke of life shall bee opened and by the Princes are vnderstood the Apostles who as it is written were constituted Psal 44. Princes ouer all the world The habitation in thee holie Church designed here by Sion is as it were of all reioycing is like to that habitation where all doe reioyce This verse maie in some respects bee applied to the militant Church by reason of the exceeding ioy peace of conscience which true Christian Catholickes doe possesse who reioyce in hope as being of that number vnto whome the Apostle saieth Reioyce Philip. 4. in our Lord alwaies againe Isaie Reioyce yet it cannot properly bee applied thereunto where we are to worke our Saluation with feare and trembling but it agreeth most properly with the happy estate of the triumphant Church where the blessed spirits doe securely enioy what neither eie hath seene nor eare hath heard nor hath entred into the heart of man without the least feare of euer being depriued thereof Behold how excellently the holie Church is praised in this compendious Psalme how clearely the mysterie of the incarnation of our Sauiour is insinuated and the ioyes of the celestiall countrey commended It behoueth vs to sing it by soe much the more deuoutly and affectionately by â—ow much the more clearely the calling of the Gentils is foretold in it And in regard it is something intricate it behoueth vs to study to vnderstand the true sense thereof and consider it attentiuely for otherwise we shall not bee able to recite it with such deuotion as the misteries therein contained doe require we should The title and argument of the 95. Psalme and 7. in the Nocturne Office A Canticle to Dauid himselfe when the howse was built after the captiuitie This title was prefixed by Esdras and the Psalme was appointed by him to bee song when the Temple was reedified after the Babylonian captiuitie but the Psalme was composed by holie Dauid vpon occasion of the bringing backe of the Arke into Ierusalem and ordained by him to bee soÌ„g at that tyme. Which notwithstanding it is certaine that the principall intention of the Prophet and of the holie Ghost himselfe was to foreshew the coÌ„ming of Christ and his Kingdome when as the Apostle witnesseth â—oloss God did deliuer vs from the power of darkenes and translated vs into the Kingdome of the Sonne of his loue For as S. Augustine doth well note there is noe mention at all made through out the whole Psalme either of the bringing backe of the Arke or of the building of the Temple after the captiuitie but of the thing signified by the building of the Temple at that tyme Therefore of necessitie we must either gâ—aunt that there is noe coherence betweene the Title and the Psalme or els expound them spiritually as all the auntient holie Fathers doe to this effect As by the captiuitie saie they wherein the Iewes were lead away and detained prisoners by the Chaldeans is figured the captiuitie wherein all mankind was ouercome held in thraldome and slauery by the deuils Soe likewise by the building of the Temple in Ierusalem after that captiuitie is designed the building of the holie Church which is the howse of God not with insensible stones but with liuing stones congregated and polished by Christ and founded in him In Ephe. 2. whome as the Apostle saieth all building framed together groweth into an holie Temple in our Lord in whome you alsoe are built together into an habitation of God in the holie Ghost The sense therefore of the title is A Canticle to Dauid himselfe written for that tyme when the Church of Christ began to bee built by the preaching of Christ and his Apostles after the freeing of mankind from captiuitie which was done by the Incarnation and passion of the Sonne of God who redeemed mankind from the power of the deuill and the seruitude of sinne as our Sauiour witnesseth of himself saying Now the Prince of this world shall bee cast forth and I if I bee exalted from the earth will draw all things to my selfe The Psalme speaketh litterally of the two fold comming of Christ to wit to saue and to iudge the world it speaketh alsoe of the building and sacrifice of the Church The exposition of the Psalme SIng ye to our Lord à new song sing ye such à song as the new Master the fountaine of wisdome Christ our Lord hath brought with him and proposed to the whole world â—o wit A Hymne composed of his counsells some whereof were vnknowne before his comming Such à new soÌ„g is One thing is necessarie If thou wilt bee perfect goe and sell the things Luc. 10. Math. 19. that thou hast giue to the poore Call none Father to your selfe vpon earth for one is your Father he that is in heauen innumerable others like to these which are frequent in the new Testamènt
materiall temple to wit in the house of Praier yet much rather in his immateriall temple to wit the mynd or spirit for our Sauiour saieth God is à spirit and they that adore Ioh. 4. him must adore in spirit and veritie and in another place VVhen thou shalt praie enter Math. 6. into thy chamber and hauing shut the dore praie to thy Father in secret to wit with à setled and recollected mynd Let all the earth bee moued before his face let all the inhabitants of the earth bee moued to chast loue admiration and obedience and bee auerted from their bad waies and conuerted to God attending the benigne presence and sweet Maiestie of Christ Saie ye ô ye Apostles and ye that shall succeed them vnto the Gentils to whose conuersion and information ye are sent that our Lord hath reigned in the whole vniuerse and especially in the hearts of the faithfull by faith and Charitie Concerning which you are to note that God hath raigned in heauen and earth by his omnipotency euen from the beginning but his spirituall Kingdome in the hearts of men where he raigneth by faith beganne not especially in the hearts of the Gentils vntill the coÌ„ming of our Sauiour who by his passion and death dispossessed and cast forth the diuell as maie bee gathered by these words of our Lord Now the Prince of the world Ioh. 12. shall bee cast forth and I if I bee exalted from the earth will draw all things to myselfe S. Augustine and diuers others of the auncient Fathers doe read the last part of this verse as followeth Our Lord hath reigned from the wood to wit from the holie Crosse whereon he redeemed the world Which words of the wood were aunciently in the interpretation of the 72. Interpreters and haue been raced out by the Hebrews as S. Iustine affirmeth which notwithstanding Fortunatus hath placed them in the Hymne which is sung by the holie Church in Passion weeke The Prophet sheweth here by the effect that our Lord hath raigned because he hath exercised his regall power For he hath corrected the round world which shall not bee moued he hath conuerted the vniuersall Church spread and diâ—ated through the whole world from Idolatry and vice by his owne increpation and reprehension according to that of the Prophet He stroke the earth with the rod of Isa 11. his mouth c. as alsoe by the preaching of his disciples and other seruants and hath established it soe firmely that notwithstanding it shall bee soie shaken by the tempests and whirlwinds of tribulation and tentation yet shall it not bee moued in whole whilst the world shall indure He will iudge peoples in equitie The iudgement here mentioned is the iudgement wherewith our Sauiour iudged in his first comming to wit the iudgement of discretion or seuering one from another mercifully calling some to faith and grace and iustly forsaking others which discretion was altogether most iust notwithstanding that our weake iudgements are not able to comprehend the reason thereof Let the heauens bee glad and the earth reioyce the Sea bee moued and the fulnesse thereof to wit all therein contained the fields shall bee glad and all things that are in them What is spiritually vnderstood by these hath been sufficiently declared in the precedent Psalmes Then shall the trees of the woods reioyce before the face of our Lord because he cometh because he cometh to iudge the earth By this repetition of be cometh is insinuated the two commings of Christ in both which the Prophet inuiteth all creatures to reioyce in his first comming because he came then in the forme and shape of à man and sought to winne all hearts vnto him by his sweet benigne conuersation consecrating and disposing all things towards their perfection and the end for which they were created and in his second comming alsoe because he will come to refine and renew and constitute them in such perfectioÌ„ that they shall remaine for eternitie He will iudge the round world in equitie to wit without respect of persons and peoples in his truth to wit in iustice rendring to euery one according to his workes Tha title and argument of the Psalme and 8. in the Nocturne Office TO this Dauid when his land was restored to him For that there is noe mention at all made in this Psalme of King Dauids recouery of his Kingdome which Absalon had taken from him the expositors thereof doe generally agree that King Dauid vpon occasion of the recouery of his land being inspired by the holie Ghost did sing the restoring of the Kingdome of Christ in the hearts of all maÌ„kind which the diuell had vsurped by fraudulently inducing our first parents to transgresse Gods commandement and had withheld from him vntill he by his painefull death vpon the Crosse vanquished that tyrant and obtained all power in heauen and vpon earth In the first verse the Prophet speaketh of this saied restoring of Christ our Sauiours Kingdome vnto him to wit al mankind or the Church of the elect according to that Aske of me and I will giue thee the Gentils Psal 2. for thy inheritance and thy possession the ends of the earth but in the rest of the Psalme he describeth the dreadfull comming of Christ to the generall Iudgement when his Kingdome shall bee established in such sort that it remaine for euer The exposition of the Psalme OVr Lord of whome it is saied in the Apoc. 19. Apocalipse That he hath in his garment and in his thigh written King of Kings and Lord of Lords from the tyme of his glorious Resurrection hath reigned in the militant Church or in the hearts of his elect wherefore let all the earth reioyce let all nations liuing vpon the continent or maine land congratulate him in this his regall dignitie and not onely they but alsoe let many Ilands bee glad let the inhabitants of great Britanie Ireland Cyprus Sicilie all other Ilands very many in number which shall bee conuerted make triumph and signes of ioy thereat for of these the Prophet Isaie saieth The Ilands shall expest his Isa 42. Ibidem law and againe They shall giue glorie to the Lord and shall declare his praise to the Ilands A cloud and mist shall appeare round about him when he shall come to iudge the world with much power and Maiestie that Infidels and reprobate Christians maie neither haue à cleare veiw of his glorified body with their externall eies nor of his diuinitie with their internall but onely some litle glimpse of his glorie to their greater confusion Iustice iudgement with mercy and iudgement seueritie of iustice shall bee the correction or supporters of his seate or the sentence of correction which shall proceed from his tribunall Iustice and iudgement according to S. Ierome is here saied to bee the correction of the seate of our Lord because the iudgements of God before he cometh to iudgement doe seeme somewhat imperfect in
vs the holie life and Passion of his deare Sonne Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour or the acts and vertues of the blessed Virgin and the rest of the Saints now in glory we maie hereby correspond on our part to soe great loue and in token of gratitude breake forâ—h into his praise with some sweet sentences expressing the affections of our hearts admiring his goodnesse glorifying his name for euer These sentences are vsually repeated in the Responsories that they maie make the deeper impression in our hearts as alsoe to shew that when we haue praised God all we can we maie beginne againe and againe and yet neuer bee able to praise him to the full The Lessons here being wholly of the blessed Virgin and insinuating vnto vs her Motherly care and sincere affection towards all mankind the Responsories are composed answerable to the Lessons and are certaine pious affections towards her extolling the immeÌ„se goodnesse of God for his wonderfull mercies shewed towards her his infinite graces bestowed vpon her aboue all pure creatures and his singular workes wrought in and by her to the benefit of all mankind The exposition of the Second Lesson ANd soe in Sion to wit in the holie Church speculating diuine things was I established made firme and powerfull as being replenished with all vertue and grace that I might bee able to succour and releeue all faithfull soules and in the sanctified Cittie to wit in the holie Church likewise I rested corporally and spiritually corporally soe long as I liued in the world in mortall flesh and afterwards euer since I was assumpted into heauen I cease not to rest spiritually in the holie Church recommended vnto my custody and my power was in Ierusalem in the triumphant and militant Church In the triumphant I am alotted à prime place of dignitie in respect of my maternall authoritie by which I am made the Mother of God and for which I am exalted aboue all the Angelicall spirits The Kingdome of mercy in the militant Church is alsoe conferred vpon me for which I am stiled the Queene of mercy and haue dominion ouer the inuisible enemies And I tooke roote in an honourable people to wit in the Christian people for whome I haue obtained that they maie take roote and bee established in all grace and vertue by frequent procuring them diuine gifts and pious reformation and by strengthening them in good And in the portion of my God his inheritance to wit the inheritance of the saied Christian people for by my intercession that portion which almightie God hath allotted to his beloued to wit eternal happinesse shall bee the inheritance of those faithfull Christians who are predestinate by him from all eternitie to enioye his essentiall vision and my abiding is in the full assembly of the Saints that is amongst the deuout and holie ones I am detayned and will perseuere for with such I am well pleased to remaine The explication of the Third Lesson I Am exalted as à Cedur in Libanus Like as the high tree called à Cedar is eleuated in mount Libanus sendeth forth à sweet sauour and is not subiect to putrifaction soe I am deuoutly honoured by all good Christians aboue all pure creatures highly reuerenced experienced sweet to euery one and am intire and free from all corruption of sinne and reprehension And as the fruit of the Cedar hath vertue to heale languishing people soe my fauour my praier and my consolations haue power to cure all diseased hearts And as à Cyprus tree in mount Sion Like as that most solide tree doth yeeld to noe burthen nor can bee suppressed by any weight but doth sublimely appeare in mount Sion Soe I remaine amongst Christian people most strong hardy neither did I euer yeld to any vice or was ouercome by any tentation but haue obtained for that people manifold comforts by my intercession and merits As à Palme tree in Cades I am exalted Like as the Palme tree in the towne of Cades doth appeare most gorgeously and in its top branches is most comely and pleasing to behold Soe I by the gifts and ornaments of grace and glorie am made most bright and delightfull to the veiw aboue all creatures And as à Rose plant in Iericho As the Rose is the most beautifull of all flowers soe the blessed Virgin is the most beautifull of all women and like as the water distilled out of Roses doth asswage paine and cleanse the eies soe the blessed Virgin doth mitigate all the anguishes sorrowes of this present life and illuminate the internall eies As à faire Oliue tree in the feilds Like as the oliue tree is euer greene and flourisheth produceth à sweet fruit and designeth peace pietie and mercie Soe the most illustrious and vnparalleld Virgin hath continually flourished in wisdome and vertue hath brought forth à most sweet fruit generated the restorer of peace to all mankind doth from tyme to tyme reconcile vs to almighty God and is the Mother of all mercie and the source of pietie And as à Plane tree by the water in the streets I am exalted By the Plane tree whose leaues are soft and broad is here expressed that the most blessed Virgin is altogether meeke gentle and curteous that her words and workes are most ample by the latitude of Charitie and that like as vnder the broad spreading branches of the saied tree people maie bee defended from the scorching beames of the Sunne or the violence of à suddaine storme soe all that shall flie for succour vnto the secure harbour of her power pietie shall bee graciously receiued and protected from the heate of persecution and boysterous stormes of tentations and tribulations I gaue an odour as Cinamon and aromaticall balme Like as Cinamon is sweet of tast hath à strengthening operation is good against indigestion and debility of the stomacke Soe I am sweet to those that loue me and doe strengthen them that they maie bee able to digest the foode of their soules and become ruminating and cleane creatures meditating daie and night of those things which appertaine vnto God I send forth alsoe à fragrant sauour of good fame Charitie Pietie and wisdome wherewith I recreate and delight those that reuerence and serue me And like as aromaticall balme that odoriferous royall exquisite and exceeding pretious tree hath the vertue or operation of warming strengthening Soe the incomparable and most pure Virgin singular most excellent sprong of à royall stemme solaceth all deuouâ— soules and procureth them the grace of fortitude and feruour of diuine loue As chosen Myrrhe haue I giuen the sweetnes of odour Like as the best Myrrhe is bitter preserueth from corruption scattereth abroad à pleasant odour Soe the blessed Virgin was replenished with the bitternesse of most vehement compassion when she beheld her beloued Sonne nayled vpon the Crosse and doth continually condole with sinners obtaining for innumerable people the grace of compunction she preserueth
that inuented the origine of all c. O all yee His elected people and the sheepe of his pasture whome he feedeth with his Sacraments and sustaineth nourisheth in mynd and body with his guifts and graces enter yee not so much with corporall steps as with aduancement of your mynds into the practise of vertues which are his gates through which you are to passe into eternall life enter I saie in Confession of your sinnes For proceeding according to order this ought to precede our other workes of vertue for by such confession sinnes are remitted grace giuen and men are fitly disposed to praise God But if we omit to doe this it will bee in vaine for vs to seeke to enter into his saied gates neither will any thing we doe seeme gratefull vnto him as he affirmeth by the mouth of the Prophet Isaie saying VVhen you shall stretch forth Isaie 1. your hands I will turne away myne eies from you and when you shall multiply praier I will not heare for your hands are full of bloud VVash you bee cleane and take away the euill of your cogitations from myne eies c. Being therefore thus prepared enter yee alsoe with humble confidence into his courts in Hymnes for your praises will then be most delightfull vnto him By the courts of our Lord diuers of the holie Fathers doe vnderstand the latitude of Charitie and other principal vertues which à soule soe cleansed by Sacramentall confession practised in inferiour vertues ought to aspire vnto by which they maie attaine to perfection in this life and acquire an answerable place of glory in the next but some others doe suppose the Prophet to allude to the Three Courts of the Temple whereof one was for the Priests another for laye men and the third for women Amongst the diuine Attributes for all which he is most praise worthy Praise yee his name here for three of them cheefly First because our Lord is sweet mild benigne and soone moued to pittie and compassion Which if you desire to make tryall of Tast ye and see that our Psal 3â— 2. Cor. 1. Lord is sweet He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort Secondly praise him because his mercy is for euer Our Psal 102. Lord is pittifull and mercifull long suffering and very mercifull As à Father hath compassion of his children soe hath our Lord compassion on them that feare him Thirdly and lastly praise him because his truth is euen vnto generation and generation As he is most mercifull promising benefits gratis soe he is most faithfull and true in constantly performing what he hath promised as he witnesseth of hymselfe saying Heauen and earth shall Luc. 21. passe but my words shall not passe Behold here à Psalme replete with Angelicall sweetnes which we ought to sing in the person of the holie Church with diligent attention rendering our selues efficaciously obedient to the pious exhortations therein contained by iubilating to our Lord seruing him with gladnesse attending to his presence incessantly and confessing him to bee our God by faith workes which we cannot by any meanes performe vnlesse we doe daily with intire hearts abhorre and detest the greater sort of vices and diligently to the vtmost of our power shunne correct deplore the lesser sort of sinnes by frequent confession firme purpose of amendement weighing carefully that saying of Salomon He that hideth Prouer. 28. v. 13. his wicked deeds shall not bee directed but he that shall confesse and shall forsake them shall obtaine mercie These things are requisite to the due performance of the acts where vnto we are inuited in this present Psalme for those acts are altogether deiforme celestiall Angelicall and of incomparable merit The title and argument of the 62. Psalme and third in the Laudes A Psalme of Dauid when he was in the deserâ— of Iuda called Ziph or of Idumea Holie Dauid when he was inforced to hide himselfe in the desert from the furious persecution of Saul and could not haue accesse to the Tabernacle of God nor to Ierusalem where he had à longing desire to bee in the inheritance of our Lord did take occasion by that his affliction to deplore his owne estate and the estate of all other iust men liuing in the exile of this present life and vale of teares whcih is repleate with vices and tribulations sterill of good things and true felicity and to expresse the exceeding great desire he had to passe out of this world vnto the celestiall countrey The exposiiion of the Psalme O God of all and in a speciall manner My God in regard of thy peculiar fauours graces aboundantly bestowed vpon me the vnworthiest of thy creatures protecting me from euill things promoting me in good things and directing me in à particular manner to my last end as alsoe in respect of the singular loue and reuerence wherewith I loue worship thee alone and aboue all things to thee â— watch from the morning light presently â—oâ— soone as the daie appeareth and the spendor of thy diuine grace doth illustrate mâ— soule I arise by erecting my mynd towards thee with à cordiall affection to contemplate loue and adore thee My soule hath thirsted after thee The appetite of my soule to wit my will hath coueted with an intellectuall and exceeding great desire to obtaine thee the fountaine of all goodnesse who alone canst satiate her and my flesh to wit my body or my sensuall appetite hath thirsted to thee very many waies by reason of diuers and manifold necessities Concerning these words of the Prophet you are to note that whether the Flesh bee taken for the body onely or for the sensitiue appetite it cannot fitly bee saied to thirst to God directly and immediatly for God being an immateriall and simple essence can onely bee attained with à sole immateriall appetite as he is onely comtemplated with a sole intellectuall eie neither can the flesh precisely taken according to it selfe desire properly speaking or thirst but for as much as it is informed with the soule for desire rather belongeth to the whole compound and to the soule then to the flesh Whereas therefore the flesh is here saied to thirst to God it maie bee vnderstood two waies First because it is an an occasion to the soule to tâ—irst to God For The body that is corrupted burdeneth the Sap. 9. soule and the soule by reason of her vnion with the body falleth into many necessities solicitudes afflictions and miseries and consequently tâ—ereby she hath soe many causes or motiues of sighing and longing after God as she experienceth in herselfe impediments which interpose themselues betweene her and Godâ— and doe retract remoue her à farre of from him Such impediments as these the Apostle felt when he saied Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body Rom. 7. of this death Secondly it maie bee vnderstood thus My flesh to wit
vertue of true humilitie doe euen from the fall of Lucifer acknowledge all their excellencie as receiued from him and mankind depressed by the Serpent alsoe in particular such as resigne themselues to his holie will and for his loue doe submitt themselues vnder all creatures Raising vp from the earth from carnall life from the loue of transitorie things and terrene thoughts the needie such as are voide and destitute of spirituallitie inriching them with diuine gifts with the loue of heauenly things and the contemplation of high mysteries and lifting vp to the Kingdome of glorie the poore the humble out of the dung of this corruptible bodie To place him there with Princes with the holie Angels with Princes of his people with the cheifest of his elect for the Triumphant Church is one vnited of good men and holie Angels Or thus That he maie place him on his right hand in the daie of iudgement with the Princes of whome the Prophet Isaie speaketh saying Our Isa 3. Lord shall come to iudgement with the ancients of his people and his Princes VVho maketh the barren woman the congregation of the Gentils to dwell in à house in the militant Church à ioyfull Mother of spirituall children whome she regenerateth of water and the holie Ghost In this sense the Apostle alleadgeth Gala. 3. that of the Prophet Isaie Reioyce thou barren that bearest not breakeforth and crie that trauailest not because many are the children of the desolate to witt of Gentilitie then of her that hath à husband to wit the Synagogue whose spouse husband was God almightie but he left her for her incredulitie as the Prophet Ieremy Iere. 12. doth manifestly declare saying I haue forsaken my house I haue left my inheritance I haue giuen my beloued into the hands of her enemies myne inheritance is become vnto me as à Lyon in à wood The Prophet tearmeth Gentilitie or the people of the Gentils Sterill and desoâ—ate because they were long forsaken by almightie God for their Idolatrie in such sort that they brought forth noe fruit of the holie Ghost nor generated any children to Christ whence is that of Amia the Prophetesse The barren woman bare verie manie and she that had manie children was weakened It is meet that we sing this Psalme with spirituall ioy it being composed wholly in the diuine praise It importeth vs alsoe to striue to become children that is pure innocent and humble that soe we maie merit to praise God worthily and to bee beheld by him with a gratious eie for Praiso is not comely Eccles 15 in the mouth of the vitious The third Psalme in Vespres which is the last in Tierce as alsoe the fourth Psalme which is the second in None are alreadie expounded in the saied Houres The title and argument of the 147. Psalme and last in Vespres THe title is Allelâ—ia In this Psalme the Prophet doth exhort the people of God both of the Triumphant and Militant Church to sing his praise incessantly giuing thankes for his singular benefits showred vpon them in particular for that he hath fortified them on all sides placed peace in their borders blessed their of spring fed them with the bread of life and manifested his hidden mysteries vnto them aboue all other people The explication of the Psalme O Ierusalem praise our Lord render the tribute of praise thankfulnesse to the Soueraigne Monarch of heauen and earth you Cittizens of the holie Ierusalem the Cittie of peace and vnitie of blessed spirits that see him face to face Praise thy God ô Sion ô all you that are called to the vnion of the holie Catholicke Church and doe contemplaâ—e God your Creator redeemer conseruer by the eies of faith praise him in the best manner you can excogitere to witt in puritie of heart and conuersation without blame And that you maie praise him the more worthily remember the singular testimonies of his good will shewed towards you Because he it is that hath strengthned the lockes of thy gates to hinder the enemie from surprising thee at vnawares and moreouer he hath blessed thy children in thee If this bee referred to the celestiall Ierusalem by the Gates here mentioned is vnderstood the admission where by any of the elect are admitted to the fellowship of the blessed by the Lockes is vnderstood the confirmation whereby the elect are firmely established in God and soe the sense of those words He hath strengthned the lockes of thy gates is that God hath made the confirmations of the celestiall Cittizens soe immoueable and secure that they cannot bee broken à suÌ„der by any slight or force The lockes of the gates of this Ierusalem are metaphorically saied to bee confirmed because as à Cittie of this world whilst it is fortified with strong lockes boults and barriers is held secure neither the enemies being of power to make forceable entrance nor the inhabitaÌ„ts willing or able to depart out of it soe the holie Cittie is altogether most secure in respect that neither the reprobate can enter it nor the blessed will or can abandon it But if they bee referred to the Militant Church by the Gates thereof are vnderstood Vertues especially Faith hope and charitie and by the Lockes are vnderstood the Sacraments which our Lord hath fortified by giuing the efficacie of sanctification vnto them in vertue of the Passion of our Sauiour in such sort that noe man soe long as he shall remaine within the fortresse of the Catholike Church and keep himselfe in the shelter of the infused vertues through the force of the Sacraments which he therein receiues need to feare the machinations of the euill enemie VVho hath sett thy borders peace ô celestiall Ierusalem He it is that hurld downe to the abisse of hell like to à flash of lightâ—ing that mutinous crue that once to disturbe thy peace and in an instant begirt thee with à wall of concord of warreproofe which noe dissention shall euer penetrate And filleth thee with the fatte of corne with the fruition of his diuinitie For the superessentiall diuinitie is the foode of the blessed whose vision or fruition maie well bee tearmed the fatte of corne that is to saie the sweet refection of the eternall bread which refection is the essentiall reward of the blessed wherewith they are soe fully enriched that they can desire noe more Iâ— is his paternall prouidence likewise that hath established within thy circuits â— Militant Church that happie peace which the world cannot giue to witt tranquillitie of conscience which all those enioy who remaine within thy precincts Christ alsoe doth daily fill thee with that Soueraigne foode the holie Sacrament of his owne bodie vnder the species of the purest wheat bread VVho sendeth forth his speech to the earth He it is who sendeth his onely Sonne the eternall word into the world to assume humane flesh for the saluation of mankind Or thus He it is who sendeth forth by
metaphorially be vnderstood of the celestiall Ciâ—tizens themselues in whome he is after à most excellent and singular manner by his beatificall presence or of vertuous and deuout soules here on earth whose conuersation is in heauen for of those the Apostle saieth You are the Temple of the liuing God God is in all things by his essence presence and power penetrating inuironing and conseruing all things and is more neare and intime to euery thing then any part is to it 's whole or any thing is to it self for he alone slideth as it were into the essences of things neither is any thing present to an other but onely by vertue of the diuine presence The Prophet witnesseth VVâ—â— doe not I fill heauen Ierem. 23. Psal 138. and earth VVâ—â—ther shall I goe saieth holie Dauid fâ—om thy Spirit or whither shall I flâ—â— fâ—om thy face If I shall ascend in to heauen thou art there If I descend into hell thou art present vizt exerâ—â—sing the act of Iustice S. Augustine affirmeth that God is in li. medita c. 29. all places without place that he containeth all things not being inuironed by them that he is present in all places withouâ— motion that he beareth all things and is not burthened and that he filleth all things not being included Yet he is truely saied to dwell in Heauen particularly according to what he hath insinuated by his Prophet Isaie Heauen is my seat and the earth my footestoole and wee reade in the Psalmes Our Lord his seat is in Heauen hauing designed that place as his court and there placed his royall tâ—rone where hee doth particularly manifest himselfe to his beloued Since then by these words Our Father which art in heauen we acknowledge God almighty now in the law of grace to haue aduanced vs to soe eminent à degree of honor as to adopt vs his Sonnes and coâ—eires with his owne naturall Sonne Christ Iesus let vs esteeme ourselues to remaine in this world as in à place of banishement farr distant from that happy region whereunto we confesse ourselues to laie claime let vs hastâ—n thither and haue all our affections bent thither wards auoiding all things that maie be any hinderance vnto vs in the pursuite thereof let vs I saie behaue ourselues in all things as besitteth the Sonnes of soe potent and glorious à Father in nothing regarding our owne priuate commoditie but rather imploying our whole forces to set forth his glory and magnificence saying to that end the first Petition Sanctified be thy Name THese words maie be taken in diuers senses as First for the holy name of God it self which the Iewes did hold in such exceeding reuerence that they dared not to pronounce the word Iehoua which signified the essence of God and it is à constant tradition that is was onely once à yeare spoken and that by the high Priest when he entered into Sancta Sanctorum Ps 75. God is knowne in Iewrie saieth the Prophet in Israel his name is great Ps 112. and in an other place From the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe the name of our Lord is laâ—dable Praise yee his name because Ps 99. our Lord is sweet S. Thomas of Aquine â— 56 Isaâ—ae saieth the name of God is great to be feared holy to be â—euerenced sweet to be meditated on copious to giue mercy efficacious to impetrate powerfull to cause saluation secret to be knowne Secondly they maie be vnderstood soe that we desire hereby that all nations of the earth maie come to the light of Faith and that they maie know that God alone is worthy of all praise and glory and consequently that they maie tremble at his Maiestie admire his works be enamoured with his beautie and euen languish to behold his vnspeakable goodnes Ps 65. saying with the holy Prophet Let all the earth adore thee and sing to thee let it sing à Psalme to thy name and in an other Ps 95. place Shew forth his glorie amongst the Genâ—iles his maruelous workes in all people Alas wretched vngratfull and indeuoute as we are how often doe we pronounce this petition without due attention and consequently without due reuerence and spirituall feruour Let vâ— therefore doe ourselues what we desire should be done by all men that is to saie let vs endeauour by frequenting learned exhortations reading pious bookes and exercising ourselues in holy contemplations to come to know how excellent how infinitely good sweet and mercifull à God we haue that by sucâ— knowledge we maie be excited to serue and honor loue and praise him euery where and at all tymes Lastly they maie be vnderstood that we desire by those words that our heauenly Father will be pleased either to make vs capable to comprehend his sanctification or at least to appeare holy in our religious conuersation which will be fulfilled in vs when mens all see the workes which he hath perfected in vs and glorify his name therefore Vertuâ—â— men doe sanctify God whilâ—â— by liuing holily they demonstrate God whoâ—â— they soe serue to be holy And contrary wise Vitious men by their iniust and irreligious conuersation are truely saied to commaculate and defile the name of our Lord because they liue in such à manner as though God did approue of iniustice and were not holy and doe as much as in tâ—e lieth embolden others by their wicked and dissolute example to dishonor him Hence it is that almighty God vpbraiding the perfidious children of Israel saieth You haue polluted my holy Ezech. 36. name and againe I will sanctify my great name which you haue polluted amidst the Gentiles Let thy Kingdome come THe Kingdome here mentioned is by some expounded of the militant Church as thus Let thy Kingdome come that is let the militant Church in which thou reignest by faith and grace be multiplied and spred through the whole world and let her enimies especially the deuills be cast forth of her that thou alone maiest peaceably reigne in â—er By others it is expounded of the Kingdome of God which the holy Euangelist saieth is within vs and being Luc. 17 taken in this sense the Kingdome of God cannot come whilst sinne reigneth in our hearts and we doe obey to the concupiscences thereof and therefore we praie Let thy Kingdome come that is streÌ„gthen vs by thy grace that we maâ—â— be enabled through tâ—e assistance thâ—reof to free our hearts from the seruitude of sinne and to dispose ourselues by the practise of vertues that thou maiest peaceably enter and assume the gouerment of our hearts Of this Kingdome the Prophet maketh mention where he Ps 22. saieth Our Lord ruleth me and nothing shall bee wanting to me He hath condâ—â—ted me vpon the pathes of iustice c. Finally it is expounded of the Triumphant Church as that we praie hereby that the walls of the Celestiall Ierusalem maie be reedified and the ruine of the Angells
the lib. 9. Confes c. 1. li. 4. de oratione c. 2. â— 10. saied hymnes of the orientall Church as S. Augustine affirmeth Suarez saieth that the holie Church was moued by the especiall prouidence of God to institute that the confession and glorification of the B. Trinitie by the accustomed Hymne Glorie be to the Father c. should be added to the end of euery Psalme because saieth he the vse of the Psalmes was of greater antiquitie then the law of grace and by this meanes they doe participate the proper perfection thereof and become compleate and consummate Cornelius à Lapide dilating vpon these words of the Apostle For of him and by Rom. 11. him and in him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen doth expound this hymne of glorification in fauour of such who repeat it often Glorie saieth he be to the Father of whome all things are as of the prime origine Glorie to the Sonne by whome all things are made as by wisdome and men redeemed as by their mediator Glorie to the holie Ghost in whome are all things as it were in à bond and consummation Glorie to the Father of whome is all paternitie in heauen and vpon earth Glorie to the Sonne by whome is all filiation Glorie to the holie Ghost in whome is all holines and sanctification Glorie to the Father of whome is eternitie Glorie to the Sonne by whome is all forme beautie Glorie to the holie Ghost in whome is all felicitie and fruition Glorie to the Father of whome is all vnitie glorie to the Sonne by whome is all equalitie glorie to the holie Ghost in whome is all loue and concord Glorie to the Father of whome is all powâ—r glorie to the Sonne by whome is all wisdome glorie to the holie Ghost in whome is all goodnes Glorie to the Father who created me glorie to the Sonne by whome I am redeemed glorie to the holie Ghost in whome I am iustified Glorie to the Father who hath predestinated me glorie to the Sonne by whose precious bloud I am washed and made cleane glorie to the holie Ghost in whome I shall be glorified for euer Amen Alleluia NEXT in order followeth the Angelicall Hymne Alleluia which is song froÌ„ Easter vntill Septuagesima not without good reason for holie Dauid Psal 146. Psa 99. exhorteth To our God let there be à pleasant and comely praise againe Make ye iubilation to God all the earth serue ye our Lord in gladnesse enter ye before his fight in exultation And this hymne signineth praise God with à heart dilated through excesse of ioye The holie Church therefore because we ought neuer to surcease from praising God noe not then when we recount the miserable estate of man by the fall of our first parents hath ordained that in lieu of this hymne of exultation the verse Praise be to thee â— Lord King of eternall glorie shall be recited from Septuagesima vntill Paster which is à tyme of mourning and pennance li. 2. de Ritibuâ— c. 20. Stephen Durantus disputeth this question at lardge why the holye Church should omitt Alleluia from Septuagesima and yet place in lieu thereof à praise which seemeth equiualent thereunto after many solutions at length he answereth with S. Thomas and the Glosse vpon the ninth of the Apocalipse that this Hymne Alleluia besides the ordinary praise doth insinuate à iubilation which cannot be expressed in words Leo the 9. saieth that these two Hymnes Cap. de Consecr Hi. duo Dist. 1. onely are mentioned in the New Testament to haue been song by the Angells that is to saie Alleluia and Gloria in excelsis both which are intermitted in Septuagesima to shew that for the sinne of our first parents we are banished from communicating with the Angells in Iubilation which Adam in the state of innocencie did enioy as S. Iohn Damascene li 2. de Paradis affirmeth in these words Adam in bodie was delighted in the terrestriall paradise but in mind he was present with the quires of Angells in the paradise of holie spirits The same alsoe in effect S. Gregorie the Great affirmeth in his Dialogues Dialog 2. to witt that man in paradise was accustomed to enioy the words of God and to be present with the blessed Angeliall Spirits in puritie of heart and hight of contemplation But we alas doe now Psal 64. sit and weepe in Babilon of this wretched life and vpon the bankes of the riuers thereof whilest we remember that Syon where the Prophet saieth An hymne becommeth God VVisupra â— S. Leo aboue named giueth this reason why Alleluia is intermitted for nine weeks precisely and reassumed in the tenth weeke There are saieth he nine quires of Angells and the tenth quire sell by the sinne of Pride and thereby disturbed the ioye of the rest vntill Man was created to supplie their number but when he fell alsoe by disobedience they were againe greatly discomforted vntill our Sauiours birth at which tyme they begane to reassume their songe of ioye and afterwards at his Resurrection and Ascension together with those blessed soules which accompanied him vnto his throne of glorie they conceiued full hope that their number should be made compleate and their praise perfect S. Augustine saieth that although this Li. 2. Hymne might be interpreted both in de doctrina Christiana c. 10. Greeke and Latin yet it hath remained intire because it relisheth best in its owne originall to witt in the Hebrew Whosoeuer out of curiositie shall desire to soe more of the signification of this Hymne let him peruse the 137. Epistle of S. Ierome to Marcella where he maie receiue satisfaction The Inuitatorie verse IN the diuine office the Inuitatorie verse is vsually varied according to the nature of the office appointed for each daie and it is thus defined by Peter Damian Tom. 3. c. 7. in his booke intituled Dominus vobiscum The Inuitatorie saieth he is that by which the communion of the faithfull is inuited to the praise of God Concerning which you must note that the communion of true beleeuers be they scattered abroad in neuer soe many seuerall countreys doe yet make but one mysticall bodie whereof Christ is the head in whome they maie and doe meete together in spirit in the diuine praises by the feete of their soules which are the affections and in this sort they are inuited to come and ioyne with vs in the praise of almightie God S. Augustine affirmeth that if two iust In Psal 94. men be placed one in the East and the other in the West yet maie they truely be saied to be together because they are both in God but although à iust man and à wicked man be linked in one chaine yet are they farre à sunder for the one by louing iniquitie hath seperated himself farre from God and the other by louing God is nearely adioyned vnto him and if two such should praise
our Lord by their voice that would be verified on the part of the vicked man which Isaie the Prophet writeth This people Isaie 29. honoreth me with their lipps but the heart is farre from me The argument and diuision of the Inuitatorie Psalme which is the 94. in number THe Prophet doth inuito all men that loue God to come and reioyce and praise our Lord with him Secondly he assigneth diuers reasons to moue them thereunto Lastly he exhorteth them that when soeuer or in what manner soeuer God almightie shall be pleased to reueale his will vnto them that they giue diligent attention thereunto and put it in execution without delay least being disobedient to his holie inspirations they receaue the same sentence with our fore fathers in the desert where of Six hundred thousand men fit to beare armes onely two vdzt Iosue and Caleb did enter to possesse the land of promise The explication of the Inuitatorie Psalme COme all you that beleeue in the true God in what part of the world soeuer you reside come in spirit by the feete of your affections Let vs reioyce not as vaine worldlings doe whose greatest delights end in sadnesse but To our Lord the Creator and conseruer of vs all Let vs make iubilation to God our Sauiour let vs expresse with our voice to God our protector our Sauiour and tower of refuge what we conceiue towards him in our hearts but want words to explaine Let vs preuent his face in confession Let vs hasten by thanksgiuing and attributing all our good vnto him to preuent him least he come and taking vs vnprouided to receiue him doe iustly taxe vs with neglect and slothfull ingratitude Let vs vpon the first touch of his diuine grace accuse ourselues condemne the euill we haue done that when he shall come he maie find something to approue and like well of but nothing to condemne or cause his displeasure And in Psalmes let vs make iubilation tâ— him and in spirituall songs let vs expresse our intime thoughts and affections Let vs doe this first Because our Lord is à great God not like the Gods of the Gentils which are framed of gold and siluer by the hands of men hauâ—ng mouthes and cannot speake eares and cannot heare feete and cannot walke but God who is of himself from all eternitie and who is soe great à God that he maketh Gods not Gods by nature but by grace for he hath giuen power to those that beleeue in his name to be the Sonnes of God And he is alsoe à great King aboue all Gods for he exerciseth acts of soueraignitie not onely ouer all the former false Gods and those that are Gods by grace but alsoe ouer all Kings Princes and Iudges of the earth who are called Gods by participation of his diuine authoritie Our God infinitly surpasseth all these denominatiue Gods in greatnesse and therefore with good reason ought we to make iubilation vnto him as alsoe Because he repelleth not his people although he seeme to be angrie with them for à tyme pernâ—tting great afflictions to fall vpon them and seeming to neglect their petitions when they call to him for releife for indeed he is soe benigne and mercifull that he cannot vtterly abandon them or refuse to receiue them when they recurre vnto him by true contrition and confidence in his goodnes and clemencie but will conuert all to their benefitt Neuerthelesse he maie seeme since to haue repelled the Iewes who were then his sole elected People but indeed he hath not repelled any of them but such as would by noe meanes be wone for the residue being many thousands of both sexes who would harken to his voice were receiued to mercie by his onely Sonne Christ Iesus who was the angular stone that ioyned the two walls of the Iewes and Gentils in one The chaffe onely was repelled but the good corne laied vp in the graneries His dominion is not limited within the land of Israel but is extended to the vttermost confines of the earth Because in his hands in his power are the ends of the earth and he beholdeth the hights of the mountaines not onely the highest places of the earth but alsoe the Emperours Rulers of the earth These high mountaines for a tyme did oppose his Church and endeauour to roote out the Christian faith but shortly after they humbled themselues vnder his mightie hand Moreouer let vs reioyce to our Lord Because the sea is his and he made it and placed limitts thereunto which it shall not ouerpasse his hands formed the drie land and made it fit for habitation Come let vs adore fall downe before God for he regardeth those a farre of that are high in their owne conceits but he beholdeth the humble with a gracious aspect Come therefore with reuerence and submission all you whose sinns haue made you remote from God come with humble but yet firme confidence in his mercies Let vs weepe before our Lord that made vs Come securely for he will not contemne the worke of his hands which he hath formed to his owne image and similitude Since that we burne inwardly and are scorched with the conscience of our offences it is meet that with flouds of teares we seeke to extinguish those flames Alas such is our wretched state that we can blemish and defile the sacred image of God in our soules but we are altogether vnable to restore it to its primitiue luster and beautie with out the helpe of him that formed it Come therefore let vs humble ourselues in his presence and deplore the lamentable estate whereunto we haue brought ourselues through our manifold iniquities and then we maie be confident of pardon for he hath saied he will not despise an humble and contrite heart He is both willing to remitt all how exorbitant soeuer and powerfull to effect his will Because he is the Lord our God and we are his people and sheepe of his pasture In the text of the holie Bible the last part of this clause is placed in this order And we the people of his pasture and sheepe of his hands vpon which words S. Augustine in his explication of this Psalme saieth Behold how elegantly the Prophet hath changed the order of these words placing them as it were improperly that we might vnderstand those to be the sheepe which are the people For he saieth not the sheepe of his pasture and the people of his hands which might seeme to sute better with those words because sheepe doe properly belong to the pasture but he saieth the people of his pasture to shew thereby that the people are his sheepe for there are sheepe which we buye but not which we haue made He had saied before let vs fall downe before him that made vs and therefore he fitly tearmeth vs here the sheepe of his hands for noe man can make himself sheepe He maie buye sheepe or haue sheepe giuen him or maie come by them by
soe great Maiestie as thou art pleased to manifest vnto me by these thy wonderfull and magnificent workes I cannot conclude my song more fitly then as I begane saying O Lord our Lord how maruelous is thy name in the whole earth because c. The auncient holie Fathers grounding themselues vpon the words of S. Paul the 2. to the Hebrews and the first to the Corinthians the 15. as alsoe vpon the authoritie of our B. Sauiour himself in the 21. of S. Mathew doe applie the words of this Psalme wholly to Christ our Lord and his holie Church Wherefore I shall here vnfold the propheticall sense of this Psalme vsing as neare as I can the very self same words which I find set downe in the workes of the saied holie Fathers which are to this effect The propheticall sense of this Psalme IN this vale of teares we cannot see God for it is written Man shall not see Exo. 33. him and liue nor consequently can we come to know how admirable he is other wise then by his effects which are in two sorts that is to saie naturall and supernaturall By the first God appeared alwaies and euery where sublime for by the contemplation of his naturall effects all men might perceiue how incomprehensible à workman he was But by the second he cheefly shewed himself to be of infinite power and Maiestie in the tyme of the law of Moyses not to all the world but to some few people but in the tyme of the law of grace he hath shewed himself admirable in the whole earth in all the parts whereof he hath wrought wonderfull things and manifested to the inhabitants the hidden and secret things of his wisdome reuealing vnto them the mysterie of the Incarnation Passion Resurrection and Ascensian of Christ and other wonderfull testimonies of the Christian law and faith by all which the name of our Lord is made exceeding admirable and altogether inscrutable euen to the vtmost confines of the earth Dauid therefore foreseeing in spirit the supernaturall workes of God which were to bee wrought in the comming of Christ and manifested to the whole world stroken with admiration saied as followeth O Lord of all things and particularly Our Lord who with true Religion and due reuerence doe worship thee in faith of the Messias to come how maruelous by the future preaching of the Gospell is thy name shall thy fame and glorie be not onely in Iewry but alsoe in the whole earth in all the parts whereof thy holie Church shall bee dilated Because thy magnificence the humanitie of Christ that most noble sumptuous and magnificent worke of thyne is eleuated shall bee exalted from terrene humilitie and placed at thy right hand aboue the materiall heauens and aboue all the Angelicall or celestiall powers for then it shall bee diuulged through the world that thou hast giuen to Christ thy Sonne in his assumpted humane nature all power in heauen and vpon earth Yet soe inscrutable are thy iudgements that thou wilt not make choice of such as swell with humane learning greatnes to promulgate these thy diuine misteries neither wilt thou reueale thy perfect praise to them but out of the mouth of abiect simple and vnlearned people who not so much in regard of age as in respect of their resemblance to the propertie of children maie well bee tearmed Infants and sucklings thou hact perfected thou wilt perfect diuine praise to bee song to thyne and thy Sonnes holie name and wilt by them proclaime thy law wherein thy praise is contained And this thou wilt doe because of thy enemies to conuince the Priests of the Synagogue as alsoe the Priests of the Idoles and the professors of humane wisdome who by impugning thy new law will become thy enimies that thou maiest destroie disperse and cause to desist from their manner of religious worship the enimie the people of the Iewes who will be the prime enimies of the Messias and the reuenger the Gentils who by thy diuine ordinance shall reuenge the iniuries done by the Iewes vnto him Because I who am onely one of those Infants and sucklings as hauing been brought vp à poore simple sheep heard shall see thy heauens shall attentiuely consider those woÌ„derfull subtile workes of thyne which thou didst make with exceeding facilitie as being the workes of thy fingers the moone and starres which thou hast founded which thou hast created of nothing to stable and incorruptible being I cannot sufficiently admire what is man the whole race of men what are they or what seruice are they able to doe thee that thou who art of soe great power and Maiestie as these thy workes shew thee to bee art mindfull of him of them preuenting them with thy diuine grace and heaping innumerable benefitts vpon them without any the least merit on their part but meerely moued therevnto by thy owne immense goodnes Or the sonne not of men that is begotten of men according to the ordinary course of nature but of man borne of the Virgin Mother of God Christ our Lord who in respect of his humanitie will bee in some sort à creature what is hee That thou visitest him that thou wilt visite him assuming his humane nature to the personall vnion of thy diuine nature Verily O Lord this thou wilt doe out of thy diuine grace alone not moued thereunto by any fore goeing merits of Christ as man Thou hast minished him vdzt Christ our Lord à litle lesse then the Angels If we consider his humane nature precisely abstracting from the graces which he shall participate by such hypostaticall vnion thou wilt make him in some respects inferiour to the Angells for thou wilt make him passible and mortall but if we consider him as he shall bee in that state of vnion he shall transcend them farre in dignitie and excellencie Indeed for à small tyme during his Passion thou wilt minish him à litle lesse then them but after his Resurrection with glorie with renowne and praise worthy fame and with honour with reuerence that shall bee exhibited in token of his vertue thou hast crowned him thou wilt crowne him and adorne him on all sides and hast appointed him ouer the workes of thy hands and wilt constitute him Lord and King ouer thy creatures and giue him all power in heauen and vpon earth Thou hast subiected all things except thy self alone vnder his feete vnder his humanitie by which his diuinitie will deâ—cend vnto vs. All sheepe simple deuout soules and oxen learned Doctors and Preachers who cultiuate the hearts of the faithfull Moreouer all the beasts of the feild sinfull loose liuing people who wander vp and downe without à guide in the broad way of the pleasures of this life following their owne concupiscence The birds of the aire proud men puffed vp with the wind of vaine glorie And the fishes of the sea that walke the pathes of the sea curious worldly men who imploy their wâ—ole study in search of temporall
borne Church is explicated the grace of Baptisme is commended the benefits of God recounted the Incarnation of Christ is designed the faithfull are inuited to the consideration of the diuine workes the diuine power is openly declared à most sweet and paternall admonition is contained the magnificence of our Sauiour is set forth and finally the most excellent benefit of his holie Incarnation is repeated to shew that it cannot bee to oft remembred Let vs therefore endeauour to sing this Psalme with all feruour of deuotion beseeching almightie God in our hearts to bee our refuge and comfort in all our necessities both corporall and spirituall The title and argument of the 86. Psalme and 6. in The Nocturne Office TO the children of Chore to the faithfull imitators of Christ à Psalme of Canticle à Psalme containing spirituall ioy In this Psalme is sung the praise of the Cittie of Ierusalem by which noe doubt the Christian Church ought to bee vnderstood For although that which is saied in the beginning of the Psalme to wit That the foundations thereof are in the holie mountaines maie bee applied to the terrene Cittie of Ierusalem yet the rest to wit That the Babylonians Aegiptians and Tyrians are in it doth not squarre therewith But to the Church militant or triumphant all that is saied doth fitly agree The exposition of the Psalme THe foundations thereof The Prophet expresseth not the name of the thing whereunto the word thereof hath relation for the same reason as it maie seeme which moued S. Marie Magdalene to saie vnto him whome she supposed to bee the gardiner Sir if thou hast taken him away tell me where thou hast layed him c. O excessiue loue She beleeued noe mans minde could bee ignorant of him with whose feruent loue hers was filled and wholly possessed In like manner the Prophet in regard of the ardent loue he bore towards the holie Church doth not expresse the name thereof and yet the words following doe shew that he had relatiō thereunto as being the thing he foretold in his heart His words are these The foundations thereof to wit of the holie Church which I contemplate in spirit are collected and established in the holie mountaines in Christ the mount of mountaines principally and secondarily in the Apostles and Prophets who doe sustaine the spirituall fabricke of the Church according to that of the Apostle Other 1. Cor. 3. foundation noe man can laye beside that which is layed which is Christ Iesus and in another place Build vpon the foundation of Ephe. 2. the Apostles and Prophets Our Lord loueth the gates of this spirituall Sion our Lord accepteth and approueth of the Sacramēts vertues Exorcisme Catechisme Baptisme of the holie Church which are as it were the gates entrances into à spirituall life aboue the tabernacles of Iacob before or rather then the rites and ceremonies obserued by the children of Israell whilst they liued in tents and Pauilions In the Prophecy of Malachias God almightie doth seeme to dislike and reiect the Synagogue and her manner of worship and to approue and gratefully accept of the Christian Church and the forme of seruice vsed therein I haue noe Malach. 1. will in you to wit the Synagogue saieth the Lord of hostes and gift I will not receiue of your hand But of the holie Church he saieth From the rising of the Sunne euen to the going downe great is my name among the Gentils and in euery place there is sacrificing there is offered to my name à cleane oblatiō Morally by Sion are vnderstood the speculators of celestiall things and by Iacob the supplanters of vices Our Lord therefore doth loue Sion to wit the vertues and good workes of contemplatiue men more or better then the tabernacles of Iacob to wit the inhabitants of the earth designed by Iacob who although they liue in the grace of God haue not as yet throughly mortified their coneupiscences and altogether subdued vice but haue need to combate daily against inordinate motions Nothwithstanding that these labour more then speculatiue perfect mē yet they merit à lesser guerdon or reward then they because their acts doe not proceede from such sincere perfect and feruent loue as the acts of contemplatiue persons neither doe they operate soe readily peaceably sweetly and delightfully as contemplatiues and speaking absolutely by how much the more readily quietly delightfully any man doth execute the worke of God by soe much the more doth he merit Glorious things are saied of thee ô Citty of God not onely of the triumphant Church but alsoe of the militant to wit that the Sonne of God shall visite her in person and that all nations tribes and peoples shall flocke vnto her from all parts of the earth and make suite to be admitted to inhabite within her walls which is insinuated by the words that follow I will bee mindfull of Raab and Babylon knowing me Raab in this place is not the proper name of that woman who hid the messengers of Iosue but according to S. Ierome it is here an apellatiue name designing as à propertie pride or proud whereby are designed the Pagans giuen to idolatrie and rebellious to God and Babylon is by interpretation confusion The sense therefore of these words seemeth to bee I will bee mindfull by shewing mercie of Raab and Babylon to wit of the proud Gentils and of those that liue in the confusion of sinnes knowing me by faith after I am soe mindfull of them This our Lord performed sending his Apostles to the whole world of whome S. Simon and Iude preached the Gospell to the Babylonians and conuerted the greatest part of them to the faith of Christ Behold the forreiners the Philisthians and Tyre and the people of the Aethiopians these were there to wit in the Citty of Christ These nations are here expressed by name because they bordered vpon the land of Iuda and did first embrace the Christian faith yet by them are designed all the infidels of the whole world which came o◠shall come to ioyne in vnion of faith with the holie Church Shall it not bee saied of Sion Man and man is borne in her and the highest himselfe founded her As if he should saie yes it shall bee saied of Sion that many men or almost euery man shall bee regenerated in her by the Sacrament of Baptisme and that God founded her These words are otherwaies deliuered by very many of the most learned and auncient Fathers as followeth Shall not man saie to Sion and man is borne in her and he the most high hath founded her As if the Prophet had saied Yes verily Man shall saie to Sion to wit to the holie Church as followeth and Man is borne in her Christ God and man is borne of the B. Virgin the most worthy member in the Church and he to wit Christ our Lord soe borne in the Church according to his humane nature being the most high according to his
which I will here particularize First the mynd which is perhaps as it were tired with the intense study of praier maie by this meanes haue tyme to breath and gather new forces Secondly the mynd will bee much recreated and delighted with the gratefull variety profitable vicissitude of praier and reading Thirdly those who perhaps would not otherwise haue the opportunity by reasoÌ„ of their many exteriour imployements to heare the Scriptures read by this meanes doe participate of that benefit and Fowerthly the mynd is by such reading furnished with aboundant matter to moue holie affections becometh fattened strengtâ—ned with good desires in vertue where of it maie with much facilitie passe through the rest of the office according to that of the Psalmist As with marrow and fatnesse let Psal 62. my soule bee filled and my mouth shall praise with lippes of exultation Notwithstanding that the words of the insuing Lessons are literally applied to our Sauiour yet are they placed in this office by the holie Church which is directed by the holie Ghost according to that of the Euangelist The holie Ghost Ioh. 14. whome the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and suggest vnto you all things whatsoeuer I shall saie to you and are mystically expounded of the blessed Virgin both by the auncient moderne Fathers in effect as followeth The explication of the First Lesson THe most blessed Virgin the immaculate Mother of the eternall wisdome saieth as followeth In all these things to wit which are before rehearsed in the saied Chapter I sought rest for indeed the most pious Aduocatrix of mankind doth aboue all the blessed spirits and next vnto her deare Sonne our Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus couet the saluation of all people and desire to inhabite haue her place of residence and repose in all mens hearts by holie remembrance vertuous imitation and sweet louingnesse and I shall abide in the inheritance of our Lord to wit in the faithfull and vertuous elect who are the inheritance and Church of our Lord. Then the Creator of all commanded and saied to me that which immediatly followeth in the next sentence and he that created me to wit the eternall word hath rested in my Tabernacle to wit in my wombe where he assumed humane nature and being made an infant did reremaine for the space of nine moneths He hath alsoe most graciously rested in the tabernacle of my mynd euen from my first conception And he saied to me commanding that which followeth Inhabite in Iacob to wit in the Primitiue Church consisting of the Iewish elect for in it our most blessed Lady was corporally conuersant liued most exemplarily and holily and afterwards did and doth spiritually remaine in the whole militant Church possessing protecting gouerning the hearts of the faithfull and in Israel to wit contemplatiue religious and spirituall persons and eminent in the practise of all vertues inherite that thou maiest as it were by right of inheritance possesse them as being their Mother their Queene and their Aduocatrix and they alsoe maie possesse thee by incessant most pure and feruent loue as thy seruants and Sonnes and take roote in myne elect by impetrating for them the gifts of grace and vertues that soe they maie bee radicated in Christ and euer cohere and cleaue to thee At the end of this Lesson as like wise of the rest is added Tu autem Domine miserere nobis that is to saie But thou ô Lord bee mercifull vnto vs which custome is obserued at the end of the Lessons in all other offices except those of the faithfull departed By which words is signified as Rupertus affirmeth that euen the office l 1. de diuinis officijs c. 12. of shewing forth the diuine word cannot bee performed by vs without contracting some small dust of blame For as S. Augustine saieth The word of predication is heard with more securitie then pronounced and the reason thereof is because when the Preacher or denouncer of the word shall perceaue that he saieth well and deserueth praise it is à very hard matter if he bee not touched in some slight manner with the spirit of elation and therefore in respect that he walketh vpon the earth and hath his feete soiled with dust although he bee otherwise wholy pure and cleane yet in regard hereof it will bee needfull for him to implore the diuine mercy that soe he maie bee washed in that part and become altogether neate and pure After the Reader hath pronounced the foresaied words to wit But thou ô Lord bee mercifull vnto vs the whole quire answereth Deo gratias that is to saie l. â—itato c. 14. ThaÌ„kes to God which as Rupertus affirmeth is not referred to the saied last praier of the Reader but to the whole precedent Lesson the quire thereby giuing thankes to God for that he hath graciously vouchsafed to breake vnto them the bread of his diuine doctrine least they should haue perished with famine of hearing the word of God S. Augustine Ep. 77. Alipio Aurelio doth extoll this manner of thankes giuing as followeth What better thing saieth he can we beare in our mynd or pronounce with our mouth or expresse with our penne then Deo gratias there can noe sentence bee saied more breefly neither is there any thing more ioyfull to bee â—eard nor more loftie to bee vnderstood nor more fruitfull to bee done then this c. This it is which S. Paul doth soe frequently inculcate vnto 1. Thessal 5. vs in his Epistles saying In all things giue thankes for this is the will of God This the Prophet Dauid was most carefull to obserue Psalm 33. I will blesse our Lord saieth he at all tymes his praise alwaies in my mouth The holie Church therefore with good reason doth ordaine this manner of thankesgiuing to bee often iterated in the diuine office that thereby we maie ascribe to God vnto whome doth belong all that is best whatsoeuer is well done in our praier and render him thankes therefore Of Responsories NExt in order after euery Lesson there followeth à Responsory which is soe called because one alone hauing song à Lesson all the quire doth answer and sing that which followeth which vsually is taken out of the same part of the holie Scriptures as the Lesson or otherwise is composed of certaine amorous affections towards God and sweet sentences corresponding to the nature of the office of that daie The institution of them is very auncient and most authors are of opinion that the greatest part of the Responsories which are placed in the Breuiary were collected composed by S. Ambrose They seeme to bee ordained for this reason to wit that whereas in the Lessons we doe as it were heare God almighty most gratiously to speake vnto vs and put vs in mynd of his wonderfull workes and of his excessiue loue towards the saluation of mankind or to propose vnto
alsoe very many from falling into sinne poureth forth a fragrant odour in so much that whosoeuer shall piously call her to mynd shall experience himselfe sprinkled there with Of the Canticle or Hymne Te Doum laudamus THe auncient custome of recyting this Canticle or Hymne in the diuine Office maie bee proued by the Rule of our holie Father S. Benedict where he appointeth that after the fouerth Responsory to wit of the third Nocturne the Abbot doe beginne the Hymne Te Deum laudamus Concerning the originall institution of this Hymne S. Darius Bishop of Milan who liued in the tyme of Iustine the elder about the yeare of our Lord. 540. as S. Gregory affirmeth in his 3. Booke of dialogues the 4. Chap. in his Chronicles writeth as followeth By l. 1. c. 10. Chronicâ— blessed Ambrose saieth he Augustine was baptised and confirmed in the name of the holie and vndiuided Trinitie all the faithfull of the Cittie being present and beholding it at which tyme according as the holie Ghost gaue them to speake they pronounced the Hymne Te Deum Laudamus all that were present hearing seeing and admiring which hath been generally receiued and religiously sung euer since by the vniuersall Church in all ages euen vnto these our daies The Title and argument of the 92. Psalme and first in the Laudes PRaise of Canticle to Dauid himselfe in the date before the Sabbaoth when the earth was founded It seemeth tâ—at he who appointed this title was desirous that the insuing Psalme should bee sung vpon the Sixt Feria or Fryday which is the daie before the Sabbaoth because therein is declared that the earth was founded or according to some bookes inhabited Which is fitly saied to haue been done on the Sixt Feria for on that daie maÌ„ was formed who should bee Lord of the earth and by this the earth was first established which was created for man On this daie not onely man but alsoe all liuing creatures were created which inhabite the earth and therefore on this daie the earth began first to bee inhabited On the same daie alsoe by the Passion and death of Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour the earth was renouated and the Kingdome of Christ established the Prince of the world being cast forth All which notwithstaÌ„ding the holie Church doth appoint this Psalme to bee sung at Laudes vpon Sunday about Sunne rising or daie breake because although our Sauiour purchased his Kingdome with the price of his most pretious bloud shed for mankind on the Sixt Feria and thereby layed the foundation of the new earth yet he receiued possession of his Kingdome at his glorious resurrection early in the morning vpon Sunday at which tyme he put on beauty and strength The words of this Psalme maie bee applied both to the Creation Reparation of the world as followeth The exposition of the Psalme OVr Lord hath reigned he hath put on beautie glorie and regall Majestie Our Lord hath alsoe put on strength power and fortitude which are equally requisite to support à Kingly diademe and hath girded prepared armed and setled himselfe to reigne If these words bee referred to the Creation of the world Christ as God is saied to haue begun to reigne when he had created the world for then he first of all began to haue subiects vpon the earth ouer whome he might exercise dominion But if they bee referred to the reparation of the world Christ as man at the tyme of his Resurrection did receiue the gouernment of the Vniuerse put on the beautie of à glorified body and put on fortitude all power being giuen him in heauen and vpon earth and girded or setled himselfe earnestly to ptopagatâ— his Kingdome to the vtmost confines of the earth It is manifest that our Lord hath reigned in this sort For he hath established firmely fixed the round world as the center of the vniuerse which shall not bee moued according to that of Ecclesiastes Generation passeth and generation Eccle. 1. cometh but the earth standeth for euer Christ likewise by his dolorous passion and glorious resurrection hath founded and established the Militant Church spred through all the regioÌ„s of the earth in one faith and religion which shall not bee moued but shall perseuer in the same faith and worship vnto the end of the world for Christ shall reigne in the house of Luc. 1. Iacob for euer and of his Kingdome there shall bee noe end Thy seat ô Lord is prepared from that tyme to wit from the Creation of the world or the resurrection of Christ Yet thou didst not theÌ„ beginne to haue à being for thou according to thy diuine nature art from euerlasting from eternitie Concerning which you are to note that the word art doth not here signify the simple existence of the diuine nature but the fulnesse of his being wherein all things are contained For God was not poore or had need of any thing before he created the world neither was he more wealthy or better stored after he had created it for he created not the world that himselfe might encrease thereby but that he might communicate his goodnesse to vs therefore he created not the world as being compelled by any necessitie but as being moued thereunto by his infinite charitie and mercy and with the same charitie and mercy he hath repaired it for Soe God loued the Ioh. 3. world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that euery one that beleeueth in him perish not but maie haue life euerlasting The riuers ô Lord haue lifted vp the riuers haue lifted vp their voices The riuers haue lifted vp their waues aboue the voices of many waters The surges of the Sea are maâ—uâ—lous maruelous is our Lord on high If the words of these verses bee referred to the first sense they signify the manner whereby God almightie made the earth habitable that it might bee à firme seate for all liuing creatures For iâ— the beginning of the Creation the waters couered the superficies of the Vniuerse and the inundations of the waters were eleuated with à terrible motion but God who is infinitely more high more excellent and powerfull repressed their furie closed part of them in the concauities of the earth and appointed limits to the rest which they shall not transcend In the Second sense by the riuers which lifted vp their voices is vnderstood the Apostles and other principall planters of the Christian faith who being filled with the waters of life did passe through the world like vnto soe many heauenly riuers and eleuate their voices preaching the Ghospell of Christ with great freedome By the riuers which lifted vp their waues is vnderstood the Iewes who euen in the very beginning contradicted the Ghospell in all places raised persecutioÌ„ against the disciples of Christ By the surges of the Sea which are farre greater theÌ„ the waues of the riuers is vnderstood the persecutions of the Infidels other aduersaries of the
2. â—ies haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people à light to the reâ—elation of the Gentils c. and in another place All flesh shall see the saluation Luc. 3. of God By this verse therefore the faithfull doe praie for the illumination of the holie Ghost that they erre not in the way of this present life but by working maie know and by knowing maie walke in the way of our Lord of which our Sauiour speaketh in the Ghospell Straâ—â—e Math. is the way that leadeth to life and few there are that fynd it and by these words in all nations thy saluation they praie that Christ maie be acknowledged and honoured by all nations Let people ô God Confesse to thee let all people Confesse to thee Let the worship and veneration of the false Gods cease and to thee alone the liuing God let all diuine honour be giuen by all people Let nations called to the faith of Christ be glad with interiour ioy and exult by shewing exteriour signes of their inward ioy and this because thou ô God by thy annoynted iudgest people in equitie that is the seruile yoake of the Prince of darknesse being taken away thou hast constituted à most iust Kingdome in thy holie Church and the nations in earth thou doest direct gouerning them and directing them by most wholsome lawes to the port of eternall saluation S. Augustine interpreteth the words of this verse in the future tense as thus Thou wilt iudge people in equitie and referreth them to the last iudgement And the nations in earth thou wilt direct referreth them to the direction of this present life according to whome the sense of this verse is Let nations bee glad and exult because if they happen to suffer any euill here from men the tyme will come when thou ô God wilt iudge people in equitie and in the meane tyme the nations in earth which are subiect and deuoted to thee thou wilt direct Let people ô God Confesse to thee let all people Confesse to thee Here the Prophet againe exhorteth all people to praise and giue thankes to God adding à new reason or motiue to wit because the earth hath yeelded her fruit This fruit is Christ our Lord borne of the terrene substance of the blessed Virgin à fruit of such excellency that in coÌ„parison thereof all the fruit the earth hath heretofore brought forth maie well bee esteemed briers and thornes Of this fruit the Prophet Isaie maketh mention saying In that Isaiae cap. 4. daie the bud of our Lord shall bee in magnificenee and glory and the fruit of the earth high Yet taking the last words of this verse in à morall sense The earth is saied to yeeld her fruit when the holie Church doth spiritually instruct perfect and conserue her children and when our body liueth soberly and serueth to the aduancement of the soule obeying in all things The Prophet doth here as in many other places of the Psalmes vse the preterperfect tense for the future because in his prenotion that was now done which he foretelleth to bee done God our God blesse vs God blesse vs and let all the ends of the earth feare him This in effect is as much as if he had saied Since all people doe praise thee ô God and the earth hath yeelded her fruit let there henceforth bee a gratefull vicissitude betweene thee vs doe thou open thy liberall hand and fill vs with all benediction to wit with aboundance of all temporall and spirituall benefits and we as it is most meet will serue thee with à filiall reuerence and render thee the tribute of obedience and praise for euer The threefold repetition of the word God in this verse signifieth the affection of the Prophet Yet it seemeth likewise to insinuate the mystery of the blessed Trinitie which was afterwards manifested to the whole world by our Sauiour and his hole Apostles A certaine graue author vpon these words in the first verse of this Psalme to wit God blesse vs and illuminate his countenance vpon vs hath this obseruation Because saieth he many desire to bee blessed by God with aboundance of temporall benefits to wit with beautie power riches honour and the like all which indeed doe come from God but yet are common to the iust and vniust therefore the Prophet addeth what is proper to the iust to wit illuminate his countenance vpon vs. This is proper to the iust whereas the other mentioned things are common to all both good and euill almightie God soe disposing least if they should bee giuen solely to the good euill men would thinke that God were to bee worshipped for them and if to the euill onely infirme and fraise people would feare to conuert themselues to God least these things should bee wanting vnto them Behold here à short Psalme but full of feruour deuotion Let vs conforme the affections of our heart to the sacred words thereof with the whole forces of our mynd let vs implore the diuine mercy that he will bee pleased to inrich vs with the benedictions of Christ and instruct vs with the light of his countenance Let vs alsoe most heartely pray for the common good and for the generall soules health of all men that all men maâ—e confesse to God honour and loue him The argument of the Canticle of the three children BY the insuing Canticle the three men Sidrach Misach and Abdenago who were throwne into the furnace of burning fire by the commandement of Nabuchodonosor because they refused to adore the golden statue he had erected as is at lardge related by the Prophet Daniel did inuite all creatures in their seuerall Daniel 3. degrees and natures to praise God and they themselues did praise and glorifie him who preserued their bodies that they were not touched by the fury of those flames and made their hearts inflamed with the fire of his loue Indeed by how much the more one is inflamed with his loue by soe much the more intensly doth he desire that God maie bee praised loued and honoured by all l. 1. de doctrina Christiana creatures according to that S. Augustine By how much the more feruent any one is in the loue of God by so much the more doth he endeauour by all the meanes he can diuise that God maie bee beloued of all men by how much the more sincerely any one doth coÌ„template God by soe much the more he doth vnderualue and humble himselfe esteeme the praise wherewith he doth set forth the glory of God to bee the more insufficient and therefore doth earnestly desire that God maie bee magnificently praised by all creatures and doth his best to procure it The exposition of the Canticle ALl workes of our Lord blesse ye our Lord praise and superexalt him for euer Although euerie Creature doth not blesse and praise almightie God with voice which is proper to Men nor mentally which is
of Israel à people approching vnto him According to the letter the Prophet calleth the Children of Israel to witt of the Patriarke Iacob the Saints of God because in those daies almost all the world was inclined to Idolatry excepting they whence it is that Moyses often saieth of them Thou art à holie people to the Lord Deut. 7 thy God The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are vpon earth Yet in a spirituall sense by the Children of Israel are vnderstood all the faithfull whether they be descended from the Patriarke Iacob according to the flesh or not for as the Apostle teacheth Not Rom. 9. all that are of Israel be Israelites nor they that are the seed of Abraham all bee children but in Isaac shall the seed be called vnto thee that is to saie not they that are the children of the flesh they are the children of God but they that are the children of the promise are esteemed for the seed and to all such the Apostle saieth Let the word of Christ dwell in you Colos 3. aboundantly teaching and admonishing your owne felues with Psalmes Hymnes and spirituall Canticles in grace singing in your hearts to God These are à People approaching to God For as wee goe backe from him by sinne soe wee approach neere vnto him by vertues and good workes Faith sheweth the true end for which Man was created and the way leading thereunto Hope beginneth to tend thitherwards Charitie vniteth vs to our end and all other vertues in as much as they are informed with Charitie doe knitt vs indissolubly vnto our end which is God himselfe Behold here à Psalme replete with the zeale of diuine loue wherein the Prophet expressing some few creatures by name doth exhort the whole machine of the vniuerse to praise the most high and holie Trinity that soe by them might be fulfilled what he piously desired but was vnable by himselfe to performe Whilst we sing it let vs recollect our minds from all extrauagances inkindle in them the zeale of diuine loue and conserue it with all vigilancy Let vs contemplate in all especially in the celestiall creatures the excellency of the Creator In this contemplation let vs feast our spirit delighting ourselues in his praise and congratulating his ineffable felicity most affectionately Finally let vs personally ourselues fulfill what we excite all other things vnto by praising and glorifying almighty God for whose praise and glory all things were created for truely it is more possible for heauen and earth to be annihilated then for à man not to be saued who glorieth in the diuine praise The title and argument of the 149. Psalme THe title prefixed to this Psalme is Alleluia and it agreeth well with the words of the Psalme which doe wholy tend to set forth the praise of our Lord and Sauiour principally for the benefit of the perfect victory and finall triumph which the faithfull shall obtaine in his second comming when all the aduersaries of the elect shall bee damned eternally and the elect bee freed from all euill reassuming glorified bodies These three last Psalmes haue such connection coherence one with another that they seeme to bee à continuation one of another and this peraduenture is the reason why the holie Church placeth them together at the end of Laudes and appointeth them to bee song as one Psalme with one Gloria in the end The exposition of the Psalme IN the last verse of the precedeÌ„t Psalme the Prophet hath these words An Hymne to all his Saints c. and now he beginneth this Psalme with Sing yee to our Lord à new song as if he had saied O yee Saints that are à people approaching to him Sing yee to our Lord à new song for his new benefits to witt for the benefits of our Redemption renouation iustification and glorification let his praise bee in the Church of Saints in the congregation of deuout people in the Militant and triumphant Church as the Prophet Isaie recounteth Isa 51. Ioy and gladnesse shall bee found in it giuing of thankes and voice of praise Let Israel to witt all such of the Iewes that shall bee conuerted and all other Christian people who by faith good life are reputed to bee of the seed of the Patriarkes much rather then the children of the flesh according to that of the Apostle Know yee therefore that they who Gal. 3. are of faith the same are the children of Israel Let this true Israel bee ioyfull in him that made him to witt in his Creator and redeemer and let the Children of Sion to witt particular Churches members of the vniuersall Church or deuout soules who are the children of the holie Church designed by Sion reioyce in their King to witt the celestiall Spouse our Sauiour Christ of whome it is saied in the Canticles Cant. 1. The King hath brought me into his Cellars we will reioyce and bee glad in thee Let them praise his name in quire on timbrell and Psalter let them sing to him Let them not onely sing à new song vnto him with ioy and exultation but let them alsoe adioyne musicall instruments to their voices that his praise maie bee more solemnely set forth By the Timbrel is vnderstood the mortification of the flesh because à skin is extended vpon that instrument and by the Psalter vpon which many strings are stretched at length are designed good workes The children therefore of Sion ought to sing to our Lord on Timbrell to witt in chastisement of their flesh and refraining their inordinate concupiscences and on Psalter to witt in goodnesse of life and manners free from reprehension that their life and manners maie bee consonant to the words they pronounce which manner of quire is most delightfull to the eares of almighty God Let them doe this Because our Lord is well pleased in his people Prouerb 8. Ioh. 15. to witt in his elect whome he hath loued from all eternitie of his meere benignitie and of whome he saieth My delights to bee with the sonnes of men And he will exalt in the daie of iudgement Luc. 12. the meeke to witt those that are true Christians in faith conuersation and haue practised that lesson which our Sauiour proposed to all sorts of people saying Learne of me because I am meeke and Math. 11. humble of heart These he will exalt vnto Saluation of body and mynd giuing them à double stole compleat beatitude and life euerlasting The Saints shall reioyce in glory to witt in the celestiall Kingdome when as their weâ—ping and lamenting in this world shall bee turned into ioy they shall bee ioyfull in their bedds to witt in the celestiall mansions in which they shall sweetly and happily rest in God by the delightfull sleepe of sincere contemplation Of these bedds our Sauiour saieth I goe to prepare you à place and againe Ioh. 14. In my fathers howse
shineth most brightly aboue all others in the whole militant and triumphant Church and gouerneth the militant Church in an especiall manner which in respect of the triumphant is seated in darkenesse Neuerthelesse she is incomparably more beautifull then the Moone yea the Moone is saied to bee vnder her feete Apoca. 12. But she is faire as the Moone to witt as the holie Church for that the diuers graces and vertues which haue been here and there dispersed in many sundrie members thereof are collected exceedingly more perfect in her Elect as the Sunne Next after Christ as man she is acknowledged to bee the most eleganr and preelected as the Sunne is greater brighter and of more efficacie then the rest of the Planets and starres soe the most blessed Virgin next after Christ is greater in perfection brighter in wisdome and more efficacious in vertue then all the rest of the Saints as being Mother of the Sauiour of the world by whose meanes innumerable sinners are reduced to grace and saluation Terrible as an armie of à campe set in array In her was à well ordered and most harmonious connection of vertues à most excellent and singular constancie of perfection and by her Maternall authoritie she was constituted Empresse of the vniuerse and absolute Dominatrix of the aduerse powers The preamble to Tierce Sext and None THese three houres are often spoken of in the holie Scriptures expressely mentioned by the auncient Fathers and haue each one its proper mysteries which it representeth Tierce signifieth first Pilats sentence against our blessed Sauiour to the opprobrious death of the Crosse Secondly it representeth the comming of the holie Ghost at Pentecost Sext is in memorie of our blessed Sauiours exaltation vpon the Crosse and in imitation of S. Peter who is saied to Act. 1â— haue ascended vnto the toppe of the house at that houre to praie None designeth our blessed Sauiours death and is in imitation of S. Peter and S. Iohn who went into the Temple to praie at the Ninth houre The Three houres space which is allotted for each of these three little houres hath relation to the blessed Trinitie as S. Cyprian affirmeth where he saieth That we obserue with the Prophet Daniel to praise the holie Trinitie thrice in the daie by these three Canonicall houres to euery one of which there is à Trinitie of houres and Psalmes alotted The title and argument of the 119. Psalme and first in Tierce THis Psalme and the fourteene immediatly following haue for their title A graduall Canticle not without reason for indeed they are repleat with affections towards God and proper for such as haue learnt by experience to esteeme themselues pilgrimes and banished men in the lands of their enemies sometymes lamenting the miseries of their exile sometymes sighing after the rest of the celestiall Ierusalem but euer exciting themselues to ascend and aduance forwards in the waie of our Lord. Theodoretus and Euthimius doe teach that these Canticles are to bee vnderstood according to the letter of the Ascension of the Iewes from Babylon vnto Ierusalem the holie Ghost foreshewing by the mouth of Dauid the calamitie of the Babylonian captiuitie and the ioy of their freedome But others doe rather hold that they were composed to bee sung by the Priests and Leuits in their ascension of the fifteene degrees or steps of the Temple of Salomon for that there were soe many steps not onely Nicolaus Liranus and other moderne authors but alsoe S. Augustine doth write in his treatise vpon the last Psalme There are saieth he soe many Psalmes which are tearmed Gradualls because there were the like number of degrees of the Temple Yet which soeuer of these opinions is to bee preferred it is certaine that they were figures of the ascension of the elect by the degrees of vertues whereof the Prophet speaketh in another Psalme saying They shall goe from vertue to vertue For by these degrees of vertues which are treated of in the saied Psalmes whereof the first is to depart from the vices of this world and tend by desire to the future world wee doe ascend from this vale of teares to the celestiall Ierusalem The sense therefore of the title is that This Psalme is à Graduall Canticle because according to the letter it was sung ascending to the Temple Yet spiritually it is called à Graduall Canticle to wit The exultation of the mynd for the spirituall progresse in vertue The explication of the Psalme VVhen I was in tribulation I cried to our Lord and he heard me When I haue seene my selfe opprest with afflictioÌ„s troubles tentations I haue not done like those that murmure against God who when they are not able to secure themselues with their owne forces doe despaire and become obdurate rather to the contrarie I haue had recourse to my Lord most sweet and powerfull I haue cried with all my forces to present vnto him mine anguish he hath gratiously heard me O Lord deliuer my soule from vniust lips and from à deceitfull tongue Come ô my Lord for soe did I crie vnto him come and deliuer my poore soule from the assaults which are made against it by peruerse and blaspheming lips which with à shamelesse impudence doe blaspheme denie thyne authoritie thy care of created things and proper being Deliuer me from these Infidels Atheists and libertines and from heretikes alsoe that haue an honied flattering tongue hiding vnder à deceitfull language the pestilent venime wherewith they traitorously seduce simple soules The two verses following are expounded three seuerall waies First as being the words of the Prophet speaking to his owne soule VVhat maie bee giuen thee or what maie bee added vnto thee to à deceiptfull tongue O my soule what remedy canst thou excogitate what counsell or aide maie bee prescribed to arme thee that à deceiptfull tongue preuaile not against thee beleeue me the most present and soueraigne remedie I can imagine is The sharpe arrowes of the mightie to witt the all powerfull word of God more percing then à two edged sword with the coales of desolation together with the examples of the approued seruants of God burning with charitie who haue been conuerted from bad life to religious conuersation Make triall therefore of this for the knowledge of the holie Scriptures is very powerfull against à deceitfull tongue in such sort that we shall neither become fraudulent nor be defrauded or ouercome by impatience if we will seriously ponder how much à deceitfull tongue is reproued therein for it is written Cursed is the deceitfull and againe The Malach. 1. Psal 5. deceitfull man our Lord will abhorâ—e and in another place He that speaketh sophistically is odious in euery thing he shall be defrauded Grace is not giuen him of our Lord Ecclesiast 37. for he is defrauded of all wisdome The words of the sacred Scriptures are tearmed sharpe arrowes because they transfixe the heart with the wound of Charitie mortifie sinnes