euerlasting damnatioÌ„ obtained with his mother that she shold not challeÌ„ge hisdeath before any iustice But what iustice could she ask of those malefactors seeing they had been already pardoned of her sonne Anselmus saith That wheÌ„ Iesus gaue vp the ghost vpon the crosse he left no death for his mother to reueÌ„ge nor iniury to forgiue but only a bitter passion to weep and bewaile which shold be great inough to rend her bowels in sunder dry vp the tears of hir eies The 4. goodnes which Christ shewed the Iews was in that he gaue pardoÌ„ to his enemies which did not demaÌ„d it yeelded that vnto his crucifiers which they wold not haue For how is it possible for those men to seek for pardon which will not acknowledge themselues culpable And how should they acknowledge theÌ„selues culpable which cast al the fault vpoÌ„ him which deserued it not The Iews were so fleshed in the bloud of Christ so far out of their wits that they did not not only procure ask pardoÌ„ for their offeÌ„ce but rather hindered it put it froÌ„ theÌ„ when it was offered theÌ„ taking delight in the hurt which they did vnto Christ griefe that they were not able to do him more When they led the innocent lambe to be crucified for very ioy they said O thou which doest destroy the Temple of God And when Pilat would haue deferred his crucifying with great enuy they said If thou let this man goe thou art not a friend vnto Caesar in so much that if they did shew themselues grieued and sorrie it was not for that they thought themselues culpable of any crime but because they had deferred and prolonged Christs life so long time The wickednesse of the Iewes was not content in not hauing pardon of God for their offences but they demaunded openly vengeance for them when they said vnto Pilat Let his blood fall vpon vs and vpon our children and therefore by these dreadfull words they desire to be punished of God and at no time pardoned at his hands O wicked Synagogue O impious saying Let his blood be vpon vs. Tell me I pray thee why doest thou desire that the blood of Christ which hee shed for to redeeme thee be â—urned to condemne thee The sonne of God appealeth from these words which they speake and he will not stand vnto that agreement which the Iewes made with Pilat hee will not agree that his blood should be shed against them but for them and therefore as they said Let his blood fall vpon vs so contrariwise he said Father forgiue them O wicked Synagogue O vnfortunate Iewish nation saith Remigius who hath led you vnto such great folly and madnesse that you should more esteeme of the blood of kine which your priests shed in the Temple than of the blood which Christ shed in the mount of Caluarie Saint Ierome saith On the altar of the crosse the Prophecie of Simeon was fulfilled who said that Christs comming into the world was to some mens good and to others hurt seeing that wee doe pray that the blood which hee sheddeth should be in the remission of our sinnes and the Iewes doe intreat that it turne vnto their condemnation and vpon their children It is much to be noted that wee see it often times fall out that one enemy hurteth not another and that a good Christian doth pardon another of his offence when hee repenteth wee see it also by experience likewise we see it fulfilled that a perfit man doth loue his enemy but yet wee neuer saw that euer any but Christ pardoned him which would not be pardoned And how would they be pardoned who pardoned Barrabas and condemned the sonne of God What contrition of their sinnes haue they who desired of Pilat that the curse of God should light vpon them and vpon their children O infinite goodnesse O vnspeakable charity did they say pardy with king Dauid Tibi soli peccaui To thee alone haue I sinned or with the thiefe Domine memento mei Lord remember me to the end that he should say God be mercifull vnto you Misereatur vestri What wit is able to conceiue or what heart able to acknowledge such great mercy when thou saidst Forgiue them in stead of their sanguis eius His blood light vpon vs O my good Iesus O my soules health who is hee who dare say that hee hath enemies now seeing that thou doest make cleane the vncleane settest those at libertie which will not be free loosest those which wil be bound vnburdenest those which will bee burdened and aboue all giuest pardon vnto those which will not be pardoned If thou doest pardon that people which would not be pardoned wilt thou not with a better will pardon him who hath repented him of his sinnes and whome it grieueth with all his heart to haue offended thee Saint Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith Will not he who meant to meete them who came to apprehend him in the garden of Gethsemani come out to receiue and embrace those who goe to serue him Will not he who defended the adulterous woman from outrage and pardoned the wicked people not beeing thereunto asked pardon and defend that sinner whome hee seeth amended and hath beene of him with many teares thereunto entreated CHAP. X. How it is meet for vs to conforme our wills vnto Christs will to the end that we may know how to loue him and serue him COr tuum numquid est rectum cum corde meo sicut cor meum est rectum cum corde tuo Wee reade in the fourth booke of the Kings that a certaine king of Israel called Iehu going from Samaria to kill the children of Achab and the priestes of Baal met on the way with Ionadab vnto whome he spake these words Tell me I pray thee Ionadab is thy heart and mind so faithfull and vpright with mine as my heart is with thine Ionadab answered him vnto these words Know thou O king Iehu that my heart is conformable vnto thine Iehu replied and said Seeing it is true that thy heart is agreeing vnto mine giue me thy hand and come to me into this charriot where we will talke and communicate of things profitable for vs both This is a wonderfull figure worthy of great attention and consideration seeing that our Lord doeth teach vs by it the great good turnes which hee doth vnto vs and that which in recompence thereof wee are to doe vnto him againe Who is that king Iehu who taketh his iourney from Iudea vnto Samaria to kill and to take vengeance vpon the wicked men which were there but onely the sonne of God who came downe from heauen aboue to destroy our sinnes Assure mee saith Saint Augustine that there be no sinners in the world and I will assure thee that there be no naughty men in the world for as in heauen there is no sinne remitted nor any wicked man there suffered and as contrariwise there is nothing but
Mount Caluarie THE SECOND PART Compyled by the Reuerend Father Don Anthonio de Gueuara Bishop of Mondonnedo Chronicler and preacher vnto Charles the fift In this Booke the Authour treateth of the Seuen Words which Christ our Redeemer spake hanging vpon the Crosse Translated out of Spanish into English IL VOSTRO MALIGNARE NON GIOVA NVLLA LONDON Printed by Adam Islip for Edward White and are to bee sold at his shop by the little North dore of Pouls at the signe of the Gun Anno. 1597. ⧠A Table of the Chapters contained in this Booke PAter ignoice illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt Chap. 2 How the sonne of God said vnto his Father that those which crucifie him bee not his enemies but his friends Fol. 7 Chap. 3 How the son of God put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and mankind and what torment he receiued therby Fol. 13 Chap. 4 Of many qualities conditions which the praier of Father forgiue them had in it how it is meet for vs to follow it in our praiers Fol. 20 Chap. 5 Why the father answered not his son when hee praied for his enemies Fol. 24 Chap. 6 How Christ praied for his enemies on the crosse more heartily then hee did in the garden for himselfe seeing the one praier was made with condition and the other not Fol. 30 Chap. 7 How God is more mercifull now than hee was in time past and why Christ did not say that he did pardon his enemies when hee asked pardon for them of his Father Fol. 35 Chap. 8 How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ Fol. 42 Chap. 9 How that Christs mercy was farre greater towards the Synagogue than their naughtinesse towards him seeing hee pardoned her though she desired no pardon Fol. 51 The Contents of the second word OF the conuersion of the good theefe and of the great wonders which our Lord did vnto him in this case Fol. 64 Chap. 2 How Iudas Iscarioth was a great theefe of the thefts hee committed and how hee fell from the apostleship Fol. 69 Chap. 3 Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed and diuers treasons which he did against Christ. Fol. 76 Chap. 4 Of the great vertues which the good theef had which died with Christ and how he beleeued of that which the Prophet Ieremy speaketh to this purpose Fol. 83 Chap. 5 How three houres in which the good theefe was with Christ vpon the crosse did profite him more than the three yeares profited Iudas in the which he followed Christ and how some steale vntill they come to the gallows and how this theefe stole vpon the gallows Fol. 90 Chap. 6 How the good theefe had nothing remaining on the crosse but his heart and his tongue and that by these two hee gained glory and there are curious points vttered touching the heart Fol. 96 Chap. 7 How the naughty theefe lost himselfe onely for want of faith and of two chalices which the scripture maketh mention of of which both the theeues dranke of Fol. 105 Chap. 8 Of the great charity which the good theefe had towards the naughty theefe in correcting him of euill doing and in aduising him of the good which he lost Fol. 113 Chap. 9 Why the good theefe did not chide with the naughty theefe because hee did not loue Christ as hee did chide with him because hee did not feare God there are many notable things brought touching the feare of our Lord. Fol. 121 Chap. 10 How the son of God was more grateful vnto the good theefe which bare him company on the crosse than Pharoahs cupbearer was to Ioseph who accompanied him in prison Fol. 130 Chap. 11 Of these words Domine memento mei Lord remember mee which the good theefe spake vnto Christ the which words are deuoutly and deepely expounded Fol. 139 Chap. 12 How our Lord heard the theeues praier vpon the crosse and how Christ answered in the seuen wordes for siue which he spake vnto Christ Fol. 149 Chap. 13 How the son of God neuer vsed this word Paradise vntill he promised it vnto the good theefe of many learned expositions of this saying Hodie mecum eris Paradiso This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Fol. 157 The Contents of the third Word THat the loue which the mother of God had did exceed the loue of all other men also the loue of Angels Fol. 174 Chap. 2 How that if the loue which the mother bare vnto her sonne was great so likewise the loue which the son bare his mother was no lesse and to proue this there is expounded a saying of the Canticles Fol. 181 Chap. 3 Of the first and second word which holy Simeon spake vnto our Lady and how many fall from the law of Christ without his fault Fol. 189 Chap. 4 Of the third word which old Simeon spake vnto the Virgine in the Temple and of three authorities touching this purpose Fol. 195 Chap. 5 How Salomon did inherite the kingdome of his father Dauids pleasures and how Christ did inherit the kingdome of trauails Chap. 6 Of the sword of griefe which killed the son of God and went through his blessed mother Fol. 212 Chap. 7 How the Virgine and her family stood hard by the crosse and others sate a farre off Fol. 220 The Contents of the fourth Word HOw Christ in this speech more than in all the rest seemeth to change his stile of speaking Fol. 233 Chap. 2 How Christ doth complaine vpon his father because he doth breake all his anger vpon his body Fol. 242 Chap. 3 How Christ complaineth of his Father because he took all his friends from him in his passion and all others which he knew Fol. 247 Chap. 4 How Christ complaineth on his Father because he bathed his body with the bloud of his vaines and drowned his heart in waters of distresse Fol. 255 Chap. 5 How Christ complaineth of his Father because he did permit those to crucifie him which were wont to bee his friends and how he calleth them friends Fol. 260 Chap. 6 How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they made more account of Iepthes daughter in the Synagogue than they doe at this day of his death in the church Fol. 265 Chap. 7 How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they did open his wounds through malice as they did stop vp Isaacs wels through enuy Fol. 273 Chap. 8 How the son of God complaineth to his father because they did load his body with stripes and his heart with care and anguish Fol. 286 Chap. 9 How the son of God complaineth vpon the Synagogue that hauing carried them vpon his backe yet they bee vngratefull vnto him Fol. 297 Chap. 10 How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse considering that he hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences Fol. 303 Chap. 11 Christ complaineth vnto his Father how badly
I die by thy commandement and to obey thy will and because so it is needfull for the world why should I call them enemies which execute thy commandements Giue me leaue O my father giue me leaue seeing I must die to sell my death deerely giue me leaue seeing I lose my life to employ it well which I shall thinke well bestowed if thou pardon those which take my life from mee and haue pitie on those which offend thee for what doth it auaile that I die for sinners if thou wilt not forgiue them their sinnes Thou knowest O my good father that by pardoning and suffering the redemption of the vvorld must bee vvrought If thou shouldest not be satisfied vvith the death vvhich I suffer and with the life vvhich I offer thee in giuing mee another life I vvould offer it vnto thee giuing me another death I vvould accept it to the end O my good father that thou shouldst be wholly appeased and all mankind pardoned O euerlasting goodnesse O infinite charitie O inspeakable clemency showne in this answere calling that a house of friends vvhich was a fortresse of enemies and going about to excuse those vvhich he should accuse and in purposing to appease him vvhome hee should haue stirred vp to vvrath and indignation Fulgencius vpon this place sayth Notwithstanding all the enemies and persecutors vvhich the sonne of God had in this vvorld yet he neuer vsed this vvord Enemie vvhich is euident by this demand of his fathers vvho asking him vvhere hee had ben so euilly handled and wounded sought out a new deuise because he vvould auoid this vvord of enemy and lay the fault vpon his friend rather than confesse that he had any enemies because God vvas vvont to haue many familiar friends in the house of the synagogue vvhich vvere holy men our blessed sauiour vvould not account of the iniuries vvhich the Iewes did presently vnto him nor of the vvounds vvhich they gaue him but respected rather the seruices vvhich the old Patriarkes had done vnto him It is greatly to be noted and weighed that in the answere vvhich the sonne gaue vnto the father he did not say that he had been vvounded in the house of those vvhich then loued him but in the house of those vvhich vvere vvont to loue him for hee sayth In domo eorum qui me diligebant and not qui me diligunt yet notwithstanding all this he doth not only not call them enemies but telleth his father that they did vnto him the vvorks of friends What meaneth this O sweet Iesus vvhat meaneth this If those of the house of Israell vvere thine in times past I pray thee diddest not thou vnto them more good turns than they did seruices vnto thee If thou doest reckon of the seruices which the fathers did vnto theâ—â— a thousand years agoe why doest thou not make account of the vvounds vvhich their children gaue thee not longer than one houre agone O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule vvhat humane iudgement yea vvhat angels vnderstanding is able to conceaue or reach vnto this vvhy thou shouldest rather respect old seruices vvhich ordinarily other men forget than thy owne iniuries vvhich run freshly from thy blood like streames Seeing we haue already told you vvho praied vvhich vvas the son and vnto whome he praied vvhich vvas the father and vvhere hee praied to vvit vpon the crosse it is time now to tell you vvhat praier he made and for whom he praied for seeing the sonne of God betooke himselfe to praier in such a narrow extremitie it is to be thought that hee entreated some great and vveighty matter Vbertinus sayth That vvhen the diuine vvord vvas nailed vpon the crosse as it vvere almost dead hauing his flesh pierced vvith nailes his bowels burning vvith the loue of charitie forgetting his owne selfe and hauing his enemies in remembrance lifting vp his holy eies vnto heauen said Pater ignosce illis qui nesciunt quid faciunt vvhich is as much as to say O my eternall and blessed father in recompence of my comming into the vvorld preaching thy name appeasing thy vvrath reconciling thee vnto the vvorld I desire of thee this one thing for a spiritual guerdon and reward of all my trauailes that is that thou vvouldest pardon these sinfull Iewes father I am very vvell pleased that thou vvouldest not yeeld vnto my naturall desire of life vvhen I praied vnto thee in the garden if it vvould now please thee to heare mee in praying for them for I thinke it a farre greater benefit that they liue in their soules than a hurt vnto me to die in body Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them for I die because they sinned and if I die it is because they may liue and in so difficult a matter as this it is far greater reason that thou haue more regard vnto my new death than vnto their old fault Father forgiue them seeing the death vvhich preuailed on the wood I haue here crucified with mee vpon the crosse the vvhich being so it is far greater reason that thou esteeme more of the charitie vvith the vvhich I die for them than of their malice vvith the vvhich they put me to death Father forgiue them for if thou vvilt punish these Iewes with all rigour of iustice it will bee but a small punishment to condemne them for euer to hell but if thou doest otherwise as there was neuer any wickednesse done like vnto this so likewise thou shalt neuer bestow thy accustomed mercy like as in forgiuing these their offences Father forgiue them for if my death be sufficient to redeeme all those which shall hereafter be borne or be already borne it is not reason that these vnhappy Iewes should vvant the benefit of it and so much the more because that if my blood be shed by thy holy will and consent it would be reason that it should bee well emploied by thee Forgiue them O my father forgiue them for seeing the partie iniuried which am I do pardon the iniury why wilt not thou O my father pardon that which concerneth thy iustice What hath iustice to doe there where there is no complaint of one against another Father forgiue them seeing the time is now come whereof the Prophet speaketh Tempus miserendi deus tempus miserendi Time of forgiuing good Lord a time of forgiuing it is neither iust nor reasonable that rigor should take place there where mercie by thee hath ben publickely proclaimed If it be true as true it is that misericordia veritas obuiuerunt sibi and also that iusticia pax osculatae sunt Why wilt thou execute iustice vpon this people seeing the Prophet sayth that peace and iustice haue embraced one the other Father forgiue them seeing I aske it in the end of my life and intreat thee at the houre of my death thou must thinke my father that it behooueth me very much that they be pardoned because that by my example none should
lodgings but they remeÌ„bred to kil him in the day time betwixt three four of the clock because that at that time al men go abroad to walke in the market place It was an old plague of the Synagogues to embrue flesh theÌ„selues in the bloud of the prophets holy men as of Esaias whoÌ„ they sawed in peeces Ieremy whoÌ„ they drowned in a wel Micheas whom they buffeted to death Zachary whom they stoned to death Ezechiel whom they imprisoned and because the curse of their predecessors should reach vnto those which were theÌ„ aliue they be thought theÌ„selues to take Christs life froÌ„ him blemish his good name credite DamasceÌ„ saith that wheÌ„ the Iews crucified Christ they chose a bright a fair day without cloud darknes because Christ should be seen of al meÌ„ not vnknown of any because their purpose intent was aswel to discredit him as to kill him For wheÌ„ the EuaÌ„gelist saith that wheÌ„ Christ gaue vp the ghost the sun was darâ—â—ed it is an vnfallible argumeÌ„t that it was a bright a clear day but the sun waxed darke vpon the sudden because he would with his shadow haue couered him whoÌ„ the Iewes had put to open shame S. Ciprian saith That when the Iews put Christ to death they were not coÌ„tent only to make choice of a bright day cleare but also they would haue a long day as coÌ„monly the daies are the 25 of March because they might haue time in one day to accuse him giue iudgement on him crucifie him The 4. point was that although they could haue put him to death alone yet they would not do it without coÌ„pany the coÌ„pany they gaue him was not of honest meÌ„ but of two arrand theeues It is to be weighed that the Iews neuer gaue Christ the prehemineÌ„ce or highest room but only vpoÌ„ the crosse and gibbet where they crucified him betwixt two theeues they put him in the midst as if he had ben the greatest theef among theÌ„ al the most notorious offender Albertus saith That the Iews hanged our good Iesus betwixt two malefactors as if he had ben a captain a ringleader of theÌ„ to make vs think therby how bad a person that Prophet was seeing that in comparison of him the theeues were of a better life Put the case saith S. Ierom that al the testimonies which they brought against Christ had been true and that they had proued by sufficient witnesse those crimes which they laid against him yet notwithstanding hee deserued not that kind of punishmeÌ„t nor to be executed with such infamous theeues because the Imperiall laws doe command such only to be partakers of equall punishment which were confederates in the offence If the sonne of God drew sinners vnto him receiued them truly it was not for that he would helpe them or further them in sinne but to draw theÌ„ to good life in so much that by his blessed company they were not peruerted but much more conuerted The fifth wrong was that although they might haue put him to another kind of death which was not so scandalous to heare of nor so cruell to bee endured as the death of the crosse yet they would put him to no other death but that because hee should end his life with great cruelty smart For the torment of the crosse was holden to be the terriblest that was to suffer the least pitifull to giue and therefore they crucified none vnlesse it were such a one as without amendment did breake the law or such a one as durst be a traitor to the king Was hee pardie a breaker of the law who said openly Non veni soluere legem sed adimplere I came not to breake the law but to fulfill the law Is he pardy a traitor who said openly Reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesari Giue that which is Caesars vnto Caesar and that which is Christs vnto Christ They not the sonne of God were breakers of the law they were Traitors vnto the king they caused sedition among the people yea they stole away the sacrifices in so much that against all order of iustice those transgressors murdered him which was holy the Traitors put to death him who was loiall the guiltie crucified the innocent and the theeues crucified their iudge Chrisostome sayth That as the hatred which they bare vnto Christ did passe al other hatred in the world and as the enuie they bare Christ was far greater then any other which could sinke into mans heart so also they would that the death which they gaue Christ should exceed the deaths which all other men did suffer Who doubteth but if a worser death they could haue inuented a worser death he should haue had It is to be weighed that being an old custome that the iudges which giue senteÌ„ce and not which accuse should appoint the maner of death which the party which offendeth should endure yet the Iewes would not leaue Christs death vnto Pilates arbiterment but they themselues would presently design appoint what death he shold die Tel me I pray you what death did they appoint him or what torment did they chuse out for him Barrabas the theefe being loused let free by the common consent agreement of them al Pilat asking theÌ„ what they would doe by Iesus of Nazareth they cried all aloud with one voice Crucifie crucifie him because hee is guilty of death with few words they condemn Christ vnto many cruel terrible torments that is that he should die quickly seeing they say that he is guilty of death that he should die vpon the crosse seeing they said crucifie him that hee should bee twise crucified considering that they say crucifie crucifie him As touching the first they entreat Pilat to put Christ to death and Pilat said that he found no cause in him why hee should die but in fine his resistance preuailed not so much as their importunity The Iews did not request of Pilat that he would whip Christ or banish him or obiect any reprochfull crime against him but that he would immediatly put him to death that because the holy doctrine which he preached and the euill life which they led were imcompatible the one with the other And as for the second the forsakeÌ„ Iews were not content to demand of Pilat that Christ should be put to death and with that death which they themselues desired but that they should immediately crucifie him on a crosse which kind of punishment was neuer giuen but vnto very naughty wicked persons and for very heinous and enormious saults S. August vpon S. Iohn noteth that the Iewes were not conteÌ„t to cry vnto Pilat once that he would crucifie him but they doubled their cry said crucifie him crucifie him to let vs vnderstand that they meant aswell to crucifie his fame and credite as they did crucifie his person Origen saith That by entreating Pilate twise to
better bee verified in Christ than in any other seeing that from the first instant that he tooke humane flesh vpon him he saw the deuine essence and knew as much as hee dooth now in glorie vvhich is not so in other men seeing they are long a bringing vp and vvaxe old very timely The sonne of God vvas also an Hebrue of the tribe of Iuda a vvhich vvas the most honourable stocke of all the tribes and hee vvas of Nazareth vvhich vvas a holy land and he vvas also the most honourable of all his kindred Thirdly the sonne of God vvas best beloued of his father because of him and of no other he said in his baptisme Hic est filius meus dilectus as if hee vvould say This is only my lawful child in him only am I vvel pleased this only is my heire him onely I doe tender and loue in him I delight and take great contentment Fourthly the son of God vvas a very thicke mud vvall a close hedge vvhich put himselfe betwixt God and the people vvhen he suffered himselfe to bee crucified vpon the crosse vpon the vvhich as strong battelments they discharged all the sinnes vvhich vvere in the vvorld and all the wrath vvhich God had O glorious hedge O happie vvall O strong vvounds such vvast thou O redeemer of my soule seeing thou diddest permit and consent to put thy selfe a mediator betwixt God man to the end they should vnlode and put vpon thee all the sins of the vvorld and all the vengeance vvhich God vvas to take for them S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth The sonne of God only vvas the man he sought for this vvas the vvall he required this vvas the mediator he asked for this is the pacifier of the old quarrell and of Gods vvrath this is the reformer of new grace and this is the ouerthrower of the old sinne S. Ierome vpon this place sayth The man vvhich God sought by Ezechiel who else was hee but the son of the liuing God and our redeemer Who like vnto an vnexpugnable wall did put himselfe boldly betwixt God and vs saying Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them By which words he did not like that our sinnes should come into the sight of God neither suffered he Gods wrath and vengeance to descend vpon vs. Origen vpon S. Marke sayth That whē the two chiefe captaines of the synagogue Moses and Aaron perceiued that the Lord began to poure his wrath and anger vpon the people they went immediatly vnto the tabernacle the one to pray and the other to doe sacrifice to be a mean betwixt God and them because that otherwise God would haue poured out his anger vpon them the Synagogue haue receiued great hurt and detriment That which happened vnto those two holy men in the desart happened vnto Christ on the mount of Caluarie who seeing the elements to be troubled and the dead to rise againe to reuenge his death and punish that nation he made himselfe a mediator and a stikeler betwixt God and them and praied Paterignosce illis as if hee would say Pardon them my father pardon them for if thou wilt not pardon them it will bee a greater griefe vnto me to see them lost then my passion which causeth mee to die What would become of the Iewes then if Christ had not said vnto his father father forgiue them and what should betide vs now if he should not say Pater parce illis Spare them father S. Barnard saith in a sermon That this word of Ignosce illis Forgiue them is of such a deepe consideration that it should neuer be out of a sinners mouth nor blotted out of his memory because that the sonne of God did shew his mercy more vnto vs in two things thē in al the rest that is in the pardon which he got vs of his father and in the bloud which he shed for vs on the crosse Anselmus reasoning with Christ sayth What doest thou crie for what doest thou aske what doest thou intreat for what wilt thou what seekest thou what saiest thou to thy father O good Iesus what saiest thou I intreat O my father that thou wouldest forgiue them because they know not what they do and that thou wouldest load my flesh with thy anger and I intreat that there remaine nothing vnteconciled vnto thee because that my redemption would seem vnperfect and insufficient if there should remaine in any a fault to bee redeemed and in thy selfe any anger to punish vs. O what an enflamed charity what a wonderfull example what incredible patience what entire loue thou diddest shew vs O sweet Iesus in this speech of Father forgiue them the which thou diddest vtter not for an ease to thy griefe but in fauour of thy persecutors O what infinite goodnesse what vnspeakable clemencie what strange charitie doth shine this day in thee O my Iesus and sauiour seeing thou doest loose those which bind thee pleadest for those which diffame thee entreatest for those which accuse thee excusest those which blame thee and pardonest also those which will kill thee What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou pray for them at the very instant which they blaspheme thee mocke thee and laugh thee to scorne They haue pierced thee with a speare and yet doest thou giue them an acquittance and a release of the blow What mortall man can praise himselfe or bost to haue done that which thou hast done that is to craue pardon for murderers before they haue confessed their fault and seeke to release them before they haue repented They will not returne into the citie before thou hast yeelded vp the ghost and wilt not thou die before thou hast first pardoned them Who euer saw or heard any thing like vnto this to wit that pardon should proceed first out of his blessed bowels before the blood should end to issue out of his tender vaines Doest thou not remember to aske a sepulchre for thy body and doest thou remember to aske forgiuenesse and mercie for those which crucified thee O sweet Iesus O my soules glorie who but thou could haue the breath going out of his body and Ignosce illis Pardon them in his mouth To defend thy selfe couldest not thou open thy mouth and to excuse thy enemies couldst not thou keepe it shut S. Chrisostome sayth The sonne of God onely was he who on the altar of the crosse inspeaking these words Father forgiue them coupled ioined and handfasted together pittie and cruelty the offence and mercie anger and patience hatred and loue killing and pardoning With as great reason sayth Hilarius we can now say Vbi sunt irae tuae antiquae as the Prophet Dauid said Vbi sunt misericordiae tuae antiquae seeing we bee certaine that from the houre that the son of God died vpō the crosse we may cal him Pater misericordiarū as the Synagogue called him Deus vltionū The God of reuenge No man ought to distrust Christs
goodnesse and mercie although he haue ben neuer so great a sinner so as he liue and die a Christian for seeing he pardoned those which would not bee pardoned hee will much rather pardon those which aske for pardon S. Barnard as if hee were in a maze sayth thus vnto Christ O good sauiour O my soules delight if thou wilt pardon thy death why doest thou pardon it before thou bee dead they tooke thy life from thee to the end that thou shouldest forget such a greeuous iniury done vnto thee and make no reckoning to be reuenged It is a tollerable thing to forgiue the iniury done vnto thy self but why doest thou forgiue the iniury done vnto thy sorrowfull mother and thy blessed father not calling the parties offended vnto it Thy mouth is now ready to receiue vineger thy person to be mocked thy side to bee pierced thy bodie to bee buried and yet doest thou make intercession for that wicked people Doest thou entreat for those which crucifie thee and doest thou not remember those which weepe by thee Now that thou hast pitie on the offences of the synagogue why hast thou not also compassion of the tears of thy blessed mother S. Cyprian vpon the passion of our Lord sayth All things end with thee and all forsake thee O sweer Iesus vpon the altar of the crosse sauing only thy patience with the which thou did dest suffer thy torments and thy charitie with the which thou diddest forgiue thy enemies seeing thou doest pray for those which crucifie thee entreat for those which blaspheme thee hold thy peace against those which spit on thee excuse those which accuse thee and pardon those which pardon not thee O my redeemer what a pitifull heart hast thou that considering how the Iewes themselues gaue thee licence to take reuengement on them saying Sanguis eius super nos His bloud vpon vs yet thou diddest not only not vse this libertie giuen thee but forsookest it there pardoned thy iniury O how contrary these two speeches are Sanguis eius sit super nos Let his bloud fall vpon vs and Ignosce illis Pardon them seeing that by the first the Iewes craue punishment of God and in the last Christ asketh pardon of his father for them in so much that the bloud of Christ which they asked to bee against them the son of God asketh that it may be for them What hast thou to do O good sauiour what hast thou to do with the Iews sayth Vbertinus and hangmen and torturers They goe about to condemne thee and thou to saue them they to accuse thee and thou to excuse them they to carry thee to Pilate to bee condemned and thou to thy father that they may be pardoned they to say crucifige crucifige crucifie him crucifie him and thou to say Ignosce ignosce Pardon them Pardon them At what time the son of God hanging vpon the crosse praied on one side vnto his father and on the other side the Hebrews praied Pilate there was a great conflict betwixt Gods iustice and mercie for iustice willed the praier of Sanguis eius Let his bloud fall vpon vs to be heard and contrary mercy forbad it and would haue Pater ignosce illis but in the end mercie had the vpper hand and reuengement had no part therein Whose heart saith Bonauenture would not bleed and who would not loue thee O good Iesus to see thee say to thy father my father forgiue them and not my father examine them and to see that thou doest forgiue theÌ„ without asking yeeldest vnto them without entreaty and pardonest them without amendment It is such a high mysterie sayth S. Augustine and a hidden Sacrament to see the sonne of God release iniurie with mercie and clemencie and not punish their crime with reuenge and that the praier of Ignosce illis Forgiue them preuailed against that of Sanguis eius His bloud light vpon vs that although it may well be rehearsed yet it cannot bee well comprehended and vnderstood CHAP. IIII. Of many high qualities and conditions which the praier of Father forgiue them had in it and how it is meet for vs to follow it in our praiers CVm clamore valido lachrimis efferens preces supplicatienes exauditus est pro sua reuerentâ—â— sayth the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrewes chap. 5. as if hee would say When the sonne of God was crucified vpon the tree of the crosse hee made many requests vnto his father with many supplications entreated him praying vnto him with a loud voice and pouring down many tears before him This praier was well heard of the eternall father and very acceptable vnto his diuine clemencie partly because hee who praied was a person worthy of great reuerence and partly because the praier which he made was founded vpon great pitie and mercie It appeareth well that he which praied was of an excellent and perfect condition and hee very mighty vnto whom he praied and that which hee praied of great merit and the manner which hee obserued in praier a perfect platforme of praier seeing that the Apostle in this place laieth down such high conditions of this praier which Christ made vpon the crosse Whereof although much be spoken yet there remaineth much more not spoken of First then he saith that Christ praied once on the crosse because he saith Cum clamore with a crie and with a high and loud voice because he saith valido strong and that with tears Cum lachrimis and that hee praied and offered his praier at the same time vnto his father and that the quality of the praier was to entreat and beseech preces supplicationes and that his praier was heard of his father at that very instant when hee made it because hee sayth exanditus est pro sua reuerentia The condition and qualitie of the praier which the sonne of God made vpon the crosse which the Apostle toucheth here is very great and worthy to bee marked and obserued with great heed and followed with great diligence for if we faile in any one of these conditions we are said rather to crie out then to pray Theophilus vpon the Apostle sayth That when the Apostle saith that the sonne of God praied with a loud voice vpon the crosse hee meaneth that hee offered and directed his praier with all his heart and with all his will vnto God only and vnto no other For to say the truth hee is said to pray aloud whose mind is not distracted and drawne into many thoughts When the Apostle saith that Christ praied aloud on the crosse and with a strong voice he letteth vs vnderstand with what a feruent desire and great deuotion he praied for there is nothing requested aloud and by crying out which is not either through abundance of loue or ouermuch griefe Both together forced Christ to crie out vpon the crosse that is the great loue he bare vnto his friends and the ouermuch paine
he suffered in his members When the Apostle sayth That the sonne of God offered vp praiers and supplications vpon the altar of the crosse hee declareth as Theophilactus sayth That the praier ignosce illis was extended vnto the good and vnto the bad in so much that for his enemies he offered praiers for the pardon of their sinnes and for his friends hee offered vp oblations for to confirme them in his grace As the sonne of God was Lord ouer all men and died for all men so vpon the crosse he praied for all men For if the wicked had need of him to help them to rise the good also had need of his helpe to keep them from falling Anselmus in his meditations sayth That when the Apostle sayth that the sonne of God was not content to pray only with deuotion but also offered vp that praier vnto his owne father it is to let vs vnderstand that for the sauing of all the world hee offered vp his paines and sorrowes for a recompence his life for a satisfaction his person for a reward his bloud for a price and his soule for a sacrifice It is also to bee weighed that the sonne of God made not this holy praier of Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them sitting but vpright not being at libertie but bound not in a low voice but aloud not laughing but weeping that which is most to be maruelled at the words that he praied with were very few but the tears he bathed them with were very many O good Iesus O my souls pleasure who could be worthy to stand at the foot of thy crosse to see how thy bloud ran from the thornes and thy tears flow from thy eies in so much that at the same hour and moment thou diddest water the earth with tears and pierce the heauens with sighes O what a sacred word was that O what a holy praier was Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them seeing that it was made by the sonne of God vpon the altar of the crosse accompanied with sighes washed with the bloud of Christ and offered vp with the tears of the redeemer Although the sonne of God requested the greatest matter of his father and of the greatest weight that euer was demaunded of him that is to wit Pardon of his precious death yet the tears which hee shed were so many and the loue so great with the which he asked it that if he had asked a greater matter of him his father would neuer haue denied it him S. Basill sayth O what great hurt sinnes bring vnto vs considering that for to lighten vs of them and obtaine pardon for them it was needfull for Christ to pray vnto his father for theÌ„ and offer oblation and crie out and suffer his bloud to bee shed and tears to poure downe from his eies so that thou O good Iesus diddest buy my great offences by the weight of thy bloud tears Our Lord when he praied for his enemies vpon the crosse taught vs what forme and fashion wee ought to keepe when wee pray that is to shed bloud from our members and fall tears froÌ„ our eies The son of God wept when he praied for his enemies and art not thou ashamed to laugh and talke when thou praiest for the remission of thy sinnes Yea and if thou canst not weep in thy praiers yet tel me why thou doest talke ouermuch Barnard sayth That it is more then a iest rather then a praier if at one time thou wouldest pray and talke for if thou bee not attentiue vnto that that thou praiest neither will our Lord be vnto that that thou demandest Defecerunt prae laâ—hrimis oculi mei sayth Ieremie in his Lamentations as if he should say I had such great compasston to see all the Iewes led captiue vnto Babilonia that my eies with very weeping lost their sight And indeed there is no greater token that a man is in true charity then to see him haue compassion of other mens hurts and therevpon it happeneth that good men weepe sooner for the wicked then for themselues the which happened also vnto Christ vpon the crosse who wept first for his enemies before they wept for their owne sinnes It is a very proper thing vnto the chosen people of God to weepe a like for other mens harmes and for their owne because it is the propertie of true Christian charitie to take as great griefe to see his brother lost as pleasure to see himselfe saued One of the greatest priuiledges that good men haue is that euen as they merit in taking comfort and ioy of the good that is done to good men so they are greeued at the hurt which falleth vnto euill men in so much that the good man and the iust reapeth profit commodity of euery mans conuersation Who doubteth but that the lamentation which Christ made vpon the crosse was far greater then that which Ieremie made on the Mount Sion But now it is to be vnderstood that Ieremy wept for one people onely and the sonne of God for all the vniuersall world Ieremy wept only tears from his eies but the son of God wept tears from his eies and shed bloud from his vains Further Ieremie complained that by weeping he had lost his sight onely but our sweet sauior did not only loose his sight with weeping vpon the crosse but also his very life O good Iesus my soules delight what patience is sufficient or by vvhat iustice is it reason that I should commit the offence and thou shed the teares Art thou not content vvith Ierâ—my to make fountains of tears of thy eies but also to make streames of bloud of thy vains With all those sighes which proceed from thy heart with so many griefes which thy members endure with so many teares which run from thy eies and with so much bloud which floweth from thy vains who would not graunt thy request and who would not haue compassion of that which thou sufferest O who can be able tosay with Ieremy Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Because that the greatest hap which could light vnto mee were that in amending my faults I could recouer my soule and in weeping many teares lose my sight CHAP. V. Why the father answered not his sonne when hee praied for his enemies VOs cogitastis malum de me sed deus vertit illud in bonum ego pascam vos paruulos vestros When the great Patriark Iacob died in Aegypt and that all his childreÌ„ remained vnder the power and will of their brother Ioseph and being afeard least hee should call to mind how they had sold him vnto the muleters of Aegypt the good Ioseph spake these words vnto them You my brethreÌ„ did think that you had done me great hurt but you did me great good for your selling of me was the occasioÌ„ that I came vnto prosperity and to rule and gouerne all Aegypt in so much that the great goodnesse of our Lord
that his father would destroy all the word for to reuenge his death hee lifted vp his eies vnto heauen and with a sorrowfull voice said Father forgiue them because they know not what they doe as if he would say O my eternall and holy father I beseech and pray thee that thou wouldest forgiue this vnhappy people seeing thou shouldest make more account of the bloud which I shed for thē than of the offence which they haue committed against thee It is now now time for a thousand to fall on thy left side and ten thousand on thy right for seeing that I stand betwixt them and thee it is not reason that they should fall but rise nor that thou shouldest punish but pardon them O what a happie time O what a happy age the Catholike church liueth in in the which hee which is iniuried is reconciled and made our friend the iudge become our aduocate and spokesman for vs our accuser turned to bee our defender and hee who was woont to feare vs with iustice doth now flatter vs and entice vs to him with mercy How shal Dauid be able to say now Cadent à latere eius mille A thousand shall fall on his side seeing the sonne of God hath said vpon the crosse Father forgiue them In the law of grace and vnder the yoke of Christ it is not time to goe astray but aright not to cast away our selues but to saue our selues not a time of iustice but of mercie not to punish but to pardon neither is it time to fall but to rise It is much to be noted that the sonne of God did neuer command any man to fall and throw downe himselfe but rather bad all men rise vp as it appeareth in the ninteenth of S. Matthew where hee sayth Rise vp and take thy bed and in another place Arise maid and hee said vnto him whom hee raised from death in Naim adolescens tibi dico surge and likewise hee said in the garden to his Disciples Rise let vs goe It is the propertie and office of the diuell to counsell and procure men to fall for so he counselled Christ in the desart when he said I will giue thee all these things Si cadens adoraueris me as if hee would say I will make thee Lord ouer all the world if thou wilt but fall downe on the ground O my sweet Iesus I wil liue with thee who commandeth me to rise and not with the diuell who counselleth mee to fall for hee is desirous to haue me fall and thou and no other art able to helpe mee vp again Why should I liue with the diuell who deceiueth me a thousand waies or with the world which putteth mee in a thousand dāgers or with the flesh which asketh of me a thousand pleasures O redeemer of my soule O sweet delight of my life I will liue and die with thee and no other for if I bee sick thou dost heale me if I be sorrowful thou dost cōfort me if I be falling thou dost help me if I be falne thou dost helpe me vp if I haue sinned thou dost pardon me He is the disciple of the diuell who goeth about to throw down his brother he is the sonne of Christ who doth helpe to lift vp his neighbor for we are not able in this life to do any mā a greater fauor then to keepe his credit honor to help him to saue his soule When the giuer of life said vpon the crosse Father forgiue them by those speeches he ment to obtain two things of his father That is that hee would neither punish their bodies like vnto murderers nor condemne their soules like vnto traitors O infinite goodnesse O clemency neuer heard of before O redeemer of my soule doest thou dissemble with the trecherous pardon murderers excuse traitors vndertakest for the credite of the infamous turnest vnto sinners It is litle when I say thou doest turn vnto sinners seeing thou doest not only turn vnto them but also die for them What is the reason O good Iesus what is the reason that thou doest pray vnto thy father that he would forgiue them and doest not say I doe forgiue them When thou saiest Father pardon them why doest thou not say also I pardon them Art thou the partie iniuried art thou the partie shamed and disgraced art thou the partie agreeued and doest giue the libertie of pardoning them vnto another It is a high mysterie and a hidden Sacrament to thinke that the sonne of God would not say I pardon them but entreat his father to pardon them making greater reckoning of the iniurie which they had done vnto his father then of the death which they procured vnto himselfe The reason why the sonne of God would not say I pardon them although hee were the partie offended was to tell vs plainly That hee did not esteeme those which put him to death his enemies rather his deer brothers great good doers vnto the world hauing more regard vnto the good vvhich they had done in causing the world to be redeemed then vnto the hurt which they did in causing himselfe to bee murdered When good Iesus said Father forgiue thē it is no more thē to say thou art he my good father who must forgiue thē because they haue brokē thy law discredited thy doctrine violated thy temple put to death thy son If thou dost say that I should forgiue thē I say I haue no cause to forgiue for I take my death as wel reuenged my life as well bestowed seeing that by the merit thereof all the world may liue heauen made open vnto all men S. Augustine sayth That if the sonne of God had holden the Iewes for his enemies as they accounted of him it was in his power to forsake them and goe preach vnto others but because hee esteemed of them as of his kindred in bloud neighbours by nature brothers by law disciples in doctrine it was not needful for him to say on the crosse I forgiue thē seeing he was not angry towards thē nor moued at al with thē They bare rancor and hatred vnto Christ but nor Christ vnto thē therfore notwithstanding all the reproches they vsed towards him al the iniurious speeches they gaue him he neuer left off preaching vnto thē nor neuer ceased to work miracles amongst them With what face could they say that Christ was their enemy seeing hee raised their dead cast out diuels frō them instructed their childrē cured their friends of diseases also forgaue thē their sins Seeing the son of God had done the works of a friend among them that of a true friend why should he say vpō the crosse I do also forgiue thē seeing he did not hold any one of thē for his enemy If sweet Iesus was angry with thē if he misliked thē it was not for the iniuries which they did vnto him but for the offences they cōmitted against his father
therfore he coÌ„mitted the pardoÌ„ vnto him which was most iniuried protesting that himself was not offended with theÌ„ O sweet Iesus how canst thou say that thou wast not offended nor iniured by theÌ„ being as thou wast iniuried crucified by their hands and although thou do not coÌ„plaine vpon theÌ„ nor reuenge thee on them nor yet accuse theÌ„ yet O my redeemer why dost thou excuse them Barnard saith That the son of God was replenished with such great charity and such inspeakable pity towards those which crucified him that he could not obtaine leaue of himselfe to impute any fault vnto them seeing he had charged himselfe with the pain due for it Cyprian saith That seeing Christ was the true mediator pacifier stikler betwixt his father the world it would haue beene euilly thought of to say that any one of them were his enemies and therevpon it is that seeing hee had no enemie there amongst them hee had no necessitie to say on the crosse I pardon them If the sonne of God saith S. Chrysostome hanging vpon the crosse should haue said I also pardon them it would haue beene thought that hee receiued greater griefe for the torment which hee himselfe suffered than of the iniuries which were done vnto his father which for a certentie was not so for if it were possible Christ would more willingly returne againe into the world to die than endure to see one iniury done vnto his father Who dare now O good Iesus saith S. Barnard who dare aske a reuenge of the iniuries done vnto him seeing thou diddest make such small account of those which were done vnto thy selfe Doest not thou recken of the cruell thornes which pierced thy holy head and shall I make account of an angry word which my brother speaketh against me How shall I dare to say that I haue enemies seeing thou doest handle those which nailed thee vnto the crosse like brothers It ought to be a strange speech in the mouth of a Christian to say This is my enemy for in making thy brother thy enemie thou doest loose Christ and causest him to be no more thy friend It is much to be noted that Christ entreated not his father to pardon them after they were dead but asked that he would pardon them quickly yea that very quickly because he would let vs vnderstand that the value of his precious blood was of such great price that at that instant that it began to be shedde at the same time it began to doe good The redeemer of the world would not leaue vs out of the fauor of his father nor an enemy vnto any in token wherof hee came into the world saying Et in terra pax hominibus Peace vnto men vpon earth and went out of the world saying Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them The son of God saith Cassiodorus vpon the Psalms is not like vnto the children of this world who leaue vnto their children a little wealth with much strife seeing that by that speech of Father forgiue them hee redeemed vs with his blood baptized vs with his teares annointed vs with his sweat instructed vs with his doctrine loosed vs from the deuill and reconciled vs vnto his father O how much are wee bound vnto thee sweet Iesus for praying vnto thy father that he would forgiue his enemies before and not after thy death that is before the teares of thy eies were dried vp and whilst the wounds of thy body were yet fresh What would haue become of mankind if Christ at his death had bin angry with vs When he said in his last Sermon Pacem meam do vobis I giue you my peace What else meant he but that he left vs reconciled vnto his father and vnited vnto himselfe How could the eternall father saith Anselmus deny his blessed sonne the pardon which hee demaunded seeing he asked it with such milde wordes with such sorrowfull teares with such fresh wounds with such louing bowels with such continual sighes and with such great and passing griefe Wee may then conclude that when Christ praied his father to pardon quickely and without delay he teacheth vs that before we die and go out of this life it is conuenient for vs to pardon all iniuries for otherwise those in the other world shall haue great occasion to weepe which would not in this world speedily forgiue CHAP. VIII How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ SIt Dominus iudex inter te inter me said the most renowmed king Dauid vnto his Lord and king king Saul Reg. chap. 24. as if hee would say I will haue no other iudge betwixt me and thee O great king of Israel but onely the mighty God of heauen vnto whom it is well known how faithfully I doe serue thee and how cruelly thou doest handle me Origen saith that king Dauid ought to haue great priuitie with God seeing hâ—e chose him for the iudge of all the words he spake of all the thoughts he conceiued of all the workes which he did of all the enmities he suffered yea and of all the friendships he followed Dauid could not iustifie his cause better than to referre the iustice of it vnto the hands of God who is so iust in his person so vpright in his iudgement that neither praiers bow him neither threatnings feare him nor gifts mooue him nor words deceiue him When good king Dauid cited Saul to appeare before the iudgement of God Dauid could haue cut off his head if hee would as hee did the gard of his garment but yet hee would not doe it because hee did set more by Gods fauour than by Sauls euill will Saul was a capitall enemie vnto king Dauid hee caused him to flee his countrey forsake his kindred depriued him of his riches banished him his court separated him from his wife and proclaimed him to be his publike enemie And yet notwithstanding all this Dauid if hee had listed could haue beene reuenged of Saul as especially when hee stole the bottle from vnder his beds head and cut away a piece of his garment yet the pitifull king Dauid would not onely not do it but shewed himselfe angry with those which durst counsell him vnto it Origen saith that onely because Saul was annointed king by the God of Israel it seemed vnto good king Dauid that hee deserued pardon and that that was a sufficient cause to make him reuerenced of all and offended by none Wee are annointed with a better ointment than king Saul was for hee was annointed with the oyle of the Oliue tree but wee are annointed with the blood of Christ and therfore he who doth persecute a Christian doth persecute one who is annointed by Christ Good king Dauid respected it not that Saul did abuse his regall vnction and annointing but onely because that hee was annointed by a good Spirit in so much that Dauid regarded it not that Saul
was a most wicked and naughtie king but onely that God had made him a king Thereupon Saint Ambrose saith and that very well that according vnto the example of Dauid thou oughtest not to looke vnto the malice with the which thy enemy entreateth thee but vnto the vnction wherewith he is made a Christian and whether he be a christian or not thou art not the iudge of this busines but he who is thy God and his who is to punish the iniury which thou hast done vnto him in him the reuengement which thou hast taken on thee Comming then vnto our purpose The words which Dauid spake vnto Saul that is Let our Lord be a iudge betwixt me and thee the Sonne of God may say vnto the Synagogue and vnto all her children and that hee alone shall bee the iudge betwixt them as well of all the good which Christ did vnto the Synagogue as of the hurt he hath receiued by her Which of all the Angels if he would come downe vnto vs which of the dead if hee could rise againe what man were hee neuer so wise were able to number the multitude of benefits which were ceiued by him and the incredible torments which they gaue him Let our Lord bee a iudge betwixt me and thee O Synagogue for no other can be how much more greater my loue was with the which I redeemed thee than the torments which in my passion thou gauest me and that how thy hatred was far greater than all the cruelties thou vsedst towards me Therefore I call thee into iudgement O Synagogue before God not to the end that he should chastise thee but onely to iudge betwixt mee thee how that there is no worke of pity and mercy which I left vndone for thee and how there was no cruelty of torment which thou didst not assay against mee Speaking then more particularly of the pardō which the sonne of God gaue the Hebrewes it were reason to shew what they did to deserue it and what mooued Christ to giue it for by so much the more excellent bountifull is the pardon by how much the lesser the occasions were to giue it The Iewes did Christ fiue notorious iniuries at the time of his death the least of all which if it had bene throughly punished had deserued not onely not to be pardoned but also condemned into eternall fire For saith Hilarius what punishment worthy of their desert can be giuen vnto them who take away life from him which is the giuer of life The first wrong which they did vnto Christ was that they crucified him through malice not finding any fault in him at al which appeareth plainly by that that they did let goe Barrabas the manslaier and condemned the sonne of God iudging him to bee an honester man who killed those which liued thē that great Prophet which raised vp those which were dead Christ was a giuer of alms and Barrabas was a theefe Christ was quiet and a peacemaker and Barrabas a sower of sedition Christ a great preacher and Barrabas a great robber and assailer of men by the high way Christ a maister of all good men and Barrabas a captain of all scandalous men and yet notwithstanding all this they condemned Christ to be put immediately to death and sent Barrabas home vnto his house O how wicked a demād made you O yee Iews and peruerse petition in asking that he may liue which killeth those which are aliue and that hee should die who raiseth to life those which were dead Who is there in your citie who can heale the sicke and diseased or raise the dead vnto life if this Prophet die So great was the hatred which they bare vnto the son of God that to heare him once named they were much troubled in Barrabas name they much reioiced which they shewed manifestly when they cried al with one voice that Pilate should deliuer them Barrabas and crucifie Christ O what a happy man should I bee if my loue towards thee were so great as their hatred was towards thee for by that meanes as they tooke a wrong course in chusing Barrabas for themselues so I should doe aright in making choise of thee for my selfe It had not ben to haue beene maruelled at if they had erred in their choise if Pilat had giuen thē their choise betwixt two theeues or two mankillers or other two strangers vnto them but giuing thē the choise betwixt an assailing theefe and a most holy Prophet and they presently to chuse the wicked one vse iniustice against the good one it could not bee but they did it through great want of wisedome and greater abundance of malice The second iniury was that if they had put the sonne of God to death in some mean village it would not haue ben so great an infamy and reproch vnto him but the excommunicated Iewes the better to reuenge themselues vpon Christ and to put him to the greater shame put him to death in the great city of Ierusalem where he was very well known by his preaching allied vnto many honorable Persons by consanguinity What wrong like vnto this was euer done vnto any man or what reproch comparable vnto this that is to lead him to bee crucified at the Mount of Caluary through the same streets which he was wont to passe through to the Tēple to preach Seneca sayth That it is a greater griefe then death it selfe to a man that is shamefast and of a valiant courage to see himselfe troden downe where he hath ben honored and contumeliously handled where he hath been highly esteemed for he feeleth the present torment and griefe he greeueth and perceiueth that which his enemies speake Because the son of God was mighty in doing miracles faire and amiable in his countenance profitable in his doctrine and a friend vnto the weale publicke hee was beloued of all and enuied of many by reason whereof he greeued much at the open dishonour they did him and that publickly they tooke his life from him What griefe could hee be free from seeing himselfe carried openly and condemned vnto the death of the crosse that his friends accompanied him weeping and his enemies scorning mocking him The third was that although they could haue put him to death secretly in his chāber or in some darke night yet they neuer ment once to do it but they brought him forth at one of the clocke they condemned him at three they crucified him at six they murdered him at nine It was not for want of diligēce but through abundance of malice that they chose that houre because thē the sunne sheweth his beames most brightest most people passe through the streets Chrisostome vpon S. Matthew sayth That the Iews would not put Christ to death in the morning because all men were not vp nor in the night because all were at their rest nor yet late in the euening because many had withdrawn thēselues to their
crucifie him saying crucifige crucifige was to persuade him that hee would crucifie him with his hands and that they would crucifie him with their hearts They crucified him with their hearts when with their hearts they hated and detested him then they hated him with their hearts when they diffamed his person and discredited his doctrine in so much that it was not without cause that they cried twise crucifie crucifie him seeing that at one time they tooke away his life and blemished his credit And although Pilate should haue been determined to put him to death either by cutting his throat or casting him into a well or by hanging him which are easier deaths to suffer and lesse infamous to endure yet the doggish Iews would not leaue it vnto Pilates arbitrement and free will for feare least he wold haue beene too pitifull in the maner of his death When certaine words are doubled in holy scripture it is a great signe of loue or hatred in those which vse them as when Christ said Desiderio desideraui I haue desired with desire and when he said Martha Martha in which words he shewed the loue and affection which hee bare vnto his disciples and what tender loue he bare to Martha who guested him in her house The Iews also by iterating of those words shewed the great hatred which they bare vnto Christ and let vs vnderstand with what heart good wil they crucified him Behold thē their deeds towards Christ behold also the deserts which were found to be in them Yet notwithstanding all this in recompence of the cruel death which they gaue him the great shame and infamy they put him to he saith with a loud voice Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe CHAP. IX How that Christs mercy was far greater towards the Synagogue then their naughtinesse towards him seeing hee pardoned her though she desired no pardon FRons meretricis facta est tibi noluisti erubescere tamen reuertere ad me dic pater meus es tu God spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Ieremy complaining vnto him of the enormious and great sinnes the Iewish nation had committed against him And they are as if he should say O wicked and infortunate people of the Iews which art come vnto that boldnesse of sinning that like vnto a publick whore thou hast no shame in doing naught Turne therefore vnto me O sinfull Hierusalem turn thy selfe vnto me thou vnfortunate Synagogue for I can doe no lesse when thou doest aske any thing of me like as of a father but I must graunt it vnto thee like a sonne S. Ierome vpon these words saith O what an infinit goodnesse and mercy is this O my God and Lord that seeing thou hast tanted condemned Ierusalem as one which was full of sinne and without shame yea and hast compared her vnto a publicke strumpet yet thou doest entreat her to amend giuest her license to call thee Father Whome wilt thou cast from thee and denie to be thy son seeing thou doest vouchsafe to be a father vnto a strumpet If thou dost admit publick lewd womē into thy company is it like that thou wilt cast frō thee the honest and vertuous ones of thy house If thou loue those which are sinfull and shamelesse who is a greater sinner or lesse bashful or more lewd then this my wicked soule If the remedy of my soule consist in nothing else but in calling thee Father from this time forward I do cal thee Father and if thou dost require nothing else of me but that I should turne vnto thee O good Iesus I turne vnto thee and aske thee forgiuenesse of all my sinnes and seeing I doe turne vnto thee as vnto my Lord and confesse my selfe before thee to bee a great sinner I beseech thee most humbly that thou wouldst not cast me from before thy face that thou wouldest not take thy holy spirit from me for if thy holy grace forsake me my soule is turned vnto that that she was before that is vnto a shamelesse and lewd woman It is much to be noted here that God doth not cōplaine of the Iews that they were enuious angry or gluttennous but that they were bold and without shame which wanteth not a high mystery because there is no greater signe in all the world that a mans conscience is very corrupt then when to sin he hath no shame at al. I haue a great hope saith S. Augustine that that sinner will amend his life which sinneth secretly and is ashamed of it which hope I haue not of him who is resolute in his speech and dissolute in sinne because that that man doth either very late or neuer amend his manners who by long vse hath hardened his conscience To come then vnto our purpose with very great reason and for iust occasion God called the synagogue a shamelesse and dissolute strumpet seeing that in the death of his sonne shee shewed not onely her malice but also her impudency in killing him in the open day not being sorrowfull for it at all Christ knew very well that which his father had promised vnto the Iewes that is that if they would call him Father hee would forgiue them as his children By reason whereof Christ our God began his praier with Father forgiue them giuing thereby to vnderstand that seeing hee called him Father hee should bee heard like a sonne If it seeme vnto you my louing brethrē saith S. Ambrose that the Iews had no occasiō to put Christ their Lord to death neither did he see in thē any condition whereby he should pardon thē and touching this mercifull pardon I can tell you that I doe not so much maruell of the pardon which hee giueth on the crosse as I doe of the circumstances with the which hee dooth giue it The Iewes shewed their naughtinesse towards Christ in many thinges but the son of God shewed his mercy clemency towards thē in many more things for there is no mā in this life able to cōmit so great an offence but Gods mercy can go beyond it The first thing wherin he shewed his mercy towards thē was in the petitiō which he made vpō the crosse for them that is pardō remission of their sins being his enemies preferring them before his blessed mother which brought him into the world his welbeloued disciple which followed him before Mary Magdalen whom he so much loued What charity saith Remigius shold haue burned in his diuine bowels who at the very instāt of his own death remēbreth first to releeue his enemies thē cōfort his friends what meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou first remēber those who opēly blaspheme thee thē those which stand at the foot of the crosse weeping for thee O infinit charity O inspeakable goodnes what hart could do that which thou dost S. Barnard saith that it was in maner of a cōtention whether were
bee much nor that which hee detained from the almes which was giuen him If it be so then that Christ had but little and that that which Iudas stole was not much why doth the scripture with open mouth call him a theefe wicked â—udas was a thiefe and that a great thiefe because that that which he stole was a holy thing and a holy almes and in a holy house and did belong vnto a holy person and therfore according vnto the law of God that cannot be a small theft which is done in a holy and sacred place Saint August saith that as the two mites which the poore old woman offered in the Temple were more acceptable vnto God than all the treasures of the people so our Lord is more offended with a little which is taken out of the Temple than with a great deale stollen in the world Benauenture saith that Iudas did not condemne himselfe for the great quantitie which he stole but because it was a holy place from whence hee stole it and therevpon it is my religious brother that thou maiest offend more in taking a small thing out of thy monastery then a secular man in taking a greater out of the market Why should any man meruell that the Scripture calleth vnhappie Iudas a theefe seeing hee stole away the life and goods from the king of glory Iudas sold Christs life for many he put Christs fame and credit to pledge with the wicked and hee put Christs wealth into his purses in so much that if Christ more had had more this theefe would haue robbed O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule if I were Iudas or Iudas were as I am I would neuer haue pledged thy honour and credit nor haue sold thy life that which I would haue stolne should haue beene the humilitie the which thou diddest liue with the patience which thou diddest speake with and the charitie which thou didst forgiue with and the zeale which thou diddest preach with O what a happy theefe should I be if I could rob all these vertues from thee seeing that in stead of these thefts heauen gates would be open vnto me The third accusation is that wicked Iudas Habebat loculos that is had a purse with litle purses in it to hide the pence which he had stolne Rich couetous men are wont to put their double duckats in one purse the single in another shillings in another and their small money in another because they may find them quickly and count them easily Wherein saith Seneca doth the felicity of couetous men consist but in seeing euery houre their purse counting their money alwaies hoording vp somewhat and in studieng how they may lessen their ordinary charges Aymon noteth That the Scripture sayth not that Iudas had purses but little purses whereby is gathered Christs and his colledges great pouertie seeing that all which that theefe stole was but small base money which might well bee contained in small purses Saint Cyprian noteth That there was so little money in Christs family that there was not enough to stuffe a little purse much lesse many purses and when the Scripture sayth that Iudas had many purses it was because hee had one common purse to spend of and another secretly to steale with O happy time O golden age of the primitiue Church in the which there was but one purse among them all but now alasse that not among worldlings but also among them which professe a monasticall life there is scarse any one which hath not with Iudas his small purses to keepe his own money in And hee saith further tell me traiterous Monke tell mee thou Monke which hast propertie in thinges what difference is betwixt thee which stealest the reuenues of thy Monastery and the Traitor Iudas which stole the almes from Christ Anselmus sayth That as all perfect men are more bound vnto straight vses than all other worldlings I dare affirme that hee hath secret purses hidden with Iudas which in his cell fostereth disordinate and superfluous appetites Saint Basil in his Rule sayth As it is a greater perfection in a religious person to want his owne will than to want any kind of money yet wee may say of such a one that it is more daungerous for him to bee mutinous against his superiour then to haue his purse full of money Now thou art to vnderstand my religious brother that Iudas did not so much damne himselfe for the money which he carried as he did because he did what he lusted It is an euill thing to beare the purse but it is farre worse to bee wedded vnto a mans owne will it is a bad thing to carry purses with money but far worse to fulfill a mans owne appetites because there is no sin which burneth so much in hell as the sin of a mans owne proper will CHAP. III. Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed and diuers treasons which he did against Christ IVstificationes tuas custodiam non mederelinquas vsquequaque said the Prophet Dauid in his 118 Psalme as if hee would say O great God of Israel O great God of the house of Iacob I beseech thee with all humility that seeing I bind my selfe to keepe thy commaundements all the daies of my life that thou wouldest not forsake me vntill my death This is a high praier which the Prophet maketh considering that hee doeth capitulate and agree with God and God with him that he will serue our Lord that our Lord will haue charge ouer him It is much to bee noted with Cassiodorus vpon the Psalmes that the Prophet doth not only say Doe not forsake mee but he addeth also Vsquequaque that is that hee would not forsake him all his life and also that he would giue him his helping hand in all that hee shall goe about O good Iesus O the loue of my soule I beseech thee that if thou doe suffer me to fall into any sin yet that thou wouldest not forsake me Vsquequaque Alwaies or continually and let me commit all sinne for if thou doe not hold mee with thy mercifull hand where shall I stop but in the pains of hel Our Lord hath held many with his hands as Cain Heli Saule and Manasses but hee did not hold them Vsquequaque that is still and all in all vntill the end considering that the one slew his brother the other lost his Priesthood the other was depriued of his kingdome and the other died a Pagan Hee did also forsake Dauid in his adultery S. Peter when hee denied him Paul when hee persecuted him but he did not forsake them Vsquequaque that is vntil death for of great sinners they became very holy and chosen men O what a singular fauour sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalmes our Lord doth vnto those whome he doth not vtterly forsake as he neuer doth his best friends the which although they bee euilly handled and suffer much yet hee doth it rather to exercise them then to
we know whether he commanded him to do these things for the sins which he hath committed or for sins which hee hath seene in the Iudaicall people Who euer saw Christ weepe or command any man to weep but he had occasion to doir and reason to command it The reason why Ieremy weepeth is Quid ablata est fides de ore corum Because there is now no faith in the house of Iacob because the goodnes truth of Israel is perished Behold how God doth not complain here of vs for that we do not offer sacrifice nor because wee pay not our tithes nor because we break the holy fasting daies nor because they are couerous nor because they are carnall glurtons because nature inuiteth inclineth vs to all these carâ—lesnesse humane frailty excuseth vs. That which our Lord coÌ„plaineth of is that they are faithlesse in heart idolaters and that they can speake nothing with their mouth but lies which two vices are perrillous for vs to be saued with very hard to ameÌ„d Ciprian vpoÌ„ the Creed saith Although the Apostle saith that faith without works is dead yet I had rather do sinful works being a faithful Christian theÌ„ vertuous works being a faithlesse Pagan because that our Lord doth easilier lighten him which beleeueth that which he coÌ„mandeth theÌ„ him which blasphemeth him and his church Damascen saith That the diuel dare neuer tempt mightily any but such as he perceiueth to be weak in faith and in that case hee careth not much to teÌ„pt him hardly with other vices if he see him weak cold in faith because the diuel is better at ease to see a man doubtful wauer in faith theÌ„ to see him coÌ„mit all other sins in the world What dooth the diuell watch at or ouerwatch but to see whether thou bee doubtfull in the faith of Christ what hast thou if thou hast not true faith what wantest thou if thou wantest not the true faith of Christ O good Iesus O the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou wouldest not depriue me of thy faith that thou wouldst not cast me out of thy church that thou wouldst not take thy mercy froÌ„ me for if thou wilt not suffer me to fall from thy faith I shal alwaies haue a hope that in the end I shal be saued To come theÌ„ vnto our principal purpose who made vnhappy Iudas hang himselfe what was the cause the good theefe was saued but only the great faith the theefe had the sinful infidelity which the other fel into because Iudas wold not beleeue that Christ was our maker and because the good theefe beleeued that Christ was our redeemer Iudas sold Christ and the other beleeued in Christ insomuch that in beleeuing knowing litle men come to offend much So much saith Gregory the faith of a good ChristiaÌ„ is more meritorious by how much the fewer argumeÌ„ts reasons it is grounded on because the merit of the catholick faith doth not coÌ„sist on that which we see with our eieâ— but in that which we beleeue with our hearts If we compare the faith of the good theef with the faith of the old fathers we shal find it to be true that he did so far exceed theÌ„ in faithfully beleeuing as they did go beyond him in good liuing How should not Abraham beleeue in God considering how God spake vnto him from heaueÌ„ aboue and vsed him as if he had beene his particular friend The thecues faith was greater thaÌ„ his because that Christ neuer spake vnto him one word of beliefe neither did hee euer see him in heauen but only hanged vpon the crosse The Prophet Esay did beleeue in God when he saw him sit on high in his throne beset with thousands of Seraphins but the the eues faith was greater because hee neuer saw Christ but crucified and accompanied with theeues The Prophet Maises had faith when hee saw the God of Israel speake vnto him out of a bush and that the bush wasted nor burnt not but the faith of the good theefe was greater than this considering that hee saw Christ loaden with thorns which burnt nor in show but in troth pierced his braine S. Peter had faith when hee saw Christ goe vpon the waters but the good theefes faith was greater considering he saw Christ not spurn the waters but saw him bathed in bloud from the feet to the head Mary Magdalen had faith when she saw him raise her brother Lazarus from death to life who had beene foure daies dead but the good theefe had greater faith then this considering how he neuer saw Christ raise the dead but only saw himselfe die vpon the crosse like a malefactor S. Iohn the Euangelist had faith when he had ssept vpon our Lords breast after he had supped vvith him in the parlar but the theefes faith vvas greater then this seeing that hee beleeued in the sonne of God not sleeping vpon stis breast but suffering vvith him by his side vpon the crosse S. Iames had faith vvhen hee savv Christ transfigured in the hill Tabor and the Fathers of the old law adore him but the good theefes faith was greater then this considering hee saw not the sonne of God transfigured but disfigured hee saw not his face shine but his body torne in pieces O happy and glorious theefe who but thou hath stoine the faith from the synagogue which of old shee was wont to haue and stolne Christ from them in whom then they beleeued not Impart and deuide vnto me part of the faith which thou didst steale from the Synagogue and Christ which thou diddest rob away on the Mount of Caluary for although I was not thy companion in suffering yet now I will bee in beleeuing That which I would haue thee impart vnto mee is the entire faith which thou hast the holy wordes which thou speakest the abundance of bloud which thou sheddest the true confession which of God thou makest and the Christian charity with the which thou doest correct the other theefe O that this theefe hath a happy inheritance seeing that with the theft of worldly things he easily got the gallowes and with the theft which hee stole vpon the crosse hee got glory Chrysostome of the praise of the theefe saith thus In whom O good Iesus in whom did thy holy faith remaine when thou diddest depart out of this life but in thy sorrowfull mother who wept at the foot of the crosse in that holy theefe who suffered on thy side O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule saith Barnard what a small number of friends thou hadst with thee on the crosse and what a multitude of enemies about thee considering that thou hadst there but two faithfull Christians that is thy blessed mother which did beleeue in thee with her heart and that iust theefe which did confesse thee with his mouth Seeing it was nothing else to be a Christian but to beleeue in Christ and serue Christ
patiens est dominus indulgentiam fusis lachrimis postulemus ab eo said the holy woman Iudith speaking to the inhabitants of Bethulia in the eight chapter of her booke as if she would say It seemeth best vnto me O ye citizens of Bethulia that we kneele down vpon our knees our hands ioined together and our eies full of teares and craue pardon of our Lord for our sinnes and that it would please him to deliuer vs from our enemies Holofernes the Tyrant had so narrowly besieged the city of Bethulia that within fiue daies they would haue deliuered themselues vnto the enemie if the siege had not been raised or some new succor come vnto thē There was in the same citie a widdow named Iudith who was beautifull in her countenance chast in her body rich in estate and of great fame and credite among the people This holy Iudith perceiuing that the captains of the city were dismaied on one side and the neighbors dispaired on the other said vnto them as followeth Who are you which dare tempt the great God of Israel and will giue your selues to be slaues if he do not deliuer you from the Assyrians within fiue daies Wil you prescribe fiue daies to the infinit mercy of the Lord who hath neither beginning nor ending Doe you not know that such a promise and vow made against our Lord doth rather stirre him to indignation than appease his anger Care not then to load your selues with armes but with larmes care you not to make prouision of victuals but to weepe for your sinnes because you should be more afraid of your sins than of your enemies The warre which you endure and the hunger which you suffer the God of heauen and not Holofernes maketh against you and with no other weapons but with your owne offences and you must learne that the enemies who besiege you are rather executioners of Gods diuine iustice than enemies of your Commonwealth All the time that our forefathers were at peace with our Lord they did well and when they neglected their duty vnto him it went not well with them and as it fared then with them so doth it now with vs in so much that all our paines and trauels come from the hands of God either to punish vs or for to make vs merit Tell me saith Dauid what are wee able to doe what are we able to performe or what doe wee know if we bee not guided by the hand of God If thē our ablenesse must come from God to doe any thing and our strength from him to be able to performe any thing and our knowledge from him if we will guesse aright at any thing in whose hands should wee put our hope but in the hands of his diuine mercy Let it bee so then that there bee a proclamation made throughout all Bethulia that the old men fast the yong mē giue themselues discipline the Priests pray and all weepe together that it would please God to keepe and deliuer not the wals from enemies but our hearts from sinnes All the citizens were very much amazed at that that holy Iudith counselled them and all accepted her counsell by reason wherof within fiue daies Holofernes was beheaded he and his defeated the city vnburdened and the countrey pacified To returne then fitly vnto our purpose agreeablie vnto this aduise our theefe behaued himselfe on the crosse with Christ for first he desired our redeemer of the world to forgiue him his sinnes before hee asked him that it would please him to take him with him vnto the kingdome of heauen This theef did not say vnto Christ When thou commest into thy kingdome Lord remember me for so hee might haue seemed to aske for heauen before he had asked for the remission of sinnes but he said Domine memento mei Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdome In which words hee first made his confession and then formed his petition What doth it auaile thee to ask of Christ if hee bee angry with thee first make Christ thy friend then aske fauour at his hands For it is the manner and condition of our Lord that first thou giue thy selfe vnto him and then for him to giue himselfe vnto thee Vbertinus sayth That it is greatly to bee noted that the good theefe did not say vnto Christ take me from this crosse help to vnloose me giue me life restore my credite but hee said Lord remember me seeing that thou knowest better what to giue me than I. to aske of thee S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth That this theefe was very happy and glorious seeing hee taught the church how to pray as he had taught the Synagogue how to steale considering he said nothing in his petition but Lord remember mee the which praier although it were short yet it was full of mystery because that we need not to be very importunate with God to win his fauour but remember him of our busines with Domine memento mei What saiest thou good theefe what saiest thou Domine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum as if he would say O holy Prophet O Iesus of Galily by the bloud which thou sheddest I beseech thee by the loue with the which thou diddest shed it I pray thee that thou wouldest be mindfull of me when thou shalt come into thy owne proper kingdome If wee will reckon the fiue words they are these Domine the first memento the second mei the third dum veneris the fourth in regnum tuum the fift Now it is to be noted who spake these words that is a theefe vnto whom he spake them which was Christ where he spake them which was vpon the crosse and when hee spake them and it was when hee was ready to die insomuch that if they be easie to be counted they are hard to be vnderstood Hee dooth begin his praier like a curious Orator with this word Domine Lord wherein it seemeth that hee dooth confesse in Christ his Deity and diuinity his essence and power his authority and rule his iustice and liberality Origen sayth If the good theefe should beleeue that Christ was a mighty and great king yet would he aske him no lesse than a whole kingdome This word Lord is a high beginning of a petition for if he who asketh do not beleeue that all things are vnder his mighty hand he could not thinke that he should obtaine any thing O glorious theefe sayth Anselmus and happy martyr what doest thou see in this Lord which is crucified what dost thou see in him on the crosse why thou shouldest commend thy selfe vnto him Who euer saw or heard the like that one which was bound should commend himselfe vnto another which was also bound and one which was crucified vnto another in the same case Doest thou aske that those confederacies and friendships which end in death should begin with Christ and thee in death Seeing hee who should be a Lord should bee at
liberty and in freedome why doest thou call him Lord which is fastened to the crosse and crucified like thy selfe Seeing that he who should be a Lord ought to bee mighty and rich why doest thou call him Lord who was poor in his life time and naked in his death But this Prophet whō I call vpon and vnto whome I commend and commit my selfe is a mighty Lord and a king of great power seeing the son lost his light for compassion the stones broke with griefe the vaile rent in sunder for a mystery the graues opened with feare and the Centurion confessed him to be Christ O great God of Israel O great Lord of the house of Iacob◠for this cause thy name is admirable and worshipped in all the circuit of the earth because thy power and dominion is doubled and redoubled more than any mans in the world Cassiodorus noteth vpon this matter That the holy scripture doth neuer call any twise Lord Lord but Christ alone because he alone and none with him is Lord of heauen and earth of life and death body and soule and of peace and warre Wee cannot call Hector the Troian Anchises the Grecian Alexander the Macedonian and Caesar the Romane Lord more than once because they were kings onely of their owne kingdomes but vnto the sonne of God wee say twise Domine domine noster Lord our Lord because his siegnory is so great that no man is able to limit it nor set any bonds vnto it Euery other Prince hath his kingdome limited and set with bonds either to the top of a steeple or couering of a house and if it bee not so let him send a post from thence vpward and hee shall perceiue that his kingdome reacheth no higher which cannot be said to be true of the sonne of Gods Empire seeing it goeth from one end of the world vntill the other and reacheth vp vnto the highest heauen Considering that Dauid calleth Christ Lord Lord twise why doth he call him only once Lord. The mystery of this mystery is that Dauid called him Lord Lord twise because hee should keepe his body from his enemies and cary his soule vnto those which are blessed but the good theefe did call him but once Lord because his intention was not that Christ should keepe his life but only that hee would vouchsafe to saue his soule Why doest thou thinke sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalme that Dauid said vnto our Lord Lord calling him twife Lord but because he was Lord of the truth and of the figure of the church and of the synagogue of the Prophets and of the Apostles and of the old Testament and of the new The good theefe would not call Christ Lord twise because hee would let vs vnderstand that the figure is fulfilled and the truth come that the church is come and the synagogue ended that the Prophets are dead and the Apostles succeeded in their place that the old law is buried and the Gospel proclaimed Why think you doth the good theef call Christ Lord but once but because we haue but one Lord to beleeue one redeemer to worship To say once Christ remember me was to say that hee would haue him and no other for a master to serue for God in whō he would beleeue for his Lord whom hee would obey for a friend whome hee would trust vnto for an aduocate in whose hands he would put himselfe into The second word which the theefe said vnto Christ was Remēber me as if he would say Seeing that I doe confesse thee here before all men to bee my Lord and vpon this crosse acknowledge thee to be my redeemer haue mee in remembrance my good Lord seeing I haue remēbred thee and turned vnto thee Remember me O sweet Iesus seeing thou hast created me remember me seeing thou hast redeemed mee remember mee and seeing thou hast lightened me remember mee and seeing thou hast chosen me remember me for it would auaile me very little that thou shouldest giue me light to know thee if withall thou shouldest not giue me grace to serue thee Remēber me O good Iesus because I am hard by thy side remember me because I beleeue in thee remember me because I trust in thee remember me because I hope in none but in thee and seeing I haue offered my selfe for to be thy perpetuall seruant remember I beseech thee to accept me for thine Remember mee because thou hast raised me from the dust remember me because thou hast made me a Christian remember me to make mee good and remember mee to giue mee heauen and aboue all things I beseech thee that seeing thou hast giuen thy life for me remember me that I lose not my soule O good Iesus giuer of life with my tongue I beseech thee and with my heart I aske it of thee that seeing thou doest shed thy precious bloud vpon the crosse for me remember me that it be not euilly bestowed on mee and when shall thy bloud be euilly bestowed on mee but when it is not by thee accepted for me Seeing thou hast sweat oft for me suffered most grieuous pains for me endured inspeakable persecutions for mee and hast dissembled my abominable offences what doest thou gaine O good Iesus what doest thou gaine if I lose my soule and thou the fruit of thy precious bloud Remember me O Lord seeing that in pardoning my fault and by sauing my soul thou shalt make a Christian people heauen the more enrich thy church spread abroad thy fame and exalt thy mercy Remember the sabboth day said God in the law remember the daies past said Moyses vnto God remember because my life is a wind said holy Iob remēber how I haue walked before theesaid king Ezechias when he was sick and remember me said good Ioseph when he was in prison and remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome I say vnto thee here now crucified vpō the crosse What should I say O the light of my life What doest thou aske me that I haue not giuen thee and what doe I possesse that is not thine I haue already giuen my money to the iailor my coats to the hang man I haue salne out with my companion who iniuried thee I haue made the best answere that I could for thy honour and therefore I can do nothing more but say Lord remember me Domine memento mei and seeing I offer thee the confession of Miserere that vpō my knees and my eies washed with tears why shouldest thou shut the gates of thy mercy against me my confession being thus iust being condemned for a naughty person as thou art my members disiointed the one from the other like thine crucified vpon the crosse like thy selfe I beleeue faithfully in thee and commend my selfe wholly vnto thee saying Lord remember mee Lord-remember mee and I beseech thee haue pitie on me seeing that in suffering I am like vnto thee I dy for being a theefe and thou for the same cause they
didst thou goe to the battaile not calling mee with thee and why diddest thou die not taking mee with thee My heart can receiue no comfort nor my eies cease from weeping when I remember how much I was bound vnto thee and call to mind the great loue that passed betwixt vs because that the loue which passed betwixt thee and me was of like quality as the loue which a mother hath when she hath but one child onely It is now to bee noted that for this last word wee haue brought all this story whereby wee may well gather and inferre that the loue which a mother beareth vnto her onely sonne exceedeth all other humane loue For if Dauid could haue found any greater loue vnto a greater hee would haue compared his King Dauid was a very holy man and his sonne Absalon a very bold young youth but in the end when newes came vnto him that Ioab had thrust him through and that he was hanged vpon an oake the poore old man made such pitifull complaint and did shew such griefe for it that euery man did perceiue plainly that he wished himselfe rather dead thaÌ„ his sonne lose his life The which he openly said when he cried aloud My sonne Absalon my sonne Absalon where truly he would willingly haue gone to his graue if his sonne might haue liued God had no better experience to proue the loue which the Patriarch Abraham bare him but to command him to kill his onely sonne which hee had in his house and when the old man had lifted vp his sword to slay the young youth the Angell tooke him by the arme and commanded him to be quiet for now our Lord was satisfied to see that he loued him better than his own son When news was brought to holy Iob how the wise men had robbed him of fiue hundred yoke of oxen and that a flash of lightning from heauen had burnt him seuen thousand sheepe and that the Chaldeans had taken from him three thousand Camels and had put to the sword all the shepheards of his flocke the good man was not grieued at all with it nor vttered any sorrowfull word forir But when the fourth post came to bring him news how they had slaine his sixe sonnes and three daughters in his eldest sonnes house the man of God could not dissemble his great griefe and did shew it more by deed than by word by rending his garments in sunder and cutting his haire from his head and wallowing oftentimes vpon the ground Wee doe not read that the great Patriarch Iacob did weepe in all peregrinations or complaine in all his tribulations vntill hee heard that the wolues in the desart had eateÌ„ his welbeloued sonne Ioseph the which euill news did strike him so near the heart that hee said before his other children that hee would die and goe into hell because hee might haue space and time inough to bewaile his sonne Sunamites the Inne keeper of Samaria and hosâ—esse vnto Heliseus did so much grieue at the death of her sonne which God had giuen her by the praier of Heliseus that shee went weeping like a foole about the fieldes in such manner that neither her husband could bring her in nor the Prophet comfort her The great Priest Heli was so greeued vvheÌ„ it was told him that the Philistims had ouercome the Iewes and taken the Arke and killed his two sonnes Obni and Phinees that he fell from his seat and immediately yeelded vp the ghost The wife of old Tobias and mother vnto young Tobias did weepe beyond all measure and went almost beside her selfe only at the long tarrying which her sonne made in Rages a citie of the Medes vvhether his father had sent him to take vp certaine money and this her griefe was so excessiue that she neuer ceassed to pray vnto God for to keepe him nor she neuer left off weeping vntill she saw him with her eies I haue thought it expedient to rehearse all these examples the better to proue and extoll the loue which fathers and mothers beare vnto their children and how it is not to bee compared with any other loue and how bitterly the Parents weepe not onely for the death of their children but also for their absence Horace saith That to the losse of a child and that of the onely child there can bee no losse comparable vnto it because that causeth griefe at the heart which is loued from the heart Anselmus sayth to this purpose that this fatherly loue is not found onely in men which are reasonable but also in brute beasts for we see the Henne fight with the Kite the Storke with the Goshauke the Mare with the Wolfe the Lionesse with the Ounce the Eliphant with the Rinoceront the Gander with the dog and the Pie with the Cuckow the which fight is not only because they be enemies but because they steale away their young ones S. Ambrose in his Exameron saith That the loue of the father is so great and so excessiue that oftentimes we see brute beasts follow men which haue taken away their yong ones wherein they let vs vnderstand that they had rather be taken themselues than see their little ones taken captiues If a brâ—te beast shew this griefe for his little oues what shall a reasonable man doe When Demosthenes wept bitterly the death of one of his sons another replied vnto him and said that he was a Philosopher it seemeth well said hee that thou hast neuer been a father nor what the loue of a sonne is because that to haue a sonne is the greatest of all loues to lose him the greatest griefe of all griefes To come at the last vnto our porpose what woman did euer loue her sonne as the mother of God did loue hers Ipsum solum tenet mater sua pater eius tenerè diligit eum said the Patriarke Iudas vnto the Patriarch Ioseph his brother as if hee would say O most renowmed Prince Ioseph I and my brothers and my brothers and I doe humbly beseech thee vpon our knees and request thee with many tears that thou wouldest forgiue our yonger brother Beniamin the taking away of the golden flask which was found in his bag because his dolefull mother hath no other son and his old father loueth him with most tender loue These words may better be spoken of the virgin and of her sonne than of Beniamin and his mother Rachel who had more than one sonne although shee knew it not seeing that Ioseph Beniamins brother was aliue the most richest mightiest of all Egypt The eternall father had no other sonne but this alone and the immaculate virgin had no other but Christ only for the father neuer engendred other naturall son but this and the mother neuer brought forth other sonne but this We may very well say of the father that hee did loue his son tenderly seeing hee gaue him all his nature all his wisedome all his power all his
to suffer it or vvhat eies can weepe and bewaile it sufficiently Venient tibi has vna die sterilitas viduitas said God by the Prophet Esay chapter sixteene as if hee would say When thou shalt least thinke vpon it there shall happen two great mishaps vnto thee O Synagogue that is thou shalt bee made a widdow and also barren vvithout a sonne The space of three thousand yeares in which God vvas married vnto the Synagogue hee raised Patriarkes and Prophets continually in her but vvhen the son of God vvas put to death shee vvas put from him like a naughty vvoman and the Church admitted in her place in so much that from good Friday forward vvhen he died on the crosse shee neuer after vvas great vvith any gifts or graces nor neuer brought foorth any holy man Our blessed Lord vvas his mothers bridegroome and deere sonne also and hee vvas so certainely her bridegroome that Ioseph vvas not more hers vvhen hee vvas betrothed vnto her and therevpon it is that vvhen Ioseph died shee vvas not fully a vviddow but vvhen the sonne of God died shee was fully a vviddow Why dooth the Prophet call her a vviddow but by reason of her sonne vvhich shee lost and vvhy doth hee call her barren but by reason that shee had no comfort and consolation O that the Prophet doth rightly call thee barren seeing that in one day and in one houre thou diddest lose thy husband and vvast bereaued of thy sonne But yet thou maiest comfort thy selfe vvith one thing O glorious Virgine that is that thou needest not vveare a mourning vveed though thou bee a vviddow because thee very stones haue broken in sunder and the heauens haue mourned for pure compassion Magna velut mare est contritio tua quis medebitur tibi Sayth Ieremy in his Lamentations as if hee would say thy griefe dooth so much exceed all other griefes as the sea doth exceed all other vvaters because all men can take pitie on thee but no man remedy thee Ieremy doth highly set forth the dolours vvhich the sorrowfull mother suffered on the Mount of Caluary by comparing her vnto the sea vvater because that as there is no drop of water in the sea which is not salt euen so there was no part of the Virgines heart which did not feele griefe and paine Hee calleth the Virgines dolour Contrition that is a kind of brusing or breaking hee calleth it great and hee calleth it a sea which is bitter in so much that as there is nothing which can bee compared to the sea in greatnesse euen so there is no griefe which can bee compared vnto the griefe which the Virgine suffered There are some griefes and sorrowes the which if they bee bitter yet they are not great and if they bee great yet they are not bitter but the Virgines dolour vvas the greatest in the world for it was so bitter that there could bee none so bitter and so great that none could bee greater What could bee more bitter seeing it went to her heart what longer seeing it continued all her life time O that thy contrition was great like vnto the sea for as there is in the sea both calme and tempest so was there in thy heart at one time ioy and sorrow ioy in seeing thy sonne redeeme the world and sorrow in seeing thy sonne die vvithout iustice What sorrow doest thou thinke should that heart feele in the which at one time there did striue sensuality and reason loue and feare liking and dissiking willing and nilling What sea can bee compared in depth or what water in bitternesse vnto the heart in the which is forged at one time a will to redeeme all the world and a will that her sonne should not suffer For as the sea is deepe and large so the Virgines griefe was deepe because it reacheth vnto the heart and great because it vvas of a great matter and bitter because it was the greatest griefe in the world Barnard sayth That as in the sea one waue followeth another and when they are come to the banke they breake against it euen so in the Virgines mind one sorrow ouertaketh another and one grief ouerreacheth another the which both together breake against the Virgines bowels And shee suffered all these anxieties and sorrowes alone because there was none who might take part of them with her nor any man able to giue her remedy for them Quis medibitur tibi as if Ieremy would say O sorrowfull mother and comfortlesse Lady what Phisition is able to cure thy wounds hauing them as thou hast them so farre within thy heart Who shall cure thee O thou of all other the most comfortlesse because the griefes of the heart are such that although they are easie to bee reckoned yet they are hard to bee cured Who shall heale thee O blessed Ladie seeing thy carefull loue is of such qualitie and the wounds of thy sorrow so great that no man can guesse at the curing of them but hee alone who was the cause of them Who shall ease thee of all others the most desolate seeing that the Phisitian which cured the dolours of the heart is now crucified among theeues and malefactors Who shall cure thee O blessed Virgine or who shall make whole thy sorrowfull heart but hee onely in whome thou hast put it seeing wee know that although Gallen and Hypocrates can purge the humors and let the vaines bloud yet they cannot cure the griefes of the mind Who shall ease thy sighes but only he for whome we sigh for Who shall heale thee O my good Ladie seeing that hee is dead on the altar of the crosse for whome thou doest weepe and hee hath yeelded vp the ghost for whome thou doest sigh Who shall heale thee O my sinfull soule if thou hast lost Christ and fallen from grace Thou must now know that thou hast no recompence for so great a losse Ioine therefore O my soule with our Lady and weep with her shee for her sonne and thou for thy losse because that after his resurrection he may comfort her and helpe thee would haue bestowed them all in seeking looking vpon in hearing and in louing and seruing her sonne O who could haue seene thee in that lamentable houre on foot and not sitting hard by the crosse and not farre off looking vpon him with thy sorrowfull eies kissing his feet with thy mouth and receiuing the drops of bloud vpon thy head The scripture doth not say only that shee did stand hard by the crosse but addeth further iuxta crucem Iesu by the crosse of Christ to distinguish the crosse of Christ from the crosse of theeues for it had been no matter whether a man had been on foot or sitting by those crosses Who should come to the crosse of Christ crucified but he who is also crucified And hee who will come to the crosse must liue like vnto them that are on the crosse vpon which they know nothing but how to
must deliuer the father of all fault and allow the sonnes complaint to bee good To vnfold our selues of this businesse it is to bee noted that Christ said by the Prophet Abinfantia creuit mecum miseratio Because he began to suffer from his childhood and yet hee neuer complained vntill the time came that hee should die Leo vpon the Passion of our Lord sayth That the noble mens children of this world crie our presently when they see any trouble come vpon them and aske for succour but neuer any man saw our Lord open his mouth to complaine vntill a quarter of an houre before they would pull his heart out of his body S. Chrisostome vpon Luke crieth out sayth What newes is this O redeemer of the vvorld vvhat news is this When they lay hands on thee thou takest it quietly vvhen they blaspheme thee thou makest as though thou vvere deaffe vvhen they vvhip thee thou doest hold thy tongue whon they doe crucifie thee thou doest suffer vvhen they kil thee thou doest dissemble and yet doest thou open thy mind euen as thou art yeelding vp thy ghost Why doest thou complaine vpon thy father alone hauing as thou hast so many enemies which haue offended thee that is Iudas who sold thee Peter which did denie thee Pilate which gâ—ue sentence on thee Herod vvho scorned thee and all the people vvhich put thee to death Demosthenes the Philosopher sayth That a man ought neuer begin that vvhich hee cannot bring to an end nor say that vvhich he cannot proue nor aske that which cannot be giuen him nor loue that vvhich cannot be gotten noâ— contend with him vvhome hee cannot reuenge nor yet complaine of that which cannot bee remedied Seneca in an Epistle sayth That no man should say that hee complaineth vnlesse he thinke that he shall haue remedy against his complaint for otherwise he doth himselfe hurt in complaining stirreth him vnto anger of vvhom he complaineth Tell mee then O good Iesus what remedy hâ—st thou for thy coÌ„plaint seeing that thou hast not halfe an houre to liue Doest thou make thy request vnto thy Father when thy soule is euen now departing from thy body Who euer heard of or euer saw the like that the end of thy vexitions to bee the beginning of thy complaint in thirty and three yeares that thou diddest conuerse with vs thou diddest neuer braule with any thou diddest neuer iniury any man nor neuer complaine of any man and now being at the very point of death doest thou complaine only vpon thy Father O what great mystery and deep secret this thy complaint doth couer seeing that in such a time and such a narrow strait thou doest complaine when all other are woont to pardon their iniuries and reconcile their enmities and aske pardon for their offences Pauper in laboribus a iuuentute mea exaltatus autem humiliatus conturbatus these wordes the Prophet Dauid sayth in the person of Christ Psalme 88 as if hee would say I haue been brought vp in trauails and pouerty from my childhood and then I was lifted vp and then made low and afterward troubled and persecuted Thy fears haue made me afraid and thy angers haue broken vpon me and thy trauails haue compassed me about and they haue compassed me about altogether as it were a vie and ouer and aboue all this thou hast set my friend farre from me and hast seperated him who was my neighbour farre from me If wee doe deepely looke into the complaints which the sonne maketh in this place against his eternall Father wee shall find that they are many in number great in quality and in respect incomparable cruell in their kind and vnworthy of him vnto whom they are sent Basil vpon the Psalme sayth That speaking like a man it seemeth in humane reason that the innocency of good Iesus did not deserue neither could it be in the clemency of his good Father that the diuine pittie should load vpon weake humanity so many torments together and heape so many troubles vexations The first complaint which the sonne made against his Father is Quod pauper in laboribus sum a iuuentute mea to wit That he brought him vp poorely from his childhood he made him liue with hunger and go like a banished man from place to place Cicero sayth in an Epistle When a young man doth suffer trauails and endure pouerty if he bee not a foole and an idiot he beareth it with a great courage by remembring that his Father was poore in the same manner but if his Father had been rich and now hee himselfe poore this is such a misfortune that there is no patience able to endure it nor heart which can dissemble it What should the sonne of God thinke when hee remembreth what a rich Father hee had and that hee did spend all his treasure vpon other mens children and suffer him to goe poorely naked and a hungred and scorned by all men The Apostle speaking of Gods riches sayth Deus qui dines es in omnibus as if hee would say Thou art the God only which doth possesse great riches and art the Lord which hath many lordships because thou shouldest want nothing thy selfe and to impart much of the ouerplus vnto others Gloria diuitiae in domo eius saith the Prophet his house is full of glory and there is infinite wealth in his chamber If God then haue glory for those which are in heauen with him and bee also a father who hath wealth for such as are with him in this world what was the cause why he did not impart some of this vnto his sonne Ambrose vpon this word Pauper in laboribus sayth That most sacred humanity came in pouerty of glory seeing that his Father did not suffer his soule to impart somewhat of his glory vnto his body and his person also liued in pouerty seeing hee had nothing proper vnto himselfe in this life in so much that as the father was rich in all things so the sonne was poore of all things Plato in his Timaeo sayth That although pouerty bee no euill thing in a good man yet notwithstanding mans nature doth much abhorre it because there can none but he be called very fortunate who is able to giue vnto others neither is there any other very vnfortunate but hee who must of necessity aske of others It is to bee thought that Christs humanity did feele his pouerty and necessity which hee endured aswel because his father had very much to bestow vpon him as for that hee must oftentimes aske for that which hee had need of S. Bonauenture sayth in the life of Christ Christ had much a doe to maintaine himselfe and those of his Colledge for sometimes he asked that which he had need of and they gaue it him not and at other times he asked not and yet they sent him in so much that there did striue in his tender heart at one time the hunger
world haue had no power yet notwithstanding sin hath had a dwelling place in them because there did neuer man liue so cleane who knew not what sinne was Cassiodorus sayth I for my part thinke sinne more mightier than any other enemy because the world and the diuell can but deceiue me but wicked sin can hurt me damn me For if there were no manner of sin in the world we should need neither gallowes nor sword Christ onely may say hee hath deliuered me from my enemies because he no other was free from sinne because all other creatures knew what sinne was and all knew what punishment for it was O how happy a man he should be who could say with the Prophet he hath deliuered me from my strongest enemies for it is nothing else to say that God hath deliuered him from his enemies but that our Lord hath deliuered him from his sinnes The Prophet had great reason to call sinne not only an enemy but also his strongest enemy seeing that without other helpe he threw the Angell out of heauen cast Adam out of Paradise depriued Iudas of his Apostleship and condemned all the world to death Is not sinne thinke you the mightiest of all other enemies seeing that hee is able and strong inough to carry mee to hell The power of my visible enemy reacheth no further than to take my life from mee but sinne the Traitour is an enemy so strong that hee is able to take my life from me depriue me of grace cast me out of glory hurt my soule and condemne mee vnto paine Who had such enemies as the sonne of God had that is so wicked in their cogitations so malicious in their speech and so cruell in their deedes Were not the lashes which opened Christs shoulders very cruell enemies the nailes which broke his sinewes the thornes which tore his temples and the speare which opened his side and the Synagogue which tooke his life from him Yet Christ called none of all these his enemies nor did not handle them like his enemies but only sins which hee did not only call enemies but mighty and strong enemies giuing vs therby to vnderstand that we should hold none for our enemie but onely sinne When good king Dauid said Persequar inimicos meos comprehendam illos Hee spake it not in respect of the enemies which persecuted his person but for sinnes which did damnifie his soule For seeing that good king Dauid did pardon Saul and Simei and others his mortall enemies how could hee counsell vs that wee should persecute ours When he saith I will persecute my enemies vntill I destroy them he spake of no other enemies but of his sinnes the which it is conuenient for vs to persecute and cast from vs. And it is not without a mystery that hee sayth Persequar comprehendam Because that as the enemy which is offended if he be not taken turneth againe and biddeth vs a more fierce battaile than hee did before euen so dooth the diuell and sinne deale with vs the which if we doe not driue away vtterly from vs and root out from our hearts they turn againe against vs like vnto most mighty and strong enemies What doth it auaile the huntsman if hee run after the Hare if he take her not what doth it is profite thee if thou run after sinne and detest sinne and speake euill of it if thou doest not ouertake sinne and what else is it to ouertake sinne but to ouercome and destroy sinne vtterly O how many there be which say I wil persecute my enemies and how few there bee which say and I haue taken them for if they cast out sinnes to day on one side of their house they turne againe to morrow and knocke at the ring of the dore and it is opened presently vnto them CHAP. III. How Christ complaineth of his Father because hee tooke all his friends from him in his passion and all others which he knew ELongasti ame amicum proximum notos meos a miseria These are the words which the sonne of God spake continuing his former complaint vttered by the Prophet Dauid Psalm 87 as if he would say Thou shouldest haue contented thy selfe O my Father when thou didst vnload al thy wrath vpō my weake body not seperate anew my friends frō me hinder those to come vnto me which were my known acquaintance Christ cōplaineth in this place of his Father that he tooke his friends from him seeing that he sayth thou hast remoued my friends from me he complaineth that he took his kinsmen from him that hee tooke his acquaintance from him and at that instant when hee vvas in greatest misery This is a pittifull complaint which the sonne of God now maketh because there is no griefe to be compared vnto that nor no hurt equall vnto the taking away of a mans trusty and faithfull friend Horace asketh what hee is able to doe or what hee hath who hath no friends To what purpose doth he liue which hath no friends Mimus the Philosopher sayth That a man dieth as oft as he loseth any of his good friends and sayth further that as the body is made of diuers members so the heart of friends and there vpon it is that as the body cannot liue without it haue many members so likewise the heart cannot liue vvithout friends They killed Dauids greatest enemy which was Saul and his deerest friend who was Ionathas in one day and hee was so agreeued at the death of his friend that by turns after hee had wept the death of his friend hee wept his enemies death also We doe not read that our redeemer did weep for the death of holy Ioseph his maister nor for all the trauails which he eudured in this world but he wept for the death of Lazarus his good friend whose death hee could not endure but immediately did raise from death againe If Plutarch the great Philosopher doe not deceiue vs Plato came from Asia vnto Cicilia for no other cause but to see Phocion the Philosopher who was his deere friend Cicero in his booke of Friendship sayth That the Philosophers do cōmend nothing more vnto vs nor wise men did esteeme of no riches more than of the conuersation of their friends because that without friends it is not lawfull for vs to liue nor yet very sure to die Aristorle being asked what friendship was answered That it was nothing else but one soule which ruled two hearts and one heart which did dwell in two bodies Diogenes sayth That seeing there is no greater paine than to deale with naughty men nor no greater comfort than to conuerse with good men for my owne part I confesse and say that I had rather die vvith him whom I hold for my friend than liue with him whome I esteeme my enemie Eschines the Philosopher being demanded how one friend should be towards another answered betwixt true friends there is but one yea and one
nay one liking one misliking one agreeing one disagreeing one wil and one nill one loue and one hatred Experience doth teach vs that how good soeuer the bread be yet it mouldeth and wine becommeth vineger and garments teare and flesh waxeth stale and years passe away but friendship alone is that which neuer wearieth good conuersation is that that neuer doth loathe Pliny in an Epistle sayth If thou wilt be honored giue honour vnto others If thou wilt bee succoured succour others If thou wilt be loued loue others For if thou wilt haue a friend thou must either make him or find him and in that case I say that it is better for thee to make him by good turns than buy him with money Peter of Rauenna sayth in a Sermon of the holy Ghost O what a sweet thing it is to haue friends to loue and to loue to bee loued againe for the qualities of true friendship are that it feareth no sword it dreadeth no arrow it refuseth no spear nor esteemeth not his life but embraceth death with cheerefulnesse rather than make any default in friendship Isidorus sayth That the priuiledges of true friendship are that it maketh prosperous fortune more pleasant and aduerse more easie maketh doubtful things certaine and fiercenesse meeke and maketh that light which is greeuous heauy Hermogenes sayth When thou art in prosperity in this world thou oughtest to suspect all friendship for thou doest not know whether they loue that which thou hast or thy selfe which doest possesse it for true friendship is not knowne when thou hast much to giue but when thou art in necessity to aske Is there saith S. Ambrose any greater cōsolation in this miserable vvorld thā to haue a faithful friend with whom thou maist open thy breast communicate thy secrets discouer thy heart impart thy pleasures and giue part of thy griefes If thou doest make a bed to lie in and build chimnees to warme thee in and garners for thy corne vvhy doest thou not seeke bowels to hide the secrets of thy bowels And thou must know that thou oughtest nor to trust the secrets of thy heart but vnto another who is thy heart Saint Ierome vnto Ruffinus sayth Whē thou dost enter into friendship with any faithfull friend Ruffinus learne better how to keepe him than thou diddest keepe Ierome for a good friend is not found euery where the is long a seeking for and seldome gotten he is hardly kept and easily lost he is recouered very slowly and the want of him felt very quickly Chilo the Philosopher sayth I am halfe of my friend and my friend is halfe of me in so much that I must seeke him in me and my selfe in him because he is I and I am hee And hee saith further that when my friend dieth in him whom I loued halfe of my selfe died with him and halfe of him remaineth aliue with mee in so much that by my will I should die if it were not to keepe that part of him which remained in me aliue This vertue of friendship could not bee better praised than this Philosopher hath done it seeing hee doth confesse that halfe of himselfe is in the graue with his friend and that halfe of his friend was aliue in his soule and that he desired to liue for no other reason but because his friend should not die in him To come then vnto our purpose if all this be true we should haue great compassion vpon Christ seeing his Father tooke his friends from him separated his kin from him left him no comfort by his acquaintance It is much to be noted that Christ doth complaine that his Father took but one friend frō him one kinsman but many of his acquaintance to note vnto vs that of faithfull friends there is scarse one to be found and of vertuous kinsmen hardly one but of acquaintance a great number O that hee knoweth but meanly what friendship is who putteth a friend a kinsman and his acquaintance vnder one reckoning because that I am to call him only my friend who loueth me him my kinsmā who is a good Christian all other my neighbours cōpanions my acquaintance To speak properly Christ had but one friend only who was his Father no other friend like vnto him one only which was of his kindred who was his mother none other like vnto her but he had great acquaintance among the Iews in that great conflict which he had in his passion his friend forsooke him his kindred did not helpe him and his acquaintaince shewed themselues vngratefull Thou diddest remoue farre from me my friend seeing that thou O my Father wouldest not heare me when I praied vnto thee in the garden following the inclination of the flesh and thou diddest remoue my kin from me seeing that my mother could not help me on the Mount of Caluary and thou diddest remoue my acquaintance from me seeing that there I was put to death by them O in what great danger and in what a narrow strait the son of God vvas at the time of his passion seeing he complaineth that his Father did not heare him his mother did not helpe him and none of his friends would know him Thou diddest say very well O sweet Iesus that Elongasti a me amicum proximum seeing thy friend who was thy father could comfort thee but would not thy kin who was thy mother would but could not helpe thee and thy acquaintance who was Iudas neither would nor could accompany thee in so much that vpon the altar of the crosse thou diddest abound in torment and want friends O that wee had a farre better friend of thee than thou haddest of vs seeing that Totum belli pondus versum est in Saul When as to make an attonement betwixt vs and thy Father he did lay all the danger of the warre vpon thy shoulders Non est qui vtrumque possit arguere ponere manum suam in ambobus sayth Iob chapter 9. As if hee would say The one is so strong and the other so obstinate that there is no man able to satisfie thē nor who dareth put his hand between thē Whē that holy mā Iob saith that he saw two men at a variance which al the world could not make friends set at agreement yet did not name thē it is small doubt but he vnderstandeth some great secret hiddē mystery Of these two which holy Iob speaketh of who is the strong mightie one but only our eternal God who the obstinate man but he who is without cōfort Cyrillus saith That God man man God did hādle one another very hardly because man did nothing but sin God did neuer cease to punish thervpō it is that in those daies they called God Deus vltionū deus vltionū twise because he did neither pardon their bodies of punishment nor their soules of the fault Because God was the highest
from the other because that in their embracing the one the other they change their hearts in so much that this mans heart goeth away with him and his heart remaineth with this man It seemeth that Dauid and Ionathas vvere great friends seeing that they did embrace one another so heartily and wept so tenderly Dauid did much more esteem of the friendship of Ionathas than of the hatred of his father king Saul the which was easily seene to bee so considering that when Saul made a truce betweene them Dauid presently departed out of the kingdome Dauid vvith all his wisedome and force durst neuer abide the persecution of Saul his enemie vvithout his friend Ionathas aid vvhereby vvee may inferre that there is no griefe in this life equall to the losse of a friend Bee hee saith Seneca poore or be hee rich be hee great or be hee little how is it possible for him to liue without a friend Horace sayth That if a man be in prosperous estate he hath need of one to giue him counsell if in meane to comfort him for I haue heard sayth he my maister Menander say that a fortunate man hath as great need of good counsell to gouerne himselfe by as the needy man hath need of helpe to lift vp himselfe by If then the mighty haue need of good counsell and the poore of helpe and succour who can better giue vs good counsell or supplie our vvants than a friend Eschines in an inuectiue against Demosthenes sayth That an enemy can doe his enemy no greater vvrong than take his good friend from him because hee taketh away the secret of his heart the refuge of his trauails the remedy of his necessities and reliefe and cherishing of his persecutions Plutarch maketh mention that when Denis the Tyrant did scoffe at Phocion the Philosopher for that he vvas poore hee made answere thus I confesse vnto thee that I am poore but yet Denis is poorer for although hee abound in money yet hee vvanteth friends and I haue friends inough but vvant money That Philosopher thought it a greater pouerty to want friends than to want money wherein hee had great reason because that in tribulation or sicknesse it doth ease a man better to see two or three friends at his beds head than to haue his chests coffers full of gold and siluer There are many sayth Vbertinus vvhich are poor of money not of friends and others which are poore in friends and not in money and there are some which are poore in the one and in the other of which sort Christ is the chiefe seeing that on the crosse he had no man which vvould bestow a cup of water vpon him nor any one which would giue him one word of comfort Christ complaineth of the Apostles because they fled complaineth of his parents because they did hide themselues complained on his acquaintance because they did not sticke vnto him because that in all the conflict of his passion hee had no friend which followed him no kinsman which defended him nor acquaintance which backed him Christ had sayth Rabanus very honourable and vertuous friends and valerous acquaintance but vvhen they saw him weake in strength and poore in wealth all of them left him in his troubles because they vvould not bee the partakers of his daunger Saint Barnard crieth out and sayth What meaneth this O good Iesus vvhat meaneth this There vvanteth not one in Ierusalem to defend Barrabas and dooth there vvant one before Pilate to defend thee Doth Barrabas by stealing find friends and doest thou by preaching get enemies Doth the murderer of the quicke find defenders and doth the raiser of the death find accusers Doe they condemne him who made an attonement betwixt God and man and doe they set him at liberty who disquieted all Ierusalem O vnhappy and wicked Ierusalem will there be alwaies some in thee to persecute the good and defend the wicked Venerable Bede sayth That al those which were Barrabas friends were Christs enemies and all those which were Christs friends were Barrabas enemies for with the same note and voice that they cried doe not let goe any but Barrabas they said of Christ crucifie him S. Augustine in an Homily saith That because the twife doubling of a word is the true token of loue or hatred the Iewes did well shew the loue which they bare vnto Barrabas in desiring Pilute twise to let him loose and the hatred which they bare to Christ in saying twise Crucifie crucifie him For to say twife Non dimittas nobis nisi â—arrabam what else was it then to aske with all their hearts that hee would grant that thiefe his life and send him to his house that feast of Easter And to crie out twise aloud crucifie crucifie him what else would they say to Pilate but that they aske with their tongues entreat with their hearts that hee would put Iesus of Nazareth vpon the gibbet or put him to death vpon the crosse Chrisostome saith The Prince of the Synagogue and the ruler of Capernaum Centurio the captaine Zacheus the rich and Simeon the leaper and Lazarus the knight were not all these trow you Christs friends and acquaintance and of the richest and honourablest among the people Christ did very much for euery one of these wheÌ„ he was aliue but there was none of these which did any thing for him wheÌ„ he died although he went by their gates to be crucified and with their eies they did see him die Christ then had great reason to say vnto his Father why hast thou forsaken me considering that himself had too many enemies and Barrabas wanted no friends CHAP. VI. How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they made more account of Iepthes daughter in the Synagogue than they doe at this day of his death in the church FAc mihi quodcunque pollicitus es concessa tibi victoria vltione de inimicis tuis chap. 12 of the Iudges The daughter of that famous captaine Iepthe spake these words vnto her father when her father returned from the war which the people of Israel had against the king of the Ammonites as though she wold say Do with me O my Father doe with me what pleaseth thee For seeing that thou doest come victorious from the warre it is very iust and reasonable that thou shouldest performe that which thou hast promised our Lord. Iepthe had promised and made a solemne vow that if God would giue him the victory of that warre that he would offer vnto him the first liue thing of his house which he should meet withall and although it were aliue vvhen hee should meet it yet he vvould not offer it but killed and dead Iepthe then returning from the vvarre vvith a great victory his sorrowfull fate vvas that hauing but one only daughter she vvent to meet him receiue him comming home singing and playing on a Taber Immediately as the sorrowfull Father saw his vnfortunate daughter his eies were full
of vvater and his heart brake in two vvhen hee remembred the vow vvhich he had made in the vvarre and that he could do no lesse than kill his daughter The father then said vnto his daughter O my daughter and sole inheritrize how vnfortunate vvas thy destinie and how vnlucky vvas my fortune in that I must open my mouth and make that promise to such great preiudice to thy life and hurt vnto my house His daughter answered him and said If thou hast opened thy mouth my father to make any vow vnto the great God of Israel let mee bee no hinderance for the performance of it for I vvill like it well onely because I see thee victorious ouer thy enemies And she added further and said only I aske of thee my father that thou wouldest giue mee two months space before thou doest sacrifice mee in the Temple to bewaile my Virginity in these sorrowful mountains with others my companions And when those two months were past the tender virgine bewailing and weeping the losse of her life and virginity vnbestowed the Father performed his vow and sacrificed his daughter Because Iephthe that captaine had that famous victory but yet with vufortunate losse of his onely daughter all the young maids and virgines of the people of Israell agreed a meeting to weepe and lament the death of Iephthes daughter foure daies in the yeare and although the people of the Iewes did omit thinges of greater weight than that was yet they did neuer forget to mourn and lameÌ„t those daies The holy scripture doth promise vs many great matters in this figure of Iephthe worthy to be knowne hard to expound Who is vnderstood by the famous captaine Iephthe but the sonne of the liuing God and redeemer of the world He who said all power is giueÌ„ me in heauen and earth is more valerous and mighty than Ieph the was because that Iephthes authority extended no further than the land of Iury but the sonne of Gods did reach ouer heauen earth The scripture maketh mention that when Iephthe was a yong man those of his countrey put him from his fathers inheritance banished him out of the land and how that in progresse of time hee deliuered them from their enemies and vvas captaine ouer them all That which the neighbours of Gilead did to Iephthe the inhabitants of Ierusalem did to Christ whome they banished out of the Synagogue and depriued of his Fathers inheritance and yet neuerthelesse hee deliuered them from their sinnes and vvas the redâ—emer of them all The truth doth very vvell answere to the figure in this place and the sence vnto the letter For as they which did banish Iephthe out of all the kingdome did afterward entreat him to bee their guide and captaine so those which said to Pilate crucifie crucifie him did afterward on the Mount of Caluary strike their breasts and say aloud Verè hic filius deifuit This man was truly the son of God Who was vnderstood in Iepthes daughter a virgine faire and young but only that flesh and humanity of the Word S. Ambrose vpon those words Speciosus sorma sayth Who is so beautifull who is so pure who so holy as that most sacred flesh vvas and is The daughter of Iephthe was not knowne of any man and Christs humanitie was also vnknowne of man seeing that it was not conceiued by consent of husband but formed and framed by the vvebe of the holy ghost Iephthe did promise to offer in the Temple his only daughter for the victory which hee had obtained against his enemies and Christ did promise to offer vpon the crosse his owne flesh for the victory and conquest vvhich he had against sinnes so that Iephthe did offer only the daughter vvhich hee had begotten and the sonne of God did offer his owne proper body Is it not thinke you a greater matter for a man to offer his owne flesh than that vvhich is born of his flesh Iephthe vvas very loath and grieued to offer his onely daughter and it vvas a great corrasiue to the daughters heart to see her selfe sacrificed by her owne Father but in the end shee vvas more ioyfull and glad of the victory vvhich her Father receaued against his enemies than grieued that her owne life should bee sacrificed O how vvell one mystery doth answere vnto another for vvhen the flesh said Let this cup passe from mee vvith the daughter of Iephthe hee vvas loath to die but vvhen hee said Not as I vvill but as thou vvilt hee was glad to suffer so that that sacred flesh vvas very vvilling to bee sacrificed because that the diuine Word should obtaine victory ouer sinnes Doest thou not thinke my brother that one mystery doth very vvell answere another and that one secret is very vvell compated vvith another seeing that that virgine vvas sacrificed for her fathers honour and that diuine and sacred flesh also sacrificed for the honour and glory of his father Iepthe had a great reuenge ouer his enemies but Christ a farre greater ouer sinne and yet it is to be noted that by how much the greater those two victories vvere so much the more greater vvere the prices vvhich they vvere bought for because the one did cost his daughters life and the other his owne What can be deerer than that vvhich doth cost a mans life Pellem pro pelle cuncta dabit home pro animasua saith Iob chapter 2. The Scripture maketh mention in Iob that as there appeared before the iudgement of God many vvicked men the deuill made one among them for good men doe neuer assemble themselues to doe good but Sathan is there also to doe them some hurt Our Lord said vnto Sathan from vvhence doest thou come and vvhither hast thou gone To this Sathan answered I haue gone about all the earth and vvalked through it to see whether I could happen vpon any more that vvere mine Our Lord replied hast thou seene my good seruant and trusty friend Iob vnto vvhome no man on the earth may bee compared And doest thou not know Sathan that Iob is a holy man sincere in condition vpright in his conscience fearfull in that vvhich the law commandeth vvithout malice one vvho continueth till this day in his innocency Thou hast stirred me vp against him that I should kil his sonnes destroy his sheepe and deere and that his oxen should be stolne froÌ„ him and all his vvealth taken from him and that I should depriue him of all his honour Sathan answered vnto this and said Know Lord that a man vvill giue all his vvealth substance vvith condition to saue his life Pellem pro pelle dabit hemo that is A man vvill giue al his sheepe skins all the cowes hides in the vvorld to keepe his owne flesh If thou vvilt trie Lord vvho thy friend Iob is lay thy hand vpon his owne person and fill his bodie with a leprosie and then thou shalt see that hee will bee more
is thankful vnto me for my benefites bestowed vpon him I bewaile my virginity because I haue found none to bestow my virginity on none to giue my innocency vnto none to impart my patience vnto none vnto whome I may communicate my charity nor any one with whom I may leaue my humility in keeping but if I came rich and adorned with vertues in the world so I must return rich again with theÌ„ to heauen The figure which wee haue spoken of saith further that all the maids of Sion did meet in Ierusalem to mourn and weep the death of Iephthes daughter foure daies one after another in the which they made great lamentations so that no yeare did passe in which this solemnity was not obserued It is here to be noted that although there haue beene in the synagogue many personages noble in bloud valerous in warre discreet in the Common-wealth learned in all sciences and cleane and vnspotted in life yet it is not read of any of theÌ„ that after they were dead and buried were mourned for at any other time Al the kings Dukes Patriarks and Prophets were buried by their friends and kinsfolkes and forgotten of them excepted onely the daughter of Iephthe for whose death all the virgines and maids did mourne and weepe euery yeare once by a speciall priuiledge Wee speake all this because that if the daughters of Sion thought it conuenient to thinke vpon and weepe for the death of that virgine once euery yeare should it not bee greater reason that wee should weepe for the death of Iesus Christ euery houre and euery moment of an houre Those virgines did weepe for the death of that young virgine for no other reason but because she was young beautifull and vertuous so that they were induced to make that solemne lamentation rather through compassion than reason What other reason could there bee for that solemne yearely lamentation seeing that the daughter of Iephthe died not for the Commonwealth nor yet had in estimation for any rare vertue aboue the rest Iust occasion and reason doth inuite vs to weep euery houre and euery moment of an houre for the death of Christ considering that he died for the Commonwealth and paied for our offence For the son to say vnto his father Why hast thou forsaken me is to say nothing else but to complaine of vs because wee remember not his precious death as Iephthes daughter was wept for once a yeare Although the sinfull soule doth not remember the death of Christ yet the holy church doth not forget nor omit to celebrate his death once at the end of euery year in the holy weeke And in steed that the daughters of Sion did weepe for the death of that virgin foure times in the yeare the church doth represent vnto vs the passion written four times of the foure Euangelists CHAP. VII How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they did open his wounds through malice as they did stop vp Isaac his wels through enuy HAbuit Isaac possessionâ—â— onium armentorum familiam plurimam ob hoc inuidentes Palestini obstruxerunt omnes putees eius implentes humo Genes 26. The Scripture hath these wordes telling vs of a great discouresie which the king of Palestine did vnto Isaac the Patriarke and it is as if hee would say Isaac was a great and mighty man and had many flockes of sheepe and many heards of kine and many bondslaues both man and woman by reason of which prosperity of his the Palestines did greatly enuy him and did stop vp his wels by casting much earth into euery one of them O that the Apostle said very true when hee said all things happen vnto them in figura seeing that all things that were done in the Synagogue were nothing else thaÌ„ a figure of that which should happen in the Catholicke church For if it were not so there are many things in Scripture which vvould seeme but a iest to write of and a superfluous thing to read If there should not be some deep mystery some hiddeÌ„ secret in this figure what were it vnto vs or what profite should wee receiue in knowing that Isaac had many sheepe kine and slaues What were it also vnto vs if hee had many enemies and that they did shut vp his wels enuy his riches haue an ere vnto his greatnesse considering that it is an old custome that euery rich man is enuied This figure doth lead vs vnto higher mysteries than the letter doth shew and therefore it is needfull to haue a high spirit to declare it and great attention in reading it To come then vnto the purpose Isaac in the Hebrue tongue doth signifie a man ful of laughter and ioy the which ioifull name can agree only vnto the sonne of God and hee only in this world in a high degree can be called Isaac When rhe sonne of God was in heauen aboue and before hee came downe into this world no mortall man knew any cause to laugh nor yet durst not laugh for because that they saw that God was angrywith all the world al the world was in a dump and mourned When God had said vnto Noe the Patriarke Paenitet me fecisse hominem that is I am sorry and repent that euer I made man how could any man dare to laugh and bee merry How durst holy Iob laugh seeing that hee said with many teares Vtinam de vtero translatus essem ad tumulum I would to God I had been buried as soone as euer I was borne His meaning was this O great God of Israel why hast thou brought mee out of my mothers wombe and now that thou hast brought me out why doest thou not destroy me why did dest thou not carry mee presently from my mothers bowels to my graue How could the Prophet Helias laugh seeing that running flying away through the mountains from Queene Iezabel Petiuit anima sua vt moreretur His meaning was Am I better than my predecessors that I should liue rather than they Die then my soule die for because that my life is grieuous vnto me and I would see it at an end How should the Prophet Ieremy laugh seeing that hee said with deepe sighes Quis dabit capiti meo lachrimas oculis meis fontes lachrimarum vt plorem interfectos populi mei His meaning was Who can bring to passe with the great God of Israel that he would make a sea of water of my head change my eâ—es into fountaines of teares to sigh by night and weepe by day for those whom sinne hath deceaued and the sword slaine How could old honorable Tobias laugh when he said Quale mihi gaudium erit quia in tenebris sedeo lumen caeli non video In those pittifull words hee meant to say this What ioy can there be in my heart or what laughter can there bee in my mouth seeing that I find my selfe poore and feele my selfe aged blind and cannot see the light of
not take away the sheet of the letter to see the holy and diuine water which is contained vnder it To speake more particularly what were the wels which Isaacs predecessors did open but all the holy books which the Prophets and all other holy men did writâ— What meaneth the opening of a new vvell in the catholick church of God but to giue an high and a true sence and meaning vnto the text The learned man doth open so many wels of water as he doth waies expound the holy scripture and the more obscure the scripture is the more deeper vve will say he fetcheth his water I will not deny but he taketh paines who draweth water out of a deepe wel but the learned man doth take greater pains in expounding a text of holy Scripture because the one is done by force of drawing and the other by paines in studieng If any man doe striue and contend with thee my brother that the labour of the body is greater than the trauell of the spirit thou maiest answere him that he is Tanquam asinâ—â— ad lyram And that hee is Saul among the Prophets and Sathan among the children of God Now that wee haue proued that these wels are the holy bookes of the Prophets wee will adde further and say that these are the wels which the blind Iewes did fil and stop vp and when did they stop them vp but when they did depraue and corrupt the holy Scriptures The Palestines did demme vp Isaacs welswith earth and the selfe same doe the Iewes to the Scriptures which they expound of the Synagogue and not of the church according vnto the letter and not the fence not according vnto the spirit but according vnto their owne will What other thing is it to demme the water with earth but to blinde the sence with the letter Christ left vs which are Christians the vvels of his church open pure and cleare and not stopped at all but alas the Iewes through their obstinacy and Heretikes through their malice labour to denie them and trouble them going about to discredit our faith by interpreting the Scriptures after their owne fantasie The sonne of God doth complaine vnto his Father vpon the crosse of all these things saying Why hast thou forsaken mee to wit why doest thou suffer them to stop vp the wels of my doctrine on one side and opeÌ„ my side with a speare on the other CHAP. VIII How the sonne of God complaineth of his Father because they did load his body with stripes and his heart with care and anguish IN flagella ego paratus sum dolor meus in conspectu meo semper sayth the Prophet Dauid speaking in the name of the son of God and it is as if hee would say Doe by me O good Father doe by me what thou thinkest good for I am ready to suffer all the stripes that thou wilt lay vpon mee because I can neuer forget nor put out of my mind the griefe which I haue conceiued in knowing that I must suffer Such dolefull words as these are doe well seeme to proceed from a man which is in great anguish and from one who seeth himselfe condemned to die confessing and protesting that he dieth for obedience sake and that he taketh his death with patience doth not he die for obedience who offereth himselfe vnto death and doth not hee take his death in patience who knoweth not how to coÌ„plain There are some persons vvhich feele no labour and paine but of the mind as great lords and there are others which feele no paine but of the body as labourers and some which neither feele them in mind nor bodie as fooles and some there be which feele them both in the mind and the body as vertuous men doe Seneca in his booke of Clemency sayth That the labour of the mind doth weary a man by night and is at rest in the day because then he is also occupied and the labour of the body doth weary a man by day and is at ease in the night because hee is at rest but he who doth labour spiritually and corporally doth passe the day time in sweating and all the night in sighing Cicero sayth vnto his friend Attiâ—us That of all the infelicities of this world the greatest is to haue his body ouerlaid with labour and his heart loaden with care Reason is wont to moderate the anxiety of the mind and good cherishing the labour of the body but what comfort can the body giue vnto the mind or the mind vnto the body when the one sweateth and the other sigheth According vnto the litterall sence good king Dauid did complaine of both these trauails that is the trauell of the body when hee sayth Et ego in flagella paratus sum and the trauell of the mind when he saith Et dolor meus in conspectu meo semper the which vexations hee suffered at the hands of king Saul when hee wandered like a banished man and hid himselfe in mountaines and rockes Dauid endured great labour of the body as well for the iournies which he tooke as for the hunger which he suffered hee had great griefe of mind to see himselfe a stranger in his owne land a sugitiue from his house banished out of the kingdome and in disgrace with his king Although this be all true yet who can better say Et in flag ella paratus sum I am ready to be whipped than Christs tender body or who can say with him Et dolor meus in conspecta meo semper and my griefe is alwaies before my eies as his afflicted mind was We cannot deny but that Dauid was persecuted yet we doe not read that he was whipped the which we may affirme of Christ our redeemer who was not only whipped at Pilates pillar but was also showne vnto the people with Bcce home Behold the man If Dauid cannot say of himselfe Ego in flagella paratus sum neither can hee say Et dolor meus in conspectu meo semper But only the son of God can so say because there was no houre nor moment of the day in which his body was not trauelled and his heart grieued It is long agoe since I commended vnto my memory that saying of Plato Quòd in humanis plura sunt quaeterrent quam nocent as if he would say In dangers which happen vnto man and in humane chances there bee many more things which put vs in feare than that happen vnto vs in deed for so many times the hart is martyred as he thinketh vpon danger to come When any malefactor hath receaued sentence of death from the time that the sentence is read vntill his head be cut off he doth swallow death so many times as hee thinketh that he must die in so much that if the sword doth kill him but once in the end yet his imagination doth kill him a thousand times before Then to apply this vnto our purpose what Prophet was there at any time in the
improba as if hee would say Many famous men in watres and learned in sciences haue been banished from Athens not for any fault which they committed but for malice conceiued against them the which were rather willing and glad to liue in banishment than to dwell in an vngratefull citie Valerius Maximus sayth That the most notablest man that the renowmed Lacedemonia did euer bring forth was that great Philosopher Lycurgus because among all those which liued before his time those which succeeded him there was none equall vnto him in knowledge nor none which went beyond him in life The Oracle of Pithius Apollo being asked in what reputation he did hold Lycurgus made answere I am very doubtfull vvhether I should put him among the number of men or place him among the companie of Gods Notwithstanding that the Oracle had giuen this high testimony of Lycurgus and that he was pure in his life eloquent in learning constant in paines and very wise in his lawes yet all these vertues and excellent gifts could not keepe him from proouing the vngratefulnesse of his thanklesse citizens And therefore they did not onely iniury him in words but also they did shew by cruell deeds the hatred which they bare him and the hurt which they wished him for once they burned his houses and another time they followed him with stones and another time they dashed out one of his eies another time they expelled him from among the people and in the end for a recompence and reward of gouerning that Commonwealth eight and thirtie years they banished him out of the country and so hee died Plautus sayth That there is no loue worse bestowed than that which is bestowed vpon an vngrateful man because that man loueth nothing at all who loueth an vngratefull man I haue spoken all this against the vice of vngratitude and vsed so many examples because euery man might perceiue what great reason God hath to complaine vpon vngratefull men for seeing that the Philosophers doe inueigh so bitterly against them it would be but small reason that they should be defended by Christians S. Cyprian sayth Christ doth complaine of our ingratitude because that for so great vnspeakable a benefite as he did for vs in dying vpon the crosse hee did not bind vs to follow him in that kind of death or that we should die for him by the sword but that which good Iesus did bind vs vnto is that we should haue his blessed passion in a remembrance and loue him with all our heart How shall any man sayth Barnard beleeue that thou wilt venter thy life for Christ and for his faith seeing thou doest not remember his death in all thy life If thou wilt sayth Vbertinus haue the death of Christ help thee in thy last houre remember that death of his euery day because the sonne of God doth alwaies take pittie vpon those in their last houre vvhich doe remember his passion in their life time Christ saith And my griefe is alwaies before my eies because that among all the griefes which are ingratitude is cause of the greatest of them and among all the sinnes and naughtinesse which are this is the greatest for if there were no vngratefull men vnto God there should bee no sinne at all in the world Christ doth cal the sinne of vngratefulnesse dolour and griefe because that hee is alwaies grieued with it for the griefe which hee had of the thornes is past his whipping had an end and the paine of the crosse dured no longer than his life did last but the griefe of ingratitude is renued in him daily Christ doth also say that the griefe which hee doth complaine of is his owne griefe Dolor meus by which louing speech he doth let vs vnderstand that he is much more grieued to see vs sinne than it grieueth vs to be sinners Why doth Christ say in his complaint my griefe and not our griefe but onely because that wee doe not feele so great paine and griefe when we are punished by him as good Iesus feeleth to thinke that he must punish vs. I would to God that it would please his diuine clemency that I were so sory to commit an offence as it doth grieue him to punish me for then I thinke that I should not know how to sinne nor God should haue nothing to punish He complaineth also that he doth not only suffer griefe but he sayth that that grief is alwaies in his sight and therefore because wee doe neuer giue ouer sinning it is certaine that his griefe of compassion wil neuer haue an end Cease then my brother and giue ouer sinning and then the paine which thou doest endure will presently haue an end When thou shalt heare vs say that God hath any griefe or paine thou must not thinke that it is a griefe or paine which hee suffereth but onely a most entire and louing compassion which he hath vpon vs. When the sonne of God sayth vpon the crosse vnto his Father Why hast thou forsaken mee the chiefest complaint that hee formeth in that place is because hee causeth him to suffer so cruell a passion for such vngratefull people CHAP. IX How the sonne of God complaineth vpon the Synagogue that hauing carried them vpon his backe yet they be vngratefull vnto him AVdite me domus Iacob residuum domus Israel qui portamini ab vtere meo vsque ad senectam God spake these words by the Prophet Esayas chap. 46 as if he would say Hear me now he are me all you of the house of Iacob and all you which haue escaped of the house of Israel giue credite vnto my words seeing that I am the God which carry you vpon my shoulders from the houre of your birth vntill your death Vnder these few words God doth touch very many great matters for first he beginneth to call them then he biddeth them giue eare then he saith that it is hee who calleth them then he noteth who they bee whom hee calleth then how vvell he loueth them when hee sayth Qui portamini ab vtero adsenectutem But we must note first of all in this place why the Lord doth seperate the house of Iacob frō the house of Israel and why hee doth call the house of Iacob an entire house and the house of Israel a broken and dissolued house for he sayth heare mee all you of the house of Iacob all you of the house of Israel which haue escaped and remaine If Iacob and Israell and Israel and Iacob bee all one thing and all one house fauing that one man had two names how vvas it possible for the one to stand the other to fal In very truth in old time all the Synagogue had but one God one people one linage one king one law but when they began to sinne and play the Idolaters our Lord did immediately deuide thē By the one house by the other are vnderstood the church and the Synagogue whereof the one which
doth tell vs in this authoritie when he sayth Quid vltra debut facere vincae meae and S. Paul when he said Tradit semetipsum pro me where the one speaketh of the great care which our Lord hath in gouerning and maintaining vs and the other of the bitter paine hee tooke in redeeming vs. Our Lord sayth very well what should I haue done more vnto my vineyard seeing that he tooke humane flesh for vs washed away our offences endued vs with his grace incorporated vs in his church and made vs capable of glory What should he hauedone more considering that he hath left vs his body to receiue his merites to help our selues with his Saints to imit-te his Gospel to keepe and his Sacraments for a medicine Quid vltra debus facere considering how he made our bodies of nothing created our soules to his owne likenesse giuen vs Angels to guard vs and bestowed all the earth vpon vs What should he do more seeing that hee hath commanded the sunne to giue vs light the earth to sustaine vs the fire to heat vs the water to wash vs the aire to recreate vs What should he doe more for vs seeing thâ—t ouer and aboue all other beasts hee hath giuen vs iudgement to discerne good from bad memory to rememberthings pâ—st and a will to loue that which is holy and good If these benefites doe seeme great vnto thee yet I tell thee further that he hath done more than this for thee which thou hast forgotten of which our Lord wil call for an account at the great day of his generall accounts What are these new sauours or when doth hee vnto vs any other good turnes but when hee turneth some dangerous hurt from vs Griefe of mind anxietie of heart feares of life suddaine passions touching our credite and fame with such like as are woont to assault vs euery minure of an houre although we thinke not on them so that if our Lord should not keepe vs with his mighty hand wee should liue with paine and die with perill What are those mischiefes which doe most of all weary vs and which are neuer from vs but dreadfull death vnspeakable griefe bitter teares extreame sorrow and vntollerable feare These fine dolours doe bait and ouerthrow all mortal men because they are so common among great men and so vniuersal among the meaner sort that vntill this day we haue known none exempted from them and wee haue heard of none who haue died and not tried them If euery man will examine his owne person he shall find it to bee true that he knoweth all these mischiefes and euils not by any science which hee hath heard but by experience within himselfe seeing that we see nothing else euery houre but euery man to weepe and bewaile his infinite paines and griefes And because we may not seeme that we doe speake at pleasure we will speake of euery word a little to bring thee to remembrance how euery one of these griefes is experimented in thy selfe As concerning the first which is death what mortall man was euer borne in this life whom death in the end hath not made an end of and put into his graue With this condition we come into the world and liue in the world that in the end wee must leaue the world and that by reason of a common law which he hath giuen vs. The second griefe are teares and what mortall man did euer liue in this world with such great ioy but hath wept at some time or other and that heartily Horace sayth That weeping is so naturall a thing vnto all mortall men that we be borne weeping liue weeping and die weeping Demosthenes sayth That a man hath need of a maister to learne all offices and duties vnlesse it be weeping because there is nothing wherof a man hath such abundance and plenty as of cares in his mind complaints in his tongue and teares in his eies The third paine is sorrow for what mortall man did euer attaine vnto such sure and quiet state of life that hee should neuer need to fetch at any time a deepe sigh O that it is well seene in the life of holy Iacob that to mourne sigh and weepe are offices and duties so annexed vnto the miserable life of man that we shall first see our selues dead than free from them The griefes which trouble our mindes are so many and the anxieties which charge our bowels are so huge and strong that lamenting and vvailing is taken for a remedy and sighing for a comfort and weeping for an ease because it happeneth often to afflicted minds that the more teares they shed the more ease their hearts receiue The fourth paine which is griefe what man hath euer beene so strong and healthy who hath not beene throwne downe with some sicknesse or beaten vvith some great affliction O that the Apostle said very well that vvee haue a treasure in fickle vessels seeing that vvee are so weake in strength and feeble of health that wee doe nothing but keepe our selues from the sunne least hee burne vs and from cold least it goe through vs and from the aire least it distemper vs from the vvater least it stop vs and from meat least vvee disgest it not Auerroes sayth That because these inferiour bodies are subiect vnto the superiour influences of the heauens they passe great perill and are endangered by the starres and planets for the elements often changing in themselues the bodies which are made of them doe also the like Of all the riches of this life there is none equall or to bee compared vnto health because that all other paines and griefes either time doth cure or discretion doth moderate The fist paine vvhich is feare vvhat mortall man had his heart euer so at rest that no feare hath euer come vpon him or in vvhome no suddaine passion hath raigned Menander sayth That of necessitie there must raigne in mens hearts mirth or sorrow loue or hatred paine or ease and hope or feare but of all these sorrow and hatred paine and feare are those which doe most of all raigne in our bowels because we see mirth and loue pleasure and hope either late or neuer come to our dore Cicero in his Commonwealth sayth put case that wee loue many things yet without comparison wee feare more thinges and that which is worst of all is that our loue doth change euery day but our feare doth neuer depart from vs. Plautus sayth How merry so euer our countenance bee and how full soeuer of laughter thy mouth bee and howsoeuer the tongue talketh yet neuerthelesse the sorrowfull heart is loaded with feare for hee feareth least his credite and honour shall bee taken from him or least they steale away his vvealth or least his life be neere an end or least that vvhich hee loueth should be long absent Xenophon saith What pleasure or contentment can raigne in any mortall mans heart seeing that wee suffer so many griefes
without vs and so many feares torment vs within vs. Loe then you see these fiue principal griefs prooued vnto you although it was not needfull to prooue them seeing wee see that all men doe die all men weep that all men are full of sorrow that all men complaine and that all men liue in feare If wee could happily meet with any man now adaies vvho would bind himselfe to keepe vs from these griefes and cure vs of these feares vvhat vvould vvee denie him or vvhat vvould vvee not giue him If we pay bountifully and bee thankfull vnto the Phisitian vvho doth cure vs of one griefe vvhat should vvee pay or giue him or what thankes should vvee render vnto him who vvould cure vs of all Verè languores nostros ipse pertulit dolores nostres ipse portauit sayth Esayas chapter 54. As if hee would say The Redeemer of the vvorld and the heire of all eternities vvas he vvho tooke our infirmities vpon himselfe and did load and burthen himselfe with all our griefes sorrows In old time Esculapius the inuenter of Phisick was much set by the Greekes esteemed of Hipocrates their first Phisitian the Thebanes of Anthony Musa their first surgeon and the Romanes of Archagnatus their first Phisitian whome they adored for a time like an Idoll and in the end stoned him in Campus Martius The Greekes the Romanes the Thebans had neuer such a Phisitian as wee Christians haue of Christ for all other Phisitions of the vvorld can but counsell vs but our great Phisition hath science to counsell experience to cure and power to heale S. Augustine sayth There was neuer any such manner of curing in the world as Christ brought with him because that all other Phisitions before his time if they found any man sicke they left him sicke and if they found him in paine they left him in paine but holy Iesus did neuer lay his band vpon any that was diseased but hee left him whole Hilarius sayth WheÌ„ the Gospell saith of Christ Totum hominem saluum fecit bee spake it not so much for corporall infirmities as hee did for spirituall diseases the which are woont to proceed not of corrupted humours but of sinnes vvhich had taken root S. Ambrose sayth The sonne of God did then heale me of all my griefes when he tooke them vpon himselfe for seeing that they had such possession of me so long time rooted and wxt old in me how was it possible that any man should take them from me if hee had not cast them vpon himselfe Hee did cast my death vpon himselfe when he did die vpon the crosse hee did cast my sorrow vpon himselfe when he was in his agonie he did cast my teares vpon himselfe vvhen hee did vveepe for my sinnes hee did load my griefe vpon his owne backe when hee did taste vineger and gaule and hee did take my feare vpon himselfe when he did feare death like a man When a temporall Phisitian commeth to visite a sicke person hee dooth comply with him by taking him by the pulse and by giuing him a regiment of life and if hee find him to haue an ague hee leaueth him vvith it insomuch that they may better bee called counsellours seeing they doe giue counsell onely than Phisitians seeing they cure not God forbid that any such thing should bee said of our Phisitian seeing that from the time that he came down from heauen to cure the world he himselfe became sicke cured him who was sick and he who was sicke did rise vp aliue and the Phisitian remained there dead and the reason of that was because he changed the health which he brought with him with the sicknesse which the other had O that this exchange was a glorious and happy exchange which thou diddest make with me good Iesus seeing that thou didst change thy goodnesse for my naughtinesse thy clemency for my iustice thy health for my infirmity thy innocency for my malice and thy paine and punishment for my fault And because we haue made mention before of fiue notable paines euils with the which all mortall men are beaten and afflicted it is reason that wee see in this place how the sonne of God did bear our weaknesses vnburdening vs of them and burdening himselfe with them Verè languores nostros ipse pertulit when he said in the garden of Gethsemani my soule is heauy vnto death for with those dolefull words he loaded his soule wâ—â—h my heauinesse and did vnload vpon me all his ioy WheÌ„ did our ioy begin but in his greatest sorrow So long as God did not know by experience what sorrow was we did neuer know what mirth was and from that day that hee began to weepe we began to laugh Hee did truly take our infirmiries vpon him when good Iesus vpon his knees in the garden said vnto his Father Transeat a me calix iste for in that agonie hee did cast all my feare vpon himselfe to the end that I should afterward be lesse timorous Before that God tooke flesh he was feared of all men and did feare no man and wicked man did feare all things and was feared of no body but since the time that Christ like a fearefull man said my soule is sorrowfull and heauy there is no reason that we should fear any thing for his feare was sufficient to make all the world couragious S. Barnard vpon that saying Cum ipso sum in tribulatione sayth Seeing that thou doest bind thy selfe O good Iesus by these words to be alwaies at hand with me and to be by my side when I shall be afflicted and persecuted why or for what cause or whereof should I bee afeard There is no cause to feare the flesh seeing that thou diddest make thy selfe flesh there is no cause to feare the deuill seeing that thou hast ouercome him there is no cause to feare sinne because thou hast brought it to an end there is no cause to feare the world because thou hast ouercome it there is no cause to feare man seeing thou hast redeemed him neither will I feare thee O my good Iesus but loue thee Before that thou diddest make thy selfe man I was man who did feare now I am he who is feared sinne doth feare mee because I admit him not the flesh feareth mee because I cherish him not the diuell feareth me because I beleeue him not and the world feareth me because I follow him not He did then truly take our infirmities vpon him when as vpon the altar of the crosse he did crie with a loud voice and many teares and when hee praied and shed many teares with the which hee did wash away our offences He did then take our infirmities vpon him when as in the last houre he did yeeld vp his ghost Inclinato capite accepting the death which his Father did offer him to transferre life into vs. Damascen sayth From what time did we loose the shame of death but since Christ
I am making O from my selfe then God desend me When such graue and wise men doe complaine on themselues wee haue small reason to trust to our selues because a wise man should distrust none more than himselfe I will iustly say Factus sum mihimet ipsi grauis for if I bee in the kings displeasure I forsake his countrey if I am pursued by iustice I flie from it if I be troubled with a naughty neighbour I remoue into another street but hauing my owne proper wil to my enemy how should I possibly flie from my selfe Who will not say I am made grieuous vnto my selfe seeing that within my owne heart I harbour loue and hatred contentment and discontment my will and my nill my liking disliking my ioies and my griefes and also my delight and my sorrow For my owne part I say and confesse that I am grieuous vnto my selfe considering that I vvillingly would that I had no such vvill for pride doth puffe mee vp enuy dooth consume mee gluttony doth wast mee anger causeth mee hatred incontinency dooth disquiet mee in so much that if I doe abstaine from sinne it is not because I haue not a vvill vnto it but because I am vveary and can sinne no more O how true it is Quòd factus sum mihimet ipsi grauis for if I bee sicke it is because I haue eaten too much if I bee poore it is because I tooke my pleasure too much if I bee imprisoned it is because I haue stolne if I bee sad it is for that I loued if I bee ashamed it is for somewhat that I haue coÌ„mitted if I be disconteÌ„ted it is through my own choise and if I haue committed an errour in my owne choise whom should I blame but my selfe If the truth bee well examined there is no man who ought to be more grieued with any man than with himselfe for as of one part we doe nothing else but complaine of the troubles and trauels which we suffer so on the other part we our selues doe continually seeke them If it be true that I am grieuous vnto my selfe with whome shall I haue a good peace if I my selfe doe make warre against my selfe Who shall deale with me that I bee not grieuous and troublesome seeing that I my selfe cannot bee content vvith my selfe By what meanes can I possibly set my neighbours at one if my sensuality and reason doe bandy one against the other Who vntill this day hath euer had more cruell enemies against him than I haue now of my owne thoughts and desires considering that they draw me to that which is good afeared and amazed and vnto that which is vvicked vvith great confidence and boldnesse I doe conclude then and say that considering the time which I lose and the small profite which I make the care I haue in sinning and careleslenes I haue in amending the great goodnesse I receiue at God his hands and how little I serue him the euill which I doe and the good which I hinder I am greatly ashamed to liue very sore afraid to die The end of the fourth word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse Here beginneth the fift of the seuen words which the sonne of God spake vpon the Crosse to wit Sitio that is I am a thirst CHAP. I. Why the sonne of God did bid all those which were a thirst come vnto him and yet said vpon the crosse that he himselfe was a thirst SCiens Iesus quia omnia consummata sunt vt consummaretur Scriptura dicit Sitio These are one of the seuen words which Christ spake vpon the crosse which S. Iohn rehearseth in the 19 chapter as if he would say The sonne of God knowing that all that touched the redemption of all the world was now finished hauing an intention that all the scripture should be accomplished he spake the fift word saying Sitio that is I am a thirst Christ did well know that it was written in the Psalme In siti mea potauerunt me aceto seeing that to fulfill the Scripture he suffered that great thirst to the end that all the mysteries should bee accomplished vvhich were prophecied of his death The Prophets had prophecied many things in Christs name which hee should doe when hee came into the world among the which they had prophecied that he should suffer very great thirst and therefore to say that he had thirst to fulfill the Scripture was to say that hee did suffer that torment to vngage his vvord Christ did deale like a friend with all the Prophets and holy men of old time considering that to the cost of his life and great trauell of his holy person he did accomplish and fulfill all that which they had laid downe in Scripture to the great credite of the Prophets and great glory of holy writ and with the great trauell of his owne person Christ said preaching that there was no tittle no point nor sentence of holy Scripture vvhich should not be fulfilled according vnto the letter The first mystery of the incarnation Ecce virgo conciptes was fulfilled litterally seeing himselfe vvas a virgine and borne of a virgine and also the last mystery of his passion was accomplished litterally Dederunt in escam meam fel in siti mea potauerunt me aceto Seeing that they gaue him vpon the crosâ—e gaule and vineger to drinke What did Christ meane when he said that to fulfill the Scripture hee had such great thirst but that hee might now freely depart and goe out of this vvorld seeing that all the redemption was ended and the Scripture accomplished The simple Reader ought not to imagine that the sonne of God would not haue come into the world nor redeemed the world nor endured this torment and thirst if it had not been written in the Prophets for hee must learne that the Scriptures are tied vnto Christ and not Christ vnto the Scriptures because that they should not haue been written if hee should not haue been borne and crucified and yet he should haue been borne and crucified although the scripture had not spoken it Venerable Beed sayth Seeing that all Christs actions are great and those of his death and passion most great it is much to be noted and to bewondered at why it was the pleasure of the sonne of God that his thirst should be his last work and that he would depart out of this life with great thirst S. Augustine sayth The last griefe and paine which Christ suffered was his thirst the last complaint which hee made vvas of his thirst and the last request vvhich hee made vvas for a cup of vvater and the last torment vvhich he endured vvas of the gaule vineger and mire vvhich hee dranke because that immediately after that hee had tasted of that cup he gaue vp his ghost vnto his Father Seeing therfore that this thirst is the last torment the last request the last complaint and the last vvorke that Christ did in
this vvorld it is conuenient that vvee tell vvho hee is vvho suffereth this thirst vvhere hee dooth suffer it for vvhome hee doth suffer it and at vvhat time he doth suffer it Hee vvho suffereth is Christ the place vvhere is vpon the crosse I am hee for vvhose sake hee suffered it the time vvas vntill death insomuch that with the same great thirst vvhich hee endured his soule vvas drawne and pulled out of his body The high mysteries of the crosse of Christ may vvell bee compared vnto the eating of Pine-apples and their kernels the vvhich the oftener they be cast into the fire and taken out the more kernels they yeeld to eat and more huske to burn That which happeneth vnto the labourer vvith those Pines and kernels dooth happen vnto vs in these diuine mysteries in the vvhich the more vvee thinke vpon the passion and crosse the more secrets vvee discouer and the more mysteries vvee find Cyprian sayth That vvhich men dispose of a little before their death is alwaies of greater importance than that vvhich vve deale vvith in our life time because it is done vvith greater heed prouided for with deeper consideration ordered vvith better discretion rated and determined vvith better conscience No man did euer dispose better of his life and soule than Christ did of his owne person and the church because hee disposed of them vvith more care than Iacob vvth more pittie than Isaac with more discretion than Iosue vvith greater wisedome than Dauid and greater bounty and liberality than Salamon Mulier da mihi bibere said Christ to the Samaritane vvoman As if hee vvould say Giue mee a cup of vvater good woman because thou seest that I am weary of the way and very thirsty When Christ said vnto the woman Da mihi bibere and also when he said vpon the crosse I am a thirst it was a signe that he had been a thirst many daies and also many yeares and very desirous to quench his thirst with water That which Christ sayth in the 7 of Saint Iohn seemeth to bee very contrary vnto this If any man bee a thirst let him come vnto mee Vpon a solemne day of Easter Christ cried publikely in the market place If any man bee a thirst let him come vnto mee O high mystery and deepe secret who is able to vnderstand that which Christ sayth in this place seeing that sometime hee asketh the Samaritane woman for a little water and on the crosse hee sayth that he dieth with thirst and yet on the other side hee maketh open proclamation that all vvhich bee thirsty should come vnto him How can these two speeches hang together Woman giue mee some drinke and this If any man bee a thirst let him come vnto mee Doest thou inuite all men to come to drinke at thy Tauerne and hast thou not a cup of water for to quench thy owne thirst For the better vnderstanding of this it is to bee noted that God doth take some things of vs and yet there are some things which God doth giue vnto vs which is easily perceiued in that hee tooke flesh of vs when hee would become man and yet if wee vvill become pure and holy hee must impart his grace vnto vs. This being so vvhen Christ sayth If any man bee a thirst let him come vnto mee hee doth giue vs to vnderstand that hee is the fountaine of grace of the vvhich vvee should all drinke of and vvhen hee sayih Woman giue mee some drinke he doth let vs also vnderstand that there are some things in vs of the which hee would bee serued vvithall When the sonne of God sayth If any man bee thirsty let him come vnto mee to vvhat vvater thinkest thou doth he inuite thee but vnto the water of his grace and of his glory And when hee sayth vnto the Samaritane woman giue me drinke what water thinkest thou did he ask but onely patience and obedience Christ doth inuite vs to drinke of his great goodnesse and fauours and hee craueth of vs of the water of the pooles of our poore seruice saying Da mihi bibere in so much that to shew the great loue which hee doth beare vnto his creatures hee faineth that hee hath need of their seruices S. Barnard vpon those wordes of the Psalme Sitiuit anima mea ad deum fontem viuum sayth O what a great difference there is betwixt the thirst of the good and the bad because the bad thirst after nothing but wickednesse and the good after vertues the bad after temporall things and the good after spirituall the one after sinne and the other after amendment so that all the thirst of the wicked is after sinne and the thirst of the good after salnation Basil vpon the Psalme sayth The Prophet vvould neuer haue said My soule hath thirsted after God a liuely spring if hee could haue found the fountayne of glory in this vvorld and the vvater of grace in this life But alasse of how many vvaters soeuer wee drinke of and how many waters soeuer wee seeke for wee shall neuer meet with the water of life vntill vvee come to enioy the diuine essence Hugo de sancto victore vpon the Psalme sayth All the thinges of this life are drie fountaines and dead waters conrary all things of glory are fresh fountaines and water of life for there and not here vvee shall liue all contented and not thirst at all All which liue in this vvorld liue in hunger and thirst because all the vices vvhich wee like of doe hurt and not profite make vs sorrowfull and not ioifull vveary and not recreate vs loath and not fill vs. What vicious man is there in the world who the more he doth giue himselfe to vice is not the more thirsty after them Let not the Deuill deceaue thee my brother in saying I vvill now cloy and glut my selfe vvith vice for the more thou doest eat and drinke and bee merry although thou doe seeme to bee fully satisfied yet thou art not so but onely a vveary Saint Barnard vpon the Passion of our Lord sayth What dooth it meane that the sonne of God went out of this vvorld dead with thirst but onely that there is nothing in this world that can quench the thirst of our soule Anselmus sayth How is it possible O my good Iesus how is it possible that I should liue in the vvorld contented and fully satisfied seeing that thou diddest depart out of it hungry and thirsty S. Ierome vpon S. Luke saith All that the vvorld doth giue vs to quench our thirst withall is but vineger and all that hee giueth vs to mittigate our hunger is but gaule the which thinges being vvell prooued doe take away our life and not our thirst Robertus vpon Saint Iohn sayth That for the son of God to die vvith thirst is to let vs vnderstand that haue we neuer so many dignities let vs heap vp neuer so much riches and let vs proue neuer so many vices
Barnard sayth If this that is said Cumipso sum in tribulatione be not performed in thee thinke with thy self that thou doest not suffer that tribulation for Christ but for thy friend and thy selfe and therfore in that case let him help and succour thee for whome thou doest suffer that danger If thou doe not make reckoning of Christ nor thinke on him nor suffer for his sake what hath Christ to doe with thy paint and trauaile If thou do suffer for the flesh let the flesh help thee if thou suffer for the world let the world deliuer thee if thou suffer for thy friend let thy friend giue thee aid if thou doe suffer for Christ to Christ commend thy selfe for if thou doe serue others what reason is it that thou shouldst ask fauour of him Saint Basil sayth What friend had God at any time whom hee forgot or in what tribulation did hee euer see him when hee helped him not Gregory in his Register sayth Hee who did not forget Noe in the floud nor Abraham in Chaldea nor Lot in Sodome nor Isaac in Palestine nor Iacob in Assyria nor Daniel in Babilon doest thou think that he will forget thee in thy affliction and tribulation Remigius sayth If this promise of Cum ipso sum in tribulatione bee not kept with thee thinke that our Lord dooth it either for thy greater profite or his owne seruice for the greater the tribulation is which thou endurest the more thou doest merite for thy soule and if it be not for this cause it is because thou shalt fall into some greater danger from the which our Lord doth keepe his holy hand and diuine succour to deliuer thee And because that the curious Reader may not thinke that wee swarue from our purpose it is to bee noted that the Prophet Helius whose figure we handled was beset with three grieuous persecutions that is with the warre which was in Iury with the famine which was ouer all the land and with Iezabels hatred He durst not preach for feare of the Queene hee durst not goe abroad for feare of the warre hee durst not hide himselfe for feare of famine and hunger in so much that this holy Prophet was so much without hope of remedy that he knew not whether hee should haue his throat cut openly or whether he should die for hunger secretly Our Lord therefore to fulfill his promise Cum ipso sum in tribulatione tooke him out of Iury vnwitting to the souldiors and did hide him in Carith where no man could see him and sent him meat by crowes to feed on and did prouide him a streame of water to drinke of Wee may gather by this example what a good Lord wee haue and what care hee hath ouer vs if wee serue him seeing that hee doth pay vs for all wee doe and succour vs for all that we suffer for him To come now vnto the purpose all this figure was fulfilled in Christ at the foot of the letter for as Heliac was persecuted by Iezabel so was Christ of the Synagogue and Christ found as great a famine of good men as Helias did in Samaria of victuals Hugo de sancto victore sayth vpon those words of Ieremy Paruuli petierunt panem The bread which the little ones cried for to ear and the lamentation which Ieremy made because there was no man to giue it him was not vnderstood of the materiall bread which was woont to bee in the arke but of spirituall bread wherewith the soules are fed and to say that there was no man found to giue it them was as much as to say that there was no good man left to preach vnto them Chrisostome in an Homily sayth In Commonwealths well gouerned the want of a good man is greater than the famine of bread and wine because we haue seene that God hath sent a famine for the demerits of one man alone and after abundance for one good mans sake alone Ambrose sayth Famine warre and pestilence are much to bee feared in naughty Commonwealths and where there are no good persons for although our Lord doth suffer them to come for a time yet he doth not consent that they should long time endure What goodnesse haue Commonwealths in them if they haue no good men in thē And what want they if they doe not want good men Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth When I hear a knill rung for the dead my soule is presently driuen into a perplexity whether I should weepe first for the good which die or the bad which liue because there is as great reason that we should weepe for the life of the bad as for the death of the good Now that we haue prooued that the want famine of good men is more dangerous in a city than a dearth of victuals who doth doubt but that the scarsenesse which Christ sound in the Synagogue was greater than that which Helias found in Palestine What good thing or what good man could there be in the Synagogue where the Viceroy Pilate was a Tyrant the famous high Priest Caiphas a Symoniacle the maisters the Pharisies Hypocrites and the counsellours the Sadduces Heretikes and their kings and Prophets all ended The sonne of God did kill this hunger when hee gaue the world a church for a Synagogue Apostles for Prophets a law of loue for a law of feare a new Testament for an old the spirit for the letter the truth for the figure and his holy grace for our old offence What would haue become of vs if Christ had not left so many good men in his church Hee left vs many Martyrs many confessours many virgines many doctors in so much that when Christ died although hee left not the vvorld many bookes to read in yet hee left vs many Saints to follow The figure sayth further that Helias went to hide himselfe in the water-brooke of Carith which was a figure that the sonne of God should come to take flesh and hide himselfe in the entralls of the Virgines wombe and as it was figured in Helias so it was accomplished in Christ because that vnder his humanity vvhich hee tooke vpon him hee did hide his diuinity which hee carried with him When the Prophet Esayas said Verè tues deus absconditus hee knew well that God would hide himselfe for a time and remoue himselfe from their eies seeing that the catholicke Church did acknowledge him and the vnhappy Synagogue was vngratefull vnto him Recede hinc absconde te in torrentem Carith the eternall Father spake these words vnto his precious sonne as if hee had said vnto him Goe my sonne goe and hide thy selfe in the world because thou maist redeeme the world Where thou shalt hide thy power because thou maist suffer thou shalt hide thy wisedome because they may mock thee thou shalt hide thy prudence because they may take thee to bee vnwise thou shalt hide thy iustice because they are to iudge thee like a blasphemer
and thou shalt hide thy strength because thou maist the better die O how well this was fulfilled in Christ hide thy selfe in the water-brooke of Carith for if he should not haue hidden his great power before Pilate who would haue been able to take his life from him If the son of God should not haue hidden his eternal wisedome durst the Pharisies haue mocked at his doctrine as they did If Christ should not haue hidden the rigour of his iustice who would haue beene able to doe iustice vpon him If Christ should not haue hidden his inexpugnable strength how should it haue beene possible for any man to draw his life out of his body The Prophet Zachary spake vnto this purpose Ibi abscondita est potentia eius As if hee would haue said Thou maist not looke O Synagogue thou maist not looke for a Messias which will bee mighty but weake not rich but poor not in health but sicke do not imagine that he should be honourable but throwne downe doe not proclaime him for to bee a great Lord but a seruant hee shall not bee a warriour but a man of peace and hee shall not goe much openly but for the most part in hucker mucker Seeing that Esaias sayth thou art truly a hidden God and also Zacharias that his power is hidden why dooth the Synagogue looke that the Messias should come openly considering that their Prophets said that hee was to come secretly Origen in his Periarchon sayth Because the sonne of God came not to fight with visible men but with inuisible sinnes and enemies there was no necessity that he should come fighting but preaching it was not needful that hee should wander ouer all the world but only publish his Gospell among them all and if the arrogant Iewes did not reach vnto the knowledge thereof it was not because they could not but because they would not Theophilus sayth speaking with the church the Prophet Dauid sayth Deus noster manifeste veniet and speaking vvith the Synagogue the Propht Esay sayth Vere tu es deus absconditus and therevpon it happeneth that the vnhappie Israelites although they were learned in knowledge yet of no credite in conscience and so they deserued not to know him because they vvould not beleeue him The figure goeth further and sayth that the place where Helias went to hide himselfe vvas at water-brookes of Carith which is as much to say as a thing cut in sunder or parted in the middle which had bin once whole The water-brooke where Christ did hide himselfe was the depth and vehemency of his passion where our good Lord entered diuing and ducking as in a dirty and dangerous riuer where hee remained drowned and dead in the water of his passion and the sonne of God pâ—â—ted himselfe in two when his soule went into hell and his body remained in the graue and when those parts which made him a man were dissolued although they were neuer seuered from the Hypostaticall vnion seeing that he was aswell God in hell and in the graue as hee is this day in heauen He was so hidden in the brooke of his passion that there was no part of his diuinity seene and the beauty of his humanity scarsely perceiued and because our blessed Redeemer would suffer his enemies to be reuenged on him hee did suspend for that time the operation of those miracles which might haue hindered his passion The figure sayth further that the Prophet Helias being in the brooke secret and close crowes of the fields brought him his dinner in the forenoon and his supper at night so that the birds gaue him to eat and the water to drink If this mystery were not a figure and foretelling of some other great mystery it were to bee thought that as God did send the Prophet Daniel meat by Abachuch the Prophet so hee would haue sent Helias meat by some other Prophet or holy man If by Helias Christ be figured by Iezabel the Synagogue by the persecution his passion and by the brooke the crosse and by the water his bloud and by his hiding himselfe his death why should not the crowes signifie the Iews Seeing there were Eagles inowe in the aire and Pigeons plenty in the world what great ability did God see in the crow that he should make him steward vnto Helias his faithfull friend What was the meaning that God did commit Helias to the crowes but that hee should also commit his sonne into the hands of the Iewes The qualities of a Crow are to bee in colour blacke in flying flow in his flesh hard in smelling quicke in eating rauenous and in condition vngratefull And because the rauen or crow is an vngratefull bird the Prouerbe is that if thou bring vp a Crow hee will pecke out thy eie The people of the Iewes were an vngratefull Crow vnto Christ seeing that for a recompence that he tooke flesh of them and taught them so long time although they did not pecke out his eies yet they crucified all his members on the crosse What bad thing is there in the crow that is not also in the Iewes They are blacke in faith slow in iudgement hard in beliefe cruell in condition ready to malice and most couetous What meaneth this O my Father what meaneth this After that thy sonne had liued thirty three whole years doest thou command him to be cast vnto Crowes Certainly the Crowes which we see with our eies are not so cruell as the Iewes which wee speake off because the Crowes doe eat of nothing vntill it be dead but the wicked Iewes did venter vpon Christ when hee was yet aliue O that Helias did farre better with his Crowes than the good Iesus with the Iewes because Helias Crowes did giue him bread and flesh to eat but Christs crowes gaue him nothing but vineger and gaule to tast Let the conclusion of all our speech be that it was better with Helias in his banishment and water-brooke thaÌ„ with Christ on the Mount of Caluary because Helias went out aliue from the water and Christ remained dead on the Mount of Caluary and Helias did neuer know what hunger was but the sonne of God did neuer kill his hunger nor quench his thirst CHAP. III. How the hangmen dranke the wine which was brought vnto him and the other theeues and did suffer Christ to die with thirst SVper vestimentis pignoratis accubuerunt tuxta altare vinum damnatorum bibebant in dome dei sui Osei 2. God spake these words complaining on the Israelits as if hee would say My people of Israel are come to such mad and shamelesse behauiour that within the Temple and hard at the altar they dranke the wine which was prepared for the condemned and they lay downe and leaned vpon the garments which were laid to pledge It is an vsuall thing and common in tauerns that drunkards doe cast themselues downe to sleepe vpon other mens apparrell and if it bee in hote Summer to sleepe vpon the
secret in them and discouer some mystery in the expounding of them Whose figure doth Ionas represent but onely the good and godly and who were the Marriners which threw him into the sea but onely wicked men Then the Marriners doe cast Ionas into the sea when the wicked doe persecute and cast downe the good because there is no greater torment to a naughty man than to heare a good man praised in his presence Of all those which were in that ship onely Ionas was a holy and vertuous man as it doth plainly appeare because there was no one which spake against the throwing of him into the sea but were all of one opinion in that fact for albeit naughty men bee sometime at variance among themselues yet in doing of mischiefe they easily agree in one O in what greater danger good mens fame and credite is in among the wicked than their liues and goods in the deepe seas which is plainly seene in that that men did cast the holy Prophet Ionas from them and the waters did receiue him into them Origen vpon holy Iob sayth What should become of the good if God had no care ouer them What would not naughty men venter to doe with their smal shame lesse conscience if their power should stretch as far as their malice If thou wilt see my brother the care that God hath to keepe thee if thou haue a care to serue him thou shalt see it in the holy Prophet Ionas in that our Lord had prepared long before a fish to saue him than the Marriners had determined to drowne him The fish which did saue the Propher Ionas did not put him by him nor on him nor vnder him but within him and so kept him so warily in his entrals that neither the fish durst kill him nor the waters drowne him O that thy goodnesse is infinit thy charity very great my good Iesus seeing that thou doest acquit all those which the world doth condemne loue those which the world hateth receiue those which he casteth off foster those which he suffereth to perish and giuest honour vnto all those which the world doth dishonour Aymon vpon Ionas saith The Prophet Ionas slept in the lowest part of the ship the Marriners did cast him into the bottome of the sea the Whale kept him in the secretest part of his bowels I mean by this that Christ dooth put vs in the daintiest part of his bowels for it is his propertie to keepe those in his hart which loue him from the hart S. Ierome saith If thou doe put Christ in thy eies to looke vpon him he doth put thee in his to looke vpon thee If thou place him in thy eares to heare him he doth place thee in his to heare thee if thou haue him in thy tongue to praise him he hath thee in his to honour thee if thou put him in thy heart to loue him hee doth put thee in his to loue thee insomuch that where thou doest put Christ Christ doth also in the same place put thee Vpon those words of the Psalme Iacta cogitatū tuū in domine S. Basil saith Yeeld thy selfe my brother yeeld thy selfe to the will of God goe whither he will direct thee do that which he commandeth thee giue him that which he asketh of thee beleeue him in that which he telleth thee for as hee preserued the Prophet Ionas in the Whales belly so hee will preserue thee in the dangers of this life By this which happened vnto the Prophet Ionas it is very euident that thre is nothing firm stable but that which God doth sustain nor nothing sure but that which God doth keep seeing that that holy Prophet was drie among the waters found comfort in danger a remedy against death and profite in his enemy Did he not find a remedy against death and profite in his enemy seeing the water did not only not drowne him nor the huge and great fish kill him but was in the Whales belly with as great contentment and delight as a Prince is in his roiall pallace We haue spoken all this because no man should omit to doe his duty or goe with the truth as farre as hee can for feare of temptation or ielousie of naughty persons because our Lord who deliuered Tobias that the fish should not deuour him and Ionas from the sea that it should not drowne him will also deliuer thee from temptations which follow thee from the enemies which persecute thee CHAP. VI. Here the Author followeth the figure which hee touched before which is declared well to the purpose and there is brought also a prophesie of Ieremy APprehende branchiam eius trahe eum ad te quod cum fecisset traxit eum in siccum Tobias 6. chapter These are the wordes which the Angel Raphael spake vnto yong Tobias as if he would say I haue told thee already that thou shouldest not feare this fish but rather as he came vnto thee so thou shouldest goe and meet him and apprehend him by the head and pull out his gilles all which I would not tell thee vnlesse I thought it conuenient for thee Although Tobias did not then know the Angel for to be an Angel but thought him to bee another man like himselfe yet notwithstanding he gaue credit vnto his speech and accepted of his counsell so that Tobias did immediately kill and panch the fish vpon the sand which thought to eat him in the vvater We doe in this place aduertise the curious Reader that he shall not be able to vnderstand this chapter if he doe not read the chapter afore going because this figure of Tobias vvas there begun and from thence is cited To continue then this figure the text sayth that Tobias did sit vpon the fish and tooke him by the sinnes neer vnto the head and by the gilles in the throat and drew him to the sand there did cut off his head and strip him and tooke out his heart liuer and kept his gaule for himselfe and did eat part of him and salted the rest for his iourney Who is Tobias but the Iudaicall people What was the fierce sea but the passion of Christ And vvhat vvas the great fish but the same Christ And vvhat vvas the sand vvhere the fish was panched but the high Mount of Caluary where Christ vvas put to death Tobias did greatiustice vpon that vnhappie fish vvhen hee panched him on the sands but the Synagogue did farre greater cruelties vpon Christ vvhen they tooke Christs life away on the Mount of Caluary for if Tobias did kill the fish it vvas because the Angell vvhich kept him did so command him but if the Synagogue did put Christ to death it was done of meere enuy and malice For the better vnderstanding of this place it is here to bee noted that it was done by a continuall miracle that Christ did neuer suffer his most holy soule to communicate and impart her glory vnto his
body because that if he had not hindered that his body had not ben passible at all It was for no other cause but Propter nostram salutë that our great Redeemer suffered the death vpon the crosse as if he had been a sinner Candolfus sayth Christ sometimes gaue place that the glory of his soule should redound and fall vpon the members of his body as it happened in the hill Thabor by reason vvhereof his precious flesh vvas so tender in suffering and so passing desirous to returne to the fruition of the same glory that the absence and delay of that diuine and heauenly comfort did bring Christ most grieuous torment Vpon those vvords of the Psalme Abyssus abyssum inuocat Saint Basil sayth for as much as the soule of the sonne of God vvas full of glory and his precious body loaden with grieuous paine and anguish O how oftentimes the depth of his trauailes and griefes did feruently desire and sigh after the depth of his comfort and consolation the vvhich his eternall Father vvould not impart vnto him vntill hee had ended the redemption of the vvorld O great goodnesse O infinite charity who but thou O my good Iesus vvas hungry vvith bread in his hand thirsty vvith vvater in his mouth naked vvith garments in his chests sad and afflicted with glory in his soule Vpon those vvords Tristis est anima mea S. Barnard sayth It is no maruell if my soule bee sorrowfull and full of anguish because the houre of my glory and felicity is not yet come but in thee O good Iesus why should thy flesh bee so wearied And why should thy soule be comfortlesse seeing that thou carriest with thee all the glory which is in heauen or in earth Vbertinus vpon this place sayth The Redeemer of the world being in the agony of death and very neere the end of his life remembring himselfe of that heauenly comfort and diuine influence vvhich from the glory of his soule was woont to bee imparted to his precious body spake this word Sitio as if he would say O how great the thirst is vvhich I suffer in this last houre and terrible agony to vvit of that influence and heauenly comfort which was woont to bee imparted from my owne soule vnto my owne flesh because this death and passion which my owne Father doth lay vpon this my weake flesh is not onely grieuous but doth also exceed all other humane punishment The great thirst that Christ suffered vpon the crosse and the cooling vvater which hee desired was not the water of the fountain of the hill Lybanus nor yet that which ran in the riuer Silo but that heauenly consolation which the glory of his soule vvas vvont to cause in him for that other humane thirst could not so much grieue him considering how neere hee vvas to the end of his life Wee haue vsed all this discourse to extoll the word of the figure which sayth Et traxit piscem in siccum It is to bee vnderstood that young Tobias did kill the fish vpon the sand vvhich would haue killed him in the water When thinkest thou did Tobias draw the fish vpon drie land but vvhen the eternall Father did leaue his blessed sonne vpon the crosse without any humane consolation O how drie was that drie tree vpon which the heauenly fish hanged vvho hauing been brought vp in the deepe sea of the diuine essence had not there so much as one drop of water to drinke What can be pitied more in this life than for a fish hauing been brought vp in the water yet afterward to die for vvant of vvater Tobias fish was hard by the vvater side and yet died vvith thirst and Christs flesh vvas coupeled with his holy soule and died also vvith thirst because the eternall Father to giue vs drinke of his water of heauen killed his owne onely sonne with thirst and brought him to die vpon the sands of this world If Tobias should not haue drawne the fish to the land hee could not haue mastered him if Christ had not become man neither could he haue died for howsoeuer it be naturall for vs to die yet it is much more naturall for God alwaies to liue What meaneth it that the selfe same fish of whome Tobias thought he should haue been deuoured lay dead afterward at his feet but that that God which all the powers of heauen did feare and tremble at we see now meek gentle hanged vpon the tree When God was nothing but God in his own diuine essence being all the world did feare him and tremble but after that hee came vpon our sandie humanity set foot vpon the drinesse of this world hee who before made others afeard was himselfe afraid and he who before did throw downe others fell himselfe and he who before enriched others became poore and he who gaue all comfort wept himselfe and hee who killed before died Desertum faciam mare eius siccabo venum eius said God by the Prophet Ieremy chap. 51. as if he would say I will make all his sea as drie and without vvater as desart and solitary mountains are woont to bee and I will cut off all the vaines and streames of his depth because there shal flow no water at any end These words must curiously be expounded for God to say that the sea shall bee as drie as a solitary mountaine and that hee will cut off all the vaines of his course throughout all the world seemeth to bee a new speech and a thing that was neuer seene to be beleeued Leauing the letter speaking according vnto the sence of these words the eternal Father doth forewarne his precious sonne that he wil not onely deale with him like one which will not he are him nor giue him any comfort but also that he will cut off all occasions whereby hec may any way receiue comfort in so much that to make the sea become a desart is to make of God a true man and to cut off the vaines of the sea is to cut off all heauenly consolation What other thing was that deepe sea but onely the diuine essence And what else was it to make a drie desart of the raging sea but to make him who was the eternal God a true mā God said by the mouth of his Prophet Desertum faciammare eius speaking of his son and as he did prophecie so he did accomplish it for when he hanged vpon the altar of the crosse he neuer made answere to any petition which hee made him nor yet to quench his thirst gaue him so much as one cup of water What a strange thing is this O eternall Father what a strange thing is this For thy bastard abortiue childrē thou didst drawwater out of the liuely rock for thy lawful son hast thou not so much as one drop Whē Agar her son Ismael were ready to perish with thirst in the mountaines of Bersabee neere vnto the Mount Lybanus
art vnto the children of vanity and lightnesse who doe shew their essence and yet are nothing shew their power and yet can doe nothing shew their wisedome and yet doe know nothing CHAP. XIII Where he goeth forward with the figure mentioned before ADhue sitit expergifactus sayth Esay in the place before named as if hee would say When the redeemer of the world did awake vpō the crosse hee did awake very drie and thirsty which was so great a thirst that it continueth vntill this day it is most certaine that when a man doth suffer many griefes at one time that he speaketh of that which grieueth him most and pointeth with his hand where his greatest paine lieth The anguishes which Christ suffered in his mind were innumerable and the griefes which hee endured in his body were intollerable and that which is most of all to be meruelled at is that his torments being so many and so sharpe as they were yet he complained of none of them on the crosse but only of the thirst which he endured Saint Barnard sayth O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule hauing so many things to complaine on doest thou onely complaine of thirst Thy shoulders are naked and whipped thy hands broken thy head bleeding thy flesh brused and yet doest thou complaine on nothing but of the thirst which troubleth thee and of want of water Doest thou complain that thou art thirsty and not that thou art bloudy hast thou not greater want of thy bloud than of water Seeing the bloud which runneth from thy head doth bath thy face wet thy tongue why doest thou aske againe for water For a quarter of an houre that thou hast to liue doest thou complaine that thou wantest water O that the thirst which I suffer saith Christ is not to drinke wine or water but to see your amendment and carry you with mee to my glory for seeing that I am now taking my iourney to heauen I haue a great thirst to take my elect with mee The thirst which I haue the drinesse which I endure is not so much to drink any liquor as to redeem you and saue you and reconcile you with my Father and therefore if thou haue no pitty on mee yet at the least take some on thy selfe O that I had rather that thou haddest some pitty on thy selfe than on mee because it is a greater griefe to see thee lost than to see my self suffer S. Augustine sayth Thou diddest adde vnto all thy anguishes this word Sitio shewing thereby such a great thirst and representing outwardly the exceeding loue that thou diddest beare me inwardly and vnspeakable charity which caused thee to make but small account of all that thou diddest suffer in respect of that desire which thou haddest to suffer And he sayth further O my good Iesus I know well that thy thirst is not for thy selfe but for me and this thy anguish is for no other cause but for the saluation of my soule and when thou saiest that thou hast a desire to drinke that is as much to say as to suffer more for mee in so much that the care that thou hast ouer me is so great that by meanes thereof thou doest wholly forget thy selfe What meaneth this O redeemer of my soule what meaneth this Thy ioints being loosed one from another thy eies broken thy mother hauing her farewell and hauing complained on thy Father doest thou say anew I am a thirst What pitty may be compared vnto this or what goodnesse equall vnto this Oredeemer of my soule Wee see by this word Sitio that death was sufficient to take all thy dolors and griefes from thee and yet that it was not inough to cut off the loue which thou haddest to redeeme vs. Who is able to say truly that thy loue did end vpon the crosse considering that for the loue of thy elect thou diddest yet thirst after more griefes and anguishes All this Saint Augustine spake Chrisostome sayth When the eternall word said vpon the crosse I am a thirst I doe not beleeue that hee did so much aske for water to drinke as hee did aske for time of his Father to suffer more griefe and torment For as the candle when it is going out doth cast the greatest light so Christ the more his death drew neere the more his loue and charity doth kindle towards vs. Remigius vpon Saint Matthew sayth Although the diuine prouidence did reduce all the trauailes of his life vnto three yeares and that also hee brought all the torments of the crosse vnto three houres yet it is not to bee beleeued that Christ his infinite charity was contented with this short time and therefore I thinke for my owne part that the thirst which hee shewed vpon the tree vvas not so much to drinke of any water of the riuer as to declare and make manifest his loue vnto the world Fulgentius in a Sermon sayth The sonne of God did thinke that seeing his Father had not giuen him charity by waight so hee should not giue him torment by measure by reason whereof hee cried aloud on the crosse Sitio to let vs vnderstand by this thirst that seeing the gifts which hee receiued had no end that the torments likewise which he receiued should not be limitted CHAP. XIIII Of the crueltie and ingratitude that the Iewes vsed in giuing Christ gaule and vineger and how he satisfied for euery sinne in particular DEderunt in escam meam fel in siti mea potauerunt me aceto sayth Christ by the Prophet as if hee would say Being vpon the altar of the crosse full of torments loaden vvith griefes compassed with enemies I had scarsely spoken the word Sitio but they gaue mee gaule to eat and vineger to drinke There is much matter to bee spoken vpon this that is what drinke they gaue him when they gaue it him where they gaue it him why they gaue it him in what they gaue it him and how quickly they gaue it him The drinke which they gaue him was gaule and vineger the place where was vpon the crosse the time was when hee was yeelding vp the ghost the cause why was to helpe him to die they gaue it him in a reed and a spunge and that presently when he had thirst so that all these circumstances doe aggrauate the fault in them Wee find that the diuell made two banquets in this world the one in the terrestriall paradise vnto our Father where he gaue him the fruit of the tree to eat the other to Christ in the desert where he inuited him to stones of the field the which might haue ben ground sifted and so mingled that they might haue been eaten The Iewes gaue Christ worser meat than the diuell offered him in the desart for they gaue him gaule to eat and vineger to drinke which are bitter and soure horrible in tast and mortal in eating For as the Philosopher sayth The truest loue is the loue of children the smell
and a great louer In Salomons Temple the things of gold were so measured those of wood so leuelled that when they were laid downe there was no Ax nor hamber heard When the Holy-ghost did frame the Temple of the most sacred humanity of Christ in the wombe of the blessed Virgine Mary hee framed it so iust and made it in all perfection so exquisite that there was there no axe of sinne nor hamber of the diuell The windowes of that temple were broader within than vvithout to signifie vnto vs that the loue which Christ had secretly in his entrails was farre greater and broder than the wounds were which hee suffered for vs and although that at the beginning he doth lead his a straight and narrow way yet after that they doe tast of his heauenly loue he maketh all things broad and large vnto them In this holy Temple of Christ we must offer pure gold and excellent siluer which wee doe then when in heart we beleeue him and with our mouth confesse him There must also be offered latten copper and brasse by which we may vnderstand the vertue of patience for as those mettals doe suffer many blowes and serue to many vses so the vertue of patience doth suffer many iniuries and maketh many men vertuous It is fit for vs to offer there a â—acinth stone which is of the colour of heaueÌ„ to signifie therby vnto vs that al our works desires shold be directed to attain heaueÌ„ because that is in heauen which we do beleeue on earth there he dwelleth whoÌ„ we preach here and that is recompenced there which wee suffer here Wee should offer also in the liuely Temple of that blessed humility scarlet wel coloured and fine whereby is vnderstood the memory which wee ought to haue of his holy passion the which if it was troublesome for him to suffer is most profitable for vs to contemplate O how happy should he be of whoÌ„ it might be said thy hears are like vnto the scarlet of the king died in the gutters What are the heares but my thoughts and what are the gutters but his precious wounds and what is the coloured scarlet but his most precious flesh died in his owne precious bloud O who could be worthy to wash in this bloud the heares of his thoughts euery day a little time for seeing them of that colour they would presently be acceptable to Christ Thou shouldest offer also in this most holy TeÌ„ple scarlet twise died that is loue doubled if thou wilt know what loue doubled is we tell thee that it is the loue of God and the loue of thy neighbor He offereth scarlet twise died who doth the works of charity vnto his neighbour and giueth no euill speech vnto any man and hee doth also offer scarlet twise died who offereth his soule vnto God and part of his goods vnto his neighbour in necessity God did also command fine white linnen to be offered vnto him whereby a chast and a clean conuersation is vnderstood because there is nothing in this world in greater danger than the fame of a vertuous person Flie then my brother flie the occasions of the world and trust not so much as thy selfe for how much the finer the thrid of thy fame is the sooner it will be broken spotted if thou haue not a viligant care ouer it God commaunded likewise that they should offer him in his Temple timber of the wood Cethin because it was incorruptible whereby are vnderstood all perfect works and well finished and this hee noteth that if in vertuous workes wee haue not great constancy and peseuerance the worme dooth consume them like as they doe timber God doth also command that they should offer in his Temple goats heare if they had nothing else nor no other riches and therevpon the Lord may offer what he will and man what hee can What other thing are the goats heare which thou art to offer vnto him but only our sharpe and austere workes with the which wee are to serue him With a vile and base and rough couering cloath of gold and fine silke is kept and with a seuere life fame is conserued and a clean conscience because that dainty meats and curious apparell are not to bee vsed among perfect men O how happy hee should bee who might say with Christ Consummatum est that is that he followed our Lord vntil the last houre as hee might and offered vnto him that which he had CHAP. V. How that all the mysteries and prophesies which God had prophesied of him were most highly fulfilled in Christ in Ierusalem ECce ascendimus Hierosolimam consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de filio hominis Luke 18. Christ spake these wordes vnto his disciples in the last iourney that hee made with them in this life and it as if hee would say Behold we goe vp into the great city of Ierusalem where all the prophesies shall bee fulfilled which are written of mee and where the sonne of the virgine shall bee deliuered vnto the Gentiles shal be scorned and spet vpon whipped and put to death and after three daies they shall see him risen again Before all things it is principally to be noted that whersoeuer this aduerb Ecce is put there is alwaies signified some great mystery as in Esayas Ecce Behold a virgine shall bring forth in the incarnation Ecce Behold the handmaid of the Lord in the transfiguration Ecce Behold a white cloud in the temptation Ecce Behold the Angels shall minister vnto him and in his resurrection Ecce behold an earthquake The things which Christ spake vnto them in this place were so high and the mystery so great which hee discouereth vnto them that they could not onely not vnderstand it but they were also afeared and began to tremble to heare it for they thought it a violent thing that they should martyr a holy man and they thought it a very strange thing that any man should rise againe Theophilus vpon S. Matthew sayth That it is much to bee noted that in all other iournies which Christ made it is alwaies said that hee went in the company of his disciples this one excepted where hee sayth that hee went before them to declare the great ioy that hee had to see that hee went to die and suffer passion for those whom he meant to redeeme and saue The difference betwixt those which take in hand any iourney is this that hee who goeth with greatest ioy goeth alwaies formost because hee would soonest come to the end and so it fell out here for Christ hauing a greater desire of our redeÌ„ption and saluation than the Apostles had made most hast on the way Secretum meum mihi secretum meum mihi said God by Esayas chap. 24. as if he would say From the beginning of the world in the deapth of the eternity I haue kept close a secret which no maÌ„ knoweth O infinit good O high Trinity what is this
secret and from whom dost thou hide it If there bee more than one secret why doest thou call it two and if there be but one why doest thou say twise My secret to my selfe My secret to my selfe Hee doth twise iterate this word Secret because there be two mysteries and yet calleth them in the singular number because they are but of one Christ in whom they were accomplished and for whose cause they were vnto the world reuealed What greater secret or what greater mystery or what higher Sacrament could there be in the world than for Christ to tell his disciples that being God he should die being man he should rise againe And it was not without a great mystery that Christ would draw his disciples from the people draw them to the way and talke with them in secret letting them vnderstand by these circumstances that that which he would tell them should be a great secret seeing that he did not tell it theÌ„ but in great secret Chrisostome vpon S. Mathew sayth All the glory of God and all the saluation of the Gentiles consisteth in the death which Christ died and in the bloud which for al the world he shed and therefore because the mystery was so high so strange he would not discouer it but vnto those of his holy colledge and vnto them also in great secret It was a high mystery to say That being God he should die and it was also as strange to say That he who was man should rise again and he would not reueale it vnto the people because they should not bee scandalized but reuealed it to those of his holy colledge for their benefit because that the most preciousest treasures are alwaies kept in the best and surest chests It is not then without cause that the text sayth Assumpsit eos secretò to let vs thereby vnderstand that wee should not reueale high secrets to all men nor yet hide theÌ„ from some men Now that Christ hath drawne his disciples into the field and lead them somewhat beside the way the text sayth that hee spake secretly vnto them saying Behold wee goe vp to Ierusalem as if hee should say My children my brethren I will open a secret vnto you such as you haue neuer heard before that is that we draw now neere vnto Ierusalem where I am to suffer and now the time is come when I must suffer the death which they will giue shall be such as my Father hath ordained and which in the Scripture is prophecied and which by mee is accepted And because our Lord here sayth that he must die in Ierusalem and not els where the prophesie of the Psalme is to be considered 73. which sayth Deus autem rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medie terrae His meaning is Our God and our king hath determined to redeeme the world in a place which is in the middle of the world If vvee read Ptholome in his tables and beleeue Strabo in his booke of the situation of the world they will say that the situation of the city of Ierusalem is in the middle of the earth and that that precisely is the nauell and center of the vvorld According vnto the prophesie alledged Christ dying in Ierusalem hee died in the middle of the world because that IerusaleÌ„ hath on the South side the kingdome of Aegypt on the East side the kingdome of Arabia and on the West side the Mediteranâ—an sea doth compasse it and one the North side the kingdome of Syria Basill the great sayth vpon the Psalmes There could nothing bee more fit and conuenient than that hee who was the meane and mediator that God should pardon our sinne should die as hee did in the middle of the world for if hee should haue died in the East or in the West they would haue thought that they had been redeemed that all the rest had continued coÌ„demned By reason wherof our Redeemer of the world would die in the middest of all men seeing that he suffered for all men Barnard in an Epistle sayth When the Prophet saith that our Lord hath wrought our saluation in the middle of the earth hee meaneth that he loueth the mean very much hateth extreames for he doth aswell hate the extream of fasting as ouermuch eating and hee hateth as well extreame pouerty as too much vvealth and he hateth as well too great basenesse of mind as extream pride and hee hateth as well extreame ignorance as ouermuch eloquence Cyprian sayth In this thou maiest see what an enemy Christ is to extreamties and how little hee fauoureth such as vse them in that that for to giue vs an example that in all thinges wee should cleaue to the meane and flie the extreames his will was to die in the middle of all the world Wee must note also that Christ sayth Ecce ascendimus for by this hee sheweth that hee goeth not to his death forced or constrained by any but of his owne loue the vvhich infinite loue as it brought him from heauen to take flesh so it dooth lead him to die on the crosse When the son of God sayth vnto his Disciples Behold we go vp to Ierusalem this is no speech of a malefactor but of a great Redeemer because the vvicked man neuer sayth vnto his friendes I goe to die but looke they carry or lead mee to receiue iustice O high mystery O diuine Sacrament vvho euer heard that such a man as Christ vvas young healthfull free and iust of his owne proper vvill should say vnto his Disciples Behold I go to Ierusalem to die as if hee vvould say Behold I goe to bee merry and to great ioy Aymon sayth What sayth hee else vvhen hee sayth Behold vve goe vp to Ierusalem but make it knowen vnto the rulers of the church that he goeth to die before his information bee drawne before the sergeants do take him before the hangmen doe keepe him and before that the iudge hath giuen sentence on him Rabanus vpon this place sayth When Christ sayth vnto his Disciples Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem it is as if hee vvould say Behold and marke vvell that when you shall see mee hanged vpon the crosse like vnto a malefactor doe not thinke that I am onely a man for if to die bee the condition of a man yet to die vvillingly is the property of God alone Hee vvho is a pure man dieth although hee vvould not but hee vvho is God and man dieth vvhen hee vvill and such vvas the sonne of God vvho tooke death vvhen hee vvould and took againe his life vvhen it pleased him Remigius in a certaine Homily sayth In this speech of Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem the sonne of God dooth shew two things vnto vs that is That hee goeth to die and that hee goeth to suffer that death of his owne accord so that we owe him for two debts the one for the bloud vvhich hee shed and the other
for the loue vvith the vvhich he shed it Cyrillus saith also If as Christ said Behold I goe to Ierusalem to die of my owne voluntary vvill hee should haue said Behold they draw me to be iusticied by force vve should haue ben bound vnto him for the martirdome which he suffered not for the wil vvith the which he suffered But seeing he saith plainly that he goeth of his own voluntary vvill to the butchery of the Mount of Caluary to bee executed it is certaine that if vvee owe him much for that hee did suffer we owe him much more for the loue vvith the which he did suffer S. Ierome sayth likewise in this speech of Ecce ascendimus our great sheepheard dooth admonish all other sheepeheards that when necessity doth so require they should not oppose themselues against any tyrant if they vvould put thē to death but also offer themselues to death for the saluation of their flocke because there is no higher degree of martyrdome than to die for the sauing of his neighbour Simon de Gassia sayth For the sonne of God to say vnto his disciples Behold I goe to die and not They carry mee to kill me was to let them vnderstand that to the Christian religion profession of the Gospell vvee should not bee drawne by force but goe willingly because our Lord doth not so much regard the feet with the which wee seeke him as hee doth behold out intentions with which we loue him And Christ saith further Et consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de me as if he would say The cause vvhy I goe to Ierusalem is because all things vvhich are vvritten of mee by the Prophets may bee fulfilled and accomplished Origen sayth All thinges vvhich vvere vvritten of Christ are brought vnto three things and all those to be fulfilled by him to wit that vvhich he should doe that vvhich he should suffer and the reward vvhich he should haue aswell for that vvhich hee did in his life as for that vvhich he suffered at his death That which Christ did vvas to plant the church that vvhich he suffered was a most cruell death the reward vvhich he receiued vvas his glorious resurrection insomuch that in his holy life in his dreadfull death and passion and glorious resurrection all the holy Scripture is contained These two speeches vvhich Christ spake doe very vvell agree that is that vvhich he sayth here Consummabuntur omnia and the other vvhich he vttered vpon the crosse Consummatum est For in that that he died and rose againe all vvas fulfilled that was vvritten of him But speaking more particularly Christ sayth that in entring into Ierusalem he should be deliuered vnto the Gentils and that he should bee mocked vvith iniurious vvords and spet vpon with grosse spettle and whipped with much discipline and that he should also bee crucified and put to death with great nailes Who euer saw or heard the like vnto this that they should vnload such a heape of iniuries and such a multitude of torments vpon so tender a body and so iust a person Dedit percutientibus se maxillam saturabitur opprebrijs saith Ieremy chap. 3. Speaking of Christs iniuries as if hee should say The redeemer of the world will bee so patient in his trauails and so obedient vnto his persecutors that hee himselfe will offer his cheeke to be buffetted and he will put himselfe before them because they should fill him with iniuries How well so euer Ieremy did prophesie this yet Christ did fulfill it better seeing that he offered vnto his enemies not onely his cheeke that they might buffet it but also all his holy body that they might kill it What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this The Prophet Elias did she from the citie of Ierusalem because Queene Iezabel should not cut off his head and doest thou goe to Ierusalem where thou knowest that they wil depriue thee of thy life Great king Dauid fled from the city of Ierusalem and went out of it because hee would bee no more persecuted of king Saul and doest thou goe to Ierusalem to bee crucified In this point sure thou art not Dauids sonne nor Helias companion for if they flie from Ierusalem to saue their liues thou goest to Ierusalem to offer thy selfe to death If thy death had been a common death it might haue been born with but seeing that it was more grieuous to suffer the circumstances of thy death than death it selfe what necessity constrained thee or what charity mooued thee why thou shouldest not haue fled with thy Father Dauid or absented thee with the Prophet Ely It is a thing worthy to bee noted that Christ putteth it for the greatest point of his Martyrdome that he should be iniuried and also that he should be scorned and mocked By which complaint hee doth let vs vnderstand that the sonne of God did grieue more at the iniurious words which they spake vnto him than at the lashes and discipline which they gaue him Ieremy doth not say that Christ should be filled in his passion with stripes flagellis but opprobrijs reuilings and iniuries and the reason is because stripes lashes passe no further than the shoulders but iniuries entred vnto the entrails Who is he in the world which wil not be more grieued at an iniurious word thā with the point of a speare Ieremy maketh no reckoning of the thornes nor of the nailes nor of the lashes but onely of the iniuries which Christ suffered seeing that hee saith Saturabitur opprobrijs because hee passed through those torments but one day but hee suffered iniuries and blasphemies euery day In these words of Ieremies He shall be filled with iniuries he signified vnto vs the cruelty of his torments and the multitude of his iniuries for as hee who is full hath no more place in his stomacke to fill so there was no torment which to the sonne of God they left vngiuen nor no iniury vnspoken For what torments were there which they gaue him not or what iniuries could there be spoken which they vttered not Hugo de sancto victore vpon Ieremy sayth Because the son of God would declare that hee was the iustest of all others and of all martyrs the greatest martyr he said that he should be filled with iniuries and reuilings because that in all other martyrs they did lay hands with no other intention but to martyr them but in Christ they laid hands to kill him tongues to iniury him S. Ierome on this place sayth Ieremy saith very well of Christ Quod saturabitur opprobrijs for wee doe not read of any Martyr that he was martyred with tongues but with hands the son of God alone is he whose life they tooke away with their hands and fame with their tongues Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth With great reason the Prophet Ieremy sayth of Christ That he should be filled with iniuries seeing wee see that in his holy passion liers doe sell the
All mortal men go after their pleasures and hunt for delight but alasse they seeke them in the house of the God of trauels which is the world and forsake the Lord of consolations which is God and therefore they goe astray in that which they seeke and goe discomforted in that which they desire Barnard in a sermon sayth O what a great comfort it is to the good that they haue him for their God and Lord who is the God and Lord of all consolations for it is not to be beleeued that being the God of al comforts that he doth not impart some of them vnto his and especially seeing that hee doth not discomfort those which offend him who will not beleeue but hee will comfort those which serue him When the Apostle sayth that our God is the God of all consolations and not onely that but also the father of mercies we haue great cause to loue him and to be thankfull vnto him seeing that not long before hee called himselfe the God of reuenge as now he dooth call himselfe the Father of mercies S. Ambrose sayth What greater news could we hear or what could he giue vs for a greater reward then for our Lord to giue himselfe vnto vs for our father his sonne for our brother the holy-ghost for our maister his church for our mother the Sacraments for a medicine his death for a pardon his bloud for our redemption Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth Marke the depth of the Scripture and thou shalt see that when he speaketh of mercies it doth not call God Deus misericordiarum The God of mercy but Pater misericordiarum the Father of mercies and when it talketh of iustice it doth not call him Pater vltionum but Deus vltionum The God of reuenge because it is the office of God to punish and the duty of the father to pardon The Prophets did oft vse this word Deus God and helped themselues little with this word Pater Father and Christ contrariwise did oft benefite himselfe with this word Pater Father and sildome with this name Deus God giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that the time of iustice was now ended and that the time of mercy was come Isidorus De summo bono sayth O eternall goodnesse and depth of all vvisedome vvhy should I distrust in thy great clemency being that thou art my Father and Father of all mercy Let the Pagans distrust in thee who beleeue thee not let the vvicked distrust in thee vvho serue thee not for I vvill hope in thee vvith those vvhich serue thee and loue thee For although I cannot wholly serue thee I labour as much as I can not to offend thee Anselmus vpon the Apostle sayth After I heard thee say O my good Iesus Pater ignosce illis and the Apostle say Pater misericordiarum Although my naughty life make mee afraid yet thy great mercy commeth immediately to my mind for the same day that thou diddest make thy selfe man thou diddest change thy name from the God of Reuenge into the Father of Mercies O glorious and happy chaunge that is the changing the name of God into the name of Father and the name of a Reuenger into the name of a Defender the name of Iustice into the name of Mercy the name of a Creator into the name of a Redeemer all which thou diddest chaunge vvhen thou wast made man and diddest suffer on the crosse for mee Saint Augustine vpon the Apostles vvordes sayth Tell mee O good Iesus tell mee O great Redeemer after thou haddest chaunged the name of Deus vltionum into the name of Pater misericordiarum what diddest thou see so hard that thou diddest not bring to passe or vvhat sinne diddest thou see so enormious that thou diddest not pardon In calling thy selfe the Father of mercies thou diddest forgiue Matthew his exchanges Mary Magdalene her vanities the Samaritane her Adulteries the good theefe his theft and the fisher-man Peter his denying of thee the Apostles forsaking of thee and thy enemies putting thee to death Irenaeus sayth Seeing that the time of Deus vltionum is past and that the time of Pater misericordiarum is come haue mercy on mee O great God of Israel haue mercy on mee and when shall this bee but vvhen thou vvilt giue me strength to serue and praise thee and endue mee vvith grace to saue mee O Father of mercies O the God of all consolation vvhen shall my soule heare for her selfe Pater ignosce illi as the vvicked Synagogue did heare thee say Father forgiue them What doth it auaile mee that thou hast pardoned those vvhich did then put thee to death if thou doe not also now forgiue vs vvhich most vvickedly offend thee Children for children sinners for sinners there is as great reason that thou shouldest pardon those of thy holy church as those of the Synagogue for if they vvere children of the God of reuenge vvho did put thee to death then they are also children of the Father of mercies who do offend thee now Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth O Father of mercies and God of all comfort if it bee true that I vvas vvith those vvhich tooke thy life from thee vpon the crosse vvhy shouldest thou not as well forgiue mee my fault as thou diddest then theirs Vnto thee O eternall Father I say Mea culpa and vnto thee O holy sonne I confesse my offence in that that if I vvas not vvith Iudas vvhen hee sold thee yet I vvas vvith the vvicked and vngratefull Iewes vvhen they did crucifie thee for if they did fasten thee on the crosse vvith nailes I did there crucifie thee vvith my sinnes Anselmus in his Meditations sayth O good Iesus O the blisse of my soule vvho carried thee to the crosse but the loue which thou haddest to redeeme vs And what tormented thee but thy dolours And what tooke thy life from thee but my sinnes And by whom haue I life but by thy merits O Father of mercies if it be true that for my demerits thou diddest lose thy life and that by thy great merits I recouered my soule dost thou not thinke that thou hast much in my faults to pardon in my soule to redresse and amend Barnard sayth O creator of all things O redeemer of all sinnes vnto thee O my God I offer my selfe and before thee O my Lord I present my selfe not such a one as thou diddest leaue mee when thou diddest create mee but such as one as thou foundest mee when thou redeemedst mee What a one diddest thou leaue mee but made to thy image and semblance and what a one diddest thou find mee but with my innocency lost and loaden with sinne O father of mercies pardon mee seeing that I am a worke of thy owne hands pardon me seeing that I am one of thy children and seeing I say vnto thee vpon my knees Tibi soli peccaui it is reason that thou answer me O my God with Miscriatur tui CHAP. II. Of the
my hart should dispose my penne write my inke marke and my paper suffer mee to write how happy they are who escape the drinking of this cup and how vnhappy they are which drinke of it With this cup of ire God did threaten Ierusalem of this the Synagogue dranke with this wicked Babilon was drunk yea and this was the cause why all Iudea was lost S. Augustine in an Homilie saith He drinketh of the cursed cup of ire who through his sin falleth from the estate of grace which is an euill aboue all the euils of this life because a soule without grace is farre more deader than a body without a soule When doest thou thinke that God doth suffer vs to drinke of the cup of his ire but when hee forgetteth to hold vs vp with his hand through our demerite When shall wee see whether we haue dronke of the cup of his wrath but vvhen God is carelesse in keeping vs from falling and vvee slothfull in amending our selues S. Ambrose vpon the Psalmes sayth O vvhat a difference there is betwixt the vvrath of God the vvrath of man for they punish vvhen they are angry but God forbeareth to punish vvhen hee is angry in so much that God is more displeased vvhen hee dissembleth a fault than vvhen he doth presently punish S. Barnard sayth That there is no greater temptation than not to bee tempted nor greater tribulation thaÌ„ not to be afflicted nor greater punishment than not to be punished nor yet a sharper scourge than not to be scourged For as there is small hope of the sick mans life vvhome the Phisition doth distrust and despaire of euen so in like manner there is great occasion to suspect the saluation of that man vvhom our Lord doth not punish in this life It is also to be noted that Esay doth not only threaten Ierusalem because she dronk of the cup of the ire of God but because she drunke also the dregs and lees vntill shee left none in so much that if there had ben more more she would haue drunk We call that properly the dregs of the wine that part of the wine which corrupteth and marreth and that which goeth to the bottome and that which rotteth and stinketh and that whereof we receiue no profite What are the dregs which sinke vnto the bottome but onely wicked sinne which beareth vs into hell The dregs of sinne cause vs to rot and with dregs of sinne we sinke and by the dregs of sinne we are damned and by the dregs of sin we are hated of God I will visite Ierusalem and those men which are fastened in their dregs saith God by the Prophet Sophonias in the first chapter as if hee would say I will visite all the dwellers of Ierusalem and I will make no reckoning of other sinnes and offences but of such as I shall find entangled and tumbling in the dregs and lees Who are those which sticke in the mire are bedurted with the dregs but those which stand obstinately in their sinnes and wickednesse God complaineth not of those which are defiled in the dregs but on those which are fastened and fixed in them for our Lord is not so much scandalized to see vs fall into sinnes as to see vs wallow and delight in their dregs and grounds O that wicked is the heart which is fastened and standeth firme in the dregs of sinne because promises cannot allure and entise him nor threatnings feare him nor entreatie conuert him nor punishment amend him nor counsell profite him How badly our Lord liketh of them which are firme in the lees and dregs he sheweth plainly seeing he threatneth such as stand fast in them and those which drink of the cup vnto the dregs wherof we may inferre that wee doe not so much condemne our selues for sinning as because we will not goe out of sinne To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is as if as there are but seuen capitall sins they were feuen thousand to haue a will to offend in them all before we died To drinke vnto the dregs is that if by deed we commit ten sinnes euery day in thought we commit an hundred euery houre To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is that if wee omit to commit any sinne it is not because wee would not but because we could not or durst not To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is that not being content to sinne we commend and praise our selues for doing it as if we had done our Lord some notable seruice To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is that when wee haue committed all kind of sinnes yet wee cannot endure to be called sinners To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is to be so gracelesse and shamelesse in sinning that we entise and importunately vrge others to do the like To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is to hate our neighbour with our heart iuiurie him with words and hurt him in deeds Loe thus then haue I told you what is the cup of bitternes which the elect and chosen drinke of and which is the cup of wrath and ire which the wicked drinke of in so much that if wee would know who shall bee saued or who damned wee are onely to mark what cup he dranke of To come then vnto our purpose we must suppose that these two theeues drank of both these cups which are so dreadfull and wonderfull and such as the cup was of which ech of them dranke such was the reward or punishment which on the crosse ech of theÌ„ receiued and carried away WheÌ„ the naughty theefe said vnto Christ saue thy selfe and vs he dranke of the cup of wrath and when the good theefe said vnto Christ Lord remember me he dranke of the cup of bitternesse insomuch that the one drank of the pure wine seeing he went into heauen and the other dranke of the stinking dregs seeing he went into hel What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Seeing they were both coÌ„panions both the eues both hanged both saw Christ and both were neere vnto Christ why doe they giue to the one to drinke of the cup of glory and vnto the other the cup of ire S. Augustine answereth vnto this sayth Why God doth giue light vnto one and not vnto another why he draweth this man and not that man I pray thee good brother goe not about to seeke out the reason if thou wilt not bee deceiued for all this dependeth of Gods high iudgements the which although they be secret yet notwithstanding they be not vniust Origen vpon Mark saith As there are many things in the heart which are not of the heart and as there are many in warâ—â— which take no pay in the warre so the naughty theefe was vpon the crosse not hauing the fruit of the crosse for in stead of asking Christ that he would pardon him be asked that he would deliuer him and vnbind him If thou bee Christ saith the naughty theefe saue thy selfe
and vs as if he would say If thou bee the Christ which the Iewes hope for deliuer thy selfe from death and quite vs from paine Cyprian vpon the passion of our Lord sayth O that that is a wicked word and a detestable praier which thou O naughty theefe doest vtter with thy mouth when thou doest persuade the son of God to come downe from the crosse for if he do suffer die it is for nothing that toucheth him but for that which toucheth thee and is most expedient for me Why dost thou aske him that hee would saue thee and also himselfe seeing that he suffereth of his owne accord dieth for thy naughtinesse The beginning of this naughty theeues perdition was when he said if thou be the sonne of God and not thou art the son of God in which words it seemed that hee doubted whether hee were the sonne of God or not and so hee doubted in his faith and made a scruple whether he were the redeemer of the world or not and so hee fell into infidelitie which is the highest wickednesse of all other Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn saith That the good theefe said not If thou be Christ neither did S. Peter say I beleeue if thou bee Christ but the one said faithfully Lord remember me and the other likewise said I beleeue because thou art the sonne of God insomuch that no man can be lightened or pardoned which maketh any doubt at all in the faith of Christ The Apostle saith in his canonicall Epistle if any man want wisedome let him aske it of God not doubting in faith as if he would say If any man haue need of any great matter let him take heed that he do not aske it with a faith that is luke warme for if our Lord do not grant vs that which we aske him it is rather because wee know not how to ask him than because hee hath not a desire to giue it Damascen sayth If he who asketh be not a Pagan and that which he asketh bee not vniust and hee who asketh be holy and the place where he asketh be also sacred and he for whoÌ„ he asketh be needy why should he doubt to obtaine it considering that of himselfe hee is so mercifull O good Iesus O my soules pleasure giue me thy grace that I may say vvith the blind man in Ieremie O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee and keepe mee from saying vvith the naughty theefe if thou be Christ saue thy self and me too seeing that like a true Christian I confesse thy mighty power and call for thy great mercy Christostome saith The naughty theese thought that as Pilate had condemned him for a robber by the high way so he had executed iustice vpon Christ for stirring the people to sedition and that Christ did no lesse esteeme of his life than hee did abhorre death vvherein certainly he vvas much deceiued for he did not so earnestly desire to liue as Christ did desire to die The Iews persuaded Christ that hee should come downe from the crosse and this naughty theefe did also persuade him that hee vvould slie from the crosse that vvhich the sonne of God did not loue to hear of nor would not do for if he had forsaken the crosse all the vvorld should haue beene crucified S. Barnard sayth I doe not desire thee my good Iesus that thou come down froÌ„ the crosse nor that thou slie from the crosse but that thou vvouldest put me there with thee because it would be more reasonable that they should giue sentence vpon me for thee than that they should giue sentence vpon thee for me It may bee gathered of all that which wee haue spoken what great courage we haue need of to begin any good worke and a far greater to finish it for our enemies are ready alwaies about to deceiue vs the flesh to mooue vs men to hinder vs and the world to trouble vs. CHAP. VIII Of the great charity which the good theefe had towards the naughty theefe in correcting him of euill doing and in aduising him of the good which he lost COmmendat deus omnem charitatem suam in nobis saith the Apostle writing vnto the Romanes in the fift chap. as if he would say The God and Lord which I preach vnto you O Romanes dooth commend nothing more vnto you than charity in louing your neighbours with all your heart the which loue you must shew them not so much because they loue you as because they serue God Holy Paule did preach and teach vs many things whereof some were to make vs afeard some to giue vs counsell some to teach vs some to comfort vs as this matter which we now handle the which being wel looked into and read with attention we shal find that hee giueth vs as much as hee hath and loueth vs as much as he ought For the better vnderstaÌ„ding of this speech we must suppose that the loue of God charity and grace go alwaies coupled together in so much that no man can haue heauenly loue without heauenly charity no man can haue heauenly charity but he must haue heaueÌ„ly grace he who hath heauenly grace cannot faile but goe to glory Damascen sayth That Loue and Charitie and Grace are only one gift and the greatest which came from heaueÌ„ is called Grace because it is giuen without any price and it is called Charity because it is high and it is called Loue because it doth ioine and vnite vs with God in so much that when he recommendeth his Charity vnto vs he trusteth his Loue with vs. WheÌ„ our Lord doth commend vs his Loue as a thing left to keepe with vs if we marke it well what else is it but a token whereby we should marke with what Loue he loueth vs and with what Charity he entreateth vs O happy pledge O luckie trust when our Lord credited vs with his eternall Loue his infinite Grace and vnspeakable Charity the which vertues he gaue vs because we should not liue ingratefully with them and that in our death we should buy heauen with theÌ„ When our Lord doth giue vs charge to keepe his Charity what else is that but to doe vs the fauour to giue it vs If he would not haue giuen it vs hee knew well where to keepe it without giâ—ing it vs to pledge but hee saith that hee dooth commend it vnto vs to keepe and not giue it vs because wee should bee very carefull in keeping it and fearefull to lose it because we cannot be saued without it Bede vpon the Apostle sayth One friend can giue to another his iewels of siluer and gold but he cannot giue him the loue which hee hath in his heart for although he can shew it yet hee cannot passe it vnto him but the sonne of God did not onely shew vs his loue but did also giue it vs. He did shew vs his great loue when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him and he doth giue vs his sweet