also how after the other words which he spake in promising the thiefe Paradise which committed himselfe vnto him and giuing S. Iohn to his mother in stead of her sonne in him also vs and her to Iohn and likewise to vs to be as a mother and declaring the gret thirst whiche he had and that chiefly was for our saluation he then finally commended his spirite into the handes of his eternall father and so inclining downe his head he yelded vp the ghost Of whose tormentes and death the heauens declare they did in some part féele the griefe for the sunne was eclipsed the earth trembled the very stones sheuered in péeces the graues opened the veyle of the temple deuided 3 Consider also the cruel launce and thrusting in of the speare with the whiche Longinus opened a gappe into the syde of Christ out of the which issued blood and water And albeit to him it was no payne because he was already deade yet notwithstanding his most innocent mother felte it whose bowels and hart was in those most greuous sorowes and sighes perce◠and thrust through agreable to the prophesie of Simeon ¶ The prayer I Render vnto thée O Iesu Christ most high and eternall Bishop infinite thankes for that thou hast offred thy self to thy father in moste swéete sacrifice and brought vnto an ende the works of our redemption thou diddst take vpon thée neuer staying therein neither for moste bitter tormentes which they put thee too nor yet for the multitude of blasphemies they spake agaynst thee For the whiche I humblye besech thee that thou vouchsafe to open the eyes of my soule that I may beholde and see and diligently marke that whiche thou hast wrought and taught on the crosse and in thy death Bring low O Lord my hawtines and pride in séeing thy head inclined and brought lowe vnder a crowne of thorne Temper and moderate my gluttonie and intemperancie with the remembrance of thy most swete mouth tasting the bitter gawle and vineger Cause me to forsake the delites of the flesh in séeing thy flesh put to so great paynes vppon the crosse Mollifie the hardnes of my hart and suffer it not to be more hard then the stones which shiuered in péeces at thy death Make me O Lord to enter into thy open side where I may more safely saue my selfe in the great and perillous flood of this world then in the arke of Noe. Cause me for thy seruice willingly to endure beare all trouble and aduersitie seing that thou for my sake wouldest giue thy most blessed life and euen as thou diddest perseuer and continue vnto death in the obedience of thy father so graunt that I maye always perseuer in obedience towards thée Amen Ex cruce traiectos artus frigida membra Detrahit alta animi vis pietasque virum How our Redeemer was taken downe from the Crosse ¶ The poynts of meditation 1 How the rage of that vnhappie generation being partly mitigate quieted with the death of him that is the life of the world they returned into the citie but his most afflicted mother continued with him accompanied with the beloued disciple Iohn and other deuoute women tarying to sée if they might by any meanes burie him 2 Call to remembrance howe those honorable personages Ioseph and Nicodemus hauing leaue of Pilate to take Christe frō the crosse brought oyntmēts and other things necessarie for to embalme and burie him 3 Consider also with how great deuotion reuerence and tears they tooke him from the crosse and howe desirous his vncōfortable mother was to take him in hir armes to imbrace him ¶ The prayer I Adore and worship thée my most louing sauior I thāk thee and prayse thée with all my hart power for that through thy most holy crosse thou haste recouered and saued the world All thy workes O Lorde are most perfect and so it was thy will and pleasure perfectly to finishe this worke of so great importance of our redemption not leauing any thing that was to be done or suffered of that which of thine infinite wisdome was ordeined and of thy holy Prophetes forespoken which in those words thou diddest signifie It is iustified whiche thou spakest a litle before thou gauest vp the ghost Thanks be also to thy diuine power and might with which dying thou hast destroyed death after the maner of that strong Sampson with thy death thou hast ouercome thine enemies I beséeche thee therefore which art the giuer of life by the same thy deth that mortifying all my concupiscences and disorderly affections thou wilt reuiue my soule with the life of thy grace and so make me dye to the vayne pleasures honours and desires of the world of the fleshe that it may liue onely to thée onely confesse thée adore and worship thée dwel in thée seke for those things which belong to thy seruice as those thy deuoute seruants did in taking of thée from the crosse honoring thy moste blessed body in procuring to burie it being so greatly dishonored before 〈◊〉 Hic complexa sinu corpus miserabile nati Virgo parens lachrymis vulnera sacra vigat How our Sauiour beeing nowe taken frō the Crosse was layd in his moste sorowfull mothers lappe ¶ Poyntes to meditate 1 First consider with how gret tendernes the most blessed virgin mother receiued the dead body of her swéete sonne béeing nowe taken from the crosse beholding particulerly the signes of his soares and wounds with moste tender loue she kissed the same embraced bathed it with the teares which abundantly issued out of her pitifull eyes 2 Then cal to mind the lamentable words which his mother spake when she saw that blessed body of his so scourged wounded and ill handled the which she with so great loue and reuerence had brought vp whose words sighes were inough to breake with cōpassion the hart of any that heard them 3 Remember also the lamentable playnt which other deuoute men women made that were there present and chiefly of that welbeloued disciple Iohn and Magdalen which helde clipped fast the féete of her swéete master not satisfying her selfe ynough in kissing and washing them with her pitifull teares ¶ The prayer O My most merciful father and my god who shal giue water to my head and a fountayne of teares to mine eyes that I may bewayle the paynefull death of my swéet redéemer both day and night celebrate his holy exequies together with that deuout companie whiche with wofull playnt did celebrate the same Or who may giue me an hoate burning hart worthily to praise thée and thanke thée for the ineffable benefite which thou hast done for me in that thou haste vouchsafed that thine onely begotten sonne should léese his life to giue me life Whom would it not amase to sée this thy vnspeakable charity that for to redeme a vile slaue wouldest giue to death thy dearly beloued son All the Angelicall spirites
the sonne of God and how abhominable the filth thereof is which hath outwardly so berayed darkned stayned and soyled him which is the very myrror and glasse without spotte the brightnes of eternall life This wel considered and called to thy remembraunce shall strike into thy hart gret hatred and repentance of thy sinnes which were the cause of so sore paynes and punishmentes of thy Redéemer which neuer committed sinne neither anye guyle was euer â—ouÌ„d in his mouth And so much â—he more thou oughtest to sorâ—ow and lament thy sinnes by â—ow much the oftener thou hast â—allen into theÌ„ For euery time thou hast sinned as the Apostle saith so often thou hast gone about to crucifie and despise the sonne of God And if they for their parte should repent them selues and be grieuously sorye which once onely offended him mortally and crucified him how much more oughtest thou to repent and be sory whiche haste crucified him so many times This coÌ„sideration and remembraunce maye strike into thée sometimes suche sorowe and feare of thy selfe that it shall prouoke thée to say these or the like wordes Ah my God and gracious Lorde where was my iudgement wit when I was so bolde to commit suche sinnes against thy diuine maiestie where was my vnderstanding that could not remember howe that eury time I sinned I went about to crucifie thée againe how is it possible that I should imploy my hands to offend thée thou hauing thy hands nayled on the crosse to saue me howe could I open my mouth to blaspheme thée thou hauing opened thy mouth so often to pray for me howe is my harte become so harde and stubborne to loue thée and obay thée séeing thine hart with a spere euen through perced to shewe the great loue thou barest me Thou shalt not onely learne by this consideration how to hate and be sory for thy sinnes passed but also it shal moue thée with more earnest purpose euer after to flye suche sinnes fearing agayne to runne vnto the horrible abhomination to go about to crucifie Christ agayne and likewise cause thée to be afrayed of the great punishment which thou shouldest deserue if with newe sins thou go about to defile thy self again If the sonne of a Prince would be afrayed when for the fault that he him selfe committeth he doth sée his page or slaue beateÌ„ how much more ought the slaue to feare when he séeth the sonne of the Prince beaten for the fault which he the slaue him self committeth Feare thou then and tremble miserable wretch séeing for thy fault the sonne of God thy king and Lorde is beaten and so cruelly handled and call to thy remembraunce the words he spake to the women that wept when they sawe him â—eare the crosse If they do this â—n the gréene trée what shall be â—one in the dry wood That is â—o say If in Christ which is the â—réene trée full of the leaues of most holy words and fruites of most excellent works so seuere punishment is vsed for that he hath taken vpoÌ„ him our sinnes what shal be done to thée which art a dry withered trée yéelding no good fruites neither of patience nor of charitie nor of any vertue nor yet is there to be séene in thée so much as the leaues of words profitable to thy selfe or any other and much lesse any one flowre of liuely desire to amende thyne owne life If thou then shalte be a trée not onely barren and fruitlesse but also vitious and laden with most euill and wicked fruites whaâ— shall become of thée but that which is vsed to be done of the like trée that is to be cut down and cast into the fyre And that shalt thou haue worse then any other trée for that the fyre of other wood is soone consumed but thy fyre shall be euerlasting Sée therfore how this meditation of Christes holy passion shal cause thée to sorrow for thy sinne passed to feare the sins to come because thou wouldest not willingly fall into the iustice of god the which thou séest so rigorouâ—ly and sharply executed vpon thy sauiour in that he was offered to pay thy raunsome The fourth maner of meditation which is by way of imitation or following The fourth maner howe to meditate and consider vpon the blessed passion we sayde it was by the way of imitation which is of muche fruite and highly commended by holy men For as the chiefe of the Apostles S. Peter saith one cause why that Christ suffered for vs was to leaue vs an example to followe his steps And Christ him selfe sayth that he hath giuen vs an example to do as he hath done Which so being wheÌ„ thou shalt occupie thy selfe in meditating vpon his passion marke wel the manyfold and marueilous vertues which he teacheth therein as well in that he suffered as in the maner of his suffering the which thou must desire to follow by his grace as much as is possible in thée staying thy selfe chiefly vpon the consideration of that vertue which thou knowest principally to be lacking in thée And because it may seme impossible to coÌ„sider all the vertues whiche shine in his moste glorious passion who was the most perfect paterne of all vertue and perfection I will onely â—et here before thy eyes those which thou oughtest most often to remember and whiche be moste necessarie for thy turne And first to beginne with those two vertues whiche our Lorde specially commendeth vnto vs by his owne example and to be learned of him saying Learne ye of me because I am méeke and humble of heart Consider I say howe perfectly he teacheth them in his blessed passioÌ„ Humilitie which is the foundation of all vertues he declareth playnely in humbling him selfe to so shamefull a death as that of the crosse disdaining not that the very thief Barrabas found more friendship and fauour to be deliuered before him and being content to be crucified betwéene two théeues In many other things thou mayst by discourse call to mind consider that louely humilitie which he setteth forth in the rest of his life aswel as in his passion as that in washing the féete of Iudas of his other disciples not long before in being born in an oxe stall or stable with many other examples of the same vertue whereof both the rest of â—s life death are full For in â—s birth in his liuing in his â—ing he neuer ceassed to leaue vs all examples that might be of so necessarie a vertue for vs. He shewed also a marueilous example of méekenes in his holy passion when he was led vnto death as the Prophet Esaâ— spake of him euen as shepe anâ— stoode as gentle as a lambe before them who so cruelly hanâ—led him not once opening hiâ— mouth to speake an euill word against them which railed vpoâ— him nor yet to threaten theâ— which tormented him In lykâ— maner he declared his modestâ— and sobernesse in that clere anâ— lightsome countenance of
the fyre of the loue of God and true charitie And among all meditations in the which this heauenly fyre is kindled the chiefest is this of the passion and death of our Redéemer Bicause if there be any thing that hath force to drawe the loue of one man to loue an other it is to knowe that he is loued of the other and so there can not be a thing in the worlde more apte to drawe the heart of a Christian to loue God then to consider how God first loued him the whiche he may very well vnderstande by that whiche he did and suffered for him And if it be the greatest signe that a friend can showe of that loue he beareth towardes an other to giue his owne life for him as he our Lord him self sayth this signe then haue we most manifestly of the loue he bare vs for that his will was to giue his most precious lyfe for vs or rather as Saint Paul concludeth a greater signe can we not haue of his innumerable loue then to knowe his will was to offer him selfe vnto death euen the death of the crosse and that not only for his friendes but also for his enemies If then thou were negligent slouthfull and cold to loue God before thou knewest how much he loued thée nowe thou doest knowe it by suche and so many signes and argumentes endeuour to him which hath so loued thée Call to minde in this mysterie how streatly thou art beloued of al the whole Trinitie séeing the father so muche loued thée that he gaue his onely begottē sonne vnto death for thée Remember wel those words of the Euangelist S. Iohn which saith in this maner So God loued the worlde that for it he gaue his onely begotten sonne In which wordes thou mayest knowe the greatnes of the person of whom thou art so beloued and that is the Father almightie maker of heauen and of earth and also the greatnes of his loue wherewith he loued thée is manyfest by the greatnes of the gifte whiche he gaue thée and that is his only begotten sonne who hath the same like infinite power bounty and maiestie with the father And this suche a sonne he hath graciously giuen thée that taking thy humanitie or manhood he might dye in the same for thée and redéeme thée in suche sorte as the Apostle sayth God spared not his owne sonne to pardon vs his miserable seruants O inestimable loue and greater then any vnderstanding can comprehende And likewise the loue of the Sonne was nothing lesse then this of the Father in that he came downe from heauen and was incarnate for thée spente hys lyfe and dyed for thée that by suche meanes he might in diuers sortes be giuen to thée In byrth as thy companion in life as thy comfort in his last Supper as thy foode in death as price for thée in heauen as a rewarde for thée And as the loue of the Father and the Sonne was towardes thée so was the loue of the holy Ghost who willed wrought together with the father and the sonne thy saluation redemption Now the most blessed and glorious Trinitie hath so loued thée how canst thou be so slacke in rēdring to him loue for loue séeing that loue can not be repayed but with loue And if thou vnderstande not this excéeding loue of God by other benefites whiche he hath done for thée as in thy creation and conseruation consider yet what thou hast receiued of him in thy reparation and redemption then shalt thou perceiue how true those words be which he spake by the prophet Ieremie With perpetual loue haue I loued thée and therefore haue I drawen thée to me in hauing mercy vpon thée These be the sharpe arrowes which the kingly prophet Dauid speaketh of sufficient to pearce anye hard hart These be the new warres which the scripture speaketh of that a king is from heauen elected to subdue and conquer men of the earth Differing from the first which he made with thretnings and feare These be the ropes of Adam and the cordes of charitie with which the prophet O say sayth he would draw men vnto him Because if they will worke according to the vse of reason which they haue in respect they be reasonable men they ought not to be more vnreasonable then brute beastes who suffer them selues to be drawen with ropes and halters in finding them selues forced and constrayned to loue such as loueth them When thou therefore shalte meditate vppon the death and passion of thy Redéemer let the principall ende of thy trauell be to be rauished in the loue of such a Lorde that hath so loued thée and by so many profes hath wel declared his loue towards thée and assure thy selfe that al those stripes and bloodye woundes which thou beholdest in him be voyces crying and testifying his deare and true loue towardes thée Beholde him vppon the Crosse thrust through with a speare and thou shalte perceiue how he prouoketh and forceth thée to loue him His féete so nayled do showe that he will tarie for thée if thou wilte returne come agayne to him His armes so stretched do signifie that he desireth to embrace thée His head so bowed downe doth signifie that he will giue thée the kisse of grace That side of his opened with a spere doth manifestly shew that he is willing to giue thée a place in his hart where thou mayst rest thy selfe quietly surely And what other thing might he do for thée which he hath not done And what other thing doth he more require of thée but in that acknowledging this his loue thou answere him agayne with thy loue O moste swéete Iesu the true louer of men what is he if he well consider this and know it that can denie the thing thou requirest of him and for so many causes is due vnto thée And howe can any man excuse himselfe to loue thée béeing pricked forwarde and prouoked with so many motions and swéete callings of thy diuine loue Be not therefore my good brother vnthankfull nor so dull to vnderstande this his so great loue for the which it should behoue thy hart to melt euen as the wax whensoeuer thou remembrest that he loued thée first and that he washed thée with his precious blood Denie him not the tribute of loue thou owest him for although he haue forgiuen thée other thy debtes yet this he will not discharge or acquite thée of but rather affirmeth that he came to put fyre on the earth and woulde that it should burne continually And in figure of this he commaunded in the olde lawe that the fyre shoulde stande alwayes kindled vppon his altar The whiche is not so muche ment of the materiall fyre as of the spirituall which is our loue towards him and that he would should alwayes burne vpon the altar of our heart because that sacrifice is alwayes acceptable to him whiche is offered with suche fyre And because this maye be
it is written that the whip shal not come neare to his tabernacle diddest willingly consent to be bounde naked to a piller and so sharply to be whipped and beaten as if thou haddst bene some vile slaue and vagabound willing to pay with so sharp stripes of thy virgin fleshe for the vayne and superfluous delightes that I thy vile slaue haue pampered my fleshe withall agaynst thy will and pleasure And séeing thou hast vouchsafed to defende me with thy shoulders suffring them to be sharply whipped I beséech thy infinit clemencie to kéepe far from me the scourge of thy wrath the which I know to haue deserued for the multitude of my sinnes And let this thy discipline teach me hereafter and cause me to shake off all delicatenesse and pleasures in pampering of my fleshe by chastening and mortifying of it by due penaunce because it may not rebel any more agaynst thée and hinder me to attende vpon thy seruice as I am bound Amen Spinea serta caput pangunt illudit amictus Purpureus turbis ecce homo praetor ait Of the crowning of Christ with thornes Matter for meditation 1 Howe those tormentors béeing wéerie of beating that blessed body did loose him from the piller and howe our most patient Lorde did humbly gather vp his garmentes whiche they had caste and scattered on the grounde with the whiche he couered agayne his moste sacred body béeing all bloody sore and full of payne 2 Consider howe that hauing yet scantly put on his clothes the souldiers of Pilat were busie to honor him in scorne with royall ensignes because they sayde he had made him selfe a king they clothed him with a red purple cape or mantell and crowned his head with a garlande of moste sharpe pricking thornes and they put a réede in his hande in stead of a scepter with which they strake him and kneling before him in mocking they saluted him 3 Then also beholde howe Pilate brought foorth in the sight of all the people the king of heauen euen as he was so mocked and yll handled thinking that their obstinate furie might be so pacified when they should sée him in that case worthy of pitie and compassion But it nothing suffised them but rather they cried the more crucifie him ¶ The prayer WHat thanks may I render to thée O my God that thou being the true king of heauen of earth and so worshipped and reuerenced of the Angels them selues diddest not refuse to beare that shamefull and painfull ensignes of a faygned King with which thou waste scorned and mocked of moste vile men neither yet diddest grudge to appeare openlye in the sight of all the people with that painefull sharpe pricking crowne of thorne wherewith thou wast crowned of thē whom thou contrariwise desiredst to crowne with glory And who would not maruell at their obstinate malice in that they could finde out so many inuentions the more to put thée to shame paine and torment but more cause of maruell is in thy burning charitie Lord which the waters of so great tribulations and persecutions were not able to quenche no nor in one poynt to coole And euen as thou wast neuer satisfyed nor couldest thinke in thy self to haue loued vs inough so thou couldest neuer fully satisfye thy selfe in suffering for them whom thou louedst Let thy bountifull goodnesse therefore bée honoured and thanked of the Angels of all creatures the which I doe also adore and worship and desire that I maye alwayes so doe with all reuerence humbly beséeching thée that thou wylte cause mée to knowe thy highnesse almyghtie maiestie that I maye with truth and vnfaynedly continually honour that same to giue me grace that I may wyth the eyes of my soule beholde that lamentable spectacle and sight whiche Pilate shewed to the Iewes in saying beholde the man That my hart being therby made tender and mollyfied I maye haue the more compassion and pitie of thée and wyth more earnest desire loue thée embrace thée And also to reioyce in my selfe to be reuiled and dispised in the world for thy sake according to thine example hoping afterwardes through thy mercye to be crowned of thée in heauen Amen Insons damnatur tandem portare iubetur Proh dolor ipse suae pondera saeua crucis Howe Christ caried the Crosse to be crucified and the poynts to meditate thereon 1 Howe Pilate beyng weryed with the importune calling and cryinges on of the Iewes did iudge Christ the author and giuer of life to death whose iudgement he willingly accepted for the great desire he had to worke our saluation 2 Consyder with howe great humilitie he did beare that heauye trée of the Crosse vppon his shoulders Which for that it was so huge and great made hym often tymes to fall to the grounde and so to renewe his gréeuous paines 3 Consider also that being not well able to goe for his weakenesse and mightie burthen they tooke the crosse of his shoulders and caused Cirineus to beare it And howe hée turned himselfe to comfort and admonishe the deuout women who with great compassion followed hym wéeping Where you maye call to mynde what sorrowe his blessed mother suffered when shée sawe this lamentable sight ¶ The prayer WHo woulde not bée amased O moste swéete Iesu of the bottomlesse fountain of thy passing humilitie that beeing the iudge of the liuing and the dead to whome by thy heauenlye father all iudgement was committed wouldest submitte thy selfe to bée iudged of a mortall man being an vniust and prophane person thou being most innocent and cleare from al sin and to accepte with great obedience méekenes the sentence of death which malefactours deserue that by death they might obtaine life I render vnto thée infinite thankes as wel for this incomparable charitie as also for that good will and readinesse with the which as it were an other Isaac thou cariedst on thy backe the wood wherewith thou shouldest be sacrificed in the fire of thy most burning charity willing thereby to make satisfaction to the iustice of thine eternal father for our sinnes which thou barest on the crosse And séeyng that in accepting the sentence of death which Pylate pronounced against thée thou deseruedst that the sentence of eternall death shoulde be reuoked whiche was pronounced against me therfore I humbly beséech thée of thy mercie to defend kéepe mée that I deserue not to léese this so great priuiledge of grace to incurre by my sinfulnes into the same sentence of damnation from the which for thy part thou hast deliuered mée Geue mée also the grace and strength to bée alwayes able to followe thée in bearing of my crosse according as thou haste commaunded vs that is to say the trauels tribulation which it shall please thée to lay vppon me in this life The which for good cause maye be easie and light vnto me considering the paine and trouble thou diddest féele in bearing so willingly for my loue thy crosse Amen