in that the passion of the minde is greater than that of the body and shee in soule felt most because her love to him was above all others sorrow If we â—onceive that she was so without bowels as not to grieve for the death and passion of her dearest and onely Sonne we must withall beleeve with the Maniches that he had a phantasticke body not made of his Mothers flesh No doubt when after man had left and betray'd him she heard him cry out that God himselfe had forsaken him also her teares her sighes her groanes her countenance her very posture her dolefull voyce all united their forces to expresse the greatnesse of her sorrow Listen and you shall heare her thus lament O my dearest Sonne Her Lamentation is also expressed by S. Bernard Serm. qui incipit Signum magnum that thou who healest others shouldst thy selfe be wounded That thou who freest others shouldst thy selfe be bound That thou who art the Fountaine of Life and Creator of the waters shouldst thy selfe be thirsty That thou who cloathest all things shouldest thy selfe stand naked O my dearest Master how hast thou trespassed against this obdurate Nation that it should so thirst after thy pretious bloud Thou wouldest have cover'd them under the wings of thy gratious Providence as Henne doth her Chickens but they those rather to perish than to come thither for shelter With them the lead are more sensible of thy passion than the living and their devouring Sepulchers more mercifull then they themselves O my Sonne my Sonne that I should see thee suffer and not be able to succour thee O that I were an oblation as spotlesse and as gratiâ—us in thy Fathers sight as thou thy selfe that all thy afflictions all thy torments might be mine Were my power correspondent to my will I would rescue thee from Legions of thy enemies But alas I am a weake woman and all my strength lyes in my tongue which will onely serve mee to deplore thy losse and that I truely doe from the very bottome of my heart Thus or to this purpose questionlesse she bewail'd him dying but when she once beheld him dead Love and Beauty being banisht that face and saw withall their malitious cruelty survive him when she view'd his very carkasse pierc't and water together with bloud flowing thence when she had leisure to imbrace his dead body to number his wounds to kisse them and to Essay with the holy water of her eyes to wash away his stripes she then was so wholly oppressed with anguish of soule that she ardently at that instant desired her soule if possibly might transmigrate out of her living body into his dead one True it is that many affirme she felt not those torments which other women endure in Child-birth who are liable to the malediction laid upon Eve But if at his comming into the world she was not sensible of any paine at all certainely at his going out the griefes of all women contracted into one equals nothers alone And assuredly her sorrow was much increased when she saw Mary Magdalen and the other women so vehemently to grieve whom his death not so nearly concern'd as it did her nor were they so able as she to judge of his value Then questionlesse in this or the like phrase she renewed and redoubled her complaints O my sweetest Sonne I bewaile mine owne and the wretched condition of all those whose soules thou hast feasted so many yeares with thy mellifluous Language My griefe is answer able to my affection If Samuel lamented the death of a reprobate King if David wept over wicked Absolon with this exclamation Absolon my Sonne O my Sonne Absolon can my teares be too prodigally powr'd upon thee who art Sonne to me and Righteousnesse it selfe Who shall forbid or hinder me for crying out Iesus my sweet Sonne O my sweet Sonne Iesus If thou didst weepe over Ierusalem as lamenting her destruction then at hand shall I not bewaile thy neere approaching end Thou didst then compassionate the future Ruine of those very stones which now with a silent gratiâ—â—de seeme to condole and weepe for â—hee When thou cam'st to the Tombe â—f Lazarus thou wert so farre from â—prehending the teares of others that â—hou wepst thy selfe for company Thy â—â—ne example then warrants the justâ—sse of my griefe for when thou wert â—wing the small paine thou felt'st in 〈◊〉 sleeping of thy foot was and ought 〈◊〉 be more to mee than the eternall â—epe of Lazarus could be to thee and as thy teares for him weretokens 〈◊〉 thy humane nature not signes of by diffidence in that thou knew'st 〈◊〉 would forthwith arise so are mine 〈◊〉 thee witnesses of my wretched elate not of my distrust who am asâ—â—red of thy speedy resurrection Nor be I onely grieve my owne griefe for 〈◊〉 for mans sake I rejoyce in thy Fathers Grace who delivers thee to death and in thy Charity who dost suffer it So likewise in mans behalfe I am griev'd that he should be the cursed cause of those thy extreme torments for as not to joy in the benefits thy death hath brought with it would argue his ingratitude so not to condole for the tortures that attend it would demonstrate his cruelty And here I faithfully promise thee that both I while life and thy Church while the world doth last shall yearely spend this dolefull * time of thy Tragicall expiration in Prayer S. Bernard cals this Hebdomadam poenosam the weeke of pennance and the high Dutch Die Martyr Wocken the Martyrs weeke fasting severity of discipline maceration of the flesh and contrition of the spirit as becomes thy mournefull Mother and â—â—y gratefull Spouse to doe Thus condoling thus bemoaâ—ing hers and the generall losse â—e attended his herse to the Seâ—â—lchre provided by Ioseph where â—ever man was laid before for it â—as not fit that Incorruptibility â—â—ould succeed corruption in the â—â—me lodging This fragrant â—lower was no sooner set in the â—â—ound but she sent many a deare â—â—op after it to fasten it at the â—oot for she knew within three â—ayes it should spring up againe â—ot to grow in the earth but to be â—â—anslated into Heaven there for â—ver to flourish and perfume the â—elestiall habitation Nor were â—er eyes saith Damascen closed with his Monument but watched â—hemselves almost blinde with a greedy expectation to see the temple of his body built up againe which three dayes since was destroyed After many a longing looke she espied the Tombe to open and her onely joy to issue forth whom full well she knew by the countenance and figure of his Humanity but farre better by the cleere proofes of his Godhead for the Graves delivered up their dead many of which appear'd to their friends in the holy City Some and those of great authority in the Church affirme that after his Resurrection she of all others saw him first and wheras the Scripture seemeth to inferre that Mary Magdalen first beheld
and Mother be Stranger to see In one soule both God and Humanity As hee was God thou still art Mayd Who can This wonder scan Hee made thee Mother as hee was but man Thou succkl'st him upon thy breasts and he To ransome thee Open'd his side upon his passion tree me blessed Virgin and receive thy Crowne Of full Renowne Where Death and Time have laid their Scepters downe There sing with us how three doe sit upon The glorious Throne One of which three is two yet all but one THus holy Virgin have I shadow'd o're Thy Picture in a rude unpollisht score That wish'd t' have limm'd it with as lively grace As ever Painter drew the sweetest face Yet would I not idolatrize thy worth Like some whose superstition sets thee forth In costly ornaments in cloaths so gay So rich as never in the Stable lay These make thy Statues now as famous be For pride as thou wert for Humility I cannot thinke thy Virgin bashfulnesse Would weare the Lady of Lorettos dresse Though farre more glorious robes to thee were given Meekenesse and Zeale on Earth Glory in Heauen Take then the honour thou hast justly wonne Praise above Angels but below thy Sonne Faults escaped in Printing PAge 74. line 4. reade glorious 10â— in the margin reade not onely marâ— Moderne 128.14 for it reade is 16 16. for penurious reade poore 182 1â— Lambertus 194.14 in stead of siâ— reade from 205.6 Jdelphonsus 213 1â— for consent reade concent 246. fâ—â— Christs r. Christ 247. for brought broughtst 248.11 for silent r. a silenâ— 248.13 dele but. This Blessed Virgin had the grace deuine To be deriu'd from IESSE 's blooming rod And rijse elect from DAVID 's golden line To be the Daughter Mother Spouse of GOD THE FEMALL GLORY OR The life of the Virgin MARY HIstory offers to our view Myriads of holy Virgins in Beauty and vertue equally attractive whose due praise the Catholike Church doth at this day solemnely sing but with a more elevated voyce as duty on our part and merit on hers commands the laud of that most excellent Princesse the Virgin Mother of God There be who affirme that what ever the Creator saw beautifull in heaven or earth he bestowed in the limming of this rare Piece not that she might be stiled the most faire amongst the daughters of women but by a heavenly prerogative the alone Faire the alone Lovely Looke how many parts Her externall Beauty so many arts you might discerne of the Celestiall Limmer And this is no way repugnant to reason it selfe for if Christ was faire above the sonnes of men Galatinus should not she be so above their Daughters since from her alone he received his flesh Gregory Nazianzen proclaimes that she surpass'd all women in lovelinesse Andraeas sayes that she was a Statue carved by Gods own hand Others of those first and purer times not without admiration observe that God was almost fifty Ages in the meditation of the structure of this stately Pallace And truely our beliefe may easily digest this that his omnipotency would make her fit to be the Mother of his Son Empresse of this lower world and the blessed Conduit through which should passe the mystery of mans Redemption Yet finde I a ridiculous description of her in Epiphanius a Priest of Constantinople who affirmes that her Face was of the colour of Wheate her visage long and her nose sutable her haire yellow and her eye-browes blacke But what authority he hath for this neither I nor I thinke he himselfe can well tell for surely simple Antiquity was not either curious or skilfull to deliver it by tradition or picture to posterity I verily beleeve he had it from his owne dreames or rather fancy Mopsa is as much beholding to our incomparable and inimitable Sydney for a delineation as is my divine subject to this curious Impertinent Whether her beauty chiefly consisted in colour in Symmetry of parts or both I know not sure I am the streame of other more judicious pious Authors carries me not into an opinion but a strong beleefe of her heavenly forme Cardinall Cajetan and Galatinus with what truth I cannot say certainely with more probability then he maintaine that her excellent temperature her conformity of members her firme and constant Complexion free'd her from all contagion and diseases And Dyonisius goes further affirming that she was no other then a walking Spring Such variety of sweet odours her very pores breath'd out on all that came neare her as we reade of Alexanders living body and the Aegyptian Carkasses which by a thin spare dyet observed in life even after death sent forth a most sweet perfume Sylvanus Razzius recounts a pleasing story of a certaine Clerke who by many prayers implor'd and obtain'd the blessing of her fight but with this condition that he should see her but with one eye and that one he should lose He willingly embrac't it but when she appear'd drest in all her Beames not being able with one eye to take a full view of her he opened the other also chusing rather to forfeit his sight for ever then to loose one minute of the inconceiveable content he enjoyed in the sight of so glorious a spectacle Were this true it would make a brave example of a devout soule ravisht with the view of a divine object Her internall Beauty If the Inne was so splendent so sumptuous what may we thinke of the amiable guest that lodg'd in it her minde beset with thoughts cleare and radiant as her owne eyes He that dares attempt the expression of these her internall gifts is ignorant of her sublimity he who dares not knows not her humanity her sweetnesse As no stile can ascend so high as her exalted worth so on the other side none can descend so low as her Humility Encourag'd therfore by her meeknesse not my owne sufficiencie I shall endeavour to limme her soule in little since in great neither my time nor ability will let me which will appeare an enterprise as hardy and vaine as his who should strive to limmit the light or circumscribe the Ayre Know then modest Reader and receive this knowledge with the same extasie and zeale I write it that her internall luster was farre greater then her externall like in this unto the Tents of Kedar as soone cover'd with dust and almost burned up with the heat of the Sunne as soone beaten and shaken with tempestuous weather but in the meane time inwardly all glittering with glory and magnificence O ye Angels to you it is onely given not to sinne but on her is conferr'd what you cannot merit to beare and the reparation of mans ruine The Apostles those holy Tapours of the primitive Church sometimes burnt dimme and were obscur'd with the fogge of sinne but her brightnesse nothing vitious could lessen much lesse utterly extinguish She was indeed vertues prime and great example and all the accomplisht women of the Ages past present
that she bewailed the ingratitude the obstinacy and impiety of her Nation who revil'd him that blessed them and tortur'd him who came to save them With what amazement and sadnesse was her heart surprised think ye when the newes came of her Sonnes being apprehended But when she saw him forsaken by his friends bound by his enemies accused before the high Priests derided by Herod despis'd by the people scourg'd and tortur'd by the command of Pilate his body trembling torne and pierced besmear'd with his owne bloud and hung between two Theeves then and never till then did the Sword foretold by Simeon passe through her Soule Luther saies this Prophecy of Simcon was spoken to her not to Ioseph for on her alone the whole weight of sorrow was to be laid True it is that many differ about the interpretation of this Sword To cleare all doubts we must take notice that the holy Scriptures mention foure sorts of Swords The first is a Corporall or materiall sword and of this Christ speakes to Peter All that use the Sword shall perish with the Sword The second is a spirituall Sword of which Saint Paul makes mention when he saies Receive the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God The third is a Sword of Scandall or Ambiguity with which the Apostles themselves were strucken when they forsooke their Master The fourth is the Sword of Griefe or Tribulation Psal 33. Ps 105. Gen. 37. With this the Prophet David averres the Soule of Ioseph to have beene pierc'd when his death was plotted first by his trecherous Brothers next by his incontinent Mistresse That this Sword whereof Simeon Prophecied could be no materiall one is evident in that we read not of any violent death she suffered That it could not be the sword of the Spirit is manifest for the word of God was her daily delitious food at the same time when Simeon made this Prophecy Origen indeed will have it to be the sword of Ambiguity or Infidelity which erroneous opinion of his is refuted by many great Fathers of the antient Church and by Franciscus Lumbertus an accute Protestant Doctor of the moderne in these words In exposit Evang Lucae cap. 2. Those saith he who will have this to be the sword of Infidelity are not to be hearkened to for besides that they can produce no proofe of this their opinion it is contradictory to the Text most rash and most untrue How can it be that the sword of Infidelity should penetrate the brest of Gods sacred Mother into which infidelity never made the least impression From the leginning her Faith was most firme and intire Let therefore those Blasphemies and wicked slanders of canall men be put to silence I will attribute nothing to the blessed Virgin but what I reade in the holy Writ where she is pronounced blessed because shee beleev'd We have many testimonies of her Faith but of her Infidelity not one word is extant in the sacred Scriptures Yet this prophane assertion is not a whit strange or to be marvelled at in Origen who held that Christ dyed for the Angels and the Starres and whose soule was indeed no other than a Mynt of Heresies Her passive Fortitude and Patience at the Death of her Sonne Melan. in cap. 27. Matth. Melancton affirmes that her sorrow was much asswaged by her faith which assured her of his Resurrection She knew she had borne the Messias whose bloud was to wash away the sinnes of the world Wherefore she might well be amaz'd distrustfull she could not be at all The holy Spirit certified her this was not a destroying death but a triumphing Her Faith the oftner it was tryed in the furnace of affliction the brighter still it shewed She stood with the affection of a Mother the passion of a woman but with the constancy and fortitude of a man in beholding her owne bloud spilt her owne flesh rent and mangled before her face With an unshaken confidence and a true internall valour she beheld his body naked and scourg'd his hands and feet nailed to the Crosse yet sometimes the strings of her relenting mournefull heart were ready to cracke with the very thought of his cruell tortures and afflictions but as often againe they were strengthened and comforted with a full assurance that he should overcome them all and death it selfe She stood here her Sonne onely excepted the prime patterne of a sollid Faith and constant Patience to all posteritie in that neither the feare of Tribulation of persecution of the wracke of the scourge or death it selfe could divide her from her Christ She committed not that errour most incident to women many of which gentle sexe perish in the midst of their Lamentations and will neither admit of Counsell nor Comfort She did not teare her haire scratch her face batter her bosome seeke to stifle her selfe or gave any other desperate signe of a ragefull sorrow nor did she curse her enemies or make imprecations for Vengeance or so much as murmur against them but attended the sad event with the same calmenesse of minde with which this meeke Lambe did his end Her arriage was beyond the Levell of Censure and in all things sutable â—o the modesty and gravity of such a Matron She fear'd not at all the fury of the Iewish Souldidiers that environ'd her but stood lecure and fac'd danger Though she was an eye witnesse of his passion and saw his Limbs distended and wrack'd yet did not the evils she saw wound her so deep as those she heard The Roman Fencers used to have Wards or Covers to save their Eares She had greater need of such to barre the entrance of blasphemies able to provoke God if his mercies were not above all his workes utterly to deface Nature and reduce the world to its first Chaos She heard him call'd a Drunkard a Blasphemer a breaker of the Sabboth both a lover of Publicans and Sinners nay a very Divell who was her and Gods onely delight Yet did not all these killing objects these impious slanders drive her into the mercilesse gripes of despaire for she was confident that the two persons of the Trinity would not forsake the third Melan. in loco praedic Melancton commending this dismall story to our sad and serious contemplation adviseth us That when Tribulations and Death it selfe come upon us we should imitate this holy Virgin who mixed a heart killing sorrow for his death with a joyfull assurance of his Resurrection Consider saith he what a Conflict the Faith of Mary had There was in her an extreme griefe linked with Faith and Hope Let us in our death thus comfort our â—elves and harbour the same â—houghts with Mary still fixâ—ng on God the Eyes of our Faith And verily we must â—eleeve that no small measure of Beliefe was required to temper and asswage â—o great a * Sophronius ser de Assump Beatae Virg. maintains that she suffered more than all the Martyrs