¶ A spirituall consolation written by Iohn Fyssher Bishoppe of Rochester to hys sister Elizabeth at suche tyme as hée was prisoner in the Tower of London Uery necessary and commodious for all those that mynde to leade a vertuous lyfe Also to admonishe them to be at all tymes prepared to dye and séemeth to bée spoken in the person of one that was sodainly preuēted by death 2. Corinthians vj. Beholde now is the acceptable tyme ▪ now is the day of saluation Mathew xxiiij VVatch therefore for ye knowe not what houre your Lorde doeth come ¶ A spirituall consolacyon vvritten by Iohn Fyssher Bishop of Rochester to his sister Elizabeth SIster Elizabeth nothing doth more help effectuallye to get a good and a vertuous lyfe Then if a soule when it is dull and vnlustie without deuotion neyther disposed to prayer nor to any other good worke may be sturred or quickened agayne by fruiteful meditacion I haue therfore deuised vnto you this meditation that followeth Praying you for my sake and for the weale of your owne soule to reade it at suche tymes as you shall feele your selfe most heauie and slouthfull to doe any good worke It is a maner of lamentacion and sorowfull complaynyng made in the person of one that was hastily preuented by death as I assure you euery creature may be none other suretie we haue liuing in this worlde héere But if you will haue any profite by reading of it thrée things you must do in any wise First when you shall reade this meditation deuise in your mynde as nigh as you can all the conditions of a man or woman sodaynlye taken and rauyshed by death and thynke◠wyth your selfe that yée were in the same condition so hastily taken and that incontinent you must néedes dye and your soule depart hence leaue your mortall bodie neuer to returne again for to make any amendes or to doe any release to your soule after this houre Seconly that yée neuer reade thys meditation but alone by your selfe in secrete maner where you maye be most attentyue therevnto And when ye haue the best leasure without any let of other thoughtes or buzinesse For if you otherwyse behaue your selfe in the reading of it it shall anon lose the vertue and quicknesse in stirring and mouing of your soule when you woulde ratherest haue it sturred Thirdly that when you intende to read it you must afore lifte vp your minde to almightie God and beséech him that by the helpe and succour of his grace the readyng thereof may fruitfully worke in your soule a good and vertuous life according to hys pleasure and say Deus in adiutorium meum intende Domine adiuvandum me festina Gloria patri c. Laus tibi domine rex eternae glorie Amen Alas alas I am vnworthily takē all sodaynly death hath assayled me the paynes of his stroake be so sore and gréeuous that I may not longe endure thē my last home I perceiue well is come I must now leaue thys mortall bodie I must nowe departe hence out of this world neuer to returne againe into it But whether I shall goe or where I shall become or what lodgyng I shall haue thys night or in what company I shal fal or in what countrey I shall be receiued or in what maner I shall be entreated God knoweth for I knowe not What if I shall be dampned in the perpetuall prysō of hell where be paynes endelesse and without number Gréeuous it shall be to them that be dampned for euer for they shall be as men in moste extreame paynes of death euer wishing and desiryng death and yet neuer shall they dye It should be nowe vnto mée muche wearie one yeare continually to lye vpon a bed were it neuer so soft how weary then shall it be to lye in the most painefull fyre so many thousād of yeares without number And to be in that most horrible company of diuils most terrible to beholde full of malice and crueltie O wretched and miserable creature that I am I might so haue liued and so ordered my lyfe by the helpe and grace of my Lorde Christ Iesu that this houre might haue bene vnto mée much ioyous greatly desired Many blessed holy Sayncts were full ioyous and desirous of this houre for they knewe well that by death their soules shuld be trāslated into a new life To the life of all ioye and endlesse pleasure frō the streightes and bōdage of this corruptible body into a very libertie and true fréedom mong the company of heauen frō the miseries gréeuāces of this wretched world to be aboue with God in comfort inestimable that can not be spoken ne thought They were assured of the promises of almightie god which had so promised to all them that bée hys faithfull seruauntes And sure I am that if I had truly faithfully serued him vnto thys houre my soule had bene partner of these promises But vnhappie vngracious creature that I am I haue bene negligent in hys seruice and therefore now my harte doeth waste in sorowes séeing the nighnesse of death and considering my great slouth negligence I thought full little thus sodainly to haue bene trapped But alas now death hath preuented me and hath vnwarily attached mée sodainly oppressed mée with his mightie power so that I know not whither I may turne mee for succour nor where I may séeke now for helpe ne what thing I may doe to get any remedy If I myght haue leasure and space to repent mée and amende my lyfe not compelled with this sodayne stroake but of my owne frée will and libertie and partly for the loue of God putting asyde all slouth negligence I might then safely dye without any dread I might then be glad to departe hence and leaue my manifold miseries encombraūces of this world But how may I think that my repentance or mine amendement commeth now of myne own frée will sith I was before thys stroake so colde and dull in the seruice of my Lord god Or howe may I thinke that I doe this more rather for his loue then for feare of his punyshement when if I had truelye loued hym I should more quickely and more diligently haue serued him héeretofore Mée séemeth now that I caste away my slouth and neglygence compelled by force Euen as a Merchaunt that is compelled by a greate tempest in the sea to cast his merchandice out of the Shippe it is not to bée supposed that hée would cast away his ryches of hys owne frée will not compelled by the storme And euen so lykewyse doe I if thys tempeste of death were not now raysed vppon mée it is full like that I would not haue cast from me my slouth and negligence O woulde to God that I might nowe haue some farther respet and some longer tyme to amend my self of my frée will and libertie O if I might entreat death to spare me for a season but that will not bée death
for very payne it myght haue brast O thou sinfull creature If thou can not sorrow come learne of thys blessed woman to sorrow for thy sin Thinke that thy sinne was the cause and occasion of all this payne and sorrow that thy Lorde and sauiour dyd suffer on the Crosse. And not onely she giueth the example of sorrowe but his blessed mother abundantly thē sorowed at his death Sainct Iohn sorrowed Sainct Peter sorrowed and wepte bitterly All the Apostles were in sorrow But wherevnto speake I of reasonable creatures the vnreasonable and the vnsensible creatures shewes a maner of sorrowe The earth quaked The mighty stones brast in sunder The monuments opened the dead courses issued out of theyr monuments All these were moued with compassion And onely thou wretched sinner for whose cause he suffred all this paine and gréeuance hast no pitie nor compassion vpon him Alas howe great is thy hardnesse Howe obstinate is thy harte that will suffer no pittie to enter in to it Uerely thou arte more harder then are the stones for they were moued by his passyon so myghtely that they brake in sunder Petrae scissae sunt When then the harde stones and all the other vnreasonable creatures were thus moued and stirred to take some compassyon of the paynfull death of Christ and yet felt no profite by his death Thou much rather shouldest be moued for whose loue he dyd endure all this gréeuous pains Looke thou therfore vpō this booke thou shalt here fynde great cause matter of sorrow Fourthly if thou canst not sorrowe yet thou maiest here learne to hate Thou maiste learne to hate sinne which was cause of all this trouble It is not for nought that the scripture sayth Quasi a facie colubri fuge peccatū dentes leonis dentes eius interficientis animas hominum Flée from sinne euen as thou wouldest flée from the face of an Adder for as the téeth of the Lion deuoureth the body of man so death doth sleay their soules Sinne is so odious and so great an iniury to god that it was necessary for the recompence of this iniury that the sonne of god should suffer this most paineful death of the crosse Sinne so prouoked almightie god the father so déeply to displeasure wrath to take vengance vpon sinners that without the sacrifice of his owne sonne in the gybbet of the crosse he wold not be appeased ne recōciled vnto sinners againe Sinne so deadly wounded blotted the soule of man that with out shedding of the most precious bloud of our sauiour Christ Iesu no lyfe could be restored vnto sinners nor the soules might be washed from the fowle abhominable corruption of sinne Sinne so debarreth and shutteth frō sinners the gates of heauen that they might not haue béene opened but only by the merit of this moste bytter passion suffering this most painfull torments on the crosse Sinne set the gates of hell so wyde open brought all this world into that daunger and thraldome of the diuell that all we should haue béene deuowred of the pyt of hell vnlesse we had béene raūsomed with this most precious treasure that was shed for vs on the crosse-O sinful creature hast thou not great cause to hate sinne that hath brought thée into that miserable cōdicion that by thy sinne thou hast done and committed high iniurie against almighty god and hast prouoked him to vengeaunce That by thy sinne thou hast thus mortally wounded thyne owne soule That by sin thou haste brought thy selfe into the daunger of the dyuill and be dampned in hell perpetually That by thy sinne thou hast shut the gates of heauē against thy selfe Alas man where canst thou fynde greater occasion of hatred If thy neyghbour doe vnto thée but a lyght iniurie thou canst anon hate him yea and so hate him that thou wilt say thou mayest not finde in thy harte to loue him Sinne hathe done vnto thée all these great iniuries and yet thou loueste sinne and canste not hate it Alas what madnesse is this Ioab sayde vnto Kyng Dauid dilegis odientes te et odio habes diligentis te Thou loueste them that hate thée and thou hatest them that loue thée The same worde may well be sayde vnto euery sinner that followeth the course of sinne And lykewyse vyce doeth procure the dystruction of sinners and yet the sinners doe follow after them Our sauiour with all grace vertue procureth the saluation of sinners but him they will not heare nor take any wayes after his counsayle And this is nothing els but an extreame madnesse for they should contrarywyse loue our sauiour that so louingly for theyr weale indured the gréeuous paynes of the Crosse and hate the diuill and sinne which was the very cause of death By thys then you may perceyue that in this booke ye may fynde matter inough of lamentation sith you may read in this booke so much cause of dread of shame of sorrow and of hatred And this is the first wryting wherof we promised for to speake The secōd writing that I said was also writtē in this booke was Carmē that is to say Songe Surely if eyther loue or hope or ioye or comfort wil make a soule to sing here he may take great occasion to sing Fyrst here is great matter of loue and so great that if any person will eyther gyue hys loue fréely or els for some certayne pryce sell it hée that died on the crosse is best worthy to haue it If thou search in heauen in earth one person vpon whom thou maist best bestowe thy loue Thou shalt fynde none comparable vnto Christ Iesus so wyse so myghty so gentle so kynde so amyable far passing all other and there to he is much desirous of thy loue for when Moyses had rehearsed the great benifites which almightie God had giuen vnto man he sayth Et nunc audi quid dominus deus tuus requirat a te nisi vt diligas eū Now here what thy Lord God dooth require of thy parte truely but that thou loue him So now if thou wylt fréely giue thy loue thou canst not more wysely nor better bestow it then vpon him which is so excelent and hath all the condicions aboue saide and there to also is so desirous to haue thy loue And if thou wylt sel thy loue I trow there is none that wyl giue vnto thée more liberally for the same than he hath done Where shalt thou finde him that wyll shedde one droppe of bloud out of his harte for thy sake Where shalte thou finde hym that will giue hys owne soule and lyfe for thy loue There can no more bée asked of any man then that Maiorem charitatem nemo habet nisi vt animam suam ponat quis pro amicis suis. No man can shewe greater charitie then for to put hys owne life in ieopardie for his friendes But thou peraduenture wilt say Syr if he had done this
et gaudeum That is to say hys maners be so swéet pleasauÌ„t that the coÌ„uersacioÌ„ of him hath no bitternes yea his coÌ„pany hath no loathsomnes ne wearines in it but all gladnes and ioye Here peraduenture you wil say vnto me how may I loue that I sée not if I might sée him with all the coÌ„ditioÌ„s ye speak of I could with al my hart loue him Ah good sister that time is not come yet you must as I said now for the time prepare your self in cleannesse of bodie and soule against the tyme so that when that tyme commeth you may be able and worthie to sée him or els you shall be excluded from him with the vnwise virgins of whom the gospel telleth that they were shut out from his presence with great shame coÌ„fusioÌ„ bicause they had not suffitiently prepared theÌ„selues Therfore good sister for this time be not negligent to prepare your selfe with all good workes that theÌ„ you may be admitted to com vnto his presence from the which to be excluded it shall be a more gréeuous payne theÌ„ any paine of hell For as Chrisostome sayth Si decem mille geheÌ„nas quis duerit nihil tale est quale ab illa beata visione exadere that is to saye if â—ne would rehearse vnto mée tenne thousand hels yet all that should not be so great paines as it is to be excluded from the blessed sighte of the face of Christ. The seuenth consideration THe seueÌ„th coÌ„sideratioÌ„ is this wher now it appeareth vnto you that if you will giue your loue fréelie there is non so worthy to haue it as Iesu the sonne of the virgin Mary I will further shewe vnto you that if you will not fréely giue it but you will looke peraduenture to haue some thing agayne yet there is none so well worthie to haue it as he is for if an other will giue more for it then he I will not be agaynst it take your aduantage But sure I am there is none other to whome your loue is so deare and of so greate price as it is vnto him nor any that will come nigh vnto that that he hath giuen or wil giue If his benifits and kyndnesse shewed towardes you wherof I speak somewhat before were by you well pondered they be no small benifites and especially the loue of so great a prince and that he would thus loue you anâ— preferre you before so many innumerable creatures of his and that when there was in you no loue and when you could not skill of loue yea and that that more is when you were enimie vnto him yet he loued you and so wonderfully that for your loue and to washe you from sin and to deliuer your soule from the extreame perrill he shead his most precious bloud anâ— suffered the most shamefull the most cruel and the most painefull death of the crosse his head to be perced with thornes his handes and féete to bée thorough holed with nayles his side to be launced with a speare and all his most tender bodie to be torne and rent with whippes scourges Beléeue this for a very truth good sister that for your sake he suffered all as if there had bene no moe in all the world but onely your selfe which I will declare more largely vnto you in the next consideration following Beléeue it in the meane tyme certainely for so it is in déede and if you belieue it not you doe a great iniurie and shewe a full vnkindenesse vnto him that thus muche hath done for you And if this beliefe truly settle in your harte it is to me a meruaile if you can content your heart without the loue of him of him I say that thus déerely hath loued you and doeth loue you still For what other louer will â—â—e thus much for your loue What creature in all the world will die for â—our sake what one person wil depart with one drop of his hart bloud for your sake wheÌ„ theÌ„ the son of God the prince of heaueÌ„ the Lord of Angels hath done this for your sake which thing no other creature wil do what frost could haue vngeled your harte that it may not releÌ„t against so great an heat of loue if he so exceleÌ„t in all noblenesse should haue giuen you but one fauourable countenance from the heauens aboue it had bene a more precious benifit then euer you could recompence by your loue againe It were impossible for your loue to recompence that one thing But nowe much rather when he hath descended into this wretched worlde for your sake and here hath become man and hath endured all miserie pertaining vnto man saue onely sinne and ignoraunce and finally hath suffered this great horrible death for your loue how shall you euer now recompence this by any loue or seruice to be done for your pittie And he hath not onely don al this for your sake but also hath prepared for you after this transitory lyfe a rewarde aboue in heauen so great that neuer mortal eye saw the lyke nor any tonge can expresse nor yet any hart can think Ah sister wheÌ„ your wretched soule shall hence departe which can not be verie longe héere who shall giue you refreshing the space of one hour Good therfore it is that you looke vnto your selfe vppon him bestow your loue that which hitherto hath done most for you best hath deserued it beyond all other and yet after this life he wil giue for it a rewarde so inestimable that it shall neuer fayle you The eight consideration THe eight coÌ„sideration is this that albeit there are many other which also are beloued of christ Iesu yet the loue that he sheweth to them nothing minisheth his loue towards you as if there were no moe beloued of him in all the kinde of maÌ„ This may euidently be shewed vnto you by this exaÌ„ple folowing If before any Image of our sauior were disposed set in a long rowe many glasses some great and some litlle some high and some lowe a conuenient distance from the Image so that euerie of them myght receiue a presentmeÌ„t of the Image it is no doubt but in euerie of these glasses should appeare the verie likenesse of the same Image I will not say but this lykenesse should be longer in the great glasses then in the lesse and clearer in the better clensed glasses and in them that were nigh vnto the Image then in the other that were not so well clensed much farther of But as to the likenesse it selfe it shall be as full and as whole in euerie one glasse as though there were but one Now to my purpose if you consider lykewise that all the good soules that be scourged from deadly sinne be in the maner of glasses set in an order to receiue the loue of our sauiour Christ iesu Such soules as by true pennaunce doing by sighing by wéeping by praying by watching by fasting by other lyke be the better scoured
things Lamētationes Carmen et vae which is to say Lamentations songes and woe And the same thrée things in lyke maner be wrytten in thys booke of the Crucifixe Fyrst is lamentation and this verie conuenientlye is written in thys booke of the Crucyfixe For whosoeuer will ioye wyth Christ must fyrst sorow with him And by sorowe and lamentation hée may come vnto ioye But hée that will not sorrowe and lament wyth Christ héere in thys lyfe hée shall come fynallye to the place where is euerlastyng woe I saye woe that shall neuer haue ende Héere therfore is written all these thrée lamentation songe and woe Fyrste then wée will speake of lamentation Lamentation aryseth of foure affections eyther of a great feare or dreade or of a great shame or of some sorrowe or els of some hatred When Holophernes with a mightie power was entred into the countrey of Iurie terribly threatned to distroy all before hym the people were in a greate feare and dreade to be oppressed and so fell downe before almyghtie God and with great lamentation dyd call for hys helpe omnius populus cetidit in faciē adorantes dominum cum lamentatione et fletu all the people fell on theyr faces worshyppyng our Lorde with wéepyng and lamentation The cause of this lamentation was the great dreade whych they were in Héere first then let vs learne to dread and doubtlesse thou Christian soule thou mayest héere learne greater matter of dread then the Iewes then were in For the Iewes then were onelye in perill of temporall death thou arte in perill of euerlastyng death Consider man how gréeuouslie thou hast sinned And also behold how gréeuously sinne was reuenged and punished in the blessed bodye of christ And thou shalt anon fynde here great cause and matter of dread The storyes telleth of Cambises the King of Persia that where one of hys Iudges had giuen a false and a wrong iudgement he depriued him of hys offyce and made an other in his place their Iudge after him Furthermore bicause of hys falsehoode he caused him to be slayne and his skinne to be hanged vp before the place of the commen iudgement to the entent that this newe Iudge beholdyng the gréeuous punishment of his predecessor might beware of falshood and alway dread to giue any wrong iudgement In like maner the Image of the Crucifix is hunge vp in euery Church to the entent that we may sée how gréeuouslie sinne was punyshed in that moste blessed bodye of our Sauyour Christ Iesu not for him self nor for hys owne sinne but for ours was he thus cruellye intreated wée were the cause wée committed the sinne But yet neuerthelesse he bare the paynes and burthens of our sinnes vpon his backe As wryteth Sainct Peter Peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super ligium crucis And therefore when we behold the Image of the Crucifixe in anye place set vp we should thynke howe gréeuously sinne was punyshed in the body of our sauiour Christ. And there by learne to dreade the gréeuous punishment of sinne Alas man thynkest thou not that thys was matter of dreade This I say that the verie sonne of God was for thy sinne put vnto thys cruell death of the Crosse If thou beléeue not thys thou arte worse then the dyuylles ▪ For as Sainct Iames sayeth demones credunt et contremiscunt the diuilles doe beléeue and tremble And if thou verely beléeue it thou mayest thereby thynke and learne howe muche our sauyour and hys father both doeth hate sinne For sith almightie God the father woulde gyue hys moste dearely beloued sonne vnto suche an horrible death onely for to quenche and to extincte sinne thou mayest bée sure that he hateth sinne very much Our Sauyour also must néedes hate sinne when hée rather would suffer thys moste vyllanous death then that sinne shoulde haue domynion vpon our soules séeyng then that thou knowest that bothe they hate sinne Howe shouldest thou dreade to receue any sinne into thy soule If sinne were so displeasant to almighty God the father that rather then hée would suffer it he would giue his owne sonne vnto death for the expulsion of it How much rather now doth it displease him when his sonne hath suffered death therfore and yet sinne rayneth neuerthelesse and more generally then euer it dyd before Furthermore if sinne was so greuously punished in him that neuer did sinne how bytterly shall it be punished in thée O sinfull creature the which haste done so many great outragious sinnes Surely wher he hath one nayle in his handes féete thou sinfull creature hast deserued one hūdreth And for euery one thorne that he suffred in his head thou hast deserued a thousande And for euery one lash that he felt of the scourges thou art worthy to haue innumerable Who that déepely considerith this that I haue sayde and with an earnest study resorteth often to looke vppon this booke I maruell if he doo not fynde here in great cause and earnest matter of dread Here also may euery sinner quicken his sinne if any be within hist breast for it is maruell that a sinner can with out shame beholde this blessed Image If a sinner call to remembrance his great vnkyndnesse repute the same vnkyndenes any maner of vice I trow that he wylbe much ashamed of his moste vnkynde and vngentle dealing against so louing a Lorde Say to me thou sinful creature wilt thou not looke that other men when thou haste béene vnto them in anye thinge beneficiall I saye wylt thou not looke that they shall be kynde and louing vnto thée againe And if any person be vnkynde vnto thée wylt thou not rebuke him fully and lay it vnto his reproofe to make him ashamed thereof I am suer that thou wylt Now then let me sée wher is thy shame beholde and vew euery part of this blessed body what payne it endured for thy sake Séest thou not his eyes how they bée fylled with blood and bytter teares Séest thou not his eares how they be filled with blasphemous rebukes and obprobrious words His chéeke necke with buffets his shoulders with the burthen of the crosse Séest thou not his mouth how in his dryghnesse they would haue filled it with Asell and Gaule Séest thou not how his backe is payned against the hard Crosse Séest thou not his sydes how they were skourged with sharpe whyps Séest thou not his armes how they were strayned by the violence of the ropes 〈◊〉 thou not his handes how they be nailed iust vnto the crosse Séest thou not his legges how they be wearyed with labour Séest thou not his féete how paynefully they stay and bere vp the wight of his whole body O moste vnkinde sinner all this he suffred for thy sake No greater kyndes euer was or could be shewed to thée by any creature then this which swéete Iesus dyd shewe for thée and for thy sake wher is now thy kindenes againe No
for me alone I had béene bounde then to haue gyuen him my loue whollye agayne Why man arte thou so enuyous that thou wouldest haue no parteners of this moste precious deathe with thée but thine owne selfe This were a very malicious desire to exclude all other specially when thy profite and merite shall not be mynished Albeit there bée neuer so manye besides that take commoditie there by I say vnto thée O man and I assure thée that as fruitefully hée dyed for thée if thou wilt dispose thy selfe to be partener of this death as if there had beene no more but thy selfe in all thys world Truth it is there bée many moe besides thée that bée parteners of this death But all they yea if there were a thousand thousande tymes innumerable moe then there be All that multitude shall nothyng mynish any one crum of merit of this most blessed death belongyng vnto thée And agayne if thou take much more fruite thereof then any one of them yet shall they take no impayrement or receyue the lesse bicause thou hast so much Wilte thou sée by some example that thys is trueth that I nowe say When thou séest a torch lyght in an house where many persons bée doeth not that torche gyue as muche light to them all as if there were but one person there Euery person after the quicknesse of theyr sight taketh more or lesse profitte of that lyght then doeth an other but yet he that taketh more hyndereth hys fellowes nothyng in so takyng nor he that taketh lesse giueth thereby anye occasion for his fellowes to take any more And if it be thus of the light of a torche muche rather it is so of the merite of this most gracyous death and of this most precious blud which by the reason of the godhead abundauntly suffyseth for the redemption of innumerable soules were theyr sinnes neuer so many neuer so horrible neuer so abhominable Surely as Sainct Iohn sayth ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris non pro nostris tantum sed et totius mundi Hée was and is a sacrifice abundantly sufficyent for the sinnes of all this world When then for thy sake for thy loue he suffered thys most horryble death which was so painfull that the onely remembraunce of it made him to sweate bloudy sweate and that in so great aboundance that it trickled downe by hys syde vnto the ground If the onely thinking of thys death was so painfull howe paynefull was the suffring of the same in déede Howe might he more euideÌ„tly expresse vnto thée the loue of his harte then by thys means Or what might he more haue done for thy loue as he saith himself quid vltra facere debui et non faci what myght I further haue done whiche I did not for thy loue Thou mayest then fynde héere in this booke great matter of loue Héere is also great matter of hope specially to sinners will vtterly forsake their sinne and amend theyr liues for Christ Iesu sake Doubtles for such he suffered this moste bitter death Pro impijs Christus mortuus est for wicked sinners Iesus Christ dyed And in an other place the same s. Paul sayth Christus Iesus venit in hunc munduÌ„ saluos facere peccatores Christe Iesus came into this world for to saue sinners that will amend theyr lyues O christian soule take thou vpon thée the crosse of pennaunce and bée crucyfied with him then without doubt thou shalt be partener of the the merit of his crucifying and of his most fruitfull passion What shall exclude thée from hys merite Almightie God the father Nay qui proprio filio suo non peporcit sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum quomodo non cum illo nobis omnia donauit He that dyd not spare his own sonne but gaue him vnto the death for vs all what shall hée denye vs what greater euidence canst thou aske that almightie God the father wil forgiue thy sin then thys that he would not forsake to giue vnto the death hys own sonne I say his own most dearly beloued sonne of whom hée sayde Hic est filius meus dilectus in quo mihi coÌ„placui This is my welbeloued sonne in whom is all my pleasure What greater euydence and proofe mayest thou desire that he will forgyue thy sinne then that he would put this most inestimable Iuell into such a daunger for thy sake and sende it vnto thys most painfull and shamefull and sorrowfull death of the Crosse. But peraduenture thou thynkest that our sauiour bycause thou haste bin so vnkynde vnto him will not receyue thée vnto his mercy I say therfore forsake thy sinne and accuse thy vnkyndnesse and be sory for it And doubt not but he will forgiue forget thyne vnkyndnesse and receyue thée agayne vnto hys great mercy And therfore he sayth by his Prophet Hieremie when a woman saith he is gone from hyr husbande and hath accompanyed hyr bodye with an other man will hyr husband receiue hir againe As who say that it is not verie lyke but yet heare what comforte he giueth to a sinner tu autem fornicata es cum amatoribus multis tamen reuertere ad me et ego suscipiam te Neuerthelesse he sayeth to the soule of a sinner Albeit thou hast forsaken me and playde the brothell with manye other yet returne thou agayne vnto mée and I shall receyue thée But here thou sinfull soule deceyue not thy selfe Thou mayest dissemble a returning and be not in déede returned And if thou set not thy backe toward all sinne and turne thy harte fully vnto thy sauiour thou arte not returned But bée thou truly returned and doubt not Beholde earnestly the maner how thy sauiour Iesu hanged on the Crosse and thou shalt sée great cause of hope of his mercy if thou thus returne Sainct Barnerd sayth Quis non rapiatur ad â—pem impetrandique fiduciam quaÌ„ do considerat corporis cius dispositionem caput inclinatum ad osculum brachia extenta ad amplexandum manus proforatas ad largiendum latus opertum ad diligenduÌ„ pedum confixionem ad manendum nobiscum corporis extensionem ad se nobis totaliter impendendum Who may not bée rauished to hope and confidence if he consider the order of his body his head bowing downe to offer a kisse hys armes spreade to embrace vs hys handes bored thorow to make lyberall giftes his side opened to shewe vnto vs the loue of his harte his féete fastened with nayles that hée shall not starte away but abyde with vs And all his bodie stretched forcesing him selfe to giue it wholly vnto vs Surely O man he that would thus and after this maner exhibite his bodie vnto thée on the Crosse if thou wilt indeuer thée vpon thy parte hée will not refuse thée but take thée vnto his mercy This most precious bloud that he shed on the Crosse cryeth alwayes mercye for
sinners that doe thus re-returne And therefore Sainct Paule sayeth Accessistis ad sanguinem melius loquentem quam Abel Ye become and haue returned you vnto the bloude that speaketh more graciously then did the bloude of Abell The bloud of Abell cryed vengeaunce before almightie god As almightie God sayd vnto Caine in the booke of Genesis Sanguis Abell fratris tui clamat ad me vindictam de terra The bloude of thy brother Abell crieth vengeaunce in mine eares from the grounde where it is shead But the moste precious bloude of our sauiour Iesu Christ cryeth mercy for all sinners that doeth repent And our sauiour now before the face of hys father sheweth his woundes sheweth his most precious bloud ceaseth not to procure mercy for them This plainly doeth affyrme the blessed Apostle Saint Iohn saying in this maner filioli hec scribo vobis vt non peccatis sed et si quis peccauerit aduocatū habemus apud patrem Iesu Christum iustum et ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris That is to say Childrē I write these things vnto you to the intent that you should not sinne Neuerthelesse if it fortune any man to sinne wée haue an aduocate for vs Christ Iesus before the face of his father And he is rightuous and without sinne a verye satisfaction for al our sinnes Who thē attentiuely doth beholde this Crucifix verely beleueth that on the Crosse was payd the raūsom of all sinners how may he not fully trust that if he aske mercy for his sinnes they shall be forgiuen him So that here euery sinner may finde great matter and occasion of hope In the Crosse is also matter of ioy Héere is occasion of such excessiue ioy that a soule which verely tasteth it can not but highly reioyce in the same And therfore Sainct Paule did say Mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce domini Iesu Christi God forbid that I reioyce in any other thing then in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesu Christ. Here doubtlesse is great cause for euerye true Christian man to reioyce and specially for thrée poyntes The first is that by the death of our sauiour on the Crosse and sheding of his moste precious bloude on the Crosse we be fully reconciled to almighty God as often as we doe true repentaunce with a fast purpose of amendement Thus Saint Paule sayth ad Col Complacuit per eum reconciliari omnia in ipsum per sanguinem cruicis It hath pleased God the father that by his sonne and by his bloud shed on the Crosse all should be reconciled But you will aske me what meaneth this word reconciled It is as much to sai as to be made attone with almighty God and to be at friendship with hym As two men when they haue bene at variaunce to be made louers together againe So the displeasure which he had against vs for our sinne is taken away And his great wrath against vs is fully pacified And where we were by sin the children of the diuell now we haue recouered to be made againe the children of God and consequentlye the inheritours of heauen O thou Christian man is not here great cause to reioyce If thou haue a ritche man to thy father which had loued thée much and he for thy misdemaner had caste thée out from his fauour and so thou werte in ieopardie to lose thy enherytaunce if by meanes of a brother of thine thou mightest be brought into his fauour againe and be taken for his sonne as thou waste before and restored thereby to thine enheritance haddeste thou not great cause to be ioyous and reioyce that by this means thou hast recouered againe thy fathers loue with all the commodities belonging vnto the same In like manner it is of euery sinner for he by his lewde demainer and by his sinful dealing hath so displeased his father that he is cast out from the fauour of his father and is in perrill to lose his inherytaunce which his most louing father had prouided for hym Neuerthelesse his onelye begotten sonne by his inestimable goodnesse and charitie suffering the most painful death of the Crosse and shedding his most precyous bloude for amendes and recompence of our vngracious dealinge hath reconcyled vs agayne and made vs at one with his father and set vs at a perfecte peace concorde and vnytie And thys is concernynge the fyrste poynte The second by the vertue of the crosse and of his most blessed passyon the power of our enymies be much broken for on the Crosse our sauyour by his death gatt the victory vpō thē for the which Sainct Paule saide expolians principatus et potestates traduxit confidenter triumphans cos in seme tipso Christ Iesus spoiling the mighty power of the diuill hath openly detected theyr frauds and gotten a very triumph of them in his owne person And therfore nothing is yet more tirrible vnto them then is the signe of the Crosse. A blessed virgine sainct Christian had suche a confidence in the token of the Crosse that when shée féelt hyr selfe tempted with hyr ghostly enimy shée marked hyr selfe with the same token and at euery temptation shée gatte the better of the diuils And by this holy token chased thē away put euer to flight Thirdli by the vertue of the crosse of this most fruitful death our hand wryting the which made most against vs was clerly put out Whē where was it written In the booke of our owne conscience there is no maner of sinne that we doe but it is written in the booke of our consciēce And if we repent vs not of the same be hartily sory for it before our death thys booke of our conscience shal be shewed against vs in the dreadfull day of iudgement Neuerthelesse if we repent vs and confesse vs and doe true repentance therfore then by the vertue of this passion it shall be scraped out of the booke of our conscience Therfore Sainct Paule calleth sinne our own hand writing Deleuit quod aduersū nos erat chirographum decreti quod erat contrarium nobis et ipsū tulit de medio affigens illud cruci Christ Iesus he saith put out the hande writing of the decrée whiche was against vs and so withdrewe it fastning it vnto the Crosse. When thou perceiuest O sinfull creature that by the Crosse of Christ and by that most precious bloud which was shed on the crosse thou art reconciled and made at one with God and that the power of thine enimies be greatly represt And fynallly that thy sin which was most against thée was crucified on the same Crosse so that thou maist clearely sée that héere is great matter of excessiue ioy and to reioyce in the most blessed Crucifix Finally in the Crosse is also matter of great comfort when a person hath deserued a great open shame is broght euen to the plunge of the matter and yet by
kyndnesse thou canst shewe but much vnkyndnesse thou haste often shewed vnto him and yet thou art not ashamed Alas man where is thy shame Thincke with thy selfe how many abhominable sinnes thou hast done against his pleasure I doo a certayne thée that the least of them stryketh him more paynefully vnto the hart then any vnkyndnesse that euer was done vnto thée in all thy lyfe For as Sainct Barnerd sayth in the person of Christ when he hath rehersed all the gréeuous paynes of his passion he putteth vnto these wordes Extat interius plauctus pregrauior quum te ingratum experior that is to say but inwardly mourning is much more greuous bicause I perceue thou arte to me so much vnkynd So many sinnes so much vnkyndnesse And the more haynous and the more accustomable that they bée the more abhominable is thyne vnkyndenesse If the least of many of thy sinnes had come to lyght and to the knowledge of men thou wouldest haue béene sore ashamed of them Christ knoweth them and saw thée doo them for Omnia vnda et aperta sunt oculis eius All thinges be naked and open before his eyes and yet thou art not ashamed of all thy vnkinddes Alas man heare what the King and Prophet sayth Tota die verecundia mea cōtra me est et confusio faciei meae cooperuit me All the day long my shame is before mée and my face is couered with confusion Thus sayd this holy Kinge when our sauiour as yet had not suffered his passion for him This high poynte of kindenesse was not as yet shewed vnto this man by our sauiour Christ and he neuerthelesse was ashamed of his sinne Thou hast peraduenture done much more outragious sinne and hast béen much more vnkynde after this his moste wonderfull passion suffered for thy sake then euer that king was that also maketh thy sinne much more horryble Thou hast after thy promise made vnto him falsified the same promise and vntruely broken it by multiplying of many foule and abhominable sinz by oftē renewing of the same Thou dyddest promise once at the sacramēt of baptisme to kéepe thy fayth trueth vnto thy sauiour to forsake the diuel all his works An honest man or an honest woman would be much ashamed to brek their promise specially to theyr friend Albeit the worlde is now full of such lorrells that doo no more regard to break their promise thē for to drīk whē they be drye How often hast thou broken thy promise Alas man learn to be ashamed and saye with the Prophet Esdras Deus meus cōfundor et erubesco leuare faciem meam quoniam iniquitates nostrae leuatae sunt super caput nostrum that is to say O my god I am confounden and ashamed to lyft vp my face vnto thée for our sinnes be rysen far aboue our heads Ye women when there is any black spot in your faces or any moole in your kerchiues or any myer vpon your clothes be you not ashamed yes forsooth syr But I shall tell you where of you ought to be ashamed Surely if your sowls haue any spots of deadly sinne in them for when our sauiour so dearely with his most precious bloud with all these gréeuous paynes dyd wash and wype clense our soules from euery spot of deadly sinne ye should be much ashamed to defyle them againe If you be ashamed for a foule myrie shoo and not of a foule stincking soule ye make more dearer your shooes then your soules If ye be ashamed of a spot in your clothes haue no shame for many great blots in your soules What shal I say but Frons meretricis facta est tibi noluiste erubescere that is to say thou hast takē vpon thée the face of a brothell thou wylt not be ashamed If thou then depely consider how many shameful blots of sinne be in thy soule before the eyes of almightie God all the glorious court of heauen how by them thou hast vtterly broken thy promise vnto god cōmitted so great vnkindnes against this moste louing charitie that was shewed vnto thée for thy loue for thy sake by our sauiour on the crosse I suppose thou shalt fynde matter cause of great shame if any sparkle of honesty be yet left in thy soule Thirdly thou maist here take matter inough of sorrow for here your sauiour pitiously cryeth complayneth of his great sorrowes saying O vos omnes qui transitis per viam attendite et videte si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus All ye that passe foorth by take héede sée whether any sorrow was euer lyke vnto myne Alas to sée so noble a man so gentle so innocent so cruelly intreated in euery parte of his most delicate body And to here him so pitiously complayninge who shall not be sory surely none except hys hart be harder then any flynte stone or Adamant stone These same foure poynts alone may suffice to styrre any gentle hart to sorrowe I say his excelent noblenesse his innocēcie the crueltie that he dyd suffer and his pitious complayning If thou saw O Christiā man thyne enimie thus mangled and wounded it might styrre thée to take compassiō vpon him If thou sawe any Iew or Sarazin thus tormented it mighte moue thée to pittie But much rather to sée thy Lord thy sauiour and for thy sake thus cruelly entreated thus with out any pittie crucified and payned hanging on a crosse should moue thée to compassion For say to me for whome supposest thou that our sauyour Christe Iesus suffered all those gréeuous paines surely for thy sinne Pro impijs Christus mortuus est For sinners Christ Iesus died there was no cause but sinne Thy sinne was the cause of his death Thy sinne gaue him his deathes wound O sinful creature how much cause hast thou for to be sory For thy sinne was the roote foūtayne of all his sorrow yet thou ceasest not dayly by thy sin to encrese his sorrow O what floud of teares dyd the blessed Magdalene shed remembring hir gréeuous sinne She firste conceiued a great dread in hir soule for hir sinne Secondly she was greatly ashamed of hir abhominacyons with in hir soule for she regarded much more the inward shame of hir conscience then the outward shame of the world And therfore she let not in the presence of many persons to come to the féete of our sauiour to shewe hyr selfe a sinner And there tooke great sorrow and wept ful bitterly for hyr sinne Thus after dread and shame followed hyr sorrow And when had shée this dread shame and sorrow truely before that our sauiour hung on the crosse yet she knew not that hir sin was cause occasion of his most cruell death But when shée sawe him hange so painfully on the Crosse and considered that for hir sin he suffered all the paynes hir harte was then so full of sorrow that