dye for him yes i Rom. 5.7 peraduenture saith Paul for a good man one would dye It may be Damon would haue done it for Pythias Pylades for Orestes And this is as much as euer any man did or can doe For k Ioh. 15.15 greater loue then this hath no man that one should giue his life for his friend But CHIRST saith Paul setteth forth his loue vnto vs that l Rom. 5.8 cum inimici essemus when wee were his enimies hee was content to dye for vs. Rom. 5.8 Hee loued vs m Bern. sup cant serm 20. non existentes imo resistentes saith Bernard when wee were nothing and when wee were worse then nothing when wee were his very foes and mortall enemies If it bee said they are all Christs friends for whom he dyed we must answere vvith a father hee dyed indeed n Bern. in Psal Qui habitat Pio iam amicis nondum quidem amantibus sed tamen iam amatis for his friends indeede as being heartily loued of CHRIST though like vnkinde friends they loued him not againe o Tho. Aqui. in Iohannem vti Barrad to 4 lib. 4. cap. 15. Non amici quasi amantes saith Thomas tantum amici vt amati Not his friends as louing him any thing onely his friends as loued by him alone Againe it exceedes the loue that is betweene the parent and the childe For what father in the world hauing but one onely son would be content to put him to death he not deseruing it to pleasure others p Esa 49.14 Can a woman forget her child not think vpon the fruit of her wombe You will say Abraham would haue done it for loue to God Indeede he is singular in this case and such an example as the vvorld neuer afforded the like q Origen in Genes hom 8. Origen sets it our thus r Genes 22.2 Take saith God thine onely son Isaac whom thou louest c. Gense 22.2 Esto domine saith he quia de filio commemor as paetrem Be it so Lord that thou puttest the father in minde of his son s Fulmen non minus terribile Abrahamo quam si iubetur cor sibi cruere imo se cum vniuerso mundo in infernum praecipitare Pareus in Gen. 22. This is one torture to thinke that the father must now become his childes butcher t Origen vt supra Sed addis charissimum c. Thou addest thy dearest or onely sonne and not content with that but sayest also u Id. ibid. quem diligis whom thou louest It is likely that Abraham hauing beene so long without a sonne was well affected towards him now he had him but was this a fit time to put him in minde of his loue v Id. ibid. Sint et in hoc parenti triplicata supplicia Let vs obserue here three tortures to the fathers minde as so many daggers at his heart But vvhat neede was there after all this to name Isaac did not the father know that this his sonne his deare sonne whom hee loued was called Isaac yes and he remembred the promise to x Gen. 17.21 in Isaac shall thy seed be called Gen. 17.21 yet God forbeares not to name him that so y Origen in Genes ho. 8. Commemoratio nominis might be desperatio promissionis the remembrance of his name might be desperation of the promise by which he should not loose his childe onely but his owne soule also and not that alone but the soules of all men in the world beside such a triall neuer lay on any man before nor neuer shall againe and yet Abraham would haue done it But if you marke it there is no comparison betweene the loue of Abraham to God and the loue of GOD to man For what equality betweene Isaac a young lad and Christ the eternall sonne of God Againe Isaac must haue dyed once for he ought God a death z Omnia quae de Christo legeris non necessitate sed sponte facta reperies Origen in Gen. hom 8. Christ had no such necessitie being debter to no man Isaac sitting bare a little wood on his necke Christ walking carryed an heauy crosse on his shoulders and bare that which bare him fainting vnder it and dying vpon it Isaac had a Ramme sacrificed for him held by the hornes in a bush Christ was the Ramme himselfe held by the hornes a Quid est enim haerere cornibus nisi crucifigi Aug. in Psal 30. whilst hee was nayled to the Crosse and his head in the bush whilst the bushes were on his head whilst hee was crowned with thornes Lastly Isaac should haue suffred in a mountaine where none should haue seene him it stood b Gen. 22.4 three dayes iourney off Christ suffred afterward in the c Hieronimus presbyter scripsit ab antiquis et senioribus Iudae is se certissime cognouisse quod ibi immolatus sit Isaac vbi postea Christus crucifixus sit Aug. de temper ser 71. same mountaine as some thinke or not farre from it as is most certaine and was held in his suffrings three dayes and three nights together Thirdly the loue of God to his Church exceedes the loue that is betweene the husband and the wife For d Quis enim potest sic ducere vt moriatur pro ea quam vult ducere Si enim mori pro ea quā vult ducere volucrit non crit qui ducat Securus autem ille pro sponsa mortuus est quam resurgens erat ducturus Aug. in Ps 122. what man being to marry would chuse a deformed blacke and adulterous wife Or hauing chosen such a one in marriage would loue her so much as to dye for her Yet Christ hath done so for his Church his Church so adulterous so deformed Therefore hee is said when she was e Ezek. 16.16 polluted in her bloud to f Ib. vers 9. wash her with water and annoint her with oyle When she was naked and bare to g Ezek. 16.13 decke her with broyded worke of gold siluer and fine linnen When shee was h Ezek. 16.8 cast out to take her vp and to enter into a couenant with her and make her his owne Ezek. 16.8 Therefore this his marriage with his Church saith i Per nuptias Moysi nuptiae verbi ostendebantur et per Aethyopissam coniugem Ecclesiam Irenae lib. 4. cap 37. Irenaeus was like the marriage of Moyses with the Ethiopian blackmore The one bride was as defectiue in grace as the other deformed in nature But Christ did more for his spouse then euer Moyses could doe for his Bride as Bernard notes k Bernard dom 1. post Octa. Epiph. serm 2. Moyses Aethyopissam quandam duxit vxorem sed eius non potuit mutare colorem c. Moyses married a certaine blacke Ethyopian but was not able to change her skinne from blacke to white But Christ tooke to
benefits And this is some point of loue indeede For p Greg. in Euang hom 30. Probatio dilectionis exhibitio est operis saith Gregory The commendation of true loue is the performance of some good turne But because gifts are sometimes bestowed as much for selfe-loue as for loue of a friend when a man by giuing somewhat hopes to receiue much more therefore there is a third degree greater then the other and that is by personall seruice when a man is not onely content to part with his goods but to impart his labours and suffer paine himselfe that his Loue may inioy pleasure And though this be as much as can be desired yet there is one degree further and that is by suffering death for the party beloued And here loue and all hath his end so that hee which hath this can desire no more Now all these wayes hath God loued his Church for first how amiably doth hee vse her in words for her owne good words of sweet Epithets q Can. 5.2 My Sister my Loue my Doue my Vndefiled Of kinde intreaty r 2 Cor. 5.20 We pray you in Gods stead euen as if God did beseech you through vs that yee be reconciled vnto God Of wholesome admonition s Ezek. 18.31 Cast away from you all your vngodlinesse why will yee dye O yee house of Israel seeing I haue no pleasure in the death of a sinner Of sound aduise t Reuel 3.18 I counsell thee to buy of mee gold tryed by the fire that thou maist be made rich And lastly of alluring prouocation v Mat. 11.29 Come vnto mee all yee that are heauie laden and I will refresh you For the second How hath hee spent his gifts vpon vs In the Creation hee gaue vs our selues and all things necessary for our selues He diuided his substance to man his youngest sonne and when hee like a prodigall had spent all how did he receiue him againe u Sence de ira lib. 2. cap. 27. Nimis nos suspicimus saith Seneca si digni nobis videmur c. wee are too much in loue with our selues if euer we imagine that we are worthy that the heauens should moue for vs Sun and Moone shine to vs raine and dew fall on vs earth and sea feede and comfort vs. How much more then vnworthy are wee that after all this God should bestow his sonne on vs his onely sonne on vs his fugitiue seruants In the creation hee gaue vs the best things that he had when as yet wee had nothing of our owne but in the restauration hee makes an exchange with vs x In primis de suis meliora contulit in secundis de nostris inferiora suscepit Aug. de Tempor ser 9. hee takes the worst things that wee haue and hee giues vs the best things that he hath Hee takes our nature and giues vs his grace hee takes our flesh and giues vs his spirit hee takes our misery and giues vs his mercy he takes our pouerty and giues vs his riches hee takes our shame and giues vs his glory finally hee takes our crosse and giues vs his crowne our death and giues vs his life For in giuing vs his Sonne hee giues vs all things that can be desired And neuer before did God giue a gift like himselfe infinite then hee did Novv verily a most worthy gift as hee is of most worth that is the giuer Thirdly he hath not beene pleased alone to bestow benefites on vs but in his owne person hath come and serued for vs yea hath serued vs. y Math. 20.28 The sonne of man came not to be ministred vnto but to minister Math. 20.28 Euen hee which is Lord of all made himselfe seruant vnto all z Bernard sup cant ser 64. Quae est ista quaeso vis tam violenta ad victoriam tam victa ad violentiam saith Bernard What force is that which moued him who of himselfe is so violent in all victory for man yet to be so vanquished with all violence a Id. ibid. Amor est It is nothing else but the force of loue This made him to b Phil. 2.7 take on him the forme of a seruant Philip. 2.7 Yea c Bernard ter quart Heb. poenos non solum serui vt subesset sed quasi mali serui vt vapularet saith Bernard not the forme of a seruant onely to bee in subiection but of a bad seruant to beare correction And which is more yet to be made a companion of beasts borne in a Stable and which is most of all to bee made as it were prouender for beasts laid in a manger d Bernard sup cant serm Cibus hominis mutauit se in pabulum pecoris homine mutato in pecus When man was become a beast Christ would become as it were prouender to feede him But all this Christ thought not inough for vs vnlesse hee dyed for vs. So great a degree of loue as there could bee no greater which makes his loue so much more sweet as the loosing of life it selfe is accounted bitter For it is a truth euen which comes from the author of vntruth e Iob 2.4 Skinne for skinne and all that a man hath will hee giue for his life Skinne for skinne that is the skinne or life of a mans children or cattell for his owne skinne f Lyran. annot in Iob 2. as Lyra expounds it Or skinne for skinne that is the more hard skinne for the more tender skinne as when a man catcheth a blow on his hand to saue his eye as g Strab. in gloss ordin Strabus interprets it For there is nothing that a man had not rather endure then losse of life Euery creature as h August de ciuit dei lib. 11. cap. 27. Augustine obserues hath such a loue to haue a being that it had rather be though in misery then not be at all Wonderfull therefore and vnspeakeable is the loue of Christ Iesus to his Church who so willingly and so ioyfully suffered euen the most shamefull and bitter death for her sake Men may coldly and slightly thinke of it but principalities and powers stand amazed at it That you may yet take a further view of it compare his loue with the loue of other persons and you shall see how farre hee goes before them all Loue is most feruent among foure sorts of couples 1. Betweene friend and friend which are as one heart in two bodyes 2. Betweene the parent and the childe which are as two bodyes from one stocke 3. Betweene the husband and the wife which are as two persons in one flesh 4. Betweene the body and the soule which are as two substances in one person Now the loue of Christ to his Church exceedes the loue of all these each to other First it exceedes the loue that is betweene friend and friend For what man is there which loues another so as he could be contented to
which is not first in the sense therefore as I take it we must first Open the dore of our senses heare him in the Word see him in the Sacrament and then the dores of our vnderstanding apprehend him by Faith and retayne him by Loue. First then Open vnto him that is Open thine eares to heare him preached a most necessary worke for a Christian for k Rom. 10.17 Faith come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 Yea euen such as haue seene Christ and seene him crucified yet haue not beleeued in him by seeing but by hearing The Centurion that watched him at his death l Mark 15.36 hearing him with a cry giue vp the Ghost said Truely this was the Sonne of God m Bern. super Cant. ser 28. Auditus inuenit quod non visus saith Bernard Oculum species fefellit veritas auri se infudit His hearing found out that which his seeing could not prie into and Truth shewed her selfe to his care that could not be perceiued with his eye Therefore God saith to his Church Psal 45.11 n Audi filia vide Heare ô Daughter and see Psal 45.11 o Bern. vbi sup Quid intendis oculum aurem para Why dost thou bend thine eye rather prepare thine care that thou maist say with them in the Psalme p Psal 48.8 Sieut audiuimus sic vidimus c. As wee haue heard so haue wee seene in the Citie of the Lord of Hoasts in the Citie of our God Psal 48 8. Then Open vnto him that is open thine eyes to see him crucified Looke on him in the Sacraments in Baptisme washing and purging thee in the Lords Supper feeding and nourishing thee For these are the signes which hee desires to be shewed by and which will make vs with Moyses q Heb. 11.26 to see him that is inuisible But rest not in the signe that is but earth aspire to that which is signified which is in heauen To conclude as r Dan. 6.10 Daniel set his windowes open to Ierusalem so set thou thine eyes open to heauen s Hieron ad Eustoch vnde lumen introeat saith Ierome vnde vide as ciuitatem Domini from whence thou maist see the light of grace and behold the Citie of God It is said of God that t Psal 34.15 his eyes are ouer the righteous and his eares open to their prayers Let thine eyes be toward God as his are toward thee Say with Dauid v Psal 123.2 Behold as the eyes of seruants looke vnto the hand of their Master and as the eyes of a Mayden vnto the hand of their Mistresse so waite our eyes vpon thee O Lord. When thou hast thus heard him thus seene him let him passe from thy sense to thine vnderstanding There open thine heart to beleeue in him and thy affections to loue him Thine heart to beleeue in him for x Rom. 10.10 With the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnes Rom. 10.10 And y Ephes 3.17 Christ doth dwell in the heart by Faith Ephes 3.17 Ianua nostrafides est saith z Ambr. in Psal 118. serm 12. Ambrose quae totam domum sifuerit robusta communit Faith is the dore which letteth Christ into the soule which if it be strong all the house is the stronger And strong it is if any vertue be strong a Bernard sup Cant. serm 76. Attingit inaccessa deprehendit ignota comprehendit immensa apprehendit nouissima It toucheth things inaccessible findes out things vnconceiueable apprehends things invisible comprehends things vnmeasurable Yea it closeth within the spheare thereof euen eternitie it selfe for that most blessed and glorious Trinitie which wee cannot conceiue in our hart by knowledge wee doe receiue into our soules by faith Per istam ianuam Christus ingreditur b Amb. in Psal 118. ser 12. saith Ambrose By this gate Christ enters into the soule and there rests as in his holy temple Finally faith is c Lud. Viu com in Aug. de ciu dei lib. 1. cap. 1. huius vitae viaticum Our whole prouision for this life without which a man can neither d Heb. 11.6 please God nor e Nam qui non placeat deo non potest illi placere deus Bern. in Cant. ser 24. God him When thou hast thus got him by faith hold him by Loue For else hee will soone be gone from thee againe The two f Rib. de templ lib. 1. cap. 21. dores which lead into the Sanctum Sanctorum had sides round or folding and were g 1 King 6.24 se inuicem tenentia holding or clasping each other to teach vs that the two dores of Faith and loue by which Christ Iesus goes into the soule as into his holy Temple must neuer be separate nor diuided but must se inuicem tenere claspe hands together because h Leo de collect eleemos ser 5. Sicut in fide est operum ratio sic in operibus fidei fortitudo saith Leo Euen as in Faith is the order of our workes so in workes is the life of Faith And thus haue wee heard how wee must open to him that we may the better doe it let vs see how he knockes for enterance and why For the first vnderstand that God knockes at the gate of our heart for lodging there diuers wayes First i 2 Cor. 5.20 by the open voyce of the ministerie 2 Cor. 5.20 We pray you euen as if God did beseech you through vs that yee be reconciled vnto God Secondly by wholesome inspiration Reu. 3.20 k Reu. 3.20 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man will heare my voyce and open vnto mee I will come in to him and sup with him Domine saith l Aug. confess lib. 10. cap. 6. Augustine amo te percussisticor meū amaui te Lord I loue thee thou hast knocked at my heart and I haue set my minde on thee And m Acts 17.27 doubtlesse he is not farre from euery one of vs. Not farre no n Senec. epist 41 Prope est à te Deus tecum est intus est saith diuine Seneca God is neere thee with thee within thee Ita dico Lucili sacer intra nos Spiritus sedet Yea it is as I say there is an holy spirit resting in vs or rather not resting but stirring moning vs to holy actions o Idi bid Bonus vir sine deo nemo est so impossible is it for any man to be good without God Thirdly by the Creatures the world is a Booke Heauen and earth opened leaues each creature a letter to teach vs to know and to loue God p Aug. confess lib. 1. cap. 6. Domine saith Augustine coelum terra omnia quae in eis sunt ecce vndique mihi dicunt vt te amem nec cessant dicere omnibus vt sint inexcusabiles Heauen and earth and all things therein lo ô