were in prison at one time with â—oseph Pharoahs baker and cupbearer who hauing dreamed each of them sundry dreames and not knowing what they meaned Ioseph did interprete them vnto them telling them that after three daies they would hang the baker and return the cup bearer vnto the pallace al which came to passe as Ioseph had told them After that chast Ioseph had ben two years in prison because he would not sinne with his masters wife he entreated the kings cupbearer very earnestly that he would speake vnto the king for him but hee was so vngratefull that he neuer thought of him any more of whome hee had receiued such good newes God doth not well like of such persons which are not thankfull for the benefites bestowed vpon theÌ„ Which is easily perceiued for although Pharaohs cupbearer had forgotten to doe that which good Ioseph requested him to doe yet the scripture dooth not forget to accuse him for a thanklesse and an vngratefull man Rich Laban was vngratefull vnto his sonne in law Iacob who although he had serued him forty yeares continually for his shepheard yet hee paied him very vnthankfully for all that seruice for ouer and besides that he gaue him one daughter for another at the time of his mariage he deceiued him also in parting of his goods Saule was also vngratefull vnto his good sonne in law Dauid who hauing slaine in his seruice that great Philistian and oftentimes deliuered all the people of Israel from the enemies yet Saule lanched a dart at him at dinner time where Dauid had ended his life if hee had not defended himselfe speedily from him The yong Prince Amon was vngratefull vnto the good king Dauid who hauing sent to comfort him for the death of his father the young youth cut off a peece of king Dauids Embassadours coats and shaued halfe their beards saying that they went not to comfort him but to bee a spie ouer him King Ioas was vngratefull vnto the High Priest Ioiada who hauing brought him vp from his childhood and done him great seruices yet Ioas commanded his sonne to be slame not because he had been a Traitor but because he had rebuked the king to bee a sinner and a trangressor of the law King Demetrius was vngrateful vnto the good captaine Ionathas who after he had sent to succour king Demetrius being in great distresse and to leuie the siege being besieged yet good Ionathas had no greater aduersary afterward than the king Demetrius Cognouit bes possessorem suum asinus praesepe domini suit Israel autem non cognouit me said God by the Prophet Isay in the first chapter as if hee would say What meaneth this people of Israel what meaneth this The oxe knoweth the labouring man which doth yoke him and the asse knoweth him which giueth him meat in the stable and thou Israel doest neither know me for thy Lord and master neither remember thy selfe of the good turns which I haue made vnto thee Isidorus vpoÌ„ these words saith That God compareth a thank lesse and an vngratefull man as it were in an anger vnto an oxe which is a heauy beast and vnto to an asse which is a foolish beast because that to say the troth no man omitteth to bee thankfull for the benefites receaued vnlesse he be a waiward and sluggish man in conuersation or a foole in condition Is not thinke you an vngrateful man a foole and a very foole seeing hee maketh himselfe vnworthy of an other benefite by not being thankfull for that which hee hath receaued There is no vice in the world which hath not his seat rather in one kingdome than in another as pride among the Babilonians enuy among the Iewes anger among the Thebanes couetousnesse among the Thirians gluttony among the Sidonians and the magicall art among the Egyptians But there is no man which will receaue ingratitude in his house no man willingly giue him a seat to sit in For although I bee vngrateful to thee yet I would not haue thee bee vngratefull vnto mee Seneca in his booke of Anger sayth That it is not onely a griefe but also a perillous thing to haue to doe with an vngratefull man for when hee purposeth not to pay that which hee oweth hee hateth him whome hee ought not and by that meanes for hauing beene his friend â—â—eâ— turneth to bee thy enemy Cicero in his Bookes De Legibus reporteth that Bisias the Grecian Osiges the Lacedemonian Bracaras the Thebane and Scipio the Romane counted it a lesser hurt to be banished into strange countries than to liue in their owne countries with those which were vngratefull for their seruiuices Plautus saith very well in a Comedy That it is the property of a base mind of an impudent man to giue euery man leaue to serue him be vngrateful vnto all men for their seruice and therevpon it is that he which serueth an vngratefull man serueth no body he which doth any thing for an vngrateful maÌ„ doth for no man Eschines the Philosopher saith that although the cities of Thebes Athens be ful of naughty men yet there are not so many of any sort as of vngrateful men the reason of this great mischiefe is because we take those to bee our friends which are not expedient for vs to take and giue our gifts vnto those which know not how to bee thankfull for them Whereof thinkest thou doth it proceed that no men be thankful for that which thou doest bestow vpon them nor acknowledge the fauors thou doest theÌ„ but because thou doest admit those to be thy familiars which ought not to bee taken for thy neighbours If thou doest any good sayth Ciprian vnto those which deserue it I assure thee that he will be gratefull for it but if thou giue vnto him who is strait vnto himselfe how wouldest thou haue him liberall vnto thee To come then vnto the purpose although King Pharaohs cup-bearer was vngrateful vnto holy Ioseph yet certainly Christ was not so vnto the good theefe seeing that vpon the crosse he did more for him than he deserued and also gaue him more there than he asked And therefore seeing we haue told you what the theefe demanded of Christ it is coÌ„uenient now that wee tell you what Christ gaue the theefe and thereby wee shall plainly perceiue that our Lord is more liberall in giuing than we are in asking Amen dico tibi hodie mecum eris in Paradiso said Christ vnto the theefe as if hee would say O thou theefe my friend and companion doest thou thinke that I haue forgotten the seruice that thou hast done me in honouring me keeping me company vntill this my last houre I promise thee as I am God and sweare vnto thee as I am man that this day thou shalt bee with me in Paradise O this was a glorious answere and a happy legacy which the diuine wisedome gaue vnto this good theefe because that in old time God recoÌ„penced all the
of vvater and his heart brake in two vvhen hee remembred the vow vvhich he had made in the vvarre and that he could do no lesse than kill his daughter The father then said vnto his daughter O my daughter and sole inheritrize how vnfortunate vvas thy destinie and how vnlucky vvas my fortune in that I must open my mouth and make that promise to such great preiudice to thy life and hurt vnto my house His daughter answered him and said If thou hast opened thy mouth my father to make any vow vnto the great God of Israel let mee bee no hinderance for the performance of it for I vvill like it well onely because I see thee victorious ouer thy enemies And she added further and said only I aske of thee my father that thou wouldest giue mee two months space before thou doest sacrifice mee in the Temple to bewaile my Virginity in these sorrowful mountains with others my companions And when those two months were past the tender virgine bewailing and weeping the losse of her life and virginity vnbestowed the Father performed his vow and sacrificed his daughter Because Iephthe that captaine had that famous victory but yet with vufortunate losse of his onely daughter all the young maids and virgines of the people of Israell agreed a meeting to weepe and lament the death of Iephthes daughter foure daies in the yeare and although the people of the Iewes did omit thinges of greater weight than that was yet they did neuer forget to mourn and lameÌ„t those daies The holy scripture doth promise vs many great matters in this figure of Iephthe worthy to be knowne hard to expound Who is vnderstood by the famous captaine Iephthe but the sonne of the liuing God and redeemer of the world He who said all power is giueÌ„ me in heauen and earth is more valerous and mighty than Ieph the was because that Iephthes authority extended no further than the land of Iury but the sonne of Gods did reach ouer heauen earth The scripture maketh mention that when Iephthe was a yong man those of his countrey put him from his fathers inheritance banished him out of the land and how that in progresse of time hee deliuered them from their enemies and vvas captaine ouer them all That which the neighbours of Gilead did to Iephthe the inhabitants of Ierusalem did to Christ whome they banished out of the Synagogue and depriued of his Fathers inheritance and yet neuerthelesse hee deliuered them from their sinnes and vvas the redâ—emer of them all The truth doth very vvell answere to the figure in this place and the sence vnto the letter For as they which did banish Iephthe out of all the kingdome did afterward entreat him to bee their guide and captaine so those which said to Pilate crucifie crucifie him did afterward on the Mount of Caluary strike their breasts and say aloud Verè hic filius deifuit This man was truly the son of God Who was vnderstood in Iepthes daughter a virgine faire and young but only that flesh and humanity of the Word S. Ambrose vpon those words Speciosus sorma sayth Who is so beautifull who is so pure who so holy as that most sacred flesh vvas and is The daughter of Iephthe was not knowne of any man and Christs humanitie was also vnknowne of man seeing that it was not conceiued by consent of husband but formed and framed by the vvebe of the holy ghost Iephthe did promise to offer in the Temple his only daughter for the victory which hee had obtained against his enemies and Christ did promise to offer vpon the crosse his owne flesh for the victory and conquest vvhich he had against sinnes so that Iephthe did offer only the daughter vvhich hee had begotten and the sonne of God did offer his owne proper body Is it not thinke you a greater matter for a man to offer his owne flesh than that vvhich is born of his flesh Iephthe vvas very loath and grieued to offer his onely daughter and it vvas a great corrasiue to the daughters heart to see her selfe sacrificed by her owne Father but in the end shee vvas more ioyfull and glad of the victory vvhich her Father receaued against his enemies than grieued that her owne life should bee sacrificed O how vvell one mystery doth answere vnto another for vvhen the flesh said Let this cup passe from mee vvith the daughter of Iephthe hee vvas loath to die but vvhen hee said Not as I vvill but as thou vvilt hee was glad to suffer so that that sacred flesh vvas very vvilling to bee sacrificed because that the diuine Word should obtaine victory ouer sinnes Doest thou not thinke my brother that one mystery doth very vvell answere another and that one secret is very vvell compated vvith another seeing that that virgine vvas sacrificed for her fathers honour and that diuine and sacred flesh also sacrificed for the honour and glory of his father Iepthe had a great reuenge ouer his enemies but Christ a farre greater ouer sinne and yet it is to be noted that by how much the greater those two victories vvere so much the more greater vvere the prices vvhich they vvere bought for because the one did cost his daughters life and the other his owne What can be deerer than that vvhich doth cost a mans life Pellem pro pelle cuncta dabit home pro animasua saith Iob chapter 2. The Scripture maketh mention in Iob that as there appeared before the iudgement of God many vvicked men the deuill made one among them for good men doe neuer assemble themselues to doe good but Sathan is there also to doe them some hurt Our Lord said vnto Sathan from vvhence doest thou come and vvhither hast thou gone To this Sathan answered I haue gone about all the earth and vvalked through it to see whether I could happen vpon any more that vvere mine Our Lord replied hast thou seene my good seruant and trusty friend Iob vnto vvhome no man on the earth may bee compared And doest thou not know Sathan that Iob is a holy man sincere in condition vpright in his conscience fearfull in that vvhich the law commandeth vvithout malice one vvho continueth till this day in his innocency Thou hast stirred me vp against him that I should kil his sonnes destroy his sheepe and deere and that his oxen should be stolne froÌ„ him and all his vvealth taken from him and that I should depriue him of all his honour Sathan answered vnto this and said Know Lord that a man vvill giue all his vvealth substance vvith condition to saue his life Pellem pro pelle dabit hemo that is A man vvill giue al his sheepe skins all the cowes hides in the vvorld to keepe his owne flesh If thou vvilt trie Lord vvho thy friend Iob is lay thy hand vpon his owne person and fill his bodie with a leprosie and then thou shalt see that hee will bee more
bee much nor that which hee detained from the almes which was giuen him If it be so then that Christ had but little and that that which Iudas stole was not much why doth the scripture with open mouth call him a theefe wicked â—udas was a thiefe and that a great thiefe because that that which he stole was a holy thing and a holy almes and in a holy house and did belong vnto a holy person and therfore according vnto the law of God that cannot be a small theft which is done in a holy and sacred place Saint August saith that as the two mites which the poore old woman offered in the Temple were more acceptable vnto God than all the treasures of the people so our Lord is more offended with a little which is taken out of the Temple than with a great deale stollen in the world Benauenture saith that Iudas did not condemne himselfe for the great quantitie which he stole but because it was a holy place from whence hee stole it and therevpon it is my religious brother that thou maiest offend more in taking a small thing out of thy monastery then a secular man in taking a greater out of the market Why should any man meruell that the Scripture calleth vnhappie Iudas a theefe seeing hee stole away the life and goods from the king of glory Iudas sold Christs life for many he put Christs fame and credit to pledge with the wicked and hee put Christs wealth into his purses in so much that if Christ more had had more this theefe would haue robbed O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule if I were Iudas or Iudas were as I am I would neuer haue pledged thy honour and credit nor haue sold thy life that which I would haue stolne should haue beene the humilitie the which thou diddest liue with the patience which thou diddest speake with and the charitie which thou didst forgiue with and the zeale which thou diddest preach with O what a happy theefe should I be if I could rob all these vertues from thee seeing that in stead of these thefts heauen gates would be open vnto me The third accusation is that wicked Iudas Habebat loculos that is had a purse with litle purses in it to hide the pence which he had stolne Rich couetous men are wont to put their double duckats in one purse the single in another shillings in another and their small money in another because they may find them quickly and count them easily Wherein saith Seneca doth the felicity of couetous men consist but in seeing euery houre their purse counting their money alwaies hoording vp somewhat and in studieng how they may lessen their ordinary charges Aymon noteth That the Scripture sayth not that Iudas had purses but little purses whereby is gathered Christs and his colledges great pouertie seeing that all which that theefe stole was but small base money which might well bee contained in small purses Saint Cyprian noteth That there was so little money in Christs family that there was not enough to stuffe a little purse much lesse many purses and when the Scripture sayth that Iudas had many purses it was because hee had one common purse to spend of and another secretly to steale with O happy time O golden age of the primitiue Church in the which there was but one purse among them all but now alasse that not among worldlings but also among them which professe a monasticall life there is scarse any one which hath not with Iudas his small purses to keepe his own money in And hee saith further tell me traiterous Monke tell mee thou Monke which hast propertie in thinges what difference is betwixt thee which stealest the reuenues of thy Monastery and the Traitor Iudas which stole the almes from Christ Anselmus sayth That as all perfect men are more bound vnto straight vses than all other worldlings I dare affirme that hee hath secret purses hidden with Iudas which in his cell fostereth disordinate and superfluous appetites Saint Basil in his Rule sayth As it is a greater perfection in a religious person to want his owne will than to want any kind of money yet wee may say of such a one that it is more daungerous for him to bee mutinous against his superiour then to haue his purse full of money Now thou art to vnderstand my religious brother that Iudas did not so much damne himselfe for the money which he carried as he did because he did what he lusted It is an euill thing to beare the purse but it is farre worse to bee wedded vnto a mans owne will it is a bad thing to carry purses with money but far worse to fulfill a mans owne appetites because there is no sin which burneth so much in hell as the sin of a mans owne proper will CHAP. III. Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed and diuers treasons which he did against Christ IVstificationes tuas custodiam non mederelinquas vsquequaque said the Prophet Dauid in his 118 Psalme as if hee would say O great God of Israel O great God of the house of Iacob I beseech thee with all humility that seeing I bind my selfe to keepe thy commaundements all the daies of my life that thou wouldest not forsake me vntill my death This is a high praier which the Prophet maketh considering that hee doeth capitulate and agree with God and God with him that he will serue our Lord that our Lord will haue charge ouer him It is much to bee noted with Cassiodorus vpon the Psalmes that the Prophet doth not only say Doe not forsake mee but he addeth also Vsquequaque that is that hee would not forsake him all his life and also that he would giue him his helping hand in all that hee shall goe about O good Iesus O the loue of my soule I beseech thee that if thou doe suffer me to fall into any sin yet that thou wouldest not forsake me Vsquequaque Alwaies or continually and let me commit all sinne for if thou doe not hold mee with thy mercifull hand where shall I stop but in the pains of hel Our Lord hath held many with his hands as Cain Heli Saule and Manasses but hee did not hold them Vsquequaque that is still and all in all vntill the end considering that the one slew his brother the other lost his Priesthood the other was depriued of his kingdome and the other died a Pagan Hee did also forsake Dauid in his adultery S. Peter when hee denied him Paul when hee persecuted him but he did not forsake them Vsquequaque that is vntil death for of great sinners they became very holy and chosen men O what a singular fauour sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalmes our Lord doth vnto those whome he doth not vtterly forsake as he neuer doth his best friends the which although they bee euilly handled and suffer much yet hee doth it rather to exercise them then to
Nathan the Prophet vnto Dauid the great Prophet Esaias vnto Manasses his holy Prophet Ieremy vnto King Ozias the Prophet Daniel vnto Balthasar and the Satiricall Prophet Helias vnto king Achab. The sonne of God sent a greater imbasie and greater Embassadours vnto the theefe than God the father did vnto the Kings seeing that vnto the theefe which was crucified on the crosse with him he sent no other embassador than himselfe so by this meanes the embasie and the Embassador were all one thing Was it not think you the selfesame thing seeing that it was Christ which sent the message the selfesame Christ which carried it Origen in an Homilie sayth thus The greatest message that euer came from heauen into the world was that of the incarnation and the next vnto it was that which Christ did vnto the good theefe insomuch that by the comming of the sonne of God the gate of glory was opened and in the promise made vnto the good theefe the possession of it was taken The embasie which Iohn Baptist brought vs was that the kingdome of heaueÌ„ was at hand but the good theef saith not that he is neer vnto heauen but that he is within heauen S. Iohns was a great embasie when he said Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world but that of the theeues was better wheÌ„ he said Behold him here who hath already redeemed the world The embasie that Samuel brought vnto Dauid was good wheÌ„ as of a shepheard he annointed him king but the embasie which Christ did vnto the good theef was farre better because that there passed almost fourty years betwixt the time that the kingdome was promised vnto Dauid and the time that it was deliuered vnto him but the theef had his kingdome promised him at two of the clock in the afternoone and was giuen him presently toward night The reward for bringing thee news of such a great embasie as that of Christs was that is the promise of glory he would let no man haue but he would win it himself insomuch he who promised glory gaue glory was the glory it self O good Iesus redeemer of my soule dost thou well see that in promising glory Paradise that thou doest promise nothing but thy self what meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Dost thou trust malefactors coÌ„meÌ„d thy self vntorouers offer thyself vnto sinners coÌ„mit thy self vnto theeues If thou thinkest thy selfe ouercharged with this theefe giue him the Prouince of Achaia giue him part of Assyria giue him the kingdome of Palestine giue him the monarchy of Asia for in giuing him as thou doest giue him thy selfe if thou were not God as thou art it would seeme that thou shouldest preiudice many Is there any other Paradise but to enioy thee is there any other glory than to see thy face is there any greater contentment than to be in thy company is there any goodnesse but that which commeth from thy hands This day thou shalt bee with me in Paradise where thou shalt see me face to face enioy my essence dwell with my person haue the fruition of my glory thy death shall die and thy life shall rise againe This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise where thou shalt be alwaies mine and I will be thine where thou shalt serue mee and where I will loue thee without end where thou shalt leaue sinning and I neuer cease to doe thee good This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise where thou shalt see ioy without sorrow health withour griefe life vvithout death light vvithout darkenesse company vvithout suspition plenty vvithout want and glory without end This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise where youth doth neuer waxe old old age doth neuer appeare beauty neuer fadeth health neuer decaieth ioy neuer waxeth lesse griefe is neuer felt no vvailing euer heard nosorrow euerseene and death feareth nor This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise where thou shalt go from the goulfe to the â—â—auen from the battaile to the triumph from the streame to the spring from darkenesse vnto light from vvaâ—â— to vvealth from a dreame vnto the truth from faith to hope from cold loue to perfect and seruent Charitie This day thou shalt bee vvith mee in Paradise vvhere thou shalt not know how to vveepe but laugh not complain but bee â—oifull nor aske but gâ—â—e not blaspheme but blesse not sigh but sing not hate but loue not mislike but praise not die but liue This day thou shalt bee â—â—th mee in Paradise vvhere thy handes shall touch that which they desiced thy eies see that thâ—â— they looked for thy eares heare that which they loued and thy heart possesse that which hee groned for This day thou shalt bee vvith mee in Parachse vvhere thou shalt nor feare the deceits of the Diuell the cockering of the flesh the vanitie of the world the ambushes of thy enemies the suddaine passions vvhich fall out euery day the necessity of euery hour nor yet the anxiety and griefe of mind This day thou shalt bee vvith mee in Paradise vvhere there is no night which is darke nor day which decreaseth no rough Winter nor troublesome Summer no cold to freeze thee no heat to distemper thee no famine to weaken thee no thirst to make thee drie no death to make thee afraid nor life which shall haue any end O my soule O my heart wilt thou not tell mee vvhat thou doest thinke vpon or what thou doest contemplate on seeing thou hearest not this which is spoken doest thou not marke vvho speaketh it nor vnto vvhom hee speaketh it nor doest thou regard vvhere it is spoken Hee vvho speaketh is the sonne of God hee vvith vvhom hee speaketh is a theefe that which he sayth is that he promiseth Paradise the place vvhere hee speaketh is the Mount of Caluary the houre vvhen hee speaketh is at the point of death and those before whome hee speaketh is the vvhole Synagogue Is it possible that an imbasie accompanied vvith these many circumstances should not bee new and heard For in Scripture there is nothing necessary that is not full 〈◊〉 mystery Certainly this was a very new thing seeing that Christ neuer had this word Paradise in his mouth not from the time of his incarnation vntill the last houre that hee departed out of this world and then hauing no other there but the theefe which bare him company at that time he promised him Paradise O my soule if thou wilt haue part in Paradise behold vvhat a one the sonne of God is vvho giueth it and behold vvhat hee doth vnto the theefe vnto vvhom hee gaue it and as thou diddest see vvhat they doe so doe thou force thy selfe to doe the like O my soule O my heart doest thou not see that our Lord who giueth Paradise is vpon the crosse and that the theefe vnto whom heauen 〈◊〉 giuen is also vpon the crosse therefore that the crucified doth nor giue
the theefe Doest thou defer it to her who brought forth Christ take pity on him who bare him coÌ„pany on the crosse seeing thou doest augmeÌ„t tears in her diminish offences in him It was a word of great fauor which hee did vse vnto Mary Magdalen that Remissa tibi peccata multa Many sins are forgiuen thee but yet that was greater which he did vse to the good theefe because hee vsed greater liberty with him thaÌ„ with hir for if he loued her pardoned her he loued the theef like a friend pardoned him like a Christian rewarded him lika a iust man Barnard saith vnto this purpose That it is a signe of great loue to pardon but a greater sign to giue pardon because that pardon is sometime giueÌ„ by force but a gift neuer coÌ„meth but of free wil. OrigeÌ„ vpoÌ„ Mathew crieth out O deepe mystery O diuine sacrameÌ„t who euer heard or saw the like vnto this that is betwixt the sunne rising the sunne setting the theef was condemned by Pilat shamed by the criers iusticied by the hangmen confessed by his owne mouth by Christ pardoned and also brought vnto Paradise What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Who is able to reach vnto the reason why Abel vvith his innocency Nee with his iustice Abraham with his faith Dauid with his charity Moyses with his meekenesse Iâ—b vvith his patience Tobias with his franknesse Lazarus with his pouerty should so long desire to see Christ and the theefe presently enioy him S. Ambrose sayth That Christ receiued in a new kind of martyrdome all the torments vvhich were giuen the theefe as a naughty man from the houre and moment that he defended Christ and confessed with Christ insomuch that if he began to suffer like a theefe and a rouer hee ended and died like a glorious martyr This happy theefe was a very glorious martyr seeing he suffered neere Christ and with Christ where Christ suffered and in the same manner that Christ suffered and which is most of all hee was the first martyr after Christs passion and the first Saint which the sonne of God did canonize after his death S. Stouen was the first martyr after Christs ascention but from Christs death vntill he ascended into heauen there was no other Mattyr in the vvorld but the theefe whose conuersion Christ caused whose teares hee accepted whose martyrdome hee approued whose passion hee canonized and whose soule hee glorified S. Augustine sayth O good Iesus O my soules delight considering that thou doest saue him who accuseth his owne faults and him who excuseth thy innocency the maintainer of thy credit the confessor of thy essence the companion of thy person wilt thou not saue also this sinfull soule of mine For so great a battaile as thou hast won this day for so great a victory as thou hast obtained and also for so much bloud as hath issued from thee it is a small prize to carry away with thee but one theef only because that by so much the greater the triumph is by how many more prisoners the triumpher is followed with all And if it will not please thee to take mee thither with thee tarry thou here with me O good Iesus for I desire no other glory of thee in this miserable world but that thou wouldest let mee haue alwaies a good conscience Origen sayth in an Homily that it is much to be noted and a thing to be wondered at that Christ did not say vnto the theefe Amen dico vobis although there were many more there but hee said Amen dico tibi to let vs vnderstand that by forgiuing him alone hee shewed his mercy and by not pardoning others hee shewed his great iustice There were store of sinners about the crosse as well as hee which peraduenture would haue beene pardoned as well as he but amongst them all the theefe onely deserued to heare his pardon but by this hee maketh vs know that there is no man which hath cause to dispaire of pardon seeing hee forgaue him and yet that we presume not too much of pardon seeing he forgaue him alone Let the conclusion of all this be that wee remember before wee sinne that our Lord did not pardon the multitude that was there present and after wee haue sinned let vs remember that hee pardoned the theefe which suffered with him and in so doing we shall feare his iustice and remember his mercy the which I humbly beseech him that it would please him to vse here with grace afterward with glory Amen Amen The end of the second word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse ⧠Here beginneth the third word which the sonne of God spake vpon the Crosse vnto his blessed mother Mulier ecce filius tuus Woman behold here thy sonne CHAP. I. That the loue which the mother of God had did exceed the loue of all other men and also the loue of Angels SIcut water 〈…〉 it a agâ— te diligebaâ—â— these are the words of holy Dauid 2. Reg. chapâ—â—â— 1. when 〈…〉 brought him that king Saul his enemy and Prince Ionathas his great friend were slaine in a battaile which they had with the Philistims The Iewes gaue this battaile to the 〈…〉 the wild mountaines of Gâ—â—boe and when the sorrowfull newes came to king Dauid that king Saul had lost the battaile hee began aloud to crie and shed many grieuous teares and said as followeth in dolefull wise O famous and renowmed Israel why doest thou not weepe for the losse of so many excellent men which this day they haue slaine thee and noble Princes which this day are perished within thee How is it possible that the strongest of Israel haue fallen downe so ignominiously and the most famous of Iuda haue ended their life by sword O how well king Saul Ionathas should haue loued one the other when they were aliue seeing that they left not the one the other in death although the cruell sword was able to take away their liues from them yet certainly it was not able to take away their hearts from them with the which they loued one the other What sword durst wound their hearts or what launce durst touch their flesh considering that Saul and Ionathas were in running more light than eagles and in sight more strong than lions Ionathas arrow was neuer shot but he hit Sauls sword drawn but he stroke Weepe then O ye daughters of Israel weep vpon the death of your king Saul who clothed you in scarlet in your passeouer and gaue you iewels of gold in your weddings O ye mountains O ye mountains of Gilboe I curse froÌ„ henceforth anathematize you for euer to the end that it neuer raign water vpoÌ„ you by day nor any dew fal vpoÌ„ you by night seeing that you consented that the enemies of Israel should there kill Saul and slay my good friend Ionathas in the same place O my faithfull and old friend Ionathas why
improba as if hee would say Many famous men in watres and learned in sciences haue been banished from Athens not for any fault which they committed but for malice conceiued against them the which were rather willing and glad to liue in banishment than to dwell in an vngratefull citie Valerius Maximus sayth That the most notablest man that the renowmed Lacedemonia did euer bring forth was that great Philosopher Lycurgus because among all those which liued before his time those which succeeded him there was none equall vnto him in knowledge nor none which went beyond him in life The Oracle of Pithius Apollo being asked in what reputation he did hold Lycurgus made answere I am very doubtfull vvhether I should put him among the number of men or place him among the companie of Gods Notwithstanding that the Oracle had giuen this high testimony of Lycurgus and that he was pure in his life eloquent in learning constant in paines and very wise in his lawes yet all these vertues and excellent gifts could not keepe him from proouing the vngratefulnesse of his thanklesse citizens And therefore they did not onely iniury him in words but also they did shew by cruell deeds the hatred which they bare him and the hurt which they wished him for once they burned his houses and another time they followed him with stones and another time they dashed out one of his eies another time they expelled him from among the people and in the end for a recompence and reward of gouerning that Commonwealth eight and thirtie years they banished him out of the country and so hee died Plautus sayth That there is no loue worse bestowed than that which is bestowed vpon an vngrateful man because that man loueth nothing at all who loueth an vngratefull man I haue spoken all this against the vice of vngratitude and vsed so many examples because euery man might perceiue what great reason God hath to complaine vpon vngratefull men for seeing that the Philosophers doe inueigh so bitterly against them it would be but small reason that they should be defended by Christians S. Cyprian sayth Christ doth complaine of our ingratitude because that for so great vnspeakable a benefite as he did for vs in dying vpon the crosse hee did not bind vs to follow him in that kind of death or that we should die for him by the sword but that which good Iesus did bind vs vnto is that we should haue his blessed passion in a remembrance and loue him with all our heart How shall any man sayth Barnard beleeue that thou wilt venter thy life for Christ and for his faith seeing thou doest not remember his death in all thy life If thou wilt sayth Vbertinus haue the death of Christ help thee in thy last houre remember that death of his euery day because the sonne of God doth alwaies take pittie vpon those in their last houre vvhich doe remember his passion in their life time Christ saith And my griefe is alwaies before my eies because that among all the griefes which are ingratitude is cause of the greatest of them and among all the sinnes and naughtinesse which are this is the greatest for if there were no vngratefull men vnto God there should bee no sinne at all in the world Christ doth cal the sinne of vngratefulnesse dolour and griefe because that hee is alwaies grieued with it for the griefe which hee had of the thornes is past his whipping had an end and the paine of the crosse dured no longer than his life did last but the griefe of ingratitude is renued in him daily Christ doth also say that the griefe which hee doth complaine of is his owne griefe Dolor meus by which louing speech he doth let vs vnderstand that he is much more grieued to see vs sinne than it grieueth vs to be sinners Why doth Christ say in his complaint my griefe and not our griefe but onely because that wee doe not feele so great paine and griefe when we are punished by him as good Iesus feeleth to thinke that he must punish vs. I would to God that it would please his diuine clemency that I were so sory to commit an offence as it doth grieue him to punish me for then I thinke that I should not know how to sinne nor God should haue nothing to punish He complaineth also that he doth not only suffer griefe but he sayth that that grief is alwaies in his sight and therefore because wee doe neuer giue ouer sinning it is certaine that his griefe of compassion wil neuer haue an end Cease then my brother and giue ouer sinning and then the paine which thou doest endure will presently haue an end When thou shalt heare vs say that God hath any griefe or paine thou must not thinke that it is a griefe or paine which hee suffereth but onely a most entire and louing compassion which he hath vpon vs. When the sonne of God sayth vpon the crosse vnto his Father Why hast thou forsaken mee the chiefest complaint that hee formeth in that place is because hee causeth him to suffer so cruell a passion for such vngratefull people CHAP. IX How the sonne of God complaineth vpon the Synagogue that hauing carried them vpon his backe yet they be vngratefull vnto him AVdite me domus Iacob residuum domus Israel qui portamini ab vtere meo vsque ad senectam God spake these words by the Prophet Esayas chap. 46 as if he would say Hear me now he are me all you of the house of Iacob and all you which haue escaped of the house of Israel giue credite vnto my words seeing that I am the God which carry you vpon my shoulders from the houre of your birth vntill your death Vnder these few words God doth touch very many great matters for first he beginneth to call them then he biddeth them giue eare then he saith that it is hee who calleth them then he noteth who they bee whom hee calleth then how vvell he loueth them when hee sayth Qui portamini ab vtero adsenectutem But we must note first of all in this place why the Lord doth seperate the house of Iacob frō the house of Israel and why hee doth call the house of Iacob an entire house and the house of Israel a broken and dissolued house for he sayth heare mee all you of the house of Iacob all you of the house of Israel which haue escaped and remaine If Iacob and Israell and Israel and Iacob bee all one thing and all one house fauing that one man had two names how vvas it possible for the one to stand the other to fal In very truth in old time all the Synagogue had but one God one people one linage one king one law but when they began to sinne and play the Idolaters our Lord did immediately deuide thē By the one house by the other are vnderstood the church and the Synagogue whereof the one which