occasyon to accuse hym but Iesus wold not answere he held his speach meakly for he knewe that Cayphas wolde take summe occasion of his answere wherby he wold accuse hym therfore Iesus wold not speake that was not of any displeasure or feare but for a misterie as knowynge that he whiche moued hym to speake dyd it of a crafte and fraude and not to knowe the truthe Also he kepte silence to gyue vs example to contempne the false craftes and disceytes of our aduersaries and therfore he wolde rather strongly keape his silence than to defende his cause without ony profyte And of this silence was spoken longe before that tyme by the prophet Esay Quasi agnus coram tondente se obmutescet c. He shal be as dumbe as a lambe whan he is shorne and he shal not open his mouth to gyue answere And the prophet Dauid saith in the person of Christ I as a deafe man hard not I was as a dumbe man not openynge his mouth And the more that our sauyoure Iesus kepte silence to them that were not worthy his answere the more Cayphas the bisshop beynge in greate furye prouoked Christe to answere And therfore with great indignacyon and inpacyence he said to Christ Adiuro te per deum viuum vt dicas no bis si tu es Christus filius dei I adiure the by the lyuynge god or charge and commaunde the by the vertue of the lyuynge god that thou say vnto vs if thou be Christ the sonne of god lyuynge This adiuracyon Cayphas spake of a false craftie and disceytful mynde and not for to knowe the truthe And therfore saynt Hierom sayth Cayphas dyd adiure Christ by the lyuynge god that for the reuerence of the name of god he shulde answere and speke vnto them not intendyng therby to knowe the truth but to take occasion of his wordes to falsly accuse Christe O what madnes and wickednes was this fyrst they sent to take hym and so they bounde hym as a thefe worthy deth And now they examyn hym not to knowe the truth but rather to fynd some occasion in hym wherby they myghte accuse hym vnto Pylate as worthy death And this adiuracyon was a greuous synne in Caiphas for it perteyneth not to the inferiour so to coniure the superiour without a reasonable cause to say the treuthe This notwithstandynge Christe for the reuerence of the name of god wherwith he was adiured he answered and spake the truth fyrste that they shulde not excuse theym selfe but that they herde hym saye the treuth and also that he wolde not be noted to contēpne the name of god for these causes Iesus answered sayde Tu dixisti ego sum c. Thou hast sayd the truthe I am the sonne of god notwithstandynge I say vnto you that from hensforth or herafter ye shall se the sonne of man that is ye shall se me whome you nowe contempne and shamefully entreate syt on the ryght hand of the vertue of god that is in maiestie and power equall and one with god the father and ye shall se me cume at the day of iudgement in my manhode with great power and maiestie in the clowdes of heuen Than Cayphas whiche before rose vp in a greate furye hearynge this answere was more mad and so cut or rent his garmentes for as Bede sayth whome that furie made ryse from his seate this madnes prouoked hym to cut and rent his vestiment and as Symon de Cassia sayth this cuttynge of his garment doth shewe a folysshe diuisyon in his maners and also the want of the bond of Charitie And in this acte Cayphas dyd also prophicye shewynge and signifyenge by the cuttynge of his garment that the Iues shuld shortly lese theyr dignitye of preesthod which began in Aaron for when he cut his garment or clothyng he made that openly to be sene which before was secreat and so consequently he cut and put from hym the couerynge of the lawe though he knewe it not nor yet intended y t for he onely cut his clothynge that he mygh make his accusacyon agaynst Christe more greuous and to shewe that thynge by his doynge which he spake in his wordes for he sayde that Christe dyd blaspheme god It was a custome and a maner amonges the Iues y t whan they herde any blasphemye spoken agaynst god they wolde cut and rent theyr clothynge or garmentes in token of sorowe and detestacyon of so great a cryme This greuous synne of blasphemy the prynce of preestes Cayphas dyd impute to Christe saynge Blasphemauit He hathe blasphemed god attributynge and gyuynge that thynge to hym selfe whiche is onely propre to god What nede we of ony other witnes as he myght say we labour in vayne to searche for wytnesse agaynste hym for he hath spoken openly and before al your presence ye haue hard hym speake blasphemye O wreche and prynce full of wyckednesse he spake no blasphemye but the treuth thou dost blaspheme the sonne of god for thou wyll not gyfe that thynge to god that apperteynethe to god thou reputest the essencyall sonne of god to be a pure creature and therfore thy blasphemye shal be with the euermore to thy eternall perdicyon and dampnacyon ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that we shulde be pure and clene from all blasphemye both in our selfe and also to other persons in our selfes that we nother do nor say any thynge wherby the name of god shuld be blasphemed in vs or by vs. And also that we moue not ony other persons to blaspheme god And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article let hym in a contrarie maner blysse or prayse god in this or lyke maner Sit nomen domini benedictum c. Blessed be the name of god nowe and euer Amen And also pray as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche dyd suffer the abhominable synne of blasphemy to be put vpon the kepe me that thy name be neuer blasphemed by me in worde nor in dede and that neuer ony blasphemie or ony other euyl word be spoken or vttered with my mouth ¶ Of the Condempnacyon of Christe The .xv. article THe .xv. article is the condempnacyon of Christe vnto the death Whan Cayphas the prynce of preestes had sayde to his compaigney that were there gathered in counsel ye all haue nowe herd hym speake blasphemy he asked of them what they thought and then they al answering sayd Reus est mortis He is worthy death he hath deserued deth This they sayd that theyr malice shuld be openly knowen and though they dyd not so intende yet it was so done by the permissyon and suffrance of god as many other thynges here spoken and done in these articles And beholde here sayth Symon de Cassia howe iustyce is oppressed vertu put vnder foote and reason vtterly subdued to theyr malice in so moche that all the princes wyse men and seniours dyd
embrace and halse hym He wolde be pale in face and inclyne his heed downe for feblenes with Christe and Christe cōfortably lyftynge vp his heed doth most swetly kysse hym And therfore saynt Barnarde sayth O good Iesu we beleue and so it is that who so bereth thy crosse he bereth thy glory And he that bereth thy glory he bereth the. And hym y t bereth the thou bereth vpon thy sholdre Thy sholdre is stronge and very hygh for it recheth vnto the fete of the father in heuen aboue all the orders of aungels aboue all principates potestates vertues Thither thou reducest or bryngest agayne the wanderynge shepe that dyd erre from the flocke that is mankynde the whiche by his synne was put out of Paradyse Good lorde I may compasse go about and serche both heauen and erth the see and the lande no where shal I fynde the but in the crosse There thou slepest there thou fedest there thou restest in the hete of the day In this crosse my soule is lyfted vp from the erth and there it gathereth the swete apples vpon the tree of lyfe In this crosse the soule cleuynge fast to her lorde god doth swetely synge and say Susceptor meus es tu gloria mea et exaltans caput meum Thou arte my defēdour my glory and thou exalteth vp my heed that is my soule from the consideration of all vayne transitory thynges vnto the meditacion of thyn vnspeakable goodnes shewed vnto man vpon the crosse O most amyable deth O moste delectable deth of the most noble body of our lorde Iesu Christe from whome I wolde neuer be seperate but in hym to make thre tabernacles one in his handes another in his fete and the thirde in the woūde of his syde There I wyll rest and slepe eate and drynke rede and pray and there I wyll perfourme all my besynes that I haue to do There I shall speake vnto his herte and optayne of hym what so euer is nedeful for me Thus doynge I may folow y e steppes of his most swete mother Marie whose soule y e swerde of sorowe dyd thyrle perse at the deth of her sone If I be thus woūded with Christe I may from hensforth suerly speke to her moue her in al my necessites and she wyl nat denye me bycause she seeth me crucified with her sonne Christe ¶ Here foloweth an example of this exhortation WE may take an example of this exhortation to remēbre the passion of Christ in the boke called Speculum hystoriale Vincentij of certayne singuler persones whiche had this special grace We rede there that in the partes of the Dioces called Leodin̄ a noble deuout preest called Iacobus de Vitriaco the whiche afterwarde was the bysshop of Tusculane and cardinall and this holy man se there diuerse women of so meruaylous affection and so feruent in the loue of god through the continuall remēbraunce of the passion of Christe that by that feruent loue and desyre they were so seke that by many yeres they coulde nat ryse out of theyr beddes but very seldome hauynge none other cause of sekenes or disease but onely the said feruent loue For their hertes by y e continuall remembraunce of the infinite charite of god shewed in the passion of Christe were so relented by that meditation that the more that they were cōforted in soule the more seke weyke they were in theyr bodyes saynge cryeng in herte though for shame they durst nat speke in wordes the sayng of the spouse in the canticles Fulcite me floribus stipate me malis quia amore langueo Comforte me with flowres strength me with apples or other frutes for I am seke or languysshe for loue And in some of these women a meruaylous thyng it myght be perceyued sensibly howe that whan theyr soule in a maner melted throughe the vehemence of loue theyr chekes and the coloure of them sensibly fayded and fel away In other of them throughe the swete consolations that they receyued in theyr soules there redoūded in to their mouthes a pleasaunt taste as if it had ben of hony or other swete meat and that they felte sensibly And so it retresshed them both corporally and spiritually and this taste also moued them to swete teares and preserued or kepte theyr hertes in deuotion Some of them also receyued so great grace of wepynge in deuotion that as ofte as god was in theyr herte by remembraunce of his goodnes so ofte the ryuers of teares flowed from theyr eyen by inward deuotion so that the steppes or pryntes of the teares dyd afterwarde appere in theyr chekes thorough the custome of wepynge And here note a meruaylous thyng that the wepyng or teares dyd nat hurt their brayne or heed as it doth comenly in al other persones but rather in them it comforted theyr myndes with a full plentuous deuotion It made swete or pleasaūt theyr spirites with a swete vnction of grace It meruaylously refresshed their bodyes and it gladded al y e hole cōgregation of y e seruaūtes of god there ¶ More ouer we rede in the same boke of an holy and deuoute woman called Maria de Ogines of whome the forsayde mayster Iacobus de Vitriaco beynge in great feruoure of deuotion cryed with a lowde voyce vnto almyghty god sayng O lord god thou arte very good to them that trusteth in the thou arte faythfull to thy seruauntes that truste and abyde thy promisses Thy hand mayde good lord hath dispised and forsaken for thy loue thonour of the worlde with all the pleasures of the same and thou accordyngly vnto thy promisse in scripture hath rendred and gyuen to her an hundreth tymes more in this worlde and also euerlastyng lyfe in the kyngdome of glorye The fyrst fruites or begynnynge of her loue to the was the remembraunce of thy crosse passion and deth For on a certayne day when she preuented with thy grace and mercyfully visited by the considered the great benefites whiche thou of thyn vnspeakable goodnes shewed vnto man kynde in workynge our redemption she founde or opteyned so great grace of compunction and suche abundaunce or copye of teares in thy crosse and passion that we myght haue traced or folowed her thorowe the churche by her teares that fel on y e groūde from her And of a longe tyme after that she had this swete visitation and grace of teares she myght neyther see nor beholde the ymage of the crucifix nor yet speke or here other speke of the passion of Christe but forthwith she fel in swowne Wherfore that she might somwhat tempre and abate that great passion and sorowe and restrayne thaboundaunce of her wepynge she lefte the consideration of thumanite or manheed of Christe and tourned her mynde holly to the meditation of the maiestye and godheed of Christe that in his eternitye and inpassibilytye she myght fynde some consolation and comforth But where she thought and laboured to haue
e passion of Christ And that v. maner of wise First in our vnderstandyng secoÌ„dly in our wyl loue and affection thirdly in our actes and operation fourtly in our pouerty and necessityes fyftly in our reprouynges or dispisinges First I say we shuld fele the passion of Christe in our vnderstandyng or reason so that we dilygenly and with attencion fourme our thoughtes accordyngly vnto the paynes passion of Christe Hereunto we be moued by the wordes of the prophet sayng in the person of Christe crucified O vos omnes qui transitis per viam attendite et videte si est dolor sicut dolor meus O all ye that passe thorough the way of this worlde take hede that is thynke with a diligeÌ„t attent mynde and depely coÌ„sider if there be any sorowe lyke vnto my sorowe And this is done truely and faythfully when the passion of Christ is remeÌ„bred rather with an attent mynde cogitation than with deuotion For cogitation hath his signification name of abidyng tarieng or ellê coÌ„straynynge after some doctours For asmoche as in such cogitatyons whan reason vnderstaÌ„dyng hath nat that gyft grace of knowlege that it wolde haue it is coÌ„strayned to abyde tary reuolue it in his cogitation vnto the tyme y t he hath goteÌ„ some perceyuyng therof And of this coÌ„straynyng speketh saynt Barnarde saynge let the outwarde senses be gathered to gether in one and coÌ„strayned or subdewed vnder the discipline and rule of the good wyll And so kepte vnder with the burden of good werkes and made obedient to the seruice of the spirite that in no meanes they be suffered to come at large at theyr sensuall pleasure Of this diligent kepynge of our thoughtes speketh also our lord in his lawe saynge Caue ne vnquam obliuiscaris domini dei tui qui eduxit te de terra Egipti Beware that thou neuer forget thy lorde god whiche hath delyuered the from the thraldome that thou had in the lande of Egipte that is from the thraldome of the deule by the merites of his glorious passion We may alwayes thynke of this benefite though we can nat at al tymes deuoutly remembre it And therfore to remembre or thynke euer of god we be constrayned by his coÌ„maundement But to remembre hym with deuotion we be nat bounde for deuotion is onely of the speciall grace of god which is nat in our power And therfore we be exhorted taught to continue the remembrauÌ„ce of god and of his coÌ„maundmentes saynge Meditaberis ea sedens in domo tua et ambulans in itinere dormiens atque consurgens er ligabis ea quasi signum in manu tua et mouebunt ante oculos tuos scribesque ea in limine et in ostijs domus tue Thou shalt sayth Moyses in the name of our lorde remembre them that is the coÌ„maundmentes and benefytes of god sittynge in thy house and walkynge in thy iourney slepynge and rysyng or at thy downe lyenge and vp risynge and thou shal tye and fasten them vnto the as a signe or a marke in thy hand and they shal be euer before thyn eyne or syght and thou shalt wrytte them in the postes doores of thy house And though these wordes in the litterall sense ben spoken of the .x. coÌ„maundmentes of god yet we may so moche the more conueniently applye them to the remeÌ„braunce of the passion of our lord for asmoche as it was more to our profite and comforth that our lord god wolde suffre deth and passion for our redeÌ„pcion than y t he gaue to vs his commauÌ„dmeÌ„tes And also that is the law ordre of y e benefites of god that more that they be ê“fitable to vs the more we shulde remeÌ„bre them Therfore al the articles or particular paines of the passion of our lord shuld be diligeÌ„tly gadred to geder coÌ„mend to memory accordyng to the wordes of our sauiour sayng Colligite fragmenta ne pereant Gather vp to gether the fragmeÌ„tes that is the ê‘ticular paynes of his passion and put theÌ„ to gider as it were in a litel fagot so coÌ„meÌ„de them to memory lesse they perisshe from your herttê by forgetfulnes iÌ„ this maner dyd y e spouse as we rede in the canticles where as she sayd Fasciculus miâ—re dilectus meus michi inter vbera mea commorabitur My dere beloued spouse is to me as a lytell fagot of myrre he shall abyde in my herte memory Saynt Barnarde declarynge this same text sayth in this maner Brethern this hath ben myne accustomable maner fro my firste conuersion I haue ben diligent to gather a lytell fagot of myrre the which I put in to my bosome as a tresure to recoÌ„pence for the great hepe of merites that I shulde haue had but my vnkyndnes to god is suche that I want suche merites and therfore I say I was dilygent to gather to me a lytell fagot of mirre of al the paynes and affliccions of my lord and sauiour Iesu fyrste of his great pouertye necessitye and affliccion or paynes that he suffred in his yong and tender age after that of his great labours that he had in preachynge his fatigation and werynes in goyng about frome cyte to cyte frome towne to towne frome cuntrye to cuntrye his continuall watche in prayer his temptacions in his fastyng his wepynges and teares in compassion of the miserable people the disceites and craftes of the scribes and phariseys that lye in a wayt of hym to take hym in a trype with some defaute in his coÌ„municacyon or speche and laste of the parylles and daungers that he was in amonges his awne nacion frendes of his rebukes mockes scornes dispises spittynges buffetynges betinges scurgyngê with al other that he suffred for our saluacion Of al the whiche is there plentuously made mencion in the foure euangelystes these thinges to remeÌ„bre sayth saint Barnarde I recounted for wisdome In these thynges I set the perfeccion of my iustyce in these stode all my cunnynge knowlege in these I put the ryches of my helth and thaboundaunce of my merites of these somtyme I dranke a draught of holsome bytternes or peynaunce in these agayne I receyued the swete vnction of consolacyon These thynges done strength me also erecte me in aduersityes they represse me and kepe me meke in prosperityes they gyde me and lede me by a sure way in this lyfe where as is nowe sorowe nowe ioye nowe pleasure nowe payne so that Ider nat go out of the ryght way aslonge as I folowe them ¶ Howe we shulde fele Christes passyon in our loue wyll and affeccion The seconde Chapitre SEcondly we shuld fele I sayd the passion of Christ in our wyl desire loue affeccion For this passion which hither to hath ben onely remeÌ„bred in our thoughtes vnderstandynge if we wyl ê“fit it must procede in to our affeccion so that it be nat onely remembred in our thoughtes
to whom he had gyuen in coÌ„maundmeÌ„t to trouble and punisshe the people of the world saynge Nolite nocere terre et mari neque arboribus quoadusque signemus seruos dei nostri in frontibus eorum Noy nat nor hurte the erth nor the see ne yet the trees vnto suche tyme we haue marked the seruauntes of our lorde god in theyr forheedes that is with the signe of the crosse and that we do by the meditation of the passion of Christe In figure herof the aungell that dyd kyl and sley the fyrst gotten both of man and of beest thoroughout all Egipte dyd spare and saue hermles the Iues whose houses or postes of theyr doores were sprynkeled with the blode of the lambe Also saynt Gregory in his second boke of his Dialogê sheweth y t when one certen malicious person purposing to poison saint Benedict dyd gyue vnto hym wyne mixted with poyson he made the signe of the crosse and anone the cuppe brake in to pecys and so escaped the peryll of deth thoroughe the vertue of the crosse ¶ The .xiiii. profit Orthodoxorum speificat timiditatem IT also gyueth great hope and truste vnto faythfull people And herunto saynt Barnarde expounynge these wordes of the canticle In foraminibus petre sayth thus I shall speke these thynges I shall sure abyde and rest in the hooles of the stone that is in the woundes of my sauiour for I haue set my feet surevpon that stone though the worlde frowne and be troubled with me and the flesshe or sensualitie stryue agaynst me and also the deuyll ley in await of me I shall nat fall for I haue set my fete and affection or loue vpon a sure stone I haue offendyd in a greuouse and dampnable synne my soule therby shall be troubled or vexed but it shal nat be vtterly cast downe by dispaire for I shal remembre the wouÌ„des of my sauyour Iesu for he was wounded for my synnes Also saint Austin sayeth Longius opened the side and herte of my sauiour Iesu for me that I myght entre therein And I haue entred therin and do rest there surely quietly The nayles and the spere do call crye vnto me that I may be truely reconsiled vnto Christe yf that I wyll loue hym ¶ The .xv. profite Peccatorum aduocat viuacitatem THis meditacion induceth and bryngeth to man the grace of god whiche is the lyfe of the soule and therefore saynte Bernard sayeth As ofte as that person that deuoutely remeÌ„breth the passion of Christe breâ—â—eth receyueth brethe agayne so ofte he receyueth a new gyft of grace and grace is the life of the soule Phisiciens don say that whan a sicke man wepyth it is a signe token of lyfe So whan a synner wepyth for coÌ„passion of the passion of our lorde it is a signe of the lyfe of grace and quickenes of the soule And therfore sayeth the prophete Hieremy in his lamentacions Spiritus oris nostri xâ—s dominus captus est in pecatis nostris cui dicimus In vmbra tua viuemus Our lorde Christe the spirite of our mouthe that is to saye the spirite whereby our soule liueth lyke as the body liueth by the ayre or brethe receiued at the mouthe This spirite Christe I say giuynge lyfe vnto the soule is taken in our synnes that is he suffred payne dethe for our synnes We shall lyue in his shadow that is we shal haue the lyfe of grace thrughe the deuout feruent remembraunce of that his dethe and passion And so Christe by his blessid passion doeth gyue the lyfe of nature the lyfe of grace the lyfe of glory Fyrste I say he giueth the lyfe of nature for dede men after his passion resurrection dyd ryse vnto lyfe agayne appered vnto many in Hierusalem Secondly he giueth the lyfe of grace for many after his passion were conuerted vnto the faythe And he gyueth also the lyfe of glory as it well appered in the thefe to whom he sayd whaÌ„ he was fast nayled on the crosse Hodie mecuÌ„ eris iÌ„ paradiso This day shalt thou be with me in glory Also hereunto speketh saynt Bernarde sayenge The tree of the crosse yf there be any man that wyll gader it by feruent meditacion doeth burgyn and brynge furth lyfe it fructifieth ioy gladnes it droppeth oile of confort it sweteth the balme of spiritual gracê This tree of life is no wilde vnfruitfull tree to them y t wyll gader it Also saint Austin sayth The blood of the phisicien is shed to make a medecin for the mad sicke soule The soule spouse of Christe sayth in the canticles Sub vmbra illiê° queÌ„ desideraui sedi et fructê° eius dulcis gutturi meo I haue sittten restyd vnder y e shadow of him in whom is all my desyre confort his fruit is swete pleasauÌ„t vnto my taste For who so euer doeth sauourly taste of the fruit of the crosse all carnall pleasure shal be vnsauoury to hym ¶ The .xvi. profite Quassatorum mitigat aduersitatem THis meditacion of the passion of Christ doeth mitigate swage all tribulacions doeth giue pacience in all aduersities so maketh vs quiet Herunto speketh saint Paule sayng Recogitate euÌ„ qui taleÌ„ sustinuit a pâ—toÌ„ribê° coÌ„tradictioneÌ„ aduersê° semetipsuÌ„ vt non fatige mini animis vestris deficieÌ„tes RemeÌ„bre hym that suffred great contradiction of synners against him selfe that is suche rebukes slaunderous wordes at last moost painefull deth that ye by suche remembrauÌ„ce shuld nat faynt in your myndes whan ye suffre aduersities As yf he shulde saye ye can nat faynte or be ouercom in your tribulacions yf ye haue the deuout remembraunce of his paines passion And this approueth saint Austin sayenge There is nothynge so harde or painfull but y t it may be easely borne yf the passion of Christe be quicke ferueÌ„t in our myndes And this is y e reason herof for the lesse passion or payne is nat perceyued or at leest it is nat regarded where as y e more greuous payn or passion is felt or doeth occupy the minde of man And therefore Auicenna sayeth that suche persones as be in feruent agues or axes doeth nat fele or perceiue the apostume And so the passion of Christe yf it be ferueÌ„tly remembred it putteth away all worldly tribulacion For lyke as wyne thoughe it be sumwhat stronge sharpe of it selfe yf it be myxte with suger and other spyces or be put in the potecarye spiced bagge so go thrugh it it is made moost dulce pleasant So the tribulacioÌ„s of this worlde yf they be ioyned mixte with the remembraunce of the passion of Christe they be moche pleasant confortable to the soule And therfore our lorde sayeth vnto his spouse the soule in his canticles Dabo tibi poculum ex vino condito I shall gyue to the Ipocras for
malycyous Iues. Alas we wretches what shall we do leauynge so gracyouse a father we forsake all our goodes and folowe the and nowe we perceyue for a suerty that we shal be pryued of thy presence and wante thy confortable wordes and dedes for we be assured nowe that the Pharyseys wyll sley the. O howe ofte suppose you dyd they looke backe towardes theyr moost mercyfull mayster seynge and beholdyng with bytter sorowe theyr lorde so cruelly ledde of the malicyouse Iues as we shall declare in the next article ¶ Here foloweth .vi. causes of the fleyng or departynge of Christes disciples OF these disciples the prophet speaketh in the person of our lorde sayenge Dispersa sunt omnia ossa mea All my boones are disperpled or deuyded that is all my apostles whiche as bonys in a mannes bodye shulde haue ben most stronge and yet they are fled and fallen And that for .vi. causes The fyrst cause was that the doctrine of Christe god and man was forgoten then of them and therfore the prophet Dauid sayth Factum est cor meum tanquam cera liquescens so medio ventris mei My herte is made as wax meltynge in the mydle of my body that is My doctrine is vanysshed throughe the heete and fyer of my passyon and that in the myddle of my bely that is in my apostles that be moost nyghe vnto me The seconde cause was the ceasynge of myracles Of the whiche also it folowethe in the forsayde .xxi. psalme Aruit tanquam testa virtus mea My vertue and power is as drye as a shell And that was bycause he suffred hym selfe to be taken and so put to most cruell and shamefull deathe and wolde nat helpe hym selfe and shewe his power as he had done dyuerse tymes before But nowe he wold nat so do therfore his power of in shewynge of myracles semed to be consumed and dryed by the heete and fyere of hys passyon and hereunto speakethe the prophet saynge Ibi abscondita est fortitudo eius There was hyd his power or strength that is in his crosse or passyon And note that the sayde not his power was lost but his strength was hyd in his passyon as we shall declare in the thyrde parte of this treatyse in the .iiii. fruyte The thyrde cause was the silence of Christe for at his passyon he wolde nat speke for hym selfe Therfore saith the prophet Adhesit lingua mea faucibus meis My tong cleuyd faste to my iawes or chekes for he wolde nat speake to his owne excuse and therfore the prophet Esay long before this tyme sayd of hym Quasi agnus coram tondente se obmutescet et non ape riet os suum He shal be as domme as a lambe whan he is shorne and he shall nat open his mouthe And this prophycie was verifyed in Christe as it is playnly wryten in the gospell Et non respondit eâ— ad vllum verbum ita vt miraretur preses Christe answered nat one worde vnto Pylate whiche meruayled moche therof The .iiii. cause was that they were in a maner sure of the deth of Christ but they were in a dispeyre or mistrust of his resurrectioÌ„ And therfore the ê“phet Dauid saith in y e person of Christ Et in puluerem mortis deduxisti me Thou hast brought me in to asshes or in to the dust of deth And this he spake after the opinyon of the Iues. As it appereth in an other psalme Estimatus sum cum descendentibus in lacum I am estemed and accompted by the Iues with them that descende in to the lake and pytte of eternall perdition and neuer to retourne agayne The .v. cause was the crueltie of the Iues and therfore the prophet saythe in the persone of Christe Circumdederunt me canes multi Many dogges haue compassed me that is the Iues barkynge and bytynge by detraction as dogges The .vi. cause was the congregation of euyll persones and therfore it foloweth in the psalme Consilium malignantium obfedit me The congregation and counsayle of euyll persones haue obsessed and beseaged me and that very obstinately and fro wardely vnto my deathe Of this compeigney and counsayle speaketh the prophet Dauid in an other psalme sayenge Astiterunt reges terre et principes conuenerunt in vnum aduersus dominum et aduersus Christum eius Rewlers of the worlde and princes ben cume to gyther in counsayle agaynste our lorde and agaynst his sonne Christe And for these causes the apostles flodde and forsoke our lorde Whereat wonderynge and meruaylynge the prophet Hieremy saythe Quomodo disper si sunt lapides fanctuarij Howe is this that the holy stoones ben disperpled that is the apostles of Christ whiche shulde haue ben as holy stones strong stable firme in the faith loue of Christe but they fled Percutiam pasto rem et dispergentur oues gregis I shall smyte or take the herdeman and the shepe of the flocke shal be disperpled abrode Here folowethe .ii. lessons THe fyrste lesson is that we shulde be well ware that we neuer flye from Christe He flyeth from Christe that for any feare of man or by the temptation of the deule or by any passyon or corrupte affection forsaketh the truthe or iustice for Christe is truth and also iustice And generally in euery mortal or deedly synne a man flieth from god The seconde lesson is this that thoughe these persones that seame to be our frendes or neyghbours and louers flye from vs in the tyme of our aduersytie and necessitye yet lette vs beare it patiently remembrynge that the apostles fled from our sauyour Christe in his aduersitie and trouble ¶ A prayer O Iesu that dyd suffre all thyne electe and chosen disciples to flye from the receyue thou me thy fugitiue seruaunt for thy greate vertue and omnipotent power And suffre me nat to wandre from the thorughe the libertie of my frowarde wiâ—â— Amen ¶ Of the leadynge of Christe The .viii. article THe .viii. article is of his leadynge For after that they had taken and bounde hym and after that his disciples fledde the Iues led Christ towardes the house of Annas As it is in the gospell of IohnÌ„ And this ledynge was moche laborouse and paynefull to Christe Also it was rebukefull and violent It was violent for he was led with a great cumpanye of armed men and theyr captayne with them It was also rebukefull to Christe for he was led with his handes bounde as a thefe or an euyll persone And so the Iues sayde to Pilate Yf this persone that is Christe were nat a malifactour or an euyll doer a myslyuer we wolde nat haue delyuered hym to thy handes and power This ledynge was also laborouse paynfull and sorowfull to hym And that bothe to the herte inwardely and also to the bodye outwardely Fyrste it was sorowfull inwardely For where euer herde you of any man that wolde nat be heuy in hert and
the Iues that they of theyr owne auctoritye wolde bynde Christe nor yet conuicte before the iudge thoughte that they hadde some greate cause agaynst Christe and therfore he asked of them what cause they layde agynste hym And then they answered Si non esset hic malefactor non tibi tradidissemus eum If this persone were not a mysordred lyuer we wolde not haue delyuered hym to the As if they hadde sayde after Symon de Cassya we be not moued of enuye nor yet styrrede of haytred Nor yet we haue bene hastye in this dede before that we delyuered hym to the we dyscussed hys cause we se his euyll dedes we knowe his myscheuous tongue there is nothynge that compellethe vs to delyuer hym vnto the to be iudged coÌ„dempned by the but his euyl dedes Also addyng this we haue examined him in our wise and lerned counsell and there we haue founde hym worthy to dye wherfore it is not nedeful to haue any further examinacyon Thus these malicyous Iues dyd iustify them self before the iuge that they myght the more spedely coÌ„dempne the innocent Pilate soÌ„what moued or despleased with theyr answere bicause he knew that they accused Christ for enuy onely that they had to Christe and therfore thynkyng that they wold not shewe what cause they had against hym for bycause he had offended against theyr law therfore I sayd Pilate wold not punish him but remitted hym to theyr punisshmeÌ„t which was onely to be beaten not to inner deth And so Pylate sayd to them Accipite eum vos et secuÌ„dum legem vestram iudicate eum Take you christ and iudge him after your lawe as if he shuld say If your examinacyon be sufficient then iudge you hym and condempne hym for I wyll condempne no man without a cause proued before me And this also he spake mockynge them for he knewe well that they myght condempne no man to deth then the Iues sayd to hym Nobis non licet interficere quemquam we may sley no man for that auctoritie was taken from them by the emperour of Rome And here sayth saynte Austen If he be so a mischeuous person as ye say why may ye not sley hym if ye may not sley hym for your solempne feeste of pasche why do ye crye and saye crucifye hym crucifye hym Pylate perceyuing by theyr wordes that they wold not be coÌ„tent with any small punisshement of Chryste but that they wolde haue hym slayne he wolde nedes heare the cause why he shulde dye And then they perceyued that Pylate was angrye began to accuse Chryste falsely in many thynges of the whiche onelye thre we rede in Luke And so the Iues sayde Hunc inuenimus subuertentem gentem nostram c. we founde thys persone subuertynge our people from our lawe Also forbyddyng the peple to pay tribute to the emperoure And saynge hym selfe to be Chryste and our kynge But these accusacyons were al false And therfore they sayde Inuenimus we haue founde hym for that was onely in theyr owne malicyous hartes for it was not truthe in dede but onelye theyr owne ymagynacyon and inuencyon For he whiche came to fulfyll the lawe and not to breke it dyd not subuert the people from y e lawe Nor he dyd not subuert them but rather coÌ„uerted them to goodnes whom he taught y e truth nor he dyd forbyd y e people to pay tribute to y e emperour for he said openly pay or reÌ„der tho thyngê to y e emperour whiche be his and gyue to god that apperteyneth to hym â–ª And also he payd tribute for hym selfe and also for Peter and where he sayd hym selfe to be Christe the kynge he sayd truthe but yet he wolde not take vpon hym his kyngdome in this worlde and so he was falsely accused and that not withstandynge he wolde not answere one worde for his excuse And therfore Pylate sayd to hym Non audis quanta aduersum te dicunt testimonia Doyst not thou heare what and howe many accusacyons they brynge agaynst the And Iesus answeredâ— not one word in the presence of the Iues in so moche that Pylate moche merueyled therat And specyally seynge that the Iues vnresonably and with great turmoyle and with importunitye requyred his death but Christ for all that wolde not answer remembrynge the sayenge of the wyseman Vbi non est auditus non effundes sermonem Speake not where as is no conuenient audience Then Pylate entred in to the motehall bycause he myght more quietely examyn hym frome the turmoyle and noyse of the people and there lityll regardynge the firste accusacyon whiche was concernyng theyr lawe nor yet the seconde accusacyon for he reputed that to be false for parauenture he had hard before howe Christ said gyue to the emperour that is his therfore he onely examined hym in the thyrde cause saynge Tu es â—ex iudeorum Arte thou the kyng of Iues as if he shulde say is it true that the Iues saye of the that thou woldest vsurpe and take vpon the the name of a kynge contrarie to the decree and statute of the emperour of Rome for the emperour had taken froÌ„ the Iues y e name of a kyngdome that they shulde haue no kyng and that was to breke theyr pryde and to take from them all occasyon of rebellyon Then Iesus said to Pylate A temetipso hoc dicis an alii tibi dixeruÌ„t de me Spekes thou this of thyne own mynd or other persons haue spoken this to the of me shewyng by these wordes y t Pylate dyd not folowe the order of y e lawe as if he shuld say if thou knowe y t I haue taken vpon me the name of a kyng shew openly y e signes or actes of my rebellyon if onely thou herest this of oder ê‘sons make ordynary inquisition cause theÌ„ to bryng in witnes Then pylate answered I am no Iue and therfore I speke it not of my self thy people thy bisshoppê haue delyuered y e vnto me whiche shulde defeÌ„ce the but it semeth that y u hast greatly offeÌ„ded theÌ„ that they so obstinatly do accuse the what hast y u done Iesus answered RegnuÌ„ meuÌ„ noÌ„ est de hoc muÌ„do my kyngdom is not of this world so he denyes not to be a kyng for he is y e kyng of kingê and lorde of lordes if my kyngdome were of this worlde my ministres and seruantes wolde feyght for me defend me then Pylate said Ergo thou arte a kynge And Iesus answered Tu dicis Thou sayst so as if he sayd it is as thou sayst for I am a kynge and that thou shuldest knowe the condicyon of my kyngdome for that cause I was borne temporally into this worlde and for that cause I came into this worlde that I might bere testimony and witnes to the truthe and who so euer is the chylde or louer of truth he hereth my voyce Of these wordes
and ydle lyfe but that I may euer please the with my good and quyete maners and lyuynge Amen ¶ Howe Pylate dyd shewe Christe scourged vnto the Iues. The .xxxix. article THe .xxxix. article is the shewyng of Christe so pitiouslye arayed vnto the Iues for after that the saugiours had so miserably entreated our sauyour Christe Pylate toke Iesus and went forth vnto the people of the Iues said to theÌ„ Ecce adduco euÌ„ vobis foras vt cognoscatis quia nullaÌ„ iÌ„ eo inuenio causaÌ„ Behold sayd Pilate I bryng him forth to you thus punisshed for your wordes and to certifye you that I fynde no maner of cause of deth in hym therfore he thus correct and punisshed I shall dimisse hym And here sayth Symon de Cassia Pylate sayd that he found no cause of death in Christ wherby he excludeth all crimes from Christe for he bryngeth in an vniuersall negation that is no cryme I fynde in Christ and this he dyd for to shewe his diligeÌ„ce for the deliuerance of Christ And morouer Pylate dyd brynge forth Christe in the same habyt and aray as he was illuded and mocked of the saugiours and that was for the intent that the Iues seing hym so miserably and shamfully arayed shulde cease of theyr malice towardes Christ And also Pylate shewed Christ to the Iues on that maner knowynge that they wolde be very glad to se Christe thus dispysed and punisshed and also supposyng y t therby they content wolde no more speake of his deth for this cause Pylate dyd scourge Christ and shewed hym to the Iues and therfore the euangelist sayth Exiuit ergo Iesus portans spineam coronam et purpureum vestimentum Iesus came forth hauyng a crowne of thornes and a purpull robe and also a rede in his hande for a scepter Behold here a lamentable spectacle Iesus went forth as saynte Austen sayth in a kynges ornamentes not glorious and shynyng in his apparell but full of obprobry and confusyon And therfore Pylate sayd to the Iues Ecce homo Beholde this is a man as yf he shulde haue sayd after saynt Austen If ye haue enuy to hym bycause he called hym selfe a kynge nowe spare hym haue pytie vpon hym for ye nowe se hym lyke to no kynge but shamefullye and miserably deiecte lyke a moste miserable wretch for he scourged crowned with thornes mocked in a kynges ornamentes despysed with many rebukes and bet or smyten with many strokes therfore sith ye se hym thus dispised let 〈◊〉 enuy wax colde or cease But for all these theyr enuy nothynge decreased but rather encreased and waxed more hote and feruent Se howe great is the malice of the Iues that hereby wolde not cease of the procurynge of the deth of Christe theyr obstinate wickednes wold not be relented with mercye And among all the other illusions this was more payne to Christ that is that his deedly enemyes shuld se hym so dispytefully arayed of the saugiours of y e which syght they had no lytyl ioy and yet they were not content with this syght knowyng that Pilate wold haue so delyuered Christ to his libertie but they hauynge no compassion of Christe nor yet coÌ„tent with the excusacyon of Pylate cried out with a lowd voyce and also moued other to crye sayng Crucify hym crucifye hym c. as in the next article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne to haue Christ thus illuded and mocked euermore in our remembraunce so that we neuer vaynly reioyse in our outwarde garment habite or apparel for our lorde god was mocked and scorned in his apparell And specyally religious persons ought to folowe Christe in this thyng for they represent Christ thus illuded and mocked in theyr habyt and tonsure for the habyt of a religiouse person is a vyle thynge despysed and mocked of the worldlye people The tonsure or crowne of the religious person doth represent y e crowne of thornes And also in olde tyme religious men as monkes were wont to beare staues or styckes in theyr handes whiche dyd represente the rede that Christe had in his hande and as Christe disdeyned not to be brought forth and shewed to the Iues in that scornfull habite so religious persons shulde not be ashamed of theyr vyle habit nor to folow Christ which was dispised in this kyngê aray And herunto saynte Paule sayth Spectaculum facti sumus muÌ„do We that despyse the worlde be made a mocken stocke vnto the worlde and neuer so moche as in these dayes our lorde sende vs pacyence and lyghten the soules of the dispysers ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde be shewed and presented vnto the Iues in so scornfull and dispitefull aray graunt me to auoyde all ostentation of vayne glorie and to appere before the at thy iudgement in suche aray as shall stande with thy fauour ¶ Howe the Iues dyd crye Crucifye hym crucifye hym The .xl. article THe .xl. article is the cryenge of the Iues to haue Christ crucifyed for when the bisshoppes and the other Iues had sene Christ so scornfully arayed so miserably scourged bet and mocked not content therwith nor yet alowynge the excusacyon of Pylate dyd crye Crucifige eum crucifige eum Crucifye hym crucifye hym they sayd twyse Crucify and that was to shewe theyr feruent desyre that they had to crucifye Christe and also for that they crucifyed hym both in wyl and in werke And as Rabanus sayth It had ben more profitable to theyr soules to haue sayde Miserere mei deus miserere mei Haue mercy vpon me O thou god haue mercy vpon me or els these wordes of the prophet Iohel Parce domine parce populo tuo Spare lorde spare thy people gyue not thyne inheritance in to rebukes and confusion let not the gentiles haue dominion vpon thy people the Iues these prayers had ben more conuenient for them but they were so malicyous that they cryed crucify crucifye hym and when they cryed thus it was the thyrde hour of the day that is .ix. of the clocke after our computation At that houre the Iues dyd crucifye Christ with theyr tongues As saynt Austen sayth and after this exposycyon the wordes of the euangeliste Marcus are to be vnderstanded where as he saythe Erat autem hora tertia et crucifixerunt eum It was y e thyrd hour of the day and the Iues dyd crucifye hym that is with theyr tongues c. openly shewynge therby that the tongues of the Iues were more to be sayd or called the sleyers of Christe than the handes of the saugiours And therfore this crye is conueniently assigned a specyall article of the passion of Christe They asked and cryed to haue Christe crucifyed whiche maner of deth was at that tyme of suche shame and confusion that after a persone ware put to suche a death he shulde neuer be remembred and spoken of agayne but to his euyl and despisyng and in a maner
no man durst speake specyally any good of hym that was hanged vpon the crosse after his deth And of this complayneth Christe in the psalme saynge Sicut aqua effusus sum I am put out of mynde as the water out of the vessel Of all other liquores that be in a vessell when they be put out of that vessell there remayneth colour or smel that sheweth what liquor was before in that vessell but whan water is put out of a vessell there remaynethe nothynge wherby we myght knowe what liquor was in that vessell so Christe saythe that he is clerely forgoten Also y e wise man sayth in the person of the Iues Morte turpissima condempnemus eum Let vs condempne Christ to the most shameful deth And the prophet Hieremy saith in the person of our lorde Christ Cogitauerunt super me consilia dicentes venite mittamus lignum in panem eius The malicyous Iues haue counseled agaynst me sayenge Let vs put a tree in to his breade that is let vs crucifye hym and so he shal be forgoten and dispysed of all people O thou faythful soule behold here thy sauiour Iesus howe miserably and scornfully clad and crowned he is brought forth with a rede for his scepter in his hand and how shamefastly he stādeth nowe with his heed downwarde before suche a great multitude cryenge and sayenge Crucifye crucify hym and also deridyng and mockynge hym that he wolde be taken for a prophete and a wyse man sayenge Where is nowe thy wysdome thy prophicye and miracles c. and so he not onely suffred payne and sorowe but also rebukes and thretnynges of the Iues. Then Pylate sayd to the Iues Quid enim mali fecit What euyll hath he done I fynde no cause of deth in hym These wordes of Pylate done instructe and teache all iudges to procede in all causes and specyally in causes of deth wysely and diligently But alas where shall we fynde a iudge that wyll laboure so diligentlye for the delyuerance of an innocent as Pylate dyd for Christe and surely if Pylate were lyuyng in these dayes I suppose he wolde excell in ryght iudgement many of our iudges both temporall and also spirituall At that tyme the bisshoppes and seniours and preestes and the religious and all the people of the Iues were agaynste Christe and Pylate lytyl regarded all theyr wordes for he of a longe seasone ▪ and oftymes laboured to delyuer Christe from them and therfore he sayd Accipite eum vos et cru cifigite Take you hym and crucify hym for I fynd no cause in hym These wordes Pylate sayd for diuerse causes Fyrst after Symon de Cassia to rebuke the pryde of the Iues which so farre dyd excede that they determined and assigned vnto the president and hyghe Iudge vnder the emperour what deth Christe shulde suffer that is the moste detestable and shamefull death of the crosse Secondly Pylate spake these wordes for to delyuer and acquyte the innocent Christe Herunto sayth Crisostome The Iues brought christ to Pilate y t he shuld be put condēpned to deth by the sentence of the iudge but it happed y e cōtrary for the iudge declared Christ to be innocent and oftymes he delyuered and excused hym from theyr accusacyons And that Pylate sayd to the Iues Take you hym and crucifye hym was spoken in abhorryng theyr wordes for that they wold haue com compelled hym to a thynge agaynst hys mynde and also agaynst ryght Thyrdly he spake so for the declaracyon of his power and auctoritie for he wolde gladly haue ben delyuered from the iudgement of Christe the whiche the Iues perceyuyng added the thyrd accusacyon besydes the other .ii. spoken in the .xxii. article saynge Nos legem habemus et secūdum legem debet mori quia filium dei se fecit We haue a lawe after the which he ought to dye for he hath made hym selfe the sonne of god And here as Symon de Cassia sayth It apereth manifestly the falsenes of theyr accusacyon for if the wordes shulde be referred to theyr intent or contrarie wyse if theyr intent shuld agre to theyr wordes both wayes the Iues do lye and theyr iniquitie doth lye and speake false to themselfes for Christ dyd neuer make hym selfe god nother in this worlde nor yet eternally for he was god euerlastyngly not made but eternally generate and goten of the father but the Iues thought Christ to be onely a man and not god nor Christe at any tyme as man dyd affirme hym selfe to be made the sonne of god but for asmoche as he beynge the eterne sonne of god was made man for vs his godhed in no thynge chaunged but takynge for our saluation our nature therfore he called him self the sonne of god for he was both god and man in one person but Pilate when he had herd this sayng of y e Iues he was more afrayd than he was before not for that he feared theyr lawe but that he was afrayd to condempne the sonne of god And also he was afrayd hearynge suche a hyghe sentence that was aboue his witte and vnderstandyng that is that a man shulde be or make hym selfe the sonne of god and whether it were true or not he was afrayd to gyue sentence of deth And herto sayth Alquine He dyd not feare for that he harde them speake of theyr lawe for he beynge a straunger and a gentill regarded not that but he was afrayd to cōdempne the sonne of god and therfore he entred in agayne in to the motehall and callynge Iesus vnto hym sayd Vnde es tu Of what stocke or kyndred art thou Pylate wolde haue knowen if he were the sonne of god or if he were of the kynd or stocke of y e goddes And this laste poynte myght haue bene easely or lyghtlye persuaded vnto Pylate for he was a gentill which do suppose and beleue that many men may be of the stocke of goddes and so the sonne of goddes But Iesus dyd not answere one worde to his question and that was bycause Pylate was not sufficient to receyue or vnderstande the solution of hys awne question For the prophet sayth Generationem eius quis enerrabit Who is able to declare and shewe his eterne generation and though Christ was able to declare it yet there is no mortall man able to vnderstande it Secondly Iesus wolde not answere to Pylates question that Pylates synne shulde not be aggrauate and made more greuous And thirdly that the passion of Christe shulde not be letted For as saynt Paule sayth Si cog nouissent nunquam dominum glorie crucifixissent If they had knowen howe Christe was the sonne of god they wold neuer haue crucifyed the lorde of glorie and this is to be vnderstand of Pylate and y e gentyles not of the Iues for they myght haue knowen sufficiently if they had wolde Then Pylate sayd to Christ Mihi non loqueris Nescis
to the Iues Ecce rex vester Behold your kynge before he sayd Beholde a man therby shewynge howe shamefullye and miserably Christ was arayed and that Pylate spake to moue the Iues to compassion And nowe to moue them agayne he sayd scornfully mockynge them behold your kynge as if he shulde saye ye awght to be ashamed that any wyse man shuld perceyue that ye be afrayd that this simple person so vylely abiecte and despised shuld be your kynge but the Iues in nothynge ashamed nor yet moued to pitie cryed Tolle tolle crucifige eum Away with hym hens with hym take hym frome our syght it is deth for vs to loke vpon hym away with hym crucify hym And note here that they dyd crye thrice Crucify hym and in the remembraunce therof we say thryce Agnus dei in the masse Then Pylate scornfully sayd to them Regem vestrum cru cifigam Shall I crucifye your kynge wyllynge therby to rebuke them and make theym ashamed to speake any more therof whom he coulde not moue by the despysynges of Christe but the Iues past all shame answered saynge Non habemus regem nisi cesarem We haue no kyng but the emperour And herby ye may se howe moche the vnkynde Iues desyred the deth of Christe for they to procure his deth wylfully submitted them selfe vnder the subieccyon of the Romaynes the whiche before that tyme they wolde neuer gladly do but rather they were alwayes in a mynde and purpose to rebelle agaynste the emperour for to haue theyr libertye And here note that this article was more greuous to Christe then any of the other before for here he was broughte to his iudgement and his accusars moste cruelly dyd crye away with hym hange hym vpon the gallowes c. where as all the other were done and spoken the iudge not syttynge in iudgemente And then Pylate seynge that that he myght in no thyng profyte to the delyueraunce of Chrste called for water c. as shall appere in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne howe to iudge oure selfe in our owne soule and conscience as Christe was iudged for vs that therby we myghte auoyde the strayte iudgemente of god For as saynte Paule saythe If we here iudge our selfe we shall not be Iudged ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe the sonne of the lyuynge god whiche in the syxte houre of the day wold for me most wretched sinner be presented before the iudge syttyng in iudgement graunt to me so to iudge my selfe in my selfe of all my synnes by the testymonie or witnes of myne owne conscience and also pacyentlye to suffer thy iudgemente in all aduersities that I may in suerty appere in thy laste and terrible iudgement Amen ¶ Howe Christe was condempned The .xlii. article THe .xlii. article is the condempnacyon of Christ by the sentence of the iudge for Pylate seynge that he in nothyng profyted for the delyuerance of Christ but that more busines was made for as the glose sayth The Iues reputed to Pylate treason and rebellion agaynst the emperour he was anone ouercome by feare aÌ„d swerued from the way of treuth and iustice But fyrst he toke water and wasshed hys handes sayng Innocens ego sum a sanguine iusti huius vos videritis I am innocent of the blode and deth of this iust person Pylate toke water and wasshed his handes accordyng to the sayeng of the ê“phet Lauabo inter innocentes manus meas I shal wassh my handes among the innocentes but he sayd to the Iues Vos videritis Loke you to your parte coÌ„sider what shal be your syn I am the minister of the lawe take good hede whom ye offer to me to be slayne for I must gyue sentence after your sayngê and not after my knoledge and mynde and therfore this synne shal be imputed to you and not to me And then all the people of the Iues answered and sayd Sanguis eiê° super nos et super filios nostros His blode fall vpon vs vpon our childern This sayng for the wordes is very good most ê“fitable to man saluacyon for it is greatly to be desired that the blode of Christ fal vpon vs to wassh vs from all fylth of synne accordyng to the sayng of saynt Iohan Dilexit nos et lauit nos a peccatis nostris in sanguine suo Christe hath loued vs wasshed vs frome our synnes in his blode But the Iues spake these wordes with an other intent for they desyred y t the vengeance of his blode and deth shulde fall vpon them and vpon theyr children and so it doth vnto this day y t is almost xv huÌ„dreth yeres so shal coÌ„tinue as saint Hierom saith nygh vnto the ende of the worlde And so pylate thought he had sayd before and declared Christ to be innocent and so to be delyuered yet nowe wyllyng to please the Iues and sacysfye theyr cryengê and fulfyll theyr wyl dyd y t thyng which was not plesyng to god and accordynge to iustyce Also fearynge that he shulde haue bene accused of treason agaynst the emperour Also supposynge no great peryll or daunger though he condempned to deth this pore innocent person specyally considerynge that no man spake or intreated for hym al this considered I say Pylate gaue sentence and iudged Christe for that he wolde haue ben a kyng contrarie to the precepte of the emperour to be hanged vpon y e crosse or crucifyed and this sentence was agaynst all iustyce and also agaynste his owne knowledge for he knewe Christe to be innocent in this cause and all other And thus he gaue most cruel sentence agaynste the innocent in whome was no cause of deth And so by his iudgement and power of the emperoure he betoke Iesus vnto the Iues that he shulde be crucifyed And note here that the euangelist sayth not Vt crucifigereÌ„t euÌ„ sed vt crucifigeretur That the Iues shulde crucifye Christe but that he shulde be crucified by the auctoritie of the iudge but he sayth that Pylate betoke Iesus vnto the Iues to shewe that they were the cause of his deth though they wolde not haue had it so taken for Pylate wold not haue gyuen this sentence but onely for that he se that he coulde none otherwyse please and content the Iues. But what was the forme and the wordes of the sentence it is not shewed in the gospelles but in the euangely of Nichodeme it is writen howe that Pylate gaue sentence in these wordes folowyng Gens tua comprobauit te regem propterea precipio te primum flagellari secundum principum statuta deinde 〈◊〉 cruce leuari Thy people haue affermed the to be a kynge therfore I commaunde the first to be scourged accordyngly to the ordynauÌ„ces and statutes of the princes of Rome and after that to be hanged vpon the crosse Beholde here howe the moste innocente lambe Christe dyd chose to be dampned for
without the castels or cities And also he wolde suffer without y e citie to declare shewe vnto vs howe y t the vertue of his passion shuld not be included within the coostes or bouÌ„des of the Iues but that it shuld be knowen to be a comon sacrifice for all the worlde And thyrdly to signifye and shewe to vs that who so wolde haue the effecte and vertue of this passion he muste go forth or go from the worlde at lest in desire affeccyon or loue that is that he haue no inordinate loue to the worlde the gooddes or pleasure therof Wherfore let vs folowe Christe and go vnto hym frome our carnall frendes and worldlye conuersacyon bearynge with hym and for his loue rebukes and sharp paynes And herunto saynt Bernarde sayth Christe suffred his passyon and deth without the citye therfore let vs go to hym from the cytye that is by the contempte of worldlye conuersacyon and that may be done by .iii. maner of wayes In affeccyon or loue that we loue not inordinatly the world In effect dede that we vtterly forsake the worlde both in wyll and also bodye And thyrdlye by profytynge that we desyre and labour to be made one spirite with god For as saynt Gregorie sayth The more that a man is separate from the loue of the worlde the more nygh he is to god This ledyng aboue al the other .viii. of which we spake in the .viii. article was most paynfull and shamefull to Christe and that for many causes and therfore conueniently it maketh a specyall article Fyrst by reason of his rebuke and shame for it was moche shamefull to be led vnto hangynge Secondly for that he was copled and ioyned or led with .ii. theues and mischeuous persons and that was done to his more confusyon shame that the people shulde thynke there was no difference bytwixte Christe and them Thyrdly for the greate noumber of people that se hym and folowed hym and that not onely of men but also of women as the euangelist sayth But they all dyd not folowe hym of one intent and one mynde for some were moche ioyfull of that syght as the moste parte of the Iues. And it is no small payne to a man to behold and se other men and specially his enemyes gladde and ioyfull of his affliccyon and rebuke There were also some that dyd wepe and were sorye for that syght as the blessed woman And also this was moche paynfull to Christ to se his frendes louers in sorowe and heuynes for hym Saint Bernarde describeth this ledynge and procession in this maner folowynge When Christ sayth he was broughte forthe to be ledde vnto his passion there was gathered about hym a greate multitude of people as ye comonly se when theues and murderars be had to hangynge Some went saughynge and some cast clay or durte vpon his most blessed hed and face If Christe loked before hym he sawe them cast durte vpon hym If he loked aboue hym he sawe the heuy tre of the crosse lyenge vpon his necke and greuously oppressed hym If he loke behynd hym he sawe his mother with a great nomber of men and women wepynge and lamentynge for hym And as some doctours do say his most sorowefull mother wolde haue come to hym to haue helpen hym and myght not be suffred the whiche her swete Iesus seynge and consederynge her great heuynes fell downe for sorowe and werynes vnder the crosse And that seynge his moste louynge mother for sorowe she fell to the erth as deade And in the remembraunce of this swonyng there was afterwarde a chapell buylded by the faythful people in the same place in the honor of our lady whiche is called sancta Maria de Spaâ—mo and after this Iesus turnynge hym selfe to the women that wepte sayd Filie Hierusalem nolite flere super me sed super vosipsas flete et super filios vestros O ye doughters of Hierusalem wepe not vpon me for I take these paynes and deth with my good wyll for it is the wyll and ordinaunce of god my father that I shulde thus dye and also for the great profet y t shall come therof to mankynde for by my deth I wyll ouercome euerlastynge deth but wepe for the cause of my passyon and dethe that is the synnes of the people which cause me to suffer deth by the order of iustice And thus to wepe it is necessarie for you and therfore it foloweth Sed super vosipsas flete et super filios vestros But weape for your selfes and for your chylderne Herin Christ doth not rebuke theyr affeccyon and compassyon that they had to hym but he doth teche them an order howe to wepe that is firste to wepe for them selfe and theyrs for it is a vayne thyng and of no profyt to wepe for the passyon of Christ and therwith to despyse hym with our euyl dedes and lyuyng Also he byddes them that wepe for hym to consider what paynes be lyke to fal vpon them selfe And therfore they shuld wepe for them self and for theyr childern and therfore Christe saythe Quoniam ecce venient dies in quibus dicent beate steriles c. For the dayes shall come sayth Christ when they shall say Blessed and happy be the baren and tho that brought forthe no fruyte and those pappes or teates be happye that neuer gaue sucke or mylke then they shall begynne to saye to the mowntes Fal vpon vs and to the hylles Couer vs. And thsi he spake for the tyme of the seage of Hierusalem by the emperours Vaspasyan and Titus his son for then the Iues were in great distresse as it appereth by the histories of Iosephus and Egesippus or els we may say that Christe spake this for the extreme and last day of iudgement And the cause or reason of both these he addeth and sayth Quia si in viridi ligno faciunt in arido quid fiet For sithe so greuous paynes and shamefull despites be done to me whiche am a grene tree florisshyng and quicke in the roote of my diuinitie in the charitie of my manhode in the branches of my vertues in the leeses of good wordes and the fruyte of my good dedes if I say they do these thynges to me that is condempne me to the shamefull deth of the crosse without all iustice what shall they do to the drie tree or stocke that is to the synner whiche wanteth the moisture of grace the fruyte of iustice the grenisse or florisshynge of the conscience what payne thynke you be they worthy to haue O Iesu thou grene tre O our hed O thou glorie of all meake persons O thou cedre of clenlynes Palme of pacyence Olyue of mercy Vyne of gladnes shewe to vs what was done to the And he answering saith this grene tre is pilled or the barke pulled of it is shred lopte it is cut downe and cast vpon the erth Marke this well frendes sith he that came
for me wolde be spoyled of thy clothes and syt naked before y e crosse make me to be spoyled or naked from all worldly thynges that be hynderaunce to my saluacyon that I naked myght folowe thy naked crosse Amen ¶ Howe Christ was layde or spred vpon the Crosse The .xlvi. article THe .xlvi. article is the extensyon of Christe vpon the crosse for after they had taken his clothes frome hym and the crosse was made redy they with greate fury toke Christe from his mother Marie not without her great sorowe wepynge sobbyng they cast hym very harde naked as he was vpon the harde crosse lyeng vpon the erth and so cruelly they spred hym abrode vpon the crosse and drewe out his armes and legges as a cloth is stretched drawen out vpon tenters in somoche they drewe hym so that all his meÌ„bres and ioyntes were in a maner out of theyr proper places Of this speaketh the prophet sayng Funes extenderunt in laqueum These moste cruell tormentours haue extended theyr ropes to make a snare for me And in an other psalme Funes peccatorum circumplexi sunt me The roopes of synners haue compassed me aboute and that so sharplye that all his bones myght be nombred and therfore the same prophet sayth of these tormentours in the persone of Christe Dinumerauerunt omnia ossa mea They haue nombred all my bones for they dyd prepare the crosse without aduysemeÌ„t or any mesure takynge of the length and brede of Christes body or els they dyd it of pure malice that is to make the holes so far distance to put Christ to the more payne And when Iesus wyllingly prepared hym selfe to lye downe vpon y e crosse those most wicked and cruell tormentours toke hym by the armes violently and cast his most holye and tender bodye vpon the harde crosse in so moche that therby the crowne of thornes was thurste more fast and farther in to his hed and so put hym to extreme payne O thou christen soule beholde the face of thy sauyoure Christe but howe can thou lyft vp thyne eyne vnto his face to beholde his tormentes without teares And howe can thou thynke in thy herte of his most greuous paynes without sorowe and syghyng And consider what tribulation and sorowe he founde when he saught the. And herby ye may perceyue that this extension doth conueniently make a specyall article for therby Christe suffred a great and greuous payne And therfore the churche doth say and synge in a certen hympne Flecte ramos arbor alta tensa laxa viscera c. O thou high tre of the crosse bowe downe thy branches lawce the bowels that be stretched vpon the. c. This extension or stretchynge forth of the bodie of Christe doth also shewe and declare vnto vs the great effusyon of the goodnes of Christe towardes vs whiche procedeth from his highe and infinite charitie that he hathe to vs. By this extension of his armes and membres vppon the crosse he doth shewe y t he loued vs asmoche as he might gyuynge to vs to gette our loue all that he was in hym self and all that he myght do And that whiche he coulde not expresse by worde for his charitie in vnspeakeable he dyd expresse it with this signe and token of his bodye that is in this extensyon and stretchynge oute of his bodye vpon the crosse And hereunto saynte Bernarde sayth Verylye oure sauyour Iesus is a large and a liberall dispenser stewarde or prouysoure whiche hath gyuen to vs his owne flesshe to oure meate and his blode to oure drynke his soule for the pryce of oure redemption hys woundes for oure remedye agaynste temptacyons hys armes for oure refuge and comforth his crosse for oure shelde his herte for a token of loue to vs his water to bathe and wasshe vs his swette for a medicine to vs his nayles for our sauce his crowne of thornes to our ournament his wordes to our instruccyon both his lyfe and deth to our example These be the .xii. fruytes of the tre of lyfe of whiche saynt Iohan speaketh in his apocalipse These also be signifyed by the .xii. breades or looues that were dayly sette vpon the table in the temple of god called mensa propositionis ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that we shuld extend and streche forthe all our membres and partes of our body in to the obsequy and seruyce of Christe that is our handes and armes to good werkes our fete in goynge to good and godlye places our kneys to knele in prayer and all our senses to holy exercyse of theyr actes and operacyons so that we may say with the prophet Omnia ossa mea dicent domine quis similis tui Al my bones shall say O lorde who is lyke to the there is none so louynge to vs as thou arte therfore we aught to serue the with all the partes of our bodie And herunto saynt Paule exhorteth vs saynge Obsecro vos vt exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam viueÌ„tem sanctam c. I beseche you that ye so order your bodies that they may be a quicke or lyuynge hoste holye pleasaunt to god and a reasonable obsequie that all thynges be done reasonably Of this extencyon we may take example in the strynges of a harpe or lute whiche wyll make no sowne good and pleasaunt except they be extended and writhed vp And a man to conforme hym selfe vnto this article he may extende all his membres and specyally his armes in the maner of a crosse and that outher standyng or lyenge as his deuocyon moueth hym and also extende all the powers of his saule to the laude and prayse of god and pray as foloweth or in lyke maner ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wold be extended vpon the crosse that so cruelly that all thy bones myght be nombred make me to extende all my membres and powers both of soule and bodye vnto thy laude and praysynge Amen ¶ Howe Christ was crucifyed The .xlvii. article THe .xlvii. article is the crucifienge of Christ for our sauiour Iesus wold not onely be extended vpon the crosse but also wolde be fastened and nayled to the crosse to commende vnto vs his indissoluble charitie wherby he dyd stablysshe our helth Therfore after that those cruell tormentours had so stretched Christe vpon the crosse that the veynes and synnouse were greatly and aboue mesure extended and also the ioyntes of the boâ—es out of order then dyd they crucify hym and nayle hym fast to the crosse bothe his handes and fete and that with great harde and grosse nayles whiche were so blunte and grosse that they bracke both skyn and flesshe synnouse and vaynes and also put the ioyntes of the bones out of order And the cause why he wolde be crucifyed is this for asmoche as our firste parent Adam extendynge his handes to the tre that was forbodden to hym and with his fete going
and sorowe hope is the parte that is vpwarde feare is downwarde loue of the ryght syde and sorowe of the lefte parte the roote wherof all these do sprynge is charitye And herunto sayth the apostle In caritate radicati vt possitis comprehendere c. Be ye founded in charitie that ye maye comprehende and clerely se with all sayntes what is the length the brede the hyghte and the depenes In these wordes as saynte Austen sayth and also the glose ordinarye is playnly expressed the figure of the crosse and the misterie therof And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shulde ofte remember howe Christ dyd hyng bitwixt .ii. theues and remeÌ„bre therwith this lesson pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me a wretche wolde be crucified bitwyxt ii theues and wolde be reputed as one of them graunte that my spirite may be crucifyed bitwixt the flessh and the world that I may reste quietely in the in the middle the extremes that is the flesshe and the worlde crucified to me Amen ¶ Howe the saugiours diuided Christes garmentes The .liiii. article THe .liiii. article is the diuision of Christes garmentes for when the saugiours had crucified Christe they toke his garmentes deuyded them in to .iiii. partes to euery saugiour one parte for there were iiii hangmen and besydes those .iiii. partes Christ had an other cote that was hole vnsewed or without any seame for it was wouen or knytte Of this cote the saugiours or hang men sayd Non scindamus eam sed sottiamur de ea cuius sit We wyll not cut this cote but cast lottes who shall haue it and herin was fulfylled the scripture whiche sayth Diuiserunt sibi vestimenta mea et super vestem meam miserunt sortem The hangmen deuyded to them selfe my garmentes and they cast lottes vpon my garment This was a great abiection and vilanie to Christ as Crisostom saith for they dyd not so to the theues This thyng is onely done to vyle abiecte and condempned persons that haue nothynge but his garmentes And Theophylus sayth they dyd this to the rebuke and shame of Christ and of a wantones as yf they shulde say scornfully bicause he called hym selfe a kynge we wyll haue iche one of vs some of his royall or kynges roobes O meruelous pacyence and dispensacyon of the mercy of Christ whiche is the very lambe of god a shepe or a lambe doth bothe fede and cloth them that clyp hym and sley hym he feades them with his flesshe and body and clotheth them with his flees So our true lambe Iesu Christe dyd cloth those saugiours with his garmentes and also he feades vs daylye in the sacrament of the aulter with his precyous bodye flesshe and blode ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may note that charitie which after saynt Austen is signifyed by the cote without seames can not be deuyded and yet that same charitie doth knytte vertues togyther And also by that same cote is signifyed one holye catholical and vniuersall churche whiche gathereth all faythfull people in to one fayth which churche faith No man ought to deuyde by any scisme or heresye Of this churche speaketh the spouse in his canticles Vna est columba mea vna est perfecta mea My douue that is my spousesse symple as the douue is one my perfecte spousesse is but one and so theyr is but one churche as theyr is but one god one fayth and one baptisme ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde haue thy garmentes deuyded amonges thy crucifiers and wolde haue them cast lottes for thy vnsewed cote that was wouen or knyt and without seames graunt to me to take parte with thy saintes and to folowe theyr examples in the kepynge of thy commaundementes and that I maye euer keape thy charitie in me Amen ¶ Of the writynge of the title aboue Christes heade The .lv. article THe .lv. article is the superscription or wrytynge of the title for Pylate at the desyre of the Iues wrote a title expressynge the cause of Christes deth and this was it Iesus nazarenus rex iudeorum Iesus of Nazareth kynge of the Iues as if he shuld say Iesus of Nazareth was crucifyed bycause he is the kynge of the Iues. And this title was writen thus to separate the cause of his deth from the causes of the other .ii. that were crucifyed with hym and that for theyr euyll dedes and lyfe The Iues intended by this title as Theophilus sayth scornfully to rebuke the person of Christ which as they sayd made hym selfe a kyng so that the people passynge by and redynge this title shuld haue no compassion vpon hym but rather rebuke hym as a tyrante that wolde haue vsurped the kyngdome But Pylate wrote not as they wolde haue had hym to write that is that he made hym selfe the kynge of Iues but he wrote playnly that Iesus is the kynge of Iues. And herunto saynt Hierome sayth the Iues of enuy and to scorne Christe dyd speake for the writyngâ—of the title but the vertue and secreate power of god dyd ordre it otherwyse in the herte of Pylate thoughe he were ignorant and wyâ—t not what he dyd as the glose sayth For it was god that procured suche a title to be put aboue Christes heed that therby the Iues myghte knowe that Iesus was theyr kynge and that they culd not auoyde though they slewe hym for that purpose y t they wolde not knowe hym for theyr kynge that notwithstandynge it appered by the title that he was theyr kynge for his kyngdom or dignitie was not lost or hyndred by the deth of the crosse but rather confirmed stablysshed and the more strengthed as Bede saythe Also by this title Pylate commended Christe in .iii. thynges thoughe Pylate dyd not so intende for the deth of Christe was firste the cause of the remission of our synnes and that is noted in this worde Iesus a sauiour Secondly the deth of Christ is the cause meritorious of our grace that we haue aâ—d that is noted in this worde Nazarenus that is as moche to saye as florisshynge for by grace we florisshe in all vertues Thyrdly by the deth of Christe we be made enheritours of the kyngdome of god noted in these wordes Rex iudeorum The kyng of Iues that is of all faithfull people that truely confesse god and by this kyng we all shal be kynges in glorie And when many of the Iues had red this title and perceyued that it was to theyr infamy sclaunder sayd to Pylate Noli scribere râ—x iudeorum sed quia ipse dixit rex sum iudeorum wryte not thus the kynge of Iues but that he sayd I am the kyng of the Iues then Pylate sayd Quod scripsi scripsi That I haue writen I haue writen as if he shuld say It is true that I haue writen and therfore I wyl not chauÌ„ge it I wyll not
his mother This thyrde worde or sentence of Christe Mulier ecce filius tuus woman beholde thy sonne this I say was a worde of great dilygence loue and pitie for as moche as Christe beyng in so great anguisshe and sorowes of death wolde yet remembre his moste heuy and sorowfull mother and prouyde her of a sonne or minyster to attende vpon her to her comforth And herin he taught vs to haue compassyon of the afflyccyon of our parentes and to prouyde for them in theyr necessities O swete lorde Iesu thy crosse and passion doth torment the greuously but the compassyon of the mothers sorowe is no lesse payne to the and no meruell O good chylde if thou sorowe if thou suffer and haue compassyon of the heuynes of thy mother of her separation from the of her commendation to a straunger And here doctours done say and specyally Bonauenture that the sorowe that Christe had in the compassyon of his mother was more intense and more greuous to hym then the sorowe of hys awne payne and passyon THe mother of Iesu stode by the crosse She stode for she neuer fell by synne she stode to the great glory and prayse of al women where as his discyples that shulde haue ben men of gostly strengthe vertue dyd flye awaye and leaue theyr maister alone She onely abode with hym constantly in all his greuous panges and paynes wherin was fulfylled the prophecy of Esaye sayenge in the persone of Chryst complaynynge Torcular calcaui solus et de gentibus non est vir mecum I onely haue troden in the prease of the crosse there was nat one man with me hauyng compassyon vpon me but my mother alone she had compassyon and stode by me And nat onely she stode bycause she dyd nat flye but also for that in so great heuynesse of herte she dyd nothynge vnseamyngly or vnreligyously but ordred her selfe in most godlye behauour without any misorder in cryenge or cursynge and suche other lyke thoughe she suffred in her herte all those paynes that her sonne Iesus suffred in his bodye outwardlye And as we sayd before here she felte and suffred all the panges that she escaped at the byrth of her sonne Iesus Of these .ii. birthes or chyldynges speaketh the prophet saynge Antequam parturierat peperit masculum Before Mary the mother of Iesus hadde any panges or thrawes she brought forth her sonne so that she had her sonne without sorowe then it foloweth in the prophet Nun quid parturiet terra vna die aut parietur gens simul Shall the erth brynge forth with payne all her fruyte in one day or all the people shal be brought forth or borne in one day Note wel these saynges Firste the prophet spake of the birth of Christe which was without sorowe or payne to his mother and with great ioy But nowe at her seconde chyldynge where as at the passyon of her sonne Iesus she brought forth all the electe chylderne of god at one birth she had great panges and manyfolde sorowes And here note that this blessed mother of mercy dyd helpe or assist the father of mercyes in this moste hyghe werke of mercye and so with Christe dyd regenerate and redeme al mankynde and this generation was to the great sorowe and payne of them both and herunto Albert sayth though Marye dyd beare her sonne Iesus in greate ioye and without all payne yet after warde whan she dyd regenerate al the faithful people in faith that was with moch sorowe and of this it appereth that Christ dyd communicate vnto his mother this hygh werke of our redemption for she suffred with hym his passyon in her soule as we sayd before And note me well here for I do not say that our blessed lady dyd redeme vs bycause Christ of hym selfe was insufficient for to say so it ware heresye But I say it pleased our sauyour Christ to haue his mother present at his passyon and there to suffer with hym in soule as he suffred in bodye that so consequently as he is called the father of mercy so she myght be honored and called the mother of mercy and also for other considerations as foloweth First that our redemption might reanswere vnto the first condempnation for in our firste losse and perdicyon both Adam and Eue dyd syn notwithstandynge if Adam had not synned we had not ben condempned and therfore the onely synne of Adam was the cause of our perdicyon but for asmoche as Eue dyd persuade moue and counsell Adam to synne therfore we say that we ware dampned by oure firste mother Eue so in lyke maner though we be redemed by the passyon of Christ yet for as moche as oure blessed lady was consentynge to that passyon and also sufferyde it in her soule we may saye that she redemed vs with Christe Secondlye that as Christe redemyng vs by his passion was made our father by the whiche passyon the sacrament of baptysme wherin we be regenerate taketh his efficacitie and vertue so our blessed ladye myght be called our mother bycause she suffered in her soule the same passion of Christe Thirdly that after Christ we al shulde honoure the gloriouse virgyn as our modre Fourthly for the encrease of her merite And fiftly that y e passion of Christ shuld be more bitter paynful to him thorough the presence of his modre by whom he sheweth his most hyghe charitie vnto vs. She stode also for all other departed from the stablenes of fayth but she onely and therfore it is sayde of her thus O good lorde thou haste stablished thy testament vpon the heede of Marie al waye virgin for after the death of thy son thy fayth onely remayned perfetely in the reason of the same virgyn ¶ Of the sorowe and compassyon of our ladye AS the great clerke Alberte sayth vpon these wordes of Luke Tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius The swerde of sorowe shal passe thorowe thyn awne soule It is the more true exposition and sentence when this pronowne deriuatyue tuam is resolued in to his primityue tui so that this is the true sentence of the forsayd wordes of Luke the swerde of sorowe that is the payne of the passyon and deth of thy sonne O vyrgyne Mary which he suffred in his bodye shall perse and passe thorowe the soule of thyne awne selfe Marie So that the sorowes whiche thou felt not at the birth of thy sonne so that therby thou dyd not knowe thy selfe a mother at his deth thou shalt fele them in moste paynfull and sorowfull maner so that thou shalte knowe thy self then to haue had a chylde and to be a mother Our sauiour Iesus her sonne was to Marie his mother as her awne herte and therfore when he was borne of her she felte as if halfe her herte had bene borne and departed from her body And as that thynge whiche is halfe without and halfe within if that parte that is outwarde be
vnto the vinegre for thy drynk where as thou gaue them drynke in the deserte when they were thristie And he answereth in the person of Christe saynge I thriste and feruently desire the conuersyon of synners the teares of penaunce of compunction of compassion and of inwarde deuotion I thyrst your helth and the redemption of all soules Therfore that Christe dyd here expresse his greate drynes was not without great misterie For he dyd not say I thyrst for that he desyred any wyne or yet vinegre whiche he knewe that they shulde gyue to hym But what drynke suppose you dyd he desyre whiche is the founten of the lyuely and holsome water the veyne of lyfe the ryuer of all pleasure the floode wateryng the heuenly paradise Surely he thristed and desyred our helth that is by his thyrst he desyred our thirst that is that we shulde desyre and thyrst god the well of lyfe Also I thyrst sayth Christ by saynt Bernarde all you that goeth by this way that ye wold attende and se if there be any sorowe lyke vnto my sorowe that by compassyon ye myght kut your hertes for this day my herte was opened for you O good Iesu thou complaynest of thy thyrste but thou speakes not of thy crosse thou suffrest pacyently the crowne of thornes thou forgettest all thy moste greuous woundes and despysynges the Iues and the gentylles they thirsted thy blode and therfore they crucifyed the but thou thyrsted theyr helth and therfore thou wold dye for them as if Christ shuld say the helth of your soules doth more tormente me then all the paynes of my bodye But whan Christe sayd Sitio I thrist anone they gaue to hym no good nor holsome drynke but vinegre for as the euangelist sayth Erat ibi vas aceto plenuÌ„ c. There was a vessel ful of vinegre and they fylled a sponge with the vinegre and wonde it aboute with ysope and fastened it to a rede and so put it to his mouth This they dyd first for ther by was the scripture fulfylled that sayd In my thirst they gaue me vinegre to drynke Secondly to signifye the malice of the Iues whiche went out of kynde from theyr olde holy fathers for as saynt Austen sayth The Iues ware as vinegre declynynge frome the good wyne of the patriarkes and prophetes in to vynegre that is in to malice and crueltye hauynge craftye deceytfull and malicyous hertes These Iues ware conueniently signifyed by that vessell full of vinegre for they were full of iniquitye hauynge theyr hertes lyke to a sponge full of poores or hooles so theyr hertes ware full of many false deceytes and malycyousenes ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne to beware that we do not offer vnto Christe to drynke bytter wyne or mixte with gall For as then the Iues and saugiours dyd to Christe so do nowe a dayes euyl christians gyue to Christ a bitter drynke for where as Christe thirsteth and desyreth the helth of theyr soules they offer to hym the bytternes of theyr synfull lyfe Tho christians that beleue wele and werke or lyue euyll they gyue to Chryste wyne mixte with gall for they mixte the wyne of true fayth with the mirre or gall of euyll conuersacyon in as moche as by theyr euyll lyfe they sclaunder the church and specyally nowe a dayes euyll prelates our lorde amend them This mixtyng of drynke may be also taken in a good sense As ye shall se in the prayer folowynge ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche thirstynge our helth wolde haue vinegre and wyne mixte with mirre and gall offred and gyuen to the to drynke make me worthelye to offer to the the wyne of deuotion mixte with the mirre of mortifycacyon of my sensualytie and with the gall of contricyon for my synnes that I neuer drynke of the vinegre of infidelitie or of sclaunder thoughe I taste of any sclaunder that is suffer wrongfully any sclaunder Amen ¶ The consummacyon and end of the passyon of Christe The .lxi. article THe .lxi. article is the end and consummacyon of the hole passyon for when Iesus had taken or tasted of the vynegre He spake the .vi. worde vpon the crosse saynge Consummatum est It is done or ended as it in the tastynge of that vinegre the fulnes of his passyon and paynes was consummate and ended or els that tastynge done all that was prophecyed of Christe that he shulde suffer was ended onelye deth excepte And therfore as our heed and capteyne Christ sufferynge the bytternes of his passion for oure synnes perseuered and continued pacyentlye vnto the ende that is vnto that al that was spoken by the prophetes and scripture that he shulde suffer ware fulfylled so we if we wyll be the membres of this heade shulde continue in perseuerant pacyence in all oure aduersytyes and troubles so that we myght come to the ende of all our troubles our most benigne sauiour Iesu beyng our guyde and that we myght say with Christe Consummatum est That is With thy helpe Iesu and not by my vertue I haue faught a good batell or feyght I haue ended my course and kept my fayth Then a thynge is sayd to be consummate when all together is perfytly ended and gathered to gyther as it ware in a somme So our sauyour Christ after that he had suffred all the paynes that be spoken of before in the. lx articles so that there was no more to be suffred but death then he gathered all them togyther as it ware in one heape or somme and so offred them al to his father sayng Consummatum est That is to say What so euer scripture sayde that I shulde suffer I haue done it perfourmed and ended it The werke of my passyon is ended whiche I offer to my father for the redemption of man kynde Nor this consummacyon was without naturall payne as if a man hadde passed many greate perylles daungers and paynes he can not lyghtly remembre and recompte them without a grudgynge to the bodye thoughe on the other parte he be glad that he hath so escaped them Suche a paynfull horror and grudgynge had Christ at this remeÌ„brance and no meruell for he was as yet hangynge vpon the crosse to his no small payne and also this remembraunce and consummacyon conteyned in it selfe virtually al the forsaid articles of the passyon of Christ whiche all in summe he noted when he sayde Consummatum est It is ended And therfore this consummacyon doth conueniently make a specyall article ¶ Of this .vi. worde Consummatum est THe .vi. worde that Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est It is ended was a worde of greate perfeccyon notynge therby as we sayd before that he had done and suffred all thyngê which he ought to do or suffer for the redemption of man And that is declared by this example a good phisicyen wyl thus order his pacyent whose helth he intendeth First he wyll gyue or assigne
to hym his dieat Seconly he wyl cast hym in a sweat Thyrdly if these be not sufficyent he wyll let hym blode to correcte the euyll humors And fourthly he wyl gyue hym a pocyon to auoyde all the euyll mater that is the cause of his sekenes So our lorde Christe that he myght cure vs from the infirmitie and seakenes of synne he fyrste kepte a dyeat for he fasted .xl. dayes Secondly he swet blode for vs. Thyrdly he was let blode in all the partes of his bodye when as he shedde his blode without weyght or mesure so that his bodye hangynge vpon the crosse was as drye as a fyrebrand Fourthly and last not content with all the other medicynes he toke a most bitter pocyon when for to cure oure synfull sekenes he toke vinegre and tasted therof and therfore he sayd conueniently Consummatum est All thynges be fulfylled that I shulde suffer for the helthe of man And thus after that he had suffred in all the membres of his bodye the sharpe dartes of moste bytter paynes and passyon he myghte well say the wordes of the prophet Repleuit me amaritudine inebriauit me absinthio He hath fulfylled me with bitternes he hath made me dronke with wormewod and so in his passyon he dranke a bytter pocyon and that to cure vs. ¶ A Lesson OF this article we maye take this lesson that in the ende of euery good werke that we do whiche hath diuerse actes and partes we shulde gather them togyther as it ware in a soÌ„me and so offer that good werke to god and so comonlye we vse in all the seruyce of the churche for euer in the ende we conclude with a collecte whiche is so called for asmoche as in that prayer all the office or seruice said before is as it ware virtually gadred and conteyned in that orison or collect as in a summe And so this worde Consummatum est is as it were the collecte of the hole passion of Christ vnto his death And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remembre breuely as it were in a summe all the forsayde artycles of Chrystes passion and so gyue thankes to all myghtie god for them and pray as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche offeryng the consummacion of thy hole passion as it ware in a â—ume â—o god thy father for we dyd say Consummatum est it is ended â–ª grant to me that I may dewly consummate and ende all the good werkes and paynes that it shall please thy grace to werke in me and by me and so ended to offre them with due thankes vnto god the father by the. Amen ¶ Of the yeldyng vp of his soule or of the death of Christe The. lxii article THe .lxii. article is the death of Christe for when Christe had sayde It is ended then he criynge agayne with a greate voyce sayd or no necessite but for our example 〈…〉 tuas coÌ„mendo spiritum meum Father I commend my spirite in to thy handes This was the .vii. and last worde that he spake vpon the crosse And by this sayng he wolde declare vnto vs that the soules of holy sayntes be in y e handes of god after theyr departyng from the bodye wher as before y t tyme all the soules ware in the hande power of hell And by this his commendacion he commendeth to his father all his electe people for we be his membres as saynt Paule sayth Omnes vnum sumus in Christo iesu We be all one in Christe iesu Which in the dayes of his mortalitie offerynge prayers to his father with a greate crye and teares was hard for his reuerence And this worde sayd and prayer made he bowed downe his heade and so gaue vp his spirite In criyng weapyng and praing As the glose sayth we that be erthly or made of y e erth do dye or giue vp our spirite with out any voyce or at most a softe or small voyce But Christ y t camme from heuen he at his death exalted his voyce and cried with a great and lowde voyce He that is not moued with this voyce is more heuy than the erth more harde than y e stone and more close and stynkyng than dead menes graues for all these ware broken moued and open by this voyce And note here that amonge al the paynes that Chryst suffered this payne of death was most sharpe and paynefull for as the Philosopher sayth Death is the moste terrible of all terrible or fearefull thynges and that is for the naturall inclinacion that the soule hathe to the bodye But there is a more speciall cause in Christe for as Damasten sayth His godhed was vnit and knyt bothe to the soule and also to the bodye and therfore that separatioÌ„ of his soule from his body was most paynfull to hym Chryste enclined and bowed downe his heade to shewe vnto vs. iiii thynges that is Fyrste the greuouse and heuy burden that was laid vpon him A man that is ouercharged or oppressyd with a heuy burden is wonte to stowpe and bowe downe his heade But Christe was oppressid with the heuy burden of our synnes as sait Petre sayth Peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super lignum Christe bare our synnes in his bodye vpon a tree that is the crosse Also Christe sayth by the prophet Conuolute sunt iniquitates et imposite collo meo The iniquites or synnes be folden or lappid vp to gether and laid vpon my necke and therfore no meruel though he bowid downe his heade to shew vnto vs what heuy burden he bare Secondely he enclined his heade to shewe his pouertie for Iesus the son of god at his death was so pore that he had no place where to reste his head and therfore he bowyd it downe Thyrdly to shewe to vs that meaknes is the way to glorie euerlastyng Herunto Hugo sayth We shall returne vnto the heuenly cuntre by the waye of meakenes And the wiseman sayth Viam sapientie monstrabo tibi c. I shall shewe to the the way of wisdom and I shall lead the by the pathes of equitie which when thou arte ones entred in to thy feet shall not letted nor thou runnyng shal haue any let or obstacle This waye is the vertu of meakenes for as Christ sayth Qui sehumiliat exaltabitur He y t meaketh hym selfe shal be exalted as y e ê“phet sayth Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit suê‘biam The prowde person shall not dwell in my house Forthly Chryste enclyned his heade to gyue thankes to his father for the victorie he had for by his death he distroyed death And hereunto saynt Paule sayth Absorpta est mors in victoria Death is destroyed by the victorie and triumphe of Chryst And in the same place Deo gracias qui fe cit nos vincere in domino nostro iesu Christo Thankes be to god that hath
sygnifie a thyng in the misticall body of our sauiour Christe that is that the bonys of this misticall body which be the perfite men shuld nat be broken or ouercum by iÌ„pacience in any tribulacion or aduersite but that they shulde continue and abyde vnsuperable redy to suffre all thynges vnto the death And though sumtyme they be ouercum in body that ther body is taken and put to prison and paynes yet in mynde and good maners they be neuer ouercum nor broken And therefore they brake nat Christes legges But one of the sawgiours with a speare dyd thrust Christ to the hert and furth with there cam out watre and blode This man was claled Longius and he dyd thus for the pleasure of the Iues which wold be certified of his death This Longyne was then a cruell and a wicked man but afterward he was conuerted and dyed an holy martyr It is sayd that his syght was very feble and as the blode ran downe by the speare from the hert of Christe by chaunche it toched his yen and furthwith he had his syght clerly and so he beleauyd in Christe lefte his sawgiourshyppe and enstructe by the apostles in the fayth of Christ he leuyd an holie monasticall lyue by the space of .xxxviii. yeares in the citie of Cesary in the county of Capadoce and after that he had coÌ„uerted moche peopâ—e to the fayth of Christ by his holie word and good example at last he was put to death for the fayth of Christe And that watre and blode cam out of the syde of Christe it was done for .iii. causes Fyrst for the multiplicacion of myracles It was a boue nature and a very myracle that pure and very blode and pure and very watre shuld com out of any deed bodie And note here that this blod and watre cam not myxte to gether but fyrst very pure blod and after that very pure watre As Symon de Cassia sayth Secondly it was done for the vertue of the sacramentes For of this wounde they had theyr efficacitie and vertue And herunto saynt Austen sayth super Iohannem the euangelist vsed here a very good and a discreat terme sayng Aperuit latus eius Non percussit nec vulnerauit Saynt Iohan sayth that the sawgiour with his spear dyd open the syde of Christ he doth nat say that he smote or wondyd it but opened it that he myght shew that that wounde was as the dore of lyfe from whens all sacramentes haue theyr vertue as we sayd in the .lxiii. article with out the which sacramentes no man may entre in to y e eterne life specially if they may be had Thyrdly this was done to enflame our loue And herunto saynt Austen sayth One of the sawgioures dyd open Christes syde with a speare that by y t open wounde we myght se and know the loue that Christ had in his hert to vs and so therby loue hym the more strongly and faythfully ¶ The .ix. Myracle THe .ix. Myracle was the buriyng of Christ for it was a meruelouse rare and a thyng neuer hard or seen that a person so vilely and rebukfully hangyd vpon the crosse as Christ was shuld be so honorally buryed of great and deuote persons as he was Of this buriyng saynt Iohan sayth Post hec rogauit Pilatum Ioseph ab Aromathia c. After that Christ was deed Ioseph of Aromathy desired Pylate to graunt and gyue to hym the bodie of Iesu This peticion he made for iiii cauâ—es Fyrst for as Crisostome sayth Ioseph supposed that the malice of y e Iues that they had agaynst Christ had ben endyd seyng that they had crucified hym and therfore he went boldly to Pylate and asked y e body Secondly bycause of his familiarytie that he had with Christ for he was the disciple of Christ thoughe then it was nat openly knowen Thyrdly Ioseph was a good man and therfore he fearyd nat to do a good dede Of his goodnes Symon de Casia sayth We may nat iustly reproue this Ioseph in any thyng whome so seriously the euangelist Luke commendith sayng Ecce vir nomine Ioseph qui erat de curio vir bonus et iustus Hic non consenserat consilio et actibus eorum c. Behold saith Luke a man called Ioseph which was a noble man worldly for he was of the ordre of the court or of the councell of the emperour a good man to god iuste to his neighboures This Ioseph dyd nat consent to the counsell and actes or deades of y e Iues agaynst Christ he dwellyd in Aromathy a citie of Iurie and he trusted also and wayted for the kyngdom of god Som sayth he was decurio bycause he was a captayne ouer .x. men And this office agreith to a mistery for he keapt the .x. commaundementes of god and thus for his goodnes he was bolde to aske of Pylate the body of Iesus Forthly it was for his dignytie for as we sayd before he was a noble man and riche and well accept with Pylate and therfore he went the more boldly to Pylate where as a poore mean man durst nat be so bolde And therfore we may say that it was done of the prouision of god that Ioseph shuld haue that riches and noblenes wherby he myght the more honorably burye the body of our sauiour Iesu c. Of this we spake in the .lxiiii. artycle ¶ The .x. Myracle THe .x. Myracle or meruell was the watche keapyng of the sepulcre for y e Iues desyred of Pylate that they myght haue sawgiours to watch and keape the sepulcre which was a rare and a meruelouse thyng that he which was put to so vile and shamefull death shuld be keapt and watched And note that I do nat take a Myracle here properly and in his most propre significacion but largely as euery rare and vn wonte thyng y t is meruelouse may be called so a myracle And of this maruell we spake sufficiently in the .lxv. article of the second parte Of other myracles that ware shewed that tyme ye shal se hereafter in the treates of Bernardyne of the .xii. merulouse frutes of the tree of life and of the wonderouse misteries of the most holye crosse Also ye haue lyke myracles in the fyrst parte of this boke in the fyrst chapiter of the .v. particle c. ¶ Why Christ wold suffre so many and such greiuouse paynes for vs. Capi. ii HEre sum doctours assygne diuerse reasons as it ware by a manere of recapitulation or rehersynge of suche thynges as haue ben spoken byfore of the passion of our lord sayng that Christ suffred so many and so greuouse paynes for vs for that that he wold by euery one of them take from vs som euyll and gyue to vs som good thyng Which thyng is to be diligently attendyd and strongly also continually to be infixed and prynted in our hert We deseruyd by our synnes eternall heuines agaynst the which
seache the I knowe not but in heueÌ„ coÌ„mauÌ„de therfore swete Iesu my soule to departe fro my body that I may fynde the in heuen where as thou syttes on the ryght hande of thy father in great glory And with these wordes he yelded vp his spirit without any sorowe A prayer O Iesu our crowne and glory whiche rysyng from death dyd ascende vnto the ryght hande of thy father drawe my soule vnto the that I myght feruently seache and desyre y e onely grauÌ„t to me I beseache the that I maye with all my desyre and studye come to that place to the whiche as I stedfastly belyue thou hast ascended And that I beyng here in body may be with the in loue and desyre that my hert may be there where as thou art my loue and treasure moste to be louyd and desyred Drawe me after the that by thy grace I asceÌ„dyng from vertue to vertue may deserue to se the my lorde god in the heuenly Syon Amen ¶ Of the sendyng of the holy ghost The .ix. Chapitre THe L. day after y e Resurrection of Christ and the .x. day after the Ascension that is on wytsonday whan the discyples of Christe were gadred to gether in the place of mount Syon where as he made his supper both men women to the nombre of C.xx or there about there contynuyng in prayer and abydyng the comyng of the holy ghost acordyng to promysse of Christ about the thyrd houre of that same daye there cam sodenly from heuen a wonderfull noyse or sounde as if it had bene the commynge of a great wynde and it fylled all the house and there appered vnto them clouen tonges or dyuyded as they had ben fyre And here note that the gyftes of the holy ghost be not gyuen but to them whiche be gadred to gyther by vnite or one assent in vertue and lyfted vp by desyre vnto heueÌ„ly thynges Also the .vii. gyftes of the holy ghost be conueniently signified or shewed by fyre Fyrst for the holy ghost doth purge lyke as fyre doth and that is by the gyft of feare Secondly as the fyre doth melt so doth the holy ghost by the gyft of pytie Thyrdly he beautyfieth and maketh fayre by the gyfte of science or knowlege Fourthly he strenghtheth by the gyft of strenght Fyftly he lyfteth vp the soule by the gyft of councell Syxtly he doth illumyne or lyghten the soule by the gyft of vnderstandyng And seuently he doth make swete and pleasant by the gyfte of wysdom And all that compaigny ware fylled with the holy ghost and so began to speake dyuers speaches or langages that is whan they spake ony thyng to the glory of god euery nacion ê‘ceyued that speache as theyr owne speache for so it sounded to them and so they spake after the mocion of the holy ghost and as he gaue to theÌ„ vtterauÌ„ce whiche dyuydeth and gyueth his grace to euery person after his wyll and pleasure where he wyl whaÌ„ he wyll asmoche as it pleaseth hym by what maner he wyll and to whome he wyll Peraduenture thou wyll aske this question Syth the ways and operacions of god the holy ghost be vnserchable and can nat be perceyued howe may I knowe that the holy ghost is in me Surely I may greatly coniecture his presence in me by the good mocions of my hert Also I may aduerte and consydre the power of his â—tue in me by that I auoyde all carnall vyces and subdewe al inordinate affections Also I may perceyue his wysdom in me by the ofte discussion of my conscience and rebukyng of my selfe for my synnes Also I may suppose his goodnes and myldnes to rest in me by the amendement of my maners and lyuyng And also by the reformacion renouation of my spirite I may coniecture the same Let euery man looke well in his owne hert If he loue his neyghbour it is a signe that the spirite of god is in hym Also if he loue peace and vnite and that in al the membres of Christes churche through out al the worlde And note here that these signes be taken dyuersly in dyuers degrees of persons For the holy doth inspire he doth enhabite doth replenishe or fulfyll he doth inspire or come to the begynners he doth inhabite the profyters and he doth fulfyll the perfyt ê‘sons The signes or tokens of the holy ghost wherby he is perceyued to inspire the begynners ben iii. after saynt Bernard Fyrst is contricion or sorowe for the synnes paste For the holy ghost hateth the fylth y e syn and wyll not inhabite nor come to that ê‘son that is subdewed to syn Seconde signe is a firme and a sure purpose to beware and auoyde al synne here after and this purpose is nat had without the grace of y e holy ghost assistyng and helâ—yng our infirmite and frayltie Thyrd signe is a diligent redines to do good For the loue of god which is the holy ghost is neuer ydle but always redy to do good There be also .iii. tokens wherby we may coniecture that the holy ghost doth inhabite the profiters that goo forward in vertue Fyrst is the deligent true and ofte examination of his conscience nat onely of mortall synnes but also of veniall synnes for as the grace of the holy ghost is contrary to mortall synne so is the feruour of charite whiche also coÌ„meth of the holy ghost contrary to veniall syn and expelleth it out of the soule that in nothynge he shuld desplease the holy ghost and hynder the soule from the ê“fytyng in vertue The second to keÌ„ is the mynyshyng or subdewyng of the inordinate concupiscence for the more that charite is encresed in the soule of the ê“fyter the more is his soule remoued from the loue of temporall thynges Thyrd signe is the diligent keapyng of the coÌ„maundementes of god which can nat be had without true loue There be also .iii. other signes by the whiche we may coniecture that the holy ghost doth fulfyl the perfyte persoÌ„s Fyrst is the manifestacion or shewyng of the godly truthe For sytghe the holy ghost is the spirit of truth it is his propertie to teache and shewe all truthe necessarie for man and therfore wher he fulfylleth there he sheweth all godly truthe necessarie for that soule Second signe is whan a person feareth nothyng but god for perfyt charite putteth a way all seruile or worldly feare And therfore saynt Paule sayth Vbi spiritus domini ibi libertas where as is the spirite of god there is libertie and no vayne feare For liberty can nat stande with y t seruile feare Thyrd signe is whan a maÌ„ of the vehemeÌ„t loue that he hath to god desireth to be desolued and departed from this myserable lyfe and to be with Christ Besyde all these tokens there be other thre wherby a man may coÌ„iecture y t he hath the holy ghost And for this cause the holy ghost appered in .iii. similitudes or lykenes
praysynges shall aske when they dyd any such thynge to hym And Christe shall say to them truly I say to you as ofte as ye dyd any of these thynges vnto one of these my leste bredren ye dyd it to me Tho be his bredren that fulfyll the wyll of his father in heuyn they be also called the leste for that they be meke and in this life abiecte or dispised And note here that though we spake here but of .vi. werkes of mercy that is bicause there be no mo remembred by our sauiour Christ in the gospell of Mathewe yet we say coÌ„monly that there be .vii. werkes of mercy and truth it is for the .vii. is to bury the deed bodyes which is taken of the boke of Toby for he vsed the same to his great rewarde and our example And these .vii. werkes be conteyned in this verse Visito poto cibo tego redimo colligo condo So that euery word noteth one werke of mercy The fyrst worde Visito noteth the visityng of them that be seke Second Poto to gyue drynke to y e thristy Thyrd Cibo to fede the hungry Fourth Tego to couer the naked Fyfth Redimo to redeame the prisoner Syxt Colligo to lodge the harborles Seuenth Condo to bury the deed Also the iudge shall say to them that be on y e lefte hand Discedite a me maledicti in ignem eternum c. Depart from me you cursed people in to euerlastynge fyre which is prepared for the deuyll and his aungelles I was hungry and ye wold nat feade me I was thristy and ye gaue me no drynke and so all the other .vi. forsaid werkes of mercy Then the euyll men shall answere Lord when dyd we se the hungry thristy naked seke herborles or in prison and we haue nat conforted the Then our lord shall say when ye wold nat do these thynges to one of these onys ye wold nat do it to me And here note that this question mouyd by the good or euyll persons doth nat procede of any ignorance for the iuste and good persons shal know that y e werkes of mercy done to the membres of Christe in his name and for his loue he reputeth those good dedes as done to hym selfe also they know that they shall haue a great reward therby And in like maner the euyll persons shall knowe that they shal be dampned for the contrary And therfore they asked nat that question of any ignoraÌ„ce but it is a question of great admiration and meruell for y e greatnes of grace and glorie whiche shal be gyuen to the iuste people for those good werkes and also for the intollerable myserie and payne that shall fall vpon the euyll persons for theyr hardnes and vnmercifulnes And so hard iudgement without mercy shal be done to hym that wold shewe or do no mercy What shall they deserue that steale and rauishe other mennys goodes sythe they be eternally dampned which wyll nat gyue theyr owne goodes in almosse If the vnmerciful people shal suffre so greuouse paynes what shall they suffre that be cruell And note here as Crisostom sayth that the payne of euyll persons is euerlastyng and so is the rewarde of good men For as eternall synnes don passe for y e acte or doyng after that they be don but yet there remayneth the gylt or offence towardes god which shal be punished So good werkes don for the loue of god don passe to speake of the acte or dede but yet they remayne in theyr merite so to be rewardyd of god Also saynt Hierom sayth thou wyse reader attende and remeÌ„bre diligently that both the paynes of hell be eternall and also the glorie of heuyn for that life shall haue no feare of decay or death And therfore the euangelist sayth that the euyll men shall go to eternall fyre and the iuste men to euerlastynge life and ioy of heuyn which was prepared for them byfore the begynnynge of the worlde for therunto they ware predestinate And note wele here that the predestination of god is nat the necessarie cause of thy saluation For the predestination of god is euer condicionally that there is no thyng predestinate but vnder som coÌ„dicion as it was predestinate that the worlde shulde be sauid but that was by the death of the son of god and by the watre of baptisme so that they wold receyue it and liue therafter Also all good and iuste men be predestinate to glorie eternall yet with this condicion if they contine we in true fayth charitie humilitie or meknes pacience mercie pitie with other vertues the operacion of them whom our lord doth predestinate to life euerlastyng he seeth knoweth byfore that they shal haue such vertues as if in his predestinacion he myght say to them I do predestinate you to glorie if ye haue such vertues if ye keape my commaundimentes c. Who so wyll nat keape goddes commaundymentes wyl nat continue in fayth with charitie and good werkes c. he shall nat com to the end of predestinacion that is to the glory of heuyn for he wyl nat keape the condicion therof Therfore do nat ouermoch attend and trust to the predestinacion of god which thou knowes nat but rather attend to the wordes of god which thou heris and knowis For as god is true and can nat be chaungeable so his wordes be true and can nat be chaunged But let vs here what be those wordes of god The prophet Ezechiel sayth in the person of god Nolo mortem impij sed vt conuertatur a via sua et viuat Si autem impius egerit poenitentiam ab omnibus peccatis suis et custodierit omnia precepta mea vita viuet I wyll nat sayth almyghty god the deth of a synner but rather that he be conuertyd from his syn and liue in grace for if the synner do penaunce or be sory for all his synnes that he hath don keape all my preceptes and do true iudgement and iustice he shalliue here in grace he shall nat dye eternally Also he sayth Qui crediderit et baptisatus fuerit saluuus erit He that beleuith and is baptised and so continueth in that true fayth and promise made at his baptisme he shal be saued Also he sayth Si vis ad vitam ingredi serua mandata If thou wylt cum to lyfe euerlastyng keape the commaundimentes And in an other place Christ sayth Si dimiseritis homnibus pecata eorum dimittet vobis pater meê° pecata vestra If ye forgyue to other men theyr offensis don to you my heuenly father shall forgyue to you your synnes In these wordes and many other lyke standeth our predestinacion to lyfe or our reprouyng to death euer lastyng And loke for none other predestinacion If thou keape these saynges of god thou shal be sure Therfore say nat as many vnwyse persons say I am predestinate of god to be