she stood neere vnto the Crosse full of all constancy and spirituall resolution looking without any shew of impatience vpon her Sonne then suffering She did not fall vpon the Earth halfe dead as some do imagine she did not teare the hayre from her Heade she did not after a womanish manner bewaile and crye out but she entertained welcomed with all eauennesse and serenity of mind what was to be tollerated as proceeding from the good pleasure and Will of God She greatly loued the flesh of her sonne she more loued the honour of the Father saluation of the World which two points the Sonne himselfe did more loue then the safety and health of his owne Body Furthermore the assured Fayth of the Resurrection of her Sonne to be after the third day of the which she neuer doubted did so animate her and minister new spirits of Constancy as that she did not â—tand in need of humane Consolation For she knew well that the death of her Sonne was like vnto a most short sleepe according to that of the Prophet I haue slept and haue bene at rest and I haue risen vp because our Lord hath taken me Psal 3. All good pious Christians ought to imitate this Example I meane they ought to loue their Children but not to prefer them in loue before God who is the Father of all and who loueth them better and in a more perfect manner then we know how to loue And first ChristiaÌ„s ought to loue their Sonnes with a manly prudent loue not boulstering or encouraging them when they do euill but bringing them vp in the feare of God and correcting them not only with words but euen with strokes if either they offend God or neglect their studies and learning For this is the will of God reuealed in the Holy Scriptures as Ecclesiasticus speaketh cap. 7. Hast thou children Instruct them and bow them from their childhood And we read of Toby that he taught his Sonne from his infancy to feare God and to abstaine from all sinne And the Apostle Ephes 6. admonisheth Fathers that they do not prouoke their Children to anger but do bring them vp in discipline correction of our Lord that is that they vse them not as seruants but as freemen For those who beare themselues ouer seuerely and austerely towards their Children continually checking or striking them for the least fault do treate them as bondslâ—ues so causing them either to be of a base and dâ—iected disposition or els to fly away from their Parents Now those who are ouer indulgâ—nt do make their Children wicked nourishing bringing them vp not for the kingdome of God but for Hell The true way for the education of Children is that Parents do instruct them in discipline so as they may learne willingly and promptly to obey their Parents and maisters and when they do erre and offend that they do correct them paternally that so the Sonnes may vnderstand themselues to be chastized out of Loue not out of Hate Furthermore if so it shall please God to call any of them to the Clergy or to some religious Order let not the Parents resist so good a resolution for feare they may resist God who is the first Father of all men but let them say with holy Iob. Our Lord gaue and our Lord hath taken away The name of our Lord be blessed To conclude if children be taken from their Parents by vntimely death the which thing did câ—iâ—fly happen to the Blessed Virgin let them consider ponder the iudgments of God who often taketh some out of this World by death to preuent that malice and sinne do not change their good and vertuous mind and so perish eternally Certainely if Parents did sometymes know â—pon what counsell and inducements G d thus worketh they vvould not oâ—ly not bewayle the death of their Câ—â—ldâ—â—n but they would euen reioâ—ce thereaâ— And if the fayth hope of the Râ—surrection did feelingly and liuely worke in vs as it did in our B. Lady we should no more grieue when any of our sonnes or friends do dye before they arriue to old age then when any of them begin to sleep before it be night since the death of a faythfull and pious man is a kind of sleepe as the Apostle admonisheth vs saying 1. Thess 4. I will not haue you ignorant concerning them that sleep that you be not sorrowfull as others are that haue no Hope Heere he mentioneth rather Hope then faith because he speakeâ—h not of euery Resurrection but of a blessed and glorious Resurrection which leadeth to true lyfe and such was the Reâ—urrection of Christ That man therefore who firmely belieueth that there shal be a Resurrection of the flesh and hopeth that his Sonne taken away by immatuâ—e death shall after rise to glory hath no reason of griefe but rather of ioy because the health of his sonnes Soule is placed in great security and safty I heere come to the duty of a Sonne towards Parents the which Christ dying performed in a most full and ample manner toward his Mother It is the duty of children to render mutuall duty to their parents 1. Tim. 5. Now Sonns do render mutuaâ—l duty to their parents when they procure all things necessary for their parents being in age Euen as the Parents haue prouided for their children being yong or not able to get things touching dyet or apparell Christ therefore did commit the charge of his mother growing aged and hauing not any one to take care of her after the death of her Sonne to S. Iohn adopting him as it were for her Sonne saying to her Behould thy Sonne to S. Iohn Behold thy Mother Now heâ—re our Lord accomplished the function of a Sonne most fully towards his Mother and this seuerall wayes For first he assigned to her a Sonne who being of the same age with Christ or rather a yeare yonger was most fitting to vndergo the charge and care of the Mother of our Lord. He furthermore out of the twelue Apostles made choice of him to this incumbency and labour whome our Lord himselfe chiefly loued and of whome he also did know himselfe to be greatly againe beloued therefore he might well repose greater confidence and trust in him touching his diligence towards his Mother Againe our Lord assigned him whome he knew was to liue very many yeares and therefore without any doubt to ouer liue his Mother To conclude our Lord was not wanting in his duty to his Mother euen at that tyme when his thoughts were to be busied touching his owne anxieties and dolours For at that tyme a man might probabâ—y thinke that his cogitations were only fixed vpon the suffering of his corporall dolours and iniuries of his enemies and in tasting the most better cup of his neare approching death so as he could not turne his thoughts to any other affaires Neuertheles his charity towards his mother ouercame him and so litle regarding his
a single and vnmaried life especially if they be Virgins as the B. Virgin the Mother of Christ and S. Iohn the Disciple of Christ and beloued of him aboue other in regard of his Virginity were these perfect Persons I say stand in great necessity of the aide and supportance of Christ crucified since such as are placed in a more eminent high degree ought greatly to feare the blasts of Pryde except they be founded and rooted lowly in Humility For although Christ did often shew himselfe to be a Maister of Humility as where he said Learne of me because I am meeke and humble of Hart Math. 11. As also in teaching vs To sit in the lowest place where he repeateth so often who so exalteth himselfe shal be humbled and who humbleth himselfe shal be exalted Luc. 18. Yet he neuer manifested himselfe to be a Maister of Humility in a more high degree then when he was seated in the Chayre of his Crosse Which point the Apostle will declared in those words He humbled himselfe made obedieÌ„t vnto death euen the death of the Crosse Phil. 2. For what greater humility could be imagined theÌ„ that he who was omnipotent should suffer himselfe to be bound nayled to the Crosse Or that he in whom are all the treasures of Wisdome and knowledge of God should be content to be reputed as one mâ—d or distracted by Herod and his army and through scorne to be cloathed with a whyte garment Or lastly that he who sitteth vpon the Cherubims should brooke himselfe to be crucified in the middst of theeues Truly who will seriously glasse himselfe in the mirrour of the Crosse will proue ouer indocible if he do not learne and confesse that as yet he is most farre from obtayning true Humility howsoeuer he may be thought to haue made some progresse aduancemeÌ„t therin Of the third fruite of the third Word CHAP. XI IN this third place we learne from the Chayre of the Crosse and from the words of Christ spoken to his Mother and his Disciple what is the duty of God Parents towards their Sâ—â—nes and reciprocally of good sonnes towards their Parents We will begin with the first Good Parents ought to loue their Sonnes yet to restraine and proportion their loue to them as that it may be no impediment to the Loue of the Parents towards God And this is that vvhich our Sauiour teacheth in the Gospell He that loueth his Sonne or his daughter more then me is not worthy of me Math. 10. This Precept the B. Virgin most precisely obserued For she stayed neere to the Crosse with great Griefe and with great Constancy Her Griefe did witnesse the extremity of her loue towards her Sonne hanging vpon the Crosse her Constancy did testify her great obseruance and duty towards God reigning in Heauen She did behould her innocent sonne with great anxiety and care of mind whom she so dearely loued suffering most bitter dolours and paines yet did she not labour either in words or action to hinder those his afflictions though she could because she did well know that her Sonne was to vndergoe all those torments by the defined Counsell prouidence of God the Father Loue is the Measure of Griefe therefore the Mother did much lament to behould her sonne to be so cruciated and afflicted since she loued him much And how could it otherwise be but that the Virgin the mother of Christ should most ardently loue her sonne since she was well priuy that her sonne did exceede all the sonnes of men in euery degree of Prayse and that her sonne was in a more strict bond to her and did more nearely belong to her then any other sonnes do belong vnto their Mothers The reason why Women do loue their sonnes is accustomed to be twofold The one is in that they bare and brought their sonnes forth into the World The other in that the sonnes become famous for their deportment and good deserts For otherwise there are not Mothers wanting who do but litle loue or rather hate their sonns if either they be of any deformity in body or do proue wicked or vngratefull and vnnaturali towards their Parents Now the B. Virgin the mother of Christ loued her Sonne for both these respects in a more intense and high degree then any other Mother euer loued her sonne For first Other women alone do not generate children but in the generation of them they haue their husband for their Companion in that Act. But the Blessed Virgin alone did generate her sonne Since a Virgin did beget and a Virgin did bring forth And as Christ our Lord in his diuine generation had a Father without a Mother so in his humane generation he had a Mother without a Father And although it may be truly said that Christ was conceaued of the Holy Ghost yet the Holy Ghost is not the Father of Christ but the Effectour and maker of the Body of Christ Neither did the Holy Ghost frame the body of Christ of his owne proper substanee which peculiarly belongeth to a Father but he formed it of the most pure bloud of the Virgin Therefore the most Holy Virgin alone without the company of a Father did beget and bring forth her Sonne And she alone doth challenge her Sonne as whole to herselfe and thereupon did more loue him then any other Mother euer loued her Ospring Novv so far forth as belongeth to the second Reason The sonne of the Blessed Virgin was and is specious and beautifull aboue the sonnes of men and doth excell both men and Angels in all manner of prayse Therefore it followeth that the Blessed Virgin who loued her Sonne aboue all others did also condole and deplore his death passion more then all others This point is so vndeniable as that S. Bernard is not afraid to say that the Griefe of the B. Virgin conceaued touching the Passion of her SoÌ„ne might be called the Martyrdome of her Hart according to that of S. Simeon Thy owne soule shall a sword pierce And because the martyrdome of the Hart seemeth more intollerable then the martyrdome of the Body S. Anselme writeth that the dolours of the B. Virgin were more sharpe and insufferable then any corporall martyrdome Certainly our Sauiour when praying in the garden of Gethsemani he suffered his hart to be martyred and strongly apprehending all the paines and torments which the next day he was to vndergoe and withall giuing as it were the reines and liberty to griefe and feare began so vehemently to be cruciated and afflicted as that a bloudy sweat distilled from his whole Body The which is not read to haue fallen out in his corporall Passion Therfore the B Virgin doubtlesly suffered most bitter paine and acerbity of affliction through the sword of Dolour penetrating her soule And yet in that she was most willing that the honour and glory of God should ouer weigh the loue which she did beare to the flesh of Christ therefore
owne state his care was touching the consolation and comfort of his mother neither did the expectation of the promptitude and fidelity of S. Iohn deceaue him for from that houre the disciple tooke her for his owne Ioan. 19. This Prouidence which Christ had towards his Parent ought with greater reason to be performed by other Sons towards their Parents For Christ did lesse owe to his Parent then other men do their Parents Other men are so obliged to their Parents as that they are neuer able to requite it For they owe their life to them for which the Sons cannot make any iust satisfaction Ecclesiasticus saith remember that thou hadst not beene borne but for theÌ„ Eccl. 7. But Chriâ—t and he alone is exempted from this generall rule For he receaued life from his mother I meane a humame lyfe but in lieu heerof he gaue to her three liues an Humane life when with the Father the holy Ghost he created her the lyfe of grace when preuenting her in the Benedictions of his sweetnes he did iustify her in her creation and created her in iustifying of Her he finally gaue to her the lyfe of glory when he did aduance her to eternall glory and exalted her aboue the quyre of Angells Wherefore if Christ who gaue moâ—e to his mother then he in his biâ—th had receaued of her would obserue the law to wit to render mutuall duty to her as his Parent how much more then are other men obliged to performe this duty towards their Parents Add hereto though in honoring of our Parents we performe no more then duty tyeth vs to Neuerthelesse the benignity goodnes of God hath added to it a reward saying in the Law Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thou maist be long liued vpon the Earth Exod. 20. And the Holy Ghost addeth by Ecclesiasticus He that honoreth his Father shall haue ioy in Children and in the day of his Prayer he shal be heard Eccl. 3. Neither hath God only annexed a reward to those who honour their Parents but also hath adioyned a Punishment to such that do not honour them For we read God sayth He that shall curse Father or Mother dying let him dye Matth 15. And Ecclesiasticus addeth He who exasperateth his Mother is accursed of God Eccl. 3 And hence it appeareth that the Malediction and cursing of the Parents against their Children hath a great force in that God coÌ„firmeth the same Of which point no few Examples are extant in Histories of which one most notorious and remarkable is recorded by S. Austin the summe and contents whereof is this In Caesaria a Citty of Capadocia there were ten Children to wit seauen sonnes and three daughters who being accursed by their Mother instantly euen by the haÌ„d of God they were surprized with such a payne and dolour as that all of them were horribly strooken and shaken with a trembling of their Members In which most loathsome state they not brooking the daily sight of their owne Cittizens wandred vp and downe throughout the Roman Empire Two of these at the length were cured in the presence and sight of S. Austin by the Relicks of S. Steuen the Protomartyr Aug. l. 21. de Ciuit. c. 8. Of the fourth fruite of the third Word CHAP. XII THe burden yoake imposed by our Lord vpon S. Iohn that he should sustaine the Care of the B. Virgin his Mother was truly a sweet yoake and an easy burden For who would not most willingly remayne dwell with that mother which did beare nyne Monthes in her Wombe the Word Incarnate and which did cohabitate with him most deuoutely and sweetly for the full space of thirty yeares Or who would not enuy the beloued of our Lord who in the absence of the Sonne of God enioyed the presence of the Mother of the Sonne of God But if I be not deceaued euen we our selfes through the benignity of the Word Incarnate for our sake and through the great loue and charity of him who was crucified also for our sake may obtayne in our prayers that he would say euen to vs Behould thy Mother and to his mother concerning vs Behould thy Sonne Our mercifull Lord is no Niggard of his fauours so long as we do approach to the Throne of his Grace with fayth confidence and a true and sincere Hart. He that is desirous that we should become Coheyres of the kingdome of his Father will not certainly disdaine to make vs Coheyres or Competitours of the Loue of his Mother Neither will the most gracious Virgin hardly or displeasingly brooke the multitude of her Sonnes since she hath a most ample bosome and greatly coueteth that not any of them should perish whom her Sonne hath redeemed with his precious Bloud and Death Let vs therefore come with firme immoueable hope to the Throne of the Grace Fauour of Christ And let vs most suppliantly and euen vvith teares demaund beseech him â—at of euery one of vs he would say to his Mother Behould thy Sonne to euery one of vs he would say of his Mother Behould thy Mother O! how well would it be with vs to be vnder the protection of such a Mother Who would be of power to draw vs from out her Bosome What tribulation could be so potent and strong as to ouercome vs confiding trusting in the Patronage of the Mother of God and of our Mother Neither shall we be the first in the obtayning of so great a Benâ—fit Manâ— haue gone before vs Many I say haue cast themselfes into the armes of her Patronage and defence and yet not any one euer returned back confounded or frustrated of their expectation but all cheerfull and reioycing as securely ankering themselues vpon the assistance of so great a Mother For of her it is written Gen. 2. She shall bruysâ— thy head in peeces And those who trust in her shall fearelesly walke vpon thâ— Adder and Basiliske betrampling vnder their feete the Lyon the Drâ—gon Psal 90. Out of a great multitude let vs heare the testimonies and acknowledgments of some few especially of those who haue confidently reposed themselues in the protection of the B. Virgin the Mother of our Lord and then we shall credibly coniecture them to be of the number of those to whom it is said by our Lord Behould thy Mother and of whom it is said to the Mother Behould thy Sonne Let S. Ephrem the Syrian be the first an ancient Father and of so great celebrity as that as S. Ierome witnesseth his Bookes were publikly read in the Churches after the reading of the Holy Scriptures This Father thus speaketh Intemerata prorsus pura Virgo deipara c. Intemerate and altogeather pure is the Virgin Mother of God Serm. de laud. Deipara And after Tu portus procellis c. Thou art the Hauen of those who are tossed with stormes the Comfort of the World the setter at liberty of those who are in Prison
naturally be because at that time being the Pascha of the Iewes the moone was found to be opposite to the Sunne and therfore it fâ—llovveth that that Eclypse vvas vvrought vvithout any interposition of the moone or that through an vnvsuall and an astonishing Miracle the moone did moue as much in fevv houres as at other times it vvas to moue in fourteene dayes and againe that vvith the like miracle it returned backe vvith so great svviftnes that in the space of ree houres it performed its motion of fourteene dayes Novv those cuâ—nts vvhich proceed from the Celestiall Orbes cannot be accoÌ„plished but by God since the povver of the diueâ—s is limited vnder the moone and therefore the Apostle calleth the diuell The Prince of the Power of this ayre Eph. 2. The Eclypse could not be occasioned after the second manner because as vve haue said aboue a thick and grosse cloude is not of force to take from vs the sight of the Sunne except vvith all it take from vs the sight of the Starres But it is euident from the testimony of Phlegon that the Sunne vvanting its light at the Passion of Christ starres vvere seene in Heauen after the same manner as they are seen in the night Touching the third maÌ„ner it is indisputrbly most true and acknovvledged that the beames of the Sunne could not be dravvne backe or extinguished but only by the Power of God who created the sunne From all this it then followeth that this second Verity is no lesse irrefragable and certaine then the first neither can it be impugned with lesse temerity and want of Iudgment then the first 3. The third Verity is that that daâ—knes of which we in this place do speake was occasioned by reason of the Crucifixion and Passion of Christ and did proceed from the diuine Prouidence This Truth taketh its demoÌ„stration from the tyme this darknes continued in the Ayre for it continued as long as Christ our Lord did hang aliue vpon the Crosse that is from the sixt hower vntill the ninth This is witnessed by all those who haue made meÌ„tion of this defection of the sunne Neither can it be ascribed to chance that this darknes full of Miracles could casually happen to be at the Passion of Christ since Miracles are not wrought by chance but by diuine Prouidence Neither hath there bene any Authour that I know that euer would attempt to ascribe this so wonderfull an Eclyps to any other cause For those who did know Christ did confesse this Miracle to be wrought for his sake and such as did not acknowledge Christ remayned astonished at it confessing their ignorance of the cause thereof 4. The fourth Verity is that this so prodigious a darknes could intimate and signify no other thing but that the Sentence of Caiphas and Pilate was most iniust and that Iesus was the true proper Sonne of God and the true Messias promised to the Iewes For this was the chiefest and most vrging cause why the Iewes thirsted after and plotted the death of Christ For in the Councell of the High Priest Scribes Pharisyes when the high Priest discerned that the testimonies produced against Christ preuayled not nor proued any thing he rose vp and said Matth. 26. Adiuro te per Deum viuum c. I adiure thee by the liuing God that thou tell vs if thou be Christ the Sonne of God But Christ consâ—nâ—ing thereto and confessing himselfe so to be the high Priest rent his garments saying He hath blasphemed what need we any further witnes Behould you haue heard the blasphemy what thinke you And they answering said He is guilty of death And againe in the presence of Pilate who coueted to free our Lord from death the High Priests and Ministers said we haue a law and according to the law he ought to dye because he had made himselfe the Sonne of Cod. Ioan. 19. This therefore was the chiefest cause why our Sauiour was condemned to the Crosse Which very Point was prophesied by Daniel saying occidetur Christus c. Christ shall he slaine and it shall not be his People that shall deny him Dan. 9. And this was the maine motiue why God at the Passion of Christ did power downe such dreadfull darknes vpoÌ„ the world that thereby it might be most abundantly witnessed the High Priests to haue erred the People to haue erred Pilate to haue erred Herod to haue erred and him who hanged vpon the Crosse to be the true Sonne of God and the Messias who was promised The truth whereof the Centurion obseruing the Heauenly signes wounders testifyed in those words Verè filius Dei erat iste Indeed this was the Sonne of God Matt. 27. And againe Inded this man was iust Luc. 23. For the Centurion did know that those celestiall and astonishing Prodigies were as it were the Voyce of God retracting and condemning the Sentence of Caiphas and Pilate and affirming that that man contrary to all Iustice was deliuered ouer to death seing he was the Authour of Life the true Sonne of God and Christ promised in the Law For what other thing could that Darknes being accoÌ„pained with the cleauing of the stones renting of the veyle of the Sanctuary import but that God was auerted from a People before his that he was highly offended in that the People did not know the tyme of their Visitation Luc. 19. Certainly if the Iewes did maturely consider these things and withall obserue that they are euen from that tyme dispersed and scattered among many Nations not hauing any King or High Priest or Altars or Sacrifices or diuine Miracles or the Answers of Prophets among them they would clerrely perceaue themselues to be abandoned and forsaken by God and which is far more miserable to be deliuered ouer into a reprobate sense and that to be accomplished and fulfilled in them which Esay did prophecy when he introduced our Lord thus speaking Goe and thou shalt tell this People Heare you that heare and vnderstand not and see a Vision and know it not Blind the hart of this People and make their eares heauy and shut their eyes lest perhaps they might see with their Eyes and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their Hart and be conuerted and I heale them Isa 6. Of the fifth fruite of the fourth Word CHAP. VI. IN the first three words or Sentences Christ our Maister did recommend vnto vs three notable Vertues Charity to our Enemies Mercy to the Miserable and Piety or duty to our Parents In the foure following Words he exhorts vs to foure Vertues not more worthy then the former but to vs no lesse necessarie to wit Humility Patience Perseuerance and Obedience Touâ—hing Humility It may be truly called the Vertue of Christ since there is no mention made thereof in the Writings of the Wisemen of this World for Christ throughout the whole course of his life did really in his actions practise this Vertue and furthermore professeth