therfore a man fallynge from grace by mortall synne doth smyte Christe as it were in the face with his hande and euyll worke for therby he offendeth and hurteth y e integritie ê‘feccyon of the image of god in his soule The .ii. is as christ our god dyd neuer auerte and turne away his face from such rebukes blasphemies dispysynges persecucyons and spyttynges but rather gladlye and pacyently dyd offer his face to them for our loue so shulde we in tyme conuenient not refuse but rather gladlye suffer lyke thynges for the loue of Christe And then let vs worshyppe hym and pray we as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche wolde suffer for my loue thy most louely face to be smyten with the handes of the moste wycked Iues graunt to me that I may euer kepe the face of thyne ymage pure and vndefoyled in my soule that it neuer be spotted or hurte by the synfull handes and workes of my iniquityes or sinnes AmeÌ„ ¶ Of the couerynge and blyndfyldynge of Christes face The .xix. article THe .xix. article is the couerynge of Christes face for as the Gospel saith Velauerunt faciem eius They couered his face who so euer couereth the face of an other person he hydeth that face from hym and so the Iues hydd the face of god from them And this couerynge yet continueth vnto this daye vpon the hertes of the Iues for they wyll not se and knowe god as they shulde do O mad blyndnes and blynde madnes of these vnhappy Iues that most pleasaunt face whiche the holye patriarches and prophetys and theyr formar fathers greatly desyred to come and with contynuall and longe syghenges desyred to se it but these wycked Iues when they had it present and myght haue sene it they wolde not but couered it and hyde it from them Moyses desyred to se this face whan he sayd Ostende mihi faciem tuam Lorde shewe to me thy face Also Dauid sayd shewe to vs thy face and we shal be safe Psal lxxix Also in the canticles it is writen shewe to me thy face for it is very fayre All the fathers also in Limbo patrum dyd crye and say Come and shewe to vs thy face lorde that syttest aboue Cherubyn And at laste He that was thus desyred of all good men came and shewed his face to the Iues and they as most wretched couered his face not for that he shuld not se theyr synnes but to hyde hys face from them selfe as Bede sayethe for theyr soore and blynde ey ene myghte not beholde the face of Moyses Excepte that it were fyrste couered but this person Chryste is moche more of dignity then Moyses And therfore his face is moche more glorious and shinynge then Moyses face was though Christes glory were al inwardly and outwardly couered with a clowde of a mortall bodye yet there was a lytyll sparke of glorye shynynge in his face that dyd so glymer and beat in the eyes of the Iues that they could or wold not pacyently beholde his face but couered it and hydâ—d it from them selfe signifyenge therby though they so dyd not intende that no infidele and synfull person turned from god myghte se and beholde the face of Christe for it is hyd from them A figure of this couerynge and blyndfyldyng we may take in Sampson which for the loue he had vnto the synful woman Dalida he lost his strength he was taken of his enemyes his eyen were putte out and also he was fatigate and weryed with manifolde illusyons and scornes So our stronge Sampson Christ Iesus was serued in lyke maner as it appereth in the articles of his passyon and al that was for y e loue of our synfull soule to whom he spake by the prophet Thou hast done fornicacyon with many strauÌ„ge louers yet returne come agayne to me and I shal receyue the. ¶ A lesson OF this article we may lerne this lesson that we ought to be wele ware that we neuer blyndfylde Christe or couer his face But alas many Christyans nowe a dayes do couer Christê face whiche do synne priuily thynkynge that god doth not se them Also they do couer Christes face whiche seeth all thynges that do chaunge gyue or sell craftelye that thynge whiche ys euyll or nought for a good thynge Also they couer Christes face which do derke or couer the Image of god in theyr soules with the cloke of wylfull ignorans or synne And therfore saynte Hierom sayth that Christ wold haue his face couered bycause that he wolde take awaye the couer and cloke of ignorance and synne from our hertes ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche dyd suffer for my loue thy most gracyous face the whiche angelles desyre to behold to be couered of the wicked Iues to thy great rebuke I beseche the make thy face to shyne vpon me thy most wretched seruant that thy godly ymage in me be neuer derked or couered and that mercyfully thou wold take away the cloke of synne and the derknes of ignorance from my herte with the lyghte of thy heuenlye grace Amen ¶ Of the mockynge of Christ when they bad hym prophicye who is this that smyteth the. The .xx. article THe .xx. article is the scornful questyon of the Iues vnto Christ For when they had couered his face they smote hym on the heed saynge Arede or prophicye vnto vs Christe who is he that smyteth the nowe But in what parte they then dyd smyte hym the euangelistes spake diuersly For Marcus sayth that then they smote hym with theyr fystes in the necke But Mathew and Luke say that they smote hym vppon the face wyth the palmes of theyr handes Therfore we may say coÌ„ueniently that after they had couered his face euery man smote hym as he wold and so some smote hym in the necke some in the face and some on the chekes and so smytynge they sayde Arede or prophicye to vs thou Christ who smote the nowe And this they spake to mocke and scorne hym as the glose sayth bycause he wolde be taken as a prophet amonge his apostles and comen people and whom the people also toke for a great prophet But the Iues nowe bycause he wolde not saye who smote hym they toke hym for a false prophet Our sauyour Iesus wolde not answere to theyr folisshe and mad questyon bycause he knewe that they mocked hym and so surely it had ben but a folysshenes to answere vnto theyr madnes Saynt Hierom sayth that they ware without mercy and full of crueltie and therfore they dyd all the euyll and derysyon that they coulde do to hym Some smote hym of an euyll frowarde wyl and some to please y e great prynces whiche were moste cruell and full of malice And as saynt Hierome saith this payne and passyon that he suffred that nyght shall neuer be manyfestly hollye knowen vnto y e day of iudgemeÌ„t for froÌ„ the beginnyng of the nyght vnto the mornyng
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
latin Aureola a circle or a litle crowne which is a special ioy of y e soule giueÌ„ to maÌ„ for sum excelleÌ„t act don iÌ„ this life it is only giueÌ„ to martirs for their martirdoÌ„ to virgins for virginite kept for y e loue of god to doctors or prechers for theyr tethyng y e truthe of god And thus it apereth manifestly how y t in the blessyd passioÌ„ of Christe doth shine as in a most pure glas all the beatitude of man all the plentiousnes of grace glorye All glory I say that is bothe thessenciall glory of the soule that consisteth in the vision tencion or surety fruicion of the deity that ben called the .iii. dowries of the soule And also the consubstanciall glory that is the .iiii. dowries of the body also the accidentall glory Wherfore sithe in Christes passion is thexcellent manifestacion or declaracion of his most high power moost high wisdom most high goodnes therfore this passioÌ„ is to all y e seruauÌ„tes of god a mater cause of moost excellent ioy gladnes And therfore though men ioy consideryng them selfe to be redemed by this glorious passion haue great profite therby also aungels ioye knowynge theyr ruine repared by the same passion consideryng this thynge as to theyr owne ioye profite Yet I beleue so it is that both aungels men do more ioye be glad without comparison referryng all these thynges to god and hoolly or all to gyder extendynge theyr cogitacions myndes to the glory of god than they dyd considerynge theyr owne glory profite that they haue by the sayd passion Moreouer as here appereth the most high inestimable charite shewing of the goodnes of god outwardely to the great confort of aungell man so I beleue so it is that bothe auÌ„gell man in theyr moost excellent full maner don shew their loue with great ioy gladnes glorifieng and praysyng and louyng god for that excellent gifte eternally without ende in glory ¶ In this passion also doeth shyne the vertues theologicall the giftes of the holy goost the beatitudes of the gospell also the fruites of the spirite The .iiii. Chapiter FYrst in this passion appere the vertues theologicall For this passion of our lorde is y e streÌ„gth fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of all christen faith It is therection reysynge vp of our hope also it is thinflamacion kyndelynge of our loue charity for here he dyd offre hym selfe for vs. SecoÌ„dly in this passion don shine as in a glasse the giftes of the holy goost the gift of wisdom vnderstandyng y e gyft of couÌ„cell strength of science of pitie also of the feare of god of the whiche we shall speke herafter in dyuerse singuler chapiters Thirdly in this passion don appere y e .viii. beatitudê for this passion is theyr fouÌ„tayn begynnyng theyr allectiue exemplar Who may be called so pore in spirite as Christ y t hyng naked vpoÌ„ the crosse Who may be named so mylde as Christ the which as a milde laÌ„be was led vnto the deth whaÌ„ he was scourged bet buffeted scorned falsly slauÌ„dered wolde nat ones open his mouthe to contrary them Who was so mournyng as he Whiche with teres and a loude mournynge voice prayed for his enemies and he for his reuerence as saynt Paule sayeth was herde of god But than he more mourned our synnes than his owne payne as we shall shew hereafter He had more compassion of vs than of hym selfe Who fardermore do so moche hunger and thurst iustice as Christe whiche by the payne of the crosse dyd satisfye for our synnes and so dyd reconsile vs vnto his father hungeryng and thyr stynge the helthe and saluacion of our soules And in token herof he sayd hangynge vpon the crosse Sitio I thyrste and desyre the helth of mannes soule Who also was so mercifull as Christe the very true samaritane the which where as the preest and Leuite passed by the wounded men nat regardynge hym wasshed his woundes with wyne and anointed them with oile byndyng vp his woundes and layeng the wounded man vpon his bâ—est that is vpon his owne body suffryng deth for our sinnes so led him vnto thostry of holy chirch c. And where I pray you was there so muche puritie and clennes of herte as in Christe which as an innocent lambe was offred vpon the crosse for vs wasshyng and clensynge our vnclene synfull hertes with his precyous blood And who also was so peaceful as Christe whiche was our peace and corner stone ioynynge into one people of god the Iues and the Gentiles whiche also by his passion dyd pacify vs vnto god in his bloode Moreouer who so verely suffered persecucion for iustice as Christe which for his iustice that he preached and shewed vnto the Iues was crucified truely he myght well be called blessed for the worldly and deuelysshe people cursed hym or spake euyll of hym and made many false lyes and slaunders of hym These be the .viii. beatitudes the whiche Christe taught in the gospell and gaue vs example in his owne persone how we shuld fulfyll them Fourthely in the passion of Christe don clerely appere the .xii. fruites of the spirite Of the which saint Paule sayth Fructus spiritus est charitas gaudium c. The fruites of the spirite ben these charitie ioye peace pacieÌ„ce loÌ„ganimitie goodnes benignitie mildenes or gentilnes fayth For in this passion restyth the foundacion and strength of our faith as concernynge his obiecte or subiect It foloweth in the wordes of saint Paule continence good maners and chastitie All these do manifestly shyne in this passion dethe and crosse of Christe as we shall declare more at large hereafter And therefore it conueniently foloweth in saynt Paule Qui christi sunt carnem suam crufixerunt cuÌ„ viciis et concupiscentiis Who so be the childeren of Christe they do cruâ—isy and subdue theyr bodies and also all vices and inordinate concupiscence This sayd saynt Paule to shewe manifestly vnto vs that these .xii. fruites do hange vpon the moost holy tree of the crosse suche persones do take gader them there whiche conforme them self vnto Christe crucified For by vertuouse operacions in folowynge the lyfe and pacience of our sauiour Iesu Christe men be made vertuouse for suche beholde the lyfe and dethe of our lorde with diligence remembre it by ofte and feruent meditacion and also haue pleasure therein and folow it as theyr frailtie wyll suffre them And so they be made apte to the reparacion of thorder of vertues as we sayd before and shall say more hereafter ¶ By the passion of Christe we haue the efficacitie and vertue of all spirituall goodnes The fyfte Chapiter BY the fruitfull and gloryouse passion of Christ there is ministred vnto vs habundantly the matter of all spirituall goodes For where is or shulde be
Resurrection he appered to his disciples what tyme Thomas was there absent And whan Thomas was comme to theyr compaigney the disciples sayd to hym Vidimus dominum we haue sene our lorde and oure mayster and than Thomas sayd excepte I see the sygnes or the pryntes of the nayles in his handes and put my fynger in the holes and also put my hande into his syde I wyl nat belyue These wordes ware nat spoken of any malyce but rather of ignorance and of a great sorowe heuynes for that he had nat sene our lorde and therfore his louyng and godly maister Iesus wold nat leaue his louyng discyple in that blyndnes and heuynes but for to comforth hym and for to reforme his fayth it pleased hym to appere agayne Therfore whan his discyples ware gadred to gyther in y e mount of Syon where as he kept his mauÌ„dy or supper and also Thomas beyng with them the good shepherd and herdman Iesus diligent to comforth his lytell small flock cam vnto them the gates dores and wyndowes beyng shyt and so stode in the myddest of them that he myght be sene of them all and sayd to them Pax vobis Peace be to you And note here that there can neuer be peace in a comynalty except the prelate be in the myddest so that he be nat enclyned more to one part than to the other A pillar can neuer susteyne and bear vp the house if it be set nygh to y e wal and nat in the myddest and therfore the erth which is set in y e myddest of the world is vnmoueable to signifie that euery prelate or herde shulde nat be moued by any parcialite more to one persone than to an other Our lorde Iesus dyd oftymes shewe peace vnto his disciples dyd also coÌ„mend it and perswade them to haue it for without peace we can nat haue god the prophete to witnes whaÌ„ he sayth In pace factus est locus eius His place and abydyng is in peace Than Iesus said to Thomas Infer digitum tuuÌ„ huc et vide manus meas Put in thy fynger here se my haÌ„des put forth thy hande and thurst it in to my syde and be nat vnfaythfull but belyue Than Thomas toyched the signes of Christes wouÌ„des so byleued nat onely with his hert but also confessed it with his mouthe and sayd Dominus meus et deus meus Thou art my lorde after thy humanite for thou hast redemed me with thy preciouse blode thou art my god in thy diuinite for thou hast create me I doute in nothynge nowe but I am sure that thou art rysen from death to lyfe Than Iesus said to hym Quia vidisti me Thoma cre didisti beati qui non viderunt et crediderunt Thomas thou dost belyue bycause thou hast sene me blyssed be they that belyue and haue not sene In these wordes is not only affirmed the fayth of Thomas but also our fayth is moche commended and blessed and the errour of the heretikes confounded which sayd y t Christ had no true body And here se the goodnes and mercy of oure lorde howe that he wolde appere and shewe hym selfe with his woundes to saue one soule Also note here that the infinite wysdome and goodnes of god suffred Thomas to doute that the resurrection of Christ shuld be prouyd by euident and manyfest argumeÌ„tê or signes therfore Thomas douted y t we shuld not dout Herunto sayth saynt Gregory It was not of chaunce but of the ordynauÌ„ce of god that y e welbeloued disciple of Christ Thomas was absent whan Christ dyd fyrst appere that he hearyng of his resurrection shulde dowte he so dowtyng shuld feale and touche the places of the woundes of Christ and so fealyng shuld beleaue and that to expell al dowtfulnes from our hertes And so in fealynge or puttynge in his hande into the syde of Christe he cured in vs the woundes of our infidelite Also the incredulite or doutfulnes of Thomas dyd more profyt vs vnto oure faythe that the prompte and redy beleaue of the other disciples for by his dowtyng and fealyng our mynd is stablyshed in fayth all dowtes set a parte Mary Magdalen dyd lesse profyt to me by her swyft redy fayth than Thomas by his longe dowtyng for he touched the pryntes of his woundes and vtterly expelled from my soule the wounde of doutfulnes Our lorde of his great goodnes reserued the pryntes or signes of his woundes in his body after his resurrection Not for that he could not cure theÌ„ for he y t destroyed the power of death myght also haue cured put away those signes of death if it had pleased hym but he wold reserue them for dyuers causes Fyrst to confirme our fayth as ye se in Thomas Secondly for to shewe to his father whan he wyl pray for vs. And thyrdly to shewe them at the day of dome to the daÌ„pned people to theyr confusion And these tokens of his woundes ware in no thynge to the deformitie of his glorious body but rather as Crisostom sayth to his great beautie for they shone more bryght than the sonne And as saynt Austen sayth the tokens of the wouÌ„des that holy sayntes haue suffred here for Christe shall in heuen appere in theyr bodyes not to theyr deformite but to theyr glory as a starre in the firmament as a presiouse stone in a rynge as a flowre in the medowe ond as the red colour in a rose which be to the fairnes and beauty of these thynges and so be tho pryntes of theyr woundes in theyr bodyes to theyr glory and dignitie O thou louyng soule behold now thy lorde and consydre his wonte goodnes meaknes and feruent loue howe he sheweth his woundes to Thomas and to his other disciples to put away all blyndnes ignorauÌ„ce froÌ„ theyr soules for theyr profyt and oures also Our lorde stode there with them a lytel whyle speakyng comfortable wordes of y e kyngdom of glory And his disciples stode with hym iÌ„ great gladnes hearyng his godly wordes beholdyng his face full of fauour beauty and glory Beholde them howe they stande about hym And stande thou reuereÌ„tly with ioy beholdyng them a far of if paraduenture our lord moued of pytie and mercy wyl cause the to be called thoughe thou of thy selfe be not worthy that compaygny At last Iesus sayd vnto them that they shuld goo into Galile and there he wold appere vnto them accordyng vnto his promisse And so he blessed them and departed froÌ„ them And they remayned in great comforth but yet moche desyrous to se hym agayne A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe which shewed vnto Thomas y t douted of thy resurrection the places of the nayles and the spear hathe reuoked hym from errour by the puttynge in of his fynger into the holes of thy haÌ„des and of his hande into thy syde grauÌ„t to me that I hauyng euer the