liberty and in freedome why doest thou call him Lord which is fastened to the crosse and crucified like thy selfe Seeing that he who should be a Lord ought to bee mighty and rich why doest thou call him Lord who was poor in his life time and naked in his death But this Prophet whō I call vpon and vnto whome I commend and commit my selfe is a mighty Lord and a king of great power seeing the son lost his light for compassion the stones broke with griefe the vaile rent in sunder for a mystery the graues opened with feare and the Centurion confessed him to be Christ O great God of Israel O great Lord of the house of Iacob◠for this cause thy name is admirable and worshipped in all the circuit of the earth because thy power and dominion is doubled and redoubled more than any mans in the world Cassiodorus noteth vpon this matter That the holy scripture doth neuer call any twise Lord Lord but Christ alone because he alone and none with him is Lord of heauen and earth of life and death body and soule and of peace and warre Wee cannot call Hector the Troian Anchises the Grecian Alexander the Macedonian and Caesar the Romane Lord more than once because they were kings onely of their owne kingdomes but vnto the sonne of God wee say twise Domine domine noster Lord our Lord because his siegnory is so great that no man is able to limit it nor set any bonds vnto it Euery other Prince hath his kingdome limited and set with bonds either to the top of a steeple or couering of a house and if it bee not so let him send a post from thence vpward and hee shall perceiue that his kingdome reacheth no higher which cannot be said to be true of the sonne of Gods Empire seeing it goeth from one end of the world vntill the other and reacheth vp vnto the highest heauen Considering that Dauid calleth Christ Lord Lord twise why doth he call him only once Lord. The mystery of this mystery is that Dauid called him Lord Lord twise because hee should keepe his body from his enemies and cary his soule vnto those which are blessed but the good theefe did call him but once Lord because his intention was not that Christ should keepe his life but only that hee would vouchsafe to saue his soule Why doest thou thinke sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalme that Dauid said vnto our Lord Lord calling him twife Lord but because he was Lord of the truth and of the figure of the church and of the synagogue of the Prophets and of the Apostles and of the old Testament and of the new The good theefe would not call Christ Lord twise because hee would let vs vnderstand that the figure is fulfilled and the truth come that the church is come and the synagogue ended that the Prophets are dead and the Apostles succeeded in their place that the old law is buried and the Gospel proclaimed Why think you doth the good theef call Christ Lord but once but because we haue but one Lord to beleeue one redeemer to worship To say once Christ remember me was to say that hee would haue him and no other for a master to serue for God in whō he would beleeue for his Lord whom hee would obey for a friend whome hee would trust vnto for an aduocate in whose hands he would put himselfe into The second word which the theefe said vnto Christ was Remēber me as if he would say Seeing that I doe confesse thee here before all men to bee my Lord and vpon this crosse acknowledge thee to be my redeemer haue mee in remembrance my good Lord seeing I haue remēbred thee and turned vnto thee Remember me O sweet Iesus seeing thou hast created me remember me seeing thou hast redeemed mee remember mee and seeing thou hast lightened me remember mee and seeing thou hast chosen me remember me for it would auaile me very little that thou shouldest giue me light to know thee if withall thou shouldest not giue me grace to serue thee Remēber me O good Iesus because I am hard by thy side remember me because I beleeue in thee remember me because I trust in thee remember me because I hope in none but in thee and seeing I haue offered my selfe for to be thy perpetuall seruant remember I beseech thee to accept me for thine Remember mee because thou hast raised me from the dust remember me because thou hast made me a Christian remember me to make mee good and remember mee to giue mee heauen and aboue all things I beseech thee that seeing thou hast giuen thy life for me remember me that I lose not my soule O good Iesus giuer of life with my tongue I beseech thee and with my heart I aske it of thee that seeing thou doest shed thy precious bloud vpon the crosse for me remember me that it be not euilly bestowed on mee and when shall thy bloud be euilly bestowed on mee but when it is not by thee accepted for me Seeing thou hast sweat oft for me suffered most grieuous pains for me endured inspeakable persecutions for mee and hast dissembled my abominable offences what doest thou gaine O good Iesus what doest thou gaine if I lose my soule and thou the fruit of thy precious bloud Remember me O Lord seeing that in pardoning my fault and by sauing my soul thou shalt make a Christian people heauen the more enrich thy church spread abroad thy fame and exalt thy mercy Remember the sabboth day said God in the law remember the daies past said Moyses vnto God remember because my life is a wind said holy Iob remēber how I haue walked before theesaid king Ezechias when he was sick and remember me said good Ioseph when he was in prison and remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome I say vnto thee here now crucified vpō the crosse What should I say O the light of my life What doest thou aske me that I haue not giuen thee and what doe I possesse that is not thine I haue already giuen my money to the iailor my coats to the hang man I haue salne out with my companion who iniuried thee I haue made the best answere that I could for thy honour and therefore I can do nothing more but say Lord remember me Domine memento mei and seeing I offer thee the confession of Miserere that vpō my knees and my eies washed with tears why shouldest thou shut the gates of thy mercy against me my confession being thus iust being condemned for a naughty person as thou art my members disiointed the one from the other like thine crucified vpon the crosse like thy selfe I beleeue faithfully in thee and commend my selfe wholly vnto thee saying Lord remember mee Lord-remember mee and I beseech thee haue pitie on me seeing that in suffering I am like vnto thee I dy for being a theefe and thou for the same cause they
presume to call himselfe my seruant in my church if he doe not reconcile himselfe first vnto his brother Father forgiue thē for seeing the old law endeth when I shal say Consummatum est All is finished and the new law beginneth when I shall say Commendo spiritum meum I commend my spirit it would not be reasonable that vnder the law of Grace we should cōsent that any thing should be vnfitting or vnsit nor that vnder the law of Loue wee should permit ranckor and malice Father forgiue them for if in the wildernesse of Aaron whē thou wast angry vvith all the Iewes thou diddest forgiue them and reconcile them vnto thee for no other cause but only because Moses and Aaron did offer a little incense vnto thee why wilt thou not forgiue them now seeing I doe now offer for them not incense but my selfe crucified Father forgiue them for seeing they bee thy creatures by creation thy clients by law my children by redemption my brethren by bloud my acquaintance by education my followers in doctrine and so neare of kindred vnto my disciples why should I consent to their losse and condemnation Father forgiue them seeing I came not into the vvorld to procure thee enemies but to giue thee new friends and to take thy old griefes and sorrowes from thee for otherwise if by my death this people should remaine in thy disgrace and hatred it would seeme that my death would rather moue thee to indignation than appease thy wrath If my death make not an attonement betwixt you who is able to doe it O my good father when thou diddest command me to come downe from heauen and also to die vpon the crosse diddest not thou promise and agree that thy anger and my life and my life and thy anger should haue an end at the same houre Father forgiue them and fulfill thy agreement giue that which thou hast promised and seeing in thy presence my life is deerer vnto thee than thy anger I am glad and willing to die if by that meanes thy ire may bee appeased O blessed praier O holy wish and request neuer heard of before O happie petition which thou madest sweet Iesus in thy last houre wherein thou diddest shew by deeds all that thou haddest preached with words seeing thou diddest entreat for those which put thee to death aske pardon for those which crucified thee Let all the praiers bee brought forth that euer were made in the world and we shall easily perceiue that there was neuer any equall vnto this praier of Christs for there was neuer any which had that intent which hee had nor asked that which hee asked nor compassed that which hee compassed What did the great Patriarch Iacob request of Laban his father in law but only his faire daughter Rachel for his spouse What did the women of Israell demaund of the women of Aegypt saue only their siluer and gold What did Anna Helcans wife and Samuels mother request of God in the temple sauing only that it would please him to giue her a son What did the Iew maid called Axa aske of her father Calaph but only the pasture which held water because the other which hee had giuen her was drie What did the mother of the Zebedees require of Christ but onely that hee would make them the greatest lords of his kingdome Which of all these doe aske any thing of God for their enemies or yet for their friendes Euery man did aske for that which was fittest for his owne turn euery man sought for that which was good for himselfe no man entreated for his neighbour no man remembred his enemie no man made intercession for another no man loaded himselfe with other mens faults Only the son of God made man praieth for his enemies in the last supper saying Pater keepe those which beleeue in me and praieth also vpon the crosse for his enemies saying Pater ignosce illis so that like a mercifull lord he defendeth the good and pardoneth the wicked CHAP. III. How the son of God put himself a mediator betwixt God and mankind and what torment he receiued thereby QVaesiui de eis virum qui interpeneret sepem staret oppositus contra me these are the words of the great God of Israell spoken to the Prophet Ezechiell being in the captiuitie of Babilon not far from the riuer Cobar in the two and twentith chapter of his prophesie And it is as if he would say Ezechiell I haue beene many a day angrie with Ierusalem and I seeke out a holy and a vertuous man which should put himselfe like a hedge betwixt mee and the people of Israell because their offences might not come vnto mee nor my punishment reach vnto them Wee may inferre of the complaint which our Lord maketh in this place what great scarsitie there was in the synagogue of good men seeing he found not one among them all which was worthie to appease the wrath of the Lord and to helpe and succour the people The merites of good men are of great force and power before God for to pardon the euill in their faith which is easily seene in all the cities of Sodome which he did pardon for ten good mens sake and all the twelue tribes of Israel which he pardoned for one alone but alasse neither in the synagogue was there found that one neither in Sodome those ten To say the truth it was no maruaile that hee was not to be found in all the synagogue with those conditions which God required in him for he ought to haue ben a man in discretion and not a child and the Lord himselfe was to make choice of him and no other and he was to be an Hebrew and not a Gentile he was to put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and the people and it was required that he should be partiall on neither side And our Lord was not content onely with this but that mediator ought also to haue desert and merit in him to appease Gods indignation and not sinne to stirre him to wrath S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth I doubt whether a man endued with these conditions and shining with these vertues might bee found amongst the Angelicall Hierarchies how much lesse among humane creatures because such a one should bee more than man yea he should be equall with God Abraham Isaac Iacob and Dauid and all the letanie of the old and new testament were not equall with God nor any thing more then men seeing they were borne in sinne and attained vnto no diuine secret without it were reuealed vnto them The sonne of God only was equall vnto God and the diuine vvord only vvas more than man because in him and in no other those cōditions of a holy man were found which God sought for and the vertues which should pacisie God his wrath and anger The first condition which God required was that this mediator should be a man in wisdome and not a child which may
the punishment on him and take his life from him Basil sayth That sinners build vpon one shoulder only when they haue no other goodnesse in them but the bare name of Christians only and iust men build vpon both his shoulders when they are at one time both Christians and vertuous men Thou must know brother that in the law of Christ it is not sufficieÌ„t that a man be called a Christian vnlesse he be also such a one indeed Sinners build vpon one of Christs shoulders onely when they serue God in wish and desire onely and serue the world with all their might and power which is a mean rather to condemne them then to saue them for in the Church of God there are many condemned by good wishes desires but not one by good workes Christ complaineth that cursed Heretikes doe build vpon one shoulder when they confesse only his humanitie take away his diuinity which is great wickednesse falshood for he is as true a God as he is a man and as true man as he is true God Christs complaint of the Synagogue doeth not end here but hee saith further Et prolong auerunt iniquitatem suam as if he would say Thou was not content O ingrateful Synagogue to impute thy offence vnto mee and lay all the punishment due for it vpon my backe but thou hast also prolonged thy naughtinesse and perseuered in thine infidelity heaping sinne vpon sinne malice vpon malice enuie vpon enuie and idolatry vnto idolatry When did the forsaken Iewes prolong their iniquitie but when at the foot of the crosse they were nothing forrie to haue crucified Christ but were grieued to see him rise againe S. Barnard sayth that Christ had great reason to say that the Iewes had prolonged their iniquitie because that at the time of his passion for the better reuengement vnto their malicious hearts and the more to torment Christs blessed members they would haue been glad that day had been longer and that Christs life had continued a longer time The hatred which those wicked Iewes bate vnto Christ was so great that sometimes they desired nothing more then to see him yeeld vp the ghost and sometime they were neuer satisfied and full in doing him iniury insomuch that if they did crucifie him with their haÌ„ds they did also crucifie him much more with their hearts Wee should haue great compassion vpon the Iewish nation which doe prolong their iniquity vntill the end of the world for as the Apostle sayth the Synagogue shall neuer be all lightened vntill all the Gentiles bee conuerted It may be said not only of the Hebrewes but also of many Christians that Prolong auerunt iniquitatem suam who in stead of amending themselues goe on euery day empairing themselues so that they are like vnto those which are sick of the dropsie who the more they drinke the more they thirst so they the more they sinne the greater lust they haue to sinne And as Christ with great reason said that the Hebrewes did prolong their iniquitie against him with the like reason may they say of Christ that towards them he prolonged his mercy seeing he was as hastie in procuring their pardon as they were in causing his passion What shold become of me O sweet Iesus what should become of me saith Anselmus if as euery day I adde naughtinesse to naughtinesse and so prolong my iniquitie thou diddest not adde goodnes vnto goodnesse and so prolong mee thy misericordiam O sweet Iesus and my soules delight of whom may it so truly be said as of thee that thou hast prolonged thy mercy seeing that thou wast vpon the crosse as it were gaping for death and yet pardoning thy enemies And although I doe euery day prolong my iniquity and thou euery moment prolong thy mercy notwithstanding thy mercy exceedeth my iniquitie for otherwise my sorrowfull soule should long agoe haue knowne what thy rigorous iustice had beene Cyprian saith vpon the passion of our Lord that hee hath much more prolonged his mercy seeing hee said not in his praier Father forgiue them if thou wilt but absolutely that hee would forgiue them and that not by the rigour of iustice due vnto them but by the sole mercy of him which made the petition Behold then O my soule behold that with greater deuotion affection the sonne of God praied for thee vpon the crosse than hee did for himselfe in the garden seeing that he said there Father if thou wilt let that chalice passe but on the crosse he said not If thou wilt but Father forgiue them In so much that it seemeth that hee left the care of his passion vnto the will of his father but the pardon of his enemies hee desired presently to be giuen What meaneth this O sweet Iesus what meaneth this It seemeth that thou doest put it in consultation whether thou shalt die or not saying vnto him Father if thou wilt and doest thou not giue thy father leaue to thinke whether he shall pardon that wicked people or not but that he should there presently forgiue them The sonne of God saith vnto his father as Gregory reports Father forgiue them and not If thou wilt because we should vnderstand that when wee forgiue and be reconciled vnto our enemies we should doe it so sincerely and heartily and with such good wil that we should neuer turne our face from them nor neuer deny them our communication I will not saith Hugo call that a Christian forgiuing when we forgiue our enemy vnder condition neuer to speake vnto him nor goe by his gate nor dwell where hee hath to doe for our redeemer excepted no condition in the pardon of his passion It is also deepely to bee weighed that the sonne of God did not say vpon the crosse Father forgiue him but Father forgiue them That is he asked forgiuenesse not for one in particular but for all the whole world in generall Whereof it is inferred that seeing hee praied for all that there was sinne in all When Christ said Pardon them and not pardon him he gaue cause of great hope vnto all sinners that they should bee pardoned by him seeing hee forgot not to redeeme any nor to pardon any man nor leaue out any man not spoken for of his father but made all men partakers of his passion As the sonne of God said vnto his father Pardon them so if he had said Pardon him he would haue put all the church in an vproâ—e and hurliburly and al the world in a confusion and doubt in knowing who were condemned and who pardoned Rabanus vpon S. Matthew sayth That when the Maker hanged vpon the crosse if hee had said Pardon him as he said Pardon them then we should not haue known whether hee had pardoned Iudas which sold him or Herod which scorned him or Pilat which condemned him or S. Peter which denied him or Caiphas which blasphemed him And he saith further that the cause why Christ said vnto his father Pardon
them and not pardon him was because our good Lord is so liberall in giuing and so noble in pardoning that he cannot forgiue any one sinne alone if there remaine any other hidden offence in the sinner Factious and enuious men are wont to pardon some of their enemies not other some but the sonne of God for a certainty dooth not so but he would forgiue all men togâ—ther and redeeme all men togither S. Iohn said not of Christ behold him who taketh away the sinne of the world but said behold him who taketh away the sinnes of the world He said not vnto Mary Magdalen thy sinne is released but thy sinnes are forgiuen thee In so much that in matter of sinnes God cannot but either wholly winck at them or wholly pardon them For as S. Ierome sayth No man euer heard the sonne of God say I pardon thee such a sinne or this sinne or that sinne but hee alwaies said I pardon thee all thy sinnes and therevpon praying vpon the crosse vnto his father hee did not say Pardon him but said Father pardon them For it seemed vnto him that the value of the bloud which hee shed was of such price that those for whome hee died were but few although hee died for those which were absent as well as for those which were present for the quicke and for the dead for those which were already past and for those which were to come for the iust and for the sinners that one drop of his bloud which he should shed would bee sufficient to redeeme a thousand of worlds and if this were so what reason had hee to bestow it vpon one alone seeing there did abound for all the world The sonne of God debated not the matter nor plaied not the huckster with his father in contending how much bloud shall I giue thee for their pardon because he would let vs vnderstand in this that he paied very well yea and repaied for al the sinnes which were forgiuen For to conclude all the sinnes in the world might haue ben numbred but the price of the bloud of Christ could not bee valued O good Iesus O my soules hope if in fauour of great sinners thou diddest say Father forgiue them why doest thou not say in my behalfe who am a great sinner Pater ignosce illi Forgiue him If the Iewes haue beene vngratefull towards thee for the miracles which thou diddest amongst them haue not I been much more ingratefull for the benefites receiued of thee If thou diddest pray for the Israelites which did kill thee once why doest thou not pray for me which kill thee euery day Doe not I put thee to death euery day and euery houre seeing I doe crucifie thee as oft as I sinne against thee Seeing the sinnes which are seuerally in other meÌ„ are together in me why dost thou not say Father forgiue him as thou didst say Father forgiue theÌ„ Say then O my good Iesus say vnto thy Father Father pardoÌ„ this sinner seeing that by how much the more my sins offences are greater then other mens by so much the more thy mercy will shine by forgiuing me CHAP. VII How God is more mercifull now then hee was in time past and why Christ did not say that he did pardon his enemies when he asked pardon for them of his father POnam contra te omnes abommationes tuas non parcet oculus meus super te These are the woordes of the great God of Israell spoken with much anger and verie great furie to the people of Israel by the mouth and preaching of the holy Prophet Ezechiel chapter 7. as if he would say I am so angry with thee O Synagogue and haue pardoned thee so often that I am now determined to lay open all thy wickednes and not forgiue thee any one of them because that as mercy doth follow thy amendment so iustice rigor may follow thy hardnesse of heart Before the sonne of God came into the world to take mans flesh vpon him God was much more accustomed to vse his iustice then his mercie seeing that in all the story of the old Law those which hee chastised were very many in number and those whome hee forgaue very few And that we may proue it to haue ben so from the beginning of the world how did he punish Adam and Eue his wife for no other cause but for eating the apple which was forbidden them Did hee not condemne the wicked Cain to wander throughout all the world and haue a shaking in his head for the murder which hee vsed against his brother Who is ignorant how God did drowne many in the vniuersall floud for the sinne of the flesh and sunke those of Sodome for the sinne against nature and let the ground open and swallow vp Dathan and Abiron for the rancor of enuie And did not God command Moyses and Iosua to take out of the campe and stone to death the Iew for hiding a barrell of gold at the sacke of Ierricho and another Israelitie for gathering stickes vpon the Sabboth day Hieremie neuer endeth to bewaile the captiuitiy of Babilon whereof hee sayth Destruxit non pepercit hee destroied and spared not But God commaunded that all that kingdome should bee made desolate and destroied not pardoning nor forgiuing any one When the Lord commanded king Saule to go take Amelech his kingdome hee aduised him and instructed him that from the king himselfe which sate in his throne vnto the beast which fed in the meadow hee should not pardon any one but sley and kill them euery one In the ninth chapter of Ezechiell God said these wordes vnto the striking Angel Senem iuuenem virginem paruulum interfice sanctuario meâ— incipe c. as if he would say Go throughout all the city of Ierusalem put to the sword all the old men and all the young men all the virgins and all the children and because no man shall thinke that any place may saue him thou shalt begin this my punishment with the Priests of the Temple Cadent à latere tuo mille decem millia à dextris tuis sayth the Psalmist as if he would say Thou doest so seuerely reuenge thy iniuries O great God of Saboth and so punish our offences that as oft as I looke vpon thee I see both thy armes armed and both thy hands couered with bloud insomuch that if a thousand men are fallen at thy left hand there are other ten thousand slairie at thy right hand When the eternall God had seene that they had put to death his welbeloued sonne being accustomed to punish presently and not to pardon he darkened the light of the sunne made the earth to quake rent the vaile of the Temple and opened the sepulchres of the dead because those which were dead should rise againe and take reuengemeÌ„t of those which were aliue WheÌ„ the son of God perceiued that al this was done for his sake
vvouldest thou O my soule haue more then one heart seeing thou art to loue but one Christ onely And vvhy also vvouldest thou haue more then one holy spirit considering that it is the Deuill vvhich poureth many spirits into one body and our God for all bodies hath but one onely spirit S. Barnard vpon the passion of our Lord sayth If wee vvill ascend with Christ to the crosse it is necessary for vs to doe that with our hearts that hee did with his that is with the heart of God hee tooke the heart of a man and with the heart of a spirit hee tooke a heart of flesh and with a high heart hee tooke a low heart and vvith a heart of reuenge hee tooke a heart of pitie and mercy Take good Lord a new heart to come downe from heauen into the world and doe not renue thy heart to ascend from the world to heauen The end of the first word which Christ our redeemer spake on the crosse Here beginneth the second word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse when he forgaue the good theefe vz. Amen dico tibi hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Truly I say vnto thee that this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise CHAP. I. ⧠Of the conuersion of the good theefe and of the great wonders which our Lord did vnto him in this case DOmine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum said the good theefe which vvas crucified on the right hand of Christ and speaking vnto Christ himselfe and it is as if hee had said O maker of all things and redeemer of all mankind I beseech thee that â—s thou vvouldest take mee for a companion vnto thee vpon this tree so also thou vvouldest vouchsafe to remeber me aboue in thy kingdome If vve marke curiously this speech vve shall find that there vvas neuer praier made vvith like circumstances as this vvas For he vvho made it vvas a theefe the place vvhere he made it vvas on the crosse he vnto vvhom he made it a man crucified that vvhich hee asketh is a kingdome and the time when hee asketh it is when hee was almost dead in so much that at the very time when he should die hee desired that Christ would let him raigne I haue of a long time commended vnto my memory and singularly well liked of that speech of Boetius which saith Quòd nihil ex omniparte beatum as if he would say There is nothing so perfect in this life which doth neither want nor abound in somewhat insomuch that either we haue need of scissers to clip off that which is superfluous or a needle and a thimble to ad that which wanteth Seneca in his booke of Clemency saith It is an hundred and twelue years agoe since I was borne in Cordua a town in Spaine and it is threescore and eight years agoe since I came to dwell in the court of Rome and yet in all this time I neuer saw any thing so perfect which was euen when it came to bee measured or of iust waight in the ballance when it came to be peised or satisfied the eie when it came to bee seene or contented mens minds when it came to be enioied And it is easily perceiued that there is nothing Ex omni parte beatum because there hath neuer been any Prince in the world so famous and renowned no Philosopher so wise no captaine so valorous no personage so worthy who wanted not somewhat worthy of commendation and in whom there was not found somwhat worthy of reprehension Who doubteth that there is nothing euery way perfect seeing there is no maÌ„ aliue who hath not wept who hath not erred who hath not sinned who hath not sighed and who hath not ben persecuted How can wee say that there is any man happy on earth seeing he doth a thousand things whereof hee hath cause to repent scarse one thing worthy of praise Only our Lord and no other is ex omni parte beatuis in all respects happy seeing that of him and of no other the Prophet saith lustus es domine rectum iudicium tuum as if he should say Our Lord is very iust in himselfe and vpright in all which hee dooth It had beene but a small honour vnto God to say that hee was iust vnlesse it had beene also said that hee did iustice and it is a small matter to say that hee did iustice vnlesse wee say also that hee is very iust because there are many which are iust and yet doe no iustice and very many which doe iustice and yet are not iust S. Augustine saith That it is so high and heroical a vertue to hit aright in all things and not to be able to misse in any that God reserued this point onely vnto himselfe and participated it with none but vnto his sonne and vnto his mother Irenaeus vpon the Psalmes sayth That it is a small matter to say of our Lord that he is iust seeing hee is iustice it selfe and to say that he is vpright seeing that he is righteousnesse it selfe and to say that hee is holy seeing that he is holinesse it selfe because there is no other righteousnesse but that which hee hath no holinesse but that which hee giueth nor iustice but that which he doth Who is so blind who seeth not plainely that our Lord is iust and his iudgement right seeing there is no other goodnesse but that which is himselfe nor other iustice but that which hee dooth in his owne house Who is so iust as thou sayth Hierome in that which thou doest and so vpright in that which he iudgeth as thou art O great God of Israell seeing that in thy iudgements and sentences neither ignorance deceiueth thee nor entreaty boweth thee nor rewards corrupt thee nor threatnings feare thee To come then vnto our purpose seeing that thou art iust O good Lord and that thy iudgement is rightfull how fell it out that thou diddest send Iudas from the crosse into hel and tookest the theefe from thence with thee to Paradise Theefe for theefe naught for naught sinner for sinner vngratefull for vngratefull and both alike it seemeth vnto mans iudgement that he should as well haue bestowed his kingdome vpon Iudas which followed him three years as vpoÌ„ the theefe which accompanied him three houres When our Lord tooke from Cain the right of his first birth or inheritance and gaue it vnto Abel tooke it from Ismaell and gaue it vnto Isaac tooke it from Esau and gaue it to Iacob from Ruben and gaue it to Iudah from Saul and gaue it to Dauid the reason was for that hee found in those great demerite whereby they lost it and in the others great merit with the which they deserued it If Christ should take a kingdome from a naughty man and bestow it vpon a good man it would bee but iust but yet it would scome a hard point to take it from one theefe giue it to another because
we know whether he commanded him to do these things for the sins which he hath committed or for sins which hee hath seene in the Iudaicall people Who euer saw Christ weepe or command any man to weep but he had occasion to doir and reason to command it The reason why Ieremy weepeth is Quid ablata est fides de ore corum Because there is now no faith in the house of Iacob because the goodnes truth of Israel is perished Behold how God doth not complain here of vs for that we do not offer sacrifice nor because wee pay not our tithes nor because we break the holy fasting daies nor because they are couerous nor because they are carnall glurtons because nature inuiteth inclineth vs to all these carâ—lesnesse humane frailty excuseth vs. That which our Lord coÌ„plaineth of is that they are faithlesse in heart idolaters and that they can speake nothing with their mouth but lies which two vices are perrillous for vs to be saued with very hard to ameÌ„d Ciprian vpoÌ„ the Creed saith Although the Apostle saith that faith without works is dead yet I had rather do sinful works being a faithful Christian theÌ„ vertuous works being a faithlesse Pagan because that our Lord doth easilier lighten him which beleeueth that which he coÌ„mandeth theÌ„ him which blasphemeth him and his church Damascen saith That the diuel dare neuer tempt mightily any but such as he perceiueth to be weak in faith and in that case hee careth not much to teÌ„pt him hardly with other vices if he see him weak cold in faith because the diuel is better at ease to see a man doubtful wauer in faith theÌ„ to see him coÌ„mit all other sins in the world What dooth the diuell watch at or ouerwatch but to see whether thou bee doubtfull in the faith of Christ what hast thou if thou hast not true faith what wantest thou if thou wantest not the true faith of Christ O good Iesus O the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou wouldest not depriue me of thy faith that thou wouldst not cast me out of thy church that thou wouldst not take thy mercy froÌ„ me for if thou wilt not suffer me to fall from thy faith I shal alwaies haue a hope that in the end I shal be saued To come theÌ„ vnto our principal purpose who made vnhappy Iudas hang himselfe what was the cause the good theefe was saued but only the great faith the theefe had the sinful infidelity which the other fel into because Iudas wold not beleeue that Christ was our maker and because the good theefe beleeued that Christ was our redeemer Iudas sold Christ and the other beleeued in Christ insomuch that in beleeuing knowing litle men come to offend much So much saith Gregory the faith of a good ChristiaÌ„ is more meritorious by how much the fewer argumeÌ„ts reasons it is grounded on because the merit of the catholick faith doth not coÌ„sist on that which we see with our eieâ— but in that which we beleeue with our hearts If we compare the faith of the good theef with the faith of the old fathers we shal find it to be true that he did so far exceed theÌ„ in faithfully beleeuing as they did go beyond him in good liuing How should not Abraham beleeue in God considering how God spake vnto him from heaueÌ„ aboue and vsed him as if he had beene his particular friend The thecues faith was greater thaÌ„ his because that Christ neuer spake vnto him one word of beliefe neither did hee euer see him in heauen but only hanged vpon the crosse The Prophet Esay did beleeue in God when he saw him sit on high in his throne beset with thousands of Seraphins but the the eues faith was greater because hee neuer saw Christ but crucified and accompanied with theeues The Prophet Maises had faith when hee saw the God of Israel speake vnto him out of a bush and that the bush wasted nor burnt not but the faith of the good theefe was greater than this considering that hee saw Christ loaden with thorns which burnt nor in show but in troth pierced his braine S. Peter had faith when hee saw Christ goe vpon the waters but the good theefes faith was greater considering he saw Christ not spurn the waters but saw him bathed in bloud from the feet to the head Mary Magdalen had faith when she saw him raise her brother Lazarus from death to life who had beene foure daies dead but the good theefe had greater faith then this considering how he neuer saw Christ raise the dead but only saw himselfe die vpon the crosse like a malefactor S. Iohn the Euangelist had faith when he had ssept vpon our Lords breast after he had supped vvith him in the parlar but the theefes faith vvas greater then this seeing that hee beleeued in the sonne of God not sleeping vpon stis breast but suffering vvith him by his side vpon the crosse S. Iames had faith vvhen hee savv Christ transfigured in the hill Tabor and the Fathers of the old law adore him but the good theefes faith was greater then this considering hee saw not the sonne of God transfigured but disfigured hee saw not his face shine but his body torne in pieces O happy and glorious theefe who but thou hath stoine the faith from the synagogue which of old shee was wont to haue and stolne Christ from them in whom then they beleeued not Impart and deuide vnto me part of the faith which thou didst steale from the Synagogue and Christ which thou diddest rob away on the Mount of Caluary for although I was not thy companion in suffering yet now I will bee in beleeuing That which I would haue thee impart vnto mee is the entire faith which thou hast the holy wordes which thou speakest the abundance of bloud which thou sheddest the true confession which of God thou makest and the Christian charity with the which thou doest correct the other theefe O that this theefe hath a happy inheritance seeing that with the theft of worldly things he easily got the gallowes and with the theft which hee stole vpon the crosse hee got glory Chrysostome of the praise of the theefe saith thus In whom O good Iesus in whom did thy holy faith remaine when thou diddest depart out of this life but in thy sorrowfull mother who wept at the foot of the crosse in that holy theefe who suffered on thy side O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule saith Barnard what a small number of friends thou hadst with thee on the crosse and what a multitude of enemies about thee considering that thou hadst there but two faithfull Christians that is thy blessed mother which did beleeue in thee with her heart and that iust theefe which did confesse thee with his mouth Seeing it was nothing else to be a Christian but to beleeue in Christ and serue Christ
patiens est dominus indulgentiam fusis lachrimis postulemus ab eo said the holy woman Iudith speaking to the inhabitants of Bethulia in the eight chapter of her booke as if she would say It seemeth best vnto me O ye citizens of Bethulia that we kneele down vpon our knees our hands ioined together and our eies full of teares and craue pardon of our Lord for our sinnes and that it would please him to deliuer vs from our enemies Holofernes the Tyrant had so narrowly besieged the city of Bethulia that within fiue daies they would haue deliuered themselues vnto the enemie if the siege had not been raised or some new succor come vnto thē There was in the same citie a widdow named Iudith who was beautifull in her countenance chast in her body rich in estate and of great fame and credite among the people This holy Iudith perceiuing that the captains of the city were dismaied on one side and the neighbors dispaired on the other said vnto them as followeth Who are you which dare tempt the great God of Israel and will giue your selues to be slaues if he do not deliuer you from the Assyrians within fiue daies Wil you prescribe fiue daies to the infinit mercy of the Lord who hath neither beginning nor ending Doe you not know that such a promise and vow made against our Lord doth rather stirre him to indignation than appease his anger Care not then to load your selues with armes but with larmes care you not to make prouision of victuals but to weepe for your sinnes because you should be more afraid of your sins than of your enemies The warre which you endure and the hunger which you suffer the God of heauen and not Holofernes maketh against you and with no other weapons but with your owne offences and you must learne that the enemies who besiege you are rather executioners of Gods diuine iustice than enemies of your Commonwealth All the time that our forefathers were at peace with our Lord they did well and when they neglected their duty vnto him it went not well with them and as it fared then with them so doth it now with vs in so much that all our paines and trauels come from the hands of God either to punish vs or for to make vs merit Tell me saith Dauid what are wee able to doe what are we able to performe or what doe wee know if we bee not guided by the hand of God If thē our ablenesse must come from God to doe any thing and our strength from him to be able to performe any thing and our knowledge from him if we will guesse aright at any thing in whose hands should wee put our hope but in the hands of his diuine mercy Let it bee so then that there bee a proclamation made throughout all Bethulia that the old men fast the yong mē giue themselues discipline the Priests pray and all weepe together that it would please God to keepe and deliuer not the wals from enemies but our hearts from sinnes All the citizens were very much amazed at that that holy Iudith counselled them and all accepted her counsell by reason wherof within fiue daies Holofernes was beheaded he and his defeated the city vnburdened and the countrey pacified To returne then fitly vnto our purpose agreeablie vnto this aduise our theefe behaued himselfe on the crosse with Christ for first he desired our redeemer of the world to forgiue him his sinnes before hee asked him that it would please him to take him with him vnto the kingdome of heauen This theef did not say vnto Christ When thou commest into thy kingdome Lord remember me for so hee might haue seemed to aske for heauen before he had asked for the remission of sinnes but he said Domine memento mei Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdome In which words hee first made his confession and then formed his petition What doth it auaile thee to ask of Christ if hee bee angry with thee first make Christ thy friend then aske fauour at his hands For it is the manner and condition of our Lord that first thou giue thy selfe vnto him and then for him to giue himselfe vnto thee Vbertinus sayth That it is greatly to bee noted that the good theefe did not say vnto Christ take me from this crosse help to vnloose me giue me life restore my credite but hee said Lord remember me seeing that thou knowest better what to giue me than I. to aske of thee S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth That this theefe was very happy and glorious seeing hee taught the church how to pray as he had taught the Synagogue how to steale considering he said nothing in his petition but Lord remember mee the which praier although it were short yet it was full of mystery because that we need not to be very importunate with God to win his fauour but remember him of our busines with Domine memento mei What saiest thou good theefe what saiest thou Domine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum as if he would say O holy Prophet O Iesus of Galily by the bloud which thou sheddest I beseech thee by the loue with the which thou diddest shed it I pray thee that thou wouldest be mindfull of me when thou shalt come into thy owne proper kingdome If wee will reckon the fiue words they are these Domine the first memento the second mei the third dum veneris the fourth in regnum tuum the fift Now it is to be noted who spake these words that is a theefe vnto whom he spake them which was Christ where he spake them which was vpon the crosse and when hee spake them and it was when hee was ready to die insomuch that if they be easie to be counted they are hard to be vnderstood Hee dooth begin his praier like a curious Orator with this word Domine Lord wherein it seemeth that hee dooth confesse in Christ his Deity and diuinity his essence and power his authority and rule his iustice and liberality Origen sayth If the good theefe should beleeue that Christ was a mighty and great king yet would he aske him no lesse than a whole kingdome This word Lord is a high beginning of a petition for if he who asketh do not beleeue that all things are vnder his mighty hand he could not thinke that he should obtaine any thing O glorious theefe sayth Anselmus and happy martyr what doest thou see in this Lord which is crucified what dost thou see in him on the crosse why thou shouldest commend thy selfe vnto him Who euer saw or heard the like that one which was bound should commend himselfe vnto another which was also bound and one which was crucified vnto another in the same case Doest thou aske that those confederacies and friendships which end in death should begin with Christ and thee in death Seeing hee who should be a Lord should bee at
put mee to death on the Mount of Caluary and on the Mount of Caluary they kill thee at high noone daies they execute mee and at the same houre they execute thee thou art as neere the end of thy life as I am neere to death and therfore Lord remember me thus as wee depart both together out of this world so also we may both together goe into heauen What reason doth permit it or what iustice doth suffer O my good Lord that thou shouldest take me for thy companion to suffer on the crosse with thee and when thou doest go into heauen to leaue mee here behind thee Seeing thou wilt depart out of this world to death and that through such a narrow passage and long way whom canst thou take with thee better than the theefe which was thy fellow vpon the tree It is necessary that thy poore mother liue thou hast left thy Iohn thy cousin to his owne custodie Peter thy Disciple hath denied thee Iudas thy steward hath sold thee all the Iewes haue beene vngratefull vnto thee and therfore seeing that thou doest see no body neere thee who doth confesse and acknowledge thee but my selfe alone who am here alone with thee Lord remember mee and either giue mee somewhat in thy Testament or take mee with thee to Paradise O holy Nazarean and blessed Prophet seeing that thou diddest heare Ionas out of the Whales belly Daniel out of the lake of Babilonia Ioseph out of the dungeon of Egypt Ieremy out of the darke well and diddest heare Dauid when he said Tibi soli peccaui I haue sinned vnto thee only why doest thou not heare-mee when I crie Lord remember mee Domine memento mei Behold O my good Lord behold O my good companion now my eies doe breake now my last houre is come now my sight faileth mee and my speech is troubled and my soule is pulled out of my body and therefore in this narrow passing and doubtfull way vnto whome should I say better than vnto thee Lord remember me yea and all the whole Psalme of Miserere Iosue was a theefe seeing he stole grapes fron Chanaan Dauid was a theefe seeing hee stole the bottle of water from Saul Rachael was a theefe seeing she stole the idols from her father Ionathas was a theefe seeing hee stole hony from the hiue Iosaba was a theefe seeing he stole the infant Ionas and yet thou diddest not command any one of all these to bee hanged nor send them from thy houseuf this be so and if thou diddest forgiue those which stole thy goods wilt thou not forgiue mee poore theefe who turne for thy honours sake and keepe thee company in this place Seeing that of old time thou art accustomed to forgiue very famous theeues and dissemble very notorious thefts why doest thou not forgiue me among them and absolue me of my sinnes If thou wilt haue tears for the thefts which I haue done thou seest that they run downe my cheekes if thou doest content thy selfe to see bloud thou seest that there is no drop left in mee if thou wilt haue mee whip my selfe I am already bowelled if thou wilt haue mee repent I say vnto thee Soli peccaui if thou wilt haue mee make entire satisfaction how canst thou haue me to do it not hauing halfe an houre to liue Lord Iesus remember mee and bee my surety vnto thy father in the other world and put mee with thy chosen flocke write mee in thy booke and place mee in thy glory seeing that the faith of which thou art doth flourish onely in thy mother and remaineth in my heart Remember mee O good Iesus and if thou wilt depart out of this sorrowfull life into the other before mee I beseech thee leaue mee the step of thy foor to tread in and a path-way to follow thee for if I acknowledge thee for my God and receaue thee for my God and beleeue in thee for my God being as thou art dismembred and crucified shall not I serue thee and praise thee farre better when I shall see thee glorified Darest thou trust me with thy crosse because I should worship it and with thy body because I should accompany thee and with thy mother to comfort her and with thy honour to defend it and with thy church to augment it and with thy faith to maintaine it and wilt thou not put thy glory into my hands that I may alwaies praise thee in it When they condemned thee to bee crucified and brought mee to bee executed I heard thee say there before Pilate That thy kingdome was not of this world and then seeing thou art a king and hast a kingdome remember mee and take me with thee and I will tell thy father what thou hast suffered to serue him and all the fauours which thou hast done for me Now that the good theefe hath made his praier vnto God and recommended himselfe vnto him it is reason now that the naughty theefe haue license to speake which is my naughty and peruerse heart because the theefe which hanged on the left hand of God did blaspheme Christ but once but thou my soule doest blaspheme him euery day Remember mee O sweet Iesus and haue mercy on mee O my soules glory to the end that the shedding of thy pretious bloud be not euilly bestowed in mee for at the time when thou diddest shed it thou diddest not feeele so grieuously the vvant of it in thy bodie as thou diddest feele the vngratefulnesse of the whole world And when is thy precious bloud vnthankfully shed for mee but when I yeeld vnto that which my Sensuality demâ—ndeth of mee and not vnto that which thy Gospell counselleth mee What is all that worth which I would if thou wilt not If thou goest to seeke out theeues and if thou doest hunt after sinners why doest thou seeke for any more than for mee because there is no theefe who hath committed greater robberies than I nor any sinners who hath done more greeuous sins than I O patient and benigue Lord if the wickednesse of my heart and the offences which I haue committed in secret were knowne notoriously vnto the iudges of the world as they are knowne vnto thee I should many yeares agoe haue beene hanged and in the other world condemned I will not say with the Prophet Dauid Where be thy old mercies seeing that I see them enter euery day into my gates because I doe not make more hast to sinne than thou to pardon mee The pardon which thou diddest giue vnto the good theefe doth giue vs also great hope to obtaine pardon at thy hands for he being come to the gibbet condemned for his offence went away sanctified with thy Grace If thou do giue theeues and robbers kingdomes what wilt thou do and giue vnto theÌ„ whom thou doest loue and are chosen of thy father If thou diddest giue the kingdome of heauen to a rouer and a theese for speaking one onely word vnto thee and seruing thee one
whence all truths doe spring Benedictio honor gloria potestas in secula seculorum quatuor animalia dicebant Amen Apocalips 5. said the Angels in praise of our Lord as if they would say Let honour glory power and blessing be giuen vnto our God and vnto the lambe his son for euer and euer and the foure beasts answered Amen Also S. Iohn said in the 7. chapter That he saw a company of Saints before God which were so many in number that they could not bee numbred and so many Angels also that they could not be numbred clothed with stoles palmes in their hands and prostrate vpon the ground which said no other thing in the praise of God but Amen Amen Amen O what great mysteries and deepe secrets are contained vnder this holy word Amen seeing we find it in the old Testament and that Christ vsed it and the Angels in heauen praise Christ with it and the church also doth euery vvhere profite her selfe vvith it Doth shee not profite her selfe vvith it seeing that in the end of euery praier shee doth confirme it with Amen Vnto World without end we answere Amen vnto Who liueth and raigneth vve answer Amen vvith this holy vvord the sonne of God began to pardon and vvith the same vvord the church endeth her praier Rupert vpon the Apocalips saith That this vvord Amē is neither Greek nor Latine nor Chaldey but Hebrew and although this word might haue beene turned as other vvordes vvere yet the church did not thinke it conuenient but as Christ said Amen so doth the church say likewise Amen Why did the son of God saith Chrisost begin the pardō which he gaue the good theefe with this word Amen dico tibi but only to assure him that he would fulfill all which he promised him Seeing that it is a custome first to promise that which wee will giue or do and then to sweare and affirme it why did the sonne of God do the contrary swear before he promised the theefe Paradise For when Christ said vnto the theefe Amen dico tibi it was as much as to say I sweare in truth and why would God swear that which he promised and would not be beleeued at his word Cyprian vpon the Passion saith That because that which Christ promised was such a great matter to wit Paradise and he vnto whom he promised such a grieuous sinner who was a theefe he who promised of such small credite who was a man crucified and the place where he promised so infamous which was the crosse and the people before whom he promised so vile who were the Iewes the sonne of God would swear first before he promised If Christ did swear it was not because there was any want in his word but because the synagogue should the better beleeue him August vpon S. Iohn saith That if the son of God would not haue sworn the performance of so great a gift it would haue seemed vnto the Iewes that he had promised it him in a mockage so much the rather because that vntil that very instāt in which Christ said on the crosse Hodie mecum eris in Paradise he neuer gaue it vnto Saint nor promised it in scripture If Christ had not sworn that which he promised who would not haue thought that he had iested in promising credit honor vnto him who had lost his credit to promise life vnto him who was dead liberty vnto him who was bound riches vnto him who was poore and glory vnto him who was infamous Because the Iewes obstinacy was so great and the good theeues faith but yong and weake good Iesus would sweare before hee promised that which he meant to promise because al men might be certain that he who at the point of death confirmed any thing by oth ought neuer to deceiue CHAP XIII How the sonne of God neuer vsed this word Paradise vntill he promised it vnto the good theefe and of many learned expositions of this saying Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso This day thou shalt be with mee in Paradise NOn frustra dixi semini Iacob quaerite me quia ego sum dominus loquens iustitias annunciansrecte said God by Esay chap. 48 as if hee would say I said not in vain vnto old honourable Iacob that he should speak with me alone beleeue in no other because I am the Lord who can say nothing but that which is iust nor demand nothing but that which is holy As God is iust saith Ierome hee sayth nothing but that which is iust and as he is holy he speaketh nothing but holy things because other men besides him neither tell vs aright what wee haue to doe nor aduise vs in time of that which we are to auoid All out friends and counsellors when they doe aduertise vs of any thing doe seeme rather to goe by guesse than bee sure of that which they say and by that means they giue vs counsell after we haue receiued hurt and teach vs the way after that wee haue gone astray God sayth very well that Iacob heard him not in vaine neither did Israel that in vaine which he commanded him seeing that he gaue him the right of the first birth due to Esau and made him sonne in law vnto Laban and gaue him Lia and Rachel for his wiues and made him father of twelue children and Prince ouer twelue tribes O how true it is saith Origen when our Lord saith that hee speaketh nothing but that which is iust and teacheth nothing but that which is right seeing hee maketh those iust who deale with him and maketh those holy who doe conuerse with him And if he say that the obstinate men and naughty be his yet he will not say that hee is one of their number What can the children of vanity tell vs but vain things and what can the children of lies tell vs but lies Who is loiall and faithfull vnto him whome hee hareth or whom commodity draweth awry It is our Lord onely who giueth vs our sight to see with and teacheth vs which way we should goe and taketh away the stones least wee stumble at them and giueth vs counsell in all that wee haue to doe Our Lord saith very well that hee is the Lord who speaketh iustice and righteousnesse for there hath been no man saued vntill this day whom he hath not counselled nor no man lost whome hee hath not deceiued King Roboam who was nephew vnto Dauid and sonne vnto Salomon of twelue kingdomes which hee inherited from his predecessors lost ten of them for no other reason but because hee beleeved not our Lord in that which hee counselled him and by following other young mens humors which pleased his fancy Ieroboam and Assa and Iozias and Achab and Benedab and Manasses which were famous kings of Israel what could they do to get credit what could they doe against their enemies or wherein could they helpe their friends or how could
mighty Redeemer and supreme Creator vvho is able to tell the secret or reach vnto this that is to say why thou diddest take the mother vvith thee thither to see thee die in that great and high day of thy passion and leaue all thy other disciples behind thee because they might not see thee suffer In so great a conflict and so narrow a straight as this was vpon the Mount of Caluary why wouldest thou haue rather womē with thee to weep thā mē to defend thee Who but thou O good Iesus saith S. Barnard who but thou did euer goe into the field to fight against his enemies without weapons accompanied with tears The mother wept the sonne wept the kinsman wept the disciple wept the aunt wept all the family wept so that Moyses did drowne his enemies in waters and the sonne of God his with teares Anselmus sayth That hee that could haue beene at the death of Christ vpon good Friday should haue seene the Iewes make an outcry the Pharisies blaspheme the hangmen lay on the heauens vvaxe darke and all the faithfull weepe in somuch that there was nothing in the synagogue but blasphemies and nothing in the church but teares Non immolabitur vna die ouis cum filio fuo said God in Leuiticus chap. 22. As if he would say Let those take heed which will offer to the Tabernacle that they doe not kill the lambe and the ewe the same day Origen sayth That because our Lord is mercifull hee would haue his disciples bee so likewise and therefore he did forbid them any thing that might tend vnto cruelty or induce them vnto it What can be more cruell than to take the lambe and the owe at one time Who is the ewe which hath brought forth the lambe but only the mother of Christ and who the lambe but her precious sonne God did warn the synagogue often that they vvould take heed vnto the Lambe and ewe and especially that if they would touch the sonne that they vvould pardon the mother God had no greater wealth nor any equal neither in heauen nor in earth vnto that lambe and sheep of whom he himselfe had a care and in whose seruice and guard all the powers of heauē were by him emploied This commandement was broken on the Mount of Caluary where they at one time killed the innocent lambe and spared not the sorrowfull mother What cruelty and inhumanitie like vnto this was euer seen or heard of haung but one sheep in the Synagogue the church hauing but one lamb to kill the lambe in the presence of his mother and torment the ewe in the sight of the Lambe What equall torment could there bee to the mother than to kill her son before hir face or what greater martyrdome could the son suffer than to sacrifice his mother in his sight O how glorious and happy should I be if my soule would turn to be such an ewe and my heart such a lambe because I might bee sacrificed on the Mount of Caluary with the true Lambe O sweet Iesus saith Vbertinus O mercifull Lord seeing that all lawes doe speake in fauour of thy precious mother why wouldest thou breake them seeing thou art the iudge of them all Is not the law made in the fauour of thy mother which commandeth that the lambe should not bee sod in the milke of his damme Is not that law made in the fauor of thy mother which cōmandeth to take the yong Sparrows and let the old one go The law which cōmandeth not to kill the Lambe and the ewe at one time is it not made in fauour of thy mother Thou then that art the giuer of the law doe not breake the law which thou doest if thou sacrifice thy selfe which art the lambe and thy mother which is the ewe There is bloud inough in the bloud of the lamb there needeth not the bloud of the mother for if it be necessary for the son to die to redeeme vs the mothers life is also necessary to cōfort vs. Bonauenture Anselmus Vbertinus cannot wonder inough what should bee the reason why the sonne would take his mother with him to the foot of the crosse seeing that shee could not helpe him in his death nor hee had no need of her to redeeme vs. It is not to bee thought that hee brought her thither without cause neither that shee did goe thither vvithout some mystery because that all things done betwixt the sonne and his mother should bee esteemed as a mystery of mysteries like vnto Salomons Canticles which are songs of songs The reason why our good Iesus would take his mother with him was as Anselmus sayth Because hee would leaue her his onely inheritrize as being the next of kindred O my singers O my heart how is it possible for you to bee able to write or my tongue able to speake of the wealth which the sonne leaueth or of the inheritance which the mother doth inherite But what could hee leaue vnto his mother who was borne in Bethelem among beasts died on the Mount of Caluary betwixt theeues What can his sorrowfull mother inherite of him who shrowdeth himselfe in a borrowed shrowd and burieth himselfe in another mans sepulchre What could hee bequeath by Testament who hauing two coats gaue one to the hangmen which crucified him and the other to the knights vvhich kept him What could hee leaue vvho neuer had a foorme to set downe on nor a boulster to lay his head on The inheritance then which she did there inherite from her sonne was the bloud which there hee shed and the dolours which hee there suffered for all men so that with the bloud which came downe from the crosse hee watered her body and with the dolours which hee suffered hee martyred her soule Saint Barnard De passione domini saith That in so great and high a work as this was and in so narrow a strait as this which Christ was in it was very necessary that the Virgine should bee there and giue her sonne part of all that was in her not onely to haue compassion on him but also to suffer with him S. Augustine vpon the passion of our Lord sayth That because the great prophecy of Simeon was not as yet accomplished it was done by the permisson and counsell of the holy ghost that the mother should be with the sonne on the Mount of Caluary where at one time the sword of grief bereaued the son of his life and pierced the mothers soule As it was not reason saith Anselmus that the mother of God should want the crowne and reward of martyrdome so was it not reason that she should be put into tyrants hāds therfore it was giuen her as a meane that because shee had serued her sonne with excessiue loue her own sonne should martyre her with his inspeakable griefs Who euer saw or heard that as it were at one sound and after one measure the hangmen should martyrize the son
was Iacobs came wholly vnto the church and Israels fell vnto the Synagogue but almost ouerthrowne not because she deserued it not but because all which was written might bee fulfilled According vnto this Prophecy the Angell said vnto the virgine in his embasie He shall raigne in the house of Iacob he said not he shall raigne in the house of Israel because the Synagogue did then draw towards an end and the church vnto her beginning in the sonne of God God then calleth the house of Iacob which is the church calleth those which remained of the house of Israel which is the Synagogue because Saint Peter was the residue of Israel and Saint Paul was the residue of Israel and all those of his Colledge were the remnant of Israel the which the sonne of God vvent throughout all the Iewish nation to gather together as it had been crummes of bread hurled abroad Now that wee know what the house of Iacob is and those who remained of the house of Israel it is now reason also that wee know what hee will doe vvith them and why he doth call them and why he vsed a speech vnto them which was neuer hard of before that is that hee doth beare them vpon his shoulders from their mothers wombes God will haue nothing else with them but onely that they beleue in him and heare him seeing he sayth Audite me Heare me and withall hee doth put them in remembrance of the great benefites that hee doth for them to wit carry them vpon his shoulders Portamini ab vtere and therfore if we will haue Gods fauour we must beleeue the words which he doth speake and bee thankfull vnto him for all the benefites that hee shall bestow vpon vs. Robertus vpon Esay sayth If wee will compare that which God requireth at our hands with that that hee doth giue vs vvithout comparison hee doth bind himselfe vnto more than that which hee doth bind vs vnto for hee doth bind vs to nothing but to beleeue in him and hee doth bind himselfe to maintaine and gouerne vs Ab vtero vsque ad senectam that is from the time that wee bee first borne vntill our dying day our Lord doth bind himselfe to bring vs vp like his children and maintaine vs like his brothers in so much that like a pittifull Father and a mercifull Lord hee giueth vs that which we haue need of and counselleth vs that which we haue to doe O infinite goodnesse and exceeding charity of thine my good God considering that by this speech Ab vtero portamini thou doest bind thy selfe to giue vs food to liue vvith and by Audite me thou doest bind thy selfe to giue vs counsell to saue our selues vvith and therefore vvee haue of thee a Lord to helpe vs and a Father to counsell vs. Our Lord vvhich did create vs is a better Father vnto vs than man vvhich doth beget vs seeing that hee sayth Qui portamini ab vtere By vvhich fatherly speech hee doth let vs vnderstand that hee doth not only prouide for our necessities but doth also dissemble our iniquities O that our Lord doth say very vvell Qui portamini ab vtero seeing that hee doth beare vs on his shoulders as oft as hee doth vvinke at our wickednesse for if hee should punish vs for euery fault according vnto his iustice wee should by this time haue had no memory left of vs. If our Lord should not beare vs vpon his shoulders and dissemble vvith our faults to prouoke vs to repentance hee should scarse haue any at all to punish aboue two or three houres and for the first sinne only if it had pleased him he might haue condemned vs to hell What temporall father doth so long suffer his owne children as our Lord doth all vs. What father doth carry his child in his armes aboue an houre as our Lord doth vs all our life time Before wee bee borne wee offend him in originall sinne after we be borne we offend him al the rest of our life with other grieuous sinnes yet notwithstanding all this hee doth bring vs vp like his children and deale vvith vs like brothers What vvouldest thou haue mee say more vnto thee but that from our mothers wombe our wickednesse doth striue with his goodnesse hee in forgiuing vs and wee in offending him O great goodnesse and vnspeakable clemency what father or mother did euer the like for their children that thou my good Iesus hast done for my sinfull soule There is no liuing creature this day in the world that doth giue milke vnto his young ones aboue two yeares but our eternall Father and Christ his precious sonne from our birth vntill our old age doth giue vs the milke of his grace the bread of his doctrine the helpe and succour of his church the pardon of his clemency and the reward of his glory Dilexit me tradidit semetipsum pro me sayth S. Paul◠as if hee would say Doe not maruell you Galathians that I did preach so vehemētly vnto you that I did exalt Christs name with such great feruency for I tell you if you know it not that besides that hee loued mee very much hee suffered himselfe to be crucified for me This is so strange a thing that S. Paul speaketh of in this place that vnlesse a man bee acquainted with the phrase of Scripture hee would take scandale at it for when Paul saith that Christ died for him not mentioning any other he seemeth to exclude the redemption of all the world beside What meaneth this O diuine Paul what meaneth this if the sonne of God did giue himself for thee why doest thou preach him to bee the redeemer of all mankind Were thy sinnes so grieuous and so enormious that they had need of all Christs bloud to redeeme them If God should send into the world a new redeemer for the taking away of euery sinne how were it possible that God could send so many seeing that hee had no more sonnes but Christ Tell me I pray thee how could so glorious a humanity so profitable a life such sound doctrine such a copious redemption such a dreadfull death bee emploied in thee alone and not benefite any but thy selfe If it bee so O Paule that Christ gaue himselfe for thee and not for me what haue I more to doe with Christ than with a holy Prophet If hee died for thee alone is it not reasonable that thou alone sholdest be thankfull for his death God forbid that it should be so neither doth his mercy permit that the Apostle onely should be redeemed and all the world besides depriued of the bloud of Christ for his redemption was so copious and there was such abundance of bloud shed for vs that on Christs part redemption did abound and there wanted on ours to be redeemed Did not redemption think you abound on his part seeing that one drop of his bloud was sufficient for all redemption and did there not want
vsing thy infinite power thou didst make of the dry desart great abundāce of water why thē dost thou make vnto thy son of an abundant sea a dry desart thou didst send meat to the Prophet Daniel when he was cast vnto the Lyons although no man did demand it at thy hards wilt thou not giue thy precious son a little water at such great entreaty Cōsidering that whē the famine was at Samaria thou didst cōmand the Crowes to carry the Prophet Helias food and the riuer Carith to giue him drinke why doest thou not helpe thy owne sonne whom thou hast ingendred of thy owne substance with a little water in this his extream thirst Considering that thou diddest turn the sower waters of Marath to be sweet because those cursed people should drinke of them why wilt thou giue thy precious sonne neither of the sweet nor sowre O what great encreasing of torments to Christ are framed in the figure of Tobias ioined with the prophesie of Ieremy seeing the one did draw the fish to the drie land and the other made a desart of the sea for vpon that drie tree of the crosse Christ was exceeding drie seeing hee could not obtain a little water to drink of and hee was also in a great desart seeing that hee found not so much as one friend to comfort himselfe with The fourth mystery which the figure containeth is that Tobias did open the fish and took out his gaule and his heart both which did him his afterwards great good the one for his owne marriage and the other to cure his fathers blindnesse It is greatly to be noted that in all that fish Tobias found nothing which was not worthy of the keeping commodious and profitable in curing sauerous in eating The best that euer hath been or shall be in the world was the Creator and Redeemer of the world whose words were holy whose doctrine was profitable whose workes were maruellous and whose bowels were most louing What did Tobias vnto that fish that the Iewes did not vnto Christ If the fish was drawne out of the riuer so was Christ from the people if the fish was put vpon drie land so was Christ carried vnto the Mount of Caluary if the fish was stripped so was Christ whipped if the fishes throat was cut Christ was also crucified if the fish was opened so was Christ pierced with a speare if the fish was cast into the fire so was Christ also cast into the sepulchre This which wee haue said is but a little in respect of that which wee will say and that is that the holy catholike Church hath drawne out this blessed fishes gaule with the which hee cureth vs and heart with the which hee loueth vs and liuer with the which he pardoneth vs bowels with which hee dooth cherish vs. O good Iesus O my soules health who hath euer had or who euer shall haue a more louinge heart than thou to loue vs or so sound a liuer to pardon vs or so profitable a gaule to cure vs or such tender bowels to cherish vs What wilt thou denie me now or what wilt thou not now giue mee O my good Iesus seeing that for to shew thy clernency and mercy vpon me thou art hanged vpon a drie tree made a dead fish opened drawne and bowelled for my sake What loue can bee compared vnto thy loue seeing that for that which touched me and not for any thing that belonged to thee thou diddest consent that they should open thy heart and diddest permit them to rend and teare thy bowels What am I able to giue thee O good Iesus what can I giue thee vnlesse it be my heart which is filthy for thine which is cleane my rotten liuer for thy vvhole one my bitter gaule for thy sweet one and my wicked and hurtful bowels for thy most louing ones Which are the greatest relickes which are this day in heauen or earth but the heart liuer and bowels which Christ left vnto his church O how happy should he be who should haue such relickes in his custodie for hauing thy heart in custodie how couldest thou chuse but loue me and hauing thy bowels in keeping how wouldest thou but pardon me How is it possible O my good Iesus how is it possible that there should bee any euill thing in thee vvhen as the church hath thy precious gaule for a relicke Since the beginning of the vvorld there hath neuer been any such thing seene or heard that is that among the relickes vvhich the church dooth account for the best the gaule is one of the most precious because that vvithout that bitter gaule neither the world could haue beene redeemed nor the Prince thereof haue beene ouercome What is the gaule which the church keepeth in her treasure but only the bitter passion which Christ suffered The richest iewell which the Synagogue had was the Manna vvhich came from heauen the greatest treasure which the church hath is the gaule and passion of Christ Betwixt vvhich two vvhat great difference there is it is easily perceiued because that the profite cōmodity of our gaule doth continue vntil this day will continue for euer but the memory of that old Manna is already lost O glorious gaule O happy gaul which thou good Lord diddest leaue vnto thy catholick church for if it did kill thee it did make mee whole if it gaue thee paine it gaue me glory if it was gaule vnto thee it was hony to me if thou diddest end thy life vvith it yet my soule vvas redeemed vvith it Christs passiō vvas bitter gaule vnto Christ and yet Christs death vvas a sweet gaule for the redeeming of all the vvorld for if vnto him there fell trauell pain yet vnto vs there fell rest quietnesse if it fell to his lot to suffer yet it fell to vs to reioice be glad if the soure fell vnto him the sweet fell vnto vs in so much that hee chose the gaule for himselfe and left the hony for vs. Iurauit patribus dare terrans fluentem lacte melle said the Prophet Moises Exod. 13 As if he vvould say You shall well remember O yee children of Israel how you did agree vvith our Lord he vvith you that both of you by oth that you should neuer serue any other Lord but him and that he would giue you a land vvhich should flow milke and hony Notwithstanding this oth the children of Israel were such naughty periures that our Lord determined not to giue them a land which should flow hony but which should bring them forth gaule seeing hee made it batten for to sow in rugged and rough to trauell in vnhealthfull to dwell in vveake in defence drie to drinke in and very poore to maintaine it selfe God did make a farre better agreement vvith his Church than vvith the Synagogue for hee did not send vs a land vvhich should bring forth honey but gaule and therefore hee
which he doth deceiue the world for thou wilt one day thinke that the Lord is carelesse and hee will send some grieuous punishment vpon thee And thou art now to vnderstand that there are so many in thy house which will awake him as thou hast faults and sinnes in thy soule In the house of our Lord who is the waker of his clemency but only our amendment and who is the waker of his iustice but only our offence Vpon those words of the Psalme Ecce non dormitabit S. Barnard sayth As the enemy which dooth impugn Israel Non aormitabit neque dormiet so the Lord who defendeth Israel Neque dormitabit neque dormiet and if it seeme that his clemency is asleepe when he doth fauour vs it is because we should liue better and if it seemeth that hee dooth defer his iustice it is because we should amend What should Isay more vnto thee but look what workes thou doest such wakers of God thou hast If thou be good thou doest awake him to doe thee good if thou bee naught thou doest awake him to doe thee hurt because that in the sight of our Lord the fault crieth for punishment and goodnesse asketh reward Ioining then mystery vnto mystery and Sacrament vnto Sacrament now that wee haue declared how God slept in the old Testament it is reason that wee declare also how his son did sleepe and awake vpon the crosse seeing that there is no lesse to be wondered at in the sleeping of the sonne thā there was to be spoken of in the sleeping of the Father For to think that the sonne of God did sleepe vpon the crosse as one that is weary and in health is woont to doe were a vanity and also an heresie for giuing him as they did gaule to eat and vineger to drinke there were more reason that his stomacke should be ready to ouerturne rather than his head haue any inclination to sleepe When Esay sayth Expergefactus lassus hee speaketh nor of materiall sleepe but of spirituall and if hee say that Christ did awake his powers within him without doubt did not awake because they were broken with tormēts but those powers did awake which lie hidden within him And although the Apostle doe say Quòd ex ipso in ipso per ipsum sunt omnia to wit of him in him and by him all things are yet there are sixe principall things aboue the rest in him These sixe are his essence his power his wisedome his humane flesh his patience and his clemency and of these sixe excellences and graces three of them slept when the sonne of God suffered and the other three alwaies watched His pure and diuine essence slept vpon the crosse seeing hee did not shew himselfe by it to be an absolute God for if hee had shewed himselfe to haue been onely God and not man he could neuer haue died vpon the crosse His high and eternall wisedome slept vpon the crosse in his passion seeing that hee neuer answered vnto any iniurious word were it neuer so grieuous against him Esichius sayth Christ did suffer that to be done by him on the crosse that a sheepe doth by himselfe in the butchery for if the sonne of God should haue showne before Pilate and Herod any sparke of his wisdome the Iews had neuer been able to haue put him to death His inspeakable and incomparable power did also sleep in his passion vpon the crosse not reuenging at all on his enemies for if it would haue pleased him to haue vsed it in lesse than a moment hell would haue swallowed thē all aliue Now that wee haue told what three powers slept with Christ on the crosse it is also conuenient for vs to shew what three they were which watched with him the same time His tender flesh did not sleep at the time of his passion vpon the crosse which was not one moment at ease nor an instant without torment How was it possible that Christ should not bee but awake on the crosse seeing that there was no vaine in his holybody which did not bleed nor no part of his flesh which was not brused and beaten blacke and blew His incomparable patience did watch and not sleepe vpon the crosse the which our blessed Iesus did neuer lose seeing that he neuer spake iniurious word vnto his enemies nor neuer shewed them an angry countenance Augustine sayth All deuout persons ought to follow Christ in the vertue of suffering for besides that the vertue of patience is meritotious before God shee is also an occasion of great quietnesse in mans life Christs diuine and louing clemency did also watch and not sleep in his passion the vvhich he did shew vvhen hee pardoned his enemies and praied for his malefactors O infinite goodnesse O inspeakable pitie O my good Iesus for if vve should grant that all the other vertues should haue slept on the crosse yet thy clemency vvould neuer haue giuen ouer vvatching for it is farre easier for the sonne to lose his light than for thee not to forgiue and pardon Plutarch in his Apothegms sayth That the Emperor Titus on a time gaue a great sigh and said Diem amisimus amici as if he vvould say It is not reason that this day should be reckoned among the daies of my life seeing that I haue done no good nor vsed any liberality in it This speech was spread throughout all the world much commended of the Philosophers and worthy of so high a Prince That which the Emperour Titus spake of his francknesse Christ might farre better haue spoken of his infinite clemency for if the Emperour did let no day passe in the which he did not some good neither did Christ let slip any houre or moment wherein hee did not pardon some offence And because the Prophet saith that the sonne of God did not onely sleepe but also that he did awake let vs now see how these three powers did awake in Christ and when and for what cause His incomparable diuine essence did rise and awake when he spake that terrible word at the time that his soule was drawne out of him and therevpon as it were in a traunce and a maze the great Centurion said of Christ That this was the son of the true God Christ did also awake his high wisdome vpon the crosse whē he spake those seuen wordes in the last houre of his death in the which there is contained more profound and deepe science and knowledge than is in all humane Philosophy or knowledge Christ did also awake his incomparable power when hee made the sunne to be darkened the earth to tremble and quake the graues to open and the dead to rise again Who dooth doubt but that the sonne of God doth shew in these wonderfull meruels the highnesse of his power the depth of his essence and the greatnesse of his wisedome and the valour of his person O my good Iesus O the light of my soule how vnlike thou
drinke water of the cesternes as to saue sinfull soules O that the thirst which Christ suffered was of a farre more higher degree than Dauids thirst for Dauid did but sigh for water but the sonne of God did not sigh but did suffer death to redeeme our soules and Dauid did quench his thirst with the preiudice of other mens bloud but the sonne of God did not kil his but with his own bloud Christ had not so good friends on the Mount of Caluary as Dauid had in his campe because Dauids seruants brought him water to refresh him withall and Christs enemies gaue him gaule vineger to tast of Super vulnera mea addiderunt dolorem said the Prophet Dauid speaking in the person of Christ as if hee would say The greatest trauaile and griefe which I feele now is that besides the words dolours which the Iewes gaue me in crucifieng me sinners haue now added another dolour vnto my former dolours which doth grieue me more than all the others did The dolours which Christ suffered in his passion his wounds and thornes caused them but the dolour which he now complaineth of our sinnes doe cause And he hath great reason to complaine more of this than of the others because the wounds which they gaue him and the nailes and thornes which tormented him dured but one day but the griefe which our offences doe cause in him doe euery houre offend him Saint Augustine sayth If there were no fault in vs there should be no wounds in Christ and therevpon it riseth that wee wound him more in his entrails with our offences than the Iewes did with their nailes But some man may say that Christ dooth not so much complaine by the Prophet of his wounds as of a grief and dolour which they added aboue all dolours and therefore it is conuenient that we declare what this dolor is and how farre it reacheth For the better vnderstanding of this point we must note that ouer and aboue all the sinnes which we commit we doe adde a new one vnto them which is as it were a counterpeise against euery sinne the which causeth the sinne to bee more grieuous and lesser hope of amendment in vs. What is this new sinne but the pleasure which we take to haue sinned the desire which we haue to sinne againe And because wee may not seeme to speake at randome wee will giue of euery one an example If the prowd man would be content to bee prowd only it would be but halfe a fault but alasse hee sayth that he is nothing prowd at all if wee regard his great desart by reason whereof he desireth to be of greater power and authority and ability to bestow more than hee doth If the angry and impatient man would be content to chide onely to braue it and murmure it might passe but alas hee doth adde fault vpō a fault that is he hath a very great thirst a desire to iniury and molest his enemies take their liues from thē also to ransacke and spoile their goods If the couetous man could be content with that which were necessary and with somewhat more it were tollerable but alasse like a noughty Christian he heapeth sinne vpon sinne for besides that hee is not content to saue bread and drinke yet hee neuer ceafeth day nor night to hoord vp all hee can If the carnall man would bee content once to attaine his desire and that which his sensuality requireth it might be dissembled but alasle hee hath such a great thirst to enioy all hee seeth that if it were in his power he would leaue no virgine vndefloured no married woman not diffamed nor any widdow not deceiued If the slothfull man would bee content himselfe not to goe in the cold in the Winter nor into the head in Summer but would eat without any labour of his owne and sleepe in his bed without care we would not much care if he did it but alasse hee hath such a great desire of ease and is such an enemy to labour that hee desireth nothing but that his neighbours should take paine because hee might eat and that all they should watch because hee might sleepe If the glutton would be content to eat till he were fill and sometimes vntill hee belked wee would not so much regard it but alasse hee hath such a great desire to eat daily of exquisite meats and drinke wines of great price that if it were possible there should bee no fish in the sea which hee would not eat of nor no meat on earth which he would not tast Loe then this is the dolour which Christ complaineth on when he sayth Super vulnera mea addiderunt dolorē which did so much grieue him that he felt none more for Saint Augustine sayth That God doth not looke what we be but what we desire to bee What greater wickednesse or what greater naughtinesse can there be in the world than not to be content to be naught but to desire to be more naught Cassiodorus sayth That the offences which wee commit are the wounds which wee giue Christ and the dolour which we adde vnto these wounds is the desire which we haue to sinne more and more This cursed desire and wicked thirst of adding sinne vnto sinne is also paied for and satisfied for the iust which come vnto our Lord when he said aloud on the crosse that he had a desire to suffer more as the wicked had to sinne more O infinite goodnesse O vnspeakable clemēcy who had euer so great a thirst to enioy our sinnes as thou my good Iesus haddest to suffer torment Who vntill this day had euer a desire to become worser and worser but our Lord had a greater desire to make him better and better Who had euer a greater thirst to encrease his vices than Christ had to make vs very vertuous O my soule O my heart doe you not see that your thirst of sinning more and more is cured with his thirst of suffering and that your thirst of heaping one sinne vpon another is quenched by Christs thirst of adding one pain vnto another Quod facis fac citius said Christ to Iudas in the night of the last supper Ioh. 13 as if he would say Seeing that thou wast so shamelesse as to sell me yesterday and art determined to deliuer mee this night vnto my enemies make an end of thy supper and rise from thence and doe that which thou wilt doe quickly because that the end of thy perdition shall bee the beginning of my redemption O sorrowfull speech O heauy word which Christ spake vnto the vnhappy disciple because that thereby he is permitted to doe what he would as though he should giue him licence vtterly to destroy himselfe and that there should bee no hope of his amendment What other meaning had those wordes which our holy maister spake vnto the reprobate disciple that is Do that which thou hast to doe with speed but to declare by
Mount Caluarie THE SECOND PART Compyled by the Reuerend Father Don Anthonio de Gueuara Bishop of Mondonnedo Chronicler and preacher vnto Charles the fift In this Booke the Authour treateth of the Seuen Words which Christ our Redeemer spake hanging vpon the Crosse Translated out of Spanish into English IL VOSTRO MALIGNARE NON GIOVA NVLLA LONDON Printed by Adam Islip for Edward White and are to bee sold at his shop by the little North dore of Pouls at the signe of the Gun Anno. 1597. ⧠A Table of the Chapters contained in this Booke PAter ignoice illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt Chap. 2 How the sonne of God said vnto his Father that those which crucifie him bee not his enemies but his friends Fol. 7 Chap. 3 How the son of God put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and mankind and what torment he receiued therby Fol. 13 Chap. 4 Of many qualities conditions which the praier of Father forgiue them had in it how it is meet for vs to follow it in our praiers Fol. 20 Chap. 5 Why the father answered not his son when hee praied for his enemies Fol. 24 Chap. 6 How Christ praied for his enemies on the crosse more heartily then hee did in the garden for himselfe seeing the one praier was made with condition and the other not Fol. 30 Chap. 7 How God is more mercifull now than hee was in time past and why Christ did not say that he did pardon his enemies when hee asked pardon for them of his Father Fol. 35 Chap. 8 How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ Fol. 42 Chap. 9 How that Christs mercy was farre greater towards the Synagogue than their naughtinesse towards him seeing hee pardoned her though she desired no pardon Fol. 51 The Contents of the second word OF the conuersion of the good theefe and of the great wonders which our Lord did vnto him in this case Fol. 64 Chap. 2 How Iudas Iscarioth was a great theefe of the thefts hee committed and how hee fell from the apostleship Fol. 69 Chap. 3 Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed and diuers treasons which he did against Christ. Fol. 76 Chap. 4 Of the great vertues which the good theef had which died with Christ and how he beleeued of that which the Prophet Ieremy speaketh to this purpose Fol. 83 Chap. 5 How three houres in which the good theefe was with Christ vpon the crosse did profite him more than the three yeares profited Iudas in the which he followed Christ and how some steale vntill they come to the gallows and how this theefe stole vpon the gallows Fol. 90 Chap. 6 How the good theefe had nothing remaining on the crosse but his heart and his tongue and that by these two hee gained glory and there are curious points vttered touching the heart Fol. 96 Chap. 7 How the naughty theefe lost himselfe onely for want of faith and of two chalices which the scripture maketh mention of of which both the theeues dranke of Fol. 105 Chap. 8 Of the great charity which the good theefe had towards the naughty theefe in correcting him of euill doing and in aduising him of the good which he lost Fol. 113 Chap. 9 Why the good theefe did not chide with the naughty theefe because hee did not loue Christ as hee did chide with him because hee did not feare God there are many notable things brought touching the feare of our Lord. Fol. 121 Chap. 10 How the son of God was more grateful vnto the good theefe which bare him company on the crosse than Pharoahs cupbearer was to Ioseph who accompanied him in prison Fol. 130 Chap. 11 Of these words Domine memento mei Lord remember mee which the good theefe spake vnto Christ the which words are deuoutly and deepely expounded Fol. 139 Chap. 12 How our Lord heard the theeues praier vpon the crosse and how Christ answered in the seuen wordes for siue which he spake vnto Christ Fol. 149 Chap. 13 How the son of God neuer vsed this word Paradise vntill he promised it vnto the good theefe of many learned expositions of this saying Hodie mecum eris Paradiso This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Fol. 157 The Contents of the third Word THat the loue which the mother of God had did exceed the loue of all other men also the loue of Angels Fol. 174 Chap. 2 How that if the loue which the mother bare vnto her sonne was great so likewise the loue which the son bare his mother was no lesse and to proue this there is expounded a saying of the Canticles Fol. 181 Chap. 3 Of the first and second word which holy Simeon spake vnto our Lady and how many fall from the law of Christ without his fault Fol. 189 Chap. 4 Of the third word which old Simeon spake vnto the Virgine in the Temple and of three authorities touching this purpose Fol. 195 Chap. 5 How Salomon did inherite the kingdome of his father Dauids pleasures and how Christ did inherit the kingdome of trauails Chap. 6 Of the sword of griefe which killed the son of God and went through his blessed mother Fol. 212 Chap. 7 How the Virgine and her family stood hard by the crosse and others sate a farre off Fol. 220 The Contents of the fourth Word HOw Christ in this speech more than in all the rest seemeth to change his stile of speaking Fol. 233 Chap. 2 How Christ doth complaine vpon his father because he doth breake all his anger vpon his body Fol. 242 Chap. 3 How Christ complaineth of his Father because he took all his friends from him in his passion and all others which he knew Fol. 247 Chap. 4 How Christ complaineth on his Father because he bathed his body with the bloud of his vaines and drowned his heart in waters of distresse Fol. 255 Chap. 5 How Christ complaineth of his Father because he did permit those to crucifie him which were wont to bee his friends and how he calleth them friends Fol. 260 Chap. 6 How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they made more account of Iepthes daughter in the Synagogue than they doe at this day of his death in the church Fol. 265 Chap. 7 How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they did open his wounds through malice as they did stop vp Isaacs wels through enuy Fol. 273 Chap. 8 How the son of God complaineth to his father because they did load his body with stripes and his heart with care and anguish Fol. 286 Chap. 9 How the son of God complaineth vpon the Synagogue that hauing carried them vpon his backe yet they bee vngratefull vnto him Fol. 297 Chap. 10 How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse considering that he hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences Fol. 303 Chap. 11 Christ complaineth vnto his Father how badly
to call him wise which hath seene much read much and knoweth much but him onely who knoweth how to vse it well and apply it in time and place for there is nothing more preiudicial to a Commonwealth then to be gouerned by one which hath great knowledge and small wisedome The famous S. Augustine sayth in an epistle when the sonne of God said Estote prudentes sicut serpentes Be yee wise like serpents what else would hee say but that simple and wise men were better for the gouernment of his church than the learned arrogant Seneca in a booke De virtutibus sayth The wise man loueth with moderation serueth with care suffereth with patience speaketh with measure visiteth without disquietnesse promiseth that which hee is able to performe concealeth his intention trusteth whome hee ought holdeth his tongue in that he knoweth and neuer striueth with him which is mightier than himself Noui Dauid viruâ— bellicâ—sum prudentem verbis said a knight of the Iewes vnto king Saul being possessed with the diuell as if he had said I know one of Isaies sons called Dauid who can deliuer thee of this euill who is in age a youth in bloud noble in countenance shining bright red heared low of stature strong in forces and aboue all very considerate and wise in his words It is much to bee noted that the holy scripture doth not commend Dauid for that he shewed wisdome in his behauiour and countenance or in gouernment but only in speaking because there is no one thing whereby a man is knowne to bee endued with the vertue of prudence and wisdome more than by the words he vttereth with his mouth Seneca sayth That all the things of this life haue a place of remaining a being in which they are maintained and time in which they are made a qualitie and condition vnto which they incline and an end where they rest which wee say by reason of speaking in the which also is required a conuenient time for that which we are to vtter and order in knowing how to speake Vae mihi quia tacui said the Prophet Ieremy as if hee would say Woe be to me woe bee to me O mighty God of Israell for all the sins which I haue known and all the naughtinesse which I haue concealed and dissembled the which if I had reuealed would haue been amended and the which if I had discouered should haue ben punished Also the wicked Cain said Maior est iniquitas mea quam vt veniam merâ—ar the which words it had beene better for him neuer to haue spoken than to haue vttered for he did sinne much more in not acknowledging mercy in God than in depriuing his brother Abel of his life behold then how Ieremy was found fault with for holding his tongue and Cain rebuked for speaking whereof we may inferre what great need we haue of the vertue of prudence because she may instruct vs what to say and aduise vs likewise what wee ought not to vtter Salomon said like a very wise man Yempus taceÌ„di tempus loquendi in which words he giueth vs license to speak and brideleth vs to hold our tongue because it is an extremity to be alwaies silent and the signe of a foole to talke ouermuch Cicero in an epistle sayth That a man is knowne to bee good or bad by the workes he doth but he is knowne to be wise or a foole by the words hee speaketh To come then to our purpose all this long discourse which we haue made is to proue that the sonne of God was very patient in holding his peace and very discreet in speaking for he neuer spake vnlesse therby hee thought hee should doe good nor did neuer hold his peace vnles he thought that scaÌ„dale should rise of his speech Bâ—de sayth vpon these words dâ—râ—ine verba vitae habes That the son of God was so discreet and wary in his words that he neuer opened his mouth vnlesse it were to preach nor neuer held his peace vnlesse it were to pray Christs owne enemies reported openly of him Quòd nunquà m homo sic loquutus est that no man euer spake as hee spake for he neuer murmured against any man he neuer accused any man nor iniuried any for iniury done vnto him S. Barnard sayth O sweet Iesus redeemer of my soule the Prophet saith very well of thee Ignitum eloquium tuum considering that all thy holy words moued vs to pitty stirred vs to charity inuited vs to goodnes trode downe wickednesse prouoked teares conuerted Commonwealths lightened our consciences and made our hearts meeke and gentle They presented Christ before foure seats of iudgement the day of his holy passion that is before Pilate before Herod before the high priests houses the Pontife Caiphas and the tree of the crosse before his father before whom he spake onely and in the presence of the others was for the most part alwaies silent and that for certaine not without a high mistery and hidden secret The mistery then of this secret is that he wold not answer in the first two Tribunals when they accused him of wickednesse and scandale but vpon the crosse where he was an aduocate he began presently to speake and plead for vs saying Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them in so much that for to excuse my offences he omitteth to answere for himselfe What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Thou doest not answer wheÌ„ thou art spoken vnto in that that toucheth thy selfe and in that that concerneth mee doest thou answere not spoken vnto Doest thou make intercession for my fault doest thou not remember thy owne life Who but thou did euer excuse those which accused him and defend them which condemne him Anselmus in his meditations sayth O quam ignitum est eloquium tuum My sweet Iesus seeing that on the crosse thou diddest excuse mee which was in the fault and returnedst no answere for thy self being without fault the which thou didst being enflamed with loue and very full of griefe Now that thou doest intreat now that thou doest craue why doest thou not entreat thy good father that hee would mitigate thy griefes as well as forgiue sinners Hast thou no pittie of thy owne holy members which are loosed one from another and hast thou it towards thy enemies which are not as yet conuerted vnto thee Seeing thou art aswell bound to defend the innocent as make intercession for the wicked why hast thou no pittie vpon thy owne innocent flesh aswell as of my enormious crimes Vbertinus sayth O quam vehementer est ignitum eloquium tuum My good Lord seeing thou doest excuse him who is culpable entreatest without entreaty forgiuest without satisfaction heapest vp for those which will not repay thee and also diest for those which haue put thee to death Seeing the law of Moses commandeth that the malefactor should pay a tooth for a tooth a hand for a hand foot for foot eie for
eie and life for life why doest thou O mighty redeemer giue thy hands vnto those which bind thē thy feet vnto those which pierce them with nailes thy eies vnto those which make thee blind and thy life vnto those which take thy life from thee If thou wilt not reuenge thy iniuries why doest thou not let iustice doe iustice vpon thy enemies S. Barnard sayth in a sermon from the time that our Sauiour was taken in the garden vntill hee was crucified on the crosse the works which he did were many but the words which he spake were very few whereby hee gaue vs to vnderstand that in time of great vexations and persecutions it is fitter for vs to helpe our selues with patience than with eloquence In this first praier which the sonne made vnto the father it is to be noted who the father is what that is that he asketh of whom he asketh when he asketh from whence he asketh how hee asketh and for whome hee asketh for by so much the more one businesse is greater than another by how much the inconueniences are greater which it draweth after it He who asketh is the sonne he of whom he asketh is the father that which he asketh is pardon the place frō whence hee asketh is the crosse the time is when hee dieth those for whom are his enemies the maner how is with many teares in so much that a praier offered vvith all these circumstances ought of great reason to be heard This praier of Pater ignosce illis Father pardon them is a very high praier seeing that he vvhich made it vvas the sonne of God vvho saith Si quid petieritis patrem in nomine meo dabit vobis And if this bee so how is it possible that the father should not graunt all that which the sonne requesteth seeing hee promiseth to giue all things that shall be demanded in his name If this be a great praier by reason of him which maketh it it is also a very great high praier by reason of him vnto whom it is made which is Pater misericordiarū deus totus consolationis The father of mercies and the God of all comfort the vvhich eternall father created vs vvith his power guideth and gouerneth vs vvith his vvisedome sustaineth and vpholdeth vs with his essence and forgiueth vs with his elemency how is it possible that a sonne vvhich hath such a father or a father vvhich hath such a sonne should not grant his demand This praier of Pater ignosce illis was also very great because of the place vvhere it was made which was in the mount of Caluarie and on the altar of the crosse vvhere the vvrath of the eternall father was appeased his blessed sonne put to death the vvicked deuil ouercome the old sinne forgiuen and all the world there redeemed S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth how much the Iewes dishonoured the holy temple so much Christ honored the Mount of Caluary for they made a den of theeues of the house of praier and the sonne of God made a house of praier of a den of theeues O good Iesus what is there now that thou doest not make cleane what doest thou not renue what doest thou not sanctifie what doest thou not make holy seeing thou wentest to the Mount of Caluary to pray for sinners which before was infamous by reason of execution done there vpon malefactors The sonne of God praying on the infamous and stinking place of the Mount of Caluary giueth all men license to pray vnto God where they will and how they will and for whome so euer they will because the perfection of praier doth not consist of the place where wee pray but of the small or great deuotion with the which wee pray According vnto that which the Samaritane woman said vnto Christ That many Iews would not pray but within the temple and it may bee to take away this error wee doe read that the son of God did not pray there but preach only which our blessed Sauiour did because no man should excuse himselfe from praier deuotion saying that the temple was shut vp Vbertinus saith that the sonne of God is not ashamed to pray Pater ignosce illis on the dunghill of the Mount of Caluary and art thou ashamed to pray alone in thy house O what a high charge and office the office of meditation and praieris considering that Christ his being naked on the crosse with his handes bound and tied his feet peirced with nailes his head crowned with thornes his mouth seasoned with vineger did not hinder him to pray Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them and seeing hee pardoned and forgaue with his heart and praied with his tongue CHAP. II. How the sonne of God said vnto his father that those which crucifie him be not his enemies but his friends QVid sunt plagae istae in medio manuum tuarum his plagatus sum in dom◠eorum qui me diligebant said God by the Prophet Zachary in the thirteenth chapter as if he would say Who hath giuen thee these cruell wounds in the middest of thy hands the Prophet answered and said Lord they wounded mee thus in the house of those which loued mee much These words were not spoken voluntarily nor of euery man seeing they cannot be applied neither to the nature of mankind nor of angell because men are not wont to receiue stripes and words in their friends houses but in their enemies The Prophet toucheth a new thing and a high mystery in saying that he was whipped and wounded in the house of his well-willers and therefore it is needfull for vs to lift vp our vnderstanding to discouer and reach vnto this high secret because that high mysteries are fit only for heroicall and high persons This demand and this answere passed on the altar of the crosse betwixt the eternall father which asked and his blessed sonne which answered who not being content to entreat only for his enemies saying Pater Father forgiue them would also haue excused them and take all blame from them in saying Nesciunt quid faciunt They know not what they doe the father said vnto him Quid sunt plagae istae so said the father vnto his son which is as much as to say O my son if thou doest say that none of these Iewes are guiltie and culpable of thy death and passion I pray thee tell me who made these cruell wounds in the midst of thy tender hands The son answered his father His plagatus sum in domo eorum qui me diligebant which is as much as to say O holy and eternall father I receiued these wounds which thou seest in my tender hands in the house of those which were my friends and if I be ioifull in receiuing them why art not thou glad in forgiuing them Thou knowest well O my father that nothing can be called an iniury in this world but only that which is done against our proper will If
goodnesse and mercie although he haue ben neuer so great a sinner so as he liue and die a Christian for seeing he pardoned those which would not bee pardoned hee will much rather pardon those which aske for pardon S. Barnard as if hee were in a maze sayth thus vnto Christ O good sauiour O my soules delight if thou wilt pardon thy death why doest thou pardon it before thou bee dead they tooke thy life from thee to the end that thou shouldest forget such a greeuous iniury done vnto thee and make no reckoning to be reuenged It is a tollerable thing to forgiue the iniury done vnto thy self but why doest thou forgiue the iniury done vnto thy sorrowfull mother and thy blessed father not calling the parties offended vnto it Thy mouth is now ready to receiue vineger thy person to be mocked thy side to bee pierced thy bodie to bee buried and yet doest thou make intercession for that wicked people Doest thou entreat for those which crucifie thee and doest thou not remember those which weepe by thee Now that thou hast pitie on the offences of the synagogue why hast thou not also compassion of the tears of thy blessed mother S. Cyprian vpon the passion of our Lord sayth All things end with thee and all forsake thee O sweer Iesus vpon the altar of the crosse sauing only thy patience with the which thou did dest suffer thy torments and thy charitie with the which thou diddest forgiue thy enemies seeing thou doest pray for those which crucifie thee entreat for those which blaspheme thee hold thy peace against those which spit on thee excuse those which accuse thee and pardon those which pardon not thee O my redeemer what a pitifull heart hast thou that considering how the Iewes themselues gaue thee licence to take reuengement on them saying Sanguis eius super nos His bloud vpon vs yet thou diddest not only not vse this libertie giuen thee but forsookest it there pardoned thy iniury O how contrary these two speeches are Sanguis eius sit super nos Let his bloud fall vpon vs and Ignosce illis Pardon them seeing that by the first the Iewes craue punishment of God and in the last Christ asketh pardon of his father for them in so much that the bloud of Christ which they asked to bee against them the son of God asketh that it may be for them What hast thou to do O good sauiour what hast thou to do with the Iews sayth Vbertinus and hangmen and torturers They goe about to condemne thee and thou to saue them they to accuse thee and thou to excuse them they to carry thee to Pilate to bee condemned and thou to thy father that they may be pardoned they to say crucifige crucifige crucifie him crucifie him and thou to say Ignosce ignosce Pardon them Pardon them At what time the son of God hanging vpon the crosse praied on one side vnto his father and on the other side the Hebrews praied Pilate there was a great conflict betwixt Gods iustice and mercie for iustice willed the praier of Sanguis eius Let his bloud fall vpon vs to be heard and contrary mercy forbad it and would haue Pater ignosce illis but in the end mercie had the vpper hand and reuengement had no part therein Whose heart saith Bonauenture would not bleed and who would not loue thee O good Iesus to see thee say to thy father my father forgiue them and not my father examine them and to see that thou doest forgiue theÌ„ without asking yeeldest vnto them without entreaty and pardonest them without amendment It is such a high mysterie sayth S. Augustine and a hidden Sacrament to see the sonne of God release iniurie with mercie and clemencie and not punish their crime with reuenge and that the praier of Ignosce illis Forgiue them preuailed against that of Sanguis eius His bloud light vpon vs that although it may well be rehearsed yet it cannot bee well comprehended and vnderstood CHAP. IIII. Of many high qualities and conditions which the praier of Father forgiue them had in it and how it is meet for vs to follow it in our praiers CVm clamore valido lachrimis efferens preces supplicatienes exauditus est pro sua reuerentâ—â— sayth the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrewes chap. 5. as if hee would say When the sonne of God was crucified vpon the tree of the crosse hee made many requests vnto his father with many supplications entreated him praying vnto him with a loud voice and pouring down many tears before him This praier was well heard of the eternall father and very acceptable vnto his diuine clemencie partly because hee who praied was a person worthy of great reuerence and partly because the praier which he made was founded vpon great pitie and mercie It appeareth well that he which praied was of an excellent and perfect condition and hee very mighty vnto whom he praied and that which hee praied of great merit and the manner which hee obserued in praier a perfect platforme of praier seeing that the Apostle in this place laieth down such high conditions of this praier which Christ made vpon the crosse Whereof although much be spoken yet there remaineth much more not spoken of First then he saith that Christ praied once on the crosse because he saith Cum clamore with a crie and with a high and loud voice because he saith valido strong and that with tears Cum lachrimis and that hee praied and offered his praier at the same time vnto his father and that the quality of the praier was to entreat and beseech preces supplicationes and that his praier was heard of his father at that very instant when hee made it because hee sayth exanditus est pro sua reuerentia The condition and qualitie of the praier which the sonne of God made vpon the crosse which the Apostle toucheth here is very great and worthy to bee marked and obserued with great heed and followed with great diligence for if we faile in any one of these conditions we are said rather to crie out then to pray Theophilus vpon the Apostle sayth That when the Apostle saith that the sonne of God praied with a loud voice vpon the crosse hee meaneth that hee offered and directed his praier with all his heart and with all his will vnto God only and vnto no other For to say the truth hee is said to pray aloud whose mind is not distracted and drawne into many thoughts When the Apostle saith that Christ praied aloud on the crosse and with a strong voice he letteth vs vnderstand with what a feruent desire and great deuotion he praied for there is nothing requested aloud and by crying out which is not either through abundance of loue or ouermuch griefe Both together forced Christ to crie out vpon the crosse that is the great loue he bare vnto his friends and the ouermuch paine
he suffered in his members When the Apostle sayth That the sonne of God offered vp praiers and supplications vpon the altar of the crosse hee declareth as Theophilactus sayth That the praier ignosce illis was extended vnto the good and vnto the bad in so much that for his enemies he offered praiers for the pardon of their sinnes and for his friends hee offered vp oblations for to confirme them in his grace As the sonne of God was Lord ouer all men and died for all men so vpon the crosse he praied for all men For if the wicked had need of him to help them to rise the good also had need of his helpe to keep them from falling Anselmus in his meditations sayth That when the Apostle sayth that the sonne of God was not content to pray only with deuotion but also offered vp that praier vnto his owne father it is to let vs vnderstand that for the sauing of all the world hee offered vp his paines and sorrowes for a recompence his life for a satisfaction his person for a reward his bloud for a price and his soule for a sacrifice It is also to bee weighed that the sonne of God made not this holy praier of Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them sitting but vpright not being at libertie but bound not in a low voice but aloud not laughing but weeping that which is most to be maruelled at the words that he praied with were very few but the tears he bathed them with were very many O good Iesus O my souls pleasure who could be worthy to stand at the foot of thy crosse to see how thy bloud ran from the thornes and thy tears flow from thy eies in so much that at the same hour and moment thou diddest water the earth with tears and pierce the heauens with sighes O what a sacred word was that O what a holy praier was Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them seeing that it was made by the sonne of God vpon the altar of the crosse accompanied with sighes washed with the bloud of Christ and offered vp with the tears of the redeemer Although the sonne of God requested the greatest matter of his father and of the greatest weight that euer was demaunded of him that is to wit Pardon of his precious death yet the tears which hee shed were so many and the loue so great with the which he asked it that if he had asked a greater matter of him his father would neuer haue denied it him S. Basill sayth O what great hurt sinnes bring vnto vs considering that for to lighten vs of them and obtaine pardon for them it was needfull for Christ to pray vnto his father for theÌ„ and offer oblation and crie out and suffer his bloud to bee shed and tears to poure downe from his eies so that thou O good Iesus diddest buy my great offences by the weight of thy bloud tears Our Lord when he praied for his enemies vpon the crosse taught vs what forme and fashion wee ought to keepe when wee pray that is to shed bloud from our members and fall tears froÌ„ our eies The son of God wept when he praied for his enemies and art not thou ashamed to laugh and talke when thou praiest for the remission of thy sinnes Yea and if thou canst not weep in thy praiers yet tel me why thou doest talke ouermuch Barnard sayth That it is more then a iest rather then a praier if at one time thou wouldest pray and talke for if thou bee not attentiue vnto that that thou praiest neither will our Lord be vnto that that thou demandest Defecerunt prae laâ—hrimis oculi mei sayth Ieremie in his Lamentations as if he should say I had such great compasston to see all the Iewes led captiue vnto Babilonia that my eies with very weeping lost their sight And indeed there is no greater token that a man is in true charity then to see him haue compassion of other mens hurts and therevpon it happeneth that good men weepe sooner for the wicked then for themselues the which happened also vnto Christ vpon the crosse who wept first for his enemies before they wept for their owne sinnes It is a very proper thing vnto the chosen people of God to weepe a like for other mens harmes and for their owne because it is the propertie of true Christian charitie to take as great griefe to see his brother lost as pleasure to see himselfe saued One of the greatest priuiledges that good men haue is that euen as they merit in taking comfort and ioy of the good that is done to good men so they are greeued at the hurt which falleth vnto euill men in so much that the good man and the iust reapeth profit commodity of euery mans conuersation Who doubteth but that the lamentation which Christ made vpon the crosse was far greater then that which Ieremie made on the Mount Sion But now it is to be vnderstood that Ieremy wept for one people onely and the sonne of God for all the vniuersall world Ieremy wept only tears from his eies but the son of God wept tears from his eies and shed bloud from his vains Further Ieremie complained that by weeping he had lost his sight onely but our sweet sauior did not only loose his sight with weeping vpon the crosse but also his very life O good Iesus my soules delight what patience is sufficient or by vvhat iustice is it reason that I should commit the offence and thou shed the teares Art thou not content vvith Ierâ—my to make fountains of tears of thy eies but also to make streames of bloud of thy vains With all those sighes which proceed from thy heart with so many griefes which thy members endure with so many teares which run from thy eies and with so much bloud which floweth from thy vains who would not graunt thy request and who would not haue compassion of that which thou sufferest O who can be able tosay with Ieremy Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Because that the greatest hap which could light vnto mee were that in amending my faults I could recouer my soule and in weeping many teares lose my sight CHAP. V. Why the father answered not his sonne when hee praied for his enemies VOs cogitastis malum de me sed deus vertit illud in bonum ego pascam vos paruulos vestros When the great Patriark Iacob died in Aegypt and that all his childreÌ„ remained vnder the power and will of their brother Ioseph and being afeard least hee should call to mind how they had sold him vnto the muleters of Aegypt the good Ioseph spake these words vnto them You my brethreÌ„ did think that you had done me great hurt but you did me great good for your selling of me was the occasioÌ„ that I came vnto prosperity and to rule and gouerne all Aegypt in so much that the great goodnesse of our Lord
crucifie him saying crucifige crucifige was to persuade him that hee would crucifie him with his hands and that they would crucifie him with their hearts They crucified him with their hearts when with their hearts they hated and detested him then they hated him with their hearts when they diffamed his person and discredited his doctrine in so much that it was not without cause that they cried twise crucifie crucifie him seeing that at one time they tooke away his life and blemished his credit And although Pilate should haue been determined to put him to death either by cutting his throat or casting him into a well or by hanging him which are easier deaths to suffer and lesse infamous to endure yet the doggish Iews would not leaue it vnto Pilates arbitrement and free will for feare least he wold haue beene too pitifull in the maner of his death When certaine words are doubled in holy scripture it is a great signe of loue or hatred in those which vse them as when Christ said Desiderio desideraui I haue desired with desire and when he said Martha Martha in which words he shewed the loue and affection which hee bare vnto his disciples and what tender loue he bare to Martha who guested him in her house The Iews also by iterating of those words shewed the great hatred which they bare vnto Christ and let vs vnderstand with what heart good wil they crucified him Behold thē their deeds towards Christ behold also the deserts which were found to be in them Yet notwithstanding all this in recompence of the cruel death which they gaue him the great shame and infamy they put him to he saith with a loud voice Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe CHAP. IX How that Christs mercy was far greater towards the Synagogue then their naughtinesse towards him seeing hee pardoned her though she desired no pardon FRons meretricis facta est tibi noluisti erubescere tamen reuertere ad me dic pater meus es tu God spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Ieremy complaining vnto him of the enormious and great sinnes the Iewish nation had committed against him And they are as if he should say O wicked and infortunate people of the Iews which art come vnto that boldnesse of sinning that like vnto a publick whore thou hast no shame in doing naught Turne therefore vnto me O sinfull Hierusalem turn thy selfe vnto me thou vnfortunate Synagogue for I can doe no lesse when thou doest aske any thing of me like as of a father but I must graunt it vnto thee like a sonne S. Ierome vpon these words saith O what an infinit goodnesse and mercy is this O my God and Lord that seeing thou hast tanted condemned Ierusalem as one which was full of sinne and without shame yea and hast compared her vnto a publicke strumpet yet thou doest entreat her to amend giuest her license to call thee Father Whome wilt thou cast from thee and denie to be thy son seeing thou doest vouchsafe to be a father vnto a strumpet If thou dost admit publick lewd womē into thy company is it like that thou wilt cast frō thee the honest and vertuous ones of thy house If thou loue those which are sinfull and shamelesse who is a greater sinner or lesse bashful or more lewd then this my wicked soule If the remedy of my soule consist in nothing else but in calling thee Father from this time forward I do cal thee Father and if thou dost require nothing else of me but that I should turne vnto thee O good Iesus I turne vnto thee and aske thee forgiuenesse of all my sinnes and seeing I doe turne vnto thee as vnto my Lord and confesse my selfe before thee to bee a great sinner I beseech thee most humbly that thou wouldst not cast me from before thy face that thou wouldest not take thy holy spirit from me for if thy holy grace forsake me my soule is turned vnto that that she was before that is vnto a shamelesse and lewd woman It is much to be noted here that God doth not cōplaine of the Iews that they were enuious angry or gluttennous but that they were bold and without shame which wanteth not a high mystery because there is no greater signe in all the world that a mans conscience is very corrupt then when to sin he hath no shame at al. I haue a great hope saith S. Augustine that that sinner will amend his life which sinneth secretly and is ashamed of it which hope I haue not of him who is resolute in his speech and dissolute in sinne because that that man doth either very late or neuer amend his manners who by long vse hath hardened his conscience To come then vnto our purpose with very great reason and for iust occasion God called the synagogue a shamelesse and dissolute strumpet seeing that in the death of his sonne shee shewed not onely her malice but also her impudency in killing him in the open day not being sorrowfull for it at all Christ knew very well that which his father had promised vnto the Iewes that is that if they would call him Father hee would forgiue them as his children By reason whereof Christ our God began his praier with Father forgiue them giuing thereby to vnderstand that seeing hee called him Father hee should bee heard like a sonne If it seeme vnto you my louing brethrē saith S. Ambrose that the Iews had no occasiō to put Christ their Lord to death neither did he see in thē any condition whereby he should pardon thē and touching this mercifull pardon I can tell you that I doe not so much maruell of the pardon which hee giueth on the crosse as I doe of the circumstances with the which hee dooth giue it The Iewes shewed their naughtinesse towards Christ in many thinges but the son of God shewed his mercy clemency towards thē in many more things for there is no mā in this life able to cōmit so great an offence but Gods mercy can go beyond it The first thing wherin he shewed his mercy towards thē was in the petitiō which he made vpō the crosse for them that is pardō remission of their sins being his enemies preferring them before his blessed mother which brought him into the world his welbeloued disciple which followed him before Mary Magdalen whom he so much loued What charity saith Remigius shold haue burned in his diuine bowels who at the very instāt of his own death remēbreth first to releeue his enemies thē cōfort his friends what meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou first remēber those who opēly blaspheme thee thē those which stand at the foot of the crosse weeping for thee O infinit charity O inspeakable goodnes what hart could do that which thou dost S. Barnard saith that it was in maner of a cōtention whether were
sinne and wickednesse in hell so also there is nothing but naughty and wicked men Wee are much more bound vnto our Christ than Samaria vnto their king Iehu because that that king did only rid Samaria of naughty men but the sonne of God made cleane purged all the earth from sinne Who are the children of Achab whose heads king Iehu cut off and who are the priests of Baal which the also slew but Idolatry which hee tooke away from the Gentiles and the Mosaicall law which hee tooke from the Iewes What is the charriot which the son of God went vp into to accomplish such high and strange things but onely the crosse vpon the which our holy Lord attained such and so many great victories It is to be noted that the king Iehu did not aske Ionadab whether their apparell were alike or neat of one fashion but if they loued one another alike to let vs vnderstand that without comparison our Lord doeth much more regard the loue which wee beare him than the seruices which wee doe him Saint Basil vpon the Prophet which saith Bonorum meorum non eges Thou wantest not of my goods saith I see wel my God I see well that how much the more need I haue of thee the lesse thou hast of me and if thou hast need of mee it is not in respect of the goods of fortune but the loue of my mind Note also that the king of Israel and no other tooke Ionadab by the hand to lift him vp into the charriot whereby we are to vnderstand that onely the sonne of God no other Saint of heauen is able to giue vs grace to loue him giue vs strength to follow him Who is able to follow thee or hath power to imitate thee O redeemer of the vvorld if thou doe not first stretch out thy hand vnto him who is able to lift himselfe vp vnto the charriot where thou doest triumph or vnto the crosse whither thou goest to die if thou doe not take vs by the arme to lift vs vp and if thou doe not hold vs by the hand least wee fall How had it beene possible for Mary Magdalen to haue forsaken her prophane life or Matthew his renting of custome or Paul his persecution or the thiefe his assailing of men by the high vvay if the sonne of God had not taken them by the hand and lifted them vp vnto the crosse with him When in the holy scripture by the feet are vnderstood good purposes and desires and by the hands good works what meaneth he by giuing Ionadab his handes and not his feet for to mount into the chariot but that our good Lord doth rather take hold of the good works which wee doe then of the good purposes which wee haue Gregory in his Register saith If thou wilt get vp vpon the chariot of the crosse with thy captaine Ionadab thou must not get vp with thy tongue which are good words nor with thy feet which are good wishes and purposes but with thy hand which are good deeds because S. Iohn dooth not say Veebaâ—ecoruÌ„ Their words nor Desideria coruÌ„ Their desires but Opera corum sequuntur illes Their works follow theÌ„ It is also to be noted that the king of Israell would not suffer the captaine Ionudab to goe vp into the chariot to him vntill hee had certified and assured him that hee was his true friend in so much that they vnited their hearts before they ioined their hands After the â—â—itation of these two friends we must haue amity and loue with Christ if we wil haue him to helpe vs vp into the chariot and the amity and friendship which wee ought to haue with him is to loue him as hee loueth vs for Christ our Lord will first bee loued of vs then serued by vs. S. Basil saith That if any maÌ„ did labor in the church of God and take pains and forgetteth to loue wee may well say of such a one that he shall not only not bee accepted but that God will thinke him also importunate and troublesome because God will not be serued by men of greatstrength such as are forcible but of such as are free of heart And further the king of Israel was not content to ask Ionadabs heart but that hee should giue it him vpright sincere and entire which Christ also demandeth of vs because the son of God will neuer take him for his friend who hath his heart crooked sinister and not vpright And who hath his heart vpright and sincere but the seruant of our Lord and hee which hath no other thing in this world nor seeketh after any thing but onely Iesus Christ Who is hee who hath his heart crooked and awry but hee who is without life who hath care neither of Christ neither of himselfe but goeth euery houre more and more sinking and as it were drowned in the world Dauid knew this very wel when he said Cor mundum crea in me deus spiritum rectum innoua in visceribus meis as if he would say O great God of Israel O great Lord of the house of Iacob I beseech thee that thou wouldest create a new heart in mee and fauor me with the gift of a new spirit which may be both right and true for the heart which I brought from the womb of my mother is such a one as I dare not offer it vnto thee nor he dareth not appear in thy presence because it is vnclean with sinne and loaden with thoughts and care O good Iesus O my soules hope what better praier can I make vnto thee or what iuster petition can I make vnto thee then that thou wouldest create a new heart in mee That is that you wouldest giue mee a cleane heart with the which I may praise thee and a new spirit with the which I may loue thee Giue me O good Lord giue me a new spirit because mine is old vnpleasant vnto thee giue me a cleane and a chast heart because mine is foule and stinking before thy face for if thou do not no praier of mine can bee acceptable vnto thee nor no worke that I doe can bee meritorious vnto thee Cassiodorus noteth That king Dauid was not content that hee was noble in bloud a Prophet by office a king in degree and in surname and calling of a roiall tribe but he asketh of God aboue all things that hee would giue him a cleane heart and poure the holy ghost into him to let vs vnderstand that it doth little auaile vs to bee gratefull vnto the world if withall wee bee hatefull vnto God Then wee are hatefull vnto God and out of his sauour vvhen our hearts bee vncleane and loaden with many spirits and then wee haue many spirits when vvee please others better then wee please God Which the Prophet liketh not but praieth vnto God that it would please him to giue him a cleane heart to beleeue in him and an vpright to serue him Why
play the Apostatae immeadiately after that hee entered into the Apostleship and that Christs goodnesse did much shine vpon him in looking so long for his amendment which Iudas neuer did nor neuer forsooke his theeuing The first thing that the Scripture accuseth Iudas of was that hee was a murmurer and a detractor saying Vt quid perditio haec c. as if hee would say If it bee so that Christ my maister hath made profession of a vertuous man and preacheth pouerty vnto all the world and also reprehendeth sharpely all such as spend any thing wastfully it would bee better for him because he might conforme his life vnto his doctrine to command this ointment to bee sold for a great deale of money and diuide it afterward among the poore and needy Here Iudas doth murmure notoriously seeing hee murmureth at the ointment which was shed and how euilly it was bestowed and at Mary Magdalen which shed it and hee murmureth at Christ vpon whome it was cast When excommunicated Iudas said Ad quid perditio haec hee iniuried the other Apostles which would not murmure as hee did hee scandalized Simon the leaper in hearing such thinges spoken of his maister hee iniuried Mary Magdalen in finding fault with her for spending of the ointment and hee rebuked Christ and noted him to be a curious and a daintie man in suffering it to be spent vpon himselfe Anselmus talking vnto Iudas sayth Tell mee I pray thee Iudas if the shedding of the ointment vpon thy maister was a good worke why doest thou not like of it as the rest of the Apostles doe If pardy it were done scandalously was not S. Peter there to haue reprehended it who was thy ancient and was not S. Iohn there also to haue hindered it and counselled him who was more familiar with him than thou wast O wicked Iudas what iustice is it to sell thy maister for money and yet to hold it for an euill thing to annoint him with ointments Doest thou make a conscience of it that they should annoint Christ his tender flesh and doest thou make it no scruple at all to steale away the almes O blessed Magdalen O happy woman O happy had he ben which had ben worthy to haue ben there at that hour when thou diddest annoint thy maister and my God and happy had I beene when thou diddest annoint him with holy ointment if I could haue tempered and mixed it with my tears and as thou diddest annoint him with an ointment I could haue washed him with my tears I do not so much meruell at the malice of Iudas as I doe at the patience of Magdalen for not regarding what Iudas did the more hee murmured the more hast shee made in annointing him O what a number of murmurers there be now adaies saith S. Ierome in an epistle which say with Iudas Vt quid perditio haec What needeth this losse condemning finding fault at all that which is not done according vnto their will and pleasure in so much that the murmurer thinketh nothing well done vnlesse it be done as hee will Hilarius saith Many murmurers doe murmure at the sumptuosity of churches and at the riches of holy places saying with Iudas Vt quid perditio haec all which wheÌ„ they murmure it is not so much because they see it in the churches but because they haue it not in their owne houses Because the sonne of God dooth represent all holy and vertuous men saith Origen what other thing is ment when hee suffered Magdalen to annoint him and refresh his body but that he would bee well pleased that we should serue all holy and good men and well content that we should vse all courtesie towards them Why dost thou murmure O thou murmurer if thou doest see thy brother ease his body of continuall paine and trauell and recreate somewhat and refresh his bones seeing thereby thou art not preiudiced at al he which iudgeth in euill part of the recreation which his neighbor taketh murmureth at Christ with Iudas seeing that the perfection of great personages doth not so much consist in hauing their bodies broken as it doth in hauing their hearts pure and cleane Put the case saith S. Chrisostome That there were a fault in that vnction yet without comparison Iudas did far more sinne in murmuring at it then Mary Magdalen in doing it or Christ in consenting vnto it Let no man iudge his neighbor saith Barnard Let no man find fault at another mans doing because that murmuring is so odious in Gods sight that oftentime hee which murmureth at anothers doing sinneth more then he which doth the thing The second accusation in scripture against this traitor Iudas was that he was a notonous theefe which was a vice by God in the old law straightly forbidden and with greeuous punishments chastised Ea quae mittebantur portabat Iudas saith S. Iohn chap. 12. As if he would say The office which Iudas Iscarioth had in Christs house was to receiue and take charge ouer all the alms which denout persons did send vnto Christ and to bestow them and deuide them to Christs vse and his Apostles S. Iohns woords are to be noted wheÌ„ he saith That Iudas caried those things which were sent them wherein he noteth the great perfection of Christ and of his Colledge considering that he asked nothing from dore to dore but did eat only of the alms which were sent them vnto their house The son of God saith Damasceu nor those of his holy colledge were not of those poor which were troublesome and importunate because he busied himselfe more in preaching than in begging for if they had no almes sent vnto them they did eate the eares of the come and the hearbs of the fields We do not read in the course of the whole Gospell that Christ commanded or commended any other matter vnto Iudas his disciple but the gathering of the almes and the charge of those temporall matters in so much that were it much or little which they did send vnto Christ Iudas did both receiue it and deuide it and withall steale the best part of it Chrysostome saith thus If wee marke it well our Lord commended his holy soule vnto his Father his blessed mother vnto Saint Iohn his holy Church vnto Saint Peter his glorious body to Nicodemus and his poore substance and wealth vnto Iudas in so much that hee committed the goods of this life vnto the wickedest man that was theÌ„ aliue It is not to be thought that it is a good sign if our Lord giue any great aboundance of temporall wealth in this world seeing that naughty Iudas â—â—charioth had more wealth lone than Christs whole company and colledge all togither It is much to be noted that seeing Christ had neither house nor vineyard nor land not other rent but onely the almes which they gaue him in the commonwealth also it is to be thought religiously that that which Iudas stole from Christ could not
bee much nor that which hee detained from the almes which was giuen him If it be so then that Christ had but little and that that which Iudas stole was not much why doth the scripture with open mouth call him a theefe wicked â—udas was a thiefe and that a great thiefe because that that which he stole was a holy thing and a holy almes and in a holy house and did belong vnto a holy person and therfore according vnto the law of God that cannot be a small theft which is done in a holy and sacred place Saint August saith that as the two mites which the poore old woman offered in the Temple were more acceptable vnto God than all the treasures of the people so our Lord is more offended with a little which is taken out of the Temple than with a great deale stollen in the world Benauenture saith that Iudas did not condemne himselfe for the great quantitie which he stole but because it was a holy place from whence hee stole it and therevpon it is my religious brother that thou maiest offend more in taking a small thing out of thy monastery then a secular man in taking a greater out of the market Why should any man meruell that the Scripture calleth vnhappie Iudas a theefe seeing hee stole away the life and goods from the king of glory Iudas sold Christs life for many he put Christs fame and credit to pledge with the wicked and hee put Christs wealth into his purses in so much that if Christ more had had more this theefe would haue robbed O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule if I were Iudas or Iudas were as I am I would neuer haue pledged thy honour and credit nor haue sold thy life that which I would haue stolne should haue beene the humilitie the which thou diddest liue with the patience which thou diddest speake with and the charitie which thou didst forgiue with and the zeale which thou diddest preach with O what a happy theefe should I be if I could rob all these vertues from thee seeing that in stead of these thefts heauen gates would be open vnto me The third accusation is that wicked Iudas Habebat loculos that is had a purse with litle purses in it to hide the pence which he had stolne Rich couetous men are wont to put their double duckats in one purse the single in another shillings in another and their small money in another because they may find them quickly and count them easily Wherein saith Seneca doth the felicity of couetous men consist but in seeing euery houre their purse counting their money alwaies hoording vp somewhat and in studieng how they may lessen their ordinary charges Aymon noteth That the Scripture sayth not that Iudas had purses but little purses whereby is gathered Christs and his colledges great pouertie seeing that all which that theefe stole was but small base money which might well bee contained in small purses Saint Cyprian noteth That there was so little money in Christs family that there was not enough to stuffe a little purse much lesse many purses and when the Scripture sayth that Iudas had many purses it was because hee had one common purse to spend of and another secretly to steale with O happy time O golden age of the primitiue Church in the which there was but one purse among them all but now alasse that not among worldlings but also among them which professe a monasticall life there is scarse any one which hath not with Iudas his small purses to keepe his own money in And hee saith further tell me traiterous Monke tell mee thou Monke which hast propertie in thinges what difference is betwixt thee which stealest the reuenues of thy Monastery and the Traitor Iudas which stole the almes from Christ Anselmus sayth That as all perfect men are more bound vnto straight vses than all other worldlings I dare affirme that hee hath secret purses hidden with Iudas which in his cell fostereth disordinate and superfluous appetites Saint Basil in his Rule sayth As it is a greater perfection in a religious person to want his owne will than to want any kind of money yet wee may say of such a one that it is more daungerous for him to bee mutinous against his superiour then to haue his purse full of money Now thou art to vnderstand my religious brother that Iudas did not so much damne himselfe for the money which he carried as he did because he did what he lusted It is an euill thing to beare the purse but it is farre worse to bee wedded vnto a mans owne will it is a bad thing to carry purses with money but far worse to fulfill a mans owne appetites because there is no sin which burneth so much in hell as the sin of a mans owne proper will CHAP. III. Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed and diuers treasons which he did against Christ IVstificationes tuas custodiam non mederelinquas vsquequaque said the Prophet Dauid in his 118 Psalme as if hee would say O great God of Israel O great God of the house of Iacob I beseech thee with all humility that seeing I bind my selfe to keepe thy commaundements all the daies of my life that thou wouldest not forsake me vntill my death This is a high praier which the Prophet maketh considering that hee doeth capitulate and agree with God and God with him that he will serue our Lord that our Lord will haue charge ouer him It is much to bee noted with Cassiodorus vpon the Psalmes that the Prophet doth not only say Doe not forsake mee but he addeth also Vsquequaque that is that hee would not forsake him all his life and also that he would giue him his helping hand in all that hee shall goe about O good Iesus O the loue of my soule I beseech thee that if thou doe suffer me to fall into any sin yet that thou wouldest not forsake me Vsquequaque Alwaies or continually and let me commit all sinne for if thou doe not hold mee with thy mercifull hand where shall I stop but in the pains of hel Our Lord hath held many with his hands as Cain Heli Saule and Manasses but hee did not hold them Vsquequaque that is still and all in all vntill the end considering that the one slew his brother the other lost his Priesthood the other was depriued of his kingdome and the other died a Pagan Hee did also forsake Dauid in his adultery S. Peter when hee denied him Paul when hee persecuted him but he did not forsake them Vsquequaque that is vntil death for of great sinners they became very holy and chosen men O what a singular fauour sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalmes our Lord doth vnto those whome he doth not vtterly forsake as he neuer doth his best friends the which although they bee euilly handled and suffer much yet hee doth it rather to exercise them then to
forsake them The vnhappy and vnfortunate Iudas cannot say truly vnto our Lord leaue me not for euer because his sinnes were so great and his offences so grieuous that he was forsaken of Gods hands vtterly he made himselfe wholly vnworthy of Gods mercy and clemency Was not the traitor Iudas vtterly forsaken thinke you seeing that he sold our Lord master vpon the Wednesday vpon the Friday after he hanged himselfe vpon a tree Doe not forsake mee O good Iesus doe not forsake me Vsquequaque for euer but if thou wilt forsake me for a time and withdraw thy helping hand from mee forget mee no longer then thou diddest forget S. Peter which was vntill hee wept and doe not forget mee as thou diddest Iudas vntill hee hanged himselfe The scripture accuseth Iudas that he had noregard vnto the needy and poore but that he was more careful to steal somewhat from the almes which was giuen vnto Christ then to bee pitifull vpon the poore and necessities which were among the people Suspirabam ligatus sum non cathenis ferreis sed me a praua voluntate saith Saint Augustine in the eighth of his Confessions as if he would say O how many times did I pierce the heauens with sighes and watered the fields with my teares seeing my selfe taken and bound in yrons and yet not with fetters and cheines but with my own proper wicked vvill and that vvhich I cannot speake vvithout vveping is that I yeelded my owne will vnto the enemie and with my vvill he doth that vvhich is not my will Who euer vttered such pitifull vvords vntill this day O vvith vvhat great reason this holy man speaketh this and vvith vvhat greatreason hee vveepeth for giuing our vvill vnto the deuill seeing hee maketh of our vvill that vvhich vve vvill not for if vve giue the enemy once an entrance into our soule he rebelleth presently with the chiefest force hee hath Iudas gaue principally his will vnto the deuill and hee in lieu of his will taught him to murmure and hauing taught him to murmure hee vsed him to steale and hauing vsed to steale he began to haue purses and that being done hee came to sell Christ for couetousnesse What would the Prophet say when hee saith abyssus abissum inuocat One depth calleth another but that the qualitie of one sinne is to call another vnto him August vpon the Psalmes saith King Dauid saith very well that one sinne entiseth another considering that of idlenesse commeth looking of looking desiring of desiring consenting of consenting doing of doing perseuering of perseuering damning himselfe in so much that wee goe from sinne vnto sin in post hast vntill we be benighted in hell Iucundus home qui miseretur commodat c. saith Dauid in his hundred eleuenth Psalme as if hee would say O how happy is that man who is pitiful with the weake a giuer of almes vnto the poore and modest in that which hee speaketh for although God suffer such a one to be tempted yet hee suffereth him not to bee ouercome S. Ierome vpon these words saith If thou marke it well there is no man called pleasant and faire in Scripture but hee which vseth pitie and giueth almes and hee who meaâ—reth his words before hee vtterthem for such a one is in fauour with God and esteemed among men Who hath ben mercifull vnto his brother in this world vnto whom God hath not beene the like in the other who hath imparted his goods vnto the poor vnto whom God hath not imparted his glory who hath brideled his tongue who hath not benregarded respected for it What greater reward would he haue which vseth mercy or he which giueth alms of his substance or he who hurteth no man with his tongue then that oth and promise which the Prophet speaketh of Quòd in aternum non commouebitur that although he be neuer so much vexed and beaten with temptations yet our Lord will not suffer him to be ouerthrown S. Barnard saith vpon Qui habitat O good Iesus O the glory of my soul if my hart be assured by thee that he shal not bee moued for euer what doe I weigh it if pride beate me if anger moue mee if enuy molest me yea and the flesh disquiet me when our Lord asketh of vs that we would be merciful alms giuers fair spoken it is a very smal matter that he asketh of vs considering that which he doth promise for it for for to be assured that neither in aduersity which may come vnto him nor prosperity which hee may happen vnto Quòd in aeternuÌ„ that his heart shall neuer bee moued is such a great matter that it can neither bee bought with the weight of tears nor deserued by heroicall deeds The contrary vnto all this was found in wicked Iudas for in steed of pitty he was cruel coÌ„sidering how he had no regard vpon the poor in stead of almes-giuing he stole the almes from Christ instead of brideling his tongue he sold his God Lord vnto the Synagogue and how could Iudas the theefe haue pity on the poor which begged among the people seeing he stole the alms which they gaue vnto Christ If it be a sin to steale from a rich man yea that which hee aboundeth with shall it not be a sin a wicked sacriledge to steale from the poor that which they haue necessity of wheÌ„ those of Christs holy colledge did eat the ears of corne for pure hunger they would rather haue earen bread and meat if they had had money to buy it If Iudas did see Christ deuide the apostles alms to the needy poor he should nor only not haue takeÌ„ it as a reprochfull thing dishonest but rather he should haue ben thankfull and glad for it because there is no worke of mercy which is not in this world commeÌ„ded and in the other rewarded It is a certaine thing that the eues wish not well vnto the poore because a theefe will neuer come to him whom he thinketh will aske something of him but vnto those from whome they imagine they can steale somewhat away Fulgentius saith in a sermon If sorrowfull Iudas had beene loiall vnto his maister mercifull vnto the poore friendly with the Apostles disciplinable in his manners and not desirous of other mens goods our Lord would neuer haue left him to haue gone out of his colledge nor hee euer haue committed treason Who made thee O Iudas stumble and fall into such enormious and greeuous sins but thy small or rather no pity When the scripture accuseth the traitor Iudas that he had no care of the needy it is a matter both to make vs afeard and also to wonder at because that in the sight of our Lord the almes which we doe vnto the poore are much more accepted than the sacrifice and incense which we offer him Iudas is also accused of that which hee did in the parlar where hee supped when Christ said Ecce
follow reason The end why the vvise man did aske for a heart easie to bee instructed was because hee might know how to chuse vvhat vvas conuenient and eschew that vvhich vvas hurtfull for if a man cannot doe this a brute beast can do that which a man cannot doe because wee see by experience that hee eateth euery day of one food for his sustenance and of others he eateth at times for a purgation S. August de verbis Apostoli saith That it is so great a gift to haue a mind apt to learne in this vvorld vvhat is good and vvhat is bad that he giueth it but vnto very few for this being knowne there is nothing else to be known To come then vnto our purpose had not this good theefe a heart easie to bee taught vvhat vvas good vvhat euill and that farre better than the other theefe his companion seeing he said vnto our Lord Remember me commending himselfe vnto Christ and the other said blaspheming Christ if thou be Christ saue thy selfe and vs Origen vpon Matthew saith Care not my brother for being a theefe in hope to saue thy selfe as the good theefe did to saue him for God gaue him not heauen so lightly but that he paied somewhat for it FOr if he gaue him the kingdome of heauen it vvas because he did confesse him vvhen al denied him praised him when all men blasphemed him accompanied him vvhen all men forsooke him and defended him vvhen all men accused him O high iudgements of God O inscrutable secrets of Gods diuine prouideÌ„ce vvhich of the Saints deserue to vnderstand them or vvhich of the Seraphins is able to attaine vnto theÌ„ Let all the vvise men of the vvorld come together let all the Hierarchies holy principalities assemble themselues what count can they yeeld or vvhat reason can they alledge vvhy three houres onely in the which the good theefe vvas vpon the crosse vvith Christ did profit him more than Iudas three vvhole years continually that he went vvith Christ Agreeable vnto the saying of the Apostle what auaileth it the gardener if he labour in his garden plant lettise and water them with the water of the morning if our Lord doe not visite it with his grace Chrisostome de laudibus latrâ—nis sayth The theefe stole and Iudas gaue almes the theefe filled his belly and Iudas fasted the theefe stole and Iudas praied the theefe followed the world Iudas serued Christ yet notwithstanding al this the theef is saued Iudas coÌ„demned What dooth it auaile vs to serue if it please not the sonne of God God looked first vpon Abel then vpon his sacrifices in the world they look first vnto the gift although hee who giueth it bee naught but in the house of God they regard more the merit of him who giueth thaÌ„ the value of the thing which he giueth The merits of this theefe were very great considering he serued Christ neither yeares nor monthes nor weekes but houres and those very few but hee emploied them so well that if he sinned a long time he repented suddenly amended with speed saued himselfe in a short space Vbertinus saith That it is to bee noted that the scripture passeth with silence who this theefe was from whence he was what age hee was of what law he obserued of what stocke hee descended because that Pilate being a Romane iudge could aswell crucifie the Gentiles as hang the Iews The scripture kept close the secret of this secret to let vs vnderstand that for our saluation it maketh little to the purpose whether wee be noble men or meane men rich or poore well spoken of or infamous but only that wee hold Christ for our Lord and king and that wee keepe faithfully his holy law S. Basil vpon the Psalmes saith That all the things of this world suffer an excuse but those things which touch the good of our conscience the seruice of the catholike church do admit none at all And that there is no excuse to be admitted in the seruice of God let vs look vnto the good theef which suffered on the crosse with Christ who for to aske pardon of his error and to repent him of his sinnes was not hindered at all by being infamous nor coÌ„demned nor crucified nor of base linage nor yet that hee had so smal time to repent How great sinnes so euer we haue or how late soeuer we come vnto the crosse let vs not distrust to bee heard nor despaire to bee admitted for wee doe not read of this theefe that he was baptized or confessed yea or that he had repented vntill he was put vpon the crosse Cyrillus crieth out O great mercy O infinite goodnesse what sweats did that theefe endure for thee what discipline did hee giue his flesh what number of yeares did he serue thee in what holy pilgrimages did he bestow his time that thou shouldest within three hours pardon his offences and no other but thou thy selfe take him to glory Barnard saith O who could become a theefe with the good theefe seeing that one fight of thee made him a Christian and one word brought him to heauen We see daily that some steale in their childhood some in their youth some at mans estate some in their old age â—nd some euen vnto the gallowes but yet to steale vpon the gallowes of whom do we read it but of this holy theefe There was neuer any famous theefe that euer did so famous a robbery before he came to the gallowes as this good theefe did euen vpon the gallowes considering that before all their faces he stole away the kingdome of heaueÌ„ O that this was a happy theft which the theefe stole vpon the crosse considering that hee stole the sonne from his father their Lord from the Angels and their creator from the Iewes and their redeemer from the Christians Who euer saw any thing like vnto this who euer heard any thing like vnto this or who euer read any thing like vnto this Thy feet nailed thy armes crucified thy hands bound all thy body disiointed and withal hanging vpon the crosse and yeelding vp the ghost yet doest thou steale from others When other men ask pardon of the people say their beliefe restore things taken away as all other theeues doe at that time thou doest go about to steale anew O good Iesus O the comfort of my soule wilt thou not giue me license to rob and steale with this theefe That which I would steale should bee the bloud which thou diddest shed the loue which thou diddest die with and the charity which caused thee to die and the crosse on which thou diddest die but woe and alasse if I would steale all this I should first crucifie my selfe O my soule O my heart if you will steale and rob with this theefe suffer your selues to be taken then to be bound then to bee dismembred and crucified for as in the world when wee are at liberty money is stolne so
irae dei vsque ad faeces said the Prophet Esay speaking with Israel as if he would say Rise vp O Ierusalem rise vp O Synagogue seeing that of meere drunkenesse thou art fallen vpon the earth considering that thou hast dronke the cup of the anger of God vnto the very bottome and dregs The sonne of God the night before his passion being at his praiers in the garden of Gethsemani when all the torments which he was afterwards to suffer came vnto his mind and the torment of the death which hee was to endure said vnto his eternall father Pater sivis transeat a me talix iste as if he would say My eternal and holy father I ask thee as thy son and beseech thee as thou art my father that thou wouldest consent that all those of my church may also drink of this cup of bitternes The doubt now is that seeing the cup that Israel tasted of was frō as good a God as the cup that Christ drank of why the cup that Christ drank of was approued liked the cup that Ierusalē drank of misliked disallowed The one was a cup the other a cup the one was of bitternes and the other was of ire the one fell to the synagogue the other to the church the one was of God the other was of God seeing it is so why do they threatē Israel for that which hee drunk and praise Christ for that which he supped vp The better to vnderstand this point we must vnderstād that there are two kind of cups or chalices in the holy scripture To wit the one which is called the chalice of bitternesse the other which is called the chalice of ire and the difference betwixt thē is that by drinking the one we appear betimes in the morning in Paradise by drinking the other we go down at night vnto hel What is the cup of bitternesse ful of but with hunger cold thirst persecution temptation all which things our Lord giueth to drinke vnto all those which hee hath chosen to serue him and vnto all those whom he hath predestinated vnto saluation S. Gregory in his Morals saith That it is a sign that he is predestinated to be saued vnto whom God giueth his cup of bitternes to drink in so much that we cannot escape grieuous hels vnlesse it be by the cost of great trauails It is to be noted that Christ said not vnto his father that he wold not drink of the cup neither yet did he offer himself to drink vp al but he praied him only by speciall grace that others might help him to drink it for if he should alone haue dronken the cup of bitternes he alone should haue entred into Paradise O giuer of all goodnes O distributer of al fauors what hadst thou that thou didst not cōmunicate vnto vs or what didst thou possesse that thou didst not deuide amongst vs Thou hast giuē vs thy body to eat thou hast giuen vs thy bloud to drink thou hast giuē vs thy law to keep thou hast giuē vs thy hart to loue thou hast giuē vs thy cup to tast thou hast giuē vs thy glory to enioy Anselmus saith That in the vain pallaces of the world those are thought to be most familiar which are most of all made much of by their Lord but in the company house of God those are best beloued which are worst handled insomuch that we wil say him to be his familiarest friend whom we shall see to drinke oftenest of his bitter cup. O high mystery O diuine Sacrament when the sonne of God did weepe teares from his eies in the garden and did sweat bloud from his body hee did not aske that his chosen flocke might bee cockered and made much of but only that he wold let thē sup some sup of his bitter cup. What else was S. Peters crosse S. Andrews crosse likewise Bartolomewes knife S. Laurence grediron S. Steuens stones but certain pledges which they receiued of Christ certain bitter sups which they dranke of his chalice Hilarius vpon S. Matthew saith That how many more sups a man hath supped in this life of Christs cup so many steps the higher shall hee bee in heauen in glory for what cause we ought to entreat and aske earnestly that if we cannot drink al his cup yet that he would let vs at the least rast of him with his elect S. Ierome sayth also That although the cup which Christ left his elect bee somewhat bitter in drinking yet after that it is drunke it is sauerous and profitable because the trauels of this world doe not giue vs so great griefe and paine when wee suffer them as they bring vs delight after we haue suffered them It is also to bee noted that hee sayth Transeat a me calix iste that is He would not haue his bitter cup turne backe againe but goe on forward wherby he giueth vs to vnderstand that the merit of his passion and the bloud of our redemption should not be bestowed vpon them which euery day goe worse and worse vntill the end but onely vpon them vvhich euery day grow better and better This word of Transeat Let this cup passe is a high word and worthy to bee marked in the which and by the vvhich our good Iesus doth admonish and warne vs that those shall not drinke of his cup of bitternesse enter vvith him into glory which hauing been good turn in the end to be naught but only those vvho being naught proue to be good nor those vvho vvhen they should go forward from vertue to vertue turne backward and perseuere in vices because that among the seruants of our Lord he vvho doth not profit doth disprofit There is no rich mā in this world which doth set so much by his wealth as Christ doth by his chalice of bitternesse and therfore seeing that he commandeth that his cup should passe further that those should drink of him vvhich doe go forward the seruant of our Lord ought to take pains to make himselfe better and to go forward not in ambitiō which doth tēpt him but in deuotiō which he doth want O good Iesus O my soules cōfort Let this cup go not frō me but to me because we may tast of thy pains trauels feel thy griefes weep for thy tormēr enioy thy loue wash away my wickednes insomuch that whē thy cup doth passe frō thee it may light vpon me Let euery mā make his prouision of wines of Illana of Candie of Dania yet I for my comfort and deuotion doe aske of God that all the daies of my life I may deserue to drinke of that bitter cup one drop There is another cup which is called the cup of the wrath and ire of God of the which when I begin to speake my bowels open my heart is troubled and my soule is sorrowfull my flesh trembleth and my eies also weepe How is it possible that
my hart should dispose my penne write my inke marke and my paper suffer mee to write how happy they are who escape the drinking of this cup and how vnhappy they are which drinke of it With this cup of ire God did threaten Ierusalem of this the Synagogue dranke with this wicked Babilon was drunk yea and this was the cause why all Iudea was lost S. Augustine in an Homilie saith He drinketh of the cursed cup of ire who through his sin falleth from the estate of grace which is an euill aboue all the euils of this life because a soule without grace is farre more deader than a body without a soule When doest thou thinke that God doth suffer vs to drinke of the cup of his ire but when hee forgetteth to hold vs vp with his hand through our demerite When shall wee see whether we haue dronke of the cup of his wrath but vvhen God is carelesse in keeping vs from falling and vvee slothfull in amending our selues S. Ambrose vpon the Psalmes sayth O vvhat a difference there is betwixt the vvrath of God the vvrath of man for they punish vvhen they are angry but God forbeareth to punish vvhen hee is angry in so much that God is more displeased vvhen hee dissembleth a fault than vvhen he doth presently punish S. Barnard sayth That there is no greater temptation than not to bee tempted nor greater tribulation thaÌ„ not to be afflicted nor greater punishment than not to be punished nor yet a sharper scourge than not to be scourged For as there is small hope of the sick mans life vvhome the Phisition doth distrust and despaire of euen so in like manner there is great occasion to suspect the saluation of that man vvhom our Lord doth not punish in this life It is also to be noted that Esay doth not only threaten Ierusalem because she dronk of the cup of the ire of God but because she drunke also the dregs and lees vntill shee left none in so much that if there had ben more more she would haue drunk We call that properly the dregs of the wine that part of the wine which corrupteth and marreth and that which goeth to the bottome and that which rotteth and stinketh and that whereof we receiue no profite What are the dregs which sinke vnto the bottome but onely wicked sinne which beareth vs into hell The dregs of sinne cause vs to rot and with dregs of sinne we sinke and by the dregs of sinne we are damned and by the dregs of sin we are hated of God I will visite Ierusalem and those men which are fastened in their dregs saith God by the Prophet Sophonias in the first chapter as if hee would say I will visite all the dwellers of Ierusalem and I will make no reckoning of other sinnes and offences but of such as I shall find entangled and tumbling in the dregs and lees Who are those which sticke in the mire are bedurted with the dregs but those which stand obstinately in their sinnes and wickednesse God complaineth not of those which are defiled in the dregs but on those which are fastened and fixed in them for our Lord is not so much scandalized to see vs fall into sinnes as to see vs wallow and delight in their dregs and grounds O that wicked is the heart which is fastened and standeth firme in the dregs of sinne because promises cannot allure and entise him nor threatnings feare him nor entreatie conuert him nor punishment amend him nor counsell profite him How badly our Lord liketh of them which are firme in the lees and dregs he sheweth plainly seeing he threatneth such as stand fast in them and those which drink of the cup vnto the dregs wherof we may inferre that wee doe not so much condemne our selues for sinning as because we will not goe out of sinne To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is as if as there are but seuen capitall sins they were feuen thousand to haue a will to offend in them all before we died To drinke vnto the dregs is that if by deed we commit ten sinnes euery day in thought we commit an hundred euery houre To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is that if wee omit to commit any sinne it is not because wee would not but because we could not or durst not To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is that not being content to sinne we commend and praise our selues for doing it as if we had done our Lord some notable seruice To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is that when wee haue committed all kind of sinnes yet wee cannot endure to be called sinners To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is to be so gracelesse and shamelesse in sinning that we entise and importunately vrge others to do the like To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is to hate our neighbour with our heart iuiurie him with words and hurt him in deeds Loe thus then haue I told you what is the cup of bitternes which the elect and chosen drinke of and which is the cup of wrath and ire which the wicked drinke of in so much that if wee would know who shall bee saued or who damned wee are onely to mark what cup he dranke of To come then vnto our purpose we must suppose that these two theeues drank of both these cups which are so dreadfull and wonderfull and such as the cup was of which ech of them dranke such was the reward or punishment which on the crosse ech of theÌ„ receiued and carried away WheÌ„ the naughty theefe said vnto Christ saue thy selfe and vs he dranke of the cup of wrath and when the good theefe said vnto Christ Lord remember me he dranke of the cup of bitternesse insomuch that the one drank of the pure wine seeing he went into heauen and the other dranke of the stinking dregs seeing he went into hel What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Seeing they were both coÌ„panions both the eues both hanged both saw Christ and both were neere vnto Christ why doe they giue to the one to drinke of the cup of glory and vnto the other the cup of ire S. Augustine answereth vnto this sayth Why God doth giue light vnto one and not vnto another why he draweth this man and not that man I pray thee good brother goe not about to seeke out the reason if thou wilt not bee deceiued for all this dependeth of Gods high iudgements the which although they be secret yet notwithstanding they be not vniust Origen vpon Mark saith As there are many things in the heart which are not of the heart and as there are many in warâ—â— which take no pay in the warre so the naughty theefe was vpon the crosse not hauing the fruit of the crosse for in stead of asking Christ that he would pardon him be asked that he would deliuer him and vnbind him If thou bee Christ saith the naughty theefe saue thy selfe
loue when he doth impart his grace amongst vs insomuch that with the first loue hee deliuered vs from being slaues and with the second loue he receiued vs to be his sonnes In figure of all this the altar of the Synagogue was all hollow but the altar of the church is massie and sound by reason of the feruent loue which God beareth vs and great charitie and mercy which hee doth vs. It is much to bee noted that God doth not commend vnto vs Faith Hope Patience and Chastitie but only Charitie in which words hee giueth vs to vnderstand that if we doe set much by that which our Lord giueth vs we ought to esteeme much more of the loue with the which hee doth giue it vs. Isidorus sayth That all the courtesies which our Lord doth promise vs and all the persuasions vvhich hee vseth vnto vs are to no other end but because vve should bee thankfull vnto him and because vve should be mercifull vnto our neighbours What vvanteth hee vvhich vvanteth not Charity and what hath he who hath no Charity The mercifull and pitifull man hath God alwaies at his hand that he fall not from his faith that hee lose not his hope that he defile not his chastity nor despise humility for in the high tribunall seat of God no man need to feare that they will deale cruelly with him if hee hath had any charity in this world Wherein doest thou thinke saith S. Ierome that all Christian charity doth consist and al the health of thy soule but only in seruing of Christ with all our heart and in labouring to profit and benefit our neighbour What greater good can I doe vnto my brother than put him in the right way if hee be out and correct him if hee bee naught Bede sayth vpon this matter That true and chast loue may bee deuided betwixt God and our neighbour so as our neighbor be not prowd and naught for if he be so we are to wish his saluation and flie his conuersation Wee haue spoken all this to declare the great charity which this good theefe had and also vsed towards the naughty theefe seeing that vpon the crosse hee taught him that which was conuenient for him reprehended him in that which he spake Neque tu times deum qui in eadem damnatione es said the good theefe vnto the bad as if he would say O my friend and companion I wonder much at thee that hauing beene of such a naughty life and conuersation and being vpon the very point to die I say I maruel that thou darest to crucifie this holy Prophet more with thy tongue than the hang men doe with their nailes because the nailes doe open his vains but thy euill tongue doth rend his entralls The good theefe vsed but few wordes but they contained many mysteries and therefore it is needfull that they be read with attention and written with grauity It is to bee noted that although our Lord God be present in all things with his power yet hee is much more in mans heart and tongue by grace because those are the two parts with the which we doe most of all please or offend God with S. Aug. saith That the eies doe loth oft to see the ears to hear the hands are loth to work the feet to go yea the body to sinne but the heart is neuer weary of thinking nor the tongue with speaking Cor mundum crea in me deus pone custodiam ori meo said the Prophet Dauid as if he would say I beseech thee O good Lord that thou wouldest renue this heart within me put a watch vnto this mytongue because that al the other parts of my body can but trouble offend me but the heart tongue can trouble me damne me S. Ambrose saith That it is a certein token that we are in Gods fauor when he doth giue vs grace to keep our hearts clean our tongues brideled because the foundation of all Christian goodnes is to beleeue our Lord God with all our hearts praise him with our tongue Ego dabo eis cer nouuÌ„ said God vnto Israel I will open thy mouth said God vnto Ezechiel as if he would say I will lighten thy heart O Israel to the end that thou maist beleeue in me and I will open thy mouth O Ezechiel to the end that thou maist preach my name for thou hast obtained no small gift if thou come to know me learn wel to set forth my name To come theÌ„ vnto our purpose the grace of a new heart which God gaue vnto Israel and the gift of praising his name which he gaue Ezechiel Christ also gaue vnto the good theef which was neer vnto him seeing he touched his heart with the which he beleeued in him opened his mouth with the which he preached his name Vbertinus saith That this good theefe was an excellent preacher in the church of God who in a sort seemed to goe before the Apostles in faithfully beleeuing and preaching Christs might and power What greater maruell wouldst thou haue the bloud of Christ worke saith Rabanus thaÌ„ to make preachers of theeues robbers the pulpit in the which hee preached was the crosse the preacher was the theâ—f the holy one of whoÌ„ he preached was Christ the church where he preached was Caluary the audience before whom he preached were the Iews the Theame vpoÌ„ which he preached was Neque tu deum times Neither doest thou fear God and that which there hee preached was the setting forth of Christ and the reprehending of that which his fellow spake The office of a preacher is saith Saint Gregory Secreta reserarae vitia extirpare virtutes inserere The duty of a preacher is to open the secrets of the scripture extirpate vice out of the Commonwealth and teach how our soules are to be saued What greater secret can there bee than to confesse and preach a man crucified to bee God Who reprehended vices like vnto this theefe seeing that hee confessed himselfe to be a sinner and accused the other theefe to bee a blasphemer who did teach the way to heauen better thaÌ„ this theef seeing hee was almost the first that went thither The good theefe deuided his sermon into foure parts the first was when hee rebuked the other theefe when hee said Neque tu deum times the second when hee accused himselfe to bee naught saying Nos quidem iustè patimur The third when he excused Christ saying Hic autem quid mali fecit The fourth when hee craued pardon for his sinnes Domine memento mei Lord remember mee Seeing then that the preacher is but a new preacher the pulpit new and the thing that he preacheth new it is reason that wee should heare that which hee preacheth with attention and do that which he counselleth with great deuotion Auferetur zelus meus ate quiescam ne irascar amplius said God by Ezechiel chap.
16 as if he would say O thou Synagogue which art hardened seeing that thou wilt not beleeue that which I tel thee nor doe that which I command thee I am determined not to chide thee nor punish thee for any fault that thou shall commit but as being incorrigible I am determined to forsake thee O sorrowful speech O dreadfull word when our Lord saith that he will aduise vs no more what we haue doe nor correct vs of that which wee doe for if he take his mercifull hand from vs what shall wee dare to take in hand Tell me I pray thee what can we doe or what doe we know of our selues if wee bee not guided by the hand of God in that which wee take in hand and aduertised in that which wee doe amisse S. Gregory saith vpon Ezechiel When our Lord saith by Ezechiel that he will be no more angry with vs it is a signe that hee is very angry with vs because it is a propertie of our Lord neuer to bee so angry as when hee is not angry to see vs offend Barnard saith O good Iesus the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou take not thy zeale from mee nor withdraw thy punishing hand from me but as I commit a fault so let thy punishment bee ready for by this means I shall sooner amend liue also more warily When the father of a company doth not punish a peruerse seruant it is a signe that he will put him out of the house and when they let a sick man eat all things that he lusteth it is a sign that he wil die so whē God doth let vs go with the bridle loose in our own hand after what vices we lust it is a token that wee goe altogether out of the way O how indurate that man ought to be in sin and how he ought to be mired in wickednes of whom God sayth Auferetur zelus meusate For when God saith that hee will not loue vs any more with realousie what doth hee mean else but that he will be carelesse and forgetfull of vs and forsake to punish vs The holy scripture maketh mention of two kinds of zeale the one is holy and glorious and it is that which God hath towards vs the other is common and is that zeale which wee beare towards our neighbours and if the one be necessary the other is more necessary because the true zeale and loue of our neighbour consisteth not so much in helping him to maintaine himselfe as in directing him to sane his soule S. Augustine in a Sermon sayth What doth it auaile thee O my friend that thou help thy neighbour in time of necessitie with thy money if thou consent vnto him and hee with thee to wallow in vices O how far a greater good turne thou shouldest doe him in lessening his faults than by augmenting his wealth because there is no greater riches vnder the heauen than to haue a cleane conscience The good theefe had a great zeale that the other should bee saued seeing hee did rebuke him for being a blasphemer and persuaded him to be a Christian insomuch that for a recompence for helping him to steale hee would also helpe him to die well Chrysistome vpon this matter sayth These two theeues had kept companie a long time together and deuided equally their prey betwixt them because that as there was no difference betwixt them in the fault so they would haue equall shares in the deuision Now the good theefe would haue continued his old vse and as he had stolne heauen there vpon the crosse so he would haue deuided part of it vnto his companion if the Lord of the theft which was Christ would haue consented vnto it or if the wretched theefe had deserued it O how great and vnspeakable a charity was this of the good theeues for considering that himselfe was a Christian hee would haue made the other one also and seeing himselfe the heire of heauen he would haue taken the other thither with him and seeing himselfe pardoned hee would haue gotten pardon for the other but that hee would neither beleeue in Christ nor with good will giue eare vnto his companion It is much to be noted sayth Chrisostome that the good theefe said first vnto the bad Neither thou doest feare God before hee said Lord remember me For as I suppose it helped much to saue the good theefe that Christ saw with what great charity hee laboured that his cōpanion should not cast away himself Whē he said first in fauor of the other Neither thou doest feare God before hee spake in the behoofe of himselfe Lord remember me is it not most manifest and clear that he desired as much that his companion should bee conuerted as himselfe saued Remigius sayth That among all the seruices which wee can doe vnto our Lord there is none so great as to help our neighbor to saue himselfe and contrariwise there is none that doth more offend him than to helpe our neighbour to damn himselfe because it seemeth that wee make small account of the shedding of his bloud if we helpe him not to bestow it well Then we bestow his glorious bloud well when we cause it to benefit our brothers for otherwise we may say that it was wel shed by Christ but euilly bestowed by vs. What greater sacrifice can I doe vnto our Lord than draw my neighbor from sinne who hath been redeemed by his precious bloud Thē I draw my brother out of sinne when I correct him with my tongue and help him in his worke For as touching the offending of our Lord it is conuenient not only to aduise counsell him but if we can also punish and chastise him Cyprian in his booke of Martyrs sayth Who dare now adaies like vnto Phinees thrust through with a poynyard a bold Iew and a shamelesse Gentile Who like vnto holy Samuel will weepe for the disobedience of Saule Who like vnto holy Iob will rise earely in the morning to offer sacrifices of peace for the sinnes of his sonnes Who like vnto the High priest Aaron will threaten Pharaoh within his own pallace because hee should leaue off the seruice of his God in the Synagogue Who will lose the light of his eies like vnto the good Prophet Ieremy in weeping and taking pity vpon those who carried away those of Babilonia captiues Now the zeale of holy men is lost now the feruency of good men is at an end now the punishment of naughty men is forgotten for because that in matter of correction a friend will rather venter his conscience with his friend then suffer him to lose his credite Certainly it is no credite but a discredit no charity but cruelty to suffer his neighbour to damne himselfe for want of correcting him for oftentimes naughty men would amend themselues of their errors if their friends which they haue would aduertise them of them Seeing wee cannot auoid it but stumble at euery foot nor
giue ouer sinning more or lesse why haue wee friends and companions but because they should keepe vs vp with one hand from falling and lift vs vp with the other if they see vs downe S. Barnard in an Epistle saith Let no man leaue off the correcting of his neighbour and friend because he thinketh that by so doing he doth displease him for after he hath considered of the matter hee shall perceiue that hee hath done a good worke because that oftentimes the counsell which they giue vs is more worth thā the money which they lend vs. CHAP. IX Why the good theefe did not chide with the naughty theefe because hee did not loue Christ as hee did chide with him because hee did not feare God there are many notable things brought touching the feare of our Lord. ECclesia quidem magis quotidiè aedificabatur ambulans in timore domini consolatione spiritus sancti saith S. Luke in the ninth chap. of the Acts of the Apostles as if he would say After that S. Steuen was stoned to death and the Apostle Saint Paul was conuerted by so much the more the church of God encreased in building by how much the more shee was founded vpon the feare of our Lord and the church did receiue no comfort but such as the holy ghost did send her Bede vpon this place sayth That the scripture doth aduise vs with a high stile how much it doth import vs that we feare our Lord and keepe his commandements because the primitiue church neuer began to encrease and flourish vntill that Commonwealths began to feare the Lord and seeke for the consolation of the holy Ghost S. Augustine vpon the words of our Lord sayth That in the triumphant church loue without feare worketh but in the militant church loue and feare goe together and a signe of this is that the greater loue I beare my friend the greater feare I haue to displease him Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn saith Although the son of God said Ignem veni mittere in terram which was as much as to say that he builded his church vpon loue yet he tooke not his feare from her because that seeing that there is both mercy and iustice in God wee are bound aswell to feare his rightfull iustice as we are to loue his mercy When God gaue Moises the old law hee gaue it him with great thunders and terrible lightnings and with al mixed it with many threats ordained it with many punishmēts because the Iews should determine with themselues to keepe it and not in any wise to breake it King Pharaoh commanded all the midwiues of the kingdome of Egypt to slay al the male children of the Iews at the time of their birth and because they would not doe it for fear of the Lord the Lord gaue them great riches in their houses The scripture commendeth very much a steward vvhich the king Achab had vvhose name vvas Abdias the vvhich seeing the cursed Queene Iezabel cut the throats of the Prophets of Israel did hide some number of thē vntill all the butchery vvas past the vvhich the good Abdias did not so much for the loue vvhich hee bore vnto the Prophets as for the feare vvhich he bore vnto God When king Iosaphat constituted iudges in all the cities of Iudea he gaue them no other instruction but that they should feare God and be very mindfull of the good of their Commonwealth because that by this means they should bee well liked both of God and of all the people The scripture reporteth of holy Tobias that he began at the same time to weane his son and fear the God of Israel and that hee contracted friendship vvith none nor none vvith him vnlesse he knew that he feared God S. Ierom vpon the Prophets sayth Al holy men and of great perfection doe not only loue the Lord and feare him as their Lord God but doe also refuse to conuerse vvith those vvhich vvill not fear our Lord and for that cause Abraham went from the Caldeans holy Lot fled from the Sodomites We must entise flatter the vertuous man vvith loue fear the wicked peruerse mā with threats because that of tentimes the wicked man doth rather amend his life for seare of hell than for the desire vvhich he hath to go to heauen Irenaeus in an Homily saith That if as God made Paradise he would not haue made also an hel few there vvould haue been vvhich vvould haue serued our Lord very many vvhich vvould haue offended him Because that if an euil mā might enioy the world he would little care if heauen vvere taken from him A vaine vvordly man engraued in a medall of gold the wordes of the Psalme Caelum caeli domino terram autem dedit filijs hominum The heauen of heauen vnto our Lord he gaue the earth vnto the sons of men and hee wrote for a posie take thou Lord heauen for thee vpon condition that thou vvouldst leaue the earth vnto mee O cursed tongue and wicked speech what an vngodly mouth was that which durst vtter such horrible blasphemy for by the rigor of iustice he may iustly be caried into hel who renounceth to go to heauē and is wel pleased to hue in the word Anselmus saith O what a great fauour God doth vnto that mā whō God doth not exclude frō his loue doth not leaue him without fear for the mā which hath both loue and feare in him although he want other perfections neither ought to fear least he should be damned nor distrust at all to be saued We haue spoken all this in the cōmendation of the good theef of his piety charity who did not rebuke the other theefe his cōpamon for that hee was prowd or enuious but only because he did not feare God saying Neque tu times deum Neither doest thou fear God Giuing vs to vnderstand by this that he went down right into hell for no other cause but because he made smal reckoning of Christ And it is much tobe noted why the good theef did not rebuke the other for that that he did not loue Christ as he did reprehend him for that he did not fear Christ Hilarius answereth this doubt and sayth That because loue doth belong vnto those vvhich are perfect and feare vnto such as are not so perfect the good theefe did not persuade the other that hee should loue but that he should feare because the duty and office of louing is of such high quality that although many goe about it yet few attaine vnto it Glorious Saint Peter did persuade himselfe that hee had loued Christ as hee ought to haue loued him and therevpon to take away his vaine-glory Christ asked him three times whether hee loued human which deinand Chirst gaue vs to vnderstand that the merit of loued oth not consist in louing with all our heart but if good Iesus do accept it that thē it is perfect The wil which wee
much good vnto your nation because there is nothing worse bestowed than that which is done vnto an vngratefull people Anselmus sayth That it cannot bee vnderstood nor compassed with mans wit that all the wisest of the law should bee at the Mount of Caluary to accuse Christ and one only theefe to defend him When â—as that Prophecy accomplished Perdam sapientiam sapientum prudentiam prudentium I will lose the wisedome of the wise But when on the altar of the crosse all the synagogue did accuse thee and one onely theefe excuse thee doest thou find no sufficienter surely and witnesse to preach thy patience to extoll thy mercy to praise thy liberality and to defend thy innocency than a theefe ready to be hanged That which thou doest thou doest very well O my good Iesus because no man can giue abetter testimony of thy charitie and clemency thaÌ„ rich Zachaeus whome thou diddest visite and the Publicane Matthew whom thou diddest receiue and the infamous Samaritane whom thou diddest conuert and the adulterous woman whom thou diddest defend and the good theefe whom thou did dest pardon Considering that thou diddest come into the world for sinners diddest eat with sinners conuerse with sinners and diddest die for sinners who can be a better surety or witnesse for thee than sinners The good theefe did not only excuse Christ and intreat for him but did also accuse himselfe saying Nos quidem instè patimur as if hee would say Thou and I I and thou my companion if we suffer any thing wee suffer it worthily because they haue giuen vs our torment according to our offence There are very few which make a more glorious confession than this because it is so much against our nature to suffer a reproch that we will rather suffer torment than confesse our fault Our first father being asked by God why he had transgressed his commandement did cast the blame vpon the womâ—â— who had deceiued him and she being asked why she did deceiue him made answere that the serpent was importunate with her and did persuade her and so in stead of confessing they began to excuse themselues S. Augustine vpon the Apostles words sayth Woe be vnto me woe bee vnto me for I doe inherite sinne from my father an excuse from my mother lying from the diuel folly of the world to make much of my selfe of the flesh and pride of my selfe insomuch that I am not content to be mâ—ght but I would also bee counted good Seneca writing vnto his friend sayth thus Our nowes from hence are these the wals of Rome are ruined the Temples not visited the Priests fled the treasure robbed old men are dead young men are wicked and mad vices are lords of all O my good friend Eucilius if these seeme great faults there are other greater than these in Rome and they are that no man dooth confesse himselfe culpable of any of these things but the Dictator laieth the blame vpon the Consull the Consull vpon the Censor the Censor vpon the Praeâ—â—r the Praetor vpon the Aedile and the Aedile vpon the Quaestor insomuch that because no man doth confesse his fault wee neuer hope to haue an ameÌ„d meÌ„t of it O my soule saith Anselmus O my heart why doest thou confesse vs but because thou shouldest amend vs. Woe be vnto me woe be vntome there is no sin that Peommit for the which I haue not an excuse that is the deuill deceiued me my friend entreated me I was weak and feeble the world drew mee on I tooke not heed insomuch that I am more faulty in my excuse than in committing the offence Iustus prior est accusator sut said the wise man in his Prouerbes The greatest token that a man is iust and honest is that hee knoweth not how to accuse another of any thing that he seeth nor excuse himselfe of any thing that he doth WheÌ„ the Angel rebuked the children of Israel in Galgalos they did presently break down their Idols cloth themselues with fackclothes by reason whereof when the Lord saw that they began to confesse their fault and not excuse it hee did not only pardon them but did also comfort them WheÌ„ king Dauid tooke away Bersabe vnto his house and sent her husband vnto the wars wheÌ„ the Prophet Nathan sent from God did reprehend him for it hee did there presently confesse his fault and was there presently absolued for it When Achab the murderer was rebuked by the Prophet Helias for stoning Naboth to death because hee denied him his Vineyard hee wept immediately and fasted repented him of that which he had done and therfore he was absolued of his fault before the Prophet went out of the threshold of his dore Who euer hath confessed with his heart which hath not ben pardoned at Gods hands Why doest thou thinke that the theefe obtained pardon so quickly at Gods hands but because hee excused Christ instructed his fellow and accused himself This was a glorious confession and a fault worthy of pardon seeing that on the Mount of Caluary and not in the Temple vpon the tree not in place of confession publickly not secretly aloud and not in muttering wise hee confessed the sonne of God to be our redeemer and himselfe a sinner O holy theef saith Chrisostome Why doest thou not ask that they would vnlose the cords which thou art bound with or pull out the nailes which thou art nailed with or looke vnto thy house family because thou art now going out of this world or that they would bury thy sorrowfull body Truly that seemeth to bee an exceeding great loue which thou didst beare vnto Christ seeing thou diddest forget thy selfe and remember him excuse his innocency proclaime thine own offences It would not hurt vs at all to confesse that which thou diddest confesse saying Nos quidem iustè patimur Wee doe iustly suffer For if our faults were put in a ballance on one side and our punishment on the other without comparison our Lord doth dissemble much more than hee doth punish For if our Lord would punish all our offences according to their desert we could liue but a small time CHAP. X. How the son of God was more gratefull vnto the good theefe which bare him company on the crosse than Pharoahs cupbearer was to Ioseph who accompanied him in prison MEmen to mei cum bene tibi fuerit vt suggeras Pharaoni vt educas me de isto carcere quia huc innocens missus sum These are the words of holy Ioseph speaking vnto Phareahs chiefe cupbearer as if he would say For a reward of interpreting thy dream for letting thee vnderstand that thou shouldest vpon the morrow returne again to the pallace and vse thy old office of the cupbearer I beseech thee that thou wouldest bee mindfull of me and entreat the king that hee would let mee out of this dungeon where I haue beene two yeares without cause or desert at all There
halfe houre what wilt thou giue vnto him O good Iesus who loueth thee with all his hart praiseth thee with his tongue and emploieth all his might and power in thy seruice CHAP. XII How our Lord heard the theeues praier vpon the crosse and how Christ answered him seuen words for fiue which hee spake vnto Christ DOminus exaudiuit vocempueri de loco in quo est Genesis 21. said the Angel vnto Ismael his mother as if he would say Take no care O Agar take no care for although thou hast lost thy way and art banished in this desart feare no peril because our Lord hath heard the praier of the youth thy sonne because he hath praied where he hath praied The Patriarch Abraham had a bastard child by Agar his maid and slaue both which were throwne out of dores after that hee had a lawfull child borne vnto him and these two went vp a mountaine alone in great dispaire our Lord sent vnto them an Angel to comfort them and to giue them drinke Origen sayth That if wee looke well into the scripture we shall neither read that the mother did pray vnto the Lord neither is it made mention that the sonne did commend himselfe vnto God but that Gods great mercy is so great that by seeing the youth Ismael weepe and the sorrowfull mother lament and cry our Lord was moued to comfort them by word and also releiue them in deed Plato in his Timao sayth That it doth smally benefit the grieued and comfortlesse to visit them seldome and speake much vnto them and giue theÌ„ no comfort at all vnlesse that comfort be wrapped in some remedie and reliefe Seneca sayth That if a friend doe visite his friend and find him heauy and sad and so leaue him if hee find him poore and so leaue him if hee find him weeping and leaue him weeping wee will say of such a one that hee goeth rather to iest than to visite and comfort because a comfortlesse heart is much better appeased with that which we giue him with our hands than with that which we speake vnto him with our tongue S. Ambrose in his Exameron sayth That to the end a worke of mercy may bee perfect more acceptable vnto our Lord it ought neither to bee asked of any nor craued but voluntarily liberally be bestowed because there is nothing more deare in this world than that which is bought with entreaty O that hee buieth very deerely who buieth by the change and price of his shame because that shamefast men and of liberall hearts doe without comparison grieue more when they vncouer shew their face than when they vntie their purse Cicero to Atticus sayth That there is nothing wherein a Gentlemanlike man taketh more delight than in giuing and greater griefe than in asking because that in giuing he maketh himself Lord of him vnto whome hee giueth and in taking hee maketh himselfe a slaue to him of whoÌ„ he receiueth Hilarius saith That to deale with God there need no words but teares nor many entreaties but many sighes for wheÌ„ we pray vnto our Lord he hath greater regard vnto the heart which desireth than vnto all that which the tongue speaketh Agar the slaue and Ismael her sonne spake no word vnto God nor yet made any petition vnto him but ech of them being set downe vnder a seuerall oke the sonne did neuer fill himselfe with weeping and the mother neuer ceassed from sighing the which holy teares were not vnpaied nor sighes vnaccepted To come then vnto our purpose if our Lord did heare Ismaels teares which was in the desart will he not also hear the memento mei which the theefe spake vnto him in the Mount of Caluary Let no man maruell that we compare the theefe with Ismael and Ismael with the theefe for as the one was brought vp in the mountaines a hunting so the other went by the high waies a robbing as Ismael had one very vertuous brother so also this theefe had a blasphemer to his companion Isâ—â—ael was yong for hee was not aboue three yeares of age the theefe was also yong for he had not been as yet three houres a Christian because that before our Lord the yeares when we are borne are not reckoned but the time from whence we are baptized After Christs resurrection hee called his disciples children and yonglings not respecting that some of them were old and had gray haires but that they had not ben long baptized that is when hee washed their feet in the parlar and ordained them Priests after his supper If Ismael did weepe at the foot of the oake in the desart so did the good theefe weepe also vpon the crosse on Caluary and that which is more excellent is that if hee gaue the one water whereof hee should drinke he gaue the other his bloud wherewith he should bee saued As Abraham had one lawfull child which was Isaac and another a bastard which was Ismael so God the father had or lawfull child which was Christ and the other a bastard which was the theefe and of these two the one was borne in the church and the other in the Synagogue The blessing which fell vnto Ismael was that he should be against all men and all men against him the which blessing also the good theefe had who being vpon the crosse and all purposing to kill and crucifie Christ hee against all though all against him defended him and excused him Ismael was a father of many barbarous people and the good theefe was an example of many great sinners but not that they should liue wickedly as hee had done but that they should turne vnto our Lord as hee did Agar the mother could not see Ismael her sonne die neither could the sonne of God see his companion the theefe bee condemned and therefore as the teares of the one were gratefull vnto him euen so the words of the other vvere pleasing vnto him to wit when hee said on the crosse Lord remember me and O good Iesus haue mercy vpon mee With great reason and for good occasion the son of God did giue care vnto all that the good theefe would speake vnto him and vnto all that which hee did request of him because hee vsed such measure and discretion in his petition that hee asked nothing which should bee for his comfort but for his saluation If hee vvould haue asked any thing for his comfort he vvould haue asked that the cudgels which winded his cords should haue been slackened or that they would haue pulled out the nailes or healed his wounds or that they would pull him downe from the crosse or that they would giue him longer life but he asked none of all this but only that Christ would haue his soule in remembrance not mentioning his person at all Our Lord could not denie him so reasonable a petition nor delay him but he answered him immediately for euen as he said Domine memento moi Christ
they deale in their owne affaires because they beleeued not in God nor followed his counsels And therefore seeing hee sayth I am the Lord who speaketh iustice whom should we giue ear vnto but vnto him whose doing should wee credite but his and especially seeing that be alone no other seeth that which is present and knoweth all that is past vnderstandeth that which is doubtfull teacheth vnto that that is secret knoweth things to come and withall most of all others desireth that which is good for vs Why should I beleeue in man and not in God seeing that of that which is past he knoweth nothing but that which hee hath heard of that which heeseeth not he knoweth nothing but that which hath beene told him of secret things he knoweth no more thā hath been reuealed vnto him of things which are present hee knoweth no more than that which he seeth and of things to come he knoweth no more than what hee can guesse at S. Barnard in an Epistle sayth That it is not without cause that God said by Esay I am the Lord which speaketh iustice and righteousnesse because that the counsels which mē giue vs are but coniectures and no certainties but the counsels which God giueth vs cannot faile but be as he hath ordained God said vnto Iacob non frustrà dixi quaerite me that is That he had not giuen him that counsell in vaine neither did it repent Iacob at any time to haue followed it but few men can say this nor few counsels can bee praised in this sort for oftentimes it were better giue a counsellor his fee not to follow his counsell than to follow it He giueth me counsell in vain who maketh me more passionate than already I am and maketh me enter into more sutes than I haue already begun because it is the dutie of a good friend to put him in his vvay vvho is out of it lift him vp who is downe comfort him vvho is afflicted and quiet his mind vvho is mooued vvith passions Vpon those vvordes of the Psalme Audiam quid loquetur in me dominus deus Basil the great saith O how vvillingly I vvill heare all that thou vvilt say vnto me O good Iesus because thou art eloquent in speaking vvise in counselling pittifull in pardoning iust in succouring mighty in commanding bountifull in giuing and true in accomplishing all that thou doest promise What did euer good man aske of thee but thou hast commanded it to bee giuen him and what hast thou commanded but hee hath obtained What can a man giue but that which hee hath and what can a man say but that which he knoweth Seneca vnto this purpose sayth That if we find a man eloquent in speaking vve shal find him weake in vvit to put that in execution vvhich he speaketh insomuch that if it be a pleasure to hear him it is daugerous to beleeue him If vvee find a man that is iust in releeuing him vvho is oppressed vve shall find him very hard in forgiuing his owne enemy insomuch that if he be iust in other mens iniuries he is very vindicatiue of his owne It is the property of a man that if he haue much temporall goods at his commandement he hath no vvill to spend them vvith any so that if by the request of friends or importunitie of neighbours he do part vvith any thing he doth vveep before he doth leaue it It is the property of man although not of a wise man to desire to be heard although he cannot speak to be feared although he haue no authority and wel beloued although he cannot loue and be beleeued although he speak not true and he vvill bee serued although hee haue no need What tongue can speake it and vvhat heart can suffer and endure to talke vvith a foole to loue an vngratefull man to aske and craue of a niggard deale vvith a liar and serue a proud man Hee vvho forgetteth God and dealeth vvith man cumbereth himselfe vvith all these inconueniences and bindeth himselfe vnto all these obligations and the rather because there is no man vvho trusteth long another man but in the end is paied for it To come then vnto our purpose the good theefe was most happy in vvorshipping Christ alone and beleeuing in him onely for reward vvhereof Christ said vnto him alone and no other This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise It is a great pitty to see how many Leuites and Priests Lawyers and ancients neighbours and acquaintance of Christ vvere about the crosse looking how he suffered vvatching how he died vnto none of all vvhich he said Hedie me cum eris in Paradiso as he did vnto the good theefe in so much that they heard the words but vvanted the promise Seeing our good Iesus saith Chrysostome vvas determined to giue the good theefe glory vvhy did hee not giue it him and hold his peace And seeing hee did not send him vvord by a third person vvhy did he not tell it him in secret and in his eare And seeing he vvould not tell him in secret but publikely why did he not defer the reward And yet if he would not defer the reward vvhy did he not send him to heauen alone but vvould take him to Paradise vvith himselfe All these are such high mysteries and such deepe secrets that there is no wit able to vnderstand them nor tongue able to set them forth nor hand able to write them and therefore it is necessary for vs to craue for the grace of our Lord to direct vs in it and the holy Ghost to lighten vs. When Christ said vnto the theefe This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise it is as if hee had said O thou theefe my friend and fellow seeing that I know with whome I speake it is also reason that thou doe know who speaketh and therefore I let thee vnderstand that I am the creator of heauen I am the redeemer of the world I am the Prophet which is desired I am the Messias promised I am the giuer of the Gospell and I am also the Lord of Paradise Let all men beare witnesse with me therefore I speake it openly that I bequeath my eternall Paradise vnto this theefe by this Will and Testament because that all such which shall succeed me in my church may know how well I recompence those which serue me and how well I deale with those which follow mee Anselmus crieth out and saith O glorious theefe O happy theef how fortunate and lucky wast thou seeing thou diddest nothing but that which did content our good Iesus nor saidest nothing but that which well liked him Thy feet with the which thou diddest follow him were happy the eies with the which thou didst suffer with him was happy the tongue with the which thou diddest confesse him was happy the heart with the which thou diddest beleeue in him was happy S. Chrisost noteth That God did send Moises as an Embassador to Pharaoh
the reward of Paradise but vnto another crucified Saint Barnard vpon the Passion sayth for mine owne part I thinke not my selfe deceiued but I know that the naked giueth not his kingdome but vnto another naked he whose ioints are vnloosed vnto another whose ioints are also loosed one from an other hee that is couered with bloud vnto another couered with bloud also and the crucified vnto another crucified Thou that sittest sporting thy selfe what doest thou aske of him who suffereth on the crosse Thou that art clothed and reclothed what doest thou craue of him who is bowelled vpon the crosse Thou that art faire and fat what doest thou aske of him who is on the crosse one member rent from one another Thou that art at freedome and liberty what doest thou aske of him who is nailed and fastened vpon the crosse If thou wilt heare sayth Anselmus O my soule Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Lift vp thy affections from the earth let thy heart bee free from all passions let thy flesh keepe watch and vvard ouer her inclinations crucifie thy liberty on the crosse let bloud thy fancie of all presumptions and bury thy affections that they may not appeare If thou wilt ascend as high as heauen it is necessary that with the theefe thou take the crosse for thy ladder to steale it for otherwise although thou bee a companion with him in sinning yet for all that thou shalt not so be in raigning CHAP. XIIII Why the sonne of God did not say vpon the crosse vnto all men Amen dico vobis as hee did say vnto the theefe Amen dico tibi aad how he was the first martyr which died with Christ and the first Saint which he canonized LOquetur ad eos in ira sua in furore suo conturbabit eos said king Dauid in the second Psalme as if hee would say when the great God of Israell shall bee angry and troubled hee will speake vnto the wicked men with anger and when hee shall trouble their iudgements it shall bee with great anger Our Lord doth threaten the wicked whome hee meaneth to punish with two grieuous scourges that is that hee will speake in anger to feare them and trouble their iudgement that they shall not bee able to guesse at any thing aright If our Lord speake vnto vs with anger it may bee borne with but if he trouble our iudgement it is a thing much to be lamented for in this wicked world if he doe not lighten our steps to see where wee goe wee shall fall downe vpon our face Barnard crieth out and saith What shall become of thee O my soule if he who should lead me put mee out of the way if hee who should succour me forsake mee if hee who should pardon me accuse me and he who should quit mee condemne me and he who should giue mee sight make mee blind Saint Augustine De verbis Apostoli sayth When it is said in Scripture that God speaketh vnto vs with anger it is meant that he doth not speake with mercy and when it is said that hee doth trouble vs with fury it is to say that hee doth not lighten vs with his diuine grace because there cannot happen vnto vs greater hurt in this world than for God to withdraw his hand from doing vs good There is no anger in God as there is in man with the which hee doth trouble himselfe nor furie to moue him withall and when wee say that he is angry it is because he vseth that punishment which in others is done with anger and if we say that he is in fury it is because hee vseth rigorous punishment towards vs or else because hee doth not punish at all in this world for wherin can our Lord shew greater anger than by not vsing his accustomed clemency Our Lords wrath is appeased when hee punisheth presently after the offence committed and he is very angry when hee deferreth the punishment vnto hell S. Ambrose sayth That in the house of God not to punish is to punish to dissemble is to bee angry with not to speake is to chide to pardon is to threaten to suffer is to let it putrifie to defer is to reuenge the more Is there thinke you any greater punishment than not to bee punished in this world When doth our Lord speake vnto vs with anger but when wee fall from his grace into sinne by our fault God spake with anger vnto our first father when hee said vnto him thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face as if hee would say Because thou hast fallen from my grace and eaten of the apple which I did forbid thee to eat of for a perpetuall punishment thou shalt eat and drinke alwaies with care in thy mind sweat on thy face and trauaile of thy body insomuch that at the best morsell thou shalt giue ouer eating and fall to sighing God spake also with anger vnto the murderer Cain when hee said vnto him behold the bloud of thy brother Abel doth crie from the earth vnto mee as if he would say Because thou hast flaine thy brother Abel through malice and enuy I cannot but doe iustice vpon thee because his bloud crieth aloud for it of me and thy punishmēt shall be that thou shalt wander to and fro all the daies of thy life and thy head shal neuer cease shaking God spake with anger vnto the great king Nabugodonoser whē he said Eijciam te ab hominibus as if he would say Because thou hast robbed my tēples of their treasures and led away my people of the Iews captiue thou shalt be throwne out frō the conuersation of men shalt liue with beasts on the mountaines thou shalt eat hay like oxen and bee clothed like wild sauages with haire vntill thou doest acknowledge mee for to bee thy Lord and thy selfe to bee a sinner God spake with anger vnto the great Priest Heli when hee said Ego praecidam brachium tuum c as if hee would say Because thou diddest not punish thy children when they stole away the sacrifices and behaued themselues dishonestly vvith women in the Tabernacle I will take thy Priesthood from thee I will kill thy steward and will make that no old man come into thy house in so much that thou shalt haue no children in thy stocke to inherite after thee nor ancient men to counsell thee To come then vnto our purpose God vsed this kind of speech vnto the Synagogue but now speaketh otherwise vnto the church as is easily seene in the death of Christ when hee said vnto the theefe Hodie mecum eris in Paradise Wee doe not read that Christ did euer vse this woord of anger so oft as hee hath done the woord of mercy the which hee hath vsed often as Per viscera misericordiae dei nostra said holy Zachary in his song as if he would say The sonne of God came downe from the highest of heauen into the earth moued thereunto by
the bowels of his mercy The holy Prophet dooth in this open a high mystery vnto vs whereby hee giueth vs to vnderstand how entirely our Lord dooth loue vs seeing that hee doth visite vs vvith the bowels of his mercy There bee many vvhich haue this word Mercy in their mouth but not in their hands and those bee such as are faire in speech but cruell in deedes and such vse sweet speech to take men and flattery to kill them Others there bee which haue mercy in their handes and nor in their tongues the which are rough in words but mild and gentle in deeds and those offer blowes but strike not they feare but kill not Only our sweet Iesus hath mercy pity in his mouth seeing hee dooth so much commend it vnto vs and in his deedes seeing hee dooth vse it so much and also in his bowels because hee dooth loue vs so much S. Barnard sayth vnto this purpose Our Lord would not place mercy in the eies least they should make him blind hee would not place it in the eares for feare they should make him deaffe hee would not place it in the handes for feare it should bee lost hee would not put it to keepe in the body for feare least it should grow old neither yet in the tongue for feare hee should be dumbe But our good Iesus put it to keepe in his heart to bestow it vpon those whom hee loueth and keepeth it within his bowels because that all that which is loued with the heart is kept within the heart O good Iesus O the life of my soule I beseech thee by the bowels of thy mercy that thou wouldest take pity on my sinfull soule and seeing I haue no other Lord in my bowels but thy selfe on whom wouldest thou better bestow the mercy which thou hast within thine than vpon mee Thou diddest speake with the bowels of thy mercy vnto the good theefe when thou wast not content onely to say Amen Truly I say but thou diddest adde tibi to thee letting vs vnderstand that thou diddest speake vnto him alone and promise Paradise vnto him alone and vnto no other Vbertinus sayth That if when Christ said Amen dico hee had not added tibi his mother who brought forth his humanity and the other theefe which had lost his liberty might haue thought that hee had spoken vnto them I say if hee had not turned himselfe vnto the good theefe and said tibi What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou speake vnto the theefe and forget thy mother Doest thou not speake vnto thy mother who bare thee nine months in her bowels and doest thou speake vnto the theefe who had knowne thee but three houres Doest thou promise presently Paradise vnto the theefe which spake but three words and doest thou make no reckoning of thy mother who bought thee with her teares Doest thou bestow thy precious bloud first vpon a theefe which knew not how to do any thing else but shed bloud by the high waies before thou doest bestow it vpon thy mother Would it not bee reason to pay thy mother now with the bloud that runneth from thy side for the milke which thou diddest sucke of her breast What more heroicall and diuine exchange could there bee made in the world betwixt the sonne and the mother the mother and the sonne than bloud for milke and milke for bloud If thou doest looke O good Iesus that shee should speake vnto thee as the theefe did doest thou not see that for wearines she cannot helpe thee for griefe she cannot looke vpon thee for feare shee cannot comfort thee and for being astonied shee cannot speake vnto thee I beseech thee Per viscera misericordia that thou wouldest say Amen dico vobis as thou doest say Amen dico tibi For by that means thou shouldest comfort thy mother satisfie the theefe vanquishe Hell helpe the world and withall I should haue hope to be pardoned If thou doest die for all and not for one why doest thou not say Verely I say vnto you as thou doest say Truly I say vnto thee O sweet Iesus and loue of my soule seeing that vpon my knees and my face bathed in teares I say vnto thee Tibi soli peccaui I haue sinned vnto thee alone doe not I deserue to heare from thy mouth these words Amen dico tibi Truly I say vnto thee Anselmus sayth That it was too timely to giue Paradise vnto his mother and the other theefe had not deserued it and the great Centurion was not yet become a Christian and the Iewes were hardened in their hearts and therefore it was not without cause that he said vnto the theef Amen dico tibi and not Amen dico vobis It was a great word which God spake vnto the first man that is dominamini piscibus maris volatilibus cali but that which hee spake vnto the good theefe was farre greater because it is far better to be companions vnto the Angels in heauen than kings ouer beasts vpon earth It was a great word that God spake vnto Noe that is I found thee iust in my sight but this which hee spake vnto the theefe was far greater because it is better to be iust receiue the reward of being iust thā to be simply iust That was a fauourable speech which hee vsed vnto king Dauid I haue found a man according vnto my heart but this which he spake vnto the good theefe was farre more fauourable because that Dauid was but neere vnto his heart but the theefe was in his heart And it did appear easily that Dauid was but neer Gods heart seeing hee did sinne afterward and it doth well appeare that hee had the theefe within his heart seeing hee suffered him to sinne nor steale no more That was a fauorable speech which God vsed vnto Abraham that is Num celare potero qua gesturus sum Abraham But that which was vsed towards the theefe was more fauourable because the greatest secret that God reuealed vnto Abraham was that the son of God should come into the world but hee did not onely reueale but also shew this vnto the good theef Christ did trust the good theef better thā he did trust Abraham because he was the first sinner who saw the redemption of the world with his eies he was hee vpon whome the bloud of Christ was first bestowed The precious bloud of the sonne of God was then otherwise shed towards the theefe who was vpon the crosse than towards his mother who was by the crosse because it dropped downe vpon the garment of his sorrowfull mother but it went to the soule of the theefe to saue him therevpon the holy theef went immediately to Paradise but his sorrowful mother staied weeping on the Mount of Caluary O holy bloud O heauenly blame why doest thou take such pity on the theefe doest deferre to giue thy mother the kingdome of heauen which thou doest giue presently vnto
didst thou goe to the battaile not calling mee with thee and why diddest thou die not taking mee with thee My heart can receiue no comfort nor my eies cease from weeping when I remember how much I was bound vnto thee and call to mind the great loue that passed betwixt vs because that the loue which passed betwixt thee and me was of like quality as the loue which a mother hath when she hath but one child onely It is now to bee noted that for this last word wee haue brought all this story whereby wee may well gather and inferre that the loue which a mother beareth vnto her onely sonne exceedeth all other humane loue For if Dauid could haue found any greater loue vnto a greater hee would haue compared his King Dauid was a very holy man and his sonne Absalon a very bold young youth but in the end when newes came vnto him that Ioab had thrust him through and that he was hanged vpon an oake the poore old man made such pitifull complaint and did shew such griefe for it that euery man did perceiue plainly that he wished himselfe rather dead thaÌ„ his sonne lose his life The which he openly said when he cried aloud My sonne Absalon my sonne Absalon where truly he would willingly haue gone to his graue if his sonne might haue liued God had no better experience to proue the loue which the Patriarch Abraham bare him but to command him to kill his onely sonne which hee had in his house and when the old man had lifted vp his sword to slay the young youth the Angell tooke him by the arme and commanded him to be quiet for now our Lord was satisfied to see that he loued him better than his own son When news was brought to holy Iob how the wise men had robbed him of fiue hundred yoke of oxen and that a flash of lightning from heauen had burnt him seuen thousand sheepe and that the Chaldeans had taken from him three thousand Camels and had put to the sword all the shepheards of his flocke the good man was not grieued at all with it nor vttered any sorrowfull word forir But when the fourth post came to bring him news how they had slaine his sixe sonnes and three daughters in his eldest sonnes house the man of God could not dissemble his great griefe and did shew it more by deed than by word by rending his garments in sunder and cutting his haire from his head and wallowing oftentimes vpon the ground Wee doe not read that the great Patriarch Iacob did weepe in all peregrinations or complaine in all his tribulations vntill hee heard that the wolues in the desart had eateÌ„ his welbeloued sonne Ioseph the which euill news did strike him so near the heart that hee said before his other children that hee would die and goe into hell because hee might haue space and time inough to bewaile his sonne Sunamites the Inne keeper of Samaria and hosâ—esse vnto Heliseus did so much grieue at the death of her sonne which God had giuen her by the praier of Heliseus that shee went weeping like a foole about the fieldes in such manner that neither her husband could bring her in nor the Prophet comfort her The great Priest Heli was so greeued vvheÌ„ it was told him that the Philistims had ouercome the Iewes and taken the Arke and killed his two sonnes Obni and Phinees that he fell from his seat and immediately yeelded vp the ghost The wife of old Tobias and mother vnto young Tobias did weepe beyond all measure and went almost beside her selfe only at the long tarrying which her sonne made in Rages a citie of the Medes vvhether his father had sent him to take vp certaine money and this her griefe was so excessiue that she neuer ceassed to pray vnto God for to keepe him nor she neuer left off weeping vntill she saw him with her eies I haue thought it expedient to rehearse all these examples the better to proue and extoll the loue which fathers and mothers beare vnto their children and how it is not to bee compared with any other loue and how bitterly the Parents weepe not onely for the death of their children but also for their absence Horace saith That to the losse of a child and that of the onely child there can bee no losse comparable vnto it because that causeth griefe at the heart which is loued from the heart Anselmus sayth to this purpose that this fatherly loue is not found onely in men which are reasonable but also in brute beasts for we see the Henne fight with the Kite the Storke with the Goshauke the Mare with the Wolfe the Lionesse with the Ounce the Eliphant with the Rinoceront the Gander with the dog and the Pie with the Cuckow the which fight is not only because they be enemies but because they steale away their young ones S. Ambrose in his Exameron saith That the loue of the father is so great and so excessiue that oftentimes we see brute beasts follow men which haue taken away their yong ones wherein they let vs vnderstand that they had rather be taken themselues than see their little ones taken captiues If a brâ—te beast shew this griefe for his little oues what shall a reasonable man doe When Demosthenes wept bitterly the death of one of his sons another replied vnto him and said that he was a Philosopher it seemeth well said hee that thou hast neuer been a father nor what the loue of a sonne is because that to haue a sonne is the greatest of all loues to lose him the greatest griefe of all griefes To come at the last vnto our porpose what woman did euer loue her sonne as the mother of God did loue hers Ipsum solum tenet mater sua pater eius tenerè diligit eum said the Patriarke Iudas vnto the Patriarch Ioseph his brother as if hee would say O most renowmed Prince Ioseph I and my brothers and my brothers and I doe humbly beseech thee vpon our knees and request thee with many tears that thou wouldest forgiue our yonger brother Beniamin the taking away of the golden flask which was found in his bag because his dolefull mother hath no other son and his old father loueth him with most tender loue These words may better be spoken of the virgin and of her sonne than of Beniamin and his mother Rachel who had more than one sonne although shee knew it not seeing that Ioseph Beniamins brother was aliue the most richest mightiest of all Egypt The eternall father had no other sonne but this alone and the immaculate virgin had no other but Christ only for the father neuer engendred other naturall son but this and the mother neuer brought forth other sonne but this We may very well say of the father that hee did loue his son tenderly seeing hee gaue him all his nature all his wisedome all his power all his
replenished with Saint Ierom◠saith That grace was giuen vnto all other Virgines by weight and measure but vnto the mother of God it vvas not giuen by weight and measure but heaped vp The Angels in heauen neither yet the holy men departed did not reach vnto so many secrets of God as the mother of God did because it is to bee beleeued that hee who did trust and credite her would hide nothing from her O mother of my redeemer tell mee what couldest thou not doe what hadst thou not or what didst thou not know when thou haddest my God in thy wombe O Virgin blessed and beloued of the Lord thou maist well say Dilectus meus mihi ego illi seeing that if he hath placed thee in his eternall storehouse thou diddest put him in thy virgins wombe where thou diddest teach him to know what it was to bee a man and hee taught thee what it was to bee the mother of God As Iobs sonnes went sporting themselues from house to house so the mother of God and the sonne of God went from seller to seller recreating themselues and the mother told the sonne what hee should haue in this world and the son told the mother how they shold rest in heauē the which speeches the holy Orders of heauē were not worthy to hear O saith S. Barnard how cōtent the sonne of God was of the wineseller vvhere his mother kept him for vvithout comparison he tooke more pleasure in the chast cogitations vvhich hee saw in his mothers wombe than in the milke which hee sucked at her breasts Anselmus also saith O what a thing it had been to see in that virgins wombe the sonnes life vvithin the mothers life and the sonnes body within the mothers body and which is most of all though their bodies were seperated the one from the other at the time of his birth yet their hearts vvere neuer seperated at all CHAP. III. Of the first and second word which holie Simeon spake vnto our Lady and how many fall from the law of Christ without his fault ECce hic positus est in ruinam resurrectionem multorum in Israel Luke the second chapter The great Chronicler S. Luke saith That the first time that the mother of our Lord went abroad the mother and Ioseph her and were in a maze and wondered at that that Simeon said of the child and of that which the holy woman Anna Phanuel prophecied of him before them all S. Cyprian vpon this place saith If the great wonders which Simeon spake of Iesus the child did make the mother ioifull so likewise they put the Angels in a wonder and maruell because they said of him that he should be the light of the Gentiles the glory of the Iewes and the redeemer of all Nations And Simeon not contented with that which he had said although he were very ioifull of that which he had seene said further that hee desired not to liue any longer in this world but die presently seeing that he had already seene with his eies that which his hart had so long time wished for It is a natural condition of the hart which hath long wished for any thing if at any time he hath that before his eies which he bought with many sighes rather to desire to die than to be seperated from the same Origen vpon Luke saith That all the praises which Simeon spake of the sonne of God moued the mother to further loue for if he said that her sonne was the light she knew that shee first of all receiued light if hee said that her sonne was honour she knew that hee had first of all honoured her insomuch that the Virgin did already possesse all that which was promised vnto others S. Augustine sayth in a Sermon That Simeon did very well say that the child Iesus was the light of the Gentiles considering that he brought them vnto this holy faith and that he was the glory of the Iews seeing that there neuer came any one out of their stocke like vnto him which is easily seene in that that for their further honour and fame he made of a Synagogue a church of a figure the truth of Prophets Apostles and of sacrifices Sacraments It is here to bee noted that Simeon did not say simply Thou shalt be the glory of the people of Israel but he added more and said thou shalt bee the glory of thy people of Israel the which he said for the wicked and peruerse of the Synagogue who although they were in the people of the Iewes yet they were not of the people of Israel Abel Seth Noe Sem Abraham Iacob Ioseph and Dauid and all the Prophets were of the people of God of all whome the sonne of God was the honour and glory seeing they beleeued in him before that he came into the world and were saued in the faith in which they liued Cain and Cham Ismael and Esau Roboam and Athalia Iesabel Annas Cayphas did all dwel among the people of God but they were not of the elect number of the people of God because that no man can bee called a neighbour of the children of God but hee who beleeueth stedfastly in God Let me saith Chrysostome be of the number of the people of God because I may bee lightened with thy light and glorified with thy glory seeing that no man can be lightened but whome thou doest lighten nor glorified but whom thou doest glorifie O how many there bee at this day in the church that be not of the church and how many in religion which bee not of the religion Because that our perfection and saluation doth not consist in the names wee beare nor in the places we haue but in the good or euil liues which we lead What doth it auaile me to bee called a Christian if I lead the life of a Pagan or what doth it helpe me to be called a religious man if I liue like a worldling As the sonne of God came into the world not to the honour of those which were in the people but of those which were of the people so thou my brother shouldest bee of the number of the religious and not in the number for otherwise thou shalt be as Saul was among the Prophets and as Sathan vvas amongst the children of God Origen sayth That when Simeon did deuide Christs gifts he gaue light vnto the church saying Lumen ad reuelationem gentium A light to the reuelation of the Gentiles and he gaue the Iewes honour and glory saying Ad gloriam plebis tuae Israel which honour and glory they deserued to lose when they went about by all the means they could to dishonour the sonne of God vpon the crosse The son of God gaue great honour and glory vnto the Synagogue if the Iews could haue known it and that is in that he vouchsafed to discend of them and bee borne amongst them and in that hee would conuerse among them preach among them
the Babilonians Egyptians Chaldeans Persians and Medes Greekes and those of Palestine because the law of the Gospell hath been preached and receiued in those places Chrysostom saith That the son of God came to take flesh for the fall of the Temple of Salomon the city of Ierusalem the sacrifices of Iuda the ceremonies of Israell and of the old Mosaicall law and of the pride of all the Synagogue which was all ended and gaue vp the ghost with this word Consummatum est The sonne of God came into the world for the ouerthrow of all sinnes for if hee was as hee vvas the truth it selfe hee was a great enemy of lies and because he highly loued charitie he hated cruelty and because hee highly commended humilitie hee persecuted enuy vvhich vvas the cause that no man did euer reprehend vice more sharplier than hee nor no man did euer extoll vertue like vnto him The sonne of God came into the vvorld to the vtter ruine of the famous city of Hierusalem seeing there vvas not one tower in the citie vvhich vvas not throwne downe no vvall which was not broken no house vvhich vvas not barnt no Temple vvhich vvas not beaten to the ground no treasurie vvhich vvas not robbed nor orchard vvhich vvas not spoiled no Virgine vvhich was not violated no woman which was not forced no man which was not either slaine or taken captiue The sonne of God came into the world for the ouerthrow of the Synagogue seeing he left them no kingdome whither to goe vnto no citie where to dwel no king to rule them no Patriarke to honour no Prophet to giue them counsell no army to defend them no captain to fight for them The soune of God came into the world in ruinam the ouerthrow of the Pharisies and Sadduces cōsidering that he took away their hypocrisie from thē by which they preuailed their authority by which they commanded their doctrine with which they deceaued their couetousnesse with the which they robbed and their Symony with the which they made themselues rich CHAP. IIII. Of the third word which old Simeon spake vnto the Virgine in the Temple and of three authorities touching this purpose IN resurrectionem multorum in Israel in signum cui contradicetur said holy Simeon vnto the blessed Virgine that day when she presented the child Iesus in the Temple as if hee would say I haue told thee my daughter Mary how this thy son and my Lord shall bee a stumbling blocke to many and an occasion that many which are fallen shall rise againe and many which goe astray conuerted and he shal be a marke and a signe which shall bee spoken against by many Origen saith That it doth wel appear that holy Simeon spake by the mouth of the holy Ghost when hee said that the son of God was come into the world not only for all naughty wicked men to stumble at but also because that al goodnesse and good men should bee raised vp by him because it is the dutie of a good Phisitian not only to purge the humor which offendeth but also to strengthen it What fruit should we receiue by his comming into the world if he should only throw downe the wicked and not raise vp the good Whē our Lord saith by Ieremy Consolabor me de inimicis meis he would vvith a farre better will forgiue vs rather thā punish vs but because all that is in God is God himselfe hee cannot doe lesse than vse his iustice giuing notwithstanding alwaies place vnto his mercy When he sayth Woe bee vnto mee vvoe be vnto me I must reuenge mee of my enemies what can bee spoken with a more tender heart or vvhat iustice can bee done vvith greater mercy seeing that hee first weepeth for the sinner before he punish the sinne and first shed many tears before he shew discipline vpō the malefactors In the iudgemēt seat of vvorldly iudges they punish sinnes without iustice then mocke at the sinners but in the house of God they first vveepe for the sinners and then they punish the sinne because there is nothing more strange to God than reuenge nor nothing more gratefull vnto him than mercy Perditio tua ex te Israel ex me autem saluatio said God by the Prophet osee as if hee vvould say O vvhat paines I take with thee O Israel for if thou lose thy way I put thee into it againe if thou stumble I hold thee vp if thou see not I direct thee if thou fall I lift thee vp if thou defile thy selfe I make thee cleane if thou bee blind I giue thee light if thou doubt I counsell thee This speech of the Prophet is vvorthy to bee noted and also vvept and to bee bewailed vvith many teares seeing that hee telleth vs and admonisheth vs by it how little vvee are able to doe of our selues how little wee are worth how little wee possesse how little vvee know seeing that it is in our owne power to fall but vvee are not able to rise vvithout the helpe of God Thou saiest very vvell O great Simeon that the soune of God is come In resurrectionem multorum for after wee are fallen and defiled if hee doe not giue vs his hand who is able to lift vs from the ground What had become of the people of Israell when they were captiue in Egypt if our Lord had not deliuered them from thence vvith his mighty hand What would haue become of good King Dauid when he slue innocent Vrias and committed adultery with his wife Bersabee if God had not giuen him counsell by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan and lightened his heart What had become of king Ezechias when our Lord cōdemned him to death and that vnto a suddain death if our Lord had not visited him by the hands of the Prophet Esay and accepted his tears What had become of the Apostle Saint Peter when hee denied Christ three times if our Lord when he was tied to a pillar had not looked vpon him and prouoked him to teares What had become of S. Paul when hee went to the city of Damasco to apprehend all such which called vpon the name of Christ if our Lord had not spoken vnto him by the way and of Saul would not haue made him Paul and of a persecutor of Christ had not made him a preacher of the Gospell What would become of thee and me and of all the sinners of the world if good Iesus should not giue vs light because wee should not stumble and giue vs his hand to rise againe S. Barnard to this purpose saith It may be said better of me than of any O my good Iesus That thy perdition is of thy selfe Israel and thy saluation of mee For if I hit aright in any thing it is onely through thy grace and if I erre it is through my owne malice and therefore my owne sinne is able to make me fall but to rise againe I haue need of thy mercy
him nor his heart desired nothing which he did not obtaine in so much that he did not liue according vnto that which reason did prescribe him but according vnto that the flesh did lead him vnto Hee vvasted his fathers treasures which hee did inherite in building stately houses to dwell in and strong castels to retire himselfe vnto large orchards to recreate himselfe in great pooles to fish in cunning musitians to sing to him sweet instruments to play vpon and nimble young maids to daunce in his hall King Salomon did inherite great peace and concord from his father Dauid considering that in fifty years vvhich hee raigned hee vvas neuer challenged by any king hee neuer saw enemie in his kingdome hee neuer placed army in field there neuer vvent banner out of his pallace neuer captaine had pay of him no drum euer brake his sleepe Salomon did inherite great riches from his father seeing that he couered the Temples with gold he inherited great power seeing that all the kings of the earth did serue him he inherited great wisedome seeing he neuer erred in matter of iustice hee inherited eÌ„xceeding great knowledge seeing that men came to see him as a miracle Salomon did inherite from his father more delights and dainties than kingdomes seeing it is not read that euer he was sick that euer he endured any necessitie that any enmity did disquiet him that any persecution did afflict him that any grief did trouble him that any king durst offend him that any kingdome rebelled against him or subiect disobeied him To conclude wee say that Dauids successor in his kingdomes was his sonne Salomon vvhome by excellency they called the rich the wise and quiet because that in all his life time he neuer put hand to sword nor neuer shed mans bloud Now that wee haue told you who succeeded Dauid in his delights and kingdomes it is also needful that we proue vnto you who was his sonne which succeeded him in his iniuries and greifes for seeing wee haue reioiced with the prosperous it is reason that we suffer somewhat with the afflicted Dauid was twise made a Prince once in the city of Ebron where hee was annointed king of the twelue Tribes secondly in the denne of Obdollam where hee was made chiefe of those which were in tribulation and from hence it groweth that when the time came when hee should deuide these two kingdomes betwixt his two sonnes he gaue Salomon his rich and flourishing kingdome and Iesus Christ his poore afflicted one Our Lord will giue him his father Dauids seat said the Angel vnto the Virgine as if he would say Thou art to vnderstand O high Virgine that the pledge and dowrie which the eternall father will giue his eternall sonne shall bee the seat of his old father Dauid the seat I say not of iudgemeÌ„t but to be iudged nor the seat of commanding but of obeying not of weale but of woe not of honour but of pouerty not of pleasure but of paine O how the Iudaical natioÌ„ was deceiued in thinking that Christs kingdome should bee a temporall kingdome and that hee should deliuer them out of their captiuity For seeing that he inherited but one seat of his father Dauid how was it possible that he should deliuer the synagogue by force of armes If the Messias promised in the old law should bee Dauids sonne and rich and mighty why did they not receaue king Salomon for their Messias seeing that hee inherited from his father armes to deliuer them power to defend them treasure to enrich them and great wisdome to gouerne them How is it possible that the sonne of God who inherited nothing of Dauid but a poore seat should make warre vnto any and deliuer them from seruitude The sonne of God succeeded his father Dauid in the seat of obedience which hee had with those who obeied him in the seat of charity which hee had with the diseased in the seat of mercy which he had with the afflicted the seat of humilitie which he had with the prowd and the seat of patience which hee had among the ouertrauelled Christ did onely inherite the principality of the afflicted and comfortlesse and was content withall with it seeing that he was banished by Herod sold by Iudaâ— denied by Saint Peter accused of the Iewes and sentence giuen on him by Pilate and mocked of his seruants If all the troubles vexations of the world should bee put on one heape and those which Christ alone suffered on another all men would giue him the prime and to none of the rest because that of all other men bee they neuer so holy there is no man that feeleth more than his owne griefe and paine but the sonne of God did feele his owne and those of his elect When the Apostle saith that the sonne of God Factus est omnia nobis is made all things for vs what else doth hee say but that hee doth suffer with him who suffereth weepeth with him who weepeth dieth with him who dieth Because he is the father of vs al he feeleth all our griefes and because we cost him much he is grieued that wee suffer much and therefore being a Prince and a captaine of the afflicted he doth helpe vs to weep our greifâ— and remedy the excesse For he saith in his Sermon Veâ—ite and mâ— omnes qui laboratis â—nerati estis ego reficiam vas as if he would say Come vnto me al you which are laden and I will vnlade you and come vnto â—ee all you which labour and I will comfort you O glorious captaine and happy proclamation which Christ maketh throughout the world seeing that hee bindeth himselfe to vnload those which are burdened comfort those wich are afflicted turne to those which are persecuted refresh those which are hungry lift vp those which are troden downe and bâ—e a father of all which be father lesse If such as were in tribulation and necessity and fled vnto king Dauid were sad and sorrowfull sad and sorrowfull they returned again if they were banished banished they returned againe if they were in debt indebted they returned againe and if they were discontent discontented they returned in so much that good king Dauid could neither coÌ„fort them nor releeue them He vvho is persecuted with Iesus cannot for a certaine say so nor hee who is banished vvith our banished Lord because none coÌ„meth vnto him comfortlesse who returneth not comforted nor no man commeth vnto him indebted whose debt he paieth nor O this this is a happy calling Come you vnto me al you which are laden seeing that the son of God doth let vs vnderstand thereby that he hath a schoole for the ignorant an exchange for the needy an hospitall for the diseased a tower for such as are fled a pantry for the hungry and a safe conduct for the banished S. Barnard sayth The God of all creatures and the Lord of the heauenly gouernements is the true Phisitian of my
must deliuer the father of all fault and allow the sonnes complaint to bee good To vnfold our selues of this businesse it is to bee noted that Christ said by the Prophet Abinfantia creuit mecum miseratio Because he began to suffer from his childhood and yet hee neuer complained vntill the time came that hee should die Leo vpon the Passion of our Lord sayth That the noble mens children of this world crie our presently when they see any trouble come vpon them and aske for succour but neuer any man saw our Lord open his mouth to complaine vntill a quarter of an houre before they would pull his heart out of his body S. Chrisostome vpon Luke crieth out sayth What newes is this O redeemer of the vvorld vvhat news is this When they lay hands on thee thou takest it quietly vvhen they blaspheme thee thou makest as though thou vvere deaffe vvhen they vvhip thee thou doest hold thy tongue whon they doe crucifie thee thou doest suffer vvhen they kil thee thou doest dissemble and yet doest thou open thy mind euen as thou art yeelding vp thy ghost Why doest thou complaine vpon thy father alone hauing as thou hast so many enemies which haue offended thee that is Iudas who sold thee Peter which did denie thee Pilate which gâ—ue sentence on thee Herod vvho scorned thee and all the people vvhich put thee to death Demosthenes the Philosopher sayth That a man ought neuer begin that vvhich hee cannot bring to an end nor say that vvhich he cannot proue nor aske that which cannot be giuen him nor loue that vvhich cannot be gotten noâ— contend with him vvhome hee cannot reuenge nor yet complaine of that which cannot bee remedied Seneca in an Epistle sayth That no man should say that hee complaineth vnlesse he thinke that he shall haue remedy against his complaint for otherwise he doth himselfe hurt in complaining stirreth him vnto anger of vvhom he complaineth Tell mee then O good Iesus what remedy hâ—st thou for thy coÌ„plaint seeing that thou hast not halfe an houre to liue Doest thou make thy request vnto thy Father when thy soule is euen now departing from thy body Who euer heard of or euer saw the like that the end of thy vexitions to bee the beginning of thy complaint in thirty and three yeares that thou diddest conuerse with vs thou diddest neuer braule with any thou diddest neuer iniury any man nor neuer complaine of any man and now being at the very point of death doest thou complaine only vpon thy Father O what great mystery and deep secret this thy complaint doth couer seeing that in such a time and such a narrow strait thou doest complaine when all other are woont to pardon their iniuries and reconcile their enmities and aske pardon for their offences Pauper in laboribus a iuuentute mea exaltatus autem humiliatus conturbatus these wordes the Prophet Dauid sayth in the person of Christ Psalme 88 as if hee would say I haue been brought vp in trauails and pouerty from my childhood and then I was lifted vp and then made low and afterward troubled and persecuted Thy fears haue made me afraid and thy angers haue broken vpon me and thy trauails haue compassed me about and they haue compassed me about altogether as it were a vie and ouer and aboue all this thou hast set my friend farre from me and hast seperated him who was my neighbour farre from me If wee doe deepely looke into the complaints which the sonne maketh in this place against his eternall Father wee shall find that they are many in number great in quality and in respect incomparable cruell in their kind and vnworthy of him vnto whom they are sent Basil vpon the Psalme sayth That speaking like a man it seemeth in humane reason that the innocency of good Iesus did not deserue neither could it be in the clemency of his good Father that the diuine pittie should load vpon weake humanity so many torments together and heape so many troubles vexations The first complaint which the sonne made against his Father is Quod pauper in laboribus sum a iuuentute mea to wit That he brought him vp poorely from his childhood he made him liue with hunger and go like a banished man from place to place Cicero sayth in an Epistle When a young man doth suffer trauails and endure pouerty if he bee not a foole and an idiot he beareth it with a great courage by remembring that his Father was poore in the same manner but if his Father had been rich and now hee himselfe poore this is such a misfortune that there is no patience able to endure it nor heart which can dissemble it What should the sonne of God thinke when hee remembreth what a rich Father hee had and that hee did spend all his treasure vpon other mens children and suffer him to goe poorely naked and a hungred and scorned by all men The Apostle speaking of Gods riches sayth Deus qui dines es in omnibus as if hee would say Thou art the God only which doth possesse great riches and art the Lord which hath many lordships because thou shouldest want nothing thy selfe and to impart much of the ouerplus vnto others Gloria diuitiae in domo eius saith the Prophet his house is full of glory and there is infinite wealth in his chamber If God then haue glory for those which are in heauen with him and bee also a father who hath wealth for such as are with him in this world what was the cause why he did not impart some of this vnto his sonne Ambrose vpon this word Pauper in laboribus sayth That most sacred humanity came in pouerty of glory seeing that his Father did not suffer his soule to impart somewhat of his glory vnto his body and his person also liued in pouerty seeing hee had nothing proper vnto himselfe in this life in so much that as the father was rich in all things so the sonne was poore of all things Plato in his Timaeo sayth That although pouerty bee no euill thing in a good man yet notwithstanding mans nature doth much abhorre it because there can none but he be called very fortunate who is able to giue vnto others neither is there any other very vnfortunate but hee who must of necessity aske of others It is to bee thought that Christs humanity did feele his pouerty and necessity which hee endured aswel because his father had very much to bestow vpon him as for that hee must oftentimes aske for that which hee had need of S. Bonauenture sayth in the life of Christ Christ had much a doe to maintaine himselfe and those of his Colledge for sometimes he asked that which he had need of and they gaue it him not and at other times he asked not and yet they sent him in so much that there did striue in his tender heart at one time the hunger
world haue had no power yet notwithstanding sin hath had a dwelling place in them because there did neuer man liue so cleane who knew not what sinne was Cassiodorus sayth I for my part thinke sinne more mightier than any other enemy because the world and the diuell can but deceiue me but wicked sin can hurt me damn me For if there were no manner of sin in the world we should need neither gallowes nor sword Christ onely may say hee hath deliuered me from my enemies because he no other was free from sinne because all other creatures knew what sinne was and all knew what punishment for it was O how happy a man he should be who could say with the Prophet he hath deliuered me from my strongest enemies for it is nothing else to say that God hath deliuered him from his enemies but that our Lord hath deliuered him from his sinnes The Prophet had great reason to call sinne not only an enemy but also his strongest enemy seeing that without other helpe he threw the Angell out of heauen cast Adam out of Paradise depriued Iudas of his Apostleship and condemned all the world to death Is not sinne thinke you the mightiest of all other enemies seeing that hee is able and strong inough to carry mee to hell The power of my visible enemy reacheth no further than to take my life from mee but sinne the Traitour is an enemy so strong that hee is able to take my life from me depriue me of grace cast me out of glory hurt my soule and condemne mee vnto paine Who had such enemies as the sonne of God had that is so wicked in their cogitations so malicious in their speech and so cruell in their deedes Were not the lashes which opened Christs shoulders very cruell enemies the nailes which broke his sinewes the thornes which tore his temples and the speare which opened his side and the Synagogue which tooke his life from him Yet Christ called none of all these his enemies nor did not handle them like his enemies but only sins which hee did not only call enemies but mighty and strong enemies giuing vs therby to vnderstand that we should hold none for our enemie but onely sinne When good king Dauid said Persequar inimicos meos comprehendam illos Hee spake it not in respect of the enemies which persecuted his person but for sinnes which did damnifie his soule For seeing that good king Dauid did pardon Saul and Simei and others his mortall enemies how could hee counsell vs that wee should persecute ours When he saith I will persecute my enemies vntill I destroy them he spake of no other enemies but of his sinnes the which it is conuenient for vs to persecute and cast from vs. And it is not without a mystery that hee sayth Persequar comprehendam Because that as the enemy which is offended if he be not taken turneth againe and biddeth vs a more fierce battaile than hee did before euen so dooth the diuell and sinne deale with vs the which if we doe not driue away vtterly from vs and root out from our hearts they turn againe against vs like vnto most mighty and strong enemies What doth it auaile the huntsman if hee run after the Hare if he take her not what doth it is profite thee if thou run after sinne and detest sinne and speake euill of it if thou doest not ouertake sinne and what else is it to ouertake sinne but to ouercome and destroy sinne vtterly O how many there be which say I wil persecute my enemies and how few there bee which say and I haue taken them for if they cast out sinnes to day on one side of their house they turne againe to morrow and knocke at the ring of the dore and it is opened presently vnto them CHAP. III. How Christ complaineth of his Father because hee tooke all his friends from him in his passion and all others which he knew ELongasti ame amicum proximum notos meos a miseria These are the words which the sonne of God spake continuing his former complaint vttered by the Prophet Dauid Psalm 87 as if he would say Thou shouldest haue contented thy selfe O my Father when thou didst vnload al thy wrath vpō my weake body not seperate anew my friends frō me hinder those to come vnto me which were my known acquaintance Christ cōplaineth in this place of his Father that he tooke his friends from him seeing that he sayth thou hast remoued my friends from me he complaineth that he took his kinsmen from him that hee tooke his acquaintance from him and at that instant when hee vvas in greatest misery This is a pittifull complaint which the sonne of God now maketh because there is no griefe to be compared vnto that nor no hurt equall vnto the taking away of a mans trusty and faithfull friend Horace asketh what hee is able to doe or what hee hath who hath no friends To what purpose doth he liue which hath no friends Mimus the Philosopher sayth That a man dieth as oft as he loseth any of his good friends and sayth further that as the body is made of diuers members so the heart of friends and there vpon it is that as the body cannot liue without it haue many members so likewise the heart cannot liue vvithout friends They killed Dauids greatest enemy which was Saul and his deerest friend who was Ionathas in one day and hee was so agreeued at the death of his friend that by turns after hee had wept the death of his friend hee wept his enemies death also We doe not read that our redeemer did weep for the death of holy Ioseph his maister nor for all the trauails which he eudured in this world but he wept for the death of Lazarus his good friend whose death hee could not endure but immediately did raise from death againe If Plutarch the great Philosopher doe not deceiue vs Plato came from Asia vnto Cicilia for no other cause but to see Phocion the Philosopher who was his deere friend Cicero in his booke of Friendship sayth That the Philosophers do cōmend nothing more vnto vs nor wise men did esteeme of no riches more than of the conuersation of their friends because that without friends it is not lawfull for vs to liue nor yet very sure to die Aristorle being asked what friendship was answered That it was nothing else but one soule which ruled two hearts and one heart which did dwell in two bodies Diogenes sayth That seeing there is no greater paine than to deale with naughty men nor no greater comfort than to conuerse with good men for my owne part I confesse and say that I had rather die vvith him whom I hold for my friend than liue with him whome I esteeme my enemie Eschines the Philosopher being demanded how one friend should be towards another answered betwixt true friends there is but one yea and one
Aegypt in the red sea the which two punishments were so famous that our Lord hath not vsed the like vntill this day The sonne of God dooth not complaine of this kind of floud nor wee doe not read that he euer was in danger by water for being Lord of all the waters how is it possible that he should bee drowned in the waters The sonne of God complaineth of stronger flouds than these of more raging seas more salter waters of whose bitternesse none tasted so much of as hee did nor no man went so neere the bottome of them as hee did What waters were they then which compassed the sonne of God but onely most grieuous tribulations which passed through his heart and tormented his body In Scripture by many waters is oftentimes vnderstood many tribulations as when hee said elsewhere Saluum â—â—e facâ—domine quia intrauerunt aquae animam meam as if hee would say Saue me O Lord because I am drowned helpe mee O my great God because the waters ouerflow me because the waters of distresse enter in at my mouth and drowne my dolorous heart O in what great anguish of mind hee was who spake these words for to say that anguish went to his heart was nothing else but to bee grieued at the heart The waters of tribulation and the floud of vexation entred into no mans heart so deepely as into our Sauiours for seeing that we were the cause of them all as he did loue vs from the heart so hee did feele them from the heart It is to bee noted that hee doth not say that the water did wet him or bemite him or make him afraid for all these things doe not kill but onely put vs in feare All the perill of water is that a suddaine streame doe not carry vs away and that our life doth consist in nothing but in the suddaine growing or decreasing of the water Seneca sayth That no man can be in greater danger in this life than hee who seeth himselfe compassed with waters because that at the self same time our soule and life goeth out where the waters goe in and the waters goe out where our soules goe in To what other thing could the son of God better compare his anguish distresse than vnto one compassed about with waters It is to bee noted that he sayth Circumdederunt me Haue enuitoned mee because the water which raineth doth wet onely the water throwne dasheth onely and that which is dronke filleth but that which compasseth on euery side drowneth and therfore Christ saith they haue iuclosed me on euery side saith not they haue wet me because his blessed heart was drowned in the sea of sorrow and his sacred body in the floud of tormeÌ„ts The waters which compassed him about the flouds which fell vpon him were so great that my tongue is not able to rehearse them nor my heart to thinke them nor my fingers to write them nor my eies to bewaile them O good Iesus my soules delight how or when diddest thou see thy selfe enuironed with waters but when thou sawest one member pulled froÌ„ another on the Mount of Caluary O that it is an improper speech to say that thou wast compassed with water seeing that thou mightest with greater reason haue said that thou diddest see thy selfe drowned in bloud because that in that lamentable day of thy death thou diddest want water and flow in bloud It is nor without a deepe mystery and hidden secret that Christ saith that hee was compassed about with water although it were true that he was enuironed with bloud and the reason is because there is no man who is so greatly recreated by drinking a cup of cold water nor taketh so great contentment in it as good Iesus did in shedding his bloud to redeeme the world with it Christ sayth then they haue compassed me about like vnto water because that if he did looke vpward hee saw his Father who would not seeme to heare him if downward he saw but his mother who could doe nothing but weepe for him if hee did looke on the left hand he saw but a thiefe who would not beleeue in him if on the other hand hee saw another thiefe who could not helpe him He was compassed on euery side for if hee should haue looked behind he should haue seene the hangmen watching him and before him the Iewes a mocking him Christ saith they haue coÌ„passed me like vnto a water vpon which words S. Barnard sayth thus O good Iesus O my soules delight what pitty did moue thee what charity did force thee being nailed vpon the crosse loaden with thornes beset about with speares yet thou saiest that thou art compassed with waters Doest thou die vpon the crosse and that with great thirst couldest not get a cup of water to drinke and yet doest thou say that thou art coÌ„passed with water What loue hath transported thee or what goodnesse hath made thee past thy sence that thou shouldest thinke the bloud which issueth from thee should bee water that runneth out of thee What meaneth this O redeemer of my soule what meaneth this Doth thy hard nailes cruell speares grieuous thornes seeme to be fountains of sweet waters The loue which Christ bare vs in suffering was so infinite that all things seemed sweet and pleasant vnto him because it is a priuiledge of loue that nothing seemeth hard and painful vnto him which loueth but that which he doth vnwillingly The sonne of God doth nothing vnwillingly in this world vnlesse it bee when hee punisheth our offences for although he do many things daily being praied thereunto yet hee doth nothing being forced Christ doth complaine also that they compassed him with many flouds of waters comming together for hee sayth Circumde derunt me simul which kind of persecution is no lesse painfull than perillous nor perillous than painefull Plato to this purpose sayth That when griefes and vexations come by little and by little they seeme to bee somewhat tollerable but when they come by heapes they are vntollerable and the reason is because man had no time to foresee such dangers nor place to auoid them Basil vpon the Psalme sayth That griefes and vexations came vpon that most blessed humanity of Christ like a very great water and like many enemies which laid in ambush the which Christ would not nor did not resist nor yet flie away from but only beseech his Father to giue him more strength to endure and abide them Bede sayth in an Homily O that this thy loue which thou diddest shew in this speech of Quare me dereliquisti was vnspeakable and thy charity incomparable for if thou doest complaine to thy Father it was not because he should take away some part of the torment which thou diddest suffer but because hee would not giue thee longer life to suffer more Vbertinus sayth that Christ said very truly when he said that whole flouds of many waters had compassed him round about
of vvater and his heart brake in two vvhen hee remembred the vow vvhich he had made in the vvarre and that he could do no lesse than kill his daughter The father then said vnto his daughter O my daughter and sole inheritrize how vnfortunate vvas thy destinie and how vnlucky vvas my fortune in that I must open my mouth and make that promise to such great preiudice to thy life and hurt vnto my house His daughter answered him and said If thou hast opened thy mouth my father to make any vow vnto the great God of Israel let mee bee no hinderance for the performance of it for I vvill like it well onely because I see thee victorious ouer thy enemies And she added further and said only I aske of thee my father that thou wouldest giue mee two months space before thou doest sacrifice mee in the Temple to bewaile my Virginity in these sorrowful mountains with others my companions And when those two months were past the tender virgine bewailing and weeping the losse of her life and virginity vnbestowed the Father performed his vow and sacrificed his daughter Because Iephthe that captaine had that famous victory but yet with vufortunate losse of his onely daughter all the young maids and virgines of the people of Israell agreed a meeting to weepe and lament the death of Iephthes daughter foure daies in the yeare and although the people of the Iewes did omit thinges of greater weight than that was yet they did neuer forget to mourn and lameÌ„t those daies The holy scripture doth promise vs many great matters in this figure of Iephthe worthy to be knowne hard to expound Who is vnderstood by the famous captaine Iephthe but the sonne of the liuing God and redeemer of the world He who said all power is giueÌ„ me in heauen and earth is more valerous and mighty than Ieph the was because that Iephthes authority extended no further than the land of Iury but the sonne of Gods did reach ouer heauen earth The scripture maketh mention that when Iephthe was a yong man those of his countrey put him from his fathers inheritance banished him out of the land and how that in progresse of time hee deliuered them from their enemies and vvas captaine ouer them all That which the neighbours of Gilead did to Iephthe the inhabitants of Ierusalem did to Christ whome they banished out of the Synagogue and depriued of his Fathers inheritance and yet neuerthelesse hee deliuered them from their sinnes and vvas the redâ—emer of them all The truth doth very vvell answere to the figure in this place and the sence vnto the letter For as they which did banish Iephthe out of all the kingdome did afterward entreat him to bee their guide and captaine so those which said to Pilate crucifie crucifie him did afterward on the Mount of Caluary strike their breasts and say aloud Verè hic filius deifuit This man was truly the son of God Who was vnderstood in Iepthes daughter a virgine faire and young but only that flesh and humanity of the Word S. Ambrose vpon those words Speciosus sorma sayth Who is so beautifull who is so pure who so holy as that most sacred flesh vvas and is The daughter of Iephthe was not knowne of any man and Christs humanitie was also vnknowne of man seeing that it was not conceiued by consent of husband but formed and framed by the vvebe of the holy ghost Iephthe did promise to offer in the Temple his only daughter for the victory which hee had obtained against his enemies and Christ did promise to offer vpon the crosse his owne flesh for the victory and conquest vvhich he had against sinnes so that Iephthe did offer only the daughter vvhich hee had begotten and the sonne of God did offer his owne proper body Is it not thinke you a greater matter for a man to offer his owne flesh than that vvhich is born of his flesh Iephthe vvas very loath and grieued to offer his onely daughter and it vvas a great corrasiue to the daughters heart to see her selfe sacrificed by her owne Father but in the end shee vvas more ioyfull and glad of the victory vvhich her Father receaued against his enemies than grieued that her owne life should bee sacrificed O how vvell one mystery doth answere vnto another for vvhen the flesh said Let this cup passe from mee vvith the daughter of Iephthe hee vvas loath to die but vvhen hee said Not as I vvill but as thou vvilt hee was glad to suffer so that that sacred flesh vvas very vvilling to bee sacrificed because that the diuine Word should obtaine victory ouer sinnes Doest thou not thinke my brother that one mystery doth very vvell answere another and that one secret is very vvell compated vvith another seeing that that virgine vvas sacrificed for her fathers honour and that diuine and sacred flesh also sacrificed for the honour and glory of his father Iepthe had a great reuenge ouer his enemies but Christ a farre greater ouer sinne and yet it is to be noted that by how much the greater those two victories vvere so much the more greater vvere the prices vvhich they vvere bought for because the one did cost his daughters life and the other his owne What can be deerer than that vvhich doth cost a mans life Pellem pro pelle cuncta dabit home pro animasua saith Iob chapter 2. The Scripture maketh mention in Iob that as there appeared before the iudgement of God many vvicked men the deuill made one among them for good men doe neuer assemble themselues to doe good but Sathan is there also to doe them some hurt Our Lord said vnto Sathan from vvhence doest thou come and vvhither hast thou gone To this Sathan answered I haue gone about all the earth and vvalked through it to see whether I could happen vpon any more that vvere mine Our Lord replied hast thou seene my good seruant and trusty friend Iob vnto vvhome no man on the earth may bee compared And doest thou not know Sathan that Iob is a holy man sincere in condition vpright in his conscience fearfull in that vvhich the law commandeth vvithout malice one vvho continueth till this day in his innocency Thou hast stirred me vp against him that I should kil his sonnes destroy his sheepe and deere and that his oxen should be stolne froÌ„ him and all his vvealth taken from him and that I should depriue him of all his honour Sathan answered vnto this and said Know Lord that a man vvill giue all his vvealth substance vvith condition to saue his life Pellem pro pelle dabit hemo that is A man vvill giue al his sheepe skins all the cowes hides in the vvorld to keepe his owne flesh If thou vvilt trie Lord vvho thy friend Iob is lay thy hand vpon his owne person and fill his bodie with a leprosie and then thou shalt see that hee will bee more
at the very instant that thy enemies appreheÌ„ded thee in the gardeÌ„ thou didst request nothing else at their hands but that they would take thee and set thy family at liberty In his last supper and in his last Sermon when he said Pater Father keepe them which beleeue in mee and such as will beleeue in me hee did well shew the loue which he bare vnto his family seeing hee praied vnto his Father for those which were already borne and for those which should be born afterwards for these which were absent and for those which were present as well for the dead as for those which were aliue O happy is that soule vvhich doth dwell in the family of the sonne of God seeing that hee loueth him before that hee is borne and vvhen hee is borne giueth him iustice and after his death glory The figure sayth further that all those of the kingdome of Palestine did greatly enuy the Patriarke Isaac and all his house not because hee had done them any hurt or vvrong but because hee vvas mightier than all they Sâ—neca in his booke of Anger sayth That there is no enuie more dangerous than that vvhich proceedeth of another mans prosperitie for as long as the good lucke of the one doth last the others enuy and malice is neuer at an end All the intent and purpose of an enuious man is to turne him backe vvhich goeth before beat downe him which is on high throw him downe which â—s more fortunate than himselfe discredite him vvho is in greater honour and empouerish him vvho is richer than himselfe Hâ—race sayth That the property of an enuious man is that as anothers prosperity dooth encrease so his enuy doth also grow whereof it followeth that because hee cannot abide him hee hateth him with his heart diffameth him vvith his tongue iniurieth him vvith his hands and stirreth vp also others against him Good Isaac did neuer hurt the Palestines his neighbours hee did neuer forray their mountaines nor eat vp their pastures nor violate their vviues nor speake euill against them nor breed any discord amongst them but did succour them as if they had bâ—en his brothers and entreat them as if they had been his children Yet notwithstanding all this being besotted and dronke with enuy and obstinate in malice they commanded good Isaac to goe out of the land forsake his vvealth and breake vp his houshold And further the people of Palestine not content vvith all this agreed by the consent of the people and by a clattering of a counsell to stop vp his vvels vvhich his seruants vsed and his flockes dranke of They could not haue shewed their malice nor bewraied their enuie more in any thing than in demming vp Isaacs vvels of vvater because that vvithout the element of vvater neither men can liue nor beast sustaine himselfe To come then vnto our purpose vvhat mortall man hath there euer been is or shall bee who hath been so much enuied as the sonne of the liuing God was What was the cause of such vntollerable enuie in the Israelites but his excellency in knowledge his skilfulnesse in learning his vprightnesse in iustice and the purity of his life The Iewes raged and were ready to hurt themselues to see Christ vtter such great mysteries of Scripture as hee did preach so many sermons vnto the people doe such strange miracles in the city preach publickly against vice and draw vnto his companie those which were alwaies accounted honest The Iews malice against Christ was greater than the Palestines against Isaac because they did nothing but command Isaac to go out of the land but the Iewes did not commaund Iesus but they themselues with their owne hands drew him out and not satisfied with that they agreed afterward to crucifie him They did shut vp the water where Isaac did drinke but they did open Iesus hands and side and therefore comparing hurt with hurt and losse vvith losse it was a greater losse to take Christs life from him than to take Isaacs vvater from him Is it not thinke you a greater hurt to open a mans vaines of bloud vvith the vvhich hee liueth than to shut vp a mans wels vvhereof hee drinketh If men shut vp my wels I open others if I haue no vvater I drinke vvine if they expell me out of this country I goe vnto another but if they draw my bloud from me vvho vvill giue me more bloud and if they breake my vains vvho vvill lend me others and if they take my life from mee vvho vvill helpe me vnto another Christ then vvas vvorser handled through enuy than Isaac for if Isaac did liue in honour he vvent away vvith honour and if he came aliue into the land he vvent away aliue but vvhat shall we say of holy and blessed Iesus vvhose family they did scatter abroad through enuy vvhose mother they seperated away from him vvhose bloud they shed vvhose doctrine they contaminated and vvhose fame they obscured and al through enuy and malice Chrisostome sayth As all the riches of man doth consist in his soule his credite his life and goods so the Pharisaicall enuy and malice did leaue Christ none of all these for they tooke his soule from him they discredited him in his fame they depriued him of his life and left him no goods at all How farre thinkest thou did all his goods reach but onely vnto a torne cassocke and a bare coat And yet most cursed enuy came and tooke the garments away from him and gaue the one vnto the hangmen which did put him to death and the other coat vnto the souldiers vvhich kept him What pouerty then in all the vvorld can bee equall vnto this vvhich Christ our Lord suffered hanging vpon the crosse seeing they haue drawne his soule from him shed his bloud bereaued him of his life and diuided his garments Although the enuy and malice vvhich the Palestines bare to Isaac vvere great yet they did neuer lay hands vpon him but they did lay hands vpon the sonne of God vvhen they did apprehend him they did lay their feet vpon him vvhen they did kicke him they did lay their tongue vpon him vvhen they did blaspheme him and they did lay their hearts vpon him vvhen they did hate him The Author continueth this matter and expoundeth another figure to this purpose TVlit mulier velamen expandit super â—s putei quasi siccans ptisanas sic latuit rex 2. Reg. chap. 17. For the better vnderstanding of these vvordes you must know that there vvere sent from Dauids campe two young men into Ierusalem to know vvhat determination and counsell Absalon and Achitophel had taken against Dauid to the intent that Chusi vvho vvas Dauids true friend and Absalons fained friend and yet dwelling vvith him might let Dauid vnderstand what Absalon purposed to do And as Chusi did send to these two yong men vvho vvere Achimaas and Ionathas Absalons determination a certaine young man had spied them neere
on our side seeing that if there had ben an hundred thousand worlds he would haue redeemed euery one of them When the good Apostle said Tradidit semetipsum pro me hee spake it not to extenuate and diminish Christs passion nor straiten his redemption but to confesse before all the world that whatsoeuer the sonne of God had suffered vpon the crosse hee was as much and as streitly bound to bee gratefull for it as if hee had died for him alone S. Augustine in his booke of Christian doctrine sayth As our Lord did know euery mans offences in particular so hee did redeem euerie of them particularly in so much that euery man in particular is as greatly bound vnto him for his bloud and as certaine a debtour vnto him for his death as if hee should haue redeemed him alone and suffered for him only and no other Theophil sayth Euen as in thy creation thou art as greatly bound vnto God as if he should haue created thee and no other so in thy redemption thou art â—s greatly bound vnto him as if he should haue redeemed thee no other for at that time when he bought thee he gaue as much for thee as for all men and as much for all men and no more as for thee S. Barnard saith If the sonne of God should haue redeemed a thousand thousand of worlds he would haue giuen no more bloud for them than hee did and if hee should haue redeemed no more but me alone hee would haue shed no lesse bloud than he did by reason whereof wee cannot deâ—nde his redemption betwixt vs that thou mightest bee but meanly gratefull vnto him and another lesse but thou must thinke that he died wholly for thee and wholly for mee and that euery maÌ„ is as great a debtour vnto him as if he had died for him alone Anselmus sayth Doe not thinke that Christ bought vs ingreat and at the first sight as flockes of sheepe are bought but hee bought euery man by himselfe alone satisfying in particular for euery sinne so that as he found many in the world so hee redeemed them all but if hee had found but one sinfull soule in the world hee would haue bestowed his precious bloud in redeeming her alone Isidorus Desumme bono saith Mark and note wel good Christian that Christ did not lesse loue thee than he loued me neither did he buy thee with lesser trauel thaÌ„ he bought me not giuing lesse bloud for one than for all And thereupon being as it were carried away with great loue towards vs he esteemed not nor did not look to the price which he gaue for vs but vnto the loue with the which he bought vs. If our blessed Lord would haue looked vnto the smalnesse and base value of that which he did buy as hee did looke vpon the great loue with the which hee did buy vs would hee thinke you haue bestowed one drop of his bloud vpon vs If humane nature should be ioined and coupled with the nature of Angels and that of them both there were made one nature what could it doe what were in it what were it worth that the sonne of God should shed so much as one drop of bloud for it That it vvould please Christ to die for vs let vs thanke the great loue which he bare vnto vs and not any desert or merit of our owne For if he should haue expected at our hands that we should first haue deserued it he should yet be to take flesh vpon him to redeeme vs. Origen in his Periarchon sayth As the sunne wheÌ„ he riseth doth no lesse giue light vnto al thaÌ„ vnto one aswell vnto one as vnto all eueÌ„ so the son of God did not die more for all thaÌ„ for one nor nolesse for one thaÌ„ for all Barnard saith O infinite goodnesse O inspeakable charity which of all creatures wold haue done so much for thee as thou hast done for me that is esteem more of my soule than of thy own life of my honor thaÌ„ of thy fame of my redeÌ„ptioÌ„ thaÌ„ of thy passion of my remedy help than of thine own hurt O with what great reason the Apostle did say Tradidit semetipsum pro me casting vpon himselfe the whole price of the bloud of Christ but not that which it was worth in value but that great obligation vnto which it did bind him The sonne of God than doth complaine to his Father saying Why hast thou forsaken me because he did punish him and not the Synagogue vvhome hee had brought vp and carried vpon his shoulders CHAP. X. How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse considering that hee hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences QVidvltrà debui facere vineae meae quod non fec Christ spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Esayas chap. 5. As if hee would say What can any man doe more for his vineyard or Lord for his Commonwealth than I haue done for thee O Synagogue These are tender words to feele and pittiful to heare seeing that on one side hee doth complaine of the Synagogue and on the other he will reckon and debate the matter with her and conoâ—â—ce her first that all the fault is in her and not in him before hee doe punish her and giue her pennance God doth debate the matter with the Iewes as one good friend doth with another going about to win them with the great benefires which he hath done for them and the great ingratitude with the which they haue recompenced him Our Lord might very well punish the Iewes without delay and not contrary vnto the order of iustice but yet he would first put theÌ„ in mind of the great goodnes which they had receaued at his hands and of their manifold sinnes which hee had dissembled to the end that if they feele the smart of it they might not iustly complaine on him It is a cunning manner of reprehending a mans friend to tell him of the good turnes which he hath done vnto him and the dangers which hee hath deliuered him from because by this meanes hee doth not only reprehend him but also confound him Saint Ierome to Martella sayth The summe of all the benefits which God can doe to vs are to direct vs in the right way of goodnesse and put from vs the way of sinne and wickednesse because wee are no lesse bound vnto him who dooth deliuer vs from perils and dangers than vnto him who doth vs great good turnes S. Gregory vpon the Psalmes sayth When the redeemer of the world did make our Lords praier Pater â—â—ster when hee did command vs to say Da nobu hodie giue vs this day hee did also enioine vs to say Sed libera nos But deliuer vs from euill by which words he did teach vs that wee should not onely craue helpe of him but also beseech him that hee would deliuer vs from euill What innumerable benefites God hath bestowed on vs Esay
doth tell vs in this authoritie when he sayth Quid vltra debut facere vincae meae and S. Paul when he said Tradit semetipsum pro me where the one speaketh of the great care which our Lord hath in gouerning and maintaining vs and the other of the bitter paine hee tooke in redeeming vs. Our Lord sayth very well what should I haue done more vnto my vineyard seeing that he tooke humane flesh for vs washed away our offences endued vs with his grace incorporated vs in his church and made vs capable of glory What should he hauedone more considering that he hath left vs his body to receiue his merites to help our selues with his Saints to imit-te his Gospel to keepe and his Sacraments for a medicine Quid vltra debus facere considering how he made our bodies of nothing created our soules to his owne likenesse giuen vs Angels to guard vs and bestowed all the earth vpon vs What should he do more seeing that hee hath commanded the sunne to giue vs light the earth to sustaine vs the fire to heat vs the water to wash vs the aire to recreate vs What should he doe more for vs seeing thâ—t ouer and aboue all other beasts hee hath giuen vs iudgement to discerne good from bad memory to rememberthings pâ—st and a will to loue that which is holy and good If these benefites doe seeme great vnto thee yet I tell thee further that he hath done more than this for thee which thou hast forgotten of which our Lord wil call for an account at the great day of his generall accounts What are these new sauours or when doth hee vnto vs any other good turnes but when hee turneth some dangerous hurt from vs Griefe of mind anxietie of heart feares of life suddaine passions touching our credite and fame with such like as are woont to assault vs euery minure of an houre although we thinke not on them so that if our Lord should not keepe vs with his mighty hand wee should liue with paine and die with perill What are those mischiefes which doe most of all weary vs and which are neuer from vs but dreadfull death vnspeakable griefe bitter teares extreame sorrow and vntollerable feare These fine dolours doe bait and ouerthrow all mortal men because they are so common among great men and so vniuersal among the meaner sort that vntill this day we haue known none exempted from them and wee haue heard of none who haue died and not tried them If euery man will examine his owne person he shall find it to bee true that he knoweth all these mischiefes and euils not by any science which hee hath heard but by experience within himselfe seeing that we see nothing else euery houre but euery man to weepe and bewaile his infinite paines and griefes And because we may not seeme that we doe speake at pleasure we will speake of euery word a little to bring thee to remembrance how euery one of these griefes is experimented in thy selfe As concerning the first which is death what mortall man was euer borne in this life whom death in the end hath not made an end of and put into his graue With this condition we come into the world and liue in the world that in the end wee must leaue the world and that by reason of a common law which he hath giuen vs. The second griefe are teares and what mortall man did euer liue in this world with such great ioy but hath wept at some time or other and that heartily Horace sayth That weeping is so naturall a thing vnto all mortall men that we be borne weeping liue weeping and die weeping Demosthenes sayth That a man hath need of a maister to learne all offices and duties vnlesse it be weeping because there is nothing wherof a man hath such abundance and plenty as of cares in his mind complaints in his tongue and teares in his eies The third paine is sorrow for what mortall man did euer attaine vnto such sure and quiet state of life that hee should neuer need to fetch at any time a deepe sigh O that it is well seene in the life of holy Iacob that to mourne sigh and weepe are offices and duties so annexed vnto the miserable life of man that we shall first see our selues dead than free from them The griefes which trouble our mindes are so many and the anxieties which charge our bowels are so huge and strong that lamenting and vvailing is taken for a remedy and sighing for a comfort and weeping for an ease because it happeneth often to afflicted minds that the more teares they shed the more ease their hearts receiue The fourth paine which is griefe what man hath euer beene so strong and healthy who hath not beene throwne downe with some sicknesse or beaten vvith some great affliction O that the Apostle said very well that vvee haue a treasure in fickle vessels seeing that vvee are so weake in strength and feeble of health that wee doe nothing but keepe our selues from the sunne least hee burne vs and from cold least it goe through vs and from the aire least it distemper vs from the vvater least it stop vs and from meat least vvee disgest it not Auerroes sayth That because these inferiour bodies are subiect vnto the superiour influences of the heauens they passe great perill and are endangered by the starres and planets for the elements often changing in themselues the bodies which are made of them doe also the like Of all the riches of this life there is none equall or to bee compared vnto health because that all other paines and griefes either time doth cure or discretion doth moderate The fist paine vvhich is feare vvhat mortall man had his heart euer so at rest that no feare hath euer come vpon him or in vvhome no suddaine passion hath raigned Menander sayth That of necessitie there must raigne in mens hearts mirth or sorrow loue or hatred paine or ease and hope or feare but of all these sorrow and hatred paine and feare are those which doe most of all raigne in our bowels because we see mirth and loue pleasure and hope either late or neuer come to our dore Cicero in his Commonwealth sayth put case that wee loue many things yet without comparison wee feare more thinges and that which is worst of all is that our loue doth change euery day but our feare doth neuer depart from vs. Plautus sayth How merry so euer our countenance bee and how full soeuer of laughter thy mouth bee and howsoeuer the tongue talketh yet neuerthelesse the sorrowfull heart is loaded with feare for hee feareth least his credite and honour shall bee taken from him or least they steale away his vvealth or least his life be neere an end or least that vvhich hee loueth should be long absent Xenophon saith What pleasure or contentment can raigne in any mortall mans heart seeing that wee suffer so many griefes
come into the world condemned to death Zaram onely who was the figure and the sonne of God who was the thing figured were those who had their finger tied with a coloured thred because he and no other was to die for the world and redeeme vs out of sinne What other meaning had the thred of scarlet sauing onely the shedding of his precious bloud The difference betwixt thee O my sweet Iesus and other condemned persons is this that they are tied in a hempen cord and thou in a thred of scarlet and they about the necke and thou about the finger and they are lead to be hanged and thou to be crucified A thiefe is led away bound with a great tope because he is drawne to death by force but the sonne of God is tied with a small fine thred because hee dieth not by force but of his owne free will for if it were not his good pleasure so to doe neither the Angels nor men nor the diuels were able to put him to death O high mystery O diuine Sacrament who euer saw or heard that before a child were borne or knew what sinne was yet that he should come out of his mothers wombe already condemned What mercy can be compared vnto this that before his mother should giue him milke to sucke his owne father threatened him that he should die crucified Elegit suspendium anima mea ossa mea mortem nequaquam vltra iam viuam saith Iob chap. 7. And he spake them when his children were dead and his body plagued and his goods lost and himself vpon the dunghill and it is as if hee would say My paines and dolours doe so narrowly beset mee about and my griefe is come to that bitternesse that my soule hath chosen to be hanged and my life to come at an end because I am a weary to suffer any longer and doe loath my life Such pittifull complaines as these are and such tender vvordes cannot proceed but from an afflicted and grieued heart and from a man which desireth death Because it is the property of one which is distressed to complaine vnto all those which comfort him fill himselfe with weeping with all those which come to visite him What else would holy Iob say when he sayth Elegit suspendium anima mea ossa mea mortem but that his soule desired to bee hanged and his bones chuse death and his life to bee at an end O holy man thou hast nothing left thee but thy soule and wouldest thou haue it hanged nothing left but thy bones and doest thou desire to haue them dead thou hast nothing left but thy life and vvouldest thou loose it Thou must vnderstand my good brother that Iob did not speake these dolefull vvordes in his owne name but in Christs name vnto vvhome this speech dooth most properly belong Because that from the beginning of the vvorld vntill this day there vvas neuer soule so sorrowfull as his nor neuer body so martyred as his vvas Saint Chrisostome vpon these vvords of the Apostle Fidelis deus qui non permittit nos tentari vltra id quod possumus sayth thus Our Lord is very faithfull and pittifull because hee tempteth no man aboue that vvhich hee is able to suffer nor suffereth no man to haue greater paine than he is able to beare the sonne of God excepted onely vpon vvhome the Father laid in the iudgement of men torment and paine not able to bee indured and withall innumerable temptations What vvilt thou require more in this case but that God the Father laid martyrdome vpon Saints by ownces but vpon his blessed sonne by great loads and burdens Whaâ— great distresse vvas his soule in thinke you and vvhat griefe did oppresse his heart vvhen hee sighed for the gallowes and his body desired his graue When did thy soule desire to bee hanged but vvhen thou diddest crucifie thy blessed humanity vpon the crosse when did thy bones couet death but vvhen thou diddest loose thy life for the elects sake When the Scripture sayth Elegit Hee did chuse it is signified that thou diddest die willingly for vs and when he saith Suspendium his death was signified and withall his determination which he had to redeeme the world and that our redemption should be hanged vpon the tree And vvhen he sayth Ossa mea the multitude of people is set forth which were at his death as well the good as the bad the quicke as the dead the good to see themselues redeemed by him and the bad to see themselues reuenged of him All humane pains are brought vnto three principall heads that is to the trouble and trauell of the body to the griefe and sorrow of the mind and to the losse of life These vexations are woont to happen at diuerse times and also be deuided and laid vpon diuerse persons and hee who hath griefe of body feeleth no sorrow of mind and if hee haue anguish of mind yet not so great that it should take his life from him because our Lord is so pittiful that hee dooth not looke vnto the multitude of our offences but vnto the vveakenesse of our forces God was more pittifull vvith all mankind than vvith his owne only sonne considering that hee gaue other men their troubles and paines by peeces and vnto his sonne all at once For hee gaue him sorrow and griefe of mind seeing hee sayth My soule hath chosen to bee hanged and hee gaue him the paines of the body seeing hee sayth that his bones desired death and hee tooke away his life considering that hee sayth Iam non viuam What vnspeakable sorrow and what sea of tempest should tosse and vexe that blessed soule vvhen hee said My soule hath chosen to bee hanged that is that it vvould bee a comfort vnto him to bee crucified What cruell griefe should crush his bones when hee said and my bones death thinking it an ease to see his bones in their graue rather than to suffer such intollerable torment What a iest did they make of his doctrine and how little did they regard his person seeing hee sayth I vvill liue no longer that is that hee vvould forsake vs because vvee are incorrigible and because vvee doe not deserue his company hee vvill not bestow his grace among vs. This speech may otherwise bee very vvell vnderstood because the time vvhich hee did suffer and die in did take from him all that might mittigate his paine and comfort his heart No other Martyr could euer say My soule hath chosen hanging because there vvas none of them vvhich vvanted comfort in their sorrows and helpe in their pains and aboue all this vvas a great comfort to them to thinke for how good a maister they suffered and vvhat a great reward they expected for their martyrdome That vvhich did comfort Martyrs in their Martyrdome did discomfort Christ in his passion For if hee did die it vvas for a lost and peruerse nation and the reward hee looked for
and let vs cocker our selues all we can yet we shal depart with as great thirst out of this world as if we had not liued but one moment in it In this sorrowful life there is nothing but is thirsty the flesh doth thirst after daintie cherishing the soule doth thirst after longer life the heart dooth thirst for more strength the Deuill to deceiue vs and Christ doth thirst after our saluation Which of all these doe not liue in hunger and thirst What doth our flesh but complaine in euery part that we keepe it naked that we keepe it hungry weary discontented and dead with thirst What sinfull soule did euer depart out of this vvretched life so beset vvith griefe or loaden vvith yeares vvhich vvould nor haue giuen all that hee had beene worth to haue liued one yeare longer What humane heart is there on earth which watcheth not to get more and breaketh not his sleep to be worth more Why dooth the Deuill vvatch but to keepe his own and beguile the good Why are there so many sorts of vices in the vvorld and so many entisements but to quench the thirst vvhich it hath to make vs all vaine vvordly and light Why did the sonne of God come into the world preach the Gospell liue in paine and die vpon the crosse but onely for the great thirst which he had to saue the world Loe then we haue prooued how the flesh the heart the soule the world the diuell and Christ are all hungry and desire thee O my soule and that which cannot bee spoken without teares is that onely Christ doth thirst after thy saluation and all the other after thy perdition O my soule if thou haddest as great a thirst to amend thy selfe as Christ hath to saue thee or if thou haddest as great a thirst to amend thy selfe as these thy enemies haue to deceiue thee I doe promise thee that thou wouldest not liue as thou doest so carelessy nor yet behaue thy selfe so riotously The good doe inherite the thirst of our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ and the wicked doe inherite the thirst of the diuell And what is the thirst which the good doe inherite but to be peacemakers humble chast sober and very charitable And what is the thirst which the wicked doe inherite of the deuill but to bee more mighty and rich and more vicious O what great difference there is betwixt these two thirsts for the thirst of the good and vertuous goeth to bee quenched at the fountaine of life which is glory the thirst of the wicked goeth to bee quenched at the dead waters of paine and punishment in so much that such as our thirst is in this world such shall bee the water which wee shall drinke of in the other O how wel the Prophet said My soule did thirst after the liuing God because that all the water which our Lord doth giue vs to drinke is of the liuely fountaine which is cleare vnto the eie and fresh to recreat sauerous to prouide of and wholesome to tast of delicare in disgesting and most precious to keepe The water which the world giueth his followers to drinke of is deep to teach vnto troubled to see vnto vnsauery to drinke puddle in tast and stinking to keepe Let vs conclude then that the seruant of God is alwaies thirsty and desirous of God who as hee who is very thirsty doth seeke drinke with all diligence so he who is desirous of God doth seeke all the waies and meanes he can to serue and obey him CHAP. II. How the Crowes gaue the Prophet Helias meat and how the Iewes gaue Christ neither meat nor drinke REcede hine vade contra Orientem absconde te in torrentem Carith ibi de torrente viues nam coruis praecepi vt pascant te God spake these words vnto Hâ—lias Reg. 3. chap. 17 as if he would say It is my will and pleasure O Helias that thou liue no more in this land but that thou shouldest goe out of it and thou shalt goe towards the East and hide thy selfe in the brook Carith where thou shalt haue no need to fear hunger because I wil coÌ„mand the crows to bring thee meat and bread euery day and there thou hast water inough for thy drinking When our Lord did command Helias to goe out of Samaria there was a great famine ouer all the land and he was also persecuted by the wicked queen Iezabel and yet hauing an intention to succour his Prophet he appointed him a place far off where he should hide himselfe and prouided him all kind of victuals for him to eat Helias being gone to the brooke Carith there hee lay hidden a long time feeding only vpon that which the crows gaue him and drinking of the water which ran in the stream And after a few months were past and the Queens persecution was ceafed and the famine amended Helias returned to the people and the crowes were seene no more Before we doe come vnto these mysteries it is here to bee noted what great care our Lord hath ouer his seruants and how he is neuer carelesse of his friends because his naturall condition is neuer to bee vnmindfull of those which doe not forget to serue him Cum ipso sum eripiam eum glorificabo eum saith the Psalmist in the name of our Lord and his meaning is I my self and no other will bee alwaies with him in his troubles and I will bring him safe out of them and he shall escape out of them with honor and glory If wee doe well vnderstand Christ hee promiseth three thinges vnto such as suffer persecution and tribulation for his seruice The first is that hee will bee at their side in all troubles and vexations the second that they shall neuer lose their life nor endanger their conscience for any trouble be it neuer so strong the third that hee will deliuer them out of that trouble with great fame and glory If such great profite be gotten by persecution why doth any man follow the pleasures and delights of the world What tribulation is there in this world so hard and dangerous which is not ouercomed with the helpe of Christ O how happy is that soule which is tempted for the seruice of God and is persecuted for the loue of him seeing he hath giuen his word and his credit that he will not suffer any to fall in his temptation nor forsake any man in his tribulation Note gentle Reader that Christ doth not say I am with them In gaudio exultatione in mirth and ioy but In tribulatione in tribulation for as in this life he knew nothing but how to shed tears suffer temptations endure trauaile so he hath compassion of none but of such as weep and are persecuted and tempted in so much that as the diuell is the captaine and ring-leader of all which liue in pompe and iolitie so Christ is the head of all that are afflicted and in tribulation Saint
Barnard sayth If this that is said Cumipso sum in tribulatione be not performed in thee thinke with thy self that thou doest not suffer that tribulation for Christ but for thy friend and thy selfe and therfore in that case let him help and succour thee for whome thou doest suffer that danger If thou doe not make reckoning of Christ nor thinke on him nor suffer for his sake what hath Christ to doe with thy paint and trauaile If thou do suffer for the flesh let the flesh help thee if thou suffer for the world let the world deliuer thee if thou suffer for thy friend let thy friend giue thee aid if thou doe suffer for Christ to Christ commend thy selfe for if thou doe serue others what reason is it that thou shouldst ask fauour of him Saint Basil sayth What friend had God at any time whom hee forgot or in what tribulation did hee euer see him when hee helped him not Gregory in his Register sayth Hee who did not forget Noe in the floud nor Abraham in Chaldea nor Lot in Sodome nor Isaac in Palestine nor Iacob in Assyria nor Daniel in Babilon doest thou think that he will forget thee in thy affliction and tribulation Remigius sayth If this promise of Cum ipso sum in tribulatione bee not kept with thee thinke that our Lord dooth it either for thy greater profite or his owne seruice for the greater the tribulation is which thou endurest the more thou doest merite for thy soule and if it be not for this cause it is because thou shalt fall into some greater danger from the which our Lord doth keepe his holy hand and diuine succour to deliuer thee And because that the curious Reader may not thinke that wee swarue from our purpose it is to bee noted that the Prophet Helius whose figure we handled was beset with three grieuous persecutions that is with the warre which was in Iury with the famine which was ouer all the land and with Iezabels hatred He durst not preach for feare of the Queene hee durst not goe abroad for feare of the warre hee durst not hide himselfe for feare of famine and hunger in so much that this holy Prophet was so much without hope of remedy that he knew not whether hee should haue his throat cut openly or whether he should die for hunger secretly Our Lord therefore to fulfill his promise Cum ipso sum in tribulatione tooke him out of Iury vnwitting to the souldiors and did hide him in Carith where no man could see him and sent him meat by crowes to feed on and did prouide him a streame of water to drinke of Wee may gather by this example what a good Lord wee haue and what care hee hath ouer vs if wee serue him seeing that hee doth pay vs for all wee doe and succour vs for all that we suffer for him To come now vnto the purpose all this figure was fulfilled in Christ at the foot of the letter for as Heliac was persecuted by Iezabel so was Christ of the Synagogue and Christ found as great a famine of good men as Helias did in Samaria of victuals Hugo de sancto victore sayth vpon those words of Ieremy Paruuli petierunt panem The bread which the little ones cried for to ear and the lamentation which Ieremy made because there was no man to giue it him was not vnderstood of the materiall bread which was woont to bee in the arke but of spirituall bread wherewith the soules are fed and to say that there was no man found to giue it them was as much as to say that there was no good man left to preach vnto them Chrisostome in an Homily sayth In Commonwealths well gouerned the want of a good man is greater than the famine of bread and wine because we haue seene that God hath sent a famine for the demerits of one man alone and after abundance for one good mans sake alone Ambrose sayth Famine warre and pestilence are much to bee feared in naughty Commonwealths and where there are no good persons for although our Lord doth suffer them to come for a time yet he doth not consent that they should long time endure What goodnesse haue Commonwealths in them if they haue no good men in thē And what want they if they doe not want good men Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth When I hear a knill rung for the dead my soule is presently driuen into a perplexity whether I should weepe first for the good which die or the bad which liue because there is as great reason that we should weepe for the life of the bad as for the death of the good Now that we haue prooued that the want famine of good men is more dangerous in a city than a dearth of victuals who doth doubt but that the scarsenesse which Christ sound in the Synagogue was greater than that which Helias found in Palestine What good thing or what good man could there be in the Synagogue where the Viceroy Pilate was a Tyrant the famous high Priest Caiphas a Symoniacle the maisters the Pharisies Hypocrites and the counsellours the Sadduces Heretikes and their kings and Prophets all ended The sonne of God did kill this hunger when hee gaue the world a church for a Synagogue Apostles for Prophets a law of loue for a law of feare a new Testament for an old the spirit for the letter the truth for the figure and his holy grace for our old offence What would haue become of vs if Christ had not left so many good men in his church Hee left vs many Martyrs many confessours many virgines many doctors in so much that when Christ died although hee left not the vvorld many bookes to read in yet hee left vs many Saints to follow The figure sayth further that Helias went to hide himselfe in the water-brooke of Carith which was a figure that the sonne of God should come to take flesh and hide himselfe in the entralls of the Virgines wombe and as it was figured in Helias so it was accomplished in Christ because that vnder his humanity vvhich hee tooke vpon him hee did hide his diuinity which hee carried with him When the Prophet Esayas said Verè tues deus absconditus hee knew well that God would hide himselfe for a time and remoue himselfe from their eies seeing that the catholicke Church did acknowledge him and the vnhappy Synagogue was vngratefull vnto him Recede hinc absconde te in torrentem Carith the eternall Father spake these words vnto his precious sonne as if hee had said vnto him Goe my sonne goe and hide thy selfe in the world because thou maist redeeme the world Where thou shalt hide thy power because thou maist suffer thou shalt hide thy wisedome because they may mock thee thou shalt hide thy prudence because they may take thee to bee vnwise thou shalt hide thy iustice because they are to iudge thee like a blasphemer
and thou shalt hide thy strength because thou maist the better die O how well this was fulfilled in Christ hide thy selfe in the water-brooke of Carith for if he should not haue hidden his great power before Pilate who would haue been able to take his life from him If the son of God should not haue hidden his eternal wisedome durst the Pharisies haue mocked at his doctrine as they did If Christ should not haue hidden the rigour of his iustice who would haue beene able to doe iustice vpon him If Christ should not haue hidden his inexpugnable strength how should it haue beene possible for any man to draw his life out of his body The Prophet Zachary spake vnto this purpose Ibi abscondita est potentia eius As if hee would haue said Thou maist not looke O Synagogue thou maist not looke for a Messias which will bee mighty but weake not rich but poor not in health but sicke do not imagine that he should be honourable but throwne downe doe not proclaime him for to bee a great Lord but a seruant hee shall not bee a warriour but a man of peace and hee shall not goe much openly but for the most part in hucker mucker Seeing that Esaias sayth thou art truly a hidden God and also Zacharias that his power is hidden why dooth the Synagogue looke that the Messias should come openly considering that their Prophets said that hee was to come secretly Origen in his Periarchon sayth Because the sonne of God came not to fight with visible men but with inuisible sinnes and enemies there was no necessity that he should come fighting but preaching it was not needful that hee should wander ouer all the world but only publish his Gospell among them all and if the arrogant Iewes did not reach vnto the knowledge thereof it was not because they could not but because they would not Theophilus sayth speaking with the church the Prophet Dauid sayth Deus noster manifeste veniet and speaking vvith the Synagogue the Propht Esay sayth Vere tu es deus absconditus and therevpon it happeneth that the vnhappie Israelites although they were learned in knowledge yet of no credite in conscience and so they deserued not to know him because they vvould not beleeue him The figure goeth further and sayth that the place where Helias went to hide himselfe vvas at water-brookes of Carith which is as much to say as a thing cut in sunder or parted in the middle which had bin once whole The water-brooke where Christ did hide himselfe was the depth and vehemency of his passion where our good Lord entered diuing and ducking as in a dirty and dangerous riuer where hee remained drowned and dead in the water of his passion and the sonne of God pâ—â—ted himselfe in two when his soule went into hell and his body remained in the graue and when those parts which made him a man were dissolued although they were neuer seuered from the Hypostaticall vnion seeing that he was aswell God in hell and in the graue as hee is this day in heauen He was so hidden in the brooke of his passion that there was no part of his diuinity seene and the beauty of his humanity scarsely perceiued and because our blessed Redeemer would suffer his enemies to be reuenged on him hee did suspend for that time the operation of those miracles which might haue hindered his passion The figure sayth further that the Prophet Helias being in the brooke secret and close crowes of the fields brought him his dinner in the forenoon and his supper at night so that the birds gaue him to eat and the water to drink If this mystery were not a figure and foretelling of some other great mystery it were to bee thought that as God did send the Prophet Daniel meat by Abachuch the Prophet so hee would haue sent Helias meat by some other Prophet or holy man If by Helias Christ be figured by Iezabel the Synagogue by the persecution his passion and by the brooke the crosse and by the water his bloud and by his hiding himselfe his death why should not the crowes signifie the Iews Seeing there were Eagles inowe in the aire and Pigeons plenty in the world what great ability did God see in the crow that he should make him steward vnto Helias his faithfull friend What was the meaning that God did commit Helias to the crowes but that hee should also commit his sonne into the hands of the Iewes The qualities of a Crow are to bee in colour blacke in flying flow in his flesh hard in smelling quicke in eating rauenous and in condition vngratefull And because the rauen or crow is an vngratefull bird the Prouerbe is that if thou bring vp a Crow hee will pecke out thy eie The people of the Iewes were an vngratefull Crow vnto Christ seeing that for a recompence that he tooke flesh of them and taught them so long time although they did not pecke out his eies yet they crucified all his members on the crosse What bad thing is there in the crow that is not also in the Iewes They are blacke in faith slow in iudgement hard in beliefe cruell in condition ready to malice and most couetous What meaneth this O my Father what meaneth this After that thy sonne had liued thirty three whole years doest thou command him to be cast vnto Crowes Certainly the Crowes which we see with our eies are not so cruell as the Iewes which wee speake off because the Crowes doe eat of nothing vntill it be dead but the wicked Iewes did venter vpon Christ when hee was yet aliue O that Helias did farre better with his Crowes than the good Iesus with the Iewes because Helias Crowes did giue him bread and flesh to eat but Christs crowes gaue him nothing but vineger and gaule to tast Let the conclusion of all our speech be that it was better with Helias in his banishment and water-brooke thaÌ„ with Christ on the Mount of Caluary because Helias went out aliue from the water and Christ remained dead on the Mount of Caluary and Helias did neuer know what hunger was but the sonne of God did neuer kill his hunger nor quench his thirst CHAP. III. How the hangmen dranke the wine which was brought vnto him and the other theeues and did suffer Christ to die with thirst SVper vestimentis pignoratis accubuerunt tuxta altare vinum damnatorum bibebant in dome dei sui Osei 2. God spake these words complaining on the Israelits as if hee would say My people of Israel are come to such mad and shamelesse behauiour that within the Temple and hard at the altar they dranke the wine which was prepared for the condemned and they lay downe and leaned vpon the garments which were laid to pledge It is an vsuall thing and common in tauerns that drunkards doe cast themselues downe to sleepe vpon other mens apparrell and if it bee in hote Summer to sleepe vpon the
is which put him into a fright what garbish he tooke from him what skin he stripped him of what is the flesh which hee broiled what is the heart which hee tooke out of him what the liuer and vvhat the gaule which hee kept Although wee speake but a word on euery word yet this seemeth to bee a figure full of great secrets To come then to the point who is Tobias who goeth to recouer his fathers goods but onely all mankind who goeth euery day a iourney to recouer the grace which his father Adam lost Dum sumus in seculo peregrinamur ad dominum sayth the Apostle As long as vvee liue in this mortall vvorld no man can say that hee hath a dwelling place or neighbour but onely that hee is a pilgrime and a way-faring man and the end of our iourney and pilgrimage is to seeke for the grace vvhich our first father lost vs and the glory which our eternall father promised vs. Then wee say a man is a pilgrime when he maketh no abode any where but goeth on and staieth no longer in a place than hee can get necessaries for his iourney If vvee aske a man what hee doth it is an ordinary answere to say that hee either plaieth or doth his businesse or some such like which in truth is not so but his better answere is to say that he wasteth and consumeth himselfe and that he is a dying for a mans life goeth away in playing and labouring Seneca sayth Doth not thy life thinkest thou goe away seeing that euery houre thy life is an houre shorter and euery day a day shorter Saint Augustine vpon the Apostles words sayth If a man be asked how old he is or what yeares hee hath he is wont to answere either thirty or fortie or such like which is cleane contrary vnto that which hee should answere for hee should not say he hath so many yeares but that he wanteth so many yeares for if he haue any years at all it bee those which hee looketh for for as for those which are past they are now none of his The Philosopher saith that De tempore non habemus nisi Nunc Whereby hee meaneth that wee haue no time but the present moment because that the time past is already gone and the time to come is vncertain Cicero de senectute sayth What hath a man that hath liued an hundred yeares but only time lost a grieued heart a weary body smal help a loathing life a vading credite and death at his gates O how well the Apostle sayth As long as wee bee in this world Peregrinamur ad dominum seeing that by how much the more wee increase in age so much the more vvee decrease in life And to say the truth to die young or to die old is nothing else but to come to our Inne betimes or late Remigius sayth The Apostle doth call vs pilgrimes and strangers with great reason because he seeth that we haue no goods in this world which are proper to our selues for if euery man would leaue that which were another bodies for a certaine he should be left very naked For sayth Alchimius the Philosopher if the sheep should take thy garments from thee the kine thy shoes the worms thy silke the earth thy linnen the vines thy wine the corne thy bread the trees their fruit the fountaynes their waters tell mee I pray thee of thy selfe and by thy selfe what shouldst thou haue what shouldest thou be worth or what shouldest thou bee able to doe Horace sayth to this purpose Be not prowd like a lion nor exasperate thy selfe like an ounce for if euery one would take from thy house person that which is his there would be no liuing creature more base thā thou seeing that thou hast neither industry to maintaine thy selfe nor weapons to defend thy selfe Wee haue said all this to proue that if Tobias was a pilgrime wee are also pilgrimes But alas alas hee is accompanied with the good Angel who keepeth him and we compassed with a thousand enemies vvhich besiege vs. Doe not wee trow you take our voiage beset with a thousand perils and hindered with as many troubles considering that the deuill doth tempt vs the flesh molest and prouoke vs the world deceiue vs friends faile vs our heart sorroweth our health decaieth and our life daily shorteneth The figure sayth that as Tobias went on his iourney the fish came to the bancke to swallow him vp whereof in the end hee receiued more profite than feare insomuch that by the same fish of vvhich hee thought hee should haue beene deuoured his father receiued remedy What was that great fish of which Tobias thought he should haue been deuoured but only the sonne of the eternall God vvhen he came to redeeme the vvorld The fish vvas bred in the bottome of the riuer and the sonne of God was borne in the bosome of the eternall Father and how deepe soeuer the riuer Tygris vvas yet the sea of the diuine essence is farre more deeper Augustine in his booke of the Trinity sayth Wilt thou see how much more deeper the eternity of the Father and of his sonne is than the sea For it is possible to empty the sea for all his greatnesse but for the secrets of the holy Trinity it is impossible fully to vnderstand The fishe comming out of the vvater droue young Tobias into a great feare but Christ caused a greater feare when hee came into the vvorld seeing the Angels bowed themselues the kings adored him the starres vvere changed the Iewes were mooued and the deuils vvere aseard The feare vvhich the fish put Tobias in continued but halfe an houre but the fear which Christ put the vvorld in dureth vntill this day for being afeard and amazed the Iews and Pagans cannot yet persuade themselues that Christ should be the God whō they should beleeue in and the Lord which shall iudge them When that fish went out of the riuer to the bancke of two which were there present the one which was the Angel knew him the other which was Tobias was afeard and euen so in like maner when the sonne of God came downe from heauen vnto the earth the Synagogue was scandalized and the church receiued him in so much that according vnto old Simeons prophecie this diuine fish came to the shore of the world for the resurrection of the good and the scandale of the wicked Praeparauit dominus piscem grandem vt deglutiret Ionam sayth the holy Scripture Ionas 2. As if hee would say At the very instant when the cruell Marriners did cast the Prophet Ionas into the bottome of the sea immediately our Lord prepared a great fish which swallowed him aliue and which kept him in his bowels safe and sound As before wee met with Tobias and his fish so now wee haue lighte vpon Ionas and his fish whereof the one was greatly afeard and the other swallowed vp by reason whereof wee must seeke out some
with O that this is a diuine sentence which the Prophet doth vtter vnto vs in this place whereby wee are plainly taught that the thirst of the soule is farre different from the thirst of the body and that the thirst of the spirit is one and that of the flesh another that of the iust man one and that of the sinner another and the heauenly thirst one and the humane another Whereby is the thirst of the body quenched but by drinking And with what is the thirst of the soule slackened but by contemplation And with what is the thirst of the spirit killed but by seruing God And with what is the thirst of the world eased but by following the world And what doth the iust thirst after but grace in this world and glory in the other And what thirst hath the wicked but to procure all meanes hee can the cockering of himselfe The humane thirst is of humane thinges and the heauenly thirst is of heauenly things and therevpon it is that what our intention is which we haue in our hearts such is the thirst which wee suffer in this world If our principall intent be to be greater in the world all our thirst is to climbe higher if to bee richer then our thirst is in gathering goods together insomuch that such as our thoughts are such are the liues we lead Tell me I pray thee what doth the prowd man hunt after but to bee of great authority what doth the enuious man shoot at but to throw downe another what doth the furious man intend but how to reuenge vpon his enemy what dooth the glutton follow but dainties for the belly This is the thirst which the wicked doe suffer and that which cannot bee spoken without teares is that their life is sooner at an end than the thirst of their wickednesse is quenched S. Augustine vpon the Psalms sayth In great sinners and obstinate hearts although the prowd man doe die yet pride dieth not although the enuious man die yet enuy dieth not although the couetous man die yet couetousnesse dieth not although the carnall man doe die yet his carnality dieth not insomuch that the vicious man is dead before that his vice is at an end Why thinkest thou doe wee say that the vicious man is dead before his vice is at an end but because that if the time in the which he sinned bee ended and past yet his desire of further sinning is not ended S. Ierom saith In damned vnfortunate persons their torments are therefore infinit because their desires of sinning were also infinit because our Lord doth make greater reckoning of that which the hart doth desire thā of that vvhich the hands doe worke S. Basil vpon the Psalmes sayth O how much more dangerous is the thirst which a naughtie mans heart dooth suffer than that vvhich the body doth endure because this is assuaged vvith a cup of cold water but the thirst of the heart is mittigated by adding sinne vnto sinne and therevpon it is that if the thirsty man take pleasure in drinking the great sinner taketh farre more in offending Let mee bee no more credited if I vvere not told of one vvhich had not left onely one vice vntried nor let passe one day wherein hee had not sinned What shall vvee thinke of him but that if hee had alwaies liued hee vvould alwaies haue sinned What a remediles thirst should he haue after sinne and vvhat a friend should he be of vvicked persons vvho left no sinne vvhich he proued not nor no day vvherin he offended not The rich couetous man which vvas in hell did not complaine of the fire vvhich did burne him nor of the cold vvhich pinched him nor of the hunger vvhich hee endured but of the great thirst which tormented him and therefore asked no other fauour of Abraham but that hee would coole and refresh his tongue with a drop of vvater it was the iust iudgement of God that seeing hee had no other thirst in this world but of wealth authority and power and treasure that hee should haue an excessiue thirst in the other not of wealth and authoritie but of a bare cup of water Loe thus you haue seene it proued how the punishment followeth the offence and how one thirst succeedeth another But alas alas the thirst of this world hath an end but the thirst of the other world shall dure alwaies without end CHAP. VIII God complaineth that we forsake him for vile base things and doth compare vs vnto old pooles ME dereliquerunt fontem aquae viuae foderunt sibi eisternas dissipatas quae continere aquas non valent These words God spake by the Prophet Ieremy in the second chapter as if hee would say My people of Israel haue run into two great incōueniences that is they haue forsaken me who am the fountaine of the liuely water and haue made for themselues to drinke in cesternes and pooles which cannot hold water in them Although the Apostle doe say that our Lord is profound in his iudgements yet in those thinges which touch the profite of his creatures he is plaine and easie for if hee bee well pleased he doth presently shew it and if he be angry he doth immediately complaine When Abraham had ended the sacrifice of his sonne Isaac our Lord did immediately thanke him for it and when king Dauid had ended his adultery with Bersabee he complained out of hand for our Lord is so farre without dissimulation and malice that he doth nether faine himselfe to bee content nor denie himselfe to bee angry What more would wee haue God to doe for vs than like a good Lord bee thankfull for that which wee doe in his seruice and like a good friend admonish vs of that which we should doe for him and like a pittifull Father correct vs when we doe any thing against him Our Lord then doth here complaine not only for that we doe forsake and leaue him but also for what vile and base things we doe it whereby we shew how little we doe account of him and how greatly wee doe iniury him seeing that no man doth vse to change his master vnlesse it be for his further profite If it were so that as we do leaue one man for another so wee should leaue one God to dwell vvith a better it were a thing to be borne vvithall but seeing that there is but one true God how is it possible to meet vvith a better God or yet any so good What other thing is it to forsake God for the creature but to leaue the kernell for the shell the fruit for the rinde the rose for the thorne the floure for the bran and the fountaine for the streame Therefore like an angry Lord and a man greatly iniuried God complaineth and sayth Me dereliquerunt fontem aquae viuae for there can be no greater madnesse in the world than to leaue the Creator for the creature the Lord for the seruant the iust
for the sinner and the righteous for the vniust and that vvhich is euerlasting for that vvhich is transitory Our Lord in this place as it vvere iesting and mocking vs doth call all our workes cesternes which cannot hold water that is that wee are cesternes or pooles vvhich let out all vvaters because vve be not vvell glewed and fastened O how our Lord hath shamed vs in these words and embased vs in saying by the Prophet Ieremy that all our vvorkes are nothing but old broken cesternes and puddles wherein there is nothing commonly but reeds and duckeweed dirt mire stinking vvaer and venomous adders Our Lord doth compare vs vvith great reason vnto that vvhich hee dooth name and doth scorne and mocke vs fitly by it because the sinnes vvhich are in our soules are farre vvorser than those filthes which are found in standing puddels What is there in an old puddle that is not in my soule What are all my vvorkes but a little mire vvhose property is to trouble the water hold them fast vvhich enter into it O how vnhappie we be seeing wee sticke so fast in worldly things that wee cannot get out and so bemire our selues in vaine things that wee can neuer make our selues cleane insomuch that there escapeth no man vvhich is not either defiled with sinne or wet vvith infamie Our workes are also compared vnto duckweed in standing puddles vvhose propertie is to fill the vvater and giue it an euill sauour O wretched and vnhappy that I am seeing I doe no more good in the catholick church thā that weed doth in the water which is easily seene seeing I offend and hurt others with my euill example and that which is worst of all I possesse the roome of a good one Thou and I I and thou my brother wherein doe we serue God or wherein doe we benefite the church vnlesse it be in furthering the bad and persecuting the good and cherishing and pampering our bodies and in eating the bread of the little ones Doest not thou eat the bread of the little ones when as if a Moore or a Pagan had receiued so many fauors as thou hast at Gods hands he would haue serued him more than thou hast done and offended him much lesse What doth the duckweed serue for in pooles but to hide and succour frogges and in what doe I serue Christ in but because all kind of sinne should rest in my heart What sinne did euer knocke at my dore vnto which I haue not presently opened Woe be vnto me woe be vnto me what doe I say that I answered presently when sin called at my doore seeing that very oft before it doth call at my doore I goe vp and downe seeking it from house to house Our workes are also like vnto standing puddle whose property is to be troubled and thicke to looke into and very stinking to drinke When our Lord sayth by the Prophet Esaias Auferte malum cogitationum vestrarum ab oculis meis how should he not detest our workes seeing he saith that all that we doe thinke of doth stinke Anselmus sayth If we will haue God accept of that which wee doe it is necessary that all that bee cleane which wee thinke of for God doth not so much looke vnto that which vve be as vnto that vvhich vvee would bee if vve could O my soule O my heart what is in me that hath a good sauour and what is in thee vvhich doth not stinke Dooth not my body stinke with the euill vvorkes vvhich I doe my flesh vvith sloth my mouth with lies my life vvith couetousnesse and my heart vvith malice S. Barnard sayth According vnto the time vvhich I haue liued and according vnto the small profite vvhich I haue done I am partly weary of my life and partly afeard to die for if I behold my flesh it is now stinking with yeares and if I looke vnto my conditions they are also rusty with age All my workes are so vnpleasant and corrupt and my conditions so stinking that it is more tollerable to smell a dead carkasse with my nose than vnto thee O my God to smell this filthy heart of mine Our workes are also like vnto the frogges which are bred in puddles whose property is to make the water loathsome and offend our eares with their croaking S. Barnard vpon the Canticles sayth Looke how beautifull a thing it is to see a soule when shee is in the state of grace so deformed a thing it is to see her when she is darkened with sinne for in the one estate God is neuer satisfied in looking vpon her and in the other he will neuer hear her The properties of frogs are these they are euil fauoured to looke vpon loathsome to touch vnpleasant to heare and monstrous to eat of for if it be well marked they haue no scales like a fish nor feathers like a bird Origen talking of the frogs of Egypt sayth A frog and worse than a frog is that soule which in the fountain of his goodnesse doth not bath her selfe because we may well say of such a soule that she is euill fauoured in respect of her sinne loathsome in respect of her punishment and not to be suffered in respect of her infamie The quality of the frog is to croake night day it is the condition of a naughty man alwaies to complain because it is one of the infelicities which naughty mē endure in this life that they complaine of all things and liue discontented with thēselues It is also to be weighed that how well soeuer the stones of a poole bee ioined yet the water dooth woose betweene them vnlesse they bee well mortered together because that the propertie of the water is to moisten that which it toucheth and seeke alwaies where it may find a place to issue out What thinkest thou is the clay and morter with the which a holy soule is fastened together but only Gods holy grace Irenaeus in an Homily saith What dooth it auaile vs to haue in the poole of our soule the vertue of humility the goodnesse of patience the wealth of almes giuing and the perfection of abstinence if there want the clay and pitch of charity to keepe them togither S. Ambrose vpon Beati immaculati sayth Let vs not cast away our selues and grieue because our Lord wil not impart his graces vnto vs but because we know not how to keepe them when we haue thē because there is required greater vertue to keepe that which is gotten than to recouer that which was lost O what great reason our Lord hath to say and complaine of all the good turnes that he doth vs and of all the fauours which he doth bestow vpon vs for we cast them al into an old puddle where we haue nothing but the dirt of couetousnesse the frogges of vainglory the reeds and duckeweeds of hypocrisie and the tod-poole of lechery CHAP. IX How the sonne of God did not refuse to drinke gaule and
sonne of God did so immediately after die vpon the crosse that in ending his draught of gaule and vineger hee began out of hand to yeeld vp his ghost If old Hystoriographers doe not deceiue vs Socrates among the Athenienses Midonius among the Lacedemonians â—rias among the Thebanes Escarrus among the Romanes by drinking of poyson ended their liues not because that their desire vvas to drinke of that poyson but because their enemies through force caused them to doe it God forbid that my penne should vvrite such blasphemy of my good Iesus vnto whome no man offered gaule and vineger no man entreated him vnto it no man forced him to take it but he of his owne will said Sitio I am a thirst and drie for if hee would haue dissembled his thirst and held his tongue they would neuer haue giuen him that detestable drinke Isidorus sayth What man or what Angel is able to reach vnto this secret that is that the sonne of God being then to giue vp his last breath yet should say that hee thirsted after a cup of water Why doest thou say so late Sitio and aske either for wine or water for seeing that thou art euen at the last farewell of thy life it cannot otherwise be but as thou art a drinking thy soule must depart from thee It had been a far lesser trouble and griefe to haue endured thirst halfe a quarter of an houre which Christ had to liue than haue suffered the thornes which boared through his head and all the rest of the torments which he had passed through that day but that his pleasure was to suffer them all and complaine of his thirst only because the thornes were onely a torment but his thirst signified a mystery vnto his Church There is a mystery in Christs being a thirst there is a mystery in that that he manifested it there is a mystery in that they gaue him wine mingled with mire and another in that they mixed it with gaule there is a mystery in that they offered it him in a reed and giuing him it with Isope containeth a mystery and in that he tasted of it and did not drinke it there is also a mystery contained If it be diligently looked into the mystery of the Sacrament where Christ communicated with his disciples excepted and the Sermon with the which he did comfort theÌ„ and the praier which he made when hee did sweat bloud also excepted there is no mystery written with so many circumstances as this of the thirst which Christ suffered whereof he complained And therefore marke with great heed all that the holy Scripture writeth of Christs thirstines because that with how many more circumstances a thing is vttered in Scripture to so many more weightier considerations it dooth inuite vs. CHAP. X. How the Synagogue could giue Christ nothing to drinke but rotten dregs PArum est mihi vt suscites faeces Israel dedi te in lucem gentium vt sis salus mea vsque ad extremuÌ„ terrae Esay 48. These wordes are vttered by the eternall Father speaking with his only sonne when he sent him into the world and they are as if hee would say being my onely begotten sonne taking vpon thee so hard an enterprise as is the redeeming of the world thou shouldst be content to restore the house of Iacob only and the dregs of Israel because the end why I send thee into the world is to giue light vnto al the Gentiles and redeeme all the whole world There are brought in in that communication the Father which speaketh the sonne vnto whom he speaketh the Synagogue of whom he speaketh and the end why hee is sent and also the great importance of the iourney seeing that by the meanes thereof hee will lighten the blindnesse of the Gentiles and streine the dregs of the Iewes And when he sayth Vt sis salus mea our Lord doth highly extoll the loue which hee beareth vs seeing that as wheÌ„ one man doth commend an important affaire vnto another the Father saith here vnto his son that it toucheth his owne safety and life that a full generall redemption be made of all men not excluding any one at all When the father sayth vnto his sonne Dedi te in lucem gentium vt sis salus mea what will he say but that it is most agreeable vnto his clemency that he holdeth it for a point of his honour that all enter in and be comprehended vnder his generall redemption the wine and the dregs the good and the bad the Gentile and the Iew the quicke and the dead The Father who dooth commend vnto his sonne the grounds and dregs dooth hee not more earnestssy commend cleane and holy things In Gods shop the lees which hee casteth abroad are better than all the wine that the diuell keepeth together I meane that one whom our Lord hath humbled and brought low is better than all those which the diuell hath lifted vp And because that our Lords calling of the Iewes lees and dregs of Israel seemeth to be a scandalous iniurious speech it is necessary for vs to declare how these dregs tooke their foundation for it is not possible for vs to expound the holy Scripture as we should vnlesse wee doe first vnderstand the letter For the better vnderstaÌ„ding of this which the Prophet Esay saith that which Boetius saith in his first booke of Comfort maketh much for our purpose that is Quòd infaelicissimum genus infortunij est hominem fuisse faelicem and his meaning is that there is no greater disaster or infelicity in the world thaÌ„ for a man to haue been on the top of felicity and then to be thrown down because such one doth nothing els but sigh after the honor which he hath lost neuer ceaseth bewailing the infamy which he hath gotteÌ„ WheÌ„ holy Iob thought with himselfe called to mind the time when he was rich and of great estimation and very healthfull of body and then saw himselfe vpon a dunghill vviping wormes off his owne body vvhat griefe of mind should oppresse him and vvhat a sea of thoughts vveary him When our Lord degraded and put out of their kingdomes Nabuchodonoser and Antiochus if wee looke vvell vnto it wee shall perceaue that the teares which they wept and the griefes which they complained on were rather to thinke of the honours which they had lost than of the punishment which they presently endured Cleopatra queen of Egypt Brias captaine of the Greeks and stout Hannibal of the Carthaginenses and the Consul Cato among the Romans slew themselues with their owne hands after that aduerse fortune had taken away their honours What will not a shamefast man doe what will hee not suffer what will hee not settle himselfe vnto after hee seeth himselfe disgraced and fallen from his honour Seneca in his booke of Clemency saith If all men were of my opinion there should bee more compassion taken on him who
was loaden with many sacrifices and beleeued in many Christs and offered many Holocausts but the holy church hath but one sacrifice beleeueth but in one Christ and doth offer but one Holocaust Neither doth Abraham say that the Lord would prouide a sacrifice for any other but for himselfe seeing hee sayth Dominus prouidebit sibi for vntill the very instant and houre that his sonne was crucified on the crosse he was neuer pleased nor pacified for the offēce which was done vnto him Neither did Abraham say that he would prouide indifferētly any sacrifice but specially that sacrifice which was called Holocaustum because that in al other sacrifices there remained alwaies one part for the priest to eat of another for him which offered it for to take away But it was not so in that sacrifice which they called Holocaustū because that in it all the whole beast was quartered cut in peeces burnt so being made ashes was wholly offered vnto God Was it not think you an Holocaust a great Holocaust which Christ offered seeing there was no spot in it wherby it should be cast away nor any mēber in his body which was not tormented To come then vnto our purpose it is to be noted that we haue made all this discourse to proue that in the mystery of this word Sitio which end because that the Iewes did but borrow them vntill our Lord should prouide them a sacrifice which by Abraham he promised vnto all the world Isidorus vpon Genesis sayth The sacrifice which God promised to send into the world ought to bee worthy of him vnto whom it was offered and profitable vnto him who did offer it which could not bee by dead calues and the bloud of goats and vnpleasant liquors nor yet with bloudy hands How was it possible that the sacrifices of time past should please the Lord or profit the sinner which did offer them seeing their altars did seeme rather butchers shambles than temples of Priests Rabanus sayth Abrahams sacrifice was profitable vnto himselfe and hurtfull vnto his sonne seeing he should there haue lost his life and because we may know that this is true the Lord did ordaine that Abrahams sword should onely threaten his sonne Isaac and afterward kil the son of God Our Lord seeing what smal benefite should be gotten by the death of that child what griefe it would cause vnto this old Father although hee gaue him license to draw his sword yet hee did not consent that it should come neere the child the which our Lord would neuer haue hindered if the death of that child could haue ben sufficient to redeeme al the world God the Father was older than Abraham and loued his sonne better than Abraham did his yet notwithstanding all this seeing that in that only sacrifice did consist mans saluation he consented that they should take his life from him Esichius vpon Leuiticus sayth That that which Abraham did was only good vnto himselfe alone because hee did accomplish that which was commanded him but when he said that the Lord would prouide a sacrifice vnto himselfe that was profitable vnto all the world considering that by that prophecie wee were warranted and made sure that we should be redeemed by the sonne of God Origen sayth That it is much to be noted how that all the sacrifices of the old law did proceed from two things only that is from the beasts which they did kill and the fruit which they plucked from trees Of their beasts they did offer the head and feet vnto the Lord the caule the flesh and the entralls and of trees incense storax fruit grapes aloes mirrhe oile and sweet odours And God was not content only that euery mā should offer what pleased himselfe but onely of that which God in the law commāded that is of beasts that they should offer the greatest of fruits the best of perfumes the sweetest of mettales the richest of liquors the most excellente If we beleeue the Philosopher in his book De animalibus The first thing that is engendred is the heart and the last the gaule when a beast dieth it is contrary for the first thing that corrupteth is the gaule and the heart the last thing that dieth The Commentator sayth That as the gaule is the last thing that is ingendred in man so it is also the most filthiest and basest thing that is in him Of all liquors the wine is the most precious and contrary no liquor worser than the dregs of soure corrupted wine Doest thou thinke my brother that we haue trauelled in vaine in prouing vnto thee that the gaule is the worst part of the beast and putrified dregs the worst of liquors The end why wee haue spoken all this is because that when the Redeemer of the world was dead with thirst vpon the altar of the crosse they gaue him these two thinges to drinke that is bitter gaule which is the last and worst part of the beast and dregs and vineger which is the worst of all liquors S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth The purest clearest and cleanest of the Synagogue was already ended and gone and turned into vineger and lees by reason wherof they gaue Christ nothing to drinke but gaule vineger giuing vs therby to vnderstand that they did not giue him only that which they had in the Synagogue but also that which themselues were For what was all the Synagogue but soure vineger and bitter gaule It was not without a high mystery that they offered that which they did to Christ vpon the crosse for as the gaule is the last and the vildest thing that is in the beast so the Synagogue was now at an end and at the vvorst of all her life in so much that shee was become nothing els but a gaule of malice and also vineger of couetousnesse Saint Ierome sayth Euen as vineger hath been good wine because it was gathered of the best of the vine so the people of the Iews were somtimes good because they had good mē among them in so much that there is no other meaning in that they gaue Christ wine mingled with mire and soure vineger to drinke but that the people were now corrupted and scarse one good man left among them How came this hap among you O you Iewes that all the wine of your vessels is become soure vineger and all the hony of your hiues turned into bitter gaule Then your wine began to turne into vineger when you would not receiue Christ for your Redeemer and then all your hony turned into gaule when you did defame his doctrine and bereaue him of his life The Synagogue striketh great pity into my heart to see that in time past they did offer vnto their God sacrifices Holocausts and offerings and afterward gaule and vineger and dregs by which cursed and wicked offering they took away their makers life brought their Commonwealth vnto an end CHAP. XII How that the thirst
that Christ had vpon the crosse was not so much for drinke as to desire to suffer more for vs. EXpergefactus lassus adhuc sitit anima eius vacua est Esay chap. 29. The Prophet Esay vttereth these words speaking in generall of the great trauails and most greiuous thirst which the sonne of God suffered in particular and it is as if he would say The great Messias waked out of his sleepe like vnto a man who had escaped out of a lithargy or some drousie disease whē he beheld the state of his soule he found that she was empty For the Prophet to say that the sonne of God slept vpon the crosse and that after he waked and was weary and found his heart empty seemeth a strange and a doubtfull thing vnto pittifull eares For if it be true that hee suffered how was it possible that he slept and if he slept how could it be that he suffered What is more strange vnto torment than sleepe and what a greater enemy to sleepe than torment Considering that the sonne of God hanged vpon the altar of the crosse his feet bare his hands torne his side pierced his sinews wrested and his bones put out of ioint how could it bee that he should sleepe or take any rest at all He who should hang vpon the crosse as Christ did that is weary wasted bloudy nailed and one ioint drawn from another would he not haue greater ability and inclination to complaine than desire of sleepe The Prophet vttereth foure things in this prophecie the first that Christ did awake out of a sleepe and dreame which he slept the second that he awaked aweary the third that hee awaked thirsty the fourth that hee found his heart empty Of all these foure things the one doth make vs most of all to maruell for to say that Christ was aweary I beleeue it to say that he was a thirst I agree vnto it and that he wanted all comfort I do also admit But to say that he slept there is that which maketh me to wonder because his eternall Father did not send him thither to sleepe but to redeem all the world It is much to bee noted in this place that the famous Augustine sayth against Manichaeus Saepè imo saepissimè in sacris literis circumstantiae scripturarum declarant Scripturam as if he would say It happeneth oftentimes that when the Scripture is darke and obscure that the circumstances before going and comming after doe declare and explain the same Scripture and one Prophet doth declare another and one text another This then being so it is conuenient for vs to find out in Scripture some kind of sleepe and by that we may coniecture and gesse at the manner of sleeping which the son of God slept vpon the crosse and also wee shall know when how and wherefore Christ did awake out of his sleepe Excitatus est tanquam dormiens dominus tanquam potens crapulatus vino sayth the Prophet Dauid Psalm 77. as if he would say Our Lord did awake out of his dreame like a man that is sleeping and hee rose out of that dreame like a man full of power and like vnto one who had drunke wine It is a verefied truth in our Christian faith that God is a pure spirit and a substance not compounded but simple which hath no flesh which may putrifie nor bones which may be brokē nor hunger which may cause him to eat nor stomack to disgest with nor vapours to ascend and prouoke him to sleepe nor yeares to make him old If it bee true that there is no time which can make God old nor meat which can force him to sleepe is it not also true that his sleepe is otherwise to be vnderstood than ours and that he awaketh in another manner than we doe When the Philosopher sayth That sleep is the image of death what else doth he mean but that a man which sleepeth is nothing else but an image of a dead man Mark well the conditions of a dead man and thou shalt find the same in one which sleepeth for he who is in his bed asleepe and hee who is in his graue can neither speake nor heare nor vnderstand those which call vpō them nor feele those which touch them nor offend those which abuse them nor complaine on those which blaspheme them nor reuenge on those which hurt them Who will not say that our Lord dooth not sleepe this kind of sleep seeing we see that in naughty men he doth dissemble their ambition the blasphemies which they speak the adulteries which they commit the incests they go about and the malice which they thinke What is sleepe in a man but to haue all his members at rest And what else is sleeping in our Lord but the suspending of his vengeance and punishment The wicked men thinke that because our Lord doth suffer them to liue in the world and not punish thē that therefore he is asleep that he hath no care ouer the things of this world which is an errour without all doubt for they must know if they know it not that that which wee call in a man sleeping is called in God dissembling Vpon those words of the Prophet Dormitauerunt omnes S. Ambrose sayth Our Lord doth winke at the naughtinesse of wicked men not because he hath a desire that they should sinne but because he hopeth that they should amend which if they doe not the Lord awaketh for their wickednes and laieth his heauy hand ouer thē Whē is our Lord seen to awake out of his sleep but whē he laieth his hand ouer the naughty mā doth chastise him for his errour Euen as whē one will giue another a great blow the higher he doth lift his hand the greater stroke hee doth giue him in the self same sort the longer time our Lord doth stay and wait for the wicked the more rigorously and with lesser pity he doth punish him Whereof thinkest thou doth it proceed that God doth awake to punish thy sinne but because he doth see thee sleepe so long time in sinne Isidorus saith Wilt thou see curious reader that our Lords casting himselfe to sleepe is nothing else but to dissemble at our faults and that to awake is nothing else in him but to begin to punish thy sinne thou maiest perceiue it by that that as the Prophet had said Excitatus est tanquam dormiens hee added immediately Etpercussit eos in pectora eorum What other thing doth the Prophet say vnto vs by these words but that at the selfe same time houre and moment that the Lord did awake out of his sleepe he did put his rigorous hand ouer the Princes of the Gentiles Looke well vnto it my brother looke well vnto it and be not deceiued and if thou think that our Lord is asleepe hath no regard of thy doings take thou heed for it is the temptation of the diuell and that none of the least with the
of smels is of bread the sauor of sauors is of salt the sweetest of all sweetes is of hony and the bitterest of all bitters is of gaule For what is there vnder heauen sweeter than hony or more bitter than gaule For what stomacke is there in the world so strong who after a cup of gaule and vineger would not either burst or die Rabanus vpon S. Luke sayth If the Iewes had remembred that his Father gaue them fresh water in the desart to drinke of and bread from heauen to eat of and that his sonne likewise gaue fiue thousand of them fish their fill and bread vntill they left off it they would not haue giuen him gaule to eat and vineger to drinke Damascenus sayth That it is proper to naughty men to be very sparing in matters of vertue and in matters of vice very lauish which doth easily appear in Christ for he asking for nothing but drink they gaue him also somewhat to eat Anselmus sayth That the abundance of malice and the want of conscience made the Iewes put that bitter gaule to Christs mouth which other men do loath to touch The Iewes did also shew the depth of their wicked naughtinesse in giuing Christ that horrible drinke being as hee was so neere death vpon the crosse because that all men are wont in that extremity bee they friends or enemies to helpe him who is in torment to die well and no man in that houre dare to trouble or vexe him Origen sayth That it is a custome among sauage and barbarous men that such as were enemies in their life time doe reconcile themselues and pardon one another in death Because as Plato sayth Death alone doth end all trauaile and all anger This generall rule failed only in the Iewes as men which were more barbarous and inhumane than all other who at the very time that Christ was yeelding vp his spirit did spet vpon him blasphemed him with their tongues hated him with their hearts tormented him with gaule and vineger King Dauid and king Saul were mortal enemies but when the Philistims had slain Saul in the hils of Gelboe they saw Dauid weepe bitterly for him and caused him to bee buried with great care and diligence All writers doe affirme that there were not greater enemies in all Greece than Demosthenes the Philosopher and Eschines the Orator but when Eschines vnderstood in Rhodes that Demosthenes his enemy was dead in Athens he did not only weepe many teares for him but did also bestow sumptuous funerals vpon him The great hatred and warres which were betwixt Iulius Caesar and Pempeius the great are knowne vnto all the world yet neuerthelesse when pittifull Casar had Pompeius head in his hands hee spake many pittifull words in his fauour and shed many teares ouer his head Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn sayth That there was neuer read of the like hatred as the Iews bare Christ seeing that although they saw his breath going out of his body yet they gaue him gaule to eat and vineger to drinke because that as they had tormented his outward members with torments they might also poyson his inward bowels with griefe and paine S. Cyprian sayth It is not credible that the wicked Iews had mens hearts in them but the hearts of some madde dogges seeing that the more the sonne of God did draw neere vnto death the more they did waxe cruell because that the end why they gaue him gaule and vineger was because hee should die sooner and also raging If as it did please Christ onely to tast of that drinke it had been his will to haue drunke it all considering how there was no bloud left in his vaines and also his weakenesse at that time it is no doubt but it would haue shortened his life and put him to a more painfull death O that this doctor said very well that they had not mens hearts in them for otherwise considering the extremity they saw him in they could not haue done lesse than haue giuen him some wine to drinke or water to refresh him or vsed some words of comfort O pittifull case and vnspeakable cruelty seeing that at the houre of thy death thou haddest no friend to encourage thee no drop of water to refresh thee but onely a little gaule for thy breakefast and a little vineger to drie thy mouth with Let not mee vse then any delicate meates and let all superfluous diet bee farre from mee for seeing my God and Lord doth neither eat nor drinke but gaule and vineger from euening to euening how dare I fare daintely at set meales How dare I looke for death seeking a thousand dainties euery houre and change a thousand meats euery day Seeing that thou O my good Iesus haddest thy mouth poysoned with gaule and wet with vineger O sacred mouth O holy tongue who is so wicked as to dare bath that mouth with gaule and vineger hauing preached with the same so many Sermons giuen so many holy lessons taught so many people and done so many miracles You should put gaule and vineger O yee cursed Iewes vpon this my mouth which is neuer opened but to deceiue and vpon my tongue which can doe nothing but lie for as for that of your Creator and our Redeemer what sinue was there that hee did not tell you of and what vertue is there that hee did not teach you Saint Barnard sayth O what great difference there is betwixt mouth and mouth tongue and tongue For mans tongue said vnto Pilat crucifige eum Christs tongue said vnto his Father Nesciunt quid faciunt In so much that the peoples whole drift was to induce Pilate to kill him and Christs whole intention was to persuade his Father to forgiue them Vbertinus sayth Should not Christ haue had better reason to haue giuen the people gaule and vineger seeing they accused him openly thā they to Christ considering that with teares hee did excuse them Quid vltra debui vineae meae quod non feci Said Christ to the Prophet Esaya◠as if hee would say O my chosen vine O my deere Synagogue what diddest thou aske of mee that I did not giue thee or what could I doe for thee that I haue not done These wordes are deepely to bee considered of seeing that by them our Lord dooth call the Synagogue to a reckoning like vnto one friend which chideth with another who with intention not to breake off their friendship will trie out where the fault lieth And to the same purpose God spake by the Prophet Ieremy when hee said Iudicium contraham tecum as if hee would say I will O Israell that thou and I and I and thou sit down to iudge and take an arbitrator betwixt vs to the end that both parts being hard he may iudge what small reason thou hast to offend me what great cause I haue to complaine on thee O infinit goodnesse O vnspeakable clemency of thee my great God what creature can iustly say
that thou hast condemned him without iustice seeing thou doest first sit downe to verifie thy iustice O vnto how many may God iustly say at this day what can I doe more for thee than I haue done and wherein canst thou offend me more than thou hast offended me O good Iesus O light and glory of my soule what shouldest thou doe more for me than create me or what couldest thou doe more for me than redeeme mee Thy goodnesse and my wickednes do striue before thy face and thy grace and my offence thy bountie and my vngratefulnesse thy mercy and mine obstinacy thy pardon and my sinne in so much that I neuer cease to sinne and thou neuer to dissemble it But to speake more particularly it is to be cōsidered that our God was not cōtēted to redeem all of vs in general but he did also satisfie for our sins in particular laying vpon himself a particular pain which should answere vnto our particular offence Christ satisfied for the sinne of pride when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him vnto which humility there can no vertue of any Saint be compared because he made himselfe of God a man of eternall temporall of one that was immortall mortal Barnard sayth That of all those which were proud Lucifer was the greatest of all gluttons Adam of all Traitors Iudas of all patient men Iob and of all humble men Christ exceeded all Christ satisfied for fornication by his circumcision and therevpon it is that because the sinne of lechery is that sinne into which men do easiliest and most oftenest fall into our Lords pleasure was to redeeme it with his precious bloud Christ satisfied for the sinne of enuy with his incomparable pouerty which hee so streitly kept that hee had neither house to dwell in nor a penny to spend nor wealth to liue by S. Ierome sayth That the end of Christs pouerty was to withdraw from himselfe things necessary because we should leaue off things superfluous for if a Christian haue any thing in his house which is superfluous hee dooth possesse it all as stolne from the poore Christ satisfied for gluttony by his continuall fasting all his life time and oftentimes suffering great hunger which is easily seene because that after his fast in the desart he was greatly a hungred and also when he and his disciples did eat eares of corne in the field S. Barnard sayth Christ had such a great feruour to preach by day and did contemplate so continually by night that although hee had meat yet he did scarse remember to eat it Christ satisfied for the sinne of anger with his continuall patience which patience of his was so perfect that hee neuer knew how to reuenge an iniury nor neuer vse towards any man an iniurious word In patientia vestra possedebilis animarū vectrarum said Christ to his disciples Luke 25. As if hee would say The merit and reward of patience is so great that it maketh him vvho hath it lord ouer his owne soule Many possesse their eares by not hearing of backbiting and other possesse their eies not seeing of vaine things and others possesse their hands by keeping them from stealing others their tongues by keeping them from blasphemy but of all these which I haue spoken off doth Christ say that any of them doth possesse his soule but only hee who hath patience What doth it auaile vs to be lords of our feet hands and ears if the diuell do possesse our soules What is it to be lord and maister ouer a mans own soule but wholy to subdue his owne sensuality Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth He onely hath his will in subiection who in trauaile and vexation hath great patience Christ doth say very well that you shall possesse your soules in your patience Seeing that patience is the vertue which dooth confirme friends reconcile enemies cut off passions and maketh our he arts mild and gentle Loe then thou seest it proued how the son of God was not content to redeeme all the world in generall but that hee did in particular as it were satisfie for euery sinne disburdening euery man of a particular fault and casting vpon himselfe a generall paine CHAP. XV. Here there is brought a figure of Dauid and declared to the purpose OSi quis mihi daret potum aqua de cisterna quae est iuxta portum Bethleem 2. Reg. 23. king Dauid being in the field of the giants and fighting with the Philistims in summer time and wearied with the heat of the sunne and wanting water gaue a great sigh and vttered these wordes O who would giue me now a cup of water of the cestern which is neere vnto the gate of Bethleem where I was wont to recreate my selfe when I was a young man and take my fill in drinking of the water Dauids sigh being heard and his great desire of drinking perceiued three young men which were his seruants determined to arme themselues and goe to Bethelem for water maugre the enemies with a resolution to bring some or die in the place And as they had sworne so they did accomplish it and going through the enemies camp striking and killing the end was that they shed more bloud in going than they brought water in comming againe In the letter of this figure there are two things to be noted that is that good king Dauid did not sigh nor desire sauerous wine to make him drunk with but for a pot of water to refresh himself with Whereof we may take an example that we may better ouercome our inuisible enemies with abstinence than with abundance and plenty Yet so it was that notwithstanding the great thirst which Dauid had hee would not drinke one drop of that water saying that God forbid that hee should drinke of that water which was gotten with the deaths of so many men and was bought with so much bloud Euery man may take an example to himselfe by this that no man should carry any thing to his house gotten with an euill conscience or by the preiudice of another for we see nothing more common than that men for greedinesse of another mans doe not onely lose that which was their own by inheritance but that also which of other mens they had gotten Leauing the letter and comming to the spirituall meaning it doth well appeare that Christ is the sonne of Dauid and that Dauid is the father of Christ seeing the one was thirsty in the field and the other on the Mount of Caluary the one sighting the other sufiering the one compassed with enemies and the other hanging betweene theeues the one to drinke a cup of cold water and the other to redeeme mankind How farre greater the thirst was which the sonne of God had than that which Dauid had it is easily seene in that that Dauid did manifest his thirst with words onely and the sonne of God with words and teares wherevpon wee may inferre that his true thirst was not so much to
guide our works in his seruice he vvho vvill direct thē to our profit Chrisostom saith vpon S. Luke for God to ask the first fruits of that vvhich vve cut in the field is to ask of vs that vvee loue him vvith all our hearts for that vvhich is not begun vnder him and in his holy name vvill end afterward by the hands of the diuel He doth pay our Lord his first fruits vvho vvhen hee riseth out of his bed doth cōmend himselfe vnto our Lord offer vnto him all that vvhich he vvill doe that day and he stealeth his first fruits from our Lord vvho neither careth for to serue God nor to say any one praier but as soone as hee riseth beginneth to lie and cousin He paieth our Lords first fruits vvho of four and twenty houres vvhich are in the day bestovveth one in thinking vpon him and hee stealeth from God the first fruits vvho hath neither regard of his soule nor thinketh vpon God at any houre It is also to bee vveighed that our Lord is not contented vvith his first fruits of greene corne vnlesse it bee offered vp dried at the fire to giue vs knovvledge that all that vvee doe is nothing vvorth if vve doe not vvarme our selues at the fire of his loue What is all that vvorth vvhich I doe or vvhat am I vvorth vvhich doe it if I doe it not for God Hee doth offer vp all his eares of his corne dried who dooth all his vvorkes for God and hee doth offer them greene who doth them not but only for men vvhom vvee do assure that for those God will neuer pay nor yet men be thankfull What other thing bee the greene eares and not ripe but all our weake and humane actions Greene and hard and vnseasoned are all our workes and therefore wee haue need of the heat of fire to drie them because God dooth neuer accept that which is offered if he who doth offer it bee not accepted He offereth vnto our Lord greene eares who hath no patience in trauels for as the value of gold is knowne in the goldsmithes melting pot so is a good Christian known in tribulation Hee is a greene Christian who doth interprete the Gospell according vnto his owne will and he is a very green religious man who striueth against his superiour because that the true seruant of our Lord should haue no will of his owne nor desire authority nor dare to possesse any thing proper Then we will say that the eare is drie when it goeth easily out of the straw then we will say that a man is perfect when he is weaned from all couetous and worldly things Thou art very greene my brother if with thy humility there bee mingled any ambition with thy charity any enuy with thy pouerty any couetousnesse with thy chastity any wantonnesse and with thy honesty any hipocrisie by reason whereof thou must draw neere vnto the heauenly fire vntill thou hast cast this dreame from thee It is a great sign that the block which lieth smoking in the sire is not throughly drie and the religious person which yet tasteth of the world is not well grounded in religion because the true seruant of our Lord hath his heart as dead to the world for Christs sake as a mans body is dead which lieth buried in the graue The end of the fift word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse Here beginneth the sixt word which Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est vz. All is now finished and at an end CHAP. I. Here there are put diuers vnderstandings of this speech CVm accepisset Iesus acetum dixit Consummatum est This is the sixt word which the Redeemer of the world spake at the houre of his death on the altar of the crosse and it is as if he would say As hee ended to take and tast of the gaule and vineger which they had giuen him in the spunge and offered him vpon a reed he said Consummatumest that is That all is now accomplished and made perfect seeing the redemption of the world is ended the malice of the Synagogue fulfilled If we looke curiously vnto it we shall find these words true Consummatum est and few in number but yet the mysteries enclosed in them very many because wee are assured by those words by his holy mouth that we are pardoned of the eternall Father that is that satisfaction is now ended and that wee are now by his precious sonne redeemed Being a rule of the Philosopher Quod omnia quae fiunt fiunt propter finem If Christ had not spoken these words Consummatum est we should not haue knowne so plainly of his own mouth whether al mankind was fully redeemed or whether there remained any mystery of holy scripture to be accomplished But seeing the sonne of God said Consummatū est we may stand vpon a sure ground that there is neither any workes of our redemption vnaccomplished nor any one tittle of Scripture not fulfilled O what a great comfort it is to humane nature that Christ had said Consummatum est by his owne holy mouth For Dauid Ieremy Esay Daniel Ezechiel durst neuer say that sinne was at an end but only that it should haue an end in the time of the Messias the which as it was by them prophecied so it was by Christ fulfilled Septuaginta hebdomedae abbreuiatae sunt super populum tuum super vrbem sanctam tuam vt consummatur preuaricatio c The Angell Gabriell spake these words to the Prophet Daniel chap. 9. as if hee should say Seuenty weekes hence which shall bee accomplished foure hundred and seuen and twenty yeares hence the holy of all holies shall be annointed iustice shall bee perfect noughtinesse shall bee blotted out and sinne ended Compare thou now O curious reader the prophecy of Finem accipiet peccatum with Consummatum est which Christ spake and thou shalt plainely see how it is said only of the sonne of God that he shal redeeme vs and how hee doth assure vs that hee hath already redeemed vs. S. Augustine sayth Who was able to say that sinne is at an end but only hee who died to end sinne It is here to bee noted what is said who speaketh it where hee speaketh it and in what meeting he spake it and for what mystery hee spake it That which is spoken is Consummatum est hee who spake it is Christ the place where is the crosse the time was euen as he was yeelding vp the ghost the cause why was for the comfort of all his church for of al the seuen words which Christ spake vpon the crosse there is none which maketh so much for our purpose as Consummutum est In the first word which was Father forgiue thē what interest had the church in it seeing that Christ spake it onely for the pardon of the Synagogue In the second which was Lord remember mee what had the church in it
seeing it was spoken by the theefe which suffered by Christ In the third which was Behold thy mother what part hath the church therein seeing hee spake it onely vnto the disciple which was there present and to his mother which wept by him In the fourth which was Why hast thou forsaken me what hath the church therein seeing he speaketh only vnto his Father and complaineth of his Father vnto his Father In the fift which is I am a thirst what part hath the church therein seeing that thereby hee dooth shew the exceeding great thirst which hee sustaineth for the torments which hee suffereth In the seuenth vvord which is Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit what part hath the church therein seeing the sonne goeth out of the world and commendeth his spirit vnto his Father If we haue any part of all the seuen vvordes it is in Consummatum est in giuing vs knowledge by his owne mouth of the perfection and end of the old lavv and of our full redemption seeing he spake then vnto vs only and forthe end of all our sins vvhich vvere at one time redeemed euen as Christ did end his life and gaue vp his blessed ghost O profound mystery O vnspeakable secret and neuer heard of before in Consummatum est seeing that it is nothing else to say Consummatum est but to giue notice vnto all the vvorld that the church is novv begun and the Synagogue cast dovvne the Scripture fulfilled his life ended His precious bloud is ended the vvhich is so dravvne out that there remained no one drop in his vaines for hee came vvith a determination into the vvorld fully to accomplish all the loue vvhich hee bare vs and to shed for vs all the bloud vvhich hee possessed That is Consummated vvhich I came into the vvorld for and my fathers commandement is also accomplished for vvhom I came into the vvorld to manifest his holy name for so I haue done and if I came to lighten the vvorld to preach I haue preached and giuen it light The greife of my body is ended the torments of my members the persecutions of my enemies the wearinesse of my bones the multitude of my trauels are all at an end All that which the Prophecies prophecied all that which the Patriarkes signified all that which the holy men desired and all that which our Fathers craued of God is finished and consummate The riches of the Temple the highnesse of the kingdome the rigour of the law the purenesse of Preisthood and the honour of the people is at an end The hatred of the Iewes the enuy of the Pharisies the hypocrisie of the Saduces the malice of the Scribes is fully at an end What was euer seen that Christ began which he brought not in the end to full perfection Wee are those which doe hardly begin any good thing and if we doe begin it scarse bring it to the middle and if wee bring it to the middle we neuer end it The sonne of God is he only who beginneth all thinges when he will continueth them as he ought and finisheth them as he lusteth When Christ went to Ierusalem to suffer he said vnto his disciples Ecce ascendimus Hierosolimam consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de me and when he praied ouer the supper he said Opus consummaui quod dedisti mihi and on the altar of the crosse he said also Consummatum est giuing vs to vnderstand by that speech that like vnto a man hee doth giue that which he is commanded pay that which he doth owe and accomplish that which he doth promise S. Cyprian sayth Much greater O my good Iesus much greater is the taking of the torments which thou hast endured than the wasting of the grace which wee haue lost and farre greater is thy paine than our fault and thy offering than our offence and therefore thou doest say Consummatum est because that now the fault of the seruant is ended with the death of the sonne Anselmus sayth O how truly thou doest say O my good Iesus Consummatum est for hauing thy eies broken as thou hast thy shoulders opened thy hands piersed and the world redeemed what doth there remaine to end seeing that thou art at an end Damascen sayth When vpon the crosse the sonne of God sayth Consummatum est If he would haue vsed the rigour of his iustice as he did vse his accustomed clemency had it thinke you haue been much that all the world should haue ended with him seeing the Lord ended and died there which did create it Remigius sayth O bill of paiment O precious money O sure account O acquittance of God which thou doest giue vs O good Iesus when thou doest say Consummatum est seeing that thou doest assure vs by that speech that the bond obligation which the deuil had ouer our humane nature is payd by thee and cancelled and blotted our and also cast into dust ashes Fiue thousand yeares and more we were bound to hell and subiect vnto the deuill but the sonne of God going to the crosse to die he vnbound vs from the seruice of the Deuill and as he went by little and little towards his end the obligation went wearing away in so much that with this speech Consummatum est the soule went out of his body and sinne tooke his end in vs. O high Lord O great redeemer when thou saiest Consummatum est what is that which doth not end seeing that thy life doth end Gods humane life dooth end death to hell sinne to the world idolatry to gentility ceremonies to the law and figures to the Scripture Pope Leo sayth by this word Consummatum est was ended the reproch of the crosse the banishment from heauen the power of the diuell the treason of the disciple the denying of Peter the sentence of Pilate the indignation of the people the life of the sonne and the comfort of the mother O comfortlesse mother O virgine borne without the like what griefe did thy sorrowfull heart feele when thou heardest thy sonne say that his life was ended thou continuing as thou didst without thy sonne What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this With this speech Consummatum est the paine endeth to those which languished in desiring thee the offence of the wicked ceaseth the bloud of thy vaines drieth vp and yet doe not the teares of thy mothers eies end With this speech of Consummatum est All is finished dost thou drie the teares of those which haue offended thee their fill and dost thou make no reckoning of thy blessed mother who vnto the crosse hath followed thee If vnder that speech doe enter all whome thou hast created why doest thou leaue out thy mother of whom thou wast borne Most blessed mother of God certainly is not left out because that here on the crosse is finished and accomplished the quietnesse of her heart the light of her eies the contentment of her
creation for if it had not been by him and for him God would haue created nothing for the means being taken away the end was also taken away Touching the second the humanity of the word wanteth weight he cannot be weighed for all the Saints being put in one balance and the sonne of God in another it would bee that that a drop of water is in respect of all the water which is in the world Who is hee which can be weighed with Christ or bee compared with the least of his merits If before his sight the heauens be not cleane how dare any saints be weighed with him Concerning the third the humanity of the word cannot bee measured because that the grace which was giuen to him alone was so much that neither in heauen nor in earth there is found any measure for it How can there bee found any measure in the sonne of God seeing that it is hee with the which is measured all humane and Angelicall nature Wee may gather of that which wee haue said that seeing Christ hath remoued from himselfe number weight and measure yet that it is a folly and a rashnesse to thinke to find an end in his greatnesse We speak all this because that considering that there is two natures in Christ one diuine and the other humane wee will not talke immediately of his diuine essence but of his humane as it is compared to the diuine and so wee shall vnderstand somewhat of Christ although we cannot comprehend all that doth belong vnto him Suscepit de manu demini duplicia sayth the Prophet Esayas chap. 40. speaking of that which the eternall Father had giuen his only sonne as if hee should say All other creatures receiued single fauours and only the son of God receiued them double for all other besides himselfe were nothing but bare men but he was man and God God and man Duplicia suscepit de manu domini because hee was more than that which he seemed to bee and hee was more than that which was hidden because his diuinitie was hid and his humanity did appeare and to his diuinity was vnited his humanity He receiued two gifts of our Lord seeing that vnder that earth is hidden a precious pearle and vnder that rough couering is enclosed the heauenly cloath of gold He receiued double fauour at our Lords hands seeing that vnder the penitent weed we shall find the great king of Niniuy and vnder those dead skins wee shall find the good Patriarke Iacob aliue He receiued two things at our Lords hāds for if wee take away the couering wee shall see all the diuine essence and if we breake the vaile of the Temple wee shall know the heigth and the purest part of the heauen He receiued two singularities of our Lord seeing hee alone and no other is at one time a traueller and at his iournies end at one time with the superior portion enioieth and with the inferior suffereth He receiued two gifts seeing it was giuen to him and to no other to be passible and impassible visible and invisible mortall and immortall temporall and eternall Suscepit de manu domini duplicia seeing it was giuē vnto him alone to be the end of the vnhappy Synagogue and the beginning of the catholicke church and to be him who doth inflict punishment vpon the bad and giueth glory vnto the good Behold then how Christs humanity is a perfect image a high resemblance such as is not to be found neither in heauen nor vpon earth because it is made to the liuely likenesse of God and because it is alwaies like his mould and type which is the Word Hilarius in his second book of the Trinity saith Euen as a glorious body vnited vnto a glorious soule is as it were spirituall and hath spirituall conditions so the humanity of the diuine word being vnited vnto God hath the same conditions and qualities as he vnto whom he is vnited Damascen in his sentences sayth As it was commaunded that all should be giuen to the noble dame Iudith which did belong to Holofernes seeing that she had ouercome him so vnto the man Christ it was giuen and attributed that all that should be said of him which was said of the Word seeing that hee did also ouercome the diuell And because wee may the better see what conformity there is betwixt the humanity and the diuinity we wil speak one word vpon euery word of that which S. Iohn did put in the beginning of his holy Gospell speaking of the eternall Word In the beginning was the Word sayth S. Iohn speaking of the eternal generatiō of the son of God Wherein he giueth vs to vnderstand that that eternall word hath his being by the first internall emanation of the Father seeing that hee proceedeth of him by the way of vnderstanding which is the first emanation and before the will seeing it is presupposed That which we say of the diuinity we may also say of the humanity seeing that it was in the beginning of God by an Hypostaticall vnion in the word and by an excellency of perfection aboue all that which God created And the word was with God saith also S. Iohn as if he should say Because thou maiest see that the person of the Father is not the person of the sonne nor the person of the sonne the person of the Father if I haue said that In the beginning was the word I say now that neere vnto God was the same word in so much that that which is neere vnto mee is without all doubt distinguished from me The humanity is so neere vnto the diuinity that it is one person with it and thereupon it is that as in the Father and in the sonne there is but one essence although they be two persons so in the word of God and in the humanity of Christ although there bee two natures there is but one person and this diuine and not humane S. Iohn saith further And God was the Word which may also be said of the humanity well vnderstood as of the diuinity by the high communication of diuine and humane qualities which are in Christ because there are many things in Christ by grace which are in God by nature Vpon those words In quo habitat omnis plenitudo diuinitatis S. Ambrose sayth The diuinity of the word doth dwell so perfectly in the humanity of Christ that because that is so neerely vnited and deified which is contained it taketh the name of that which containeth it and hee sayth further Quod factum est in ips◠vita erat The which hee speaketh because that being as he is God the fountaine of all life and that of his onely will dooth proceed all life it is certaine that all that should be in him should be life S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth As all things in God shall be called life because they are accompanied and ioined in him so in his holy humanity all things are life
and a great louer In Salomons Temple the things of gold were so measured those of wood so leuelled that when they were laid downe there was no Ax nor hamber heard When the Holy-ghost did frame the Temple of the most sacred humanity of Christ in the wombe of the blessed Virgine Mary hee framed it so iust and made it in all perfection so exquisite that there was there no axe of sinne nor hamber of the diuell The windowes of that temple were broader within than vvithout to signifie vnto vs that the loue which Christ had secretly in his entrails was farre greater and broder than the wounds were which hee suffered for vs and although that at the beginning he doth lead his a straight and narrow way yet after that they doe tast of his heauenly loue he maketh all things broad and large vnto them In this holy Temple of Christ we must offer pure gold and excellent siluer which wee doe then when in heart we beleeue him and with our mouth confesse him There must also be offered latten copper and brasse by which we may vnderstand the vertue of patience for as those mettals doe suffer many blowes and serue to many vses so the vertue of patience doth suffer many iniuries and maketh many men vertuous It is fit for vs to offer there a â—acinth stone which is of the colour of heaueÌ„ to signifie therby vnto vs that al our works desires shold be directed to attain heaueÌ„ because that is in heauen which we do beleeue on earth there he dwelleth whoÌ„ we preach here and that is recompenced there which wee suffer here Wee should offer also in the liuely Temple of that blessed humility scarlet wel coloured and fine whereby is vnderstood the memory which wee ought to haue of his holy passion the which if it was troublesome for him to suffer is most profitable for vs to contemplate O how happy should he be of whoÌ„ it might be said thy hears are like vnto the scarlet of the king died in the gutters What are the heares but my thoughts and what are the gutters but his precious wounds and what is the coloured scarlet but his most precious flesh died in his owne precious bloud O who could be worthy to wash in this bloud the heares of his thoughts euery day a little time for seeing them of that colour they would presently be acceptable to Christ Thou shouldest offer also in this most holy TeÌ„ple scarlet twise died that is loue doubled if thou wilt know what loue doubled is we tell thee that it is the loue of God and the loue of thy neighbor He offereth scarlet twise died who doth the works of charity vnto his neighbour and giueth no euill speech vnto any man and hee doth also offer scarlet twise died who offereth his soule vnto God and part of his goods vnto his neighbour in necessity God did also command fine white linnen to be offered vnto him whereby a chast and a clean conuersation is vnderstood because there is nothing in this world in greater danger than the fame of a vertuous person Flie then my brother flie the occasions of the world and trust not so much as thy selfe for how much the finer the thrid of thy fame is the sooner it will be broken spotted if thou haue not a viligant care ouer it God commaunded likewise that they should offer him in his Temple timber of the wood Cethin because it was incorruptible whereby are vnderstood all perfect works and well finished and this hee noteth that if in vertuous workes wee haue not great constancy and peseuerance the worme dooth consume them like as they doe timber God doth also command that they should offer in his Temple goats heare if they had nothing else nor no other riches and therevpon the Lord may offer what he will and man what hee can What other thing are the goats heare which thou art to offer vnto him but only our sharpe and austere workes with the which wee are to serue him With a vile and base and rough couering cloath of gold and fine silke is kept and with a seuere life fame is conserued and a clean conscience because that dainty meats and curious apparell are not to bee vsed among perfect men O how happy hee should bee who might say with Christ Consummatum est that is that he followed our Lord vntil the last houre as hee might and offered vnto him that which he had CHAP. V. How that all the mysteries and prophesies which God had prophesied of him were most highly fulfilled in Christ in Ierusalem ECce ascendimus Hierosolimam consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de filio hominis Luke 18. Christ spake these wordes vnto his disciples in the last iourney that hee made with them in this life and it as if hee would say Behold we goe vp into the great city of Ierusalem where all the prophesies shall bee fulfilled which are written of mee and where the sonne of the virgine shall bee deliuered vnto the Gentiles shal be scorned and spet vpon whipped and put to death and after three daies they shall see him risen again Before all things it is principally to be noted that whersoeuer this aduerb Ecce is put there is alwaies signified some great mystery as in Esayas Ecce Behold a virgine shall bring forth in the incarnation Ecce Behold the handmaid of the Lord in the transfiguration Ecce Behold a white cloud in the temptation Ecce Behold the Angels shall minister vnto him and in his resurrection Ecce behold an earthquake The things which Christ spake vnto them in this place were so high and the mystery so great which hee discouereth vnto them that they could not onely not vnderstand it but they were also afeared and began to tremble to heare it for they thought it a violent thing that they should martyr a holy man and they thought it a very strange thing that any man should rise againe Theophilus vpon S. Matthew sayth That it is much to bee noted that in all other iournies which Christ made it is alwaies said that hee went in the company of his disciples this one excepted where hee sayth that hee went before them to declare the great ioy that hee had to see that hee went to die and suffer passion for those whom he meant to redeeme and saue The difference betwixt those which take in hand any iourney is this that hee who goeth with greatest ioy goeth alwaies formost because hee would soonest come to the end and so it fell out here for Christ hauing a greater desire of our redeÌ„ption and saluation than the Apostles had made most hast on the way Secretum meum mihi secretum meum mihi said God by Esayas chap. 24. as if he would say From the beginning of the world in the deapth of the eternity I haue kept close a secret which no maÌ„ knoweth O infinit good O high Trinity what is this
truth sooles mocke wisedome the guilty whip innocency the wretched spet vpon glory and the dead kill life S. Barnard in a sermon of the passion sayth What heart is able to endure it or what fingers able to write it to see that the liberty of captiues is sold the glory of Angels scorned and mocked the morning starre of the world spet at the Lord of all scourged whipped and he who is the rewarder of trauels murthered S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth Of Christ only of no other Ieremy sayth Quod saturabitur opprobrijs seeing that he was sold like a malefactor mocked like a foole spet at like a vile person whipped like a theefe and put to death like a traitor S. Hilary in an Homily sayth According vnto the prophesie of Ieremy the sonne of God shall be filled with iniuries seeing that he is sold of the Symoniacles mocked of hypocrites whipped of tyrants spet at by blasphemers and put to death by heretikes Let our conclusion then be that not without a high mystery nor profound sacrament Christ before hee should suffer said these words of Consummabuntur and in the end of his suffering Consummatum est to let vs vnderstaÌ„d that at one time Christs life did end and if we be such as we ought to be our faults CHAP. VI. Here hee entreateth of that high praier which Christ made vpon the table saying Pater sancte non pro mundo rogo sed pro illis vt serues eos a malo In which praier if he obtained constancy and stoutnesse for his Apostles yet he forgot not the weake saying Non rogo vt tollas eos a mundo PAter sancte claritatem quam tu dedisti mihi dedi eis vt sint Consummati in vnum Iâ—h 17. These words are spoken by the mouth of the son of God praying vnto his Father after he had made a sermon before supper the highest and longest that euer hee preached in all his life time as if hee should say O my holy eternall mighty and blessed Father that which I entreat and request of thee in this last houre is that seeing I haue giuen to my Disciples part of the light and science which thou hast giuen mee thou wouldest also giue them grace to bee perfect in that kind of perfection as thou are wont to make perfect the elect By occasion of those words which Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est and by reason of that other which he spake praying vnto his Father Consummati sunt it shall bee necessary for vs to declare in this place what that is which the redeemer of the world spake in his praier and what the Scripture sayth of it It is here to be noted who hee is which praieth where hee praieth when he praieth and how he praieth and for whome he praieth what he praieth for oftentimes in Scripture the circumstances how a thing is done makes it either weighty or very weighty Hee who praieth is Christ the place where is the pâ—râ—or the time is at supper how is with lifting vp his eies the things which hee praieth are very high they for whom are his disciples In this high praier Christ spake dainty words most graue sentences very secret mysteries very necessary aduises and very profitable counsels by reason whereof it is conuenient to read them with attention and note them with deuotion Christ then sayth in the beginning of his praier Pater sancte serua eos in nomine tuo qui tui sunt pro eis rogo non pro mundo as if he should say My holy and blessed father that which I ask of thee for these thy children and my disciples is that thou deliuer them from sin keep them in thy seruice seeing that they bee my brothers by nature and thy children by grace and if I aske any thing of thee it is not for those which are of the world but for those which thou doest keepe vnder thy safegard O sweet words for the good and sorrowfull for the bad seeing that by them are diuided and seperated the perfect from the foreseene the elect from the reprobate Gods friends from the children of perdition and also the neighbours of heauen from the louers of the world Howsoeuer Christ our redeemer praied from the hart for those which he loued from the heart yet he set this word Sancte Pater before his praier because it is a very naturall thing that this word Pater maketh a father attentiue to here the child and maketh his eies tender to behold him and his heart gentle to loue him and openeth his entrails that hee can deny him nothing What sweeter words can come to a fathers eares than to heare his sonne call him father As a sonne welbeloued and tendered once Christ calleth his father my father another time iust father another time Lord and father sometimes holy father and sometimes father and nothing else so that such as his praier was such was the name which hee gaue him It is not then here without a mystery that hee calleth him Pater sancte because hee who praied in this praier was most holy hee to whom hee praied was holy that which hee praied were holy things the place where hee praied was a holy place and hee for whom he praied was his holy colledge What doest thou aske O good Iesus what doest thou aske Pardon for my sheepe that God would deliuer them from Wolues pardon for my disciples that God would keepe them from the diuell pardon for my elect that God would seperate them from sinne and pardon for my friendes that God would take them vp into heauen As thou art going thy iourney to the crosse at the point of death in the euening of thy agony and wheÌ„ they come to apprehend thy person among so many thinges which thou doest aske of thy Father doest thou ask nothing for thy selfe O heauenly care O vnspeakable loue O charity neuer heard of before such as thine is O creator of my soule towards all mankind seeing that in such a dismal day in such a narrow strait as thou art in thou hast cause sufficient to craue of thy father for thy selfe sauing only that to remember me thou doest forget thy selfe And Christ sayth that he doth aske for such as are his that is for those which in the depth of his eternity are predestinated and are in the number of the elect to the end that they may bee one thing in the father as the father and the sonne are one thing Let the curious reader marke in this place that this abuerbe Sicut dooth not in this place make an equality betwixt God and man but onely a resemblance and a likenesse for vnlike the which because Arrias would not vnderstaÌ„d became to be an infamous heretike When Christ said Sint vnum in me his meaning was this That which I aske of thee O heaueÌ„ly Father is that as those of my colledge be thy children and
kill a beast but in Christs holy law one death tooke away all deaths one life did buy all liues and one paine tooke away all paines and offences When the Apostle calleth Christ Hostiam viuentem he wanteth not a deepe secret and a profound mystery because that in the old law they called Hostiā the sacrifice which was offered against those which were enemies they offered nothing but dead sacrifices because the beast which they did offer was neither called sacrifice nor Hostia vntill his life had been taken from him The sonne of God gaue the name of Hostia a sacrifice when he died and the name of life when he rose againe and therefore wee may very well call him a liuely sacrifice a holy sacrifice a pure sacrifice and holy bread seeing that hee is the sacrifice and Hostie which giueth life vnto all and is the holiest sacrifice of all other and the purest and the cleanest bread of all others Anima cum obtulerit oblationem sacrificij domino similae erit eius oblatio fundet super eam oleum ponet thus Leuit. 2. God spake these words vnto Moyses because he should tel them the people of Israel as if hee should say If any will offer any sacrifice which shall bee acceptable vnto mee offer mee it of the purest floure mingled with oile and therewithall he shal adde a little frankincense If wee doe curiously looke vnto it of three things onely our Lord requireth an offering of vs that is pure floure good oile and sweet incense the which things are easiy to bee found light to offer and not costly to buy S. Ambrose sayth In this wee may see what a great desire our Lord hath to pardon the sinnes which we commit against him in that he himselfe doth teach vs what sacrifices we should offer vnto him What is vnderstood by that fine sifted floure but that most sacred humanity of the sonne of God This holy floure was so sifted and putrified that all the Angels which shall come to see it and all the men in the world which shall come to clense it shall not find in that sacred humanity one smal grite of originall sinne nor on spot of mortall sinne nor one little dust of any other small sinne Of this most pure floure Christ did knead the sacramentall bread in his last supper which he left vs in the church which doth differ farre from that which mother Eue did leaue her children because that in eating of that we doe sinne and receiuing of this we doe liue What is the incense which God commaunded vs to offer with the floure in his Temple but the diuinity which is ioined with the humanity in Christ Vntill the gate of the Temple the floure was carried by it selfe and the incense by itselfe but being brought to the gate of the Temple the one was incorporated with the other which mystery was most notably accomplished in the comming of Christ because that so farre asunder was mankind which was here vpon earth from the diuinity which was in heauen but the son of God comming into the world immediately God with man and man with God became one What is the oile with the which God commanded the floure and incense to be tempered but that which in the blessed Trinitie wee call the holy-ghost The coniunction bond of loue betwixt the Father and the son and hee who did incorporate the floure with the incense was no other but the holy-ghost for so said the prophesie Vnxit te deus deus tuus eleo letetia and so said the Angell vnto the virgine when he said Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te That which the Prophet called oile the Angell afterward did cal the holy-ghost insomuch that the cake which God demanded of floure oile and incense was nothing else but the humanity of him which was made by the father and by the son and by the holy-ghost A cake so well seasoned a sacrifice so highly well made which of the saints would not offer and which of the Angels would not adore The sacrifice which God did demand in times past was not that which the Synagogue did offer but that which the catholike church doth now offer for they did offer him dow wet in vineger and foustie oile and most sharpe incense but the sacrifice which wee doe now offer him is the humanity and diuinity of Christ vnited and put together by the handes of the holy-ghost It is no reason that the Christian and deuour reader should be ignorant why God commanded but a part of the floure to bee offered but all the incense To put a measure in the floure was to say that the humanity of it selfe was limitted and had an end and to put no measure in the frankincense was to say that in the diuinity there is neither beginning nor end which is most true because the workes which the sonne of God did were limmitted and circumscribed in that that he was man but being kneaded with the oile of the holy-ghost he made them infinite in value and weight To come then to our first purpose the text sayth si oblatio tua fuerit de sartagine simile conspersa oleo absque fermento diuides eam minutatim fundas super cam oleum as if he should say The fritter which thou shalt offer vnto me shall bee made of the floure of the meale without leauen kned with very good oile and then being well pricked thou shalt sprinckle it ouer with new oile If there should bee no mystery hidden vnder this Iudaicall sacrifice wee might haue occasion to thinke that our Lord were a glutton and giuen to variety of meats seeing that in the beginning of this chapter he asked of thē fritters or cake dressed with good oile and now againe a cake made of the floure of wheat and that without leauen small broken and fried in a frying pan in very whote oile Of this high and new sacrifice what is the floure but the humanity which suffered what the oile but the loue with the vvhich hee died and what the frying pan but the crosse where hee died To say that God the Father did aske for a cake made in a frying pan and to say that the crosse of his sonne was the frying pan and that the fine floure of his precious flesh was fried in that fryingpan and that the oile with the which it was fried was the loue with the which he redeemed vs is no vnreuerent speech to vse neither is there any errorin affirming it seeing wee he certain that there is no word writtē in holy Scripture which is not full of high mystery The property of the fryingpan is being put vpon the fire the fire dooth not wast him nor melt him as hee doth many other thinges and beside hee maketh those meats which are cold hard and not to be eaten whote soft and very sauourous What was the death and passion of our redeemer Iesus Christ but a frying
pan put to the fire The sacred humanity of Christ being put in the fryingpan of the crosse notwithstanding all the torments which they gaue him and all the iniuries and reproches which they spake against him they neuer diminished any part of his vertue for although for the space of three daies his soule was seperated from his body yet they deuide not his Diety from his soule nor from his body Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth Before that the sonne of God was fried in the frying pan of the crosse his flesh was so raw that it could not bee eaten but after that the fire of his passion did season it vs and frie it there is nothing in heauen more sauerous nor nothing on the earth more profitable Cyrillus in another sence saith There were four things in this sacrifice fire the pan oile and flour These four things were found in the passion of Christ that is the fire which the Iewes kindled to the end hee should dieithe frying pan vvas the crosse which they sought out where hee should die and the oile the loue and charity with the vvhich hee died there for to redeeme the world and the floure his most sacred flesh vvhich there was fried O glorious sacrifice O eternall meat that thou art O sonne of the liuing God seeing that fried and whote and seasoned thou diddest giue thy selfe in the frieng pan of the crosse to the end that all men might eat thee and none excused from seruing thee When the sonne of God said Nisi manducaueritis carnem filij hominis his Disciples being scandalized Abierunt retrorsum dixerunt durus est hic sermo But after that that most sacred flesh was seasoned fried in the frying pan of the crosse it was soft sweer to tast of sauerous to eat and profitable to be taken Sume tibi sartaginem ferream ponas eam murum ferreum inter te eiuitatem said God by the Prophet Ezechiel chap. 4 as if hee should say Goe thy way out of the city and thou shalt put a frieng pan of iron betweene thee and the city because thou maiest neither see her nor shee hurt thee Who euer saw or heard the like that the Lord should command the Prophet to fight with a frying pan and defend himselfe behind the same Tell me O Ezechiel what hurt couldest thou do with a frying pan seeing it hath no point or how couldest thou defend thy selfe vnder it considering that it will scarse couer thy head If thou wilt goe to fight take a launce with thee and if thou wilt go to defend thy selfe from thy enemies take thy Target because the frying pan is fitter for the kitchē thā the warre and better to dresse meat with than to fight O glorious crosse O holy frying pan where the flesh of my God was fried where his bloud was shed where his charitie vvas enflamed where our fault was melted and where his life was ended The frying pan of the Synagogue was neither good for warres nor profitable for peace But thou holy crosse and happy frying pan wast hee with the which the diuell was ouercome God pacified the world redeemed and the heauen opened What thing can I put betwixt thee and mee O good Iesus but this precious crosse frying pan where thou diddest end thy life that my sin might not come vnto thee nor thy punishment passe to me Doe thou not think my brother doe thou not think that God commanded the Prophet to put betweene him and the city a frying pan for any good that it would doe him but for that which the frying pan signified for thereby was signified the crosse and the crucified which should be a mediator betweene God and the world O sweet Iesus O my soules delight where but in the frying pan of thy dolors and griefes and where but in the oile of thy charity and loue diddest thou end consume and fry my enormious sinnes Where but in the frying pan of the crosse where thou saiedst Consummatum est giuing vs to vnderstand by that last speech that there thou haddest ended and made a full account of our sinne and thy anger of our perdition and thy passion of our ignorance and thy life CHAP. VIII Wherein is declared a figure when Moyses did annoint the altar seuen times with one finger and how that vnction was a figure of Christ and fully accomplished in his most sacred humanity DIgito suo vnxit Moyses altare septies oleo vnctionis this is written in the 40 chapter of Exodus as if hee should say In the same day that Moyses did institute his brother Aaron bishop and ordained also his children Priests hee did annoint the great altar seuen times and that with one finger and did consecrate it with oile Cyrillus vpon this place sayth That although all the holy Scripture be full of mysteries yet there is greatest attention to bee giuen when it speaketh of the altar or of a Priest because that that mystery cannot be handeled and not talk of the mysteries of Christ If we doe looke into the words of the text we shall find that that which is annointed is the altar that with the which it is ointed is holy oile and the manner how is with one finger only and that seuen times and that which was further ointed were all the ornaments of the altar These were the qualities of the altar neere vnto it were the holy breads before it burned lampes on the side of it they did put the candlestickes on the top of it the offered sacrifices at the foot of it they shed the bloud behind it were the people ouer against it was the vaile vpon it was the Cherubin about it were the curtaines This altar was made of wood which would not rot there could come none to it but the Priests they could not goe vp to it by steps nor staires night and day lampes burned there other fire which should not be put out Although the altar of the Synagogue had many priuiledges and great freedomes yet it had a counterpeise with it which was that vpō it they slew all the beasts which they did offer vnto God therefore it was sometimes so bloudy so loaden with flies that it seemed rather a bord in the butchery to cut flesh on then an altar of the church Who is the true altar the holy altar and the cleane altar but only the sonne of the liuing God Origen sayth In the Temple of the Synagogue the altar was one thing and the Priest another another thing that which they offered but in the altar of the church the altar where they offer and the Priest which doth offer and the sacrifice which is offered and he vnto whom it is offered is one and the same thing Leo in a Sermon of our Lords Supper sayth In this high supper and in this holy altar the sonne of God is the ultar and the meat and he who inuiteth and he who is inuited
All mortal men go after their pleasures and hunt for delight but alasse they seeke them in the house of the God of trauels which is the world and forsake the Lord of consolations which is God and therefore they goe astray in that which they seeke and goe discomforted in that which they desire Barnard in a sermon sayth O what a great comfort it is to the good that they haue him for their God and Lord who is the God and Lord of all consolations for it is not to be beleeued that being the God of al comforts that he doth not impart some of them vnto his and especially seeing that hee doth not discomfort those which offend him who will not beleeue but hee will comfort those which serue him When the Apostle sayth that our God is the God of all consolations and not onely that but also the father of mercies we haue great cause to loue him and to be thankfull vnto him seeing that not long before hee called himselfe the God of reuenge as now he dooth call himselfe the Father of mercies S. Ambrose sayth What greater news could we hear or what could he giue vs for a greater reward then for our Lord to giue himselfe vnto vs for our father his sonne for our brother the holy-ghost for our maister his church for our mother the Sacraments for a medicine his death for a pardon his bloud for our redemption Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth Marke the depth of the Scripture and thou shalt see that when he speaketh of mercies it doth not call God Deus misericordiarum The God of mercy but Pater misericordiarum the Father of mercies and when it talketh of iustice it doth not call him Pater vltionum but Deus vltionum The God of reuenge because it is the office of God to punish and the duty of the father to pardon The Prophets did oft vse this word Deus God and helped themselues little with this word Pater Father and Christ contrariwise did oft benefite himselfe with this word Pater Father and sildome with this name Deus God giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that the time of iustice was now ended and that the time of mercy was come Isidorus De summo bono sayth O eternall goodnesse and depth of all vvisedome vvhy should I distrust in thy great clemency being that thou art my Father and Father of all mercy Let the Pagans distrust in thee who beleeue thee not let the vvicked distrust in thee vvho serue thee not for I vvill hope in thee vvith those vvhich serue thee and loue thee For although I cannot wholly serue thee I labour as much as I can not to offend thee Anselmus vpon the Apostle sayth After I heard thee say O my good Iesus Pater ignosce illis and the Apostle say Pater misericordiarum Although my naughty life make mee afraid yet thy great mercy commeth immediately to my mind for the same day that thou diddest make thy selfe man thou diddest change thy name from the God of Reuenge into the Father of Mercies O glorious and happy chaunge that is the changing the name of God into the name of Father and the name of a Reuenger into the name of a Defender the name of Iustice into the name of Mercy the name of a Creator into the name of a Redeemer all which thou diddest chaunge vvhen thou wast made man and diddest suffer on the crosse for mee Saint Augustine vpon the Apostles vvordes sayth Tell mee O good Iesus tell mee O great Redeemer after thou haddest chaunged the name of Deus vltionum into the name of Pater misericordiarum what diddest thou see so hard that thou diddest not bring to passe or vvhat sinne diddest thou see so enormious that thou diddest not pardon In calling thy selfe the Father of mercies thou diddest forgiue Matthew his exchanges Mary Magdalene her vanities the Samaritane her Adulteries the good theefe his theft and the fisher-man Peter his denying of thee the Apostles forsaking of thee and thy enemies putting thee to death Irenaeus sayth Seeing that the time of Deus vltionum is past and that the time of Pater misericordiarum is come haue mercy on mee O great God of Israel haue mercy on mee and when shall this bee but vvhen thou vvilt giue me strength to serue and praise thee and endue mee vvith grace to saue mee O Father of mercies O the God of all consolation vvhen shall my soule heare for her selfe Pater ignosce illi as the vvicked Synagogue did heare thee say Father forgiue them What doth it auaile mee that thou hast pardoned those vvhich did then put thee to death if thou doe not also now forgiue vs vvhich most vvickedly offend thee Children for children sinners for sinners there is as great reason that thou shouldest pardon those of thy holy church as those of the Synagogue for if they vvere children of the God of reuenge vvho did put thee to death then they are also children of the Father of mercies who do offend thee now Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth O Father of mercies and God of all comfort if it bee true that I vvas vvith those vvhich tooke thy life from thee vpon the crosse vvhy shouldest thou not as well forgiue mee my fault as thou diddest then theirs Vnto thee O eternall Father I say Mea culpa and vnto thee O holy sonne I confesse my offence in that that if I vvas not vvith Iudas vvhen hee sold thee yet I vvas vvith the vvicked and vngratefull Iewes vvhen they did crucifie thee for if they did fasten thee on the crosse vvith nailes I did there crucifie thee vvith my sinnes Anselmus in his Meditations sayth O good Iesus O the blisse of my soule vvho carried thee to the crosse but the loue which thou haddest to redeeme vs And what tormented thee but thy dolours And what tooke thy life from thee but my sinnes And by whom haue I life but by thy merits O Father of mercies if it be true that for my demerits thou diddest lose thy life and that by thy great merits I recouered my soule dost thou not thinke that thou hast much in my faults to pardon in my soule to redresse and amend Barnard sayth O creator of all things O redeemer of all sinnes vnto thee O my God I offer my selfe and before thee O my Lord I present my selfe not such a one as thou diddest leaue mee when thou diddest create mee but such as one as thou foundest mee when thou redeemedst mee What a one diddest thou leaue mee but made to thy image and semblance and what a one diddest thou find mee but with my innocency lost and loaden with sinne O father of mercies pardon mee seeing that I am a worke of thy owne hands pardon me seeing that I am one of thy children and seeing I say vnto thee vpon my knees Tibi soli peccaui it is reason that thou answer me O my God with Miscriatur tui CHAP. II. Of the
difference that is betwixt Dauids testament and Christs testament seeing the one commandeth to reuenge other mens iniuries and the other pardoneth his owne death NOn deduces canicies eius pacifice ad inferos 3. Reg. chap. 2. King Dauid being in the last point of his life commanded his sonne and heire apparent Salomon to be called vnto him vnto whome hee spake these words Thou rememberest my sonne Salomon when my seruant and capraine Ioab did slay captaine Abner and Amasias who were scruants vnto king Saul the which offence because I cannot reuēge in my life the charge shll be laid vpon thee to see that hee goe not quietly to his graue and Dauid said further vnto him Thou shalt also remember that when I fled from thy brother and my son Absolon my enemy Simei came against me and followed mee all the field ouer cursing me and casting stones at me Look vnto it like a wise and a discreet man and that hee depart not in peace out of this world That which Dauid commanded his sonne Salomon to doe was not commanded to one who was deaffe for if hee did command him to kill two hee did kill three or foure that is the infant Abdonias the captaine Ioab Simei and the Priest Abiathar In al his kingdome Dauid had no captaine which had done him so great seruice nor no seruant which had loued him better than old Ioab yet neuerthelesse he had more respect to reuenge the iniuries done to others than vnto their seruices past If Dauid had not been welbeloued and by Scripture commended his Testament should much haue scandalized vs seeing that at the time of his death when men forbid iniuries hee commandeth by his Testament to take away mens liues It is to be beleeued that he being so acceptable to God as he was that he had consulted with God for otherwise being in so narrow a straight as he was in it was more than time for him to prepare himselfe to confesse his sins than to command the death of his enemies O how vnlike Dauids Testament is vnto Christs for Dauid commaunded in his to reuenge other mens deaths but Iesus Christ our Redeemer commanded his owne proper death to be pardoned How happy we be which be the inheritours of Christ and how vnhappy they be which bee the successours of Dauid which is easily seene by their Testaments for Dauids soule goeth out of his body saying Filine ignoscas illis and Christ yeeldeth his last breath saying Pater ignosce illis What similitude is in this when the one commaundeth to slay Ioab who neuer once touched so much as his garment and the sonne of God willeth to forgiue those which tooke away his life How would Dauid forgiue his owne death seeing he commandeth to reuenge another mans wilt thou see the difference betwixt the charity of the one and the goodnesse of the other Thou maiest see it in that that king Dauid would not pardon Ioab and Simei whose sinnes were so old that they were forgotten and meeke Iesus did pardon the Iewes whose wickednes was new and fresh How wouldest thou haue the wounds of him vvho pardoneth more fresher and the wickednesse of those which are pardoned more newer but to haue them at the same time crucifieng as he is pardoning Aymon sayth Much good may Dauids Testament doe him which hee made being annointed for I will hold with that which Christ made when he was crucified for the one seeketh out those which are culpable to kill and the other seeketh out faults to pardon Saint Augustine vpon our Lords wordes saith O how much better it is to fall into the hands of God then into the hands of men which is easily seene in the death of king Dauid and in the death of the sonne of God where the one commandeth to slay his owne seruants and the other willeth pardon to his cruel enemies Hugo de sancte victore sayth I do not enuy king Salomon for the kingdome which king Dauid his father left him nor for his will which he commāded him to accomplish because he left him the heire of his kingdome with such a condition that whē he should giue the last gaspe the other should presently begin to murder and kill In the same day and in the same houre that good king Dauid died as the captaine Ioab was in the Temple a praying kind Salomon sent immediately to sley him insomuch that before they could put Dauid in his graue they tooke away poor Ioabs life O my good Iesus the conditions of thy Testament be not like vnto these seeing that in the last farwell on the altar of the crosse thou diddest not command thy successors to reuenge but to forgiue nor to take away mens liues but to pardon iniuries so that as the Synagogue was a house of buying and selling so thou madest thy church a house of pardon Christ himselfe did whip those who bought and sold in the Temple and the selfesame son of God did pardon those whom he found in his house of pardon whereof wee may inferre that he is no inhabitant of his house who dareth reuenge an iniury Christ did shew himselfe to be the sonne of Dauid in being meeke as hee was but he shewed it not in being vindicatiue as he was for when he died vpon the crosse he did not leaue in al the world any one sinne to forgiue nor any iniury for his heires to reuenge If as Dauid did command to reuēge the misdemeanour which his seruants did him Christ should haue commanded to reuenge the sinnes which the Iewes committed against him it had not been possible to haue been done because the sinners had too many sinnes and the tormentors wanted torments CHAP. III. Of the difference betwixt the bloud of Abel and the bloud of Christ and how vnlike their cries vnto God are ACcessistis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam Abel sayth the Apostle writing vnto the Hebrewes chap. 9 as if hee should say We are very happy which beleeue in Christ and receiue his gospel seeing wee bee redeemed by his death and bought with his precious bloud And because thou maiest the better esteeme of the price of this bloud know thou that it crieth before the eternal father better than the bloud of Abel because that cried Iustice Iustice and the bloud of the sonne of God crieth Mercy Mercy S. Ierome sayth The Apostle dooth highly set forth the bloud of Christ whose soueraine price and high merit hee would not compare with the other blouds of the old Testament but with the bloud of the first iust man that euer was in the world the bloud of the holiest saint that is in heauen Origen saith The Apostle should haue done Christ great iniury if hee should haue compared his bloud with the bloud of calues and goats of the old Testament because the bloud of those beastes did serue to no other purpose but to defile the staires and to take away their liues but the
deepe wounds S. Barnard vpon the Canticles saith Note well that Christ doth not say thou hast brokē my head but thou hast pierced my heart to let vs thereby vnderstand that all the offences which we commit against him and also all the seruices which wee doe for him doe reach vntill his heart as hee doth loue vs with the heart Anselmus to this purpose sayth Our Lord doth iest with no man nor will not bee iested at by any man and therevpon he loueth vs with all his heart if we be in state of grace and hateth vs with his heart if we bee in his disgrace By reason whereof there is no offence which we doe commit against his Maiesty vvhich goeth not to his heart nor there is no seruice which we do to him but he doth keepe it in his heart Origen sayth The cause why the bridegroome doth complaine vpon the bride and not the bride against the bridegroome is because the soule hath no cause to complaine vpon God and God hath scarse no cause to bee pleased with the soule The bridegroome complaineth that the bride woundeth him in the heart because that one heart cannot be hurt but of another heart because that that cannot be called a fault but that which doth determinatly proceed from the will Then thy heart doth pierce and wound Christs heart when reason doth teach thee that thou shouldest not sinne and yet notwithstanding thy will dooth determine to sinne whereof God dooth not so much hold himselfe iniuried of that which thou doest as of the heart and will with the which thou doest it Thou doest so many times wound Christ as thou doest consent vnto sinne and therefore hee sayth that thou hast wounded his heart because his iniuries and offences proceeded from thy heart It is much to bee noted that hee sayth not thou hast killed my heart but thou hast wounded my heart for seeing that we see some die only because his heart is moued stirred it should be greater reason that they should die hauing their heart wounded If a griefe of the heart be hardly cured how shall that heart bee healed which is wounded If it be so that all the wounds in the heart are mortall and not to bee cured why doth Christ say that his louer had wounded his heart not confesse that he had killed him By this is knowne the difference betwixt offending God and offending man for a man dieth with euery wound because he will neuer forgiue and pardon but holy Iesus doth not complaine that they kill him but onely that they wound him Giuing vs therby to vnderstand that at the same instant when a soule doth repent her of her offences he doth hold himselfe satisfied for that fault What should become of vs if Christ should say that wee doe kill him as hee sayth that we doe wound him What other thing were it to take Christs life away but to sinne without hope of mercy God speaking with the Angell sayth Interfecisti cor meum and speaking with man sayth onely Vulnerasti cor meum because the sinne of the Angell had no remission but the sinne of man obtaineth euery day pardon O good Iesus O creator of my soule how much are wee bound vnto thee in saying that we doe wound thee and not that wee doe kill thee because that by this high speech thou doest let vs vnderstand that the wounds which we giue thee in the heart and the offences which wee commit against thee are as easily cured as they are easily amended Let no man despaire let no man be discomforted in thinking that he shall not bee pardoned and that there is no remedy for his offences seeing that the son of God doth confesse that wee haue not wholly slaine him but only wounded him of which wounds hee then beginneth to be cured when wee begin to amend O infinite goodnesse O great charity of thine O my good Iesus tell mee I pray thee what diddest thou see in my sinfull soule that thou shouldest trust the weapons in her hands which shee may wound thee with and also the medicines with the which shee may cure thee what are the weapons with the which she doth wound thee but the faults which shee dooth commit against thee And what is the medicine with the which shee dooth cure thee but only the amendment of her owne life Christ saith further that the weapō with the which the bride did wound him was one of her eies which she had in her head and with one of her haires which hanged at her throat so that her eies serued her for arrowes and her hair for bindings Origen vpon this place sayth O how tender the heart is which is wounded with the only sight of an eie and what small force and strength he hath who is bound with a hair The heart which is touched of our Lord although he be stronger then Sampson and lighter then Asael yet in louing of God and tasting of Gods holy loue it is easily taken and suffereth himselfe to be bound without resistance We haue two eies in our head to see with and wee haue two eies in our soules to loue with whereof the one is the eie of loue and the other is the eie of feare and when our Lord sayth that wee looke vpon him with one eie hee sayth that sometimes wee serue him with feare and sometimes with loue Men of high perfection doe looke vpon him with the eie of loue and men of lesser perfection with the eie of feare and the difference is that with the sight of the one there is no alteration at all and with the sight of the other she is presently delighted What can there be in the world more sweeter to the tast or wherin our soule may receiue greater recreation thā to fix all our intention to behold and look vpon God and serue him with all our heart When do we look vpon him with one eie only but whē for loue we serue him and not for fear What can Christ speake more tenderly vnto our soule or what more sweeter words can his holy mouth vtter vnto the soule than to say that she had wounded him with one eie and tied him fast with one haire O infinite loue of thine my Creator and Redeemer tell me I pray thee if thou be so easily satisfied with a soule that doth but once behold thee what wilt thou doe by her which doth behold thee euery day and serue thee all her life time S. Barnard sayth He doth bind God with one haire who thinketh on God and nothing else and hee doth wound him with the sight of one eie who loueth him and no other so that it lieth in our owne hands to serue Christ and attaine vnto his blisse and felicitie Trino vni laus FINIS