in want as standing in neede of being instructed hovv to loue out Enemies Which precept is far more difficult theÌ„ to know how to loue our friends or allies since this is most easy being after a sort begotten with vs and increaseth with vs and doth often preuaile more then reason requireth Therefore the Euangelist saith Iesus autem dicebat where the word autem designeth the time and occasion of praying for his Enemies and implyeth an Antithesis or opposition of words with words and vvorkes with workes As if the Euangelist would haue said They did crucify our Lord and deuided his garments in his ovvne sight and others derided traduced and defamed him as a seducer and Lyar. But he seing and hearing these passages and suffering most vehement paines by reason of his hands feete most cruelly pierced through vvith nailes did render good for euill and said Pater dimitte cis Father forgiue them He heere calleth him Father not God nor Lord as vvell knowing there vvas need of the benignity of a Father in this busines but not of the seuerity of a Iudge And because to appease God doubtlesly offended through such perpetrated impieties it was conuenient to interpose the comfortable Name of a Father Therefore that vvord Father seemeth thus much in this place to signify I am thy Sonne vvho now suffer I pardon them pardon them also O Father For my sake remit them this their offence though they do not deserue it Remember also that thou art a Father vnto them by Creation through the which thou hast made them to thy owne likenes and similitude therefore impart to them thy paternall Charâ—ty since though they be wicked yet are they thy sons Dimitte forgiue them This word comprehendeth the summe of the Petition vvhich the Sonne of God as an Aduocate for his Enemies doth exhibite to his Father Novv this VVord Forgiue may be referred both to the Punishment and to the offence Yf it be referred to the punishment then his prayer was presently heard because whereas the Ievves tâ—rough this vvicked Crime deserued to be instantly penished as either to be consumed vvith fire falling from Heauen or to be ouervvhelmed vvith Water or to perish through svvord and famine yet was the Punishment due for this offence and sinne prolonged and delayed for the space of forty yeares vvithâ—n vvhich compasse of time if that Nation had done Pennance it had remained safe and in security But because it neglected all performance of Pennance God did send against them the Army of the Romans Vespasian then being Emperour vvho ouerthrovving the chiefe Citty destroyed the Ievvish Nation partly through famine in beseiging the City partly in putting to the svvord many after the Citty vvas taken partly by selling and leading them Captiues and partly by dispersing and relegating them into seuerall Countries and Places VVhich very point first by the Parable of the Vine of the King causing a Mariage to be solemnized for his Sonne and of the barren and vnfruitfull fig tree and after in most exprâ—sse words our Lord vpon Palme-sunday by his owne weeping and lamentation did foretell Now so far as belongs to the fault and offence his prayer was also heard because through the merit and vertue of his Prayer Grace of Compunction was giuen to many from God Among whom those were Who returned knocking their breasts as also the Centurion who said In very deed this was the Sonne of God And many others more who after the preaching of the Apostles were conuerted and therevpon confessed him whom afore they had denied worshipped him whom they had despised The Reason why Grace of Conuersion was not giuen to all is because the Praâ—er of Christ was conformable to the VVisdome and Will of God VVhich point S. Luke writeth in other VVordâ— in the Acts of the Apostles c. 13. saying As many belieued as were preordinate to life euerlasting Illis them By this word those are vnderstood for whom Christ prayed that they might obtaine Pardon And truly they seeme to be the first who actually nayled Christ vnto the Crosse and who deuided his garments among themselues and then all those are vnderstood who were the Cause of our Lords Passion for example Pilat who pronounced sentence against Christ The People who cryed tolle tolle crucifige eum away away with him crucify him The chiefe of the Priests and the Scribes who falsly accused him And to ascend higher euen the First Man himselfe and all his Posterity who through sinne gaue occasion of Christ his Passion Therefore our Lord prayed for pardon from the Crosse for all his Enemies All of vs were in the number of his Enemies according to that of the Apostle Rom. 5. When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne Therefore euery one of vs euen before we were borne are numbred in that most sacred Memento so to speake in the which Christ the supreme Bishopâ— prayed in that most holy Masse which he performed vpon the Altar of the Crosse VVhat retribution therefore O my Soule wilt thou giue to him for all those Benefits which he gaue to thee before thou hadst Being Our Blessed Lord did see that thou once wast in the number of his Enemies neuerthelesse he prayed to his Father for thee neither seeking after him nor desiring him so to pray that this thy madnes should not be imputed to thee Is it not then thy duty euer to haue euer imprinted in thy hart the remembrance of so benigne and louing a Patrone and not to let slip any occasion of seruing of him And is it not in like sort reasonable that thou as being instructed by so great an example shouldest not only learne to pardon thy enemies and to pray for them but also that thou shouldest perswade all others to do the same Say therefore O my Soule this is most iust and fitting and I do much couet and determine to accomplish the same and the rather seing he who hath left this most remarkable ExaÌ„ple is ready out of his goodnes to affoard his efficacious hand and help to the effecting of so great a VVorke Non enim sciunt quid faciunt For they know not what they do That this Intercession of Christ may seeme more reasonable he doth extenuate excuse the Offence of his Enemies in such sort as he can Certainly he could not excuse the Iniustice of Pilate neither the Cruelty of the souldiers nor the malice of the Chiefe of the Priests nor the foolishnes and vnthankfulnes of the Common People nor finally the false testimonies of those who swore against him Only this remained that he did excuse the Ignorance of them all For truly as the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 2. If they had knowne they neuer would haue crucified the Lord of glory But although neither Pilate nor the Chiefe Priests nor the People nor the Ministers of his Passion did know Christ to be the Lord of Glory yet did Pilate know that
Christ was a iust and holy man and deliuered ouer to him through the malice of the Chiefe Priests As also those high Priests did know that he was the true Christ which was promised in the Law as S. Thomas teacheth because they could not deny neither did they deny but that he did worke many miracles which the Prophets foretould the true Mesâ—ias was after to doe To conclude the People did know that Christ was condemned without iust cause since Pilate openly cried out saying I find no cause in this Man I am innocent of the Bloud of this iust man And although the Iewes or the Chiefe of them or the People did not know that Christ was the Lord of Glory Yet they might well haue knowne the same had not Malice blinded their Harts For thus S. Iohn speaketh cap. 12. VVhereas he had donne so many miracles before them they belieued not in him because Esay the Prophet said He hath blinded their eyes and hardned their Heart that they may not see with their eyes nor vnderstand with their Heart and be conuerted c. But yet this blinding doth not excuse the man blinded since it is Voluntary though not precedent euen as those who do sinne of malice do labour indeed with some IgnoraÌ„ce which Ignorance doth not excuse them in that it doth not precede or goe before but only accompany the sinne For the VViseman truly sayth Prou. 24. They do erre who worke Euill And the Philosopher accordeth therto teaching that Omnis malus ignorans And vpon this ground it may be truly said of all sinners Non sciunt quid faciunt For it is impossible to desire or will Euill with reference to Euill since the Obiect of the will is not a thing either good or Euil but only that which is good VVherefore those who choose what is euill do euer choose it as it is represented vnder the shew of Good yea vnder the colour of the chiefest good that then can be obtained The reason hereof is the perturbation of the inferiour part of the soule which doth darken reason and causeth it to discerne that seming Good only which is in the thing that is desired For who chooseth to coÌ„mmit Adultery or Theft vvould neuer chuse the same except his mind were bent vpon the Good of the delight or gaine which is in Adultery or Theft as also except he had shut his eyes against the euill of Turpitude or Iniustice vvhich is in Adulterie or Theft Therefore euery sinner is like vnto a man who desiring to cast himselfe dovvne from a great height into a Riuer doth first shut his eyes and then after cast himselfe into the Riuer In like sort vvho doth Euill doth hate the light and laboureth with voluntaâ—y Ignorance vvhich Ignorance doth not excuse in that it is Voluntary But heere it may be demanded if this Ignorance doth not excuse why then doth our Lord say Forgiue them for they know not what they do To this it may be answered that the words of our Lord may be vnderstood chiefly first of them who crucified him whome it is probable to haue beene then ignorant not only of the Diuinity of Christ but also of his Innocency and that they simply performed the worke or charge imposed vpon them Therefore for these Men our Lord did most truly say Father forgiue them for they know not what they do Furthermore if the Words be vnderstood of vs before we had a Being or of many sinners absent which truly were ignorant of what was then done at Ierusalem our Lord with iust reason said They know not what they doe To conclude if the words be vnderstood of those who were present and were not ignorant that Christ was the Messias or an innocent Man then it is to be said that the Charity of Christ was so great as that he was willing to lessen the sinne of his Enemies in such manner as he could For although that Ignorance doth not simply and absolutely excuse yet it seemeth to preteÌ„d some reason though weake of excuse because they had more grieuously sinned if they had wholy wanted all Ignorance And although our Lord was not ignorant that that excuse was not a reall excuse but only a shaddow of an excuse yet it pleased him to alledge it for an excuse that from thence we might be instructed of the good Will and disposition of our Lord towards sinners how desirous he would haue beene to haue taken and alledged a better excuse euen for Caiphas and Pilate if a better and more warrantable could haue been found or pretended Of the first fruite of the first Word spoken vpon the Crosse CHAP. II. VVE haue explicated vnfoulded the construction Sentence of the first Word pronounced by Christ vpon the Crosse Now we will vndertake by way of meditation to gather froÌ„ the said VVord certaine fruits and those most holesome and profitable to vs All. The first then of these fruits is that we are instructed from this first part of the Sermon or preaching of Christ from the Chayre of his Crosse that the Charity of Christ was more ardent fiery then we can either vnderstand or imagine And this is that which the Apostle writing to the Ephesians cap. 3. sayth To know the Charity of Christ surpassing knowledge For the Apostle doth intimate in this place that from the Mistery of the Crosse we are able to learne the greatnes of the Charity of Christ to be so immense and of that measure as that it doth surpasse and transcend our knowledge so as we are not able to comprehend it in our â—hought or cogitation When any of vs is afflicted with any vehement griefe either of the Teeth the Eyes the Head or of any other Member our mind is so busied and fixed in suffering that one paine as that we cannot extend our thought to any other thing or negotiation and therefore we cannot their admit Visâ—tation of friends or entercourse of men for the dispatch of any busines But Christ being crucifyed did weare a Crowne of thornes vpon his Head as most ancient Fathers to wit Tertullian of the Latin Church and Origen of the Greeke do clearely teach and therefore he could not stirre or mooue his Head without dolour and griefe His Hands and Feete were fastened to the Crosse with nayles through the piercing of which our Lord endured most sharpe and intermitted torments His naked Body being tired spent through much whipping and long iourneys and openly exposed to ignominy and cold and with its own weight â—â—larging the wounds of his Hands and feete with an immane and incessant dolour did offer seuerall paines and as it were seuerall Crosses to our Blessed Lord. Yet neuerthelesse O wonderfull Charity and surmounting our apprehension all these his afflictions sleighed by him and not weighed as if he had suffered nothing he was sollicitous and regardfull only of the health and good of his Enemyes and desiring to auert from their heads the
God which spirit turneth a sensuall man into a spirituall And it is not sufficient to demand or pray for this wisdome once or twyce and coldly but we ought euen to besiege the eares of God with our incessant petitions and inutterable lamentations For if a Carnall Father be not accustomed to deny his little child moaning and asking some bread How much more sayth our Lord will your Father from Heauen giue the good spirit to them that aske him Luc. 11. The sixt Word Consummatum est It is consummate Ioan. 15. literally expounded CHAP. XII THe sixt VVord pronounced by our Lord vpon the Crosse is related by the foresaid S. Iohn as almost conioyned with the fifth For presently after our Lord had said I thirst had tasted vinegre brought vnto him S. Iohn thus addeth When Iesus therefore had taken the Vinegre he said It is consummate Io. 19. And truly according to the letter the word Consummatum est signifieth nothing but that the worke of Christs Passion was then consummate perfected and ended For two works or labours the Father did enioyne vpon his Sonne One was the preaching of the Gospell The other his suffering for mankind Of the first Worke our Lord did spake in S. Iohn c. 17. I haue consummated the worke which thou gauest me to doe I haue manifested thy name to men This our Lord spake after his last and longest Sermon made to his Disciples after his last supper Thus he had finished then his first VVorke imposed by his Father The second VVorke concerned his drinking the Cupp of his Passion of which himselfe sayth Can you drinke of the Cup which I shall drinke of Matth. 20. and againe O Father if it be possible let this Cup passe from me Matth. 26. and yet more The Cup which my Father hath giuen me shall I not drinke it Io. 18. Therefore of this worke of his Passion our Lord being most neare to his death said Consummatum est It is consummate and finished I haue drunke vp this whole cup euen to the dregs nothing is now remaining but to depart out of this life And so bowing his head he gaue vp the Ghost Ioan. 19. But because neyther our Lord himselfe nor S. Iohn as affecting breuity did explaine and set downe what that was which was consumate and finished occasion thereby is giuen to vs to apply that consummatum est to diuers mysteries and this not without iust reason and fruite First then S. Austin referreth the word consummatum est to the fullfilling of the Prophecies which were deliuered of our Sauiour for thus he writeth in Comment huius loci Our Lord knowing that all things were consummate that the Scripture should be consummated accomplished said I thrist And taking the vinegre he said It is consummate That is that is now fullfilled which did remaine to be fullfilled From whence we gather that our Lords meaning was that all those things are now coÌ„summate and finished which the Prophets had foretould of his lyfe and death For example His Conception in those words Behould a virgin shall coÌ„ceaue Isa 7. His Natiuity in Bethleem And thou Bethleem the land of Iuda out of thee shal come forth my Captaine which shall rule my People of Israel Micheas 5. The ApparitioÌ„ of the new Star A starre shall rise out of Iuda Num. 2â— The adoration of the Kings The Kings of Tharsis and the Ilands shall offer presents Psal 71. The Preaching of the Ghospell The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me to preach to the poore he sent me Isa 61. Christ Miracles Isa 35. God himselfe will come and saue vs then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the eares of the deafe opened then shall the lame leape as an Hart and the tongue of the dumbe shal be opened His riding vpon an Asse or coult of an Asse Zach. 9. Behould thy king will come to thee the Iust and Sauiour himselfe poore and riding vpon an Asse and vpon a Colt the fole of an Asse To conclude the Scene of his whole Passion by parts is described by Dauid in his Psalms by Esay Ieremy Zachary and others as abouesayd And this is that which our Lord going towards his Passion said Behould we go vp to Ierusalem and all things shal be consummate which were written by the Prophets of the Sonne of Man Luc. 18. Of those things therefore which were to be consummate our Lord now sayth consummatum est that is to say all is now consummate and finished which the Prophets foretould of me that so they may be fouÌ„d to be true Prophets Furthermore according to the sentence of S. Iohn Chrysostome the vvord consummatum est signifieth that all the power permitted to men and the Deuils against Christ was consummated and ended in the Passion of Christ of which povver Christ himselfe spake to the chiefe of the Pharisees Priests or Officers of the Temple This is your hower and the power of darknes Luc. 22. Therfore this hower and whole tyme during the which God permitting the wicked had power ouer Christ was ended when our Lord said Consummatum est For then the peregrination of the Sonne of God among men receaued its end which peregrination Baruâ—h the Prophet foretould when he said cap. 3. This is our God and there shall none other be â—steemed against him He found out all the way of discipline and deliuered it to Iacob his seruant and to Israel his beloued After these things he was seene vpon the Earth and was conuersant with men And the Condition of his mortall life according to which he was hungry did thirst did sleepe was spent out with iniuries whipping wounds and subiect to death did take its end together with his peregrinatioÌ„ Therefore when Christ said vpon the Crosse consumutatum est these words imply that that iourney was finished of which he faith in another place I came forth from the Father came into the world againe I leaue the world and go to the Father Iob. 16. That laborious and painefull peregrinatioÌ„ is finished of which Ieremy speaketh cap. 14. O expectation of Israel the Sauiour thereof in the time of tribulation why wilt thou be a seiourner in the Land a wayfaring man turning in to lodge The mortality of Christs humanity is consummate and ended the power of all his Enemies agaâ—nst him is consummate finally the sacrifice greatst of al sacrifices is consuÌ„mate to which all the Sacrifices of the old Law as being but types shadowes had necessary relation as to a true and solid sacrifice For thus S. Leo speaketh Serm. 8. de pass Dom. Traxisti Domine omnia ad te c. O Lord thou hast drawne all things to thee because the veyle of the Temple being cut a sunder the Holy of Holyes departed from the vnworthy Priests that so the figure might bâ— turned into the Truth Prophecy into manifestation or clearenes and the Law into the Ghospell And a litle after Now the variety
of Carnall Sacrifices ceasing one Oblation of thy Body and Bloud doth fill vp and include all the differences of hoasts Thus he For in this Sacrifice the Priest vvas God and man the Altar the Crosse The sacrifice the LaÌ„be of God the fire of the Holocaust Charity the fruite of the sacrifice the Redemption of the World I say the Priest was God as man then whome not any can be imagined to be greater Thou art a priest for euer according to the Order of Melchisedech Psal 109. And trulâ— according to the Order of Melchisedech for Melchisedech is read in the Scripture so be vvithout Father without mother without genealogy Christ vvas without Father vpon earth without Mother in Heauen without Genealogy For who shall shew his generation He was be gotten before the Day-star and his comming forth from the beginning from the dayes of Eternity Mich. 5. The Altar of this great Sacrifice was as aboue I said the Crosse the vvhich by hovv much it was more vile and base before Christ vvas crucified thereon by so much it was after made more illustrious and more ennobled and in the last day it shall appeare in Heauen more bright and shyning then the sunne For the Church interpreteth that of the Crosse which is said in the Gospell Matth. 24. Then shall the signe of the sonne of man appeare in Heauen In like sort the Church thus singeth This signe shal be in Heauen when our Lord shall come to iudge The which point is also confirmed by S. Chrysostome who further affirmeth that vvhen the sunne shal be obscured and the Moone not giue her light then shall the Crosse be more splendid and radiant then the Sunne Furthermore the Sacrifice shal be the Lambe of God altogether innocent and immaculate of whom Esay thus speaketh cap. 55. Euen as a sheepe to the slaughter shall he be led and as a lambe before his shearer he shal be dumbe and shall not open his mouth And the Forerunner of our Lord sayth Behould the Lambe of God behould who taketh away the sinnes of the World Ioan. 1. And the Apostle S. Peter Not with corruptible things gould or siluer are you redeemed but with the precious bloud of an immaculate and vnspotted Lambe Christ Who also is called in the Apocalyps cap. 13. The Lambe slaine from the beginning of the World Because his Price being foreseene of God did profit those who vvent before the times of Christ The fyar burning the Holocaust and perfecting the Sacrifice is Charity in a high degree being as it were a furnace set on fire vvhich did burne in the hart of the Sonne of God vvhich fire many waters of his Passion vvere not able to extinguish To conclude the fruite of this Sacrifice vvas the expiation of all the sinnes of the Sonnes of Adam and the reconciliation of the whole World For thus S. Iohn speaketh 1. Ioan. 2. He is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but also for the whole World Which very thing is signified by the words of S Iohn Baptist Agnus Dei Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi But heere ariseth a doubt vvhich is Hovv could Christ be both Priest Sacrifice since it is the function of the Priest to slaughter that vvhich is to be sacrifized But Christ did not slay himselfe neither could he lawfully so doe since then he should haue rather perpetrated sacriledge then offered vp Sacrifice It is true that Christ did not slay himselfe neuerthelesse he truly offered vp sacrifice because willingly and freely he offered himselfe to be slaine for the glory of God and expiation of sinne For neither could the souldiers other Ministers haue euer apprehended and taken him neither could the nayles haue pierced his hands and feete nor death could haue seized vpon him though fastened to the Crosse except himselfe had bene willing thereto Therefore Esay most truly sayrh He was offered because himselfe would And our Lord himselfe sayth Io. 10. I yield my lyfe no man taketh it away from me but I yield my selfe And the Apostle S. Paul most euidently Christ loued vs and deliuered himselfe for vs an oblation and host to God in an odour of sweetnes Eph. 3. Now what euill or sinne or rather atrocity vvas in the Passion of Christ all that belonged to Iudas the Iewes to Pilate and the souldiers for these men did not offer vp Sacrifice but did commit must horrible sacriledge deseruing the name not of Priests but of sacrilegious Persons But vvhat in the same Passion was good religious and pious streamed from Christ who out of the affluency and abundance of his Charity offered himselfe as a Sacrifice to God not in slaying himselfe but in tollerating most patieÌ„tly death to wit the death of the Crosse and this to the end he might appease the wrath of God reconcile the vvorld to God satisfy the diuine Iustice that so mankind should not perish Which point S. Leo expresseth in most few words saying He suffered at the hands of furious men who whiles they were busied about their wickednes they became seruiceable to our Redeemer Fourthly a Great War betweene Christ and the Prince of this world iâ— consummate and finished in the death of Christ of which warre our Lord thus speaketh in Iohn cap. 12. Now is the iudgment of the world now thâ— Prince of this World shal be cast forth And when I shall be exalted from thâ— Earth I will draw all things to mâ— selfe This warre was iudiciall not military It is like to the war of those who contend in Suites and Causes noâ— of souldiers who fight in the field Foâ— the Deuill did contend with the Sonne of God touching the possession of the World that is of mankind The deuill for a long tyme had intruded himselfe into the Possession of the World because he had ouercome the first man and had made him with all his ospring his seruant or bondslaue Therefore S. Paul himselfe calleth the Deuils the Princes and Potentates of this VVorld and the Gouernours of this darknes Eph. 6. And Christ himselfe as aboue we haue shewed calleth the Deuill the Prince of this World The Deuill would not be content to be â—eputed the Prince of the world but also to be accounted a God according to that in the Psalmes The diuels are the Gods of the Gentils Psal 95. For the diuell was commonly adored by the Gentils in engrauen Idols was worshipped with the sacrifice of Rams and Calfes Now on the other syde the Sonne of God as lawful heere of all things did challenge to himselfe the principality of the world Therfore this warre was in the end consummate and ended vpon the Crosse and the seâ—te nâ—â— was giuen in behalfe of our Lord Iesus-Christ because our Lord had most abondantly satisfyed the diuine Iustice vpon the Crosse for the offence of the first Man and of all the faithfull For the Obedience exhibited to God by the Sonne was greater then the
whereby was discouered the Sancta Sanctorum was a signe that through the merits of the death of Christ the Celestiall Sanctuary was to be opened and that all the Saints were after to be admitted to see the face of God Neither only in the signification of these Mysteries did Christ show his Wiâ—dome but also in that he did produce draw life from death in figure whereof Moyses caused water to flow out of a stone And Christ himselfe for the same Cause said he resembled a graine of wheate in that by dying he brought forth much fruite For as a graine of wheate by being corrupted doth bud forth an care of liuing Corne so Christ by dying vpon the Crosse enriched multitudes of NatioÌ„s with the life of Grace S. Peter most manifestly thus speaketh of Christ He swallowing death that we might be made heyres of life euerlasting 1. Pet. 3. As if he would haue said The First man swallovving the forbidden sweet apple condemned all his posterity to death But the second Man swallowing downe the bitter apple of death brought all those to eternâ—â—l life who were borne againe of him To conclude Christ manifested opened his Wisdome in dying because he made the Crosse then the vvhich nothing was before more despicable and contemptible most honourable and glorious so as euen Kings themselfes do account it an honour to signe their Foreheads therevvith Neither is the Crosse made only honourable but also svveet to the louers of Christ Whereupon the Church thus singeth Dulce lignum dulces clauos dulce pondus sustinuit The which very point S. Andrew demonstrated by his ovvne example when behoulding the Crosse vnto vvhich he was to be fastened said Salue Crux preciosa c. All haile O precious Crosse which hath receaued honour and beauty from the members of our Lord Thou art long desired and carefully sought after thou art loued without any intermission and comes prepared to a willing mind I approach to thee with security and ioy that thou exulting mayst receaue me being the disciple of my Maister Iesus Christ who did hang vpon thee Now what shall we speake of Charity The sentence of our Lord is this Greater Charity then this no man hath that a man yield his life for his friends Ioan. 15. This Christ performed vpon the Crosse since no man could against his Will depriue him of life For himselfe thus sayth hereof No man taketh my life from me but I yield it of my selfe Ioan. 10. Therefore as aboue is said no man hath greater Charity then he that yieldeth his life for his frieÌ„ds because nothing can be found more precious and to be beloued then Life it being the foundation of all goods For what doth it proffit a man sayth our Lord if he gaine the whole world and sustaine the domage of his soule that is of his lyfe And from hence it is that all things labour to resist with all their strength yea aboue their strength those who do endeauour to take away their lyfe And we read in Iob Skinne for skinne and all things which a man hath he will giue for his lyfe But these passages are generall vve vvill descend to particulars Christ did ineffably shew by many meanes to all mankind and to euery one of vs his Charity by dying vpon the Crosse First because his life vvas the most precious of all liues as being the lyfe of man vvho vvas God the lyfe of the most potent King of Kings the lyfe of the most wisest of all the Doctours Furthermore he gaue his lyfe for his Enemies for wicked men for vngratefull men Againe he laid dovvne his lyfe that he might deliuer these his Enemies wicked vngratefull men from the burnings and torments of Hell to the which they vvere alreadâ— condemned Lastly he gaue his lyfe that he might make these men to become his Brethren and Coheyres and moâ—â— happily place them in the kingdome of Heauen for all Eternity And is there any man of that flinty or sauage nature who from this tyme vvill not loue Christ Iesus with all his Harts and will not suffer any aduersity for his sake O mercifull God auert and turne such a stony and iron hart not only from our Brethren but from all men whosoeuer either Infidels or Atheists The second fruite of the seauenth Word CHAP. XXI AN other fruite and that most profitable is if we learne to vse frequently that prayer which our Lord taught vs when being ready to goe to his Father he said Into thy hads I commend my spirit But because he was not pressed and vrged with that Necessity with the which we are vrged since he was the Sonne and Holy we but seruants and sinners Therefore our Mother and Mistresse the Church instructeâ—h vs to fâ—equent and often vse it but as it is entire and whole in the Psalme of Dauid and not diuided as our Lord pronounced it In the Psalme it is thus read Into thy hands I commit my spirit Thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth Psal 30. Christ did omit the later port because himselfe was the Redeemer and not the party redeemed but we who are redeemed with his most precious bloud ought not to pretermit this part of the Psalme Christ also prayed to his Father as his only begotten sonne We pray to Christ as our Redeemer therfore we say not Father into thy hands I commend my spirit But into thy haÌ„ds O Lord I commend my spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth According to which manner of speach S. Steuen the first Martyr being ready to dye said Lord Iesus receaue my spirit Act. 7. Furthermore our Mother the holy Church teacheth vs to say this Prayer at three seuerall tymes First euery day at the Complyme as those vvell knovv vvho read the Canonicall Howers Againe when we approach to the most holy Eucharist after those words are said Domine non sum dignus the Priest first for himselfe and after for the Communicants doth say In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum Lastly at our departure out of this lyfe all the faithfull are admonished that they say In manus tuas commâ—ndâ— spiritum meum As concerning the Complyme it is not to be doubted but that there is said In manus tuas Domine c. because the Complime is accustomed to be read tovvards the end of the day and as S. Basill speaketh Primis se intendentibus tenebris c. Assoone as darknes commeth because it may so fall out that in the night tyme vnexpectedly death may surprize vs therefore we commend our soule to our Lord that if so sudden death might happen to vs it might not happen to vs vnforseene in Reg. fusius explic q. 37. That at the tyme of receauing the most Blessed Eucharist is said In manus tuas commendo c. the reason is because that action is very dangerous and withall very necessary so as without perill it cannot often be
frequented or intermitted For he that eateth the Body of our Lord vnworthily eateth iudgment to himselfe 1. Cor. 11. That is he eateth condemnation to himselfe And againe He that eateth not the body of our Lord eateth not the bread of lyfe and life it selfe Ioan. 9. Thus vve are brought to straits on ech syde being partly like to those men who suffer extremity of hunger and yet are vncertaine whether that which is brought to them to eate be meate or poyson Therefore with iust reason we say with feare and trembling O Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter into my house except out of thy ineffable goodnes thou wilt make me worthy therefore say the word and my soule shal be healed But because of this I also doubt whether thou wilt vouchsafe to cure my wounds I commend my spirit into thy hands that so in this terrible busines thou mayst be present to my soule which thou hast redeemed with thy precious Bloud Yf men would ponder these things maturely they would not so greedily approach to receaue Priesthood that by daily celebrating they might maintaine their corporal state For such men are not accustomed to be much carefull as they ought to be whether they come with due preparation since their End is rather the meate of the Body then the meate of the Soule There are also many who attend vpon Prelats and Princes who perhaps do not come rightly prepared to this dreadfull table yet they approach to it as drawne through a humane feare least they may displease their Prince or Prelate if at the appointed and accustomed tyme they be not presenâ— among and one of those who are tâ— communicate What â—herefore is to be done It may be it were more profitable to come to that table more rarely Yea but it is more profitable often to frequent that table so it be with reuerence due preparation For by how much one commeth more rarely by so much he is made lesse apt to participate of that Heauenly Table as S. Cyril hath wisely admonished lib. 4. in Ioan c. 17. There now remaineth the tyme of neare approaching or imminent death at what time it is necessary with great feruour of mind frequently and often to repeate and say Into thy haÌ„ds I commend my Spirit thou hast redemed me O Lord God of truth That is the tyme in which the chiefest busines of all is haÌ„dled for if it should so happen that the soule departing out of the Body commeth into the hands of the Deuill there is no hope left of Saluation And contrariwise if it haue its passage to the paternall Hands of God no povver of mans Ghostly Enemy is after to be feared Therefore with an inutterable moaning vvith true and perfect Contrition with a strong fayth and confidence in the infinite mercy of God it is againe and againe to be iterated and repeated Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit And because at that instant of tyme those vvho haue led a negligent and carelesse life do suffer no greater temptation then of despayre as if the tyme of Pennance and repeÌ„tance were then past Let such oppose against this temptation the buckler of Fayth since it is written In what day soeuer the sinner shall repent I will not remember his sinnes Ezech. 33. Let them also take the Helmet of Hope which trusteth in the boundles Mercy of God and let them often repeate Into thy hands I commend my spirit neither is that reason which is the foundation of our Hope to be omitted to wit Because thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth For who vvill restore to Christ his innoceÌ„t bloud who vvill repay backe to him the price with which he bought vs For so S. Austin speaketh teaching vs in those words to confide much in our Redemption which is in Iesus Christ which cannot be in vayne and fruitles except our selues do put a barre or hindrance therto through Impenitency or Desperation The third fruite of the seauenth Word CHAP. XXII THe third fruit is placed in that we may learne that death neare approaching we are not much to confide in the Almes-deeds Fastings or the prayers of our kinred friends For there are many vvho during the vvhole course of their lyfe are wholy forgetfull of their soule busiyng their mynds with nothing els but how to leaue their wife children and Kâ—nsfolks rich of great estate But when themselfes come to dye then not before they begin to thinke of their ovvne soule And because they haue distributed and deuided their goods faculties among their forsaid friends they commend the charge of their soules to them that by their meanes their soules might be helped with Almes-deeds Prayers masses and other good workes Christ did not teach vs this by his example since he commended his soule not to his kinsmen but to his Father Neyther doth S. Peter admonish vs that we should commend our soules to our Children or kinsfolkes but to the faythfull Creatour by good deedes 1. Pet. 4. I do not say this as reprehending those who either procure or desire Almes-deedes or sacrifices of the holy masse to be offered vp for them after their death But I much blame those vvho repose too much trust in their Children and kinsfolkes since daily experience teacheth that they quickly forget their dead Ancestours I further reprehend them because in a matter of so great importance they will not prouide for themselues and that they will not giue and performe the Workes of Charity and Almes-deeds by which they may purchase many friends by whose meanes as we read in the Gospell they may be receaued into the Eternall Tabernacles Luc. 16. I also greatly blame them wâ—o do not obey the Prince of the Apostles commanding vs as is aboue said to commend our soules to our faythfull Creatour and to commend them not only in words but also in good Workes Since good works sent before to God are those which efficaciously and truly commend the soules of Christians to God Let vs heare what voyce sounded from Heauen to S. Iohn Apoc. 4. I heard a voyce from Heauen saying to me Write Blessed are the dead which dye in our Lord from hence now sayth the spirit that they rest from their labours for their works follow them Therefore good works performed by our selfes whilst we liue and not to be done after our death by our Children or kinsfolkes are those which certainly do follow vs especially if those works be of their owne nature not onely good but as S. Peter not without mistery hath expressed for thus he speaketh In bene factis commendent animas suas fideli Creatori let them commendent their soules to their faythfull Creatour by good deeds meaning in works well done For there are many who can number many good Works by them done as many Sermons preached many Masses daily celebrated their howers of prayers for many yeares their fast of Lent continued in like
or take any occasion of sinning did remaine shut vp with her maids in a secret chamber and wearing a haire-cloath about her body fasting all dayes excepting the feasts of the house of Israel Behould here with what great zeale euen in the old Law which permitted far more liberty then the Ghospell doth a yoÌ„g rich and beautifull Woman did take heed of Carnall sinnes for no other reason then that she greatly feared our Lord. The sacred Scripture doth mention and commend the same thing in Holy Iob. For he made a couenant with his eyes that he would not so much as thinke of a Virgin that is he vvould not look vpon a Virgin to preuent therby that no vnchast thought might creep into his mind And why did Iob so warily and diligently auoid such allurements Because he greatly feared our Lord for thus it there followeth For what part should God from aboue haue in me that is if an vncleane cogitation should in any sort defile my mind I should not be Gods portion nor God should be my Portion There were no end if I should insist in examples of Saints during the tyme of the New Testament This therefore is the Feare wherewith the Saints were endued of which if our selfes were full there were nothing the which we could not most easily obtaine of our Heauenly Father The last fruite of the seauenth Word CHAP. XXIV THere remaineth the last fruite which is gathered from the consideration of the Obedience of Christ manifested in his last words and in death it selfe For wheras the Apostle sayth He humbled himselfe made obedient vnto death euen the death of the Crosse Philip. 2. This was chiefly performed when our Lord pronouncing those Words Father into thy hands I commend my spirit did presently giue vp the Ghost But it will be conuenient to repeaâ—e ponder more deeply what may be said of the ObedieÌ„ce of Christ that so we may gather a most precious fruâ—te from the tree of the holy Crosse Therefore Christ our Maâ—ster and Lord of all Vertues did exhibit such Obedience to God his Father that a greater cannot be conceaued or imagined First the Obedience of Christ tooke its beginning from his Conception and continued without intermission euen to his death Thus the whole life of our Lord Iesus Christ was but one Act or Course of a continuated and vnintterrupted Obedience Truly the soule of Christ euen in the first moment of its Creation had the vse of freewill and withall was replenished with Grace and Wisdome and therefore euen from that first momeÌ„t Christ being as yet inclosed in the wombe of his mother began to exercise Obedience Where we read in the 39. Psalme in which it is said in the Person of Christ In the head of the booke it is written of me that I should do thy will my God I would and thy law in the middest of my Hart. That in the head of the booke signifieth no other thing but in the summe of the diuine Scripture that is throughout the whole Scripture it is chiefly preached of me that I am peculiarly chosen and sent to this end that I should do thy Will I my God will I haue most willingly accepted thereof and thy law thaâ— is thy commandement I haue placed in the middest of my hart that I might euer thinke thereof and might most diligently performe and execute it And hither also those words of our said Lord haue reference My meate is to do tho will of him that sent me to perfect his worke Ioan. 4. For as meate is not taken once or twice through a mans life but is taken daily with pleasure so our Lord himself did continually and with a willing mind practice all Obedience to his Father And hereupon he said I descended from Heauen not to doe my owne will but the will of him that sent me Ioan. 6. And more clearely in another place He that sent me is with me and he hath not left me alone because the things that please him I do alwayes Ioan. 8. And because Obedience is the most excellent Sacrifice of all Sacrifices according to the iudgment of Samuel therefore it followeth that how many works Christ did all the tyme that he liued as Pilgrime vpon the Earth so many Sacrifices did he offer vp and those most gratefull to God This therefore is the first Prerogatâ—ue of the Obedience of Christ to wit in that it endured from his Conception to the end of his life Furthermore the Obedience of Christ was not determinable to any one kind of worke as we commonly see it is among men but it was extended to all those things vvhich it should please God his Father to command him And from hence so great variety is seene in the life of Christ our Lord as that one vvhile he would stay in the desert neither eating nor drinking perhaps not sleeping but liuing with beasts as S. Marke notâ—th c. 1. At another tyme he vvas in the frequency sight of men eating and drinking Then he remained obscure and secret at home and that for no few yeares At an other tyme appearing excellent for wisdome and Eloquence working most great and stupendious Miracles Novv with great authority casting buyers and sellers out of the Temple At an other tyme latent as it were weake declining from the multitude and company of men All which things require and exact a mâ—nd free from all proper free will For neither would our Lord haue said Math. 16. He that will come after me let him deny himselfe that is let him renounce his proper will and proper iudgment Neither except Christ himselfe had performed it before he would haue persuaded his disciples to the perfection of Obedience when he said Luc. 14. If any man commeth to me and hateth not hiâ— Father and mother and wife chilsdren and brethren and sisters yea and his owne life besides he cannot be my Disciple Thus according hereto did Christ himselfe forsake all things which are accustomed to be so ardently beloued yea his owne life the which he was so prepared to lose as if he did hate it This is the true roote and Mother of Obedience vvhich shyned most admirably in Christ our Lord. And who want this shall hardly euer come to the revvard of Obedience For how is it possible that one should promptly obey an other mans Will who is wholy deuoted to his ovvne will and his owne iudgment This is the Cause why the Celestiall Orbes do not resist or withstaÌ„d the Angels mouing them vvhether they be caried towards the East or West because they haue not any peculiar and proper propension either to one part or to the other And the same reason is why the Angels themselfes stand at a becke obedient vnto God as holy Dauid singeth in the 102. Psalme To wit because they haue no proper Will repugnant and refractary to the will of God but being most happely conioyned vvith God they are one
OF THE SEAVEN VVORDES SPOKEN BY CHRIST vpon the Crosse Two Bookes Written in Latin by the most Illustrious Cardinall Bellarmine of the Society of Iesus And translated into English by A. B. Foderunt manus meas pedes meos Psal 21. They haue digged my hands my feet Permissu Superiorum 1638. The Translatour to the Reader GOod Reader in place of a Ceremonious and formall Dedicatory Epistle I send thee these few lines The worke heere translated is one the spirituall Treatises of the most Learned and Vertuous Bellarmine of Blessed Memory being entituled Of the seauen VVords spoken by Christ vpon the Crosse Prize the Contents of those words as thou prizest thy owne soule they being in number few in force and weight many Take them as so many rich Legacies left by our charitable Testatour immediatly before his death to mankind And vvho is he that neglecteth the Legacies of his dying Lord and Friend Most men do much regard ponder the last words of a dying man at that tyme hauing his senses and memory vnperished who during the whole course of his life had gained among others a great name reputation of VVisdome Of what estimate then ought we to make the VVords of Christ vttered in his dying state who wâ—s not only wise but VVisdome it selfe VVho is the VVord it selfe VVho is God himselfe These VVords hereafter following in this Treatise Christ spake being nayled vpon the Tree of the Crosse a Tree infinitly more high as reaching from Earth to Heauen then the highest Cedar in Libanus Tast of the fruits which may be gathered from thence since arbor bona fructus bonos facit Matth. 7. Vpon this Tree death became dead vvhen life thereon did dye This Tree was the Chayre from whence our spiritual Doctour dictated his Precepts to vs Christians It was the Pulpit out of which our Heauenly Ecclesiastes preached to mankind Briefly it was and is the true Ladder of Iacob adumbrated and shadowed by that Ladder spoken of in Genesis by which the soule of Man ascendeth vp to Heauen Thus not enlarging my selfe further and humbly intreating the charitable remembrance of all good Catholiks in their Deuotions I leaue thee to the perusing of what followeth Thine in Christ crucifyed A. B. The Preface of the Authour BEhould now the fourth yeare is passed when as preparing my selfe to my End I retire to a place of quietnes and rest exempt from negotiations and throng of Busines but not exempt from the meditation of the sacred Scriptures and from the writing of such things which to me in tyme of meditation do occur That if I be not able to profit others either by my owne speaches or by composing of any large and voluminous Booke at least that I may be of power to aduance my Brethren in their spirituall Good by some small deuout Treatise Now calling to mind of what subiect I might chiefly make choyce which might dispose me towards dying well might profit my Brethren towards liuing well The death of our Lord presented it selfe to me and that last Sermon of his which consisting of seauen most short but most graue sentences the Redeemer of the World from the Crosse as from a high and eminent Chayre deliuered to all MaÌ„kind Since in that Sermon or in those seauen Words all those Points are contained of which the said Lord thus speaketh Luc. 18. Behould we go vp to Ierusalem and all things shal be consummate which were written by the Prophets of the sonne of Man Those things which the Prophets did foretell of Christ are reduced to foure Heads or branches To wit to his Preaching and Sermons made to the People To his Prayer directed to his Father To the most grieuous Euills which he was to suffer To sublime and admirable Works performed by him All which seuerall Points did admirably shine in the life of Christ For first our Lord did most frequently preach in the Temple in the Synagogues in the fields in desert solitary places in priuate Houses and to conclude euen out of the ship to the People standing vpon the shore Furthermore He spent for the most part whole nights in Prayer to God for thus the Euangelist speaketh Luc. 6. He passed the whole night in Prayer to God Now his admirable and astonishing working of Wonders of which the holy Gospells are very full doth concerne the expelling of the Deuils curing the sicke multiplying of bread and in appeasing or allaying tempests or stormes all sea To conclude the Euills that in recompence of the Good which he had done were perpetrated against him were many not only in contumely of Words but also in stoning of him and in endeauoring to cast him headlong dovvne from a fearefull Precipice But all these seuerall Points were consummated and perfected most truly vpon the Crosse For first He so mouingly persuadingly preached from the Crosse as that many returned from thence knocking their Breasts And further not only the harts of men but euen the stones as it were through a secret compassion were riuen and torne a sunder He in like manner so prayed vpon the Crosse as that the Apostle sayth thereof Heb. 5. Cum clamore valido lachrimis exauditus est pro sua reuerentia With a strong Crye and teares he was heard for his reuerence Now what he suffered vpon the Crosse was of so high a nature in reference to those things which he had suffered through the rest of the life as that they alone may be thought peculiarly to belong to the Passion To conclude He neuer wrought greater Prodigies and signes then when lying vpon the Crosse he was brought to extreme imbecillity and weaknes For at that time he did not only exhibite Miracles from Heauen the which the Iewes had before importunely demaunded of him but also a litle after he wrought the greatest Miracle of all When being dead and buried by his owne proper force and Vertue he returned from Hell and resuming his Body restored it againe to life yea to an immortall life Therfore we may conclude that vpoÌ„ the Crosse all things were truly performed and accomplished which were written by the Prophets of the Sonne of Man But before we descend to write of the particular Words of our Lord I hold it conducing to our purpose to speake some thing of the Crosse it self which was the Chayre or Pulpit of the Preacher the Altar of the Priest sacrifizing the race or place of him that did combat and feight the shop as it were of working miraculous things First then touching the forme of the Crosse the more common Opinion of the Ancients is that it consisted of three seuerall parcels of Wood One long vpon the which the Body of our Lord crucified was laid or extended another ouerthwart in which the haÌ„ds were fastened the third was affixed and ioined to the lower part vpon the which the feet did rest but so nailed thereto that they could not be moued from thence
This is the Opinion of the two most ancient Fathers S. Iustinus S. Irenaeus Who clearely shew that both his feete did rest vpon the Wood that the one foote was not lying vpon the other From which posture of our Lords Body it followeth that there were foure nayles of Christ and not only three as many do imagine who out of that conceit do paint Christ our Lord so vpon the Crosse as if he had the one foot vpon the other But Gregorius Turonensis l. de glo mart c. 6. most euidently impugneth this and fortifieth his Opinion from ancient Pictures of Christ crucified And I my selfe did see at Paris in the Kings Library certaine most ancient Manuscripts of the Gospells in diuers places wherof Christ was painted Crucified but euer with foure Nayles Furthermore the long Wood did somwhat appeare aboue that parcell of Wood which was ouerthwart as S. Austin and S. Gregory Nyssenus do write And this seemeth also to be gathered from the words of the Apostle who writing to the Ephesians c. 3. thus sayth That you may be able to comprehend with all the Saintes what is the breadth and length and height and depth to wit of the Crosse of Christ By which wordes he clearly describeth the figure of the Crosse which hath foure extremities to wit Latitude in the ouerthwart or traÌ„suerse Wood Longitude in the long Wood Altitude in that part of the loÌ„g Wood which appeared aboue the ouerthwart and Profundity in that part of the long Wood which was stucke into the ground Our Lord did not vndergoe this kind of Torment by chance or vnwillingly but made speciall choice and election of it euen from all Eternity as S. Austin teacheth from that Apostolicall testimony of the Acts c. 2. Him by the determinate counsell and prescience of God being deliuered by the hands of wicked men you haue crucified slaine And accordingly Christ himselfe in the beginning of his preaching said to Nicodemus Ioan. 3. As Moyses exalted the serpent in the desert so must the Sonne of Man be exalted that euery one which belieueth in him perish not but may haue life euerlasting In like sort our Lord often speaking to his disciples of his Crosse did counsell them to imitation saying Matt. 16. He that will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his Crosse and follow me Why our Lord did choose this kind of punishment he only knoweth who chose it Notwithstanding there are not wanting some Misteries therof the which the holy Fathers haue left to vs in Writing Saint Irenaeus writeth that the two armes of the Crosse do agree vnder one Title in the which was written Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum that we might vnderstand thereby the two People to wit the Iewes and the Gentils which before vvere deuided in the end were to be ioyned togeather into one Body vnder one Head which is Christ S. Gregory Nyssene writeth that part of the Crosse vvhich looketh towards Heauen to signify that by the Crosse as by a key Heauen is opened to man and that part of it which declineth towards the Center of the World to denote that Hel was spoiled by Christ when he descended thither The two armes of the Crosse which are stretched towards the East and West to shaddow that the repurging of the whole World was after to be performed by the Bloud of Christ But S. Ierome S. Austin and S. Bernard do teach that the chiefe Mistery of the Crosse is briefly touched in those vvords of the Apostle Quae sit latitudo longitudo sublimitas profundum Since say these Fathers that first the Attributs of God are signified in these Word to wit Power in height In depth wisdome in Latitude goodnes in Longitude Eternity Againe the Vertues of Christ suffering are adumbrated and Typically figured therein As in Latitude Charity in Longitude Patience in Altitude Obedience in Profundity Humility Lastly the Vertues vvhich are necessary to those who are saued by Christ are also here signified In depth Faith in height Hope in breadth Charity in length Perseuerance From the which we are to be instructed that Charity vvhich deseruedly is called the Queene of Vertue euery where hath place in God in Christ and in vs. But touching other Vertues some of them are in God others in Christ and others in vs. And therefore it is lesse to be admired if in those last Words of Christ which vve now vndertake to explaine Charity do obtaine the first Place First therefore we will explicate the three first Words or Sentences which were spoken by Christ about the sixt houre before the Sunne was obscured and darknes couered the whole Earth Next we will discourse of the then defect of the Sunne That done we vvill explaine vnfould the rest of the Words of our Lord which were spoken about the ninth houre as S. Mathew writeth to wit when the darknes did departâ— and the death of Christ drew neare or rather was euen at hand OF THE THREE FIRST WORDS spoken by Christ vpon the Crosse THE FISRT BOOKE The first Word to wit Father forgiue them for they know not what they do is literally explicated CHAP. I. CHrist Iesus being the Word of his Eternall Father and of whom the Father himselfe thus clearely speaketh Ipsum audite heare him Matth. 17. and vvho of himselfe manifestly pronounceth One is your Maister Christ Math. 23 to the end that he might fully performe the office taken vpon him not only liuing neuer ceased from teaching but euen dying from the Chaire of his Crosse â—reached and deliuered certaine fevv vvords but those most fiery most proâ—â—â—able and most efficacious and such as are truly vvorthy to be imprinted in the depth of the Hart of all Christians that there they being reserued meditated on might ansvverably in their actions be put in executioÌ„ The first SenteÌ„ce is this Luc. 23. Father forgiue them for they know not what they do Which sentence as being truly new vnaccustomed the Holy Ghost would haue it foretould by the Prophet Esay c. 53. in these words He hath prayed for the Transgressours Now hovv diuinely S. Paul said 1. Cor. 13. Charity seeketh not her owne may easely be euicted euen from the order of these Sentences of our Lord since of these Sentences three of them belong to the good of others Other three to a peculiar and proper Good and one of them is promiscuous or common Thus the first care sollicitude of our Lord vvas touching others the last touching himselfe Novv so far forth as concernes the three first Sentences vvhich belong to others the first is directed to our Lords Enemies the second to his friends the last to those of his kinred and affinity The reason of this Order or Method is this Charity first relieueth and helpeth such as be in want And those who at that tyme suffered most spirituall waÌ„t were his Enemies and we also as being the disciples of so great a Maister vvere
riding vpon an Asse and vpon a Coult the foale of an Asse Therefore of this kingdome Christ did not speake in the Parable aboue neither the good thiefe when he said Remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdome but both did speake of perfect Beatitude by the which a man is exempted and freed from all seruitude and subiection of things created and only is become subiect to God whom to serue is to reigne and he is constituted by God himselfe ouer all his Workes This Kingdome so farre forth as it concerned the Beatitude of the Soule Christ receaued euen from the beginning of his Conception but as it concerned his Body he had it not actually but only by right vntill after his Resurrection For whiles he was a Pilgrime or stranger heer vpon Earth he was subiect to wearines famine thirst iniuries wounds and to death it selfe yet because the glory of the Body was due to him therfore after his death he did enter into his glory as due to him For thus our Lord himselfe speaketh after his resurrection Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and so to enter into his glory Which glory is called his glory because he is of power to communicate it to others and in this respect he is said to be Rex gloriae Dominus gloriae and Rex Regum And he himselfe saith to his disciples I dispose for you a Kingdome It is in our power to receaue glory or a Kingdom but not to giue and accordingly it is said to vs Matth. 2◠Enter into the ioy of thy Lord and not into thy owne ioy Therefore this is that Kingdome of which the good Thiefe sayd when thou shalt come into thy Kingdome But heer the great Vertues which shine in the prayer of this Holy Thiefe are not to be passed ouer in silence that therby we may the lesse wonder at the answere which Christ our Lord made to him he saith Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy Kingdome He calleth Christ Lord by which title he acknowledgeth himselfe to be his seruant or rather his redeemed bondslaue and confesseth him to be his Sauiour He adioyneth Remember me which is a word full of hope Fayth Loue Deuotion Humility He sayth not remember me if thou canst because he belieued Christ could doe all things neither saith he if it pleaseth thee because he was confident of Christs charity and goodnes He saith not I desire the consort and participation of thy Kingdome because his Humility would not beare this kind of speach to conclude he desireth nothing in particular but onely saith rmember me which is as much if he had said If thou wilt vouchsafe only to remember me if thou wilt be pleased to turne the Eye of thy Benignity towards me it is sufficient for me because I am assured of thy Power and Wisdome and vpon thy goodnes and Charity I wholy anker and stay my selfe He lastly addeth this when thou shalt come into thy Kingdome to shew that his desire was not fixed vpō any weake and temporary benefit but that it aspired to thinges sublime and eternall Heere it followeth that we consider the Answere of Christ he sayth Amen I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise That particle Amen is a word graue and solemne with Christ the which he was occustomed to vse when he would affirme any thing earnestly and vehemently S. Austin was not afraid to say that this word Amen was as it were the oath of Christ tract 41. in Ioan. Properly it is no oath since when our Lord said in S. Mathew I say to you not to swere at all And a litle after Let your speach be yea yea no no And that which is ouer and aboue these is of Euill Mat. 5. Novv it is no way probable that our Lord should haue sworne so often as he pronounted Amen since he vsed this word Amen many tymes And in S. Iohn he sayth not only Amen but Amen Amen Therefore S. Austin truly said that Amen was as it were an Oath but he said not that it was an Oath For this word Amen signifieth Truly And when one sayth I say truly to thee he affirmeth earnestly and an earnest affirmation is peculiar to an Oath Therfore Christ with good reason said to the Thiefe Amen I say to thee that is I truly do affirme but do not sweare And indeed there were three emergent Reasons which might cause the Thiefe to wauer and rest doubtfull of the Promise of Christ except he had auerred it with so earnest an asseueration The first may be drawne from the person of the Thiefe who seemed not in any sort worthy of so great a Reward or so great a guift For who would imagine that a Theife should from the Crosse presently passe to a kingdome The second Reason is taken from Christ promising who at that instant seemed to be reduced brought to extremity of want weaknes calamity For the Thiefe might probably thus reason and discourse with himselfe Yf this man during his life tyme was not able to performe any thing in behalfe of his friends shall not he be lesse able being dead The third reason may haue reference to the thing promised For here Paradise is promised but Paradise as then all men tooke notice did belong not to the Soule but to the Body since by the Word Paradise a terrestriall Paradise was vnderstood by the Iewes It had beene more credible to the Thiefe and subiect to his beliefe if our Lord had answered To day thou shalt be with me in the place of repose and refreshment with Abraham Isaac and Iacob For these Reasons therefore did our Lord premise those words Amen Dico tibi Hodie to day Our Lord sayth not In the day of Iudgment when I shall place thee with the lust vpon my right hand Neither sayth he After some yeares of thy being in Purgatory will I bring thee to a place of rest Nor doth he say I will comfort thee after certaine Months or Dayes but he sayth This very day before the sunne shall set thou shalt passe with me from the gibbet of the Crosse to the delights of Paradise A wonderfull Liberality or Bounty of Christ and a wonderfull happines of the sinner With iust reason therefore S. Austin following S. Cyprian herein is of Opinion that this good Thiefe might be reputed a Martyr and therefore escaping Purgatory did passe from this World immediatly to Heauen The Reason why the good Thiefe might be called a Martyr is in that he publikly confessed Christ at such tyme when his Disciples were afraid to speake a word in Honour of him therefore in regard of this his free and ready Confession his death with Christ was reputed with God as if he had suffered for Christ Those words Mecum eris Thou shalt be with me though no other thing should be promised then what these words only import yet had it bene a great benefit and
also subiected to their power the Deuill Serpents all kind of diseases Matth. 10. A man hath giuen to the poore for the honour and loue he beareth to Christ 〈◊〉 litle bread or but some old cloaths oâ— ragges and yet in recompence hereof he shall heare Christ say at the day of Iudgment I was hungry and you gaue me to eate I was naked and you couered me Therefore take and possesse an euerlasting kingdome Matth. 25. To conclude that I may pretermit all other points of this Nature Heare and take notice of the incredible bounty and liberality of our Lord but we must remember He was God who thus promised Euery one that hath forsaken house or Brethren or sisters or Father or Wyfe or Children or Lands for my names sake shall receaue an hundred fould and shall possesse life euerlasting Matt. 19. S. Hierome and other holy Doctours do explicate this promise in this sort To wit that who sha l suffer losse of any temporalâ— matter for Christ in this present life shall receaue a double reward and incomparably greater â—heÌ„ the thing which is left for Christ For first he shall receaue spirituall ioy being a spirituall guift in this life vvhich is an hundred fould greater more precious then is that which is left for the loue of Christ So as a man of a cleare and perfect Iudgment would sooner make choyce to retaine and keep that spirituall good to himselfe then to change it for an hundred houses LaÌ„ds or other such like things Againe as if this reward vvere but small and not to be much prized that happy Marchant or Negotiatour shall receaue in the world to come eternall Life by vvhich word is signified an immense abundance or boundles heaping togeather of all goods But this is the vnlimited liberality of Christ our supreme Lord towards those who are not afraid or delay to bynd themselues seriously to his Seruice Are not then such men euen distracted and depriued of their Wits who abandoning Christ make themselues thral Vassals to Mammon Epicurisme and Luxurie But some men will contest against what we heere teach and auer as neuer hauing tasted of the Riches of Christ saying All which is hitherto spoken are but naked Words since we daily see many seruants of Christ to be poore abiect contemptible and in state deplorable This Hundred fould which is here so greatly magnified vve see not To this I answere It is so indeed for a Carnall man neuer seeth that HuÌ„dred fould promised by Christ because his eyes are not capable of such a sight neither doth this man at any time tast that solid and true ioy which a pure Conscience and Seraphicall Charity towards God is accustomed to tast But here I will produce an Example from the which Carnality and Sensuality may in some sort make a coÌ„iecture of spirituall delights and riches We read in the Booke of Examples distinct 3. exempl 26. of the most famous men of the Cistercian Order that one Arnulphus noble by byrth and of great riches leauing the World and abandoning from him all temporall cares became a Monke of the forsaid Order vnder the famous Abbot S. Bernard This man God did exercise and trye with diuers most sharp scourges of many corporall Infirmities especially tovvards the later end of his life But at one time when his paines began to seize vpon him with greater violence then vsually afore he cryed out with a great voyce and said Vera sunt omnia qua dixisti Domine Iesu O Lord Iesu c. all those things are true which thou hast said And when as those who were about him demaunded why he spake these Words he replied Dominus in Euangelio suo dicit Qui reliquerit diuitias c. Our Lord hath said in his Gospell He who hath left his riches and all other things for Christ shall receaue an hundred fould in this life and afterwards life euerlasting Ego vim huius promissionis nunc demum intelligo c. I now at length do see and acknowledge the truth and force of this promise and do confesse that now I do receaue an hundred fould of all things or goods which I haue left For the great bitternes of these my paynes is so pleasant and gratefull to me through my hope of Gods good mercy of which these dolours are a pledge as that I would not haue wanted this Hope and Comfort for so much riches of the world though a hundred tymes doubled as I haue left and forsaken For certainly the spirituall ioy which now is but in hope and expectation doth a hundred thousand times exceed al worldly ioy which now actually and in possession is Thus far the forsaid Arnulphus his words And I would desire the Reader maturely to weigh and consider of them and then let him iudge how much is to be esteemed and pryaed a certaine and firme hope infused by God of the present obtayning of eternall Beatitude and Felicity Of the second fruite of the second Word CHAP. VI. ANother fruite of the former second Word or Sentence is an acknowledgment of the power of the Grace of God and of the imbecillity and weaknes of mans Will From the knowledge whereof we may learne that it is a chiefe matter greatly to confide in the help of God and greatly to distrust in our owne proper force and strength Dost thou couet to know the power of the Grace of God Behould the good Thiefe This man was a notorious sinner continuing in that most wicked state till he came to suffer punishment vpon a Crosse that is almost till the instant of his death And in so great a perill of Eternall damnation there vvas not any who would relieue him either with counsell or with other help or ease For although he was placed neare to our Sauiour yet he did heare the High Priests and the Pharisees affirming him to be a Seducer ambitious and to affect the kingdome of another man He heard his fellow Thiefe vpbrayding Christ with the same men There was not any man in all that Presence who would speake one word in defence of Christ neither did Christ himselfe seeke to refute those blasphemies and maledictions Yet notwithstanding all this through the most gracious admirable fauour of God wheÌ„ the Thiefe seemed to haue no helpe for his Saluation and being thus most neere to Hell and most distant from eternall life he being in a moment illustrated and enlightned from aboue and loathing his former vvickednes confesseth Christ to be innocent and to be the king of the future World And thus being made as it were a Preacher he reprehendeth his fellow persuadeth him to repentance and in the eye of them all doth deuoutely and humbly commend himselfe to Christ To conclude he did so beare himselfe herein as that his penall torments vpon the Crosse inflicted iustly vpon him for his offence was accepted and taken for his paines due in Purgatory and thus instantly vpon
his death he entred into the ioy of his Lord. From this then we may learne that no man ought to despaire of his Saluation seing this poore man who came into the Vineyard almost at the last hower receaued the revvard vvith those who came at the first Contrariwise the other Thiefe that humane infirmity might more appeare tooke no correption or admonishment from that notable Charity of Christ who prayed for his Crucifiers in so louing a manner neither from his owne proper punishment nor from the counsell and example of his fellow nor from the vnaccustomed darknes and cleauing of the stones nor from the Example of those who after Christ was dead returned back beating knocking their Breasts All vvhich things did fall out after the Conuersion of the good Thiefe that from thence we might be instructed that the one Thiefe without these helps could be conuerted the other with all the samâ— could not or rather would not But thou wilt heere demaund why God did inspire and giue the grace of Conuersion to the one Thiefe and did not inspire it to the other I answere that sufficient Grace vvas not wanting to either And if the one of them did perish he perished through his owne fault if the other vvas conuerted he was conuerted through the Grace of God but not without the cooperation of his owne free will But thou will reply Why did not God giue to both the Theeues that efficacious Grace which is not refused and reiected euen of hard and stony Harts This belongeth to the secrets of God the which it becommeth vs to admire but not to search into since it is sâ—fficient for vs to know that there is no Iniquity with God as the Apostle speaketh and that the Iudgments of God may be secret but iniust they cannot be as S. Austin teacheth It behoueth vs rather to learne from this proceeding of God not to deferre or prolong our Conuersion till the end of our Life Since though it happen to one man to find the Grace of God at the last hovver yet to another it falleth out to find Iudgment And iâ— any man will reuolue or looke ouer Histories and obserue the daily euents and chances he shall certainly find them to be very few vvho haue fortunatly and happily passed out of this World if so they liued wickedly throughout the vvhole course of their life but rather after their life negligently led haue bene sent to euerlasting Punishment As on the contrary most few can be numbred who haue liued piously and saintly and yet haue perished vnhappily and miserably but many may be rekoned who after a vertuous and godly life haue arriued to sempiternall ioyes Certainly they are ouer bold and ouer rash who in a matter so much importing to wit life Euerlasting or torments euerlasting dare defer to remaine in deadly and mortall sinne but one day since they may be receaued and depriued of this present life euery moment and that after death there is no more place left for Pennance and no Redemption in Hell Of the third fruite of the second Word CHAP. VII THe third fruit of the same Sentence of our Lord may be gathered from that if one will consider that ther were three Persons crucified in the same place at the same houre One that was Innocent to wit Christ an other Penitent the good Thiefe the third obstinate and obdurate in his sinnes the bad Thiefe Or otherwise we may say There were three Persons crucified at one time Christ who was euer excelleÌ„tly good One Thiefe euer notoriously wicked Another Thiefe who was sometimes wicked sometymes holy From this now vve may inferre that no man in this life can liue without his Crosse and that those labour in vaine vvho hope and endeauour to auoyde the same but those are wise who receaue their Crosse from â—he hand of our Lord do suffer the same euen till death not only patiâ—ntly but also resignedly and â—â—llingly That all good and Vertuous men are to haue their Crosses appeareth from those words of our Lord Math. 16. Yf any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his Crosse and follow me And in another place He that doth not beare his Crosse and come after me cannot be my Disciple Luc. 14. The which point the Apostle clearely teacheth saying 2. Tim 3. All who will liue godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution To whom are concordant the holy Fathers both Latin and Greeke For greater breuity I will insist only in two S. Austin who writeth Vita ista c. This life is a litle Tribulation Yf it be not a tribulation it is not a peregrination but if it be a peregrination either thou litle louest thy Country or without doubt thou sufferest Tribulation in Psal 137. And the same Father in another place Si putas te c. If thou be persuaded that as yet thou hast suffered no tribulation then thou hast not begun to be a Christian in Psal 11. S. Iohn Chrysostome thus accordeth with the former Father A Christiani vita c. Tribulation is an indissoluble bond from the life of a Christian hom 67. ad Pop. And againe Non potest dicere c. Thou canst not alledge any one who is exempt from tribulation because he is Iust. hom 29. in Ep. ad Heb. To conclude the force of Reason manifestly euicteth this point Things coÌ„trary without a mutuall concertation and fight cannot stand togeather Fier and Water so long as they remayne in seuerall remote places rest quiet and without iarring But when they meet together then instantly the Water begins to euaporate and send forth smoke to leape as it were and to make a noyse vntill either the water be spent and consumed or the fire extinguished Ecclesiasticus sayth cap. 33. Contra malum bonum est contra mortem vira Sic contra virum iustum Peccator Against Euill is good against death Lyfe so also against â—â—iust man is a sinner Iust men are like to fire they shyne they burne they ascend high whatsoeuer they do they do it efficaciously vigorously and sparkily Buâ— the Iniust resemble Water they are could they â—â—de vpon the earth causing in euery place dirt filth What vvonder then is it if all good men do suffer persecution at the hands of the Wicked But because euen to the consummation of the World the wheate and the Darnell shall grow in the same fiâ—ld the chaffe and the Corne in the same Barne good and bad Fish in the same Net that is Vertuous wicked men not only in the same World but euen in the same Church therefore it cannot be otherwise but that vertuous and holy men shall receaue from the wicked and impious Iniuries and Tribulations But neither the wicked do liue in this world voyde and exempt from the Crosse For although they do not suffer persecution from the Iust yet they do suffer from other wicked men they suffer
of the Apostles The truth also of this point is confirmed by S. Ierome There is also an other literall doubt which here occurreth to be solued How S. Iohn can say that these three women did stand iuxta crucem Domini by side or neare to the Crosse of our Lord seing Marke and Luke do write that they did stand farre of from the Crosse S. Austin reconcileth these seeming different testimonies saying that these holy women might be said to stand aloofe from the Crosse and neare to the Crosse A farr off if their standing be compared to the souldiers and other Ministers who were so neare to the Crosse as that they did touch it Neere to the Crosse they may be said to stand because through their neerenes they might easely heare the voyce and words of Christ the which the common People could not in regard of their greater distance It also may be further said that those three holy Women during the Passion did stand farre of the Crosse as being hindered by the common People and the souldiers but a litle after the Crucifixion was accomplished many departing away those three womeÌ„ with S. Iohn did draw more neere vnto the Crosse But against this may be vrged that supposing this construction how could then the Blessed Virgin and S. Iohn vnderstand that those words of our Lord This is thy Sonne This is thy Mother were spoken of them seing a great company of persons were there present and Christ did not call either the Virgin or the Disciple by their proper name or appellation To this I answere that those three Womon and S. Iohn did stand so neere vnto the Crosse as that our Lord might easily designe and point out with his eyes the persons to whom he did speake especially seing it is certaine he directed those words to such as were his friends and not to strangers Now among those who were his owne friends there was no other man there present to whom he could say This is thy Mother then S. Iohn nor any other VVoman who through death was depriued of her sonne then the B Virgin Therefore he said to his Mother Behould thy Sonne and to his Disciple Behould thy Mother Of which words this is the seÌ„se meaning I now passe out of this VVorld to my Father and because I know thou art my Mother and that thou hast neither parents nor husband nor brethren nor sisters therefore not to leaue thee destitute of all humane comfort and ayde I do commend thee to the charge and care of Iohn my most deare Disciple He shal be to thee in place of a Sonne and thou to him in place of a Mother Which wholsome counsell or command of Christ did greatly please them both and ech of them as is credible accepted thereof with a yealding submission of head and body And S. Iohn speaking of himselfe sayth And from that houre the Disciple tooke her for his owne Ioan. 19. That is he presently obeyed the words of Christ accounting her among those Persons whose charge care and prouision did belong to him and such were his Parents being old Zebedeus and Salome But now here ariseth another literall doubt S. Iohn was one of those who said Ecce nos relinquimus omnia c. Behould we haue left all things and haue followed thee what therefore shall we haue Matt 19. Now among those things which they had forsaken our Lord himselfe rekoneth Father Mother Brethren and sisters House Lands And of this S. Iohn himselfe of his Brother S. Iames S. Mathew thus writeth c. 4. Illi autem relictis retibus patre secuti sunt eum c. And they forthwith left their nets and Father and followed him What did he who left one Mother presently receaue another Mother But the Answere here is obious and facil For the Apostles that they might follow Christ dismissâ—d and parted wâ—th Fathâ—r and Mother so far forth as they might be any hinderance to them for the preaching of the Gospell as also so far forth as might concerne any profit or humane delight to be taken by conuersing with them But the Apostles did not shake of the Care which by force of Iustice they were bound to exhibite vnto their Parents or which touched the direction and instruction of their Children or helpe succour of the needy and distressed And this is the Reason as Doctours generally affirme why a sonne cannot entâ—r â—nto a Religious Order who hath his Father or Mother spent or wasted through old age or so oppressed with pouerty as that they be not able to maintaine their life without the sustentation help of their Sonne In this sence therefore S. Iohn did leaue Father and Mother when they did not stand in neede of his labour and care But he did vndergoe the charge and sollicitude of the Blessed Virgin the Mother at the command of Christ because she was depriued of all humane help and consolation God indeed could easily without mans labour haue prouided by the ministery of his Angels all things which were necessary for maintayning of her life for to Christ himselfe the Angels did minister in the desert yet it was his good pleasure thus to proceed with S. Iohn that so he might leaue this meanes of succour to the Blessed Virgin also thereby honour S Iohn For God sent Elias to prouide and take care of the Widow not that he could not nourish and feede her by the Help of the Crowes as before he had done but that God might thereby more blesse the Widow as S. Austin admonisheth So it pleased our Lord to commit the sollicitude of his Mother to his Disciple thereby to manifest that S. Iohn was more beloued of him then any of the rest of his Disciples For in this mutation change of the Mother is fulfilled that Sentence He who hath left his Father and Mother c. shall receaue an hundred fould and shall possesse life euerlasting Math. 19. For he truly receaued an hundred fould who left his mother being the wyfe of a poore fisher and receaued to his care as Mother the Mother of the Creatour the Lady of the World being full of Grace and blessed among all Women and after to be exalted to the Celestiall Kingdome aboue all the Quyres of Angels Of the first fruit of the third Word CHAP. IX FRom this third Word or sentence seuerall fruits may be gathered if all points thereof be diligently pondered And first is collected and manifested from thence Christs infinite desire of suffering for our Saluation that so our Redemption might be made most full and copious Other men are very wary in their death especially in a violent death being full of dishonour and contumely that their neerest frieÌ„ds be not present thereat for feare that their owne dolour and griefe through their friends sight be augmented But Christ not content with his owne sufferings and those most cruell and attended on with all reproach and
contumely would haue his owne Mother and his Disciple whom he loued to be present and to stand neere to the Crosse that so the griefe of the Compassion of his owne friends might giue an increase to the griefe of his Passion Christ being vpon the Crosse resembled as it were foure fountaines of Bloud abundantly streaming For his will and pleasure was that his owne Bl. Mother his beloued disciple Mary the sister of his Mother and Mary Magdalene who most ardently aboue all other VVomen loued him should be present at his death that from them foure fouÌ„taines of teares should burst out so as he should be almost no more troubled at the effusion of his owne bloud then he was at that copious showre of teares which the griefe of them then present did extort and force from their eyes and Haâ—ts It seemes to me that I heare Christ saying The sorrowes of death haue compassed me Psal 17. For that sword foretold of good old Simeon which should pierce the soule of my most innocent Mother with incredible griefe and anxiety doth euen wound my hart But o bitter death doest thou separate not only the soule from the body but also the mother from such a Sonne Therefore dolour would not suffer me to say Mother but VVoman behould thy Sonne God so loued the World that for the redeeming therof he was content to giue his only begotten Sonne and the Sonne so loued the Father as that for his honour he was ready to shed powre out his owne most precious bloud And not being content only with the dolour of his Passion he added thereto the dolour of Compassion that so he might become a most abundant satisfaction for our sinnes Therefore from hence it appeareth that both the Father and the Sonne do commend their Charity to vs after an ineffable manner that thereby we may not perish but that we may obtaine life euerlasting And yet mans hart doth hitherto resist so great a Charity maketh choyce rather to try the wrath and indignation of the Omnipotent liuing God then once to tast the sweetnes of Mercy to yield to the Charity of diuine Loue. Verily we are most vngratefull worthy of all punishment that since Christ loued vs with such an ardeÌ„t affection as that he was content to suffer for vs much more then necessity vrged From whereas one drop of his bloud was sufficient for our Redemption he neuerthelesse would spend it all and suffer innumerable other punâ—shments besides And yet notwithstanding all this we are loath and forbearing for his loue and for our owne health and good of our soule to endure and suffer euen so much as is but needefull The cause or source of so great a sluggines and madnes is in that we do not ponder and meditate on the Passion and Charity of Christ with that serious introuersioÌ„ of mind with whâ—ch we â—ught and that we do not appoint or designe times and places soâ—ting to so great a busines but only read or heare the passion of Christ briefly negligently and cursorily Therefore the holy Prophet admonisheth vs saying Thren 1. Behould see if there be any griefe like to my griefe And the Apostle sayth Thinke vpon him who endured of sinners such contradiction against himselfe that you be not wearied fainting in your minds Hebr. 12. But the tyme shall hereafter come when fruitlesly and in vaine we shall repent our selfs of so great ingratitude towards God and of supine negligence of our owne Saluation There are many who at the last day repenting and sighing for anguish of spirit shall say The sunne of Iustice hath not shined to vs. Sap. 5. Neither shall they first then begin thus to lament but before the day of IudgmeÌ„t I meane that as soone as they shall shut and close the eyes of their body by death the eyes of their soule shal be opened to them and then they shall see those things the which when time and oportunity was they would not once behould Of the second fruite of the third Word CHAP. X. AN other fruit growing from the roote of this VVord may be taken from the Consideration of the mistery of the three Women which stoode neere vnto the Crosse of our Lord. For Mary Magdalene did beare the person of the Penitents therin of those who did begin to serue God In Mary of Cleophas may be figured the state of those who do go on forward and profit in Vertue In Mary the Mother of Christ and a Virgin may be personated the state of those vvho are Perfect with whom we may deseruedly ioyne S. Iohn who was a Virgin and was vvithin a short tyme to become Perfect if at that present he were not All these and only these are found to stand neere vnto the Crosse of our Lord for those who liue in state of sinne and neuer thinke of doing any pennance for their wicked liues stand far off from the Crosse which is the scale or ladder to Heauen Furthermore all those not without cause stand neere vnto the Crosse who need the ayde of him that was crucified for such as be Penitents and Beginners in the way of Iustice do wage Warre with Vices and Concupiscences and stand greatly in need of the assistance of Christ our Captaine that they may be encouraged to fight whiles they behould him combatâ—ing with the Old Serpent and not descending from the Crosse vntill most happily he had triumphed ouer him For thus doth the Apostle speake to the Collossians cap. 2. He spoyled the Principalities and Powers leading them confidently in open shew and triumphing ouer them in himselfe And a litle before Fastening to the Crosse the hand-writing of the Decree which was against vs. Those who do profit in the way of our Lord signified by Mary of Cleophas who was a Woman maried and brought forth sonnes which were called â—he Brethren of Christ do also need the help of the Crosse lest otherwise the cares and anxieties of this world with the which they are necessarily entangled do choke the good seede or that they labouring by night do catch nothing Therefore such Persons ought to goe on forward in spirituall profit and to behould Christ vpon the Crosse who not satisfying himselfe with those good works being many and great which before he had done would by the meanes of the Crosse proceed to works of a higher Nature from whence he would not descend till he had ouercome and put to fight his Enemy For nothing is more deadly or domageable to those who are in progresse of Vertue then to become wearie in their course and to cease to goe forward since as S. Bernard sayth Ep. ad Garinum In via Virtutis non progredi regredi est In the way of Vertue not to goe forward is to goe backward who putteth the example of the Lader of Iacob vpon which all do ascend or descend but not any doe stand still To conclude those who are in state of Perfection liuing
owne state his care was touching the consolation and comfort of his mother neither did the expectation of the promptitude and fidelity of S. Iohn deceaue him for from that houre the disciple tooke her for his owne Ioan. 19. This Prouidence which Christ had towards his Parent ought with greater reason to be performed by other Sons towards their Parents For Christ did lesse owe to his Parent then other men do their Parents Other men are so obliged to their Parents as that they are neuer able to requite it For they owe their life to them for which the Sons cannot make any iust satisfaction Ecclesiasticus saith remember that thou hadst not beene borne but for theÌ„ Eccl. 7. But Chriâ—t and he alone is exempted from this generall rule For he receaued life from his mother I meane a humame lyfe but in lieu heerof he gaue to her three liues an Humane life when with the Father the holy Ghost he created her the lyfe of grace when preuenting her in the Benedictions of his sweetnes he did iustify her in her creation and created her in iustifying of Her he finally gaue to her the lyfe of glory when he did aduance her to eternall glory and exalted her aboue the quyre of Angells Wherefore if Christ who gaue moâ—e to his mother then he in his biâ—th had receaued of her would obserue the law to wit to render mutuall duty to her as his Parent how much more then are other men obliged to performe this duty towards their Parents Add hereto though in honoring of our Parents we performe no more then duty tyeth vs to Neuerthelesse the benignity goodnes of God hath added to it a reward saying in the Law Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thou maist be long liued vpon the Earth Exod. 20. And the Holy Ghost addeth by Ecclesiasticus He that honoreth his Father shall haue ioy in Children and in the day of his Prayer he shal be heard Eccl. 3. Neither hath God only annexed a reward to those who honour their Parents but also hath adioyned a Punishment to such that do not honour them For we read God sayth He that shall curse Father or Mother dying let him dye Matth 15. And Ecclesiasticus addeth He who exasperateth his Mother is accursed of God Eccl. 3 And hence it appeareth that the Malediction and cursing of the Parents against their Children hath a great force in that God coÌ„firmeth the same Of which point no few Examples are extant in Histories of which one most notorious and remarkable is recorded by S. Austin the summe and contents whereof is this In Caesaria a Citty of Capadocia there were ten Children to wit seauen sonnes and three daughters who being accursed by their Mother instantly euen by the haÌ„d of God they were surprized with such a payne and dolour as that all of them were horribly strooken and shaken with a trembling of their Members In which most loathsome state they not brooking the daily sight of their owne Cittizens wandred vp and downe throughout the Roman Empire Two of these at the length were cured in the presence and sight of S. Austin by the Relicks of S. Steuen the Protomartyr Aug. l. 21. de Ciuit. c. 8. Of the fourth fruite of the third Word CHAP. XII THe burden yoake imposed by our Lord vpon S. Iohn that he should sustaine the Care of the B. Virgin his Mother was truly a sweet yoake and an easy burden For who would not most willingly remayne dwell with that mother which did beare nyne Monthes in her Wombe the Word Incarnate and which did cohabitate with him most deuoutely and sweetly for the full space of thirty yeares Or who would not enuy the beloued of our Lord who in the absence of the Sonne of God enioyed the presence of the Mother of the Sonne of God But if I be not deceaued euen we our selfes through the benignity of the Word Incarnate for our sake and through the great loue and charity of him who was crucified also for our sake may obtayne in our prayers that he would say euen to vs Behould thy Mother and to his mother concerning vs Behould thy Sonne Our mercifull Lord is no Niggard of his fauours so long as we do approach to the Throne of his Grace with fayth confidence and a true and sincere Hart. He that is desirous that we should become Coheyres of the kingdome of his Father will not certainly disdaine to make vs Coheyres or Competitours of the Loue of his Mother Neither will the most gracious Virgin hardly or displeasingly brooke the multitude of her Sonnes since she hath a most ample bosome and greatly coueteth that not any of them should perish whom her Sonne hath redeemed with his precious Bloud and Death Let vs therefore come with firme immoueable hope to the Throne of the Grace Fauour of Christ And let vs most suppliantly and euen vvith teares demaund beseech him â—at of euery one of vs he would say to his Mother Behould thy Sonne to euery one of vs he would say of his Mother Behould thy Mother O! how well would it be with vs to be vnder the protection of such a Mother Who would be of power to draw vs from out her Bosome What tribulation could be so potent and strong as to ouercome vs confiding trusting in the Patronage of the Mother of God and of our Mother Neither shall we be the first in the obtayning of so great a Benâ—fit Manâ— haue gone before vs Many I say haue cast themselfes into the armes of her Patronage and defence and yet not any one euer returned back confounded or frustrated of their expectation but all cheerfull and reioycing as securely ankering themselues vpon the assistance of so great a Mother For of her it is written Gen. 2. She shall bruysâ— thy head in peeces And those who trust in her shall fearelesly walke vpon thâ— Adder and Basiliske betrampling vnder their feete the Lyon the Drâ—gon Psal 90. Out of a great multitude let vs heare the testimonies and acknowledgments of some few especially of those who haue confidently reposed themselues in the protection of the B. Virgin the Mother of our Lord and then we shall credibly coniecture them to be of the number of those to whom it is said by our Lord Behould thy Mother and of whom it is said to the Mother Behould thy Sonne Let S. Ephrem the Syrian be the first an ancient Father and of so great celebrity as that as S. Ierome witnesseth his Bookes were publikly read in the Churches after the reading of the Holy Scriptures This Father thus speaketh Intemerata prorsus pura Virgo deipara c. Intemerate and altogeather pure is the Virgin Mother of God Serm. de laud. Deipara And after Tu portus procellis c. Thou art the Hauen of those who are tossed with stormes the Comfort of the World the setter at liberty of those who are in Prison
compunction For who euer did inuocate her in the Night tyme and was not heard of Her Let the Reader peruse those things which we haue written of Innocentius the third in the second booke and nynth Chapter Of the mourning of the Doue Now from all this aboue set downe it is euidently collected That of the signes of Election to Glory a singular deuotion borne to the Mother of God the most B. Virgin is not the last For it should seeeme that he cannot perish eternally of whom it is said to the B. Virgin by Christ Behould thy Sonne So as that man doth not heare with a deafe care what Christ shall say to him Behould thy Mother The End of the first Booke OF THE SEAVEN WORDS OF CHRIST spoken vpon the Crosse THE SECOND BOOKE The fourth Word to wit Deus Deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27. is litteraly explaned CHAP. I. IN the former Booke we haue explicated the three first words which our Lord pronounced froÌ„ the chaire of the Crosse about the sixt houre when but a litle before he was nayled to the Crosse We will in this second Booke expound the other foure Words which our sayd Lord after the darknes of three houres from the same Chayre and most neere to his death did with a great and feruerous voice pronounce But it seemeth expedient first briefly to declare what kind of darknes that was how it was occasioned and to what end it was directed The mention of which darknes happened betweene the vttering of the former three Words and the foure other Words heerafter to be discoursed of For thus S. Matthew speaketh cap. 27. From the sixt houre there was darknes made vpoÌ„ the whole earth vntill the nynth houre And about the ninth houre Iesus cryed with a mighty voyce Eli Eli Lamma-sabacthani That is my God my God why hast thou forsaken me That this darknes was occasioned through the defect Eclips of the Sun S. Luke expressely expressely obserueth saying Et obscuratus est sol and the sun was darkned But now three dâ—fficulties are in this place to be discussed and solued for first the Sunn is accustomed to suffer Eclipse of its light in the New moone when the moone is found to be betweene the Sunne and the earth the which could not be at the time of the death of Christ seeing the moone at that tyme was not in coniunction with the Sunne which falleth out in the new moone but was in the opposition which happeneth in the full moone For all that tyme the Pascha or Feast of Easter was celebrated by the Iewes which according to the Law began vpon the foureteenth day of the first Month. Againe admitting that at the PassioÌ„ of Christ the Moone had beene in coniunction with the Sunne yet from hence it followeth not that there could be darknes for the space of three houres that is from the sixt houre to the nynth since the Eclipse of the Sunne cannot continue long especially if it be a full Eclipse and such as may hide the whole Body of the Sunne so as the obscurity of it may be accounted darknes For the moone is more swift in motion then the sunne in regard of the moones proper motion and consequently can darken the sunne but for a very short tyme. For the Moone instantly doth begin to goe backe and leaueth the sunne free that so it may illuminate the Earth with its accustomed light splendour To conclude it can neuer so fall out that through the coniunction of the Moone the sunne should leaue the whole Vniuersall Earth in darknes For the Moone is lesser then the sunne yea then the Earth therfore it cannot by the interposition of its Body so couer the whole Sunne as that the Vniuersall Earth should be left in darknes Now if any heere should obiect say that the Euangelist speaking of the Vniuersall Earth meaneth only of the vniuersall Earth of Palestines and not of the vniuersall Earth absolutely This Obiection may easely be refelled by the testimony of S. Dionysius Areo pagita who in his Epistle to S. Policarpe testifieth that himselfe did see that defection of the sunne and most horrible darknes in the Citty of Heliopolis which is in Egypt And Phlegon a Greeke Historian and a Gentil cited by Origen and Eusebius maketh intention of this Eclips of the sunne saying lib. 2. Quarto anno ducentesima secundae Olympiadis c. In the fourth yeare of the two hundred and second Olympiade a great and notorious defection of the Sunne in comparison of all others which afore had hapned was made for the day at the sixt hower was so turned into darknes and to an obscure night as that the stars in Heauen were then seene Now this Historiographer did not write in Iudaea as all affirme The same Wounder is testifiedâ— by Lucianus the Martyr saying â—erquirite in Annalibus vestris c. Reuolue your Annals and you shall find that the day was interrupted with darknes in the tymes of Pilate the sunne abandoning the Earth These words of S. Lucian are related by Ruffinus in hist. Eccl. Euseb In fine Tertullian Paulus Orosius and all others touching this Eclypse do speake of all the parts coasts of the World and not only of Iudaea But these difficulties may easely be explicated For first where it is said in the beginning that the Eclypse of the sunne is accustomed to be in the New moone only not in the full moone this is true when a Naturall defect of the light of the sunne happeneth But at the death of Christ the defect of the sunne was vniuersall and prodigious which could be wrought only by him who made the sunne the Moone Heauen and Earth For S. Dionysius writeth in the place aboue noted that the Moone was seene by himselfe and by Apollophanes about the midtyme of the day after an vnaccustomed most swift motion to come to the Sunne and lying vnder it there remained after this maÌ„ner vntill the ninth hower and then returned backe towards the Orient to its owne place To that which is added aboue to wit that the defect of the sunnes light could not so remaine for the space of three Howers as that during all that tyme the Earth should be in darknes it may be answered hereto that this is true if we speake of a naturall and vsuall defect of the sunne But this Eclypse of the sunne was not gouerned by the lawes or setled course of Nature but by the Will of the Omnipotent Creatour who as he could bring the moone after a wonderfull manner from the East in a most rapid and swift motion to the sunne and after three howers ended could bring it back to its owne place in the Orient so also was of power to cause that the moone should remaine immoueable vnder the sunne for those three howers and that it should not mooue either more slowly or more
swiftly then the sunne it selfe To conclude where aboue is added that the Eclypse and defect of the sunne could not be obserued seene through out the Vniuersall Earth in regard that the Moone is lesser then the Earth farre more lesse in quantity then the sunne I grant this to be most true with reference to the interposition of the moone only But what the moone could not performe herein the Creatour of the sunne moone performed only in not cooperating with the sunne in illustrating lighning the Earth For things created cannot worke or performe their functions except the Creatour do assist cooperate with them And whereas some men say that darknes might theÌ„ be made throughout the whole Earth through a condensation and thickning of blacke and misty Cloudes this cannot be truly auerred since it is euident from the testimonies of the Ancients that in the tyme of that Eclyps and darknes the stars were seene to appeare and shine in Heauen But thickâ— and misty Cloudes cannot only yea they are accustomed to obscure â—he sunne but also the moone and the stars Now why God would haue this signe of Darknes to happen at the Passion of Christ seuerall Reasons are accustomed to be alledged but two chiefly The first may be to demonstrate the most great excecation and blindnes of the Iewish People which Reason is brought by S Leo Pope and which blindnes of theirs doth yet continue and shall continue according to the Prophecy of Isay who thus speaketh of the beginning of the Church Surge illuminare Ierusalem c. Arise be illuminated Ierusalem because thy light is come and the glory of our Lord is risâ—n vpon thee because loe darknes shall couer the Earth and a myst the People Isa 60. To wit most thicke and palpable darknes shall couer the Land of the Iewes and that darknes which is not so grosse but may easely be dissipated and dispâ—lled shall couer the People of the Gentills The second Cause oâ— Reason of the forsaid darknes at our Sauâ—ours Passion may be to demonstrate the great offâ—nce and sinne of the Iewes as S. Ierome teacheth In former tymes wicked men did persecute molest and trouble yea and kill good men But now men are arriued ro that degree of Impiety as that they dare persecute euen God himselfe inuested with mans flesh and nayle him to a Crosse In former tymes suites and contentions falling out among Cittizens they fell to Words from words to blowâ—s Wounds and murther it selfe But now Vassalls and Bonslâ—uâ—s haue entred into insurrection and â—â—bellion against the King of men and Angels nayling with incredible boldnes his sacred hands and feete with piercing Nayles to the hard wood of the Crosse Therefore the whole World was amazed and through horrour of the fact trembled And the sunne it selfe as vnwilling to lend its light to the furtherance of perpetrating so flagitious a Crime did with draw in its beames couering the whole ayre with blacke and dreadfull darknes But let vs now descend to the words of our Lord Eli Eli lamma sabactani These words are taken from the beginning of the one twentith Psalme where we thus read Deus Deus meus respice in me quare me dereliquisti O God my God haue respect to me why hast thou forsaken me Where those words respice in me vvhich are in the middest of the Verse were added by the Septuagint Interpreters for in the Hebrew Text there are no other words but those which our Lord did speake In this one point the words of the Psalme and of Christ do differ in that the Words of the Psalme are all Hebrew words whereas those spoken by Christ are partly Syriach words which kind of tongue the Iewes did then much vse For those words Talitha cumi id est puella surge and Ephetha that is ad apetite and some others in the Ghospels are Syriake words and not Hebrew But to proceed Our Lord complaineth that he is forsaken of God and he complaineth crying out with a great and vehement voyce Both which Points are to be exâ—lained This dereliction and forsaking of Christ by his Father may be vnderstood in fiue seuerall senses or wayes of all waith but one is true There were fiue coniunctions of God in the Son One naturall and eternall to wit the coniunction of the Person with the Person of the Sonne in Essence Another that is a new coniunction of the Diuine nature with the Humane nature in the Person of the Sonne or which is all one a coniunction of the diuine Person of the Sonne with the humane Nature The third was the Vnion of Grace and of will for Christ being maÌ„ was full of grace and truth Ioan. 1. And the things that do please God he did allwayes as himselfe witnesseth in S. Iohn cap. 8. And the Father more then once said of him This is my beleued Sonne in whome I am well pleased Matth. 3. The fourth coniunction was the Vnion of Glory for the soule of Christ did see God euen from his CoÌ„ception The fifth was the Vnion of Protection of which himselfe speaketh when he saith He that sent me is with me and he hath not left me alone Ioan. 8. Now the first Vnion is altogether inseparable and perpetuall because it is an Vnion in Diuine Essence of which himselfe speaketh I and my Father are onâ— And therefore Christ did not say my Father why hast thou left me For the Father is not called the God of the Sonne till after the Incarnation and by reason of the Incarnation The second Vnion is neuer dissolued neyther can it be dissolued for what God once assumed he neuer did leaue for the Apostle saith He spared not his own Sonn but for vs all deliuered him Rom. 8. And the Apostle Peter Christ suffered for vs And Christ suffering in flesh 1. Pet. 2. and 4. All which sacred testimonies demonstrate that he who was crucifyed was not pure man but the true Sonne of God and our Lord Christ The third Vnion doth in lyke sort euer remaine and euer shall remaine The iust dyed for the vniust as S. Peter speaketh 1. Pet. 3. And the death of Christ would haue profited vs nothing if the Vnion of Grace should be dissolued The fourth Vnion could not be dissolued because the Beatitude of the Souâ—e cannot be lost since it comprehendeth an aggregation and heaping together of all goods For the soule of Christ according to the superiour part was truly Blessed of which Point see S Thomas 3. p. q. 46. art 8. Therefore there remaineth onely the vnion of Protection which for a short tyme was broken that the Oblation of the bloudy Sacrifice should take place for the redemption of mankind True it is that God the Father could haue protected Christ many waies and hindred his Passion for according heerto Christ said in his prayer which he made in the garden Father all things are possible to thee transferre this Chalce from me but
not that which I will but that which thou Marc. 14. And to S. Peter Christ saith Thinketh thou that I cannot aske my Father and he will giue me presently more then twelue legions of Angels againe Christ might as God haue protected his flesh that it should not suffer and therefore he saith Ioan. 10. No man taketh my lyfe from me but I yield it vp of myselfe The which Esay prophecyed when he said cap. 53. He wat offered because himselfe would To cōclude the blessed foule of Christ could haue trasmitted and powred into its body the guift of impassibility and incorruption but it pleased the Father it pleased the Word it pleased the Holy Ghost to suffer for the execution of the common Decree that mans force should for a tyme preuaile against Christ For this was that houre of which our Lord spake to those who came to take him This is your houre and the power of darknes Luc. 22. In this manner therefore God did leaue his Sonne when he suffered that the humane flesh of his Sonne should suffer most bitter griefes without consolation Furthermore Christ crying with a great voice did manifest this dereliction that all men thereby should acknowledge the greatnes of the pryce of the Redemption of man kind for till that very houre he suffered all things with such incredible patience and indifferency of mynd as if he had wanted all sense and feeling for fynding himselfe agrieued and wronged by the Iewes he did not charge Pilate who prononced sentence against him nor the souldiers who nayled him to the Crosse He did not lament he did not bewayle or shew any signe of dolour Therefore when he was approching neere to his death to the end that mankind should vnderstand and particularly that we his seruants should not be vngratefull for so great a fauour and that we should magnify the pryce and worth of our Redemption he was willing that the dolours of his Passion should publikely and openly be knowne Wherefore those words My God why hast thou forsaken me are not words of accusation or indignation or complaint but as I haue said they are words declaring with most iust reason and in a most fit tyme the greatnes of Christ his Passion Of the first fruyte of the fourth Word CHAP. II. VVE haue briefly expounded those things which belong to the fourth Word according to the History Now we will gather some fruits from the tree of the Crosse First that consideration doth present it selfe vnto vs to wit that Christ would drinke vp the whole Chalice of his Passion euen to the last drop He was to remaine vpon the Crosse three houres from the sixt houre to the ninth He remained full three whole houres and aboue for before the sixt houre he was nayled to the Crosse and after the ninth houre he gaue vp the Ghost This point may be made euident by this Reason the Eclyps of the Sunne began in the sixt houre as three Euangelists do teach Matthew Marke and Luke And Marke in expresse wordes sayth when it was the sixt houre there was made darknes vntil the ninth houre The first tree VVord◠of our Lord were spoken vpon the Crosse before the beginning of the darknes the other foure were vttered after darknes and therefore after the ninth houre Furthermore S. Marke explicateth this point more cleerly when he saith And it was the third houre and they crucifyed him c. And then after he subioyneth And when it was the sixt houre there was made darknes cap. 14. Now where he saith our Lord was crucifyed in the third houre he signifyeth that the third houre was not then complete when our Lord was crucifyed and consequently that the sixt houre was not as then begun For S. Marke numbreth three principall houres which are accustomed to containe three ordinary houres And according to this acceptance and construction the Houshoulder called the workmen to his vineyard at the first the third the sixt the ninth and eleauenth houre Matth. 20. And we doe number the Canonicall houres to wit the first the third the sixt the ninth and the Vespers which is the eleauenth houre Therefore in S. Marke our Lord is said to be crucifyed at the third houre because as then the sixt houre was not come From hence then it followeth that our Lord would drinke the chalice of his Passion in a most full and copious manner thereby to teach vs to loue better the cup of Pennance labour and not to loue and affect the cup of secular consolations and delights We by the law of the flesh and the world do desire and vvish for little Pennance and great Indulgence small labour and much consolation short Prayer and long chatting or discourse But certainly vve knovv not vvhat vve desire since the Apostle admonisheth vs euery one shall receaue his reward according to his labour 1. Cor. 3. And He shal not be crowned except he striue lawfully 2. Tim. 2. Euerlasting felicity is doubtlesly worth euerlasting labour but because if euerlasting labour had beene absolutly necessary thereto we should neuer haue attained to euerlasting felicity therefore our mercyfull Lord was content that onely in this life which flyeth away like a shadow we should labour according to our strength in good workes and in obsequy and obedience towards him And therefore those men are without hart or courage without vnderstanding without iudgment and are rather infants and children who consume and wast this short tyme in idlenes and which is farre more detestable in grieuously offending and prouoking Gods wrath and indignation against them For if Christ ought to suffer and so to enter into his glory how then can we enter into the glory of another only by disporting and spending the tyme in pampering and solacing of our flesh If the Ghospell vvere very intricate and obscure and could not be vnderstood vvithout great paines and fatigation of mynd perhaps we might shadow our negligence by some Excuse but the Ghospell is cleerly expounded as it were explained frō the example of his lyfe who first gaue promulgated the gospell so as to the very blynd it cannot lye hidden or concealed Neither haue vve it explicated only by Christ himselfe but there are so many cleare Commētaries of it which do lay open the sense as there are Apostles Martyrs Confessours Virgins and finally Saints vvhose prayses and triumphes vve celebrate almost euery day since all these vvith an vnanimous cōsent cry out that not by pleasure good fellovvship and humane delights but by matribulations we must enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Act. 14. Of the second fruite of the fourth Word CHAP. III. ANother fruit may be gathered frō the consideration of the silence of Christ in those three houres which was from the sixt houre to the ninth O my soule vvhat did thy Lord in those three houres Horrour darknes did inuolue the vniuersall World And thy Lord did not repose himselfe vpon a sof bed but
did hang vpon the Crosse naked full of dolours without any comforter Thou O Lord who only didst know and try this teach thy poore Seruants that they may vnderstand how much they are obliged and indebted to thee that at least they may compassionate thee with their teares and learne in this their exile sometimes to want all consolation for thy Loue if so thou shalt thinke it expedient Say to such O my Sonne Neuer during the whole course of my mortall life which was nothing but labour and paine did I suffer greater more vehement straits desolation anxiety then during the space of those three houres And neuer did I tolerate any paines with greater willingnes and promptitude of mind then I did at that tyme. For then by reason of the weight and wearines of my Body my wounds were more inlarged and the sharpnes of my griâ—fe more increased Then euen through the absence of the heate of the sunne the coldnes of the ayre more insufferably augmented the torments of my Body being on ech syde naked Then the very darknes it selfe which did take away from myne eyes the sight of Heauen Earth and all other things forced my soule in a sort more vehemently intensly to thinke vpon the paines and anguishes of my Body so in regard of these aggrauating CircuÌ„stances those three Houres did seeme to me to be three yeares But because the ardour desiâ—es of my Fathers Honour with the which my breast was inflamed and of fulfilling my Obedience to him and of the procuring the health of your soules was so great as that by how much the paines of my Body were increased by so much that fire of my desires was mitigated So as those three Houres in regard of the greatnes of my desire of suffering appeared to be to me but three small moments of Time O most Blessed Lord if the matter standeth thus then are we most vngratefull to whom it seemes painfull to spend but one short houre in meditating of those thy dolours when to thee it was not painfull to hange vpon the Crosse for our Redemption three whole houres in a horrour of darknes in cold and nakednes in extreme thirst and in most bitter and cruell torments But O Louer of mankind tell me whether the vehemâ—ncy of thy dolour was so forcible as to cause thee to desist in hart froÌ„ prayer during thy long silence of those three houers For we being in anguish and tribulation especially if the members of our Body labour with any violent paine caÌ„not without great endeauour apply our mynd to pray But I heare thee say Not so my Sonne for euen in the infirmity of my flesh I disposed my spirit prompt to prayer yea during those three howers in which I spake nothing I was still praying with the mouth of my Hart to my Father for you Neither did I pray only in Hart but euen in woundes and bloud For behould how many wounds there were made in my body so many crying Voyces there were to my Father for you And how many drops of Bloud there were so many tongues they were beseeching and begging Mercy for you at the hands of my foresaid Father and yours But now O Lord thou dost euen confound the impatience of thy Servant who if perhaps wearied out with labour or griefe of Body he do prepare himselfe to Prayer can scarsly lift vp his Soule to God to pray for him or if through thy Grace he be able to raise himselfe to so pious an Exercise yet he is not able to maintaine his attention therin for any long time since his mind is euer reflecting backe to his labour paine Therfore O pittifull Lord take mercy of thy Seruant according to the great Mercy that hauing so great an Example of thy Patience set before his Eyes he may learne to tread thy steps and may at least ouercome his small troubles and molestations in tyme of Prayer Of the third fruite of the fourth Word CHAP. IV. VVHen our Lord crying out vpon the Crosse said My God why hast thou forsaken me he did not so say as if indeed he were ignorant why God had left him for what could he not know who knew all things For answerably hereto S. Peter answered our Lord thus dâ—manding Simon of Iohn louest thou me O Lord sayth he thou knowest all things thou knowest that I loue thee Ioan. 2. And the Apostle S. Paul speaking of Christ addeth In whom is all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Collos 2. Therfore our Lord did not demaund therby to learne buâ— to couÌ„sell vs to seeke that by seeking and finding we might learne many things profitable or rather necessary vnto vs. Now why God did forsake his Sonne in molestations and most bitter dolours fiue Reasons seeme to occur to me the which I will here produce that I may giue occasion to others of greater sufficiency to find out better Reasons of Christs dereliction 1. The first then may seeme to be the greatnes and multitude of the offences of mankind against God the which the Sonne did vndertake to expiate in his owne Body S. Peter sayth Christ did beare our sinnes in his body vpon the tree that being dead to sinne we might liue to Iustice by whose stripes you are healed 1. Pet 2. Now the Greatnes of the Offâ—nce which Christ did cancell by his Passion is in some respect Infinite to wit in regard of the Person offended who is of infinite dignity and excellency In like sort the Person satisfying who is the Sonne of God is also of infinite Dignity and Excellency and by reason hereof euery payne willingly endured by the Sonne of God though it were only a drop of bloud might be sufficient for the satisfaction This assertion is most true neuerthelesse that mans Redemption might be full and copious and because it was not one Offence but almost innumerable Offences for the Lambe of God vvho taketh away the sinnes of the world did take vpon him not only the first sinne of Adam but all the sinnes of all men therefore it pleased God that his Sonne should tolerate innumerable paines and those most grieuous And this is signified in that dereliction of which the Sonne speaketh to the Father Why hast thou forsaken me 2. Another reason or cause was the greatnes and multitude of the torments of Hell the which to make more knowne and euident to vs the Sonne of God would abate and extinguish the heâ—te of those flames with so mighty a shoure of his own paines How great and dreadfull the fyar of Hell is the Prophet I say teacheth saying that it is altogether intollerable which of you can dwell with deuouring fyre which of you shall dwell with euerlasting heates Isa 33. Therefore let vs render thankes to God with all our Hart and powers of our Soule who would forsake his only begotten Sonne being in most great griefes for a time that he might free vs from euerlasting heates of
himselfe to be a Maister thereof in plaine and direct Words saying Learne of me because I am meeke and humble of Hart. Math. 11. But he neuer more perspicuously and clearely did commend this Vertue vnto vs and withall Patience which cannot be disioyned from Humility then when he said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me For in these words Christ sheweth that through the permission and sufferance of God all his glory and excellency in the sight of men was wholy obscured the which point also that darkenes or Eclyps did demonstrate Now our Lord could â—ot without wonderfull Humility and Patience tollerate so great an obscuration The glory of Christ of which S. Iohn speaketh in the beginning of the Gospell when he sayth We saw the glory of him glory as it were of the only begotten of his Father full of grace and Verity Ioan. 1. was placed in the Power Wisdome Probity Princely Maiesty Beatitude of the soule and in the Diuine Dignity which he had as he was the true and naturall Sonne of God All this glory his Passion did cloud and obscure and the darkning thereof those words do plainly signify My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The passion did obscure his Power because being nayled to the Crosse he seemed to be of no power or ability and therefore the chiefe Priests souldiers and the Thiefe did exprobate to him his impotency and weakenes saying Yf thou be Christ come downe from the Crosse c. And againe He saued others himselfe he cannot saue Now how great Patience how great Humility was required that he who was truly Omnipotent should be wholy silent to such vpbraydings The Passion did darken his Wisdomâ— when before the chiefest of the Priests before Herod before Pilate he answered nothing to many Interrogatories and Questions as if he had bene depriued of iudgment by which his silence it was occasioned that Herod his Company contemned him and cloathed him in a white vestment by way of derision How great Patience how great Humility was heer also required for him to tolerate these indignities who was not only wiser then Salomon but was the very Wisdome of God His probity and Innocency of life the Passion obscured who being crucified vpon the Crosse did hang betweene two thiefes and was reputed a seducer of the People and Vsurper of an other mans kingdome And the splendour of this his Innocency that dereliction of God which himselfe confessed saying Why hast thou forsaken me might well seeme more more to obscure Since God is accustomed to forsake not pious men but such as be wicked Certainly haughty and proud men are very cautelous to speake any thing wherby those who heare them may suspect that they confesse any thing against their owne Worth but humble and patient men of which sort Christ was the King willingly take bould of all occasion of Humility and Patience so as they speake nothing which is false How great Humility how great Patience here againe is required of him to suffer these things of whom the Apostle thus speaketh It was fit that we should haue such a Priest holy innocent impolluted separated from sinners made higher then the Heauens Heb. 7. Furthermore the Passion did so obscure the Regall Maiesty of Christ as that it gaue to him for a goulden diademe a Crovvne of thornes for a Tribunall a gibbet for Princely attendance two Thieues Therefore I say againe How great Humility how great Patience was necessary for him who vvas truly the king of Kings the Lord of Lords and the Prince of the kings of the Earth Now vvhat shall I say of the Beatitude of the soule which Christ truly had from his Conception And the vvhich he was bâ—th of povver and of Will to transfuse into the Body How vehemently did the Passion darken this glory since it made Christ A man of sorrowes and knowing infirmity despised and the most abiect of men Isa 53. and caused him through the acerbity of his sufferings to crye out My God why hast thou forsaken me To conclude the Passion did so ouercloud the dignity of his diuine Person as that he vvho sitteth aboue all not only men but Angels in regard of his Passion said I am a worme and no man A reproach of men and the outcast of the People Psal 21. To this lowest place therefore Christ did descend in his Passion but this his descending was accompanied with great merit and exaltation For what our Lord did often promise in words saying Euery one that humbleth himselfe shal be exalted the same was performed in his Person as the Apostle witnesseth He humbled himselfe made obedient vnto death euen the death of the Crosse for the which thing God hath also exalted him and hath giuen him a Name which is aboue all Names That in the name of Iesus euery knee bow of the Celestials terrestrials and Infernals Phil. 2. Therefore he who was the last is pronounced and declared to be the first and a most short Humiliation resolued into an euâ—râ—aâ—ting Exaltation The which change we also find to haue happened to all the Apostles and to all Saints For S. Paul wâ—iteth that the Apostles were The refuse of the World and the drosse of all meaning most base vile things which are cast out by euery one and betrampled vpon This was the Humility of the Apostles But what was their Exaltation S. Iohn Chrysostome teacheth hom 32. in Ep. ad Rom. and sheweth it when he sayth that the Apostles are now in Heauen and do assist neere to the Throne of Christ where the Cherubims do glorify Christ where the Seraphims do fly that is they haue their place with the chiefest Princes of the kingdome of Heauen from whence they shall neuer fall or depart Certainly if men would attentiuely consider and ruminate how honourable a thing it is to imitate the Humility of the sonne of God heere vpon the Earth and with all would make to themselues some coÌ„iâ—cture how great that exaâ—tation is to the which humility it selfe adâ—anceth them we should find very few proud men But because most men do measure all things by the false yard of the senses of the flesh humane cogitation therefore it is no wonder if Humility can so hardly be found vpon the Earth and that the Multitude of proud men be infinite The fifth Word Sitio I thirst is explicated according to the Letter CHAP. VII THe fifth Word followeth which we read in S. Iohn And indeed it is but one Word to wit Sitio I thirst But that it should be truly according to the present purpose vnderstood it is needfull to adde the words of the Euangelist both going before and after For thus S. Iohn speaketh Postea sciens Iesus c. Afterward Iesus knowing that all things were now consummate that the Scriptures might be fulfilled he sayth I thirst A Vessel therefore stood there full of Vineger they putting a sponge full of Vineger
about Hysope offered it to his mouth Ioan. 19. Of which words this is the meaning Our Lord would haue all things accomplished and fulfilled which the Prophets being full of the Holy Ghost did foretell of his Life death and because all other Predictions being then already performed this one yet remained That is that he should tast Vineger in his thirst according to those words of the Prophet Psal 68. In my thirst they gaue me Vineger to drinke Therefore he said with a cleare voyce I thirst and those who were present did offer to his mouth a spoÌ„ge full of Vineger put vpon a Reede or Cane Thus our Lord said I thirst that the Scripture might be fulfilled And why to the end the Scripture should be fulfilled Why did he not say I thirst because he was really thirsty desired to allay his Thirst For the Prophet did not foretell it to the end that that should fall out which he had foretould but he did therefore foretell it because he did foresee it after to be And he did foresee it after to be because the thing was truly to be although it had not beene foreseene Therefore foresight or prediction is not the cause of a thing after to come to passe but the thing which is after to be is the cause why it may be foreseene or foretould Now a great Mystery is in this place reuealed Our Lord did truly labour with extremity of thirst euen from the beginning of his Crucifixion and his thirst increased more more so as it was one of his chiefest torments which he suffered vpon the Crosse since sheeding of much bloud doth drye the body and procureth thirst I knew a Person who being wounded in seuerall parts of his body from which great store of bloud did flow desired nothing but drinke as if his most raging thirst had bene the only euill or payne he then suffered The like is read in the life of S. Emmerammus Martyr who being tied to a stake and hauing receaued many wounds only complayned of thirst Sur. die 22. Sept. Therefore how could it otherwise be but that Christ who after long wearines had shed much bloud in his whipping and after being crucified had opened as it were foure fountaines in his body from which great abundance of Bloud did for a long tyme streame should be cruciated and vexed with a most burning thirst And notwithstand ng he concâ—aled in silence this his long torment for the space of three howers and could haue concealed it euen to his death which was present at hand For what other reason then did our Lord hyde in silence for so long a tyme this his vehemency of Paine now being ready to dye did manifest it saying I thirst but because it was the will of God that all of vs should know this torment of thirst not to be wanting vnto Christ And therefore the same heauenly Father would haue it foretould by a Prophet in the Person of Christ and did inspire it into our Lord Iesus to make this new and most bitter paine knovvne to his faithfull seruants for an example of Patience He said therefore I thirst that is all my moisture in my flesh is spent my veynes are dry my tongue is dry my pallate is dry my iawes are dry all my invvard parts are dry if any man vvill comfort and refresh me let him giue me to drinke Novv let vs heare vvhat drinke they brought him vvho vvere present at the Crosse Erat vas aceto plenum c. There was a vessell full of Vineger and they putting a sponge full of Vinâ—cre about Hysope offered it to his mouth O strang consolation and refreshment There vvas a vessell full of Vineger vvhich is pernicious and hurtfull to wounds and is accustomed to hasten death and to that end it vvas brought thereby to hasten the death of those vvho vvere to be crucifyed S. Cyrill cap 35. in Ioan. vvith reference to this passage thus vvriteth Pro iuuante iucundo potu c. For a medicinable and pleasant drinke they proffered him that which was hurtfull and bitter And by reason hereof that thing is made more credible vvhich S. Luke vvriteth in his Gospell The souldiers mocked him comming to him and offering him Vineger Luc. 23. And although S. Luke doth write this of Christ lately nayled to the Crosse yet it is very credible that the souldiers themselues when they heard him crying I thirst did giue him Vineger in a sponge vpon a reede the vvhich they before in a mocking manner had offered vnto him The summe and closure of all is that as in the beginning a litle before he vvas nailed to the Crosse they offered him wyne mixt with gaule so in the end of his life they brought him Vineger dangerous to his wounds so as from the beginning to the end the Passion of Christ vvas a true vehement Passion as not accompained with any alleuiation or comfort at all Of the first fruite of the fifth Word CHAP. VIII THe Scriptures of the Old Testament are for the most part explained by the Scriptures of the Nevv But touching this Mystery of the thirst of our Lord the vvords of the sixty eight Psalme may vvell paraphraze comment the Ghospell We do not find clearely in the Ghospell vvhether those vvho offered Vineger to our Lord thirsting did it to gratify him or rather the more to afflict him that is vvhether this their action proceeded from Loue or Hate We vvith S. Cyrill do interpret in a bad sense the fact of those vvho gaue to our Lord suffering thirst Vineger to drinke But the vvords of the Psalme are so cleere and euident as that they need not any exposition And from those vve vvill gather this fruit that vve may learne to thirst vvith Christ after those things vvhich truly and healthfully are to be thirsted after These are the Words of the Prophet I expected some body that would be grieued with me and there was none or that would comfort me and I found not any And they gaue me gaule for my meate in my thirst they gaue me Vineger to drinke Psal 68. Therefore those men vvho gaue to Christ our Lord a litle before he vvas mayled to the Crosse vvine mingled vvith gaule and those vvho offered to our Lord aftervvard Vineger to drinke vvere of that number of vvhom it is said I expected some body that would be grieued with me and there was none and that would comfort me and I found not any But some may here demaund did not the most Blessed Virgin the Mother of our Lord and Mary of Cleophas sister of his mother as also Mary Magdalen vvith the Apostle S. Iohn standing neere vnto the Crosse truly and from their hart grieue and lament for our Lord In like sort did not those Women who weeping followed our Lord to the Mount Caluary truly condole vvith him To conclude were not all the Apostles much agrieued lamented in the tyme of
who after much labour spent in cultiuating his Vineyard or ground doth through an vnexpected Hayle showred downe loose all his profit that is all his labour and toyle These Euills therfore ought with great reason to be deplored with inconsolable griefe And who bewayleth them and is sory for them he doth condole with Christ vpon the Crosse And when with fortitude and strength he laboreth to expell driue away these Euills he wonderfully compassionateth the afflictions of Christ suffering on the Crosse shall in recompence thereof reioyce with Christ reioycing in Heauen and raigne with him there reigning for euer Of the second fruite of the fifth Word CHAP. IX VVHen attentiuely I ponder consider the thirst of Christ hanging vpon the Crosse another fruite and no lesse profitable is presented to my iudgement For our Lord seemeth to me to haue said Sitio I thirst in the same sense when vnto the Samaritan woman he said Giue me to drinke for a litle after opening the mystery of this his Word he thus subioyneth If thou didest know the guift of God and who he is that saith vnto thee giue me to drinke thou perhaps wouldest haue asked of him and he would haue giuen thee liuing water Iohn 4. Now how can he thirst who is the fountaine of liuing water Did not our Lord speake of himself when he said Ioan. 7. If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke And is not he that Rock of which the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 10. They dranke of the spirituall Rock that followed them and the Rocke was Christ To conclude is not this he who thus speaketh to the Iewes by Ieremy the Prophet cap. 2. They haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing water and haue digged to themselues Cesternes broken Cesternes that will not hould water Therefore it seemes I behould our Lord vpon the Crosse as vpon a high Turret casting his eyes vpon the whole earth â—uâ—l of men thirsting and langiuishing through thirst who through occasion of his owne corporall thirst doth commiserate the common thirst of mankind and saith Sitio that is I am truly thirsty since all the humidity and moysture of my body is already spent and dried vp but this my thirst wil quickly haue an end Therefore I do now thirst that men would beginne to know from fayth me to be the true well-spring of liuing water and that they would come to me and drinke that so they need not to thirst for all Eternity O how happy and blessed might we be if with a most attent hart we would heare this Sermon of the VVord Incarnate Doe not almost all men thirst with a most burning thirst of concupiscence and with an insatiable thirst after the fading troubled waters of transitory and floating thinges which are vulgarly called goods Riches Honours Pleasures And who is he that drinking of this water hath his thirst thereby extinguished And who euer hearing Christ our Maister did beginne to tast and relish the liuing water of HeaueÌ„ly wisdom of diuine charity but that the thrist of terrene things being presently asswaged he begun to breath hope of eternall lyfe and laying aside all gnawing care of getting and heaping together earthly treasures did not begin to thirst after Heauenly This water of lyfe not rising out of the earth but descending from Heauen which our Lord being the fountaine of the water of life if so we will demand it with most ardent prayers and a fountaine of teares will giue to vs this water I say will not only quench the thirst of terrestriall pleasures but also will be to vs neuer fading meate and drinke during all the time of our Peregrination For thus the Prophet Esay speaketh All you that thirst come vnto the waters Isa 55. And to preuent that thou maist thinke not thinke it to be plaine simple water or to be bought with a great Price the Prophet subioyneth Make hast come away buy without money without any change wine and milke Water is said to be bought because it is not obtained without labour that is without a true disposition of mynd but yet it is bought without money or any exchange because it is giuen freely neyther can any equall price for it be found And that which the Prophet a litle afore called water he presently after termeth wine and milke since it is a most precious and inestimable thing as comprehending in it selfe the perfection or vertue of water wyne and milke This is true wisdome and charity which is called water because it doth refresh and coole the heate of concubiscence It in also wine in that the mynd of man is therewith heated and as it were become drunke with a sober ebriety finally it is said to be milke because it nourisheth with a sweet and gentill food especially such who are but infants in Christ according to those wordes of S. Peter the Apostle As infants newly borne desire you milke 1. Pet 2. This true wisdome and Charity being incompatible with the Concupiscence of the flesh is that sweet yoake and light burden the which whosoeuer willingly and humbly vndergoe do purchace true and stable rest to their soules so as they shall not neede to draw water from earthly and muddy Wels. This most sweet repose of mynd gaue way to solitude to an Heremiticall lyfe filled Monasteries reformed the Clergy yea reduced married Persons to no small moderation and continency Certainly the Pallace or Court of Theodosius the yonger being Emperour did much resemble a great Monastery And the House of Elzearus the Earle bare the show of a small Monastery For in neither of these two places were to be heard any contentions or disagreements but insteed thereof the singing of spirituall Hymnes and Canticles did most frequently resound All this we owe as due to Christ who hath extinguished our thirst with his thirst and as a liuing fountaine hath so watered the fields of our Harts with flowing streames as that they need not feare any drought except our Harts depart from the fountaine it selfe which God forbid through the instigation of the Enemy Of the third fruite of the fifth Word CHAP. X. THe third fruite which may be taken from the words of Christ is the imitation of the Patience of the Sonne of God For although Humility conioyned with patience did shine in the Fourth word or sentence yet in the Fyfth word as in its proper and reserued place the wonderfull patience of Christ seemeth most eminently to manifest it selfe Patience is not only one of the chiefe Vertues but among the rest it is very necessary For thus S. Cyprian speaketh Serm. de bono Patientia Non inuenio inter caeteras c. Among the seuerall wayes of Celestiall discipline I do not find any thing more necessary to mans life or more conducing to true Glory then that we who labour to obserue the precept of our Lord with feare deuotion should carefully deuote our selfes to the practice of Patience
be more pardonable for him to seeke to be gouerned only by sensuality and corporall delights but seeing man is partakâ—r of reason he vnderstandeth or ought to vnderstaÌ„d that he who commaÌ„deth the flesh to be crucifyed with its vices coÌ„cupiscences is not ready only to command but also to help yea to preuent with the ayde of his grace and so to direct that the skillfull Physitian â—ay know how to temper this bitter cup as that it may he taken drunke vp wâ—thout any fastidious difficulty Furthermore if euery one of vs were the first to whome it was sayd Take vp the Crosse follow me Math. 16. Perhaps we might distrust of our our owne force and not be willing to touch the Crosse as fearing we could not be able to support it But seing many before vs not only men of full age but euen children and â—ong virgins haue with great fortitude taken vp the Crosse of Christ and haue borne it constantly and haue crucifiâ—d their flesh with their vices and concupiscences why should we be afrayd why should we be disanimated dismayed thereat S. Austin being ouerborne in iudgement with this argumeÌ„t did maister ouerrule his carnall concupiscence which for a long tyme he thought impossible to conquer For he proposed to himselfe before the eyes of his mynd many both men and Women recorded in history as most continent and chast and then in the secret of his soule he said to himselfe Cur non poteris c. Why art thou not able to performe what these men and women haue performed They were not able through their owne force but through the assistance of their Lord God Lib. 8 Confess c. 11. And vvhat is here spoken of the Concupiscence of the flesh the same may be said of the Concupiscence of the Eyes which is couetousnes or auarice and of Pryde of lyfe since there is no Vice which may not be crucified and mortified through the help and ayde of God Neither is there any danger of the want of Gods good concurrency therin seing as S. Leo sayth Iustè inst at praecepto c. He may iustly command that which he furthereth with his owne assistance Serm. 16. de pass Dom. They truly are miserable I may well say mad and foolish who when it is in their povver to vndergoe the sweet light yoake of Christ therby find in this life rest to the Soule and in the next reigne with the same Christ rather will subiect themselues to the yoake of Oxen at the command of the Deuill and to be thrall to flesh and sensuality and finally to be tormented in Hell with their Lord the Deuill for all Eternity Of the fifth fruite of the sixt Word CHAP. XVII THe fifth fruit is to be collected out of the foresaid Words Consummatum est as they do signify the edification building of the Câ—urch to be consummate and perfected vpon the Crosse that the Church it selfe did proceed from the syde of Christ dying as another Eue from the rib of Adâ—m sleeping This Mistery teacheth vs that we reuerence the Crosse that vve honour the Crosse that we prosecute the Crosse with all loue and affection For who is he that loueth not the place from whence his mother came out Certainly all good Catholikes are woÌ„derfully affected towards the most sacred House of Loreto because in it the B. Virgin Mother of God was borne and because in it also Iesus Christ our Lord and God was borne not out but in the Virginall Wombe For thus the Angel speaketh to Ioseph That which is borne in her is of the Holy Ghost Matth. 1. And herevpon the Church it selfe being mindfull of her owne birth or Natiuity doth paint and place the Crosse in euery place on the fore-front of Churches in houses neither doth she minister any Sacrament without the signe of the Crosse nor doth she sanctify or blesse any Creature without the Crosse But we then especially do manifest our great loue to the Crosse when we patiently suffer aduersity for the loue of him who was nayled and dyed vpon the Crosse For this is to glory in the Crosse to wit â—o do that which the Apostles did They went from the sight of the Councell reioycing because they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the Name of Iesus Act. 5. And the Apostle S. Paul explicateth what it is to glory in the Crosse when he saith Rom. 5. VVe glory in tribulations knowing that tribulations worketh Patience Patience Probation and probation Hope And Hope confoundeth not because the Charity of God it powred forth in our Harts by the Holy Ghost which is giuen vs. And from hence it is that S. Paul writing to the Galathians thus concludeth cap. 6. God forbid that I should glory sauing in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified to me and I to the World This is the triumph of the Crosse if the world with all its delights be as it were deade to a Christian soule louing Christ crucified and the Christian soule it selfe become deade to â—â—e world louing tribulation and conâ—â—mpt which the World hateth and â—osecuting with contemptâ— carnall â—easures and temporall glory which â—e vvorld much loueth and admireth â—nd thus it is brought to passe that â—e seruant of God is consummated â—â—rfected so as it may be said of him â—so Consummatus est Of the sixt fruite of the sixt Word CHAP. XVIII THe last fruite remayning is to be gathered from the Example of the Perseuerance of our Lord vpon the Crosse since from that word Consummatum est we gather that our Lord had consummated and finished the whole Worke of his Passion euen from the beginning to the End so as nothing more thereto could be desired or wished The works of God sayth Moyses are perfect Deut. 32. And euen as the Father did perfect in the sixt day the vvorke of mans Creation and vpon the seauenth did rest So the Sonne in the sixt day did consummate the worke of mans Redemption and vpon the seauenth did also rest In vayne did the Iewes cry out before the Crosse If he be the king of Israell let him now come downe from the Crosse But S. Bernard sayth more aptly Serm. 1. de Resurrect Immò quia Rex Israel est c. Yea because he is the King of Israel let him not loose the title of his Kingdome And a litle after Non tibi dabit occasionem c. Christ will not giue occasion of depriuing thee of perseuerance which alone is crowned He will not cause the tongues to be silent of Preachers perswading and comforting the faint harted and weake and saying to euery of them Looke thou doest not forsake thy Place or Station the which doubtlesly would follow if they might reply Christ hath forsaken his Place Christ therefore perseuered vpon the Crosse till che end of his life that he might so consummate and perfect his owne Worke as that nothing
Apostle In all those things we ouercome for his sake who loued vs. Moreouer all men ought and may consider who cannot depose and lay aside their Crosse without sinne not so much the present labour as the future reward which doubtlesly doth surmount all labour and griefe of this present life the Apostle saying Rom. 8. The sufferings of this time are not condigne to the glory to come that shal be reuealed in vs. Who speaking of Moyses in an other place thus writeth Moyses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasure of the Egyptians for he looked into the remuneration Hebr. 11. To conclude we may produce for the comfort of those men who are constrained to vndergoe a heauy Crosse for a long tyme the example of two men who did lose their perseuerance and thereupon did fynd incomparably a farre greater Crosse Iudas the Betrayer of Christ when he reflected vpon himselfe did detest his sinne of Treachery and not enduring the confusion and shame which he must suffer if he would conuerse with the Apostles and Disciples did hang himselfe So as he changed only but auoyded not the Crosse of the Confusion which he did flie Since greater Confusion shall follow him at the day of iudgment in the presence sight of all the Angels and of men when he shal be declared to be not only the Betrayer of Christ but withall his owne Homicide or Butcher And how great blindnes then was it in him to auoyde a small confusion among a few persons who being the Disciples of Christ were mild and gentle who euer would haue beene ready to exhort him to hope well of the Mercy of the Sauiour of the world but not to auoyde the infamy and confusion of his betraying of Christ hanging himselfe in the Theater and eye of all men and Angels The second example may be taken out of the Oration of S. Basill in 40. Mart. The summe whereof is this In the persecution of Licinius the Emperour foâ—rty souldiers being resolued to continue in the Fayth of Christ were condemned that openly in the ayre without any shelter in a most cold tyme and place they should spend the whole â—ight and so through a most long and sharp Martyrdome should perish through cold and frost There was prepared neere vnto the place when they were a hoat comfortable Bath to receaue such of the souldiers as would deny their Fayth Of the whole number of the souldiers thirty and nyne setting before their eyes not so much the present punishment of being frozen to death which would in a short tyme be ended as the Eternity of glory and happines perseuered in their Fayth receaued from the hands and bounty of our Lord most glorious Crownes Our souldier who had his mind fixed only vpon the present torment could not perseuere in his Christian fayth did thereupon leape into the warme Bath But he had no sooner gotten thereinto but that seuerall parts of his flesh being already congealed did fall asunder and the poore wretch breathed out his Soule and as denier of Christ descended into Hell and to perpetuall torments Thus he flying death he found death and changed a short and light Crosse or tribulation for an euerlasting and most grieuous Crosse Now all those do imitate these two most vnhappy men who do forsake the Crosse of a religious Course of life who do cast off a sweet yoake and easy burden and when they least thinke therof they do find themselfes to be tyed to a farre more grieuous yoake of diuers Concupiscences and Passions which they can neuer satisfy and thus being pressed downe with the most heauy weight of their sinnes they are not able to breath or take wynd The like reason is of all those who refuse to beare their Crosse with Christ and yet through sinning are forced to beare a far more grieuous Crosse with the Deuill The seauenth Word to wit Pater in manus tuas commendo Spiritum meum Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Luke 23. is litterally explained CHAP. XIX VVE are now come the last Word or Sentence of Christ which being ready to dye vpon the Crosse he spake not without great clamour saying Pater in manus tuas coÌ„mendo spiritum meuÌ„ Father into thy hands I commend my spirit We will explicate in order euery word Pater he deseruedly calleth him Father because himselfe was an obedient Sonne to him euen to death and therefore most worthy that he should be heard In manus tuas into thy Hands The Hands of God in the Scriptures are said to be his Intelligence and Will or VVisdome and Power Or which is coincident herewith the Vnderstanding of God knowing all things and his Will being able to performe or do all thinks For with these two God as not wanting Instruments otherwise doth all things because as S. Leo speaketh In Deo Voluntas Potentia est In God his Will is his Power Serm. 2 de Natiu Therfore with God to will a thing is to doe a thing according to that He hath done all things whatsoeuer he would Psal 113. Commendo That is I do commend or deliuer vp in pledge that it may be restored with trust when the tyme of restitution shall come Spiritum meum Touching this word how it is here to be taken there is no small Controuersy The word Spiritus is accustomed to be taken for the Soule vvhich is the substantiall forme of the Body as also it is taken for life it selfe and the reason hereof is because breathing is a signe of lyfe and who do breath do liue and who cease to breath do dye And certainly if by the word Spirit vve vnderstand in this place the Soule of Christ we are to take heed that no man should imagine there were any danger for that soule to goe out of its body As when other men are in dying their soule is accustomed to be commended to God through many Prayers and great Care in that it goeth to the Tribunall of the Iudge ready to receaue for its good or wicked works Glory or Punishment Such a Commendation as this the soule of Christ did not need both in that it was blessed from the beginning of its Creation as also because it was ioyned in Person with the Sonne of God and might be called the Soule of God and lastly by reason as victorious and triumphing it went out of its Body and was a terrour to all the Deuills but they could be no terrour to it Therefore if the Spirit be taken in this place for the Soule then these words of our Lord Commendo spiritum meum do signify that the Soule of Christ which vvas in its Body as in a Tabernacle was to be in the hands of the Father as in deposito vntill it did returne to the Body according to that Sap. 3. The soules of the Iust are in the hands of God But it is much more credible that by the word Spirit
in this place corporall life is vnderstood so as the sense is to be this I do now deliuer vp the spirit of my life and therein I cease to breath and to liue But this spirit this life O Father I commend to thee that vvithin a short tyme thou mayst restore it to my Body For to thee nothing is lost but all things do liue to thee who in calling out that vvhich is not makest it be and in calling out that which doth not liue makest it to liue That this is the true meaning of this place may first be gathered out of the 30. Psalme from whence our Lord did take this Prayer For thus Dauid doth there pray Thou wilt bring me out of this snare which they haue hid for me because thou art my Protectour Into thy hands I commend my spirit In vvhich place the Prophet by the spirit most euidently vnderstandeth lyfe for he prayeth to God that he will not suffer him to be slayne by his Enemies but that he will preserue his lyfe Furthermore the same point is deduced as true euen from this place of the Gospell For after our Lord had said Father into thy hands I do commend my spirit the Euangelist did subioyne And saying this he gaue vp the Ghost For to giue vp the Ghost signifieth to cease to draw spirit or wynd which is proper to those Creatures which are liuing the vvhich thing cannot be said of the soule the substantiall forme of the Body but it is said of the ayre which vve breath vvhilst we liue and we do cease to breath vvhen we dye Lastâ—y the foresaid exposition is gathered from those words of the Apostle Hebr. 5. Who in the dayes of his flesh with a strong cry and teares offering prayers and supplications to him that could saue him from death was heard for his reuerence This place some do vnderstand of the prayer which our Lord made in the garden saying Father if it be possible transferre this Chalice from me Mar. 14. But in that place our Lord did not pray with a strong cry neither was he heard neither would he haue beene heard that he should be free exempted from the death For he prayed that the Chalice of his Passion might passe from him thereby to shew a naturall desire of not dying and himselfe to be true man whose nature doth abhorre death But he added Not that which I will but that which thou let thy Will be done Thus we see that the prayer of Christ in the garden cannot be that Prayer of which the Apostle speaketh to the Hebrews Others maintaine that that prayer of Christ mentioned by S. Paul is the same vvhich our Lord made for his Crucifiers vpon the Crosse saying Father forgiue them for they do not know what they doe Luc. 23. But at that time our Lord did not vse any strong crye neither did he pray for himsâ—lfe that he might be saued from death both which two points are euidently expressed by the Apostle to the Hebrews For being vpon the Crosse he prayed for his Crucifiers that that most grieuous and heauy sinne might be pardoned to them Therefore it remaineth that those words of the Apostle be vnderstoode of that last prayer which our Lord made vpon the Crosse saying Father into thy hands I commend my spirit the which prayer he made with a strong crye S. Luke saying And Iesus crying with a loud voice said c. Where vve see that S. Paul and S. Luke do clearely herein agree togeather Furthermore our Lord prayed tâ—at he might be saued from death as S. Paul doth witnesse but the meaning herâ—of cannot beâ— that he should not dye vpon the Crosse for therein he vvas not heard yet S. Paul testifieth that he was heard but the meaning is that he prayed that he might not be vvholy absorpt vp by death but only might tast death and presently returne to life For thus much is implied in those words He offered vp prayers to him that could saue him For our Lord could not be ignorant but that he was to dye especially being then most neare to death but he couered to be safe from death in this sense to wit that he might not be detayned long by death which was nothing else but to pray for a speedy Resurrection in which hiâ— prayer he was fully heard since he did rise most gloriously the third day This explication of the testimony of S. Paul euidently conuinceth that when our Lord said Into thy hands I command my spirit the spirit is taken for Lyfa not for the â—oule For he was not sollicitous of his soule the vvhich he did knovv to be in safety since it was most blessed and did see God face to face euen from its Creation but he was sollicitous and carefull of his Body which he savv vvas to be depriuâ—d of lyfe through death and therefore he prayed that his Body might not long remaine in death the vvhich petition as aboue we said he in a most full manner obtayned The first fruite of the seauenth Word CHAP. XX. NOw according to our former Method I wil gather some fruits from this Last word of Christ from his death presently ensuing And first euen from that thing which seemeth to be most full of infirmity weakenes and simplicity the great Power Wisdome and Charity of God is demonstrated For in that our Lord gaue vp the Ghost crying with a great Voyce his Power and strength is manifestly discerned since from this vve may gather that it vvas in his povver not to dye and that he dyed willingly For those men vvho dye naturally do lose by degrees their force and voyce and in their last agony fight vvith death they are not able to cry out with any great and vehement speach or Voyce Therefore not without cause the Centurion seeing that Iesus after so much profusion of Bloud vvith a great and lovvd voyce dyed said Certainly this was the Sonne of God Mar. 15. Christ is a great Lord vvho euen dying sheweth his â—ower not only by crying out with a great Voyce at his last breathing but also in cleauing the Earth cutting a sunder the stones opening the Monuments and in rending the Veyle of the Temple all vvhich things to haue fallen out euen at the very tyme vvhen Christ dyed the Euangelist witnesseth Furthermore all these strange Euents haue their mistery by which the Wisdome of Christ is manifested For the concussion of the Earth as also the cleauing of the stones did signify that by the Passion and death of Christ men vvere moued and stirred vp to pennance and the harts of the obstinate vvere euen cut a sunder vvhich Effects at that very time to haue happened S. Luke writeth when he sayth that many returning from that spectacle and sight did knock their breasts The opening of the graues sepulchers doth designe the glorious Resurrection of the dead to succeed after that of Christ The tearing or rending of the Veyle
sort for many yeares their Almes-deeds and those not in number few But when these come to the diuine ballacing examination and are precisely to be discussed whether they were well done to wit with right intentions with due attention in fitting tyme and place proceeding from a man gratefull to God O how many things which did appeare to be gaines to the soule will rather be accounted as losses and detriments vnto it And how many things which seemed in mans iudgment to be gould siluer and precious stones built vpon the foundatiō of fayth will be found to be wood straw which the fire will instantly consume The consideration of this point doth not a litle terrify me by how much I draw more neare to my end for as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 8. That which groweth ancient and waxeth old is nigh vnto vtter decay so much the more euidently I see that the admonition and Counsell of S. Iohn Chrysostome is necessary to me who councels vs not to weigh and prize to much our owne good works because if they be good works indeed that is works vvell piously done they are registred by God in his booke of Accounts and there is no danger that they shal be defrauded of their due reward but let vs daily thinke sayth he of our euill bad works and labour vvith a contrite hart and spirit vvith many teares and serious pennance to wash them away For such men vvho performe his aduise herein shall say at the close and end of their life vvith great confidence and Hope Into thy hands I commend my spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth Of the fourth fruite of the seauen VVord CHAP. XXIII THere followeth the fourth fruite which may be gathered from the most happy hearing of the prayer of our Lord that from so comfortable an Euent all of vs may be much animated and encouraged to commend our spirits to God with greater vehemency and ardour of deuotion For the Apostle did most truly write that our Lord Iesus Christ was heard for his reuerence Heb. 5. Our Lord prayed to his Father for a speedy Resurrection of his Body as aboue we haue shewed His prayer was heard so as his Resurrection was no longer delayed then it was needfull to proue that his Body was truly dead For except it could be infallibly demonstrated that his Body did truly depart out of this lyfe both the Resurrection as also the whole Christian Fayth might be doubted of and called into question Therefore our Sauiour was to remaine in the graue for the space at least of fourty houres especially seeing the figure of Ionas the Prophet was to be accomplished which as our Lord himselfe taught in the Ghospell was to premonstrate and foreshew his death But to the end that the Resurrection of Christ might be accelerated hastened so farre forth as it was cōuenient and that it might be more manifestly proued that the prayer of Christ was heard the diuine Prouidēce would that the three dayes and three nights during which tyme Ionas was in the Belly of the Whale should be reduced in the Resurrection of Christ to one entire and whole day and two parts of two dayes which time not properly but by the figure intellectio might be said to contayne three dayes three nights Neither did the Father heare the prayer of Christ only in shortning the tyme of his Resurrection but also in restoring incomparably a better lyfe then before he enioyed Since the lyfe of Christ before his death was mortall but it is restored to him immortall Christ rising againe from the dead now dieth no more death shall no more haue dominion ouer him as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 6. The lyfe of Christ before his death was passible that is subiect to hunger thirst wearines wounds but being restored impassible it stāds not obnoxious to any iniury The Body of Christ was before death Animale but after the resurrection it became spiritale that is so subiect to the spirit as that in a twinkling of an Eye it might be caryed into any place where the spirit it selfe would Novv the reason why the Prayer of Christ was so easily heard is subioyned by the Apostle when he sayth pro sua reuerentia for his reuerence The Greeke word here vsed to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a reuerentiall feare vvhich was most eminent in Christ tovvards his father Therefore Esay describing the guifts of the Holy Ghost which were in the soule of Christ of other guifts thus sayth The spirit of wisdome and Vnderstanding shall rest vpon him the spirit of Counsell and Strength the spirit of Knowledge and Piety but of reuerentiall Feare the said Prophet thus speaketh And the spirit of the Feare of our Lord shall replenish him Isa 11. Novv because the soule of Christ was most full of reuerentiall Feare towards his Father therefore the Father did take most great pleasure in him according to that we read in S. Matthew This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Matth. 3. 17. And euen as the Sonne did euer reuerence the Father in a most high degree so did the Father euer heare him praying and granted whatsoeuer he desired Novv from hence may we learne that if vve expect euer to be heard by our heauenly Father and to obtaine whatsoeuer we demaund of him we ought to imitate Christ herin in prosecuting our said heauenly Father with supreme Reuerence and in preferring nothing before his honour For so it wil be effected that whatsoeuer we pray for we shall obtaine and peculiarly that in which consisteth the chiefest good of our state I meane that vvhen death shall approach God may receaue our soule passing out of the Body commended vnto him vvhen the roaring Lyon standeth neere vnto vs as being ready for a prey Neither let any man thinke that Reuerence is exhibited to God only in genuflection or in bovving of the knee in vncouering of the Head or in any other worship and honour of such like nature The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or timor reuerentialis doth not signify only this externall honour but it chiefly denotes a great feare of offending of God and an invvard continual horrour of sinne and this not through dread of punishment but through loue of our Celestiall Father He is truly indued with reuerentiall Feare who dare not thinke of offence or sinne especially mortall sinne Blessed is that man sayth Dauid who feareth our Lord He shall haue great delight in his Commandements That is he truly feareth God and in that respect may be called Blessed who with all bent of Will and Endeauour studies to keep all the Commandement of God And from hence it proceeded that that holy widdow Iudith timebat Dominum valde as we reade in her Booke cap. 8. For she being but a yong Woman and of great beauty and very rich lest she should after the death of her husband either giue