the Sea and I haue bene euen drowned in the tempest He came into the depth of those thoughts wherof the holy Prophet said Psalm 91. that they were too very deepe Nimis profundae factae sunt cogitationes tuae A Sea it was rather of mud then waters and he was plunged Psalm 68. in limo profundi non est substantia into that pit of mire from which he could nether be free nor find any resting place for his feete therein Nor is it strange that he should say that he was drowned when vpon the Crosse he came into the Tempest indeed since we find that in the garden where this Tempest was only present to his imagination it had almost cost him his life The imaginatiō of fearfull men doth often by way of anticipation represent things worse then they proue indeed because they seeme to feele whatsouer their weake harts are induced to feare But in the minde of our Lord IESVS Christ it could not be so for he foresaw things iust as they were to proue and that bare foresight had cast him into that bitter Agony it had made him powre out a sweat of bloud and it had forced him to say Marc. 14. that his very soule was sad euen to the death A wonderfull thing it were that a coale of fire should be buried and drowned in water yet should cōtinue still to burne Christ our Lord is this (a) The vnquēch able loue of our Lord. liuing coale of the fire of loue for though he were all steeped soaked and euen drowned in the water of affliction for our sinnes Cant. 8. Yet aquae multae non potuerunt extinguere caritatem The siery coale of his loue could not be quenched by those many waters Nay as wind doth kindle other coales so did these waters of tribulation kindle this of his loue to vs. Already vpon his condemnation the Tytle or cause of his death was deliuered in writing by Pilate to be fixed to the instrument therof which was his Crosse This tytle carried these words Matt. 27. Luc. 23. Marc. 18. Ioan. 19. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes And for so much as concerned the intention of Pilate it was deliuered by a kind of chance But the superiour prouidence of God did ordayne for reasons of infinite wisedome that it should be so And although the wicked Iewes were scandalized therat and would faine haue had it changed from affirming positiuely Ibid. that he was king of the Iewes to a saying only That he had said so yet could they not be gratified therin The words were written in Hebrew Greeke and Latine which were the mother and maister-tongues of the world and so were to continue to the worlds end And now they were consecrated in most particular manner to the publique seruice of our Lord God and as such they are and will be vsed in the holy Catholike Church whatsoeuer is muttered by the aduersaries therof who are also the aduersaries both of the signe of the materiall Crosse of Christ and of the liuing Crosse also which is Mortification and Penance But the while though Almighty God had his ends heerin for our good as hath been sayd yet their malice went by other wayes and they vsed it to no other purpose which was only for the increase of his ignominy in the eyes of them who seeing such a glorious Tytle aboue and such a dolorous and deiected person vnderneath Matt. 17. Marc. 15. Luc. 23. Ioan. 19. might the more readily and profoundly contemne him and our Lord did with excesse of charity stoope to all The souldiers whilst he was suffering had so little care or thought of him as that instantly they were at leasure to fall to rifeling for his cloathes And they who made no difficulty to breake through teare his sacred body frō head to foote tooke care not to breake or cut his seam-lesse coate Our Lord was stil cōtent with all and not only was he resolued to giue his life for their soules but he gaue way that his cloathes should apparell the bodies of his persecutors He had said before that our bodies were more worth thē our garmēts Matt. 6. And if this be true in our case how much more infinitely true was it in his Both because through our Pride our cloathes be richer thē he euer wore and because our bodyes are so much baser thē that most pure and pretious body of his But these wretches did cast vp their account after another fashion marking all things els with great Figures but esteeming this Lord of all things for a meere Cypher The sacred Text doth further note that they being appointed to watch guard him whilst he was hanging vpō the Crosse were so far from bearing any part of his sorrow out of pitty as that they set (b) Barbarous wretches themselues downe at their ease which a man would scarce haue done at the death of any common rogue especially if it were a death of torment Let Pagans take their pleasures for a tyme when the Sonne of God is suffering such bitter paine for them Let the prophane souldiers of Pilate who figure out the libertines of this world sit downe and take their ease notwithstanding that our Redeemer made choyce of paine and by choosing it did facilitate and sanctify it vpon his owne sacred person to our vse But as for vs who are Catholikes and Caualliers of Christ let it be farre from vs to doate vpon delights which he auoyded and to abhorre affronts and paines Bernard ser 5. in festo omnium SS an vncomly thing for any inferiour member of a body to hunt after commodity and ease when the head of the same body should be crowned and pierced with thornes Pudeat sub capite spinoso mēbrum fieri delicatum Our head is crowned and we are not liuing parts of his body but the Canker of heresie hath consumed vs or at least the Gangrene of sensuality hath killed vs if we suffer not togeather with this head by true compassion which true compassion implyes not a pittying but a ioynt suffering according to our strength of body and the dictamen of true loue to the beloued and which if it be true indeed more easily your may perswade the soule which hath it not to liue then the body not to suffer The mortall life of our blessed Lord was drawing on apace towards an end but yet for the little while that it was to last he was not content with that one Crosse alone to which he was nayled by the cruell hands of those executioners but he admitted also of other crosses to which he was shot by the blasphemous tongues of all those kindes of people which were present They had put him out of the reach of their fingars that he might hange as he did vpon Irons in the ayre But yet they gaue him not ouer so for they wounded his
to all the (e) The abnegatiō of ones self which is required by the doctrine of Christ our Lord. Luc. 14. Ioan. 12. Ioan. 6. vvorld as instantly I shall touch againe that If any man would come after him he must deny himselfe take vp his Crosse follow him For he that would saue his life should loose it and he that would loose his life for him should saue it If a sectary or libertine shal heare this Doctrine he vvil be sure to say that it is Durus sermo A bit vvhich hath a bone in it so bigge as that he knovves not hovv either to chavv or svvallovv and much lesse digest it And yet this very bit this bitter pilwhich is so vnsauoury to the man vvho is all made of flesh and bloud being vvrapped vp in the golden vvords of our Lord doth in the taking it dovvne grovv so full of delight and gust through the puissance vvhich it hath ouer the soules of such as doe seriously sincerely loue him that no pennance in this life could be so grieuous to them as if they should be boüd from doing pennance And see now by this whether the Doctrine of Christ our Lord be not of strange power and strength and whether his diuine Maiesty haue not infinitely loued vs who hath made weake men so able and so willing to imbrace it for the loue of him This (f) This doctrine as it is on the one side effica cious and strong so on the other it is smooth sweet strength wherwith the Doctrine of Christ our Lord abounds is no rude or course kind of strength but rather it is like some one of those most excellēt Minerall Phisicks which is exactly well prepared For together with the discharging of peccant humours which vseth to carry with it a kind of paine it is a cordiall withall and it comforts the very substance of the soule incompably more excellently then that other Phisicke can the nature of the body Besides there is not heere any one receipt alone for the cure of soules as there be Empericks inough in the world who withall their bragges haue but some one medicine or two for the corporall cure of as many patients as they may chance to haue But heere are fully as many helpes as there can be motions in the minde this Doctrine is fit to worke vpon them al. For who sees (g) The seuerall wayes wherby the hart of man is holpen by that Doctrine of Christ our Lord. not how it abounds with exact commandements expresse prohibitions high and holy counsailes heroicall examples a clear notice of benefits already receiued and faithful promises of more sweet admonitions seuere reprehensions and terrible threats To the end that no man may be able to defend or euen excuse his disobedience with any appearance of reason but that euery one may as he ought submit himselfe What misery can that be whereof heere he may not find a remedy what doubt wherof he may not find a solution What pious affection wherof he may not find an inflamation What vertue would he obtaine or what vice would he auoyd wherin he shall not find a world of counsaile addresse And in a word what thought of God or of himselfe can he haue with any relation to his comfort either for this life or the next which being a good student of this Doctrine of Christ our Lord he may not easily apparaile in that rich and choyce wardrobe of his with iaculatory prayers and aspirations I say not only significant but which haue withall so much of the ardent of the great and of the noble as it will become the eares of God to heare will not become his mercifull hart not to harken to The incompar able purity of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord and with how great loue he helpeth vs towards the practise therof CHAP. 35. THIS diuine Doctrine of our Lord IESVS doth no way abrogate the morall law or ten commaundements but it doth auow and ratify the same Though for as much as concernes the Iudiciall and Ceremoniall lawes vnder which the people of God did liue before the coming of our Messias it perpetuated only the reall verities which were conteyned therin and it did destroy and bury though yet with honour those partes therof which were but figures of the comming of Christ our Lord. We say therfore most properly that to be the Doctrine of this diuine Doctour wherby either some Truthes were reuiued which through the wickednes of men were neglected and laid to sleepe before his comming or els wherby some others were published to the world which in perfection did exceed the former and many of them were not so properly inioyned in the nature of a comaundement as they were taught vs by the counsailes of Christ our Lord. This (a) Wher and how the body of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord is deliuered Doctrine of Christ our Lord is partly deliuered to vs by the Tradition of the holy Catholike Church as we shall see afterward and partly in holy Scripture And in this holy Scripture most of those particulars are conteyned and expressed which shew the perfection and purity of his heauenly Doctrine This is done after a most particular manner in that diuine sermon wherby his Disciples and we in them if we also will be his Disciples Cap. 5.6 and elsewhere in all the parts of the ghospell were instructed vpon that hill and S. Matthew deliuereth it by the words of our Lords owne sacred mouth He proclaimeth the eight Beatitudes where he annexeth not felicity to the comodities and pleasures of this life But to pouerty of spirit meekenes mornefulnes hungar and thirst after Iustice mercifulnes purity of hart Peace making and to the being persecuted and reuiled for the cause of Christ our Lord. He lets men know withall that for no respect they must breake the least tittle of the law of God That men must not be angry nor giue any iniurious word to others That we must not consent to so much as the least dishonest thought That no man or woman must be diuorced vpon the committing of lesse then Fornication and that neither of thē shall marry againe till the other dye That we must not sineare at all That we must not so much as resist oppression That we must loue euen our very enemies That we must giue Almes and fast and pray without ostemation That in all things we must haue a most pure intention That we must cast away all sollicitude concerning our selues and leaue all to the good prouidence of God That we must reforme our selues but not so much as iudge any other man That we must cut of and cast away all occasions causes of scandall and sinne how neere or how deare so euer they may be to vs. That we must striue to enter into he auen by the (b) Of mortification and penance narrow gate That we must aspire to chastity
by words sometimes by way of Sermōs sometimes of Parables sometymes at meales sometimes in the working of miracles That he spake at large Ioan. 14. at that supper which was the last he made on earth and in the Garden Luc. 22. when he boyled himselfe in a bath of bloudy sweate vpon that Crosse when he left his most pretious life in the midst of cruell torments and most bitter scornes which brake his hart though indeed he dyed of pure loue to vs but yet withall that those words of his were lost that they had not beene kept vpon record or if they had been kept that now they could be found no more What labour I say would we not endure what charge would we not vndergoe what danger would we not incurre with ioy so that by meanes therof one word of his might be recouered and knowne And in that case how should we be still sounding it out with our tongues and on grauing it vpon our harts and entertayning our selues day night in the cogitatiō contēplation therof But (d) They haue little knowledge of God who grow not in loue and reuerēce to him the more they treat with him now it may be feared that plenty it selfe hath made vs poore and familiarity hath bred contempt and that our queasy stomacks are ouercome and gone through the only smell of such a sumptuous feast as we are inuited to whilst such a world of those very words which Christ our Lord did vse in holy Scripture are set before not only our mind but euen our very eyes and eares by our holy mother the Church If it be so let vs pray that heerafter such a great ingratitude may be farre from vs and let vs beginne to cast our harts at the feete of our Lord for so incomparable a fauour The Canon of this holy Scripture is therfore that which doth containe as hath been said the chiefest part of that diuine Doctrine which our Lord IESVS came to teach on earth I say the chiefest part for it is not al. But our Lord IESVS taught many things both by himselfe and by his Apostles which we are all obliged to beleeue and yet they are not expressed in holy Scripture And so he told his Apostles and Disciples That (c) The proofe of Traditiō Ioan. 16. he had many things to say to them but that then they were not capable therof And the Text it selfe doth also affirme that he conuersed with them betwene his Resurrection and Ascension discoursing by the space of Fourty dayes Luc. 1. of the kingdome of God which is his Church And it cannot be but that then he told thē of many of those very things wherof he had knowne them to be incapable till that tyme and yet the holy Scripture giues very little account therof The Baptisme of infants was not particularly taught in holy Scripture the Sacraments indeed were instituted by our B. Lord and S. Paul said 1. Cor. 11. he would giue particular orders in that of the blessed Sacrament when he should arriue with the Corinthians but what those orders might be we can know no otherwise then by the tradition of the holy Church The Sabaoth was translated from the Saturday to the Sunday Many Ceremonies of the old Law were abrogated and some of them permitted as namely (f) S. Paul did circumcise Timothy Act. 15. Circumcision with many others and some euen commaunded for a tyme as the abstayning from the eating of bloud or strangled meates and the like But how long or short that tyme was to be we haue no newes out of holy Scripture Nay this Canon of the very Scripture it selfe wherin we are so happy as hath bene said and whervpon the Aduersaries of the Church for the disguysing of their disobedience and pride will needs pretend to relye as vpon the entiere rule of Faith the sole Iudge of controuersies in religion is no way declared to vs by any one text of holy Scripture But it is only authorized in respect of vs by the voyce sentence of the holy Church Many many other instāces might be also giuē by the cleare light wherof it would appeare that the whole Doctrine of our Lord is not conteyned in holy Scripture Nor (g) In what sense the holy Scripture may improperly be said to contayne the whole Doctrine of Christ our Lord. can it be truly said to be all cōtayned there in any sense vnlesse it be because the holy Scripture doth plainely shew the markes of the true visible Church of Christ our Lord and doth teach that the decrees therof Matt. 18. are to be obeyed in all things without appeale Which Church because it possesseth and dispenseth that whole Dopositum of true Doctrine concerning the seruice of God which S. Paul did so recommend to S. Timothy the holy Scrpture 1. Tim. 6. may in some sense be sayd to containe the whole doctrine of Saluation because it sends vs to the Church which doth indeed particularly containe and teach it all But neuerthelesse it is certaine and we still confesse it agayne and agayne to the vnspeakeable ioy of our harts that the holy Scripture it selfe holds the greatest part of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord. And therfore as I was saying much of that which I deliuered before concerning the excellency of his Doctrine both may and ought to be most fitly applyed to holy Scripture And because there occurreth somewhat concerning the particular eminency of this holy booke which hath not particularly bene touched before I will heere the rather reflect vpon it because we may easily see thereby the dignity of our Lords loue therin How carefull we must be not to berash in the vse of holy Scripture and of the great obscurity therof CHAP. 37. FIRST therfore for our comfort and to the end that no place at all might be left for doubt he was pleased that it should be written by the spirit of God wherby (a) The infallible truth of holy Scripture it growes to be as true as truth it selfe And in this we are of so firme beliefe as that there is not one little in it for the defence wherof from the least aspersion of the least iniury or errour we are not willing to lay down a million of liues This is an homage which we neither owe nor pay to any other booke But to this it is most due both for the irrefragable truth which it carrieth and for the loue wherwith our Lord resolued that in cases which did so much concerne vs he would haue vs know his mind Yet heerin his meaning was that still for our relying vpon the true sense thereof we should be ruled by our betters For els how (b) Howsoeuer holy Scripture is infallibly true in it selfe we shall grow into errour by it vnlesse it be interpreted by the Church infallible soeuer the holy Scripture were in it selfe we might make it through
little stones or sands vpon the shore therof Yea be thou yet cleane at last be pure away with thy wicked thoughts out of my sight Make once an end of being peruerse Learne to doe wel seeke iudgment succour the oppressed Doe iustice to the Orphane defend the widdowe and then come and reproach me if I make not good my word For if thy sinnes should be as scarlet they shall become as while as snow and if they should be as red as vermilion they shall be as cleane as the purest wooll I know thou hast said Dixit Sion Dorminus dereliquit me c. Isa 49. Our Lord hath forsaken me our Lord hath forgotten me But what can the mother forget her infant or can she faile to take pitty vpon the child of her owne wombe And though she should yet will not I forget thee Behould I haue ingrauen thee in my very hands Quare ergo dixie populus c. Lerem 2. Why hath my people said to me We vvill depart and come to thee no more Can the virgin forget her gorgeous attires or can the Spouse forget the ornament which she weareth vpon her beast Yet my people hath forgotten me I cannot tell how long Vulgo dicitur c. Ierem. 3. It is commonly said among you if a man dismisse his wife and she marry another will that husband euer resort to her againe Shall not that woman be held for an impure defiled creature But thou hast committed Fornication with many louers and yet returne to me sayth our Lord and I will receaue thee Looke vp and consider where thou hast not prostituted thy selfe Thou hast gotten the face of a Harlot and thou wouldst not blush Yet now at last call vpon me and say Thou art my Father Et dixi c̄ fecisset haec omnia c. lerem 3. Thou art the conductor of my virginity For I for my part haue said to Sion after she had committed all her sinnes Returne to me and yet she returned not Returne to me O thou vntoward Israell saith our Lord I will not turne my face from thee because I am holy saith our Lord Ad punctum in modico dereliqui te c. Isa 54. In funiculis Adam c. Ose 11. and I will not be angry with thee for euer I haue forsaken thee for a short tyme but I will gather thee vp in great mercies For an instant of indignation I hid my face from thee but I haue taken pitty on thee with eternall mercy saith thy Lord and thy redeemer I will draw thee to my selfe in the cords af Adam in the bonds of loue And I will be as one who takes the yoke from off the necke of his cattle and giues the raines to his horse that he may feed These are the words of the holy Ghost by them doth he expresse the infinite loue which is borne to man And now it doth but remaine that we answere such loue withall the loue we haue To which if this Chapter will not haue obliged vs by making vs see the expression of Gods mercies in the old Testament wo be to vs but yet let vs try what may be done by the consideration of that which passed in the New wherof the next Chapter will informe vs. The infinite tender Loue of Christ our Lord which is expressed in the Scriptures of the new Testament CHAP. 40. SVCH as hath been seen is the stile which the God of heauē earth doth hold with his miserable and most sinfull creatures and this he hath held from all eternity he went executing it thus in tyme euen vnder both the law of nature and the written law when yet his Sonne our Lord had not taken flesh But as the mercies which were vouchsafed expressed by our Lord God to men in the old Testament were yet all designed and imparted by him in contemplation of Christ our Lord who was then to come so when the fulnes of that tyme was arriued and that indeed the increated word become incarnate for the saluation of man it was (a) It was fit not only in mercy but euen in iustice that vnder the law of grace the loue of God should appeare more cleerly thē before agreable not only to mercy but euen to iustice it selfe that the loue of God should triumph for our benefit more then euer And that not only in the solid proofe of loue but euen in the sweet and tender demonstrations therof For now our Lord spake no longer to vs by his Angells nor by his Prophets only but by his Sonne himselfe who was no more a perfect man then he was God And this God without the interposition or interpretation of any other creature did now in person conuerse with men He taught them by the words of his owne sacred mouth He cured them of all diseases by his miracles He assumed some to the dignity of being his Apostles and all the world to the honour and happines of being his Disciples He (b) How the seruants of God are dignified by Christ our Lord. declares how they who obey the will of God are his brothers his sisters and euen as it were his very mother Sometymes he calls men his seruants and when they haue carried themselues well therin he aduaunceth them to be not so much his seruants as his friends professing to impart all his secrets to them Looke in his last Sermon recorded by S. Iohn Sometymes he cals them his children yea and sometymes by the name of Filioli his little children to shew that innocent carefull tender kind of sweet affection which a mother would carry to her Infant We may see the whole history of his most blessed life all imbrodered by the hands of the holy Euangelists heere with teares there with sighes and euery where with abundance of corporall and spirituall labours both actiue and passiue for loue of vs Matt. 10. euen before the tyme of his pretious death Is any thing more liberall then his promisses where he entayles the inheritance of heauen to the guift of a cup of cold water Matt 25. without our bestowing so much cost as euen to heate it Nay and he is content to say that whosoeuer should performe any little worke of charity to any seruant of his he would take it in as deare part as if it had bene affoarded to his very selfe Is (c) His earnest protestations any thing more serious then his protestations of that truth which he came to teach vs for our good Amen Amen dico vobis Verily verily I tell you this and that And was it not a strāg descent for that Prima Veritas that roote and fountaine of all truth to helpe our blindnes and backwardnes in beleeuing by protesting things to be so as if his simple word had not deserued so well as to haue bene taken Is any thing more vniuersal then his Proclamations which thus he makes to all
to tyme He shewed them what a glory it would be for them to resemble their Maister in his Crosse and he made them knovv vvithall that they should not carry it alone but that in the place of his owne corporall presence which then was the obiect of their senses he would send them a comforter the Holy Ghost from heauen who should inhabit and sanctify their soules He promised them his Peace which should shew them a safe and quiet port wherin to ride in the very midst of all the difficulties and greatest daungers of this world He told thē in plaine tearmes that he loued them and he besought thē that as they loued him they would keepe his commaundements and that if they would doe so both he and his Father would come and visit and dwell with them He told them moreouer that euen his eternall Father loued them and that whatsoeuer they would akse they should be sure to haue whether they should aske it of himselfe or of his Father in his name yea and he desired them to aske somewhat of him that so their ioy might be full as if he had bid them try and be euen iudged by themselues whether he had said true or no. It serueth also to shew the very passionatenes as I may say of his loue (d) Agreat proofe of the tendernes the loue of our Lord Iesus that he was content to repeate the selfe same expressions of it many tymes To declare that he could not say that inough which he thought he could neuer doe too much We see how tenderly he called them his seruants his Disciples his friends and that he would tell them all his secrets his Sonnes and euen his little Sonnes whome yet he would not leaue as Orphans without a Father And now we shall heare him pray the eternall Father for them in most efficacious and obliging words That he would sanctify them in his Truth He presseth him by the highest points of diuine Rethoricke which could be though of He puts him in mind Of the eternall loue he bare the Sonne and of the faithfull seruice which he the Sonne had performed to the Father He also representeth the Fathers Mission of the Sonne and he avoweth That as the Father had sent him so had he seent them He begs the vnion of all his children with one another and of all those children with himselfe that so he being in God and they being in him they all might also come to be one in God In this (e) How earnest our Lord Iesus was for vs in his suyte to his eternall Father suite of his he is so importunate and proceeds so farre to vrge the same that in effect he tells the eternall Father that he will not be denyed therin Nor was he content that this should be an vnion of inferiour degree but an vnion with perfection and consummation Iust so as in a broath which is made of diuers meats there is an vnion of those meates in that broath and if they boyle in it till they euen boyle away there is not only an vnion of the meates but a consummation thereof into that broath And although in most places of holy Scripture when our Lord spake to his Apostles or Disciples he meant not that his words should be for them alone but that all the world should be comprehended in their persons to whome then he spake Yet his loue at that tyme was not content to intend vs only by way of inference but that dying flame would needs be sending out certaine flashes which yet extend themselues so farre as euen to lay expresse hold vpon euery one of our indiuiduall persons who haue the happines to be members of the holy Catholike Church Which they only are who beleeue the Doctrine of Christ our Lord by the preaching of the Apostles or of those Apostolicall men who haue a lawfull and direct mission from them And therfore he said for now I cite his owne very words I pray not only for them that is to say for his Apostles but for those others also who will beleeue in mee by their preaching that they be one as thou O Father art in mee and I in thee so they also may be one in vs and the world may beleeue that thou hast sent me And that glory which thou hast giuen me I haue giuen to them that they may be one thing as we are one thing In thee and thou in mee that they may be (f) A strāg desire for Christ our Lord to make to God in our behalfe consummated in one and the world may know that thou hast sent me and that thou hast loued them euen as thou hast loued me I will O Father that they whome thou hast giuen mee may be with me there where I shall be That they may see the glory which thou hast giuen mee because thou louedst me before the framing of the world O thou iust Father the world hath not known thee but I haue knowne thee and these haue knowne that thou hast sent me And I haue made my name known to thē and I will make it knowne that the same very loue wherwith thou hast loued me may be in thē I in thē These amongst many others were the words of our bleffed Lord in that last diuine sermon of his Wherby we may see the amourous and restlesse desire which tooke possession of his hart wherwith he sollicited his eternall Father that we might behold the glory which he had giuen to him and placing as it were his whole (g) Our Lord Iesus did place his honour in beeing Lord by his eternal Father for vs. credit vpon the obteyning of these fauours for vs when he begs it to the end that so the world might come to know that the Father had sent him As if he should haue said that in the face of the world he had giuen his word both for our Redemption and Sanctification Vnion and for our right to raigne in heauen with himselfe and that if the eternall Father should not make good that word the world might haue reason not to beleeue that he was as he had said the Sonne of God The horrour and terrour and sorrow of Christ our Lord togeather with his Prayer in the Garden CHAP. 54. NO sooner had he ended that speach but instantly he went out with his Disciples ouer the Torrent of Cedron Ioan. 18◠He did perhaps passe ouer that Torrent without once tasting any droppe therof but the whole world was a kind of Torrent of affliction to him his whole life was that way wherin he did not only tast but take deepe draughts therof before he exalted his head Psalm 109. by ascending vp to heauen Already did the sensible or inferiour part of his soule begin to be obscure and sad with care He was pleased to leaue it after a sort to it selfe for the increase of that paine which he desired to suffer For els his
otherwise in the mystery of his appreheÌ„sion pag. 344 Chap. 60. Of the blow which was giuen vpon the face of our B. Lord in the high â—â—iests house of the fall of S. Peter How our Lord was taxed first of Blasphemy of the excessiue Loue of our Lord in all these particulars pag. 350 Chap. 61. The abundant must bitter scornes which our B. Lord indured with excessiue loue in that night precedent to his death pag. 358 Chap. 62. How our Lord was solemnly adiuged worthy of death for Blasphemy of the death of Iudas and how they send our Lord to Pilate pag. 366 Chap. 63. How Pilate examined our B. Lord sent him to Herod How Herod scorned him sent him backe to Pilate who resolued to scourge him pag. 372 Chap. 64. Of the cruell Scourging of Christ our Lord and how with incomparable patience and charity he endured the same pag. 377 Chap. 65. How our B. Lord was crowned with thornes blasphemed tormented with strang inuention of malice And how he endured all with incoÌ„parable loue pag. 382 Chap. 66. How we ought to carry our selues in consideration of the Ecce Homo And how our B. Sauiour did carry himselfe at that tyme with contempt of all humane comfort for loue of vs. pag. 388 Chap. 67. How the Iewes prefer Barabbas before Christ our Lord And how Pilate gaue sentence of death against him And with what incessant loue he endured all pag. 394 Chap. 68. How our Lord did carry his Crosse of the excessiue loue he shewed in bearing the great affronts which were done to him in his iorney to Mount Caluary pag. 399 Chap. 69. The Crucifixion of our B. Lord his quicke sense seuerall paynes distinctly felt of his vnspeakeable patience and loue to vs therin pag 404 Chap. 70. Of the excessiue torments of our Lord how he was blasphemed by all sortes of persons and of the diuine patience and loue wherwith he bare it all pag. 411 Chap. 71. How our Lord did exercise the Offices of Redeemer and Instructor vpon the Crosse and of the three first words he vttered from thence pag. 419 Chap. 72. Of the darkenes ouer the world the desolation which our Lord endured with incoÌ„parable loue whilst he said to his eternall Father Deus Deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me pag. 425 Chap. 73. Of the excessiue loue which our Lord expressed by his silence in the torments of the Crosse And how the while he was negotiating our cause with God pag. 432 Chap. 74. Of the vnspeakeable thirst of our Lord which he did endure and declare with incomparable loue to man pag. 437 Chap. 75. Of the entyere consummation of our RedemptioÌ„ wrought by Christ our Lord vpon the Crosse pag. 442 Chap. 76. Of our Lords last prayer of the separation of his soule from his body and of the grace and beauty of the Crucifixe pag. 447 Chap. 77. Of the great loue of God expressed in those prodigious things which appeared vpon the death of our B. Lord. And of the bloud and water which slowed out of his side c. pag. 453 Chap. 78. The Conclusson of this discourse of the Passion of our B. Lord the vse which we are bound to make therof pag. 460 Chap. 79. Of the vnspeakeable loue of our Lord Iesus in bequeathing to vs vpon the Crosse his All-immaculate Virgin Mother to be the Mother of vs all pag. 472 Chap. 80. How our B. Lady and Eue doe resemble one another and how they â—iffer And our B. Lady is proued to be the spirituall mother of all mankind pag. 478 Chap. 81. The externall Excellencies attractiuenesse of our B. Lady The reasons of congruity which proue her innocency purity and the innumerable motiues which oblige the world to admire loue her pag. 485 Chap. 82. Of the incoÌ„parable sanctity which is implyed to haue beene in our B. Lady by the consideration of the high dignity of her calling how that maÌ„ner of speach is to be vnderstood in holy Scripture wherby our B. Lady doth seeme in the eye of some to be disaduantaged pag. 424 Chap. 83. How the sanctity of our B. Lady doth much import to the honour of Christ our Lord. How notwithstanding all her excellency we auow her to be nothing in respect of Christ our Lord as God by innumerable degrees inferiour to him as man how much more honorably our Lord redeemed her theÌ„ others pag. 500 Chap. 84. Of the great eminency of our B. Lady beyond all others with an authority cited out of S. Augustine and that the way for vs to iudge rightly of her is to purify our soules pag. 506 Chap. 85. Of great Excellency of our B. Lady set out by the Figures Appellations and Allusions of the old Testament pag. 509 Chap. 86. The wonderfull excelleÌ„cies of our B. Lady which are declared in the new Testament be heere set forth pag. 514 Chap. 87. That our B. Lady was saluted full of Grace of seuerall kindes of Fulnes of Grace pag. 520 Chap. 88. The prayses of the B. Virgin are prosecuted by a testimony of S. Gregory And consideration is made of her diuine Vertues first of her admirable Faith and Hope pag. 527 Chap. 89. Of the most ardent Charity both to God man which raigned in the hart of the B. Virgin pag. 533 Chap. 90. The profound Humility and perfect Purity of our B. Ladyes both body soule And wherin the height thereof consisteth pag. 545 Chap. 91. Of the inexplicable Conformity of the will of the B. Virgin to the holy will of God in all thinges how deere soeuer it might cost her pag. 545 Chap. 92. Of the entyere Conformity of the B. Virgins will to the will of God and how many priuiledges and perfections were assembled in her pag. 551 Chap. 93. Of the seuerall deuotions that we are to carry to our Blessed Lady pag. 555 Chap. 94. Of the piety of our B. Lady towards vs now in heauen far more then when she liued on earth with a prayer to her pag. 580 Chap. 95. A RecapitulatioÌ„ of diuers Motiues which ought to draw vs close to the loue of our Lord. pag. 567 Chap. 96. Of the seuerall kinds of loue which our soules may exercise to our Lord Iesus with the Conclusion of the whole Treatise pag. 574. FINIS
OF THE LOVE OF OVR ONLY LORD AND SAVIOVR IESVS CHRIST Both that which he beareth to Vs and that also which we are obliged to beare to Him DECLARED By the principall Mysteries of the Life and Death of our Lord as they are deliuered to vs in Holy Scripture With a Preface or Introduction to the Discourse IHS D. Aug. Confess lib. 10. cap. 29. O Amor qui semper ardes numquam extingueru Charitas Deus meus accende me O thou Loue which euer burnest and art neuer quenched O Charity my God do thou enkindle me Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XXII TO THE MOST GLORIOVS AND EVER-BLESSED PERPETVALL VIRGIN MARY the All-Immaculate Mother of our Lord God RECEAVE this Treatise O Queene of Heauen with thy Hand of grace which the hart of thy Seruant doth prostrate at thy purest Feet as a token wrapped vp in words of the most reuearing and admiring Loue which he owes wil euer be striuing to pay to thee And vouchsafe of thy Goodnes to present it to thy Son our Lord the sole Redeemer and Sauiour of the World since it aymes at nothing els but his glory which with infinite mercy he hath vouchsafed to place in the exchange of Loue with mortall Man Thy selfe and thou alone art that happy Creature who by the aboundant sloud of his Grace wert made able to swim through all the moments of this life in the Purity and Perfection of this dunne Loue. Nor didst thou euer fayle therof from the first instant of thy Immaculate Conception in the bowells of thy blessed mother to that other of thy Assumption in the armes of thy most beloued Sonne O suffer not his Creatures who are also adopted sonnes of thine to be still so vnlike their mother as to disperse and dissipate themselues by inordinate Loue vpon the transitory obiects of this world It is inough it is too much that hitherto we haue defiled our soules and that forsaking the cleere vntroubled spring of diuine Beauty we haue bene miserably glad to stifle and drowne our selues whilst yet we are the workes of his Hands and the ioy of his Hart in the muddy pooles of profane Delight Behold how we sigh groane in thy sacred eares some of vs vnder thè seruile yoke of present sinnes and some others vnder the sad effects and consequences of our former wickednes since we are full of weakene towards good workes and of an auersion from ioyfully and perfectly complying with the superexcellent wise and holy will of God Demaund of that God obtaine of thy Sonne that he will print himselfe fast vpon our Soules that so O glorious Queene O thou most certaine Comfort of the Afflicted we may be discharged by thy prayers from these chaynes which are striuing to dragge vs downe as low as Hell And once being free we may fly vp from whence we are fallen and adhere to God with thee by an Eternall Loue. THE PREFACE DECLARING THE POWERS belonging to the Soule of man with their proper obiects and acts and how all the whole world liues by Loue and that the obiect of our Loue must be only God directed by meanes of Iesus Christ our only Lord and Sauiour IT is the ancient and iust Complaint of our Holy and Wise forefathers that men affect the knowledg of certaine fâ—rraine and fruitlesse things not caâ—ing to consider or euen know themselues We are apt to woÌ„der at the huge height of mountaines the vnwearied walke of riuers the subtile course of seas the perpetuall motion of planets and in the meanetyme we reslect not vpö that which growes in our owne bosomes which yet is a fitter subiect for our admiratioÌ„ to worke vpon The most inestimable riches of the whole materiall world is but beggary and misery in comparison of the mind of Man For what Monarch had euer such Ambassadors and Spies as are his Senses or such Solicitours as are his Desires or such Officers and Executioners as are his Passions or such a Lord Steward of his Houshould as is his Reason or such a Secretary of State as is his Inuention or such a Treasurer as is his Memory or such a President of his Counâ—aile as is his Vnderstanding and which of them had euer so absolute a Dominion ouer his Countries Vassalls as man hath ouer himselfe by the vse and exercise of his will Of all these Powers the Vnderstanding Will are the most important as being they to which the rest are all reserred Verum or that which is True is the Obiect of the VnderstaÌ„ding the Obiect of the Wil is BònÌ„ or that which is Good The Act which the VnderstaÌ„ding exerciseth towards his Obiect of Truth is Knowledge for the Vnderstanding doth euer desire to know that which is exercised by the Wil towards the Obiect of God is Loue for al creatures which caÌ„ Loue are carried to a desire of that which is Good or at least which seemeth good to the. And indeed it may be truly sayd if it be discreetly vnderstood that there is no creature at all which hath not a Loue that it lookes after Euen all the inanimate Creatures do moue with a restles desire to their proper CeÌ„ter through a quality which is impressed vpon them by the common Creator of them vs. Fire flyes vpward earth falls downe ward they are driuen by their weight they aspire to their places By force you may with hold them but if you leaue them to themselues you shal quickly see where they haue a mind to be And as the actual Loue which a reasonable creature bears to any Obiect is accoÌ„ted for the weight wherby he is carried to his iourneyes end Amor meus pondus meÌ„ eò feror quocumque feror D. Aâ—â— Confes lib. 13. c. 9. so the weight or Virtus motiua of inanimate Creatures may well be accounted called their Loue wherby they are carried knowledg of Good Bad so also must he needs haue a more vniuersall and noble meanes for the reaching arriuing to the perfection of so excellent a nature From hence also it comes that as it is proper to him to apprehend his End so he must be enabled with all the meanes coÌ„ducing to it This last End of man is perfect complete Beatitude So as the true and vndoubted Obiect of his Will is Omne bonum which is All Good This Perfectió supposech of it self implyeth in any creature which can aspire therunto to be to liue to know So that if any man be asked whether he would be glad to Be to Liue to Know to be Happy he cannot doubt of it though he would vnlesse he were out of his wits then in effect he would be no man Now Beatitudo as saith Boetius est status omnium bonorum aggregatione perfectus And (c) Confes lib. 10. c. 21. S. Augustine saith That if any man should be asked whether he would be happy or no all the world would say yea as
contynue his generall custome in speaking softly but cryed out with a loud voyce and he did it vpon the last day of the feast of the Tabernacles which was a tyme of great solemnity that so he might be heard by the greater number of people and he inuited them all Ioan. 71 to drinke of that water of life with a full mouth Confess l. 12. cap. 10. For he indeed is the true fountaine of life Hunc bibam tunc viuam saith S. Augustiue Let me drinke of him and I shall liue What (f) His ardēt sighes groans scalding sighes what profound internall groanes would that flaming hart be often sending out by his sacred mouth to the Iustice seate of God wherof we finde some expresly to be recorded in the holy Texte that so the diuine Maiesty Marc. 71 beholding the sorrowes of his soule might be obliged to forgiue the sinnes of ours How deere (g) The charming accent of his voice and how delightfull must the ordinary accent be of his heauenly voyce since the accent euer carrieth a kind of neerer coniunction to the mind and which euen for that cause can hardly be described by any words And now the nearer it was to the incomparable soule of Christ our Lord who can doubt but that needs it must be so much the fuller of delight and grace But especially how beautifull were those holy happy (h) The inestimable pure and perfect beauty of his eyes Gen. 49. eyes of his those heauēly Orbes And what felicity was theirs who might at leasure glasse themselues therin they being so full of latent Maiesty but yet sweetned by such Humility and Charity Those eyes which are pulchriores vino as the Patriarch Iacob saith speaking literally of Christ our Lord for the quality they had to inebriate with being looked vpon farre more powerfully and more sweetely then any most pretious wine can doe the man who drinks it With what kind of modest grace do we thinke that he vvould now be raysing them vp Ioan. 11. towards heauen beholding the Creatures in Almighty God and then returning them downe to the earth Ioan. 8. to see God in his Creatures And what kind of fountaines do we thinke they grew to be when they did so often swymme in teares through the compassion of our miseries Haebr 5. ◠Luc. 19. and the remission of our sinnes at the raysing of Lazarus for the ruines of Ierusalem at the giuing vp of his soule into the eternall Fathers hand and those many tymes more which are not set downe in the sacred text How sweetly would they lay themselues to sleepe being folded vp in those liddes the only sheets which any part of him did vse for the releese of that frayle nature which for our sakes he had assumed And he lent them rest with so much the better will because (i) Christ our Lord did negotiate our saluation with God as well whē he was sleeping as waking Ioan. 2. Matt. 4. sleepe gaue no impediment to the working of his minde for our good the knowledge of which mind was no way as hath beene said else where dependant vpon his Fancy as ours is How were they able when he was pleased to do it to pierce the hartes of men by way of terrour when for the zeale of his Fathers glory he punished the buyers sellers in the Temple vvithout their daring once to bring him to the least account for that supposed excesse And by way of powerfull mercy when seing his Apostles he called them at once from the world to his eternall seruice And looking afterward vpon S. Peter in the tyme of his passion by only looking (l) The lookes of Christ our Lord did moue S. Peeter to contrition Luc. 72. Luc. 7. he retyred him at an instant from his sinnes as wil be seen more at large afterward And not only did those eyes so full of maiesty and modesty and humility suauity captiue those hartes which they beheld but others who beheld them were as inseparably also captiued therby as if there had beene no place left for election whether they would be takē prisoners or no. The enamoured (m) How the diuine presence of Christ our Lord did most chastly captiue the soule of S. Mary Magdalen Penitent S. Mary Magdalene who formerly was so abandoned to the pleasure of sense found her soule so maistered by this diuine obiect of our B. Sauiours presence that her former honny did instantly turne gall and she was so ingulfed into a sea of chast and pure delight that in the life tyme of our Lord she did euen as it were nayle her selfe to his sacred feet Nay she forsooke them not in his very passion when they were nayled to the Crosse She was in chase of them till his Resurection and after his Ascension she confined her selfe for all those thirty yeares of her suruiuing to a rude and most retyred desert disdayning with a holy kind of scorne that her eyes should feed vpon any other obiect then that which her memory would euer be sure to help her to of her most beloued and most beautifull Lord. His sacred presence had not any superficiall or glearing beauty belonging to it but (n) The Beauty of Christ our Lord was so aboundāt as to make a mā despise all temporall riches a beauty which conteined a Mine of plenty S. Mathew shall witnes this and he shall do it better then by words For instantly vpon our Lords commaundement and their mutuall sight of one another he followed him and that for euer and he discouered in our Lord Iesus another mannor of beautifull abundance then all the whole world could helpe him to And perhaps there is not a better proofe of the rich beauty and excellency of our Lord nor a stranger conuersion of any man recorded Luc. 54 then of this Apostle Who was as we may say in flagranti crimine in the very seate and chaire of sinne beseiged by the company of others who were likely to be as much depraued as himselfe He was in the exercise and occasions of new extorsions and yet (o) The Cōuersiō of S. Matthew was most heroicall he left all without taking so much as an howers tyme to cleere his bookes of account which could not choose but be intricate And all this vpon the single sight hearing the voyce of a meere man as Christ our Lord appeared to be And yet I say so rich was our Sauiours beauty and so attractiue was his manner of speach that instātly it was able to draw that Publicā though he were besotted by desire of gayne to follow him who through his pouerty seemed withall to be the owner of no earthly thing but only of his owne indiuiduall person But the Maies̄ty and splendour of the diuinity though it lay hid Cōment in Matth. c. 7. did yet shine so brightly in his face of flesh bloud as S. Hierome
in the Temple With how vnspeable loue both to God and man did our Lord IESVS dispossesse himselfe for a while of the greatest ioy and comfort that he could receaue in this world which was the sweet society of his sacred mother wherein although through the eminency of grace which had beene communicated to her happy soule in the very first instant of her Immaculate Conception he could neuer haue found the least distraction from the immediate and most perfect seruice of Almighty God yet because the parents of his disciples and seruants would not all be such but would often be diuerting and diswading vs from corresponding with his inspirations and our obligations he was pleased not only to giue vs an example at large but euen to impart the very expresse words themselues wherby we might ouercome their intreaties And rather then we should not be instructed to forsake all flesh and bloud when once there should be question of Gods seruice and rather then we should not be armed well agaynst those temptatioÌ„s which might grow to vs from our Parents he was content to exemplify the case in his owne sacred person with a seeming diminution to his B. Mother For this it was that when the all-immaculate virgin spake to him in these tender words Sonne why hast thou so done to vs Lâ—â— 2. behold thy Father and I sorrowing did seeke thee Our B. Sauiour answered thus not in the way of reprehension as certayne course-harted people will needs conceaue but (e) In what sense our Lord Iesus spake to his B. mother out of compassion to them and out of instruction to vs Why is it that you sought me did you not knowe that I must be about those things which are my Father And to show that his meaning was but to benefit vs by that expression of himselfe and not to cast the least aspersion of imperfection vpon his most holy mother and S. Ioseph he caused his holy spirit to record it instantly after in holy Scripture that he departed from the Temple with them and came to Nazareth was subiect to them And heere let him that can consider and admire the vnspeakeable dignity and excellency of our B. Lady to whom the God of heauen earth would become a subiect And let him much more adore God for the infinite humility and Charity of our Lord IESVS (e) The incomparable loue of Lord in being so subiect to our B. Lady and S. Ioseph who vouchsafed by this stronge example of his to procure the quenching of our pride and the kindling of our loue by making himselfe a subiect to flesh and bloud for our sake he who was the superiour and soueraigne Lord of all the creatures both in heauen earth He shewed well what he was whilst yet he sate in the Temple amongst the Doctours Of whome he heard what they could say and he asked them to see what they would answere And many other things he also did at the same tyme though holy Scripture by wrapping them vp in silence doe rather leaue matter for our soules then for our senses to worke vpon For he did both pray his eternall Father for their conuersion to his diuine Maiesty and for the manifestation of his glory not only in their hartes vvho vvere present then but in as many as by their meanes should aftervvard come to knovv vvhat had passed there The sacred Text affirmes How all that heard him were aslonished at his wisedome and answeres and that seeing him they wondred And vve may vvell assure our selues that theyr admiring his diuine presence theyr being astonished at his vvisedome vvas to that holy soule of our Lord Iesus an occasion of much mortisication which nothing but ardent Charity could haue made him so willingly imbrace For he was then but twelue yeares old and he had bene bred in a poore and plaine appearance and he dwelt in the very depth of profound hamility And humility when indeed it is profound doth make a soule much more abhorre admiration and prayse then any hart which is vayne can appreh end and hate to be despised The vvhile if all they were so amazed by hearing him vvho vvere the Doctours of the law and vvho vvere likely to despise all the world in comparison of themselues and if the very sight of him made them wonder vvhose eyes vvere euen almost put out by the dust of Enuy and Hypocrysy vvhich the mind of pride had raysed into them which our Lord IESVS by the dropps of his diuine grace vvas procuring them to lay in a farre higher manner must (f) We are particularly bound to admire the wisedome and grace of our Lord Iesus we vvho are Christian and vvhome our Lord instructs not only at some certaine tymes as he did that people in the Temple but to vvhose harts he is euer preaching in a most particular manner happy are they who apply the eares therof to his sacred mouth adore the Maiesty of his wisedome and power and admire the dignity and beauty of his humanity and be inflamed and euen consumed with the sense of his eternall prouidence and ardent loue But yet withall we must consider that howsoeuer it be said and that most truely Thâ—it he proceeded in wisedome and age and grace with God and men this is only to be vnderstood of that kind of wisedome which might grow through experimentall knowledge by way of the senses which he had like vs though yet with this difference as (*) Cap. â—â— hath bene shewed that euen therin he was free from all possibility of errour which we are not For his wisedome otherwise was so great as not to be capable of any increase as nether was his grace wherof in the instant of his Conception that diuine soule of his had receiued all absolute fulnes But he may be truely said to haue increased dayly with God and men in Grace that is in Fauour because euery day more more his soule was beautified by new acts in the sight of God and daylie he made more and more discouery of himselfe to men according to the rates of their Capacity and they would not haue bene men but beasts and blockes if they had not bene taken by such an obiect We are taught withall by his growing thus in grace before God and men to performe our actions in such sort as that we must nether procure to please God alone by not caring for the edification of men nor yet men alone through Hipocrisy or want of purity in the intention but they both must goe together hand in hand as daily our Lord when he grew afterward to mans estate did effectually teach vs more and more Of the excessiue loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to vs in that he would vouchsafe to be Baptized CHAP. 21. VVHAT thought of man or Angell can reach to that humility which Christ our Lord being longe since growne to be a man and now vpon the poynt of
and vse of Baptisme that ordinarily it shall be administred by her Priests and in her Churches and solemnized with her sacred and most significant * Ritual Roman Ceremonies as namely the signe of the holy Crosse Exorcisines Insufflations Inpositiou of hands together with salt and holy Oyle with diuers others vvhich are thought fit to accompany an action of so great importance and the figures vvherof vvere deliuered and recomended by Christ our Lord himselfe as S. Ambrose notes vvhen he cured that person vvho vvas possessed by a diuell both dumbe and deefe by putttng spittle vpon his tongue and thrusting his fingars into his eares and saying Ephata vvhich is Be opened at most of vvhich Ceremonies though Sectaries vvill take liberty to laugh and scoffe vve Catholikes vvill not be ashamed to reueale them as vve are taught to doe not only though chiefely for the authority and custome it selfe of the holy Church but partely also because vve see in the vvritings of most auncient and holy Doctours Vide Bellar de Sacram Bap. l. 18. c. 26. both frequent and venerable mention to be made therof Hovvsoeuer I say all this be true yet neuerthelesse it vvas the gratious pleasure of our blessed Lord and it is the practise of his true Spouse the holy Church in case that the person to be baptized be in any extremity of daunger to forbeare all those ceremonies vvhich cannot then conueniently be vsed And it sufficeth for the eternall saluation of that soule that the vvater be applyed those fevv sacred vvords pronounced vvhich are prescribed And this in those cases may be done not only by lay men but euen by vvomen and all in the vertue and through the loue and by the merit of the Baptisme of Christ our Lord. Lib. 2. in Luc. Tom. 5. ser de Baptismo For one man was went as S. Ambrose sayth but he washed all the world One man descended that we might all ascend One man tooke vpon him the sinnes of all that so the sinnes of all might dye in him Our Lord was baptized not meaning to be cleansed by those waters but to cleanse those very waters that so they being washed by the flesh of Christ our Lord which knew no sinne might be intytled to the right of Baptisme Ser. de Temp. And S. Augustine doth also say A mother there was who brought forth a sōne yet she was chast the water washed Christ and it was made holy by him For as after the birth of Christ our Lord the Chastity of the B. Virgin was glorisied so after his Baptisine the sanctisication of the waters was approued To her saith he afterward was virginity imparted and vpon it fecundity was bestowed as we shall instantly and cleerly see The discourse concerning Baptisme is contynued and the great Loue of our Lord in the institution of that Sacrament is more declared CHAP. 22. THIS Baptisme instituted thus by Christ our Lord is both a mistical kind of death and withall it is a new begetting of a soule to life The first Adam is put to death that Christ our Lord who is the second Adam may be formed in vs. The whole world lay drowned till thus it was fetcht from vnder water The holy Apostle speakes of Baptisme as of a kind of death Cap. 6. For he tells the Romans that they he were washed together with Christ our Lord by Baptisme vnto death that is to sinne which is the worker and cause of death That as our Lord rose from the dead by the glory of his Father so we may walke in newnes of life And shortly after whosoeuer of vs are baptized in Christ Iesus are baptized to his death And againe to the Colossians you are buried together with him in Baptisme in whom you are risen to life This Baptisme is also a Regeneration wherby we are made the adopted sonnes of God and the brethren Coheires and liuing members of Christ our Lord. And the same Lord sayth Ioan. 3. Vnlesse you be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost I. Pet. 1. you shall not enter into the kingdom of God And besides he hath regenerated vs into a liuing hope This ioynt Resurrection with our Lord is made to that newnes of life wherof the Apostle speakes els where Colos 2. Rom. 6. For by this Lauer we are renewed by which we are also borne agayne So that we see how this Baptisme of Christ our Lord according to the seuerall partes therof was a figure in the exteriour both of the burying of our soules from sinne and of the begetting therof to grace his descending into the waters signifying the one and his returne out of them the other This Sacrament which was procured for vs by the labour and loue of our Lord IESVS in a most particular manner doth imprint a Caracter vpon the soule which is indeleble for all eternities and wherby we are maked and knowne to be the sheepe of Christ our Lord. It is the gate or entrance of all the other Sacraments and auowed to be such by the Councell of Trent Concil Trident. sess 7. Can. 9. de Sacram in genere It is a necessary meanes for the taking away of Originall sinne and for cloathing the soule with the primitiue stole of Iustice. In former ages they who were baptized were called Illuminated persons and baptisme it selfe was called Illumination and the Sacrament of Faith Yea baptized persons are said to be Illuminated by the Apostle himself It takes away both the sinne and all that penalty which may by due to it It fills the soule which grace and vertue and it is both necessary to saluation it guideth to it The weight of which word (a) What thing the word Saluation doth import Saluation whosoeuer doth consider well withall that it is applyed to vs by such an obuious and familiar meanes as this will not be so apt to snarle and quarrell at the Ordination of God as if it were a point of cruelty to separate such persons from himselfe as reach not Baptisme through his inscrutable iudgments for the sinne of Adam to which the whole race of man is subiect as they will be to admire his mercy and adore his Charity for chalking out such an easy way wherby so many millions of creatures might with great facility decline the euerlasting torments of hell and be entytled to the eternall ioyes of heauē For this is the happy case of all them who dye in their infancy after Baptisme hauing formerly bene subiect to Originall sinne and the curse therof which is double death although afterward they were to haue had no effectuall meanes of euer producing so much as any one good thought For these soules are instantly to be translated by the only meanes of this holy Sacrament to the habitation and possession of that celestiall kingdome And there doe they feele and there doe they tast the incorruptible fruite of that incomparable
endeauoured to procure and increase And if this haue appeared in the misteries of his holy Baptisme and Temptation it vvill doe so no lesse if not rather more in that vvhich novv shall present it selfe concerning the vocation of his Apostles Disciples to his seruice Of the great Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to mankind in the Vocation of his Aposiles CHAP. 27. IT is not strāge that God should shew himselfe like God nor consequently that in all the actions of Christ our Lord who as man was Gods most excellent instrument his soueraigne power and wisedome and goodnes should much appeare This is true in them all especially is it so in this of the Vocatiō of his Apostles wherin he doth admirably declare quòd disponat omnia suauiter pertingat à fine vsque ad finē fortiter That he disposeth of all things sweetly yet reacheth from one end to the other with a hand of strength His (a) The end of the Incarnation and Passion of Christ our Lord. busines in this world was to redeeme it by his pretious bloud the merit wherof was to be applied to mens soules by faith and loue and that was to be rooted in them by the preaching of his doctrine the administration of such Sacraments as he came to institute in that Church which he meant to plant And because himselfe was to returne to his Father and the reconciliation of mankind to God was to contynue in acting till the end of the world he resolued vpon ordayning and sending Ambassadours into it for that purpose 2. Cor. 5. As Saint Paul affirmed afterward Pro Christo ergo legatione fungimur c. We Apostles and all Apostolicall men are Ambassadours sent into the world by Christ our Lord for the reconciliation of it to God The Hypostaticall Vnion wherby the Diuinity of the second person of the B. Trinity was vnited to the humanity of Christ our Lord gaue him power to doe what and when he would And he might haue called his Apostles either in his infancy or afterward by only inuisible inspirations or els as foone as he meant to appeare in the office of teaching But to giue vs example how to carry our selues in all our actions and especially in such as concerne the glory of God and the good of soules he would not enter vpon this busines till himselfe had visibly beene baptized and auowed by a voyce from heauen to be the welbeloued sonne of God in reward of that deepe humility which he exercised by such an act as that He also differred to call them instantly after he was baptized because at the first they would not haue been fit to accompany him in such austerity as he resolued to endure in the desert Whereby he also gaue vs a lesson both to vse prudence and charity when we haue cause to serue our selues of others He was neuer in any danger of being distracted from God in any one moment of his life neither yet was he in doubt but that he should call his Apostles in such sort as would be most agreable to the diuine will but yet before he would vndertake it Luc. 6. he retyred himselfe into a mountaine all alone And that blessed soule spent the whole night in prayer and (b) The soueraigne excellency and vse of prayer therby he gaue vs an example how in all things we were to haue recourse to God by that most holy exercise as the means wherby we might both get light for our vnderstanding and heate and strength towards the accōplishing of his most holy will by the obedience of ours The same Lord God who was the Creator of man would needs also be his Redeemer And for as much as he had made him did well discerne all the windings and turnings of his soule he was able with admirable facility felicity to guid him according to his nature With that skil he proceeded in the Vocatiō of his Apostles some of whom he called by himselfe and some were brought by others whome formerly himselfe had called Some he drew to him by the force of some short single speach and others by discourse or dialogue of greater length And of S. Peeter it is said in holy Scripture that when S. Andrew had brought him to our Lord he looked vpon him which is not said of any other Ioan. 2. Intuitus autem eum Iesus dixit Tu es Sinion filius Ionae tu vocaberis Caephas quod interpretatur Petrus Thou art Symon the sonne of Ionas thou shalt be called Caephas which is by interpretation Peter Ibid. Which word in Syriacke and that was the language with our Lord did speake and the only language with S. Peter vnderstood at that tyme doth signify aswel a Rocke as the name of a mā And the word Intuitus est doth implye that our Lord did enuisage and looke in earnest manner vpon his face Which I hope we shall not thinke but to haue bene both done and sayd vpon some reason of great mistery especially since we see that he bespeakes him for the office of being a Rocke wherupon next to himself he would build his Church In cōformity of which diuine purpose he affoarded him many most particular fauours he cured his mother (1) Luc. 4. in law in his house he (2) Luc. 5. would needs teach men out of his ship and to omit those passages of holy Scripture wherby (3) Matt. 16. Ioan. 21. he inuested him with that highest dignity in his Church in expresse termes he (4) Matt. 17. fetcht a miraculous tribute out of the fishes belly which he paid not only for himselfe but for S. Peter also as for the heire of his house It had bene easy for him to haue imployed Angells in that ministery to which he vouchsafed to depute S. Peter the rest of the Apostles but the (c) The sweet prouidence of our Lord. sweetnes of his prouidēce did exact that men should gouerne men The Angells who were impeccable would neuer haue bene so attractiue of sinners to pēnance for we should haue feared to approach to such humility purity as theirs with such frailty and pride as ours But our Lord was pleased to gouerne vs by men who were obnoxious to our infirmities That so by the experience of what had passed in their ovvne soules they might haue the more compassion of ours and so we might also vvith the more probability of successe aspire to their practise of vertue And they in the meane tyme were to absolue vs not only for once or for an hundred or a thousand tymes but for as often as we should sinne if we grew afterward to be indeed truly penitent But yet at least since he would needs dispatch the great busines of gayning soules by the meanes of mortall creatures a man would haue thought according to all dictamen of humain reason that he should haue chosen the most worthy and well qualified
most excellent instructions which our Lord through his loue did giue to man in this mistery of the Transfiguration CHAP. 31. I Should enlarge my selfe too much if I would particularize and presse those instructions which our Lord did giue to all his disciples both liuing then and succeeding afterward in that silent sermon of his Transfiguration and we haue reason to take them all as so many tokens of his tender loue to vs. But because they may seeme so rather by inference and reflection then by way of lineall and direct expression I will content my selfe briefly to point them out In the first place we are told that he assumed those holy and happy disciples of his vp the hill and therby we are taught that we cannot clymbe but when he takes vs by the hand By telling vs also that he would not be transfigured before them but vpon the hill he tells vs that vnlesse she aspire towards (a) No solide and sublime gust in God with out a serious study of perfection Perfction we must content our selues without tasting the delicious fruites of ConteÌ„plation Againe we are heere expresly told that Christ our Lord went vp to pray and that whilst he was in prayer this rapt of Transfiguration came vpon him So that as it was by prayer and coÌ„uersation with God that Moyses came downe from the hill with such a deale of light in his face by prayer also it is that we may receaue innumerable graces and may grow to be transformed in minde which imports vs more then to be transfigured in body By letting vs know that he was transfigured only for that tyme he giues vs to vnderstand how he hid his excellencies both till then and euer afterward and therby he proclaimes to vs by a loud voyce how (b) The more we hide our selues froÌ„ the view of men the more open shall we be to the gracious eyes of God Ibid. carefull we must be to hide our faâ—ours and priuiledges from the eyes of men And the same was also taught yet againe when our Lord IESVS commaunded afterward that they should not speake of that vision till he were risen from the dead By mentioning the Passion when he was in the midst of the Transfiguration we are instructed how to carry our selues in the varieties and changes of this life For in the winter of distresse we must keep our selues aliue by the memory or hope of some consolation eyther to come or past And in the spring or Sommer of spirituall ioy we must free our selues from growing vayne or giddy by thinking of some approach of desolation By the feare of the holy Apostles we may see the misery of mans nature Confel lib. 11. cap. 9. which was so ill drest by Adam that as S. Augustine saith Sic infirmatus est in egestate mea vigor meus vt non sufferam bonum meum So is my vigor taken downe in this infirmity of my condition that I cannot so much as indure mine owne good as heere the Apostles were frighted euen by the fight of so much glory as attends the speaking of a word from heauen And how then must we reuere with a most profound internall awe that God of inaccessible light and infinite Maiesty whose essence is wholly vnconceaueable since his words cannot be heard without extreme apprehension by such wormes of misery as we are By the coÌ„ming of that voyce which was so soone to breake off the vision whilst they were in the midst of those celestiall ioyes by which voyce our B. Lord was declared to be the beloued sonne of God and that they were comaunded to heare him they we are made to know that we are not in this world to looke for a state of contynuall inioying but of labouring The (c) This is a world of sowing and the other of reaping seeing of God and the being to doe so eternally belongs to heauen in this life we are not to looke for seeing but we must attend to hearing and which is meant therby to obeying Heerby he also tells vs that we must not demurre euen in the most spirituall gusts which we may haue when obedience or charity commaunds the contrary Especially since our Lord himselfe made such hast to giue ouer his Transfiguration that he might descend and so proceed first to preaching then afterwards towards his pasion For there was his hart because his loue was euer looking towards vs and had not that same very loue of vs obliged him to be glorious at that tyme for our sakes since the members could not partake of any such influence which came not first from the head yea and euen if they could haue done it yet would it not haue bene so full of sauour to them vnlesse first it had passed from him it appeares well inough both by the antecedents and consequences of his sacred life that he was not eyther greedy after pleasure or weary of taking paines for vs. Loue and pure loue it was which kept his glory all that while in silence Loue it was which made him mortify himselfe as a man may say with taking into his mouth that only tast of ioy And lastly an euerlasting loue it was which carried him in such hast from Mount Thabor to Mount Caluary where he was to be transfigured a fecoÌ„d tyme but after a far other manner For (d) How our Lord Iesus was Transsigured the second tyme vpoÌ„ mount Caluary insteed of glory he was to be all clad with a kind of Leprosy His face was not to be resplendent but loaden partly with impure spittle and partely vvith his ovvne pure svveat and pretious bloud which made a strange kind of marriage together in that sacred and most venerable Temple of the diuinity His garments were no more to be white but spotted with dust and filth the souldiers were to dispose of them by lotts He was not to be placed betwene a Moyses an Elias but to giue him the more solemne bitter scorne he was to be lodged betwene two murthering thecues No bright shyning cloud was there to appeare to doe him honour but the Sunne would be ashamed to behould the soÌ„ne of man so lewdly treated and darknes would couer the whole earth Since therfore we see such deadly signes of loue in his pretious hart towards vs we may haue the honour to be taught by him how to guide our liues let vs dispose our selues with supreme reuerence to giue our eares and hartes (e) Our Lord Iesus is declared our Doctour from heauen to the diuine words of his mouth since he is made our Doctour by no lesse then a voyce which comes from heauen it selfe and that in the name of the eternall Father saying That Christ our Lord is his beloued sonne in whome he is so highly pleased and that him we must be sure to heare We will besides adore him for presenting vs with this admirable vision wherby he hath so aboundantly
shew of peÌ„nance you said he had a deuill my selfe am come to you without any shew of such austerities but I haue applyed my self to your coÌ„uersation And now you say that I am a glution I would fayne win your loue but I know not how I would faine inflame you to the seruice of God but your powder it so wet that no coales of mine can giue it fire And I would to IESVS that through our sinnes we did not see this verified also at this day when the Sectaries and Politiques of the world are so fastidious as that they make faces at his Doctrine whatsoeuer it be Nor will they be conuinced either by the exemplar visible austerity and pennance of some of our holy Religious Ordes which were consecrated in the person of S. Iohn nor by the applyable learned prudent humble charitable endeauour of some other Institutes which hide their mortifications for feare of frighting mens weake mindes and which were designed and recommended by the liuely example expresse Doctrine of Christ our Lord and his Apostles But woe be to them vvho in case of temporall infirmity haue so ill a constitution as to conuert their Phisicke into Poyson And (f) This disease both of body and mind is very dangerous vvoe vvill be to these others in the last day vvho in cases vvhich concerne the soule doe from truth take an occasion of continuing in errour Or rather I beseech our Lord IESVS euen by the memory and merit of that Doctrine vvhich vvith so ardent loue he deliuered heere on earth they may at last find themselues conuinced by it and that imbracing it vvith their vvill they may escape all vvoe The same discourse is continued concerning the great loue which our Lord Iesus expressed in his Doctrine CHAP. 34. I Haue vvillingly entertained my selfe vpon the consideration of some circumstances vvhich concerne the aduantages of this diuine Doctour of our soules beyond all the Doctours vvhich are or euer vvere or are to be Because though no argumeÌ„t should be dravvn from the very Doctrine it selfe to proue the loue of him that taught it yet his person alone and the very manner vvhich he held therin vvas such as ought to oblige the most rebellious mindes that liue to all obedience Our Lord IESVS himselfe notvvithstanding that he had incomparably the greatest humility that euer vvas possessed by any soule did yet vvell vnderstand and iustly prize the dignity of his ovvne person so farre as to knovv that he tooke no authority from his Doctrine but that his Doctrine tooke it all from him Yet so great vvas his goodnes that although he vvere as perfect God as he vvas perfect man he (a) The sectartes will be beleeued vpon their wordes yet Christ Lord would not exact so much of the Iewes vvould not yet oblige vs to beleeue it vnlesse first he had prooued it by infallible testimonies But that being once done he was not to indignify diminish any one vvord of his Doctrine and decrees by alleaging reasons and proofes but only simply to affirme it This point I touch diuers times because occasion is ministred very ofteÌ„ and euen Popes and Princes who are but dust and ashes doe hold this stile and are wont to send out their decrees and to make their Edicts in a positiue and expresse forme And whatsoeuer earnest asseuerations or reasons should be added for the grace strength therof would many tymes be but as a contrary meanes to that end So that the (b) Euen the play nnes of the deliuery of the doctrine of Christ our Lord giues it great authority plainenes of the deliuery of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord is a vehement proose of the diuinenes of it Since being voyd of all those helpes of art in the arme wherof all other Doctrines put their hope this alone is a Doctrine which dares expose it selfe playne and naked And in despight of the whole wicked world it liues it breathes it gathers ground and strength amongst all the venemous weeds of the world And in despite of ignorance sensuality and sinne it strikes at the roote not only of all things which are contrary to God and goodnes but euen of all things which are lesse good and perfect And it (c) The Trophees which the Doctrine of Christ our Lord erecteth in the hart of man erecteth Trophees and keepeth tryumphes in the profoundest part of the harts of the ciuilest the worthiest the learnedst the wisest and the holyest people of the whole world The more sublime authority this Doctrine hath and the more aduantage otherwise the more infinitely are we Catholikes bound to that diuine goodnes which with an eternall loue did make choyce of vs as the disciples thereof And to the end that we might the more easily conceaue it with the vnderstanding and the more faithfully retaine it with the memory it pleased that altitude of diuine wisedome to abase it self to our meane capacity And when the Doctrine of it selse would not perhaps haue bene so well receiued to set it out by allusions and Parables yea and many tymes euen they are borrowed but from the figures of meane bodies See euery where in the holy Ghospell as of Plowes of Corne of Netts of Fishes of Leauen of Mustard-seed and the like Establishing by that familiar and easy meanes a kind of commerce and traffique betwene things diuine humane in the mindes of men And indeed if this Doctrine had not bene brought by the sweet hand of God to carry a great proportion to mans nature assisted by his holy grace what possibility had there bene that it could haue wrought such wonders in the world Making (d) The diuine wonders which the doctrine of Christ our Lord hath wrought in the world so many Kings and Queenes for the loue of Christ our Lord become voluntary beggars Making youth become chast old age obedient knowledge humble austerity so sweete and pleasant as that there are and haue bene millioÌ„s of people in the Catholike Church and our Lord be euer blessed and praysed for it and he knoweth that it is true vvhatsoeuer any Soctary shal either say or thinke to the contrary vvho insteed of fine lynnen haue inclosed claspedthemselues vvithin Girdles of wyâ—e and shirts of haire Insteed of delighfull bathe haue taken frequent disciplines in bloud Insteed of curious and costly beds haue spent their vvhole nights vpon the hard ground Insteed of sumptuous banquets haue entertayned themselues in rigorous fasts And lastly insteed euen of lavvfull pleasures haue exercised themselues vvith great attention in the mortification of the faculties and senses both of the body and mind This I say they doe they haue done and that vvith all the secresy they could and only in conteÌ„plation of the loue of our Lord Iesvs in conformity to his diuine life and Doctrine vvhich requires men to looke vpon his example to liue therafter which proclaimes
our Lord and in a word in re-acquiring for so much as can be done in this life that state of innocency and that perfect subordination of sense to reason and of reason to God which by Adam was lost in Paradise And if still it shall appeare to vs that euen supposing but ordinary grace this enterprise doe carry difficulty in the bosome of it yet consider at least that no great thing can be done without some difficulty Consider how (h) The infinite paynes vvhich is taken by vvorldly men for trash the souldier labours for a little pay The Courtier for a miserable suite the scholler for a smacke of vayne knowledge The Merchant for increase of gaine The husbandman for the hope of a good haruest The Sheepheard for the thriuing of his flocke Cōsider the torments which sicke and wounded men indure for the recouery of a little corporall health and the sensuall person for the obteyning of his bestiall pleasure And be thou sure to beleeue this most certaine truth that the perfect seruice of God deserues in no sort to be accounted painefull in respect of that deadly affliction and torment which the tyranny of our inordinate affections worldly pretences doth dayly and hourely put vs to And know this withall that still the strōger those passions grow the more vn worthy seruitude doe they also grow euery moment to hold thee in besides the mortall wounds which they oftē inflict vpon the soule wherin if it dye it is damned withall Wheras a true (i) The happines of a true seruant of God Disciple of this Doctrine of Christ out Lord hath the happines to study vnder the care and in the eye of an omnipotent Doctour He walkes perpetually secure because he is euer in conformity to the holy and wise wil of God He is dayly gayning vpon himselfe He is fed now and then with particular cōforts of Gods holy spirit in comparison wherof all the lying pleasures of flesh and bloud are no better then a smoky chimney to a tēder sight He findes himselfe generally to grow stated in a kind of quiet ioy and an immoueable peace of mind though this indeed admits of great variety of degrees more or lesse according to his indeauour and concourse with the diuine grace And although (k) The very desire of perfection is ◠good step towards it a man should neuer arriue to the very top of perfection yet that proportion wherof he cānot misse if he faithfully endeauour to procure it will be a liberall reward of greater paines then he can take For besides the contentment of being still in strife towards God he will find it seated in his very soule as a most certaine truth That the very meere desire of perfection if it be a sound one indeed giues such a sauoury kind of comfort as puts all the base contentment of this world to silence By this endeauour he shall also be defended not only from mortall but euen from willfull veniall sinnes And he is already possessed of as great security as can be had in this mortall life of ours that he is ordeyned for heauen in reward of that reuerence and obedience which heere he hath performed in learning and practising the diuine Doctrine of Christ our Lord which he came to teach vs with so infinite loue But yet further we ought to be his euerlasting slaues in that he was pleased that so principall a part of this very doctrine should not only be deliuered but should remaine recorded and written in holy Scripture for our instruction and comfort as partly we haue seen already and will yet appeare more particularly in the Chapter following Of the vnspeakeable Loue of our Lord Iesus in ordeyning that the greatest part of his diuine Doctrine should remaine in wryting and of the great benefit which growes to vs by the holy Scripture CHAP. 36. HOw clearly is our mercifull God as good as his word in fulfilling the promise which he was pleased to make to vs by the mouth of the Prophet Esay Isa 30. Non faciet auohere à te vltra Doctorem tuum erunt oculi tui videntes praeceptorem tuum c. and againe by the Prophet Ioel Filij Sion exultate laetamini in Domino Deo vestro quia dedit vobis Doctorem Iustitiae Our Lord will not make thy Doctour fly away any more and thine eyes shall see thy (a) A most tender expression of the loue of God in the teaching of man Teacher And thine eares shall heare the word of him who admonisheth thee behinde thy backe This is the way walke you in it and decline you neither to the right hand nor to the left Reioyce yee children of Sion and be ioyful in the Lord your God because he hath giuen you a Doctour of Iustice That God did giue vs this Doctour for the instruction of our soules we know by faith and we feele by grace and the Church his Spouse is dayly recomending it to our memory But (b) The holy Scripture doth most liuely represent Christ our Lord as it were to our very eyes that yet he was so to be heere as neuer to remoue euen as it were his visible instructing presence from vs this blessing is chiefly affoarded to vs by the holy Scripture For therby we are dayly and howerly told so many particulars of his sacred person how he lookt how he walkt how he spake how he groād how he wept how he prayed and how he preached so that besides his reall presence in the B. Sacrament for vpon that I shall reflect heereafter we esteeme our selues to haue him still euen personall after a sort amongst vs and to be as it were chayned with our eyes to that diuine countenance of his and vvith our eares to those heauenly vvords and vvith our harts to those immense benefits vvhich vve find him to haue povvred vpon our fore fathers and by them on vs. Our Lord forbid Psalm 32. that vve should be like that horse or mule which hath no vnderstanding but vvhen the Maister hath fed him full and fat doth abuse his care and giue him perhaps a kicke insteed of doing him painefull seruice yea and that for nothing else but because he had bene so liberally fed For euen such shall we be if the riches of Gods mercy towards vs should incline vs rather to a fastidious kind of contempt then to an obsequious reuerence respect If our (c) Consider well of this truth Lord IESVS had not bene so gratious as to inspire his seruants to write his story or to enable his Church to preserue it from the consumption of tyme and the Canker of Heresy and the inundation of Infidelity how willingly would we haue sould our selues into our shirts to haue obtayned so great a fauour at his hands If we should only haue knowne that when our Lord liued on earth he had conuersed with men had expressed himselfe to thē at large
our fault an occasiō of being much deceaued in the beliefe and worship of Almighty God through the abundance of difficulty vvhich is therin as vvill soone be shevved In the meane tyme let vs cōsider the supreme nobility which the spirit of God hath vsed in conueying his sense into these words Though vvhy doe I speake of any single sense as if there vvere but one vvheras indeed as it treats of high things after an h̄ble manner so though it treates of but a fevv things it doth it yet after a copious manner Alta humiliter Confes l. 12. cap. 30. pauca copiosè as S. Augustine saith And the same excellēt Saint doth proue els vvhere at large or rather he doth not so labouriously proue as take it from a knovvne and certayne truth That out of few and they the selfe same words Ibid. c. 25. a great number of most true senses may be drawne He sayth moreouer That he can see no reason Ibid. c. 31. why the man who wrote them vvhich in his case vvas Moyses should not be beleeued to haue knowne and seene all those senses in those words Per quem Deus vnus sacras literas vera diuersa visuris Ibid. c. 26. multorum sensib us temperauit He by whose ministery our Lord did accomodate and temper the words of holy Scripture to the seuerall and yet all true senses which many men would picke out from thence The Saint doth else vvhere make the case his ovvne and deliuereth himselfe in this manner If (c) S. Augustine shewes the variety of senses of holy Scripture and why he that wrote it did vnderstand those diuers senses I had bene Moyses and that I had beene inioyned to write the booke of Genesis I should haue wished to haue had such a guift of speach and such a way of composing as that they who could not yet vnderstand in what māner God createth should not sly off from the words as being too hard for their capacity And yet they againe who were able to vnderstand it into whatsoeuer true sense or meaning they might haue come by their consideration therof might haue found that the same had not bene left out in those few words which thy seruant vsed And if any other man should yet in the light of truth haue seene some other sense neither should that also haue been found wanting in his words And this discourse he shutteth vp with saying shortly after I will not therfore O my God be so precipitated in my iudgment as to beleeue that man not to haue deserued this fauour at thy hands Without doubt Moyses meant and thought by those words when he wrote them whatsoeuer we are able to find true therin as also whatsoeuer therin is to be found though we cannot find it or at least not yet How (d) The Nobility of holy Scripture noble and how excellent a thing doth it appeare by this that the holy Scripture is And how great a benefit and withall how high an honour hath God imparted to man by putting such a booke into his hand as wherof S. Augustine saith els where That our B. Sauiour is God humaned and the holy Scripture is God proclaymed or preached And we may by this excellent meanes both heare what he saith to vs when vve vvill and make him also heare whatsoeuer vve haue a mind to say to him The supernaturall excellency of holy Scripture is euident not only by the multitude of true senses vvhich euen the same words affoards but by the misterious expression which it makes of the very things othervvise We may see saith Fa. Salmerõ in those Canonicall bookes certaine most high sublime senses meanings In his prolegomena 2. vested ouer with a poore humble garment of words as if it were a kind of diuinity vnited to the humanity Or as a Christ laid in a Maunger wrapped in clouts so as that euen therby the height of holy Scripture doth appeare It is also contriued with such a kind of temper that sometymes it is obuious and of easy accesse and someytmes againe very obscure hard Thus sayth Father Salmeron Confes l. 3. c. 5. And S. Augustine giueth this iudgment of it That it is not a thing vnderstood by men who are proud nor yet discouered to such as are children But that it is humble in shew and sublime in substance and ouershadowed with mysteries This follovving proposition at the first sight may seeme perhaps a little strange That from the very difficulty of the holy Scripture to their vnderstanding for whose instruction and comfort it was written an argument should be fetched to proue the greatnes of Gods loue euen therin But in it selfe the thing is most sincerely true Salmeron in Proleg 2. I vvill hope to make it cleere by the helpe of that good man in the margent out of the excellent fruits vvhich grovv to vs by this very obscurity I vvill first procure to prooue both out of him and the glorious S. Augustine that indeed it is very obscure and then hovv it grovves to be so though the pride of Sectaries be so great as to make euen the profoundest Doctrine of Christ our Lord to be most easy vvhensoeuer themselues vvill vouchsafe to be the Doctours of it S. (e) The great obscurity of holy Scripture Augustine vvho may vvell goe for one of the vvonders of the vvorld in point of vvit did auovv in his Confessions vvhether his humility vvould or no that vvhen he was not tvventy yeares old he vnderstood Aristotles Predicamēts vvithout any teacher at al. And there he taketh God to vvitnes Confes l. 4. cap. vlt. That of himselfe he read and vnderstood all the bookes that he could procure which wrote of any of the liberall arts And afterward hath these vvords Whatsoeuer I read concerning the arts either of Logicke or Rhetoricke whatsoeuer of Geometry Musicke and Arithineticke I vnderstood without any great difficulty and without the instruction of any man as thou O Lord my God dost know And yet to see how the same S. Augustine being not afterward at the only age of twenty but more then twice as many yeares when he wrote the booke of his Confessions doth well shew how farre off he held himselfe euen then to be from being able to vnderstand the holy Scripture be but pleased to read the second Chapter of his eleauenth booke where he begs light and strength and coniures our Lord by so many-many titles to inspire him with the vnderstāding therof with so ardent affection and almost affliction of minde that it would in a manner halfe greeue ones hart to see him in such straites See also in another place if the eye of his soule with hauing in it such a deale of the Eagle as it had did not tremble and dazle with behoulding the mistery and maiesty of holy Scripture For thus he saith speaking of the first words of the first booke which
is that of Genesis Mira est profunditas c. Confes l. 12. c. 14. Wonderfull saith the Saint is the profoundnes of thy words wherof yet behold the superficies or appearance doth euen smile vpon vs little ones But yet the profoundnes therof in the same holy Scripture Proleg 2. fol. 10. as is aboundantly proued by Salmeron and amongst other instāces he sheweth how the Prophet Osee saith of his owne prophecy in the end therof Who is wise that he may vnderstand these things and who is intelligent that he may know them Which implyeth not yet an impossibility but only a great difficulty Iu Proaem l 1. Comment in Ose 2. Pet. 3. as S. Hierome notes And S. Peter affirmeth that there were some passages in the Epistles of S. Paul hard to be vnderstood which vnstable vnlearned people did peruert towards their owne perdition as they also did other scriptures So they also doe in these dayes whersoeuer heresy hath set her clouen foote And that complaint is most iustly made in these sad tymes of ours Epist 13. ad Paul which S. Hierome made in his tyme. Agricolae Coementarij fabri metallorum c. Clownes Daubers Smythes Wood-cleauers Butchers Dyers and the like cannot learne their trades without a teacher But euery prating old woman euery doting old man and euery wrangling Sophister and in fine who will may presume to lay hold vpon holy Scripture and to tosse it and teach it before they haue learnt it And for my part I confesse that in my life I haue nor heard of many thinges which might make a man laugh and weepe both at once then that one passing once in a prison of London from one chamber to another with a candle in his hand which the winde blew out and stepping in hard by to light it in a little Sellar where Ale and Beare was to be sould he found the Tapster very grauely leaning vpon a barrell with his Byble lying open before him And forsooth he was in study of the Prophesy of Ezechiell So that I know not whether ignorāce be more blind or pride more bold But these kind of men may learne to be confounded when they consider that euen the B. Apostles after they had heard so many Sermons and Parables deliuered and expounded by Christ our Lord himselfe And after hauing inioyed his diuine cōuersation for the space of three yeares together were yet so farre from vnderstanding the sense of holy Scriptures that our Lord himselfe was fayne immediatly before his Ascension to appeare to them expresly for this purpose that he might instruct them and open their meaning to them Which may sufficiently serue to shew how full of difficulty they are in thēselues how impossible to be vnderstood but by the particular fauour of that Doctor of our soules How the holy Scripture growes to be so very obscure and of the infinite wise loue which our Lord hath shewed to vs euen therin CHAP. 38. I Will touch in a few words out of Salmeron the chiefe reasons which make the holy Scripture so very hard Proleg 2. fol. 14. that so I may come to shew how the tender loue of our mercifull Lord doth euidently appeare to vs euen therin This (a) The height of the misteries of Christian Religion difficulty is partly caused by the magnitude and multitude of the mysteries which are there deliuered surpassing all humane vnderstanding and which are able euen to amaze the minde As that of the B. Trinity the Predestination and Reprobation of soules The Incarnation death and Resurrection and Ascension of the sonne of God The Institution of the B. Sacrament such like The variety euen of literall senses wherof the very same words are capable and which are assigned by the holy Fathers themselues besides those other senses which are misticall and spirituall The (b) Predictions of future thinges Predictions of Future things which doe abound in holy Scripture and which as they be hard euen in their owne nature so heere they were much harder to be vnderstood because the holy Ghost had sometimes an expresse designe to hide thē vnder certaine metaphors to the end that on the one side they might lye close frō the notice of wicked kings who otherwise would haue put the Prophets to present death and on the other side that those mysteries might grow in fit tyme by meanes of prayer and other diligences to be conceaued and knowne by the faithfull people of God The seeming of euident contradiction which is in seuerall places of holy Scripture As where it is affirmed that God said vpon the first day let light be made and light was made and yet it is also said That the sunne was made vpon the fourth day The variety (c) Variety of tongues of tongues wherin it was written and into which it is translated euery one wherof hath seuerall manners of speach and seuerall Prouerbes and Parables The great multitude of (d) Multitudes of Tropes Figures Tropes and Figures of all kinds which euery where doe so abound that euen the most learned haue inough to doe The extent (e) The arts and sciences which holy Scripture doth comprehend of so many Arts and sciences as are comprehended by holy Scripture without the vnderstanding wherof it cannot also be vnderstood The (f) Vniuersall propositions which yet are not vniuersally to be vnderstood multitude of vniuersall propositions which yet are not vniuersally to be vnderstood as All things are lawfull to me but all things are not expedient c. The great number (g) Places subiect to variety of sonses by reason of diuersities of natures persōs of places which are subiect to an ambiguous sense both by reason of diuers distinct persons in one and the same diuine nature as in the B. Trinity as also of diuers natures in one and the same person as the diuine and humane nature of Christ our Lord. The (h) The different states of the Church two different states of the Church Militant and Tryumphant and the (i) The double comming of Christ our Lord. double comming of our B. Sauiour once in humility to redeeme vs once in Maiesty to iudge vs. The (k) The suddaine change from one person to another suddaine and instant change of the persons who are brought in to speake and the persons also of them to whome the speach is made which is very often vsed in the Prophets and Psalmes Neither (l) The limitation of thinges inioyned to some and not to others and yet no limitation expressed are all things meant to be inioyned to all but some things only to certaine and peculiar persons by the not knowing of which difference vnaduised men are led on to errour The (m) The easy passage which is made from the letter to the spirit and from temporall thinges to eternall easy and frequent passage from the letter to the spirit from carnall things
to spirituall from temporall to eternall from the Kings of Israell to the King Messias and so also there is often passage the other way from the spirit to the letter and so in the rest It is also made very hard by the Equiuocatiō (n) The ambiguity of the Hebrew tongue of words wherof the Hebrew tongue is so full Which since it was the first and consequently the most compendious and short of all others it must necessarily containe many seuerall significations in few words And from hence it growes that generally such variety hath bene found in the Translations of the old Testament and some part also of the new Nay (o) The misplacing of points c. the very difference in placing a point doth make sometimes a different sense and so doth the manner either of writing or pronouncing a proposition As namely whē it is ambiguous whether any thing be affirmatiuely or Ironically or Interrogatorily to be read This with more is shewed by Father Salmeron For these and for many other reasons the vnderstanding of holy Scripture is very hardly learnt and we see by sad experience what diuisions doe abound in the world by occasion therof when men will call disobedience and pride by the name of holy Ghost and Euangelicall liberty There are amongst Sectaries of seuerall cuts and kindes sixteene different opinions concerning their Doctrine of Iustification All which they seuerally doe yet pretend to be grounded in holy Scripture and yet this Scripture it is which they will haue to be so cleere and plaine And vpon those fower words Hoc est corpus meum This is my body there are almost fourescore diuersities of opinion Our aduersaries themselues doe by their deeds of disagreement with one another proclayme the difficulty of holy Scripture which yet in words they will deny that so they may be excused in making it say what they list The truth is this That indeed it is full of difficulty and our Lord who made it so did with infinite loue prouide therin for our good and that more wayes then one For (p) The many and great goods we get by the very difficulty of holy Scripture See Salmeron vhi supra therby we are obliged as Father Salmeron doth also further shew to confesse the vnspeakeable wisedome (q) We are brought to a great beliefe of the high wisedom or God of Almighty God which doth infinitely surpasse all knowledge or conceyte of ours euen then when he vouchsafeth to expresse himselfe by words the ordinary signification wherof we vnderstand And (r) Our pride is humbled by this meanes he depresseth pride in vs and depriues vs of all confidence in our selues Heerby (s) It spurres vs on to prayer Psalm 119. he doth also stirre vs vp to make with all humility most earnest prayer to his diuine in maiesty that he will open to vs the secrets of his law as we see S. Augustine did and all the Saints haue done especially King Dauid who was euer singing of this songe It also growes through the great obscurity of holy Scripture that the Church is filled with much variety (t) It breds great variety of diuine knowled◠in the Church of diuine knowledge neither is there that possibility to draw seuerall true senses out of plaine easy places as out of such as are obscure According to that of S. Augustine The obscurity of diuine Scripture is profitable for this that it begetteth bringeth to light seuerall Doctrines of truth whilst one man vnderstandeth it after one manner and another after another And (u) It breeds diligence in study and care to conserue in memory for this very reason also learned men are incited to a more diligent and earnest study therof And consequently they wil entertaine that knowledge with more gust which they haue acquired with more labour This (x) It inuiteth vs to purity of life obscurity is also a cause which makes vs purify our soules the more because like loues his like And holy things will neuer be well comprehended but by holy persons Moreouer it helpes to maintaine and make good that order (y) It helpes to maintaine the Church in due sub ordinatiō Order in the Church which our Lord God hath thought fit to hold in the dispensation of his guifts and graces For as the superiour Angells doe illuminate them who are inferiour so hath he bene pleased that amongst men some should excell others in learning and diuine knowledge who as Doctours and Pastours might interpret the same to others It (z) It saueth Pearles from being cast to swyne keepes impure and wicked persons from knowing those misteries which belong to God wherof they are vnworthy vncapable since they will not vse them well And our Lord himselfe hath said in his Ghospell that so it was fit to be and that seeing Marc. 4. Matt. 7. they might not see and that hearing they might not vnderstand and that pearles must not be cast before swyne And lastly the frailty of our corrupted nature is excellently prouided for by this meanes since through the difficulty which we find in holy Scripture we are (a) It nourisheth vs in reuerence and a holy awe kept in reuerence and in a kind of holy awe wheras if throughout they were familiar and gaue easy accesse to all cōmers they might through our fault grow instantly to be contemned On the (b) The Scripture is wouen both with hard and easy thinges and this is of great vse to vs. other side if all the parts thereof were hard a like we should giue ouer to seeke that which we despayred to find And therfore the good pleasure of our Lord hath bene to make the holy Scriptures obscure yet with a kind of plainenes and plaine but yet with an obscurenes That by their plainenes in some places they might illuminate vs and by their difficulty in others they might exercise vs. And that the easy places might helpe vs towards the vnderstanding of the hard and the hard might serue to imploy our wits and to make vs know withall how much we are bound to God for hauing made some others easy And this is the substance of that which Father Salmeron hath deliuered both concerning the reasons which make the holy Scriptures hard and the fruits which grow to vs therby Through which we may easily discerne the tender and wise care and loue of this diuine Doctour of our soules Not only in giuing vs such excellent lessons but for hauing done it in such an admirable manner as (c) A demonstration of the loue of our Lord to vs in this particular that whilst we are studying them we must almost in despight of our owne proud hartes be imploying our selues withall both vpon the exercise of prayer and the practise of the solide vertues of humility patience obedience purity and charity And if yet we shal not think that our Lord hath shewed vs loue
if he performe not these mercies to vs he is content that the vvhole vvorld shall reproach him for it To this excesse (e) Our Lord submits himselfe to those lawes of loue which passe between man and man doth the hart of our Lord God extend it selfe tovvards his poore creatures in the vvay of tender loue The hart I say of God vvho being the fountaine of Maiesty and glory disdaines not to liue as it vvere by such lavves vvith vs as are vvōt to haue force amongst mortall men And verily if his ovvne holy spirit had not vouchsafed to record these things in holy vvrit it vvould haue looked like little lesse then blasphemy in vs to haue imputed such affections to him wheras now it is soueraigne bounty in him to make professiō of such things to vs. And to the end you may see that it is not I but he that speakes I will frame his ovvne vvords vvith as little variation as may be into a context (f) Why the seuerall places of Scripture are drawn to a context that so you may the better iudge therof and be the more liuely inflamed therby Though I cannot sometymes but vse some very few vvords of mine ovvn therin as vvell for the connexion of the discourse vvhich is dravvne out of seuerall places as for the more cleere and cordiall vnderstanding therof But I vvill place the beginning of euery such Latin speach in the margent as I shall reflect vpon in the text That so it may be found and seene hovv I haue not svvarued one vvhit from the scope and drift of the holy Ghost in the expression vvhich he makes of his loue to man nor in effect from the very vvords themselues Reioyce saith our Lord with Ierusalem Latamini cum Ierusalem c. Isa 66. doe you exult with her all you who loue her Reioyce with ioy all you who mourne ouer her that you may sucke and so be filled by the breasts of her consolatiō That you may take milke from her and so ouerslow with delights through the absolute and excellent greatnes of her glory For thus saith our Lord Behould I will powre downe vpon her the glory of the Gontills like a flood of peace and like a very torrent which ouerflowes and which you shall suck You shall be carried close to her brests nay they shall (g) See how God descends for it is he who speakes dandle you vpon their knees euen as a mother doth dandle her little one iust so will I comfort you and you shall be comforted in Ierusalem You shall see it and your harts shall reioyce your very bones shall grow spring at if they were grasse and the hand of your Lord shall be knowne to his seruants and he will be in indignation against their enemies Harken to me Andite me domus Israel c. Isa 46. sayth our Lord thou house of Iacob and all the remnant of the house of Israell You who are conceaued in my wombe and who are carried by me about in my very bowells And I will carry you on till you come to old age and euen to the most decrepite state therof It is I who made you and I will carry you I will conduct you and I will saue you This saith thy Lord Plaec dicit Dominus Isa 43. who created thee O Iacob I who framed thee O Israell Be not affraid for I haue redeemed thee and I haue giuen thee thy name and mine owne thou art When thou shalt passe through the waters I will be with thee and the floods shall not couer thee When thou shalt walke through the very fire thou shalt not be burnt nor shall the flame so much as offend thee Yet all this loue and care of mine hath not bene able to cōtaine thee in any termes In omni colle sublimi Iere. 2. But vpon the Top of euery hill and vnder the auow of euery shade thou hast prostituted thy selfe to all impurity like a harlot I planted thee as a choyce vineyard as a grayne of true and faythfull seed and how art thou therfore growne to be so vnfit to yeild me fruite I hedged thee round about I picked all the stones out of thee I built vp a house in the midst of thee◠and I placed a wine-presse in thee And I expected that thou shouldst haue brought forth ripe grapes thou gauest me none but such as were sower Come therfore (g) He is content to be iudged euen by our very selues Non ego te seruire feci c. Ierem. 41. O you Inhabitants of Ierusalem and you men of Iuda and doe you iudge betwene me and this vineyard of mine What was I to haue done more thē what I did Was I not to haue expected grapes and hath it rendred me ought but veriuyce I made not thee take seruile paines for the oblations which thou wert to offer me Nor did I giue thee toyle and trouble in the procuring of frankencense for me But thou hast made me a slaue to thee by thy sinnes thou hast put me to labour by thine iniquities Yet still I am my selfe I am that very he who wipe away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and I will not retaine the memory of thy sinnes Call me at length to mind and let thee and me be iudged togeather and say if there be any thing which thou caust alleadge in excuse of thy selfe Tell me Popule mens quid feci tibi Mich. 6. Audite caeli c. Isa 1. O my people what offence haue I committed against thee or wherin haue I beene troublesome to thee Answere me Or at least O you heauens do you giue eare and harken O thou earth for the Lord thy God hath spoken it I haue brought vp children and I haue exalted them but they on the other side haue despised me The Oxe hath knowne his owner and the Asse the Manger of his Maister but I sraell hath not knowne me and my people hath no vnderstanding of me Obstupescite caeli super hoc c. Iere. 20 Let the heauens be amazed at this and let the gates therof euen tremble and shiuer For my people hath done two wicked things They haue forsaken me who am the fountaine of liuing waters and they haue made certaine leaking cesternes for themselues where no water can be kept Hearken to me O Iacob Audi 〈◊〉 Iacob c. Isa 48. and Israell whome I call It is I my selfe I am the first and I am the last Thus O Israell sayth thy Lord thy holy redeemer I am the Lord thy God who teach thee profitable things and who conduct thee in the way where thou walkest O that thou hadst applyed thy selfe to the keeping of my commaundements Thy peace should then haue bene as any flood and thy instice as the very swelling mouth of the sea And thy of-spring and seed Lauamini mundi estote Isa 1. as plentifull as the
the Leaprous Another for the Paraliticques Another for the Lunatiques and another for persons who were possessed by deuils who would euer haue contynued so vnlesse that right hand of God had cast them out But (c) A straÌ„ge spectacle what a spectacle then would it haue bene to see a number of diseased distressed and defeated persons at an instant all become new men All the Dumbe being able to speake the Deafe to heare the Lame to goe the blind to see the mad men to discourse with reason and the dying men to shew health and strength How I say would they looke with a face of wonder and amazement vpon one another as scarcely beleuing what they felt and heard and saw when they found the scene of all the world to be so changed at once For then Christ our Lord of whome S. Peter said Act. 10. Quod pertransijt benefaciendo curing all such as were oppressed by the diuell euen as fast as he could goe was rayning (d) The great labour and the great loue of our Lord. downe from those liberall hands of his the seuerall blessings wherof euery one had greatest need And this he did with a hart so tenderly behoulding in euery particular creature the image of his eternal Father that it made him loue the meanest of them a million of tymes more then his owne pretious life And so obseruing how in euery one of theÌ„ that Image was growne to be defaced which himselfe had made he tooke care to reforme it which no power but his could arriue vnto There haue bene in the world certaine ambitious sculptours who conceauing theÌ„selues withall to be of matchlesse Skil would take pleasure and pride when they were in making any curious Image or statue to leaue some eare or fingar or some part of the foot vnfinished Therby sending out a secret kind of defiance to any other of their profession who would presum to make that like the rest But (e) The omnipotent power lone of the diuine Artificer this heauenly Sculptour of ours who made not only the formes but the matter also of the creatures was both more cunning more charitable then the former For at the first he made al the Images of his Father most complete nor was there any want of that perfection vvhich they could desire And aftervvard vvhen they grevv to be defaced broken through the falls vvhich they tooke by actual sinne besides Adams fall which infected theÌ„ vvith original sinne one of theÌ„ wanting an arme another an eye for all these and the like vvere the effects and fruits of sinne he vvas pleased to bring vvith a kind of greedy hart the same hand of strength vvhich before had made those armes and eyes to restore them as by a kind of second creation But O thou infinite God! and vvho shal euer be able to tell vs hovv the tendernes of this loue did make that very hart of thine a kind of most true interiour (f) How the hart of our Lord was the true hospitall of mercy Iob. 29. hospitall wherby all those other hospitalls vvere fed and vvhereinto their miseries vvere receiued and from vvhence they vvere supplyed vvith all that mercy vvherof they had need For if Iob had such a hart as made him be an eye to the blinde a foote to the lame and a Father to the Orphane for as much as he grieued at the miseries vvhich lay vpon poore people and procured to remoue them by vvorkes of mercy hovv much more are vve to beleeue it of Christ our Lord. In (g) No mercy must coÌ„pare with that of Christ our Lord. comparison of vvhose least mercy the greatest mercy of Iob vvas meere cruelty Tell vs therfore deere Lord hovv full that hart of thine vvas of eyes and hovv many vvayes they vvere looking all at once for our both teÌ„porall and eternall good For whilst thou wert curing the bodies of some thou hadst an ayme at the miraculous recouery of the soules of others He cured S. Peter and S. Andrew of the intricate netts and perplexed cares of worldly busines And S. Iames and S. Iohn Matt. 4. Marc. 1. Matt. 9. Marc. â—â— Luc. 5. Luc. 7. not only of wordly affaires but of wordly affections to their friends S. Matthew he brought from vnlawfull gaynes and S. Mary Magdalene from impure pleasures And euery one of these many many more at an instant by the only cast of a countenance or some one single word of his sacred mouth hauing first receaued a tincture from his enamoured hart How the corporall Miracles of our Lord Iesus had an ayme at the reformation of soules and did tend to the discouering and facilitating the beliefe of great Mysteryes CHAP. 44. THE corporall miracles themselues did all carry a kind of respect to the soules either of theÌ„ on whome they were wrought or els of others And that not only by way of purging them in point of life but of illuminating them also by way of most perfect vnderstanding and beliefe yea and yet further by vvay of vniting them to himselfe through pure and perfect loue Fitting euery thing vvith diuine vvisedome to euery person according to the seuerall disposition which he was found to haue Christ our Lord as S. Augustine saith did intend That whatsoeuer he wrought corporally S. Aug. serm 44. de verbis Domini might spiritually also be vnderstood He wrought not saith he those miracles for the miracles alone but that as those things which he exposed to the sight of men were acknowledged to be strange so those other things which he insinuated therby to the vnderstanding might be imbraced as true And S. Gregory declares to the same effect That the miraculous workes of Christ our Lord Hom. 21 in Euang. did shew one thing by the power which they expressed did declare another by the mistery which they coÌ„tained There (a) The relation which corporall diseases haue to spirituall was not therfore a corporal miracle wrought by Christ our Lord which had not also a relation to the discouery and cure of some spirituall disease of the minde The defenes of men did shew a not complying with heauenly inspirations Theyr blindenes a darknes of vnderstanding Their Feuers a boyling vp of sensual appetite which caused extreme disorder in the will Their leaprosies a rooted impurity of the soule Their Lunacies a mad inconstancy of the minde Their Paralisies an vnaptnes and weakenes towards all good workes Their dropsies a gredines after gaine together with a swelling vp of Pride And sinally their being possessed a state of men who were reprobately giuen ouer to sinne together with the bitter seruitude wherin the deuill holdeth such as become his slaues No one sigh was vttered by Christ our Lord no one teare was shed but with intention to instruct vs how to deplore our misery and how to implore the diuine mercy There was (b) The misteries which were contayned
infallible truth we might be beaten blind with seeing and starued with surfetting as we see many others are and the very vastnes of those misteries which are opened to vs for our cōfort by Christ our Lord would make vs halfe doubt whether they were or could be true or no. The beloued Apostle and Euangelist S. Iohn had lodged himselfe so long so neere the hart of our blessed Lord that he was easily able to discerne and declare how excellently he loued vs from the beginning and that withall his loue continued towards vs to the end Iesus autem Ioan. 13. cùm dilexisset suos in finem dilexit eos Nay the motion of the loue of his diuine hart towards man hauing bene so naturall in him it is no meruaile if it vvent more violently in the end of his sacred life then at the beginning All the passions of that happy soule were intyrely subiect to the commaund of his reason and he held it to be a thing agreable to the dignity immutability of the God he was to speake of all things as was toucht before after a positiue manner and wonderfully as we vse to say within compasse Superlatiues and Exaggerations vsed to be thin sowed in the blessed mouth of our Lord IESVS Nor is he in effect euer found to haue said any thing as seeming to haue bene transported with any extraordinary or passionate desire or care but (b) When he came towardes the passiō our Lord did seem to breake his pace only concerning that which he was to suffer in his sacred Passion and that which he was to doe in the night precedent to the same When formerly he was aduising his Apostles to haue great confidence in the prouidence of God by letting them see what a care he had euen of sparrowes and inferring therby that he would incomparably more haue care of them he exaggerated not the matter Matt. 10. but did only aske If themselues were not to be more esteemed then many sparrowes Wheras yet one soule is more in the sight of God not only thē many sparrowes but then al the whole material world put together When he had a mind to tell them what a misery it was for that wretch that he would make himselfe the betrayer of the sonne of man Matt. 8◠he only said wo be to that man it had been better for him if he had neuer been borne which was but a very plaine and positiue manner of expression For as much as not only this greatest sinne which euer was perhaps conceaued but the least mortall sinne that can be imagined without repentance doth make a man much more vnhappy then if he were vtterly depriued of being When he professed the omnipotency of his eternall Fathers power to deliuer him out of the hands of them who tooke and tyed him he told them only Matt. 26. that if he should pray for any helpe of that kind his Father would send more then twelue legions of Angells to his succour Wheras he might as good cheape haue said twelue thousand as twelue legions But our Lord IESVS was not wont to vse any superlatiue manner of speach and he hath had many seruants who haue carefully imitated him in this as in the rest But yet neuer thelesse whē he reflected vpō the thought of that passiō which he was resolued to vndergoe for the Redēption of mā the very desire of the approach of so happy a day made him cōfesse that he was in paine till it did arriue Luc. 12. Baptismo habeo baptizari quomodo coactor donec veniat Or rather he did not so much say that he was in paine as by words of interrogation in the way after a sort of seeming impatient he asked himselfe this very question in effect How much am I payned how straitely am I imprisoned til I haue my fil of suffering for the loue of man Iust (c) Our Lord did long for the tyme when he might institute the B. Sacrament so may we see that when the time of celebrating the feast of the Paschal lambe was come he grew euen greedily desirous to eate it in the company of his B. Apostles before his Passion And for their comfort he would not choose but say Luc. 22. Desiderio desider aui manducare vobiscum hoc Pascha antequam patiar That he desired it and that with desire vpon desire and such desire as could neuer be appeased till he were satisfied till that tyme of the last supper were past wherin he had resolued to impart vnspeakeable tokens of his loue to them and so the other tyme of his Passion wherin he was to endure the depth of all torments and affronts for the same loue were then immediatly to come In the euening therfore and within few howers of his Passion this enamoured Lord of ours hauing all the parts and passages therof in his eye and looking as it were in the very face of death and such a death he yet (d) Our Lord kept the shew of all his sorrow to himselfe Ioan. 13. laid vp all the sorrow in his owne hart and would discouer to his Apostles no other semblance then of ioy and comfort least his griefe might be a cause of theirs He conuersed with them after his ordinary and familiar manner he disposed himselfe first to eate the Paschall lambe with them After that he sate downe with them to a common Supper He kept his diuine countenance full of quietnes and peace He tooke them close about him on all sides He cheered them vp with his gratious eyes and he carued them with his liberall hands Nay with those hands to the dispēsation wherof his eternall Father had cōmitted all things he disdayned not then to wash the vncleane feete of those poore Apostles For which purpose first he put of his vpper garment as any hired seruant was to haue done Ioan. 13. and by the force of his owne armes he tooke a big vessell full of water out of that he silled a lesser He girt himselfe with a towell into which he tooke their corporall vncleanes as a figure of how he would purify their harts by his sacred Passion For then he was to beare the deformity of their sinnes vpon the shoulders of his body which was a kind of winding sheet to his soule When our Lord had thus performed this act of religion in eating of the Paschall lambe and of incomparable suauity in his conuersation of vnspeakeable humility in the Lotiō of his Apostles feete he returned to the table and amazed all the (e) The Angells might well be amazed to see the sonne of God giue his owne body in food to sinners Angells of heauen whose vnderstāding did euen agonize in seeing him performe that supereminent act of Charity when he instituted the blessed Sacrament of the Altar and ordeyned the holy Sacrifice of the Masse which was so worthy of an infinite God This was done by diuine
grace to vvant this soueraigne meanes wherby to protest the faithfull and incommunicable homage vvhich she ovves to him For (c) The Oblation of Sacrifice is the highest act of religion a Sacrifice is a worship of Latria and the supreme act of religion wherby through the oblation and externall mutation of some corpor all thing according to the particular rites and sacred ceremonies which are perfourmed by persons who are peculiarly deputed for that purpose and are called Priests the excellency of the diuine Maiesty and the supreme Dominion which it hath ouer the life and death of all the creatures is acknowledged and protested Now therfore Christ our Lord vvould not depriue vs of this blessing But as vvith great aduātage to vs he had already changed the Circumcisiō of the old law into Baptisme so also was the diuine Goodnes pleased to make all those figuratiue Sacrifices of the same old lavv yeild vp their possession in the nevv and giue place to this one other most excellent Sacrifice of his ovvne most pretious body and bloud The Sacrifices of the old lavv vvere bloudy Num. 1. 3. and they vvere offred by that braunch of the Tribe of Leui which descended from Aron But yet Melchisedech also vvas a Priest and that long before Gen. 14. Psal 109. and he offred an vnbloudy Sacrifice and it consisted of bread wine Novv Christ our Lord vvho is our true high Priest did summe vp all the Sacrifices of both those kindes into his ovvne sacred selfe For as those former bloudy Sacrifices did prefigure the Sacrifice of his pretious life vpon the Crosse so that other of bread and vvine did prefigure the Sacrifice of the holy Masse And so truely and properly is this last a Sacrifice and so truly vvas he the Priest vvho offered it first in this last supper of his and so truly did he ordaine his Apostles to do the like by those vvords Hocfacite in meam commemorationem Doe this in commemoration of me Luc. 22. in their persons all those others also of succeding ages vvere appointed to doe it vvho should in like manner be ordayned by them that vnlesse this truth be sincerly and religiously granted vve shall neuer be able to verify those vvords of the holy Ghost vvherby it vvas prophesied thus by Dauid Psal 109. concerning Christ our Lord and so vnderstood by the holy Fathers of the Church as vve shall shortly see Tues sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech But a true and lawfull Priest he is after the order of Melchisedech and a Priest he is to be till the end of the vvorld And although he be raigning still in heauen yet continually doth he exercise this office of his by his deputies vvho are true Catholicke Priests And principally it is he vvho offereth vp his ovvne body and bloud together vvith them he being the only true Originall Priest and these other though properly truly Priests yet being but partakers of his Povver Order by his grace Novv this body and bloud of our Lord IESVS vvho is the one only Sacrifice and vvho vvas offered vp in a bloudy māner vpon the Crosse is novv offered dayly in an vnbloudy manner vpon our Altars Conteyning (d) The sacrifice of the Masse is both Propitiatory Impetratory and of thanksgiuing doth benefit both the quick dead Mala. ◠in it selfe all sufficiency and aboundance of grace both for the liuing and dead for the propitiation of sinne and the paines vvhich follovv it the thanksgiuing for benefits already receiued the impetration of graces to be heereafter graunted by Almighty God And this is that Sacrifice wherof Malachy did so cleerly prophesy vvhen reprouing the Sacrifices of the old lavv he spake thus as in the tyme of the lavv of grace Ab ortu solis vsque ad occasum magnum est nomen meum in gentibus c. From the rysing of the sunne to the going downe therof great is my name among the gentiles And in euery place there is sacrificing and there is offered to my name a cleane oblation because my name is great among the Gentills sayth the Lord of Hosts Of the iudgemēt which the holy Fathers of the Church haue alwayes made of this holy Sacrifice and B. Sacrament and the great veneration which they had them in and the motiues whereby we may be induced to do the like CHAP. 47. VVELL might the Prophet say that this Sacrifice vvas pure and cleane since it is no lesse then God himselfe though not as God but man And the cheife Priest also is God vvho dayly offereth vp the same together vvith the subordinate Priest And although no Quire of Angells can speake as magnificently of it as the thing deserues yet the Fathers of the Church haue done theyr best to acknovvledge and admire it And for the comfort of my reader I vvill cite him a fevv of the many passages vvhich are found in them Who is more the Priest of God sayth (a) Cypr. l. 2. Ep. 3. S. Cyprian then our Lord Iesus Christ who offered a Sacrifice to God the Father he offered that which Melchisedech offered towit bread and wine that is to say his owne body and bloud When we offer this Sacrifice sayth (b) Cyril Hierosol one of the fathers of the first Councell of Nice in Catech. mist 5. Saint Cyrill we afterwards make mention of the dead We erect not Altars to Martyrs saith (c) August de ciuit Dei l. 22. c. 10. Idem Confes l. 9. c. 13. S. Augustine but we offer Sacrifice to him alone who is the God both of them and vs. This S. Augustine saith and he relateth els vvhere of his mother That when she was dying she desired him to remember her at the Altar where she was wont to be present euery day and from whence she knew that holy Sacrifice (d) The body of our Lord. to be dispensed wherby the hand wryting was blotted out which was contrary to vs. Our flesh sayth (e) Tertul. l. deresurrect carnit cap. 8. Tertullian doth secd vpon the body and bloud of Christ that the soule also may be made fat with God The bread which our Lord gaue to his Disciples as (f) Cypr. de coena Domini S. Cyprian saith of the Reall Presence being changed not in shew but in substance by the omnipotency of the word was made flesh That as in the person of Christ the humanity was seene and the diuinity lay hid so hath the diuine essence vnspeakeably powred it selfe into this inuisible Sacrament We doe rightly beleeue sayth (g) Gregor Nyssen in oratione catechistica cap. 37. S. Gregory of Nisse that bread being sanctified by the word of God is transmuted into the body of the word of God We know and haue it for most assured sayth (h) Cyril Ierosol cathe Myst. 4. S. Cyrill Bishop of
Hierusalem that this bread which is seene by vs is not bread although the tast esteeme it to be bread but that it is the body of Christ Many mothers saith (i) Chrysost hom 83. in Matt. S. Chrysostome put out their children when they are borne to be nurst by others but Christ our Lord would not doe soe but doth nourish vs with his owne body and so doth conioyne glew vs to himselfe O miracle (k) Chrysost l. 3. de Sacerde tio O benignity of God sayth the same S. Chrysostome He that sitteth aboue with the Father at the same instant is handled by the hands of all and he deliuers himselfe vp to such as will receaue and imbrace him And in (l) Chrysost hom 24 c. 10.1 Epist ad Corinth another place he sayth thus That which is in the Chalice flowed out of his side and of that doe we communicate This indeed as sayth S. (m) Saint Ephrem who was familiar with Saint Basil the great lib. de natura Dei non serutanda cap. 5. Ephrem exceedeth all admiration all speach and all conceipt which Christ our Sauiour the only begotten sonne of God hath done To vs who are clad with flesh he hath giuen fire and spirit to eate namely his body and his bloud My bread sayth (n) Ambros l. 4. de Sacra menâ—is S. Ambrose is vsuall bread but this bread is bread before the words of the Sacrament but wheÌ„ the coÌ„secration once doth come of bread it is made the flesh of Christ. Let vs therfore settle this point how that which is bread can be made the body of Christ By consecration This consecration of what speach and words doth it consist Of the words and speach of our Lord Iesus For all the rest which is said is either prayse giuen to God or there are particular prayers made for the people and for Kings and others But when he comes to the tyme of making the B. Sacrament the Priest doth no longer speake in his owne words but in the words of Christ The speach therfore of Christ is that which makes this Sacrament What speach of Christ Thevery same wherby al things were made Our Lord commaunded and the heauen was made Our Lord commaunded and the earth was made Our Lord commaunded and the sea was made Our Lord commaunded al the creatures were made Thou seest therfore how effectually the speach of Christ doth work If (o) Note this consequence then there be such power in the speach of our Lord Iesus as to make those things be which were not how much more effectually will it worke towards the making of them be which are and to make them be changed into other then what they were Therefore (p) Marke well the expresse authority of this Saint that I may answere thee I say That it was not the body of Christ before the consecration but after the consecration I say to thee that then it is the body of Christ. Christ was carried sayth (q) Aug. in Psal 33. Conc. 1. Ibid. S. Augustine in his owne hands when commending his body to his Apostles he said Hoc est corpus meum this is my body for then he carried his body in his hands And agayne Our Lord would place our saluation in his body and bloud But how did he commend his body and bloud to vs In his humility For vnlesse he were humble he would not be eaten and drunke The good Pastour sayth (r) Greg. in hom 14. in Euang. S. Gregory the great laid downe his life for his sheepe that he might turne his body and bloud into our Sacrament might feed the sheepe which he had redeemed by the nutriment of his flesh Vnder the species of bread sayth S. (s) Cyril Ierosol in Catech. Myst 4. Cyrillus Ierosolymitanus the body is giuen thee and vnder the species of bloud the wine that so thou maist become participant of his body bloud So shall we by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Carryers of Christ when we shall haue receiued his body and bloud into our body and so as S. Peter saith we shall be made consorts of the diuine nature And according to that of S. (t) Cyril l. 10. in Iohn c. 11. Cyrill if any man shall mingle wax which is melted by fire with other wax which is also melted in such sort that they both doe seeme to be but one made of both so by the coniunction of the body and bloud of Christ our Lord he is in vs and we in him S. (u) Greg. l. 4. Dialog c. 58. Gregory doth surther say What faithfull soule can doubt but that in the very hower of the Sacrifice the heauens doe open at the voyce of the Priest and that in this mystery of Christ Iesus the Quires of the Angells doe assist the highest and the lowest things doe meete Terrestriall and Celestiall things are ioyned and there is made one thinge of things which are visible and inuisible Heere then we are taught by the holy Fathers of the Church whome I might haue cited to this purpose both more at large and more in number the inscrutable loue of our Lord IESVS to mankind expressed in these high mysteries of the blessed Sacrament and the holy Sacrifice of the Masse But how shall we be able to disingage our selues for being euen ouerwhelmed with the huge weight therof since the superexcellent Humanity of our (x) The incompable dignity of the person of Christ our Lord. Lord IESVS consisting of that pretious body which first was framed out of purest bloud of the all-immaculate Virgin by the only hand of the holy Ghost and of that glorious soule which in the first instaÌ„t of the creation therof was hypostatically vnited to God the sonne the second person of the most B. Trinity and the same person being indiuisible from the other two of God the Father and God the holy Ghost that this person I say of Christ our Lord should be communicated to all the Priests of the holy Catholike Church to be offred daily ouer all the world and to be receiued into the brest both of them and al the other faithfull children of that mother as often as theÌ„selues should desire What Cherubim is able to discouer the greatnes of this benefit and what Seraphim hath his hart hoat inough to breath out such ardent flames of loue as grow due to God vpoÌ„ this account How full of reason was the exclamation and admiration of holy Dauid when he said Psalm 34. 9. That there was none like to God in the cogitations which he interteyned for our Good No man no creature could euer haue aspired to such a happines or so much as to haue conceaued that euen the diuine nature it selfe had bene able to expresse such goodnes But God is God and God is loue and the loue euen of Creatures is full of (y) How full of Inuention great loue is inuention for
our Redemption The misery is shewed and the errour is partly conuinced of such as doe not imbrace the beliefe of those diuine Mysteries CHAP. 50. VVHo shall therfore be euer able inough to admire this Soueraigne Lord of loue for the mercy which he hath shewed vs in this blessed Sacramēt of his most pretious body and bloud and for the care he hath taken of the cōpletenes of our comfort heerin Psalm 105. Quis loquetur potentias Domini auditas faciet omnes landes eius Who I say shall be able to declare Gods power and to proclaime his prayses And how much reason therfore is it that there should not be in the world any Priest or other faithfull Christian who will not set vp the rest of all his comfort in this life in frequenting this bread of heauen and in spending some part of his dayes and nights in preparing to receaue this diuine food with due deuotion If our Lord IESVS Lue. 14. tooke it ill in the Ghospell that they would not resort to that supper of his which was indeed a type of heauen it selfe and yet withall of this heauenly mystery how heauily wil he lay it to our charge if we be negligent in comming to this Table whē himselfe is both he who inuites to the banquet the very bāquet it self But O (a) The lamentable ingratitude of such as are not Catholiques misery to be eternally deplored euen with teares of bloud that in these woefull dayes of ours there should be any found with the name of Christians vpon their forehead who yet renounce the benefit yea and expresly blaspheme the inuiolable truth of this mystery Miserable creatures they are a thousand tymes miserable who do by this meanes eyther ignorantly or maliciously degrade and depose themselues from the most soueraigne point of Christian dignity which the infinite wisedome and loue of God himselfe was euen able with all his omnipotency to impart to the meanenes and weakenes of sinfull men Yet some of them being pressed as it were to death by the euident words of Hoc est corpus meum so often iterated by so many of the holy Euangelists haue begun of late yeares to affirme that they beleeue the reall presence of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament as well as wee but only that they dare not pronounce de modo But (b) Theyr speach de modo is a false and foolish stift our Lord doth know that they speake not as they meane but only to abuse the people Neither can they beleeue it as we doe according to their other particular declarations concerning this doctrine And yet in truth if they did beleeue the thing it selfe and did only differ de modo as they say they doe amongst which modo's or wayes they vnderstād our doctrine of Transubstantiation to be one how could they dare so wickedly blaspheme this our Doctrine cōcerning the modus yet professe that they are ignorant of the modus or way how the reall presence comes to be in the B. Sacrament But this (c) The scope of this book is not to teach faith but loue Treatise is not intended for the setling of the truth of the Catholike faith and to conuince them of errour who inpugne it but only to inflame the hart of the true Christian to heate of loue vpon those reasons and motiues which are already ministred by the light of faith to our soules That other taske hath bene performed by multitudes of our learned Authors wherof the world is ful I will only beseech them for the loue of our Lord IESVS that they will procure to purify their hartes from sensuality and other sinne which blindes that soule wherin it raignes till then we will wonder the lesse that men of so bestiall life as the founders of their religion were had no sight wherwith to pierce into so pure mysteries The carnall man cannot discerne of things belonging to God 1. Cor. ◠and if not of things which are but belonging to him how much lesse of the substance of this blessed Sacrament which is God himselfe as truly God as he is God who made heauen and earth In the meane tyme these people deserue much pitty at our hands who whet the teeth not only of infidelity against God but euen of Enuy against themselues For what doth it looke like but enuy since they refuse to beleeue and to imbrace so great a good vpon this cheife reason because they thinke it is too good to be true And (d) The counterfeyt sanctity and preposterous pretence of the humility of Sectaries this peruerse and preposterous humility togeather with a seeming to take such a counterfayte care of the dignity and Maiesty God is one of those bucklers vnder which they hide themselues from the darts of loue which he would faine be shooting at their soules For they say it is an indignity and what if a rat or a dogge should eate the blessed Sacrament and I know not what vnsauoury stuff of the kind But they consider not the while that God receaues farre more dishonour in being prophaned by a Iudas or any other obstinate sinner then if the body of our Lord should be eaten by as many rats as there are blaspheming Heretikes in the world That Sunne true Sunne of Iustice can well inough tell how to keep his beames from being defyled vpon any filthy dunghill And if he could not it would goe hard with him For the diuinity of Christ our Lord IESVS is actually intrinsecally in all the parts of all the creatures of the whole world both by essence presēce and power yea and in all the deuills of hell as truly as in any Angell of heauen or els that thing would instantly giue ouer to be And now if the (e) Note this most certay ne and apparant consequēce diuinity of Christ our Lord be in all vile places without any indignity the humanity how noble soeuer it be will be farre from disdayning to keep it company Little doe these deceaued creatures consider how low our mercifull Lord could be content to descend for the loue of man towards the receauing if there should be cause of dishonour by the meanes either of beasts or other men And I should thinke that the Temptation of Christ our Lord by the Prince of darkenes in the wildernes Matt. 4. might read them a lowd lesson vpon this subiect For there our B. Lord was not only tempted by the deuill but that diuine goodnes did suffer that sacred Sonne of the blessed Virgin to be taken as hath been said posted vp downe in those armes or hands which the infernall Spirit had assumed to himselfe for that purpose Or if they had rather looke vpon the Sonnes and slaues of the deuill then vpon himselfe Let them (f) Note also this consequēce behould how that holy humanity being so knit to God as that it made the selfe same person with him was
griefe and who did euen possesse the knowledge of infirmity His face was as if it were hiddden and despised and we had him in no estimation It was he indeed who bare our infirmities and who suffered our paines and we esteemed of him as of some Leaprous person and as one who had bene strucken by the hand of God and so deiected How truly were these things performed in the persō of Christ our Lord throughout the course and current of his Passion wil instantly be represented heere when first you (b) In the consideration of the Passion of Christ our Lord it is necessary to ponder his infinite Maiesty as he is God shall haue bene desired to looke a little backe with the eye of your consideration vpon the first Chapters of this whole discourse wherin the dignity of the person of Christ our Lord is touched For so when we shall haue coupled that former excellēcy with this present infamy shall withal haue weighed how the only reason that moued him to dispoyle himselfe of the one and to vest himselfe with the other was a desire of the glory of God which might redound to him by our good And that he emptyed himselfe out of his owne felicity to the end that we might partake therof in heauen And did euen as it were inebriate himselfe with the Chalice of affliction affronts and desolation that so in the strength of that he might secure vs from the eternall chaines of fire in hell I (c) The vse of these consideratiōs thinke we shal not be so blindly bold nor so wickedly vngratefull as not to detest our sins which were the cause of all his sorrow and continually to lament and serue loue that Lord who was pleased to vndergoe such penance for them Consider therfore I say that he whose Passion you are to read was the only Sonne of the sacred Virgin Mary that most excellēt and perfect pure Creature that euer was Cōsider that his humanity was framed by the hād and skill of the holy Ghost out of her Royall and all-immaculate bloud Consider that he was beautifull aboue all the Sonnes of men for cōplexion for constitution Psalm 44. and for grace and motion Consider the complete sanctity of his holy soule which animated that body so full of beauty The high purity the wide charity the profound humility the entyre conformity and transformity of his will into the will of God with al other vertues in the highest degree which God could communicate to a creature Consider the other incomparable guifts and graces which were imparted to him or rather ingulfed in him beyond all measure proportion That guift of Prophesy and Miracles That treasure of incorruptible wisedome That euer flowing riuer of his infallible Knowledge Experimentall Infused Beatificall Cōsider that this body and soule were knit by the indissoluble bond of Hypostaticall vnion to the second person of the most blessed Trinity who according to the words of the Creed of the Councell of Nice is God of God light of light true God of true God begottens not made consubstantiall with the Father by whom all things were made Consider if thou canst the infinite eternall simple vnchangeable independant essence and wisedome and power goodnes of this diuinity It being the fountaine of Immortality Purity Liberty Verity Clarity Peace Plenty Grace Glory Swauity Excellency Beauty Maiesty Felicity Prouidence Preseruation Protection Iustice Mercy Pitty Longanimity and Loue. Consider that to euery of these Attributes there belongs an addition of being infinite and that in a word he is the substāce and the summe the circumference and the Center of all Originall created perfection Of the most tender and diuine Loue and care which our Lord Iesus shewed at his entrance into the Passion in his last sermon and long prayer to his eternall Father CHAP. 53. THIS man this God this God and man did abandon himselfe so farre as to suffer hideous things for the loue of vs. And we are bound with our whole harts not onely to carry great compassion towardes him but to fly a mayne from all that which is any way offensiue to him who did voluntarily and with a kind of infinite charity cast himselfe into such a bed of Thornes for our sakes For as soone as our Lord had instituted the blessed Sacrament of the Altar and the holy Sacrifice of the Masse and had therby (a) The Apostles ordayned Priests with authority to ordayne others to the end of the world ordayned his Apostles Priests who in the person of their successours and such as should lawfully be sent by them might perpetuate the celebratiō of those diuine misteries till the end of the world he went disposing himselse to that Passion which Iudas was already gone to bring vpon him And notwithstanding that he knew how vast things they were to be yet desired he with excessiue appetite to imbrace them This is plainely insinuated by that expression of the holy Prophet who saith of Christ (b) Our Lord did long for his fill of suffering for our sakes Ierem. Thren 30. our Lord Saturabitur opprobrijs which implyes a being hungry after the enduring of reproach and scorne for vs as a man might be after some curious and costly banquetting dish and that at the tyme of his Passion he should be sure to haue his longing satisfied But before he went forth to the place where he knew he should be betrayed and apprehended he resolued to take a kind of leaue of his Apostles he had intertayned thē with a large and amourous and most mysterious discourse And although as a man may say one of his feete were already in the graue and that he was soone to find the whole rage and fury of hell vpon him for the sending of the other after it he (c) Out Lord was tenderly carefull to comfort his Apostles in the middst of his owne greatest sorrowes applyed himselfe yet to comfort them and to forget himselfe as was sayd before with such a courage as might well become that man who was the naturall Sonne of God and with such a loue as might well declare the diuine pitty which he carried to the Sonnes of men For from hence it came that he tooke such tender care to arme them against all future feares He told them to this effect and almost in these very wordes That indeed he was to goe away but withall Ioan. 14.15.16.17 that he went to prouide a place for them He assured them that their afflictions whensoeuer they might happen should not last but quickly be conuerted into ioy and such a ioy as neuer should be taken from them He insinuated himselfe to their rude capacities by sweet and tender comparisons He made the eternall Father to be a husbandman that so himselfe might be the vine wherof they were to be the braunches He told them what care the Father himselfe would take to purge and purify their soules from tyme
the kingdom of God of the deuill The former being lead by Christ our Lord who marched in the head therof with his meeke and innocent humble little flocke The latter guyded by Iudas with a great multitude of followers who were tumultuous wicked bloudy enuyous and hypocryticall men But (b) Amost iust expostulatioÌ„ agianst the Traytour Iudas tell me O thou miserable creature since the SoÌ„ne of the virgin tooke but twelue Apostles out of the whole world and made choyce of thee for one of them what could moue thee to forget so high a benefit much more what could induce thee to conspire the death of such a benefactour Since he had giuen thee the charge of the little teÌ„porall meanes he had and that by consequence thou must needs be next at hand both at the receiuing of those Almes which were afforded to our Lord IESVS those others also which he would be euer imparting to the poore out of his little store how couldst thou freeze in that yce of thy malice and enuy euen then when thou wert as it were rosting round betweene those two burning fires of charity What colour euen of common sense couldst thou haue to sell that Lord for thirty peeces of siluer Matt. 17. to whome thou hadst seene the very Fishes of the Sea pay Tribute Matt. 17. and how a word of his mouth fed at seuerall tymes so many thousands of men and women in the wildernes Couldst thou being an Apostle sel that Lord for thirty peeces of siluer Matt. 16. when thy selfe hadst seene so lately that the enamoured penitent S. Mary Magdalene who was but newly conuerted from a life of sinne could find in her noble and tender hart to cast away as a man may say three hundred such peeces Marc. 14. as thy thirty were vpon a pretious oyntment wherwith to honor the head of our blessed Lord as it were in the way of a complement Since thou hadst found by dayly experience that he knew the thoughts both of his friends and them who would needs become his foes what phrensey was that which could make thee thinke that thou wert able to ouerreach him by the disguyse of a treacherous kisse wherby thou didst as bad as call him foole into the bargaine And since thou hadst seene that his body was not obnoxious to the obligations of other bodies but that the windes and seas obeyed him and that he could walke vpon the waters and become inuisible when he would what stupidity besides the impiety was that in thee to bid them be carefull to hold him fast and lead him safe wherby thou didst insinuate that he was but a kind of Iugler or Impostour who would worke himselfe out of their fingars by some tricke or other of Legier-de-main Hadst not thou seene the worlds of Miracles which he had wrought He who had restored eyes to the blind could not he haue bidden thyne eyes see no more He who had made Paralitiques stiâ—re and goe could not he haue made all thy bones and sinewes wither in thy skin He who only with a Lazarus veni foras had fetcht that dead man out of his graue Ioan. 11. had not he bene able with the burning breath of his mouth to haue spit thy kisse into thy throate and at the instant to haue depriued thee of life But tell me yet againe O thou Monster and insamy of mankind could those accursed feete of thine lead thee on to such a mischiefe which euen but that very night had bene washt wiped by those hands of mercy Could thy tongue become the forge of so much treachery as to salute him with Hayle Maister when thy errand was nothing els but to betray him could that mouth imploy it selfe in deliuering him vp to death by animating those wretched meÌ„ against him who yet needed no incouragement of thine which for diuers yeares had bene dayly fed both at his table and from his trencher If thy kisses were so cruell what vvere thy vvounds or rather vvhat wound vvas euer so mortall as thy trayterous kisse And although thine ovvne reprobate conscieÌ„ce did not strike thee through vvith horrouâ— vvould not the presece of all thy fellovv-Apostles beate thee blind vvith shame vvho vvere so many vvitnesses against thee of all those benefits which thou hadst receiued that euen then so lately at the hands of such a meeke and mercifull Lord And hadst thou no body to sell him to but those very men of the whole world who did hate him most And was it possible for thy Tygars hart not to relent at least when thou camest to behould that holy person of his And though now he were no more able to worke vpon thee as an obiect of loue yet was it possible that thou shouldest not be wrought vpon by him as he was growne to be an obiect of compassion For thou couldst not but discerne a great change in his diuine countenance towards palenes and weaknes since thou hadst seene him last before through the Agony which he had susteyned and the sweat of bloud which he had powred forth in the Garden At least wert thou able to receaue the sound of that celestiall voyce into thine eares which besides the sacred tune did expresse that sweet and charming ditty Marc. 14. Luc. 12. Amice ad quid venisti osculo silium hominis tradis My friend consider what it is about which thou comesi caust thou find in thy hart to betray the sonne of the Virgin with a kisse And was not euen this of power to make thee at length retract the treason which thou hadst contriued hadst thou more theÌ„ a LegioÌ„ of deuills in thee which at the hearing of his voyce would not leaue thee free for of other meÌ„ we read that he dispossessed theÌ„ of whole Legions all at once by the only word of his sacred mouth At least if there were no remedy but thou wouldst needs coÌ„mit that vast sinne it might haue serued thy turne to haue betraied him by a deputy or if thou must needs do it in sight it might yet haue beene froÌ„ a far of But to do it both in thine owne person that so very neere at haÌ„d as both to speake to him to heare him to embosome thy selfe by a kisse and so betray him was such a high straine of wickednes that we need no lesse then the assurance it selfe of Gods holy Spirit to make vs beleeue that it should be true O (c) The 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 mortall sinne which art both mortal immortall in that thou puttest the soule to death but a death which yet knows not how to dye What ruyne dost thou bring to the hart of man wherin thou raiguest what perfect miracles dost thou worke there in reuersall of those others which are wrought by Grace For as Grace illuminates as it inflames as it instructs as it enriches as it exalts as it delights as it vnites iust so dost
thou blocke vp and freeze and deceaue and impouerish and abase and afflict and dissipate the whole soule of man into many seuerall waies and all at once Thou dost not onely vâ—xe men which implyes a painefull tossing from one thing to another but withall thou dost racke them by strange inuentions within themselues making them liue and dwell in 〈◊〉 as in their proper sphere and cenâ—eâ— Thou dost thou dost it is well knowne 〈◊〉 dost and we all are bound to hate thee fâ—â— it Thou art that monster which did take that (d) The vnhappy Iudas man and by the dust of Passion thou didst first put out his eyes The Passion of couetousnes by occasion that he kept the purse and the Passion of Pride and Enuy because he found that some were fauoured more then he And when thou hadst made him (e) How sinners are not only blind but mad Blind thou didst also make him Mad. He first beleeuing impossible and incompatible things to be most true and acting afterward in conformity of that beliefe some other things as if they had bene iust which were eternally to haue bene abhorred Now as Iudas was once an Apostle and highly in the fauour and grace of God so it is morally impossible that he should fall into such extremes vpon a sudden Nemo repentè sit malus and much lesse pessimus especially from a state of such eminency as that Nor could the deuill be so voyd of wit as to offer at a clap to perswade an Apostle be betray and sell his Maister and such a Maister and for such a tryfle No this is seldome or neuer attempted or if it be it is not wont to take effect Infallibly he began with him as we vse to say at small game and he (e) The sleps wherby a soule may quickly fail from the top to the bottome would first aduise him to neglect some knowne inspiration of God and then to omit the exercising of some vertue and after that to giue way to some little inordinate affection and then voluntarily to coÌ„mit some light veniall sin and so by his ingratitude hauing disobliged the mercy of God from giuing him particular succour and himselfe growing dayly more weake and consequently the deuill more stronge he fell into mortall sinnes and at last he came by these insensible degrees into such an Abisse of impiety as it was for him to sell and betray his heauenly maister He therfore who loues danger Eccles 3. shall be sure to perish in it he who makes himselfe deafe to diuine inspirations and makes no difficulty to resolue vpon committing certaine veniall sinnes will not possibly be able to continue long from such as are mortall A man who shootes in a weake bow at a long marke must ouer-lay or els he will be sure to fall short Now there is not any longer way then from the sinfull hart of man to sanctity of life nor is there any weaker bow then the powers of our minde which are so afflicted by so many spirituall wounds And if any man will resolue and hope by the grace of God neuer to commit any mortall sinne let him ouerlay so much as to be carefull not to commit any veniall so and only so he may perhaps keep his soule from the guilt of any which is mortall But such in Iudas was the worke of sinne and such was the treachery which he committed Yet our Lord IESVS was still holding on his speedy pace in the way of loue For (f) The inuincible patience meeknes of our Lord Iesus in the strength therof it was that he did not so much as turne his mouth aside from receiuing that pill of death froÌ„ that Apothecary of hell But rather he did behold the wretch with a countenance compounded of meekenes to asswage his cruelty and of misery to extinguish his enuy And because that countenance was not of force inough to worke with him he spake to him as hath bene said and he had care euen then to saue his honour and he called him Friend Wishing him first to looke in vpon himselfe and to reflect vpon the thing which he was come to do by saying as I haue shewed Ad quid venisti and when that would not serue he aduised him by saying further Osculo filium hominus tradis to looke vpon his person he being the Sonne of the Virgin and to consider whether it were fit to betray the Sonne of such a mother and that by a kisse And howsoeuer the hardnes of that Tygars hart were foreseene from all eternity by the eye of God yet the same eye did also see that it would be hard through his one fault whether God in effect would or no. And although (g) There was mercy still for Iudas if he would haue repented he deserued to be wholy abandoned for his former wickednes yet euen then and afterward if sufficiency of grace would haue serued the turne it was certainly offred and pressed vpon him by our Lord IESVS but he would none How willingly our blessed Lord would haue saued euen that wretched soule and not only haue giuen him sufficient but efficacious grace may also appeare in the sermon which he made after the last supper where he saith That he had lost Ioan. 17. but onely that child of perdition that the Scriptures concerning him might be fulfilled As if he could not haue endured it without much griefe of hart but onely for the accomplishment of that which his eternall Father was pleased to permit who foresavv hovv vvicked that man vvould be Of our Lords great loue to vs in permitting that fall of Iudas and of that vnspeakeable mercy which he shewed otherwise in the mystery of his apprehension CHAP. 59. BVT novv as God can dravv good out of euill so doth Christ our Lord aboundantly expresse his mercy and charity to mankind by this act of Iustice vpon Iudas in leauing him to himselfe For vvho is he that vvil any longer presume vpon his ovvne strength Our Lord hath set many burning beacons before vs but especialy two that we may know and fly the danger vvhich threatneth vs on all sides Out of the old Testament besides many others vve haue the example of Salomon (a) Salomon a Type of Christ our Lord A penne of the holy Ghost A man to vvhome God had said Aske haue The vvisest and the vvorthiest King of the vvhole vvorld and withall a Prophet And yet this Cedar of Libanus vvhich might seeme to haue bene made of incorruptible vvood vvas so vvrought into at the roote by the vvorme of lust that dovvne it fell and the fall was great For he precipitated his soule to vvorship in the place of the God of himselfe 3. Reg. 11. and of his Fathers as many Idolls as the humours of his coÌ„cubines would lead him to and it is more then we know if euer he rose againe by pennance And heere we haue in the new
Testament an (b) Iudas Apostle one of the twelue whom God had elected out of the whole world to be his Embassadours one who had liued neere three yeares in the sight and tast of that fountaine of sanctity Christ our Lord and of that stream of purity charity his all-immaculate mother whom all generations shall call blessed One who had wrought miracles Luc. 2. and exercised dominion ouer the Princes of darknes by commaunding them to depart out of possessed persons One before whome the King of glory had kneeled downe to wash his seate one who had bene fed with the body of our blessed Lord which he gaue with his owne sacred hands This man this Monster to shew vvhat a monstrous thing euery liuing man is sure to be at the instant that he deserues to be forsaken by the omnipotēt mercy of our Lord God made such hast to hell as that he suffered not his eyes to sleepe nor his eye lids to slumher till hauing entred into a part with those perfidious Ievves for thirty peeces of siluer he put himselfe vpon betraying and by a kisse this Lord of life into the hands of death This Lord (c) The loue of our Lord to vs in the losse of Iudas gaue vvay to this inestimable offence against himself that it might be a great and lovvd vvarning Peece of meeknes for as much as he vouchsafed to suffer of humility feare for as much as Iudas presumed to do To the end that no priuiledge of fauour or possessiō of present vertue might make any man rely vpō his ovvne strength which is al but vveakenes 2. Cor. 7. But that adhering to God by faith hope loue we might worke our saluatiō with a filiall seare a trēbling ioy For the whole race of mankind was nothing at all in the way of nature and to nothing it would instantly all returne if it vvere not conserued by the omnipotency of God as by a kind of continuall nevv creation And in the way of grace vve are all lesse then nothing and the holyest soule vvhich euer vvas might instantly plunge it selfe in sinne if it vvere abandoned by Gods grace If then we haue our being both in the state of nature and of grace by the particular fauour of our Lord God it follovves that the more graces he giues and the more fauours he shevves to a soule so much the more must it be subiect to him And they are to serue but as so many bills of debts vvherby it is bound to find hovv base and beggarly a thing it is of it selfe and consequently hovv profoundly humble and gratefull it must be to our Lord vvho only knevv hovv to enrich it For our Lord is a great God and vve are vveake vnvvorthy thinges vvho can giue him nothing by vvay of retribution but only a continuall faithfull and humble acknovvledgment that vve are (d) How we are to entertaine the memory of Gods fauours of our owne sinnes nothing vvorth And as through his infinite goodnes vve may call to mind euen our greatest sinnes vvith much comfort vvhen once vve haue done true penance for them so through his infinite greatnes the soule which receiueth fauours and visitations of him in particular manner must thinke of them with great apprehension and feare vnlesse they be intertayned with much humility and improued by Prayer and other industry The griefe which our Lord IESVS had for euery single sinne of the whole world was excessiuely great as we haue shewed How excessiue therfore must it needs haue been to see this hideous sinne of this Apostle And by the measure of his griefe we may find the measure of his former loue for loue it was which made him grieue The thing which might comfort him in that affliction was to cōsider what an innumerable number of soules would take warning by this sinne of Iudas As soone therfore as that treacherous kisse was giuen and that our Lords sacred words and inspirations were contemned by that miserable creature our Lord IESVS went on towards the troope enquiring whome they sought And when they told him that it was IESVS of Nazareth Ioan. 18. he instantly answered that he was the man But as on the one side they saw him a man so on the other he then gaue himselfe Gods truest (e) The Maiesty of our Lord Iesus euen when he he was mortal seemed miserable Name of Ego sum I am though they vnderstood it not But he thought good to let them see that he had somewhat in himselfe of the God And so resoluing to try all imaginable wayes for the mollifying of their marble harts and perceauing that the mildnes which he had vsed with Iudas succeeded not he gaue such a Maiesty to those two words as serued to cast them to the ground We may imagine heerby with what terrour he wil appeare when he comes as Iudge who in his very Passion wherin he meant but only to suffer could so declare his power We may also well perceaue heerby that they were strangely confirmed in malice since a miracle of that nature being wrought vpon the persons of themselues had no meanes to make thē rise to pennance But they rose by the permission of God to continue in their sinne and to aske our Lord the same questiō a second time and a second tyme to receaue an Answere to the same effect Our Lord (f) Our Lord had no care of himselfe but much of his Apostles Ibid. adding further by way of commaundement that they should suffer his Apostles to retire themselues whatsoeuer they might haue a mind to doe with him And it seemes to haue bene impossible for that diuine Lord to haue cast his thought vpon any creature to whome he must not be shewing mercy For when S. Peter in detestation that they should presume to lay hands vpon his Maister had picked out one of the busiest of them Ioan. 18. and had cut of his right eare our Lord was so willing to suffer as to mislike the impedimēt which his disciple was about to giue And by a touch of Malchus eare with his omnipotent hand he cured that enemy who came to lead him to the Passion hauing repressed his friend who went about to hinder it And euen as they were binding him he made no resistance at all he reproached them not by declaring their sinnes he vpbraided not the miracles which so aboundantly he had wrought vpon them or theirs he framed no quarell against them but only this action of vnkindnes Luc. 22. That he bauing imployed himselfe so much vpon instructing and teaching them to their good liking in the Temple they should now come forth against him with swords and Clubbes as they would haue done against some insolēt bloudy thiese As if he had said If you come indeed to seeke the true Redeemer and Saniour of your soules you shall find to your comfort that I am he But if
which afterward will cost and can be only cured by penance It was also an act of excessiue charity in Christ our Lord to let him feed vpon the experience of his owne frailty that so hauing a resolution to make him the supreme Pastour of his Church and to giue him the keyes of pardoning Matt. 16. and reteyning sinnes he might easily pitty others since he had fallen into so deepe a pit himselfe and all others also might be kept very farre from presuming to confide in their owne vertue since euen S. Peter was not able to secure himselfe from growing worse But as for those (c) A defence of S. Peter from the reproach which sectaries would lay vpnn him Luc. 22. wicked people who in the hatred they haue to the Catholike Church would impute to the head therof that in this denyall of his he had lost his faith they are not so much as to be heard For the holy Scripture insinuates no such things but the very contrary since Christ our Lord himselfe declared how he had prayed already to his eternall Father that S. Peters faith might neuer faile and moreouer the voyce of reason and the streame of all the holy * Aug. de correp gra c. 8. Chryshom 81. in Matth. Theophilact in c. 22. Lucaeâ— alij passim Fathers doth condemne that errour And we see how soone he returned to bitter penance for his fault And it was farre from the loue of our Lord to suffer that this most excellent Apostle should fall out-right into infidelity who had neuer offended him before but venially and only out of too free a hart Nor euen now but by the meere mistaking of the confines of Grace and nature which were not so well set out till afterward by the comming of the holy Ghost And of this we are certaine that before he had loued our Lord most vnspeakably tenderly and at a clap he had left all the world (1) Matt. 9. for him and had cast himselfe into the very (2) Matt. 14 Sea to approach him and at the apprehension of our Lord he had drawne his (3) Ioan. 18. poore single sword in his defence against so many hundreds of Armed men and he had woÌ„ded one of the hoaâ—est of them it was nothing but euen (4) Mare 14. the very passion of loue to our Lord that seized his hart which could carry him so instantly into so apparaÌ„t danger as it must be for him to put himselfe in the high Priests howse when he was but then newly come from wounding his seruaÌ„t Malchus And though this sinne of denying our Lord IESVS were a very great one yet all the deuills of hell cannot make it more then of meere frailty and his pennance for it began almost at the very instant when it was committed and that continued till the last moment of his life At which tyme he gaue insteed of teares his bloud vpon a Crosse as our Lord had done for him but with his head turned downeward through humility And the holy Scripture sheweth Luc. 24. how our Lord appeared to him alone after his Resurrection we heare not that he once rebuked him for that former sinne And before his Ascension vve are very sure since the holy Ghost it selfe hath said so that our Lord making S. Peter declare the loue which he bare him at three seuerall tymes before the Apostles he gaue him the charge both of them and all the rest who would be either lambes or sheepe of his flocke Ioan. 15. Now since our Lord himselfe vvho vvas offended and vvho best can tell hovv deepely did so svveetly and so magnificently forgiue and forget S. Peters sinne it is but a signe of a cankered and malicious minde to be exagerating the same vpon al occasions And let them vvho are so insolent in taxing this Prince of the Apostles for his sinne of frailty in denying Christ our Lord vvho is the head Note at that tyme vvhen truth could be discerned but as by the light of a candle Let them I say take heed that dayly themselues be not committing farre greater sinnes against the same truth vvhilst they are not only denying but blaspheming and afflicting it in the body of Christ our Lord which is his Church vvhich truth Isalm 19. they yet may see as by the light of the Sunne For in she sunne God hath placed his Tabernacle vvhich S. Augustine vnderstandeth of his Church The vvicked Priests suborned false vvitnesses against our Lord but he vvould not so much as reproach them for it much lesse conuince them of levvd practice nor enen open his mouth vvhen it might any vvay haue bene in his ovvne discharge Only vvheÌ„ Cayphas coniured him in the name (d) The high seuerence which our Lord did carry to the name of God Matt 26. of God to say whether he were the Sonne of God or no both because he had the place of high Priest at that tyme and yet further for the high reuerence vvhich he carryed to the holy name of God his ansvvere vvas expresse and cleere though short and meeke That he was the sonne of God And heerpon they declared him to be vvorthy of death as a blasphemer O false painted face of the world how vayne and deceiptfull are thy iudgments and how many are there now a dayes who if they should see a Cayphas sit with great solemnity authority and attendance vpon the cause of Christ our Lord who were coÌ„temptibly staÌ„ding at a barre and should heere a Cayphas affirme that he were an ennemy to the word of thé Lord or the State would infallibly ioyne with him against our Lord be drawne by those vayne appearances to beleeue for the tyme that they said true But whatsoeuer the thought of the people was of Christ our Lord his enamoured hart did so deadly thirst after their good and ours vpon any termes as that he being God did not abhorro to be accounted a blasphemer of God so that by the applicatioÌ„ of that pretious merit to vs we might of slaues become the Sonnes of his eternall Father And (e) The loue of our Lord Iesus to vs made him easily ouercomâ— all difficulties Ibid. howsoeuer it was an vnspeakeable detestation of that thing which raigned in his most reuerent soule yet was his loue to the name and imputation therof in effect as vnspeakeable since the more deeply he had cause to be auerted from it the more aboundantly he deserued by it for vs. But the Priest cried our Blasphemy what need haue we now of any witnesses Those hypocryticall eyes were cast vp to heauen the garments were rent and our Lord without his answering any one word was esteemed and decreed by them all to be worthy of death We haue read of Saints who haue bene armed with patience against all other affronts but when they haue bene called Heretiques they could not chuse but breake their pace and declare
grauest and greatest of them who would needs goe with him to testify the excesse of their malice though it be not the vse of men of rancke to cheapen themselues by accompanying criminall persons in the publique streets would not fayle to hold most hypocritical discourses As protesting in their zeale to the lavv of God hovv much it grieued them that the Pagan Iudge to vvhome they vvere going should be forced to knovv that amongst the men of their Religion vvhich the prisoner vvas there should be a creature so impious so blasphemous as most vvickedly they accused him to be Our Lord IESVS in the meane tyme vvas not to seeke for patience in the bearing of vvhatsoeuer affront they could put vpon him nor vvould he vvho had endured the greater refuse the lesse Novv a (b) The sinne of the Iewes was greater against our Lord then that of the Gentiles lesse offence it vvas in them for him to be presented before a Pagan and prophane person vvho had no knowledge at all of the true God or of his law then before a congregation of men who had the custody of his auncient Testament for whose saluation and perfection they being his owne chosen people he was particularly come into the would And so the more fauoured they had bene the more faulty they were in persecuting Christ our Lord that euen for no other cause but only for the very zeale which he had of their good They might haue considered how earnestly they had cōcurred to the sinne of Iudas and therfore they should haue feared his punishment which was the falling into a greater sinne For when he saw that they were then going actually to procure the death of Christ our Lord and when he began to looke in vpon himselfe and vpon what he had done then discerning cleerly the deformity of his sinne which the deuill had before procured to hide he hunge (c) The lamentable of death of Iudas Matt. 27. himselfe by the necke his body brake in the middle and his bowells fell about his feete and instantly his soule sirnke downe into the lowest place of hell How would that accident strike the hart of Christ our Lord with sorrovv For as our Lord is incomparably more sory for our sinns then for his own paines so vvas this a greater thē that fin For to finish in despaire of Gods omnipotent mercy is the most grieuous sinne vvhich man is able to commit It strooke I say our Lords hart vvith griefe yet those vvretches vvere not touched by it tovvards remorse But notwithstanding that Iudas restored to them the price wherby he had bene wrought to act that treason and did declare himselfe to haue sinned in betraying that innocent bloud they neither relented in themselues nor tooke compassion of him but seornefully made answere that it was not a thing which belonged to them and that all was to run vpon his account A memorable example of how truly and miserably they are deceaued who serue the world the flesh or the deuill For (d) Consider seriously of this truth whatsoeuer may be promised before hand yet in fine when the turne is serued no care is taken of their comfort but they may with Iudas goe hange themselues And so they doe many tymes and more I beleeue in our only country of England then in all the rest of Europe put togeather Matt. 29. But the thirty peeces which Iudas restored to the Priests were not cast into the Treasury but imployed vpō the Purchase of a place to a pious vse And S. Augustine noteth how it was by a most particular prouidence of God Serm. 128. de coena Dom apud Ariam that the price of the bloud of Christ our Lord should not serue for the expence of liuing sinners but for the buriall of deceased Pilgrimes that so with the price of his bloud he might both redeeme the liuing and be a retraite for the dead The hate of those malicious Priests Elders to Christ our Lord and consequently his loue to them and vs since for their particular and our generall good he was content to endure so much at their hands appears yet more plainely by other circumstances For the tyme when they persecuted our Lord was the day of the greatest solemnity and deuotiō of the whole yeare It was the feast of the Paschal when all the Iewish world was come to Ierusalem Luc. 22. to assist at those sacrifices and ceremonies of the the law in the Temple And as the affronts were so much greater then if they had bene done at a more priuate tyme the malice of the high Priests so much the more eager since they could not be perswaded to put it of to a lesse busy day so was the loue of our Lord excessiue euen heerin who was contented with the publicity of his shame at that tyme because by meanes therof the notice of his Passion togeather with the miracles succeding it would the more speedily be spred and more readily beleeued shortly after throughout the world The circumstance of Pilates person doth plainely also shew the particular rancour of their hart since they hated Christ our Lord so much as that it made them earnest glad to shew themselues subiect to that Romane Iustice They detested the subiection which they were in to Rome They loued not Cesar whome they tooke to be a Tyrant and Vsurper ouer them they loued not Pilate whome they knew to be a most corrupt and wicked Iudge they loued not the exercise of his Iudicature which serued but to refresh the memory of their owne misfortune in their hauing lost the vse of that power But their predominat malice to Christ our Lord made them content to gnaw and swallow all such bones as those When Pilate was come sorth they began to make their charge against the prisoner accusing him in bitter termes of most odious crimes but still as the manner of such persons is only in generall termes Which yet out of the (e) The base conceit which the lewes had of Christ our Lord. base cōceit they had of Christ our Lord and the pride which they tooke in themselues they thought would haue sufficiently induced Pilate to proceed against him And so indeed they did as good as say when afterward being pressed to produce their proofe they insinuated that it was more then needed For if the man had not bene wicked they would not Ioan. 18. said they haue brought him thither And withall they did not so much as vouchsafe to giue our Lord any particular name but they only sayd Inuenimus hunc c. We haue sound this fellow disturbing the peace of our people Luc. 23. and forbidding that Tribute should be paid to Cesar and declaring himselfe to be a King Yet Pilate being moued by the sight of the person of Christ our Lord did beyond his custome forbeare to make such hast as at the instant to
our selues to beare towards this Lord of loue since ours is so full of frailty misery and vnfaithfull dealing What a kind of nothing will it proue if it be all compared with one only spark of this pure pretious loue qui attingit à sine vsque ad sinem fortiter disponit omnia suauiter Sap. 8. Wheras ours doth nether reach home nor last long nor is it of any intense degree but so very luke warme that vnlesse the heate of hart and the thirst of our Lord were very great he would cast vs out of his mouth not sucke vs in as he doth that so we may be incorporated into himselfe The Iewes preferre Barabbas before Christ our Lorde and Pilate through base feare gaue sentence of death against our Lord and with incessant Loue he endured all CHAP. 67. OExcessiue cruelty of those enuious hypocriticall Iewes for the appeasing wherof the mercy of Pilate was euen cōstrayned after a sort to be thus cruell He shewed him to them being scourged and crowned after this bloudy manner with hope that hauing drawn from him such a streame of bloud and tormenting him still with that crowne of thornes it might haue satisfied the thirst of their rage Togeather with that spectacle of pitty he made a protestation of our Lords innocency but it would not serue For they as if already they had bene confirmed in malice in hell it selfe did stil demaund with a cōstant and generall clamour that he might be crucified Matt. 27. So (a) All turned to the disaduantage of Christ our Lord. as this designe of Pilats came to faile nothing had been gayned therby but the shedding of almost al the bloud of Christ our Lord one drop wherof was a milliō of tymes more worth in true accōt thē as many creatures worlds as God himselfe can make the piercing of that head where lay the wisedome of the wisedome of God We may yet see by the way that though Pilate had a great desire to free him in regard of his innocency yet euen that desire was accompanied with an extremely-base conceite of Christ our Lord Since he resolued not to maintaine his cause but thought him a fit man vpon whom conclusions might be tryed and to put him at a venter to the sufferance of that intollerable scorne and paine rather thē he would speake one resolute word in his behalfe Our Lord all the while had the wisedome wherwith to weigh euery one of those thoughts of his to the very vttermost that it could beare and he had patience to endure it and aboue al he had the loue wherwith to offer it to his eternall Father for our discharge Yet Pilate still went on with a velleity or coole kind of appetite to saue his life and he set another Proiect on foote which he thought might peraduenture take effect and that was grounded vpon this custome The Iewes Matt. 27. Marc. 17. Luc. 23. were wont in honour and reuerence of their great Passeouer to free some prisoner who was lyable to death by the hand of Iustice There was at that tyme a seditious murtherer in prison and he was called Barabbas Now Pilate was of opinion that putting the question betwene Christ our Lord and that wicked man they would neuer haue bene able to let that murtherer weigh downe our Lord IESVS in the ballance of their pitty But he was deceaued and they demaunded the sauing of Barabbas and cryed out amaine whē there was speach of who should be dismissed Non hunc sed Barabbam not him but Barabbas whē there was speach of what should be done with IESVS they sayd Tolle Tolle crucifige eum Away with him Away with him let him be crucified If then our (b) A deep wound inflicted vpon the tēder hart of Christ our Lord. blessed Lord were not wounded with griefe he neuer was nor could be wounded That he should liue to see the day wherin that people which was his owne flesh and bloud which had particularly bene chosen of God which he instructed with so much care which he had cured of all diseases with so much power that people which so lately before vpon that day which now hath the name of Palme-sunday had exhibited to him the greatest triumph in tokē of homage which perhaps had bene seene in the whole world Matt. 21. Marc. 11. Ioan. 12. That now I say it should so abase him below a Barabbas a seditious and bloudy thiefe notwithstanding that Pilate who was a Pagan and in other respects a most wicked man did let them see that yet he was a Saint in respect of them by intreating them rather to dismisse the King of the Iewes (c) Note this contrapositiō then him on the other side that Christ our Lord should with so profōd meekenes endure such a height of scorne without shewing that he misliked it without oncce reproaching the wicked life of that malefactour by so much as setting out the innocency of his owne without vpbrayding the ingratitude of that lewd natiō by so much as saying that he had neuer murthered any of them as the other had done but to let them do their worst by way of offence and he the while to do his best by way of patience and loue and euen then to giue vp to God that very act of his acceptation both for Barabbas and for them who were much more faulty then that wretched man what shall we say heere but that the hart of our Lord was grown a whole world of griefe loue and that we are miserable who cānot euen consume with the very thought therof But woe be to vs for we are so far frō this as that euen we our selues are the body wherof that wicked race of Iewes was a figure For so often doe we also prefer Barabbas before Christ our Lord as we choose the forsaking of God for the committing of a mortall sinne of whatsoeuer kind it be Nay therin we doe preferre euen the very diuell before God himselfe And yet so infinite is his loue as that still he beares it at our hands as then he bare it at theirs But shall we now lend an eye to our Lord IESVS as he was procuring to pay the debt of Pilats curtesy to him or rather of that lesse malice then was vttered against him by those Iewes As God he did cast into the hart of Pilats wife a vehement desire that her husband would not cooperate to his destruction as he was mā yet the frozen hart of that miserable creature would not kindle it selfe by such a sparke But the Iewes pressing hard and pretending Luc. 13. Ioan. 19. that Christ our Lord had made himselfe a King and protesting that they would haue no King but Cesar and withall that (d) The same argument preuayls too must in these dayes if Pilate should dismisse Christ our Lord they would proue him to be no saithfull subiect and friend
to Cesar the vniust weake man was forced by his owne vicious feare to giue sentence against our Lord. Nor would he go one foote out of his pace nor put himselfe to the trouble of defending his owne innocency against the calumniations of the Iewes which yet with all ease he might haue done in case they should haue complayned against him But he rather chose to condēne innocency it self to that reward of wickednes and life to death and he permitted that charity should be tormented by the hāds of implacable malice and enuy Luc. 23. For the holy Scripture sayth That he deliuered him ouer to the will and appetite of the Iewes (e) He destroied his owne words by his deeds Matt. 27. washing first his hands and protesting by that ceremony that he was innocent from shedding the bloud of our Lord IESVS Wheras the ignorant hypocrite ought rather to haue cleansed his hart from so great impiety as it is for a Iudge to neglect his duty for humane respects What hope might then Christ our Lord conceaue that any other thing could befall him then the very quintessence of that worst which might be deuised Since they were to be his guides into what Labyrinths of torment would they not lead him How would they not incense the vulgar by telling certaine graue and well countenanced lyes wherof we haue some dregs remayning to these days of ours what bribes would they not fasten vpon those souldiers that so they might add the vttermost of any circumstance which might increase his shame and torment And our blessed Lord saw it all and if therin he had seene a million of tymes more thē that he had a hart prepared to beare it all vpon condition that it might doe vs good How our Lord did carry his Crosse and of the excessiue Loue he shewed in bearing the great affronts which were done to him in his iorney to Mount Caluary CHAP. 68. THEY did therfore then take of his purple Robe and put vpon his backe his owne former cloathes that so as he went the world might know for his greater scorne and shame euen by the first appearance that it was he And then they loaded his weake wounded shoulders with the Crosse wheron he was to be crucified which was a point of barbarous and vnwonted cruelty For wheras men are accustomed out of meere humanity to hide the instrument of the execution from other criminall persons they did not only not hide it in the case of Christ our Lord but they made him carry it as if he had double deserued death But the Crosse was so very heauy and he was growne both therby and otherwise so deadly weake that not being able to walke vnder it they constrayned another to assist him Luc. 23. Now when we see that Christ our Lord who was so enamoured of the Crosse was yet vnable to fetch strength inough out of his owne weakenes for the carrying it we may well imagine that the world went hard with him And (a) It is the pleasure of God that we helpe to beare the crosse of Christ our Lord. withall we must know once for all that since his Crosse was not wholy to be carryed by himselfe alone he will haue all his seruants assist him in it imbrace those Crosses which shall come for the exercise of our patience the testimony of our true loue in whatsoeuer forme the good will of God shall be pleased to send them Whether they be in that of sicknes or shame or banishment or losse of goods or spirituall desolation or corporall torments for the cause of Christ our Lord or in fine though it should be death it selfe The place to which they led our Lord and where they meant to crucifie him Luc. 23. was Mount Caluary without the citty of let usalem As he was going his misery seemed so great and he was so disfigured with durt and sweate and bloud and so weakned with the excesse of affliction he whome formerly the world had bene so much obliged to that the obiect wrought vpon many women who were lesse ill disposed And as they were following him in the midst of a mighty troope of men who went to see him put to death they did bitterly bewayle his misfortune But our Lord Ibid. though in his hart he accepted their compassion of him in gratefull part yet (b) Our Lord Iesus had no gust but in suffering for vs. through his loue to suffer and to suffer home for the loue of vs he refused to take complacence in that pitty of theirs And he aduised them to transferre their care of him to a consideration of themselues Letting them know the calamities which were comming towards them and their posterity and that if he who was innocency it selfe were so afflicted for the sinnes of others how grieuously should men be punished for their owne This was then the aduise which with perfect loue he gaue to them and in them to vs and all the world (c) Whet we are to looke for comfort in afflictions instructing vs how to seeke for the comfort of our afflictions not in the pittifull teares or moaning tongues or fawning entertaynements of others but in the Testimony of a good consciēce a strong hope in God and a faithfull obedience to his holy will Ibid. And by his asking If such things as those were executed in the greene wood wherby he insinuated himselfe what would be done to the dry wood wherby he aymed at them he doth with the oracle of his owne inuiolable truth stop vp the mouths of wicked and prophane persons For they say that the Greene wood which is Christ our Lord did suffer all vpon his owne person and that as for them who are dry wood they haue nothing to suffer for themselues but that it sufficeth to beleeue that he suffered all But heere our Lord is expresse in shewing that our sight of his miseries in the way of punishment must spurre vs vp to make vs bitterly lament our owne miseries in the way of sinne and that the seeing or beleeuing of those afflictions endured by him for vs would not serue our turne vnlesse we applyed them to oursoules by true contrition By these externall acts of loue and by thoughts when the occasions of acting fayled did our Lord goe wearing out that long way betweene Pilits house and Mount Caluary Hauing (d) Our Lord was cōpassed in on euery side by great affronts the perfidious Priests and Elders on the one side and the prophane scoffing souldiers on the other The executioners were close at his heeles the publique Cryer leading him the way and proclayming him for a seditious and a trayterous person in the eares of all that world The people would be running sometymes before him and sometymes behind as the manner is in such cases shouting out reproaching him euery one according to his owne fancy or rather phrensy And they who could not
hart with most blasphemous and bitter scoffs The people which past in troopes Matt. 27. Marc. 15. Ioan. 19. before him did with serpentine tongues and countenances full of scorne cry out vah to him And they accompanied it with the most contumelous gesture and iogge of the head which they could deuise as the holy Scripture it selfe doth insinuate And that interiection with the words that followed doe as bad as say after this manner Thou wretch thou hypocrite thou vgly impostor thou wert talking of wonders but to what an end hath thy wickednes brought thee now at last Thou hadst a minde to be a King but what beggar is so base as not to be thy better might it please your Maiesty to come downe from the crosse that we your most humble and faithfull seruants and vassalles may doe you homage Thou talkedst of being the Sonne of God the Sauiour of the world Will it please your Diuinity to be good to your Humanity Will it please you to let your Charity beginne at home and to saue your selle Thou talkedst of what thou couldst do if thou wert disposed and that the Temple was but a toye and that thou wert able to put it downe and rayse it vp againe in a trice Might your Omnipotēcy be intreated to beginne with throwing downe that Crosse and to cast away those nayles and by iuggling to play least in sight as in former occasions you haue been known to doe Vah wretched wicked thing the worst of creatures the out cast of the world we hate thee we abhorre thee we despise thee we spit at thee we defy thee The earth hath refused to be trod vpon any longer by those pernicious feete of thine the heauen is walled vp against the entry of such a miscreāt as thou There is no place for thee but hell dye therfore quickly and be damned These are infinite blasphemies and we all abhorre them all as we doe the deuill himselfe but infallibly they are but triuiall things in comparison of those others which were darted out indeed against our blessed Lord vpon the Crosse For (c) A demonstration that the blasphemies which were vttered against our blessed Lord were most enourmous thinges though the holy Scripture toucheth them in in few words since they acted their worst by the way of doing they would be sure not to fall short in saying And the rage they had would quicken vp their wits and the excessiue wrongs which then already they had done him would exact at their hāds a making good of what was past by the vttermost most demonstration of how deepely they detested him at that present The high Priests besides are recorded in holy Scripture to haue put scoffs vpon him after a particular manner and they sayd to this effect This fellow had a guift to helpe other folkes but he hath not the tricke to saue himselfe If he he the King of Israell let him come downe from the Crosse and we will belieue him The good mā did put his trust in God but if God haue a minde to him let him take him The barbarous souldiers also were still vpon their old haunt of scorning him Ibid. hauing bene bribed in all appearance by those wicked Iewes euen from the beginning when he was scourged and crowned with thornes And they were so voyd of pitty as to be offering him vinager though they did but euen that in iest and scorne at that tyme wheras wine was wont to be giuē to all men who were placed in that deadly trance Yea and euen one of those very theeues who then were suffering death togeather with him tooke tyme not to thinke of his owne torments or imminent death togeather with the danger of eternall damnation which he was in through the lust he had to be like those sauages vnder whome he suffered and he would needs be then at leasure to reproach blaspheme our blessed Lord. How our Lord Iesus did exercise the Offices of Redeemer and Instructour vpon the Crosse and of the three first wordes which with incomparable Loue he vttered from thence CHAP. 71. SVCH was the cruelty of all kinds of people against our Lord as he was hanging vpon the Crosse and such was the affliction which in the inferiour part of his soule he felt vpon euery one of those particular paines and scornes Nor was there so much as one single word a signe gesture or a thought of malice in any one of all those many harts which wēt not to his by the way of griefe Yet see also how it wrought in the way of loue As soone as the Crosse was reard and that already they had set al those markes vpon him which were to carry him to his graue that still he was hearing the bitter scoffs blasphemies wherby they prophaned his sacred eares he went exercising two of his chiefe offices in a most admirable manner and in a most eminent degree These (a) Our Lord Iesus the Mediatour of our redemption and the Doctour of our soules by by way of instructiō were to be the Mediatour of our Redemption and the Doctour in that Chaire of the holy Crosse for our instruction He then turned himselfe in most gratious but most dolorous manner to his eternall Father beseeching him to forgiue al their sinnes who had any way concurred to that death of his Father sayth he forgiue them for they know not what they do Ibid. Of God as God he knew not how to hope for such a fauour in respect of them and therfore he coniures him by the tēder name of Father that so he remēbring him to be that most beloued Sonne Matt. 3. he in whome he was well pleased he might be mercifull to those wretches whose cause he had vndertakē to plead For howsoeuer they had found in their harts to giue him so many wounds of death with so much scorne and rage yet he could not find in his to forsake them in theyr sinns but to begge that they might haue grace to returne by penance And because he easily foresaw that the crime was so enormous of it selfe his vnspeakeable charity went seeking waies how to excuse the grieuousnes therof by taking a part from their malice and ascribing it to their ignorance who committed it And he who in that Agony in the Garden prayed but conditionally that the bitter Chalice of his punishment might passe from him had so much more (b) Out Lord had far more care of vs thē of himselfe care of them then of himself as to pray in absolute termes that the Chalice of Gods fury might not come to thē Not only he did it in absolute termes but he did it at his death when Fathers are not wōt to refuse their sonnes And he did it more ouer in the midst of those excessiue torments when euen enemies vse to gratify one another and he did it by way of represēting so good a reason for the obtayning of his suite
as wherby he would conuince and oblige the Eternall Father to graunt it It was true that they knew not that he was the naturall Sonne of God but that ignorance was their fault and a iust punishment of blindnes for their other sinnes And the workes which he had done did manifest him to be what he said he was And though he had not bene the Sonne of God yet their owne conscience told them that he could not but be a man of God and of a most innocent and holy life and therfore they ought in reason to haue been very farre from intending such a ruine as they brought him to There was therfore much to be said against them little for them But yet our Lord through his infinite loue did let passe that much Hebr. 5. and laid hold of that little And he was heard by the Father for his reuerence And many of those miserable men were conuerted by the mighty hand of God and not only many of them but many millions of our soules in after ages are dayly conuerted in the vertue and strength of this holy Prayer Now withall this soueraigne Doctour did then read many lessons in one Namely (c) The instuction which is giuen vs by this prayer of Christ our Lord. that we must excuse the faults and much more the disputable cases which occurre by way of question whether or no our neighbours haue done ill yea and euen we are to pardon our greatest enemies in admiration and imitation of this diuine charity of Christ our Lord. For whatsoeuer affronts or wrongs they may be offering to put vpon vs who sees not what fleabytings they must be in cōparison of the wo into which our Lord was cast vpō the crosse Besides that he was the King of glory and did suffer for vs who were the most wicked slaues of Sathan Since therefore we were forgiuen being the enemies of God and who were in all reason to be condemned to hell fire for our many and most grieuous sinnes what rigour shall we not deserue at his hands if we forgiue not our enemies for loue of him Now to let vs see withall how farre he was from loosing any thinge in the sight of God by induring the bitter paine and ignominy of the Crosse he tells vs in language plaine inough that the Father who before had deliuered all power into his hands did meane nothing lesse then to resume the same and he shewed euen then that he was God For instantly he (d) The admirable mercy of our Lord to the good Thiefe Luc. 23. subscribed the petition of the Good Thiefe who rebuked the blasphemy of his companion and besought our Lord that he would remember him when he should be in his kingdome with such a gratious Fiat and vpon one single and short request as may aboundātly let vs see that we serue no lesse thē an infinite God that it costs him nothing to giue kingdomes or rather that it costs him much but that he is content to impart them to vs at an easy rate Yea euen as easy as it is to aske so easy shall it be for vs to haue if death preuent vs of being able to doe other workes of pennance And besides we learne by this that our Lord is so liberall and so full of loue to our felicity as that he takes no day with vs if the disposition which we bring be good any more then he did to this happy Thiefe who heere did make so good a ful point of stealing as that after a sort he may be accōted to haue stolne away the kingdome of heauen and he obtayned that this sentence should be pronounced by the mouth of truth it selfe It shall be so and this very day thou shalt be with me in Paradise O infinite goodnes of our Lord who had fogotten as it were to speake when it cōcerned him to haue answered for himselfe but who had neuer yet learnt to hold his peace when his speach might cōcerne the comfort saluation of such as desired the same Hereby we may cleerly find the great force of Grace which at an instant is able to make a great Saint of the greatest sinner So that as we may not presume of Gods mercy at the last hower of our life because we see what became of he wicked Thiefe so by the good Thiefes exāple we are bound not to despaire therof Withall we may well perceaue in the person of Christ our Lord who was wholy innocent and of the good Thiefe who was growne penitēt of the wicked Thiefe who was hardened in his sinne that (e) There is no kind of people which is not in this life to beare a Crosse Bell. de sept verbis in this life of tryall there is no kind of mē who can expect to liue without their Crosse as heere we see that all three sorts of men are crucified Good men haue their Crosses and so haue the bad and so also haue they who of bad grow good But with this difference it goes that the Crosses of good men end in glory and of the bad in euerlasting torment and shame Now since our Lord was so mercifull to this good Thiefe though he had led all his life in sinne how much more would it concerne him not to be vnmindfull of his deerest friends and especially of his all-immaculate mother and his beloued Disciple This Mother and Disciple had found him out as he was passing betwene Pilats Court and Mount Caluary For as much as concernes the excessiue griefe which had dominion ouer the hart of the sacred Virgin I shall haue oportunity to speake heereafter of it and for the present I only take occasion heerby to loue the loue of our Lod who by ordayning that his blessed Mother with S. Iohn should be present neere his Crosse at the tyme of his Passion besides the enamoured penitent Saint Mary Magdalen and Mary of Cleophas and Salome was pleased to add to his owne former griefe this second griefe which consisted in that he saw them grieue And especially in discerning with the eyes of his minde the fulfilling of that sad prophesy of Simoon who foretold that the sword of sorrow Luc. 2. should one day pierce the very soule of his blessed Virgin-Mother He had no will to call her Mother in regard that he would not wōd her yet more deeply by putting her in mind of such a seeming miserable Sonne But especially he forbare (f) The reason why our Lord did not call our B. Lady by the name of mother from the Crosse to vse that name because he being so odious in the eyes of all that wicked and abused world it could not chuse but to haue bene of great disaduantage to her at that tyme to be known and considered for his mother by so many as were spectators there But he did that in other words with admirable charity which did liberally prouide for the comfort both of
her and the whole world For he gaue this blessed mother of his to be the mother of S. Iohn and in his person of all mankind by these words of his Woman behold thy Sonne And he gaue to S. Iohn and to all the world in him a tytle of calling and knowing the sacred Virgin by the name of Mother when he sayd to him Behold thy Mother Ibid. So sweet a songe did this dying Swan of ours deliuer so rich did he make his holy Catholike Church when departing out of the world he left it such a legacy as this wherof heerafter I shall speake a part Of the darcknes which possessed the world and the excessiue desolation which our Lord endured with incomparable Loue whilst he was saying to his eternall Father Deus Deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me CHAP. 72. ALL these former seuerall words so full of diuine consolation and instruction were vttered with vnspeakeable loue by our blessed Lord soone after the rearing of his Crosse with himselfe vpon it And then did a kind of darkenes ouerspread all the earth Matt. 17. Marc. 15. It was not possible that it should grow at that tyme by any naturall cause of an Eclipse for then it could not haue lasted so very long that is to say three whole howers Ibid. Ab hora sexta vsque ad nonam Besides that the Sunne Moone were then in such relation and position in respect of one another as that the Sunne could be no way Eclipsed then And in fine if this darknes had growne by an Eclipse it could not haue reached to be vniuersall ouer the whole earth as yet the holy Scripture saith it was and so it hath bene testified and proued not only by the EuaÌ„gelists whose word is of all authority with vs Christians but also by S. Denis Areopagita See this Apud Bell. de 7. verb. Dom. Lucianus the Martyr Tertullian others who wrote therof at once in seuerall parts of the world Besides that Phlegon a Pagan which may serue for the confusion of Iewes and Atheists in this point affirmeth how in that yeare and vpon that very day and hower when our Lord did suffer The day was turned into so expresse night as that the starrs were then seene in the firmament This (a) The reason of that miraculous darcknes which did ouerspred the earth darkenes was drawne vpon the world by the miraculous power of God to declare the perfect innocency of our Lord IESVS and the enormity of their sinne who had condeÌ„ned him whose sentence he reuersed after this omnipoteÌ„t manner And as in some respects it could not but be of excessiue terrour to see a Noone day turne Mid-night as it were at an instant and that without any naturall cause at all so yet it was an effect of the infinite loue of God and of the former prayer of Christ our Lord when he beged the forgiuenes of their sinnes For this was then a meanes of the conuersion and of the pennance afterward of all that troope of people as S. Luke affirmeth wherby the greater part of them is only to be vnderstood who continued till the end of the Passion Luc. 27. For they saw the wonderfull things which happened and they returned into the citty beating euery one his brest through excesse of sorrow And so euery one of them went raysing a Trophey to the infinite mercy of our Redeemer (b) The infinite mercy of our Lord God who gaue such abundance of effectuall grace euen to theÌ„ who had made theÌ„selues his deadly enemies and that before he was taken downe from the Crosse as if it had bene euen in reward of all their wickednes and cruelty agaynst him But as now the whole world was ouer-wrought with a material darkenes by the miraculous hiding of the sunne which did such homage to the Creatour of all things as by absenting it selfe to make a kind of veâ—â—e wherby his nakednes might the lesse appâ—â—â—e so also were the harts in effect of the whâ—â—◠〈◊〉 â—â—orld and especially of those cruell persoâ—â— tours growne spiritually darke by the abundance of sinne which puts out the light of grace whersoeuer it enters Now to these two kinds of darkenes which were at that tyme in the world and worldly men another kind of obscurity did correspond in Christ our Lord in such sort as that we may securely affirme that since the world was created and inhabited there was neuer any such generall darkenes as that For by the light as a man may say of that darkenes euen halfe an eye would easily discerne how mightily the Power the Wisedome the Sanctity the Angelicall beauty the Princely Maiesty the diuine Dignity and the incomparable Felicity and glory of the true and naturall Sonne of God (c) The darcknes of desolation of Christ our Lord and how his supreme dignity was also obscured was obscured at that tyme. The sunne was doubly gone for besides the darkning of the materiall Sunne himselfe who was the true Sunne seemed no more a Sunne but rather a moone and that all Eclipst For as the Moone when she is Eclipst though she haue her globe all bright towards the heauen yet is it all blake towards the world iust so Christ our Lord though in the superiour part of his soule he saw God and was as high in glory as now when he is raigning in heauen yet in the inferiour part therof there was a most profound darkenes and desolation This drew out of his mouth those words of the Psalme wherof it seemes he was in coÌ„templation at that tyme. Matt. 27. Psalm 21. Deus Deus meus vt quid dereliquistime My God my God why hast thou for saken mee Misterious words which were vttered to shew the vnspeakeable affliction of Christ our Lord. Who for the greater glory of God the Father and through the excesse of his loue to vs and for the more abundant propitiation and satisfaction of our sinnes for the more complete crowning of his owne humility patience and supreme purity of mind was pleased to want all kind of prorection which might be of any comfort to him In other respects he was as hath bin said so conioyned and vnited to Almighty God as that it was wholy impossible that euen for any one instant he should euer be separated or abandoned by him For as God he was vnited by way of Essence to the Father as man he was vnited to the Diuinity by hypostaticall Vnion Bell. Ser. de sept verbis as a soule which saw the face of God from the very first instant of his Conception he was vnited to him by the Vnion of glory And as that vessell of sanctity which was not only all filled but ouerflowed by the holy Ghost whose guifs he receiued not according to any set or limitted measure but beyond all measure I say as he was this vessel of sanctity he was vnited to God by will and
Grace And from any one of these Vnions not only could he neuer be separated indeed but not so much as doubt that he might be so To say therfore that he was forsaken by God in respect of any of those former wayes of Vnion is grieuously to blaspheme the God of heauen and earth and to prophane the dignity and Maiesty of the soule of Christ our Lord and impiously to interprete and attribute that excesse of his diuine charity to the deepest dishonour which he could receâ—ue as that most wicked (*) Caluin Lib. 2. Instit. cap. 26. §. 10.21.12 in harm mc. 27. Matth. Sectary hath presumed to doe Affirming that our Lord despayred of Gods mercy vpon the Crosse when he vttered those words And that he felt the very paines of the damned in his soule the greatest wherof is the knowledge and feeling of hauing lost Almighty God And although he will pretend that he exalts the mercy of God heerby since God suffered his Sonne to endure the very paynes of hell for the reliefe of man yet besides the hideous blasphemy which these words doe euen of themselues inuolue the wretched Heretique is so blind withall as not to know or so wicked as not to confesse (d) A demonstratioÌ„ wher by that blasphemy is defected that the dignity of Christ our Lord was such in regard of the hypostaticall vnion with the diuinity that any one single sigh alone of his being applyed by faith and charity had bene of merit to saue innumerable millions of worlds of meÌ„ though euery of them had bene as wicked as that most wicked man himselfe If therfore one only sigh had beene inough for the redemption of the world then certainly those other many and most sublimely accomplished acts of vertue which that happy soule of Christ our Lord did worke through the whole course of his diuine life being accoÌ„panyed by those vnspeakable torments which he endured with a kind of infinite loue to vs in his sacred passion before his death will make his redemption of vs most superabundantly copious without needing to haue recourse to any such impious and hereticall blasphemy as that miserable man suckt from the authour of lyes to be dispersed by the disciples of his lewd Doctrine The Catholike Doctrine the truth is that which hath already bene declared That our Lord IESVS was content to be depriued of all sense feeling of diuine comsort which he expressed by those dolorous words of his And his pleasure also was that we should be told that he vttered them with a loud voyce Ibid. To (e) Why our Lord spake those words with a loud voyce the end that euen from the most remote corners of our hard harts we might heare theÌ„ and adore him for them And now as he asked not that question with a lowd voyce as if the eternall Father could not haue heard him if he should haue spokeÌ„ softly so neither did he aske it at all as not knowing or needing to be certified why he was so forsaken by him since our Lord knew all things And how should he be ignorant of that which so much concerned himselfe he who knew the secrets of all harts and how the eternall Father would dispose therof Colos 23 and in whome the all treasures of knowledge wisedom were heaped vp But he asked that question to the end that we might seeke for the Answere of it and seeking it might find it and finding it out might learne to know both the grieuousnes of sinne therby which was so sharpely punished vpon Gods owne only Sonne the infinite torments from which we are to be deliuered by such a costly meanes the inestimable value of grace for the purchase wherof to our vse Christ our Lord was content to sel whatsoeuer he could part withall both in body and reputation euen in the inferiour part of his very soule the vnspeakeable glory of the kingdome of heauen which was only to be opened thus by the Golden maister-key of the infinite loue of Christ our Lord. For vpon the only turning of this key towards vs those lockes do all fly open wherin the eternity of selicity is treasured vp for vs in the house of God Of the excessiue loue which our Lord Iesus did expresse by the silence and solitude wherwith he endured those vnspeakeable torments vpon the Crosse and how the whyle he was negotiating our cause with God CHAP. 73. THIS Passion opens the doore of eternall felicity to vs but heere we see how for the tyme it did shut the gate of comfort against our B. Lord. For betwene the end of his three first speaches and this complaint which he made to his eternall Father which was the first of his fower last there passed vpon the point of three full howers during all which tyme this Sonne of the Virgin did not once so much as open his blessed mouth O that our Lord would heere graunte the suite of his humble seruants whilst they desire to haue some sight and tast of that dolorous condition wherin then he was lodged for our sinnes O that we might partake some little part of that amazement wherwith al the quires of heauenly spirits did abound when they saw their Creator planted in the ayre vpon a Crosse deformed from head to foote with torments prophaned with blasphemies attended in sileÌ„ce by darkenes yet withall so far from taking reuenge of any dishonor that had bene done him as that he suffered still with entire submission and with inuincible loue both of God and man But that which still me thinks makes the rest more strange and wherin more of the God appeares is that straÌ„ge kind of silence (a) The admirable silence of our Lord and how he did not once coÌ„plavne either of his paynes or our sinne wherof I spake before and that totall absence of expressing any manner of complaint by so much as any one word yea or euen sigh or groane It was said before that our Lord himselfe had inuited the world to behold the case wherin he was and if we were content to do so vpon the summons of Pilats Ecce homo how much more are we to six our harts vpon this tragicall figure of our owne making now that we are called to it by Christ our Lord. I cannot thinke of this strange spectacle what me thinkes I would nor can I yet say what I thinke but in weake and cloudy manner Our Lord giue vs grace to thinke and say heerof as we ought and that we any doe as he deserues But certainly since he hath giuen vs such faculties of mind as wherwith to wonder at strange things his meaning is that we should imploy them vpon such an obiect as is his bottomles hart in this tyme of his hanging vpoÌ„ the Crosse For then was he sacrificing himself vpon that Crosse as vpoÌ„ the Altar of whole world at once Then (b) The infinite affaires our Lord did
noblest Image and peece of Architecture that can be deuised The head being inclined downeward towards a kisse of peace and the armes extended abroad which shew that it is wholy against their will that they imbrace vs not because they are nayled And the whole frame of the body carrying and conuaying it selfe downe by degrees into a point after such a louely gracefull maÌ„ner as that not only the eye of Christianity but euen of curiosity it selfe can desire no more But (f) The straite obligation of Christians to our Lord Iesus Christ as for vs to whome it belongs in a farre superiour kind to this it will become vs to adore him who suffered so for vs withall the powers of our soule and to wish that in some proportion he would make vs able to pay our debts by euen dying for the loue of him as he vouchsaft to doe for loue of vs. In the meane tyme we may well be humble and wonder how we are able to belieue such things as these and yet to liue Of the great Loue of God expressed in those prodigious thinges which appeared vpon the death of our Blessed Lord. Of the hardnes of mans hart which keepes no correspondence with so great loue Of the bloud and water which flowed out of the side of Christ our Lord and how he did in all respects powre himselfe out like water for our good CHAP. 77. IT pleased the greatnes and goodnes of Almighty God that immediatly before the death of Christ our Lord Matt. 27. the veile of the Temple should rend it selfe that the earth should quake that the stones should cleaue that the Sepulchers should open and many of the dead should rise shew theÌ„selues in Ierusalem (a) The vse of the prodigiâ—â— which appeared vpon the death of our Lord Iesus so these thinges might serue for a figure of the great conuersions from the obstinacy and death of sinne which were to follow vpon the death of our B. Lord. As also to the end that those inanimate creatures might reproach the ingratitude of them who had life and reason and that the people of the other world might coÌ„demne the vast impiety of them of this who had murthered thus the Lord of life Now the same action lyes against all sinners of these dayes aswell as against them of those For whosoeuer do commit any mortall sinne doe by the testimony of S. Paul their best towards the recrucifying of our Lord Iesus Hebr. 6. and they preferre Barabbas before him as hath bene said And howsoeuer the finne of those persecutours seeme to haue beene greater then ours can be in regard that they concurred not only maliciously but immediatly to his destruction yet for as much as they did not though they ought to haue knowne expresly that he was the Sonne of God which we acknowledge and beleeue him to be and because the holy Ghost was not then descended as now he is into our soules or desires to be if we be ready to receaue him that sinne which would be lesse in it selfe is greater in vs. And we are not worthy to liue if we fly not from all that which giues disgust dishonor to such a Lord and if we suffer not with him who suffered so cruell things for vs. We shall else be lyable to that sad complaint of S. Bernard For speaking against the hardnes of mans hart which refuseth to relent towards the true loue of God wheras yet those very stones and earth relented he sayth most sweetly thus Bernard serm de Pass Dom. Solus homo non compatitur pro quo solo Christus moritur Christ our Lord dyed for man alone and yet man alone takes no compassion of Christ our Lord wheras yet other creatures for whome he dyed not had compassion that is in theyr kind they suffered with him The (b) The deadly malice of the Iewes to Christ our Lord which ouerliued his death malice of those Iewes was such as to thinke all that nothing which we haue heere described to haue bene inflicted vpon the persoÌ„ of Christ our Lord when he was aliue And therfore they thought that he could not be dead so soone Ioan. 19. Bloudy wretches they were For if malice had not put them out of their wits they would rather haue wondred how he could haue liu'd so long considering how barbarously he had bene treated But though he were dead their contempt hate was still aliue a Captaine looking on Ibid. had so little pitty as to pierce his sacred side with a Launce and to execute cruelty vpon his Corpes which no Ciuill person would haue done vpon the carcasse of a beast Our Lord before he dyed forsaw what they meant to do and resolued to suffer it and so to gayne the glory of ouercomming by suffering by being ouercome And he was pleased Rom. 5. that where their sinne and malice did abound there should his grace and loue superabound For behould he had reserued certain bloud and water next his hart and the Eagle S. Iohn who had eyes wherwith to behould the Sunne did see it issue out of his side He deliuered himselfe in these words Ioan. 19. Et continuò exiuit sanguis aqua That instantly bloud and water did issue forth As if he should haue sayd that they had lyen there to watch their tyme to the end that as soone as euer the ouerture should once be made by that point of the Launce they would instantly not fayle to spring out and spend themselues for the good of man For through the opening of that wound Beniamin was borne Gen. 35. though Rachel his mother dyed in trauaile And the Church of Christ our Lord doth proceed from thence and like another Eue it was fram'd out of the side of our B. Sauiour who was the second Adam when he was dead as the former Eue was framed out of the side of the first Adam Gen. 2. when he was sleeping And therfore no meruaile if the Church of Christ our Lord all her lawfull and faithfull children doe carry a most profound internall tender loue and reuerence to the Crosse of Christ our Lord especially to this sacred wound of his side as to the country from whence shee came and whether shee procures to goe And in conformity of this loue the same Church is carefull to be stil refreshing our memory of this Crosse making the (c) The frequent vse of the holy signe of the Crosse signe therof in all her Sacraments Ceremonies and Benedictions teaching her true Catholikes not to be ashamed therof but to blesse our selues often according to the custome of all ancient Saints with that holy signe vpon our foreheads vpon our mouths vpon our harts that so the whole man may be euer walking in remembrance of this mistery and that so we may be the better disposed to beare with patience and loue any contempt or
to be amiable and easy to be endured And thus was the whole life which Christ our Lord did lead in this world an example and a liuing Doctrine of the actions which we were to performe and of the vertues which we were to practise This is said by S. Augustine Therfore to conclude this discourse of the Passion of our B. Lord we haue (i) The summe of this whole discourse of the Passion of our B. Lord. seene how painefull it was with how great loue he endured it and with how heroicall vertue it was performed We haue seene the end and ayme he had therin which was not only the redeeming of vs from hell but the recouery of vs from sinne the inducing vs to fly from all inordinate desire of honour estate and vaine delights to imbrace after his exaÌ„ple for his loue the exercise of all vertue the mortification both of the inward and outward man Let vs take heed that we contemne not the treasures of his mercies least we be consumed by the fiery torrent of his Iustice Let vs not pretend to make him loose his labour for auoyding of a little labour of our owne He is the wisedome it selfe of God and can tell how to value to a haire such a huge indignity as that would be And of this truth we must be well assured for it is not only reuealed to vs by way of Faith but it is written in our harts by the law it selfe of nature and reason That (k) The more good God is to men the more bitterly will they be punished for the contempt of such goodnesse if a mercy be offered abused a vengeance will belong to that offence If the mercy be great the vengeance will not faile to be great and if the mercy be infinite the vengeance also will be infinite And though Christ our Lord be a Lyon and the roaring of a Lyon is a frighfull thing yet he is also a Lambe we haue seene how he hath bene shorne and slaine and this LaÌ„be is not willingly alienated from his loue to vs. But if he be then laesa patientia vertitur in furorem The more inuincibly patient he was the more implacably furious he will be And for my part I doe not heare in the whole booke of God any word which strickes with greater terrour then when it speakes of the wrath of the Lambe Apoc. 6. The holy Ghospell describing Christ our Lord vpoÌ„ the Crosse saith that they blasphemed him as they were passing by Many blaspheme him by their deeds who doe not so by their words Matt. 27. but hauing an Aue Rex in their mouthes they strike him with the Reed in their hands If we desire insteed of blaspheming to doe him seruice and so to be happy both in heauen and euen heere our way will be not to passe so lightly by his Crosse but there to behould contemplate him at good leasure For how miserably shall we be out of countenance at the hower of our death if our conscience may iustly then accuse vs that we could not so much as find in our harts now then to thinke of those bitter things which the Sonne of God God did find in his hart to endure and that with infinite loue for our saluation Our Lord (l) Our great ingratitude to God will make vs see how very wicked we are otherwise IESVS giue vs grace to know how very wicked things we are And this knowledge being once well grounded in vs and our Lord being desired that for the loue of his bitter Passion he will make vs see the loue he bare vs in it we shall grow to take delight in looking often vpon that book with the eyes of our soule and so they will be happily shut vp from the sight and loue of other obiects We shall then quickly find that the Crosse is no such cruell thing as we haue coÌ„ceaued but that it is short and light and the reward therof remaines for euer Besides that the memory of her friends is honorable afterward euen with the enemies therof Wheras those persecuting Iewes with Cayphas and Pilate Herod al the libertines of the world who indeed are the enemies of Christ our Lord Philip. 3. and of his Crosse as S. Paul affirmeth howsoeuer they triumphed for a tyme were soone either beate downe by disgrace like so many bladders or blsters or els blowne vp by a little tyme out of the estimation of God and man like so many squibbs And now they haue found their place in hel where they shall remaine as long as God is God and so will their successors in sinne succeed them also in their punishment from which our Lord deliuer both them and vs. Of the vnspeakeable Loue of our Lord Iesus in bequeathing to vs vpon the Crosse his All-immaculate Virgin Mother to be the Mother of vs all CHAP. 79. OVR Lord IESVS hauing made his last Will and Testament in that night precedent to his death at which tyme he gaue vs his owne pretious body and bloud not only for the food of our soules in the blessed Sacrament but for a Sacrifice to God in the way of homage as to a Soueraigne Creatour by the institution of the Masse and being that night and the next day arriued so farre in the course of his bloudy and bitter Passion as after innumerable other affronts and torments to see himselfe both naked nayled through hands and feete vpon a Crosse the (a) The loue of our Lord Iesus did after asort increase with the torment which he â—â—dured â—â—â—our 〈◊〉 bowells of his mercy were so farre from being changed or cooled toward vs that the neerer they were to breake for griefe the faster he made them beate for loue And therfore as some tender-harted husband would haue done in fauour of his most faithfull and beloued wife who hauing setled his affaires in tyme of health by way of Testament wherby he had honorably prouided for her estate and comfort would yet wheÌ„ he drew neere to death in further proofe of his affection increase her ioynture by some Lordships and plucke of his ringe of greatest price from his owne fingar that he might put it vpon hers iust so was our Lord IESVS pleased to proceed with the holy Church his Spouse To whome notwithstanding the legacy of his owne pretious body which he had giuen vs already by Testament he did also now when he drew close vpon the confines of death with incomparable Charity (b) Our Lord Iesus bequeathed his B. mother to be also ours as it were by way of Codicill annexed to his last will Luc. 23. bequeath his sacred Mother to vs as it were by way of Codicille which he annexed to that former Will of his It hath bene seene already how our Lord vpon the death-bed of the Crosse did vtter seauen Words or rather declare himselfe by seauen seuerall speaches both to God
Virgin But this which I haue already said will suffice to shew how the one was a type and figure of the other and that the holy Fathers of the Church declare that howsoeuer they are both our Mothers in seuerall respects yet that the East and West are not so farre off from one another as this latter holy humble Eue doth in sanctity excell the former And now to the point of her being the Mother of vs all see further how * De sanct Virgin c. 6. Ambr. apud Bonau in spec Virg. c. 8◠Cyrillus Alex. hom con tra Nestorium S. Augustine saith she is the spirituall Mother of the members of the Church for as much as she cooperated to the end that the faithfull might be borne in the same Church S. Ambrose also saith If Christ be the brother of all beleeuers how can she choose but be the mother of Christ And so doth S. Bonauenture deliuer the blessed Virgin to be not only the particular Mother of Christ our Lord but the vniuersall mother of all the faithfull And S. Cyrill giues a massy reason heerof when speaking as to the blessed Virgin he professeth himselfe in these words By thee all those creatures who are retayned in the errour of Idolatry are conuerted to the knowledge of truth But the (b) An excellent cōsideration of S. Bernard vpō the sweet prouidēce of our Lord God concerning the B. Vir. cited by Pa. Arias Bern. ser sup missus est holy S. Bernard shall conclude this point when he saith to this effect Christ our Sauiour did suffice for the reparation of mankind because all our sufficiency doth come to vs by him and all that also wherof we haue need for our saluation Yet was it most conuenient for our good and comfort that he should be associated in this reparation of ours by such a companion as might be a mother and such a mother as that she being the mother of God might be also ours This holy Saint in the same place doth giue many reasons heerof full of conueniency and consolation which heere I shall not need to represent In his booke de imitat B. Virg. But it appeares clearly inough that as Father Arias notes for the multiplication of mankind in the course of nature God framed our first Father Adam And notwithstanding that he might haue giuen sufficiency of power to him alone for the multiplication of mankind if he had bene so pleased yet he would not doe it but he resolued to giue him a companion and helper which was our Grandmother Eue according to the sweet disposition of his diuine prouidence In the selfe same name Arias l. de imitat B. Virg. when the world was lost by sinne our Lord God hauing resolued to beget and multiply iust men who might be heires to the kingdome of heauen he gaue his only begotten Sonne to be Incarnate who by his life and death might beget and breed vs to saluation And although it be most true that this Father of ours is all sufficient by himselfe alone to performe this worke of our Regeneration because he is of infinite vertue and who according to the rigour of Iustice doth merit grace and glory for his children and doth obtaine pretious fauours and satisfy for all kind of sinne yet neuerthelesse God was pleased according to the designe of his owne excellent wisedome to giue to Christ our Lord the most sacred and most holy of all meere creatures his All-immaculate Virgin Mother Mary to be a companion to himselfe in the spirituall generation of the world as the mother therof who might assist and serue him in so great a worke Not by way of praying for vs or of iustifying vs or of giuing vs grace or glory as of her owne guift for al that is proper to the redeemer and Sauiour of the world but to the end that she might concurre to the reducing of sinners by the way of sweetnes and loue interceding and praying for them and offering vp for their good all those excellent operations seruices which she performed in this life to her blessed Sonne our Lord and so obtayning celestiall fauours for them and facilitating their way to heauen by discouering the infinite mercy and suauity of Almighty God to the eyes of their mind And if (c) A cleer consequence 1. Cor. 4. S. Paul might say in the word of truth I haue begotten you to the Ghospell how much more might this blessed Lady say it in a most eminent manner who did beare and bring forth our Lord IESVS and did both therby and otherwise so admirably and immediatly cooperate towards the saluation of the whole world Not only do many particular Fathers ascribe the title of Mother to our blessed Lady but the holy Catholike Church doth ioyntly glory in calling her by that sweet name and esteemes her selfe happy that she may haue recourse to her as such Nor giues she only way to all her faithfull children to acknowledge this maternity of hers in priuate manner but in that publike Office In the Office of the Church wherin she celebrates the prayse and memory of her Spouse at all the howers both of euery day and night as one who well vnderstands by that spirit of sanctity and truth in which she is guided that no honour doth more delightfully redound to our Lord IESVS then that which magnifyeth the happy creature who gaue him a body of her owne all-immaculate flesh and bloud The externall Excellencies and attractiuenesse of our Blessed Lady The reasons of congruity which prooue her innocency and purity and the innumerable motiues which oblige the world to admire loue her CHAP. 81. TO the end that we may be inuited and incouraged to gratitude towards Almighty God for giuing his glorions mother to be also ours and that we may both conceaue of her dignity comply with our own duty as is fit I wil procure to shew both what kind of excellent creature she is in her selfe of how admirable vse and aduantage to vs. Touching the (a) The glorious and holy extraction of our B. Lady Nobility of her descent it wil suffice to heere what S. Bernard saith There is somewhat of the celestiall Ber. ser super Signum magnum Apoc. 12. which shineth in the progeny of Mary That euidently she is descended of Kings that she is of the seed of Abraham that she is sponge from the stocke of Dauid And if this be little let it be further added that by a speciall priuiledge of sanctity she was knowne to haue bene granted to the world from heauen That long before she was pointed at from aboue to our forefathers That she was prefigured by misticall miracles and fore tould by propheticall Oracles For as much as may further concerne the sanctity of her extraction we must know that it came frō the tribe of Leui as wel as from that of Iuda For howsoeuer seuerall tribes were not generally
the mother of God The B. (a) A iust consideration of the excellency of our B. Lady drawen from he◠her high Office Hebr. 1. Apostle inferred the supreme excellēcy of Christ our Lord from the name of Sonne which God had giuen him and that therfore he did infinitely excell the Angells For to which of them saith the Apostle was it sayd at any tyme Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee Now the same kind of discourse hath also place in honour of our B. Lady For since togeather with the name Office the God of power and wisedome is wont to giue all the abilities and ornaments which may concerne the same what thought can there be that there should be any thing in any meere creature yea or in all of them put togeather which might presume to compare with the superexcellent mother of the immortall God And therfore it is no speculation or streined conceite but a consequence which flowes apace or rather flyes as a man may say downe the hill That as the dignity of Gods mother is incomparably beyond the dignity of Patriarks Prophets Precursours Apostles and whatsoeuer is high or holy in the kingdome of God so also doth her sanctity exceed theirs as farre as a mountaine exceeds a moate or as the sea exceeds any shallow brooke And the meanest act of vertue which euer was practised by this B. Lady did in the intensenes of it farre and farre excell the greatest of that kind which euer was exercised by any other except her Sonne our only Lord Sauiour Farre be it from any Christian to conceaue by the reserued manner and speach which sometymes is held by Christ our Lord to our B. Lady in holy Scripture wherby he did but meane to teach the world certaine lessōs or els to deliuer some hidden mysteries that he could haue any intention to rebuke her as faulty in the least degree yea or euen to reprehend her as not being worthy of all honour But it is to be considered that our Lord IESVS was a Priest after the order of Melchisedeth Hebr. 5. 7. of whome it is recorded that he was without Father and mother As man our Lord was without a Father and though he had such an excellent mother as we know yet in the eye of the world he would giue little notice therof at some particular tymes any more then to that eye he would giue any knowledge of the dignity of his owne diuine persō Luc. 1. When our (b) Of the great honour which is done to our B. Lady by Saints by Angells and by our Lord God himselfe Luc. ibid. B. Lady and the Angell were in conference togeather we haue partly seene the honour and homage which was performed to her by that celestial Spirit a high Prince of Gods heauenly Court When our B. Lady was single with S. Elizabeth in the performance of her Office of humble charity we know how that Saint that Prophetesse that mother of the great Precursour of Christ that Kinswoman of our B. Lord was in confusion to receaue the honour of a visit from her And she was drawne to forget as a man may say euen the very rules of modesty by crying out with a lowd voyce in admiration of the blessed Virgins excellency and felicity When Christ our Lord was priuate not in the exercise of his publicke Office of Doctour of the world in which priuacy he continued for thirty of the three thirty yeares of his whole life who can doubt with how perfect profound reuerence that Sonne of God and very God would be sure to carry himselfe to his sacred mother The holy Scripture expresly saith that when he returned frō being found in the Temple he continued subiect Luc. ◠not only to our B. Lady who was his natural and most worthy mother but to S. Ioseph also who was but his putatiue Father It would (c) Note the force of his reason therfore be strange if when we are taught by so expresse euidence what honour was done to this sacred Virgin by Angells and Saints and euen by God himselfe in this mortall life during those thirty yeares of his subiection to his parents excepting that only instant tyme of his teaching in the Temple at twelue yeares of age we should argue any vnderualew to haue bin in the mind of such a Sonne towards such a mother or of any irreuerence or want of care and due respect in the mind of such a mother towards such a Sonne And all this but only vnder the colour of some words which our Lord might say to her in the hearing of others at such tymes as when he considered her not so much as he knew her to be the mother of himselfe whe was God but as she seemed in all appearāce to be which was a carpenters wife Angells in heauen but because as it was incomparably Superiour to it in proportion so yet it carried a kind of resemblance in the condition therof So that if any man should aske me what was the true name and as it were the very nature of Christ our Lord I would say God Incarnate and so also if he should aske me the same question concerning the Mother of God I would not doubt but to say that she were Vertue or Sāctity or the Angelicall nature incarnate and that the perfection of all created sanctity vnder that alone of Christ our Lord had taken vpon it the habit of her holy flesh and bloud therby to illuminate and inflame the world And that (f) Our Lord Iesus is the only mediatour of Redemption and our B. Lady is the most excellent mediatour of Intercession vnder him to God the father and between him self vs. as Christ our Lord was to be the Mediatour of Redemption betwene God the Father and man so was she vnder him to be the most excellent Mediatour of intercession betwene vs and him as the holy S. Bernard doth expresly affirme How the sanctity of our B. Lady doth much import to the honour of Christ our Lord. How notwithstanding all her excellency we anow her to be nothing in respect of Christ our Lord as God and by innumerable degrees inferiour to him as man and how much more honourably our Lord redeemed her then others CHAP. 83. IF a man who were full of want should need the helpe of a woman towards the obtayning accomplishing of some honorable and vsefull designe of his and if she should cheerfully concurre therin and so the end desired should be obtayned by him could that man be so wicked as not to acknowledge the merit of that other creature and not to inrich and honour her as far as her condition would beare especially if he were mighty and not to be made the poorer by it Or at least if the case should be so put as that his owne future honour were so interessed in the honour excellēcy of that other as that they two
prerogatiues prayses of this most gratious most glorious Queene of heauen the ornament both of this and the other world wherby she is delineated in the old Testament may be well content to vanish in the sight of those others which are most perfectly declared in the new The wonderfull excellencies of our B. Lady which are declared in the new Testament be heere set forth CHAP. 86. LET therfore that be first remēbred which was touched before vpon other occasiōs that the holy Scripture is wont to expresse it self in few words that they vse to be deliuered in a very positiue māner least otherwise the earnestnes of asseueration might derogate from the authority of that infallible spirit of truth wherby they are written Let it be also considered that little is said in the whole Euangelicall history of Christ our Lord himselfe in the way and vnder the Tytle of expresse prayse For he was to giue himselfe for a perfect patterne of profōd humnility which permits not a man either to prayse himselfe or to like that it be done by his next fellowes His resolution was that his workes should speake of him and so they did and this was also the case of our Blessed Lady who as she was next him in grace so was she also next him in humility But yet neuerthelesse as it was necessary that Christ our Lord should be declared to the world for the Sauiour of it and for the Sonne of God and of the Blessed Virgin wherby the incomparable excellency of his person was to be discerned and the admirable perfection of his actions discouered so by a necessary consequence of that relation which runs betwene a Sonne and his mother the dignity of her person who was the mother of God must also needs be incidētly not only incidently but expresly also shewed and the matchlesse sanctity of all her actions and operations therby inferred For notwitstanding all the reseruation which I haue said to be vsed in holy Scripture let vs see if it haue bin able to containe it selfe from magnifying our Blessed Lady euen in other termes then by only saying that she was the Mother of God Which word alone had yet bene sufficient to aduance her as farre aboue al the world of creatures both in heauen and earth as a single figure being placed before a whole million of Cyphers would expresse a number which would scarce be told I will first in a word point out the priuiledges and prayses of this perpetuall Virgin which are mentioned in holy Scripture in effect as they ere raunged togeather by Canisius lib. 1. c. 2. that deuout and learned seruant of hers And from thence I will proceed to a short consideration of those diuine vertues which were imparted to her togeather with those prerogatiues which were necessarily to be supposed to be in her by those prayses For of her and to her it was said by the Archangell Gabriel and note that he said it not as in his owne person but as in the person of God himselfe whose Ambassador he was All haile O thou full of Grace Luc. 2. Our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou amongst women Thou hast found grace with God Thou shalt beare a Sonne and thou shalt call his name Iesus That Sonne of thine shall be great and he shall be called the Sonne of the most High Our Lord God will giue him the seate of his Father Dauid He shall raigne in the house of Iacob for euer and that kingdome shall haue no end Vpon thee shall the holy Ghost descend and the vertue of the most high shall ouershadow thee And so therfore that which of thee shall be borne holy shall be called by the Sonne of God Vpon her presence also it was and vpon the first sound of her sacred voyce that S. Elizabeth was indued with the spirit of Prophesy and ful-filled with the holy Ghost Luc. 1. that her Sōne did spring in her wombe with ioy as hath bin said which supposeth the vse of reason then imparted to him Vpon her Visitation it was that S. Elizabeth was not able to containe her selfe but cryed out to this effect with an extaticall kind of loud voyce Is it possible that this poore creature should receaue such a fauour as not only to be saluted by the mother of my Lord but that she should preuent me with such a painefull visit How come I to be capable of such high honour Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe Happy I say art thou who hast belieued for whatsoeuer our Lord hath sayd to thee shall be performed And heerupon the humble and loyall soule of the sacred Virgin when she found that her Cosin had receaued a reuelation of the diuine mystery which had bin wrought in her◠lent her tongue to the holy Ghost Luc. 1. who therby pronounced that holy Canticle of the Magnificat And so farre was she (a) The holy Ghost did force the sacred tongue of our B. Lady to giue her selfe due prayse ouerruled therby as prophetically to foretell her own excellency and not only to say That our Lord had done great things to her but that all generations of men should call her blessed It is but reason O Queene of heauen that those Generations should call thee blessed by whose only meanes vnder God his curse is to be remoued from them And if the good (b) A consequence which cānot be denied Luc. 11. womā in the Ghospell vpon the seeing and hearing of Christ our Lord when he was teaching did proclaime the blessednes of that wombe which had borne such a Sonne and of the breasts which had giuen him sucke and if according to the iudgmēt of antiquity she was inspired therin by the holy Ghost Beda l. 4. c. 4◠in Luc 11. she of whome our Venerable Country man S. Bede affirmes that by the example of her faith and deuotion whilst the Pharisies were tempting blaspheming Christ our Lord she did both confound the slaunders of those principall Iewes who then were present and the persidiousnes of those Heretiques who would spring vp in tyme which was then to come how much more are we to blesse her who haue so much more knowledge of her excellencies then the other had For she did but conceaue her at that time to be mother of some great Prophet or man of God wheras we are taught by the light of faith that she was no lesse then the mother of God himselfe How miserable therfore are they who do their best to giue both the holy Ghost and her the lye whilst they acknowledge her not to be truly blessed for as much as they make her subiect both to originall to actuall sinnes An incomparable dignity it was for thee O sacred Virgin to be made the mother of the euer-liuing God And if we with our misty sight discerne that dignity to haue bene so great what did those pure sweet
eyes of thine But (c) The B. Virgin did more esteeme perfect innocency and Sanctity then euen to be the mother of of God yet so highly didst thou esteeme the least degree of Grace and so profoundly did thy holy soule abhorre the least deflexion from the diuine Will by any little errour as that rather then to haue committed any one veniall sinne or voluntary imperfection with being the very Mother of God infallibly thou wouldst haue chosen to relinquish that high Maternity rather then to haue lost the least degree of perfect innocency and sanctity We therfore thy children of the holy Catholike Church that Church wherof thy Sonne our Lord is the mysticall head we the inferiour members thy selfe being the beautifull necke therof by which that head sendeth downe the influence of grace into the body and by which that body sendeth vp the odour and incense of prayers to the head We I say (d) We Catholiques subscribe to the prophesy of the greatnes of our B. Lady Psalm 44. subscribe to thy prophesy of thy selfe we admire thy excellency the beliefe whereof is planted in the roots of our hart from thence it shall grow vp vpon all occasions into our tongues which shall be as so many penns of ready writers to ingraue the memoriall of thy greatnes in all the mindes of mortall men And let woe be to the world if since by these high prerogatiues which we find to be giuen thee by the spirit of God himselfe so much seruice and prayse is due to thee as will neuer be fully paid though the creatures of God both in heauen earth were all distilled into one we who are but wormes of the earth and who are dayly sinning against thy Sonne and who by howers and minutes are both needing and finding the effects of that incarnate Mercy which by thy faithfull and free consent did become flesh and bloud in thy sacred wombe should not be doing thee all that homage which the most excellent pure creature can receaue the same being vnder God the maister-conduit of all Grace to vs. That our Blessed Lady was saluted full of Grace and of seuer all kindes of Fullnes of Grace CHAP. 87. SHE might well impart some to vs who was so full of it in her selfe For as soone as the Angell had saluted her with that profound admiring reuerence which he knew was due from a houshold seruant to the Mother of his Lord he bids her as hath been sayd Haile full of grace And as in the Passion of our most B. Lord when the Priests and Elders made their charge against him Luc. 23. before Pilate they said Inhenimus hunc c. We haue found this fellow c without vouâ—â—aâ—ing so much as to giue him a name because when there is a meaning by way of exaggeration to contemne a person the forbearing of the name doth shew a bitter and profound contempt as if no name could be found which were base inough for such a person so in this first part of the salutation of our B. Lady by the Angell Gabriel (a) The incomparable reuerence of the Angell in satuing the B. Virgin the admiration which he had of her was such as that to shew the great height therof and his not being able to expresse the reuerence he bare to her by any name he spake to her at that first tyme without a name and said Luc. 1. Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst women As if he had deliuered himselfe in this manner O soueraigne Virgin I am seÌ„t to thee on the part of God I am to bring thee a newes which if it proue is to sill heauen earth with ioy On the part of God it is already resolued vpon but the consistory of the B. Trinity is at a pause till it obtaine thy free consent I know not by what name to call thee which may expresse thy Dignity my admiration but this I know that thou art a vessell full of Grace a spouse to whome God himselfe is making-Court a creature which is blessed beyond all the children of flesh and bloud and as such I salute thee with all reuerence The men who are so miserable as to loue to lessen the opinion of excelleÌ„cy in our B. Lady are desirous according to what I touched before to follow the Grammaticall sense of the Greeke word wherby they would barre her from being saluted by the Angell for fulof Grace and they will but admit her to be highly sauoured and accepted or gratiously beloued by our Lord God But (b) Euen that which we affirme of our B. Ladyes being full of Grace is most iustly inferred by what our aduer saries coÌ„fesse first though it should be as they say yet that which we assirme would follow vpon it by a necessary kind of consequence For if God had accepted and fauoured graciously beloued her in so high a manner as for shame they will not choose but graunt what doubt can be made either of the power or goodnes of that diuine Maiesty but that he would perfect his owne worke by filling her withall inherent Grace whome he had vouchsafed to assume into so high fauour as to make her his Pallace of pleasure and to vouchsafe of her purest flesh and bloud to build an eternall house of humanity which his owne increated wisedome was so to inhabite But besides that this truth doth grow euen from the inference of common sense let vs cast an eye towards the chiefe Fathers and pillars of the Church of God to see if they do not read gratia plena with vs and not gratiosa with our aduersaries and to leaue the questioÌ„ de nomine if euery where they doe not with deuout ioy of hart acknowledge that the Virgin was saluted and was indeed full of Grace Resort therfore for this purpose to the margine which will guide you to the way Canisius lib. 3. c. 6. 7. vpon his confideration of the salutation of our B. Lady by the Angell where you shall see this cleerly auowed both by the Latin Church and by the Greeke S. Hierome Sophronius S. Ambrose S. Augustine Eusebius Emissenus Petrus Damianus Venerable Bede Rupertus S. Bernard S. Thomas many others And so also is this done by S. Athanasius S. Ephiphanius S. Ephrem the Deacon S. Iohn Damascen S. Gregory of Neocaesaraea with many more whome I spare to name By them you shall find this sacred Virgin to be admired as a vessell full of Grace and resembled to a Riuer which runs with a full current of the holy Ghost to a field which is all loaden with fruite That her soule was shot through and through with that choice arrow of the loue of God which left no thought therof vnfilled with Grace In c. 1. Lucae And S. Ambrose hath these excellent words Bene itaque c. which couple the gratia and gratiosa both in one
herself vnworthy of honour So that finding her selfe at the very instant to be sublimed to such a height as that she did not yet esteeme her selfe one graine more worthy in her selfe then she did before Whervpon she tooke no titles which might then beloÌ„g so her present state as of Queene of Angells Lady Mistris of the world or elected Spouse of the holy Ghost Nor did she prefer herself before theÌ„ meanest creature of the earth but setling her soule in the lowest meanest place of theÌ„ all she gaue her self the stile of a hand-mayd or slaue In c. 1. Lucae S. Ambrose wonders at this Humility I woÌ„der not at him for so woÌ„dring for the Angells theÌ„selues are not able to do it as it deserues This vertue she also discouered in straÌ„ge maÌ„ner when vpoÌ„ those great prayses which S. Elizabeth proclaymed to be her due both for the prerogatiues which she had in her selfe for the wonders which had bin wrought in S. Iohn vpon the only hearing of her voyce this sacred Virgin refused out-right to accept therof and instantly running into her most humble hart she fell into that diuine Canticle Luc. 2. wherin she ascribes all the glory of her greatnes and of that felicity of hers which was to be celebrated for euer by all the Generations of the faithfull to the only omnipotent mercy of our Lord God Of the soueraigne Purity Greg. Niâ—â— in Orat. de humana Christi Generat Aug. de S. virginitate c. 4. Beda hom de Eest Annunt Anselm hom Intrauit Iesus Bern serm de Natiuitat Mariae apud Canisium l. 2. c. 14. of this sacred Virgin as it were a most blasphemous sinne to doubt so were it simplicity to dilate the consideration of a thing so cleere into any great length She imbraced Chastity she vowed it though formerly both in the law of nature euen in the written law there was little notice of it lesse practise And as fecundity was much esteemed by the Iewes so was the want therof a note rather of reproach infamy then otherwise The people of flesh bloud do often choose rather to be infamous with the losse of virginity theÌ„ glorious by the preseruation therof But this Queene of Virgins did loue not only to be contemptible in the eye of the world but euen to excuse her selfe from accepting to be the very mother of God rather theÌ„ she would endure to thinke that the flower of her virginity should once be touched Yet touched it was but first that was by the holy Ghost himselfe then instantly afterward by the increated Sonne of God who reposed so many moneths in that Angelicall Cradle of her sacred wombe But that touch was so farre from blasting it as that it indued it with most pretious odours which haue perfumed the world And if before that tyme her Virginity were but in flower it was now growne to be both in flower fiuite being highly sanctified sublimed by that Elixir (d) The sacred humanity of Christ our Lord. of heauen which turneth whatsoeuer it toucheth into gold The integrity of her sacred body was the least part of her diuine Purity for her soule was that which did excell That extended not only to the absence of any thing which was contrary to Chastity but (e) This indeed is true and perfect Purity to a forbearance of taking the least contentment or delight in any thing created but only in God for God No thought no care no desire or ioy did euer presume so much as to solicit that superexcelleÌ„t soule but only how to coÌ„ply with her vnspeakeable obligatioÌ„ to Almighty God by perpetuall working and yet profoundly contemplating those diuine attributes of his vpon which froÌ„ the first instaÌ„t of her Immaculate Conception till that other of her most glorious Assumption her mind as hath bene said did beate and boyle in continuall acts of most ardent loue This indeed was to be Chast in the most eminent degree To be doing that on earth which the Angels are doing in heauen Whose incessant actuall loue S. Augustine doth thus expresse Confes lib. 12. c. 11. Quod perseuerantissima castitate DeÌ„ hauriant that they are sucking vp God himselfe with a most perseruing Chastity and purity of minde When the Sonne of God and her was sucking at the sacred fountaine of her breast for the reliefe and maintenance of his pretious life how would that diuine Virgin (f) A happy exchaÌ„ge Mother be sucking the while at the fountaine of his Diuinity for the delighting inebriating of her soule How instantly did she vpon all occasions giue backe all prayses and attributes of estimation and honour to God though they had bene sent down to her by the TrÌ„pets of heauen and by tongues of truth it self as hath bene said When other creatures are praysed they seldome send the prayses backe as cleane as they come but their mindes being moystned by selfe-loue are still retayning some impression therof more or lesse Lumen siccum optimae anima It is an excellent choice soule which so flameth vp towards God as not to be softned or steeped in humaine affections It was with our B. Lady in the case of the prayse or honour which was done her as it would be with a wall of Diamond towards which some ball were sent and the harder it should be driuen the more forcibly and quickly it would returne againe What ball could be stronger driuen then that she should be proclaymed the Mother of God by an Archangell and what more stiffe repulse could be made to the prayse which did result therby then that instantly she should prostrate and protest her selfe to be no better then his slaue If such were the perfection of her Purity of hart at that tyme which I would to Christ we did not want words so much as to name what would it grow to be after so long cohabitation with that God her sonne for the space of tree and thirty yeares He (g) The power of the presence of Christ our Lord. whose presence euen for one minute in such sort as he was pleased to affaord it to her were able to make any dissolute and disordered hart become Saintly and pure and indeed to make a kind of heauen of hell it selfe I adore God in his B. Mother and I admire the perfection of her happy soule and in the least of her actions and words I see another manner of Abysse without a bottom then in all the Saints and Angells put togeather but that which most amazeth me is the plentiful RegioÌ„ of her purity the incorruptible fidelity of her soule towards God Which was so perfectly dead to it selfe and so full of springing life and motion to him as (h) The Non-plus vltra of the Purity of the B. Virgin that instantly shee did euer returne his graces back againe wrapped vp as in so many Loue-letters of adoring
thanks and ardent sighes as cleere and pure as God himselfe had sent them downe without the sticking of one graine or crumme of dust to her And therefore now if she were so absolute in that inward and profound contēpt of herselfe we shall cease to find it strange that so intirely she contēned exteriour things And yet of it selfe what a wonder was it for the Queene of heauen and earth to be so ioyfully deliuered of the euer liuing God in his misterious Natiuity as we haue seene before with all the circumstances of disaduantage dishonour that could be thought But the want of all worldly things was that sumptuous banquet vpon which the soule and body of the B. Virgin loued to feed for loue of him who had emptied himselfe into that Humanity for loue of vs and which obliged vs therby to discharge euen the lawfull loue of all other things wherin the height of purity doth consist Of the inexplicable Conformity of the will of the B. Virgin to the holy will of God in all thinges how deere soeuer it might cost her CHAP. 91. FROM hence did also grow that entyere Conformity of her will with the holy wise will of God which as she had neuer ouershot in the prosperous part of her life as at the salutation of the Angell and S. Elizabeth when her Sonne was adored by the three kings in his royall throne of her lap so did she neuer fall short of it to the breadth of a hayre in any affliction or tribulation We saw before in part what her Humility was and how profoundly low it layd her owne account and how pure she kept her hart frō any cōplacence in her self vpon those highest prayses wherwith the Angell and S. Elizabeth did adorne celebrate her grace greatnes We (a) How deeply true humility abhorreth prayse know withall both by the cleere light of truth and by the faithfull records of Saints liues that an ambitious person cannot more greedily hunt after prayse then a soule truly humble will shrinke in and auoyd and abhorre the same And if euen a man who is but moderatly vaine will not easily be induced euen for very shame to prayse himselfe very much and with deliberation what an vnspeakeable auersion must needs that most humble of all humble soules haue had from all extolling of herselfe But yet since the will of God was such Luc. 1. and that the holy Ghost was pleased to vse the instrument of her tongue which of it selfe was so truly a louer of holy humble silence towards the proclayming of her owne prerogatiues and greatnes she did most ioyfully concurre to prayse herselfe and to avow that God hath done great things to her and that for them all Generations should call her blessed It was the will of God that her Sonne should fly as by the wings of her armes into Egipt for feare of that Kite King Herod and she went vpon a minutes warning with a Conformity (b) How a will which is in a conformity to the will of God must be both supple and stifie as stiff as any rocke withall as supple and gentle as any wax with a resiguation so profound as not so much as to aske when she should be freed from that Crosse It was Gods will that S. Ioseph should haue the honour of the Angels visit Matt. 2◠that she should obey a mā whose incōparable Dignity did much consist in this that he was admitted to take the care of her and to do her seruice yet behould she did punctually obey all his orders in her delight to be complying with the commaundement of our Lord God as if she had bene the beggar he the King And that we may see how many businesses the holy Ghost is able to do at once and how by commāding some one thing he giueth matter for many soules to persorme the acts of most heroicall vertue at the same tyme Vt reuelentur ex multis cordibus cogitationes it will not be a misse to consider as infallibly the thing is true in it selfe that as it was a point of most humble and pure Conformity for the B. Virgin to take law from (c) How holy S. Ioseph was mortified in being obliged to giue orders to our B. Lady S. Ioseph so was it matter of excessiue mortification to his most holy most wise and most faithfull soule to giue directions as by meanes of reuelation to that superexcellent mother of God whome so profoundly he did reueare and admire sauing only that he also would obey the diuine will therin But to returne to the Conformity of the B. Virgin and to make short in this particular and to say the chiefe of that which can be said in a word It was the will of our Lord God that his Sonne and hers being both God and man and euen as man being the most innocent and most excellent holy person that euer was should be put to the grieuous and most ignominious death of the Crosse And she saw that he had bene buffeted and dragged and hoodwincked and scourged Crowned with thornes pierced with nayles and defiled with spittle defamed with slaunders and profaned with blasphemies exposed starke naked to the view of the world vpon that top of a hill and placed betwene a coople of murdring theeues and so he continued till at last he parted with his pretious life being all dissolued into a very fountaine of bloud This I say she saw and because his death was agreeable to the will and the manner of it to the permission of our Lord God she resolued with ineffable strength of minde to will all that part of his death which God would and to permit all that which he (d) The vnspeakeable cōformity of our B. Ladies wil to the will of God permitted And she laid her selfe so wholy aside as not only not to giue it the least impediment but not so much as once to harbour the least thought that way And notwithstanding that she grieued at it more then all the creatures of God togeather could haue grieued though all their griefe had bene summed vp into one drop of griefe since she loued him more then they all could do and the griefe tooke measure by the loue she yet looked on whilst this was done and she stood vpon her feete which is the posture of strength and she turned her hart vp to God by way of offering vp euen that Sonne in vnion of his owne diuine oblation and she endured all that torment with inuincible patience And whilst (e) What a miracle of grace was this Luc. 1. the sword of sorrow which S. Simeon had foretold and which for the space of so many yeares she had with a most steady eye foreseene with the point still turned towards her and with a most carefull hart considered and which she was then in the very act of Feeling to passe and transpierce her
Charity Patience at the Crosse are trāsplanted out of the desert of this world into that gardē of God in heauen For thither is she assumed both in soule body to the fruition of more glory then is possessed by all the Angells and Saints There is she ingulfed in the bright vision of God where she sees and in whome she loues all the soules which haue recourse to her with incomparable Charity and care And if S. Augustine could truly say of his deceased friend Nebridius who was gone to God Confes l. ◠c. ◠I am non ponit aurem ad os mē c. He doth not now lay his eare to my mouth but he applyes that spirituall mouth to that spring of thine and he drinketh wisedome after the vttermost rate of his owne greedy thirst being happy for all eternity Neither yet doe I thinke that he is so inebriated with thee as that he can forget me since thou O Lord whome he is drinking art mindfull of vs. If S. Augustine I say could thus reflect vpon Nebribius who shall be euer able to expresse the perpetuall memory or rather the euer presēt sight and care of vs which the mother of our Lord God now raigning in such glory as becometh such greatnes hath incē parably more tēderly more liuely of vs then S. Augustines Nebridius could haue of him So much more as she was made our mother heere so much more as now that she is there she drinkes whole seas of God for any one drop which Nebridius could drink consequētly as she is more perfectly happy trāsformed into that Abisse of charity God himself whose loue desire care of our eternall good is infinite Proceed therfore O thou glorious Queen in being glorious raigne thou for euer vnder God alone ouer all his creatures Proceed in being gracious to vs thou who wert so ful of Grace euen before thou wert made the mother of God Thy soule did magnify our Lord at the visit which thou gauest to S. Elizabeth with (c) The princely gratitude of our B. Lady expressed in the Magnificat to our Lord God more delight ioy thē euer had bene cōceaued by any creature And thou didst thē most diuinely expresse his goodnes to thee in a māner of Court so choice noble as might wel declare that thou wert born a Queen thou didst singe Magnificat to our Lord for hauing respected as it were cast an eye of fauour towards thee And how truly indeed wert thou as good as thy word therin when thou saidst that thou didst Magnify or make great our Lord. For whilst he was bestowing those great fauours vpon thee according to those other words of thine Fecit mihi magna qui potēs est sanctū nomē eius Our Lord hath done great things to me and his name is holy thou wert euen very then returning those great things againe to him with the additiō of thine owne most humble thāks So that the greater he made thee the more great and glorious he was also made by thee And besides how couldst thou mak him shew more glorious and more great then in saying that with the cast as it were but of an eye he had made such a mother for himself as thou This Magnificat of thyne is celebrated with diligent and dayly deuotion by the holy Catholike Church in memory of that high ioy which thou hadst in thy Angelicall hart when the holy Ghost expressed it selfe by that well tuned Organ of thy tongue But now O soueraigne Lady that thou art all transformed in God thou art singing it out in a far higher straine Thou canst not say any more that he but casts an eye of fauour towards thee for now he lookes vpō thee with a full face and thou art able to see him as thou art scene 1. Cor. 13. And since the more thou seest of him the more dost thou also see of vs. Vouchsafe to implore his mercy towards the reliefe of our misery which thou canst not but find to be extreme Behould vs who are children of thy soule since by Faith thou becamst the mother of all such as were to liue by Grace And intercede thou for vs with that Sonne of thy sacred wombe whose lawes though we haue transgressed and whose Passion though we haue renewed and whose grace though we haue quenched by our innumerable sinnes yet for as much as frō our soules we are sory for thē that there was mercy in store for his very Crucifiers let it not be wāting to vs who are procuring as thou knowest to be his seruants Since we fly to the sanctuary of thy feete for succour since with the most reuerend of our thoughts we take hold of that Altar of thy purest wombe wherin the Iudge of the quicke and dead did make the first Sacrifice of himselfe to his eternall Father for the redemption of the world defend vs by thy prayers O Queene of pitty from that sword of Iustice which is ready to fall vpon our heads Thou saidst that all Generations should call thee Blessed and we are a part of them withall the powers of our soules we blesse both thee and God for thee and we vow our selues to belieue whatsoeuer excellency may be ascribed to a meere creature And we make this protestation withall that so farre we are frō derogating therby from the worship of Latria which is only due to God as that we know not in this world how to do him more high honour and seruice then by offering him first to himselfe and next by honoring and praysing thee For the greater thou art the greater do we acknowlege him to be who made thee what thou art or nothing Obtaine of that holy Spirit who ouer-shadowed thee heere which doth as it were ouerwhelme thee there in that region of eternall blisse that we also may be quickned inspired by it so may be walking on towards heauē by those paces which thy pure feete haue traced out I cannot beseech thee to obtaine wine for vs as thou didst for them of Cana for we want no wine since we are nourished by the milke of thy maternall loue which is better thē the best most pretious wine And we may also be inebriated as oftē as we shall wel dispose our selues by that Vinum germinaus virgines Lach. 9. that pretious bloud in the body of thy Sonne our Lord in the venerable Sacrament of the Altar But the misery is that our soules want mouths wherwith to tast it or rather they are all crammed with the corrupted food of delight in creatures and our blindnes is such through the mist of passiō which ouergrowes vs that we see not what we eate and much lesse can we discerne the sad effects which it works within and amongst them this one that it depriues vs of gust in heauenly things It is therfore O Queene of heauen that we cast our selues humbly
for euer after Confes l. 3. cap. 6. Vae vae quibus gradibus descendi in infernū saith the incōparable S. Augustine woe is me woe is me by what steps was I dropping downe to hell and the Saint shewed shortly after that euen then our B. Lord was taking him with the hand of mercy of out that Abysse of danger and destruction We may see in some durty (d) Note this comparison poole of myre some little vgly stick which is rotting it selfe away into worse then nothing and we would wonder at the great goodnes of some Soueraigne Monarch if he should vouchsafe to stoop and to foule his fingars for the taking it vp and much more if he would make a bath of his own bloud Royall wherin it might steep if therby he could make it fit againe to be a plant and to bring forth fruite in his Princely garden to the pleasure of himselfe and all his Court No rotten stick in any durty stincking poole doth come home to the expression of that filth and ruine which tryumpheth in euery soule which is lyable to the guilt of mortall sinne And yet this King of heauen and earth did abase himselfe from his throne of Maiesty to this Center of misery and by the hand of his grace taketh vp innumerable soules which are rotting in sinne and he bathes them in his owne pretious bloud at the instant that they are sorry for their offences and he plants them first into his militant Church and then he transplants them into the tryumphant and they grow to florish like so many beautifull trees in that Paradise of God for all eternity But first in this life when once men accept of his inspirations he (e) How infinitely our Lord inricheth his friēds and seruants giues thē new graces meanes to acquire inestimable eternall treasures in euery moment of their liues since in euery moment therof they may do or say or thinke of somewhat to his greatest glory Euery one of which acts being rooted in his grace which was purchased by his merits and being accompanied by his promise which flowed only from the fountayne of his loue hath a district degree of glory belonging to it in the next life Euery one of which degrees of glory through the inestimable and incomprehensible excellency therof although it should last but one only minute were millions of tymes to be preferred as was touched once already before all the Honours Treasures and Pleasures which were and are to be possessed and inioyed by all creatures from the creation of Adam to the second cōming of Christ our Lord. And what then shall we say of such a degree of glory as is to be eternall And what then of such innumerable degrees of the same eternall glory as do answere to all the moments of our life Not only doth our Lord giue vs meanes to serue and please his superexcellent Maiesty in all the moments of our mortall life by our continuall turning vp the white as I may say of our soules eye to him but he is euer ministring to vs (f) An incomparable mercy if it be wel cōsidered particular meanes and occasions wherby and wherin we may exercise most heroycall vertues of Humility Patience and Mercy of Pouerty Chastity and Obedience Faith Hope and Charity all the rest Besides it hath pleased our Lord to plant a perfection in euery occasion and actiō of his life Now by meanes heerof how miserable soeuer we haue bin in former tymes we may at that instant supposing that our state be chosen well doe that very thing in the most excellent manner which of all others in the whole world is most acceptable and pleasing to our Lord God Againe for (g) See how sollicitous our Lord is of our good those soules which are in state of grace our Lord doth keep as it were two seuerall bookes of account The one is of tyme which hath an end the other is of Eternity which hath none Now whatsoeuer defects or Veniall sinnes be committed which being Veniall are compatible with the state of Grace how wilfull and vnworthy soeuer they be our Lord who is so rich in goodnes and so liberall of grace doth cast them into the accompt of time that so there may once be an end of the punishment therof Which is at last discharged either by the pennance of a penitentiall life or els afterward by the paines of Purgatory both which kindes of satisfaction are rooted in the pretious merits of Christ our Lord. But as for the good deeds words thoughts which haue proceeded from such a man though accompanied with imperfections and frailtyes our Lord doth lodge thē all in the booke of Eternity that so there may be no end of their reward Now woe and woe agayne be to that wretched soule which vpon this occasion and motiue shall presume to serue our Lord with lesse fidelity loue and not rather incomparably with more Of the seuerall kinds of Loue which our soules may exercise to our Lord Iesus And the whole Treatise is concluded with shewing how much we loue our Lord by louing our neighbours for his sake CHAP. 96. VVE must therfore serue and loue this blessed Lord of ours with all the loue of all our soules not depriuing him of his due by distracting it towards any of his creatures Confes l. 4. cap. 12. but only for him and in him For most vniustly as the incomparable S. Augustine saith do we loue those things to his dishonor from whome those things do all proceed and by whome if they were not preserued in euery moment of tyme they would instantly perish I say we must loue our Lord with a kind of delight or complacence reioycing in the Consideration of his diuine excellēcies and attributes and taking gust in the contēplation of his beauty and in the strength and wisedome of his holy will which in despight of diuells and wicked men shall be accomplished and fulfilled from the greatest of his workes to the falling of any lease towards the ground and the mouing of any moate in the ayre Et quid necuerunt tibi saith S. Augustine Confes l. ◠cap. 2. of wicked men aut in quo imperium tuum dehonestauerunt à caelis vsque in nouissima iustum integrum For how could they euer hurt thee or wherin haue they bin able to dishonour or disparage thy dominion or gouernement which is so entyere iust from the very highest to the very lowest of thy creatures We must (a) The loue of beneuolence and friēdship toward◠God loue him with a loue which may be called of Friendship or Beneuolence most cordially desiring incessantly procuring the exaltation of his holy name and the exaltation of his eternall glory in all harts soules We must loue him with a loue of exquisite and entiere Obedience both in perfectly doing al that which he is pleased to inioyn and cheerfully suffering all
great Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed by his disputing and teaching in the Temple pag. 107 Chap. 21. Of the excessiue loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to vs in that he would vouchsafe to be Baptized pag. 114 Chap. 22. The discourse concerning Baptisme is contynued and the great Loue of our Lord in the institution of that Sacrament is more declared pag. 120 Chap. 23. Of the vnspeakeable Loue to vs which our Lord Iesus shewed in his being tempted in the wildernes by the Diuell pag. 126 Chap. 24. The excellent examples and instructions which our Lord Iesus gaue vs with great Loue in this mystery of his Temptation pag. 13â— Chap. 25. The Temptations which the Diuell did seeke to put vpon our Lord Iesus are declared opened pag. 135 Chap. 26. It is shewed how we are to carry our selues in the vse of holy Scripture and we are instructed concerning Lent and we are incouraged towardes the vse of Pennance so this mystery of the Temptation is concluded pag. 140 Chap. 27. Of the great Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to mankind in the Vocation of his Apostles pag. 145 Chap. 28. The incomparable Loue wherwith our Lord instaÌ„tly rewarded the speedy obedience of the Apostles pag. 151 Chap. 29. Of the excessiue Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to maÌ„ in the mystery of the TransfiguratioÌ„ pag 157 Chap. 30. The incoÌ„parable ioy which the Apostles tooke through the loue which our Lord Iesus shewed theÌ„ in his TraÌ„sfiguration how himselfe was content to want the glory of it both before and after for the loue of them pag. 152 Chap. 31. The most excellent instructions which our Lord through his loue did giue to man in this mystery of the Transfiguration pag. 166 Chap. 32. Of the vnspeakeable loue which our Lord Iesus shewed by deliuering to vs his admirable Doctrine of the manner which he held in teaching vs. pag. 171 Chap. 33. Of the tender loue which 〈◊〉 Lord Iesus shewed by the incommodity which he was subiect to whilst he deliuered his Doctrine to vs and of the surfet which some are subiect to if we take not heed by the aboundance of his blessings pag. 176 Chap. 34. The same discourse is continued concerning the great loue which our Lord Iesus expressed in his Doctrine pag. 181 Chap. 35. The incomparable purity of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord and with how great loue he helpeth vs towards the practise therof pag. 186 Chap. 36. Of the vnspeakeable Loue of our Lord Iesus in ordeyning that the greatest part of his diuine Doctrine should remaine in writing and of the great benefit which growes to vs by the holy Scripture pag. 195 Chap. 37. How carefull we must be not to be rash in the vse of holy Scripture and of the great obscurity therof pag. 201 Chap. 38. How the holy Scripture growes to be so very obscure and of the infinite wise loue which our Lord hath shewed to vs euen therin pag. 209 Chap. 39. Of the great teÌ„dernes of the Loue of our Lord which is shewed to man by the expresse words of holy Scripture and first of the old Testament pag. 216 Chap. 40. The infinite teÌ„der Loue of our Lord which is expressed in the Scriptures of the new Testament pag. 226 Chap. 41. Of the excessiue loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to man by the Miracles which he wrought on earth pag. 233 Chap. 42. How all the miracles of the new Testament doe tend to mercy and how our Lord did neuer deny the suite of any one and of the tender manner which he held in granting them pag. 239 Chap. 43. The great 〈◊〉 of Loue which our Lord Iesus expressed in the working of his Miracles is more declared pag. 247 Chap. 44. How the corporall Miracles of our Lord Iesus had an ayme at the reformation of soules and did tend to the discouering and facilitating the beliefe of great mysteries pag. 252 Chap. 45. Of the infinite Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to vs in the institution of the blessed Sacrament and the holy Sacrifice of the Masse pag. 257 Chap. 46. How our Lord would not harken to those reasons which might haue disswaded him from shewing this great mercy to man Of the necessity of a visible Sacrifice and how our Lord himselfe doth still offer it pag. 264 Chap. 47. Of the iudgement which the holy Fathers of the Church haue alwayes made of this holy Sacrifice and B. Sacrament and the great veneration which they had them in and the â—â—â—iues wherby we may be induced to doe the like pag. 270 Chap. 48. How we do both feed are fedd vpon in the B. Sacrament of the admirable effects which it must necessarily cause in such as do worthily receaue it and of the reason why it must be so and of the Figures which forshewed the same pag. 277 Chap. 49. Of the great Loue of our Lord in conueying the B. Sacrament to vs vnder the species of bread and wine Why it is neither necessary nor conuenient nor scarce possible for all Christians to coÌ„municate of the Chalice Of diuers kinds of Vnion And how liberall our Lord is to vs in letting vs all frequent these diuine Mysteries so often pag. 284 Chap. 50. The misery is shewed and the errour is partly coÌ„uinced of such as do not 〈◊〉 the beliefe of those diuine mysteries pag. 292 Chap. 51. Of the Obligation which we haue to God for so great a benefit and who are most bound to be denoted to it and why and how happy they must needs be who frequent it with deuotion pag. 298 Chap. 52. Of the infinite Loue which our Lord Iesus discouereth to mankind in his sacred Passion with a reflection vpon the dignity of his diuine person the vse which heere we are to make thereof pag. 304 Chap. 53. Of the most tender diuine Loue care which our Lord Iesus shewed at his entrance into the PassioÌ„ in his last sermon long prayer to his eternall Father pag. 308 Chap. 54. The horrour terrour and sorrow of Christ our Lord togeather with his Prayer in the GardeÌ„ pag. 313 Chap. 55. What griefe it must needs cause to our B. Lord to be estranged from feeling comfort in God pag. 319 Chap. 56. The incoÌ„parable sorrow of Christ our Lord through his consideration of the dishonour of God and the sinne and misery of man togeather with the sight of what himselfe was to suffer pag. 324 Chap. 57. Of the excelleÌ„cy of Prayer declared by occasion of that Prayer of our B. Lord in the Garden pag. 331 Chap. 58. The apprehensioÌ„ of Christ our Lord a iust expostulatioÌ„ with the traytour Iudas for that hideous treason of his togeather with a descriptioÌ„ of mortall sin the danger which we are put into by all voluntary veniall sinnes pag. 335 Chap. 59. Of our Lords great loue to vs in permitting that fal of Iudas of that vnspeakeable mercy which he shewed