of the crosse◠as that the bitter and the base he maketh honourable and delightfull and (o) A certayn truth nobly expressed he makes his seruants ready to cast the gorge when they are but 〈◊〉 take a tast of that for which worldlings are vpon the point to cut the throates of one another This fruitfull and firme loue do I desire that the thought of the sacred Passion of which thou art so enamoured should worke in thy hart (p) As S. Pau◠sayth he did he sayth he did it in his body by punishing its not only in his thought and in his tongue that thou mayst carry the mortification of our Lord in thy body And if there be none who fling stones at thee or imprison thee or scourge thee as they did our Lord and his Apostles who (q) Act. 5. went ioyfully suffering for his name yet seeke thou also meanes to suffer in what thou mayst And giue (r) No protestant will hold any such discourse God many thankes when he offereth thee any occasion to the end that vsing well that little our Lord may giue thee strength to suffer more and may send thee more And consider well that thou art not to esteeme little of these thinges in respect that S. Paul (ſ) 1. Tim. 4. sayd That the exercise of these corporall thinges is of little profit For although we should grant that (t) Where of many are yet in doubt he meaneth it of such thinges as we haue heere deliuered yet he will not haue vs esteem (u) How this place of Scripture is to be vnderstood little of them in themselus but only in comparison of greater matters For the obtayning whereof and for the satisfaction of the payne which is due in Purgatory yet further for the acquiring of more grace and glory and for the seruing of God both with the interiour and exteriour mā there is no doubt but that since we are debtours to him for all these other thinges are very fit to be vsed Whereof our soueraigne Maister of light did tell vs what we were to thinke when he sayd speaking of greater matters That is was necessary to do them and speaking of the lesser that is was fit not to emit them CHAP. LXXVII That the Mortification of our passions is the second fruit which we are to draw out of the meditation of the passion of Christ our Lord and how we are to vse this exercise that so we may gather admirable fruit thereby THAT which in the next place thou art to procure by the meditation of the sacred passion that so by litle litle thou mayst go ascending from the lower to the higher is the curing of the woundes of thy passions by the medicine of the passion of our Lord whome Isay (a) Isa 11. calles the flower of the rodde of Iesse For (b) Such as are medicinal by being bruised as flowers vse to be the meanes of giuing health so Christ Iesus being grinded vpon the Crosse applyed by our deuout consideration to our soares how dangerous soeuer they are they wil be cured thereby Of this S. Augustine (c) Thou needest not feare to take S. Augustins word in a more doubtfull matter then this is had experience and he sayd When I am assalted by any deformed thought I go instātly to the wounds of Christ when the diuell layeth any ambush for me I run into the bowells of the mercy of my Lord and so the diuel flyeth from me If the ardour of any dishonest conceit would put my body into disorder it is quenched by my remembrance of the woundes of my Lord the sonne of God In all my aduersityes I haue not found any remedy of so great force as the woundes of Christ wherein I sleep secure and discharge my care without feare The same did S. Bernard say and know by experience as all they do who finding themselues as it were assalted by their Passions as the stagge is by a kennell of dogges do go with a pious hart to drinke of those sacred fountaynes of our Sauiour painfull indeed to him but the causes of restauration and ioy to vs. And there they learne by experience how great a truth that is which (d) Num. 21. Moyses declared in figure by the commaundment of God when he raised the brasen serpent vpon a staffe to the end that being beheld by such as were stung by venemous serpents it might free them from death and restore them to health This serpent although by the shape it would seeme to carry poyson in it yet it had none indeed for it was a serpent of brasse And in the same manner Iesus Christ our Lord had true flesh like the flesh of sinne whereby it was subiect to paine but indeed it is farre from all sinne because it is the flesh of God and framed by the holy Ghost and kept by him and being placed on high vpon the (e) The infinite power of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. Crosse and being dead vpon it it deliuereth from death and giueth health to all such as being bitten by temptations haue recourse to him with Faith and Loue. And since thou hast so powerfull a remedy for thy recouery so neere at hand there remaineth no more but that (f) How necessary it is to be exact in making the Examen of our selus especially cōcerning our passions thou take a very particuler accoumpt to know what serpents they are which sting thy soule by dayly and leasurely examining what inclinations thou hast in the very bottome of thy hart what are the quickest passions that thou art subiect to what are the faults into which thou fallest sometymes and such obseruations as these whereby thou maiest be so perfect and cleare in the knowledge of thy frailtyes as that thou mayst haue them not only in thyne eyes but euen at thy very fingers ends Thou wilt not arriue in short tyme to this no nor yet in long vnles thou be assisted by light from heauen whereby thou mayst discerne the very roots of thy hart which is so deepe that not thy selfe but God alone can throughly sift it It (g) The most excellent meanes whereby we may come to know our selues exactly is to consider diligently the vertues of our Lord Iesus expressed in his sacred passion will helpe thee much towards this knowledge to consider the vertues which our Lord did exercise in his passion since he is to be the glasse of thy soule insteed of that other by which women that are married vse to dresse themselues for the pleasing of their husbands Behold (h) The vnspeakable vertues of our Lord. his meekenes his Charity his inuincible patience his profound silence and so thy faultes will grow playne to thee how hidden soeuer they may be Yea and thy vertues being compared with his will appeare to thee euidētly to be faults And thou wilt be ashamed both of the one
may be a light not only to the Iewes who belieued vpon his preaching to them in person but to the Gentills also who liued in idolatry far off from God And then was it fulfilled which (f) Luc. 2. Simeon that holy Swanne did singe when he said out of his desire to dye Now Lord thou lettest thy seruant depart in peace according to thy worde for myne eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared in the sight of all Nations A light to the Gentills and a glory to thy people of Israel If we consider that Christ was placed by the hand of Pilate to be seene first by that people in his owne house and afterward from the top of the Crosse in Mount Caluary it wil be euident to vs that although in respect there came to the Paschall men of all conditions and Tribes as well of naturalls as strangers there must needes be great store of people yet was not Christ therefore placed in the view and presence of all people as Simeon in his Canticle had sunge And therefore Christ was placed in the view and presence of them all when he was preached through the world by the Apostles and their successours Of whome Dauid (g) Psalm 18. said That their sound went out through the whole earth and that their wordes did reach to the very endes thereof For (h) Our Lord is the light both of Iewes and Gentills Of the Iewes he is more particulerly the honour because he tooke their flesh in the pure wombe of the perpetuall Virgin Christ being thus preached was light then and is so now to those Gentills who will belieue in him and so he is both light and honour to the Iewes who also will belieue in him as S. Paul expresseth speaking of them of whome Christ came according to the flesh who is God being blessed aboue all thinges for all eternity Let vs now consider how farre otherwise this was ordeined by God from that which Pilate did intend He conceaued that he but placed Christ in the presence of that people no more and he said Behold heere the man and he thought when they would not let him dismisse him but demaunded that he might be crucified that he should neuer more haue byn seene by any But (i) How different the thoughts of God are from the thoughts of men because the eternall Father saw it was not reason that such a spectacle as that was of his only begotten Sonne being the image of his owne beauty should be beheld by so few and those so wicked eyes or should be presented only to so hard hartes as theirs he ordained that another voyce more loud then that should be sounded forth throughout the world by the mouth of many and they most holy publishers thereof who should also say Behold the man The voyce of Pilate could not sound far off for it was but one and a wicked one inspired by feare through which he sentenced Christ to death He deserued not to be the proclaimer of this word Behold the man and therefore did God command it to be proclaimed by others And that so far from any feare of theirs that rather they did desire and rather they do resolue to dye then to faile of one (k) The courage of the Apostles of Apostolicall men tittle in preaching and confessing the truth and glory of Christ Iesus Pilate was a prophane and foule person for he was a sinnefull and an vnbelieuing man But of the other proclaymers of this word Behold he man I say prophetizeth (l) Isa 52. saying How beautifull vpon the mountaynes be their feet who preach the good newes of peace and of benediction and who say In Sion thy God shall raigne The God of Sion is Christ Iesus in whose person Dauid prophetizeth saying Psalm 2. I am made King by the handes of God ouer Sion that holy mountaine of his preaching his commandment And this King who preacheth the Fathers commandment which is the word of the Holy Ghospell began to raigne in Sion and he was receaued vpon Palme-Sunday for the King of Israel in the Temple which was placed vpon Mount Sion And to the end we may vnderstand that this Kingdome was to be ouer spirituall things it is said by Dauid that he was made King ouer Mount Sion which is the mountain where that Temple stood wherein the worship of God was performed And (m) How the spiritual kingdome of Christ our Lord grew to increase afterward when vpon the same Mount Sion our Lord sent the Holy Ghost vpon his disciples and he was preached publikely in the middest of Hierusalem and in the eares of the High Priests and Pharisees and when by the first sermon of S. Peter (n) Act. 2. vpon the point of three thousand men were conuerted then was this Kingdome of his increased And when more people were yet cōuerted the Apostles did preach and say to Sion Thy God shall raigne As if a man had sayd Though yet this Lord of ours be knowne but by a few yet shall his kingdome euer go increasing till such tyme as that at the end of the world he may raigne ouer all men rewarding the good with mercy and punishing the wicked with the iron rodde of his rigorous iustice This is the voyce of the preachers of Christ which saith Thy God shall raigne And (o) If a preacher will profit others he must begin with himselfe because Christ raigneth not in the hart of an vncleane person for as much as sinne raigneth therein it is not fit that he should preach the Kingdom of Christ to others who will not giue him leaue to raigne in his owne soule Therfore is it that Isay (p) Isa 5◠sayth The feet of such as preach peace vnto vs are beautifull By the feete which are to be beautifull are signifyed the desires of the soule And therfore Christ would not haue the feet of those preachers couered with shoes on (q) These are Sandalles which still are vsed by many holy Orders in the Catholique Church the vper part because God doth place the beauty of them in publike for the example of many But yet whosoeuer hath his feet cleane is to be very carefull not to thinke that himselfe made them so but he must giue thankes to him that washt the feet of his disciples with visible water vpon Holy Thursday and who washeth the soules of all them which euer come to be washed with his sacred bloud It was not therfore reason that so cleane a king as Christ was should be proclaimed by such a filthy mouth as that of Pilate or that there should be but such a proclaimer as could speake no louder and who was but one to publish a spectacle wherein so many and so great wonders were to be declared as were in Christ when he was brought forth to be seene by the people And though (r) The difference betweene a Pilate and a pious
to giue eare to God and of the admirable Language which our first Parents spake in the state of Innocency Which being lost by Sinne many ill ones did succeed in place therof Heâ—â—â—en O Daughter and behold Psal 4 4. and incline thine eare and forget thy people and the house of thy Father and the King shall with delight desire thy beauty THESE words O thou deuout Spouse (a) This Booke was writteÌ„ chiesly for the Lady DonÌ„a Sancha daughter to the Lord of Guadalcaçar who liued not in a Monastery but in her Fathers house though she consecrated her self to God by a vow of virginity of Iesus Christ doth the Prophet Dauid speake or rather God by him to the Christian Church aduising her of that which she ought to do that so the great King may be drawne to loue her by meanes whereof she may be endewed with all happines And because thy soule is by the great mercy of God a member of this Church I haue thought fit to declare these words to thee Imploring first the ayde of the Holy Ghost to the end that it may direct my pen and prepare thy hart that so neither I may speake vnfitly nor thou heare vnfruitfully but that both the one and the other may redound to the eternall honour of God the performing of his holy will The first thing that we are wished to in these wordes is that we hearken not without cause Because as the first beginning of our spiritual life is fayth this as (b) Rom. 10. S. Paul affirmes doth enter into the soule by meanes of hearing it is but reason that first we be admonished of that which we are first to put in practise For it will profit vs very litle that the voyce of diuine truth do sound exteriourly in our hearing (c) We must hear first practise after if withall we haue not eares which may hearken to the saâ—â— within It will not serue our turne that when we were baptized the Priest did (d) According to the ancient custome of the holy Catholike Church put his finger into our eares requiring them to be open if afterwardes we shall shut them vp against the word of God fullfilling so in our selues that which the Prophet Dauid sayth of the Idols (e) Psal 11â— Eyes they haue and they see not eares they haue and they d ee not heare But because some speake so ill that to heare them is no better then to heare the Syrens who kill their auditours it wil be fit for vs to see both whom we are and whom we are not to heare For this purpose it is to be noted that Adaw and Eue when they were created spake one only Language and that continued in the world till the (f) The confusion of tongues grew in punishment of the pride of man pryde of men who had a mind to build vp the Tower of confusion was punished Wherevpon insteed of one Language whereby all men vnderstood one another there grew to be a multitude of Languages which they could not mutually vnderstand By this we also come to know that our first Parents before they rebelled from their creatour transgressinge his Commaundement with presumptuous pride did speake also in their soules but one spiritual Language making a (g) A sweete happy Language perfect kind of concord which one mainteyned with another and each one with himselfe and so also with God liuinge in the quiet estate of Innocency the sensitiue part obeying the rationall and the rationall obeying God and so they were in peace with him in peace within themselues and in peace with one another But now when they rebelled with so bold disobedience against the Lord of heauen both they were punished and we in them In (h) The case is altered such sort that insteed of one good Language by meanes whereof they vnderstood one another so wel there haue succeeded innumerable other ill ones all full of such confusion and darkenes that neyther do men agree with others nor the same man with himselfe and least of all with God And although these Languages do keep no order in themselues since indeed they are but moore disorder yet to the end that we may speake of them we will reduce them to a kind of method and to the number of three which are the Language of the World of the Flesh and of the Diuell whose office as S. Bernard sayth is Of the first to speake vayne thinges Of the second delightfull things And of the third afflictiue bitter things CHAP. II. That we must not hearken to the Language of the World and Vayne-glory And how absolute dominion it exerciseth ouer the hartes of such as follow it and of the punishment that they shall incurre VVE must not hearkeÌ„ to the language of the VVorld for it is al but lyes and they most preiudiciall to such as credit them For they make vs forsake that truth which is indeed and to imbrace a lye which hath no being but only in appearance and custome Heereby man being deceaued presumes to cast Almighty God and his holy will behind his backe and he disposeth of his life according to that blind guide of pleasing the world and so he groweth to haue a hart all desirous of honour and to be esteemed amongst men He proues like those ancient proud Romans of whome S. Augustine sayth That (a) A strange and yet true state of mind for the loue of worldly honour they desired to liue and yet for loue of is they did not feare to dye So much do they prize it as not by any meanes to endure the least word that may be in preiudice thereof nor any thing which may tast or eueÌ„ sauour of neglect though neuer so far of Nay heerin there are such nyceties and puntillios that it is hard for a man to scape stumbling vpon some of them so the offending of this sensitiue worldly man yea (b) A miserable seruitude which pryd hath put vs in and often you shall fal out to offend him much against your wil. These men who are so facile to find theÌ„selues despised are no lesse vntoward and vntractable in passing ouer and pardoning the same And if one should yet of himselfe be disposed to do so what troupes of (c) Indeed they are truly sayd to be false freinds who perswade a man to the perdition of his soule false friendes and kinred will rise vp against him and alleadge such lawes and customes graunted by priuiledge of the world as whereby this proposition may be concluded That it is better to loose a mans fortune his health his house his wife and his children yea all this seemeth little to them since they do as good as say that he must euen loose the life both of body and soule and all the care that he hath both of earth and heauen yea that euen God himselfe and his law are to be contemned and troden
vnder foote that so this most vayne honour may not be lost but that it may be esteemed aboue all things yea euen aboue God himselfe O thou vayne honour which wert condemned by Christ vpon the Crosse vpon the price of his so extreme dishonour and who is he that gaue thee place in the Temple of God which is the hart of a Christian and this with so great aduantage as that after the manner of Antichrist thou wilt more be prized then the most high God Who made thee a competitour with God yea (d) Pride makes a man esteeme himselfe more then God and that thou shouldst euen outstrip him in the harts of some by being more esteemed then he So renewing that vast affront which was done him when they preferred (e) Matth. 27. Barabbas before him We must perforce confesse that thy tyranny is great ouer such harts as make themselues thy subiects and with great expedition and facility do they performe thee seruice whatsoeuer it cost them Aaron (f) Exod. 32. made him self belieue by demanding the golden eare-rings of their wiues children who asked an Idoll at his hands that rather then to see such as they loued to be disadorned they would desist from their wicked desire of a false God But so it fell not out for those things were no sooner askt then giuen Nor did they then nor do men now take care of what is needfull for house or Children so that they may haue an Idoll of honour to which they may offer sacrifice Oftentimes it happens that euen some of them who serue thee doe yet vnderstand well inough how vayne and shaddowy a toy thou art and what a wofull thing it is to follovv thee and being able if they would to deliuer themselues from thy heauy yoake by breaking from thee all at once yet (g) A miserable case is their infirmity misery so great that they rather choose to burst and to proceed against the honour of God then to doe God honour and be at rest by flying from thee God did cast this out for a curse against thē who serued false Gods That (h) Sin makes men slaues they should serue them day and night and this is punctually fulfilled by such as do adore this Honour S. Iohn speaking of some principall people of Hierusalem which belieued in Christ but durst not declare themselues for his in respect of men doth say of them with great reproach (i) Ioan. 12. That they loued the honour of men more thē that of God Which with much reason may be verifyed vpon these louers of honour since we see that they despise God rather then they wil be despised by men and that they are ashamed to performe his law rather then to be ashamed in the sight of men But let them be doing as long as they list let them honour this Honour euen to the outside of all their power yet firme and fixed doth that sentence stand which was pronounced against them by the soueraigne Iudge Christ Iesus when he sayd He that shal be ashamed of me and of my words of him will the Sonne of the Virgin be ashamed when he shall come in his maiesty and the maiesty of his Father with his Angells And then shall al those Angells and all the saints singe out Iust (k) Psal 118. art thou O Lord thy iudgments are iust For if this vild worme were ashamed to follow the King of Maiesty be thou O Lord ashamed thou who art Honour and Altitude it selfe that a thing so base and so wicked should remayne in company of thee and thyne O (l) Read tremble with what a powder shall the honour of this Babylon be then shot down into the profoūdest pit of Hell to be tormented in company of the proude Lucifer since these men would needes be his companions in the sinne of pryde Let no man offer to make a ieast of this or esteeme that the loue of worldly honour is a sinne of small importance since our Lord who searcheth the hart said thus to the Pharisies (m) Ioa◠5. How can you belieue in me since you seeke to be honoured by one another seeke not that honour which proceedes from God alone And now for as much as this vicious affection is so powerfull as that it sufficed to make men forbeare the belieuing in Iesus Christ what mischeife is that which it will not be able to effect who will not blesse himselfe from the same S. Augustine therefore sayd that no man knowes what force he hath more or lesse to conquer the loue of Vayne-glory but he only who maketh warre against it CHAP. III. Of what remedies we are to serue our selues towards the contempt of the Vayne-glory of the world And of the greate force which Christ our Lord doth giue for the ouercomming thereof VVE ought to esteeme it as a great remedy against this mischiefe that it is condēned by the very light of Nature For as much as euen that doth teach vs That man is to do workes worthy of Honour but not for Honours sake That he should deserue it but not valew it and that a (a) True nobility noble courage ought to despise both the being esteemed and disesteemed and that nothing should be held in high account but vertue But (b) Note if notwithstanding all this a Christian haue not the hart to contemne this vanity let him rayse his eyes vp to his Lord being placed vpon a Crosse and there he shall see him so surcharged with dishonour that if it be wel considered it may enter into competition with the grieuousnes of those very torments which he there endured Nor did our Lord without cause make choice of a death which might be accompanyed with extreme dishonour but for that he knew what a powerful tyrant this loue of honour was was likely to be in the hart of many who would make no difficulty to expose themselues to death but yet would flye from the manner of the death if it were dishonourable Now to giue vs to vnderstand that neither the one nor the other ought to fright vs he (c) Our Lord chose reproach to confound and reforme our pride chose the death of the Crosse whereupon extreme torments with excessiue dishonour did ioyne hand in hand Behould then if thou haue eyes wherewith to do it how Christ is esteemed for the meanest of men and abased by deep dishonours some of which were brought vpon him by that very death of the Crosse since that was the most infamous of all deaths and others also whereby they outraged our Lord in particuler manner for as much as there was no kind of people which did not imploy it selfe vpon despising iniuring and blaspheming him with certayne fashions of dishonour which neuer were found out before Thus shalt thou perceaue how entirely that was fullfilled which he whilest he was preaching sayd (d) Ioan. ◠I do not
puffe vs vp with Vanity and Falsehood and afterwards to pull vs downe by giuing vs a reall and a miserable fall He puffes vs vp with thoughtes which incline vs to an estimation of our selues so he maketh vs fall into pryde And for as much as he knoweth by experience that this sinne is so (a) The power which pryde hath to do mischeife great that it sufficed to make himselfe of an Angell a Diuell he labours all he can to make vs partakers with him therein to the end that we may also partake with him in the torment that he is subiect to Full well he knowes how displeasing Pryde is to God and that it serues the turne to make vnprofitable whatsoeuer a man hath how good soeuer it seeme And he laboureth so hard to sow this vile seed in our soule that (b) Marke the craft of the Diuell and learne to â—â—y him he will not stick many tymes to speak truth and to giue good counsayle and feelinges of deuotion only to induce vs thereby to pryde making small account of what he looseth in that one doe some one good work that so he may gayne him to himselfe in grosse and others also who follow him by the sinne of pryde For as a King goeth accompanied with muoh people so doth pride with many other sins The scripture sayth The beginning of all wickednesse is pryde and he that hath that shal be full of maledictions That is to say both of sinnes and punishmentes We read of a solirary person to whom the Diuell appeared for a long tyme in the figure of an Angell of God and gaue him many reuelations and euery night made his cell resplendent as if there had byn some great light or lampe But at the end of all this he persuaded with him to kill his owne sonne that so he might be equall in merit to the Patriarch Abraham Which the solitary person being deceyued prepared to put in execution but that the sonne who had suspicion thereof fled away To another also he appeared in figure of an Angell and for a long tyme told him many truths thereby to gaine credit with him and afterward he told him a great lye against fayth which the other being deceyued did belieue So (c) A feaâ—ful example also do we yet read of another whom after he had liued fifty yeares in very singular abstinence and with more straite obseruation of solitude then was obserued by any of the rest in the wildernesse the diuell in forme of an Angell did persuade that he should cast himself into a deep wel that so he might know by experience That neither that nor any other thing could do hurte to one that had serued God so long and so well as he had done All which he belieued and put the same in execution And being with much difficulty taken out of the well euen halfe dead and being aduised by those other holy old men of the wildernesse that he should repent himselfe of so great a sinne being suggested by an illusion of the Diuell he would not belieue or do as they required him And that which is worse although indeed he died the third day after so deepely had that deceit conuayed it selfe into his heart as that notwithstanding he euen saw himselfe dye by reason of that fall he still neuerthelesse belieued that it had byn a reuclation of an Angell of God O (d) Be not high minded but feare how necessary is it for such as hauâ— euen profited in vertue that they liue with a holy feare of themselues as men who although they may make coniecture that they are well with God yet (e) We may haue great hope but no certainty of being in the state of grace can they haue no certainty thereof Nor do they know whether they be worthy of louâ— or hate euen at the present tyme and much lesse what they are to be in the rest of the life which they will lead And especially they ought to be very carefull not to belieue themselues Pryde deserueth to be deceiued And if as I haue related to you the deceites of men in former tymes I should also recounte such as haue happened in these dayes of ours neither would they be written in a small volume nor couldst thou read them without much labour On the one syde the case standeth thus according to that which we may iudg That (f) See the great reason that we haue both to loue God and to feare him God doth rayne vpon the hartes of many the water of particuler mercyes in vertue whereof they bring forth many fruits which euen to the exteriour are good but the same men haue a kind of interiour communication with our Lord and that so familiar that it can hardly be beleeued On the other side we haue also experience that by the permission of God the Diuel doth in these tymes vse particuler diligence for the deceauing by false motions and false speaches both interiour and exteriour and by appearing with false light to the vnderstanding of such as are proud and addicted to their owne opinion with conceit that it is the will of God And so also doth he suffer the Diuell to exercise by diuers wayes such as serue him in humility And therefore in these tymes when it seemeth that Satan is broken loose as S. Iohn sayth it is necâ—ssary for them that serue God to vse double diligence that they may not easily beleeue such thinges as those and to procure profound humility and holy feare that God may not permit them to be deceaued They must also endeauour with speed to giue account of what they find and feele in themselues vnto their Prelates and Superiours who may instruct them in the truth The Prophet sayth That vnder the tongue of wicked persons is the poyson of vipers how much more then will it be in the language of the Diuel who is the most wicked thing of all things that are wicked And if he shall puffe vs vp by occasion of the vertues that we may haue we are to humble our selues and to consider the ill which we dayly do and the sinnes which we haue committed Which were so many as that if our Lord had not beene close at hand and had not come into that way wherein we did walke with so much desire to forsake him as he did to S. Paul we should haue beene multiplying our wickednes to such a proportion as that euen the torments of hell would haue beene too little for our punishment O (g) An excellent admiration of Gods mercy thou Abyssus and euen bottomlesse pit of mercy and what could moue thee to cry out to our hart euen from heauen and to say Why doest thou persecute me with thy ill life By which wordes thou didst pull downe our pride and didst make vs profitably feare and tremble that with griefe for hauing offended thee and with desire of pleasing thee we might say O Lord
what wilt thou haue me do And it is thy pleasure O Lord that we should expect the remedy of these our miseryes from thee by meanes of the medicine of thy word and (h) They be the Sacraments which conuey the bloud of our Lord Iesus to our souls and they are the true Priests of the true Catholike Church who may minister them of thy sacraments which the Priests of thy Church dispence And thou commandest vs to repaire to them for the same as S. Paul did to thy seruant Ananias Thus do we know full wel that our perdition came from our selues and our remedy from thee And we confesse that it was thy infinite goodnes which made thee call to thy selfe such as had turned their backes towards thee to remember them that had forgotten thee and to be shewing fauours to them that had deserued torments taking them to thy selfe for sonnes who had been so wicked slaues and lodging thyne owne royal person in them who formerly had beene so stinking and euen the very sinkes of vncleanesse These sinnes which then we committed were ours and if yet we be any thing lesse wicked it is by God and in God that we are so As the Apostle sayth You (i) Philip. once were darknesse but now you are light in our Lord. It is therefore necessary for vs to remember the miserable state in which by our fault we placed our selues if we will be secure in that happy state wherein now we are lodged by the mercy of God Assuring our selues as of a most certaine truth That yet we should do those very thinges which formerly we did if the powerfull and pittifull hand of God did retyre it selfe from vs. And if we considered the many dangers to which we are subiect through our frailty we would not presume to reioyce outright in the grace which we haue at the present through the feare of those sinnes which we may commit in the future And we should know how holesome a counsell that is of the holy Scripture Blessed (k) Psal 111. is the man who is euer fearefull And againe Worke onâ— your (l) Philip. 2. saluation with feare and trembling And yet againe Let (m) 1. Cor. 10. him that standes take heed that he do not fall A (n) Go on in this excellent contemplation with great attention sinne that is committed will cost sighes before it be pardoned and a sinne that may be committed must cost feare that we may be preserued from it as it is excellently figured by the feare which Iacob had of Esau when he came from Mesopotamia though God himselfe had bid him come A great ioy was that which the children of Israell conceaued and deuout songes they were which they sung then to God when he wrought so great a miracle with them as to make them passe through the sea without once being wetshod And it seemed to them since they had not perished in so great a danger that nothing could be able to pull them downe nor to impeach their ariual in that Land which God had promised But the experience fell out to be contrary For after they had receaued that great fauour from God certaine tentations and proofs did follow wherin they were found weake and impatient to endure the touch and triall who had formely beene so deuout and cheerefull vpon their passage through the sea And (o) Note because no soule shall weare the crown which is promised by God but such as are fouÌ„d to be faithfull in the probations which he is ploased to send those others who were not such could neuer reach to the Land of Canaan but insteed of the life which was promised they were punished in the desert with death Who (p) Note the great reason which thou hast to be humble whosoeuer thou be will therefore now be so farre from shooting at the marke as whether he behold his life past or that which yet remaines in spending to presume to tosse vp the head and to take pryde in himself since in that part which is past he did so miserably fal and in that which is to come he is subiect to so many feares of doing the like And (q) An excellent descriptioÌ„ of a man who is truly vertuous for he who is not thus is but a counters fait if he knew and did acknowledge this truth as he ought That all good thinges come from God he would see that to receiue guâ—ftes from God is no reason for making him who hath the same to take in the vayne snuffe of pryde but rather to abase himselfe as a person who is bound to the performance of more gratitude and greater seruice And when he considereth that togeather with the increase of fauours the account which he is to make for them doth also increase as the Ghospell sayth he finds that they are as a heauy burthen which maketh him fetch many a deepe sigh and to be fuller then he was before of humility and care And because our leuity is so greate and this secret pryde is so conueyed into the very bones of vs that no force of man is sufficient to cleanse vs wholy from this sinne we must begg the gift of God importunately beseeching him that he will not suffer vs to fall into so great a treason as that we should robbe him of the honour which for all thinges that are good is due to him The pestilencies of the body are cured by fasting and of the soule by prayer Therefore he who finds himselfe subiect to this plague of the soule must pray with all possible diligence and perseuerance and present himselfe in the high presence of God beseeching him that he will open his eyes and make him truely know what God is and what himselfe is that neither he may impute any thing that is euill to God nor ascribe any thing that is good to himselfe And so he shal be farre from hearkning to this false Language of the proud Diuell who by meanes of proper estimation would fayne beguile vs. But hearken thou to the truth of God which sayth The (r) Belieue this truth if thou haue a mind to be happy true honour and estimation of a creature doth not consist in it selfe but in receiuing fauour and in being esteemed and loued by the Creatour And because I shall afterward speake more at large of this matter when I discourse Of the knowledge of a mans selfe I will say no more of it for the present CHAP. XVIII Of another suare all contrary to the former which is Despaire whereby the Diuell procureth to conquer Man and how we shall carry our selues against him ANOTHER inuention wholy contrary to the former is vsed by the Diuell which is not by blowing vp the hart but by beating it downe and by dismaying it so farre as thereby to driue it vpon despaire He contriueth this by bringing to memory the sinnes which a man hath committed and by aggrauating them
gather who liue well although they looke not for it And after the rate of the one increaseth the other Now from a contrary cause followeth a contrary effect as it is written The (u) Eccl. â— wicked hart giueth sorrow and from hence groweth disconfidence and other miseries in company thereof CHAP. XXIV Of two remedies for the getting of Hope in the way of our Lord and that we must not turne coward although the remooue of the temptation be differred and how there be certayne hartes which know not how to be humbled but by the knocks of tribulation and therefore that they must so be cured THE conclusion that thou must draw out of all this is That since it doth so much import to go on comforted with a good hope and with alacrity in the seruice of God thou must procure two thinges towards it The one is the consideration of his diuine goodnesse and loue which he hath manifested by giuing vs Christ Iesus for our owne The other that castng off all slacknesse and sloath thou serue our Lord with diligence and when thou fallest into any fault be not deiected with disconfidence but procure remedy and hope for mercy And if many tymes thou fallest procure thou many tymes to rise For (a) If this be not true what is no discourse of reason will endure that thou shouldest be weary of asking pardon since God is neuer weary of giuing it And since he commaunded vs to pardon our neighbours not only (b) Matt. â—â— seauen tymes in the day but seauenty tymes seauen which signifyeth that we must doe it without limitation much and much better will our Lord graunt vs pardon as often as it shal be asked since his goodnes is greater and is placed before vs for an example which we are to follow And if integrity of life and the remedy which thou desirest do not come so soone as thou couldest wish let not that make thee conceiue that it will neuer come Nor (c) Take heed that such a thought as this do not once enter into thy hart be thou like them that sayd If God send not remedy within fiue dayes we will giue our selues vp to our enemies For the holy (d) Iud. 7. Iudith reprehended such men as these with great reason and she sayd who are you that will thus tempt our Lord For such wordes as these are not to mooue him to mercy but rather to stirre vp his wrath and to kindle his fury Haue you perhaps appointed a tyme wherein our Lord is to shew mercy and haue you set downe the day according to your owne mind Learne to hope in our Lord till his mercy come and be not weary of suffering since patience importeth you as much as life And (e) Note if the straytes be great which weaken thy hope euen (f) A comfortable consideration for English Catholikes which ought to fill our soules with patience and with an humble peaceful expectatioÌ„ of the good will of God those very straites should in reason giue thee courage because they vse to be the very Eue and introduction of the remedy For the houre wherein our Lord deliuereth is when the tribulation hath lasted long and at the present afflicteth most As it appeareth plainly in the case of his disciples (*) Luc. 5. Whom he permitted to suffer during three parts of the night and in the last he gaue them comfort He also deliuered his people out of the captiuity of Egypt when the tribulation which they suffered was growne vp to the highest so wil he do with thee when thou thinkest not of it And if thou conceaue that thou wouldest faigne leade a holy life and perfect life and which all might be to the glory of God thou (g) Examine thy consciéce by this light and see if the case be not thyne art to know that there are some so proud and lofty that there is no humbling of them but vpon the price of temptations discomfortes and falling into sinne and so weake they are withall that they will not goe on in the way of God with diligence if they be not ridden vpon the spurre and their hart is so hard as that they must be hammered vpon with a great deale of misery Nor haue they any caution or discretion but vpon the experience of many of their owne errours In fine they haue a mind which is filled and puffed vp with a few graces and they haue need of many afflictions to make them proceed with humility in the sight of God and of their neighbours Thou seest already that the cure of these inconueniences cannot be wrought but with (h) If gentler pnisicke be not able to cure vs we must be cotent that God do play the Surgeon with vs. burning irons and by Gods permitting men to fall into desolations obscuritics of mind and euen into sinnes that so being much afflicted they may humble themselues and then be freed from their miseries The Prophet Micheas sayth Thou (i) Mich. 4. shalt goe as farre as Babylon and there thou shalt be deliuered and God will redeeme thee from the hand of thine enemies For by the confusion of this kind of life and by these falles in to sinne a man vseth to be humbled and both to seeke remedy of God and to find it which if he had not fallen he might perhaps haue lost by pryde or not haue sought with diligence and greâ—fe Eternall thankes be giuen to thee (k) Amen O Lord who out of such preiudiciall miseries art wont to draw these celestiall benefits and that thou art glorified as wel in pardoning sinners as thou art in making and keeping them iust and who sauest by the way of a contrite and humbled hart him who was not in disposition to serue thee with a hart of innocency and who makest a mans sinnes giue him occasion of being humble diligent and aduised that so as thy selfe did say He (l) Luc. 7. to whome more is forgiuen may loue more that so it may be fulfilled which the Apostle sayth Mercy in iustice maketh that iustice of thyne appcare more glorious as it maketh thy goodnesse seeme more in pardoning and sauing such as haue sinned and returne to thee In another place he also sayth That (m) Roun 8. all things prooue to the good of such as loue God Yea so do (n) Infinite goodnes of our God the very sinnes themselues which they haue committed as S. Augustine sayth But (o) Absâ—â— yet this must not be taken as a ground for thy tepidity or facility in sinning to buyld vpon for that must in no case be done But to the end that if thou fall into so great misfortune as to offend our Lord thou do not yet commit a greater sinne then that can be by dispayring of his mercy CHAP. XXV How the Diuell procureth to draw vs to despayre by tempting vs against fayth and the diuine mysteries of the remedies
procure to be so not only by belieuing the promises in generall nor yet by belieuing that in particuler they are applied to him but by pennance also other meanes which are taught by the Catholike Church Not but that we do neuerthelesse assuredly belieue that many in the same Church are in the state of grace to whom without all doubt God fulfilleth the promises of being their defendour who hope in him but yet for as much as no man can be infallibly sure without speciall reuelation that himselfe is in that state of grace he is to belieue by the Catholike fayth that the diuine assistance is neuer wanting on the part of God but himselfe may and must feare that it will not perhaps take effect in him through his fault or negligence in doing his duty So that with some feare of himselfe and by confidence in our Lord he must procure to encourage and help himselfe by the word of God who promiseth succour to such as fight for him And (i) Note this feare or vncertainty in which God hath left vs of not knowing assuredly that we are in his fauour though it may seeme painefull is very profitable towardes the conseruing of our humility and the not vndervalewing of our neighbours and to spur vs vp towardes good workes And with so much the more caution and consideration must we do it as we are lesse certaine whether we be pleasing to our Lord or no. But do not for all this conceaue that thy hart must be dismayed with vaine feare for as much as this truth which I haue told thee did not keep Dauid from saying If (k) Psalâ— 15. whole armies shall rise against me yet shall not my hart be afraid if warre shal come vpon me yet wil I hope in God So also doth S. Paul (l) Heb. 13. admonish vs that we should serue our selues of those wordes which God sayd I will not forsake thee I will not abandon thee in such sort as that we may confidently say Our Lord is my helper and I will not feare what man can do These and the like wordes do not wholy take away all the feare which a Christian for his owne part ought to haue but it taketh away all excesse thereof by the confidence which is to be placed in God And thus we are to walke between hope and feare and so much more as the loue increaseth so much doth the hope also increase and so much also is feare diminished And (m) An excellent rule therefore if thou haue a mind to feele in thy selfe that courage of mind and the little feare which perfect men do find cast thou away al tepidity from thy selfe take the businesse of vertue to hart and then in that very hart of thyne thou shalt read that courage which now thou readest but in Bookes Then shalt thou be able to fight boldly against the Diuell although he circle theâ— round about to deuoure thee for thou shalt haue a hope to be defended by Iesus Christ who is the strong Lyon of Iuda He alwayes ouercommeth in vs if we do not loose our confidence and if like cowards we do not deliuer vp our selues with our hands bound behind vs to our enemies without resoluing to fight Our Lord doth not suffer these warrs and temptations to come to his friendes but for their greater good as it is written Blessed (n) laâ— 1. is the man who suffereth temptation for he being so proued shall receaue the crowne of life which God promiseth to such as loue him He was pleased also that patience in troubles and the standing fast on foot for his honour in tentations should be the touchstone whereby his friends were to be tryed For (o) Note it is no signe of a true friend if he only accompany another in occasions of case but to stand fast by him in tyme of tribulation And as all men would be glad to haue approued friends to stand fast by them in the tyme of affliction and triall accounting of it as their owne iust so doth God desire to haue his and like a thankfull person he sayth to them You are the men who haue remayned with me in my temptations And as an aboundant rewarder he sayth further to them I (p) Lue â—â— dispose of my kingdome to you as my Father disposed of it to me that you may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome companions heere in payne and afterwards in the Kingdome of glory Thou must encourage thy selfe to fight manfully in the warrs which are made against thee to deuide thee from God since he is thy helper on earth and thy reward in heauen Remember how S. Anthony being cruelly vvhipped and beaten by the Diuells lifting vp his eyes to heauen saw the roofe of his Cell all open whereby a beame of so admirable light did enter as at the presence thereof all the Diuells fled away and the payne of his wounds forsooke him with profound internall sighes he sayd to our Lord who then appeared to him Where wert thou O my good Iesus where wert thou when I was so ill handled by the enemies why wert thou not heere in the beginning of my combat that so thou mightest haue preuented or cured all my soares Wherunto our Lord answered Heere I was froÌ„ the very beginning but I stood looking on to see how thou diddest carry thy self in thy combate And because thou hast fought manfully I wil euer help thee thou shalt be famous throughout the whole earth By these wordes and by the vertue of our Lord he rose vp so full of courage as to find by experience that he had gotten then more strength then he had lost before In (q) A most comfortable and true doctrine this sort doth our Lord treat his friends and he leaueth them oftentimes in traunces of so great danger as that they scarce know where to set a foot nor do they find one hayre of strength by which they can take hold nor are they able to help themselues by the memory of those fauours which in former tymes they had receaued of God but they remayne as if they were naked and in profound darcknes being giuen ouer to the persecution of their enemyes But suddainly when they least looke for it our Lord doth visite them and deliuer them and leaue them with more strength then they had before thrusteth those enemies vnder their feet And the soule howsoeuer it be more weake in nature then the Diuell doth feele in it selfe such a powerfull strength that it seemeth to teare him euen in pieces as a thing that is but weake and without resistance and not only groweth it not able to fight against one but against many Diuells so great is the courage which it feeleth to haue comfreshly towards it from heauen and wherewith it doth not only defend it selfe but it sayth with Dauid I will persecute my enemies and I will take them I will
prouided a day for thy selfe wherein thou wilt complaine of this offence and say My name is blasphemed vpon your occasion amongst the infidells and to chastize him with seuere punishment who in steed of gathering togeather with thee that which was scattered as he ought to haue done doth eyther scatter that which was gathered or doth hinder it from being so And (l) Let men be as wicked as they will God will stil be iust good then wilt thou make the whole world vnderstand well mough that thou art good though thou haue seruantes that be wicked For the sinnes which they commit displease thee And thou doest forbid them by thy commaundmentes and thou doest seuerely punish them CHAP. XXXV That the very conscience of him that deâ—yreth to obtaine vertue doth testify that our Faâ—th is true and how the desire of leading an euill life doth both procure the loosing of Faith and hinder the getting it BY how much more the witnesse of any thing in question is nearer to vs and well knowne by vs so much doth his credit increase towards the making vs belieue that be sayth true And therefore since I haue â—old thee of some of the meanes which giue testimony of the truth of our Fayth Hearken heere to some others and those not past but present And they againe are so neere thee that they are in thy very hart if thou wilt receaue them and take particuler knowledge of them as thou vsest to take of those thinges which passe there This is grounded vpon the word which our Lord spake If (a) Ioan. 7. any man will doe the will of my Father he shall know whether my doctrine be of God or no. Blessed be thou O Lord who art so assured of the iustice of this thy cause that is the Truth of thy doctrine that thou leauest the sentence which is to proceed vpon it in the hands of whosoeuer will whether he be friend or enemy with this only condition That he who shall make himselfe the Iudge thereof will do the will of God which is but that he should be vertuous and so be saued It is (b) Note this well for it is a wise and most certayne truth certaynely so that if a man should cordially desyre to be good both towards God and towards himselfe and towards his neighbours and would seeke out the fittest doctrine that he could find for making himselfe such if before such an one I say they should lay all the Lawes and doctrines which are in the whole world both true and false to none of which he already carried any particuler affection or passion but did only ayme at the finding out of Truth this man laying aside all the rest would take in hand the Ghospell doctrine of Christ if he (c) According to the true sense therof which is only taught by the holy Catholique Church vnderstood it as a thing which might addresse him better to the end of his iust desires then any other And as he were practising the vertue that he aspired to he would be making experience of the efficacy of this doctrine how fit it were for all that is good for the soule and how wel it were framed for the reliefe of our necessityes and in how short a tyme with how great clarity it did help a man to be vertuous So that such a man comming on by the very experience of the power of this doctrine would confesse as our Lord hath sayd That it came from God and he would also say that which others sayd when they heard Iesus Christ our Lord preaching to them neuer did man speake so well And if euen they who know not Christ by fayth did but heare that admirable charitable word which our Lord himselfe did vtter with so loud a voice If (d) Ioan 7 any man be thirsty let him come to me and drinke and if they would come and make triall of that delicious fullnes and so take experience of this doctrine with desire of being vertuous it is certaine that they would not remain in their infidelity and blindnes But (c) Behold heere the most true cause why Catholik Religion is no more imbraced in England for as much as they are friendes of the world and not of true and perfect vertue nor do they seeke with care the certainty of Truth and the knowledge of God they continue without hearing receauing it And although they heard it yet would it not be receaued by some because it would be contrary to the things which they desire And for this our Lord sayd to the Pharisees certaine wordes which I cyted once before How (f) 1. Ioan. 5. will you be able to belieue since you seeke honour one of another and seeke not the honour which is of God alone And not without great waight of reason did S. Paul (g) 1. Tim 〈◊〉 affirme That some had lost their faith by giuing themselues to couetousnes Not that a man doth instantly loose fayth by committing of any sinne except heresy but for that a hart which is affected to thinges of the world disaffected from vertue when it finds in Christian doctrine certaine Truthes which are contrary to the wicked desires of the same hart and which condemneth vnder so grieuous paynes the thinges which it selfe desires to practise it growes by little and little to seeke other doctrine which may not be of so bad tast in the mouth nor keep such a barking against the ill affections actions thereof And (h) The case of most Protestants who are intelâ—â—gâ—â— so the will being ill inclined is wont to be a meanes of putting blindnes vpon the Vnderstanding and preuailes so farre at last as to make a man giue ouer that Fayth which cryeth out against wickednes that he may follow and belieue other doctrines wherin he may be more at ease and liue how he listes And as this corrupted will is a meanes sometymes to make him loose Fayth that hath it so is it also a meanes to deâ—aâ—ne him from it that hath it not For both these those carry a fastidious kind of mislike against perfect vertue without alleaging in very deed any other cause but only That it is vnsauoury or too highly good so they haue also such a mislike against the Truth of Fayth as being contrary to that wickednes which they loue CHAP. XXXVI That the admirable change which is made in the hart of sinners and the great fauours which our Lord doth to them who follow him with perfect vertue and do call vpon him in their necessityes is a great testimony to the Truth of our Fayth IN how much better case are they who with desire to serue God haue chosen to imbrace this perfectioÌ„ of vertue though al they that serue him do enioy otherwise if they will marke it many testimonyes which Fayth placeth in their hart But especially do they enioy it who serue him with a profiting and
him So God is not solitary but in the vnity of Essence there are three persons Nor is he couetous or barren since there is a communication of an infinite Deity Neither must thou forbeare to belieue that so it is although thou know not how it commeth to be so since euen because it is so high it carryeth a kind of trace or sent to be a thing of God And because it is better to be so then not euen for this very reason it is a thing which it is fit for God to haue and that so we should belieue it since of God we are to thinke according to the greatnes of God that is the highest that possibly we can imagine CHAP. XL. Wherein answere is made to thē who obiect against the receauing of our Faith that it teacheth meane and low thinges of God and how in these meane things which God teacheth most high glory is contayned NEITHER yet is there any reason to stumble at the humility which the most high God took vpon him abasing himselfe to become man to liue in pouerty and to dye vpon a Crosse For these workes are not only not to be sayd vnworthy of God but they are most worthy if they be well vnderstood Indeed if he had abased himselfe because he could not chuse or if by that abasement he had lost the height which he had before or if he had been moued to it by any interest of such an abasement But neither did he leaue to be what he was by taking that which he was not nor came he from heauen to earth by any constraint nor was he induced by regard of profit since God cannot increase in being rich But (a) Note this well discourse and learne to loue God greatly by it he was moued to it by his owne only goodnes and by the loue which he bare to men and the desire which he had to recouer them by such meanes as might be of most glory to himselfe and of most aduantage to vs. And such was the meanes he tooke by making himselfe man and dying vpon a Crosse For there is not a greater signe of loue then that a man should dy for his friends Which loue so excellent did not spring from any desert of theirs but from his owne excellent goodnes So that his lownesse and his death do not argue in him any want of power or goodnesse For as much as he being omnipotent and wholy wise might haue giuen vs remedy by many meanes besides this but it argueth in him an immense excesse of loue and goodnes and this so much the more as God who loueth and suffereth this is the greater and as that which he suffered was more grieuous and painefull and they for whome he suffered were the more vnworthy and base And since in louing such persons his excellent goodnesse is manifested this worke is to be called a great height since in spirituall things high and good are all one and when it is the more good so much the more great and high it is And since the greatest honour which we can do any man is to hold him for good more then for being valiant or wise for as much as no mā who is sensible of honour doth not so desire it it is euident that since these workes do manifest his goodnes and loue more then all the rest they giue him consequently more honour and they giue it better then all the rest And (b) In true account nothing doth so exalt Christ our Lord as his abasement if in the opinion of ignorant persons the abasement which God hath made of himselve take honour from his dignity and height it ought in the iudgment of wise men to extoll the honour of his goodnes and consequently of his height and greatnes and so he looseth neither the one nor the other And not only doth his goodnes shine in these workes more then others but so also doth his wisedome and power other his most wonderfull attributes appeare therin For amongst all the workes which God hath wrought or is to work there is none equall in being moruailous nor is there to be found so great a miracle as that God should make himselfe man and suffer afterward for man And whosoeuer belieueth not this doth his best to take from God the greatest honour he hath and greater then if he should take the honour that is due to him for all the other workes which he hath made or is to make in (c) Since the Creation of the world Tyme Consider well of this and thou shalt discerne how the omnipotency and wisedome of Goth doth shine in making two so different extremes to meet in one as are God and man in the vnity of one person And note that his power is more declared in combatting and conquering our sinnes and death by the armes of our weaknes then if he had ouercome them with the weapons of his owne omnipotency as we sayd before whylest we were speaking of despaire And (d) An excellent discourse consider that when God continued in his greatnesse he had but a small people that serued him and the same went also dayly from him to adore strange Gods and euen when it did not so it serued him yet with much weakenes But when God abased himselfe so far as to be man and to dy for him it made such deep impression vpon the minds of men as that they who were high did abase themselues and the weake became strong the wicked good and finally there grew so great a change ouer the world as well in the destruction of idolatry as in the renouation of life and manners that the accomplishment of the word which our Lord spake was plainely seene (e) lo. m. 1◠When I shall be exalted from the earth and placed on the Crosse I will draw all things to my selfe And so it appeares that he obteyned that victory ouer the hartes of men by basenesse weakenes tormentes and death which he obteyned not whylest he remained in the height of his Maiesty And thus was that fullfilled which S. Paul (f) t. Cor. 1. sayth The weaknes of God is more thē the strength of men And so it also appeareth that God doth not only gaine the honour of goodnesse but of wisedome power also by taking vpon him our basenesse and by working that thereby which he wrought not by his greatnes For this it is that S. Paul (g) Rom. 1. sayth That he is not ashamed to preach the Ghospell since it is the vertue of God for the sauing of men For although this humanity hunger dishonour torment death be truly affirmed of God yet there is no cause for a Christian to be ashamed thereof since by meanes of these thinges God obteined the conquest ouer other thinges that were so mighty as are sinne and death and procured that man might obtayne the grace of God and his Kingdome which are the greatest things that could
Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
thou wilt not loose the way to heauen Incline thyne eare that is thy reason for feare least otherwise thou be deceaued thereby Incline it with a most profound reuerence to that which is sayd by the word of God throughout the whole Scripture And if thou vnderstand it not thou art not for that to thinke that the Holy Ghost which spake did erre but submit thy vnderstanding and belieue as S. Augustine sayth that he did that which by reason of the height of that word thou art not able to vnderstand And although thou art to incline thyne eare by giuing equall credit of Fayth to all the Scripture of God because all of it is the word of the same supreme Truth yet art thou to carry particuler respect care to receaue profit by those blessed wordes which (a) A pious and very profitable aduice the true God incarnate spake heere on earth Open thou with deuout attention both the eares of thy body and of thy soule to euery word of this Lord who was giuen to vs for an especiall maister by the voyce of the eternall Father who sayd This is my well beloued Sonne in whome I am pleased heare him Be studious in reading and hearing these wordes and then thou wilt not fayle to find in them a singular remedy and powerfull efficacy for those thinges which concerne thy soule which thou hast not found in euery other of those wordes which God hath spoken from the beginning of the world And this is so with great reason since that which he sayd in other places was spoken by the mouth of his seruants but that which he sayd in the humanity which he tooke he spake in person opening his owne sacred mouth to speake he who formerly had opened and afterwardes did open the mouth of others who spake both in the old and new Testament And take heed that thou be not vnthankefull for so great a blessing as it is That God should be our Maister giuing vs the milke of his word to sustayne vs he who had giuen vs first a being that we might haue somewhat to be sustayned So great a fauour is this that if we had scales wherewith to weigh it and if it were told vs that at the furthest corner of the world some wordes of God were left for the instruction of our soule we were to make light of all labour and danger to heare some few of those wordes deliuered by that supreme wisedom for the making of vs his disciples Serue thy selfe therefore well of this fauour since God hath giuen it thee so neare at hand and desire of him who taketh care to conduct thy soule in the way of spirit that in holy Scripture and in the doctrine of the Church and amongst the writings of the Saints he will seeke out such wordes as may carry proportion to the necessityes of thy soule whether it be to defend thee against tentations as our Lord did fast in the desert for our example or whether it be to spurre thee vp in the search of those vertues which thou wantest or whether in fine it be to know how to carry thy self as thou oughtest with God with thy selfe and with thy Neighbours whether they be thy betters thy inferiours or thy equalls and how thou art to conduct thy soule in prosperity and how in tribulation And finally how thou art to behaue thy selfe in all that whereof thou mayst haue need in the way of God In such sort as that thou mayst say In (b) Psal 118. my hart I haue hidden thy wordes that I may not sinne against thee Thy word is a torch to my feet and a light to my pathwayes And be sure thou fall not into curiosity of desiring to know more then thou hast need of either for thy selfe or for such as are vnder thy charge For whatsoeuer is more then this thou must leaue to them whose office it is to teach the people of God as S. Paul (c) Rom. 11. admonisheth That our knowledge may be with sobriety CHAP. XLVI That the holy Scripture must not be declared by what sense one will but by that of the Church of Rome and where that declareth not we must follow the vniforme exposition of the Saints And of the great submission and subiection which we must performs to this holy Church THOV art to know that the exposition of holy Scripture must not be made according to the wittes or fancies of particuler men for so although it be most certainely true in it selfe as being the word of God yet for as much as concerneth vs it would be very vncertaine since commonly there are as many opinions as there be heades of men Now for as much as it doth greatly import vs to haue suprem certitude of the Word which we are to belieue and follow since we are to lay downe for the confession obedience thereof whatsoeuer we haue euen our very life our businesse were not well prouided for if notwithstanding the seueral opiniōs which men of themselues are subiect to the certainty of this Word might not be lodged in the hart of a Christian To (a) The only Catholike Church of Christ in the vndoubtedly true Intérpretour of Gods holy Scripture the only Catholike Church this priuiledge is giuen that it may vnderstand and interprete the Diuine Scripture because the same holy Ghost which deliuered the Scripture doth dwell in her And where the Church doth not determine we must haue recourse to the vniforme interpretation of the Saints if we will be free from errour For otherwise how shall that which was spoken by a diuine spirit be vnderstood by a spirit witt which is humane since euery scripture is to be read and declared by the same spirit that wrate it Thou art also to know that the declaratiō of what Scripture is the Word of God that so it may be belieued by all men doth not belong to any other but only to that same Christian Church which by diuine ordination hath the Bishop of Rome for her head And esteeme thou for certayne as S Hicrome (b) Let Protestāts note this tremble sayth That whosoeuer shall eat the lambe of God out of this Church house of God is a prophane person and no Christian And whosoeuer shal be found out of the same will infallibly perish as they who entred not into the Arcke of Noë were drowned in the floud This is that Church which the Ghospell commaundeth vs to hearken to and whosoeuer shall not hearken to her is to be held for a wicked person and for an vnbeleeuer And this is that Church of which S. Paul sayth that shee is the pillar and strength of truth And to belieue that this is so that very Fayth infused by God wherof we spake before doth incline and illuminate vs as to one of the other articles and with a like certainty to that which belōgeth to others and as hitherto it hath byn so belieued
consider of many others as absurd and foolish as this is into which both in other tymes and these also such persons haue fallen as grew lightly to beliâ—ue that the notions or instinctes of their owne harts did come from God CHAP. LI. Of the way wherein we are to carry our selues that we may not erre by such illusions and how dangerous the desire is of Reuelations and such things as those THROVGH the desire I haue that thy soule may not be one of these I recommend to thee much that thou profit as the prouer be sayth by anothers harme and that thou be very carefull that in thy selfe there be no consent either great or small to any desire of these singular or supernaturall things for it is a signe either of pride or at least of curiosity which is full of danger There was a tyme when (a) Marke this Exemple S. Augustine was assaulted by this temptation his wordes are these By how many subtilties of temptation hath the enemy procured with me O Lord that I should beg some miracle at thy hands but I beseech thee for the loue of our Lord Iesus Christ and of our Citty the heauenly Hierusalem which is pure and chaste that as now all consent to this temptation is farre from me so it may euer be farre and further off S. Bonauenture sayth that many had fallen into great follies and errours in punishment of their hauing desired such things as these and he sayth further that they are not so much to be desired as feared If any such extraordinary things happen to thee without any desire of thyne be thou afraid and do not giue them credit but instantly haue recourse to our Lord beseeching (b) A holy wise and safe aduice him that he will be pleased not to carry thee by this way but that he will suffer thee to worke thy saluation in his holy feare and in the vsuall and plaine way of such as serue him Thou art especially to do this when any such Reuelation or instinct shall inuite thee to admonish or reprehend a third person of any thing that is secret much more if he be a Priest or Prelate or the like to whome particular reuerence is due In such case as this thou art to cast away these things withall the hart thou hast and to depart from them with saying that which Moyses sayd Send him O Lord I beseech thee whome thou art to send And Ieremy sayd I am but a child O Lord I cannot speake and both these did hold themselues for insufficient and fled from being sent to reproue others Do not feare least by this humble resistance God should be made angry or to absent himself if the businesse be his but (c) There is no danger of loosing any thing with God by doing acts of humility rather he will draw nearer to thee and he will assure and settle the thing in question For he that giueth grace to the humble will not take it away for an act of humility and if it be not of God the Diuell will fly away as being strooke with the stone of humility which giueth a blow that breaketh his head like that of Golias And so it happened to a Father that remayned in the Desert who vpon the appearing of the figure of a Crucifixe he would neither adore it nor belieue it But (d) See the sweet safe simplicity humility of thâ—se holy Ermites shutting his eyes sayd I will not see Iesus Christ in this world it shall serue my turne to see him in heaueÌ„ Vpon which answere the Diuell fled away who was desirous to deceaue him vnder that forme Another Father answered to one that told him that he was an Angell sent to him on the behalfe of God I haue no need nor am I worthy to receaue messages by the mouth of Angels and therefore consider well to whome it is that thou wert sent for it is not possible they should send thee to me Nor will I so much as heare thee And so with this humble answere the proud Diuell fled away By this way of humility and by a most cordiall driuing away such things as these many persons haue beene free through the mercy of God from great snares which by this meanes the Diuell had prepared for them Experimenting so in themselues that which Dauid (e) Psal 12. sayth Our Lord keepeth the little ones I humbled my selfe and be deliuered me And on the other side a false instinct or Reuelation of the Diuell finding any vaine contentment in the hart of him that doth receaue it taketh roote and force from thence to deceaue men out right God permitting it with iust iudgment For as S. Augustine sayth Pryde deserueth to be deceaued Thou must therfore be free from this vaine inclination and from thinking that thou art capable of these Reuelations that so thy hart may not vary the compasse in the least point from that humility wherein thou wert before vnder the holy feare of God And so carry thy selfe in them as if they had not come to thee And if notwithstanding this answere of thyne the matter do still go on giue thou instantly account to them that may tell thee what is fit although it will be better done to giue notice of it instantly after first it happened and to help him by meanes of prayer fastes other good works who is to giue thee counsaile that God may declare the truth to him in a matter that is of so much difficulty For (f) A great strayte if we hold the good spirit of God for the wicked spirit of the Diuell it is a great blasphemy and we shall so be like to those miserable Pharisees the contradictours of the truth of God who attributed to an euill spirit the workes which Christ Iesus our Lord did by the Holy Ghost And on the other side if with facility of beliefe we accept of the instinct of an euil spirit as if it were of the Holy Ghost what greater misery can there be then to seeke darkenesse and errour insteed of truth and which is worse the Diuell for God On both sides there is great danger eyther in holding God for the Diuell or the Diuel for God And how great necessity there is to be able to distinguish and to iudge of these thinges as indeed they are I thinke there is none who doth not see But as euident as this necessity is so difficult and hidden a thing it is to get assurance and light wherewith to cleare this doubt And therfore as it belongeth not to all men to prophesy or to worke miracles or to impart such other graces but to them to whome the Holy Ghost is pleased to impart them so also is it not giuen to the spirit of man how wise soeuer it be to iudge with certainty and truth of the difference of spirits vnles it were in a matter which were euidently (g) For in that ease
it is cleerlynaught against the Scripture and the Church of God That light therefore of the Holy Ghost which is called Discretion of spirits is wholy necessary in this case by the inward and sweet light wherof the man who hath this gift doth rightly iudge which is the spirit of Truth and which of Errour And if the matter be of importance it must be related to the Prelate and his resolution is to be followed CHAP. LII Wherein some signes are giuen of good and bad or false Reuelations or Illusions BESIDES that which I haue sayd thou art to consider what fruit or edification these thinges do leaue in thy soule And (a) This ballance is to be held by a steedy hand yet I say not this as if by these or other signes thou art to become the iudge of that which passeth in thy selfe but to the end that when thou giuest him account of whome thou art to take counsell he may so much the more certainly know teach thee truth as thou shalt giue him more particuler information Consider therefore if these things help thee towardes the reliefe of any spirituall necessity which thou hast or for any thing concerning thy soule of notable edification For if a good man will not speake idle wordes much lesse will God do it who sayth I am the Lord who teach thee things which are profitable to be known and who gouerne thee in the way where thou art to goe But when thou seest that there is nothing of moment but intricate and vnnecessary thinges esteeme it as a fruit which the Diuel setteth before such a one as he seeketh to deceaue and to make him loose his tyme and the tyme of others to whome he relateth it and when the Diuell can get no more he contenteth himselfe with this gaine Amongst those thinges which thou art to consider whether they worke them in thy soule or no let the chiefe be this Whether it leaue thee more humble then thou wert before For humility as a Doctour sayth giueth such weight to the coyne of spirit as that it doth sufficiently distinguish the mettall which is massy from that which is light And S. Gregory sayth The (b) In what case then be all Heretikâ— most euident distinctiue signe of a man elect is his humility and of the reprobate his pride Consider then I say what trace is left in thy soule by this vision or consolation or spiritual gust and if thou perceaue thy selfe to remaine more humble and in more confusion through thyne owne faults and with greater reuerence and trembling vnder the infinite greatnesse of God and hast no light inclination to communicate that to other persons which hath happened to thee nor doest busy thy selfe much in considering or making account thereof but doest procure to forget it as a thing which may make thee esteeme thy selfe and if at any tyme when it commeth to thy memory thou humble thy selfe and dostâ—wonder at the great mercy of God in shewing so great fauour to so base creatures if thou findest thy hart as quiet and more settled then it was before in the knowledge of it selfe it hath some shew to be of God because (c) Note this reasoÌ„ it is agreable to the instruction and doctrine of Christ which is That a man should abase himselfe and become despicable in his owne eyes and that for the blessings which he receaueth from God he must know himselfe to be more obliged and confounded giuing the whole glory of it to God from whose hand all good thinges proceed And with this S. Gregory agreeth saying The soule which is full of diuine vnderstanding hath these for most euident fignes namely Humility and Truth both which if they perfectly ioyne in any soule it is a thing notorious that they giue testimony of the presence of the Holy Ghost But when it is an abuse of the Diuel it falleth out very contrary to this For (d) Humility or Pride are the distinctiue signes wherby to know the truth or falsh god of spirituall gustes c. either in the beginning or at the end of the reuelation of consolation the soule doth find it selfe vayne and desirous to speake of what it feeleth with some estimation of it selfe conceauing that God is to do great matters in it or by it and it hath no desire to thinke vpon the defects of it selfe or to be reproued by others but all that persons busines is to be talking and rowling vp and downe in his mind that which he hath felt and he would be gladd that others also should be talking of it When thou shalt see these signes or the like which shew a kind of leuity of hart it may be affirmed without any doubt that the euill spirit walketh that way And how good soeuer the thing appeare though it bring teares or comfort or knowledge of matters belonging to God yea although thou be hoysed vp to the third heauen yet if thy soule withall do not remaine with profound humility put thou no confidence in any such thing which may happen to thee nor do thou accept thereof For how much the more high it is so much is it the more dangerous and so much the greater fall will it giue thee Aske grace of God that thou mayst know humble thy selfe and that being the ground let him giue thee what is most pleasing to him but if that be wanting all the rest how precious soeuer it appeare is not gold but copper nor is it the meale or floure of nourishment but the ashes of pryde Pride hath this mischeife belonging to it that it despoyleth the soule of the true grace of God and if it leaue any thing that may seeme good it is but counterfaite so it is not acceptable to God but the occasion of greater ruine to him that hath it We read of our Redeemer that when he appeared to his disciples vpon the day of the Ascension he first reprehended their incredulity hardnesse of hart after that he commaunded them to go preach giuing theÌ„ power to worke many and great miracles Making vs vnderst and thereby that (e) God doth first abase such as afterward he meanes to rayse whom he rayseth to great matters he first abaseth in themselues giuing them knowledge of their own weakenesse to the end that although afterward they grow to fly aboue the heauens they may still be fastned to their owne basenes without attributing any other thing to themselues but their own vnworthinesse Let therefore the summe of all be this that thou do well obserue the effects which are caused in thee by such things as these not thereby to make thy selfe the iudge thereof but for his information whose counsell thou art to aske and follow CHAP. LIII Of the secret pride whereby many vse to be much deceiued in the way of Vertue and of the danger that such are in to be snared by the illusions of the Diuell
such a one and thou being once addressed put thy hart into his hand with great security hide nothing from him whether it be good or bad Not the good to the end that he may addresse it and aduise thee and not the euill to the end that he may reforme it And do not any thing of importance without his opinion placing coÌ„fidence in God who is a friend to obedience that he will put into the hart and tongue of that guide of thyne the thing which shal be fit for thy saluation By this meanes thou shalt fly from those two euills and extreames The one Of them that say I haue no need of mans counsayle God teacheth me and satisfieth me The other Of them who are so subiect to some man without considering any other thing but that he is a man as that the malediction layeth hold on him which sayth (f) Ierem. 17. Cursed be the man that confides in man But (g) The true middle way that is to be walked in do thou submit thy selfe to a man thou shalt haue escaped the former and do not confide in the knowledge or force of that man but in God who will speake to thee and strengthen thee by meanes of a man and so thou shalt haue declined the later danger And be thou well assured that how much soeuer thou seeke thou shalt neuer find any other way so straight or so secure for the knowing the will of our Lord as this of humble obedience which is so much adâ—â—â—ed to by all his Saints and so much practised by many of them as we find by the testimony of the liues of the holy (h) He meaneth chiefesly such as liued in that desert Fathers Amongst whom it was held for a great signe of a mans approaching towards perfection if he subiected himselfe much to the old man that was to gouerne him And amongst the many good things wherwith Religious Orders do abound thou wilt hardly find any other so good as that all of them liue vnder a Superiour whom they are to obey not only in exteriour actions but interiourly also in the opinion and iudgement Who if they haue confidence and do carry deuotion to the vertue of Obedience they shall lead a life both very safe and very sweet CHAP. LVI Wherein he beginneth to declare the second word of the verse and how we are to consider of the Scriptures and how we must restrayne the sight of our eyes that we may the better see with those of our soule which the freer they are from the sight of creatures the better shall they see God IF thou haue wel considered the words which already I haue spoken thou wilt haue seene how necessary it is to Heare that so thou maist please our Lord God Now hearken to the second word which is See It is not inough to be attentiue to the externall word of God or yet to the internall inspirations which are signified by hearing but it is also necessary to keep the eye cleare that it may see For the blind who do not see the light are no lesse reprehended by Christ then the deafe who do not heare the Truth But do not thinke when he aduiseth thee to see that he inuiteth thee to see sportes or entertainments of the world for that (a) A most necessary thing it is to haue the eyes well mortified kind of seing what is it else but a kind of blinding since it blocketh vp the sight of the soule It is inough for the eyes of the body if they behold the earth into which they must returne and if they cast themselues vp to heauen where the desire of their hart is lodged according to that of (b) Psal 8. Dauid I will behold the heauen that worke of thy hands the moone and the starres which thou hast framed And yet if thou haue a mind to looke vpon other creatures I haue nothing to say against it vpon this condition that such a sight may passe from them to God and that it be not to forget and loose God therby For of such sightes as that Dauid (c) Psal 118. sayd to our Lord O Lord â—uert myne eyes that they may not looke vpon vanity and quicken me in thy way This wise King knew well that inordinate looking is an impediment to speedy running the Carriere of God and vseth to make the burning hart of man grow coole and therfore it is that he sayth Quicken me in thy way For it is plaine to men of experience that how much more retired these exteriour eyes vse to be so much more clearely do men see with their interiour eyes And this sight is both more cheerfull and more profitable And it is but reason that a Christian man should easily belieue thing since we read of some Philosophers who did put out the eyes of their body that they might haue the eyes of their vnderstanding more recollected to contemplatioÌ„ Wherin we are to discard their errour in thrusting out their eyes yet we may serue our selues of their good intention by recollecting them and we are withall care to keep a guard vpon theÌ„ least such miseryes happen to vs as by dissolutenes of this kind are wont to rise From (d) Note how the immortification of the eyes was the occasion of the first great sin of Adam and Eue. whence doest thou thinke that the beginning of the perdition of the world proceeded I assure thee it came from one disordered sight Eue beheld the forbidden tree grew into an appetite of eating the fruit as seeming to her full of beauty and gust She did eate and she made her husband eate thereof and that bitt was death both for them and all their posterity There is no discretion to behould that which it is not lawfull to desire as is plaine by Dauid the holy King whose eyes tooke pleasure in looking vpon a woman as she was bathing in her garden and he grew to haue reason thereby to weep dayes and nights and to bathe his owne bed Royall couch with tears in so great aboundance that his eyes were as if they had been moath-eaten with much weeping And he that sayth Myne eyes haue powred out euen floudes of tears because the wicked haue not kept thy law had done better to haue shed them because himselfe did not keep it Good counsaile had it beene for his eyes not to haue taken gust in that which cost him afterwards so deare And so it will also be good for vs sinners since we are so loose of the feare as that where the eyes go before the hart with speed goeth after Let (e) Note well this whole discourse vs therefore put a vayle betweene vs and euery creature not fastning our sight wholy vpon any of them least being there taken vp we loose the sight of our Creatour That is those deuout considerations which we had of him And do thou belieue for certaine that one of the
excellent lesson coÌ„cerning the strict examinatioÌ„ of our coÌ„science as it were into the chapter-house with thy selfe towardes night and iudge thy selfe very particulerly as thou wouldest do any third person Reprehend thy selfe and punish thy selfe for thy faultes and preach thou more to thy selfe then to any other body how much so euer thou loue him and where thou findest most fault there procure to apply most remedy For belieue me that by the continuance of this examen and reprehension of thy selfe thy thoughts cannot continue long without being reformed And thou shalt ariue to a science which will doe thee much good and it will make thee weepe not swell and it will keep thee from that dangerous infirmity of pride which entreth euen insensibly by little and little a man thinking well and taking contentement in himselfe Be very watchful against the approach there of and preserue thy selfe with all care Take not thy selfe into good conceite but know by the light of truth how to reprehend be displeasing to thy selfe and so the mercy of God wil be neere thee in whose right they only are pleasing who are displeasing in their owne And he pardoneth their faultes with a great liberality of goodnesse who know them and who humble themselues for them with (d) But it must be a true one a true iudgement and who lament them by their will Thou shalt also hereby decline two other vices which are the ordinary companions of pride and they are ingratitude sloth For by knowing and misliking thy defects thou wilt see thy weakenesse and thy vnworthynesse and the great mercy of God in suffering pardoning thee in bestowing benedictions vpon thee who hast deserued misery and by this meanes thou wilt be gratefull And on the other side considering the little good thou doest the many sinnes which thou committest thou wilt be awaked out of the sleepe of slouth and wilt euery day begin with new feruour to serue our Lord seing the little that thou hast done hitherto For this and many other benefittes which grow from a mans knowing and reproouing himselfe a holy old man of ancient tymes being asked whether a man might be more secure by seruing God in solitude or in company of others did answeare That is he knew how to reprehend himselfe he might be euery where safe and if not that he would be euery where in daÌ„ger And because through the inordinate loue which we beare our selues we cannot know or reprehend our selues with that vnpartiall iudgement which truth requires we must (e) A hard lesson but by the goodnes and grace of our Lord Ieâ—â—â— it is learâ—ed practised by 〈◊〉 in the Catholike Church thanke that person that doth it for vs. And we must earnestly beseech our Lord that himselfe will rebuke vs with loue bestowing vpon vs light and truth that so we may belieue of our selues as we ought in very deed to belieue And this is that which the prophet (f) Ierem. 10. Ieremy desired saying Correct me o Lord in iudgement and not in sury least otherwise thou do turne me into nothing To correct with fury doth belong to the last day when God will send the wicked to hell for their synnes and to correct in iudgement is to reprehend his children in this world with the loue of a Father Which reprehension carrieth a great testimony with it that God loueth such a person Nor is there any other so sure an one as that nor which bringeth so good newes as being the preface to vs of our receiuing great fauours from God So doth S. Marke relate that our Lord Iesus Christ appearing to his disciples did (g) Mare 10. reprehend them of incredulity and hardnesse of hart and then he after gaue them power to doe wonderfull thinges And the prophet (h) Isa 4. Isay sayth That our Lord doth wash away the vncleanes of the daughters of Sion and the bloud out of the middle of Hierusalem in the spirit of iudgement and in the spirit of heate Giuing vs so to vnderstand that for our Lord to wash way our faultes by comming to vs is first to make vs know who we are and this is iudgement And afterward he sendeth in a spirit of heate which is loue and that prouoketh vs to griefe and so he washeth vs giuing vs pardon by his grace Of this we must not presume to allow our selues any part of the glory since it is he who first gaue vs to vnderstand our owne wickednesse and rashnesse Nor (i) A description of that true â—orrow for sinne which is of God yet art thou to conceaue that this reprehension is any afflictiue kind of thing which may excessiuely oppresse thy soule by making it offensiue to thee For any such disposition as this is eyther of the Diuell or of a mans owne spirit and it must be fled But it is a quiet knowledge of a mans owne faultes and as a iudgâ—ment of heauen which is pronounced in the soule which makes this earth of our infirmity quake with shame and feare and loue which clappe spurres into the sides to make it mende to serue our Lord with greater diligence Yea it giues a man much confidence that our Lord loueth him as his sonne since he exerciseth the office of a Father with him as it is written And (k) Prou. 3. whom he loueth he correcteth Be therefore carefull to behold and reprehend and to present thy selfe in the presence of God before whom an humble acknowledgement of our owne faultes is a matter of more security then the proude altitude of any other science And be not like some who loue to haue themselues in good estimation who because they are loth to thinke ill of themselues they take pleasure in spending much tyme to thinke of other deuout thinges and to passe lightly ouer the knowledge of their owne defects because they find no sauour in them since they take no pleasure in the contempt of themselues Whereas in very Truth there is nothing so safe nor which so maketh God withdraw his sight from our sinnes as for vs to see and to reprehend them with griefe and pennance As it is written If we did iudge our selues we should not be iudged by God CHAP. LXIII Of the estimation which we are to make of our good works that we may not fayle thereby in the knowledge of our selues and of true Humility and of the meruailous example which Christ our Lord doth giue vs for this purpose THE second thing that thou art to obserue concerning this knowledge is that although it be good and profitable since therby we come to haue a contrite and humbled hart yet hath it this fault that it is euer grounded vpon our hauing committed sinne And it is not to be much meruailed at if a sinner do know and esteeme himselfe to be a sinner For being such he should withal be a hideous monster if he would esteem
himselfe for iust as if a man who were all full of leprosy should account himselfe to be in health We (a) Of the humility which is to be exercised in the consideration of a mans good workes must not therfore be contented to esteem only little of our selues in respect of our sinnes but much more are we to do so in our good workes Profoundly knowing that neither the fault of sinne is of God nor the glory of our good deedes of our selues But that of all the good that may be in vs we are perfectly to giue the glory to the Father of lights from whome all good and perfect gifts descend So that although we may haue a thing that is good we must looke vpon it as none of ours and we must vse it with so great fidelity as not to pretend for the glory which is due to God nor that the hony as the Prouerbe sayth may be found sticking to our fingers ends This humility is not of sinners as the first was but of iust persons Not only is this kind of humility in this world but in heauen also For by occasion therof it is written Who is like our Lord God who dwelleth in the Altitudes and lookes vpon humble things both in heauen and in earth This kept the good Angells fast on foot and disposed them fitly for the enioying of God since they would be subiect to him And the want thereof did thrust downe those wicked Angells because they had a mind to robbe God of his honour This was possessed by the sacred Virgin Mary our B. Lady who being preached for happy and blessed by the mouth of S. Elizabeth she puffed not vp nor did she attribute to her selfe any glory for the graces which were in her but with (b) More humble and more faythfull then all men and Angells put togeather an humble and most faithfull hart she teacheth S. Elizabeth and the whole world that the glory of the greatnes to which she was raysed was not due to her but to God and with profound reuerence she beginneth to sing My soule doth magnify our Lord. This very humility and that which was yet more perfect did inhabite the most blessed soule of Iesus Christ our Lord which for as much as concerned the personall being that he had did not rest vpon it selfe but vpon the person of the Word as it exceeded all the soules and celestiall spirits in other graces so did it exceed them in holy humility being further off from giuing glory to it selfe and from relying vpon it selfe then all those others put togeather And from this hart did that proceed which so often he most faythfully preached to the world That he had receaued his workes and wordes from his Father and that to him he gaue the glory And he sayd My doctrine is not myne but of him that sent me and againe The (c) Ioan. 7.14 wordes that I speake I speak not of my selfe but the Father who is in me is he that doth the workes And so it was fit that the redresser of mankind should be very humble since pride was the rooâ—e of all misery and mischiefe And our Lord resoluing to make vs know how necessary it is for vs to haue this holy and true humility he maketh himselfe a maister of it in particuler manner and he puttes his owne example before our eyes saying thus Learne (d) Matt. 1â— of me for I am humble and meeke To the end that men seeing their so wise Maister recommend this vertue so particulerly they might labour much in the purchase thereof And seing that our Lord being so soueraign doth not attribute the good to himselfe there may be no man so franticke as to presume vpon the committing of so great a wickednesse Learne therefore O thou seruant of Christ of this thy Maister and Lord this holy humility to the end that according to his word thou mayst be exalted For he (e) Luc. 14. that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted And keep in thy soule this holy Pouerty for of this it is vnderstood Blessed (f) Wats 5. are the poore in spirit for of them is the kingdome of heauen And of this be sure that since Iesus Christ our Lord was exalted by the way of humility he that hath not this doth loose his way And he must vnbeguile himselfe and belieue that which S. Augustine sayth If thou aske me which is the way to heauen I shall answere thee Humility and if thou aske me till the third tyme I shall answere thee the same and if thou aske me a thousand tymes a thousand tymes shall I answere that there is no other way (g) I doubt much that ProtestaÌ„ts are then out of the way if it be but euen for this but of Humility CHAP. LXIIII. Of a profitable exercise of knowing the being which we haue in Nature that by it we may obtayne Humility BECAVSE (a) I beseech you ponder well the foure next chapters for they will teâ—l you â—ewes I thinke thou desirest to obtayne this holy humiliation of thy self wherby thou mayst become pleasing to our Lord I will say somwhat of the meanes how thou mayst procure it And (b) The meanes which are to be vsed for the procuring of the holy vertue of humility let the first of them be to begge it with perseuerance of him who is the giuer of all good thinges for it is a particuler guift of his which he bestoweth vpon his elect Yea and the very knowing that it is a guift of God is no small fauour They who are tempted with pride do wel perceaue that there is nothing further off from their owne power then this true and profound humility and that it hapneth many tymes that by the same meanes whereby they hope to obteine it they fly furthest from it and that by the very acts of humiliating a mans selfe the very contrary which is pride sometymes doth grow Thou (c) Note must therefore as I sayd in that discourse which I made before of Chastity take in hand the obteyning of this Iewell in such sorte as that neither thou giue ouer thy endeauour by saying What shall I get by striuing for it since it is the guift of God nor yet must thou put thy confidence in thy arme of flesh and bloud but in him who is wont to graunt his guiftes to whome he giueth the grace to aske them by meanes of prayer and other deuout exercises The course then which thou art to hold shal be this Consider these two thinges in order The one a being the other a good and happy being As for the first thou art to thinke who thou wert before God made thee and thou wilt find that thou wert a profound pit of being nothing a priuation of all thinges that are good Consider then how that mighty and sweete hand of God drew thee out of that profound Abysse placed thee in the number of his creatures giuing
what we are to do when we beginne to treat any businesse since he in that first businesse of his did pray and that in so great length From hence it is that S. Denis saith that at the entrance into any workâ— we must begin by prayer S. Paul exhorteth vs to be instant and earnest in prayer and our Lord saith (t) Luc. 1â— That we must euer pray and not giue ouer which signifieth that this worke must be performed with frequent diligence and care For they who thinke it will serue their turns to take heed to themselues in doing workes pleasing vnto God yet make no accompt of vsing prayer do swimme and fight with one only hand and do walke with one only foot For our Lord did teach vs that two thinges are necessary when he sayd (u) Matt. 26. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation And the same did he aduise when he said (x) Luc. 21. Watch in prayer at all tymes that you may escape from these thinges which are to come and that you may be able to appeare before the sonne of the Virgin And S. Paul (y) Ephes â— doth couple these two thinges when hearmeth the Cauallier of Christ towards the spirituall warre which he is to make against the Diuell For as a man how well soeuer he fare yet vnles he rest and sleepe he wil be weake run hazard of going out of his wits so wil it happen to one that worketh prayeth not for (z) Prayer is that to the soule which rest is to the â—ody prayer is that to the soule which repose is to the body There is not any estate so great which will not be brought to an end if there be euer spending and no getting nor are there any good workes which will last without praying For thereby that light and spirit is gotten for the recouery of that feruour of charity interiour deuotion which is diminished by businesse though it be good How necessary it is to pray seemeth plaine by the instance and fastes wherewith the prophet (a) 1. Reg. 2. Samuel prayed our Lord That (b) Marke this well he would deliuer the people out of the captiuity of Babylon although the seauenty yeares which our Lord had appointed for the terme vpon which he would deliuer them were accomplished And if in that which God hath promised that he will do or giue there be yet neede to begge it by earnest prayer how much more will it be needfull to do it in such case as wherein we haue no particuler promise from him S. Paul desyreth the Romanes to pray for him that all impediments being remooued he might be able to visit them wherevpon Origen saith that although the Apostle had said a little afore I know that when 〈◊〉 shall go to you my going wil be in the aboundance of the benediction of Christ yet notwithstanding all this he knew that prayer was necessary euen for the thinges which we expressely know shall happenâ— and (c) Because our Lord ordayneth the giuing of his graces by meanes of Prayer if there were no prayer without doubt there would be no accomplishment of that which is foretold Doth it not seeme to thee that he had reason who (d) S. Gregory said that prayer was the meanes to obteyne what the omnipotent God had ordained in eternity to bestow afterward in tyme And againe That as plowing and sowing is the meanes for the getting of corne so is prayer for the obteyning of the fruits of spirit and therefore we are not to meruayle yf we gather so few since we pray so little A (c) Note this souÌ„d certayn reason most certaine thing it is that by conuersation with a good man it doth follow that one will loue him and he will conceaue desires of being vertuous And so if we did conuerse with God with more reason we might hope for these and other aduantages by his conuersation As Moyses did who after he had treated in the Mount with God he came downe from thence full of splendour And from no other roote it growes that we are so wanting to shew pitty to our neighbours but because we frequent not this conuersation with our Lord. For the man who by night lay prostrate in the sight of God demaunding pardon for his sinnes and mercy for his miseries if vpon the day following himselfe sind another who asketh that of him which he begged of God he will not be able to choose but know those very wordes which himselfe vsed and he will remember the great affliction wherewith he spake them to our Lord and with how great desire to be heard and he will do by his neighbour as he desired that God should doe with him And to deliuer to thee what I conceaue of this in a word I represent to thy memory that which Dauid (f) Psal 65. said Blessed be our Lord who to the not my prayer nor his mercy from me Whereupon S. Augustine (g) Note saith Thou maiest well be secure that if God do not take thy prayer from thee neither will he take his mercy And remember yet againe what our Lord said (h) Luc. 11. That the heauenly Father will giue a good spirit to them that aske it And with this spirit we fulfill the law of God as S. Paul saith So that the mercy of God is neere vs and we fulfill his law by meanes of prayer Thinke (i) Note then what kind of Creature that will be to whom by the want of prayer these two thinges shal be wanting And I will aduertise thee of an errour of some men who thinke that because (k) Rom. â— S. Paul said I would haue meÌ„ pray in al places it should therfore not be necessary to pray long at once not in any particuler place but that it would suffice to enterlace our prayers with the rest of our workes A (l) The answere to an obiection good thing it is to pray in all places but that will not serue our turne if we meane to imitate Iesus Christ our Lord and to practise that which his Saintes haue said and done in matter of prayer And be thou well assured that no man wil be able to pray with profit in euery place vnles first he haue learned to do this duty in a particuler place and to imploy some space of time vpon it CHAP. LXXI That the pennance due to our sinnes must be the first pace whereby we come to God conceauing true griefe for them and making true Confession thereof and satisfaction THE first pace which the soule is to make in approaching towardes God is to be the pennance of her sins And to the end that this may be well performed it will profit much that a man disimploy himselfe from all businesse and from all conuersations and do attend with care to draw to his memory all the sinnes of his life helping himselfe for this
of the other Yet be not thou dismaid but present thy selfe with them all before ou◠Lord though not without groaning sighes (i) A sweet and significāt comparison as the Child would do who letteth the mother see where the thorne hath haspt it self into his hand and he beggeth of her with teares that she will pull it out and so will our Lord do with thee For as he is a glasse to declare thy faults so by his example and helping hand he is the true remedy thereof And now considering through how great shame he was content to passe for the loue of thee thy hart wil be kindled towards the casting away off all affection to honour and his patience will kill thy anger his gall vinegar will cure thy glottony and thy seeing him obedient to his Father euen to the death of the Crosse will tame thy necke towards the obedience of his holy will euen in those thinges wherin thou mayst find the greatest difficulty And when thou shalt behold how that most high God humaned the Lord of the heauens and of the earth all that which they conteine did (k) See heer whether or no thou haue any reasō to be impatient or proud obey those wretches when they were pleased to strip him starcke naked and then to apparaile him againe and when they bound him and when they vnbound him and when they commaunded him to spread himselfe vpon the Crosse and to stretch out his armes that they might be nailed thereunto I am deceaued if it will not giue thee a desyre and that with the deepest sighes of thy hart if it be capable of any feeling to be obedient not only to thy betters and equalls but to thy inferiours also and to submit thy selfe for the loue of God as S. Peter (l) 1. Pet. 2. sayth to all the reasonable creatures in the world and that so farre as euen to be ill vsed by them By this meanes also will couetousnesse come to dye in thee if thou behold those handes boared through for the good of men that they may accomplish that which formerly he commaunded when he said (m) Ioan. 13. Loue you one another as I haue loued you And in a word thou wilt find by experience that S. Paul (n) Rom. 6. said true when he told vs that our old man was crucified with Christ. Yf thou do not fynd this cure and conquest ouer thy selfe to grow instantly as thou wouldest desyre be (o) We are so wicked that we had need to haue much patience with our selues not yet dismaid and giue not ouer thy good beginnings But (p) If we haue little feeling of those thinges at the first we must not yet despaire but be humble diligent in prayer as now thou art come to know that the hardnesse of thy hart and thy wickednesse is greater then thou couldst haue thought so do thou sigh out so many more groanes and with so much the more humility begge thou of our Lord that his mercy may not permit thee to remaine sicke since he being God did suffer and dye to make thee whole And haue thou hope that he will not make himselfe deafe who hath commaunded thee to cry out vpon him and that he will not carry such bowells of cruelty about him as to see thee sicke to hear thee cry out at that gate of the hospitall of his mercy which are his wounds but that some one day or other he will take thee in to cure thee But (q) The perfect cure of thy soule wil not be wrought vpon a suddaine I aduertise thee of this that it is not a businesse to be dispatched in so short a tyme. And although S. Paul (r) Gal 18.9 said in few wordes That they who were of Christ had crucified their flesh with the vices and desires thereof yet such as are not content with departing only from mortall sinne but haue a desire to obtayne a perfect victory ouer themselues by ouercomming those seauen generations of enemyes which haue taken possession of the land of promise do find by experience that the thing which is sayd in one word is not completely performed in many yeares But our soueraigne Lord is wont to giue such persons hope of perfect health vouchsafing them now and then the cure of some particuler infirmity We (ſ) A place of Holy Scripture excellently applyed read of the Captaine Iosue that hauing ouercome fiue Kinges he sayd thus to his souldiars Set (t) Iosue 10. your feet vpon the neckes of these Kinges and do not feare but take hart and comfort for as our Lord hath ouercome these so will he also all those others whome you fight against Do (u) If thou consider the reward euen in this life which is heer mentioned thou wilt not think thy labour ill imploied and therefore resolue vpon the word of this holy Authour which is Either to conquer of dye thou in this manner and resolue either to conquer or to dye for if thou obtayne not the victory ouer thy passions thou wilt not be able to proceed in the exercise of this familiar conuersation with our Lord. For it is not reason that the most sweet repose which is taken with ioyfull peace in the armes of our Lord be affoarded but to them who first haue fought and with difficulty haue ouercome themselues Nor can they obtaine to be the quiet Temples of that peaceable Salomon if first they be not hammered by the blowes of the mortification of their passions and by the breaking off their wills For (x) The smoake of the passions depriue the soule of being able to see that sweetnes and sublimenes Gods beauty the smoake which vnmortified passions raise vp in the soule do not suffer the sight to be so cleare as it fit for the beholding of the King in his beauty Nor doe they permit the soule to haue that purity which is requisite for the vniting of it with God like a chast Spouse and in a manner which is particuler and secret kept safe for them to whom our Lord vouchsafes to giue it after they haue laboured many yeares as Iacob did for Rachel CHAP. LXXVIII That the most excellent thing which we are to meditate and imitate in the passion of our Lord is the loue where with he offered himself to the Eternall Father AFTER hauing entred into the first exteriour part of the Temple of this true Salomon which is to consider Christ in the exteriour man and after hauing sacrificed thy disordinate passions by the knife of the word of God which office was executed in that part of the Temple which was called Holy it remaines if we meane to proceed in our way that we procure to enter into the Sancta Sanctorum the Holy of Holyes which is a more pretious place and the period of all the rest If now thou aske me which is this place (a) The pretious hart of
the excesse of admiration and amazement And if this would happen to such as in their owne person had not receiued this benefit from the King but by the only thinking what he had done for another man what may be belieued that it would worke in the hart of that very slaue vnlesse he were franticke for whome that King should so haue dyed Doest thou not thinke that such a knocke of loue as this would awake him would change him would so entitely captiue him to the loue of that King as that he could neuer get leaue of himselfe to conceaue his prayses nor thinke of his merits but with teares Nor employ himselfe vpon any other thing then the expressing of supreme gratitude and loue by doing and suffering for him all that possibly he could Hast thou heard this Parable which in the world did neuer take effect Then (m) A miserable man thou art if this do not mouethee to the very soule know That what the Kings of the earth haue not done that very thing hath beene done by Christ Iesus the King of heauen Of whom S. Iohn (n) Apoc. 19. sayth That in his thigh he carryed this title written King of Kinges and Lord of Lordes For euen as he is man as he hath taken humane nature which is signifyed by the word Thigh so great is his altitude as that it surmounteth all Lords Kings created not only them of this world but (o) The celestiall spirits also of heauen Enioying a Name which is aboue all Names and a height and power of dominion aboue all the highest men and Angells Behold this height which hath no equall and cast downe they eyes to behold that (p) The infinite God for base and sinnefull man basenes for which it suffers And thou wilt see as S. Paul sayth That (q) Rom. 1. we are weake and wicked and traitours against God and his enemyes Which titles are of so much dishonour basenes as that they cast a man backe and downe into the hindmost place and into the lowest price that can be set vpon any creature Since there is nothing so base as to be wicked nor nothing so wicked as a sinner is in respect that he is such Comparing therfore these extremes which are so different of so high a king and so wicked slaues behold now the much that he loued them Come (r) If thou refuse this inuitatioÌ„ thou art vndone hither into the hart of our Lord and if thou haue the eyes of an Eagle heere in matter for them to worke vpon Nay they will not serue thy turne to make thee sufficiently see the brightly burning high heaped loue which inhabited that most holy soule with such extent and latitude that although those highest Angells of heauen for the great power which they haue to Loue are called Seraphims which signifyeth that they are set on fire yet if they had come to mount Caluary at the time when our Lord did suffer there his excessiue loue would haue cast them into wonder in comparison whereof their owne would haue bin no more then meere tepidity For as that most sacred soule possesseth greater altitude and honour then can be had by any other eyther in heauen or earth for as much as instantly vpon the creation thereof it was vnited to the person of the Word of God so was the Holy Ghost infused into it beyond all measure and such degrees of grace and loue were giuen to it that neither they could increase nor could the soule contayne more So that it is with great reason applyed to this most holy soule which is written The (Å¿) Cant. 1. King did place me in the cellar of wine and in me he ordayned Charity Or as we read in another translation he placed his Ensigne or Banner of loue vpon me For in regard that this soule as soon as it was created did clearly see the Diuine Essence and was carryed to it with an vnspeakable force of loue the banner of holy loue was planted on it To giue vs to vnderstand that this soule was the most ouercome by loue that euer man or Angell was either in Heauen or on Earth And (t) They only conquer who are captiued by the loue of our Lord Iesus because in the warre of the loue of God he that is most ouercome is most worthy and most valiant and most happy therefore doth this most blessed soule carry the Ensigne of loue which standes vpon it That al they may know who either on Earth or in Heauen do pretend to loue God that they must follow the conduct of this Lord if they meane to do it well as the disciple would do his maister or the soldiar his captaine since he exceedeth them all in loue as he exceedeth them otherwise in dominion Now since so great a fire of loue was lodged in that most sacred soule it is (u) If thy hart loue deeply it will find meanes to expresse iâ— selfe not strange if the flame fly out and scorch and burne the cloaths which are his most sacred body which was loaden with such torments as giue testimony of the interiour loue For it is written Who shall be able to carry fire in his bosome and that his garment should not be burnt And when thou shalt see that in the exteriour they guide in his handes with cruell ropes thou art to vnderstand that within he is taken prisoner by the nets of loue which are so much stronger then those other as chaynes of iron are beyond threeds of flaxe This (x) Shall we not paâ— such loue with loue loue this was it which defeated him which ouer cam him which tooke him which tost him from Iudge to Iudge and from the torment of scourges to the torment of cruell thornes and which cast the Crosse vpon him first and which carryed him to Mount Caluary where he was after cast vpon the Crosse There stretcht he out his armes abroad to be crucifyed in token that his hart had beene opened by his loue and that so widely towardes all as that the brightly burning and puissant beames of loue did sally out from the center of his hart and went to determine themselues vpon euery (y) wherof thou and I are two man in particuler both such as were past such as were present such as were to come offering vp his life for the good of them all And if (z) Note the high Priest do exteriourly carry the names of the (a) Eâ—â—d 28. twelue Sonnes of Israel written both vpon his shoulders and vpon his breast much more excellently doth this Priest of ours carry men vpon his shoulders by suffering for men And he carryeth them also written in (b) And our Lord make vs able to write him iâ—â—â—tâ— his hart for he doth so cordially loue them that if the first Adam sold them all for an apple and if they sel themselues at a base price and if so
his hauing been pleased to performe them first He hath commanded vs as hath beene sayd that we should heare him and behould him and encline our eare vnto him which is all most reasonable and easy For such a maister who will not heare Who will not be delighted in beholding such a delightfull light Who will not encline his eare to that infinite wisdome But (a) The example of the holy life of our Lord Iesus to the end that the thing which is light might be yet more light he was pleased to passe by the same law which he hath imposed vpon vs he performed it with great diligence He heareth vs he seeth vs he enclineth his eare to vs to the end that we may no loÌ„ger say there is none who looketh towards me none who hearkneth to my complaintes A (b) Look attentiuely to this consideraon great comfort it is for one that is in distresse to haue some body who at all tymes of both day and night will be at good leasure and in good humour to heare his difficultyes related and if without the fayling of any moment he stand looking vpon his miseryes and infirmityes and if he doe not so much as say I am weary of seeing those afflictions thy wounds and soares do turne my stomacke And although such a person were hard of heart we would yet be glad that he should euer heare and see vs. For we would hope that the gutter of our sorrowes which would fall vpon his heart by the conduit of his eares and eyes would one day eate into him and breed compassion since how hard soeuer he were he would not be more hard then stone which yet is wrought vpon by the fall of water although sometimes that water cease to fall And although we knew that he were not able to relieue our miseries yet should we comfort our selues much by the only compassion which he might haue of our case Now (c) The case applyed if we should owe much gratitude to such a person how great must that be which we owe to our Lord And how ioyfull ought we to be in that his eyes and eares are bent vpon the sight of our afflictions and that he doth not at any tyme retire them from vs. And this is done by him not with any hardenesse of hart but with internall and profound mercy and not with mercy of the hart alone but with entire power to relieue our necessities Be (d) God doth euer heare our coÌ„plaints he is inclined to pitty our ease he is highly able to help vs. thou O Lord eternally blessed who art neither deafe nor blind to our afflictions since thou doest euer heare and see them Nor art thou cruell since of thee it is said Our Lord is a worker (e) Psal 10â— of mercies and he is of a mercifull hart he expecteth vs and he is very mercifull Nor is he weake withall since all the miseries and sinnes of the world are both weake few if they be compared to his infinite power which hath no end nor measure We read that in tymes past God gaue a meruailous victory to King (f) 4. Reg. 10. Fzechias ouer his enemies who as some relate did not yield those thankes and sing those praises to our Lord which were both due and accustomed to be presented in such cases For which offence God (g) A great example of â—ods mercy and mans misery did cast him into a sicknesse and that so dangerous that humanely speaking it could expect no cure And least through a vayne hope of life he might forget to set his soule in order the Prophet Isay was sent to him and he said by the commaundment of God This saith our Lord Dispose of the affayres of thy house for know that thou shalt dye and not line The King being frighted by these wordes turned his face towards the wall and wept with great lamentation imploring the mercy of our Lord. He considered how iustly he had deserued death since he had not bin gratefull to him who had giuen him his life and he reflected vpon the sentence which had already passed on him which said Thou shalt not line Ho found not that there was any thing superiour to him who had passed that sentence that so he might procure to haue it reuersed And although there had bin any such yet would not his title haue bin good For from the man who is vngratefull that is iustly taken away which was mercifully afforded to him He saw that he was but a man of middle age and that the line of Dauid was to fayle in his person for then he was to haue dyed without children And besides all this he was assalted by all the sinnes of his life past the feare wherof is wont to presse men most in that last houre And by these things his hart was euen broken with griefe and troubled like a tempestuous sea and which way soeuer he looked he found reasons of sorrow and feare But (h) They are sure of remedy who haue recourse to prayer especially if they resort to it immediately after the occasion is ministred yet in the middest of so many miseries the good King met with a remedy and it was to aske physicke at his handes who had made him sicke and security of him by whome he had bin frighted and to conuert himselfe to him by hope and pennance from whome he had fled before through pride Yea and of the iudge himselfe he desires that he will become his aduocate and he falls vpon an inuention how to appeale from God not as to any other more high then he but from himselfe being iust to himselfe being mercifull And the reasons of his defence are no other then the accusations of himselfe and the Rhetorike that he vseth are but sighes and teares And by these meanes he is able to preuaile so farre in that court of Chancery of the diuine mercy that before the prophet Isay who was the proclaymer of the sentence of his death could go but haâ—fe way ouer the Kings chamber our Lord sayd to him Returne and say thus to King Ezechias that Captaine of my people I haue heard thy prayer and I haue seene thy teares I grant thee health and I giue thee moreouer fifteene yeares of life and I will deliuer this Citty out of the handes of thine enemies What is this O Lord So soone doest thou sheath thy sword agayne so soone doest thou turne thy anger into mercy Can a few teares which are shed not in the Temple but in the corner of a bed whilest the eyes looke not vp to heauen but vpon a wal make thee so soone reuoke that sentence which thy maiesty had giuen and commaunded to be notifyed to that guilty person What (l) The pardon of God to man is instant and amorous without vpbrayding is then becomâ— of coppying out the whole processe what of the costes of the suite what of the
tearmes that haue bin giuen what of the producing of the testimonies both of the plaintiffe and defendant and what can be said to this That the iudge ought to esteeme himselfe to haue receiued an affront if his sentence be reuoked Thou doest passe ouer it all by the loue which thou bearest and by the desire which thou hast to powre blessings downe vpon vs. And thou saidst I haue heard thy prayer and I haue seene thy teares All tearms seeme long till thou mayst free him that is faulty for neuer did any man so desire to receaue pardoÌ„ as thou dost to giue it and more doest thou ioy to pardon them to whome thou desirest to giue life then the sinner doth himselfe for hauing escaped from death Thou obseruedst no ordinary delayes or lawes but the law shall be That he who hath broken thy lawes shall afflict his hart with griefe for what is past and shall purpose an amendment of life for that which is to come and shall apply the wholesome receites of thy Sacraments which thou didst leaue in thy Church or at least shal haue intention to take them And the delayes shall be these That (k) Ezech. 33. whensoeuer a sinner shall be deeply sorry for his sinnes thou wilt remember them no longer And to the end that sinners may take hart in crauing thy pardon for their offences thou wert pleased to graunt this man more fauour then he asked of thee by fifteene yeares of life and the deliuery of his Citty and the retraite of the Sunne as far as it is wont to walke in ten houres in token that vpon the third day after that the King should go vp into the Temple safe and sound And thou wert mercifull by vouchsafing him other secret fauours who neither yet wouldst suffer sinne to approach to vs but only for the bringing of greater good from thence letting vs see thy mercy by our misery and thy pardon and goodnes by our wickednes and thy power by our weakenesse Therefore (l) A conclusionful ful of comfort thou O sinner whosoeuer thou be who art threatned by that sentence of God which (m) Ezech. 18. sayth The soule that sinneth the same shall dye be not yet all dismayed vnder the burthen of thy great sinnes and that insuportable waight of the wrath of God But taking courage in the consideration of the mercyes of him who (n) Ezech. 33. desireth not the death of a sinner but that he may be conuerted and liue do thou humble thy selfe by weeping in his sight whome thou hast despised by committing sinne And then receaue thy pardon from the hand of that piteous Father who (o) Infinit goodnes of God hath so very great desire to giue it yea and to impart greater blessings to thee then thou hadst before As he did to this King who rose vp sound in body sound â—n soule as appeared by the thankes he gaue in these wordes Thou (p) Isa 38. O Lord hast deliuered my soule that it might not perish and thou hast cast away my sinnes behind thy backe CHAP. LXXXIII Of two threats which God vseth to expresse One absolute and the other conditionall and of two kinds of promises like those threats and how we are to carry our selues when they arriue THov art not to be scandalized in that the word vvhich was spoken to this King Thou shalt dye and thou shalt not liue was not accomplished But thou art to know That sometymes our Lord commandeth that to be declared which he hath determined to be effected in his high counsell and eternall will and that vvillbe sure without all fayle to arriue In this sort he commanded that it should be told King Saul That he would cast him off and choose a better in his place And so also did he threaten Hely the Priest and accordingly it was fullfilled And in the same manner he also menaced King Dauid That he would kill that sonne of his whome in adultery he had begotten of Bersabee And notwithstanding the earnest suit which the King made for the life of the child by prayers by hairecloth and by fastes it was not graunted for God had resolued that the child should dye But (a) That which sometime may seem to be denounced by God as absolute is but meant to be conditionall at other tymes he commandeth that to be published vpon which he hath not absolutly resolued but only vpon condition of the mending or not mending such a fault And in this sort he sent word to the Citty of Niniue That within fourty dayes it should be destroyed But afterward by their pennance he did reuoke that sentence for he had not determined to destroy them because he did it not But he declared what their sinnes deserued and what also would haue happened if their liues had not beene reformed And although considering thinges after an exteriour manner it seemed to fauour of inconstancy to say that it shal be destroyed and not to destroy it yet is it not so in that high will of God because he did not absolutely meane to do it For as S. Augustine sayth God varieth his sentence but he changeth not his counsell Which in this case was not to destroy it but not to destroy it by means of their pennance which he resolued to incite them to by that menace And this is that which our Lord sayth by (b) Hier. 18. Heremy Suddainly will I say to Nations and Kingdoms That I will destroy them and roote them out but if that people do pennance for their sinnes I will also repent my selfe of the euill which I meant to bring vpon them and I will instantly say of Nations and Kingdomes That I will plant them and build them vp But if they worke wickednes in my sight and do not hearken to my voice I also will repent my selfe of the good which I sayd that I meant to do them The (c) What vse we are to make of not knowing whether any thing which God denounceth be an absolute sentence or a coÌ„ditionall threat vse which we are to make heerof is this That because we know not when that vvherewith God doth threaten vs is but only a threat or whether it be a finall determinatioÌ„ we must not cast our selues vpon despaire nor forbeare to implore his mercy that so he may be pleased to reuoke the sentence which he gaue against vs as he did to this King and to the citty of Niniue who did both of them get their suits And though Dauid did not obtaine his yet did he not sinne in beseeching our Lord to reuoke the sentence coÌ„cerning him because it appeared not to him whether it were a decree or a threat And in the same manner if God make a promise to affoard vs any blessing we must not vse neglect in seruing him by saying I haue a byll that is written by the hand of God which can deceaue no body For the same Lord (d)
Hier. 18. saith That if we depart from doing his will he will also repent himselfe of the good he promised Not that God can repent since he is not capable of any change but his meaning is That as one who repenteth himselfe doth vndoe the thing which he had done so will he discharge the sentence of punishment which he had giuen against a man if he do pennance and he will retract that promise which he made of doing him good if that man depart from him CHAP. LXXXIIII What a man is of his owne stock and of the great benefits that we enioy by Iesus Christ our Lord. RETVRNING then to our purpose it is plaine how well this law and practise is fulfilled by Almighty God He heareth and he seeth since he did so soone heare the prayer and see the teares of this (a) Ezechias King And did comfort him not only him but the same he doth to others as Dauid (b) Psal 33. saith The eyes of our Lord are vpon iust persons and his eares are bent towards their prayers to deliuer their soules from death and to susteyne them in tyme of hunger I well belieue that thou likest well this word and yet I belieue also that the cōdition vnder which it is said doth put thee into some feare A blessed thing it is that the eyes and eares of God are present to vs. But yet thou wilt say In what case am I for he speaketh that of such as are iust and for my part I am full of sinne Thou saiest true and see that thou do truly belieue it For if there were any men who had no sinnes who should they in all reason be rather then the holy Apostles of Iesus Christ our Lord who as they were nearer to him in conuersation of body so were they also in sanctity of mind and so as that none do equall them excepting only the blessed Mother of God who equalleth and exceedeth both them and the Angells And although S. Paul (c) Rom. 8. do say both in his owne person and in that of the Apostles also That they receiued the first fruites of the spirit which signifieth greater grace and giftes then were imparted to other men yet neuerthelesse our Lord commauded them to say that prayer of the Pater Noster whereof this is a part Forgiue vs our debtes or sinnes And since this prayer is for euery day it is plaine that we are told thereby that (d) Be not rash in mistaking but read on and thou wilt see that this is meant of venial sins as distraction in prayer idle words or thoughts and the like not of such others as depriue the soule of grace we haue faultes and that euery day we commit one or other And therefore (e) 1. Ioan. 1. S. Iohn said Yf we say that we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and truth is not in vs. Now if all men haue synne excepting him alone who is God as well as man and her who is his true Mother for whome were those wordes spoken That the eyes of our Lord are vpon iust persons and his eares are inclined to their prayers I answeare that God is not humorous nor yet doth he pay men with wordes alone sines we see that as he said so he performed with King Ezechias and in numerable others also whom he heard and saw But (f) See heere the verity purity of Catholik doctrine concerning grace and sinne works do thou know that he is a iust person who is not in mortall sinne since such an one is in grace and is the friend of God and of this sort there are many although they haue veniall sinnes But now when there is speach of these last there is none who can truly lay that he is wholy free And to the end that thou mayst be thankefull for this grace and iustice to that Lord through whose merits they are giuen to such as are well disposed thou art to vnderstand that iust persons haue in them two kinds of good some of nature others of grace though Pelagius be in a chafe at this last who said That a man is iust through the good workes which he doth by the strength of his owne nature without needing that grace and strength which is infused by God This errour is condemned by the Catholike Church which commaundeth vs to belieue That of our nature we are sinners first by originall sinne and them by others also which with our will we commit afterward and that in those other workes which yet are after their manner good but yet still within the only latitude of morality and these are the best that we can worke by force of nature true iustice doth no way consist For this it is that S. Paul (g) Rom. 3. saith That no man is iust that is to say of himselfe for we are all sinners of our selues The being iust is giuen to vs it groweth not out of our soyle or stocke for to haue it (h) Christ our Lord is only iust originally of himselfe al other creatures yea euen the pure mother of God her self were to be iustifyed by his redēption She was secured from falling into the least sinne either originall or actual because his passion wrought in her holy soule by way of Preseruatiue we are freed after falling because it workes in vs by way of remedy so is the priuiledge of Christ our Lord alone who not by meanes of any other but of his only selfe is the true iust person and in whose workes and death is true iustice For if in the workes which we can do by our nature did consist true Iustice or that by them we could deserue it Christ Iesus (i) The protestāts will heere find that they haue no reason to slander vs in this point according to their custome had died in vayne as S. Paul saith since we might haue obteined that without his death which he purchased for vs therby The same Apostle (k) Galat. 3. saith That Christ is made iustice to vs and he saith it because the merit of our iustice doth consist in his workes and death which (l) Suspēd your rash iudgment a while if you be a Protestāt and read the 88. chapter which wil deliuer you from errour in this point merit he communicateth to vs by Faith and by loue which is the life thereo◠and by the Sacraments of the Church as we declared before And thus are we incorporated in Christ Iesus and the grace of the holy Ghost is giuen vs by the infusion whereof into our soules we are made the adopted Sonnes of God pleasing to him and so we also receaue vertues and giftes to the end that we may worke agreeably to the high state of the grace which was giuen to vs. By all which we are made truly iust in the sight of God by a iustice which is ours and which dwelleth in vs and (m) Note this which
or hungry or wel fed he sayth it is (a) Matt. 25. himself that is so So that As soone as we were he was in vs as S. Augustine sayth and when we are heard by God he sayth that he is heard through the (b) The vnspeakable vnâ—oÌ„ of Christ Iesus our Lord with his seruantâ— and his infinite loue to them vnspeakable vnion which is between him and his which is signifyed by the name of the Spouse the fellow spouse and of the head in respect of the body which he loued so much that howsoeuer in ordinary course we see that a man exposeth his arme to receaue the blow for the sauing of the head yet this blessed Lord being the head would needs meet that blow which was giuen by the hand of the iustice of God and so dyed vpon the Crosse to giue life to his body which is our selues And after that he hath quickned vs by the meanes of pennance of the Sacraments he doth regale vs and defend vs and maintayne vs as a thing so much his owne that he is (c) Note not content with calling vs his seruants and friends brothers and sonnes but to teach vs yet better how much he loueth vs and that so he may rayse vs vp to greater honour he endueth vs with his (d) An vnspeakable honour it is if we had the grace to weigh it well to be called ChristiaÌ„s yea as it were one Christ owne name For by this vnspeakable vnion of Christ the head with the body which is the Church he and we are called one (e) 1. Cor. 12. Christ And this most sweet mystery full of all consolation doth S. Paul giue vs to vnderstand in those wordes when he said That (f) Ephes 2. the heauenly Father did make vs acceptable in his beloned Sonne and that we were created in good workes in Iesus Christ. And to the Corinthians he said You are in Iesus Christ Which manner of speach by the word In doth point vs out to this vnion of Christ and his Church So also our Lord saith by (g) Ioin 11. S. Iohn He that is in me and I in him beareth much fruit for without me you are able to do nothing Thanks (h) A holy conclusioÌ„ of this chapter be giuen O Lord to thy loue and goodnesse who by thy death didst giue vs life And thankes be giuen to thee also because by thy life thou consernest ours and thou doest imbrace vs so close to thy selfe in this exile of ours that yf we will perseuere in thy seruice thou wilt carry vs to geather with thy selfe and wilt keep vs for euer in heauen where thou art as thy selfe hath said Where I am my selfe there shall my seruant also be CHAP. LXXXV How lowd Christ cryed out and doth euer cry out for vs before the Eternall Father and with how great speede his Maiesty doth heare the prayers of men and bestoweth benefitts vpon them by meanes of this out-cry of his sonne THov mayst already see by what is sayd how great necessity all men haue of the fauour of Christ Iesus to the end that their prayers may be heard as acceptable in the presence of God But it is not so with Christ himselfe for he hath no need that any other should speake for him He it is and he alone whose voyce is heard in respect of it selfe For as S. Paul (a) Hebr. 8. saith he is able to go to his Father himselfe to pray for vs he also saith That Christ in the dayes of his mortall life offering prayers to his Father with a lowd cry and with teares was heard for his reuerence Christ desired his Father that he would deliuer him from death not suffering him to remaine therein by raysing him vp to a life immortall And as he desired so was it granted to him He also offered vp teares and prayers to his Father many times which proceeding from a hart which was full of loue are said to haue bin made with a loud cry And although that loue which made him cry was euer all alike in him for as much as euery teare he shed and euery (b) What infinite loue therfore was that and what loue ought ours to be in answer of it pace that he made was performed with as much loue as when he laid himself downe vpon the Crosse yet considering the exteriour and the nature of the worke it selfe which was wrought so much difference there was betweene the offering of his most holy body vpon the Crosse and the offering vp prayers for vs as there is betweene suffering yea and suffering death on the one side and praying or speaking on the other Remember that which God (c) Gen. 4. said to Cain The voyce of the bloud of thy Brother Abel doth cry out to me from the earth And of that also which S. Paul (d) Hebr. 12. said to vs Christians You are come to aâ—hedâ—ing of bloud which cryeth out better then that of Abel For (e) The difference betweene the bloud of Christ our Lord and the bloud of Abel that of Abel cryed out to the diuine iustice demaunding vengeance against Cain who spilt it but the bloud of Christ which was shed vpon the earth cryed out to the diuine mercy demaunding pardon The former calleth for anger the later for pitty the former for indignation the later for reconciliation that of Abel asketh vengeance against Cain alone this other asketh pardon for all the wicked men that euer were or will euer be so farre forth as they shal be ready to receiue it with (f) Pennance such a disposition as is fit yea it asketh pardon euen for them which shed it The bloud of Abel was able to profit no man because it had no such power as to pay for the sinnes of others but the bloud of Christ did cleanse both the heauens the earth and the sea as the Church doth sing and drew out such as were detayned in the very pittes of Limbus as the Prophet Zachary affirmes Without fayle the cry of the bloud of Christ desiring mercy is a great cry since it hindred the hearing of that other cry which was made by the sinnes of the world and which demaunded vengeance against the committers thereof Consider thou O Virgin if (g) And thou also who art no virgin consider of it for it speakes to all the world that one only sin of Cain made such a noyse by asking vengeance what noyse what cryes what shouting out do all the sinnes of all men make demaunding the same and greater vengeance in the eares of the iustice of God But yet neuertheles how loud so euer they cry incomparably more loud crieth the bloud of Christ in the eares of the diuine mercy demaunding pardon And it makes that those others are not heard that the noise of our sinnes may be so little and so low as that God may be to them as if he
were deafe For incomparably more acceptable to God was the voyce of Christ and of his Passion and death which demaunded pardon then all the sinnes of the whole world are offensiue demaunding vengeance What doest thou thinke that (h) The profound silence of Christ our Lord in his sacred passion the silence of Christ did procure and that he made him selfe as deafe who did not heare and as a dumbe man who did not open his mouth when he was accused Without doubt since the sinnes of them who by their mouth accused Christ did make a noyse which was full of lyes against him who was not guilty and when he in the meane tyme would needes hold his peace who yet might haue answered them with all iustice it is but due that the rest of the world may not be accused of their sinnes by the Diuells though of it selfe this might be iustly done but that they should be dumbe because they had accused him who was innocent And that since he would needs be (i) Sicâ—â— mutus non aperiâ—â—s os suum deafe who yet was so well able to answere it is but reason that the diuine iustice to which Christ offered himselfe for vs should also make it selfe as deafe though we haue done thinges which require vengeance Reioyce therefore O thou spouse of Christ and let all sinners reioyce if indeed they be sorry for hauing sinned and if they dispose themselues to take the (k) Contrition ConfessioÌ„ and Satisfaction remedyes which are in the Catholike Church For God is deafe towards the punishment of our sinnes but hath his eares wide open towardes the hearing of our prayers with mercy Feare not thy accusers nor those outcryes although thou haue giuen cause thereof since Christ was accused and by his silence did strike dumbe the clamour of our sinnes It was (l) Isa 35. prophesied that he would be silent as the lambe is before the shearer But (m) The great profit which we reape by the silence that Christ our Lord did vse in his sacred Passion when most he was silent and did suffer most in the sight of men so much greater were the out cryes which he gaue to the diuine iust 〈◊〉 by paying for vs. And these out cryes were heard as S. Paul (n) Hebr. 5. sayth for his reuerence that is for his great humility and for the reuerence wherewith he humbled himselfe to his Father euen to death and that of the Crosse reuearing in as much as he was man that superexcellent diuine Maiesty and loosing his life for the honour of it He was heard I say by his Father of whome it was written He (o) Psal 102. regarded the prayer of the humble and despised not their petition Now who is so humble as our Blessed Lord who sayd Learne (p) Matt. 11. of me for I am meâ—ke and humble of hart And therefore he was heard as before it was prophesyed in his person Our q Psal 21. Lord did not remooue his face from me and when I cryed out he heard me And the same Lord of ours sayth in the Ghospell I giue (r) Ioan. 21. thee thankes O Father because thou doest euer heare me Now since the Father doth heare him when he prayeth for thee and that the obtayning of grace whereby thou mayst be made iust that so thou maist be heard by God did cost him so dear procure to get it if thou haue it not and if thou haue it employ it in offering vp prayers to God since to such prayers his eares are open And as we must heare our Lord with the Prophet Samuel when he sayth Speake (Å¿) 1. Râ—g â— Lord for thy seruant heareth so doth our Lord say to vs Speake seruant for thy Lord heareth thee And as we sayd long before that our hearing the voyce of God must not be the only hearing of the sound of the wordes but to belieue them and to be pleased in them to put them in execution so the eares of our Lord are opened by the loue of Christ not only to heare what we say for so also doth he heare the blasphemies which are spoken of him and which offend him but our Lord doth heare our petitions in such sort as to performe them And to the end that thou mayst see how true it is that our Lord doth heare the deep sighes that we present to him hearken thou to that which the â—aâ—â—â—e Lord sayth by (t) Isa 65. Isaias Before they call I will heare them O blessed be that holding thy peace O Lord for both within and without didst thou hold thy peace vpon that day of thy Passion Out wardly by not cursing or so much as answearing and in wardly by not contradicting but accepting with great patience those blowes and cryes and paynes of thy passion For thereby thou didst so speake in the eares of God as that we may be heard euen before we speake Nor is this any great meruaile for (u) The inestimable prouidence and goodnes of God in Christ our Lord. as much as we being yet nothing thou didst make vs and before we could aske thee any thing thou didst maintayne vs both within and without the wombe of our Mother and before we knew what it was that might do vs good thou gauest vs the adoption of Sonnes and the grace of the Holy Ghost in holy Baptisme And before we had beene ouerthrowne by sinne thou didst keep vs and when vve were fallen through our own fault thou didst raise vs vp and thou didst seek vs when we sought not thee And that which is more before we were borne thou hadst already dyed for vs and prepared heauen for vs. It is not therefore any wonder that of whome thou hadst so much care before they had any of thee thou haue it also in this particuler And that thou dost giue vs that many times wherof thou seest vs to haue need without expecting that we should weary our selues so much as to aske it since thou didst weary thy selfe so much both in asking and procuring it for vs. What shall we giue thee O most blessed Iesus for this silence which thou didst vse before them vvho did so hate and hurt thee And what shall vve giue thee for those loud cryes so full of loue vvhich thou gauest for vs before thy Father O (x) A deuout contemplation that it were pleasing to thy infinite goodnes to do vs so great a fauour as that we might be so silent towardes the offence of thee and so willing to suffer that which thou vvouldst do with vs as if we vvere so many dead men And that we vvere so full of life towardes the vttering of voyces in thy prayse that neither we whome thou hast redeemed nor the heauens nor the earth nor that which is vnder the earth nor any of that which is in them all might euer cease with the very extremity of all our strength and theirs to sing
thing which was to be offered for the taking away of sinne might be subiect to no imperfection or fault Now (h) The necessity which we were in that Christ our Lord should be sacrificed for vs. because no man was without synne this great Priest of ours had nothing else to offer but himselfe making him that was the Priest to be also the sacrifice offering vp himselfe to himselfe he being cleane that he might cleanse vs who were defiled he who was iust to iustify vs who are sinners he who vvas acceptable and esteemed to the end that we might be receiued into fauour Who in our owne respects were offensiue and vnbeloued And this sacrifice was of so high valew both in regard of the thing it selfe and in respect of him who did offer it which is al one that we who were separated from God like lost sheepe were brought backe all washed and sanctifyed and made worthy to be offered vp to God Not that we had any thing of our owne stocke which was fit to please him but being bedewed by the bloud of this Pastour and being adorned with the beauty of his grace and iustice which is bestowed vpon vs for our Lords sake and being incorporated to him we are cleansed from our sinnes and we are beheld by God and made acceptable to him as a sacrifice offered vp by this high Priest and pastour This did (i) 1. Pet. â— S. Peter thus expresse Christ dyed once for vs to the end that he might offer vs vp to God being mortifyed in the flesh and quickned in the spirit And so it appeares how our Abel doth offer vp an oblation out of his flocke which God beheld because (k) Agnus occisus ab origine inuâ—ds first he had beheld his most deare sonne And as there visible fire came downe vpon the sacrifice so also did fire come heere vpon the day of Pentecost in the forme of tongues And this hapned after Christ ascended vp to heauen where he might appeare to the face of God for vs. To the end that we might vnderstand that from the cast of the countenance of God vpon the face of Christ which as it is said (l) Hester â—worâ— of Hesther is full of grace came that fire of the holy Ghost which burnt those giftes which this great Pastour and Bishop offered vp to his Father and they were his disciples both such as were then present and such others as were to follow afterward And as God promised to Noë that whensoeuer it should raine much he was to looke vpon the bow which he placed in the cloudes in token of the league which he made with men not to destroy the earth any more by water so much more God beholding his Sonne being layd vpon the Crosse hauing his armes spread abroad in the forme of a bow doth take the arrowes which he was about to shoot out of that other rigorous bow of his and insteed of punishing he doth imbrace vs being more ouercome to shew vs mercy by this strong bow which is Christ then he was induced by our sinnes to punish vs. And howsoeuer we went wandring away with our backes turned towardes the light which is God and that we would not looke vpon him but passe our dayes in the darcknesse of sinne yet we are brought backe by him vpon his shoulders And because it is (m) It is only for the loue of Christ that God behouldeth sinners with mercy he that bringeth vs our Lord God looketh vpon vs and he maketh vs also looke on him And he hath so particuler care of vs that not for so much as any one moment of time doth he remooue his eyes from vs least other wise we should vndoe our selues Whence dost thou thinke did proceed this amourous word which God did speak to a sinner thereby to draw him to repentance I will (n) Psalâ—â— 21. giue thee vnderstanding and will teach thee the way wherein thou art to walke and vpon thee will I place myne eyes but only from that amorous countenance wherewith God beholdeth Iesus Christ who is the wisdome which teacheth vs the true way wherein we may walke without stumbling and the true pastour as he is man by whome we are beheld who as he is God beholdeth vs. Remoouing (o) Note heere a liuely and deare description of the innumerable wayes whereby Almighty â—od sheweth mercy towarde vs through Christ our Lord. the daungers that are before vs wherinto he knoweth that we would fall hereafter holding vs fast against such as do assault vs at the present and deliuering vs from them into which by our fault we haue fallen euer thinking of that which importeth vs though our selues be full of negligence remembring our good when we forget his seruice watching ouer vs when we sleepe keeping vs close to himselfe when we would faine be gone calling vs backe when we fly giuing vs imbracementes when we returne being euer the last in breaking of friendship and the first who begges the renewing of it though he were the person offended and carrying in all and throughout all such a watchfull amorous eye ouer vs as ordaineth all thinges for our good What shall we say or what shall we do for so great fauours but giue thankes to this true Pastour who to the end that his sheep might not be estranged from the eyes of God did offer his owne face to so many affrontes That his Father seing him so afflicted and yet vvithout all fault might behold such as indeed vvere faulty vvith the eyes of mercy And to the end that we might carry this word engrauen both in our harts and vpon our tongues Looke O Lord vpon the face of thy Christ. Knowing well by great experience that God doth much better both heare and see and encline his care to vs then we do to him CHAP. LXXXVIII How it is to be vnderstood that Christ is our Iustice least otherwise we should fall into some errour by conceaning that iust persons haue not a distinct iustice from that whereby Iesus Christ is inst SO much (a) I beseech the Protestát reader vpon my knees that he will reade this following discourse without passion is the cockle which our enemy hath sowed in their hartes who will belieue him that he induceth them to draw peruerse opinions out of the wordes of holy Scripture which speak of this most sweet mystery of Iesus Christ our Lord and of the benefits which we possesse by him and in him Whereof I thought it fit to aduertise thee that so thou mightest be free from danger Do not thou conceaue that because Christ is called our iustice or because it is sayd That (b) Ephes 2. we are made acceptable to God in him or in fine by such other wordes as these that therefore I say they who are in the state of grace haue not a iustice in them which is theirs whereby they become iust acceptable to God and which
after it was obteined that they might bring forth workes which (l) Al this originally by the only goodnes and promise of God through the meriâ—s of Christ our Lord carry a condignity to the deseruing of eternall life as a iust reward of such seruices and as an inheritance duly deriued vpon sonnes And if it seeme a thing disproportionable to the basenes and weakenes of mankind to do a thing which carryeth a proportion of merit to the sublimity and eternity of that heauenly kingdome (m) Note and be no longer scandalized at thyn own conceits for the Catholike doctrine being rightly vnderstood will giue thee no cause thou art not heere to looke vpon a man as of himselfe but as being honoured and accompanied with that celestiall grace which is infused to his soule and so made (n) These are great wordes but it was the holy Ghost which spake theÌ„ partaker of the diuine nature as S Peter (o) 2. Pet. 1. saith And do thou consider him as a liuing member of Iesus Christ our Lord which being incorporated to him doth liue and worke by that spirituall inffluxe which commeth from him and whereby he doth partake his merits Now (p) Note these thinges are so high as that they carry an equality with those other thinges which are hoped for and they are sufficient to enable vs to say with truth That such as liue so do fullfill the law of God and do that which S. Paul required of the (q) Col 1. Colossians and the (r) I hâ—sâ— 1. Thessalonians when he aduised them To liue worthy of God Of (s) Note this inference whome he would neuer haue expected the discharge of so that by the meanes aforesayd it might be performed and that it was more the worke of God then of men For instantly the same Apostle giueth thanks to God For making them worthy of the portion of the Saints in light And what kind of portion this is the Prophet Hieremy (t) Threâ—â— declareth saying My portion is our Lord and therefore I will hope for him And Dauid sayth of God Thou art my portion for euer Of this portion he is worthy who doth (n) Et facere pati magn Christianis est accomplish the law of God by those workes aforesayd and who is found faithfull in those trialls that God doth send him as it is written Our Lord did try them and he found them worthy of himselfe And both for these and those it is also written That God will giue them the hire of the labours of his Saints CHAP. XC That the graunting that there is perfect cleanesse from sinne in such as are iust by the merits of Christ Iesus doth not only not diminish his honour but much more declare it LET no (a) A wise confortable and wel grouÌ„ded discourse man feare to attribute the height of spirituall honour and the aboundance of spirituall riches and perfect cleanes from sinne to them whom the heauenly Father doth iustify by the merits of Iesus Christ our Lord. Let no man thinke that the qualifying of such persons so doth put the honour of the same Lord to any preiudice For since all that which they haue descendeth vpon them by his meanes not only doth not their being so full of dignity dishonour him but it doth publish magnify his honour Since it is euident that how much more iust and more beautifull they are of so much more valew do the merits of him plainely appeare to be who purchased so great a blessing for them which of themselues they neither had nor could procure The Scripture sayth That (b) Thâ—en 14. where the manger is full the strength of the Oxe is made apparent the reason is because by his labour he filled the same full of meate And S. Paul (c) 1. Thes 2. sayth to some whome he had holpen forward by his doctrine and by his labours That they were his honour his crowne in the sight of our Lord. And then how much more will they be the crowne of our Lord Iesus himselfe They who by him are drawn to the honour of being his sonnes and to be full of treasures and blessings which honour is so much the more as those blessinges are the greater Our (d) Our aduersarves make him such a one wheÌ„ they conceaue that he alloweth not that the Saints should be honoured by our inuâ—cations whylest yet themselues do giue the same honour to sinnefull men Lord is not like some persons who are in paine or at least not greatly pleased with the honour or vertue of their seruants as conceauing that it doth obscure their owne or like certaine vaine women who fly from being attended by fayre seruants least so the flowre of their owne beauty should be blasted But make thou no doubt but that Iesus Christ our Lord hath a certaine kind of Charity which exceedeth all humane conceit as S. Paul sayth in (e) In infâ—â—itevâ—n chating of God esteeming our good as his owne and to the end that we might be made rich in graces he left his most worthy life vpon the Crosse The naturall sonne he is of God and we are sonnes adopted through him and he being the only sonne did exalt vs to the title of brother hood giuing vs his God for our God and his Father for our Father as himselfe said I (f) Ioan. â—0 ascend to my Father and to your Father to my God and to your God And so as (g) Ioan. â— S. Iohn saith speaking of the same Lord we saw the glory of him as the glory of the only begotten sonne And he saith also of him That he is full of grace truth Therfore the honour and spirituall riches of these adopted sonnes must be such as becommeth the sonnes of a Father who is God And if grace and truth were made by Iesus Christ as S. Iohn (h) Ioan. 1. saith it was not made that it might remayne alone in him but that it might be deriued downe vpon vs and that we might take some part of his fulnesse and this in such abundance that S. Paul (i) 2. Cor. 9. calleth it a gift which as now we are cannot be related by vs. And to the end that we may know the riches of that inheritance which in his company we may hope to enioy the same S. Paul (k) Ephes beseecheth God To giue him the spirit of wisdome and of reuelation because that blessing is greater then our reason is able to reach vnto Glory and grace and thankes be to thee O Lord for euer who so hast honoured and enriched vs with present giftes and hast comforted vs with the hope of being the heyres of God togeather with thy selfe and who didst carry so great loue to vs as that it wrought better with thee then it did with (l) Iob. 41. Iob That thou mightst not cate thy bitte of bread alone but that the orphane
also might take part thereof And as in thee there was the loue of a Father and that no barren loue but fruitfull of many blessinges so thou O Lord being pleased to make vs thy companions herein didst pray (m) Ioan. 17. the Father in this manner That (n) If this be well penetrated inough is sayd in few wordes the loue wherewith thou hast loued me may be in them and with this loue those other blessinges whereof one did both for himselfe and for those others who were to enioy them speake after this manner Reioycing I will reioyce in our Lord and my soule shall ioy in God For he hath clad me with the robes of saluation and he hath hemm'd me in with a garment of iustice as the man who is a spouse is honoured by wearing of a crowne and as the spouse who is a woman may be adorned with curious and rich dressings Which (o) Reade heere the true state of this question betweene Catholiks and Protestants Confession with such others as are made in the holy Scripture of those benefits which come to vs by Iesus Christ doth certainly ascribe more honour to him then That neither the vertue of his bloud nor of his grace nor the vse of his Sacramentes nor the infusion of the holy Ghost nor the incorporating a man to Christ himselfe are sufficient to deliuer him from sinne but only that he may not be condemned for it What (p) An opinion most iniurious to Almighty God is this but to thinke wickedly of God the Father Who promising togeather with his only sonne to send an entiere remedy against sinne and that sin in his tyme was to be brought to an end doth not yet performe what he promised Since although his Sonne be come yet sinne remaineth euen in very them who participate with the same Sonne of his How then can that word be accomplshed which sayth I (q) Ezech. 36. will powre cleane waters vpon you and you shal be cleansed from all your filth if yet indeed they cleanse me not but that they cast a cleane mantle ouer me by saying That the iustice and purity of Iesus Christ our Lord is imputed to me as myne owne Now this is rather to couer my vncleanesse then to take it away And he that affirmeth this vntruth doth consequently deny Iesus Christ our Lord (r) An opinion most dishonourable to christ our Lord for it alloweth him to be but a Sauiour by halues to be the messias who was promised in the law and he must therefore expect an other who may deliuer him not only from the condemnation due to sinne but from the sinne also it selfe Since it is cleare that he who should deliuer vs from both were to be a better Sauiour then he that were to do it but from one To these huge and headlong precipices doth the blindnesse of pride conduct such persons as are gouerned by it CAAP. XCI How some passages of holy Scripture are to be vnderstood wherein it is said that Christ Iesus is our Iustice and such other propositions as that is for the better declaration of the precedent Chapters THE (*) Ho prosecuteth the same discourse in excellent manner and it conuinceth manner which the holy Scripture holdeth in saying that Christ is made vnto vs Wisdome (a) 1. Cor. 1. Iustice Sanctification and Redemption should not giue any body occasion to thinke that iust men haue not a iustice in them which is their owne For if we be only iust because Christ is iust and not for the iustice which is in vs as well may we say that there is no wisdome in vs whereby we are wise neither yet any sanctification or redemption S. Iohn (b) 1. Io. 2. saith That the vnction of the holy Ghost which teacheth vs concerning all thinges is in the Iust S. Paul (c) 1. Cor. â— saith you are sanctifyed And S. Peter (d) 1. Pet. 1. saith you are redeemed from your vaine conuersation Now (e) He doth euidently shew at large by many places of Scripture that the ProtestaÌ„t interpretation of this concerning iustification is not only vntrue but most absurd for as much as Christ was not redeemed as hauing not committed sinne this redemption is to be in vs whereby we are said to be redeemed notwithstanding that the Scripture affirmeth that to vs Christ is made redemption For in this and those other manners of speach the thing which it would say is this That thâ—se thinges are giuen vs by his merit The Apostle (i) Cole â— 3. saith That Christ is our life but it will not follow heereupon that iust persons do not liue in respect that our Lord sayth he that eateth me lâ—ueth by me Nor should he haue the reason of a man who because he might heare it sayd That God is the beauty of the Rose or the strength of the Lyon or the like would therfore deny that these creaturs haue a kind of beauty or strength which is distinct from the strength or beauty of God The holy (g) Deut. 30. Scripture sayth God is thy life and the length of thy dayes which manner of speach doth but imploy that God is the efficient cause of these thinges and he that giueth them to vs. Neither yet must errour take away encouragement from this other speach of holy Scripture That we are made the iustice of God in Iesus Christ and that the Father made vs acceptable to himselfe in his beloued senne and the like For this manner of speach is but to make vs know as was sayd before the mystery of Christ his being the head and that iust persons are his liuing members who relye vpon him to the end that the good which he bestowed vpon them may both be conserued and increased For if by such manner of speach we would vnderstand that iust persons had these good thinges in them no otherwise then because Christ Iesus hath them what could we answere to what S. Paul (h) Rom. 3. sayth That iust persons are iustified by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whylest yet as he was in no captiuity so could not he be capable of redemption and therefore it must be in them who are iustifyed although it be procured for them by our Lord. The same Apostle (i) Rom. 8. sayth Who shall separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus but it followeth not vpon this that the loue of God is not in vs and euen deeply in vs since he sayth elsewhere That (k) Rom. 5. the loue of God is powred into our harts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs. The same manner of speach doth he also hold when he sayth of naturall blessinges That (l) Act. 17. in God we liue and moue and haue our being Yet will no man say That we haue no being or life or distinct operations from them of God The Scripture vseth this manner of speach to
handes And this they expect vnder such a title of more iustice as that if he deny them any thinge they are complaining in their hartes and do hold themselues agrieued why lest they forsooth seruing him so well he doth them not iustice by denying them any thing Let not this wicked pride seize on thee for (h) How God abhorreth Pride it is now long since God complaineth of it by Isay (i) Isa 58. saying They demaund the iudgements of iustice at my handes and they come to God and say Why haue we fasted and yet thou hast not behold vs we haue humbled our soules and thou hast not appreoued it But to the end that this so dangerous poison may not infuse it selfe into thy soule with others which do also flow frō thēce thou art to lay hold vpon that excellent doctrine which our Lord Christ Iesus deliuered in S. Luke after this manner Which of you hauing a seruant who goeth to plow feedes the cattell and your selfe comming from the field you say instantly to your seruant Goe thy wayes and take thyne ease and doth not rather say Go dresse my supper and make thy selfe ready to come and serue me till I haue eaten and drunke and then thou also shalt cate and drinke Doth peraduenture that maister stand thanking of his seruant for doing those thinges which he commaunded I thinke not Well then let it be so in your case and when you haue performed all those thinges which are inioyned say We are vnprofitable seruants and we did but that which we were obliged to From these wordes thou art to fetch a knowledge of how profitable a consideration it is for a Christian to hold himselfe the slaue of God since our Lord commaundeth vs so to call our selues And yet this must not be done with that kind of hart wherewith the slaue vseth to serue which is a hart of feare and not of loue For as S. Paul (k) Rom. 8. sayth You did not againe receaue the spirit of seruitude in feare but you receiued the spirit of adoption of the sonnes of God wherein you cry out to God say Father Father For as S. Augustine saith the difference betweene the old law and the Ghospell in a word is that which is betweene feare and loue Leauing therefore a part (l) To serue God for feare is lesse good to do it for loue is excellent this spirit of seruility because it belongeth not so properly to the sonnes of God and the spirit also of (m) He speaketh heere of filial fear feare as lesse perfect though it be not cuill since it is the gift of God to feare him euen for the punishments which he inflicteth do thou vnderstand by the name of seruant a person who is subiect to God by more strong and iust obligation then any slaue can be to his Lord how deare soeuer he haue cost him And (n) A faythfull and louing seruant well described looking euer vpon this whatsoeuer he doth well eyther within himselfe or exteriourly he will do it for the glory and to giue gust to God as a true-harted slaue will giue a iust account vnto his Lord of whatsoeuer he is able to gaine So also wil he forbeare to be slack or sluggish in seruing him vpon the present day notwithstanding that he had serued many yeares before Nor will he hold himselfe disobliged from the doing of one seruice in respect that he hath done another But as the holy (o) Luc. 17. Ghospell saith he carrieth a continuall hungar and thirst after iustice For he esteemeth all to be little considering both the much that he hath receaued and which the Lord in whose seruice he is hath merited By this meanes doth he accomplish that which S. Paul (p) Philip. ◠saith of himselfe That forgetting those things which were past he gaue himselfe new spirites towardes the pursuite of that which was then to come He doth also know that from those thinges which he is able to do how great so euer they may be no profit accreweth vnto God nor is God obliged to esteem that which he doth if the works be considered as growing from our naturall power and strength since a man is not able to pay euen what he oweth And therefore doth the holy (q) Luc. 17. Ghospell say When you haue done all those thinges which you haue beene commanded say We are vnprofitable seruants and we did but that which we were bound to do I say (r) How the best man is indeed an vnprofitable seruant and in what sense againe he is not so vnprofitable in respect of God but for as much as concerneth themselues they gaine life eternall as shal be shewed in the next Chapter And in this sort vnderstanding the name of slaue thou wilt find it to be a name of humility of obedience of diligence and of loue And this feeling thereof had the sacred Virgin Mary when being taught by the Holy Ghost she (s) The vnspeakeable humility of the incōprehensible virgin Mary the B. Mother of God answered Behould (t) Luc. 1. heere is the slaue of our Lord let that be fulfilled in me which is agreeable to his word She confesseth her owne basenes she offereth vp her loue and seruice with a liberall hart without ascribing any thing vnto her selfe by way of any other honour or interest then only in being carefull to serue as a slaue in that which our Lord was commanding her for his glory All this did she feele within and this did she outwardly expresse by deliuering her selfe in the name of slaue S. Paul doth call himselfe and prize himselfe by this name when he (u) Rom. 1. sayth Paul the slaue of Iesus Christ And in a word so are al they who serue God to acknowledg themselues whether they be high or low vnles they be content that euen the seruice which they are doing proue to be of more preiudice then aduantage to them Procure therefore to profit by this truth and thou shalt find a powerfull remedy against the danger which groweth by occasion of good workes not (x) There is no danger in good workes but in the vanity of mans hart who doth them from the workes themselues but by the imperfection of such as do them And vse thou to say both with thy mouth and with thy hart very often I am (y) A iust and true acknowledgement which ought to be made by the hart and tongue of all true Christiās the slaue of God and I am so because God is that which he is and for a thousand millions of benefits which I haue receaued from his hand And how much soeuer I might do for him I should neuer be able to pay the least of those paces which he being made man did make for me nor the least of those torments which he endured for me nor the least sinne which he hath pardoned nor any other which he hath preuented
to be despised or cast of for his infirmityes but to be endured pittied and relieued Now by that which passeth in himselfe as well in suffering afflictions as in desiring the redresse thereof let him learne to know what his neighbour feeleth who is made of the same frayle nature and let him behold and support and releeue him with the same compassion wherewith he beholdeth and desireth that himselfe may be releeued in like case and so shall that be accomplished which the (b) Eccles 31. Scripture sayth The thinges of thy neighbour vnderstand thou of thy selfe For otherwise what thinge can be more abhominable then for a man to haue pitty of his owne infirmities and to shew rigour towards them of others to desire that al men should endure him with a great deale of patience his owne errours seeming small whylest himselfe will haue no patience with others but make of euery moate of theirs a beame A man who desireth that all men would looke on him and comfort him whylest himselfe will be carelesse and curst to others deserueth not to be called a man since he beholdes not men with the eyes of a man which it becomes to be full of pitty The holy Scripture (c) Prou. 10. sayth To haue a weight and a weight a measure and a measure is an abomination before God Giuing vs so to vnderstand that he who hath (d) Note a great measure wherewith to receaue and another little one wherewith to giue is disagreable to the eyes of his diuine Maiesty And his punishment shall be that since he would not measure to his neighbour with that mercy wherewith he would be measured to God will measure to him with that cruell and straite measure wherewith he measured to his neighbour For it is written That (e) Matt. 7. with the same measure wherewith you measure it shal be measured to you agayne and iudgement without mercy shal be shewed to him who sheweth not mercy And (f) An excellent aduice therefore thou O Virgin in whatsoeuer condition thou seest thy neighbour consider what thou wouldst feele in thy selfe and what thou desirest that others should feele concerning thee if to thee that thinge should happen and with the same eyes which passe through thy selfe haue thou compassion of him and giue him remedy in what thou mayst and so God will measure vnto thee with the same measure of piety wherewith thou measurest to him According to his owne wordes Blessed (g) Matt. 5. are the mercifull for they shall obteine mercy And thus shalt thou draw the knowledge of thy neighbour out of the knowledge of thy selfe and thou wilt be compassionate towardes all men CHAP. XCV That from the knowledge of the loue which Christ beareth to vs we are to draw a reason for louing our neighbours CONSIDER (a) By the consideration of the loue of Christ our Lord to our Neighbours we shall be draâ—n to loue them teâ—derly now how thou art to draw this loue of thy neighbours out of the knowledg of Christ Consider with how great mercy the sonne of God made himselfe man for the loue of men and with how great care he did throughout his whole life procure their good and with how excessiue both loue and griefe he offered his life for them vpon the Crosse And as by reflecting vpon thy selfe thou didst behold thy neighbour with humane and gentle eyes so considering Christ thou wilt behould him (b) An excellent consideratioÌ„ sweet and solid with Christian eyes that is with such eyes as wherwith he was pleased to behould thee For if Christ remaine in thee thou wilt haue the same sense or feeling of thinges which he had and thou wilt see with how great reason thou art obliged to tolerate thy Neighbours fraylty whom he loued and esteemed as the head doth his body as the spouse his fellow-spouse as a brother his brethren and as an indulgent Father his children Beseech thou our Lord that he will open thyne eyes wherewith thou mayst see that inflamed fire of loue which burnt in his hart when he went vp to the Crosse for the good of all men little and great good and bad past present and to come yea euen for them who then were in the act of crucifying him And consider again that this loue of his is not growne cold but that if the first death were not sufficient for our remedy with the same loue would he dye againe wherwith then he dyed And as he offered himselfe corporally once to his Father so doth he often make this oblation by actes of will and with the selfe same loue Come (c) He lâ—ueth not Christ who loueth not his neighbour whome Christ did so deerely loue now and tell me who is he that can find in his hart to be cruell to them to whome Christ was so full of pitty How shall he find a way to desire euill to one whose good and saluation is so desired by God It cannot be spoken nor written what a profound and tender loue is engendred in the hart of a Christian who considereth not his neighbours according to externall respects such as are riches or kinred or the like but as parts of the very bowels of Christ Iesus and as a thing knit to Christ by all the bandes both of kinred and friendship How then can it seeme much to thee that a man who is a louer of Christ shold loue his neighbours considering that they are his very mysticall body and that the same Lord hath sayd by his owne mouth That the good or bad which he shall do to his Neighbour our Lord receaueth it as done to himselfe And from the deep consideration of these words the (d) A man that considereth christ our Lord in his neighbour will not only loue that Neighbour but reuere him good Christian growes to conuerse amongst his neighbours with a certaine profound reuerence and with a deep and tender loue and with a smooth kind of meeknes by hauing patience with them and by a watchfull care not to offend or hurt them but rather to profit and please them For it seemeth to him that he is conuersing with Christ himselfe since he beholdeth him in them to whome in his very hart he doth esteeme himselfe more a slaue then if they had bought him by some mighty summe of money For considering that deere price which Christ Iesus payd for man when he purchased him vpon the Crosse with his precious bloud what can such an one be able to do but to offer himselfe all to the seruice of Christ desiring that some occasion were presented wherin he might expresse the gratitude and loue he beareth to him And when he heareth this from the mouth of God If thou loue me feed me sheep and againe He that receaueth one of these little ones receaueth me and He that sheweth workes of mercy to one of them doth shew them to me he I say doth esteeme it for
there heires in being made sinners by them and full of many other miseryes but by the second we are made the brethren of Christ and ioyntly the heires of heauen with him For the present we receyue the holy ghost but we hope hereafter to see God face to face Well (k) An ignorant most inexcusable errour then and what dost thou thinke that God will say to that person who shall prize himselfe more as being borne of men wherby he became a sinfull and miserable creature then for the being borne againe of God wherby he presently becommeth iust and may afterwardes be happy These (l) Note this comparison men are like to some one who being begotten by a King vpon the body of some most vgly slaue should prize himselfe for being her sonne and should talke much thereof and should neuer consider or remember himselfe to be the sonne of the King Forget therefore thy people that so thou mayst be of the people of God The wicked people is thyne owne and therefore it is sayd Forget thy people for of thy selfe thou art a sinner and a very vile one But if thou wilâ— shake of that which is thyne our Lord will receaue thee into that which is his into his nobility into his iustification into his loue but as long as thou wilt cleaue to thy selfe thou shall not be inriched by him Christ will haue thee all naked for he meaneth to giue thee a dowry and he hath where withall Of thy selfe thou hast nothing but to be full of debts Forget (m) We must forget our people more wayes theÌ„ one thy people That is forget to be a sinner and grow a stranger to thy ancient faults Forget thy people and set not so high a price vpon Nobility of bloud Forget thy people by casting all kind of tumult out of thy hart and make account that thou art in some desert hand to hand with Almighty God Forget in fine thy people since there are so many solide reasons why thou shouldst forget it CHAP. C. Wherin he beginneth to declare that other word And forget the house of thy Father And how much it importeth vs to fly from our owne will in imitation of Christ our Lord â—or the auoyding of those inconueniences which grow from thence THERE followeth heere another word which saith And forget the house of thy Father This Father is the (a) How the diuell may be called the Father of sinnefull men why Diuell for as S. Iohn saith He that committeth sinne is of the Diuell for the Diuell did sin from the beginning Not that he did create or beget wicked men but because they imitate his workes and he according to the holy Ghospell is said to be anothers Sonne who imitates the workes of that other This wretched Father liueth in the world that is in wicked men as it is written in (b) Iob. 4. Iob He sleepeth in the shaddow and in the hollow part of a reed and in moyst places A (c) A place of holy Scripture excellently pondered shaddow are the riches of this world For they giue not that rest which they promise but pricking the hart which cares like so many thornes the owners of them do find by experience that they are not true riches but they are a meere shaddow of riches and they are true pouerty and nothing lesse then that which their name doth pretend A (d) The vanity of transitory honour glory cane or reede is the glory of this world and how much the fairer and bigger it appeares exteriourly so much the more hollownes doth it hold Yea and euen that very exteriour is so very subiect to change that with reason it may be called a reede which declines at the commaundement of euery wind Moist (e) The basenes weaknes of men giuen ouer to worldly pleasures places are those soules which are dissolued by carnall pleasures after which they runne without any bridle Iust contrary to them of whome the holy ghospell saith That (f) Matt. 11. the vncleane spirit departing out of that man whome he had formerly inhabited goes seeking where he may be and he walkes his round through dry places desiring entertainment but findeth none For in soules which keepe a loofe from these carnall appetites the diuell cannot find a lodging but his place of aboad is in couetousnes ambition and sensuality Therefore is it that he is called the Prince of this world the ruler and the Lord thereof not still in any respect of his hauing created it but because wicked men who are of God by creation will needes be of the Diuell by imitation Conforming themselues to his will that so with iustice they may also be made conforme with him in the torments of hell as at the latter day it wil be sadly and plainly said to them by the mouth of Christ Go (g) Matt. 25. you cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and for his Angells And if we consider well what kind of thing this house of the Diuell is we shall find that it is the lewd will of wicked men wherein (h) How the Diuell is seated in a sinnefull will the diuell takes vp his seate as he would do in a chaire commaunding from thence the whole man To forget therefore thy Fathers house is no other thinge but to forget and to forsake thyne owne will wherein thou maiest haue sometimes giuen entertainment to this wicked Father and to imbrace insteed thereof the will of God with an entire and faithfull hart saying to him Thy will O Lord and not myne be done This admonition is one of the most profitable that can be giuen vs. For by casting away our will we shall put away our sinnes as (i) The will is the root and the sinne is the braunch braunches are cut off from the roote This (k) 2. Tim. 3. S. Paul doth note when recounting the multitude of sinnes which (l) These dayes of ours in the latter day would be committed he saith That men would be louers of themselues Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand as the commentary declareth That the inordinate loue of a mans selfe is the head and root of all sinnes and that vpon the taking away thereof a man growes to be in subiection to God from whome all his good proceedeth Againe (m) A most profitable consideration the cause of all our disgustes our melancholies and our affliction is no other thinge then our owne will which we would faine haue to be accomplished and when it is not we are in paine but this being taken away what is there that can trouble vs For (n) Note as much as sadnes doth not necessarily rise from the very comming of any troublesome thing towards vs but from our vnwillingnesse that it should come Nor is the paine alone of this world put away by the putting away of our will but of the other also For as S. Bernard saith Let
also thy inferiours so that yet the gouernement and order of the house be not disturbed thereby But yet if there be a necessity that thou shouldst command exteriourly at least hold thy selfe for inferiour in thy hart And for the doing of this with the more courage remember how our soueraigne Lord Maister did (k) Ioan. 13. kneele downe to the ground as if he had been an inferiour and subiect to wash the feet not only of them that loued him but of him who imployed those very feet being washed to giue vp into the hands of death that very man who had washed them with (l) The ineffable humility and chaof our Lord Iesus so great humility and loue Call this passage many tymes to mind and let the word which then he sayd be rooted in thy soule If I being your Lord and Maister haue washt your feet how much more ought you to wash the feet of one another And so loue thy inferiours which are in thy house as if thou wert their Father or Mother and labour for them as if thou wert their slaue taking the impertinency of their conuersation the superfluity of their speach yea and the iniurious works of their hands with patience Be not humble towards them who liue abroad and proud amongst them whome thou hast at home Practise vertue with them whome thou hast vnder thyne eye and neare at hand and make triall of thy selfe at home that thou mayst know how to conuerse abroad And remember that holy woman S. Catherine of Siena who was instructed by God and whose life I desire that thou shouldst read not to make thee couet her reuelations but to breed in thee an imitation of her vertues For although her parenas did hinder her in the way which she had taken towards the seruice of God she did neither trouble her selfe nor abandon them They cast her out of her little Oratory where she vsed to performe her deuotions and they appointed her to serue in the Kitchin But because she humbled her selfe and obeyed them she found God in the (m) God is euery where the rewarder of humility Kitchin as well or better then in her Oratory Do not torment thy selfe if at the time when thou hast a mind to pray thy parents or (n) He seemeth heere to meane the Ghostly Father Prelates would haue thee do somewhat else But offering that desire of thine to our Lord do that which is enioyned by thy Superiours with much humility and peace of mind being confident that in obeying thy superiours thou obeyest God it being so appoynted by him in his fourth commaundement Neyther yet is it forbidden hereby but that with humility thou mayst beseech thy parentes to allow thee some retired place some vacant time for thy spirituall exercises And first hauing begged it of our Lord haue thou so firme a trust in his goodnesse that whether it be graunted thee or no it shal be all for thy profit if thou take at from the hand of God with (o) Two partes worth the labouring for obedience and peace of mind And as for thy parentes they shall giue account to our Lord of that which they commaund thee and it shall be no superficiall account But thou art not to consider that let them looke to it for as S. Ambrose sayth It is a fauour of God and full of profit for a man to haue a sonne or daughter who will serue his diuine Maiesty in state of Virginity with contempt of the world by a particuler vocation to a spirituall life CHAP. CII That not all those thinges which we desire to do or demaund to haue are to be called a mans proper will how we may know what our Lord demaundeth at our handes IF thou haue well considered that which hath bin said to thee in those former wordes thou wilt easily haue perceiued that two thinges were recommended to thee The one The flying of thine owne will The other the following of the will of God Now for the declaration of these two thinges I must let thee know that for thee to desire or begge in particuler manner of Almighty God that he will deliuer thee out of any spirituall inconuenience whereof thou art most in danger or that he will impart some vertue to thee wherof thou art in particuler need is not any vicious act of thine owne will but it is a meanes that a good one to enable thee to fulfill the will of God who commaundeth vs to depart from euill and to do good For if thou obserue it well thy begging of a thing in particuler through (a) It is good to beg any particuler grace of our Lord in a particuler manner for so it will be done with more zeale the particuler necessity thereof wherein thou art doth help thee to aske it with greater efficacy and with a more profound sigh of thy hart which are meanes whereby God is induced the more easily to grant that which is desired Which very thing would not perhaps be graunted if it were asked with that tepidity which vseth to accompany requestes which are made in generall tearmes And this doctrine is agreable to the holy Scripture since our Lord himself doth teach vs in that prayer of the Pater Noster to aske things in particuler manner And so also did the Prophet Dauid as his particuler necessities did present themselues and so haue other Saints vsed to do when they asked any thing eyther for themselues or others And although the same may also be done whylest we are desiring temporall thinges of God as we reade of the (b) Marc. 10. blind man who begged his sight and of many others yet because nothing that is temporall deserueth to be much esteemed and the loue whereof doth vse to carry danger with it and the contempt whereof deserueth praise so great liberty is not giuen vs to discharge our hartes wholy in the desire and suite for such thinges as for spirituall although it be not ill done of vs to demaund temporall thinges so that it be without excesse of earnestnes and vnder this condition if it so be pleasing vnto our Lord. Concerning the accomplishment of the will of our Lord wherein consisteth all our good thou wilt aske perhaps How may I know what that is To which I answeare That (c) A certayne rule how to know what is the will of God whensoeuer the word or commaundement of God or of his Church doth ordaine any thinge thou art to make no further inquiry but to rest assured that it is the will of our Lord. And when there is no such expresse commaundment esteeme that to be of the same ranke which is imposed on thee by thy superiour if it do not euidently appeare to be against the law of God or of his Church or the light of Nature For since S. Paul (d) Rom. 1â— saith That although the superiour be an infidell yet the Christian man must obey him and
ariue to repose in thee Now the reason why he passeth through such want and pouerty is declared by S. Paul who saith You know well O brethren the grace which our Lord Iesus Christ imparted to vs who being rich did make himselfe poore for vs that so we might grow rich by his pouerty And the while thou seest that the first condition of beauty which was to be complete is altogeather hidden and as it were dissembled by him since to him there was so much wanting vpon earth who in heauen was abundance it selfe If now thou wilt consider the second condition of the Beautifull word of God which is to be (d) The second condition of the beauty of our Lord was hidden by him in the passiō the most perfect image of his Father and proportionable to him and equall to him thou wilt find that on earth he dissembled this condition no lesse then the former For tell me what is the Father but Strength Wisdome Honour Beauty Bounty Ioy and such other excellencies which all togeather do make vp an infinite Good Well then do thou place on the one side this admirable Originall which is all glorious in it selfe adored by the Angells and (c) If euer thou wilt lend me thy attention and thy compassion I beg it now then call to mind that passage which in reason ought to passe yea and passe through the most internall partes of our very soules when this beautiful image of the Father Iesus Christ our Lord was brought out from the Tribunall of Pilate most cruelly scourged and vested with a purple robe and tormented with that crowne which was of scorne in their eyes that saw it and of insufferable payne in him that felt it His hands in the meane tyme were bound and a Cane or Reed was put into them His eyes full of teares and of bloud with all which ran downe from his head His cheeks pale and wanne and full also of bloud and defiled vvith filthy spittle vvhich they had darted out vpon his face And vnder this paine and shame vvas he brought out to be seeme by all the people and thus it vvas said Behold the man And this vvas done to the end that his shame might increase in being seene by them and that compassion might once grovv in their hartes vvhen they perceaued in vvhat case he vvas and so they might giue ouer the persecution of a man vvhō they saw in such a passion But (f) Infinit patience and loue of our Lord and inscrutable malice of the wicked Iewes O vvith hovv wicked eyes did they behold the paines of him vvho yet did feele more paine for their perdition then for those very paines of his owne since insteed of quenching that fire of their frantike malice with the water of the dishonour which they saw him in it burned but more and more like wild-fyre which burnes in water They would not hearken to that worde which was said to them by Pilate Behold the man for they cared not for seeing him there but sayd that they would see him vpon a Crosse But thou at least O soule which art redeemed by the torments of Christ do thou hearken and let all of vs hearken to this word Behold the man least otherwise we grow aliens from the redemption of Iesus Christ if we cannot find in our harts to be mindfull and gratefull to him in respect of them When we (g) A consideration which wil pierce the harts of al such as hauethen◠not of flint bring forth any thing to the end that it may be seene we are wont to dresse it the best we can that so it may enamoure the lookers on And when we bring forth any thing that we would haue to be feared we set it out with a shew of Armes Trophees and we accompany it with such other thinges as may make them tremble that behold it And when we make any representation that should moue a man to tears we apparail it in mourning and we giue it all those additions that may induce men to sorrow Then tell me what was the intention of Pilate in drawing Christ our Lord into the view of the people It was certainely not to make them loue him nor to make them feare him and therefore they did neither beautify him nor set him out with Guardes Caualliers but he brought him forth to appease the cruell harts of the Iewes by that spectacle of our Redeemer And this was not to be done by the way of loue For well did Pilate know hovv cordially and profoundly they abhorred him but he had a desire to pacify them euen by the pure force of those excessiue torments which were indured by that delicate body of his so much to his cost For this it was that Pilate did dresse Christ our Lord with such a dressing of torments which were both so many and so great as might haue serued to moue compassion in al such as saw him how much soeuer they did detest him It (h) No Christian soule can doubt of this is therefore to be belieued that he brought him forth the most afflicted the most abased and the most dishonoured that he could deuise Making it his study how to deforme him as one would study to beautify and adorne some gallant birde that so he might appease the wrath of such as hated him since he found by experience that he could not do it by other meanes And now tell me if Christ was brought forth in such a fashion as might haue serued to quench the fire of hate in their harts that abhorred him how (i) It is more thē reason mightily is it reason that the sight and shew of him should kindle the fire of loue in their harts who know him to be God and who confesse him to be their Redeemer Isay the (k) Isa 5◠Prophet saw this passage long before it was brought to effect And being in contemplation of our Lord he sayd He (l) Heere giue thyn eares and thy hart to God hath no beauty nor delicacy we haue seene him and there was nothing to be seene in him and we desired to haue him despised and the most abased thing amongst men a man of griefe and who did euen possesse the knowledg of torments His face was as if it were hidden and despised and therefore we had him in no estimation It was truely he that bare our infirmityes and himselfe did suffer our paynes and we esteemed of him as some leaprous person and as stroken by the hand of God and so deiected If thou wilt weigh these wordes of Isay one by one thou wilt easily see how the beauty of Christ was all concealed in that day of his affliction for the beautifying of vs. The (m) Heere see the different christ our Lord grew to be from himselfe and it was all for our sakes Spouse speaking to Christ doth say in the (n) Cant. 5. Canticles Thou art faire thou
Christian Pilate might conceaue that quickly there would be no more thought of Christ nor any that would haue compassion of him yet God ordained that insteed of those few who did spit vpon him there might be may be shal be many who are with reuerence to adore him And that insteed of them who for the loathsomnesse of the spectacle could not endure to look vpoÌ„ him there should be many who might ioy in beholding that most blessed face as a most pure and perfect glasse though it were placed vpon a (s) The place of the greatest reproach that could be thoâ—hâ— of Crosse And insteed of theÌ„ who thought him to deserue all that which he suffered there should be so many who might confesse that he committed no euill for which he ought to suffer but only that themselues had sinned and that he suffered for the loue of them And lastly if their cruelty were so great as not to haue compassion of him but demanded that he might be murthered vpon the crosse God was pleased that there should be many who would desire to dye for Christ and who with all their soules would say I see (t) The wordes of a soule which is the spouse of Christ our Lord. O thou my friend that thou art wounded and full of payne and I would to God I could suffer it for thee Let not therfore Pilate thinke that he dressed Christ so in vayne though he could not moue them who then were present to compassion since now so many vpon the remembrance of those afflictions of Christ haue so great pitty of him that in their harts they are scourged crowned and crucified togeather with him as S. Paul affirmeth both of himselfe and in the person of many others CHAP. CXII How great reason it is that we should behold this man Christ with those eyes wherewith many of them to whome the Apostles preached did behold him that so we may grow beautifull And that this beauty is giuen vs through his grace and not through our owne merits A Most reasonable thing it is O Virgin that these motiues which are so pregnant and these examples which are so full of life should moue thee thou hauing first cast away all tepidity to fixe him in thy hart with a profound and cordiall loue who so much to his torment was placed nayled vpon the Crosse for thee And that thou be none of those hard-harted persons who heard those wordes spoken in vayne but of those others to whome the hearing thereof hath beene a cause of saluation Be none of them who had not the grace to esteeme that which was present to them but of those others in whose person Isay sayth We desired to see him for many Kinges and Prophets haue desired to see the face and to heare the voyce of Christ our Lord. Behold (a) How necessary it is for vs to behold Christ our Lord crucifyed therefore O Virgin this man Christ Iesus who is published by the voyce of one that is not worthy to proclaime him thus Behold this man that thou mayst then come to heare his wordes for he is that maister which the Father gaue vs. Behold this man that thou mayst imitate his life for there is no way whereby thou canst be saued but he Behold this man that thou mayst haue compassion of him for he was brought to such a passe as might haue mooued euen his enemies to compassion Behold this man to lament ouer him for it is we who by our sinnes haue brought him to the case he is in Behold this man that thou mayst loue him for he hath suffered infinitly for vs. Behold this man that thou mayest beautify thy selfe by him for in him thou shalt find all the colours of beauty that thou canst desire Red by the new buffetts which they gaue him Blew by those which he had receiued the night before Yeallow by the abstinence of his whole life and by the affliction which he had passed through in that night White by the spittle which they had discharged vpon him and Blacke by those blowes wherwith they had new moulded his sacred face his cheekes all swelled and of as many colours as those wretches could paint vpon them For Isay (b) Isa 50. prophesied thus in the person of Christ I gaue my cheekes to those that would pull them and my body to them that would afflict it What waters what enamells what white and red mayest thou find heere wherewith to beautify thy selfe if by thy negligence thou leaue them not Behold this man O Virgin for whosoeuer beholdeth him not shall not escape from death For as Moyses did exalt the serpent in the desert vpon a staffe that they who were wounded might recouer by looking on it and those others dye who did not looke so (c) It is not with fayth alone that we must looke vpon our Lord but with faith loue whosoeuer shall not looke with faith and loue vpon Christ who is placed vpon the wood of the Crosse shal dye for euer And as I told thee before that we must beseech the Father by saying Looke O Lord vpon the face of thy Christ so also doth the Eternall Father coÌ„maund and say to vs Looke O man vpon the face of (d) Christ our Lord is not only the Christ of God but of vs also thy Christ and if thou wouldst haue me looke vpon his face to pardon thee looke thou vpon his face that by him thou mayest desyre me to giue thee pardon In (e) The great God and this wretched man can only be made to meet in Christ our Lord. the face of Christ our Mediatour the Fathers sight and ours doe come to meete There do the beames of our belieue and loue there do the beames of his grace and pardon determine themselues Christ is called the Christ of the Father because the Father engendred him gaue him what he hath And Christ is called our Christ because he offered himselfe for vs bestowing vpon vs all his merits Behold therefore the face of thy Christ belieuing in him confiding in him and louing him and all others for him Behold the face of thy Christ by meditating on him and by comparing thy life with his that so as in a glasse thou mayest see thy faultes and how far thou art off from him so knowing the sinnes which deforme thee thou mayest take of his tears of his bloud which streame downe ouer that beautifull face of his and with griefe mayest wash away those spotts and so thou mayst become beautifull and iust But as the Iewes tooke off their eyes from Christ because they saw him so ill handled so doth Christ take his eyes off from that soule which is wicked and which as leaprous is abhorred by him But when he hath beautifyed it by the grace that he gained for it by his afflictions he placeth his eyes vpon it saying How (f) Cant. 4. beautifull art thou
he hid the fourth condition of beauty which is to be great why was it but to make his greatenesse stick to vs by conforming himselfe to our littlenesse as it was figured in the great (g) 4. Reg. 4. Elizaeus Who to reuiue the little boye that was dead did shrincke vp into the making of himselfe a iust measure for the other and so he restored him to life For if as Saint Augustine sayth by louing of God we are made beautyful it is cleare that we are made more beautyfull by actes of greater loue Now wherein did Christ Iesus so much shew the loue which he carryed to his Father as in suffering for his honour as himselfe hath sayd That the world may know that I loue the Father rise vp let vs go hence But whither went he It is euident that he went to suffer And (h) This is excellently most truly inferred therefore since so much the better as a worke is so much is it the more beautifull for good is faire bad is foule it is plaine that the more Christ suffered so much the better was his worke And therefore the more abased and deformed he seemed the more beautyfull he is in the eyes of such as know him For he was not obliged to what he suffered but he endured it for the honour of his Father and for the good of vs. These are then the eyes wherwith thou art euer to Behold this man that he may euer seeme beautifull to thee as indeed he is As also to the end that Pilate may know in hell where he now remaines that God doth giue a kind of eyes to Christians wherewith they looking vpon Christ he appeareth so much the more beautifull to them as he endeauored to deforme him And now heare how all this is said by (i) S. Augustine was able to say this and more for in another place he affirmeth of himselfe that God had shot his hart quite through with the loue of him S. Augustine Let vs loue Christ and if we find any thing in him that is deformed though he found many deformities in vs and yet vs he loued but still I say if we finde any thing deformed in him let vs not loue him For whereas he was apparailled with flesh for which it is said of him We saw him and he had no beauty if thou confider the mercy wherewith he became man he will then appeare beautifull in thine eye For that which Isay (k) Isa â—1 said we saw him and he had no beauty he said in the person of the Iewes But why did they see him without beauty because they saw him not with vnderstanding But they who vnderstand that the Word is made man doe hold it for a high point of beauty And so it was said by one of the (l) The great S. Paul friendes of the spouse I glory in nothing but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Doth it seeme a small matter to thee O Paul that thou art not ashamed of the dishonours of Christ but that further thou wilt needes glory in them But yet agayne why had Christ no beauty Because Christ crucified is a scandal to the Iewes and seemeth folly to the vnbelieuing Gentills But now on the other side How can Christ be said to haue had any beauty vpon the Crosse How but because the thinges of God (m) God is infinite in all thinges which seeme folly are more full of wisedome then the wisedom it selfe of all mankind And the thinges of God which seeme weake are more stronge then the strength of all mankind And since this is true let Christ thy spouse appeare beautifull in thyne eye since God is beautifull and that he is the Word of his Father Beautifull he also was in the wombe of his mother where he tooke his Humanity without losse of his Diuinity Beautifull was the Word when he was borne an infant for although he were an infant that spake not yet euen whilst he sucked and when he was carried in his Mothers armes the heauens did speake the Angells sung his praises the starre lead on the three wise Kinges and he was adored by them in the manger where he was layed as the food (n) Men who haue mortifyed affections and to such our Lord becometh food after an admitable maÌ„ner It is S. Augustine who speaketh thus of innocent and quiet beastes Beautifull then he is in heauen Beautifull vpon earth Beautifull in the wombe of his Mother Beautifull in her armes Beautifull in miracles Beautifull in those scourges Beautifull when he inuiteth vs to life Beautifull in despising of death Beautifull in leauing his soule when he expired Beautifull when he tooke it againe in his resurrection Beautifull in the Crosse and Beautifull in the sepulcher Beautifull in heauen and Beautifull in the vnderstanding of man on earth He is in fine the true and soueraigne Beauty and Iustice All this S. Augustine saith And certainly if thou wilt behold Christ our Lord with such eyes as these he will not seeme deformed to thee as he did to those carnall persons who put reproach vpon him in the passion But as it hapned to the holy Apostles who (o) Luc. 9. beheld him in Mount Thabor his face will seeme to thee as bright as the Sunne and his garments as white as the snow yea so white as S. Marke recordeth That no earthly Dyer could haue raised them to such a height of whitenesse Which signifyeth that we who are the (p) A noble and comfortable application of that place of Scripture garmentes of Christ because we go round about him and because we adorne him by belieuing and louing praysing him are so whitened by him as that no man on earth could haue giuen vs that beauty of grace iustice which he gaue vs. Let him seeme to thee as a Sunne and the soules redeemed by him to be white as snow Those soules I say which confessing and with griefe abhorring their owne deformity desire to be beautified in this (q) The precious bloud of our Lord Iesus is that only true Piscina which is able to recouer vs out of all diseases Piscina or Poole of the bloud of our Sauiour from whence they issue out so beautifull so iust and so rich through the grace and other gifts which they receyue by him that they are able to enamoure euen the very eyes of God So that these wordes aforesaid may be sung with great ioy and much truth The King will desire thy beauâ—â—ty FINIS THE TABLE OF CHAPTERS Conteyned in this Cabinet CHAP. I. Wherein is treated How necessary it is for vs to giue eare to God of the admirable Language which our first Parents spake in the state of Innocency Which being lost by Sinne many ill ones did succeed in place thereof pag. 1. Chap. 2. That we must not hearken to the Language of the World and Vaine-glory And how absolute dominion it exerciseth ouer the
it treateth the cittizens therof and of the sad end which they all shall haue pag. 503. Chap. 99. Of the vanity of being nobly borne and that such persons must not bragge thereof as desire to be of the kindred of Christ pag. 512. Chap. 100 VVherein he beginneth to declare that other word And forget the house of thy Father And how much it importeth vs to fly from our owne will in imitation of Christ our Lord for the auoyding of those inconueniences which grow from thence pag. 517. Chap. 102. Of a kind of practise in the denying of our owne will and of the obedience that vve owe to our Superiours which is a way how to obtayne the abnegation of our will and how a superiour is to carry himselfe with his subiects pag. 522. Chap. 102. That not all those thinges which we desire to do or demaund to haue are to be called a mans proper will how we may know what our Lord demaundeth at our handes pag. 5.7 Chap. 103. VVherein he beginneth to declare that word which sayth And the King will desire thy beauty And how great a matter it is that God should be content to place his loue vpon a man And that this is no corporall beauty how dangerous such kind of beauty is pag. 530. Chap. 104. That the dignity of being a spouse of Iesus Christ requireth that great care be had in all things of the example which they are to booke vpon both in the exteriour in the interiour of their soule vvho haue a desire to enioy this dignity pag. 538. Chap. 105. That the dignity of this State must not dismay Virgins for as much as their Spouse vvho is our Lord doth giueÌ„ them that vvhich is necessary for it And of the aduise by which they are to vndertake it of the cheerfulnes wherewith they are to vndergoe it of the great blessings vvhich are contayned in it pag. 540. Chap. 106. Of foure conditions vvhich are requisite for the making of any thing beautifull how aâ—t of of them are wanting to a soule that is in sin pag. 545. Chap. 107. How the deformity of sinne is so wickâ—d a thinge as that no force or law of Nature or of Scripture were sufficient to abolish it but only Iesus Christ in vertue of whome sinne was euer taken away grace was giuen pag. 547. Chaâ— 108. That Christ our Lord taketh away the deformity of the soule by his bloud that it was conuenient that rather the Sonne should become man then either the Father or the holy Ghost of the great force of the bloud of Christ our Lord. pag. 550. Chap. 109. That the sacred humanity of Christ our Lord was figured in the garment of the high Priest in the veile which God commaunded Moyses to make And what that was which Dauid begged when he desired to sprinckled with Hyssope that he might so be cleansed pag. 555. Chap. 110. How Christ did as it were dissemble those foure conditions of his beauty so to make vs beautifull to which purpose there is a passage of the Prophet Isay declared pag. 557. Chap. 111. Of the many wonderfull things which our Lord did draw out of that greatest wickednes which they committed who murthered Christ of the seuerall effects which these wordes Behold the man being spoken by Pilate preached by the Apostles haue brought to passe in the world pag. 566. Chap. 112. How great reason it is that we should behold this man Christ with those eyes wherewith many of them to whome the Apostles preached did behold him that so we may grow beautifull And that this beauty is giuen vs through his grace and not through our owne merits pag. 572. Chap. 113. Wherein is prosecuted the way that we are to take in beholding of Christ how he is beautifull in all thinges and that those thinges which in our Lord seeme vgly to the eyes of flesh bloud such as are troubles and torments be of great beauty pag. 578. FINIS
is distinct from that whereby Iesus Christ our Lord is iust For to belieue otherwise were to imbrace a very grieuous errour which (c) The erroneous opinion of impuâ—tiue Iustice doth extremly derogate from the great and tender loue of God to man in Christ our Lord. proceedeth from the want of knowing the loue which Iesus Christ doth beare to such as are in the state of grace Whome his bowells of mercy and loue would not permit that whyleft himselfe was iust and full of all good things he should say to such as he iustifyed Content your selues with this that I abound with these good things and esteeme them for your owne as they are in me although in your selues you remayne vniust impure and naked There (d) Think seriouly of this point is no head vvhich would hold such language as this to his liuing meÌ„bers nor one Spouse to another if he should dearely loue her and much lesse will that celestiall Spouse say so vvho is giuen for a patterne to the Spouses of this world that after his resemblance they may treat and loue their fellow-spouses You men sayth (e) Ephes 5. S. Paul loue your wines as Christ loued his Church who gaue himselfe ouer for it to sanctify it and to cleanse it by Baptisme and by the word of life If then he sanctify and wash and cleanse it and that with his owne bloud which is the thing that giueth power to the Sacraments to cleanse soules by that grace of his which they impart how can that soule remaine vniust and filthy which is washed and cleansed by a thing of so extreme efficacy Now this cleanesse God did promise that he would giue in the tyme of his Messias when he sayd I will powre forth cleane water vpon you and you shall be cleansed from all your filth And our Lord in the last supper did testify That eleuen of his disciples were cleane and not after an ordinary manner but that they were wholy cleane For the veniall faults which are caused in the soule by some inordinate affections which sticke like dust vnto our feet are remoued by help of the Sacraments and their good disposition that receaue them as corporall feet are washed by materiall water as our Lord then did vse it washing both without and within and leauing them cleane from al sinne according to this testimony of (f) â— Ioâ—â— 1. S. Iohn The bloud of Iesus Christ doth cleanse vs from all sinne This bloud was called by the Prophet (g) Mich. 7. Micheas long before it was shed the sea wherein all our sinnes are drowned And he sayd God will shoot off all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea Now if these and many other places of Scripture do giue testimony that a man is pardoned and cleansed from all sinne who is there that will presume to say That a man doth neuer come to be cleansed from it For to say that sinne remayneth in a man which really and truly shal be sinne and that yet for the loue of Iesus Christ our Lord the payne which is due to that sinne should be released to him is no (h) I beseech our Lord that the truth of this discourse may sin he as deeply into thy hart as there is cause such discourse as wil serue eyther towards the verifying of the Scriptures or for the doing of Iesus Christ sufficient honour For since the payne which is due to sinne is a lesse euill to any man then the guilt of the same sin the iniustice and deformity which is caused thereby it cannot be sayd That Christ doth saue his people from their sinnes if by his merit he only obtaine that they may not be imputed to them for their punishment vnlesse first he take the guilt away by the gift of his grace nor yet that he obtayneth purity and piety for men that so detesting sinne they may keep the law of God And if the doctrine of the holy Scripture be well obserued it wil be found that when the pardon of â—inne is graunted there is giuen with all a newnesse of life and a cleane hart as if it were newly created as Dauid did desire according to that which it was (i) Isa 50. â—geâ—h 11. prophesied that it should be I will giue you a new hart and I will place a new spirit in the middest of you And I will take away from you that hart of stone and I will giue you a hart of flesh and I will place my spirit in the middest of you and I will make that you shall walke in my commandments and that you shall keep and worke my iudgementes This doth God promise to such as formerly he had told that he would cleanse them from all their filth And afterward he sayth I I will saue you from them all To (k) Be attentiue giue vs clearely thereby to vnderstand That the sauing vs from our sinnes is not only to free vs from the paine but to impart an inward cleanesse and such a hart and such a grace and such a spirit as may haue power to enable vs to keepe the commaundements of God S. Iohn (l) Apec 3. affirmeth that our Lord saith I stand at the gate and I knocke if any man open to me I will enter into him and I will suppe with him and he with me Isay (m) Isa 55. inuiteth such as are hungry in the behalfe of God that they will eate and such as are thirsty that they will drinke Our Lord saith by the mouth of (n) 2. Cor. 6. S. Paul Get you out from the middest of the wicked and do not so much as touch any thinge that is vncleane and I will receaue you I wilâ—e a Father to you and you shal be my Sonnes my daughters By which places and many others it doth euidently appeare that the benefittes which are imparted to vs by iustification are more and better then Gods not imputing to vs that punishment which is due to sinne Since withall he giueth vs his grace and cleanesse of hart and vertues and infuseth the spirit of our Lord whereby we may keep his law and so that vnder the title of being his children and of exercising our selues in good workes we may eternally enioy him And because Christ did purchase these blessings for vs togeather with the pardon of the paine he may well be proclaimed with a full mouth to be the Sauiour of vs from our sinne and (o) We are infinitely more bound to God for freeing our soules from sin then if he had only forgâ—uen vs the punishment thereof that much more for the former respect then for the later Because in vertue of that former he freeth vs from the guilt and bringeth vs to a detestation of sinne and obteineth for vs a kind of participation of God at the present and a good title for our eternally possessing him in heauen Whereby he deliuereth vs from a greater mischeife and