better bee verified in Christ than in any other seeing that from the first instant that he tooke humane flesh vpon him he saw the deuine essence and knew as much as hee dooth now in glorie vvhich is not so in other men seeing they are long a bringing vp and vvaxe old very timely The sonne of God vvas also an Hebrue of the tribe of Iuda a vvhich vvas the most honourable stocke of all the tribes and hee vvas of Nazareth vvhich vvas a holy land and he vvas also the most honourable of all his kindred Thirdly the sonne of God vvas best beloued of his father because of him and of no other he said in his baptisme Hic est filius meus dilectus as if hee vvould say This is only my lawful child in him only am I vvel pleased this only is my heire him onely I doe tender and loue in him I delight and take great contentment Fourthly the son of God vvas a very thicke mud vvall a close hedge vvhich put himselfe betwixt God and the people vvhen he suffered himselfe to bee crucified vpon the crosse vpon the vvhich as strong battelments they discharged all the sinnes vvhich vvere in the vvorld and all the wrath vvhich God had O glorious hedge O happie vvall O strong vvounds such vvast thou O redeemer of my soule seeing thou diddest permit and consent to put thy selfe a mediator betwixt God man to the end they should vnlode and put vpon thee all the sins of the vvorld and all the vengeance vvhich God vvas to take for them S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth The sonne of God only vvas the man he sought for this vvas the vvall he required this vvas the mediator he asked for this is the pacifier of the old quarrell and of Gods vvrath this is the reformer of new grace and this is the ouerthrower of the old sinne S. Ierome vpon this place sayth The man vvhich God sought by Ezechiel who else was hee but the son of the liuing God and our redeemer Who like vnto an vnexpugnable wall did put himselfe boldly betwixt God and vs saying Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them By which words he did not like that our sinnes should come into the sight of God neither suffered he Gods wrath and vengeance to descend vpon vs. Origen vpon S. Marke sayth That whē the two chiefe captaines of the synagogue Moses and Aaron perceiued that the Lord began to poure his wrath and anger vpon the people they went immediatly vnto the tabernacle the one to pray and the other to doe sacrifice to be a mean betwixt God and them because that otherwise God would haue poured out his anger vpon them the Synagogue haue receiued great hurt and detriment That which happened vnto those two holy men in the desart happened vnto Christ on the mount of Caluarie who seeing the elements to be troubled and the dead to rise againe to reuenge his death and punish that nation he made himselfe a mediator and a stikeler betwixt God and them and praied Paterignosce illis as if hee would say Pardon them my father pardon them for if thou wilt not pardon them it will bee a greater griefe vnto me to see them lost then my passion which causeth mee to die What would become of the Iewes then if Christ had not said vnto his father father forgiue them and what should betide vs now if he should not say Pater parce illis Spare them father S. Barnard saith in a sermon That this word of Ignosce illis Forgiue them is of such a deepe consideration that it should neuer be out of a sinners mouth nor blotted out of his memory because that the sonne of God did shew his mercy more vnto vs in two things thē in al the rest that is in the pardon which he got vs of his father and in the bloud which he shed for vs on the crosse Anselmus reasoning with Christ sayth What doest thou crie for what doest thou aske what doest thou intreat for what wilt thou what seekest thou what saiest thou to thy father O good Iesus what saiest thou I intreat O my father that thou wouldest forgiue them because they know not what they do and that thou wouldest load my flesh with thy anger and I intreat that there remaine nothing vnteconciled vnto thee because that my redemption would seem vnperfect and insufficient if there should remaine in any a fault to bee redeemed and in thy selfe any anger to punish vs. O what an enflamed charity what a wonderfull example what incredible patience what entire loue thou diddest shew vs O sweet Iesus in this speech of Father forgiue them the which thou diddest vtter not for an ease to thy griefe but in fauour of thy persecutors O what infinite goodnesse what vnspeakable clemencie what strange charitie doth shine this day in thee O my Iesus and sauiour seeing thou doest loose those which bind thee pleadest for those which diffame thee entreatest for those which accuse thee excusest those which blame thee and pardonest also those which will kill thee What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou pray for them at the very instant which they blaspheme thee mocke thee and laugh thee to scorne They haue pierced thee with a speare and yet doest thou giue them an acquittance and a release of the blow What mortall man can praise himselfe or bost to haue done that which thou hast done that is to craue pardon for murderers before they haue confessed their fault and seeke to release them before they haue repented They will not returne into the citie before thou hast yeelded vp the ghost and wilt not thou die before thou hast first pardoned them Who euer saw or heard any thing like vnto this to wit that pardon should proceed first out of his blessed bowels before the blood should end to issue out of his tender vaines Doest thou not remember to aske a sepulchre for thy body and doest thou remember to aske forgiuenesse and mercie for those which crucified thee O sweet Iesus O my soules glorie who but thou could haue the breath going out of his body and Ignosce illis Pardon them in his mouth To defend thy selfe couldest not thou open thy mouth and to excuse thy enemies couldst not thou keepe it shut S. Chrisostome sayth The sonne of God onely was he who on the altar of the crosse inspeaking these words Father forgiue them coupled ioined and handfasted together pittie and cruelty the offence and mercie anger and patience hatred and loue killing and pardoning With as great reason sayth Hilarius we can now say Vbi sunt irae tuae antiquae as the Prophet Dauid said Vbi sunt misericordiae tuae antiquae seeing we bee certaine that from the houre that the son of God died vpō the crosse we may cal him Pater misericordiarū as the Synagogue called him Deus vltionū The God of reuenge No man ought to distrust Christs
Mount Caluarie THE SECOND PART Compyled by the Reuerend Father Don Anthonio de Gueuara Bishop of Mondonnedo Chronicler and preacher vnto Charles the fift In this Booke the Authour treateth of the Seuen Words which Christ our Redeemer spake hanging vpon the Crosse Translated out of Spanish into English IL VOSTRO MALIGNARE NON GIOVA NVLLA LONDON Printed by Adam Islip for Edward White and are to bee sold at his shop by the little North dore of Pouls at the signe of the Gun Anno. 1597. ⧠A Table of the Chapters contained in this Booke PAter ignoice illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt Chap. 2 How the sonne of God said vnto his Father that those which crucifie him bee not his enemies but his friends Fol. 7 Chap. 3 How the son of God put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and mankind and what torment he receiued therby Fol. 13 Chap. 4 Of many qualities conditions which the praier of Father forgiue them had in it how it is meet for vs to follow it in our praiers Fol. 20 Chap. 5 Why the father answered not his son when hee praied for his enemies Fol. 24 Chap. 6 How Christ praied for his enemies on the crosse more heartily then hee did in the garden for himselfe seeing the one praier was made with condition and the other not Fol. 30 Chap. 7 How God is more mercifull now than hee was in time past and why Christ did not say that he did pardon his enemies when hee asked pardon for them of his Father Fol. 35 Chap. 8 How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ Fol. 42 Chap. 9 How that Christs mercy was farre greater towards the Synagogue than their naughtinesse towards him seeing hee pardoned her though she desired no pardon Fol. 51 The Contents of the second word OF the conuersion of the good theefe and of the great wonders which our Lord did vnto him in this case Fol. 64 Chap. 2 How Iudas Iscarioth was a great theefe of the thefts hee committed and how hee fell from the apostleship Fol. 69 Chap. 3 Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed and diuers treasons which he did against Christ. Fol. 76 Chap. 4 Of the great vertues which the good theef had which died with Christ and how he beleeued of that which the Prophet Ieremy speaketh to this purpose Fol. 83 Chap. 5 How three houres in which the good theefe was with Christ vpon the crosse did profite him more than the three yeares profited Iudas in the which he followed Christ and how some steale vntill they come to the gallows and how this theefe stole vpon the gallows Fol. 90 Chap. 6 How the good theefe had nothing remaining on the crosse but his heart and his tongue and that by these two hee gained glory and there are curious points vttered touching the heart Fol. 96 Chap. 7 How the naughty theefe lost himselfe onely for want of faith and of two chalices which the scripture maketh mention of of which both the theeues dranke of Fol. 105 Chap. 8 Of the great charity which the good theefe had towards the naughty theefe in correcting him of euill doing and in aduising him of the good which he lost Fol. 113 Chap. 9 Why the good theefe did not chide with the naughty theefe because hee did not loue Christ as hee did chide with him because hee did not feare God there are many notable things brought touching the feare of our Lord. Fol. 121 Chap. 10 How the son of God was more grateful vnto the good theefe which bare him company on the crosse than Pharoahs cupbearer was to Ioseph who accompanied him in prison Fol. 130 Chap. 11 Of these words Domine memento mei Lord remember mee which the good theefe spake vnto Christ the which words are deuoutly and deepely expounded Fol. 139 Chap. 12 How our Lord heard the theeues praier vpon the crosse and how Christ answered in the seuen wordes for siue which he spake vnto Christ Fol. 149 Chap. 13 How the son of God neuer vsed this word Paradise vntill he promised it vnto the good theefe of many learned expositions of this saying Hodie mecum eris Paradiso This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Fol. 157 The Contents of the third Word THat the loue which the mother of God had did exceed the loue of all other men also the loue of Angels Fol. 174 Chap. 2 How that if the loue which the mother bare vnto her sonne was great so likewise the loue which the son bare his mother was no lesse and to proue this there is expounded a saying of the Canticles Fol. 181 Chap. 3 Of the first and second word which holy Simeon spake vnto our Lady and how many fall from the law of Christ without his fault Fol. 189 Chap. 4 Of the third word which old Simeon spake vnto the Virgine in the Temple and of three authorities touching this purpose Fol. 195 Chap. 5 How Salomon did inherite the kingdome of his father Dauids pleasures and how Christ did inherit the kingdome of trauails Chap. 6 Of the sword of griefe which killed the son of God and went through his blessed mother Fol. 212 Chap. 7 How the Virgine and her family stood hard by the crosse and others sate a farre off Fol. 220 The Contents of the fourth Word HOw Christ in this speech more than in all the rest seemeth to change his stile of speaking Fol. 233 Chap. 2 How Christ doth complaine vpon his father because he doth breake all his anger vpon his body Fol. 242 Chap. 3 How Christ complaineth of his Father because he took all his friends from him in his passion and all others which he knew Fol. 247 Chap. 4 How Christ complaineth on his Father because he bathed his body with the bloud of his vaines and drowned his heart in waters of distresse Fol. 255 Chap. 5 How Christ complaineth of his Father because he did permit those to crucifie him which were wont to bee his friends and how he calleth them friends Fol. 260 Chap. 6 How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they made more account of Iepthes daughter in the Synagogue than they doe at this day of his death in the church Fol. 265 Chap. 7 How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they did open his wounds through malice as they did stop vp Isaacs wels through enuy Fol. 273 Chap. 8 How the son of God complaineth to his father because they did load his body with stripes and his heart with care and anguish Fol. 286 Chap. 9 How the son of God complaineth vpon the Synagogue that hauing carried them vpon his backe yet they bee vngratefull vnto him Fol. 297 Chap. 10 How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse considering that he hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences Fol. 303 Chap. 11 Christ complaineth vnto his Father how badly
he suffered in his members When the Apostle sayth That the sonne of God offered vp praiers and supplications vpon the altar of the crosse hee declareth as Theophilactus sayth That the praier ignosce illis was extended vnto the good and vnto the bad in so much that for his enemies he offered praiers for the pardon of their sinnes and for his friends hee offered vp oblations for to confirme them in his grace As the sonne of God was Lord ouer all men and died for all men so vpon the crosse he praied for all men For if the wicked had need of him to help them to rise the good also had need of his helpe to keep them from falling Anselmus in his meditations sayth That when the Apostle sayth that the sonne of God was not content to pray only with deuotion but also offered vp that praier vnto his owne father it is to let vs vnderstand that for the sauing of all the world hee offered vp his paines and sorrowes for a recompence his life for a satisfaction his person for a reward his bloud for a price and his soule for a sacrifice It is also to bee weighed that the sonne of God made not this holy praier of Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them sitting but vpright not being at libertie but bound not in a low voice but aloud not laughing but weeping that which is most to be maruelled at the words that he praied with were very few but the tears he bathed them with were very many O good Iesus O my souls pleasure who could be worthy to stand at the foot of thy crosse to see how thy bloud ran from the thornes and thy tears flow from thy eies in so much that at the same hour and moment thou diddest water the earth with tears and pierce the heauens with sighes O what a sacred word was that O what a holy praier was Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them seeing that it was made by the sonne of God vpon the altar of the crosse accompanied with sighes washed with the bloud of Christ and offered vp with the tears of the redeemer Although the sonne of God requested the greatest matter of his father and of the greatest weight that euer was demaunded of him that is to wit Pardon of his precious death yet the tears which hee shed were so many and the loue so great with the which he asked it that if he had asked a greater matter of him his father would neuer haue denied it him S. Basill sayth O what great hurt sinnes bring vnto vs considering that for to lighten vs of them and obtaine pardon for them it was needfull for Christ to pray vnto his father for theÌ„ and offer oblation and crie out and suffer his bloud to bee shed and tears to poure downe from his eies so that thou O good Iesus diddest buy my great offences by the weight of thy bloud tears Our Lord when he praied for his enemies vpon the crosse taught vs what forme and fashion wee ought to keepe when wee pray that is to shed bloud from our members and fall tears froÌ„ our eies The son of God wept when he praied for his enemies and art not thou ashamed to laugh and talke when thou praiest for the remission of thy sinnes Yea and if thou canst not weep in thy praiers yet tel me why thou doest talke ouermuch Barnard sayth That it is more then a iest rather then a praier if at one time thou wouldest pray and talke for if thou bee not attentiue vnto that that thou praiest neither will our Lord be vnto that that thou demandest Defecerunt prae laâ—hrimis oculi mei sayth Ieremie in his Lamentations as if he should say I had such great compasston to see all the Iewes led captiue vnto Babilonia that my eies with very weeping lost their sight And indeed there is no greater token that a man is in true charity then to see him haue compassion of other mens hurts and therevpon it happeneth that good men weepe sooner for the wicked then for themselues the which happened also vnto Christ vpon the crosse who wept first for his enemies before they wept for their owne sinnes It is a very proper thing vnto the chosen people of God to weepe a like for other mens harmes and for their owne because it is the propertie of true Christian charitie to take as great griefe to see his brother lost as pleasure to see himselfe saued One of the greatest priuiledges that good men haue is that euen as they merit in taking comfort and ioy of the good that is done to good men so they are greeued at the hurt which falleth vnto euill men in so much that the good man and the iust reapeth profit commodity of euery mans conuersation Who doubteth but that the lamentation which Christ made vpon the crosse was far greater then that which Ieremie made on the Mount Sion But now it is to be vnderstood that Ieremy wept for one people onely and the sonne of God for all the vniuersall world Ieremy wept only tears from his eies but the son of God wept tears from his eies and shed bloud from his vains Further Ieremie complained that by weeping he had lost his sight onely but our sweet sauior did not only loose his sight with weeping vpon the crosse but also his very life O good Iesus my soules delight what patience is sufficient or by vvhat iustice is it reason that I should commit the offence and thou shed the teares Art thou not content vvith Ierâ—my to make fountains of tears of thy eies but also to make streames of bloud of thy vains With all those sighes which proceed from thy heart with so many griefes which thy members endure with so many teares which run from thy eies and with so much bloud which floweth from thy vains who would not graunt thy request and who would not haue compassion of that which thou sufferest O who can be able tosay with Ieremy Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Because that the greatest hap which could light vnto mee were that in amending my faults I could recouer my soule and in weeping many teares lose my sight CHAP. V. Why the father answered not his sonne when hee praied for his enemies VOs cogitastis malum de me sed deus vertit illud in bonum ego pascam vos paruulos vestros When the great Patriark Iacob died in Aegypt and that all his childreÌ„ remained vnder the power and will of their brother Ioseph and being afeard least hee should call to mind how they had sold him vnto the muleters of Aegypt the good Ioseph spake these words vnto them You my brethreÌ„ did think that you had done me great hurt but you did me great good for your selling of me was the occasioÌ„ that I came vnto prosperity and to rule and gouerne all Aegypt in so much that the great goodnesse of our Lord
them the Centurion immeadiately there said Vere hic erat filius dei Truly this was the sonne of God and the good theefe also said Domine memento mei Lord remember me In whose power saith Fulgentiusâ— but onely in the vertue and power of the praier of Paterignosce illis within a short space after that Christ had so praied did some strike their breasts and some say This man was iust By the merite of this holy praier the Apostles conuerted three thousand men in one day and fiue thousand another day by reason that the sonne of God had gotten pardon for the excommunicated synagogue glorious S. steuen was baptized holy Paul conuerted and the good Matthew called to be an Apostle O what a difference there is betwixt the praier which Christ made in the garden that which he made vpon the crosse in the one heeswet blood and in the other he shed teares in the one he praied that the bitter challice might passe and in the other pardon for the synagogue and that which Iesus praied for himselfe was denied him that which hee praied for others was graunted him In so much that his blessed father had more pitie on the sinnes of that people than on the flesh of his owne sonne O great goodnest O infinit charity The Sonne of God is in the garden alone hee is prostrate on the ground giuing vp his ghost and yet ready for a new combat his blood issueth from all the pores of his body he praieth thrise for himselfe and thou wilt not heare him and when he praieth for his enemies doest thou heare him at the first word Why dost thou not graunt him his request seeing that when hee praied vpon the crosse for his enemies he called thee nothing but Father but when he praied in the garden alone for himselfe he called thee My Father which is a sweet word and a word of a gentle and courteous sonne What would become of vs saith S. Ierome if Christ should not in his glory aboue repeat that word vnto his father Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them Christ said once only Father forgiue mine enemies and he repeateth it a thousand thousand times in heanen for his Christians for euen as wee neuer cease from sinning so the sonne of God neuer ceaseth to pray for vs. Saint Steuen did not see Christ sitting by his father but on foote and the reason was because that at that instant when S. Steuen fell downe on his knees to pray for his enemies Christ rose immediatly also to pray and make intercession for them so that that praier which Saint Steuen made here vpon earth our sweet Iesus presented presently vnto his father in heauen It is deeply here to be weyed that Christ did not say Lord forgiue them but Father forgiue them because this word Lord is a fearefull word but this word Father is a word of ioy and therefore when one man calleth another Father it seemeth that hee doth bind him to answere him friendly and not to deny him any thing that he demandeth Wee shall find often in holy scripture that when God was angry with the Hebrewes hee said alwaies Ego Dominus qui loquor vobis I am the Lord which speake vnto you but when he would as it were flatter them and make much of them he alwaies said vnto them Ego ero illis in patrem I will be a father vnto them that is that hee would deale with them like a pitifull father and not like a rigorous Lord. In so much that this word Pater Father breedeth loue and this word Lord bringeth feare Alwaies when the sonne of God made any great praier or asked any great fauour at his fathers hands hee began his petition with Father O iust father O holy father making reckoning that by calling him father nothing should be denied him which was his sonne If Iesus Christ should haue begun his praier with Lord as he began it with Father it would haue seemed that he had called vpon Gods iustice power not vpon his wil mercy therfore in saying Father he intreated him that hee would not iudge as a Lord of iustice but like a father of mercy O depth of all goodnes O bowels full of charity what els didst thou meane when thou begannest thy petition with Father but that thou wouldest giue him to thy enemies for a father who is thine owne proper father what goodnes in all the world can be equall vnto thine or what like charity can be found seeing thou art the plaintife the party offended yet thou gauest him vnto thy enemies for a mercifull father whom thou shouldst haue giuen for a rigorous iudge Then let vs conclude that when the sonne said vnto his father Pater ignosce illis that at one time he praied vnto him that hee would forgiue them their sinnes that at the same time hee would vouchsafe to take them for his children CHAP. VI. How Christ praied for his enemies on the crosse more heartilie then hee did in the garden for himselfe seeing the one praier was made with condition and the other not SVpra dorsum meum fabricauerunt peccatores prolongauerunt iniquitatem suam These are the wordes of King Dauid in the 128 Psalme spoken in the name and person of the sonne of God and they are as if he should say I know not O mother the Synagogue what I haue done against thee nor wherin I haue offended thee yet thou hast gainsaid mee from my childhood thou hast persecuted mee from my manhood thou hast defamed mee euer since I began to preach vnto thee and in the sweetest time of al my life thou hast crucified mee But this is nothing O mother Synagogue this is nothing in comparison of that that thou diddest lay all thy sinnes vpon my shoulders which neuer had lost their innocency nor neuer done vnto thee any iniury Supra dorsum meum And sinners haue built vpon my backe seeing that Adam hath cast his disobedience vpon me Eue her gluttony Cain her sonne his murder king Dauid his adultery the Tyrant Roboam his Idolatrie and all the Synagogue her malice Is it not true that sinners haue built vpon my backe seeing that I must be punished and pay for all the offences that the sinfull Iewes committed The Iewes would willingly haue loaden Christ on both his shoulders that is they would haue cast vpon him both the paine and the offence but good Iesus tooke vpon him the punishment like a redeemer but charged not himselfe with the guilt of sinne like an offender S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith That the sonne of God doth not complaine that they burdened both his shoulders but only one seeing he saith Supra dorsum Vpon my backe although his enemies would haue ouercharged and wearied them both by killing his humanitie and darkening his diuinitie by blotting his fame and credite and hindering his doctrine but our mighty redeemer suffered them onely to lay
was a most wicked and naughtie king but onely that God had made him a king Thereupon Saint Ambrose saith and that very well that according vnto the example of Dauid thou oughtest not to looke vnto the malice with the which thy enemy entreateth thee but vnto the vnction wherewith he is made a Christian and whether he be a christian or not thou art not the iudge of this busines but he who is thy God and his who is to punish the iniury which thou hast done vnto him in him the reuengement which thou hast taken on thee Comming then vnto our purpose The words which Dauid spake vnto Saul that is Let our Lord be a iudge betwixt me and thee the Sonne of God may say vnto the Synagogue and vnto all her children and that hee alone shall bee the iudge betwixt them as well of all the good which Christ did vnto the Synagogue as of the hurt he hath receiued by her Which of all the Angels if he would come downe vnto vs which of the dead if hee could rise againe what man were hee neuer so wise were able to number the multitude of benefits which were ceiued by him and the incredible torments which they gaue him Let our Lord bee a iudge betwixt me and thee O Synagogue for no other can be how much more greater my loue was with the which I redeemed thee than the torments which in my passion thou gauest me and that how thy hatred was far greater than all the cruelties thou vsedst towards me Therefore I call thee into iudgement O Synagogue before God not to the end that he should chastise thee but onely to iudge betwixt mee thee how that there is no worke of pity and mercy which I left vndone for thee and how there was no cruelty of torment which thou didst not assay against mee Speaking then more particularly of the pardō which the sonne of God gaue the Hebrewes it were reason to shew what they did to deserue it and what mooued Christ to giue it for by so much the more excellent bountifull is the pardon by how much the lesser the occasions were to giue it The Iewes did Christ fiue notorious iniuries at the time of his death the least of all which if it had bene throughly punished had deserued not onely not to be pardoned but also condemned into eternall fire For saith Hilarius what punishment worthy of their desert can be giuen vnto them who take away life from him which is the giuer of life The first wrong which they did vnto Christ was that they crucified him through malice not finding any fault in him at al which appeareth plainly by that that they did let goe Barrabas the manslaier and condemned the sonne of God iudging him to bee an honester man who killed those which liued thē that great Prophet which raised vp those which were dead Christ was a giuer of alms and Barrabas was a theefe Christ was quiet and a peacemaker and Barrabas a sower of sedition Christ a great preacher and Barrabas a great robber and assailer of men by the high way Christ a maister of all good men and Barrabas a captain of all scandalous men and yet notwithstanding all this they condemned Christ to be put immediately to death and sent Barrabas home vnto his house O how wicked a demād made you O yee Iews and peruerse petition in asking that he may liue which killeth those which are aliue and that hee should die who raiseth to life those which were dead Who is there in your citie who can heale the sicke and diseased or raise the dead vnto life if this Prophet die So great was the hatred which they bare vnto the son of God that to heare him once named they were much troubled in Barrabas name they much reioiced which they shewed manifestly when they cried al with one voice that Pilate should deliuer them Barrabas and crucifie Christ O what a happy man should I bee if my loue towards thee were so great as their hatred was towards thee for by that meanes as they tooke a wrong course in chusing Barrabas for themselues so I should doe aright in making choise of thee for my selfe It had not ben to haue beene maruelled at if they had erred in their choise if Pilat had giuen thē their choise betwixt two theeues or two mankillers or other two strangers vnto them but giuing thē the choise betwixt an assailing theefe and a most holy Prophet and they presently to chuse the wicked one vse iniustice against the good one it could not bee but they did it through great want of wisedome and greater abundance of malice The second iniury was that if they had put the sonne of God to death in some mean village it would not haue ben so great an infamy and reproch vnto him but the excommunicated Iewes the better to reuenge themselues vpon Christ and to put him to the greater shame put him to death in the great city of Ierusalem where he was very well known by his preaching allied vnto many honorable Persons by consanguinity What wrong like vnto this was euer done vnto any man or what reproch comparable vnto this that is to lead him to bee crucified at the Mount of Caluary through the same streets which he was wont to passe through to the Tēple to preach Seneca sayth That it is a greater griefe then death it selfe to a man that is shamefast and of a valiant courage to see himselfe troden downe where he hath ben honored and contumeliously handled where he hath been highly esteemed for he feeleth the present torment and griefe he greeueth and perceiueth that which his enemies speake Because the son of God was mighty in doing miracles faire and amiable in his countenance profitable in his doctrine and a friend vnto the weale publicke hee was beloued of all and enuied of many by reason whereof he greeued much at the open dishonour they did him and that publickly they tooke his life from him What griefe could hee be free from seeing himselfe carried openly and condemned vnto the death of the crosse that his friends accompanied him weeping and his enemies scorning mocking him The third was that although they could haue put him to death secretly in his chāber or in some darke night yet they neuer ment once to do it but they brought him forth at one of the clocke they condemned him at three they crucified him at six they murdered him at nine It was not for want of diligēce but through abundance of malice that they chose that houre because thē the sunne sheweth his beames most brightest most people passe through the streets Chrisostome vpon S. Matthew sayth That the Iews would not put Christ to death in the morning because all men were not vp nor in the night because all were at their rest nor yet late in the euening because many had withdrawn thēselues to their
crucifie him saying crucifige crucifige was to persuade him that hee would crucifie him with his hands and that they would crucifie him with their hearts They crucified him with their hearts when with their hearts they hated and detested him then they hated him with their hearts when they diffamed his person and discredited his doctrine in so much that it was not without cause that they cried twise crucifie crucifie him seeing that at one time they tooke away his life and blemished his credit And although Pilate should haue been determined to put him to death either by cutting his throat or casting him into a well or by hanging him which are easier deaths to suffer and lesse infamous to endure yet the doggish Iews would not leaue it vnto Pilates arbitrement and free will for feare least he wold haue beene too pitifull in the maner of his death When certaine words are doubled in holy scripture it is a great signe of loue or hatred in those which vse them as when Christ said Desiderio desideraui I haue desired with desire and when he said Martha Martha in which words he shewed the loue and affection which hee bare vnto his disciples and what tender loue he bare to Martha who guested him in her house The Iews also by iterating of those words shewed the great hatred which they bare vnto Christ and let vs vnderstand with what heart good wil they crucified him Behold thē their deeds towards Christ behold also the deserts which were found to be in them Yet notwithstanding all this in recompence of the cruel death which they gaue him the great shame and infamy they put him to he saith with a loud voice Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe CHAP. IX How that Christs mercy was far greater towards the Synagogue then their naughtinesse towards him seeing hee pardoned her though she desired no pardon FRons meretricis facta est tibi noluisti erubescere tamen reuertere ad me dic pater meus es tu God spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Ieremy complaining vnto him of the enormious and great sinnes the Iewish nation had committed against him And they are as if he should say O wicked and infortunate people of the Iews which art come vnto that boldnesse of sinning that like vnto a publick whore thou hast no shame in doing naught Turne therefore vnto me O sinfull Hierusalem turn thy selfe vnto me thou vnfortunate Synagogue for I can doe no lesse when thou doest aske any thing of me like as of a father but I must graunt it vnto thee like a sonne S. Ierome vpon these words saith O what an infinit goodnesse and mercy is this O my God and Lord that seeing thou hast tanted condemned Ierusalem as one which was full of sinne and without shame yea and hast compared her vnto a publicke strumpet yet thou doest entreat her to amend giuest her license to call thee Father Whome wilt thou cast from thee and denie to be thy son seeing thou doest vouchsafe to be a father vnto a strumpet If thou dost admit publick lewd womē into thy company is it like that thou wilt cast frō thee the honest and vertuous ones of thy house If thou loue those which are sinfull and shamelesse who is a greater sinner or lesse bashful or more lewd then this my wicked soule If the remedy of my soule consist in nothing else but in calling thee Father from this time forward I do cal thee Father and if thou dost require nothing else of me but that I should turne vnto thee O good Iesus I turne vnto thee and aske thee forgiuenesse of all my sinnes and seeing I doe turne vnto thee as vnto my Lord and confesse my selfe before thee to bee a great sinner I beseech thee most humbly that thou wouldst not cast me from before thy face that thou wouldest not take thy holy spirit from me for if thy holy grace forsake me my soule is turned vnto that that she was before that is vnto a shamelesse and lewd woman It is much to be noted here that God doth not cōplaine of the Iews that they were enuious angry or gluttennous but that they were bold and without shame which wanteth not a high mystery because there is no greater signe in all the world that a mans conscience is very corrupt then when to sin he hath no shame at al. I haue a great hope saith S. Augustine that that sinner will amend his life which sinneth secretly and is ashamed of it which hope I haue not of him who is resolute in his speech and dissolute in sinne because that that man doth either very late or neuer amend his manners who by long vse hath hardened his conscience To come then vnto our purpose with very great reason and for iust occasion God called the synagogue a shamelesse and dissolute strumpet seeing that in the death of his sonne shee shewed not onely her malice but also her impudency in killing him in the open day not being sorrowfull for it at all Christ knew very well that which his father had promised vnto the Iewes that is that if they would call him Father hee would forgiue them as his children By reason whereof Christ our God began his praier with Father forgiue them giuing thereby to vnderstand that seeing hee called him Father hee should bee heard like a sonne If it seeme vnto you my louing brethrē saith S. Ambrose that the Iews had no occasiō to put Christ their Lord to death neither did he see in thē any condition whereby he should pardon thē and touching this mercifull pardon I can tell you that I doe not so much maruell of the pardon which hee giueth on the crosse as I doe of the circumstances with the which hee dooth giue it The Iewes shewed their naughtinesse towards Christ in many thinges but the son of God shewed his mercy clemency towards thē in many more things for there is no mā in this life able to cōmit so great an offence but Gods mercy can go beyond it The first thing wherin he shewed his mercy towards thē was in the petitiō which he made vpō the crosse for them that is pardō remission of their sins being his enemies preferring them before his blessed mother which brought him into the world his welbeloued disciple which followed him before Mary Magdalen whom he so much loued What charity saith Remigius shold haue burned in his diuine bowels who at the very instāt of his own death remēbreth first to releeue his enemies thē cōfort his friends what meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou first remēber those who opēly blaspheme thee thē those which stand at the foot of the crosse weeping for thee O infinit charity O inspeakable goodnes what hart could do that which thou dost S. Barnard saith that it was in maner of a cōtention whether were
greater the sighs of the faithful the tears which issued out of his mothers eies or the bloud which gushed out of Christ vains or the blasphemies which the wicked Iewes vttered with their mouth but yet our holy meek Iesus did first pardō the iniuries before he was mindful of the tears O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule saith Anselmus as thou dost say Father forgiue thē why dost thou not say dry the eies of my sorrowfull mother stanch the bloud of my tender vains heal the woūds of my gētle flesh haue pity cōpassion of these faithfull women which here weep for my sake as thou didst say in thy last supper saith Ciprian Mandatū nouū do vobis I giue you a new cōmandemēt so maist thou now say vpō the crosse I giue you a new exāple seeing that neuer any before thee hath taught vs so perfect a maner how to loue nor so liuely an exāple how to pardon it was a strange a new kind of goodnes which Iesus vsed in asking pardon first for those which crucified him rather then for those which followed him for his mother which accompanied him for without comparison the griefe which he had to see the souls of his enemies perish was farre greater vnto him thē to see his mothers eies run downe with tears Let no man thē wonder nor maruel that our good Iesus did remēber himself first of the people which murdered him before his mother which bare him because he came not into the world to drie mēs eies frō weeping but to sauesoules from perishing Secōdly the son of God shewed his mercy in asking pardon for his enemies with kind sweet words that is not by calling him God or Lord or creator but only father which is a word answerable vnto mercy pity contrariwise this word God or Lord doth alwaies signifie iustice Whē Christ said Father forgiue them hee would haue said Lord forgiue them or my God forgiue them it would haue seemed that he would haue had the pardon according vnto the rigor of iustice the which if he had required or his father granted there is no doubt at al but before the son of God should haue yeelded vp his ghost the ground would haue opened swallowed thē vp Whē the son of God would ask any great thing of his father he began his praier alwaies with Father as whē he said I confesse vnto thee O father whē he said Father into thy hands I cōmend my spirit What meaneth this O redecmer of my soule what meaneth this Is thy pity so great towards vs and thy mercy so abundant that thou doest pray for thy enemies with the same wordes as thou doest pray for thy own affairs S. Chrysost vpon S. Mathew noteth That the excōmunicated Iews did alwaies change their stile maner of speech whē they spake vnto Christ for once they said Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini anone after they said Vah qui destruis tēplū but as for the son of God as his mind was sincere clear inwardly so his words were holy outwardly were not think you his words holy his thoughts pure cleare whē he said vnto his Father Father forgiue them seeing hee praied with his tongue pardoned with his heart S. Barnard crieth out O sweet Iesus O redeemer of my soule what couldest thou haue said or what shouldest thou haue done more for thy enemies thā pardon them with all thy heart make intercession for thē with such sweet louing words Thirdly Christ shewed his goodnes mercie in asking pardon in the presence of such as were there that is in the presence of his sorrowful mother of his welbeloued disciple his deer friend Mary Magdalen his cousins and kindred shewing that as all men were by him redeemed so also all should be by him pardoned Vbertinus to this purpose saith O good Iesus in the death which thou didst suffer and in the pardon which thou diddest giue to thy enemies thou diddest not only helpe thy selfe there with thy tongue but also with thy heart seeing thou didst entreat thy father with thy tongue that he would haue pity on them and diddest also beseech thy mother with thy heart that she would forgiue them Rabanus vpon S. Matthew saith That it was not without a high mystery hidden sacrament that the son of God when he died would haue his mother his kindred there the reason was because they should all be witnesses of his pardon as they were of his passion for our holy Lord had a greater desire that his bloud should benefite his enemies than that his kindred should entreat at his death for him Wherfore O good Iesus saith Anselmus wherfore didst thou bring thy mother all thy family to the foot of the crosse but only because as thou didst suffer in thy flesh so they should also fuffer in their hearts as thou didst forgiue thē thy death they should also forgiue thē their iniuries wrongs done by thē Bonauenture saith that as the son of God said father forgiue thē opēly so he said mother forgine thē insecret in so much that as the hangmē did martirize the sonne so the son martirized the mother leauing her bound to weep his death but not licensed to reuēge it O my Iesus O my soules health I beseech thee that as thou didst get pardon of thy father and mother for thy enemies so thou wouldst get me pardon for my sinnes saying Father forgiue mother forgiue him seeing I am hateful vnto thy father by reason of the sins which I commit against him vngratefull vnto thy mother for the benefites which I haue receiued of her O happy holy day in which thou didst die seeing that on that day the Father forgaue his iniury the son pardoned his death the mother pardoned her martyrdome Saint Iohn pardoned his reproch and perill Mary Magdalen her anguish and distresse and the good theefe was pardoned of his sinne How was it possible that the Father should not forgiue the world of their sinnes seeing that on one day in one houre and at one time they said Father forgiue them the son by letting his bloud streame from his vaines the mother by suffering her tears flow from her eies and the sadde familie by piercing the heauen with their sighes Because saith Ciprian the office of the son of God was to put together that which was broken and reconcile those which disagreed hee would not depart out of this world before hee had made an attonement betwixt his friendes and his foes beseeching his father to forgiue thē cōmanding his mother not to accuse thē The sorrowful mother had great reason to challenge the Iews for the life which they took frō her son and also the father for the wrongful death which they put him to therefore our most merciful redeemer besought of his father that he wold not cōdemn thē into
it is to be beleeued that this theefe was a Christian and that he died a Christian for if he had not ben one he would neuer haue commended himselfe vnto Christ as wee doe our selues vnto God vnlesse hee had also beleeued him to bee God Isichius vpon Leuiticus saith That we doe not doubt whether this theefe was baptised or not but how hee was baptised and where wee know not but that which wee doe know in this case is that if there wanted water on the crosse to baptise him yet there wanted no blood to regenerate him There was but one poole in the temple of Hierusalem to heale men with but on the Mount of Caluary there are three fonts to baptise with the one was ful of our Ladies teares the other full of the water of our Lords side and the third full of the bloud of his body How could this theefe be vnbaptised hauing such great preparations to baptise him O my soule O my heart why doe you not baptise and wash your sinnes why wipe you not away your wickednes in the tears of the sweet mother in the water of his greeuous side and in the bloud of her holy sonne Ecce nunc in iniquitatibus conceptus sunt Behold now I am conceiued inherited or what offences could I haue committed which the mothers tears could not wash and the sonnes bloud could not inake clean I will not now goe with Iudith to the fountaine of Modien to wash mee nor with Naaman to the waters of IordaÌ„ to bath me nor to the poole at Ierusalem with the sick of the palsie to heale me but I will goe onely vnto the holy fonts of the Mount of Caluary to baptize me which are full of the bloud which my God shed and of the water which issued out of his side To conclude then wheÌ„ Christ was baptised there was none present but S. Iohn but in the baptisme of this theefe there was Christ and his mother S. Iohn Mary Magdalen insomuch that in the house of God they giue more honour to good theeues then vnto those which are naughty-Emperours CHAP. V. How three houres in which the good theefe was with Christ vpon the crosse did profit him more than the three yeares profited Iudas in the which he followed Christ and how some steale vntill they come to the gallews and how this theefe stole vpon the gallows ETâ—nunc domine deus Israel da seruo tuo cor docile vt discernere possit inter bonum malum said the great king Salomon in a praier which hee made vnto God Reg. 4. chap. 3. as if hee would say O great God of Israel O great God of the house of Israel I pray thee beseech thee that it would please thee to giue me froÌ„ thy haÌ„ds a hart willing to do all that thou dost coÌ„mand me beleeue al that thou dost counsell me Who is able to gouerne so rich a country if thou in teaching him do not giue him an vnderstaÌ„ding to discern betwixt the good the euil This petition of SalomoÌ„s was very grateful vnto God because he asked him no more kingdomes to enlarge his dominions nor riches to liue deliciously with nor many years to liue long with nor fauor might to be reueÌ„ged of his enemies To haue much to possesse much to liue long to be of great might are they nor the things we desire most of al with al our hearts for the which we do most of al sweat for sigh wheÌ„ Salomon asked a heart apt to learn what did he aske else but a mind which would suffer it self to be instructed to be counselled by wise men which few men are wont to ask and much lesle to do because euery man thinketh himself wise that he needeth no mans coÌ„unsell at all What better praier could that happy king haue demanded at Gods hands thaÌ„ a heart well iustructed ready to heare counsell Plato in his Timaeo saith that he neuer saw any man do amisse which followed counsel but he saw many cast theÌ„selues away by following their owne wil Seneca to Lucilths saith that the coÌ„modity of a mind well taught and of a man wel counselled is that if he hit aright in that which hee doth al men giue him the glory of it if he erre in his enterprise al men cast the blame vpon him which counselled him When Christ tooke counsel vpon the see ding of the hungry companies did he not take it trowy you of 8. Phillip which was one of theÌ„ which could dâ—â—least knew least S. Paul writeth to his disciple Philemon Sine tuo consilio nihil facium that is I wil do nothing without thy counsel without his aduise opinion he would not determine either to go to Rome or stay preach in Asia King Dauid was a for greater Prophet theÌ„ Nathan yet he consulted with the good king whether hee himselfe should make the holy 〈◊〉 or command his sonne to make it If Christ then being God and S. Paule being an Apostle and king Dauid being a Prophet would not trust their owne iudgement why should any man refuse anothers counsel and opinion Foris vastauit eos gladius intus pauor quia gens estabsque consilio prudentiaâ— said God vnto Moyses complaining vppon the people of Israell as if he would say O Moises thou hast it in thy choise which thou hast made of people to serue me vpoÌ„ those which haue neither wisdome to gouern themselues neither do ask counsell of that which they ought to doe by reason wherof they shall go al their life time sore feared with the enemies knife and alwaies beare fearfull hearts God complaineth of the Synagogue that she had litle wit and great folly and that she despised counsell and was guided by her owne wit which are two things dangerous to a Common wealth and hurtfull vnto euery particular person Chrysostome saith That God doth that man great fauour vnto whom he giueth a heart apt to learne and easie to be counselled and not hard to be entreated because there are some men so vnpleasant in their conditions so proud in their conuersation that they are hated of all men liked of none It is to be noted that the wise man saith not only vnto God giue me a heart but he addeth a heart easie to be instructed because God giueth hearts vnto many which are rather hearts of beasts then of men with the which they neither know that which they should nor chuse that which they ought nor keep that which they haue nor keepe secret that which they know S. Barnard expounding these wordes Abii post vestigia gregum tuarum sayth That it is a word of great iniury and griefe which woundeth the mind when God commanded any to go after beasts seeing that man is lord ouer beasts which our Lord doth sometime coÌ„mand because he is a greater beast theÌ„ a beast which hath the vse of reason and yet doth not
loue when he doth impart his grace amongst vs insomuch that with the first loue hee deliuered vs from being slaues and with the second loue he receiued vs to be his sonnes In figure of all this the altar of the Synagogue was all hollow but the altar of the church is massie and sound by reason of the feruent loue which God beareth vs and great charitie and mercy which hee doth vs. It is much to bee noted that God doth not commend vnto vs Faith Hope Patience and Chastitie but only Charitie in which words hee giueth vs to vnderstand that if we doe set much by that which our Lord giueth vs we ought to esteeme much more of the loue with the which hee doth giue it vs. Isidorus sayth That all the courtesies which our Lord doth promise vs and all the persuasions vvhich hee vseth vnto vs are to no other end but because vve should bee thankfull vnto him and because vve should be mercifull vnto our neighbours What vvanteth hee vvhich vvanteth not Charity and what hath he who hath no Charity The mercifull and pitifull man hath God alwaies at his hand that he fall not from his faith that hee lose not his hope that he defile not his chastity nor despise humility for in the high tribunall seat of God no man need to feare that they will deale cruelly with him if hee hath had any charity in this world Wherein doest thou thinke saith S. Ierome that all Christian charity doth consist and al the health of thy soule but only in seruing of Christ with all our heart and in labouring to profit and benefit our neighbour What greater good can I doe vnto my brother than put him in the right way if hee be out and correct him if hee bee naught Bede sayth vpon this matter That true and chast loue may bee deuided betwixt God and our neighbour so as our neighbor be not prowd and naught for if he be so we are to wish his saluation and flie his conuersation Wee haue spoken all this to declare the great charity which this good theefe had and also vsed towards the naughty theefe seeing that vpon the crosse hee taught him that which was conuenient for him reprehended him in that which he spake Neque tu times deum qui in eadem damnatione es said the good theefe vnto the bad as if he would say O my friend and companion I wonder much at thee that hauing beene of such a naughty life and conuersation and being vpon the very point to die I say I maruel that thou darest to crucifie this holy Prophet more with thy tongue than the hang men doe with their nailes because the nailes doe open his vains but thy euill tongue doth rend his entralls The good theefe vsed but few wordes but they contained many mysteries and therefore it is needfull that they be read with attention and written with grauity It is to bee noted that although our Lord God be present in all things with his power yet hee is much more in mans heart and tongue by grace because those are the two parts with the which we doe most of all please or offend God with S. Aug. saith That the eies doe loth oft to see the ears to hear the hands are loth to work the feet to go yea the body to sinne but the heart is neuer weary of thinking nor the tongue with speaking Cor mundum crea in me deus pone custodiam ori meo said the Prophet Dauid as if he would say I beseech thee O good Lord that thou wouldest renue this heart within me put a watch vnto this mytongue because that al the other parts of my body can but trouble offend me but the heart tongue can trouble me damne me S. Ambrose saith That it is a certein token that we are in Gods fauor when he doth giue vs grace to keep our hearts clean our tongues brideled because the foundation of all Christian goodnes is to beleeue our Lord God with all our hearts praise him with our tongue Ego dabo eis cer nouuÌ„ said God vnto Israel I will open thy mouth said God vnto Ezechiel as if he would say I will lighten thy heart O Israel to the end that thou maist beleeue in me and I will open thy mouth O Ezechiel to the end that thou maist preach my name for thou hast obtained no small gift if thou come to know me learn wel to set forth my name To come theÌ„ vnto our purpose the grace of a new heart which God gaue vnto Israel and the gift of praising his name which he gaue Ezechiel Christ also gaue vnto the good theef which was neer vnto him seeing he touched his heart with the which he beleeued in him opened his mouth with the which he preached his name Vbertinus saith That this good theefe was an excellent preacher in the church of God who in a sort seemed to goe before the Apostles in faithfully beleeuing and preaching Christs might and power What greater maruell wouldst thou haue the bloud of Christ worke saith Rabanus thaÌ„ to make preachers of theeues robbers the pulpit in the which hee preached was the crosse the preacher was the theâ—f the holy one of whoÌ„ he preached was Christ the church where he preached was Caluary the audience before whom he preached were the Iews the Theame vpoÌ„ which he preached was Neque tu deum times Neither doest thou fear God and that which there hee preached was the setting forth of Christ and the reprehending of that which his fellow spake The office of a preacher is saith Saint Gregory Secreta reserarae vitia extirpare virtutes inserere The duty of a preacher is to open the secrets of the scripture extirpate vice out of the Commonwealth and teach how our soules are to be saued What greater secret can there bee than to confesse and preach a man crucified to bee God Who reprehended vices like vnto this theefe seeing that hee confessed himselfe to be a sinner and accused the other theefe to bee a blasphemer who did teach the way to heauen better thaÌ„ this theef seeing hee was almost the first that went thither The good theefe deuided his sermon into foure parts the first was when hee rebuked the other theefe when hee said Neque tu deum times the second when hee accused himselfe to bee naught saying Nos quidem iustè patimur The third when he excused Christ saying Hic autem quid mali fecit The fourth when hee craued pardon for his sinnes Domine memento mei Lord remember mee Seeing then that the preacher is but a new preacher the pulpit new and the thing that he preacheth new it is reason that wee should heare that which hee preacheth with attention and do that which he counselleth with great deuotion Auferetur zelus meus ate quiescam ne irascar amplius said God by Ezechiel chap.
16 as if he would say O thou Synagogue which art hardened seeing that thou wilt not beleeue that which I tel thee nor doe that which I command thee I am determined not to chide thee nor punish thee for any fault that thou shall commit but as being incorrigible I am determined to forsake thee O sorrowful speech O dreadfull word when our Lord saith that he will aduise vs no more what we haue doe nor correct vs of that which wee doe for if he take his mercifull hand from vs what shall wee dare to take in hand Tell me I pray thee what can we doe or what doe we know of our selues if wee bee not guided by the hand of God in that which wee take in hand and aduertised in that which wee doe amisse S. Gregory saith vpon Ezechiel When our Lord saith by Ezechiel that he will be no more angry with vs it is a signe that hee is very angry with vs because it is a propertie of our Lord neuer to bee so angry as when hee is not angry to see vs offend Barnard saith O good Iesus the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou take not thy zeale from mee nor withdraw thy punishing hand from me but as I commit a fault so let thy punishment bee ready for by this means I shall sooner amend liue also more warily When the father of a company doth not punish a peruerse seruant it is a signe that he will put him out of the house and when they let a sick man eat all things that he lusteth it is a sign that he wil die so whē God doth let vs go with the bridle loose in our own hand after what vices we lust it is a token that wee goe altogether out of the way O how indurate that man ought to be in sin and how he ought to be mired in wickednes of whom God sayth Auferetur zelus meusate For when God saith that hee will not loue vs any more with realousie what doth hee mean else but that he will be carelesse and forgetfull of vs and forsake to punish vs The holy scripture maketh mention of two kinds of zeale the one is holy and glorious and it is that which God hath towards vs the other is common and is that zeale which wee beare towards our neighbours and if the one be necessary the other is more necessary because the true zeale and loue of our neighbour consisteth not so much in helping him to maintaine himselfe as in directing him to sane his soule S. Augustine in a Sermon sayth What doth it auaile thee O my friend that thou help thy neighbour in time of necessitie with thy money if thou consent vnto him and hee with thee to wallow in vices O how far a greater good turne thou shouldest doe him in lessening his faults than by augmenting his wealth because there is no greater riches vnder the heauen than to haue a cleane conscience The good theefe had a great zeale that the other should bee saued seeing hee did rebuke him for being a blasphemer and persuaded him to be a Christian insomuch that for a recompence for helping him to steale hee would also helpe him to die well Chrysistome vpon this matter sayth These two theeues had kept companie a long time together and deuided equally their prey betwixt them because that as there was no difference betwixt them in the fault so they would haue equall shares in the deuision Now the good theefe would haue continued his old vse and as he had stolne heauen there vpon the crosse so he would haue deuided part of it vnto his companion if the Lord of the theft which was Christ would haue consented vnto it or if the wretched theefe had deserued it O how great and vnspeakable a charity was this of the good theeues for considering that himselfe was a Christian hee would haue made the other one also and seeing himselfe the heire of heauen he would haue taken the other thither with him and seeing himselfe pardoned hee would haue gotten pardon for the other but that hee would neither beleeue in Christ nor with good will giue eare vnto his companion It is much to be noted sayth Chrisostome that the good theefe said first vnto the bad Neither thou doest feare God before hee said Lord remember me For as I suppose it helped much to saue the good theefe that Christ saw with what great charity hee laboured that his cōpanion should not cast away himself Whē he said first in fauor of the other Neither thou doest feare God before hee spake in the behoofe of himselfe Lord remember me is it not most manifest and clear that he desired as much that his companion should bee conuerted as himselfe saued Remigius sayth That among all the seruices which wee can doe vnto our Lord there is none so great as to help our neighbor to saue himselfe and contrariwise there is none that doth more offend him than to helpe our neighbour to damn himselfe because it seemeth that wee make small account of the shedding of his bloud if we helpe him not to bestow it well Then we bestow his glorious bloud well when we cause it to benefit our brothers for otherwise we may say that it was wel shed by Christ but euilly bestowed by vs. What greater sacrifice can I doe vnto our Lord than draw my neighbor from sinne who hath been redeemed by his precious bloud Thē I draw my brother out of sinne when I correct him with my tongue and help him in his worke For as touching the offending of our Lord it is conuenient not only to aduise counsell him but if we can also punish and chastise him Cyprian in his booke of Martyrs sayth Who dare now adaies like vnto Phinees thrust through with a poynyard a bold Iew and a shamelesse Gentile Who like vnto holy Samuel will weepe for the disobedience of Saule Who like vnto holy Iob will rise earely in the morning to offer sacrifices of peace for the sinnes of his sonnes Who like vnto the High priest Aaron will threaten Pharaoh within his own pallace because hee should leaue off the seruice of his God in the Synagogue Who will lose the light of his eies like vnto the good Prophet Ieremy in weeping and taking pity vpon those who carried away those of Babilonia captiues Now the zeale of holy men is lost now the feruency of good men is at an end now the punishment of naughty men is forgotten for because that in matter of correction a friend will rather venter his conscience with his friend then suffer him to lose his credite Certainly it is no credite but a discredit no charity but cruelty to suffer his neighbour to damne himselfe for want of correcting him for oftentimes naughty men would amend themselues of their errors if their friends which they haue would aduertise them of them Seeing wee cannot auoid it but stumble at euery foot nor
giue ouer sinning more or lesse why haue wee friends and companions but because they should keepe vs vp with one hand from falling and lift vs vp with the other if they see vs downe S. Barnard in an Epistle saith Let no man leaue off the correcting of his neighbour and friend because he thinketh that by so doing he doth displease him for after he hath considered of the matter hee shall perceiue that hee hath done a good worke because that oftentimes the counsell which they giue vs is more worth thā the money which they lend vs. CHAP. IX Why the good theefe did not chide with the naughty theefe because hee did not loue Christ as hee did chide with him because hee did not feare God there are many notable things brought touching the feare of our Lord. ECclesia quidem magis quotidiè aedificabatur ambulans in timore domini consolatione spiritus sancti saith S. Luke in the ninth chap. of the Acts of the Apostles as if he would say After that S. Steuen was stoned to death and the Apostle Saint Paul was conuerted by so much the more the church of God encreased in building by how much the more shee was founded vpon the feare of our Lord and the church did receiue no comfort but such as the holy ghost did send her Bede vpon this place sayth That the scripture doth aduise vs with a high stile how much it doth import vs that we feare our Lord and keepe his commandements because the primitiue church neuer began to encrease and flourish vntill that Commonwealths began to feare the Lord and seeke for the consolation of the holy Ghost S. Augustine vpon the words of our Lord sayth That in the triumphant church loue without feare worketh but in the militant church loue and feare goe together and a signe of this is that the greater loue I beare my friend the greater feare I haue to displease him Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn saith Although the son of God said Ignem veni mittere in terram which was as much as to say that he builded his church vpon loue yet he tooke not his feare from her because that seeing that there is both mercy and iustice in God wee are bound aswell to feare his rightfull iustice as we are to loue his mercy When God gaue Moises the old law hee gaue it him with great thunders and terrible lightnings and with al mixed it with many threats ordained it with many punishmēts because the Iews should determine with themselues to keepe it and not in any wise to breake it King Pharaoh commanded all the midwiues of the kingdome of Egypt to slay al the male children of the Iews at the time of their birth and because they would not doe it for fear of the Lord the Lord gaue them great riches in their houses The scripture commendeth very much a steward vvhich the king Achab had vvhose name vvas Abdias the vvhich seeing the cursed Queene Iezabel cut the throats of the Prophets of Israel did hide some number of thē vntill all the butchery vvas past the vvhich the good Abdias did not so much for the loue vvhich hee bore vnto the Prophets as for the feare vvhich he bore vnto God When king Iosaphat constituted iudges in all the cities of Iudea he gaue them no other instruction but that they should feare God and be very mindfull of the good of their Commonwealth because that by this means they should bee well liked both of God and of all the people The scripture reporteth of holy Tobias that he began at the same time to weane his son and fear the God of Israel and that hee contracted friendship vvith none nor none vvith him vnlesse he knew that he feared God S. Ierom vpon the Prophets sayth Al holy men and of great perfection doe not only loue the Lord and feare him as their Lord God but doe also refuse to conuerse vvith those vvhich vvill not fear our Lord and for that cause Abraham went from the Caldeans holy Lot fled from the Sodomites We must entise flatter the vertuous man vvith loue fear the wicked peruerse mā with threats because that of tentimes the wicked man doth rather amend his life for seare of hell than for the desire vvhich he hath to go to heauen Irenaeus in an Homily saith That if as God made Paradise he would not haue made also an hel few there vvould haue been vvhich vvould haue serued our Lord very many vvhich vvould haue offended him Because that if an euil mā might enioy the world he would little care if heauen vvere taken from him A vaine vvordly man engraued in a medall of gold the wordes of the Psalme Caelum caeli domino terram autem dedit filijs hominum The heauen of heauen vnto our Lord he gaue the earth vnto the sons of men and hee wrote for a posie take thou Lord heauen for thee vpon condition that thou vvouldst leaue the earth vnto mee O cursed tongue and wicked speech what an vngodly mouth was that which durst vtter such horrible blasphemy for by the rigor of iustice he may iustly be caried into hel who renounceth to go to heauē and is wel pleased to hue in the word Anselmus saith O what a great fauour God doth vnto that mā whō God doth not exclude frō his loue doth not leaue him without fear for the mā which hath both loue and feare in him although he want other perfections neither ought to fear least he should be damned nor distrust at all to be saued We haue spoken all this in the cōmendation of the good theef of his piety charity who did not rebuke the other theefe his cōpamon for that hee was prowd or enuious but only because he did not feare God saying Neque tu times deum Neither doest thou fear God Giuing vs to vnderstand by this that he went down right into hell for no other cause but because he made smal reckoning of Christ And it is much tobe noted why the good theef did not rebuke the other for that that he did not loue Christ as he did reprehend him for that he did not fear Christ Hilarius answereth this doubt and sayth That because loue doth belong vnto those vvhich are perfect and feare vnto such as are not so perfect the good theefe did not persuade the other that hee should loue but that he should feare because the duty and office of louing is of such high quality that although many goe about it yet few attaine vnto it Glorious Saint Peter did persuade himselfe that hee had loued Christ as hee ought to haue loued him and therevpon to take away his vaine-glory Christ asked him three times whether hee loued human which deinand Chirst gaue vs to vnderstand that the merit of loued oth not consist in louing with all our heart but if good Iesus do accept it that thē it is perfect The wil which wee
seruices done vnto him by increasing their wealth or prolonging their daies or deliuering them from warre or sauing them from plague O happy speech This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise because that all which God gaue from the beginning of the world was as it were from the tiles of our house downewards but that which he giueth now is from the heauens vpward that is such a gift as no tongue is able to expresse Do tibi partem vnam extra fratres tuos said Iacob vnto his sonne Ioseph when hee was at the point of death as if hee would say For the troubles which thou hast endured with this mystery was that when the children of Israel saw the sea before them which they could not passe ouer and the Egyptians behind them who came with intent to sley them they began to complaine of Moises and in his prefence crie out aloud why he had brought them out of Egypt where they had their sepulchres and lead them into the desarts where they should bee eaten vp of wild beasts Moyses seeing himselfe in such a narrow strait spake not one word vnto our Lord but began to weepe and with his heart only to pray vnto God and commend himself vnto him which praier was of such great force efficacy that it seemed to moue God greatly to condiscend vnto that which hee had asked him Good Moises did pray yet did not crie he wept and yet spake not he sighed and made no noise hee desired and entreated not and hee hoped and yet hee did not importunately vrge This was a high kind of importuning by not importuning and a high kind of asking in not asking for to obtaine that which wee desire at Gods hands sighing is better than crying out more is gotten by offering vnto him tears than by speaking many words S. Gregory in his Morals sayth That God did not beare false witnesse against Moises in saying that he did importune him in not importuning him and that he astonied him by crying he not crying at all because there is no higher kind of asking than by praying nor any sweeter manner of speaking with God than by weeping Barnard sayth How is hee not busie who is busie with his heart and what doth not he obtaine who asketh with tears S. Augustine vpon the Apostles words saith That our Lord doth oftentimes heare the heart when hee praieth although the tongue doe not speake outwardly but hee neuer heareth the tongue which speaketh outwardly if the heart doe not pray inwardly because our Lord is neerer vnto the heart with the which we loue him than vnto the tongue with the which we speak vnto him Our Lord had great reason to say vnto Mâ—ises Quid clamas ad me What doest thou cry vnto me for Because he had more respect vnto the tears which Moises wept than vnto the cries which the people made and so he regarded more that which Moises desired with silence than that which the people demanded with a noise What meaneth this O great God of Israel what meaneth this Doest thou not answere one word to the people which call vpon thee doest thou answere Moises which doth not speake one word vnto thee Doest thou hold thy peace when the Iewes and torturers speake vnto thee at the foot of the crosse and doest thou answere the theefe for speaking once vnto thee There is no such great difference betwixt torturers and theeues and theeues and torturers that the one should be heard and the other repulsed for if torturers and hangmen take their liues from such as are hanged so doe great theeues also take away mens riches and apparell by the high way The wicked Iewes did not deserue an answere at Christs hands seeing they said come downe from the crosse because no man should bee so bold as to bid him come downe but goe vp because such as are to goe into hell goe downe and those which are to go to heauen goe vpward The hangmen did not deserue to be answered of Christ which said Thou who dost destroy the teÌ„ple of God because he came not into the world to take away the stones of Salamons Temple but to win soules vnto his father which is in heauen For it auailed Christ very little to that which he pretended whether the temple stood or were fallen downe Neither did the naughty theefe deserue an answere who said vnto Christ Saue thy selfe and vs because there was no man able by any force to put Christ vpon the crosse vnlesse he had gone vp of his own wil that not to fly from it but to redeem the world vpon it Why should the son of God answere so naughty a theefe seeing he demanded nothing but to haue his life saued not making any mention at all of his soule When the naughty theefe said vnto Christ saue thy self saue me too what els did he preteÌ„d or demaÌ„d but that by some miracle or by some words of enchantment he should deliuer them from the crosses and put them in safety Irenaeus in a sermon sayth thus According vnto the great loue that Christ died with according vnto the great quantity of bloud which issued out of his body it had been but a small enterprise for Christ to haue loosed the theefe haue sent him to keepe his Easter in his owne house because hee came not into the world to set theeues at liberty but to saue sinners Cyprian sayth That if as that naughty theefe did ask Christ that hee would pull out those nailes and slacken those cords and deliuer him from those torturers and asswage his torments he would haue asked somewhat touching his soule or that he would haue had mercy shewed vpon him our gratious Lord would not haue refused to answere him to that which hee said nor haue denied him that which hee demanded O what a theefe hee is sayth Haymo and a theeues fellow who can aske nothing of Christ but honour to get him credite power to defend himself and might to offend others riches to enioy liberty to command and health to liue onely in this world Such as dare to aske these things of our Lord be either Christians without souls or theeues without shame of whom I doe now prophecy that if they bee not hanged like theeues they shall bee condemned like sinners Let vs take example by this dreadfulll example that wee doe not aske with the naughty theefe that our Lord would take vs from the crosse but that hee would keepe vs on the crosse nor let vs not aske of him that hee would giue vs a long life but that he would amend our consciences For look how willing our Lord is to giue vs things necessary to saue vs so is hee vnwilling to giue vs that which wee doe aske of him to cocker vs. CHAP. XI Of these words Domine memento mei Lord remember me which the good theefe spake vnto Christ the which words are deuoutly and deepely expounded QVia
patiens est dominus indulgentiam fusis lachrimis postulemus ab eo said the holy woman Iudith speaking to the inhabitants of Bethulia in the eight chapter of her booke as if she would say It seemeth best vnto me O ye citizens of Bethulia that we kneele down vpon our knees our hands ioined together and our eies full of teares and craue pardon of our Lord for our sinnes and that it would please him to deliuer vs from our enemies Holofernes the Tyrant had so narrowly besieged the city of Bethulia that within fiue daies they would haue deliuered themselues vnto the enemie if the siege had not been raised or some new succor come vnto thē There was in the same citie a widdow named Iudith who was beautifull in her countenance chast in her body rich in estate and of great fame and credite among the people This holy Iudith perceiuing that the captains of the city were dismaied on one side and the neighbors dispaired on the other said vnto them as followeth Who are you which dare tempt the great God of Israel and will giue your selues to be slaues if he do not deliuer you from the Assyrians within fiue daies Wil you prescribe fiue daies to the infinit mercy of the Lord who hath neither beginning nor ending Doe you not know that such a promise and vow made against our Lord doth rather stirre him to indignation than appease his anger Care not then to load your selues with armes but with larmes care you not to make prouision of victuals but to weepe for your sinnes because you should be more afraid of your sins than of your enemies The warre which you endure and the hunger which you suffer the God of heauen and not Holofernes maketh against you and with no other weapons but with your owne offences and you must learne that the enemies who besiege you are rather executioners of Gods diuine iustice than enemies of your Commonwealth All the time that our forefathers were at peace with our Lord they did well and when they neglected their duty vnto him it went not well with them and as it fared then with them so doth it now with vs in so much that all our paines and trauels come from the hands of God either to punish vs or for to make vs merit Tell me saith Dauid what are wee able to doe what are we able to performe or what doe wee know if we bee not guided by the hand of God If thē our ablenesse must come from God to doe any thing and our strength from him to be able to performe any thing and our knowledge from him if we will guesse aright at any thing in whose hands should wee put our hope but in the hands of his diuine mercy Let it bee so then that there bee a proclamation made throughout all Bethulia that the old men fast the yong mē giue themselues discipline the Priests pray and all weepe together that it would please God to keepe and deliuer not the wals from enemies but our hearts from sinnes All the citizens were very much amazed at that that holy Iudith counselled them and all accepted her counsell by reason wherof within fiue daies Holofernes was beheaded he and his defeated the city vnburdened and the countrey pacified To returne then fitly vnto our purpose agreeablie vnto this aduise our theefe behaued himselfe on the crosse with Christ for first he desired our redeemer of the world to forgiue him his sinnes before hee asked him that it would please him to take him with him vnto the kingdome of heauen This theef did not say vnto Christ When thou commest into thy kingdome Lord remember me for so hee might haue seemed to aske for heauen before he had asked for the remission of sinnes but he said Domine memento mei Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdome In which words hee first made his confession and then formed his petition What doth it auaile thee to ask of Christ if hee bee angry with thee first make Christ thy friend then aske fauour at his hands For it is the manner and condition of our Lord that first thou giue thy selfe vnto him and then for him to giue himselfe vnto thee Vbertinus sayth That it is greatly to bee noted that the good theefe did not say vnto Christ take me from this crosse help to vnloose me giue me life restore my credite but hee said Lord remember me seeing that thou knowest better what to giue me than I. to aske of thee S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth That this theefe was very happy and glorious seeing hee taught the church how to pray as he had taught the Synagogue how to steale considering he said nothing in his petition but Lord remember mee the which praier although it were short yet it was full of mystery because that we need not to be very importunate with God to win his fauour but remember him of our busines with Domine memento mei What saiest thou good theefe what saiest thou Domine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum as if he would say O holy Prophet O Iesus of Galily by the bloud which thou sheddest I beseech thee by the loue with the which thou diddest shed it I pray thee that thou wouldest be mindfull of me when thou shalt come into thy owne proper kingdome If wee will reckon the fiue words they are these Domine the first memento the second mei the third dum veneris the fourth in regnum tuum the fift Now it is to be noted who spake these words that is a theefe vnto whom he spake them which was Christ where he spake them which was vpon the crosse and when hee spake them and it was when hee was ready to die insomuch that if they be easie to be counted they are hard to be vnderstood Hee dooth begin his praier like a curious Orator with this word Domine Lord wherein it seemeth that hee dooth confesse in Christ his Deity and diuinity his essence and power his authority and rule his iustice and liberality Origen sayth If the good theefe should beleeue that Christ was a mighty and great king yet would he aske him no lesse than a whole kingdome This word Lord is a high beginning of a petition for if he who asketh do not beleeue that all things are vnder his mighty hand he could not thinke that he should obtaine any thing O glorious theefe sayth Anselmus and happy martyr what doest thou see in this Lord which is crucified what dost thou see in him on the crosse why thou shouldest commend thy selfe vnto him Who euer saw or heard the like that one which was bound should commend himselfe vnto another which was also bound and one which was crucified vnto another in the same case Doest thou aske that those confederacies and friendships which end in death should begin with Christ and thee in death Seeing hee who should be a Lord should bee at
liberty and in freedome why doest thou call him Lord which is fastened to the crosse and crucified like thy selfe Seeing that he who should be a Lord ought to bee mighty and rich why doest thou call him Lord who was poor in his life time and naked in his death But this Prophet whō I call vpon and vnto whome I commend and commit my selfe is a mighty Lord and a king of great power seeing the son lost his light for compassion the stones broke with griefe the vaile rent in sunder for a mystery the graues opened with feare and the Centurion confessed him to be Christ O great God of Israel O great Lord of the house of Iacob◠for this cause thy name is admirable and worshipped in all the circuit of the earth because thy power and dominion is doubled and redoubled more than any mans in the world Cassiodorus noteth vpon this matter That the holy scripture doth neuer call any twise Lord Lord but Christ alone because he alone and none with him is Lord of heauen and earth of life and death body and soule and of peace and warre Wee cannot call Hector the Troian Anchises the Grecian Alexander the Macedonian and Caesar the Romane Lord more than once because they were kings onely of their owne kingdomes but vnto the sonne of God wee say twise Domine domine noster Lord our Lord because his siegnory is so great that no man is able to limit it nor set any bonds vnto it Euery other Prince hath his kingdome limited and set with bonds either to the top of a steeple or couering of a house and if it bee not so let him send a post from thence vpward and hee shall perceiue that his kingdome reacheth no higher which cannot be said to be true of the sonne of Gods Empire seeing it goeth from one end of the world vntill the other and reacheth vp vnto the highest heauen Considering that Dauid calleth Christ Lord Lord twise why doth he call him only once Lord. The mystery of this mystery is that Dauid called him Lord Lord twise because hee should keepe his body from his enemies and cary his soule vnto those which are blessed but the good theefe did call him but once Lord because his intention was not that Christ should keepe his life but only that hee would vouchsafe to saue his soule Why doest thou thinke sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalme that Dauid said vnto our Lord Lord calling him twife Lord but because he was Lord of the truth and of the figure of the church and of the synagogue of the Prophets and of the Apostles and of the old Testament and of the new The good theefe would not call Christ Lord twise because hee would let vs vnderstand that the figure is fulfilled and the truth come that the church is come and the synagogue ended that the Prophets are dead and the Apostles succeeded in their place that the old law is buried and the Gospel proclaimed Why think you doth the good theef call Christ Lord but once but because we haue but one Lord to beleeue one redeemer to worship To say once Christ remember me was to say that hee would haue him and no other for a master to serue for God in whō he would beleeue for his Lord whom hee would obey for a friend whome hee would trust vnto for an aduocate in whose hands he would put himselfe into The second word which the theefe said vnto Christ was Remēber me as if he would say Seeing that I doe confesse thee here before all men to bee my Lord and vpon this crosse acknowledge thee to be my redeemer haue mee in remembrance my good Lord seeing I haue remēbred thee and turned vnto thee Remember me O sweet Iesus seeing thou hast created me remember me seeing thou hast redeemed mee remember mee and seeing thou hast lightened me remember mee and seeing thou hast chosen me remember me for it would auaile me very little that thou shouldest giue me light to know thee if withall thou shouldest not giue me grace to serue thee Remēber me O good Iesus because I am hard by thy side remember me because I beleeue in thee remember me because I trust in thee remember me because I hope in none but in thee and seeing I haue offered my selfe for to be thy perpetuall seruant remember I beseech thee to accept me for thine Remember mee because thou hast raised me from the dust remember me because thou hast made me a Christian remember me to make mee good and remember mee to giue mee heauen and aboue all things I beseech thee that seeing thou hast giuen thy life for me remember me that I lose not my soule O good Iesus giuer of life with my tongue I beseech thee and with my heart I aske it of thee that seeing thou doest shed thy precious bloud vpon the crosse for me remember me that it be not euilly bestowed on mee and when shall thy bloud be euilly bestowed on mee but when it is not by thee accepted for me Seeing thou hast sweat oft for me suffered most grieuous pains for me endured inspeakable persecutions for mee and hast dissembled my abominable offences what doest thou gaine O good Iesus what doest thou gaine if I lose my soule and thou the fruit of thy precious bloud Remember me O Lord seeing that in pardoning my fault and by sauing my soul thou shalt make a Christian people heauen the more enrich thy church spread abroad thy fame and exalt thy mercy Remember the sabboth day said God in the law remember the daies past said Moyses vnto God remember because my life is a wind said holy Iob remēber how I haue walked before theesaid king Ezechias when he was sick and remember me said good Ioseph when he was in prison and remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome I say vnto thee here now crucified vpō the crosse What should I say O the light of my life What doest thou aske me that I haue not giuen thee and what doe I possesse that is not thine I haue already giuen my money to the iailor my coats to the hang man I haue salne out with my companion who iniuried thee I haue made the best answere that I could for thy honour and therefore I can do nothing more but say Lord remember me Domine memento mei and seeing I offer thee the confession of Miserere that vpō my knees and my eies washed with tears why shouldest thou shut the gates of thy mercy against me my confession being thus iust being condemned for a naughty person as thou art my members disiointed the one from the other like thine crucified vpon the crosse like thy selfe I beleeue faithfully in thee and commend my selfe wholly vnto thee saying Lord remember mee Lord-remember mee and I beseech thee haue pitie on me seeing that in suffering I am like vnto thee I dy for being a theefe and thou for the same cause they
halfe houre what wilt thou giue vnto him O good Iesus who loueth thee with all his hart praiseth thee with his tongue and emploieth all his might and power in thy seruice CHAP. XII How our Lord heard the theeues praier vpon the crosse and how Christ answered him seuen words for fiue which hee spake vnto Christ DOminus exaudiuit vocempueri de loco in quo est Genesis 21. said the Angel vnto Ismael his mother as if he would say Take no care O Agar take no care for although thou hast lost thy way and art banished in this desart feare no peril because our Lord hath heard the praier of the youth thy sonne because he hath praied where he hath praied The Patriarch Abraham had a bastard child by Agar his maid and slaue both which were throwne out of dores after that hee had a lawfull child borne vnto him and these two went vp a mountaine alone in great dispaire our Lord sent vnto them an Angel to comfort them and to giue them drinke Origen sayth That if wee looke well into the scripture we shall neither read that the mother did pray vnto the Lord neither is it made mention that the sonne did commend himselfe vnto God but that Gods great mercy is so great that by seeing the youth Ismael weepe and the sorrowfull mother lament and cry our Lord was moued to comfort them by word and also releiue them in deed Plato in his Timao sayth That it doth smally benefit the grieued and comfortlesse to visit them seldome and speake much vnto them and giue theÌ„ no comfort at all vnlesse that comfort be wrapped in some remedie and reliefe Seneca sayth That if a friend doe visite his friend and find him heauy and sad and so leaue him if hee find him poore and so leaue him if hee find him weeping and leaue him weeping wee will say of such a one that hee goeth rather to iest than to visite and comfort because a comfortlesse heart is much better appeased with that which we giue him with our hands than with that which we speake vnto him with our tongue S. Ambrose in his Exameron sayth That to the end a worke of mercy may bee perfect more acceptable vnto our Lord it ought neither to bee asked of any nor craued but voluntarily liberally be bestowed because there is nothing more deare in this world than that which is bought with entreaty O that hee buieth very deerely who buieth by the change and price of his shame because that shamefast men and of liberall hearts doe without comparison grieue more when they vncouer shew their face than when they vntie their purse Cicero to Atticus sayth That there is nothing wherein a Gentlemanlike man taketh more delight than in giuing and greater griefe than in asking because that in giuing he maketh himself Lord of him vnto whome hee giueth and in taking hee maketh himselfe a slaue to him of whoÌ„ he receiueth Hilarius saith That to deale with God there need no words but teares nor many entreaties but many sighes for wheÌ„ we pray vnto our Lord he hath greater regard vnto the heart which desireth than vnto all that which the tongue speaketh Agar the slaue and Ismael her sonne spake no word vnto God nor yet made any petition vnto him but ech of them being set downe vnder a seuerall oke the sonne did neuer fill himselfe with weeping and the mother neuer ceassed from sighing the which holy teares were not vnpaied nor sighes vnaccepted To come then vnto our purpose if our Lord did heare Ismaels teares which was in the desart will he not also hear the memento mei which the theefe spake vnto him in the Mount of Caluary Let no man maruell that we compare the theefe with Ismael and Ismael with the theefe for as the one was brought vp in the mountaines a hunting so the other went by the high waies a robbing as Ismael had one very vertuous brother so also this theefe had a blasphemer to his companion Isâ—â—ael was yong for hee was not aboue three yeares of age the theefe was also yong for he had not been as yet three houres a Christian because that before our Lord the yeares when we are borne are not reckoned but the time from whence we are baptized After Christs resurrection hee called his disciples children and yonglings not respecting that some of them were old and had gray haires but that they had not ben long baptized that is when hee washed their feet in the parlar and ordained them Priests after his supper If Ismael did weepe at the foot of the oake in the desart so did the good theefe weepe also vpon the crosse on Caluary and that which is more excellent is that if hee gaue the one water whereof hee should drinke he gaue the other his bloud wherewith he should bee saued As Abraham had one lawfull child which was Isaac and another a bastard which was Ismael so God the father had or lawfull child which was Christ and the other a bastard which was the theefe and of these two the one was borne in the church and the other in the Synagogue The blessing which fell vnto Ismael was that he should be against all men and all men against him the which blessing also the good theefe had who being vpon the crosse and all purposing to kill and crucifie Christ hee against all though all against him defended him and excused him Ismael was a father of many barbarous people and the good theefe was an example of many great sinners but not that they should liue wickedly as hee had done but that they should turne vnto our Lord as hee did Agar the mother could not see Ismael her sonne die neither could the sonne of God see his companion the theefe bee condemned and therefore as the teares of the one were gratefull vnto him euen so the words of the other vvere pleasing vnto him to wit when hee said on the crosse Lord remember me and O good Iesus haue mercy vpon mee With great reason and for good occasion the son of God did giue care vnto all that the good theefe would speake vnto him and vnto all that which hee did request of him because hee vsed such measure and discretion in his petition that hee asked nothing which should bee for his comfort but for his saluation If hee vvould haue asked any thing for his comfort he vvould haue asked that the cudgels which winded his cords should haue been slackened or that they would haue pulled out the nailes or healed his wounds or that they would pull him downe from the crosse or that they would giue him longer life but he asked none of all this but only that Christ would haue his soule in remembrance not mentioning his person at all Our Lord could not denie him so reasonable a petition nor delay him but he answered him immediately for euen as he said Domine memento moi Christ
said presently vnto him Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The naughty theefe did not deserue to haue an answere at Christs hands neither soon nor late partly because it was the sonne of Gods custome not to answer those which did iniury him nor esteeme of those which bare false witnesse against him and partly to aduise vs that it is a point of great discretion not to set by iniurious words Vbertinus saith Why should Christ heare what the naughty theefe would aske him or make account of it seeing that he knew very wel that if he would haue beene loosed it was to steale againe and in stealing againe they would hang him againe In that that Christ would not answere vnto the naughty theefe nor yeeld vnto his petition hee vsed a new kind of clemency toward him to wit that he hindered him froÌ„ sinning any more and froÌ„ augmenting his damnation for if Christ should haue taken him from the crosse and hee haue returned againe into the world by how much the more he would haue augmeÌ„ted his sinne by so much the more he should haue encreased his punishment S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth That our Lord shewed his mercy and pity toward both the theeues vnto the good one in giuing him glory to the naughty one in denying him life for if he had liued longer he would haue sinned more and according to the measure of his offences his torments should haue beene giuen him S. Gregory saith That if our Lord doe for vs that which wee aske wee ought to reioice and if he deny vs that which wee aske him wee must not complaine for if our Lord would haue giuen the sonnes of Zebedet the kingdome which they required and vnto the naughty theefe the life which hee craued it had beene vnto their great confusion and also damnation And because that in these words Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso there are contained seuen words as we haue noted heretofore it shall not bee amisse if that vpon euery word we speake one word because the curious Reader may see how wisely the theefe dealt and how profoundly Christ did answer him The first word which Christ spake vnto the theefe was Amen that is I sweare to thee in truth which word Amen was in the old Testament very famous and much set by and in the mouth of the sonne of God much vsed insomuch that the Synagogue did profit herselfe with that word to confirme that which she sware Christ vsed the same word to sweare that which he spake In monte Hebal stabunt Ruben Gad Asser Zabulon Dan Nepthalim ad malediceâ—dum populum respondebit omnts pepulus Amen said the Lord vnto Moises in the 28 chapter of Genesis as if hee would say It is my will and pleasure O Moyses that sixe Princes of Israel that is Ruben and Gad and Asser and Zabulon and Dan and Nepthalim goe vp vnto the highest of the hill Hebal and from thence they shall begin aloud to curse all the transgressors of my law and in the end of euery curse all the people shall answere Amen When the six princes were come to the top of the hill Hebal they began to curse those which brake the law in this manner Accursed be that man which dare make strange Gods to worship and giue honour vnto them although they be of gold and siluer let all the people say Amen Cursed bee the sonne or daughter which will not honour his father and his mother and let all men say Amen Cursed bee that man which iesting at a blind man shall put his foot before him to make him fall and shall set him out of the way to make him erre and let all the people say Amen Cursed be the man which will take money to kill his neighbour by treason and craft and let all say Amen Cursed bee the iudge who either through hatred or gaine which hee may pretend giueth a wrong iudgement against a widdow and oppresse the orphane and not ease a stranger and let all the people say Amen You may then see that this word Amen was a word of feare and of great rigour seeing that it was vsed to confirme their curses which they did cast vpon the people and not the blessings which they gaue them It is to bee noted that God commanded Moyses the same day to goe vp vnto the top of the hill Garisim with six Princes with him to blesse all those which would keepe his commandements but hee did not command them in the end of their blessing to say Amen as hee did in the end of his curse The synagogue was not worthy of this priuiledge because God kept it for his church which is seene by the promise which Christ made vnto the good theefe wheÌ„ he said Amen I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise in so much that Christ began to blesse the chosen of his church with the same word that the synagogue ended her curse against the transgressors of the law This word Amen sayth Vbertinus which did serue in the synagogue for a curse doth serue now in the vniuersall Church for a blessing the which word the sonne of God had alwaies in his mouth when hee promised any great matter or spake any high secret Christ did so well like this word Amen truly that his Euangelists and Chroniclers doe affirme that hee vsed it fifty and fiue times and S. Paul in his Epistles eighteen times and it is vsed in the Apocalips also fiue times and in the canonicall Epistle three times S. August vpon S. Iohn saith That the sonne of God was not content to say once Amen but he did ofteÌ„times double the word saying Amen Amen truly truly giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that he did not only speake the truth in that which he spake but also that he was the truth it selfe There is no Angell nor man saith Remigius which can say Amen Amen for although they speake the truth in all that they speake yet it doth not follow that they be the truth it selfe because God did not impart this high priuiledge vnto any but his onely sonne who by speciall grace said Ego sum via veritas vita I am the way and the truth and life Christ did not say I know which way the way goeth but said I am the way for in troth he who is not guided by Christ shal misse the way to heauen Nor Christ said not I giue life but said I am the life because that in the house of God they call it not to liue vnlesse they liue well neither doe they say that man to liue which is not a good man nor Chirst did not say I speake the truth in that which I say but said I am the very truth for euen as the deuill is a bottome without bottome from whence all lies doe proceed so the sonne of God is a fountaine from
was an Adulteresse the other replied and told him that his was a drunkard and being debated in the Senate which of the two was most iniuried it was agreed on by them al that it was a greater infamy for a woman to be a drunkard than an adulteresse If this bee so as true it is why did this chosen dame dainty bride not onely drinke wine but goe also to the seller for it Why doth she goe to fet it if she for it why doth she drink of it if she drink of it yet why is she drunke with it What doe I say that she is drunke with it seeing she doth inuite all men to drink of it The spouse which saith openly Bibite amici inebriamini charissimi what els doth she say but drinke my friends you my dearest of all be drunke Thou my sweet loue saiest that in tauerns sellers where the wisest are wont to lose their wit and sence the greatest loue is showne How dost thou say Quòd ordinauit in me charitatem seeing a tauâ—rn is the place where patience is lost anger kindled lying hath the vpper hand gluttony filleth it selfe vertue weakened Maruaile not my brother maruell not to hear me say that he brought mee into the winesellers for into the seller whither my deare bridegroome brought mee there enter none but such as are predestinated and none but the chosen drinke of those wines Barnard saith That the diuine seller whither this bridgroom brought his bride is the sacred holy scripture in which the vessels are also the holy scriptures the wine within those vessels was the son of God promised in the old law that wine began to bee sold wheÌ„ good Iesus began to preach Why did the maister of the feast keep that wine to drink of in the end of the mariage but only to let vs vnderstaÌ„d that the cups mysteries of holy scripture were to bee opened in the end of the old law WheÌ„ Christ said vnto his Apostles Other meÌ„ haue takeÌ„ pains you are entred into their labors in these words hee would say that the Fathers of the old Testament haue planted pruned the vines gathered the grapes but yet the Apostles only drank of the wine seeing they did reach vnto the secret mysteries of holy scripture Our Lord did put all the twelue Princes of the church in this seller when in the parler he made them drunk with the grace of the holy ghost by reason of which drunkennesse there was no secret which they did not reach vnto nor mystery which they did not vnderstand O precious wine O happy drunkennes considering that at that very hour wheÌ„ the Princes of the church entred into that seller of fearful meÌ„ they became stout of simple men learned of dul men very wise being without deuotion became very ferueÌ„t of dumbe meÌ„ very eloquent of fishers preachers In that holy seller pride lifteth not vp it selfe they call for no enuy no gluttony coÌ„meth neere theÌ„ they know no wantonnesse of the flesh there entereth in no sloth nor they know not what malice is In the seller of God the gate is humility patience the gouernes charity coÌ„mandeth abstinence ruleth diligence watcheth and deuotion triumpheth Who would not drink of such wine as this is who would not enter into so blessed a buttery Origen vpoÌ„ the Canticles saith That the seller of wine vnto the which the bridegroom brought his bride is no other thing thaÌ„ this holy catholick church where the cups are the sacrameÌ„ts the wine which is kept in theÌ„ are the seuen gifts of the holy ghost by whose means the church can neuer erre without theÌ„ no maÌ„ can euer be saued What shold become of the child new born who hath neither faith nor hope if he were not put presently into that glorious shop What are the cups which we drink in but onely his great benefits fauors through his meere mercy free liberality bestowed vpoÌ„ vs When we be baptized we drinke of his cup wheÌ„ we are strengthened by his diuine power against the inward enemy we drink of his cup wheÌ„ wee receiue grace to repent vs of our sins we drink of his cup wheÌ„ we passe out of this life in his loue and sorowfulnesse for our sins we drink also of his cup. Behold then how this wine is kept how the last cup endeth with our life and our life with the last cup. This grape out of the which this precious wine came out of was first formed in Nazareth borne in Bethelem brought vp in Palestine the vintage made on the Mount of Caluary pressed vpon the crosse where all the bloud which ran from the sonne of God was turned into wine for to drinke of in his catholicke church It is a common Prouerbe vsed by one friend vnto another that he will giue him all that he asketh yea also his bloud which offer wee see made but fulfilled of none Why doest thou offer thy friend that thou wilt shed thy bloud for him if hee require it at thy hands and afterwards if he aske thee any thing thou turnest thy face from him The sonne of God is none of these certainly who saying and doing gaue vs his body to eat and his bloud to drinke with the which we were redeemed and by the which all the elect are saued O good Iesus with what wine doest thou make the soule of thy best beloued drunke but with the wine of thy precious bloud Vidi mulierem ebriam c I saw a woman drunke with the bloud of the saints sayth S. Iohn in his Apocalips chap. 17 as if he would say Being in banishment in the Isle of Pathmos among other visions which I saw there I saw a woman which was drunk but not with the wine which was made of grapes but with bloud which issued out of vains We see men drunke with wine euery day for with this kind of drunkennesse the good Patriarch Noe was drunke the couetous Nabal Cornelius and the prowd captain Holofernes We see men drunke with anger also euery day and with this kind of drunkennesse king Iehu was drunke when hee slew in one day seuenty of king Achabs children and when the captaine Ioab slew the captaine Abner Wee see many drunke with enuy euery day as Iosephs brethren when they sold him for enuy the wicked Pharasies which put Christ to death for enuy We see many drunke with loue as Hemor was with Diaâ— Iacobs daughter Iacob with Rachel Labans daughter and good king Dauid with his neighbour Bersabe and young Amon with Tamar his sister See then how some are drunke with wine some with vaine loue some with anger some with enuy some vvith the wine of wicked Ambition the vvhich are so farre out of their vvits and sences that for to better their honour a little they care little to lose their credite and also to damne their soules
grieued and troubled heart weeepeth because there are none more certainer witnesses of the sorrows which wee suffer than the teares which wee weepe with our cies CHAP. VIII Why Christ tooke his mother with him to see him die seeing that she was not to helpe him to redeeme vs. QVi inuenerit auiculam eubantem cum pullis suis tollat filios dimittat matrem Deutronomy 22. God spake these wordes vnto the Iewes which vvere hunters as if he would say If any man goe to the fields a hunting and by chance meet with a Sparrowes nest he may take the young ones so as he let the old one goe in so much that he should neither take her nor much lesse kil her What other thing is it to goe a hunting for Sparrowes nests but to seeke out diuine bookes Origen sayth Who or what is the nest but the booke what the Sparrow but the letter which the young ones but the sences and who the hunter but the Christian which occupieth himselfe in holy Scripture When God commaundeth the hunter to leane the mother and take the young ones he doth plainly aduise vs that wee should leaue the letter in the nest of the holy Scripture and take the meaning Hee doth leaue the Sparrow in the nest which careth not for that which the letter soundeth but for that which the holy Gospell saith Because there bee some such obscure phrases in scripture that they are not onely not to be taken as they sound but also that not to be done which the very letter commandeth When Christ sayth If thy eie doe scandalize thee it was not his meaning that wee should pull out our corporall eies which we see with but the spirituall with the which we damne our selues for Christs sweet law doth command no man to teare his own members but to pul out sinnes by the root When wee loue a child well wee say that wee loue him like our owne eies and thereupon Christ saith if any of thy eies doe scandale thee pull him out Saint Augustine saith That all the Synagogues perdition consisteth because that in the nest of the Scripture they take the mother and leaue the young ones that is they take the letter as it soundeth and take not the sence which is hidden vnder it making more account of the drie barke then of the tender marrow When the Apostle saith that the letter killeth and that it is the spirit which doth giue life what else doth he say but that we should take heed of taking the old Sparrow and that wee should take the young ones which vvas the sence When the sonne of God saith Search the scriptures he meaneth not that we should read the bookes only but that vvee should seeke out the true sence thereof If wicked Arrius had searched out the meaning of those words My father is greater than I am of those other words That they may be one as I and my Father are one there should neuer so many good men haue been persecuted nor so many scandales haue risen in the church by it Seeing that all liuing beasts are created for mans vses and seruice if our Lord had meaned no other matter in the sparrowes nests then the letter speaketh of hee would neuer haue bidden vs eat of the one and not touch the other It had beene a greater losse to the Commonwealth to kill fiue or sixe young ones than one old one but because the giuer of the law did intend rather the mystery which was signified in the sparrowes than the prohibition which hee made when he commanded the young ones to be taken the old one to bee let louse Conformably then vnto that which our Lord commandeth let the curious Reader leaue the letter and take the true sence otherwise it were better for him not to read the Scripture than vnderstand it as the Synagogue doth To come then vnto our purpose what is the nest but the holy crosse of Christ Who the sparrow but our blessed Lady And who the young one but her precious sonne Ezechiel saw a nest put vpon a high tree in which nest euery bird laid an egge and in the nest of the crosse of Christ all the Saints lay their egges that is then good desires of which the sonne of God like a good Henne of euery one gathereth his good worke According vnto the old law the young sparrowes might bee taken and killed and so they did by Christ and wherefore then was his poore mother so grieuously tormented there who was figured in the sparrow seeing she was exempted by law O wicked Ierusalem and cursed Synagogue seeing that in the nest of the crosse thou diddest find the old bird and the yong why art thou not content to kil the young one but doest also torment the mother O holy tree O precious nest O blessed sonne O comfortlesse mother what heart could destroy that holy nest in the which all the holy Trinitie was inclosed In the high nest of the crosse the father was he who commanded the sonne to suffer the holyghost which assisted the flesh which died the foule which gaue life and the bloud which redeemed vs. All this nest was ouerthrowne by the Synagogue vvhen his bloud lay vpon the ground his carkasse on the crosse his flesh in the sepulchre his soule in ioy and his diuinity vnited to all What shal we say of his sorrowfull mother of whose heart there was one peece on the ground with his bloud another on the crosse vvith his skin another in the sepulchre with his body and another in hell whither Christ went with his soule another on the Mount of Caluary vvith those of her family vvhich wept What else shal I say O my soule but that into how many parts her son was scattered the sorrowful mothers heart into so many was deuided Vbertinus saith That the doleful mothers hart was scattered deuided deuided again because that louing her son as shee did better than her selfe shee kept the least part of her heart vnto her selfe Why doe I say that shee kept some part of her heart vnto her selfe seeing that all her heart liued and died with her sonne If the heart doe run to desire that which the cies behold and if whither the heart goeth there goeth also the very bowels to continue where was all the Virgines heart but in her sonne whom she best beloued Because the dolefull mother had no other sonne but him all her loue was fixed in him and because the Iewes found the Sparrow and her young one in the nest of the Crosse they crucified the flesh of Christ and tormented the mothers heart Saint Barnard sayth That if the Virgines breasts had been opened in that sorrowfull houre lamentable day it is religiously to bee thought they might haue found her heart of flesh but not the force and vigour of a heart because her vitall spirits had mortified it and her true loue buried it vvith her sonne O
because that in the compasse of foure twentie houres he was watched apprehended denied accused whipped and receiued sentence spoiled crucified and dead insomuch that if we compare the moments of times with his torments wee shall see that the torments which hee suffered vvere more than the moments and quantities of the time in which he suffered S. Ambrose vpon the Psalme sayth That no man could euer say these words of Circumdederunt me aquae tota die simul with so good reason as Christ because on that day which he suffered in there passed no houre nor moment nor minute of time in the which he was not either strockē or whipped or spit vpō or blasphemed insomuch that those ministers of wickednes were so busie hasty in giuing him tormēt that they themselues had no time to rest them in nor Christ to breath in Pope Leo vpon the Passion of our Sauiour sayth That hee had great cause to say that hee was compassed with many waters because that all kind of people and all nations conspired in one against that most sacred humanity Iews Gentiles Priests Pharisies Disciples Pontifes Kings Captains Souldiours hangmen yong old stranger and all others S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth this What people were therein the world which were not at the death of Christ or what tormēt was there inuented which he suffered not In so tempestious a sea in so dangerous a floud in such sudden waues and in such distresses heaped one vpon another who would not haue the sonne say vnto the Father Why hast thou forsaken mee seeing hee did not speake one word to comfort him nor left him any one friend which did fauour him CHAP. V. How Christ complaineth of his Father because he did permit those to crucifie him which were wont to bee his friends and how he calleth them friends QVae sunt plagae istae in medie manuum tuarum His plagatus sum in domo eorum qui me diligebant sayth Esay chap. 20. These words were spoken by all the Angels vnto the Lord of all Angels who was the sonne of God and it is as if he would say O sonne of God O eternal wisedome being descended frō heauē into this world aliue whole how doest thou come now from thence with such a pittifull body and so wounded in thy hands If thou wilt know where how and by whome I haue receiued these wounds and gashes know thou that I haue receiued them in the house of such as loued me and they gaue them me who bare me good will Looke how new and strange this question is so maruellous is the answere and how maruellous the answere so strange the question for it is a very strange thing that God should goe to heauen with wounds vpon him and to say that his friends gaue them him is also a very maruellous thing because it is the part of a friend to cure our wounds and of an enemy to make them What is this O good Iesus what is this How can hee vvho loueth thee vvound thee and hee who wisheth thee well hurt thee and hee who woundeth thee take pitie on thee and hee vvho serueth thee offend thee Anselmus handling this place sayth O eternall goodnesse of thee my God and patience neuer before this time seene seeing thou doest call them openly thy friends which rent thy flesh vvrest thy sinewes vnioint thy bones To say O good Iesus that thou vvast vvounded in the house of such as loued thee is a speech vvhich sheweth thy clemency and giueth me great confidence for if thou doe call those thy friends which doe wound thee and kill thee what wilt thou doe by them which faithfully haue serued thee Christ had one house in Iury which was Ierusalem and hee had a friend in heauen which was his Father and he had another friend vpon the earth which was the Synagogue and in that house he was put to death and hee was wounded by those two friends for the Synagogue did crucifie him and his Father did determine that he should be crucified If the Gentiles which were not his friends acquaintance should haue put him to death it would haue been tollerable but to see that he was wounded slain in the city where he had liued by his friends which he had made much of by the wil of his Father which begat him did grieue him very much although he did dissemble it Barnard saith The more I think vpō thy works O good Iesus the more I wonder seeing that man hauing done the deeds of an enemy towards thee thou canst not call him enemy but friend cōsidering that thou saist I haue been wounded in the house of such as did loue me By which words hee doth let vs vnderstand that he regardeth more the loue which hee beareth vnto the world than the offences which the world doth vnto him If as good Iesus said vnto the Angels my friends haue thus wounded me hee would haue said vnto his Father that his enemies had done it what should then haue become of the poore Iewes and what afterward of vs all As when friends in iesting doe hurt and scratch one another so Christ would make the Angels and his Father beleeue that his enemies had not wounded his sacred hands but that his friends had done it as it were in sporting O how truly we may say with the Prophet Dauid Non est deus noster sicut dijeorum Our God is not like vnto their gods seeing that here vpon earth men take in earnest the words which their friends speak in iest to them and if they scratched with a pin or with ones naile they make no lesse a matter of it than if it were a thrust with a lance The which quality could not sincke into Christ seeing that before his father he called his enemies his friends his whipping scratching his deep wound a raising of the skin and earnest testing S. Augustine vpon these words Amice ad quid venisti sayth this word Enemy O good Iesus wil not enter into thy mind because thou art accustomed to call euery man friend for seeing that thou diddest call Iudas thy greatest enemy thy friend whome wilt thou call enemy Osculantes se ad inuicem fleuerunt pariter Dauid Ionathas sed Dauid fleuit amplius 1. Reg. chap. 20. These holy words are rehearsed in scripture talking of the friendship that was betwixt Dauid and Ionathas and this is their meaning As king Dauid was departing out of the kingdome and going from Ionathas his faithfull friend at the time of their departure they embraced one the other and wept and although Ionathas did weepe much yet Dauid did weepe more Mimus the Philosopher sayth That the loue which one friend beareth another is neuer better knowne than when the one departeth from the other for if the one want words the other aboundeth in teares Cicero in his booke of Friendship sayth That true friendship is knowne in going the one
on our side seeing that if there had ben an hundred thousand worlds he would haue redeemed euery one of them When the good Apostle said Tradidit semetipsum pro me hee spake it not to extenuate and diminish Christs passion nor straiten his redemption but to confesse before all the world that whatsoeuer the sonne of God had suffered vpon the crosse hee was as much and as streitly bound to bee gratefull for it as if hee had died for him alone S. Augustine in his booke of Christian doctrine sayth As our Lord did know euery mans offences in particular so hee did redeem euerie of them particularly in so much that euery man in particular is as greatly bound vnto him for his bloud and as certaine a debtour vnto him for his death as if hee should haue redeemed him alone and suffered for him only and no other Theophil sayth Euen as in thy creation thou art as greatly bound vnto God as if he should haue created thee and no other so in thy redemption thou art â—s greatly bound vnto him as if he should haue redeemed thee no other for at that time when he bought thee he gaue as much for thee as for all men and as much for all men and no more as for thee S. Barnard saith If the sonne of God should haue redeemed a thousand thousand of worlds he would haue giuen no more bloud for them than hee did and if hee should haue redeemed no more but me alone hee would haue shed no lesse bloud than he did by reason whereof wee cannot deâ—nde his redemption betwixt vs that thou mightest bee but meanly gratefull vnto him and another lesse but thou must thinke that he died wholly for thee and wholly for mee and that euery maÌ„ is as great a debtour vnto him as if he had died for him alone Anselmus sayth Doe not thinke that Christ bought vs ingreat and at the first sight as flockes of sheepe are bought but hee bought euery man by himselfe alone satisfying in particular for euery sinne so that as he found many in the world so hee redeemed them all but if hee had found but one sinfull soule in the world hee would haue bestowed his precious bloud in redeeming her alone Isidorus Desumme bono saith Mark and note wel good Christian that Christ did not lesse loue thee than he loued me neither did he buy thee with lesser trauel thaÌ„ he bought me not giuing lesse bloud for one than for all And thereupon being as it were carried away with great loue towards vs he esteemed not nor did not look to the price which he gaue for vs but vnto the loue with the which he bought vs. If our blessed Lord would haue looked vnto the smalnesse and base value of that which he did buy as hee did looke vpon the great loue with the which hee did buy vs would hee thinke you haue bestowed one drop of his bloud vpon vs If humane nature should be ioined and coupled with the nature of Angels and that of them both there were made one nature what could it doe what were in it what were it worth that the sonne of God should shed so much as one drop of bloud for it That it vvould please Christ to die for vs let vs thanke the great loue which he bare vnto vs and not any desert or merit of our owne For if he should haue expected at our hands that we should first haue deserued it he should yet be to take flesh vpon him to redeeme vs. Origen in his Periarchon sayth As the sunne wheÌ„ he riseth doth no lesse giue light vnto al thaÌ„ vnto one aswell vnto one as vnto all eueÌ„ so the son of God did not die more for all thaÌ„ for one nor nolesse for one thaÌ„ for all Barnard saith O infinite goodnesse O inspeakable charity which of all creatures wold haue done so much for thee as thou hast done for me that is esteem more of my soule than of thy own life of my honor thaÌ„ of thy fame of my redeÌ„ptioÌ„ thaÌ„ of thy passion of my remedy help than of thine own hurt O with what great reason the Apostle did say Tradidit semetipsum pro me casting vpon himselfe the whole price of the bloud of Christ but not that which it was worth in value but that great obligation vnto which it did bind him The sonne of God than doth complaine to his Father saying Why hast thou forsaken me because he did punish him and not the Synagogue vvhome hee had brought vp and carried vpon his shoulders CHAP. X. How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse considering that hee hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences QVidvltrà debui facere vineae meae quod non fec Christ spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Esayas chap. 5. As if hee would say What can any man doe more for his vineyard or Lord for his Commonwealth than I haue done for thee O Synagogue These are tender words to feele and pittiful to heare seeing that on one side hee doth complaine of the Synagogue and on the other he will reckon and debate the matter with her and conoâ—â—ce her first that all the fault is in her and not in him before hee doe punish her and giue her pennance God doth debate the matter with the Iewes as one good friend doth with another going about to win them with the great benefires which he hath done for them and the great ingratitude with the which they haue recompenced him Our Lord might very well punish the Iewes without delay and not contrary vnto the order of iustice but yet he would first put theÌ„ in mind of the great goodnes which they had receaued at his hands and of their manifold sinnes which hee had dissembled to the end that if they feele the smart of it they might not iustly complaine on him It is a cunning manner of reprehending a mans friend to tell him of the good turnes which he hath done vnto him and the dangers which hee hath deliuered him from because by this meanes hee doth not only reprehend him but also confound him Saint Ierome to Martella sayth The summe of all the benefits which God can doe to vs are to direct vs in the right way of goodnesse and put from vs the way of sinne and wickednesse because wee are no lesse bound vnto him who dooth deliuer vs from perils and dangers than vnto him who doth vs great good turnes S. Gregory vpon the Psalmes sayth When the redeemer of the world did make our Lords praier Pater â—â—ster when hee did command vs to say Da nobu hodie giue vs this day hee did also enioine vs to say Sed libera nos But deliuer vs from euill by which words he did teach vs that wee should not onely craue helpe of him but also beseech him that hee would deliuer vs from euill What innumerable benefites God hath bestowed on vs Esay
come into the world condemned to death Zaram onely who was the figure and the sonne of God who was the thing figured were those who had their finger tied with a coloured thred because he and no other was to die for the world and redeeme vs out of sinne What other meaning had the thred of scarlet sauing onely the shedding of his precious bloud The difference betwixt thee O my sweet Iesus and other condemned persons is this that they are tied in a hempen cord and thou in a thred of scarlet and they about the necke and thou about the finger and they are lead to be hanged and thou to be crucified A thiefe is led away bound with a great tope because he is drawne to death by force but the sonne of God is tied with a small fine thred because hee dieth not by force but of his owne free will for if it were not his good pleasure so to doe neither the Angels nor men nor the diuels were able to put him to death O high mystery O diuine Sacrament who euer saw or heard that before a child were borne or knew what sinne was yet that he should come out of his mothers wombe already condemned What mercy can be compared vnto this that before his mother should giue him milke to sucke his owne father threatened him that he should die crucified Elegit suspendium anima mea ossa mea mortem nequaquam vltra iam viuam saith Iob chap. 7. And he spake them when his children were dead and his body plagued and his goods lost and himself vpon the dunghill and it is as if hee would say My paines and dolours doe so narrowly beset mee about and my griefe is come to that bitternesse that my soule hath chosen to be hanged and my life to come at an end because I am a weary to suffer any longer and doe loath my life Such pittifull complaines as these are and such tender vvordes cannot proceed but from an afflicted and grieued heart and from a man which desireth death Because it is the property of one which is distressed to complaine vnto all those which comfort him fill himselfe with weeping with all those which come to visite him What else would holy Iob say when he sayth Elegit suspendium anima mea ossa mea mortem but that his soule desired to bee hanged and his bones chuse death and his life to bee at an end O holy man thou hast nothing left thee but thy soule and wouldest thou haue it hanged nothing left but thy bones and doest thou desire to haue them dead thou hast nothing left but thy life and vvouldest thou loose it Thou must vnderstand my good brother that Iob did not speake these dolefull vvordes in his owne name but in Christs name vnto vvhome this speech dooth most properly belong Because that from the beginning of the vvorld vntill this day there vvas neuer soule so sorrowfull as his nor neuer body so martyred as his vvas Saint Chrisostome vpon these vvords of the Apostle Fidelis deus qui non permittit nos tentari vltra id quod possumus sayth thus Our Lord is very faithfull and pittifull because hee tempteth no man aboue that vvhich hee is able to suffer nor suffereth no man to haue greater paine than he is able to beare the sonne of God excepted onely vpon vvhome the Father laid in the iudgement of men torment and paine not able to bee indured and withall innumerable temptations What vvilt thou require more in this case but that God the Father laid martyrdome vpon Saints by ownces but vpon his blessed sonne by great loads and burdens Whaâ— great distresse vvas his soule in thinke you and vvhat griefe did oppresse his heart vvhen hee sighed for the gallowes and his body desired his graue When did thy soule desire to bee hanged but vvhen thou diddest crucifie thy blessed humanity vpon the crosse when did thy bones couet death but vvhen thou diddest loose thy life for the elects sake When the Scripture sayth Elegit Hee did chuse it is signified that thou diddest die willingly for vs and when he saith Suspendium his death was signified and withall his determination which he had to redeeme the world and that our redemption should be hanged vpon the tree And vvhen he sayth Ossa mea the multitude of people is set forth which were at his death as well the good as the bad the quicke as the dead the good to see themselues redeemed by him and the bad to see themselues reuenged of him All humane pains are brought vnto three principall heads that is to the trouble and trauell of the body to the griefe and sorrow of the mind and to the losse of life These vexations are woont to happen at diuerse times and also be deuided and laid vpon diuerse persons and hee who hath griefe of body feeleth no sorrow of mind and if hee haue anguish of mind yet not so great that it should take his life from him because our Lord is so pittiful that hee dooth not looke vnto the multitude of our offences but vnto the vveakenesse of our forces God was more pittifull vvith all mankind than vvith his owne only sonne considering that hee gaue other men their troubles and paines by peeces and vnto his sonne all at once For hee gaue him sorrow and griefe of mind seeing hee sayth My soule hath chosen to bee hanged and hee gaue him the paines of the body seeing hee sayth that his bones desired death and hee tooke away his life considering that hee sayth Iam non viuam What vnspeakable sorrow and what sea of tempest should tosse and vexe that blessed soule vvhen hee said My soule hath chosen to bee hanged that is that it vvould bee a comfort vnto him to bee crucified What cruell griefe should crush his bones when hee said and my bones death thinking it an ease to see his bones in their graue rather than to suffer such intollerable torment What a iest did they make of his doctrine and how little did they regard his person seeing hee sayth I vvill liue no longer that is that hee vvould forsake vs because vvee are incorrigible and because vvee doe not deserue his company hee vvill not bestow his grace among vs. This speech may otherwise bee very vvell vnderstood because the time vvhich hee did suffer and die in did take from him all that might mittigate his paine and comfort his heart No other Martyr could euer say My soule hath chosen hanging because there vvas none of them vvhich vvanted comfort in their sorrows and helpe in their pains and aboue all this vvas a great comfort to them to thinke for how good a maister they suffered and vvhat a great reward they expected for their martyrdome That vvhich did comfort Martyrs in their Martyrdome did discomfort Christ in his passion For if hee did die it vvas for a lost and peruerse nation and the reward hee looked for
for the sinner and the righteous for the vniust and that vvhich is euerlasting for that vvhich is transitory Our Lord in this place as it vvere iesting and mocking vs doth call all our workes cesternes which cannot hold water that is that wee are cesternes or pooles vvhich let out all vvaters because vve be not vvell glewed and fastened O how our Lord hath shamed vs in these words and embased vs in saying by the Prophet Ieremy that all our vvorkes are nothing but old broken cesternes and puddles wherein there is nothing commonly but reeds and duckeweed dirt mire stinking vvaer and venomous adders Our Lord doth compare vs vvith great reason vnto that vvhich hee dooth name and doth scorne and mocke vs fitly by it because the sinnes vvhich are in our soules are farre vvorser than those filthes which are found in standing puddels What is there in an old puddle that is not in my soule What are all my vvorkes but a little mire vvhose property is to trouble the water hold them fast vvhich enter into it O how vnhappie we be seeing wee sticke so fast in worldly things that wee cannot get out and so bemire our selues in vaine things that wee can neuer make our selues cleane insomuch that there escapeth no man vvhich is not either defiled with sinne or wet vvith infamie Our workes are also compared vnto duckweed in standing puddles vvhose propertie is to fill the vvater and giue it an euill sauour O wretched and vnhappy that I am seeing I doe no more good in the catholick church thā that weed doth in the water which is easily seene seeing I offend and hurt others with my euill example and that which is worst of all I possesse the roome of a good one Thou and I I and thou my brother wherein doe we serue God or wherein doe we benefite the church vnlesse it be in furthering the bad and persecuting the good and cherishing and pampering our bodies and in eating the bread of the little ones Doest not thou eat the bread of the little ones when as if a Moore or a Pagan had receiued so many fauors as thou hast at Gods hands he would haue serued him more than thou hast done and offended him much lesse What doth the duckweed serue for in pooles but to hide and succour frogges and in what doe I serue Christ in but because all kind of sinne should rest in my heart What sinne did euer knocke at my dore vnto which I haue not presently opened Woe be vnto me woe be vnto me what doe I say that I answered presently when sin called at my doore seeing that very oft before it doth call at my doore I goe vp and downe seeking it from house to house Our workes are also like vnto standing puddle whose property is to be troubled and thicke to looke into and very stinking to drinke When our Lord sayth by the Prophet Esaias Auferte malum cogitationum vestrarum ab oculis meis how should he not detest our workes seeing he saith that all that we doe thinke of doth stinke Anselmus sayth If we will haue God accept of that which wee doe it is necessary that all that bee cleane which wee thinke of for God doth not so much looke vnto that which vve be as vnto that vvhich vvee would bee if vve could O my soule O my heart what is in me that hath a good sauour and what is in thee vvhich doth not stinke Dooth not my body stinke with the euill vvorkes vvhich I doe my flesh vvith sloth my mouth with lies my life vvith couetousnesse and my heart vvith malice S. Barnard sayth According vnto the time vvhich I haue liued and according vnto the small profite vvhich I haue done I am partly weary of my life and partly afeard to die for if I behold my flesh it is now stinking with yeares and if I looke vnto my conditions they are also rusty with age All my workes are so vnpleasant and corrupt and my conditions so stinking that it is more tollerable to smell a dead carkasse with my nose than vnto thee O my God to smell this filthy heart of mine Our workes are also like vnto the frogges which are bred in puddles whose property is to make the water loathsome and offend our eares with their croaking S. Barnard vpon the Canticles sayth Looke how beautifull a thing it is to see a soule when shee is in the state of grace so deformed a thing it is to see her when she is darkened with sinne for in the one estate God is neuer satisfied in looking vpon her and in the other he will neuer hear her The properties of frogs are these they are euil fauoured to looke vpon loathsome to touch vnpleasant to heare and monstrous to eat of for if it be well marked they haue no scales like a fish nor feathers like a bird Origen talking of the frogs of Egypt sayth A frog and worse than a frog is that soule which in the fountain of his goodnesse doth not bath her selfe because we may well say of such a soule that she is euill fauoured in respect of her sinne loathsome in respect of her punishment and not to be suffered in respect of her infamie The quality of the frog is to croake night day it is the condition of a naughty man alwaies to complain because it is one of the infelicities which naughty mē endure in this life that they complaine of all things and liue discontented with thēselues It is also to be weighed that how well soeuer the stones of a poole bee ioined yet the water dooth woose betweene them vnlesse they bee well mortered together because that the propertie of the water is to moisten that which it toucheth and seeke alwaies where it may find a place to issue out What thinkest thou is the clay and morter with the which a holy soule is fastened together but only Gods holy grace Irenaeus in an Homily saith What dooth it auaile vs to haue in the poole of our soule the vertue of humility the goodnesse of patience the wealth of almes giuing and the perfection of abstinence if there want the clay and pitch of charity to keepe them togither S. Ambrose vpon Beati immaculati sayth Let vs not cast away our selues and grieue because our Lord wil not impart his graces vnto vs but because we know not how to keepe them when we haue thē because there is required greater vertue to keepe that which is gotten than to recouer that which was lost O what great reason our Lord hath to say and complaine of all the good turnes that he doth vs and of all the fauours which he doth bestow vpon vs for we cast them al into an old puddle where we haue nothing but the dirt of couetousnesse the frogges of vainglory the reeds and duckeweeds of hypocrisie and the tod-poole of lechery CHAP. IX How the sonne of God did not refuse to drinke gaule and
falleth from his estate than of him who loseth his wits because that he who is become a foole dooth not remember that euer hee was wise but the disgraced man and he who is troddeÌ„ down doth alwaies bewaile his infortunate mishap To come theÌ„ vnto our purpose there was neuer nation so much made of at Gods hands as the people of Israel was because hee called them his louing sonne his peculiar people his chosen vineyard his enclosed orchard and Commonwealth whom he most of all affected He went for their sakes into Egypt he opened them the red sea he gaue them Manna from heauen hee gaue them Angels to keepe them Priests to guide them dukâ—es to defend them countries to inhabite and great riches to ioy in What did hee not giue them if they asked it and what did he denie them if they requested it seeing that in the day time he made them a shadow of a cloud and in the night gaue them light with a pillar of fire All these priuiledges dured no longer thaÌ„ Abraham Isaac and Iacob liued and the rest of the fathers and with theÌ„ all familiarity died Tertullian sayth That as long as there were holy men among the Iewes they were welbeloued of God but when the people of Israel went worser and worser our Lord did forget them and had no care at all ouer them For as the church sayth Sicut to colimus ita nos visita Is it much that God should be carelesse in doing of vs good if we grow cold in his seruice S. Augustine sayth in an Homilie When the sonne of God came into the world to take flesh vpon him the Synagogue had fallen into decay long before which they shall easily see to bee true who will diligently read the Scriptures For the Prophet Malachias doth call her soot Ieremy drosse Baruch a putrified worm Ezechiel a moth Amos a wild vine Abdias smoke Osee a sinke for as hee was wont to inuent names to honour thee so now hee seeketh names of infamy to discredit thee And like vnto one who is angry and discontented God calleth his people of Israel dregs and sinke and soot and smoke for as the Iewes grew more and more in sinnes so God punished them more and more and quipped and taunted them with new names What greater iniury could he doe to them or what greater reproch could hee vse towards them than call them filthy dregs and rotten lees Fulgentius in a Sermon sayth According vnto the prophecy of Esayas Can you O you Israelites denie mee that there is any thing left of your Priesthood of your royall scepter of your rich temple of your ancient kingdome of your famous people but the lees which smell and the dregs which stinke Christ found very stinking dregs in al the Iewish Priesthood seeing we read of it in the books of the Machabees that they gaue not the roome of the high Bishop vnto him who best deserued it but vnto him who bought it for most money The sonne of God found very rotten dregs in the roiall scepter of Iuda considering that it was vsurped of the Romanes and tyrannized by Herods Christ found filthy grounds in all the Scriptures seeing that the Rabines had falsified them and interpreted them according vnto their owne meaning Christ found the Hebrew tongue stained in lees and dregs and the reason was because that as the vnfortunate Iewes had been captiues in diuerse parts so they spake diuerse languages Was not the Synagogue now become stinking and filthy dregs seeing that there was no vice in the world which was not found in her In the Princes Christ found pride in the Priests enuy in the Pharisies hypocrisie in the old men malice in the young men ignorance in the popular and vulgar sort couetousnesse CHAP. XI How the Synagogue gaue Christ that to drinke that shee her selfe was that is gaule and that which she had that is vineger ECce ignis ligna vbi est victima holocausti Genesis 22. These lamentable speeches passed betwixt the Father and the sonne the sonne and the Father in manner of a dialogue the one asking and the other answering The case was then this that when Abraham had brought his sonne Isaac from among the people and being gone vp to the hill with his hands bound the wood set on a heap and the fire kindled and the sword drawn to sacrifice his sonne he said vnto his Father behold father here is the wood and the fire made where is the beast which shall bee sacrificed To this demand the sorrowfull Father answered this Dominus prouidebit sibi victimam holocausti sili mi as if he would say Take thou no care my sonne take no care for the Lord will prouide a sacrifice which shall be more acceptable vnto him than all the sacrifices of the world This prophecie which the Patriark Abraham vttereth is so excelleÌ„t high that although many haue read it yet very few vnderstand it for although it be short in words yet the mysteries which it containeth are many What meaneth this O old Abraham what meaneth this God doth command thee to kill and burne and sacrifice and offer thy owne sonne and doest thou prophecy that our Lord will prouide for a sacrifice farre better than this which thou doest bring O high mystery diuine Sacrament for the holy man hauing his sonne in a readinesse to be sacrificed the wood prepared to cast him into the fire made to burne him the sword drawne to kill him and a commandement from God to offer him yet carelesly saith that the Lord will prouide another sacrifice Abraham dooth not speake here with the Synagogue his mother for for her the sacrificing of Isaac was prepared which was the figure of a sacrifice but he spake with our mother the holy catholicke church for whom God would prouide another new sacrifice which was Christ crucified in whome all the sacrifices of the law were to end and the Sacraments of the church take their beginning Because all meÌ„ might know that Abraham did not speake of the sacrifice of Isaacs sonne but of the sacrifice of Christ which was to come our Lord said not that hee had already prouided a sacrifice but that he would prouide neither did he say that he would prouide it for another but for himselfe neither that hee would prouide many but one neither that he would indifferently prouide for any but a killed sacrifice laid whole on the altar Theophilus vpon the Apostle sayth That in all the old Testament there was no sacrifice so excellent nor so strange nor so costly as that of Abraham Isaac his sonne And seeing that Abraham the maker of that sacrifice doth prophecie that there shall bee another sacrifice which shall excell his why do not you O you Iewes receiue Christ as a true sacrifice Neither did Abraham say that he would prouide many sacrifices but only one for if we marke it well it was the poore Synagogue which
was loaden with many sacrifices and beleeued in many Christs and offered many Holocausts but the holy church hath but one sacrifice beleeueth but in one Christ and doth offer but one Holocaust Neither doth Abraham say that the Lord would prouide a sacrifice for any other but for himselfe seeing hee sayth Dominus prouidebit sibi for vntill the very instant and houre that his sonne was crucified on the crosse he was neuer pleased nor pacified for the offēce which was done vnto him Neither did Abraham say that he would prouide indifferētly any sacrifice but specially that sacrifice which was called Holocaustum because that in al other sacrifices there remained alwaies one part for the priest to eat of another for him which offered it for to take away But it was not so in that sacrifice which they called Holocaustū because that in it all the whole beast was quartered cut in peeces burnt so being made ashes was wholly offered vnto God Was it not think you an Holocaust a great Holocaust which Christ offered seeing there was no spot in it wherby it should be cast away nor any mēber in his body which was not tormented To come then vnto our purpose it is to be noted that we haue made all this discourse to proue that in the mystery of this word Sitio which end because that the Iewes did but borrow them vntill our Lord should prouide them a sacrifice which by Abraham he promised vnto all the world Isidorus vpon Genesis sayth The sacrifice which God promised to send into the world ought to bee worthy of him vnto whom it was offered and profitable vnto him who did offer it which could not bee by dead calues and the bloud of goats and vnpleasant liquors nor yet with bloudy hands How was it possible that the sacrifices of time past should please the Lord or profit the sinner which did offer them seeing their altars did seeme rather butchers shambles than temples of Priests Rabanus sayth Abrahams sacrifice was profitable vnto himselfe and hurtfull vnto his sonne seeing he should there haue lost his life and because we may know that this is true the Lord did ordaine that Abrahams sword should onely threaten his sonne Isaac and afterward kil the son of God Our Lord seeing what smal benefite should be gotten by the death of that child what griefe it would cause vnto this old Father although hee gaue him license to draw his sword yet hee did not consent that it should come neere the child the which our Lord would neuer haue hindered if the death of that child could haue ben sufficient to redeeme al the world God the Father was older than Abraham and loued his sonne better than Abraham did his yet notwithstanding all this seeing that in that only sacrifice did consist mans saluation he consented that they should take his life from him Esichius vpon Leuiticus sayth That that which Abraham did was only good vnto himselfe alone because hee did accomplish that which was commanded him but when he said that the Lord would prouide a sacrifice vnto himselfe that was profitable vnto all the world considering that by that prophecie wee were warranted and made sure that we should be redeemed by the sonne of God Origen sayth That it is much to be noted how that all the sacrifices of the old law did proceed from two things only that is from the beasts which they did kill and the fruit which they plucked from trees Of their beasts they did offer the head and feet vnto the Lord the caule the flesh and the entralls and of trees incense storax fruit grapes aloes mirrhe oile and sweet odours And God was not content only that euery mā should offer what pleased himselfe but onely of that which God in the law commāded that is of beasts that they should offer the greatest of fruits the best of perfumes the sweetest of mettales the richest of liquors the most excellente If we beleeue the Philosopher in his book De animalibus The first thing that is engendred is the heart and the last the gaule when a beast dieth it is contrary for the first thing that corrupteth is the gaule and the heart the last thing that dieth The Commentator sayth That as the gaule is the last thing that is ingendred in man so it is also the most filthiest and basest thing that is in him Of all liquors the wine is the most precious and contrary no liquor worser than the dregs of soure corrupted wine Doest thou thinke my brother that we haue trauelled in vaine in prouing vnto thee that the gaule is the worst part of the beast and putrified dregs the worst of liquors The end why wee haue spoken all this is because that when the Redeemer of the world was dead with thirst vpon the altar of the crosse they gaue him these two thinges to drinke that is bitter gaule which is the last and worst part of the beast and dregs and vineger which is the worst of all liquors S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth The purest clearest and cleanest of the Synagogue was already ended and gone and turned into vineger and lees by reason wherof they gaue Christ nothing to drinke but gaule vineger giuing vs therby to vnderstand that they did not giue him only that which they had in the Synagogue but also that which themselues were For what was all the Synagogue but soure vineger and bitter gaule It was not without a high mystery that they offered that which they did to Christ vpon the crosse for as the gaule is the last and the vildest thing that is in the beast so the Synagogue was now at an end and at the vvorst of all her life in so much that shee was become nothing els but a gaule of malice and also vineger of couetousnesse Saint Ierome sayth Euen as vineger hath been good wine because it was gathered of the best of the vine so the people of the Iews were somtimes good because they had good mē among them in so much that there is no other meaning in that they gaue Christ wine mingled with mire and soure vineger to drinke but that the people were now corrupted and scarse one good man left among them How came this hap among you O you Iewes that all the wine of your vessels is become soure vineger and all the hony of your hiues turned into bitter gaule Then your wine began to turne into vineger when you would not receiue Christ for your Redeemer and then all your hony turned into gaule when you did defame his doctrine and bereaue him of his life The Synagogue striketh great pity into my heart to see that in time past they did offer vnto their God sacrifices Holocausts and offerings and afterward gaule and vineger and dregs by which cursed and wicked offering they took away their makers life brought their Commonwealth vnto an end CHAP. XII How that the thirst
that Christ had vpon the crosse was not so much for drinke as to desire to suffer more for vs. EXpergefactus lassus adhuc sitit anima eius vacua est Esay chap. 29. The Prophet Esay vttereth these words speaking in generall of the great trauails and most greiuous thirst which the sonne of God suffered in particular and it is as if he would say The great Messias waked out of his sleepe like vnto a man who had escaped out of a lithargy or some drousie disease whē he beheld the state of his soule he found that she was empty For the Prophet to say that the sonne of God slept vpon the crosse and that after he waked and was weary and found his heart empty seemeth a strange and a doubtfull thing vnto pittifull eares For if it be true that hee suffered how was it possible that he slept and if he slept how could it be that he suffered What is more strange vnto torment than sleepe and what a greater enemy to sleepe than torment Considering that the sonne of God hanged vpon the altar of the crosse his feet bare his hands torne his side pierced his sinews wrested and his bones put out of ioint how could it bee that he should sleepe or take any rest at all He who should hang vpon the crosse as Christ did that is weary wasted bloudy nailed and one ioint drawn from another would he not haue greater ability and inclination to complaine than desire of sleepe The Prophet vttereth foure things in this prophecie the first that Christ did awake out of a sleepe and dreame which he slept the second that he awaked aweary the third that hee awaked thirsty the fourth that hee found his heart empty Of all these foure things the one doth make vs most of all to maruell for to say that Christ was aweary I beleeue it to say that he was a thirst I agree vnto it and that he wanted all comfort I do also admit But to say that he slept there is that which maketh me to wonder because his eternall Father did not send him thither to sleepe but to redeem all the world It is much to bee noted in this place that the famous Augustine sayth against Manichaeus Saepè imo saepissimè in sacris literis circumstantiae scripturarum declarant Scripturam as if he would say It happeneth oftentimes that when the Scripture is darke and obscure that the circumstances before going and comming after doe declare and explain the same Scripture and one Prophet doth declare another and one text another This then being so it is conuenient for vs to find out in Scripture some kind of sleepe and by that we may coniecture and gesse at the manner of sleeping which the son of God slept vpon the crosse and also wee shall know when how and wherefore Christ did awake out of his sleepe Excitatus est tanquam dormiens dominus tanquam potens crapulatus vino sayth the Prophet Dauid Psalm 77. as if he would say Our Lord did awake out of his dreame like a man that is sleeping and hee rose out of that dreame like a man full of power and like vnto one who had drunke wine It is a verefied truth in our Christian faith that God is a pure spirit and a substance not compounded but simple which hath no flesh which may putrifie nor bones which may be brokē nor hunger which may cause him to eat nor stomack to disgest with nor vapours to ascend and prouoke him to sleepe nor yeares to make him old If it bee true that there is no time which can make God old nor meat which can force him to sleepe is it not also true that his sleepe is otherwise to be vnderstood than ours and that he awaketh in another manner than we doe When the Philosopher sayth That sleep is the image of death what else doth he mean but that a man which sleepeth is nothing else but an image of a dead man Mark well the conditions of a dead man and thou shalt find the same in one which sleepeth for he who is in his bed asleepe and hee who is in his graue can neither speake nor heare nor vnderstand those which call vpō them nor feele those which touch them nor offend those which abuse them nor complaine on those which blaspheme them nor reuenge on those which hurt them Who will not say that our Lord dooth not sleepe this kind of sleep seeing we see that in naughty men he doth dissemble their ambition the blasphemies which they speak the adulteries which they commit the incests they go about and the malice which they thinke What is sleepe in a man but to haue all his members at rest And what else is sleeping in our Lord but the suspending of his vengeance and punishment The wicked men thinke that because our Lord doth suffer them to liue in the world and not punish thē that therefore he is asleep that he hath no care ouer the things of this world which is an errour without all doubt for they must know if they know it not that that which wee call in a man sleeping is called in God dissembling Vpon those words of the Prophet Dormitauerunt omnes S. Ambrose sayth Our Lord doth winke at the naughtinesse of wicked men not because he hath a desire that they should sinne but because he hopeth that they should amend which if they doe not the Lord awaketh for their wickednes and laieth his heauy hand ouer thē Whē is our Lord seen to awake out of his sleep but whē he laieth his hand ouer the naughty mā doth chastise him for his errour Euen as whē one will giue another a great blow the higher he doth lift his hand the greater stroke hee doth giue him in the self same sort the longer time our Lord doth stay and wait for the wicked the more rigorously and with lesser pity he doth punish him Whereof thinkest thou doth it proceed that God doth awake to punish thy sinne but because he doth see thee sleepe so long time in sinne Isidorus saith Wilt thou see curious reader that our Lords casting himselfe to sleepe is nothing else but to dissemble at our faults and that to awake is nothing else in him but to begin to punish thy sinne thou maiest perceiue it by that that as the Prophet had said Excitatus est tanquam dormiens hee added immediately Etpercussit eos in pectora eorum What other thing doth the Prophet say vnto vs by these words but that at the selfe same time houre and moment that the Lord did awake out of his sleepe he did put his rigorous hand ouer the Princes of the Gentiles Looke well vnto it my brother looke well vnto it and be not deceiued and if thou think that our Lord is asleepe hath no regard of thy doings take thou heed for it is the temptation of the diuell and that none of the least with the
which he doth deceiue the world for thou wilt one day thinke that the Lord is carelesse and hee will send some grieuous punishment vpon thee And thou art now to vnderstand that there are so many in thy house which will awake him as thou hast faults and sinnes in thy soule In the house of our Lord who is the waker of his clemency but only our amendment and who is the waker of his iustice but only our offence Vpon those words of the Psalme Ecce non dormitabit S. Barnard sayth As the enemy which dooth impugn Israel Non aormitabit neque dormiet so the Lord who defendeth Israel Neque dormitabit neque dormiet and if it seeme that his clemency is asleepe when he doth fauour vs it is because we should liue better and if it seemeth that hee dooth defer his iustice it is because we should amend What should Isay more vnto thee but look what workes thou doest such wakers of God thou hast If thou be good thou doest awake him to doe thee good if thou bee naught thou doest awake him to doe thee hurt because that in the sight of our Lord the fault crieth for punishment and goodnesse asketh reward Ioining then mystery vnto mystery and Sacrament vnto Sacrament now that wee haue declared how God slept in the old Testament it is reason that wee declare also how his son did sleepe and awake vpon the crosse seeing that there is no lesse to be wondered at in the sleeping of the sonne thā there was to be spoken of in the sleeping of the Father For to think that the sonne of God did sleepe vpon the crosse as one that is weary and in health is woont to doe were a vanity and also an heresie for giuing him as they did gaule to eat and vineger to drinke there were more reason that his stomacke should be ready to ouerturne rather than his head haue any inclination to sleepe When Esay sayth Expergefactus lassus hee speaketh nor of materiall sleepe but of spirituall and if hee say that Christ did awake his powers within him without doubt did not awake because they were broken with tormēts but those powers did awake which lie hidden within him And although the Apostle doe say Quòd ex ipso in ipso per ipsum sunt omnia to wit of him in him and by him all things are yet there are sixe principall things aboue the rest in him These sixe are his essence his power his wisedome his humane flesh his patience and his clemency and of these sixe excellences and graces three of them slept when the sonne of God suffered and the other three alwaies watched His pure and diuine essence slept vpon the crosse seeing hee did not shew himselfe by it to be an absolute God for if hee had shewed himselfe to haue been onely God and not man he could neuer haue died vpon the crosse His high and eternall wisedome slept vpon the crosse in his passion seeing that hee neuer answered vnto any iniurious word were it neuer so grieuous against him Esichius sayth Christ did suffer that to be done by him on the crosse that a sheepe doth by himselfe in the butchery for if the sonne of God should haue showne before Pilate and Herod any sparke of his wisdome the Iews had neuer been able to haue put him to death His inspeakable and incomparable power did also sleep in his passion vpon the crosse not reuenging at all on his enemies for if it would haue pleased him to haue vsed it in lesse than a moment hell would haue swallowed thē all aliue Now that wee haue told what three powers slept with Christ on the crosse it is also conuenient for vs to shew what three they were which watched with him the same time His tender flesh did not sleep at the time of his passion vpon the crosse which was not one moment at ease nor an instant without torment How was it possible that Christ should not bee but awake on the crosse seeing that there was no vaine in his holybody which did not bleed nor no part of his flesh which was not brused and beaten blacke and blew His incomparable patience did watch and not sleepe vpon the crosse the which our blessed Iesus did neuer lose seeing that he neuer spake iniurious word vnto his enemies nor neuer shewed them an angry countenance Augustine sayth All deuout persons ought to follow Christ in the vertue of suffering for besides that the vertue of patience is meritotious before God shee is also an occasion of great quietnesse in mans life Christs diuine and louing clemency did also watch and not sleep in his passion the vvhich he did shew vvhen hee pardoned his enemies and praied for his malefactors O infinite goodnesse O inspeakable pitie O my good Iesus for if vve should grant that all the other vertues should haue slept on the crosse yet thy clemency vvould neuer haue giuen ouer vvatching for it is farre easier for the sonne to lose his light than for thee not to forgiue and pardon Plutarch in his Apothegms sayth That the Emperor Titus on a time gaue a great sigh and said Diem amisimus amici as if he vvould say It is not reason that this day should be reckoned among the daies of my life seeing that I haue done no good nor vsed any liberality in it This speech was spread throughout all the world much commended of the Philosophers and worthy of so high a Prince That which the Emperour Titus spake of his francknesse Christ might farre better haue spoken of his infinite clemency for if the Emperour did let no day passe in the which he did not some good neither did Christ let slip any houre or moment wherein hee did not pardon some offence And because the Prophet saith that the sonne of God did not onely sleepe but also that he did awake let vs now see how these three powers did awake in Christ and when and for what cause His incomparable diuine essence did rise and awake when he spake that terrible word at the time that his soule was drawne out of him and therevpon as it were in a traunce and a maze the great Centurion said of Christ That this was the son of the true God Christ did also awake his high wisdome vpon the crosse whē he spake those seuen wordes in the last houre of his death in the which there is contained more profound and deepe science and knowledge than is in all humane Philosophy or knowledge Christ did also awake his incomparable power when hee made the sunne to be darkened the earth to tremble and quake the graues to open and the dead to rise again Who dooth doubt but that the sonne of God doth shew in these wonderfull meruels the highnesse of his power the depth of his essence and the greatnesse of his wisedome and the valour of his person O my good Iesus O the light of my soule how vnlike thou
of smels is of bread the sauor of sauors is of salt the sweetest of all sweetes is of hony and the bitterest of all bitters is of gaule For what is there vnder heauen sweeter than hony or more bitter than gaule For what stomacke is there in the world so strong who after a cup of gaule and vineger would not either burst or die Rabanus vpon S. Luke sayth If the Iewes had remembred that his Father gaue them fresh water in the desart to drinke of and bread from heauen to eat of and that his sonne likewise gaue fiue thousand of them fish their fill and bread vntill they left off it they would not haue giuen him gaule to eat and vineger to drinke Damascenus sayth That it is proper to naughty men to be very sparing in matters of vertue and in matters of vice very lauish which doth easily appear in Christ for he asking for nothing but drink they gaue him also somewhat to eat Anselmus sayth That the abundance of malice and the want of conscience made the Iewes put that bitter gaule to Christs mouth which other men do loath to touch The Iewes did also shew the depth of their wicked naughtinesse in giuing Christ that horrible drinke being as hee was so neere death vpon the crosse because that all men are wont in that extremity bee they friends or enemies to helpe him who is in torment to die well and no man in that houre dare to trouble or vexe him Origen sayth That it is a custome among sauage and barbarous men that such as were enemies in their life time doe reconcile themselues and pardon one another in death Because as Plato sayth Death alone doth end all trauaile and all anger This generall rule failed only in the Iewes as men which were more barbarous and inhumane than all other who at the very time that Christ was yeelding vp his spirit did spet vpon him blasphemed him with their tongues hated him with their hearts tormented him with gaule and vineger King Dauid and king Saul were mortal enemies but when the Philistims had slain Saul in the hils of Gelboe they saw Dauid weepe bitterly for him and caused him to bee buried with great care and diligence All writers doe affirme that there were not greater enemies in all Greece than Demosthenes the Philosopher and Eschines the Orator but when Eschines vnderstood in Rhodes that Demosthenes his enemy was dead in Athens he did not only weepe many teares for him but did also bestow sumptuous funerals vpon him The great hatred and warres which were betwixt Iulius Caesar and Pempeius the great are knowne vnto all the world yet neuerthelesse when pittifull Casar had Pompeius head in his hands hee spake many pittifull words in his fauour and shed many teares ouer his head Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn sayth That there was neuer read of the like hatred as the Iews bare Christ seeing that although they saw his breath going out of his body yet they gaue him gaule to eat and vineger to drinke because that as they had tormented his outward members with torments they might also poyson his inward bowels with griefe and paine S. Cyprian sayth It is not credible that the wicked Iews had mens hearts in them but the hearts of some madde dogges seeing that the more the sonne of God did draw neere vnto death the more they did waxe cruell because that the end why they gaue him gaule and vineger was because hee should die sooner and also raging If as it did please Christ onely to tast of that drinke it had been his will to haue drunke it all considering how there was no bloud left in his vaines and also his weakenesse at that time it is no doubt but it would haue shortened his life and put him to a more painfull death O that this doctor said very well that they had not mens hearts in them for otherwise considering the extremity they saw him in they could not haue done lesse than haue giuen him some wine to drinke or water to refresh him or vsed some words of comfort O pittifull case and vnspeakable cruelty seeing that at the houre of thy death thou haddest no friend to encourage thee no drop of water to refresh thee but onely a little gaule for thy breakefast and a little vineger to drie thy mouth with Let not mee vse then any delicate meates and let all superfluous diet bee farre from mee for seeing my God and Lord doth neither eat nor drinke but gaule and vineger from euening to euening how dare I fare daintely at set meales How dare I looke for death seeking a thousand dainties euery houre and change a thousand meats euery day Seeing that thou O my good Iesus haddest thy mouth poysoned with gaule and wet with vineger O sacred mouth O holy tongue who is so wicked as to dare bath that mouth with gaule and vineger hauing preached with the same so many Sermons giuen so many holy lessons taught so many people and done so many miracles You should put gaule and vineger O yee cursed Iewes vpon this my mouth which is neuer opened but to deceiue and vpon my tongue which can doe nothing but lie for as for that of your Creator and our Redeemer what sinue was there that hee did not tell you of and what vertue is there that hee did not teach you Saint Barnard sayth O what great difference there is betwixt mouth and mouth tongue and tongue For mans tongue said vnto Pilat crucifige eum Christs tongue said vnto his Father Nesciunt quid faciunt In so much that the peoples whole drift was to induce Pilate to kill him and Christs whole intention was to persuade his Father to forgiue them Vbertinus sayth Should not Christ haue had better reason to haue giuen the people gaule and vineger seeing they accused him openly thā they to Christ considering that with teares hee did excuse them Quid vltra debui vineae meae quod non feci Said Christ to the Prophet Esaya◠as if hee would say O my chosen vine O my deere Synagogue what diddest thou aske of mee that I did not giue thee or what could I doe for thee that I haue not done These wordes are deepely to bee considered of seeing that by them our Lord dooth call the Synagogue to a reckoning like vnto one friend which chideth with another who with intention not to breake off their friendship will trie out where the fault lieth And to the same purpose God spake by the Prophet Ieremy when hee said Iudicium contraham tecum as if hee would say I will O Israell that thou and I and I and thou sit down to iudge and take an arbitrator betwixt vs to the end that both parts being hard he may iudge what small reason thou hast to offend me what great cause I haue to complaine on thee O infinit goodnesse O vnspeakable clemency of thee my great God what creature can iustly say
that thou hast condemned him without iustice seeing thou doest first sit downe to verifie thy iustice O vnto how many may God iustly say at this day what can I doe more for thee than I haue done and wherein canst thou offend me more than thou hast offended me O good Iesus O light and glory of my soule what shouldest thou doe more for me than create me or what couldest thou doe more for me than redeeme mee Thy goodnesse and my wickednes do striue before thy face and thy grace and my offence thy bountie and my vngratefulnesse thy mercy and mine obstinacy thy pardon and my sinne in so much that I neuer cease to sinne and thou neuer to dissemble it But to speake more particularly it is to be cōsidered that our God was not cōtēted to redeem all of vs in general but he did also satisfie for our sins in particular laying vpon himself a particular pain which should answere vnto our particular offence Christ satisfied for the sinne of pride when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him vnto which humility there can no vertue of any Saint be compared because he made himselfe of God a man of eternall temporall of one that was immortall mortal Barnard sayth That of all those which were proud Lucifer was the greatest of all gluttons Adam of all Traitors Iudas of all patient men Iob and of all humble men Christ exceeded all Christ satisfied for fornication by his circumcision and therevpon it is that because the sinne of lechery is that sinne into which men do easiliest and most oftenest fall into our Lords pleasure was to redeeme it with his precious bloud Christ satisfied for the sinne of enuy with his incomparable pouerty which hee so streitly kept that hee had neither house to dwell in nor a penny to spend nor wealth to liue by S. Ierome sayth That the end of Christs pouerty was to withdraw from himselfe things necessary because we should leaue off things superfluous for if a Christian haue any thing in his house which is superfluous hee dooth possesse it all as stolne from the poore Christ satisfied for gluttony by his continuall fasting all his life time and oftentimes suffering great hunger which is easily seene because that after his fast in the desart he was greatly a hungred and also when he and his disciples did eat eares of corne in the field S. Barnard sayth Christ had such a great feruour to preach by day and did contemplate so continually by night that although hee had meat yet he did scarse remember to eat it Christ satisfied for the sinne of anger with his continuall patience which patience of his was so perfect that hee neuer knew how to reuenge an iniury nor neuer vse towards any man an iniurious word In patientia vestra possedebilis animarū vectrarum said Christ to his disciples Luke 25. As if hee would say The merit and reward of patience is so great that it maketh him vvho hath it lord ouer his owne soule Many possesse their eares by not hearing of backbiting and other possesse their eies not seeing of vaine things and others possesse their hands by keeping them from stealing others their tongues by keeping them from blasphemy but of all these which I haue spoken off doth Christ say that any of them doth possesse his soule but only hee who hath patience What doth it auaile vs to be lords of our feet hands and ears if the diuell do possesse our soules What is it to be lord and maister ouer a mans own soule but wholy to subdue his owne sensuality Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth He onely hath his will in subiection who in trauaile and vexation hath great patience Christ doth say very well that you shall possesse your soules in your patience Seeing that patience is the vertue which dooth confirme friends reconcile enemies cut off passions and maketh our he arts mild and gentle Loe then thou seest it proued how the son of God was not content to redeeme all the world in generall but that hee did in particular as it were satisfie for euery sinne disburdening euery man of a particular fault and casting vpon himselfe a generall paine CHAP. XV. Here there is brought a figure of Dauid and declared to the purpose OSi quis mihi daret potum aqua de cisterna quae est iuxta portum Bethleem 2. Reg. 23. king Dauid being in the field of the giants and fighting with the Philistims in summer time and wearied with the heat of the sunne and wanting water gaue a great sigh and vttered these wordes O who would giue me now a cup of water of the cestern which is neere vnto the gate of Bethleem where I was wont to recreate my selfe when I was a young man and take my fill in drinking of the water Dauids sigh being heard and his great desire of drinking perceiued three young men which were his seruants determined to arme themselues and goe to Bethelem for water maugre the enemies with a resolution to bring some or die in the place And as they had sworne so they did accomplish it and going through the enemies camp striking and killing the end was that they shed more bloud in going than they brought water in comming againe In the letter of this figure there are two things to be noted that is that good king Dauid did not sigh nor desire sauerous wine to make him drunk with but for a pot of water to refresh himself with Whereof we may take an example that we may better ouercome our inuisible enemies with abstinence than with abundance and plenty Yet so it was that notwithstanding the great thirst which Dauid had hee would not drinke one drop of that water saying that God forbid that hee should drinke of that water which was gotten with the deaths of so many men and was bought with so much bloud Euery man may take an example to himselfe by this that no man should carry any thing to his house gotten with an euill conscience or by the preiudice of another for we see nothing more common than that men for greedinesse of another mans doe not onely lose that which was their own by inheritance but that also which of other mens they had gotten Leauing the letter and comming to the spirituall meaning it doth well appeare that Christ is the sonne of Dauid and that Dauid is the father of Christ seeing the one was thirsty in the field and the other on the Mount of Caluary the one sighting the other sufiering the one compassed with enemies and the other hanging betweene theeues the one to drinke a cup of cold water and the other to redeeme mankind How farre greater the thirst was which the sonne of God had than that which Dauid had it is easily seene in that that Dauid did manifest his thirst with words onely and the sonne of God with words and teares wherevpon wee may inferre that his true thirst was not so much to
guide our works in his seruice he vvho vvill direct thē to our profit Chrisostom saith vpon S. Luke for God to ask the first fruits of that vvhich vve cut in the field is to ask of vs that vvee loue him vvith all our hearts for that vvhich is not begun vnder him and in his holy name vvill end afterward by the hands of the diuel He doth pay our Lord his first fruits vvho vvhen hee riseth out of his bed doth cōmend himselfe vnto our Lord offer vnto him all that vvhich he vvill doe that day and he stealeth his first fruits from our Lord vvho neither careth for to serue God nor to say any one praier but as soone as hee riseth beginneth to lie and cousin He paieth our Lords first fruits vvho of four and twenty houres vvhich are in the day bestovveth one in thinking vpon him and hee stealeth from God the first fruits vvho hath neither regard of his soule nor thinketh vpon God at any houre It is also to bee vveighed that our Lord is not contented vvith his first fruits of greene corne vnlesse it bee offered vp dried at the fire to giue vs knovvledge that all that vvee doe is nothing vvorth if vve doe not vvarme our selues at the fire of his loue What is all that vvorth vvhich I doe or vvhat am I vvorth vvhich doe it if I doe it not for God Hee doth offer vp all his eares of his corne dried who dooth all his vvorkes for God and hee doth offer them greene who doth them not but only for men vvhom vvee do assure that for those God will neuer pay nor yet men be thankfull What other thing bee the greene eares and not ripe but all our weake and humane actions Greene and hard and vnseasoned are all our workes and therefore wee haue need of the heat of fire to drie them because God dooth neuer accept that which is offered if he who doth offer it bee not accepted He offereth vnto our Lord greene eares who hath no patience in trauels for as the value of gold is knowne in the goldsmithes melting pot so is a good Christian known in tribulation Hee is a greene Christian who doth interprete the Gospell according vnto his owne will and he is a very green religious man who striueth against his superiour because that the true seruant of our Lord should haue no will of his owne nor desire authority nor dare to possesse any thing proper Then we will say that the eare is drie when it goeth easily out of the straw then we will say that a man is perfect when he is weaned from all couetous and worldly things Thou art very greene my brother if with thy humility there bee mingled any ambition with thy charity any enuy with thy pouerty any couetousnesse with thy chastity any wantonnesse and with thy honesty any hipocrisie by reason whereof thou must draw neere vnto the heauenly fire vntill thou hast cast this dreame from thee It is a great sign that the block which lieth smoking in the sire is not throughly drie and the religious person which yet tasteth of the world is not well grounded in religion because the true seruant of our Lord hath his heart as dead to the world for Christs sake as a mans body is dead which lieth buried in the graue The end of the fift word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse Here beginneth the sixt word which Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est vz. All is now finished and at an end CHAP. I. Here there are put diuers vnderstandings of this speech CVm accepisset Iesus acetum dixit Consummatum est This is the sixt word which the Redeemer of the world spake at the houre of his death on the altar of the crosse and it is as if he would say As hee ended to take and tast of the gaule and vineger which they had giuen him in the spunge and offered him vpon a reed he said Consummatumest that is That all is now accomplished and made perfect seeing the redemption of the world is ended the malice of the Synagogue fulfilled If we looke curiously vnto it we shall find these words true Consummatum est and few in number but yet the mysteries enclosed in them very many because wee are assured by those words by his holy mouth that we are pardoned of the eternall Father that is that satisfaction is now ended and that wee are now by his precious sonne redeemed Being a rule of the Philosopher Quod omnia quae fiunt fiunt propter finem If Christ had not spoken these words Consummatum est we should not haue knowne so plainly of his own mouth whether al mankind was fully redeemed or whether there remained any mystery of holy scripture to be accomplished But seeing the sonne of God said Consummatū est we may stand vpon a sure ground that there is neither any workes of our redemption vnaccomplished nor any one tittle of Scripture not fulfilled O what a great comfort it is to humane nature that Christ had said Consummatum est by his owne holy mouth For Dauid Ieremy Esay Daniel Ezechiel durst neuer say that sinne was at an end but only that it should haue an end in the time of the Messias the which as it was by them prophecied so it was by Christ fulfilled Septuaginta hebdomedae abbreuiatae sunt super populum tuum super vrbem sanctam tuam vt consummatur preuaricatio c The Angell Gabriell spake these words to the Prophet Daniel chap. 9. as if hee should say Seuenty weekes hence which shall bee accomplished foure hundred and seuen and twenty yeares hence the holy of all holies shall be annointed iustice shall bee perfect noughtinesse shall bee blotted out and sinne ended Compare thou now O curious reader the prophecy of Finem accipiet peccatum with Consummatum est which Christ spake and thou shalt plainely see how it is said only of the sonne of God that he shal redeeme vs and how hee doth assure vs that hee hath already redeemed vs. S. Augustine sayth Who was able to say that sinne is at an end but only hee who died to end sinne It is here to bee noted what is said who speaketh it where hee speaketh it and in what meeting he spake it and for what mystery hee spake it That which is spoken is Consummatum est hee who spake it is Christ the place where is the crosse the time was euen as he was yeelding vp the ghost the cause why was for the comfort of all his church for of al the seuen words which Christ spake vpon the crosse there is none which maketh so much for our purpose as Consummutum est In the first word which was Father forgiue thē what interest had the church in it seeing that Christ spake it onely for the pardon of the Synagogue In the second which was Lord remember mee what had the church in it
seeing it was spoken by the theefe which suffered by Christ In the third which was Behold thy mother what part hath the church therein seeing hee spake it onely vnto the disciple which was there present and to his mother which wept by him In the fourth which was Why hast thou forsaken me what hath the church therein seeing he speaketh only vnto his Father and complaineth of his Father vnto his Father In the fift which is I am a thirst what part hath the church therein seeing that thereby hee dooth shew the exceeding great thirst which hee sustaineth for the torments which hee suffereth In the seuenth vvord which is Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit what part hath the church therein seeing the sonne goeth out of the world and commendeth his spirit vnto his Father If we haue any part of all the seuen vvordes it is in Consummatum est in giuing vs knowledge by his owne mouth of the perfection and end of the old lavv and of our full redemption seeing he spake then vnto vs only and forthe end of all our sins vvhich vvere at one time redeemed euen as Christ did end his life and gaue vp his blessed ghost O profound mystery O vnspeakable secret and neuer heard of before in Consummatum est seeing that it is nothing else to say Consummatum est but to giue notice vnto all the vvorld that the church is novv begun and the Synagogue cast dovvne the Scripture fulfilled his life ended His precious bloud is ended the vvhich is so dravvne out that there remained no one drop in his vaines for hee came vvith a determination into the vvorld fully to accomplish all the loue vvhich hee bare vs and to shed for vs all the bloud vvhich hee possessed That is Consummated vvhich I came into the vvorld for and my fathers commandement is also accomplished for vvhom I came into the vvorld to manifest his holy name for so I haue done and if I came to lighten the vvorld to preach I haue preached and giuen it light The greife of my body is ended the torments of my members the persecutions of my enemies the wearinesse of my bones the multitude of my trauels are all at an end All that which the Prophecies prophecied all that which the Patriarkes signified all that which the holy men desired and all that which our Fathers craued of God is finished and consummate The riches of the Temple the highnesse of the kingdome the rigour of the law the purenesse of Preisthood and the honour of the people is at an end The hatred of the Iewes the enuy of the Pharisies the hypocrisie of the Saduces the malice of the Scribes is fully at an end What was euer seen that Christ began which he brought not in the end to full perfection Wee are those which doe hardly begin any good thing and if we doe begin it scarse bring it to the middle and if wee bring it to the middle we neuer end it The sonne of God is he only who beginneth all thinges when he will continueth them as he ought and finisheth them as he lusteth When Christ went to Ierusalem to suffer he said vnto his disciples Ecce ascendimus Hierosolimam consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de me and when he praied ouer the supper he said Opus consummaui quod dedisti mihi and on the altar of the crosse he said also Consummatum est giuing vs to vnderstand by that speech that like vnto a man hee doth giue that which he is commanded pay that which he doth owe and accomplish that which he doth promise S. Cyprian sayth Much greater O my good Iesus much greater is the taking of the torments which thou hast endured than the wasting of the grace which wee haue lost and farre greater is thy paine than our fault and thy offering than our offence and therefore thou doest say Consummatum est because that now the fault of the seruant is ended with the death of the sonne Anselmus sayth O how truly thou doest say O my good Iesus Consummatum est for hauing thy eies broken as thou hast thy shoulders opened thy hands piersed and the world redeemed what doth there remaine to end seeing that thou art at an end Damascen sayth When vpon the crosse the sonne of God sayth Consummatum est If he would haue vsed the rigour of his iustice as he did vse his accustomed clemency had it thinke you haue been much that all the world should haue ended with him seeing the Lord ended and died there which did create it Remigius sayth O bill of paiment O precious money O sure account O acquittance of God which thou doest giue vs O good Iesus when thou doest say Consummatum est seeing that thou doest assure vs by that speech that the bond obligation which the deuil had ouer our humane nature is payd by thee and cancelled and blotted our and also cast into dust ashes Fiue thousand yeares and more we were bound to hell and subiect vnto the deuill but the sonne of God going to the crosse to die he vnbound vs from the seruice of the Deuill and as he went by little and little towards his end the obligation went wearing away in so much that with this speech Consummatum est the soule went out of his body and sinne tooke his end in vs. O high Lord O great redeemer when thou saiest Consummatum est what is that which doth not end seeing that thy life doth end Gods humane life dooth end death to hell sinne to the world idolatry to gentility ceremonies to the law and figures to the Scripture Pope Leo sayth by this word Consummatum est was ended the reproch of the crosse the banishment from heauen the power of the diuell the treason of the disciple the denying of Peter the sentence of Pilate the indignation of the people the life of the sonne and the comfort of the mother O comfortlesse mother O virgine borne without the like what griefe did thy sorrowfull heart feele when thou heardest thy sonne say that his life was ended thou continuing as thou didst without thy sonne What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this With this speech Consummatum est the paine endeth to those which languished in desiring thee the offence of the wicked ceaseth the bloud of thy vaines drieth vp and yet doe not the teares of thy mothers eies end With this speech of Consummatum est All is finished dost thou drie the teares of those which haue offended thee their fill and dost thou make no reckoning of thy blessed mother who vnto the crosse hath followed thee If vnder that speech doe enter all whome thou hast created why doest thou leaue out thy mother of whom thou wast borne Most blessed mother of God certainly is not left out because that here on the crosse is finished and accomplished the quietnesse of her heart the light of her eies the contentment of her
secret and from whom dost thou hide it If there bee more than one secret why doest thou call it two and if there be but one why doest thou say twise My secret to my selfe My secret to my selfe Hee doth twise iterate this word Secret because there be two mysteries and yet calleth them in the singular number because they are but of one Christ in whom they were accomplished and for whose cause they were vnto the world reuealed What greater secret or what greater mystery or what higher Sacrament could there be in the world than for Christ to tell his disciples that being God he should die being man he should rise againe And it was not without a great mystery that Christ would draw his disciples from the people draw them to the way and talke with them in secret letting them vnderstand by these circumstances that that which he would tell them should be a great secret seeing that he did not tell it theÌ„ but in great secret Chrisostome vpon S. Mathew sayth All the glory of God and all the saluation of the Gentiles consisteth in the death which Christ died and in the bloud which for al the world he shed and therefore because the mystery was so high so strange he would not discouer it but vnto those of his holy colledge and vnto them also in great secret It was a high mystery to say That being God he should die and it was also as strange to say That he who was man should rise again and he would not reueale it vnto the people because they should not bee scandalized but reuealed it to those of his holy colledge for their benefit because that the most preciousest treasures are alwaies kept in the best and surest chests It is not then without cause that the text sayth Assumpsit eos secretò to let vs thereby vnderstand that wee should not reueale high secrets to all men nor yet hide theÌ„ from some men Now that Christ hath drawne his disciples into the field and lead them somewhat beside the way the text sayth that hee spake secretly vnto them saying Behold wee goe vp to Ierusalem as if hee should say My children my brethren I will open a secret vnto you such as you haue neuer heard before that is that we draw now neere vnto Ierusalem where I am to suffer and now the time is come when I must suffer the death which they will giue shall be such as my Father hath ordained and which in the Scripture is prophecied and which by mee is accepted And because our Lord here sayth that he must die in Ierusalem and not els where the prophesie of the Psalme is to be considered 73. which sayth Deus autem rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medie terrae His meaning is Our God and our king hath determined to redeeme the world in a place which is in the middle of the world If vvee read Ptholome in his tables and beleeue Strabo in his booke of the situation of the world they will say that the situation of the city of Ierusalem is in the middle of the earth and that that precisely is the nauell and center of the vvorld According vnto the prophesie alledged Christ dying in Ierusalem hee died in the middle of the world because that IerusaleÌ„ hath on the South side the kingdome of Aegypt on the East side the kingdome of Arabia and on the West side the Mediteranâ—an sea doth compasse it and one the North side the kingdome of Syria Basill the great sayth vpon the Psalmes There could nothing bee more fit and conuenient than that hee who was the meane and mediator that God should pardon our sinne should die as hee did in the middle of the world for if hee should haue died in the East or in the West they would haue thought that they had been redeemed that all the rest had continued coÌ„demned By reason wherof our Redeemer of the world would die in the middest of all men seeing that he suffered for all men Barnard in an Epistle sayth When the Prophet saith that our Lord hath wrought our saluation in the middle of the earth hee meaneth that he loueth the mean very much hateth extreames for he doth aswell hate the extream of fasting as ouermuch eating and hee hateth as well extreame pouerty as too much vvealth and he hateth as well too great basenesse of mind as extream pride and hee hateth as well extreame ignorance as ouermuch eloquence Cyprian sayth In this thou maiest see what an enemy Christ is to extreamties and how little hee fauoureth such as vse them in that that for to giue vs an example that in all thinges wee should cleaue to the meane and flie the extreames his will was to die in the middle of all the world Wee must note also that Christ sayth Ecce ascendimus for by this hee sheweth that hee goeth not to his death forced or constrained by any but of his owne loue the vvhich infinite loue as it brought him from heauen to take flesh so it dooth lead him to die on the crosse When the son of God sayth vnto his Disciples Behold we go vp to Ierusalem this is no speech of a malefactor but of a great Redeemer because the vvicked man neuer sayth vnto his friendes I goe to die but looke they carry or lead mee to receiue iustice O high mystery O diuine Sacrament vvho euer heard that such a man as Christ vvas young healthfull free and iust of his owne proper vvill should say vnto his Disciples Behold I go to Ierusalem to die as if hee vvould say Behold I goe to bee merry and to great ioy Aymon sayth What sayth hee else vvhen hee sayth Behold vve goe vp to Ierusalem but make it knowen vnto the rulers of the church that he goeth to die before his information bee drawne before the sergeants do take him before the hangmen doe keepe him and before that the iudge hath giuen sentence on him Rabanus vpon this place sayth When Christ sayth vnto his Disciples Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem it is as if hee vvould say Behold and marke vvell that when you shall see mee hanged vpon the crosse like vnto a malefactor doe not thinke that I am onely a man for if to die bee the condition of a man yet to die vvillingly is the property of God alone Hee vvho is a pure man dieth although hee vvould not but hee vvho is God and man dieth vvhen hee vvill and such vvas the sonne of God vvho tooke death vvhen hee vvould and took againe his life vvhen it pleased him Remigius in a certaine Homily sayth In this speech of Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem the sonne of God dooth shew two things vnto vs that is That hee goeth to die and that hee goeth to suffer that death of his owne accord so that we owe him for two debts the one for the bloud vvhich hee shed and the other
truth sooles mocke wisedome the guilty whip innocency the wretched spet vpon glory and the dead kill life S. Barnard in a sermon of the passion sayth What heart is able to endure it or what fingers able to write it to see that the liberty of captiues is sold the glory of Angels scorned and mocked the morning starre of the world spet at the Lord of all scourged whipped and he who is the rewarder of trauels murthered S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth Of Christ only of no other Ieremy sayth Quod saturabitur opprobrijs seeing that he was sold like a malefactor mocked like a foole spet at like a vile person whipped like a theefe and put to death like a traitor S. Hilary in an Homily sayth According vnto the prophesie of Ieremy the sonne of God shall be filled with iniuries seeing that he is sold of the Symoniacles mocked of hypocrites whipped of tyrants spet at by blasphemers and put to death by heretikes Let our conclusion then be that not without a high mystery nor profound sacrament Christ before hee should suffer said these words of Consummabuntur and in the end of his suffering Consummatum est to let vs vnderstaÌ„d that at one time Christs life did end and if we be such as we ought to be our faults CHAP. VI. Here hee entreateth of that high praier which Christ made vpon the table saying Pater sancte non pro mundo rogo sed pro illis vt serues eos a malo In which praier if he obtained constancy and stoutnesse for his Apostles yet he forgot not the weake saying Non rogo vt tollas eos a mundo PAter sancte claritatem quam tu dedisti mihi dedi eis vt sint Consummati in vnum Iâ—h 17. These words are spoken by the mouth of the son of God praying vnto his Father after he had made a sermon before supper the highest and longest that euer hee preached in all his life time as if hee should say O my holy eternall mighty and blessed Father that which I entreat and request of thee in this last houre is that seeing I haue giuen to my Disciples part of the light and science which thou hast giuen mee thou wouldest also giue them grace to bee perfect in that kind of perfection as thou are wont to make perfect the elect By occasion of those words which Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est and by reason of that other which he spake praying vnto his Father Consummati sunt it shall bee necessary for vs to declare in this place what that is which the redeemer of the world spake in his praier and what the Scripture sayth of it It is here to be noted who hee is which praieth where hee praieth when he praieth and how he praieth and for whome he praieth what he praieth for oftentimes in Scripture the circumstances how a thing is done makes it either weighty or very weighty Hee who praieth is Christ the place where is the pâ—râ—or the time is at supper how is with lifting vp his eies the things which hee praieth are very high they for whom are his disciples In this high praier Christ spake dainty words most graue sentences very secret mysteries very necessary aduises and very profitable counsels by reason whereof it is conuenient to read them with attention and note them with deuotion Christ then sayth in the beginning of his praier Pater sancte serua eos in nomine tuo qui tui sunt pro eis rogo non pro mundo as if he should say My holy and blessed father that which I ask of thee for these thy children and my disciples is that thou deliuer them from sin keep them in thy seruice seeing that they bee my brothers by nature and thy children by grace and if I aske any thing of thee it is not for those which are of the world but for those which thou doest keepe vnder thy safegard O sweet words for the good and sorrowfull for the bad seeing that by them are diuided and seperated the perfect from the foreseene the elect from the reprobate Gods friends from the children of perdition and also the neighbours of heauen from the louers of the world Howsoeuer Christ our redeemer praied from the hart for those which he loued from the heart yet he set this word Sancte Pater before his praier because it is a very naturall thing that this word Pater maketh a father attentiue to here the child and maketh his eies tender to behold him and his heart gentle to loue him and openeth his entrails that hee can deny him nothing What sweeter words can come to a fathers eares than to heare his sonne call him father As a sonne welbeloued and tendered once Christ calleth his father my father another time iust father another time Lord and father sometimes holy father and sometimes father and nothing else so that such as his praier was such was the name which hee gaue him It is not then here without a mystery that hee calleth him Pater sancte because hee who praied in this praier was most holy hee to whom hee praied was holy that which hee praied were holy things the place where hee praied was a holy place and hee for whom he praied was his holy colledge What doest thou aske O good Iesus what doest thou aske Pardon for my sheepe that God would deliuer them from Wolues pardon for my disciples that God would keepe them from the diuell pardon for my elect that God would seperate them from sinne and pardon for my friendes that God would take them vp into heauen As thou art going thy iourney to the crosse at the point of death in the euening of thy agony and wheÌ„ they come to apprehend thy person among so many thinges which thou doest aske of thy Father doest thou ask nothing for thy selfe O heauenly care O vnspeakable loue O charity neuer heard of before such as thine is O creator of my soule towards all mankind seeing that in such a dismal day in such a narrow strait as thou art in thou hast cause sufficient to craue of thy father for thy selfe sauing only that to remember me thou doest forget thy selfe And Christ sayth that he doth aske for such as are his that is for those which in the depth of his eternity are predestinated and are in the number of the elect to the end that they may bee one thing in the father as the father and the sonne are one thing Let the curious reader marke in this place that this abuerbe Sicut dooth not in this place make an equality betwixt God and man but onely a resemblance and a likenesse for vnlike the which because Arrias would not vnderstaÌ„d became to be an infamous heretike When Christ said Sint vnum in me his meaning was this That which I aske of thee O heaueÌ„ly Father is that as those of my colledge be thy children and
the secōd to make vs clean of al that which we haue already sinned O what small need Christ hath to bee so many times annointed nor by the church helped for from the first instant of his incarnation was annointed not only the altar of his most holy humanity to enioy presētly the diuine essence but also all the members of his holy body were annointed because they might neuer sinne nor neuer be seperated from God The figure of annointing the altar with all the furniture was spoke of none but of Christ nor fulfilled in none but in Christ alone because it doth easily appeare that as the holyghost left no part in his soule nor body which he did not sanctifie and make holy so there was no power in his soule nor body which to our benefite hee did not imploy Wee may better say of Christ than of Moyses hee dooth annoint the altar Cum omni suppellectile seeing that with his feet hee visited the altars of the Temples with his hands cured the sick with his tongue preached to the people and with his heart forgaue sinners The end of the fift word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the altar of the Crosse These foure chapters are all which the Author left made vpon the seuenth word which Christ spake vpon the crosse that is In manus tuus c. For whilest that he was a making it it pleased our Lord to take him out of this life CHAP. I. How God is the only and true comforter and how hee was Deus vltionum to the Synagogue and is to the church Pater misericordiarum BEnedictus deus pater domini nostri Iesu Christi pater misericordiarum deus totius consolationis qui consolatur nos in omni tribulatione nostra These are the words of the Apostle speaking of the goodnes and mercy of our Lord God as if hee should say Blessed and praised bee the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who is the father of all mercies and God of all comfort and who is the true consolation of all our tribulations With a high stile and lofty wordes the Apostle doth extoll the greatnesse and power of God in calling him Father and Father of mercies and God and the God of consolations and aboue all that he keepeth them not for himself only but doth succour vs with them in all our tribulations O how happy is the Apostle who vttereth these words and how blessed wee Christians for whom hee spake them and how blessed is Christ by whose merits they were spoken What grauer sentences or sweeter words could bee spoken seeing that by them he maketh himselfe of God our Father of a iudge our aduocate of a Lord our brother of a reuenger mercifull of him which was cruell gentle meek of him which could not be spoken with most affable and of one which was inuisible treatable Thou maist haue pitty on me and I haue pitty on thee and I can comfort thee thou canst comfort me but to haue pitty on all who can doe it but only the father of mercies and comfort all men who is able to doe it but only the father of all consolations If I be sicke one may cure me if I be naked another can cloth me if I be sad a freind can somewhat comfort mee but tell mee I pray thee who is able to helpe mee in all tribulation and distresse but only our Lord who doth cōfort vs in all our tribulations Who sayth by the Psalme Cum ipso sum in tribulatione of whom speaketh the Apostle Quod consolatur nos in omni tribulatione of who was he euer called whom he did not helpe The father of our Lord Iesus Christ is he who in calling vpon him doth open in speaking to him doth answer who being demanded any iust thing doth graunt it By peeces by patches and by crownes men can giue vs of their pleasures and the world his delights onely hee who is the God of all comfort can comfort vs in our distresses and succour vs in our necessities It is much to be noted that the Apostle doth not say the God of consolation but the Lord of all consolation whereof wee may inferre that all comfort which dooth not come of him is dissolute or fained or imperfect Wee should haue great pitty on those men which say Let vs go sport our selues at the water let vs goe walke in a garden who seeme rather to play the Idolaters then to recreate themselues seeing they put all their felicity and case in seeing a greene meddow in the running of the riuer in flourishing trees and to sit in a banketting house Seneca in an Epistle sayth Let no man thinke that consolation dooth consist in that which wee see with our eies or heare with our eares or touch with our hands or smel with our nose but only in that which the heart desireth for no man can bee at rest if his heart haue not contentment With variety of meats the tast is recreated the sight reioiceth in faire sights the hearing is delighted with sweet musick the smell is pleased with aromaticall perfumes and the feeling ioieth in soft thinges but what shall the poole heart doe which neither taketh tast in meats nor pleasure in musicke nor delight in that which it seeth nor contentment in that which it smelleth what other thing saith the church when she sayth Sursum corde but that we should lift vp our hearts vnto God seeing that there is no perfect consolation for them below in the world Al wicked men would bid God much good doe it him with his glory if they could find any perfect case vpon earth for their hearts but because they cannot find it bee he neuer so bad hee sighteth to goe to heauen We say all this because the Apostle saying that hee is the God of all consolation how can any man haue any consolation in this life vnlesse hee giue it him who is the God of all consolation How great soeuer a lord Hector was in Troy how great soeuer Alexander was in Asia and how mighty soeuer Caesar was in Rome notwithstanding Christ was greater in his church because all those Princes were such ouer their cities only but the sonne of God is the God of all consolations What greater pleasure then to giue pleasure to whom thou louest what greater contentment then to giue contentment to whome thou likest Our Lord kept this treasure for himselfe alone and reserued this segniory for himself that is Quod sit deus totius consolationis and therevpon it is that if he will not shew that which hee can doe and impart among vs that which he hath no iust mā should liue cōtētedly nor any Angell happily If as one is lord of many possessions and inheritances he were also of many pleasures and consolations what would wee not giue for them what would wee not bestow to attaine vnto them and vnto what would we not put our selues to take them
bloud of the son of God dooth wash and make cleane offences and saue our souls The first bloud with the which God was offended was the bloud of Abel and the first bloud with which God was pleased was the bloud of Christ and that which is most to be wondered at is that the bloud of Abel did benefite but himselfe alone but the bloud of Christ did profite all the world S. Ambrose sayth What bloud can be compared vnto the bloud of Christ for the bloud of Abel did stirre vp and not appease seeing that thereby hee lost his life and his brother his soule The bloud which thou didst shed for mee O sweet Iesus did not stirre vp but appease because it did pacifie the fathers anger tooke away thy owne life and redeemed my soule Anselmus sayth The bloud of Abel is bloud and the bloud of Christ is bloud the one the bloud of a iust man and so likewise the other that was shed by enuy and this shed through enuy But the difference was that the bloud of Abel cried from the earth and the bloud of the sonne of God praied from the crosse Weigh well this speech Clamabat ad me de terra and also that Melius loquentem quam Abel and thereby thou shalt perceiue how the bloud of Abel doth crie for vengeance vpon his brother Cain and the bloud of the sonne of God doth pray for mercy for all the world Consider well of this word Melius loquentem that is that the bloud of Christ should haue been but of small profit if hee should haue died for none but for those of that time The Apostle doth not say that the bloud of Christ did then speake onely but that it doth speake now and will speake vntill the worlds end and therevpon it is that we do represent this bloud euery day and offer it in our praiers for otherwise as there is no day in which wee doe not commit some sinne against him so there should no day passe in which wee should not suffer some punishment Saint Basil sayth His offence is very great which committeth a fault if hee doe not immediately helpe himselfe with the bloud of Christ for if it bee frosen for Pagans and Heretikes yet it is fresh and whot for Christians and sinners It is also to bee marked that the Apostle sayth not Accessistit ad sanguinis effusionem but ad sanguinis aspersionem which speech he vsed not for the wicked Synagogue but for the holy mother church because the Synagogue was in the time of shedding of bloud but the holy church came to the sprinckling gathering of it together O how happy we Christians be and how vnhappy the Iewes were seeing that they came Ad sanguinis effusionem to the shedding of bloud and we Christians Ad sanguinis aspersionem so that they shed the bloud of the son of God did not gather it vp we gather it and did not shed it S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith By this speech of Aspersionem sanguinis the Apostle doth let vs vnderstand that the bloud of Abel had no other force thē to be shed vpon the earth but with the bloud of the son of God all the catholicke church was as it were with Isope sprinckeled so that all the bloud of the Synagogue was but shed cast on the ground but the bloud of Christ was shed imparted amongst vs. Cyrillus vpon Leuit. saith The church was at the sprinckling of bloud but the synagogue at the effusiō of bloud seeing that of the bloud of the Synagogue there was no drop gathered of the bloud of the church there was no drop lost S. Barnard saith As for the bloud of Abel let it be lost but as for the bloud of the son of God it is not lawful that any should be lost And he goeth gathering it drop by drop who by little litle doth imitate Christs life he doth gather one drop who doth imitate him in one vertue he doth imitate him in two drops who doth follow him in two hee doth gather many drops who doth bestow himselfe in the getting of many vertues insomuch that as on the crosse he gaue it in recompence of wickednesse so he doth now giue it in exchange of vertues CHAP. IIII. Where Christ complaineth on the Christian mans soule because she was vngratefull for the benefite of her creation and redemption VVlnerasti cor meum seror mea vulnerasti cor meum sponsa mea in vno oculorum tuorum in vno crine colli tui Cant. 4. as if hee should say Thou hast wounded my heart O my sister thou hast pierced my heart O my spouse and the cause of my captiuity was because thou diddest behold mee with one of thy eies and because I did behold one of thy haires Origen vpon these words sayth Such sweet words and such pittifull complaints as these are from whence should they proceed but from a man sorely greeued with heauenly loue greatly enflamed The louing wordes which Christ speaketh vnto the soule and the anxiety and griefe which the soule vttereth vnto Christ who can better declare than the soule which is familiar with Christ Such deepe reasons such pittifull wounds such true complaints and griefes so lamentably vttered as these are which are contained vnder these words how is it possible for my pen to write or my heart to tast of How sweet our Lord is to the soule which seeketh him and how delightfull vnto the soule which calleth vpon him and how pleasant vnto the soule which dooth keepe him is so high a language that none is able to vnderstand but only that soule which dooth deserue to tast of the same First of all it is here to be noted why Christ dooth call a holy soule once sister and another time spouse for if she be a sister she cannot be a spouse and if she be a spouse shee cannot be a sister The mystery of this secret is that she is called spouse because of the faith which shee tooke of Christ and she is called sister because of the flesh which Christ tooke in so much that Christ is our bridegroome in that that hee is our Creator and he is our brother in that that hee is our Redeemer Twise the bridegroome complaineth to haue beene wounded of his bride saying Thou hast wounded my heart my sister thou hast wounded my heart my spouse for in respect of two loues hee hath compassion on her and in respect of two loues he suffered for her that is for hauing made her to his likenesse and semblance and for hauing redeemed her with his bloud For Christ to say twise Thou hast wounded me thou hast wounded me is to say thou hast been vnthankfull for the fauour I did to create thee and thou hast been vngratefull for the benefite which I did thee in redeeming thee insomuch that to bee vnthankfull vnto Christ for these two benefites is to wound Christs heart with two
put mee to death on the Mount of Caluary and on the Mount of Caluary they kill thee at high noone daies they execute mee and at the same houre they execute thee thou art as neere the end of thy life as I am neere to death and therfore Lord remember me thus as wee depart both together out of this world so also we may both together goe into heauen What reason doth permit it or what iustice doth suffer O my good Lord that thou shouldest take me for thy companion to suffer on the crosse with thee and when thou doest go into heauen to leaue mee here behind thee Seeing thou wilt depart out of this world to death and that through such a narrow passage and long way whom canst thou take with thee better than the theefe which was thy fellow vpon the tree It is necessary that thy poore mother liue thou hast left thy Iohn thy cousin to his owne custodie Peter thy Disciple hath denied thee Iudas thy steward hath sold thee all the Iewes haue beene vngratefull vnto thee and therfore seeing that thou doest see no body neere thee who doth confesse and acknowledge thee but my selfe alone who am here alone with thee Lord remember mee and either giue mee somewhat in thy Testament or take mee with thee to Paradise O holy Nazarean and blessed Prophet seeing that thou diddest heare Ionas out of the Whales belly Daniel out of the lake of Babilonia Ioseph out of the dungeon of Egypt Ieremy out of the darke well and diddest heare Dauid when he said Tibi soli peccaui I haue sinned vnto thee only why doest thou not heare-mee when I crie Lord remember mee Domine memento mei Behold O my good Lord behold O my good companion now my eies doe breake now my last houre is come now my sight faileth mee and my speech is troubled and my soule is pulled out of my body and therefore in this narrow passing and doubtfull way vnto whome should I say better than vnto thee Lord remember me yea and all the whole Psalme of Miserere Iosue was a theefe seeing he stole grapes fron Chanaan Dauid was a theefe seeing hee stole the bottle of water from Saul Rachael was a theefe seeing she stole the idols from her father Ionathas was a theefe seeing hee stole hony from the hiue Iosaba was a theefe seeing he stole the infant Ionas and yet thou diddest not command any one of all these to bee hanged nor send them from thy houseuf this be so and if thou diddest forgiue those which stole thy goods wilt thou not forgiue mee poore theefe who turne for thy honours sake and keepe thee company in this place Seeing that of old time thou art accustomed to forgiue very famous theeues and dissemble very notorious thefts why doest thou not forgiue me among them and absolue me of my sinnes If thou wilt haue tears for the thefts which I haue done thou seest that they run downe my cheekes if thou doest content thy selfe to see bloud thou seest that there is no drop left in mee if thou wilt haue mee whip my selfe I am already bowelled if thou wilt haue mee repent I say vnto thee Soli peccaui if thou wilt haue mee make entire satisfaction how canst thou haue me to do it not hauing halfe an houre to liue Lord Iesus remember mee and bee my surety vnto thy father in the other world and put mee with thy chosen flocke write mee in thy booke and place mee in thy glory seeing that the faith of which thou art doth flourish onely in thy mother and remaineth in my heart Remember mee O good Iesus and if thou wilt depart out of this sorrowfull life into the other before mee I beseech thee leaue mee the step of thy foor to tread in and a path-way to follow thee for if I acknowledge thee for my God and receaue thee for my God and beleeue in thee for my God being as thou art dismembred and crucified shall not I serue thee and praise thee farre better when I shall see thee glorified Darest thou trust me with thy crosse because I should worship it and with thy body because I should accompany thee and with thy mother to comfort her and with thy honour to defend it and with thy church to augment it and with thy faith to maintaine it and wilt thou not put thy glory into my hands that I may alwaies praise thee in it When they condemned thee to bee crucified and brought mee to bee executed I heard thee say there before Pilate That thy kingdome was not of this world and then seeing thou art a king and hast a kingdome remember mee and take me with thee and I will tell thy father what thou hast suffered to serue him and all the fauours which thou hast done for me Now that the good theefe hath made his praier vnto God and recommended himselfe vnto him it is reason now that the naughty theefe haue license to speake which is my naughty and peruerse heart because the theefe which hanged on the left hand of God did blaspheme Christ but once but thou my soule doest blaspheme him euery day Remember mee O sweet Iesus and haue mercy on mee O my soules glory to the end that the shedding of thy pretious bloud be not euilly bestowed in mee for at the time when thou diddest shed it thou diddest not feeele so grieuously the vvant of it in thy bodie as thou diddest feele the vngratefulnesse of the whole world And when is thy precious bloud vnthankfully shed for mee but when I yeeld vnto that which my Sensuality demâ—ndeth of mee and not vnto that which thy Gospell counselleth mee What is all that worth which I would if thou wilt not If thou goest to seeke out theeues and if thou doest hunt after sinners why doest thou seeke for any more than for mee because there is no theefe who hath committed greater robberies than I nor any sinners who hath done more greeuous sins than I O patient and benigue Lord if the wickednesse of my heart and the offences which I haue committed in secret were knowne notoriously vnto the iudges of the world as they are knowne vnto thee I should many yeares agoe haue beene hanged and in the other world condemned I will not say with the Prophet Dauid Where be thy old mercies seeing that I see them enter euery day into my gates because I doe not make more hast to sinne than thou to pardon mee The pardon which thou diddest giue vnto the good theefe doth giue vs also great hope to obtaine pardon at thy hands for he being come to the gibbet condemned for his offence went away sanctified with thy Grace If thou do giue theeues and robbers kingdomes what wilt thou do and giue vnto theÌ„ whom thou doest loue and are chosen of thy father If thou diddest giue the kingdome of heauen to a rouer and a theese for speaking one onely word vnto thee and seruing thee one