the fyre of the loue of God and true charitie And among all meditations in the which this heauenly fyre is kindled the chiefest is this of the passion and death of our Redéemer Bicause if there be any thing that hath force to drawe the loue of one man to loue an other it is to knowe that he is loued of the other and so there can not be a thing in the worlde more apte to drawe the heart of a Christian to loue God then to consider how God first loued him the whiche he may very well vnderstande by that whiche he did and suffered for him And if it be the greatest signe that a friend can showe of that loue he beareth towardes an other to giue his owne life for him as he our Lord him self sayth this signe then haue we most manifestly of the loue he bare vs for that his will was to giue his most precious lyfe for vs or rather as Saint Paul concludeth a greater signe can we not haue of his innumerable loue then to knowe his will was to offer him selfe vnto death euen the death of the crosse and that not only for his friendes but also for his enemies If then thou were negligent slouthfull and cold to loue God before thou knewest how much he loued thée nowe thou doest knowe it by suche and so many signes and argumentes endeuour to him which hath so loued thée Call to minde in this mysterie how streatly thou art beloued of al the whole Trinitie séeing the father so muche loued thée that he gaue his onely begottē sonne vnto death for thée Remember wel those words of the Euangelist S. Iohn which saith in this maner So God loued the worlde that for it he gaue his onely begotten sonne In which wordes thou mayest knowe the greatnes of the person of whom thou art so beloued and that is the Father almightie maker of heauen and of earth and also the greatnes of his loue wherewith he loued thée is manyfest by the greatnes of the gifte whiche he gaue thée and that is his only begotten sonne who hath the same like infinite power bounty and maiestie with the father And this suche a sonne he hath graciously giuen thée that taking thy humanitie or manhood he might dye in the same for thée and redéeme thée in suche sorte as the Apostle sayth God spared not his owne sonne to pardon vs his miserable seruants O inestimable loue and greater then any vnderstanding can comprehende And likewise the loue of the Sonne was nothing lesse then this of the Father in that he came downe from heauen and was incarnate for thée spente hys lyfe and dyed for thée that by suche meanes he might in diuers sortes be giuen to thée In byrth as thy companion in life as thy comfort in his last Supper as thy foode in death as price for thée in heauen as a rewarde for thée And as the loue of the Father and the Sonne was towardes thée so was the loue of the holy Ghost who willed wrought together with the father and the sonne thy saluation redemption Now the most blessed and glorious Trinitie hath so loued thée how canst thou be so slacke in rēdring to him loue for loue séeing that loue can not be repayed but with loue And if thou vnderstande not this excéeding loue of God by other benefites whiche he hath done for thée as in thy creation and conseruation consider yet what thou hast receiued of him in thy reparation and redemption then shalt thou perceiue how true those words be which he spake by the prophet Ieremie With perpetual loue haue I loued thée and therefore haue I drawen thée to me in hauing mercy vpon thée These be the sharpe arrowes which the kingly prophet Dauid speaketh of sufficient to pearce anye hard hart These be the new warres which the scripture speaketh of that a king is from heauen elected to subdue and conquer men of the earth Differing from the first which he made with thretnings and feare These be the ropes of Adam and the cordes of charitie with which the prophet O say sayth he would draw men vnto him Because if they will worke according to the vse of reason which they haue in respect they be reasonable men they ought not to be more vnreasonable then brute beastes who suffer them selues to be drawen with ropes and halters in finding them selues forced and constrayned to loue such as loueth them When thou therefore shalte meditate vppon the death and passion of thy Redéemer let the principall ende of thy trauell be to be rauished in the loue of such a Lorde that hath so loued thée and by so many profes hath wel declared his loue towards thée and assure thy selfe that al those stripes and bloodye woundes which thou beholdest in him be voyces crying and testifying his deare and true loue towardes thée Beholde him vppon the Crosse thrust through with a speare and thou shalte perceiue how he prouoketh and forceth thée to loue him His féete so nayled do showe that he will tarie for thée if thou wilte returne come agayne to him His armes so stretched do signifie that he desireth to embrace thée His head so bowed downe doth signifie that he will giue thée the kisse of grace That side of his opened with a spere doth manifestly shew that he is willing to giue thée a place in his hart where thou mayst rest thy selfe quietly surely And what other thing might he do for thée which he hath not done And what other thing doth he more require of thée but in that acknowledging this his loue thou answere him agayne with thy loue O moste swéete Iesu the true louer of men what is he if he well consider this and know it that can denie the thing thou requirest of him and for so many causes is due vnto thée And howe can any man excuse himselfe to loue thée béeing pricked forwarde and prouoked with so many motions and swéete callings of thy diuine loue Be not therefore my good brother vnthankfull nor so dull to vnderstande this his so great loue for the which it should behoue thy hart to melt euen as the wax whensoeuer thou remembrest that he loued thée first and that he washed thée with his precious blood Denie him not the tribute of loue thou owest him for although he haue forgiuen thée other thy debtes yet this he will not discharge or acquite thée of but rather affirmeth that he came to put fyre on the earth and woulde that it should burne continually And in figure of this he commaunded in the olde lawe that the fyre shoulde stande alwayes kindled vppon his altar The whiche is not so muche ment of the materiall fyre as of the spirituall which is our loue towards him and that he would should alwayes burne vpon the altar of our heart because that sacrifice is alwayes acceptable to him whiche is offered with suche fyre And because this maye be
The godly garden of GETHSEMANI furnished with holsome fruites of Meditation and prayer vpon the blessed passion of Christ our Redéemer SVRSVM CANT I. Fasciculus Myrrhae dilectus meus mihi inter vbera mea commorabitur A nosegay of myrrh is my true loue to me Betvvene my brestes his dvvelling shal be ¶ To the Reader BY chaunce happeninge vppon this litle Treatise written in the Italian by a deuoute person as it appeareth and one specially professed by rules of Christian life to the glorious name of Iesu for my small vnderstanding in that tongue and further exercise therein I put on it an English habite of suche course weauing as skil serued me And finding therein suche swéetenes as is alwayes proper to so good matter I thought good to bestowe my simple trauayle though with more charges in presenting onely the same to a speciall good friend or two as a winter flowre to weare in their bosome or red Rose nowe at Christmas by my tenure or seruice due whiche they might at their pleasure ioyne with other posies of their accustomed deuotions If thou good Reader chaunce vpon any one booke thorough the liberalitie of the printer or otherwise by more number printed then I purposed I haue therefore to desire thée to accept it with good will as I know they do to whom of purpose I vowed my trauels also that thou wilt excuse and beare with all the faultes committed by the Printer or me for this time which are not so great to frustrate thée or me of the fruite of thy exercise or expectation herein which is encrease of pietie and deuotion Of which thou mayst assure thy self to reape as much fruit to thy comfort as is possible of so litle a treatise I haue called it by the name of the garden of Gethsemani alluding in my fansie to the Garden where Christe prayed and shed both water and blood for mankinde which name for néede may put thée sometime in mind oftner to resorte to this garden of exercise and to haue Christes wordes to his Disciples there alwayes sounding in thy eares slumbring minde Can ye not watch with me a litle while c. Also our heauēly Salomon and Sauiour Christe inuiteth his spouse the Church in these words Come into my garden my sister and wife And she our mother founde no flowre or fruite in this paradise of god more to hir liking than this trée of life the blessed crosse of Christ as may wel appeare by hir own words A nosegay of myrrhe is my true loue to me and within my brest his habitation shal be Meaning by the myrrhe whiche for the bitternesse thereof was geuen Christ to drinke in his extreme thirst and which for the swéete smell agayne serued amongest other thinges to annoynt his body in the sepulchre That she reioyced in nothing more then to gather hir selfe a posie of the bitter paynes and sorowes that Christe suffered for hir and hir faythfull children Then according to hir example as children rightly nurtured in hir lappe let vs not thinke it tedious to followe hir course and steppes and say with her In the sweete sent of thy oyntmentes Gracious Lord I do runne after thee And let vs holde alwaies in our breast and kéepe in memory by continuall meditation all the grieuous tormentes and troubles which our sauiour suffered for the redemption of the worlde that therby we may learne and knowe the length the breadth the height depth of that moste healthfull trée and Crosse of Christ which of his great mercy I beséeche him graunt both thée me good Reader Of the fruite of suche deuout meditation and of the maner and order of this litle Treatise AMongst all exercises of deuotiō that a Christian man can haue one of the most fruitefull and most acceptable to God is to be often and deuoutely occupied in calling to remembrance and well to consider in minde which otherwise we terme to meditate the passion of Christ our redéemer The which all the Doctours that write thereof affirme and also reason and experience do playnely declare the same For by such holy meditation the soule is inflamed in the loue of Christ considering howe tenderly he loued it how muche he suffered to saue and beautifie it and moreouer it feareth and is ashamed of his sinfulnesse knowing séeing how grieuously it was punished in the sonne of God who as the Prophet Esay saith was stroken of the father for the sinnes of his people Yea the soule thereby receiueth in hir selfe and increaseth newe and freshe desires to amende the life séeing the liuely and marueilous examples which particularly do shine in the holy passion of Christ And likewise it is thereby styrred and pricked forwarde to geue thankes prayse for his infinite goodnesse and mercy that it hath pleased him with so tender loue to be made a sacrifice and to suffer so bitter death that he might geue vs miserable and wretched wretches life and saluation And thus finally the soule may séeme in some parte to pay the great debt it is bounde in féeling in it selfe the great benefite it hath receiued when it calleth to remembraunce and bethinketh particularly the manyfolde sorrowes iniuries and tormentes which the sauiour of the worlde suffred in his death and passion and doth know that this seruice is most acceptable to him and also is sory for them who do not the like but forget the great kindnes of their Redéemer So then for this and many other fruits gathered of this blessed meditation certayne Doctours affirme that those gayne more which euery day do meditate with deuotion some little part of the passion of Christ than if they should exercise manye prayers fastings disciplins and chastenings of the body otherwise And therefore albeit many haue copiously at large written hereof yet notwithstanding for the better commoditie and helpe of them that haue not such bookes specially for suche our Christian brothers and sisters sakes that haue a desire to exercise them selues in the meditation of the passion of our Lorde we are moued to finde out some meanes howe they maye with more facilitie and taste godlily occupie them selues therein Whiche I doubt not my good brother but thou shalte well proue if thou be willing with attention diligently to marke what shall in this little Treatise be layde before thée wherein thou shalt finde great swéetenesse in applying thy selfe to so heauenly an exercise both necessary and highly commended For here thou shalte sée in figures set foorth the Images of those mysteries thou hast to call to thy remembrance and mind in beholding wherof thou maist be holpen to be more setled and stayed in memorie and minde of that imagination which is so imprinted within thée Herein also are declared the poyntes to discourse on and so to procéede with more deuotion in thy meditation Or if thou knowe not howe of thy selfe to make these or the like talkes or spéeches with God then
that Lorde before whose sighte the powers of heauen feare and tremble Who can but wonder when he remembreth that he dyed who is the lyfe of all thinges liuing O howe aptly to this did the Prophete Abacuc vnderstanding in the spirite of prophesie say Lorde I considered thy works and I was afrayde And truely the causes of wonder be so greate to make a man muse thereat that it is more maruell to sée one not maruel and muse then one that dothe muse and maruell at it For howe can it be deare brother but thou must maruell and wonder if thou consider the greatnes the mightinesse the highnesse and the eternall maiestie of him that suffered so many kindes of paynes of iniuries of tormentes and of so shamefull a death And contrariwise the basenes the vilenesse and the vnthankfulnes of men for whom he suffered And if any of these things being by itselfe considered haue cause sufficient to make thée maruell what shal it be if thou ioyne all together that his high maiestie hath suffred suche and so great tormentes for so base and vile creatures That is to say that the iudge of the liuing and the dead was crucified betwéene two théeues that the king of glory which is adored of Angels was blasphemed of most vile men who woulde not maruell who would not be afrayd who would not be astonnied to thinke vpon it This is one thing that shall giue thée copious matter to woÌ„der and maruell to consider the infinite loue bountie and mercy of God in this worke of thy redemption declared And thou shalt no lesse maruell if thou consider the great wisedome he sheweth in the same his passion and crosse in that he found out so conuenient and apt meane to vanquish and ouercome our aduersarie euen as it were with the same weapon wherwith he ouercame vs. And this is it that the Catholike Churche singeth That he ordeined the trée of the crosse to be the instrument and meane of our saluation because the diuell like as he wanne the victorie ouer vs by one trée so likewise he might be vanquished and troden vnder foote by an other trée Also his crosse and passion was a most present remedie for all our infirmities For he humbling himselfe euen to the death of the crosse did pay sufficiently the price of our disobedience and pride Geuing vs the greatest example that might be of his humilitie which is so necessarie a vertue for vs besides diuerse examples els as of despising the worlde and of many other vertues spoken of before By meanes whereof we maye knowe our owne vices and amende them and chiefly renounce and forsake our selfe-love which is the roote of all vice Also the remembraunce of his Crosse and passion may encourage vs to suffer and patiently beare the manyfolde trauels miseries and griefes whereof our life is full For what greater comforte can there be had then to beholde Christ nayled on the Crosse whose woundes are sufficient to heale our woundes whose paynes and griefe if we well consider them may cause vs not so impatiently to take our troubles whatsoeuer they be And likewise to inflame and kindle our loue towardes him there can not be founde a better meane then to lay before our eyes how gretly and entierly he loued vs in suffering so much for vs and that he hath left vs so great ryches of his mercies of Sacraments of examples of coÌ„forts of satisfactions of fayth of hope of deuotion of consolation Beholde Christ with diligent eyes vpon the Crosse and thou shalt finde hid therein so great and so wonderfull treasures that they will cause thée to crye out say with Saint Paule O the depâ—nesse of the ryches of the wisedome and knowledge of God Thou shalt finde also good cause to maruell if thou consider his great power and might whiche he shewed in his passion for so muche as thereby he ouercame the diuell and being exalted on the Crosse he drew all things to him as he saide before dying he destroyed death triumphing ouer the world and hell Thou shalt likewise finde good cause to wonder if thou marke well the iustice he obserued in his passion and death in that he would not our sinnes and offences should remayne without recompence and satisfaction and by it giue remission and pardon of them and that more fréely and fully then of our part was due or deserued And by howe much more thou art willing to consider search out the secrets of the Crosse so muche the more high mysteries shall be reuealed vnto thée and cause thée not only to maruell but also to be greatly amased And then shalte thou knowe that Saint Paule the Apostle spake not without great cause when he sayde He would preache none other nor would learne to knowe any other thing but Iesus Christ and him crucified By this then hitherto said thou mayst gather and perceiue how copious matter thou haste to maruell and wonder at when thou art in this maner disposed to meditate vpon the death and passion of thy Redéemer All whiche the better to retayne in memorye thou mayest reduce and bring them to these poyntes The first is to consider the infinite highnesse and maiestie of thy Lorde that suffered for thée The seconde is the seruile and base estate of them for whom he suffered Thirdly the wonderfull tormentes and iniuries which he suffered Fourthly the wisedome power and iustice which he declared in his blessed passion and death These things in maner before specified and others that may happen to come into thy remembraunce whiles thou art in thy meditation if thou consider them as thou oughtest attentiuely shall minister occasion vnto thée greatly to maruell and wonder at this diuine mysterie A declaration of the seuenth manner of meditation which is by way of hope and reioysing The seuenth manner of meditation we sayde was by waye of reioysing and hope Whiche kinde of meditation is very necessarie also sometime to vse For when a man shal with him selfe consider howe great the wickednesse and euill of sinne is howe odious it is and howe muche it displeaseth God séeing for the due punishment thereof and for to repaye and repayre the great losses it had caused in the worlde our Lorde him self came downe from heauen and after so great trauels and paynefull life at the laste he would suffer so bitter passion and death And when he shall likewise call to minde that he hath runne and fallen into his haynous euill and sinfulnesse not only once but many times and in diuerse sortes he shall then rest so sad and dismayed that he shall néede of some speciall helpe for to comfort him that he dispayre not in him selfe when he remembreth that he shall appeare before the iudgement seate of the fearfull iudge to yéelde the account of all his life To remember this it hath made not onely many sinners to feare and tremble but also iuste men and persons of holy life as
Palmesunday Concerning which ye may meditate these poynts following 1 HOwe that Christ oure redéemer comming vnto Bethania sixe dayes before his Passion supped in the house of Symon Leprosus where at that tyme was Lazarus his two sisters Martha and Magdalen and it is to be supposed that the most blessed virgin his mother was there also 2 Consider with what chéerfulnesse and diligence Martha serued at the table and that most feruent loue deuotion of Marie Magdalene who taking a vessell of Alabaster full of precious oyntment powred it vppon the head and féete of hir beloued maister and wyped hys féete with her heare and howe that the house was filled wyth the sauour of that swéete oyntment 3 Remember also howe the traitour Iudas murmured that Magdalene had so bestowed an oyntment of suche great value And how our most gracious Iesu defended her and praysed the woorke of so greate charitie and deuotion that she had done In the whiche was signifyed hys death and buriall that was at hande The prayer O My GOD and Lorde amongest other seruices and sacrifices which are acceptable to thée and which thou requirest of vs thou haste declared howe the sacrifice of laude and prayse pleaseth thée Wherfore knowing howe muche all men are debtours to thée for so great giftes and benefites receyued of thy most liberall hande I desire to offer to thée the same sacrifice My soule therefore most swéete Iesu maketh adoration and giueth thankes to thée and all my powers within me blesseth thy most holy name for all the works which thou hast done in the course of thy blessed lyfe for the innumerable sorowes reproches and tormentes which thou hast suffred in thy passion which thou wouldest shoulde be alwaies imprinted in my hart And first I laude prayse thée that knowing the nearer thy sorowfull death was at hand and for the whiche those thy deare friendes that loued thée so entirely should be in great sorowe and sadnesse it was thy godly pleasure first to chéere and kindly entertayne them in supping with them in Bethanie where those two moste deuoute sisters Mary and Martha declared the pure loue thy bare vnto thée I beséeche thée my good Lorde which art the faythfull louer of all them that loue thée for thine infinit loue to vouchsafe to kindle and inflame my heart with the fyre of thy loue that I may loue thée from the bottome of my heart as I am bounde and giue mée grace to followe that feruencie and deuotion which thy deuout seruaunt Magdalen shewed in casting that swéete liquor vpon thy heade and féete And that I maye also declare the same in annoynting of thée spirituallye That is in beléeuyng stedfastlye in honouring and reuerencing duely thy diuinitie and most holy humanitie in workyng accordyng to my power in the seruice of my neighbour to ayde and helpe him and to perseuer in so dooing all the dayes of my lyfe That by these meanes in exchaunge of that filthynesse and odious sauour which my sinnes haue vnto this tyme caused I may render for the time to come the swéete sauour of good workes which may bée acceptable both vnto thée and others that shall sée the same Amen Insidet in tardo regum rex Christus asello Cui vestem ac ramos plebs bona steruit ouans The solemnitie in the receiuing of Christ into the citie of Ierusalem the sunday before his passion ¶ Poynts to meditate vpon 1 How that the day folowing that is to say fyue dayes before that Christe the true Lambe should be sacrificed for vs in his passion he would present hymselfe in Ierusalem euen as the lawe commaunded of the mysticall Lambe whiche so many dayes before it shoulde be sacrificed was to be prepared And for to shewe his good wyll and with what desyre of mynde he came to offer hymselfe he woulde therefore enter into Ierusalem with that ioye and solemnitie as was shewed him 2 Consyder with what deuotion and ioye the people at that tyme receiued their true king and Lorde and the diuersitie of seruice they shewed in honouring him as in dressyng the stréetes with bowes and spreading their garments before him in the waye and praysing him with songes 3 Call to minde also howe that in the myddest of that feasting and ioye in whiche our Lorde went when he sawe the Citie of Ierusalem he shedde his sorowfull teares well knowing how farre contrarywise within the space of fiue daies he was to bée handled of them and sorowing within him selfe the destruction of that Citie which he knew for their sinnes should be destroyed and brought to ruine Consider howe straightwayes after his entring into the Citie he went to visite the Temple out of the which he draue away them that prophaned the same with their marchandize in buying and selling The prayer I Adore and worship thée most louing Iesu true and eternal King of Heauen and earthe to whom al adoration honour and reuerence is due for all the workes whiche liuing in thys worlde thou diddest with wonderfull wysedome and infinite charitie And specially I giue thankes and praise to thée for that readie good wyll with which thou most innocent Lamb knowing that thou shouldest be sacrificed for the synnes of the worlde wouldest a fewe dayes before present thy selfe in Ierusalem entring into it with feaste and triumphe willyng thereby to declare thy chéerefulnesse and moste earnest desyre wherein thou camest to offer thy self vnto death whereon thou knewest our life to depende that in dying thou shouldest ouercome and triumph ouer death it selfe hell sinne and all other our enemyes I beséech thy immeasurable bountie and goodnesse to gyue mée grace and strength willynglye and gladly to offer my selfe to suche daungers and trauele as shall behoue mée to suffer in this lyfe for thy seruice and make me to despise for thy loue all the prayses and honours with which this deceitefull world would deceiue me euen as those solemnities prayses and honours with whiche the people of Ierusalem receiued thée did not let thée with great compassion to wéepe and lament what time other sang and made great ioy Let my chiefe care be to séeke thée and haue a zeale to honour thée and thine eternall Father séeing and considering that thy care which assoone as thou haddest entred the citie thou diddest by and by goe to visite his temple and beholding that most feruent zeale of thine in dryuing oute of it all them that boughte and solde in the same not contented that the house of prayer shoulde be so prophaned I humbly therefore beséeche thy diuine maiestie that thou driue out of my heart euery thing that may prophane or defile it to the ende it maye rest as thy temple and house of prayer into the which thou mayest vouchsafe to enter and dwell Amen Conuiuis fis Christe cibus coenaque refectis Abluis ipse pedes tum loca sola petis Of the last Supper which Christ our Lorde made to his