to be despised or cast of for his infirmityes but to be endured pittied and relieued Now by that which passeth in himselfe as well in suffering afflictions as in desiring the redresse thereof let him learne to know what his neighbour feeleth who is made of the same frayle nature and let him behold and support and releeue him with the same compassion wherewith he beholdeth and desireth that himselfe may be releeued in like case and so shall that be accomplished which the (b) Eccles 31. Scripture sayth The thinges of thy neighbour vnderstand thou of thy selfe For otherwise what thinge can be more abhominable then for a man to haue pitty of his owne infirmities and to shew rigour towards them of others to desire that al men should endure him with a great deale of patience his owne errours seeming small whylest himselfe will haue no patience with others but make of euery moate of theirs a beame A man who desireth that all men would looke on him and comfort him whylest himselfe will be carelesse and curst to others deserueth not to be called a man since he beholdes not men with the eyes of a man which it becomes to be full of pitty The holy Scripture (c) Prou. 10. sayth To haue a weight and a weight a measure and a measure is an abomination before God Giuing vs so to vnderstand that he who hath (d) Note a great measure wherewith to receaue and another little one wherewith to giue is disagreable to the eyes of his diuine Maiesty And his punishment shall be that since he would not measure to his neighbour with that mercy wherewith he would be measured to God will measure to him with that cruell and straite measure wherewith he measured to his neighbour For it is written That (e) Matt. 7. with the same measure wherewith you measure it shal be measured to you agayne and iudgement without mercy shal be shewed to him who sheweth not mercy And (f) An excellent aduice therefore thou O Virgin in whatsoeuer condition thou seest thy neighbour consider what thou wouldst feele in thy selfe and what thou desirest that others should feele concerning thee if to thee that thinge should happen and with the same eyes which passe through thy selfe haue thou compassion of him and giue him remedy in what thou mayst and so God will measure vnto thee with the same measure of piety wherewith thou measurest to him According to his owne wordes Blessed (g) Matt. 5. are the mercifull for they shall obteine mercy And thus shalt thou draw the knowledge of thy neighbour out of the knowledge of thy selfe and thou wilt be compassionate towardes all men CHAP. XCV That from the knowledge of the loue which Christ beareth to vs we are to draw a reason for louing our neighbours CONSIDER (a) By the consideration of the loue of Christ our Lord to our Neighbours we shall be draâ—n to loue them teâ—derly now how thou art to draw this loue of thy neighbours out of the knowledg of Christ Consider with how great mercy the sonne of God made himselfe man for the loue of men and with how great care he did throughout his whole life procure their good and with how excessiue both loue and griefe he offered his life for them vpon the Crosse And as by reflecting vpon thy selfe thou didst behold thy neighbour with humane and gentle eyes so considering Christ thou wilt behould him (b) An excellent consideratioÌ„ sweet and solid with Christian eyes that is with such eyes as wherwith he was pleased to behould thee For if Christ remaine in thee thou wilt haue the same sense or feeling of thinges which he had and thou wilt see with how great reason thou art obliged to tolerate thy Neighbours fraylty whom he loued and esteemed as the head doth his body as the spouse his fellow-spouse as a brother his brethren and as an indulgent Father his children Beseech thou our Lord that he will open thyne eyes wherewith thou mayst see that inflamed fire of loue which burnt in his hart when he went vp to the Crosse for the good of all men little and great good and bad past present and to come yea euen for them who then were in the act of crucifying him And consider again that this loue of his is not growne cold but that if the first death were not sufficient for our remedy with the same loue would he dye againe wherwith then he dyed And as he offered himselfe corporally once to his Father so doth he often make this oblation by actes of will and with the selfe same loue Come (c) He lâ—ueth not Christ who loueth not his neighbour whome Christ did so deerely loue now and tell me who is he that can find in his hart to be cruell to them to whome Christ was so full of pitty How shall he find a way to desire euill to one whose good and saluation is so desired by God It cannot be spoken nor written what a profound and tender loue is engendred in the hart of a Christian who considereth not his neighbours according to externall respects such as are riches or kinred or the like but as parts of the very bowels of Christ Iesus and as a thing knit to Christ by all the bandes both of kinred and friendship How then can it seeme much to thee that a man who is a louer of Christ shold loue his neighbours considering that they are his very mysticall body and that the same Lord hath sayd by his owne mouth That the good or bad which he shall do to his Neighbour our Lord receaueth it as done to himselfe And from the deep consideration of these words the (d) A man that considereth christ our Lord in his neighbour will not only loue that Neighbour but reuere him good Christian growes to conuerse amongst his neighbours with a certaine profound reuerence and with a deep and tender loue and with a smooth kind of meeknes by hauing patience with them and by a watchfull care not to offend or hurt them but rather to profit and please them For it seemeth to him that he is conuersing with Christ himselfe since he beholdeth him in them to whome in his very hart he doth esteeme himselfe more a slaue then if they had bought him by some mighty summe of money For considering that deere price which Christ Iesus payd for man when he purchased him vpon the Crosse with his precious bloud what can such an one be able to do but to offer himselfe all to the seruice of Christ desiring that some occasion were presented wherin he might expresse the gratitude and loue he beareth to him And when he heareth this from the mouth of God If thou loue me feed me sheep and againe He that receaueth one of these little ones receaueth me and He that sheweth workes of mercy to one of them doth shew them to me he I say doth esteeme it for
sort as that the many waters of the euill turnes that shal be done thee may not be able to quench it but it will prooue victorious and ascend vpward as a flame doth which liues indeed thou wilt conuerse with thy neighbours without stumbling vpon them and without loosing thy vertue by desiring their preiudice And so Dauid saith Great peace haue they O Lord who loue thy law and (f) The true seruants of God turn all to good they stumble at nothing Which law is that of charity whereby indeed the whole law is completely performed as S. Paul (g) Rom. 1â— Galat. 5. saith He that loues his neighbour hath fulfilled the law And this estimation of our neighbour whereby we honour him as an adopted sonne of God and as a brother of our Lord Iesus Christ and this loue which we are to carry to thinges which do so truly belong to Christ is that which S. Paul recommendeth to the (h) Philip. â— Philippians and in them to vs saying Conceaue your selues humbly to be inferiours to one another make no reckoning of your owne interest or ease but consider what it is fit to do for your neighbours and do this after the example of Christ Iesus who hauing the substance of God did for our benefit humble himselfe so farre as to take vpon him the forme of a seruaÌ„t And these two things namely humility and loue of our neighbours our Lord himselfe did teach and recommend to vs in that admirable action which he was pleased to performe so neare his death by (l) loan â—â— washing the feete of his disciples For (k) Humility and Charity are the bottome the top of all Christian buildings therein humility was expressed to vs by the basenes of that office and charity by the help it gaue to others His will is that we should learne these two thinges of him we who are little seruants and disciples of his when he who was the Lord and maister would needes shew vs the way Being therefore encouraged by this example by the rest which hath bin said do thou weigh thy neighbours with the (l) These are true scales which wil neuer deceaue vs. scales of their being the adopted sonnes of God and consider that Christ Iesus gaue himselfe for them vpon the Crosse and do thou prize and honour them whome God hath honoured so much and loue them who are ioyned to him as a most beloued spouse might be and as the partes of the body are vnto the head And so thou shalt carry a strong and firme loue tow ards them for whatsoeuer springeth not from this fountaine is but weake and wil be quickly weary dry it falleth instantly to the ground vpon the least occasion of encounter that offers it selfe as a house would do whose foundation had beene layd vpon sand CHAP. XCVII He beginneth to treate of that word of the verse which sayth Forget thy people And of the two sorts of men which there are good and bad and of the names which are giuen to euill men and of their seuerall significations HEERE followeth now this other word which sayth Forget thy people and the house of thy Father For the declaration whereof it is to be noted That all mankind is deuided into one of these two different parties or Cittyes one of the good and the other of the bad Which Cittyes are not diuersified by any difference of place for the inhabitants of them both do liue in the same towne yea and euen in the same house but they are distinguished by the diuersity of affections For as S. Augustine sayth Two (a) A consideration most worthy of the great S. Augustin Loues did build vp two Cittyes The loue of a mans selfe which maketh a man despise God doth erect the earthly Citty The loue of God which maketh a man despise himselfe doth build vp that Citty which is celeâ—tiall The first is raysed vp in it selfe the second not in it selfe but in God The first will needs be honoured by men the second holdes it for honour inough to haue a conscience which is cleare in the sight of God The first doth lift vp the head in the glory of it selfe the second saâ—th to God Thou art my glory and he that doth exalt my head The first is desirous of commaund and dominion in the second one serueth another for charity the superiours do benefit the inferiours and the inferiours obey their superiours The first doth attribute the â—â—rength to his owne forces doth glory in them The second sayth Let me loue thee O Lord my streÌ„gth In the first they who hold themselues for wise do seck for no other good thinges then such as are created or if they knew the Creatour they did not honour him as such but became giddy-headed in their own vayn thoughts and saying that they were wife turned fooles but in the second there is no wisedome but the true seruice of God which expecteth no other reward but to honour the same God in company of the Saints and Angells that so God may be all in all Of the first all the sinners of the world are inhaâ—itantes Of the second all the iust And because all they who descend of Adam excepting only the Sonne of God and his Blâ—â—sed Mother became sinners euen by their very being begotten we must all therfore go for naturall inhabitants of this Citty of ours out of which Christ draweth vs by grace that so we may be the inhabitants of his This (b) Of the naâ—es properties of the ciâ—ty of ignorance and sinne wicked Citty which is no vniting of streets or houses or market places but of men that loue themselues and presume vpon themselues is called by seuerall names which signify the wickednethereof It is called (c) Sinne leades or keeps vs in darkenes Aegypt which signifyeth darcknes or misery because they who dwell in this Citty either haue not the light of the knowledge of God through the want of fayth or if they haue it as those Christians haue who liue wickedly yet is it dead through want of charity which is the life thereof For this doth S. Iohn (d) â— Ioan. 4. say That he that loues not God knowes not God because God is loue He meaneth That such an one hath not that kind of enamoured (e) The knowledg of God will not saue vs vnles it be accompanyed by loue knowledge which is necessary for saluation And so one sort of them liuing in the darknes of infidelity and the other in the obscurity of other sinnes they haue no ioy at all but all is anguish and affliction For as Tobias (f) Tob. 5. sayth What ioy can I haue who cannot see the light of heaueÌ„ It is also called (g) Sinne leades vs into confusion Babylon which signifyeth confusion This name was imposed on it wheÌ„ that proud people had a mind to erect a Tower which might reach as it
the excesse of admiration and amazement And if this would happen to such as in their owne person had not receiued this benefit from the King but by the only thinking what he had done for another man what may be belieued that it would worke in the hart of that very slaue vnlesse he were franticke for whome that King should so haue dyed Doest thou not thinke that such a knocke of loue as this would awake him would change him would so entitely captiue him to the loue of that King as that he could neuer get leaue of himselfe to conceaue his prayses nor thinke of his merits but with teares Nor employ himselfe vpon any other thing then the expressing of supreme gratitude and loue by doing and suffering for him all that possibly he could Hast thou heard this Parable which in the world did neuer take effect Then (m) A miserable man thou art if this do not mouethee to the very soule know That what the Kings of the earth haue not done that very thing hath beene done by Christ Iesus the King of heauen Of whom S. Iohn (n) Apoc. 19. sayth That in his thigh he carryed this title written King of Kinges and Lord of Lordes For euen as he is man as he hath taken humane nature which is signifyed by the word Thigh so great is his altitude as that it surmounteth all Lords Kings created not only them of this world but (o) The celestiall spirits also of heauen Enioying a Name which is aboue all Names and a height and power of dominion aboue all the highest men and Angells Behold this height which hath no equall and cast downe they eyes to behold that (p) The infinite God for base and sinnefull man basenes for which it suffers And thou wilt see as S. Paul sayth That (q) Rom. 1. we are weake and wicked and traitours against God and his enemyes Which titles are of so much dishonour basenes as that they cast a man backe and downe into the hindmost place and into the lowest price that can be set vpon any creature Since there is nothing so base as to be wicked nor nothing so wicked as a sinner is in respect that he is such Comparing therfore these extremes which are so different of so high a king and so wicked slaues behold now the much that he loued them Come (r) If thou refuse this inuitatioÌ„ thou art vndone hither into the hart of our Lord and if thou haue the eyes of an Eagle heere in matter for them to worke vpon Nay they will not serue thy turne to make thee sufficiently see the brightly burning high heaped loue which inhabited that most holy soule with such extent and latitude that although those highest Angells of heauen for the great power which they haue to Loue are called Seraphims which signifyeth that they are set on fire yet if they had come to mount Caluary at the time when our Lord did suffer there his excessiue loue would haue cast them into wonder in comparison whereof their owne would haue bin no more then meere tepidity For as that most sacred soule possesseth greater altitude and honour then can be had by any other eyther in heauen or earth for as much as instantly vpon the creation thereof it was vnited to the person of the Word of God so was the Holy Ghost infused into it beyond all measure and such degrees of grace and loue were giuen to it that neither they could increase nor could the soule contayne more So that it is with great reason applyed to this most holy soule which is written The (Å¿) Cant. 1. King did place me in the cellar of wine and in me he ordayned Charity Or as we read in another translation he placed his Ensigne or Banner of loue vpon me For in regard that this soule as soon as it was created did clearly see the Diuine Essence and was carryed to it with an vnspeakable force of loue the banner of holy loue was planted on it To giue vs to vnderstand that this soule was the most ouercome by loue that euer man or Angell was either in Heauen or on Earth And (t) They only conquer who are captiued by the loue of our Lord Iesus because in the warre of the loue of God he that is most ouercome is most worthy and most valiant and most happy therefore doth this most blessed soule carry the Ensigne of loue which standes vpon it That al they may know who either on Earth or in Heauen do pretend to loue God that they must follow the conduct of this Lord if they meane to do it well as the disciple would do his maister or the soldiar his captaine since he exceedeth them all in loue as he exceedeth them otherwise in dominion Now since so great a fire of loue was lodged in that most sacred soule it is (u) If thy hart loue deeply it will find meanes to expresse iâ— selfe not strange if the flame fly out and scorch and burne the cloaths which are his most sacred body which was loaden with such torments as giue testimony of the interiour loue For it is written Who shall be able to carry fire in his bosome and that his garment should not be burnt And when thou shalt see that in the exteriour they guide in his handes with cruell ropes thou art to vnderstand that within he is taken prisoner by the nets of loue which are so much stronger then those other as chaynes of iron are beyond threeds of flaxe This (x) Shall we not paâ— such loue with loue loue this was it which defeated him which ouer cam him which tooke him which tost him from Iudge to Iudge and from the torment of scourges to the torment of cruell thornes and which cast the Crosse vpon him first and which carryed him to Mount Caluary where he was after cast vpon the Crosse There stretcht he out his armes abroad to be crucifyed in token that his hart had beene opened by his loue and that so widely towardes all as that the brightly burning and puissant beames of loue did sally out from the center of his hart and went to determine themselues vpon euery (y) wherof thou and I are two man in particuler both such as were past such as were present such as were to come offering vp his life for the good of them all And if (z) Note the high Priest do exteriourly carry the names of the (a) Eâ—â—d 28. twelue Sonnes of Israel written both vpon his shoulders and vpon his breast much more excellently doth this Priest of ours carry men vpon his shoulders by suffering for men And he carryeth them also written in (b) And our Lord make vs able to write him iâ—â—â—tâ— his hart for he doth so cordially loue them that if the first Adam sold them all for an apple and if they sel themselues at a base price and if so
obteineth blessings for vs of greater weight then would haue been if he had but freed vs only from any paynâ— whatsoeuer CHAP. LXXXIX That sinne doth not remaine in iust Persons but that the guilt of sinne is destroyed in them and that they are cleane and acceptable to God IS it possible that the blindnesse of some can arriue so farre as to thinke that the fauour of Christ Iesus reacheth to this that from them in whome they say that sinne it selfe doth still remayne yet not only the punishment is remooued but that also for as much as they say they are incorporated into Iesus Christ who is so beloued by his Father they are beloued and are asceptable and cleane because Christ is so Wel howsoeuer it may seeme to them that it is to honour Iesus Christ to (a) Behold the pleasing mask of this erâ—ourâ— but looke on a little you shall see it taken off thinke so higly of the loue which his Father beareth him as that it â—uercometh the detestation which he carrieth to those persons in whom sinne remaines yet such honour as this is wholy contrary to true honour and to the truth of holy Scripture It (*) Note would certainly be no honour for a Iudge that he should for beare to punish or that he should fauour wicked persons because they dwell with his Sonne For it would appeare thereby both that such a Sonne were no perfect louer of vertue in that he so louâ—d wicked â—â—ruants and that the Pather were no louer of Iustice since he tolerated and loued them whom he ought to punish without any partiall respect They who are to be the acceptable seruantâ— of Christ our Lord must not haue the guilt of â—ortail sinne in their harts since he is the head which giueth the influxe into them as into liuing members of his spirit and grace whereby they leade a life estranged from sinne and like to his For a horrible corporall Monster would that be which should haue the head of a man and the body of a brute beast And (b) They make ous Lord a kind of monster who maâ—â— his liuing memberâ— vncleane sinnefull so would it be a kind of spirituall monster that vnder a head which were iust and pure and full of vertues there should be liuing members which yet were so very contrary to it The branches are fresh and full of fruit when they liue in the vine And by this comparison our Lord was pleased that we should vnderstand that the members which are incorporated to him by grace are like those others enioying benefittes of their owne which they receiue from him and by him that so it may be accomplished which S. Paul (c) Rom. 8. saith That it is ordained by God that they who are to be saued should be conforme to the image of his Sonne But how can there now be a resemblance betweene that head which euer kept the commaundements of his Father and those members which though they may be pardoned (d) By imputation only as the Protestants say not by any inherent iustice and iustifyed are still breaking with a perfect breach the first and the ninth commandment of God Nor is there any participation betweene goodnesse wickednesse nor betweene Christ and such as breake the commaundments of his Father For as much as himselfe did preach That not euery one who should call him Lord Lord should enter into the Kingdome of heauen but he that would do the will of his Father And so far off is it from truth that the fauour of Christ is to be thus vnderstood That they who breake the commaundments should be in the grace eyther of God or of him as that our Lord himselfe sayd Yf (c) Iean 15. you keepe my commaundments you shall remayne in my loue as I haue kept the commaundements of my Father and do remayne in his loue Now who is he that will hope that whilest he breakes the commaundments he is beleued by the Father in respect of Iesus Christ since Christ by keeping those commaundments doth remaine in the loue of his Father (f) But ProtestaÌ„ts would faine mak theÌ„selues belieue that there were no necessity of keeping the commandements and yet forsooth that God and they did loue one another very hartily Without doubt the slaue shall not be loued but by the same way that the Sonne was loued nor will God imbrace with his grace and loue but such as shall keep the commaundments as hath euidently byn already shewed And to the end that no man may be deceiued in this when he had formerly said Be (g) Ioan. 15. you in me and I wil be in you he added afterward Be you in my loue And to declare what it was to be in him and in his loue he said Yf you shal be in me and my wordes be in you whatsoeuer thinge you would obteine you shall aske and it shal be giuen you So that whosoeuer disobayeth his wordes must not thinke that he is in his loue nor that he is incorporated into his body as a liuing member For this sentence of holy Scripture standeth fast The (h) Sap. 4. wicked man and his wickednes is abhorred by God And to declare how they who are his are not to be abhorred but euen in themseues to be loued he sayd to his disciples I say not now that I will pray to the Father for you for (i) The eternall Father doth not only pardon vs for the loue of Christ but when we are iustifyed he doth loue our very selues the Father himselfe doth loue you because you haue loued and haue belieued that I came from him As if he had sayd A (k) Ioan. 14. 16. whyle since I sayd I will pray to the Father and he will giue you another comforter but do not you conceaue that I will so pray for you as in the world a man desires his friend sometyms to bestow somewhat vpon some others to whome that friend is not a friend so that which he giueth them is only because he loueth the man much that intreateth him and those others are as far from being beloued and accepted as they were before But heere it is not so For the Father loueth you in regard that you haue loued and belieued me and you are pleasing to him and you haue leaue as people which is beloued by his loue of your selues and which enioyeth grace and iustice which is your owne to appeare in his high presence and to aske all that whereof you haue need in my name And that which I aske of him for you is as for people that is beloued and to which the Father doth impart his blesings both because I desire them and because I desire them for you Such are they whome Iesus Christ doth carry incorporated with himselfe as liuing members and for whome he obtained grace whereby they might be pleasing to the Father when they had it not and
(c) An incomparable fauour of God an incomparable fauour that he hath so close at hand so fit a means to shew and exercise the loue which he beareth to Christ Iesus the (f) He alludeth to Iacob seruing for Rachel labour seeming small which he endureth for his Neighbour and the yeares seeming short through the strength of that loue which he carryeth to Christ for himselfe and to others for the loue of him and in him And euer doth he carry at his hart that to which our enamoured Lord did so straitly enioyne vs when he sayd My (g) Ioan. 13. commandement is this that you loue one another as I haue loued you CHAP. XCVI Of another consideration which teacheth vs in excellent manner how we are to carry our selues with our Neighbours ADD thou to this another consideration of how thou art to behold thy Neighbours and it is That although on the one side it be a most certaine truth that our Lord doth not seek or expect any returne of retribution for the benefites that he bestowes yet in other respectes we find it true that he giueth nothing at all for which he expecteth it not Yet this is not in regard of himselfe who is so rich and who cannot increase in being so and what he giueth he giueth men for pure loue but the returne that he desires is in respect of our Neighbours who haue necessity to be esteemed beloued and succoured Iust as if a man had lent much money to another and done great matters for him and then should say For all that which I haue done for thee I haue no need that thou shouldest make me any payment but all the title that I make against thee I transferre and passe ouer to the person of such an one who is in necessity or who is my kinsman or my seruant Pay that to him which thou owest to me I shall hold my selfe for well satisfyed In this (a) A consideration of great force towardes charitable conuersation with our neighbours manner let a Christian enter into accoumpt with God and let him consider what he hath receaued of him as wel by the afflictions and death which the sonne of God endured for him as by the other particuler mercyes which since his creatiō were powred vpon him Not punishing him for his sinnes nor driuing him a way for his infirmityes but expecting him to come to pennance pardoning him as oft as he desired it giuing him benefits in requitall of the sinnes that he cōmitted with other innumerable blessings which exceed all possibility of being reckoned And let him thinke that this way of amorous trafficke of God towards him is to be a kind of (b) A good rule whereby we may grow to esteem loue our Neighbours patterne rule for the conuersation which a man ought to hold with his neighbour And that the intentiō wher with God imparted to him so many fauours was to giue him to vnderstand that howsoeuer his neighbour might not perhaps deserue to be tolerated or beloued or relieued for his owne respect yet God is pleased that the benefit which the other deserueth not for himselfe should be imparted to that other for the obligation whereby he is bound to God and that he should esteeme himselfe to be indebted and euen a very slaue to others whilest he looketh vpon God For God looking vpon men did not fynd that he ought any thing to any body and he will haue that person who is in necessity to demaund succour vnder this title Do thou this for me since God hath done the same for thee And (c) Apoint which it much cōcerneth men to consider let such a person be sure to take heed how he be vnkind or cruell towardes one that hath need of help least God be so towardes him depriuing him of the benefits which already he had imparted and punishing him as vngratefull for the pardon of his former sinnes as he proceeded with that wicked seruant who hauing receiued at the handes of his Lord a release for the debt of ten thousand talentes was of a cruell hart towards his neighbour casting him into prison because he ought him a trifle being neyther content to let him keep his liberty or yet to giue him day And that Lord of whome it is not read that he was so much as angry with his seruant for imbezeling so great a summe as that of ten thousand talents is but did shew such mercy towards him as that desiring time he gaue him time and liberty yea and he pardoned him his debt is now in so great indignation at the cruelty which he vsed towards his neighbour that seuerely he rebuked him saying thus Thou wicked seruant I pardoned thee all that which thou owedst me because thou didst desyre it at my handes (d) How displeasing it is to God that we be hard-harted one to another had it not therefore bin reason that thou shouldst haue shewed mercy to thy neighbour as I shewed it to thee And in this wrath of his he deliuered him ouer to the tormentours till he should pay euen that whole debt which already he had released to him Not that God doth punish the sinnes which he hath once forgiuen but he punisheth the ingratitud of the man who is forgiuen which ingratitude is so much the greater as his sinnes forgiuen were greater and more enormous And although it may well be thought that the seruant of whome I haue spoken did cry out for pardon vnto his Lord yet is it likely that he would answeare as it is written The man who shutteth his cares against the cry of the poore shall cry out himselfe and not be heard Resolue therefore thou O Virgin that beholding thy selfe and beholding in Christ both what he is and the benefittes which thou hast receiued at his handes it is reason that in thy hart there be engendred an estimation of loue towardes thy neighbour so very great as that nothing may be able to remooue it And when the inclination of flesh bloud shall say to thee What (e) The practise of this doctrine is of great force towards the indaming vs to the loue of our neighbours do I owe that person that I should affoard him this benefit or how can I loue him who hath done me such a mischiefe Make thou this answeare That perhaps thou wouldest giue eare to the motion if the cause of thy loue were no other then thy neighbour as he is considered in himselfe but since it is Christ who receiueth any benefit or pardon which is giuen vnto a mans neighbour as if it were giuen to himselfe what reason I pray you is there why my neighbours being this or doing that should haue power to hinder my affection the fruites thereo◠which are good workes since therein I pretend not to haue any thing to do with him but with Christ. And by this meanes will thy hart burne in charity in such
64. Of a profitable exercise of knowing the being which we haue in Nature that by it we may obtayne Humility pag. 316. Chap. 65. How the exercising of our selues in the knowledge of the supernaturall being which we haue of grace doth serue towards the obteyning of Humility pag. 321. Chap. 66. Wherein the aforesaid exercise is prosecuted in particuler manner pag. 326. Chap. 67. Wherein he prosecuteth the former exercise and of the much light which our Lord is wont to giue by meanes thereof whereby they know the greatnes of God and as it were the Nothing of their litlenes pag. 332. Chap. 68. Wherein he beginneth to treate of the consideration of Christ our Lord and of the mysteries of his life and death and of the great reason we haue to exercise our selues in this consideration and of the great fruites which grow from thence pag. 336. Chap. 69. Wherein he prosecuteth that of the former Chapter pondereth this passage of the Canticles in contemplation of the passion of Christ pag. 343. Chap. 70. That the exercise of prayer is most important and of the great fruit which is reaped thereby pag. 350. Chap. 71. That the pennance due to our sinnes must be the first pace whereby we come to God conceauing true griefe for them and making true Confession thereof and satisfaction pag. 361. Chap. 72. How the second pace towardes the bringing vs to God is the giuing of thankes which we owe him for his hauing so deliuered vs and of the manner how this is to be done by meanes of diuers Misteryes of the Passion which are to be meditated in diuers dayes pag. 363. Chap. 73. Of the way which we are to hold in the consideration of the life and passion of Iesus Christ our Lord. pag. 367. Chap. 74. Wherein the way of considering the life of Iesus Christ our Lord to the end that it may be of greater profit to vs is prosecuted in a more particuler manner pag. 369. Chap. 75. VVherein some directions are giuen for our greater profit in the aforesaid exercise of Prayer and for the auoyding of some inconueniences which to ignorant persons are wont to arriue pag. 374. Chap. 76. That the end of Meditation of the Passion is to be the imitation thereof and what is to be the beginning and ground of greater things which we are to imitate pag. 380. Chap. 77. That the Mortification of our passions is the second fruit which we are to draw out of the meditation of the passion of Christ our Lard and how we are to vse this exercise that so we may gather admirable fruit thereby pag. 388. Chap. 78. That the most excellent thing which we are to meditate and imitate in the passion of our Lord is the loue wherewith he offered himselfe to the Eternall Father pag. 394. Chap. 79. Of the burning Loue wherewith Christ Iesuâ— loued God and men for God from which loue as from a fountaine that did spring which he suffered in the exteriour and that also which he suffered in the interiour which was much more then the other pag. 403. Chap. 80 Wherein is prosecuted the tendernes of the loue of Christ towards men and of that which caused his interiour griefe and gaue him a Crosse to carry in his hart all the dayes of his life pag. 409. Chap. 81. Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawne out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other points and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise pag. 415. Cap. 82. How attentiuely our Lord doth heare vs how piteously he doth behold vs if we manifest our infirmityes to him with that griefe which is fit and how ready he is to cure vs and to do vs many other fauours pag. 420. Chap. 83. Of two threates which God vseth to expresse One absolute and the other conditionall and of two kinds of promises like those threats and how we are to carry our selues when they arriue pag. 426. Chap. 84. What a man is of his owne stocke and of the great benefits that we enioy by Iesus Christ our Lord. pag. 429. Chap. 85. How lowd Christ cryed out and doth euer cry out for vs before the Eternall Father and with how great speede his Maiesty doth heare the prayers of men and bestoweth benefittes vpon them by meanes of this out-cry of his sonne pag. 438. Chap. 86. Of the great loue wherewith our Lord doth behold such as are iust and of the much that he desyâ—eth to communicate himselfe to creatures and to destroy our sinnes which we must behold with detestation that God may looke vpon them with compassion pag. 446. Chap. 87. Of the many and great benefits which come to men in that the Eternall Father doth behold the face of Iesus Christ his Sonne pag. 451. Cap. 88. How it is to be vnderstood that Christ is our Iustice least otherwise we should fall into some errour by conceauing that iust persons haue not a distinct iustice from that whereby Iesus Christ is iust pag. 457. Chap. 89. That sinne doth not remaine in iust Persons but that the guilt of sinne is destroyed in them that they are cleane and acceptable to God pag. 462. Chap. 90. That the graunting that there is perfect cleanesse from sinne in such as are iust by the merits of Christ Iesus doth not only not diminish his honour but much more declare it pag. 467. Chap. 91. How some passages of holy Scripture are to be vnderstood wherein it is said that Christ Iesus is our Iustice and such other propositions as that is for the better declaration of the precedent Chapters pa. 472. Chap. 92. That we must fly fast from pride which is wont to grow vp apace by occasion of good workes considering the much which is merited by them and of a particuler instruction which Christ hath giuen vs wherby we may profit against this tentation pag. 476. Chap. 93. That a man being humbled and abased by the contents of the last Chapter may enioy that greatnes which our Lord vouchsafeth to impart to the works of such as are iust with confidence gratitude p. 483. Cap. 94. That froÌ„ the loue which we beare our selues we must draw a reason of louing our neighbours p. 486. Cap. 95. That from the knowledge of the loue which Christ beareth to vs we are to draw a reason for louing our neighbours pag. 488. Chap. 96. Of another consideration which teacheth vs in excellent manner how we are to carry our selues with our Neighbours pag. 491. Chap. 97. He beginneth to treate of that word of the verse which sayth Forget thy people And of the two sorts of men which there are good and bad of the names which are giuen to euill men and of their seuerall significations pag. 497. Chap. 98. That it doth much import vs to fly from this Citty of the wicked which is the world and how ill
at the soules of men and not at the only tickling of their eares or the applause of their handes shoots at no lesse then the souls of meÌ„ them he conuinceth by so pregnant reasons and obligeth by so plaine demonstrations as to make them glad or or least he giues them cause why they should be so to cast away that loose liberty which made them slaues to their own passions to step or rather to leap into the chaines of the loue of God which will put them into a kind of soueraignity not only ouer all other thinges created but euen ouer their very selues And (y) The extraordinary great care wherwith he conducteth his Reader throughout the whole discourse in this he equalleth in my poore opinioÌ„ if he do not rather excel any other whom I haue read That he most carefully doth conduct the soule which he instructeth in the way of spirit accompanying his discourse with aboundance of caution so to saue his Reader from sliding into any extreme and being no lesse sollicitous to guide him straight then a tender mother or nurse would be to lead her only child by the sleeues or armes for feare least otherwise he might take a fall I (z) The occasion whereupon he wrote this booke will further premise to you vpon what occasion he wrote this Booke and to whom he did particulerly direct the same and then by way of preuention I will both make and answere an obiection to the end that your selfe may be kept from errour afterward There was a Lady called (a) The person for whom he wrote it Donna Sancba the daughter of the Lord of Guadalcaçar who for her beauty and other better parts was designed to serue the Queene of Spayne in quality of a Lady of Honour Already she was euen vpon the point of parting from her parents who had put her into an equipage which was to haue becom a Court But before her iourney she meant to arme her selfe with the holy Sacraments of the Church in the strength of that desire she went and cast her selfe at the feet of Doctour Auila in the way of Confession She would after say that he reprooued her a little sharply for bringing a hart which pretended to be penitent for sinne in a body set out ardorned too curiously too costly for such a busines What els passed between them in that priuate conference and Confession of hers God and they do only know but the sequele thereof was notorious to the world For she instantly did vnturne Courtier she grew quickly to cast away her vaine and sumptuous attires and she betooke her selfe though only in her Fathers house to a course of admirable pennance recollection which she accompanied with a Vow of perpetuall chastity wherein she dyed most holily and most happily some ten yeares after This Lady then as being the Child and Creature as it were in spirit of Doctour Auila was deare to him after an extraordinary manner And so for her both consolation and instruction he made this Booke of Audi Filia and she esteemed it as she ought for she neuer would know or call it by other name then of her Treasure But when she was gone to God he took the Booke againe to himselfe and enlarged it and enriched it to that proportion which at this day we see it beares Now in regard that he chiefely speakes therein to her as to a person who had giuen her selfe to God by a vow of chastity you (b) An obiection which it importeth much to be wel answered may seeke perhaps to make your selfe belieue that the doctrine therin conteined belongeth only to such as she But the answere is obuious and assured That howsoeuer it may import such as she was knowne to be in a more eminent manner then other Christians in regard that she had consecrated her selfe to our Lord Iesus as to the spouse of her soule by a particuler vow yet for as much as coÌ„cernes the obligation which we (c) The general obligation to which all good Christians are subiect all haue to abstaine from sinne to imploy ourselues in prayer good workes to despise the vanity of the world to resist the motions of sense to arme our selues against the temptations of the Diuel to which the promise euen of our very Baptisme bindes vs to loue God aboue all thinges to imitate the life and to practise the doctrine of our Lord Iesus and finally to be and to continue true children of his holy Catholique Church this doctrine I say doth so much and so mightily belonge to vs all as that none of vs shall euer get to heaueÌ„ but either by an exact obedience to it or a cordiall griefe for hauing swarued from it And so (d) Of the variety of addresse in the way of spirit which is to be found in this book for persons of al quality es if you may be intreated to obserue what variety of addresse for spirit the Authour giueth in the seueral parts of the worke you cannot chuse but discerne that it is not only meant for Virgins but for all others also if they be Christians yea and if they be not so much as that they yet will heer find reason to beg of God that they may grow so happy Let (e) How much it importeth that this booke be read with great attention deuotion vs also all beg hard for that whereof we haue most need That when heerafter at the day of Iudgment we shall meete Doctour Auila in the valley of Iosaphat there may be no cause to be reproached by our Iudge of so deep ingratitude as not to haue been the better for the great benefit which the godnes of God hath vouchsafed to mankind by means of this his deare and most deuout seruant But (f) In this valley there abouts is the vniuersall IudgmeÌ„t to be made Ioel. 3. that the seed which hath fructified so abundantly in Spayn in Italy in France in I know not how many other countryes by the translatioÌ„ of this booke into so many seuerall languages may also in England be of comfort to that good (g) Matt. â—â— husbandman of the ghospell and not be choaked by thornes nor supplanted by stones nor deuoured by the rauenous birds of the aire who are euer watching how to enrich themselues by our pouertie For so truly miserable are those damned spirits as to think themselues more happy in nothing then if they might draw vs into a society with them in torment though indeed euen our very torment would be sure to serue but for an increase of theirs Our Lord Iesus deliuer vs from that place of eternall malediction both for that which we know thereof by Fayth already and much more for that which we do not know and which I hope we shall neuer know by experience A RICH CABBINET FVLL OF SPIRITVALL IEWELLS CHAP. I. WHEREIN IS TREATED How necessary it is for vs
Confession yet euen let that be dispatched with as much breuity as thou canst without enterlacing other discourses fearing the account of the speach that thou shalt either vtter or heare which thou art to giue vnto the strict iudge So (d) Note this and for the reuerence of the Sacrament auoid euen the least idle wordes much the more art thou to auoyd this in confession because that is ordeined for the taking away of old sins and not for the committing of any new or to make thy selfe sicke with the very taking of phisicke The spouse of Christ especially if she be young ought not to be easy in the choice of her Confessour but (c) What kind of Confessour a woman of honour especially a Virgin must procure carefull that he be a man of vertuous and tryed life of good reputation ripe yeares and thus thy conscience shall be safe in the sight of God and thy fame shal be faire spotlesse in the eyes of men Thou must vnderstand and know that thou hast need of both these things for complying with the height of the state of Virginity And whē thou shalt haue found such a Confessour giue thankes to our Lord and obey him loue him as a guift that he hath bestowed vpon thee But yet stil be very careful for although this loue be good as being spirituall yet there may be a fault in it if it be too much and it may bring him that hath it into danger and it is an easy matter for spirituall affection to translate and turne it selfe ouer into carnall And if thou vse not restraint in this thou wilt grow to haue thy hart as much taken vp therby as marryed women haue with their husbands their children Now this thou seest would be a great irreuerence in respect of the loyalty which thou owest to our Lord whom thou hast taken for thy Spouse Do not therefore place and keep thy Ghostly Father in the most interiour part of thy hart keep him neare thy hart as a friend of thy Spouse but not in the place of thy Spouse himself And let the memory which thou holdest of him serue for the putting of his directions in practise without reflecting otherwise vpon his person esteeming him as a gift of God bestowed for the helping thee to vnite thy selfe to thy celestiall Spouse but yet without bringing him into that Vnion Thou (f) Note must also be prouided for the loosing him without losse of thy patience if God shall so ordayne in whome alone thou art to lodge thy hopes and he is to be thy only resting place That which we read in S. Hierome of the loue and familiarity between him and S. Paula did keep conformity with these rules Though yet many thinges are lawfull and safe to them who haue sanctity and mature yeares which yet are not so to such others as want one of these qualityes if not both In this sort then art thou to carry thy selfe with the Ghostly Father whome thou choosest he being such as I haue described But if thou canst not haue him such it is much better that thou (g) By this he sheweth the great care which a Virgin ought to haue of her good name though such as liue not in villages but in townes can haue no difficulty to find many most worthy Ghostly Fathers at whose handes they may receaue the Sacraments as often as they will do it with deuotion confesse and communicate but twice or thrice in the yeare and keep good account with God and with thy spirituall bookes in thy Oratory then by confessing often to bring thy fame into hazard For if as S. Augustine sayth Good name amongst our Neighbours be necessary for vs al how much more necessary then shall it be for the Virgin of Christ whose reputatiō is very delicate and tender as S. Ambrose sayth And that so much as that to haue a confessour who wanteth any of the former qualityes doth cast a spot vpon her fame which because it is in so pretious and pure a cloth it seemes to be very deformed and in no case to be endured And to the end that they who content themselues with saying There is no hurt my conscience is cleare and who haue the reputation of their honesty in small account should not be able to help themselues with a conceit that men imposed any of these infamies vpon the most sacred Virgin Mary it (h) Note pleased her most blessed Sonne that she should be espoused choosing rather that they should hold him for the sonne of Ioseph which yet he was not then that men should haue colour to say and thing sinisterly of his most sacred Mother by seeing her haue a sonne and not to thinke that she had a husband Therefore let such as haue no care to preuent scandalls seeke out some other shelter for that which they may learne of the most sacred Virgin Mary and of other holy women is purity within and good example without togeather with all reseruation and caution in conuersation And although none of these inconueniences did follow vpon those superfluous intertaynments yet (i) Note this for the preseruing of thy soule in perfect purity peace should they deserue to be speedily auoyded because they do with the multitude of thoughts which they vse to bring depriue the soule of liberty whereby it might freely fly vp by the cogitations thereof to God and it takes away that purity which the secret corners of our hart where Christ desires to dwell alone were bound to haue And it seemes that it remayneth not so entire nor so shut vp against all creatures as it were fit that the bed of so soueraigne a spouse should be and that it doth not wholy possesse the perfect purity of chastity if therein there may be found but euen the ayre or memory of a man But thou must know that yet what hath byn sayd is meant when there is excesse in familiarity or when there groweth any scandall by it For otherwise thou art not to conuerse with such as reason leades thee to with a scrupulous or perplexed mind For from hence euen the very tentation it selfe doth often rise but thou art to carry thy selfe with a holy and prudent simplicity and neither to be carelesse on the one side nor malicious on the other CHAP. IX That one of the principall remedies for the conquering of this Enemy is the exercise of deuout and feruent Prayer whereby we may find gust in diuine considerations which maketh vs abhorre all worldly pleasures IN one of the former (a) Read this chapter with extraordinary attention be sure to blesse God for the great sweet goodnes of his towardes mankind and let it help thee to hate all bestiall pleasure Chapters it was tould thee what a strong and well tempered weapon Prayer is for the fighting against this vice yea although the prayer be not of so great length Thou
and earth A good witnesse of this may the glorious S. Hierome be who relates of himselfe such extreme afflictions by temptation of the flesh as reduced him to so great extremity that neither great fasting nor large watching nor sleeping vpon the ground nor that his body was euen halfe dead could deliuer him from the same But then as a man depriued entirely of all succour and finding no remedy in any remedy he cast himselfe at the feet of Iesus Christ our Lord and made him (e) He alludeth to S. Mary Magdalen a bath of his teares and wiped them with the hayre of his deuout thoughts Yea and sometymes it happened that he spent whole dayes and whole nights in crying out after Christ In (f) God is a liberall rewarder of his seruants if indeed they be his seruants the end he was heard God gaue him the desire of his hart with so great serenity and spirituall consolation that it seemed to him as if he were assisting among the quires of Angells In this sort doth God relieue such as call vpon him with entire affection and who remaine faythfull in the warre till he send them succour And (g) The inuocatâ—oÌ„ of Saints is very vsefull especially of the immaculate Mother of God not only must we inuoke God to fauour vs but the Saints also who are signified by the Mountaynes spoken of heere by Dauid especially must the most pure Virgin be called more vpon then any of them Importuning her with seruices and prayers that she will obtayne this blessing for vs. And these seruices she will receaue and these prayers will she gladly heare as a true louer of that which we desire by her meanes I haue in most particuler manner seen great fauours obtayned through the meanes of this â—lessed Lady by persons troubled with the temptations of sense with (h) The deuotion to the sacred and immaculate conception of the Mother of God is much most worthily recommended by this Holy Authour hauing offered some prayers to her in memory of that purity wherin she was conceaued without originall sinne and of that virginall chastity wherewith she did conceaue the Sonne of God Take therefore this B. Lady for thy particuler aduocate to the end that by her prayers she may obtayne and conserue purity in thee And consider that if among the women of this world we find some who are such friends to honesly as that to the vttermost of their power they assist and protect any creature that will forsake the basenesse of the contrary vice and walke on by the purity of chastity how much more incomparably is it to be hoped of this most pure Virgin of Virgins that she wil cast her eyes and her eares vpon the seruices and prayers of such as desire to preserue chastity which she so cordially loues Be therefore sure that thou abound in desire of this blessing Fayle not of confidence in Christ nor of earnest prayer nor other endeauours as hath beene sayd For neither in his Saints will there be wanting any loue or care to pray for vs nor mercy from heauen for the graunting of this guift which God only giues And his pleasure is that euery one who receaueth it should know that of him they haue it and they are to giue him glory for the same since in all reason it is so due to him CHAP. XV. How our Lord disposeth not equally of the guift of Chastity vnto all because to some he giueth it only in their soules and of the great profit which the temptations against Chastity do bring if they be well borne IT is to be considered with attention that God doth not equally impart this guift to all but with difference according to the pleasure of his holy will For to some he giueth more and to others lesse To some he giueth chastity in the soule only which is A deliberate and firme resolution not to fall into the contrary vice for the whole world but yet togeather with this good purpose such an one may haue foule imaginations in his mind and painefull temptations in the sensitiue part of his soule Which although they cannot draw the reasonable part to consent to sinne yet do they afflict her and giue her inough to do in defending her selfe against their importunityes This (i) A good picture of the present case carryeth some resemblance to that of Moyses and the people For he being in the top of the mountaine in the company of God the base people were at the foot thereof adoring I dolls But whosoeuer is in the state aforesayd must giue great thankes to our Lord for the fauour that he hath vouchsafed to his soule and he must patiently suffer the little obedience which is performed to him by his sensitiue part For (k) Note as if only Eue had eaten of the forbidden tree Original sinne had not beene committed vnles Adam also had consented and eaten thereof so whilest the good purpose of not coÌ„senting to any thing that is euill doth raigne in the superiour part of the soule it is not in the power of the sensitiue part how much soeuer it (l) That is how much soeuer it sollicite vs. eate to produce a mortall sinne since the (m) That is Reason man consents not to it but it is displeasing to him he repreheÌ„deth it wherby thou seest that thou art to be very carefull not to suffer these imaginations or motions to remayne in thee but to driue them away For he that seeth the danger wherein he is by keeping that fyre of hell within himself and by cherishing that serpent in his bosome especially (n) Note this and note it well if he haue obserued at other tymes that from thence hath vsed to growe a consent to do that euill worke or to take pleasure in that vicious delight such negligence is adiudged to be a mortall sinne since when he saw the danger he loued it by not driuing it away But as long as there is a purpose aliue of not consenting to the euill worke or to the euill delight but to resist although weakely when thou seest the daunger wherein thou art thou art to thinke that our Lord did not suffer thee to fall into mortall sinne And because herein it is very hard to giue a cleare sentence without particuler information of him that suffers the temptation it (o) No security of light vnder God without aduising with a good Ghostly Fathâ—â—â— is fit to acquaint the learned Ghostly Father with it and to take his counsell And if notwithstanding all this it offend any man to suffer so continuall warre within himselfe let him consider that by the trouble of temptations the sinnes which he hath committed are purged and man is animated towardes a better seruing of God when he seeth that he hath more need of him And (p) 〈…〉 humble by the importunity of the temptations of sense as madd as we are we
come to know by our owne weakenesse and by seing our selues in so groâ—â— hazard and that we are euen vpon the very hornes of the bull as that if the hand of God did neuer so little abandone vs we should fall into that fearefull 〈…〉 of mortall sinne And till this weakenesse be euen from the roote therof acknowledged and experimented by thee the temptations of sense will not giue thee ouer which are as so many tempestuall showers and blowes that may cause thee to acknowledge that this blessing is not to remayne in thee vnlesse it be graunted thee from aboue If thou wert a faithfull seruant of God the more thou wert combatted by thy flesh the more would thy soule encourage her selfe to the conseruation of chastity so the temptations should be as knockes which might help thee to giue thy purity a deeper roote and thou shouldst see the wonderfull thinges of God For (q) The great goodnes of God shines fair in our wickednes his strength in our weaknes as by occasion of our wickednesse the goodnesse of God appeares the more so by the weakenes of our flesh he bringeth strength into our soule the spirit giuing the No to that which the flesh enticed it to and the loue of chastity doth vnite and fortify it selfe with new spirits as often as the flesh solliciteth the mind to put it away Thus by meanes of one troublesome and base contrary God perfects another which is noble and pretious and this is chastity Remember that a good warre is more to be desired then a wicked peace and that it is better for vs to labour that we may not consent thereby to please our Lord then for the taking of a little bestiall pleasure which euen as soone as it is taken leaues a (r) Sinnefull pleasure is a bitter payne disguised double sting behind it to cast him into indignation against vs whome we ought with all our powers both to loue and please Call thou with humility and with confidence vpon him who will not fayle to succour one that fightes for his honour And in the end he will so ordayne that thou shalt come rich out of this skirmish and he will esteeme of the affliction which thou hast byn in as of a kind of martyrdome For as the Martyrs chose rather to dye then to deny their fayth so thou choosest to suffer what thou sufferest rather then to violate his holy will And he will make thee a companion in glory with them since thou art so heere in thy afflictions In (s) Note the meane tyme comfort thy selfe with hauing in thy hart so good a proofe that thou louest God since for loue of him thou leauest that which thy flesh liketh CHAP. XVI How the guift of Chastity is graunted to some not only in the interiour part of the soule but in the sensuall part also and this after two manners TO others our Lord giueth this blessing of Chastity more abundantly For not only doth he grant a detestation of these delightes to the soule but euen in the sensitiue part and flesh they haue so much temper as that they enioy great peace and do scarce know what a painefull temptation doth meane Now this hapneth after two manners Some haue this peace and purity euen by naturall complexion but others by election and fauour of God They who haue it by naturall complexion are not greatly to applaude themselues for the peace that they find nor to contemne such as they see are tempted For (t) The greater the temptation is the greater is the vertue in ouercomming it the vertue of chastity receiues not her measure from the hauing of this peace but from the mainteyning in the soule a firme purpose not to offend our Lord by the contrary sinne And if one being tempted with sense make good the purpose of Chastity in his soule with greater strength then the other who is not called into that warre more chaste shall this person be who is assaulted then the other who is not sollicited Neither yet are those well complexioned persons to goe out of countenance by saying I doe little or I gayne little by being chaste But they must serue themselues of their good inclination and make choice of chastity by discourse of spirit to please our Lord to which they are inuited by their owne inclination And by this meanes they shall serue God vvith the superiour part of the soule by a vertuous election and with their sensitiue part by their obedience and good inclination Others (u) A more noble kind of chastity there are who not by naturall inclination but by fauour of our Lord are so chast as that they feele in their soule a most profound internall detestation of that basenesse and in their seâ—sitiâ—e part so greate obedience that it goeth not dragging after the commaundment of reason but obeyeth with gust and speede and they both enioy an entire peace At this excellent condition did those Philosophers point who sayd That some men there were so excellent who had their minds so well purged that not only they did operate vertuously without any warre of their passions but that euen those passions being so absolutely ouercome they forgot that they had any and that not only their passions did not conquer but not so much as assault them But (x) Few Philosophers were euer chasts and neuer any was truly humble that which the Philosophers were talking of and neuer had for without grace there is no true vertue that good Christians do possesse to whome God is pleased to impart this perfect guift Not purchased by their own force but graunted by his strong and celestiall holy spirit which is bestowed through Christ Iesus our Lord in resemblance of the same Lord who kept the entirenesse of Virginity in mortall flesh This heauenly spirit infuseth perfect chastity into whom he wil. And this he worketh in them That as the superiour part of the soule is with perfect obedience most subiect to God from him receaueth powerfull strength and most excellent light being so perfectly vnited with him and so ruled by his will that he may say with the Apostle He (y) 1. Cor. 〈◊〉 that commeth close to God is made one spirit with him so this efficacy of God which infuseth force and giueth to the sensitiue part this disposition doth procure that wholy forsaking bestiality and that fiercenesse which naturally it hath it may be obedient and yield it selfe very subiect to reason And although they are of different natures the one being spirituall the other sensuall yet doth the sensitiue draw so neare to reason and takes the bridle into her mouth so well that she goeth tamed and in order And howsoeuer it be not that thing which reason is yet doth it proceed according to reason not hindering but rather helping the spirit as a faithful wife would do her husband And (z) Euen the reasonable part of a carnal mans soule
thing which the Diuell went about though he went by a kind of circling way by bringing in thoughtes of a different nature Now (b) Note thy course must be rather to increase in thy well doing then to decay as if one would do it euen of purpose to make the Diuell retyre with loste when he thought to haue gone on with gaine And if thou want tendernesse of deuotion do not trouble thy selfe for that for as much as our seruices are not to be measured otherwise then by the rate of our loue which (c) Note this well and belieue it for it is a certaine truth consisteth not in tendernesse of deuotion but in a francke offer and resolution of our will to doe that which God and his Church commaundeth and to endure that which his pleasure is that we should suffer for his coÌ„tentment Yf some who may seeme to haue left their pleasures of the world for the seruice of God did leaue also the inordinate desyre of sweet and sensible deuotions of the soule they would liue with more alacrity then now they haue and the Diuell should not be able to fynd certayne (d) We must take care that the Diuell haue no hold to take vs by haires of appetite to take hold of and thereby to turne their heads about and to deceyue hurt them Christ Iesus died naked vpon the Crosse and naked we should offer our selues to him And we should care for no other cloths then the doing of his holy will as it is declared to vs by the commaundments of himselfe and of his Church and to receiue with an (c) Pray for this blessing for it is a great one amorous kind of obedience that which he shal be pleased to send how hard soeuer it be with equality of mind we are to take from his hand eyther affliction or consolation and to giue him thankes both for the one and the other S. Paul (f) Ephesâ— 5. saith That in all thinges we are to giue thankes to God because as it is the marke of a good Christian to loue one that doth him hurt for the loue of God since euery one loues him that doth him good so to be (g) 5. Note thankfull to God in aduersity not regarding the rough exteriour that it carrieth but the hidden fauour which God doth send vs vnder that superscription is the signe of a man who beareth other eyes in his head then of flesh and bloud and that he loueth God since in that which is painefull to him he doth yet conforme himselfe to Gods will And (h) A soueraigne receit against all miseries of mans life both interiour and exteriour so we must not seeke to fasten our selues to the weake boughes of our owne desyres though they may seeme good but to the strong pillar of the diuine will to the end that obeying it as hath bin sayd we may participate according to our possibility of that peacefull rest and immutability which resideth in that Will and that we may decline those many changes which in our hart we shal be sure to find if it giue accesse to this kind of (i) Of spirituall gust couetousnesse There is in very deed little difference betweene seruing Christ for money or els for consolation and spirituall gust of thy soule whether for heauen or for earth if the last marke that I ayme at be this couetousnesse Euen Lucifer according to the opinion of many Doctours did desyre true felicity but because he desired it not as he ought and of whom he ought that it might be giuen him when it should haue pleased God it serued not his turne to haue desyred that which was good but he sinned by not desyring it well for so it came to be couetousnesse no good desyre In the same manner therefore do I declare that we must not fasten our selues to an earnest and disordered appetite of spiritual gustes but offering our selues to the Crosse of our Lord we must be glad to take what he shal be pleased to giue whether it be sweete hony or vinegar and gall Nor (k) Note haue I yet sayd this as if these gustes were euill or vnprofitable of themselues if men know how to make true vse thereof and if they receiue them not as to dwell in them but to procure more breath and hart in the seruice of God especially for beginners who ordinarily according to their age haue need of milke like children And (l) How great a blessing it is to meet with a guyde who hath the guift of spirituall prudence he that would nurse them with the food that is fit for men and seeke by that meanes to make them perfect vpon a suddaine should commit a great errour and insteed of helping would do hurt Euery age hath a seuerall condition and degree of strength according to which the food and nourishment is to be applied And as the well experienced and holy Bernard sayth We must not fly but walke forward in the way of perfection and let no man thinke that it is the same thing to vnderstand it and to possesse it And therefore it our Lord impart these comfortes let them be receiued towards the carrying of his Crosse with greater force For as much as it is his custome to comfort his disciples in Mount Thabor that so they may not be disquieted in the persecution of the Crosse And ordinarily before the gall of tribulation come vpon vs he sendeth the hony of comfort And I neuer knew any man mislike or vndervalow spirituall Consolations but such an one as by whose soule they had neuer passed But if our Lord be pleased to guide vs by the way of discomforte and that we must needes heare the harsh and (m) Of dâ—abohâ—al tentatâ—os and disolations paynefull language wherof we were speaking yet must we not be dismayed at any thing that he sendeth but with patience we must drinke the Chalice which the Father giues euen because he giueth it and we must beg strength of him that our weakenesse may yielde obedience thereunto Nor yet on the other side must thou conceaue that I teach thee not to haue ioy when our Lord doth visit or not to haue a sad feeling of his absence when we find our selues deliuered ouer to our enemies to be tempted or afflicted by them But that which I would say is this that according to the force which God shall giue vs we must procure to conforme our selues to his holy will with obedience and equality of mind and in no case to follow our owne which infallibly wil be accompanied with discomfort and disconfidence such things as these Let (n) We ought to carry a most cordiall and profound loue to the accomplishment of the holy aâ—â—e will of God in all things vs beseech our Lord that he will open our eyes for then we shal more cleerly see then now we do the very light of the sun that
not returne till they be conquered and deseated that they may no more remaine vpon their feet but they shall fall vnder mine What is there of greater profit then that which S. Augustine beggeth when he sayth O Lord make me know thee with an (r) Yea his prayer was heard amourous knowledge and let me also know my selfe Now (f) The excellent vse fruit of tēptations desolations what meanes is there so proper for the making him know himselfe as to see himselfe experimentally in such traunces That he may touch as a man may say with his owne hands his owne weakenesse and that so very truly as to be wholy vnbeguiled of any estimation which he might make of himselfe And on the otherside he findeth by experience how faythfull God is in fulfilling the promises of his succour in the tyme of necessity and how powerfull he is in deliuering his seruantes from so great weakenesse by the suddaine gift of so admirable strength and how ful he is of mercy in visiting and pittying them who are so extreamely afflicted By this meanes a man doth fall flat vpon his face acknowledging his pouerty and misery and he adoreth his God by both louing him and hoping for succour from him when he shall find himselfe in new dangers S. Paul (t) Rom. 5. affirmeth that it hapned to himselfe after this manner I will not sayth he haue you ignorant my Brethren of the tribulation that we suffered in Asia whereby we were afflicted aboue measure and aboue our owne strength so (u) We must not be deiected in being much afflicted since S. Paul himselfe was discomforted farre as that euen to liue was a trouble to vs and we did within our selues belieue assuredly that there was no meanes for vs to escape from death And this hapneth so to the end that we might not haue confidence in our selues but in God who giueth life to the dead He who hath deliuered vs out of so great dangers and by whom hereafter we also hope to be deliuered CHAP. XXX Of many reasons which there are why we must hope that our Lord will deliuer vs out of all tribulation how greiuous soeuer it be and of two significations which this worde Belieue may be accounted to haue It is true which S. Gregory sayth That the accomplishment of thinges past giueth assurance concerning things to come And since men are wont to trust others vpon taking pawnes we seeme not to do much for God if we hope for a deliuerance out of future tribulation since he hath so often done it in tymes past It (a) A liuely comparison wherin we ought to take much comfort is certayne that if any man should haue made vs find his loue and fauour in succouring vs ten or twelue seuerall times in our troubles we should belieue he loued vs and that still he would do vs fauour if in other afflictions of ours we should haue need And why then shall we not haue a confident beliefe that God will defend vs in all our dangers since they are not twelue but many more tymes that we haue taken experience of his succour in our tribulations Remember well how often he hath drawen thee with victory out of those sharpe skirmishes of thyne against thy aduersaries and thou wert gratefull vnto him for it and thereupon thou didst conceaue a reason to belieue and confide that he loued thee since after the tempest he sent fayre weather and ioy after teares and since he had byn thy true Father and defendour And why then if now he please to try thy confidence thy loue and thy patience by a present tribulation as if he hid himselfe because he answereth not to thy cryes dost thou let thy selfe fall into such weakenesse as that the present triall which commeth to thee maketh thee loose the confidence which in many former proofes thou hadst gained It is true that we feele those things most which at the present lye vpon vs and if thou markest the straytes wherin thou findest thy selfe and how our Lord doth not free thee of them thou wilt perhaps conceaue that our Lord hath layd aside the care which formerly he had of thee and thou wilt say as the Apostles did in that great sea-tempest to our Lord who then was sleeping Maister (b) Marc 4. doest thou not care though we perish and thus wilt thou be ouertaken by the reprehension of that scripture which sayth The foole changeth like the moone Because it is sometymes after one manner and sometymes after another And thou wilt be like a Vane vpon the top of a house which is subiect to many changes in one day because it is gouerned by euery wind Thou wert in possession of our Lord as one that was carefull of thee and thy defence in the tyme of trouble because then he breathed vpon thee by the wind of his mercy and comfort wherewith he gaue thee deliuerance and thou didst pay him with thankes And because now there blowes another wind wherewith our Lord is pleased to prooue and trouble thee thou art no longer of that beliefe and confidence which before thou hadst So that thou doest belieue but what thou seest thou dost not valew our Lord but according to that which at the instant tyme he doth towards thee without helping thy selfe of that which thou hast tried at many other tymes that so at the present thou mayst be comforted in our Lord. A strange incredulity was theirs who hauing seene the meruayles of God in Egypt and the victories and fauours which he wrought for them in the desert would not take his word whereby he told them that they should enter into the land of promise For this sayth S. Paul they entred not And so is it true though not according to equality yet with some resemblance that the disconfidence and pusillanimity of that man is great who notwithstanding that God hath deliuered him many tymes frō dangers past groweth not yet to confide that he shall not be abandoned nor confounded in the danger eyther present or future since as we haue sayd the hope which one putteth in our Lord if the man be not infault wil neuer faile nor wil there be cause that a man should say I was deceaued Now it is to be vnderstood that sometymes this word (c) Note Belieue is taken for that worke which the vnderstanding performeth by setling it selfe in the truthes of the Catholike fayth with a supreme kind of certitude as formerly hath been sayd And he that belieueth against this fayth is called with a full mouth and is indeed an Heretike and an incredulous person and such an errour belieued hath the name of an heresy or of incredulity But the disconfident person of whome we haue spoken hitherto is neither incredulous nor is he subiect to incredulity because he hath no obligation to belieue in quality of an article of fayth that God will deliuer him out of that present trouble
hill full of horsemen and chariots round about Elizaeus who were the Angells of our Lord who came to defend the Prophet In such sort that if we will take the part of God we shal haue a multitude of Angells on our syde one of which number is able to do more for vs then all the powers of hell against vs. Therefore so great assistance should make vs able to despise the diuell and to lay all vaine feare aside and to giue vs the courage of â—ions â—gainst him in the vertue of Christ Who (u) The sweet and stronge power of our Lord Iesus was a meeke Lambe in deliuering himselfe to death was a Lion in dis-peopling hell ouercomming and binding the diuells and with his arme defending his beloued flock And if any man shall thinke that I haue been to prolixe in this argument let him attribute it to the desyre I haue that thou maiest not be one of the many whom I haue seene who for feare of the Diuell haue giuen ouer the seruice of God I well know that by this enemy some other warres are made euen more cruell then the aforesayd And I also know that in the very extremity of tribulation when already there is growne to be no strength in him that suffers nor wise knowledge in him that guides the shipp and when the infernall Lion and Beare meanes to swallow vp the poore sheep it growes to be comforted and that pitious Dauid Iesus Christ taketh the sheep without harme out of the mouth of the Lion cutting in pieces him that was carrying it away My selfe am a witnesse of greater tribulations then I could possibly haue belieued if I had not seene them and of the meruailous and pitious prouidence of God who doth not in afflictioÌ„ abandon them that seeke him although it be with many frailties and faultes And (x) Note this for thy comfort although I haue seene many of them who feared God to haue byn grieuously assaulted in these fightes I neuer saw one that ended ill And therefore whosoeuer shall find himselfe in these traunces although he seeme conueyed euen into the very belly of the whale let him cal euen from thence vpon Iesus Christ and let him serue himselfe of the good aduise which his Ghostly Father shall giue him And let both of them haue good hope in that good sheephard who gaue his life for his sheep who killeth and quickneth who placeth men as it were in hell and draweth them out aliue from thence For although at one tyme he send troubles at another tyme he taketh them away and that to the great aduantage of him that suffereth the tribulation CHAP. XXXI That the first thing which we are to heare is diuine Truth by meanes of Faith which is the beginning of all spirituall life and which teacheth vs so high things as that they exceed all humane discourse ALL that hitheâ—to is sayd hath byn to giue thee to vnderstand whom thou art not to â—eare and to help thee to these directions which thou hast read It remaineth that now I tell thee whom thou art to heare that so thou mayst fulfill the first word which the prophet speaketh Hearken O Daughter And know that he who deserueth to be hearkned to is only Truth But because there are many Truths the hearing or knowing whereof doth make little to our purpose I tell thee since heere we are to speake of the (a) Note well that when the Authour throughout his whole discourse of Fayth doth speake of Christianity or Christiâ—s he meaneth only such as beleeue professe the holy Catholikâ— Aposâ—olik Roman Fayth as appeareth elswhere aboundantly especially Cap. 4â— Catholike faith which by vs Christians is imbraced that thou art to heare and learne that which God speaketh in his holy Scripture and in his Catholike Church This faith is the beginning of a spirituall life and therefore as I sayd before it is with much reason that we are first admonished by the prophet of that which first it is fit for vs to do since S. Paul (b) Rom. 10. affirmeth That faith comes by hearing This fayth is the first reuerence whereby the soule adoreth her creatour belieuing most highly of him as is fit to be belieued of God For although some things of God may be ariued to by reason which S. Paul (c) Roâ—â— 1. doth call The manifest of God yet the Mysteries which faith belieuedâ— cannot be reached out-right by reason Therefore we say that faith belieueth that which it seeth not and doth firmely adore that which lieth hid from reason And this is giuen vs to be vnderstood by the two Seraphims which couered the face of that great Lord in the Temple which Isaias (d) Isa 6. saw and so also when Moyses came neere to treat with our Lord vpon the mountayne the (e) Ixod â—4 Scripture sayth That he entred into the obscurity or cloude where our Lord was A strang thing it may seeme that God should place his dwelling in darknes since he is most pure and perfect light which endureth no darknesse as S. Iohn (f) 1. Ioâ—â— 1. saith But because he is a light so very bright and so ouershining that as S. Paul (g) 1. Tim. â— doth witnesse he dwelleth in light which is ineccessible he is sayd to dwell in (h) The true reason why we cannot arriue to see God darknesses because no eye created eyther of man or angelâ— can arriue to his mysteries by the force of reason And (i) Note for this cause in regard of such eyes the light is called darknes Not because such light is obscure but for that it is a light which doth infinitly exceed all vnderstanding As when we see that a wheele doth moue with extremity of speed we vse to say that it stirreth not And we speake in this manner because our eyes are not able to hold pace with so swift a motion not because there is indeed any want of motion but for that it doth outstrip the ability of our sight Not only doth our Fayth reuerence God by beleeuing that which reason cannot reach but besides it doth professe him to be so high that howsoeuer God be clearely seene by his owne light in heauen there is yet no vnderstanding either humane or Angelicall which of him can see all that is to be seene No will no delight although they al should be ioyned in one are able to loue him or enioy him as much as there is reason in him both of loue and ioy Only (k) God only truly vnderstandeth God God is he that comprehendeth himself and creaturs when they haue seene and loued and enioyed and praysed him withall the powers of their hart they do reuerence him also by knowing further that in comparison of that which he is and of that vvhich remayneth to be sayd of him and of that seruice which is his due all that which they know of him and which they do for him
proceeding vertue many whereof were yet formerly in miserable case and made slaues to sinne and so passionatly affected to it that their harts did seeme euen to be transformed into the same And that with so great determination to follow wickednes that they wold passe as we vse to say the vory pikes for the committing thereof But (a) The powerfull grace which God imparteth in the holy Catholike Church these miserable captiues who were so weake in the deliuery of theÌ„ selues from so strong a tyrant haue sometymes by the hearing of one Sermon other tymes by making one confession other tymes by some one single inspiration of God and others by other meanes which doe abound in the Catholique Church haue found within themselues a most powerfull and mighty hand which putting those in captiuity who lead them captiue drew them out of the slauery of sinne wherein they were and made a change of their hart so truely changed that many tymes in lesse space then of a month yea and of a weeke they haue been seen to haue more abhorred wickednes then formerly they were louers of it Saying with their harts I haue abhorred (b) Psal 118. sinne I haue detested it and I haue loued thy law And this they do so truly as that they resolue not to commit a sinne neither for life nor death nor any thing created as S Paul (c) Rom. 1. saith Who is he that wrought this so strang and happy change in so short a tyme Who drew water out of so hard a rocke Who raysed vp such a miserable dead man bestowing such an excellent life vpon him No other certainly but the hand of God who is so belieued in and so beloued as the Christian Church belieueth in him and loueth him by those meanes which the Christian doctrine imbraceth and teacheth And if this manner of proceedinge with God doe passe on as in many it doth in such sort as that leauing all thinges they imploy themselues wholly vpon attending to God who brake their chaynes and if they began to walke by the solitude of a spirituall life and by that strayt way which leadeth to true life though many tymes they might see themselues in so great afflictions and fierce tempestes that as Dauid sayth it makes such as sayle loose their courage and their discourse yet by calling vpon their Iesus who is the guid of their way and at other tymes by receiuing the comfort of the Sacraments and at other tymes agayne by hearing or reading the word of God or by such other meanes as are in the Church they haue found themselues so wonderfully assisted in their tribulation as that seeing the sea of their hart to be growne so still vpon such a sudden it hath made them say with the Apostles (d) Matt. 8. Who is this to whom the sea and the winds obey Certainely this is the holy Sonne of God S. Bernard relateth how by experience he had found many tymes that the name of Iesus being cordially called vpon was a remedy and cure of all the infirmities of the soule and that which the Saint did say was approued in him by experience The same hath hapned to many others both before after him among whom S. Hierome may be one who is worthy of all credit He relateth as I haue sayd before that seing himselfe in tribulation of the flesh without meeting with remedy in any thing that he had thought vpon without knowing what more to do did find it out by casting himselfe at the feete of Iesus Christ and by calling vpon him with deuour prayer Whereupon his tempest receiued such a calme that he seemed to himselfe as (e) S. Hierome in Extasis if he were euen assisting among the quires of Angels For (f) Note the fauour which God is wont to do doth not only remooue the tribulatioÌ„ that a man is in which may happen sometymes by the turning of his thoughts some other way or by such other naturall meanes as that but it is a fauour which God doth whereby he planteth such a disposition in the mind as is directly contrary to that which was felt before Now this change and perfect deliuery and that vpon such a sudden is not in the power of any man to giue himselfe as (g) Or els let him neuer trust me he that shall try it will confesse From abroad it cometh from God it cometh and from such other Christian meanes it cometh and so experience is taken of that which S. Paul sayd That Christ Iesus crucified to them that were called by God was the strength of God and the wisedome of God Because they calling vpon him in the day of tribulation he giueth them light and force that so ouercomming all impedimentes they may proceed in their way and sing therein as (h) Psal 1â—7 Dauid doth Great is the glory of our Lord. And so they find in themselues that which the same Prophet (i) Psal 55. sayth In whatsoeuer day I called vpon thee I haue knowne that thou art my â—od For to remedy them so speedily and so powerfully is a great testimony and motiue to proue to them that God is the true God and that he hath care of them And here we speake not of celestial visions or reuelations which may rather passe amongst maracles but only those things which are more ordinary and which may be subiect to better proofe CHAP. XXXVII Of the many and great good things which God worketh in the soule that followeth perfect vertue and that this is a great proofe that our Fayth is true because that did teach vs meanes how to obtaine those graces NOT only do they who trauell diligently in the way of perfect vertue enioy the benefit of being deliuered by Christ from the dangers which present themselues but moreouer do they obtaine and possesse such graces in their soule as that we may say to them and that with much truth (a) Luc. 7. The Kingdom of God is within you Which as S. Paul (b) Rom. 14. sayth doth consist in hauing with in ones selfe iustice and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost And so these persons are so affectioned and such louers of that which is iust and good as that if the lawes of vertue which are written in bookes were lost we should find them written in their hartes Not because they haue them without (c) In their memory booke but for that the resolute loue of their hartes doth say the selfe same thing which the Law sayth exteriourly Their hart being already so transformed into the loue of goodnesse and to worke it with so much diligence and delight as that to follow that to which their hart inclineth is to follow vertue and to fly from vice they being made a liuing Law and a kind of measure of humane actions which euen Aristotle himselfe was ayming at And from hence doth spring a certayne ioy and contentment so complete as none
through the liknes which it hath to God And because in our spirit there is reason and there is a will and that it cannot be denyed but that a man oweth God seruice by his will for the same cause the seruice of the vnderstanding must not be denyed For there is no reason that man shold serue God with the lesser facultyes that he hath within him and not serue him with the cheife which are his vnderstanding and his will Nor yet is it reason that (b) Note well since the seruice that the will doth to God is by obeying him the vnderstanding should remaine without obedience to God And as the obedience of the will consisteth in denying a mans owne will for doing of the will of God so the seruice which the vnderstanding is to do him is to deny it selfe for the belieuing of the truth of God For if the seruice of the vnderstanding did consist in conceauing or consenting to any thing which it might be able to reach by the only hand of reason eyther it would not deserue the name of seruice or at least but seruice of an inferiour rancke since therein there were no obedience Or if there were any obedience it would be but of the will which God might commaund to impose vpon the vnderstanding that it should thinke this or that But to the end that the seruice and obedience of the vnderstanding may be proper only to it selfe it is necessary that it consent to somewhat which it selfe doth not vnderstand and thereby it doth truly abase and deny it selfe and obey and make it selfe captiue and do reuerence to the supreame God Fulfilling that which S. Paul (c) 1. Cor. 10. requireth That we must captiuate our Vnderstanding to the seruice of Fayth which in another place is stiled The obedience of faith So (d) Note this well also as the goodnes of God exacteth at our hands that we loue him and his liberality requireth that we hope for mercy from him in the same manner doth his truth require to be belieued since there is no lesse reason for the one of these then for the other And as the obedience which we giue to God by our loue presupposeth that we deny the loue of our selues and as the hope we haue in him is to worke by an independance vpon our selues in the same manner the obedience which we are to yeald to his truth is performed by a departure from our owne seeming and a beliefe of what he affirmeth with greater constancy then if our selues did vnderstand it For otherwise what should one be beholding for to another in belieuing that which that other sayth not because he sayth it but because himselfe doth so vnderstand it But belieuing beyond vnderstanding deserueth prayse as carrying difficulty with it as one would trust without a pawne or walke without a staffe or loue an enemy for Gods sake If therefore it be done for God it will be true vertue and worthy to be offered to God and to receiue a reward at his hands And since the will of a man is dedicated to God and sanctified by the abnegation of it selfe the vnderstanding must not rest as if it were profane by belieuing it selfe without obedience to God Since in heauen it is to be made happy by the cleare vision of his face For as S. Augustine sayth the reward of fayth is to See so that no discourse of reason will permit that the vnderstanding should forbeare to do seruice here on earth now the seruice which is proper to it is by belieuing CHAP. XXXIX Wherein answere is giuen to an obiection which some make against our Fayth by saying that God teacheth things which are too high SOME man may say being mooued eyther by these or other reasons That it is fit for a man to belieue that which he vnderstandeth not because God sayth it But that since this may be performed by belieuing diuers other things there is no cause why yet we shold belieue that which is belieued by Christians But tell me O you blind men what is the fault you find in that which we Christians do belieue And if your selues know not how to say what you thinke I will tell you what it is The (a) Note and take heed articles which of the height of God are to be belieued do seeme so high thinges to you that euen because they are so very high you belieue them not And the low or meane things which we belieue of the humility of God are so very low that euen for that very reason you hold them not to be worthy of God and so neither do you belieue them For tell me in that highest mystery of the most holy Trinity what other thing doth offend you but that it is so incomprehensible and that the sight of your vnderstanding being beaten back againe vpon your selues by the A bysse of that infinite light and the height of such a mystery you shut your eyes and with saying How can this be you forbeare to belieue it whereas it were agreable to all reason that we should thinke most highly of the most high and that we should ascribe to him the most high being and the most excellent being to which our vnderstanding could arriue And wheÌ„ we shal haue arriued to things very high we must yâ—â— belieue that in him there are stâ—l things higher which do wholy exceed our capacity This is to honour God and to hold him for God and for a great one For if our Vnderstanding could reach to all the height of God God would be little and consequently he could not be God For he could not be vnles he were infinite and the infinite is incomprehensible by any thing that is finite And since it is better that there be in God a supreme Communication since supreme Communication is due to a supreme goodnes and if this must also be it must be by communicating the very true and totall essence of it selfe and so there will be in God supreme fecundity as it is fit for God and not sterility which is a thing very far from him as he sayth (b) Isa 1â— by Isaias I who giue power to others that they may engender shall I perhaps remaine barren And although by making of Angells and men and the whole world he communicateth many fauours to it yet neither is this any such fecundity nor a Communication of an infinit Gooâ—â— because he giueth not his essence But he only giueth them the being and vertue which they hauâ—â— nor shall God leaue to be a solitary God notwithstaÌ„ding the many creaturs that accompany him since betweene him and them there is an infinite distance Iust so as Adam would not haue fayled to be solitary notwithstanding the many beastes and other creatures which were in the world how neere soeuer they had beene to him And that man might not remain alone God gaue him a companion which might hold resemblance and equality with
Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
which was beginning to sly de into Spaiâ—e about his tyme and they were called Ilâ—umimati so farre did this deceite ariue that if this kind of interiour motion came not to them they would not stirre a foot towardes the doing of any thing how good soeuer and on the other side if they had a mind to do any thing that they would be sure to do though it were against the wil of God Belieuing that the humour which they found in their hart was Gods particuler instinct and the liberty of the holy Ghost which did enfranchise them from all obligation to the ordinary Commandments of God to whome they sayd they carryed such an entiere true loue as that euen by breaking of his commandments they lost it not They considered not that the Sonne of God did preach by his owne sacred mouth a doctrine very contrary to this when he sayd If any man loue me he will keep my word and he that holdeth and obserueth my Commandements he is the man that loueth me And againe If any man loue me he will keep my word and he that loueth me not will not keep it Giuing cleerely to vnderstand heereby that whosoeuer keepeth not his word doth beare no loue nor hold friendship with him For as S. Augustine sayth No man can loue that King whose Commandements he hateth Now as for that which the Apostle sayth That (d) Note how the obiection which is made by heretikes vnder the colour of this place of Scripture is soundly answered and at large to the iust man there is imposed no law and that where the spirit of our Lord is there is liberty This is not so to be vnderstood as if the Holy Ghost did free any man how iust soeuer he may be from keeping the commandments of God or of his Church or of his Prelates but rather how much the more this spirit doth communicate it selfe so much the more loue doth it infuse and by the increase of loue the care and desire doth also increase of keeping more and more the word of God and of his Church And as this spirit is most efficacious and maketh a man become a true and feruent louer of that which is good so it further putteth such a disposition into the soule when it imparteth it selfe aboundantly as that the keeping of the Commandements is not hard but very easy so full of gust as that Dauid sayd How sweet are thy wordes to my threate yea more then hony to my mouth Because when this spirit doth place in the will of man a most perfect conformity with the will of God making it to be one spirit with him and doth say as S. Paul doth That he hath the same mind to will and not to will it must necessarily follow that to such a man the obseruation of the will of God is to be full of gust since it is of gust to euery body to do that which they loue And this is so full of Truth as that if the very law of God could be lost it would be found writteÌ„ by the holy Ghost as it were in the bowells of these persons according to that which Dauid (e) Psal 39. sayth That the law of God is in the hart of the man that is iust that is in his will which is according to God And God himselfe sayd as much I (f) Ierem. 31. will put my law into the bowells of theÌ„ From hence it is that although there were no hell to threaten and no heauen to allure and no commaundment to oblige yet would this iust man do that which he doth for the pure loue of God For because the holy Ghost worketh in a man towards God that which nature worketh in the hart of a sonne towards his Father since by his gifte and by his grace we receaue the adoption of being the sonnes of God from hence I say it groweth that such a man like a tender harted Son doth reuere and serue God throgh the filiall loue which he carrieth towards him Vpon this doth also follow a perfect detestation of al sinne and a perfect hope which dispatcheth all feare sorrow away with speed as it may be done in this exile of ours and it enableth him to suffer paine and trouble not only with patience bâ—â— euen with ioy And by reason of the liberty which he hath both in respect of sinnes afflictions abhorring the former and louing the latter he may be called free and that vpon such a iust man there is no law imposed Euen so as if there were a mother who did much loue her sonne and would faine do much for him that law would be of no trouble to her which should commaund her to do those things towards him which her own maternall hart did induce her to And so this mother should not be placed vnder a law or vnder the trouble that she was put to but should rather be superiour to them since she performed that with alacrity which the law commaunded with authority In this sort do they of whom we haue spoken by fulfilling the law of Gods loue yea and there are many who do things to which they are tyed by no obligation their hart flaming vp into a hoater fyre of loue then the law doth any way oblige them to In this manner therefore that of S. Paul is (g) Gal. 5. to be vnderstood If you be conducted by the Spirit you are no more vnder the law Because (h) This liberty of Spirit is very different from the Protestant liberty of the ghospâ—ll by abhorring sinne and carrying a tender loue to that which the law commaundes and being ioyfull in tribulation which are all effects of being guided by the Spirit the law as hath byn sayd is no burthen to such But in breaking any of the commaundments of God or of his Church this Spirit doth instantly fly away as it is written That it departeth from the thoughtes of them who are without vnderstanding and that it shal be driuen out of a soule when sinne commeth into it And as then men are not carried by this holy Spirit so is it impossible but that they should be vnder that weight which the law imposeth vpon such as loue it not and who are weak in suffering affliction and subiect to returne to sinne Let (i) Heere ProtestaÌ„ts are playnly spoken to no man therfore affirme that when he breaketh the commaundment of God or of his Church he hath Iustice or liberty of spirit or loue of God in his soule since our Lord pronounceth him to be a slaue and no free man who committeth sinne And as there is no participation between light and darknes so neither is their any between God and him that worketh wickednes For as it is written The wicked man and his wickednes are detestable in the sight of God I haue giuen thee notice of this so blind errour in the nature of an example by meanes whereof thou maiest
excellent lesson coÌ„cerning the strict examinatioÌ„ of our coÌ„science as it were into the chapter-house with thy selfe towardes night and iudge thy selfe very particulerly as thou wouldest do any third person Reprehend thy selfe and punish thy selfe for thy faultes and preach thou more to thy selfe then to any other body how much so euer thou loue him and where thou findest most fault there procure to apply most remedy For belieue me that by the continuance of this examen and reprehension of thy selfe thy thoughts cannot continue long without being reformed And thou shalt ariue to a science which will doe thee much good and it will make thee weepe not swell and it will keep thee from that dangerous infirmity of pride which entreth euen insensibly by little and little a man thinking well and taking contentement in himselfe Be very watchful against the approach there of and preserue thy selfe with all care Take not thy selfe into good conceite but know by the light of truth how to reprehend be displeasing to thy selfe and so the mercy of God wil be neere thee in whose right they only are pleasing who are displeasing in their owne And he pardoneth their faultes with a great liberality of goodnesse who know them and who humble themselues for them with (d) But it must be a true one a true iudgement and who lament them by their will Thou shalt also hereby decline two other vices which are the ordinary companions of pride and they are ingratitude sloth For by knowing and misliking thy defects thou wilt see thy weakenesse and thy vnworthynesse and the great mercy of God in suffering pardoning thee in bestowing benedictions vpon thee who hast deserued misery and by this meanes thou wilt be gratefull And on the other side considering the little good thou doest the many sinnes which thou committest thou wilt be awaked out of the sleepe of slouth and wilt euery day begin with new feruour to serue our Lord seing the little that thou hast done hitherto For this and many other benefittes which grow from a mans knowing and reproouing himselfe a holy old man of ancient tymes being asked whether a man might be more secure by seruing God in solitude or in company of others did answeare That is he knew how to reprehend himselfe he might be euery where safe and if not that he would be euery where in daÌ„ger And because through the inordinate loue which we beare our selues we cannot know or reprehend our selues with that vnpartiall iudgement which truth requires we must (e) A hard lesson but by the goodnes and grace of our Lord Ieâ—â—â— it is learâ—ed practised by 〈◊〉 in the Catholike Church thanke that person that doth it for vs. And we must earnestly beseech our Lord that himselfe will rebuke vs with loue bestowing vpon vs light and truth that so we may belieue of our selues as we ought in very deed to belieue And this is that which the prophet (f) Ierem. 10. Ieremy desired saying Correct me o Lord in iudgement and not in sury least otherwise thou do turne me into nothing To correct with fury doth belong to the last day when God will send the wicked to hell for their synnes and to correct in iudgement is to reprehend his children in this world with the loue of a Father Which reprehension carrieth a great testimony with it that God loueth such a person Nor is there any other so sure an one as that nor which bringeth so good newes as being the preface to vs of our receiuing great fauours from God So doth S. Marke relate that our Lord Iesus Christ appearing to his disciples did (g) Mare 10. reprehend them of incredulity and hardnesse of hart and then he after gaue them power to doe wonderfull thinges And the prophet (h) Isa 4. Isay sayth That our Lord doth wash away the vncleanes of the daughters of Sion and the bloud out of the middle of Hierusalem in the spirit of iudgement and in the spirit of heate Giuing vs so to vnderstand that for our Lord to wash way our faultes by comming to vs is first to make vs know who we are and this is iudgement And afterward he sendeth in a spirit of heate which is loue and that prouoketh vs to griefe and so he washeth vs giuing vs pardon by his grace Of this we must not presume to allow our selues any part of the glory since it is he who first gaue vs to vnderstand our owne wickednesse and rashnesse Nor (i) A description of that true â—orrow for sinne which is of God yet art thou to conceaue that this reprehension is any afflictiue kind of thing which may excessiuely oppresse thy soule by making it offensiue to thee For any such disposition as this is eyther of the Diuell or of a mans owne spirit and it must be fled But it is a quiet knowledge of a mans owne faultes and as a iudgâ—ment of heauen which is pronounced in the soule which makes this earth of our infirmity quake with shame and feare and loue which clappe spurres into the sides to make it mende to serue our Lord with greater diligence Yea it giues a man much confidence that our Lord loueth him as his sonne since he exerciseth the office of a Father with him as it is written And (k) Prou. 3. whom he loueth he correcteth Be therefore carefull to behold and reprehend and to present thy selfe in the presence of God before whom an humble acknowledgement of our owne faultes is a matter of more security then the proude altitude of any other science And be not like some who loue to haue themselues in good estimation who because they are loth to thinke ill of themselues they take pleasure in spending much tyme to thinke of other deuout thinges and to passe lightly ouer the knowledge of their owne defects because they find no sauour in them since they take no pleasure in the contempt of themselues Whereas in very Truth there is nothing so safe nor which so maketh God withdraw his sight from our sinnes as for vs to see and to reprehend them with griefe and pennance As it is written If we did iudge our selues we should not be iudged by God CHAP. LXIII Of the estimation which we are to make of our good works that we may not fayle thereby in the knowledge of our selues and of true Humility and of the meruailous example which Christ our Lord doth giue vs for this purpose THE second thing that thou art to obserue concerning this knowledge is that although it be good and profitable since therby we come to haue a contrite and humbled hart yet hath it this fault that it is euer grounded vpon our hauing committed sinne And it is not to be much meruailed at if a sinner do know and esteeme himselfe to be a sinner For being such he should withal be a hideous monster if he would esteem
should exalt him yet would he not exalt himselfe But as a true iust person he depriueth himselfe of that honour which he findeth not to be his owne and he giueth it to our Lord whose it is And in this light he findes that the more high he is the more he hath receaued of God and the more he oweth him and the more poore and base he is in himselfe For (k) This is a most pure and perfect truth he that doth truly grow in other vertues doth so also in humility saying to God Thou must increase in me and I must decrease in my selfe dayly And if euen with al these considerations already meÌ„tioned thou find not the fruite of the contempt of thy selfe which thou desirest be not yet dismayd thereat But call vpon our Lord with continuance of prayer for he knoweth how and he is accustomed to teach both interiourly and by way of exteriour comparisons the little that all thinges created are to be esteemed And in the meane tyme till this mercy come liue in patience and know thy selfe for proude which is a kind of humility as for one to hold himselfe humble is a kind of pride CHAP. LXVIII Wherein he beginneth to treate of the consideration of Christ our Lord and of the mysteries of his life and death and of the great reason we haue to exercise our selues in this consideration and of the greâ—â— fruites which grow from thence THEY (a) He beginneth heere and continueth till the the 8â— Chapter a discourse vpon the meditatioÌ„ of the sacred Passion of our Lord Iesus as excellently written perhaps as any hath been seene in this age I am sure I neuer saw any that I liked so well who are much exercised in the knowledge of themselues in respect that they are coÌ„tinually viewing their defects so neer at hand are wont to fall into great sadnes and disconfidence and pusillanimity for which reason it is necessary that they do exercise themselues also in another knowledge which giueth comfort and strength much more then the other gaue discouragement And against this inconuenience there is no other knowledge which may compare with that of Iesus Christ our Lord especially if we consider how he suffered and dyed for vs. This is the cheereful newes which in the new law was preached to all such as are of broken hart and hereby is ministred a kind of Physicke which is more efficacious towards their comfort then they can be discomforted by the woundes and soares of their ownesoules This crucifyed Lord is he who cheereth them vp whom the knowledge of their owne sins afflicteth and he it is that absolueth whome the law condemneth maketh them sonnes of God who were slaues of the Diuell This Lord they must procure to know and they who are subiect to the spirituall debtes which they haue made by finne and they who find straitnes and bitternes of sorrow at their hart when they consider themselues must approach to him and they shal find themselues well therewith as heeretofore others that were afflicted and indebted did resort to Dauid and found help in his society For as we vse to giue counsaile that they who are to passe a riuer should looke vpward or at least out of the water least their heads may els be subiect to some trouble by staring vpon the running streame so whosoeuer shall find himselfe dismaid by the contemplation of his own miseryes if he will cast vp his eyes to Iesus Christ vpon the Crosse he may recouer strength For it was not sayd in vaine My soule was troubled within me and for this reason I remembred thee of the land of Iordan and of the hilles of Hermon of the little hill For the mysteries which Christ did worke in his Baptisme Passion are able to quiet any tempest of distrust which riseth in the hart of man And so it doth both for that reason aforesayd as also because there is no (b) This is the booke of Bookes booke so efficacious towardes the instructing of a man in al kind of vertue nor how hartily sinne ought to be abhorred and vertue loued as the Passion of the Sonne of God And againe because it is an extreme ingratitude to put such an immense benefit of loue into obliuion as that was in Christ to suffer for vs. It is therefore fit for thee after the exercise of the knowledge of thy selfe to imploy thy mind vpon the knowledge of Christ Iesus our Lord. S. Bernard teacheth vs this by saying whosoeuer hath any feeling of Christ doth know how much it belongeth to Christian piety and how necessary it is and what fruit it bringeth to the seruant of God and a seruant of the redemption of Christ to remember with attentioÌ„ for at least the space of one houre in a day the benefits of the Passion and Redemption of Christ Iesus our Lord to enioy it sweetly in our soules and to settle it faythfully in our memoryes This S. Bernard sayd this he did And besides this thou art to know That God when he was pleased to communicate the riches of his Diuinity to men imbraced the meanes of making himselfe a man that by such basenes and poorenesse he might conforme himselfe to the small capacity of such as were base and poore and by ioyning himselfe to them he might raise them vp to his owne height so that the way by which God hath vsed to communicate his Diuinity to men hath beene by meanes of his sacred Humanity This is that gate by which whosoeuer entreth shall be saued and it is the staire by which we must ascend to heauen For God the Father is pleased to honour the humanity and humility of his only begotten Sonne so far as not to make friendship with any creature who belieueth not in him nor to grant his familiar conuersation but to such as meditate vpon him with much attention Since therefore there is no reason that thou shouldst forbeare to desire so great blessings see (c) If we meane not to be wholy miserable we must become slaues to the PassioÌ„ of Christ our Lord. that thou make thy selfe a slaue to this sacred Passion For as much as by it thou wert deliuered from the captiuity of thy sinnes from the torments of hell and those other blessings do also come to thee by this Do (d) Note and be ashamed of thy ingratitude not esteeme it a trouble to thinke of that which he through his great loue of thee did thinke no trouble to endure Be thou one of those soules to which the Holy Ghost speaketh in the (e) Cant. 3. Canticles Go forth you daughters of Sion and behold Salomon the King with that garland vpon his head wherewith his Mo ther crowned him in the day of his espousall and in the day of the ioy of his hart In no place of the Holy Scripture is it read that King Salomon was crowned with any crowne or garland by the handes
afflictions most gladly didst thou resolue to suffer them because thereby thou diddest remoue ours Thou art he who saidst to thy beloued (b) Lue. 22. Apostles a little before thy Passion With (c) Note wonder at these wordes desyre haue I desyred to cate this paschall with you before I suffer Thou art he who saidst before (d) Lue. 12. I came into the world that I might bring fyre what do I desyre but that it should burne With a baptisme I am to be baptized and how am I straitned till it be effected This fyre of the loue of thee which thou desyrest may be kindled till it may inflame and burne vs wholy vp and till it transforme vs into thee thou still art blowing by the blessings which by thy life thou bestowedst on vs thou makest it burne by the death which thou enduredst for vs. And who amongst vs is so well natured as that he would haue loued thee vnles thou hadst died for the loue of vs therby to giue vs life who are dead for lacke of louing thee But now who wil be wood so cold and moist as that seeing thee so faire and flourishing a tree wherof whosoeuer doth eate shall liue to be thus kindled vpon the Crosse burnt vp by that fyre of tormentes which they gaue thee and yet more by that loue wherewith thou sufferedst them he will not yet be kindled now at last to loue thee and to do it euen to the death Who wil be so deadly obstinate as to shut himselfe vp against that importunate (e) Our Lord Iesus doth make no other suit to vs but that we will loue him only it must be with true loue request wherein thou didst persist from the tyme that thou wert borne of the wombe of the B. Virgin and that she tooke thee into her armes and layd thee in the maunger till the same handes and armes of hers tooke thee agayne when being dead thou wert taken from the Crosse and wert deliuered ouer to the holy Sepulcher as into another wombe Thou (f) Note didst burne thy selfe that we might not freeze in the cold Thou didst weep that we might reioyce Thou didst suffer that we might repose and thou wert baptized euen by the sheading of thy bloud that we might be washed from our sinnes and yet thou saydst withall O Lord How do I liue in the straitnes of affliction till this Baptisme be accomplished Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand what an imflamed desire thou hadst to giue vs remedy though thou knewest that it would cost thee thy life And as the Spouse desireth the day of his marriage that he may enioy his end so doest thou desire the day of thy Passion to deliuer vs by thy paynes from our miseryes One houre O Lord did seeme to thee a thousand years till thou camest to dye for vs conceauing that thy life would be well imployed if it were laid downe for thy seruantes And because that which is desired doth carry ioy after it when it is accomplished it is no meruaile if the day of thy Passion be called the day of thy ioy since it was so desired by thee And (g) The vast loue of God in Christ our Lord. although the griefe of that day were excessiue in so much as it is sayd in thy person O all you that passe by the way attend and see if there be any griefe like myne yet the loue which flamed in thy hart was incomparably greater For if it had been needfull in respect of our good that thou shouldst haue passed throgh a thousand tymes as much as that and that thou shouldst haue continued vpon the Crosse till the end of the world thou didst place thy selfe vpon it with firme determination to do and suffer whatsoeuer might haue beene necessary for our remedy So that thou didst loue more then thou didst suffer and more was thy loue able to preuaile with thee then the want of loue in those wretches that did torment thee So then did thy loue remaine conquerour and that being so liuely a flame those great riuers of many afflictions that came against thee were not able to quench it And therefore although the torments gaue thee sorrow and sound griefe yet thy loue tooke pleasure in that benefit which we were to receaue thereby For this it is called the day of the ioy of thy hart this day did AbrahaÌ„ see he reioyced not that he wanted compassion of thy paines but because he saw that the world was to be redeemed by them In this day therefore Go forth you daughters of Sion you being the soules who behold God from the tower of Fayth to see your peace-making King who by his affliction goeth no conclude the desired peace Looke I say vpon him since your eyes were giuen you for that purpose And amongst all the ornaments of his espousall which he weareth looke vpon that crown of thornes which his diuine head doth carry Which although it were platted and put on by those of the Court of Pilate who were Gentills yet is his Mother sayd to haue placed it vpon his head which Mother in that sense was the Synagogue of the race wherof Christ descended according to the flesh For by the accusation of the Synagogue and at the will therof Christ was so tormented Now (h) A strange kind of marriage if any man say that this is a new kind of ornament for a spouse to weare a dolorous crowne insteed of a garland for ornaments of handes and feet sharpe nayles which might passe and pierce them through scourges insteed of a girdle and the hayre of his head and face glued togeather with his owne bloud his sacred beard pulled off from his cheekes and they discoloured with buffeting and that soft bed which in the case of persons newly espoused vse to be filled with pretious odours being conuerted into a bitter Crosse and that erected in place where malefactours were put to death what hath this extreme abasement to do with the ornaments of an espousall What hath this being accompanied by theeues to do with being in the society of friends who should ioy in doing honour to the new spouse What fruit or musickâ—â— or pleasure may it be which heere we see since the Mother and the friends of the spouse do ease griefe and drinke teares and the Angells of peace weepe bitterly There is nothing further off from an espousall then all that which heere appeareth But yet this nouelty is not to be wondered at because the Spouse and the manner of the espousall is all new Christ is a new man both because he is without sinne and because he is both God man and we are they whome he espouseth to himselfe we who are deformed poore and full of misery and this he doth not to permit vs to remaine so but to kill that which is euill in vs and to impart to vs that which is good in him For this
our Lord Iesus is the Sancta SanctornÌ„ I answere That it is the hart of Iesus Christ our Lord who is truly the Holy of Holyes For as he did not content himselfe to suffer only in the exteriour but with a cordiall loue so thou art not to stay vpon the seeing and imitating that which exteriourly appeares but thou must enter into his hart to behold imitate the same And to the end that this entry might be more easy for vs and that which was locked vp in his hart more manifest he permitted after he was dead that howsoeuer he then felt no paine his hart should be (b) By the point of a launce disclosed that so as by an open gate wherby we might discouer a world of admirable mysteryes men might be induced to enter into it might be inuited as to a thing wherein they were to behold that strange beauty which was there conteined But who is able with a tongue to speake therof since he that hath entrance thither and lookes vpon them cannot reach to the greatnes And eueÌ„ that which he reacheth he is not able to expresse S. Iohn (c) Apoe 11. deliuereth in figure of this that the temple of God was opened and that the Arke of the Testament was seene therein for in the hart of Christ the law of God is fulfilled and there is kept the Manna of celestiall bread and that pretious and complete (d) By the incarnation passion of Christ our Lord. sweetning of God which was signified by that couerture of gold of the ancient Arke And all this in so great excellency that it far exceedeth the very highest pitch of all our thoughtes Dauid (e) Psal 39. sayth Many meruailes hast thou wrought O Lord my God and in those thoughtes which thou hadst for my good there is none like to thee Meruailous (f) Marke this gradation is all that which God hath done and more meruailous is all that which he hath suffered But yet if thou consider the thoughts of his (g) O bottomles Abysse of the lou of our Lord Iesus to mankind hart which euen whilest lest he was suffering did through his loue think as it were but little of any thing except the same very loue thou wilt cry out with a loud cry of thy soule There is none O Lord like to thee Do thou desire him O Virgin when thou shalt see him suffer his handes and necke to be tyed when thou shalt see him endure buffets thornes nailes and death to do thee the fauour to let thee know why being so strong and so powerfull he should suffer himselfe to be treated as if he were so weake without ability of making resistance To this S. Iohn (h) Aâ—oc 2. wil answeare thee in his name He loued vs and he washed vs from our sin with his bloud Ruminate well vpon these wordes and lodge them deepely in thy hart and entertaine thy selfe in thinking what an admirable and excessiue loue that is which burneth so in his hart as to flame out by suffering such thinges in the exteriour Say within thy selfe What (i) Obserue well the gradations of this chapter which tend towards the making thee all enamoured of our Lord Iesus it is the top of any thing that I haue seene in this kind person might there be in the world for whom I or such an one as I would endure such miseryes without pretending any proper interest but only for pure loue of that other person and thou wil see that to suffer all that which our Lord suffered is not such a kind of thing as which we may looke to find elsewhere for there would be no forces fit for so heauy a burthen To endure some small part of what he endured might perhaps be found betweens fathers and sonnes brother and brother friend and friend man and wife or the like to whoÌ„ either necessity or bloud or friendship may giue strength to suffer yea and to dye though this of dying but very rarely But to suffer for strangers without any interest of a mans owne without being obliged to it yea and to dye and that for nothing but for meere loue was a thing neuer seene And yet if it should be seene that a slaue should offer to dye for a King and that before his death he wold be scourged endure some of the many tormentes which our Lord did suffer it would be such an act of prowesse as that the slaue might deserue a Pardon although he had committed many faultes And all men would iudge that he had merited many fauours at that Kinges handes if he were able to impart any in the other life Nor would this famous action depart froÌ„ the mouths of men for a long time yea the King himselfe would recount it both with much thankefullnes and much tendernesse But (k) Giue great attention now let vs turne the story the other way and conceaue that the King himselfe after hauing suffered greiuous tormentes and extreame reproach would needs dye for his slaue from whom he had receiued no seruice but great offences which deserued a most cruell death that the cause of the Kinges dying were the meere nothing but the loue which he bare this slaue This would be a thing neuer seene and neuer heard before and it would betoken such an excessiue kind of loue as would cast them that heard of it into a horrible kind of amazement and would furnish matter to men for publishing the goodnesse of that King al the dayes of their liues And so admirable so new and so sublime a loue would this be that some men of superficiall vertue and weake vnderstanding would be scandalized thereat and would not make such a iudgement of this worke as were conuenient affirming it to be a kind of absurd excesse that the maiesty of a King full of all power and vertue should so cast away his pretious life to the end that his wicked slaue might liue who had most iustly deserued death And (l) Be still attentiue for these are circuÌ„stances of high importance if moreouer it were added to this story that this King were so wise and so powerfull as that with much facility and without suffering the least inconuenience and without doing the least iniustice to any he could deliuer that slaue of his from death and that yet neuerthelesse he would make vp his loue into so huge a heape and would giue him to vnderstand that he were resolued to endure such and so many miseries as neuer any man endured and all this for no other reason but because that so it would be better for the slaue most certaine it is that few eyes would be found in the world which could be able to behold such a bright sunne of burning loue as this And if any maÌ„ should haue so good an apprehension as to thinke thereof as the thinge deserued he would escape well if he kept his wittes through
they grow indeed to hate themselues through the loue they haue of being wicked this enamoured Lord doth so highly prize them so much loue them that to redeeme them out of such a miserable captiuity he gaue himselfe as a price for them In testimony that he loueth them more then they are beloued by any other or then they know how to loue themselues CHAP. LXXIX Of the burning Loue wherewith Christ Iesus loued God and men for God from which loue as from a fountatine that did spring which he suffered in the exteriour and that also which he suffered in the interiour which was much more then the other IF the hart of man be so wicked as Ieremy (a) Ierem. 17. sayd as that God only can tell how to sift it that the more deep a man diggs in that rotten wall the more abhominable filthines is discouered as was shewed in figure to (b) Ezech. 8. Ezechiel with how much more reason may we say that since the hart of Iesus Christ our Lord is more good then any other can be wicked there is none who can wholy diue into it but only the same Lord whose it is It is worthy of admiratiō and which in reason ought to robbe vs euen of our very soules and to bind vs as slaues to God to consider the excessiue loue of his hart which did expresse it selfe in suffering the whole course of that Passion and death for vs as we haue shewed But if thou digge yet deeper with the light of heauen in thy hand and do looke neere into this (c) The hart of our Lord Iesus is the Reliquary the loue is the Relique Reliquary of God which is so full of vnspeakable secrets thou wilt discerne such effects of loue as will cast thee into more wonder then any outward thing belonging to the passion For this purpose thou art to remember how in the towne of Bethsaida our Lord being in the cure of a deafe man the Ghospell sayth That he cast vp his sacred eyes to heauen and he sighed deeply and that then he cured the patient That groaning sigh which carryed an exteriour sound was but one and it might passe in a short tyme but it was a witnes of another sigh yea and of many profound internall sighes and which lasted not only for a short tyme but for months yeares For thou art to vnderstand how that most holy soule in being created and infused into the body in that virgineall wombe of our Blessed Lady did then behold the diuine essence which for the height therof is called heauen with great reason as clearly as now it doth And in seeing it it did iudge that it was worthy of all honour and seruice and so it desired all honour to it with that vnspeakeable force of loue wherwith it was endued And although the ordinary law for such as see God clearly be this that they must be blessed both in body and soule and be subiect to no kind of payne yet to the end that we might be redeemed by the pretious afflictions of our Lord it (d) See the inuentiōs of the loue the God was ordeined that felicity and ioy should remaine in the superiour part of his soule should not redound into the inferiour part or into his body renouncing all that sense of happines which so iustly was due vnto it for the accepting and suffering of that paine to which we were liable Now if that most holy soule who cast the eyes of the vnderstanding vp to the heauen of the diuinity had not had any other thing but that to looke vpon it could not haue been capable of payne since God is such a Good that nothing can grow from the sight of him but loue and ioy But for as much as he saw all the sinnes which then had bin committed by men from the beginning of the world and (e) So that then he saw all and euery of my sins and al thy sinnes those also which would be committed euen to the end of it his griefe was fully as internall and as profound to see that heauen of the Diuine Maiesty offended as his desyre was that it should be serued And (f) The infinite desire which our Lord Iesus had that God should be serued as infinite griefe that he is offēded as no man is able to reach to the greatnesse of that defire so neither can any man arriue to the greatnes of that griefe For the holy Ghost which is figured in (g) Note this griefe loue fyre which was giuen him beyond all measure did inflame him to loue God with an incomprehensible (h) Ioan. 11. loue and the same Holy Ghost which is also figured in a (l) Luc. 19. Doue did make him bitterly lament to see him offended whome he loued after such an ineffable manner But to the end that thou maist see how this knife of griefe which passed through the hart of our Lord did not only wound him on the one syde but that it was doubly and most sharply edged remember that the same Lord who looking vp to heauen did deeply sigh did also weepe both ouer Lazarus and ouer Hierusalem And then as S. Ambrose saith it is not to be wondred at that he greiued for all since he wept for one So that to see God offended and to see men destroyed by sinne was a (k) Our Lord graunt vs one touch of this knife vpō our harts by the merits of his knife with a double edge which did most lamentably pierce his hart through the inestimable loue which he bare to God as God and to men for his sake desiring to make satisfaction to the honour of God and to obtaine a remedy for men how deerly soeuer it should cost him O (l) The vnspeakable affliction of our Lord Iesus in his sacred Passion most blessed Iesus to see thee tormented exteriourly in thy body doth euen breake the hart of a Christian but to see thee so tormented and defeated inwardly with such deadly griefe there is no eye there is no force that can endure it Three nayles O Lord did breake through thy handes and feet with excessiue paine and more then seauenty thornes they say did pierce thy diuine head thy buffetts and thy affrontes were very many and the cruell scourget which that most delicate body of thyne receiued they say did passe the number of fiue thousand By occasion of these and many other grieuous torments which concurred in thy passion which no man arriueth to vnderstand but thou that feltest them it was said in thy person long before O all you that passe by the way obserue and see if there be any griefe like myne And yet nowithstanding all this thou whose loue hath no limit didst both seeke and sind new inuentions for the drawing and feeling within thy seife certaine paynes which exceeded those nailes and scourges and tormentes which exteriourly thou didst endure and which continued
that not only during the space of eightteen houres which passed in the tyme of thy sacred Passion but for the whole course of three and thirty yeares from one fiue and twentith of March when thou didst become incarnate till another fiue and twentith of March and eight dayes after when thy life did leaue thee vpon the Crosse Thy (d) The great loue of God to vs is exempliâ—ied by diuers comparisons and proofs of holy Scripture selfe did call thy selfe a Mother when speaking to Hierusalem thou didst say How often (e) Watt 23. would I haue gathered thy children vnder my winges as the Hen doth her chickens but thon wouldest not And to giue vs to vnderstand that thy hart doth carry a particuler loue and tendernes towards vs thou didst compare thy selfe to a Hen which is the creature that is content in extraordinary manner to cast away her comfort and to afflict her selfe for that which concerneth her little ones Nor only art thou like the Hen in this but thou exceedest both that all other mothers in the world as by (f) Isa 49. Isay thy selfe didst say A mother perhaps may forget the sonne of her wombe well yet though she forget him I will not forget thee for I haue written thee in my handes and thy walles do euer stand before me Who O Lord shall be able though he dig neuer so deep to discouer those vnspeakable secrets of loue and sorrow which are in thy hart Thou doest not content thy selfe O Lord with carrying the lone of a Father towardes vs which might only be strong and patient in suffering the afflictions and troubles of a Father but to the end that no delightfull comfort might be wanting to vs not no vexation to thy selfe thou wouldst needs be also a Mother to vs in the tendernes of thy affection which causeth an vnspeakable kind of loue towards her children Yea and more art thou to vs then a Mother for of no Mother haue we read that to the end she might stil remember her sonne she hath written a booke whereof hard nayles of iron were the pen and her owne handes the paper and that by pressing those handes and passing them through with the nayles bloud may issue out insteed of inke which with grieuous payne may giue testimony of the great internall loue not suffering that to be forgotten which still she carryeth in her hands And if this which thou didst endure vpon the Crosse by hauing handes and feet so nayled to it be a thing which exceedeth all loue of Mothers who (g) Christ lesus our Lord became vpon the Crosse as it were a woman in trauaile shall recount that great loue and great griefe wherewith thou drewest all men into the wombe of thy hart groaning deeply for their sins with the groanes of labour like them of child-birth And that not for an houre nor for a day alone but for the whole tyme of thy life which lasted three and thirty yeares till at length like another Rachel thou diedst of trauell vpon the Crosse to the end that (h) Genes 35. Beniamin might be borne aliue The serpents which thou carriedst within thy selfe did giue thee O Lord such gripes that they made thee burst vpon the Crosse to the end that at the price of thy paines those serpents might be conuerted into the simplicity mildnesse of lambes and that in exchange of thy death they might obtaine a life of grace How iustly O Lord mayst thou cal men if thou considerest what thou hast suffered for them the Sonns of thy griefe as Rachel called her sonne since the griefe which their sinnes gaue thee was greater then the pleasure which they tooke by committing them And greater was thy humility and that breach of thy hart then the irreuerence and pride was which they expressed against the most high God when they offended him by breaking his law that so thy paines might ouercome our sinnes as the greater do the lesse More (i) The incomparable griefe of Christ our Lord for sinne is excellently desaâ—ibed O Lord did the sinnes of others grieue thee then any man hath bin euer grieued for his owne And if we read of some who had so great repentance for their sinnes as that their hart not being able to conteyne such griefe it did cost them their liues what sorrow was prouoked in thee by that vnmeasurable loue which thou didst carry both to God and man since one sparke of the same lone being cast into the harts of those others did oppresse them in such sort that it made them breake as if they had bin blowen vp with powder Of many we reade and we know that by hauing heard a newes which was very painefull to them did loose their liues And tell vs now O Lord for thy mercy how thou hadst force to out-liue such a bitter newes when all the sinnes of all mankind were first presented to thee thou louing men much more then any man euer loued another yea or euen himself Especially when thou didest coÌ„sider know that the misery which was hanging ouer theÌ„ for the same was greater then any other that could happen And where O Lord didst thou get strength to endure to see thy diuinity oftended and yet to liue since the loue which thou bearest both to it and men did exceed all measure Yet didst thou liue O Lord when thou heardst this newes yea and thou didst liue with the griefe thereof all the dayes of the life But vnles particuler force had bin giuen thee for the enduring of such sorrow it would not haue fayled to haue brought death vpon thee as lesse sorrow hath brought it vpon others So that O Lord they are many and not one only debt which I owe thee And although in regard of these sorrowes which as a mother thou didst endure for men with much reason thou mayst tearme them the sonnes of thy griefe as hath bin said yet as thou also art their Father thou mayst call them also the sonnes of thy right hand as (k) Gen. 35. Iacob did Because (l) The reformation of men doth manifest the power of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. in them is expressed and declared the greatnesse of thy hand which is thy power since thou drawest them out of sinne and dost place them in the state of grace euen in this life and at the later day shalt ranke them vpon thy right hand that so they may accompany thee in glory Being seated there in great security of repose as thou art O Lord at the right hand of thy Father where thou wilt esteeme all that which thou hast laboured and suffered for them to be well imployed CHAP. LXXXI Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawn out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other pointes and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise YF thou
thy prayses with great ioy and to serue thee with most ardent loue Nor doest thou content thy selfe O Lord to open thyne eares towards our prayers so to heare them with attentiue speed but as one that loues another in all truth of affection and doth take pleasure to heare him speake or sing so thou O Lord doest say to the soule which is redeemed by thy bloud Shew (y) Canâ— â— 2. me thy face let thy voice sound in myne cares for thy voyce is sweet thy face is very faire What is this O Lord which thou sayest That thou desirest to heare vs and that our voyce is sweet How doth our face seeme fayre in thyne eyes which we hauing defiled with many sinnes committed by vs euen whylest thou wert looking on are a shamed to let thee see Infallibly it is true that eyther we merit much in thy sight or else thou doest loue vs much But (z) The true humility which is taught by the doctrine of the holy Catholike Church far be it from vs O Lord far be it froÌ„ vs that out of thy mercifull proceeding we should draw a reason of being proud Since that whereby we please thee and are acceptable to thee is thyne owne grace which thou didst giue vs. And besides that thou doest regale and thou doest reward thy seruants more aboundantly then becomes any merit of theirs Let glory therfore begâ—uen to thee O Lord from whom all our good proceedeth and in whome all our good consisteth to vs in vs let confusion be for our vnworthynesse and wickednes Thou art our ioy and thou art that glory wherein we glory and this we do not vniustly but vpon great reason For a high honour it is to be beloued by thee and so beloued as that thou wouldst deliuer thy selfe ouer for our sakes to the tormentes of the Crosse from whence all blessings are deriued downe vpon vs. CHAP. LXXXVI Of the great loue wherewith our Lord doth behold such as are iust and of the much that be desyreth to communicate himselfe to creatures and to destroy our sinnes which we must behold with detestation that God may looke vpon them with compassion NOvv that thou hast vnderstood the speed wherwith God heareth the prayers of such as are iust it remaineth for thee to know the great loue wherwith he behouldeth them that (a) God heareth seeth our prayers as he requireth vs to looke vp to him to giue eare to his holy inspiratioÌ„s so he may entirely performe in himselfe that of hearing and seeing which he commaundeth of vs. The eyes of our Lord saith Dauid are vpon the iust to deliuer them from death but the face of our Lord is vpon the wicked that he may cast out the memory of them from the earth Heereby it appeares that our Lord placeth his eyes vpon the iust as the pastour doth vpon his sheep that they may not perish And so also doth he place them vpon the wicked to the end that they may not passe without the punishment which their sinnes deserue Two (b) What God made and what we make thinges there are in vs one which God made and that is the creature consisting of a Body and Soule with all the good that we haue the other which our selues did make and that is sinne Now if we did not accompany that good which we haue of God by somewhat else which is an euill of our owne there could be nothing in vs which our Lord would behold with the eyes of Anger but only of Loue since it is a naturall thinge for any cause to loue the effect of it selfe But now though we haue defiled and destroyed that which the beautifull God had made fayre in vs yet will he not totally cast vs off Nor can our wickednesse hinder his supereminent goodnes which for the recouering of that which he made good resolueth to destroy that euill which our selues did make For (c) An excellent comparison set forth with great life of circumstance if we see that this corporall sunne do with so liberall a hand impart it selfe and goeth as it were inuiting men to receiue it bestoweth light and heat vpon all them who giue no impediment thereunto yea when they do yet doth it as it were euen become obstinate in making them remooue the same and if it meete with any chinke or crany how little so euer it doth by that conuey it selfe and fill the whole house full of light what shall we say of that supreame diuine goodnesse which with so great anxiety as it were and force of loue doth go circling round about the creatures that he may bestow himselfe vpon them and fill them with liuely and diuine splendours What occasions doth he seeke of doing good to meÌ„ And to many for some smal seruices he hath vouchsafed to do no small fauours What entreaties doth he vse to them who depart that they will returne againe What imbracementes doth he giue them when they come backe What seeking of such as are lost What addressing such as are gone astray What pardoning of sinnes without reproach What ioy in restoring men to saluation Letting them know that he more desireth to graunt a pardon then they care to sue it out And therefore it is that he sayth to sinners Why (d) Ezech. 33. will you needs dye Know that I desire not the death of a sinner but that he may returne and liue Returne to me and you shall liue Our (e) Note this excellent consideration death consisteth in our departure from God and therefore to returne to him is to liue Whereunto we are inuited by Almighty God whose principall intention is not to lodge the eyes of his wrath vpoÌ„ the worke of his hands which is our selues but vpon the worke of ours which are our sinnes These would God faine destroy if we did not hinder him but this we do when we loue our sinnes giuing them life by our loue which by being loued do murther vs. And so great is the hungar which that soueraigne bounty hath towards the destruction of our wickednesse to the end that so his creature may not be destroyed that (f) Let all the Angels prayse our Lord for so infinite goodnes when soeuer a man will and how oft soeuer he will and how great soeuer the sinnes be which he hath committed if he will dispose himselfe to do pennance and to begge pardon of our Lord for his part he is ready to receaue vs. Forgiuing that which we haue deserued curing that which we made sicke straightning that which we made crooked and giuing vs grace to abhorre those thinges which formerly were by vs beloued Yea in such sort doth he destroy our wickednes and deuide it from vs that Dauid (g) Psalâ— 102. sayth Looke what distance there is betweene the rising and setting of the Sunne so far hath he separated our sinnes from vs. So that the beginning and first
also might take part thereof And as in thee there was the loue of a Father and that no barren loue but fruitfull of many blessinges so thou O Lord being pleased to make vs thy companions herein didst pray (m) Ioan. 17. the Father in this manner That (n) If this be well penetrated inough is sayd in few wordes the loue wherewith thou hast loued me may be in them and with this loue those other blessinges whereof one did both for himselfe and for those others who were to enioy them speake after this manner Reioycing I will reioyce in our Lord and my soule shall ioy in God For he hath clad me with the robes of saluation and he hath hemm'd me in with a garment of iustice as the man who is a spouse is honoured by wearing of a crowne and as the spouse who is a woman may be adorned with curious and rich dressings Which (o) Reade heere the true state of this question betweene Catholiks and Protestants Confession with such others as are made in the holy Scripture of those benefits which come to vs by Iesus Christ doth certainly ascribe more honour to him then That neither the vertue of his bloud nor of his grace nor the vse of his Sacramentes nor the infusion of the holy Ghost nor the incorporating a man to Christ himselfe are sufficient to deliuer him from sinne but only that he may not be condemned for it What (p) An opinion most iniurious to Almighty God is this but to thinke wickedly of God the Father Who promising togeather with his only sonne to send an entiere remedy against sinne and that sin in his tyme was to be brought to an end doth not yet performe what he promised Since although his Sonne be come yet sinne remaineth euen in very them who participate with the same Sonne of his How then can that word be accomplshed which sayth I (q) Ezech. 36. will powre cleane waters vpon you and you shal be cleansed from all your filth if yet indeed they cleanse me not but that they cast a cleane mantle ouer me by saying That the iustice and purity of Iesus Christ our Lord is imputed to me as myne owne Now this is rather to couer my vncleanesse then to take it away And he that affirmeth this vntruth doth consequently deny Iesus Christ our Lord (r) An opinion most dishonourable to christ our Lord for it alloweth him to be but a Sauiour by halues to be the messias who was promised in the law and he must therefore expect an other who may deliuer him not only from the condemnation due to sinne but from the sinne also it selfe Since it is cleare that he who should deliuer vs from both were to be a better Sauiour then he that were to do it but from one To these huge and headlong precipices doth the blindnesse of pride conduct such persons as are gouerned by it CAAP. XCI How some passages of holy Scripture are to be vnderstood wherein it is said that Christ Iesus is our Iustice and such other propositions as that is for the better declaration of the precedent Chapters THE (*) Ho prosecuteth the same discourse in excellent manner and it conuinceth manner which the holy Scripture holdeth in saying that Christ is made vnto vs Wisdome (a) 1. Cor. 1. Iustice Sanctification and Redemption should not giue any body occasion to thinke that iust men haue not a iustice in them which is their owne For if we be only iust because Christ is iust and not for the iustice which is in vs as well may we say that there is no wisdome in vs whereby we are wise neither yet any sanctification or redemption S. Iohn (b) 1. Io. 2. saith That the vnction of the holy Ghost which teacheth vs concerning all thinges is in the Iust S. Paul (c) 1. Cor. â— saith you are sanctifyed And S. Peter (d) 1. Pet. 1. saith you are redeemed from your vaine conuersation Now (e) He doth euidently shew at large by many places of Scripture that the ProtestaÌ„t interpretation of this concerning iustification is not only vntrue but most absurd for as much as Christ was not redeemed as hauing not committed sinne this redemption is to be in vs whereby we are said to be redeemed notwithstanding that the Scripture affirmeth that to vs Christ is made redemption For in this and those other manners of speach the thing which it would say is this That thâ—se thinges are giuen vs by his merit The Apostle (i) Cole â— 3. saith That Christ is our life but it will not follow heereupon that iust persons do not liue in respect that our Lord sayth he that eateth me lâ—ueth by me Nor should he haue the reason of a man who because he might heare it sayd That God is the beauty of the Rose or the strength of the Lyon or the like would therfore deny that these creaturs haue a kind of beauty or strength which is distinct from the strength or beauty of God The holy (g) Deut. 30. Scripture sayth God is thy life and the length of thy dayes which manner of speach doth but imploy that God is the efficient cause of these thinges and he that giueth them to vs. Neither yet must errour take away encouragement from this other speach of holy Scripture That we are made the iustice of God in Iesus Christ and that the Father made vs acceptable to himselfe in his beloued senne and the like For this manner of speach is but to make vs know as was sayd before the mystery of Christ his being the head and that iust persons are his liuing members who relye vpon him to the end that the good which he bestowed vpon them may both be conserued and increased For if by such manner of speach we would vnderstand that iust persons had these good thinges in them no otherwise then because Christ Iesus hath them what could we answere to what S. Paul (h) Rom. 3. sayth That iust persons are iustified by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whylest yet as he was in no captiuity so could not he be capable of redemption and therefore it must be in them who are iustifyed although it be procured for them by our Lord. The same Apostle (i) Rom. 8. sayth Who shall separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus but it followeth not vpon this that the loue of God is not in vs and euen deeply in vs since he sayth elsewhere That (k) Rom. 5. the loue of God is powred into our harts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs. The same manner of speach doth he also hold when he sayth of naturall blessinges That (l) Act. 17. in God we liue and moue and haue our being Yet will no man say That we haue no being or life or distinct operations from them of God The Scripture vseth this manner of speach to
for that is all that he can giue Such is the entertainment that he makes which were sufficient if men would but looke vpon it to make them fly from the Diuell and the World and to draw neere to God as the prodigall sonne did who finding himselfe put to so base an imployment as to keep swine and that he could not haue inough euen of the very food which they fed vpon he grew at last to get his wits againe and to obserue the difference which there was between being in the house of his Father and in that other house of the World and he left the ill condition wherein he was turning home and demāding mercy of his Father which he quickly found Do (t) How we must carry our selues towardes God if we desire to take comfort in his seruice thou also in like manner and if thou haue a mind that our Lord should receaue thee Forsake thy people And if thou wilt haue him remember thee forget thou it if thou wilt haue him loue thee do not inordinatly loue thy selfe and if thou wilt haue him take care of thee do not thou confide in the care of thy selfe and if thou wilt be acceptable to his eyes take no pleasure in thine owne and if thou resolue to please him do not feare to displease the whole world for him and if thou desire to find him make no difficulty to giue away thy Father thy Mother thy Brothers thy house and thy very life for him Not for that thou art to abhorre these thinges but because it is fit for thee to looke with truth and with entire loue vpon Christ and (u) The iust obligation of a Christiā not to faile of one haires breadth in pleasing of him though it be with the displeasing of that creature of the whole world which is most beloued by thee yea and of thy very selfe S. Paul (x) 1. Cor. 3. requireth That (y) We must do nothing nor haue any thing so much at the hart as to estrange vs from conuersing with almighty God they who haue wiues should haue them as if they had them not That they who purchase should be as if they possessed not That they who sell should be as if they had not sold They that weepe as if they wept not and They that reioyce as if they reioyced not And the cause that he addeth is this Because the figure of the world passeth quickly So then do I say to thee O Virgin that thou art to put the world and thy selfe away The (z) Note first because it passeth quickly and the second because it is none of thyne And so haue thou thy parents thy brothers thy kinred thy house and thy people as if thou haddst them not Not but that thou art to reuerence obey and loue them since grace doth not destroy the order of nature yoa and euen in heauen it selfe the child shall carry reuerence to his Father but (a) How this discourse is to be vnderstood to the end that it may not take vp and employe thy hart and diuert it from the loue of God Loue them in Christ and not in themselues For Christ did not giue them as meaning that they should be impediments to keep thee from that which thou shouldest euer be doing which is to serue him S. Hierome relateth of a certayne Virgin who was so mortified in the point of affection towardes her kinred that she cared not much to see a sister which she had though she also were a Virgin but contented her selfe to loue her in God Belieue me (b) A soueraigne truth and most fit to be so that as thou canst not write in parchment if it be not well and cleane taken off from the body of the beast that wore it so is not that soule prepared for our Lord to write particuler fauours in it till such time as the affections which rise from flesh and bloud be very well mortifyed We read how that in times past They placed the Arke vpon a carre to the end that two kine being yoaked in front might lead it on and the calues were shut vp in a certayne place And although the kine did low in the way of sighing for their calues yet did they neuer leaue the high way nor turne back nor degresse as the Scripture saith eyther to the right hand or to the left but by the will of God who so disposed therof They carryed the Arke to the land of Israel which was the place where God dwelt They (c) A figur of the old testament excellently applyed who haue placed the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord vpon their shoulders which is the Arke where he remaineth and wherein he is truly to be found must not giue ouer nor so much as slacke their pace for these naturall affections of the loue of parentes or children or houses or such other thinges as these Nor are they to be giddy-headed vpon the enioying of prosperity nor to be afflicted for aduersity For the former of these two is to turne out of the way on the right hand and the other on the left But thou art to follow on in the straight way with feruour beseeching our Lord to guide both the one and the other to his glory and to be as dead to such thinges as these as if they did nothing concerne thee or at least not to suffer thy selfe to be ouercome eyther with ioy or griefe howsoeuer they may be felt a little This was figured by those (d) 1. Reg. 6. kine which though they vttered certaine shewes of tendernes towards their calues yet did they not for all that giue ouer to conduct the Arke of God And if Fathers do see their Sonns serue God in some good (e) As when they make thēselues Religious men or women fashion which yet is not pleasing vnto them they must consider what is pleasing to God And although they may sigh deeply for the loue of their childrē yet let the loue of God ouercom that loue And let them offer them vp to God wherin they shal be like to (f) Gen. 22. Abraham who in obedience to God was resolued to kill his only Sonne not caring what his sensuality could say to the contrary And (g) How good is God only he wil be serued as God the naturall griefe which is felt in such traunces as these is to be endured with patience which yet shall not be without reward For as much as our Lord hath ordeined vs to carry those affections and for the loue of him it is that we ouercome them it is like the case of him that suffereth Martyrdome Forget therefore thy people O thou Virgin and be thou like to another Melchisedech of whome we reade not that (h) Heb. 7. he had any Father or Mother or any kinred whereby as S. Bernard saith an example is giuen to the seruants of God that they must so truly forget their
there heires in being made sinners by them and full of many other miseryes but by the second we are made the brethren of Christ and ioyntly the heires of heauen with him For the present we receyue the holy ghost but we hope hereafter to see God face to face Well (k) An ignorant most inexcusable errour then and what dost thou thinke that God will say to that person who shall prize himselfe more as being borne of men wherby he became a sinfull and miserable creature then for the being borne againe of God wherby he presently becommeth iust and may afterwardes be happy These (l) Note this comparison men are like to some one who being begotten by a King vpon the body of some most vgly slaue should prize himselfe for being her sonne and should talke much thereof and should neuer consider or remember himselfe to be the sonne of the King Forget therefore thy people that so thou mayst be of the people of God The wicked people is thyne owne and therefore it is sayd Forget thy people for of thy selfe thou art a sinner and a very vile one But if thou wilâ— shake of that which is thyne our Lord will receaue thee into that which is his into his nobility into his iustification into his loue but as long as thou wilt cleaue to thy selfe thou shall not be inriched by him Christ will haue thee all naked for he meaneth to giue thee a dowry and he hath where withall Of thy selfe thou hast nothing but to be full of debts Forget (m) We must forget our people more wayes theÌ„ one thy people That is forget to be a sinner and grow a stranger to thy ancient faults Forget thy people and set not so high a price vpon Nobility of bloud Forget thy people by casting all kind of tumult out of thy hart and make account that thou art in some desert hand to hand with Almighty God Forget in fine thy people since there are so many solide reasons why thou shouldst forget it CHAP. C. Wherin he beginneth to declare that other word And forget the house of thy Father And how much it importeth vs to fly from our owne will in imitation of Christ our Lord â—or the auoyding of those inconueniences which grow from thence THERE followeth heere another word which saith And forget the house of thy Father This Father is the (a) How the diuell may be called the Father of sinnefull men why Diuell for as S. Iohn saith He that committeth sinne is of the Diuell for the Diuell did sin from the beginning Not that he did create or beget wicked men but because they imitate his workes and he according to the holy Ghospell is said to be anothers Sonne who imitates the workes of that other This wretched Father liueth in the world that is in wicked men as it is written in (b) Iob. 4. Iob He sleepeth in the shaddow and in the hollow part of a reed and in moyst places A (c) A place of holy Scripture excellently pondered shaddow are the riches of this world For they giue not that rest which they promise but pricking the hart which cares like so many thornes the owners of them do find by experience that they are not true riches but they are a meere shaddow of riches and they are true pouerty and nothing lesse then that which their name doth pretend A (d) The vanity of transitory honour glory cane or reede is the glory of this world and how much the fairer and bigger it appeares exteriourly so much the more hollownes doth it hold Yea and euen that very exteriour is so very subiect to change that with reason it may be called a reede which declines at the commaundement of euery wind Moist (e) The basenes weaknes of men giuen ouer to worldly pleasures places are those soules which are dissolued by carnall pleasures after which they runne without any bridle Iust contrary to them of whome the holy ghospell saith That (f) Matt. 11. the vncleane spirit departing out of that man whome he had formerly inhabited goes seeking where he may be and he walkes his round through dry places desiring entertainment but findeth none For in soules which keepe a loofe from these carnall appetites the diuell cannot find a lodging but his place of aboad is in couetousnes ambition and sensuality Therefore is it that he is called the Prince of this world the ruler and the Lord thereof not still in any respect of his hauing created it but because wicked men who are of God by creation will needes be of the Diuell by imitation Conforming themselues to his will that so with iustice they may also be made conforme with him in the torments of hell as at the latter day it wil be sadly and plainly said to them by the mouth of Christ Go (g) Matt. 25. you cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and for his Angells And if we consider well what kind of thing this house of the Diuell is we shall find that it is the lewd will of wicked men wherein (h) How the Diuell is seated in a sinnefull will the diuell takes vp his seate as he would do in a chaire commaunding from thence the whole man To forget therefore thy Fathers house is no other thinge but to forget and to forsake thyne owne will wherein thou maiest haue sometimes giuen entertainment to this wicked Father and to imbrace insteed thereof the will of God with an entire and faithfull hart saying to him Thy will O Lord and not myne be done This admonition is one of the most profitable that can be giuen vs. For by casting away our will we shall put away our sinnes as (i) The will is the root and the sinne is the braunch braunches are cut off from the roote This (k) 2. Tim. 3. S. Paul doth note when recounting the multitude of sinnes which (l) These dayes of ours in the latter day would be committed he saith That men would be louers of themselues Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand as the commentary declareth That the inordinate loue of a mans selfe is the head and root of all sinnes and that vpon the taking away thereof a man growes to be in subiection to God from whome all his good proceedeth Againe (m) A most profitable consideration the cause of all our disgustes our melancholies and our affliction is no other thinge then our owne will which we would faine haue to be accomplished and when it is not we are in paine but this being taken away what is there that can trouble vs For (n) Note as much as sadnes doth not necessarily rise from the very comming of any troublesome thing towards vs but from our vnwillingnesse that it should come Nor is the paine alone of this world put away by the putting away of our will but of the other also For as S. Bernard saith Let
also thy inferiours so that yet the gouernement and order of the house be not disturbed thereby But yet if there be a necessity that thou shouldst command exteriourly at least hold thy selfe for inferiour in thy hart And for the doing of this with the more courage remember how our soueraigne Lord Maister did (k) Ioan. 13. kneele downe to the ground as if he had been an inferiour and subiect to wash the feet not only of them that loued him but of him who imployed those very feet being washed to giue vp into the hands of death that very man who had washed them with (l) The ineffable humility and chaof our Lord Iesus so great humility and loue Call this passage many tymes to mind and let the word which then he sayd be rooted in thy soule If I being your Lord and Maister haue washt your feet how much more ought you to wash the feet of one another And so loue thy inferiours which are in thy house as if thou wert their Father or Mother and labour for them as if thou wert their slaue taking the impertinency of their conuersation the superfluity of their speach yea and the iniurious works of their hands with patience Be not humble towards them who liue abroad and proud amongst them whome thou hast at home Practise vertue with them whome thou hast vnder thyne eye and neare at hand and make triall of thy selfe at home that thou mayst know how to conuerse abroad And remember that holy woman S. Catherine of Siena who was instructed by God and whose life I desire that thou shouldst read not to make thee couet her reuelations but to breed in thee an imitation of her vertues For although her parenas did hinder her in the way which she had taken towards the seruice of God she did neither trouble her selfe nor abandon them They cast her out of her little Oratory where she vsed to performe her deuotions and they appointed her to serue in the Kitchin But because she humbled her selfe and obeyed them she found God in the (m) God is euery where the rewarder of humility Kitchin as well or better then in her Oratory Do not torment thy selfe if at the time when thou hast a mind to pray thy parents or (n) He seemeth heere to meane the Ghostly Father Prelates would haue thee do somewhat else But offering that desire of thine to our Lord do that which is enioyned by thy Superiours with much humility and peace of mind being confident that in obeying thy superiours thou obeyest God it being so appoynted by him in his fourth commaundement Neyther yet is it forbidden hereby but that with humility thou mayst beseech thy parentes to allow thee some retired place some vacant time for thy spirituall exercises And first hauing begged it of our Lord haue thou so firme a trust in his goodnesse that whether it be graunted thee or no it shal be all for thy profit if thou take at from the hand of God with (o) Two partes worth the labouring for obedience and peace of mind And as for thy parentes they shall giue account to our Lord of that which they commaund thee and it shall be no superficiall account But thou art not to consider that let them looke to it for as S. Ambrose sayth It is a fauour of God and full of profit for a man to haue a sonne or daughter who will serue his diuine Maiesty in state of Virginity with contempt of the world by a particuler vocation to a spirituall life CHAP. CII That not all those thinges which we desire to do or demaund to haue are to be called a mans proper will how we may know what our Lord demaundeth at our handes IF thou haue well considered that which hath bin said to thee in those former wordes thou wilt easily haue perceiued that two thinges were recommended to thee The one The flying of thine owne will The other the following of the will of God Now for the declaration of these two thinges I must let thee know that for thee to desire or begge in particuler manner of Almighty God that he will deliuer thee out of any spirituall inconuenience whereof thou art most in danger or that he will impart some vertue to thee wherof thou art in particuler need is not any vicious act of thine owne will but it is a meanes that a good one to enable thee to fulfill the will of God who commaundeth vs to depart from euill and to do good For if thou obserue it well thy begging of a thing in particuler through (a) It is good to beg any particuler grace of our Lord in a particuler manner for so it will be done with more zeale the particuler necessity thereof wherein thou art doth help thee to aske it with greater efficacy and with a more profound sigh of thy hart which are meanes whereby God is induced the more easily to grant that which is desired Which very thing would not perhaps be graunted if it were asked with that tepidity which vseth to accompany requestes which are made in generall tearmes And this doctrine is agreable to the holy Scripture since our Lord himself doth teach vs in that prayer of the Pater Noster to aske things in particuler manner And so also did the Prophet Dauid as his particuler necessities did present themselues and so haue other Saints vsed to do when they asked any thing eyther for themselues or others And although the same may also be done whylest we are desiring temporall thinges of God as we reade of the (b) Marc. 10. blind man who begged his sight and of many others yet because nothing that is temporall deserueth to be much esteemed and the loue whereof doth vse to carry danger with it and the contempt whereof deserueth praise so great liberty is not giuen vs to discharge our hartes wholy in the desire and suite for such thinges as for spirituall although it be not ill done of vs to demaund temporall thinges so that it be without excesse of earnestnes and vnder this condition if it so be pleasing vnto our Lord. Concerning the accomplishment of the will of our Lord wherein consisteth all our good thou wilt aske perhaps How may I know what that is To which I answeare That (c) A certayne rule how to know what is the will of God whensoeuer the word or commaundement of God or of his Church doth ordaine any thinge thou art to make no further inquiry but to rest assured that it is the will of our Lord. And when there is no such expresse commaundment esteeme that to be of the same ranke which is imposed on thee by thy superiour if it do not euidently appeare to be against the law of God or of his Church or the light of Nature For since S. Paul (d) Rom. 1â— saith That although the superiour be an infidell yet the Christian man must obey him and
that not only to auoyd punishment but by obligation of conscience how much more then must this be true in the case of Christian superiours of whome we are to (e) Vnles we do expresly see the contrary belieue that God will enable them to commaund iust things And when any of all these commaundements shal be wanting to thee thou shalt imbrace and follow as the will of our Lord that counsell which any such person shall giue of whome thou oughtest to take it And do not thinke for all this that thou art exempted from the necessity of begging the light of the Holy Ghost that so thou mayst take right to the seruice of God For our necessityes are so many and do presse vs in so particuler manner that no Maister without this will serue the turne And so The King will grow to desire thy beauty CHAP. CIII Wherein he beginneth to declare that word which sayth And the King will desire thy beauty And how great a matter it is that God should be content to place his loue vpon a man And that this is no corporeall beauty and how dangerous such kind of beauty is A Strang thing it is that there should be any such beauty in a creature as to draw the blessed eyes of God vpon it so far as to be desired by him It is a most happy thing for a soule to be enamoured vpon the beauty of God but neither is it strange that an vgly thing should loue the perfection of al beauty or is it worthy of thanks if a creature doe loue his Creatour since he owes him all that and doth yet further receaue for it an eternall reward But for God to be enamoured and delighted in any of his creatures this indeed is to be admired and most soueraingly to be acknowledged and it giueth vs reason of incomparable glory and ioy If (a) A strange thing it is that the great God should be takeÌ„ with the loue of the base creature Man it be matter of much honour for a man to be imprisoned for Iesus Christ and S. Paul did call himselfe as by the most noble title he could haue a (b) Eph. 1. Philâ—p 1. Prisoner of Iesus Christ hauing his body restrained by chains of iron and his soule by chaines of loue what kind of thing shall we say it is for man to haue taken God prisoner by the loue of God If it be great riches for a man not to haue any hart of his owne but wholy to haue giuen it to God what kind of thing will it be for vs to haue the hart of God as our owne which he giues to them to whome he giues his loue and after his hart he sendeth all that which he is for theirs without doubt we are to whome we giue away our harts Many and great are those benefits which that infinite diuine goodnesse imparteth to men But yet as if all the rest deserued to be little esteemed in respect of this Iob (c) Iob. 7. sayd O Lord what thing is man that so thou shouldst magnify him and place thy hart vpon him Giuing vs so to vnderstand that since by Gods giuing his hart to man he giueth himself there (d) A soueraigne cordiall against all the corosiues of this life is as much difference between giuing the hart for loue the giuing of other things as there is between giuing of God giuing of creaturs And if we owe our thanks to him for other of his guiftes the principall reason is because he imparteth them with loue And if we ought to reioyce by occasion of the benefits themselues much more ought we to do it in regard that we haue found fauour and loue in those most sublime eyes of God This (e) The true glory of a Christian indeed is our true greatenes wherein we may glory and not because we loue him For (f) And now let ProtestaÌ„ts consider what shrewd presumptuous people these Papists are cursed is that man who maketh any account of himselfe and who prizeth himselfe for the workes he doth but only in regard that so high a King whome all those quires of Angells do adore would through the excesse of his goodnes be content to lone so base thinges as our selues Consider therfore now O virgin if it be not reason for thee to heare and to see and to encline thyne care to God since the reward therof is that he will desire thy beauty Certainly although the thinges that he should require were full of difficulty they would grow easy to be accomplished by the addition of such promises as these And how much more then must it be easy since the thing it selfe which he commaundeth is by his grace not hard But thou wilt say perhaps how commeth the soule to haue beauty since of it selfe it is sinfull and of sinners it is (g) Thâ—en 4. written That the face of such is more black then coales If this Lord of ours went in search of the beauty of bodyes it were no miracle if he should find such a kind of beauty as were corporeall For as himselfe is beautyfull so did he create all thinges beautyfull that so they might carry with them some little obscure trace of his owne incomprehensible beauty in comparison whereof al other beauty is meere deformity But we know that Dauid speaking of the spouse of this greate King Psalm 44. saith That all her beauty is interiour and in her soule And this he saith with great reason For (h) What a toy exteriour beauty is the beauty of a Body is a meere toye and may be enioyed by him who is the owner of an vgly soule Now for what doth it serue if a man haue deformity in that which is of more valew and if he haue beauty in that which is of no importance For what doth that beauty serue which the eyes of men may looke vpon when yet there is deformity within which is penetrated by the eyes of God On the outside an Angell in the inside a Diuell Not (i) Beautifull persons haue no such great bargaine of it as they conceaue only doth this corporeall beauty not profit a person towards the making him beloued by God but for the most part it giueth occasion of making him vnbeloued For as spirituall beauty giueth vnderstanding and wisedome so is the other wont to take it away It is no small warre which many times is waged between Chastity humility and recollection on the one side and beauty of the body on the other And much better had it beene for many women to haue had a countenance extremely deformed that so they might not haue beene fought withall then great beauty with great vanity whereby they were vanquished God deliuereth it thus for no small mischiefe when he sayth to such a soule Thou (k) Ezech. 16. 28. hast lost thy wisedome by thy beauty And he saith elswhere Thou hast made thy beauty abhominable And this
he hid the fourth condition of beauty which is to be great why was it but to make his greatenesse stick to vs by conforming himselfe to our littlenesse as it was figured in the great (g) 4. Reg. 4. Elizaeus Who to reuiue the little boye that was dead did shrincke vp into the making of himselfe a iust measure for the other and so he restored him to life For if as Saint Augustine sayth by louing of God we are made beautyful it is cleare that we are made more beautyfull by actes of greater loue Now wherein did Christ Iesus so much shew the loue which he carryed to his Father as in suffering for his honour as himselfe hath sayd That the world may know that I loue the Father rise vp let vs go hence But whither went he It is euident that he went to suffer And (h) This is excellently most truly inferred therefore since so much the better as a worke is so much is it the more beautifull for good is faire bad is foule it is plaine that the more Christ suffered so much the better was his worke And therefore the more abased and deformed he seemed the more beautyfull he is in the eyes of such as know him For he was not obliged to what he suffered but he endured it for the honour of his Father and for the good of vs. These are then the eyes wherwith thou art euer to Behold this man that he may euer seeme beautifull to thee as indeed he is As also to the end that Pilate may know in hell where he now remaines that God doth giue a kind of eyes to Christians wherewith they looking vpon Christ he appeareth so much the more beautifull to them as he endeauored to deforme him And now heare how all this is said by (i) S. Augustine was able to say this and more for in another place he affirmeth of himselfe that God had shot his hart quite through with the loue of him S. Augustine Let vs loue Christ and if we find any thing in him that is deformed though he found many deformities in vs and yet vs he loued but still I say if we finde any thing deformed in him let vs not loue him For whereas he was apparailled with flesh for which it is said of him We saw him and he had no beauty if thou confider the mercy wherewith he became man he will then appeare beautifull in thine eye For that which Isay (k) Isa â—1 said we saw him and he had no beauty he said in the person of the Iewes But why did they see him without beauty because they saw him not with vnderstanding But they who vnderstand that the Word is made man doe hold it for a high point of beauty And so it was said by one of the (l) The great S. Paul friendes of the spouse I glory in nothing but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Doth it seeme a small matter to thee O Paul that thou art not ashamed of the dishonours of Christ but that further thou wilt needes glory in them But yet agayne why had Christ no beauty Because Christ crucified is a scandal to the Iewes and seemeth folly to the vnbelieuing Gentills But now on the other side How can Christ be said to haue had any beauty vpon the Crosse How but because the thinges of God (m) God is infinite in all thinges which seeme folly are more full of wisedome then the wisedom it selfe of all mankind And the thinges of God which seeme weake are more stronge then the strength of all mankind And since this is true let Christ thy spouse appeare beautifull in thyne eye since God is beautifull and that he is the Word of his Father Beautifull he also was in the wombe of his mother where he tooke his Humanity without losse of his Diuinity Beautifull was the Word when he was borne an infant for although he were an infant that spake not yet euen whilst he sucked and when he was carried in his Mothers armes the heauens did speake the Angells sung his praises the starre lead on the three wise Kinges and he was adored by them in the manger where he was layed as the food (n) Men who haue mortifyed affections and to such our Lord becometh food after an admitable maÌ„ner It is S. Augustine who speaketh thus of innocent and quiet beastes Beautifull then he is in heauen Beautifull vpon earth Beautifull in the wombe of his Mother Beautifull in her armes Beautifull in miracles Beautifull in those scourges Beautifull when he inuiteth vs to life Beautifull in despising of death Beautifull in leauing his soule when he expired Beautifull when he tooke it againe in his resurrection Beautifull in the Crosse and Beautifull in the sepulcher Beautifull in heauen and Beautifull in the vnderstanding of man on earth He is in fine the true and soueraigne Beauty and Iustice All this S. Augustine saith And certainly if thou wilt behold Christ our Lord with such eyes as these he will not seeme deformed to thee as he did to those carnall persons who put reproach vpon him in the passion But as it hapned to the holy Apostles who (o) Luc. 9. beheld him in Mount Thabor his face will seeme to thee as bright as the Sunne and his garments as white as the snow yea so white as S. Marke recordeth That no earthly Dyer could haue raised them to such a height of whitenesse Which signifyeth that we who are the (p) A noble and comfortable application of that place of Scripture garmentes of Christ because we go round about him and because we adorne him by belieuing and louing praysing him are so whitened by him as that no man on earth could haue giuen vs that beauty of grace iustice which he gaue vs. Let him seeme to thee as a Sunne and the soules redeemed by him to be white as snow Those soules I say which confessing and with griefe abhorring their owne deformity desire to be beautified in this (q) The precious bloud of our Lord Iesus is that only true Piscina which is able to recouer vs out of all diseases Piscina or Poole of the bloud of our Sauiour from whence they issue out so beautifull so iust and so rich through the grace and other gifts which they receyue by him that they are able to enamoure euen the very eyes of God So that these wordes aforesaid may be sung with great ioy and much truth The King will desire thy beauâ—â—ty FINIS THE TABLE OF CHAPTERS Conteyned in this Cabinet CHAP. I. Wherein is treated How necessary it is for vs to giue eare to God of the admirable Language which our first Parents spake in the state of Innocency Which being lost by Sinne many ill ones did succeed in place thereof pag. 1. Chap. 2. That we must not hearken to the Language of the World and Vaine-glory And how absolute dominion it exerciseth ouer the