he who eateth and is eaten hee who annointeth and is annointed he who offereth and is offered What preheminences had the altar of the old Synagogue which are not greater in the Catholicke church Their altar was of the wood of the Mount Lybanus ours of the most sacred humanity of Christ theirs was of wood which would not corrupt and ours of flesh which cannot sinne theirs was made bloody with other bloud than their owne and ours is washed with his own bloud vpon theirs they did kil beasts vpon ours they forgiue vs our offences to theirs there could none go vp but the Priests of the tēple but vnto ours al the sinners of the world may come vnto in theirs there burned a fire of light which must euery houre be kindled and put together but in ours there burneth the fire of his loue and charity which can neuer be extinguished O holy altar O glorious altar of the crosse in which there is offered not dead beasts but mens sins not to proue thē but to pardon them where our weake seruices are offered not because thou wouldest praise thē O Lord but because thou wouldest accept them and where also the merits of thy holy sonne are offered not for his own sake who was without sin but for ours who can doe nothing but sinne The altar of the Synagogue had no step nor staire because the common sort did beleeue nothing in God but his essence but to the altar of our catholick church which is a congregation of the faithful they go vp by three steps because we beleeue in one essence three persons The text also saith that the altar of the synagogue was annointed with one finger only who shal we say that this finger is but the selfesame holyghost Hilarius de Trinitate saith In al the Trinity there is but one arm that is the Father of whom the Prophet saith Et brachiū meū cōfortauit eum neither is there any more but one hand which is the son of whom also the Prophet saith Filius meuses tuego hodie genui te nor there is in all the Trinity but one finger of whō the scripture saith Digitus dei hic est In the vnctions creations of vs there are many fingers occupied that is my great grandfather begat my grandfather and my grandfather my father my father begat me I begat my son and my sonne begat my nephew but in the generation of Christ there was applied one only finger which was the person of the holy-ghost August in a sermon sayth Seeing that he which doth beget is one and hee who is begotten is one and she who doth bring forth is one and he for whom hee is borne is one which is the world why should there haue been more then one finger which was the Holy-ghost The text sayth further that the altar was not annointed once only but seuen times a row What is meant that Christ was annointed seuen times a row but only that all the seuen gifts of the holy-ghost were bestowed vpon him It is to bee noted that in all the sacrifices which they made of kine sheepe and goats and pigeons the altar was alwaies annointed with bloud sauing when they ordained Aaron a priest at what time they did annoint it with oile alone the which was not done without a mystery The reason thē is this that because al their sacrifices were done to take away the Iews sins the which were to bee taken away with shedding of bloud Quia sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio sayth the Apostle there was no need of effusion of bloud in the sacrifice which did only represent Christ because in him there was no sinne at all Why should they haue annointed with bloud the altar of the humanity of Christ considering that not onely there was no sin in him but in him all the sins of the world were to be taken away If the curious Reader would deeply vnderstand this high figure let him turn Moyses name into the Father and Aarons name into Christ and the altar into humanity and the name of annointing into gift and bloud into the water of baptism the finger into the holy-ghost and then hee shall truly find how well the truth doth answere vnto the figure and the letter to the spirit The text sayth further in the same chapter Vnxit altare cum omnisuppellectili as if hee should say After that Moyses had made an end of annointing the altar with holy oile hee did also annoint all things that did belong to the altar that is ewars basins candlestickes towels hookes chafindishes Let no man thinke it to bee a iest that God commanded to annoint with holy oile not only the altar but also all things which did appettaine to the altar because that by this is discouered one of the greatest priuiledges that Christ had which no man did euer but hee enioy in the world What should it meane that at the altar of the Synagogue there remained nothing which was not annointed with oile but that there was nothing in the humanity of the word which was not fully replenished with the holy-ghost Why is Christ called Sanctus sanctorū but because his holy vnction was more holy thā that of all the other saints When the church doth wash her creatures in baptism shee doth with water wash and as it were only there annoint soules which were defiled with original sin the which soules are made so clean pure with that vnction that if they should depart presently out of this life they should imediately by Gods fauor go to glory O vnhappy that we be for although they wash annoint our soule in baptism yet there remaineth our memory to be annointed seeing that wee forget God there remaineth our vnderstanding to be annointed seeing we think of other things thā of God there remaineth our will to be annointed seeing that wee put our loue on other things besides God also our hart remaineth to be annointed seeing we giue it to another thā to god What shall we say of our poore body seeing there is no part or mēber of it which is annointed seeing my eies can see nothing but vanity my ears hear nothing but lightnes my toung nothing but lie my mēbers cōmit sin my hands theft what shal I say of such a body is he not rather rottē thē annointed whē the Apostle S. Paul said with weeping tears alas woe be vnto me vnhappy vnfortunate man who wil deliuer me frō the seruitude of this body would he haue spoken such pitiful words if the powers of his body had been annointed with holy oile of loue charity the church like a pittiful mother doth annoint vs with the wholsome water of baptisme when we be born afterward she doth wash and annoint vs vvith loue charity whē she doth giue vs grace to loue god forgiue our neighbors the first vnctiō is to help vs that we do not sin
sinne and wickednesse in hell so also there is nothing but naughty and wicked men Wee are much more bound vnto our Christ than Samaria vnto their king Iehu because that that king did only rid Samaria of naughty men but the sonne of God made cleane purged all the earth from sinne Who are the children of Achab whose heads king Iehu cut off and who are the priests of Baal which the also slew but Idolatry which hee tooke away from the Gentiles and the Mosaicall law which hee tooke from the Iewes What is the charriot which the son of God went vp into to accomplish such high and strange things but onely the crosse vpon the which our holy Lord attained such and so many great victories It is to be noted that the king Iehu did not aske Ionadab whether their apparell were alike or neat of one fashion but if they loued one another alike to let vs vnderstand that without comparison our Lord doeth much more regard the loue which wee beare him than the seruices which wee doe him Saint Basil vpon the Prophet which saith Bonorum meorum non eges Thou wantest not of my goods saith I see wel my God I see well that how much the more need I haue of thee the lesse thou hast of me and if thou hast need of mee it is not in respect of the goods of fortune but the loue of my mind Note also that the king of Israel and no other tooke Ionadab by the hand to lift him vp into the charriot whereby we are to vnderstand that onely the sonne of God no other Saint of heauen is able to giue vs grace to loue him giue vs strength to follow him Who is able to follow thee or hath power to imitate thee O redeemer of the vvorld if thou doe not first stretch out thy hand vnto him who is able to lift himselfe vp vnto the charriot where thou doest triumph or vnto the crosse whither thou goest to die if thou doe not take vs by the arme to lift vs vp and if thou doe not hold vs by the hand least wee fall How had it beene possible for Mary Magdalen to haue forsaken her prophane life or Matthew his renting of custome or Paul his persecution or the thiefe his assailing of men by the high vvay if the sonne of God had not taken them by the hand and lifted them vp vnto the crosse with him When in the holy scripture by the feet are vnderstood good purposes and desires and by the hands good works what meaneth he by giuing Ionadab his handes and not his feet for to mount into the chariot but that our good Lord doth rather take hold of the good works which wee doe then of the good purposes which wee haue Gregory in his Register saith If thou wilt get vp vpon the chariot of the crosse with thy captaine Ionadab thou must not get vp with thy tongue which are good words nor with thy feet which are good wishes and purposes but with thy hand which are good deeds because S. Iohn dooth not say Veebaâ—ecoruÌ„ Their words nor Desideria coruÌ„ Their desires but Opera corum sequuntur illes Their works follow theÌ„ It is also to be noted that the king of Israell would not suffer the captaine Ionudab to goe vp into the chariot to him vntill hee had certified and assured him that hee was his true friend in so much that they vnited their hearts before they ioined their hands After the â—â—itation of these two friends we must haue amity and loue with Christ if we wil haue him to helpe vs vp into the chariot and the amity and friendship which wee ought to haue with him is to loue him as hee loueth vs for Christ our Lord will first bee loued of vs then serued by vs. S. Basil saith That if any maÌ„ did labor in the church of God and take pains and forgetteth to loue wee may well say of such a one that he shall not only not bee accepted but that God will thinke him also importunate and troublesome because God will not be serued by men of greatstrength such as are forcible but of such as are free of heart And further the king of Israel was not content to ask Ionadabs heart but that hee should giue it him vpright sincere and entire which Christ also demandeth of vs because the son of God will neuer take him for his friend who hath his heart crooked sinister and not vpright And who hath his heart vpright and sincere but the seruant of our Lord and hee which hath no other thing in this world nor seeketh after any thing but onely Iesus Christ Who is hee who hath his heart crooked and awry but hee who is without life who hath care neither of Christ neither of himselfe but goeth euery houre more and more sinking and as it were drowned in the world Dauid knew this very wel when he said Cor mundum crea in me deus spiritum rectum innoua in visceribus meis as if he would say O great God of Israel O great Lord of the house of Iacob I beseech thee that thou wouldest create a new heart in mee and fauor me with the gift of a new spirit which may be both right and true for the heart which I brought from the womb of my mother is such a one as I dare not offer it vnto thee nor he dareth not appear in thy presence because it is vnclean with sinne and loaden with thoughts and care O good Iesus O my soules hope what better praier can I make vnto thee or what iuster petition can I make vnto thee then that thou wouldest create a new heart in mee That is that you wouldest giue mee a cleane heart with the which I may praise thee and a new spirit with the which I may loue thee Giue me O good Lord giue me a new spirit because mine is old vnpleasant vnto thee giue me a cleane and a chast heart because mine is foule and stinking before thy face for if thou do not no praier of mine can bee acceptable vnto thee nor no worke that I doe can bee meritorious vnto thee Cassiodorus noteth That king Dauid was not content that hee was noble in bloud a Prophet by office a king in degree and in surname and calling of a roiall tribe but he asketh of God aboue all things that hee would giue him a cleane heart and poure the holy ghost into him to let vs vnderstand that it doth little auaile vs to bee gratefull vnto the world if withall wee bee hatefull vnto God Then wee are hatefull vnto God and out of his sauour vvhen our hearts bee vncleane and loaden with many spirits and then wee haue many spirits when vvee please others better then wee please God Which the Prophet liketh not but praieth vnto God that it would please him to giue him a cleane heart to beleeue in him and an vpright to serue him Why
vvouldest thou O my soule haue more then one heart seeing thou art to loue but one Christ onely And vvhy also vvouldest thou haue more then one holy spirit considering that it is the Deuill vvhich poureth many spirits into one body and our God for all bodies hath but one onely spirit S. Barnard vpon the passion of our Lord sayth If wee vvill ascend with Christ to the crosse it is necessary for vs to doe that with our hearts that hee did with his that is with the heart of God hee tooke the heart of a man and with the heart of a spirit hee tooke a heart of flesh and with a high heart hee tooke a low heart and vvith a heart of reuenge hee tooke a heart of pitie and mercy Take good Lord a new heart to come downe from heauen into the world and doe not renue thy heart to ascend from the world to heauen The end of the first word which Christ our redeemer spake on the crosse Here beginneth the second word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse when he forgaue the good theefe vz. Amen dico tibi hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Truly I say vnto thee that this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise CHAP. I. ⧠Of the conuersion of the good theefe and of the great wonders which our Lord did vnto him in this case DOmine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum said the good theefe which vvas crucified on the right hand of Christ and speaking vnto Christ himselfe and it is as if hee had said O maker of all things and redeemer of all mankind I beseech thee that â—s thou vvouldest take mee for a companion vnto thee vpon this tree so also thou vvouldest vouchsafe to remeber me aboue in thy kingdome If vve marke curiously this speech vve shall find that there vvas neuer praier made vvith like circumstances as this vvas For he vvho made it vvas a theefe the place vvhere he made it vvas on the crosse he vnto vvhom he made it a man crucified that vvhich hee asketh is a kingdome and the time when hee asketh it is when hee was almost dead in so much that at the very time when he should die hee desired that Christ would let him raigne I haue of a long time commended vnto my memory and singularly well liked of that speech of Boetius which saith Quòd nihil ex omniparte beatum as if he would say There is nothing so perfect in this life which doth neither want nor abound in somewhat insomuch that either we haue need of scissers to clip off that which is superfluous or a needle and a thimble to ad that which wanteth Seneca in his booke of Clemency saith It is an hundred and twelue years agoe since I was borne in Cordua a town in Spaine and it is threescore and eight years agoe since I came to dwell in the court of Rome and yet in all this time I neuer saw any thing so perfect which was euen when it came to bee measured or of iust waight in the ballance when it came to be peised or satisfied the eie when it came to bee seene or contented mens minds when it came to be enioied And it is easily perceiued that there is nothing Ex omni parte beatum because there hath neuer been any Prince in the world so famous and renowned no Philosopher so wise no captaine so valorous no personage so worthy who wanted not somewhat worthy of commendation and in whom there was not found somwhat worthy of reprehension Who doubteth that there is nothing euery way perfect seeing there is no maÌ„ aliue who hath not wept who hath not erred who hath not sinned who hath not sighed and who hath not ben persecuted How can wee say that there is any man happy on earth seeing he doth a thousand things whereof hee hath cause to repent scarse one thing worthy of praise Only our Lord and no other is ex omni parte beatuis in all respects happy seeing that of him and of no other the Prophet saith lustus es domine rectum iudicium tuum as if he should say Our Lord is very iust in himselfe and vpright in all which hee dooth It had beene but a small honour vnto God to say that hee was iust vnlesse it had beene also said that hee did iustice and it is a small matter to say that hee did iustice vnlesse wee say also that hee is very iust because there are many which are iust and yet doe no iustice and very many which doe iustice and yet are not iust S. Augustine saith That it is so high and heroical a vertue to hit aright in all things and not to be able to misse in any that God reserued this point onely vnto himselfe and participated it with none but vnto his sonne and vnto his mother Irenaeus vpon the Psalmes sayth That it is a small matter to say of our Lord that he is iust seeing hee is iustice it selfe and to say that he is vpright seeing that he is righteousnesse it selfe and to say that hee is holy seeing that he is holinesse it selfe because there is no other righteousnesse but that which hee hath no holinesse but that which hee giueth nor iustice but that which he doth Who is so blind who seeth not plainely that our Lord is iust and his iudgement right seeing there is no other goodnesse but that which is himselfe nor other iustice but that which hee dooth in his owne house Who is so iust as thou sayth Hierome in that which thou doest and so vpright in that which he iudgeth as thou art O great God of Israell seeing that in thy iudgements and sentences neither ignorance deceiueth thee nor entreaty boweth thee nor rewards corrupt thee nor threatnings feare thee To come then vnto our purpose seeing that thou art iust O good Lord and that thy iudgement is rightfull how fell it out that thou diddest send Iudas from the crosse into hel and tookest the theefe from thence with thee to Paradise Theefe for theefe naught for naught sinner for sinner vngratefull for vngratefull and both alike it seemeth vnto mans iudgement that he should as well haue bestowed his kingdome vpon Iudas which followed him three years as vpoÌ„ the theefe which accompanied him three houres When our Lord tooke from Cain the right of his first birth or inheritance and gaue it vnto Abel tooke it from Ismaell and gaue it vnto Isaac tooke it from Esau and gaue it to Iacob from Ruben and gaue it to Iudah from Saul and gaue it to Dauid the reason was for that hee found in those great demerite whereby they lost it and in the others great merit with the which they deserued it If Christ should take a kingdome from a naughty man and bestow it vpon a good man it would bee but iust but yet it would scome a hard point to take it from one theefe giue it to another because
Wee haue read of no drunkards we haue seene no drunkards nor yet heard of any drunkards which haue made themselues such onely vvith pure bloud for although barbarous men loue to shed bloud yet they loue not to drinke it The catholicke church hath no â—ewell comparable vnto this nor no greater riches in her holy shop than the bloud of the Saint of all Saints and with the which shee healeth vs vvhen vvee are sicke shee vpholdeth vs vvhen vvee fall maketh vs cleane when wee finne and iustifieth vs vvhen vvee die The Apostles vvere drunke vvith this kind of drunkennesse when they said Wee must rather obey God than man and S. Peter was drunke in this sort when hee said Let vs make three Tabernacles in this place and S. Paul when hee said I am not ready onely to be bound but also to die and S. Laurence when he said it is broiled inough turne it now and eat of it The more pure wine S. Steuen had drunke of the more impatiently hee would haue felt the stones vvhich hee vvas stoned vvith and S. Laurence the coales and S. Bartholomew his sword but after they had entred into this holy seller and drunke of this holy bloud he suffered the stones as if they had been roses and the coals as if they had been lillies And therefore the bride had great reason to commend and not to bee angry with her loue for bringing her into this diuine seller where shee slept without being awaked and vvatched and yet sate not vp all night and entred into it without infamy and liued with change and did eat without paying for the shot O good Iesus O the glory of my soule wilt thou not let me goe into this holy tauerne to drinke there if I lust one drop Giue me leaue O good Iesus giue me leaue because I may know thy grace and tast of thy precious bloud for of all other drinkes in the world the more I drinke of them the greater thirst I feele of all the drops of bloud which thou hast shed most freely wilt thou not giue mee one to assuage the thirst of this sinfull soule It is also to bee noted that the bride doth not only boast that her bridegroome did bring her to the tauerne to drinke but did also teach her there the order which she shold keep in louing in so much that of a plain maid he taught her to be a curious louer This that the bride said Ordinauit in me charitatem is worthy of great heed seeing that by that the Scripture will let vs vnderstand that there is no loue firme and stable if there be not an order in the maner of louing If there be saith Ouid an order in fishing in fouling fighting shall there not be also in louing And he saith further that all which fish loue not nor all which hunt loue not nor al which fight loue not but al which loue fish hunt and fight because he fisheth well who fisheth for others good wil he hunteth well who hunteth after others bowels fighteth wel who fighteth for anothers hart S. Barnard saith Take heed O my soule take heed that that do not happeÌ„ vnto thee that happeneth in vain worldly loue where often those which loue chide those disagree which loue wel not so much for any treasoÌ„ which the one hath done to the other as for want of order in louing He who is not wise in his loue is not my friend but my enemy hee doth not loue me but diffame me Origen vpon these words saith That wheÌ„ there is no order in loue al endeth in disorder for loue endeth in hatred well-willing in detesting seruing in offending praising into diffaming speaking into not hearing care into forgetfulnes diligeÌ„ce into slouth ofteÌ„ visiting into long absence and sighing into coÌ„plaining S. August saith O how well the bride saith he hath set charity in me in good order because that by how much the more ferueÌ„t the zeale is the spirit vehemeÌ„t and the loue sodain by so much the more it is coÌ„uenient that he who loueth be wise because that the zeale may be printed in him the spirit moderated in him charity set in order Anselmus saith also O how well my good Iesus hath set charity in good order in me when he giueth me his holy grace to loue our Lord only for himself in himself by himself giueth me also grace to loue my neighbor only for God and in God and because he is the house of God Cyprian vpon the Creed sayth He cannot bee said with truth that Ordinauit in me charitatem vvho loueth God not because hee is good but because he should giue him Paradise and hee who forsaketh sinne not because it is naught but for feare of hell and if he loue his neighbour it is not because hee is a Christian but because hee is his friend in so much that such a one would neither loue God nor his neighbor but in hope to get some profite by it This kind of loue the Deuill had in the beginning vvho when he should haue loued God in God and for God loued himselfe in himselfe and for himselfe insomuch that when he went about to climbe aboue himselfe he fell lower than himselfe Then God doth ordaine all things in charitie sayth Remigius when he setteth mee in the right way and doth lighten me and when my loue beginneth in him continueth in him and endeth in him because that cannot be called true loue which is not grounded in God for God and by God Irenaeus in an Homily saith I will say theÌ„ with the bride that he hath ordained charity in me when hee hath set such order to my eies that they see no vaine thing and when hee stoppeth my ears that they heare no prophane things bridle my tongue that he speak no superfluous things shut vp my heart that hee desire no forbidden thing S. Gregory vpon Iob sayth That seeing there is nothing bad but that which our Lord hath forbiddeÌ„ we dare say boldly that no maÌ„ ought to desire that which is not lawfull for him to get S. Ierome to Priscilla saith O vvith vvhat great truth he may say with the bride Ordinauit in me charitatem vvho holdeth himselfe for a sinner and others for iust and hee who acknowledgeth a fault in himselfe and preacheth innocency in others for otherwise it should bee no Christian charity neither is it permitted in the law of God to loue goodnesse in my neighbour and retaine naughtinesse in my selfe To come at the last vnto our purpose vvho in this life hath or shall enter so farre into the shop and storehouse of our Lord as the mother of our Lord and that without spot No man went so farre into the selleâ— of our Lord nor no man drunke off so many wines as she did because shee left no cup vntasted of neither was there any grace of the holy ghost vvhich shee was not
father and enuied Christ because hee did reprehend them before the people The Iewes malice towards Christ vvas greater than Iosephs brothers against him for Ioseph was onely sold but innocent Iesus was not onely sold but also crucified Iosephs brothers could not giue him one faire word neither could the Iewes hear Christs doctrine with patience and therefore if his diuine prouidence should not haue kept him from their fury they had taken Christs life long before away from him Nolunt audire te quiae nolunt audire me filij hominis quia omnis Israel est attrita fronte duro corde said God vnto the Prophet Ezechiel as if hee should say Bee not angry O Ezechiel bee not angry if thou perceiue that thou doest no good with thy speech and hast no credite among them for seeing that they doe not beleeue me it is not to bee maruelled though they doe not heare thee for the house of Israel is growne now vnto that madnesse that it hath neither conscience in her soule nor shame in her face These are the words of the eternall Father directed vnto his blessed son letting him vnderstand by them what small fruit hee should reape by his doctrine and what smal credite they would giue vnto his speech the reason is because that all those which were of the house of Israel were inwardly without a good spirit and outwardly without shame According vnto this speech of the Prophet such Prelates as gouern preach do toile labor exceedingly whē the subiects which heare thē are a people without any conscience of lesse shame For besides that they do no good among thē there is also great danger to liue among them Ezechiel did very well couple small conscience with small shame and small shame with a small conscience because that you shall neuer or very sildome see a shamelesse man but hee is without conscience nor a man without conscience but is also shamelesse Wickednesse for wickednesse and sinne for sin A Christian can haue no greater sinnes than to bee obstinate in heart and without shame in his face because that hell is full of none but of such as are of an obstinate heart and impudent countenance The man which is of a tender and soft heart and shamefast in his behauiour is easily amended and doth now and then sinne by stealth but he who is hard harted shamelesse in condition doth late or neuer amend his sinne because he careth not for being counted a sinner When Christ said Gaudete exultate quia nomina vestra scripta sunt in caelis he gaue vs heence to be glad of nothing but only that we were good Christians and registred in the booke of Saints and likewise that wee should be sorry of nothing so much as to be naughty Christians and blotted out of the booke of life for he was borne in an euill houre who doth not endeuour to amend his life and doth not care at all to sinne We speake all this to proue that the Iewes vvere of a shamelesse forehead and hard hearted seeing that Pilate did know plainely that they did accuse Christ through enuy and malice which hee gathered by the shamelesse speeches which they vsed against Christ and the false proofes which they alledged against him Facta est fames magna in Samaria ita vt caput asini vaenundaretur octoginta argenteis 4 Reg. 6. The Scripture rehearseth this to shew the great misery and distresse that Samaria was in as if it would say When Samaria vvas at warres with the Arabians being besieged and afflicted with famine an asse head vvas worth fourescore rials and a certaine measure of Pigeons dung fiue rials so that they had no meat to eat but asses and nothing to dresse it with but Pigeons dung Although the flesh of an asse bee lothsome to eat and Pigeons dung filthy to burne yet notwithstanding vvee vvill draw some mystery of this figure to aduance Christs honour by it because there is no word in holy Scripture which hath not some secret hidden vnder it In this figure of the asse is represented the great warre that Christ found in mans nature What other thing was the warre vvhich Samaria had vvith the king of Arabia but the displeasure anger which God had against the Synagogue What was the great dearth famine which they endured but the exceeding want which they had of good doctrine What did it meane that an asses head was sold so deerly but only that a good man was little worth a naughty man highly esteemed By the Pigeons dung wherewith they did dresse the asses head is meant nothing else but the Mosaicall ceremonies with the which they did offer vp their sacrifices There fell nothing vnto the Synagogues lot but the dregs and the wine vnto the church to the Synagogue the barke and vnto the church the fruit the thorne vnto the Synagogue and the rose vnto the church the Pigeons dung to the Synagogue and to vs the Pigeon The warre betwixt God and mans nature was farre more cruell than that which was betwixt the city of Samaria and the king of Arabia because men did nothing but sight with God with their sinnes and God did nothing vnto man but inflict punishment vpon him If they aske the sonne of God why hee came into this world and took humane flesh vpon him he will answer them that his comming was to relieue this famine and appease this warre in testimony whereof the Angels in heauen did sing when Christ was borne Peace Peace seeing that I am a meane between you there must be no more anger left Whē the sonne of God came into the world the warre ceased and when he began to preach the famine began to cease because that this famine which humane nature was afflicted with was not caused for want of corporall food but for want of vertuous mē The want of victuals dured in Samaria but the space of one yeare but the want of vertuous men continued in the Synagogue from the time of the valerous Machabeans vntill the comming of Christ for from that time vntill Christs comming they had no Prophet to giue them light no captaine to defend them no Priest to teach them nor any other famous man to reioice in Who did euer find a greater dearth in the world than that which Christ found among the Iewes Seeing that he found the princely scepter broken the priesthood at an end the Temple robbed the city peruerted and her libertie lost There was a great dearth in the Synagogue considering that there was not in her one person of account For he did not chuse the twelue Apostles for his companions because they were holy but because hee meant to make them holy There was a great famine in Samaria seeing the gouernour was Pilate who was a Tyrant the bishop was Cayphas who was a prophane person the Pharisies were counsellers who were Hypocrites the Preachers were Sadduces who were Heretikes and their
Barnard sayth If this that is said Cumipso sum in tribulatione be not performed in thee thinke with thy self that thou doest not suffer that tribulation for Christ but for thy friend and thy selfe and therfore in that case let him help and succour thee for whome thou doest suffer that danger If thou doe not make reckoning of Christ nor thinke on him nor suffer for his sake what hath Christ to doe with thy paint and trauaile If thou do suffer for the flesh let the flesh help thee if thou suffer for the world let the world deliuer thee if thou suffer for thy friend let thy friend giue thee aid if thou doe suffer for Christ to Christ commend thy selfe for if thou doe serue others what reason is it that thou shouldst ask fauour of him Saint Basil sayth What friend had God at any time whom hee forgot or in what tribulation did hee euer see him when hee helped him not Gregory in his Register sayth Hee who did not forget Noe in the floud nor Abraham in Chaldea nor Lot in Sodome nor Isaac in Palestine nor Iacob in Assyria nor Daniel in Babilon doest thou think that he will forget thee in thy affliction and tribulation Remigius sayth If this promise of Cum ipso sum in tribulatione bee not kept with thee thinke that our Lord dooth it either for thy greater profite or his owne seruice for the greater the tribulation is which thou endurest the more thou doest merite for thy soule and if it be not for this cause it is because thou shalt fall into some greater danger from the which our Lord doth keepe his holy hand and diuine succour to deliuer thee And because that the curious Reader may not thinke that wee swarue from our purpose it is to bee noted that the Prophet Helius whose figure we handled was beset with three grieuous persecutions that is with the warre which was in Iury with the famine which was ouer all the land and with Iezabels hatred He durst not preach for feare of the Queene hee durst not goe abroad for feare of the warre hee durst not hide himselfe for feare of famine and hunger in so much that this holy Prophet was so much without hope of remedy that he knew not whether hee should haue his throat cut openly or whether he should die for hunger secretly Our Lord therefore to fulfill his promise Cum ipso sum in tribulatione tooke him out of Iury vnwitting to the souldiors and did hide him in Carith where no man could see him and sent him meat by crowes to feed on and did prouide him a streame of water to drinke of Wee may gather by this example what a good Lord wee haue and what care hee hath ouer vs if wee serue him seeing that hee doth pay vs for all wee doe and succour vs for all that we suffer for him To come now vnto the purpose all this figure was fulfilled in Christ at the foot of the letter for as Heliac was persecuted by Iezabel so was Christ of the Synagogue and Christ found as great a famine of good men as Helias did in Samaria of victuals Hugo de sancto victore sayth vpon those words of Ieremy Paruuli petierunt panem The bread which the little ones cried for to ear and the lamentation which Ieremy made because there was no man to giue it him was not vnderstood of the materiall bread which was woont to bee in the arke but of spirituall bread wherewith the soules are fed and to say that there was no man found to giue it them was as much as to say that there was no good man left to preach vnto them Chrisostome in an Homily sayth In Commonwealths well gouerned the want of a good man is greater than the famine of bread and wine because we haue seene that God hath sent a famine for the demerits of one man alone and after abundance for one good mans sake alone Ambrose sayth Famine warre and pestilence are much to bee feared in naughty Commonwealths and where there are no good persons for although our Lord doth suffer them to come for a time yet he doth not consent that they should long time endure What goodnesse haue Commonwealths in them if they haue no good men in thē And what want they if they doe not want good men Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth When I hear a knill rung for the dead my soule is presently driuen into a perplexity whether I should weepe first for the good which die or the bad which liue because there is as great reason that we should weepe for the life of the bad as for the death of the good Now that we haue prooued that the want famine of good men is more dangerous in a city than a dearth of victuals who doth doubt but that the scarsenesse which Christ sound in the Synagogue was greater than that which Helias found in Palestine What good thing or what good man could there be in the Synagogue where the Viceroy Pilate was a Tyrant the famous high Priest Caiphas a Symoniacle the maisters the Pharisies Hypocrites and the counsellours the Sadduces Heretikes and their kings and Prophets all ended The sonne of God did kill this hunger when hee gaue the world a church for a Synagogue Apostles for Prophets a law of loue for a law of feare a new Testament for an old the spirit for the letter the truth for the figure and his holy grace for our old offence What would haue become of vs if Christ had not left so many good men in his church Hee left vs many Martyrs many confessours many virgines many doctors in so much that when Christ died although hee left not the vvorld many bookes to read in yet hee left vs many Saints to follow The figure sayth further that Helias went to hide himselfe in the water-brooke of Carith which was a figure that the sonne of God should come to take flesh and hide himselfe in the entralls of the Virgines wombe and as it was figured in Helias so it was accomplished in Christ because that vnder his humanity vvhich hee tooke vpon him hee did hide his diuinity which hee carried with him When the Prophet Esayas said Verè tues deus absconditus hee knew well that God would hide himselfe for a time and remoue himselfe from their eies seeing that the catholicke Church did acknowledge him and the vnhappy Synagogue was vngratefull vnto him Recede hinc absconde te in torrentem Carith the eternall Father spake these words vnto his precious sonne as if hee had said vnto him Goe my sonne goe and hide thy selfe in the world because thou maist redeeme the world Where thou shalt hide thy power because thou maist suffer thou shalt hide thy wisedome because they may mock thee thou shalt hide thy prudence because they may take thee to bee vnwise thou shalt hide thy iustice because they are to iudge thee like a blasphemer