the reward of Paradise but vnto another crucified Saint Barnard vpon the Passion sayth for mine owne part I thinke not my selfe deceiued but I know that the naked giueth not his kingdome but vnto another naked he whose ioints are vnloosed vnto another whose ioints are also loosed one from an other hee that is couered with bloud vnto another couered with bloud also and the crucified vnto another crucified Thou that sittest sporting thy selfe what doest thou aske of him who suffereth on the crosse Thou that art clothed and reclothed what doest thou craue of him who is bowelled vpon the crosse Thou that art faire and fat what doest thou aske of him who is on the crosse one member rent from one another Thou that art at freedome and liberty what doest thou aske of him who is nailed and fastened vpon the crosse If thou wilt heare sayth Anselmus O my soule Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Lift vp thy affections from the earth let thy heart bee free from all passions let thy flesh keepe watch and vvard ouer her inclinations crucifie thy liberty on the crosse let bloud thy fancie of all presumptions and bury thy affections that they may not appeare If thou wilt ascend as high as heauen it is necessary that with the theefe thou take the crosse for thy ladder to steale it for otherwise although thou bee a companion with him in sinning yet for all that thou shalt not so be in raigning CHAP. XIIII Why the sonne of God did not say vpon the crosse vnto all men Amen dico vobis as hee did say vnto the theefe Amen dico tibi aad how he was the first martyr which died with Christ and the first Saint which he canonized LOquetur ad eos in ira sua in furore suo conturbabit eos said king Dauid in the second Psalme as if hee would say when the great God of Israell shall bee angry and troubled hee will speake vnto the wicked men with anger and when hee shall trouble their iudgements it shall bee with great anger Our Lord doth threaten the wicked whome hee meaneth to punish with two grieuous scourges that is that hee will speake in anger to feare them and trouble their iudgement that they shall not bee able to guesse at any thing aright If our Lord speake vnto vs with anger it may bee borne with but if he trouble our iudgement it is a thing much to be lamented for in this wicked world if he doe not lighten our steps to see where wee goe wee shall fall downe vpon our face Barnard crieth out and saith What shall become of thee O my soule if he who should lead me put mee out of the way if hee who should succour me forsake mee if hee who should pardon me accuse me and he who should quit mee condemne me and he who should giue mee sight make mee blind Saint Augustine De verbis Apostoli sayth When it is said in Scripture that God speaketh vnto vs with anger it is meant that he doth not speake with mercy and when it is said that hee doth trouble vs with fury it is to say that hee doth not lighten vs with his diuine grace because there cannot happen vnto vs greater hurt in this world than for God to withdraw his hand from doing vs good There is no anger in God as there is in man with the which hee doth trouble himselfe nor furie to moue him withall and when wee say that he is angry it is because he vseth that punishment which in others is done with anger and if we say that he is in fury it is because hee vseth rigorous punishment towards vs or else because hee doth not punish at all in this world for wherin can our Lord shew greater anger than by not vsing his accustomed clemency Our Lords wrath is appeased when hee punisheth presently after the offence committed and he is very angry when hee deferreth the punishment vnto hell S. Ambrose sayth That in the house of God not to punish is to punish to dissemble is to bee angry with not to speake is to chide to pardon is to threaten to suffer is to let it putrifie to defer is to reuenge the more Is there thinke you any greater punishment than not to bee punished in this world When doth our Lord speake vnto vs with anger but when wee fall from his grace into sinne by our fault God spake with anger vnto our first father when hee said vnto him thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face as if hee would say Because thou hast fallen from my grace and eaten of the apple which I did forbid thee to eat of for a perpetuall punishment thou shalt eat and drinke alwaies with care in thy mind sweat on thy face and trauaile of thy body insomuch that at the best morsell thou shalt giue ouer eating and fall to sighing God spake also with anger vnto the murderer Cain when hee said vnto him behold the bloud of thy brother Abel doth crie from the earth vnto mee as if he would say Because thou hast flaine thy brother Abel through malice and enuy I cannot but doe iustice vpon thee because his bloud crieth aloud for it of me and thy punishmēt shall be that thou shalt wander to and fro all the daies of thy life and thy head shal neuer cease shaking God spake with anger vnto the great king Nabugodonoser whē he said Eijciam te ab hominibus as if he would say Because thou hast robbed my tēples of their treasures and led away my people of the Iews captiue thou shalt be throwne out frō the conuersation of men shalt liue with beasts on the mountaines thou shalt eat hay like oxen and bee clothed like wild sauages with haire vntill thou doest acknowledge mee for to bee thy Lord and thy selfe to bee a sinner God spake with anger vnto the great Priest Heli when hee said Ego praecidam brachium tuum c as if hee would say Because thou diddest not punish thy children when they stole away the sacrifices and behaued themselues dishonestly vvith women in the Tabernacle I will take thy Priesthood from thee I will kill thy steward and will make that no old man come into thy house in so much that thou shalt haue no children in thy stocke to inherite after thee nor ancient men to counsell thee To come then vnto our purpose God vsed this kind of speech vnto the Synagogue but now speaketh otherwise vnto the church as is easily seene in the death of Christ when hee said vnto the theefe Hodie mecum eris in Paradise Wee doe not read that Christ did euer vse this woord of anger so oft as hee hath done the woord of mercy the which hee hath vsed often as Per viscera misericordiae dei nostra said holy Zachary in his song as if he would say The sonne of God came downe from the highest of heauen into the earth moued thereunto by
manus tradentis me as if hee would say O my disciples O my only sons and companions truly I open and discouer one thing vnto you that is that one of you which are here with me hath sold me by treason and which is worst of all hee doth eat with mee at my table and at my owne dish Christ complaineth that Iudas sold him vnto the Synagogue and that hee sate at his table with him and that he did eat with one hand only and that he was ashamed neither of the one nor of the other and there is none of this spoken without a great mysterie Confundimini crubescite super viis vestris ô domus Israel said God by Ezechiel chap. 6 as if hee would say O house of Israel O ye people of Iuda bee now ashamed of the filthy works which you doe and of the wicked steps yee walke in For I am much more offended to see how little you esteeme of me then of the offences which you commit against me A man which is of a noble and stour courage and of a shamefast countenance although hee haue beene offended and wounded by another yet he doth not so much feele the iniury which is done as he greeueth to see his enemy walke before his house because the brabble proceeded of anger but the going about his house commeth from malice Gregory vpon Ezechiel saith thus Our Lord had great reason to complain of the house of Israel of the kingdome of Iuda and that not so much for the wickednesse they committed as for the small shame they had in committing it because that hee wil either late or neuer amend which is not ashamed at all to haue offēded It is to be noted that the Prophet saith Erubescite de vijs vestris that is that we should bee ashamed to walke our waies because to walke vnto the flesh and the world there are many waies which are all of vanity but to walke vnto heauen there is but one way which is of charity What are our waies but onely our disordinate and naughty desires Whither doe our desires lead vs but vnto vices and from vices vnto sins and from sins vnto hell Then be ashamed to sinne or to haue sinned for as S. Ambrose saith The first step to repentance is to bee ashamed of the sinne committed What saith the son of God when hee saith Behold the hand of him which betraieth me what else doth he say thā behold the Traitor behold wicked Iudas who is not cōtent to haue sold me vnto the synagogue but also sitteth eateth at my table without any shame at all The son of God could not haue spoken a word of greater iniury to Iudas than to call him Traitour for after a man hath committed treason against another there is neuer after any hope to be had of him nor trust to bee put in him Iudas was a Traitor in selling Christ vnto those vnto whome hee did sell him that is vnto his mortall enemies who bought him not because hee should serue them but because they would bee reuenged on him Iudas was a traitor for selling Christ for so base and vile a price because a lustie and an able young man as Christ was was more worth if it had beene but to make a slaue of Iudas was a Traitor in selling him vnto them because in doing of it he shewed great malice and exceeding auarice seeing hee agreed with his enemies for him at the first word hee neuer replied nor hucked one word vpon the sale Iudas was also a traitor because he went of his own voluntary wil to sel Christ not being asked nor induced vnto it by any wherein he shewed his infamous condition wicked treason For by so much the more sins are offensiue by how much the occasions were lesse which caused vs to commit them Iudas was also a Traitor in sitting with Christ at his table as though he had offended him in nothing vvherein he shewed his small conscience and great impudency for hauing as hee had the money in his purse for the which he sold Christ it was not reason hee should haue eaten with him in his dish Remigius exclaimeth in an epistle O vnto how many may Christ say now adaies behold the hand of him which betraieth mee is at the table with me all which like vnto Iudas either by vsury or by symony dare sell Christ and after eat with him at the same messe prophaning and wasting church-goods as though they had cost Christ nothing S. August vpon S. Iohn sayth That there supped but one Traitor in the parlar with Christ but now adaies in the table of his church there dineth suppeth an infinit number of Traitors and that which cannot be spoken without tears is that neuer seruing nor benefiting the catholike church at all they eat and take away the fruit which Christ got vs with his precious bloud Tell mee my brother tell mee I pray thee what difference is there betwixt thee which selleth Christ for sinnes and Iudas which sold him for money Is it not thinkest thou a greater sinne to sell Christ for other sinnes then for Iudas to sell him for thirty peeces of money The difference which I find betwixt thee who art a sinner and wicked Iudas who was a Traitor is that hee sold Christ but once and thou sellest him euery day and houre and in so greeuous an offence there can be nothing more iust that seeing thy treason is greater than his that thy condemnation also should be greater than his It is also to be weighed that Christ doth not say that Iudas did eat with him with both hands but with one only for hee saith Ecce manum tradentis me Behold the hand of him who betraieth me which hee spake not without a secret mysterie S. Ierome sayth thus He who could haue seene Iudas in the parlar should haue seene how his heart was giuen to the deuill his body vnto the world his word vnto the Synagogue his left hand vpon his purse and with his right hand hee did eat with Christ Vbertinus sayth That he doth eat with the Traitor Iudas at the table with one hand who liueth in a monastery not with a purpose to follow Christ but with an intention to flee the perils of the world and coker himselfe with the goods of the monastery Bonauenture sayth That then the religious man eateth with one handwith Iudas at Christs table when he liueth in the monastery by necessitie and not voluntarily insomuch that his body is in his cell his heart in the market place Thus then you haue had recited vnto you the heinous offences which the Traitor Iudas committed and how iustly our Lord condemned him so that now there remaineth onely to tell you of the perfections which were in the good theefe which died with Christ and how iustly Christ tooke him to heauen with him CHAP. IIII. Of the great vertues which the good theefe had which died with
we know whether he commanded him to do these things for the sins which he hath committed or for sins which hee hath seene in the Iudaicall people Who euer saw Christ weepe or command any man to weep but he had occasion to doir and reason to command it The reason why Ieremy weepeth is Quid ablata est fides de ore corum Because there is now no faith in the house of Iacob because the goodnes truth of Israel is perished Behold how God doth not complain here of vs for that we do not offer sacrifice nor because wee pay not our tithes nor because we break the holy fasting daies nor because they are couerous nor because they are carnall glurtons because nature inuiteth inclineth vs to all these carâ—lesnesse humane frailty excuseth vs. That which our Lord coÌ„plaineth of is that they are faithlesse in heart idolaters and that they can speake nothing with their mouth but lies which two vices are perrillous for vs to be saued with very hard to ameÌ„d Ciprian vpoÌ„ the Creed saith Although the Apostle saith that faith without works is dead yet I had rather do sinful works being a faithful Christian theÌ„ vertuous works being a faithlesse Pagan because that our Lord doth easilier lighten him which beleeueth that which he coÌ„mandeth theÌ„ him which blasphemeth him and his church Damascen saith That the diuel dare neuer tempt mightily any but such as he perceiueth to be weak in faith and in that case hee careth not much to teÌ„pt him hardly with other vices if he see him weak cold in faith because the diuel is better at ease to see a man doubtful wauer in faith theÌ„ to see him coÌ„mit all other sins in the world What dooth the diuell watch at or ouerwatch but to see whether thou bee doubtfull in the faith of Christ what hast thou if thou hast not true faith what wantest thou if thou wantest not the true faith of Christ O good Iesus O the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou wouldest not depriue me of thy faith that thou wouldst not cast me out of thy church that thou wouldst not take thy mercy froÌ„ me for if thou wilt not suffer me to fall from thy faith I shal alwaies haue a hope that in the end I shal be saued To come theÌ„ vnto our principal purpose who made vnhappy Iudas hang himselfe what was the cause the good theefe was saued but only the great faith the theefe had the sinful infidelity which the other fel into because Iudas wold not beleeue that Christ was our maker and because the good theefe beleeued that Christ was our redeemer Iudas sold Christ and the other beleeued in Christ insomuch that in beleeuing knowing litle men come to offend much So much saith Gregory the faith of a good ChristiaÌ„ is more meritorious by how much the fewer argumeÌ„ts reasons it is grounded on because the merit of the catholick faith doth not coÌ„sist on that which we see with our eieâ— but in that which we beleeue with our hearts If we compare the faith of the good theef with the faith of the old fathers we shal find it to be true that he did so far exceed theÌ„ in faithfully beleeuing as they did go beyond him in good liuing How should not Abraham beleeue in God considering how God spake vnto him from heaueÌ„ aboue and vsed him as if he had beene his particular friend The thecues faith was greater thaÌ„ his because that Christ neuer spake vnto him one word of beliefe neither did hee euer see him in heauen but only hanged vpon the crosse The Prophet Esay did beleeue in God when he saw him sit on high in his throne beset with thousands of Seraphins but the the eues faith was greater because hee neuer saw Christ but crucified and accompanied with theeues The Prophet Maises had faith when hee saw the God of Israel speake vnto him out of a bush and that the bush wasted nor burnt not but the faith of the good theefe was greater than this considering that hee saw Christ loaden with thorns which burnt nor in show but in troth pierced his braine S. Peter had faith when hee saw Christ goe vpon the waters but the good theefes faith was greater considering he saw Christ not spurn the waters but saw him bathed in bloud from the feet to the head Mary Magdalen had faith when she saw him raise her brother Lazarus from death to life who had beene foure daies dead but the good theefe had greater faith then this considering how he neuer saw Christ raise the dead but only saw himselfe die vpon the crosse like a malefactor S. Iohn the Euangelist had faith when he had ssept vpon our Lords breast after he had supped vvith him in the parlar but the theefes faith vvas greater then this seeing that hee beleeued in the sonne of God not sleeping vpon stis breast but suffering vvith him by his side vpon the crosse S. Iames had faith vvhen hee savv Christ transfigured in the hill Tabor and the Fathers of the old law adore him but the good theefes faith was greater then this considering hee saw not the sonne of God transfigured but disfigured hee saw not his face shine but his body torne in pieces O happy and glorious theefe who but thou hath stoine the faith from the synagogue which of old shee was wont to haue and stolne Christ from them in whom then they beleeued not Impart and deuide vnto me part of the faith which thou didst steale from the Synagogue and Christ which thou diddest rob away on the Mount of Caluary for although I was not thy companion in suffering yet now I will bee in beleeuing That which I would haue thee impart vnto mee is the entire faith which thou hast the holy wordes which thou speakest the abundance of bloud which thou sheddest the true confession which of God thou makest and the Christian charity with the which thou doest correct the other theefe O that this theefe hath a happy inheritance seeing that with the theft of worldly things he easily got the gallowes and with the theft which hee stole vpon the crosse hee got glory Chrysostome of the praise of the theefe saith thus In whom O good Iesus in whom did thy holy faith remaine when thou diddest depart out of this life but in thy sorrowfull mother who wept at the foot of the crosse in that holy theefe who suffered on thy side O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule saith Barnard what a small number of friends thou hadst with thee on the crosse and what a multitude of enemies about thee considering that thou hadst there but two faithfull Christians that is thy blessed mother which did beleeue in thee with her heart and that iust theefe which did confesse thee with his mouth Seeing it was nothing else to be a Christian but to beleeue in Christ and serue Christ
16 as if he would say O thou Synagogue which art hardened seeing that thou wilt not beleeue that which I tel thee nor doe that which I command thee I am determined not to chide thee nor punish thee for any fault that thou shall commit but as being incorrigible I am determined to forsake thee O sorrowful speech O dreadfull word when our Lord saith that he will aduise vs no more what we haue doe nor correct vs of that which wee doe for if he take his mercifull hand from vs what shall wee dare to take in hand Tell me I pray thee what can we doe or what doe we know of our selues if wee bee not guided by the hand of God in that which wee take in hand and aduertised in that which wee doe amisse S. Gregory saith vpon Ezechiel When our Lord saith by Ezechiel that he will be no more angry with vs it is a signe that hee is very angry with vs because it is a propertie of our Lord neuer to bee so angry as when hee is not angry to see vs offend Barnard saith O good Iesus the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou take not thy zeale from mee nor withdraw thy punishing hand from me but as I commit a fault so let thy punishment bee ready for by this means I shall sooner amend liue also more warily When the father of a company doth not punish a peruerse seruant it is a signe that he will put him out of the house and when they let a sick man eat all things that he lusteth it is a sign that he wil die so whē God doth let vs go with the bridle loose in our own hand after what vices we lust it is a token that wee goe altogether out of the way O how indurate that man ought to be in sin and how he ought to be mired in wickednes of whom God sayth Auferetur zelus meusate For when God saith that hee will not loue vs any more with realousie what doth hee mean else but that he will be carelesse and forgetfull of vs and forsake to punish vs The holy scripture maketh mention of two kinds of zeale the one is holy and glorious and it is that which God hath towards vs the other is common and is that zeale which wee beare towards our neighbours and if the one be necessary the other is more necessary because the true zeale and loue of our neighbour consisteth not so much in helping him to maintaine himselfe as in directing him to sane his soule S. Augustine in a Sermon sayth What doth it auaile thee O my friend that thou help thy neighbour in time of necessitie with thy money if thou consent vnto him and hee with thee to wallow in vices O how far a greater good turne thou shouldest doe him in lessening his faults than by augmenting his wealth because there is no greater riches vnder the heauen than to haue a cleane conscience The good theefe had a great zeale that the other should bee saued seeing hee did rebuke him for being a blasphemer and persuaded him to be a Christian insomuch that for a recompence for helping him to steale hee would also helpe him to die well Chrysistome vpon this matter sayth These two theeues had kept companie a long time together and deuided equally their prey betwixt them because that as there was no difference betwixt them in the fault so they would haue equall shares in the deuision Now the good theefe would haue continued his old vse and as he had stolne heauen there vpon the crosse so he would haue deuided part of it vnto his companion if the Lord of the theft which was Christ would haue consented vnto it or if the wretched theefe had deserued it O how great and vnspeakable a charity was this of the good theeues for considering that himselfe was a Christian hee would haue made the other one also and seeing himselfe the heire of heauen he would haue taken the other thither with him and seeing himselfe pardoned hee would haue gotten pardon for the other but that hee would neither beleeue in Christ nor with good will giue eare vnto his companion It is much to be noted sayth Chrisostome that the good theefe said first vnto the bad Neither thou doest feare God before hee said Lord remember me For as I suppose it helped much to saue the good theefe that Christ saw with what great charity hee laboured that his cōpanion should not cast away himself Whē he said first in fauor of the other Neither thou doest feare God before hee spake in the behoofe of himselfe Lord remember me is it not most manifest and clear that he desired as much that his companion should bee conuerted as himselfe saued Remigius sayth That among all the seruices which wee can doe vnto our Lord there is none so great as to help our neighbor to saue himselfe and contrariwise there is none that doth more offend him than to helpe our neighbour to damn himselfe because it seemeth that wee make small account of the shedding of his bloud if we helpe him not to bestow it well Then we bestow his glorious bloud well when we cause it to benefit our brothers for otherwise we may say that it was wel shed by Christ but euilly bestowed by vs. What greater sacrifice can I doe vnto our Lord than draw my neighbor from sinne who hath been redeemed by his precious bloud Thē I draw my brother out of sinne when I correct him with my tongue and help him in his worke For as touching the offending of our Lord it is conuenient not only to aduise counsell him but if we can also punish and chastise him Cyprian in his booke of Martyrs sayth Who dare now adaies like vnto Phinees thrust through with a poynyard a bold Iew and a shamelesse Gentile Who like vnto holy Samuel will weepe for the disobedience of Saule Who like vnto holy Iob will rise earely in the morning to offer sacrifices of peace for the sinnes of his sonnes Who like vnto the High priest Aaron will threaten Pharaoh within his own pallace because hee should leaue off the seruice of his God in the Synagogue Who will lose the light of his eies like vnto the good Prophet Ieremy in weeping and taking pity vpon those who carried away those of Babilonia captiues Now the zeale of holy men is lost now the feruency of good men is at an end now the punishment of naughty men is forgotten for because that in matter of correction a friend will rather venter his conscience with his friend then suffer him to lose his credite Certainly it is no credite but a discredit no charity but cruelty to suffer his neighbour to damne himselfe for want of correcting him for oftentimes naughty men would amend themselues of their errors if their friends which they haue would aduertise them of them Seeing wee cannot auoid it but stumble at euery foot nor
he suffered in his members When the Apostle sayth That the sonne of God offered vp praiers and supplications vpon the altar of the crosse hee declareth as Theophilactus sayth That the praier ignosce illis was extended vnto the good and vnto the bad in so much that for his enemies he offered praiers for the pardon of their sinnes and for his friends hee offered vp oblations for to confirme them in his grace As the sonne of God was Lord ouer all men and died for all men so vpon the crosse he praied for all men For if the wicked had need of him to help them to rise the good also had need of his helpe to keep them from falling Anselmus in his meditations sayth That when the Apostle sayth that the sonne of God was not content to pray only with deuotion but also offered vp that praier vnto his owne father it is to let vs vnderstand that for the sauing of all the world hee offered vp his paines and sorrowes for a recompence his life for a satisfaction his person for a reward his bloud for a price and his soule for a sacrifice It is also to bee weighed that the sonne of God made not this holy praier of Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them sitting but vpright not being at libertie but bound not in a low voice but aloud not laughing but weeping that which is most to be maruelled at the words that he praied with were very few but the tears he bathed them with were very many O good Iesus O my souls pleasure who could be worthy to stand at the foot of thy crosse to see how thy bloud ran from the thornes and thy tears flow from thy eies in so much that at the same hour and moment thou diddest water the earth with tears and pierce the heauens with sighes O what a sacred word was that O what a holy praier was Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them seeing that it was made by the sonne of God vpon the altar of the crosse accompanied with sighes washed with the bloud of Christ and offered vp with the tears of the redeemer Although the sonne of God requested the greatest matter of his father and of the greatest weight that euer was demaunded of him that is to wit Pardon of his precious death yet the tears which hee shed were so many and the loue so great with the which he asked it that if he had asked a greater matter of him his father would neuer haue denied it him S. Basill sayth O what great hurt sinnes bring vnto vs considering that for to lighten vs of them and obtaine pardon for them it was needfull for Christ to pray vnto his father for theÌ„ and offer oblation and crie out and suffer his bloud to bee shed and tears to poure downe from his eies so that thou O good Iesus diddest buy my great offences by the weight of thy bloud tears Our Lord when he praied for his enemies vpon the crosse taught vs what forme and fashion wee ought to keepe when wee pray that is to shed bloud from our members and fall tears froÌ„ our eies The son of God wept when he praied for his enemies and art not thou ashamed to laugh and talke when thou praiest for the remission of thy sinnes Yea and if thou canst not weep in thy praiers yet tel me why thou doest talke ouermuch Barnard sayth That it is more then a iest rather then a praier if at one time thou wouldest pray and talke for if thou bee not attentiue vnto that that thou praiest neither will our Lord be vnto that that thou demandest Defecerunt prae laâ—hrimis oculi mei sayth Ieremie in his Lamentations as if he should say I had such great compasston to see all the Iewes led captiue vnto Babilonia that my eies with very weeping lost their sight And indeed there is no greater token that a man is in true charity then to see him haue compassion of other mens hurts and therevpon it happeneth that good men weepe sooner for the wicked then for themselues the which happened also vnto Christ vpon the crosse who wept first for his enemies before they wept for their owne sinnes It is a very proper thing vnto the chosen people of God to weepe a like for other mens harmes and for their owne because it is the propertie of true Christian charitie to take as great griefe to see his brother lost as pleasure to see himselfe saued One of the greatest priuiledges that good men haue is that euen as they merit in taking comfort and ioy of the good that is done to good men so they are greeued at the hurt which falleth vnto euill men in so much that the good man and the iust reapeth profit commodity of euery mans conuersation Who doubteth but that the lamentation which Christ made vpon the crosse was far greater then that which Ieremie made on the Mount Sion But now it is to be vnderstood that Ieremy wept for one people onely and the sonne of God for all the vniuersall world Ieremy wept only tears from his eies but the son of God wept tears from his eies and shed bloud from his vains Further Ieremie complained that by weeping he had lost his sight onely but our sweet sauior did not only loose his sight with weeping vpon the crosse but also his very life O good Iesus my soules delight what patience is sufficient or by vvhat iustice is it reason that I should commit the offence and thou shed the teares Art thou not content vvith Ierâ—my to make fountains of tears of thy eies but also to make streames of bloud of thy vains With all those sighes which proceed from thy heart with so many griefes which thy members endure with so many teares which run from thy eies and with so much bloud which floweth from thy vains who would not graunt thy request and who would not haue compassion of that which thou sufferest O who can be able tosay with Ieremy Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Because that the greatest hap which could light vnto mee were that in amending my faults I could recouer my soule and in weeping many teares lose my sight CHAP. V. Why the father answered not his sonne when hee praied for his enemies VOs cogitastis malum de me sed deus vertit illud in bonum ego pascam vos paruulos vestros When the great Patriark Iacob died in Aegypt and that all his childreÌ„ remained vnder the power and will of their brother Ioseph and being afeard least hee should call to mind how they had sold him vnto the muleters of Aegypt the good Ioseph spake these words vnto them You my brethreÌ„ did think that you had done me great hurt but you did me great good for your selling of me was the occasioÌ„ that I came vnto prosperity and to rule and gouerne all Aegypt in so much that the great goodnesse of our Lord
them and not pardon him was because our good Lord is so liberall in giuing and so noble in pardoning that he cannot forgiue any one sinne alone if there remaine any other hidden offence in the sinner Factious and enuious men are wont to pardon some of their enemies not other some but the sonne of God for a certainty dooth not so but he would forgiue all men togâ—ther and redeeme all men togither S. Iohn said not of Christ behold him who taketh away the sinne of the world but said behold him who taketh away the sinnes of the world He said not vnto Mary Magdalen thy sinne is released but thy sinnes are forgiuen thee In so much that in matter of sinnes God cannot but either wholly winck at them or wholly pardon them For as S. Ierome sayth No man euer heard the sonne of God say I pardon thee such a sinne or this sinne or that sinne but hee alwaies said I pardon thee all thy sinnes and therevpon praying vpon the crosse vnto his father hee did not say Pardon him but said Father pardon them For it seemed vnto him that the value of the bloud which hee shed was of such price that those for whome hee died were but few although hee died for those which were absent as well as for those which were present for the quicke and for the dead for those which were already past and for those which were to come for the iust and for the sinners that one drop of his bloud which he should shed would bee sufficient to redeeme a thousand of worlds and if this were so what reason had hee to bestow it vpon one alone seeing there did abound for all the world The sonne of God debated not the matter nor plaied not the huckster with his father in contending how much bloud shall I giue thee for their pardon because he would let vs vnderstand in this that he paied very well yea and repaied for al the sinnes which were forgiuen For to conclude all the sinnes in the world might haue ben numbred but the price of the bloud of Christ could not bee valued O good Iesus O my soules hope if in fauour of great sinners thou diddest say Father forgiue them why doest thou not say in my behalfe who am a great sinner Pater ignosce illi Forgiue him If the Iewes haue beene vngratefull towards thee for the miracles which thou diddest amongst them haue not I been much more ingratefull for the benefites receiued of thee If thou diddest pray for the Israelites which did kill thee once why doest thou not pray for me which kill thee euery day Doe not I put thee to death euery day and euery houre seeing I doe crucifie thee as oft as I sinne against thee Seeing the sinnes which are seuerally in other meÌ„ are together in me why dost thou not say Father forgiue him as thou didst say Father forgiue theÌ„ Say then O my good Iesus say vnto thy Father Father pardoÌ„ this sinner seeing that by how much the more my sins offences are greater then other mens by so much the more thy mercy will shine by forgiuing me CHAP. VII How God is more mercifull now then hee was in time past and why Christ did not say that he did pardon his enemies when he asked pardon for them of his father POnam contra te omnes abommationes tuas non parcet oculus meus super te These are the woordes of the great God of Israell spoken with much anger and verie great furie to the people of Israel by the mouth and preaching of the holy Prophet Ezechiel chapter 7. as if he would say I am so angry with thee O Synagogue and haue pardoned thee so often that I am now determined to lay open all thy wickednes and not forgiue thee any one of them because that as mercy doth follow thy amendment so iustice rigor may follow thy hardnesse of heart Before the sonne of God came into the world to take mans flesh vpon him God was much more accustomed to vse his iustice then his mercie seeing that in all the story of the old Law those which hee chastised were very many in number and those whome hee forgaue very few And that we may proue it to haue ben so from the beginning of the world how did he punish Adam and Eue his wife for no other cause but for eating the apple which was forbidden them Did hee not condemne the wicked Cain to wander throughout all the world and haue a shaking in his head for the murder which hee vsed against his brother Who is ignorant how God did drowne many in the vniuersall floud for the sinne of the flesh and sunke those of Sodome for the sinne against nature and let the ground open and swallow vp Dathan and Abiron for the rancor of enuie And did not God command Moyses and Iosua to take out of the campe and stone to death the Iew for hiding a barrell of gold at the sacke of Ierricho and another Israelitie for gathering stickes vpon the Sabboth day Hieremie neuer endeth to bewaile the captiuitiy of Babilon whereof hee sayth Destruxit non pepercit hee destroied and spared not But God commaunded that all that kingdome should bee made desolate and destroied not pardoning nor forgiuing any one When the Lord commanded king Saule to go take Amelech his kingdome hee aduised him and instructed him that from the king himselfe which sate in his throne vnto the beast which fed in the meadow hee should not pardon any one but sley and kill them euery one In the ninth chapter of Ezechiell God said these wordes vnto the striking Angel Senem iuuenem virginem paruulum interfice sanctuario meâ— incipe c. as if he would say Go throughout all the city of Ierusalem put to the sword all the old men and all the young men all the virgins and all the children and because no man shall thinke that any place may saue him thou shalt begin this my punishment with the Priests of the Temple Cadent à latere tuo mille decem millia à dextris tuis sayth the Psalmist as if he would say Thou doest so seuerely reuenge thy iniuries O great God of Saboth and so punish our offences that as oft as I looke vpon thee I see both thy armes armed and both thy hands couered with bloud insomuch that if a thousand men are fallen at thy left hand there are other ten thousand slairie at thy right hand When the eternall God had seene that they had put to death his welbeloued sonne being accustomed to punish presently and not to pardon he darkened the light of the sunne made the earth to quake rent the vaile of the Temple and opened the sepulchres of the dead because those which were dead should rise againe and take reuengemeÌ„t of those which were aliue WheÌ„ the son of God perceiued that al this was done for his sake
therfore he coÌ„mitted the pardoÌ„ vnto him which was most iniuried protesting that himself was not offended with theÌ„ O sweet Iesus how canst thou say that thou wast not offended nor iniured by theÌ„ being as thou wast iniuried crucified by their hands and although thou do not coÌ„plaine vpon theÌ„ nor reuenge thee on them nor yet accuse theÌ„ yet O my redeemer why dost thou excuse them Barnard saith That the son of God was replenished with such great charity and such inspeakable pity towards those which crucified him that he could not obtaine leaue of himselfe to impute any fault vnto them seeing he had charged himselfe with the pain due for it Cyprian saith That seeing Christ was the true mediator pacifier stikler betwixt his father the world it would haue beene euilly thought of to say that any one of them were his enemies and therevpon it is that seeing hee had no enemie there amongst them hee had no necessitie to say on the crosse I pardon them If the sonne of God saith S. Chrysostome hanging vpon the crosse should haue said I also pardon them it would haue beene thought that hee receiued greater griefe for the torment which hee himselfe suffered than of the iniuries which were done vnto his father which for a certentie was not so for if it were possible Christ would more willingly returne againe into the world to die than endure to see one iniury done vnto his father Who dare now O good Iesus saith S. Barnard who dare aske a reuenge of the iniuries done vnto him seeing thou diddest make such small account of those which were done vnto thy selfe Doest not thou recken of the cruell thornes which pierced thy holy head and shall I make account of an angry word which my brother speaketh against me How shall I dare to say that I haue enemies seeing thou doest handle those which nailed thee vnto the crosse like brothers It ought to be a strange speech in the mouth of a Christian to say This is my enemy for in making thy brother thy enemie thou doest loose Christ and causest him to be no more thy friend It is much to be noted that Christ entreated not his father to pardon them after they were dead but asked that he would pardon them quickly yea that very quickly because he would let vs vnderstand that the value of his precious blood was of such great price that at that instant that it began to be shedde at the same time it began to doe good The redeemer of the world would not leaue vs out of the fauor of his father nor an enemy vnto any in token wherof hee came into the world saying Et in terra pax hominibus Peace vnto men vpon earth and went out of the world saying Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them The son of God saith Cassiodorus vpon the Psalms is not like vnto the children of this world who leaue vnto their children a little wealth with much strife seeing that by that speech of Father forgiue them hee redeemed vs with his blood baptized vs with his teares annointed vs with his sweat instructed vs with his doctrine loosed vs from the deuill and reconciled vs vnto his father O how much are wee bound vnto thee sweet Iesus for praying vnto thy father that he would forgiue his enemies before and not after thy death that is before the teares of thy eies were dried vp and whilst the wounds of thy body were yet fresh What would haue become of mankind if Christ at his death had bin angry with vs When he said in his last Sermon Pacem meam do vobis I giue you my peace What else meant he but that he left vs reconciled vnto his father and vnited vnto himselfe How could the eternall father saith Anselmus deny his blessed sonne the pardon which hee demaunded seeing he asked it with such milde wordes with such sorrowfull teares with such fresh wounds with such louing bowels with such continual sighes and with such great and passing griefe Wee may then conclude that when Christ praied his father to pardon quickely and without delay he teacheth vs that before we die and go out of this life it is conuenient for vs to pardon all iniuries for otherwise those in the other world shall haue great occasion to weepe which would not in this world speedily forgiue CHAP. VIII How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ SIt Dominus iudex inter te inter me said the most renowmed king Dauid vnto his Lord and king king Saul Reg. chap. 24. as if hee would say I will haue no other iudge betwixt me and thee O great king of Israel but onely the mighty God of heauen vnto whom it is well known how faithfully I doe serue thee and how cruelly thou doest handle me Origen saith that king Dauid ought to haue great priuitie with God seeing hâ—e chose him for the iudge of all the words he spake of all the thoughts he conceiued of all the workes which he did of all the enmities he suffered yea and of all the friendships he followed Dauid could not iustifie his cause better than to referre the iustice of it vnto the hands of God who is so iust in his person so vpright in his iudgement that neither praiers bow him neither threatnings feare him nor gifts mooue him nor words deceiue him When good king Dauid cited Saul to appeare before the iudgement of God Dauid could haue cut off his head if hee would as hee did the gard of his garment but yet hee would not doe it because hee did set more by Gods fauour than by Sauls euill will Saul was a capitall enemie vnto king Dauid hee caused him to flee his countrey forsake his kindred depriued him of his riches banished him his court separated him from his wife and proclaimed him to be his publike enemie And yet notwithstanding all this Dauid if hee had listed could haue beene reuenged of Saul as especially when hee stole the bottle from vnder his beds head and cut away a piece of his garment yet the pitifull king Dauid would not onely not do it but shewed himselfe angry with those which durst counsell him vnto it Origen saith that onely because Saul was annointed king by the God of Israel it seemed vnto good king Dauid that hee deserued pardon and that that was a sufficient cause to make him reuerenced of all and offended by none Wee are annointed with a better ointment than king Saul was for hee was annointed with the oyle of the Oliue tree but wee are annointed with the blood of Christ and therfore he who doth persecute a Christian doth persecute one who is annointed by Christ Good king Dauid respected it not that Saul did abuse his regall vnction and annointing but onely because that hee was annointed by a good Spirit in so much that Dauid regarded it not that Saul
euerlasting damnatioÌ„ obtained with his mother that she shold not challeÌ„ge hisdeath before any iustice But what iustice could she ask of those malefactors seeing they had been already pardoned of her sonne Anselmus saith That wheÌ„ Iesus gaue vp the ghost vpon the crosse he left no death for his mother to reueÌ„ge nor iniury to forgiue but only a bitter passion to weep and bewaile which shold be great inough to rend her bowels in sunder dry vp the tears of hir eies The 4. goodnes which Christ shewed the Iews was in that he gaue pardoÌ„ to his enemies which did not demaÌ„d it yeelded that vnto his crucifiers which they wold not haue For how is it possible for those men to seek for pardon which will not acknowledge themselues culpable And how should they acknowledge theÌ„selues culpable which cast al the fault vpoÌ„ him which deserued it not The Iews were so fleshed in the bloud of Christ so far out of their wits that they did not not only procure ask pardoÌ„ for their offeÌ„ce but rather hindered it put it froÌ„ theÌ„ when it was offered theÌ„ taking delight in the hurt which they did vnto Christ griefe that they were not able to do him more When they led the innocent lambe to be crucified for very ioy they said O thou which doest destroy the Temple of God And when Pilat would haue deferred his crucifying with great enuy they said If thou let this man goe thou art not a friend vnto Caesar in so much that if they did shew themselues grieued and sorrie it was not for that they thought themselues culpable of any crime but because they had deferred and prolonged Christs life so long time The wickednesse of the Iewes was not content in not hauing pardon of God for their offences but they demaunded openly vengeance for them when they said vnto Pilat Let his blood fall vpon vs and vpon our children and therefore by these dreadfull words they desire to be punished of God and at no time pardoned at his hands O wicked Synagogue O impious saying Let his blood be vpon vs. Tell me I pray thee why doest thou desire that the blood of Christ which hee shed for to redeeme thee be â—urned to condemne thee The sonne of God appealeth from these words which they speake and he will not stand vnto that agreement which the Iewes made with Pilat hee will not agree that his blood should be shed against them but for them and therefore as they said Let his blood fall vpon vs so contrariwise he said Father forgiue them O wicked Synagogue O vnfortunate Iewish nation saith Remigius who hath led you vnto such great folly and madnesse that you should more esteeme of the blood of kine which your priests shed in the Temple than of the blood which Christ shed in the mount of Caluarie Saint Ierome saith On the altar of the crosse the Prophecie of Simeon was fulfilled who said that Christs comming into the world was to some mens good and to others hurt seeing that wee doe pray that the blood which hee sheddeth should be in the remission of our sinnes and the Iewes doe intreat that it turne vnto their condemnation and vpon their children It is much to be noted that wee see it often times fall out that one enemy hurteth not another and that a good Christian doth pardon another of his offence when hee repenteth wee see it also by experience likewise we see it fulfilled that a perfit man doth loue his enemy but yet wee neuer saw that euer any but Christ pardoned him which would not be pardoned And how would they be pardoned who pardoned Barrabas and condemned the sonne of God What contrition of their sinnes haue they who desired of Pilat that the curse of God should light vpon them and vpon their children O infinite goodnesse O vnspeakable charity did they say pardy with king Dauid Tibi soli peccaui To thee alone haue I sinned or with the thiefe Domine memento mei Lord remember me to the end that he should say God be mercifull vnto you Misereatur vestri What wit is able to conceiue or what heart able to acknowledge such great mercy when thou saidst Forgiue them in stead of their sanguis eius His blood light vpon vs O my good Iesus O my soules health who is hee who dare say that hee hath enemies now seeing that thou doest make cleane the vncleane settest those at libertie which will not be free loosest those which wil be bound vnburdenest those which will bee burdened and aboue all giuest pardon vnto those which will not be pardoned If thou doest pardon that people which would not be pardoned wilt thou not with a better will pardon him who hath repented him of his sinnes and whome it grieueth with all his heart to haue offended thee Saint Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith Will not he who meant to meete them who came to apprehend him in the garden of Gethsemani come out to receiue and embrace those who goe to serue him Will not he who defended the adulterous woman from outrage and pardoned the wicked people not beeing thereunto asked pardon and defend that sinner whome hee seeth amended and hath beene of him with many teares thereunto entreated CHAP. X. How it is meet for vs to conforme our wills vnto Christs will to the end that we may know how to loue him and serue him COr tuum numquid est rectum cum corde meo sicut cor meum est rectum cum corde tuo Wee reade in the fourth booke of the Kings that a certaine king of Israel called Iehu going from Samaria to kill the children of Achab and the priestes of Baal met on the way with Ionadab vnto whome he spake these words Tell me I pray thee Ionadab is thy heart and mind so faithfull and vpright with mine as my heart is with thine Ionadab answered him vnto these words Know thou O king Iehu that my heart is conformable vnto thine Iehu replied and said Seeing it is true that thy heart is agreeing vnto mine giue me thy hand and come to me into this charriot where we will talke and communicate of things profitable for vs both This is a wonderfull figure worthy of great attention and consideration seeing that our Lord doeth teach vs by it the great good turnes which hee doth vnto vs and that which in recompence thereof wee are to doe vnto him againe Who is that king Iehu who taketh his iourney from Iudea vnto Samaria to kill and to take vengeance vpon the wicked men which were there but onely the sonne of God who came downe from heauen aboue to destroy our sinnes Assure mee saith Saint Augustine that there be no sinners in the world and I will assure thee that there be no naughty men in the world for as in heauen there is no sinne remitted nor any wicked man there suffered and as contrariwise there is nothing but
it is to be beleeued that this theefe was a Christian and that he died a Christian for if he had not ben one he would neuer haue commended himselfe vnto Christ as wee doe our selues vnto God vnlesse hee had also beleeued him to bee God Isichius vpon Leuiticus saith That we doe not doubt whether this theefe was baptised or not but how hee was baptised and where wee know not but that which wee doe know in this case is that if there wanted water on the crosse to baptise him yet there wanted no blood to regenerate him There was but one poole in the temple of Hierusalem to heale men with but on the Mount of Caluary there are three fonts to baptise with the one was ful of our Ladies teares the other full of the water of our Lords side and the third full of the bloud of his body How could this theefe be vnbaptised hauing such great preparations to baptise him O my soule O my heart why doe you not baptise and wash your sinnes why wipe you not away your wickednes in the tears of the sweet mother in the water of his greeuous side and in the bloud of her holy sonne Ecce nunc in iniquitatibus conceptus sunt Behold now I am conceiued inherited or what offences could I haue committed which the mothers tears could not wash and the sonnes bloud could not inake clean I will not now goe with Iudith to the fountaine of Modien to wash mee nor with Naaman to the waters of IordaÌ„ to bath me nor to the poole at Ierusalem with the sick of the palsie to heale me but I will goe onely vnto the holy fonts of the Mount of Caluary to baptize me which are full of the bloud which my God shed and of the water which issued out of his side To conclude then wheÌ„ Christ was baptised there was none present but S. Iohn but in the baptisme of this theefe there was Christ and his mother S. Iohn Mary Magdalen insomuch that in the house of God they giue more honour to good theeues then vnto those which are naughty-Emperours CHAP. V. How three houres in which the good theefe was with Christ vpon the crosse did profit him more than the three yeares profited Iudas in the which he followed Christ and how some steale vntill they come to the gallews and how this theefe stole vpon the gallows ETâ—nunc domine deus Israel da seruo tuo cor docile vt discernere possit inter bonum malum said the great king Salomon in a praier which hee made vnto God Reg. 4. chap. 3. as if hee would say O great God of Israel O great God of the house of Israel I pray thee beseech thee that it would please thee to giue me froÌ„ thy haÌ„ds a hart willing to do all that thou dost coÌ„mand me beleeue al that thou dost counsell me Who is able to gouerne so rich a country if thou in teaching him do not giue him an vnderstaÌ„ding to discern betwixt the good the euil This petition of SalomoÌ„s was very grateful vnto God because he asked him no more kingdomes to enlarge his dominions nor riches to liue deliciously with nor many years to liue long with nor fauor might to be reueÌ„ged of his enemies To haue much to possesse much to liue long to be of great might are they nor the things we desire most of al with al our hearts for the which we do most of al sweat for sigh wheÌ„ Salomon asked a heart apt to learn what did he aske else but a mind which would suffer it self to be instructed to be counselled by wise men which few men are wont to ask and much lesle to do because euery man thinketh himself wise that he needeth no mans coÌ„unsell at all What better praier could that happy king haue demanded at Gods hands thaÌ„ a heart well iustructed ready to heare counsell Plato in his Timaeo saith that he neuer saw any man do amisse which followed counsel but he saw many cast theÌ„selues away by following their owne wil Seneca to Lucilths saith that the coÌ„modity of a mind well taught and of a man wel counselled is that if he hit aright in that which hee doth al men giue him the glory of it if he erre in his enterprise al men cast the blame vpon him which counselled him When Christ tooke counsel vpon the see ding of the hungry companies did he not take it trowy you of 8. Phillip which was one of theÌ„ which could dâ—â—least knew least S. Paul writeth to his disciple Philemon Sine tuo consilio nihil facium that is I wil do nothing without thy counsel without his aduise opinion he would not determine either to go to Rome or stay preach in Asia King Dauid was a for greater Prophet theÌ„ Nathan yet he consulted with the good king whether hee himselfe should make the holy 〈◊〉 or command his sonne to make it If Christ then being God and S. Paule being an Apostle and king Dauid being a Prophet would not trust their owne iudgement why should any man refuse anothers counsel and opinion Foris vastauit eos gladius intus pauor quia gens estabsque consilio prudentiaâ— said God vnto Moyses complaining vppon the people of Israell as if he would say O Moises thou hast it in thy choise which thou hast made of people to serue me vpoÌ„ those which haue neither wisdome to gouern themselues neither do ask counsell of that which they ought to doe by reason wherof they shall go al their life time sore feared with the enemies knife and alwaies beare fearfull hearts God complaineth of the Synagogue that she had litle wit and great folly and that she despised counsell and was guided by her owne wit which are two things dangerous to a Common wealth and hurtfull vnto euery particular person Chrysostome saith That God doth that man great fauour vnto whom he giueth a heart apt to learne and easie to be counselled and not hard to be entreated because there are some men so vnpleasant in their conditions so proud in their conuersation that they are hated of all men liked of none It is to be noted that the wise man saith not only vnto God giue me a heart but he addeth a heart easie to be instructed because God giueth hearts vnto many which are rather hearts of beasts then of men with the which they neither know that which they should nor chuse that which they ought nor keep that which they haue nor keepe secret that which they know S. Barnard expounding these wordes Abii post vestigia gregum tuarum sayth That it is a word of great iniury and griefe which woundeth the mind when God commanded any to go after beasts seeing that man is lord ouer beasts which our Lord doth sometime coÌ„mand because he is a greater beast theÌ„ a beast which hath the vse of reason and yet doth not
world and so hee liueth with paine by reason of the one and casts out sighes by reason of the other The dissembling hypocrite hath also two hearts who with the one desireth to bee in low degree and with the other laboureth to be exalted with the one he speaketh fair with the other he bireth secretly with the one he proclaimeth cōscience with the other he maintaineth malice which is worst of all with the one he doth forward concord and with the other he stirreth vp war Woe therfore be vnto him who hath two hearts for if hee had but one either hee would bee wholly good or wholly bad but hauing two hearts he cannot in religion do that which he ought nor in the world doe that which hee would Hee hath also two hearts who hath good words and naughty vvorks he vvhich crieth the spirit is al flesh he vvho liueth wickedly hopeth vvell he vvho is rigorous vvith other men and mild vnto himselfe strait vnto his brothers liberall vnto himselfe Hath not he think you two harts vvho promiseth much performeth litle he vvho sweareth that he loueth and yet in the end loueth not but deceiueth To come then vnto our purpose all that vvhich I haue spoken is to let you know hovv vvisely and vvarily the good theefe kept his heart and hovv highly he did imploy it seeing he denied it the diuel offered it vnto Christ Christ and the deuill vvere at a great variance vvhich of thē should cary avvay the theeues hart because the deuil alledged that hee did belong vnto him because hee vvas a ringleader of theeues and Christ said that he did belong vnto him because he vvas the father of sinners But vvhen the theefe said Lord remember mee the deuil fled Christ defended the theefe Chrisostome sayth That Cain offered corne vnto God Abel lambes Noe Weathers Abraham doues Melchisedech vvine Dauid gold Iepthe his daughter and Anna her sonne If all these men did offer much vnto God that vvhich the good theefe did offer vvas much more for all that vvhich they offered vvere externall thinges and not their ovvne but that vvhich the good theefe offered vvas his ovvne and in this case there is great difference betvvixt offering that vvhich a man possesseth and keepeth in his house and offering of his ovvne proper person If any man aske thee vvhat that is that the theefe offered Christ let him first ansvvere vvhat that vvas that he kept for himselfe for giuing as he did all vvhich he had vnro Christ he vvas not seene to reserue any thing for himselfe Seneca saith in an Epistle Who is he vvho giueth another all vvhich he can vvho doth not giue him also his vvil and al that he hath The good theefe gaue Christ al that he could all that he vvas vvorth all his povver all that hee possessed also al his might vvill at vvhat time he acknovvledged himselfe a sinner vpon the altar of the crosse and Iesus Christ to be his redeemer O good sinner O glorious confessor vvilt thou not tel vs vvhat thou diddest offer vnto thy God seeing thou didst obtain such grace by it The theef offered not his eies because they vvere couered neither his mony because the iailor had it nor his coat because the hangman had it nor his body because it vvas crucified he had only left his tongue vvith the vvhich he confessed Christ and his hart vvith the vvhich he beleeued in him If he vvould haue giuen Christ his honour hee knevv not vvhere it vvas if hee vvould haue serued Christ vvith his life it vvas novv at an end if hee vvould haue bestovved his goods vpon him hee had none left for he lost his honor and credit by his theft his life Pilat commanded to be taken from him and all his goods the office of the Fiskall possessed O high my stery saith Origen O diuine example vvho being put vpon the tree had nothing left but his heart and vvith that he beleeued in Christ and his tongue and vvith that he commended himselfe vnto God It is to be beleeued that if this good theefe had had any thing else left but his tongue and his hart that vvith more he vvould haue serued Christ insomuch that vve cannot cōdemn his offering for a mean and miserable gift seeing he offered God al which he had For vvhat doth he not offer vvho offereth his heart what doth hee not deuide vvho deuideth his heart O my tongue O my heart vvhy doe you not take for your companion this theefe crucified vpon the tree because he may teach you how sins are bewailed the heauens stolne away Irenaeus saith I think I shal neuer bee condemned but I haue a great hope I shall bee saued seeing that the good theefe being alone crucified vpon the crosse by no other means but by offering his heart tongue vnto God in lesse than halfe an houre went into glory S. Barnard sayth O good Iesus O the hope of my soule why should I torment my selfe and bee sorrowfull if I want feet to goe to glory or haue no eares to heare sermons nor haue no riches to giue almes nor iewels to offer in the temples Seeing that I hold it for certaine that with one holy wish I shall content thee O sweet Iesus Moyses sister was scabby noble Lia was blearecied good Moises stutted in his speech holy Tobias was blind Mimphiboseth was lame yet notwithstanding al these defects and imperfections nothing hindered them from being vertuous and holy If our hearts be cleane and whole what careth God if our members bee rotten The great Patriarke Iacob blessed his sons being blind dogs licked the wounds of holy Lazarus legs patient Iob did wipe and shaue off the wormes of his flesh with a tile stone holy Tobias saw nothing but what his children directed him vnto but none of all these things hindered them from seruing their Lord and God and from helping their neighbors brothers to saue themselues Remigius saith Behold O my soule behold the good theefe had sentence to die vpon the crosse with his ioints seuered the one from the other his eies couered his flesh rent torn his bloud shed and yet notwithstanding al this with his hart which only liued he knew how to remedy and saue himselfe In so few houres in so short a space the pennance which the good theefe did could not be great nor the sighes which hee gaue could not bee many yet because hee gaue them so from his heart and with such great deuotion Christ tooke them in a sort for a iust account not only those which thē he gaue but also those which he had a will afterward to giue if death had not cut him off CHAP. VII How the naughty theefe lost himselfe only for want of faith and of two chalices which the scripture maketh mention of of which both the theeues dranke of COnsurge consurge Hierusalem quiae bibisti calicem
irae dei vsque ad faeces said the Prophet Esay speaking with Israel as if he would say Rise vp O Ierusalem rise vp O Synagogue seeing that of meere drunkenesse thou art fallen vpon the earth considering that thou hast dronke the cup of the anger of God vnto the very bottome and dregs The sonne of God the night before his passion being at his praiers in the garden of Gethsemani when all the torments which he was afterwards to suffer came vnto his mind and the torment of the death which hee was to endure said vnto his eternall father Pater sivis transeat a me talix iste as if he would say My eternal and holy father I ask thee as thy son and beseech thee as thou art my father that thou wouldest consent that all those of my church may also drink of this cup of bitternes The doubt now is that seeing the cup that Israel tasted of was frō as good a God as the cup that Christ drank of why the cup that Christ drank of was approued liked the cup that Ierusalē drank of misliked disallowed The one was a cup the other a cup the one was of bitternes and the other was of ire the one fell to the synagogue the other to the church the one was of God the other was of God seeing it is so why do they threatē Israel for that which hee drunk and praise Christ for that which he supped vp The better to vnderstand this point we must vnderstād that there are two kind of cups or chalices in the holy scripture To wit the one which is called the chalice of bitternesse the other which is called the chalice of ire and the difference betwixt thē is that by drinking the one we appear betimes in the morning in Paradise by drinking the other we go down at night vnto hel What is the cup of bitternesse ful of but with hunger cold thirst persecution temptation all which things our Lord giueth to drinke vnto all those which hee hath chosen to serue him and vnto all those whom he hath predestinated vnto saluation S. Gregory in his Morals saith That it is a sign that he is predestinated to be saued vnto whom God giueth his cup of bitternes to drink in so much that we cannot escape grieuous hels vnlesse it be by the cost of great trauails It is to be noted that Christ said not vnto his father that he wold not drink of the cup neither yet did he offer himself to drink vp al but he praied him only by speciall grace that others might help him to drink it for if he should alone haue dronken the cup of bitternes he alone should haue entred into Paradise O giuer of all goodnes O distributer of al fauors what hadst thou that thou didst not cōmunicate vnto vs or what didst thou possesse that thou didst not deuide amongst vs Thou hast giuē vs thy body to eat thou hast giuen vs thy bloud to drink thou hast giuē vs thy law to keep thou hast giuē vs thy hart to loue thou hast giuē vs thy cup to tast thou hast giuē vs thy glory to enioy Anselmus saith That in the vain pallaces of the world those are thought to be most familiar which are most of all made much of by their Lord but in the company house of God those are best beloued which are worst handled insomuch that we wil say him to be his familiarest friend whom we shall see to drinke oftenest of his bitter cup. O high mystery O diuine Sacrament when the sonne of God did weepe teares from his eies in the garden and did sweat bloud from his body hee did not aske that his chosen flocke might bee cockered and made much of but only that he wold let thē sup some sup of his bitter cup. What else was S. Peters crosse S. Andrews crosse likewise Bartolomewes knife S. Laurence grediron S. Steuens stones but certain pledges which they receiued of Christ certain bitter sups which they dranke of his chalice Hilarius vpon S. Matthew saith That how many more sups a man hath supped in this life of Christs cup so many steps the higher shall hee bee in heauen in glory for what cause we ought to entreat and aske earnestly that if we cannot drink al his cup yet that he would let vs at the least rast of him with his elect S. Ierome sayth also That although the cup which Christ left his elect bee somewhat bitter in drinking yet after that it is drunke it is sauerous and profitable because the trauels of this world doe not giue vs so great griefe and paine when wee suffer them as they bring vs delight after we haue suffered them It is also to bee noted that hee sayth Transeat a me calix iste that is He would not haue his bitter cup turne backe againe but goe on forward wherby he giueth vs to vnderstand that the merit of his passion and the bloud of our redemption should not be bestowed vpon them which euery day goe worse and worse vntill the end but onely vpon them vvhich euery day grow better and better This word of Transeat Let this cup passe is a high word and worthy to bee marked in the which and by the vvhich our good Iesus doth admonish and warne vs that those shall not drinke of his cup of bitternesse enter vvith him into glory which hauing been good turn in the end to be naught but only those vvho being naught proue to be good nor those vvho vvhen they should go forward from vertue to vertue turne backward and perseuere in vices because that among the seruants of our Lord he vvho doth not profit doth disprofit There is no rich mā in this world which doth set so much by his wealth as Christ doth by his chalice of bitternesse and therfore seeing that he commandeth that his cup should passe further that those should drink of him vvhich doe go forward the seruant of our Lord ought to take pains to make himselfe better and to go forward not in ambitiō which doth tēpt him but in deuotiō which he doth want O good Iesus O my soules cōfort Let this cup go not frō me but to me because we may tast of thy pains trauels feel thy griefes weep for thy tormēr enioy thy loue wash away my wickednes insomuch that whē thy cup doth passe frō thee it may light vpon me Let euery mā make his prouision of wines of Illana of Candie of Dania yet I for my comfort and deuotion doe aske of God that all the daies of my life I may deserue to drinke of that bitter cup one drop There is another cup which is called the cup of the wrath and ire of God of the which when I begin to speake my bowels open my heart is troubled and my soule is sorrowfull my flesh trembleth and my eies also weepe How is it possible that
the theefe Doest thou defer it to her who brought forth Christ take pity on him who bare him coÌ„pany on the crosse seeing thou doest augmeÌ„t tears in her diminish offences in him It was a word of great fauor which hee did vse vnto Mary Magdalen that Remissa tibi peccata multa Many sins are forgiuen thee but yet that was greater which he did vse to the good theefe because hee vsed greater liberty with him thaÌ„ with hir for if he loued her pardoned her he loued the theef like a friend pardoned him like a Christian rewarded him lika a iust man Barnard saith vnto this purpose That it is a signe of great loue to pardon but a greater sign to giue pardon because that pardon is sometime giueÌ„ by force but a gift neuer coÌ„meth but of free wil. OrigeÌ„ vpoÌ„ Mathew crieth out O deepe mystery O diuine sacrameÌ„t who euer heard or saw the like vnto this that is betwixt the sunne rising the sunne setting the theef was condemned by Pilat shamed by the criers iusticied by the hangmen confessed by his owne mouth by Christ pardoned and also brought vnto Paradise What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Who is able to reach vnto the reason why Abel vvith his innocency Nee with his iustice Abraham with his faith Dauid with his charity Moyses with his meekenesse Iâ—b vvith his patience Tobias with his franknesse Lazarus with his pouerty should so long desire to see Christ and the theefe presently enioy him S. Ambrose sayth That Christ receiued in a new kind of martyrdome all the torments vvhich were giuen the theefe as a naughty man from the houre and moment that he defended Christ and confessed with Christ insomuch that if he began to suffer like a theefe and a rouer hee ended and died like a glorious martyr This happy theefe was a very glorious martyr seeing he suffered neere Christ and with Christ where Christ suffered and in the same manner that Christ suffered and which is most of all hee was the first martyr after Christs passion and the first Saint which the sonne of God did canonize after his death S. Stouen was the first martyr after Christs ascention but from Christs death vntill he ascended into heauen there was no other Mattyr in the vvorld but the theefe whose conuersion Christ caused whose teares hee accepted whose martyrdome hee approued whose passion hee canonized and whose soule hee glorified S. Augustine sayth O good Iesus O my soules delight considering that thou doest saue him who accuseth his owne faults and him who excuseth thy innocency the maintainer of thy credit the confessor of thy essence the companion of thy person wilt thou not saue also this sinfull soule of mine For so great a battaile as thou hast won this day for so great a victory as thou hast obtained and also for so much bloud as hath issued from thee it is a small prize to carry away with thee but one theef only because that by so much the greater the triumph is by how many more prisoners the triumpher is followed with all And if it will not please thee to take mee thither with thee tarry thou here with me O good Iesus for I desire no other glory of thee in this miserable world but that thou wouldest let mee haue alwaies a good conscience Origen sayth in an Homily that it is much to be noted and a thing to be wondered at that Christ did not say vnto the theefe Amen dico vobis although there were many more there but hee said Amen dico tibi to let vs vnderstand that by forgiuing him alone hee shewed his mercy and by not pardoning others hee shewed his great iustice There were store of sinners about the crosse as well as hee which peraduenture would haue beene pardoned as well as he but amongst them all the theefe onely deserued to heare his pardon but by this hee maketh vs know that there is no man which hath cause to dispaire of pardon seeing hee forgaue him and yet that we presume not too much of pardon seeing he forgaue him alone Let the conclusion of all this be that wee remember before wee sinne that our Lord did not pardon the multitude that was there present and after wee haue sinned let vs remember that hee pardoned the theefe which suffered with him and in so doing we shall feare his iustice and remember his mercy the which I humbly beseech him that it would please him to vse here with grace afterward with glory Amen Amen The end of the second word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse ⧠Here beginneth the third word which the sonne of God spake vpon the Crosse vnto his blessed mother Mulier ecce filius tuus Woman behold here thy sonne CHAP. I. That the loue which the mother of God had did exceed the loue of all other men and also the loue of Angels SIcut water 〈…〉 it a agâ— te diligebaâ—â— these are the words of holy Dauid 2. Reg. chapâ—â—â— 1. when 〈…〉 brought him that king Saul his enemy and Prince Ionathas his great friend were slaine in a battaile which they had with the Philistims The Iewes gaue this battaile to the 〈…〉 the wild mountaines of Gâ—â—boe and when the sorrowfull newes came to king Dauid that king Saul had lost the battaile hee began aloud to crie and shed many grieuous teares and said as followeth in dolefull wise O famous and renowmed Israel why doest thou not weepe for the losse of so many excellent men which this day they haue slaine thee and noble Princes which this day are perished within thee How is it possible that the strongest of Israel haue fallen downe so ignominiously and the most famous of Iuda haue ended their life by sword O how well king Saul Ionathas should haue loued one the other when they were aliue seeing that they left not the one the other in death although the cruell sword was able to take away their liues from them yet certainly it was not able to take away their hearts from them with the which they loued one the other What sword durst wound their hearts or what launce durst touch their flesh considering that Saul and Ionathas were in running more light than eagles and in sight more strong than lions Ionathas arrow was neuer shot but he hit Sauls sword drawn but he stroke Weepe then O ye daughters of Israel weep vpon the death of your king Saul who clothed you in scarlet in your passeouer and gaue you iewels of gold in your weddings O ye mountains O ye mountains of Gilboe I curse froÌ„ henceforth anathematize you for euer to the end that it neuer raign water vpoÌ„ you by day nor any dew fal vpoÌ„ you by night seeing that you consented that the enemies of Israel should there kill Saul and slay my good friend Ionathas in the same place O my faithfull and old friend Ionathas why
was an Adulteresse the other replied and told him that his was a drunkard and being debated in the Senate which of the two was most iniuried it was agreed on by them al that it was a greater infamy for a woman to be a drunkard than an adulteresse If this bee so as true it is why did this chosen dame dainty bride not onely drinke wine but goe also to the seller for it Why doth she goe to fet it if she for it why doth she drink of it if she drink of it yet why is she drunke with it What doe I say that she is drunke with it seeing she doth inuite all men to drink of it The spouse which saith openly Bibite amici inebriamini charissimi what els doth she say but drinke my friends you my dearest of all be drunke Thou my sweet loue saiest that in tauerns sellers where the wisest are wont to lose their wit and sence the greatest loue is showne How dost thou say Quòd ordinauit in me charitatem seeing a tauâ—rn is the place where patience is lost anger kindled lying hath the vpper hand gluttony filleth it selfe vertue weakened Maruaile not my brother maruell not to hear me say that he brought mee into the winesellers for into the seller whither my deare bridegroome brought mee there enter none but such as are predestinated and none but the chosen drinke of those wines Barnard saith That the diuine seller whither this bridgroom brought his bride is the sacred holy scripture in which the vessels are also the holy scriptures the wine within those vessels was the son of God promised in the old law that wine began to bee sold wheÌ„ good Iesus began to preach Why did the maister of the feast keep that wine to drink of in the end of the mariage but only to let vs vnderstaÌ„d that the cups mysteries of holy scripture were to bee opened in the end of the old law WheÌ„ Christ said vnto his Apostles Other meÌ„ haue takeÌ„ pains you are entred into their labors in these words hee would say that the Fathers of the old Testament haue planted pruned the vines gathered the grapes but yet the Apostles only drank of the wine seeing they did reach vnto the secret mysteries of holy scripture Our Lord did put all the twelue Princes of the church in this seller when in the parler he made them drunk with the grace of the holy ghost by reason of which drunkennesse there was no secret which they did not reach vnto nor mystery which they did not vnderstand O precious wine O happy drunkennes considering that at that very hour wheÌ„ the Princes of the church entred into that seller of fearful meÌ„ they became stout of simple men learned of dul men very wise being without deuotion became very ferueÌ„t of dumbe meÌ„ very eloquent of fishers preachers In that holy seller pride lifteth not vp it selfe they call for no enuy no gluttony coÌ„meth neere theÌ„ they know no wantonnesse of the flesh there entereth in no sloth nor they know not what malice is In the seller of God the gate is humility patience the gouernes charity coÌ„mandeth abstinence ruleth diligence watcheth and deuotion triumpheth Who would not drink of such wine as this is who would not enter into so blessed a buttery Origen vpoÌ„ the Canticles saith That the seller of wine vnto the which the bridegroom brought his bride is no other thing thaÌ„ this holy catholick church where the cups are the sacrameÌ„ts the wine which is kept in theÌ„ are the seuen gifts of the holy ghost by whose means the church can neuer erre without theÌ„ no maÌ„ can euer be saued What shold become of the child new born who hath neither faith nor hope if he were not put presently into that glorious shop What are the cups which we drink in but onely his great benefits fauors through his meere mercy free liberality bestowed vpoÌ„ vs When we be baptized we drinke of his cup wheÌ„ we are strengthened by his diuine power against the inward enemy we drink of his cup wheÌ„ wee receiue grace to repent vs of our sins we drink of his cup wheÌ„ we passe out of this life in his loue and sorowfulnesse for our sins we drink also of his cup. Behold then how this wine is kept how the last cup endeth with our life and our life with the last cup. This grape out of the which this precious wine came out of was first formed in Nazareth borne in Bethelem brought vp in Palestine the vintage made on the Mount of Caluary pressed vpon the crosse where all the bloud which ran from the sonne of God was turned into wine for to drinke of in his catholicke church It is a common Prouerbe vsed by one friend vnto another that he will giue him all that he asketh yea also his bloud which offer wee see made but fulfilled of none Why doest thou offer thy friend that thou wilt shed thy bloud for him if hee require it at thy hands and afterwards if he aske thee any thing thou turnest thy face from him The sonne of God is none of these certainly who saying and doing gaue vs his body to eat and his bloud to drinke with the which we were redeemed and by the which all the elect are saued O good Iesus with what wine doest thou make the soule of thy best beloued drunke but with the wine of thy precious bloud Vidi mulierem ebriam c I saw a woman drunke with the bloud of the saints sayth S. Iohn in his Apocalips chap. 17 as if he would say Being in banishment in the Isle of Pathmos among other visions which I saw there I saw a woman which was drunk but not with the wine which was made of grapes but with bloud which issued out of vains We see men drunke with wine euery day for with this kind of drunkennesse the good Patriarch Noe was drunke the couetous Nabal Cornelius and the prowd captain Holofernes We see men drunke with anger also euery day and with this kind of drunkennesse king Iehu was drunke when hee slew in one day seuenty of king Achabs children and when the captaine Ioab slew the captaine Abner Wee see many drunke with enuy euery day as Iosephs brethren when they sold him for enuy the wicked Pharasies which put Christ to death for enuy We see many drunke with loue as Hemor was with Diaâ— Iacobs daughter Iacob with Rachel Labans daughter and good king Dauid with his neighbour Bersabe and young Amon with Tamar his sister See then how some are drunke with wine some with vaine loue some with anger some with enuy some vvith the wine of wicked Ambition the vvhich are so farre out of their vvits and sences that for to better their honour a little they care little to lose their credite and also to damne their soules
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
Anselmus in his Meditations saith What greater weakenesse of maine can there bee or what greater mishap than that if I defile my selfe I cannot make my selfe clean againe if I be sicke I cannot make my selfe whole againe if I ray my selfe I cannot wash my selfe againe yea and if I sinne I cannot repent of my selfe if our Lord doe not first giue mee his light as hee did the good theefe on the crosse and if hee doe not first looke vpon mee as hee did looke vpon S. Peter from the piller Heale mee good Lord and I shall bee made whole Saue me and I shall be saued saith king Dauid as if he would say No man is able to heale mee O my good Lord if thou doe it not nor no man is able to saue me if thou dost not saue me O my redeemer because no mā knoweth my wound but thou nor my felicity consisteth in none but in thee Cassiodorus vpon the Psalme saith That we should note how that the Prophet doth first aske of our Lord that he would make him whole before hee saue him for if our Lord doe not first wash the fault from vs it is in vaine to thinke that hee should giue vs his glory S. Basil vpon this place Sana me domine sayth That if thou doe not goe vvith me nor I with thee the more I goe about to heale my selfe the sicker I grow when I think to goe forward I turne backward vvhen I imagine that I goe streight then I find my selfe most out of the way when I labour to goe most cleane and neat I find my selfe then most of all vncleane and that vvhich is the worst of all is that I know not vvherein I doe best nor cannot guesse vvhen I doe amisse Anselmus vpon the same place Heale mee good Lord and I shall bee vvhole saith Who but thou O my sweet Iesus can cure mee and giue mee any temedy to such hidden wounds and such manifest offences to faults of such quality as mine are to such carelesse care such vncleane thoughts such wicked crimes such damnable bowels and such inconsiderate speeches Heale mee good Lord and I shall bee made vvhole for it auaileth me very little to vse helpe and not bee made vvhole to fight and kill my selfe to swimme drowne my selfe 〈◊〉 to studie and not profit to take a iourney and neuer come to the end to aske and neuer haue any thing giuen mee to serue and neuer deserue any thing Heale me good Lord I shall be made vvhole of the pride which ouerthroweth mee of the enuy vvhich rotteth in me of the anger vvhich vvasteth mee of the gluttony vvhich disquieteth me of sloth vvhich dulleth me of couetousnesse vvhich maketh me cruell and of all sensuality vvhich neuer leaueth me Heale me Lord I shall bee free from the world vvhich deceiueth me from the deuill which tempteth me from the flesh which pampereth mee from my enemies which persecute me from my friends which importune me from my euill thoughts which torment me and from malicious men vvhich diffame me Heale me good Lord and I shall bee healed not of a scab but of a sin not of blindnes but of filthines not of the members of my body but of my thoughts not of my body but wickednes not of swollen feet but of disordinate appetites Heale me Lord and I shall be healed of my vnruly desires of the wantonnesse of my eies of my ouermuch speaking of the coldnes of my workes of the stealth of my hands of the malice of my thoughts and of the worme of my couetousnes O good Iesus my only trust heale my soule because I haue offended thee in thought I haue offēded thee in delight I haue offended thee in omission I haue offended thee in consent I haue offended thee in deed therefore vnto thee my fault I confesse and therfore good Iesus take pity vpon me Sprinckle me with isope I shal be made clean Lauabis me super niuē dealbabor saith the Psalmist as if hee would say When it shal please thee whē thy son shal come into the world thou shalt sprinckle me with holy Isope wash me with thy precious hād by which sprinckling and washing I shall not only bee clean and without fault but I shal remain whiter than all the snow of the highest mountains Who is he saith Aymon who cōmandeth vs to wash our selues but only the eternal father who is he who washeth vs but only his precious son with what doth he wash vs but with his holy bloud and who bee those which he doth wash but such as are of his holy church O glorious Isope and happy washing place in the which the Angels if they had license to come down and the heauenly powers if they durst would wash themselues in There were many riuers in Samaria but Naaman was healed in none but in the riuer of Iordan there were many cesterns pooles in Ierusalem but the diseased were helped only in the Probatica There were many fountaines in Palestine but Dauid could neuer slackē his thirst but in the fountain of Bethelem Wee will inferre of all this that there hath been very much bloud shed in the world but none could euer make vs cleane but only the bloud of Christ All water washeth not euery fish poole maketh not cleane euery fountaine filleth not neither doth all bloud make whole a beasts bloud hurteth mans bloud defileth but the bloud of Christ doth make whole doth wash doth fill and content If wee looke curiously into the Scripture and especially into the Apocalips thou shalt find it to bee true that S. Iohn did not see any Saint of heauen wash himselfe in the water which did run in the riuer but onely in the bloud which did run from the lambe O of what great vertue this holy bloud is of seeing that for to wash vs and bath vs in it we need no great quantity but a very smal deale which is easily seene in that the Prophet doth not ask that he would make him a pole of bloud to wash him in but that it would please him to sprinckle him with a little Isope dipped in it A very little is sufficient O my good Iesus and it sufficeth to be sprinckled with it and not washed seeing that one drop of thy precious bloud sufficeth to fil thy glory with many and to people thy church with many good men It is much to be noted that he vseth this word Sprinckle me with Isope and I shall be made cleane for by casting water with Isope one drop falleth here and another there this man is wet with it and that man is drie euen so it falleth out in the bestowing of Christs holy bloud for although it were shed for all the world yet notwithstanding it was not emploied vpon all men The bloud of the sonne of God is sprinkled with Isope seeing that the Christian is saued with it and the Pagan condemned the inst
suffer heare blasphemies consent to haue themselues nailed see themselues crucified suffer themselues to bee pierced with a spear yea and not resist to die Who be they which sit by the theeues crosses but other theeues By the crosses of theeues doe sit impatient men chiding couetous men a deceiuing gluttons a eating libidenous men a playing the adulterers malicious men a lying and slothfull men a taking their ease It was a crosse by which Christs poore familie stood and they were crosses by which souldiors of the deuill stood to let vs vnderstand that they suffer more crosses and paines vvhich goe to hell than those which go to heauen S. Augustine saith That if thou wilt see who they are which doe saue thēselues and what multitude they bee which condemne themselues thou maiest see it by that that by the crosse of Christ there stood but a few persons and by the crosses of the theeues there were a thousand people and more in so much that it is in thy choise either to goe vveeping a foot to heauen or goe sitting and laughing to hell Anselmus vpon the mystery of the crosse saith On the Mount of Caluary there were very many which looked on the crosse of Christ a farre off but very few which stood neere vnto it and the reason is because that by the crosse of Christ it is not permitted that any should sinne and by the crosses of the theeues it is lawfull for euery man to steale and sinne O my soule and O my heart why doest thou not melt and yeeld vp the ghost seeing the drops of bloud which descend vpon our Lady and the sighes of our Lady which ascend vnto our Lord Doest thou not marke O my soule doest thou not marke how the sorrowfull mother is bathed with the bloud which runneth from her sonne and how the earth is watered with the teares which fall from her eies Barnard sayth What offences can there bee so great in the world which the bloud of the sonne cannot remedy and the teares of the mother cannot wash away Behold O my heart saith Bonauenture and thou shalt see the sonne vpon the crosse and the mother at the foot of the crosse shee is on foot and he lifted vp she holdeth her peace and he speaketh no word and that which is most of all they looke vpon one the other with their eies and vnderstand one another vvith their hearts O my fingers and you my pennes giue ouer vvriting I pray you because I may meditate the better how the mother saw her sonne shed drops of bloud and the sonne saw the mother shed teares from her heart What hearts should they haue which had such eies Who can write this and not sigh and who can read it and not be heauy for it that is how the mothers heart was full of griefe for that which shee saw and the sons heartful of loue for that which he suffered And by that meanes there was a cruell debate betwixt the sorrow of the mother and the loue of the sonne Note well sayth Vbertinus that he who was vpon the crosse and those vvhich were neere the crosse they were all standing and none sitting which is to giue vs vnderstanding of the sweet tast of the crosse and of the high mysteries contained in him whereof hee did impart none vnto those which leaned or sate at their ease but vnto those which stood on their feet Non coques haedum in lacte matris Deutronomy chap. 24. as if he would say Let no man bee so bold as to seeth the flesh of the kid in the milke of his damme but let them eat the goats milke by it selfe and eat the kid by himselfe and the law did permit the damme to be milked and the kid to be killed If there vvere no other mystery in this what did God care whether the kid were sod in his mothers milke or not Origen saith If it be wel noted the law doth forbid the kid to bee sod in the milke of the goat but the law did not forbid to seeth the goat in the bloud of the kid In which mystery he did let vs vnderstand that the holy mother the church was to be sod saued in the bloud of Christ and not Christ in the bloud of the church On that dismall and vnluckie day vpon the high Mount of Caluary the goat and the kid met together which vvere Christ and his mother in which place against all reason and law they did at one time seeth the son in the mothers milke and the mother in the sonnes bloud From whence issued out the bloud but out of the vaines of the sonne and frō whence came the milke but from the mothers eies O goodnesse neuer hard of before O vnspeakable sorrow who did euer see or heare of a mother who shed so many tears as were inough to bath her sonne in them or of a sonne from whom came so much bloud as was inough to seeth his mother in It appeareth well that they vsed themselues like mother and child and that they loued like bride and bridegroome seeing shee gaue him distilled teares and hee gaue her strained bloud Barnard in an Homily saith O of all women most blessed O mother of my dolours vvhat sonne had euer such a mother as he had or what mother had euer such a sonne as thou hast seeing thou diddest conceiue him being a Virgine broughtest him forth with ioy broughtest him vp with milke followedst him with sweats and buriedst him with teares What could she doe more for him than follow him with infinit trauell and paines and bury him with remedilesse teares And what could hee doe more for her than chuse her for his mother and redeeme her vvith his bloud Anselmus vpon the Conception saith That from the beginning of the vvorld vntill this day there was neuer milke better paied for than that which Christ sucked of his mother for if shee gaue him milke out of hir precious breasts hee gaue her bloud out of his holy members Who euer heard before or saw bloud paied for milke or milke for bloud Who can estimate or set a price on the bloud which streamed from the sonne or of the tears which ran from the mother O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule had it not beene better for thee and lesser griefe for thy mother to haue sod thee in the milke of her breasts rather than in the tears of her eies What canst thou aske more of her or what hath shee more to giue thee seeing she gaue thee milke when thou wast borne griefes and sweating all thy life time and teares when thou diddest die It had been lesser hurt for her and lesser grief vnto thee to haue giuen thee rather milke than teares because the milke commeth running from the vaines and the teares come strained from the heart For who weepeth but weepeth frō the heart Seneca saith That a man may talke and do his businesse being at quiet but only a
mighty Redeemer and supreme Creator vvho is able to tell the secret or reach vnto this that is to say why thou diddest take the mother vvith thee thither to see thee die in that great and high day of thy passion and leaue all thy other disciples behind thee because they might not see thee suffer In so great a conflict and so narrow a straight as this was vpon the Mount of Caluary why wouldest thou haue rather womē with thee to weep thā mē to defend thee Who but thou O good Iesus saith S. Barnard who but thou did euer goe into the field to fight against his enemies without weapons accompanied with tears The mother wept the sonne wept the kinsman wept the disciple wept the aunt wept all the family wept so that Moyses did drowne his enemies in waters and the sonne of God his with teares Anselmus sayth That hee that could haue beene at the death of Christ vpon good Friday should haue seene the Iewes make an outcry the Pharisies blaspheme the hangmen lay on the heauens vvaxe darke and all the faithfull weepe in somuch that there was nothing in the synagogue but blasphemies and nothing in the church but teares Non immolabitur vna die ouis cum filio fuo said God in Leuiticus chap. 22. As if he would say Let those take heed which will offer to the Tabernacle that they doe not kill the lambe and the ewe the same day Origen sayth That because our Lord is mercifull hee would haue his disciples bee so likewise and therefore he did forbid them any thing that might tend vnto cruelty or induce them vnto it What can be more cruell than to take the lambe and the owe at one time Who is the ewe which hath brought forth the lambe but only the mother of Christ and who the lambe but her precious sonne God did warn the synagogue often that they vvould take heed vnto the Lambe and ewe and especially that if they would touch the sonne that they vvould pardon the mother God had no greater wealth nor any equal neither in heauen nor in earth vnto that lambe and sheep of whom he himselfe had a care and in whose seruice and guard all the powers of heauē were by him emploied This commandement was broken on the Mount of Caluary where they at one time killed the innocent lambe and spared not the sorrowfull mother What cruelty and inhumanitie like vnto this was euer seen or heard of haung but one sheep in the Synagogue the church hauing but one lamb to kill the lambe in the presence of his mother and torment the ewe in the sight of the Lambe What equall torment could there bee to the mother than to kill her son before hir face or what greater martyrdome could the son suffer than to sacrifice his mother in his sight O how glorious and happy should I be if my soule would turn to be such an ewe and my heart such a lambe because I might bee sacrificed on the Mount of Caluary with the true Lambe O sweet Iesus saith Vbertinus O mercifull Lord seeing that all lawes doe speake in fauour of thy precious mother why wouldest thou breake them seeing thou art the iudge of them all Is not the law made in the fauour of thy mother which commandeth that the lambe should not bee sod in the milke of his damme Is not that law made in the fauor of thy mother which cōmandeth to take the yong Sparrows and let the old one go The law which cōmandeth not to kill the Lambe and the ewe at one time is it not made in fauour of thy mother Thou then that art the giuer of the law doe not breake the law which thou doest if thou sacrifice thy selfe which art the lambe and thy mother which is the ewe There is bloud inough in the bloud of the lamb there needeth not the bloud of the mother for if it be necessary for the son to die to redeeme vs the mothers life is also necessary to cōfort vs. Bonauenture Anselmus Vbertinus cannot wonder inough what should bee the reason why the sonne would take his mother with him to the foot of the crosse seeing that shee could not helpe him in his death nor hee had no need of her to redeeme vs. It is not to bee thought that hee brought her thither without cause neither that shee did goe thither vvithout some mystery because that all things done betwixt the sonne and his mother should bee esteemed as a mystery of mysteries like vnto Salomons Canticles which are songs of songs The reason why our good Iesus would take his mother with him was as Anselmus sayth Because hee would leaue her his onely inheritrize as being the next of kindred O my singers O my heart how is it possible for you to bee able to write or my tongue able to speake of the wealth which the sonne leaueth or of the inheritance which the mother doth inherite But what could hee leaue vnto his mother who was borne in Bethelem among beasts died on the Mount of Caluary betwixt theeues What can his sorrowfull mother inherite of him who shrowdeth himselfe in a borrowed shrowd and burieth himselfe in another mans sepulchre What could hee bequeath by Testament who hauing two coats gaue one to the hangmen which crucified him and the other to the knights vvhich kept him What could hee leaue vvho neuer had a foorme to set downe on nor a boulster to lay his head on The inheritance then which she did there inherite from her sonne was the bloud which there hee shed and the dolours which hee there suffered for all men so that with the bloud which came downe from the crosse hee watered her body and with the dolours which hee suffered hee martyred her soule Saint Barnard De passione domini saith That in so great and high a work as this was and in so narrow a strait as this which Christ was in it was very necessary that the Virgine should bee there and giue her sonne part of all that was in her not onely to haue compassion on him but also to suffer with him S. Augustine vpon the passion of our Lord sayth That because the great prophecy of Simeon was not as yet accomplished it was done by the permisson and counsell of the holy ghost that the mother should be with the sonne on the Mount of Caluary where at one time the sword of grief bereaued the son of his life and pierced the mothers soule As it was not reason saith Anselmus that the mother of God should want the crowne and reward of martyrdome so was it not reason that she should be put into tyrants hāds therfore it was giuen her as a meane that because shee had serued her sonne with excessiue loue her own sonne should martyre her with his inspeakable griefs Who euer saw or heard that as it were at one sound and after one measure the hangmen should martyrize the son
Aegypt in the red sea the which two punishments were so famous that our Lord hath not vsed the like vntill this day The sonne of God dooth not complaine of this kind of floud nor wee doe not read that he euer was in danger by water for being Lord of all the waters how is it possible that he should bee drowned in the waters The sonne of God complaineth of stronger flouds than these of more raging seas more salter waters of whose bitternesse none tasted so much of as hee did nor no man went so neere the bottome of them as hee did What waters were they then which compassed the sonne of God but onely most grieuous tribulations which passed through his heart and tormented his body In Scripture by many waters is oftentimes vnderstood many tribulations as when hee said elsewhere Saluum â—â—e facâ—domine quia intrauerunt aquae animam meam as if hee would say Saue me O Lord because I am drowned helpe mee O my great God because the waters ouerflow me because the waters of distresse enter in at my mouth and drowne my dolorous heart O in what great anguish of mind hee was who spake these words for to say that anguish went to his heart was nothing else but to bee grieued at the heart The waters of tribulation and the floud of vexation entred into no mans heart so deepely as into our Sauiours for seeing that we were the cause of them all as he did loue vs from the heart so hee did feele them from the heart It is to bee noted that hee doth not say that the water did wet him or bemite him or make him afraid for all these things doe not kill but onely put vs in feare All the perill of water is that a suddaine streame doe not carry vs away and that our life doth consist in nothing but in the suddaine growing or decreasing of the water Seneca sayth That no man can be in greater danger in this life than hee who seeth himselfe compassed with waters because that at the self same time our soule and life goeth out where the waters goe in and the waters goe out where our soules goe in To what other thing could the son of God better compare his anguish distresse than vnto one compassed about with waters It is to bee noted that he sayth Circumdederunt me Haue enuitoned mee because the water which raineth doth wet onely the water throwne dasheth onely and that which is dronke filleth but that which compasseth on euery side drowneth and therfore Christ saith they haue iuclosed me on euery side saith not they haue wet me because his blessed heart was drowned in the sea of sorrow and his sacred body in the floud of tormeÌ„ts The waters which compassed him about the flouds which fell vpon him were so great that my tongue is not able to rehearse them nor my heart to thinke them nor my fingers to write them nor my eies to bewaile them O good Iesus my soules delight how or when diddest thou see thy selfe enuironed with waters but when thou sawest one member pulled froÌ„ another on the Mount of Caluary O that it is an improper speech to say that thou wast compassed with water seeing that thou mightest with greater reason haue said that thou diddest see thy selfe drowned in bloud because that in that lamentable day of thy death thou diddest want water and flow in bloud It is nor without a deepe mystery and hidden secret that Christ saith that hee was compassed about with water although it were true that he was enuironed with bloud and the reason is because there is no man who is so greatly recreated by drinking a cup of cold water nor taketh so great contentment in it as good Iesus did in shedding his bloud to redeeme the world with it Christ sayth then they haue compassed me about like vnto water because that if he did looke vpward hee saw his Father who would not seeme to heare him if downward he saw but his mother who could doe nothing but weepe for him if hee did looke on the left hand he saw but a thiefe who would not beleeue in him if on the other hand hee saw another thiefe who could not helpe him He was compassed on euery side for if hee should haue looked behind he should haue seene the hangmen watching him and before him the Iewes a mocking him Christ saith they haue coÌ„passed me like vnto a water vpon which words S. Barnard sayth thus O good Iesus O my soules delight what pitty did moue thee what charity did force thee being nailed vpon the crosse loaden with thornes beset about with speares yet thou saiest that thou art compassed with waters Doest thou die vpon the crosse and that with great thirst couldest not get a cup of water to drinke and yet doest thou say that thou art coÌ„passed with water What loue hath transported thee or what goodnesse hath made thee past thy sence that thou shouldest thinke the bloud which issueth from thee should bee water that runneth out of thee What meaneth this O redeemer of my soule what meaneth this Doth thy hard nailes cruell speares grieuous thornes seeme to be fountains of sweet waters The loue which Christ bare vs in suffering was so infinite that all things seemed sweet and pleasant vnto him because it is a priuiledge of loue that nothing seemeth hard and painful vnto him which loueth but that which he doth vnwillingly The sonne of God doth nothing vnwillingly in this world vnlesse it bee when hee punisheth our offences for although he do many things daily being praied thereunto yet hee doth nothing being forced Christ doth complaine also that they compassed him with many flouds of waters comming together for hee sayth Circumde derunt me simul which kind of persecution is no lesse painfull than perillous nor perillous than painefull Plato to this purpose sayth That when griefes and vexations come by little and by little they seeme to bee somewhat tollerable but when they come by heapes they are vntollerable and the reason is because man had no time to foresee such dangers nor place to auoid them Basil vpon the Psalme sayth That griefes and vexations came vpon that most blessed humanity of Christ like a very great water and like many enemies which laid in ambush the which Christ would not nor did not resist nor yet flie away from but only beseech his Father to giue him more strength to endure and abide them Bede sayth in an Homily O that this thy loue which thou diddest shew in this speech of Quare me dereliquisti was vnspeakable and thy charity incomparable for if thou doest complaine to thy Father it was not because he should take away some part of the torment which thou diddest suffer but because hee would not giue thee longer life to suffer more Vbertinus sayth that Christ said very truly when he said that whole flouds of many waters had compassed him round about
at the very instant that thy enemies appreheÌ„ded thee in the gardeÌ„ thou didst request nothing else at their hands but that they would take thee and set thy family at liberty In his last supper and in his last Sermon when he said Pater Father keepe them which beleeue in mee and such as will beleeue in me hee did well shew the loue which he bare vnto his family seeing hee praied vnto his Father for those which were already borne and for those which should be born afterwards for these which were absent and for those which were present as well for the dead as for those which were aliue O happy is that soule vvhich doth dwell in the family of the sonne of God seeing that hee loueth him before that hee is borne and vvhen hee is borne giueth him iustice and after his death glory The figure sayth further that all those of the kingdome of Palestine did greatly enuy the Patriarke Isaac and all his house not because hee had done them any hurt or vvrong but because hee vvas mightier than all they Sâ—neca in his booke of Anger sayth That there is no enuie more dangerous than that vvhich proceedeth of another mans prosperitie for as long as the good lucke of the one doth last the others enuy and malice is neuer at an end All the intent and purpose of an enuious man is to turne him backe vvhich goeth before beat downe him which is on high throw him downe which â—s more fortunate than himselfe discredite him vvho is in greater honour and empouerish him vvho is richer than himselfe Hâ—race sayth That the property of an enuious man is that as anothers prosperity dooth encrease so his enuy doth also grow whereof it followeth that because hee cannot abide him hee hateth him with his heart diffameth him vvith his tongue iniurieth him vvith his hands and stirreth vp also others against him Good Isaac did neuer hurt the Palestines his neighbours hee did neuer forray their mountaines nor eat vp their pastures nor violate their vviues nor speake euill against them nor breed any discord amongst them but did succour them as if they had bâ—en his brothers and entreat them as if they had been his children Yet notwithstanding all this being besotted and dronke with enuy and obstinate in malice they commanded good Isaac to goe out of the land forsake his vvealth and breake vp his houshold And further the people of Palestine not content vvith all this agreed by the consent of the people and by a clattering of a counsell to stop vp his vvels vvhich his seruants vsed and his flockes dranke of They could not haue shewed their malice nor bewraied their enuie more in any thing than in demming vp Isaacs vvels of vvater because that vvithout the element of vvater neither men can liue nor beast sustaine himselfe To come then vnto our purpose vvhat mortall man hath there euer been is or shall bee who hath been so much enuied as the sonne of the liuing God was What was the cause of such vntollerable enuie in the Israelites but his excellency in knowledge his skilfulnesse in learning his vprightnesse in iustice and the purity of his life The Iewes raged and were ready to hurt themselues to see Christ vtter such great mysteries of Scripture as hee did preach so many sermons vnto the people doe such strange miracles in the city preach publickly against vice and draw vnto his companie those which were alwaies accounted honest The Iews malice against Christ was greater than the Palestines against Isaac because they did nothing but command Isaac to go out of the land but the Iewes did not commaund Iesus but they themselues with their owne hands drew him out and not satisfied with that they agreed afterward to crucifie him They did shut vp the water where Isaac did drinke but they did open Iesus hands and side and therefore comparing hurt with hurt and losse vvith losse it was a greater losse to take Christs life from him than to take Isaacs vvater from him Is it not thinke you a greater hurt to open a mans vaines of bloud vvith the vvhich hee liueth than to shut vp a mans wels vvhereof hee drinketh If men shut vp my wels I open others if I haue no vvater I drinke vvine if they expell me out of this country I goe vnto another but if they draw my bloud from me vvho vvill giue me more bloud and if they breake my vains vvho vvill lend me others and if they take my life from mee vvho vvill helpe me vnto another Christ then vvas vvorser handled through enuy than Isaac for if Isaac did liue in honour he vvent away vvith honour and if he came aliue into the land he vvent away aliue but vvhat shall we say of holy and blessed Iesus vvhose family they did scatter abroad through enuy vvhose mother they seperated away from him vvhose bloud they shed vvhose doctrine they contaminated and vvhose fame they obscured and al through enuy and malice Chrisostome sayth As all the riches of man doth consist in his soule his credite his life and goods so the Pharisaicall enuy and malice did leaue Christ none of all these for they tooke his soule from him they discredited him in his fame they depriued him of his life and left him no goods at all How farre thinkest thou did all his goods reach but onely vnto a torne cassocke and a bare coat And yet most cursed enuy came and tooke the garments away from him and gaue the one vnto the hangmen which did put him to death and the other coat vnto the souldiers vvhich kept him What pouerty then in all the vvorld can bee equall vnto this vvhich Christ our Lord suffered hanging vpon the crosse seeing they haue drawne his soule from him shed his bloud bereaued him of his life and diuided his garments Although the enuy and malice vvhich the Palestines bare to Isaac vvere great yet they did neuer lay hands vpon him but they did lay hands vpon the sonne of God vvhen they did apprehend him they did lay their feet vpon him vvhen they did kicke him they did lay their tongue vpon him vvhen they did blaspheme him and they did lay their hearts vpon him vvhen they did hate him The Author continueth this matter and expoundeth another figure to this purpose TVlit mulier velamen expandit super â—s putei quasi siccans ptisanas sic latuit rex 2. Reg. chap. 17. For the better vnderstanding of these vvordes you must know that there vvere sent from Dauids campe two young men into Ierusalem to know vvhat determination and counsell Absalon and Achitophel had taken against Dauid to the intent that Chusi vvho vvas Dauids true friend and Absalons fained friend and yet dwelling vvith him might let Dauid vnderstand what Absalon purposed to do And as Chusi did send to these two yong men vvho vvere Achimaas and Ionathas Absalons determination a certaine young man had spied them neere
old Testament who knew so much as Christ did When the sonne of God did prophecy that there should not remaine one stone vpon another in Ierusalem did hee not as well know that there should not bee left in his body one drop of bloud with another When good Iesus did prophecy vnto S. Peter that he should die in his old age vpon the tree did he not know as well that himselfe should bee crucified vpon the crosse If then the sonne of God did know that he should die and that his death should be to be crucified vpon the crosse what ioy or mirth could there be in him The sonne of God had two things alwaies before his eies that is the crosse and the nailes with the which they would crucifie him and his enemies which would crucifie him whose conuersation hee neither vvould nor could eschue seeing that he came to redeem theÌ„ with his bloud and conuert them with his doctrine What man is so stout or who is of that courage that can liue conuerse with him that must take his life froÌ„ him O great goodnesse and infinit charity good Iesus who but thou alone hath defended them who persecuted him protected those who haue accused him giuen honour vnto those who haue diffamed him and pardoned their offences who haue taken his life from him What wilt thou do good Iesus what vvilt thou doe for those which follow thee and serue thee if thou deale thus with those which lay wait to intrap thy person impugne thy doctrine take away thy same depriue thee of thy life Anselmus sayth That the sonne of God did liue among sinners not because he did like theÌ„ but because he would amend theÌ„ because no man euer tooke greater delight in reuenging than he in pardoning To speake more particularly it was not without a high mystery that Christ said Et ego in flagella paratus sum hauing a greater regard vnto the laslies which he was to endure thaÌ„ vnto the death which they were to giue him because that a noble modest man doth grieue much more at one lash with a whip giuen him in open place than if they should strike off his head inprison Men are woon in criminall causes to behead worshipful free meÌ„ or vse some other punishment vpon them contrariwise whip hang or mark with a hâ—te yron bondslaues so that in the manner of punishmeÌ„t a mans griefe is greatly augmented or diminished Wee vse to speak it for a great reproch to say vnto one gâ—e thy way thou hast been whiphed the which words wee neuer vse vnto one who 〈…〉 because that bâ—nshment is giueÌ„ only for a 〈…〉 but whipping is gâ—ueÌ„ for a punishmeÌ„t an intaiâ—y WheÌ„ the Apostleâ—nd Ter virgis caesus sum semel lapidatus um ter naufrâ—giumpe tuli although he make mention of three kinds of tormeÌ„â—s yet if we looke well vnto it he maketh his thrise whipping the foundatioÌ„ of his martyrdome By the law of a noble man as Christ was by the law of modesty shamefaâ—â—ouile which he made reckoning of it is to be thought that he felt greater griefe wheÌ„ they brought him forth whipped with Ecce homo than when they brought him to the crosse vpon the Mount of Caluary because the crosse tooke away his life and the whipping tooke away his reputation credite The Iewes gaue Christ three solemâ— tormeÌ„ts which they did not vse to gaue vnto other theeue that is lashes with a whip with the which they opeued his shoulders the thornes with the which they did raze his head and the gauâ—e and vineger wiâ—h the which they did make his mouth bitter In the two thee 〈◊〉 they purposed nothing but to take then liues from 〈…〉 seemed not mough to take away Christs life but they would also take away his same good name If the sonne of God had not felt the discipline of the whipp more than any other punishment he wold neuer haue said Ego in flagella paratus sum in which holy words he gaue vs to vnderstand that he was ready nor only to suffer all kind of punishment which they should lay vpon him but also to beare all iniury that they would vse towards him O what great reason good Iesus had to bee more grieued with the whipping than with the other torments coÌ„sidering that in other punishments he was only tormented but in this hee was tormented shamed hee felt the griefe when they did whip him the shame wheÌ„ they put him naked O good Iesus O my souls health being as thou wast so teÌ„der of skin so smooth soft so subtile in bloud so quick in thy iudgement what didst thou feele when they did whip thee so cruelly and vncloth thee so vnseemely If it were not wheÌ„ thou didst preach that thy face was vncouered wheÌ„ thou diddest trauel that thy feet were without shoes who euer saw thy precious flesh naked vntil they took thy garmeÌ„ts from thee wheÌ„ thou wast tied vnto Pilates pillar O my good Lord vnto what diddest thou offer thy selfe wheÌ„ thou didst say Ego in flaâ—ella paratus sum because that at Pilates pillar thou wast turned out of thy garmeÌ„ts tied whipped iniurited shamed beaten blacke and blew at one time O redeemer of my soule O maker of my life when shall I see the day that I may see my life so spoiled of faults so naked from vices as thou wast theÌ„ froÌ„ garmeÌ„tes S. Barnard vpon those words of Ecce homo sayth Thou art not content O good Iesus thou art not content to goe bound from the garden but they carry thee to Annas bound vvith a cord thou doest goe to Ierusalem also tied vvith a rope and thou doest returne vnto Pilate in the same order and now thou art content to bee spoiled againe of thy apparell and whipped in open place with Ecce homo Behold the man One friend may suffer banishment for another and bee taken for another yet notwithstanding no man doth suffer himselfe to be turned naked whipped for any other because a friend should venter his person for his friend and spend his goods with condition alwaies that his credite and honour be conserued and kept The sonne of God only was he who said Ecce ego in flagella paratus sum seeing that he did suffer himselfe publickely to bee stripped naked and bound and whipped and so whipped to bee brought vnto shame not respecting the griefe which he felt nor the shame reproch which he endured What else did he meane when he said I am ready to be whipped but that hee had as ready a will to receaue martyrdome and such great loue in redeeming the world that if they would haue giueÌ„ him twise as many lashes more and doubled his torment hee was ready to receiue it Why diddest thou say O good Iesus why diddest thou say I am ready to be whipped but that by force of stripes they should open thy
sides to the end that thy enemies should see thy louing bowels and heart When thou doest say Ego in flagella paratus sum what other meaning hast thou sauing onely that the speare should pierce thy sides and the lashes cut and open thy shoulders to the intent that they might see thy blessed heart and how that the loue which thou doest die withall is farre greater than the torments vvhich thou doest suffer The Author followeth this matter and maketh an end of the authorities which he alleaged before ETdolor meus in coÌ„spectu meo semper saith Christ in the same Psalme as if hee would say Among all the dolours which I suffer there is one of them of so euill a condition that it neuer departeth out of my sight Although the complaint which Christ formeth in this place doe containe but few words yet it is full of many graue sentences for he complaineth not of many griefes but of one hee sayth not that it is another mans griefe but his owne hee sayth not that it is in an others mans sight but in his owne and hee hath it not by fits but cootinually If the Prophets doe not rise againe to tell vs and if the Angels doe not declare it vnto vs how can wee be able to gueste what griefe it is which lasted so long and the complaint which hath no end If the sonne of God had been diseased of a dropsie or gout or palsie we could haue said that as his infirmity was such had ben his griefe but seeing that wee doe not read that hee was euer sick who can guesle what his griefe should be It cannot easily bee comectured what this griefe was seeing hee calleth it but dolor one griefe wee know not whether it was the griefe of his agony or of the pillar or of the piercing of the speare or the yeelding vp of his ghost because euery one of these griefes doe breed a feare in vs when vvee thinke of theÌ„ how much more to suffer them When Christ saith that my griefe is alwaies in my sight it is a thing to make vs both wonder feare for seeing that Christs griefes were so many in number and so cruell in torment what should he meane to complaine vpon one seeing that they were without number and count Wee cannot deny but that Christ suffered many bitter torments but there is one more principall than all the rest the which is such a one and so grieuous a one that vntill this present day it runneth bloud in thy presence and cannot bee taken away whilest this life doth last What griefe can be compared vnto this grief seeing it hath his beginning in this world and doth not end in the other This long griefe is the great vngratefulnesse which is in vs for our redemption the smal câ—re which we had that hee â—as put vpon the crosle for vs in so much that the griefe whereof he complaineth vnto his father was caused neither by the thornes nor nailes which pierced him but by vngratefull and vnthankfull men who did not acknowledge him S. Barnard speaking of our dury to God sayth If thou wilt know what God hath made thee looke vvhat he hath done for thee for in thy miserable nature the vvorkes of his infinite benignity doe appeare How much the baser thy God made himselfe in humility so much the greater he made thee in goodnesse and how much the more viler hee made himselfe for mee so much the more familiar and like hee made me vnto him Take heed then man that thou be not prowd seeing that thou art made of dirt and see that thou bee not vnthankfull and vngratefull vnto God seeing that thou art so neer coupled vnto him because an vngratefull man was neuer pleasant nor acceptable vnto God It is the part of a peruerse mind to seeke occasions and shifts to excuse himselfe not to be gratefull for the benefites which he hath receiued the which kind of treason and naughtinesse is proper only vnto shamelesse men and to such as haue dead hearts and as it were without a soule Who is he who cannot be thankfull for a benefite receiued but he who neuer knew to doe good vnto others All this is S. Barnards speech Cassiodorus sayth in an Epistle That it is a hard matter to suffer and not easie to dissemble that a wise discreet man should gather no fruit of his trauaile but that hee should rather receiue hurt from whence hee hoped for remedy in so much that he suffereth hurt without an offence giuen punishment without a fault griefe without cause paine without sin persecution without an enemy Naughty mens manners would bee much worse than they are if there were none to chastise vice and reward vertue Lactantius sayth That which Imaruell at in men is that if they bee sicke they commend themselues presently vnto God if they haue warres they run to God if they want water they aske it of God if they bee molested with a plague they turne to God if they goe by sea they offer themselues vnto God but that which cannot bee spoken without griefe is that after God hath deliuered them out of those dangers no man thinketh more of God Do not thinke it sayth Seneca to bee a small misfortune vnto thee if by chance thou hast lighted vpon an vngratefull friend because that as a benefite or good turne is woont to make of a foe a friend so the same benefite is wont to make an enemy of him who was thy friend For it is the property of an vngratefull man that the more that he is bounden vnto any man for any benefite receiued of him the more he hateth him of whom he hath receiued it and the worst of all is that they would see him dead of whom they receiued it and not be thankfull at all for it Thou doest complaine O my friend Lucilius that thou hast fallen vpon more than an vngratefull man and that of an old friend hee is become thy new enemy and if thou wouldest enter into the coÌ„sideration of this losse thou shouldest abstaine from euer doing any good turn vnto any which I doe not counsell thee to doe nor yet that thou counsell any man to doe it because it is better that men accuse the other of vngratefulnesse than thy selfe of couetousnesse and that the benefite bee lost in the other rather than rot in thee There is no vice more common among men than for one man to be vngratefull vnto another which doth proceed oftentimes hereof that men know not how to make choice of their friends or for that they doe not bestow their benefites well and therefore oftentimes we haue greater reason to complaine vpon our selues for not knowing how to giue rather than of others because they bee vngratefull for the good turnes which they haue receiued of vs. Cicero in his third booke of laws sayth Clarissimi viri Athenis pulsi carere ingrata ciuitate maluerunt quà m manere in
on our side seeing that if there had ben an hundred thousand worlds he would haue redeemed euery one of them When the good Apostle said Tradidit semetipsum pro me hee spake it not to extenuate and diminish Christs passion nor straiten his redemption but to confesse before all the world that whatsoeuer the sonne of God had suffered vpon the crosse hee was as much and as streitly bound to bee gratefull for it as if hee had died for him alone S. Augustine in his booke of Christian doctrine sayth As our Lord did know euery mans offences in particular so hee did redeem euerie of them particularly in so much that euery man in particular is as greatly bound vnto him for his bloud and as certaine a debtour vnto him for his death as if hee should haue redeemed him alone and suffered for him only and no other Theophil sayth Euen as in thy creation thou art as greatly bound vnto God as if he should haue created thee and no other so in thy redemption thou art â—s greatly bound vnto him as if he should haue redeemed thee no other for at that time when he bought thee he gaue as much for thee as for all men and as much for all men and no more as for thee S. Barnard saith If the sonne of God should haue redeemed a thousand thousand of worlds he would haue giuen no more bloud for them than hee did and if hee should haue redeemed no more but me alone hee would haue shed no lesse bloud than he did by reason whereof wee cannot deâ—nde his redemption betwixt vs that thou mightest bee but meanly gratefull vnto him and another lesse but thou must thinke that he died wholly for thee and wholly for mee and that euery maÌ„ is as great a debtour vnto him as if he had died for him alone Anselmus sayth Doe not thinke that Christ bought vs ingreat and at the first sight as flockes of sheepe are bought but hee bought euery man by himselfe alone satisfying in particular for euery sinne so that as he found many in the world so hee redeemed them all but if hee had found but one sinfull soule in the world hee would haue bestowed his precious bloud in redeeming her alone Isidorus Desumme bono saith Mark and note wel good Christian that Christ did not lesse loue thee than he loued me neither did he buy thee with lesser trauel thaÌ„ he bought me not giuing lesse bloud for one than for all And thereupon being as it were carried away with great loue towards vs he esteemed not nor did not look to the price which he gaue for vs but vnto the loue with the which he bought vs. If our blessed Lord would haue looked vnto the smalnesse and base value of that which he did buy as hee did looke vpon the great loue with the which hee did buy vs would hee thinke you haue bestowed one drop of his bloud vpon vs If humane nature should be ioined and coupled with the nature of Angels and that of them both there were made one nature what could it doe what were in it what were it worth that the sonne of God should shed so much as one drop of bloud for it That it vvould please Christ to die for vs let vs thanke the great loue which he bare vnto vs and not any desert or merit of our owne For if he should haue expected at our hands that we should first haue deserued it he should yet be to take flesh vpon him to redeeme vs. Origen in his Periarchon sayth As the sunne wheÌ„ he riseth doth no lesse giue light vnto al thaÌ„ vnto one aswell vnto one as vnto all eueÌ„ so the son of God did not die more for all thaÌ„ for one nor nolesse for one thaÌ„ for all Barnard saith O infinite goodnesse O inspeakable charity which of all creatures wold haue done so much for thee as thou hast done for me that is esteem more of my soule than of thy own life of my honor thaÌ„ of thy fame of my redeÌ„ptioÌ„ thaÌ„ of thy passion of my remedy help than of thine own hurt O with what great reason the Apostle did say Tradidit semetipsum pro me casting vpon himselfe the whole price of the bloud of Christ but not that which it was worth in value but that great obligation vnto which it did bind him The sonne of God than doth complaine to his Father saying Why hast thou forsaken me because he did punish him and not the Synagogue vvhome hee had brought vp and carried vpon his shoulders CHAP. X. How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse considering that hee hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences QVidvltrà debui facere vineae meae quod non fec Christ spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Esayas chap. 5. As if hee would say What can any man doe more for his vineyard or Lord for his Commonwealth than I haue done for thee O Synagogue These are tender words to feele and pittiful to heare seeing that on one side hee doth complaine of the Synagogue and on the other he will reckon and debate the matter with her and conoâ—â—ce her first that all the fault is in her and not in him before hee doe punish her and giue her pennance God doth debate the matter with the Iewes as one good friend doth with another going about to win them with the great benefires which he hath done for them and the great ingratitude with the which they haue recompenced him Our Lord might very well punish the Iewes without delay and not contrary vnto the order of iustice but yet he would first put theÌ„ in mind of the great goodnes which they had receaued at his hands and of their manifold sinnes which hee had dissembled to the end that if they feele the smart of it they might not iustly complaine on him It is a cunning manner of reprehending a mans friend to tell him of the good turnes which he hath done vnto him and the dangers which hee hath deliuered him from because by this meanes hee doth not only reprehend him but also confound him Saint Ierome to Martella sayth The summe of all the benefits which God can doe to vs are to direct vs in the right way of goodnesse and put from vs the way of sinne and wickednesse because wee are no lesse bound vnto him who dooth deliuer vs from perils and dangers than vnto him who doth vs great good turnes S. Gregory vpon the Psalmes sayth When the redeemer of the world did make our Lords praier Pater â—â—ster when hee did command vs to say Da nobu hodie giue vs this day hee did also enioine vs to say Sed libera nos But deliuer vs from euill by which words he did teach vs that wee should not onely craue helpe of him but also beseech him that hee would deliuer vs from euill What innumerable benefites God hath bestowed on vs Esay
and thou shalt hide thy strength because thou maist the better die O how well this was fulfilled in Christ hide thy selfe in the water-brooke of Carith for if he should not haue hidden his great power before Pilate who would haue been able to take his life from him If the son of God should not haue hidden his eternal wisedome durst the Pharisies haue mocked at his doctrine as they did If Christ should not haue hidden the rigour of his iustice who would haue beene able to doe iustice vpon him If Christ should not haue hidden his inexpugnable strength how should it haue beene possible for any man to draw his life out of his body The Prophet Zachary spake vnto this purpose Ibi abscondita est potentia eius As if hee would haue said Thou maist not looke O Synagogue thou maist not looke for a Messias which will bee mighty but weake not rich but poor not in health but sicke do not imagine that he should be honourable but throwne downe doe not proclaime him for to bee a great Lord but a seruant hee shall not bee a warriour but a man of peace and hee shall not goe much openly but for the most part in hucker mucker Seeing that Esaias sayth thou art truly a hidden God and also Zacharias that his power is hidden why dooth the Synagogue looke that the Messias should come openly considering that their Prophets said that hee was to come secretly Origen in his Periarchon sayth Because the sonne of God came not to fight with visible men but with inuisible sinnes and enemies there was no necessity that he should come fighting but preaching it was not needful that hee should wander ouer all the world but only publish his Gospell among them all and if the arrogant Iewes did not reach vnto the knowledge thereof it was not because they could not but because they would not Theophilus sayth speaking with the church the Prophet Dauid sayth Deus noster manifeste veniet and speaking vvith the Synagogue the Propht Esay sayth Vere tu es deus absconditus and therevpon it happeneth that the vnhappie Israelites although they were learned in knowledge yet of no credite in conscience and so they deserued not to know him because they vvould not beleeue him The figure goeth further and sayth that the place where Helias went to hide himselfe vvas at water-brookes of Carith which is as much to say as a thing cut in sunder or parted in the middle which had bin once whole The water-brooke where Christ did hide himselfe was the depth and vehemency of his passion where our good Lord entered diuing and ducking as in a dirty and dangerous riuer where hee remained drowned and dead in the water of his passion and the sonne of God pâ—â—ted himselfe in two when his soule went into hell and his body remained in the graue and when those parts which made him a man were dissolued although they were neuer seuered from the Hypostaticall vnion seeing that he was aswell God in hell and in the graue as hee is this day in heauen He was so hidden in the brooke of his passion that there was no part of his diuinity seene and the beauty of his humanity scarsely perceiued and because our blessed Redeemer would suffer his enemies to be reuenged on him hee did suspend for that time the operation of those miracles which might haue hindered his passion The figure sayth further that the Prophet Helias being in the brooke secret and close crowes of the fields brought him his dinner in the forenoon and his supper at night so that the birds gaue him to eat and the water to drink If this mystery were not a figure and foretelling of some other great mystery it were to bee thought that as God did send the Prophet Daniel meat by Abachuch the Prophet so hee would haue sent Helias meat by some other Prophet or holy man If by Helias Christ be figured by Iezabel the Synagogue by the persecution his passion and by the brooke the crosse and by the water his bloud and by his hiding himselfe his death why should not the crowes signifie the Iews Seeing there were Eagles inowe in the aire and Pigeons plenty in the world what great ability did God see in the crow that he should make him steward vnto Helias his faithfull friend What was the meaning that God did commit Helias to the crowes but that hee should also commit his sonne into the hands of the Iewes The qualities of a Crow are to bee in colour blacke in flying flow in his flesh hard in smelling quicke in eating rauenous and in condition vngratefull And because the rauen or crow is an vngratefull bird the Prouerbe is that if thou bring vp a Crow hee will pecke out thy eie The people of the Iewes were an vngratefull Crow vnto Christ seeing that for a recompence that he tooke flesh of them and taught them so long time although they did not pecke out his eies yet they crucified all his members on the crosse What bad thing is there in the crow that is not also in the Iewes They are blacke in faith slow in iudgement hard in beliefe cruell in condition ready to malice and most couetous What meaneth this O my Father what meaneth this After that thy sonne had liued thirty three whole years doest thou command him to be cast vnto Crowes Certainly the Crowes which we see with our eies are not so cruell as the Iewes which wee speake off because the Crowes doe eat of nothing vntill it be dead but the wicked Iewes did venter vpon Christ when hee was yet aliue O that Helias did farre better with his Crowes than the good Iesus with the Iewes because Helias Crowes did giue him bread and flesh to eat but Christs crowes gaue him nothing but vineger and gaule to tast Let the conclusion of all our speech be that it was better with Helias in his banishment and water-brooke thaÌ„ with Christ on the Mount of Caluary because Helias went out aliue from the water and Christ remained dead on the Mount of Caluary and Helias did neuer know what hunger was but the sonne of God did neuer kill his hunger nor quench his thirst CHAP. III. How the hangmen dranke the wine which was brought vnto him and the other theeues and did suffer Christ to die with thirst SVper vestimentis pignoratis accubuerunt tuxta altare vinum damnatorum bibebant in dome dei sui Osei 2. God spake these words complaining on the Israelits as if hee would say My people of Israel are come to such mad and shamelesse behauiour that within the Temple and hard at the altar they dranke the wine which was prepared for the condemned and they lay downe and leaned vpon the garments which were laid to pledge It is an vsuall thing and common in tauerns that drunkards doe cast themselues downe to sleepe vpon other mens apparrell and if it bee in hote Summer to sleepe vpon the
vineger although he knew it would kill him QVis poterit gustare quod gustatum adfert mortem Holy Iob spake these words in his sixt chapter As if he would say What man is hee which so much hateth himselfe or who hath so corrupt a tast or who is so weary of his life that he dare drinke or tast of any liquor which hee knoweth will presently make him yeeld vp the ghost These words are full of matter and containe deep mysteries in them For as they were prophecied by holy Iob so they were fulfilled by the sonne of God when as on the altar of the crosse hee tasted a cup of such bitter poyson that in tasting of it his life went presently out of his body The Philosopher in his second booke De generatione sayth That the life of a reasonable man dooth consist in the perfection of the radicall or naturall moisture and in the conseruation of natural heat and that is the only reason why nature doth desire meat and drinke of vs for by eating and drinking that humor is alwaies preserued Wee see oftentimes men of ninty or a hundred years die and yet neuer complaine of any griefe and the reason is because that that naturall moisture was ended in them and their naturall heat was extinguished in them and therefore we may say of such that their life did rather end thaÌ„ that they died Now that we must eat drink of necessity which of these two is most agreeable vnto nature and which lesse grieuous If Aristotle doe not deceiue vs in his booke De secretis secretorum this question was debated before Alexander the great and in his presence throughly disputed on because that at the table of that mighty prince no man was admitted to speake but his captains which sustained his warres or Philosophers which gouerned his house The conclusion which those learned men gaue was that it was farre more pleasing and agreeable vnto mans nature to drinke than to eat and their reason was because that drinke doth assuage the thirst which is a very troublesome offensiue thing to suffer and that it hath neither need of a knife to cut it nor teeth to chew it Vltimum refugium naturae est potus said the Philosopoher as if he should say The last refuge that nature doth giue to sustaine vs withal is the strength to drink which is easily perceiued in those which are sicke whereof we see some partly by reason of their long infirmity partly by reason of their old age lose their sight some their hearing some their smelling some their eating and yet none lose their drinking What old man haue wee seene in our daies in the world who hath not beene able to drinke a cup of wine Dioscorus an old Phisitian sayth that of what age or condition a man be he is easilier comforted with drink than meat And therefore seeing that is more necessary for me to drinke than to eat in times past when meats at certaine times were forbid they did not limit their cups in drinking for looke how much a man is recreated and refreshed when hee drinketh at his pleasure so much hee is tormented and afflicted when endureth thirst and therevpon the Philosopher sayth in his booke De somno vigilia That there is no torment equall vnto that when a man is denied his drinke and kept from sleepe Plutarch sayth That the great tyrant Dennis gaue his enemies no other torment but much salt meat to eat and no drinke to drinke and made them labour hard and not permit them to sleepe Cicero in an Epistle sayth That nature is a great enemy to three things that is of griefe and sorrow because it wasteth the bones of great weakenesse and of great thirst with the which choller is enflamed To come then vnto our purpose if to suffer thirst and want sleepe be two great torments who was more tormented with these than Christ was For if we talke of his sleepe we know well that he had not slept from the last night which hee slept in Bethania and if we talke when he dranke from the time that hee celebrated his last supper he neuer drunke drop of water Barnard sayth Considering the hunger which hee had suffered the torments which were giuen him the bloud which they drew from him the iourney which hee went doest thou not think that my good Iesus had great cause to want sleepe and bee very thirstie Cassiodorus sayth Why wilt thou O my good Lord why wilt thou haue mee to occupy my pen in shewing how thirstie thou wast vpon the crosse and how much sleepe thou diddest want considering that there vvas no kind of punishment vvhich vvas not experimented vpon thee Anselmus sayth Who but thou O my good Iesus who but thou diddest suffer in the manger cold in Egypt banishment on the way wearinesse in the palace scorning and mocking on the crosse thirst in thy honour infamie and in thy person death There vvere as Barnard sayth fiue torments which did most of all afflict Christ vpon the crosse that is to say the stripes of the whip which did open his shoulders the nailes which pierced his hands the thornes which tore his Temples the spettle which the hangmen did spet at him and the thirst vvhich did burne his bowels Wee must take great compassion of the thirst which Christ suffered vpon the crosse and wee are to wonder at the remedy which they gaue him for it for in steed of water they gaue him gaule mingled vvith mirrhe and insteed of wine pure vineger If wee maruell that Christ tooke these cruell drinkes wee are much more to maruell to see that Christ himselfe with his owne mouth did aske for them for if he had not said Sitio I am a thirst no man durst haue giuen him gaule and wine mingled with mirre Chrisostom sayth Christ saw those cups of gâ—ule and vineger from the crosse in the Iewes hands and he knew very well that their desire was to giue him of that drinke and yet notwithstanding he said alowd Sitio I am a thirst to the end that they might haue time and place to reach him that drinke Hilarius sayth When the maker of the world said vnto the Iewes Sitio it was to tell them plainely that they should giue it him with their owne hands although hee knew well what they would giue him because that the great thirst which hee had and the gaule and vineger which the Synagogue gaue him did signifie a greater matter and enduced vs vnto a greater mystery than any man thought of As it vvere in a maze and astonied with that that Christ did holy Iâ—b spake that vvhich hee spake vvhen hee said Quis poterit gustare quod gustatum adfert mortem The meaning of these words is this What man is there in such a desperate taking or so farre out of loue vvith himselfe which dare tast of a drinke vvith the vvhich hee knoweth that hee shall die presently The
sonne of God did so immediately after die vpon the crosse that in ending his draught of gaule and vineger hee began out of hand to yeeld vp his ghost If old Hystoriographers doe not deceiue vs Socrates among the Athenienses Midonius among the Lacedemonians â—rias among the Thebanes Escarrus among the Romanes by drinking of poyson ended their liues not because that their desire vvas to drinke of that poyson but because their enemies through force caused them to doe it God forbid that my penne should vvrite such blasphemy of my good Iesus vnto whome no man offered gaule and vineger no man entreated him vnto it no man forced him to take it but he of his owne will said Sitio I am a thirst and drie for if hee would haue dissembled his thirst and held his tongue they would neuer haue giuen him that detestable drinke Isidorus sayth What man or what Angel is able to reach vnto this secret that is that the sonne of God being then to giue vp his last breath yet should say that hee thirsted after a cup of water Why doest thou say so late Sitio and aske either for wine or water for seeing that thou art euen at the last farewell of thy life it cannot otherwise be but as thou art a drinking thy soule must depart from thee It had been a far lesser trouble and griefe to haue endured thirst halfe a quarter of an houre which Christ had to liue than haue suffered the thornes which boared through his head and all the rest of the torments which he had passed through that day but that his pleasure was to suffer them all and complaine of his thirst only because the thornes were onely a torment but his thirst signified a mystery vnto his Church There is a mystery in Christs being a thirst there is a mystery in that that he manifested it there is a mystery in that they gaue him wine mingled with mire and another in that they mixed it with gaule there is a mystery in that they offered it him in a reed and giuing him it with Isope containeth a mystery and in that he tasted of it and did not drinke it there is also a mystery contained If it be diligently looked into the mystery of the Sacrament where Christ communicated with his disciples excepted and the Sermon with the which he did comfort theÌ„ and the praier which he made when hee did sweat bloud also excepted there is no mystery written with so many circumstances as this of the thirst which Christ suffered whereof he complained And therefore marke with great heed all that the holy Scripture writeth of Christs thirstines because that with how many more circumstances a thing is vttered in Scripture to so many more weightier considerations it dooth inuite vs. CHAP. X. How the Synagogue could giue Christ nothing to drinke but rotten dregs PArum est mihi vt suscites faeces Israel dedi te in lucem gentium vt sis salus mea vsque ad extremuÌ„ terrae Esay 48. These wordes are vttered by the eternall Father speaking with his only sonne when he sent him into the world and they are as if hee would say being my onely begotten sonne taking vpon thee so hard an enterprise as is the redeeming of the world thou shouldst be content to restore the house of Iacob only and the dregs of Israel because the end why I send thee into the world is to giue light vnto al the Gentiles and redeeme all the whole world There are brought in in that communication the Father which speaketh the sonne vnto whom he speaketh the Synagogue of whom he speaketh and the end why hee is sent and also the great importance of the iourney seeing that by the meanes thereof hee will lighten the blindnesse of the Gentiles and streine the dregs of the Iewes And when he sayth Vt sis salus mea our Lord doth highly extoll the loue which hee beareth vs seeing that as wheÌ„ one man doth commend an important affaire vnto another the Father saith here vnto his son that it toucheth his owne safety and life that a full generall redemption be made of all men not excluding any one at all When the father sayth vnto his sonne Dedi te in lucem gentium vt sis salus mea what will he say but that it is most agreeable vnto his clemency that he holdeth it for a point of his honour that all enter in and be comprehended vnder his generall redemption the wine and the dregs the good and the bad the Gentile and the Iew the quicke and the dead The Father who dooth commend vnto his sonne the grounds and dregs dooth hee not more earnestssy commend cleane and holy things In Gods shop the lees which hee casteth abroad are better than all the wine that the diuell keepeth together I meane that one whom our Lord hath humbled and brought low is better than all those which the diuell hath lifted vp And because that our Lords calling of the Iewes lees and dregs of Israel seemeth to be a scandalous iniurious speech it is necessary for vs to declare how these dregs tooke their foundation for it is not possible for vs to expound the holy Scripture as we should vnlesse wee doe first vnderstand the letter For the better vnderstaÌ„ding of this which the Prophet Esay saith that which Boetius saith in his first booke of Comfort maketh much for our purpose that is Quòd infaelicissimum genus infortunij est hominem fuisse faelicem and his meaning is that there is no greater disaster or infelicity in the world thaÌ„ for a man to haue been on the top of felicity and then to be thrown down because such one doth nothing els but sigh after the honor which he hath lost neuer ceaseth bewailing the infamy which he hath gotteÌ„ WheÌ„ holy Iob thought with himselfe called to mind the time when he was rich and of great estimation and very healthfull of body and then saw himselfe vpon a dunghill vviping wormes off his owne body vvhat griefe of mind should oppresse him and vvhat a sea of thoughts vveary him When our Lord degraded and put out of their kingdomes Nabuchodonoser and Antiochus if wee looke vvell vnto it wee shall perceaue that the teares which they wept and the griefes which they complained on were rather to thinke of the honours which they had lost than of the punishment which they presently endured Cleopatra queen of Egypt Brias captaine of the Greeks and stout Hannibal of the Carthaginenses and the Consul Cato among the Romans slew themselues with their owne hands after that aduerse fortune had taken away their honours What will not a shamefast man doe what will hee not suffer what will hee not settle himselfe vnto after hee seeth himselfe disgraced and fallen from his honour Seneca in his booke of Clemency saith If all men were of my opinion there should bee more compassion taken on him who
the loue of God and of the profit that this loue of God doth in the soule HAurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus saluatoris Esay 12. chapter The Prophet Esay spake these words speaking vnto good Christians of the Catholicke church and of the great good that Christ will doe in her and they are as if hee would say When the Messias promised in the law shall come into the world all such as were drie and thirsty shall receiue great ioy with great abundance of waters to refresh and recreate their persons The Prophet dooth promise foure things in this place that is that they shal not draw water but waters not out of one well or fountaine but fountaines not by force but willingly not out of euery well but of the fountaine of our Sauiour Agar wanted the fountaine how much more fountains the children of Israel found water but soure the Patriarke Iacâ—l found sweet water but he had great strife in getting it They brought king Dauid water but it was of a cesterne insomuch that the Synagogue was so poore that shee could not get a cup of cleane water The catholicke church may hold her selfe very happie and rich seeing that God hath promised her abundance of waters cleare and cleane flowing from the fountaine of her Sauior and Redeemer It is much to bee noted and also to bee meruelled at to see that our Redeemer Iesus Christ said vpon the crosse Sitiâ— and yet saith that hee hath waters and fountains to refresh and quench the thirst of all the world What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Hast thou not one drop of water for thy selfe to drinke of and yet doest thou inuite all the world to drinke of thy fountaines It doth wel appeare O my good Iesus that thou hast all that good for me and keepest all trauailes vnto thy selfe seeing that of thy sweet water thou doest inuite all men to drinke but the gaule and vineger thou doest giue no man to tast What are the fountaines that thou wouldest haue vs drinke of but thy holy wounds with the which we were redeemed O sacred fountains O holy wounds which are so delectable to behold and so sweet to tast that the Angels are desirous to drinke of them and all creatures are willing to bath themselues in theÌ„ They are fountains which alwaies flow they are waters which alwaies run what do they flow but bloud water whither do they flow but to the Catholick church Holy Iesus did giue vs much more than Esay did promise vs for Esay did promise vs nothing but waters but he gaue vs afterwards waters of his bowels blond of his vains O good Iesus O holy fountaine from whence but from the fountaine of thy bowels did the water flow to wash our spots and from whence but from thy precious vaines did the bloud runne to redeeme our offences It is gathered in scripture that the waters of Rasim were most swift the waters of Iorda troubled the waters of Bethleem were pooles and standing the waters of Marath were bitter the waters of Siloe were soure The waters of thy wounds O my Redeemer are not of these qualities for they are safe to saile in cleane to behold sweet to tast and profitable to keepe What meaneth hee to say that you shall draw waters In gaudio but that as we were redeemed with his great loue and will so we should serue him with great ioy and mirth Hee doth draw waters of the fountaines of Christ with ioy and miâ—th who doth serue him with good will and hee doth draw bloud out of Christs wounds with sorrow and griefe who doth serue him with an evill will whose seruice is neither acceptable to God nor profitable vnto him which doth it for as our Lord doth giue nothing which hee doth giue but with ioy and mirth so he will not that any man serue him but with pure affection and entire good will With what great loue the sonne of God hath redeemed vs and with what a liuely will he wil be serued wee may gather by his owne doctrine and see it in his owne louing words Ignem veni mittere in terram quid vâ—lo nisi vt accendatur Luke 12. This high word no man could say but hee only who was the word of the eternall Father and the meaning is this If thou wilt know why I came downe from heauen vnderstand thou that it was for no other cause but to burne and set all the world on fire and therfore I bring this light with me because it may burne day night and that thou maiest blow it that it goe not out Christ speaketh to the same purpose in another place when hee sayth Non venipacem mittere sed gladium as if hee should say Let no man thinke that I came into the world to giue it peace and quietnesse but to put a gallowes and asword in it the gallowes to doe iustice on the wicked and the sword to martirize the good These words are worthy of the noting and also to be feared of all mortall men for hauing created the world what meaneth he to say that hee came into the world but to put it all to fire and bloud What man is there this day in the world so noble in birth or so rich in wealth but if he proclaime publickely that hee will burne both man and woman but they wil presently lay hands on him bind him hand foot or coÌ„demn him for want of discretioÌ„ What can be more straÌ„ger or what inueÌ„tioÌ„ may be like vnto that for our Lord to tel vs. also warne vs that he hath brought nothing else with him but a firebrand to burne and a sharpe sword to cut our throats Vpon those wordes Non veni mittere pacem sed gladium S. Augustine sayth If wee will well vnderstand that which Christ sayth in this place we should not only not bee scandalized at it but also highly thanke him for it for to say the truth with that fire he doth seare our dead flesh and with that knife he doth let out our corrupt bloud Beda vpon the Apostle sayth What is the sire which Christ brought from heauen into the world but his exceeding great loue The quality of this high fire is to heat and not burne to giue light and not hurt to burne and not consume to putrifie and not wast to warme and not to grieue O good Iesus and light of my soule what sensuality can ouercome mee or what tentation can throw mee downe if at the coales of thy fire I warme my selfe and giue my selfe light with the flame of thy loue What can hee doe what is in him or what regard is there of him in this life who doth not warme himselfe at the fire of thy loue What made S. Andrew goe cheerfully and singing to be crucified but the fire of the loue which burned in him What made S. Agnes goe more ioifully to martyrdome than
secret and from whom dost thou hide it If there bee more than one secret why doest thou call it two and if there be but one why doest thou say twise My secret to my selfe My secret to my selfe Hee doth twise iterate this word Secret because there be two mysteries and yet calleth them in the singular number because they are but of one Christ in whom they were accomplished and for whose cause they were vnto the world reuealed What greater secret or what greater mystery or what higher Sacrament could there be in the world than for Christ to tell his disciples that being God he should die being man he should rise againe And it was not without a great mystery that Christ would draw his disciples from the people draw them to the way and talke with them in secret letting them vnderstand by these circumstances that that which he would tell them should be a great secret seeing that he did not tell it theÌ„ but in great secret Chrisostome vpon S. Mathew sayth All the glory of God and all the saluation of the Gentiles consisteth in the death which Christ died and in the bloud which for al the world he shed and therefore because the mystery was so high so strange he would not discouer it but vnto those of his holy colledge and vnto them also in great secret It was a high mystery to say That being God he should die and it was also as strange to say That he who was man should rise again and he would not reueale it vnto the people because they should not bee scandalized but reuealed it to those of his holy colledge for their benefit because that the most preciousest treasures are alwaies kept in the best and surest chests It is not then without cause that the text sayth Assumpsit eos secretò to let vs thereby vnderstand that wee should not reueale high secrets to all men nor yet hide theÌ„ from some men Now that Christ hath drawne his disciples into the field and lead them somewhat beside the way the text sayth that hee spake secretly vnto them saying Behold wee goe vp to Ierusalem as if hee should say My children my brethren I will open a secret vnto you such as you haue neuer heard before that is that we draw now neere vnto Ierusalem where I am to suffer and now the time is come when I must suffer the death which they will giue shall be such as my Father hath ordained and which in the Scripture is prophecied and which by mee is accepted And because our Lord here sayth that he must die in Ierusalem and not els where the prophesie of the Psalme is to be considered 73. which sayth Deus autem rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medie terrae His meaning is Our God and our king hath determined to redeeme the world in a place which is in the middle of the world If vvee read Ptholome in his tables and beleeue Strabo in his booke of the situation of the world they will say that the situation of the city of Ierusalem is in the middle of the earth and that that precisely is the nauell and center of the vvorld According vnto the prophesie alledged Christ dying in Ierusalem hee died in the middle of the world because that IerusaleÌ„ hath on the South side the kingdome of Aegypt on the East side the kingdome of Arabia and on the West side the Mediteranâ—an sea doth compasse it and one the North side the kingdome of Syria Basill the great sayth vpon the Psalmes There could nothing bee more fit and conuenient than that hee who was the meane and mediator that God should pardon our sinne should die as hee did in the middle of the world for if hee should haue died in the East or in the West they would haue thought that they had been redeemed that all the rest had continued coÌ„demned By reason wherof our Redeemer of the world would die in the middest of all men seeing that he suffered for all men Barnard in an Epistle sayth When the Prophet saith that our Lord hath wrought our saluation in the middle of the earth hee meaneth that he loueth the mean very much hateth extreames for he doth aswell hate the extream of fasting as ouermuch eating and hee hateth as well extreame pouerty as too much vvealth and he hateth as well too great basenesse of mind as extream pride and hee hateth as well extreame ignorance as ouermuch eloquence Cyprian sayth In this thou maiest see what an enemy Christ is to extreamties and how little hee fauoureth such as vse them in that that for to giue vs an example that in all thinges wee should cleaue to the meane and flie the extreames his will was to die in the middle of all the world Wee must note also that Christ sayth Ecce ascendimus for by this hee sheweth that hee goeth not to his death forced or constrained by any but of his owne loue the vvhich infinite loue as it brought him from heauen to take flesh so it dooth lead him to die on the crosse When the son of God sayth vnto his Disciples Behold we go vp to Ierusalem this is no speech of a malefactor but of a great Redeemer because the vvicked man neuer sayth vnto his friendes I goe to die but looke they carry or lead mee to receiue iustice O high mystery O diuine Sacrament vvho euer heard that such a man as Christ vvas young healthfull free and iust of his owne proper vvill should say vnto his Disciples Behold I go to Ierusalem to die as if hee vvould say Behold I goe to bee merry and to great ioy Aymon sayth What sayth hee else vvhen hee sayth Behold vve goe vp to Ierusalem but make it knowen vnto the rulers of the church that he goeth to die before his information bee drawne before the sergeants do take him before the hangmen doe keepe him and before that the iudge hath giuen sentence on him Rabanus vpon this place sayth When Christ sayth vnto his Disciples Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem it is as if hee vvould say Behold and marke vvell that when you shall see mee hanged vpon the crosse like vnto a malefactor doe not thinke that I am onely a man for if to die bee the condition of a man yet to die vvillingly is the property of God alone Hee vvho is a pure man dieth although hee vvould not but hee vvho is God and man dieth vvhen hee vvill and such vvas the sonne of God vvho tooke death vvhen hee vvould and took againe his life vvhen it pleased him Remigius in a certaine Homily sayth In this speech of Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem the sonne of God dooth shew two things vnto vs that is That hee goeth to die and that hee goeth to suffer that death of his owne accord so that we owe him for two debts the one for the bloud vvhich hee shed and the other
he should not spoile the world of the good is a speech of great comfort for seeing that hee would not haue the world without good ones it is a signe that hee would that by them wee should be conuerted When the Lord would drowne all the world with a floud he did first put Noe in safety and when he would send fire vpon Sodome and Gomorra hee placed Lot vpon a high hill and when hee would punish the murmurers in the desert hee commanded Moyses and Aaron to goe out to the field so that it is a great signe that God is angry with some when hee taketh the good out of their company Vnhappy Iudas immediately after hee had departed out of that holy colledge hanged himselfe and it happened otherwise in S. Peter whom although Christ suffered to fall yet hee did not abandon him and put him out of his sight for as soone as hee had committed the fault Christ presently looked him in the face Iudas was a disciple and S. Peter was a disciple Iudas did sinne and S. Peter did sinne the one did sell Christ the other did denie Christ Iudas was damned and S. Peter saued and the reason was because Christ was where Peter sinned and would not bee where Iudas did hang himselfe In the two great captiuities of Babilon there were many iust men carried away captiue among the wicked as Thobias Daniell and Esdras and Abdias all which our Lord did send thither not because they had committed any sinne against him but for the consolation and remedy of some sinners What should become of sinners and naughty persons if our Lord should take away all good men from amongst them In the merit of the good and vertuous God doth sustaine vs which are sinners for otherwise because we are Gods enemies the sonne would not shine vpon vs nor the heauen would not raine vpon vs the aire would moue it selfe and the earth open and wild beastes would deuour vs and the diuels would kil vs. Gregory sayth That sinners may haue great hope when our Lord dooth not draw the iust from among them for in not seperating the good from the bad it is a token that by the merits and handes of those good men hee will draw vs from that which is naught and lead vs to that vvhich is good Ambrose sayth In those words which Christ spake I aske not for the world hee dooth threaten vs with his iustice and in the other speech of Non tollas eos de mundo hee doth flatter vs with his mercy seeing that in the one hee setteth away the obstinate from obtaining of mercy and in the other hee giueth hope vnto the weake that they shall haue part in his clemency I beseech thee then O my good Iesus I beseech thee that thou wouldest not seperate mee from among the good or else put not the good from mee for if I should not bee good for conscience at the least I should bee for shame It is also much to bee noted that our Lord dooth not entreat his Father that hee would not take the good out of the world but that hee would keepe them from all perill and daunger in so much that in his most high praier hee dooth neither forget the vveake nor bee carelesse of the good because for sinners hee praieth that they bee not forsaken of the good and for the iust hee praieth that they bee not ouermaistered by sinners If it bee true that Saint Gregory sayth Deus qui nos in tantis periculis and that the Apostle sayth Periculum in mari periculum in terra and also the Prophet Hoc mare magnum speciosum why doth not the sonne of God pray that his Father would deliuer vs from more than one danger seeing there are so many in the world It seemeth that there should bee some great euill in the vvorld seeing that Christ maketh mention of it and of no other as so it is truly for if that euill had not come into the world there should haue beene no hell in the other Irenaeus sayth As in heauen there is one holy one aboue all holy ones which is God and in hell there is one euill aboue all euils which is the diuell so there is in the world one naughty thing which passeth all the rest which is sinne Tell mee I pray thee what naughtinesse would there bee in the world if in the world there were no sinne Hunger and cold thirst and wearinesse we do vniustly call euils or naughty things because they are not naught of themselues but onely the reliques of that great euill for if wee had not knowne what thing sinne had beene neither should vvee haue knowne what hunger and cold had meant For to deliuer vs from this great euill Christ dooth teach vs to pray when wee say Sed libera nos a malo and so Christ in his praier sayth Non rogo vt tollas eos de mundo sed vt liberes eos de malo So that wee are to craue nothing else of our Lord but that hee would deliuer vs from sinne and guide vs in his seruice What doest thou aske thy Father O my good Iesus for thy elect what doest thou ask for thy welbeloued disciples I doe not aske riches for them for that is a fraile thing I doe not aske honour for them for that is a vaine thing nor life for that is transitory nor ease because there is none in this world I aske onely that thou wouldest deliuer them from sinne for my disciples cannot possesse greater riches than to haue their hearts cleare from sinnes Christ addeth further in his praier and sayth Non pro eis tantum rogo sed pro eis qui credituri sunt in me as if hee should say I doe not pray onely O my Father for these which eat at my table but for all those which will hereafter enter into my church because that thou being in mee by nature and I being with them by grace they may bee perfect in one perfect charitie Christ made his praier in very good order for first hee praied for himselfe then for his Disciples then for weake sinners and in the end for all those vvhich vvere to come If Christ should haue praied only for those which sat at his table what should haue become of all those which should afterward be borne in his catholicke church Chrisostome sayth That Christ praied for the quicke and for the dead for the present and for the absent for those which were already born for those which should afterward be born insomuch that all the fauors which God dooth for vs at this day Christ did merit for vs by his life and bloud and obtained them with his praier S. Augustine sayth In the merit of those words which Christ spake in his praier Non tantum pro eis rogo wee which are now in his church haue as great part in the merits of this life in the bestowing of his bloud and in the
perfection of his praier as his disciples which were with him then at his table O glorious speech O blessed praier which Christ vsed when hee said I doe not pray for them only but for those which shall hereafter beleeue in me although we had neuer seen him nor done him any seruice at all nor deserued any loue at his hands yet he praied with as great affection for vs as for those which sat at his table Rabanus sayth Because the sonne of God was the founder of the church he praied vnto his father for those of his church not forgetting nor excluding any one by reason whereof we shall aske with great confidence those things which belong to the saluation of our soule for seeing he doth pray to his Father for those things which are fit for vs it is to be beleeued that he will not deny vs of that which himselfe possesseth Theophilus sayth Marke well that Christ dooth not pray here for those which beleeue that there is a God but onely for those which doe beleeue in God The Pagan doth beleeue that there is a God the diuell doth know well that to be true which God saith but onely the good Christian doth beleeue in God because hee doth that which God dooth command him There bee many which beleeue that there is a God as the Pagan dooth and beleeue God as the diuel doth but they do not beleeue in God as the good Christian doth for the Apostle sayth that our faith is not knowne by the words which we speake but in the good works which we doe Christ doth conclude sayth Vt omnes sint Consummati in vnum that is hee entreateth his Father that all those which be at his table and all those which shall after succeed in his catholicke church may end in one faith in one baptisme in one loue and in one charity CHAP. VII Herein he entreateth of the variety and diuersity of names of the sacrifices of the old Testament and of the exellency of the sacrifice of the new Testament SI oblatio tua fuerit de sartagine similae conspersum oleo absquefermento diuides eam minutatim funde super eum oleum Leuit. 2. chap. God spake these words to holy Moyses giuing him order how the Priests should be appointed and how the sacrifices should be offered as if he would say If any Hebrew will offer vnto God any fruit to bee fried in a frying pan the floure must bee kned with oile and without leauen and after it is well fried and oile sprinkled vpon it and cut into very smal peeces so offered vnto Aaron to bee offered vpon the altar Before wee come to expound these mysteries we must shew the cause why our Lord would busie and occupy the people of the Iewes in such strange rites in such new sacrifices and in so many ceremonies being as hee was so graue a Lord and so mighty a God Stapulensis in the first of Leuiticus sayth That for three causes God commanded the Iewes to offer so many small sacrifices and made with so many ceremonies The first is that because the Iews had beene brought vp in Aegypt where all were idolatours and they giuen to Idolatry the Lord would that they should offer those sacrifices vnto him and not to the gods of the Gentiles The second reason is that because vnder those sacrifices hee would declare and figure the true sacrifice which should come into the world which was his precious sonne The third reason is that being occupied in that multitude of sacrifices they should haue no time to bestow in committing of other sinnes because the foundation of all wickednesse is accursed idlenesse It is also to be noted that there was seuen kinds of sacrifices in the old law vnto the which all other were reduced although they seemed to be infinite The first sacrifice was called Holocaustum which was the greatest and most sumptuoust of all because it was offered vnto our Lord without any other respect the second was called Pacificum because it was offered in time of warre partly because our Lord should giue them peace in their times and partly because he should giue thē victory against their enemies The third was called Propiciatory which was offered in time of great dearth or pestilence and the end of it was because our Lord should withdraw his hand from ouer them and take that plague from them The fourth was called Pontificat which was offered for the sinnes of the priest of the Temple and the end of it was because they did hold it certaine that if the Priest were loaden with sinnes that the Lord at his handes would not accept the sacrifices The fift was called Regale which was offered for the sinnes which the king had committed and the end of it was because the Lord should pardon the sins which he had committed lighten him to gouern well his Commonwealth The sixt was called Common which was offered for the sins of all the people of Israel the end of it was that the Lord should take them vnder his protection look vpon that people The seuenth was called Particular this was offered for euery particular person and the end of it was that God should pardon him for that which was past giue him grace to amend hereafter All these sacrifices differed in the beasts which were offered in them in the ceremonies with the which they were offered and in one thing they all agreed that is that there could no sacrifice be made for the remission of any sin vnlesse the bloud of one cleane beast were shed The Apostle said not without great cause Non fit sanguinis effusio sed remissio because no mā could bee made cleane of a fault in the old law but by the death of some beast Origen sayth It is certain that euery beast doth rather liue by his bloud than by his flesh or members or bones which he goeth with for when he leaueth bleeding hee leaueth breathing Although it bee true that in recompence of the least fault we are bound to offer our life for it yet God in the old law was content with the life of a dead beast in recompence of the life which that Iew did owe him O how happie we be which fight vnder the name of Christ because the parishioners of the synagogue did offer the bloud of dead beasts but the faithful Christians offer nothing but the bloud of the sonne of the liuing God insomuch that we haue no necessity to offer our liues in recompence of our offences because the life of one was sufficient to make cleane all the faults of the world S. Paule could not praise Christs buying of vs better than to say Emptiestis pretio magno giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that with the bloud of his vaines hee had bought our liues and also taken away our offences For to haue pardoned a Iew of his fault it was necessary euery time that hee had sinned to
difference that is betwixt Dauids testament and Christs testament seeing the one commandeth to reuenge other mens iniuries and the other pardoneth his owne death NOn deduces canicies eius pacifice ad inferos 3. Reg. chap. 2. King Dauid being in the last point of his life commanded his sonne and heire apparent Salomon to be called vnto him vnto whome hee spake these words Thou rememberest my sonne Salomon when my seruant and capraine Ioab did slay captaine Abner and Amasias who were scruants vnto king Saul the which offence because I cannot reuēge in my life the charge shll be laid vpon thee to see that hee goe not quietly to his graue and Dauid said further vnto him Thou shalt also remember that when I fled from thy brother and my son Absolon my enemy Simei came against me and followed mee all the field ouer cursing me and casting stones at me Look vnto it like a wise and a discreet man and that hee depart not in peace out of this world That which Dauid commanded his sonne Salomon to doe was not commanded to one who was deaffe for if hee did command him to kill two hee did kill three or foure that is the infant Abdonias the captaine Ioab Simei and the Priest Abiathar In al his kingdome Dauid had no captaine which had done him so great seruice nor no seruant which had loued him better than old Ioab yet neuerthelesse he had more respect to reuenge the iniuries done to others than vnto their seruices past If Dauid had not been welbeloued and by Scripture commended his Testament should much haue scandalized vs seeing that at the time of his death when men forbid iniuries hee commandeth by his Testament to take away mens liues It is to be beleeued that he being so acceptable to God as he was that he had consulted with God for otherwise being in so narrow a straight as he was in it was more than time for him to prepare himselfe to confesse his sins than to command the death of his enemies O how vnlike Dauids Testament is vnto Christs for Dauid commaunded in his to reuenge other mens deaths but Iesus Christ our Redeemer commanded his owne proper death to be pardoned How happy we be which be the inheritours of Christ and how vnhappy they be which bee the successours of Dauid which is easily seene by their Testaments for Dauids soule goeth out of his body saying Filine ignoscas illis and Christ yeeldeth his last breath saying Pater ignosce illis What similitude is in this when the one commaundeth to slay Ioab who neuer once touched so much as his garment and the sonne of God willeth to forgiue those which tooke away his life How would Dauid forgiue his owne death seeing he commandeth to reuenge another mans wilt thou see the difference betwixt the charity of the one and the goodnesse of the other Thou maiest see it in that that king Dauid would not pardon Ioab and Simei whose sinnes were so old that they were forgotten and meeke Iesus did pardon the Iewes whose wickednes was new and fresh How wouldest thou haue the wounds of him vvho pardoneth more fresher and the wickednesse of those which are pardoned more newer but to haue them at the same time crucifieng as he is pardoning Aymon sayth Much good may Dauids Testament doe him which hee made being annointed for I will hold with that which Christ made when he was crucified for the one seeketh out those which are culpable to kill and the other seeketh out faults to pardon Saint Augustine vpon our Lords wordes saith O how much better it is to fall into the hands of God then into the hands of men which is easily seene in the death of king Dauid and in the death of the sonne of God where the one commandeth to slay his owne seruants and the other willeth pardon to his cruel enemies Hugo de sancte victore sayth I do not enuy king Salomon for the kingdome which king Dauid his father left him nor for his will which he commāded him to accomplish because he left him the heire of his kingdome with such a condition that whē he should giue the last gaspe the other should presently begin to murder and kill In the same day and in the same houre that good king Dauid died as the captaine Ioab was in the Temple a praying kind Salomon sent immediately to sley him insomuch that before they could put Dauid in his graue they tooke away poor Ioabs life O my good Iesus the conditions of thy Testament be not like vnto these seeing that in the last farwell on the altar of the crosse thou diddest not command thy successors to reuenge but to forgiue nor to take away mens liues but to pardon iniuries so that as the Synagogue was a house of buying and selling so thou madest thy church a house of pardon Christ himselfe did whip those who bought and sold in the Temple and the selfesame son of God did pardon those whom he found in his house of pardon whereof wee may inferre that he is no inhabitant of his house who dareth reuenge an iniury Christ did shew himselfe to be the sonne of Dauid in being meeke as hee was but he shewed it not in being vindicatiue as he was for when he died vpon the crosse he did not leaue in al the world any one sinne to forgiue nor any iniury for his heires to reuenge If as Dauid did command to reuēge the misdemeanour which his seruants did him Christ should haue commanded to reuenge the sinnes which the Iewes committed against him it had not been possible to haue been done because the sinners had too many sinnes and the tormentors wanted torments CHAP. III. Of the difference betwixt the bloud of Abel and the bloud of Christ and how vnlike their cries vnto God are ACcessistis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam Abel sayth the Apostle writing vnto the Hebrewes chap. 9 as if hee should say We are very happy which beleeue in Christ and receiue his gospel seeing wee bee redeemed by his death and bought with his precious bloud And because thou maiest the better esteeme of the price of this bloud know thou that it crieth before the eternal father better than the bloud of Abel because that cried Iustice Iustice and the bloud of the sonne of God crieth Mercy Mercy S. Ierome sayth The Apostle dooth highly set forth the bloud of Christ whose soueraine price and high merit hee would not compare with the other blouds of the old Testament but with the bloud of the first iust man that euer was in the world the bloud of the holiest saint that is in heauen Origen saith The Apostle should haue done Christ great iniury if hee should haue compared his bloud with the bloud of calues and goats of the old Testament because the bloud of those beastes did serue to no other purpose but to defile the staires and to take away their liues but the
bloud of the son of God dooth wash and make cleane offences and saue our souls The first bloud with the which God was offended was the bloud of Abel and the first bloud with which God was pleased was the bloud of Christ and that which is most to be wondered at is that the bloud of Abel did benefite but himselfe alone but the bloud of Christ did profite all the world S. Ambrose sayth What bloud can be compared vnto the bloud of Christ for the bloud of Abel did stirre vp and not appease seeing that thereby hee lost his life and his brother his soule The bloud which thou didst shed for mee O sweet Iesus did not stirre vp but appease because it did pacifie the fathers anger tooke away thy owne life and redeemed my soule Anselmus sayth The bloud of Abel is bloud and the bloud of Christ is bloud the one the bloud of a iust man and so likewise the other that was shed by enuy and this shed through enuy But the difference was that the bloud of Abel cried from the earth and the bloud of the sonne of God praied from the crosse Weigh well this speech Clamabat ad me de terra and also that Melius loquentem quam Abel and thereby thou shalt perceiue how the bloud of Abel doth crie for vengeance vpon his brother Cain and the bloud of the sonne of God doth pray for mercy for all the world Consider well of this word Melius loquentem that is that the bloud of Christ should haue been but of small profit if hee should haue died for none but for those of that time The Apostle doth not say that the bloud of Christ did then speake onely but that it doth speake now and will speake vntill the worlds end and therevpon it is that we do represent this bloud euery day and offer it in our praiers for otherwise as there is no day in which wee doe not commit some sinne against him so there should no day passe in which wee should not suffer some punishment Saint Basil sayth His offence is very great which committeth a fault if hee doe not immediately helpe himselfe with the bloud of Christ for if it bee frosen for Pagans and Heretikes yet it is fresh and whot for Christians and sinners It is also to bee marked that the Apostle sayth not Accessistit ad sanguinis effusionem but ad sanguinis aspersionem which speech he vsed not for the wicked Synagogue but for the holy mother church because the Synagogue was in the time of shedding of bloud but the holy church came to the sprinckling gathering of it together O how happy we Christians be and how vnhappy the Iewes were seeing that they came Ad sanguinis effusionem to the shedding of bloud and we Christians Ad sanguinis aspersionem so that they shed the bloud of the son of God did not gather it vp we gather it and did not shed it S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith By this speech of Aspersionem sanguinis the Apostle doth let vs vnderstand that the bloud of Abel had no other force thē to be shed vpon the earth but with the bloud of the son of God all the catholicke church was as it were with Isope sprinckeled so that all the bloud of the Synagogue was but shed cast on the ground but the bloud of Christ was shed imparted amongst vs. Cyrillus vpon Leuit. saith The church was at the sprinckling of bloud but the synagogue at the effusiō of bloud seeing that of the bloud of the Synagogue there was no drop gathered of the bloud of the church there was no drop lost S. Barnard saith As for the bloud of Abel let it be lost but as for the bloud of the son of God it is not lawful that any should be lost And he goeth gathering it drop by drop who by little litle doth imitate Christs life he doth gather one drop who doth imitate him in one vertue he doth imitate him in two drops who doth follow him in two hee doth gather many drops who doth bestow himselfe in the getting of many vertues insomuch that as on the crosse he gaue it in recompence of wickednesse so he doth now giue it in exchange of vertues CHAP. IIII. Where Christ complaineth on the Christian mans soule because she was vngratefull for the benefite of her creation and redemption VVlnerasti cor meum seror mea vulnerasti cor meum sponsa mea in vno oculorum tuorum in vno crine colli tui Cant. 4. as if hee should say Thou hast wounded my heart O my sister thou hast pierced my heart O my spouse and the cause of my captiuity was because thou diddest behold mee with one of thy eies and because I did behold one of thy haires Origen vpon these words sayth Such sweet words and such pittifull complaints as these are from whence should they proceed but from a man sorely greeued with heauenly loue greatly enflamed The louing wordes which Christ speaketh vnto the soule and the anxiety and griefe which the soule vttereth vnto Christ who can better declare than the soule which is familiar with Christ Such deepe reasons such pittifull wounds such true complaints and griefes so lamentably vttered as these are which are contained vnder these words how is it possible for my pen to write or my heart to tast of How sweet our Lord is to the soule which seeketh him and how delightfull vnto the soule which calleth vpon him and how pleasant vnto the soule which dooth keepe him is so high a language that none is able to vnderstand but only that soule which dooth deserue to tast of the same First of all it is here to be noted why Christ dooth call a holy soule once sister and another time spouse for if she be a sister she cannot be a spouse and if she be a spouse shee cannot be a sister The mystery of this secret is that she is called spouse because of the faith which shee tooke of Christ and she is called sister because of the flesh which Christ tooke in so much that Christ is our bridegroome in that that hee is our Creator and he is our brother in that that hee is our Redeemer Twise the bridegroome complaineth to haue beene wounded of his bride saying Thou hast wounded my heart my sister thou hast wounded my heart my spouse for in respect of two loues hee hath compassion on her and in respect of two loues he suffered for her that is for hauing made her to his likenesse and semblance and for hauing redeemed her with his bloud For Christ to say twise Thou hast wounded me thou hast wounded me is to say thou hast been vnthankfull for the fauour I did to create thee and thou hast been vngratefull for the benefite which I did thee in redeeming thee insomuch that to bee vnthankfull vnto Christ for these two benefites is to wound Christs heart with two