bread without leauen bread of sincerity It is certaine that the Apostle meant the immolation of our Sauiour made in the Eucharist with refection and not that of the Crosse which was a Paschal Feast accompanied with torments of ignominies of distresses and wants and of other circumstances repugnant to a holy refection Saint AMBROST S. Ambros in cap. 1 Luc. When we Sacrifice Christ is present Christ is immolated for Christ our Passcouer hath been offered Saint Hierom after Origen giues the same exposition Orig. S. Hier. in 26. Mat. Concil 1. Nic. can 5. that Saint Ambrose of the words of Saint Paul and the first Councell of Nice saith that our Sauiour is immolated without effusion of bloud as we said euen now Saint Cyril of Hierusalem tells vs speaking of the Eucharist S. Cyril Hieres Catech. Mist 5. Christ is offered to God the Father for our sins Saint Gregory Nisse proueth it by the Figure of the Paschall Lambe saying S. Greg. Niss Or. 1. de Resur Euery man knoweth that man could not eate the Lambe but first it was immolated wherefore Iesus Christ gining his body to be eaten shewes manifestly that there was before a true and entire immolation Saint AVGVSTINE Iesus Christ S. Aug ep 23. ad Bonis hauing been once immolated in himselfe is he not neuerthe lesse immolated for the people euery day After the same language speake the other Doctors of the Church of God whom it is not needfull to cite we ought rather to admire heere the infinite power wisdom and bounty of our Redeemer in that he will vouchsafe to giue himselfe in such a fashion for the benefit of his members and that so much the more because the gift surpasseth not onely our merits but euen our thoughts For who could euer dare to hope who would euer thinke that he would so much abase himselfe after his triumphant Ascension that he would become meate for vs To apparell himselfe with mortality to make vs immortall To take a mortall Robe vpon him for to giue vs an immortall garment Is hee not truely all puissant in this effect all wise in this ordinance and al good in this charity As who for example would euer haue expected those other things which now wee see are come to passe if they were not done alreadie Who would haue thought that this selfe-same Sonne of God equall in all things to his Father immortall impossible most rich Creator and nourishers of all creatures could haue had the power and will to make himselfe Man a mortall man a needy little Insant sucking the breast of a Virgin to giue himselfe afterwards on the Crosse remaining alwayes what hee was before Who without particuler reuelation would euer haue thought this Wee know that he would doe it and that he hath done it and we admire it in our attentiue silence Admire then likewise the same God for that he giueth and continueth to giue his glorious body hidden vnder such base elements impassible vnder corruptible garments immortall vnder the robe of immortality and a great Creator vnder the cottage of a little creature a great God vnder the forme of a little Lambe 6. HOW THE PASCHALL LAMBE sheweth the vse and end of the Eucharist THere is yet one noble consideration more in the Paschall Lambe which shewes the vse and the end for which our Sacrifice was ordained The Paschall Lambe was instituted in signe of the deliuery of the Iewes Exod. 8.12.12 and in memory of it For they immolated it about the euening at the going downe of the Sunne and did eate it a little after towards night Deut. 16. and at midnight following was the Pasque or the Fast that is to say the passage of our Lord when passing thorow Aegypt hee slew by the hand of his reuenging Angell all the first borne which was the great blow he gaue for the deliuerance of the Iewes that was to follow the next day and Moses by the ordinance of God aduertised the Iewes to teach their posterity that this Sacrifice of the Lambe was commanded in memory of this deliuerance Exod. 12.14.26 Wherefore this was a signe of the benefit to be receiued and a memoriall thereof after it was receiued The resemblance of this Figure hath been perfectly accomplished in the verity For our Sauiour ordained the Sacrament and Sacrifice of his body vpon the euening of that night in which he was taken to be crucified the next morning and passe from this world into another to stisle by his death the true first-borne of Aegypt to wit the sinnes of mankinde and to bury afterwards in his precious bloud as within the depth of a red-Sea of his infinite merits the powers of hell for the true deliuerance of his Elect. This Sacrifice then was a signe of the victory which was to be gotten and a memoriall of the same after it was gained this our Sauiour signified when instituting the same he foretold the Apostles of his death and commanded them to doe what hee had done in remembrance of him Doe this in remembrance of me that is to say Luc. 22.19 1. Cor. 11.24 celebrate this Sacrifice in remembrance of that I shall haue done for your redemption For as the night which followed the institution of the Paschall Lambe was the great Vigil and immediate signe of the deliuerance of the Hebrewes so also the midnight of our Sauiour which followed the institution of this Sacrifice was the great brunt and the immediate ensigne of our redemption The time of this midnight was at ful midday whē he moūted on the Crosse to encounter the enemy and to ouerthrow our sins with out-stretched armes this was a profound midnight indeed of spirituall darknesse in which they were buried which procured his death a midnight also of corporall darknesse for the Sunne and the Moone enraged with the indignity of such a crime committed against the person of their Creator were suddenly colypsed and caused a profound darknesse extraordinary and a dreadfull night in the midst of the day And as the Ceremony of the Paschall Lambe continued in memory of the good receiued in Aegypt so long as the Synagogue endured So in like maner the Sacrifice of the Masse was instituted to continue in memory of the victorious Passion of our Lord so long as the Church shall be militant heere on earth and this is it which Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. 11.26 writing to the Christians of Gorinth As often as you shall eate of this Bread and drinke of this Chalice you shew the death of the Lord vntill he come that is to say euen vntill the great day 7. OF THE CEREMONIES VSED IN eating the Paschall Lambe THere were a great number of Mysticall Ceremonies vsed in eating of the Iewes Paschall Lambe which in their shadowes Figure to vs the truth of ours and together instruct vs how we ought to eate it for to draw substance of life from it The Iewes
from heauen and saying That this bread is his flesh which he will giue for the life of the world He declareth that he will giue his body for our food and redemption And adding after He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life euer lasting and I will rasse him vp at the last day for my flesh is meate indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed Hee signified the effects of this meate contrary to the effects of the meate of Adam The meate of Adam cause of death a deadly morsell an carthly food a food of anguish The meate of our Sauiour spring of life bread of life bread from heauen flesh of ioyfulnesse and of resurrection When he said Hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud abideth in me and I in him He sheweth that he giues his flesh for this vnion for a bond of amity and perpetuall pledge of his loue towards vs. Hee hath then giuen his body in this life for our good as many waies as it could be giuen for our redemption for our meat for our remedy for a pledge vnto vs to deliuer vs to nourish vs. to heale vs and to comfort vs and will giue it in heauen to glory for vs. Hath he giuen sufficiently is he sufficiently liberall to giue himselfe so liberally and at so many time and by so many wayes on earth and to promise himselfe vnto vs yet another way in heauen And are not wee exceedingly vngratefull in not acknowledging his goodnesse no lesse vniust in not giuing our selues to him that haue nothing but from him And most ingratefull in making no better vse of his gifts ordained to vnite our selues vnto him and amongst our selues for the attaining of life euerlasting What hath this diuine Spouse done What hath he inuented What doth he not What hath he not deuised to gaine the loue of a faithfull soule And what doe we In what doe we employ our selues to gaine his loue And who is it of whom this Prince so infinitly rich mighty and beautifull is so much inamored but of a poore caytiffe and deformed creature whom he would enrich nobilitate and beautifie to make him worthy of his Kingdome And how would he seeke to purchase by so many meanes the loue of such a creature if he were not goodnesse it selfe O infinit Goodnesse infinit Wisdome infinite Power fulnesse Make our soules holily inamored of thy beauty enlighten them with the diuine beames of thy celestiall knowledge and make them worthy of thy sacred loue 5. PRIDE AND LICENTIOVSNES ENEmies of Faith and the first aduersaries of the holy Sacrament PRide and sensuality are vncapable to vnderstand the wonders of God and vnworthy to receiue his benefits Wee haue heard the diuine promises of our Sauiour speaking of the eating of his flesh and of the euerlasting fruits thereof heere was cause to wonder at the height of the mystery and liberality of the Giuer and good occasion to say as Saint Peter a little after wondering said Thou bast the words of eternall life Iohn 6.63 They were heere neuerthelesse who in stead of being lifted vp in admiration were strucke downe to death by the words of life because pride and sense had made them bad hearers of the truth enemies of the light and vnable to behold further then humane iudgement could reach In so much as though truth it selfe did speake vnto them they murthered themselues by the voice of truth thinking that eyther he could not doe as he promised and giue his flesh to eate or that if hee could doe it it should be a very inhumane and barbarous act They vnderstood of flesh saith S. Augustine as if one should dismember a dead body or as men sell it in the market S. August Trust 27. in Ioan. in Psal 98. and flesh vnderstood not what it was he called flesh They thought that our Sauiour would cut his body into little bits and serue it to the table boyled and dressed as the body of a beast and standing vpon the bulwarke of their carnall imaginations and pushed forward by the spirit which blindes the soule in stead of being edified they were scandalized and became perfidious in their heart rude in their thought and blasphemers in their language and did say How can this man giue vs his flesh to cate Behold Iohn 6.52.60 a hard saying and who can endure it By the first question they did shew their incredulity not perswading themselues that our Sauiour could accomplish that which he did promise by the second they made their pride appeare condemning our Sauiour as if he intended to commit an horrible crime by killing himselfe and giuing mans flesh to eare if he should be able to doe that which he said People extreamely blinded with pride and sensuality for they had seene a little before a thousand of miracles done by the hand of our Sauiour and beleeued them without asking How And in stead of learning by those so many rare workes to beleeue more easily they heere aske How more incredulous then euer But why are they now so little obedient to the voice of our Sauiour Why were they not before more scrupulous and wary Wherfore did they not as well aske how he made the blinde to see the lame to walke the diuels to flye and of the fresh miracle how hee satisfied fiue thousand men with fiue Loaues and two Fishes Heere their How had been much more to purpose and more pertinent for they might haue vnderstood thereby that he did these things in the authority power of a Master Al-wise and Al-mighty and this knowledge would haue perswaded them that hee could powerfully and wisely accomplish this which hee so manifestly did promise of his flesh although it seemed impossible and absurde to their sense and iudgement But what will you They were proud and their pride had made them to lose the memory of what was past and bound their eyes not to see the truth present nor to fore-see the truth to come and in one word did make them obstinately erronious that is to say Heretikes Behold the first controulers the first persecutors and first Herenkes stirred vp against the truth of this holy Sacrament behold the first authors of Quomodo How out of which mould the Diuell hath shaped all the rest which sithence haue conspired against God for to assault the mysteries of his Church by Quomodo and by How and namely to shake this heere as the most high and most repugnant to their senfuality It was pride and the flesh that made them mutiners and rebels against the doctrine of Iesus Christ and presumptuous to comdemne that which they vnderstood not So the Arrians mocked at the Catholike faith concerning the generation of the Sonne of God whilest they would vnderstand that which they could not and would not beleeue that which they should to wit that God had begotten a Sonne Psal 3.7 Psal 109.1 and in stead of saying Christianlike I beleeue
should be left in his liberty working after the nature of man as the other creatures do according to theirs Gods will is that the fier doe heate necessarily that the water moysten necessarily and so of the rest of other like creatures But that man made according to the Image and likenesse of his Maker should haue freedome and libertie in his actions like vnto him and therefore hath bestowed a free-will vpon him Eccles 15.17 and hath set before him water and fier permitting him to stretch foorth his hand to which he will with this charge that if he choose Vertue he shall haue reward if he transgresse his Lawes he shall cary his punishment This is it that God said to Caine a little before Genes 4.6.7 If thou doe well shalt thou not receiue good and if thou doe euill thy sinne shall it not be also before the doore but thy appetite shall bee in thy power and thou shalt rule it Without this liberty Man should not be man but a beast working not with election and choise but by force of nature as a horse and if God should binde the armes of the wicked men should not be able to know the good from the bad He suffered then Caine to kill his brother for to demonstrate his wisdome permitting sice working to a free creature as by the selfe-same wisdome a little before he had suffered Adam to transgresse his Commandements and to giue himself and all his race a deadly blow because he had created him with such freedome The second reason wherefore he suffered this murther as many other â—uils is drawne from his power and bounty his power can turne to good all the euill which is done by his permission and his bounty will and therefore he permits it Men ought neuer to permit euill if they can hinder it for they are not all powerfull to repaire it being done but God permits it because he can draw profit from it Vpon which â— Aug. lib. de â—iuit cap. 8. excellently saith Saint Augustine It hath bin agreeable to the omnipotencie of God to permit euils comming from free-will for his almighty bounty is so great that he can doe no ill be it in pardoning the euill done be it in the healing of it be it in turning it to the profit of the iust be it in reuenging the same by iust punishment And a little after There is none of the better or more mightie power then he which not doing any ill turnes the euillinto good and drawes profit from it In another place giuing the reason wherefore God did permit the Angels to fall S. Aug. lib. 22. de Ciuit. cap. 1. It is saith he because God iudged it to be a thing more worthy his power and bounty to draw good from an euill committed then not to permit any euill to be done At that time then for this reason he suffred Caine to doe as he did and for the same reason he permitted many others as bad as he to exercise their malice euen to the killing of his owne proper Sonne which was the greatest enormity that euer was committed nay that euer could be committed or imagined for God was put to death the Creator by his creature the Father by his children the King by his vassals a crime which surpasseth the atrocitie of all other crimes And yet notwithstanding from this death from this ignominy and enormity his power and diuine bounty hath drawne foorth not onely his owne glory and the honour of his Sonne but the life and saluation of all mankinde Which is it that Saint Augustine admireth S. Aug. in Psal 73. saying How great a good hath God giuen vs from out the euill of the Traytor Iudas and how great good haue all the Gentiles from the sentence of the Iewes condemning our Sauiour to death Euen death Euen so conuerted he the cuill which his seruants endured to their good and honour the death of Abel to the profit and honor of Abel and to the confusion of Cain the one is made an honorable Martyr the other became an infamous Murtherer Abel is honoured with glory to be the first Martyr Caine marked with the ignominy of the first Paracide and so of other persecuted Saints and their wicked Persecutors They heere exercise their fury S. Aug. lib. de Contin cap. 6. Psal 115. God making by them Martyrs saith Saint AVGVSTINE the good seeme to be neglected but their death is protious before God they haue been esteemed dead before the eyes of fooles Sap. 3. but they are in pease and the wicked which seeme to triumph shall in the end haue their change punished in the meane while euen in this life For if sinne S. Aug. lib. de Contin cap. 6. saith Saint AVGVSTINE which seemes vnpunished carry after it the paine it deserueth so that there is no person which is not grieued to haue committed it or if he feele not any griefe for it he is starke blinde in soule how then askest thou wherefore deth God permit sinne if sinne displease him and I would aske of thee againe if he punish sinne how can sinne be pleasing to him Saint Chrysostâ—me shewes in this very History the experience of the Doctrine of Saint Augustine S. Chrysost ep â—d Rom. Hom. 8. act siâ—â—m Thinke saith he vpon this CAINE hath committed a murther ABEL was murthered which of these died he that cried being dead who was ABEL the blood of whom cryed or he that feared and trembled which is a greater misery then death it selfe And towards the end of his Homily hee maketh God speake thus to CAINE Thou hast not feared ABEL liuing now then feare him dead thou hadst no feare to kill him be now in continuall feare after thou hast killed him liuing he feared thee and thou wouldest not endure him endure hurs now dead as a terrible Lord. So sheweth he that the condition of Abel was better then that of Caine and that it is much more desirable to suffer iniury Plato Seneta and others then to doe it much more great vnhappinesse to commit ill then to suffer it 4. ABEL AN IMAGE OF THE IVST AND CAINE of the wicked ABEL was the Image of the head Iesus Christ so was he the Image of the children of God members of this Head and Caine contrariwise of the wicked Abel simple meeke seruing God in sincerity of heart sighing vpon the earth without house without possession and altogether despising the vanity of this vaine life called therefore ABEL which is to say a Breath But Caine a Louer of the earth and of this present world forward to build a Citie calling it Enoch from the name of his sonne and not caring for any thing but for the earth Abel then was an Image of the Iust which inhabite the earth as strangers meditating and seeking after their heauenly Countrey After this manner Abraham walked as a Pilgrim vpon earth not purchasing any thing therein but
Elias sleeping in the shade of the Iuniper tree for herein we see our Sauiour sleeping on the Crosse and acknowledge the memory of his passion the greatest signe of his loue and humility and the most high secret of this Sacrament of his pretious body Plin. l. 16. c. 24. Pâ—in l. 16. c. 25. The Iuniper commonly is a little shrubbe growing in sandy and barren places void of all exteriour beaute hauing for slowers and leaues nothing but sharpe prickles Elias sleepes tyred and weary in the shade of this shrub Is not this a liuely representation of our Sauiour vexed with torments crowned with thornes sleeping a dead sleepe vpon the Crosse Tree of humility shadowing his greatnesse punishment of 〈◊〉 coâ—ering his innocency â—â—ce of thornes paine and pouerty Are not these the markes of the course of the painefull life of our good King and of his dolefull sleepe Moreouer the selfe-same circumstances set forth to vs the qualities of our Sacrament being a memoriall of his life and death for if wee consider it exteorly it shewes nothing but what is little easie without fruit without flowers and without beauty to the sense and all full of thornes to humane iudgement which is backward to beleeue the things which it sindes to bee repagnant to our capacity and as it were pricked and offended therewith as long since it happened to the Capharnaâ—ts Iohn 6. and other children of darknesse which since that time â—â—â—ef â—lowed after them On the otherside the same tree is â—â—â—r greene his thornes are his leaues and beauty the wood being burnt driueth away Serpents Pliâ— l. 24. c. â— and the coale thereof haue such a liuely and burning heate that they will endâ—â—e a whole yeare vnder the ashes For which reason Daâ—â—id calleth them Coales of desolation Psal 119.4 because they bâ—â—ne scorchingly and consume forcibly These qualities doe secretly paint vnto vs the inward vertue and beauty of the Crosse of our Sauiour and of his Sacrament For all that which appeares there repugnant to sensuality is verdure and beauty to the faithful soule as also a proofe of the omnipotencie and loue of Iesus Christ towards vs. The wood of this Crosse and of this Sacrament which is it that appeareth hardest in the one and in the other being burned in meditation with the heauenly fier of which Dauid said The fier shall burne in my meditation being Psal 8.3 I say set a sier by this meditation chaseth away Sernents that is to say the wicked thoughts which the old Serpent hisseth into our soule to poyson and sting vs to death It eagendereth also in vs coales of charity which being hidden vnder the imbers of humility neuer die Thus you 〈◊〉 the Iuniper decyphered But vnder the shadow of this Iuniper Elias slept that is the Christian soule taketh his rest in meditating vpon the Sacrament of the Altar which is the shadow that is to say the memorial of the death of our Sauiour as hath been said for as the shadow represents the body so the Sacrament represents the Passion and as the body is present with the shadow so is our Sauiours body with the holy Sacrament 4. ELIAS HIS WALKE AFTER THE SHAdow of the Iuniper tree to the Mountaine Horeb and of the water that was giuen him with the bread VNder this shadow truely wee ought to repose our selues in the wearisomnesse of our persecutions as Elias slept vnder the figuring shadow of this tree when he fled from the rage of Iezabel For there is not any where a more sweete and sound rest amidst the trauailes of this painfull life then in receiuing his body to meditate vpon his death Which Dauid by the Spirit of Prophecy taught vs of olde saying to God in the person of euery afflicted Christian Psal 22.5 Thou hast preyared in my sight a Table against them that trouble me And therefore the Angell as it were interpreting the Figure awaketh Elias and exhorts him to eate the Bread figuring this Table the which he doth and there with is so well refreshed that hee takes strength and courage to walke forty dayes and forty nights enen to the Mountaine of God freeing himselfe from the persecution of the Queene Where we haue yet two other mysteries in the Figure appertaining to the truth For this space of forty dayes signifieth the painefulnesse of our mortall pilgrimage diuided into foure ages as into foure tens into Infancy Yong age Mans age and Old age consisting of dayes and nights of good and euill of consolation and persecution The walke of Elias continued euen to Horeb signifieth the progresse which is conuenient for vs to make ascending by holy desires and aspirations and by good works euen to the top of Christian perfection according to the measure of the grace of God communicated to euery one and from this toppe to zoare vp with a victorious flight aboue death and the world to the high Mountaine of our celestiall felicity But now in this pilgrimage our true Bread and sustenance is the body of our Sauiour giuen by his Angell to wit by his Priest as hath been said 5. THE SIGNIFICATION OF THE pot of Water BVT what signifieth the pot of Water giuen with this bread surely nothing else but the grace of God giuen with this Sacrament for so it was figured by the Creator himselfe when he promised it by his Prophet Ezechiel saying I will powre out vpon you cleane water to wit his Grace and our Sauiour crieth in the Temple Ezech. 36 25. Iohn 7.37 If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke speaking of the same Grace It is this water which is giuen vs to refresh our wearinesse which giues vs force and makes vs able to ascend with ease the Mountaine of God that we may so obtaine the possession of heauen Who would haue thought at the first show that in the shadow of this Figure these excellent mysteries were hidden And how many more be there that a contemplatiue soule might heere obserue But are not these sufficient to make vs admire the infinite wisdome of God in the delineation of his secrets His Soueraigne powerfulnesse in the greatnesse of his workes His surpassing bounty in the largenesse of his benefits Truely this was an euident testunony of his most wise prescience to draw so long before such a liuely Picture of the Sacrament of his body a goodly marke of his vertue to haue giuen to Elias Bread of sâ—ch force that it could maintaine life and furnish with strength for forty whole dayes trauell an ouer-trauelled body an euident signe of his great mercy with so fatherly care to defend one of his owne mortall creatures and to send him an immortall Spirit and one of his owne Court to serue him as his Pantler and Cup-bearer in his necessity But what is this in respect of that hee hath done leauing this Sacrament to his militant Church this pretious pledge which is both armour
family Iesus Christ who held the vpper end of this first bed Saint Peter is next Saint Iohn the other are fiue and fiue on two other beds They are a little astonished and sorrowfull euery one examining his conscience vpon that which our Sauiour hath said euen now in eating the Lambe that there was one amongst them which would betray him Saint Iohn the nearest to him and the boldest asked him who it should be but neither he nor the rest of his companions could know any thing except Iudas who in his heart was twisting the cord of treason against his Master to his owne condemnation Euery one is afraid to fall into this foule crime except the offender And all attend the issue of some great mystery not onely by reason of the ceremony of washing which our Sauiour had neuer vsed in keeping the Passouer with them the yeares before but also because of his countenance behauiour and words for men reade in his eyes in his mouth and in all his visage the graces of a diuine loue and the grauity of Maiesty more then humane and his words full of affection and of wisdome did witnesse that he did meditate some worthy proofe of an Almighty power 〈◊〉 22.15 Hee tould them that he greatly destred to eate this Passouer with them before he suffered not the Iewes Passouer which he had long since eaten drawing the last line of the Figure but the Passouer of his body These are significatiue words of great affection and the affection of so powerfull a Lord cannot faile to effect some great thing He hath taken the bread hath blessed and broken it as before he blessed the fiue Loaues and two fishes Matth. 14. They moreouer perswade themselues that this ceremony is a preamble of some miracle neuer heard of before Being then thus attentiue he gaue to them all that which hee had taken saying 〈◊〉 6. This is my body take and eate He giues now the Cup saying This is the Chalice of my 〈◊〉 of the new Testament drinks you all of it and doe this in remembrance of me They did drinke and as they found themselues wholly transported and ranished with loue when they tooke the Sacrament of his body vnder the forme of bread So now they feele their soules set a sire with a diuine flame by drinking of the mysterious and beauenly liquor of his pretious bloud Iudas alone by his fault made no benefit of it for he hath not taken this holy flesh diuine drink with a requisite preparation The Diuell had seized on his heart long since had porswaded him to betray his Master he had his feete cleansed but 〈◊〉 soule loaden with filthinesse wherefore taking vnworthily a meate so worthy hee hath swallowed death and damnation in place whereof the others receiued life and sanctification Behold the chiefe worke of our Sauiour effected and perfected in fiue words behold the signification and protâ—â—se of a thousand Prophesies and Figures past fulfilled in one truth Behold the offered Lambe in an vnbloudy Sacrifice commemorating that of the Crosse which to morrow he ought to accomplish Behold the Masse and the magnificent â—â—â—ation of Christians which shall endure euen to the end of the world to honor the Creator of the world to celebrate the death of his Sonne and to nourish his children with his Flesh to eternall life Matth. 26.30 Marke 14. 〈◊〉 Our Sauiour rising from the Table goeth his way and hauing like a true Father giuen many documents parsing from his children and saying vn Hymne in action of thankes goeth foorth vnto the Garden of Oliues Hee went long since and is walking there O sweet Lambe whither goest thou in the snary darknesse of this dangerous night thou knowest well that this is the place noted by the Trdytor which hath sold thee for ready money thou well knowest that the wolues are already trouped and armed with crast and rage to take thee and lead thee bound to the butchery than 〈◊〉 O drinke Wâ—â—lome for nothing can scape the eyes of thy diuine prouidence thou knowest that there for our saluation an agony of horror shall fall vpon thee Luke 22.44 and a bloudy sweat shall flow from thy passioned body with extreame feare of thy grieued soule euen to the death thou knowest thou shalt be taken there and bee bound like a Lambe and bee led from thence like a theefe to Execution and notwithstanding all this thou goest thither nay thou goest thither because thou doest know it And what compels thee to these voluntary torments O Redeemer of my soule but the force of thy loue and mercy which make thee goe with ioyfulnesse of heart to present thy selfe to the combate for to pull forth the children of Adam out of the oppression of sinne and from danger of eternall damnation by the price of thy bloud O great God by what offices seruices and Sacrifices shall we be able to acknowledge this thy vnlimitted bounty O my soule what wilt thou doe for such a Redeemer with what loue canst thou sufficiently loue him by what words canst thou duely thanke him and with what honor wilt thou adore him 1. THE ENTRANCE THAT SAINT IOHN maketh by which he declareth the greatnesse of the mystery of the Eucharist which our Sauiour was to institute THis Picture represents vnto vs the Institution of the Sacrament and Sacrifice of our Lords body the noblest actioÌ„ the diuinest InstitutioÌ„ that euer he did after he was made Man the richest present that hee did euer giue to God and to men while he liued mortal vpon the earth and the highest mystery that hee was to leaue in the treasures of his deare Spouse the Church We haue formerly discoursed hereof in many precedent Figures and namely in that of Manna it will bee sufficient heere to note the circumstances of the present history which especially set forth the greatnesse of it Saint Iohn beginning his narration of the washing of feete vpon the Eue of the Pasche writeth thus Iesus knowing that his houre was come that he should passe out of this world to his Father whereas he had loued his that were in the world vnto the end hee loued them And when Supper was done whereas the Diuell now had put into the heart of Iudas Iscariot to betray him knowing that the Father had giuen all things into his hands and that hee came from God and returned to God he riseth from Supper and layeth aside his garments And that which followeth of the washing of feete by which words Saint Iohn taught vs that our Sauiour was now in the vigill of his Passion that he had loued and did constantly loue his owne that he was the Sonne of God hauing all things in his power And by these preamples hee signified vnto vs that in this Euening so neare to his departure hee was to make the conclusion of all his course by some notable acte to the honor of his Father and their good whom