my glorie This confortable promisse Christe made vnto the thefe to reioyse of the triumphe victorie that Christe shuld haue agaynst the deuyl And herunto Theophilus saith As a victorious kyng retournynge from his triumphe doth brynge with hym the best of suche prey and goodes as he hathe gotten of his enemyes so Christe ouercommynge the deuyll dyd spoyle hym of his beste preys and one of them that is this thefe he brought with hym vnto paradise that is to the vision and fruition of god whiche fruition the holye fathers beynge in Lymbo patrum had what tyme the soule of Christ descended to them after his deth for then they dyd se the godhed of Christ which was neuer separate from the soule after that it was first ioyned therunto Here thou soule beholde howe liberall yea howe prodigall Christe was here for he gaue his kyngdome to a thefe heuen to one that was hanged vpon a crosse and paradise to one condempned to deth and that at one shorte or lytyll peticyon Also the liberalitie of god dyd gyue to hym more then he asked and so is he comonly wont to do And herin all synners haue an example to trust in god and to forsake theyr synnes seyng that the thefe so breuelye and shortly had forgyuenes of his synnes for surely his grace is more redy then our desyre or prayer O good lorde thou dyd say vnto the thefe This day thou shalte be with me in paradise that was to put disparacyon frome our hertes thou forgaue the thefe to shewe to vs the fruyte of penaunce the fountayne of mercy and the celeritie or spede of forgyuenes Thou the phisitien of oure soules dyd saue the thefe accusynge hym selfe and accusyng the callynge for mercy and rebukyng his felowe that blasphemed the wherfore thou penitent synner consider what Christe rysynge from deth and reignynge in glorie maye gyue vnto the whiche gaue so great gyftes beynge mortal and goynge to his death If he in that extreme captiuitie and thraldome of deth dyd gyue so large rewardes what shall he gyue beynge in moste hygh lybertie of pleasure and glorie And to shewe that he wolde do in dede that he promised he cōfirmed it with an oth sayng Amen truly O what vertue and swetenes had this floure or worde of Christ ¶ A contemplation of this seconde worde spoken by Christe vpon the crosse Amen dico tibi c. THis moste confortable worde of our most swete sauyour Iesu spoken vnto the thefe that is truly this day thou shalte be with me in paradise was of that vertue that therby the thefe was forthwith of an enemie made a frende a familier or neyghbour of a straunger where before he was a thefe he was nowe made an holye confessour of Christe who is he that wyll dispeyre of so pitious and a gracyous harte so swifte a promiser and so prompte or redy a gyuer O good lorde we trust in the that know thy name Iesus for thou dost not forsake them that trust in the and labour for thy grace wherfore a most benigne Iesu we com to the syttynge in the trone of thy maiestie with as good a mynde as we can humbly besechynge the that we may be brought in to the and by the vnto that glorie to the whiche thou brought in that thefe that confessed the vpon the crosse But thou synner differ not thy conuersion and penaunce vnto the houre of death trustynge then to opteyne heuen as this thefe dyd for though it be a good and holsome counsell at all tymes to trust in the greate mercy of god yet that a man shulde onely trust therof and not to be sory for his synnes and labour to amende hym self by penance it is a great folysshnes and a presumption for god is not onelye mercifull but also iust and rightuous And thoughe this good thefe and some other persons haue had forgyunes of theyr synnes at theyr laste ende yet I saye to you that the preuilege of a fewe persons maketh no comen lawe And surely there be very fewe that be truely penitent at theyr death when theyr lyfe hath bene continuallye euyll before for as it were a monstruous and merueylous thynge to se a wulfe haue a shepes tayle so it is seldom sene that an euyll lyfe hath a good and holy ende But of this holy thefe we rede that he hadde .iiii. thynges for the whiche he opteyned mercy of god The firste was that he rebuked his felowe that blasphemed Christ saynge Neque tu times deum Nor thou dost feare god The seconde is that he accused hym selfe saynge we be worthely punisshed for our synnes Thyrde he excused Christe saynge This iuste and good man neuer dyd euyll forth he asked forgyuenes saynge Remember me good lorde when thou shall come into thy kyngdome Of this thefe also saīt Gregorie saythe There was no thynge in this thefe at his awne libertie but only his tonge and his hert And he by y e inspiration of god offered to god all that he had in his liberty and power to gyue y t was his hert wherwith de dyd beleue faithfully in god to his own iustification and his mouth wherwith he dyd confesse Christ to be god by the same fayth and that was to his eternal health He had fayth for he beleued that Christ shuld reigne in glorie as god ▪ he had hope for he trusted and desyred or asked to come to the same glorye He hadde charitye to god for he defended and magnified Christ the sonne of god he hadde charitie to man for he rebuked his felowe for his iniquitie and blasphemye And also he procured grace and lyfe eternal for hym selfe where shall we fynde one that thus doth profyte at the ende of his lyfe Beholde here the greate fayth of this thefe whiche dyd beleue Christe to be god and to reigne eternally whome he se there dye so shamefully and miserably And herunto saynt Austen sayth This holy thefe had a great fayth for nother for feare of the Iues or saugiours there standynge nor for his awne greuous paynes nor for the blasphemye of the other thefe nor for the departynge of the apostles from Christe or the denyenge of Peter nor yet for that it seamed to all men that Christe was a frayle and disparate person not able to helpe hym selfe for al these thynges I say he wolde not let to confesse the truth and so to declare his fayth and therfore he had not onely the remissyon of his synnes but also of al paynes due for his synnes for as it appered he was more sory of the payne and passion of Christ than of his owne passion which he knew that he had deserued wherfore I wolde that euery synner wolde do as that good thefe dyd that is to knowe hym selfe charitably to correct his neyghbour to aske forgyuenes of god and by his faithful prayers to opteine euerlastyng helth O thou olde Adam returne somtyme to thyne awne harte and
his feete when they were made all redde with blode The sandalles haue a reed hole aboue wrought with red sylke and the glouys haue an vche or a redde precyous stone or otherwyse wrought with red to signifye the woundes of Christ in his handes and feete These be the ornamentes of a bisshop whan he doth consecrate any thyng Also many of these the preest doth vse at his masse to signify that he shuld haue in his vnderstandynge the meditacyon of Christes passion in his memorie the remembraunce therof The compassion ther of in his affection and wyll so that as he is lyke to Christ in his vestmentes so he may be lyke in his herte and mynde and also lyuynge for who so euer hath these outwarde tokens of Christes passion nothyng fealyng inwardly by meditacyon and compassyon doth not serue or loue Christ but rather mocke hym with Herode which in that white garmeÌ„t sent hym to Pilate agayne As it shall appere in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne this lesson all they that wyll lyue godly innocently after the example of our newe man Christ shal be mocked be had as folys of other persons y t lyue after the old synful maner But for al this the true spirituall seruantes of god shulde not be troubled but rather ioyfull for the newe man our sauiour Christ clad in a white garmeÌ„t which signifyeth to vs christians his innoceÌ„tie was mocked 〈◊〉 of the chylderne of this worlde to whome that white garmente was a signe of folisshenes Also a man in his garmentes or arayment shuld onely loke for profyt and his necessitie and nothyng for vanitie or curiositie for our sauyour was reputed as a fole for his aray And that a man myghte conforme hym selfe to this article he shulde thanke god that it wold please hym to gyue to vs the garment of innocentie for the derision that he suffred of his whyte cote And a man shulde also oftymes thynke howe oft he hath defoyled by his sinnes that white vestment of innocentie whiche our lorde gaue to vs at our baptisme and pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu which wold be for me clad in a white garment mocked as a fole of Herode and his seruaÌ„tes grauÌ„t me warely to declyne or auoyde the wisdome of this worlde whiche in thy syght is but a folisshenes and with a pure hert to come to the whiche arte the very true wisdome Amen ¶ Howe Christ was sent agayne to Pylate The .xxviii. THe .xxviii. article is the sendyng agayn of Christ from Herode vnto Pilate for Herode when he fond no cause of deth in christ he dispysed mocked hym sent hym agayn to Pilate in a white cote and in this it apereth that he dyd coÌ„sent vnto y e deth of Christ for sith Christe was sent to Herode as one of his iurisdiction vnder his power when he se no cause worthy deth ê“ued of Christ he shulde haue absolued hym deliuered hym from y e handes of the Iues and not to haue sent agayn vnto a strauÌ„ge iuge y e which had no power ouer hym And so Herode offeÌ„ded in that y t he sent Christ agayne vnto Pylate which seÌ„dyng agayne is coÌ„ueniently taken for a speciall article for therby Christ had a newe payne labour Also for that he returned agayne to Pylate clad in a white cote to his greate shame rebuke Thyrdly by cause also he brought w t hym Herodes consent of his owne deth whiche appered both in signe or token and also in dede In signe bycause he was sent in a folys cote In dede that is in the coÌ„federation of theyr frendshyp for that same day Herode Pylate by this sendynge of Christe were made frendes where as before they were enemyes which frendshyp of Herode Pylate was a figure sygne that the Iues and gentyles shulde agre to gether in the persecucyon of christians Or els we may take this frendshyp for a good signe saynge that the Iues gentiles which before y e deth of Christ were enemies by his deth were made frendes agreynge in one faythe of Iesu Christe For he is the peace or corner stone that ioyneth the two diuerse peoples in one And whan Pylate se that Herode sente Christe agayne vnto hym he was very sorye therof And so cast in his mynde howe he myghte delyuer Christe frome deth And therfore he called togyther the prynces of the preestes the greate men of the Iues and the comen people and goynge forth to them sayde ye haue broughte and presented to me this man c. As in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that the nature of goodnes hathe suche strengthe and vertue that it agreithe euyll persones and maketh theym frendes and specyallye in the persecucyon of goodnes and therfore the euyll persons may be well signifyed by the foxes that Sampson toke and tyed theyr tayles togyther to distroye the corne and fruyte of his aduersaries So euyll persons ben confedered and tyed togyther to persue good men and so Herode and Pylate the Iues and the gentiles agreed to gyther against our lord and his sonne Christ And herto sayth Theophilus The deuyll in al places coÌ„ioyneth and agreeth enemyes to conspyre the deth of Christe Therfore the iuâ—te person shulde not be afrayd thoughe he se euyll persons copled agaynst hym for that is a signe y t there is some goodnes in hym and therby also he is coÌ„formed made lyke vnto Christ agaynst whom all euyl persons agreed in one and also those persons as were enemyes before Also a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remember what payne it was to Christe to be so shamfully led from one iudge to an other and if a man haue any hatred in his herte agaynst any persone let hym forgyue it with all his hert and that for the loue of Christ the whiche for vs in his blessed passyon wolde also agree wycked persones and make them frendes and praye thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde be sent agayne from Herode vnto Pylate and therby wolde make them frendes graunt me that I feere not the frenshyp of wicked men agaynste me but rather that I may so profyte by theyr exercyse that I maye deserue to be conformed and made lyke vnto the. Amen ¶ Howe Christ was forsaken of the Iues and Barrabas by them was delyuered The .xxix. article THe .xxix. article is the reprouing or forsakyng of Christ for whan Christ was brought agayn to Pilate he called together the princes of the preestê the great men of the Iues the comen people and goyng forth vnto theym sayd Obtulisti mihi huÌ„c hoiem quasi auerteÌ„tem populum c. Ye haue â—sented this man vnto me as a subuerter of the people and behold said Pylate I examynyng hym afore you can not fynde hym gylty in any
consider howe the newe Adam Christ dyd serch for the and where he founde the that is vpon the crosse who was this these but Adam not nowe a thefe but an holye martyr and confessour of Christe whiche tourned the necessitie of hys deathe into good wyll and vertue he chaunged his payne in to glorie his crosse and deth into triumphe and victorie wherfore thou synfull soule nowe areyse vp thy selfe in to hope and truste of forgyuenes if so be that thou wylte labour to folowe the steppes and example of thy lorde that suffred for the. ¶ Here folowe .iii. Lessons IN this article we may lerne .iii. lessons Firste is to beare pacyently the rebukes of other persones thoughe they be vyâ—e persons for so Christ bare the blasphemous thefe Second is that we suffer not the iniuries of god at any tyme but sharply to rebuke them as the good thefe dyd Thyrde that we neuer dispeyre of the mercy of god thoughe our synnes be neuer so greuous or that we haue lyen in them al our lyfe tyme by the example of this holy thefe whiche for one worde was made the enheritoure of paradise as saynt Austen sayth ¶ A prayer O Iesu which forme wold be scornfully rebuked of one thefe and of the other wolde be honorablye confessed to be god make me for the glorie of thy name to suffer pacyently the rebukê of euyll persons when nede requireth and neuer to suffer thy iniuries and also to possesse the ioyes of paradise with this holye thefe Amen ¶ Of the passion that Christe had vpon his mothers sorowe and heuynes The .lviii. article THe .lviii. article is the compassyon of his mothers sorowe For when Iesus beynge vpon the crosse se hys mother standynge by the crosse in great sorowe he had great heuynes therof he se his mother I saye a mother a virgine singuler aboue all other mothers a meake mother louynge her sonne aboue the loue of all other mothers to theyr sonnes and no meruell for she was the mother of god of the onely sonne of god and therfore she had more sorowe for the passyon of her sonne than all other mothers can haue for theyr sonnes for at his passion the swerde of sorowe dyd runne thorowe the soule of that most blessed virgyne and mother O holy virgine what vehemence of compassion and sorowe dyd almyghty god lay vpon the and so oppresse the with heuynes he made the ioyfull and delyuered the frome all anguysshe and sorowe at the virgynall chyldynge or byrthe of thy moste swete sonne Iesus but nowe he payed the for both for nowe he put vpon the all the thrawes and sorowes of a woman trauelynge with chyld And when thou dyd brynge forth thy sonne god and man thou had great ioye but nowe when the blessed fruyte of thy wombe was in thy sight crucifyed and slayne then was thy sorow fare aboue all the paynes and sorowes of a woman chyldynge In so moche that thou myght wele say that olde Noemy sayde Nolite me vocare Noemi sed Mara quia amaritudine valde me repleuit omnipotens Call not me Noemy that is fayre and pleasant but call me Mara that is bittter or sorowfull for almyghtye god hath fulfylled me with bitternes and sorowe For this blessed virgyne and mother of god considerynge and depely weaynge in her herte all the paynes and passion of her sonne Christ morned with hym mornyng sorowed with hym sorowyng she stode nyghe vnto the crosse that he myghte be all hole fixed to her in her herte that was fixed for her vpon the crosse This sorowfull and louynge mother when Christe dyd se he was moued with great compassion vpon her she had compassyon of his passyon and he agayne had more sorowe for compassion of her sorowe So blessed lady thy sonne shotte at the the same arowe or darte of loue that thou dyd shote at hym and therfore he sayth in his canticles Vulnerasti cor meuÌ„ soror mea in vno contuitu oculorum tuorum Thou hast wounded my herte O my syster my spouse my doughter and my mother thou haste wounded my hert in the sight of thyne eyen And she in lyke maner myght say the same to her sonne Christe knewe wele the great sorowes of his mothers hert he knewe the heuines of her soule and those sorowes whiche she felte not at his birth they were nowe doubled to her in his passyon and deth for her sonne in lyke maner suffred double sorowe vpon the crosse that is for his awne passion and also for compassion of his mother And this sorowe for his mother was not his leste sorowe and therfore coÌ„ueniently it is assigned as a specyall article of the passion of Christe for the compassion of his mother dyd greatly encrease the paynes of his woundes and passyon whome he dyd se stande nigh the crosse with a most sorowfull with weapynge eyen great abundance of teares flowynge frome her eyen with a most heuy countenaunce with a lamentable voyce and in all the powers and strengthes of her bodye fayntynge for great sorowe and heuynes Yet for all these panges he se her stande constantlye and perseuerantlye and also strongly lyke a man neuer flyenge from hym O howe ofte suppose you dyd that blyssed vyrgyne sighe and sobbe saynge in her selfe O my sonne Iesus who maye graunte to me that fauour that I myght dye for the or with the. O my swete sonne Iesu c. as ye shal se herafter in the .lxiiii. article O how ofte thynke you dyd she lyfte vp her virginall and shamefaste eyen vnto those cruell woundes of her sonne if at any tyme she withdrewe them frome the sight of those woundes or els if she myght beholde them for her continuall weapynge O howe ofte tymes beleue you myghte she haue swoned for the vehemence of her sorowes for she suffred more cruell sorowes and panges than the panges of deth and so she lyuynge continuallye was in dyenge and yet coulde not dye for she was preserued by her sonne that she shulde not dye for his deth And thus Christ when he se his mother and his disciple whome he loued standynge that is Iohan the euangelist commended or assigned his mother to his disciple Iohan saynge his thyrde that he spake vpon the crosse Mulier ecce filius tuus woman beholde there thy sonne who may heare Christ speake these wordes without weapynge He dyd not name her or cal her mother for that shuld haue moch more greuouslye tormented her after this Christe sayde to hys disciple Iohan Ecce mater tua Beholde there thy mother And when he spake these fewe wordes both those .ii. derbeloued that is Marie and Iohan wepe full bitterly those .ii. holy martirs kepte silence for theyr sorowe was so greate that they could not speake And from that houre forward this disciple Iohan toke Marie as his mother or els he toke her in to his cure and diligence to prouyde for her in all thynges as for
our lord Iesu in the begynnyng of his passion after his last supper did wyllyngly take so great heauines that he his selfe sayd vnto his disciples Tristis est anima mea vsque ad mortem My soule is heuy vnto the death And this heuines he toke vpon hym that by it which he suffred īnocently he myght take frome vs that euerlastyng heuines which we had deseruyd for our synnes and also that he myght gyue to vs eternal ioy and gladnes Also we by our synnes deseruyd to be perpetually subdued vnder y e power and thraldom of the dyuell and so to be committed to the eternall prison of hell But our lorde in his blessyd passion suffred hym selfe to be taken prisonar that he by his sufferyng innocently that captiuitie myght therby delyuer vs from the power and captiuitie of the dyuell and also preserue vs from that most darke prison of hell and restore vs vnto the libertie of the childerne of god Moreouer we by our synnes deseruyd to be perpetually associate and accōpanyed with the dyuels and other dampned soulys Agaynst this our sauiour Iesu wold be associat with theuys and wold be accompted as one of thē that he myght bye vs from the cumpaygnie of dampned soulys and from the feloweshyp of dyuels and so to make vs the chyldern of god and felowes of aūgells He to whom al the glorie of heuyn doth serue and which only of hym selfe is all beautie and glorie wold suffre shamys rebukes and mockynges that he myght redeme vs from confusion and etarnall derision of dyuels and theyr rebukes and also that he myght reuoke and bryng vs agayne to the glorie of heuyn which we lost by our synne He that onely hath power to louce and bynde of his great mercy wold be bounde for vs that he myght louce vs from the bondes of our synnes and from al the paynes y t we deseruyd by our synnes And at last he suffred death innocently that by his death he myght destroy our eternall death and also gyue to vs eternall lyfe in glory And thus ye may vnder stonde of all other paynes of Christe For vniuersally to speake ther was no thyng vayne no thyng vnprofitable ī al his passion but euery payne that he suffred was ordenyd to take away from vs sum perpetuall euyll that we had deseruyd by our synnes and to merite and gyue to vs sum eternal goodnes that we had lost by our synne And therfore saynt Austen sayth Christ suffreth to my profit he is heuy for me he soroweth to my cōforth And the cause of these is this for he hath louyd vs eternally and hath desired to be louyd of vs agayne for loue can nat be recompensyd but by loue And hereunto also saynt Bernard sayth Myght nat our creatoure and maker repare his creature agayne or redeme hym without that gret difficulty hard paynes of his passion Yes he myght haue done it without payne if it had so pleased hym But he wold rather do it with his great iniurie and payne to wyn the loue of man and to gyue hym many and great causes of loue For this great difficultie and greuouse paynes that he suffred for our redemption shuld moue that person to gyue hym thankes which lityll regardyd the werke of his creasion bicause it was done so easly What thynke you sayd the vnkynd man of his creacion I was create and made lyghtly and frely without any payne or labour of my creatour and maker he onely spake the worde and I was creat as al other thynges ware So the wicked vnkyndnes of man lytyll regardyng the werke of his creasion shewed there matter of vnkyndnes where he shulde haue taken cause of loue But now the mouth of those wicked men be stopped For now it is more clere than the lyght what payne and labour thy lord god had o vnkynd man for thy redempcion Of a lorde he becam a seruant where he was riche he was made poore he beyng god toke vpon hym a mortall body and the son of god despised nat for the to be made y e son of man Remembre therfore thou vnkynd man though thou were made of nought yet thou wart nat redemyd of nought In .vi. dayes god made all the worlde and the o thou man amonges them all But .xxxiii. yere he labored continually with great paynes to werke thy health and saluacion What laboure had he in soueryng the incommodities of our nature as hunger thyrst heat colde and suche other What temptacions of the deuyll what slaunders rebukes despisynges mockynges beatynges with many greuouse paynes and at last most paynefull and shamefull death Therfore thou man be no more vnkynd but loue and thanke god and haue compassion of thy creatoure redemar and sauiour Amen ¶ How Christe descendyd vnto the helles The thyrd Chapitre AFter that our sauiour Iesus had gyuen vp his spirit and so was deed furthwith his soule vnit and knyt or ioyned vnto the godhed descendyd vnto the helles vnto the holy fathers that were there in prison and there stode with them Of this descension Damascen sayth thus The soule of Christe ioyned to his godhed descendyd vnto the helles that as he had bifore comforted them that were in the world aboue the erth so he myght shyne and comforte them that sat in darknes and in the shadowe of death He descendyd to comforte the holy faythers to glad them and to glorifie them For as shortly as he presentyd hym selfe to them they dyd se his godhed and so then they ware in paradise that is they had the clere syght of the godhed which is ioy and lyfe eternall Of this descension also saynt Austen in a certen sermon sayth thus Anon as Christe had gyuen vp his spirit his soule knyt to his godhed discendyd to y e deapnes of helles And whan he was cum to y t place of derkenes as a victoriouse captayne shynyng and terrible tho wicked hell houndes and legions of derknes beholdyng hym begane to enquire and say From whens cam this person so strong so terrible so shinyng and gloriouse That worlde which hath bene euer subdued to vs dyd neuer sende to vs such a deed person He neuer sent to vs suche gestes before this tyme. What is he that so boldly entreth in to our iurisdiction And nat onely he doth nat fear our tormentes but moreouer he dothe louce other frome our bondes Beholde and see howe they whiche ware wonte to weape and more ouer vnder oure tormentes nowe they rebuke vs and vpbrayde vs of theyr deliueraunce and saluacion And nat onely they in nothynge feare vs but moreouer they threten vs. There was neuer deed men so proud stubbourne borne agayst vs as these be Nor neuer myght any persones in captiuitie be so glad and ioyfull as these be O thou Lucifer our captayne why wold y u bryng this person vnto our place All thy myrth is paste all thy ioy is turned in to
nat departe thoughe the disciples went from thens for she was so kindled in the fyre of loue she was so burned with a ferueÌ„t desyre she was so wounded with inpacient loue y t nothyng was pleasant to her but onely weapyng So that she myght well saye the wordes of the prophete Dauid Fuerunt mihi lacrime mee panes die ac nocte My teares ware to me my breade or meate bothe by the nyght and the day whan it was sayd to me dayly where is thy god She had lost her mayster whom she loued so syngulerly that besydes hym she could loue no body nor trust to them She was so drowned in his loue he was so moche in her mynde that in a maner she was inseÌ„sible to al other thyngê Whyles she thus weapt for the absence of Christes body she oftymes inclyned and bowed downe her body lokyng in to the sepulcre where as the body was leyd she had lost y e lyfe of her soule therfore she thought it better for her to dye than to lyue for she peraduenture deynge myght fynd hym whome she myght nat fynde lyuyng And thus weapyng I say she loked oftymes into y e graue for as saynt Gregorie sayth It is nat sufficient for a louer to loke ones for the feruour of loue encreaseth the desyre of searchyng or lokyng And at last whan she so loked she dyd se with her bodely yen .ii. Angels sittyng in whyt garmeÌ„tê which sayd to her why dost thou weap thou hast no cause to weape but rather to ioye of Christes Resurrection he is nat here he is arysen Than she supposyng that they ware men and nat Angels sayd to them shewyng the cause of her weapyng they haue takeÌ„ away my lorde and I knowe nat where they haue put hym for she se the stone takeÌ„ away and therfore she thought that somme other body had stollen the body of Christ and borne it to somme other place And whan Mary Magdalen dyd thus contynue in her sorowe and weapynge and nothynge regardynge the Angels her mooste louynge mayster Christe coulde absente hym selfe no lengar from her Than she turned her selfe about that she myght se Iesus for byfore that her backe was towarde hym and that was to signifie y e doutfulnes of her soule for she belyued nat that he was rysen from death vnto lyfe therfore her backe was towarde the face of our lorde But yet for asmoche as she loued hym thoughe she douted of his Resurrection therfore she dyd se hym and dyd nat knowe hym She se hym but nat in his glorious forme or body for as yet she dyd nat belyue that he was rysen And so he appered to her after that maner in his body as he was in her mynde and soule And than Iesus sayd to her Mulier quid ploras quem queris woman why weapest thou whome dost thou seach he doth nat aske this of any ignorance but y t hearyng her answer he myght more conueniently instructe her in the fayth And as saynt Gregory sayth He asked the cause of her sorowe to kyndle and augment or encrease her loue and desyre that whaÌ„ she shuld name hym whom she loued her loue shuld be more ferueÌ„t towardes hym And note here that Iesus appered to her in the likenes of a gardiner that very conueniently For he was to her a spiritual gardyner for he labored to plucke out the thornes and weades of infidelite and vices and to sow and plante in the garden of her soule the grene seades of fayth and vertue by the vertue of his feruent loue Suche office suche operation suche exercise and suche interpretacion of her name is conuenient for begynners or penitentes For it is coÌ„uenient that a penitent vse hym selfe as a gardyner that is that he pull out by the rootes al vices and plante in his soule vertues and also that he haue contricion accordyng to the fyrst interpretacion of this name Maria As we shewed in the chapitre next byfore this And than this blyssed woman as in a maner dronke in loue answered to Iesus as to a gardyner Domine si tu sustulisti eum dicito mihi êªc Syr if thou hast takeÌ„ hym away tell me wher he is that I may go and take hym A meruelous boldnes of this womaÌ„ for she was nat afrayd of y e syght of a deed body and wold also attempte to beare a deed cors the which far passed her power But she thought that she could do it for there is nothyng to hard to a louyng soule And than our lorde Iesus hauyng coÌ„passion of her great sorowe and willyng no lenger to suffre her to weape called her by her proper name Bifore that he called her by a coÌ„meÌ„ name sayng mulier womaÌ„ thaÌ„ she knewe hiÌ„ nat but now whaÌ„ he said Maria furthwith she was turned both hert soule as she was byfore turned iÌ„ body as a good shepe knew y e voice of her and so she reuyued sayd to hym with vnspekable ioy O Raboni O mayster for so she was wont to call hym byfore his passion y u art he whome I saught and anon she ranne to hym and fallynge downe to his feet with great loue and deuocion wold haue embrased them and kyssed them as she was wont to do byfore by an vnperfyte affection to his manhode but our lorde as a spirituall gardyner willyng to plante true fayth in her hert and to lyft vp her soule to his godhed and heuenly thynges sayd to her Noli me tangere touche nat me in that erthly maner with thy bodely handes whome as yet thou hast nat touched with true fayth of hert And so he enstructe her in the true fayth of his godhed and resurrection Let vs now lerne of this Mary to loue Iesus to trust in hym to seache hym without ceasyng to feare none aduersities to receyue no consolacion or coÌ„forth but in Iesus to despise al thynges but Iesus A prayer O Moste swete mayster o moste swete Iesu howe good art thou to them that be clene in hert howe swete art y u to them that loue the. O howe happy ar they that seache the and fynde the howe blyssed ar they that trust in the It is truth that thou louyst all them that loue the thou neuer forsakest them that trust in the lo lord this Mary thy true louer of a good siple mynd she saught the and truly she fouÌ„d the she was not forsaken of the but she had more of the than she looked for I beseach the lorde graunt me to loue the to seache the and to trust in the y t I may deserue to fynde the and to be loued of the and neuer to be forsaken of the. Amen ¶ Howe Iesus appered to his disciples Thomas beyng also present The .vii. Chapitre THe .viii. day of his Resurection our lorde Iesus appered to his disciples Thomas beyng preseÌ„t with them For the fyrst day of his
Resurrection he appered to his disciples what tyme Thomas was there absent And whan Thomas was comme to theyr compaigney the disciples sayd to hym Vidimus dominum we haue sene our lorde and oure mayster and than Thomas sayd excepte I see the sygnes or the pryntes of the nayles in his handes and put my fynger in the holes and also put my hande into his syde I wyl nat belyue These wordes ware nat spoken of any malyce but rather of ignorance and of a great sorowe heuynes for that he had nat sene our lorde and therfore his louyng and godly maister Iesus wold nat leaue his louyng discyple in that blyndnes and heuynes but for to comforth hym and for to reforme his fayth it pleased hym to appere agayne Therfore whan his discyples ware gadred to gyther in y e mount of Syon where as he kept his mauÌ„dy or supper and also Thomas beyng with them the good shepherd and herdman Iesus diligent to comforth his lytell small flock cam vnto them the gates dores and wyndowes beyng shyt and so stode in the myddest of them that he myght be sene of them all and sayd to them Pax vobis Peace be to you And note here that there can neuer be peace in a comynalty except the prelate be in the myddest so that he be nat enclyned more to one part than to the other A pillar can neuer susteyne and bear vp the house if it be set nygh to y e wal and nat in the myddest and therfore the erth which is set in y e myddest of the world is vnmoueable to signifie that euery prelate or herde shulde nat be moued by any parcialite more to one persone than to an other Our lorde Iesus dyd oftymes shewe peace vnto his disciples dyd also coÌ„mend it and perswade them to haue it for without peace we can nat haue god the prophete to witnes whaÌ„ he sayth In pace factus est locus eius His place and abydyng is in peace Than Iesus said to Thomas Infer digitum tuuÌ„ huc et vide manus meas Put in thy fynger here se my haÌ„des put forth thy hande and thurst it in to my syde and be nat vnfaythfull but belyue Than Thomas toyched the signes of Christes wouÌ„des so byleued nat onely with his hert but also confessed it with his mouthe and sayd Dominus meus et deus meus Thou art my lorde after thy humanite for thou hast redemed me with thy preciouse blode thou art my god in thy diuinite for thou hast create me I doute in nothynge nowe but I am sure that thou art rysen from death to lyfe Than Iesus said to hym Quia vidisti me Thoma cre didisti beati qui non viderunt et crediderunt Thomas thou dost belyue bycause thou hast sene me blyssed be they that belyue and haue not sene In these wordes is not only affirmed the fayth of Thomas but also our fayth is moche commended and blessed and the errour of the heretikes confounded which sayd y t Christ had no true body And here se the goodnes and mercy of oure lorde howe that he wolde appere and shewe hym selfe with his woundes to saue one soule Also note here that the infinite wysdome and goodnes of god suffred Thomas to doute that the resurrection of Christ shuld be prouyd by euident and manyfest argumeÌ„tê or signes therfore Thomas douted y t we shuld not dout Herunto sayth saynt Gregory It was not of chaunce but of the ordynauÌ„ce of god that y e welbeloued disciple of Christ Thomas was absent whan Christ dyd fyrst appere that he hearyng of his resurrection shulde dowte he so dowtyng shuld feale and touche the places of the woundes of Christ and so fealyng shuld beleaue and that to expell al dowtfulnes from our hertes And so in fealynge or puttynge in his hande into the syde of Christe he cured in vs the woundes of our infidelite Also the incredulite or doutfulnes of Thomas dyd more profyt vs vnto oure faythe that the prompte and redy beleaue of the other disciples for by his dowtyng and fealyng our mynd is stablyshed in fayth all dowtes set a parte Mary Magdalen dyd lesse profyt to me by her swyft redy fayth than Thomas by his longe dowtyng for he touched the pryntes of his woundes and vtterly expelled from my soule the wounde of doutfulnes Our lorde of his great goodnes reserued the pryntes or signes of his woundes in his body after his resurrection Not for that he could not cure theÌ„ for he y t destroyed the power of death myght also haue cured put away those signes of death if it had pleased hym but he wold reserue them for dyuers causes Fyrst to confirme our fayth as ye se in Thomas Secondly for to shewe to his father whan he wyl pray for vs. And thyrdly to shewe them at the day of dome to the daÌ„pned people to theyr confusion And these tokens of his woundes ware in no thynge to the deformitie of his glorious body but rather as Crisostom sayth to his great beautie for they shone more bryght than the sonne And as saynt Austen sayth the tokens of the wouÌ„des that holy sayntes haue suffred here for Christe shall in heuen appere in theyr bodyes not to theyr deformite but to theyr glory as a starre in the firmament as a presiouse stone in a rynge as a flowre in the medowe ond as the red colour in a rose which be to the fairnes and beauty of these thynges and so be tho pryntes of theyr woundes in theyr bodyes to theyr glory and dignitie O thou louyng soule behold now thy lorde and consydre his wonte goodnes meaknes and feruent loue howe he sheweth his woundes to Thomas and to his other disciples to put away all blyndnes ignorauÌ„ce froÌ„ theyr soules for theyr profyt and oures also Our lorde stode there with them a lytel whyle speakyng comfortable wordes of y e kyngdom of glory And his disciples stode with hym iÌ„ great gladnes hearyng his godly wordes beholdyng his face full of fauour beauty and glory Beholde them howe they stande about hym And stande thou reuereÌ„tly with ioy beholdyng them a far of if paraduenture our lord moued of pytie and mercy wyl cause the to be called thoughe thou of thy selfe be not worthy that compaygny At last Iesus sayd vnto them that they shuld goo into Galile and there he wold appere vnto them accordyng vnto his promisse And so he blessed them and departed froÌ„ them And they remayned in great comforth but yet moche desyrous to se hym agayne A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe which shewed vnto Thomas y t douted of thy resurrection the places of the nayles and the spear hathe reuoked hym from errour by the puttynge in of his fynger into the holes of thy haÌ„des and of his hande into thy syde grauÌ„t to me that I hauyng euer the
her virginall wombe Nay suerly if we wyll forsake our syn and cum faythfully to them Therfore let vs wretches ioy with y e holy spirites and soules in heuen and with al creatures as moch as we may and let vs study and labour to laude and prayse so gloriouse so mercifull a mother and virgyne as far as our infirme frayle nature wyl suffre The assumpcion of this gloriouse virgyn was figured in the old lawe when as the arke of god was translate in to the house of kynge Dauid At which tyme kynge Dauid dyd harpe and daunce before the arke of god and so brought it in to his house with great ioy It was also figured in the mother of Salomon for whom he made a trone next vnto his trone and set her therin sayng aske of me what thou wilt It is nat conuenient or seamyng for me to deny it to the. Also it was figured by the woman which saynt Iohan speaketh of in his reuelacions sayng Signum magnum apparuit in celo Mulier amicta sole et luna sub pedibus eius c. A great signe apperyd in heuyn A woman clad or coueryd with the son and the mone vnder her feet and a crowne of .xii. sterres vpon her heade This woman signifieth our Lady which when she was assumpte vnto heuyn was clade or compassyd about with the son that is with the glorie of the diuinitie of Christe The mone was vnder her feet for she despised the world and worldly thynges signified by the mutable mone She had a crowne of .xii. sterres vpon her heed for the .xii. apostles ware present at her death or elles It signifieth her vnspeakeable glory For these consideracions all men shulde crie and call vnto our lady Mary shuld name Mary shulde loue her aboue all other creatures Both yong and olde man and woman euery profession shulde diligently call vpon Mary When by our syn we haue offendyd god the highe kynge of glorie when we haue lost the cumpaigney of all holie aungelles and sayntes in heuyn when also we be greuouse and moch paynfull to our selfe know nat what to do and whether to go for helpe then this onely remedy haue we wretched synners that we may lifte vp our ien of our soule and body vnto the o mercifull mother Mary for counsell and healpe Therfore o pitifull Lady intend to vs that we may receyue that profitte and effecte for the which our Lord god was made man in thy most chaste wombe and so liuyd here amonges men and at last suffred death for the health and saluacion of man To the blessyd Mary we commende vs procure for vs and defend vs that we do nat perish euerlastyngly Amen A prayer O Lord the gyuer of ioy the graunter of solace the diligent releuer of the desolate person the chaser away of all heuines and sorowe which haste gladdyd make ioyfull the most blessed virgyn Mary thy mother the glasse of thy maiestie the solace of aūgelles the ymage of thy goodnes the begynner of our helth thou hast gladdyd her I say w t manyfold ioyes both ī heuen and in erth I beseach the graunt to me thy suppliant that I which presume to com trustely and faythfully to her as to the well and fountayne of ioy in all my sorowes trobles may by her merites and prayers feale and receyue the effecte of her prayers and comforth in this present life and finally to cum to that ineffable ioy to y e which she assūpte ioyeth with y e eternally in heuyns Amen ¶ Of the last iudgement and of the cummyng of the Iudge to the same the .xi. Chapiter WE reade in scripture of .ii. cōmynges of Christe Fyrst is past that was when he cam to be cum man and in our nature of his manhod suffred death for y e redempcion of man Seconde shal be when he shall com to iudge all man kynd And the condycions of the iudge in this commynge be contrary vnto his condycions in his fyrst commyng for then he cam in great meaknes with the cōpaignye and felowshyp of very poore people his apostles and in his propre infirmitie and feblenes But contrarywyse to y e iudgement he shall cum in great power and maiestie with the compaigney of angelles and in his great dignitie as a iudge Herunto Beda sayth He that fyrst cam in the forme and meakenes of a seruant to be iudged and also condempned shall here after com to iudge the worlde in the great maiestie of his deitie And that shal be manifestly and openly nat hid in a mortal body as byfore that tho persons that contempned hym in his humilitie and mortalitie shuld now know hym in his power and maiestie And then he shall syt vpon the seet of his maiestie And there shall all people be gadred byfore him as byfore theyr iudge And he shal separate and diuide them a sondre as the herd man diuideth the shepe from y e gootes In the day tyme he keapeth them to gedre in y e pasture but in the euyntyde he doth seuer them a sondre So in this present life both the good persons and also y e euyll ben fedde to gedre in the church militante but in the euyntyde of death or of the worlde Christe shall seauer the good from the euyll as shepe fro the gootes In the shepe is vnderstand the innocency of good men for theyr simplicitie myldnes and fruytfulnes And in the gootes is noted the frowardnes of euyll men for theyr filthynes stynche stubbernes and barennes And Christe shall set the shepe or good men on his ryght syde and the gootes on his lefte syde that by the same orderyng in the ryght or left syde euery person may knowe to whom mercy shal be shewyd and to whom eternall payne remayneth And the good men be conueniently set on the ryght hand for they at theyr death ware founde on the ryght part that is hauynge charitie and good workes And the euyll men also be conueniētly set on the left hande for they wolde nat folow the ryght parte by doyng of good werkes for y e loue of god Tho be on the lefte part which here loue temporall vayne thynges Tho be on the ryght parte which here loue eternall thynges And then shall Christe recounte and remembre the werkes of mercy vnto the good men on the ryght hande whiche they dyd to Christe in his membres and so shal say thus Venite benedicti patris mei c. Com ye belssyd chylderne of my father possesse and receyue ye the kyngdom prepared for you byfore the begynnyng of the world I was hungry and ye fedde me I was thristy and ye gaue me drynke I was without lodgyng and ye harbored me I was seake and ye dyd visite me I was in prison and ye cam to me I was naked and ye clothed me Then the good and iuste persones as fliynge theyr owne commendacions and
praysynges shall aske when they dyd any such thynge to hym And Christe shall say to them truly I say to you as ofte as ye dyd any of these thynges vnto one of these my leste bredren ye dyd it to me Tho be his bredren that fulfyll the wyll of his father in heuyn they be also called the leste for that they be meke and in this life abiecte or dispised And note here that though we spake here but of .vi. werkes of mercy that is bicause there be no mo remembred by our sauiour Christ in the gospell of Mathewe yet we say coÌ„monly that there be .vii. werkes of mercy and truth it is for the .vii. is to bury the deed bodyes which is taken of the boke of Toby for he vsed the same to his great rewarde and our example And these .vii. werkes be conteyned in this verse Visito poto cibo tego redimo colligo condo So that euery word noteth one werke of mercy The fyrst worde Visito noteth the visityng of them that be seke Second Poto to gyue drynke to y e thristy Thyrd Cibo to fede the hungry Fourth Tego to couer the naked Fyfth Redimo to redeame the prisoner Syxt Colligo to lodge the harborles Seuenth Condo to bury the deed Also the iudge shall say to them that be on y e lefte hand Discedite a me maledicti in ignem eternum c. Depart from me you cursed people in to euerlastynge fyre which is prepared for the deuyll and his aungelles I was hungry and ye wold nat feade me I was thristy and ye gaue me no drynke and so all the other .vi. forsaid werkes of mercy Then the euyll men shall answere Lord when dyd we se the hungry thristy naked seke herborles or in prison and we haue nat conforted the Then our lord shall say when ye wold nat do these thynges to one of these onys ye wold nat do it to me And here note that this question mouyd by the good or euyll persons doth nat procede of any ignorance for the iuste and good persons shal know that y e werkes of mercy done to the membres of Christe in his name and for his loue he reputeth those good dedes as done to hym selfe also they know that they shall haue a great reward therby And in like maner the euyll persons shall knowe that they shal be dampned for the contrary And therfore they asked nat that question of any ignoraÌ„ce but it is a question of great admiration and meruell for y e greatnes of grace and glorie whiche shal be gyuen to the iuste people for those good werkes and also for the intollerable myserie and payne that shall fall vpon the euyll persons for theyr hardnes and vnmercifulnes And so hard iudgement without mercy shal be done to hym that wold shewe or do no mercy What shall they deserue that steale and rauishe other mennys goodes sythe they be eternally dampned which wyll nat gyue theyr owne goodes in almosse If the vnmerciful people shal suffre so greuouse paynes what shall they suffre that be cruell And note here as Crisostom sayth that the payne of euyll persons is euerlastyng and so is the rewarde of good men For as eternall synnes don passe for y e acte or doyng after that they be don but yet there remayneth the gylt or offence towardes god which shal be punished So good werkes don for the loue of god don passe to speake of the acte or dede but yet they remayne in theyr merite so to be rewardyd of god Also saynt Hierom sayth thou wyse reader attende and remeÌ„bre diligently that both the paynes of hell be eternall and also the glorie of heuyn for that life shall haue no feare of decay or death And therfore the euangelist sayth that the euyll men shall go to eternall fyre and the iuste men to euerlastynge life and ioy of heuyn which was prepared for them byfore the begynnynge of the worlde for therunto they ware predestinate And note wele here that the predestination of god is nat the necessarie cause of thy saluation For the predestination of god is euer condicionally that there is no thyng predestinate but vnder som coÌ„dicion as it was predestinate that the worlde shulde be sauid but that was by the death of the son of god and by the watre of baptisme so that they wold receyue it and liue therafter Also all good and iuste men be predestinate to glorie eternall yet with this condicion if they contine we in true fayth charitie humilitie or meknes pacience mercie pitie with other vertues the operacion of them whom our lord doth predestinate to life euerlastyng he seeth knoweth byfore that they shal haue such vertues as if in his predestinacion he myght say to them I do predestinate you to glorie if ye haue such vertues if ye keape my commaundimentes c. Who so wyll nat keape goddes commaundymentes wyl nat continue in fayth with charitie and good werkes c. he shall nat com to the end of predestinacion that is to the glory of heuyn for he wyl nat keape the condicion therof Therfore do nat ouermoch attend and trust to the predestinacion of god which thou knowes nat but rather attend to the wordes of god which thou heris and knowis For as god is true and can nat be chaungeable so his wordes be true and can nat be chaunged But let vs here what be those wordes of god The prophet Ezechiel sayth in the person of god Nolo mortem impij sed vt conuertatur a via sua et viuat Si autem impius egerit poenitentiam ab omnibus peccatis suis et custodierit omnia precepta mea vita viuet I wyll nat sayth almyghty god the deth of a synner but rather that he be conuertyd from his syn and liue in grace for if the synner do penaunce or be sory for all his synnes that he hath don keape all my preceptes and do true iudgement and iustice he shalliue here in grace he shall nat dye eternally Also he sayth Qui crediderit et baptisatus fuerit saluuus erit He that beleuith and is baptised and so continueth in that true fayth and promise made at his baptisme he shal be saued Also he sayth Si vis ad vitam ingredi serua mandata If thou wylt cum to lyfe euerlastyng keape the commaundimentes And in an other place Christ sayth Si dimiseritis homnibus pecata eorum dimittet vobis pater meê° pecata vestra If ye forgyue to other men theyr offensis don to you my heuenly father shall forgyue to you your synnes In these wordes and many other lyke standeth our predestinacion to lyfe or our reprouyng to death euer lastyng And loke for none other predestinacion If thou keape these saynges of god thou shal be sure Therfore say nat as many vnwyse persons say I am predestinate of god to be
The Myrrour or Glasse of Christes Passion ⧠⧠⧠HH The Preface ¶ To the honorable lorde Husey My lorde accordyngly vnto your desyre I haue traÌ„slated your boke put it into our natyue mother tongue as my simple wit and power lernyng wold suffer me And though it be nat so well done as I surely knowe many other myght can haue done it if it wolde haue pleased your lordship to haue deâ—yred theÌ„ and if also it wold haue lyked them to haue taken that labour yet I trust I haue so done that it may be comforth to the readers hearers or at the leste I haue gyuen occasion to ordre to amend and performe that I rudely and barbarously set forward Surely my lorde the chyefe cause of this my labour was for that I thought this boke shulde be moche profytable to the readers and edefyeng to all that wolde diligently hear it And to say the treuth I know no thynge more comfortable to man For amonges all the exercyses that helpe the spirite to obteyne the loue of god and specially to hym y t wolde begyn vse a spiritual lyfe no thynge is thought always more frutful thaÌ„ the continnal meditacion of the passion of our lorde god Iesus Christ for the exercyses of all other spirituall meditacions may be reduced and brought vnto this As by an example If a man desyre to bewayll and weape for his vices and synnes for his vnkyndnes and vilenes if he couit to purge amend his negligence defautes he shall fynde none more vehement and redy meane to pricke hym forwarde to his intent than to remembre the most innoceÌ„t death and passion of his redeamer that is to consyder what bitter paynes he suffred for man to spare and kepe man from payne eternall wherafter Iustice he shulde haue rather dampned man for his synnes And here man may see both the Iustice and also the mercy of god Man may coÌ„syder in hym selfe the great mercy of god in that god wold forgyue and ê‘don hym of his synnes He may also perceiue the iustice of god in his owne synnes whiche god dyd correcte punysshe accordyng to iustice in hym selfe bycause he wold nat suffre theÌ„ vnpunished And thus in this meditacion man may fynde how to weape and mourne for his synnes for the which the son of god was bet wouÌ„dyd and crucified and all that god suffred to cure man of his synnes kepe hym from eternall payne Here may also man bewayle his owne vnkyndnes consyderyng how vnkyndly he rendreth to so faythfull a louer so many yuell dedes contrary to goddes pleasure and also dayly contemptes and despysynges for his tendre loue and kyndnes and for his manyfolde gyftes which man dayly receyueth of hym Morouer this coÌ„templacion of the death of Christ indureth man both to hope and to fear wherby he may be releaued of two temptacyons â—or if the enormitie of his synnes moue any man to dispaire he hathe here in this exercise wherby to put away his synnes and to make satisfactioÌ„ for them he hath here wherof to redeme hiÌ„selfe y t is y e blode deth of his lorde god therfore he nede nat to feare his synnes if he so ordre hym selfe y t he dye with Christ dye I say from synne and ryse in a new lyfe And on the other parte it man be vexed by presumpcion or vayne lyghtnes and myrth without the fear of god he hath here how to abate his vayne myrth coÌ„syderyng how that heueÌ„ was shyt from the moste holy frendes of god by many yeres ye aboue .iiii. thousand yeres and how that the glory of god was denyed to maÌ„ or at the least differred by so many yeres vnto the tyme that our lorde and sauiour Iesus whiche neuer dyd synne suffred death for our synne so that no maÌ„ may come to that glory but by payne thus shall mannes vayne myrth be put downe If peraduenture man be dull and slouthfull to all goodnes where shall he haue a more spedy remedy to pricke forwarde his dulnes than to coÌ„sydre how his lorde god moste pure innocent man suffred so greuouse paynes for hym Some man wold peraduenture exercise him selfe in his owne knowlege and so to come to meknes But I pray you where shall he haue a better occasion therunto thaÌ„ to ponder and way the difformite and great difference of his owne study and labour and shortly the ordre of his hole lyfe and of the labour lyfe of Iesus Christ that is remembre man howe coÌ„trarie thy lyfe is to his wyl pÌ„ceptes how vnlike to his vertues how farre froÌ„ his ensaÌ„ples remeÌ„bre maÌ„ how frayle thou art redy to fal how vnstable in all thy good purposes how vnredy or rather loth to folowe thy lorde howe vnapte to all goodnes As euery man may dayly se in hym selfe Forthermore if maÌ„ wold be enflamed to loue god where may he haue better help than by this exercise for if it be natural to rendre loue for loue and the loue of god was neuer more openly shewed to man than in his redemption that is in the passion and death of our redeamer Christ Iesus it is than manifest that by this remembraunce of his passion a man is moste strongly excited and moued to loue god And if man desyre to be pricked forward in that loue let hym remembre the benefites of god which be as signes tokens of his loue And these benefites most euidently appere in his passion as ye shall more clerely se in this boke At last if man desyre that all his lyfe be continuall and perpetuall prayer and that he wold haue his herte euer lyfted vp to god and his deuotion or feruour euer renewed he shal neuer get it more easly than by the remembraunce of the lyfe and passion of his lorde god for there he may haue in euery worde acte behauiour and paine that Christ spake dyd vsed and suffred how to be compuncte and sory in hert how to be conforted in spirite For in the consyderation of them now he may wepe by compassion Now by gyuyng thankes he may haue swete affections Nowe he may desyre to be confourmed vnto hym and to his wyl Now he may labour and wysshe to be holly transfourmed into hym Thus may man go from one exercise vnto an other to auoyde tediousnes and so euer to be iÌ„ prayer And shortly to coÌ„clude there is no kynde of spirituall exercise but that it may be founde in the lyfe passion of Christ or els by moste pleantuouse fruyte it may be reduced and applied to it And this shall better appere in the fyrst parte of this boke the thyrde ê‘tycle Nowe my lorde I haue shewed what was the pryncypall cause mouyng me to accoÌ„plysh your desyre and if I may perceyue that ye or ony other take profyt therby I shall gyue prayses to god from whom all goodnes commeth and I beseache iour lorship to pray
embrace and halse hym He wolde be pale in face and inclyne his heed downe for feblenes with Christe and Christe cōfortably lyftynge vp his heed doth most swetly kysse hym And therfore saynt Barnarde sayth O good Iesu we beleue and so it is that who so bereth thy crosse he bereth thy glory And he that bereth thy glory he bereth the. And hym y t bereth the thou bereth vpon thy sholdre Thy sholdre is stronge and very hygh for it recheth vnto the fete of the father in heuen aboue all the orders of aungels aboue all principates potestates vertues Thither thou reducest or bryngest agayne the wanderynge shepe that dyd erre from the flocke that is mankynde the whiche by his synne was put out of Paradyse Good lorde I may compasse go about and serche both heauen and erth the see and the lande no where shal I fynde the but in the crosse There thou slepest there thou fedest there thou restest in the hete of the day In this crosse my soule is lyfted vp from the erth and there it gathereth the swete apples vpon the tree of lyfe In this crosse the soule cleuynge fast to her lorde god doth swetely synge and say Susceptor meus es tu gloria mea et exaltans caput meum Thou arte my defēdour my glory and thou exalteth vp my heed that is my soule from the consideration of all vayne transitory thynges vnto the meditacion of thyn vnspeakable goodnes shewed vnto man vpon the crosse O most amyable deth O moste delectable deth of the most noble body of our lorde Iesu Christe from whome I wolde neuer be seperate but in hym to make thre tabernacles one in his handes another in his fete and the thirde in the woūde of his syde There I wyll rest and slepe eate and drynke rede and pray and there I wyll perfourme all my besynes that I haue to do There I shall speake vnto his herte and optayne of hym what so euer is nedeful for me Thus doynge I may folow y e steppes of his most swete mother Marie whose soule y e swerde of sorowe dyd thyrle perse at the deth of her sone If I be thus woūded with Christe I may from hensforth suerly speke to her moue her in al my necessites and she wyl nat denye me bycause she seeth me crucified with her sonne Christe ¶ Here foloweth an example of this exhortation WE may take an example of this exhortation to remēbre the passion of Christ in the boke called Speculum hystoriale Vincentij of certayne singuler persones whiche had this special grace We rede there that in the partes of the Dioces called Leodin̄ a noble deuout preest called Iacobus de Vitriaco the whiche afterwarde was the bysshop of Tusculane and cardinall and this holy man se there diuerse women of so meruaylous affection and so feruent in the loue of god through the continuall remēbraunce of the passion of Christe that by that feruent loue and desyre they were so seke that by many yeres they coulde nat ryse out of theyr beddes but very seldome hauynge none other cause of sekenes or disease but onely the said feruent loue For their hertes by y e continuall remembraunce of the infinite charite of god shewed in the passion of Christe were so relented by that meditation that the more that they were cōforted in soule the more seke weyke they were in theyr bodyes saynge cryeng in herte though for shame they durst nat speke in wordes the sayng of the spouse in the canticles Fulcite me floribus stipate me malis quia amore langueo Comforte me with flowres strength me with apples or other frutes for I am seke or languysshe for loue And in some of these women a meruaylous thyng it myght be perceyued sensibly howe that whan theyr soule in a maner melted throughe the vehemence of loue theyr chekes and the coloure of them sensibly fayded and fel away In other of them throughe the swete consolations that they receyued in theyr soules there redoūded in to their mouthes a pleasaunt taste as if it had ben of hony or other swete meat and that they felte sensibly And so it retresshed them both corporally and spiritually and this taste also moued them to swete teares and preserued or kepte theyr hertes in deuotion Some of them also receyued so great grace of wepynge in deuotion that as ofte as god was in theyr herte by remembraunce of his goodnes so ofte the ryuers of teares flowed from theyr eyen by inward deuotion so that the steppes or pryntes of the teares dyd afterwarde appere in theyr chekes thorough the custome of wepynge And here note a meruaylous thyng that the wepyng or teares dyd nat hurt their brayne or heed as it doth comenly in al other persones but rather in them it comforted theyr myndes with a full plentuous deuotion It made swete or pleasaūt theyr spirites with a swete vnction of grace It meruaylously refresshed their bodyes and it gladded al y e hole cōgregation of y e seruaūtes of god there ¶ More ouer we rede in the same boke of an holy and deuoute woman called Maria de Ogines of whome the forsayde mayster Iacobus de Vitriaco beynge in great feruoure of deuotion cryed with a lowde voyce vnto almyghty god sayng O lord god thou arte very good to them that trusteth in the thou arte faythfull to thy seruauntes that truste and abyde thy promisses Thy hand mayde good lord hath dispised and forsaken for thy loue thonour of the worlde with all the pleasures of the same and thou accordyngly vnto thy promisse in scripture hath rendred and gyuen to her an hundreth tymes more in this worlde and also euerlastyng lyfe in the kyngdome of glorye The fyrst fruites or begynnynge of her loue to the was the remembraunce of thy crosse passion and deth For on a certayne day when she preuented with thy grace and mercyfully visited by the considered the great benefites whiche thou of thyn vnspeakable goodnes shewed vnto man kynde in workynge our redemption she founde or opteyned so great grace of compunction and suche abundaunce or copye of teares in thy crosse and passion that we myght haue traced or folowed her thorowe the churche by her teares that fel on y e groūde from her And of a longe tyme after that she had this swete visitation and grace of teares she myght neyther see nor beholde the ymage of the crucifix nor yet speke or here other speke of the passion of Christe but forthwith she fel in swowne Wherfore that she might somwhat tempre and abate that great passion and sorowe and restrayne thaboundaunce of her wepynge she lefte the consideration of thumanite or manheed of Christe and tourned her mynde holly to the meditation of the maiestye and godheed of Christe that in his eternitye and inpassibilytye she myght fynde some consolation and comforth But where she thought and laboured to haue
stopped and restrayned the floode of her teares there rose and sprang maruailously greater abundauÌ„ce of teares For when she considered of what glorie and dignitie he was that wolde suffer so vyle and shamfull deth for our redemption then her sorowe was renewed in her and her soule so relented for deuout compuÌ„ction that moche more plentye of teares departed from her and moche more ye may see in the sayde boke if it please you ✚ ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christ the sonne of the liuynge god for thyn vnspeakable pitye and the moste excellent lyfe of the moste holy mother Marie and for the merites of saynt Francisce and of al thy sayntes graunt we beseche the vnto vs most wretched synners vnworthy any of thy benefites that we myght loue the alone and euer be burnynge or feruente in thy loue and that we might continually magnifie the werke of our redemption that we myght euer desyre thy honour and dayly bere and remembre in our herte the benefyte of thy passion that we myght knowe and consydre our miserye and continually desire to be dispised aud rebuked for thy loue so that nothynge shulde comforth vs and abide in our hertê but thy deth and passion and nothynge displease or trouble vs but our owne synne and wretchednes Amen ¶ Of the meane and maner of the remembraunce of the passion of Christe The second particle HOwe I shall shewe vnto yowe howe we shulde vse and exercise our self in the passion of Christe In the whiche vii tymes in the day at the leeste euery christiane shuld exercise hym selfe accordyngly to the sentence or mynde of saynt Barnard sayng The coÌ„tinual or dayly lesson of a christi ane shulde be the remembraunce of the passion of Christe For there is nothynge that so moche kyndeleth the hert of man as the manheed of Christ and the ofte and deuout remembraunce of his passion Howe this may be we shall perceyue it in this maner That is this who so euer wyll ê“fite in the meditation of Christê passion let hym ordre hym selfe as if Christe were put to all the paynes of his deth and passion in his presence and so let hym considre depely diligeÌ„tly and with deliberation al the poyntes of his passion therunto fixe his hole mynde perseuerantly leuynge and settynge a parte all other cures and busines with drawinge hym selfe with as great diligeÌ„ce as he can from all superfluouse meatê and drynkes and from all dilycates from al fyne garmentes and softe beddes from all vayne sportes lyghtnes from vayne ioy and from all vayne and ydle speche For all these and suche other lyke ben clene contrarie to the frutefull remeÌ„braunce of Christes passion as we shall she we more clerly herafter And therfore it is necessarie that if a man wyll profyt herein that he thynke hym selfe as yf he were presente at the passyon of Christe and so ordre and behaue hym self in his speche in his sight in his sorowyng and in al his other outwarde actes as if he sawe before his face Christe hyngynge on the crosse If a man thus order hym selfe Christe crucifyed shal be spiritually with hym and in his presence as he thynketh in his owne mynde and so shall gladly behold his dedes and thoughtes and also gratiously accepte his vowes and promysses But take hede that this remembraunce be nat soone lost and shortly put away specially whan deuotion and tyme wyl serue with conuenient oportunitye and se that this remeÌ„braunce be with a faythful and herty maner and with a mournyng coÌ„passion For suerly yf this most swete and pleasaunt tree of the crosse be nat affectuously louyngly chewed with the teethe of feruent deuotion the sauour therof though in it selfe it be very delicious shal neuer moue the. And if thou can nat wepe with Chryst that wepte for the and sorowe with hym that sorowed for the at the leest thou ought to ioy in hym and to render thankes to hym with a deuout herte for his manifold benefytes gyuen to the without any thyng deseruynge And if thou felest thy selfe noder moued vnto compassion nor yet to gyue thankes with a feruent desyre vnto god for his benefites but rather depressed with an hard herte in the sayd remeÌ„braunce neuer the lesse with that same hard herte ronne vnto the holsome remembraunce of Christes passion and gyue suche thankes to god as thou may for that tyme. And that which thou can nat haue nor felyst nat in thy selfe committe in to the handes of his most mercifull goodnes And if yet thou continue in thy stubbernes and harde herte for perauenture thy herte is tourned in to the hardnes of a Dyamant whiche can neuer be broken but with the hote blode of a gote as Plinius sayth in his naturall historie here I offer shewe vnto the the greate copie and plentie of blode of the gote and also of a lambe incontaminate vnspotted or vndefyled Iesu Christe which is very hote and burnynge with an incomparable feruent loue and charitye whiche thorough the strength of his heet hath broken and dissolued that harde and Dyamant wall of enmitie which the synne of our fyrst parentes and also our actuall synnes hath made and put bytwyxte god and man Wasshe or drowne thy selfe in the copiouse blode of this gote and lambe O thou Adamant herte and lye in it that thou may be made warme thou so heated or made warme may be molifyed or made softe and so molified may shed plentiously ryuers of teares Moyses smote twyse on the stone and brought suche plentye of water so smyte thy harde stony hert twyse that is with the inwarde hertye remembraunce of Christe passyon and withe the outwarde laboure of thy bodye as exexercysynge thy selfe in lyftynge vp thy handes or thy syght vnto the crucifixe in ofte knockynge on thy breste in deuoute genuflexions knelynges or peyne takynges or in exercysyng thy self in takyng disciplines or scurgyngê or in other lyke outwarde exercise and so coÌ„tinue vnto thou haue goten the grace of teares Wherby thy reasonable soule shal drynke the waters of deuotion And thy sensual or bestly bodye by thexperieÌ„ce therof shal be humbled and subdued vnto the reasonable soule ¶ The thirde particle howe we shulde fele in our selfe the passion of Christ and this ê‘ticle is deuided in to .v. chapitres firste is howe we shulde fele the passion of Christe in our vnderstandynge and reason SAynt Poule sayth Hoc sentite invobis quod et in Christo Iesu Fele and perceiue in your selfe that Christ Iesu â—elt that ye myght sucke drawe watres frome the fountayns of our sauiour For who so euer exercise them selfe faythfully in this passion they shal sucke drawe from thens al maner of graces as we said afore For suerly this exercise hath his diuers degrees wherby we may come to the perfeccion of all sanctitye or holynes Wherfore we ought accordyngly to thadmonicion of saint Poule fele in our selfe y
but that also the deuotion of the remeÌ„berer be enflamed by loue in his wyl And suerly yf our vnderstandynge do his diligence in the remembraunce of the said passion it shall shortly moue our affection And so the passion of our lord shall nat onely in our cogitacions be remeÌ„bred but also it shal inflame your wyl by compassion pitye Wherunto we be admonysshed by our lord saynge Pone me vt signaculum super cor tuum Put me sayth our lord as a seale vpon thy herte A seale as ye knowe if it be iÌ„prynted in to wax it leaueth in it his image So our lord wolde that his passion shuld be so imprinted in our hertes nat onely be ofte remembraunce but also by deuoute compassion that the prynt and image therof abyde in our affection and feruent desyre so that as Iesus Christe was made reed and blody on the crosse so our deuocion in vs may be made reed and feruent by the vertue of compassion And hereunto we be counselled by the wordes of Moyses saing Sumes de sanguine vituli et pones super coâ—nua altaris That thou shal take of the blode of the calf signifieng the blode of Christe and thou shal put it vpon the corners of the aulter that is vpon thy thoughtê affections with feruent remembrauÌ„ce of the blode of Christe And so we shal fulfyll the admonition of saynt Paule saynge as I sayde before Hoc sentite in vobis quod et in Christo Iesu Feale in your self that Christe Iesu felt And thus we may feele hym in our soule .ii. maner of wayes First by the bitter affection of compassion and that is when we remembre the passion of Christe with so great compassion that it bringeth forth of vs most bytter teares so y t suche a deuoute soule may say with the wise man O mors quam amara est me moria tua O deth howe bitter and sorowfull is thy remeÌ„braunce and specially the remembrauÌ„ce of the deth of Christe Secondly we may feele hym in our hertes or soules by the moste swete and pleasaunt affection of deuotion and that is when we remembre most inwardly depely the great loue and charite of Christ that wolde suffer so greuous paynes and shamefull dethe for so vyle wretches and vnkynde as we be And so this deuout remeÌ„brauÌ„ce bringeth forth of vs most swete teares of deuotion So that we may say that is writen in the boke of Iudith Fontes aquarum ob dulcorati sunt That is the bitter fountayns ben made swete and delectable A figure herof we rede in scripture where as our lord commaunded to Moyses to put a tree that was both longe and bitter in to the water that was so bitter that no man culde drynk therof and so therby the waters were made swet and delectable What is signified by this water but the passion of our lord which is so bitter and paynful that no man may taste therof And by this long and bitter tree is signified the longe and continual remembraunce Whiche if it be ioyned and put to the passion of our lord it shal make it swete and pleasaunt so that the more we taste of it by deuout remeÌ„braunce the more delectable it shal be to vs. And therfore our holy mother the churche sayth in a certen hympne Dulce lignum dulces clauos dulce pondus sustinet That is The swete tree of the crosse susteyneth and bereth a swete burden nayled fast with swete nayles For that whiche was most bitter and paynfull to our sauiour Iesu in his passion somtyme is moste delectable and comfortable to vs in our deuoute meditations These two maners of teares that is bitter and swete sprynge out of this deuout affection of the passion of our lorde And hereunto speaketh saynt Barnarde as we sayd a fore In the remeÌ„braunce of the paynes that my sauiour Iesu sufferd for me I drynke somtyme a draught of holsome bitternes And somtyme agayne I receyue the pleasaunt vnction or oyntment of deuoute consolation ¶ Howe we shuld fele Christes passion in our actes and dedes The thyrde Chapitre THyrdly we shulde fele the paynes of Christe in our effectes and outward operations That lyke as the deuout remembraunce of Christes passion enflameth our affection and loue inwardly so it myght appere be shewed outwardly in our warkes and lyuing Hereunto we be couÌ„seled by the wyse men sayng Prepara foris opus tuum That is to say Suche deuotion as thou haste inwardly conceyued by affection and loue let it be shewed outwardly in thy dedes For as saynt Gregore sayth the dede outwardly done is a sufficient argumeÌ„t or proue of the inwarde loue So by the inwarde loue of man is shewed or knowen his inwarde compassion Also it is writen in the seconde boke of the kynges Omnia que habes in corde tuo fac quoniam dominus tecum est As if he shulde say what so euer good thynge thou hast conceyued in thy hert shewe it outwarde in thy dedes Also it is writen in Exodo Fac secundum exemplar quod tibi monstratum est in monte Performe in thy lyuynge that goodnes whiche thou receyued of god in thy soule And therfore our lorde sayth to vs in his gospel Si quis vult venire post me abneget semetipsum et tollat crucem suam quotidie If any man wyll be my disciple and cum after me let hym denye hym selfe that is forsake his owne wyl and pleasure and take his own crosse that is put his owne body to payne and that dayly For we must coÌ„tinue in penaunce and so folowe Christe in our lyuyng outwardly and nat onely inwardly and hereto saith saint Paule Ostentionem caritatis vestre ostendite in faciem ecclesie That is shewe your good wyl and charitie openly in the face of the churche that is in our werkes in our dedes And saynt Peter sayth Christus passus est pro nobis relinquens exemplum vt s equamini eum Christ hath suffered paynes and deth for vs gyuynge vs example to folowe hym he doth nat say that we shulde haue a wyll desyre only to folowe hym but he sayth playnly that Christe hath left vnto vs an example that we shulde folowe hym in our dedes in sufferynge paynes as he dyd And then it myght be truely sayd of vs that we fele in our selfe that Christe felte whan he suffere lyke paynes as Christe suffred so that by suche sharpe penaunce and harde laboures our bodyes be subdued and our blode minysshed And so the sayng of scripture may be verifyed in vs Effudit sanguinem belli in pace He hath shed the blode of battell in the tyme of peace They do shed the blode of battell in the tyme of peace which by sharp penaunce great bodyly labours so subdue theyr bodyes that theyr blode is moche minisshed and theyr face made pale Suche maner of exercises of the
thy drynke that is wyne made pleasaunt with spices And this signifieth y e wine of worldly tribulacioÌ„ or aduersitie whaÌ„ it is ioyned mixte with the meditacion of y e passion of Christe Also we rede in y e boke of y e Machabeis how that kyng Antiochus whan he shuld fight against the Iues he shewed vnto his Olephantes put in theyr sight the blood that is the red colour licour of the grape of y e molbery to thintent y t those Olephantes shulde be prouoked to fight to be the more quicke in bataile In lyke maner the knightê of Christe accordyng to thexample of these Olephantê shuld be animate quickened to suffre paciently all tribulacioÌ„s aduersities whan so euer they here se or remembre the blood passion of Christe whiche was pressed out of his body at his passion as y e wyne is pressed out of the grape Moreouer the prophet Hieremy sayeth Dabis eis scutum cordis laborem tuum Thou good lorde shal gyue vnto them a buckeler or a shelde for theyr hert or soule y t is thy labour passion or deth This buckler or shelde receiueth without any perill vnto y e soule al maner of dartes specially .iii. maner of dartes that is losse of goodes infirmities of the body and contumeliouse or rebukyng worde with this buckeler that is with the feruent meditacion of y e labour paine or passion of Christe a man ouercuÌ„meth almighty god in paciently suffryng his corrections louyng visitatioÌ„s He also ouercuÌ„meth the deuyll in auoidyng his snares temptacioÌ„s And thyrdly he ouercuÌ„meth him selfe in resistyng all carnall mocioÌ„s passioÌ„s of yre or wrath in paciently suffering all infirmities of the body And thus the remembraunce of the passion of Christ doth mitigate thaduersities troubles of suche as be troubled therwith And as ye se y t a litle floode or ryuer doeth lose his name whaÌ„ he is entred into y e see or into a greater water so I like maner al labours paines passioÌ„s coÌ„pared to y e labours paines passion of Christe lese theyr name be nat to be called paines ¶ The .xviii. profite RectoruÌ„ confirmat stabilitatem THe meditacion of y e passion of Christe maketh rightuouse good men stable in faith in good werkes We rede that there is a certayn welle in Englande of this nature that yf a tree be put therin continue there any long space or tyme it is tourned into a stone So spiritually if a christian continue longe in this welle y t is in the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the wouÌ„des dethe of christe he shal be tourned into a stone that is he shal be constant stable in all vertue goodnes for thaÌ„ he shal abide fastened with christe vnto y e crosse by pacience Herunto sayth saint Bonauenture O meruelous deth passion of Christe whiche doeth allienate seclude the remembrer from dethe spuÌ„all also eternall nat only that but also it maketh him angelicall nothyng els to consider thynke but Iesu Christe crucified He wyl bere his crosse with Christe so he bereth in his hert Iesu Christe who coÌ„teineth in his haÌ„de power bothe heuyn erthe And so for y e loue of Christ he shal bere most easely suffre pacieÌ„tly al troubles paines He wold be crowned with thornes with Christe for christ christ shal crowne hym with the crowne of glory and so as ye may perceyue suche a feruent meditacion of the passion of Christe doeth greatly stable vs in goodnes ¶ The .xviii. profite Supernovum Placat displicentiam THis meditacion doeth strongly swage pacify y e wrath displeasure of god al his saintê Herunto saith saint Bernard The remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of y e labours paines of my sauiour Iesu doeth erect streÌ„gth me in al aduersities it doth represse me and kepe me iÌ„ al ê“sperites it also gydeth or ledeth me by a sure way in this lyfe where as is now ioy now sorow now pleasur now payne c. This meditacion putteth away all peryls It reconsileth me to y e high iudge of y e worlde whyles it declareth vnto me hym to be very meke mylde here in erthe to whose maiesty all auÌ„gels in heuen do reuerence haue him in reuerent feare Also the same saint entraytyng these wordes of Iob. VtinaÌ„ appeÌ„deren tur petaÌ„ mea quibê° iraÌ„ merui â–ª c saieth thus Good lorde behold y e face of thy son christe whiche was obedient to thy wyll vnto his dethe good lorde let neuer y e printes of his wouÌ„des depart froÌ„ thy sight remeÌ„brauÌ„ce CoÌ„sider good lord what satisfaction he hath done for our synnes to reconsyle vs vnto the. I wold that thou god lorde wold wey and pondre our synnes in a balance with the paynes that thy innocent sonne Iesus suffered for them And then good lorde it shulde well appere that his paynes excedeth our synnes so that thou rather shewe thy mercy vnto vs for the merytes of his passyon then to kepe our synnes in thy remembraunce to reuenge and punysshe them ¶ The .xix profit Terrenorum pessundat vanitatem IT also maketh man to contempne and set at nought the worlde with all the pleasures therof And therfore saynt Paule sayde Mihi mundus crucifixus est et ego mundo The worlde is crucified to me and I to the worlde as if he sayd I dispise the worlde and the worlde dispiseth me Auicen reciteth how that a certen man by stronge ymaginacion that he had ymaginynge him selfe to be a leprouse man therby he was made a leprouse man So in lyke maner yf a man feruently deuoutly coÌ„tinue in the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passion of Christe he may so haue a great sorow in his hert true coÌ„passion of y e passion of Christe so suffre payn with hym so consequently al Worldly pleasure shall be bytter paynfull vnto hym Herunto sayeth saynt Bonauenture Who so feruently remeÌ„breth the passion of Christe he desyreth to be crucified with Christe Iesu he reputeth thynketh hym selfe to be in seruitude bondage misery he doth sygh sorow is in continuall heuynes vnto y e tyme he be all to wasshed or drowned in the blood of Christe so traÌ„sfourmed into his lord crucified yf he be nat kept in the blood of his sauiour he thynketh him selfe no man yea worse thaÌ„ a beast yf he be nat clad with the passion of Christe Therefore who so euer doeth ofte and feruently remembre the passion of Christe he shall lytle regarde the vanities of this worlde and set them at nought ¶ The .xx. profite Viatorum gubernat prosperitateÌ„ THe meditacion of the passyon of Christe doeth gouerne direct men lyuyng in this worlde vnto the lyfe of eternall felicitie For the passion of Christe is the kynges hygh waye the right compendiouse waye to cum to the
and ydle lyfe but that I may euer please the with my good and quyete maners and lyuynge Amen ¶ Howe Pylate dyd shewe Christe scourged vnto the Iues. The .xxxix. article THe .xxxix. article is the shewyng of Christe so pitiouslye arayed vnto the Iues for after that the saugiours had so miserably entreated our sauyour Christe Pylate toke Iesus and went forth vnto the people of the Iues said to theÌ„ Ecce adduco euÌ„ vobis foras vt cognoscatis quia nullaÌ„ iÌ„ eo inuenio causaÌ„ Behold sayd Pilate I bryng him forth to you thus punisshed for your wordes and to certifye you that I fynde no maner of cause of deth in hym therfore he thus correct and punisshed I shall dimisse hym And here sayth Symon de Cassia Pylate sayd that he found no cause of death in Christ wherby he excludeth all crimes from Christe for he bryngeth in an vniuersall negation that is no cryme I fynde in Christ and this he dyd for to shewe his diligeÌ„ce for the deliuerance of Christ And morouer Pylate dyd brynge forth Christe in the same habyt and aray as he was illuded and mocked of the saugiours and that was for the intent that the Iues seing hym so miserably and shamfully arayed shulde cease of theyr malice towardes Christ And also Pylate shewed Christ to the Iues on that maner knowynge that they wolde be very glad to se Christe thus dispysed and punisshed and also supposyng y t therby they content wolde no more speake of his deth for this cause Pylate dyd scourge Christ and shewed hym to the Iues and therfore the euangelist sayth Exiuit ergo Iesus portans spineam coronam et purpureum vestimentum Iesus came forth hauyng a crowne of thornes and a purpull robe and also a rede in his hande for a scepter Behold here a lamentable spectacle Iesus went forth as saynte Austen sayth in a kynges ornamentes not glorious and shynyng in his apparell but full of obprobry and confusyon And therfore Pylate sayd to the Iues Ecce homo Beholde this is a man as yf he shulde haue sayd after saynt Austen If ye haue enuy to hym bycause he called hym selfe a kynge nowe spare hym haue pytie vpon hym for ye nowe se hym lyke to no kynge but shamefullye and miserably deiecte lyke a moste miserable wretch for he scourged crowned with thornes mocked in a kynges ornamentes despysed with many rebukes and bet or smyten with many strokes therfore sith ye se hym thus dispised let 〈◊〉 enuy wax colde or cease But for all these theyr enuy nothynge decreased but rather encreased and waxed more hote and feruent Se howe great is the malice of the Iues that hereby wolde not cease of the procurynge of the deth of Christe theyr obstinate wickednes wold not be relented with mercye And among all the other illusions this was more payne to Christ that is that his deedly enemyes shuld se hym so dispytefully arayed of the saugiours of y e which syght they had no lytyl ioy and yet they were not content with this syght knowyng that Pilate wold haue so delyuered Christ to his libertie but they hauynge no compassion of Christe nor yet coÌ„tent with the excusacyon of Pylate cried out with a lowd voyce and also moued other to crye sayng Crucify hym crucifye hym c. as in the next article ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne to haue Christ thus illuded and mocked euermore in our remembraunce so that we neuer vaynly reioyse in our outwarde garment habite or apparel for our lorde god was mocked and scorned in his apparell And specyally religious persons ought to folowe Christe in this thyng for they represent Christ thus illuded and mocked in theyr habyt and tonsure for the habyt of a religiouse person is a vyle thynge despysed and mocked of the worldlye people The tonsure or crowne of the religious person doth represent y e crowne of thornes And also in olde tyme religious men as monkes were wont to beare staues or styckes in theyr handes whiche dyd represente the rede that Christe had in his hande and as Christe disdeyned not to be brought forth and shewed to the Iues in that scornfull habite so religious persons shulde not be ashamed of theyr vyle habit nor to folow Christ which was dispised in this kyngê aray And herunto saynte Paule sayth Spectaculum facti sumus muÌ„do We that despyse the worlde be made a mocken stocke vnto the worlde and neuer so moche as in these dayes our lorde sende vs pacyence and lyghten the soules of the dispysers ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde be shewed and presented vnto the Iues in so scornfull and dispitefull aray graunt me to auoyde all ostentation of vayne glorie and to appere before the at thy iudgement in suche aray as shall stande with thy fauour ¶ Howe the Iues dyd crye Crucifye hym crucifye hym The .xl. article THe .xl. article is the cryenge of the Iues to haue Christ crucifyed for when the bisshoppes and the other Iues had sene Christ so scornfully arayed so miserably scourged bet and mocked not content therwith nor yet alowynge the excusacyon of Pylate dyd crye Crucifige eum crucifige eum Crucifye hym crucifye hym they sayd twyse Crucify and that was to shewe theyr feruent desyre that they had to crucifye Christe and also for that they crucifyed hym both in wyl and in werke And as Rabanus sayth It had ben more profitable to theyr soules to haue sayde Miserere mei deus miserere mei Haue mercy vpon me O thou god haue mercy vpon me or els these wordes of the prophet Iohel Parce domine parce populo tuo Spare lorde spare thy people gyue not thyne inheritance in to rebukes and confusion let not the gentiles haue dominion vpon thy people the Iues these prayers had ben more conuenient for them but they were so malicyous that they cryed crucify crucifye hym and when they cryed thus it was the thyrde hour of the day that is .ix. of the clocke after our computation At that houre the Iues dyd crucifye Christ with theyr tongues As saynt Austen sayth and after this exposycyon the wordes of the euangeliste Marcus are to be vnderstanded where as he saythe Erat autem hora tertia et crucifixerunt eum It was y e thyrd hour of the day and the Iues dyd crucifye hym that is with theyr tongues c. openly shewynge therby that the tongues of the Iues were more to be sayd or called the sleyers of Christe than the handes of the saugiours And therfore this crye is conueniently assigned a specyall article of the passion of Christe They asked and cryed to haue Christe crucifyed whiche maner of deth was at that tyme of suche shame and confusion that after a persone ware put to suche a death he shulde neuer be remembred and spoken of agayne but to his euyl and despisyng and in a maner
no man durst speake specyally any good of hym that was hanged vpon the crosse after his deth And of this complayneth Christe in the psalme saynge Sicut aqua effusus sum I am put out of mynde as the water out of the vessel Of all other liquores that be in a vessell when they be put out of that vessell there remayneth colour or smel that sheweth what liquor was before in that vessell but whan water is put out of a vessell there remaynethe nothynge wherby we myght knowe what liquor was in that vessell so Christe saythe that he is clerely forgoten Also y e wise man sayth in the person of the Iues Morte turpissima condempnemus eum Let vs condempne Christ to the most shameful deth And the prophet Hieremy saith in the person of our lorde Christ Cogitauerunt super me consilia dicentes venite mittamus lignum in panem eius The malicyous Iues haue counseled agaynst me sayenge Let vs put a tree in to his breade that is let vs crucifye hym and so he shal be forgoten and dispysed of all people O thou faythful soule behold here thy sauiour Iesus howe miserably and scornfully clad and crowned he is brought forth with a rede for his scepter in his hand and how shamefastly he stādeth nowe with his heed downwarde before suche a great multitude cryenge and sayenge Crucifye crucify hym and also deridyng and mockynge hym that he wolde be taken for a prophete and a wyse man sayenge Where is nowe thy wysdome thy prophicye and miracles c. and so he not onely suffred payne and sorowe but also rebukes and thretnynges of the Iues. Then Pylate sayd to the Iues Quid enim mali fecit What euyll hath he done I fynde no cause of deth in hym These wordes of Pylate done instructe and teache all iudges to procede in all causes and specyally in causes of deth wysely and diligently But alas where shall we fynde a iudge that wyll laboure so diligentlye for the delyuerance of an innocent as Pylate dyd for Christe and surely if Pylate were lyuyng in these dayes I suppose he wolde excell in ryght iudgement many of our iudges both temporall and also spirituall At that tyme the bisshoppes and seniours and preestes and the religious and all the people of the Iues were agaynste Christe and Pylate lytyl regarded all theyr wordes for he of a longe seasone ▪ and oftymes laboured to delyuer Christe from them and therfore he sayd Accipite eum vos et cru cifigite Take you hym and crucify hym for I fynd no cause in hym These wordes Pylate sayd for diuerse causes Fyrst after Symon de Cassia to rebuke the pryde of the Iues which so farre dyd excede that they determined and assigned vnto the president and hyghe Iudge vnder the emperour what deth Christe shulde suffer that is the moste detestable and shamefull death of the crosse Secondly Pylate spake these wordes for to delyuer and acquyte the innocent Christe Herunto sayth Crisostome The Iues brought christ to Pilate y t he shuld be put condēpned to deth by the sentence of the iudge but it happed y e cōtrary for the iudge declared Christ to be innocent and oftymes he delyuered and excused hym from theyr accusacyons And that Pylate sayd to the Iues Take you hym and crucifye hym was spoken in abhorryng theyr wordes for that they wold haue com compelled hym to a thynge agaynst hys mynde and also agaynst ryght Thyrdly he spake so for the declaracyon of his power and auctoritie for he wolde gladly haue ben delyuered from the iudgement of Christe the whiche the Iues perceyuyng added the thyrd accusacyon besydes the other .ii. spoken in the .xxii. article saynge Nos legem habemus et secūdum legem debet mori quia filium dei se fecit We haue a lawe after the which he ought to dye for he hath made hym selfe the sonne of god And here as Symon de Cassia sayth It apereth manifestly the falsenes of theyr accusacyon for if the wordes shulde be referred to theyr intent or contrarie wyse if theyr intent shuld agre to theyr wordes both wayes the Iues do lye and theyr iniquitie doth lye and speake false to themselfes for Christ dyd neuer make hym selfe god nother in this worlde nor yet eternally for he was god euerlastyngly not made but eternally generate and goten of the father but the Iues thought Christ to be onely a man and not god nor Christe at any tyme as man dyd affirme hym selfe to be made the sonne of god but for asmoche as he beynge the eterne sonne of god was made man for vs his godhed in no thynge chaunged but takynge for our saluation our nature therfore he called him self the sonne of god for he was both god and man in one person but Pilate when he had herd this sayng of y e Iues he was more afrayd than he was before not for that he feared theyr lawe but that he was afrayd to condempne the sonne of god And also he was afrayd hearynge suche a hyghe sentence that was aboue his witte and vnderstandyng that is that a man shulde be or make hym selfe the sonne of god and whether it were true or not he was afrayd to gyue sentence of deth And herto sayth Alquine He dyd not feare for that he harde them speake of theyr lawe for he beynge a straunger and a gentill regarded not that but he was afrayd to cōdempne the sonne of god and therfore he entred in agayne in to the motehall and callynge Iesus vnto hym sayd Vnde es tu Of what stocke or kyndred art thou Pylate wolde haue knowen if he were the sonne of god or if he were of the kynd or stocke of y e goddes And this laste poynte myght haue bene easely or lyghtlye persuaded vnto Pylate for he was a gentill which do suppose and beleue that many men may be of the stocke of goddes and so the sonne of goddes But Iesus dyd not answere one worde to his question and that was bycause Pylate was not sufficient to receyue or vnderstande the solution of hys awne question For the prophet sayth Generationem eius quis enerrabit Who is able to declare and shewe his eterne generation and though Christ was able to declare it yet there is no mortall man able to vnderstande it Secondly Iesus wolde not answere to Pylates question that Pylates synne shulde not be aggrauate and made more greuous And thirdly that the passion of Christe shulde not be letted For as saynt Paule sayth Si cog nouissent nunquam dominum glorie crucifixissent If they had knowen howe Christe was the sonne of god they wold neuer haue crucifyed the lorde of glorie and this is to be vnderstand of Pylate and y e gentyles not of the Iues for they myght haue knowen sufficiently if they had wolde Then Pylate sayd to Christ Mihi non loqueris Nescis
quia potestatem habeo crucifigere te c Why wylt not thou speake to me dost thou not knowe y t I haue power to crucifye the or to dimisse and delyuer the In these wordes Pylate coÌ„dempneth hym selfe And therfore Chrisostom sayth O Pylate in this worde thou condempnest thy selfe If thou haue this power wherfore then dost not thou delyuer hym thou knowyng and so oftymes openly sayng that he is innocent If thou reioyse or bost thy selfe of thy power that thou haste to kyll Christe or to delyuer hym may not Christ then laufully say vnto the De ore tuo te iudico serue nequam I iudge the by thyne owne wordes thou wycked seruant and then Iesus to reproue the bostynge and pryde of Pylate sayd Non haberes aduersuÌ„ me potestatem vllam nisi datum tibi esset de super Thou shulde haue no power ouer me except it were gyuen to y e from aboue or from an hygher power Fyrste from god of whome is all power as saynt Paule sayth And secondly from the emperour which at that tyme had the dominion ouer the Iues. And in these wordes Christ reproueth couertly or secretly the synne of Pylate for nother god nor yet the emperour had ordred Pylate there a iudge to condempne or punisshe the innocentes but rather to defende and delyuer them And notwithstandyng the synne of Pylate was great yet it was not so greuous as the synne of the Iues or of Iudas And this our lord sheweth in the wordes folowyng Propteria qui tradidit me tibi maius peccatum habet Therfore he that dyd betray or delyuer me vnto the his synne is the more great and greuous and that well apereth for Iudas dyd synne moued of a couityse mynde the Iues synned moued of malyce and enuy but Pylate onely for feare of the emperour fauour of y e Iues. It is more greuous offeÌ„ce to sinne of a couetyse mind and of rancor and enuy than onely of feare for feare accusethe the synne in a parte though not in the hole and here Pylate consideryng that he was reasonably in a maner conuicte of synne in this cause for he as a wytty person perceyuynge that he shuld be noted of synne if he shulde condempne the innocent therfore he sought oportunitie and occasion to dimisse and lette hym go as he dyd before in sendyng Christ to Herode and also in sayng that he founde no cause of deth in hym But the Iues anone perceyuyng the mynde of Pylate returned to theyr first accusacyon and cryed saynge Si hunc dimittis non es amicus cesaris If thou dimisse this man thou art not true to the emperour c. as in the next article shal apere And here note that there ware about lxxx M. people that cryed Crucifige crucifige Of the whiche Peter conuerted in one day .iii. M. shortly after .v. M. vnto y e fayth ¶ Here folowe .ii. Lessons IN this article we may take first this lesson it is no difference or diuersitie to speake of the intente of synne whether thou kyll a man with thy tongue or with thy swerde for thy intent in both these .ii. is to kyll hym And therfore the profyte Dauid sayth Lingua eorum gladius acu tus Theyr tongue is a sharpe swerde and this was spoken of the Iues that dyd cry Crucifige crucifige And of this text saint Austen sayth Loke not vnto the vnarmed handes of the Iues but to theyr armed mouth for frome thens came y t sharpe swerde that slewe Christ Therfore lette all bacbyters and sclaunderers of theyr neyghbours beware that they do not make theyr tonges sharpe as a swerde for as a swerde kylleth the body so the sclauÌ„derer tongue sleyeth the fame and good name of a man And herto sayth Salomon Mors et vita in manibus lingue Deth lyfe be in the handes or power of the tongue The seconde lessone is that we shuld not alwayes answere to euery question for here in this passyon of Christe we rede that thryes he kepte his scilence Fyrst before the bisshop and that was to teache vs pacyence agaynst contumelyes and rebukes Secondly before Herode and that was agaynst curiouse questyons to teache vs for to serch for true and necessarie thynges and not for vayne curious thynges Thyrdly before Pylate agaynste vayne laude or prayse to teache vs to folowe the true laude of god and to auoyd all vayne praysynges And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shulde remember howe terrible ware those cryenges of the Iues. And remeÌ„ber also if he at any tyme hath cryed agaynst his neyghbour by consent vnto the wicked iudgementes of men or to theyr detraccyons sclaunders spoken agaynst theyr neyghbour And then pray as foloweth or in lyke maner ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me was not afrayd to here the terrible and fearfull voyces of the Iues cryenge Crucifige crucifige That is crucifye hym crucifye hym graunt to me that I be not afrayd of the cursed and malicyous wordê of myne enemyes and that I neuer hurt my neyghbour with my speche Amen ¶ Howe Christe was brought vnto his iudgement The .xli. article THe .xli. article is the bryngynge of Christe before the iudge for when the Iues dyd perceyue y t Pylate wold haue delyuered Christe they returned to theyr fyrste accusacyon and cryenge sayd Si hunc dimittis non es amicus cesaris If thou delyuer this person thou art not the frend of the emperoure nor true to hym for who so euer maketh hym selfe a kyng he is a traytour to the emperour This they spake to make Pylate afrayde and here sayth Symon de Cassia that the Iues serched all the false craftes and deuyses that they could ymagyne and all to put Christe vnto the deth And then Pylate hearynge these wordes beganne to be more afrayd for he myght not contempne the emperour that gaue hym his power and auctoritie as sayth saiÌ„t Austen And therfore he brought Iesus forth and sat downe to gyue sentence openly and this he dyd that the sentence of Christes dâ—th shuld not be imputed to hym but to the Iues. And when Pylate sat downe to gyue sentence it was the syxte houre of the day that is .xii. of the clocke And then his wyfe sent to hym saynge Nihil tibi et iusto illi Mel not thou with the deth of that rightuous man this night I haue suffred many thinges in my slepe about hym for as the glose saith there the deuyl perceyuynge that he shuld lese his kyngdom power by the deth of Christ was sory that he made Christ to be taken and therfore he shewed certen visions to Pylates wyfe that by her the death of Christ shulde be letted as in the begynnynge he brought deth in to the worlde by a woman Then Pylate commaunded that Iesus shulde be presented before hym where as he sat in iudgement and then he sayd
not wyllynge to differ hys deth and also fearynge lesse that Pylate shulde reuoke his sentence bycause he shewed hym selfe to haue a good wyll to delyuer Christ from deth therfore they constrayned a straunge man that passed by them called Symon Cireneus to beare the crosse after Iesus Not moued as the glose sayth of any pitye or mercye towardes Christ but that he myght the soner come to his death And also that it myght appere that Iesus was not god seynge that he was so feble weyke a man that he was not able to beare that crosse as sayth saynt Austen And this Symon was not a Iue or of the chylderne of Israell but a pylgryme a straunger of the Sirenys that is a cytye in the countrie of Libia And in this man was veryfyed the saynge of the prophet Dauid Popu lus queÌ„ non cognoui seruiuit mihi The people that I haue not knowen hath done seruice to me And though the iues put this labour that is to beare the crosse after Iesus vnto this Symon as to a vyle person despysed amongê them yet it was not done without great misterie for as the glose sayth Beholde and note here that no Iue or Ebrewe but a straunger a gentyle is subdued to the obprobry and crosse of Christe to shewe that the plentuousnes of grace of the sacramentes or misteries of the lawe shulde departe from the Iues vnto the gentyles Symon is as moche to say by interpretation as obedient and Cireneus is interpreted here 's that is an heyre And therfore by this man may be well noted all good christians conuerted frome the erroure of gentilitie vnto Christe whiche somtyme ware as pylgryms or straungers vnto the lawe and preceptes of god but by theyr faith and obedyence vnto the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of god they were made of the housholde of god and his heyres and also coenheritours with Christe And thus bearynge his crosse they brought hym to Golgotha c. as in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson IN this article we christians maye lerne to beare the crosse after Iesus for as the glose sayth Firste Christe beareth the crosse for he suffred first afterwarde it was put to Symon Cireneus to beare it after Christ for we ought to folowe the steppes of Christ for Symon dyd folowe we and not go before Christ And herunto our lord sayth in the gospell Si quis vult venire post me tollat crucem suam quotidie et sequatur me If any man wyll come after me lette hym take his owne crosse dayly and folowe me And here be noted thre thynges necessary for hym that wyl folowe Christ Fyrst that he beare it voluntarylye and not compelled agaynst his wyll and therfore he sayth If any man wyll come after me notynge therby that it muste be of his owne wyll Seconde that he beare his owne propre crosse and therfore he sayth let hym take his owne crosse Thyrde that it be done for the glorie of god and not for vayne glorie and therfore he sayth and folowe me do it to my honour and for my loue And by this crosse here is noted the purpose of godly and vertuouse lyfe so that the hole lyfe of a christiane whiche lyueth after the gospell of Christ may be called a crosse and a martirdome And this crosse is to be dayly borne after Christe and for the loue of Christe Fyrste in our hert by remeÌ„braunce and compassion In our mouth by ofte and deuoute thankes And in our bodie by discreate chastysyng and subduynge of the same that so we myght reanswere gyue thankes vnto our sauiour in hert worde and dede Herby ye may se that loue without this crosse nor yet this crosse without loue may deserue any laude or prayse in thought worde nor dede But that crosse is hyghely to be praysed whiche is ioyned with loue whiche loue also the same crosse doth brynge in In this state was saynt Paule whiche sayd of hymselfe Christo con fixus sum cruci I am fastened to the crosse for the loue of Christ In this crosse fyrst our flesshe or body is fastened with the nayles of feare and hexunto the prophet Dauid sayth CoÌ„fige timore tuâ—o carnes meas Fasten or nayle faste my flesshe with thy feare Secondly our spirite muste be fastened with the nayles of loue And thyrdly our outwarde senses with the nayles of disciplyne and rigour or payne And herunto the wyse man sayth Verba sapien cium quasi stimuli et quasi claui in altum confixi The wordes of wyse men be as pryckes or broddes and as nayles fastened in the profunditie of our senses Fourthly our handes must be nayled with the nayles of laboure And therfore the wyse man sayth Quodcunque potest manus tua instanter operare Werke diligently what so euer good thy handes may werke Herby it doth clerely appere that that person sheweth hym selfe manifestly to haue no true loue whiche wyll not prepare and gyue hym selfe to harde and paynfull thynges for his louer O howe gladlye ought the christians to take and beare his crosse syth he is taught and moued therunto by nature and also by crafte Naturally the byrdes when they flye in the ayre they vse the signe of the crosse for theyr hed and theyr tayle and theyr winges abrode make a crosse and so in theyr flyenge they take theyr crosse In lyke maner a man swymmynge takes his crosse The shyppe goyng vpon the see maketh the signe of the crosse Also a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remeÌ„ber with how great charitie Christ bare his crosse for vs and of what heuynes it was to hym seynge that all the synnes of the worlde was put vpon his crosse whiche all this swete and mylde lambe whome he went to be offered dyd beare vpon his shoulders Also a man may ymagyne in hym selfe as if he bare the crosse of Christe with hym as Symon Cireneus dyd and so pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me a wretche wolde beare thy heuy crosse vpon thyne owne shulders make me wilfully and gladlye to take the crosse of penance and streyter lyfe and to beare it daylye after the and for thy loue Amen ¶ Howe Christ was led vnto Golgoltha that is the mount of Caluarie The .xliiii. article THe .xliiii. article is the ledynge of Christe vnto Golgotha there to be crucifyed for after that they had layde the crosse vpon Christes shulders and there tyed it fast As saynt Iohan sayth Eduxerunt eum They led hym out of the citie Fyrste to fulfyll the fygures of the lawe For it was commaunded in the lawe that the calfe and the gote whiche were oâ—red in the moste solempne sacrifice for the expiation and purifyeng of the people that they shulde be buryed without the castelles or the habitacyons of men So Christe whiche is the sacrifice for the expiation and redeÌ„ption of all man kynde shulde suffer deth
without the castels or cities And also he wolde suffer without y e citie to declare shewe vnto vs howe y t the vertue of his passion shuld not be included within the coostes or bouÌ„des of the Iues but that it shuld be knowen to be a comon sacrifice for all the worlde And thyrdly to signifye and shewe to vs that who so wolde haue the effecte and vertue of this passion he muste go forth or go from the worlde at lest in desire affeccyon or loue that is that he haue no inordinate loue to the worlde the gooddes or pleasure therof Wherfore let vs folowe Christe and go vnto hym frome our carnall frendes and worldlye conuersacyon bearynge with hym and for his loue rebukes and sharp paynes And herunto saynt Bernarde sayth Christe suffred his passyon and deth without the citye therfore let vs go to hym from the cytye that is by the contempte of worldlye conuersacyon and that may be done by .iii. maner of wayes In affeccyon or loue that we loue not inordinatly the world In effect dede that we vtterly forsake the worlde both in wyll and also bodye And thyrdlye by profytynge that we desyre and labour to be made one spirite with god For as saynt Gregorie sayth The more that a man is separate from the loue of the worlde the more nygh he is to god This ledyng aboue al the other .viii. of which we spake in the .viii. article was most paynfull and shamefull to Christe and that for many causes and therfore conueniently it maketh a specyall article Fyrst by reason of his rebuke and shame for it was moche shamefull to be led vnto hangynge Secondly for that he was copled and ioyned or led with .ii. theues and mischeuous persons and that was done to his more confusyon shame that the people shulde thynke there was no difference bytwixte Christe and them Thyrdly for the greate noumber of people that se hym and folowed hym and that not onely of men but also of women as the euangelist sayth But they all dyd not folowe hym of one intent and one mynde for some were moche ioyfull of that syght as the moste parte of the Iues. And it is no small payne to a man to behold and se other men and specially his enemyes gladde and ioyfull of his affliccyon and rebuke There were also some that dyd wepe and were sorye for that syght as the blessed woman And also this was moche paynfull to Christ to se his frendes louers in sorowe and heuynes for hym Saint Bernarde describeth this ledynge and procession in this maner folowynge When Christ sayth he was broughte forthe to be ledde vnto his passion there was gathered about hym a greate multitude of people as ye comonly se when theues and murderars be had to hangynge Some went saughynge and some cast clay or durte vpon his most blessed hed and face If Christe loked before hym he sawe them cast durte vpon hym If he loked aboue hym he sawe the heuy tre of the crosse lyenge vpon his necke and greuously oppressed hym If he loke behynd hym he sawe his mother with a great nomber of men and women wepynge and lamentynge for hym And as some doctours do say his most sorowefull mother wolde haue come to hym to haue helpen hym and myght not be suffred the whiche her swete Iesus seynge and consederynge her great heuynes fell downe for sorowe and werynes vnder the crosse And that seynge his moste louynge mother for sorowe she fell to the erth as deade And in the remembraunce of this swonyng there was afterwarde a chapell buylded by the faythful people in the same place in the honor of our lady whiche is called sancta Maria de Spaâ—mo and after this Iesus turnynge hym selfe to the women that wepte sayd Filie Hierusalem nolite flere super me sed super vosipsas flete et super filios vestros O ye doughters of Hierusalem wepe not vpon me for I take these paynes and deth with my good wyll for it is the wyll and ordinaunce of god my father that I shulde thus dye and also for the great profet y t shall come therof to mankynde for by my deth I wyll ouercome euerlastynge deth but wepe for the cause of my passyon and dethe that is the synnes of the people which cause me to suffer deth by the order of iustice And thus to wepe it is necessarie for you and therfore it foloweth Sed super vosipsas flete et super filios vestros But weape for your selfes and for your chylderne Herin Christ doth not rebuke theyr affeccyon and compassyon that they had to hym but he doth teche them an order howe to wepe that is firste to wepe for them selfe and theyrs for it is a vayne thyng and of no profyt to wepe for the passyon of Christ and therwith to despyse hym with our euyl dedes and lyuyng Also he byddes them that wepe for hym to consider what paynes be lyke to fal vpon them selfe And therfore they shuld wepe for them self and for theyr childern and therfore Christe saythe Quoniam ecce venient dies in quibus dicent beate steriles c. For the dayes shall come sayth Christ when they shall say Blessed and happy be the baren and tho that brought forthe no fruyte and those pappes or teates be happye that neuer gaue sucke or mylke then they shall begynne to saye to the mowntes Fal vpon vs and to the hylles Couer vs. And thsi he spake for the tyme of the seage of Hierusalem by the emperours Vaspasyan and Titus his son for then the Iues were in great distresse as it appereth by the histories of Iosephus and Egesippus or els we may say that Christe spake this for the extreme and last day of iudgement And the cause or reason of both these he addeth and sayth Quia si in viridi ligno faciunt in arido quid fiet For sithe so greuous paynes and shamefull despites be done to me whiche am a grene tree florisshyng and quicke in the roote of my diuinitie in the charitie of my manhode in the branches of my vertues in the leeses of good wordes and the fruyte of my good dedes if I say they do these thynges to me that is condempne me to the shamefull deth of the crosse without all iustice what shall they do to the drie tree or stocke that is to the synner whiche wanteth the moisture of grace the fruyte of iustice the grenisse or florisshynge of the conscience what payne thynke you be they worthy to haue O Iesu thou grene tre O our hed O thou glorie of all meake persons O thou cedre of clenlynes Palme of pacyence Olyue of mercy Vyne of gladnes shewe to vs what was done to the And he answering saith this grene tre is pilled or the barke pulled of it is shred lopte it is cut downe and cast vpon the erth Marke this well frendes sith he that came
the breakynge of the golden calfe to turne away the wrath of his father from vs that he shulde not destroye vs. And truely our sauiour Iesus stode in coÌ„fraccyon in breakyng â–ª for thoughe he were brosed and broken in all his bodye yet he dyd not fall downe in soule and mynde but stode stedfastly in perseuerance of good wyll O blessed Iesu in what state do I se the O most swete and amiable Iesu who hath put the to so bitter cruell and odiouse deth O onely sauiour of our olde rotten wouÌ„des who hath brought the not onely to most paynfull but also to suffer moste shameful woundes O most dulce and swete vyne tree O good Iesu is this the fruyte that thy vyneyarde dothe brynge forthe to the whiche thou translated out of Egipte in to a moste pleasaunt and fruytefull soyle and grounde and hathe most paciently taried vnto this day of thy mariage and loked that it shulde haue brought to the swete grapes but it broughte forth thornes for it hath crowned the with thornes these Iues thy vyneyarde haue coÌ„passed the about with the thornes of theyr synnes Beholde to what bitternes and sharpnes this vyne is turned not nowe thy vineyarde but rather a straunger to the for it denyed the cryenge and sayenge Non habemus regem nisi cesarem We haue no kynge but the emperour Therfore these cursed and cruell tylmen haue caste the out of the vyneyarde of the cytye of Hierusalem or els out of theyr compaigney and there haue slayne the not sodenly or out of hande but with a longe tormeÌ„t and payne of the crosse and haue gyuen to the many greuouse woundes with whippynges beatynges scourgynges and at last naylynge the handes and fete to the crosse where as thou suffred .xxvi. strokes with the hamer vpon thy handes and .xxxvi. vp on thy fete in dryuynge in the nayles ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne howe to put and hyde all oure troubles aduersities temptacyons infirmities our synnes and al our paynes dewe for synne in this most swete wound of the first hande of our sauiour Iesu wherwith he toke deth al our miserie and nayled it fast to the crosse In that maner dyd saynt Austen sayng When any fylthy cogitacyons doth inpugne me I runne to the woundes of Christe and I am helped when the flesshe oppresseth me I ryse thorowe the remeÌ„braunce of the woundes of my lorde god when the deuyll doth lye in a wayte of me I flye to the woundes of our lorde and he flyeth from me If carnall concupiscence do moue my bodye that fier of carnall pleasure is extincte by the remeÌ„braunce of the passion of my lord god And this in all myne aduersities and temptacyons I fynde none so sure remedy as the woundes of Christ in these I slepe surely in these I reste without fere and thoughe saynte Austen speake here indifferently of all the woundes of Christe yet properlye we may say that this sure remedye is founde in the wound of this firste or lefte hand of Christe Also it apperteyneth to this wounde that we shulde auoyde all euyll werkes for the loue of god crucifyed for vs. And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article may ofte kysse this wounde of Christe and ofte remeÌ„ber the forsayde woundes of saynt Austen And pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me most wretched wold haue thy left hand digged or boored with a nayle and fastened to the crosse graunt to me that I may euer put and hyde al myne aduersities and temptacyons in the moste swete wound of that left hand and that I may fynde in it a sure and holsome remedye agaynste all maner of tribulacyons Amen ¶ The boorynge or naylynge of the seconde or ryght hande The .xlix. article THe .xlix. article is the naylynge of Christes seconde or ryghte hande wherwith as saynte Hierome sayth he founde lyfe that was lost and perisshed And here by lyfe may be taken and vnderstanded all thynges that perteyne to our helth and saluacyon as afore by deth were vnderstanded synne and all that folowed of synne This lyfe our sauiour Iesus hath gyuen to vs with his second hande And of this gyfte he hathe writen to vs a sure preuilege or dede of gyft writen I saye with his precyous blode not in paper or parchment but in his ryghte hande whiche also he hath sealed for a perpetuall remeÌ„braunce with a sharp nayle persynge his hande as it were with a seale And herunto sayth saynt Peter Maxima et preciosa vobis promissa donauit deus c. Almightie god hath gyuen to you most good and precyous promysses and therby ye may be made lyke vnto god and felowes or partakers of his diuine and godlye nature ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne howe to hyde all our good werkes that our lorde worketh in vs in this wounde of this second hande attributyng them not to ourselfe as that we shuld be the chefe werkers of them but gyuyng all to the goodnes and grace of god praynge and desyrynge his grace that all our negligences and inperfeccyons may be restored performed and fulfylled by this most swete wounde And thus dyd saynte Austen saynge What so euer I want in my selfe as of my selfe I vsurp and take it to me of the bowelles of my lorde Iesus for frome thens floweth mercy plentuously nor there wanteth no hooles or ryuers wherby that mercy myght haue recours to me And therfore I shall euermore prayse the mercyes of our lorde for the woundes of Iesu Christe be full of mercye full of pitie full of swetenes and charitie by these hooles and riuers it is leâ—ull for me to taste howe swete and pleasaunt my lorde my god is And thoughe this is spoken generally of all the woundes of Christe yet specyallye it apperteyneth to the wounde of this seconde or ryght hand And a man to conforme hym self to this article shuld oftymes kysse the wounde of the ryght hande of the crucifix and ofte reuolue in his mynde the forsayde wordes of saynte Austen and praye as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me a wretche wolde haue thy ryght hande persed thorowe with a nayle and so fastened to the crosse graunt to me that I may hyde in the most swete wounde of thy ryght hande with thankes al my good werkes that it shal please thy goodnes to worke in me and that all my negligeâ—ces and imperfeccyons may therby be performed and supplyed Amen ¶ The naylynge of the first foote or lefte fote of Christ The .l. article THe .l. article is the naylynge of the first or lefte foote of Christe By feete in scripture ar taken and vnderstanded our affeccyons and desyres with the whiche oure soule goeth which for the more parte be in vs senistrall that is of the left parte euyll or imperfite but in Christe they all be on the ryght syde good and perfyte and therfore Christ by the
his mother This thyrde worde or sentence of Christe Mulier ecce filius tuus woman beholde thy sonne this I say was a worde of great dilygence loue and pitie for as moche as Christe beyng in so great anguisshe and sorowes of death wolde yet remembre his moste heuy and sorowfull mother and prouyde her of a sonne or minyster to attende vpon her to her comforth And herin he taught vs to haue compassyon of the afflyccyon of our parentes and to prouyde for them in theyr necessities O swete lorde Iesu thy crosse and passion doth torment the greuously but the compassyon of the mothers sorowe is no lesse payne to the and no meruell O good chylde if thou sorowe if thou suffer and haue compassyon of the heuynes of thy mother of her separation from the of her commendation to a straunger And here doctours done say and specyally Bonauenture that the sorowe that Christe had in the compassyon of his mother was more intense and more greuous to hym then the sorowe of hys awne payne and passyon THe mother of Iesu stode by the crosse She stode for she neuer fell by synne she stode to the great glory and prayse of al women where as his discyples that shulde haue ben men of gostly strengthe vertue dyd flye awaye and leaue theyr maister alone She onely abode with hym constantly in all his greuous panges and paynes wherin was fulfylled the prophecy of Esaye sayenge in the persone of Chryst complaynynge Torcular calcaui solus et de gentibus non est vir mecum I onely haue troden in the prease of the crosse there was nat one man with me hauyng compassyon vpon me but my mother alone she had compassyon and stode by me And nat onely she stode bycause she dyd nat flye but also for that in so great heuynesse of herte she dyd nothynge vnseamyngly or vnreligyously but ordred her selfe in most godlye behauour without any misorder in cryenge or cursynge and suche other lyke thoughe she suffred in her herte all those paynes that her sonne Iesus suffred in his bodye outwardlye And as we sayd before here she felte and suffred all the panges that she escaped at the byrth of her sonne Iesus Of these .ii. birthes or chyldynges speaketh the prophet saynge Antequam parturierat peperit masculum Before Mary the mother of Iesus hadde any panges or thrawes she brought forth her sonne so that she had her sonne without sorowe then it foloweth in the prophet Nun quid parturiet terra vna die aut parietur gens simul Shall the erth brynge forth with payne all her fruyte in one day or all the people shal be brought forth or borne in one day Note wel these saynges Firste the prophet spake of the birth of Christe which was without sorowe or payne to his mother and with great ioy But nowe at her seconde chyldynge where as at the passyon of her sonne Iesus she brought forth all the electe chylderne of god at one birth she had great panges and manyfolde sorowes And here note that this blessed mother of mercy dyd helpe or assist the father of mercyes in this moste hyghe werke of mercye and so with Christe dyd regenerate and redeme al mankynde and this generation was to the great sorowe and payne of them both and herunto Albert sayth though Marye dyd beare her sonne Iesus in greate ioye and without all payne yet after warde whan she dyd regenerate al the faithful people in faith that was with moch sorowe and of this it appereth that Christ dyd communicate vnto his mother this hygh werke of our redemption for she suffred with hym his passyon in her soule as we sayd before And note me well here for I do not say that our blessed lady dyd redeme vs bycause Christ of hym selfe was insufficient for to say so it ware heresye But I say it pleased our sauyour Christ to haue his mother present at his passyon and there to suffer with hym in soule as he suffred in bodye that so consequently as he is called the father of mercy so she myght be honored and called the mother of mercy and also for other considerations as foloweth First that our redemption might reanswere vnto the first condempnation for in our firste losse and perdicyon both Adam and Eue dyd syn notwithstandynge if Adam had not synned we had not ben condempned and therfore the onely synne of Adam was the cause of our perdicyon but for asmoche as Eue dyd persuade moue and counsell Adam to synne therfore we say that we ware dampned by oure firste mother Eue so in lyke maner though we be redemed by the passyon of Christ yet for as moche as oure blessed lady was consentynge to that passyon and also sufferyde it in her soule we may saye that she redemed vs with Christe Secondlye that as Christe redemyng vs by his passion was made our father by the whiche passyon the sacrament of baptysme wherin we be regenerate taketh his efficacitie and vertue so our blessed ladye myght be called our mother bycause she suffered in her soule the same passion of Christe Thirdly that after Christ we al shulde honoure the gloriouse virgyn as our modre Fourthly for the encrease of her merite And fiftly that y e passion of Christ shuld be more bitter paynful to him thorough the presence of his modre by whom he sheweth his most hyghe charitie vnto vs. She stode also for all other departed from the stablenes of fayth but she onely and therfore it is sayde of her thus O good lorde thou haste stablished thy testament vpon the heede of Marie al waye virgin for after the death of thy son thy fayth onely remayned perfetely in the reason of the same virgyn ¶ Of the sorowe and compassyon of our ladye AS the great clerke Alberte sayth vpon these wordes of Luke Tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius The swerde of sorowe shal passe thorowe thyn awne soule It is the more true exposition and sentence when this pronowne deriuatyue tuam is resolued in to his primityue tui so that this is the true sentence of the forsayd wordes of Luke the swerde of sorowe that is the payne of the passyon and deth of thy sonne O vyrgyne Mary which he suffred in his bodye shall perse and passe thorowe the soule of thyne awne selfe Marie So that the sorowes whiche thou felt not at the birth of thy sonne so that therby thou dyd not knowe thy selfe a mother at his deth thou shalt fele them in moste paynfull and sorowfull maner so that thou shalte knowe thy self then to haue had a chylde and to be a mother Our sauiour Iesus her sonne was to Marie his mother as her awne herte and therfore when he was borne of her she felte as if halfe her herte had bene borne and departed from her body And as that thynge whiche is halfe without and halfe within if that parte that is outwarde be
pricked or hurte the parte inwarde doth fele the payne aswel as the outwarde parte And so when Iesus the sonne of the vyrgyn was scourged and pricked with thornes the herce of the glorious virgyn was in a maner also payned and pricked and so in lyke maner when her sonne Iesus was crucifyed and his herte persed with a spere it seamed to her as if her awne herte hadde ben persed with the same spere And therfore god wroughte no small miracle in that that the gloryous virgyn hys mother woūded inwardlye in her soule with so many greuous and greate sorowes dyd not yelde vp her spiryte and dye and specyallye when she se her moste dearebeloued sonne hangynge bytwixte two theues naked wounded scorned of all men crucyfyed and deade and then his herte persed with a speare It was I saye a greate miracle that she lyued For the wyfe of Phinees the sonne of Hely the Iudge of Israel hearynge that the arke of god was taken she beynge greate with chylde sodaynlye felle to traueyllynge and for the greate and vehement sorowe the whiche that she hadde for the takynge of the arche of god she chylded and dyed and yet her sorowes and greate paynes ware no thynge so vehement and so greate as the sorowes of the blessed virgyne Mary nor ware to be compared to the sorowes of the mother of Iesu whiche dyd se the bodye of her sonne signifyed by that arche crucifyed by hys enemyes and so put to the moste shamefull death whiche vyrgyne also the same nyght after that her sonne was buryed goynge thorowe the cytye of Hierusalem weapte so bitterlye and pitiouslye that all bothe men and women that se and herde her ware prouoked to sorowe and mournynge Also that moste encreased her sorowes that she dydde se hym at his deathe so bette wounded in greate thyrste or drynesse and coulde not helpe hym and namelye so cruellye racked vpon the crosse there nayled and after his deth his herte persed with a speare These ware her sorowes and aboue thyese she was compelled to entre in to an other mannes house and there to continue in sorowe and mournynge And so the mother of god the quene of heuen and the ladye of all the worlde was susteyned with the almes and charitye of other men But why wolde oure lorde suffer her to haue all these tribulacyons bycause he intended to exalte her after her deathe aboue all creatures in glorye whiche excellente singular and vnestimable gyfte he wolde not gyue to her for the merites of any other persone for the rewarde of glorye shal be gyuen after a mannes awne merytes and deseruynges and not for any other mannes merytes And therfore he wolde haue hys blessed mother subdued to harde lobours paygnes and sorowes in her selfe in the moste hyghe pouertye in extreme vilytye and despection in the moste profounde mekenesse moste pure chastytye moste perfyte charitye and in other lyke vertues and paynes and specyally in sufferynge of paynes and sorowes that she myghte go by the same waye that her dearebeloued sonne Iesus dyd ¶ A Lesson OF this article we maye lerne to haue compassion of the afflyccyon of our parentes and to prouyde for them in theyr necessityes accordynglye to the commaundement of god honor thy father and thy mother and thys oure swete sauyoure Chryst taughte vs by his example And herunto saynte Austen sayth The tree of the crosse vpon the whiche the mēbres of Christ ware nayled at his deathe this tree I saye was also a chayre wherin our doctoure and mayster Chryste 〈◊〉 and taughte vs. And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shulde haue compassyon of the mother of Christe or as I maye saye of his owne dearbeloued lady and mother our blessed lady Marie as Christ hadde compassyon on her and then praye thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me crucifyed hauynge compassyon of thy mothers sorowe and compassyon wolde diligentlye commende her to thy dearbeloued disciple Iohan and also commende hym to her I commende me vnto the and also all myne in that faythe and loue that thou commendeste them togyther meakelye besechynge the that for the tendernes of so great loue thou woldest make me to come truelye and perfytely to thy loue and thoroughe theyr prayer and commendacyon I maye be preserued and kepte frome all aduersytye and peryll in the perylles and daungers of this worlde and lyfe Amen ¶ Howe the manhode of Chryste compleyned hym selfe to be forsaken of god The .lix. article THe .lix. article is when Chryste sayde hym selfe to be lefte and also forsaken of god As the euangeliste saythe frome the syxte houre of the daye vnto the neynth houre that is frome .xii. of the clocke vnto thre at after none there was a greate derkenes ouer all the erthe For the sonne was in an vniuersall eclypse whiche was agaynste the naturall disposycyon and order of the sonne for that tyme and therfore it was done by miracle and by the onelye power of god And hereunto saynte Austen saythe for as moche as the innocente lambe Chryste the true sonne of Iustyce dyd suffer the eclypse of deathe therfore thys visible sonne the moste clere lyghte of all the worlde hauynge compassyon of his creatoure and maker withdrewe the beames of his lyght and hyd hym selfe as thoughe he durst not or wolde not beholde his maker hyngynge vpon the crosse nor se his most vyle and bytter death And then about the .ix. houre of the day our sauyour Iesus cryed with a greate and lowde voyce And that was as Symon de Cassia sayth for he suffred greate tormentes and paynes Also for that he suffred greate wronge and iniurie He cryed with a great voyce of the bodye but that was more by the vertue and power of his godhed than of his manhed He cryed with a great voyce for the great paynes that he suffred myght not preuayle agaynst hym but at his awne wyll He cryed with a great voyce that they myght heare hym and knowe hym hyngynge vpon the crosse and at the poynt of deth whom they wolde not heare swetely and deuoutly preachynge but rather with a froward obstinate mynd euer despysed hym Iesus cryed with a great voyce and spake his .iiii. word vpon the crosse saynge Heli heli lama hazastani These be wordes of Hebrewe and thus they be spoken in latyn Deus meus deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me My god my god wherfore haste thou left or forsaken me These be not the wordes of the godhed of Christ for that suffred no payne it is vnpossible as if the sonne beame shuld shyne vpon a tree and one person toke an ax or hatchet and dyd kut that tree the sonne beame shulde in no thynge be hurte therby and so in lyke maner though the body and manhod of Christ suffred great paynes and deth yet the godhed therin was in nothyng hurte ne yet suffred any payne but Christ spake
to hym his dieat Seconly he wyl cast hym in a sweat Thyrdly if these be not sufficyent he wyll let hym blode to correcte the euyll humors And fourthly he wyl gyue hym a pocyon to auoyde all the euyll mater that is the cause of his sekenes So our lorde Christe that he myght cure vs from the infirmitie and seakenes of synne he fyrste kepte a dyeat for he fasted .xl. dayes Secondly he swet blode for vs. Thyrdly he was let blode in all the partes of his bodye when as he shedde his blode without weyght or mesure so that his bodye hangynge vpon the crosse was as drye as a fyrebrand Fourthly and last not content with all the other medicynes he toke a most bitter pocyon when for to cure oure synfull sekenes he toke vinegre and tasted therof and therfore he sayd conueniently Consummatum est All thynges be fulfylled that I shulde suffer for the helthe of man And thus after that he had suffred in all the membres of his bodye the sharpe dartes of moste bytter paynes and passyon he myghte well say the wordes of the prophet Repleuit me amaritudine inebriauit me absinthio He hath fulfylled me with bitternes he hath made me dronke with wormewod and so in his passyon he dranke a bytter pocyon and that to cure vs. ¶ A Lesson OF this article we maye take this lesson that in the ende of euery good werke that we do whiche hath diuerse actes and partes we shulde gather them togyther as it ware in a soÌ„me and so offer that good werke to god and so comonlye we vse in all the seruyce of the churche for euer in the ende we conclude with a collecte whiche is so called for asmoche as in that prayer all the office or seruice said before is as it ware virtually gadred and conteyned in that orison or collect as in a summe And so this worde Consummatum est is as it were the collecte of the hole passion of Christ vnto his death And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remembre breuely as it were in a summe all the forsayde artycles of Chrystes passion and so gyue thankes to all myghtie god for them and pray as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche offeryng the consummacion of thy hole passion as it ware in a â—ume â—o god thy father for we dyd say Consummatum est it is ended â–ª grant to me that I may dewly consummate and ende all the good werkes and paynes that it shall please thy grace to werke in me and by me and so ended to offre them with due thankes vnto god the father by the. Amen ¶ Of the yeldyng vp of his soule or of the death of Christe The. lxii article THe .lxii. article is the death of Christe for when Christe had sayde It is ended then he criynge agayne with a greate voyce sayd or no necessite but for our example 〈…〉 tuas coÌ„mendo spiritum meum Father I commend my spirite in to thy handes This was the .vii. and last worde that he spake vpon the crosse And by this sayng he wolde declare vnto vs that the soules of holy sayntes be in y e handes of god after theyr departyng from the bodye wher as before y t tyme all the soules ware in the hande power of hell And by this his commendacion he commendeth to his father all his electe people for we be his membres as saynt Paule sayth Omnes vnum sumus in Christo iesu We be all one in Christe iesu Which in the dayes of his mortalitie offerynge prayers to his father with a greate crye and teares was hard for his reuerence And this worde sayd and prayer made he bowed downe his heade and so gaue vp his spirite In criyng weapyng and praing As the glose sayth we that be erthly or made of y e erth do dye or giue vp our spirite with out any voyce or at most a softe or small voyce But Christ y t camme from heuen he at his death exalted his voyce and cried with a great and lowde voyce He that is not moued with this voyce is more heuy than the erth more harde than y e stone and more close and stynkyng than dead menes graues for all these ware broken moued and open by this voyce And note here that amonge al the paynes that Chryst suffered this payne of death was most sharpe and paynefull for as the Philosopher sayth Death is the moste terrible of all terrible or fearefull thynges and that is for the naturall inclinacion that the soule hathe to the bodye But there is a more speciall cause in Christe for as Damasten sayth His godhed was vnit and knyt bothe to the soule and also to the bodye and therfore that separatioÌ„ of his soule from his body was most paynfull to hym Chryste enclined and bowed downe his heade to shewe vnto vs. iiii thynges that is Fyrste the greuouse and heuy burden that was laid vpon him A man that is ouercharged or oppressyd with a heuy burden is wonte to stowpe and bowe downe his heade But Christe was oppressid with the heuy burden of our synnes as sait Petre sayth Peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super lignum Christe bare our synnes in his bodye vpon a tree that is the crosse Also Christe sayth by the prophet Conuolute sunt iniquitates et imposite collo meo The iniquites or synnes be folden or lappid vp to gether and laid vpon my necke and therfore no meruel though he bowid downe his heade to shew vnto vs what heuy burden he bare Secondely he enclined his heade to shewe his pouertie for Iesus the son of god at his death was so pore that he had no place where to reste his head and therfore he bowyd it downe Thyrdly to shewe to vs that meaknes is the way to glorie euerlastyng Herunto Hugo sayth We shall returne vnto the heuenly cuntre by the waye of meakenes And the wiseman sayth Viam sapientie monstrabo tibi c. I shall shewe to the the way of wisdom and I shall lead the by the pathes of equitie which when thou arte ones entred in to thy feet shall not letted nor thou runnyng shal haue any let or obstacle This waye is the vertu of meakenes for as Christ sayth Qui sehumiliat exaltabitur He y t meaketh hym selfe shal be exalted as y e ê“phet sayth Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit suê‘biam The prowde person shall not dwell in my house Forthly Chryste enclyned his heade to gyue thankes to his father for the victorie he had for by his death he distroyed death And hereunto saynt Paule sayth Absorpta est mors in victoria Death is destroyed by the victorie and triumphe of Chryst And in the same place Deo gracias qui fe cit nos vincere in domino nostro iesu Christo Thankes be to god that hath
gyuen to vs the victorie ouer death by our lorde Iesu Christe And note here after summe doctours that the same houre that our fyrste adam dyd synne our seconde adam Chryste gaue vp his spirite and so the same houre that the fyrste adam by his synne subdewed hym selfe and al his posteritie to death the same houre this second adam by his death distroyed death eternall so that none of his electe chylderne shal be subdued there vnto And the same houre that paradise was shyt frome our fyrste adam the same houre Christe openyd paradyse to vs. ¶ A compassion and a contemplacion of the death of Christe SAynt Bernard entreatynge this artycle sayth on this maner I am sory and haue coÌ„passion vpon y e my lorde kyng mayster and father yea my good brother and most belouyd Iesu more amyable and to belouyd aboue all women whose arowe or dart hath not turne backward thyne arowes ben very sharpe thy doctrine is valiant and myghtie thy sermon and worde is quicke and leuely of moche efficacitie and vertue more persynge than any two edged swerd entryng thorough euen to the deuidyng a sonder the soule the spirite Also thy shyld neuer declined from the batell for thou haste crowned vs with the shylde of thy grace and of thy good wyll The spear of thy prayers neuer turned bac void for y u prayed for thy enemies y t they shuld not perish How more then dost thou praye for thy fryndes and saruauntes Thou art stronger than the lion yea thou art y e lion of the tribue or stocke of Iuda that haste ouercumme the raumpyng lion that runnyth all ouer searchyng whom he myght deuoure Thou art more swyfte than the egle For thou as a giant had great ioy to runne in the waye to fulfyll the misterie of thy incarnation vnto the tyme y t thou as an egle dyd prouoke thy byrdes to flye Thou spred the wynges of thyne armes abrode vpon y e crosse and fliyng ouer vs thou toke vs lefted vs vp and bare vs vpon thy sholders with greate strenght vnto thy holie habitacle vnto the houshold of thy father where for the fedyng of thy shepe and draÌ„me that was loste and by thy passion founde agayne thou madest a great feast and ioyfull to thy fryndes and neyghboures thy holy aungels makyng to them greate ioy for the conuersion of a penitent synner And though thou be suche a myghtie and noble ê‘son yet thou wast condempned vnto the most shamefull death and so thy spirite commendyd in to the handes of thy father and thy heade enclined and bowed downe thou gaue vp thy spirite O all ye that desyre to ioy in our lorde cumme I beseach you and sorowe with me Take hede and behold our myghtye and strong Dauid how he is all to rent with wheppys behold hym whom we most desire and whom the aungelles desire to behold how he is slayn in our batell Wher is thy red rosy colour where is thy beautie where shall thou fynde fayrnes in thy broused bodye Behold our dayes haue decayed and fayled the dayes I say of our most benigne Iesu which onely is the day without all derknes And his bones haue waxed drye as a fier brande he is cut downe as the grasse and his hart hath wydred away he was lyfted vpon the crosse and very greuously hurt and broused And though he was thus shamefully and vilenously arayed outwardly yet he kepte his beautie and fayrnes in wardly Therfore faynt not for hym in thy trobles for the Iues and gentylles that see this person hangyng vpon the crosse which in hym selfe was more beautyouse than all the chylderne of men they I say onely beholdyng outward thynges see hym hauyng nother beautie ne yet fairnes for his face was more lyke to a lepre than a clene man and all the disposicion of his bodie was then very deforme and foule to beholde yet of that deformytie of our redemar dyd essew and flew out the price of our beautie of our inwarde beautie I mean In parte we haue shewed vnto you now the deformitie blaknes or fowlnes of the bodie of moste amyable Iesu but his inward beautie there is no man that can declare for in him restith and inhabiteth the hole diuinitie or godhed let vs therfore be contented to be deformed in our bodie outwardly with our sauiour Iesu shamefully deformed let vs conforme our selfe in our bodye to the body of our true vine Christ that he myght reforme the body of our mortalitie vnto the bodie of his clernes and glorification O death most to be belouyd O passion of Christ most to be desired O meruelouse misteries what is more meruelouse thaÌ„ that death shuld gyue lyfe wondes shuld cure and heale blode shuld purifie and that sorowe shuld enflame and kyndle loue The openyng of his syde doth cople ioyne hert vnto hert Also what is more meruelouse than that the sonne in the eclipse or darked by clowdes shuld shyne more clere and bryght the fier extincte doth more enflame and kyndle the hert the shameful passion doth glorifie and make gloriouse thirst or drines maketh one dronke Nakydnes doth cloth with the garmentes of vertue the handes fast nayled doth louce vs his feet nayled done make vs to ruÌ„ne Christ yeldyng his spirit doth gyue to vs lyfe he diyng vpon the tree doth call vs to heuen the sonne of god is lead to death he is smiten buffetid and beat that is our victorie he is crowned with thornys that cam to breake the thornys of our synnes he was bownd that lowseth them that be bounde he was hanged vpon a tree that reyseth them that be fallen downe the well of lyfe hath vinegre offeryd to hym for his drynke health is wounded lyfe dieth pitie is scourged for the synner wisdom is mocked lyke a fole treuth is slayne as a lier Iustice is dapned for a wicked person mercy is vexed for an infidell swetnes is made dronke with gall life is deade for the deed man All this is the sayng of faynt Austen By the premisses ye may perceyue that Christe suffred death he iuste and ryghtuouse for vs vnryghtuouse he suffred death for vniuste persons by vniuste persones with vniuste persons for vniuste causes and vnder vniuste iudges and also with vniuste paynes and tormentes Beholde therfore thou deuote soule in to the face of thy sauiour Christ and see in hym how he dyd beare and suffre the payne of the crosse that thou shuld folow hym in bearyng the crosse his bodie was naked for our example that we shuld make our confession openly or plainly and nakedly to our gostlyfather without all clokyng or hydyng and excusyng of our synnes his armes was spred abrode vpon the crosse redy to embrace the in a token that he wyl gladly receyue the vnto his grace if thou forsake thy synne he was fast nailed both in handes and feet that thou shuld perseuer and continue in his
loue and seruice his hart was also openyd for the effusion of the price of our redemption As ye shall see in the next article ¶ Here folow .iii. lessons THe fyrste lesson of this article is that we shulde dye with Christe that is from the worlde and synne if we wyll lyue with hym in glorie eternall And here vnto saynt Paule sayth Si commortui sumus cum Christo et conuiuemus If we dye with Christe we shall lyue with Christe And in an other place Mortui enim estis et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in deo ⧠✚ ☞ Ye be deade fromme the worlde and all vayne or transitorie thynges and your lyfe is hyd with Christ in god The second lesson is that it is very good and profitable to say deuotely those .x. psalmes coÌ„monly called the psalmes of the passion which Christ sayd in his prayer hangyng vpon y e crosse for without doute who so reades or sayes them deuoutly shal finde great conforthe Thyrdlie euery christian at his death shulde vse and keape the forsaid .v. thynges that Christ dyd at his death he dyd pray crie weape commendyd his soule to his father and gaue vp his spirite So we at our death shulde pray crye to our lorde for his helpe at leste in hert wepe for our synnes by trewe contricion commend our soule to god and to gyue vp our spirit that is with a good will to dye and so to conforme our wyll to the will of god A man to conforme hym selfe to this article may ofte remembre these lessons with y e premisses sayd in this article and pray as foloweth ¶ A Lesson O Blissed Iesu which for me dyeng vpon y e crosse dyd commend thy soule to thy father graunt to me that I may spiritually so dye to the and with the in this life that it wold please the at the houre of my death to haue my wretched soule recoÌ„mendyd to the which liues and reignys with god the father and the holy ghost world without ende Amen ¶ The openyng of Christes side and hert with a spere the .lxiii. Article THe .lxiii. Article is the openynge or wondyng of Christes hert with a spere For at y e death of Christ there ware shewed many miracles as y e derknes of the soÌ„ne y e cuttyng of y e veyle in y e temple y e rentyng or breakyng of the stonys the openyng of the monumentes or grauys the conuersion of the noble man and capiteyn Centurio the conuersion of the thefe of many other that seyng these great thynges that ware done knocked vpon there brestes in sygne or token of penaunce and returned homewardes his moste heuy mother there abidyng with a fewe women with her The Iues then bicause it was the sabboth euyn that the bodyes shulde not remayne vpon the crosse on the saboth day for that sabboth day was an high day and festfull with them they I say besought Pilate that theyr legges myght be broken and so taken downe of the crosse then camme the sawgyours and brake the legges of both the theuys And when they camme to Iesus and saw that he was deed alredie they brake not his legges for as the legges of the paschall lambe ware not broken no more ware the legges of Christ that is the true lambe of god and in that was the scripture fulfylled that saith os non comminuetis ex eo He shall not breake a bone of hym But there cam one of the sawgiours with a spere and dyd thrust Christ in to the side and forthwith there came out blode and watre This sawgior was called Longius and he was blinde or at lest his sight was but weke and what tyme he had thrust Christ to the hert with his spere y e blode runnyng downe by the speare vnto his handes he not knowing the vertue therof touched or rubbed his yen with his blody haÌ„des and so had his syght clerely gyuen to hym Also of this blode and watre all the sacramentes of y e churche haue theyr efficacitie vertue and strenght as by theyr meritoriouse cause As the mayster of the sentence sayth and all doctours And though at that tyme the deed bodye of Christ could feale no payne yet y e Iues did this thing of a great malice and to the great rebuke of Christ for they ware not â—aciate and content with the obprobries rebukes and paynes that they put hym to in his lyfe but that also they wolde put hym to more and so persew hym after his death And for that cause this wondyng of Christes syde is taken here for a speciall article of Christes passion for all y e cruelties shames and despites that be done to y e deed corpes or corse be acompted as if they ware done to the persones lyuyng As somtyme the bodyes of deed persones be drawen hangyd headyd quarteryd or burned for the correction and punishment of suche defawtes as those persones dyd in ther liues And though Christ that tyme deed felt not that wounde of his syde yet the blessyd virgyn his mother felt it for that spere then dyd perse her most sorowfull soule as saynt Bernard sayth truly O blessid mother than the swerde of sorow did perse thy soule when that cruell spere openyd thy son syde after his death His soule then was not present with his bodye But thy soule myght not be departed from it for y e soule is rather there where it louyth than where it gyuith life so not without great cause we say that thou art more than a martyr for the effecte of compassion in the dyd exceade the fealyng of all bodilye paynes ¶ Of the miracles that ware done at this tyme we shall speake in the begynnyâ—g of the thyrd parte of this myrrour boke or treatesse OF this wounde of the side of our lorde the deuote and holy saynt Bernard saith thus O good Iesu thy side was wouÌ„ded and openid that we myght haue entrance or a way to cumme to the. Thy hert was wouÌ„ded that we absolued from al outward trobles and busines myght reste and abyde therin It was also wounded that by that visible wounde we myght see the inuisible wounde of thy loue for who so euer feruently louith he is wounded with loue And how myght his burnyng loue be more clerelie and openly declared to vs but in that y t he wold not onely haue his bodie outwardly woundyd but also haue his hart wounded with a spere therfore this bodely wounde doth shewe to vs his spiritual wounde of loue Arise therfore thou spouse of Chryst as a doue buyidyng thy nest and restyng place in the deapnes of this hole or wounde there watche coÌ„tinually as a sparow fynding thy nest there hyd thy birdes of chaste loue with the turtyll Ioyne or put thy mouth to that wounde that thou may sucke or drawe the watre of helth from y e fouÌ„tayns of our sauiour This is y e wel that
garden of paradise that was prepared of god for our fyrst parentes in the este part of the worlde This new sepulcre also was conuenient for our new Adam that his buriyng myght reanswear to his incarnacion For when he was incarnate he was put in to the wombe of a virgyne where neuer man was before nor shuld be after hym and so was he put in a new graue where as neuer man was put before Also he was buried in an other maÌ„nys sepulcre for he had none of his owne nor wold haue For he y t came to gyue hym selfe to the comforthe of man wolde haue no erthly thyng propre to hym selfe It was not conuenieÌ„t for hym that cam to gyue vs heuenly thynges that he shulde labour for any propertie in erthly thynges and therfore he made poore for vs from his natiuytie vnto his death dyd kepe a poore liâ—e and free from all propertie in worldly thynges He was also buried in a sepulcre of stone this stone signified Christ vpon the which stone is stablished y e sure foundacion of our faith Also he was buried in a stone for many misteries This is the stone that gaue watres plentiously vnto the people of god in the desert This is the stone that gaue furth riuers of oyle vnto Iob. This is the stone vpon the which a man is exalted and fixed in the tribulacions and anguishes of his hert to his great comforth and defence if he cum therto by sure fayth This is the stone that is the refuge and comforth vnto penitent synners that be full of prickes that is contricion for theyr synnes as the hurchen is full of prickes This is also the stone agaynste or vnto the which the yong spryng of our synnes be caste and all to crushed and broken or destroyed that is our euyll cogitacions at the begynnyng of them or fyrst mocion before they encrease in vs they shuld be cast agaynst this stone remembring the death and burying of Christ and so auoyde and destroy them In to this stone they put the body of Christ which was the lorde and gyuer of lyfe And when they had buried hym then Ioseph rolled or put to the dore of the sepulcre a great stone and so departed As Simon de Cassia saith this stone put to the doore of the sepulcre doth signifie the infidelitie of the Iues and the hardnes of theyr hertes for nother they wold cease from theyr euyll workes nor yet leaue theyr obstinate and froward hertes This stone was put to the seâ—ulcre by y e handes of men but it was remouyd by aungelles to signifie that by his owne euyll deades a mam may fall to obstinacie and heardnes of hert But that can nat be remouyd but by the pouer and vertue of god If the question be mouyd why this article is nombred among the articles of the passion of Christe seyth Christe beynge deed suffred no payne therby It may be answeryd that one of the miseries of our corrupt nature is that the body will putrifie after the death and therfore it must be buryed And though this reason haue no place in Christ for his body shuld neuer haue ben putretfied as the prophet sayth Non dabis sanctum tuum videre corruptionem Thou shall not suffre thy holie sonne to see the putrefaction of his bodie yet for asmoche as the Iues had brought this body of Christ to that coÌ„dicion that it seamed necessarie to bury it and also that the Iues wolde nat haue ben otherwise contenâ— excepte it had ben buried therfore it is coÌ„ueniently accompted as an artycle And also for that there folowed this buriyng .ii. great thynges that is the lameÌ„tacion and mournyng of our Lady and the other women and also y e watche and keapyng of the sepulcre Fyrst I say for the lamentacion of the blessyd virgyn and other women by whose lamentacions ware fulfylled the lamentacions that the prophet Hieremy wrote vpon the death of the good kyng Iosias The sorowful mother of god myght fyrst direct her wordes to the father of heuyn and say Alas my lord god why hast thou gyuen to me a son to die so miserably and so to leaue me behynd hym al desolate and ful of sorowe and heuines c Secondly she myght speake to Gabriel y e archaungell O Gabriell where is the glad tidynges that thou shewed to me I fynde no ioy but most bitter sorow Thyrdly she myght speake to Iohan the euangeliste and to other women that ware with her and say if ye loue me if ye haue any compassion of me I charge you that ye bury me with hym These and other like this sorowful mother myght haue sayd The second thyng that folowyd this buriyng was the watche and keapyng of the sepulcre by the saugiours And hereof the euangelist sayth thus Altera autem die que est post parasceuem dixerunt principes sacerdotum et pharisei ad Pilatum Domine recordati sumus ê™ seductor ille c. The next day after good friday the princes of pristes and the phariseis cam to Pilate and sayd Lord or sir we remembre that this deceyuer sayd whyle he was yet aliue After .iii. dayes I wyll arise agayne Commaunde therfore that the sepulcre be made sure and keapt vnto the thyrd day lesse paraduenture his disciples come and stele hym a waye and say to the people that he is arisen from death And then the laste erroure shal be worse than the fyrst This the Iues dyd fyrst to shewe the malice of theyr hertes And therefore Symon de Cassia sayth This is a great iniquitie of men a great enuy of the Iues that they do nat cease to persue and falsly accuse y e innocent deed callyng Christ after his death a deceyuer and that also they spake before the iudge which had prouyd the contrarie they had don to moche before in y t they falsly accused hym in many thyngê and moreouerby theyr importune clamoures and criynges had made hym to be coÌ„dempned vnto a most shameful death Secondly they dyd thus for theyr owne excusacioÌ„ For as y e same Simon de Cas sayth It is y e coÌ„dicion of an enuiouse ê‘son euer to speke euyl of that person whom he hateth and though he haue slayne or hurte that person whom he so hateth yet he wyll neuer speake of hym but with obprobriouse and euyl wordes that therby he may be Iudged to be good and ryghtuouse for asmoch as he ê‘se weth that person that was euyll and vnryghtuouse and so he cloketh hideth and coloreth his enuy by false crymes that he putteth vpon the innocent But for al that the conscience of such euyl persones be euer more in feare for they knowe that they do euyll but bycause they wyll not haue theyr malyce knowen they cease nat to falsly accuse theyr enymy also after his death And so theys false Iues euer repete theyr false accusacions bycause
men is conuenient Fyrst for theyr nombre for they ware many Secondly for theyr condicyon for they were holy and the bodyes of holy sayntes Thyrdly for the noueltye for they arose after theyr death and buriyng Also for the tyme for it was after the resurrection of Christ for he was the first that rose Fyftly for the holy place for they cam into the holy citye And also for that they apperyd to many persones ¶ The .vii. Myracle THe .vii. Myracle was the coÌ„uersion of moch people Of the which the euangelist sayth Centurio et qui cum eo erant custodientes Iesum viso terre motu et hijs que fiebant timuerunt valde dicentes Vere filius dei erat iste When Centurio which was a capteyn of a C. men and they that were w t hym watchyng and keapyng Iesus sawe the erth quake and those thynges which happened then they fearyd greatly and sayd of a suerty this was the son of god This Centurio and his compaygney confessyd Christ to be the son of god and this was don for .v. causes Fyrst for that he saw so many great myracles don which mouyd hym to this confession and fayth Second was for the callyng of the paganes or gentylles to the fayth Behold sayth Simon de Cassia a great mistery that in the Natyuitie or byrth of our lorde and also at his death the gentylles dyd preuent the Iues and cam to the faith before them For at the byrth of Christ the .iii. kynges and greate wyse men which cam from the Eest to worship Christe dyd preuent the Iues at that tyme. And now at his death this Centurio with his compaigney of Rome that cam from the Weste dyd also first beleue Thyrd reason was to reuok his errours For now Centurio dyd glorifie god that so had ordred his son to suffre death He beleuyd in to god and glorifed hym beyng sory that he had obeyd to the president Pylate in so cruelly tormentynge the son of god and openly with his mouth he confessyd Christe to be iuste and innocent whom the maliciouse Iues had falsly coÌ„dempned as vniuste and worthy death In lyke maner dyd his compaigney sayng the same with great feare wondre and so commyng to the knowlege of true fayth deseruyd forgyuenes of theyr errours and infidelitie by the merit of the prayer of Christ when he prayed for his crucifiers and sayd Father forgyue them they know nat what they doo Forth reason is for to confounde the heretikes And therefore saynt Hierom sayth Note here that Centurio a gentyll and pagane seyng Christe put to most shamefull death yet for all that seyng such Myracles confessyd Christ to be the son of god and Arrius a christen man And a prest or doctor in the churche of Christe dyd blaspheme Christe and say that he was a creature not the natural son of god Fyfth reason was for the informacion of vs christians Herunto sayth the holy pope Leo. Euery man shuld tremble and be afraed in y e remembraunce of the passion of his redemar Christ as Centurio was in y e syght therof the hard hertes of men shuld be broken as ware the stones and they that be buried in the custom of synne shuld cast away all obstacles customs or occasioÌ„s of syn and without tariyng aryse vp and com vnto the holy citie that is to the church there be reconsyled and so appere to many persones that they may se and know you truly risen from y e death of synne vnto the life of grace and so that which was doon corporally at the passion of Christe may now be doon spiritually in our hertes and soulys by the remembraunce of the same passion ¶ The .viii. Myracle THe .viii. Myracle was the very blode and very watre ranne out of Christes syde after his death For as the euangelist sayth Iudei auteÌ„ quoniam parasceue erat c. The Iues bycause it was the sabboth euen that the bodyes shuld not remayne and contynue vpon the crossys on the sabboth day for that sabboth day was an hygh day and solempne fest with them they I say besought Pylate that there legges myght be broken and so taken downe of the crosse The Iues dyd make this desire to Pylate for .iiii. causes of the which Symon de Cassia maketh mencion Fyrst for the reuerence of there festfull day It was a meruelouse supersticion of the Iues sayth he that thought y t theyr sabboth day shulde be violate and defoyled if the bodies of those which ware condempned to death shulde hyng that day vpon y e crosse but they had no conscience nor wold se the coÌ„taminacion and defoylyng of theyr owne soulys whiche for enuy condempned the innocent falsly to death Secondly it was for the vnquietnes of the people that the Iues alledged for them to Pilate y e reuerence of the sabboth day but in theyr hertes was hyd great malice for they pretendyd that they wold haue his body taken downe lesse the people shuld be truobled and vnquieted vpon the sabbot day which is a day of quietnes but it was for the great signes and miracles that ware shewed at his death and after his death and they thought that if the people shuld see the bodie hyng vpon y e crosse that therby they remembryng all these signes shuld shortly be mouyd to insurrection and agaynst them that condempned hym to death Thyrdly for that they wold haue no mo myracles shewed For they ware afrayd that if he contynued long vpon the crosse that there shulde haue ben many momyracles shewed Forthly they dyd it to auoyde perilles for they councelynge to gether decreyd wisely for them selfe corporally that the bodies of the deed persones condempned to death shulde not be suffred to hyng long for the auoydyng of many perillys that myght hap It is the custome of wyse gouernars of any coÌ„mynaltie to remoue or a voyde that person quicke or deed by whome they feare any troble to com And therfore the princes of the Iues desyred Pylate that theyr leggê myght be broken and so taken downe And then the sawgioures cam brake the leggê of the .ii. theuys that was as saynt Austen sayth y t they myght the more shortly dye and also for the commauÌ„dement of the lawe but when they cam to Iesus and se that he was deed all redy they brake nat his legges And that was for .ii. causes after Symon de Cassia Fyrst for verifiyng of the figure for here of we had a figure bifore in the paschall lambe of whom it was commauÌ„dyd that they shuld breake no bone of it Nat so to be vnderstand that that figure or commaundement was the cause that Christ bonys or legges ware nat broken but contrary wise bycause that god had so prouided that no bone shuld be broken in Christ therfore it was commaundyd and keapt in the paschall lambe that was a figure of Christe Secondly it was to
sygnifie a thyng in the misticall body of our sauiour Christe that is that the bonys of this misticall body which be the perfite men shuld nat be broken or ouercum by iÌ„pacience in any tribulacion or aduersite but that they shulde continue and abyde vnsuperable redy to suffre all thynges vnto the death And though sumtyme they be ouercum in body that ther body is taken and put to prison and paynes yet in mynde and good maners they be neuer ouercum nor broken And therefore they brake nat Christes legges But one of the sawgiours with a speare dyd thrust Christ to the hert and furth with there cam out watre and blode This man was claled Longius and he dyd thus for the pleasure of the Iues which wold be certified of his death This Longyne was then a cruell and a wicked man but afterward he was conuerted and dyed an holy martyr It is sayd that his syght was very feble and as the blode ran downe by the speare from the hert of Christe by chaunche it toched his yen and furthwith he had his syght clerly and so he beleauyd in Christe lefte his sawgiourshyppe and enstructe by the apostles in the fayth of Christ he leuyd an holie monasticall lyue by the space of .xxxviii. yeares in the citie of Cesary in the county of Capadoce and after that he had coÌ„uerted moche peopâ—e to the fayth of Christ by his holie word and good example at last he was put to death for the fayth of Christe And that watre and blode cam out of the syde of Christe it was done for .iii. causes Fyrst for the multiplicacion of myracles It was a boue nature and a very myracle that pure and very blode and pure and very watre shuld com out of any deed bodie And note here that this blod and watre cam not myxte to gether but fyrst very pure blod and after that very pure watre As Symon de Cassia sayth Secondly it was done for the vertue of the sacramentes For of this wounde they had theyr efficacitie and vertue And herunto saynt Austen sayth super Iohannem the euangelist vsed here a very good and a discreat terme sayng Aperuit latus eius Non percussit nec vulnerauit Saynt Iohan sayth that the sawgiour with his spear dyd open the syde of Christ he doth nat say that he smote or wondyd it but opened it that he myght shew that that wounde was as the dore of lyfe from whens all sacramentes haue theyr vertue as we sayd in the .lxiii. article with out the which sacramentes no man may entre in to y e eterne life specially if they may be had Thyrdly this was done to enflame our loue And herunto saynt Austen sayth One of the sawgioures dyd open Christes syde with a speare that by y t open wounde we myght se and know the loue that Christ had in his hert to vs and so therby loue hym the more strongly and faythfully ¶ The .ix. Myracle THe .ix. Myracle was the buriyng of Christ for it was a meruelouse rare and a thyng neuer hard or seen that a person so vilely and rebukfully hangyd vpon the crosse as Christ was shuld be so honorally buryed of great and deuote persons as he was Of this buriyng saynt Iohan sayth Post hec rogauit Pilatum Ioseph ab Aromathia c. After that Christ was deed Ioseph of Aromathy desired Pylate to graunt and gyue to hym the bodie of Iesu This peticion he made for iiii cauâ—es Fyrst for as Crisostome sayth Ioseph supposed that the malice of y e Iues that they had agaynst Christ had ben endyd seyng that they had crucified hym and therfore he went boldly to Pylate and asked y e body Secondly bycause of his familiarytie that he had with Christ for he was the disciple of Christ thoughe then it was nat openly knowen Thyrdly Ioseph was a good man and therfore he fearyd nat to do a good dede Of his goodnes Symon de Casia sayth We may nat iustly reproue this Ioseph in any thyng whome so seriously the euangelist Luke commendith sayng Ecce vir nomine Ioseph qui erat de curio vir bonus et iustus Hic non consenserat consilio et actibus eorum c. Behold saith Luke a man called Ioseph which was a noble man worldly for he was of the ordre of the court or of the councell of the emperour a good man to god iuste to his neighboures This Ioseph dyd nat consent to the counsell and actes or deades of y e Iues agaynst Christ he dwellyd in Aromathy a citie of Iurie and he trusted also and wayted for the kyngdom of god Som sayth he was decurio bycause he was a captayne ouer .x. men And this office agreith to a mistery for he keapt the .x. commaundementes of god and thus for his goodnes he was bolde to aske of Pylate the body of Iesus Forthly it was for his dignytie for as we sayd before he was a noble man and riche and well accept with Pylate and therfore he went the more boldly to Pylate where as a poore mean man durst nat be so bolde And therfore we may say that it was done of the prouision of god that Ioseph shuld haue that riches and noblenes wherby he myght the more honorably burye the body of our sauiour Iesu c. Of this we spake in the .lxiiii. artycle ¶ The .x. Myracle THe .x. Myracle or meruell was the watche keapyng of the sepulcre for y e Iues desyred of Pylate that they myght haue sawgiours to watch and keape the sepulcre which was a rare and a meruelouse thyng that he which was put to so vile and shamefull death shuld be keapt and watched And note that I do nat take a Myracle here properly and in his most propre significacion but largely as euery rare and vn wonte thyng y t is meruelouse may be called so a myracle And of this maruell we spake sufficiently in the .lxv. article of the second parte Of other myracles that ware shewed that tyme ye shal se hereafter in the treates of Bernardyne of the .xii. merulouse frutes of the tree of life and of the wonderouse misteries of the most holye crosse Also ye haue lyke myracles in the fyrst parte of this boke in the fyrst chapiter of the .v. particle c. ¶ Why Christ wold suffre so many and such greiuouse paynes for vs. Capi. ii HEre sum doctours assygne diuerse reasons as it ware by a manere of recapitulation or rehersynge of suche thynges as haue ben spoken byfore of the passion of our lord sayng that Christ suffred so many and so greuouse paynes for vs for that that he wold by euery one of them take from vs som euyll and gyue to vs som good thyng Which thyng is to be diligently attendyd and strongly also continually to be infixed and prynted in our hert We deseruyd by our synnes eternall heuines agaynst the which
weapyng and sorowe Whan thou dyd hang Christe vpon the crosse thou knewest nat what dammage thou prepared for thy selfe in hel After these complaynyng voyces of these most cruell tormentoures of hell there was a greate multitude of sayntes weapynge for ioy that sayde Welcome our redemer welcome our sauyour whom we daylye and of long tyme with great desire haue loked for and taried thy cummyng Thou haste now descendyd vnto helles for vs forsake vs nat whaÌ„ thou shalt returne agayne to heuyns O deuote soule Consider here howe tho holie fathers dyd ioy in the cummyng of Christ how they ware replenished with great gladnes al sorow and displeasure vtterly excludyd And so they stode in songes and praysyngê byfore god sayng Blessyd be he that is com in y e name of god our lord god hath shyned to vs. Thou art our god our sauiour thou hast dryuen away al derknes from vs and thou hast loused our bondes y u hast broken y e brason gates the iren barres thou iÌ„ thy great strenght deliuers y e bond prisoners and y u leades thy electe people froÌ„ prison w t great ioy Therfore now we laude and worship the for euermore and so they fell al prostrate worshypped him Than answeryng to them our lord Iesu sayd Aten dite popule meus legem meam O my people attende my lawe Peace be to you and eternall ioy I am your lord god y t brought you out of Egipte And many other thynges we may suppose that Christe spake to them of the which the gospell maketh no mencion Also he said take hede and se for I am your god which hath create redemyd and sauyd you It is written of me in the hede or begynnynge of the boke that I shulde do the wyll and pleasure of my father And for your health I haue descendyd I haue ben poore and in greate laboures from my yong age entendyng to the saluacion of your soules They that shulde haue ben my chylderne ware made straungers to me and haue made false lies vpon me My frendes and negboures thought euyll agaynst me All that saw me dyd mocke me I was scourged all the day and my betyng was in the mornyng They haue diggyd my handes and my feet and they haue nombred all my bonys They put gall in to my meate they gaue me vinegre to drynke I haue sleapte and slumberyd or dyed vpon the crosse and my bodye reasteth in hope of my restrreccion and so furth of diuers other thynges which the prophetes wrote vpon hym As saynt Bonauenture sayth In his meditacions of the lyfe of Christ And then al the holy soules answeryd blessed be y e name of thy maiesty for euermore and all the erth myght be replenyshed with thy maiestie and glorie Amen Amen For thou art made to vs a refuge and a comforter for euermore If thou had nat healpyd vs our soules shuld haue abiden in hell eternally But thou our lord god hast remembred vs and hast redemyd vs with thy preciouse blode thou hast shewyd vnto vs thy face which the aungelles in heuyn desire to beholde All the world myght worshyp the our lord god and prayse thy holie name now and euer Amen In such laudes praysynges songes and ioyenges stode the holy soules in limbo patrum nygh vnto the tyme of Christes resurrection and there was also with them a great cumpaigney of auÌ„gelles ioyeng and praysyng god with them And after this our lord toke those holy soules froÌ„ hel w t great ioy and w t great glory goyng byfore them brought them and put them in Paradise of pleasures And there a lytyll while abydyng with them and with Enoch and Hely which ther knowyng hym dyd worshyppe hym and prayse hym And then our sauiour sayd to them It is time that I go and reyse my bodie I will go and take it agayne And all the holy fathers fallyng doune prostrate sayd go ye our lord and gloriouse kyng and retourne shortly agayne if it shal so please you for we gretly desire to se your gloriouse bodye A prayer O Good Iesu thy vnspekable pitie and charitie was nat yet saciate and content with thy death but that thou wold visite the clausures of hell and redeme thy people there beyng in captiuite therfore thy moste blessyd and gloriouse soule knyt to thy godhed descendyd vnto the helles delyueryng thy elect people from y e derknes and shadowe of death I beseach the O merciful Iesu that thy grace and mercy myght descende vpon the soules of our parentes bretherne sisterne and all our kynsfolkes also vpon the soulys of our familiar aquayntance benefactoures and al other that we be bounde to pray for and of al christen soulys that thou wold delyuer them from y e paynes that they haue deseruyd for theyr synnes and that thou wold bryng them to eternall glorie Amen ¶ Of the resurrection of our Lorde The .iiii. Chaptre OUr Lord cummyng with an honorable multitude of auÌ„gelles very early on the Sonday in the mornyng and reysyng his moste holy bodye from his sepulcre dyd cum furth of the same by his owne power vertue it beyng closse or shut sealid as the Iues left it And hereof saynt Austen sayth Our sauiour Iesus after his beatynges and scornynges after the drynke of vinegre and gall after the paynes of the crosse and his woundes and at laste after his death and descendyng to hell in a new fleshe and body but yet the same he arose from death the secreat and hyd lyfe and health reseruyd in death dyd rise and cum agayne more beautiouse and gloriouse after his death Then was the age of Christe renuyd as is in the Egle. Then the Lion dyd reyse his whelp Then the byrd called Fenix dyd lyue agayne Then the potter after that his pottes ware broken of the same erth made a newe pot after his owne pleasure Then Ionas cam out of the Whallys belye with out hurte Then was the candelstike coueryd with golde Then that is at this resurrection the tabernacle of Dauid that was fallen was reysed vp agayne Then the son shone Which byfore was in a cloude Then was the whete grayne or corne quickned which cast in to the erth was deed Then the Hart toke his hornes agayn Then Sampson toke the gates of the citie and went vnto the hyll Then Ioseph brought out of prison was ordeyned and made the lorde of al Egipt Then the sacke that is the body of Christ cut and rent in his passion was now clad with glorie and ioy Wherfore this paschal solempnite is very greate and solempne In the which Christ arisyng from death dothe nat now die or is nat now deed and death hereafter shall neuer haue dominion or power ouer hym For god his father hath clothed hym with the stole of iÌ„mortalytie and glory