with O that this is a diuine sentence which the Prophet doth vtter vnto vs in this place whereby wee are plainly taught that the thirst of the soule is farre different from the thirst of the body and that the thirst of the spirit is one and that of the flesh another that of the iust man one and that of the sinner another and the heauenly thirst one and the humane another Whereby is the thirst of the body quenched but by drinking And with what is the thirst of the soule slackened but by contemplation And with what is the thirst of the spirit killed but by seruing God And with what is the thirst of the world eased but by following the world And what doth the iust thirst after but grace in this world and glory in the other And what thirst hath the wicked but to procure all meanes hee can the cockering of himselfe The humane thirst is of humane thinges and the heauenly thirst is of heauenly things and therevpon it is that what our intention is which we haue in our hearts such is the thirst which wee suffer in this world If our principall intent be to be greater in the world all our thirst is to climbe higher if to bee richer then our thirst is in gathering goods together insomuch that such as our thoughts are such are the liues we lead Tell me I pray thee what doth the prowd man hunt after but to bee of great authority what doth the enuious man shoot at but to throw downe another what doth the furious man intend but how to reuenge vpon his enemy what dooth the glutton follow but dainties for the belly This is the thirst which the wicked doe suffer and that which cannot bee spoken without teares is that their life is sooner at an end than the thirst of their wickednesse is quenched S. Augustine vpon the Psalms sayth In great sinners and obstinate hearts although the prowd man doe die yet pride dieth not although the enuious man die yet enuy dieth not although the couetous man die yet couetousnesse dieth not although the carnall man doe die yet his carnality dieth not insomuch that the vicious man is dead before that his vice is at an end Why thinkest thou doe wee say that the vicious man is dead before his vice is at an end but because that if the time in the which he sinned bee ended and past yet his desire of further sinning is not ended S. Ierom saith In damned vnfortunate persons their torments are therefore infinit because their desires of sinning were also infinit because our Lord doth make greater reckoning of that which the hart doth desire thā of that vvhich the hands doe worke S. Basil vpon the Psalmes sayth O how much more dangerous is the thirst which a naughtie mans heart dooth suffer than that vvhich the body doth endure because this is assuaged vvith a cup of cold water but the thirst of the heart is mittigated by adding sinne vnto sinne and therevpon it is that if the thirsty man take pleasure in drinking the great sinner taketh farre more in offending Let mee bee no more credited if I vvere not told of one vvhich had not left onely one vice vntried nor let passe one day wherein hee had not sinned What shall vvee thinke of him but that if hee had alwaies liued hee vvould alwaies haue sinned What a remediles thirst should he haue after sinne and vvhat a friend should he be of vvicked persons vvho left no sinne vvhich he proued not nor no day vvherin he offended not The rich couetous man which vvas in hell did not complaine of the fire vvhich did burne him nor of the cold vvhich pinched him nor of the hunger vvhich hee endured but of the great thirst which tormented him and therefore asked no other fauour of Abraham but that hee would coole and refresh his tongue with a drop of vvater it was the iust iudgement of God that seeing hee had no other thirst in this world but of wealth authority and power and treasure that hee should haue an excessiue thirst in the other not of wealth and authoritie but of a bare cup of water Loe thus you haue seene it proued how the punishment followeth the offence and how one thirst succeedeth another But alas alas the thirst of this world hath an end but the thirst of the other world shall dure alwaies without end CHAP. VIII God complaineth that we forsake him for vile base things and doth compare vs vnto old pooles ME dereliquerunt fontem aquae viuae foderunt sibi eisternas dissipatas quae continere aquas non valent These words God spake by the Prophet Ieremy in the second chapter as if hee would say My people of Israel haue run into two great incōueniences that is they haue forsaken me who am the fountaine of the liuely water and haue made for themselues to drinke in cesternes and pooles which cannot hold water in them Although the Apostle doe say that our Lord is profound in his iudgements yet in those thinges which touch the profite of his creatures he is plaine and easie for if hee bee well pleased he doth presently shew it and if he be angry he doth immediately complaine When Abraham had ended the sacrifice of his sonne Isaac our Lord did immediately thanke him for it and when king Dauid had ended his adultery with Bersabee he complained out of hand for our Lord is so farre without dissimulation and malice that he doth nether faine himselfe to bee content nor denie himselfe to bee angry What more would wee haue God to doe for vs than like a good Lord bee thankfull for that which wee doe in his seruice and like a good friend admonish vs of that which we should doe for him and like a pittifull Father correct vs when we doe any thing against him Our Lord then doth here complaine not only for that we doe forsake and leaue him but also for what vile and base things we doe it whereby we shew how little we doe account of him and how greatly wee doe iniury him seeing that no man doth vse to change his master vnlesse it be for his further profite If it were so that as we do leaue one man for another so wee should leaue one God to dwell vvith a better it were a thing to be borne vvithall but seeing that there is but one true God how is it possible to meet vvith a better God or yet any so good What other thing is it to forsake God for the creature but to leaue the kernell for the shell the fruit for the rinde the rose for the thorne the floure for the bran and the fountaine for the streame Therefore like an angry Lord and a man greatly iniuried God complaineth and sayth Me dereliquerunt fontem aquae viuae for there can be no greater madnesse in the world than to leaue the Creator for the creature the Lord for the seruant the iust
griefes sorrowes because all other men haue power only to hear theÌ„ but no skill to remedy them Irenaeus sayth If I be a cold he who wisheth me vvel can bring me to the fire if I be hungry giue mee a little bread if I bee thirsty giue mee a cup of vvater if I bee naked giue mee a shirt but if my soule bee sad and comfortlesse vvhat comfort can he giue me but only bid me haue patience S. Augustine to the Hermites saith Hee who will comfort the soule ought to be in the soule and he vvho will remedy the heart should dwell in the heart but because no man hath his abiding there but onely the sonne of the liuing God of him and of no other our remedy and ease must proceed Cicero in an Epistle saith O how hee is deceiued which saith and thinketh that the griefes of the heart are lenified and eased by seeing faire meddowes vvalking by fresh riuers eating dainty meats hearing pleasant musicke For all these things can but suspend my griefes for an houre or two but they cannot root them out and much lesse remedy them Tell mee I pray thee how can the instruments vvhich found in my eares remedy my griefes vvhich are inclosed in my bowels How can the pleasures and ioies which my eies receiue in beholding meddowes and forrests giue ease to my paines vvhich lie in my bones What doth dainty faire mitigate the anxiety of mind What comfort can an aâ—â—licted mind take if they giue him no other remedy but bid him haue patience What careth my sorrowfull heart for my friends words if when they are gone from mee my sorrowes remaine Seeing that all the pleasures and ioies of the vvorld reach no further than vnto the fiue sences it is a certaine thing that as pleasures are seated in those sences so likewise griefes are rooted in the heart Plato sayth That griefes and delights are great enemies and that they dwell farre one from another and therevpon it happeneth that there is no delight and pleasure which entâ—reth into the inward part of the heart nor no griefe which commeth out further than the heart Cassiodorus saith That as we seeke for an expert Pilote to saile with and a skilfull Phisition to cure vs with so for to comfort our griefes and heauinesse we should seeke out cunning men in them because that no man can take more pitty on another than he who hath been wearied iniuried by suffering WheÌ„ the son of God came into the world hee came not to learne to read nor to write nor to swim nor to preach for all this is but drosse and mire in comparison of that which hee knew before hee came into the world That which hee came hither to learne by experience was that which hee knew before onely by science that is to accustome himselfe to suffer corporall passions and vexations because he might haue the more compassion vpon the afflicted Chrysostome sayth That the sonne of God came to trafficke in this vvorld like vnto a rich wealthy merchant that is by carrying to heauen that which there wanted by bringing from thence that which wanted here for there ther wanted meÌ„ therfore took some thither with him here there wanted merits therefore left store behind him The son of God came into the world because there wanted men in heauen to enioy his glory and because we wanted grace to deserue it so we gaue him humane flesh to suffer with and he gaue vs his holy grace wherby wee might merit O holy and glorious exchange seeing that he changed with vs quietnesse for trauell innocency for infamy spirit for flesh life for death and glory for painâ—â— Now that 〈◊〉 haue declared how the sonne of God came into the world to learne vexations and troubles the better to haue compassion on them in others it is conuenient that wee declare now how that the mother of God did inherite her sons sword of sorrows as hee did inherite his father Dauids seat of griefes and trauails CHAP. VI. Of the sword of griefe which killed the sonne of God and went through his blessed mother ETtuam ipsius animam doloris gladius pertransibit said Simeon to the Virgine in the second chapter of S. Luke as if he would say The sword of the passion of this thy sonne shall bee so cruell O high Virgine that at one stroke it shal take his life from him pierce thy soule The like prophecy was neuer heard of in times past nor read in any booke nor any so sorrowfull a prophecie euer spoken of as this was which the Virgine newly deliuered heareth this day which the good old Simeon vttereth vnto her for what saith the prophecy but that at one time in the selfesame day in the same hour and with the selfesame sword they will doe iustice vpon the sonnes flesh and vpon the mothers bowels There are found swords commonly to cut off a theefes eare to behead a murderer to quarter a traitor to cut a blasphemous tongue but a sword that can pierce the soule and mind there is no other to bee found but this sword of Christs The sword which Cain killed his brother with the sword which Moyses killed the Egyptian with and the sword which king Dauid slew the Philistime with and Helias sword with the which he slew the Idolaters and Phiâ—â—es sword with the which he slew the Ammonites did all wound the body but alas Simeons sword brused the flesh of the sonne and did not fauor the bowels of the mother Vbertinus noteth that Simeon doth not say that a sword of sorrow shall strike thee but Pertransibit that is that that sword vvill not bee content onely to wound but as it were with a mortall thrust shall peirce thy blessed soule from one side vnto the other And then that deadly sword peirced her from one side vnto the other when all the sorrowes and griefes which the sonnes flesh endured did load the heart of the dolorous mother with griefe The wordes of Auegratia plena which the Angel vsed and those which Simeon spake doloris gladius pertransibit went togither and were of equall force for euen as the Virgines soule was so full of grace that she could receiue no more so her heart was so full of griefe that shee could endure no more There could not a greater griefe be spoken of than that which the mother was to suffer which was vttered in saying that a sword should pierce her heart from one side vnto the other and indeed as old Simeon had prophecied so it came to passe because there was neuer Martyr which suffered more torment in the martyring of his body than the blessed Virgine suffered in seeing her son martyred And this speech tuam ipsius animam is very much to bee noted for although other holy men were grieued at the death of Christ yet none so much as his holy mother for in other men the griefe was as it were
now anew thou doest breake all thy anger vpon me and doest lay vpon my back all thy dreadfull feares It is a new speech and a grieuous complaint to say that the father should breake his anger vpon his sonne and that hee maketh his soule afeard And therefore it is necessary for vs to shew what anger is and how it can be verified that there is anger in God Possidonius the Philosopher being asked what anger was answered In my opinion anger is nothing else but a short and a suddaine folly Aristotle defyning it said that anger was but a kindeling of the bloud an alteration and mouing of the heart a forgetting of wit sence and a troubling of the iudgement Eschines being demanded from whence anger proceeded said that it proceeded from the heat of the bloud and of the abundance of choller and a vapour of the gaule and fiercenesse of the heart Macrobius sayth That no man should chide with one that chideth nor with him who is chidden vntill the cause be knowne on both sides for the cause is not in the anger which wee shew in chiding but in the iustice or iniustice of the cause for which wee chide Seneca in his first booke of Anger sayth That the conditions of an angry man are not to beleeue his friends to bee sodden in all his businesse helpe himselfe with his hands not to respect dangers speake suddenly and maliciously and bee angry for a smal occasion and admit no reason Chilo the Philosopher sayth That if any man aske him what hee thinketh of anger hee will answere that it is a thing easie to be written of and easie to persuade and sweet to bee counselled against but very hard to bee bridled Saint Basil vpon the Psalme Neque in ira tua corripias me sayth That Anger is such a dangetous thing that if wee doe giue it entrance into our will it doth afterward make our nill of our will Then wee yeeld our will vnto anger when wee begin to trouble our selues with small matters and then anger doth that which is not our wil when in great matters we would not be angry in so much that if wee doe not resist anger in the beginning we shall neuer or late cast it out of our house Wee haue spoken all this to the end that wee should maruell the more how it should be in God and how he should bee moued like a man seeing that as there is no man able to take his eternall being from him so there is no man able any way to trouble him Who should bee able to trouble him seeing wee know that God is a spirit and hath no heart in his breast no bloud in his vaines no vapour rising from his gaule no gaule in his lights no forgetfulnesse in his memory no alteration in his iudgement S. Ierome vpon the Prophet O see saith That God is so wise that no man is able to deceiue him so mighty that no man is able to resist him so constant that no man is able to mooue him so inuisible that no man is able to touch them so iust that no man is able to oppresse him Then if it bee so that hee cannot bee deceiued oppressed nor moued how is it possible that any anger should raigne in him as it doth in a man When the sonne sayth vnto the Father In me transierunt iraetuae hee sayth plainly that hee hath vnloaden his great anger vpon him and hath cast all his griefes vpon his shoulders For the better vnderstanding of this complaint which Christ maketh it is to bee noted that for the space of many yeares God had enmities and hatred and found himselfe agrieued moued and disquieâ—ed for at the same houre that he created creatures the Angels would haue been equall with him man began to disobey him sinne began to preuaile and also to persecute his friends God had three notorious enemies in the world which are man the deuill and sinne whereof man went about to lift vp himselfe in Paradise the diuell to take heauen from him and sinne to rule and gouern the whole world O that these were vnspeakeable griefes which these three enemies caused God to haue and their disobedience toward him exceeding great heaping daily sin vpon sinne wickednesse vpoÌ„ wickednesse neuer going about to amend themselues nor God to be pacified Our Lord did dissemble all kind of disobedience and all manner of sinne vntill his sonne came into the world vpon whose humanity hee did so fully vnload and vnburden his anger and griefe as though hee had been the only inuenter of sinne Gregory in his Morals sayth That the world is a strong enemy the deuill a stronger and sinne the Traitor the strongest of all for if there were no sinne in the world God would not bee angry nor man should not bee condemned nor the Deuill vvould not goe about so diligently neither should there bee any hell for the vvicked Damascen sayth thus It dooth vvell appeare that the eternall Father did breake all his anger vpon his precious sonne and that hee did vnburden himselfe and load all his vvrath vpon his humanitie seeing that before his sonne did take flesh hee did nothing but punish and after that hee died did nothing but pardon Haue you seene since God hath broken his anger vpon his sonne either the vvorld drowned vvith vvater as in the floud or burnt vvith fire as in Sodome and Gomorra Hath there beene seene since God brake his anger vpon his sonne such captiuities as the people of the Iewes vvere in or such plagues as vvere in Aegypt or such famine as were in Dauids time or such warres as were in the Machabees time Christ had great reason to say vnto his father In me transierunt irae tuae seeing that hee broke all his anger and discharged all his wrath vpon him Eripuit me de inimicu meis fortissimis ab his qui oderunt me saith the Prophet Dauid speaking vnder the person of Christ That is in recompence that my Father hath vnloaden vpon mee all his wrath and anger he hath deliuered me from my mightiest enemies and hath put from my side such of my enemies which did hate mee exceedingly What doest thou say O sweet Iesus what doest thou say doest thou die by the hands of thy enemies and yet doest say that thy father hath deliuered thee from them My father hath not deliuered me from the deuill seeing that he doth tempt me nor from the Pharisies seeing that they haue accused mee nor from the Scribes seeing that they haue diffamed mee nor from the Gentiles seeing that they haue crucified me but he hath deliuered me from sinnes which are the strongest of all my enemies Are they not the strongest of all seeing they rule and maisterall Augustine vpon the Apostles words sayth Of three enemies which we haue sinne is the strongest of them al because many holy men haue gone before vs in old times vpon whom although the deuill and the
doth tell vs in this authoritie when he sayth Quid vltra debut facere vincae meae and S. Paul when he said Tradit semetipsum pro me where the one speaketh of the great care which our Lord hath in gouerning and maintaining vs and the other of the bitter paine hee tooke in redeeming vs. Our Lord sayth very well what should I haue done more vnto my vineyard seeing that he tooke humane flesh for vs washed away our offences endued vs with his grace incorporated vs in his church and made vs capable of glory What should he hauedone more considering that he hath left vs his body to receiue his merites to help our selues with his Saints to imit-te his Gospel to keepe and his Sacraments for a medicine Quid vltra debus facere considering how he made our bodies of nothing created our soules to his owne likenesse giuen vs Angels to guard vs and bestowed all the earth vpon vs What should he do more seeing that hee hath commanded the sunne to giue vs light the earth to sustaine vs the fire to heat vs the water to wash vs the aire to recreate vs What should he doe more for vs seeing thâ—t ouer and aboue all other beasts hee hath giuen vs iudgement to discerne good from bad memory to rememberthings pâ—st and a will to loue that which is holy and good If these benefites doe seeme great vnto thee yet I tell thee further that he hath done more than this for thee which thou hast forgotten of which our Lord wil call for an account at the great day of his generall accounts What are these new sauours or when doth hee vnto vs any other good turnes but when hee turneth some dangerous hurt from vs Griefe of mind anxietie of heart feares of life suddaine passions touching our credite and fame with such like as are woont to assault vs euery minure of an houre although we thinke not on them so that if our Lord should not keepe vs with his mighty hand wee should liue with paine and die with perill What are those mischiefes which doe most of all weary vs and which are neuer from vs but dreadfull death vnspeakable griefe bitter teares extreame sorrow and vntollerable feare These fine dolours doe bait and ouerthrow all mortal men because they are so common among great men and so vniuersal among the meaner sort that vntill this day we haue known none exempted from them and wee haue heard of none who haue died and not tried them If euery man will examine his owne person he shall find it to bee true that he knoweth all these mischiefes and euils not by any science which hee hath heard but by experience within himselfe seeing that we see nothing else euery houre but euery man to weepe and bewaile his infinite paines and griefes And because we may not seeme that we doe speake at pleasure we will speake of euery word a little to bring thee to remembrance how euery one of these griefes is experimented in thy selfe As concerning the first which is death what mortall man was euer borne in this life whom death in the end hath not made an end of and put into his graue With this condition we come into the world and liue in the world that in the end wee must leaue the world and that by reason of a common law which he hath giuen vs. The second griefe are teares and what mortall man did euer liue in this world with such great ioy but hath wept at some time or other and that heartily Horace sayth That weeping is so naturall a thing vnto all mortall men that we be borne weeping liue weeping and die weeping Demosthenes sayth That a man hath need of a maister to learne all offices and duties vnlesse it be weeping because there is nothing wherof a man hath such abundance and plenty as of cares in his mind complaints in his tongue and teares in his eies The third paine is sorrow for what mortall man did euer attaine vnto such sure and quiet state of life that hee should neuer need to fetch at any time a deepe sigh O that it is well seene in the life of holy Iacob that to mourne sigh and weepe are offices and duties so annexed vnto the miserable life of man that we shall first see our selues dead than free from them The griefes which trouble our mindes are so many and the anxieties which charge our bowels are so huge and strong that lamenting and vvailing is taken for a remedy and sighing for a comfort and weeping for an ease because it happeneth often to afflicted minds that the more teares they shed the more ease their hearts receiue The fourth paine which is griefe what man hath euer beene so strong and healthy who hath not beene throwne downe with some sicknesse or beaten vvith some great affliction O that the Apostle said very well that vvee haue a treasure in fickle vessels seeing that vvee are so weake in strength and feeble of health that wee doe nothing but keepe our selues from the sunne least hee burne vs and from cold least it goe through vs and from the aire least it distemper vs from the vvater least it stop vs and from meat least vvee disgest it not Auerroes sayth That because these inferiour bodies are subiect vnto the superiour influences of the heauens they passe great perill and are endangered by the starres and planets for the elements often changing in themselues the bodies which are made of them doe also the like Of all the riches of this life there is none equall or to bee compared vnto health because that all other paines and griefes either time doth cure or discretion doth moderate The fist paine vvhich is feare vvhat mortall man had his heart euer so at rest that no feare hath euer come vpon him or in vvhome no suddaine passion hath raigned Menander sayth That of necessitie there must raigne in mens hearts mirth or sorrow loue or hatred paine or ease and hope or feare but of all these sorrow and hatred paine and feare are those which doe most of all raigne in our bowels because we see mirth and loue pleasure and hope either late or neuer come to our dore Cicero in his Commonwealth sayth put case that wee loue many things yet without comparison wee feare more thinges and that which is worst of all is that our loue doth change euery day but our feare doth neuer depart from vs. Plautus sayth How merry so euer our countenance bee and how full soeuer of laughter thy mouth bee and howsoeuer the tongue talketh yet neuerthelesse the sorrowfull heart is loaded with feare for hee feareth least his credite and honour shall bee taken from him or least they steale away his vvealth or least his life be neere an end or least that vvhich hee loueth should be long absent Xenophon saith What pleasure or contentment can raigne in any mortall mans heart seeing that wee suffer so many griefes
the loue of God and of the profit that this loue of God doth in the soule HAurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus saluatoris Esay 12. chapter The Prophet Esay spake these words speaking vnto good Christians of the Catholicke church and of the great good that Christ will doe in her and they are as if hee would say When the Messias promised in the law shall come into the world all such as were drie and thirsty shall receiue great ioy with great abundance of waters to refresh and recreate their persons The Prophet dooth promise foure things in this place that is that they shal not draw water but waters not out of one well or fountaine but fountaines not by force but willingly not out of euery well but of the fountaine of our Sauiour Agar wanted the fountaine how much more fountains the children of Israel found water but soure the Patriarke Iacâ—l found sweet water but he had great strife in getting it They brought king Dauid water but it was of a cesterne insomuch that the Synagogue was so poore that shee could not get a cup of cleane water The catholicke church may hold her selfe very happie and rich seeing that God hath promised her abundance of waters cleare and cleane flowing from the fountaine of her Sauior and Redeemer It is much to bee noted and also to bee meruelled at to see that our Redeemer Iesus Christ said vpon the crosse Sitiâ— and yet saith that hee hath waters and fountains to refresh and quench the thirst of all the world What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Hast thou not one drop of water for thy selfe to drinke of and yet doest thou inuite all the world to drinke of thy fountaines It doth wel appeare O my good Iesus that thou hast all that good for me and keepest all trauailes vnto thy selfe seeing that of thy sweet water thou doest inuite all men to drinke but the gaule and vineger thou doest giue no man to tast What are the fountaines that thou wouldest haue vs drinke of but thy holy wounds with the which we were redeemed O sacred fountains O holy wounds which are so delectable to behold and so sweet to tast that the Angels are desirous to drinke of them and all creatures are willing to bath themselues in theÌ„ They are fountains which alwaies flow they are waters which alwaies run what do they flow but bloud water whither do they flow but to the Catholick church Holy Iesus did giue vs much more than Esay did promise vs for Esay did promise vs nothing but waters but he gaue vs afterwards waters of his bowels blond of his vains O good Iesus O holy fountaine from whence but from the fountaine of thy bowels did the water flow to wash our spots and from whence but from thy precious vaines did the bloud runne to redeeme our offences It is gathered in scripture that the waters of Rasim were most swift the waters of Iorda troubled the waters of Bethleem were pooles and standing the waters of Marath were bitter the waters of Siloe were soure The waters of thy wounds O my Redeemer are not of these qualities for they are safe to saile in cleane to behold sweet to tast and profitable to keepe What meaneth hee to say that you shall draw waters In gaudio but that as we were redeemed with his great loue and will so we should serue him with great ioy and mirth Hee doth draw waters of the fountaines of Christ with ioy and miâ—th who doth serue him with good will and hee doth draw bloud out of Christs wounds with sorrow and griefe who doth serue him with an evill will whose seruice is neither acceptable to God nor profitable vnto him which doth it for as our Lord doth giue nothing which hee doth giue but with ioy and mirth so he will not that any man serue him but with pure affection and entire good will With what great loue the sonne of God hath redeemed vs and with what a liuely will he wil be serued wee may gather by his owne doctrine and see it in his owne louing words Ignem veni mittere in terram quid vâ—lo nisi vt accendatur Luke 12. This high word no man could say but hee only who was the word of the eternall Father and the meaning is this If thou wilt know why I came downe from heauen vnderstand thou that it was for no other cause but to burne and set all the world on fire and therfore I bring this light with me because it may burne day night and that thou maiest blow it that it goe not out Christ speaketh to the same purpose in another place when hee sayth Non venipacem mittere sed gladium as if hee should say Let no man thinke that I came into the world to giue it peace and quietnesse but to put a gallowes and asword in it the gallowes to doe iustice on the wicked and the sword to martirize the good These words are worthy of the noting and also to be feared of all mortall men for hauing created the world what meaneth he to say that hee came into the world but to put it all to fire and bloud What man is there this day in the world so noble in birth or so rich in wealth but if he proclaime publickely that hee will burne both man and woman but they wil presently lay hands on him bind him hand foot or coÌ„demn him for want of discretioÌ„ What can be more straÌ„ger or what inueÌ„tioÌ„ may be like vnto that for our Lord to tel vs. also warne vs that he hath brought nothing else with him but a firebrand to burne and a sharpe sword to cut our throats Vpon those wordes Non veni mittere pacem sed gladium S. Augustine sayth If wee will well vnderstand that which Christ sayth in this place we should not only not bee scandalized at it but also highly thanke him for it for to say the truth with that fire he doth seare our dead flesh and with that knife he doth let out our corrupt bloud Beda vpon the Apostle sayth What is the sire which Christ brought from heauen into the world but his exceeding great loue The quality of this high fire is to heat and not burne to giue light and not hurt to burne and not consume to putrifie and not wast to warme and not to grieue O good Iesus and light of my soule what sensuality can ouercome mee or what tentation can throw mee downe if at the coales of thy fire I warme my selfe and giue my selfe light with the flame of thy loue What can hee doe what is in him or what regard is there of him in this life who doth not warme himselfe at the fire of thy loue What made S. Andrew goe cheerfully and singing to be crucified but the fire of the loue which burned in him What made S. Agnes goe more ioifully to martyrdome than
a new married spouse to bed but the fire of thy diuine loue which shined in her What made those stones seeme vnto S. Steuen hony comoes but that holy loue which burned in his soule Iguis erat calefaciebat se O vvhat a difference there is betwixt the fire which Christ brought downe from heauen and the fire which Cayphas hath in his pallace For S. Peter warming himselfe at it of a Christian became a Pagan S. Paule warming himself at Christs fire of a Pagan became a Christian God send me of Christs fire seeing it doth make me know him and God keep Cayphas fire from me seeing it doth make me denie him For if S. Peter had not warmed himselfe at Cayphas fire the wench would not haue importuned him nor he denied Christ not haue lost the confession of the catholicke faith The Euangelist sayth that Petrus calefaciebat se that is That Peter did warm himselfe at the fire but he sayth not that the fire was able to take his cold from him and therefore the fire which the world hath for her worldlings is such that they are but few vvhich warme themselues at it but many which waxe cold by it S. Peter being from the fire said vnto Christ Tecum paraui iam in mortem me and by the fire he said Non noui heminem in so much that being at supper with Christ he did burne and being at Cayphas fire he was a cold The sonne of God then seeing that there was not below in the world heat which could recreate nor fire which could burne nor light vvhich could comfort nor flame which could giue light nor any thing which might content he brought from heauen with him the fire of his holy loue with the which wee should all be enflamed all lightened and all contented The son of God would neuer haue said I came to put fire on earth if hee had seene that there had been the true fire of his loue vpon the earth but seeing that the fire of the world doth burn and not heat hurt and giue no light wast and not burne grieue and not cheere burn and not purifie smoke and not shine he remembred to bring a fire which should heat all the world Woe be vnto him which will not warme himselfe at this fire and woe be to him who will not receiue light at the flames of his loue because that the only perfection of our saluation dooth consist in offering our selues to God and in louing him with all our heart It is much to be noted that Christ brought at one time fire to burn a sword to cut mēs throats seeing he saith Ignem veni mittere in terram and also Non veni pacem mittere sed gladium to let vs vnderstand that hee brought fire with him with the which his elect should serue him with loue a sword of the which the imperfect should haue feare Hee burneth with liuely flames who serueth God with loue and his throat is cut who serueth God with feare and not vvith loue Whereupon it is that in the arke of Noe there were many little roomes and in the house of God many dwelling places so also in the Catholicke church there are diuers maners of seruing of God he doth serue God much better who serueth him with loue than he who followeth him for feare but in fine so as we doe not offend our Lord be it with loue or be it with feare let vs alwaies serue him He is happy who suffereth his throat to be cut with the knife of feare but he is very happy who goeth to warme himselfe at the fire of his loue for the feare may be so great that he may erre in that which he taketh in hand but he who loueth him much cannot erre in that which he doth According vnto Ouid he cannot erre who loueth a good thing nor there can bee no errour where there is perfect loue Cyrillus sayth If the Synagogue did highly esteeme of the sword with the which Dauid did cut the Giant Golias throat wee which bee Christians ought much more to esteeme of the fire of loue with the which Christ did redeeme vs because it was his loue onely which gaue vs the hope of his glory and ouer our death the victory Leo sayth in a Sermon If they aske the sonne of God what he brought from heauen hee will say loue if they aske him what Art he knoweth he will say loue if they aske him what he is he will say diuine loue if they aske him what hee would haue vs to doe for him hee will say nothing but loue him Basil sayth O what great difference there is betwixt the seruing of God and seruing of the world for the world would haue vs serue him with our person flatter him with our tong giue him of our wealth and also venter for him our soules but the sonne of God is farre from asking any of these things of vs for he seeketh no more of vs but that wee answere the loue which he dooth beare vs and be gratefull for the benefites which he doth bestow vpon vs. Si obtuleris primitias frugum tuarum domino de spicis adhuc virentibus torrebis eas igui God spake these vvorder vnto Moises and then commanded Moyses to proclaime them before all the people as if he vvould say When the Summer shall come and the haruest draw neere if the eares of the first fruits vvhich they offer vnto God should be greene and not drie see thou drie them first in the fire before that thou offer them in the temple Isidorus sayth The giuer of the law to commaund that they should offer the first fruits of all their harnestes and to command them that they should not offer them vp greene but drie and to command that they should not bee dried in the sunne but at the fire and that they should be throughly dried but not burned the Scripture would neuer haue set downe this so particularly vnlesse there had been some my stery contained vnder it Origen vpon Exod. saith That because in holy writ there is no blot to scrapeout nor no letter to be added we must so interpret that which God speaketh that which the law ordaineth that without wresting of the letter vvee may apply it vnto our learning What other thing is it to offer vnto God the first fruits of our corn but to present before him al our desires who dare begin any heroical work vvho doth not first cōsult vvith God cōmend it vnto him vnles they had first craued the fauour of the God Iupiter the Gentiles durst not so much as vvrite a letter darest thou which art a Christian not asking for Gods grace enterprise any thing he stealeth his first fruits frō God vvho taketh any thing in hand not recōmend himselfe vnto God he paieth his first fruits vnto our Lord vvho vvithout his holy grace beginneth nothing for it is hee only vvho vvill
pan put to the fire The sacred humanity of Christ being put in the fryingpan of the crosse notwithstanding all the torments which they gaue him and all the iniuries and reproches which they spake against him they neuer diminished any part of his vertue for although for the space of three daies his soule was seperated from his body yet they deuide not his Diety from his soule nor from his body Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth Before that the sonne of God was fried in the frying pan of the crosse his flesh was so raw that it could not bee eaten but after that the fire of his passion did season it vs and frie it there is nothing in heauen more sauerous nor nothing on the earth more profitable Cyrillus in another sence saith There were four things in this sacrifice fire the pan oile and flour These four things were found in the passion of Christ that is the fire which the Iewes kindled to the end hee should dieithe frying pan vvas the crosse which they sought out where hee should die and the oile the loue and charity with the vvhich hee died there for to redeeme the world and the floure his most sacred flesh vvhich there was fried O glorious sacrifice O eternall meat that thou art O sonne of the liuing God seeing that fried and whote and seasoned thou diddest giue thy selfe in the frieng pan of the crosse to the end that all men might eat thee and none excused from seruing thee When the sonne of God said Nisi manducaueritis carnem filij hominis his Disciples being scandalized Abierunt retrorsum dixerunt durus est hic sermo But after that that most sacred flesh was seasoned fried in the frying pan of the crosse it was soft sweer to tast of sauerous to eat and profitable to be taken Sume tibi sartaginem ferream ponas eam murum ferreum inter te eiuitatem said God by the Prophet Ezechiel chap. 4 as if hee should say Goe thy way out of the city and thou shalt put a frieng pan of iron betweene thee and the city because thou maiest neither see her nor shee hurt thee Who euer saw or heard the like that the Lord should command the Prophet to fight with a frying pan and defend himselfe behind the same Tell me O Ezechiel what hurt couldest thou do with a frying pan seeing it hath no point or how couldest thou defend thy selfe vnder it considering that it will scarse couer thy head If thou wilt goe to fight take a launce with thee and if thou wilt go to defend thy selfe from thy enemies take thy Target because the frying pan is fitter for the kitchē thā the warre and better to dresse meat with than to fight O glorious crosse O holy frying pan where the flesh of my God was fried where his bloud was shed where his charitie vvas enflamed where our fault was melted and where his life was ended The frying pan of the Synagogue was neither good for warres nor profitable for peace But thou holy crosse and happy frying pan wast hee with the which the diuell was ouercome God pacified the world redeemed and the heauen opened What thing can I put betwixt thee and mee O good Iesus but this precious crosse frying pan where thou diddest end thy life that my sin might not come vnto thee nor thy punishment passe to me Doe thou not think my brother doe thou not think that God commanded the Prophet to put betweene him and the city a frying pan for any good that it would doe him but for that which the frying pan signified for thereby was signified the crosse and the crucified which should be a mediator betweene God and the world O sweet Iesus O my soules delight where but in the frying pan of thy dolors and griefes and where but in the oile of thy charity and loue diddest thou end consume and fry my enormious sinnes Where but in the frying pan of the crosse where thou saiedst Consummatum est giuing vs to vnderstand by that last speech that there thou haddest ended and made a full account of our sinne and thy anger of our perdition and thy passion of our ignorance and thy life CHAP. VIII Wherein is declared a figure when Moyses did annoint the altar seuen times with one finger and how that vnction was a figure of Christ and fully accomplished in his most sacred humanity DIgito suo vnxit Moyses altare septies oleo vnctionis this is written in the 40 chapter of Exodus as if hee should say In the same day that Moyses did institute his brother Aaron bishop and ordained also his children Priests hee did annoint the great altar seuen times and that with one finger and did consecrate it with oile Cyrillus vpon this place sayth That although all the holy Scripture be full of mysteries yet there is greatest attention to bee giuen when it speaketh of the altar or of a Priest because that that mystery cannot be handeled and not talk of the mysteries of Christ If we doe looke into the words of the text we shall find that that which is annointed is the altar that with the which it is ointed is holy oile and the manner how is with one finger only and that seuen times and that which was further ointed were all the ornaments of the altar These were the qualities of the altar neere vnto it were the holy breads before it burned lampes on the side of it they did put the candlestickes on the top of it the offered sacrifices at the foot of it they shed the bloud behind it were the people ouer against it was the vaile vpon it was the Cherubin about it were the curtaines This altar was made of wood which would not rot there could come none to it but the Priests they could not goe vp to it by steps nor staires night and day lampes burned there other fire which should not be put out Although the altar of the Synagogue had many priuiledges and great freedomes yet it had a counterpeise with it which was that vpō it they slew all the beasts which they did offer vnto God therefore it was sometimes so bloudy so loaden with flies that it seemed rather a bord in the butchery to cut flesh on then an altar of the church Who is the true altar the holy altar and the cleane altar but only the sonne of the liuing God Origen sayth In the Temple of the Synagogue the altar was one thing and the Priest another another thing that which they offered but in the altar of the church the altar where they offer and the Priest which doth offer and the sacrifice which is offered and he vnto whom it is offered is one and the same thing Leo in a Sermon of our Lords Supper sayth In this high supper and in this holy altar the sonne of God is the ultar and the meat and he who inuiteth and he who is inuited
he who eateth and is eaten hee who annointeth and is annointed he who offereth and is offered What preheminences had the altar of the old Synagogue which are not greater in the Catholicke church Their altar was of the wood of the Mount Lybanus ours of the most sacred humanity of Christ theirs was of wood which would not corrupt and ours of flesh which cannot sinne theirs was made bloody with other bloud than their owne and ours is washed with his own bloud vpon theirs they did kil beasts vpon ours they forgiue vs our offences to theirs there could none go vp but the Priests of the tēple but vnto ours al the sinners of the world may come vnto in theirs there burned a fire of light which must euery houre be kindled and put together but in ours there burneth the fire of his loue and charity which can neuer be extinguished O holy altar O glorious altar of the crosse in which there is offered not dead beasts but mens sins not to proue thē but to pardon them where our weake seruices are offered not because thou wouldest praise thē O Lord but because thou wouldest accept them and where also the merits of thy holy sonne are offered not for his own sake who was without sin but for ours who can doe nothing but sinne The altar of the Synagogue had no step nor staire because the common sort did beleeue nothing in God but his essence but to the altar of our catholick church which is a congregation of the faithful they go vp by three steps because we beleeue in one essence three persons The text also saith that the altar of the synagogue was annointed with one finger only who shal we say that this finger is but the selfesame holyghost Hilarius de Trinitate saith In al the Trinity there is but one arm that is the Father of whom the Prophet saith Et brachiū meū cōfortauit eum neither is there any more but one hand which is the son of whom also the Prophet saith Filius meuses tuego hodie genui te nor there is in all the Trinity but one finger of whō the scripture saith Digitus dei hic est In the vnctions creations of vs there are many fingers occupied that is my great grandfather begat my grandfather and my grandfather my father my father begat me I begat my son and my sonne begat my nephew but in the generation of Christ there was applied one only finger which was the person of the holy-ghost August in a sermon sayth Seeing that he which doth beget is one and hee who is begotten is one and she who doth bring forth is one and he for whom hee is borne is one which is the world why should there haue been more then one finger which was the Holy-ghost The text sayth further that the altar was not annointed once only but seuen times a row What is meant that Christ was annointed seuen times a row but only that all the seuen gifts of the holy-ghost were bestowed vpon him It is to bee noted that in all the sacrifices which they made of kine sheepe and goats and pigeons the altar was alwaies annointed with bloud sauing when they ordained Aaron a priest at what time they did annoint it with oile alone the which was not done without a mystery The reason thē is this that because al their sacrifices were done to take away the Iews sins the which were to bee taken away with shedding of bloud Quia sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio sayth the Apostle there was no need of effusion of bloud in the sacrifice which did only represent Christ because in him there was no sinne at all Why should they haue annointed with bloud the altar of the humanity of Christ considering that not onely there was no sin in him but in him all the sins of the world were to be taken away If the curious Reader would deeply vnderstand this high figure let him turn Moyses name into the Father and Aarons name into Christ and the altar into humanity and the name of annointing into gift and bloud into the water of baptism the finger into the holy-ghost and then hee shall truly find how well the truth doth answere vnto the figure and the letter to the spirit The text sayth further in the same chapter Vnxit altare cum omnisuppellectili as if hee should say After that Moyses had made an end of annointing the altar with holy oile hee did also annoint all things that did belong to the altar that is ewars basins candlestickes towels hookes chafindishes Let no man thinke it to bee a iest that God commanded to annoint with holy oile not only the altar but also all things which did appettaine to the altar because that by this is discouered one of the greatest priuiledges that Christ had which no man did euer but hee enioy in the world What should it meane that at the altar of the Synagogue there remained nothing which was not annointed with oile but that there was nothing in the humanity of the word which was not fully replenished with the holy-ghost Why is Christ called Sanctus sanctorū but because his holy vnction was more holy thā that of all the other saints When the church doth wash her creatures in baptism shee doth with water wash and as it were only there annoint soules which were defiled with original sin the which soules are made so clean pure with that vnction that if they should depart presently out of this life they should imediately by Gods fauor go to glory O vnhappy that we be for although they wash annoint our soule in baptism yet there remaineth our memory to be annointed seeing that wee forget God there remaineth our vnderstanding to be annointed seeing we think of other things thā of God there remaineth our will to be annointed seeing that wee put our loue on other things besides God also our hart remaineth to be annointed seeing we giue it to another thā to god What shall we say of our poore body seeing there is no part or mēber of it which is annointed seeing my eies can see nothing but vanity my ears hear nothing but lightnes my toung nothing but lie my mēbers cōmit sin my hands theft what shal I say of such a body is he not rather rottē thē annointed whē the Apostle S. Paul said with weeping tears alas woe be vnto me vnhappy vnfortunate man who wil deliuer me frō the seruitude of this body would he haue spoken such pitiful words if the powers of his body had been annointed with holy oile of loue charity the church like a pittiful mother doth annoint vs with the wholsome water of baptisme when we be born afterward she doth wash and annoint vs vvith loue charity whē she doth giue vs grace to loue god forgiue our neighbors the first vnctiō is to help vs that we do not sin