Ieremies proclamation vsed in his Lamentations and say vnto you as if Christ himselfe spake in person and shewing you his sufferings should crie Haue ye no regard all ye that passe by this way Behold and see if there be any sorrow like vnto my sorrow which is done vnto me and wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce wrath For what could he haue suffered that he did not suffer He was most lamentably afflicted by all sorts of men for whom he suffered Despised he was of Iewes 2. Scorned of Gentiles Princes of the earth stood vp and kings banded themselues against the Lord and against his Christ. 4. Priests conspire in counsell and choose a murtherer rather then the Lord of life Souldiers deuide his vestures 6. His owne seruants flie from him Iudas betraies him Peter denies him Thus we may on all sides see Iewes and Gentiles Princes and Priests souldiers and seruants doing whatsoeuer the Lord of heauen had determined before to be done Looke vpon him againe and see him perplexed in all his members with loathsome spittings in his blessed face with piercing thornes vpon his sacred head with buffets vpon his comely cheekes with stripes vpon his manly backe and with the transverse part of the crosse vpon his glorious shoulders 3. Impeached in his estate with scornefull reproches his good name wronged with blasphemies his honor trampled vpon with shamelesse obloquies his holy garments shared with profane lottery and his reputation stained with the association of theeues 4. Tormented in his senses his touch with the piercing nayles his sent with the loathsomnesse of Caluarie the place of dead sculs his hearing with wicked detractions his sight with the sorrow of his blessed mother and with the moane of his beloued disciple his taste with gall and vineger Inwardly also distressed for his soule is heauie euen vnto the death so that he cries Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me and sweateth clots of bloud that trikle downe to the earth to blesse it that was accursed At which time an Angell is sent from heauen to comfort him Yea in the extremity of this his vnspeakeable passion he cries with a loud voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet none of this nor all this could suffice vntill he had yeelded vp his sacred soule into the hands of his heauenly Father Blessed and beloued men fathers and brethren in this our Beloued is not this his zealous loue the roseall beautie of our benediction 1. Is not this that bloud that purgeth vs from all our sinnes 2. that speaketh better things for vs then the bloud of Abel for that called for vengeance but this craues for vs mercie 3. Is not this the sacrifice whereby we haue remission of our sinne 4. Is not this the reconciliation whereby wee do partake of the diuine nature this sacred bloud being shed into our hearts by the Spirit of God 1. Is not this red sea the bath for all sinners to cure vs of our leprosies of incontinency of our lethargies of ingratitude of our dropsies of couetousnesse and of our palsies of inconstancy and strayings aside from God 3. Is not this the oblation that maketh God propitious and a louing father vnto vs openeth the kingdome of heauen that was shut and sealeth vnto vs all the holy promises of God Let then a beleeuing soule say O Lord Iesus what shall I repay vnto thee for this thy loue I owed the debt and thou didst pay it I haue sinned and thou art punished this whole worke of thine is singular patience the performance of it wonderfull humility the cause vnspeakeable charity I haue circuited the whole earth and can finde no where any such loue as in thy glorious passion the breadth whereof is Charity diffused dilating it selfe into the fowre parts of the world The length is long suffering for thou hast borne mans iniquities the height is the hope of heauen and a certaine assurance of the same The depth of it is deliuerance from the lowest deepe the pit of fatall and finall destruction If any should perswade me to come downe from the high meditation of this sacred mystery I should greatly refuse it for it shall euer be a bundle of Myrrhe betweene my breasts yea here will I die and not descend vntill the Lord stretch his hand from heauen and take me into his holy sanctuary But to the retchlesse and respectlesse soule which regardeth none of this our welbeloued saith farther See what I suffer these paines these grones these moanes these nayles these thornes this speare this profusion and red sea of crimson bloud yet am I much more inly tormented that thy wilfull soule should yet be vnthankfull for this so vnspeakable loue for this so vnutterable and grieuous passion sustained for thy sake to make thee a wretched sonne of man by nature to become a blessed sonne of God by grace Let vs beloued and beleeuing brethren take yet a reuiew of this blessed beauty in the sacred mixture of white and red for he is ruddy both in himselfe and in his mysticall members 1. In himselfe his beauty appeares ruddie for in the sacrament he is white in the bread and red in the wine therefore in the Scripture stiled sometime Manna which was white like the christall dew and sometime a Vine which yeeldeth red grapes to glad the heart of man The grapes of this sacred vine were the parts of his body the crosse the wine presse his bloud the holy liquor thereof making glad both God and man God in the holy obedience of his sacred Sonne purchasing himselfe a glorious kingdome and man in the saluation of his sinfull soule These sacred seales of bread and wine shew the Lords death vntill he come againe Iosephs coate besprinkled with bloud portended him to old Israel as dead but not actually but these shew our true Ioseph to be crucified and done to death in deed and yet he like Sanpsons lion sends forth euen in after his death sweete hony combes and most redolent graces For his death abateth the sting of death abandoneth sinne despoileth sathan the strong man of his weapons and procureth for vs that die in him the land of the liuing This holy mixture of white and red appeared in the opening of his side whence flowed water and bloud this blessed opening being much more powerfull then Moses rod for that caused water onely to come out of the rocke but this both water and bloud The Fathers therefore obserue that as out of the side of the first Adam the woman was taken by whom came sinne so out of the side of the second Adam the Church should be framed to saue as Noahs arke the sonnes of men from the generall and fearefull deluge of sinne and shame Let then now all Histories tell or historiographers of the world shew if in any age they haue seene or read how that a mans
euery where It remaineth that I onely acquaint you with a safe station while you are here to stand in and a powerfull supplication while wee are here to pray with Let your station be like that of Elias in mount Horeb who stood in the clifts of the rockes entrance vntill the strong wind the earthquake and the fire in all which God was not were passed by but when he heard a soft and still voice he came out and stood before the Lord so let vs be continually meditating the passion and rents of our rocke Christ Iesus and hiding our selues therein while the winds of wickednesse the earthquakes of changings and chances the fire of might and malice and while all the works of darkenesse wherein God is not passe by vntill we heare a soft and sweete voice of the Lord to call vs forth of our station to rest Then let vs go forth willingly vnto our welbeloued and loue him and liue with him for euer Let our prayers and supplications in the meane while be the words of the hard-hearted and misbeleeuing Iewes but not their spirit for they cried His bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children and it was and is so to their vtter ruine and desolation euen vntill this day as a iust iudgment of God for their crucifying the Lord of life But we will pray and say in the spirit of the faith of Iesus in whom we beleeue His holy bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children to our saluation according to Gods blessed promise made to the Patriarks Prophets and to all the faithfull For he is the chiefest of ten thousand c. or as some reade it the chiefest of twelue thousand where in wee may see the mystery of the number both of ten and twelue as also the excellency of the partie that he is the chiefest in heauen and the choicest on earth together with the perfection of both heauen and earth in himselfe and imparted to his chosen the Church of the redeemed The Papists imitating the Platonists are very superstitious in numbers the one putting a fatall necessity in them in the period of estates and kingdomes the other affirming a certaine secret efficacy to be in many numbers but in the septenary number especially Hence haue they their canonicall houres for prayer and sacrifice But Bodin in his booke de Repub. iustly taxeth Plato for that dreame And the schooles conclude against them both that Numeri qua numerus nulla vis nulla efficacia Wee therefore will content our selues with the holy and mysticall vse which the booke of God maketh of them The mysticall numbers of sacred text are these to wit three foure fiue sixe seauen eight ten twelue Ten and twelue meete vs in this text by variation of readings both signifying perfection Ten is the highest of simple numbers all nations after ten begin to number againe The tenths was consecrated to the Priests Gods seruants In the tenth moneth the waters of Noahs floud abated Sem a father of the faithfull seeth the tenth age Ten words for the Creation of the world and ten words for the gouernment thereof as the Talmudists obserue For twelue we reade of twelue Patriarches the sonnes of Iacob twelue stones set vp in Iordan twelue precious stones in the breast plate of Aaron At twelue yeares Salomon decideth the plea of the dead child Christ the true Salomon at twelue yeares disputeth with the Doctors Twelue Apostles are sent to perfect the kingdome of grace Twelue foundations twelue gates twelue Angels the porters a tree that beareth twelue manner of fruites medicinable all the twelue moneths of the yeare describe the perfection of the kingdome of glory in the celestiall Ierusalem Thus we see that the mysterie of the number sheweth onely the excellency of the perfection of the partie being the chiefest in heauen and earth so described by Iohn the Diuine Apoc. 5. A throne is seene in heauen one sitting theron hauing a booke in his hand written within and without sealed with seauen seales But none was found neither in heauen nor in earth nor vnder the earth worthie to open the booke no nor once to looke into it Then wept the Diuine because none was found worthie to open the booke or once to looke therein But one of the Elders said Weepe not Behold the Lion of the tribe of Iuda the stocke of Dauid hath so preuailed that he may open the booke and loose the seales thereof This booke is Gods will these seauen seales are loosed and made knowne vnto vs by the declaration of Iesus Christ. The first seale is his Natiuitie opened Mal. 4. 2. But vnto you that feare my name shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise and health shall be vnder his wings and ye shall go forth and grow vp as fat calues The second his Baptisme Zach. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannesse The third his Passion poutrayed by Esay 53. chap. throughout The fourth his Descent deciphered Hosh. 13. 14. I will redeeme them from the power of the graue I will deliuer them from death O death I will be thy death O graue I will be thy destruction The fift is his Resurrection recorded Psal. 16. 10. For thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption The sixt his Ascension described Psal. 68. 18. Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men yea euen the rebellious bast thou led that the Lord might dwell there The seauenth is the sending of the holy Ghost pointed out vnto vnto vs Ioel 2. 28. And afterward will I powre out my Spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecie your old men shall dreame dreames and your yong men shall see visions By the opening of the first seale to wit his Natiuitie whereby he became flesh he hath redeemed vs from being worse then very brute beasts For man being in honor vnderstood it not and therefore was compared to the beasts that perish S. Augustine speaking of the grace of the new Testament comforteth vs thus saying Let no man despaire but conceiue hope vnspeakable for by participation of the word we become the sonnes of God seeing that Iesus Christ by incarnation is become the sonne of man Aske your forefathers saith Moses and the daies of old euen since the day that God created man vpon the earth and aske from the one end of heauen vnto the other if there come to passe such a great thing as this Did euer people heare the voice of God speaking out of the midst of a fire as thou hast heard and liued If Moses spake thus of the voice of an Angell for the law was giuen by the ministrie of Angels what may we say of the gracious words of eternall life vttered by the Lord of life Indeed
of perfection and not of defection Nullus in egregio corpore naeuus erat The Iewes indeed saw no beauty forme or feature in his face Esay 53 yet was he peerelesse being void of all staine either of sinne or shame the most absolute perfection of beauty For his eloquence what eloquence may declare it The Grecian Demosthenes and the Romane Cicero are herein but rudesbies Hercules that was conceiued to draw multitudes after him with golden chaines si ad illum coÌ„paretur nihil est The Queene of the South comes to heare the wisdome of Salomon matchlesse in his time but behold our true Salomons eloquence whoÌ„ being yet but a child of twelue yeares the grand Doctors are amazed to heare Luke 2. Being a man his very enemies said No man spake like this man Iohn 7. His owne that knew his worth said Thou hast the words of eternall life When he disputed he put his aduersaries to silence as we may see in his discourse with the Sadduces and when he preached he taught with authority and not as the Scribes Mat. 7. 29. Yet this gracious eloquence and heauenly charming was follie to the Pharisies who thrust him out Lu. 4. 29. and to the vnbeleeuers madnes and therefore they cry He hath a diuell So euen at this day the spirit of prophecie which indeed is the sauor of life vnto life becomes to some misperswaded misbeleeuers the fauor of death vnto death Neither is this eloquence of this chiefest the delicacy of words but the efficacie of power for out of his mouth goeth a two edged sword Apoc. 1. 16. By the eloquence of his word he leadeth the facile with the terrour of his sword he enforceth the stubborne and vnwilling for if his word preuaile not which deuides discernes deuides betweene the soule and the spirit the marrow and the ioynts and discerneth the very intentions of the heart then his sword the rod of his manly mouth shall plague them and the breath of his mouth shall kill them Esay 11. 4. As for his power who was euer able to resist it either Heroique or Heretique Let the fatall destructions and fearefull downfalls of Herod Ascalonita that murthered the infants of Bethlem and died disconsolatly of Herod Archelaus who died ingloriously at Vienna in Austria being but a terror onely to Christ of Herod Antipas who beheaded Iohn Baptist Christs seruant and perished with his dancing minion in Spaine and of Herod Agrippa a persecuter of Christs preachers who was eaten vp of wormes in the sight of thousands at Cesarea Philippi Act. 12. be exemplary warnings to all posterities how they dare resist the Lord Iesus Among the ranke of heretiques let the wretched ends of Arrius Nestorius and Euty ches be presidents of his power puissant renowne And besides all this the glorious increase and godly perfection of his Church maugre the proiects of all his open and secret enemies The splendor whereof is so eminent that it remaineth firme stedfast when other powers haue yeelded thereunto For his kingdome shall haue no end Esay 9. 7. The zeale of the Lord of hostes shall bring it to passe And God the Father hath giuen him a kingdome that shall not be taken away Dan. 7. 14. As the Angell told the blessed Virgine That Christ should rule ouer the house of Iacob for euer Luke 2. 33. His equity sustaining his throne For he iudgeth not by the sight of the eyes nor by the hearing of the eares but according to iudgment and equity Esay 11. 4. His magnificence is boundlesse mercie All about him smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia For he abhorred not the confessing theefe he despised not the sinfull woman that wept vnto him he reiected not the suppliant Canaanite he iudged not the adulteresse apprehended in the fact he called Mathew sitting at the receit of custome he had respect vnto the disciple that denied him yea he prayed for them that crucified him And therfore the spouse representing the Church of the redeemed saith in the Cant. We will runne after thee in the sweete odors of these thine oyntments and fragrant perfumes the sacred confections of thy most perfect nature Thus we see our welbeloued to be the chiefest in heauen and the choicest on earth yea the perfection both of heauen and earth both in himselfe and also in his redeemed Church For he is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which the heauens and the earth were perfected The Elohim by whom al things in the great vniuerse receiue speciall perfection in particular he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all sufficient for himselfe and others rightly resembled to the glorious Sunne that hath light sufficient for it selfe and for both the superior and this inferior world also He is Ens simplicissimum and things the more simple and deuoide of commixture the more pure and perfect they are as heate is the more it selfe the lesse it is intermingled with cold and wine the lesse it is alayed with water and gold the lesse drosse is in it the more refined But our welbeloued is most pure and perfect without any the least dramme of blending or commixture In a word he is the perfection of life motion and being Of life for who so liueth not in him is dead already albeit he hath a name that he liueth Of motion for who so moueth not in him is distracted and doth peregrinarià Domino vitae estrange himselfe from the Lord of life Of being for who so is not in him by his Spirit is subiect to be lost by an eternall priuation In his Church of the redeemed he is also of most absolute perfection which Church consisteth both of men and Angels he being the perfection of both who albeit he was made man yet was he God from euerlasting laied in a cratch yet adored by Angels from heauen and worshipped by sages on earth The Iewes saw no beauty nor comlinesse in him yet beleeuing eyes saw in the mount a glimpse of that glory which rauished them with exceeding great ioy He was baptized as man yet forgiueth sins as God he hungred yet filleth a thousand hungry soules with the bread of life the Angels foode He prayed as man yet heareth our prayers as God he wept as man yet wipeth all teares from our eyes In a word he is the perfection of prophecie and priesthood of sacrifice and sacrament I exhort you therefore beloued and blessed in the Lord Iesus seeing that the chiefest and choicest man and woman among vs is more then a litle imperfect let vs flie and hasten to our perfection to be perfect men and women in Christ Iesus and to rest and abide with him that we may be beautifull and perfect as surely all those shall be that abide stedfast and are found in Iesu Christ according to his effectuall prayer Iohn 17. I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one For by him was our creation in him is our preseruation and of him shall be our eternall felicity and perfection Let vs then men fathers and brethren returne vnto him with stedfast eyes lift vp to heauen where our perfection is with bowed knees of humility and grace and with pure hands lifted vp to the throne of God without wrath or enuying euen to him that was and is and is to come that he would grant vs continuance of that we are to be his and giue vs supplie of that we want and that we resolue that it is our chiefest grace and choicest beauty to haue the least resemblance of his diuine perfection in vs. Euen so Lord Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be rendred all praise perfection power maiestie and glory throughout all ages for euermore Amen Errata Pag. 4 lin 28. for when reade where p. 17. l. 12. Goodesse reade goodnesse p. 23. l. 19. shall reade had p. 30. l. 4. hearing reade learning p. 27. l. 4. propale reade perpale Act. 13. Ioh. 20. Luke 2. 1. Pet 4. Io. 14. 1. Io. 3. Io. 18. 1. Io. 5. Mat. 12. Psal. 68. 1. 1. Cor. 16. 22. Picus MiraÌ„d Hexapl. Zanâ—h in Euchirid Bern. de am dei Picus Mirand in Apolog. Iosu. 6. Dan 3. Mat. 25. Heb. 9. 28. Apoc. 22. Mat. 25. Cant. 5. 9. 1. Cor. 16. 22. Cant. 5. 10. Psal. 50. 2. The diuision Ioh. 13. 23. 2. Cor. 12. 4. Mat. 17. Aquinas Cant. 8. 6. Cant. 3 11. Bern. de consyd ad Euge nium l. 3. c. 4 Cant. 5. 2. Cenebrards obseruation 2 Cor. 5. 13. 14. 1. Ioh. 2. 14. 1. Ioh. 4. 8. Aug. in Soliloqui Bern. de 2. more Dei Cyprian de me â—o dilig Dei Euseb. Emiss Deut. 30. 14. Certitudo objecti Certitudo subiecti Psal. 32. 1. 1. Tim. 1. 15. Gal. 3. 27. Heb. 11. 1. Rom. 8. 16. Mat. 25. Seneca Aug. lib. confes 8. cap. 12. Rom. 13. 13. The lesson Cant. 11. Cant. 8 6. 7. Cant. 7. Psal. 1 19. Ier. 8. 4. Picus Mirand in Heptapl sup Gen. Ioh 3. Rom. 8. Aug. in locum Esay 26. Rom. 7. 1. Cor. 16. â—2 Bern. in Solil Rom. 8. 28. Ioh. 20 15. Luke 2 37. Luke 24 Luke 2. Act. 10. Act 5. Psal. 1. Gen. 32. Math. 26. Bero. sup Cant. Math. 4. Phil. 3. â— Act. 20. Col. 3. 2. Psal. 16. 6. Psal. 122. 1. Pro. 30. 11. Pro. 16. 25. 1. Sam. 28. Luke 20. 20. Mat. 2. 7. Mat. 2. 6. Rom. 15. 1. Acts 5. Iob 21. 14. Leuiculus noster Demosthenes Tull. lib. 5. Tusc. Act. 19. Vir. lib. 6. Ae. nead Pro. 26. 12. Pro. 26. 16. Abac. 2. Rom. 1. 1. Sam. 15. Ioh. 13. Mat. 26. Deut. 9. Nicolaus de Lyra sup 5. cap. Exod. Apoc. 3. Iam 3. Mat. 5. Rom. 1. 2. The lesson Mat. 5. Tit. 1. Apoc. 22. Pharisies Mat. 23. Sadduces Essenâ— Ioseph antiquit lib. 18. cap. 2. Item de bello Iudaico lib. 2. cap. 7. Hemerobaptists Epiph. de haeres Epiph de haeres 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozomen 6. 38. Ioseph de antiquit Iud. lib. 18 cap. 2. Act. 5. Mat. 5. 20. Ezech 36. Ios. 1. Gen. 38. 27. Mat 1. 3. Beâ— sup Cant. Ier. Lament 1 12. Psal. 2. Mat. 26. Act. 3. Luke 22. Psal. 51. Apoc. 12. Psalm 119. Mat. 26. Rom. 1. Rom. 5. 5. Ioh. 6. 68. Ioh. 8. Volentes ducit nolentes trahit Psal 45. Cant. 1. Ioh. 3.
orient colours of heauenly perfection as first his puritie is white both essentially is and especially to white Secondly his purity and zeale both Zeraphical and also Cherubical wholie passible wholy amiable euen in these words and ruddie which is a sweete and seemely cōmixture of white and red Then the choice aboue thousands and the chiefe of choice the chiefest of ten thousand In loue then you see he is matchlesse in purity spotlesse in zeale pricelesse in choice peerelesse Come hither then thou passionate louer and repent thee of thine inordinate and immoderate loue to alluring and deceiptfull beautie that vaine vermillion die mingled with white like bloud in snow both vanishing with the Suns beames with sicknes old age and many other casualties and whereof thou thy selfe art suspicious euen while thou dost enioy it and art inlie tormented lest an other should pertake with thee come hither I say and sit downe at these pure waters a while and let thy soule see and be rauished with the sight of celestiall beautie and grace shining vnto thee miserable and wretched man euen from heauen and yet thou neuer didst vouchsafe so much as once to cast thine eie vpon it No man I confesse can pourtray or delineate this loue vnto thee as it is in deede therfore I could wish that my soule had consulted with the Lord Iesus his Paranymph the beloued disciple who leaned vpō his sacred breast at supper and felt the breathes of blessed loue that breathed out of his tender bowels or had bene rapt vp with Paule into the third heauen to be lift vp aboue my selfe or had seene that glimpse of glory which Peter saw in mount Tabor or had conferred with him who died meditating on this loue and saying at his last gaspe Loue is as strong as death or had bene with Philip Melancthon who departed this life saying Egrediamur egrediamur or at least had heard sweete Bernard preach thereof or learned Theodar Beze both purposing to write their meditations thereon and to go through this song but both dying before they could finish it as being surprised as I conceiue with the singular loue of the Lord Iesus pourtrayed herein most mystically and diuinely But how shall I then dare to aduenture or take vpon me to open my mouth to set forth this loue seeing as S. Bernard saith None can vnderstād Paules meaning but they that are endued with Paules mind so none can conceiue the spouses affection but they that are touched with the like loue How shall wee either speake of the spouses tender affection or you heare accordingly seeing we are all carnall sold vnder sinne and these things are mystically and spiritually discerned This onely comforts me that God hath granted two meanes to know these sacred mysteries the one infused and extraordinarie onely proper and peculiar to the men of God in the former ages the other attained by studie and industrie ioyned with inuocation to God for illumination grace the onely sacred reliques of Iesus Christ left to his seruants in these last ages The Gospel being the foundation of all our sacred skill out of the which whosoeuer preacheth Christ crucified hath the mind of Christ. And hauing his mind we may with reuerend boldnesse auerre that we also know the true Churches meaning Hearken then to the Church here styling Christ her welbeloued for he is hers and shee is his first she by way of petition intreateth saying Shew me ô thou whom my soule loueth when thou feedest where thou liest at noone And then he by way of replication answereth My loue my doue mine vndefiled open vnto me for my head is full of dewe and my haire of the drops of the morning whereupon the Church doth in eight Chapters in this diuine song nine and twenty times style him her best beloued as if she could neuer too oft remember his vnspeakeable loue towards her his welbeloued Saint Paule also a sonne of this sacred mother hath in his Epistles fiue hundred times the name of his Lord Iesus as accōpting himselfe most happie when that most sacred name of loue and life sounded in his lips or was written with his pen. If therefore we of the last and worst generation be transported and out of our wits as you think being rauished with the surpassing loue of God it being shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost weare it to God or if we be modest and in our right mind we are it vnto you for the loue of Christ constraineth vs. S. Iohn the beloued disciple now being old writes of nothing else but of this loue as appeareth in his canonical Epistles chusing now to die and depart in beholding the surpassing beautie thereof insomuch that he summons all degrees children yong men and the aged to the view thereof as being indeed their heauen vpon earth For who so abideth in this loue dwelleth in God If we shall descend lower to other lights of the Church we shall also see that this was the earnest most certaine pledge that their soules had here euen to be swayed and transported with this diuine loue Euery thing is caried with his weight Loue is my weight saith S. Augustine by it am I caried whither soeuer I am trāsported S. Bernard admireth this loue that God being so great so greatly should loue vs wretched miscreants and that freely Cyprian aduiseth vs to preferre nothing before the loue of Christ forasmuch as he preferred nothing before our loue Eusebius Emiss epitomiseth our seruice thus Be not distracted with many circumstances for what God requireth of thee is in thee to wit the seruice of thy mouth by confession and the affection of thine heart in faithfulnes In thy heart then hath God set the soules city of refuge that whence the sin came the medicine might thence also issue How nigh then is this remedie How sweete is this counsell Of this doubtles spake Moses It is neare euen in thy mouth and in thine heart miserable therfore is our condition saith Ierome not to be with him without whom we cannot be Be with God we cannot otherwise while we are here then by affection What ô loue can be sufficiently said in thy praise saith Hugo de S. Victore seeing through thee God should humble himselfe to descend from heauen and man should be exalted from earth to heauen great is thy power that thus God should be abased and sinfull man so aduanced Thus haue the sacred sonnes of the true Churches generation expressed their affectionate rauishments in this diuine loue shewing that nothing can be more pious nothing is more precious And this heauenly affection also is not onely generall in the whole Church but also particularly in euery religious soule which applieth it soundly certainely and sweetly to it selfe and saith as the spouse here He is my beloued by way of appropriation whereby wee may discerne a twofold certainety of our