liberty and in freedome why doest thou call him Lord which is fastened to the crosse and crucified like thy selfe Seeing that he who should be a Lord ought to bee mighty and rich why doest thou call him Lord who was poor in his life time and naked in his death But this Prophet whō I call vpon and vnto whome I commend and commit my selfe is a mighty Lord and a king of great power seeing the son lost his light for compassion the stones broke with griefe the vaile rent in sunder for a mystery the graues opened with feare and the Centurion confessed him to be Christ O great God of Israel O great Lord of the house of Iacob◠for this cause thy name is admirable and worshipped in all the circuit of the earth because thy power and dominion is doubled and redoubled more than any mans in the world Cassiodorus noteth vpon this matter That the holy scripture doth neuer call any twise Lord Lord but Christ alone because he alone and none with him is Lord of heauen and earth of life and death body and soule and of peace and warre Wee cannot call Hector the Troian Anchises the Grecian Alexander the Macedonian and Caesar the Romane Lord more than once because they were kings onely of their owne kingdomes but vnto the sonne of God wee say twise Domine domine noster Lord our Lord because his siegnory is so great that no man is able to limit it nor set any bonds vnto it Euery other Prince hath his kingdome limited and set with bonds either to the top of a steeple or couering of a house and if it bee not so let him send a post from thence vpward and hee shall perceiue that his kingdome reacheth no higher which cannot be said to be true of the sonne of Gods Empire seeing it goeth from one end of the world vntill the other and reacheth vp vnto the highest heauen Considering that Dauid calleth Christ Lord Lord twise why doth he call him only once Lord. The mystery of this mystery is that Dauid called him Lord Lord twise because hee should keepe his body from his enemies and cary his soule vnto those which are blessed but the good theefe did call him but once Lord because his intention was not that Christ should keepe his life but only that hee would vouchsafe to saue his soule Why doest thou thinke sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalme that Dauid said vnto our Lord Lord calling him twife Lord but because he was Lord of the truth and of the figure of the church and of the synagogue of the Prophets and of the Apostles and of the old Testament and of the new The good theefe would not call Christ Lord twise because hee would let vs vnderstand that the figure is fulfilled and the truth come that the church is come and the synagogue ended that the Prophets are dead and the Apostles succeeded in their place that the old law is buried and the Gospel proclaimed Why think you doth the good theef call Christ Lord but once but because we haue but one Lord to beleeue one redeemer to worship To say once Christ remember me was to say that hee would haue him and no other for a master to serue for God in whō he would beleeue for his Lord whom hee would obey for a friend whome hee would trust vnto for an aduocate in whose hands he would put himselfe into The second word which the theefe said vnto Christ was Remēber me as if he would say Seeing that I doe confesse thee here before all men to bee my Lord and vpon this crosse acknowledge thee to be my redeemer haue mee in remembrance my good Lord seeing I haue remēbred thee and turned vnto thee Remember me O sweet Iesus seeing thou hast created me remember me seeing thou hast redeemed mee remember mee and seeing thou hast lightened me remember mee and seeing thou hast chosen me remember me for it would auaile me very little that thou shouldest giue me light to know thee if withall thou shouldest not giue me grace to serue thee Remēber me O good Iesus because I am hard by thy side remember me because I beleeue in thee remember me because I trust in thee remember me because I hope in none but in thee and seeing I haue offered my selfe for to be thy perpetuall seruant remember I beseech thee to accept me for thine Remember mee because thou hast raised me from the dust remember me because thou hast made me a Christian remember me to make mee good and remember mee to giue mee heauen and aboue all things I beseech thee that seeing thou hast giuen thy life for me remember me that I lose not my soule O good Iesus giuer of life with my tongue I beseech thee and with my heart I aske it of thee that seeing thou doest shed thy precious bloud vpon the crosse for me remember me that it be not euilly bestowed on mee and when shall thy bloud be euilly bestowed on mee but when it is not by thee accepted for me Seeing thou hast sweat oft for me suffered most grieuous pains for me endured inspeakable persecutions for mee and hast dissembled my abominable offences what doest thou gaine O good Iesus what doest thou gaine if I lose my soule and thou the fruit of thy precious bloud Remember me O Lord seeing that in pardoning my fault and by sauing my soul thou shalt make a Christian people heauen the more enrich thy church spread abroad thy fame and exalt thy mercy Remember the sabboth day said God in the law remember the daies past said Moyses vnto God remember because my life is a wind said holy Iob remēber how I haue walked before theesaid king Ezechias when he was sick and remember me said good Ioseph when he was in prison and remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome I say vnto thee here now crucified vpō the crosse What should I say O the light of my life What doest thou aske me that I haue not giuen thee and what doe I possesse that is not thine I haue already giuen my money to the iailor my coats to the hang man I haue salne out with my companion who iniuried thee I haue made the best answere that I could for thy honour and therefore I can do nothing more but say Lord remember me Domine memento mei and seeing I offer thee the confession of Miserere that vpō my knees and my eies washed with tears why shouldest thou shut the gates of thy mercy against me my confession being thus iust being condemned for a naughty person as thou art my members disiointed the one from the other like thine crucified vpon the crosse like thy selfe I beleeue faithfully in thee and commend my selfe wholly vnto thee saying Lord remember mee Lord-remember mee and I beseech thee haue pitie on me seeing that in suffering I am like vnto thee I dy for being a theefe and thou for the same cause they
follow reason The end why the vvise man did aske for a heart easie to bee instructed was because hee might know how to chuse vvhat vvas conuenient and eschew that vvhich vvas hurtfull for if a man cannot doe this a brute beast can do that which a man cannot doe because wee see by experience that hee eateth euery day of one food for his sustenance and of others he eateth at times for a purgation S. August de verbis Apostoli saith That it is so great a gift to haue a mind apt to learne in this vvorld vvhat is good and vvhat is bad that he giueth it but vnto very few for this being knowne there is nothing else to be known To come then vnto our purpose had not this good theefe a heart easie to bee taught vvhat vvas good vvhat euill and that farre better than the other theefe his companion seeing he said vnto our Lord Remember me commending himselfe vnto Christ and the other said blaspheming Christ if thou be Christ saue thy selfe and vs Origen vpon Matthew saith Care not my brother for being a theefe in hope to saue thy selfe as the good theefe did to saue him for God gaue him not heauen so lightly but that he paied somewhat for it FOr if he gaue him the kingdome of heauen it vvas because he did confesse him vvhen al denied him praised him when all men blasphemed him accompanied him vvhen all men forsooke him and defended him vvhen all men accused him O high iudgements of God O inscrutable secrets of Gods diuine prouideÌ„ce vvhich of the Saints deserue to vnderstand them or vvhich of the Seraphins is able to attaine vnto theÌ„ Let all the vvise men of the vvorld come together let all the Hierarchies holy principalities assemble themselues what count can they yeeld or vvhat reason can they alledge vvhy three houres onely in the which the good theefe vvas vpon the crosse vvith Christ did profit him more than Iudas three vvhole years continually that he went vvith Christ Agreeable vnto the saying of the Apostle what auaileth it the gardener if he labour in his garden plant lettise and water them with the water of the morning if our Lord doe not visite it with his grace Chrisostome de laudibus latrâ—nis sayth The theefe stole and Iudas gaue almes the theefe filled his belly and Iudas fasted the theefe stole and Iudas praied the theefe followed the world Iudas serued Christ yet notwithstanding al this the theef is saued Iudas coÌ„demned What dooth it auaile vs to serue if it please not the sonne of God God looked first vpon Abel then vpon his sacrifices in the world they look first vnto the gift although hee who giueth it bee naught but in the house of God they regard more the merit of him who giueth thaÌ„ the value of the thing which he giueth The merits of this theefe were very great considering he serued Christ neither yeares nor monthes nor weekes but houres and those very few but hee emploied them so well that if he sinned a long time he repented suddenly amended with speed saued himselfe in a short space Vbertinus saith That it is to bee noted that the scripture passeth with silence who this theefe was from whence he was what age hee was of what law he obserued of what stocke hee descended because that Pilate being a Romane iudge could aswell crucifie the Gentiles as hang the Iews The scripture kept close the secret of this secret to let vs vnderstand that for our saluation it maketh little to the purpose whether wee be noble men or meane men rich or poore well spoken of or infamous but only that wee hold Christ for our Lord and king and that wee keepe faithfully his holy law S. Basil vpon the Psalmes saith That all the things of this world suffer an excuse but those things which touch the good of our conscience the seruice of the catholike church do admit none at all And that there is no excuse to be admitted in the seruice of God let vs look vnto the good theef which suffered on the crosse with Christ who for to aske pardon of his error and to repent him of his sinnes was not hindered at all by being infamous nor coÌ„demned nor crucified nor of base linage nor yet that hee had so smal time to repent How great sinnes so euer we haue or how late soeuer we come vnto the crosse let vs not distrust to bee heard nor despaire to bee admitted for wee doe not read of this theefe that he was baptized or confessed yea or that he had repented vntill he was put vpon the crosse Cyrillus crieth out O great mercy O infinite goodnesse what sweats did that theefe endure for thee what discipline did hee giue his flesh what number of yeares did he serue thee in what holy pilgrimages did he bestow his time that thou shouldest within three hours pardon his offences and no other but thou thy selfe take him to glory Barnard saith O who could become a theefe with the good theefe seeing that one fight of thee made him a Christian and one word brought him to heauen We see daily that some steale in their childhood some in their youth some at mans estate some in their old age â—nd some euen vnto the gallowes but yet to steale vpon the gallowes of whom do we read it but of this holy theefe There was neuer any famous theefe that euer did so famous a robbery before he came to the gallowes as this good theefe did euen vpon the gallowes considering that before all their faces he stole away the kingdome of heaueÌ„ O that this was a happy theft which the theefe stole vpon the crosse considering that hee stole the sonne from his father their Lord from the Angels and their creator from the Iewes and their redeemer from the Christians Who euer saw any thing like vnto this who euer heard any thing like vnto this or who euer read any thing like vnto this Thy feet nailed thy armes crucified thy hands bound all thy body disiointed and withal hanging vpon the crosse and yeelding vp the ghost yet doest thou steale from others When other men ask pardon of the people say their beliefe restore things taken away as all other theeues doe at that time thou doest go about to steale anew O good Iesus O the comfort of my soule wilt thou not giue me license to rob and steale with this theefe That which I would steale should bee the bloud which thou diddest shed the loue which thou diddest die with and the charity which caused thee to die and the crosse on which thou diddest die but woe and alasse if I would steale all this I should first crucifie my selfe O my soule O my heart if you will steale and rob with this theefe suffer your selues to be taken then to be bound then to bee dismembred and crucified for as in the world when wee are at liberty money is stolne so
put mee to death on the Mount of Caluary and on the Mount of Caluary they kill thee at high noone daies they execute mee and at the same houre they execute thee thou art as neere the end of thy life as I am neere to death and therfore Lord remember me thus as wee depart both together out of this world so also we may both together goe into heauen What reason doth permit it or what iustice doth suffer O my good Lord that thou shouldest take me for thy companion to suffer on the crosse with thee and when thou doest go into heauen to leaue mee here behind thee Seeing thou wilt depart out of this world to death and that through such a narrow passage and long way whom canst thou take with thee better than the theefe which was thy fellow vpon the tree It is necessary that thy poore mother liue thou hast left thy Iohn thy cousin to his owne custodie Peter thy Disciple hath denied thee Iudas thy steward hath sold thee all the Iewes haue beene vngratefull vnto thee and therfore seeing that thou doest see no body neere thee who doth confesse and acknowledge thee but my selfe alone who am here alone with thee Lord remember mee and either giue mee somewhat in thy Testament or take mee with thee to Paradise O holy Nazarean and blessed Prophet seeing that thou diddest heare Ionas out of the Whales belly Daniel out of the lake of Babilonia Ioseph out of the dungeon of Egypt Ieremy out of the darke well and diddest heare Dauid when he said Tibi soli peccaui I haue sinned vnto thee only why doest thou not heare-mee when I crie Lord remember mee Domine memento mei Behold O my good Lord behold O my good companion now my eies doe breake now my last houre is come now my sight faileth mee and my speech is troubled and my soule is pulled out of my body and therefore in this narrow passing and doubtfull way vnto whome should I say better than vnto thee Lord remember me yea and all the whole Psalme of Miserere Iosue was a theefe seeing he stole grapes fron Chanaan Dauid was a theefe seeing hee stole the bottle of water from Saul Rachael was a theefe seeing she stole the idols from her father Ionathas was a theefe seeing hee stole hony from the hiue Iosaba was a theefe seeing he stole the infant Ionas and yet thou diddest not command any one of all these to bee hanged nor send them from thy houseuf this be so and if thou diddest forgiue those which stole thy goods wilt thou not forgiue mee poore theefe who turne for thy honours sake and keepe thee company in this place Seeing that of old time thou art accustomed to forgiue very famous theeues and dissemble very notorious thefts why doest thou not forgiue me among them and absolue me of my sinnes If thou wilt haue tears for the thefts which I haue done thou seest that they run downe my cheekes if thou doest content thy selfe to see bloud thou seest that there is no drop left in mee if thou wilt haue mee whip my selfe I am already bowelled if thou wilt haue mee repent I say vnto thee Soli peccaui if thou wilt haue mee make entire satisfaction how canst thou haue me to do it not hauing halfe an houre to liue Lord Iesus remember mee and bee my surety vnto thy father in the other world and put mee with thy chosen flocke write mee in thy booke and place mee in thy glory seeing that the faith of which thou art doth flourish onely in thy mother and remaineth in my heart Remember mee O good Iesus and if thou wilt depart out of this sorrowfull life into the other before mee I beseech thee leaue mee the step of thy foor to tread in and a path-way to follow thee for if I acknowledge thee for my God and receaue thee for my God and beleeue in thee for my God being as thou art dismembred and crucified shall not I serue thee and praise thee farre better when I shall see thee glorified Darest thou trust me with thy crosse because I should worship it and with thy body because I should accompany thee and with thy mother to comfort her and with thy honour to defend it and with thy church to augment it and with thy faith to maintaine it and wilt thou not put thy glory into my hands that I may alwaies praise thee in it When they condemned thee to bee crucified and brought mee to bee executed I heard thee say there before Pilate That thy kingdome was not of this world and then seeing thou art a king and hast a kingdome remember mee and take me with thee and I will tell thy father what thou hast suffered to serue him and all the fauours which thou hast done for me Now that the good theefe hath made his praier vnto God and recommended himselfe vnto him it is reason now that the naughty theefe haue license to speake which is my naughty and peruerse heart because the theefe which hanged on the left hand of God did blaspheme Christ but once but thou my soule doest blaspheme him euery day Remember mee O sweet Iesus and haue mercy on mee O my soules glory to the end that the shedding of thy pretious bloud be not euilly bestowed in mee for at the time when thou diddest shed it thou diddest not feeele so grieuously the vvant of it in thy bodie as thou diddest feele the vngratefulnesse of the whole world And when is thy precious bloud vnthankfully shed for mee but when I yeeld vnto that which my Sensuality demâ—ndeth of mee and not vnto that which thy Gospell counselleth mee What is all that worth which I would if thou wilt not If thou goest to seeke out theeues and if thou doest hunt after sinners why doest thou seeke for any more than for mee because there is no theefe who hath committed greater robberies than I nor any sinners who hath done more greeuous sins than I O patient and benigue Lord if the wickednesse of my heart and the offences which I haue committed in secret were knowne notoriously vnto the iudges of the world as they are knowne vnto thee I should many yeares agoe haue beene hanged and in the other world condemned I will not say with the Prophet Dauid Where be thy old mercies seeing that I see them enter euery day into my gates because I doe not make more hast to sinne than thou to pardon mee The pardon which thou diddest giue vnto the good theefe doth giue vs also great hope to obtaine pardon at thy hands for he being come to the gibbet condemned for his offence went away sanctified with thy Grace If thou do giue theeues and robbers kingdomes what wilt thou do and giue vnto theÌ„ whom thou doest loue and are chosen of thy father If thou diddest giue the kingdome of heauen to a rouer and a theese for speaking one onely word vnto thee and seruing thee one
the bowels of his mercy The holy Prophet dooth in this open a high mystery vnto vs whereby hee giueth vs to vnderstand how entirely our Lord dooth loue vs seeing that hee doth visite vs vvith the bowels of his mercy There bee many vvhich haue this word Mercy in their mouth but not in their hands and those bee such as are faire in speech but cruell in deedes and such vse sweet speech to take men and flattery to kill them Others there bee which haue mercy in their handes and nor in their tongues the which are rough in words but mild and gentle in deeds and those offer blowes but strike not they feare but kill not Only our sweet Iesus hath mercy pity in his mouth seeing hee dooth so much commend it vnto vs and in his deedes seeing hee dooth vse it so much and also in his bowels because hee dooth loue vs so much S. Barnard sayth vnto this purpose Our Lord would not place mercy in the eies least they should make him blind hee would not place it in the eares for feare they should make him deaffe hee would not place it in the handes for feare it should bee lost hee would not put it to keepe in the body for feare least it should grow old neither yet in the tongue for feare hee should be dumbe But our good Iesus put it to keepe in his heart to bestow it vpon those whom hee loueth and keepeth it within his bowels because that all that which is loued with the heart is kept within the heart O good Iesus O the life of my soule I beseech thee by the bowels of thy mercy that thou wouldest take pity on my sinfull soule and seeing I haue no other Lord in my bowels but thy selfe on whom wouldest thou better bestow the mercy which thou hast within thine than vpon mee Thou diddest speake with the bowels of thy mercy vnto the good theefe when thou wast not content onely to say Amen Truly I say but thou diddest adde tibi to thee letting vs vnderstand that thou diddest speake vnto him alone and promise Paradise vnto him alone and vnto no other Vbertinus sayth That if when Christ said Amen dico hee had not added tibi his mother who brought forth his humanity and the other theefe which had lost his liberty might haue thought that hee had spoken vnto them I say if hee had not turned himselfe vnto the good theefe and said tibi What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this doest thou speake vnto the theefe and forget thy mother Doest thou not speake vnto thy mother who bare thee nine months in her bowels and doest thou speake vnto the theefe who had knowne thee but three houres Doest thou promise presently Paradise vnto the theefe which spake but three words and doest thou make no reckoning of thy mother who bought thee with her teares Doest thou bestow thy precious bloud first vpon a theefe which knew not how to do any thing else but shed bloud by the high waies before thou doest bestow it vpon thy mother Would it not bee reason to pay thy mother now with the bloud that runneth from thy side for the milke which thou diddest sucke of her breast What more heroicall and diuine exchange could there bee made in the world betwixt the sonne and the mother the mother and the sonne than bloud for milke and milke for bloud If thou doest looke O good Iesus that shee should speake vnto thee as the theefe did doest thou not see that for wearines she cannot helpe thee for griefe she cannot looke vpon thee for feare shee cannot comfort thee and for being astonied shee cannot speake vnto thee I beseech thee Per viscera misericordia that thou wouldest say Amen dico vobis as thou doest say Amen dico tibi For by that means thou shouldest comfort thy mother satisfie the theefe vanquishe Hell helpe the world and withall I should haue hope to be pardoned If thou doest die for all and not for one why doest thou not say Verely I say vnto you as thou doest say Truly I say vnto thee O sweet Iesus and loue of my soule seeing that vpon my knees and my face bathed in teares I say vnto thee Tibi soli peccaui I haue sinned vnto thee alone doe not I deserue to heare from thy mouth these words Amen dico tibi Truly I say vnto thee Anselmus sayth That it was too timely to giue Paradise vnto his mother and the other theefe had not deserued it and the great Centurion was not yet become a Christian and the Iewes were hardened in their hearts and therefore it was not without cause that he said vnto the theef Amen dico tibi and not Amen dico vobis It was a great word which God spake vnto the first man that is dominamini piscibus maris volatilibus cali but that which hee spake vnto the good theefe was farre greater because it is far better to be companions vnto the Angels in heauen than kings ouer beasts vpon earth It was a great word that God spake vnto Noe that is I found thee iust in my sight but this which hee spake vnto the theefe was far greater because it is better to be iust receiue the reward of being iust thā to be simply iust That was a fauourable speech which hee vsed vnto king Dauid I haue found a man according vnto my heart but this which he spake vnto the good theefe was farre more fauourable because that Dauid was but neere vnto his heart but the theefe was in his heart And it did appear easily that Dauid was but neer Gods heart seeing hee did sinne afterward and it doth well appeare that hee had the theefe within his heart seeing hee suffered him to sinne nor steale no more That was a fauorable speech which God vsed vnto Abraham that is Num celare potero qua gesturus sum Abraham But that which was vsed towards the theefe was more fauourable because the greatest secret that God reuealed vnto Abraham was that the son of God should come into the world but hee did not onely reueale but also shew this vnto the good theef Christ did trust the good theef better thā he did trust Abraham because he was the first sinner who saw the redemption of the world with his eies he was hee vpon whome the bloud of Christ was first bestowed The precious bloud of the sonne of God was then otherwise shed towards the theefe who was vpon the crosse than towards his mother who was by the crosse because it dropped downe vpon the garment of his sorrowfull mother but it went to the soule of the theefe to saue him therevpon the holy theef went immediately to Paradise but his sorrowful mother staied weeping on the Mount of Caluary O holy bloud O heauenly blame why doest thou take such pity on the theefe doest deferre to giue thy mother the kingdome of heauen which thou doest giue presently vnto
body because that if he had not hindered that his body had not ben passible at all It was for no other cause but Propter nostram salutë that our great Redeemer suffered the death vpon the crosse as if he had been a sinner Candolfus sayth Christ sometimes gaue place that the glory of his soule should redound and fall vpon the members of his body as it happened in the hill Thabor by reason vvhereof his precious flesh vvas so tender in suffering and so passing desirous to returne to the fruition of the same glory that the absence and delay of that diuine and heauenly comfort did bring Christ most grieuous torment Vpon those vvords of the Psalme Abyssus abyssum inuocat Saint Basil sayth for as much as the soule of the sonne of God vvas full of glory and his precious body loaden with grieuous paine and anguish O how oftentimes the depth of his trauailes and griefes did feruently desire and sigh after the depth of his comfort and consolation the vvhich his eternall Father vvould not impart vnto him vntill hee had ended the redemption of the vvorld O great goodnesse O infinite charity who but thou O my good Iesus vvas hungry vvith bread in his hand thirsty vvith vvater in his mouth naked vvith garments in his chests sad and afflicted with glory in his soule Vpon those vvords Tristis est anima mea S. Barnard sayth It is no maruell if my soule bee sorrowfull and full of anguish because the houre of my glory and felicity is not yet come but in thee O good Iesus why should thy flesh bee so wearied And why should thy soule be comfortlesse seeing that thou carriest with thee all the glory which is in heauen or in earth Vbertinus vpon this place sayth The Redeemer of the world being in the agony of death and very neere the end of his life remembring himselfe of that heauenly comfort and diuine influence vvhich from the glory of his soule was woont to bee imparted to his precious body spake this word Sitio as if he would say O how great the thirst is vvhich I suffer in this last houre and terrible agony to vvit of that influence and heauenly comfort which was woont to bee imparted from my owne soule vnto my owne flesh because this death and passion which my owne Father doth lay vpon this my weake flesh is not onely grieuous but doth also exceed all other humane punishment The great thirst that Christ suffered vpon the crosse and the cooling vvater which hee desired was not the water of the fountain of the hill Lybanus nor yet that which ran in the riuer Silo but that heauenly consolation which the glory of his soule vvas vvont to cause in him for that other humane thirst could not so much grieue him considering how neere hee vvas to the end of his life Wee haue vsed all this discourse to extoll the word of the figure which sayth Et traxit piscem in siccum It is to bee vnderstood that young Tobias did kill the fish vpon the sand vvhich would haue killed him in the water When thinkest thou did Tobias draw the fish vpon drie land but vvhen the eternall Father did leaue his blessed sonne vpon the crosse without any humane consolation O how drie was that drie tree vpon which the heauenly fish hanged vvho hauing been brought vp in the deepe sea of the diuine essence had not there so much as one drop of water to drinke What can be pitied more in this life than for a fish hauing been brought vp in the water yet afterward to die for vvant of vvater Tobias fish was hard by the vvater side and yet died vvith thirst and Christs flesh vvas coupeled with his holy soule and died also vvith thirst because the eternall Father to giue vs drinke of his water of heauen killed his owne onely sonne with thirst and brought him to die vpon the sands of this world If Tobias should not haue drawne the fish to the land hee could not haue mastered him if Christ had not become man neither could he haue died for howsoeuer it be naturall for vs to die yet it is much more naturall for God alwaies to liue What meaneth it that the selfe same fish of whome Tobias thought he should haue been deuoured lay dead afterward at his feet but that that God which all the powers of heauen did feare and tremble at we see now meek gentle hanged vpon the tree When God was nothing but God in his own diuine essence being all the world did feare him and tremble but after that hee came vpon our sandie humanity set foot vpon the drinesse of this world hee who before made others afeard was himselfe afraid and he who before did throw downe others fell himselfe and he who before enriched others became poore and he who gaue all comfort wept himselfe and hee who killed before died Desertum faciam mare eius siccabo venum eius said God by the Prophet Ieremy chap. 51. as if he would say I will make all his sea as drie and without vvater as desart and solitary mountains are woont to bee and I will cut off all the vaines and streames of his depth because there shal flow no water at any end These words must curiously be expounded for God to say that the sea shall bee as drie as a solitary mountaine and that hee will cut off all the vaines of his course throughout all the world seemeth to bee a new speech and a thing that was neuer seene to be beleeued Leauing the letter speaking according vnto the sence of these words the eternal Father doth forewarne his precious sonne that he wil not onely deale with him like one which will not he are him nor giue him any comfort but also that he will cut off all occasions whereby hec may any way receiue comfort in so much that to make the sea become a desart is to make of God a true man and to cut off the vaines of the sea is to cut off all heauenly consolation What other thing was that deepe sea but onely the diuine essence And what else was it to make a drie desart of the raging sea but to make him who was the eternal God a true mā God said by the mouth of his Prophet Desertum faciammare eius speaking of his son and as he did prophecie so he did accomplish it for when he hanged vpon the altar of the crosse he neuer made answere to any petition which hee made him nor yet to quench his thirst gaue him so much as one cup of water What a strange thing is this O eternall Father what a strange thing is this For thy bastard abortiue childrē thou didst drawwater out of the liuely rock for thy lawful son hast thou not so much as one drop Whē Agar her son Ismael were ready to perish with thirst in the mountaines of Bersabee neere vnto the Mount Lybanus
creation for if it had not been by him and for him God would haue created nothing for the means being taken away the end was also taken away Touching the second the humanity of the word wanteth weight he cannot be weighed for all the Saints being put in one balance and the sonne of God in another it would bee that that a drop of water is in respect of all the water which is in the world Who is hee which can be weighed with Christ or bee compared with the least of his merits If before his sight the heauens be not cleane how dare any saints be weighed with him Concerning the third the humanity of the word cannot bee measured because that the grace which was giuen to him alone was so much that neither in heauen nor in earth there is found any measure for it How can there bee found any measure in the sonne of God seeing that it is hee with the which is measured all humane and Angelicall nature Wee may gather of that which wee haue said that seeing Christ hath remoued from himselfe number weight and measure yet that it is a folly and a rashnesse to thinke to find an end in his greatnesse We speak all this because that considering that there is two natures in Christ one diuine and the other humane wee will not talke immediately of his diuine essence but of his humane as it is compared to the diuine and so wee shall vnderstand somewhat of Christ although we cannot comprehend all that doth belong vnto him Suscepit de manu demini duplicia sayth the Prophet Esayas chap. 40. speaking of that which the eternall Father had giuen his only sonne as if hee should say All other creatures receiued single fauours and only the son of God receiued them double for all other besides himselfe were nothing but bare men but he was man and God God and man Duplicia suscepit de manu domini because hee was more than that which he seemed to bee and hee was more than that which was hidden because his diuinitie was hid and his humanity did appeare and to his diuinity was vnited his humanity He receiued two gifts of our Lord seeing that vnder that earth is hidden a precious pearle and vnder that rough couering is enclosed the heauenly cloath of gold He receiued double fauour at our Lords hands seeing that vnder the penitent weed we shall find the great king of Niniuy and vnder those dead skins wee shall find the good Patriarke Iacob aliue He receiued two things at our Lords hāds for if wee take away the couering wee shall see all the diuine essence and if we breake the vaile of the Temple wee shall know the heigth and the purest part of the heauen He receiued two singularities of our Lord seeing hee alone and no other is at one time a traueller and at his iournies end at one time with the superior portion enioieth and with the inferior suffereth He receiued two gifts seeing it was giuen to him and to no other to be passible and impassible visible and invisible mortall and immortall temporall and eternall Suscepit de manu domini duplicia seeing it was giuē vnto him alone to be the end of the vnhappy Synagogue and the beginning of the catholicke church and to be him who doth inflict punishment vpon the bad and giueth glory vnto the good Behold then how Christs humanity is a perfect image a high resemblance such as is not to be found neither in heauen nor vpon earth because it is made to the liuely likenesse of God and because it is alwaies like his mould and type which is the Word Hilarius in his second book of the Trinity saith Euen as a glorious body vnited vnto a glorious soule is as it were spirituall and hath spirituall conditions so the humanity of the diuine word being vnited vnto God hath the same conditions and qualities as he vnto whom he is vnited Damascen in his sentences sayth As it was commaunded that all should be giuen to the noble dame Iudith which did belong to Holofernes seeing that she had ouercome him so vnto the man Christ it was giuen and attributed that all that should be said of him which was said of the Word seeing that hee did also ouercome the diuell And because wee may the better see what conformity there is betwixt the humanity and the diuinity we wil speak one word vpon euery word of that which S. Iohn did put in the beginning of his holy Gospell speaking of the eternall Word In the beginning was the Word sayth S. Iohn speaking of the eternal generatiō of the son of God Wherein he giueth vs to vnderstand that that eternall word hath his being by the first internall emanation of the Father seeing that hee proceedeth of him by the way of vnderstanding which is the first emanation and before the will seeing it is presupposed That which we say of the diuinity we may also say of the humanity seeing that it was in the beginning of God by an Hypostaticall vnion in the word and by an excellency of perfection aboue all that which God created And the word was with God saith also S. Iohn as if he should say Because thou maiest see that the person of the Father is not the person of the sonne nor the person of the sonne the person of the Father if I haue said that In the beginning was the word I say now that neere vnto God was the same word in so much that that which is neere vnto mee is without all doubt distinguished from me The humanity is so neere vnto the diuinity that it is one person with it and thereupon it is that as in the Father and in the sonne there is but one essence although they be two persons so in the word of God and in the humanity of Christ although there bee two natures there is but one person and this diuine and not humane S. Iohn saith further And God was the Word which may also be said of the humanity well vnderstood as of the diuinity by the high communication of diuine and humane qualities which are in Christ because there are many things in Christ by grace which are in God by nature Vpon those words In quo habitat omnis plenitudo diuinitatis S. Ambrose sayth The diuinity of the word doth dwell so perfectly in the humanity of Christ that because that is so neerely vnited and deified which is contained it taketh the name of that which containeth it and hee sayth further Quod factum est in ips◠vita erat The which hee speaketh because that being as he is God the fountaine of all life and that of his onely will dooth proceed all life it is certaine that all that should be in him should be life S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth As all things in God shall be called life because they are accompanied and ioined in him so in his holy humanity all things are life
presume to call himselfe my seruant in my church if he doe not reconcile himselfe first vnto his brother Father forgiue thē for seeing the old law endeth when I shal say Consummatum est All is finished and the new law beginneth when I shall say Commendo spiritum meum I commend my spirit it would not be reasonable that vnder the law of Grace we should cōsent that any thing should be vnfitting or vnsit nor that vnder the law of Loue wee should permit ranckor and malice Father forgiue them for if in the wildernesse of Aaron whē thou wast angry vvith all the Iewes thou diddest forgiue them and reconcile them vnto thee for no other cause but only because Moses and Aaron did offer a little incense vnto thee why wilt thou not forgiue them now seeing I doe now offer for them not incense but my selfe crucified Father forgiue them for seeing they bee thy creatures by creation thy clients by law my children by redemption my brethren by bloud my acquaintance by education my followers in doctrine and so neare of kindred vnto my disciples why should I consent to their losse and condemnation Father forgiue them seeing I came not into the vvorld to procure thee enemies but to giue thee new friends and to take thy old griefes and sorrowes from thee for otherwise if by my death this people should remaine in thy disgrace and hatred it would seeme that my death would rather moue thee to indignation than appease thy wrath If my death make not an attonement betwixt you who is able to doe it O my good father when thou diddest command me to come downe from heauen and also to die vpon the crosse diddest not thou promise and agree that thy anger and my life and my life and thy anger should haue an end at the same houre Father forgiue them and fulfill thy agreement giue that which thou hast promised and seeing in thy presence my life is deerer vnto thee than thy anger I am glad and willing to die if by that meanes thy ire may bee appeased O blessed praier O holy wish and request neuer heard of before O happie petition which thou madest sweet Iesus in thy last houre wherein thou diddest shew by deeds all that thou haddest preached with words seeing thou diddest entreat for those which put thee to death aske pardon for those which crucified thee Let all the praiers bee brought forth that euer were made in the world and we shall easily perceiue that there was neuer any equall vnto this praier of Christs for there was neuer any which had that intent which hee had nor asked that which hee asked nor compassed that which hee compassed What did the great Patriarch Iacob request of Laban his father in law but only his faire daughter Rachel for his spouse What did the women of Israell demaund of the women of Aegypt saue only their siluer and gold What did Anna Helcans wife and Samuels mother request of God in the temple sauing only that it would please him to giue her a son What did the Iew maid called Axa aske of her father Calaph but only the pasture which held water because the other which hee had giuen her was drie What did the mother of the Zebedees require of Christ but onely that hee would make them the greatest lords of his kingdome Which of all these doe aske any thing of God for their enemies or yet for their friendes Euery man did aske for that which was fittest for his owne turn euery man sought for that which was good for himselfe no man entreated for his neighbour no man remembred his enemie no man made intercession for another no man loaded himselfe with other mens faults Only the son of God made man praieth for his enemies in the last supper saying Pater keepe those which beleeue in me and praieth also vpon the crosse for his enemies saying Pater ignosce illis so that like a mercifull lord he defendeth the good and pardoneth the wicked CHAP. III. How the son of God put himself a mediator betwixt God and mankind and what torment he receiued thereby QVaesiui de eis virum qui interpeneret sepem staret oppositus contra me these are the words of the great God of Israell spoken to the Prophet Ezechiell being in the captiuitie of Babilon not far from the riuer Cobar in the two and twentith chapter of his prophesie And it is as if he would say Ezechiell I haue beene many a day angrie with Ierusalem and I seeke out a holy and a vertuous man which should put himselfe like a hedge betwixt mee and the people of Israell because their offences might not come vnto mee nor my punishment reach vnto them Wee may inferre of the complaint which our Lord maketh in this place what great scarsitie there was in the synagogue of good men seeing he found not one among them all which was worthie to appease the wrath of the Lord and to helpe and succour the people The merites of good men are of great force and power before God for to pardon the euill in their faith which is easily seene in all the cities of Sodome which he did pardon for ten good mens sake and all the twelue tribes of Israel which he pardoned for one alone but alasse neither in the synagogue was there found that one neither in Sodome those ten To say the truth it was no maruaile that hee was not to be found in all the synagogue with those conditions which God required in him for he ought to haue ben a man in discretion and not a child and the Lord himselfe was to make choice of him and no other and he was to be an Hebrew and not a Gentile he was to put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and the people and it was required that he should be partiall on neither side And our Lord was not content onely with this but that mediator ought also to haue desert and merit in him to appease Gods indignation and not sinne to stirre him to wrath S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth I doubt whether a man endued with these conditions and shining with these vertues might bee found amongst the Angelicall Hierarchies how much lesse among humane creatures because such a one should bee more than man yea he should be equall with God Abraham Isaac Iacob and Dauid and all the letanie of the old and new testament were not equall with God nor any thing more then men seeing they were borne in sinne and attained vnto no diuine secret without it were reuealed vnto them The sonne of God only was equall vnto God and the diuine vvord only vvas more than man because in him and in no other those cōditions of a holy man were found which God sought for and the vertues which should pacisie God his wrath and anger The first condition which God required was that this mediator should be a man in wisdome and not a child which may
he suffered in his members When the Apostle sayth That the sonne of God offered vp praiers and supplications vpon the altar of the crosse hee declareth as Theophilactus sayth That the praier ignosce illis was extended vnto the good and vnto the bad in so much that for his enemies he offered praiers for the pardon of their sinnes and for his friends hee offered vp oblations for to confirme them in his grace As the sonne of God was Lord ouer all men and died for all men so vpon the crosse he praied for all men For if the wicked had need of him to help them to rise the good also had need of his helpe to keep them from falling Anselmus in his meditations sayth That when the Apostle sayth that the sonne of God was not content to pray only with deuotion but also offered vp that praier vnto his owne father it is to let vs vnderstand that for the sauing of all the world hee offered vp his paines and sorrowes for a recompence his life for a satisfaction his person for a reward his bloud for a price and his soule for a sacrifice It is also to bee weighed that the sonne of God made not this holy praier of Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them sitting but vpright not being at libertie but bound not in a low voice but aloud not laughing but weeping that which is most to be maruelled at the words that he praied with were very few but the tears he bathed them with were very many O good Iesus O my souls pleasure who could be worthy to stand at the foot of thy crosse to see how thy bloud ran from the thornes and thy tears flow from thy eies in so much that at the same hour and moment thou diddest water the earth with tears and pierce the heauens with sighes O what a sacred word was that O what a holy praier was Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them seeing that it was made by the sonne of God vpon the altar of the crosse accompanied with sighes washed with the bloud of Christ and offered vp with the tears of the redeemer Although the sonne of God requested the greatest matter of his father and of the greatest weight that euer was demaunded of him that is to wit Pardon of his precious death yet the tears which hee shed were so many and the loue so great with the which he asked it that if he had asked a greater matter of him his father would neuer haue denied it him S. Basill sayth O what great hurt sinnes bring vnto vs considering that for to lighten vs of them and obtaine pardon for them it was needfull for Christ to pray vnto his father for theÌ„ and offer oblation and crie out and suffer his bloud to bee shed and tears to poure downe from his eies so that thou O good Iesus diddest buy my great offences by the weight of thy bloud tears Our Lord when he praied for his enemies vpon the crosse taught vs what forme and fashion wee ought to keepe when wee pray that is to shed bloud from our members and fall tears froÌ„ our eies The son of God wept when he praied for his enemies and art not thou ashamed to laugh and talke when thou praiest for the remission of thy sinnes Yea and if thou canst not weep in thy praiers yet tel me why thou doest talke ouermuch Barnard sayth That it is more then a iest rather then a praier if at one time thou wouldest pray and talke for if thou bee not attentiue vnto that that thou praiest neither will our Lord be vnto that that thou demandest Defecerunt prae laâ—hrimis oculi mei sayth Ieremie in his Lamentations as if he should say I had such great compasston to see all the Iewes led captiue vnto Babilonia that my eies with very weeping lost their sight And indeed there is no greater token that a man is in true charity then to see him haue compassion of other mens hurts and therevpon it happeneth that good men weepe sooner for the wicked then for themselues the which happened also vnto Christ vpon the crosse who wept first for his enemies before they wept for their owne sinnes It is a very proper thing vnto the chosen people of God to weepe a like for other mens harmes and for their owne because it is the propertie of true Christian charitie to take as great griefe to see his brother lost as pleasure to see himselfe saued One of the greatest priuiledges that good men haue is that euen as they merit in taking comfort and ioy of the good that is done to good men so they are greeued at the hurt which falleth vnto euill men in so much that the good man and the iust reapeth profit commodity of euery mans conuersation Who doubteth but that the lamentation which Christ made vpon the crosse was far greater then that which Ieremie made on the Mount Sion But now it is to be vnderstood that Ieremy wept for one people onely and the sonne of God for all the vniuersall world Ieremy wept only tears from his eies but the son of God wept tears from his eies and shed bloud from his vains Further Ieremie complained that by weeping he had lost his sight onely but our sweet sauior did not only loose his sight with weeping vpon the crosse but also his very life O good Iesus my soules delight what patience is sufficient or by vvhat iustice is it reason that I should commit the offence and thou shed the teares Art thou not content vvith Ierâ—my to make fountains of tears of thy eies but also to make streames of bloud of thy vains With all those sighes which proceed from thy heart with so many griefes which thy members endure with so many teares which run from thy eies and with so much bloud which floweth from thy vains who would not graunt thy request and who would not haue compassion of that which thou sufferest O who can be able tosay with Ieremy Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Because that the greatest hap which could light vnto mee were that in amending my faults I could recouer my soule and in weeping many teares lose my sight CHAP. V. Why the father answered not his sonne when hee praied for his enemies VOs cogitastis malum de me sed deus vertit illud in bonum ego pascam vos paruulos vestros When the great Patriark Iacob died in Aegypt and that all his childreÌ„ remained vnder the power and will of their brother Ioseph and being afeard least hee should call to mind how they had sold him vnto the muleters of Aegypt the good Ioseph spake these words vnto them You my brethreÌ„ did think that you had done me great hurt but you did me great good for your selling of me was the occasioÌ„ that I came vnto prosperity and to rule and gouerne all Aegypt in so much that the great goodnesse of our Lord
them the Centurion immeadiately there said Vere hic erat filius dei Truly this was the sonne of God and the good theefe also said Domine memento mei Lord remember me In whose power saith Fulgentiusâ— but onely in the vertue and power of the praier of Paterignosce illis within a short space after that Christ had so praied did some strike their breasts and some say This man was iust By the merite of this holy praier the Apostles conuerted three thousand men in one day and fiue thousand another day by reason that the sonne of God had gotten pardon for the excommunicated synagogue glorious S. steuen was baptized holy Paul conuerted and the good Matthew called to be an Apostle O what a difference there is betwixt the praier which Christ made in the garden that which he made vpon the crosse in the one heeswet blood and in the other he shed teares in the one he praied that the bitter challice might passe and in the other pardon for the synagogue and that which Iesus praied for himselfe was denied him that which hee praied for others was graunted him In so much that his blessed father had more pitie on the sinnes of that people than on the flesh of his owne sonne O great goodnest O infinit charity The Sonne of God is in the garden alone hee is prostrate on the ground giuing vp his ghost and yet ready for a new combat his blood issueth from all the pores of his body he praieth thrise for himselfe and thou wilt not heare him and when he praieth for his enemies doest thou heare him at the first word Why dost thou not graunt him his request seeing that when hee praied vpon the crosse for his enemies he called thee nothing but Father but when he praied in the garden alone for himselfe he called thee My Father which is a sweet word and a word of a gentle and courteous sonne What would become of vs saith S. Ierome if Christ should not in his glory aboue repeat that word vnto his father Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them Christ said once only Father forgiue mine enemies and he repeateth it a thousand thousand times in heanen for his Christians for euen as wee neuer cease from sinning so the sonne of God neuer ceaseth to pray for vs. Saint Steuen did not see Christ sitting by his father but on foote and the reason was because that at that instant when S. Steuen fell downe on his knees to pray for his enemies Christ rose immediatly also to pray and make intercession for them so that that praier which Saint Steuen made here vpon earth our sweet Iesus presented presently vnto his father in heauen It is deeply here to be weyed that Christ did not say Lord forgiue them but Father forgiue them because this word Lord is a fearefull word but this word Father is a word of ioy and therefore when one man calleth another Father it seemeth that hee doth bind him to answere him friendly and not to deny him any thing that he demandeth Wee shall find often in holy scripture that when God was angry with the Hebrewes hee said alwaies Ego Dominus qui loquor vobis I am the Lord which speake vnto you but when he would as it were flatter them and make much of them he alwaies said vnto them Ego ero illis in patrem I will be a father vnto them that is that hee would deale with them like a pitifull father and not like a rigorous Lord. In so much that this word Pater Father breedeth loue and this word Lord bringeth feare Alwaies when the sonne of God made any great praier or asked any great fauour at his fathers hands hee began his petition with Father O iust father O holy father making reckoning that by calling him father nothing should be denied him which was his sonne If Iesus Christ should haue begun his praier with Lord as he began it with Father it would haue seemed that he had called vpon Gods iustice power not vpon his wil mercy therfore in saying Father he intreated him that hee would not iudge as a Lord of iustice but like a father of mercy O depth of all goodnes O bowels full of charity what els didst thou meane when thou begannest thy petition with Father but that thou wouldest giue him to thy enemies for a father who is thine owne proper father what goodnes in all the world can be equall vnto thine or what like charity can be found seeing thou art the plaintife the party offended yet thou gauest him vnto thy enemies for a mercifull father whom thou shouldst haue giuen for a rigorous iudge Then let vs conclude that when the sonne said vnto his father Pater ignosce illis that at one time he praied vnto him that hee would forgiue them their sinnes that at the same time hee would vouchsafe to take them for his children CHAP. VI. How Christ praied for his enemies on the crosse more heartilie then hee did in the garden for himselfe seeing the one praier was made with condition and the other not SVpra dorsum meum fabricauerunt peccatores prolongauerunt iniquitatem suam These are the wordes of King Dauid in the 128 Psalme spoken in the name and person of the sonne of God and they are as if he should say I know not O mother the Synagogue what I haue done against thee nor wherin I haue offended thee yet thou hast gainsaid mee from my childhood thou hast persecuted mee from my manhood thou hast defamed mee euer since I began to preach vnto thee and in the sweetest time of al my life thou hast crucified mee But this is nothing O mother Synagogue this is nothing in comparison of that that thou diddest lay all thy sinnes vpon my shoulders which neuer had lost their innocency nor neuer done vnto thee any iniury Supra dorsum meum And sinners haue built vpon my backe seeing that Adam hath cast his disobedience vpon me Eue her gluttony Cain her sonne his murder king Dauid his adultery the Tyrant Roboam his Idolatrie and all the Synagogue her malice Is it not true that sinners haue built vpon my backe seeing that I must be punished and pay for all the offences that the sinfull Iewes committed The Iewes would willingly haue loaden Christ on both his shoulders that is they would haue cast vpon him both the paine and the offence but good Iesus tooke vpon him the punishment like a redeemer but charged not himselfe with the guilt of sinne like an offender S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith That the sonne of God doth not complaine that they burdened both his shoulders but only one seeing he saith Supra dorsum Vpon my backe although his enemies would haue ouercharged and wearied them both by killing his humanitie and darkening his diuinitie by blotting his fame and credite and hindering his doctrine but our mighty redeemer suffered them onely to lay
that his father would destroy all the word for to reuenge his death hee lifted vp his eies vnto heauen and with a sorrowfull voice said Father forgiue them because they know not what they doe as if he would say O my eternall and holy father I beseech and pray thee that thou wouldest forgiue this vnhappy people seeing thou shouldest make more account of the bloud which I shed for thē than of the offence which they haue committed against thee It is now now time for a thousand to fall on thy left side and ten thousand on thy right for seeing that I stand betwixt them and thee it is not reason that they should fall but rise nor that thou shouldest punish but pardon them O what a happie time O what a happy age the Catholike church liueth in in the which hee which is iniuried is reconciled and made our friend the iudge become our aduocate and spokesman for vs our accuser turned to bee our defender and hee who was woont to feare vs with iustice doth now flatter vs and entice vs to him with mercy How shal Dauid be able to say now Cadent à latere eius mille A thousand shall fall on his side seeing the sonne of God hath said vpon the crosse Father forgiue them In the law of grace and vnder the yoke of Christ it is not time to goe astray but aright not to cast away our selues but to saue our selues not a time of iustice but of mercie not to punish but to pardon neither is it time to fall but to rise It is much to be noted that the sonne of God did neuer command any man to fall and throw downe himselfe but rather bad all men rise vp as it appeareth in the ninteenth of S. Matthew where hee sayth Rise vp and take thy bed and in another place Arise maid and hee said vnto him whom hee raised from death in Naim adolescens tibi dico surge and likewise hee said in the garden to his Disciples Rise let vs goe It is the propertie and office of the diuell to counsell and procure men to fall for so he counselled Christ in the desart when he said I will giue thee all these things Si cadens adoraueris me as if hee would say I will make thee Lord ouer all the world if thou wilt but fall downe on the ground O my sweet Iesus I wil liue with thee who commandeth me to rise and not with the diuell who counselleth mee to fall for hee is desirous to haue me fall and thou and no other art able to helpe mee vp again Why should I liue with the diuell who deceiueth me a thousand waies or with the world which putteth mee in a thousand dāgers or with the flesh which asketh of me a thousand pleasures O redeemer of my soule O sweet delight of my life I will liue and die with thee and no other for if I bee sick thou dost heale me if I be sorrowful thou dost cōfort me if I be falling thou dost help me if I be falne thou dost helpe me vp if I haue sinned thou dost pardon me He is the disciple of the diuell who goeth about to throw down his brother he is the sonne of Christ who doth helpe to lift vp his neighbor for we are not able in this life to do any mā a greater fauor then to keepe his credit honor to help him to saue his soule When the giuer of life said vpon the crosse Father forgiue them by those speeches he ment to obtain two things of his father That is that hee would neither punish their bodies like vnto murderers nor condemne their soules like vnto traitors O infinite goodnesse O clemency neuer heard of before O redeemer of my soule doest thou dissemble with the trecherous pardon murderers excuse traitors vndertakest for the credite of the infamous turnest vnto sinners It is litle when I say thou doest turn vnto sinners seeing thou doest not only turn vnto them but also die for them What is the reason O good Iesus what is the reason that thou doest pray vnto thy father that he would forgiue them and doest not say I doe forgiue them When thou saiest Father pardon them why doest thou not say also I pardon them Art thou the partie iniuried art thou the partie shamed and disgraced art thou the partie agreeued and doest giue the libertie of pardoning them vnto another It is a high mysterie and a hidden Sacrament to thinke that the sonne of God would not say I pardon them but entreat his father to pardon them making greater reckoning of the iniurie which they had done vnto his father then of the death which they procured vnto himselfe The reason why the sonne of God would not say I pardon them although hee were the partie offended was to tell vs plainly That hee did not esteeme those which put him to death his enemies rather his deer brothers great good doers vnto the world hauing more regard vnto the good vvhich they had done in causing the world to be redeemed then vnto the hurt which they did in causing himselfe to bee murdered When good Iesus said Father forgiue thē it is no more thē to say thou art he my good father who must forgiue thē because they haue brokē thy law discredited thy doctrine violated thy temple put to death thy son If thou dost say that I should forgiue thē I say I haue no cause to forgiue for I take my death as wel reuenged my life as well bestowed seeing that by the merit thereof all the world may liue heauen made open vnto all men S. Augustine sayth That if the sonne of God had holden the Iewes for his enemies as they accounted of him it was in his power to forsake them and goe preach vnto others but because hee esteemed of them as of his kindred in bloud neighbours by nature brothers by law disciples in doctrine it was not needful for him to say on the crosse I forgiue thē seeing he was not angry towards thē nor moued at al with thē They bare rancor and hatred vnto Christ but nor Christ vnto thē therfore notwithstanding all the reproches they vsed towards him al the iniurious speeches they gaue him he neuer left off preaching vnto thē nor neuer ceased to work miracles amongst them With what face could they say that Christ was their enemy seeing hee raised their dead cast out diuels frō them instructed their childrē cured their friends of diseases also forgaue thē their sins Seeing the son of God had done the works of a friend among them that of a true friend why should he say vpō the crosse I do also forgiue thē seeing he did not hold any one of thē for his enemy If sweet Iesus was angry with thē if he misliked thē it was not for the iniuries which they did vnto him but for the offences they cōmitted against his father
therfore he coÌ„mitted the pardoÌ„ vnto him which was most iniuried protesting that himself was not offended with theÌ„ O sweet Iesus how canst thou say that thou wast not offended nor iniured by theÌ„ being as thou wast iniuried crucified by their hands and although thou do not coÌ„plaine vpon theÌ„ nor reuenge thee on them nor yet accuse theÌ„ yet O my redeemer why dost thou excuse them Barnard saith That the son of God was replenished with such great charity and such inspeakable pity towards those which crucified him that he could not obtaine leaue of himselfe to impute any fault vnto them seeing he had charged himselfe with the pain due for it Cyprian saith That seeing Christ was the true mediator pacifier stikler betwixt his father the world it would haue beene euilly thought of to say that any one of them were his enemies and therevpon it is that seeing hee had no enemie there amongst them hee had no necessitie to say on the crosse I pardon them If the sonne of God saith S. Chrysostome hanging vpon the crosse should haue said I also pardon them it would haue beene thought that hee receiued greater griefe for the torment which hee himselfe suffered than of the iniuries which were done vnto his father which for a certentie was not so for if it were possible Christ would more willingly returne againe into the world to die than endure to see one iniury done vnto his father Who dare now O good Iesus saith S. Barnard who dare aske a reuenge of the iniuries done vnto him seeing thou diddest make such small account of those which were done vnto thy selfe Doest not thou recken of the cruell thornes which pierced thy holy head and shall I make account of an angry word which my brother speaketh against me How shall I dare to say that I haue enemies seeing thou doest handle those which nailed thee vnto the crosse like brothers It ought to be a strange speech in the mouth of a Christian to say This is my enemy for in making thy brother thy enemie thou doest loose Christ and causest him to be no more thy friend It is much to be noted that Christ entreated not his father to pardon them after they were dead but asked that he would pardon them quickly yea that very quickly because he would let vs vnderstand that the value of his precious blood was of such great price that at that instant that it began to be shedde at the same time it began to doe good The redeemer of the world would not leaue vs out of the fauor of his father nor an enemy vnto any in token wherof hee came into the world saying Et in terra pax hominibus Peace vnto men vpon earth and went out of the world saying Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them The son of God saith Cassiodorus vpon the Psalms is not like vnto the children of this world who leaue vnto their children a little wealth with much strife seeing that by that speech of Father forgiue them hee redeemed vs with his blood baptized vs with his teares annointed vs with his sweat instructed vs with his doctrine loosed vs from the deuill and reconciled vs vnto his father O how much are wee bound vnto thee sweet Iesus for praying vnto thy father that he would forgiue his enemies before and not after thy death that is before the teares of thy eies were dried vp and whilst the wounds of thy body were yet fresh What would haue become of mankind if Christ at his death had bin angry with vs When he said in his last Sermon Pacem meam do vobis I giue you my peace What else meant he but that he left vs reconciled vnto his father and vnited vnto himselfe How could the eternall father saith Anselmus deny his blessed sonne the pardon which hee demaunded seeing he asked it with such milde wordes with such sorrowfull teares with such fresh wounds with such louing bowels with such continual sighes and with such great and passing griefe Wee may then conclude that when Christ praied his father to pardon quickely and without delay he teacheth vs that before we die and go out of this life it is conuenient for vs to pardon all iniuries for otherwise those in the other world shall haue great occasion to weepe which would not in this world speedily forgiue CHAP. VIII How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ SIt Dominus iudex inter te inter me said the most renowmed king Dauid vnto his Lord and king king Saul Reg. chap. 24. as if hee would say I will haue no other iudge betwixt me and thee O great king of Israel but onely the mighty God of heauen vnto whom it is well known how faithfully I doe serue thee and how cruelly thou doest handle me Origen saith that king Dauid ought to haue great priuitie with God seeing hâ—e chose him for the iudge of all the words he spake of all the thoughts he conceiued of all the workes which he did of all the enmities he suffered yea and of all the friendships he followed Dauid could not iustifie his cause better than to referre the iustice of it vnto the hands of God who is so iust in his person so vpright in his iudgement that neither praiers bow him neither threatnings feare him nor gifts mooue him nor words deceiue him When good king Dauid cited Saul to appeare before the iudgement of God Dauid could haue cut off his head if hee would as hee did the gard of his garment but yet hee would not doe it because hee did set more by Gods fauour than by Sauls euill will Saul was a capitall enemie vnto king Dauid hee caused him to flee his countrey forsake his kindred depriued him of his riches banished him his court separated him from his wife and proclaimed him to be his publike enemie And yet notwithstanding all this Dauid if hee had listed could haue beene reuenged of Saul as especially when hee stole the bottle from vnder his beds head and cut away a piece of his garment yet the pitifull king Dauid would not onely not do it but shewed himselfe angry with those which durst counsell him vnto it Origen saith that onely because Saul was annointed king by the God of Israel it seemed vnto good king Dauid that hee deserued pardon and that that was a sufficient cause to make him reuerenced of all and offended by none Wee are annointed with a better ointment than king Saul was for hee was annointed with the oyle of the Oliue tree but wee are annointed with the blood of Christ and therfore he who doth persecute a Christian doth persecute one who is annointed by Christ Good king Dauid respected it not that Saul did abuse his regall vnction and annointing but onely because that hee was annointed by a good Spirit in so much that Dauid regarded it not that Saul
forsake them The vnhappy and vnfortunate Iudas cannot say truly vnto our Lord leaue me not for euer because his sinnes were so great and his offences so grieuous that he was forsaken of Gods hands vtterly he made himselfe wholly vnworthy of Gods mercy and clemency Was not the traitor Iudas vtterly forsaken thinke you seeing that he sold our Lord master vpon the Wednesday vpon the Friday after he hanged himselfe vpon a tree Doe not forsake mee O good Iesus doe not forsake me Vsquequaque for euer but if thou wilt forsake me for a time and withdraw thy helping hand from mee forget mee no longer then thou diddest forget S. Peter which was vntill hee wept and doe not forget mee as thou diddest Iudas vntill hee hanged himselfe The scripture accuseth Iudas that he had noregard vnto the needy and poore but that he was more careful to steal somewhat from the almes which was giuen vnto Christ then to bee pitifull vpon the poore and necessities which were among the people Suspirabam ligatus sum non cathenis ferreis sed me a praua voluntate saith Saint Augustine in the eighth of his Confessions as if he would say O how many times did I pierce the heauens with sighes and watered the fields with my teares seeing my selfe taken and bound in yrons and yet not with fetters and cheines but with my own proper wicked vvill and that vvhich I cannot speake vvithout vveping is that I yeelded my owne will vnto the enemie and with my vvill he doth that vvhich is not my will Who euer vttered such pitifull vvords vntill this day O vvith vvhat great reason this holy man speaketh this and vvith vvhat greatreason hee vveepeth for giuing our vvill vnto the deuill seeing hee maketh of our vvill that vvhich vve vvill not for if vve giue the enemy once an entrance into our soule he rebelleth presently with the chiefest force hee hath Iudas gaue principally his will vnto the deuill and hee in lieu of his will taught him to murmure and hauing taught him to murmure hee vsed him to steale and hauing vsed to steale he began to haue purses and that being done hee came to sell Christ for couetousnesse What would the Prophet say when hee saith abyssus abissum inuocat One depth calleth another but that the qualitie of one sinne is to call another vnto him August vpon the Psalmes saith King Dauid saith very well that one sinne entiseth another considering that of idlenesse commeth looking of looking desiring of desiring consenting of consenting doing of doing perseuering of perseuering damning himselfe in so much that wee goe from sinne vnto sin in post hast vntill we be benighted in hell Iucundus home qui miseretur commodat c. saith Dauid in his hundred eleuenth Psalme as if hee would say O how happy is that man who is pitiful with the weake a giuer of almes vnto the poore and modest in that which hee speaketh for although God suffer such a one to be tempted yet hee suffereth him not to bee ouercome S. Ierome vpon these words saith If thou marke it well there is no man called pleasant and faire in Scripture but hee which vseth pitie and giueth almes and hee who meaâ—reth his words before hee vtterthem for such a one is in fauour with God and esteemed among men Who hath ben mercifull vnto his brother in this world vnto whom God hath not beene the like in the other who hath imparted his goods vnto the poor vnto whom God hath not imparted his glory who hath brideled his tongue who hath not benregarded respected for it What greater reward would he haue which vseth mercy or he which giueth alms of his substance or he who hurteth no man with his tongue then that oth and promise which the Prophet speaketh of Quòd in aternum non commouebitur that although he be neuer so much vexed and beaten with temptations yet our Lord will not suffer him to be ouerthrown S. Barnard saith vpon Qui habitat O good Iesus O the glory of my soul if my hart be assured by thee that he shal not bee moued for euer what doe I weigh it if pride beate me if anger moue mee if enuy molest me yea and the flesh disquiet me when our Lord asketh of vs that we would be merciful alms giuers fair spoken it is a very smal matter that he asketh of vs considering that which he doth promise for it for for to be assured that neither in aduersity which may come vnto him nor prosperity which hee may happen vnto Quòd in aeternuÌ„ that his heart shall neuer bee moued is such a great matter that it can neither bee bought with the weight of tears nor deserued by heroicall deeds The contrary vnto all this was found in wicked Iudas for in steed of pitty he was cruel coÌ„sidering how he had no regard vpon the poor in stead of almes-giuing he stole the almes from Christ instead of brideling his tongue he sold his God Lord vnto the Synagogue and how could Iudas the theefe haue pity on the poor which begged among the people seeing he stole the alms which they gaue vnto Christ If it be a sin to steale from a rich man yea that which hee aboundeth with shall it not be a sin a wicked sacriledge to steale from the poor that which they haue necessity of wheÌ„ those of Christs holy colledge did eat the ears of corne for pure hunger they would rather haue earen bread and meat if they had had money to buy it If Iudas did see Christ deuide the apostles alms to the needy poor he should nor only not haue takeÌ„ it as a reprochfull thing dishonest but rather he should haue ben thankfull and glad for it because there is no worke of mercy which is not in this world commeÌ„ded and in the other rewarded It is a certaine thing that the eues wish not well vnto the poore because a theefe will neuer come to him whom he thinketh will aske something of him but vnto those from whome they imagine they can steale somewhat away Fulgentius saith in a sermon If sorrowfull Iudas had beene loiall vnto his maister mercifull vnto the poore friendly with the Apostles disciplinable in his manners and not desirous of other mens goods our Lord would neuer haue left him to haue gone out of his colledge nor hee euer haue committed treason Who made thee O Iudas stumble and fall into such enormious and greeuous sins but thy small or rather no pity When the scripture accuseth the traitor Iudas that he had no care of the needy it is a matter both to make vs afeard and also to wonder at because that in the sight of our Lord the almes which we doe vnto the poore are much more accepted than the sacrifice and incense which we offer him Iudas is also accused of that which hee did in the parlar where hee supped when Christ said Ecce
Christ and how he beleeued and of that which the Prophet Ieremy speaketh to this purpose TOnde capillum tuum proijce sume indirectum planctum quiae perijt fides ablata est de ore eorum said God vnto the Prophet Ieremy in the 7. chap as if hee would say O Ieremy my friend and Prophet poule the haire of thy head and then cast it vnder thy feet and weepe and bewaile the Synagogue because now there is no truth in her mouth and the faith of her Commonwealth is vtterly lost Men did neuer poule their heads in holy scripture nor rent their garments nor shed many tears but for very great disasters or pitifull accidents as for the death of Iobs childreÌ„ with all the losse of all his goods for what cause holy Iob shaued his hair rent his garmeÌ„ts cried out with loud cries It is much here to be noted and also necessary to bee known that seeing the scripture saith that the soule which committeth the sin that the selfesame shal endure the punishment why God coÌ„manded Ieremy to weepe with his eies and poule his hair for the sins which others haue committed If Israel do offend fall into the sin of idolatry how is the good Prophet Ieremy to be blamed why is he commanded to poule his hair for it cast it vnder feet Hath not euery man think you inoughto do to weep for his own sins without weeping for other mens sorrows Hugo de sancto victore answereth vnto this doubt vpon those words Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei Thren 1. and saith that there is nothing more natural vnto good meÌ„ theÌ„ to weep for the sins of the wicked The charity of the good is so great the carelesnes ossinners so idle that the iust meÌ„ dofirst weepe for the sins of the wicked then they do weep for theÌ„selues O how many sinners do we see in these daies sporting laughing in the world for whose sins the iust do weep and giue themselues discipline O that it would please the God of heaueÌ„ that the heart of him who sinneth would receiue such griefe as the iust in seeing him sinne I sweare by the law of a good man that none would go to rest at night with sinne nor rise in the morning without grace Is there any day saith Cyrillus vpoÌ„ Leuit. in which a good maÌ„ doth not better himself or any moment wherin he doth not merit considering that he doth imitate the good in that which they do weep for the wicked in that they commit King Dauid did weepe for the death of his deare sonne Absolon and not only because hee was his son but because he saw him die in that euil estate The son of God wept ouer the city of Ierusalem not only because they would there kil him but because they wold neuer ameÌ„d theÌ„ of their wickednes The Prophet Ieremy did weepe very much for the captiuity of his people not so much because they were in captiuity in BabiloÌ„ as because they would not neither for that punishmeÌ„t or any thing else leaue their idolatry the great captain Iosua with all the nobles of Israel wept not because of his own life which was not long but because they saw how ingrateful the synagogue was to god The Prophet Samuel wept when king Saule came froÌ„ the conquest of Amelech not so much because God had depriued him of a kingdome but because hee had falne into such a great sinne Saint Augustine in his Confessions saith thus We do not see good men so much occupied in any thing as in drawing euill men to good life and when they can neither by entreaty nor threatning conuert them then they betake themselues to weep bitterly for them When Ieremy said Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei and when Dauid said Exitus aquarum c. what else would they say but that the eies of the one of them were failed for weeping for the paines which the people endured and that the eies of the other were made a sea of teares for the great wickednesse which he saw in Israel Anselmus in his meditations saith thus O sweet Iesus O my good Lord if good men should not aid me with their holy praiers if holy men should not helpe me to weepe for my grieuous offences what would become of mee wicked and wretched creature O what infinit charity O what vnspeakable mercy saith Ierome vpon Ieremy had our Lord vpon the wicked Synagogue and alwaies hath vpon euery sinfull soule considering that he commanded the Prophet Ieremy to weep for the sins committed by her as though they were his own Wherfore thinkest thou doth our Lord command holy iust men to weepe for our sinnes but because he knoweth better then we our selues that if we haue power to fall into sins yet that we cannot lift ourselues out of them without his grace license Who then is able to obtaine vs this grace but he who is in state of grace It is to be noted that in Ieremies weeping our Lord commanded him first to poule his he are then cast it and tread it vnder his feet and that then hee should weepe ouer them of all which things there is none which wanteth a secrete and a mystery What other things are the superfluou heares in the head but the vaine and light cogitations which are in the mind When he saith That the oftner our heare is pouled and shaued the more they encrease grow what meaneth hee else but that filthy and vnclean thoughts the more they are suppressed and kept vnder the faster they grow vpon vs What doth he else mean when he commandeth Ieremy not to pul vp his hear by the root but only poule it but only that if we be able to resist vncleane thoughts yet wee are not able wholly to subdue them and pull them vp The roots of the heare remaine alwaies in the head and the rootes of vaine desires continue alwaies in the soule if our Lord dooth permit this it is because wee should haue matter wherevpon to exercise our selfe in and occasion to merit the more Then we do pâ—â—â— vp our euill cogitations wheÌ„ we throw them out of our hearts then we spurn theÌ„ with our feet when we return no more to thinke vpon them and then we weepe with all our heart when we repent that euer wee consented vnto them O how happy should I be if I could shaue the superfluous thoughts of my heart could kick at the disordinate desires of my mind could weepe the times which I haue euilly spent for in the latter day wee shall giue as strait an account of the times which we haue euilly spent as of the offences which we haue committed Speaking more particularly seeing that God coÌ„manded the Prophet Ieremy to poul his head as if he had ben a simple man kicke at that which he had pouled weep many tears it is conuenient now that
we know whether he commanded him to do these things for the sins which he hath committed or for sins which hee hath seene in the Iudaicall people Who euer saw Christ weepe or command any man to weep but he had occasion to doir and reason to command it The reason why Ieremy weepeth is Quid ablata est fides de ore corum Because there is now no faith in the house of Iacob because the goodnes truth of Israel is perished Behold how God doth not complain here of vs for that we do not offer sacrifice nor because wee pay not our tithes nor because we break the holy fasting daies nor because they are couerous nor because they are carnall glurtons because nature inuiteth inclineth vs to all these carâ—lesnesse humane frailty excuseth vs. That which our Lord coÌ„plaineth of is that they are faithlesse in heart idolaters and that they can speake nothing with their mouth but lies which two vices are perrillous for vs to be saued with very hard to ameÌ„d Ciprian vpoÌ„ the Creed saith Although the Apostle saith that faith without works is dead yet I had rather do sinful works being a faithful Christian theÌ„ vertuous works being a faithlesse Pagan because that our Lord doth easilier lighten him which beleeueth that which he coÌ„mandeth theÌ„ him which blasphemeth him and his church Damascen saith That the diuel dare neuer tempt mightily any but such as he perceiueth to be weak in faith and in that case hee careth not much to teÌ„pt him hardly with other vices if he see him weak cold in faith because the diuel is better at ease to see a man doubtful wauer in faith theÌ„ to see him coÌ„mit all other sins in the world What dooth the diuell watch at or ouerwatch but to see whether thou bee doubtfull in the faith of Christ what hast thou if thou hast not true faith what wantest thou if thou wantest not the true faith of Christ O good Iesus O the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou wouldest not depriue me of thy faith that thou wouldst not cast me out of thy church that thou wouldst not take thy mercy froÌ„ me for if thou wilt not suffer me to fall from thy faith I shal alwaies haue a hope that in the end I shal be saued To come theÌ„ vnto our principal purpose who made vnhappy Iudas hang himselfe what was the cause the good theefe was saued but only the great faith the theefe had the sinful infidelity which the other fel into because Iudas wold not beleeue that Christ was our maker and because the good theefe beleeued that Christ was our redeemer Iudas sold Christ and the other beleeued in Christ insomuch that in beleeuing knowing litle men come to offend much So much saith Gregory the faith of a good ChristiaÌ„ is more meritorious by how much the fewer argumeÌ„ts reasons it is grounded on because the merit of the catholick faith doth not coÌ„sist on that which we see with our eieâ— but in that which we beleeue with our hearts If we compare the faith of the good theef with the faith of the old fathers we shal find it to be true that he did so far exceed theÌ„ in faithfully beleeuing as they did go beyond him in good liuing How should not Abraham beleeue in God considering how God spake vnto him from heaueÌ„ aboue and vsed him as if he had beene his particular friend The thecues faith was greater thaÌ„ his because that Christ neuer spake vnto him one word of beliefe neither did hee euer see him in heauen but only hanged vpon the crosse The Prophet Esay did beleeue in God when he saw him sit on high in his throne beset with thousands of Seraphins but the the eues faith was greater because hee neuer saw Christ but crucified and accompanied with theeues The Prophet Maises had faith when hee saw the God of Israel speake vnto him out of a bush and that the bush wasted nor burnt not but the faith of the good theefe was greater than this considering that hee saw Christ loaden with thorns which burnt nor in show but in troth pierced his braine S. Peter had faith when hee saw Christ goe vpon the waters but the good theefes faith was greater considering he saw Christ not spurn the waters but saw him bathed in bloud from the feet to the head Mary Magdalen had faith when she saw him raise her brother Lazarus from death to life who had beene foure daies dead but the good theefe had greater faith then this considering how he neuer saw Christ raise the dead but only saw himselfe die vpon the crosse like a malefactor S. Iohn the Euangelist had faith when he had ssept vpon our Lords breast after he had supped vvith him in the parlar but the theefes faith vvas greater then this seeing that hee beleeued in the sonne of God not sleeping vpon stis breast but suffering vvith him by his side vpon the crosse S. Iames had faith vvhen hee savv Christ transfigured in the hill Tabor and the Fathers of the old law adore him but the good theefes faith was greater then this considering hee saw not the sonne of God transfigured but disfigured hee saw not his face shine but his body torne in pieces O happy and glorious theefe who but thou hath stoine the faith from the synagogue which of old shee was wont to haue and stolne Christ from them in whom then they beleeued not Impart and deuide vnto me part of the faith which thou didst steale from the Synagogue and Christ which thou diddest rob away on the Mount of Caluary for although I was not thy companion in suffering yet now I will bee in beleeuing That which I would haue thee impart vnto mee is the entire faith which thou hast the holy wordes which thou speakest the abundance of bloud which thou sheddest the true confession which of God thou makest and the Christian charity with the which thou doest correct the other theefe O that this theefe hath a happy inheritance seeing that with the theft of worldly things he easily got the gallowes and with the theft which hee stole vpon the crosse hee got glory Chrysostome of the praise of the theefe saith thus In whom O good Iesus in whom did thy holy faith remaine when thou diddest depart out of this life but in thy sorrowfull mother who wept at the foot of the crosse in that holy theefe who suffered on thy side O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule saith Barnard what a small number of friends thou hadst with thee on the crosse and what a multitude of enemies about thee considering that thou hadst there but two faithfull Christians that is thy blessed mother which did beleeue in thee with her heart and that iust theefe which did confesse thee with his mouth Seeing it was nothing else to be a Christian but to beleeue in Christ and serue Christ
vpon the crosse when we lose our liberty the heauens are stoln Adams was but a small theft seeing of all Paradise hee stole but one apple But this good theefe was not content with the apples of Paradise vnlesse he stole all Paradise It was a vaine and a light theft which faire Rachel committed against her father Laban and this of the theefe was an honorable theft because hee did not abase himselfe to steale idols made of wood but he stole the very true God The theft which king Dauid coÌ„mitted was a bold theft when hee stole the bottle of water and the speare from king Sauls boulster but the good theeues theft was more solemne who stole not a launce from a boulster nor a bottle of water but he stole Christs body drie and without bloud and his side which was pierced with a launce Moises spies were craftie and subtile theeues vvhich stole avvay the bunch of grapes of the land of promise but the good theefe vvas farre more subtiler seeing hee stole from those vvho had stolne not a bunch of grapes vvhich hanged but Christ crucified Let al the theeues that are come forth saith Cyprian and bee compared vvith this theefe and they shall find for a truth that he is the greatest of all and the most famous of them all seeing that if other doe steale they lose their life but this in stealing recouered life CHAP. VI. How the good theefe had nothing remaining on the crosse but his heart and his tongue and that by these two hee gained glory and there are curious points vttered touching the heart OMni custodia custodi cor tuum quia ex ipso vitaprocedit said Salomon the vvise speaking vvith his son Roboam in the fourth chap. of his Prouerbes as if he vvould say I counsell thee my son Roboam as a thing that doth very much import thee that thou keep thy heart vvith all care vvatching because from him proceedeth al the good of thy life It doth behooue vs very much that vvee beleeue this that the vvise man saith and also keepe it seeing he vvriteth it vvith such high vvordes and persuadeth it vvith such deepe reasons I confesse for my owne part that amongst all the things which I haue read or haue heard wise men speake of there is none that hath taken such deep root in my memory nor hath satisfied my iudgemeÌ„t like vnto this couÌ„sel of the wise man For the better commending of which speech I wish I had Homers vnderstanding Platoes wit Diogenes phrase Eschines art of Oratory Ciceroes tongue After this saying in comparison of it there is nothing more to bee thought nothing more to be sought nothing more to be said nor nothing more to be commended for vnder this speech is comprehended al the goodnes that hath ben written vntil this day all that which is necessary for thy saluation This is a high doctrin a wonderful saying worthy to be heard and true to be beleeued iust to be taught wholly to be obserued S. Ierome saith thus of it wheÌ„ the wise man saith Omni custodia Keep thy hart with al watching it is to say plainly keep keep watch watch be aduised be aduised shut shut the gates entrance of thy heart for it is he in whom our Lord desireth to delight in and that is he vvhom the deuill also would willingly possesse S. Augustine in a sermon saith The wise man saith not without cause keepe thy heart with a carefull watch considering that God and the deuill and the diuell and God striue not who shall possesse the eies wee doe see with or the tongue which we speak with but only which of theÌ„ both shall house shut himself as in a castle in our harts which we bear insomuch that in the guard keeping of the hart consisteth our saluation or perditioÌ„ Origen saith That wheÌ„ the wise man saith Omni custodia cor tuuÌ„ custodi he doth forwarne vs aduise vs that we put diligeÌ„t watch ward ouer our fugitiue hart because the flesh may not defile him the world mooue him the deuill deceiue him the enemy steale him possesse him What els doth he say wheÌ„ he biddeth thee watch ward thy hart but only that so much interest wee haue in Christ how much hee himselfe hath in our hearts If God hath little in thee thou hast litle in God if thou hast much in God god hath much in thee seeing thou wouldest haue nothing of God but thy saluation God would haue nothing of thee but thy heart thou oughtest highly to keepe it and trust it and commit it to none but vnto him S. Gregory in his Morals saith The counsell of the wise man is very deepe and his aduise very diuine when hee saith Keepe thy heart with all watching and the reason is that because all that which God giueth vs and al that which wee offer vnto him is worth nothing if it bee not kept in the heart and proceed from the heart and therefore it is a very wholesome thing that our hearts bee alwaies full of good desires and very far from vaine thoughts Tell mee I pray thee why the wise man was not content to say that wee ought to keepe the heart but he added that we should keep him with all watching and guarding and put him in very great safetie What other thing is it to keepe it with al guard but only that wee should not giue place for any vanity or folly to enter in Seneca saith in an Epistle Wee see that the eies are defended with the eie lids the mouth with the lips the ears with a cotton the bands with gloues the corne in the garner and mony in chests but no man is able to take away vaine desires from the ambitious mutinous heart nor cut off his light cogitations Tel me I pray thee what treasure is there in mans heart because he shold be gorged with so many guards O my brother if thou diddest know what a great treasure that is which God hath left in keeping in the heart of the iust man I assure thee and sweare vnto thee that thou wouldst keep thy heart with a strong guard wouldst not consent that any but God shold enter into it is it not thinkest thou great reason that thy hart be wel guarded seeing God wil not haue it for any other but for himselfe In the heâ—â—t of man there is the reasonable power with the which hee gouerneth himselfe the irascible power with the which he defendeth himself coÌ„cupiscible with the which hee prouideth for things necessary and in the keeping of these three powers the saluation of the soul consisteth the rest quietnes of the life The diuell trauelleth much like vnto another Ioab to giue vs three fierce wounds in these three noble powers because our sorrowful heart should faint be dismaied not know how to gouerne himselfe in prosperity nor help himself in aduersity
world and so hee liueth with paine by reason of the one and casts out sighes by reason of the other The dissembling hypocrite hath also two hearts who with the one desireth to bee in low degree and with the other laboureth to be exalted with the one he speaketh fair with the other he bireth secretly with the one he proclaimeth cōscience with the other he maintaineth malice which is worst of all with the one he doth forward concord and with the other he stirreth vp war Woe therfore be vnto him who hath two hearts for if hee had but one either hee would bee wholly good or wholly bad but hauing two hearts he cannot in religion do that which he ought nor in the world doe that which hee would Hee hath also two hearts who hath good words and naughty vvorks he vvhich crieth the spirit is al flesh he vvho liueth wickedly hopeth vvell he vvho is rigorous vvith other men and mild vnto himselfe strait vnto his brothers liberall vnto himselfe Hath not he think you two harts vvho promiseth much performeth litle he vvho sweareth that he loueth and yet in the end loueth not but deceiueth To come then vnto our purpose all that vvhich I haue spoken is to let you know hovv vvisely and vvarily the good theefe kept his heart and hovv highly he did imploy it seeing he denied it the diuel offered it vnto Christ Christ and the deuill vvere at a great variance vvhich of thē should cary avvay the theeues hart because the deuil alledged that hee did belong vnto him because hee vvas a ringleader of theeues and Christ said that he did belong vnto him because he vvas the father of sinners But vvhen the theefe said Lord remember mee the deuil fled Christ defended the theefe Chrisostome sayth That Cain offered corne vnto God Abel lambes Noe Weathers Abraham doues Melchisedech vvine Dauid gold Iepthe his daughter and Anna her sonne If all these men did offer much vnto God that vvhich the good theefe did offer vvas much more for all that vvhich they offered vvere externall thinges and not their ovvne but that vvhich the good theefe offered vvas his ovvne and in this case there is great difference betvvixt offering that vvhich a man possesseth and keepeth in his house and offering of his ovvne proper person If any man aske thee vvhat that is that the theefe offered Christ let him first ansvvere vvhat that vvas that he kept for himselfe for giuing as he did all vvhich he had vnro Christ he vvas not seene to reserue any thing for himselfe Seneca saith in an Epistle Who is he vvho giueth another all vvhich he can vvho doth not giue him also his vvil and al that he hath The good theefe gaue Christ al that he could all that he vvas vvorth all his povver all that hee possessed also al his might vvill at vvhat time he acknovvledged himselfe a sinner vpon the altar of the crosse and Iesus Christ to be his redeemer O good sinner O glorious confessor vvilt thou not tel vs vvhat thou diddest offer vnto thy God seeing thou didst obtain such grace by it The theef offered not his eies because they vvere couered neither his mony because the iailor had it nor his coat because the hangman had it nor his body because it vvas crucified he had only left his tongue vvith the vvhich he confessed Christ and his hart vvith the vvhich he beleeued in him If he vvould haue giuen Christ his honour hee knevv not vvhere it vvas if hee vvould haue serued Christ vvith his life it vvas novv at an end if hee vvould haue bestovved his goods vpon him hee had none left for he lost his honor and credit by his theft his life Pilat commanded to be taken from him and all his goods the office of the Fiskall possessed O high my stery saith Origen O diuine example vvho being put vpon the tree had nothing left but his heart and vvith that he beleeued in Christ and his tongue and vvith that he commended himselfe vnto God It is to be beleeued that if this good theefe had had any thing else left but his tongue and his hart that vvith more he vvould haue serued Christ insomuch that vve cannot cōdemn his offering for a mean and miserable gift seeing he offered God al which he had For vvhat doth he not offer vvho offereth his heart what doth hee not deuide vvho deuideth his heart O my tongue O my heart vvhy doe you not take for your companion this theefe crucified vpon the tree because he may teach you how sins are bewailed the heauens stolne away Irenaeus saith I think I shal neuer bee condemned but I haue a great hope I shall bee saued seeing that the good theefe being alone crucified vpon the crosse by no other means but by offering his heart tongue vnto God in lesse than halfe an houre went into glory S. Barnard sayth O good Iesus O the hope of my soule why should I torment my selfe and bee sorrowfull if I want feet to goe to glory or haue no eares to heare sermons nor haue no riches to giue almes nor iewels to offer in the temples Seeing that I hold it for certaine that with one holy wish I shall content thee O sweet Iesus Moyses sister was scabby noble Lia was blearecied good Moises stutted in his speech holy Tobias was blind Mimphiboseth was lame yet notwithstanding al these defects and imperfections nothing hindered them from being vertuous and holy If our hearts be cleane and whole what careth God if our members bee rotten The great Patriarke Iacob blessed his sons being blind dogs licked the wounds of holy Lazarus legs patient Iob did wipe and shaue off the wormes of his flesh with a tile stone holy Tobias saw nothing but what his children directed him vnto but none of all these things hindered them from seruing their Lord and God and from helping their neighbors brothers to saue themselues Remigius saith Behold O my soule behold the good theefe had sentence to die vpon the crosse with his ioints seuered the one from the other his eies couered his flesh rent torn his bloud shed and yet notwithstanding al this with his hart which only liued he knew how to remedy and saue himselfe In so few houres in so short a space the pennance which the good theefe did could not be great nor the sighes which hee gaue could not bee many yet because hee gaue them so from his heart and with such great deuotion Christ tooke them in a sort for a iust account not only those which thē he gaue but also those which he had a will afterward to giue if death had not cut him off CHAP. VII How the naughty theefe lost himselfe only for want of faith and of two chalices which the scripture maketh mention of of which both the theeues dranke of COnsurge consurge Hierusalem quiae bibisti calicem
my hart should dispose my penne write my inke marke and my paper suffer mee to write how happy they are who escape the drinking of this cup and how vnhappy they are which drinke of it With this cup of ire God did threaten Ierusalem of this the Synagogue dranke with this wicked Babilon was drunk yea and this was the cause why all Iudea was lost S. Augustine in an Homilie saith He drinketh of the cursed cup of ire who through his sin falleth from the estate of grace which is an euill aboue all the euils of this life because a soule without grace is farre more deader than a body without a soule When doest thou thinke that God doth suffer vs to drinke of the cup of his ire but when hee forgetteth to hold vs vp with his hand through our demerite When shall wee see whether we haue dronke of the cup of his wrath but vvhen God is carelesse in keeping vs from falling and vvee slothfull in amending our selues S. Ambrose vpon the Psalmes sayth O vvhat a difference there is betwixt the vvrath of God the vvrath of man for they punish vvhen they are angry but God forbeareth to punish vvhen hee is angry in so much that God is more displeased vvhen hee dissembleth a fault than vvhen he doth presently punish S. Barnard sayth That there is no greater temptation than not to bee tempted nor greater tribulation thaÌ„ not to be afflicted nor greater punishment than not to be punished nor yet a sharper scourge than not to be scourged For as there is small hope of the sick mans life vvhome the Phisition doth distrust and despaire of euen so in like manner there is great occasion to suspect the saluation of that man vvhom our Lord doth not punish in this life It is also to be noted that Esay doth not only threaten Ierusalem because she dronk of the cup of the ire of God but because she drunke also the dregs and lees vntill shee left none in so much that if there had ben more more she would haue drunk We call that properly the dregs of the wine that part of the wine which corrupteth and marreth and that which goeth to the bottome and that which rotteth and stinketh and that whereof we receiue no profite What are the dregs which sinke vnto the bottome but onely wicked sinne which beareth vs into hell The dregs of sinne cause vs to rot and with dregs of sinne we sinke and by the dregs of sinne we are damned and by the dregs of sin we are hated of God I will visite Ierusalem and those men which are fastened in their dregs saith God by the Prophet Sophonias in the first chapter as if hee would say I will visite all the dwellers of Ierusalem and I will make no reckoning of other sinnes and offences but of such as I shall find entangled and tumbling in the dregs and lees Who are those which sticke in the mire are bedurted with the dregs but those which stand obstinately in their sinnes and wickednesse God complaineth not of those which are defiled in the dregs but on those which are fastened and fixed in them for our Lord is not so much scandalized to see vs fall into sinnes as to see vs wallow and delight in their dregs and grounds O that wicked is the heart which is fastened and standeth firme in the dregs of sinne because promises cannot allure and entise him nor threatnings feare him nor entreatie conuert him nor punishment amend him nor counsell profite him How badly our Lord liketh of them which are firme in the lees and dregs he sheweth plainly seeing he threatneth such as stand fast in them and those which drink of the cup vnto the dregs wherof we may inferre that wee doe not so much condemne our selues for sinning as because we will not goe out of sinne To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is as if as there are but seuen capitall sins they were feuen thousand to haue a will to offend in them all before we died To drinke vnto the dregs is that if by deed we commit ten sinnes euery day in thought we commit an hundred euery houre To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is that if wee omit to commit any sinne it is not because wee would not but because we could not or durst not To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is that not being content to sinne we commend and praise our selues for doing it as if we had done our Lord some notable seruice To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is that when wee haue committed all kind of sinnes yet wee cannot endure to be called sinners To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is to be so gracelesse and shamelesse in sinning that we entise and importunately vrge others to do the like To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is to hate our neighbour with our heart iuiurie him with words and hurt him in deeds Loe thus then haue I told you what is the cup of bitternes which the elect and chosen drinke of and which is the cup of wrath and ire which the wicked drinke of in so much that if wee would know who shall bee saued or who damned wee are onely to mark what cup he dranke of To come then vnto our purpose we must suppose that these two theeues drank of both these cups which are so dreadfull and wonderfull and such as the cup was of which ech of them dranke such was the reward or punishment which on the crosse ech of theÌ„ receiued and carried away WheÌ„ the naughty theefe said vnto Christ saue thy selfe and vs he dranke of the cup of wrath and when the good theefe said vnto Christ Lord remember me he dranke of the cup of bitternesse insomuch that the one drank of the pure wine seeing he went into heauen and the other dranke of the stinking dregs seeing he went into hel What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Seeing they were both coÌ„panions both the eues both hanged both saw Christ and both were neere vnto Christ why doe they giue to the one to drinke of the cup of glory and vnto the other the cup of ire S. Augustine answereth vnto this sayth Why God doth giue light vnto one and not vnto another why he draweth this man and not that man I pray thee good brother goe not about to seeke out the reason if thou wilt not bee deceiued for all this dependeth of Gods high iudgements the which although they be secret yet notwithstanding they be not vniust Origen vpon Mark saith As there are many things in the heart which are not of the heart and as there are many in warâ—â— which take no pay in the warre so the naughty theefe was vpon the crosse not hauing the fruit of the crosse for in stead of asking Christ that he would pardon him be asked that he would deliuer him and vnbind him If thou bee Christ saith the naughty theefe saue thy selfe
loue when he doth impart his grace amongst vs insomuch that with the first loue hee deliuered vs from being slaues and with the second loue he receiued vs to be his sonnes In figure of all this the altar of the Synagogue was all hollow but the altar of the church is massie and sound by reason of the feruent loue which God beareth vs and great charitie and mercy which hee doth vs. It is much to bee noted that God doth not commend vnto vs Faith Hope Patience and Chastitie but only Charitie in which words hee giueth vs to vnderstand that if we doe set much by that which our Lord giueth vs we ought to esteeme much more of the loue with the which hee doth giue it vs. Isidorus sayth That all the courtesies which our Lord doth promise vs and all the persuasions vvhich hee vseth vnto vs are to no other end but because vve should bee thankfull vnto him and because vve should be mercifull vnto our neighbours What vvanteth hee vvhich vvanteth not Charity and what hath he who hath no Charity The mercifull and pitifull man hath God alwaies at his hand that he fall not from his faith that hee lose not his hope that he defile not his chastity nor despise humility for in the high tribunall seat of God no man need to feare that they will deale cruelly with him if hee hath had any charity in this world Wherein doest thou thinke saith S. Ierome that all Christian charity doth consist and al the health of thy soule but only in seruing of Christ with all our heart and in labouring to profit and benefit our neighbour What greater good can I doe vnto my brother than put him in the right way if hee be out and correct him if hee bee naught Bede sayth vpon this matter That true and chast loue may bee deuided betwixt God and our neighbour so as our neighbor be not prowd and naught for if he be so we are to wish his saluation and flie his conuersation Wee haue spoken all this to declare the great charity which this good theefe had and also vsed towards the naughty theefe seeing that vpon the crosse hee taught him that which was conuenient for him reprehended him in that which he spake Neque tu times deum qui in eadem damnatione es said the good theefe vnto the bad as if he would say O my friend and companion I wonder much at thee that hauing beene of such a naughty life and conuersation and being vpon the very point to die I say I maruel that thou darest to crucifie this holy Prophet more with thy tongue than the hang men doe with their nailes because the nailes doe open his vains but thy euill tongue doth rend his entralls The good theefe vsed but few wordes but they contained many mysteries and therefore it is needfull that they be read with attention and written with grauity It is to bee noted that although our Lord God be present in all things with his power yet hee is much more in mans heart and tongue by grace because those are the two parts with the which we doe most of all please or offend God with S. Aug. saith That the eies doe loth oft to see the ears to hear the hands are loth to work the feet to go yea the body to sinne but the heart is neuer weary of thinking nor the tongue with speaking Cor mundum crea in me deus pone custodiam ori meo said the Prophet Dauid as if he would say I beseech thee O good Lord that thou wouldest renue this heart within me put a watch vnto this mytongue because that al the other parts of my body can but trouble offend me but the heart tongue can trouble me damne me S. Ambrose saith That it is a certein token that we are in Gods fauor when he doth giue vs grace to keep our hearts clean our tongues brideled because the foundation of all Christian goodnes is to beleeue our Lord God with all our hearts praise him with our tongue Ego dabo eis cer nouuÌ„ said God vnto Israel I will open thy mouth said God vnto Ezechiel as if he would say I will lighten thy heart O Israel to the end that thou maist beleeue in me and I will open thy mouth O Ezechiel to the end that thou maist preach my name for thou hast obtained no small gift if thou come to know me learn wel to set forth my name To come theÌ„ vnto our purpose the grace of a new heart which God gaue vnto Israel and the gift of praising his name which he gaue Ezechiel Christ also gaue vnto the good theef which was neer vnto him seeing he touched his heart with the which he beleeued in him opened his mouth with the which he preached his name Vbertinus saith That this good theefe was an excellent preacher in the church of God who in a sort seemed to goe before the Apostles in faithfully beleeuing and preaching Christs might and power What greater maruell wouldst thou haue the bloud of Christ worke saith Rabanus thaÌ„ to make preachers of theeues robbers the pulpit in the which hee preached was the crosse the preacher was the theâ—f the holy one of whoÌ„ he preached was Christ the church where he preached was Caluary the audience before whom he preached were the Iews the Theame vpoÌ„ which he preached was Neque tu deum times Neither doest thou fear God and that which there hee preached was the setting forth of Christ and the reprehending of that which his fellow spake The office of a preacher is saith Saint Gregory Secreta reserarae vitia extirpare virtutes inserere The duty of a preacher is to open the secrets of the scripture extirpate vice out of the Commonwealth and teach how our soules are to be saued What greater secret can there bee than to confesse and preach a man crucified to bee God Who reprehended vices like vnto this theefe seeing that hee confessed himselfe to be a sinner and accused the other theefe to bee a blasphemer who did teach the way to heauen better thaÌ„ this theef seeing hee was almost the first that went thither The good theefe deuided his sermon into foure parts the first was when hee rebuked the other theefe when hee said Neque tu deum times the second when hee accused himselfe to bee naught saying Nos quidem iustè patimur The third when he excused Christ saying Hic autem quid mali fecit The fourth when hee craued pardon for his sinnes Domine memento mei Lord remember mee Seeing then that the preacher is but a new preacher the pulpit new and the thing that he preacheth new it is reason that wee should heare that which hee preacheth with attention and do that which he counselleth with great deuotion Auferetur zelus meus ate quiescam ne irascar amplius said God by Ezechiel chap.
16 as if he would say O thou Synagogue which art hardened seeing that thou wilt not beleeue that which I tel thee nor doe that which I command thee I am determined not to chide thee nor punish thee for any fault that thou shall commit but as being incorrigible I am determined to forsake thee O sorrowful speech O dreadfull word when our Lord saith that he will aduise vs no more what we haue doe nor correct vs of that which wee doe for if he take his mercifull hand from vs what shall wee dare to take in hand Tell me I pray thee what can we doe or what doe we know of our selues if wee bee not guided by the hand of God in that which wee take in hand and aduertised in that which wee doe amisse S. Gregory saith vpon Ezechiel When our Lord saith by Ezechiel that he will be no more angry with vs it is a signe that hee is very angry with vs because it is a propertie of our Lord neuer to bee so angry as when hee is not angry to see vs offend Barnard saith O good Iesus the light of my soule I beseech thee that thou take not thy zeale from mee nor withdraw thy punishing hand from me but as I commit a fault so let thy punishment bee ready for by this means I shall sooner amend liue also more warily When the father of a company doth not punish a peruerse seruant it is a signe that he will put him out of the house and when they let a sick man eat all things that he lusteth it is a sign that he wil die so whē God doth let vs go with the bridle loose in our own hand after what vices we lust it is a token that wee goe altogether out of the way O how indurate that man ought to be in sin and how he ought to be mired in wickednes of whom God sayth Auferetur zelus meusate For when God saith that hee will not loue vs any more with realousie what doth hee mean else but that he will be carelesse and forgetfull of vs and forsake to punish vs The holy scripture maketh mention of two kinds of zeale the one is holy and glorious and it is that which God hath towards vs the other is common and is that zeale which wee beare towards our neighbours and if the one be necessary the other is more necessary because the true zeale and loue of our neighbour consisteth not so much in helping him to maintaine himselfe as in directing him to sane his soule S. Augustine in a Sermon sayth What doth it auaile thee O my friend that thou help thy neighbour in time of necessitie with thy money if thou consent vnto him and hee with thee to wallow in vices O how far a greater good turne thou shouldest doe him in lessening his faults than by augmenting his wealth because there is no greater riches vnder the heauen than to haue a cleane conscience The good theefe had a great zeale that the other should bee saued seeing hee did rebuke him for being a blasphemer and persuaded him to be a Christian insomuch that for a recompence for helping him to steale hee would also helpe him to die well Chrysistome vpon this matter sayth These two theeues had kept companie a long time together and deuided equally their prey betwixt them because that as there was no difference betwixt them in the fault so they would haue equall shares in the deuision Now the good theefe would haue continued his old vse and as he had stolne heauen there vpon the crosse so he would haue deuided part of it vnto his companion if the Lord of the theft which was Christ would haue consented vnto it or if the wretched theefe had deserued it O how great and vnspeakable a charity was this of the good theeues for considering that himselfe was a Christian hee would haue made the other one also and seeing himselfe the heire of heauen he would haue taken the other thither with him and seeing himselfe pardoned hee would haue gotten pardon for the other but that hee would neither beleeue in Christ nor with good will giue eare vnto his companion It is much to be noted sayth Chrisostome that the good theefe said first vnto the bad Neither thou doest feare God before hee said Lord remember me For as I suppose it helped much to saue the good theefe that Christ saw with what great charity hee laboured that his cōpanion should not cast away himself Whē he said first in fauor of the other Neither thou doest feare God before hee spake in the behoofe of himselfe Lord remember me is it not most manifest and clear that he desired as much that his companion should bee conuerted as himselfe saued Remigius sayth That among all the seruices which wee can doe vnto our Lord there is none so great as to help our neighbor to saue himselfe and contrariwise there is none that doth more offend him than to helpe our neighbour to damn himselfe because it seemeth that wee make small account of the shedding of his bloud if we helpe him not to bestow it well Then we bestow his glorious bloud well when we cause it to benefit our brothers for otherwise we may say that it was wel shed by Christ but euilly bestowed by vs. What greater sacrifice can I doe vnto our Lord than draw my neighbor from sinne who hath been redeemed by his precious bloud Thē I draw my brother out of sinne when I correct him with my tongue and help him in his worke For as touching the offending of our Lord it is conuenient not only to aduise counsell him but if we can also punish and chastise him Cyprian in his booke of Martyrs sayth Who dare now adaies like vnto Phinees thrust through with a poynyard a bold Iew and a shamelesse Gentile Who like vnto holy Samuel will weepe for the disobedience of Saule Who like vnto holy Iob will rise earely in the morning to offer sacrifices of peace for the sinnes of his sonnes Who like vnto the High priest Aaron will threaten Pharaoh within his own pallace because hee should leaue off the seruice of his God in the Synagogue Who will lose the light of his eies like vnto the good Prophet Ieremy in weeping and taking pity vpon those who carried away those of Babilonia captiues Now the zeale of holy men is lost now the feruency of good men is at an end now the punishment of naughty men is forgotten for because that in matter of correction a friend will rather venter his conscience with his friend then suffer him to lose his credite Certainly it is no credite but a discredit no charity but cruelty to suffer his neighbour to damne himselfe for want of correcting him for oftentimes naughty men would amend themselues of their errors if their friends which they haue would aduertise them of them Seeing wee cannot auoid it but stumble at euery foot nor
whence all truths doe spring Benedictio honor gloria potestas in secula seculorum quatuor animalia dicebant Amen Apocalips 5. said the Angels in praise of our Lord as if they would say Let honour glory power and blessing be giuen vnto our God and vnto the lambe his son for euer and euer and the foure beasts answered Amen Also S. Iohn said in the 7. chapter That he saw a company of Saints before God which were so many in number that they could not bee numbred and so many Angels also that they could not be numbred clothed with stoles palmes in their hands and prostrate vpon the ground which said no other thing in the praise of God but Amen Amen Amen O what great mysteries and deepe secrets are contained vnder this holy word Amen seeing we find it in the old Testament and that Christ vsed it and the Angels in heauen praise Christ with it and the church also doth euery vvhere profite her selfe vvith it Doth shee not profite her selfe vvith it seeing that in the end of euery praier shee doth confirme it with Amen Vnto World without end we answere Amen vnto Who liueth and raigneth vve answer Amen vvith this holy vvord the sonne of God began to pardon and vvith the same vvord the church endeth her praier Rupert vpon the Apocalips saith That this vvord Amē is neither Greek nor Latine nor Chaldey but Hebrew and although this word might haue beene turned as other vvordes vvere yet the church did not thinke it conuenient but as Christ said Amen so doth the church say likewise Amen Why did the son of God saith Chrisost begin the pardō which he gaue the good theefe with this word Amen dico tibi but only to assure him that he would fulfill all which he promised him Seeing that it is a custome first to promise that which wee will giue or do and then to sweare and affirme it why did the sonne of God do the contrary swear before he promised the theefe Paradise For when Christ said vnto the theefe Amen dico tibi it was as much as to say I sweare in truth and why would God swear that which he promised and would not be beleeued at his word Cyprian vpon the Passion saith That because that which Christ promised was such a great matter to wit Paradise and he vnto whom he promised such a grieuous sinner who was a theefe he who promised of such small credite who was a man crucified and the place where he promised so infamous which was the crosse and the people before whom he promised so vile who were the Iewes the sonne of God would swear first before he promised If Christ did swear it was not because there was any want in his word but because the synagogue should the better beleeue him August vpon S. Iohn saith That if the son of God would not haue sworn the performance of so great a gift it would haue seemed vnto the Iewes that he had promised it him in a mockage so much the rather because that vntil that very instāt in which Christ said on the crosse Hodie mecum eris in Paradise he neuer gaue it vnto Saint nor promised it in scripture If Christ had not sworn that which he promised who would not haue thought that he had iested in promising credit honor vnto him who had lost his credit to promise life vnto him who was dead liberty vnto him who was bound riches vnto him who was poore and glory vnto him who was infamous Because the Iewes obstinacy was so great and the good theeues faith but yong and weake good Iesus would sweare before hee promised that which he meant to promise because al men might be certain that he who at the point of death confirmed any thing by oth ought neuer to deceiue CHAP XIII How the sonne of God neuer vsed this word Paradise vntill he promised it vnto the good theefe and of many learned expositions of this saying Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso This day thou shalt be with mee in Paradise NOn frustra dixi semini Iacob quaerite me quia ego sum dominus loquens iustitias annunciansrecte said God by Esay chap. 48 as if hee would say I said not in vain vnto old honourable Iacob that he should speak with me alone beleeue in no other because I am the Lord who can say nothing but that which is iust nor demand nothing but that which is holy As God is iust saith Ierome hee sayth nothing but that which is iust and as he is holy he speaketh nothing but holy things because other men besides him neither tell vs aright what wee haue to doe nor aduise vs in time of that which we are to auoid All out friends and counsellors when they doe aduertise vs of any thing doe seeme rather to goe by guesse than bee sure of that which they say and by that means they giue vs counsell after we haue receiued hurt and teach vs the way after that wee haue gone astray God sayth very well that Iacob heard him not in vaine neither did Israel that in vaine which he commanded him seeing that he gaue him the right of the first birth due to Esau and made him sonne in law vnto Laban and gaue him Lia and Rachel for his wiues and made him father of twelue children and Prince ouer twelue tribes O how true it is saith Origen when our Lord saith that hee speaketh nothing but that which is iust and teacheth nothing but that which is right seeing hee maketh those iust who deale with him and maketh those holy who doe conuerse with him And if he say that the obstinate men and naughty be his yet he will not say that hee is one of their number What can the children of vanity tell vs but vain things and what can the children of lies tell vs but lies Who is loiall and faithfull vnto him whome hee hareth or whom commodity draweth awry It is our Lord onely who giueth vs our sight to see with and teacheth vs which way we should goe and taketh away the stones least wee stumble at them and giueth vs counsell in all that wee haue to doe Our Lord saith very well that hee is the Lord who speaketh iustice and righteousnesse for there hath been no man saued vntill this day whom he hath not counselled nor no man lost whome hee hath not deceiued King Roboam who was nephew vnto Dauid and sonne vnto Salomon of twelue kingdomes which hee inherited from his predecessors lost ten of them for no other reason but because hee beleeved not our Lord in that which hee counselled him and by following other young mens humors which pleased his fancy Ieroboam and Assa and Iozias and Achab and Benedab and Manasses which were famous kings of Israel what could they do to get credit what could they doe against their enemies or wherein could they helpe their friends or how could
replenished with Saint Ierom◠saith That grace was giuen vnto all other Virgines by weight and measure but vnto the mother of God it vvas not giuen by weight and measure but heaped vp The Angels in heauen neither yet the holy men departed did not reach vnto so many secrets of God as the mother of God did because it is to bee beleeued that hee who did trust and credite her would hide nothing from her O mother of my redeemer tell mee what couldest thou not doe what hadst thou not or what didst thou not know when thou haddest my God in thy wombe O Virgin blessed and beloued of the Lord thou maist well say Dilectus meus mihi ego illi seeing that if he hath placed thee in his eternall storehouse thou diddest put him in thy virgins wombe where thou diddest teach him to know what it was to bee a man and hee taught thee what it was to bee the mother of God As Iobs sonnes went sporting themselues from house to house so the mother of God and the sonne of God went from seller to seller recreating themselues and the mother told the sonne what hee should haue in this world and the son told the mother how they shold rest in heauē the which speeches the holy Orders of heauē were not worthy to hear O saith S. Barnard how cōtent the sonne of God was of the wineseller vvhere his mother kept him for vvithout comparison he tooke more pleasure in the chast cogitations vvhich hee saw in his mothers wombe than in the milke which hee sucked at her breasts Anselmus also saith O what a thing it had been to see in that virgins wombe the sonnes life vvithin the mothers life and the sonnes body within the mothers body and which is most of all though their bodies were seperated the one from the other at the time of his birth yet their hearts vvere neuer seperated at all CHAP. III. Of the first and second word which holie Simeon spake vnto our Lady and how many fall from the law of Christ without his fault ECce hic positus est in ruinam resurrectionem multorum in Israel Luke the second chapter The great Chronicler S. Luke saith That the first time that the mother of our Lord went abroad the mother and Ioseph her and were in a maze and wondered at that that Simeon said of the child and of that which the holy woman Anna Phanuel prophecied of him before them all S. Cyprian vpon this place saith If the great wonders which Simeon spake of Iesus the child did make the mother ioifull so likewise they put the Angels in a wonder and maruell because they said of him that he should be the light of the Gentiles the glory of the Iewes and the redeemer of all Nations And Simeon not contented with that which he had said although he were very ioifull of that which he had seene said further that hee desired not to liue any longer in this world but die presently seeing that he had already seene with his eies that which his hart had so long time wished for It is a natural condition of the hart which hath long wished for any thing if at any time he hath that before his eies which he bought with many sighes rather to desire to die than to be seperated from the same Origen vpon Luke saith That all the praises which Simeon spake of the sonne of God moued the mother to further loue for if he said that her sonne was the light she knew that shee first of all receiued light if hee said that her sonne was honour she knew that hee had first of all honoured her insomuch that the Virgin did already possesse all that which was promised vnto others S. Augustine sayth in a Sermon That Simeon did very well say that the child Iesus was the light of the Gentiles considering that he brought them vnto this holy faith and that he was the glory of the Iews seeing that there neuer came any one out of their stocke like vnto him which is easily seene in that that for their further honour and fame he made of a Synagogue a church of a figure the truth of Prophets Apostles and of sacrifices Sacraments It is here to bee noted that Simeon did not say simply Thou shalt be the glory of the people of Israel but he added more and said thou shalt bee the glory of thy people of Israel the which he said for the wicked and peruerse of the Synagogue who although they were in the people of the Iewes yet they were not of the people of Israel Abel Seth Noe Sem Abraham Iacob Ioseph and Dauid and all the Prophets were of the people of God of all whome the sonne of God was the honour and glory seeing they beleeued in him before that he came into the world and were saued in the faith in which they liued Cain and Cham Ismael and Esau Roboam and Athalia Iesabel Annas Cayphas did all dwel among the people of God but they were not of the elect number of the people of God because that no man can bee called a neighbour of the children of God but hee who beleeueth stedfastly in God Let me saith Chrysostome be of the number of the people of God because I may bee lightened with thy light and glorified with thy glory seeing that no man can be lightened but whome thou doest lighten nor glorified but whom thou doest glorifie O how many there bee at this day in the church that be not of the church and how many in religion which bee not of the religion Because that our perfection and saluation doth not consist in the names wee beare nor in the places we haue but in the good or euil liues which we lead What doth it auaile me to bee called a Christian if I lead the life of a Pagan or what doth it helpe me to be called a religious man if I liue like a worldling As the sonne of God came into the world not to the honour of those which were in the people but of those which were of the people so thou my brother shouldest bee of the number of the religious and not in the number for otherwise thou shalt be as Saul was among the Prophets and as Sathan vvas amongst the children of God Origen sayth That when Simeon did deuide Christs gifts he gaue light vnto the church saying Lumen ad reuelationem gentium A light to the reuelation of the Gentiles and he gaue the Iewes honour and glory saying Ad gloriam plebis tuae Israel which honour and glory they deserued to lose when they went about by all the means they could to dishonour the sonne of God vpon the crosse The son of God gaue great honour and glory vnto the Synagogue if the Iews could haue known it and that is in that he vouchsafed to discend of them and bee borne amongst them and in that hee would conuerse among them preach among them
Anselmus in his Meditations saith What greater weakenesse of maine can there bee or what greater mishap than that if I defile my selfe I cannot make my selfe clean againe if I be sicke I cannot make my selfe whole againe if I ray my selfe I cannot wash my selfe againe yea and if I sinne I cannot repent of my selfe if our Lord doe not first giue mee his light as hee did the good theefe on the crosse and if hee doe not first looke vpon mee as hee did looke vpon S. Peter from the piller Heale mee good Lord and I shall bee made whole Saue me and I shall be saued saith king Dauid as if he would say No man is able to heale mee O my good Lord if thou doe it not nor no man is able to saue me if thou dost not saue me O my redeemer because no mā knoweth my wound but thou nor my felicity consisteth in none but in thee Cassiodorus vpon the Psalme saith That we should note how that the Prophet doth first aske of our Lord that he would make him whole before hee saue him for if our Lord doe not first wash the fault from vs it is in vaine to thinke that hee should giue vs his glory S. Basil vpon this place Sana me domine sayth That if thou doe not goe vvith me nor I with thee the more I goe about to heale my selfe the sicker I grow when I think to goe forward I turne backward vvhen I imagine that I goe streight then I find my selfe most out of the way when I labour to goe most cleane and neat I find my selfe then most of all vncleane and that vvhich is the worst of all is that I know not vvherein I doe best nor cannot guesse vvhen I doe amisse Anselmus vpon the same place Heale mee good Lord and I shall bee vvhole saith Who but thou O my sweet Iesus can cure mee and giue mee any temedy to such hidden wounds and such manifest offences to faults of such quality as mine are to such carelesse care such vncleane thoughts such wicked crimes such damnable bowels and such inconsiderate speeches Heale mee good Lord and I shall bee made vvhole for it auaileth me very little to vse helpe and not bee made vvhole to fight and kill my selfe to swimme drowne my selfe 〈◊〉 to studie and not profit to take a iourney and neuer come to the end to aske and neuer haue any thing giuen mee to serue and neuer deserue any thing Heale me good Lord I shall be made vvhole of the pride which ouerthroweth mee of the enuy vvhich rotteth in me of the anger vvhich vvasteth mee of the gluttony vvhich disquieteth me of sloth vvhich dulleth me of couetousnesse vvhich maketh me cruell and of all sensuality vvhich neuer leaueth me Heale me Lord I shall bee free from the world vvhich deceiueth me from the deuill which tempteth me from the flesh which pampereth mee from my enemies which persecute me from my friends which importune me from my euill thoughts which torment me and from malicious men vvhich diffame me Heale me good Lord and I shall bee healed not of a scab but of a sin not of blindnes but of filthines not of the members of my body but of my thoughts not of my body but wickednes not of swollen feet but of disordinate appetites Heale me Lord and I shall be healed of my vnruly desires of the wantonnesse of my eies of my ouermuch speaking of the coldnes of my workes of the stealth of my hands of the malice of my thoughts and of the worme of my couetousnes O good Iesus my only trust heale my soule because I haue offended thee in thought I haue offēded thee in delight I haue offended thee in omission I haue offended thee in consent I haue offended thee in deed therefore vnto thee my fault I confesse and therfore good Iesus take pity vpon me Sprinckle me with isope I shal be made clean Lauabis me super niuē dealbabor saith the Psalmist as if hee would say When it shal please thee whē thy son shal come into the world thou shalt sprinckle me with holy Isope wash me with thy precious hād by which sprinckling and washing I shall not only bee clean and without fault but I shal remain whiter than all the snow of the highest mountains Who is he saith Aymon who cōmandeth vs to wash our selues but only the eternal father who is he who washeth vs but only his precious son with what doth he wash vs but with his holy bloud and who bee those which he doth wash but such as are of his holy church O glorious Isope and happy washing place in the which the Angels if they had license to come down and the heauenly powers if they durst would wash themselues in There were many riuers in Samaria but Naaman was healed in none but in the riuer of Iordan there were many cesterns pooles in Ierusalem but the diseased were helped only in the Probatica There were many fountaines in Palestine but Dauid could neuer slackē his thirst but in the fountain of Bethelem Wee will inferre of all this that there hath been very much bloud shed in the world but none could euer make vs cleane but only the bloud of Christ All water washeth not euery fish poole maketh not cleane euery fountaine filleth not neither doth all bloud make whole a beasts bloud hurteth mans bloud defileth but the bloud of Christ doth make whole doth wash doth fill and content If wee looke curiously into the Scripture and especially into the Apocalips thou shalt find it to bee true that S. Iohn did not see any Saint of heauen wash himselfe in the water which did run in the riuer but onely in the bloud which did run from the lambe O of what great vertue this holy bloud is of seeing that for to wash vs and bath vs in it we need no great quantity but a very smal deale which is easily seene in that the Prophet doth not ask that he would make him a pole of bloud to wash him in but that it would please him to sprinckle him with a little Isope dipped in it A very little is sufficient O my good Iesus and it sufficeth to be sprinckled with it and not washed seeing that one drop of thy precious bloud sufficeth to fil thy glory with many and to people thy church with many good men It is much to be noted that he vseth this word Sprinckle me with Isope and I shall be made cleane for by casting water with Isope one drop falleth here and another there this man is wet with it and that man is drie euen so it falleth out in the bestowing of Christs holy bloud for although it were shed for all the world yet notwithstanding it was not emploied vpon all men The bloud of the sonne of God is sprinkled with Isope seeing that the Christian is saued with it and the Pagan condemned the inst
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
suffer heare blasphemies consent to haue themselues nailed see themselues crucified suffer themselues to bee pierced with a spear yea and not resist to die Who be they which sit by the theeues crosses but other theeues By the crosses of theeues doe sit impatient men chiding couetous men a deceiuing gluttons a eating libidenous men a playing the adulterers malicious men a lying and slothfull men a taking their ease It was a crosse by which Christs poore familie stood and they were crosses by which souldiors of the deuill stood to let vs vnderstand that they suffer more crosses and paines vvhich goe to hell than those which go to heauen S. Augustine saith That if thou wilt see who they are which doe saue thēselues and what multitude they bee which condemne themselues thou maiest see it by that that by the crosse of Christ there stood but a few persons and by the crosses of the theeues there were a thousand people and more in so much that it is in thy choise either to goe vveeping a foot to heauen or goe sitting and laughing to hell Anselmus vpon the mystery of the crosse saith On the Mount of Caluary there were very many which looked on the crosse of Christ a farre off but very few which stood neere vnto it and the reason is because that by the crosse of Christ it is not permitted that any should sinne and by the crosses of the theeues it is lawfull for euery man to steale and sinne O my soule and O my heart why doest thou not melt and yeeld vp the ghost seeing the drops of bloud which descend vpon our Lady and the sighes of our Lady which ascend vnto our Lord Doest thou not marke O my soule doest thou not marke how the sorrowfull mother is bathed with the bloud which runneth from her sonne and how the earth is watered with the teares which fall from her eies Barnard sayth What offences can there bee so great in the world which the bloud of the sonne cannot remedy and the teares of the mother cannot wash away Behold O my heart saith Bonauenture and thou shalt see the sonne vpon the crosse and the mother at the foot of the crosse shee is on foot and he lifted vp she holdeth her peace and he speaketh no word and that which is most of all they looke vpon one the other with their eies and vnderstand one another vvith their hearts O my fingers and you my pennes giue ouer vvriting I pray you because I may meditate the better how the mother saw her sonne shed drops of bloud and the sonne saw the mother shed teares from her heart What hearts should they haue which had such eies Who can write this and not sigh and who can read it and not be heauy for it that is how the mothers heart was full of griefe for that which shee saw and the sons heartful of loue for that which he suffered And by that meanes there was a cruell debate betwixt the sorrow of the mother and the loue of the sonne Note well sayth Vbertinus that he who was vpon the crosse and those vvhich were neere the crosse they were all standing and none sitting which is to giue vs vnderstanding of the sweet tast of the crosse and of the high mysteries contained in him whereof hee did impart none vnto those which leaned or sate at their ease but vnto those which stood on their feet Non coques haedum in lacte matris Deutronomy chap. 24. as if he would say Let no man bee so bold as to seeth the flesh of the kid in the milke of his damme but let them eat the goats milke by it selfe and eat the kid by himselfe and the law did permit the damme to be milked and the kid to be killed If there vvere no other mystery in this what did God care whether the kid were sod in his mothers milke or not Origen saith If it be wel noted the law doth forbid the kid to bee sod in the milke of the goat but the law did not forbid to seeth the goat in the bloud of the kid In which mystery he did let vs vnderstand that the holy mother the church was to be sod saued in the bloud of Christ and not Christ in the bloud of the church On that dismall and vnluckie day vpon the high Mount of Caluary the goat and the kid met together which vvere Christ and his mother in which place against all reason and law they did at one time seeth the son in the mothers milke and the mother in the sonnes bloud From whence issued out the bloud but out of the vaines of the sonne and frō whence came the milke but from the mothers eies O goodnesse neuer hard of before O vnspeakable sorrow who did euer see or heare of a mother who shed so many tears as were inough to bath her sonne in them or of a sonne from whom came so much bloud as was inough to seeth his mother in It appeareth well that they vsed themselues like mother and child and that they loued like bride and bridegroome seeing shee gaue him distilled teares and hee gaue her strained bloud Barnard in an Homily saith O of all women most blessed O mother of my dolours vvhat sonne had euer such a mother as he had or what mother had euer such a sonne as thou hast seeing thou diddest conceiue him being a Virgine broughtest him forth with ioy broughtest him vp with milke followedst him with sweats and buriedst him with teares What could she doe more for him than follow him with infinit trauell and paines and bury him with remedilesse teares And what could hee doe more for her than chuse her for his mother and redeeme her vvith his bloud Anselmus vpon the Conception saith That from the beginning of the vvorld vntill this day there was neuer milke better paied for than that which Christ sucked of his mother for if shee gaue him milke out of hir precious breasts hee gaue her bloud out of his holy members Who euer heard before or saw bloud paied for milke or milke for bloud Who can estimate or set a price on the bloud which streamed from the sonne or of the tears which ran from the mother O good Iesus O redeemer of my soule had it not beene better for thee and lesser griefe for thy mother to haue sod thee in the milke of her breasts rather than in the tears of her eies What canst thou aske more of her or what hath shee more to giue thee seeing she gaue thee milke when thou wast borne griefes and sweating all thy life time and teares when thou diddest die It had been lesser hurt for her and lesser grief vnto thee to haue giuen thee rather milke than teares because the milke commeth running from the vaines and the teares come strained from the heart For who weepeth but weepeth frō the heart Seneca saith That a man may talke and do his businesse being at quiet but only a
mighty Redeemer and supreme Creator vvho is able to tell the secret or reach vnto this that is to say why thou diddest take the mother vvith thee thither to see thee die in that great and high day of thy passion and leaue all thy other disciples behind thee because they might not see thee suffer In so great a conflict and so narrow a straight as this was vpon the Mount of Caluary why wouldest thou haue rather womē with thee to weep thā mē to defend thee Who but thou O good Iesus saith S. Barnard who but thou did euer goe into the field to fight against his enemies without weapons accompanied with tears The mother wept the sonne wept the kinsman wept the disciple wept the aunt wept all the family wept so that Moyses did drowne his enemies in waters and the sonne of God his with teares Anselmus sayth That hee that could haue beene at the death of Christ vpon good Friday should haue seene the Iewes make an outcry the Pharisies blaspheme the hangmen lay on the heauens vvaxe darke and all the faithfull weepe in somuch that there was nothing in the synagogue but blasphemies and nothing in the church but teares Non immolabitur vna die ouis cum filio fuo said God in Leuiticus chap. 22. As if he would say Let those take heed which will offer to the Tabernacle that they doe not kill the lambe and the ewe the same day Origen sayth That because our Lord is mercifull hee would haue his disciples bee so likewise and therefore he did forbid them any thing that might tend vnto cruelty or induce them vnto it What can be more cruell than to take the lambe and the owe at one time Who is the ewe which hath brought forth the lambe but only the mother of Christ and who the lambe but her precious sonne God did warn the synagogue often that they vvould take heed vnto the Lambe and ewe and especially that if they would touch the sonne that they vvould pardon the mother God had no greater wealth nor any equal neither in heauen nor in earth vnto that lambe and sheep of whom he himselfe had a care and in whose seruice and guard all the powers of heauē were by him emploied This commandement was broken on the Mount of Caluary where they at one time killed the innocent lambe and spared not the sorrowfull mother What cruelty and inhumanitie like vnto this was euer seen or heard of haung but one sheep in the Synagogue the church hauing but one lamb to kill the lambe in the presence of his mother and torment the ewe in the sight of the Lambe What equall torment could there bee to the mother than to kill her son before hir face or what greater martyrdome could the son suffer than to sacrifice his mother in his sight O how glorious and happy should I be if my soule would turn to be such an ewe and my heart such a lambe because I might bee sacrificed on the Mount of Caluary with the true Lambe O sweet Iesus saith Vbertinus O mercifull Lord seeing that all lawes doe speake in fauour of thy precious mother why wouldest thou breake them seeing thou art the iudge of them all Is not the law made in the fauour of thy mother which commandeth that the lambe should not bee sod in the milke of his damme Is not that law made in the fauor of thy mother which cōmandeth to take the yong Sparrows and let the old one go The law which cōmandeth not to kill the Lambe and the ewe at one time is it not made in fauour of thy mother Thou then that art the giuer of the law doe not breake the law which thou doest if thou sacrifice thy selfe which art the lambe and thy mother which is the ewe There is bloud inough in the bloud of the lamb there needeth not the bloud of the mother for if it be necessary for the son to die to redeeme vs the mothers life is also necessary to cōfort vs. Bonauenture Anselmus Vbertinus cannot wonder inough what should bee the reason why the sonne would take his mother with him to the foot of the crosse seeing that shee could not helpe him in his death nor hee had no need of her to redeeme vs. It is not to bee thought that hee brought her thither without cause neither that shee did goe thither vvithout some mystery because that all things done betwixt the sonne and his mother should bee esteemed as a mystery of mysteries like vnto Salomons Canticles which are songs of songs The reason why our good Iesus would take his mother with him was as Anselmus sayth Because hee would leaue her his onely inheritrize as being the next of kindred O my singers O my heart how is it possible for you to bee able to write or my tongue able to speake of the wealth which the sonne leaueth or of the inheritance which the mother doth inherite But what could hee leaue vnto his mother who was borne in Bethelem among beasts died on the Mount of Caluary betwixt theeues What can his sorrowfull mother inherite of him who shrowdeth himselfe in a borrowed shrowd and burieth himselfe in another mans sepulchre What could hee bequeath by Testament who hauing two coats gaue one to the hangmen which crucified him and the other to the knights vvhich kept him What could hee leaue vvho neuer had a foorme to set downe on nor a boulster to lay his head on The inheritance then which she did there inherite from her sonne was the bloud which there hee shed and the dolours which hee there suffered for all men so that with the bloud which came downe from the crosse hee watered her body and with the dolours which hee suffered hee martyred her soule Saint Barnard De passione domini saith That in so great and high a work as this was and in so narrow a strait as this which Christ was in it was very necessary that the Virgine should bee there and giue her sonne part of all that was in her not onely to haue compassion on him but also to suffer with him S. Augustine vpon the passion of our Lord sayth That because the great prophecy of Simeon was not as yet accomplished it was done by the permisson and counsell of the holy ghost that the mother should be with the sonne on the Mount of Caluary where at one time the sword of grief bereaued the son of his life and pierced the mothers soule As it was not reason saith Anselmus that the mother of God should want the crowne and reward of martyrdome so was it not reason that she should be put into tyrants hāds therfore it was giuen her as a meane that because shee had serued her sonne with excessiue loue her own sonne should martyre her with his inspeakable griefs Who euer saw or heard that as it were at one sound and after one measure the hangmen should martyrize the son
world haue had no power yet notwithstanding sin hath had a dwelling place in them because there did neuer man liue so cleane who knew not what sinne was Cassiodorus sayth I for my part thinke sinne more mightier than any other enemy because the world and the diuell can but deceiue me but wicked sin can hurt me damn me For if there were no manner of sin in the world we should need neither gallowes nor sword Christ onely may say hee hath deliuered me from my enemies because he no other was free from sinne because all other creatures knew what sinne was and all knew what punishment for it was O how happy a man he should be who could say with the Prophet he hath deliuered me from my strongest enemies for it is nothing else to say that God hath deliuered him from his enemies but that our Lord hath deliuered him from his sinnes The Prophet had great reason to call sinne not only an enemy but also his strongest enemy seeing that without other helpe he threw the Angell out of heauen cast Adam out of Paradise depriued Iudas of his Apostleship and condemned all the world to death Is not sinne thinke you the mightiest of all other enemies seeing that hee is able and strong inough to carry mee to hell The power of my visible enemy reacheth no further than to take my life from mee but sinne the Traitour is an enemy so strong that hee is able to take my life from me depriue me of grace cast me out of glory hurt my soule and condemne mee vnto paine Who had such enemies as the sonne of God had that is so wicked in their cogitations so malicious in their speech and so cruell in their deedes Were not the lashes which opened Christs shoulders very cruell enemies the nailes which broke his sinewes the thornes which tore his temples and the speare which opened his side and the Synagogue which tooke his life from him Yet Christ called none of all these his enemies nor did not handle them like his enemies but only sins which hee did not only call enemies but mighty and strong enemies giuing vs therby to vnderstand that we should hold none for our enemie but onely sinne When good king Dauid said Persequar inimicos meos comprehendam illos Hee spake it not in respect of the enemies which persecuted his person but for sinnes which did damnifie his soule For seeing that good king Dauid did pardon Saul and Simei and others his mortall enemies how could hee counsell vs that wee should persecute ours When he saith I will persecute my enemies vntill I destroy them he spake of no other enemies but of his sinnes the which it is conuenient for vs to persecute and cast from vs. And it is not without a mystery that hee sayth Persequar comprehendam Because that as the enemy which is offended if he be not taken turneth againe and biddeth vs a more fierce battaile than hee did before euen so dooth the diuell and sinne deale with vs the which if we doe not driue away vtterly from vs and root out from our hearts they turn againe against vs like vnto most mighty and strong enemies What doth it auaile the huntsman if hee run after the Hare if he take her not what doth it is profite thee if thou run after sinne and detest sinne and speake euill of it if thou doest not ouertake sinne and what else is it to ouertake sinne but to ouercome and destroy sinne vtterly O how many there be which say I wil persecute my enemies and how few there bee which say and I haue taken them for if they cast out sinnes to day on one side of their house they turne againe to morrow and knocke at the ring of the dore and it is opened presently vnto them CHAP. III. How Christ complaineth of his Father because hee tooke all his friends from him in his passion and all others which he knew ELongasti ame amicum proximum notos meos a miseria These are the words which the sonne of God spake continuing his former complaint vttered by the Prophet Dauid Psalm 87 as if he would say Thou shouldest haue contented thy selfe O my Father when thou didst vnload al thy wrath vpō my weake body not seperate anew my friends frō me hinder those to come vnto me which were my known acquaintance Christ cōplaineth in this place of his Father that he tooke his friends from him seeing that he sayth thou hast remoued my friends from me he complaineth that he took his kinsmen from him that hee tooke his acquaintance from him and at that instant when hee vvas in greatest misery This is a pittifull complaint which the sonne of God now maketh because there is no griefe to be compared vnto that nor no hurt equall vnto the taking away of a mans trusty and faithfull friend Horace asketh what hee is able to doe or what hee hath who hath no friends To what purpose doth he liue which hath no friends Mimus the Philosopher sayth That a man dieth as oft as he loseth any of his good friends and sayth further that as the body is made of diuers members so the heart of friends and there vpon it is that as the body cannot liue without it haue many members so likewise the heart cannot liue vvithout friends They killed Dauids greatest enemy which was Saul and his deerest friend who was Ionathas in one day and hee was so agreeued at the death of his friend that by turns after hee had wept the death of his friend hee wept his enemies death also We doe not read that our redeemer did weep for the death of holy Ioseph his maister nor for all the trauails which he eudured in this world but he wept for the death of Lazarus his good friend whose death hee could not endure but immediately did raise from death againe If Plutarch the great Philosopher doe not deceiue vs Plato came from Asia vnto Cicilia for no other cause but to see Phocion the Philosopher who was his deere friend Cicero in his booke of Friendship sayth That the Philosophers do cōmend nothing more vnto vs nor wise men did esteeme of no riches more than of the conuersation of their friends because that without friends it is not lawfull for vs to liue nor yet very sure to die Aristorle being asked what friendship was answered That it was nothing else but one soule which ruled two hearts and one heart which did dwell in two bodies Diogenes sayth That seeing there is no greater paine than to deale with naughty men nor no greater comfort than to conuerse with good men for my owne part I confesse and say that I had rather die vvith him whom I hold for my friend than liue with him whome I esteeme my enemie Eschines the Philosopher being demanded how one friend should be towards another answered betwixt true friends there is but one yea and one
and chiefest goodnesse that was and man inclined vnto wickednesse God did command him to better and amend himselfe vnto which he answered that he would bee merry and take his pleasure by reason whereof man went euery day worse and worse and God more angry and incensed euery day against him Pope Leo sayth That God doth not weigh whether we be weake or strong in health or sicke rich or poore simple or wise but that which he desireth is that we should be good and he is angry if we be naught and therupon it is that hee neuer casteth any good man out of his presence nor hee admitteth no naughty man into his house Gregory sayth That hee could not suffer one sinne in him who was an Angell and doest thou thinke he will suffer so many sinnes in thee who art but a man And hee sayth further that God would rather suffer that an Angell should take heauen from him and man the world than suffer one only sinne either in the one or in the other because that to make a new heauē he is of sufficient power but to like and approue a sinne neither is his power able to doe it neither can it bee comprehended vnder his clemency Seeing then that God is such an enemie vnto sinne and seeing that man doth so much couet to sinne how can they bee but contrary the one vnto the other and vse one another like enemies Holy Iob doth weepe and sigh saying Non est qui possit vtrumque arguere that is there was no man who durst be a mediator betwixt them nor put himselfe betweene them to the end that man might giue ouer sinning God withdraw his hand from punishing Damascen sayth When God and man and man and God were at strife and variance and the one alwaies aboue in heauen and the other continually vpon the earth there vvas no meane to make them meet nor no court to agree them in because there came none downe from heauen to vs nor any fit person went hence from vs to heauen The son of God came thē into the world and put himself a mediator between them both that is betweene God and flesh O how much wee are bound to Christ for that which he did for vs and much more for the manner with the which he did it for the more to bind the one and the other he tooke the diuinity of his Father with the which he might pardon vs and tooke flesh of man with the which hee might suffer with vs. In so much that because he tooke his kindred and alliance of both hee was able to make them both friends O how costly this friendship and kindred was to the son of God and grieuous also seeing that it did cost him his bloud which was in him the life which hee possessed so farre forth that for to make mee friends with God he became an enemy vnto himselfe It is certaine that when two enemies doe draw their vveapons to fight if another venter in betwixt them that both their blowes do light vpon him in so much that hee vvho parreth them is hurt or slaine and those which were at debate proue afterward good friends On the Mount of Caluary and on the altar of the crosse as God and man and man and God had summoned the one the other to a place of defiance blessed Iesus put himselfe betwixt them both to cut off the strife because hee knew that if hee had not taken away all anger at that place they vvould haue remained perpetuall enemies As man threw sinnes at God and God punishment vpon man it fell out that the sinne which man fought with and the punishment with the which God did chastise fell all vpon the Mediatour who had not deserued it O good Iesus and glory of my soule vpon whome but vpon thee did thy Father lay his old anger vpon whome but vpon thee did man lay his fault Doe not then vexe thy selfe O holy Iob and saie Non est qui ponat manum suam in ambobus seeing hee is already come from heauen and already borne in the world vvho hath put his hand betwixt God and man yea and hath both his hands cut off by them Haue not they both trow you cut off his hand seeing his Father ordained that hee should die and man put the fault on him for which hee should bee crucified O diuine mediatour O holy stickeler which of the Angels could doe the like or vvhat man could attempt that which thou hast done That is willingly and vpon good and long deliberation thou diddest offer thy selfe to lose thy life to set God and man in concord and vnitie The sonne of God then doth complaine vpon his Father with iust cause saying Why hast thou forsaken mee seeing that hee did load all his wrath vpon his backe and man likewise lay all the burden of his sinnes vpon his shoulders vpon him in that place God did emptie all his wrath and in that place mans sinnes tooke their end O that this is a glorious time and a happie age which vvee of the Catholicke church liue in for hauing Christ for our Mediatour there can no sinne goe vp to the Father but it must first meet with Christ nor any punishment come downe vpon man but it must also come by him The sonne of God being a meane betwixt his Father and vs who doubteth but that hee will stop our sinne in himselfe that it ascend not to heauen and also keepe backe the punishment of his Father that it doe not descend into the world As otherwise it would if Christ should not make himselfe a meane betwixt vs. CHAP. IIII. How Christ complaineth on his Father because hee bathed his body with the bloud of his vaines and drowned his heart in waters of distresse CIrcumdederunt me sicut aqua tota die circūdederunt mesimul Psalme 88. The sonne of God spake these words continuing his complaint against his Father and it is as if hee would say What meaneth this O my Father what meaneth this Wast thou not content to breake thy anger vpon me and remoue all my friends from me but now anew thou wilt compasse mee with a great floud of water in the which my life is drowned Christ doth set foorth at large all his trauails and bewaileth the want of friends for hee sayth that the waters were great and he saith twise that they besieged him and that they came all together vpon him and that they came so ragingly that they tooke away all his forces First of all we must examine here of what kind of waters our Lord speaketh in this place whether they bee sea waters or of a riuer or fountaine or of a lake because that in all these a man may drowne himselfe and lose his life We read onely of two punishments which God hath inflicted by waters the one in the floud of Noe in which almost all the world perished the other which he vsed against the people of
is thankful vnto me for my benefites bestowed vpon him I bewaile my virginity because I haue found none to bestow my virginity on none to giue my innocency vnto none to impart my patience vnto none vnto whome I may communicate my charity nor any one with whom I may leaue my humility in keeping but if I came rich and adorned with vertues in the world so I must return rich again with theÌ„ to heauen The figure which wee haue spoken of saith further that all the maids of Sion did meet in Ierusalem to mourn and weep the death of Iephthes daughter foure daies one after another in the which they made great lamentations so that no yeare did passe in which this solemnity was not obserued It is here to be noted that although there haue beene in the synagogue many personages noble in bloud valerous in warre discreet in the Common-wealth learned in all sciences and cleane and vnspotted in life yet it is not read of any of theÌ„ that after they were dead and buried were mourned for at any other time Al the kings Dukes Patriarks and Prophets were buried by their friends and kinsfolkes and forgotten of them excepted onely the daughter of Iephthe for whose death all the virgines and maids did mourne and weepe euery yeare once by a speciall priuiledge Wee speake all this because that if the daughters of Sion thought it conuenient to thinke vpon and weepe for the death of that virgine once euery yeare should it not bee greater reason that wee should weepe for the death of Iesus Christ euery houre and euery moment of an houre Those virgines did weepe for the death of that young virgine for no other reason but because she was young beautifull and vertuous so that they were induced to make that solemne lamentation rather through compassion than reason What other reason could there bee for that solemne yearely lamentation seeing that the daughter of Iephthe died not for the Commonwealth nor yet had in estimation for any rare vertue aboue the rest Iust occasion and reason doth inuite vs to weep euery houre and euery moment of an houre for the death of Christ considering that he died for the Commonwealth and paied for our offence For the son to say vnto his father Why hast thou forsaken me is to say nothing else but to complaine of vs because wee remember not his precious death as Iephthes daughter was wept for once a yeare Although the sinfull soule doth not remember the death of Christ yet the holy church doth not forget nor omit to celebrate his death once at the end of euery year in the holy weeke And in steed that the daughters of Sion did weepe for the death of that virgin foure times in the yeare the church doth represent vnto vs the passion written four times of the foure Euangelists CHAP. VII How Christ complaineth vnto his father because they did open his wounds through malice as they did stop vp Isaac his wels through enuy HAbuit Isaac possessionâ—â— onium armentorum familiam plurimam ob hoc inuidentes Palestini obstruxerunt omnes putees eius implentes humo Genes 26. The Scripture hath these wordes telling vs of a great discouresie which the king of Palestine did vnto Isaac the Patriarke and it is as if hee would say Isaac was a great and mighty man and had many flockes of sheepe and many heards of kine and many bondslaues both man and woman by reason of which prosperity of his the Palestines did greatly enuy him and did stop vp his wels by casting much earth into euery one of them O that the Apostle said very true when hee said all things happen vnto them in figura seeing that all things that were done in the Synagogue were nothing else thaÌ„ a figure of that which should happen in the Catholicke church For if it were not so there are many things in Scripture which vvould seeme but a iest to write of and a superfluous thing to read If there should not be some deep mystery some hiddeÌ„ secret in this figure what were it vnto vs or what profite should wee receiue in knowing that Isaac had many sheepe kine and slaues What were it also vnto vs if hee had many enemies and that they did shut vp his wels enuy his riches haue an ere vnto his greatnesse considering that it is an old custome that euery rich man is enuied This figure doth lead vs vnto higher mysteries than the letter doth shew and therefore it is needfull to haue a high spirit to declare it and great attention in reading it To come then vnto the purpose Isaac in the Hebrue tongue doth signifie a man ful of laughter and ioy the which ioifull name can agree only vnto the sonne of God and hee only in this world in a high degree can be called Isaac When rhe sonne of God was in heauen aboue and before hee came downe into this world no mortall man knew any cause to laugh nor yet durst not laugh for because that they saw that God was angrywith all the world al the world was in a dump and mourned When God had said vnto Noe the Patriarke Paenitet me fecisse hominem that is I am sorry and repent that euer I made man how could any man dare to laugh and bee merry How durst holy Iob laugh seeing that hee said with many teares Vtinam de vtero translatus essem ad tumulum I would to God I had been buried as soone as euer I was borne His meaning was this O great God of Israel why hast thou brought mee out of my mothers wombe and now that thou hast brought me out why doest thou not destroy me why did dest thou not carry mee presently from my mothers bowels to my graue How could the Prophet Helias laugh seeing that running flying away through the mountains from Queene Iezabel Petiuit anima sua vt moreretur His meaning was Am I better than my predecessors that I should liue rather than they Die then my soule die for because that my life is grieuous vnto me and I would see it at an end How should the Prophet Ieremy laugh seeing that hee said with deepe sighes Quis dabit capiti meo lachrimas oculis meis fontes lachrimarum vt plorem interfectos populi mei His meaning was Who can bring to passe with the great God of Israel that he would make a sea of water of my head change my eâ—es into fountaines of teares to sigh by night and weepe by day for those whom sinne hath deceaued and the sword slaine How could old honorable Tobias laugh when he said Quale mihi gaudium erit quia in tenebris sedeo lumen caeli non video In those pittifull words hee meant to say this What ioy can there be in my heart or what laughter can there bee in my mouth seeing that I find my selfe poore and feele my selfe aged blind and cannot see the light of
heauen Origen vpon Exodus sayth That because the old law was a shadow of the new and that all those which were of the Synagogue were sad and terrified therefore they did vse so many kinds of instruments such diuerse sorts of musicke because that by theÌ„ they might forget the sorrow sadnesse which they were in But when the fulnesse of time came in the which God sent his sonne into the world hee brought mirth with him he brought pleasure with him hee brought the ioies of heauen with him where they doe nothing else but laugh and reioice as we doe nothing else but mourne and weepe Did not trow you our ioyfull Isaac come laughing into the world seeing that when hee was borne the Angels did sing Gloria in excelsis Deo Glory bee to God on high Damascen sayth That if the words which God spake and the works which he did be weighed with grauity they doe all giue vs ioy comfort and put vs in a great confidence of our saluation and take away the distrust of damnation because hee spake and did much more in the fauour of clemency than hee did in the rigour of iustice And because wee may not seeme to speake at randome it is reason that wee bring forth some few sentences which hee vttered in the fauour of mercy and pittie Christ to the Hebrewes said If any man shal keepe my vvord hee shall not die for euer that is His soule shall neuer perish Si quis sermonem meum seruauerit non morietur in aeternum It is reason that wee marke who spake these words vvhy hee spake them and vnto whom hee spake them Hee who spake them was our laughing Isaac and the cause vvhy hee spâ—ke them vvas because he vvould make the vvorld reâ—oice vvith such good news yet for a recompence for this good newes they rewarded him very badly seeing that because he said in Pilates house that there vvas another world that his kingdome was not of this vvorld they clothed him with purple in Herods house as if he had been a foole He spake these vvords vnto the cursed Iewes when they called him a Samaritane which vvas as much as to call him an Hererike when they said that hee had a diuell which was as much to say that hee was a Nigromancer Doest thou not think my good brother that our merry Isaac vvas full of â—â—ughter vvheÌ„ he answered so sweetly vnto such outragious blasphemie O sweet answere O heauenly speech vvho but thou did promise vs another life after that this vvas ended Doest thou not think that our Isaac is full of laughter seeing that vvhen the Iewes doe goe about to stone him hee puttâ—th himselfe betwixt God and our faults to the end that they may charge all the blowes vpon his backe Did not hee laugh trow you vvhen as hee had cast the Diuell out of them yet they called him a man possessed vvith a Deuill When the sonne of God said that his yoke vvas sweet hee did let vs vnderstand thereby plainly that his holy lavv vvaâ— a cheerefull lavv a gracious lavv and a loifull lavv and so truly it is because all good men keepe it cheerefully and all naughty men breake it vvith vveeping Secondly the figure aboue named saith that Isaac vvas very rich and that hee had many flockes of sheepe and many heards of kine and a great number of bondslâ—ues both men and vvomen To say the truth the sonne of God had neither sheepe nor kine nor bondmen but hee fâ—â—d that vvhich was signified by them because his comming into the world was not to possesse sheepe and kine nor to be wealthy in them but his comming was to redeeme our soules and to bee a mediator for our sins When the Prophet said thou hast made all thinges subiect vnder his feet sheepe and oxen he spake it not only in respect of sheepe which went in the stubble or of kine which fed in pastures but in respect of sinners soules which were in their bodies the which he did so much esteeme and for the which he did so much that although his father did put them vnder his feet yet our good Isaac did put them vpon his head By Isaacs sheepe the good people of Israel were vnderstood which came vnto the knowledge of Christ such were Lazarus Nicodemus Ioseph Zacheus the good thiefe and many others all which were of the number of the elect By Isaacs oxen and kine which are of the greater sort of beasts all the Gentiles from whome all wee which are Christians doe descend for euen as a cow is greater than a sheepe euen so the holy mother the church is greater thaÌ„ the Synagogue These are the kine which the sonne of God came to seeke these are the sheep which our Isaac came to keepe for of the other flocke and heard which old Isaac had our redeemer of the world neuer had calse nor lambe The figure sayth also that Isaac had a great family and many bondwomen which serued him at table many men which gathered in his wealth Our Isaac was a poore man in this kind of bondmen and women as hee was of beards and flockes of cattell and sheepe for his pouerty was so great that no man would liue with him nor dwell in his house Christ had another manner of family than Isaac had his family was noble aboundant and holy because there resorted vnto it the powers of heaueÌ„ the fathers which were departed the iust which reioiced in his comming and all the good men of the world What should become of the iust man sayth Anselmus if he had not the sonne of God for his guide and captain What meaneth he when he sayth Vbiduo vel tres congregati fuerint in nomine meâ— ibi ego sum But that wheresoeuer or howsoeuer two or three iust men bee in Christs name that he will be there in the middest of them O what great difference there is betwixt old Isaacs family and our Christs family because that in Isaacs family they call those of his house youths seruants and men bond slaues but in our blessed Iesus family hee calleth his his friends companions and brothers O high mystery and diuine Sacrament why doth Iesus call all his friends saying Amicimeiestis and another time Brothers saying Dic fratribus meis but onely to let vs vnderstand that hee had redeemed them with his precious bloud and iustified them with his diuine grace Who would not be glad O good Iesus who would not bee glad to loue thee serue thee and follow thee seeing that thou art so courteous in thy words and so gratefull in thy deeds Who would not be glad to dwell in thy house and who would not be willingly one of thy family seeing that thou doest call strangers thy acquaintance thy enemies thy friends thy seruants thy companions and vngratefull men thy brothers Who did euer take such great care of his family as thou didst O good Iesus seeing that
father and enuied Christ because hee did reprehend them before the people The Iewes malice towards Christ vvas greater than Iosephs brothers against him for Ioseph was onely sold but innocent Iesus was not onely sold but also crucified Iosephs brothers could not giue him one faire word neither could the Iewes hear Christs doctrine with patience and therefore if his diuine prouidence should not haue kept him from their fury they had taken Christs life long before away from him Nolunt audire te quiae nolunt audire me filij hominis quia omnis Israel est attrita fronte duro corde said God vnto the Prophet Ezechiel as if hee should say Bee not angry O Ezechiel bee not angry if thou perceiue that thou doest no good with thy speech and hast no credite among them for seeing that they doe not beleeue me it is not to bee maruelled though they doe not heare thee for the house of Israel is growne now vnto that madnesse that it hath neither conscience in her soule nor shame in her face These are the words of the eternall Father directed vnto his blessed son letting him vnderstand by them what small fruit hee should reape by his doctrine and what smal credite they would giue vnto his speech the reason is because that all those which were of the house of Israel were inwardly without a good spirit and outwardly without shame According vnto this speech of the Prophet such Prelates as gouern preach do toile labor exceedingly whē the subiects which heare thē are a people without any conscience of lesse shame For besides that they do no good among thē there is also great danger to liue among them Ezechiel did very well couple small conscience with small shame and small shame with a small conscience because that you shall neuer or very sildome see a shamelesse man but hee is without conscience nor a man without conscience but is also shamelesse Wickednesse for wickednesse and sinne for sin A Christian can haue no greater sinnes than to bee obstinate in heart and without shame in his face because that hell is full of none but of such as are of an obstinate heart and impudent countenance The man which is of a tender and soft heart and shamefast in his behauiour is easily amended and doth now and then sinne by stealth but he who is hard harted shamelesse in condition doth late or neuer amend his sinne because he careth not for being counted a sinner When Christ said Gaudete exultate quia nomina vestra scripta sunt in caelis he gaue vs heence to be glad of nothing but only that we were good Christians and registred in the booke of Saints and likewise that wee should be sorry of nothing so much as to be naughty Christians and blotted out of the booke of life for he was borne in an euill houre who doth not endeuour to amend his life and doth not care at all to sinne We speake all this to proue that the Iewes vvere of a shamelesse forehead and hard hearted seeing that Pilate did know plainely that they did accuse Christ through enuy and malice which hee gathered by the shamelesse speeches which they vsed against Christ and the false proofes which they alledged against him Facta est fames magna in Samaria ita vt caput asini vaenundaretur octoginta argenteis 4 Reg. 6. The Scripture rehearseth this to shew the great misery and distresse that Samaria was in as if it would say When Samaria vvas at warres with the Arabians being besieged and afflicted with famine an asse head vvas worth fourescore rials and a certaine measure of Pigeons dung fiue rials so that they had no meat to eat but asses and nothing to dresse it with but Pigeons dung Although the flesh of an asse bee lothsome to eat and Pigeons dung filthy to burne yet notwithstanding vvee vvill draw some mystery of this figure to aduance Christs honour by it because there is no word in holy Scripture which hath not some secret hidden vnder it In this figure of the asse is represented the great warre that Christ found in mans nature What other thing was the warre vvhich Samaria had vvith the king of Arabia but the displeasure anger which God had against the Synagogue What was the great dearth famine which they endured but the exceeding want which they had of good doctrine What did it meane that an asses head was sold so deerly but only that a good man was little worth a naughty man highly esteemed By the Pigeons dung wherewith they did dresse the asses head is meant nothing else but the Mosaicall ceremonies with the which they did offer vp their sacrifices There fell nothing vnto the Synagogues lot but the dregs and the wine vnto the church to the Synagogue the barke and vnto the church the fruit the thorne vnto the Synagogue and the rose vnto the church the Pigeons dung to the Synagogue and to vs the Pigeon The warre betwixt God and mans nature was farre more cruell than that which was betwixt the city of Samaria and the king of Arabia because men did nothing but sight with God with their sinnes and God did nothing vnto man but inflict punishment vpon him If they aske the sonne of God why hee came into this world and took humane flesh vpon him he will answer them that his comming was to relieue this famine and appease this warre in testimony whereof the Angels in heauen did sing when Christ was borne Peace Peace seeing that I am a meane between you there must be no more anger left Whē the sonne of God came into the world the warre ceased and when he began to preach the famine began to cease because that this famine which humane nature was afflicted with was not caused for want of corporall food but for want of vertuous mē The want of victuals dured in Samaria but the space of one yeare but the want of vertuous men continued in the Synagogue from the time of the valerous Machabeans vntill the comming of Christ for from that time vntill Christs comming they had no Prophet to giue them light no captaine to defend them no Priest to teach them nor any other famous man to reioice in Who did euer find a greater dearth in the world than that which Christ found among the Iewes Seeing that he found the princely scepter broken the priesthood at an end the Temple robbed the city peruerted and her libertie lost There was a great dearth in the Synagogue considering that there was not in her one person of account For he did not chuse the twelue Apostles for his companions because they were holy but because hee meant to make them holy There was a great famine in Samaria seeing the gouernour was Pilate who was a Tyrant the bishop was Cayphas who was a prophane person the Pharisies were counsellers who were Hypocrites the Preachers were Sadduces who were Heretikes and their
and thou shalt hide thy strength because thou maist the better die O how well this was fulfilled in Christ hide thy selfe in the water-brooke of Carith for if he should not haue hidden his great power before Pilate who would haue been able to take his life from him If the son of God should not haue hidden his eternal wisedome durst the Pharisies haue mocked at his doctrine as they did If Christ should not haue hidden the rigour of his iustice who would haue beene able to doe iustice vpon him If Christ should not haue hidden his inexpugnable strength how should it haue beene possible for any man to draw his life out of his body The Prophet Zachary spake vnto this purpose Ibi abscondita est potentia eius As if hee would haue said Thou maist not looke O Synagogue thou maist not looke for a Messias which will bee mighty but weake not rich but poor not in health but sicke do not imagine that he should be honourable but throwne downe doe not proclaime him for to bee a great Lord but a seruant hee shall not bee a warriour but a man of peace and hee shall not goe much openly but for the most part in hucker mucker Seeing that Esaias sayth thou art truly a hidden God and also Zacharias that his power is hidden why dooth the Synagogue looke that the Messias should come openly considering that their Prophets said that hee was to come secretly Origen in his Periarchon sayth Because the sonne of God came not to fight with visible men but with inuisible sinnes and enemies there was no necessity that he should come fighting but preaching it was not needful that hee should wander ouer all the world but only publish his Gospell among them all and if the arrogant Iewes did not reach vnto the knowledge thereof it was not because they could not but because they would not Theophilus sayth speaking with the church the Prophet Dauid sayth Deus noster manifeste veniet and speaking vvith the Synagogue the Propht Esay sayth Vere tu es deus absconditus and therevpon it happeneth that the vnhappie Israelites although they were learned in knowledge yet of no credite in conscience and so they deserued not to know him because they vvould not beleeue him The figure goeth further and sayth that the place where Helias went to hide himselfe vvas at water-brookes of Carith which is as much to say as a thing cut in sunder or parted in the middle which had bin once whole The water-brooke where Christ did hide himselfe was the depth and vehemency of his passion where our good Lord entered diuing and ducking as in a dirty and dangerous riuer where hee remained drowned and dead in the water of his passion and the sonne of God pâ—â—ted himselfe in two when his soule went into hell and his body remained in the graue and when those parts which made him a man were dissolued although they were neuer seuered from the Hypostaticall vnion seeing that he was aswell God in hell and in the graue as hee is this day in heauen He was so hidden in the brooke of his passion that there was no part of his diuinity seene and the beauty of his humanity scarsely perceiued and because our blessed Redeemer would suffer his enemies to be reuenged on him hee did suspend for that time the operation of those miracles which might haue hindered his passion The figure sayth further that the Prophet Helias being in the brooke secret and close crowes of the fields brought him his dinner in the forenoon and his supper at night so that the birds gaue him to eat and the water to drink If this mystery were not a figure and foretelling of some other great mystery it were to bee thought that as God did send the Prophet Daniel meat by Abachuch the Prophet so hee would haue sent Helias meat by some other Prophet or holy man If by Helias Christ be figured by Iezabel the Synagogue by the persecution his passion and by the brooke the crosse and by the water his bloud and by his hiding himselfe his death why should not the crowes signifie the Iews Seeing there were Eagles inowe in the aire and Pigeons plenty in the world what great ability did God see in the crow that he should make him steward vnto Helias his faithfull friend What was the meaning that God did commit Helias to the crowes but that hee should also commit his sonne into the hands of the Iewes The qualities of a Crow are to bee in colour blacke in flying flow in his flesh hard in smelling quicke in eating rauenous and in condition vngratefull And because the rauen or crow is an vngratefull bird the Prouerbe is that if thou bring vp a Crow hee will pecke out thy eie The people of the Iewes were an vngratefull Crow vnto Christ seeing that for a recompence that he tooke flesh of them and taught them so long time although they did not pecke out his eies yet they crucified all his members on the crosse What bad thing is there in the crow that is not also in the Iewes They are blacke in faith slow in iudgement hard in beliefe cruell in condition ready to malice and most couetous What meaneth this O my Father what meaneth this After that thy sonne had liued thirty three whole years doest thou command him to be cast vnto Crowes Certainly the Crowes which we see with our eies are not so cruell as the Iewes which wee speake off because the Crowes doe eat of nothing vntill it be dead but the wicked Iewes did venter vpon Christ when hee was yet aliue O that Helias did farre better with his Crowes than the good Iesus with the Iewes because Helias Crowes did giue him bread and flesh to eat but Christs crowes gaue him nothing but vineger and gaule to tast Let the conclusion of all our speech be that it was better with Helias in his banishment and water-brooke thaÌ„ with Christ on the Mount of Caluary because Helias went out aliue from the water and Christ remained dead on the Mount of Caluary and Helias did neuer know what hunger was but the sonne of God did neuer kill his hunger nor quench his thirst CHAP. III. How the hangmen dranke the wine which was brought vnto him and the other theeues and did suffer Christ to die with thirst SVper vestimentis pignoratis accubuerunt tuxta altare vinum damnatorum bibebant in dome dei sui Osei 2. God spake these words complaining on the Israelits as if hee would say My people of Israel are come to such mad and shamelesse behauiour that within the Temple and hard at the altar they dranke the wine which was prepared for the condemned and they lay downe and leaned vpon the garments which were laid to pledge It is an vsuall thing and common in tauerns that drunkards doe cast themselues downe to sleepe vpon other mens apparrell and if it bee in hote Summer to sleepe vpon the
are predestinated and he shall be placed in the kingdome of heauen Saint Augustine saith in a Sermon As the sonne of God did command vs to keepe new precepts so he did promise vs new rewards for it and as hee gaue great commandements so hee gaue great rewards wherevpon it is that vntil hee came into the world no man commanded that which hee commanded nor no man promised that which he promised Christ said not in vaine Ecce noua facio omnia but because hee instituted the Sacrament which was a hard thing to reach vnto and commanded vs to beleeue the blessed Trinity which is a high matter to vnderstand willed vs to beleeue him both God man which is a new thing to bee receiued charged vs to loue our enemies which is a hard matter to doe and commanded vs to keepe his law only which was a new thing in the world to doe S. Thomas in his book against the Gentiles sayth That as the sonne of God did not command those of the old law to beleeue great things so he did not promise them but small things and because hee commanded his chosen Christians to beleeue hard things and performe things which were not easily done he promised that they should possesse and emoy very high rewards To come then vnto the text of Vestimentis pignoratis c. It is to bee noted that as the seruice of the iust was to bee done here vpon earth and the reward which they are to receiue to be giuen aboue in heauen because wee should not thinke that hee mocked vs in deferring our paiment to the other world his pleasure was to leaue vs a good gage and pledge in this world vntill he should reward vs for our good life in heauen The pledges which Christ left vs in this world were his precious garments his holy works and his most holy Sacraments Why did Christ thinkest thou leaue vs so many pledges in this life but because hee will vnpawne them afterward aboue in his glory In his glory aboue all those pledges shall bee taken away and haue an end because that in heauen we shall need to hope for nothing because we shall see that with our eies which now we desire nor we shall haue nothing to beleeue because there shall be nothing hidden wee shall haue no cause to feare because there shall bee no death wee shall need to aske for nothing because life is there euerlasting neither shal we desire any thing seeing that glory is there perpetuall O how happie be all Christian people seeing they haue not only Christs garments for a pledge and hostage but also Christ himselfe remaining with vs vnder the visible signs of the Sacrament vntil he giue himselfe vnto vs in heauen glorified Let no man maruell to heare vs say that we haue Christ for a pledge pawne for that which his Father promised vs seeing that the Apostle saith also that we haue the Holy ghost for a pledge for that which the son commanded vs Ipse est pignus haereditatis meae as if he would say God the eternal Father hath giuen vs the gifts of the holy Ghost and all the garments and merites of his sonne for a pledge of that which hee hath promised vs and this no longer but vntill hee will carry vs to his eternall glory and giue vs the fruition of his diuine essence What Christian is there who will bee afraid to loose himselfe and not haue a hope to saue himselfe hauing as wee haue for an assurance of our saluation as Christs robes in pawne and the gifts of the Holy ghost in hostage Super vestimentis pignoratis all holymen doe leane when they ioine their workes with Christs workes for all that we doe is little worth vnlesse we tie it vnto Christs merits It is to be weighed that the Prophet Osee did not see the garments by themselues and elbowes by themselues but garments with elbowes and elbowes with garments to giue vs to vnderstand that we cannot merite with our own works and that Christ wil not alwaies saue vs by himselfe by reason whereof it is necessary that wee fasten our armes vpon his workes and that he sticke his workes vpon our elbows armes CHAP. V. Where is brought a sigure of Tobias and declared to the purpose EXentera hunc piscem cor eius fel iecur repone tibi Tobias 6 chap. The Angell Raphael spake these words vnto young Tobias as if hee would say Crie not nor bee not afraid of this fish but take him out of the water flay him cut him in the middle and take out his heart his gaule and liuer and keepe it all for thy selfe because it is all very medicinable to cure a sicke man The story of Tobias is very well knowne to the learned in Scripture When he sent his young sonne Tobias to Rages a towne of the Medes for the recouering of tenne markes of siluer which he had lent his friend Gabelus when hee was captiue in Babilon and when yong Tobias came to the riuer Tygris to wash his feet there came foorth a very great fish to the banck side toward him with such boldnesse as if hee would haue eaten and swallowed him vp before that hee could flie from him When the Angell saw the fiercenesse of this fish and the great feare that the youth was stroke into hee began to encourage him saying Feare not the fish because the fish ought rather to be afraid of thee and therefore it is necessary that thou do by him that which he would haue done to thee because another cannot recouer health before this fish bee killed Tobias tooke heart by the encouragement of the Angell and fastening on the fish by the gilles drew him out of the water and stripped him and tooke out his heart and his gaule and his liuer as the Angell his master had commanded him to doe Now that Tobias fear was past when the fish was dead and drawne he said vnto his Angell Tell mee brother Azarias to what purpose thou diddest command mee to keepe the fishes heart gaule and liuer and diddest not bid me eat at all of him To this the Angell answered Thou must vnderstand my sonne Tobias that this thy iourney and this chance which hath befaln vnto thee wanteth not a great mystery as hereafter it shall appeare But for the present let it suffice thee to know that the meat of this fish is good for trauailers to eat of and the heart good to cast out diuels and the gaule good to heale the blind and the liuer soueraine for to cure other externall diseases There are presented vnto vs many deepe mysteries in this figure if it may please God to giue mee the knowledge to expound them for in it is set foorth the wonderfull death which the sonne of God suffered and the inspeakeable fruit and benefite vvhich vvee receiue by it Here is to bee vnderstood who Tobias is vvhich taketh the iourney what the fish
falleth from his estate than of him who loseth his wits because that he who is become a foole dooth not remember that euer hee was wise but the disgraced man and he who is troddeÌ„ down doth alwaies bewaile his infortunate mishap To come theÌ„ vnto our purpose there was neuer nation so much made of at Gods hands as the people of Israel was because hee called them his louing sonne his peculiar people his chosen vineyard his enclosed orchard and Commonwealth whom he most of all affected He went for their sakes into Egypt he opened them the red sea he gaue them Manna from heauen hee gaue them Angels to keepe them Priests to guide them dukâ—es to defend them countries to inhabite and great riches to ioy in What did hee not giue them if they asked it and what did he denie them if they requested it seeing that in the day time he made them a shadow of a cloud and in the night gaue them light with a pillar of fire All these priuiledges dured no longer thaÌ„ Abraham Isaac and Iacob liued and the rest of the fathers and with theÌ„ all familiarity died Tertullian sayth That as long as there were holy men among the Iewes they were welbeloued of God but when the people of Israel went worser and worser our Lord did forget them and had no care at all ouer them For as the church sayth Sicut to colimus ita nos visita Is it much that God should be carelesse in doing of vs good if we grow cold in his seruice S. Augustine sayth in an Homilie When the sonne of God came into the world to take flesh vpon him the Synagogue had fallen into decay long before which they shall easily see to bee true who will diligently read the Scriptures For the Prophet Malachias doth call her soot Ieremy drosse Baruch a putrified worm Ezechiel a moth Amos a wild vine Abdias smoke Osee a sinke for as hee was wont to inuent names to honour thee so now hee seeketh names of infamy to discredit thee And like vnto one who is angry and discontented God calleth his people of Israel dregs and sinke and soot and smoke for as the Iewes grew more and more in sinnes so God punished them more and more and quipped and taunted them with new names What greater iniury could he doe to them or what greater reproch could hee vse towards them than call them filthy dregs and rotten lees Fulgentius in a Sermon sayth According vnto the prophecy of Esayas Can you O you Israelites denie mee that there is any thing left of your Priesthood of your royall scepter of your rich temple of your ancient kingdome of your famous people but the lees which smell and the dregs which stinke Christ found very stinking dregs in al the Iewish Priesthood seeing we read of it in the books of the Machabees that they gaue not the roome of the high Bishop vnto him who best deserued it but vnto him who bought it for most money The sonne of God found very rotten dregs in the roiall scepter of Iuda considering that it was vsurped of the Romanes and tyrannized by Herods Christ found filthy grounds in all the Scriptures seeing that the Rabines had falsified them and interpreted them according vnto their owne meaning Christ found the Hebrew tongue stained in lees and dregs and the reason was because that as the vnfortunate Iewes had been captiues in diuerse parts so they spake diuerse languages Was not the Synagogue now become stinking and filthy dregs seeing that there was no vice in the world which was not found in her In the Princes Christ found pride in the Priests enuy in the Pharisies hypocrisie in the old men malice in the young men ignorance in the popular and vulgar sort couetousnesse CHAP. XI How the Synagogue gaue Christ that to drinke that shee her selfe was that is gaule and that which she had that is vineger ECce ignis ligna vbi est victima holocausti Genesis 22. These lamentable speeches passed betwixt the Father and the sonne the sonne and the Father in manner of a dialogue the one asking and the other answering The case was then this that when Abraham had brought his sonne Isaac from among the people and being gone vp to the hill with his hands bound the wood set on a heap and the fire kindled and the sword drawn to sacrifice his sonne he said vnto his Father behold father here is the wood and the fire made where is the beast which shall bee sacrificed To this demand the sorrowfull Father answered this Dominus prouidebit sibi victimam holocausti sili mi as if he would say Take thou no care my sonne take no care for the Lord will prouide a sacrifice which shall be more acceptable vnto him than all the sacrifices of the world This prophecie which the Patriark Abraham vttereth is so excelleÌ„t high that although many haue read it yet very few vnderstand it for although it be short in words yet the mysteries which it containeth are many What meaneth this O old Abraham what meaneth this God doth command thee to kill and burne and sacrifice and offer thy owne sonne and doest thou prophecy that our Lord will prouide for a sacrifice farre better than this which thou doest bring O high mystery diuine Sacrament for the holy man hauing his sonne in a readinesse to be sacrificed the wood prepared to cast him into the fire made to burne him the sword drawne to kill him and a commandement from God to offer him yet carelesly saith that the Lord will prouide another sacrifice Abraham dooth not speake here with the Synagogue his mother for for her the sacrificing of Isaac was prepared which was the figure of a sacrifice but he spake with our mother the holy catholicke church for whom God would prouide another new sacrifice which was Christ crucified in whome all the sacrifices of the law were to end and the Sacraments of the church take their beginning Because all meÌ„ might know that Abraham did not speake of the sacrifice of Isaacs sonne but of the sacrifice of Christ which was to come our Lord said not that hee had already prouided a sacrifice but that he would prouide neither did he say that he would prouide it for another but for himselfe neither that hee would prouide many but one neither that he would indifferently prouide for any but a killed sacrifice laid whole on the altar Theophilus vpon the Apostle sayth That in all the old Testament there was no sacrifice so excellent nor so strange nor so costly as that of Abraham Isaac his sonne And seeing that Abraham the maker of that sacrifice doth prophecie that there shall bee another sacrifice which shall excell his why do not you O you Iewes receiue Christ as a true sacrifice Neither did Abraham say that he would prouide many sacrifices but only one for if we marke it well it was the poore Synagogue which
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
but the sonne of God onely can say And he hath made me drunk with absynth that is to wit ouer besides that he suffered all that other martirs did suffer he did suffer another new kind of martyrdome which did exceed all other martyrdomes of man All the holy and chosen men of our Lord haue drunk a thousand draughts of very bitter martyrdome but the son of God only did drinke Absynth because there was no heauinesse which did not possesse his heart nor no dolour which did not oppresse his members Saint Ambrose sayth All the words which Christ spake we may beleeue but all the excellent workes that hee did we be not able to imitate because that besides the common strength which bodies are wont to haue he tooke more to bee able to suffer those torments for the flesh of the sonne of God was so tender and delicate of it selfe that if he should not haue added force vnto his owne force and strength vnto his owne strength it could not haue been but he should haue died very yong or else neuer haue been able to haue suffered so high a martyrdome What was Christs meaning then wheÌ„ he said Inebriauit me absynthio But that hee onely drunke that drinke of absynth seeing that hee alone did suffer more torments than all the Martyrs Christ is not contented to say that hee drunke much of that drinke but that hee drunke it all to let vs thereby vnderstand that as no man can be drunk but with pure wine so the sonne of God was he who suffered pure martyrdome without any ease at all No man euer drank of pure martyrdome as Christ did for all other martyrs if they suffered in some of their members they did not in others and if they suffered in body they suffered not in spirit and if they suffered in spirit they had some comfort in it insomuch that the comfort which God gaue them was greater than the martyrdome which they suffered Vpon those words of the Psalme Extraneus sum fratribus meis Basil saith Christ was a stranger and seperated from his brothers the other martyrs his companions because that in his bitter passion hee was lesse comforted and more tormented than any of them Like vnto a man ouerloaden with reproach and infamy and full of torment Christ said vpon the crosse Deus Deus meus quare me dereliquisti The which complaint he would neuer haue vsed if his father had comforted him as hee did other Martyrs Speaking the more particularly Christ in tasting gaule and vineger said immediately Consummatum est to let vs thereby vnderstand that in that bitter drink was ended the cure of the sweet tast which Adam had in eating the apple The figure doth very well answere vnto the thing figured and the hurt vnto the remedy in that that as that entered in by the mouth in which Adam sinned so by Christs mouth entered in the remedie of that sin as sin began in a sweet apple so it should end in soure vineger Hard by the wood Adam committed the offence on the wood Christ redeemed the sinne in sweetnesse our hurt began and in bitternesse began our good and remedy Adam in eating of that which liked him died and Christ tasting of that which was bitter gaue vp his ghost Because the truth should answere vnto the figure the spirit vnto the letter and the secret vnto the mystery the fault to the pain the son of Gods pleasure was that his last torment should bee with sharpe vineger because that with that drinke should bee cured the grieuousnesse of our sinne Ad anunciandum mansuet is misit me vt mederer coÌ„tritis corde predicarem captiuis indulgentia clausis apersionem Esay 61. These are the wordes of the redeemer of the world spoken by the mouth of the Prophet Esayas declaring by them his meaning why he came from heauen into the world saying The cause why I came into the world was to preach vnto the meeke to cure the diseased to tell captiues that they should be deliuered and denounce to all that are bound that they shall be now loosed The redeemer of the world reciteth foure causes why he came into the world that is to preach vnto the good to cure the diseased to redeem captiues and loose prisoners These foure things are so high to be enterprised and so hard to be atchieued that none but Christ in the world was able to do it It may be that some man be able to preach but he cannot cure and if he can cure infirmities yet he is not of power to redeem captiues if he be of power to redeem captiues yet hee hath no authority to let go prisoners insomuch that there is no man in the world so valerous but doth want the performance of one of these four things only the son of God hath all seeth all vnderstandeth all knoweth all and can do all And therevpon it happeneth that man doth not performe that which hee taketh in hand because he cannot but Christ not because he cannot but because he wil not Esaias saith That Christ came first to preach to the humble meeke not to the prowd to let vs therby vnderstand that the meek gentle would beleeue him and the prowd and foolish mocke at his life and doctrine Hee sayth secondly that he came to cure and heale him who had his heart broken and not those who had no repentance of their naughtines to let vs therby vnderstand that the shedding of his precious bloud should haue no vertue nor efficacy in those which neuer ameÌ„d but in such as of their wickednes do repeÌ„t Thirdly he saith that Christ came into the world to redeem captiues out of captiuity wherin thou saist most truly O my good Iesus because there was no sinne in the world which thou diddest not pay for nor no sinner whome thou diddest not redeeme Fourthly he saith that Christ came into the world to deliuer prisoners out of gaole and loose them out of prison wherein he sayth also most truly for he did deliuer all men from the thraldome of the diuell and redeeme sinners who were captiues O glorious incarnation O blessed coÌ„ming O happy â—ourney that that was which Christ made from heauen to the earth seeing the exercises wherein hee occupied himselfe and the office which he tooke vpon him were such that the Angels knew not how to do them nor all the men in the world vndertake them Vpon these words Vt mederer corde contritis S. Augustine sayth Magnus venit medicus quia magnus vbique iacebat egrotus as if hee should say agreeable to the words of Esayas There came from high heauen a very great Phisition because that in euery corner of the earth there lay a sick body What Phisition was there euer in the world who brought such medicines as Christ did or kept such an order in curing vs the order which Phisitians prescribe is that first they ordain
a diet for the patient to extenuate the humours then they procure him some sweat to expell ventosities then they let him bloud to correct the matter and then they giue him a purgation to rid and empty him of all that is superfluous and hurtfull in him The Phisitian doth all this giuing a receit in a paper and sending it to the Apothecary and ministring it to the patient in so much that the Phisitions cure is in the pulse which he doth handle and receit which hee ordaineth When good Iesus sayth by Esayas Veni vt mederer contritis corda although he obserued this order in curing the diseased yet he obserued it not in administring his medicins For the swearing bleeding and purging which the diseased should haue receiued our benigne Iesus tooke vpon him when hee was in health Doest thou not thinke that he kept a diet when he did fast not only forty daies but considering that all his holy life was a longer diet Doest thou not thinke that hee sweat all our sinnes when in his agony in the garden his bloud did run by all his pores Doest thou not thinke that he bled all the corruption of our sinnes when hee did scarce leaue a drop of bloud in all his vaines Doest thou not thinke that he purged the corruption and perdition of all the world when he tooke the purgation of gaule and soure vineger Not without a high mystery then and a profound Sacrament hee said vpon the crosse Consummatum est as he ended to take that purgation giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that the diseased man was purged let bloud sweat and was healed and that there was nothing else to be done in him if he did not fall againe by fault CHAP. III. Of the greatnesse of the sonne of God and how all thinges haue weight and measure and number sauing only the humanity of Christ COnsummatus factus est obtemperantibus sibi causa salutis aeternae Hebrewes 5. The Apostle speaketh these wordes talking with the Iewes of the high perfections which were in Christ as if he should say This sonne of God which I preach vnto you was very perfect in himself and was cause that all such as did beleeue in him should attaine to euerlasting life and saluation by him There are some which be neither good to thēselues nor vnto others and there are some which be good to others and not good to themselues and there are other who are good to themselues and all others and of these the sonne of God was seeing the Apostle sayth That he was Consummatus to wit that the sonne of God is good in all perfection and to all good men very profitable Vnder these few words the Apostle comprehendeth many graue sentences that is he will call vs to memory who the son of God is therefore he saith Quod consummatus factus est also what profite we receiue by his comming and therefore hee saith Quod fuit causa salutis aeterna These two things are not of such small quality but that vnder them all the holy scriptures are comprehended For hauing said what Christ is and what he hath done in the world there is nothing more to bee sought for in all the Gospell Because Christ did say on the crosse Consummaetum est and because the Apostle S. Paule doth say of Christ Consummatum factus est it is conuenient for vs to turne againe to these words because we may see in them how great Christs omnipotency is vnto the which no poore creature is able to reach vnto To speake of the greatnesse and omnipotency of God is to goe about to take the heauens with our hands or measure the earth by handy breads or the sea by ounces Cum inceperit hora tunc finiet said the wise mā as if he would say The greatnesse of God is so high to reach vnto so inscrutable to vnderstand so inuisible to see so omnipotent to comprehend that when we think that we are come to an end of vnderstanding it then we are but at the beginning of searching it Holket vpon these words sayth What would the wise man say that when we should make an end then we should begin but that if we will speake of the greatnesse of God either that we neuer begin to magnifie it or neuer end to praise it S. Augustine in his fourth booke De Trinitate sayth The cause why the mysteries of God doe make all the world afeard is not because God is one but Trinus and that he is one the Iew is easily conuinced and the Moore also to beleeue it but that God is Trinus and one as he is none doth beleeue it but the Christian And he sayth further that which God doth make vs wonder at in his diuinity Christ doth in his humanity for if he had but one thing alone in him we should dare to speak of his greatnesse but hauing three things in him which are diuinity flesh and soule and that all three are brought reduced to one diuine person the vnderstanding will be aweary to thinke of it the tongue dumbe to rehearse it Omnia fecit deus in numero pondere mensura sayth the wise man as if he should say Our Lord is so certaine in all that he doth and so wary in all that hee taketh in hand that bee they neuer so many he numbreth thē all be they neuer so great hee weigheth them and be they neuer so broad he measureth them so that in the house of God there is number weight and measure The most sacred humanity of the son of God commeth not vnder this reckoning for being as it is vnited vnto the word it is so perfect and adorned with such high merit that there is no number to count it nor wait to weigh it nor yet yard to measure it As concerning the first Christs humanity wanteth this which we haue said of number seeing he is but one person and according to the Philosopher no vnity is a number but the beginning of number Vpon those words of the Prophet Tu solus cog nouisti nouissima antiqua S. Basil sayth Alone and not accompanied with any the son of God is vnited to the word and in his holy gouernance no man sitteth with him nor no man doth beare him company in that high principality for as in that he is God he hath being by his owne proper production so in that that hee is man hee is first created and of all things created he is the beginning of number Vpon those words Omnia per ipsum facta sunt Irenaeus sayth Euen as all things were made by Christ in that that he was God so they were made by him in that that he was man because he was the first thing which God intēded in the creation to create all things for him as vnto him who should be heire of all by reason whereof we owe vnto the son of God not only our redēption but also our
truth sooles mocke wisedome the guilty whip innocency the wretched spet vpon glory and the dead kill life S. Barnard in a sermon of the passion sayth What heart is able to endure it or what fingers able to write it to see that the liberty of captiues is sold the glory of Angels scorned and mocked the morning starre of the world spet at the Lord of all scourged whipped and he who is the rewarder of trauels murthered S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth Of Christ only of no other Ieremy sayth Quod saturabitur opprobrijs seeing that he was sold like a malefactor mocked like a foole spet at like a vile person whipped like a theefe and put to death like a traitor S. Hilary in an Homily sayth According vnto the prophesie of Ieremy the sonne of God shall be filled with iniuries seeing that he is sold of the Symoniacles mocked of hypocrites whipped of tyrants spet at by blasphemers and put to death by heretikes Let our conclusion then be that not without a high mystery nor profound sacrament Christ before hee should suffer said these words of Consummabuntur and in the end of his suffering Consummatum est to let vs vnderstaÌ„d that at one time Christs life did end and if we be such as we ought to be our faults CHAP. VI. Here hee entreateth of that high praier which Christ made vpon the table saying Pater sancte non pro mundo rogo sed pro illis vt serues eos a malo In which praier if he obtained constancy and stoutnesse for his Apostles yet he forgot not the weake saying Non rogo vt tollas eos a mundo PAter sancte claritatem quam tu dedisti mihi dedi eis vt sint Consummati in vnum Iâ—h 17. These words are spoken by the mouth of the son of God praying vnto his Father after he had made a sermon before supper the highest and longest that euer hee preached in all his life time as if hee should say O my holy eternall mighty and blessed Father that which I entreat and request of thee in this last houre is that seeing I haue giuen to my Disciples part of the light and science which thou hast giuen mee thou wouldest also giue them grace to bee perfect in that kind of perfection as thou are wont to make perfect the elect By occasion of those words which Christ spake vpon the crosse that is Consummatum est and by reason of that other which he spake praying vnto his Father Consummati sunt it shall bee necessary for vs to declare in this place what that is which the redeemer of the world spake in his praier and what the Scripture sayth of it It is here to be noted who hee is which praieth where hee praieth when he praieth and how he praieth and for whome he praieth what he praieth for oftentimes in Scripture the circumstances how a thing is done makes it either weighty or very weighty Hee who praieth is Christ the place where is the pâ—râ—or the time is at supper how is with lifting vp his eies the things which hee praieth are very high they for whom are his disciples In this high praier Christ spake dainty words most graue sentences very secret mysteries very necessary aduises and very profitable counsels by reason whereof it is conuenient to read them with attention and note them with deuotion Christ then sayth in the beginning of his praier Pater sancte serua eos in nomine tuo qui tui sunt pro eis rogo non pro mundo as if he should say My holy and blessed father that which I ask of thee for these thy children and my disciples is that thou deliuer them from sin keep them in thy seruice seeing that they bee my brothers by nature and thy children by grace and if I aske any thing of thee it is not for those which are of the world but for those which thou doest keepe vnder thy safegard O sweet words for the good and sorrowfull for the bad seeing that by them are diuided and seperated the perfect from the foreseene the elect from the reprobate Gods friends from the children of perdition and also the neighbours of heauen from the louers of the world Howsoeuer Christ our redeemer praied from the hart for those which he loued from the heart yet he set this word Sancte Pater before his praier because it is a very naturall thing that this word Pater maketh a father attentiue to here the child and maketh his eies tender to behold him and his heart gentle to loue him and openeth his entrails that hee can deny him nothing What sweeter words can come to a fathers eares than to heare his sonne call him father As a sonne welbeloued and tendered once Christ calleth his father my father another time iust father another time Lord and father sometimes holy father and sometimes father and nothing else so that such as his praier was such was the name which hee gaue him It is not then here without a mystery that hee calleth him Pater sancte because hee who praied in this praier was most holy hee to whom hee praied was holy that which hee praied were holy things the place where hee praied was a holy place and hee for whom he praied was his holy colledge What doest thou aske O good Iesus what doest thou aske Pardon for my sheepe that God would deliuer them from Wolues pardon for my disciples that God would keepe them from the diuell pardon for my elect that God would seperate them from sinne and pardon for my friendes that God would take them vp into heauen As thou art going thy iourney to the crosse at the point of death in the euening of thy agony and wheÌ„ they come to apprehend thy person among so many thinges which thou doest aske of thy Father doest thou ask nothing for thy selfe O heauenly care O vnspeakable loue O charity neuer heard of before such as thine is O creator of my soule towards all mankind seeing that in such a dismal day in such a narrow strait as thou art in thou hast cause sufficient to craue of thy father for thy selfe sauing only that to remember me thou doest forget thy selfe And Christ sayth that he doth aske for such as are his that is for those which in the depth of his eternity are predestinated and are in the number of the elect to the end that they may bee one thing in the father as the father and the sonne are one thing Let the curious reader marke in this place that this abuerbe Sicut dooth not in this place make an equality betwixt God and man but onely a resemblance and a likenesse for vnlike the which because Arrias would not vnderstaÌ„d became to be an infamous heretike When Christ said Sint vnum in me his meaning was this That which I aske of thee O heaueÌ„ly Father is that as those of my colledge be thy children and
the reward of Paradise but vnto another crucified Saint Barnard vpon the Passion sayth for mine owne part I thinke not my selfe deceiued but I know that the naked giueth not his kingdome but vnto another naked he whose ioints are vnloosed vnto another whose ioints are also loosed one from an other hee that is couered with bloud vnto another couered with bloud also and the crucified vnto another crucified Thou that sittest sporting thy selfe what doest thou aske of him who suffereth on the crosse Thou that art clothed and reclothed what doest thou craue of him who is bowelled vpon the crosse Thou that art faire and fat what doest thou aske of him who is on the crosse one member rent from one another Thou that art at freedome and liberty what doest thou aske of him who is nailed and fastened vpon the crosse If thou wilt heare sayth Anselmus O my soule Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso Lift vp thy affections from the earth let thy heart bee free from all passions let thy flesh keepe watch and vvard ouer her inclinations crucifie thy liberty on the crosse let bloud thy fancie of all presumptions and bury thy affections that they may not appeare If thou wilt ascend as high as heauen it is necessary that with the theefe thou take the crosse for thy ladder to steale it for otherwise although thou bee a companion with him in sinning yet for all that thou shalt not so be in raigning CHAP. XIIII Why the sonne of God did not say vpon the crosse vnto all men Amen dico vobis as hee did say vnto the theefe Amen dico tibi aad how he was the first martyr which died with Christ and the first Saint which he canonized LOquetur ad eos in ira sua in furore suo conturbabit eos said king Dauid in the second Psalme as if hee would say when the great God of Israell shall bee angry and troubled hee will speake vnto the wicked men with anger and when hee shall trouble their iudgements it shall bee with great anger Our Lord doth threaten the wicked whome hee meaneth to punish with two grieuous scourges that is that hee will speake in anger to feare them and trouble their iudgement that they shall not bee able to guesse at any thing aright If our Lord speake vnto vs with anger it may bee borne with but if he trouble our iudgement it is a thing much to be lamented for in this wicked world if he doe not lighten our steps to see where wee goe wee shall fall downe vpon our face Barnard crieth out and saith What shall become of thee O my soule if he who should lead me put mee out of the way if hee who should succour me forsake mee if hee who should pardon me accuse me and he who should quit mee condemne me and he who should giue mee sight make mee blind Saint Augustine De verbis Apostoli sayth When it is said in Scripture that God speaketh vnto vs with anger it is meant that he doth not speake with mercy and when it is said that hee doth trouble vs with fury it is to say that hee doth not lighten vs with his diuine grace because there cannot happen vnto vs greater hurt in this world than for God to withdraw his hand from doing vs good There is no anger in God as there is in man with the which hee doth trouble himselfe nor furie to moue him withall and when wee say that he is angry it is because he vseth that punishment which in others is done with anger and if we say that he is in fury it is because hee vseth rigorous punishment towards vs or else because hee doth not punish at all in this world for wherin can our Lord shew greater anger than by not vsing his accustomed clemency Our Lords wrath is appeased when hee punisheth presently after the offence committed and he is very angry when hee deferreth the punishment vnto hell S. Ambrose sayth That in the house of God not to punish is to punish to dissemble is to bee angry with not to speake is to chide to pardon is to threaten to suffer is to let it putrifie to defer is to reuenge the more Is there thinke you any greater punishment than not to bee punished in this world When doth our Lord speake vnto vs with anger but when wee fall from his grace into sinne by our fault God spake with anger vnto our first father when hee said vnto him thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face as if hee would say Because thou hast fallen from my grace and eaten of the apple which I did forbid thee to eat of for a perpetuall punishment thou shalt eat and drinke alwaies with care in thy mind sweat on thy face and trauaile of thy body insomuch that at the best morsell thou shalt giue ouer eating and fall to sighing God spake also with anger vnto the murderer Cain when hee said vnto him behold the bloud of thy brother Abel doth crie from the earth vnto mee as if he would say Because thou hast flaine thy brother Abel through malice and enuy I cannot but doe iustice vpon thee because his bloud crieth aloud for it of me and thy punishmēt shall be that thou shalt wander to and fro all the daies of thy life and thy head shal neuer cease shaking God spake with anger vnto the great king Nabugodonoser whē he said Eijciam te ab hominibus as if he would say Because thou hast robbed my tēples of their treasures and led away my people of the Iews captiue thou shalt be throwne out frō the conuersation of men shalt liue with beasts on the mountaines thou shalt eat hay like oxen and bee clothed like wild sauages with haire vntill thou doest acknowledge mee for to bee thy Lord and thy selfe to bee a sinner God spake with anger vnto the great Priest Heli when hee said Ego praecidam brachium tuum c as if hee would say Because thou diddest not punish thy children when they stole away the sacrifices and behaued themselues dishonestly vvith women in the Tabernacle I will take thy Priesthood from thee I will kill thy steward and will make that no old man come into thy house in so much that thou shalt haue no children in thy stocke to inherite after thee nor ancient men to counsell thee To come then vnto our purpose God vsed this kind of speech vnto the Synagogue but now speaketh otherwise vnto the church as is easily seene in the death of Christ when hee said vnto the theefe Hodie mecum eris in Paradise Wee doe not read that Christ did euer vse this woord of anger so oft as hee hath done the woord of mercy the which hee hath vsed often as Per viscera misericordiae dei nostra said holy Zachary in his song as if he would say The sonne of God came downe from the highest of heauen into the earth moued thereunto by
the theefe Doest thou defer it to her who brought forth Christ take pity on him who bare him coÌ„pany on the crosse seeing thou doest augmeÌ„t tears in her diminish offences in him It was a word of great fauor which hee did vse vnto Mary Magdalen that Remissa tibi peccata multa Many sins are forgiuen thee but yet that was greater which he did vse to the good theefe because hee vsed greater liberty with him thaÌ„ with hir for if he loued her pardoned her he loued the theef like a friend pardoned him like a Christian rewarded him lika a iust man Barnard saith vnto this purpose That it is a signe of great loue to pardon but a greater sign to giue pardon because that pardon is sometime giueÌ„ by force but a gift neuer coÌ„meth but of free wil. OrigeÌ„ vpoÌ„ Mathew crieth out O deepe mystery O diuine sacrameÌ„t who euer heard or saw the like vnto this that is betwixt the sunne rising the sunne setting the theef was condemned by Pilat shamed by the criers iusticied by the hangmen confessed by his owne mouth by Christ pardoned and also brought vnto Paradise What meaneth this O good Iesus what meaneth this Who is able to reach vnto the reason why Abel vvith his innocency Nee with his iustice Abraham with his faith Dauid with his charity Moyses with his meekenesse Iâ—b vvith his patience Tobias with his franknesse Lazarus with his pouerty should so long desire to see Christ and the theefe presently enioy him S. Ambrose sayth That Christ receiued in a new kind of martyrdome all the torments vvhich were giuen the theefe as a naughty man from the houre and moment that he defended Christ and confessed with Christ insomuch that if he began to suffer like a theefe and a rouer hee ended and died like a glorious martyr This happy theefe was a very glorious martyr seeing he suffered neere Christ and with Christ where Christ suffered and in the same manner that Christ suffered and which is most of all hee was the first martyr after Christs passion and the first Saint which the sonne of God did canonize after his death S. Stouen was the first martyr after Christs ascention but from Christs death vntill he ascended into heauen there was no other Mattyr in the vvorld but the theefe whose conuersion Christ caused whose teares hee accepted whose martyrdome hee approued whose passion hee canonized and whose soule hee glorified S. Augustine sayth O good Iesus O my soules delight considering that thou doest saue him who accuseth his owne faults and him who excuseth thy innocency the maintainer of thy credit the confessor of thy essence the companion of thy person wilt thou not saue also this sinfull soule of mine For so great a battaile as thou hast won this day for so great a victory as thou hast obtained and also for so much bloud as hath issued from thee it is a small prize to carry away with thee but one theef only because that by so much the greater the triumph is by how many more prisoners the triumpher is followed with all And if it will not please thee to take mee thither with thee tarry thou here with me O good Iesus for I desire no other glory of thee in this miserable world but that thou wouldest let mee haue alwaies a good conscience Origen sayth in an Homily that it is much to be noted and a thing to be wondered at that Christ did not say vnto the theefe Amen dico vobis although there were many more there but hee said Amen dico tibi to let vs vnderstand that by forgiuing him alone hee shewed his mercy and by not pardoning others hee shewed his great iustice There were store of sinners about the crosse as well as hee which peraduenture would haue beene pardoned as well as he but amongst them all the theefe onely deserued to heare his pardon but by this hee maketh vs know that there is no man which hath cause to dispaire of pardon seeing hee forgaue him and yet that we presume not too much of pardon seeing he forgaue him alone Let the conclusion of all this be that wee remember before wee sinne that our Lord did not pardon the multitude that was there present and after wee haue sinned let vs remember that hee pardoned the theefe which suffered with him and in so doing we shall feare his iustice and remember his mercy the which I humbly beseech him that it would please him to vse here with grace afterward with glory Amen Amen The end of the second word which Christ our redeemer spake vpon the Crosse ⧠Here beginneth the third word which the sonne of God spake vpon the Crosse vnto his blessed mother Mulier ecce filius tuus Woman behold here thy sonne CHAP. I. That the loue which the mother of God had did exceed the loue of all other men and also the loue of Angels SIcut water 〈…〉 it a agâ— te diligebaâ—â— these are the words of holy Dauid 2. Reg. chapâ—â—â— 1. when 〈…〉 brought him that king Saul his enemy and Prince Ionathas his great friend were slaine in a battaile which they had with the Philistims The Iewes gaue this battaile to the 〈…〉 the wild mountaines of Gâ—â—boe and when the sorrowfull newes came to king Dauid that king Saul had lost the battaile hee began aloud to crie and shed many grieuous teares and said as followeth in dolefull wise O famous and renowmed Israel why doest thou not weepe for the losse of so many excellent men which this day they haue slaine thee and noble Princes which this day are perished within thee How is it possible that the strongest of Israel haue fallen downe so ignominiously and the most famous of Iuda haue ended their life by sword O how well king Saul Ionathas should haue loued one the other when they were aliue seeing that they left not the one the other in death although the cruell sword was able to take away their liues from them yet certainly it was not able to take away their hearts from them with the which they loued one the other What sword durst wound their hearts or what launce durst touch their flesh considering that Saul and Ionathas were in running more light than eagles and in sight more strong than lions Ionathas arrow was neuer shot but he hit Sauls sword drawn but he stroke Weepe then O ye daughters of Israel weep vpon the death of your king Saul who clothed you in scarlet in your passeouer and gaue you iewels of gold in your weddings O ye mountains O ye mountains of Gilboe I curse froÌ„ henceforth anathematize you for euer to the end that it neuer raign water vpoÌ„ you by day nor any dew fal vpoÌ„ you by night seeing that you consented that the enemies of Israel should there kill Saul and slay my good friend Ionathas in the same place O my faithfull and old friend Ionathas why