steps by thy conquests made visible thy way by thine own light thou hast watered it with thy precious blood paved it with thy wounds O what a goodly thing it is to walk with thee when thou openest thy sacred mouth as the opening of a temple to discover the beauties and mysteries of it O that it is most pleasing to understand that mouth which distils so much honey through lips of Roses But wherefore My good Lord art thou pleased to hide thy self from a soul which languishes after thee Take away the vail from mine eyes and suffer thy self to be seen in the vesture of thy heavenly beauties If I must bear the Crosse and passe by the throne of mount Calvary to come to Heaven I most humbly submit to thy divine pleasure that I may possesse all that thou art The Gospel upon Tuesday in Easter week S. Luke the 24. ANd whiles they spake these things Iesus stood in the midst of them and he saith to them Peace be to you It is I fear not But they being troubled and frighted imagined they saw a Spirit And he saith to them Why are you troubled and cogitations arise in your hearts See my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me to have And when he had said this he shewed them his hands and feet But they yet not believing and marvelling for joy he said Have you here any thing to be eaten But they offered him a piece of fish broiled and a hony comb And when he had eaten before them taking the remains he gave to them And he said to them These are the words which I spake to you when I was yet with you that all things must needs be fulfilled which are writen in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms of me Then he opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures And he said to them That so it is written and so it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day and penance to be preached in his Name and remission of sins unto all Nations Moralities 1. WE think sometimes that Jesus is far from us when he is in the midst of our heart he watches over us and stretches out his divine hands for our protection Let us live alwayes as if we were actually in his presence before his eyes and in his bosome An ancient Tradition doth observe that after our Lords Ascention the Apostles did never eat together but they left the first napkin for their good Master conceiving that according to his promise he was alwayes with them Let us accustome our selves to this exercise of Gods presence It is a happy necessity to make us do well to believe and apprehend that our Judge is alwayes present I frespect make him formidable love will teach us that he is the Father of all sweetness There can be no greater comfort in this world then to be present in heart and body with that which we love best 2. Jesus is taken by his Apostles for a Spirit because after the Resurrection he pierced the vvalls and appeared suddenly as Spirits do Saint Paul also saith in the second to the Corinthians that novv we do no more know Christ according to the flesh that is to say by the passions of a mortall body as Saint Epiphanius doth expound it We must make little use of our bodies to converse with our Jesus who hath taken upon him the rare qualities of a spirit We must raise our selves above our senses when we go to the Father of light and the Creatonâ— of sense He teaches us the life of Spirits and commerce of Angels and makes assayes of our immortality by a body now immortal Why are we so tyed to our sense and glued to the earth Must we suffer our selves to enter into a kingdome of death when we are told of the resurrâ—ction of him who is the Authour of all lives 3. Admire the condescending and bounties of our Lord to his dear Disciples He that was entred into the kingdome of spirits and immortall conversation suffers his feet and hands to be touched to prove in him the reality of a true body He eats in presence of his Apostles though he was not in more estate to digest meat then the Sun is to digest vapours He did no more nourish himself with our corruptible meats then the Stars do by the vapours of the earth And yet he took them to confirm our belief and to make us familiar with him It is the act of great and generous spirits to abase themselves and condescend to their inferiours So David being anointed King and inspired as a Prophet doth not shew his person terrible in the height of his great glory but still retained the mildnesse of a Shepherd So Iesus the true Son of David by his condscending to us hath consecrated a certain degree whereby we my ascend to heaveÌ„ Are not we ashamed that we have so little humility or respect to our inferiours but are alwayes so full of ourselves since our Lord sitting in his throne of Glory and Majesty doth yet abase himself to the actions of our mortall life Let it be seen by our hands whether we be resâ—scitated by doing good works and giving liberall alms Let it appear by our feet that they follow the paths of the most holy persons Let it be seen by our nourishment which should be most of honey that is of that celestiall sweetnesse which is extracted from prayer And if we seem to refuse fish let us at least remain in the elemeÌ„t of piety as fishes in water Aspirations THy love is most tender thy cares most generous O mild Saviour Amongst all the Torrents of thy Passion thou hast not tasted the water of forgetfulnesse Thou returnest to thy children as a Nightingle to her little nest Thou dost comfort them with thy visits and makest them familar with thy glorious life Thou eatest of a honey combe by just right having first tasted the bitter gall of that unmercifull crosse It is thus that our sorrows should be turned into sweets Thou must alwayes be most welcome to me in my troubles for I know well that thou onely canst pacifie and give them remedy I will govern my self toward thee as to the sire too much near familarity will burn us and the want of it will let us freez I will eat honey with thee in the blessed Sacrament I know that many there do chew but few receive thee worthily Make me O Lord I beseech thee capable of those which here on earth shall be the true Antepasts to our future glory The Gospel upon Low Sunday Saint Iohn the 20. THerefore when it was late that day the first of the Sabbaths and the doors where shut where the Disciples were gathered together for fear of the Iews Iesus came and stood in the middest and said to them Peace
redemption The joy of beatitude was a fruition of all celestial delights whereunto nothing which displeased could have accesse and yet Iesus suffered sorrow to give him a mortal blow even in the Sanctuary of his Divinity He afflicted himself for us because we knew not what it was to afflict our selves for him and he descended by our stâ—ps to the very anguishes of death to make us rise by his death to the greatest joyes of life To be short there was a great duel between the affectionate love and the virginal flesh of Iesus His soul did naturally love a body which was so obedient and his bodie followed wholly the inclinations of his soul There was so perfect an agreement between these two parties that their separation must needs be most dolorous Yet Iesus would have it so signe the decree by sweating bloud And as if it had been too little to weep for our sinnes with two eyes he suffered as many eyes as he had veins to be made in his body to shed for us tears of his own bloud 3. Observe here how this soul of Iesus amongst those great anguishes continued alwayes constant like the needle of a Sea-compass in a storm He prayes he exhorts be orders he reproves and he encourages he is like the heavens which amongst so many motions and agitations lose no part of their measure or proportion Nature and obedience make great convulsions in his heart but he remains constantly obedient to the will of his heavenly Father he tears himself from himself to make himself a voluntary sacrifice for death amongst all his inclinations to life to teach us that principal lesson of Christianitie which is to desire onely what God will and to execute all the decrees of his divine providence as our chiefest helps to obtain perfection Aspirations O Beauteous garden of Olives which from henceforth shalt be the most delicious objects of my heart I will lose my self in thy walks I will be lost with God that I may never be lost I will breath only thy air since it is made noble by the sighs of my dear Master I will gather thy flowers since Iesus hath marked them with his bloud I will wash my self in those fountains since they are sanctified by the sweat of my Iesus I will have no other joy but the sorrow of the Son of God nor any other will but his O my sweet Saviour Master and teacher of all humane kind wilt thou be abridged of thine own will which was so reasonable pure to give me an example of mortifying my passions and shall I before thy face retain any wicked or disordinate appetites Is it possible I should desire to be Lord of my self who am so bad a Master when I see the Author of all goodnesse separate himself from himself onely to make me and all mankind partakers of his merits Of the apprehension of Iesus IN that obscure dolorous night wherein our Saviour was apprehended three sorts of darknesses were cast upon the Iews upon Iudas upon S. Peter A darkness of obduration upon the hearts of the Iews a darknesse of ingratefull malignity upon Iudas and a darknesse of infirmity upon Saint Peter Was there ever any blindness like that of the Iews who sought for the shining sun with lighted torches without knowing him by so many beams of power which shined from him They are strucken down with the voice of the Son of God as with lightning and they rise again upon the earth to arme themselves against heaven They bind his hands to take away the use of his forces but they could not stop the course of his bounties To shew that he is totally good he is good and charitable even amongst his merciless executioners and he lost all he had savng his Godhead only to gain patience When Saint Peter stroke the high Priests servant the patience of our Lord Iesus received the blow and had no patience till he was healed If goodness did shew forth any one beam in the Garden modesty sent forth another in the house of Annas when his face was strucken by a servile hand his mouth opened it self as a Temple from whence nothing came but sweetnesse and light The God of Truth speaketh to Caiphas and they spit upon his brightnesse and cover that face which must discover heaven for us The mirrour of Angels is tarnisht with the spittle of infernal mouths wounded by most sacrilegious hands without any disturbance of his constancie That was invincible by his virtue as the wilfulness of the Iews stood unmoveable by their obduration There are souls which after they have filled the earth with crimes expect no cure of their discases but by the hell of the reprobate 2. The second darkness appeareth by the black passion of Iudas who falls down into hell with his eys open and after he had fold his soul sold Jesus and both all he had and all he was to buy an infamous halter to hang himself A soul become passionate with wanton love with ambition or avarice is banished into it self as into a direct hell and delivered to her own passion as to the Furies The Poets Hydra had but seven heads but the spirit of Avarice S. Iohn Climacus saith hath ten thousand The conversation of Iesus which was so full of infinite attractions could never win the spirit of Judas when it was once bewitched with covetousnesse The tinkling of silver kept him from rightly understanding Jesus He makes use of the most holy things to betray Holiness it self He employes the kisse of peace to begin war He carries poyson in his heart and hony in his mouth he puts on the spirit of Iesus to betray him This shews us plainly that covetous and traiterous persons are farthest from God and nearest to the Devils The third power of darknesse appeared in the infirmitie of Saint Peter who after so many protestations of fidelity for fear of death renounced the Authour of life One of the Ancients said the greatest frailty of Humanity was that the wisest men were not infallibly wise at all times And all men are astonished to see that the greatest spirits being left to themselves become barren and suffer eclipses which give example to the wisest and terrour to all the world God hath suffered the fall of St. Peter to make us have in â—orrour all presumption of our own forces to teach us that over great assurance is oft times mother of an approaching danger Besides it seemeth he would by this example consecrate the virtue of repentance in this fault of him whom he chose to be head of his Church to make us see that there is no dignitie so high nor holinesse so eminent which doth not ow Tribute to the mercie of God Aspirations Vpon Saint Peters tears IT is most true saith Saint Peter that a proud felicity hath alwaies reeling feet Thou which didst defie the gates of hell hast yielded thy self to the voice of a simple woman
and hate thine enemie But I say to you love your enemies do good to them that hate you and pray for them that persecute and abuse you that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven who maketh his Sun to rise upon good and bad and raineth upon just and unjust For if you love them that love you what reward shall you have Do not also the Publicans this And if you salute your brethren onely what do you more Do not also the heathen this Be you perfect therefore as also your heavenly Father is perfect Moralities 1. A Man that loves nothing but according to his natural inclination loves onely like a beast or an infidel The best sort of love is that which is commanded by God is derived from judgement conducted by reason and perfected by Charity Me thinks it should be harder for a good Christian to hate then love his enemy Hate makes him our equal whereas love placeth us quite above him By hating a mans enemy he breaks the laws of God he fights against the Incarnation of Christ wich was acted to unite all things in the bands of love he gives the lie to the most blessed Eucharist whose nature is to make the hearts of all Christians the same he lives like another Cain in the world alwayes disquieted by seeking revenge and it is a very death to him to hear of another mans prosperity Whereas to love an enemy doth not bind us to love the injuty he hath done us for we must not consider him as a malefactour but as a man of our own nature as he is the Image of God and as he is a Christian God doth onely command perfect things not impossible That which is very hard to flesh and bloud becomes easie by the help of grace and reason Our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ being the Father of all harmony can and doth reconcile all contrarieties at his will and pleasure 2. If revenge seem sweet the gaining of it is most bitter But there is nothing in the world more profitable then to pardon an enemy by imitation of our Saviour For it is then that our conscience can assure us to be the children of God and inheritors of his glory We must not fear to be despised for esteeming virtue for such contempt can only proceed from those who know not the true value of that glory which belongs to the just There is no better way to revenge then leave it to God who alwayes doth his own business Ween David wept for Saul who was his enemy his Clemency did insensibly make degrees by which he mounted up to the throne of Iudah A good work which comes from the spirit of vanity is like an emptied Mine good for nothing God who is invisible would have our aspects turned alwayes toward him and blind toward the world Alms given by the sound of a Trumpet makes a great noise on the earth but reaps little fruit in heaven The fly of vanity is a mischievous thing which destroyes all the perfumes of charity What need we any spectators of our good works every place is full where God is and where he is not there onely is Solitude Aspirations O God of all holy affections when shall I love all that thou lovest and have in horrour all that displeaseth thy divine Majesty If I cannot love in some person his defects and sinns I will love in him thine Image and in that vvill I acknovvledge thy mercies If he be a piece of broken glass in that little piece there vvill shine some lines of a God Creator and of a God Redeemer If thou hast chosen him to exercise my patience vvhy should I make him the object of my revenge since he gives me trouble to gaine me a Crovvn He is a hammer to pollish and make me bright I will not hurt him but reverence the arme that strikes me I resigne all vengence into thy hands since it is a Right reserved for thy Almighty power And certainly the best revenge I can take is to gratifie my enemy Give unto me O most mercifull Prince the grace to suffer and let the sacrifice of my sufferings mount up to thy propitiatory throne The Gospel for the first Saturday in Lent S. Matthew 6. Of the Apostles danger at Sea and relief by our Saviour ANd when he had dismissed them he went into the mountain to pray and when it was late the boat was in the midst of the Sea and himself alone on the land And seeing them labouring in rowing for the wind was against them and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh to them walking upon the sea and he would have passed by them But they seeing him walking upon the sea thought it was a ghost and cryed out for all saw him and were troubled And immediately he talked with them and said to them have confidence it is I fear ye not And he went up to them into the ship and the wind ceased and they were farre more astonied within themselves for they understood not concerning the loaves for their heart was blinded And when they had passed over they came into the land of Genesareth and set to the shore And when they were gone out of the boat incontinent they knew him and running through that whole countrey they began to carry about in couches those that were ill at ease where they heard he was And whethersoever he eâ—tred into towns or into villages or cities they laid the sick in the streets and besought him that they might touch but the hem of his garment and as many as touched him were made whole Moralities 1. WHat a painfull thing it is to row when Jesus is not in the boat all our travell is just nothing without Gods favour A little blast of wind is worth more then an hundred stroakes of Oares What troublesome businesses there are how many intricate families do labour much yet advance nothing because God withdrawes himself from their iniquities if he do not build the workman destroyes what he is building But all falls out right to those that embark themselves with Jesus They may passe to the Indies in a basket when others shall miscarry in a good ship well furnished 2. But how comes it about that the ship of the poor Apostles is beaten so furiously by the windes and tempests There are many ships with silver beaks with fine linnen sails and silken tackles upon which the sea seems to smile Do the waters reserve there choller only to vent it upon that ship which carries just persons This is the course of mans life The brave and happy men of this world enjoy theis wishes but their ship doth perish in the harbour as it is sporting whereas God by his infinite providence gives tempests to his elect that he may work a miraculous calme by his Almighty power Dangers are witnesses of their floting and Combats are causes of their merit Never think any man happy in
they have no other sault but that they are not sufficiently carefull of their own health Others do correct with such sharpnesse and violence that they wound their own hearts to care other mens and seem to have a greater minde to please their own passions then to amend those whom they would instruct Correction should be accompanied with sweetnesse but it must carry with all a little vigour to make a right temper and to keepe a mean between softnesse and austerity Jesus in the Prophet Isai is called both a rod and a flower to shew us according to Origen that he carries severity mingled with sweetnesse to use either of them according to the diversity of persons 3. It is not a very easie thing to receive brotherly correction patiently we are so farre in love with being well thought of And after we have lost the tree of life which is virtue it self we would keep the bark of it which is onely reputation All shadows proceed from those bodies upon which somewhat shines honour is the child of a known virtue and many when they cannot get one lawfull are willing to have a Basâ—ard This is the cause why so many resemble those serpents which requite them with poison who sing to them pleasant songs Whatsoever is spoken to instruct them makes them passionate and dart out angry speeches against those who speak to them mild and gentle words of truth and tending to their salvation Rest assured you can never get perfection except you count it a glory to learn and discover your own imperfections 4. There is nothing of more force then the praiers of just men which are animated by the same spirit cimented together with perfect concord They are most powerfull both in heaven and earth When they desire what God will they are alwaies heard if not according to the wishes of their own nature yet according to the greater profits of his grace He is alwayes happy who hath that which he would because he knows how to wish what is fitting and finds means to obtain what he desires by reason of his abstinence from coveting that which cannot be had 5. We must not offer to limit our goodnesse but as it comes from an infinite God we should make it as near being infinite as we can He gives the lie to virtues who will reduce them to a certain number We must never be weary of well doing but imitate the nature of celestiall things which never make any end but to begin again Aspirations O God what spots are in my soul and how little do I looke into my own imperfections Wilt thou never shew me to my self for some good time that I may cure my self by horrour of seeing what I am since I do so often wound my self by being too indulgent to my own naughty affections It is a great offence to break the glass which representeth me to my self by brotherly correction and to think I shall commit no more sins when no body will take liberty to reprove me I will humble my self to the very dust and mount up to thy glory by contempt of my own basenesse Alas must my soul be alwaies so far in love with it self that it cannot suffer the remonstrance of a friend how will it then endure the tooth of an enemy what can she love being so partial to her self if she do not love most ugly darkness O my redoubted Master I fear thine eyes which see those obscurities which the foolish world takes to be brightnesse If I cannot be alwaies innocent make me at least acknowledge my self faulty that I may know my self as I am to the end thou mayest know me for an object capable of thy mercy The Gospel upon Wednesday the third week in Lent Saint Matthew 15. The Pharisees asked Jesus Why do thy Disciples contradict ancient Traditions THen came to him from Ierusalem Scribes and Pharisees saying Why do thy Disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients For they wash not their hands when they eat bread But he answering said to them Why do you also transgresse the commandement of God for your tradition For God said Honour Father and Mother and he that shall curse Father or Mother dying let him die But you say Whosoever shall say to Father or Mother The gift whatsoever proceedeth from me shall profit thee and shall not honour his Father or his Mother and you have made frustrate the commandment of God for your own tradition Hypocrites well hath Esay prophesied of you saying This people honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me And in vain do they worship me teaching doctrines and commandments of men And having called together the multitudes unto him he said to them Hear ye and understand Not that which entreth into the mouth defileth a man but that which proceedeth out of the mouth that defileth a man Then came his Disciples and said to him Dost thou know that the Pharisees when they heard this word were scandalized But he answering said All planting which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Let them alone blind they are guides of the blind and if the blind be guide to the blind both fall into the ditch And Peter answering said to him Expound us this parable But he said Are you also as yet without understanding Do you not understand that all that entreth into the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast forth into the privie But the things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart and those things defile a man For from the heart come forth evil cogitations murders advouteries fornications thefts false testimonies blasphemies These are the things that defile but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile a man Moralities 1. THe spirit of man is wretched makes it self business by being disquieted with petty little things tormenting it self with formalities whilest it lives in a deep neglect of all that which is most essential to her salvation The Pharises did place their perfections in washing themselves every hour of the day in bearing writs of the Law upon their foreheads and thorns upon their heels but made no scruple to take away the honor due to fathers mothers from their children to make spoil of the world by a ravenous avarice which took upon it the apparance of piety and to give up innocent bloud under shew of justice The world doth now furnish it self with such like devotions Some make it a sin to look upon a fair flower with delight to eat with a good appetite to drink cool wine in hot weather to burn a paper upon which the name of Iesus is written to tread upon two straws that lie a cross But to set mony to usury to remember injuries for ever to keep a poor workmans wages to oppress the weak to accuse the innocent to spoil miserable persons These are the little sins which pass for virtues in this world Assure your self
that such proceedings are abominable before God there can be no better devotion in the world then to have a true and right seeling of God to live in honesty not sophisticated but such as is produced out of the pure lights of nature The conscience of hypocrites is a spiders web whereof no garment can ever be made Hypocrisie is a very subtil fault and a secret poison which kills other virtues with their own swords 2. Iesus is our great Master who hath abridged six hundred and thirteen Precepts of the old Testament within the law of love Do but love saith Saint Augustine and do what you vvill but then your love must go to the right fountain which is the heart of God It is in him you must cherish and honour your nearest friends and for him also you are bound to love even your greatest enemies Be not afraid to shew him your heart stark naked that he may pierce it vvith his arrows for the wounds of such an archer are much more precious then rubies You shall gain all by loving him and death it self vvhich comes from this love is the gate of life If you love him truly you vvilll have the three conditions of love which are to serve him to imitate him and to suffer for him You must serve him vvith all fidelitie in your prayers and all your actions you must imitate him vvhat possibly you can in all the passages of his life And you must hold it for a glory to participate vvith a valiant patience all the fruits of his Cross Aspirations O Great God vvho judgest all hearts and doest penetrate the most secret retiremēts of our consciences drive away from me all counterfeit Pharisaical devotions which are nothing but shews cannot subsist but by false apparencies O my God my Iesus make me keep the Law of thy love and nothing else It is a yoke vvhich brings vvith it more honor then burden It is a yoke which hath wings but no heavinesse Make me serve thee O my Master since thou beholdest the services of all the Angels under thy feet Make me imitate thee O my Redeemer since thou art the originall of all perfections make me suffer for thee O King of the afflicted and that I may not know what it is to suffer by knowing what it is to love The Gospel on Thursday the third week in Lent S. Luke 4. Jesus cured the Fever of Simons Mother in Lavv. ANd Iesus rising up out of the Synagogue entred into Simons house and Simons wives mother was holden with a great Fever and they besought him for her And standing over her he commanded the Fever and it lest her And incontinent rising she ministred to them And when the Sun was down all that had diseased of sundrie maladies brought them to him But he imposing hands upon every one cured them And Devils went out from many crying and saying that thou art the Son of God And rebuking them he suffered them not to speak that they knew he was Christ And when it was day going forth he went into a Desart place and the multitudes sought him and came even unto him and they held him that he should not depart from them To whom he said That to other Cities also must I Evangelize the Kingdome of God because therefore I was sent And he was preaching in the Synagogues of Galilee Moralities 1. A Soul within a sick body is a Princesse that dwels in a ruinous house Health is the best of all temporall goods without which all honors are as the beams of an eclipsed Sun Riches are unpleasing and all pleasures are languishing All joy of the heart subsists naturally in the health of the body But yet it is true that the most healthfull persons are not alwaies the most holy What profit is there in that health which serves for a provocation to sinne for an inticement to worldly pleasure and a gate to death The best souls are never better nor stronger then when their bodies are sick their diseases are too hard for their mortall bodies but their courage is invincible It is a great knovvledge to understand our own infirmities Prosperity keeps us from the view of them but adversity shews them to us We should hardly know what death is if so many diseases did not teach us every day that we are mortall Semiramis the proudest of all Queens had made a law whereby she was to be adored in stead of all the gods but being humbled by a great sicknesse she acknowledged her self to be but a woman 2. All the Apostles pray for this holy woman which was sick but she herself asked nothing nor did complain of any thing She leaves all to God who is only Master of life and death She knew that he which gives his benefits with such bounty hath the wisdome to chuse those which are most fit for us How do we know whether we desiring to be delivered from a sicknesse do not aske of God to take away a gift which is very necessary to our salvation That malady or affliction which makes us distaste worldly pleasures gives us a disposition to taste the joyes of heaven 3. How many sicke persons in the heate of a Feaver promise much and when they are well again perform nothing That body which carried all the marks of death in the face is no sooner grown strong by health which rejoyceth the heart fils the vains with bloud but it becomes a slave to sin The gifts of God being abused serve for nothing but to make it wicked and so the soul is killed by recovery of the flesh But this pious woman is no sooner on foot but she serves the Author of life and employes all those limbs which Jesus cured of the Feaver to prepare some provisions to refresh him He that will not use the treasures of heaven with acknowledge ment deserves never to keep them When a man is recovered from a great sicknesse as his body is renewed by health so on the other side he should renew his spirit by virtue The body saith Saint Maximus is the bed of the soul where it sleeps too easily in continuall health and forgets it self in many things But a good round sicknesse doth not onely move but turn over this bed which maketh the soul awake to think on her salvation and make a total conversion Aspirations O Word Incarnate all Feavers and Devils flie before the beams of thy redoubted face Must nothing but the hea◠of my passions alwayes resist thy powers and bounties To what maladies and indispositions am I subject I have more diseases in my soul then limbs in my body My weaknesse bends under thy scourges and yet my sinnes continue still unmoveable Stay O benigne Lord stay thy-self near me Cast upon my dull and heavy eyes one beam from those thine eyes which make all storms clear and all disasters happy Command that my weaknesse leave me and that I may arise to perform my
not find and where I am you cannot come And in the last the great day of the festivity Iesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come to me and drink He that believeth in me as the Scripture saith out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water And this he said of the Spirit that they should receive which believed in him Moralities 1. TAke for your comfort this excellent word of our Saviour he that is thirsty and desires in this world to thirst after God let him come unto me and he shall quench his thirst at the chiefest fountain S. Augustine saith we are all here as David was in the desart of Idumea our life is a perpetual alteration which will never be settled while we live If we be weary we desire rest and if we rest over long our bed becomes troublesome though it should be all ofâ—oses Then again we thirst to be in action and business which also in a short time tires us and puts us into another â—lteration and that carries us again to a desire to do nothing All our life goeth like Penelopies web what one hour effects the next destroyes We do sufficiently perceive that we are not well in this world It is a large bed but very troublesome wherein every man stirs and tumbles himself up and down but no man can here attain to his perfect happinesse 2. This shews us plainly that we are made for God and that we should thirst after divine things if we desire true contentment There is no default in him because all that can be desired is there yet there is no superfluity because there can be nothing beyond him There only we abound without necessity we are assured without fear glorious without change And it is there only where we find all our sa isfactions perfectly accomplished For to speak truth contentment coÌ„sisteth in four principal things which are to have a contenting object to have a heart capable to appreheÌ„d it to feel a strong inclination to it to enter into an absolute full possession ofâ— Now God hath provided for all this by his infinite bounty He will not have us affect any other object of pleasure but his own He is God therefore can have nothing but God for his satisfaction intends graciously that we shall have the same He will have us thirst after him and quench our thirst within himself to this our soul is singularly disposed for as God is a Spirit so is our soul only spi itual We have so strong an inclination to love God that even our vices themselves without thinking what they do love somewhat of God For if pride affect greatness their can be nothing so great as the Monarch of it If luxury love pleasure God containeth all pure delights in his bosome and this which I say may be verified of all sins whatsoever If the presence of a right object and the enjoyning be wanting we have nothing so present as God St. Paul saith we are all within him within him vve live and within him we have the fountain of all our motions we see him through all his creatures untill he take off the vail and so let us see him and taste of his Glory 3 A true and perfect way to make us thirst after God is to forsake the burning thirst which we have after bodily and worldly goods Our soul and flesh go in the several scales of a ballance the rising of one pulls down the other It is a having two wives for us to think we can place all our delights in God and withall enjoy all worldly contentments A man must have a conscience free from earthly matters to receive the infusion of grace we must pass by Cavalry before we can come to Tabor and first taste gall with Iesus before we can taste that honey-comb which he took after his resurrection Aspirations O God true God of my salvation My heart which feeleth it self moved with an affectionate zeal thinks alwaies upon thee and in thinking finds an earnest thirst after thy beauties which heats my veins My soul is all consumed and I find that my flesh it self insensibly followeth the violence of my spirit I am here as within the desarts of Affâ—ica in a barren world the drought whereof makes it a direct habitation for dragons O my God I am tormented with this flame and yet I cherish it more then my self Will there be no good Lazarus found to dip the end of his finger within the fountain of the highest heaven a little to alay the burning of my thirst Do not tell me O my dear Spouse that there is a great Chaos between thee and me Thou hast already passed it in coming to me by thy bounty and wilt not thou lift me up then by thy mercy The Gospel upon Tuesday the fifth week in Lent S. Iohn 7. Jesus went not into Iewry because the Iews had a purpose to take away his life AFter these things Iesus walked into Galilee for he would not walk into Iewry because the Iews sought to kill him And the festival day of the Iews Scenopegia was at hand And his bretheren said to him Passe from hence and go into Iewry that thy Disciples also may see thy works which thou dost For no man doth any thing in secret and seeketh himself to be in publick if thou do these things manifest thy self to the world for neither did his bretheren believe in him Iesus therefore saith to them My time is not yet come but your time is alwaies ready The world cannot hate you but me it hateth because I give testimony of it that the works thereof are evil Go you up to this festivall day I go not up to this festivall day because my time is not yet accomplished When he had said these things himself taâ—ied in Galilee But after his bretheren were gone up then he also went up to the festivall day not openly but as it were in secret The Iews therefore sought him in the festivall day and said Where is he And there was much murmuring in the multitude of him For certain said that he is good And others said No but he seduceth the multitudes yet no man spake openly of him for fear of the Iews Moralities 1. IEsus hides himself in this Gospel as the Sun within a cloud to shew himself at his own time to teach us that all the secrets of our life consisteth in well concealing and well discovering our selves He did conceal the life which he took from nature when he might have been born a perfect man as well as Adam and yet did he hide himself in the hay of a base Stable He concealeth his life of Grace dissembling under silence so many great and divine virtues as if he had lockt up the stars underlock and key as holy Iob saith He keeps secret his life of Glory retaining for thirty three years the light of his soul which should without intermission
admirable in the contempt of death The heavenly Trumpet hath already sounded for thee and cheerfulnesse gives wings to carry thee to this great combat where death and life sight singly together which makes life die for a time and death live for ever I will forsake my very soul to follow thee in this Agony and find my life in thy death as thou hast extinguished death in thy life The Gospel upon Palm Sunday S. Matthew 21. Our Saviour came in triumph to Jerusalem a little before his Passion ANd when they drew nigh to Ierusalem and were come to Bethphage unto mount Olivet then Iesus sent two Disciples saying to them Go ye into the town that is against you and immediately you shall find an Asse tied and a colt with her loose them and bring them to me And if any man shall say ought unto you say ye That our Lord hath need of them and forthwith he will let them goe And this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet saying Say ye to the daughter of Sion Behold thy King cometh to thee mock and sitting upon an Asse and a Colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke And the Disciples going did as Iesus commanded them and they brought the Asse and the Colt and laid their garments upon them and made him to sit thereon And a very great multitude spred their garments in the way and others did cut boughs from the trees and strewed them in the way and the multitudes that went before and that followed cryed saying Hosanna to the Son of David blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Moralities 1. OUr Saviour goes to his death in triumph he appears to be a King but a King of Hearts who requires nothing of us but our selves onely to make us happy and contented in him He triumphs before the victory because non but he could be sure of the future certainty of his happiness But he watered his triumphs with tears to weep for our joyes which where to proceed out of his sadness It is related by an ancient Oratour that when Constantine made his entry into great Britany where he was born the people received him with so great applause that they killed the Sails and Oars of the Vessell which brought him were ready to pave the streets with their bodies for him to tread on If they did so for a mortal man what should we not do for an eternal God who comes to buy us with his precious bloud and demands entrance into our hearts only to give us Paradise 2. He walks towards his Cross amongst the cries of favour and joy to teach us with what chearfulnesse we should conform our selves to abide our own sufferings imitating the Apostles who receiv'd their first reproches as Manna from Heaven He would have us prepared resolved alwaies to suffer death patiently whether it be a death which raiseth up our spirit to forsake sensuality ot a natural death Whatsoever it be we should embrace it as the day which must bring us to our lodging after a troublesome pilgrimage Doth it not appear plainly that those who are loth to forsake the world are like herbs put into an earthen pot amongst straw dung yet would be unwilling to come forth of it The forniture of out worldly lodging grows rotten the roof is ready to fall upon our heads the foundation shakes under our feet and we fear that day which if vve our selves vvill shall be the â—orning of our eternall happinesse It is not death but onely the opinion of it which is terrible and every man considers it according to the disposition of his own spirit 3. The Palm branches vvhich we carry in our hands require from us the renewing of a life purified and cleansed in the bloud of the holy Lambe In the beginning of lent we take upon our heads the ashes of Palm branches to teach us that we do then enter as it vvere into the Sepulchre of repentance But novv vve carry green bows to make us know that now vve come out of the tomb of Ashes to enter again into the strength of doing good vvorks in imitation of the trees vvhich having been covered vvith snovv and buried in the sharpnesse of vvinter do again begin to bud in the Spring time 4. The garments spread under the feet of Jesus declare that all our temporall goods should be employed tovvard his glory and that vve must forsake our affections to all things vvhich perish that vve may be partakers of his kingdome No man can stand firm that is delighted vvith movable things He that is subject to vvorldly affections binds himself to a vvheel vvhich turns about continually Jesus accepted this triumph onely to despise it he reserved the honour of it in his own hands to drovvn it in the floud of his tears and in the sea of his precious bloud If you be rich and wealthy do not publish it vainly but let the poor feel it You must live amongst all the greatnesse jollity of this world as a man whose onely businesse must be to go to God Aspirations O Soveraign King of hearts after whom all chaste loves do languish I am filled with joy to see tâ—ee walk amongst the cries of joy and the palms gâ—rments of thy admirers which served for carpets I am ravished wi h thy onours and the delights of thy glory and I applaud thy triumphs Alas that all the earth is not obedient to thy laws and that the tongues of aâ—l people do not make one voice to acknowledge thee sole Monarch of heaven and earth Triumph at least in the hearts of thy faithfull servants O my magnificent Master make a triumphall Ark composed of hearts Put fire to it vvith thy adored hand Send out one spark of that heat vvhich tâ—ou camest to spread upon the earth Let every thing burn for thee and consume it self in thy love I do irrevocably bind my heart to the magnificence of thy triumpâ— and I love better to be thy slave then to be saluted king of the vvhole vvorld The Gospel upon Munday in holy week S. Iohn 12. Saint Mary Magdalen anointed our Saviours feet vvith precious ointment at vvhich Iudas repined JEsus therefore six dayes before the Pasche came to Bethaenia where Lazarus was that had been dead whom Iesus raised and they made him a supper there and Martha ministred but Lazarus was one of them that sate at the table with him Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right Spikenard precious and anointed the feet of Iesus and wiped his feet with her hair and the house was filled of the odour of the Ointment One therefore of his Disciples Iudas Iscariot he that was to betray him said Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor And he said this not because he cared for the poor but because he waâ— a thiâ—fâ— and having the
purse carried the things that were put in it Iesus therefore said Let her alone that she may keep it for the day of my buriall for the poor you have alwayes with you but me you shall not have alwayes A great multitude therefore of the Iews know that he was there they come not for Iesus onely but that they might see Lazarus whom he raised from the dead Moralities 1. LAzarus being raised from his grave converseth familiarly with Iesus and to preserve the life which he had newly received he ties himself continually to the fountain of lives to teach us that since we have begun to make a strong conversion from sin to grace we must not be out of the sight of God we must live with him and of him with him by applying our spirit our prayers our fervour our passionate sighs toward him and live of him by often receiving the blessed Sacrament Happy they saith the Angel in the Apocalypse who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. But note that he who invites us to this feast stands upright amids the sun to signifie that we should be as pure as the beams of light when we come unto the most holy Sacrament Lazarus did eat bread with his Lord but to speak with St. Augustine he did not then eat the bread of our Lord. And yet this great favour is reserved for you when you are admitted to that heavenly banket where God makes himself meat to give you an Antepâ—st of his Immortality 2. God will have us acknowledge his benefits by the faithfulnesse of our services St. Peters Mother in law as soon as she was healed of her Feaver presently served her Physician And observe that Martha served the Author of life who had redeemed her brother from the power of death The faithfull Mary who had shed tears gave what she had mo t precious and observes no measure in the worth because Iesus cannot be valued Cleopatra's pearl estimated to be worth two hundred thousand crowns which she made her friend swallow at a Banquet this holy woman thought too base She melts her heart in a sacred Limbeck of love distills it out by her eyes And Iesus makes so great account of her waters and perfumes that he would suffer no body to wash his feet when he instituted the blessed Sacrament as not being willing to deface the sacred characters of his sacred Lover 3. Iudas murmures and covers his villanous passion of Avarice under the colour of Charity and mercy toward the poor And just so do many cover their vices with a specious shew of virtue The proud man would be thought Magnanimous the prodigall would passe for liberall the covetous for a good husband the brainsick rash man would be reputed couragious the glutton a hospitable good fellow Sloth puts on the face of quietnesse timorousnesse of wisdome impudence of boldnesse insolence of liberty and over confident or sawcy prating would be taken for eloquence Many men for their own particular interests borrow some colours of the publick good and very many actions both unjust and unreasonable take upon them a semblance of piety Saint Ireneus saith that many give water coloured with sleckt whitelime or plaister instead of milk * A farse is a French Iig wherein the faces of all the actours are whited over with meal And all their life is but a farse where Blackamores are whited over with meal Poor truth suffers much amongst these couesnages But you must take notice that in the end wicked dissembling Iudas did burst and shew his damned soul stark naked Yet some think fairly to cover foul intentions who must needs know well that Hypocrisie hath no vail to couzen death Aspirations I See no altars in all the world more amiable then the feet of our Saviour I will go by his steps to find his feet and by the excellencies of the best of men I will go find out the God of gods Those feet are admirable and St. Iohn hath well described them to be made of metall burning in a furnace they are feet of metal by their constancy and feet of fire by the enflamed affections of their Master Let Indâ—s murmure at it what he will but if I had a sea of sweet odours and odoriferous perfumes I would empty them all upon an object so worthy of love Give O mine eyes Give at least tears to this precious Holocaust which goes to sacrifice it self for satisfaction of your libidinous concupiscences Wash it with your waters before it wash you with its bloud O my soul seek not after excrements of thy head to dry it Thy hairs are thy thoughts which must onely think of him who thought so kindly passionately of thee on the day of his Eternity The Gospel upon Monday Thursday S. Iohn the 13. Of our Saviours washing the feet of his Apostles ANd before the festivall day of the Paschâ— Iesus knowing that his hour was come that he should passe out of this world to his Father whereas he had loved his that were in the world unto the end he loved them And when supper was done whereas the devil now had put into the heart of Iudas Iscariot the son of Simon to betray him knowing that the Father gave him all things into his hands and that he came from God and goeth to God he riseth from supper and layeth aside his garments and having taken a towell girded himself After that he put water into a bason and began to wash thee feet of his Disciples and to wipe them with the towell wherewith he was girded He cometh therefore to Simon Peter and Peter saith to him Lord doest thou wash my feet Iesus answered and said to him That which I do thou knowest not now hereafter thou shalt know Peter saith to him Thou shalt not wash my feet for ever Iesus answered him if I wash thee not thou shalt not have part with me Simon Peter saith to him Lord not onely my feet but also hands and head Iesus saith to him He that is washed needeth not but to wash his feet but is clean wholly and you are clean but not all for he knew who he was that would betray him therefore he said You are not clean all Therefore after he had washed their feet and taken his garments being set down again he said to them Know you what I have done to you You call me Master and Lord and you say well for I am so If then I have washed your feet Lord and Master you also ought to wash one anothers feet For I have given you an example that as I have done to you so you do also Moralities 1. JEsus loves his servants for an end and till the full accomplishment of that end The world loves his creatures with a love which tends to concupisence but that is not the end for which they were made or should be loved There is a very great difference between them for the love of
worldy men playes the Tyrant in the world snatching turning all things from the true scope and intention for which they were made by God diverting them to prophane uses by turbulent and forcible wayes The world pleaseth it self to set up Idols every where to make it self adored in them as cheif Soveraign It makes use of the Sun to light his crimes of the fatnesse of the earth to fatten his pleasure of apparrell for his luxury of all metals to kindle Avarice and of the purest beauties to serve sensuality And if by chance it love any creature with a well-wishing love and as it ought to be loved that is not permanent The wind is not more inconstant nor a calm at Sea more unfaithfull then worldly friendship For sometimes it begins with Fire and ends in Ice It is made as between a pot and a glasse and is broken sooner then a glasse The ancient Almans tried their children in the Rhine but true friendship is tried in a sea of Tribulation It is only Jesus the preserver and restorer of all things who loves us from Eternity to Eternity We must follow the sacred steps of his examples to reduce our selves to the finall point of our happinesse 2. The water a first was a mild element which served the Majesty of God as a floting Charior since as the Scripture saith his Spirit was carried upon the waters from whence he drew the seeds which produced all the world But after man had sinned like a suprâ—me Judge he made use of the gentlest things to be the Instruments of our punishments The water which carried the divine mercies was chosen at the deluge to drown all â—ankind Now at this time Iesus sanctified it by his sacred touch He took the Bason which being in his hands became greater and more full of Majesty then all the Ocean Our spots which eternity could not wash clean are taken away at Baptisme by one onely drop of water sanct fied by his blessing He prevents the bath of his bloud by the bath of an element which he doth expresly before his institution of the blessed Sacrament to teach us what purity of life of heart of faith of in ention and affections we must bring to the holy Eucharist It is necessary to chase away all strange gods which are sins and passions before we receive the God of Israel we must wash our selves in the waters of repentance change our attire by a new conversation It is too much for us to give flesh for flesh the body of a miserable man for that of Iesus Christ The consideration of our sins should bring up the bloud of blushing in our cheeks since they vvere the onely cause vvhy he shed his most precious bloud upon the Crosse for us Alas the heavens are not pure before his most pure spirit vvhich purifies all nature Then hovv can we go to him vvith so many voluntary stains and deformities Is it not to cast flowers upon a dunghill and to drive Swine to a clear fountain when we will go to Jesus the Authour of innocency carrying with us the steps and spots of our hainous sins 3. Iesus would not onely take upon himself the form of man but that also of a base servant as saint paul saith It vvas the office of slaves to carry water to wash bodies which made David say that Moab should be the Bason of his hope expressing thereby that he would humble the Moabites so low that they should serve onely to bring water to wash unclean houses Alas vvho vvould have said that the Messias was come amongst us to execute the office of a Moabite What force hath conquered him vvhat arms have brought him under but onely love Hovv can vve then become proud and burn incense to that Idoll called point of honour when we see hovv our God humbled himself in this action Observe with vvhat preparation the Evangelist said that his heavenly Father had put all into his hands that he came from God and went to God and yet instead of taking the worlds Scepter he takes a Bason and humbles himself to the most servile offices And if the waters of this Bason cannot burst in us the foul imposthume of vanity we must expect no other remedy but the eternal flames of hell fire Aspirations O King of Lovers and Master of all holy Loves Thou lovest for an end and till the accomplishment of that end It appertains only to thee to teach the Art of loving well since thou hast practised it so admirably Thou art none of those delicate friends who only make love to beauties to gold and silk thou lovest our very poverty and our miseries because they serve for objects of thy charity Let proud Michol laugh while she list to see my dear David made as a water bearer I honour him as much in that posture as I would sitting upon the throne of all the world I look upon him holding this Bason as upon him that holds the vast Seas in his hands O my mercifull Jesus I beseech thee wash wash again and make clean my most sinfull soul Be it as black as hell being in thy hands it may become more white then that Dove with silver wings of which the Prophet speaks I go I run to the fountains I burn with love amongst thy purifying waters I desire affectionately to humble my self but I know not where to find so low a place as thine when thou wast humbled before Iudas to wash his traitours feet Vpon the Garden of Mount Olivet Moralities 1. JEsus enters into a Garden to expiate the sin committed in a Garden by the first man The first Adam stole the fruit and the second is ordained to make satisfaction It is a strange thing that he chose the places of our delights for suffering his pains and never lookt upon our most dainty sweets but to draw out of them most bitter sorrows Gardens are made for recreations but our Saviour finds there onely desolation The Olives which are tokens of Peace denounce War unto him The plants there do groan the flowers are but flowers of death and those fountains are but fountains of sweat and bloud He that shall study well this Garden must needs be ashamed of all his pleasant Gardens and will forsake those refined curiosities of Tulips to make his heart become another manner of Garden where Jesus should be planted as the onely tree of life which brings forth the most perfect fruits of justice 2. It was there that the greatest Champion of the world undertook so great combats which began with sweat and bloud but ended with the losse of his life There were three marvelous agonies of God Death of Ioy and Sorrow of the Soul and Flesh of Iesus God and Death were two incompatible things since God is the first and the most universal of all lives who banisheth from him all the operations of death and yet his love finds means to unite them together for our