which was beginning to sly de into Spaiâ—e about his tyme and they were called Ilâ—umimati so farre did this deceite ariue that if this kind of interiour motion came not to them they would not stirre a foot towardes the doing of any thing how good soeuer and on the other side if they had a mind to do any thing that they would be sure to do though it were against the wil of God Belieuing that the humour which they found in their hart was Gods particuler instinct and the liberty of the holy Ghost which did enfranchise them from all obligation to the ordinary Commandments of God to whome they sayd they carryed such an entiere true loue as that euen by breaking of his commandments they lost it not They considered not that the Sonne of God did preach by his owne sacred mouth a doctrine very contrary to this when he sayd If any man loue me he will keep my word and he that holdeth and obserueth my Commandements he is the man that loueth me And againe If any man loue me he will keep my word and he that loueth me not will not keep it Giuing cleerely to vnderstand heereby that whosoeuer keepeth not his word doth beare no loue nor hold friendship with him For as S. Augustine sayth No man can loue that King whose Commandements he hateth Now as for that which the Apostle sayth That (d) Note how the obiection which is made by heretikes vnder the colour of this place of Scripture is soundly answered and at large to the iust man there is imposed no law and that where the spirit of our Lord is there is liberty This is not so to be vnderstood as if the Holy Ghost did free any man how iust soeuer he may be from keeping the commandments of God or of his Church or of his Prelates but rather how much the more this spirit doth communicate it selfe so much the more loue doth it infuse and by the increase of loue the care and desire doth also increase of keeping more and more the word of God and of his Church And as this spirit is most efficacious and maketh a man become a true and feruent louer of that which is good so it further putteth such a disposition into the soule when it imparteth it selfe aboundantly as that the keeping of the Commandements is not hard but very easy so full of gust as that Dauid sayd How sweet are thy wordes to my threate yea more then hony to my mouth Because when this spirit doth place in the will of man a most perfect conformity with the will of God making it to be one spirit with him and doth say as S. Paul doth That he hath the same mind to will and not to will it must necessarily follow that to such a man the obseruation of the will of God is to be full of gust since it is of gust to euery body to do that which they loue And this is so full of Truth as that if the very law of God could be lost it would be found writteÌ„ by the holy Ghost as it were in the bowells of these persons according to that which Dauid (e) Psal 39. sayth That the law of God is in the hart of the man that is iust that is in his will which is according to God And God himselfe sayd as much I (f) Ierem. 31. will put my law into the bowells of theÌ„ From hence it is that although there were no hell to threaten and no heauen to allure and no commaundment to oblige yet would this iust man do that which he doth for the pure loue of God For because the holy Ghost worketh in a man towards God that which nature worketh in the hart of a sonne towards his Father since by his gifte and by his grace we receaue the adoption of being the sonnes of God from hence I say it groweth that such a man like a tender harted Son doth reuere and serue God throgh the filiall loue which he carrieth towards him Vpon this doth also follow a perfect detestation of al sinne and a perfect hope which dispatcheth all feare sorrow away with speed as it may be done in this exile of ours and it enableth him to suffer paine and trouble not only with patience bâ—â— euen with ioy And by reason of the liberty which he hath both in respect of sinnes afflictions abhorring the former and louing the latter he may be called free and that vpon such a iust man there is no law imposed Euen so as if there were a mother who did much loue her sonne and would faine do much for him that law would be of no trouble to her which should commaund her to do those things towards him which her own maternall hart did induce her to And so this mother should not be placed vnder a law or vnder the trouble that she was put to but should rather be superiour to them since she performed that with alacrity which the law commaunded with authority In this sort do they of whom we haue spoken by fulfilling the law of Gods loue yea and there are many who do things to which they are tyed by no obligation their hart flaming vp into a hoater fyre of loue then the law doth any way oblige them to In this manner therefore that of S. Paul is (g) Gal. 5. to be vnderstood If you be conducted by the Spirit you are no more vnder the law Because (h) This liberty of Spirit is very different from the Protestant liberty of the ghospâ—ll by abhorring sinne and carrying a tender loue to that which the law commaundes and being ioyfull in tribulation which are all effects of being guided by the Spirit the law as hath byn sayd is no burthen to such But in breaking any of the commaundments of God or of his Church this Spirit doth instantly fly away as it is written That it departeth from the thoughtes of them who are without vnderstanding and that it shal be driuen out of a soule when sinne commeth into it And as then men are not carried by this holy Spirit so is it impossible but that they should be vnder that weight which the law imposeth vpon such as loue it not and who are weak in suffering affliction and subiect to returne to sinne Let (i) Heere ProtestaÌ„ts are playnly spoken to no man therfore affirme that when he breaketh the commaundment of God or of his Church he hath Iustice or liberty of spirit or loue of God in his soule since our Lord pronounceth him to be a slaue and no free man who committeth sinne And as there is no participation between light and darknes so neither is their any between God and him that worketh wickednes For as it is written The wicked man and his wickednes are detestable in the sight of God I haue giuen thee notice of this so blind errour in the nature of an example by meanes whereof thou maiest
all men yet many of them are in hell not through any fault of his redemption which is abundant but for want of their disposition to receiue it From hence therfore groweth thy despayre To this I answeare That although it be true which thou sayest yet doest thou not serue thy selfe wel thereof S Bernard telleth vs that towards 2 hauing the testimony of a good conscience which may giue a man the ioy of a good hope it sufficeth not to beâ—eeuâ— in generall That sinnes are pardoned by the death of Christ but it is also necessary to haue confidence and good coniectures that this pardon is applied in particuler to such a man by meanes of (b) Contrition Conseâ—â—ie and Sâ—â—â—ofaction those dispositions vvhich the Church doth teach For though he belieue the first part he may yet despayre but that he cannot do if he belieue the second for how can he despaire if he liue in hopes But (c) Behold the solution indeed thou oughtest to consider that it is high reason that when thou seest euen those bowells of the heauenly Father all open for the giuing to thee his sonne as he gaue him seeing that he was at such cost therein and that the diuine Lamb is already dead to the end that thou mayst feed vpon him and not dye thou art to driue from thee all pusillanimity and sloath procure to serue thy self of this Redemption with confidence that God will help thee to it And since for thy being pardoned there is no cause why Christ should put himselfe to new paines or to suffer heereafter more or lesse or to dye for thee any more why shouldest thou thinke it to be any desyre of his that since he hath beene at the charge of such a feast there should be want of guests to sit thereat But it is far from this nor is it his will That the sinner should dye but that he should be conuerted and liue And to the end that he might do so himselfe left his life vpon the Crosse And do not thou belieue that it is needfull for thee towardes the enioying of this Redemption to do any impossible thing yea or euen so hard as that thou shouldst despaire to go throgh with it euen when thou art considering thy weaknes Send but one cordiall sigh to God for hauing offended such a Father and haue thou a purpose of amendment and manifest thy sinnes to a Priest who may absolue thee and the eares euen of thy flesh and bloud shall for thy (d) It is a picture in little of the ioyes of heaueÌ„ which no man knowes but he that feels thâ—â—â— greater consolation heare the sentence which is giuen vpon the ending of thy suite Which shall certify thee in this manner I absolue thee from all thy sinnes in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost And (c) Note although it should seeme to thee that thy griefe for thy sinns were not so complete as it ought to be and that therefore thou art afrayd of thy selfe yet art thou not (f) So that yet thou be sorrv though imperfectly for that which is past and haue a firme purpose to auoyd the like in tyme to come to be afflicted thereat because the desire which our Lord hath of thy saluation is so great that he supplyeth our wants by the priuiledge which he gaue his Sacrament which maketh a man of attrite contrite And (g) Note yet againe if it seeme to thee that thou art not able to do euen so much I tell thee once for all that thou must not presume to do it of thy selfe but call vpon thy heauenly Father and beseech him by his Sonne Christ Iesus that he will help thee both to grieue for thy life past and to purpose an amendment for the tyme to come and to confesse thy selfe well and lastly for all that whereof thou hast need And (h) Deus cutus nâ—tâ—â—a bonitaâ—â— cutus Voluntas potentia cuâ—us opus misâ—râ— or dâ—◠〈◊〉 S. Leo. he is of such a nature as that there is no cause why we should expect any other thing at his hands then sweetnes and succour since he who giueth the pardon is the same who doth first inspire vs with a disposition to demand it And if withall this thou do not find comfort euen after hauing heard the sentence of absolution yet (i) In the seruice of God a man must haue a patient noble courage be not thou dismayed thereat nor giue ouer that which thou hast begun For if in one confession thou hadst no comfort thou shalt be sure of it in others and that shall be fullfilled in thee which was sayd by that penitent King (k) Psal â—0 Dauid Thou shalt giue ioy and comfort to myne eares my bones which are humbled shall reioyce It is certainly so that although the wordes of sacramentall absolution do not giue a man such a certainty of pardon as that he can beleeue (l) Not as an article of Faith it by fayth or know it by expresse euidence yet do they giue such repose and consolation as wherwith the powers of our soule may be recreated which by sinne were humbled and oppressed And let no man giue ouer to aske pardon for if he persist in his desire the Father of mercyes will go out to meete his prodigall sonne and will giue him pardon and will cloath him with the heauenly garment of grace and he will take pleasure to see him so recouered by pennance who was lost by sinne Nor (m) Note let any man thinke it to be incredible that God should liue with sinners vnder the laws of so great tendernes sweetnes which are penned by his owne goodnes most faythful loue since he executed lawes of so great rigour vpon his Sonne as that louing him as he loued himselfe and being the person that he was and paying for the iniquity but of others he did not yet acquit him of any one only sinne for which his iustice was to be satisfyed And for this reason as (n) A comparison which is both significaÌ„t sweet a Lyon who how fierce soeuer he be if he yet be satisfyed and fully fed doth no harme to inferiour creatures which yet he would swallow vp if he were hungry so the iustice of God being satisfyed with that which was payed by Iesus Christ that diâ—ine lambe he doth them no hurt whome he findeth â—o approach towards him that so they may be incorporated to his body nor doth he hinder his mercy from working in them according to his custome And from hence it groweth that insteed of being an angry iudge to vs he becommeth a Father full of paâ—ty CHAP. XXI He proceeds in the discourse of Gods mercy which he sheweth to them that cordially aske pardon This is a consideration of power to conquere all Despaire A Cup (a) What a hideous thing sin is if it be truly
Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
excellent lesson coÌ„cerning the strict examinatioÌ„ of our coÌ„science as it were into the chapter-house with thy selfe towardes night and iudge thy selfe very particulerly as thou wouldest do any third person Reprehend thy selfe and punish thy selfe for thy faultes and preach thou more to thy selfe then to any other body how much so euer thou loue him and where thou findest most fault there procure to apply most remedy For belieue me that by the continuance of this examen and reprehension of thy selfe thy thoughts cannot continue long without being reformed And thou shalt ariue to a science which will doe thee much good and it will make thee weepe not swell and it will keep thee from that dangerous infirmity of pride which entreth euen insensibly by little and little a man thinking well and taking contentement in himselfe Be very watchful against the approach there of and preserue thy selfe with all care Take not thy selfe into good conceite but know by the light of truth how to reprehend be displeasing to thy selfe and so the mercy of God wil be neere thee in whose right they only are pleasing who are displeasing in their owne And he pardoneth their faultes with a great liberality of goodnesse who know them and who humble themselues for them with (d) But it must be a true one a true iudgement and who lament them by their will Thou shalt also hereby decline two other vices which are the ordinary companions of pride and they are ingratitude sloth For by knowing and misliking thy defects thou wilt see thy weakenesse and thy vnworthynesse and the great mercy of God in suffering pardoning thee in bestowing benedictions vpon thee who hast deserued misery and by this meanes thou wilt be gratefull And on the other side considering the little good thou doest the many sinnes which thou committest thou wilt be awaked out of the sleepe of slouth and wilt euery day begin with new feruour to serue our Lord seing the little that thou hast done hitherto For this and many other benefittes which grow from a mans knowing and reproouing himselfe a holy old man of ancient tymes being asked whether a man might be more secure by seruing God in solitude or in company of others did answeare That is he knew how to reprehend himselfe he might be euery where safe and if not that he would be euery where in daÌ„ger And because through the inordinate loue which we beare our selues we cannot know or reprehend our selues with that vnpartiall iudgement which truth requires we must (e) A hard lesson but by the goodnes and grace of our Lord Ieâ—â—â— it is learâ—ed practised by 〈◊〉 in the Catholike Church thanke that person that doth it for vs. And we must earnestly beseech our Lord that himselfe will rebuke vs with loue bestowing vpon vs light and truth that so we may belieue of our selues as we ought in very deed to belieue And this is that which the prophet (f) Ierem. 10. Ieremy desired saying Correct me o Lord in iudgement and not in sury least otherwise thou do turne me into nothing To correct with fury doth belong to the last day when God will send the wicked to hell for their synnes and to correct in iudgement is to reprehend his children in this world with the loue of a Father Which reprehension carrieth a great testimony with it that God loueth such a person Nor is there any other so sure an one as that nor which bringeth so good newes as being the preface to vs of our receiuing great fauours from God So doth S. Marke relate that our Lord Iesus Christ appearing to his disciples did (g) Mare 10. reprehend them of incredulity and hardnesse of hart and then he after gaue them power to doe wonderfull thinges And the prophet (h) Isa 4. Isay sayth That our Lord doth wash away the vncleanes of the daughters of Sion and the bloud out of the middle of Hierusalem in the spirit of iudgement and in the spirit of heate Giuing vs so to vnderstand that for our Lord to wash way our faultes by comming to vs is first to make vs know who we are and this is iudgement And afterward he sendeth in a spirit of heate which is loue and that prouoketh vs to griefe and so he washeth vs giuing vs pardon by his grace Of this we must not presume to allow our selues any part of the glory since it is he who first gaue vs to vnderstand our owne wickednesse and rashnesse Nor (i) A description of that true â—orrow for sinne which is of God yet art thou to conceaue that this reprehension is any afflictiue kind of thing which may excessiuely oppresse thy soule by making it offensiue to thee For any such disposition as this is eyther of the Diuell or of a mans owne spirit and it must be fled But it is a quiet knowledge of a mans owne faultes and as a iudgâ—ment of heauen which is pronounced in the soule which makes this earth of our infirmity quake with shame and feare and loue which clappe spurres into the sides to make it mende to serue our Lord with greater diligence Yea it giues a man much confidence that our Lord loueth him as his sonne since he exerciseth the office of a Father with him as it is written And (k) Prou. 3. whom he loueth he correcteth Be therefore carefull to behold and reprehend and to present thy selfe in the presence of God before whom an humble acknowledgement of our owne faultes is a matter of more security then the proude altitude of any other science And be not like some who loue to haue themselues in good estimation who because they are loth to thinke ill of themselues they take pleasure in spending much tyme to thinke of other deuout thinges and to passe lightly ouer the knowledge of their owne defects because they find no sauour in them since they take no pleasure in the contempt of themselues Whereas in very Truth there is nothing so safe nor which so maketh God withdraw his sight from our sinnes as for vs to see and to reprehend them with griefe and pennance As it is written If we did iudge our selues we should not be iudged by God CHAP. LXIII Of the estimation which we are to make of our good works that we may not fayle thereby in the knowledge of our selues and of true Humility and of the meruailous example which Christ our Lord doth giue vs for this purpose THE second thing that thou art to obserue concerning this knowledge is that although it be good and profitable since therby we come to haue a contrite and humbled hart yet hath it this fault that it is euer grounded vpon our hauing committed sinne And it is not to be much meruailed at if a sinner do know and esteeme himselfe to be a sinner For being such he should withal be a hideous monster if he would esteem
that not only during the space of eightteen houres which passed in the tyme of thy sacred Passion but for the whole course of three and thirty yeares from one fiue and twentith of March when thou didst become incarnate till another fiue and twentith of March and eight dayes after when thy life did leaue thee vpon the Crosse Thy (d) The great loue of God to vs is exempliâ—ied by diuers comparisons and proofs of holy Scripture selfe did call thy selfe a Mother when speaking to Hierusalem thou didst say How often (e) Watt 23. would I haue gathered thy children vnder my winges as the Hen doth her chickens but thon wouldest not And to giue vs to vnderstand that thy hart doth carry a particuler loue and tendernes towards vs thou didst compare thy selfe to a Hen which is the creature that is content in extraordinary manner to cast away her comfort and to afflict her selfe for that which concerneth her little ones Nor only art thou like the Hen in this but thou exceedest both that all other mothers in the world as by (f) Isa 49. Isay thy selfe didst say A mother perhaps may forget the sonne of her wombe well yet though she forget him I will not forget thee for I haue written thee in my handes and thy walles do euer stand before me Who O Lord shall be able though he dig neuer so deep to discouer those vnspeakable secrets of loue and sorrow which are in thy hart Thou doest not content thy selfe O Lord with carrying the lone of a Father towardes vs which might only be strong and patient in suffering the afflictions and troubles of a Father but to the end that no delightfull comfort might be wanting to vs not no vexation to thy selfe thou wouldst needs be also a Mother to vs in the tendernes of thy affection which causeth an vnspeakable kind of loue towards her children Yea and more art thou to vs then a Mother for of no Mother haue we read that to the end she might stil remember her sonne she hath written a booke whereof hard nayles of iron were the pen and her owne handes the paper and that by pressing those handes and passing them through with the nayles bloud may issue out insteed of inke which with grieuous payne may giue testimony of the great internall loue not suffering that to be forgotten which still she carryeth in her hands And if this which thou didst endure vpon the Crosse by hauing handes and feet so nayled to it be a thing which exceedeth all loue of Mothers who (g) Christ lesus our Lord became vpon the Crosse as it were a woman in trauaile shall recount that great loue and great griefe wherewith thou drewest all men into the wombe of thy hart groaning deeply for their sins with the groanes of labour like them of child-birth And that not for an houre nor for a day alone but for the whole tyme of thy life which lasted three and thirty yeares till at length like another Rachel thou diedst of trauell vpon the Crosse to the end that (h) Genes 35. Beniamin might be borne aliue The serpents which thou carriedst within thy selfe did giue thee O Lord such gripes that they made thee burst vpon the Crosse to the end that at the price of thy paines those serpents might be conuerted into the simplicity mildnesse of lambes and that in exchange of thy death they might obtaine a life of grace How iustly O Lord mayst thou cal men if thou considerest what thou hast suffered for them the Sonns of thy griefe as Rachel called her sonne since the griefe which their sinnes gaue thee was greater then the pleasure which they tooke by committing them And greater was thy humility and that breach of thy hart then the irreuerence and pride was which they expressed against the most high God when they offended him by breaking his law that so thy paines might ouercome our sinnes as the greater do the lesse More (i) The incomparable griefe of Christ our Lord for sinne is excellently desaâ—ibed O Lord did the sinnes of others grieue thee then any man hath bin euer grieued for his owne And if we read of some who had so great repentance for their sinnes as that their hart not being able to conteyne such griefe it did cost them their liues what sorrow was prouoked in thee by that vnmeasurable loue which thou didst carry both to God and man since one sparke of the same lone being cast into the harts of those others did oppresse them in such sort that it made them breake as if they had bin blowen vp with powder Of many we reade and we know that by hauing heard a newes which was very painefull to them did loose their liues And tell vs now O Lord for thy mercy how thou hadst force to out-liue such a bitter newes when all the sinnes of all mankind were first presented to thee thou louing men much more then any man euer loued another yea or euen himself Especially when thou didest coÌ„sider know that the misery which was hanging ouer theÌ„ for the same was greater then any other that could happen And where O Lord didst thou get strength to endure to see thy diuinity oftended and yet to liue since the loue which thou bearest both to it and men did exceed all measure Yet didst thou liue O Lord when thou heardst this newes yea and thou didst liue with the griefe thereof all the dayes of the life But vnles particuler force had bin giuen thee for the enduring of such sorrow it would not haue fayled to haue brought death vpon thee as lesse sorrow hath brought it vpon others So that O Lord they are many and not one only debt which I owe thee And although in regard of these sorrowes which as a mother thou didst endure for men with much reason thou mayst tearme them the sonnes of thy griefe as hath bin said yet as thou also art their Father thou mayst call them also the sonnes of thy right hand as (k) Gen. 35. Iacob did Because (l) The reformation of men doth manifest the power of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. in them is expressed and declared the greatnesse of thy hand which is thy power since thou drawest them out of sinne and dost place them in the state of grace euen in this life and at the later day shalt ranke them vpon thy right hand that so they may accompany thee in glory Being seated there in great security of repose as thou art O Lord at the right hand of thy Father where thou wilt esteeme all that which thou hast laboured and suffered for them to be well imployed CHAP. LXXXI Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawn out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other pointes and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise YF thou
obteineth blessings for vs of greater weight then would haue been if he had but freed vs only from any paynâ— whatsoeuer CHAP. LXXXIX That sinne doth not remaine in iust Persons but that the guilt of sinne is destroyed in them and that they are cleane and acceptable to God IS it possible that the blindnesse of some can arriue so farre as to thinke that the fauour of Christ Iesus reacheth to this that from them in whome they say that sinne it selfe doth still remayne yet not only the punishment is remooued but that also for as much as they say they are incorporated into Iesus Christ who is so beloued by his Father they are beloued and are asceptable and cleane because Christ is so Wel howsoeuer it may seeme to them that it is to honour Iesus Christ to (a) Behold the pleasing mask of this erâ—ourâ— but looke on a little you shall see it taken off thinke so higly of the loue which his Father beareth him as that it â—uercometh the detestation which he carrieth to those persons in whom sinne remaines yet such honour as this is wholy contrary to true honour and to the truth of holy Scripture It (*) Note would certainly be no honour for a Iudge that he should for beare to punish or that he should fauour wicked persons because they dwell with his Sonne For it would appeare thereby both that such a Sonne were no perfect louer of vertue in that he so louâ—d wicked â—â—ruants and that the Pather were no louer of Iustice since he tolerated and loued them whom he ought to punish without any partiall respect They who are to be the acceptable seruantâ— of Christ our Lord must not haue the guilt of â—ortail sinne in their harts since he is the head which giueth the influxe into them as into liuing members of his spirit and grace whereby they leade a life estranged from sinne and like to his For a horrible corporall Monster would that be which should haue the head of a man and the body of a brute beast And (b) They make ous Lord a kind of monster who maâ—â— his liuing memberâ— vncleane sinnefull so would it be a kind of spirituall monster that vnder a head which were iust and pure and full of vertues there should be liuing members which yet were so very contrary to it The branches are fresh and full of fruit when they liue in the vine And by this comparison our Lord was pleased that we should vnderstand that the members which are incorporated to him by grace are like those others enioying benefittes of their owne which they receiue from him and by him that so it may be accomplished which S. Paul (c) Rom. 8. saith That it is ordained by God that they who are to be saued should be conforme to the image of his Sonne But how can there now be a resemblance betweene that head which euer kept the commaundements of his Father and those members which though they may be pardoned (d) By imputation only as the Protestants say not by any inherent iustice and iustifyed are still breaking with a perfect breach the first and the ninth commandment of God Nor is there any participation betweene goodnesse wickednesse nor betweene Christ and such as breake the commaundments of his Father For as much as himselfe did preach That not euery one who should call him Lord Lord should enter into the Kingdome of heauen but he that would do the will of his Father And so far off is it from truth that the fauour of Christ is to be thus vnderstood That they who breake the commaundments should be in the grace eyther of God or of him as that our Lord himselfe sayd Yf (c) Iean 15. you keepe my commaundments you shall remayne in my loue as I haue kept the commaundements of my Father and do remayne in his loue Now who is he that will hope that whilest he breakes the commaundments he is beleued by the Father in respect of Iesus Christ since Christ by keeping those commaundments doth remaine in the loue of his Father (f) But ProtestaÌ„ts would faine mak theÌ„selues belieue that there were no necessity of keeping the commandements and yet forsooth that God and they did loue one another very hartily Without doubt the slaue shall not be loued but by the same way that the Sonne was loued nor will God imbrace with his grace and loue but such as shall keep the commaundments as hath euidently byn already shewed And to the end that no man may be deceiued in this when he had formerly said Be (g) Ioan. 15. you in me and I wil be in you he added afterward Be you in my loue And to declare what it was to be in him and in his loue he said Yf you shal be in me and my wordes be in you whatsoeuer thinge you would obteine you shall aske and it shal be giuen you So that whosoeuer disobayeth his wordes must not thinke that he is in his loue nor that he is incorporated into his body as a liuing member For this sentence of holy Scripture standeth fast The (h) Sap. 4. wicked man and his wickednes is abhorred by God And to declare how they who are his are not to be abhorred but euen in themseues to be loued he sayd to his disciples I say not now that I will pray to the Father for you for (i) The eternall Father doth not only pardon vs for the loue of Christ but when we are iustifyed he doth loue our very selues the Father himselfe doth loue you because you haue loued and haue belieued that I came from him As if he had sayd A (k) Ioan. 14. 16. whyle since I sayd I will pray to the Father and he will giue you another comforter but do not you conceaue that I will so pray for you as in the world a man desires his friend sometyms to bestow somewhat vpon some others to whome that friend is not a friend so that which he giueth them is only because he loueth the man much that intreateth him and those others are as far from being beloued and accepted as they were before But heere it is not so For the Father loueth you in regard that you haue loued and belieued me and you are pleasing to him and you haue leaue as people which is beloued by his loue of your selues and which enioyeth grace and iustice which is your owne to appeare in his high presence and to aske all that whereof you haue need in my name And that which I aske of him for you is as for people that is beloued and to which the Father doth impart his blesings both because I desire them and because I desire them for you Such are they whome Iesus Christ doth carry incorporated with himselfe as liuing members and for whome he obtained grace whereby they might be pleasing to the Father when they had it not and
handes And this they expect vnder such a title of more iustice as that if he deny them any thinge they are complaining in their hartes and do hold themselues agrieued why lest they forsooth seruing him so well he doth them not iustice by denying them any thing Let not this wicked pride seize on thee for (h) How God abhorreth Pride it is now long since God complaineth of it by Isay (i) Isa 58. saying They demaund the iudgements of iustice at my handes and they come to God and say Why haue we fasted and yet thou hast not behold vs we haue humbled our soules and thou hast not appreoued it But to the end that this so dangerous poison may not infuse it selfe into thy soule with others which do also flow frō thēce thou art to lay hold vpon that excellent doctrine which our Lord Christ Iesus deliuered in S. Luke after this manner Which of you hauing a seruant who goeth to plow feedes the cattell and your selfe comming from the field you say instantly to your seruant Goe thy wayes and take thyne ease and doth not rather say Go dresse my supper and make thy selfe ready to come and serue me till I haue eaten and drunke and then thou also shalt cate and drinke Doth peraduenture that maister stand thanking of his seruant for doing those thinges which he commaunded I thinke not Well then let it be so in your case and when you haue performed all those thinges which are inioyned say We are vnprofitable seruants and we did but that which we were obliged to From these wordes thou art to fetch a knowledge of how profitable a consideration it is for a Christian to hold himselfe the slaue of God since our Lord commaundeth vs so to call our selues And yet this must not be done with that kind of hart wherewith the slaue vseth to serue which is a hart of feare and not of loue For as S. Paul (k) Rom. 8. sayth You did not againe receaue the spirit of seruitude in feare but you receiued the spirit of adoption of the sonnes of God wherein you cry out to God say Father Father For as S. Augustine saith the difference betweene the old law and the Ghospell in a word is that which is betweene feare and loue Leauing therefore a part (l) To serue God for feare is lesse good to do it for loue is excellent this spirit of seruility because it belongeth not so properly to the sonnes of God and the spirit also of (m) He speaketh heere of filial fear feare as lesse perfect though it be not cuill since it is the gift of God to feare him euen for the punishments which he inflicteth do thou vnderstand by the name of seruant a person who is subiect to God by more strong and iust obligation then any slaue can be to his Lord how deare soeuer he haue cost him And (n) A faythfull and louing seruant well described looking euer vpon this whatsoeuer he doth well eyther within himselfe or exteriourly he will do it for the glory and to giue gust to God as a true-harted slaue will giue a iust account vnto his Lord of whatsoeuer he is able to gaine So also wil he forbeare to be slack or sluggish in seruing him vpon the present day notwithstanding that he had serued many yeares before Nor will he hold himselfe disobliged from the doing of one seruice in respect that he hath done another But as the holy (o) Luc. 17. Ghospell saith he carrieth a continuall hungar and thirst after iustice For he esteemeth all to be little considering both the much that he hath receaued and which the Lord in whose seruice he is hath merited By this meanes doth he accomplish that which S. Paul (p) Philip. ◠saith of himselfe That forgetting those things which were past he gaue himselfe new spirites towardes the pursuite of that which was then to come He doth also know that from those thinges which he is able to do how great so euer they may be no profit accreweth vnto God nor is God obliged to esteem that which he doth if the works be considered as growing from our naturall power and strength since a man is not able to pay euen what he oweth And therefore doth the holy (q) Luc. 17. Ghospell say When you haue done all those thinges which you haue beene commanded say We are vnprofitable seruants and we did but that which we were bound to do I say (r) How the best man is indeed an vnprofitable seruant and in what sense againe he is not so vnprofitable in respect of God but for as much as concerneth themselues they gaine life eternall as shal be shewed in the next Chapter And in this sort vnderstanding the name of slaue thou wilt find it to be a name of humility of obedience of diligence and of loue And this feeling thereof had the sacred Virgin Mary when being taught by the Holy Ghost she (s) The vnspeakeable humility of the incōprehensible virgin Mary the B. Mother of God answered Behould (t) Luc. 1. heere is the slaue of our Lord let that be fulfilled in me which is agreeable to his word She confesseth her owne basenes she offereth vp her loue and seruice with a liberall hart without ascribing any thing vnto her selfe by way of any other honour or interest then only in being carefull to serue as a slaue in that which our Lord was commanding her for his glory All this did she feele within and this did she outwardly expresse by deliuering her selfe in the name of slaue S. Paul doth call himselfe and prize himselfe by this name when he (u) Rom. 1. sayth Paul the slaue of Iesus Christ And in a word so are al they who serue God to acknowledg themselues whether they be high or low vnles they be content that euen the seruice which they are doing proue to be of more preiudice then aduantage to them Procure therefore to profit by this truth and thou shalt find a powerfull remedy against the danger which groweth by occasion of good workes not (x) There is no danger in good workes but in the vanity of mans hart who doth them from the workes themselues but by the imperfection of such as do them And vse thou to say both with thy mouth and with thy hart very often I am (y) A iust and true acknowledgement which ought to be made by the hart and tongue of all true Christiās the slaue of God and I am so because God is that which he is and for a thousand millions of benefits which I haue receaued from his hand And how much soeuer I might do for him I should neuer be able to pay the least of those paces which he being made man did make for me nor the least of those torments which he endured for me nor the least sinne which he hath pardoned nor any other which he hath preuented
to be despised or cast of for his infirmityes but to be endured pittied and relieued Now by that which passeth in himselfe as well in suffering afflictions as in desiring the redresse thereof let him learne to know what his neighbour feeleth who is made of the same frayle nature and let him behold and support and releeue him with the same compassion wherewith he beholdeth and desireth that himselfe may be releeued in like case and so shall that be accomplished which the (b) Eccles 31. Scripture sayth The thinges of thy neighbour vnderstand thou of thy selfe For otherwise what thinge can be more abhominable then for a man to haue pitty of his owne infirmities and to shew rigour towards them of others to desire that al men should endure him with a great deale of patience his owne errours seeming small whylest himselfe will haue no patience with others but make of euery moate of theirs a beame A man who desireth that all men would looke on him and comfort him whylest himselfe will be carelesse and curst to others deserueth not to be called a man since he beholdes not men with the eyes of a man which it becomes to be full of pitty The holy Scripture (c) Prou. 10. sayth To haue a weight and a weight a measure and a measure is an abomination before God Giuing vs so to vnderstand that he who hath (d) Note a great measure wherewith to receaue and another little one wherewith to giue is disagreable to the eyes of his diuine Maiesty And his punishment shall be that since he would not measure to his neighbour with that mercy wherewith he would be measured to God will measure to him with that cruell and straite measure wherewith he measured to his neighbour For it is written That (e) Matt. 7. with the same measure wherewith you measure it shal be measured to you agayne and iudgement without mercy shal be shewed to him who sheweth not mercy And (f) An excellent aduice therefore thou O Virgin in whatsoeuer condition thou seest thy neighbour consider what thou wouldst feele in thy selfe and what thou desirest that others should feele concerning thee if to thee that thinge should happen and with the same eyes which passe through thy selfe haue thou compassion of him and giue him remedy in what thou mayst and so God will measure vnto thee with the same measure of piety wherewith thou measurest to him According to his owne wordes Blessed (g) Matt. 5. are the mercifull for they shall obteine mercy And thus shalt thou draw the knowledge of thy neighbour out of the knowledge of thy selfe and thou wilt be compassionate towardes all men CHAP. XCV That from the knowledge of the loue which Christ beareth to vs we are to draw a reason for louing our neighbours CONSIDER (a) By the consideration of the loue of Christ our Lord to our Neighbours we shall be draâ—n to loue them teâ—derly now how thou art to draw this loue of thy neighbours out of the knowledg of Christ Consider with how great mercy the sonne of God made himselfe man for the loue of men and with how great care he did throughout his whole life procure their good and with how excessiue both loue and griefe he offered his life for them vpon the Crosse And as by reflecting vpon thy selfe thou didst behold thy neighbour with humane and gentle eyes so considering Christ thou wilt behould him (b) An excellent consideratioÌ„ sweet and solid with Christian eyes that is with such eyes as wherwith he was pleased to behould thee For if Christ remaine in thee thou wilt haue the same sense or feeling of thinges which he had and thou wilt see with how great reason thou art obliged to tolerate thy Neighbours fraylty whom he loued and esteemed as the head doth his body as the spouse his fellow-spouse as a brother his brethren and as an indulgent Father his children Beseech thou our Lord that he will open thyne eyes wherewith thou mayst see that inflamed fire of loue which burnt in his hart when he went vp to the Crosse for the good of all men little and great good and bad past present and to come yea euen for them who then were in the act of crucifying him And consider again that this loue of his is not growne cold but that if the first death were not sufficient for our remedy with the same loue would he dye againe wherwith then he dyed And as he offered himselfe corporally once to his Father so doth he often make this oblation by actes of will and with the selfe same loue Come (c) He lâ—ueth not Christ who loueth not his neighbour whome Christ did so deerely loue now and tell me who is he that can find in his hart to be cruell to them to whome Christ was so full of pitty How shall he find a way to desire euill to one whose good and saluation is so desired by God It cannot be spoken nor written what a profound and tender loue is engendred in the hart of a Christian who considereth not his neighbours according to externall respects such as are riches or kinred or the like but as parts of the very bowels of Christ Iesus and as a thing knit to Christ by all the bandes both of kinred and friendship How then can it seeme much to thee that a man who is a louer of Christ shold loue his neighbours considering that they are his very mysticall body and that the same Lord hath sayd by his owne mouth That the good or bad which he shall do to his Neighbour our Lord receaueth it as done to himselfe And from the deep consideration of these words the (d) A man that considereth christ our Lord in his neighbour will not only loue that Neighbour but reuere him good Christian growes to conuerse amongst his neighbours with a certaine profound reuerence and with a deep and tender loue and with a smooth kind of meeknes by hauing patience with them and by a watchfull care not to offend or hurt them but rather to profit and please them For it seemeth to him that he is conuersing with Christ himselfe since he beholdeth him in them to whome in his very hart he doth esteeme himselfe more a slaue then if they had bought him by some mighty summe of money For considering that deere price which Christ Iesus payd for man when he purchased him vpon the Crosse with his precious bloud what can such an one be able to do but to offer himselfe all to the seruice of Christ desiring that some occasion were presented wherin he might expresse the gratitude and loue he beareth to him And when he heareth this from the mouth of God If thou loue me feed me sheep and againe He that receaueth one of these little ones receaueth me and He that sheweth workes of mercy to one of them doth shew them to me he I say doth esteeme it for
afflictions most gladly didst thou resolue to suffer them because thereby thou diddest remoue ours Thou art he who saidst to thy beloued (b) Lue. 22. Apostles a little before thy Passion With (c) Note wonder at these wordes desyre haue I desyred to cate this paschall with you before I suffer Thou art he who saidst before (d) Lue. 12. I came into the world that I might bring fyre what do I desyre but that it should burne With a baptisme I am to be baptized and how am I straitned till it be effected This fyre of the loue of thee which thou desyrest may be kindled till it may inflame and burne vs wholy vp and till it transforme vs into thee thou still art blowing by the blessings which by thy life thou bestowedst on vs thou makest it burne by the death which thou enduredst for vs. And who amongst vs is so well natured as that he would haue loued thee vnles thou hadst died for the loue of vs therby to giue vs life who are dead for lacke of louing thee But now who wil be wood so cold and moist as that seeing thee so faire and flourishing a tree wherof whosoeuer doth eate shall liue to be thus kindled vpon the Crosse burnt vp by that fyre of tormentes which they gaue thee and yet more by that loue wherewith thou sufferedst them he will not yet be kindled now at last to loue thee and to do it euen to the death Who wil be so deadly obstinate as to shut himselfe vp against that importunate (e) Our Lord Iesus doth make no other suit to vs but that we will loue him only it must be with true loue request wherein thou didst persist from the tyme that thou wert borne of the wombe of the B. Virgin and that she tooke thee into her armes and layd thee in the maunger till the same handes and armes of hers tooke thee agayne when being dead thou wert taken from the Crosse and wert deliuered ouer to the holy Sepulcher as into another wombe Thou (f) Note didst burne thy selfe that we might not freeze in the cold Thou didst weep that we might reioyce Thou didst suffer that we might repose and thou wert baptized euen by the sheading of thy bloud that we might be washed from our sinnes and yet thou saydst withall O Lord How do I liue in the straitnes of affliction till this Baptisme be accomplished Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand what an imflamed desire thou hadst to giue vs remedy though thou knewest that it would cost thee thy life And as the Spouse desireth the day of his marriage that he may enioy his end so doest thou desire the day of thy Passion to deliuer vs by thy paynes from our miseryes One houre O Lord did seeme to thee a thousand years till thou camest to dye for vs conceauing that thy life would be well imployed if it were laid downe for thy seruantes And because that which is desired doth carry ioy after it when it is accomplished it is no meruaile if the day of thy Passion be called the day of thy ioy since it was so desired by thee And (g) The vast loue of God in Christ our Lord. although the griefe of that day were excessiue in so much as it is sayd in thy person O all you that passe by the way attend and see if there be any griefe like myne yet the loue which flamed in thy hart was incomparably greater For if it had been needfull in respect of our good that thou shouldst haue passed throgh a thousand tymes as much as that and that thou shouldst haue continued vpon the Crosse till the end of the world thou didst place thy selfe vpon it with firme determination to do and suffer whatsoeuer might haue beene necessary for our remedy So that thou didst loue more then thou didst suffer and more was thy loue able to preuaile with thee then the want of loue in those wretches that did torment thee So then did thy loue remaine conquerour and that being so liuely a flame those great riuers of many afflictions that came against thee were not able to quench it And therefore although the torments gaue thee sorrow and sound griefe yet thy loue tooke pleasure in that benefit which we were to receaue thereby For this it is called the day of the ioy of thy hart this day did AbrahaÌ„ see he reioyced not that he wanted compassion of thy paines but because he saw that the world was to be redeemed by them In this day therefore Go forth you daughters of Sion you being the soules who behold God from the tower of Fayth to see your peace-making King who by his affliction goeth no conclude the desired peace Looke I say vpon him since your eyes were giuen you for that purpose And amongst all the ornaments of his espousall which he weareth looke vpon that crown of thornes which his diuine head doth carry Which although it were platted and put on by those of the Court of Pilate who were Gentills yet is his Mother sayd to haue placed it vpon his head which Mother in that sense was the Synagogue of the race wherof Christ descended according to the flesh For by the accusation of the Synagogue and at the will therof Christ was so tormented Now (h) A strange kind of marriage if any man say that this is a new kind of ornament for a spouse to weare a dolorous crowne insteed of a garland for ornaments of handes and feet sharpe nayles which might passe and pierce them through scourges insteed of a girdle and the hayre of his head and face glued togeather with his owne bloud his sacred beard pulled off from his cheekes and they discoloured with buffeting and that soft bed which in the case of persons newly espoused vse to be filled with pretious odours being conuerted into a bitter Crosse and that erected in place where malefactours were put to death what hath this extreme abasement to do with the ornaments of an espousall What hath this being accompanied by theeues to do with being in the society of friends who should ioy in doing honour to the new spouse What fruit or musickâ—â— or pleasure may it be which heere we see since the Mother and the friends of the spouse do ease griefe and drinke teares and the Angells of peace weepe bitterly There is nothing further off from an espousall then all that which heere appeareth But yet this nouelty is not to be wondered at because the Spouse and the manner of the espousall is all new Christ is a new man both because he is without sinne and because he is both God man and we are they whome he espouseth to himselfe we who are deformed poore and full of misery and this he doth not to permit vs to remaine so but to kill that which is euill in vs and to impart to vs that which is good in him For this
the excesse of admiration and amazement And if this would happen to such as in their owne person had not receiued this benefit from the King but by the only thinking what he had done for another man what may be belieued that it would worke in the hart of that very slaue vnlesse he were franticke for whome that King should so haue dyed Doest thou not thinke that such a knocke of loue as this would awake him would change him would so entitely captiue him to the loue of that King as that he could neuer get leaue of himselfe to conceaue his prayses nor thinke of his merits but with teares Nor employ himselfe vpon any other thing then the expressing of supreme gratitude and loue by doing and suffering for him all that possibly he could Hast thou heard this Parable which in the world did neuer take effect Then (m) A miserable man thou art if this do not mouethee to the very soule know That what the Kings of the earth haue not done that very thing hath beene done by Christ Iesus the King of heauen Of whom S. Iohn (n) Apoc. 19. sayth That in his thigh he carryed this title written King of Kinges and Lord of Lordes For euen as he is man as he hath taken humane nature which is signifyed by the word Thigh so great is his altitude as that it surmounteth all Lords Kings created not only them of this world but (o) The celestiall spirits also of heauen Enioying a Name which is aboue all Names and a height and power of dominion aboue all the highest men and Angells Behold this height which hath no equall and cast downe they eyes to behold that (p) The infinite God for base and sinnefull man basenes for which it suffers And thou wilt see as S. Paul sayth That (q) Rom. 1. we are weake and wicked and traitours against God and his enemyes Which titles are of so much dishonour basenes as that they cast a man backe and downe into the hindmost place and into the lowest price that can be set vpon any creature Since there is nothing so base as to be wicked nor nothing so wicked as a sinner is in respect that he is such Comparing therfore these extremes which are so different of so high a king and so wicked slaues behold now the much that he loued them Come (r) If thou refuse this inuitatioÌ„ thou art vndone hither into the hart of our Lord and if thou haue the eyes of an Eagle heere in matter for them to worke vpon Nay they will not serue thy turne to make thee sufficiently see the brightly burning high heaped loue which inhabited that most holy soule with such extent and latitude that although those highest Angells of heauen for the great power which they haue to Loue are called Seraphims which signifyeth that they are set on fire yet if they had come to mount Caluary at the time when our Lord did suffer there his excessiue loue would haue cast them into wonder in comparison whereof their owne would haue bin no more then meere tepidity For as that most sacred soule possesseth greater altitude and honour then can be had by any other eyther in heauen or earth for as much as instantly vpon the creation thereof it was vnited to the person of the Word of God so was the Holy Ghost infused into it beyond all measure and such degrees of grace and loue were giuen to it that neither they could increase nor could the soule contayne more So that it is with great reason applyed to this most holy soule which is written The (Å¿) Cant. 1. King did place me in the cellar of wine and in me he ordayned Charity Or as we read in another translation he placed his Ensigne or Banner of loue vpon me For in regard that this soule as soon as it was created did clearly see the Diuine Essence and was carryed to it with an vnspeakable force of loue the banner of holy loue was planted on it To giue vs to vnderstand that this soule was the most ouercome by loue that euer man or Angell was either in Heauen or on Earth And (t) They only conquer who are captiued by the loue of our Lord Iesus because in the warre of the loue of God he that is most ouercome is most worthy and most valiant and most happy therefore doth this most blessed soule carry the Ensigne of loue which standes vpon it That al they may know who either on Earth or in Heauen do pretend to loue God that they must follow the conduct of this Lord if they meane to do it well as the disciple would do his maister or the soldiar his captaine since he exceedeth them all in loue as he exceedeth them otherwise in dominion Now since so great a fire of loue was lodged in that most sacred soule it is (u) If thy hart loue deeply it will find meanes to expresse iâ— selfe not strange if the flame fly out and scorch and burne the cloaths which are his most sacred body which was loaden with such torments as giue testimony of the interiour loue For it is written Who shall be able to carry fire in his bosome and that his garment should not be burnt And when thou shalt see that in the exteriour they guide in his handes with cruell ropes thou art to vnderstand that within he is taken prisoner by the nets of loue which are so much stronger then those other as chaynes of iron are beyond threeds of flaxe This (x) Shall we not paâ— such loue with loue loue this was it which defeated him which ouer cam him which tooke him which tost him from Iudge to Iudge and from the torment of scourges to the torment of cruell thornes and which cast the Crosse vpon him first and which carryed him to Mount Caluary where he was after cast vpon the Crosse There stretcht he out his armes abroad to be crucifyed in token that his hart had beene opened by his loue and that so widely towardes all as that the brightly burning and puissant beames of loue did sally out from the center of his hart and went to determine themselues vpon euery (y) wherof thou and I are two man in particuler both such as were past such as were present such as were to come offering vp his life for the good of them all And if (z) Note the high Priest do exteriourly carry the names of the (a) Eâ—â—d 28. twelue Sonnes of Israel written both vpon his shoulders and vpon his breast much more excellently doth this Priest of ours carry men vpon his shoulders by suffering for men And he carryeth them also written in (b) And our Lord make vs able to write him iâ—â—â—tâ— his hart for he doth so cordially loue them that if the first Adam sold them all for an apple and if they sel themselues at a base price and if so
they grow indeed to hate themselues through the loue they haue of being wicked this enamoured Lord doth so highly prize them so much loue them that to redeeme them out of such a miserable captiuity he gaue himselfe as a price for them In testimony that he loueth them more then they are beloued by any other or then they know how to loue themselues CHAP. LXXIX Of the burning Loue wherewith Christ Iesus loued God and men for God from which loue as from a fountatine that did spring which he suffered in the exteriour and that also which he suffered in the interiour which was much more then the other IF the hart of man be so wicked as Ieremy (a) Ierem. 17. sayd as that God only can tell how to sift it that the more deep a man diggs in that rotten wall the more abhominable filthines is discouered as was shewed in figure to (b) Ezech. 8. Ezechiel with how much more reason may we say that since the hart of Iesus Christ our Lord is more good then any other can be wicked there is none who can wholy diue into it but only the same Lord whose it is It is worthy of admiratiō and which in reason ought to robbe vs euen of our very soules and to bind vs as slaues to God to consider the excessiue loue of his hart which did expresse it selfe in suffering the whole course of that Passion and death for vs as we haue shewed But if thou digge yet deeper with the light of heauen in thy hand and do looke neere into this (c) The hart of our Lord Iesus is the Reliquary the loue is the Relique Reliquary of God which is so full of vnspeakable secrets thou wilt discerne such effects of loue as will cast thee into more wonder then any outward thing belonging to the passion For this purpose thou art to remember how in the towne of Bethsaida our Lord being in the cure of a deafe man the Ghospell sayth That he cast vp his sacred eyes to heauen and he sighed deeply and that then he cured the patient That groaning sigh which carryed an exteriour sound was but one and it might passe in a short tyme but it was a witnes of another sigh yea and of many profound internall sighes and which lasted not only for a short tyme but for months yeares For thou art to vnderstand how that most holy soule in being created and infused into the body in that virgineall wombe of our Blessed Lady did then behold the diuine essence which for the height therof is called heauen with great reason as clearly as now it doth And in seeing it it did iudge that it was worthy of all honour and seruice and so it desired all honour to it with that vnspeakeable force of loue wherwith it was endued And although the ordinary law for such as see God clearly be this that they must be blessed both in body and soule and be subiect to no kind of payne yet to the end that we might be redeemed by the pretious afflictions of our Lord it (d) See the inuentiōs of the loue the God was ordeined that felicity and ioy should remaine in the superiour part of his soule should not redound into the inferiour part or into his body renouncing all that sense of happines which so iustly was due vnto it for the accepting and suffering of that paine to which we were liable Now if that most holy soule who cast the eyes of the vnderstanding vp to the heauen of the diuinity had not had any other thing but that to looke vpon it could not haue been capable of payne since God is such a Good that nothing can grow from the sight of him but loue and ioy But for as much as he saw all the sinnes which then had bin committed by men from the beginning of the world and (e) So that then he saw all and euery of my sins and al thy sinnes those also which would be committed euen to the end of it his griefe was fully as internall and as profound to see that heauen of the Diuine Maiesty offended as his desyre was that it should be serued And (f) The infinite desire which our Lord Iesus had that God should be serued as infinite griefe that he is offēded as no man is able to reach to the greatnesse of that defire so neither can any man arriue to the greatnes of that griefe For the holy Ghost which is figured in (g) Note this griefe loue fyre which was giuen him beyond all measure did inflame him to loue God with an incomprehensible (h) Ioan. 11. loue and the same Holy Ghost which is also figured in a (l) Luc. 19. Doue did make him bitterly lament to see him offended whome he loued after such an ineffable manner But to the end that thou maist see how this knife of griefe which passed through the hart of our Lord did not only wound him on the one syde but that it was doubly and most sharply edged remember that the same Lord who looking vp to heauen did deeply sigh did also weepe both ouer Lazarus and ouer Hierusalem And then as S. Ambrose saith it is not to be wondred at that he greiued for all since he wept for one So that to see God offended and to see men destroyed by sinne was a (k) Our Lord graunt vs one touch of this knife vpō our harts by the merits of his knife with a double edge which did most lamentably pierce his hart through the inestimable loue which he bare to God as God and to men for his sake desiring to make satisfaction to the honour of God and to obtaine a remedy for men how deerly soeuer it should cost him O (l) The vnspeakable affliction of our Lord Iesus in his sacred Passion most blessed Iesus to see thee tormented exteriourly in thy body doth euen breake the hart of a Christian but to see thee so tormented and defeated inwardly with such deadly griefe there is no eye there is no force that can endure it Three nayles O Lord did breake through thy handes and feet with excessiue paine and more then seauenty thornes they say did pierce thy diuine head thy buffetts and thy affrontes were very many and the cruell scourget which that most delicate body of thyne receiued they say did passe the number of fiue thousand By occasion of these and many other grieuous torments which concurred in thy passion which no man arriueth to vnderstand but thou that feltest them it was said in thy person long before O all you that passe by the way obserue and see if there be any griefe like myne And yet nowithstanding all this thou whose loue hath no limit didst both seeke and sind new inuentions for the drawing and feeling within thy seife certaine paynes which exceeded those nailes and scourges and tormentes which exteriourly thou didst endure and which continued
Hier. 18. saith That if we depart from doing his will he will also repent himselfe of the good he promised Not that God can repent since he is not capable of any change but his meaning is That as one who repenteth himselfe doth vndoe the thing which he had done so will he discharge the sentence of punishment which he had giuen against a man if he do pennance and he will retract that promise which he made of doing him good if that man depart from him CHAP. LXXXIIII What a man is of his owne stock and of the great benefits that we enioy by Iesus Christ our Lord. RETVRNING then to our purpose it is plaine how well this law and practise is fulfilled by Almighty God He heareth and he seeth since he did so soone heare the prayer and see the teares of this (a) Ezechias King And did comfort him not only him but the same he doth to others as Dauid (b) Psal 33. saith The eyes of our Lord are vpon iust persons and his eares are bent towards their prayers to deliuer their soules from death and to susteyne them in tyme of hunger I well belieue that thou likest well this word and yet I belieue also that the cōdition vnder which it is said doth put thee into some feare A blessed thing it is that the eyes and eares of God are present to vs. But yet thou wilt say In what case am I for he speaketh that of such as are iust and for my part I am full of sinne Thou saiest true and see that thou do truly belieue it For if there were any men who had no sinnes who should they in all reason be rather then the holy Apostles of Iesus Christ our Lord who as they were nearer to him in conuersation of body so were they also in sanctity of mind and so as that none do equall them excepting only the blessed Mother of God who equalleth and exceedeth both them and the Angells And although S. Paul (c) Rom. 8. do say both in his owne person and in that of the Apostles also That they receiued the first fruites of the spirit which signifieth greater grace and giftes then were imparted to other men yet neuerthelesse our Lord commauded them to say that prayer of the Pater Noster whereof this is a part Forgiue vs our debtes or sinnes And since this prayer is for euery day it is plaine that we are told thereby that (d) Be not rash in mistaking but read on and thou wilt see that this is meant of venial sins as distraction in prayer idle words or thoughts and the like not of such others as depriue the soule of grace we haue faultes and that euery day we commit one or other And therefore (e) 1. Ioan. 1. S. Iohn said Yf we say that we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and truth is not in vs. Now if all men haue synne excepting him alone who is God as well as man and her who is his true Mother for whome were those wordes spoken That the eyes of our Lord are vpon iust persons and his eares are inclined to their prayers I answeare that God is not humorous nor yet doth he pay men with wordes alone sines we see that as he said so he performed with King Ezechias and in numerable others also whom he heard and saw But (f) See heere the verity purity of Catholik doctrine concerning grace and sinne works do thou know that he is a iust person who is not in mortall sinne since such an one is in grace and is the friend of God and of this sort there are many although they haue veniall sinnes But now when there is speach of these last there is none who can truly lay that he is wholy free And to the end that thou mayst be thankefull for this grace and iustice to that Lord through whose merits they are giuen to such as are well disposed thou art to vnderstand that iust persons haue in them two kinds of good some of nature others of grace though Pelagius be in a chafe at this last who said That a man is iust through the good workes which he doth by the strength of his owne nature without needing that grace and strength which is infused by God This errour is condemned by the Catholike Church which commaundeth vs to belieue That of our nature we are sinners first by originall sinne and them by others also which with our will we commit afterward and that in those other workes which yet are after their manner good but yet still within the only latitude of morality and these are the best that we can worke by force of nature true iustice doth no way consist For this it is that S. Paul (g) Rom. 3. saith That no man is iust that is to say of himselfe for we are all sinners of our selues The being iust is giuen to vs it groweth not out of our soyle or stocke for to haue it (h) Christ our Lord is only iust originally of himselfe al other creatures yea euen the pure mother of God her self were to be iustifyed by his redēption She was secured from falling into the least sinne either originall or actual because his passion wrought in her holy soule by way of Preseruatiue we are freed after falling because it workes in vs by way of remedy so is the priuiledge of Christ our Lord alone who not by meanes of any other but of his only selfe is the true iust person and in whose workes and death is true iustice For if in the workes which we can do by our nature did consist true Iustice or that by them we could deserue it Christ Iesus (i) The protestāts will heere find that they haue no reason to slander vs in this point according to their custome had died in vayne as S. Paul saith since we might haue obteined that without his death which he purchased for vs therby The same Apostle (k) Galat. 3. saith That Christ is made iustice to vs and he saith it because the merit of our iustice doth consist in his workes and death which (l) Suspēd your rash iudgment a while if you be a Protestāt and read the 88. chapter which wil deliuer you from errour in this point merit he communicateth to vs by Faith and by loue which is the life thereo◠and by the Sacraments of the Church as we declared before And thus are we incorporated in Christ Iesus and the grace of the holy Ghost is giuen vs by the infusion whereof into our soules we are made the adopted Sonnes of God pleasing to him and so we also receaue vertues and giftes to the end that we may worke agreeably to the high state of the grace which was giuen to vs. By all which we are made truly iust in the sight of God by a iustice which is ours and which dwelleth in vs and (m) Note this which
were to heauen so to defend it self from the wrath of God if he should descend to drowne it a second tyme and that also by the setting vp of such a building their name might be celebrated throughout the world But our Lord did hinder their folly by giuing them different (h) Gen. 17. languages that so they might not vnderstand one another Whereupon they fell into brawles euery one conceauing that the other mocked him one man saying one thing and another answering him another and so the end of their pride was confusion vnquietnes and diuision Most (i) Why the name of confusion agreeth to sinners properly doth this name agree to the Citty of wicked persons For they would fayne sinne and not be punished and they wil not auoyd the iudgments of God by forbearing to offend him but if they could sinne decline the punishment either by force or sleight they would attempt it Proud people they are and al their end is but that their name may be renowned in the world and if they can they set vp the towers of vaine workes and if they cannot do it in deed at least they do it in desire God destroyeth such men as these euen when they are tasting the sweetest bit As it is written God (k) Iac. 4. resisteth such as are proud And because they would not liue in the vnity of one language performing obedience to God they are punished so far as that they shall neither vnderstand themselues nor vnderstand God nor vnderstand one another nor any one of the creatures for as much as when the wisedome of God is wanting they vnderstand nothing for their good as they ought How (l) A liuely description of the vayne variable hart of sinfull man many thinges do worke in the hart of wicked men which put them past their owne skill and they know not how to helpe themselues Sometimes they desire one thinge sometimes another yea sometimes they desire a thinge that is the contrary of the former Now they do and then they vndoe they weepe and they reioyce and all to no purpose Now they are ready to despaire and soone after they are vainely puffed vp They seeke a thing with much labour and when they haue obteyned it they are sorry that they did so much as seeke it They find not that which they imagined yea they desire one thinge and they do another being gouerned not by reason but passion And from hence it growes that man being a reasonable creature whose principall part is his soule whose office is to liue vnder reason whereas these men wil liue according to appetite it is plaine that they turne the wrong side outward since they lead a kind of life of beasts which is a life of bodies and not a life that is reasonable which is proper to men And vpon this it riseth that as God is a spirit and must be serued not by a beastiall maner of life but by a spirituall such persons as these do not serue him as hath bin said for their life is contrary to his law And since the vnion of Christians groweth from the vnion of themselues within themselues from the vnion of themselues with God these Cittizens being deuided from (m) How true do we find this by experience God cannot haue any good or stable peace with one another but rather certaine paltry quarrelles do spring from their discourses from their works and conuersations euery one liuing according to his owne fancy without caring to content any other body And on the other side they haue a quicke sense of any affront or iniury which is done to themselues without regarding that of others These (n) Selfe loue is the bane of Charity are the men who neither vse themselues nor other thinges to that end for which they were created but they vse both themselues and all other thinges to their owne aduantage making themselues the last end of all thinges And therefore with reason they are called by the name of Babylon since all goes contrary to the creatour They are also called sometimes Chaldâ—ans sometimes of Sodome and sometimes of Hedom with a thousand other names which decipher the wickednes of this people which names are yet all vnable to declare the malice thereof This is that people which is called world not because God created it so for the world is good as being created by him who is supremely good but because these men who are such as I haue heere described haue no other feeling nor no other loue but of the visible world which by (o) 1. Ioan. â— S. Iohn is called the pride of life the desyre of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes He that loueth these thinges shall perish as saith the same S. Iohn but he that will do the will of God shall remaine for euer And S. Paul (p) Rom. â— saith He that hath not the spirit of Christ is not of Christ and consequently he is to be of the world and S. Iames (q) Iac. 4. saith That the amity of the world is eâ—nity with God CHAP. XCVIII That it doth much import vs to fly from this Citty of the wicked which is the world and how ill it treateth the cittizens therof and of the sad end which they all shall haue THOV hast already heard sufficient reason to abhorre this people and to vnderstand how much God desireth that thou shouldst depart froÌ„ thence to saue thy selfe For this is that true spirituall Aegypt out of which God commaunded Israel to depart with speed and to go on though it were with a great deale of paines towards the Land of promise And this is that people out of which God commaunded Abraham (a) Gen. 12. to depart Go out of thyne owne countrey and from thy kinred and from thy Fathers house and come into the land that I will shew thee Which he accomplished with a simple and sincere obedience without knowing whither he was going as S. Paul (b) Hebr. 11. affirmeth Out of this very people and Citty God commaunded Let to go that so the punishments which he was resolued to inflict vpon that place might not lay hold vpon him and he commaunded him to saue himselfe in the mountayne by which the height of Christian Faith of good life may be vnderstood Finally (c) How the people of God is to carry it selfe and why this is the people whereof God saith to such as he will haue to be his owne Do (d) 2. Cor. â— not keepe company with infidells For what conuersation can goodnesse and wickednes or light and darknes haue togeather and what society can there be betweene Christ and Belial betweene a faithfull man and an infidell or what composition or agreement can there be betweene the Temple of God and that of Idolls For you are the Temple of the liuing God as God saith And I wil dwell amongst them and I will conuerse amongst them
for that is all that he can giue Such is the entertainment that he makes which were sufficient if men would but looke vpon it to make them fly from the Diuell and the World and to draw neere to God as the prodigall sonne did who finding himselfe put to so base an imployment as to keep swine and that he could not haue inough euen of the very food which they fed vpon he grew at last to get his wits againe and to obserue the difference which there was between being in the house of his Father and in that other house of the World and he left the ill condition wherein he was turning home and demāding mercy of his Father which he quickly found Do (t) How we must carry our selues towardes God if we desire to take comfort in his seruice thou also in like manner and if thou haue a mind that our Lord should receaue thee Forsake thy people And if thou wilt haue him remember thee forget thou it if thou wilt haue him loue thee do not inordinatly loue thy selfe and if thou wilt haue him take care of thee do not thou confide in the care of thy selfe and if thou wilt be acceptable to his eyes take no pleasure in thine owne and if thou resolue to please him do not feare to displease the whole world for him and if thou desire to find him make no difficulty to giue away thy Father thy Mother thy Brothers thy house and thy very life for him Not for that thou art to abhorre these thinges but because it is fit for thee to looke with truth and with entire loue vpon Christ and (u) The iust obligation of a Christiā not to faile of one haires breadth in pleasing of him though it be with the displeasing of that creature of the whole world which is most beloued by thee yea and of thy very selfe S. Paul (x) 1. Cor. 3. requireth That (y) We must do nothing nor haue any thing so much at the hart as to estrange vs from conuersing with almighty God they who haue wiues should haue them as if they had them not That they who purchase should be as if they possessed not That they who sell should be as if they had not sold They that weepe as if they wept not and They that reioyce as if they reioyced not And the cause that he addeth is this Because the figure of the world passeth quickly So then do I say to thee O Virgin that thou art to put the world and thy selfe away The (z) Note first because it passeth quickly and the second because it is none of thyne And so haue thou thy parents thy brothers thy kinred thy house and thy people as if thou haddst them not Not but that thou art to reuerence obey and loue them since grace doth not destroy the order of nature yoa and euen in heauen it selfe the child shall carry reuerence to his Father but (a) How this discourse is to be vnderstood to the end that it may not take vp and employe thy hart and diuert it from the loue of God Loue them in Christ and not in themselues For Christ did not giue them as meaning that they should be impediments to keep thee from that which thou shouldest euer be doing which is to serue him S. Hierome relateth of a certayne Virgin who was so mortified in the point of affection towardes her kinred that she cared not much to see a sister which she had though she also were a Virgin but contented her selfe to loue her in God Belieue me (b) A soueraigne truth and most fit to be so that as thou canst not write in parchment if it be not well and cleane taken off from the body of the beast that wore it so is not that soule prepared for our Lord to write particuler fauours in it till such time as the affections which rise from flesh and bloud be very well mortifyed We read how that in times past They placed the Arke vpon a carre to the end that two kine being yoaked in front might lead it on and the calues were shut vp in a certayne place And although the kine did low in the way of sighing for their calues yet did they neuer leaue the high way nor turne back nor degresse as the Scripture saith eyther to the right hand or to the left but by the will of God who so disposed therof They carryed the Arke to the land of Israel which was the place where God dwelt They (c) A figur of the old testament excellently applyed who haue placed the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord vpon their shoulders which is the Arke where he remaineth and wherein he is truly to be found must not giue ouer nor so much as slacke their pace for these naturall affections of the loue of parentes or children or houses or such other thinges as these Nor are they to be giddy-headed vpon the enioying of prosperity nor to be afflicted for aduersity For the former of these two is to turne out of the way on the right hand and the other on the left But thou art to follow on in the straight way with feruour beseeching our Lord to guide both the one and the other to his glory and to be as dead to such thinges as these as if they did nothing concerne thee or at least not to suffer thy selfe to be ouercome eyther with ioy or griefe howsoeuer they may be felt a little This was figured by those (d) 1. Reg. 6. kine which though they vttered certaine shewes of tendernes towards their calues yet did they not for all that giue ouer to conduct the Arke of God And if Fathers do see their Sonns serue God in some good (e) As when they make thēselues Religious men or women fashion which yet is not pleasing vnto them they must consider what is pleasing to God And although they may sigh deeply for the loue of their childrē yet let the loue of God ouercom that loue And let them offer them vp to God wherin they shal be like to (f) Gen. 22. Abraham who in obedience to God was resolued to kill his only Sonne not caring what his sensuality could say to the contrary And (g) How good is God only he wil be serued as God the naturall griefe which is felt in such traunces as these is to be endured with patience which yet shall not be without reward For as much as our Lord hath ordeined vs to carry those affections and for the loue of him it is that we ouercome them it is like the case of him that suffereth Martyrdome Forget therefore thy people O thou Virgin and be thou like to another Melchisedech of whome we reade not that (h) Heb. 7. he had any Father or Mother or any kinred whereby as S. Bernard saith an example is giuen to the seruants of God that they must so truly forget their
that not only to auoyd punishment but by obligation of conscience how much more then must this be true in the case of Christian superiours of whome we are to (e) Vnles we do expresly see the contrary belieue that God will enable them to commaund iust things And when any of all these commaundements shal be wanting to thee thou shalt imbrace and follow as the will of our Lord that counsell which any such person shall giue of whome thou oughtest to take it And do not thinke for all this that thou art exempted from the necessity of begging the light of the Holy Ghost that so thou mayst take right to the seruice of God For our necessityes are so many and do presse vs in so particuler manner that no Maister without this will serue the turne And so The King will grow to desire thy beauty CHAP. CIII Wherein he beginneth to declare that word which sayth And the King will desire thy beauty And how great a matter it is that God should be content to place his loue vpon a man And that this is no corporeall beauty and how dangerous such kind of beauty is A Strang thing it is that there should be any such beauty in a creature as to draw the blessed eyes of God vpon it so far as to be desired by him It is a most happy thing for a soule to be enamoured vpon the beauty of God but neither is it strange that an vgly thing should loue the perfection of al beauty or is it worthy of thanks if a creature doe loue his Creatour since he owes him all that and doth yet further receaue for it an eternall reward But for God to be enamoured and delighted in any of his creatures this indeed is to be admired and most soueraingly to be acknowledged and it giueth vs reason of incomparable glory and ioy If (a) A strange thing it is that the great God should be takeÌ„ with the loue of the base creature Man it be matter of much honour for a man to be imprisoned for Iesus Christ and S. Paul did call himselfe as by the most noble title he could haue a (b) Eph. 1. Philâ—p 1. Prisoner of Iesus Christ hauing his body restrained by chains of iron and his soule by chaines of loue what kind of thing shall we say it is for man to haue taken God prisoner by the loue of God If it be great riches for a man not to haue any hart of his owne but wholy to haue giuen it to God what kind of thing will it be for vs to haue the hart of God as our owne which he giues to them to whome he giues his loue and after his hart he sendeth all that which he is for theirs without doubt we are to whome we giue away our harts Many and great are those benefits which that infinite diuine goodnesse imparteth to men But yet as if all the rest deserued to be little esteemed in respect of this Iob (c) Iob. 7. sayd O Lord what thing is man that so thou shouldst magnify him and place thy hart vpon him Giuing vs so to vnderstand that since by Gods giuing his hart to man he giueth himself there (d) A soueraigne cordiall against all the corosiues of this life is as much difference between giuing the hart for loue the giuing of other things as there is between giuing of God giuing of creaturs And if we owe our thanks to him for other of his guiftes the principall reason is because he imparteth them with loue And if we ought to reioyce by occasion of the benefits themselues much more ought we to do it in regard that we haue found fauour and loue in those most sublime eyes of God This (e) The true glory of a Christian indeed is our true greatenes wherein we may glory and not because we loue him For (f) And now let ProtestaÌ„ts consider what shrewd presumptuous people these Papists are cursed is that man who maketh any account of himselfe and who prizeth himselfe for the workes he doth but only in regard that so high a King whome all those quires of Angells do adore would through the excesse of his goodnes be content to lone so base thinges as our selues Consider therfore now O virgin if it be not reason for thee to heare and to see and to encline thyne care to God since the reward therof is that he will desire thy beauty Certainly although the thinges that he should require were full of difficulty they would grow easy to be accomplished by the addition of such promises as these And how much more then must it be easy since the thing it selfe which he commaundeth is by his grace not hard But thou wilt say perhaps how commeth the soule to haue beauty since of it selfe it is sinfull and of sinners it is (g) Thâ—en 4. written That the face of such is more black then coales If this Lord of ours went in search of the beauty of bodyes it were no miracle if he should find such a kind of beauty as were corporeall For as himselfe is beautyfull so did he create all thinges beautyfull that so they might carry with them some little obscure trace of his owne incomprehensible beauty in comparison whereof al other beauty is meere deformity But we know that Dauid speaking of the spouse of this greate King Psalm 44. saith That all her beauty is interiour and in her soule And this he saith with great reason For (h) What a toy exteriour beauty is the beauty of a Body is a meere toye and may be enioyed by him who is the owner of an vgly soule Now for what doth it serue if a man haue deformity in that which is of more valew and if he haue beauty in that which is of no importance For what doth that beauty serue which the eyes of men may looke vpon when yet there is deformity within which is penetrated by the eyes of God On the outside an Angell in the inside a Diuell Not (i) Beautifull persons haue no such great bargaine of it as they conceaue only doth this corporeall beauty not profit a person towards the making him beloued by God but for the most part it giueth occasion of making him vnbeloued For as spirituall beauty giueth vnderstanding and wisedome so is the other wont to take it away It is no small warre which many times is waged between Chastity humility and recollection on the one side and beauty of the body on the other And much better had it beene for many women to haue had a countenance extremely deformed that so they might not haue beene fought withall then great beauty with great vanity whereby they were vanquished God deliuereth it thus for no small mischiefe when he sayth to such a soule Thou (k) Ezech. 16. 28. hast lost thy wisedome by thy beauty And he saith elswhere Thou hast made thy beauty abhominable And this
one must practise first the seruice of Christ and must haue recommended it to God and that very cordially both dayes and yeares least that be negligently performed which was not groundeâ—ly intertayned But when it is once vndertaken both in that manner and for the end that is fit the person who imbraceth it is to grow chearefull vpon it because it is a state of incorruption yet a state also it is of fertility For as the Blessed Virgin Mary who through her excellent and incomparable pure Virginity is called the Virgin of Virgins and is the patronesse of Virgins did both giue fruite and yet retained the floure of her purity so other Virgins if indeed they be true Virgins do giue fruit in their soules and yet haue enâ—iernesse in their bodies For this celestiall spouse of Christ Iesus is not like them of this world who despoile their spouses of their true beauty and integrity but he is so truely a conseruer of their beauty and so great a louer of their purity as that they may say to him with (d) The sweet S. Agnes virgin Martyr sayd so when she was but 13 yeares of age S. Agnes To him alone do I keepe my Faith to him alone do I recommend my selfe with entiere deuotion whome when I loue I am chast when I touch him I am pure and when I receiue him I am a Virgin Nor will there be wanting children as the fruit of such marriages as these wherof they are deliuered without torment and their fruitefullnes is euery day increased And this did S. Agnes say as one who had tasted the suauity of this celestiall espousall And (e) It is a shame to Virgins if they aspire not to the imbracemeÌ„t of their heauenly Spouse a confusion and that no small one it ought to be to a Virgin who calleth her selfe the spouse of Christ to haue no more taste of the qualities and sweet condition of her spouse then if she were a meere stranger to him O how many afflictions doth virginity preuent how many cares how much vnquietnes Some which the very state it selfe of Matrimony betweene persons who are made of flesh bloud doth necessarily bringe with it and others which grow from that vntoward disposition which is so often found eyther in the husband or in the wife Others agayne from the ill proofe of the children But (f) The great difference betweene a spiritual corporall marriage in our case all the children are Ioy Charity Peace and such others like to these which are recounted by (g) Gal. 5. S. Paul This spouse is full of goodnes he is peaceable rich wise beautifull and as his fellow Spouse saith in the (h) Cant. â— Canticles He deserueth to be wholy desired Doth it not therefore seeme to thee that this King doth an incomparable fauour to the persoÌ„ whom he taketh I say not for a slaue or seruant but for a spouse Doth it not seeme to thee a good exchange of a birth with torment into a birth with ioy of Children which afflict with care to Children which are full of comfort yea and such as bring their dowry in their handes which is both honour and pleasure Verily sayd S. Hierome when he was speaking to the mother of a certaine virgin I cannot vnderstand the reason why thou shouldst be angry with thy daughter for refusing to be the wife of a particuler Cauallier that so she might be espoused to a (i) Christ our Lord. King by meanes whereof she hath made thee the mother-in law of Christ It doth therefore now but remaine O Virgin that thou take comfort in the state which our Lord of his goodnes hath called thee to And that thou haue care to be that very thinge to him which thou shouldest be And be no more fearefull of thine owne weakenes then thou art confident in our Lord that he will perfect that in thee which he hath begunne That (k) The middle way is the right way betweene feare and hope till we arriue to the iorneyes end which is perfect loue so neither the fauour that he hath done thee do intoxicate thee with any giddy kind of gladnesse nor yet the thought of the much thou owest him draw thee down into any dismay But walke thou on betweene feare and hope till the feare be taken away by that perfect loue which is found in heauen And hope also may be then dismissed when we shall haue (l) The very visioÌ„ of God and that for euer that thing present with vs which heere we hoped for and so as that we haue no more feare to loose it CHAP. CVI. Of foure conditions which are requisite for the making of any thinge beautifull and how all of them are wanting to a soule that is in sinne VVE haue made a long digression from the question that we asked How the soule could come by such beauty as that God should be drawne to a desire of it But the cause of this digression was the doubt of our conceauing that the King perhaps might care for the beauty of the Body Let vs now returne to our purpose Thou art to know that for the making a thing to be of perfect beauty foure conditions are necessary The first That it must haue all the parts that belongeth to it for if any of them be wanting as a hand or foot or the like it cannot be tearmed beautyfull The second is that one part haue proportion with another and if it be the picture of any life it must be made very like the originall The third is that it must haue purity of colour The fourth that it must haue a competency of greatnes For that which is little though it be well proportioned will not arriue to be absolutly accompted beautifull Now if (a) Euery soule that is in state of sinne is out right deformed we consider all these conditions in a soule that is sinfull we shall finde that it hath no one of them Not completenes because if it want either faith or charity and the giftes of the holy Ghost which it was to haue that cannot be called beautifull to which so many thinges are wanting Againe one part thereof carryeth no proportion to another for neither doth sense obey reason nor reason God Especially considering that the soule being created after the image of God it was reason that for the preseruation of her beauty she should haue resembled her Originall in vertue as shee doth in the naturall being which she hath But now God being good and the soule being wicked God being pure and the soule polluted God being milde and the soule impatient and so in the rest how can there be beauty in that image which is so vnlike to the originall As for the third which is a certaine spiritual light of grace the notions which are to refresh as it were reuiue the beauty of the soule as colours do of the body they are also wanting to
the bloud of Christ our Lord. CONSIDER then how deformed the spot is which sinne doth cause and how farre we are to fly from it since being once receiued into the soule it could neither be washed away by the shedding of so much bloud as was offered in the Temple by the commaundment of God himselfe nor could all the force of man arriue vnto it And if that beautifull and deare (a) Christ our Lord. Word of God had not come downe to beautify vs the deformity of sinne would for euer haue remained in vs. But that lambe without spot comming downe he had the power and he had the way and he had the will to put away these spotts he destroyed our deformity and he endewed vs with beauty And to the end that thou mayest see with how much conueniency the Sonne of God rather then God the Father or the holy Ghost was to be he that should beautify our deformed soules with his bloud Consider that as Eternity is attributed to the Father and Loue to the holy Ghost so to the Sonne of God as God is attributed Beauty because he is most (b) The first quality of Beauty prefect and without the least defect and he is the (c) The second quality of Beauty image of the Father as S. Paul (d) Heb. 1. saith and so liuely an one that in regard he is engendred by way of the vnderstanding he is to all purposes as his Father who gaue him the same essence that himselfe hath in such sort as that he (e) Ioan. 14. who seeth him seeth the Father as the holy ghospell saith Now by reason of this proportion betweene the Sonne and the Father which is so absolute most iustly is beauty ascribed to him since the image is taken in so liuely a maner out of the originall Light (f) The third quality of Beauty is not wanting to him for he is called the Worde which is a thing engendred by the vnderstanding and in that vnderstanding as S. Iohn (g) Ioan. 1. saith which was true light Greatnes is not (h) The fourth quality of beauty wanting to him since he is infinitly immense and therefore was it conuenient that this beautifull God by whom we were made wheÌ„ we were not should come to restore vs when we were lost and who apparaylling himselfe with our flesh should take vpon him the resemblance of our deformity and so imparte to vs the excellency of his owne beautie And although neither our being punished or spoken faire was able to free vs from our spots yet was the valew so great of the punishing of that beautiful person that the sharp salpetre of his passion falling vpoÌ„ his shoulders there distilled downe vpon vs the sweet dew of his whitnesse And howsoeuer God doth say to the sinner Although (i) Hier. 12. thou wash thy selfe with salpetre with the Fullers hearbe thou shalt not be cleane yet telling vs that he would send a remedy against this spot he sayth in another place If thy sinnes be as red as scarlet they shal be made white like snow and if they shal be as red as bloud they shall become whyte like woll Very truly well did Dauid belieue this when he (k) Ps 50. sayd Thou shalt sprinkle me O Lord with (l) The inward meaning of this place deliuered â—yssope and I shal be cleane thou shalt wash me and I shall become more white then snow Hyssope is a litle hearbe and somewhat hot and hath the property to purge the lunges wherby we breath This hearbe they brought to a wand of Cedar they tyed it thereunto with a string of crimson double died And so being bound togeather they called it that Hyssope wherewith when first it had beene steeped in bloud and water and then with water and ashes they sprinkled both leaprous persons and such as had touched any dead body and thereupon they were held for cleane Full well knew Dauid that neither the herbe nor the Cedar nor the bloud of birdes or beastes nor yet water or ashes could giue any cleannesse to the soule although it were figured by them And therfore he desired not God that he would take into his hand a branch of Hyssope sprinkle him with it but (m) That hysop was a figure of the humility and Passion of Christ our Lord. he sayth so in respect of the humanity and humility of Iesus Christ our Lord which is called an herbe because it grew from the earth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and because he was begotten without the help of man as the flower springeth in the field which is neither plowed nor sowed For this it is that he sayth I am (n) Can. 2. the flower of the field And this her be is called little for the meanenesse which he tooke vpon himselfe in the world so far forth as to say A (o) Psal 21. worme I am and no man the dishonour of men and the very out-cast of the people This (p) The passion of our Lord is the only soueraign cure of pride humbled flesh of our Lord is such a remedy against the puffe of our foolish pride as that it may be cured by this so great humility since there is no colour for a worme to exalt it self when the King of Maiesty is so abased And forget not that Hyssope is hot For Christ by the fire of that loue which was burning in the roots of his hart was pleased to abase himself to purge vs thereby to make vs know that if he who was so high did abase himselfe how much reason there is why we who haue so true cause to abase our selues should not by our selues be exalted And if God be humble how much more should a man be so This (q) Of our Lord Iesus flesh so full of true phisicke was then put to the sticke of a Cedar when it was placed vpoÌ„ the crosse tyed by that delicate thrid of wooll twice died For although the nayles which fastned thereunto his handes and feete were hard and great and long inough yet if the thrid of his ardent loue had not fastned him to that crosse and vnles he had been willing to deliuer vp his life for the killing of our death those nayles would not haue beene strong inough for such a businsse So that it was not they but the loue he bare vs that held him there And (r) The double aspect which was carryed by the loue of our Lord the reparation of Gods honour and the remission of mans sin this loue carryed a double aspect as crimson which is double died for he suffered that which he suffered to satisfy for the honour of his father who was offended by our sinnes and for the loue of sinners who were lost thereby CHAP. CIX That the sacred humanity of Christ our Lord was figured in the gaâ—â—ent of the high Priest and in the veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make
And what that was which Dauid begged when he desired to be sprinckled with Hysâ—ope that he might so be cleansed THE garment which the high Priest of the old Law did weare was to be double died in crimson because (a) How the figurs of the old TestameÌ„t were perfected fullfilled in the person of our Lord Iesus the holy Humanity of Christ which is the garment of his soule was to be dyed in bloud being shed both for the loue of God and man And this flesh being nayled vpon the Crosse is that veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make of the (b) Exod. 18. colour of Hyacinth Crimson and Purple double died and of whyte and well and strongly wouen linnen made with the needle and curiously diuersified by seuerall workes For this holy Humanity is died with bloud like crimson it is of a fiery colour which is signified by the purple as hath been said and it is white like fyne linnen through Chastity and Innocency and it is well and strongly wouen for it is not loose or weake but firmely and fast put togeather vnder all kind of vertuous discipline and much affliction And (c) The colour of the floure hiacinthus is blew though the colour of that stone which we know by that name is of a deep yellow this is well signifyed by the Hyacinth which is of a celestiall colour because his body was framed by the supernatural worke of the holy Ghost For this reson is it called celestiall and for many other vertues perfections thereof which were contriued by the admirable knowledge of the wisedome of God! The commaundment was that this veyle should be hung vpon foure pillars which were to vphold it which signifieth that Christ was to be placed vpon the (d) The crosse was made of foure parts One was the length two the breath the other wherupoÌ„ the litle was written foure armes of the Crosse and foure Ghospells they also be which doe publish and preach it throughout the world Now for as much as Dauid being a Prophet so illuminated by God in the knowledge of those mysteries which concerned Christ who was to come seeing how deformed himselfe was growne by the foule sinne of (c) The murther which he committed vpon the persoÌ„ of Vrias that so he might coÌ„tinue to enioy Bersabee his wife stealing the sheep and murthering the sheepheard fearing the wrath of the Omnipotent God wherwith he was threatened by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan he beseecheth God to take away his (f) The deformity of sinne the beauty of grace deformity and to giue him beauty not with materiall Hyssope since the same Dauid sayd to God That he tooke no (g) Not in any thing that was only external but the externall sacrifices were to be accompanied by internall sorrow for sinne delight in the sacrifice of beasts but he beggeth to be sprinckled by the flesh bloud of Iesus Christ being tied with the strings and cordes of loue vpon the Crosse Beleeuing that though his deformity were great and that otherwise it was impossible to remoue it yet he should grow white beyond the whitenesse of snow by the bloud which was to fall from the crosse O Beautifull bloud of Christ our Lord who art so Beautiful For although thou be as red as Rubies thou hast power to make a thing more white theÌ„ snow O (h) At the least we must now consider it and lameÌ„t the cause thereof which is our sinne if a man had seene with what violence it was drawne downe by those wretches with what loue it was shed by thee O Lord when thou didst stretch forth thyne armes and feete to be let bloud therein for the remedy of that so lewd disorder and distemper which we made by our ill desires and deedes With great force did thyne enemies come vpon thee but with much more violence did thy loue assault thee for it was that and not they which ouercame thee Dauid did stile Christ (i) Psalm 44. beautifull aboue all the sonnes of men But this beautifull creature who surpassed not only men but Angells would needes as it were dissemble that beauty of his and he apparailed the exteriour of his body with the resemblance of that deformity which possest our soules That so the same deformity might be swallowed vp in the Abysse of his beauty as some little straw would be consumed in a huge fire and that he might giue vs his owne beautifull Image and make vs so resemble him CHAP. CX How Christ did as it were dissemble those foure conditions of his beauty so to make vs beautifull to which purpose there is a passage of the Prophet Isay declared YF we do well consider the conditions which haue bin shewed to be requisite for the making a man beautifull al which are in the diuine word after a most excellent manner we shal find that he dissembled and hid them all that so being concealed in him they might grow to be disclosed in vs. Most (a) The first conditioÌ„ that any thing must haue if it will be beautifull was hidden by Christ Iesus our Lord in his sacred passion entire and perfect and full is the word of God which wanteth nothing nor can it want and which remooueth the want of all thinges But yet though in the bosome of his Father he be so rich if thou looke vpon him being made man in the wombe and in the armes of his mother as also throughout the whole course of his life and death thou wilt see how he wanted both to eate and drinke yea and a bed wheron to lye when the Virgin layd him in the manger For neither was there any bed for him in the stable of Bethleem nor any other place then that How often did he want meanes to put away both heate and cold and nothing he had if they gaue him nothing And if in his life tyme he had not a place where to lay his head as himselfe affirmeth what shall we say of that extremity of pouerty to which he was subiect in his death at which tyme neither had he any thing whereupom so much as to lay his head For eyther he was to haue leaned backe with it vpon the Crosse and so to endure excessiue paine by the thornes which might pricke him so much the deeper or else he must let it fall so remaine without a rest but not without exceeding paine O sacred head whereof the Spouse (b) Cant 5. saith That it is of purest gold as being the head of God and how much to thy cost dost thou pay for that resting place which in preiudice of the loue that we owe to thy selfe we procure to find vpon thy creatures both (c) How true is this and how truly ought it to be reformed louing them and desiring to be beloued and praised by them making that to be our lodging which should be only our high way whereby we might