by words sometimes by way of Sermōs sometimes of Parables sometymes at meales sometimes in the working of miracles That he spake at large Ioan. 14. at that supper which was the last he made on earth and in the Garden Luc. 22. when he boyled himselfe in a bath of bloudy sweate vpon that Crosse when he left his most pretious life in the midst of cruell torments and most bitter scornes which brake his hart though indeed he dyed of pure loue to vs but yet withall that those words of his were lost that they had not beene kept vpon record or if they had been kept that now they could be found no more What labour I say would we not endure what charge would we not vndergoe what danger would we not incurre with ioy so that by meanes therof one word of his might be recouered and knowne And in that case how should we be still sounding it out with our tongues and on grauing it vpon our harts and entertayning our selues day night in the cogitatiō contēplation therof But (d) They haue little knowledge of God who grow not in loue and reuerēce to him the more they treat with him now it may be feared that plenty it selfe hath made vs poore and familiarity hath bred contempt and that our queasy stomacks are ouercome and gone through the only smell of such a sumptuous feast as we are inuited to whilst such a world of those very words which Christ our Lord did vse in holy Scripture are set before not only our mind but euen our very eyes and eares by our holy mother the Church If it be so let vs pray that heerafter such a great ingratitude may be farre from vs and let vs beginne to cast our harts at the feete of our Lord for so incomparable a fauour The Canon of this holy Scripture is therfore that which doth containe as hath been said the chiefest part of that diuine Doctrine which our Lord IESVS came to teach on earth I say the chiefest part for it is not al. But our Lord IESVS taught many things both by himselfe and by his Apostles which we are all obliged to beleeue and yet they are not expressed in holy Scripture And so he told his Apostles and Disciples That (c) The proofe of Traditiō Ioan. 16. he had many things to say to them but that then they were not capable therof And the Text it selfe doth also affirme that he conuersed with them betwene his Resurrection and Ascension discoursing by the space of Fourty dayes Luc. 1. of the kingdome of God which is his Church And it cannot be but that then he told thē of many of those very things wherof he had knowne them to be incapable till that tyme and yet the holy Scripture giues very little account therof The Baptisme of infants was not particularly taught in holy Scripture the Sacraments indeed were instituted by our B. Lord and S. Paul said 1. Cor. 11. he would giue particular orders in that of the blessed Sacrament when he should arriue with the Corinthians but what those orders might be we can know no otherwise then by the tradition of the holy Church The Sabaoth was translated from the Saturday to the Sunday Many Ceremonies of the old Law were abrogated and some of them permitted as namely (f) S. Paul did circumcise Timothy Act. 15. Circumcision with many others and some euen commaunded for a tyme as the abstayning from the eating of bloud or strangled meates and the like But how long or short that tyme was to be we haue no newes out of holy Scripture Nay this Canon of the very Scripture it selfe wherin we are so happy as hath bene said and whervpon the Aduersaries of the Church for the disguysing of their disobedience and pride will needs pretend to relye as vpon the entiere rule of Faith the sole Iudge of controuersies in religion is no way declared to vs by any one text of holy Scripture But it is only authorized in respect of vs by the voyce sentence of the holy Church Many many other instāces might be also giuē by the cleare light wherof it would appeare that the whole Doctrine of our Lord is not conteyned in holy Scripture Nor (g) In what sense the holy Scripture may improperly be said to contayne the whole Doctrine of Christ our Lord. can it be truly said to be all cōtayned there in any sense vnlesse it be because the holy Scripture doth plainely shew the markes of the true visible Church of Christ our Lord and doth teach that the decrees therof Matt. 18. are to be obeyed in all things without appeale Which Church because it possesseth and dispenseth that whole Dopositum of true Doctrine concerning the seruice of God which S. Paul did so recommend to S. Timothy the holy Scrpture 1. Tim. 6. may in some sense be sayd to containe the whole doctrine of Saluation because it sends vs to the Church which doth indeed particularly containe and teach it all But neuerthelesse it is certaine and we still confesse it agayne and agayne to the vnspeakeable ioy of our harts that the holy Scripture it selfe holds the greatest part of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord. And therfore as I was saying much of that which I deliuered before concerning the excellency of his Doctrine both may and ought to be most fitly applyed to holy Scripture And because there occurreth somewhat concerning the particular eminency of this holy booke which hath not particularly bene touched before I will heere the rather reflect vpon it because we may easily see thereby the dignity of our Lords loue therin How carefull we must be not to berash in the vse of holy Scripture and of the great obscurity therof CHAP. 37. FIRST therfore for our comfort and to the end that no place at all might be left for doubt he was pleased that it should be written by the spirit of God wherby (a) The infallible truth of holy Scripture it growes to be as true as truth it selfe And in this we are of so firme beliefe as that there is not one little in it for the defence wherof from the least aspersion of the least iniury or errour we are not willing to lay down a million of liues This is an homage which we neither owe nor pay to any other booke But to this it is most due both for the irrefragable truth which it carrieth and for the loue wherwith our Lord resolued that in cases which did so much concerne vs he would haue vs know his mind Yet heerin his meaning was that still for our relying vpon the true sense thereof we should be ruled by our betters For els how (b) Howsoeuer holy Scripture is infallibly true in it selfe we shall grow into errour by it vnlesse it be interpreted by the Church infallible soeuer the holy Scripture were in it selfe we might make it through
doth fall farre short to expresse the beauteous brightnes of his face for if (a) The beauty of all glorified bodies any one of the glorified bodies shall be as bright as is the sunne then is it certain that if all the starres in heauē should be so many seueral s̄ns they would al be but as mud or inke in cōparison of the splēdour of Christ our Lord of what brightnes then must his face haue been His garmēts were said to haue byn as white as snow Ibid. that no dyer vpon earth was able to arriue to such a height of whitenes To shew that both art and nature may haue some little resēblance but are able to carry no full proportion with things of the other world They were ouershadowed with a cloud but euen that very cloud was bright For as the brightnes of this world is indeed but a kind of light-coloured blacke so that which in the other is least bright doth infinitely exceed whatsoeuer we can heere conceaue to be so most At the thundring of that voyce they were indeed strucken with feare yet we may safely say that they were more afrayd then hurt And (b) They are happy and glorious frightes which grow vpō soules vpon such supernaturall occasions 2. Pet. 1. howsoeuer for the tyme the high Maiesty of the mistery did ouerwhesme them yet withall it strucke such a deepe roote of most reuerent admiring loue into their harts as they neuer knew how to forget And S. Peter and S. Iohn could not faile in their seuerall Epistles to produce the Record of this Transfiguration of our Lord vpon the holy hill as a principall euidence of his glory and their ioy I imagine this terrour of theirs to haue bene resembled in some sort by that state of mind which the diuine S Augustine had found in himselfe though incomparably after an inferiour manner when he spake these wordes Confes l. 11. cap. 9. Quid est hoc quod interlucit mihi percutit cor mē sine laesione inhorresco inardesco Inhorresco in quantum dissimilis tui sum inardesco in quant̄ similis tui sum What is that o Lord which so brightly shootes in vpon me and which strikes my hart through without hurting it And I tremble with horrour and yet I burne with loue I tremble for as much as I am vnlike thee and for as much as I am like thee I burne with loue So did the Apostles tremble and so and much more then so did they burne with loue through the fire wherwith our Lord had inflamed them first But the same loue which wrought vpō them in this mistery by way of heare might also worke vpon them in that extaticall ioy which they receiued therby by way of light to make thē see of how sublime glory he was content to depriue his sacred humanity for loue of them both from his holy Natiuity till that tyme and from that tyme vntill his death For the superiour part of his happy soule from the very first instant of his conception and euen in the bottome of his bitterest passion did continually and as certainely enioy the (c) Our Lord Iesus was still indued with the Beautificall vision Beatificall vision of God as now it doth at the right hand of his Father So also did it in Iustice belong to his sacred flesh and bloud to inioy al the priuiledges of a glorified body as Clarity Immortality Subtility and Impassibility And because these indowments were incompatible with those dolours and death which he designed through the excesse of his loue to suffer for our more copious Redemption he did therefore suspend those influences of glory vpon his humanity So that the miracle falls out to be not to find him thus for a short tyme transfigured towards glory vpon that holy hill but to find him in this valley of misery throughout all those three and thirty yeares of his life transfigured towards humility and contempt and paine him I say who ought in right to haue regorged in complete glory The inferiour part of his soule that is to say the sensitiue appetite therof ought also to haue bene glorious intirely and at all the instants of his mortall life And yet for loue of vs he suspended also the glory due to that to the end that in his loue he might haue the larger leaue to suffer for vs. And that he might feele all those afflictiōs of mind for our sakes for the propitiation of our sinnes and for the purchase of grace from God which we find him to haue endured throughout the rest of all his sad dayes and nights and particularly to haue cost him once so deere as to haue made him pay a sweate of bloud Yea and for as much as concernes this feeling part of his soule we are not so very certaine that it was not suspended in him Luc. 22. euen for this short time of his trāsfiguration Nor was it necessary that it should feele the same ioy for those reasons vpon which his body was trāsfigured But of this we (d) in the middest of that glory the loue of our Lord carried him to speake of his passiō with Moyses and Elias are sure that euen then his speach was of the passion he was in contemplation of the causes why it was to be indured that might wel affect his mind with great sense of griefe Nay euen that very glory which his B. body might thē enioy may rather in some respects go for a surcharge to him of misery then for any accesse of felicity For that ease in suffering disgrace and difficulties which if he had would he might haue gotten as a man may say by the long contynued practice therof was now remoued by this glimse and tast of glory And he (e) The griefe which our Lord felt afterward must needs be the more paynfull to him for his hauing felt this glory soone before was after it to beginne the same lesson of feeling griefe againe as if he had neuer learnt it before And if a Prince falling into extreme calamity would feele it incomparably the more through that riches and abundance wherin he had liued till then how much more painfull to our Lord must those afflictions and persecutions needs be which came to him after his transsiguration then if the Transfiguration had neuer bene So that vpon all these reasons and by all these meanes he doth admirably expresse his tender loue to vs for as much as he would not only liue so long without that glory which was his due but moreouer because whē he would enioy it yet he would doe it but for so short a tyme againe because he sought our ioy comfort and not his owne therin Nay for as much as concerned himselfe his then future paine and scorne was perhaps to be felt by him with a quicker sense then if neuer he had admitted of that glory and ioy The
shew of peÌ„nance you said he had a deuill my selfe am come to you without any shew of such austerities but I haue applyed my self to your coÌ„uersation And now you say that I am a glution I would fayne win your loue but I know not how I would faine inflame you to the seruice of God but your powder it so wet that no coales of mine can giue it fire And I would to IESVS that through our sinnes we did not see this verified also at this day when the Sectaries and Politiques of the world are so fastidious as that they make faces at his Doctrine whatsoeuer it be Nor will they be conuinced either by the exemplar visible austerity and pennance of some of our holy Religious Ordes which were consecrated in the person of S. Iohn nor by the applyable learned prudent humble charitable endeauour of some other Institutes which hide their mortifications for feare of frighting mens weake mindes and which were designed and recommended by the liuely example expresse Doctrine of Christ our Lord and his Apostles But woe be to them vvho in case of temporall infirmity haue so ill a constitution as to conuert their Phisicke into Poyson And (f) This disease both of body and mind is very dangerous vvoe vvill be to these others in the last day vvho in cases vvhich concerne the soule doe from truth take an occasion of continuing in errour Or rather I beseech our Lord IESVS euen by the memory and merit of that Doctrine vvhich vvith so ardent loue he deliuered heere on earth they may at last find themselues conuinced by it and that imbracing it vvith their vvill they may escape all vvoe The same discourse is continued concerning the great loue which our Lord Iesus expressed in his Doctrine CHAP. 34. I Haue vvillingly entertained my selfe vpon the consideration of some circumstances vvhich concerne the aduantages of this diuine Doctour of our soules beyond all the Doctours vvhich are or euer vvere or are to be Because though no argumeÌ„t should be dravvn from the very Doctrine it selfe to proue the loue of him that taught it yet his person alone and the very manner vvhich he held therin vvas such as ought to oblige the most rebellious mindes that liue to all obedience Our Lord IESVS himselfe notvvithstanding that he had incomparably the greatest humility that euer vvas possessed by any soule did yet vvell vnderstand and iustly prize the dignity of his ovvne person so farre as to knovv that he tooke no authority from his Doctrine but that his Doctrine tooke it all from him Yet so great vvas his goodnes that although he vvere as perfect God as he vvas perfect man he (a) The sectartes will be beleeued vpon their wordes yet Christ Lord would not exact so much of the Iewes vvould not yet oblige vs to beleeue it vnlesse first he had prooued it by infallible testimonies But that being once done he was not to indignify diminish any one vvord of his Doctrine and decrees by alleaging reasons and proofes but only simply to affirme it This point I touch diuers times because occasion is ministred very ofteÌ„ and euen Popes and Princes who are but dust and ashes doe hold this stile and are wont to send out their decrees and to make their Edicts in a positiue and expresse forme And whatsoeuer earnest asseuerations or reasons should be added for the grace strength therof would many tymes be but as a contrary meanes to that end So that the (b) Euen the play nnes of the deliuery of the doctrine of Christ our Lord giues it great authority plainenes of the deliuery of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord is a vehement proose of the diuinenes of it Since being voyd of all those helpes of art in the arme wherof all other Doctrines put their hope this alone is a Doctrine which dares expose it selfe playne and naked And in despight of the whole wicked world it liues it breathes it gathers ground and strength amongst all the venemous weeds of the world And in despite of ignorance sensuality and sinne it strikes at the roote not only of all things which are contrary to God and goodnes but euen of all things which are lesse good and perfect And it (c) The Trophees which the Doctrine of Christ our Lord erecteth in the hart of man erecteth Trophees and keepeth tryumphes in the profoundest part of the harts of the ciuilest the worthiest the learnedst the wisest and the holyest people of the whole world The more sublime authority this Doctrine hath and the more aduantage otherwise the more infinitely are we Catholikes bound to that diuine goodnes which with an eternall loue did make choyce of vs as the disciples thereof And to the end that we might the more easily conceaue it with the vnderstanding and the more faithfully retaine it with the memory it pleased that altitude of diuine wisedome to abase it self to our meane capacity And when the Doctrine of it selse would not perhaps haue bene so well receiued to set it out by allusions and Parables yea and many tymes euen they are borrowed but from the figures of meane bodies See euery where in the holy Ghospell as of Plowes of Corne of Netts of Fishes of Leauen of Mustard-seed and the like Establishing by that familiar and easy meanes a kind of commerce and traffique betwene things diuine humane in the mindes of men And indeed if this Doctrine had not bene brought by the sweet hand of God to carry a great proportion to mans nature assisted by his holy grace what possibility had there bene that it could haue wrought such wonders in the world Making (d) The diuine wonders which the doctrine of Christ our Lord hath wrought in the world so many Kings and Queenes for the loue of Christ our Lord become voluntary beggars Making youth become chast old age obedient knowledge humble austerity so sweete and pleasant as that there are and haue bene millioÌ„s of people in the Catholike Church and our Lord be euer blessed and praysed for it and he knoweth that it is true vvhatsoeuer any Soctary shal either say or thinke to the contrary vvho insteed of fine lynnen haue inclosed claspedthemselues vvithin Girdles of wyâ—e and shirts of haire Insteed of delighfull bathe haue taken frequent disciplines in bloud Insteed of curious and costly beds haue spent their vvhole nights vpon the hard ground Insteed of sumptuous banquets haue entertayned themselues in rigorous fasts And lastly insteed euen of lavvfull pleasures haue exercised themselues vvith great attention in the mortification of the faculties and senses both of the body and mind This I say they doe they haue done and that vvith all the secresy they could and only in conteÌ„plation of the loue of our Lord Iesvs in conformity to his diuine life and Doctrine vvhich requires men to looke vpon his example to liue therafter which proclaimes
to be amiable and easy to be endured And thus was the whole life which Christ our Lord did lead in this world an example and a liuing Doctrine of the actions which we were to performe and of the vertues which we were to practise This is said by S. Augustine Therfore to conclude this discourse of the Passion of our B. Lord we haue (i) The summe of this whole discourse of the Passion of our B. Lord. seene how painefull it was with how great loue he endured it and with how heroicall vertue it was performed We haue seene the end and ayme he had therin which was not only the redeeming of vs from hell but the recouery of vs from sinne the inducing vs to fly from all inordinate desire of honour estate and vaine delights to imbrace after his exaÌ„ple for his loue the exercise of all vertue the mortification both of the inward and outward man Let vs take heed that we contemne not the treasures of his mercies least we be consumed by the fiery torrent of his Iustice Let vs not pretend to make him loose his labour for auoyding of a little labour of our owne He is the wisedome it selfe of God and can tell how to value to a haire such a huge indignity as that would be And of this truth we must be well assured for it is not only reuealed to vs by way of Faith but it is written in our harts by the law it selfe of nature and reason That (k) The more good God is to men the more bitterly will they be punished for the contempt of such goodnesse if a mercy be offered abused a vengeance will belong to that offence If the mercy be great the vengeance will not faile to be great and if the mercy be infinite the vengeance also will be infinite And though Christ our Lord be a Lyon and the roaring of a Lyon is a frighfull thing yet he is also a Lambe we haue seene how he hath bene shorne and slaine and this LaÌ„be is not willingly alienated from his loue to vs. But if he be then laesa patientia vertitur in furorem The more inuincibly patient he was the more implacably furious he will be And for my part I doe not heare in the whole booke of God any word which strickes with greater terrour then when it speakes of the wrath of the Lambe Apoc. 6. The holy Ghospell describing Christ our Lord vpoÌ„ the Crosse saith that they blasphemed him as they were passing by Many blaspheme him by their deeds who doe not so by their words Matt. 27. but hauing an Aue Rex in their mouthes they strike him with the Reed in their hands If we desire insteed of blaspheming to doe him seruice and so to be happy both in heauen and euen heere our way will be not to passe so lightly by his Crosse but there to behould contemplate him at good leasure For how miserably shall we be out of countenance at the hower of our death if our conscience may iustly then accuse vs that we could not so much as find in our harts now then to thinke of those bitter things which the Sonne of God God did find in his hart to endure and that with infinite loue for our saluation Our Lord (l) Our great ingratitude to God will make vs see how very wicked we are otherwise IESVS giue vs grace to know how very wicked things we are And this knowledge being once well grounded in vs and our Lord being desired that for the loue of his bitter Passion he will make vs see the loue he bare vs in it we shall grow to take delight in looking often vpon that book with the eyes of our soule and so they will be happily shut vp from the sight and loue of other obiects We shall then quickly find that the Crosse is no such cruell thing as we haue coÌ„ceaued but that it is short and light and the reward therof remaines for euer Besides that the memory of her friends is honorable afterward euen with the enemies therof Wheras those persecuting Iewes with Cayphas and Pilate Herod al the libertines of the world who indeed are the enemies of Christ our Lord Philip. 3. and of his Crosse as S. Paul affirmeth howsoeuer they triumphed for a tyme were soone either beate downe by disgrace like so many bladders or blsters or els blowne vp by a little tyme out of the estimation of God and man like so many squibbs And now they haue found their place in hel where they shall remaine as long as God is God and so will their successors in sinne succeed them also in their punishment from which our Lord deliuer both them and vs. Of the vnspeakeable Loue of our Lord Iesus in bequeathing to vs vpon the Crosse his All-immaculate Virgin Mother to be the Mother of vs all CHAP. 79. OVR Lord IESVS hauing made his last Will and Testament in that night precedent to his death at which tyme he gaue vs his owne pretious body and bloud not only for the food of our soules in the blessed Sacrament but for a Sacrifice to God in the way of homage as to a Soueraigne Creatour by the institution of the Masse and being that night and the next day arriued so farre in the course of his bloudy and bitter Passion as after innumerable other affronts and torments to see himselfe both naked nayled through hands and feete vpon a Crosse the (a) The loue of our Lord Iesus did after asort increase with the torment which he â—â—dured â—â—â—our 〈◊〉 bowells of his mercy were so farre from being changed or cooled toward vs that the neerer they were to breake for griefe the faster he made them beate for loue And therfore as some tender-harted husband would haue done in fauour of his most faithfull and beloued wife who hauing setled his affaires in tyme of health by way of Testament wherby he had honorably prouided for her estate and comfort would yet wheÌ„ he drew neere to death in further proofe of his affection increase her ioynture by some Lordships and plucke of his ringe of greatest price from his owne fingar that he might put it vpon hers iust so was our Lord IESVS pleased to proceed with the holy Church his Spouse To whome notwithstanding the legacy of his owne pretious body which he had giuen vs already by Testament he did also now when he drew close vpon the confines of death with incomparable Charity (b) Our Lord Iesus bequeathed his B. mother to be also ours as it were by way of Codicill annexed to his last will Luc. 23. bequeath his sacred Mother to vs as it were by way of Codicille which he annexed to that former Will of his It hath bene seene already how our Lord vpon the death-bed of the Crosse did vtter seauen Words or rather declare himselfe by seauen seuerall speaches both to God
OF THE LOVE OF OVR ONLY LORD AND SAVIOVR IESVS CHRIST Both that which he beareth to Vs and that also which we are obliged to beare to Him DECLARED By the principall Mysteries of the Life and Death of our Lord as they are deliuered to vs in Holy Scripture With a Preface or Introduction to the Discourse IHS D. Aug. Confess lib. 10. cap. 29. O Amor qui semper ardes numquam extingueru Charitas Deus meus accende me O thou Loue which euer burnest and art neuer quenched O Charity my God do thou enkindle me Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XXII TO THE MOST GLORIOVS AND EVER-BLESSED PERPETVALL VIRGIN MARY the All-Immaculate Mother of our Lord God RECEAVE this Treatise O Queene of Heauen with thy Hand of grace which the hart of thy Seruant doth prostrate at thy purest Feet as a token wrapped vp in words of the most reuearing and admiring Loue which he owes wil euer be striuing to pay to thee And vouchsafe of thy Goodnes to present it to thy Son our Lord the sole Redeemer and Sauiour of the World since it aymes at nothing els but his glory which with infinite mercy he hath vouchsafed to place in the exchange of Loue with mortall Man Thy selfe and thou alone art that happy Creature who by the aboundant sloud of his Grace wert made able to swim through all the moments of this life in the Purity and Perfection of this dunne Loue. Nor didst thou euer fayle therof from the first instant of thy Immaculate Conception in the bowells of thy blessed mother to that other of thy Assumption in the armes of thy most beloued Sonne O suffer not his Creatures who are also adopted sonnes of thine to be still so vnlike their mother as to disperse and dissipate themselues by inordinate Loue vpon the transitory obiects of this world It is inough it is too much that hitherto we haue defiled our soules and that forsaking the cleere vntroubled spring of diuine Beauty we haue bene miserably glad to stifle and drowne our selues whilst yet we are the workes of his Hands and the ioy of his Hart in the muddy pooles of profane Delight Behold how we sigh groane in thy sacred eares some of vs vnder thè seruile yoke of present sinnes and some others vnder the sad effects and consequences of our former wickednes since we are full of weakene towards good workes and of an auersion from ioyfully and perfectly complying with the superexcellent wise and holy will of God Demaund of that God obtaine of thy Sonne that he will print himselfe fast vpon our Soules that so O glorious Queene O thou most certaine Comfort of the Afflicted we may be discharged by thy prayers from these chaynes which are striuing to dragge vs downe as low as Hell And once being free we may fly vp from whence we are fallen and adhere to God with thee by an Eternall Loue. THE PREFACE DECLARING THE POWERS belonging to the Soule of man with their proper obiects and acts and how all the whole world liues by Loue and that the obiect of our Loue must be only God directed by meanes of Iesus Christ our only Lord and Sauiour IT is the ancient and iust Complaint of our Holy and Wise forefathers that men affect the knowledg of certaine fâ—rraine and fruitlesse things not caâ—ing to consider or euen know themselues We are apt to woÌ„der at the huge height of mountaines the vnwearied walke of riuers the subtile course of seas the perpetuall motion of planets and in the meanetyme we reslect not vpö that which growes in our owne bosomes which yet is a fitter subiect for our admiratioÌ„ to worke vpon The most inestimable riches of the whole materiall world is but beggary and misery in comparison of the mind of Man For what Monarch had euer such Ambassadors and Spies as are his Senses or such Solicitours as are his Desires or such Officers and Executioners as are his Passions or such a Lord Steward of his Houshould as is his Reason or such a Secretary of State as is his Inuention or such a Treasurer as is his Memory or such a President of his Counâ—aile as is his Vnderstanding and which of them had euer so absolute a Dominion ouer his Countries Vassalls as man hath ouer himselfe by the vse and exercise of his will Of all these Powers the Vnderstanding Will are the most important as being they to which the rest are all reserred Verum or that which is True is the Obiect of the VnderstaÌ„ding the Obiect of the Wil is BònÌ„ or that which is Good The Act which the VnderstaÌ„ding exerciseth towards his Obiect of Truth is Knowledge for the Vnderstanding doth euer desire to know that which is exercised by the Wil towards the Obiect of God is Loue for al creatures which caÌ„ Loue are carried to a desire of that which is Good or at least which seemeth good to the. And indeed it may be truly sayd if it be discreetly vnderstood that there is no creature at all which hath not a Loue that it lookes after Euen all the inanimate Creatures do moue with a restles desire to their proper CeÌ„ter through a quality which is impressed vpon them by the common Creator of them vs. Fire flyes vpward earth falls downe ward they are driuen by their weight they aspire to their places By force you may with hold them but if you leaue them to themselues you shal quickly see where they haue a mind to be And as the actual Loue which a reasonable creature bears to any Obiect is accoÌ„ted for the weight wherby he is carried to his iourneyes end Amor meus pondus meÌ„ eò feror quocumque feror D. Aâ—â— Confes lib. 13. c. 9. so the weight or Virtus motiua of inanimate Creatures may well be accounted called their Loue wherby they are carried knowledg of Good Bad so also must he needs haue a more vniuersall and noble meanes for the reaching arriuing to the perfection of so excellent a nature From hence also it comes that as it is proper to him to apprehend his End so he must be enabled with all the meanes coÌ„ducing to it This last End of man is perfect complete Beatitude So as the true and vndoubted Obiect of his Will is Omne bonum which is All Good This Perfectió supposech of it self implyeth in any creature which can aspire therunto to be to liue to know So that if any man be asked whether he would be glad to Be to Liue to Know to be Happy he cannot doubt of it though he would vnlesse he were out of his wits then in effect he would be no man Now Beatitudo as saith Boetius est status omnium bonorum aggregatione perfectus And (c) Confes lib. 10. c. 21. S. Augustine saith That if any man should be asked whether he would be happy or no all the world would say yea as
euer the beatificall vison of God Ioan. 8. Ioan. 11. our Lord Iesus as he was man had euer the beatificall vision of God This truth is thus declared in the Ghospell by the mouth of Christ our Lord I speake those thinges which I haue seene with the Father and where I am that is to say in Glory there shall my seruant also be For since he was from and in the very beginning the naturall Sonne of God and the vniuersall Father and head both of men Angells the influence whereof was to be deriued into all the members it was but reason and it could not be otherwise but that his Soule should be endued with this Beatificall knowledge as is declared by the holy Fathers By this knowledge he beheld and did contemplate the most B. Trinity after a manner incomparably more sublime and noble then any or all the other creatures put togeather And because by how much the more cleerely God is seene so much the more are creatures seene in him it will follow that the Soule of Christ our Lord did behould in God not only innumerable thinges but euen outright all those things concerning creatures which euer were at any tyme or which are or shall heereafter be since (c) It belongeth to Christ our Lord as le is our Iudge to know all â—â—inges vhich coÌ„terne the creatures vhom he is to iudg Matt. 28. â—8 he is the Lord of all the Iudge of all and hath all power giuen to him both in heauen and earth for the iust and orderly execution wherof it is euident that he must haue the knowledge of them all The Catholike Fathers and Doctours do also ascribe a second kind of knowledge to the soule of Christ our Lord which (d) Christ our Lord a Man had also infused knowledg they call Infused as being a kind of supernaturall light whereby it did certainely and clearely discerne and know all thinges created And although it be not so expresly contayned in holy Scriptures that Christ our Lord was indued with this knowledge in particular and distinct manner since they only affirme That he knew all thinges which is sufficiently made good by that beatificall vision whereof I spake before yet are there pregnant consequences weighty reasons which exact at our hands a firme beliefe that he had also this other Infused knowledge For the soule of Christ our Lord was alwayes truely Blessed he vvas not only a Runner tovvardes felicity as all other humane creatures are in this life but he vvas a Comprehender of it euen from the very first instant of his Conception It vvas necessary therfore that his soule being Blessed should haue all the endowments of a blessed Soule vvherof this Infused knowledge is one and vvhereby it did certainly and clearely know all thinges created vvhether they vvere natural or supernaturall And that in themselues and in their proper kind or element as they call it and not as only appearing and shining in another glasse as they are seene by that former Beatificall vision but directly and immediatly in themselues And for this it is that the incomparable S. Augustine doth declare That the Angels are endued both with a Morning and an Euening knowledge vnderstanding by the former the beatificall vision and by the latter the knowledge vvhich they call infused Our Lord Iesus had moreouer a third kinde of knowledge which is termed by the name of Experimentall This (e) Of the experimentall knowledg of Christ our Lord. knowledge is acquired by the industry of the senses and it was the fame in Christ our Lord for as much as concernes the meanes wherby it was gathered with the knowledge which we coÌ„passe in this life But yet with this great difference That in Christ our Lord it was without any danger of errour wheras in vs it is with very great difficulty of iudging right And it is in consideration of this kind of knowledge that the holy Euangelist affirmed Christ our Lord to proceed and grow Luc. 2. But those miserable men wherof I spake before hauing the sight of their Faith so short as not to discerne in his sacred soule any other kind of knowledge then this last did absolutely impute ignorance to it at sometymes of his life more then others as if it had not beene Hypostatically vnited to God in whome not onely the knowledge of all things but (f) Nothing is but so far as it is in God euen the very things themselues remayne and if they did not so remaine they could not be Now vpon this which concerneth the knowledge of Christ our Lord it followeth cleerly that he knew all things playnely which are which shall be and which euer were It followeth also that he neuer ceased in any one minute of his life from the consideration of what he knew since he had such knowledge as was wholly independant vpon those images or formes which vse to be impressed vpon the Phansy therfore the working of his knowledge was no way interrupted euen when he was sleeping And yet againe it followeth that hauing a perfect comprehension of all things created together with the causes and effects of them all he (g) Christ our Lord as Man was indued with the perfect knowledg of all arts and sciences consequently was endued with the truth of all Arts and Sciences He had moreouer a most sublime guift of (h) He had a most sublime guift of Prophesy Prophesy and that not after a transitory manner as others haue bene enriched with it by God but permanently and sticking as it were as close vnto him as his owne Nature And lastly it must follow that he was the possessour of all (i) Christ our Lord as Man was a most perfect possessor of prudence Prudence and the partes therof which might any way be fit either for the ordering of his owne actions or for the direction and gouerment of others So that by vvhat vve haue seene he might vvell be naturally the Maister and guide of al mankind which yet will more cleerly appeare by the Power and Sanctity of that pretious Soule The Power and Sanctity of the Soule of Christ our Lord is considered wherby we may also the better see his excessiue Loue. CHAP. 3. BESIDES the Consideration of the deuine Wisedome and knowledge of Christ our Lord I should deserue no excuse if vvhen there is question of his infinite Loue to vs I should not also touch vpon the Power and the Sanctity of his soule Which if they be seriously considered vvill greatly serue though I meane but euen to touch and go to set forth his dignity in himselfe and consequently it vvill put a more expresse and perfect stampe of value vpon his infinitely deere tender loue to vs. For (a) How euery seuerall excellency in Christ our Lord doth iustly rayse the valew of his loue the more he knowes and the more continually he cares and the more wisedome he enioyes and
crimson through our sinnes Well might those spirits wonder and well might men be amazed to see their Lord and ours walking through those waies of Palestine and through those streetes of Ierusalem vnknown to men but adored by those Angells as their God He went like another and a better Ioseph seeking his brethren Like another and a better Moyses Gen. 37. Exod. 4. c. 1. Reg. 17. 1. Cor. 4. Luc. 10. procuring to deliuer his compatriots from the slauery of Egipt And like a a true valiant Dauid who came to fight against to defeate Golias by whome the Israelites were threatned with totall ruine More truely and more nobly by innumerable degrees then S. Paul was this Humanity of our Lord made a spectacle to the world to Angells to men That spectacle which kings and Prophets had reason to desire so much to see and which (h) The Patriarkes and Prophets would haue exulted to see this sacred Humanity Ioan. 8. Luc. 10. Abraham did so long to looke vpon and in spirit he did see it and it ioyed him at the very rootes of his hart And no meruayle if the beliefe therof did so ioy him the presence and sight wherof did by the testimony of Truth it selfe make those eyes so happy which beheld it How the Beauty of our Lord Iesus Christ did conuince and conquer all lookers on sauing only where excesse of sinne had put out the eyes of the soule CHAP. 5. INFALLIBLY this is true That if any Christian of common sense who were not withall of some extremely currish and diuellish nature should see any person of that admirable complexion feature and motion which was in the humanity of Christ our Lord euen abstracting from all those supernaturall aduantages and endowments which did abound in him although that person were made odious by any aduerse and hatefull circumstance as namely that he were some Iew or Turke or slaue or murtherer or otherwise some most hatefull hurtfull thing infallibly I say it is true that yet that presence would exact a kind of reuerence and loue or els at the very least a great compassion of his frailty or misery The (a) Nothing but Abysse of sinne could haue disobliged mē as it were from doting vpō the humanity of Christ our Lord. Scribes and Pharises alone had their soules so full of enuy auarice and hypocrisy that not only grace was quenched but euen very nature in a manner killed in them For else that diuinely-humane presēce of our Lord would haue subdued them to an ardent loue of his person and they must needs haue beene farre from finding in their wicked hartes to hate maligne that sweet humanity after such a reprobate and restlesse manner The people (b) The people of the Iewes vvere captiued in their harts to the sacred presence of Christ our Lord. Luc. 5. which was lesse wicked ran flocking after him whither soeuer he went when it was left to it selfe and not led prisoner by the power and passion of their blind guides And that not only when they had need of some miraculous cures for then they were fayne to vntyle some mens howses to let others in to his presence nor yet when he would be chauking out to them the way of life by the words of his diuine wisedome for then wanting roome in houses euen in publicke streetes the very earth seemed to little to hold both him and them who swarmed about him and he was fayne to go on shipboard whilst they remayned vpon the shore and from thence would he rauish both their greedy eyes their hungry eares and their panting hartes all at once Nay euen when he would be seeming as though he could be weary of them and to be ridd of company did retire to comtemplation in the desert where there was plenty of no earthly thing but penury so deepely yet were they taken by his diuine presence as (c) The people followed Christ our Lord being lead by no other interest but only the delight to see hear him speake Marc. 8. to forget themselues and to follow him on by thousands and to contynue three daies and nights in that wilderners with their wiues and Children not fearing to dye of hungar nor caring for the comfort of any other food but him But (d) There is nothing lost by leauing any contentment for the loue of God he on the other side pittied them for taking no pitty of themselues for his sake and did so multiply a few loaues fishes Ibid. v. 7. as that there might not only be inough to feed them but to spare Nor was that enamoured hart of his content that they should in hast Ibid. or with incomodity refresh themselues but he made them all sit downe vpon cushions of hay or straw and to be serued in order and at their ease whilst yet for ought we know himselfe did neither sit nor eate O infinite charity of his soule but O vnspeakable beauty and dignity of his body which was able to lead or rather which could not choose but draw so many thousands of rude persons into such appearance of distresse with their so much delight What kind of beauty and visible dignity must that needs be for his miracles alone would haue induced thē to declare him rather to be a Saynt or a prophet then to be a Prince which could persuade such multitudes of men to (e) A great argument to prooue the matchles visible beauty and dignity of Christ our Lord thinke and firmely purpose the making him their king who had the apperance in fortune but of a beggar And because his contempt of the world his profound humility and his inuiolable modesty did giue them little hope that he would accept that honour at their hands they treated amongst themselues as is affirmed by the sacred Text vt raperent eum in Regem to vse violence in procuring to draw him Ioan. 6. from that inferour degree of fortune wherein his infinite loue to them had lodged him though this indeed were then a point of Faith beyond their Creed What kind (f) Another demonstration to prooue this truth of grace sweet Maiesty did shine in him when they went no lōger now by thousands but by millions of soules of al natiōs ages strewing the earth vnderneath where he was to passe with palmes and garments and filling the ayre aboue with voyces of high applause and acclamation which ceremonies were not vsed but in triumphes and that vpon victories of Matth. 28. Ioan. 10. the highest ranke And Baronius makes it cleare that both for the multitude of persons who did assist and for the quality of demonstrations which were made there was neuer perhaps in the whole world a greater triumph then they exhibited in his honour For though he buried himselfe in the very bottome of contempt yet they being vrged by that matchlesse dignity of his person besides his wisedome and power did
were rebells and enemies to the Lord of life till that tyme obeying sense and bestiallity in all things and hating not onely Religion but euen very common sense and reason But he like a true sunne dispersed those clouds cleered vp the mist of ignorance and errour in our progenitours Who together with almost the whole world were so miserable as to worship stockes and stones insteed of God Nor were they more darke in the vnderstanding part then they were depraued in their will and if we be now in any better case we must onely impute such a diuine effect to an omnipotent cause which was the loue of our Lord who was wholly impatient to differ our conuersioÌ„ any longer and therfore vpon the very day of his Natiuity he directed and commaunded that Starre to prepare a way for the Epiphany The Prophet (h) This place deserues particular consideration Cap. 60. Esay in this mystery forseeing the beginning of the glorious state of the Church of Iesus Christ our Lord did thus by way of anticipation expresse himselfe Arise be illuminated Ierusalem because thy light is come and the glory of our Lord is risen vpon thee For behold darkenes shall couer the earth and a mist the people but vpon thee shall our Lord arise and his glory shall be seene vpon thee and the Gentills shall walke in thy light and Kings in the brightnes of thy rysing Lift vp thine eyes round about and se how all these are gathered together They are come to thee thy sonnes shall come from farre and thy daughters shall come from thy side Then shalt thou see and abound and thy hart shall meruaile and be enlarged when the multitude of the Sea shall be conuerted to thee the strength of the Gentills shall come to thee The inundation of Camells shall couer thee The Dromedaries of Madian and Epha All they of Saba shall come bringing gold and Frankenceuse and shewing forth payse to our Lord. The (i) How both the parts of this Prophesy are fulfilled latter part of this prophesy was most litterally fulfilled vpon this day of the Epiphany vpon these holy Magi as we clearly see by the sacred Euangelicall Text. And the former part which announceth the glory of the Christian Church hath bene as cuidently accomplished in the Communion of the holy Catholike Aposiolike Romane faith in the light wherof the Gentills were to walke And so many successions and Series of Kings when first they should be conuerted from Paganisme to this faith were to goe on in the brightnes of the rysing therof And such multitudes were then to come in to do her homage both from farre and neere as should amaze strike her through with ioy Nor was he able to expresse the plenty and abundance of that people otherwise then by the name of seas and inundations And (k) I dare make my reader my Iudge heere let any man who hath but the vse euen of coÌ„mon sense consider in what community of Christian people this prophesy hath bene fulfilled whether in the Catholike Romane which is spread farre and neere in all the fower quarters of the earth as Europe Affrique Asia and America or in any other present Sect of these parts of the world which neuer went further then to some Prouinces of Europe only Nor was euer euen heer such as now it is but onely since the tyme of Luther when also it is deuided into a world of sects Whether in the Catholike which conuerted all the Countries which euer were coÌ„uerted from Paganisme to the faith of our Lord or in any Sect at all which neuer conuerted any one but insteed therof hath peruerted as many as it could from the true faith to their owne carnall fancies Whether in the Catholike wherof such a world of Emperours and Kings and Queenes haue bene or els in any other now on foote which neuer had any one who was and did contynue of their coÌ„munion We (l) They are Catholiques only who adore our Lord Iesus as the Magi did Catholikes are they to whome our Lord did manifest himselfe according to the prediction of his holy Prophets We who finde him in the stable in the armes of his sacred and all-immaculate mother and We who adore him and present him not only with our hartes as his enemies do also pretend themselues to doe but with our Gold also by almes and all kind of Charity with our Incense by deuoâ—ion and piety and with our Mirrhe by mortification and pennance in vnion of that infinite loue of his wherby he hath made choice of vs to whome he would vouchsafe to be made knowne And therfore let vs follow S. Leo his counsell Ser. 2. de Epiphan who like a true supreme Pastour spake thus to the vniuersall flocke committed to his charge Let this most sacred day of the Epiphany be honoured by vs wheron the author of our saluation appeared and let vs adore him in heauen being so omnipotent to whome the Magi did expresse such veneration he being in his Cradle but an Infant It is shewed by the Presentation of our Lord Iesus in the Temple how infinite loue he bare to vs. CHAP. 17. THIS Omnipotent Lord Iesus hauing as it were emptied his fulnes or rather abridged the shew of his greatnes by growing into the narrow compasse of being a child in his Natiuity and hauing also submitted himselfe both to paine and shame in his Circumcision where he tooke to himselfe the sweet name of Iesus for our eternall good did proceed yet further shortly after in a most amourous obedience to that Law which we alone were subiect to Vnder the obligation heerof he was and vvould needs be presented in the Temple to Almighty God Luc. 2. as the first borne of all parents vvere bound to be in memory of that destruction Exod. 12. Exod. 13. Leuit. 12. vvhich God brought vpon the first borne of the Agyptians and so deliuering his ovvne people vvhich vvas the Children of Israell by meanes therof So punishing his enemies because they presecuted his friends or rather so punishing his enemies that they also might become his friends if they vvould not resolue to be their ovvne greatest enimies But yet vvitha I it vvas ordeyned in the old lavv that the first borne so offered by the parents vvhen once they had done that homage to the God of all things should not be so appropriated to his seruice as that the parents vvere vvholly to loose the comfort of them But (a) See heer the tender goodnes of almighty God towardes man Num. 8. all except they vvere of the Tribe of Leui vvho vvere to serue in Ecclesiasticall function might be redeemed recouered backe againe And that at so loe a rate as should not vndoe them hovv poore soeuer they might chance to be The beasts indeed and only they vvere to be sacrificed in Specie as they vvere offred to our Lord. This Oblation was therfore made by the people
and vse of Baptisme that ordinarily it shall be administred by her Priests and in her Churches and solemnized with her sacred and most significant * Ritual Roman Ceremonies as namely the signe of the holy Crosse Exorcisines Insufflations Inpositiou of hands together with salt and holy Oyle with diuers others vvhich are thought fit to accompany an action of so great importance and the figures vvherof vvere deliuered and recomended by Christ our Lord himselfe as S. Ambrose notes vvhen he cured that person vvho vvas possessed by a diuell both dumbe and deefe by putttng spittle vpon his tongue and thrusting his fingars into his eares and saying Ephata vvhich is Be opened at most of vvhich Ceremonies though Sectaries vvill take liberty to laugh and scoffe vve Catholikes vvill not be ashamed to reueale them as vve are taught to doe not only though chiefely for the authority and custome it selfe of the holy Church but partely also because vve see in the vvritings of most auncient and holy Doctours Vide Bellar de Sacram Bap. l. 18. c. 26. both frequent and venerable mention to be made therof Hovvsoeuer I say all this be true yet neuerthelesse it vvas the gratious pleasure of our blessed Lord and it is the practise of his true Spouse the holy Church in case that the person to be baptized be in any extremity of daunger to forbeare all those ceremonies vvhich cannot then conueniently be vsed And it sufficeth for the eternall saluation of that soule that the vvater be applyed those fevv sacred vvords pronounced vvhich are prescribed And this in those cases may be done not only by lay men but euen by vvomen and all in the vertue and through the loue and by the merit of the Baptisme of Christ our Lord. Lib. 2. in Luc. Tom. 5. ser de Baptismo For one man was went as S. Ambrose sayth but he washed all the world One man descended that we might all ascend One man tooke vpon him the sinnes of all that so the sinnes of all might dye in him Our Lord was baptized not meaning to be cleansed by those waters but to cleanse those very waters that so they being washed by the flesh of Christ our Lord which knew no sinne might be intytled to the right of Baptisme Ser. de Temp. And S. Augustine doth also say A mother there was who brought forth a sōne yet she was chast the water washed Christ and it was made holy by him For as after the birth of Christ our Lord the Chastity of the B. Virgin was glorisied so after his Baptisine the sanctisication of the waters was approued To her saith he afterward was virginity imparted and vpon it fecundity was bestowed as we shall instantly and cleerly see The discourse concerning Baptisme is contynued and the great Loue of our Lord in the institution of that Sacrament is more declared CHAP. 22. THIS Baptisme instituted thus by Christ our Lord is both a mistical kind of death and withall it is a new begetting of a soule to life The first Adam is put to death that Christ our Lord who is the second Adam may be formed in vs. The whole world lay drowned till thus it was fetcht from vnder water The holy Apostle speakes of Baptisme as of a kind of death Cap. 6. For he tells the Romans that they he were washed together with Christ our Lord by Baptisme vnto death that is to sinne which is the worker and cause of death That as our Lord rose from the dead by the glory of his Father so we may walke in newnes of life And shortly after whosoeuer of vs are baptized in Christ Iesus are baptized to his death And againe to the Colossians you are buried together with him in Baptisme in whom you are risen to life This Baptisme is also a Regeneration wherby we are made the adopted sonnes of God and the brethren Coheires and liuing members of Christ our Lord. And the same Lord sayth Ioan. 3. Vnlesse you be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost I. Pet. 1. you shall not enter into the kingdom of God And besides he hath regenerated vs into a liuing hope This ioynt Resurrection with our Lord is made to that newnes of life wherof the Apostle speakes els where Colos 2. Rom. 6. For by this Lauer we are renewed by which we are also borne agayne So that we see how this Baptisme of Christ our Lord according to the seuerall partes therof was a figure in the exteriour both of the burying of our soules from sinne and of the begetting therof to grace his descending into the waters signifying the one and his returne out of them the other This Sacrament which was procured for vs by the labour and loue of our Lord IESVS in a most particular manner doth imprint a Caracter vpon the soule which is indeleble for all eternities and wherby we are maked and knowne to be the sheepe of Christ our Lord. It is the gate or entrance of all the other Sacraments and auowed to be such by the Councell of Trent Concil Trident. sess 7. Can. 9. de Sacram in genere It is a necessary meanes for the taking away of Originall sinne and for cloathing the soule with the primitiue stole of Iustice. In former ages they who were baptized were called Illuminated persons and baptisme it selfe was called Illumination and the Sacrament of Faith Yea baptized persons are said to be Illuminated by the Apostle himself It takes away both the sinne and all that penalty which may by due to it It fills the soule which grace and vertue and it is both necessary to saluation it guideth to it The weight of which word (a) What thing the word Saluation doth import Saluation whosoeuer doth consider well withall that it is applyed to vs by such an obuious and familiar meanes as this will not be so apt to snarle and quarrell at the Ordination of God as if it were a point of cruelty to separate such persons from himselfe as reach not Baptisme through his inscrutable iudgments for the sinne of Adam to which the whole race of man is subiect as they will be to admire his mercy and adore his Charity for chalking out such an easy way wherby so many millions of creatures might with great facility decline the euerlasting torments of hell and be entytled to the eternall ioyes of heauē For this is the happy case of all them who dye in their infancy after Baptisme hauing formerly bene subiect to Originall sinne and the curse therof which is double death although afterward they were to haue had no effectuall meanes of euer producing so much as any one good thought For these soules are instantly to be translated by the only meanes of this holy Sacrament to the habitation and possession of that celestiall kingdome And there doe they feele and there doe they tast the incorruptible fruite of that incomparable
loue wherwith our Lord did make the way thither so easy to them We may well be assured of the truth of that testimony of S. Iohn Baptist when he said Ma. That he who should baptize after him would doe it in the holy Ghost And we may safely say that it was the holy Ghost which could eleuate such a poore peece of nature as common water is to an immediate instrument as now we find it for the washing saÌ„ctifying of all our soules For instantly after the Baptisme of Christ our Lord and the prayer which was made vpoÌ„ it he saw that the very heauens did open which had beene shut till then by the sinne of Adam Ibid. and the holy Ghost descended on him in a visible forme Which our Lord IESVS obteyned not for himselfe who was already full of it Ioan. 1. beyond all measure but he obteyned it for vs for of his fulnes we all receaue and so there is none of vs baptized vvhose soule is not highly visited by the holy Ghost And no meruaile if heauen hauing neuer bin seene open before that time such an aboundance of the holy Ghost vvere then communicated to the vvorld vvhich till then vvas little knovvne The promises and blessings of that old lavv vvere temporall terrene and a land slowing with milke and hony vvas (b) The seruile coÌ„dition of the people of God vnder the old law the fairest Lure vvherby that Carnall people could be made to stoope to any obedience to the commaundements of God But novv the earth vvas grovvne too poore a token for his diuine Majesty to send to then vvho vvere so beloued by his only begotten sonne that sonne vvho in contemplation of their good had performed such an act of heroicall call vertue in this holy Baptisme of his And therfore heauen vvas set open and the most pretious treasure therof Confes l. 13. cap. 7. sent dovvne to dravv men vp For the vncleanes of our spirit as S. Augustine sayth dissolueth it selfe downeward through a loue of cares and the sanctity of Gods spirit doth rayse vs vpward by a loue of secure repose That so our harts may ascend vp towards thee O God where thy spirit is carried ouer the waters and that we may arriue to that supereminent rest when our soules shall haue passed through these waters wherupon we can ground no rest But euen in respect of Christ our Lord himselfe though his soule vvere then already so full of grace as not to be capable of addition yet vvas it most agreable to the vsuall stile and the infinite iust goodnes of God that the humility of this action should be ansvvered and acknovvledged vvith vnusuall glory And therfore that he vvho had so abased euen as it vvere buried himselfe vp in vvater Ioan. 1. and submitted his head to one who was not worthy to vnty his shoe should be auovved from heauen vvith the Curtaines open dravvne To be the beloued sonne of God Matt. 3. And so a certaine and solemne instance vvas giueÌ„ of that truth vvhich may goe for the dayly and standing miracle of the Christian Catholike Church That as soone as a soule shall haue truly humbled it selfe for the loue of God euen then it receaues and feeles a revvard from heauen vvhich fills the hart full of ioy Glory then I say vvas due to his humility and for as much as nothing can pay loue but loue the attribute of Beloued was also due and best deserued by his loue And because his loue for the loue of God was so immense to man the holy Ghost it selfe which is the al and only infinite loue was sent downe vpon him in a visible manner by whome it was afterward to be conueyed to men And euen the very shape wherin God was pleased that it should appeare may serue to make vs know that all the actioÌ„ did begin end in loue For it was of a doue (b) The fruytes of the holy ghost are figured fitly in a Doue what creature is more apt for loue then this What creature is more fruitefull more speedy more sweet more stronge more honest and yet more amourous then this Deteyning her mate when he would depart with more desire and expecting him when he is absent with more ioy The doue was therfore the signe of the holy Ghost which descended vpoÌ„ Christ our Lord as soone as he was baptized to shew that his hart was ouerwhelmed with loue both to God and man Whilst for the pure glory of the one and the perfect good of the other he submitted himself to paine and shame for the sanctifying of sinners and that by a most sweet easy means to vs he cared not though he were accounted one himselfe Yea not being content to be only thought so heere by men the restlesnes of his loue did worke so fast vpon him as to make him not disdaine to be mistaken therin by the diuells also and to be tempted in the wildernes by the Prince of darcknes as the next discourse will declare Of the vnspeakeable Loue to vs which our Lord Iesus shewed in his being tempted in the wildernes by the Diuell CHAP. 23. IT is full of truth which hath bene said Omnis Christi actio vitâ—e nostrae est instructio Euery action of our Lord may serue for an instruction to vs in this life of ours Or rather it is most true that there is no action at all of his which instructs vs not many wayes (a) All the actions of Christ our Lord are as a hidden Manna to our soules which is not a kind of hidden Manna deliuering to euery hungry and thirsty soule a tast of that particular vertue which it needs That Christ our Lord would be baptized was to be enroled in the list of sinners according to the iudgment of men but in sine they were men who would make that iudgment with men he loued and he was come into the world to procure their good and at last he knew that he would deliuer them from that errour But for the sonne of God who was also God to abase and as it were forget himselfe so farre as to submit that superexcellent soule of his which was adored by al the Angells of heaueÌ„ to be subiect for the manifold benefit of man so farre as to be tempted by that damned spirit doth betoken such a strange loue to vs as puts all discourse to silence and the best created vnderstanding that euer was may be halfe excused if it shall loose the very witts with wonder If the difference be great betwene one man and another euen amongst good men homo homini quid praestat if it be great betwene a good maÌ„ a bad if it be yet greater between a most wicked man a most glorious Saint what difference shall we thinke there is betwene God and the diuell And what scales can haue the strings long enough to giue scope that one
Augustine which since it is so highly and clearly true I would to God it were written and worne about the neckes Aug. Cōfes lib. 1. cap. 22. and in the harts of all the world Iussisti Domine sic est vt poena sua sibi sit omnis inordinatus animus Thou hast ordeyned it O Lord and so it is That the very inordinate affection it selfe of euery one should be an affliction to him that hath it so the merit of euery action which is purely vndertaken and faithfully performed for the loue of God especially if it haue any thing in it of the heroicall will be sure to affect the mind with a particular kind of remuneratiō yea so particular as that the soule shall know it is for that The second (c) The 2. Temptaon was riches power att 4. c. 4. Temptation wherwith this inueterate lyer did tempt our Lord was by offering all riches and power which he shewed him from the Top of a high mountaine and he promised to giue him the whole world if he would adore him A lyer I say he is and so he was from the begin ning But yet amongst all his lyes he neuer told a greater then this That it should be in his power to giue the whole world away he who is not the owner of one leafe which growes therin nor is able to moue the least indiuisible graine of dust vpon the earth nor any moate in the ayre without the particular leaue of our Lord God All power is of God all pleasure is of him and in him And whatsoeuer is in creatures is but a poore participation of the infinite which in him is found And that which the deuill can doe is only to tempt vs to steale it from the true owner Wheruuto when he hath induced vs and that we once returne into our selues that which he leaueth behind in our soules is nothing but a miserable remorse of mind and an experimentall knowledge of extreame calamity and penury insteed of plenty and of infamy insteed of glory and of consuming paine insteed of any pure and perfect ioy Confes lib. 4. cap. 12. And most iustly as Saint Augustine sayth doth that which in it selfe is sweete grow bitter to thee if thou commit such an act of iniustice as vpon the reason of that sweetues to forsake and ossend our Lord who made it sweet And thou commest as he diuinely expresseth in another place To turne and tosse thy minde Confes l. 2. cap. 2. vp and downe superba deiectione inquieta lassitudine with a proud kind of basenes a resiles kind of wearines This is that bargaine to which the deuill if we hearken to him can bring a soule but to giue it one haires bread of happines is neither in his power nor in his will For his enuy and his hate to vs is such as that the smal counterfaite pleasure which we find in the act of any sinne is no small vexation griefe to him And if it were in his hand to make vs sinne without taking any corporall delight at all and to tosse vs from torments in this life to torments in the next he would find malice inough for that purpose and we should be sure neuer to tast any one drop of ioy by his consent But where was it that our Lord found patience and (d) The incomprehensible meeknes of our Lord Iesus meeknes inough to keepe him from rebuking that impure spirit from creating a new hell of torments into which he might haue bene precipitated for desiring to be adored by one whome he suspected ought to haue known to be the sonne of God where did he find it or where could he find it but in his owne pretious hart which is a profound Sea of loue to all such as will be capable therof and of pitty and patience euen to such as hunt after nothing but his dishonour 1. Pet. 2. For whē afterward our Lord was reuiled he answered not and when he was cursed he prayed for them who cast theyr curses vpon him And when now he was tempted he did not so much as turne against the deuill himselfe but stood only fast in his owne defence against that Prince of the Rebellious Angells who was still following his old maxime of beleeuing that he was fit to be adored will neuer be taught to chaunge it euen by the experience of those paines of hell which he hath tasted already for so many ages and is to doe for all eternities So spirituall so stiffe and so tough a sinne is that of Pride which as it will nouer be forsakē by those deuils so also is there none to which the misery of man in this life is more obnoxious The deuill knowing this at the least as well as we did reserue the Temptation of (e) The 3. temptatiō was to Estimation and Honour Honour for the last place he drew it as the most daungerous and deadly wounding arrovv out of his quiuer vvhervvith he hoped to fasten vpon the soule of Christ our Lord. He tooke him therfore out of the desert and carryed him to the pinnacle of the Temple and placing him vpō the top therof he would faine haue induced him to cast himself dovvn through an insinuation of sanctity vvhich might be in him For sayth he If thou be the sonne of God thou mayst safely doe it for it is written that he hath giuen his Angells charge ouer thee and that in their hands they shall beare thee vp Matt. 4. least perhaps thou knocke thy foote against a stoue The deuill is no foole or babe but he knovves it is most true that if any thing be able to shake a vertuous soule it is a Temptation of Pride an ambitiō of Honour for the sanctity which is imparted to it by our Lord God because through any yeilding to this Temptation both that sanctity is lost God vvith it With hovv pestilent successe hath he put this tricke vpon vvhole multitudes of mē at seuerall tymes vvho at those tymes vvere faythfull seruants Saints of God But this blast of vanity did so vndermine their soules as that they fell dovvne and rotted and did but serue to make a fire vvherat the deuill might vvarme himselfe But heer he mist his marke and although be brought the ground of his Temptation of Christ our Lord out of holy Scripture levvdly applyed the only true sense vvherof the spirit of Christ our Lord did knovv after his Ascension the holy Ghost hath still imparted it to the holy Catholique Church vvhere the spirit of God doth yet only rest and vvherby it is able to interprete truely that holy Scripture yet our Lord vvas easily able to giue him such an ansvvere out of the same Scripture as made him depart vvith shame inough It is shewed how we are to carry our selues in the vse of holy Scripture and we are instructed concerning Lent we are
persons aliue Either for nobility and power out of the Citty of Rome which was the Empresse of the world or out of the Prouinces of Greece which was the Seminary of all morality and learning or out of the citty of Hierusalem which the opinion of sanctity the maiesty of Religious rites did easily outstrip all other places But (d) Why our Lord made not choyce of the noble wise or learned men of the world for conuersion therof 1. Cor. 1. he who afterward did condemne the pride pleasure of the world vpon the Crosse had before in the choice of his Apostles both confounded all discourse of flesh and bloud and withall he tooke care to magnify the attributes wherof I spake before of his power his wisedome and his goodnes By choosing as S. Paul affirmeth the meane things of the world to confound the noble the weake to cōfound the strong and the things which scarse were thought to haue any substance or being at all to confound other things which seemed as it were to beard and braue the vvorld It is true that he admitted of some few learned men for his Disciples as Gamaliel and Nathanael And of some fevv vvho vvere rich and noble as Lazarus Nicodemus and Ioseph of Arimathia that so he might not seeme to disdaine nobility and learning but yet his Apostles in a manner vvere all obscure and poore vnlearned men Both because such persons are vvont to goe more vvillingly after the call of Gods holy inspirations and partly also yea and chiefely to make the vvorld cōfesse that vvhen it should see vvhole Prouinces subdued to the faith of Christ our Lord by the preaching of his doctrine out of such ignorāt mouthes as theirs vvere knovvne to be it might be obliged to impute the same to no other cause but the omnipotēt povver of God the Father the infinite vvisedome of God the sonne vvho is Christ our Lord and the inexhausted goodnes of God the holy Ghost vvhich was able to doe such vvonders by such weake instruments Novv that (e) How Moyses in some respect was an extract of the Apostles 2. Cor. 2. vvhich vvas heere fulfilled in the person of the rude Apostles vnder the lavv of grace vvas punctually prefigured vnder the vvriten lavv in the person of Moyses vvho vvas but a sheepheard and a stammerer and so could haue no grace or guift of speech But Virtus Dei in infirmitate perficitur The strength and power of God is perfected and proclaymed in the weakenes of man And Moyses could not be so vntovvard either in fortune or nature for the busines which God imployed him in but the same God could vvith ease doe those wōderfull things by his meanes which he designed for the deliuery of his people from the seruitude of Pharao And this he wrought aftervvard in a more admirable māner by the ministery of his poore Apostles in freing soules from the tyranny of the spirituall Pharao which is the deuill The rebellious Angells and our fraile forefather Adam were grounded at the first in great priuiledges both of grace and nature but through disobedience and pride they all fell headlong downe The Angells to hell Adam into a deepe darke hole full of infirmity and worldly care But the Apostles had their foundation and first beginning in pouerty ignorance and simplicity and in fine in a being nothing of themselues And now as the pride of the former was abased so the humility of these latter as we shall see in the Chapter following was exalted by the holy and mighty hand of God whose name be euer blessed for the glory which he giues himselfe by his owne goodnes The incomparable Loue wherwith our Lord instantly rewarded the speedy obedience of the Apostles CHAP. 28. SVCH men as these they were whome our Lord designed to the Apostolate which yet was the most excellent and most eminent office in the Church of God And he vouchsafed to inuite them with such strength as well as with such tendernes of loue that they came when they were called They did it instantly and cheerfully and absolutely Saint Peter and S. Andrew Marc. 1. were casting their netts into the Sea and immediatly vpon the fight and voyce of our Lord Iesus who bad them come and follow him Matth. 4. they went and left their netts in the act of their falling into the water without staying so long as might serue to draw them vp againe And much lesse did they delay till they saw what draught they might chaunce to haue Ibid. S. Iohn and S. Iames were in the act of mending their netts and vpon the very first sight and hearing of the voyce of Christ our Lord who called them to him they did not so much as fasten one stitch or tye one knot but immediatly they put themselues vpon following him Leauing not only their netts but abandoning euen their very father through the desire they had to comply at full speed with the inspiration of God which spake more lowdly to their harts then the voyce of Christ our Lord as man had done to their eares of flesh and bloud S. Matthew as is touched Matt. 9. both before and afterward was in the (a) The admirable conuersion of S. Matthew Custome house in the midst of a world of reckonings accounts he was in the very act of sinning the company which he was in would not faile to encourage him in doing ill but yet our Lord had no sooner bid him follow him but he left all at the very instant without so much as saluting his friends yea this he did with such excesse of ioy as that to shew the comfort of his hart he feasted his new Lord and maister The world is full of men who can write and read but there are not so very many who cast account so well as this B. Apostle knew how to doe Preferring God before the world and the treasures of diuine grace before the corruptible riches of this life and lending such a watchfull and listning care to the inspirations of almighty God in the obedience wherof it was but for our Lord to call and him to come But neither he nor those others were in danger of (b) Men are far frō loosing by giuing much to God loosing any thing by obeying the voyce of Christ our Lord. To vvhom although for the tryall of their loue and for the increase of their merit he made no promise at all vvhen he called thē but only to those fishers that he would make them fishers of men yet aftervvards he made them knovv that they had to doe vvith a liberall God And for as much as they had left their little comodities to follovv him vvho seemed to haue lesse and for that they had so generously contemned the care of friends and goods for his loue and in regard that they had put themselues instantly and franckly vpon his seruice vvithout asking any day or desiring to be
though euery one will not reach so high That we must be perfect as our heauenly Father is perfect And that whoso euer will be so must sell all that he hath and giue it to the poore and follow our Lord and that such a one shall haue his treasure in heauen That if any man would come after our Lord he must deny himselfe and take vp his Crosse and follow him For he that would saue his life should loose it and he that would loose his life should saue it That his disciples must goe in Mission for the conuersion of soules without depending vpon the hauing of any viaticum or the wearing so much as shooes or carrying a wallet with them for any prouision That they must looke persecution and euen death it selfe in the face and not so much as premeditate what they are to say for themselues in those occasions These are the most fragrant flowers wherof that rich garment is wouen or rather these are the most choyce Iewells wherof that pretious Crowne is composed which Christ our Lord brought downe from heauen With intention to put it vpon the heads of all such persons as meant to be disciples of his Doctrine and to become Graduates in his schoole of Perfection And (c) The faithfull practise of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord makes men happy euen in this life verily euen in this life the study and practice of this Doctrine of Christ our Lord doth make men happy after a sort and put them heere into a kind of tast of that felicity wherof they are to take the whole daughts heerafter in the kingdome of heauen For so great is the purity power thereof as to lodge a man out of the reach of humane things by making him place his felicity euen in Crosses both of paine and shame wherof in such a world as this he shal be sure to haue no want And to make him see that his misery cōsists in nothing but in swaruing frō this way to his felicity Happy is he who feeles the truth of this in his soule and most miserable is he who although he feele it not will not yet beleeue that the thing is true For he who beleeues not this truth will neuer seeke it and he that seeks it not will neuer find it It cannot (d) Considerations which facilitate the practise of this Doctrine be denyed but that this Doctrine requires hard things at a mans hands But so it must be considered that he who teacheth it doth withall giue much grace wherwith to learne it A burthen is more or lesse grieuous according to the strength more or lesse which he hath who is to beare it And it is no heard matter for one who is of infinite power to giue vs strength to carry according to the weight of that which is to be imposed and especially if that power be accōpanied with a goodnes which is as infinite Indeed it we consider the Doctrine as it is in it selfe we may say it is not only hard but impossible and especially it will seeme so then when we accompany that thought with a deepe consideration of the miserable frailty of our nature the strength of our passions and the importunity of sensible obiects which solicite and haunt vs euen to death in euery corner But yet on the other side we shall beleeue it to be both possible and easy if we remember as I was saying the omnipotēt wise loue of Christ our Lord the aboundant grace which is deriued to vs from the merits of his holy life and death the exāple of many Saints who hauing bene made of the same metall with vs haue by the fauour of God and their good endeauours translated as it were their soules out of this wildernes of beasts into the paradise of Angells euen before they parted from their mortall bodies And not only hath this bene performed by Sains deceased but we doe most certainly know and conuerse with so good seruants of God as that in great measure they ariue to it also in this life So that we haue all reason to be full of hope that by the same meanes we may follow whither (e) Wear left without excuse it we do not follow where so many are gone before they haue gone before Or at least we are to confesse that the fault is no bodies but our owne if we doe it not For if it be a burthen Christ our Lord will make it light and if it be a yoke he will make it sweet And he who thirsteth after comfort is inuiced by the lowd cry of Christ our Lord to goe drinke therof at that liuing fountaine of his grace And a promise is made to all the world Ioan. 7. that whatsoeuer shall be asked of God in the name of Christ our Lord shal be graunted Matt. 11. And whosoeuer is either loaden with sinne or doth labour vnder those punishments which as the reliques of sinne doe hange vpon him is allured by the voyce of Christ our Lord himself to repaire to him that he may be refreshed And indeed what refreshing or comfort is there to be had in this life till selfeloue be laid downe and the pure and perfect loue of Christ our Lord be taken vp in the practise of his diuine Doctrine selfeloue and selfewill it is which puts vs to such paine in this pilgrimage For these are the rootes of all our inordinate affections which place vs as vpon a beacon where we are subiect to all the windes of perturbation and passion which can blow either of desires or hopes or feares or any other care whatsoeuer Yea and if we watch our selues well we shall find sometymes that euen concerning the same persōs or things we are in effect at the (f) This is most true how strág soeuer it may seem selfe same tyme both in hope and feare in loue and yet in hate in a burning kind of little enuy against them and yet vpon the mayne with an ardēt desire of their good And in fine we know not sometymes what our selues would haue nor what we ayle What meruaile is it then if we be often vnlike to what we had resolued to be that we are so extremely vnequall so mutable and so miserable How can we choose but be perfect slaues if thus we tye our selues to selfe loue which giues the plague death it selfe to al true liberty of spirit professed and imparted by the practice of the Doctrine of Christ our Lord which is only able to make men free This is not that prophane supposed liberty to (g) The levvd liberty of the Ghospell of sectaries which the sectaries of this age do intytle their Ghospel and which is indeed but expresse subiection to sinne and true slauery But true Christian liberty doth consist in vntying the soule from all imperfection sin in subduing mortifying our inordinate inclinations and passions acoording to the pure and perfect law of Christ
the whole world at once Ioan. 7. Apocal. 22. If any man thirst let him come and drinke and it shall cast him nothing Come to me all you who labour Matt. 11. or be ouerloaden and I will refresh you No man is excluded whome he offers not to imbrace nor no misery is exempted from that hand of pitty which vndertakes to cure thē al. Is any thing more punctuall then his visitations who vouchsafes not only to knock at the doores of our vnworthy harts but to tel vs that he stands there Ego sto ad ostium pulso Apocal. 3. for that purpose as if it were to wayte our leasure and to know our pleasure whether we be content that he come in or no Is any thing more sweet euen then his conuersation which he expresseth in this manner Apocal. 3. That if we open our soules to him when he begges entrance he will come and sup with vs He saith not only that we shall sup with him but that he also will sup with vs and doe vs the honour to make vs able to inuite and feast him Ioan. 16. He saith also els where That if we will loue him not only he but his Father also will loue vs and that they both will come in and dwell with vs. Yea and yet in another place That he will not onely sup with vs but serue vs. Luc. 121 And he was richly as good as his word when at that last supper of his he washed and wiped the feete of his Apostles as we haue seene elsewhere Nor did he only induce men to doe vs good by his putting his very selfe into our persons that so himselfe might receaue the fauour from vs but he discouraged men from doing vs any hurt by the selfe same reason vvhen he expostulated with S. Paul Act 8. asking why he persecuted him wheras yet he had but persecuted his seruants Is any thing more tender then those comparisons vvherby he vouchsafes to discouer the beating of his diuine hart and the boyling vp of his profound loue Whilest with the teares in his eyes he contemplated that misery Matt. 23. vvhich the vngratefull and blind Ierusalem had dravvne vpon her selfe by her sinnes And vvhen after the manner of an Interiection he exclaymed and asked that vvhich himselfe could only tell hovv to ansvvere hovv often he vvas desirous and had endeauoured to dravv those vvicked men to himselfe vvith as much vvorking and earning of his bovvells of pitty as any Hen could vse in the defence and sauegard of her chickens from some rauenous Kyte Novv as the (d) What a great deale of tender loue is inuolued in the cōparison of our Lord and vs to the Hen and her Chickens Hen by spreading her vvings makes a Buckler of defēce for her chickens against any violent hurt which may approach them so also doth she make them a kind of Arbor of solace and recreation vnder vvhich they may repose against the scorching heate of the s̄ne She contemnes her ovvne safety in respect of theyrs and shee grovves euen sicke vvith sorrovv vpon the least apprehension of any hurt which may be comming towardes them What name shall we giue to that vouchsafing of our B. Lord when in compassion of our miseries and in the ardent desire he had to free vs from them he disdayned not to apparaile himselfe with the similitude of a Sheepheard (e) The Parable of the sheepheard Matt. 28. Who hauing a flocke of a hundred sheepe left ninety nine wherby the Angelicall nature is designed to seeke that one being the figure of man kind which went wandring and loosing it selfe in the desert of this world And to looke it so long as at last to find it and to take it first into his armes and then to lay it vpon his owne shoulders all stincking and rotting as it was And then so returne home so ouer-ioyed as if this Pastour could haue no other felicity but in the feeling and remouing of the calamities of his sheep Whom to shew how much he loues thē beyond the loue that is borne by the sheepheards of this vvorld to theyr seuerall flockes he professeth that there is not one of them vvhom he doth not know and call by his particular name Our Lord did also stoope so low as to expose himselfe to our sight in the person of a (f) Of the widdow who lost a peece of syluer Luc. 15. vviddow Who hauing lost one single groate vvhich figureth any soule vvhich is lost by sinne laid aside the contentment vvhich she might haue takē in all that rest of her substance vvhich she had not lost And the lights her candle svveepes and searches euery corner of her house neuer leaues to labour till at length she haue found it out And then not being able to cōtaine herselfe she inuites her neighbours and her friends that they vvill helpe her to reioyce for her good successe since of her selfe she is not able to be glad inough And (g) The story or Parable of the Pro gall child Luc. Ibid. vvho shal also be euer able to expresse the tender loue he shevved to man in being pleased that the Parable of the Prodigal child should remaine to the vvorld vpon record That so for euer it might appeare as in a most fresh and liuely picture hovv impossible it vvas for the most grieuous sinne of man to quench the infinite mercy of almighty God so that once he vvould returne by penance Yea and he shevveth that the same Father who hath the patiēce to endure all the wikednes which can be committed hath not the patiēce to endure that the sonne should wade so farre in sorrow not to find him til he should get home But he must needs put himselfe vpon the way yea and forgetting as it were his state and grauity must run to meet him And at the first meeting to imbrace him and presently to fall vpon his necke and to be fully reconciled to him by a kisse of peace And howsoeuer the sōne did but his duty in accusing himself of his grieuous sinne yet the Father would take no hold of that nor contynue him in cause to be blushing or so much as thinking of what was past But he instantly changed his discourse and comaunded his seruants in all hast to goe fetch the most sumpcuous prime garment which he had and that he should be all cloathed with it that a ring of honour should be put vpon his fingar and that the fatt calfe should be killed and that a banquet should be made and that Musicque should declare how full of ioy he was I spare in this place to speake of another banquet or feast which the holy Scripture records him to haue made to man with infinite loue in the Institution of the blessed Sacrament And (h) The B. Sacrament is incomparably the greatest guift which cā be giuen yet this doth as farre exceed
how he loued that man Ibid. Yet Lazarus indeed his friends had obliged our Lord by particular seruices to his owne sacred person wheras the holy Text affirmes in many other places that his diuine pitty mercy did worke most tenderly also towards others vpon whom he had no other eye at all then as they were parts of mankind all which he did so deerly loue And therfore he pittied both their generall and particular miseries as appeares by the story of the widdow in the death of her sonne Luc. 7. Matt. 13. Mar. 8. Matt. 23◠and of the people in the wildernes for their distresse of hungar and especially of the citty of Ierusalem when with his eyes full of teares he lamented their misery as hath bene said else where The holy Scripture also affirmeth not only that he pittied them Matt. 1◠Marc. 8. but that himselfe would professe and say as much And besides he ordayned that the notice of it should be left to vs vpō record And what charming words were those when he would bid them Aske (1) Ioan. 16. and haue that their ioye might be full and when he would say What (2) Marc. 10. wilt thou haue me doe Yea and also in expresse termes Be it vnto thee (3) Matt. 15. as thou wilt thy selfe As if he were content that man should be as it were his owne caruer out of the very omnipotency of God and that the mercy of God were to haue no other measure then mans owne desire And when he would say My selfe will (4) Matt. 8. goe and cure the sicke person at thy house And when being the soueraigne King of glory he would yet become a begger of a cup of could water of the (5) Ioan. 4. Samaritan women whilst the while he was filling her soule with the water of grace which instantly might take all possibility of further thirst from her And when he would call them by many and most tender names as we haue shewed vpon another occasion And when he would begge of them that they would sinne no more And when he would so labouriously defend and plead the cause of S. Mary (6) Luc. 37. Magdalene his enamoured penitent And when he confounded that hypocrysy and pride of the Iewes and had such diuine pitty of the poore (7) Ioan. 8. Adultresse And whē he would goe as he did to him who was borne (8) Ioan. 9. blind whome himselfe would needs vouchsafe to seeke as soone as he was excommunicated by the Iewes And hauing found him he gaue him comfort and passed sometyme in his conuersation and withdrew that curtaine which he suffered still to hange betwixt him and others and told him at last in plaine powerful tearmes (9) Ibid. That the Sauiour of the world was then speaking to him The great laboriousnesse of Loue which our Lord Iesus expressed in the working of his Miracles is more declared CHAP. 43. NOVV withall this loue which our Lord expressed in the working of his miracles was no nice or wary kind of loue For it cost him excessiue paines labour and imployed him in iourneying through all that hilly cōtry on foote as may be seene throughout the whole Euangelicall history to find matter Matt. 9. Marc. 6. for his mercy of that kind to worke vpon And sometymes all Iewry not being able to containe and compasse in those bowells of his charity he would be breaking out into the skirts of the Gentiles Matt. 25. which he began to ennoble sanctifie by his presence And whersoeuer he were he was importuned by poore people to take pitty on them and he had so much towards them that he had none of himselfe But he prayed for them by night he laboured for them by day that so hard that as sometymes (1) Matt. 4. 12. 15. he had no bread to eate so at othertymes he had not so (2) Marc. 3. much as leaue or tyme to eate it in yea or so much as (3) Marc. 2. 3. euen scarce meanes to stirre through the presse of people which came about him At all howers was he ready to giue them health if they had beene ready alwaies to receaue it But the Country in sommer begin extremly hoat for them to haue repaired to him in the heate of the day would haue bene perhaps but to haue exchanged one sicknes for another Or els though the Patients would haue bene glad to be carryed or conducted the men vvho vvere to help them had not charity inough to endure the trouble But hovvsoeuer the Patients or their friends did stand affected the Phisitian was still at hand and he desired no better Fee then to be doing them fauour And (a) What troopes of sicke persons were brought to our B. Lord for eure Luc. 4. so therfore in the euenings about Sunne-set the holy Scripture shevves vvhat troopes of people of all those villages tovvnes and citties vvould come in about him Drawing out dying men into the sight of that truer brighter sunne vvhich vvas euer shining tovvards them as at noone day Not only did he cure them all but besides the benefit it self of their health he imparted it vvith so much tendernes of loue as not to permit that there should be so much as any one of them all vvhome he vvould not touch vvith his ovvne pure povverfull hands though he vvas infinitely able to haue cured them all at once Luc. 4. and vvith the least vvord of his mouth or euen vvith the wil of his hart At other tymes agayne he vvould accomplish their desires in another forme And as before he cured them by touching them vvith his owne sacred flesh to shew his loue so novv he vvould doe it by letting thē touch his garments Marc. 6. or his person to shevv his povver There might you haue seeme as if it had bene a very Market or Faire of sicke Folkes of all diseases both of body and mind which went Progresse with him whersoeuer he had a mind to goe Some leaning vpon staues some carried in mens armes and some in their beds vpon wheele barrowes A running (*) A running cāpe of souldiers who had been wounded by sinne camp it was of souldiers who had all beene wounded in the warre by their enemies and they hoped for help by flying towards the Cullours of this Captaine And we may make account that though he were the King both of heauen and earth yet he tooke not so much gust in being courted by the Angells of heauen as he did in being haunted by this hospitall which went euer creeping after him on earth This (b) Many Hospitalls in one hospitall had all kindes of hospitals made vp in one One hospital for al sortes of ordinary diseases as Feauers Dropsies Fluxes of bloud and the like Another for the Blind Another for the Lame Another for the Deafe Another for the Dumbe Another for
our Redemption The misery is shewed and the errour is partly conuinced of such as doe not imbrace the beliefe of those diuine Mysteries CHAP. 50. VVHo shall therfore be euer able inough to admire this Soueraigne Lord of loue for the mercy which he hath shewed vs in this blessed Sacramēt of his most pretious body and bloud and for the care he hath taken of the cōpletenes of our comfort heerin Psalm 105. Quis loquetur potentias Domini auditas faciet omnes landes eius Who I say shall be able to declare Gods power and to proclaime his prayses And how much reason therfore is it that there should not be in the world any Priest or other faithfull Christian who will not set vp the rest of all his comfort in this life in frequenting this bread of heauen and in spending some part of his dayes and nights in preparing to receaue this diuine food with due deuotion If our Lord IESVS Lue. 14. tooke it ill in the Ghospell that they would not resort to that supper of his which was indeed a type of heauen it selfe and yet withall of this heauenly mystery how heauily wil he lay it to our charge if we be negligent in comming to this Table whē himselfe is both he who inuites to the banquet the very bāquet it self But O (a) The lamentable ingratitude of such as are not Catholiques misery to be eternally deplored euen with teares of bloud that in these woefull dayes of ours there should be any found with the name of Christians vpon their forehead who yet renounce the benefit yea and expresly blaspheme the inuiolable truth of this mystery Miserable creatures they are a thousand tymes miserable who do by this meanes eyther ignorantly or maliciously degrade and depose themselues from the most soueraigne point of Christian dignity which the infinite wisedome and loue of God himselfe was euen able with all his omnipotency to impart to the meanenes and weakenes of sinfull men Yet some of them being pressed as it were to death by the euident words of Hoc est corpus meum so often iterated by so many of the holy Euangelists haue begun of late yeares to affirme that they beleeue the reall presence of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament as well as wee but only that they dare not pronounce de modo But (b) Theyr speach de modo is a false and foolish stift our Lord doth know that they speake not as they meane but only to abuse the people Neither can they beleeue it as we doe according to their other particular declarations concerning this doctrine And yet in truth if they did beleeue the thing it selfe and did only differ de modo as they say they doe amongst which modo's or wayes they vnderstād our doctrine of Transubstantiation to be one how could they dare so wickedly blaspheme this our Doctrine cōcerning the modus yet professe that they are ignorant of the modus or way how the reall presence comes to be in the B. Sacrament But this (c) The scope of this book is not to teach faith but loue Treatise is not intended for the setling of the truth of the Catholike faith and to conuince them of errour who inpugne it but only to inflame the hart of the true Christian to heate of loue vpon those reasons and motiues which are already ministred by the light of faith to our soules That other taske hath bene performed by multitudes of our learned Authors wherof the world is ful I will only beseech them for the loue of our Lord IESVS that they will procure to purify their hartes from sensuality and other sinne which blindes that soule wherin it raignes till then we will wonder the lesse that men of so bestiall life as the founders of their religion were had no sight wherwith to pierce into so pure mysteries The carnall man cannot discerne of things belonging to God 1. Cor. ◠and if not of things which are but belonging to him how much lesse of the substance of this blessed Sacrament which is God himselfe as truly God as he is God who made heauen and earth In the meane tyme these people deserue much pitty at our hands who whet the teeth not only of infidelity against God but euen of Enuy against themselues For what doth it looke like but enuy since they refuse to beleeue and to imbrace so great a good vpon this cheife reason because they thinke it is too good to be true And (d) The counterfeyt sanctity and preposterous pretence of the humility of Sectaries this peruerse and preposterous humility togeather with a seeming to take such a counterfayte care of the dignity and Maiesty God is one of those bucklers vnder which they hide themselues from the darts of loue which he would faine be shooting at their soules For they say it is an indignity and what if a rat or a dogge should eate the blessed Sacrament and I know not what vnsauoury stuff of the kind But they consider not the while that God receaues farre more dishonour in being prophaned by a Iudas or any other obstinate sinner then if the body of our Lord should be eaten by as many rats as there are blaspheming Heretikes in the world That Sunne true Sunne of Iustice can well inough tell how to keep his beames from being defyled vpon any filthy dunghill And if he could not it would goe hard with him For the diuinity of Christ our Lord IESVS is actually intrinsecally in all the parts of all the creatures of the whole world both by essence presēce and power yea and in all the deuills of hell as truly as in any Angell of heauen or els that thing would instantly giue ouer to be And now if the (e) Note this most certay ne and apparant consequēce diuinity of Christ our Lord be in all vile places without any indignity the humanity how noble soeuer it be will be farre from disdayning to keep it company Little doe these deceaued creatures consider how low our mercifull Lord could be content to descend for the loue of man towards the receauing if there should be cause of dishonour by the meanes either of beasts or other men And I should thinke that the Temptation of Christ our Lord by the Prince of darkenes in the wildernes Matt. 4. might read them a lowd lesson vpon this subiect For there our B. Lord was not only tempted by the deuill but that diuine goodnes did suffer that sacred Sonne of the blessed Virgin to be taken as hath been said posted vp downe in those armes or hands which the infernall Spirit had assumed to himselfe for that purpose Or if they had rather looke vpon the Sonnes and slaues of the deuill then vpon himselfe Let them (f) Note also this consequēce behould how that holy humanity being so knit to God as that it made the selfe same person with him was
therof as shortly vvill be shevved more at large And since our blessed Lord vvas content to repeate the selfe same prayer thrice vve are to pitty the poore men vvho vvill needs be our aduersaries vvhilst they laugh and scoffe at vs for our often repetition of the same (f) That Repetitiō of the same prayers is commended by the example of Christ our Lord. Prayers Indeed if vve did but say them vvith the lips and tongue alone as they impose vpon vs tooke not care to accompany them vvith the application and attention of our minde they might still laugh on and the deuill vvould keepe them company therin But othervvise vve see by this mystery of the Garden that Repetition of Prayers is no ill custome if vve vse it as vve ought And then if still they vvill needs be laughing at as for the vse therof they vvill be faine to doe it alone for the deuill is not such a foole as to doe so too since he knovves he looses by the bargaine A heauy Agony to our Lord IESVS that vvas but a happy one for vs since he offred it to the eternall Father for the obtayning of comfort and strength not (g) That Agony of our Lord got cōfort for vs both in our afflictions of mind and diseases of body only in all the distresses of minde as vvas said before but in all the deadly diseases of body also vvhich might come to carry vs out of this life And it is in vertue of this Agony that vve see the seruants of God so full of patience and courage and sometymes euen of ioy vvhen they are vpō that bed euē as it were in the very iavves of death Nor vvhen they are abandoned by the help of the vvhole vvorld and vvhē their corporal strength is entirely gone can yet all the proud deuills in hell vvho are then imploying all the force and fraude they haue to their perdition disquiet their conscience or disturbe their peace What griefe it must needs cause to our blessed Lord to be estranged from feeling comfort in God CHAP. 55. BVT vvhat might that be the very apprehension vvherof vvrought so impetuously vpon our blessed Lord vvhome nothing had bene obserued to distemper in the least degree through all the course of his holy life vvhat kind of thing I say must that be vvhich durst assault his hart vvith sorrovv Or of vvhat had he bene ignorant till then the knowledge wherof at that tyme might be able to put the powers of his mind into that appearance of disorder His knowledge was still the same but his loue in some sort was not the same for it seemes as if euery minute of his life he had bene adding new feathers to those wings wherby his hart was flying towards the comfort of ours And knowing of how great aduantage to vs his humility and patience would be in the sight of God (a) Our Lord was pleased to suffer much for vs whom he loued so much it was only his pleasure at that tyme as hath been sayd to hide the comfort of his diuinity from the inferiour part of his soule wherby those apprehensions and reasons of griefe and desolation were of vnspeakeable torment to his minde Which so long as it was feeding vpon the cleere and sensible vision of God could not so much as once distract it from incessant ioy Whereas novv he vvas so very farre from ioy that vve see him as if he had been halfe ouercome with griefe To let vs knowe by the way that as all our burthens are light when they are carryed vpō our backs by the help of God so when he retyreth his holy hand there is not the least of thē which may not trouble the strongest Saint that liues But the obiect which caused such excessiue anguish to our Lord IESVS which wrought so farre euen vpon his sacred body as to make it vtter a prodigious svveat of very bloud and that not by drops but as it vvere by streames and flood Luc. 22. vvhich did not trickle but run downe a maine from the heauenly earth of his body to the terrestriall earth wheron he kneeled which was made a kind of heauen by drinking vp that quintessēce of life was (b) The dishonour of God and the perdition of man was the two edged sword which cut our B. Sauiours hart in funder the glory of God which he saw prophaned by the sinne of man and the soules of all mankind wherof he loued euery one a million of times more then his owne pretious life addicted to the eternall torments of hell fire For this was that sword with a double edge which did as it were cut his soule in sunder Who is also able to imagine what a sad affliction it must be to him to be depriued for one moment of the feeling of that soueraigne delight ioy wherewith he did so abound from the very instant of his Conception by the sensible shining of his diuinity vpon his whole soule which now in part was abridged thereof The want of any communication of Almighty God to a hart which hath seen light in light is of so great moment how little soeuer it be that it wōds that hart with much griefe which doth well discerne that nothing of that kind is little To know any thing of God by way of sensible experience doth kindle in the spirit a very furnace of desire to enioy the rest And how much sorrow then must it feele to be depriued euen of what it had The liues of Saintes are full of the sweet and sad complaints which they haue made to God vpon such occasions and in particular you may see store of this in the life of that great woman Blessed Mother Teresa of Iesus which was written by her selfe vpon the commaundement of her ghostly Father And not only did this holy Passion raigne among such soules departed as the Church esteemeth to be Saints but by the goodnes of God we haue met with some amongst the creatures who are yet in flesh and bloud who seruing God in great purity in conformity therof hauing bene admitted to some deere imbracemēts of that heauēly spouse of their soules haue gone lamētably mourning and that for a long tyme together like so many Turtles for the absence of their beloued through the wāt of that infinite Good wherof before they had beene admitted to take a taste They (c) The great sorrow which is felt by the spouse of Christ vpon any hiding of himselfe from a soule or euen by liuing in this Pilgrimage are so deeply wounded with loue that to be hindred from inioying him is wont to giue them excessiue griefe They feele it so much as they know not how they shall endure that want since the only remedy of all their other paines is the certaine (d) By often thinking vpō God meanes to increase this one paine of theirs For as a sore is most felt when it
is most toucht so is their paine augmented by speaking or thinking of things which concerne Almighty God whose breath they smell but vpon whose substance they are not suffered now to seed and yet all things els are a torment to them They thirst and pine they euen consume and melt and they cry out to our Lord and there is none but only himselfe who can comfort that swelling and gasping soule of theirs And though they seeme to be neere him yea and so they are in very deed yet they find themselues to be as in a prison out of which they know not how to breake Such affects as these doe raigne in the harts of some choyce seruants of God vpon the consideration which they haue of wanting certayne feeling communications of his diuine Maiesty in this woefull pilgrimage wherin they liue Yea it is not many yeares since one who was sicke of this sweetly sad disease was so happy as to dy of a flux of teares and another whose hart strings brake and he instantly dyed in exercising some acts of the loue of God and so it was found when he was opened Measure (e) The incomparable griefe of our Lord Iesus then by this what depth of sorrow it must cause in the hart of our B. Lord to be absented so from the feeling fruition of God whome he knew so well whom he loued so much and whome so perfectly he had inioyed before In comparison of whose knowledge and loue and ioy in God the knowledge and loue and ioy of all the other creatures put together is not so much as one single moate compared to the whole body of the earth And yet wheras they with all this griefe of theirs for wanting God haue yet through his goodnes some such kind of feeling of him still as makes it to be in the midst of paines a kind of most ioyfull sufferance our Lord was pleased to take the bitter without the sweet for himselfe and only to feele and penetrate the want vvherin he vvas of that good vvithout enabling the inferiour part to reflect vpon that same very good in the vvay of conceauing any Comfort by it The incomparable sorrow of Christ our Lord through his consideration of the dishonour of God and the sinne and misery of man togeather with the sight of what himselfe was to suffer CHAP. 56. NOVV if it vvould be of such vnsufferable paine for Christ our Lord to be only absented or estranged from Almighty God vvhich abseÌ„ce is no sinne but only a punishment and vvhich is not many tymes ' of any offence at all to the diuine Maiesty but serueth only for a probation of vertue and for a preparation to an increase of grace hovv may vve thinke that it vvould pierce his hart from side to side to see as hath been sayd that God prophaned his glory disgraced his lavv transgressed and all those creatures vvhom he had created after his ovvne Image to enioy heauen vvith eternall felicity to staÌ„d novv so neere vpon the tearmes of being damned to euerlasting misery He savv vvhat Adams happy state had beene and vvhat a miserable a state it vvas grovvne to be He savv that reason vvhich vvas a Queene vvas novv become the drudge of PassioÌ„ The sinnes of the vvhole world were to passe vpon his account nor was the least of them to be pardoned by the Iustice of God but in vertue of the sacred Passion which then he was about to vndergoe They were (a) The true cause of our Lords excessiue sorrow all represented to his dolorous afflicted mind as distinctly as they were distinct in their being coÌ„mitted and a million of tymes more cleerly then the men who coÌ„mitted them did euer see them Let a man but thinke how many sinnes he alone may haue committed in some one day of his life and then how many daies he hath liued how many of his sinnes he hath forgotten how many of his actions words thoughts are accounted sinfull in the sight of God which yet did not seeme so to him Let him thinke how many men there are in the towne where he may chance to be how many in the Prouince how many in the kingdome how many in all Europe how many in all the world at this tyme. Let him thinke how many there haue bene in the whole world throughout all the ages therof since the begining and how many there may be before the end And who shall now be able once to conceaue of the innumerable sinnes which haue bene are are to be coÌ„mitted by all this race of maÌ„kind Prouer. 14. since the iust man sinneth seauen tymes a day by veniall sinnes and many who goe for Saints with vs will be found to haue committed many and many Mortall What shall we therfore say of such wicked men as drinke iniquity vp like water Iob. 15. whether they be vicious Catholicks or blasphemous Heretiques or disobedient Schismatiques or perfidious Ievves or Prophane Pagans or bestiall Turkes and Mores What Legions what millioÌ„s what worlds of sinnes must there haue been presented to the soule of Christ our Lord to suffer for since for as much as concerned him he accepted the punishment of them all and that by so exact scales of diuine Iustice as that if any one of all those sinnes had not be committed the Passion of Christ our Lord had bene so much the lesse grieuous And it was to be their fault vvho vvould not by Faith Penance apply that Passion to their soules if they were not saued therby and not any defect of the Passion it selfe of Christ our Lord who savv knevv and counted and accepted euery one of their particular sinnes and made for as much as coÌ„cerned him oblation of an inestimable paymeÌ„t in discharge of the same particular sinne Not (b) Our Lord Iesus suffered not only for all the sinnes which were coÌ„mitted but for all those others also which would haue been committed without his grace only did he see and suffer for all finnes which already are and are heâ—reafter to be coÌ„mitted but also for all those other which vvould haue bene committed by them all if they had not bene preuented by the Grace vvhich grevv from God in contemplation of the Passion of Christ our Lord. For no lesse vvas his pretious bloud to be the Antidote preseruatiue against all sinnes vvhich might haue byn coÌ„mitted then it vvas to be the remedy and cure of such as vvould be committed indeed So that euery man did add somevvhat to this sorrovv of our Lord both good and bad past and present and to come vvithall their sinnes vvhether they vvere great or small of thought vvord or deed vvhether the vvere mortall or veniall of omission or commission vvhether actually they vvere or would haue been committed if they had not bene preuented by this costly meanes And if (c) Other considerations which do open the sight of the soule to discerne the loue and
you looke for some Traytour or seditious enemy of God and man your leuell is ill layed Though yet for the glory of God for the exercise of all vertue and for the recouery of the world from hell and sinne I am content to be mistaken for such a one Yet nothing could induce them to relent But as the manner is with men who when they are desperately resolued to doe a thing which their conscience telleth them that reason requires them to forbeare the greater the force of that reason is which is prest against them the more eagarly are they inflamed euen blinded with rage to worke their will As soone therfore as they had apprehēded bound him with far greater cruelty then any Christian hart knowes how to imagine it cannot be chosen but that they would dragge him more like a dogge then a man Not (g) What soeuer incommodity they indured was reuéged by the vpō our Lord. that he went vnwillingly but because the presse must needs be great and they were also in bloud against him and would all so desire to be the executioners of some particular affliction and affront vpon him that they could not but hinder one another And then if any of them were iustled if any chanced to st̄ble or fall vpon whom would they reuenge themselue but vpon him who with patience which was indeed diuine permitted himselfe to be carried in that painefull iourney to the howse of Annas vnder that cruell cudody which the accursed Iudas had aduised them to keep him in Of the blow which was giuen vpon the face of our B. Lord in the high Priests howse of the fall of S. Peter How our Lord was taxed first of Blasphemy and of the excessiue Loue of our Lord in dll these particulars CHAP. 60. SHALL I need to say that it shewed an infinite kind of loue in our Lord that he vvould vouchsafe to be presented before Annas and then before Cayphas at their seuerall hovvses Matt. 26. Luc. 22. Ioan. 18. and before all that race of persidious Ievves vvho thē very thē cōspired his death That he being the fountaine of vvisedom knovvledge and the King of glory vvould for our sakes be arraigned and be contented to passe vnder the censure of those slaues of the deuill vvho vvas his slaue And he in their prosecuting of that suite against him to maintaine that inuincible patience and profund silence notvvithstanding all their clamours and so seldome to haue opened that blessed mouth of his He referred himselfe that first tyme when he vvas examined about his Doctrine to the iudgment of themselues Ioan. 18. vvho had heard him teaching in the Temple And vvhen for saying but so in the vvay of anvvere to the high Priest a barbarous vvretch Ibid. vvho vvas attending in that Court knevv that he should please his betters by it stroocke that face vvith his polluted hand vvhich the Angells doe so reuere and reioyce to see he did not damne him nor strike him dead 1. Pet. 1. vvhich yet most easily most iustly he might haue done nor so much as sharpely rebuke or reprehend him for it though it vvere so levvd an affront as is neuer vvont to be put vpon any slaue in the vievv of Iustice But he asked him only vvith great meeknes why he strooke him if he had spoken well and if he had spoken ill Ibid. why did he not informe the Court against him By vvhich kind of plea our Lord though he vvere the Creatour of all things did not assume to himselfe the least aduantage aboue the vvickedest and basest thing aliue That so by suffering he might shevv hovv much he loued vs. For the more he suffered the more rich the Church vvas to be of merits so the more copious our Redemption Whilst these things vvere acting Psalm 120. in the house of Cayphas S. Peter who at the apprehension of Christ our Lord vvas fled avvay vvith the other Apostles for (a) Our Lord was euer in care to giue vs comfort our Lord IESVS vvas content to be vvholly abandoned euen by his dearest friends that it might serue for our comfort vvhen vve are forsaken by ours could find no resting place for his thoughts till together vvith S. Iohn he came after our Lord to the hovvse of Cayphas But vvhether it vvere that his countenance complayned of some perplexity or that the manner of his speach or habit made it be thought that he vvas a Disciple of Christ our Lord he vvas questioned by diuers and he denied his Maister to them all and said vvith oathes and protestations Marc. 14. that he did not so much as know the man A great offence in it self a iust punishmēt of a former fault which he had made in presuming vpon his ovvne strength For that vnspeakeable loue vvhich he bare to our blessed Lord vvhich vvas not only as of a friend to a friēd or as of a Disciple to his Doctour but of any indulgēt father who might halfe doate vpon a Sonne did seeme novv to him to be so cōnatural to his very soule as that he thought he could not loose it but vvith his life Wheras in very deed it vvas the meere guift of God and for such he ought to haue acknovvledged it and so distrusting himselfe he should haue confided in our Lord. It vvas therfore pleasing to our deere Redeemer to permit that denyall out of infinite loue both to S. Peter and to vs though it could not but goe the vvhile very deeply to his ovvne tender hart that S. Peter who was not only one of his friends but of his fauourities should forsweare that he did not so much as know him He (b) How our Lord did loue S. Peter euen in suffering him thus to full Ibid. loued S. Peter in suffering him thus to fall for therby he taught him how to stand more firmely afterward which is neuer to be done by any soule but vpon the ground of humility He loued him also most deerly in making him rise againe so soone both by the shew of his corporall presence to the others eyes of flesh and bloud and by the sweet pure light of his grace which was imparted to the eyes of his soule And that light had so much heat also with it as to draw vp the vapours which powred themselues down afterward at full speed through his cloudy eyes Our Lord be euer blessed for his owne infinite goodnes who in the bitterest of those sorrowes shewed such mercy and had such memory both of him and vs. For thus the world is filled with Sea-markes which instruct vs how to saile through the Tempest of this life towards the safe port of heauen That when we passe by a Iudas we may take heed of auarice and enuy because it ends in desperation And when we passe by a S. Peter we may forbeare to fall vpon selfe conceipt which will put vs vpon many sinnes and
grauest and greatest of them who would needs goe with him to testify the excesse of their malice though it be not the vse of men of rancke to cheapen themselues by accompanying criminall persons in the publique streets would not fayle to hold most hypocritical discourses As protesting in their zeale to the lavv of God hovv much it grieued them that the Pagan Iudge to vvhome they vvere going should be forced to knovv that amongst the men of their Religion vvhich the prisoner vvas there should be a creature so impious so blasphemous as most vvickedly they accused him to be Our Lord IESVS in the meane tyme vvas not to seeke for patience in the bearing of vvhatsoeuer affront they could put vpon him nor vvould he vvho had endured the greater refuse the lesse Novv a (b) The sinne of the Iewes was greater against our Lord then that of the Gentiles lesse offence it vvas in them for him to be presented before a Pagan and prophane person vvho had no knowledge at all of the true God or of his law then before a congregation of men who had the custody of his auncient Testament for whose saluation and perfection they being his owne chosen people he was particularly come into the would And so the more fauoured they had bene the more faulty they were in persecuting Christ our Lord that euen for no other cause but only for the very zeale which he had of their good They might haue considered how earnestly they had cōcurred to the sinne of Iudas and therfore they should haue feared his punishment which was the falling into a greater sinne For when he saw that they were then going actually to procure the death of Christ our Lord and when he began to looke in vpon himselfe and vpon what he had done then discerning cleerly the deformity of his sinne which the deuill had before procured to hide he hunge (c) The lamentable of death of Iudas Matt. 27. himselfe by the necke his body brake in the middle and his bowells fell about his feete and instantly his soule sirnke downe into the lowest place of hell How would that accident strike the hart of Christ our Lord with sorrovv For as our Lord is incomparably more sory for our sinns then for his own paines so vvas this a greater thē that fin For to finish in despaire of Gods omnipotent mercy is the most grieuous sinne vvhich man is able to commit It strooke I say our Lords hart vvith griefe yet those vvretches vvere not touched by it tovvards remorse But notwithstanding that Iudas restored to them the price wherby he had bene wrought to act that treason and did declare himselfe to haue sinned in betraying that innocent bloud they neither relented in themselues nor tooke compassion of him but seornefully made answere that it was not a thing which belonged to them and that all was to run vpon his account A memorable example of how truly and miserably they are deceaued who serue the world the flesh or the deuill For (d) Consider seriously of this truth whatsoeuer may be promised before hand yet in fine when the turne is serued no care is taken of their comfort but they may with Iudas goe hange themselues And so they doe many tymes and more I beleeue in our only country of England then in all the rest of Europe put togeather Matt. 29. But the thirty peeces which Iudas restored to the Priests were not cast into the Treasury but imployed vpō the Purchase of a place to a pious vse And S. Augustine noteth how it was by a most particular prouidence of God Serm. 128. de coena Dom apud Ariam that the price of the bloud of Christ our Lord should not serue for the expence of liuing sinners but for the buriall of deceased Pilgrimes that so with the price of his bloud he might both redeeme the liuing and be a retraite for the dead The hate of those malicious Priests Elders to Christ our Lord and consequently his loue to them and vs since for their particular and our generall good he was content to endure so much at their hands appears yet more plainely by other circumstances For the tyme when they persecuted our Lord was the day of the greatest solemnity and deuotiō of the whole yeare It was the feast of the Paschal when all the Iewish world was come to Ierusalem Luc. 22. to assist at those sacrifices and ceremonies of the the law in the Temple And as the affronts were so much greater then if they had bene done at a more priuate tyme the malice of the high Priests so much the more eager since they could not be perswaded to put it of to a lesse busy day so was the loue of our Lord excessiue euen heerin who was contented with the publicity of his shame at that tyme because by meanes therof the notice of his Passion togeather with the miracles succeding it would the more speedily be spred and more readily beleeued shortly after throughout the world The circumstance of Pilates person doth plainely also shew the particular rancour of their hart since they hated Christ our Lord so much as that it made them earnest glad to shew themselues subiect to that Romane Iustice They detested the subiection which they were in to Rome They loued not Cesar whome they tooke to be a Tyrant and Vsurper ouer them they loued not Pilate whome they knew to be a most corrupt and wicked Iudge they loued not the exercise of his Iudicature which serued but to refresh the memory of their owne misfortune in their hauing lost the vse of that power But their predominat malice to Christ our Lord made them content to gnaw and swallow all such bones as those When Pilate was come sorth they began to make their charge against the prisoner accusing him in bitter termes of most odious crimes but still as the manner of such persons is only in generall termes Which yet out of the (e) The base conceit which the lewes had of Christ our Lord. base cōceit they had of Christ our Lord and the pride which they tooke in themselues they thought would haue sufficiently induced Pilate to proceed against him And so indeed they did as good as say when afterward being pressed to produce their proofe they insinuated that it was more then needed For if the man had not bene wicked they would not Ioan. 18. said they haue brought him thither And withall they did not so much as vouchsafe to giue our Lord any particular name but they only sayd Inuenimus hunc c. We haue sound this fellow disturbing the peace of our people Luc. 23. and forbidding that Tribute should be paid to Cesar and declaring himselfe to be a King Yet Pilate being moued by the sight of the person of Christ our Lord did beyond his custome forbeare to make such hast as at the instant to
man would exhibite a spectacle wherby the lookers on were to be moued to loue that man would take care to giue it all those aduantages of grace and beauty which were any way to be attractiue of loue If he were to present an obiect wherby the spectators were to be strocken with feare he would not faile to accompany it with such instruments and demonstrations of terrour as might affect and afflict their mindes with feare And so heere since Pilates care and study was how to winne those implacable Harpies from that hungar and thirst after the destruction and death of Christ our Lord no doubt can be made but that he would adorne and dresse him in the most lamentable attyre of torments which he could deuise that so by the sight of that excessiue misery he might conuert their perfect malice into some little mercy This designe of his he was obliged to communicate with the Executioners who were to be his souldlers for els he had not bene true to his owne end And then I will leaue it to the reasonable imagination of any creature if such an insolent race of people as that vseth many tymes to be hauing receaued an expresse direction from their Commaunder for the execution of such a cruelty vpon a prisoner who was so persecuted by all the principall men and Magistrates of his owne profession were not likely to shew cruelty inough vpon that pretious body of our blessed Lord. Of the cruell Scourging of Christ our Lord and how with incomparable patience and charity the endured the same CHAP. 64. THEY strip thim therfore into the same nakednes wherin he was borne wherin he had neuer bene seene but in his infancy nor then but by the sight of the Angells and those farre purer eyes of the All-immaculate virgin mother They stripped him I say who in all the daies of his blessed life had neuer seene so much as any part of himselfe discouered naked but only those hands which were still imployed in shewing mercies There are millions of men and women in the holy Catholike Church who in their high loue of purity do neuer so much as looke euen vpon their owne face in a glasse and much lesse vpon any naked part of their body excepting only in the occasions of meere necessity when they shift their cloathes yea and then they do it very sparingly and with a kind of horrour euen to see themselues But from those necessities Christ our Lord was still exempt who in all his life did neuer shift or change his cloathes And that * Euthym. in cap. 27. Match Maldonat in cundem loium omnes recentiores cōmuniter Garment which was wouen without any seame at all by those pure hands of his sacred Mother did miraculously grow togeather with the body it selfe Now in the loue of mortification and purity all the Saints of the Church must not compare with him wherin he exceeded them all more then heauen doth excell the earth If therfore there be amongst vs so many thousands of sacred virgins who would rather giue vp their liues then they would once expose their naked bodies to open view Let vs beg of our Lord by his owne supreme purity that he will giue vs to vnderstand make vs sensible at the very rootes of our hartes of how (a) The excessiue affliction which it must giue to our B. Lord to be striped naked great a torment it was to him in the way of shame to be stript stark naked before those Pagan souldiers and to let that pretious banquet of his pure humanity be fed vpon deuoured by those petulant prophane eyes of theirs How great a torment was it to thee O Lord in the way of shame and yet withall how meekely didst thou endure it and how much ioy did it giue thee to be sacrificing the merit therof to the eternall Father for the impetratiō of all that Angelical purity which hath florished since that tyme in so many mortall bodies of flesh and bloud They tyed him then to a piller as naked as I haue heere bescribed as if there had beene danger that either like some slaue he would haue run away or els like a child he would be shrinking declining the strokes wherwith they had resolued to load him But he was inwardly bōd so fast Ose 12. with such cords of Adam which were chaines of loue as that in comparison therof those outward cords were but as threds of a spiders webbe which would haue bene farre from holding him to that piller against his will him who makes the foundations of the earth tremble the pillars of the world shake with the least breath of his Nostrills whensoeuer he thinks fit to worke vpon the world by way of terrour They began then to scourge our Lord Ioan. 1◠with excessiue cruelty And as a violent tempestof hayle would destroy a fruit tree which were in flower so did those cruell men not only blast that diuine sweet beauty of our Lord by breathing vpō it with the filthy ayre of their lasciuious and scornefull tongues but they brake through it with those scourges They clasped and circled him in with euery blow as so many snakes would doe some pretious and odoriferous plant which yet were so medicinall withall as to be able to cure a whole world of men of a whole world of diseases It is able to grieue any ciuill noble hart to see in Italy and especially at Rome how the barbarous Goths and Vandals when like an inundation they ouerflowed those florishing fields of the world did leaue the markes of their long nayles behind them in the ruines of so many sumptuous buildings and curious statues But what hath any sumptuous building or any curious statue to doe by way of comparison with that pretious humanity of our Lord. That Temple of the holy Ghost which the fulnes of the diuinity did substantially inhabite Colos 2. and that superexcellent Image that double Image of the eternall Father For an image he was of God euen as he was but man but then againe as God he was an Image begotten not made by the increated vnderstanding of the eternall God And what comparison thē cā there be betwene the barbarousnes of those Goths and Vandalls with these men of bloud who drew this holy house into such decay They did not only (b) How the house of Gods humanity was handled vnfurnish it but they procured to beate downe the walls and they made so many wide windowes in it with their rude hands as by which the soule would infallibly haue flowne out and forsaken it if it had not bene held fast perforce by the tye of loue that so it might liue to endure the rest of torment which was prouided for it A strange kind of ornament it was for that garment of his pretious humanity being hypostatically vnited to the diuinity to be so thicke ouercast and imbrodered with stripes insteed
to Cesar the vniust weake man was forced by his owne vicious feare to giue sentence against our Lord. Nor would he go one foote out of his pace nor put himselfe to the trouble of defending his owne innocency against the calumniations of the Iewes which yet with all ease he might haue done in case they should haue complayned against him But he rather chose to condēne innocency it self to that reward of wickednes and life to death and he permitted that charity should be tormented by the hāds of implacable malice and enuy Luc. 23. For the holy Scripture sayth That he deliuered him ouer to the will and appetite of the Iewes (e) He destroied his owne words by his deeds Matt. 27. washing first his hands and protesting by that ceremony that he was innocent from shedding the bloud of our Lord IESVS Wheras the ignorant hypocrite ought rather to haue cleansed his hart from so great impiety as it is for a Iudge to neglect his duty for humane respects What hope might then Christ our Lord conceaue that any other thing could befall him then the very quintessence of that worst which might be deuised Since they were to be his guides into what Labyrinths of torment would they not lead him How would they not incense the vulgar by telling certaine graue and well countenanced lyes wherof we haue some dregs remayning to these days of ours what bribes would they not fasten vpon those souldiers that so they might add the vttermost of any circumstance which might increase his shame and torment And our blessed Lord saw it all and if therin he had seene a million of tymes more thē that he had a hart prepared to beare it all vpon condition that it might doe vs good How our Lord did carry his Crosse and of the excessiue Loue he shewed in bearing the great affronts which were done to him in his iorney to Mount Caluary CHAP. 68. THEY did therfore then take of his purple Robe and put vpon his backe his owne former cloathes that so as he went the world might know for his greater scorne and shame euen by the first appearance that it was he And then they loaded his weake wounded shoulders with the Crosse wheron he was to be crucified which was a point of barbarous and vnwonted cruelty For wheras men are accustomed out of meere humanity to hide the instrument of the execution from other criminall persons they did not only not hide it in the case of Christ our Lord but they made him carry it as if he had double deserued death But the Crosse was so very heauy and he was growne both therby and otherwise so deadly weake that not being able to walke vnder it they constrayned another to assist him Luc. 23. Now when we see that Christ our Lord who was so enamoured of the Crosse was yet vnable to fetch strength inough out of his owne weakenes for the carrying it we may well imagine that the world went hard with him And (a) It is the pleasure of God that we helpe to beare the crosse of Christ our Lord. withall we must know once for all that since his Crosse was not wholy to be carryed by himselfe alone he will haue all his seruants assist him in it imbrace those Crosses which shall come for the exercise of our patience the testimony of our true loue in whatsoeuer forme the good will of God shall be pleased to send them Whether they be in that of sicknes or shame or banishment or losse of goods or spirituall desolation or corporall torments for the cause of Christ our Lord or in fine though it should be death it selfe The place to which they led our Lord and where they meant to crucifie him Luc. 23. was Mount Caluary without the citty of let usalem As he was going his misery seemed so great and he was so disfigured with durt and sweate and bloud and so weakned with the excesse of affliction he whome formerly the world had bene so much obliged to that the obiect wrought vpon many women who were lesse ill disposed And as they were following him in the midst of a mighty troope of men who went to see him put to death they did bitterly bewayle his misfortune But our Lord Ibid. though in his hart he accepted their compassion of him in gratefull part yet (b) Our Lord Iesus had no gust but in suffering for vs. through his loue to suffer and to suffer home for the loue of vs he refused to take complacence in that pitty of theirs And he aduised them to transferre their care of him to a consideration of themselues Letting them know the calamities which were comming towards them and their posterity and that if he who was innocency it selfe were so afflicted for the sinnes of others how grieuously should men be punished for their owne This was then the aduise which with perfect loue he gaue to them and in them to vs and all the world (c) Whet we are to looke for comfort in afflictions instructing vs how to seeke for the comfort of our afflictions not in the pittifull teares or moaning tongues or fawning entertaynements of others but in the Testimony of a good consciēce a strong hope in God and a faithfull obedience to his holy will Ibid. And by his asking If such things as those were executed in the greene wood wherby he insinuated himselfe what would be done to the dry wood wherby he aymed at them he doth with the oracle of his owne inuiolable truth stop vp the mouths of wicked and prophane persons For they say that the Greene wood which is Christ our Lord did suffer all vpon his owne person and that as for them who are dry wood they haue nothing to suffer for themselues but that it sufficeth to beleeue that he suffered all But heere our Lord is expresse in shewing that our sight of his miseries in the way of punishment must spurre vs vp to make vs bitterly lament our owne miseries in the way of sinne and that the seeing or beleeuing of those afflictions endured by him for vs would not serue our turne vnlesse we applyed them to oursoules by true contrition By these externall acts of loue and by thoughts when the occasions of acting fayled did our Lord goe wearing out that long way betweene Pilits house and Mount Caluary Hauing (d) Our Lord was cōpassed in on euery side by great affronts the perfidious Priests and Elders on the one side and the prophane scoffing souldiers on the other The executioners were close at his heeles the publique Cryer leading him the way and proclayming him for a seditious and a trayterous person in the eares of all that world The people would be running sometymes before him and sometymes behind as the manner is in such cases shouting out reproaching him euery one according to his owne fancy or rather phrensy And they who could not
her and the whole world For he gaue this blessed mother of his to be the mother of S. Iohn and in his person of all mankind by these words of his Woman behold thy Sonne And he gaue to S. Iohn and to all the world in him a tytle of calling and knowing the sacred Virgin by the name of Mother when he sayd to him Behold thy Mother Ibid. So sweet a songe did this dying Swan of ours deliuer so rich did he make his holy Catholike Church when departing out of the world he left it such a legacy as this wherof heerafter I shall speake a part Of the darcknes which possessed the world and the excessiue desolation which our Lord endured with incomparable Loue whilst he was saying to his eternall Father Deus Deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me CHAP. 72. ALL these former seuerall words so full of diuine consolation and instruction were vttered with vnspeakeable loue by our blessed Lord soone after the rearing of his Crosse with himselfe vpon it And then did a kind of darkenes ouerspread all the earth Matt. 17. Marc. 15. It was not possible that it should grow at that tyme by any naturall cause of an Eclipse for then it could not haue lasted so very long that is to say three whole howers Ibid. Ab hora sexta vsque ad nonam Besides that the Sunne Moone were then in such relation and position in respect of one another as that the Sunne could be no way Eclipsed then And in fine if this darknes had growne by an Eclipse it could not haue reached to be vniuersall ouer the whole earth as yet the holy Scripture saith it was and so it hath bene testified and proued not only by the EuaÌ„gelists whose word is of all authority with vs Christians but also by S. Denis Areopagita See this Apud Bell. de 7. verb. Dom. Lucianus the Martyr Tertullian others who wrote therof at once in seuerall parts of the world Besides that Phlegon a Pagan which may serue for the confusion of Iewes and Atheists in this point affirmeth how in that yeare and vpon that very day and hower when our Lord did suffer The day was turned into so expresse night as that the starrs were then seene in the firmament This (a) The reason of that miraculous darcknes which did ouerspred the earth darkenes was drawne vpon the world by the miraculous power of God to declare the perfect innocency of our Lord IESVS and the enormity of their sinne who had condeÌ„ned him whose sentence he reuersed after this omnipoteÌ„t manner And as in some respects it could not but be of excessiue terrour to see a Noone day turne Mid-night as it were at an instant and that without any naturall cause at all so yet it was an effect of the infinite loue of God and of the former prayer of Christ our Lord when he beged the forgiuenes of their sinnes For this was then a meanes of the conuersion and of the pennance afterward of all that troope of people as S. Luke affirmeth wherby the greater part of them is only to be vnderstood who continued till the end of the Passion Luc. 27. For they saw the wonderfull things which happened and they returned into the citty beating euery one his brest through excesse of sorrow And so euery one of them went raysing a Trophey to the infinite mercy of our Redeemer (b) The infinite mercy of our Lord God who gaue such abundance of effectuall grace euen to theÌ„ who had made theÌ„selues his deadly enemies and that before he was taken downe from the Crosse as if it had bene euen in reward of all their wickednes and cruelty agaynst him But as now the whole world was ouer-wrought with a material darkenes by the miraculous hiding of the sunne which did such homage to the Creatour of all things as by absenting it selfe to make a kind of veâ—â—e wherby his nakednes might the lesse appâ—â—â—e so also were the harts in effect of the whâ—â—◠〈◊〉 â—â—orld and especially of those cruell persoâ—â— tours growne spiritually darke by the abundance of sinne which puts out the light of grace whersoeuer it enters Now to these two kinds of darkenes which were at that tyme in the world and worldly men another kind of obscurity did correspond in Christ our Lord in such sort as that we may securely affirme that since the world was created and inhabited there was neuer any such generall darkenes as that For by the light as a man may say of that darkenes euen halfe an eye would easily discerne how mightily the Power the Wisedome the Sanctity the Angelicall beauty the Princely Maiesty the diuine Dignity and the incomparable Felicity and glory of the true and naturall Sonne of God (c) The darcknes of desolation of Christ our Lord and how his supreme dignity was also obscured was obscured at that tyme. The sunne was doubly gone for besides the darkning of the materiall Sunne himselfe who was the true Sunne seemed no more a Sunne but rather a moone and that all Eclipst For as the Moone when she is Eclipst though she haue her globe all bright towards the heauen yet is it all blake towards the world iust so Christ our Lord though in the superiour part of his soule he saw God and was as high in glory as now when he is raigning in heauen yet in the inferiour part therof there was a most profound darkenes and desolation This drew out of his mouth those words of the Psalme wherof it seemes he was in coÌ„templation at that tyme. Matt. 27. Psalm 21. Deus Deus meus vt quid dereliquistime My God my God why hast thou for saken mee Misterious words which were vttered to shew the vnspeakeable affliction of Christ our Lord. Who for the greater glory of God the Father and through the excesse of his loue to vs and for the more abundant propitiation and satisfaction of our sinnes for the more complete crowning of his owne humility patience and supreme purity of mind was pleased to want all kind of prorection which might be of any comfort to him In other respects he was as hath bin said so conioyned and vnited to Almighty God as that it was wholy impossible that euen for any one instant he should euer be separated or abandoned by him For as God he was vnited by way of Essence to the Father as man he was vnited to the Diuinity by hypostaticall Vnion Bell. Ser. de sept verbis as a soule which saw the face of God from the very first instant of his Conception he was vnited to him by the Vnion of glory And as that vessell of sanctity which was not only all filled but ouerflowed by the holy Ghost whose guifs he receiued not according to any set or limitted measure but beyond all measure I say as he was this vessel of sanctity he was vnited to God by will and
the holy Ghost and to make him lead a life which as on the one side it was of vnspeakeable sanctity for which he could not choose but loue him more then innumerable milliōs of worlds so on the other it was loaden with misery of many kinds and it came at last to end in such a death Passion as we haue heere described and all this for the sauing of most wicked soules from hel who by the account of these men should still remaine in the seruitude of sinne and Sathan whome yet this Lord came to ouercome and that he should carry and conduct them to heauen to be coheires with him in that kingdom notwithstanding that in this world they had not endeuoured to imitate his holy and painefull life nor had bene truely carefull to fulfill his law nor had conceaued any cordiall and fruitefull griefe for hauing transgressed it and much lesse had voluntarily imbraced for his loue some part of those mortifications paynes and crosses wherwith his pretious life death did so abound Take heed of such dangerous and impious opinions as these and withall doe not thinke your selfe free from them by only saying that you are so vnlesse you beleeue withall in the very bottome of your hart that voluntary mortification and pennance and patience and humility and charity are vertues wholy necessary for a Christian man And that the Passion of Christ our Lord is not to be applyed but by this meanes No (h) Who are true louers of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. creature shall be saued by the Crosse of Christ our Lord but he who shall loue this Crosse and no man doth truly loue it who will not rather dy then crucify our Lord agayne vpon it by committing a mortall sinne and no man doth greatly loue it who for the loue of our Lord doth not also abhorre all veniall sinne and who doth not voluntarily depriue himselfe of many commodities and delights which euen lawfully he might haue vsed and who also will not imbrace not only all such paine and shame as cannot be auoyded without sinne but many other contradictions and austerities to which yet he is not bound but only by the law of loue This loue doth worke like fire in the harts of such as are deuoted to the Crucifixe our Saints liues are full of great proofes therof how much soeuer they pay they thinke it very little in comparison of the very much they owe. The blessed Apostle S. Paul hath expressed this truth very plainely largely in these few words 2. Cor. 5. Charitas Christi vrget nos 2. Cor. 5. The Charity of Christ doth vrge vs on As if there he had sayd as he did abundantly else where to this effect The loue of Christ our Lord and the memory of the bitter things which he endured for his wicked creatures doth spurre vs on to suffer much for him I doe not beate the ayre but I beate my body 1. Cor. ◠least preaching saluation to others my selfe may become a reprobate 2. Tim. 2. It is true that we shall raigne togeather with Christ but it must first be true that we must suffer also with him It is true that I am an Apostle and more then an Apostle that the sonne of God himselfe came visibly to call me to his seruice Act. 9. declared me to be a vessell of election and that I should carry his name before the Kings and Nations of the world that I was rapt vp into the third heauē wher I was made partaker of such high misteries 2. Cor. 12. at it is nether lawfull nor possible for me to vtter But yet it is true withall that all they who will pretend to be true Christians must crucify their flesh with the concupiscences therof Galat. 5. and they must put on Christ our Lord as they would put on a garment Rom. 13. and frame the same Iudgement of things which he framed liue by the same spirit which liued in him That is to say both the inward 1. Cor. 12. and the outward man must be so composed as that wheresoeuer he goes he may carry with him the very odour of the piety if Christ our Lord. 2. Cor. 2. And for my part saith he I am euer carrying the mortification of Christ lesus in my very body 2. Cor. 4. that so in this very body of mine his life may be made manifest to men To this effect spake the B. Apostle in seuerall partes of his Epistles and he indeed was a true louer of the Crosse of Christ our Lord Rom. 5. and this loue made him so glory in tribulations and mortifications and afflictions for the loue of the same Crosse as that he thus cryed out Galat. 6. Away with glorying in any other thing The same doth also belong to vs according to our proportion and if we faile heerof we must condemne our selues for vngratefull creatures and procure to mend As knowing that otherwise we doe our best to make our Lord loose the labour which he tooke for vs. For as the incomparable S. Austen sayth to this effect Christ our Lord De vera relig cap. 16. apud Ariam to giue vs the example of all vertue tooke vpon him all those painefull and contumelious things wherby vertue might be exercised and obtained He was pleased to be poore that men might so be drawne to despise those riches which they loued to their so great preiudice for as much as they are instruments wherby they purchase and procure delights which destroy the soule He refused to be a tempor all King that so men might despise places of honor cōmaund which they had with so great anxiety desired He admitted of all kindes of affronts and shame to the end that men who were wont to fly from them through pride might vndergoe them with humility He suffered wrongs and so great wrongs as it was for him who was most innocent to be tormented and condemned to the death of the Crosse for a malefactour to the end that men might be able to suffer wrōgs with patiēce He accepted of grieuous things being scourged and crowned with thornes and he was afflicted many other wayes to the end that men who abhorred torments might imbrace them when they should be necessary towards vertue He accepted and loued the Crosse which was the most painefull cōtumelious death of all others to the end that men might admit of any such kind of death as God should send All those things by the desire wherof we tooke occasion to sinne namely riches pleasures and temporall honors he brought downe into a base account by his abstayning from them and so he taught vs to despise them And all those other things by the flying wherof we faile of vertue and fall to sinne namely affliction contempt and paine by his suffering them willingly and by imbracing them with so ardent loue he made
and the world In the former three he aymed at our only good and in the latter to his owne which yet withall was also ours In the first of those three which was the prayer to his Father Pater dimitte illis non enim sciunt quid faciunt Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe those persecut ours of Christ our Lord were principally intēded by that diuine goodnes but yet withall those men were a kind of figure and represented after a sort all the sinners of the whole world in their persons and so he prayed for the forgiuenes of them all Luc. Ibid. In the second which was his speach to the good Thiefe Amen dico libi hodie mecum eris in Paradiso I tell thee that for certaine thou shalt be with me in Paradise this very day the same good thiefe was assured of his saluation after a most eminent manner but yet withall he was a Type and his person did expresse the character of all sinners truly penitent whome our Lord doth instantly restore to his grace fauour Ioan. 19. vpon their humble and constant desire thereof In the third which was the speach to his B. Virgin-Mother and his most beloued disciple Mulier ecce filius tuus and then Ecce mater tua woman behould thy sonne then to him behold thy mother as this sacred Virgin and this Disciple were in most particular manner designed to be the Mother and Sonne of one mother so yet S. Iohn therin did carry the person of all mankind by being made the Sonne of that most excellent Mother Such was the stile which our Lord held in his death and such it had euer bene throughout the whole course of his life to speake (c) How the speaches of Christ our Lord were many of thē meant chiefly to such as were then present to him and yet expresly also to such as were to succeed in the world afterward chiefly to thē who were present and yet expresly also to those others who were absēt thē vnborne And this truth doth abundantly appeare by the Euangelicall history and to doubt heerof were to say the sunne is darke Since God was content to be made man for the loue of men we are brought more easily to belieue that man shall be made a kind of God in heauen And so when we know and consider that through Christ our Lord who is the naturall Sonne of God we may all become the adopted Sonnes of God yea and so we are if we dispose our selues to be like God our Father and consequently to Christ IESVS our elder brother for that the Father and Sonne are so very like that one of thē is well knowne by the other it (d) How we are made the brothers of our Lord Iesus both by the fathers the Mothers side will seeme lesse strange and nothing disagreable to the infinite mercy of our Redeemer that as he had vouchsafed to make vs his brethren by the Fathers side who is God he would also be pleased to make vs his brethren by the mothers side as he was man adopting vs in the person of S. Iohn to be all the Sonnes of the sacred Virgin Nor did that deernes of his loue shine lesse in that he would cōmunicate his mother to vs thē in that he was pleased that al his other blessings should be common betwene him and vs. And as Ioseph the Patriarke loued his brother Gen. 41. by the mothers side with most tendernes so it seemes as if our Lord would euen oblige himselfe to affect vs with a greater tēdernes of loue now that he had receaued vs as it were into the same very bowells of purity which had borne himselfe As our Lord IESVS is our brother for many reasons especially because we are made his coheyres of eternall glory in the kingdom of heauen so in regard that we are made so by the benefit and purchase of his redemption consequently that he begot vs by so excellent a meanes to that rich inheritance he (e) How Christ our Lord is not only our brother but our father also Isa 9. Ephes 2. is also in holy Scripture called not only our brother but our Father And so the holy Euangelicall Prophet Esay speaking of the glorious Tytle of Christ our Lord setteth this downe among the rest that he is Pater futuri saeculi The Father of the future age that is of Christians whome by his faith and Sacraments he would beget to God This Tytle of Father cost him very deere for was there any Mother who by the way of naturall birth did bring forth any child with such excesse of torment to her selfe as this Father of ours IESVS Christ our Lord did with excesse of anguish and affliction beget euery one of them who of the children of wrath were to be made by his meanes the Sonnes of God And therefore as in course of naturall descent Christ our Lord was the Sonne of the sacred Virgin so if we consider him as the Father and regeneratour of vs all to grace then our Lord and the blessed Virgin may in some sort be accompted rather as the spouses then as the Sonne and Mother of one another This way of cōsidering Christ our Lord our B. Lady ought not seeme strange to vs since partly holy Scripture and partly the cōsēt of the holy Fathers of the primitiue Church do so expresly set it forth to our sight 1. ad Cor. 15. For frō hence it is that Christ our Lord is so often called the (f) How our Lord Iesus is called the second Adam our B Lady the second Eue. second Adam who was to repaire the ruines which the former had drawne downe about the head and eares of mankind And hence also it is that we see it manifestly insinuated in holy Scripture and cleerly and euidently expresled by the holy Fathers that as Christ our Lord came to supply the place of the former adam so our B. Lady was to vs a second a better Eue then the former that she wrought both for her selfe vs as a most eleuated instrument and partly as a cause of our restitution to that inheritance which had bene forfeited by the former But yet with this great difference that as betwene the former Adam and Eue the Originall prime poyson of the first sinne came chiefly and primitiuely from the serpent to Eue and then in a second kind of degree from her to Adam and frō him to vs So betwene this latter Adam and Eue which is Christ our Lord our B. Lady the roote ground of that grace wherby the redemption of the world was wrought came originally and fundamentally from God to Christ our Lord and after a secondary instrumentall manner through her Sonne our Lord to our B. Lady It is shewed how our Blessed Lady and Eue doe resemble one another and how they differ and our Blessed Lady is
that which he is pleased to impose For the truth of loue doth not consist in only thinking or talking or weeping or any such expression of the mind but in a faithfull pursite of his wil who is beloued and in a sincere complying with his good pleasures We must loue (b) The loue of correspoÌ„dence him with a loue of Correspondence obseruing his inspirations with great attention and answearing them with great affection and being farre from greeuing his holy spirit which by moments is soliciting vs to perfection Confes l. 11. cap. 9. Audiat te intus sermocinantem qui potest saith the diuine S. Augustine let him that can and who is he that cannot if he will giue eare to those holy motions giue way to those pious affections which our Lord is making and mouing in the soules of such as desire to serue him in particular manner We must loue him with a loue (c) The loue of commerce of CoÌ„merce not only answering with a great facility of inclination to his expresse and knowne inspirations but at all tymes and vpon all occasions as farre as our frailty will permit we must be procuring to dispatch our thoughts towardâ— him and be sweetly carefull to maintaine a perpetuall intercourse or traffique with him deploring our miseries and imploring his mercies and venting the breathing and longing of our harts to be once well vnited and for euer to be ingulfed in him Manual cap. 19. For why as S. Austen saith should there be a minute wherin we may not think of him since there is no minute wherin we are not fauoured and regaled by him And our Lord doth know that it is misery inough for the soule which loues him to be absent from him but euen for a minute and this alone ought to make keep vs huÌ„ble without putting him vpoÌ„ a kind of necessity of permitting vs to fal into other grosser sinnes for the punishing abating of our secret pride We must loue (d) The loue of entiere exchaÌ„ge him lastly with a loue of totall and entiere Exchange contracting our selues to him in all the courses of our life with an indissoluble knot of loue Louing all that which he loues prising all that which he esteemes and despising all that which he contemnes and abhorring all that which he mislikes In effect we must leaue to be our selues and we must striue and grow to be as so many little Christs according to that diuine saying of the blessed Apostle Viuo ego iam non ego viuit verò in me Christus Galat. â— I liue yet now it is not I but Christ our Lord liueth in me For this is the felicity of a ChristiaÌ„ to be like and to liue in Christ our Lord and he in vs by exchange or rather vnion of the will And without this resemblance more or lesse there is no thought to be had Rom. 8. of clyming so high as heauen For they who are predestinated to the felicity of raygning there are called in this life as the B. Apostle showes to a great resemblance and conformity with the Sonne of God But we are not (e) The vnspeakeable honour happines that it is to be like our Lord Iesus worthy to liue if we need to be either persuaded by the obtaying of promises or by the declining of punishments to become like this Lord of ours since the very thing it selfe euen abstracting from what it may import vs either towards Hell or Heauen is of the most excellent the most sublime and sweet condition that can be conceaued Our Lord giue vs grace to penetrate the much honor he hath done vs if â—â— were but in giuing vs leaue to be like himselfe and much more to ponder his immense Loue in commaunding vs that by louing him we will grow like him and in that Confes l. 1. cap. 5. as Saint Austen diuinely contemplateth after this manner he will be greiuously offended with vs and doth theaten to load vs with huge miseries in case we will not resolue to loue him whilst yet that very not louing him is the hugest misery which can be felt A strange (f) Our Lord doth place his nor our in our good Iohn 15. thing it is to see how that excellent Maiesty hath not disdayned to place the point of his great glory in our greatest good and not only in our being good but in that we should be growing better dayly For In hoc clarificatus est pater meus vt sructum plurimum asseratis saith our blessed Lord with his own sacred mouth By this is my Father glorified if you bring forth great store of fruite And he was not content that we should only liue by him and with him and in him by a life of grace and glory Iohn 10. but he would haue that life to be abundant Vt viâ—aÌ„ habeant abundantius habent To conclude therfore once for all our Lord might well say to mankind vnder the figure of that Vine of the old Testament in the way of expostulation and admiration Quid potui facere vineae meae non seci What thing is that which I haue bin euen able to do and which I haue not done to this vine of mine Looke backe (g) An aduise to the Reader Christian Reader vpon that which hath bin deliuered in this Discourse Looke vp to that incessant goodnes and inuincible patience of our Lord God Look downe vpon thine owne miseries and sinnes and consider that yet thou mayst be truly happy if thou wilt Let vs procure to be sorry and ashamed when we consider what a deale we loose for lacke of wit by the losse of tyme In euery moment wherof we might do great exployts euen within the Closets of our own hart and the little that we get in the long liues which we leade in this world for want of loue notwithstanding that God is infinitly communicable and that after a sort our soules are also infinitely capable Away therfore with sinne away with losse of tyme. And as for those happy soules whom already our Lord hath â—ounded with his loue let theÌ„ improue the rich TaleÌ„t Matt. 13. which they haue receiued that the more they abouÌ„d the more may still be giuen them that so they may still abound the more And (h) We cannot better shew our loue to God then by louing our neighbours for as much as we cannot reuenge our selues if I may so say vpon our Lord himselfe by doing him any reall good for all his goodnes towards vs because he is completly happy in himselfe let vs procure to send forth the beames of our pitty from the bowells of cliarity towards our neighbours since they are the creatures whome our Lord hath loued so much as to dye as well for theÌ„ vpon a Crosse as he hath done for vs. A body (i) The wonderfull value reward euen of corporall workes of mercy would
and miseries which they found that our Lord had bene pleased to indure for thē and which the world doth so deepely feare and so deadly hate The Tyrant in the meane tyme Vide Maldonat in c. 2. Matt. after some six or seauen yeares expired according to the most probable opinion not disposing himself to lay downe that batbatous bloody minde wherby like a wolse he persecuted the lamb of God Ioan. 1. who taketh away the sinnes of the world and vvho during all that bitter banishment of his did neuer cease to vvooe him by inspirations and many other meanes to depart frō his dānable designe came at last to his due deserued end For he fel into the cōpasse of those impenitēt sinners vvhich S. Augustine discribeth thus after his diuine manner Confes l. 5. cap. 2. Subtrahentes se lenitati tuae offendētes in rectitudinē tuam cadentes in asperitatē tuam Videlicet nesciunt quòd vbique sis quem nullus circumscribi◠locus solus es praesens etiam his qui longè fiunt à te They withdrew thēselues saith he from thy mercy and they met with thy Iustice and they fell vpon thy rigor or reuenge And all because they knew not that thou O Lord art euery where whome no place doth circumscribe and who only art present euen to them who will needs make themselues far of from thee This was Herods case who in vayne did looke for the Lord of life heere or there to murther him who was not only heere or there but euery where Or rather with him there is no such thing as any where but only so far forth as it is made to be so by his Omnipresence Particularly our Lord had still bene knocking at his hart But the Tyrant locked him out seeking him in that wicked manner the more he sought him so the further of he was frō finding him though yet himselfe was found by him Confes lib. 4. cap. 9. For as the same S. Augustine saith els where of a sinner Quo it quo fugit nisi à te placido ad te iratum vbi non inuenit legem tuam in paena sua lex tua veritas veritas tu Whither goeth a sinner or whither flyeth he but from thee being pleased to thy selfe being offended And where shall he not find thy law to his cost and thy law is Truth and this Truth is thou thy selfe By this law of Iustice and by this Truth the tyrāt was found out at last For our Lord considering that he would not make vse of his loue to him by asking pardō resolued that he would make him an instrument of his own loue to vs by giuing vs an example which we might auoyd And so he (e) How the Iustice of God vpon Herod was grounded in his mercy loue to vs. Vide 10. seph l. 17. Antiquit. cap. 8. Euseb l. r. Hist Eccle siast strocke him with extreme afflictions of minde and vnspeakeable torments of body according to the description of Iosephus For within he was all burning as in fire his lyms were swolne his pudenda turned themselues into vermine and his whole body was of so hatefull a smel as that he might rather be thought a lining and feeling and talking dunghill then a ma and so he dyed Yet now though our Lord did shew his Maiesty as a God he would not yet forsake his owne humility patience and charity as man but he expected in Egypt till this hungry wolfe were dead And then vpon the admonition of an Angell he returned and went into Galilea and so to Nazareth where he remayned with his sacred mother and the holy Patriarche S. Ioseph his supposed Father Lue. 2. And he grew as the Euangelist saith and was strengthned being full of wisedome and the grace of God was with him Both which he shewed after an admirable manner at his disputing and teaching in the Temple as will appeare by that which followeth Of the great Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed by his disputing and teaching in the Temple CHAP. 20. AS on the one side our Lord IESVS did omit noe exquisite diligence which might serue for the deliuery of himselfe to the knowledge and the loue of men so yet on the other he vsed it with so much caution as to make such as saw him rather to desire then to glut themselues vpon him For (a) How sweetly our Lord did manifest himselfe by degrees he being as he was the Souerayne originall light of the whole world chose to manifest himselfe to it which lay in darknes by degrees least otherwise insteed of being illuminated it might be dazeled He was twelue yeares old before he made any shew of himselfe but only by making those holy Pilgrimages to the Temple at three seuerall tymes of the yeare To which howsoeuer he were not bound in that tender age nor could he be indeed obliged at all yet it is most likely that euen before he would binde himselfe as now we se he did by his loue to giue vs that great example of his deuotion as also not to depriue his all-immaculate mother and S. Ioseph of that comfort which without him they could not so well enioy Those indeed were Pilgrimages (b) How Pilgrimamages to holy places ought to be performed which the world may looke vpon both for admiration imitation With what silence what introuersion what height of piety were they performed and hovv present to the minde of our B. Sauiour were all those persons of the world who vvould deny and deride such Religious iourneyes to holy places And such others also vvho both beleeuing practising the same would yet abuse that holy institution either by voluntary and long distractions or else by oftentation and for both those kindes of people would his loue sollicit him to be deeply sorry He saw also such others as would greatly honour him and his Saints by such deuotions and not only did he take particular larioy in euery one of them but by his merits and prayers and especialliy by euery one of those holy paces did he obtaine at the hands of his eternall Father that grace and strength wherby such actions might be well performed But when they were at Ierusalem in the frequent assembly of that people it was not so strange that the parents should loose the sight of the Child wherupon (c) The griefe of our B. Lady and Saint loseph vpon the losse of Christ our Lord in the Temple they sought him with griefe inough They thought that some of their freinds and kindred might haue procured to make him returne with thē as who would not haue byn glad to become as happy as he could by the excellent presence of our Lord. So as they looked him amongst their friends a dayes iourney off from Ierusalem and not finding him there they returned to the Citty full of care and found him the third day
in the Temple With how vnspeable loue both to God and man did our Lord IESVS dispossesse himselfe for a while of the greatest ioy and comfort that he could receaue in this world which was the sweet society of his sacred mother wherein although through the eminency of grace which had beene communicated to her happy soule in the very first instant of her Immaculate Conception he could neuer haue found the least distraction from the immediate and most perfect seruice of Almighty God yet because the parents of his disciples and seruants would not all be such but would often be diuerting and diswading vs from corresponding with his inspirations and our obligations he was pleased not only to giue vs an example at large but euen to impart the very expresse words themselues wherby we might ouercome their intreaties And rather then we should not be instructed to forsake all flesh and bloud when once there should be question of Gods seruice and rather then we should not be armed well agaynst those temptatioÌ„s which might grow to vs from our Parents he was content to exemplify the case in his owne sacred person with a seeming diminution to his B. Mother For this it was that when the all-immaculate virgin spake to him in these tender words Sonne why hast thou so done to vs Lâ—â— 2. behold thy Father and I sorrowing did seeke thee Our B. Sauiour answered thus not in the way of reprehension as certayne course-harted people will needs conceaue but (e) In what sense our Lord Iesus spake to his B. mother out of compassion to them and out of instruction to vs Why is it that you sought me did you not knowe that I must be about those things which are my Father And to show that his meaning was but to benefit vs by that expression of himselfe and not to cast the least aspersion of imperfection vpon his most holy mother and S. Ioseph he caused his holy spirit to record it instantly after in holy Scripture that he departed from the Temple with them and came to Nazareth was subiect to them And heere let him that can consider and admire the vnspeakeable dignity and excellency of our B. Lady to whom the God of heauen earth would become a subiect And let him much more adore God for the infinite humility and Charity of our Lord IESVS (e) The incomparable loue of Lord in being so subiect to our B. Lady and S. Ioseph who vouchsafed by this stronge example of his to procure the quenching of our pride and the kindling of our loue by making himselfe a subiect to flesh and bloud for our sake he who was the superiour and soueraigne Lord of all the creatures both in heauen earth He shewed well what he was whilst yet he sate in the Temple amongst the Doctours Of whome he heard what they could say and he asked them to see what they would answere And many other things he also did at the same tyme though holy Scripture by wrapping them vp in silence doe rather leaue matter for our soules then for our senses to worke vpon For he did both pray his eternall Father for their conuersion to his diuine Maiesty and for the manifestation of his glory not only in their hartes vvho vvere present then but in as many as by their meanes should aftervvard come to knovv vvhat had passed there The sacred Text affirmes How all that heard him were aslonished at his wisedome and answeres and that seeing him they wondred And vve may vvell assure our selues that theyr admiring his diuine presence theyr being astonished at his vvisedome vvas to that holy soule of our Lord Iesus an occasion of much mortisication which nothing but ardent Charity could haue made him so willingly imbrace For he was then but twelue yeares old and he had bene bred in a poore and plaine appearance and he dwelt in the very depth of profound hamility And humility when indeed it is profound doth make a soule much more abhorre admiration and prayse then any hart which is vayne can appreh end and hate to be despised The vvhile if all they were so amazed by hearing him vvho vvere the Doctours of the law and vvho vvere likely to despise all the world in comparison of themselues and if the very sight of him made them wonder vvhose eyes vvere euen almost put out by the dust of Enuy and Hypocrysy vvhich the mind of pride had raysed into them which our Lord IESVS by the dropps of his diuine grace vvas procuring them to lay in a farre higher manner must (f) We are particularly bound to admire the wisedome and grace of our Lord Iesus we vvho are Christian and vvhome our Lord instructs not only at some certaine tymes as he did that people in the Temple but to vvhose harts he is euer preaching in a most particular manner happy are they who apply the eares therof to his sacred mouth adore the Maiesty of his wisedome and power and admire the dignity and beauty of his humanity and be inflamed and euen consumed with the sense of his eternall prouidence and ardent loue But yet withall we must consider that howsoeuer it be said and that most truely Thâ—it he proceeded in wisedome and age and grace with God and men this is only to be vnderstood of that kind of wisedome which might grow through experimentall knowledge by way of the senses which he had like vs though yet with this difference as (*) Cap. â—â— hath bene shewed that euen therin he was free from all possibility of errour which we are not For his wisedome otherwise was so great as not to be capable of any increase as nether was his grace wherof in the instant of his Conception that diuine soule of his had receiued all absolute fulnes But he may be truely said to haue increased dayly with God and men in Grace that is in Fauour because euery day more more his soule was beautified by new acts in the sight of God and daylie he made more and more discouery of himselfe to men according to the rates of their Capacity and they would not haue bene men but beasts and blockes if they had not bene taken by such an obiect We are taught withall by his growing thus in grace before God and men to performe our actions in such sort as that we must nether procure to please God alone by not caring for the edification of men nor yet men alone through Hipocrisy or want of purity in the intention but they both must goe together hand in hand as daily our Lord when he grew afterward to mans estate did effectually teach vs more and more Of the excessiue loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to vs in that he would vouchsafe to be Baptized CHAP. 21. VVHAT thought of man or Angell can reach to that humility which Christ our Lord being longe since growne to be a man and now vpon the poynt of