vnder foote that so this most vayne honour may not be lost but that it may be esteemed aboue all things yea euen aboue God himselfe O thou vayne honour which wert condemned by Christ vpon the Crosse vpon the price of his so extreme dishonour and who is he that gaue thee place in the Temple of God which is the hart of a Christian and this with so great aduantage as that after the manner of Antichrist thou wilt more be prized then the most high God Who made thee a competitour with God yea (d) Pride makes a man esteeme himselfe more then God and that thou shouldst euen outstrip him in the harts of some by being more esteemed then he So renewing that vast affront which was done him when they preferred (e) Matth. 27. Barabbas before him We must perforce confesse that thy tyranny is great ouer such harts as make themselues thy subiects and with great expedition and facility do they performe thee seruice whatsoeuer it cost them Aaron (f) Exod. 32. made him self belieue by demanding the golden eare-rings of their wiues children who asked an Idoll at his hands that rather then to see such as they loued to be disadorned they would desist from their wicked desire of a false God But so it fell not out for those things were no sooner askt then giuen Nor did they then nor do men now take care of what is needfull for house or Children so that they may haue an Idoll of honour to which they may offer sacrifice Oftentimes it happens that euen some of them who serue thee doe yet vnderstand well inough how vayne and shaddowy a toy thou art and what a wofull thing it is to follovv thee and being able if they would to deliuer themselues from thy heauy yoake by breaking from thee all at once yet (g) A miserable case is their infirmity misery so great that they rather choose to burst and to proceed against the honour of God then to doe God honour and be at rest by flying from thee God did cast this out for a curse against thē who serued false Gods That (h) Sin makes men slaues they should serue them day and night and this is punctually fulfilled by such as do adore this Honour S. Iohn speaking of some principall people of Hierusalem which belieued in Christ but durst not declare themselues for his in respect of men doth say of them with great reproach (i) Ioan. 12. That they loued the honour of men more thē that of God Which with much reason may be verifyed vpon these louers of honour since we see that they despise God rather then they wil be despised by men and that they are ashamed to performe his law rather then to be ashamed in the sight of men But let them be doing as long as they list let them honour this Honour euen to the outside of all their power yet firme and fixed doth that sentence stand which was pronounced against them by the soueraigne Iudge Christ Iesus when he sayd He that shal be ashamed of me and of my words of him will the Sonne of the Virgin be ashamed when he shall come in his maiesty and the maiesty of his Father with his Angells And then shall al those Angells and all the saints singe out Iust (k) Psal 118. art thou O Lord thy iudgments are iust For if this vild worme were ashamed to follow the King of Maiesty be thou O Lord ashamed thou who art Honour and Altitude it selfe that a thing so base and so wicked should remayne in company of thee and thyne O (l) Read tremble with what a powder shall the honour of this Babylon be then shot down into the profoūdest pit of Hell to be tormented in company of the proude Lucifer since these men would needes be his companions in the sinne of pryde Let no man offer to make a ieast of this or esteeme that the loue of worldly honour is a sinne of small importance since our Lord who searcheth the hart said thus to the Pharisies (m) Ioa◠5. How can you belieue in me since you seeke to be honoured by one another seeke not that honour which proceedes from God alone And now for as much as this vicious affection is so powerfull as that it sufficed to make men forbeare the belieuing in Iesus Christ what mischeife is that which it will not be able to effect who will not blesse himselfe from the same S. Augustine therefore sayd that no man knowes what force he hath more or lesse to conquer the loue of Vayne-glory but he only who maketh warre against it CHAP. III. Of what remedies we are to serue our selues towards the contempt of the Vayne-glory of the world And of the greate force which Christ our Lord doth giue for the ouercomming thereof VVE ought to esteeme it as a great remedy against this mischiefe that it is condēned by the very light of Nature For as much as euen that doth teach vs That man is to do workes worthy of Honour but not for Honours sake That he should deserue it but not valew it and that a (a) True nobility noble courage ought to despise both the being esteemed and disesteemed and that nothing should be held in high account but vertue But (b) Note if notwithstanding all this a Christian haue not the hart to contemne this vanity let him rayse his eyes vp to his Lord being placed vpon a Crosse and there he shall see him so surcharged with dishonour that if it be wel considered it may enter into competition with the grieuousnes of those very torments which he there endured Nor did our Lord without cause make choice of a death which might be accompanyed with extreme dishonour but for that he knew what a powerful tyrant this loue of honour was was likely to be in the hart of many who would make no difficulty to expose themselues to death but yet would flye from the manner of the death if it were dishonourable Now to giue vs to vnderstand that neither the one nor the other ought to fright vs he (c) Our Lord chose reproach to confound and reforme our pride chose the death of the Crosse whereupon extreme torments with excessiue dishonour did ioyne hand in hand Behould then if thou haue eyes wherewith to do it how Christ is esteemed for the meanest of men and abased by deep dishonours some of which were brought vpon him by that very death of the Crosse since that was the most infamous of all deaths and others also whereby they outraged our Lord in particuler manner for as much as there was no kind of people which did not imploy it selfe vpon despising iniuring and blaspheming him with certayne fashions of dishonour which neuer were found out before Thus shalt thou perceaue how entirely that was fullfilled which he whilest he was preaching sayd (d) Ioan. ◠I do not
Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
which was beginning to sly de into Spaiâ—e about his tyme and they were called Ilâ—umimati so farre did this deceite ariue that if this kind of interiour motion came not to them they would not stirre a foot towardes the doing of any thing how good soeuer and on the other side if they had a mind to do any thing that they would be sure to do though it were against the wil of God Belieuing that the humour which they found in their hart was Gods particuler instinct and the liberty of the holy Ghost which did enfranchise them from all obligation to the ordinary Commandments of God to whome they sayd they carryed such an entiere true loue as that euen by breaking of his commandments they lost it not They considered not that the Sonne of God did preach by his owne sacred mouth a doctrine very contrary to this when he sayd If any man loue me he will keep my word and he that holdeth and obserueth my Commandements he is the man that loueth me And againe If any man loue me he will keep my word and he that loueth me not will not keep it Giuing cleerely to vnderstand heereby that whosoeuer keepeth not his word doth beare no loue nor hold friendship with him For as S. Augustine sayth No man can loue that King whose Commandements he hateth Now as for that which the Apostle sayth That (d) Note how the obiection which is made by heretikes vnder the colour of this place of Scripture is soundly answered and at large to the iust man there is imposed no law and that where the spirit of our Lord is there is liberty This is not so to be vnderstood as if the Holy Ghost did free any man how iust soeuer he may be from keeping the commandments of God or of his Church or of his Prelates but rather how much the more this spirit doth communicate it selfe so much the more loue doth it infuse and by the increase of loue the care and desire doth also increase of keeping more and more the word of God and of his Church And as this spirit is most efficacious and maketh a man become a true and feruent louer of that which is good so it further putteth such a disposition into the soule when it imparteth it selfe aboundantly as that the keeping of the Commandements is not hard but very easy so full of gust as that Dauid sayd How sweet are thy wordes to my threate yea more then hony to my mouth Because when this spirit doth place in the will of man a most perfect conformity with the will of God making it to be one spirit with him and doth say as S. Paul doth That he hath the same mind to will and not to will it must necessarily follow that to such a man the obseruation of the will of God is to be full of gust since it is of gust to euery body to do that which they loue And this is so full of Truth as that if the very law of God could be lost it would be found writteÌ„ by the holy Ghost as it were in the bowells of these persons according to that which Dauid (e) Psal 39. sayth That the law of God is in the hart of the man that is iust that is in his will which is according to God And God himselfe sayd as much I (f) Ierem. 31. will put my law into the bowells of theÌ„ From hence it is that although there were no hell to threaten and no heauen to allure and no commaundment to oblige yet would this iust man do that which he doth for the pure loue of God For because the holy Ghost worketh in a man towards God that which nature worketh in the hart of a sonne towards his Father since by his gifte and by his grace we receaue the adoption of being the sonnes of God from hence I say it groweth that such a man like a tender harted Son doth reuere and serue God throgh the filiall loue which he carrieth towards him Vpon this doth also follow a perfect detestation of al sinne and a perfect hope which dispatcheth all feare sorrow away with speed as it may be done in this exile of ours and it enableth him to suffer paine and trouble not only with patience bâ—â— euen with ioy And by reason of the liberty which he hath both in respect of sinnes afflictions abhorring the former and louing the latter he may be called free and that vpon such a iust man there is no law imposed Euen so as if there were a mother who did much loue her sonne and would faine do much for him that law would be of no trouble to her which should commaund her to do those things towards him which her own maternall hart did induce her to And so this mother should not be placed vnder a law or vnder the trouble that she was put to but should rather be superiour to them since she performed that with alacrity which the law commaunded with authority In this sort do they of whom we haue spoken by fulfilling the law of Gods loue yea and there are many who do things to which they are tyed by no obligation their hart flaming vp into a hoater fyre of loue then the law doth any way oblige them to In this manner therefore that of S. Paul is (g) Gal. 5. to be vnderstood If you be conducted by the Spirit you are no more vnder the law Because (h) This liberty of Spirit is very different from the Protestant liberty of the ghospâ—ll by abhorring sinne and carrying a tender loue to that which the law commaundes and being ioyfull in tribulation which are all effects of being guided by the Spirit the law as hath byn sayd is no burthen to such But in breaking any of the commaundments of God or of his Church this Spirit doth instantly fly away as it is written That it departeth from the thoughtes of them who are without vnderstanding and that it shal be driuen out of a soule when sinne commeth into it And as then men are not carried by this holy Spirit so is it impossible but that they should be vnder that weight which the law imposeth vpon such as loue it not and who are weak in suffering affliction and subiect to returne to sinne Let (i) Heere ProtestaÌ„ts are playnly spoken to no man therfore affirme that when he breaketh the commaundment of God or of his Church he hath Iustice or liberty of spirit or loue of God in his soule since our Lord pronounceth him to be a slaue and no free man who committeth sinne And as there is no participation between light and darknes so neither is their any between God and him that worketh wickednes For as it is written The wicked man and his wickednes are detestable in the sight of God I haue giuen thee notice of this so blind errour in the nature of an example by meanes whereof thou maiest
thy prayses with great ioy and to serue thee with most ardent loue Nor doest thou content thy selfe O Lord to open thyne eares towards our prayers so to heare them with attentiue speed but as one that loues another in all truth of affection and doth take pleasure to heare him speake or sing so thou O Lord doest say to the soule which is redeemed by thy bloud Shew (y) Canâ— â— 2. me thy face let thy voice sound in myne cares for thy voyce is sweet thy face is very faire What is this O Lord which thou sayest That thou desirest to heare vs and that our voyce is sweet How doth our face seeme fayre in thyne eyes which we hauing defiled with many sinnes committed by vs euen whylest thou wert looking on are a shamed to let thee see Infallibly it is true that eyther we merit much in thy sight or else thou doest loue vs much But (z) The true humility which is taught by the doctrine of the holy Catholike Church far be it from vs O Lord far be it froÌ„ vs that out of thy mercifull proceeding we should draw a reason of being proud Since that whereby we please thee and are acceptable to thee is thyne owne grace which thou didst giue vs. And besides that thou doest regale and thou doest reward thy seruants more aboundantly then becomes any merit of theirs Let glory therfore begâ—uen to thee O Lord from whom all our good proceedeth and in whome all our good consisteth to vs in vs let confusion be for our vnworthynesse and wickednes Thou art our ioy and thou art that glory wherein we glory and this we do not vniustly but vpon great reason For a high honour it is to be beloued by thee and so beloued as that thou wouldst deliuer thy selfe ouer for our sakes to the tormentes of the Crosse from whence all blessings are deriued downe vpon vs. CHAP. LXXXVI Of the great loue wherewith our Lord doth behold such as are iust and of the much that be desyreth to communicate himselfe to creatures and to destroy our sinnes which we must behold with detestation that God may looke vpon them with compassion NOvv that thou hast vnderstood the speed wherwith God heareth the prayers of such as are iust it remaineth for thee to know the great loue wherwith he behouldeth them that (a) God heareth seeth our prayers as he requireth vs to looke vp to him to giue eare to his holy inspiratioÌ„s so he may entirely performe in himselfe that of hearing and seeing which he commaundeth of vs. The eyes of our Lord saith Dauid are vpon the iust to deliuer them from death but the face of our Lord is vpon the wicked that he may cast out the memory of them from the earth Heereby it appeares that our Lord placeth his eyes vpon the iust as the pastour doth vpon his sheep that they may not perish And so also doth he place them vpon the wicked to the end that they may not passe without the punishment which their sinnes deserue Two (b) What God made and what we make thinges there are in vs one which God made and that is the creature consisting of a Body and Soule with all the good that we haue the other which our selues did make and that is sinne Now if we did not accompany that good which we haue of God by somewhat else which is an euill of our owne there could be nothing in vs which our Lord would behold with the eyes of Anger but only of Loue since it is a naturall thinge for any cause to loue the effect of it selfe But now though we haue defiled and destroyed that which the beautifull God had made fayre in vs yet will he not totally cast vs off Nor can our wickednesse hinder his supereminent goodnes which for the recouering of that which he made good resolueth to destroy that euill which our selues did make For (c) An excellent comparison set forth with great life of circumstance if we see that this corporall sunne do with so liberall a hand impart it selfe and goeth as it were inuiting men to receiue it bestoweth light and heat vpon all them who giue no impediment thereunto yea when they do yet doth it as it were euen become obstinate in making them remooue the same and if it meete with any chinke or crany how little so euer it doth by that conuey it selfe and fill the whole house full of light what shall we say of that supreame diuine goodnesse which with so great anxiety as it were and force of loue doth go circling round about the creatures that he may bestow himselfe vpon them and fill them with liuely and diuine splendours What occasions doth he seeke of doing good to meÌ„ And to many for some smal seruices he hath vouchsafed to do no small fauours What entreaties doth he vse to them who depart that they will returne againe What imbracementes doth he giue them when they come backe What seeking of such as are lost What addressing such as are gone astray What pardoning of sinnes without reproach What ioy in restoring men to saluation Letting them know that he more desireth to graunt a pardon then they care to sue it out And therefore it is that he sayth to sinners Why (d) Ezech. 33. will you needs dye Know that I desire not the death of a sinner but that he may returne and liue Returne to me and you shall liue Our (e) Note this excellent consideration death consisteth in our departure from God and therefore to returne to him is to liue Whereunto we are inuited by Almighty God whose principall intention is not to lodge the eyes of his wrath vpoÌ„ the worke of his hands which is our selues but vpon the worke of ours which are our sinnes These would God faine destroy if we did not hinder him but this we do when we loue our sinnes giuing them life by our loue which by being loued do murther vs. And so great is the hungar which that soueraigne bounty hath towards the destruction of our wickednesse to the end that so his creature may not be destroyed that (f) Let all the Angels prayse our Lord for so infinite goodnes when soeuer a man will and how oft soeuer he will and how great soeuer the sinnes be which he hath committed if he will dispose himselfe to do pennance and to begge pardon of our Lord for his part he is ready to receaue vs. Forgiuing that which we haue deserued curing that which we made sicke straightning that which we made crooked and giuing vs grace to abhorre those thinges which formerly were by vs beloued Yea in such sort doth he destroy our wickednes and deuide it from vs that Dauid (g) Psalâ— 102. sayth Looke what distance there is betweene the rising and setting of the Sunne so far hath he separated our sinnes from vs. So that the beginning and first
seeke myne owne honour and doe thou after the same manner And (e) Note if thou wilt rayse vp the eares of thy soule to heare that lamentable Edict with attention which was made against innocency it selfe proclayming Iesus Christ our Lord throughout those streets of Hierusalem for a malefactour thou (f) Sure I am that we ought to be so wilt be confounded when thou seest that thou art honoured or when thou shalt desire so to be And thou wilt say with a deep cordial sigh O Lord. art thou proclaymed for wicked and I praysed for good What is there that can giue vs greater griefe And not only wilt thou loose the hungar of wordly honour but thou wilt couet greedily to be despysed in conformity of our Lord whome to follow as the Scripture (g) Eccles â—â— sayth is great honour And then wilt thou say with S Paul God forbid that (h) Galat. â— I should receaue honour but in the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord yea thou wilt desire to fullfill that which the same Apostle sayth els (i) Heb. 13. where Let vs go out and seeke Christ in the campe and let vs imitate him in his dishonour Now if this passion of vayne glory be a powerfull kind of thing much more powerfull is the remedy of the example and grace of Christ Which (k) The bloud of our Lord worketh wonders vpon the proud hart of man doth in such sort ouercome roote it out of the hart as to make it find that it is a thing to be abhorred for a Christian to see the Lord of Maiesty abase himselfe to such contempt whilest he vile worme swelleth vp with the loue of honour Therefore is it that our Lord inuiteth encourageth vs by his example saying Haue confidence for I haue ouercome the world As if he had sayd Before I came hither a hard point it was to wrastle with the deceitpfull world casting away that which flourisheth therein and imbracing that which it contemnes but after that it imployed all the forces it had against me inuenting new kinds of torments and dishonour all which I endured without once turning my face aside it is now not only growne weake for hauing encountred with one who was able to suffer more then that but it is euen ouercome outright to your benefit since by my example which I gaue you and by the strength which I haue gayned for you you may at case subdue and trample it vnder your feet Let the Christian man consider that since the world dishonoured the Blessed Sonne of God who is Eternall Truth and our Soueraigne Good there is no cause why any man should esteeme or belieue it in any thing Nay seeing (l) A demonstration why we ought to beleeue the world no more that it was deceaued in not discerning such a light of extreme clarity and in not honouring him who is most true and perfect honour let the Christian man reiect that which the world allowes let him prize loue that which the world doth despise hate Flying with much care from being esteemed by that (m) The World which did despise his Lord and holding it for a great signe of being beloued by Christ to be despised by the world with him and for his sake Out of which this resultes That as they who are of this world haue no eares wherewith to hearken to the truth and doctrine of God nay rather they despise the same so (n) The seruant of our Lord ought at least to be as careful to please him as the seruants of the world are to please it he who taketh the part of Christ is to haue none wherewith to hearken to or to belieue the lies of the world For in fine whether it flatter or persecute whether it promise or threaten whether it speake frightfully or fayre it doth euery where deceaue and hath a mind to doe so and with such eyes we are to looke vpon it And (o) Note this for a most certaine truth it is certayne that for so many lies and false promises wherein we haue taken it tripping if any man should haue told vs but the one halfe we would trust him now in nothing yea hardly should we credit him althogh he might chaunce in other things to say true That (p) If the world do either promise or threaten it lyes which the world can do is indeed neither good nor bad since it cannot eyther giue or take away the grace of God Nay euen in that ouer which it seemeth to haue power it is yet not able to do any thing since it cannot reach to the least hayre of our head without the will of our Lord. And if it tell vs any other tale of it selfe we must not belieue it And who then will not dare to encounter an enemy who hath no power at all CHAP. IV. In what degree and to what end it is lawfull for a man to desire Honour in the world and of the extreme danger which there is in holding places of Authority and Commaund THAT thou mayst the better vnderstand what hath byn sayd thou art to know that it is one thing to loue honour and humane estimation for it selfe as resting therin this is euil as hath byn shewed But another thing it is when these things are beloued for some good end and this is not euill It is a cleare case that a person who hath coÌ„mand holdeth place may for doing good to others desire that honour and estimation which is fit for the discharge of his employment therby the more to do good (a) Men of authority may desire to be well reputed so that it be to a good end For if men haue him who commaundeth in meane account they will not much esteeme of his commaundement though it be iust And not only this kind of persons but all Christians ought to practise that which is writreÌ„ Take (b) Eccles 41. care of thy good name Not as if he were to rest in that but because a Christian ought to be such a kind of man as that whosoeuer should vnderstand or behould his life (c) Note might giue the glory to God as we vse to do when we see a rose or a tree full of shade fruite This is that which the holy Ghospell requires That our light may so shine before men that they seing our good workes may giue glory to the celestiall Father from whome all good things proceed This ayme at the honour of God and the profit of men did mooue (d) 1. Cor. 4. S. Paul to recount those great and secret fauours which our Lord had done him without holding himselfe for a transgressour of that other (e) Prou. â—7 Scripture which sayth Let the mouth of another prayse thee and not thine owne For (f) He might safely do so but other men must take heed he recounted his own prayies so much without the sticking of
all men yet many of them are in hell not through any fault of his redemption which is abundant but for want of their disposition to receiue it From hence therfore groweth thy despayre To this I answeare That although it be true which thou sayest yet doest thou not serue thy selfe wel thereof S Bernard telleth vs that towards 2 hauing the testimony of a good conscience which may giue a man the ioy of a good hope it sufficeth not to beâ—eeuâ— in generall That sinnes are pardoned by the death of Christ but it is also necessary to haue confidence and good coniectures that this pardon is applied in particuler to such a man by meanes of (b) Contrition Conseâ—â—ie and Sâ—â—â—ofaction those dispositions vvhich the Church doth teach For though he belieue the first part he may yet despayre but that he cannot do if he belieue the second for how can he despaire if he liue in hopes But (c) Behold the solution indeed thou oughtest to consider that it is high reason that when thou seest euen those bowells of the heauenly Father all open for the giuing to thee his sonne as he gaue him seeing that he was at such cost therein and that the diuine Lamb is already dead to the end that thou mayst feed vpon him and not dye thou art to driue from thee all pusillanimity and sloath procure to serue thy self of this Redemption with confidence that God will help thee to it And since for thy being pardoned there is no cause why Christ should put himselfe to new paines or to suffer heereafter more or lesse or to dye for thee any more why shouldest thou thinke it to be any desyre of his that since he hath beene at the charge of such a feast there should be want of guests to sit thereat But it is far from this nor is it his will That the sinner should dye but that he should be conuerted and liue And to the end that he might do so himselfe left his life vpon the Crosse And do not thou belieue that it is needfull for thee towardes the enioying of this Redemption to do any impossible thing yea or euen so hard as that thou shouldst despaire to go throgh with it euen when thou art considering thy weaknes Send but one cordiall sigh to God for hauing offended such a Father and haue thou a purpose of amendment and manifest thy sinnes to a Priest who may absolue thee and the eares euen of thy flesh and bloud shall for thy (d) It is a picture in little of the ioyes of heaueÌ„ which no man knowes but he that feels thâ—â—â— greater consolation heare the sentence which is giuen vpon the ending of thy suite Which shall certify thee in this manner I absolue thee from all thy sinnes in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost And (c) Note although it should seeme to thee that thy griefe for thy sinns were not so complete as it ought to be and that therefore thou art afrayd of thy selfe yet art thou not (f) So that yet thou be sorrv though imperfectly for that which is past and haue a firme purpose to auoyd the like in tyme to come to be afflicted thereat because the desire which our Lord hath of thy saluation is so great that he supplyeth our wants by the priuiledge which he gaue his Sacrament which maketh a man of attrite contrite And (g) Note yet againe if it seeme to thee that thou art not able to do euen so much I tell thee once for all that thou must not presume to do it of thy selfe but call vpon thy heauenly Father and beseech him by his Sonne Christ Iesus that he will help thee both to grieue for thy life past and to purpose an amendment for the tyme to come and to confesse thy selfe well and lastly for all that whereof thou hast need And (h) Deus cutus nâ—tâ—â—a bonitaâ—â— cutus Voluntas potentia cuâ—us opus misâ—râ— or dâ—◠〈◊〉 S. Leo. he is of such a nature as that there is no cause why we should expect any other thing at his hands then sweetnes and succour since he who giueth the pardon is the same who doth first inspire vs with a disposition to demand it And if withall this thou do not find comfort euen after hauing heard the sentence of absolution yet (i) In the seruice of God a man must haue a patient noble courage be not thou dismayed thereat nor giue ouer that which thou hast begun For if in one confession thou hadst no comfort thou shalt be sure of it in others and that shall be fullfilled in thee which was sayd by that penitent King (k) Psal â—0 Dauid Thou shalt giue ioy and comfort to myne eares my bones which are humbled shall reioyce It is certainly so that although the wordes of sacramentall absolution do not giue a man such a certainty of pardon as that he can beleeue (l) Not as an article of Faith it by fayth or know it by expresse euidence yet do they giue such repose and consolation as wherwith the powers of our soule may be recreated which by sinne were humbled and oppressed And let no man giue ouer to aske pardon for if he persist in his desire the Father of mercyes will go out to meete his prodigall sonne and will giue him pardon and will cloath him with the heauenly garment of grace and he will take pleasure to see him so recouered by pennance who was lost by sinne Nor (m) Note let any man thinke it to be incredible that God should liue with sinners vnder the laws of so great tendernes sweetnes which are penned by his owne goodnes most faythful loue since he executed lawes of so great rigour vpon his Sonne as that louing him as he loued himselfe and being the person that he was and paying for the iniquity but of others he did not yet acquit him of any one only sinne for which his iustice was to be satisfyed And for this reason as (n) A comparison which is both significaÌ„t sweet a Lyon who how fierce soeuer he be if he yet be satisfyed and fully fed doth no harme to inferiour creatures which yet he would swallow vp if he were hungry so the iustice of God being satisfyed with that which was payed by Iesus Christ that diâ—ine lambe he doth them no hurt whome he findeth â—o approach towards him that so they may be incorporated to his body nor doth he hinder his mercy from working in them according to his custome And from hence it groweth that insteed of being an angry iudge to vs he becommeth a Father full of paâ—ty CHAP. XXI He proceeds in the discourse of Gods mercy which he sheweth to them that cordially aske pardon This is a consideration of power to conquere all Despaire A Cup (a) What a hideous thing sin is if it be truly
answere shall he make who sayth I belieued O Lord of thy highnesse and of thy goodnes all that possibly I could because I held thee O Lord to be infinite in all thinges And let it not please thee that thy workes should seeme ill to me because they contayne an excesse of goodnes and loue towards me as it doth to the infidelity of some who find no other fault in thee but that thou art so very good and so amorous to mankind It being indeed but reason that for this goodnes we should come to thee and should take thee for our God since euery one O Lord had rather that thou shouldest be a â—ouing Father and a pardoner then a seuere iudge who would make men tremble by chastizing them in rigorous manner And if the fashion of Gods treating with mankind and of redressing our miseries were put into the hand euen of a man he could chuse no other then that which God chose as most honourable to himselfe most vsefull to vs and full of all happy sweetnes CHAP. XLII Wherein it is proued that the Truth of our Fayth is infallible as well in respect of them that haue preached it as of them who haue receaued it and of the manner how it was receaued LET vs adde to that which hath been sayd how (a) This consideration alone may suffice to proue the vndoubted diuinity of Christ our Lord. this Fayth and beliefe was receaued in the world not by force of armes nor by fauour of men nor by humane wisedome but that the Truth of God fought single by meanes of a few Fisher men without knowledge or countenance against Emperours and against Priests and against the whole wisedome of mankind And it proued to be victorious by making them quit their old and false beliefe and by inducing them to entertayne a Truth which was so superiour to reason and that to be so cordially imbraced For to giue so firme credit to thinges so high is a great wonder of God as also it is that the same men who first did murther those that belieued should suffer themselues afterward to be murthered for the Truth of the same thinges and that with greater strength and loue then formerly they disbelieued them and then they persecuted others And withall there was a law preached to them most pure commandments giuen them so much against the haire of the inclination of their harts as that they could not thinke of things which carryed greater contradiction to one another then the law of the Ghospel the disposition which man hath to sinne as S. Paul sayth The law is spirituall but I am carnal sold vnder sinne And notwithstanding al this the same law was receaued by the same vertue of Christ Iesus their harts and their workes were so renewed towardes the accomplishing thereof as that it did euidently appeare that he who formerly had created men in their naturall being was the same who by his vertue did renew them And (b) A wise and worthy contemplation if this should haue beene preached amongst the bestiall people of Arabia where Mahomet did preach his lyes or amongst men like to them who were as easy to be deceiued as they vse to be who seeke and who carry lies some suspition might be had of such beliefe But what shall we say This Truth was preached in Iâ—wry where the knowledge of God and his scriptures were in Greece where was the top of humane wisedome and in Rome where was the Empire and gouernoment of the world And in all these places though it were persecuted yet in the end it was belieued and the triumphant title of the Crosse was verifyed being written in Hâ—breâ—â— Greeke and Latin whereby it was giuen to be vnderstood that in those tongues which were the principall of the world Christ was to be confessed for King If therefore such as they belieued vpon sufficient motiues it is reason that we follow them and if there were any want of humane motiues it is playne that they were led to it by light from God for as much as being people so aduised and so affected to their owne ancient beliefe so strong in power of armes such a deep plant of Faith could not haue byn so low rooted in a people so contrary to this Truth if the powerfull hand of God had not cooperated therewith S. Augustine obseruing this sayth That he who seing that the world belieueth will not yet belieue or demaundes new miracles for that purpose he himselfe is a prodigious and fearfull miracle since he refuseth to follow where so many so noble and so wise men haue gone before and which they haue imbraâ—ed with so great constancy Most iust cause haue we to do this who by the grace of God are Christians For as much as since the world was a world it neuer had appearing in it a man of such doctrine and of so heroicall vertue and of so wonderfull and miraculous works as Christ Iesus our Lord who preached himself to be true God and (c) Plaine proofes of the Diuinity of Christ our Lord and the nobility and sanctity of the Catholique fayth did prooue it by diuine scripture and by a multitude of miracles and by the testimony of S Iohn Baptist who was a witnesse auowed by all And the same hath also byn preached since and proued by a multitude of miracles in the Christian Church And there hath neuer appeared any Fayth which doth so honour God as this of his nor any law which doth so teach men how to serue him as doth the ghospel which if a man could well vnderstand no other motiue would be needfull for the making of a man belieue Neither haue there byn seene in the world men of so great sanctity as they of the Christian common weath nor haue there byn euer preached so great and so high rewards for them that follow vertue nor so horrible threates against men of vice in testimony that our God is a great friend to goodnesse and an enemy of wickednes Nor haue there byn wrought in the whole world so many and so great miracles in confirmation of any opinion as in confirmation of this Fayth Which if it were not true it would be vâ—ry iniurious to the honour of the true God since it ascribed an equality and vnity of essence with God himselfe to a man Nor would he haue suffered it to continue such a number of yeares nor would he so seuerely haue punished the people of the Iewes for hauing crucifyed such a man nor would he haue wrought so many and so great miracles in confirmation of this beliefe So that we may with reason say to God as Richardus doth If we be deceaued in that which we belieue God hath deceaued vs. For as much as this Truth hath of it selfe so much cleere euidence and such effects haue followed and such miracles haue byn wrought in confirmation thereof that other then God could not worke them
a longer tyme and which had sharper pointes wherewith to hurt thee Isay (m) Psal 53. saith Euery one of vs did loose himselfe in his owne way and God did lay the sinnes of vs all vpon the Messias And this sentence of the diuine iustice being so rigorous thy loue O Lord did find to be both iust and good and thou didst take vpon thyne owne shoulders and didst make a burthen for thy selfe of all the sinnes without the want of so much as one which all the men in the whole world eyther had committed or then did commit or would commit from the beginning thereof vntill the end That thou O Lord and our true loner mightst pay for them all with the sorrowes of thy hart Who then shal be able to count the number of thy soares since (n) Consider and know by this what our Lord suffered for thee or rather know that thou canst neuer know so much of it as is to be knowne there is no meanes to count the number of all our sinnes which caused them but only thou O Lord who didst endure them Thou being made for vs the man of sorrow and who knowest indeed what affliction is by sad experience One man alone doth say of himselfe (o) Psalm 3◠That he had more sinnes then bayres vpon his head and besides that he desyreth God to forgiue him those other sinnes which he had committed though be knew them not Yf then one man which was Dauid had so many sinnes who shal be able to reckon vp all the sinnes of all men amongst whome there were many who committed both more more grieuous sinnes then Dauid did Into what affliction didst thou cast thy selfe O thou lambe of God to take away the sinnes of the world in whose person it was said (p) Psal 3◠Many calues haue come round about me and the great bulls haue circled me about they haue opened their mouth agaynst me as a roaring lion who is feasting vpon his prey But although into that garden of Gethsemani there went a ful company of souldiers of the secular power besids them who were sent by the high Priests Pharisees who with much cruelty came about to take thee and did take thee yet he that should haue beheld the multitude and grieuousnes of all the sinnes of the world which did hedge in that hart of thyne will thinke that the people who went that night to take thy person were very few in comparison of these others who came to seize vpon thy hart What (q) This is that which gaue our Lord more torments a million of tymes then the paynes which exteriourly he suffered horrible spectacle O Lord What vgly representation how painefull would it be for thee to be compassed in by our great sinnes which are signified by those Calues and those others which are you more grieuous and which are signifyed by those Bulls Who O Lord shall be able to recount what vgly sinnes haue beene committed in the world Which being set before thy vnspeakable purity and sanctity would put thee vpon astonishment and like Bulls with open mouths set vpon thee demanding at thy handes O Lord the payment of that torment which so great impiety had deserued With how much reason is it sayd afterward That thou wert spilt like water by those exteriour torments and That thy hart was melted a way like waxe by that fire of inward anguish Who O Lord will say that the number of thy sorrowes may be told since the number of our sinnes is past-telling CHAP. LXXX Wherein is prosecuted the tendernes of the loue of Christ towards men and of that which caused his interiour griefe and gaue him a Crosse to carry in his hart all the dayes of his life BY that which is sayd thou wilt haue seene how many and how grienous the sorrowes of our Lord were since our sinnes by which they were caused were so many so grieuous But if we will dig into the most deep part of that hart of our Lord we shall find sorrow therein not only for the sinnes that men committed but sorrow also for the sinnes which they committed not For as the pardon of the former fell (a) We owe all to the passiō of our Lord both the pardon of all those sinnes which we haue cōmitted the preuentiō of all them which we haue not committed and al the graces which we haue receaued all the good deeds that we haue done vpon thee O Lord so the preseruation of men from the later did cost thee dolours and death Since thy grace and those diuine fauours which preserue men from sinne are not giuen to any soule for any reason but only vpon the price of thy pretious payne So that all men lay heauy load on thee O Lord both great and small and past and present and they that are to come They who haue sinned and they also who haue not sinned They who haue sinned much they who haue sinned little For they all being considered in themselues were the children of wrath without the grace of God enclined to all manner of sinne and exiled from heauen And if they be to receaue pardon if they be to receaue grace if to auoyd sin if to be the Sonnes of God if to enioy him in heauen for al eternity al this O Lord is to be done at thy cost by thy enduring bv thy paying for our misery and by thy purchasing of our felicity Yea and all this is to be at that cost of thyne so far as that thy sorrowes are to be proportionable in number and greatnesse to that which these other thinges are worth And yet further is thy price to exceed the thing which thou doest buy that so thou mayst shew vs thy loue and that our redemption and consolation may be more firme How (b) Infinit is the glory of our Lord but it cost him deere extremely deare O Lord doth that name cost thee which Isay (c) Isa 9. put vpon thee of being The Father of that age which was then to come since as there is no man according to the generation of flesh which is called the first age who commeth not from Adam so neither is there any of the second generation which is of grace who commeth not from thee But Adam was an ill Father who by wicked pleasure did murther both himselfe and his sonnes whereas thou O Lord didst purchase the name of Father at the price of those dolorous lamentations wherby as a Lyonesse that were roaring whilest she bringeth forth her yong ones thou giuest life to them whome the first Father killed He drunke that poyson which the serpent gaue so was made a Father of serpents for by his engendring them they became sinners But yet all his sonnes which being cōsidered in themselues are venemous serpents did lay hold O Lord vpon thy hart gaue thee such pinches of paine as were neuer felt before nor since and
that not only during the space of eightteen houres which passed in the tyme of thy sacred Passion but for the whole course of three and thirty yeares from one fiue and twentith of March when thou didst become incarnate till another fiue and twentith of March and eight dayes after when thy life did leaue thee vpon the Crosse Thy (d) The great loue of God to vs is exempliâ—ied by diuers comparisons and proofs of holy Scripture selfe did call thy selfe a Mother when speaking to Hierusalem thou didst say How often (e) Watt 23. would I haue gathered thy children vnder my winges as the Hen doth her chickens but thon wouldest not And to giue vs to vnderstand that thy hart doth carry a particuler loue and tendernes towards vs thou didst compare thy selfe to a Hen which is the creature that is content in extraordinary manner to cast away her comfort and to afflict her selfe for that which concerneth her little ones Nor only art thou like the Hen in this but thou exceedest both that all other mothers in the world as by (f) Isa 49. Isay thy selfe didst say A mother perhaps may forget the sonne of her wombe well yet though she forget him I will not forget thee for I haue written thee in my handes and thy walles do euer stand before me Who O Lord shall be able though he dig neuer so deep to discouer those vnspeakable secrets of loue and sorrow which are in thy hart Thou doest not content thy selfe O Lord with carrying the lone of a Father towardes vs which might only be strong and patient in suffering the afflictions and troubles of a Father but to the end that no delightfull comfort might be wanting to vs not no vexation to thy selfe thou wouldst needs be also a Mother to vs in the tendernes of thy affection which causeth an vnspeakable kind of loue towards her children Yea and more art thou to vs then a Mother for of no Mother haue we read that to the end she might stil remember her sonne she hath written a booke whereof hard nayles of iron were the pen and her owne handes the paper and that by pressing those handes and passing them through with the nayles bloud may issue out insteed of inke which with grieuous payne may giue testimony of the great internall loue not suffering that to be forgotten which still she carryeth in her hands And if this which thou didst endure vpon the Crosse by hauing handes and feet so nayled to it be a thing which exceedeth all loue of Mothers who (g) Christ lesus our Lord became vpon the Crosse as it were a woman in trauaile shall recount that great loue and great griefe wherewith thou drewest all men into the wombe of thy hart groaning deeply for their sins with the groanes of labour like them of child-birth And that not for an houre nor for a day alone but for the whole tyme of thy life which lasted three and thirty yeares till at length like another Rachel thou diedst of trauell vpon the Crosse to the end that (h) Genes 35. Beniamin might be borne aliue The serpents which thou carriedst within thy selfe did giue thee O Lord such gripes that they made thee burst vpon the Crosse to the end that at the price of thy paines those serpents might be conuerted into the simplicity mildnesse of lambes and that in exchange of thy death they might obtaine a life of grace How iustly O Lord mayst thou cal men if thou considerest what thou hast suffered for them the Sonns of thy griefe as Rachel called her sonne since the griefe which their sinnes gaue thee was greater then the pleasure which they tooke by committing them And greater was thy humility and that breach of thy hart then the irreuerence and pride was which they expressed against the most high God when they offended him by breaking his law that so thy paines might ouercome our sinnes as the greater do the lesse More (i) The incomparable griefe of Christ our Lord for sinne is excellently desaâ—ibed O Lord did the sinnes of others grieue thee then any man hath bin euer grieued for his owne And if we read of some who had so great repentance for their sinnes as that their hart not being able to conteyne such griefe it did cost them their liues what sorrow was prouoked in thee by that vnmeasurable loue which thou didst carry both to God and man since one sparke of the same lone being cast into the harts of those others did oppresse them in such sort that it made them breake as if they had bin blowen vp with powder Of many we reade and we know that by hauing heard a newes which was very painefull to them did loose their liues And tell vs now O Lord for thy mercy how thou hadst force to out-liue such a bitter newes when all the sinnes of all mankind were first presented to thee thou louing men much more then any man euer loued another yea or euen himself Especially when thou didest coÌ„sider know that the misery which was hanging ouer theÌ„ for the same was greater then any other that could happen And where O Lord didst thou get strength to endure to see thy diuinity oftended and yet to liue since the loue which thou bearest both to it and men did exceed all measure Yet didst thou liue O Lord when thou heardst this newes yea and thou didst liue with the griefe thereof all the dayes of the life But vnles particuler force had bin giuen thee for the enduring of such sorrow it would not haue fayled to haue brought death vpon thee as lesse sorrow hath brought it vpon others So that O Lord they are many and not one only debt which I owe thee And although in regard of these sorrowes which as a mother thou didst endure for men with much reason thou mayst tearme them the sonnes of thy griefe as hath bin said yet as thou also art their Father thou mayst call them also the sonnes of thy right hand as (k) Gen. 35. Iacob did Because (l) The reformation of men doth manifest the power of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. in them is expressed and declared the greatnesse of thy hand which is thy power since thou drawest them out of sinne and dost place them in the state of grace euen in this life and at the later day shalt ranke them vpon thy right hand that so they may accompany thee in glory Being seated there in great security of repose as thou art O Lord at the right hand of thy Father where thou wilt esteeme all that which thou hast laboured and suffered for them to be well imployed CHAP. LXXXI Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawn out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other pointes and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise YF thou
is distinct from that whereby Iesus Christ our Lord is iust For to belieue otherwise were to imbrace a very grieuous errour which (c) The erroneous opinion of impuâ—tiue Iustice doth extremly derogate from the great and tender loue of God to man in Christ our Lord. proceedeth from the want of knowing the loue which Iesus Christ doth beare to such as are in the state of grace Whome his bowells of mercy and loue would not permit that whyleft himselfe was iust and full of all good things he should say to such as he iustifyed Content your selues with this that I abound with these good things and esteeme them for your owne as they are in me although in your selues you remayne vniust impure and naked There (d) Think seriouly of this point is no head vvhich would hold such language as this to his liuing meÌ„bers nor one Spouse to another if he should dearely loue her and much lesse will that celestiall Spouse say so vvho is giuen for a patterne to the Spouses of this world that after his resemblance they may treat and loue their fellow-spouses You men sayth (e) Ephes 5. S. Paul loue your wines as Christ loued his Church who gaue himselfe ouer for it to sanctify it and to cleanse it by Baptisme and by the word of life If then he sanctify and wash and cleanse it and that with his owne bloud which is the thing that giueth power to the Sacraments to cleanse soules by that grace of his which they impart how can that soule remaine vniust and filthy which is washed and cleansed by a thing of so extreme efficacy Now this cleanesse God did promise that he would giue in the tyme of his Messias when he sayd I will powre forth cleane water vpon you and you shall be cleansed from all your filth And our Lord in the last supper did testify That eleuen of his disciples were cleane and not after an ordinary manner but that they were wholy cleane For the veniall faults which are caused in the soule by some inordinate affections which sticke like dust vnto our feet are remoued by help of the Sacraments and their good disposition that receaue them as corporall feet are washed by materiall water as our Lord then did vse it washing both without and within and leauing them cleane from al sinne according to this testimony of (f) â— Ioâ—â— 1. S. Iohn The bloud of Iesus Christ doth cleanse vs from all sinne This bloud was called by the Prophet (g) Mich. 7. Micheas long before it was shed the sea wherein all our sinnes are drowned And he sayd God will shoot off all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea Now if these and many other places of Scripture do giue testimony that a man is pardoned and cleansed from all sinne who is there that will presume to say That a man doth neuer come to be cleansed from it For to say that sinne remayneth in a man which really and truly shal be sinne and that yet for the loue of Iesus Christ our Lord the payne which is due to that sinne should be released to him is no (h) I beseech our Lord that the truth of this discourse may sin he as deeply into thy hart as there is cause such discourse as wil serue eyther towards the verifying of the Scriptures or for the doing of Iesus Christ sufficient honour For since the payne which is due to sinne is a lesse euill to any man then the guilt of the same sin the iniustice and deformity which is caused thereby it cannot be sayd That Christ doth saue his people from their sinnes if by his merit he only obtaine that they may not be imputed to them for their punishment vnlesse first he take the guilt away by the gift of his grace nor yet that he obtayneth purity and piety for men that so detesting sinne they may keep the law of God And if the doctrine of the holy Scripture be well obserued it wil be found that when the pardon of â—inne is graunted there is giuen with all a newnesse of life and a cleane hart as if it were newly created as Dauid did desire according to that which it was (i) Isa 50. â—geâ—h 11. prophesied that it should be I will giue you a new hart and I will place a new spirit in the middest of you And I will take away from you that hart of stone and I will giue you a hart of flesh and I will place my spirit in the middest of you and I will make that you shall walke in my commandments and that you shall keep and worke my iudgementes This doth God promise to such as formerly he had told that he would cleanse them from all their filth And afterward he sayth I I will saue you from them all To (k) Be attentiue giue vs clearely thereby to vnderstand That the sauing vs from our sinnes is not only to free vs from the paine but to impart an inward cleanesse and such a hart and such a grace and such a spirit as may haue power to enable vs to keepe the commaundements of God S. Iohn (l) Apec 3. affirmeth that our Lord saith I stand at the gate and I knocke if any man open to me I will enter into him and I will suppe with him and he with me Isay (m) Isa 55. inuiteth such as are hungry in the behalfe of God that they will eate and such as are thirsty that they will drinke Our Lord saith by the mouth of (n) 2. Cor. 6. S. Paul Get you out from the middest of the wicked and do not so much as touch any thinge that is vncleane and I will receaue you I wilâ—e a Father to you and you shal be my Sonnes my daughters By which places and many others it doth euidently appeare that the benefittes which are imparted to vs by iustification are more and better then Gods not imputing to vs that punishment which is due to sinne Since withall he giueth vs his grace and cleanesse of hart and vertues and infuseth the spirit of our Lord whereby we may keep his law and so that vnder the title of being his children and of exercising our selues in good workes we may eternally enioy him And because Christ did purchase these blessings for vs togeather with the pardon of the paine he may well be proclaimed with a full mouth to be the Sauiour of vs from our sinne and (o) We are infinitely more bound to God for freeing our soules from sin then if he had only forgâ—uen vs the punishment thereof that much more for the former respect then for the later Because in vertue of that former he freeth vs from the guilt and bringeth vs to a detestation of sinne and obteineth for vs a kind of participation of God at the present and a good title for our eternally possessing him in heauen Whereby he deliuereth vs from a greater mischeife and
handes And this they expect vnder such a title of more iustice as that if he deny them any thinge they are complaining in their hartes and do hold themselues agrieued why lest they forsooth seruing him so well he doth them not iustice by denying them any thing Let not this wicked pride seize on thee for (h) How God abhorreth Pride it is now long since God complaineth of it by Isay (i) Isa 58. saying They demaund the iudgements of iustice at my handes and they come to God and say Why haue we fasted and yet thou hast not behold vs we haue humbled our soules and thou hast not appreoued it But to the end that this so dangerous poison may not infuse it selfe into thy soule with others which do also flow frō thēce thou art to lay hold vpon that excellent doctrine which our Lord Christ Iesus deliuered in S. Luke after this manner Which of you hauing a seruant who goeth to plow feedes the cattell and your selfe comming from the field you say instantly to your seruant Goe thy wayes and take thyne ease and doth not rather say Go dresse my supper and make thy selfe ready to come and serue me till I haue eaten and drunke and then thou also shalt cate and drinke Doth peraduenture that maister stand thanking of his seruant for doing those thinges which he commaunded I thinke not Well then let it be so in your case and when you haue performed all those thinges which are inioyned say We are vnprofitable seruants and we did but that which we were obliged to From these wordes thou art to fetch a knowledge of how profitable a consideration it is for a Christian to hold himselfe the slaue of God since our Lord commaundeth vs so to call our selues And yet this must not be done with that kind of hart wherewith the slaue vseth to serue which is a hart of feare and not of loue For as S. Paul (k) Rom. 8. sayth You did not againe receaue the spirit of seruitude in feare but you receiued the spirit of adoption of the sonnes of God wherein you cry out to God say Father Father For as S. Augustine saith the difference betweene the old law and the Ghospell in a word is that which is betweene feare and loue Leauing therefore a part (l) To serue God for feare is lesse good to do it for loue is excellent this spirit of seruility because it belongeth not so properly to the sonnes of God and the spirit also of (m) He speaketh heere of filial fear feare as lesse perfect though it be not cuill since it is the gift of God to feare him euen for the punishments which he inflicteth do thou vnderstand by the name of seruant a person who is subiect to God by more strong and iust obligation then any slaue can be to his Lord how deare soeuer he haue cost him And (n) A faythfull and louing seruant well described looking euer vpon this whatsoeuer he doth well eyther within himselfe or exteriourly he will do it for the glory and to giue gust to God as a true-harted slaue will giue a iust account vnto his Lord of whatsoeuer he is able to gaine So also wil he forbeare to be slack or sluggish in seruing him vpon the present day notwithstanding that he had serued many yeares before Nor will he hold himselfe disobliged from the doing of one seruice in respect that he hath done another But as the holy (o) Luc. 17. Ghospell saith he carrieth a continuall hungar and thirst after iustice For he esteemeth all to be little considering both the much that he hath receaued and which the Lord in whose seruice he is hath merited By this meanes doth he accomplish that which S. Paul (p) Philip. ◠saith of himselfe That forgetting those things which were past he gaue himselfe new spirites towardes the pursuite of that which was then to come He doth also know that from those thinges which he is able to do how great so euer they may be no profit accreweth vnto God nor is God obliged to esteem that which he doth if the works be considered as growing from our naturall power and strength since a man is not able to pay euen what he oweth And therefore doth the holy (q) Luc. 17. Ghospell say When you haue done all those thinges which you haue beene commanded say We are vnprofitable seruants and we did but that which we were bound to do I say (r) How the best man is indeed an vnprofitable seruant and in what sense againe he is not so vnprofitable in respect of God but for as much as concerneth themselues they gaine life eternall as shal be shewed in the next Chapter And in this sort vnderstanding the name of slaue thou wilt find it to be a name of humility of obedience of diligence and of loue And this feeling thereof had the sacred Virgin Mary when being taught by the Holy Ghost she (s) The vnspeakeable humility of the incōprehensible virgin Mary the B. Mother of God answered Behould (t) Luc. 1. heere is the slaue of our Lord let that be fulfilled in me which is agreeable to his word She confesseth her owne basenes she offereth vp her loue and seruice with a liberall hart without ascribing any thing vnto her selfe by way of any other honour or interest then only in being carefull to serue as a slaue in that which our Lord was commanding her for his glory All this did she feele within and this did she outwardly expresse by deliuering her selfe in the name of slaue S. Paul doth call himselfe and prize himselfe by this name when he (u) Rom. 1. sayth Paul the slaue of Iesus Christ And in a word so are al they who serue God to acknowledg themselues whether they be high or low vnles they be content that euen the seruice which they are doing proue to be of more preiudice then aduantage to them Procure therefore to profit by this truth and thou shalt find a powerfull remedy against the danger which groweth by occasion of good workes not (x) There is no danger in good workes but in the vanity of mans hart who doth them from the workes themselues but by the imperfection of such as do them And vse thou to say both with thy mouth and with thy hart very often I am (y) A iust and true acknowledgement which ought to be made by the hart and tongue of all true Christiās the slaue of God and I am so because God is that which he is and for a thousand millions of benefits which I haue receaued from his hand And how much soeuer I might do for him I should neuer be able to pay the least of those paces which he being made man did make for me nor the least of those torments which he endured for me nor the least sinne which he hath pardoned nor any other which he hath preuented
the bloud of Christ our Lord. CONSIDER then how deformed the spot is which sinne doth cause and how farre we are to fly from it since being once receiued into the soule it could neither be washed away by the shedding of so much bloud as was offered in the Temple by the commaundment of God himselfe nor could all the force of man arriue vnto it And if that beautifull and deare (a) Christ our Lord. Word of God had not come downe to beautify vs the deformity of sinne would for euer haue remained in vs. But that lambe without spot comming downe he had the power and he had the way and he had the will to put away these spotts he destroyed our deformity and he endewed vs with beauty And to the end that thou mayest see with how much conueniency the Sonne of God rather then God the Father or the holy Ghost was to be he that should beautify our deformed soules with his bloud Consider that as Eternity is attributed to the Father and Loue to the holy Ghost so to the Sonne of God as God is attributed Beauty because he is most (b) The first quality of Beauty prefect and without the least defect and he is the (c) The second quality of Beauty image of the Father as S. Paul (d) Heb. 1. saith and so liuely an one that in regard he is engendred by way of the vnderstanding he is to all purposes as his Father who gaue him the same essence that himselfe hath in such sort as that he (e) Ioan. 14. who seeth him seeth the Father as the holy ghospell saith Now by reason of this proportion betweene the Sonne and the Father which is so absolute most iustly is beauty ascribed to him since the image is taken in so liuely a maner out of the originall Light (f) The third quality of Beauty is not wanting to him for he is called the Worde which is a thing engendred by the vnderstanding and in that vnderstanding as S. Iohn (g) Ioan. 1. saith which was true light Greatnes is not (h) The fourth quality of beauty wanting to him since he is infinitly immense and therefore was it conuenient that this beautifull God by whom we were made wheÌ„ we were not should come to restore vs when we were lost and who apparaylling himselfe with our flesh should take vpon him the resemblance of our deformity and so imparte to vs the excellency of his owne beautie And although neither our being punished or spoken faire was able to free vs from our spots yet was the valew so great of the punishing of that beautiful person that the sharp salpetre of his passion falling vpoÌ„ his shoulders there distilled downe vpon vs the sweet dew of his whitnesse And howsoeuer God doth say to the sinner Although (i) Hier. 12. thou wash thy selfe with salpetre with the Fullers hearbe thou shalt not be cleane yet telling vs that he would send a remedy against this spot he sayth in another place If thy sinnes be as red as scarlet they shal be made white like snow and if they shal be as red as bloud they shall become whyte like woll Very truly well did Dauid belieue this when he (k) Ps 50. sayd Thou shalt sprinkle me O Lord with (l) The inward meaning of this place deliuered â—yssope and I shal be cleane thou shalt wash me and I shall become more white then snow Hyssope is a litle hearbe and somewhat hot and hath the property to purge the lunges wherby we breath This hearbe they brought to a wand of Cedar they tyed it thereunto with a string of crimson double died And so being bound togeather they called it that Hyssope wherewith when first it had beene steeped in bloud and water and then with water and ashes they sprinkled both leaprous persons and such as had touched any dead body and thereupon they were held for cleane Full well knew Dauid that neither the herbe nor the Cedar nor the bloud of birdes or beastes nor yet water or ashes could giue any cleannesse to the soule although it were figured by them And therfore he desired not God that he would take into his hand a branch of Hyssope sprinkle him with it but (m) That hysop was a figure of the humility and Passion of Christ our Lord. he sayth so in respect of the humanity and humility of Iesus Christ our Lord which is called an herbe because it grew from the earth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and because he was begotten without the help of man as the flower springeth in the field which is neither plowed nor sowed For this it is that he sayth I am (n) Can. 2. the flower of the field And this her be is called little for the meanenesse which he tooke vpon himselfe in the world so far forth as to say A (o) Psal 21. worme I am and no man the dishonour of men and the very out-cast of the people This (p) The passion of our Lord is the only soueraign cure of pride humbled flesh of our Lord is such a remedy against the puffe of our foolish pride as that it may be cured by this so great humility since there is no colour for a worme to exalt it self when the King of Maiesty is so abased And forget not that Hyssope is hot For Christ by the fire of that loue which was burning in the roots of his hart was pleased to abase himself to purge vs thereby to make vs know that if he who was so high did abase himselfe how much reason there is why we who haue so true cause to abase our selues should not by our selues be exalted And if God be humble how much more should a man be so This (q) Of our Lord Iesus flesh so full of true phisicke was then put to the sticke of a Cedar when it was placed vpoÌ„ the crosse tyed by that delicate thrid of wooll twice died For although the nayles which fastned thereunto his handes and feete were hard and great and long inough yet if the thrid of his ardent loue had not fastned him to that crosse and vnles he had been willing to deliuer vp his life for the killing of our death those nayles would not haue beene strong inough for such a businsse So that it was not they but the loue he bare vs that held him there And (r) The double aspect which was carryed by the loue of our Lord the reparation of Gods honour and the remission of mans sin this loue carryed a double aspect as crimson which is double died for he suffered that which he suffered to satisfy for the honour of his father who was offended by our sinnes and for the loue of sinners who were lost thereby CHAP. CIX That the sacred humanity of Christ our Lord was figured in the gaâ—â—ent of the high Priest and in the veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make
And what that was which Dauid begged when he desired to be sprinckled with Hysâ—ope that he might so be cleansed THE garment which the high Priest of the old Law did weare was to be double died in crimson because (a) How the figurs of the old TestameÌ„t were perfected fullfilled in the person of our Lord Iesus the holy Humanity of Christ which is the garment of his soule was to be dyed in bloud being shed both for the loue of God and man And this flesh being nayled vpon the Crosse is that veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make of the (b) Exod. 18. colour of Hyacinth Crimson and Purple double died and of whyte and well and strongly wouen linnen made with the needle and curiously diuersified by seuerall workes For this holy Humanity is died with bloud like crimson it is of a fiery colour which is signified by the purple as hath been said and it is white like fyne linnen through Chastity and Innocency and it is well and strongly wouen for it is not loose or weake but firmely and fast put togeather vnder all kind of vertuous discipline and much affliction And (c) The colour of the floure hiacinthus is blew though the colour of that stone which we know by that name is of a deep yellow this is well signifyed by the Hyacinth which is of a celestiall colour because his body was framed by the supernatural worke of the holy Ghost For this reson is it called celestiall and for many other vertues perfections thereof which were contriued by the admirable knowledge of the wisedome of God! The commaundment was that this veyle should be hung vpon foure pillars which were to vphold it which signifieth that Christ was to be placed vpon the (d) The crosse was made of foure parts One was the length two the breath the other wherupoÌ„ the litle was written foure armes of the Crosse and foure Ghospells they also be which doe publish and preach it throughout the world Now for as much as Dauid being a Prophet so illuminated by God in the knowledge of those mysteries which concerned Christ who was to come seeing how deformed himselfe was growne by the foule sinne of (c) The murther which he committed vpon the persoÌ„ of Vrias that so he might coÌ„tinue to enioy Bersabee his wife stealing the sheep and murthering the sheepheard fearing the wrath of the Omnipotent God wherwith he was threatened by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan he beseecheth God to take away his (f) The deformity of sinne the beauty of grace deformity and to giue him beauty not with materiall Hyssope since the same Dauid sayd to God That he tooke no (g) Not in any thing that was only external but the externall sacrifices were to be accompanied by internall sorrow for sinne delight in the sacrifice of beasts but he beggeth to be sprinckled by the flesh bloud of Iesus Christ being tied with the strings and cordes of loue vpon the Crosse Beleeuing that though his deformity were great and that otherwise it was impossible to remoue it yet he should grow white beyond the whitenesse of snow by the bloud which was to fall from the crosse O Beautifull bloud of Christ our Lord who art so Beautiful For although thou be as red as Rubies thou hast power to make a thing more white theÌ„ snow O (h) At the least we must now consider it and lameÌ„t the cause thereof which is our sinne if a man had seene with what violence it was drawne downe by those wretches with what loue it was shed by thee O Lord when thou didst stretch forth thyne armes and feete to be let bloud therein for the remedy of that so lewd disorder and distemper which we made by our ill desires and deedes With great force did thyne enemies come vpon thee but with much more violence did thy loue assault thee for it was that and not they which ouercame thee Dauid did stile Christ (i) Psalm 44. beautifull aboue all the sonnes of men But this beautifull creature who surpassed not only men but Angells would needes as it were dissemble that beauty of his and he apparailed the exteriour of his body with the resemblance of that deformity which possest our soules That so the same deformity might be swallowed vp in the Abysse of his beauty as some little straw would be consumed in a huge fire and that he might giue vs his owne beautifull Image and make vs so resemble him CHAP. CX How Christ did as it were dissemble those foure conditions of his beauty so to make vs beautifull to which purpose there is a passage of the Prophet Isay declared YF we do well consider the conditions which haue bin shewed to be requisite for the making a man beautifull al which are in the diuine word after a most excellent manner we shal find that he dissembled and hid them all that so being concealed in him they might grow to be disclosed in vs. Most (a) The first conditioÌ„ that any thing must haue if it will be beautifull was hidden by Christ Iesus our Lord in his sacred passion entire and perfect and full is the word of God which wanteth nothing nor can it want and which remooueth the want of all thinges But yet though in the bosome of his Father he be so rich if thou looke vpon him being made man in the wombe and in the armes of his mother as also throughout the whole course of his life and death thou wilt see how he wanted both to eate and drinke yea and a bed wheron to lye when the Virgin layd him in the manger For neither was there any bed for him in the stable of Bethleem nor any other place then that How often did he want meanes to put away both heate and cold and nothing he had if they gaue him nothing And if in his life tyme he had not a place where to lay his head as himselfe affirmeth what shall we say of that extremity of pouerty to which he was subiect in his death at which tyme neither had he any thing whereupom so much as to lay his head For eyther he was to haue leaned backe with it vpon the Crosse and so to endure excessiue paine by the thornes which might pricke him so much the deeper or else he must let it fall so remaine without a rest but not without exceeding paine O sacred head whereof the Spouse (b) Cant 5. saith That it is of purest gold as being the head of God and how much to thy cost dost thou pay for that resting place which in preiudice of the loue that we owe to thy selfe we procure to find vpon thy creatures both (c) How true is this and how truly ought it to be reformed louing them and desiring to be beloued and praised by them making that to be our lodging which should be only our high way whereby we might
64. Of a profitable exercise of knowing the being which we haue in Nature that by it we may obtayne Humility pag. 316. Chap. 65. How the exercising of our selues in the knowledge of the supernaturall being which we haue of grace doth serue towards the obteyning of Humility pag. 321. Chap. 66. Wherein the aforesaid exercise is prosecuted in particuler manner pag. 326. Chap. 67. Wherein he prosecuteth the former exercise and of the much light which our Lord is wont to giue by meanes thereof whereby they know the greatnes of God and as it were the Nothing of their litlenes pag. 332. Chap. 68. Wherein he beginneth to treate of the consideration of Christ our Lord and of the mysteries of his life and death and of the great reason we haue to exercise our selues in this consideration and of the great fruites which grow from thence pag. 336. Chap. 69. Wherein he prosecuteth that of the former Chapter pondereth this passage of the Canticles in contemplation of the passion of Christ pag. 343. Chap. 70. That the exercise of prayer is most important and of the great fruit which is reaped thereby pag. 350. Chap. 71. That the pennance due to our sinnes must be the first pace whereby we come to God conceauing true griefe for them and making true Confession thereof and satisfaction pag. 361. Chap. 72. How the second pace towardes the bringing vs to God is the giuing of thankes which we owe him for his hauing so deliuered vs and of the manner how this is to be done by meanes of diuers Misteryes of the Passion which are to be meditated in diuers dayes pag. 363. Chap. 73. Of the way which we are to hold in the consideration of the life and passion of Iesus Christ our Lord. pag. 367. Chap. 74. Wherein the way of considering the life of Iesus Christ our Lord to the end that it may be of greater profit to vs is prosecuted in a more particuler manner pag. 369. Chap. 75. VVherein some directions are giuen for our greater profit in the aforesaid exercise of Prayer and for the auoyding of some inconueniences which to ignorant persons are wont to arriue pag. 374. Chap. 76. That the end of Meditation of the Passion is to be the imitation thereof and what is to be the beginning and ground of greater things which we are to imitate pag. 380. Chap. 77. That the Mortification of our passions is the second fruit which we are to draw out of the meditation of the passion of Christ our Lard and how we are to vse this exercise that so we may gather admirable fruit thereby pag. 388. Chap. 78. That the most excellent thing which we are to meditate and imitate in the passion of our Lord is the loue wherewith he offered himselfe to the Eternall Father pag. 394. Chap. 79. Of the burning Loue wherewith Christ Iesuâ— loued God and men for God from which loue as from a fountaine that did spring which he suffered in the exteriour and that also which he suffered in the interiour which was much more then the other pag. 403. Chap. 80 Wherein is prosecuted the tendernes of the loue of Christ towards men and of that which caused his interiour griefe and gaue him a Crosse to carry in his hart all the dayes of his life pag. 409. Chap. 81. Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawne out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other points and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise pag. 415. Cap. 82. How attentiuely our Lord doth heare vs how piteously he doth behold vs if we manifest our infirmityes to him with that griefe which is fit and how ready he is to cure vs and to do vs many other fauours pag. 420. Chap. 83. Of two threates which God vseth to expresse One absolute and the other conditionall and of two kinds of promises like those threats and how we are to carry our selues when they arriue pag. 426. Chap. 84. What a man is of his owne stocke and of the great benefits that we enioy by Iesus Christ our Lord. pag. 429. Chap. 85. How lowd Christ cryed out and doth euer cry out for vs before the Eternall Father and with how great speede his Maiesty doth heare the prayers of men and bestoweth benefittes vpon them by meanes of this out-cry of his sonne pag. 438. Chap. 86. Of the great loue wherewith our Lord doth behold such as are iust and of the much that he desyâ—eth to communicate himselfe to creatures and to destroy our sinnes which we must behold with detestation that God may looke vpon them with compassion pag. 446. Chap. 87. Of the many and great benefits which come to men in that the Eternall Father doth behold the face of Iesus Christ his Sonne pag. 451. Cap. 88. How it is to be vnderstood that Christ is our Iustice least otherwise we should fall into some errour by conceauing that iust persons haue not a distinct iustice from that whereby Iesus Christ is iust pag. 457. Chap. 89. That sinne doth not remaine in iust Persons but that the guilt of sinne is destroyed in them that they are cleane and acceptable to God pag. 462. Chap. 90. That the graunting that there is perfect cleanesse from sinne in such as are iust by the merits of Christ Iesus doth not only not diminish his honour but much more declare it pag. 467. Chap. 91. How some passages of holy Scripture are to be vnderstood wherein it is said that Christ Iesus is our Iustice and such other propositions as that is for the better declaration of the precedent Chapters pa. 472. Chap. 92. That we must fly fast from pride which is wont to grow vp apace by occasion of good workes considering the much which is merited by them and of a particuler instruction which Christ hath giuen vs wherby we may profit against this tentation pag. 476. Chap. 93. That a man being humbled and abased by the contents of the last Chapter may enioy that greatnes which our Lord vouchsafeth to impart to the works of such as are iust with confidence gratitude p. 483. Cap. 94. That froÌ„ the loue which we beare our selues we must draw a reason of louing our neighbours p. 486. Cap. 95. That from the knowledge of the loue which Christ beareth to vs we are to draw a reason for louing our neighbours pag. 488. Chap. 96. Of another consideration which teacheth vs in excellent manner how we are to carry our selues with our Neighbours pag. 491. Chap. 97. He beginneth to treate of that word of the verse which sayth Forget thy people And of the two sorts of men which there are good and bad of the names which are giuen to euill men and of their seuerall significations pag. 497. Chap. 98. That it doth much import vs to fly from this Citty of the wicked which is the world and how ill
THE AVDI FILIA OR A RICH CABINET FVLL OF SPIRITVALL IEVVELLS Composed by the Reuerend Father DOCTOVR AVILA Translated out of Spanish into English Omnis terra adoret te psallat tibi Psal 65. Let all the earth adore thee sing to thee O Lord. Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XX THE DEDICATORY TO ALL ENGLISH CATHOLIKES HAVING receaued the honour and happines to be a member of your Holy Communion and on the other side hauing done you nothing but dishonour by leading an vnprofitable life at least and most vnvvorthy of the high vocation of being a Catholike I haue had too much reason to cast my thoughtes vpon thinking hovv I might make you some little part of amendes Nothing came to my mind vvhich might also be vvithin the measure of my povver but the presenting you vvith this Book vvhich togeather vvith my selfe I cast at the feet of you all vvith an humble and most reuerend affection Our Lord doth knovv hovv much need I haue of all your prayers and the high account vvhich I make of them vvhereby you may ghesse hovv much in earnest I desire the same And because there is amongst you a Religious Person a true seruant spouse of Christ our Lord by vvhose meanes through the goodnes of God I am grovvne to an increase of some good desires to doe him Seruice and vvho made much impression vpon my mind tovvards the making me translate this very Booke I do also dedicate it to the same person in a particuler manner as a token of Eternall Gratitude And I beg of that Soule that vvhen by vvay of Exchange for the great Treasures vvhervvith God hath trusted her she shall be remitting her deuout Petitions to that diuine Maiesty the necessityes of myne may not be layd aside Our Lord Iesus graunt by the precious merits of his bitter Passion vvhich I beseech him to apply to vs all by the intercession of his Immaculately conceaued Mother the Queene of Heauen that vve vvho by his grace are in these difficult tymes made members of his Militant Church vvhich to vs indeed is so truely Militant may one day by his goodnes arriue to be also meÌ„bers of the Triumphant Where clearely and at once vve shal be sure to see and vvonder at the inestimable riches of Mercy vvhervvith our Lord did choose vs fevv out of so many millions of soules to professe his Truth and Fayth vvith so much preiudice to our selues in all those thinges vvhich the Foolish and Childish World is vvont to hold so deare Only vve must take care that vve continue in it to and in the end and in the meane tyme also to accompany our Fayth by such good vvorks as may become this high Profession for else vve shall but double our damnation Our Lord deliuer vs from falling into that Abysse of misery and enable vs by his holy Grace so to serue and suffer for him heere that Eternally vve may adore him in Heauen The affectionate humble seruant of you all L. T. THE PREFACE TO The discreet and pious Reader THE (a) The great fam that this Booke enioyeth throughout the world extraordinary fame of this Excellent book gaue me a curiosity to be acquainted with it charity I hope is that which makes me thus deliuer it ouer to be acquainted with you The Title thereof will haue told you the Authours Name and when you shall haue perused it you will acknowledge I belieue that spirit to haue been eminent which the only Giuer of all good thinges bestowed vpon him The (b) The Nation of the Author and the tyme wherin he liued and when he dyed Country of his birth was Spaine and the time of his life was this last age of ours for he dyed in the yeare of our Lord Iesus 1569. some thirteene years after (c) B. P. Ignatius dyed in the yeare 15â—6 Doctour Auila in the yeare 1569. and B. Mother Teresa in the yeare 1â—8â— Blessed Father Ignatius about as many before Blessed Mother Teresa With (d) The communication which he had with the holiest persons of his tyme. both these Saints being mirrours of their tymes and the lasting miracles of these endes of the world he had particuler communication For the later of them he aduised and directed in the way of spirit concerning some difficultyes which occurred to her and she was both comforted and instructed greatly by him And as for the former he bore such affection and euen admiration to his holy Institute that his owne being already at that tyme so far in yeares was (e) He carryed great deuotion to the Society of Iesus the only cause that clipt the winges of his desire which would faine haue beene carrying him on to flye apace after such a guyde But what he could he did by addressing diuers of his disciples to become members of that Society wherein they happily both liued and dyed as appeareth both by the history of his life and yet further by some of his owne printed letters and in a Church of the Society of Iesus he would needs be buried namely at Montillia in Andaluzia The (f) Fray Lewis de Granada wrote his life life of Doctour Auila is written by Fray Lewis de Granada a Religious man of the glorious Saint Dominickes Order and one renowned in the world both for the memory of his great vertues and the presence of his holy bookes It is no meaning of myne to giue you heere the full relation of this life but I only shew euen by the circumstance of the eminent man who wrote the same what account our Authour deserueth at our hands which must needs rebound vpon this Booke so farre as to increase your estimation therof For this reason also you shall vnderstand that when he was yet in health and subiect to the greatest importunity of busines he (g) He was a man of very great Prayer mentally prayed foure houres euery day and he slept but foure euery night When afterward he grew into sicknes which he was subiect to and that in greate extremity for those seauenteene yeares which did immediately precede his death it is probable that he must sleep much lesse and 〈◊〉 is faithfully recorded in the life it selfe that â—e prayed much more for all was prayâ—r with him from the morning till two of the clocke afternoone and againe from six till bed-tyme which with him was not till about an eleuen So as this (h) With how great light of vnderstaÌ„diâ—g and heaâ—e of Charity this Boâ—k was written Booke and the rest of his excellent workes in this kind were not so much the issue of a studious and speculatiue brayne as of a bâ—eeding and boyling hart Boyling through the loue of God and bleeding for the sins of the world Which two obiects being so perpetually before the eyes of his mind and he so hourely treating with the purity of God by way of amorous contemplation and vvith men whose consciences were
without feare of seing them as if they had seene them no more Hereby they tooke occasion to giue glory to him that slew them and they sayd Let vs singe vnto our Lord for he hath beene gloriously magnifyed and he hath drowned both horse and horsemen in the sea All this is a figure of that straite affliction wherein our sinnes do put vs representing themselues vnto our soules as enemyes of mighty strength who are about to kill and swallow vs vp But the word of God being full of all reason to make vs hope doth giue vs hart by requiring that we despayre not and that we turn not backe vpon the vices of Egypt but that proceeding in the good purpose whereby we began to walke in the way of God we should keep on foot being comforted in his assistance to the end that we may see his wonders Which are that in that sea of his mercy and in the crimson bloud of Iesus Christ his Sonne our sinnes are drowned so also is the Diuell who came mounted vpon them like a Cauallier that so neither he not they may do vs hurt But (n) A circumstaÌ„ce excellently applyed rather we remembring them although they grieue vs as it is fit they should they may yet giue vs occasion to render thankes and glory to our Lord God for hauing beene such a father of pitty in pardoning vs and of supreme wisedome in drawing good out of our euill by giuing true death to sinne which killed vs. And that which remayneth therof in vs aliue which is the memory of hauing committed it doth but serue that his elect may grow the better by it and become the exalters of his honour CHAP. XXII Where he prosecutes the treaty of the Mercy of God which he vseth towards vs his Maiesty ouercomming our enemyes after an admirable manner THIS admirable maister-piece of Gods hand which driueth treacle out of poyson against the very poyson it selfe and draweth the destruction of sinne out of the very sinne doth spring and carry a resemblance to another piece of prowesse which the most High hath wrought not lesse but greater both then that other and then all the rest This was the worke of the Incarnation and Passion Wherein God was not pleased to fight with the weapons of the greatnes of his maiesty but by taking those of our weaknesse and apparailing himselfe with human flesh which howsoeuer it were free from all sinne it did yet resemble the flesh of sinners for as much as it was subiect to that payne and death which sinne had brought into the world And by this paine and death which without their being his due he tooke vpon him he ouercame and destroyed our sinne and they being destroyed both payne death which entred in by their meanes were destroyed also As (o) A noble consideration and a lâ—uely comparison if a man should set the body of a tree on fyre by the braunches of the same tree and so should burne vp both the tree and the braunches How (p) The infinitenes of our obligatioÌ„ to our Lord Iesus greatly O Lord is thy glory magnified and with how much reason are we to sing to prayse thee more then they praysed Danid for going into the field against Golias who put the people of God into straites when there was none that could ouercome yea or who had the courage to set vpon him But thou O Lord our King our honour dissembling as it were the weapons of thy Omnipotency diuine life which thou hast as thou art God didst fight with him by taking that stafle of the Crosse into thy hand and in thy most holy body fiue stones which were the fiue wounds and so thou didst ouercom and kill him And although the stones were fiue yet one of them had beene inough for the victory For if thou hadst endured lesse then what thou didst endure there would yet haue beene merit inough for our Redemption But (q) Note thy pleasure was O Lord that our redemption should be copious and superaboundant That so weake persons might be comforted such as were negligent inflamed by seeing the excessiue loue wherewith thou didst suffer for vs and kill our sinnes being figured in the person of Golias whomâ— Dauid slew not with any sword which he might haue carryed of his owne but by the very sword of the Giant and so the victory became more glorious and the enemy was made subiect to more dishonour Much (r) The infinite wisedom which did accompany the iâ— finne mercy of God honour had our Lord gained if with his owne weapons of life and diuine Omni potency he had fought against our sinnes death and had so defeated them But much more did he gaine in ouercomming them without so much as drawing his sword Nay by taking the same sword that is the effect of sinne which is payne and death he did in flesh condemne sinne offering his flesh to be made subiect to payne and such hard vsage as if it had beene the flesh of a sinner being indeed both of a iust man and of God That so by this meanes as S. Paul sayth The iustification of the law might be fullfilled in vs who walke not according to the flesh but the spirit And since the iustification of the Law is fullfilled in vs by our walking according to the spirit it is plaine that these being such workes as wherwith the Law is fullfilled are such as it requireth at our hands and wherby satisfaction is giuen to it and so it groweth to be euident that he spake falsly who sayd That (s) This is saâ—d by nâ—â—e but our moderne Sectaryes all the workes which were done by a iust man were sinne Christ (t) They who affirme as our Sectaâ—â—s do that sinne doth still remayne in the soule of persons who are penitent pardoned depriue the passion of our Lord of the better part of the worth thereof did perfectly ouercome sinne both by deseruing pardon for such as were past and force for the auoyding of such as might be to come and so he freed our soules from the law of sinne Because we are no longer subiect to the command thereof and he deliuered vs from the hurt or payne due vnto it since by giuing vs grace to suffer payne we satisfied for that to which we might be liable in Purgatory and besides it helpeth vs to gayne crownes in heauen He did further also deliuer vs froÌ„ the law of death For howsoeuer we be to passe that way we are not yet to remay ne therein but as one who laieth himselfe downe to sleepe and is afterward awaked our Lord will rayse vs vp to leade a new life which neuer is to dye againe And that life is to be so happy as that it shall reforme this base body of ours and shall conforme it to the body of his brightenesse and then we shal be ioyfull and entirely secure and despising our
thing which the Diuell went about though he went by a kind of circling way by bringing in thoughtes of a different nature Now (b) Note thy course must be rather to increase in thy well doing then to decay as if one would do it euen of purpose to make the Diuell retyre with loste when he thought to haue gone on with gaine And if thou want tendernesse of deuotion do not trouble thy selfe for that for as much as our seruices are not to be measured otherwise then by the rate of our loue which (c) Note this well and belieue it for it is a certaine truth consisteth not in tendernesse of deuotion but in a francke offer and resolution of our will to doe that which God and his Church commaundeth and to endure that which his pleasure is that we should suffer for his coÌ„tentment Yf some who may seeme to haue left their pleasures of the world for the seruice of God did leaue also the inordinate desyre of sweet and sensible deuotions of the soule they would liue with more alacrity then now they haue and the Diuell should not be able to fynd certayne (d) We must take care that the Diuell haue no hold to take vs by haires of appetite to take hold of and thereby to turne their heads about and to deceyue hurt them Christ Iesus died naked vpon the Crosse and naked we should offer our selues to him And we should care for no other cloths then the doing of his holy will as it is declared to vs by the commaundments of himselfe and of his Church and to receiue with an (c) Pray for this blessing for it is a great one amorous kind of obedience that which he shal be pleased to send how hard soeuer it be with equality of mind we are to take from his hand eyther affliction or consolation and to giue him thankes both for the one and the other S. Paul (f) Ephesâ— 5. saith That in all thinges we are to giue thankes to God because as it is the marke of a good Christian to loue one that doth him hurt for the loue of God since euery one loues him that doth him good so to be (g) 5. Note thankfull to God in aduersity not regarding the rough exteriour that it carrieth but the hidden fauour which God doth send vs vnder that superscription is the signe of a man who beareth other eyes in his head then of flesh and bloud and that he loueth God since in that which is painefull to him he doth yet conforme himselfe to Gods will And (h) A soueraigne receit against all miseries of mans life both interiour and exteriour so we must not seeke to fasten our selues to the weake boughes of our owne desyres though they may seeme good but to the strong pillar of the diuine will to the end that obeying it as hath bin sayd we may participate according to our possibility of that peacefull rest and immutability which resideth in that Will and that we may decline those many changes which in our hart we shal be sure to find if it giue accesse to this kind of (i) Of spirituall gust couetousnesse There is in very deed little difference betweene seruing Christ for money or els for consolation and spirituall gust of thy soule whether for heauen or for earth if the last marke that I ayme at be this couetousnesse Euen Lucifer according to the opinion of many Doctours did desyre true felicity but because he desired it not as he ought and of whom he ought that it might be giuen him when it should haue pleased God it serued not his turne to haue desyred that which was good but he sinned by not desyring it well for so it came to be couetousnesse no good desyre In the same manner therefore do I declare that we must not fasten our selues to an earnest and disordered appetite of spiritual gustes but offering our selues to the Crosse of our Lord we must be glad to take what he shal be pleased to giue whether it be sweete hony or vinegar and gall Nor (k) Note haue I yet sayd this as if these gustes were euill or vnprofitable of themselues if men know how to make true vse thereof and if they receiue them not as to dwell in them but to procure more breath and hart in the seruice of God especially for beginners who ordinarily according to their age haue need of milke like children And (l) How great a blessing it is to meet with a guyde who hath the guift of spirituall prudence he that would nurse them with the food that is fit for men and seeke by that meanes to make them perfect vpon a suddaine should commit a great errour and insteed of helping would do hurt Euery age hath a seuerall condition and degree of strength according to which the food and nourishment is to be applied And as the well experienced and holy Bernard sayth We must not fly but walke forward in the way of perfection and let no man thinke that it is the same thing to vnderstand it and to possesse it And therefore it our Lord impart these comfortes let them be receiued towards the carrying of his Crosse with greater force For as much as it is his custome to comfort his disciples in Mount Thabor that so they may not be disquieted in the persecution of the Crosse And ordinarily before the gall of tribulation come vpon vs he sendeth the hony of comfort And I neuer knew any man mislike or vndervalow spirituall Consolations but such an one as by whose soule they had neuer passed But if our Lord be pleased to guide vs by the way of discomforte and that we must needes heare the harsh and (m) Of dâ—abohâ—al tentatâ—os and disolations paynefull language wherof we were speaking yet must we not be dismayed at any thing that he sendeth but with patience we must drinke the Chalice which the Father giues euen because he giueth it and we must beg strength of him that our weakenesse may yielde obedience thereunto Nor yet on the other side must thou conceaue that I teach thee not to haue ioy when our Lord doth visit or not to haue a sad feeling of his absence when we find our selues deliuered ouer to our enemies to be tempted or afflicted by them But that which I would say is this that according to the force which God shall giue vs we must procure to conforme our selues to his holy will with obedience and equality of mind and in no case to follow our owne which infallibly wil be accompanied with discomfort and disconfidence such things as these Let (n) We ought to carry a most cordiall and profound loue to the accomplishment of the holy aâ—â—e will of God in all things vs beseech our Lord that he will open our eyes for then we shal more cleerly see then now we do the very light of the sun that
instruction which wise men giue and they practise the euill which they say the others do commit in being proud And they despise them without esteeming that course and order which is both naturall and diuine and that is that they who are lesse should be gouerned by them who are more wise Nor is this doctrine against that which is deliuered by (d) Ioan. 2. S. Iohn That the (e) Of the holy Ghost Vnction teacheth all thinges For that which he intended is but this That (f) The true meaning of this place of Scripture the grace and light of God doth sometymes teach a man interiourly by it selfe and at other tymes it directeth him to aske the opinion of others of whome he is to aske and so it teacheth all though not all alone To this purpose S. Augustine sayth Let vs flye from such teÌ„tations which incline men to the greatest pride and are the most dangerous of all others Or rather let vs consider how the Apostle (g) Act. 9. S. Paul although he had beene prostrated and instructed by a voyce from heauen yet neuerthelesse was sent to a man of whom he was to receaue the Sacraments and by whom he was to be incorporated into the Church And (h) Act. 10. Cornelius the Centurion was sent to S. Peter not only to receiue the Sacraments but to vnderstand from him what he was to belieue and in whom he was to hope and whom to loue For if God did not speake to men by the mouth of men the condition of men would be miserable And how should it else be true which is written The (i) 1. Cor. 3. Temple of God is holy which Temple you are if God gaue not answeares out of this Temple which is men but should resolue that whatsoeuer men were to learne should be deriued from heauen by the meanes of Angells And so also charity would haue no intercourse by the communication of some hartes with others if men were not taught by the meanes of other men S. Philip was sent to the Eunuch and Moyses tooke counsayle of Iâ—thro his Father-in-law All this doth S. Augustine say S Iohn Climacus (k) Note the authorityes doth also affirme that a man who belieueth himselfe saueth the Diuell a labour in tempting him for he is Diuell inough to himselfe In like manner S Hierome sayth I will not follow myne own opinion for that is wont to giue me euill counsaile And S Vincentius doth much aduise that a man who desireth to be spirituall may haue some maister to gouerne him and if he will not haue one when he may God will neuer communicate grace to that soule for the pride thereof S. Bernard and S Bonauenture do at euery turning of a hand aduise the same Yea the Scripture of God is full of it Sometymes it sayth Woe (l) Isa 5. be to you who are wise in your owne eyes and in your owne sight are prudent And else where If thou see a man who esteemeth himselfe wise belieue that the foole shall go away better cheape then he S Paul admonisheth vs not to be wise in our own opinion And the Wiseman (m) Eccl. 6. sayth Whatsoeuer thou sayst to a foole vnles it be of things that his hart belieues he will not receiue the words of prudence And in another place If thou incline thyne eare thou shalt receaue instruction and if thou loue to heare thou shalt be wise Therefore to auoyd prolixity I say that the holy Scripture and the admonition of Saints and their liues and the experimentall knowledg that we haue doe all with one voyce recommend to vs that we do not leane or rest vpon our owne prudence but incline our eare to the counsayle of others For otherwise what thing would there be in the world more disorderly then the Church of God and the same would happen to any other Congregation of men if euery one might follow his owne opinion conceauing that he is in the right And how can it be that the spirit of Christ which is the spirit of humility of peace and of vnion should mooue any one to be contrary to the rest of those men in whom God himselfe doth dwell And how can it grow from this spirit of God that a man should haue him selfe in so high esteeme as that there may not be found in the whole congregation of men another who can teach him or who can iudge whether his Spirit be good or bad For as S. Augustine sayth He would not fayle to take and follow the counsayle of others if it were not that through pride he thinketh himselfe better then the other in giuing counsayle And though his pride is so great as to thinke that he is better then others yet he might thinke that as one may belesse good then another and yet may haue the gift of prophesy and power to cure sicke persons and may haue such giftes as these which another perhaps may not haue though he be better then the former so it may also be that he who is inferiour in other giftes may be yet more eminent in the gift of affoarding counsaile or in the discretion of spirits which another man who is more eminent may chaunce to want And since God is so great a friend of humility and peace let no man feare that if the thing which he hath be of God it will go from him or that he shall loose it only because he submitteth himselfe for the loue of the same God to the opinion of another but rather it wil be more and more confirmed and if it proceed from other meanes it will fly away Consider also that if this wisedome be infused by God one of the conditions thereof according to (n) Iacob 3. S. Iames is (o) A wise and true consideration to haue a power of persuasion and consider yet agayne that S. Augustine calleth these thoughtes most proud and most dangerous For (p) The Pride of the vnderstanding is much more daÌ„gerous them the Pride of will and why it is so although the pride and disobedience of the Will be dangerous which consisteth in being vnwilling to obey anothers will yet much more dangerous is the pride of the vnderstanding which consisteth in not being subiect to another vpon the beliefe which he giueth to himselfe For a man that is only proud in will sometymes may be content to obey because he holdeth another mans opinion to be better but he that is resolued to hold his owne for best who shall cure that man And how shal he be able to obey in a thing which he holdeth to belesse good And if the eye which is the vnderstanding wherewith it should be able to see and cure this pride be blind it selfe with being full of the same pride who shall be able to cure it And if the light grow to be darkenes and if the very rule of straightnesse become crooked what kind of thing will the
a Prouerbe which saith Yf thou canst not pray get thee to sea because the many dangers wherein they are that sayle make them cry out to our Lord. But for my part I see no reason why all of vs should not vse this exercise and that with diligence since whether we go by sea or by land I am sure we we are in danger of death eyther of the soule if we fall into mortall synne or of soule and body if we do not rise by pennance from that into which we may fall And (e) The miserable blindnes of man if the care of transitory things and the dust which we beare about in our eyes did giue vs leaue but to consider to reflect vpon the necessityes of our soules without faile we should go crying out to God saying with our whole harts Suffer vs not to fall into tentation O Lord (f) Psalm 34. depart not from me such other wordes we would vse as these agreeable to the present necessity But all our praying dependeth vpon that which passeth in our mindes which vseth to be some temporall good or euill and yet euen vpon those occasions we resort not (g) It draweth a mighty disaduantage vpon vs that although we go to God by Prayer yet for the most part we do it late speedily to prayer but are like people whose last confidence is placed in our Lord and the first and chiefest in themselues or others Whereat our Lord is wont to be much offended and he sayth Where (h) Deut. 3â— are thy Gods in whome thy trust is put let thy friends deliuer thee whome a blast of wind will carry away See therefore O Virgin that these things may not besayd of thee but keep thou quicke that feeling in thy soule whereby thou mayst tast this truth That thy true misery consistes in thy not seruing and thy true felicity in seruing God When (i) How we are to carry our sâ—lues in the desire of any temporall good at the hands of God thou askest any temporall thing let it not be with that kind of anguish and affliction which vseth to proceed from inordinate loue And whether the question be of much or little let thy first confidence be in our Lord the last in those meanes which he shall addresse thee to And be thou greatly thankefull for this benefit that he hath giuen thee leaue to speake and conuerse with him and do thou serue thy selfe of it both in thy prosperityes and afflictions with much frequency and care since by meanes of this speach and conuersation with the most high the seruants of God haue beene enriched and relieued in all their necessityes For they vnderstood that the dangers wherein God left them was to the intent that being straitely assaulted thereby they might haue recourse to him and so the blessinges vvhich he affoarded them did make them go to giue him thankes We (k) Of the great power deuout prayer read of the Gabaonits that they being in great danger vvhen they were besieged by their enemyes sent a messenger to Iosue to whose friendship they had recommended themselues by occasion wherof they were grown into that danger but they found fauour and assistance by demanding it And although those fiue Kinges of whome the Scripture speaketh vvere ouercome in the valley called Siluester and their Cittyes were sackt yet because a young man who had escaped out of the battayle went to carry the news of this defeate to the patriarke Abraham those Kings and their fiue Cittyes obtayned remedy by the hand of Abraham vvho succoured them So that by meanes of one only messenger who goeth to aske fauour of him that hath a power vvill to giue it there is more to be obtayned then by a multitude of fighting men vvhich are either in the Citty or in the Campe. And vvithout doubt so it is that whosoeuer shall send the messenger of an humble and faythfull prayer to God howsoeuer he may be besieged and defeated and thrust euen into the very belly of the Whale shall find our Lord to be (l) Psalm 144. present vvho is neere to all such persons as do vvith sincerity call vpon him And if they know not yet vvhat they are to do by meanes of prayer they find light For with this confidence it was that King Iosaphat sayd When (m) Paral. 20. we know not what to do one remedy we haue which is to lift vp our eyes to thee And S. Iames (n) Iac. 1. sayth That whosoeuer hath need of wisedome is to aske it of God And by this meanes vvere Moyses and Aaron taught by God in those things which they were to negotiate vvith the people For as they vvho gouerne others haue need of double light and to haue it very neere at hand and that at all tymes so haue they also need to make double prayer and to be perfect in it that they may performe it vvithout difficulty and that so they may come to know the vvill of our Lord concerning that which particulerly they are to do that they may obtayne streÌ„gth to perform it And the knowledge which is so obtayned doth as far exceed all that which vve compasse by our owne discourse and coniectures as he goeth more certainly who seeth his vvay then another who goeth groping in the darke And the good purposes also and strength vvhich is gotten in prayer vse to be incomparably more efficacious and to proue more solidly true then they which are obtayned out of prayer S. Augustine as one who was able to speak by experience sayd that doubts were better dissolued by prayer then by any other study And for feare of wearying thee and because it would be impossible to reckon vp all the particuler fruits of prayer I say no more theÌ„ that which the supreme Truth sayd That (o) Luc. 11. the celestiall Father would giue a good spirit to them that aske it And it ought to suffice thee that all the Saints did frequent this exercise of prayer For as S. Chrysostome sayth Which of the Saints did not ouercome by praying And he sayth againe That there is not a more puissant thing then the man that prayes And (p) The excelleÌ„cy necessity of prayer shewed by the examples of Christ our Lord. it should be inough and more then inough for vs to know that Christ Iesus the Lord of vs all did pray in that night of his tribulation so hard as that it cost him a sweat of bloud and he prayed in the (q) Luc. 21. mount Thabor before his body was traÌ„sfignred he prayed before he raysed Lazarus (r) Ioan. 11. from the dead and sometymes he prayed so at large that the whole night did passe away with him in prayer And after such a long prayer as this S. Luke (Å¿) Luc. 10. relates that from out of his Disciples he chose his twelue Apostles Whereby he taught vs as S. Ambrose sayth
purpose by some (a) Certaine bookes which instruct meÌ„ how they may examine their consciences for confessioÌ„ which are euery where to be sold in Catholike couÌ„treys Confessionary And after that he hath lamented them well he must declare them to some spirituall Phisitian who hath the power and knowledge to prescribe fit remedyes for that infirmity and who may lay his conscience as flat and euen as yf the man were that day to dye to be presented before the iudgement seat of God In this businesse he may spend some moneth or two dissoluing with bitter sighes the sinnes which he committed by wicked pleasures And for this purpose he may serue himselfe of the reading of some good booke such as I spake of (b) In the discourse of tâ—e knowledge of ones selfe longe before which may helpe him to thinke of his death and Iudgement and with his thought to descend aliue into that bottomles pitte of eternall fire to the end that he may not descend after he is dead to find the misery which there is felt It will also conduce to this purpose that beholding some Image of the Crucisixe or else remembring it he consider how himselfe by his sinnes was the cause why our Lord did suffer so great tormentes And (c) Woe will be to vs if we do it not let him behold him with attention from head to foot and ponder euery particuler payne of his by it selfe lament euery particuler sinne since the afflictions of our Lord do correspond to our crimes he suffering dishonour for the payment of our pride and of scourges and paynes in payment of our sensuall pleasures and so also in the rest And let him thinke that if a sonne should see his father cruelly scourged and tormented for a fault which not the Father but that sonne had committed and if he should heare this Proclamation made He that committeth such a sinne shall pay for it with such a punishment This Sonne would haue great compassion of his Father and great sorrow for hauing done any such thing as was to cost that Father so dear And if he were a true Sonne it would more afflict him to see his Father so punished then if they should haue punished himself And a straÌ„g thing it would be if he cryed not out through excesse of griefe confessing that himselfe was the guilty person that him they should punish and not the Father who had made no fault From hence let vs take example to conceans therby more griefe for hauing sinned For it is God who was offended and it is God who was punished for euery mischiefe which might haue growne to vs by euery sinne It is (d) Let euery one make this case his owne I O Lord that sinned but it is thou that payest the payne thereof My wickednes O Lord did put thee in prison and it made thee be proclaimed with infamy through those streets and at last it layd thee vpon a Crosse Let this be thy lamentation with desire to suffer all that for God which he shal be pleased to ordayne And when thou shalt haue made this Examen of thy conscience with sorrow satisfaction according to the aduice of thy Ghostly Father thou mayst after thy hauing receaued sacramental absolution haue confident hope of pardoÌ„ receaue comfort into thy soule CHAP. LXXII How the second pace towardes the bringing vs to God is the giuing of thankes which we owe him for his hauing so deliuered vs and of the manner how this is to be done by meanes of diuers Misteryes of the Passion which are to be meditated in diuers dayes VVHEN the soule is thus purged from the humours of sinne which gaue it death it must imploy it selfe vpon giuing of thankes for so great and so vndeserued a fauour Not (a) A greater blessing it is to be made the adopted Sonne of God then to be freed from the paines of hell only in respect that God hath forgiuen him the paynes of hell but because he hath receaued him for his Sonne and hath bestowed his grace vpon him and certaine interiour guifs by the merits of the true God Iesus Christ our Lord who dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification killing our sinnes and our old life by his dying and raysing vs vp to a new life by his resurrection And if Iob sayd That the body of a poore man whome he had cloathed would heap benedictions vpon the man who imparted that benefit with much more reason ought we to blesse Christ Iesus crucifyed when our soule doth find it selfe free froÌ„ misery conforted with fauours belieuing that all our good commeth from him for it is strangely against all reason to be vngrateful to such loue and for such benefits And although euery tyme that thou findest thy selfe well thou art instantly to prayse Christ Iesus with particuler gratitude yet to the end that this may be don the better and with more fruit it will be fit That as to thinke of thy sinnes I aduised thee to seeke some priuate or retyred place there to looke vpon thy selfe so now thou do with much more reason imploy another part of the day in thinking of the Passion of our Lord in giuing him thankes for the benefits which are come to thee by it crying out from thy hart I will neuer forget thy iustifications because in them thou didst giue one life The course then which thou shalt hold if no other better doe occurre may be this On (b) A distribution of the dayes in the Meditation of the PassioÌ„ of our Lord. Munday to thinke on the prayer of our Lord and the taking of him in the Garden and that which passed in the house of Annas and Caiphas On Tewesday the accusations which were presented against him and the processions that he made from Iudge to Iudge and of the cruell scourging which he endured when he was tyed to the piliar On Wednesday how he was crowned with thornes and what scorne they put him to by drawing him out in a red coate and with a Reede in his hand that all the people might see him and how they sayd Ecce Home On Thursday we cannot displace that most excellent mistery how the sonne of God with profound humility washed the feet of his disciples and gaue to them afterwardes his body and bloud for food of life Commanding both them and all (c) It was his Apostles and in their person to all lawfull Priests their successours whomour Lord coÌ„maunded to do the like and not to lay persons as the ProtestaÌ„ts imagine preistes who were to follow that they should doe the same in memory of him Doe thou make thy selfe present at that admirable Lauatory and in that most excellent banquet and then trust in God that thou shalt not depart from thence eyther defyled or dead of hunger Thou shalt thinke on Friday how our Lord was presented before the Iudge and sentenced to death
they grow indeed to hate themselues through the loue they haue of being wicked this enamoured Lord doth so highly prize them so much loue them that to redeeme them out of such a miserable captiuity he gaue himselfe as a price for them In testimony that he loueth them more then they are beloued by any other or then they know how to loue themselues CHAP. LXXIX Of the burning Loue wherewith Christ Iesus loued God and men for God from which loue as from a fountatine that did spring which he suffered in the exteriour and that also which he suffered in the interiour which was much more then the other IF the hart of man be so wicked as Ieremy (a) Ierem. 17. sayd as that God only can tell how to sift it that the more deep a man diggs in that rotten wall the more abhominable filthines is discouered as was shewed in figure to (b) Ezech. 8. Ezechiel with how much more reason may we say that since the hart of Iesus Christ our Lord is more good then any other can be wicked there is none who can wholy diue into it but only the same Lord whose it is It is worthy of admiratiō and which in reason ought to robbe vs euen of our very soules and to bind vs as slaues to God to consider the excessiue loue of his hart which did expresse it selfe in suffering the whole course of that Passion and death for vs as we haue shewed But if thou digge yet deeper with the light of heauen in thy hand and do looke neere into this (c) The hart of our Lord Iesus is the Reliquary the loue is the Relique Reliquary of God which is so full of vnspeakable secrets thou wilt discerne such effects of loue as will cast thee into more wonder then any outward thing belonging to the passion For this purpose thou art to remember how in the towne of Bethsaida our Lord being in the cure of a deafe man the Ghospell sayth That he cast vp his sacred eyes to heauen and he sighed deeply and that then he cured the patient That groaning sigh which carryed an exteriour sound was but one and it might passe in a short tyme but it was a witnes of another sigh yea and of many profound internall sighes and which lasted not only for a short tyme but for months yeares For thou art to vnderstand how that most holy soule in being created and infused into the body in that virgineall wombe of our Blessed Lady did then behold the diuine essence which for the height therof is called heauen with great reason as clearly as now it doth And in seeing it it did iudge that it was worthy of all honour and seruice and so it desired all honour to it with that vnspeakeable force of loue wherwith it was endued And although the ordinary law for such as see God clearly be this that they must be blessed both in body and soule and be subiect to no kind of payne yet to the end that we might be redeemed by the pretious afflictions of our Lord it (d) See the inuentiōs of the loue the God was ordeined that felicity and ioy should remaine in the superiour part of his soule should not redound into the inferiour part or into his body renouncing all that sense of happines which so iustly was due vnto it for the accepting and suffering of that paine to which we were liable Now if that most holy soule who cast the eyes of the vnderstanding vp to the heauen of the diuinity had not had any other thing but that to looke vpon it could not haue been capable of payne since God is such a Good that nothing can grow from the sight of him but loue and ioy But for as much as he saw all the sinnes which then had bin committed by men from the beginning of the world and (e) So that then he saw all and euery of my sins and al thy sinnes those also which would be committed euen to the end of it his griefe was fully as internall and as profound to see that heauen of the Diuine Maiesty offended as his desyre was that it should be serued And (f) The infinite desire which our Lord Iesus had that God should be serued as infinite griefe that he is offēded as no man is able to reach to the greatnesse of that defire so neither can any man arriue to the greatnes of that griefe For the holy Ghost which is figured in (g) Note this griefe loue fyre which was giuen him beyond all measure did inflame him to loue God with an incomprehensible (h) Ioan. 11. loue and the same Holy Ghost which is also figured in a (l) Luc. 19. Doue did make him bitterly lament to see him offended whome he loued after such an ineffable manner But to the end that thou maist see how this knife of griefe which passed through the hart of our Lord did not only wound him on the one syde but that it was doubly and most sharply edged remember that the same Lord who looking vp to heauen did deeply sigh did also weepe both ouer Lazarus and ouer Hierusalem And then as S. Ambrose saith it is not to be wondred at that he greiued for all since he wept for one So that to see God offended and to see men destroyed by sinne was a (k) Our Lord graunt vs one touch of this knife vpō our harts by the merits of his knife with a double edge which did most lamentably pierce his hart through the inestimable loue which he bare to God as God and to men for his sake desiring to make satisfaction to the honour of God and to obtaine a remedy for men how deerly soeuer it should cost him O (l) The vnspeakable affliction of our Lord Iesus in his sacred Passion most blessed Iesus to see thee tormented exteriourly in thy body doth euen breake the hart of a Christian but to see thee so tormented and defeated inwardly with such deadly griefe there is no eye there is no force that can endure it Three nayles O Lord did breake through thy handes and feet with excessiue paine and more then seauenty thornes they say did pierce thy diuine head thy buffetts and thy affrontes were very many and the cruell scourget which that most delicate body of thyne receiued they say did passe the number of fiue thousand By occasion of these and many other grieuous torments which concurred in thy passion which no man arriueth to vnderstand but thou that feltest them it was said in thy person long before O all you that passe by the way obserue and see if there be any griefe like myne And yet nowithstanding all this thou whose loue hath no limit didst both seeke and sind new inuentions for the drawing and feeling within thy seife certaine paynes which exceeded those nailes and scourges and tormentes which exteriourly thou didst endure and which continued
haue well considered that which hath bin said to thee of the mystery of the Passion of Iesus Christ our Lord thou wilt haue seene how thou art to obserue both his sufferance in the exteriour of his body and the patience and humility and those other vertues which were in his soule and aboue all his amorous and compassiue hart from which all the rest did proceed it will animate thee both to follow him in sufferance and to imitate him also in other thinges But thou art moreouer to vnderstand that thou mayst intertayne many other profitable considerations concerning the passion of our Lord. For thereby thou mayst know as we are permitted (a) We see not eleerly but as in a cloud to know it in this place of banishment how glorious a thing the ioy of heauen is and how grieuous those infernall torments are how pretious is grace how hurtfull and detestable is synne since for the purchasing of those blessinges for vs and the remoouing of these mischiefes from vs Christ himselfe being what he is was yet faine to suffer so great miseries A booke (b) The Passion of our Lord Iesus is a booke wherein we may read and learne all sauing knowledge this is wherein thou mayst read the immense goodnesse of God and the deare sweetnes of his loue and so also the wonderfull rigour of the diuine Iustice which did so punish the sin of others vpon the Iudge himselfe being made man And because I had both a desire a purpose to prosecute this matter more at large and to passe on to the consideration of the diuinity by this step of the most holy soule of Iesus Christ our Lord and that my little health doth keep me from all meanes to do it I now say no more and that which heere I write is the last of this (c) Of the Passion discourse sauing that I recommended to thee all perseuerance in the Meditation of this sacred Passion For (d) Why we are to perseuere in the meditation of the passion of our Lord Iesus although I haue seene some persons exercise themselues therein for a yeare and for more yeares then one without gusting it much yet by their continuance our Lord was brought to pay them at last whatsoeuer he had formerly deferred in such sort as that whē they considered the reward they thought their labour well imployed I (e) Many other courses of deuotion whereby a man may also profit in spirit do also aduertise thee that there are other exercises of Meditation whereby we may walke on towards our Lord as wel by the consideration of the creatures and of the benefits of God and by way of recollecting the hart that it may imploy it selfe vpon louing which is the end of all thinking and indeed of the whole Law And as there are diuers wayes of exercises so are there seuerall inclinations in men and it is a very great blessing of our Lord when he applyeth a man to that which is to be of most profit to him Which (f) Light is to be asked of our Lord in the address of our deuotions euery one ought to begge of him with great instance and to procure for as much as he sindeth in himselfe when first he shall haue giuen relation thereof to such as know more then he to iudge what exercise of prayer is fittest for him for this is that which he is to follow It is (g) A gooddirection for such as can not greatly frame to the recollecting of thēselues also fit for me to let thee know that there are some so imployed vpon exteriour things that they cannot giue themselues at least for any good space of tyme to these interiour excrcises at which they take discomfort disgust But now if lawfully they cannot forsake those imployments they must content themselues with that state which our Lord hath giuen them and with diligence and alacrity they are to comply with their obligation and to endeauour as much as they can to haue our Lord (h) A blessed thing to haue and keep the presence of God euer present with them for loue of whome they must performe their workes And because there are some who haue a kind of naturall inquietude in their soule and who are wholy so vndeuout and dry that although they imploy both much tyme and care vpon these inward exercises yet they profit nothing it is necessary to let them know that since our Lord doth not giue them the spirit of large and inward prayer they must content themselues with praying vocally vpon the partes of the passion and so praying let them thinke although it be but brei fely of that particuler mystery And let them haue some deuout picture to behould and let them read some deuout books of the passiō for it happeneth many tymes that by these steps a man doth rise to the exercise of inward thinking if our Lord be pleased that yet they shall not rise let them giue him thankes for conducting them by that other way Let (i) Concerning such as are scrupulous and pusillanimous such also as are scrupulous and deiected vnderstand That our Lord is not pleased that they should euer be thinking of the sinnes which they haue committed so to be buried in discomfort and griefe like a Lazarus in his graue But it is his will that after mortification be vsed and pennance done wherin they imitate his passion they may also receaue comfort by the hope of pardon whereby they may resemble his Resurrection And when they shall haue kissed his most sacred feete by lamenting their sinnes they may raise themselues vp to kisse his handes for the benefits which they haue receaned and let them walke on between hope and feare which is the safest way of all others And I conclude with telling thee that although there be some who through ignorance or pride haue committed errours in the way of prayer yet (k) We must not giue ouer good things by the ill vse that is made therof by some thou art not to take occasion thereby to leaue it since the fault of others must not make vs giue ouer that which is good but only we must attend to our busines with greater caution And it ought more to encourage vs towardes the following of it to know that Iesus Christ our Lord and his Saints haue walked therein for our example then the few who haue erred must discourage vs. For hardly will there be found that thing whereof ill vse hath not beene made by some CHAP. LXXXII How attentiuely our Lord doth heare vs and how piteously he doth behold vs if we manifest our infirmityes to him with that griefe which is fit and how ready he is to cure vs and to do vs many other fauours THE great goodnesse of our Lord hath this That to the end his Commandementes and Lawes may be kept by vs he maketh them easy in themselues and more easy by
pace that the eyes of God do make is not against the man whome he created but against the sinne which we committed And whensoeuer he looketh vpon a man to his destruction it is then when the man will not suffer him to execute his wrath against sinne which he would (h) By drawing that soule to pennance fayne destroy But man would needs continue in sinne giue life to that which destroyed himself and displeased God It is therefore but reason that his death remaine aliue and that his life be for euer dead since he would not open the gate to him who for loue and with loue both could and would haue murthered his death and endued him with life But some will say what remedy shall I meet withall that God may not behold my sinne to punish but that he may looke vpon his creature to saue it S. Augustine (i) Hearken to the great and good S. Augustine doth briefly and truely answere thus Let thy selfe looke vpon thy sinnes that is do thou consider them and do pennance for them and God will not see them but if thou cast them behind thy backe then will God place them before his face Dauid did beseech our Lord to forgiue his sinnes saying thus Haue (k) Psal 50. mercy on me O Lord according to thy great mercy and he also sayd Turne thy face O Lord from my sinnes But what did he alleadge towards the obtayning of so great a fauour Nothing lesse then any seruice that he had done For he wel knew that if a seruant should commit a treason against his Lord his seruices would not be considered though he should haue serued many yeares before with diligence For if he serued before he was obliged so to do and he brought not his Lord in debt thereby but his treason is the thing that must be thought of which he was bound not to haue committed and therefore by paying that which he did owe before he came not to ransome himselfe from that penalty which afterward he incurred Neither yet did Dauid offer sacrifices as well knowing that God takes no pleasure (l) Vnles it were accompanied by a penitent Religious hart for if it were it was acceptable to God in the old law for so himself had ordained in the burning of beasts But he who could find no remedy eyther in seruices that were past or in pious external works which then vvere present did find it in an humbled contrite hart And he desired to be pardoned vpon this ensuing reason For I know my wickednes and my sinne doth euer stand before myne eyes An admirable power did God giue to this our beholding and profoundly sighing for our sinnes since Gods seeing of them doth follow to the end that he may dissolue them And we conuerting our eyes with griefe towardes that which vve did wickedly commit he conuerteth his towards the saluation and consolation of him vvhome he did create CHAP. LXXXVII Of the many and great benefits which come to men in that the Eternall Father doth behold the face of Iesus Christ his Sonne BVT some wil say whence commeth so great force to our looking and to our weeping that so instantly it should draw after it Gods seeing and that so as to forgiue vs. It is far from comming from our looking it selfe For the theef deserueth not to be pardoned the gallowes because he knowes that he did ill in stealing and how much and yet much more soeuer he lamenteth But this proceedeth from another sight which is more fauourable and withall so full of power that it is the cause and fountaine of al our good This is that whereof Dauid (a) Psal 83. sayth Behold O God our defendour behold the face of thy Christ. He twice beseecheth God to behold to giue vs therby to vnderstand with how much affection we are to thinke of this and how much it importeth vs to obtaine it For as the sight of God vpon vs doth bring all benedictions to vs so Gods looking vpon Christ doth draw the sight of God to vs. Do not thinke O Virgin (b) How Almighty God commeth to loue mankind that the gracious and amorous beames of the eyes of God descend in a right line vpon vs when he receaueth vs inâ—o his grace or euen when already we are in grace that they desceÌ„d vpon vs as vpon a differeÌ„t thing from Christ For if so thou thinke thou art no better then blind But know that first they addresse themselues to Christ and from thence to vs by him and in him Nor (c) No creature can obtaine the least cast of an eye of â—erev from God but only for the loue of Christ our Lord. will our Lord vtter one word nor cast one countenance of loue to any creature of the whole world if he see it separated from Christ but for the loue of Christ he so behouldeth all them as to pardon them who although they be neuer so wicked will behould and lament themselues in Christ he also behoâ—ldeth such persons for their preseruation and for their increase in the good which already they haue receaued Christ being beloued is the cause that we are receaued into grace And if Christ Iesus were not no creature at all would be acceptable or beloued in the sight of God as was sayd before Know therefore O Virgin what necessity thou hast of Christ and be thou (d) Al woe will be to such as are not so internally and profoundly gratefull to him For the good which thou hast came towardes thee by no other meanes then by Christ and in him is it to be conserued to thee and augmented by the eternall Father And this is that which was figured in the beginning of the world when the iust Abel that Pastour of sheep did offer a sacrifice to God out of his flocke which sacrifice was accepted as the Scriptore sayth For our Lord did looke on Abel and his guifts And this looking on him doth import that Abel was gratefull to him and for that agayne his guifts were gratefull And in testimony that so they were God sent downe visible fyre which consumed the sacrifice Now this is a figure of our iust soueraigne Pastour who sayth himself I (e) Ioan. 10. am the good Pastour and he is also a Priest consequently as S. Paul (f) Hebr. 5. sayth he is to offer guifts and sacrifices to God But what can (g) Leuit. 22. Deut. 22. he offer that shall be worthy of him Certainly not brute beasts and much lesse sinfull men for such do rather serue to prouoke the wrath of God theÌ„ to obtayne his mercy Nor without cause did God commaund in the old law that the beast which was to be offered should be male not female and of such an age neither too little nor too great nor blind nor lame nor subiect to any of those conditions which are there described to the end that the
obteineth blessings for vs of greater weight then would haue been if he had but freed vs only from any paynâ— whatsoeuer CHAP. LXXXIX That sinne doth not remaine in iust Persons but that the guilt of sinne is destroyed in them and that they are cleane and acceptable to God IS it possible that the blindnesse of some can arriue so farre as to thinke that the fauour of Christ Iesus reacheth to this that from them in whome they say that sinne it selfe doth still remayne yet not only the punishment is remooued but that also for as much as they say they are incorporated into Iesus Christ who is so beloued by his Father they are beloued and are asceptable and cleane because Christ is so Wel howsoeuer it may seeme to them that it is to honour Iesus Christ to (a) Behold the pleasing mask of this erâ—ourâ— but looke on a little you shall see it taken off thinke so higly of the loue which his Father beareth him as that it â—uercometh the detestation which he carrieth to those persons in whom sinne remaines yet such honour as this is wholy contrary to true honour and to the truth of holy Scripture It (*) Note would certainly be no honour for a Iudge that he should for beare to punish or that he should fauour wicked persons because they dwell with his Sonne For it would appeare thereby both that such a Sonne were no perfect louer of vertue in that he so louâ—d wicked â—â—ruants and that the Pather were no louer of Iustice since he tolerated and loued them whom he ought to punish without any partiall respect They who are to be the acceptable seruantâ— of Christ our Lord must not haue the guilt of â—ortail sinne in their harts since he is the head which giueth the influxe into them as into liuing members of his spirit and grace whereby they leade a life estranged from sinne and like to his For a horrible corporall Monster would that be which should haue the head of a man and the body of a brute beast And (b) They make ous Lord a kind of monster who maâ—â— his liuing memberâ— vncleane sinnefull so would it be a kind of spirituall monster that vnder a head which were iust and pure and full of vertues there should be liuing members which yet were so very contrary to it The branches are fresh and full of fruit when they liue in the vine And by this comparison our Lord was pleased that we should vnderstand that the members which are incorporated to him by grace are like those others enioying benefittes of their owne which they receiue from him and by him that so it may be accomplished which S. Paul (c) Rom. 8. saith That it is ordained by God that they who are to be saued should be conforme to the image of his Sonne But how can there now be a resemblance betweene that head which euer kept the commaundements of his Father and those members which though they may be pardoned (d) By imputation only as the Protestants say not by any inherent iustice and iustifyed are still breaking with a perfect breach the first and the ninth commandment of God Nor is there any participation betweene goodnesse wickednesse nor betweene Christ and such as breake the commaundments of his Father For as much as himselfe did preach That not euery one who should call him Lord Lord should enter into the Kingdome of heauen but he that would do the will of his Father And so far off is it from truth that the fauour of Christ is to be thus vnderstood That they who breake the commaundments should be in the grace eyther of God or of him as that our Lord himselfe sayd Yf (c) Iean 15. you keepe my commaundments you shall remayne in my loue as I haue kept the commaundements of my Father and do remayne in his loue Now who is he that will hope that whilest he breakes the commaundments he is beleued by the Father in respect of Iesus Christ since Christ by keeping those commaundments doth remaine in the loue of his Father (f) But ProtestaÌ„ts would faine mak theÌ„selues belieue that there were no necessity of keeping the commandements and yet forsooth that God and they did loue one another very hartily Without doubt the slaue shall not be loued but by the same way that the Sonne was loued nor will God imbrace with his grace and loue but such as shall keep the commaundments as hath euidently byn already shewed And to the end that no man may be deceiued in this when he had formerly said Be (g) Ioan. 15. you in me and I wil be in you he added afterward Be you in my loue And to declare what it was to be in him and in his loue he said Yf you shal be in me and my wordes be in you whatsoeuer thinge you would obteine you shall aske and it shal be giuen you So that whosoeuer disobayeth his wordes must not thinke that he is in his loue nor that he is incorporated into his body as a liuing member For this sentence of holy Scripture standeth fast The (h) Sap. 4. wicked man and his wickednes is abhorred by God And to declare how they who are his are not to be abhorred but euen in themseues to be loued he sayd to his disciples I say not now that I will pray to the Father for you for (i) The eternall Father doth not only pardon vs for the loue of Christ but when we are iustifyed he doth loue our very selues the Father himselfe doth loue you because you haue loued and haue belieued that I came from him As if he had sayd A (k) Ioan. 14. 16. whyle since I sayd I will pray to the Father and he will giue you another comforter but do not you conceaue that I will so pray for you as in the world a man desires his friend sometyms to bestow somewhat vpon some others to whome that friend is not a friend so that which he giueth them is only because he loueth the man much that intreateth him and those others are as far from being beloued and accepted as they were before But heere it is not so For the Father loueth you in regard that you haue loued and belieued me and you are pleasing to him and you haue leaue as people which is beloued by his loue of your selues and which enioyeth grace and iustice which is your owne to appeare in his high presence and to aske all that whereof you haue need in my name And that which I aske of him for you is as for people that is beloued and to which the Father doth impart his blesings both because I desire them and because I desire them for you Such are they whome Iesus Christ doth carry incorporated with himselfe as liuing members and for whome he obtained grace whereby they might be pleasing to the Father when they had it not and
sort as that the many waters of the euill turnes that shal be done thee may not be able to quench it but it will prooue victorious and ascend vpward as a flame doth which liues indeed thou wilt conuerse with thy neighbours without stumbling vpon them and without loosing thy vertue by desiring their preiudice And so Dauid saith Great peace haue they O Lord who loue thy law and (f) The true seruants of God turn all to good they stumble at nothing Which law is that of charity whereby indeed the whole law is completely performed as S. Paul (g) Rom. 1â— Galat. 5. saith He that loues his neighbour hath fulfilled the law And this estimation of our neighbour whereby we honour him as an adopted sonne of God and as a brother of our Lord Iesus Christ and this loue which we are to carry to thinges which do so truly belong to Christ is that which S. Paul recommendeth to the (h) Philip. â— Philippians and in them to vs saying Conceaue your selues humbly to be inferiours to one another make no reckoning of your owne interest or ease but consider what it is fit to do for your neighbours and do this after the example of Christ Iesus who hauing the substance of God did for our benefit humble himselfe so farre as to take vpon him the forme of a seruaÌ„t And these two things namely humility and loue of our neighbours our Lord himselfe did teach and recommend to vs in that admirable action which he was pleased to performe so neare his death by (l) loan â—â— washing the feete of his disciples For (k) Humility and Charity are the bottome the top of all Christian buildings therein humility was expressed to vs by the basenes of that office and charity by the help it gaue to others His will is that we should learne these two thinges of him we who are little seruants and disciples of his when he who was the Lord and maister would needes shew vs the way Being therefore encouraged by this example by the rest which hath bin said do thou weigh thy neighbours with the (l) These are true scales which wil neuer deceaue vs. scales of their being the adopted sonnes of God and consider that Christ Iesus gaue himselfe for them vpon the Crosse and do thou prize and honour them whome God hath honoured so much and loue them who are ioyned to him as a most beloued spouse might be and as the partes of the body are vnto the head And so thou shalt carry a strong and firme loue tow ards them for whatsoeuer springeth not from this fountaine is but weake and wil be quickly weary dry it falleth instantly to the ground vpon the least occasion of encounter that offers it selfe as a house would do whose foundation had beene layd vpon sand CHAP. XCVII He beginneth to treate of that word of the verse which sayth Forget thy people And of the two sorts of men which there are good and bad and of the names which are giuen to euill men and of their seuerall significations HEERE followeth now this other word which sayth Forget thy people and the house of thy Father For the declaration whereof it is to be noted That all mankind is deuided into one of these two different parties or Cittyes one of the good and the other of the bad Which Cittyes are not diuersified by any difference of place for the inhabitants of them both do liue in the same towne yea and euen in the same house but they are distinguished by the diuersity of affections For as S. Augustine sayth Two (a) A consideration most worthy of the great S. Augustin Loues did build vp two Cittyes The loue of a mans selfe which maketh a man despise God doth erect the earthly Citty The loue of God which maketh a man despise himselfe doth build vp that Citty which is celeâ—tiall The first is raysed vp in it selfe the second not in it selfe but in God The first will needs be honoured by men the second holdes it for honour inough to haue a conscience which is cleare in the sight of God The first doth lift vp the head in the glory of it selfe the second saâ—th to God Thou art my glory and he that doth exalt my head The first is desirous of commaund and dominion in the second one serueth another for charity the superiours do benefit the inferiours and the inferiours obey their superiours The first doth attribute the â—â—rength to his owne forces doth glory in them The second sayth Let me loue thee O Lord my streÌ„gth In the first they who hold themselues for wise do seck for no other good thinges then such as are created or if they knew the Creatour they did not honour him as such but became giddy-headed in their own vayn thoughts and saying that they were wife turned fooles but in the second there is no wisedome but the true seruice of God which expecteth no other reward but to honour the same God in company of the Saints and Angells that so God may be all in all Of the first all the sinners of the world are inhaâ—itantes Of the second all the iust And because all they who descend of Adam excepting only the Sonne of God and his Blâ—â—sed Mother became sinners euen by their very being begotten we must all therfore go for naturall inhabitants of this Citty of ours out of which Christ draweth vs by grace that so we may be the inhabitants of his This (b) Of the naâ—es properties of the ciâ—ty of ignorance and sinne wicked Citty which is no vniting of streets or houses or market places but of men that loue themselues and presume vpon themselues is called by seuerall names which signify the wickednethereof It is called (c) Sinne leades or keeps vs in darkenes Aegypt which signifyeth darcknes or misery because they who dwell in this Citty either haue not the light of the knowledge of God through the want of fayth or if they haue it as those Christians haue who liue wickedly yet is it dead through want of charity which is the life thereof For this doth S. Iohn (d) â— Ioan. 4. say That he that loues not God knowes not God because God is loue He meaneth That such an one hath not that kind of enamoured (e) The knowledg of God will not saue vs vnles it be accompanyed by loue knowledge which is necessary for saluation And so one sort of them liuing in the darknes of infidelity and the other in the obscurity of other sinnes they haue no ioy at all but all is anguish and affliction For as Tobias (f) Tob. 5. sayth What ioy can I haue who cannot see the light of heaueÌ„ It is also called (g) Sinne leades vs into confusion Babylon which signifyeth confusion This name was imposed on it wheÌ„ that proud people had a mind to erect a Tower which might reach as it
for that is all that he can giue Such is the entertainment that he makes which were sufficient if men would but looke vpon it to make them fly from the Diuell and the World and to draw neere to God as the prodigall sonne did who finding himselfe put to so base an imployment as to keep swine and that he could not haue inough euen of the very food which they fed vpon he grew at last to get his wits againe and to obserue the difference which there was between being in the house of his Father and in that other house of the World and he left the ill condition wherein he was turning home and demāding mercy of his Father which he quickly found Do (t) How we must carry our selues towardes God if we desire to take comfort in his seruice thou also in like manner and if thou haue a mind that our Lord should receaue thee Forsake thy people And if thou wilt haue him remember thee forget thou it if thou wilt haue him loue thee do not inordinatly loue thy selfe and if thou wilt haue him take care of thee do not thou confide in the care of thy selfe and if thou wilt be acceptable to his eyes take no pleasure in thine owne and if thou resolue to please him do not feare to displease the whole world for him and if thou desire to find him make no difficulty to giue away thy Father thy Mother thy Brothers thy house and thy very life for him Not for that thou art to abhorre these thinges but because it is fit for thee to looke with truth and with entire loue vpon Christ and (u) The iust obligation of a Christiā not to faile of one haires breadth in pleasing of him though it be with the displeasing of that creature of the whole world which is most beloued by thee yea and of thy very selfe S. Paul (x) 1. Cor. 3. requireth That (y) We must do nothing nor haue any thing so much at the hart as to estrange vs from conuersing with almighty God they who haue wiues should haue them as if they had them not That they who purchase should be as if they possessed not That they who sell should be as if they had not sold They that weepe as if they wept not and They that reioyce as if they reioyced not And the cause that he addeth is this Because the figure of the world passeth quickly So then do I say to thee O Virgin that thou art to put the world and thy selfe away The (z) Note first because it passeth quickly and the second because it is none of thyne And so haue thou thy parents thy brothers thy kinred thy house and thy people as if thou haddst them not Not but that thou art to reuerence obey and loue them since grace doth not destroy the order of nature yoa and euen in heauen it selfe the child shall carry reuerence to his Father but (a) How this discourse is to be vnderstood to the end that it may not take vp and employe thy hart and diuert it from the loue of God Loue them in Christ and not in themselues For Christ did not giue them as meaning that they should be impediments to keep thee from that which thou shouldest euer be doing which is to serue him S. Hierome relateth of a certayne Virgin who was so mortified in the point of affection towardes her kinred that she cared not much to see a sister which she had though she also were a Virgin but contented her selfe to loue her in God Belieue me (b) A soueraigne truth and most fit to be so that as thou canst not write in parchment if it be not well and cleane taken off from the body of the beast that wore it so is not that soule prepared for our Lord to write particuler fauours in it till such time as the affections which rise from flesh and bloud be very well mortifyed We read how that in times past They placed the Arke vpon a carre to the end that two kine being yoaked in front might lead it on and the calues were shut vp in a certayne place And although the kine did low in the way of sighing for their calues yet did they neuer leaue the high way nor turne back nor degresse as the Scripture saith eyther to the right hand or to the left but by the will of God who so disposed therof They carryed the Arke to the land of Israel which was the place where God dwelt They (c) A figur of the old testament excellently applyed who haue placed the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord vpon their shoulders which is the Arke where he remaineth and wherein he is truly to be found must not giue ouer nor so much as slacke their pace for these naturall affections of the loue of parentes or children or houses or such other thinges as these Nor are they to be giddy-headed vpon the enioying of prosperity nor to be afflicted for aduersity For the former of these two is to turne out of the way on the right hand and the other on the left But thou art to follow on in the straight way with feruour beseeching our Lord to guide both the one and the other to his glory and to be as dead to such thinges as these as if they did nothing concerne thee or at least not to suffer thy selfe to be ouercome eyther with ioy or griefe howsoeuer they may be felt a little This was figured by those (d) 1. Reg. 6. kine which though they vttered certaine shewes of tendernes towards their calues yet did they not for all that giue ouer to conduct the Arke of God And if Fathers do see their Sonns serue God in some good (e) As when they make thēselues Religious men or women fashion which yet is not pleasing vnto them they must consider what is pleasing to God And although they may sigh deeply for the loue of their childrē yet let the loue of God ouercom that loue And let them offer them vp to God wherin they shal be like to (f) Gen. 22. Abraham who in obedience to God was resolued to kill his only Sonne not caring what his sensuality could say to the contrary And (g) How good is God only he wil be serued as God the naturall griefe which is felt in such traunces as these is to be endured with patience which yet shall not be without reward For as much as our Lord hath ordeined vs to carry those affections and for the loue of him it is that we ouercome them it is like the case of him that suffereth Martyrdome Forget therefore thy people O thou Virgin and be thou like to another Melchisedech of whome we reade not that (h) Heb. 7. he had any Father or Mother or any kinred whereby as S. Bernard saith an example is giuen to the seruants of God that they must so truly forget their
there heires in being made sinners by them and full of many other miseryes but by the second we are made the brethren of Christ and ioyntly the heires of heauen with him For the present we receyue the holy ghost but we hope hereafter to see God face to face Well (k) An ignorant most inexcusable errour then and what dost thou thinke that God will say to that person who shall prize himselfe more as being borne of men wherby he became a sinfull and miserable creature then for the being borne againe of God wherby he presently becommeth iust and may afterwardes be happy These (l) Note this comparison men are like to some one who being begotten by a King vpon the body of some most vgly slaue should prize himselfe for being her sonne and should talke much thereof and should neuer consider or remember himselfe to be the sonne of the King Forget therefore thy people that so thou mayst be of the people of God The wicked people is thyne owne and therefore it is sayd Forget thy people for of thy selfe thou art a sinner and a very vile one But if thou wilâ— shake of that which is thyne our Lord will receaue thee into that which is his into his nobility into his iustification into his loue but as long as thou wilt cleaue to thy selfe thou shall not be inriched by him Christ will haue thee all naked for he meaneth to giue thee a dowry and he hath where withall Of thy selfe thou hast nothing but to be full of debts Forget (m) We must forget our people more wayes theÌ„ one thy people That is forget to be a sinner and grow a stranger to thy ancient faults Forget thy people and set not so high a price vpon Nobility of bloud Forget thy people by casting all kind of tumult out of thy hart and make account that thou art in some desert hand to hand with Almighty God Forget in fine thy people since there are so many solide reasons why thou shouldst forget it CHAP. C. Wherin he beginneth to declare that other word And forget the house of thy Father And how much it importeth vs to fly from our owne will in imitation of Christ our Lord â—or the auoyding of those inconueniences which grow from thence THERE followeth heere another word which saith And forget the house of thy Father This Father is the (a) How the diuell may be called the Father of sinnefull men why Diuell for as S. Iohn saith He that committeth sinne is of the Diuell for the Diuell did sin from the beginning Not that he did create or beget wicked men but because they imitate his workes and he according to the holy Ghospell is said to be anothers Sonne who imitates the workes of that other This wretched Father liueth in the world that is in wicked men as it is written in (b) Iob. 4. Iob He sleepeth in the shaddow and in the hollow part of a reed and in moyst places A (c) A place of holy Scripture excellently pondered shaddow are the riches of this world For they giue not that rest which they promise but pricking the hart which cares like so many thornes the owners of them do find by experience that they are not true riches but they are a meere shaddow of riches and they are true pouerty and nothing lesse then that which their name doth pretend A (d) The vanity of transitory honour glory cane or reede is the glory of this world and how much the fairer and bigger it appeares exteriourly so much the more hollownes doth it hold Yea and euen that very exteriour is so very subiect to change that with reason it may be called a reede which declines at the commaundement of euery wind Moist (e) The basenes weaknes of men giuen ouer to worldly pleasures places are those soules which are dissolued by carnall pleasures after which they runne without any bridle Iust contrary to them of whome the holy ghospell saith That (f) Matt. 11. the vncleane spirit departing out of that man whome he had formerly inhabited goes seeking where he may be and he walkes his round through dry places desiring entertainment but findeth none For in soules which keepe a loofe from these carnall appetites the diuell cannot find a lodging but his place of aboad is in couetousnes ambition and sensuality Therefore is it that he is called the Prince of this world the ruler and the Lord thereof not still in any respect of his hauing created it but because wicked men who are of God by creation will needes be of the Diuell by imitation Conforming themselues to his will that so with iustice they may also be made conforme with him in the torments of hell as at the latter day it wil be sadly and plainly said to them by the mouth of Christ Go (g) Matt. 25. you cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and for his Angells And if we consider well what kind of thing this house of the Diuell is we shall find that it is the lewd will of wicked men wherein (h) How the Diuell is seated in a sinnefull will the diuell takes vp his seate as he would do in a chaire commaunding from thence the whole man To forget therefore thy Fathers house is no other thinge but to forget and to forsake thyne owne will wherein thou maiest haue sometimes giuen entertainment to this wicked Father and to imbrace insteed thereof the will of God with an entire and faithfull hart saying to him Thy will O Lord and not myne be done This admonition is one of the most profitable that can be giuen vs. For by casting away our will we shall put away our sinnes as (i) The will is the root and the sinne is the braunch braunches are cut off from the roote This (k) 2. Tim. 3. S. Paul doth note when recounting the multitude of sinnes which (l) These dayes of ours in the latter day would be committed he saith That men would be louers of themselues Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand as the commentary declareth That the inordinate loue of a mans selfe is the head and root of all sinnes and that vpon the taking away thereof a man growes to be in subiection to God from whome all his good proceedeth Againe (m) A most profitable consideration the cause of all our disgustes our melancholies and our affliction is no other thinge then our owne will which we would faine haue to be accomplished and when it is not we are in paine but this being taken away what is there that can trouble vs For (n) Note as much as sadnes doth not necessarily rise from the very comming of any troublesome thing towards vs but from our vnwillingnesse that it should come Nor is the paine alone of this world put away by the putting away of our will but of the other also For as S. Bernard saith Let
he hid the fourth condition of beauty which is to be great why was it but to make his greatenesse stick to vs by conforming himselfe to our littlenesse as it was figured in the great (g) 4. Reg. 4. Elizaeus Who to reuiue the little boye that was dead did shrincke vp into the making of himselfe a iust measure for the other and so he restored him to life For if as Saint Augustine sayth by louing of God we are made beautyful it is cleare that we are made more beautyfull by actes of greater loue Now wherein did Christ Iesus so much shew the loue which he carryed to his Father as in suffering for his honour as himselfe hath sayd That the world may know that I loue the Father rise vp let vs go hence But whither went he It is euident that he went to suffer And (h) This is excellently most truly inferred therefore since so much the better as a worke is so much is it the more beautifull for good is faire bad is foule it is plaine that the more Christ suffered so much the better was his worke And therefore the more abased and deformed he seemed the more beautyfull he is in the eyes of such as know him For he was not obliged to what he suffered but he endured it for the honour of his Father and for the good of vs. These are then the eyes wherwith thou art euer to Behold this man that he may euer seeme beautifull to thee as indeed he is As also to the end that Pilate may know in hell where he now remaines that God doth giue a kind of eyes to Christians wherewith they looking vpon Christ he appeareth so much the more beautifull to them as he endeauored to deforme him And now heare how all this is said by (i) S. Augustine was able to say this and more for in another place he affirmeth of himselfe that God had shot his hart quite through with the loue of him S. Augustine Let vs loue Christ and if we find any thing in him that is deformed though he found many deformities in vs and yet vs he loued but still I say if we finde any thing deformed in him let vs not loue him For whereas he was apparailled with flesh for which it is said of him We saw him and he had no beauty if thou confider the mercy wherewith he became man he will then appeare beautifull in thine eye For that which Isay (k) Isa â—1 said we saw him and he had no beauty he said in the person of the Iewes But why did they see him without beauty because they saw him not with vnderstanding But they who vnderstand that the Word is made man doe hold it for a high point of beauty And so it was said by one of the (l) The great S. Paul friendes of the spouse I glory in nothing but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Doth it seeme a small matter to thee O Paul that thou art not ashamed of the dishonours of Christ but that further thou wilt needes glory in them But yet agayne why had Christ no beauty Because Christ crucified is a scandal to the Iewes and seemeth folly to the vnbelieuing Gentills But now on the other side How can Christ be said to haue had any beauty vpon the Crosse How but because the thinges of God (m) God is infinite in all thinges which seeme folly are more full of wisedome then the wisedom it selfe of all mankind And the thinges of God which seeme weake are more stronge then the strength of all mankind And since this is true let Christ thy spouse appeare beautifull in thyne eye since God is beautifull and that he is the Word of his Father Beautifull he also was in the wombe of his mother where he tooke his Humanity without losse of his Diuinity Beautifull was the Word when he was borne an infant for although he were an infant that spake not yet euen whilst he sucked and when he was carried in his Mothers armes the heauens did speake the Angells sung his praises the starre lead on the three wise Kinges and he was adored by them in the manger where he was layed as the food (n) Men who haue mortifyed affections and to such our Lord becometh food after an admitable maÌ„ner It is S. Augustine who speaketh thus of innocent and quiet beastes Beautifull then he is in heauen Beautifull vpon earth Beautifull in the wombe of his Mother Beautifull in her armes Beautifull in miracles Beautifull in those scourges Beautifull when he inuiteth vs to life Beautifull in despising of death Beautifull in leauing his soule when he expired Beautifull when he tooke it againe in his resurrection Beautifull in the Crosse and Beautifull in the sepulcher Beautifull in heauen and Beautifull in the vnderstanding of man on earth He is in fine the true and soueraigne Beauty and Iustice All this S. Augustine saith And certainly if thou wilt behold Christ our Lord with such eyes as these he will not seeme deformed to thee as he did to those carnall persons who put reproach vpon him in the passion But as it hapned to the holy Apostles who (o) Luc. 9. beheld him in Mount Thabor his face will seeme to thee as bright as the Sunne and his garments as white as the snow yea so white as S. Marke recordeth That no earthly Dyer could haue raised them to such a height of whitenesse Which signifyeth that we who are the (p) A noble and comfortable application of that place of Scripture garmentes of Christ because we go round about him and because we adorne him by belieuing and louing praysing him are so whitened by him as that no man on earth could haue giuen vs that beauty of grace iustice which he gaue vs. Let him seeme to thee as a Sunne and the soules redeemed by him to be white as snow Those soules I say which confessing and with griefe abhorring their owne deformity desire to be beautified in this (q) The precious bloud of our Lord Iesus is that only true Piscina which is able to recouer vs out of all diseases Piscina or Poole of the bloud of our Sauiour from whence they issue out so beautifull so iust and so rich through the grace and other gifts which they receyue by him that they are able to enamoure euen the very eyes of God So that these wordes aforesaid may be sung with great ioy and much truth The King will desire thy beauâ—â—ty FINIS THE TABLE OF CHAPTERS Conteyned in this Cabinet CHAP. I. Wherein is treated How necessary it is for vs to giue eare to God of the admirable Language which our first Parents spake in the state of Innocency Which being lost by Sinne many ill ones did succeed in place thereof pag. 1. Chap. 2. That we must not hearken to the Language of the World and Vaine-glory And how absolute dominion it exerciseth ouer the