that soule is seke that forgetteth the worde of god herde of the preacher But as that person is in peryll of dethe that can nat receyue or kepe his meate so he is in peryll of eternall dethe that doth nat remeÌ„bre and lyue accordyngly to the spiritual food of the soule Also saynt Barnarde sayth It may be thought that that person shal be eternally dampned by the ryghtuous iudgmeÌ„t of god that in this tyme of grace is vnkynde vnto Christes passion and therfore vnworthy the frute therof ¶ The .ix. profit Ingeniorum illuminat ceciâ—atem IT is also an oyntment to oynt the blynde yen of our soule â–ª and herunto sayth IohnÌ„ in his Apocalipse Collirio â—â—â—unge oculos tuos vt videas Anoynte the yene of thy soule with the blode of Christe that thou myghtest se And saynt Barnarde sayth There is nothynge of so great efficacitie and vertue to purge and quycken the syght of our soule as is the continuall and diligent remeÌ„braunce of the woundes and passion of Christ And therfore sayd saynt Paule Non iudicaui me scire aliquid inter vos nisi Iesum Christum et hunc crucifixum I iudged thoght my selfe to knowe nothynge but Iesus Christe crucifyed So saynt Laurence by the signe of y e crosse dyd gyue syght vnto them that were blynde and so coÌ„uerted them vnto the light of the faith ¶ The meditation of the passion of Christe doth gyue vnto the remembrer thre maner of knowledges Fyrst is the knowledge of god for therby we knowe what mercy and charitie he hath to vs Secondly therby we knowe ourselfe for by it we se manifestlie of what dignytie and howe precious our soules be in the syght of god sithe that our sauiour Iesu god and man wolde put hym selfe to the deth for to redeme our soules The thyrde knowledge is of synne for therby we knowe moste manifestlie howe moche god the father dyd hate synne syth for the destruction therof he wolde nat spare his natural and onely sonne but gaue hym to the dethe for to destroy synne ¶ The .x. profit Iustorum letificat mortalitatem IT maketh a man redy and glade to dye And therfore saint Paule bearynge the signes and tokens of the woundes of our lorde Iesu Christe in his bodye sayde Cupio dissolui et esse cum Christo mihi viuire Christus est et mori lucrum I couit to be dissolued and separate from this bodye and so to be with Christ I lyue here in Christe and for to magnifie Christe and to dye it shuld be great auauntage and profit to me So saynt Andrew went gladly to the dethe of the crosse saynge Hayle holy crosse take me from the compaigney of mortal men and rendre or gyue me to my maister Christe that he by the myght receyue me that by the bought and redemed me Also I rede how that a certen pagane and tyrante meruaylynge how that the Christians myght suffer so great tormentes and paynes and why they went so gladly vnto the deth It was answered to hym by the brother of saynt Victor howe that they haue the remembraunce of the passion of Christe imprinted in theyr hert and therfore remeÌ„bryng what he suffred for them they with great gladnes suffer all paynes deth for his name and loue And the iudge heryng this answere commauÌ„ded to put hym to deth and after that his bodye to be opened and his hert drawen out and so to be kut and deuided and therin they founde the forme and shappe of the crosse and the crucifix most subtilie and curiously made of synewes and vaynes ¶ The .xi. profit Lesorum reconsiliat contrarietatem THe meditation of the passion of Christ reconsileth enemis and induceth a man to the loue of god and of his neghbor And so our lorde sayde in the gospell Si exaltatus â—ueâ—o a terra omnia traham ad meipsum If I be exalted from the erth signifienge therby his crucifieng I shall drawe all thynges vnto me by my loue Also saynt Paule sayth Pacificans per sanguinem crucis siue que in terris siue que in celis sunt He dyd reconsile and pacifie by his blode that he shedde on the crosse both those thyngê that were in erth and those that were in heuens He that feruently remeÌ„breth the passion of Christe is all drawen in to the loue of god and in to the loue of his neighbor And therfore saynt Barnard saith O swete Iesu the cuppe of passion that thou dranke for vs doth cause the to be loued of vs aboue all thyngê There is nothynge that moueth vs so moche to the loue of god as the passion of Christe in the whiche he more laboured and suffred more payne and had more contradiction then in the creation of all the worlde For in his passion and the acte of our redemption some dyd contrarie hym in his wordes some dyd ley in a wayt to take hym with a defaut in his actes dedes some dyd scorne mocke hym in his tormentes and paynes and some dyd rebuke hym on the crosse at his dethe Wherfore who so euer feruently doth remembre this passion of Christ is drawen and reuysshed vnto the loue of Christe god man and so coÌ„sequently he is drawen vnto the loue of his neighbor for y e one can nat be had without y e other ¶ The .xii. profit Meritorum recompensat exiguitatem IT also encreaseth our merites herunto speaketh saynt Austen saynge What so euer grace of merites or goodnes that I want I do vsurpe and take it vnto my comforth of the woundes of my sauiour Iesu Christe for great mercy flowethe from hym nor theyr wanteth no conduites by the whiche they may flowe vnto me Those pyâ—pes and conduites ben the woundes of my sauiour Christe whiche be full of mercy ful of pitie swetnes and charitie And hereof we may perceyue fyrst that this meditation suppleyth in vs that grace and those good meritorious dedes whiche other wyse we be negligent to laboure for ¶ Secondely it may appere that there is no penaunce that may be compared to this inwarde and feruente meditation And therfore sayth that greate lerned doctor Albertus Magnus that this meditation is more profitable than that a man shulde fast one hole yere in breade and water or that euery day by one hole yere he shulde say one hole Dauid psalter or if he shulde discipline and scourge hym selfe euery day vnto the effusion of his blode And no meruayll for without the passion of Christe all our actes and dedes ben vnprofitable as sayth the mayster of the sentence Distinc 16. libro tertio ¶ The .xiii. profit NocumeÌ„torum fugat inopinabilitatem THis meditation of the passion of Christe doth preserue a man from many perylles that may come sodenly before we haue any consideration or knowledge of them Herunto it is writen in the Apocalipse that our lorde coÌ„maunded by his aungell to certen aungelles
The Myrrour or Glasse of Christes Passion ⧠⧠⧠HH The Preface ¶ To the honorable lorde Husey My lorde accordyngly vnto your desyre I haue traÌ„slated your boke put it into our natyue mother tongue as my simple wit and power lernyng wold suffer me And though it be nat so well done as I surely knowe many other myght can haue done it if it wolde haue pleased your lordship to haue deâ—yred theÌ„ and if also it wold haue lyked them to haue taken that labour yet I trust I haue so done that it may be comforth to the readers hearers or at the leste I haue gyuen occasion to ordre to amend and performe that I rudely and barbarously set forward Surely my lorde the chyefe cause of this my labour was for that I thought this boke shulde be moche profytable to the readers and edefyeng to all that wolde diligently hear it And to say the treuth I know no thynge more comfortable to man For amonges all the exercyses that helpe the spirite to obteyne the loue of god and specially to hym y t wolde begyn vse a spiritual lyfe no thynge is thought always more frutful thaÌ„ the continnal meditacion of the passion of our lorde god Iesus Christ for the exercyses of all other spirituall meditacions may be reduced and brought vnto this As by an example If a man desyre to bewayll and weape for his vices and synnes for his vnkyndnes and vilenes if he couit to purge amend his negligence defautes he shall fynde none more vehement and redy meane to pricke hym forwarde to his intent than to remembre the most innoceÌ„t death and passion of his redeamer that is to consyder what bitter paynes he suffred for man to spare and kepe man from payne eternall wherafter Iustice he shulde haue rather dampned man for his synnes And here man may see both the Iustice and also the mercy of god Man may coÌ„syder in hym selfe the great mercy of god in that god wold forgyue and ê‘don hym of his synnes He may also perceiue the iustice of god in his owne synnes whiche god dyd correcte punysshe accordyng to iustice in hym selfe bycause he wold nat suffre theÌ„ vnpunished And thus in this meditacion man may fynde how to weape and mourne for his synnes for the which the son of god was bet wouÌ„dyd and crucified and all that god suffred to cure man of his synnes kepe hym from eternall payne Here may also man bewayle his owne vnkyndnes consyderyng how vnkyndly he rendreth to so faythfull a louer so many yuell dedes contrary to goddes pleasure and also dayly contemptes and despysynges for his tendre loue and kyndnes and for his manyfolde gyftes which man dayly receyueth of hym Morouer this coÌ„templacion of the death of Christ indureth man both to hope and to fear wherby he may be releaued of two temptacyons â—or if the enormitie of his synnes moue any man to dispaire he hathe here in this exercise wherby to put away his synnes and to make satisfactioÌ„ for them he hath here wherof to redeme hiÌ„selfe y t is y e blode deth of his lorde god therfore he nede nat to feare his synnes if he so ordre hym selfe y t he dye with Christ dye I say from synne and ryse in a new lyfe And on the other parte it man be vexed by presumpcion or vayne lyghtnes and myrth without the fear of god he hath here how to abate his vayne myrth coÌ„syderyng how that heueÌ„ was shyt from the moste holy frendes of god by many yeres ye aboue .iiii. thousand yeres and how that the glory of god was denyed to maÌ„ or at the least differred by so many yeres vnto the tyme that our lorde and sauiour Iesus whiche neuer dyd synne suffred death for our synne so that no maÌ„ may come to that glory but by payne thus shall mannes vayne myrth be put downe If peraduenture man be dull and slouthfull to all goodnes where shall he haue a more spedy remedy to pricke forwarde his dulnes than to coÌ„sydre how his lorde god moste pure innocent man suffred so greuouse paynes for hym Some man wold peraduenture exercise him selfe in his owne knowlege and so to come to meknes But I pray you where shall he haue a better occasion therunto thaÌ„ to ponder and way the difformite and great difference of his owne study and labour and shortly the ordre of his hole lyfe and of the labour lyfe of Iesus Christ that is remembre man howe coÌ„trarie thy lyfe is to his wyl pÌ„ceptes how vnlike to his vertues how farre froÌ„ his ensaÌ„ples remeÌ„bre maÌ„ how frayle thou art redy to fal how vnstable in all thy good purposes how vnredy or rather loth to folowe thy lorde howe vnapte to all goodnes As euery man may dayly se in hym selfe Forthermore if maÌ„ wold be enflamed to loue god where may he haue better help than by this exercise for if it be natural to rendre loue for loue and the loue of god was neuer more openly shewed to man than in his redemption that is in the passion and death of our redeamer Christ Iesus it is than manifest that by this remembraunce of his passion a man is moste strongly excited and moued to loue god And if man desyre to be pricked forward in that loue let hym remembre the benefites of god which be as signes tokens of his loue And these benefites most euidently appere in his passion as ye shall more clerely se in this boke At last if man desyre that all his lyfe be continuall and perpetuall prayer and that he wold haue his herte euer lyfted vp to god and his deuotion or feruour euer renewed he shal neuer get it more easly than by the remembraunce of the lyfe and passion of his lorde god for there he may haue in euery worde acte behauiour and paine that Christ spake dyd vsed and suffred how to be compuncte and sory in hert how to be conforted in spirite For in the consyderation of them now he may wepe by compassion Now by gyuyng thankes he may haue swete affections Nowe he may desyre to be confourmed vnto hym and to his wyl Now he may labour and wysshe to be holly transfourmed into hym Thus may man go from one exercise vnto an other to auoyde tediousnes and so euer to be iÌ„ prayer And shortly to coÌ„clude there is no kynde of spirituall exercise but that it may be founde in the lyfe passion of Christ or els by moste pleantuouse fruyte it may be reduced and applied to it And this shall better appere in the fyrst parte of this boke the thyrde ê‘tycle Nowe my lorde I haue shewed what was the pryncypall cause mouyng me to accoÌ„plysh your desyre and if I may perceyue that ye or ony other take profyt therby I shall gyue prayses to god from whom all goodnes commeth and I beseache iour lorship to pray
I adiure and charge you o you doughters of syon that ye do nat vnreste vnquiete or wake my dearebeloued spousesse vnto suche tyme it shall please her This penetration and inwarde entrynge of our hertes in to our lorde god there restyng as we sayd before is perceyued and vnderstandyd by the forsayd congruitie or conueniency taken of a similitude as we declared in the fyfte consideration as ye may more clerely perceyue by the declaration of the noble forsayd doctor Albert in his sayd boke de Eucharistia distinctione tertis tractatu primo Capi. vi ¶ The .v. particle is diuided in to .xix. Chaptres ¶ The first is of .xx. profites and fruites that cometh to man by the medytation of Christes passion and that by thordre of the letters of the Alphabete or A. B. C. Fyrste Chapitre THese profites bene writen by a deuout father of thordre of saynt Austen a reder of diuinitie or holy scripture called Rycharde of Laudenburge in his passionarie or boke y t he wrote of the passion of our lorde Iesu Christe and for your comforthe we wryte them here ¶ The fyrste profite Animorum purgat feditatem THe meditation of the passion of Christe doth purge the fylthynes of our myndes or soules Hereunto saynt Iohan sayth Sanguis Iesu Christi emundat nos ab omni peccato The blode of Iesu Christ doth clense and make vs clene from all synne And in his Apocalipse he sayth Lauit nos a peccatis nostris in sanguine suo He hath wasshed vs from our synnes in his blode And therfore Christe in his gospel called his passion a baptisme bycause it purgeth vs from our synnes sayng thus Baptismo habeo baptisari et quomodo coartor vsque dum perficiatur I must be baptysed with a certen baptisme and I am in great anguisshe vnto it be performed and done And therfore the synners that be in good wyll mynde to clense theyr coÌ„sciences from the spottes of vices and synnes shulde ofte remembre the passion of Christe Euery mortall and dampnable synne is as it were a buckler or shelde to defende the deuyll that he be nat expelled from the soule of the synner but Christe brake this buckler and shelde by his passion and deth that he suffered on the crosse And therfore the prophet Dauid sayde of Christe Arcum conteret et confringet arma et scuta comburet igne He shall breke the bowe and the armour and he shall burne in the fyer the sheldes or bucklers that is he shal burne and consume our synnes whiche be the bucklers of the deuyll with the feruent fyer of charitie whiche he had in his glorious passion that he suffered on the crosse And therfore we may say that he burned .vii. bucklers that is the .vii. deedly synnes with the foresayd fyer of charitie Fyrst pryde by the inclynation and bowynge downe of his heed for by that bowynge downe of his heed it seamed as that he wolde haue fledde from the solempne title that was written aboue his crosse Iesus naza renus rex iudeorum This is Iesus of Nazareth y e kyng of Iues. Secondly he consumed enuy by thextention and castyng abrode of his armes as redy to receyue halfe his enemyes for the great loue he had vnto them Thyrdly he burned the bukler of auarice or couitice in his large gyftes that he gaue in his passion And hereto sath saynt Barnarde Lerne thou christiane how moche thou ought to loue thy sauiour Christe whiche gaue hym selfe vnto the deth for our redemption he gaue his flesshe vnto vs in meate his blode to our drynke the water of his syde to wasshe vs his garmentes to his crucifiers his bodye to his disciples and his mother to his disciple Iohan. Fourtly he burned slouth by his wylfull and spedy comynge to his passion Fyftly he consumed wroth by his sylence and softe or gentyll speche Sextly he distroyed glotony by the drynkyng of asel gall And seuently he ouercame lychery by the openynge and woundynge of his syde And therfore we may say well that the meditation and remembraunce of the passion of Christe doth purge and clense the fylthynes of our soules ¶ The .ii. profit Bellatorum roborat pusillanimitatem THe remembraunce of the passion of Christe doth conforte and strength warryours or fyghters and that aswell in iust corporal batel as in spirittuall Of corporal batell it appered in the noble emperour Constantine whiche caused the signe of the crosse to be borne before his hoste or army to the intent that the passion of Christe shulde gyue strengthe vnto his knyghtes and sawdiours that faught vnder that baner of the crosse and so it dyd For as we rede in Historia tripertita whan theyr enemys came agaynst them he that bare the baner of the crosse was sore afrayd and for that feare he wold nat beare that banar but toke it vnto an other man and so fled from y e felde but or that he could conuey hym selfe away he was wounded and slayne where as the other ê‘son that bare the baner of y e crosse thorowe the vertue of the passion of Christe was saued from all hurt thoughe ofte tymes he were in great daunger of his enemyes and many dartes shotte at hym whiche all dyd lyght in the baner and cleued fast therin The passion of Christe doth also strength vs in our spirituall battell for therby onely we opteyne victorie Herunto speaketh saynt Paule Deo gratias qui ded it nobis victoriam per dominum nostrum Iesum Christum Praysed and thanked be god that hathe gyuen to vs the victorie by the merites of our lorde Iesus Christe ¶ The .iii. profit Christianorum excitat tepiditatem IT also exciteth and stirreth the dulnes and coldnes of christians vnto deuotion And herunto saynt Paule sayth Recogitate eum qui talem sustinuit a peccatoribê° contradictionem c. RemeÌ„bre hym that suffered such coÌ„tradiction of synners agaynst hym selfe that is suche rebukes dispisynges and shamefull deth that ye by suche remembraunce shulde nat faynt or waxe dull in your myndes As if he sayde If ye haue in mynde the passion of Christe ye shall haue no tediousnes or dulnes in your good and meritorious werkes ¶ The .iiii. profit Diabolorum fugat potestatem IT chaseth away the power of the deuyles And therfore saynt Austen sayth The signe of the crosse chaseth away from vs our gostly enemy if so be that god inhabit our hertes by ofte remembraunce of his passion We rede that Dauid with playenge on his harpe chased away the euyl spirit from kynge Saul Not y t there was so great vertue in the herpe but in the signe of the crosse figured and signified by the tree of the herpe and thextention or streynynge of the strynges And therfore at euery suggestion or temptation of the deuyll it is expedient for vs to haue recours vnto the meditation of y e passion of Christ
bag wherein she wold put suche thynges as she shulde receiue of almose a lytle cup wherwith to drynke water or els potage yf she had any gyuen to her also she prepared for her werynge olde clothes and patched garmentes so wolde haue performed these thyngê in dede ne had ben the great instance of her frendes the whiche with many teares and diligent desyres might scarcely withholde her from that purpose Nat withstandyng her good wyll dyd appere in the premisses for she dyd that she might Also she continued in this loue of pouerty which appered in that that she cut hir table clothes or napkyns and also her shetes and gaue the one parte to the pore reseruynge the residue for her selfe And nat only by this feare of god she contempned all worldly riches but also she dispised all worldly honour and glory and all vayne praise of man and that for the great swetenes and pleasure that she had in heuenly thynges And nat onely she wold nat admyt or loke towardes these vanities but also she refused them with abhominacion of herte vtterly abhorred them The loue of Christ was so feruent in her herte that nothynge els was pleasaunt or sauory to her but Christe And moche more ye may se of her mekenes and pouerty in the sayd boke of Vincent historiall ¶ The gyfte of pitie is also gyuen to man by the feruent remembraunce of Christes passion The .viii. Chapitre THe gyfte of pitie is gyuen to man by the continuall and feruent meditacion of the passion of Christe wherwith a man ordereth behaueth hym selfe iustly and deuoutly in the due honoure and worshyppynge of god in due reuerence and intreatynge of holy scripture and in the loue due confortynge of his neighboure In the whiche thre thynges consisteth standeth the gyfte of pitie Whiche pitie as saint Paule sayeth is profitable to all thynges specially against the hardnes and malice of the herte For that persone whiche is crucified with Christe thrugh the feruent remembraunce of his most blessed passion is kyndled with this gifte of pitie vnto the high compassion benignitie and mercy of his neighbour and that on this maner Whan a persone deuoutly and feruently beholdeth in his remembraunce the compassion and mercy that our sauiour Iesu Christe shewed vnto mankinde and specially at his dethe passion as we declared before in the gyfte of feare anon he is moued and kyndeled and his herte is opened towarde his neighboure bought redemyd with the bloode of Christe as we all be I say this man thus considerynge is so kyndeled vnto the loue of his neighboure and that for the loue of his lorde god that he is redy to gyue all that he hathe and hym selfe also with glad mynde for the helthe and saluacion of his neighbour for he considereth that his lorde god suffred dethe with moost greuouse paynes for his sayd neighbour And moreouer as he hath compassion vpon his sauiour Christe hangynge vpon the crosse and that with all his hert so he hath as great inwarde sorowe in his hert vppon his neighbour whiche by his synfull lyuynge forsaketh the conforte that he myght haue by Christes woundes and passion and so in his maner dispiseth the blood and dethe of Christe I say he hath inwardly as great compassion of this person as he wolde haue vpon hym selfe Fyrst he is wounded and greued in his herte for the contempt of his lord god Secondly for the hurt and damage of his neighbour whiche hath forsaken lyfe glory euerlastynge and hathe chosen voluntarily or wylfully eternall dethe dampnacion This good man seeth considereth the contempt of god the blood of Christe dispised and the moost noble creature made to the ymage of god wylfully to go to eternall paynes and therfore his herte melteth thrugh pitie and is relented or resolued by compassion And in like maner as he hath compassion of the hurt of his neighbour so by the same gyfte of pitie he hathe great reioice and gladnes in his soule of the goodnes and spirituall profite of other persons whan he ê‘ceiueth that they order theÌ„ selfe to receiue the fruite profite of the wouÌ„des of Christe with whom he entreth into the same wouÌ„des is made one with theÌ„ He ioyeth with them that be ioyfull of any goodnes He is sory with theÌ„ that be sorowfull for theyr hurt damage He reputeth euery one of his neighbours as hym selfe seynge consideryng y t bothe he his neighbours be create made of our lord god marked dignified with his image redemyd bought with the same blood of Christe ordered to cum to one the same glory And most specially he openeth his hert vnto his neighbour by this gift of pitie for that he seeth considereth his lorde god to be crucified for all people therfore he seeth coÌ„sidereth his lorde god in all people â–ª He requireth sercheth his sauiour crucified in all his neibours He beholdeth him in theÌ„ all after his pore maner He is all giueÌ„ to his neighbour for he is hoolly fully gyueÌ„ to his sauiour crucified O what ioye is it vnto his hert whaÌ„ he seeth his neighbour do due honor vnto his sauiour crucified He hath non enuy therat he is nat displeased therwith he doth nat detract hym or speke euyll of hym he wyll nat let hym nor hynder hym from y t honour by signe worde or dede nor giue hym any occasion to withdraw him from y t honour but hoolly he desireth his neighbours ê“fite abhorreth his hurte or peryll reputyng acceptynge bothe his neighbours hurt or profite as his owne profite or hurt And y t is specially for the loue y t he hath to our lord Iesu Christ the which for the great loue that he had vnto the helthe of mannes soules to the honour of his father he suffred most paynfull shamefull deth of the crosse Wherfore the zele thonour of god the compassion of Christe the inflamacion or kyndelynge of his owne hert hereunto be moost properly to be attended beholden in y e wouÌ„des of Christ for there they be had goteÌ„ And by this gifte of pitie y e hert of man is in a meruelous maner eleuate lifte vp vnto his lorde god For whan a man doeth enforce hym selfe asmuche as he may to conforme hym selfe vnto the pitie and compassion that Christe god and man had and shewed vnto vs whan he suffered the dethe of the crosse than that soule pleaseth god singulerly in so muche that Christe wyll take that soule so comformable to his godly pitie vnto his singuler loue and fauoure vnto his swete enbracynges halsynges kepe y t soule as his dere beloued spouse induce and brynge that soule to perceiue his swete consolacions suche a soule our sauioure loueth asmuche as she loueth hym that soule our lorde draweth to hym for as muche as that soule hath one
called vppon Christe vppon the blood of Christe that he shed for mannes saluacion continually with a feruent mynde remembred the dethe of Christe that he suffred for vs. And yet these woode raungynge fendes nat ceasyng of theyr importunity but euer busy to deuour this soule by many craftye and deceytfull reasons than this blessyd woman Maris conceyuynge in hyr soule a great trust and confidence in god by the grace of the holy gooste For as Paule sayth where as is the spyryte of god there is lyberty great confidence she I say hauyng great trust in god sayd with a free spirite great boldenes Good lorde I wyll be pledge surety for this soule And thaÌ„ furthwith the daÌ„pned spirites fled vtterly auoyded and the good auÌ„gels cam and toke the soule And so this blessyd woman gyuyng thankes to god went to hyr owne cell prayed for y e sayd soule And afterward as she was iÌ„ deuout prayer in y e day of y e feest of saint Peter Paule for y e sayd soule saint Peter appered to hyr and shewed vnto hyr how the soule of the foresayd woman was in greuouse paynes of purgatorye for as moche as she in hyr lyfe had moche inordinat loue to y e world to the pleasures therof though at her dethe she had very contricion therof And than this blessed woman moued of pitie as she was alwayes full of pitie and specyally towardes the soules in purgatory dyd praye moche feruently and deuoutely for that soule And nat content with hyr onely and owne prayers requyred instantly and opteyned the prayers of many other deuout persons and also caused many masses to be sayd for the sayde soule vnto the tyme she was delyuered from payne and taken vnto ioye and glory eternall Many other examples of hyr pitie and compassion ye may rede in the sayde .xxxi. booke of the hystoryes of Vincent ¶ The gyfte of science or knowledge is opteyned by the feruent remembraunce of the passyon of Chryste The .x. Chapitre THe gyfte also of scyence and kuowledge of spyrytuall and godly thynges is gyuen to man by the continuall and deuoute remembraunce of the passion of Christe thorughe the whiche gyfte man may duely and iustly lyue in this wretched worlde where as flourysshe many frowarde and wycked persons And yet that man that hath this gyft shall lyue godly though he be amonges them for he shall contynue in his faythe and defende it and haue true compunction in his herte He shall absteyne from euyll and wysely admynystre or vse these temporall goodes He shall dyrecte and ordre all his werkes to ryght reason and applye his wyll to the wyll of god Or we may saye that this gyfte of scyence doeth teache vs to beholde as in a moost pure glasse all maner of contemplacion and all maner of pacyence And that is yf we take this gyfte knowledge as a science or knowledge of these inferior thynges in that that they be helpynge and inducynge to the contemplacion and knowledge of spyrytuall and heuenly thynges As be the knowledge of our synnes that we haue done of the benefytes that we haue receyued of god and of the paynes that we haue deserued for our synnes For the fyrste that is for the knowledge of oure synnes it is sayde by the prophete Arguet te malicia tua auersio tua increpabit te scito c. Thy malyce and synne shall reproue the and thy tournynge frome god shall rebuke the therefore know thou and dilygently consyder that it is bytter and paynefull to the to haue forsaken thy lorde god and to wante his feare in the. This maner of science is a very true knowledge and moche necessarye for vs that is to knowe our selfe and so to meke dispise or set lytle by our selfe Of the seconde maner of knowledge that is of the benefites of god I say vnto you that amonges all the benefites that we receiuyd or dayly receyue the greatest benefite of all other is the benefite of our redemption in the which our lorde hath shewed vnto vs a sure argument or ê“fe of his infinit and inestimable loue that was whan he suffred the moost shamefull and paynefull dethe for vs his enemies This argumente or profe doeth engendre and greatly encrease in vs a knowledge moche pleasaunte and also necessarye for vs. Of the whiche knowledge saynt Paule sayeth Non enim iudicaui me aliquid seire inter vos nisi Iesum Christum et huÌ„c crucisixum I haue iudged thoughte in my selfe that I haue non other knowledge amonges you but the knowledge of Iesu Christe crucified The thyrd maner of knowledge that is of the paynes due for our synnes is also necessary for vs the profe or argument thereof that is the knowledge of the paynes of hell or of purgatory hath ben reueled and shewed to many holy sayntes And those paynes of hell ben conteined in these two verses folowynge Sitis esuries â—rigus ignis fetor et horror Tenebre desperantes victi vermesque rodentes That is Thyrste hunger colde fyre stynche and vgsomnes or lothesomnes Darkenes desperacion subiection and gnastynge or gnawynge wormes These thre maner of sciences with many other we may moost specially fynde get in the meditacion of the passion of our lorde And moost of all we shall get moche knowledge yf ye diligeÌ„tly serche the fygures of the olde law correspondynge or signifienge this sayd passion of our lorde For there is innumerable treasure hyd vnder those fygures whiche may be founde with diligent serche In y e which fygures be hyd a meruelouse swetenes of deuocion all maner of scyence and sacietie or full contentacion of the soule for this lyfe For he that is crucified with Christe by the continuall feruent meditacion of his passion shall se how these fygures the scripture of god do shyne in the sayd passion and so by the gyfte of science he shall be eleuate and lyfted vp vnto a meruelouse swetenes of deuocion and vnto an high perfection of contemplacion and that on this maner For fyrste to suche a person that feruently remembreth this passion and depely sercheth these figures shall appere how that the moost hygh goodnes of god the father hath ordryd all thynges muche diligently vnto our profite Secondly it shal appere how the onely sonne of god the father our lord Iesus Christe muche godly and faithfully hath shewed vnto vs all thynges necessary vnto our helthe saluacion Nat onely by his wordes but also by his examples Thirdly it shall appere how the passion of our sauiour Iesu was figured signified from the begynnyng of the world as it clerely appereth in holy scripture What inwarde ioye pleasure shall this be thynke you to that person that feareth these thinges knoweth them All these great and meruelouse thynges were done for vs. And to declare vnto you how all these thynges do figure and signifie our sauiour Iesus
foueas habent et volucres celi nidos filius autem hominis non habet vbi caput suum reclinet The foxes haue theyr caues or dennes the byrdes of the ayre haue theyr nestys but the son of a vyrgyn hath nat where to hyde or laye his hede He was pore in his natiuitie or byrthe Porer in his lyfe or processe of his lyfe And moost pore vpon the crosse at his deth At his byrthe he was fedde with the vyrgyns mylke and lapped in vyle or pore clothes In the processe of his lyfe he had pore clothynge But oft tymes he wanted meat drynke for his necessary sustenaunce But at his dethe thou shalt fynde hym naked and in extreme thyrste or dryenes excepte thou say that he had vynegre myxte with bytter myrre and gall to quenche his thyrste These thynges well consydered the soule of the person beholdynge and depely remembrynge them is shortely and easely persuaded and moued to folow our sauiour Iesu in lyke thynges so that he may now gladly withdraw him selfe from all worldly honours and desyres of the same from all possession of temporall goodes from all corporall consolacion and pleasure desyrynge with his lorde god all vylenes abiection and derision and to suffre payn in all his hole body that thereby he myght in sum thynge be made conformable to his lord god and so do to hym sum thankfull seruice His appetite and desyre is nat now to please men but rather for the loue and honour of his lorde god to be mocked scorned despised and to be rather hated of them than honoured And therefore all vayne prayse and laudes gyuen to hym ben abhominacion as stynkynge caryon vnto hym for he onely requyreth and desyreth the laudes and prayses of god Vnto that is all his study labour payne That he desyreth with an vnsaciable thyrst In all thynges he onely desyreth thonour of god Nothynge lokynge to hym â—elfe nor regardynge any thynge perteynynge to hym selfe ne yet wyll be bounde to do any thyng but all to gyder with hert and mynde lokynge vnto heuen where as is moost his pleasure And also he desyreth that by his rebukes his lorde god myght be honoured greatly and continually desyrynge thrughe this gyfte of councell bothe to be pore and also despysed and abiecte for the loue of god for as muche as he perceiued bothe these to be in his lorde god crucified And truely he wolde now and euer be naked with Christe vpon the crosse beynge very heuy or sory y t he shuld haue any thynge that myght helpe the pore or els that perteyneth to thonour of god Therfore he forsakynge all superfluitie vseth as few thynges as his necessitie wyll suffre hym so that his pleasure is moche more set to despyse and cast awaye rychesse than to get or multyply it And to speke of corporall delectacions consolacions and pleasures we may truely say that from al these and also from all other consolacion that is nat in god of god or for god he vtterly refuseth them as moche as it is possyble for hym euer askynge and desyrynge to be saciate and fulfylled with bytternes sorow and payne or affliction with his lorde and mayster Christe Wherfore what so euer he perceyued to be pleasaunt vnto his bodye or yet vnto his herte by the whiche he may nat be made conformable vnto the moost blessed woundes and passion of Christe that thynge he abhorreth withdrawynge hym selfe from all thynges thrugh this gyfte of councell wherein he seeth any peryll or daunger lyke to cum to hym And therfore he doeth all thynges with greate deliberacion And also thrughe the sayde gyfte of couÌ„cell he applyeth hym selfe to do all tho thynges wherby thonour of god y e charitie of his neighbour the helth of soules may be in any thynge encreased And for these causes he is ofte tymes solitarie depely considerynge the passion of Christe therin lerchynge the hygh honours of god theternall ryches and heuenly pleasures that the deuout soule therin restynge may haue great ioye Also thereby the bytter soule for the compassion of Christes passion is made swete and pleasaunte And the mynde eleuate and lyfted aboue it selfe is made dronken or is drowned in loue And â—o the soule full of pleasure and lenyng vpon hyr dere beloued restyth hoolly in hyr lorde god And this is it that we sayd before how thrugh the spyryte of councell we auoide all perylles and dauÌ„gers make our selfes sure in the holes of the stone that is in the woundes of Christe to entrepryse great herde and paynefull thynges and also to excercyse the werkes of supererogacioÌ„ as is to loue our enemies and to forgiue them for Christe to gyue all our goodes to pore people for the loue of Christe to the which werkes don by the spiryte of couÌ„cell correspondeth the fyfte beatitude of the whiche Christe sayeth Beati misericordes quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur Blessed be y e mercyfull for they shall haue mercy For as saynt Austyn sayeth Councell is accordynge to mercyfull persones for there is but one remedy or meane to be delyuered from all the perylles of this worlde and that is this to forgyue and to gyue Councell is properly and specially to be taken of these thynges that be to cum and that be profytable vnto our ende that is to do the werkes of mercy whiche moost of all corresponde or accorde to the gyfte of councell And therefore saynte Paule sayeth Pietas ad omnia vtilis est Pytye and mercye is profytable to all thynges And thus ye may perceyue that the beatitude of mercye correspondeth to the gyfte of councell Nat that this gyfte of councell doeth produce and brynge furthe the werkes of mercye as his effecte and operacion but that it dyrecteth and orderyth the doer and werker For the spyryte of councell is specially gyuen to man to that intent that he shulde lerne therby to forgyue freely and gladly and also to shew mercy vnto those persons that haue offeÌ„dyd agaynst hym knowynge that yf he so do he shall fynde lyke mercy in our lorde in forgyuynge his synnes done agaynst god as our lorde sayeth in the gospell And this is it that we spake before that men consyderyng and beholdynge the vnspekeable pitie mercy of our lorde that he shewed whan he prayed for them that put him to dethe shulde be moued and styrred to lyke pitie and mercy so made apte to the restauracion of the order of aungelles called vertues O sayeth the prophete Dauid in the persone of Christe Calix-meus inebrians quam peclarus est That is as the glose of saynte Austyn sayeth the cuppe of the blood of our lorde whiche inebritynge the mynde and makynge it dronken in god doeth so cure and heale it that it maketh it forget all vayne delectacion pleasure This dronkennes maketh men sobre This fulnes and plenteousnes maketh men empty and voyde of euyll maners and vyces And therfore the
me I consentynge to y t praise do sell betray Christe for a lytle vayne glory or prayse In lyke maner a man gyuynge to me money or any other thynge so mouyng me to mortall synne he wolde take Christe from me And I consentynge to the same do betray sell Christe And yet neither he by his byenge may reteyne and kepe Christe neither I with my sellynge may kepe Christe with my selfe nor with the byer And so neither Iudas nor the Iues had Christe to theyr saluacion but by that bargayne he was purchased and gotten to vs christians that truely serue Christe Many people in the remembraūce of this sellyng that was made on the wednisday do fast or absteyn frō flesshe for the loue of Christe ¶ Two doctrynes or holsom lessons THe fyrst lesson is that we shulde be well ware that we neuer commytt so abhomynable syn that is to sell our lorde as to bere false wytnes for rewardes or gyftes or in iudgement to denye the truthe that is to selle Christe whiche is verye Iustice and truthe And generally to speke that we neuer sell spirituall thynges for temporall lucre The seconde doctrine is that we paciently suffre to be solde dispised and set at nought for the loue and laude of god sayenge with the prophete Quoniam propter te sustinui obprobrium I haue suffered borne rebuke for the good lorde In consyderynge this article let a man remembre his owne vylenes and whether he hathe solde Christe omyttynge or brekyng his commaundementes for any temporall thynge or vayne loue Remembre also how that whan he hath solde Christe he hathe recouered and gotten hym agayne freely of the mere goodnes of god Remembre furthermore y t Christe is yet to be boughte and that is with charitie or good werkes Therfore bye thou hym with almes And yf thou haue no money or goodes to gyue gyue to hym than thy hert for y t is the thynge whiche he loueth and desyreth aboue all the thynges in the world and therfore he sayeth by the wyse man Fili prebe mihi cor tuum Son gyue to me thy hert and yf thou loue me I wyll loue the. And than pray thus as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche woldest be set at nought and solde of one of thy disciples for a vyle pryce graunte to me that I neuer chaunge the my god and creatour for any transitory thynges and also that I may paciently bere al rebukes and dispisynges for the glory of thy holy name Amen ¶ Of the betrayenge of our lorde The .iiii. article THe .iiii. article is of the treason of Iudas how trayterously he betrayed our lorde Whan the vendition or sellyng was consumate and put in effect In the mean tyme our lorde beynge in his prayers and than thryse cummynge to his disciples at the last tyme he said to them Surgite eamus ecce appropinquauit qui me tradet Arise go we he that shall betray me is nigh at hande In these fewe wordes our lord doeth fyrst enfourme vs to spede vs to spirituall battell or temptacion in this worde aryse Secondly he moueth vs to profyte in good werkes in this worde go we Thyrdely in the other wordes folowynge he moueth vs to awayte at all tymes and houres for temptacion for our enemies be euer redye to tempte vs. It foloweth in the gospell Et adhuc eo loquente Ecce Iudas vnus de duodecim cum accepisset cohortem venit c. Our sauyour Christe yet spekynge to his disciples Loo Iudas one of the .xii. apostles of Christ after that he had taken his money and a great cumpany of souldiers to the numbre of fyue hundreth as Papias sayeth he cam with hym a great numbre of people with lanternes and burnynge brondes with armour swerdes battes and clubbes sent from the prynces of the prestes and pharisies from the scrybes and the seignours of the people Wherof saint Austin sayeth What shulde suche a great people do to seche one person What shulde tho armed men do to seche one man without armour or weapon What shulde they seche hym in the nyghte that was dayly teachynge and that openly in theyr temple This acte was fygured in the fyrst boke of the kynges where as Saule toke thre thousande armed men to seche for Dauyd And note here as maister Lira sayeth that Iudas dyd arme and defende hym selfe fyrst with a great cumpany stronge and of auctoritie and that was agaynste the multitude of the comon people that they shulde nat let hym in his purpose Secondly he cam with great lyghtes that Christe shulde nat escape from hym in the darkenes of the nyght And thyrdly he defendyd hym selfe with armour that yf any body wolde resyst theym they wolde defende them selfe also put the other people a backe And Iudas that promysed to betraye Christe gaue to his cumpany a pryuy token or sygne sayenge Quemcumque osculatus fuero ipse est tenete eum et ducite caute Whom so euer I kisse that same is Christe This he spake that they shuld nat take Iames the lesse for Christe for he was very lyke in face vnto Christe And furthermore Iudas sayd whom I kysse holde hym and lede hym warely For sum of theym thoughte that he wroughte by nygromancie or wytchecrafte For they sayd an other tyme of hym that he caste oute deuylles in the power of Beelzebub the prynce of the deuylles It foloweth in the gospell of saynte Iohn̄ Sciens Iesus omnia que ventura erant super eum processit Iesus knowynge all thynges and aduentures that shulde cum vnto hym wente towardes theym and met with theym that all men myght know that he was taken voluntarilie with his owne wyll And anon Iudas approchynge towardes hym sayde Aue rabi Hayle mayster Et appropinquauit vt oscularetur eum Iudas drewe nygh to the intente that he myght kysse Christe and so he dyd In this poynt there be thre thynges expressed that made this betrayenge moche paynefull or sorowfull vnto Christe One is that it was done by one of his owne disciples The seconde is that he so falsely and trayterousely betrayed Christe with the sygne or token of peace and kysse of loue or frendeshyppe Of the whiche saynt Ambrose sayeth O Iudas thou woundest thy mayster lorde with the token or pledge of loue and thou bryngest hym to dethe with the kysse of familiaritie and frendeshyppe The thyrde was nat lesse paynefull that the false traytoure with his stynkynge mouthe durst touche or kysse that mooste louely and mellifluouse mouthe of Christe the eterne sonne of god If it be paynefull to a man to kysse the mouthe of hym that hathe a stynkynge brethe how moche more was it than paynefull to oure fauyour Christe to take a kysse of that mooste synfull and stynkynge mouthe of Iudas whose herte was replenysshed with the deuyll and all wyckednes And than Iesus sayde vnto hym
without the castels or cities And also he wolde suffer without y e citie to declare shewe vnto vs howe y t the vertue of his passion shuld not be included within the coostes or bouÌ„des of the Iues but that it shuld be knowen to be a comon sacrifice for all the worlde And thyrdly to signifye and shewe to vs that who so wolde haue the effecte and vertue of this passion he muste go forth or go from the worlde at lest in desire affeccyon or loue that is that he haue no inordinate loue to the worlde the gooddes or pleasure therof Wherfore let vs folowe Christe and go vnto hym frome our carnall frendes and worldlye conuersacyon bearynge with hym and for his loue rebukes and sharp paynes And herunto saynt Bernarde sayth Christe suffred his passyon and deth without the citye therfore let vs go to hym from the cytye that is by the contempte of worldlye conuersacyon and that may be done by .iii. maner of wayes In affeccyon or loue that we loue not inordinatly the world In effect dede that we vtterly forsake the worlde both in wyll and also bodye And thyrdlye by profytynge that we desyre and labour to be made one spirite with god For as saynt Gregorie sayth The more that a man is separate from the loue of the worlde the more nygh he is to god This ledyng aboue al the other .viii. of which we spake in the .viii. article was most paynfull and shamefull to Christe and that for many causes and therfore conueniently it maketh a specyall article Fyrst by reason of his rebuke and shame for it was moche shamefull to be led vnto hangynge Secondly for that he was copled and ioyned or led with .ii. theues and mischeuous persons and that was done to his more confusyon shame that the people shulde thynke there was no difference bytwixte Christe and them Thyrdly for the greate noumber of people that se hym and folowed hym and that not onely of men but also of women as the euangelist sayth But they all dyd not folowe hym of one intent and one mynde for some were moche ioyfull of that syght as the moste parte of the Iues. And it is no small payne to a man to behold and se other men and specially his enemyes gladde and ioyfull of his affliccyon and rebuke There were also some that dyd wepe and were sorye for that syght as the blessed woman And also this was moche paynfull to Christ to se his frendes louers in sorowe and heuynes for hym Saint Bernarde describeth this ledynge and procession in this maner folowynge When Christ sayth he was broughte forthe to be ledde vnto his passion there was gathered about hym a greate multitude of people as ye comonly se when theues and murderars be had to hangynge Some went saughynge and some cast clay or durte vpon his most blessed hed and face If Christe loked before hym he sawe them cast durte vpon hym If he loked aboue hym he sawe the heuy tre of the crosse lyenge vpon his necke and greuously oppressed hym If he loke behynd hym he sawe his mother with a great nomber of men and women wepynge and lamentynge for hym And as some doctours do say his most sorowefull mother wolde haue come to hym to haue helpen hym and myght not be suffred the whiche her swete Iesus seynge and consederynge her great heuynes fell downe for sorowe and werynes vnder the crosse And that seynge his moste louynge mother for sorowe she fell to the erth as deade And in the remembraunce of this swonyng there was afterwarde a chapell buylded by the faythful people in the same place in the honor of our lady whiche is called sancta Maria de Spaâ—mo and after this Iesus turnynge hym selfe to the women that wepte sayd Filie Hierusalem nolite flere super me sed super vosipsas flete et super filios vestros O ye doughters of Hierusalem wepe not vpon me for I take these paynes and deth with my good wyll for it is the wyll and ordinaunce of god my father that I shulde thus dye and also for the great profet y t shall come therof to mankynde for by my deth I wyll ouercome euerlastynge deth but wepe for the cause of my passyon and dethe that is the synnes of the people which cause me to suffer deth by the order of iustice And thus to wepe it is necessarie for you and therfore it foloweth Sed super vosipsas flete et super filios vestros But weape for your selfes and for your chylderne Herin Christ doth not rebuke theyr affeccyon and compassyon that they had to hym but he doth teche them an order howe to wepe that is firste to wepe for them selfe and theyrs for it is a vayne thyng and of no profyt to wepe for the passyon of Christ and therwith to despyse hym with our euyl dedes and lyuyng Also he byddes them that wepe for hym to consider what paynes be lyke to fal vpon them selfe And therfore they shuld wepe for them self and for theyr childern and therfore Christe saythe Quoniam ecce venient dies in quibus dicent beate steriles c. For the dayes shall come sayth Christ when they shall say Blessed and happy be the baren and tho that brought forthe no fruyte and those pappes or teates be happye that neuer gaue sucke or mylke then they shall begynne to saye to the mowntes Fal vpon vs and to the hylles Couer vs. And thsi he spake for the tyme of the seage of Hierusalem by the emperours Vaspasyan and Titus his son for then the Iues were in great distresse as it appereth by the histories of Iosephus and Egesippus or els we may say that Christe spake this for the extreme and last day of iudgement And the cause or reason of both these he addeth and sayth Quia si in viridi ligno faciunt in arido quid fiet For sithe so greuous paynes and shamefull despites be done to me whiche am a grene tree florisshyng and quicke in the roote of my diuinitie in the charitie of my manhode in the branches of my vertues in the leeses of good wordes and the fruyte of my good dedes if I say they do these thynges to me that is condempne me to the shamefull deth of the crosse without all iustice what shall they do to the drie tree or stocke that is to the synner whiche wanteth the moisture of grace the fruyte of iustice the grenisse or florisshynge of the conscience what payne thynke you be they worthy to haue O Iesu thou grene tre O our hed O thou glorie of all meake persons O thou cedre of clenlynes Palme of pacyence Olyue of mercy Vyne of gladnes shewe to vs what was done to the And he answering saith this grene tre is pilled or the barke pulled of it is shred lopte it is cut downe and cast vpon the erth Marke this well frendes sith he that came
teares for he wepte Thyrde he offred his prayers for them with great sheddynge of teares and also a myghtye or great voyce or crye Of this prayer saynt Bernarde sayth Christ scourged with whippes crowned with thornes crucifyed and nayled with greate grosse nayles fylled with rebukes forgettynge all these sorowes sayde Father forgyue them Frome this charitable lorde cometh great mercy to our bodyes and moche more to our soules O good Iesu howe moche is thy mercye stablysshed vpon wicked men And howe greate is the multitude of the swetenes of thy mercy for thou shalte make vs that feruently desire the to drinke of the plentuous ryuer of thy swetenes and pleasure Also the same saynte Bernarde sayth who and of what kynde is that person which in all his tribulations and tormentes wolde not ones open hys mouthe to compleyne or to excuse hym selfe to threat or to curse his cruell aduersaryes and aboue all this at last he opened hys mouthe and spake for his enemyes a blessed worde suche a word as hathe not ben harde frome the begynnynge of the worlde that is Father forgyue them O my soule haste thou euer sene any man so myld so pacyent so charytable Consider what quietnes pacyence and charitie was hyd in that most swete brest and hart he wolde not shewe his iniuries he regarded not his paynes he wolde not speake of his rebukes but he had compassyon of theym of whome he suffred these thynges he cured theym that wounded hym he procured life for them that slewe hym and said Father forgyue them O my soule hyde or put vp this most swete worde of Christ in the treasor of thy hert that as oâ—te as thy enemyes be cruell agaynst the thou mayst remembre the abundance of this swetenes of blessed Iesu and so to lay or put this worde and prayer of Iesu as a shelde for thy defence agaynst the assaultes of thyne enemyes thy spouse and lorde Iesus doth praye for his crucifyers shalt not thou pray for thy detractours let vs yet repete this prayer father sayth Iesus forgyue them what name is this father It is a name of naturall loue Chylderne when they wolde haue any thynge or greatly desyre a thyng they be wont to name theyr father to reduce vnto his mynde the naturall loue that fathers haue vnto theyr chylderne that therby they myght the more shortly haue theyr desyre So our sauyour Iesus pitious and mercifull pacyence and of moche compassion good and louynge to all persons though he knewe that he was euer harde in his peticyons to his father yet to shewe vnto vs with howe great affeccyon and desyre we shulde pray for our enemyes in his prayer he put that name of loue Father as if he shulde say I beseche the for thy fatherly loue in whiche loue we be one to here my prayer and to forgyue them that crucifye me Knowe the loue of thy sonne that thou mayst forgyue myne enemyes Also saynt Hierome sayth Al these illusyons and scornes or mockynges ware done to Christe by the mocyon of the deules whiche an one as Christ was crucifyed they beganne to perceyue and feele the vertue of the crosse and so thought that they shulde lese theyr greate power and therfore they laboured instantelye that Christe shulde descende downe from the crosse But Iesus knowynge theyr falshed and crafte wolde continue vpon the crosse vnto his death that therby he myghte destroye death and subdue the deuyll O moste gentyll Iesu howe greate was here thy pacyence ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne that when we be in depe contemplation in good operation or els in religion we shuld not descende or leaue them for any rebukynges mockynges or scornynges of any persons but continue and pacyently beare suche despysynges for the loue of Christe as Christ for our loue dyd pacyently beare all the forsayd rebukes and for our example wolde not descende from the crosse but there continued vnto his deth and this was figured in the boke of iudges where as the vyne tre sayd vnto the other trees that wolde haue had the vyne to come to them and to haue ben theyr kynge Nunquid possum de serere vinum meum quod letificat deum et homines c. It is conuenient for me to forsake my wyne that conforteth both god men and come to you to be your kynge Nay I wyll not In lyke maner sayd the olyue tree and the figge tree So our very true vyne tree that sayth Ego sum vitis vera I am a true vyne tree wold not leaue the fruyte of his passion that gladdeth both god angel and man and come of the crosse to be promoted amongê y e Iues. ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me crucifyed wolde be mocked and despysed with many rebukefull wordes and yet wolde so charitably pray for thy crucifiers make me that I neuer descend from my religyon or any good werke for no suggestion of the deuyll or despysynges of man but that I may continually perseuer in thy loue and that I may for thy loue forgyue all them that do or saye any euyll to me or agaynste me and that I maye euermore praye hertely for them Amen ¶ Howe the thefe of the lefte hande rebuked Christe The .lvii. article THe .lvii. article is the rebukynge that the thefe spake to Christe for one of the theues that were hanged with Christ that is he on the left syde of Christ began to rebuke Christ sayng Si tu es xpÌ„s salua temetipsum et nos If thou be Christe the sonne of god saue thy selfe and also vs. This was the .viii. mockynge of the whiche we spake in the last article and this was more rebuke to Christe than the other thre declared in the laste article bycause so vyle a persone wretched and condempned to deth and furthwith shulde suffer deth for his owne synnes and myslyuynge wold thus so shamefully rebuke the auctor of lyfe And therfore this rebuke is coÌ„ueniently made a special article But the other thefe hering hym speake so loudly dyd sharply blame hym saynge Neque tu times deum qui in eadem dampnatione es c. Dost not thou feare god that arte condempned to deth as well as he is and we be worthely and iustlye condempned to deth for we suffer worthy paines for our sinnes but he neuer dyd euyll Of this saynge saynt Austen merueylynge sayth who taught this thefe to say thus but he the sonne of god that hange by hym Christe was hanged nyghe to this thefe but he was more nyghe in his herte and therfore he turned hym selfe to Iesus and sayd Memento mei domine dum veneris in regnum tuum Remember me lorde when thou shalte come in to thy kyngdome and then Iesus spake his seconde worde vpon the crosse sayng Amen dico tibi Hodie mecum eris in paradiso Trulye I saye to the this daye thou shalte be with me in
spryngeth in y e myddest of paradise whiche doth make frutefull the deuoute hertes and plentiously doth watre all the world This is the doore that was made in the side of the arke of Noe by the which dyd entre all tho bestes men that ware sauyd from the vnyuersall flode Studie and laboure therfore with all thy diligence to haue a recourse vnto the holes of this stone and vnto the caue or den in this stony wall both now in this life and also at thy death there to rest and hide thy selfe that thou myght escape the daunger of the wode lion the deuyl and also that thou myght fynde there plentiouse pasture and fode to thy eternall comforth ¶ And here note that Christ dyd shedde his blode .v. tymes this day for vs. Fyrst in his prayer when he swet blode Second in his scourgyng Thyrd in his crownyng with thornys Fourth in his naylyng to the crosse and. Fyfth in the openyng of his syde as ye haue herde before ¶ Here folow .ii. Lessons FYrste lesson of this article is this that whan we be deade with Christe from the worlde and from all synne then also we shuld be wounded in our hert with the spere of charitie so that we myght say with y e spouse in her canticles Vulnerata charitate ego sum I am wounded with y e spere of charitie Saynt Austen also desired to be wounded with this spere sayng I besech the my lord and kyng my most swete Iesu for thy moste holye wondes which thou suffered vpon the crosse for our health from y e which that most preciouse blode ran out wherwith we be redemyd I besech the I saye to wounde this my synfull soule for the which it pleasyd the to dye Wounde it I besech the with the fiery dart of thy most myghtie loue and charitie Nayle fast my hert to the with the nayle or dart of thy loue that my soule may say vnto the I am wounded with charitie and so sore wounded that from this wounde of thy loue there myght runne the full riuers of teares both nyght and day both of coÌ„tricion compassion and deuocion Smyte I beseach the good Iesu this moste hard flynt my soule with the myghty and sharpe spear of thy loue that it may myghtilie entre in to y e inwardnes or deapnes of my hard hart The second lesson is that we shuld receyue the sacramentes of the churche with that intent and deuocion as if they cam then from the syde and hert of our lorde for that wounde of his syde was as the doore wherby y e sacramentes of the churche com from Christ to vs. For as of the syde of our fyrst Adam sleapynge his wyfe Eua was formed and made so of y e syde of our second Adam that is Christ sleapyng by death vpon the crosse was formed the churche the spouse of Christ By this wouÌ„de as by a dore of loue saynt Austen dyd entre when he sayde Longyne hath openyd to me the syde of Christ with a spear and I haue entred therin and there I surely and quietly reast The nayles and the spear crie to me that I am truly reconsiled to Christ if I loue hym ¶ A prayer O Iesu which for me wold haue y e syde of thy deed bodie openyd from whens cam plentye of blode and watre for our health comforth wounde I beseach the my hert with the spear of thy charitie y t I may worthely receyue thy sacrameÌ„tes which flowed out of that thy most holie syde Amen ¶ How the bodie of Christ was taken downe of the crosse the .lxiiii. Article THe .lxiiii. article is the takyng downe of Christes bodie from the crosse For after that our sauiour Iesus had gyuen vp his spirite vpon y e crosse that was about the ix houre of the day the bodie of Christ hang styll vpon the crosse vnto euensong tyme and there abode and taried our blessid ladie and other .iii. women sittyng by the crosse and not knowyng what to doo they wold haue taken downe the bodye and haue buried it but they had no strenght therunto nor yet such instrumentes as ware necessarie for that purpose And to departe leuyng the bodie vpon the crosse they durste not and there to tary or abide y e nyght drawyng nygh they myght not Behold and considre thou deuote soule in what proplexitie they be in and haue compassion on them with all thy herte And as they sat thus in troble and heuines there cam Ioseph of y e citie of Aromathya somtyme called Ramatha where as Helchana and Anna the parentes of the prophet Samuell dwellyd This Ioseph was a riche man and of noble blode and also he was a senatour and had great office in y e courte of the emperour a good man in hym selfe and in y e syght of god iuste to his neyghbour a disciple of Christ but secreate for feare of the Iues he had a truste to come to the kyngdome of god for he dyd in no thyng consent to the cowncell and those maliciouse actes of the Iues. And as saynt Hierom sayth y e fyrst psalme was made of hym Beatus vir c. This holie Ioseph strenghthed thorow theffusion of Christes blode all feare set a part went boldly vnto Pilate not fearyng the malice of the Iues nor yet the powre of Pilate and asked of hym the bodie of Iesu for a great treasure for he preferryd that bodye aboue all erthly treasures though they be neuer so preciouse Pilate meruelyd that Iesus was so soon deed and called to hym a capten of an hundreth men and asked of hym if Iesus ware deed and whan he knew the treuth by that capteyn he gaue the bodie to Ioseph And then Ioseph bought a fayre lynyn clothe for to wrap Christê bodie therin And so Ioseph came not now as a secreat and preuy disciple of Christ but an open disciple of Iesu And also there cam with hym Nichodemus which bifore tyme cam priuely vnto Iesus in the nyght for feare of the Iues but now all feare set a parte he cam with Ioseph and brought with hym of myrre and aloes about an huÌ„dreth pownde weight to anoynt and dresse the bodie of Christ before his buriyng And when they cam nyghe to the place where Christ hang they kneled down and dyd worship our lorde And our ladie perceyuyng that they cam to take downe her soÌ„nys bodie as risyng froÌ„ death her spirit began to quicken and so our ladie receyuyd them at theyr coÌ„myng reuerently And furthwith they prepared them selfe to take down the bodye and our ladie healped as moch as she myght One drewe the nayles out of his handes an other susteyned the bodie that it shulde not fall downe our Lady standyng lifted vp her armes on heyght redy to receyue the body when it shuld com downe and as shortly as she myght touche hym she drew his heade and his handes vpon her sorowfull breste embrasyng and ofte
sygnifie a thyng in the misticall body of our sauiour Christe that is that the bonys of this misticall body which be the perfite men shuld nat be broken or ouercum by iÌ„pacience in any tribulacion or aduersite but that they shulde continue and abyde vnsuperable redy to suffre all thynges vnto the death And though sumtyme they be ouercum in body that ther body is taken and put to prison and paynes yet in mynde and good maners they be neuer ouercum nor broken And therefore they brake nat Christes legges But one of the sawgiours with a speare dyd thrust Christ to the hert and furth with there cam out watre and blode This man was claled Longius and he dyd thus for the pleasure of the Iues which wold be certified of his death This Longyne was then a cruell and a wicked man but afterward he was conuerted and dyed an holy martyr It is sayd that his syght was very feble and as the blode ran downe by the speare from the hert of Christe by chaunche it toched his yen and furthwith he had his syght clerly and so he beleauyd in Christe lefte his sawgiourshyppe and enstructe by the apostles in the fayth of Christ he leuyd an holie monasticall lyue by the space of .xxxviii. yeares in the citie of Cesary in the county of Capadoce and after that he had coÌ„uerted moche peopâ—e to the fayth of Christ by his holie word and good example at last he was put to death for the fayth of Christe And that watre and blode cam out of the syde of Christe it was done for .iii. causes Fyrst for the multiplicacion of myracles It was a boue nature and a very myracle that pure and very blode and pure and very watre shuld com out of any deed bodie And note here that this blod and watre cam not myxte to gether but fyrst very pure blod and after that very pure watre As Symon de Cassia sayth Secondly it was done for the vertue of the sacramentes For of this wounde they had theyr efficacitie and vertue And herunto saynt Austen sayth super Iohannem the euangelist vsed here a very good and a discreat terme sayng Aperuit latus eius Non percussit nec vulnerauit Saynt Iohan sayth that the sawgiour with his spear dyd open the syde of Christ he doth nat say that he smote or wondyd it but opened it that he myght shew that that wounde was as the dore of lyfe from whens all sacramentes haue theyr vertue as we sayd in the .lxiii. article with out the which sacramentes no man may entre in to y e eterne life specially if they may be had Thyrdly this was done to enflame our loue And herunto saynt Austen sayth One of the sawgioures dyd open Christes syde with a speare that by y t open wounde we myght se and know the loue that Christ had in his hert to vs and so therby loue hym the more strongly and faythfully ¶ The .ix. Myracle THe .ix. Myracle was the buriyng of Christ for it was a meruelouse rare and a thyng neuer hard or seen that a person so vilely and rebukfully hangyd vpon the crosse as Christ was shuld be so honorally buryed of great and deuote persons as he was Of this buriyng saynt Iohan sayth Post hec rogauit Pilatum Ioseph ab Aromathia c. After that Christ was deed Ioseph of Aromathy desired Pylate to graunt and gyue to hym the bodie of Iesu This peticion he made for iiii cauâ—es Fyrst for as Crisostome sayth Ioseph supposed that the malice of y e Iues that they had agaynst Christ had ben endyd seyng that they had crucified hym and therfore he went boldly to Pylate and asked y e body Secondly bycause of his familiarytie that he had with Christ for he was the disciple of Christ thoughe then it was nat openly knowen Thyrdly Ioseph was a good man and therfore he fearyd nat to do a good dede Of his goodnes Symon de Casia sayth We may nat iustly reproue this Ioseph in any thyng whome so seriously the euangelist Luke commendith sayng Ecce vir nomine Ioseph qui erat de curio vir bonus et iustus Hic non consenserat consilio et actibus eorum c. Behold saith Luke a man called Ioseph which was a noble man worldly for he was of the ordre of the court or of the councell of the emperour a good man to god iuste to his neighboures This Ioseph dyd nat consent to the counsell and actes or deades of y e Iues agaynst Christ he dwellyd in Aromathy a citie of Iurie and he trusted also and wayted for the kyngdom of god Som sayth he was decurio bycause he was a captayne ouer .x. men And this office agreith to a mistery for he keapt the .x. commaundementes of god and thus for his goodnes he was bolde to aske of Pylate the body of Iesus Forthly it was for his dignytie for as we sayd before he was a noble man and riche and well accept with Pylate and therfore he went the more boldly to Pylate where as a poore mean man durst nat be so bolde And therfore we may say that it was done of the prouision of god that Ioseph shuld haue that riches and noblenes wherby he myght the more honorably burye the body of our sauiour Iesu c. Of this we spake in the .lxiiii. artycle ¶ The .x. Myracle THe .x. Myracle or meruell was the watche keapyng of the sepulcre for y e Iues desyred of Pylate that they myght haue sawgiours to watch and keape the sepulcre which was a rare and a meruelouse thyng that he which was put to so vile and shamefull death shuld be keapt and watched And note that I do nat take a Myracle here properly and in his most propre significacion but largely as euery rare and vn wonte thyng y t is meruelouse may be called so a myracle And of this maruell we spake sufficiently in the .lxv. article of the second parte Of other myracles that ware shewed that tyme ye shal se hereafter in the treates of Bernardyne of the .xii. merulouse frutes of the tree of life and of the wonderouse misteries of the most holye crosse Also ye haue lyke myracles in the fyrst parte of this boke in the fyrst chapiter of the .v. particle c. ¶ Why Christ wold suffre so many and such greiuouse paynes for vs. Capi. ii HEre sum doctours assygne diuerse reasons as it ware by a manere of recapitulation or rehersynge of suche thynges as haue ben spoken byfore of the passion of our lord sayng that Christ suffred so many and so greuouse paynes for vs for that that he wold by euery one of them take from vs som euyll and gyue to vs som good thyng Which thyng is to be diligently attendyd and strongly also continually to be infixed and prynted in our hert We deseruyd by our synnes eternall heuines agaynst the which
with me that moch profyt and comforth myght come to them that shal rede this boke and folowe the exercices therof And thus I coÌ„mende you and all youres to the passion of our lorde From Syon the .vi. day of Decembre 1533. ¶ your dayly oratour Iohan Fewterer ✚ ⧠⧠⧠The Prologue ☞ Inspice et fac secundum exemplar quod tibi monstratum est in monte Exodi 25. D. BEholde and worke accordyngly to the examplar that is shewed vnto the iÌ„ the mounâ— Christ althoughe oftymes in scripture be compared to a mount or so called for the excellency of his moste hyghe perfection yet moste specially in that he was exalted on the crosse in the mount of Caluary he may be called a mount or the excelleÌ„t merit of his moste bitter and sacrate passion In this mount that is in Christ crucified is this day that is by all the tyme of our lyfe shewed vnto vs a glasse or an examplar whome we shuld nat onely beholde but also with moste deligence folowe his steppes for it is nat sufficient to a christian to beholde Christ crucified For so dyd the Iues and also the gentyls his crucifiers But it is required of a Christian y t he lyue and worke accordyngly to the exaÌ„plar shewed to hym in y e mount that is Christe crucified And that is the intent of our fyrst wordes spoken to euery faythful person Beholde and worke accordyngly to the example of Christe crucified Behoâ—de I say hym incorporatyng or depely knittyng his paynfull passion vnto thy hert by inward compassion And worke accordyngly vnto his example vnfaynedly folowyng hym For so saynt Petre teachethe vs sayng Christus passus est pro nobis Christ suffred for vs. This is the fyrst thyng that we shulde diligently beholde with the inwarde ey of our soule Christ crucified And it foloweth Nobis relinquens exemplum vt sequamur vestigia eius Leuyng to vs an example that we myght folowe his steppes In ordryng our lyfe accordyngly to his wyll and example And this is the second thyng belongyng to a christian vnfaynedly and truely to folowe his sauiours example And in these two thynges shall stande the hole suÌ„me of our purpose and of this treatise which be necessary to be ofte remembred vnto the Christian For if the lyues passions of holy sayntes and martyrs be recounted to man to induce hym into deuotion of herte to contricion for his synnes to the loue of god despisyng of the world and patient sufferance or bearyng of tribulations and paynes how moche more than shuld the passion of Christ be remembred and preached whiche is moste holy of al sayntes ye the sanctifier of al sayntes lorde and god ouer al the iudge of quicke the resurrection or reasex of the deed This passion I say shuld be remembred that men hearyng it myght knowe how moche god the father hated synne for the destruction wherof he wold haue the preciouse blode of his moste deare beloued onely son shed vpon the erthe with moste greuouse tormentes and woundes and also that man myght knowe how moche he loued mankynde for whose saluacion he wold gyue his only sonne to so cruell tormentes paynfull death Thyrdly that we should knowe how preciouse and deare a thyng is the kyngdom of heuen which he wold nat open and gyue vnto mankynd but by the preciouse blode and deth of his naturall sonne Iesu Christe And fourthly to declare vnto vs howe moche he soueth and reioyceth in the penaunce of man for the declaration and example wherof he wold his deare byloued sonne to be nayled fast vnto the crosse and spred abrode on y e same as a boke open wherin we myght rede and lerne howe to do penaunce What other thyng do signifie vnto vs his teares or wepyng his sorow his woundes his armes spred abrode and his moste swete and godly wordes but mocioÌ„s and callynges vnto penaunceâ— He hath called vs vnto penauÌ„ce by his worde by his Euangely and moste of all by his holy lyfe and example Therfore behold and loke vpon this examplar glasse loke vpon the face of thy sauiour Christ and worke accordyngly to the exemplar that is shewed to the in the mount of Caluarye And if this spectacle or glasse ought to be beholden at all tymes moche more than it shuld be coÌ„sydered this tyme whaÌ„ the churche remembreth the passion of our sauiour Christe that by the consyderyng therof our soule myght be excited moued to gyue thankes to god for it and also to haue coÌ„passion in our soule of Christ crucified For as almyghty god sayth by his prophet Moises Anima que non fuerit afflicta die hac peribit de populo suo That soule or ê‘son which wyl nat take vpoÌ„ hym some payne affliction or compassion this day or tyme of the passion of our lorde shal peryshe from his people that is shall nat be accompted or taken for a christian Therfore let vs say in signe and token of compassion that whiche saynt Bernard sayd in his mournyng Quis dabit capiti meo aquam c. Who shall grauÌ„t or gyue water vnto me heade or the fountayne and well of teares vnto myne yen that I myght wepe both day and nyght vnto the tyme my lord appere vnto his seruauÌ„t and comfort hym eyther slepyng or wakyng O ye swete teares by whom commeth the plentuouse ryuers of graces O ye deuote teares the aboundaunt fountayne of my helth come into my hert flowe out of myne yen fall vpon my chekes make my mournyng bitter Also in an other place saynt Bernard mouethe vs to the beholdyng of this exaÌ„plar our sauiour crusified saynge in the person of Christ O thou maÌ„ beholde what I suffred for the Se the crosse on the whiche for thy loue I dyed Beholde the nayles wherwith my handes and my fete ware persed and fasâ—ened to the crosse for thy synne Is this no sorowe and payne that I suffered for the And thoughe this outward sorowe payne be moche greuouse yet moche more paynfull it is to me inwardly to se the so vnkynde for whom I suffred all these greuouse tormentes and paynes Wherfore o thou christiaÌ„ behold Christ crucified gyue hym thankes for his kyndnes lesse ê‘aduenture thou mayste hear the rebuke that was spoken vnto .ix. leprose cured by our sauiour Iesu to whose rebuke he sayd Nonne decem mundati sunt et noueÌ„ vbi sunt Was there nat .x. persons cured and but one that was a strauÌ„ger y t gyueth thaÌ„kes for his benefyt receyued wher be y e other .ix. Behold I say Christe crucified remeÌ„bre his kindnes accordyng to y e couÌ„cell of y e wyse maÌ„ sayng Gratiam fide iussoris tui ne obliuiscaris dedit enim pro te animam suam Forget nat y e kyndnes of thy suerte or frende for he hathe gyuen his lyfe for the this shulde be diligently remembred ¶ Here endeth the prologue ¶ The diuision of this
treasure that is with thabundauÌ„t remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passion of Christ through the plentuousnes therof they speake wordes of swetnes and comforth and ioy in a great iustice for they haue the great plentuousnes of graces And herunto the prophet Esay sayth Gaudete super eam gaudâ—o vniuersi qui lugebatis super eam et vt sugatis et repleamini ab vberibus consolationis eius c. All ye that in tyme past mourned or wept in the coÌ„sideration of the passion of Christ ioy now therof in coÌ„siderynge the great profites that cometh therof sucke them that is depely and inwardly considre them that ye may be replenisshed with the teates or pappes of his consolations And also ye shall mylke those pappys that ye may abouÌ„de in all spirituall pleasure by the consideration of his great glorie In the remembrauÌ„ce of the passion of Christe when we considre his most greuous paynes and how y t we were the cause of them thorowe our vnkyndnes and synnes then we sucke out of it sorowe and heuynes And when we considre what profit comethe therof vnto mankynde then we suck out of it great comforth and ioy And these two be the teetes or pappys of the whiche the prophet Esay speaketh and of the whiche the faythfull people sucke great comforth in receyuynge the sacrament of the bodye of our lorde From these pappys whan they be sucked cometh the mylke of chastitie and puritie of lyfe and also the swetnes of all vertue And when they be milked with our handes that is when nat only we considre the passion of Christe as is before sayd but also in our lyung and werkes we coÌ„forme our self therunto and werke therafter Then we mylke and drawe them and so shal we flowe in thaboundaunce of spirituall pleasures thorough the consolation of the holy gost We myght also here for our purpose bryng in the saynge of our lorde in the gospell where as he sayth Gaudium erit angelis dei in celo super vno peccatore penitentiam agente quam super nonaginta nouem iustis There is more ioy in heuen vnto the aungelles of god vpon one sinner conuerted from synne and doyng true penaunce then of nynety and nyne iust and ryghtuous men that nede no penaunce Who is this one synner but our sauiour Iesu Christe whiche thoughe he were no synner in dede yet he was reputed as the most great sinner and so he wold be reputed and taken for he came to beare our synnes and to do penaunce and to suffer for all our synnes ¶ How we may coÌ„sidre Christes passion to resolue or relent our hertes in to Christe and his passion Chaptre v. FYftly we shulde coÌ„sidre the most blessed passion of our sauiour Christe to resolue and relent our hertes in to our sauiour Christe and in to his passion And that by a perfite transformynge of our selfes in to hym And that is done whan nat only we do folowe that passion haue coÌ„passion therof do meruayll therof and ioy therof But also in a maner the hole man is conuerted in to our lord and sauiour Iesus Christe crucified so that in a maner at all tymes and in all places Christe crucified is present with hym And ferthermore that person is then in his mynde abstract and withdrawen from all thynges and eleuate or lyfted vp aboue all pure creatures and holly conuerted in to his lorde god crucified for vs. But this conuersion and relentynge of our hertes in to Christ crucified can nat coÌ„ueniently be except there be a congruitie or a conuenient proporcion taken of some similitude bytwixt our hertes and the sacrament of the aulter receyued of vs sacramentally or elles spiritually with the remeÌ„braunce of the passion of our lorde crucified for vs. For as the philosopher sayth that nothynge noryssheth but that whiche is lyke vnto the thyng norysshed Wherfore sith this heuenly and spiritual foode that is the bodye of our lorde doth moche norysshe it folowethe that it must be moche lyke vnto the person norysshed The digestion or norysshyng is then whan the meate is altered and conuerted in to the thyng norisshed And therfore for that the materiall and corporall foode or meate is coÌ„uerted in to that bodye that is fedde it foloweth that the digestion must be both of the meat and of the drynke Herunto it is writen in the first boke of the kyngê Digere paulisper vinum quo mades Digest that wyne that thou hast dronke But in this spirituall meate for asmoche as it is nat tourned in to vs but coÌ„trarie wyse we be coÌ„uerted in to it it foloweth that the digestion must be in vs vnto the similitude of this heuenly and holsome meate And this similitude or congruite of this spirituall meate vnto the person fed standeth in .v. thynges that is in our digestion or conuersion in to this heuenly meate in the similitude of ymage in the coÌ„formitie of nature in the fayrnes or good ordre of our coÌ„uersation and in the takynge of our miserie by paynes in a maner vntollerable And these .v. bene more largely declared by the great clerke and noble doctor called Albertus Magnus in his boke de Eucharistia that he wrote of the sacrament in a chapitre of these same .v. thynges ¶ How we may considre Christes passion to rest our selfes swetely therin Chaptre .vi. SExtly we shulde considre this most blessed passion to reste our selfe moste swetely therin And that is whan our herte as we in the last coÌ„sideration sayd relented coÌ„uerted and transformed in to our lorde crucified doth nat yet cease but with a feruent desyre remembreth the sayd passion entryng mekely and deuoutly in to that hyghe and depe treasure of Christes passion as farre as is possible for man meltynge and relentyng thoroughe loue and feruent deuotion in a maner fayntyng or faylyng in our selfe and restyng in our lorde Christe Iesu crucified for vs. And then in how moche the more we faynt or fayle from our selfe so moche the more we rest and cleue vnto our dearebeloued lord crucified for vs. So that these .ii. that is this rest or cleuyng to our lorde and this feruent deuotion of loue do augment and encrease them selfe in them selfe for the one helpeth the other For as we sayd before the more that our nature is oppressed ouercome and doth languysshe or waxe seke for loue the more it approcheth and draweth nygh vnto her dearebelouyd and the more grace we receyue our inwarde man that is our soule is dayly visited with newe visitations and reformed vnto the ymage of god vnto the tyme that it holly faylynge in it selfe be absorpte and taken in to that feruent chymney of loue of the passion of our moste beloued Iesu and there to rest swetely as the spousesse swetely restynge in the armes or bosome of her dearebeloued spouse the whiche sayth thus in his canticles Adiuro vos filie sion ne euigilare faciatis dilectam donec ipsa velit
and to the signe of the crosse of the whiche the deuyll is afrayd and by it he is chased away lyke as the dogge is afrayd and fleith away whan he seith a staffe lyfted vp And no meruayll for thorowe the vertue of the passion of Christe the whiche he suffered on the crosse the deuyll was smyten downe and ouercome Herunto speaketh the prophet Esay saynge A voce domini pauebit Assur virga percussus Assur smyten with the rodde of god shall feare the voyce of god Assure is asmoche to say by interpretation as Negotiator a marchaunt that laboureth in many places or labours and it signifieth the deuyll the whiche laboryng and ronnynge about the worlde searcheth whome he myght deuoure he is neuer idle but for as moche as he was ons smyten with the rodde of the crosse in the passion of Christe Therfore he is greatly afrayd whan so euer he seeth the signe of the crosse made of that persone that faythfully calleth on the father on the sonne and on the holy gost saynge In nomine patris et filij et spiritus sancti Moreouer lyke as a knyght or any other valiant man ouercome in battel wolde be ashamed to abyde in that chambre or place where as his falle or vaynquesshynge were paynted so the deuyll ouercome thorowe the passion of Christe wyll in no meanys abyde in that soule where as he seeth the passion of Christe lyuely paynted by diligent remembraunce therof ¶ The .v. profit Erroneorum reuocat pusilla nimitatem THe meditation of the passion of Christe doth call agayne those that bene in erroure For Christe hath made a caller or a lewer of his owne bodye dyed made reed with his owne precious blode to call agayne his hawkes the whiche hath flowen away from the hande of the noble man that is the soule of them that haue forsaken Christe by synne or erroure Of whom the prophet Osee sayth Effraim quasi auis auolauit Effraim hath taken his flyght lyke vnto a wylde hawke Effraim is asmoche to say by interpretation as fat or encreased and it signifieth those persons that be encreased and made fatte in worldly and carnall pleasures or in folowynge of theyr owne frowarde wylles and sensuall reasons Suche persons haue taken theyr flyght from the loue of god and if they wyll nat retourne and come agayne to the voyce of the caller or preacher or at the shewynge of his lewer that is at the remembraunce of the passion of Christe he wyll dimysse them leaue them to the rauynous faucououre of hell to the deuyll It is wryten by the prophete Hyeremye that our lorde sayth thus Reuertere ad me et ego suscipiam te Thoughe thou haste done neuer so many synnes or folowed all hereses yet retourne to me and I shall receyue the. Also our lorde saythe by the prophete Esay Reuertere ad me ê™ redemi te Retourne to me thou synner or erroneous persone for I haue redemed the and bought the agayne with my precious blode and passion Take hede vnto this callynge and obey therunto for I assure you it is moche perilous and daungerous to withstand it And it apereth wel by the wordes of our lorde spoken by the wyse man saynge Vocaui et renuistis extendi manum meam et non erat qui aspiceret ego quoque in interitu vestro ridebo I haue called you and ye refused to come to me I haue extendyd my hand with greate gyftes and benefites I haue shewed vnto you my lewer shed my precious blode for you and ye wolde nat regarde these thyngê and therfore I shal be glad ioyful of your ê‘dicion ¶ The .vi. profit Flagiciorum dibilitat pronitatem THis meditation of the passion of Christe doth enfeble make weyke and subdue our pronitie and redynes vnto vice And therfore saynt Austen sayth Whan so euer my foule cogitation doth moue me then I ruÌ„ne to the woundes of Christ Whan the flesshe or the sensualytie therof doth oppresse me I ryse agayne thoroughe the remembraunce of the woundes of my lorde god If the fyer of carnal coÌ„cupisceÌ„ce enflame my meÌ„bres it is quenchyd by the remembraunce of the sonne of god Also Origene sayth Suche is the vertue of the crosse that if it be in the syght of man and faythfully holden and kepte in his herte so that feruently and deuoutly that man beholde and remembre the deth and passion of Christe there shall no concupiscence no carnall motion no furie or angre nor any enuy ouercome that persone but sodenly at the presence and syght of that passion all vice and synne shal be chased and dryuen away ¶ The .vii. profit Gaudiorum donat vbertatem IT gyueth vnto man great plentie of spirituall ioy Herevnto speaketh the prophet Esay saynge Haurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus saluatoris Ye shall drawe from the profound and depe misterie of the pitie and mercy of god waters that is abundaunce of teares in ioy of deuotion from the wellys and fountayns that is from the woundes of our sauiour Christe the which at one tyme dyd shed furth blode in great abundaunce but now dayly and coÌ„tinually they bryng furth the incessable waters of grace Wherfore the deuout soule restynge in this meditation sayth in the canticles Sub vmbra illius quem desideraueram sedi et fructus eius duicis gutturi meo I haue sitten rested me vnder the shadowe of hym whom I desired and his frute is pleasaunt to my mouth and tastynge And therfore Celestine sayth those holy sayntes and seruauntes of god bene dyed in the blode of the most holy that shed his blode for them when they be crucified with Christe crucified that is when they haue compassion of his sorowfull paynes of deth and ioy in his loue and with his ioyfull loue drynkynge his blode and eatynge his flesshe embrasynge or halsynge with great pleasure his crosse and paynfull deth lyekynge and suckyng his woundes entryng in to his most louyng herte that was opened with a spere and naylynge them selfe fast to hym vnseparably with the nayles of true and faythfull loue These persons I say ben dyed colored with the blode of Christ ¶ The .viii. profit Horrorum vitat perpetuitatem THis meditation of the passion of Christe oft remembred doth deliuer vs from the paynes of hel And herunto saint Paule sayth Expolians principatus et potestates glosa 〈◊〉 inferni Our sauiour Christ spoilynge the principates and powers of hel of theyr pray that is of Adam Noe Abraham and all other ryghtuous persons brought them to heuen with greate power And therfore who so wyll nat occupy his mynde with the meditation of the passion of Christe it is to be feared of his dampnation For as saynt Gregory sayth The worde of god and specyally of the passion of Christe is the meate and foode of y e soule and as a quasye or seke stomake casteth vp the meat that it receyueth so
to whom he had gyuen in coÌ„maundmeÌ„t to trouble and punisshe the people of the world saynge Nolite nocere terre et mari neque arboribus quoadusque signemus seruos dei nostri in frontibus eorum Noy nat nor hurte the erth nor the see ne yet the trees vnto suche tyme we haue marked the seruauntes of our lorde god in theyr forheedes that is with the signe of the crosse and that we do by the meditation of the passion of Christe In figure herof the aungell that dyd kyl and sley the fyrst gotten both of man and of beest thoroughout all Egipte dyd spare and saue hermles the Iues whose houses or postes of theyr doores were sprynkeled with the blode of the lambe Also saynt Gregory in his second boke of his Dialogê sheweth y t when one certen malicious person purposing to poison saint Benedict dyd gyue vnto hym wyne mixted with poyson he made the signe of the crosse and anone the cuppe brake in to pecys and so escaped the peryll of deth thoroughe the vertue of the crosse ¶ The .xiiii. profit Orthodoxorum speificat timiditatem IT also gyueth great hope and truste vnto faythfull people And herunto saynt Barnarde expounynge these wordes of the canticle In foraminibus petre sayth thus I shall speke these thynges I shall sure abyde and rest in the hooles of the stone that is in the woundes of my sauiour for I haue set my feet surevpon that stone though the worlde frowne and be troubled with me and the flesshe or sensualitie stryue agaynst me and also the deuyll ley in await of me I shall nat fall for I haue set my fete and affection or loue vpon a sure stone I haue offendyd in a greuouse and dampnable synne my soule therby shall be troubled or vexed but it shal nat be vtterly cast downe by dispaire for I shal remembre the wouÌ„des of my sauyour Iesu for he was wounded for my synnes Also saint Austin sayeth Longius opened the side and herte of my sauiour Iesu for me that I myght entre therein And I haue entred therin and do rest there surely quietly The nayles and the spere do call crye vnto me that I may be truely reconsiled vnto Christe yf that I wyll loue hym ¶ The .xv. profite Peccatorum aduocat viuacitatem THis meditacion induceth and bryngeth to man the grace of god whiche is the lyfe of the soule and therefore saynte Bernard sayeth As ofte as that person that deuoutely remeÌ„breth the passion of Christe breâ—â—eth receyueth brethe agayne so ofte he receyueth a new gyft of grace and grace is the life of the soule Phisiciens don say that whan a sicke man wepyth it is a signe token of lyfe So whan a synner wepyth for coÌ„passion of the passion of our lorde it is a signe of the lyfe of grace and quickenes of the soule And therfore sayeth the prophete Hieremy in his lamentacions Spiritus oris nostri xâ—s dominus captus est in pecatis nostris cui dicimus In vmbra tua viuemus Our lorde Christe the spirite of our mouthe that is to saye the spirite whereby our soule liueth lyke as the body liueth by the ayre or brethe receiued at the mouthe This spirite Christe I say giuynge lyfe vnto the soule is taken in our synnes that is he suffred payne dethe for our synnes We shall lyue in his shadow that is we shal haue the lyfe of grace thrughe the deuout feruent remembraunce of that his dethe and passion And so Christe by his blessid passion doeth gyue the lyfe of nature the lyfe of grace the lyfe of glory Fyrste I say he giueth the lyfe of nature for dede men after his passion resurrection dyd ryse vnto lyfe agayne appered vnto many in Hierusalem Secondly he giueth the lyfe of grace for many after his passion were conuerted vnto the faythe And he gyueth also the lyfe of glory as it well appered in the thefe to whom he sayd whaÌ„ he was fast nayled on the crosse Hodie mecuÌ„ eris iÌ„ paradiso This day shalt thou be with me in glory Also hereunto speketh saynt Bernarde sayenge The tree of the crosse yf there be any man that wyll gader it by feruent meditacion doeth burgyn and brynge furth lyfe it fructifieth ioy gladnes it droppeth oile of confort it sweteth the balme of spiritual gracê This tree of life is no wilde vnfruitfull tree to them y t wyll gader it Also saint Austin sayth The blood of the phisicien is shed to make a medecin for the mad sicke soule The soule spouse of Christe sayth in the canticles Sub vmbra illiê° queÌ„ desideraui sedi et fructê° eius dulcis gutturi meo I haue sittten restyd vnder y e shadow of him in whom is all my desyre confort his fruit is swete pleasauÌ„t vnto my taste For who so euer doeth sauourly taste of the fruit of the crosse all carnall pleasure shal be vnsauoury to hym ¶ The .xvi. profite Quassatorum mitigat aduersitatem THis meditacion of the passion of Christ doeth mitigate swage all tribulacions doeth giue pacience in all aduersities so maketh vs quiet Herunto speketh saint Paule sayng Recogitate euÌ„ qui taleÌ„ sustinuit a pâ—toÌ„ribê° coÌ„tradictioneÌ„ aduersê° semetipsuÌ„ vt non fatige mini animis vestris deficieÌ„tes RemeÌ„bre hym that suffred great contradiction of synners against him selfe that is suche rebukes slaunderous wordes at last moost painefull deth that ye by suche remembrauÌ„ce shuld nat faynt in your myndes whan ye suffre aduersities As yf he shulde saye ye can nat faynte or be ouercom in your tribulacions yf ye haue the deuout remembraunce of his paines passion And this approueth saint Austin sayenge There is nothynge so harde or painfull but y t it may be easely borne yf the passion of Christe be quicke ferueÌ„t in our myndes And this is y e reason herof for the lesse passion or payne is nat perceyued or at leest it is nat regarded where as y e more greuous payn or passion is felt or doeth occupy the minde of man And therefore Auicenna sayeth that suche persones as be in feruent agues or axes doeth nat fele or perceiue the apostume And so the passion of Christe yf it be ferueÌ„tly remembred it putteth away all worldly tribulacion For lyke as wyne thoughe it be sumwhat stronge sharpe of it selfe yf it be myxte with suger and other spyces or be put in the potecarye spiced bagge so go thrugh it it is made moost dulce pleasant So the tribulacioÌ„s of this worlde yf they be ioyned mixte with the remembraunce of the passion of Christe they be moche pleasant confortable to the soule And therfore our lorde sayeth vnto his spouse the soule in his canticles Dabo tibi poculum ex vino condito I shall gyue to the Ipocras for
latin Aureola a circle or a litle crowne which is a special ioy of y e soule giueÌ„ to maÌ„ for sum excelleÌ„t act don iÌ„ this life it is only giueÌ„ to martirs for their martirdoÌ„ to virgins for virginite kept for y e loue of god to doctors or prechers for theyr tethyng y e truthe of god And thus it apereth manifestly how y t in the blessyd passioÌ„ of Christe doth shine as in a most pure glas all the beatitude of man all the plentiousnes of grace glorye All glory I say that is bothe thessenciall glory of the soule that consisteth in the vision tencion or surety fruicion of the deity that ben called the .iii. dowries of the soule And also the consubstanciall glory that is the .iiii. dowries of the body also the accidentall glory Wherfore sithe in Christes passion is thexcellent manifestacion or declaracion of his most high power moost high wisdom most high goodnes therfore this passioÌ„ is to all y e seruauÌ„tes of god a mater cause of moost excellent ioy gladnes And therfore though men ioy consideryng them selfe to be redemed by this glorious passion haue great profite therby also aungels ioye knowynge theyr ruine repared by the same passion consideryng this thynge as to theyr owne ioye profite Yet I beleue so it is that both aungels men do more ioye be glad without comparison referryng all these thynges to god and hoolly or all to gyder extendynge theyr cogitacions myndes to the glory of god than they dyd considerynge theyr owne glory profite that they haue by the sayd passion Moreouer as here appereth the most high inestimable charite shewing of the goodnes of god outwardely to the great confort of aungell man so I beleue so it is that bothe auÌ„gell man in theyr moost excellent full maner don shew their loue with great ioy gladnes glorifieng and praysyng and louyng god for that excellent gifte eternally without ende in glory ¶ In this passion also doeth shyne the vertues theologicall the giftes of the holy goost the beatitudes of the gospell also the fruites of the spirite The .iiii. Chapiter FYrst in this passion appere the vertues theologicall For this passion of our lorde is y e streÌ„gth fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of all christen faith It is therection reysynge vp of our hope also it is thinflamacion kyndelynge of our loue charity for here he dyd offre hym selfe for vs. SecoÌ„dly in this passion don shine as in a glasse the giftes of the holy goost the gift of wisdom vnderstandyng y e gyft of couÌ„cell strength of science of pitie also of the feare of god of the whiche we shall speke herafter in dyuerse singuler chapiters Thirdly in this passion don appere y e .viii. beatitudê for this passion is theyr fouÌ„tayn begynnyng theyr allectiue exemplar Who may be called so pore in spirite as Christ y t hyng naked vpoÌ„ the crosse Who may be named so mylde as Christ the which as a milde laÌ„be was led vnto the deth whaÌ„ he was scourged bet buffeted scorned falsly slauÌ„dered wolde nat ones open his mouthe to contrary them Who was so mournyng as he Whiche with teres and a loude mournynge voice prayed for his enemies and he for his reuerence as saynt Paule sayeth was herde of god But than he more mourned our synnes than his owne payne as we shall shew hereafter He had more compassion of vs than of hym selfe Who fardermore do so moche hunger and thurst iustice as Christe whiche by the payne of the crosse dyd satisfye for our synnes and so dyd reconsile vs vnto his father hungeryng and thyr stynge the helthe and saluacion of our soules And in token herof he sayd hangynge vpon the crosse Sitio I thyrste and desyre the helth of mannes soule Who also was so mercifull as Christe the very true samaritane the which where as the preest and Leuite passed by the wounded men nat regardynge hym wasshed his woundes with wyne and anointed them with oile byndyng vp his woundes and layeng the wounded man vpon his bâ—est that is vpon his owne body suffryng deth for our sinnes so led him vnto thostry of holy chirch c. And where I pray you was there so muche puritie and clennes of herte as in Christe which as an innocent lambe was offred vpon the crosse for vs wasshyng and clensynge our vnclene synfull hertes with his precyous blood And who also was so peaceful as Christe whiche was our peace and corner stone ioynynge into one people of god the Iues and the Gentiles whiche also by his passion dyd pacify vs vnto god in his bloode Moreouer who so verely suffered persecucion for iustice as Christe which for his iustice that he preached and shewed vnto the Iues was crucified truely he myght well be called blessed for the worldly and deuelysshe people cursed hym or spake euyll of hym and made many false lyes and slaunders of hym These be the .viii. beatitudes the whiche Christe taught in the gospell and gaue vs example in his owne persone how we shuld fulfyll them Fourthely in the passion of Christe don clerely appere the .xii. fruites of the spirite Of the which saint Paule sayth Fructus spiritus est charitas gaudium c. The fruites of the spirite ben these charitie ioye peace pacieÌ„ce loÌ„ganimitie goodnes benignitie mildenes or gentilnes fayth For in this passion restyth the foundacion and strength of our faith as concernynge his obiecte or subiect It foloweth in the wordes of saint Paule continence good maners and chastitie All these do manifestly shyne in this passion dethe and crosse of Christe as we shall declare more at large hereafter And therefore it conueniently foloweth in saynt Paule Qui christi sunt carnem suam crufixerunt cuÌ„ viciis et concupiscentiis Who so be the childeren of Christe they do cruâ—isy and subdue theyr bodies and also all vices and inordinate concupiscence This sayd saynt Paule to shewe manifestly vnto vs that these .xii. fruites do hange vpon the moost holy tree of the crosse suche persones do take gader them there whiche conforme them self vnto Christe crucified For by vertuouse operacions in folowynge the lyfe and pacience of our sauiour Iesu Christe men be made vertuouse for suche beholde the lyfe and dethe of our lorde with diligence remembre it by ofte and feruent meditacion and also haue pleasure therein and folow it as theyr frailtie wyll suffre them And so they be made apte to the reparacion of thorder of vertues as we sayd before and shall say more hereafter ¶ By the passion of Christe we haue the efficacitie and vertue of all spirituall goodnes The fyfte Chapiter BY the fruitfull and gloryouse passion of Christ there is ministred vnto vs habundantly the matter of all spirituall goodes For where is or shulde be
habebitis in me autem pacem Ye shall haue trouble oppression in the worlde but in me ye shal haue peace rest Our lorde fed the people twise in y e wyldernes nat in any other place Also the Iues eat Manna in the wildernes to signify that we can nat haue y e consolacion of god but in the desert that is whan we forsake all worldly pleasures Of this wildernes it is wryten by the prophet Esay sayeng Erit desertum Libanus in Charmel et Charmel in saltum reputabitur The desert or wood of Libane shal be as the mount of Charmeli Charmel shal be reputed as a grene wood Charmelê° or Charmel is as muche to say by interpretacion as a laÌ„be or tendernes And it signifieth that who so euer be in the spirituall deserte of the whiche we spake of before he shal perceiue the tendernes and paynes of our spirituall lambe Christe and also receyue his delites and heuenly confortes and so shall be grene and flourisshyng in all vertues and spirituall consolacions ¶ The seuen gyftes of the holy goost are conteyned in this passion and thrugh the feruent remembraunce therof they may be opteyned And fyrste of the gyfte of feare of god The syxte Chapitre O My moost dere beloued brother thou mayst behold in this most glorious passion of Christe the whiche I am vnworthy to meane seuen ascencions correspondynge to the seuen folde grace or gyftes of the holy goost that is the gyfte of wisdome and of vnderstandynge of science and goostly strengthe of councell and of pitie and the gyfte of the feare of god Fyrste I say by the ofte continuall and deuoute remembraunce of the passyon of our lorde is gyuen to man the gyfte of the feare of god and that agaynst the false surety of this present lyfe his most wicked promyse wherby many men beÌ„ withdrawen froÌ„ the loue of god letted froÌ„ theyr true couersion vnto hym For this fere constreyneth men to do well and with all theyr herte to dyspyse all worldly pleasures And therfore a deuout doctour sayeth y t fere is y e auoidaunce of euyll the prosecucion or wynnynge of goodnes It is the begynnynge of godly wysdome thexpulsion of ignoraunce By fere all the perfection of actyue lyfe also of contemplatyue is preserued and kept so that all bondage or seruile fere be excluded For who so euer thrugh the feruent deuout remeÌ„braunce of this passion is crucified with Christe to thauoidaunce of euyll gettyng of goodnes to the stablisshment of his mynde mekyng of his hert therunto he is prepared induced by the gyft of y e fere of god that in this maner A man seyng consideryng that the son of god our lord god in the nature of man suffred so great paines for our synnes how he punisshed our synne so greuously in hym selfe moost innocent iudge moost pure very god More ouer what paines rebukes turmentes he is worthy which dyd y t wickednes most abhominable syn for whiche the moost innocent amorous or louely Iesu so greuously was turmeÌ„ted Thinkynge also herby how muche this his syn dyd displease the hygh maiesty of god how muche god dyd abhorre it so muche I say he abhorred it y t he wold rather suffre his son his own naturall onely son to dye than that syn shuld reigne in man it was more pleasure to hym to gyue his dere beloued son to the most shamfull dethe of the crosse than y t he wold suffre any loÌ„ger tyme y e shamefastnes of our syn Furthermore a man seyng consideryng how muche he offeÌ„deth the high maiesty of god by his continuauÌ„ce in actually synnyng offendyng his high goodnes conteÌ„pnynge or litle regardyng the passion of Christe therby his redemption but dayly offendynge doyng asmuche as lieth in hym to crucify Christe agayne put hym to those moost shamefull cruell turmentes A man I say consideryng all these thynges no maruell though in suche consideracion he treÌ„ble quake before the preseÌ„ce of god whom he hath so greuously offended be ferefull shake as the aspen lefe y t is continually blowen moued by the wynde so by fere thinke hym selfe worthy of hym selfe nothyng els but distruction or daÌ„pnacion so he may in suche consideracions vtterly dispise hym selfe opteyne the feare of god Wherfore good deuout brethern let vs haue a recourse coÌ„sider depely our own vanities and sinnes and also the high maiestie goodnes of god whom we haue so greuously offended And so let vs meke our self before hym asmuche as we may For all that we can do is to lytle considering his maiesty our wickednes Let vs therfore fere be asshamed to lifte vp our iyes vnto heueÌ„ But knock vpon our brestes pray with y e Publican y t he of infinite goodnes wold be mercyfull to vs synners It is a great mercy yf it wolde please hym to beholde or loke vpon vs whiche haue contempned dispised hym for a tryfle or a lytle vayne pleasure of the flesshe or of the worlde Wherfore as is sayd let vs thrugh the consideracion fere of his maiesty repute our selfe as nought herafter thynk our selfe moost vile and vnworthy any goodnes so let vs arme our selfe agaynste our wyckednes and synne and so be our owne proper Iuges Let vs reuenge punysshe in our selfe thiniury offence that we haue done agaynste god and subdue our selfe as muche as we may And let euery one of vs say thus in him selfe or to hym selfe If my lorde god be thus dispised tourmented for my sake for my synne how may I spare my selfe from punysshment and payne that hathe synned or how may I desyre or loke for any pleasure here God forbyd that I shulde at any tyme presume to desyre any thynge of pleasure or dignity but rather dispise my selfe repute my selfe as moost vile detestable and abhominable stynkynge carayn or dunge whose stynche I in my selfe can nat sustayn or bere for I haue dispised my lord god For my wretchydnes he suffred dethe Now myn owne raymentes abhorre me and all creatures dispise me for I haue contempned the creatoure and maker of all thynges What yf all creatures now myght haue voice and shulde speke wolde nat they thynke you speke on this maner This is he moost wicked and abhominable that haue contempned our lorde god he hath loued vanitie more than god he hath abused all vs the creatures of god wyllyng rather to serue the deuyll than our lorde He hathe derided contempned by his abhominable vyces the power wisdome and goodnes of god He hath feryd or drad more man than god He hathe more desyred the mucke of this world than the moost high and pure goodnes He wolde neither be drawen to goodnes by the swete giftes of god ne yet feryd by his terrible ferefull
passion of our sauioure Iesu Christe that by the feruent remembrance of the sayd passion he myght entre into these most depe treasures of the goodnes of god vnto the tyme that soule or mynde be depely entred into Christe crucified and in a maner absorpte drowned thrugh or in the feruent loue of Christe crucified And than that soule shall receiue the gyfte of science know how to order his werkes accordyngly vnto right reason and applie hym selfe vnto the conformitie of Christe And this is it that we sayd in the begynnynge of this chapiter that the gyfte of science moueth a man to lyue iustly truely in this wretched worlde where as flourysshe many froward and wicked persones and amonges them to defende his faithe and to haue true compunction in his hert The spirite of science or knowledge is for that intent gyuen vnto man that that spirite enterynge into the herte or soule of man shulde instruct hym in thynges necessary for his saluacion and shulde moue hym to true compunction sorow for his offences that man shulde know that what so euer payne or tribulacion he hath it is for his synnes and if he be pacient for his great profite And what so euer goodnes he hathe it is of the mercy and grace of god And so thereby he shulde lerne to be euer subiect to god and to praise hym in all werkes neuer to murmure against hym but in all thynges and at all tymes to shew mekenes and pacience and euer confesse god to be iust and true in all his werkes and so folow thexample of Christe which is the myrroure of pacience and also the rewarde eternall of the true and meke pacieâ—t Moreouer by the true compunction of herte whiche springeth of mekenes thrugh thoperacion and help of this godly science is swaged the wrathe indignacion of the mynde And contrary wayes wrathe doeth ouercum and spiritually slee the vnwise person that wanteth this gyfte of scyence As whan in aduersitie he is moued or styred and also blynded by the vice of impacience in so muche that he doeth nat know that suche paines and tribulacions as he suffereth cummeth to hym by his owne demerites and synnes Or els whan he is lyfted vp in prosperitie he is so blinded by pryde that he will nat know how that all the goodnes that he hath cummeth of god And lyke as we se in daily experience that after rayne cummeth fayre wedder so after the vertue of true compunction and sorowe for our synnes foloweth the rewarde of consolacion For who so euer wyll freely punyssh hym selfe in this lyfe for the loue of god he shall fynde hereafter a true ioye and gladnes without ende And therfore our sauiour sayth Beaâ—i qui lugent quoniam consolabuntur Blessed be they that wepe and mourne in this lyfe for the loue of god for they shall be conforted And this is the thyrde beatitude whiche correspondeth to the gyfte of science For as saynt Austin sayeth science is accordynge to mourners Right iudgement of creatures or to iudge truely of creatures perteineth vnto the gyfte of science For oftymes men thrugh thoccasion of creatures turne them selfe from god and so commyt greuouse synne as the wyse man sayeth Creature facte sunt in odium muscipulam pedibus insipientium Creatures made of maÌ„ to the seruice of god thrugh the synne of man ben made to the hatred of man and as a trap or a snare to the fete of vnwise men for asmuche as suche men wantynge right iudgemente and knowledge of the creatures do put theyr full confidence and trust in them whiche they shulde haue put in god and so consequently they do synne and lese the true infinite goodnes And this great damage of man is made knowen to man by the right iudgement of creatures whiche he hath by this gyfte of science And therefore coâ—ueniâ—â—tly is the beatitude of mournynge assigned to reaunswere vnto the gyfte of science Whiche graunt vnto vs that moost tender calfe that hynge vpon the crosse for vs. Amen ¶ An example of this gyfte of the spirite of science Chapitre .xi. OF this gifte of discrecion and of science we may haue example in the foresayde blessed woman Maria de Ogines Of whoÌ„ it is wryten in y e histories of Vincent as foloweth For asmuche as to this blessed woman in auoidyng all euill by the spirite of the feare of god in doynge good by the spirite of pitie was also necessary a warenes a circumspection of discretion therefore almighty god the father of light and knowledge whose vnction and spirite teacheth vs in all thynges necessary dyd illuminate lyghten his doughter Marie with the spirite of godly science And that without doubt was thrugh her continuall and feruent remeÌ„braunce of Christes passion God I sayde gaue to her the gyfte of knowlege that thereby she might know what was to be done and whaÌ„ and what was to be auoided and that all her sacrâ—fices and paines taken for god she might order with discrecion For oftymes vice wyll shew hym selfe to be vertue and euyll oftymes is taken vnder the colour of goodnes And whan we wold auoide one vice oftimes we fall into the contrary vice and therfore this spirite of godly knowledge is necessary for vs. Sumtyme this blessed woman whan she was made one spirite with god was ioyned vnto hym with the glew of feruent loue to hyr great pleasure and swetenes If she herde of the cummynge of straungers to speke with her she wold I say sumtyme with great violence withdrawe her selfe from that great pleasure of contemplacion from the swete halsynges of her spouse Christ lesse that she shuld slaundre those straungers I say she wolde withdraw her mynde from that contemplacion with so great vehemence of sorow that sumtyme she voyded or spytted pure blood that in great quantitie to her great payne and affliction Wyllyng rather so to punisshe her selfe with that great martyrdom than to trouble or vnquyet the peace and quyetnes of her systeren and bretheren and specyally of pylgrymes or strauÌ„gers Yet suÌ„tyme whan she knew thrughe the reuelacion of the holy goost the cummynge of sum straungers a good tyme before they cam she wolde go pryuely into the feldes or woodes nygh vnto her cell and there wolde she hyde her selfe that vnneth or scarcely hyr owne company myght fynde her all thoughe they searched for hyr all the daye And sumtyme contrarye wayes whan she was in slepe yf there cam to hyr pore and symple persons for theyr necessitie or conforte she was sodaynly awaked and compellyd to ryse onely by thoperacion and mouynge of the holy goost whiche than sayd vnto hyr Spede the there is one that abydeth for the to speke with the nat for any curiositie but for very necessitie Moreouer though this blessyd woman with a meruelouse discrecion kept alwayes peace with hyr neighbours and nat onely with them that were good
no wyse man wolde gladlye or lyghtely lese that thynge whiche he bought so derely with his owne preciouse blood yf he might with any iustice or ryghtfully kepe it And so considerynge these she conceyueth in hyr selfe a hope and trust of forgiuenes And thaÌ„ she maketh hyr supplicacion prayer to god for his fauour grace promyseth to make amendes for hyr offences synnes as farre as it is possible for hyr to do ThaÌ„ she beholdeth considereth his house that our Salomon hathe made that is hyr owne body soule how hyr soule is made to that intent that it shulde be the house temple of the holy goost Also she coÌ„sidereth how gloryous goodly this house was made that is to thimage similitude of god And how vylely shamefully she hath defoiled it by hyr owne synne And so she beginneth to haue wonder maruell of the great mercy of god that so mercyfully wolde spare the synfull soule Secondly she beholdeth y e meates of his table or borde that is she coÌ„sidereth how mercifully he doeth nouryssh fede synners with his benefites though indede they be nat worthy to haue the bread that they eate Thyrdly our synfull Saba considereth his ministers seruantes that is she seeth how all creatures were create and made of god for to do seruyce vnto man and how they contynue they obedience and seruyce vnto man though man be inobedient vnto his lorde god creatour maker and so for his inobedience and synne vnworthy the seruice of any creature Fourthely she considereth theyr vestures and garmentes that is how mercyfully our lorde hytherto hath hyd and couered the priuy sinnes of our synfull soule though all thynges ben open to his syght and knowledge Fyftely she seynge his buttlers doeth consyder howe benignely our lorde god doeth byrle and gyue to vs the wyne of contricion and deuocion And therefore the prophete Dauid sayeth Potasti nos vino compunctionis Thou haste gyuen vs to drynke the wyne of compunction and sorow for our synnes Syxtely she beholdeth the oblacions that our Salomon doeth dayly offre that is how Christ offred hym selfe freely vpon the aulter of the crosse for our synnes and how the same body and bloode is dayly offered in the chyrche for our spirituall conforte And this oblacion excedeth all the other benefites of god gyuen to man And thus our quene Saba our synnefull soule hauynge the iyen of hyr wysdome in hyr hede Christe that is beholdynge and depely considerynge all the premisses she faynted and hyr spyryte fayled hyr She had no spyryte that is of synne iniquitie for that hath now lefte hyr And bicause now the holy spirite of god hath entred into that soule the wycked and vnclene spirite is expelled and put away And now finally as Salomon gaue to the quene of Saba many great precyouse gyftes so our kyng that hath wrought our saluacion in the myddest of the erth doeth gyue vnto the soule depely remeÌ„bryng the premisses great treasures of knowledge wysdom of vertue grace that moche more thaÌ„ she deserueth or asketh For whan a man inwardly considereth how he y t was most myghty of power was so dispiteously troden vnder fote for our synnes He that was most wyse was deluded mocked as a fole He that was best and all full of goodnes was replenisshed with the bytternes of sorow And he that was moost rightuouse to be coÌ„dempned to the moost shamefull dethe Whan a man I say coÌ„sidereth all these thynges anon the mynde aryseth into a greate meruell admiracion of y e worthynes noblenes of god wonderynge meruelynge of the great benignitie charitie of god towardes vs moost wretched and vnworthy seruauntes And than begynneth the mynde with a ferueâ—ent desyre and burnynge loue to be kyndled towardes our lorde god And the spirituall taste of our affection in a meruelouse maner is made moche pleasant and swete and our appetyte is wonderfully refresshed And so all our inwarde man is in a maner alienate lyfte vp from hymself and quietly doeth rest in our lorde Iesu O a meruelouse thynge and neuer herde or sene before that is that vnspeakable swetenes shuld be founde in the moost bytternes The moost bytter bytternes of our dere beloued sauioure Iesu is meruelously turned in our louynge mynde into a swetenes y t can nat be expressed rauysshyng and takynge into it the hole spirite of man so that that swetenes ones tasted all carnall and worldly pleasure waxeth all vnsauory and is excluded And in this swetenes is the speculacion or wysdom of the person contemplatynge beholdynge our lordes passion made perfite For herin he ioyneth putteth to gydre the hyghe inenarrable swetenes that he feleth in the consideracion beholdyng of that infinite goodnes of god that it wolde please hym to suffre so vyle a dethe for vs with that inestimable bytternes that he felte or feleth in hauynge compassion of the paynes sorowes of his lorde Iesu crucified And note here that that bytternes of compassion of Christes passion doeth gader in vnyt the mynde of man And thadmiracion or wonderful consideracion of the great goodnes of god in the same passion doeth eleuate lyft vp the mynd so vnit and gadred in offre it holly vnto god And for asmoche as therin is founde perceyued an vnspekable bytternes with an vnspekable swetenes therfore the mynd of the person that beholdeth considereth this wondereth at it so is alienated from hym selfe rauisshed aboue hym selfe lyke as yf he were all drunke he falleth vnto his lorde god where than the soule melted with loue thrughe the beholdynge of thinestimable charitie loue of god is made as moost pure golde purified in the hore furneys And in the consideracion of y e most excellent benignitie goodnes of god the soule is anointed made fat with the moost pleasant oyle of grace It also obumbrate shadowed with that 〈◊〉 of iustice is made moost shynynge The soule also clensed and gadred in with that great bytternes is abstract withdraweÌ„ from all bytternes sorow That soule beholden receyued of god all good is made all godly so at last it is absorpt and rauysshed with an vnspekable ioye meruelouse swetenes And the spousesse doeth reste swetely with hyr spouse and amonges those pleasaunte and swete enbracynges she may than sucke and drynke of the fountaynes of our sauiour the lyuely waters and true wysdome And here note that it perteyneth to this gyfte of wysdom nat onely to beholde consyder godly heuenly thynges but also to rule and order the actes and operacions of man In the whiche direction and order fyrst it aperteyneth to auoyde all euyll vyce that be contrary vnto trew wysdome And therfore the feare of god is called the begynnyng of wysdom for asmuche as it causeth a man to auoyde all euyll and synne The last thynge perteynynge
lambe eaten whan the deuyll had moued Iudas to betraye Christe and he consented to the same than Iesus knowynge as god that his father had gyuen and taken into his handes and power all thynges also his enemy and traytour Iudas and the Iues his persuers yet to shew and declare his great pytie to leue to vs an example of his perfyte mekenes he wolde nat fulfyll or take vppon hym the power or myghte of god or offyce of a lorde but rather the offyce and roume of a seruaunte He dyd meke hym selfe to be a seruaunt for he cam to do seruice and nat to receyue the seruyce of other And therefore he arose frome his supper of the Paschall lambe wyllynge than to wasshe the fete of his dyscyples there beynge and so causyng water to be brought vnto hym he put of his outwarde garmentes gyrdyd hym selfe with a lynen clothe Than he put the water into a basen with his owne handes and so charitably so honestly and so seruiceably prepared he cam to wasshe his disciples fete that were defoiled with the claye and durte of the erthe for they wente bare foâ—ed And so he wasshed theyr fete wyped them with the clothe wherwith he was gyrte and thus he fulfylled the office of mekenes And whan he came to Petre he wolde nat suffre hym to wasshe his fete but sayd thou â—halâ—e neuer wasshe my fete And Iesus sayde Yf I wasshe nat thy fete thou shalte haue no parte of my blysse with me Than Petre fearynge this sentence sayd â–ª Wasshe good lorde nat onely my fete but also my handes and my hed And Iesus sayd He that is wasshed he nedeth no more to wasshe but his fete for than he is all clene What this signifieth ye shall know afterwarde It foloweth in the gospell of Iohn Ye be now clene for I haue wasshed you but ye all be nat clene This he spake for Iudas that shuld betray hym that same nyghte and therefore he was nat clene There be two thynges specially whereby a man is made clene from synne that is almose dede and charitie Iudas had nat the fyrst for he was a thefe and toke vnto his owne vse suche thynges as shulde haue be gyuen to the pore Also he betrayed his innocent maister contrarye vnto charitie and so Iudas was nat clene O thou chrystyan consyder here dylygentely euery poynte of this wasshynge for they be full of mekenes and loue Beholde what is done for it is very deuoute Here the hyghe maiestie of god and mekenes of the maister dyd enclyne bow hym selfe downe to the fete of pore fysshers He knelyd on his knees and bowed his hede before his disciples syttynge and so wasshed theyr fete with his owne handes dyd also drye them and kysse them all Beholde here the exemplar of all myldenes and mekenes the creatoure and maker of all creatures the fearefull iudge of bothe quycke and deade knelynge here before the fete nat onely of his louynge disciples but also before the fete of the false traytoure Iudas O thou man lerne here of thy lorde for he is bothe meke in herte and gentyll in his conuersacion Be thou confounded of thy hyghe mynde Arte thou nat asshamed of thy pryde and impacience He that is syttynge aboue the high order of auÌ„gels called Cherubyn wassheth the fete of his enemy traytour and thou erthe dust asshes cley exaltest thy selfe thynkest great thynges of thy selfe Consider diligently how our lorde inciteth moueth vs by his examples also by his wordes vnto mekenes Therfore after that he wasshed his disciples fete shewyng thereâ—â— to vs an example of great mekenes he sayd to vs Exempâ—um dedi vobis vt quemadmodum ego feci vobis ita et vos faciatis I haue gyuen to you an example that as I haue done to you so ye shulde do And also he sayde in an other place Discite a me quia mitis sum et humilis corde Lerne of me for I am mylde in conuersacion and meke in herte And in this he kept a conuenient maner of teachynge For as saynt Luke sayeth Cepit lesus facere et docere Iesus began fyrste to lyue and do well and after that he dyd teache other to do the same Spiritually by this outwarde wasshynge of the fete oure lorde dyd note the inwarde clennes of our spirituall fete which be our loue and aâ—â—ections For these spirituall fete do bere vs where so euer we go froÌ„ our selfe or without vs. And as our bodyly fete hath ofte tymes nede of wasshynge so oure spirituall fete For thoughe we be hoolly clene wasshed by the sacrament of Baptym in so moche that yf we kepe that innocency and clennes that we by that sacrament receyue vnto our dethe we be sure to go to heuyn without any other wasshyng Yet for asmoche as there is very few or non that kepe that puritie of theyr baptysme after that they cum to the yeres of discrecion but y t oftymes they fall in one thyng or other that thrughe the fraile condicion of our mortall nature so that they defoile theyr fete with worldly vayne or carnall affectioÌ„s therfore it is necessary y t they oft wassh theyr fete with coÌ„fession teres of coÌ„tricion For who so euer after his baptym do fall to syn be nat wasshed with y e water of penauÌ„ce he shall haue no parte with Iesu in his glory By this wasshyng of y e fete our lord also doeth note the clennes of our spirituall fete whiche specially is required in the receiuing of the blessed body of our lord And therfore he dyd wasshe the fete of his disciples before he gaue to them his gloriouse body blood to signifie y t spirituall clennes is requyred in the due receyuynge of the sacrament of the aulter ¶ A prayer O Mylde Iesu and the exemplar of very mekenes whiche wasshed the fete of thy disciples I aske and also beseche the lorde purge clense thou myne affections that I so purified in bothe fete kyndled with a double charitie that is with the loue of god and of my neighboure I might surely cum to the my puryfyer and clenser Kepe me clene good lorde vnto the ende of my dayes and clense me frome all spottes of synnes that all my negligencys and also synnes forgotten myne enemyes confounded and rebuked might go fro me at the houre of my dethe whiche specially wyll lye in awayte of me at that houre Directe and order my fete lorde in to the waye of peace that I delyuered from the handes and power of all myne enemies myght blesse prayse the with all they electe seruantes world without ende AMEN ¶ Here endeth the Proheme or fyrste part of this treatyse And here begynneth the seconde parte called the execucion THexecucion of this glasse shal be asentenciouse declaracion of our lordes passion approbate taken of many holy doctours As of saynte Hierom sayntes Augustine Bernarde
prophete My god my god why hast thou forsaken me This is the cause The wordes of my synnes hathe put me tarre from my helthe and conforte Heuynes is than for a truthe a laudable commendable passion as saynt Austyn sayeth whan it procedeth of a ryght loue or good cause As whan a man is heuy for his owne synnes or for the synnes of other persones Also heuynes is taken profitably whan it is taken for the satisfaction of our synnes And therefore saynt Paule sayeth Que secundum deum est tristitia penitētiam in salutem stabilem operatur That heuynes whiche is accordynge to the wyll of god doeth worke penaunce into our stable and sure helthe And therefore Christe to do satisfaction for the synnes of all men toke vppon hym the moost heuynes that might be and yet it excedyd nat the order and rule of ryght reason Also he suffered payne in his body for the synnes of all mankynde Whiche payne and sorow excedyd the sorowes of euery person contrite And no maruell that his sorow was so greate for it procedyd of a more depe or inwarde knowledge and wysdom and also of a more perfyte charitie and loue than the sorowe of any otherman And these be the causes whereby the sorow of contricion is encreased Also he suffered sorowed for all our synnes as the prophete sayeth Vere dolores nostros ipse portauit Truely he bare oure sorowes and suffered for vs. Also Christe toke all the causes of our heuines and therfore his heuynes and sorow was the moost It foloweth in the texte Vigilate et orate ne intretis in temptationem He sayd vnto his thre disciples whom he founde slepynge watche and praye that ye be nat ouercum by temptacion He watcheth that doeth good werkes and that kepeth hym selfe diligently that he fall nat into any heresy or derke and erroniouse opinion Spirius quidē promptus est caro autem infirma The spyryte is prompte and redy to do well and to promise great thynges but the flesshe is infyrme fraile to do good or to suffre payne And Christe spake this for the proude folysshe persons whiche thynke that they may do what so euer they wyll And hereunto saynte Hierom sayeth As moche as we trust of the feruour and redynes of our mynde spyryte so moche we shulde feare of the infirmitie and frailtie of our flesshe It foloweth Et positis genibus orabat dicens Pater si vis transfer calicem istum a me Iesus knelynge prayed to his father sayenge Father yf thou wylte thou may take this payn and passion from me Our lorde here prayed after his sensuall wyll to that that the reason of Christ dyd here expresse the affect and desyre of his sensualitie as the aduocate of sensualitie for this tyme. And therefore whan he added in his prayer Verumtamen non mea voluntas sed tua fiat This nat withstandyng thy wyll be fulfylled and nat myne He dyd expresse that this affection in hym was subdued to ryght reason that is to his reasonable and godly wyll by the whiche he wolde the same thynge that god his father wolde from whom by this wyll he was nat diuided It foloweth Et cum surrexisset ab oratione et venisset ad discipulos suos inuenit eos dormientes And whan he rose from his prayer and cam to his disciples he founde them slepynge This corporall slepe was a fygure sygne of the slepe of infidelitie wherwith they shulde be shortely greued and oppressed Peraduenture sum person may maruell how that they myght slepe heryng of the dethe of theyr maister Christe We may answere thus They were very heuy for his dethe and heuines wyll induce and moue a man to slepe Also it was than well forwarde in y e night And thoughe they all dyd slepe yet he blamed Petre rather than the other Fyrst for bycause he boosted and sayde Though all other forsake the I wyl neuer forsake the. Therfore he was worthy more to be rebuked Also bycause he was the capitayne and chefe of thapostles and therfore Christ rebuked hym for them all saynge to Peter thus Sic non potuisti vna hora vigilare mecum What Petre mayst thou nat watche one houre with me As yf he had sayd How wylt thou dye with me that canst nat watche one houre with me And in that that he sayeth one hour he signifieth to vs that the burden and tyme of temptacion is very shorte in the respecte of the remuneracion or rewarde in glory And note how that Christe dyd pray thre tymes one and the same prayer and after euery tyme he cam to his disciples and founde them slepynge He dyd thryse pray the same prayer to signifie to vs as saynt Bernarde sayeth that we shulde dyrect all our prayers to the father to the sonne to the holy goost that we might haue spirituall strength of the father wysdom of the sonne and a good wyll of the holy goost Or therefore he prayed thryse that we shuld excercise the thre powers of our soule in prayer that is that our reasonable power shulde be diligent in meditacion our affection and concupiscible power shulde be feruent in desyrynge and our wrathfull power shulde be stronge in auoydynge all euyll Christe also after euery tyme of his prayer cam to his disciples and founde them slepynge At the fyrst tyme he rebuked them as we sayd before At the seconde tyme he suffred thē And at the thyrde tyme he commaunded them to slepe sayenge Dormite iam et requiescite Slepe now rest And this was to signifie thre maner of slepys And that the fyrste whiche is the slepe of synne correspondynge to the fyrst slepe of the disciples is to be reproued The seconde that is naturall slepe is tollerable and to be suffered And the thyrde whiche is the slepe of contemplacion and glory is to be desyred of all people ¶ Here foloweth a lesson or instruction OF this artycle we may take this lesson that whan we wolde pray deuoutly that we shuld go to sum secret place from the noise or cumpany of men Also that we commyt all our tribulacions heuynes paynes and infirmities vnto the wyll of god as Christe dyd after his prayer thoughe it so be y t we praye and desyre to be delyuered from theym as Christe dyd yet let vs submyt our wyll to the wyll of god Also let vs put all our tribulacions and paynes as it were into the herte of Christe desyrynge and prayenge hym that he wolde performe and make our pacience perfite in the vnion of his passion and so offer them to y e laude and glorye of his father For hereby oure tribulacions and paynes shall be greately dignified For as the passion of Christe brought great fruite and conforte bothe in heuyn and in erthe so our paynes and tribulacions what so euer they be yf they be in the foresayde maner commytted and commendyd in the vnion
of Christes passion they shall be so frutyfull that they shall bryng ioye to the aungels in heuyn meryte to the good persones lyuynge in erthe forgyuenes to the synners and great refresshyng and conforte to the soules in purgatorye And this is bycause Christe reputeth and accompteth all thynges done to any of his seruauntes whether it be good or euyll as done to hym selfe And therefore he sayeth in the gospell Quod vni ex minimis meis fecistis mihi fecistis What so euer ye haue done to one of the leest of myne ye haue done it to me And in an other place he sayd to his disciples Qui vos recipit me recipit et qui vos spernit me spernit He that receiueth you receiueth me and he that dispiseth you dispiseth me And so our sauiour Christ taketh all our paines and tribulacions committed to hym as I sayd before as his owne and oâ—â—rech them to his father as his owne with lyke effect and fruite as is sayd before Therefore euery good and faythfull person ought moche to ioye in his tribulacions and paynes For what so euer he suffre Christe doeth confesse that he suffreth the same in hym and with hym ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesus Christe sonne of the lyuynge god whiche at mydnyght thy passion drawynge nygh wolde take vpon the feare heuynes for me moost wretchyd synner graunt me continually faythfully to referre all my tribubulacions heuynes paines vnto the the god of my hert y t thou wolde vouchesafe to bere them with me in the vnion of thy passion and heuynes That so by the merites of thy moost holy passion they myght be made to me fruitfull and profitable Amen ¶ Of the blody swet of Christe The seconde article THe seconde artycle is the flowynge of the bloode of Christe into the erthe by the maner of swet or of the blody swet of Christe flowynge from his bodye into the erthe For the seconde tyme that Christ prayed for anguysshe he swet blood and the aungell descendynge from heuyn aâ—â—ered to hym and conforted hym It foloweth therfore in thâ— gospell Factus in agonia prolixius orabat et factus est sudor eius sicut gutte sanguinis decurrentis in terram Christe was in a great agony and therfore he prolonged his prayer And in this prayer for his great agony his swet was as droppes of bloode runnynge downe from his body into the erthe Here do our doctours say that whan our lorde Iesus Christe dyd so prolong his prayer his most holy hert was greatly enflamed so coÌ„sequently all his hole body most holy most innocent In so moche that thrughe that greate feruour of prayer and his excessyue loue and moost feruent desyre that he had to suffre and to dye for our helth And of the other parte thrugh the vehement angwyssh and agony that he had in his manhode in the remembraunce of his moost greuouse paynes and shamefull dethe that he shulde suffre and thrugh the stronge reluctacion and stryuynge of sensualitie naturally abhorrynge that dethe and therfore myghtely fyghtynge agaynst it for these causes I say the poorys of his body were open and so flowed out the blood for his swet That vehement angwysshe and excessyue loue constreyned the bloode to cum out of the vaynes agaynst nature as Bede sayeth in so moche that many droppes of blood ranne downe by his clothes and fell vpon the erthe The loue of god in the herte of Christe dyd ouercum in that agony his natural feare and the feare of his manhode and so the bloode of Christe so quyckened and conforted by this loue was styrred and moued as yf it wolde haue cum all furthe of the body at that tyme thrugh that excessyue loue as yf he wolde nat or might nat haue abyden the tyme of his dethe appointed whan all that blood shulde be vtterly sheddyd And so I say thrughe this vehement loue the droppes of blood dyd issue and fall from the vaynes of his body And as the inwarde cause of swet after naturall phisiciens is the naturall hete dissoluynge that is hote and moyst in the bodye so the supernaturall cause of this bloody swet myght be the feruent hete and burnynge of his excessyue loue redowndyng from the herte of Christe into al his hole body there dissoluynge the vaporouse moisture Phisiciens also say that it is possible that a man may swet naturally thrugh the vehemeÌ„ce of loue In lyke maner as our doctours say Christe swet blood aboue nature thrugh his vehement feruour of charitie for thaÌ„ the more he approched to his dethe the more he burned in loue for the feruente desyre of our helthe O how bytter and paynefull was this dethe of Christe in it selfe sythe the onely imaginacion therof dyd so greatly chaunge thorder of nature for it drew from all the partes of his bodye droppes of bloode as yf he had swet whiche blody swet shulde signifie and note to vs the helthe of his misticall body that is the catholicall chyrch Hereto sayth saint Bernarde By the erthe moisted with the bloody swet of Christ is signified that erthely men shulde be redemyd by the bloode of Christe By the whiche blood also he shulde reduce vnto lyfe all the worlde ded in synne Woo be to that wretchyd hert that wyll nat be moisted and made softe with this blood or swet Beholde thou wretche the great tribulacion of this most mylde gentyll louynge herte in what angwyssh it was whan all his bodye on euery parte swet blood O thou my stony herte quake and tremble and breke in pecys and moyst thyne iyen with blody teres for as thou mayst se thy creatour and maker is all wet in bloode for the and that with suche plenty that it ranne downe vpon the erthe And surely his body outwardly wolde neuer haue bene so wet with bloode yf his herte inwardly had nat ben broken with sorowe and heuynesse Therefore the prophete sayeth in the persone of Christe Contritum est cor meum in meipso My herte is broken within me The herte of our mooste louynge Iesus thus inwardly broken or cut the outwarde skynne also was broken so that his blood myght abundantly flow out vpon the erthe And this bloody swette was very naturall and true bloode of the moost purest body of Christe But as we sayd before it was nat shed naturally for it is agaynst nature to swet blood ⸪ ⸫ ¶ Doctrines or holsom lessons IN this artycle we may take thre holsum and profytable lessons Fyrste by the apparicion of the aungell c. We be enfourmed that the holy aungelles of god do assyst vs and also conforte vs in our prayers Hereunto sayeth the prophete Dauyd Preuenerunt principes coniuncti psallentibus The prynces or holy aungelles do preuent them that prayse god or praye to hym with theyr helpe and also be ioyned vnto them in theyr praysynges And in an other place he sayeth In
vyne Who is he that doeth nat se and consyder the bondes wherewith this oure vyne tree was bounde He was bounde with seuen bondes The fyrste sayeth saynt Bernarde I trow was his obedience whereby he was obedient to his father vnto the death of the crosse He dyd also obey to his mother Marie and to his father putatiue Ioseph As saynt Luke sayth Venit Nazareth et erat subditus illis Iesus came to Nazareth with mary and Ioseph and was obedient to them He was also obedient vnto the emperour paynge tribute vnto hym The second bonde was the wombe of the virgyn Marie Hereunto the churche syngeth of our lady in a certen respond whom the heuens coulde nat take thou virgyn hath conteyned hym in thy wombe The thyrde bonde was his cradell bondes or the cryb wherin he was layde as saynt Luke sayth The .iiii. bonde was this bonde wherwith he was bounde whan he was taken O howe rughe and harde were these bondes of these moste cruell Iues wherwith they bonde that most mylde lambe Iesus Christe O good Iesu I considre and se with the eyen of my soule the swete lorde bounde with moost harde ropes and drawen as a thefe to the house of the prynce of preestes I se this good lorde and I abhorre it and also moche meruayle thereat and so meruaylynge I shulde faynte and also dye for sorowe but that manifestly I knowe that thou was fyrste bounde in thy herte with the bondes of loue and charitie whiche louyngly dyd drawe the to suffer gladely these outwarde bondes The fyrste bonde was that wherwith he was fastyned to the pyllar whan he was scourged of the whiche we shall speake hereafter The syxte bonde was the crowne of thornes wherewith his heed was faste bounde as we shall declare hereafter The seuenthe bonde were the nayles that nayled his handes and feete faste vnto the crosse Or elles we may saye after saynte Birgitte in her reuelations that this seuenthe bonde was that corde and rope wherwith they drewe his arme and his feete so that all the ioyntes of his body were dissolued for fyrste they nayled his ryghte hande and then they drewe the left hand with a rope vnto the hoole that was made before for that hande And in lyke maner they drewe his feete so that al his veynes and synewes brast and all his ioyntes loosed so that a man myght nombre all his bones as the prophet Dauid sayth And this payne was so great greuous that the lyfe myght nat continue with it in any other man but Christe preserued his lyfe vnto suche tyme it pleased hym to yelde vp his spirit into y e handes of his father therfore he said Potestatē habeo ponēdi āam meā nemo tollit eā a me I haue power to gyue vp my soule at my pleasure Also no man may take my life frō me but I shall forsake it at my wyll and at my wyll take it agayne Our sauyour Iesu thus taken and bounden al his disciples forsakynge hym for feare fledde from hym as we shall declare in the nexte article ¶ Here foloweth .iii. lessons THe first lesson is our lord wolde be bounde bycause that he wold loose the bōdes of our synnes Secondly he wold be bounde for that he wolde bynde vs to hym with the bonde of charite He is the same bonde of charitie wherwith our soule is bounden to god He is signifyed by the reed coorde or lyne whiche Raab tyed in the wyndowe of hyr house for a sure signe or token that she and al hyrs shulde be saued at the destruction of Hiericho So surely euery faythfull soule corrupte by the olde synne of Adam and so signifyed by Raab that is comonly noted for a comen woman yf this soule be regenerate by the fayth of Christ and haue this reed corde tyed in the wyndowe of hyr inwarde house by the whiche the lyght of god entrethe in to hyr soule without doubte suche a soule hath a sure token of hyr health for suche a soule is so tyed vnto god and god vnto hyr that she can nat lyghtly be separat from god This is also the corde or rope wherwith our lord was tyed vnto the pillar whiche without doubte was reed for it was made reed with the holy blode of Christ This is also that lyne or corde wherwith Paule was so surely fastened to Christe that nothyng myght depart hym from Christ Nother tribulation ne anguish nor hungre nor nakednes persecution nor swerde and shortly to speake no creature myght departe hym from the charite of Christ The thyrde lesson is that we shuld so bynde all our membres and specyally our tonge with the cordes of the preceptes of god that she shulde nat be loosed vnto any thynge contrarie to the wyll of god or his commaundementes ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche wold be bounde with the handes of wycked men I beseche the loose the bondes of my synnes and so bynde me to the with the bondes of thy preceptes that neuer the membres of my body nor the powers of my soule be loosed and at lybertie to do any thynge contrarie to thy wyll Amen ¶ Of the fleynge or departynge away of the disciples of Christe The .vii. article THe .vii. article is of the departyng awaye or fleyng of the disciples of Christe Of the whiche it is wryten in the gospel thus Tunc omnes relicto eo fugerunt Whan Iesus was taken then all his disciples lefte hym and fled from hym This fleynge and departyng was no lytell payne to Christe And therfore this article is nombred with the other articles of his passion for specyally he was sory for this maner of departynge And of this departynge speaketh Iob in the person of Christ sayenge Fratres mei elongauerunt a me et no ti mei quasi aliem recesserunt a me My bretherne haue gone farre from me and myne aquayntance or knowen disciples as straungers hath forsaken me And in a token or remembraunce of this forsakyng the aulters on shire thursday be bared for all theyr ornamentes be taken awaye and the aulter lefte naked and bare Christ is this aulter and the apostles be the ornamentes whiche fled from Christ and left hym alone in the hādes of his enemies Our lorde was heuy and sory of this departyng of his discyples nat for hym selfe but for them that they were so sclaundered in hym Of this sorowe saynt Ierome saythe It is nat to be beleued that this departynge was without greate anguysshe and heuynes of the herte of Christe and also it was nat without greate mornynge and wepynge of the apostles For I can nat thynke that after they se that cruell compeigney take and bynde our sauiour Iesu theyr most louynge maister but that they wept and said with greate sorowe O moost benygne maystre more swete or pleasaunte than all hoony It is moche sorowfull to vs to se the so cruelly entreated of the
malycyous Iues. Alas we wretches what shall we do leauynge so gracyouse a father we forsake all our goodes and folowe the and nowe we perceyue for a suerty that we shal be pryued of thy presence and wante thy confortable wordes and dedes for we be assured nowe that the Pharyseys wyll sley the. O howe ofte suppose you dyd they looke backe towardes theyr moost mercyfull mayster seynge and beholdyng with bytter sorowe theyr lorde so cruelly ledde of the malicyouse Iues as we shall declare in the next article ¶ Here foloweth .vi. causes of the fleyng or departynge of Christes disciples OF these disciples the prophet speaketh in the person of our lorde sayenge Dispersa sunt omnia ossa mea All my boones are disperpled or deuyded that is all my apostles whiche as bonys in a mannes bodye shulde haue ben most stronge and yet they are fled and fallen And that for .vi. causes The fyrst cause was that the doctrine of Christe god and man was forgoten then of them and therfore the prophet Dauid sayth Factum est cor meum tanquam cera liquescens so medio ventris mei My herte is made as wax meltynge in the mydle of my body that is My doctrine is vanysshed throughe the heete and fyer of my passyon and that in the myddle of my bely that is in my apostles that be moost nyghe vnto me The seconde cause was the ceasynge of myracles Of the whiche also it folowethe in the forsayde .xxi. psalme Aruit tanquam testa virtus mea My vertue and power is as drye as a shell And that was bycause he suffred hym selfe to be taken and so put to most cruell and shamefull deathe and wolde nat helpe hym selfe and shewe his power as he had done dyuerse tymes before But nowe he wold nat so do therfore his power of in shewynge of myracles semed to be consumed and dryed by the heete and fyere of hys passyon and hereunto speakethe the prophet saynge Ibi abscondita est fortitudo eius There was hyd his power or strength that is in his crosse or passyon And note that the sayde not his power was lost but his strength was hyd in his passyon as we shall declare in the thyrde parte of this treatyse in the .iiii. fruyte The thyrde cause was the silence of Christe for at his passyon he wolde nat speke for hym selfe Therfore saith the prophet Adhesit lingua mea faucibus meis My tong cleuyd faste to my iawes or chekes for he wolde nat speake to his owne excuse and therfore the prophet Esay long before this tyme sayd of hym Quasi agnus coram tondente se obmutescet et non ape riet os suum He shal be as domme as a lambe whan he is shorne and he shall nat open his mouthe And this prophycie was verifyed in Christe as it is playnly wryten in the gospell Et non respondit eâ— ad vllum verbum ita vt miraretur preses Christe answered nat one worde vnto Pylate whiche meruayled moche therof The .iiii. cause was that they were in a maner sure of the deth of Christ but they were in a dispeyre or mistrust of his resurrectioÌ„ And therfore the ê“phet Dauid saith in y e person of Christ Et in puluerem mortis deduxisti me Thou hast brought me in to asshes or in to the dust of deth And this he spake after the opinyon of the Iues. As it appereth in an other psalme Estimatus sum cum descendentibus in lacum I am estemed and accompted by the Iues with them that descende in to the lake and pytte of eternall perdition and neuer to retourne agayne The .v. cause was the crueltie of the Iues and therfore the prophet saythe in the persone of Christe Circumdederunt me canes multi Many dogges haue compassed me that is the Iues barkynge and bytynge by detraction as dogges The .vi. cause was the congregation of euyll persones and therfore it foloweth in the psalme Consilium malignantium obfedit me The congregation and counsayle of euyll persones haue obsessed and beseaged me and that very obstinately and fro wardely vnto my deathe Of this compeigney and counsayle speaketh the prophet Dauid in an other psalme sayenge Astiterunt reges terre et principes conuenerunt in vnum aduersus dominum et aduersus Christum eius Rewlers of the worlde and princes ben cume to gyther in counsayle agaynste our lorde and agaynst his sonne Christe And for these causes the apostles flodde and forsoke our lorde Whereat wonderynge and meruaylynge the prophet Hieremy saythe Quomodo disper si sunt lapides fanctuarij Howe is this that the holy stoones ben disperpled that is the apostles of Christ whiche shulde haue ben as holy stones strong stable firme in the faith loue of Christe but they fled Percutiam pasto rem et dispergentur oues gregis I shall smyte or take the herdeman and the shepe of the flocke shal be disperpled abrode Here folowethe .ii. lessons THe fyrste lesson is that we shulde be well ware that we neuer flye from Christe He flyeth from Christe that for any feare of man or by the temptation of the deule or by any passyon or corrupte affection forsaketh the truthe or iustice for Christe is truth and also iustice And generally in euery mortal or deedly synne a man flieth from god The seconde lesson is this that thoughe these persones that seame to be our frendes or neyghbours and louers flye from vs in the tyme of our aduersytie and necessitye yet lette vs beare it patiently remembrynge that the apostles fled from our sauyour Christe in his aduersitie and trouble ¶ A prayer O Iesu that dyd suffre all thyne electe and chosen disciples to flye from the receyue thou me thy fugitiue seruaunt for thy greate vertue and omnipotent power And suffre me nat to wandre from the thorughe the libertie of my frowarde wiâ—â— Amen ¶ Of the leadynge of Christe The .viii. article THe .viii. article is of his leadynge For after that they had taken and bounde hym and after that his disciples fledde the Iues led Christ towardes the house of Annas As it is in the gospell of IohnÌ„ And this ledynge was moche laborouse and paynefull to Christe Also it was rebukefull and violent It was violent for he was led with a great cumpanye of armed men and theyr captayne with them It was also rebukefull to Christe for he was led with his handes bounde as a thefe or an euyll persone And so the Iues sayde to Pilate Yf this persone that is Christe were nat a malifactour or an euyll doer a myslyuer we wolde nat haue delyuered hym to thy handes and power This ledynge was also laborouse paynfull and sorowfull to hym And that bothe to the herte inwardely and also to the bodye outwardely Fyrste it was sorowfull inwardely For where euer herde you of any man that wolde nat be heuy in hert and
to be dispysed a person cursed and reproued of god and therfore as the gospell sayth Ceperunt quidam conspuere eum Some be ganne to spytte vpon hym and that in his most amiable face as Mathewe sayth This spyttynge was done and suffred of Christe for many causes Fyrst to note theyr great vnkyndnes as Symon de Cassia saythe Our lorde dyd spytte on the erth and made clay and therwith anoynted the eyen of hym that was borne blynde so gaue to hym hys syght which he had not by nature And nowe the Iues to shewe theyr vnkyndnesse dyd defoyle the face of our lorde with theyr soule spyttynges Secondely they spyte in his face to his great shame and despection for it was the propertie of the Iues to spytte in the face of hym whom they dispysed and reputed as a vyle and abiect persone O abhominable maner of the Iues whiche abhorred not to defoyle that most amiable and louly face the whiche angelles haue great desyre to beholde whichens ful of grace fauour and desired of all good people for it is y e lyfe conforth helth of al y t be holdeth it not only they dyd spyt in his face but also they coght and retched so cast y e foule stynkyng flegme into his fayre face Therfore Mathew saith ExpueruÌ„t that is they retching coughyng dyd spyt it into his face And Marchus saith ConspueruÌ„t that is not only one ê‘son but many togither dyd spue in his face in somoch that y t most blessed amiable face was made so abhominable to behold as if it had ben full of lepre and y t was thorough theyr spittyngê scratchyngê betayngê â–ª as we shall declare in the next article And so was fulfylled in christ y e ê“phecie of Esay sayng of christ Non erat ei species c. There was nother beautye nor fauour in his face we se him we might not se his face it was so couered w t blode spyttyngê we reputed hym as a lepre and smyten of god as y e most wretched but he was wouÌ„ded for our iniquites oppressed for our sinnes not for his owne And herunto saint Barnard saith O good Iesu these moste wretched cruell Iues haue w t theyr stynkyng spuyngê defoyled thy face so beautious amiable y t angelles desire to behold it which fulfylleth all heuyns w t ioye gladnes which both rich pore in y e worlde do worship yet good lord thy wretched creatours dyd smyte y e and dispise y e as a vyle seruant thou beyng the lorde of all creatours ¶ Here foloweth a lesson OF this article we may take this doctrine that we oughte diligently to be warre that we neuer spytte in the face of god as the Iues dyd which we do when we defoyle our soule coÌ„scyence with ony fylthy thoughtes or dedes for Christ doth rest in the soule and conscience in the whiche his face or ymage is hole and perfyt And therfore who so euer defoyleth his conscience with deedly synne he spytteth in the face of Christ saint Hierom sayth that our lorde Iesus wolde suffer pacyently suche spyttynges in his face that therby he myght wasshe our conscyence whiche is as the face of our soule And that a man myghte conforme hym selfe to this article he shulde forme and ymagyne in his mynde Christe horribly in his face deformed and defoyled with the spyttynges of the Iues and then he shulde thanke hym with all his herte for his great pacyence and so glorifye Christ for that rebuke and shame Also we shulde remember howe ofte we haue defoyled the most beautifull face of Christ in our conscyence by mortall synne Also howe oftentymes we haue receyued vnworthelye the blessed bodye of our lorde and defoyled it with our fylthy spotyll and then praye thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche wolde suffer thy most fayre and amyable face to be defoyled for my loue wich the fylthy spyttynges of the Iues graunt to me that I neuer defyle the face of thy ymage in my soule by my synfull actes or fylthy cogitacyons Amen ¶ Of the smytynge of Christe in the face The .xviii. article THe .xviii. article is the smytynge of Christe in the face Of the whiche saynte Mathewe sayth thus Et palmes ei in faciem dederuÌ„t And they smote hym in the face with the palme of theyr handes as the hande whan it is closed it is called the fyste so whan it is open and spredde abrode it is called the palme As papias and Isydore saythe So nowe they smote Christe with theyr open handes vppon the face And this smytynge maketh a specyall article of the passyone of Chryste for asmoche as a manne dothe suffer more payne by suche smytynge in the face then by smytynge in the necke for in the face of man ar all y e sences or wittes and also the face is moche tenâ—er and soone hurte And therfore it is very lyke that by suche swytynge in the face the blode ranne out from his noose and also from his mouth though it be not writen by the euangelistes For as Symon de Cassya sayth That the euangelistes dyd omitte many thynges declarynge the bytternes of Christes passyon whiche yet we meakly beleue and that was bycause the euangelistes wrote onely for the truthe of the historie to be had and not pryncypally to excite and moue the effecte of compassyon in vs. O what enorme and greuous synne of the most wicked Iues was this y t they wolde so cruelly smyte so pleasaunt a face But as saynt Hierom saith He wolde pacyently suffer so to be smyten with theyr palmes that we with our handes and lyppes that is with our workes and wordes myght laude and prayse hym Also we may say that he is smytten in the face whiche is rebuked and reuyled to his owne face And in this maner also was Christ smyten in the face for he suffred many rebukes contumelies and dispysynges openly to his owne face spoken And of the prophet Esay in the person of Christe Faciem meam non auerti â–ª ab increpantibus et conspuentibus in me I haue not turned my face frome theym that reuyled and rebuked me and spytted vpon me for the Iues dyd not onlye smyte Christ vpon the face but also they reuyled hym to hys face with many opprobrious and blasphemous wordes which all the euangelistes do not expresse But yet Lucas touchethe them in a generaltie sayenge Et multa alia blasphemantes dicebant in eum The Iues blasphemyng Christ spake many other opprobrious wordes to hym ¶ Here foloweth .ii. lessons THe firste lesson is that we shuld be ware that we smyte not Christe in the face with our palmes He smyteth Christe in the face with his palme as saynte Austen sayeth Whiche doethe hurtte and offende the integryty and the perfeccyon of the ymage of god in his soule and
my soule beholde here howe thy sauyour Iesus entreth vnto his iudgement bounde thurst and many other wayes vexed and all men behelde hym and mockyng hym sayd O Iesu thou art here nowe if thou had ben a prophet thou wolde haue preuyded for this before with many other lyke wordes that those cursed Iues spake then to hym And thus they brought hym bounde and delyuered hym to ponce Pylate the president and hygh iudge of Iury vnder the emperoure of Rome This presentynge vnto Pylate was most greuous of all other vnto Christe fyrste bycause he was presented before that iudge whiche had ful power vnder the emperour to condempne hym vnto the deth Secondly bycause the Iues that presented hym to Pylate dyd presente hym not as to be examyned by Pylate but they delyuered hym vnto Pylate as conuicte and founde gylty by theyr examinacyon and so to be put to y e deth without ony other examinacion or taryeng For they sayd to Pylate If this man were not a mislyuer and so worthy deth we wolde not haue delyuered hym to the. Of this we shall speake more in the next article Thyrdly this presentyng to Pylate was moste greuous to Christe bycause he had ben faty gate and weryed the nyght before many wayes by the crueltye of the Iues and therfore it was moche more payne to hym now to be brought to the iudgement of a pagane and infidele for they brought hym bound to Pylate to be slayne and deuoured by hym whiche was reputed as a dogge amonge the Iues bycause he was a gentyle and not circumcysed as they were ¶ A remembraunce of the mornynge of our Ladye WHen it was publysshed thoroughe out all the cytye of Hierusalem that Iesus was taken and howe that the Iues wolde crucifye hym his moste sorowfull mother the virgine Marye herde therof and so almoste deed for sorowe was led by her systers and other women with vnspeakeable lamentynges wepynges mornynges and syghynges to se her moste derebeloued sonne and so wepynge without ceasyng she sawght hym thorough y e brode stretes and narowe lanes of Hierusalem cryenge and sayenge where is my moste derebeloued sonne where arte thou my most swete Iesu where shal I fynd the who hath taken the from me why may not I dye for the These wordê with other lyke might this most sorowefull mother of Iesu say And whan they came to that place where as they myght se Iesus they seynge hym so bounde so tormented so deformed with theyr spyttynges forsaken of all his disciples dispysed mocked and destitute of all help and solace so shamfully and paynfully with a greate multitude of armed men cruelly led to the tribunall of the wycked Iudge and there to be condempned to the death our ladye with her systers and the other women I saye seynge and considerynge these thynges what heuynes what sorowe and bytternesse were they then fulfylled with it can not be spoken nor expressed by any sentence Also our lorde Iesus seynge and knowynge his mother with the other women in so great sorowe greatly sorowed therof for without doute he had greate compassyon of them and so was greatly greued of this compassyon and most specyally for his most kynd mother for he knewe that her sorowe was almost to the deth as it shall appere in the .lviii. article And as some doctours say there were .xl. seruantes that led Christ from Cayphas house vnto Pylate besydes the greate multitude of people that went with them and there were a thousande passes frome Cayphas house vnto the house of Pylate ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may take this lesson that the secular power is not to be dispised but to be honoured For as saynte Poule sayth there is no power but of god and therfore who so resisteth the power he resisteth the ordinauns of god And therfore as saynt Austen sayth Our lorde god stode before Pylate a gentyle and pagane iudge and spake neuer one word vnreuerently vnto hym So shulde we with reuerence stand before our prelates and iudges though they be not good but euyll and vicyous ¶ A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe sonne of the lyuynge god whiche in the firste houre of the day for our helth wolde be presented by the Iues vnto Pylate a pagane iudge graunte to me for the loue of thy name that I dispyse no maner of power but that I may gyue due and worthy honoure to my superiours and to all iudges Amen ¶ Howe the Iues falsely accused Christe before Pylate The .xxii. article THe .xxii. article is the false accusacyon that the Iues made of Christe for whan Christe was brought in to the mote hal and there stode bound before Pylate the iudge the Iues wolde not come in to the mote hall bycause they wolde not be defoyled and made vnclene for that day was theyr Pasch day wherin all the Iues that were clene shulde eate the pure breade that is made of pure where without leuyn and the Iues had this opinyon that yf they came in the house of any gentyle or straunger whiche was not circumcided as they were by that entrance they were made vnclene and so myght not eate of those pure breades vnto suche tyme they were fyrst purifyed And here sayth saynt Austen O wycked blyndnes the Iues feared to entre the house of a straunger bycause they wolde not be contaminate but they feared not to sley theyr innocent brother and also lorde O thou christiane note here howe the Iues kepte them selfe frome all vnclennes that they myghte eate the pure breade of wheate whiche gaue to theym no grace of god for the selfe eatynge moche more then shuldest thou keape thy selfe clenne whiche receyuest the blessed bodye of Chryste the heuenlye breade whiche gyueth to the the eternall lyfe The Iues wolde not entre in to y e iudgmeÌ„t house and thou wylt not auoyd euyl compaigny and tauernes where as oftentymes bene spoken temerary vngodlye iudgementes and also moche blode shedde by false deâ—xaccyons and other wayes Symon de Cassia also sayth here That the Iues of an olde tradycyon and ordynaunce auoyded and shunned the houses of straungers in suche hyghe solempnytyes And so they euer intendynge to suche lyghte and vayne ceremonyes and lytyll regardynge greatter thynges fell in to the deape pytte of greate synnes and Pylate seyng that they wolde not enter in to hym he went forth to them and sayd what accusacyon brynge you agaynst this man And here sayth Symon de Cassya It apperteyneth to the wisdome and iustyce of euery iudge and president not to iudge after the mynde of the accusers excepte theyr accusacyon be probable and true Therfore Pylate wysely dyd inquyre and ordinarylye dyd procede in this cause whan he sayde what accusacyon shewe yow agaynste this man For also by the lawes of the Romaynes no man shulde be condempned to deathe Excepte he be fyrste accused and that proued Also Pylate merueylynge and also moued with displeasure agaynste
the with an vniuste and false sentence to delyuer the frome the iudgement of iustyce and payne of eternall dampnacyon he payed for that he neuer had he suffred payne for oure synne And here remember what lamentacyon his frendes then made when they herde this horrible and moste vntrue sentence gyuen agaynste Christe And in the remembraunce of that sentence and deth of Christe whiche in scripture is called Alpha and Oo the begynnynge and the endynge and bycause that Christe was that daye taken frome vs by his death Therfore the churche euery yere in that day vseth to omitte and leaue the begynnynge and endynge of the houres of the seruyce After this condempnacyon the saugiours toke oure sauyoure Iesus c. as in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson BY this article we may lerne to be ware that we neuer worthely deserue the iust sentence of deth nother of the soule nor of the bodye And also as Christe suffred for vs a false and a wicked sentence to be gyuen agaynst hym by a frayle man so in lyke maner we shulde not feare the wicked iudgementes of men gyuen or spoken agaynst vs but pacyeÌ„tly suffer them for the loue of god And herunto sayth saynt Poule Mihi autem pro minimo est vt a vobis iudicer aut ab humano die I do lytyll regarde to be iudged of you or of any mannes day ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me wolde pacyently and innocently suffer the vniust sentence of deth and that of the most shamefull deth of the crosse graunt to me that I neuer deserue the iust sentence of deth in soul or in bodye and that for thy loue I feare not the wicked iudgementes of men and also that I neuer iudge any persone wrongfullye Amen ¶ Howe Christe bare his crosse The .xliii. article THe .xliii. article is the bearynge of his crosse for after that Pylate had gyuen senteÌ„ce of deth agaynst the innocent Christ Iesus then the saugiours toke hym and pulled of the purpull or scarlet robe and put on hym his owne garmentes And here saythe Symon de Cassia When Christe shulde be crucifyed then the saugiours toke from hym that garment wherin they had derided and mocked hym and nowe they beganne not mockyngly or in sporte but in verye dede to put hym to the payne and deth of the crosse and therfore they put vpon hym his owne garmentes that therby he myght be the more knowen and so goynge to his deth in his owne clothes it shulde be the more to his confusyon and shame And at this tyme without any doubte Christe suffred a newe payne and that was moste greuous for that olde purpull robe was harde baken and cleued faste to his backe in the wouÌ„des whiche he suffred before at his scourgynge and therfore this robe myght not be pulled of his backe but to his most greuous payne for they rent and pulled the flesshe frome his bodye with that cote and so put Christ to a newe intollerable payne agayn Then they byndynge his handes and necke with a rope therby shewed that he was coÌ„dempned vnto the deth and so drewe hym out of his propre citie as a misdoer and they layde the great heuy and grosse tree of the crosse vpon his moste soore and tender sholders that he shulde beare it vnto the place where as he shuld be crucifyed And for asmoche as that tree was reputed and thought of the Iues to be a prophane and vnclene thynge and also that deth of the crosse shamefull for the scripture sayth Ma ledictus omnis qui pendit in ligno He is a cursed that is hanged vpon a tree therfore no man durst beare that tree not yet touche it And for this cause they leyde it vpon Christe that he dampned shulde beare his owne crosse This was a great ioye and sporre to the wicked men but it was a great misterie to vs christians And therfore saynt Barnarde sayth O here is spectacle or thynge done that was neuer sene before neuer herde nor done before that a thefe or a malefactour shulde be compelled to beare the gallowes or tree wherupon he shulde be hanged but onelye now in Christ And here sayth saynt Austen The mylde lambe Iesus taketh and beareth his owne crosse vpon his sholders goynge with great payne and sorowe vnto the place of his passyon and herin was fulfylled the saynge of the prophet Factus est ptin cipatus super humeum eius His dignitie and power is made vpon his shoulder his crosse is his dignitie and power wherby he dyd ouercome the power of the deule and for his obedience vnto the deth god dyd exalte hym as saynte Poule sayth And as greate men beare diuers thynges in token of theyr diuers dignities As kynges a crowne bisshoppes a myter other men a gartar c. so Christe in the remembraunce of his dignitie bare the crosse and so thou serchynge shal not fynde or perceyue that Iesus reigneth in any person but by payne herdnes and therfore these delicates carnall persons whiche wyl suffer no payne but folowe all pleasure ben the enemyes of the crosse of Christe as saiÌ„t Austen saith In this acte was fulfylled y e figure of Isaac whiche bare the stickes wherwith he shulde haue bene offered to god in sacrifice Also this acte was figured in the wydowe of Sareptha that gatherd .ii. stickes Also our sauyour Christe is signifyed by that clustre of grapes that was borne vpon a tre bytwixte ii men for Christe was hanged vpon a tre bytwixt two theuys Also this Christe is signifyed by Helyseus whiche kut downe a tre and went with it to searche for the yren whiche was fallen in to the watre and at that searchynge the yren swame aboue the water where as the tree was so our sauiour Christe saught for man kynde whiche was fallen in to the deape water of troubles and drowned synne and in hell but by the tree of the crosse of Christe it swame vp agayne and so was recouered agayne Of this article saynt Anselme sayth O my soule behold and se howe thy lorde god is in al thynges here despised and compelled to bowe his backe vnder the heuye burden of the crosse and so to beare his owne confusion and shame O merueylouse spectacle to beholde doste thou not se hym beholde his dignitie and power is shewed vpon his sholder this is the rodde or tree of equitie the tree of his kyngdome and power And thus when Iesus had gone a lytyll forth bearynge his heuy crosse he was so feynt wery partly for feblenes and tendernes of his bodye and partly for the great afflicacyon and payne that he had suffred all the same day and nyght before that he was fayne to go softly and also to lay downe the crosse from hym or els as some sayth he fel downe vnder the crosse there to reâ—t hym and ease hym self But those moste cruell tormentours
not wyllynge to differ hys deth and also fearynge lesse that Pylate shulde reuoke his sentence bycause he shewed hym selfe to haue a good wyll to delyuer Christ from deth therfore they constrayned a straunge man that passed by them called Symon Cireneus to beare the crosse after Iesus Not moued as the glose sayth of any pitye or mercye towardes Christ but that he myght the soner come to his death And also that it myght appere that Iesus was not god seynge that he was so feble weyke a man that he was not able to beare that crosse as sayth saynt Austen And this Symon was not a Iue or of the chylderne of Israell but a pylgryme a straunger of the Sirenys that is a cytye in the countrie of Libia And in this man was veryfyed the saynge of the prophet Dauid Popu lus queÌ„ non cognoui seruiuit mihi The people that I haue not knowen hath done seruice to me And though the iues put this labour that is to beare the crosse after Iesus vnto this Symon as to a vyle person despysed amongê them yet it was not done without great misterie for as the glose sayth Beholde and note here that no Iue or Ebrewe but a straunger a gentyle is subdued to the obprobry and crosse of Christe to shewe that the plentuousnes of grace of the sacramentes or misteries of the lawe shulde departe from the Iues vnto the gentyles Symon is as moche to say by interpretation as obedient and Cireneus is interpreted here 's that is an heyre And therfore by this man may be well noted all good christians conuerted frome the erroure of gentilitie vnto Christe whiche somtyme ware as pylgryms or straungers vnto the lawe and preceptes of god but by theyr faith and obedyence vnto the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of god they were made of the housholde of god and his heyres and also coenheritours with Christe And thus bearynge his crosse they brought hym to Golgotha c. as in the nexte article ¶ A Lesson IN this article we christians maye lerne to beare the crosse after Iesus for as the glose sayth Firste Christe beareth the crosse for he suffred first afterwarde it was put to Symon Cireneus to beare it after Christ for we ought to folowe the steppes of Christ for Symon dyd folowe we and not go before Christ And herunto our lord sayth in the gospell Si quis vult venire post me tollat crucem suam quotidie et sequatur me If any man wyll come after me lette hym take his owne crosse dayly and folowe me And here be noted thre thynges necessary for hym that wyl folowe Christ Fyrst that he beare it voluntarylye and not compelled agaynst his wyll and therfore he sayth If any man wyll come after me notynge therby that it muste be of his owne wyll Seconde that he beare his owne propre crosse and therfore he sayth let hym take his owne crosse Thyrde that it be done for the glorie of god and not for vayne glorie and therfore he sayth and folowe me do it to my honour and for my loue And by this crosse here is noted the purpose of godly and vertuouse lyfe so that the hole lyfe of a christiane whiche lyueth after the gospell of Christ may be called a crosse and a martirdome And this crosse is to be dayly borne after Christe and for the loue of Christe Fyrste in our hert by remeÌ„braunce and compassion In our mouth by ofte and deuoute thankes And in our bodie by discreate chastysyng and subduynge of the same that so we myght reanswere gyue thankes vnto our sauiour in hert worde and dede Herby ye may se that loue without this crosse nor yet this crosse without loue may deserue any laude or prayse in thought worde nor dede But that crosse is hyghely to be praysed whiche is ioyned with loue whiche loue also the same crosse doth brynge in In this state was saynt Paule whiche sayd of hymselfe Christo con fixus sum cruci I am fastened to the crosse for the loue of Christ In this crosse fyrst our flesshe or body is fastened with the nayles of feare and hexunto the prophet Dauid sayth CoÌ„fige timore tuâ—o carnes meas Fasten or nayle faste my flesshe with thy feare Secondly our spirite muste be fastened with the nayles of loue And thyrdly our outwarde senses with the nayles of disciplyne and rigour or payne And herunto the wyse man sayth Verba sapien cium quasi stimuli et quasi claui in altum confixi The wordes of wyse men be as pryckes or broddes and as nayles fastened in the profunditie of our senses Fourthly our handes must be nayled with the nayles of laboure And therfore the wyse man sayth Quodcunque potest manus tua instanter operare Werke diligently what so euer good thy handes may werke Herby it doth clerely appere that that person sheweth hym selfe manifestly to haue no true loue whiche wyll not prepare and gyue hym selfe to harde and paynfull thynges for his louer O howe gladlye ought the christians to take and beare his crosse syth he is taught and moued therunto by nature and also by crafte Naturally the byrdes when they flye in the ayre they vse the signe of the crosse for theyr hed and theyr tayle and theyr winges abrode make a crosse and so in theyr flyenge they take theyr crosse In lyke maner a man swymmynge takes his crosse The shyppe goyng vpon the see maketh the signe of the crosse Also a man to conforme hym selfe to this article shuld remeÌ„ber with how great charitie Christ bare his crosse for vs and of what heuynes it was to hym seynge that all the synnes of the worlde was put vpon his crosse whiche all this swete and mylde lambe whome he went to be offered dyd beare vpon his shoulders Also a man may ymagyne in hym selfe as if he bare the crosse of Christe with hym as Symon Cireneus dyd and so pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me a wretche wolde beare thy heuy crosse vpon thyne owne shulders make me wilfully and gladlye to take the crosse of penance and streyter lyfe and to beare it daylye after the and for thy loue Amen ¶ Howe Christ was led vnto Golgoltha that is the mount of Caluarie The .xliiii. article THe .xliiii. article is the ledynge of Christe vnto Golgotha there to be crucifyed for after that they had layde the crosse vpon Christes shulders and there tyed it fast As saynt Iohan sayth Eduxerunt eum They led hym out of the citie Fyrste to fulfyll the fygures of the lawe For it was commaunded in the lawe that the calfe and the gote whiche were oâ—red in the moste solempne sacrifice for the expiation and purifyeng of the people that they shulde be buryed without the castelles or the habitacyons of men So Christe whiche is the sacrifice for the expiation and redeÌ„ption of all man kynde shulde suffer deth
the breakynge of the golden calfe to turne away the wrath of his father from vs that he shulde not destroye vs. And truely our sauiour Iesus stode in coÌ„fraccyon in breakyng â–ª for thoughe he were brosed and broken in all his bodye yet he dyd not fall downe in soule and mynde but stode stedfastly in perseuerance of good wyll O blessed Iesu in what state do I se the O most swete and amiable Iesu who hath put the to so bitter cruell and odiouse deth O onely sauiour of our olde rotten wouÌ„des who hath brought the not onely to most paynfull but also to suffer moste shameful woundes O most dulce and swete vyne tree O good Iesu is this the fruyte that thy vyneyarde dothe brynge forthe to the whiche thou translated out of Egipte in to a moste pleasaunt and fruytefull soyle and grounde and hathe most paciently taried vnto this day of thy mariage and loked that it shulde haue brought to the swete grapes but it broughte forth thornes for it hath crowned the with thornes these Iues thy vyneyarde haue coÌ„passed the about with the thornes of theyr synnes Beholde to what bitternes and sharpnes this vyne is turned not nowe thy vineyarde but rather a straunger to the for it denyed the cryenge and sayenge Non habemus regem nisi cesarem We haue no kynge but the emperour Therfore these cursed and cruell tylmen haue caste the out of the vyneyarde of the cytye of Hierusalem or els out of theyr compaigney and there haue slayne the not sodenly or out of hande but with a longe tormeÌ„t and payne of the crosse and haue gyuen to the many greuouse woundes with whippynges beatynges scourgynges and at last naylynge the handes and fete to the crosse where as thou suffred .xxvi. strokes with the hamer vpon thy handes and .xxxvi. vp on thy fete in dryuynge in the nayles ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne howe to put and hyde all oure troubles aduersities temptacyons infirmities our synnes and al our paynes dewe for synne in this most swete wound of the first hande of our sauiour Iesu wherwith he toke deth al our miserie and nayled it fast to the crosse In that maner dyd saynt Austen sayng When any fylthy cogitacyons doth inpugne me I runne to the woundes of Christe and I am helped when the flesshe oppresseth me I ryse thorowe the remeÌ„braunce of the woundes of my lorde god when the deuyll doth lye in a wayte of me I flye to the woundes of our lorde and he flyeth from me If carnall concupiscence do moue my bodye that fier of carnall pleasure is extincte by the remeÌ„braunce of the passion of my lord god And this in all myne aduersities and temptacyons I fynde none so sure remedy as the woundes of Christ in these I slepe surely in these I reste without fere and thoughe saynte Austen speake here indifferently of all the woundes of Christe yet properlye we may say that this sure remedye is founde in the wound of this firste or lefte hand of Christe Also it apperteyneth to this wounde that we shulde auoyde all euyll werkes for the loue of god crucifyed for vs. And a man to conforme hym selfe to this article may ofte kysse this wounde of Christe and ofte remeÌ„ber the forsayde woundes of saynt Austen And pray thus ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me most wretched wold haue thy left hand digged or boored with a nayle and fastened to the crosse graunt to me that I may euer put and hyde al myne aduersities and temptacyons in the moste swete wound of that left hand and that I may fynde in it a sure and holsome remedye agaynste all maner of tribulacyons Amen ¶ The boorynge or naylynge of the seconde or ryght hande The .xlix. article THe .xlix. article is the naylynge of Christes seconde or ryghte hande wherwith as saynte Hierome sayth he founde lyfe that was lost and perisshed And here by lyfe may be taken and vnderstanded all thynges that perteyne to our helth and saluacyon as afore by deth were vnderstanded synne and all that folowed of synne This lyfe our sauiour Iesus hath gyuen to vs with his second hande And of this gyfte he hathe writen to vs a sure preuilege or dede of gyft writen I saye with his precyous blode not in paper or parchment but in his ryghte hande whiche also he hath sealed for a perpetuall remeÌ„braunce with a sharp nayle persynge his hande as it were with a seale And herunto sayth saynt Peter Maxima et preciosa vobis promissa donauit deus c. Almightie god hath gyuen to you most good and precyous promysses and therby ye may be made lyke vnto god and felowes or partakers of his diuine and godlye nature ¶ A Lesson OF this article we may lerne howe to hyde all our good werkes that our lorde worketh in vs in this wounde of this second hande attributyng them not to ourselfe as that we shuld be the chefe werkers of them but gyuyng all to the goodnes and grace of god praynge and desyrynge his grace that all our negligences and inperfeccyons may be restored performed and fulfylled by this most swete wounde And thus dyd saynte Austen saynge What so euer I want in my selfe as of my selfe I vsurp and take it to me of the bowelles of my lorde Iesus for frome thens floweth mercy plentuously nor there wanteth no hooles or ryuers wherby that mercy myght haue recours to me And therfore I shall euermore prayse the mercyes of our lorde for the woundes of Iesu Christe be full of mercye full of pitie full of swetenes and charitie by these hooles and riuers it is leâ—ull for me to taste howe swete and pleasaunt my lorde my god is And thoughe this is spoken generally of all the woundes of Christe yet specyallye it apperteyneth to the wounde of this seconde or ryght hand And a man to conforme hym self to this article shuld oftymes kysse the wounde of the ryght hande of the crucifix and ofte reuolue in his mynde the forsayde wordes of saynte Austen and praye as foloweth ¶ A prayer O Iesu whiche for me a wretche wolde haue thy ryght hande persed thorowe with a nayle and so fastened to the crosse graunt to me that I may hyde in the most swete wounde of thy ryght hande with thankes al my good werkes that it shal please thy goodnes to worke in me and that all my negligeâ—ces and imperfeccyons may therby be performed and supplyed Amen ¶ The naylynge of the first foote or lefte fote of Christ The .l. article THe .l. article is the naylynge of the first or lefte foote of Christe By feete in scripture ar taken and vnderstanded our affeccyons and desyres with the whiche oure soule goeth which for the more parte be in vs senistrall that is of the left parte euyll or imperfite but in Christe they all be on the ryght syde good and perfyte and therfore Christ by the
our lord Iesu in the begynnyng of his passion after his last supper did wyllyngly take so great heauines that he his selfe sayd vnto his disciples Tristis est anima mea vsque ad mortem My soule is heuy vnto the death And this heuines he toke vpon hym that by it which he suffred īnocently he myght take frome vs that euerlastyng heuines which we had deseruyd for our synnes and also that he myght gyue to vs eternal ioy and gladnes Also we by our synnes deseruyd to be perpetually subdued vnder y e power and thraldom of the dyuell and so to be committed to the eternall prison of hell But our lorde in his blessyd passion suffred hym selfe to be taken prisonar that he by his sufferyng innocently that captiuitie myght therby delyuer vs from the power and captiuitie of the dyuell and also preserue vs from that most darke prison of hell and restore vs vnto the libertie of the childerne of god Moreouer we by our synnes deseruyd to be perpetually associate and accōpanyed with the dyuels and other dampned soulys Agaynst this our sauiour Iesu wold be associat with theuys and wold be accompted as one of thē that he myght bye vs from the cumpaygnie of dampned soulys and from the feloweshyp of dyuels and so to make vs the chyldern of god and felowes of aūgells He to whom al the glorie of heuyn doth serue and which only of hym selfe is all beautie and glorie wold suffre shamys rebukes and mockynges that he myght redeme vs from confusion and etarnall derision of dyuels and theyr rebukes and also that he myght reuoke and bryng vs agayne to the glorie of heuyn which we lost by our synne He that onely hath power to louce and bynde of his great mercy wold be bounde for vs that he myght louce vs from the bondes of our synnes and from al the paynes y t we deseruyd by our synnes And at last he suffred death innocently that by his death he myght destroy our eternall death and also gyue to vs eternall lyfe in glory And thus ye may vnder stonde of all other paynes of Christe For vniuersally to speake ther was no thyng vayne no thyng vnprofitable ī al his passion but euery payne that he suffred was ordenyd to take away from vs sum perpetuall euyll that we had deseruyd by our synnes and to merite and gyue to vs sum eternal goodnes that we had lost by our synne And therfore saynt Austen sayth Christ suffreth to my profit he is heuy for me he soroweth to my cōforth And the cause of these is this for he hath louyd vs eternally and hath desired to be louyd of vs agayne for loue can nat be recompensyd but by loue And hereunto also saynt Bernard sayth Myght nat our creatoure and maker repare his creature agayne or redeme hym without that gret difficulty hard paynes of his passion Yes he myght haue done it without payne if it had so pleased hym But he wold rather do it with his great iniurie and payne to wyn the loue of man and to gyue hym many and great causes of loue For this great difficultie and greuouse paynes that he suffred for our redemption shuld moue that person to gyue hym thankes which lityll regardyd the werke of his creasion bicause it was done so easly What thynke you sayd the vnkynd man of his creacion I was create and made lyghtly and frely without any payne or labour of my creatour and maker he onely spake the worde and I was creat as al other thynges ware So the wicked vnkyndnes of man lytyll regardyng the werke of his creasion shewed there matter of vnkyndnes where he shulde haue taken cause of loue But now the mouth of those wicked men be stopped For now it is more clere than the lyght what payne and labour thy lord god had o vnkynd man for thy redempcion Of a lorde he becam a seruant where he was riche he was made poore he beyng god toke vpon hym a mortall body and the son of god despised nat for the to be made y e son of man Remembre therfore thou vnkynd man though thou were made of nought yet thou wart nat redemyd of nought In .vi. dayes god made all the worlde and the o thou man amonges them all But .xxxiii. yere he labored continually with great paynes to werke thy health and saluacion What laboure had he in soueryng the incommodities of our nature as hunger thyrst heat colde and suche other What temptacions of the deuyll what slaunders rebukes despisynges mockynges beatynges with many greuouse paynes and at last most paynefull and shamefull death Therfore thou man be no more vnkynd but loue and thanke god and haue compassion of thy creatoure redemar and sauiour Amen ¶ How Christe descendyd vnto the helles The thyrd Chapitre AFter that our sauiour Iesus had gyuen vp his spirit and so was deed furthwith his soule vnit and knyt or ioyned vnto the godhed descendyd vnto the helles vnto the holy fathers that were there in prison and there stode with them Of this descension Damascen sayth thus The soule of Christe ioyned to his godhed descendyd vnto the helles that as he had bifore comforted them that were in the world aboue the erth so he myght shyne and comforte them that sat in darknes and in the shadowe of death He descendyd to comforte the holy faythers to glad them and to glorifie them For as shortly as he presentyd hym selfe to them they dyd se his godhed and so then they ware in paradise that is they had the clere syght of the godhed which is ioy and lyfe eternall Of this descension also saynt Austen in a certen sermon sayth thus Anon as Christe had gyuen vp his spirit his soule knyt to his godhed discendyd to y e deapnes of helles And whan he was cum to y t place of derkenes as a victoriouse captayne shynyng and terrible tho wicked hell houndes and legions of derknes beholdyng hym begane to enquire and say From whens cam this person so strong so terrible so shinyng and gloriouse That worlde which hath bene euer subdued to vs dyd neuer sende to vs such a deed person He neuer sent to vs suche gestes before this tyme. What is he that so boldly entreth in to our iurisdiction And nat onely he doth nat fear our tormentes but moreouer he dothe louce other frome our bondes Beholde and see howe they whiche ware wonte to weape and more ouer vnder oure tormentes nowe they rebuke vs and vpbrayde vs of theyr deliueraunce and saluacion And nat onely they in nothynge feare vs but moreouer they threten vs. There was neuer deed men so proud stubbourne borne agayst vs as these be Nor neuer myght any persones in captiuitie be so glad and ioyfull as these be O thou Lucifer our captayne why wold y u bryng this person vnto our place All thy myrth is paste all thy ioy is turned in to
difficultie vnto all goodnes and vertue therfore it is necessary that these profiters haue the dominion or ladishippe ouer theyr owne passions and that by reason so that they gyue no place vnto temptacions And through this stryfe or wrastlyng whan reason hath the dominion ouer sensualitie vertues be generate and gotten The state of contemplatiue and perfite persons is signified by Mary Salome which was the mother of Iames the more and of Iohan the euangelist This woman asked of Christ his kyngdome for her sonnys So perfite and contemplatiue ê‘sons ar chefely occupied about the kyngdom of god for they haue in them selfe the kyngdom of god and here do partely taste therof And hereunto Salome is called by interpretacion peacefull For there is no peace to man in this lyfe but in contemplacion And hereunto accordeth the thyrd interpretacion of this name Maria that is illuminate and therfore it may be sayd to euery contemplatiue person Surge illuminate Hierusalem quia venit lumen tuum Arise thou perfite soule and receyue lyght for thy lyght cummyth And also iche one of these thre Maries had theyr oyntmentes as ye may se in Ludolphe de Vita xâ—i 2. parte But if any person moue this question why our blessyd Ladie dyd nat go to visite Christes sepulcre as the thre other Maries dyd Herunto we may assigne thre causes Fyrst for the mother of Christe myght nat se the sepulcre of her son without great sorâ—â— and specially beyng so lately buried Second cause for she had weapt so moche the Friday and Saterday before and brought her selfe so lowe that she myght nat susteyne and suffre that laboure And hereunto sayth saynt Bernard The blessyd virgyn Marie was so feble weake that she was brought home from the crosse as halfe deed Third cause for y e forsayd women thought that the bodie of Christe was then liyng in his sepulcre and therfore they wold haue anoynted as of old custom haue ben vsed his bodie to preserue it frome corruption where as this gloriouse virgyn knewe that it shuld neuer corropte and that he was risen from death to life immortall or els shortly shuld rise And therfore she went nat with them But she sat in a secret place alone very feble and weake in all the powers of her bodie for she had greatly tormentyd her selfe with great sorowe watche and abstinence from that tyme y t she hard say that her onely and dere belouyd son was taken and scourged and afterwarde when she se hym crucified smytyng and knockyng with her delicate handes vpon her tendre breste And thus I say very feble sat alone in contemplacion and prayer and also weapyng for those misteries and paynes that her son had suffred And as she was thus in prayer and swete teares of deuotion sodenly her son Iesus cam and apperyd to her in most white clothes of glorie and in the newnes of his resurrection beautiouse and gloriouse with a glad and louely chere comfortyng his desolate and heuy mother And therwith she knelyng downe worshipped hym and then risyng vp with teares and vnspeakable ioy embraced hym and then all the bitternes of her sorowe was torned in to ioy and comforth After this they both setyng to gether our Ladie besily and curiously be held hym in his face handes and feet and in al his bodie whither he had the printes and sygnes of his woundes searchynge and askyng whether all his paynes and sorowe were clene paste and gon from hym And he sayd yea my worshipful mother all my sorowes and paynes be now past and gon and shall neuer retorne agayne to me O with how great ioy thynke you was then that blessyd Lady repleat When she se and beheld her son immortall and impassible and nat onely that he shuld liue euermore but also that he had the perpetuall dominion ouer heuen and erth and all creatures in them And so they louyngly and pleasantly commynyg and talkyng to gether made a great ioyfull pasch or solempne feast And though of this fyrst aperyng vnto his mother there be nothyng written in the gospels yet we do godly beleaue that Iesus fyrst appered vnto his mother Mary For so it was conuenyent as doctours don say that he shuld so do and that he shuld fyrste conforth and glad his mother by his resurrection which louyd hym aboue all other persones Also bycause she had more sorow of his death than any other had it was seamyng and worthy that he shuld fyrst comforthe her And the church of Rome dothe seame to approue this same for fyrste in the mornynge of Ester daye she maketh a solempne stacion at the churche of our Lady called our Lady the more Maria maior Mary the more Herby notyng that Christ dyd fyrst appere vnto his mother And where the euangelist sayth that Christe dyd fyrste appere vnto Mary Magdalen is to be vnderstondyd of these apperynges wherby he wold proue his resurrection For he apperyd fyrst of al vnto his mother nat for that he wolde therby proue his resurreccion but for to comforth and glad her with his presence and do his dutie and honour her as his mother A prayer O Mary the mother of god most graciouse virgyn comfortar of al desolate persons callyng and criyng vnto the I beseche the for that gret ioy wherby thou was coÌ„forted when thou knowest that thy son Iesus Christe was risen y e thyrd day from death vnto lyfe immortall impassible that thou wold be a comfortar of my soule that what tyme I shall arise both in body and soule at the last day of iudgement and there appere before that same son of thyn Iesus Christ and there to rendre myne accompte of al my thoughtes wordes and deades it wold please thy motherly pitie to healpe me that by the o blessyd mother and vigyn I myght escape the sentence of eternall dampnacion and graciously to cum to the euerlastynge ioy and glorie with all the electe and chosen people of god Amen ¶ How Iesu apperyd to Mary Magdalen The syxte Chapitre MAry Magdalen ful of bitternes sorow burning in loue and nat knowyng what she shuld do for w tout her maister Christ she myght nat lyue and wher he was buried she fonde hym nat and where to search for him she knew nat Wherfore of great feruore constancy she stode as if she had ben amaised for the vehemence of her loue wold nother suffre her to sit ne yet to lye therfore she stode without in the garden byfore the holy sepulcre weapyng lamentyng for her lorde Her hert was so feruently kyndled in loue she was moued with so great pytie drawen with so myghty and strong bondes of charitie that forgotten her owne infirmitie and frayltie she was nat withdrawen and letted frome the visitynge of Christes sepulcre for the darknes of the mournyng nor yet for the crueltie of the Iues but rather she abode there weapyng and searchyng for her lorde She wold
Resurrection he appered to his disciples what tyme Thomas was there absent And whan Thomas was comme to theyr compaigney the disciples sayd to hym Vidimus dominum we haue sene our lorde and oure mayster and than Thomas sayd excepte I see the sygnes or the pryntes of the nayles in his handes and put my fynger in the holes and also put my hande into his syde I wyl nat belyue These wordes ware nat spoken of any malyce but rather of ignorance and of a great sorowe heuynes for that he had nat sene our lorde and therfore his louyng and godly maister Iesus wold nat leaue his louyng discyple in that blyndnes and heuynes but for to comforth hym and for to reforme his fayth it pleased hym to appere agayne Therfore whan his discyples ware gadred to gyther in y e mount of Syon where as he kept his mauÌ„dy or supper and also Thomas beyng with them the good shepherd and herdman Iesus diligent to comforth his lytell small flock cam vnto them the gates dores and wyndowes beyng shyt and so stode in the myddest of them that he myght be sene of them all and sayd to them Pax vobis Peace be to you And note here that there can neuer be peace in a comynalty except the prelate be in the myddest so that he be nat enclyned more to one part than to the other A pillar can neuer susteyne and bear vp the house if it be set nygh to y e wal and nat in the myddest and therfore the erth which is set in y e myddest of the world is vnmoueable to signifie that euery prelate or herde shulde nat be moued by any parcialite more to one persone than to an other Our lorde Iesus dyd oftymes shewe peace vnto his disciples dyd also coÌ„mend it and perswade them to haue it for without peace we can nat haue god the prophete to witnes whaÌ„ he sayth In pace factus est locus eius His place and abydyng is in peace Than Iesus said to Thomas Infer digitum tuuÌ„ huc et vide manus meas Put in thy fynger here se my haÌ„des put forth thy hande and thurst it in to my syde and be nat vnfaythfull but belyue Than Thomas toyched the signes of Christes wouÌ„des so byleued nat onely with his hert but also confessed it with his mouthe and sayd Dominus meus et deus meus Thou art my lorde after thy humanite for thou hast redemed me with thy preciouse blode thou art my god in thy diuinite for thou hast create me I doute in nothynge nowe but I am sure that thou art rysen from death to lyfe Than Iesus said to hym Quia vidisti me Thoma cre didisti beati qui non viderunt et crediderunt Thomas thou dost belyue bycause thou hast sene me blyssed be they that belyue and haue not sene In these wordes is not only affirmed the fayth of Thomas but also our fayth is moche commended and blessed and the errour of the heretikes confounded which sayd y t Christ had no true body And here se the goodnes and mercy of oure lorde howe that he wolde appere and shewe hym selfe with his woundes to saue one soule Also note here that the infinite wysdome and goodnes of god suffred Thomas to doute that the resurrection of Christ shuld be prouyd by euident and manyfest argumeÌ„tê or signes therfore Thomas douted y t we shuld not dout Herunto sayth saynt Gregory It was not of chaunce but of the ordynauÌ„ce of god that y e welbeloued disciple of Christ Thomas was absent whan Christ dyd fyrst appere that he hearyng of his resurrection shulde dowte he so dowtyng shuld feale and touche the places of the woundes of Christ and so fealyng shuld beleaue and that to expell al dowtfulnes from our hertes And so in fealynge or puttynge in his hande into the syde of Christe he cured in vs the woundes of our infidelite Also the incredulite or doutfulnes of Thomas dyd more profyt vs vnto oure faythe that the prompte and redy beleaue of the other disciples for by his dowtyng and fealyng our mynd is stablyshed in fayth all dowtes set a parte Mary Magdalen dyd lesse profyt to me by her swyft redy fayth than Thomas by his longe dowtyng for he touched the pryntes of his woundes and vtterly expelled from my soule the wounde of doutfulnes Our lorde of his great goodnes reserued the pryntes or signes of his woundes in his body after his resurrection Not for that he could not cure theÌ„ for he y t destroyed the power of death myght also haue cured put away those signes of death if it had pleased hym but he wold reserue them for dyuers causes Fyrst to confirme our fayth as ye se in Thomas Secondly for to shewe to his father whan he wyl pray for vs. And thyrdly to shewe them at the day of dome to the daÌ„pned people to theyr confusion And these tokens of his woundes ware in no thynge to the deformitie of his glorious body but rather as Crisostom sayth to his great beautie for they shone more bryght than the sonne And as saynt Austen sayth the tokens of the wouÌ„des that holy sayntes haue suffred here for Christe shall in heuen appere in theyr bodyes not to theyr deformite but to theyr glory as a starre in the firmament as a presiouse stone in a rynge as a flowre in the medowe ond as the red colour in a rose which be to the fairnes and beauty of these thynges and so be tho pryntes of theyr woundes in theyr bodyes to theyr glory and dignitie O thou louyng soule behold now thy lorde and consydre his wonte goodnes meaknes and feruent loue howe he sheweth his woundes to Thomas and to his other disciples to put away all blyndnes ignorauÌ„ce froÌ„ theyr soules for theyr profyt and oures also Our lorde stode there with them a lytel whyle speakyng comfortable wordes of y e kyngdom of glory And his disciples stode with hym iÌ„ great gladnes hearyng his godly wordes beholdyng his face full of fauour beauty and glory Beholde them howe they stande about hym And stande thou reuereÌ„tly with ioy beholdyng them a far of if paraduenture our lord moued of pytie and mercy wyl cause the to be called thoughe thou of thy selfe be not worthy that compaygny At last Iesus sayd vnto them that they shuld goo into Galile and there he wold appere vnto them accordyng vnto his promisse And so he blessed them and departed froÌ„ them And they remayned in great comforth but yet moche desyrous to se hym agayne A prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe which shewed vnto Thomas y t douted of thy resurrection the places of the nayles and the spear hathe reuoked hym from errour by the puttynge in of his fynger into the holes of thy haÌ„des and of his hande into thy syde grauÌ„t to me that I hauyng euer the
remembraunce of thy woundes and passion may expeÌ„d and put in my fynger and hand that is what so euer good werk or discreacion be in me I may put it in and expende it all holl in thy seruice to thy honour And that I may confesse with Thomas that thou art my lorde whiche hath bought me with thy preciouse blode and my god which hath creat made me And that whiche thou sayd byfore of our fayth that blyssed be they whiche haue not sene and yet beleaue I may haue experieÌ„ce therof in my selfe and that by thy grace I may be founde blyssed in thy syght Amen ¶ Of the Ascencion of our lorde The .viii. Chapitre OVr lorde Iesus knowyng that the tyme was come that he shulde departe from this worlde vnto his father he wold shewe that not onely he loued his chosen people in this lyfe or whan he was mortall but also y t he loued them vnto the ende or for euer more and therfore he said to them Vado parare vobis locum I go to prepare a place for you in heuyn yet byfore that he went he wold coÌ„fort them and take his leaue of them And therfore he appered to them in the mownt of Syon in that place where as he made his supper byfore his passion for as they ware sittyng and eatyng in that place with our blyssed lady and other frendes of our lorde he appered to them and dyd eate with them byfore his Ascencion as wel for a signe or tokeÌ„ of his special loue to his disciples as to ê“ue his resurrection And after y t they had eaten he brought them all forth not with hande but with his worde and byddyng and so they went from Hierusalem vnto Bethany and than he had them go vnto the mownt of Oliuete there they shuld se hym ascende and so he departed and vanished froÌ„ theyr syght And at y e mownt of Oliuete he appered to them agayne And than some of his disciples sayd to hym Domine si in tempore hoc restitues regnum Israel Shalt thou lorde restore at this tyme the kyngdome of Israel that is wyll thou now delyuer the Iues from the subiection of the Romays c. our lorde answered It apê‘teyneth not to you to knowe tho secreat tymes or thinges that my father hath in his onely power And so after that Christ had spoken certen thynges to theyr instruction and also comforthe he kyssed ych one of them for as saynt Ambrose sayeth he left to them y e token of peace that is he kyssed them and so byddyng them fare wel he lyfted vp his handes to offre them all to his father and blyssed them gyuynge them grace and strenght to defend them from theyr enemyes and also to werk good and godly werkes and so he asceÌ„ded And thaÌ„ his mother and his disciples seyng hym eleuate and lyfted vp in to heuen fell downe prostrate and worshypped hym And for his departyng they could not refrayne them selfe from weapyng and yet they had great ioy and comforth in that they se hym so gloriously ascende And than there came and met hym all the ordres of Angels reuerently and in ordre by dyuers compaygnyes and ordres there was not one but that he cam and dyd his deutye to his lorde god And inclynyng to hym with all reuerence they wayted vpon hym with Hympnes and songes of ioy vnspeakable For as the prophete Dauid sayth Ascendlt deus in iubilo Christ god and man ascended in great songes of ioy which is to be referred not onely to the great ioy of the Angels but also to the ioy of the holy soules redeamed by the passion of Christ and asceÌ„dyng with hym with a wonderfull ioye It folowed in the psalme Et do minus in voce tube And our lord asceÌ„ded in the voyce of the truÌ„pe And this is to be referred to the sowne and voyce of the prechyng of the apostles whiche preachyng was than enioyned and commaundyd to them our lorde sayng to them Euntes in munduÌ„ vniuersum predicate euangelium omni creature Go ye through out all the world and preache my gospell to euery nacion Whan thus both the angelles and blessed soules dyd syng our lorde ioynyng his handes to gyther deuotely and lyftyng them vp streyght byfore his brest ascendyd with a cloude vnder his feet And so al the blyssed soules reuerently ascendyd with hym Nowe for asmoche as all the actes of our redempcion ware complete in the ascencion of Christ therfore that day is worthely acompted as a hyghe and a great ioyfull day For it is the moste solempne feast of our sauiour Iesus for that day he began to sit on the ryght hand of his father in his humanite and so toke rest of all the labour and payne that he suffred in this worlde It is also the propre feast of al blessed spirites in heuyn for than began theyr ruyne and decay to be repayred It is also the feast of patriarches and prophetes and of all holy soules for that day they fyrst entred into the kyngdome of glorie It is morouer the feast of our lady for asmoche as than she saw her sonne Iesus very god and man ascend vp vnto heuen with great glory in the same fleshe and body that he toke of her Yet that day is properly our feast for than our nature was fyrste exalted aboue the heuyns and so man that byfore was lost was that daye brought agayne by our sauiour Iesus vnto the kyngdome of heuyn and vnto the compaigney of angelles Therfore let vs now ascende in hert and mynde that whan tyme shall come that we be called from this worlde we may ascende in soule and after the generall resurrection ascende both in soule and body Christ dyd ascende and withdrawe from vs his corporall â—sence to prouoke our affection and loue and that we shulde desyre to be with hym with all our herte And therfore as the Apostle sayth Quae sursum sunt queramus quae sursum sunt sapiamus Let vs serch and labour to knowe tho thynges that be in heuyn and to tast or loue the same Let vs flye all worldly and vayne desyres let no thyng transytory please vs or content vs whiche haue our father aboue in heuyn And though we be here in body and also vse these temporal thyngê for the fraylty and infirmitie of our body yet let vs go to god by our loue and desyre as we reade of a certeyn deuote knyght whiche with great deuocion went vnto Hierusalem to visite al the holy places where as our lorde suffred his passion or dyd ony notable thyng in his lyfe and whan he had with feruent deuocion visited all tho places at last he cam vnto the mouÌ„t of Oliuete vnto the place from whens our lorde ascended where after that he had deuotely prayed he sayd with teares O good lorde I haue delygently saught the in many places here in erth and where now to
Fyrst in the lykenes of a douue and that was at the baptisme of Christ In the lykenes al so of a clowde whan Christ was transfygured in the mounte And in lyknes of fyre vpon the disciples on Wytsonday Fyrste signe I say wherby we may knowe or coniecture the presence of the holy ghost by his grace is the abouÌ„idaunce of teares and that is noted by the apperyng of y e holy ghost in y e lykenes of a clowd For as the south wynd blowyng the clowdes be resolued into ruyne so by the coÌ„myng of the holy ghost our hertes relent into teares The seconde signe is the forgeuyng of iniuries or wronges done agaynst vs and therfore the holy ghost appered in the lykenes of a doue that wanteth his gall Thyrd signe is the desyre of heuenly thynges and therfore the holy ghost appered in y e lyknes of fyre whiche euer ascendeth vp ward so the holy ghost makethe our hertes assende vpwarde by desyre of heuenly thynges which thynges if thou desyre thou muste forsake and despyâ—e all vayne pleasures of the fleshe or of the worlde And herunto saynt Gregory sayth If we put awaye the pleasures of the fleshe we shall shortly fynde that thyng whiche is pleasant to the spirite Also spirituall persons or carnall may be knowen by the wordes of the Apostle sayng Qui secundum carnem sunt que carnis sunt sapiunt êªc they that be carnall loue carnal pleasures and spiritual ê‘sons loue spirituall and heuenly desyres But than specially a man is knowen to be spirituall if he as sone as shortly and asmoch wyl auoyde that place and compaigney where he maye be hurted or hyndred in spirite as he wyll do y t place where he may be hurted in body Also if he as gladly wyll heare speake of spiritual thynges as of the profytes of the body Thyrdly if he be as diligent to procure for his soule as the carnall man for his body A prayer O Iesu the gyuer of all gyftes whiche sent the holy ghost vnto thy disciples in the lykenes of fyre I praye and beseache the O moste mercyfull lorde that I thoughe moste vnworthy myght receyue to my perpetuall helth by thy grace those gyftes whiche thy disciples receyued of thy onely beautiouse goodnes and sende vpon vs good lorde thy seruantes y e spirite of thy charite and loue and peace whiche myght vysite and comforth our hertes â–ª purge them from vyces lyghten them with vertues bynd vs in the bondes of peace and loue illuminate vs with the lyght of thy knowlege and inflame vs with the fyre of thy charite forgyue vs our synnes and bryng vs to lyfe euerlastyng Amen Of the Assumpcion and prayse of our glorious Lady The .x. Chapitre AFter the sendyng of the holy vpon the disciples the blyssed virgyn the mother of Iesus aslong as she lyued dyd remayne in the mount of Syon O ye christians I beseache you if ye haue any pitie or compassion in you consyder what sorowe she had how she was cruciate with loue how she burned iÌ„ great desyre whaÌ„ she remeÌ„bred and reuolued in her mynde al such thynges as she had hard seen and knoweÌ„ of her most swete son Iesus And nowe to speake of her assumpcion this is the true and vndoutfull sentence We beleaue that she was assumpte and exalted aboue all the ordres of aungels though we were sumtyme ignorant whether she was assumpte in soule onely or els both in body and soule But the church nowe meakly and godly beleuith that she is assumpte both in soule and body And as we beleaue aungels ware present to honoure her both at her death buriyng and also assumpcion and all the court of heuyn dyd greatly ioy therof For it is to be beleauyd y t all the court of heuyn with theyr cumpaigneys in ordre cam gloriously to mete the mother of god and compassed her all about with a meruealouse lyght and so brought her vp with great praysynges and spirituall longes vnto the trone which was prepared and ordeyned for her byfore the creacion of the worlde And no doute therof all that blessyd cumpaigney of heuenly Hierusalem then reioysed w t an vnspeakable gladnes then was comforted with an in estimable charitie and then ioyed with a meruealouse gratulacion and reioysyng for that feast of this blessyd virgyns assumpcion which is but ones in the yere celebrate with vs is to them a continual feast and ioy And nat without cause for as saynt Hierom sayth our lorde Iesu the sauiour of all cam with great glory and met with his mother and with greate ioy to all the court of heuyn dyd set her in a gloriouse trone nygh vnto hym selfe O thou gloriouse Lady what may I say more Who so laboreth to considre and declare the inmensitie and hudghnes of thy grace and glory his tonge faileth his wit wanteth and his reason can nat com therto For as all sayntes in heuyn by thy glorification be inestimably beautified and gladded so al creatures vpon erth be vnspeakably exalted by the same glorificacion For as god by his power creatynge and makyng al creatures is the father and lord ouer al so our blessyd Lady by her merites repayryng all thynges is the mother and Lady of all And as almyghtie god the father dyd generate of his owne godlie substance his eterne son by whome he hath gyuen lyfe and begynnyng to all thynges so blessyd Mary conceyuyd and bare hym of her owne body which restored all thynges vnto the beautie and fayrnes of theyr fyrste condicion And as there is no thyng made or hath his beyng but by the son of god so ther is no thynge condempned forsaken or put to etarnall dampnacion but that person whome Christe absolueth frome her sauiour or whome she dothe nat fauoure or defende Who is he that considerynge these thynges with a ryght sense or wit and a pure hert may fully know or perceyue thexcellency of this Lady by whom the world is erecte and raysed vp with vnspeakable grace from so great a fall and decay Therfore we leauyng tho thynges that can nat be searched and knowen by our naturall reason let vs labour to opteyn by prayers that we may deserue to get that in holsom and fruyteful effecte which we can nat perceiue by our vnder standyng Hereby we may perceiue that it is vnpossible that any person shuld be dampned that is truly turned to her and whome she fauoreth and beholdeth She is the mother of Christe that is our iustifier and also she is the mother of them that shal be iustified She is the mother of the sauiour and of them that shal be sauyd How therfore may we despeire seth our health or our dampnacion dependeth of the wyl of our good brother pitiful mother Shall our good brother suffre his bretherne to perishe eternally whom he hath redemyd so derely Or may our pitifull mother suffre her chyldren to be dampned whose reademar she bare in
praysynges shall aske when they dyd any such thynge to hym And Christe shall say to them truly I say to you as ofte as ye dyd any of these thynges vnto one of these my leste bredren ye dyd it to me Tho be his bredren that fulfyll the wyll of his father in heuyn they be also called the leste for that they be meke and in this life abiecte or dispised And note here that though we spake here but of .vi. werkes of mercy that is bicause there be no mo remembred by our sauiour Christ in the gospell of Mathewe yet we say coÌ„monly that there be .vii. werkes of mercy and truth it is for the .vii. is to bury the deed bodyes which is taken of the boke of Toby for he vsed the same to his great rewarde and our example And these .vii. werkes be conteyned in this verse Visito poto cibo tego redimo colligo condo So that euery word noteth one werke of mercy The fyrst worde Visito noteth the visityng of them that be seke Second Poto to gyue drynke to y e thristy Thyrd Cibo to fede the hungry Fourth Tego to couer the naked Fyfth Redimo to redeame the prisoner Syxt Colligo to lodge the harborles Seuenth Condo to bury the deed Also the iudge shall say to them that be on y e lefte hand Discedite a me maledicti in ignem eternum c. Depart from me you cursed people in to euerlastynge fyre which is prepared for the deuyll and his aungelles I was hungry and ye wold nat feade me I was thristy and ye gaue me no drynke and so all the other .vi. forsaid werkes of mercy Then the euyll men shall answere Lord when dyd we se the hungry thristy naked seke herborles or in prison and we haue nat conforted the Then our lord shall say when ye wold nat do these thynges to one of these onys ye wold nat do it to me And here note that this question mouyd by the good or euyll persons doth nat procede of any ignorance for the iuste and good persons shal know that y e werkes of mercy done to the membres of Christe in his name and for his loue he reputeth those good dedes as done to hym selfe also they know that they shall haue a great reward therby And in like maner the euyll persons shall knowe that they shal be dampned for the contrary And therfore they asked nat that question of any ignoraÌ„ce but it is a question of great admiration and meruell for y e greatnes of grace and glorie whiche shal be gyuen to the iuste people for those good werkes and also for the intollerable myserie and payne that shall fall vpon the euyll persons for theyr hardnes and vnmercifulnes And so hard iudgement without mercy shal be done to hym that wold shewe or do no mercy What shall they deserue that steale and rauishe other mennys goodes sythe they be eternally dampned which wyll nat gyue theyr owne goodes in almosse If the vnmerciful people shal suffre so greuouse paynes what shall they suffre that be cruell And note here as Crisostom sayth that the payne of euyll persons is euerlastyng and so is the rewarde of good men For as eternall synnes don passe for y e acte or doyng after that they be don but yet there remayneth the gylt or offence towardes god which shal be punished So good werkes don for the loue of god don passe to speake of the acte or dede but yet they remayne in theyr merite so to be rewardyd of god Also saynt Hierom sayth thou wyse reader attende and remeÌ„bre diligently that both the paynes of hell be eternall and also the glorie of heuyn for that life shall haue no feare of decay or death And therfore the euangelist sayth that the euyll men shall go to eternall fyre and the iuste men to euerlastynge life and ioy of heuyn which was prepared for them byfore the begynnynge of the worlde for therunto they ware predestinate And note wele here that the predestination of god is nat the necessarie cause of thy saluation For the predestination of god is euer condicionally that there is no thyng predestinate but vnder som coÌ„dicion as it was predestinate that the worlde shulde be sauid but that was by the death of the son of god and by the watre of baptisme so that they wold receyue it and liue therafter Also all good and iuste men be predestinate to glorie eternall yet with this condicion if they contine we in true fayth charitie humilitie or meknes pacience mercie pitie with other vertues the operacion of them whom our lord doth predestinate to life euerlastyng he seeth knoweth byfore that they shal haue such vertues as if in his predestinacion he myght say to them I do predestinate you to glorie if ye haue such vertues if ye keape my commaundimentes c. Who so wyll nat keape goddes commaundymentes wyl nat continue in fayth with charitie and good werkes c. he shall nat com to the end of predestinacion that is to the glory of heuyn for he wyl nat keape the condicion therof Therfore do nat ouermoch attend and trust to the predestinacion of god which thou knowes nat but rather attend to the wordes of god which thou heris and knowis For as god is true and can nat be chaungeable so his wordes be true and can nat be chaunged But let vs here what be those wordes of god The prophet Ezechiel sayth in the person of god Nolo mortem impij sed vt conuertatur a via sua et viuat Si autem impius egerit poenitentiam ab omnibus peccatis suis et custodierit omnia precepta mea vita viuet I wyll nat sayth almyghty god the deth of a synner but rather that he be conuertyd from his syn and liue in grace for if the synner do penaunce or be sory for all his synnes that he hath don keape all my preceptes and do true iudgement and iustice he shalliue here in grace he shall nat dye eternally Also he sayth Qui crediderit et baptisatus fuerit saluuus erit He that beleuith and is baptised and so continueth in that true fayth and promise made at his baptisme he shal be saued Also he sayth Si vis ad vitam ingredi serua mandata If thou wylt cum to lyfe euerlastyng keape the commaundimentes And in an other place Christ sayth Si dimiseritis homnibus pecata eorum dimittet vobis pater meê° pecata vestra If ye forgyue to other men theyr offensis don to you my heuenly father shall forgyue to you your synnes In these wordes and many other lyke standeth our predestinacion to lyfe or our reprouyng to death euer lastyng And loke for none other predestinacion If thou keape these saynges of god thou shal be sure Therfore say nat as many vnwyse persons say I am predestinate of god to be
nat departe thoughe the disciples went from thens for she was so kindled in the fyre of loue she was so burned with a ferueÌ„t desyre she was so wounded with inpacient loue y t nothyng was pleasant to her but onely weapyng So that she myght well saye the wordes of the prophete Dauid Fuerunt mihi lacrime mee panes die ac nocte My teares ware to me my breade or meate bothe by the nyght and the day whan it was sayd to me dayly where is thy god She had lost her mayster whom she loued so syngulerly that besydes hym she could loue no body nor trust to them She was so drowned in his loue he was so moche in her mynde that in a maner she was inseÌ„sible to al other thyngê Whyles she thus weapt for the absence of Christes body she oftymes inclyned and bowed downe her body lokyng in to the sepulcre where as the body was leyd she had lost y e lyfe of her soule therfore she thought it better for her to dye than to lyue for she peraduenture deynge myght fynd hym whome she myght nat fynde lyuyng And thus weapyng I say she loked oftymes into y e graue for as saynt Gregorie sayth It is nat sufficient for a louer to loke ones for the feruour of loue encreaseth the desyre of searchyng or lokyng And at last whan she so loked she dyd se with her bodely yen .ii. Angels sittyng in whyt garmeÌ„tê which sayd to her why dost thou weap thou hast no cause to weape but rather to ioye of Christes Resurrection he is nat here he is arysen Than she supposyng that they ware men and nat Angels sayd to them shewyng the cause of her weapyng they haue takeÌ„ away my lorde and I knowe nat where they haue put hym for she se the stone takeÌ„ away and therfore she thought that somme other body had stollen the body of Christ and borne it to somme other place And whan Mary Magdalen dyd thus contynue in her sorowe and weapynge and nothynge regardynge the Angels her mooste louynge mayster Christe coulde absente hym selfe no lengar from her Than she turned her selfe about that she myght se Iesus for byfore that her backe was towarde hym and that was to signifie y e doutfulnes of her soule for she belyued nat that he was rysen from death vnto lyfe therfore her backe was towarde the face of our lorde But yet for asmoche as she loued hym thoughe she douted of his Resurrection therfore she dyd se hym and dyd nat knowe hym She se hym but nat in his glorious forme or body for as yet she dyd nat belyue that he was rysen And so he appered to her after that maner in his body as he was in her mynde and soule And than Iesus sayd to her Mulier quid ploras quem queris woman why weapest thou whome dost thou seach he doth nat aske this of any ignorance but y t hearyng her answer he myght more conueniently instructe her in the fayth And as saynt Gregory sayth He asked the cause of her sorowe to kyndle and augment or encrease her loue and desyre that whaÌ„ she shuld name hym whom she loued her loue shuld be more ferueÌ„t towardes hym And note here that Iesus appered to her in the likenes of a gardiner that very conueniently For he was to her a spiritual gardyner for he labored to plucke out the thornes and weades of infidelite and vices and to sow and plante in the garden of her soule the grene seades of fayth and vertue by the vertue of his feruent loue Suche office suche operation suche exercise and suche interpretacion of her name is conuenient for begynners or penitentes For it is coÌ„uenient that a penitent vse hym selfe as a gardyner that is that he pull out by the rootes al vices and plante in his soule vertues and also that he haue contricion accordyng to the fyrst interpretacion of this name Maria As we shewed in the chapitre next byfore this And than this blyssed woman as in a maner dronke in loue answered to Iesus as to a gardyner Domine si tu sustulisti eum dicito mihi êªc Syr if thou hast takeÌ„ hym away tell me wher he is that I may go and take hym A meruelous boldnes of this womaÌ„ for she was nat afrayd of y e syght of a deed body and wold also attempte to beare a deed cors the which far passed her power But she thought that she could do it for there is nothyng to hard to a louyng soule And than our lorde Iesus hauyng coÌ„passion of her great sorowe and willyng no lenger to suffre her to weape called her by her proper name Bifore that he called her by a coÌ„meÌ„ name sayng mulier womaÌ„ thaÌ„ she knewe hiÌ„ nat but now whaÌ„ he said Maria furthwith she was turned both hert soule as she was byfore turned iÌ„ body as a good shepe knew y e voice of her and so she reuyued sayd to hym with vnspekable ioy O Raboni O mayster for so she was wont to call hym byfore his passion y u art he whome I saught and anon she ranne to hym and fallynge downe to his feet with great loue and deuocion wold haue embrased them and kyssed them as she was wont to do byfore by an vnperfyte affection to his manhode but our lorde as a spirituall gardyner willyng to plante true fayth in her hert and to lyft vp her soule to his godhed and heuenly thynges sayd to her Noli me tangere touche nat me in that erthly maner with thy bodely handes whome as yet thou hast nat touched with true fayth of hert And so he enstructe her in the true fayth of his godhed and resurrection Let vs now lerne of this Mary to loue Iesus to trust in hym to seache hym without ceasyng to feare none aduersities to receyue no consolacion or coÌ„forth but in Iesus to despise al thynges but Iesus A prayer O Moste swete mayster o moste swete Iesu howe good art thou to them that be clene in hert howe swete art y u to them that loue the. O howe happy ar they that seache the and fynde the howe blyssed ar they that trust in the It is truth that thou louyst all them that loue the thou neuer forsakest them that trust in the lo lord this Mary thy true louer of a good siple mynd she saught the and truly she fouÌ„d the she was not forsaken of the but she had more of the than she looked for I beseach the lorde graunt me to loue the to seache the and to trust in the y t I may deserue to fynde the and to be loued of the and neuer to be forsaken of the. Amen ¶ Howe Iesus appered to his disciples Thomas beyng also present The .vii. Chapitre THe .viii. day of his Resurection our lorde Iesus appered to his disciples Thomas beyng preseÌ„t with them For the fyrst day of his