Our lorde and sauiour Iesu for to declare and shew his myldenes and mekenes wolde nat ryde vpon a proude and highe horse but as he was mylde and meke so wolde he ryde vpon a mylde and homely beest vppon an asse to signifie also that he wyll nat rest in proude and wrathefull soules but in the meke and quyete soules All this was done as the Euangelyst sayeth to fulfyll the Prophecy of Zacharie that is to say by this acte of our lorde nat onely he shewed his mekenes but also the prophecy of Zachary was fulfilled which sayd Dicite filie sion exulta satis filia sion c. Say ye to the doughter of Syon that is to men dwellynge in Hierusalem which is the doughter of Syon Be nat afrayd but rather be glad ioyfull Here he excludeth all feare of man and seruyle feare and gyueth to them a surety of ioye Beholde sayeth the Prophet Zachary thy kyng Christe cummeth to the mylde and gentyll syttynge vpon an asse vpon the colte of the asse He cummeth nat with great pompe and pryde in chariottes or high horses nor yet with his armed men or yomen of his garde aboute hym but in moost mekenes and lowlynes that myght be to gyue vnto vs all an example that yf we desyre to folow Christe we must auoyde all pryde shew mekenes also in our outwards actes Our lorde and sauiour Iesu wolde be honoured before his passion nat onely to shew how that he was that selfe person of whome the Prophetes dyd speke but also to declare hym selfe to be very god whiche myght chaunge and turne the hertes of men his creatures at his wyll and pleasure For though the Iues had a mynde to slee hym as they dyd shortly after yet at this tyme he moued theyr hertes to laude and prayse hym The Iues shewed them selfe moche contrary in this act in his passion On Palme sondaye they cryed and sange Blessed be he that is cum to vs in the name of god On good frydaye they cryed Tolle tolle crucifige â—um Away with hym hence with hym crucifie hym On Palme sonday they called hym the kyng of Israhell But on good fryday they sayd We haue no kyng but the Emperour On Palme sonday they cast grene leuys floures and theyr garmentes in the way before hym for great honoure But on good fryday they prepared to hym a great and heuy crosse and made hym bere it and afterwarde nayled hym theron For the floures they crowned hym with thornes And at last they toke all his araymeÌ„t and clothes from hym Here was a meruelouse contrarietie in the Iues. ¶ Here foloweth a prayer O Lorde Iesu Christe whiche freely and with thyne owne wyll cam vnto thy passion cum also to me a wretche by thy grace in to my herte and soule And thou that than dyd repare me by thy deathe on the crosse repare me agayne that am fallen to synne Repare me I saye by the merytes of that same moost blessyd passion Graunte to me lorde that in all thynges I myght kepe myldenes and mekenes and to subdue my flesshe my spyryt hoolly vnto the that I may be made as a beest vnto the y t thou syttyng vpon me ruelyng me as thy beest may lede me now vnto y e taste of inwarde peace desyre of heuenly peace and at last may brynge me into the vysyon and syght of the same eternall peace Amen ¶ The .vii particle Of theiection and castynge out of the byers and sellers in the Temple AFter that our lorde Iesus was thus gloryously receiued of the Iues furthwith he went into the temple teachynge vnto vs a forme and maner of good religion that we all shulde folow that is to what so euer towne or place we go fyrste whan we be cum thyder let vs go vnto the chyrch or other place of prayer if there be any there and so commendynge our selfe by deuoute prayers vnto our lordes mercy go and do such busynes as we cam to do Our lorde entred into the temple and cast out from thens the byers and sellers signifienge thereby that the preestes of the Iues as vnworthy ministers of god shulde be eiecte and cast out of y e temple And note here as Crisostome sayeth A man to be pacient in his owne iniuries or wronges done agaynste hym selfe is moche laudable But it is a great synne and moche reprouable to dissemble or leue vncorrecte the offences iniuries done agaynst god And therefore Christe suffred paciently his owne iniuries but the iniuries of his father he wold in no meanes dyssemble or leue vnpunysshed Morally for our instruction The feest of Pasce of the Iues that is of them that confesse the name of god or els mekely confesse theyr synnes drawynge nygh oure lorde Iesus ascended vnto Hierusalem that is vnto the holy and deuoute soule of man eleuate or lyfte vp by grace Hierusalem was builded vpon a mount and therfore it is wryten that Christ dyd ascende vnto Hierusalem The temple in Hierusalem was builded in the hyghest part of the citie and it signifieth the moost excellente and hyghest parte of the soule that is the superior or hygher part of reason whose office is to onely consydre god and eternall thynges Vnto this temple our lorde doeth ascende by the effecte of his sacramentes so visitynge it with his spirituall presence And take good hede that there be foure thynges specially whiche our lorde Iesus wyll nat suffre to be in this his temple signified by foure thinges that he fouÌ„de in the materiall temple that is the money of the chaungers oxen shepe dowâ—es the whiche he wolde nat suffâ—e to be in the temple And also by these same foure be signified foure vyces that comonly be fouÌ„de nowe in these dayes amonges many religiouse persones The fyrst is ouermoche solicitude or busy study in gettynge kepyng of temporall goodes and this is noted by the mony that our lord cast abroode in the temple The onely study or busynes of temporall goodes is nat forbydden but ouer moche study that it be nat in the temple that is in the superior part of our reason which onely ought to intende to god and eternall thynges Wherefore whan so euer any temporall busynes is exercysed in that temple it is a greate synne dysorder For the creature is put in the place of god and temporall thynges in the place of eternall thynges The seconde is the inordinate vse of temporall goodes thin-circumspecte consideracion or the wante of a due warenes to auoyde peryls and dauÌ„gers And this is noted by the oxen for the oxe doeth very gredely fede of the herbys or grasse of the grouÌ„de and therfore sumtyme for his gredynes or hastynes he deuoureth and swaloweth vp that thynge that is noysum and hurtefull vnto hym whiche lyrketh and is hyd amonge the herbes So oftymes it happeneth that whan men wyll vse these temporall goodes inordinately
had done I suppose hyr virginall hert wolde haue broken for sorow But bycause she knew it nat they wēt quietly to supper At the whiche supper Iudas set hym bytwyxte Iesus and his mother Mary for a token or sygne that shortely by his treason he wold diuide them a sunder And at this supper Christ declared ordinately the misteries of his passion And in his preachynge whan he beholdynge Iudas remembred his falsnes and dampnacion Christe waxed very pale For as saynte Thomas sayeth Amonges all the passions of the soule heuynes doeth moost noy and hurte the body and altre the body And whan supper was done the vyrgyn Mary sayd to hyr sonne Iesus My swete sonne I wolde speke with the secretely And than she sayd O my confort and my lyght say to me the trouth why wast thou so pale at supper what ment thy wepyng and depe syghynges My herte was almoost broken thereby And than Iesus sayd to his mother O my blessed mother thou remēbrest for what cause I was incarnate and made man in thy wombe therfore sith thou woldest knowe the cause of my heuynes this is it The tyme is cum and the houre is at hande that I shall be departed from the by my moost bytter passion that I shall suffre for the redemption of man Therfore whan I actually remēbre this it causeth suche heuynes in me Than whan the vyrgyn Mary herd for a certeinty that the deathe of hyr sonne was so nyghe at hande Ah good lorde how moche dyd she sorow What wepynges sobbynges and syghynges had she Euery motherly hert may imagyn And than after hyr wepynges she wyllyng to moue hyr sonne to sum other maner way of redemption for the saluacion of man said My dere sonne I knowe that thy heuenly father hathe decreed with his mercy to redeme mankynde but all thynges be possible to thy father and to the. Wherfore yf it wolde please thy father the thou myght redeme mankynde by an other way than by thy passion Sithe therfore thou maist so do I beseche the it may so be Hereunto Iesus aunswered O my moost swete mother I knowe thy loue and charitie towardes me but good mother I must nedes more obey to god my father of whome I haue my godhed than to the of whome onely I haue my manhoode This same wednysday Mary Magdalene sent a messanger vnto Hierusalem to here and knowe what was there spoken of Iesu And this messanger sayde that it was decreed by the councell of the Phariseis that Iesus shulde dye and how that they wold crucifie hym And than the virgyn Mary with Mary Magdalene and Martha cam vnto Iesu and sayd O moost pitiouse confortour go nat into Hierusalem for they haue concluded agaynste the they wyll slee the. Abyde here we shall prepare the Paschall lambe for the. Hereunto Iesus sayde O my deare mother O Magdalene O Martha The tyme determyned by my father is cum that I shulde redeme mankynde It is necessary that my fathers wyll be fulfyllyd Than the virgyn Mary sayd to hym O my moost dere belouyd sonne O my lyfe light of myne iyen yf thou wylte nedes go into Hierusalem and dye suffre me to dye with the or els before the. Iesus aunswered sayd O my moost kynde mother all my disciples shall forsake me and the faythe shall perysshe and cease in them for the tyme of my passion therfore it is necessarye that thou abyde with theym bothe to confyrme them in faythe and also to conforte them O my swete mother I thanke the with all my herte for all thy benefytes and kyndenes that thou haste done to me Here frendes loke vppon hyr motherly herte and consydre what heuynes and sorow she had herynge these wordes of hyr dere sonne Iesus Erly on the thursday in the mornyng they bothe kneled downe and kyssynge to gyther toke theyr leue with many teares wepynges And as saynt Austen sayeth Libro de verbis domini Whan they went to gyther the virgyn mary sayd O my moost swete sonne I shall no more here the. O ioy full of the pleasure of paradyse I shal no more touche the. O thou consolacion of the worlde I wyll neuer leue the. Yf thou go I wyll go Yf thou stande I wyll stande And than Iesus aunswered with a wepynge and mournynge voice O my dere mother why doest thou trouble me with thy wepynge sithe the heuynes that I haue for my passion is sufficient for me So ofte doeth the swerde of sorow perce my herte as ofte as I se the wepe or any teare fall frō thyne iyen Wherefore I beseche the moost naturall and louynge mother to go with my welbelouyd Magdalene into hyr house to whō I commende the and so with great sorow departed And at this moost heuy departynge she sayd vnto Iudas O Iudas I commende my moost dere beloued son vnto the. Yf thou here any thynge contrary to hym shew hym of it that he may be the more ware And herof sayeth saynt Bernarde O blyssed vyrgyn Mary thou dyd nat know that thou commended thy moost innocent sonne to a foxe moost false and subtile Thy moost mekest lambe to a wolfe Thy sonne very truthe to a crafty lyer And so the sorowfull mother departed from hyr sonne seynge that it wolde be non otherwyse O what suppose you sayd than Magdalene Martha and other women there presente vnto our lady Let euery man thynke as his deuocion seruyth hym I thynke they myght say as it is wryten in the Canticles O moost goodly of all women whyther is thy moost dere beloued gone Where hathe he hyd hym selfe We wyll go serche hym with the. And the sorowfull vyrgyn myghte aunswere My conforte my lyfe my sonne doeth go in a strayt and harde way byset rounde about with his enemies c. ¶ The .ix. particle Of the supper or maundie of our lorde WHan the tyme of the miseracions and mercies of our lorde was cum in the whiche he had disposed to saue his people to redeme theym nat with corruptyble golde or syluer but with his owne preciouse blood before he shoulde departe frome his disciples by his corporall dethe he wolde make vnto them a supper for a signe memoriall of thynges past and also to fulfyll the misteries that were to be fulfylled Therefore our lorde Iesus required of his disciples where and in what place he wolde haue the Paschall lambe prepared for hym and them He sente Peter and Iohn̄ to one of his louers in the mounte of Syon where as was a goodly and a great chambre strewed and made redy for hym and there they prepared the Paschall lambe for hym By Peter is signified good operacion or actyue lyfe And by Iohn̄ is noted deuoute contemplacion These .ii. prepare the Pascall lambe that is they dispose a man duely and reuerētly to receyue the holy body of our lorde signified by the Paschall lambe They prepare this spirituall lambe in a greate
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
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