Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	person_n	son_n	union_n	7,947	5	9.5066	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08054	Of the seaven last vvordes spoken by Christ vpon the crosse, two bookes. Written in Latin by the most illustrious cardinall Bellarmine, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by A.B.	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.	1638 (1638)	STC 1842; ESTC S113817	123,392	328

swiftly then the sunne it selfe To conclude where aboue is added that the Eclypse and defect of the sunne could not be obserued seene through out the Vniuersall Earth in regard that the Moone is lesser then the Earth farre more lesse in quantity then the sunne I grant this to be most true with reference to the interposition of the moone only But what the moone could not performe herein the Creatour of the sunne moone performed only in not cooperating with the sunne in illustrating lighning the Earth For things created cannot worke or performe their functions except the Creatour do assist cooperate with them And whereas some men say that darknes might thē be made throughout the whole Earth through a condensation and thickning of blacke and misty Cloudes this cannot be truly auerred since it is euident from the testimonies of the Ancients that in the tyme of that Eclyps and darknes the stars were seene to appeare and shine in Heauen But thick● and misty Cloudes cannot only yea they are accustomed to obscure ●he sunne but also the moone and the stars Now why God would haue this signe of Darknes to happen at the Passion of Christ seuerall Reasons are accustomed to be alledged but two chiefly The first may be to demonstrate the most great excecation and blindnes of the Iewish People which Reason is brought by S Leo Pope and which blindnes of theirs doth yet continue and shall continue according to the Prophecy of Isay who thus speaketh of the beginning of the Church Surge illuminare Ierusalem c. Arise be illuminated Ierusalem because thy light is come and the glory of our Lord is ris●n vpon thee because loe darknes shall couer the Earth and a myst the People Isa 60. To wit most thicke and palpable darknes shall couer the Land of the Iewes and that darknes which is not so grosse but may easely be dissipated and disp●lled shall couer the People of the Gentills The second Cause o● Reason of the forsaid darknes at our Sau●ours Passion may be to demonstrate the great off●nce and sinne of the Iewes as S. Ierome teacheth In former tymes wicked men did persecute molest and trouble yea and kill good men But now men are arriued ro that degree of Impiety as that they dare persecute euen God himselfe inuested with mans flesh and nayle him to a Crosse In former tymes suites and contentions falling out among Cittizens they fell to Words from words to blow●s Wounds and murther it selfe But now Vassalls and Bonsl●u●s haue entred into insurrection and ●●bellion against the King of men and Angels nayling with incredible boldnes his sacred hands and feete with piercing Nayles to the hard wood of the Crosse Therefore the whole World was amazed and through horrour of the fact trembled And the sunne it selfe as vnwilling to lend its light to the furtherance of perpetrating so flagitious a Crime did with draw in its beames couering the whole ayre with blacke and dreadfull darknes But let vs now descend to the words of our Lord Eli Eli lamma sabactani These words are taken from the beginning of the one twentith Psalme where we thus read Deus Deus meus respice in me quare me dereliquisti O God my God haue respect to me why hast thou forsaken me Where those words respice in me vvhich are in the middest of the Verse were added by the Septuagint Interpreters for in the Hebrew Text there are no other words but those which our Lord did speake In this one point the words of the Psalme and of Christ do differ in that the Words of the Psalme are all Hebrew words whereas those spoken by Christ are partly Syriach words which kind of tongue the Iewes did then much vse For those words Talitha cumi id est puella surge and Ephetha that is ad apetite and some others in the Ghospels are Syriake words and not Hebrew But to proceed Our Lord complaineth that he is forsaken of God and he complaineth crying out with a great and vehement voyce Both which Points are to be ex●lained This dereliction and forsaking of Christ by his Father may be vnderstood in fiue seuerall senses or wayes of all waith but one is true There were fiue coniunctions of God in the Son One naturall and eternall to wit the coniunction of the Person with the Person of the Sonne in Essence Another that is a new coniunction of the Diuine nature with the Humane nature in the Person of the Sonne or which is all one a coniunction of the diuine Person of the Sonne with the humane Nature The third was the Vnion of Grace and of will for Christ being mā was full of grace and truth Ioan. 1. And the things that do please God he did allwayes as himselfe witnesseth in S. Iohn cap. 8. And the Father more then once said of him This is my beleued Sonne in whome I am well pleased Matth. 3. The fourth coniunction was the Vnion of Glory for the soule of Christ did see God euen from his Cōception The fifth was the Vnion of Protection of which himselfe speaketh when he saith He that sent me is with me and he hath not left me alone Ioan. 8. Now the first Vnion is altogether inseparable and perpetuall because it is an Vnion in Diuine Essence of which himselfe speaketh I and my Father are on● And therefore Christ did not say my Father why hast thou left me For the Father is not called the God of the Sonne till after the Incarnation and by reason of the Incarnation The second Vnion is neuer dissolued neyther can it be dissolued for what God once assumed he neuer did leaue for the Apostle saith He spared not his own Sonn but for vs all deliuered him Rom. 8. And the Apostle Peter Christ suffered for vs And Christ suffering in flesh 1. Pet. 2. and 4. All which sacred testimonies demonstrate that he who was crucifyed was not pure man but the true Sonne of God and our Lord Christ The third Vnion doth in lyke sort euer remaine and euer shall remaine The iust dyed for the vniust as S. Peter speaketh 1. Pet. 3. And the death of Christ would haue profited vs nothing if the Vnion of Grace should be dissolued The fourth Vnion could not be dissolued because the Beatitude of the Sou●e cannot be lost since it comprehendeth an aggregation and heaping together of all goods For the soule of Christ according to the superiour part was truly Blessed of which Point see S Thomas 3. p. q. 46. art 8. Therefore there remaineth onely the vnion of Protection which for a short tyme was broken that the Oblation of the bloudy Sacrifice should take place for the redemption of mankind True it is that God the Father could haue protected Christ many waies and hindred his Passion for according heerto Christ said in his prayer which he made in the garden Father all things are possible to thee transferre this Chalce from me but

contumely would haue his owne Mother and his Disciple whom he loued to be present and to stand neere to the Crosse that so the griefe of the Compassion of his owne friends might giue an increase to the griefe of his Passion Christ being vpon the Crosse resembled as it were foure fountaines of Bloud abundantly streaming For his will and pleasure was that his owne Bl. Mother his beloued disciple Mary the sister of his Mother and Mary Magdalene who most ardently aboue all other VVomen loued him should be present at his death that from them foure foūtaines of teares should burst out so as he should be almost no more troubled at the effusion of his owne bloud then he was at that copious showre of teares which the griefe of them then present did extort and force from their eyes and Ha●ts It seemes to me that I heare Christ saying The sorrowes of death haue compassed me Psal 17. For that sword foretold of good old Simeon which should pierce the soule of my most innocent Mother with incredible griefe and anxiety doth euen wound my hart But o bitter death doest thou separate not only the soule from the body but also the mother from such a Sonne Therefore dolour would not suffer me to say Mother but VVoman behould thy Sonne God so loued the World that for the redeeming therof he was content to giue his only begotten Sonne and the Sonne so loued the Father as that for his honour he was ready to shed powre out his owne most precious bloud And not being content only with the dolour of his Passion he added thereto the dolour of Compassion that so he might become a most abundant satisfaction for our sinnes Therefore from hence it appeareth that both the Father and the Sonne do commend their Charity to vs after an ineffable manner that thereby we may not perish but that we may obtaine life euerlasting And yet mans hart doth hitherto resist so great a Charity maketh choyce rather to try the wrath and indignation of the Omnipotent liuing God then once to tast the sweetnes of Mercy to yield to the Charity of diuine Loue. Verily we are most vngratefull worthy of all punishment that since Christ loued vs with such an ardēt affection as that he was content to suffer for vs much more then necessity vrged From whereas one drop of his bloud was sufficient for our Redemption he neuerthelesse would spend it all and suffer innumerable other pun●shments besides And yet notwithstanding all this we are loath and forbearing for his loue and for our owne health and good of our soule to endure and suffer euen so much as is but needefull The cause or source of so great a sluggines and madnes is in that we do not ponder and meditate on the Passion and Charity of Christ with that serious introuersiō of mind with wh●ch we ●ught and that we do not appoint or designe times and places so●ting to so great a busines but only read or heare the passion of Christ briefly negligently and cursorily Therefore the holy Prophet admonisheth vs saying Thren 1. Behould see if there be any griefe like to my griefe And the Apostle sayth Thinke vpon him who endured of sinners such contradiction against himselfe that you be not wearied fainting in your minds Hebr. 12. But the tyme shall hereafter come when fruitlesly and in vaine we shall repent our selfs of so great ingratitude towards God and of supine negligence of our owne Saluation There are many who at the last day repenting and sighing for anguish of spirit shall say The sunne of Iustice hath not shined to vs. Sap. 5. Neither shall they first then begin thus to lament but before the day of Iudgmēt I meane that as soone as they shall shut and close the eyes of their body by death the eyes of their soule shal be opened to them and then they shall see those things the which when time and oportunity was they would not once behould Of the second fruite of the third Word CHAP. X. AN other fruit growing from the roote of this VVord may be taken from the Consideration of the mistery of the three Women which stoode neere vnto the Crosse of our Lord. For Mary Magdalene did beare the person of the Penitents therin of those who did begin to serue God In Mary of Cleophas may be figured the state of those who do go on forward and profit in Vertue In Mary the Mother of Christ and a Virgin may be personated the state of those vvho are Perfect with whom we may deseruedly ioyne S. Iohn who was a Virgin and was vvithin a short tyme to become Perfect if at that present he were not All these and only these are found to stand neere vnto the Crosse of our Lord for those who liue in state of sinne and neuer thinke of doing any pennance for their wicked liues stand far off from the Crosse which is the scale or ladder to Heauen Furthermore all those not without cause stand neere vnto the Crosse who need the ayde of him that was crucified for such as be Penitents and Beginners in the way of Iustice do wage Warre with Vices and Concupiscences and stand greatly in need of the assistance of Christ our Captaine that they may be encouraged to fight whiles they behould him combat●ing with the Old Serpent and not descending from the Crosse vntill most happily he had triumphed ouer him For thus doth the Apostle speake to the Collossians cap. 2. He spoyled the Principalities and Powers leading them confidently in open shew and triumphing ouer them in himselfe And a litle before Fastening to the Crosse the hand-writing of the Decree which was against vs. Those who do profit in the way of our Lord signified by Mary of Cleophas who was a Woman maried and brought forth sonnes which were called ●he Brethren of Christ do also need the help of the Crosse lest otherwise the cares and anxieties of this world with the which they are necessarily entangled do choke the good seede or that they labouring by night do catch nothing Therefore such Persons ought to goe on forward in spirituall profit and to behould Christ vpon the Crosse who not satisfying himselfe with those good works being many and great which before he had done would by the meanes of the Crosse proceed to works of a higher Nature from whence he would not descend till he had ouercome and put to fight his Enemy For nothing is more deadly or domageable to those who are in progresse of Vertue then to become wearie in their course and to cease to goe forward since as S. Bernard sayth Ep. ad Garinum In via Virtutis non progredi regredi est In the way of Vertue not to goe forward is to goe backward who putteth the example of the Lader of Iacob vpon which all do ascend or descend but not any doe stand still To conclude those who are in state of Perfection liuing