CHAP. I. Pater ignosce illis, quia nesciunt quid faciunt.

THe sonne of God spake these words at the houre of his death vpon the altar of the crosse, as if he would say. O my eternal, iust, & holy father, the first thing that I request of thee on this crosse is that thou wouldest forgiue all these, which take my life from me, seeing they know not how highly they offend thy goodnes & clemencie. Super inimicos mees prudent em me fecist [...], saith king Dauid in his Psalmes, as if hee would say. O great God of Israell, I giue thee many thanks, for that thou hast endued me with the vertue of pru­dence, by the which I haue learned to doe my selfe good by the enemies which persecute me, and forgiue them the iniu­ries which they haue done vnto me. For the better vnderstā ­ding of that which Christ said vpon the crosse, and of that which Dauid vttered in this Psalme, it is to bee vnderstood, that amongst all the Cardinall vertues, the first and chiefest is, Prudence, because that without her, iustice endeth in cru­elty, temperancie in weakenesse, sloth and idlenesse; fortitude in tyranny, might and power in pride, boldnesse in folly and madnesse, and knowledge and skill in malice. Plate said, that Prudence was such a great gift, that with her alone the wise man amer [...]l [...]th that wh [...]h is past; strengthe [...]th that which [Page 2]is broken, ruleth and gouerneth that which is present, proui­deth for that which is to come, redresseth that which is a­misse, and mainteineth that which is well done. Eschines the great orator sayth, I haue known many Grecians of my time which were eloquent in that which they spake, subtile in that they inuented, bold in that which they tooke in hand, wary in their doings, close and dissembled in that they went about to haue, and also modest in their behauior, which notwithstanding for want of a little wisedome and prudence lost all in one houre. Socrates said oft vnto his schollers, that they were not tied and bound wholly vnto the letter of that which he taught them: for I am your maister said he, to tell you only what you are to doe, but prudence must afterward teach you when you are to doe it, and how you are to doe it, and whether you are to doe it or not; and if you are to doe it, then why are you to doe it. Cicero to Atticus sayth, Thou art not to call him wise which hath seene much, read much, and knoweth much, but him onely who knoweth how to vse it well, and apply it in time and place: for there is nothing more preiudicial to a Commonwealth then to be gouerned by one which hath great knowledge and small wisedome. The fa­mous S. Augustine sayth in an epistle, when the sonne of God said, Estote prudentes sicut serpentes, Be yee wise like serpents: what else would hee say, but that simple and wise men were better for the gouernment of his church than the learned & arrogant. Seneca in a booke De virtutibus, sayth, The wise man loueth with moderation, serueth with care, suffereth with pa­tience, speaketh with measure, visiteth without disquietnesse, promiseth that which hee is able to performe, concealeth his intention, trusteth whome hee ought, holdeth his tongue in that he knoweth, and neuer striueth with him which is migh­tier than himself. Noui Dauid viru [...] bellic [...]sum & prudentem verbis, said a knight of the Iewes vnto king Saul being posses­sed with the diuell, as if he had said; I know one of Isaies sons called Dauid, who can deliuer thee of this euill, who is in age a youth, in bloud noble, in countenance shining & bright, [Page 3]red heared, low of stature, strong in forces, and aboue all ve­ry considerate and wise in his words. It is much to bee noted that the holy scripture doth not commend Dauid, for that he shewed wisdome in his behauiour and countenance or in go­uernment, but only in speaking, because there is no one thing whereby a man is knowne to bee endued with the vertue of prudence and wisdome more than by the words he vttereth with his mouth. Seneca sayth, That all the things of this life haue a place of remaining, & a being, in which they are main­tained, and time in which they are made, a qualitie and con­dition vnto which they incline, and an end where they rest: which wee say by reason of speaking, in the which also is re­quired a conuenient time for that which we are to vtter, and order in knowing how to speake. Vae mihi quia tacui, said the Prophet Ieremy, as if hee would say, Woe be to me, woe bee to me O mighty God of Israell, for all the sins which I haue known, and all the naughtinesse which I haue concealed and dissembled, the which if I had reuealed would haue been a­mended, and the which if I had discouered should haue ben punished. Also the wicked Cain said, Maior est iniquitas mea, quam vt veniam mer [...]ar, the which words it had beene better for him neuer to haue spoken than to haue vttered, for he did sinne much more in not acknowledging mercy in God, than in depriuing his brother Abel of his life: behold then how Ie­remy was found fault with for holding his tongue, and Cain re­buked for speaking, whereof we may inferre, what great need we haue of the vertue of prudence, because she may instruct vs what to say, and aduise vs likewise what wee ought not to vtter. Salomon said like a very wise man, Yempus tacēdi, & tem­pus loquendi, in which words he giueth vs license to speak, and brideleth vs to hold our tongue, because it is an extremity to be alwaies silent, and the signe of a foole to talke ouermuch. Cicero in an epistle sayth, That a man is knowne to bee good or bad by the workes he doth, but he is knowne to be wise or a foole by the words hee speaketh. To come then to our pur­pose, all this long discourse which we haue made is to proue, [Page 4]that the sonne of God was very patient in holding his peace, and very discreet in speaking: for he neuer spake vnlesse ther­by hee thought hee should doe good, nor did neuer hold his peace, vnles he thought that scādale should rise of his speech, B [...]de sayth vpon these words, d [...]r [...]ine verba vitae habes, That the son of God was so discreet and wary in his words, that he neuer opened his mouth vnlesse it were to preach, nor neuer held his peace vnlesse it were to pray. Christs owne enemies reported openly of him, Quòd nunquàm homo sic loquutus est, that no man euer spake as hee spake: for he neuer murmured against any man, he neuer accused any man, nor iniuried any for iniury done vnto him. S. Barnard sayth; O sweet Iesus, re­deemer of my soule, the Prophet saith very well of thee, Ig­nitum eloquium tuum, considering that all thy holy words moued vs to pitty, stirred vs to charity, inuited vs to goodnes, trode downe wickednesse, prouoked teares, conuerted Com­monwealths, lightened our consciences, and made our hearts meeke and gentle. They presented Christ before foure seats of iudgement the day of his holy passion, that is before Pi­late, before Herod, before the high priests houses, the Pon­tife Caiphas, and the tree of the crosse before his father, be­fore whom he spake onely, and in the presence of the others was for the most part alwaies silent, and that for certaine not without a high mistery and hidden secret. The mistery then of this secret is, that he wold not answer, in the first two Tri­bunals when they accused him of wickednesse and scandale: but vpon the crosse where he was an aduocate, he began pre­sently to speake and plead for vs, saying. Pater ignosce illis, Fa­ther forgiue them, in so much that for to excuse my offences, he omitteth to answere for himselfe. What meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this? Thou doest not answer whē thou art spoken vnto in that that toucheth thy selfe, and in that that concerneth mee doest thou answere not spoken vn­to? Doest thou make intercession for my fault, & doest thou not remember thy owne life? Who but thou did euer excuse those which accused him, and defend them which condemne [Page 5]him? Anselmus in his meditations sayth, O quam ignitum est eloquium tuum, My sweet Iesus seeing that on the crosse thou diddest excuse mee which was in the fault, and returnedst no answere for thy self being without fault, the which thou didst being enflamed with loue, and very full of griefe: Now that thou doest intreat, now that thou doest craue, why doest thou not entreat thy good father that hee would mitigate thy griefes, as well as forgiue sinners? Hast thou no pittie of thy owne holy members which are loosed one from another, and hast thou it towards thy enemies which are not as yet con­uerted vnto thee? Seeing thou art aswell bound to defend the innocent, as make intercession for the wicked, why hast thou no pittie vpon thy owne innocent flesh, aswell as of my enormious crimes? Vbertinus sayth, O quam vehementer est ig­nitum eloquium tuum, My good Lord, seeing thou doest ex­cuse him who is culpable, entreatest without entreaty, forgi­uest without satisfaction, heapest vp for those which will not repay thee, and also diest for those which haue put thee to death: Seeing the law of Moses commandeth that the male­factor should pay a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, foot for foot, eie for eie, and life for life, why doest thou O mighty redeemer giue thy hands vnto those which bind thē, thy feet vnto those which pierce them with nailes, thy eies vnto those which make thee blind, and thy life vnto those which take thy life from thee? If thou wilt not reuenge thy iniuries, why doest thou not let iustice doe iustice vpon thy enemies? S. Barnard sayth in a sermon, from the time that our Sauiour was taken in the garden, vntill hee was crucified on the crosse, the works which he did were many, but the words which he spake were very few; whereby hee gaue vs to vn­derstand, that in time of great vexations and persecutions, it is fitter for vs to helpe our selues with patience than with e­loquence. In this first praier which the sonne made vnto the father, it is to be noted who the father is, what that is that he asketh, of whom he asketh, when he asketh, from whence he asketh, how hee asketh, and for whome hee asketh; for by so [Page 6]much the more one businesse is greater than another, by how much the inconueniences are greater which it draweth after it. He who asketh is the sonne, he of whom he asketh is the father, that which he asketh is pardon, the place frō whence hee asketh is the crosse, the time is when hee dieth, those for whom are his enemies, the maner how is with many teares; in so much that a praier offered vvith all these circumstances, ought of great reason to be heard. This praier of Pater ignos­ce illis, Father pardon them, is a very high praier, seeing that he vvhich made it vvas the sonne of God, vvho saith, Si quid petieritis patrem in nomine meo dabit vobis, And if this bee so, how is it possible, that the father should not graunt all that which the sonne requesteth, seeing hee promiseth to giue all things that shall be demanded in his name? If this be a great praier by reason of him which maketh it, it is also a very great & high praier by reason of him vnto whom it is made, which is, Pater misericordiarū & deus totus consolationis, The father of mercies and the God of all comfort: the vvhich eternall father created vs vvith his power, guideth and gouerneth vs vvith his vvisedome, sustaineth and vpholdeth vs with his essence, and forgiueth vs with his elemency, how is it possi­ble that a sonne vvhich hath such a father, or a father vvhich hath such a sonne should not grant his demand? This praier of Pater ignosce illis, was also very great because of the place vvhere it was made, which was in the mount of Caluarie, and on the altar of the crosse, vvhere the vvrath of the eternall father was appeased, his blessed sonne put to death, the vvic­ked deuil ouercome, the old sinne forgiuen, and all the world there redeemed. S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth, how much the Iewes dishonoured the holy temple, so much Christ ho­nored the Mount of Caluary; for they made a den of theeues of the house of praier, and the sonne of God made a house of praier, of a den of theeues. O good Iesus what is there now that thou doest not make cleane, what doest thou not renue, what doest thou not sanctifie, what doest thou not make ho­ly, seeing thou wentest to the Mount of Caluary to pray for [Page 7]sinners, which before was infamous, by reason of execution done there vpon malefactors? The sonne of God praying on the infamous and stinking place of the Mount of Caluary, giueth all men license to pray vnto God, where they will, and how they will, and for whome so euer they will, because the perfection of praier, doth not consist of the place where wee pray, but of the small or great deuotion with the which wee pray: According vnto that which the Samaritane woman said vnto Christ. That many Iews would not pray but within the temple; and it may bee to take away this error wee doe read that the son of God did not pray there, but preach only; which our blessed Sauiour did because no man should excuse himselfe from praier & deuotion, saying that the temple was shut vp. Vbertinus saith, that the sonne of God is not ashamed to pray, Pater ignosce illis, on the dunghill of the Mount of Caluary; and art thou ashamed to pray alone in thy house? O what a high charge and office the office of meditation and praieris, considering that Christ his being naked on the crosse with his handes bound and tied, his feet peirced with nailes, his head crowned with thornes, his mouth seasoned with vi­neger, did not hinder him to pray, Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them: and seeing hee pardoned and forgaue with his heart, and praied with his tongue.

CHAP. II. How the sonne of God said vnto his father, that those which crucifie him, be not his enemies but his friends.

QVid sunt plagae istae in medio manuum tuarum, his pla­gatus sum in dom [...] eorum qui me diligebant, said God by the Prophet Zachary in the thirteenth chapter, as if he would say, Who hath giuen thee these cru­ell wounds in the middest of thy hands; the Prophet answe­red and said, Lord, they wounded mee thus, in the house of those which loued mee much. These words were not spoken [Page 8]voluntarily, nor of euery man, seeing they cannot be applied, neither to the nature of mankind nor of angell, because men are not wont to receiue stripes and words in their friends hou­ses, but in their enemies. The Prophet toucheth a new thing, and a high mystery, in saying that he was whipped and woun­ded in the house of his well-willers, and therefore it is need­full for vs to lift vp our vnderstanding, to discouer and reach vnto this high secret, because that high mysteries are fit on­ly for heroicall and high persons. This demand and this an­swere, passed on the altar of the crosse, betwixt the eternall father which asked, and his blessed sonne which answered: who [not being content to entreat only for his enemies, say­ing: Pater, Father forgiue them] would also haue excused them, and take all blame from them, in saying, Nesciunt quid faciunt, They know not what they doe: the father said vnto him, Quid sunt plagae istae? so said the father vnto his son, which is as much as to say, O my son if thou doest say, that none of these Iewes, are guiltie and culpable of thy death and passi­on, I pray thee tell me, who made these cruell wounds in the midst of thy tender hands? The son answered his father, His plagatus sum, in domo eorum qui me diligebant, which is as much as to say; O holy and eternall father, I receiued these wounds which thou seest in my tender hands, in the house of those which were my friends: and if I be ioifull in receiuing them, why art not thou glad in forgiuing them? Thou knowest well O my father, that nothing can be called an iniury in this world, but only that which is done against our proper will. If I die by thy commandement, and to obey thy will, and be­cause so it is needfull for the world, why should I call them e­nemies which execute thy commandements? Giue me leaue O my father, giue me leaue seeing I must die, to sell my death deerely, giue me leaue, seeing I lose my life to employ it well, which I shall thinke well bestowed, if thou pardon those which take my life from mee, and haue pitie on those which offend thee: for what doth it auaile, that I die for sinners, if thou wilt not forgiue them their sinnes? Thou knowest O [Page 9]my good father, that by pardoning and suffering, the redemp­tion of the vvorld must bee vvrought. If thou shouldest not be satisfied vvith the death vvhich I suffer, and with the life vvhich I offer thee; in giuing mee another life, I vvould of­fer it vnto thee, & giuing me another death, I vvould accept it, to the end O my good father, that thou shouldst be whol­ly appeased, and all mankind pardoned. O euerlasting good­nesse, O infinite charitie, O inspeakable clemency showne in this answere, calling that a house of friends vvhich was a for­tresse of enemies, and going about to excuse those vvhich he should accuse, and in purposing to appease him, vvhome hee should haue stirred vp to vvrath and indignation. Fulgencius vpon this place sayth, Notwithstanding all the enemies and persecutors vvhich the sonne of God had in this vvorld, yet he neuer vsed this vvord Enemie: vvhich is euident by this demand of his fathers, vvho asking him vvhere hee had ben so euilly handled and wounded, sought out a new deuise be­cause he vvould auoid this vvord of enemy, and lay the fault vpon his friend rather than confesse that he had any enemies, because God vvas vvont to haue many familiar friends in the house of the synagogue, vvhich vvere holy men: our blessed sauiour vvould not account of the iniuries vvhich the Iewes did presently vnto him, nor of the vvounds vvhich they gaue him, but respected rather the seruices vvhich the old Patri­arkes had done vnto him. It is greatly to be noted and weigh­ed, that in the answere vvhich the sonne gaue vnto the fa­ther, he did not say that he had been vvounded in the house of those vvhich then loued him, but in the house of those vvhich vvere vvont to loue him, for hee sayth, In domo eorum qui me diligebant, and not qui me diligunt, & yet notwithstan­ding all this, he doth not only, not call them enemies, but tel­leth his father that they did vnto him the vvorks of friends. What meaneth this O sweet Iesus, vvhat meaneth this? If those of the house of Israell vvere thine, in times past, I pray thee diddest not thou vnto them more good turns than they did seruices vnto thee? If thou doest reckon of the seruices [Page 10]which the fathers did vnto the [...] a thousand years agoe, why doest thou not make account of the vvounds, vvhich their children gaue thee not longer than one houre agone? O good Iesus, O redeemer of my soule vvhat humane iudgement, yea vvhat angels vnderstanding is able to conceaue or reach vnto this, vvhy thou shouldest rather respect old seruices, vvhich ordinarily other men forget, than thy owne iniuries vvhich run freshly from thy blood like streames? Seeing we haue already told you vvho praied, vvhich vvas the son; and vnto whome he praied, vvhich vvas the father; and vvhere hee praied, to vvit vpon the crosse: it is time now to tell you vvhat praier he made, and for whom he praied, for seeing the sonne of God betooke himselfe to praier in such a narrow extremitie, it is to be thought, that hee entreated some great and vveighty matter. Vbertinus sayth, That vvhen the di­uine vvord vvas nailed vpon the crosse, as it vvere almost dead, hauing his flesh pierced vvith nailes, & his bowels bur­ning vvith the loue of charitie, forgetting his owne selfe, and hauing his enemies in remembrance, lifting vp his holy eies vnto heauen, said, Pater ignosce illis, qui nesciunt quid faciunt, vvhich is as much as to say, O my eternall and blessed father, in recompence of my comming into the vvorld, preaching thy name, appeasing thy vvrath, reconciling thee vnto the vvorld, I desire of thee this one thing for a spiritual guerdon, and reward of all my trauailes, that is, that thou vvouldest pardon these sinfull Iewes, father I am very vvell pleased, that thou vvouldest not yeeld vnto my naturall desire of life, vvhen I praied vnto thee in the garden, if it vvould now please thee to heare mee in praying for them: for I thinke it a farre greater benefit that they liue in their soules, than a hurt vnto me to die in body. Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them, for I die because they sinned, and if I die it is because they may liue: and in so difficult a matter as this, it is far grea­ter reason that thou haue more regard vnto my new death, than vnto their old fault. Father forgiue them, seeing the death vvhich preuailed on the wood, I haue here crucified [Page 11]with mee vpon the crosse, the vvhich being so it is far greater reason, that thou esteeme more of the charitie vvith the vvhich I die for them, than of their malice vvith the vvhich they put me to death. Father forgiue them, for if thou vvilt punish these Iewes with all rigour of iustice, it will bee but a small punishment to condemne them for euer to hell: but if thou doest otherwise, as there was neuer any wickednesse done like vnto this, so likewise thou shalt neuer bestow thy accustomed mercy like as in forgiuing these their offences. Father forgiue them, for if my death be sufficient to redeeme all those which shall hereafter be borne, or be already borne, it is not reason that these vnhappy Iewes should vvant the benefit of it, and so much the more because that if my blood be shed by thy holy will and consent it would be reason that it should bee well emploied by thee. Forgiue them O my fa­ther forgiue them, for seeing the partie iniuried (which am I) do pardon the iniury, why wilt not thou O my father par­don that which concerneth thy iustice? What hath iustice to doe there, where there is no complaint of one against ano­ther? Father forgiue them, seeing the time is now come whereof the Prophet speaketh, Tempus miserendi deus tem­pus miserendi, Time of forgiuing good Lord, a time of forgi­uing: it is neither iust nor reasonable that rigor should take place there, where mercie by thee hath ben publickely pro­claimed. If it be true as true it is, that, misericordia & veritas obuiuerunt sibi, and also that iusticia & pax osculatae sunt, Why wilt thou execute iustice vpon this people, seeing the Pro­phet sayth, that peace and iustice haue embraced one the o­ther. Father forgiue them, seeing I aske it in the end of my life, and intreat thee at the houre of my death, thou must thinke my father that it behooueth me very much, that they be pardoned, because that by my example none should pre­sume to call himselfe my seruant, in my church, if he doe not reconcile himselfe first vnto his brother. Father forgiue thē, for seeing the old law endeth when I shal say, Consummatum est, All is finished; and the new law beginneth when I shall [Page 12]say, Commendo spiritum meum, I commend my spirit, it would not be reasonable that vnder the law of Grace, we should cō ­sent that any thing should be vnfitting or vnsit, nor that vn­der the law of Loue, wee should permit ranckor and malice. Father forgiue them; for if in the wildernesse of Aaron, whē thou wast angry vvith all the Iewes, thou diddest forgiue them, and reconcile them vnto thee for no other cause but only because Moses and Aaron did offer a little incense vnto thee: why wilt thou not forgiue them now, seeing I doe now offer for them, not incense, but my selfe crucified? Father for­giue them, for seeing they bee thy creatures by creation, thy clients by law, my children by redemption, my brethren by bloud, my acquaintance by education, my followers in doc­trine, and so neare of kindred vnto my disciples; why should I consent to their losse and condemnation? Father forgiue them, seeing I came not into the vvorld to procure thee ene­mies, but to giue thee new friends, and to take thy old griefes and sorrowes from thee: for otherwise if by my death, this people should remaine in thy disgrace and hatred, it would seeme that my death, would rather moue thee to indignati­on, than appease thy wrath. If my death make not an attone­ment betwixt you, who is able to doe it? O my good father when thou diddest command me to come downe from hea­uen, and also to die vpon the crosse, diddest not thou promise and agree, that thy anger and my life, and my life and thy an­ger should haue an end at the same houre? Father forgiue them, and fulfill thy agreement, giue that which thou hast promised, and seeing in thy presence my life is deerer vnto thee than thy anger, I am glad and willing to die, if by that meanes thy ire may bee appeased. O blessed praier, O holy wish and request, neuer heard of before! O happie petition, which thou madest sweet Iesus in thy last houre, wherein thou diddest shew by deeds all that thou haddest preached with words, seeing thou diddest entreat for those which put thee to death, & aske pardon for those which crucified thee. Let all the praiers bee brought forth, that euer were made [Page 13]in the world, and we shall easily perceiue, that there was ne­uer any equall vnto this praier of Christs: for there was neuer any which had that intent which hee had, nor asked that which hee asked, nor compassed that which hee compassed. What did the great Patriarch Iacob request of Laban his fa­ther in law, but only his faire daughter Rachel for his spouse? What did the women of Israell demaund of the women of Aegypt saue only their siluer and gold? What did Anna Hel­cans wife and Samuels mother, request of God in the temple, sauing only that it would please him to giue her a son? What did the Iew maid called Axa aske of her father Calaph but only the pasture which held water, because the other which hee had giuen her was drie? What did the mother of the Zebedees require of Christ, but onely that hee would make them the greatest lords of his kingdome? Which of all these doe aske any thing of God for their enemies, or yet for their friendes? Euery man did aske for that which was fittest for his owne turn, euery man sought for that which was good for himselfe, no man entreated for his neighbour, no man re­membred his enemie, no man made intercession for another, no man loaded himselfe with other mens faults. Only the son of God made man, praieth for his enemies in the last supper, saying; Pater, keepe those which beleeue in me: and praieth also vpon the crosse for his enemies, saying: Pater ignosce illis, so that like a mercifull lord he defendeth the good, and par­doneth the wicked.

CHAP. III. How the son of God put himself a mediator betwixt God and mankind, and what torment he receiued thereby.

QVaesiui de eis virum qui interpeneret sepem, & staret oppositus contra me: these are the words of the great God of Israell, spoken to the Prophet Ezechiell being in the captiuitie of Babilon, not far from the [Page 14]riuer Cobar in the two and twentith chapter of his prophe­sie. And it is as if he would say, Ezechiell I haue beene many a day angrie with Ierusalem, and I seeke out a holy and a vertuous man, which should put himselfe like a hedge be­twixt mee and the people of Israell, because their offences might not come vnto mee, nor my punishment reach vnto them. Wee may inferre of the complaint which our Lord maketh in this place, what great scarsitie there was in the sy­nagogue, of good men, seeing he found not one among them all which was worthie to appease the wrath of the Lord, and to helpe and succour the people. The merites of good men are of great force and power before God, for to pardon the e­uill in their faith, which is easily seene in all the cities of So­dome which he did pardon for ten good mens sake, and all the twelue tribes of Israel which he pardoned for one alone: but alasse neither in the synagogue was there found that one, neither in Sodome those ten. To say the truth it was no mar­uaile that hee was not to be found in all the synagogue, with those conditions, which God required in him: for he ought to haue ben a man in discretion and not a child, and the Lord himselfe was to make choice of him and no other, and he was to be an Hebrew and not a Gentile, & he was to put himselfe a mediator betwixt God and the people, and it was required that he should be partiall on neither side. And our Lord was not content onely with this, but that mediator ought also to haue desert and merit in him, to appease Gods indignation, and not sinne to stirre him to wrath. S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth, I doubt whether a man endued with these conditions, and shining with these vertues, might bee found amongst the Angelicall Hierarchies, how much lesse among humane cre­atures, because such a one should bee more than man, yea he should be equall with God. Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, and Dauid, and all the letanie of the old and new testament, were not equall with God, nor any thing more then men, seeing they were borne in sinne, and attained vnto no diuine secret with­out it were reuealed vnto them. The sonne of God only was [Page 15]equall vnto God, and the diuine vvord only vvas more than man, because in him, and in no other, those cōditions of a ho­ly man were found which God sought for, and the vertues which should pacisie God his wrath and anger. The first con­dition which God required, was, that this mediator should be a man in wisdome, and not a child, which may better bee verified in Christ than in any other, seeing that from the first instant that he tooke humane flesh vpon him he saw the de­uine essence, and knew as much as hee dooth now in glorie, vvhich is not so in other men, seeing they are long a bringing vp, and vvaxe old very timely. The sonne of God vvas also an Hebrue of the tribe of Iuda a vvhich vvas the most honou­rable stocke of all the tribes, and hee vvas of Nazareth vvhich vvas a holy land: and he vvas also the most honoura­ble of all his kindred. Thirdly, the sonne of God vvas best beloued of his father because of him, and of no other, he said in his baptisme. Hic est filius meus dilectus, as if hee vvould say, This is only my lawful child, in him only am I vvel plea­sed, this only is my heire, him onely I doe tender and loue, in him I delight, and take great contentment. Fourthly, the son of God vvas a very thicke mud vvall, a close hedge, vvhich put himselfe betwixt God and the people, vvhen he suffered himselfe to bee crucified vpon the crosse, vpon the vvhich as strong battelments they discharged all the sinnes vvhich vvere in the vvorld, and all the wrath vvhich God had. O glorious hedge, O happie vvall, O strong vvounds, such vvast thou O redeemer of my soule, seeing thou diddest permit, and consent to put thy selfe a mediator betwixt God & man, to the end they should vnlode and put vpon thee all the sins of the vvorld, and all the vengeance vvhich God vvas to take for them. S. Gregory vpon Ezechiell sayth, The sonne of God only vvas the man he sought for, this vvas the vvall he required, this vvas the mediator he asked for, this is the paci­fier of the old quarrell, and of Gods vvrath, this is the refor­mer of new grace, and this is the ouerthrower of the old sinne. S. Ierome vpon this place sayth. The man vvhich God sought [Page 16]by Ezechiel, who else was hee, but the son of the liuing God, and our redeemer? Who like vnto an vnexpugnable wall, did put himselfe boldly betwixt God and vs, saying, Pater ig­nosce illis, Father forgiue them. By which words, he did not like, that our sinnes should come into the sight of God, nei­ther suffered he Gods wrath and vengeance to descend vpon vs. Origen vpon S. Marke sayth, That whē the two chiefe cap­taines of the synagogue, Moses and Aaron, perceiued that the Lord began to poure his wrath and anger vpon the people, they went immediatly vnto the tabernacle, the one to pray, and the other to doe sacrifice to be a mean betwixt God and them; because that otherwise, God would haue poured out his anger vpon them, & the Synagogue haue receiued great hurt and detriment. That which happened vnto those two holy men in the desart happened vnto Christ on the mount of Caluarie, who seeing the elements to be troubled, and the dead to rise againe, to reuenge his death and punish that nati­on, he made himselfe a mediator and a stikeler betwixt God and them, and praied, Paterignosce illis, as if hee would say, Pardon them my father, pardon them; for if thou wilt not pardon them, it will bee a greater griefe vnto me to see them lost, then my passion which causeth mee to die. What would become of the Iewes then, if Christ had not said vnto his fa­ther, father forgiue them, and what should betide vs now if he should not say. Pater parce illis, Spare them father. S. Bar­nard saith in a sermon, That this word of Ignosce illis, Forgiue them, is of such a deepe consideration, that it should neuer be out of a sinners mouth, nor blotted out of his memory: be­cause that the sonne of God did shew his mercy more vnto vs in two things thē in al the rest: that is, in the pardon which he got vs of his father, and in the bloud which he shed for vs on the crosse. Anselmus reasoning with Christ sayth, What doest thou crie for, what doest thou aske, what doest thou in­treat for, what wilt thou, what seekest thou, what saiest thou to thy father O good Iesus, what saiest thou? I intreat O my father, that thou wouldest forgiue them, because they know [Page 17]not what they do, and that thou wouldest load my flesh with thy anger; and I intreat that there remaine nothing vntecon­ciled vnto thee, because that my redemption would seem vn­perfect and insufficient, if there should remaine in any a fault to bee redeemed, and in thy selfe any anger to punish vs. O what an enflamed charity, what a wonderfull example, what incredible patience, what entire loue thou diddest shew vs O sweet Iesus in this speech of, Father forgiue them, the which thou diddest vtter not for an ease to thy griefe, but in fauour of thy persecutors! O what infinite goodnesse, what vnspeak­able clemencie, what strange charitie doth shine this day in thee O my Iesus and sauiour, seeing thou doest loose those which bind thee, pleadest for those which diffame thee, en­treatest for those which accuse thee, excusest those which blame thee, and pardonest also those which will kill thee! What meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this? doest thou pray for them at the very instant which they blaspheme thee, mocke thee, and laugh thee to scorne? They haue pier­ced thee with a speare, and yet doest thou giue them an ac­quittance and a release of the blow? What mortall man can praise himselfe or bost to haue done that which thou hast done, that is to craue pardon for murderers before they haue confessed their fault, and seeke to release them before they haue repented? They will not returne into the citie before thou hast yeelded vp the ghost, and wilt not thou die before thou hast first pardoned them? Who euer saw or heard any thing like vnto this; to wit, that pardon should proceed first out of his blessed bowels, before the blood should end to is­sue out of his tender vaines? Doest thou not remember to aske a sepulchre for thy body, and doest thou remember to aske forgiuenesse and mercie for those which crucified thee? O sweet Iesus, O my soules glorie, who but thou could haue the breath going out of his body, and Ignosce illis Pardon them in his mouth? To defend thy selfe couldest not thou open thy mouth, and to excuse thy enemies couldst not thou keepe it shut? S. Chrisostome sayth, The sonne of God onely [Page 18]was he, who on the altar of the crosse, inspeaking these words, Father forgiue them, coupled, ioined, and handfasted toge­ther, pittie and cruelty, the offence and mercie, anger and pa­tience, hatred and loue, killing and pardoning. With as great reason (sayth Hilarius) we can now say, Vbi sunt irae tuae anti­quae, as the Prophet Dauid said, Vbi sunt misericordiae tuae anti­quae, seeing we bee certaine that from the houre that the son of God died vpō the crosse, we may cal him, Pater misericor­diarū, as the Synagogue called him, Deus vltionū, The God of reuenge. No man ought to distrust Christs goodnesse and mercie, although he haue ben neuer so great a sinner, so as he liue and die a Christian: for seeing he pardoned those which would not bee pardoned, hee will much rather pardon those which aske for pardon. S. Barnard as if hee were in a maze sayth thus vnto Christ; O good sauiour, O my soules delight, if thou wilt pardon thy death, why doest thou pardon it be­fore thou bee dead? they tooke thy life from thee, to the end that thou shouldest forget such a greeuous iniury done vnto thee, and make no reckoning to be reuenged. It is a tollerable thing to forgiue the iniury done vnto thy self; but why doest thou forgiue the iniury done vnto thy sorrowfull mother and thy blessed father, not calling the parties offended vnto it? Thy mouth is now ready to receiue vineger, thy person to be mocked, thy side to bee pierced, thy bodie to bee buried, and yet doest thou make intercession for that wicked people? Doest thou entreat for those which crucifie thee, and doest thou not remember those which weepe by thee? Now that thou hast pitie on the offences of the synagogue, why hast thou not also compassion of the tears of thy blessed mother? S. Cyprian vpon the passion of our Lord sayth: All things end with thee, and all forsake thee O sweer Iesus vpon the altar of the crosse, sauing only thy patience, with the which thou did dest suffer thy torments, and thy charitie with the which thou diddest forgiue thy enemies, seeing thou doest pray for those which crucifie thee, entreat for those which blaspheme thee, hold thy peace against those which spit on thee, excuse [Page 19]those which accuse thee, and pardon those which pardon not thee. O my redeemer, what a pitifull heart hast thou, that considering how the Iewes themselues gaue thee licence to take reuengement on them: saying, Sanguis eius super nos, His bloud vpon vs, yet thou diddest not only not vse this libertie giuen thee, but forsookest it, & there pardoned thy iniury. O how contrary these two speeches are, Sanguis eius sit super nos, Let his bloud fall vpon vs, and Ignosce illis, Pardon them: seeing that by the first the Iewes craue punishment of God, and in the last Christ asketh pardon of his father for them: in so much that the bloud of Christ which they asked to bee against them, the son of God asketh that it may be for them! What hast thou to do O good sauiour, what hast thou to do with the Iews (sayth Vbertinus) and hangmen and torturers? They goe about to condemne thee, and thou to saue them; they to accuse thee, and thou to excuse them; they to carry thee to Pilate to bee condemned, and thou to thy father that they may be pardoned; they to say, crucifige, crucifige, crucifie him, crucifie him, and thou to say, Ignosce, ignosce, Pardon them, Pardon them. At what time the son of God hanging vpon the crosse, praied on one side vnto his father, and on the other side the Hebrews praied Pilate; there was a great con­flict betwixt Gods iustice and mercie: for iustice willed the praier of Sanguis eius, Let his bloud fall vpon vs, to be heard, and contrary mercy forbad it, and would haue Pater ignosce illis, but in the end mercie had the vpper hand, and reuenge­ment had no part therein. Whose heart saith Bonauenture would not bleed, and who would not loue thee O good Ie­sus, to see thee say to thy father, my father forgiue them, and not my father examine them, and to see that thou doest for­giue thē without asking, yeeldest vnto them without entrea­ty, and pardonest them without amendment? It is such a high mysterie sayth S. Augustine, and a hidden Sacrament, to see the sonne of God release iniurie with mercie and cle­mencie, and not punish their crime with reuenge, and that the praier of Ignosce illis, Forgiue them, preuailed against that of [Page 20] Sanguis eius, His bloud light vpon vs; that although it may well be rehearsed, yet it cannot bee well comprehended and vnderstood.

CHAP. IIII. Of many high qualities and conditions which the praier of, Father forgiue them, had in it: and how it is meet for vs to follow it in our praiers.

CVm clamore valido & lachrimis efferens preces & supplicatienes, exauditus est pro sua reuerent [...], sayth the Apostle in his E­pistle to the Hebrewes, chap. 5. as if hee would say: When the sonne of God was crucified: vpon the tree of the crosse, hee made many requests vnto his father, & with many supplications entreated him, praying vnto him with a loud voice, and pouring down many tears before him. This praier was well heard of the eternall father, and very acceptable vnto his diuine clemencie, partly because hee who praied was a person worthy of great reuerence, and part­ly because the praier which he made was founded vpon great pitie and mercie. It appeareth well that he which praied was of an excellent and perfect condition, and hee very mighty vnto whom he praied, and that which hee praied of great merit, and the manner which hee obserued in praier a perfect platforme of praier, seeing that the Apostle in this place laieth down such high conditions of this praier which Christ made vpon the crosse. Whereof although much be spoken, yet there remaineth much more not spoken of. First then he saith that Christ praied once on the crosse, because he saith, Cum clamore, with a crie; and with a high and loud voice, be­cause he saith, valido, strong; and that with tears Cum lachri­mis; and that hee praied and offered his praier at the same time vnto his father; and that the quality of the praier was [Page 21]to entreat and beseech, preces & supplicationes; and that his praier was heard of his father at that very instant when hee made it, because hee sayth, & exanditus est pro sua reuerentia. The condition and qualitie of the praier which the sonne of God made vpon the crosse, which the Apostle toucheth here, is very great and worthy to bee marked and obserued with great heed, and followed with great diligence: for if we faile in any one of these conditions, we are said rather to crie out then to pray. Theophilus vpon the Apostle sayth, That when the Apostle saith that the sonne of God praied with a loud voice vpon the crosse, hee meaneth that hee offered and directed his praier with all his heart, and with all his will vnto God only, and vnto no other. For to say the truth, hee is said to pray aloud, whose mind is not distracted and drawne into many thoughts. When the Apostle saith that Christ praied aloud on the crosse and with a strong voice, he letteth vs vnderstand with what a feruent desire and great deuotion, he praied: for there is nothing requested aloud and by crying out, which is not either through abundance of loue, or ouer­much griefe. Both together forced Christ to crie out vpon the crosse, that is, the great loue he bare vnto his friends, and the ouermuch paine he suffered in his members. When the Apostle sayth, That the sonne of God offered vp praiers and supplications vpon the altar of the crosse, hee declareth, as Theophilactus sayth, That the praier ignosce illis was exten­ded vnto the good and vnto the bad: in so much that for his enemies he offered praiers for the pardon of their sinnes, and for his friends hee offered vp oblations for to confirme them in his grace. As the sonne of God was Lord ouer all men and died for all men, so vpon the crosse he praied for all men. For if the wicked had need of him to help them to rise, the good also had need of his helpe to keep them from falling. Ansel­mus in his meditations sayth, That when the Apostle sayth, that the sonne of God was not content to pray only with de­uotion, but also offered vp that praier vnto his owne father, it is to let vs vnderstand, that for the sauing of all the world hee [Page 22]offered vp his paines and sorrowes for a recompence, his life for a satisfaction, his person for a reward, his bloud for a price, and his soule for a sacrifice. It is also to bee weighed, that the sonne of God made not this holy praier of Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them, sitting but vpright, not being at libertie but bound, not in a low voice but aloud, not laughing but weeping, & that which is most to be maruelled at; the words that he praied with, were very few, but the tears he bathed them with, were very many. O good Iesus, O my souls plea­sure, who could be worthy to stand at the foot of thy crosse, to see how thy bloud ran from the thornes, and thy tears flow from thy eies, in so much that at the same hour and moment, thou diddest water the earth with tears, and pierce the hea­uens with sighes! O what a sacred word was that, O what a holy praier was Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them, seeing that it was made by the sonne of God vpon the altar of the crosse accompanied with sighes, washed with the bloud of Christ, and offered vp with the tears of the redeemer! Al­though the sonne of God requested the greatest matter of his father and of the greatest weight that euer was demaun­ded of him, that is to wit, Pardon of his precious death, yet the tears which hee shed were so many, and the loue so great with the which he asked it, that if he had asked a greater mat­ter of him, his father would neuer haue denied it him. S. Ba­sill sayth, O what great hurt sinnes bring vnto vs, considering that for to lighten vs of them, and obtaine pardon for them, it was needfull for Christ to pray vnto his father for thē, and offer oblation, and crie out, and suffer his bloud to bee shed, and tears to poure downe from his eies, so that thou O good Iesus diddest buy my great offences by the weight of thy bloud & tears. Our Lord when he praied for his enemies vpon the crosse, taught vs what forme and fashion wee ought to keepe when wee pray, that is, to shed bloud from our mem­bers, and fall tears frō our eies. The son of God wept when he praied for his enemies, and art not thou ashamed to laugh and talke, when thou praiest for the remission of thy sinnes? Yea [Page 23]and if thou canst not weep in thy praiers, yet tel me why thou doest talke ouermuch? Barnard sayth, That it is more then a iest, rather then a praier, if at one time thou wouldest pray and talke: for if thou bee not attentiue vnto that that thou praiest, neither will our Lord be vnto that that thou deman­dest. Defecerunt prae la [...]hrimis oculi mei, sayth Ieremie in his Lamentations; as if he should say. I had such great compasst­on to see all the Iewes led captiue vnto Babilonia, that my eies with very weeping lost their sight. And indeed there is no greater token that a man is in true charity, then to see him haue compassion of other mens hurts; and therevpon it hap­peneth that good men weepe sooner for the wicked then for themselues; the which happened also vnto Christ vpon the crosse, who wept first for his enemies, before they wept for their owne sinnes. It is a very proper thing vnto the chosen people of God to weepe a like for other mens harmes, and for their owne; because it is the propertie of true Christian charitie, to take as great griefe to see his brother lost, as plea­sure to see himselfe saued. One of the greatest priuiledges that good men haue is, that euen as they merit in taking com­fort and ioy of the good that is done to good men, so they are greeued at the hurt which falleth vnto euill men, in so much that the good man and the iust reapeth profit & com­modity of euery mans conuersation. Who doubteth but that the lamentation which Christ made vpon the crosse, was far greater then that which Ieremie made on the Mount Sion? But now it is to be vnderstood that Ieremy wept for one peo­ple onely, and the sonne of God for all the vniuersall world. Ieremy wept only tears from his eies, but the son of God wept tears from his eies and shed bloud from his vains. Further Ie­remie complained that by weeping he had lost his sight one­ly, but our sweet sauior did not only loose his sight with wee­ping vpon the crosse, but also his very life. O good Iesus, my soules delight, what patience is sufficient, or by vvhat iustice is it reason that I should commit the offence, and thou shed the teares? Art thou not content vvith Ier [...]my to make foun­tains [Page 24]of tears of thy eies, but also to make streames of bloud of thy vains? With all those sighes which proceed from thy heart, with so many griefes which thy members endure, with so many teares which run from thy eies, and with so much bloud which floweth from thy vains, who would not graunt thy request, and who would not haue compassion of that which thou sufferest? O who can be able tosay with Ieremy, Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei, Because that the greatest hap which could light vnto mee were, that in amending my faults I could recouer my soule, and in weeping many teares lose my sight.

CHAP. V. Why the father answered not his sonne when hee praied for his enemies.

VOs cogitastis malum de me, sed deus vertit illud in bonum: ego pascam vos & par­uulos vestros. When the great Patriark Iacob died in Aegypt, and that all his childrē remained vnder the power and will of their brother Ioseph, and being a­feard least hee should call to mind how they had sold him vnto the muleters of Aegypt, the good Io­seph spake these words vnto them. You my brethrē did think that you had done me great hurt, but you did me great good: for your selling of me was the occasiō that I came vnto pros­perity, and to rule and gouerne all Aegypt, in so much that the great goodnesse of our Lord turned your gall into honny, and your poison into triacle. Feare not, nor yet haue no suspition, that I will reuenge for that iniurie, or that I will take satisfa­ction for that reproch and shame; but I haue rather a will to looke vnto your wants, & giue nurriture vnto your children. It is not necessary to expound this glorious figure, vnto those which are curious in the scriptures, seeing al this was fulfilled literally in our good Iesus. Yet notwithstanding, we will say [Page 25]something touching this figure, because all mē may perceiue how well the truth answereth vnto the figure, the sence vnto the letter, the proofe vnto the prophecie, and that which was prophecied vnto that which after happened. What did it mean that Ioseph was enuied of his owne proper brothers, but that the son of God was hated of al the Iews? Who was sold vnto the Ismalites like Ioseph, but the blessed Iesus, who was also bought with money? Who like vnto Ioseph was cast into prison, because hee would not commit adultery with his mi­stris, but only the sonne of God, which was condemned vnto death because he would not consent to sinne with the Syna­gogue? who like vnto Ioseph did pardon the manslaughter cō ­mitted by his brothers, but only the son of God, who was not cōtent only to pardō his enemies, but also praied vnto his fa­ther for thē? The pardon which Christ gaue his enemies, was of greater value thē that which Ioseph gaue vnto his brothers, because without comparison, it is a greater mischiefe to take ones life frō one, thē to sell his person. O how rightly may the son of God say vnto the Iews which killed him, Vos cogitastis de me malum, sed deus vertit illad in bonum. You thought todo me hurt, but God doth turne it to my good, considering that they thought at one time to put him to death vpō the crosse, and take all power from him vpon earth! but hee maugre theirmalice rose the third day, and like vnto another Ioseph had al power giuen vnto him vpon earth, and in heauen. You O yee Iews Cogitastis de me malum, When you bereaued me of my life, but my blessed father did turne it to my good, when at the same time my life ended, the Synagogue was buried, and the Church tooke her beginning. With iust oc­casion, and with no lesse reason good men may say vnto the euill, the iust vnto the vniust, those that are persecuted vnto the persecutors, Vos cogitastis de me malum, You thinke to hurt mee, but God turneth it vnto my good: for when they thinke to suppresse & tread them down, they exalt and life them vp, and thinking to diffame and discredite them, they giue them credite and honour: for the Tyrant Herod did [Page 26]much more good to the innocent children, when hee caused their throats to bee cut, then if hee had caused them to haue ben kept and brought vp. There was neuer done in the world (saith S. Augustine in his Confessions) nor neuer shal be done a wickeder part then the killing of Christ: and yet there was neuer so great good done, nor neuer shalbee as hath been ga­thered by the death of Christ, that is, the redemption of all the vniuersall world; in so much that God neuer permitteth any euill to be done, whereof he doth not draw some profite. Cyprian in his booke of Martyrs sayth. If the diuell do tempt thee, if the flesh disquiet thee, if the world hate thee, Iacta cogitatum tutum in dominum, Cast thy thought vpon God: for although Tyrants, and naughty men thinke to doe thee hurt, yet haue a sure confidence and hope, Quòd deus vertet illud in bonum, That God will turne it to good: seeing that the euill Christian goeth out of tribulation moued and stirred vp, but not amended; and the good and vertuous man chastised, bet­tered, and amended. The excommunicated Iewes, Cogita­bant de Christo malum, whē at the foot of the crosse they said, Vah qui destruis templum dei, Thou which doest destroy the Temple of God: but the son of God turned that into good, when hee said, Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them, in so much that the hast which they vsed in speaking ill and cur­sing of him, and reuiling him, our good Iesus vsed in blessing and praying for them. It is here now to bee weighed how it can be true, that the sonne of God was heard of his father as S. Paule sayth, Pro sua reuerentia. Seeing that God answered him no one word at all? For the better vnderstanding of this point, it is to bee presupposed, that in some requests which were made vnto the sonne of God, if he would not yeeld vn­to that which was demanded, he answered them presently by word, but when it pleased him to condiscend vnto their peti­tion, he performed it with deed without any word speaking, we haue example of both these in the Zebedeans his cousins, vnto whom he answered, Nescitis quid petatis, You know not what you aske: & when the great Iohn Baptist sent to know of [Page 27]Christ, Es tu qui venturus est? He answered no one word vnto the Embassie more, then that he began immeadiately before the Embassadors to work such great miracles, that they knew by them that he was the Messias promised vnto the Iewes. When the collectors of the tributes of Capernaum said vn­to Iesus that hee was to pay his Didrachma, which was the tribute due vnto the king, he answered them no word at all, but sent S. Peter vnto the sea, and of that which the disciple fished the maister pared his tribute. To applie this vnto our purpose, wee say that what magnificency Christ vsed vnto Iohus desciples, and vnto the rent-gatherers of Capernaum, the selfesame vsed the father towards his proper son on the crosse, not answering him by word vnto Pater ignosce illis, Fa­ther forgine them; but by deed forgiuing the wicked their offences, if they would at any time be sorry and repent them of their sinnes, and by confirming the good in grace. Beda vp­on Luke sayth, That the praier which the sonne of God made was not mad in vaine, considering that by the merit of that praier, and by him who praied it, all our praiers both are, and haue been heard: and for this cause the Apostle sayth, Quòd offerebat oblationes & preces, Because hee praied for all men, and in the name of all men; and so he wept for all, and in the name of all. O good Iesus, O glory of my soule, what doe I want if I doe not want thee, and what haue I not, saith Bar­nard, if I haue thee? I haue and possesse thee O my good Ie­sus, seeing that I am partaker of thy praiers, I haue part in thy teares, I haue thy gifts in pledge, I am the successor of thy sorrowes, and heire apparant vnto thy sweatings. Damascen sayth as the Apostle doth: Exauditus est prosua reuerentia, Christ was heard vpon the crosse, seeing that by the merites of, Father forgiue them, the Centurion immeadiately there said, Vere hic erat filius dei, Truly this was the sonne of God, and the good theefe also said, Domine memento mei, Lord re­member me In whose power saith Fulgentius [...], but onely in the vertue and power of the praier of Paterignosce illis, with­in a short space after that Christ had so praied, did some [Page 28]strike their breasts, and some say, This man was iust? By the merite of this holy praier, the Apostles conuerted three thousand men in one day, and fiue thousand another day: by reason that the sonne of God had gotten pardon for the excommunicated synagogue, glorious S. steuen was bapti­zed, holy Paul conuerted, and the good Matthew called to be an Apostle. O what a difference there is betwixt the prai­er which Christ made in the garden, & that which he made vpon the crosse: in the one heeswet blood, and in the other he shed teares; in the one he praied that the bitter challice might passe, and in the other pardon for the synagogue: and that which Iesus praied for himselfe was denied him, & that which hee praied for others was graunted him: In so much that his blessed father had more pitie on the sinnes of that people, than on the flesh of his owne sonne. O great goodnest O infinit charity? The Sonne of God is in the garden alone, hee is prostrate on the ground giuing vp his ghost, and yet ready for a new combat, his blood issueth from all the pores of his body, he praieth thrise for himselfe, and thou wilt not heare him, and when he praieth for his enemies doest thou heare him at the first word? Why dost thou not graunt him his request, seeing that when hee praied vpon the crosse for his enemies, he called thee nothing but Father; but when he praied in the garden alone for himselfe, he called thee, My Father, which is a sweet word, and a word of a gentle and courteous sonne. What would become of vs (saith S. Ierome) if Christ should not in his glory aboue, repeat that word vnto his father, Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them? Christ said once only, Father forgiue mine enemies, and he repeateth it a thousand thousand times in heanen for his Christians: for euen as wee neuer cease from sinning, so the sonne of God ne­uer ceaseth to pray for vs. Saint Steuen did not see Christ sit­ting by his father, but on foote; and the reason was, because that at that instant when S. Steuen fell downe on his knees to pray for his enemies, Christ rose immediatly also to pray and make intercession for them: so that that praier which Saint [Page 29] Steuen made here vpon earth, our sweet Iesus presented pre­sently vnto his father in heauen. It is deeply here to be wey­ed, that Christ did not say, Lord forgiue them, but, Father forgiue them; because this word Lord is a fearefull word, but this word Father is a word of ioy: and therefore when one man calleth another Father, it seemeth that hee doth bind him to answere him friendly, and not to deny him any thing that he demandeth. Wee shall find often in holy scripture, that when God was angry with the Hebrewes, hee said al­waies, Ego Dominus qui loquor vobis, I am the Lord which speake vnto you: but when he would as it were flatter them and make much of them, he alwaies said vnto them, Ego ero illis in patrem, I will be a father vnto them: that is, that hee would deale with them like a pitifull father, and not like a ri­gorous Lord. In so much that this word Pater Father, bree­deth loue, and this word Lord bringeth feare. Alwaies when the sonne of God made any great praier or asked any great fauour at his fathers hands, hee began his petition with Fa­ther, O iust father, O holy father, making reckoning that by calling him father, nothing should be denied him which was his sonne. If Iesus Christ should haue begun his praier with Lord, as he began it with Father, it would haue seemed that he had called vpon Gods iustice & power, & not vpon his wil & mercy: & therfore in saying, Father, he intreated him that hee would not iudge as a Lord of iustice, but like a father of mercy. O depth of all goodnes! O bowels full of charity! what els didst thou meane when thou begannest thy petition with Father, but that thou wouldest giue him to thy enemies for a father who is thine owne proper father? what goodnes in all the world can be equall vnto thine, or what like charity can be found, seeing thou art the plaintife & the party offended, yet thou gauest him vnto thy enemies for a mercifull father, whom thou shouldst haue giuen for a rigorous iudge? Then let vs conclude, that when the sonne said vnto his father, Pa­ter ignosce illis, that at one time he praied vnto him that hee would forgiue them their sinnes, & that at the same time hee would vouchsafe to take them for his children.

CHAP. VI. How Christ praied for his enemies on the crosse more hear­tilie then hee did in the garden for himselfe, seeing the one praier was made with condition, and the other not.

SVpra dorsum meum fabricauerunt peccato­res, & prolongauerunt iniquitatem suam. These are the wordes of King Dauid in the 128 Psalme, spoken in the name and person of the sonne of God: and they are as if he should say. I know not O mother the Synagogue, what I haue done against thee, nor wherin I haue offended thee, & yet thou hast gain­said mee from my childhood, thou hast persecuted mee from my manhood, thou hast defamed mee, euer since I began to preach vnto thee, and in the sweetest time of al my life, thou hast crucified mee. But this is nothing O mother Synagogue, this is nothing in comparison of that, that thou diddest lay all thy sinnes vpon my shoulders, which neuer had lost their in­nocency, nor neuer done vnto thee any iniury. Supra dorsum meum, And sinners haue built vpon my backe, seeing that A­dam hath cast his disobedience vpon me, Eue her gluttony, Cain her sonne his murder, king Dauid his adultery, the Ty­rant Roboam his Idolatrie, and all the Synagogue her malice. Is it not true that sinners haue built vpon my backe, seeing that I must be punished and pay for all the offences that the sinfull Iewes committed? The Iewes would willingly haue loaden Christ on both his shoulders, that is they would haue cast vpon him both the paine and the offence: but good Iesus tooke vpon him the punishment like a redeemer, but char­ged not himselfe with the guilt of sinne like an offender. S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith, That the sonne of God doth not complaine, that they burdened both his shoulders, but [Page 31]only one, seeing he saith, Supra dorsum Vpon my backe, al­though his enemies would haue ouercharged and wearied them both, by killing his humanitie, and darkening his diui­nitie, by blotting his fame and credite and hindering his do­ctrine; but our mighty redeemer suffered them onely to lay the punishment on him, and take his life from him. Basil sayth, That sinners build vpon one shoulder only, when they haue no other goodnesse in them, but the bare name of Chri­stians only: and iust men build vpon both his shoulders when they are at one time both Christians and vertuous men. Thou must know (brother) that in the law of Christ it is not sufficiēt that a man be called a Christian, vnlesse he be also such a one indeed. Sinners build vpon one of Christs shoulders onely, when they serue God in wish and desire onely, and serue the world with all their might and power, which is a mean rather to condemne them then to saue them: for in the Church of God there are many condemned by good wishes & desires, but not one by good workes. Christ complaineth, that cursed Heretikes doe build vpon one shoulder, when they confesse only his humanitie, & take away his diuinity; which is great wickednesse & falshood: for he is as true a God as he is a man and as true man as he is true God. Christs complaint of the Synagogue doeth not end here, but hee saith further, Et prolong auerunt iniquitatem suam: as if he would say, Thou was not content, O ingrateful Synagogue, to impute thy of­fence vnto mee, and lay all the punishment due for it vpon my backe, but thou hast also prolonged thy naughtinesse and perseuered in thine infidelity, heaping sinne vpon sinne, ma­lice vpon malice, enuie vpon enuie, and idolatry vnto idola­try. When did the forsaken Iewes prolong their iniquitie, but when at the foot of the crosse, they were nothing forrie to haue crucified Christ, but were grieued to see him rise a­gaine? S. Barnard sayth, that Christ had great reason to say that the Iewes had prolonged their iniquitie, because that at the time of his passion, for the better reuengement vnto their malicious hearts, and the more to torment Christs blessed [Page 32]members, they would haue been glad that day had been lon­ger, and that Christs life had continued a longer time. The hatred which those wicked Iewes bate vnto Christ was so great, that sometimes they desired nothing more then to see him yeeld vp the ghost, and sometime they were neuer sa­tisfied and full in doing him iniury, insomuch that if they did crucifie him with their hāds, they did also crucifie him much more with their hearts. Wee should haue great compassion vpon the Iewish nation which doe prolong their iniquity vn­till the end of the world: for as the Apostle sayth, the Syna­gogue shall neuer be all lightened vntill all the Gentiles bee conuerted. It may be said not only of the Hebrewes, but also of many Christians, that Prolong auerunt iniquitatem suam, who in stead of amending themselues, goe on euery day em­pairing themselues, so that they are like vnto those which are sick of the dropsie, who the more they drinke the more they thirst; so they the more they sinne the greater lust they haue to sinne. And as Christ with great reason said, that the He­brewes did prolong their iniquitie against him, with the like reason may they say of Christ, that towards them he prolon­ged his mercy, seeing he was as hastie in procuring their par­don, as they were in causing his passion. What shold become of me O sweet Iesus, what should become of me saith Ansel­mus, if as euery day I adde naughtinesse to naughtinesse, and so prolong my iniquitie, thou diddest not adde goodnes vnto goodnesse, and so prolong mee thy misericordiam? O sweet Iesus and my soules delight, of whom may it so truly be said as of thee, that thou hast prolonged thy mercy, seeing that thou wast vpon the crosse as it were gaping for death, and yet pardoning thy enemies? And although I doe euery day pro­long my iniquity, and thou euery moment prolong thy mer­cy, notwithstanding thy mercy exceedeth my iniquitie: for o­therwise my sorrowfull soule should long agoe haue knowne what thy rigorous iustice had beene. Cyprian saith vpon the passion of our Lord, that hee hath much more prolonged his mercy, seeing hee said not in his praier, Father forgiue them if [Page 33]thou wilt, but absolutely that hee would forgiue them; and that not by the rigour of iustice due vnto them, but by the sole mercy of him which made the petition. Behold then O my soule, behold that with greater deuotion & affection the sonne of God praied for thee vpon the crosse than hee did for himselfe in the garden, seeing that he said there, Father if thou wilt, let that chalice passe; but on the crosse he said not If thou wilt, but Father forgiue them. In so much that it see­meth that hee left the care of his passion vnto the will of his father, but the pardon of his enemies hee desired presently to be giuen. What meaneth this O sweet Iesus, what meaneth this? It seemeth that thou doest put it in consultation whe­ther thou shalt die or not, saying vnto him Father if thou wilt; and doest thou not giue thy father leaue to thinke whether he shall pardon that wicked people or not, but that he should there presently forgiue them? The sonne of God saith vnto his father (as Gregory reports) Father forgiue them, and not If thou wilt, because we should vnderstand that when wee for­giue and be reconciled vnto our enemies, we should doe it so sincerely and heartily, and with such good wil that we should neuer turne our face from them, nor neuer deny them our communication. I will not (saith Hugo) call that a Christian forgiuing, when we forgiue our enemy vnder condition neuer to speake vnto him, nor goe by his gate, nor dwell where hee hath to doe: for our redeemer excepted no condition in the pardon of his passion. It is also deepely to bee weighed, that the sonne of God did not say vpon the crosse, Father forgiue him, but Father forgiue them: That is, he asked forgiuenesse not for one in particular, but for all the whole world in gene­rall. Whereof it is inferred that seeing hee praied for all, that there was sinne in all. When Christ said Pardon them and not pardon him, he gaue cause of great hope vnto all sinners, that they should bee pardoned by him, seeing hee forgot not to redeeme any, nor to pardon any man, nor leaue out any man not spoken for of his father, but made all men partakers of his passion. As the sonne of God said vnto his father, Par­don [Page 34]them, so if he had said Pardon him, he would haue put all the church in an vpro [...]e and hurliburly, and al the world in a confusion and doubt in knowing who were condemned, and who pardoned. Rabanus vpon S. Matthew sayth, That when the Maker hanged vpon the crosse, if hee had said Pardon him, as he said Pardon them, then we should not haue known whether hee had pardoned Iudas which sold him, or Herod which scorned him, or Pilat which condemned him, or S. Pe­ter which denied him, or Caiphas which blasphemed him. And he saith further, that the cause why Christ said vnto his father, Pardon them, and not pardon him, was because our good Lord is so liberall in giuing and so noble in pardoning, that he cannot forgiue any one sinne alone, if there remaine any other hidden offence in the sinner. Factious and enuious men are wont to pardon some of their enemies, & not other some: but the sonne of God for a certainty dooth not so, but he would forgiue all men tog [...]ther, and redeeme all men togi­ther. S. Iohn said not of Christ, behold him who taketh away the sinne of the world; but said behold him who taketh away the sinnes of the world. He said not vnto Mary Magdalen, thy sinne is released, but thy sinnes are forgiuen thee: In so much that in matter of sinnes God cannot but either wholly winck at them, or wholly pardon them. For as S. Ierome sayth, No man euer heard the sonne of God say, I pardon thee such a sinne or this sinne or that sinne, but hee alwaies said I par­don thee all thy sinnes, and therevpon praying vpon the crosse vnto his father, hee did not say Pardon him, but said Father pardon them. For it seemed vnto him, that the value of the bloud which hee shed, was of such price, that those for whome hee died were but few, although hee died for those which were absent, as well as for those which were present, for the quicke and for the dead, for those which were alrea­dy past and for those which were to come, for the iust and for the sinners; & that one drop of his bloud which he should shed, would bee sufficient to redeeme a thousand of worlds: and if this were so, what reason had hee to bestow it vpon one [Page 35]alone, seeing there did abound for all the world? The sonne of God debated not the matter, nor plaied not the huckster with his father in contending, how much bloud shall I giue thee for their pardon; because he would let vs vnderstand in this, that he paied very well, yea and repaied for al the sinnes which were forgiuen. For to conclude, all the sinnes in the world might haue ben numbred, but the price of the bloud of Christ could not bee valued. O good Iesus! O my soules hope, if in fauour of great sinners thou diddest say, Father forgiue them, why doest thou not say in my behalfe who am a great sinner, Pater ignosce illi, Forgiue him? If the Iewes haue beene vngratefull towards thee for the miracles which thou diddest amongst them, haue not I been much more in­gratefull for the benefites receiued of thee? If thou diddest pray for the Israelites which did kill thee once, why doest thou not pray for me which kill thee euery day? Doe not I put thee to death euery day and euery houre, seeing I doe crucifie thee as oft as I sinne against thee? Seeing the sinnes which are seuerally in other mē, are together in me, why dost thou not say, Father forgiue him, as thou didst say, Father for­giue thē? Say then O my good Iesus, say vnto thy Father, Fa­ther pardō this sinner, seeing that by how much the more my sins & offences are greater then other mens, by so much the more thy mercy will shine by forgiuing me.

CHAP. VII. How God is more mercifull now then hee was in time past: and why Christ did not say that he did pardon his ene­mies, when he asked pardon for them of his father.

POnam contra te omnes abommationes tuas, & non par­cet oculus meus super te. These are the woordes of the great God of Israell, spoken with much anger and verie great furie to the people of [Page 36]Israel, by the mouth and preaching of the holy Prophet E­zechiel chapter. 7. as if he would say: I am so angry with thee O Synagogue, and haue pardoned thee so often, that I am now determined to lay open all thy wickednes, and not for­giue thee any one of them: because that as mercy doth fol­low thy amendment, so iustice & rigor may follow thy hard­nesse of heart. Before the sonne of God came into the world to take mans flesh vpon him, God was much more accusto­med to vse his iustice then his mercie; seeing that in all the story of the old Law, those which hee chastised were very many in number, and those whome hee forgaue very few. And that we may proue it to haue ben so from the beginning of the world, how did he punish Adam, and Eue his wife for no other cause but for eating the apple which was forbidden them? Did hee not condemne the wicked Cain to wander throughout all the world, and haue a shaking in his head, for the murder which hee vsed against his brother? Who is ignorant how God did drowne many in the vniuersall floud for the sinne of the flesh, and sunke those of Sodome for the sinne against nature, and let the ground open and swal­low vp Dathan and Abiron for the rancor of enuie? And did not God command Moyses and Iosua, to take out of the campe and stone to death the Iew for hiding a bar­rell of gold at the sacke of Ierricho, and another Is­raelitie for gathering stickes vpon the Sabboth day? Hie­remie neuer endeth to bewaile the captiuitiy of Babilon, whereof hee sayth, Destruxit & non pepercit hee de­stroied and spared not. But God commaunded that all that kingdome should bee made desolate and destroi­ed, not pardoning nor forgiuing any one. When the Lord commanded king Saule to go & take Amelech his kingdome, hee aduised him and instructed him, that from the king himselfe which sate in his throne vnto the beast which fed in the meadow hee should not pardon any one, but sley and kill them euery one. In the ninth chapter of Ezechiell, God said these wordes vnto [Page 37]the striking Angel, Senem, & iuuenem, & virginem, & paruu­lum interfice, & sanctuario me [...] incipe, &c. as if he would say, Go throughout all the city of Ierusalem, & put to the sword all the old men, and all the young men, all the virgins, and all the children, and because no man shall thinke that any place may saue him, thou shalt begin this my punishment with the Priests of the Temple. Cadent à latere tuo mille, & decem mil­lia à dextris tuis, sayth the Psalmist, as if he would say: Thou doest so seuerely reuenge thy iniuries O great God of Sa­both, and so punish our offences, that as oft as I looke vpon thee I see both thy armes armed, and both thy hands coue­red with bloud, insomuch that if a thousand men are fallen at thy left hand, there are other ten thousand slairie at thy right hand. When the eternall God had seene that they had put to death his welbeloued sonne, being accustomed to punish presently and not to pardon, he darkened the light of the sunne, made the earth to quake, rent the vaile of the Temple, and opened the sepulchres of the dead, because those which were dead should rise againe and take reuenge­mēt of those which were aliue. Whē the son of God percei­ued that al this was done for his sake, & that his father would destroy all the word for to reuenge his death, hee lifted vp his eies vnto heauen, and with a sorrowfull voice said, Father forgiue them, because they know not what they doe: as if he would say; O my eternall and holy father, I beseech and pray thee that thou wouldest forgiue this vnhappy people, seeing thou shouldest make more account of the bloud which I shed for thē, than of the offence which they haue commit­ted against thee. It is now now time for a thousand to fall on thy left side, and ten thousand on thy right: for seeing that I stand betwixt them and thee, it is not reason that they should fall but rise, nor that thou shouldest punish but pardon them. O what a happie time! O what a happy age the Catholike church liueth in, in the which hee which is iniuried is reconciled and made our friend, the iudge be­come our aduocate and spokesman for vs, our accuser turned [Page 38]to bee our defender, and hee who was woont to feare vs with iustice, doth now flatter vs and entice vs to him with mercy. How shal Dauid be able to say now, Cadent à latere eius mille, A thousand shall fall on his side, seeing the sonne of God hath said vpon the crosse, Father forgiue them? In the law of grace, and vnder the yoke of Christ it is not time to goe a­stray but aright, not to cast away our selues but to saue our selues, not a time of iustice but of mercie, not to punish but to pardon, neither is it time to fall but to rise. It is much to be noted, that the sonne of God did neuer command any man to fall and throw downe himselfe, but rather bad all men rise vp, as it appeareth in the ninteenth of S. Matthew, where hee sayth, Rise vp and take thy bed, and in another place Arise maid, and hee said vnto him whom hee raised from death in Naim, adolescens tibi dico surge, and likewise hee said in the garden to his Disciples, Rise let vs goe. It is the pro­pertie and office of the diuell, to counsell and procure men to fall: for so he counselled Christ in the desart, when he said, I will giue thee all these things, Si cadens adoraueris me, as if hee would say; I will make thee Lord ouer all the world, if thou wilt but fall downe on the ground. O my sweet Iesus I wil liue with thee, who commandeth me to rise, and not with the diuell who counselleth mee to fall: for hee is desirous to haue me fall, and thou and no other art able to helpe mee vp again. Why should I liue with the diuell who deceiueth me a thousand waies, or with the world which putteth mee in a thousand dāgers, or with the flesh which asketh of me a thou­sand pleasures? O redeemer of my soule, O sweet delight of my life, I will liue and die with thee, and no other, for if I bee sick thou dost heale me, if I be sorrowful thou dost cōfort me, if I be falling thou dost help me, if I be falne thou dost helpe me vp, & if I haue sinned thou dost pardon me. He is the di­sciple of the diuell, who goeth about to throw down his bro­ther, & he is the sonne of Christ who doth helpe to lift vp his neighbor: for we are not able in this life to do any mā a greater fauor, then to keepe his credit & honor, & to help him to saue [Page 39]his soule. When the giuer of life said vpon the crosse, Father forgiue them, by those speeches he ment to obtain two things of his father: That is, that hee would neither punish their bo­dies like vnto murderers, nor condemne their soules like vn­to traitors. O infinite goodnesse! O clemency neuer heard of before! O redeemer of my soule, doest thou dissemble with the trecherous, pardon murderers, excuse traitors, vnderta­kest for the credite of the infamous, & turnest vnto sinners? It is litle when I say thou doest turn vnto sinners, seeing thou doest not only turn vnto them but also die for them. What is the reason O good Iesus, what is the reason that thou doest pray vnto thy father that he would forgiue them, and doest not say I doe forgiue them. When thou saiest, Father pardon them, why doest thou not say also, I pardon them? Art thou the partie iniuried, art thou the partie sha­med and disgraced, art thou the partie agreeued, and doest giue the libertie of pardoning them vnto another? It is a high mysterie, and a hidden Sacrament, to thinke that the sonne of God would not say I pardon them, but en­treat his father to pardon them, making greater reckoning of the iniurie which they had done vnto his father, then of the death which they procured vnto himselfe. The reason why the sonne of God would not say, I pardon them, although hee were the partie offended, was to tell vs plainly, That hee did not esteeme those which put him to death his enemies, rather his deer brothers & great good doers vnto the world, hauing more regard vnto the good vvhich they had done in causing the world to be redeemed, then vnto the hurt which they did in causing himselfe to bee murdered. When good Iesus said, Father forgiue thē, it is no more thē to say, thou art he my good father who must forgiue thē, because they haue brokē thy law, discredited thy doctrine, violated thy temple, & put to death thy son. If thou dost say that I should forgiue thē, I say I haue no cause to forgiue: for I take my death as wel reuenged, & my life as well bestowed, seeing that by the me­rit thereof all the world may liue, & heauen made open vnto [Page 40]all men. S. Augustine sayth, That if the sonne of God had holden the Iewes for his enemies, as they accounted of him, it was in his power to forsake them, and goe preach vnto o­thers; but because hee esteemed of them as of his kindred in bloud, neighbours by nature, brothers by law, disciples in do­ctrine, it was not needful for him to say on the crosse I forgiue thē, seeing he was not angry towards thē, nor moued at al with thē. They bare rancor and hatred vnto Christ, but nor Christ vnto thē; & therfore notwithstanding all the reproches they vsed towards him, & al the iniurious speeches they gaue him, he neuer left off preaching vnto thē, nor neuer ceased to work miracles amongst them. With what face could they say that Christ was their enemy, seeing hee raised their dead, cast out diuels frō them, instructed their childrē, cured their friends of diseases, & also forgaue thē their sins? Seeing the son of God had done the works of a friend among them, & that of a true friend, why should he say vpō the crosse, I do also forgiue thē, seeing he did not hold any one of thē for his enemy? If sweet Iesus was angry with thē, if he misliked thē, it was not for the iniuries which they did vnto him, but for the offences they cōmitted against his father; & therfore he cōmitted the par­dō vnto him which was most iniuried, protesting that himself was not offended with thē. O sweet Iesus how canst thou say that thou wast not offended nor iniured by thē, being as thou wast iniuried & crucified by their hands? and although thou do not cōplaine vpon thē, nor reuenge thee on them, nor yet accuse thē; yet O my redeemer why dost thou excuse them? Barnard saith, That the son of God was replenished with such great charity, and such inspeakable pity towards those which crucified him, that he could not obtaine leaue of himselfe to impute any fault vnto them, seeing he had charged himselfe with the pain due for it. Cyprian saith, That seeing Christ was the true mediator, pacifier, & stikler betwixt his father & the world, it would haue beene euilly thought of to say, that any one of them were his enemies: and therevpon it is that seeing hee had no enemie there amongst them, hee had no [Page 41]necessitie to say on the crosse, I pardon them. If the sonne of God (saith S. Chrysostome) hanging vpon the crosse, should haue said, I also pardon them, it would haue beene thought that hee receiued greater griefe for the torment which hee himselfe suffered, than of the iniuries which were done vnto his father; which for a certentie was not so: for if it were pos­sible, Christ would more willingly returne againe into the world to die, than endure to see one iniury done vnto his fa­ther. Who dare now, O good Iesus (saith S. Barnard) who dare aske a reuenge of the iniuries done vnto him, seeing thou did­dest make such small account of those which were done vnto thy selfe? Doest not thou recken of the cruell thornes which pierced thy holy head, and shall I make account of an angry word which my brother speaketh against me? How shall I dare to say, that I haue enemies, seeing thou doest handle those which nailed thee vnto the crosse like brothers? It ought to be a strange speech in the mouth of a Christian to say, This is my enemy; for in making thy brother thy ene­mie, thou doest loose Christ, and causest him to be no more thy friend. It is much to be noted, that Christ entreated not his father to pardon them after they were dead, but asked that he would pardon them quickly, yea & that very quick­ly, because he would let vs vnderstand, that the value of his precious blood was of such great price, that at that instant that it began to be shedde, at the same time it began to doe good. The redeemer of the world would not leaue vs out of the fauor of his father, nor an enemy vnto any; in token wher­of hee came into the world, saying, Et in terra pax hominibus, Peace vnto men vpon earth: and went out of the world, say­ing, Pater ignosce illis, Father forgiue them. The son of God (saith Cassiodorus vpon the Psalms) is not like vnto the chil­dren of this world, who leaue vnto their children a little wealth with much strife, seeing that by that speech of, Father forgiue them, hee redeemed vs with his blood, baptized vs with his teares, annointed vs with his sweat, instructed vs with his doctrine, loosed vs from the deuill, and reconciled [Page 42]vs vnto his father. O how much are wee bound vnto thee, sweet Iesus, for praying vnto thy father that he would forgiue his enemies before and not after thy death, that is, before the teares of thy eies were dried vp, and whilst the wounds of thy body were yet fresh. What would haue become of mankind if Christ at his death had bin angry with vs? When he said in his last Sermon, Pacem meam do vobis, I giue you my peace, What else meant he, but that he left vs reconciled vnto his father, and vnited vnto himselfe? How could the e­ternall father (saith Anselmus) deny his blessed sonne the pardon which hee demaunded, seeing he asked it with such milde wordes, with such sorrowfull teares, with such fresh wounds, with such louing bowels, with such continual sighes, and with such great and passing griefe? Wee may then con­clude, that when Christ praied his father to pardon quickely and without delay, he teacheth vs, that before we die and go out of this life, it is conuenient for vs to pardon all iniuries; for otherwise those in the other world shall haue great occasion to weepe, which would not in this world speedily forgiue.

CHAP. VIII. How our Lord reckoneth with the Synagogue: and of fiue cruelties which the Iewes vsed in the death of Christ.

SIt Dominus iudex inter te & inter me, said the most renowmed king Dauid vnto his Lord and king, king Saul, Reg. chap. 24. as if hee would say, I will haue no other iudge betwixt me and thee, O great king of Israel, but onely the mighty God of heauen, vnto whom it is well known how faithfully I doe serue thee, and how cruelly thou doest han­dle me. Origen saith, that king Dauid ought to haue great [Page 43]priuitie with God, seeing h [...]e chose him for the iudge of all the words he spake, of all the thoughts he conceiued, of all the workes which he did, of all the enmities he suffered, yea and of all the friendships he followed. Dauid could not iusti­fie his cause better, than to referre the iustice of it vnto the hands of God, who is so iust in his person, so vpright in his iudgement, that neither praiers bow him, neither threat­nings feare him, nor gifts mooue him, nor words deceiue him. When good king Dauid cited Saul to appeare before the iudgement of God, Dauid could haue cut off his head if hee would, as hee did the gard of his garment: but yet hee would not doe it, because hee did set more by Gods fauour than by Sauls euill will. Saul was a capitall enemie vnto king Dauid: hee caused him to flee his countrey, forsake his kindred, de­priued him of his riches, banished him his court, separated him from his wife, and proclaimed him to be his publike ene­mie. And yet notwithstanding all this, Dauid (if hee had li­sted) could haue beene reuenged of Saul, as especially when hee stole the bottle from vnder his beds head, and cut away a piece of his garment: yet the pitifull king Dauid would not onely not do it, but shewed himselfe angry with those which durst counsell him vnto it. Origen saith, that onely because Saul was annointed king by the God of Israel, it seemed vn­to good king Dauid, that hee deserued pardon, and that that was a sufficient cause to make him reuerenced of all, and of­fended by none. Wee are annointed with a better oint­ment than king Saul was: for hee was annointed with the oyle of the Oliue tree, but wee are annointed with the blood of Christ; and therfore he who doth persecute a Christian, doth persecute one who is annointed by Christ. Good king Dauid respected it not that Saul did abuse his regall vnction and annointing, but onely because that hee was annointed by a good Spirit, in so much that Dauid regarded it not that Saul was a most wicked and naughtie king, but onely that God had made him a king. Thereupon Saint Ambrose saith, and that very well, that according vnto the example of [Page 44] Dauid, thou oughtest not to looke vnto the malice with the which thy enemy entreateth thee, but vnto the vnction wherewith he is made a Christian: and whether he be a chri­stian or not, thou art not the iudge of this busines, but he who is thy God and his, who is to punish the iniury which thou hast done vnto him, & in him the reuengement which thou hast taken on thee. Comming then vnto our purpose: The words which Dauid spake vnto Saul, that is, Let our Lord be a iudge betwixt me and thee, the Sonne of God may say vn­to the Synagogue, and vnto all her children; and that hee a­lone shall bee the iudge betwixt them, as well of all the good which Christ did vnto the Synagogue, as of the hurt he hath receiued by her. Which of all the Angels if he would come downe vnto vs, which of the dead if hee could rise againe, what man, were hee neuer so wise, were able to number the multitude of benefits which were ceiued by him, and the in­credible torments which they gaue him? Let our Lord bee a iudge betwixt me and thee, O Synagogue (for no other can be) how much more greater my loue was, with the which I redeemed thee, than the torments which in my passion thou gauest me, and that how thy hatred was far greater than all the cruelties thou vsedst towards me. Therefore I call thee into iudgement, O Synagogue, before God, not to the end that he should chastise thee, but onely to iudge betwixt mee & thee, how that there is no worke of pity and mercy which I left vndone for thee, and how there was no cruelty of tor­ment which thou didst not assay against mee. Speaking then more particularly of the pardō which the sonne of God gaue the Hebrewes, it were reason to shew what they did to de­serue it, and what mooued Christ to giue it; for by so much the more excellent & bountifull is the pardon, by how much the lesser the occasions were to giue it. The Iewes did Christ fiue notorious iniuries at the time of his death, the least of all which, if it had bene throughly punished, had deserued not onely not to be pardoned, but also condemned into eternall fire. For (saith Hilarius) what punishment worthy of their [Page 45]desert can be giuen vnto them, who take away life from him which is the giuer of life? The first wrong which they did vnto Christ was, that they crucified him through malice, not finding any fault in him at al: which appeareth plainly by that that they did let goe Barrabas the manslaier, and condem­ned the sonne of God; iudging him to bee an honester man who killed those which liued, thē that great Prophet which raised vp those which were dead. Christ was a giuer of alms, and Barrabas was a theefe; Christ was quiet and a peacema­ker, and Barrabas a sower of sedition; Christ a great preacher, and Barrabas a great robber and assailer of men by the high way; Christ a maister of all good men, and Barrabas a captain of all scandalous men: and yet notwithstanding all this they condemned Christ to be put immediately to death, and sent Barrabas home vnto his house. O how wicked a demād made you O yee Iews and peruerse petition, in asking that he may liue which killeth those which are aliue, and that hee should die who raiseth to life those which were dead! Who is there in your citie, who can heale the sicke and diseased, or raise the dead vnto life, if this Prophet die? So great was the ha­tred which they bare vnto the son of God, that to heare him once named they were much troubled, & in Barrabas name they much reioiced; which they shewed manifestly when they cried al with one voice that Pilate should deliuer them Barrabas, and crucifie Christ. O what a happy man should I bee, if my loue towards thee were so great as their hatred was towards thee: for by that meanes as they tooke a wrong course in chusing Barrabas for themselues, so I should doe a­right in making choise of thee for my selfe. It had not ben to haue beene maruelled at if they had erred in their choise, if Pilat had giuen thē their choise betwixt two theeues, or two mankillers, or other two strangers vnto them: but giuing thē the choise betwixt an assailing theefe, and a most holy Pro­phet, and they presently to chuse the wicked one, & vse iniu­stice against the good one, it could not bee but they did it through great want of wisedome and greater abundance of [Page 46]malice. The second iniury was, that if they had put the sonne of God to death in some mean village, it would not haue ben so great an infamy and reproch vnto him: but the excommu­nicated Iewes the better to reuenge themselues vpon Christ and to put him to the greater shame, put him to death in the great city of Ierusalem, where he was very well known by his preaching, & allied vnto many honorable Persons by consan­guinity. What wrong like vnto this was euer done vnto any man, or what reproch comparable vnto this, that is, to lead him to bee crucified at the Mount of Caluary, through the same streets which he was wont to passe through to the Tē ­ple to preach? Seneca sayth, That it is a greater griefe then death it selfe to a man that is shamefast and of a valiant cou­rage, to see himselfe troden downe where he hath ben hono­red, and contumeliously handled, where he hath been highly esteemed: for he feeleth the present torment and griefe, & he greeueth and perceiueth that, which his enemies speake. Be­cause the son of God was mighty in doing miracles, faire and amiable in his countenance, profitable in his doctrine, and a friend vnto the weale publicke, hee was beloued of all, and enuied of many; by reason whereof he greeued much at the open dishonour they did him, and that publickly they tooke his life from him. What griefe could hee be free from, seeing himselfe carried openly, and condemned vnto the death of the crosse, & that his friends accompanied him weeping, and his enemies scorning & mocking him? The third was, that al­though they could haue put him to death secretly in his chā ­ber, or in some darke night, yet they neuer ment once to do it; but they brought him forth at one of the clocke, they con­demned him at three, they crucified him at six, & they mur­dered him at nine. It was not for want of diligēce, but through abundance of malice that they chose that houre, because thē the sunne sheweth his beames most brightest, & most people passe through the streets. Chrisostome vpon S. Matthew sayth, That the Iews would not put Christ to death in the morning because all men were not vp, nor in the night because all were [Page 47]at their rest, nor yet late in the euening, because many had withdrawn thēselues to their lodgings: but they remēbred to kil him in the day time betwixt three & four of the clock, be­cause that at that time al men go abroad to walke in the mar­ket place. It was an old plague of the Synagogues to embrue & flesh thēselues in the bloud of the prophets & holy men, as of Esaias whō they sawed in peeces; Ieremy whō they drow­ned in a wel; Micheas whom they buffeted to death, Zachary whom they stoned to death, & Ezechiel whom they impriso­ned: and because the curse of their predecessors should reach vnto those which were thē aliue, they be thought thēselues to take Christs life frō him, & blemish his good name & credite. Damascē saith, that whē the Iews crucified Christ, they chose a bright & a fair day without cloud & darknes, because Christ should be seen of al mē, & not vnknown of any, because their purpose & intent was aswel to discredit him as to kill him. For whē the Euāgelist saith, that whē Christ gaue vp the ghost, the sun was dar [...]ed, it is an vnfallible argumēt that it was a bright & a clear day; but the sun waxed darke vpon the sudden, be­cause he would with his shadow haue couered him whō the Iewes had put to open shame. S. Ciprian saith, That when the Iews put Christ to death, they were not cōtent only to make choice of a bright day & cleare, but also they would haue a long day (as cōmonly the daies are the 25 of March) because they might haue time in one day to accuse him, giue iudge­ment on him, & crucifie him. The 4. point was, that although they could haue put him to death alone, yet they would not do it without cōpany; & the cōpany they gaue him was not of honest mē, but of two arrand theeues. It is to be weighed, that the Iews neuer gaue Christ the preheminēce or highest room but only vpō the crosse and gibbet, where they crucified him betwixt two theeues, & they put him in the midst as if he had ben the greatest theef among thē al, & the most notorious of­fender. Albertus saith, That the Iews hanged our good Iesus betwixt two malefactors, as if he had ben a captain & a ring­leader of thē, to make vs think therby how bad a person that [Page 48]Prophet was, seeing that in comparison of him the theeues were of a better life. Put the case, saith S. Ierom, that al the te­stimonies which they brought against Christ had been true, and that they had proued by sufficient witnesse those crimes which they laid against him, yet notwithstanding hee deser­ued not that kind of punishmēt, nor to be executed with such infamous theeues, because the Imperiall laws doe command such only to be partakers of equall punishment which were confederates in the offence. If the sonne of God drew sinners vnto him & receiued them, truly it was not for that he would helpe them or further them in sinne, but to draw thē to good life, in so much that by his blessed company they were not peruerted but much more conuerted. The fifth wrong was, that although they might haue put him to another kind of death, which was not so scandalous to heare of, nor so cruell to bee endured as the death of the crosse, yet they would put him to no other death but that, because hee should end his life with great cruelty & smart. For the torment of the crosse was holden to be the terriblest that was to suffer, & the least pitifull to giue, and therefore they crucified none vnlesse it were such a one as without amendment did breake the law, or such a one as durst be a traitor to the king. Was hee pardie a breaker of the law, who said openly Non veni soluere legem sed adimplere: I came not to breake the law, but to fulfill the law? Is he pardy a traitor who said openly, Reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesari, Giue that which is Caesars vnto Caesar, and that which is Christs vnto Christ? They & not the sonne of God were breakers of the law, they were Traitors vnto the king, they caused sedition among the people, yea they stole away the sacrifices: in so much that against all order of iustice, those transgressors murdered him which was holy, the Trai­tors put to death him who was loiall, the guiltie crucified the innocent, and the theeues crucified their iudge. Chrisostome sayth, That as the hatred which they bare vnto Christ did passe al other hatred in the world, and as the enuie they bare Christ was far greater then any other which could sinke into [Page 49]mans heart, so also they would that the death which they gaue Christ, should exceed the deaths which all other men did suffer. Who doubteth but if a worser death they could haue inuented, a worser death he should haue had? It is to be weighed, that being an old custome, that the iudges which giue sentēce and not which accuse, should appoint the maner of death which the party which offendeth should endure: yet the Iewes would not leaue Christs death vnto Pilates ar­biterment, but they themselues would presently design & ap­point what death he shold die. Tel me I pray you, what death did they appoint him, or what torment did they chuse out for him? Barrabas the theefe being loused, & let free by the com­mon consent & agreement of them al, Pilat asking thē what they would doe by Iesus of Nazareth, they cried all aloud with one voice, Crucifie, crucifie him, because hee is guilty of death, with few words they condemn Christ vnto many cru­el & terrible torments, that is, that he should die quickly, see­ing they say that he is guilty of death, that he should die vp­on the crosse seeing they said crucifie him; & that hee should bee twise crucified, considering that they say crucifie, crucifie him. As touching the first, they entreat Pilat to put Christ to death, and Pilat said, that he found no cause in him why hee should die: but in fine, his resistance preuailed not so much as their importunity. The Iews did not request of Pilat that he would whip Christ or banish him, or obiect any reprochfull crime against him, but that he would immediatly put him to death, & that because the holy doctrine which he preached, and the euill life which they led were imcompatible the one with the other. And as for the second, the forsakē Iews were not content to demand of Pilat that Christ should be put to death, and with that death which they themselues desired, but that they should immediately crucifie him on a crosse, which kind of punishment was neuer giuen but vnto very naughty & wicked persons, and for very heinous and enormi­ous saults. S. August. vpon S. Iohn noteth, that the Iewes were not contēt to cry vnto Pilat once that he would crucifie him, [Page 50]but they doubled their cry, & said crucifie him, crucifie him, to let vs vnderstand that they meant aswell to crucifie his fame and credite, as they did crucifie his person. Origen saith, That by entreating Pilate twise to crucifie him, saying, crucifi­ge, crucifige, was to persuade him that hee would crucifie him with his hands, and that they would crucifie him with their hearts. They crucified him with their hearts, when with their hearts they hated and detested him, & then they hated him with their hearts, when they diffamed his person, and discre­dited his doctrine, in so much that it was not without cause that they cried twise crucifie, crucifie him, seeing that at one time they tooke away his life, and blemished his credit. And although Pilate should haue been determined to put him to death, either by cutting his throat, or casting him into a well, or by hanging him, which are easier deaths to suffer, and lesse infamous to endure, yet the doggish Iews would not leaue it vnto Pilates arbitrement and free will, for feare least he wold haue beene too pitifull in the maner of his death. When cer­taine words are doubled in holy scripture, it is a great signe of loue or hatred in those which vse them, as when Christ said, Desiderio desideraui, I haue desired with desire, and when he said Martha, Martha, in which words he shewed the loue and affection which hee bare vnto his disciples, and what tender loue he bare to Martha, who guested him in her house. The Iews also by iterating of those words, shewed the great hatred which they bare vnto Christ, and let vs vnderstand with what heart & good wil they crucified him. Behold thē their deeds towards Christ, & behold also the deserts which were found to be in them. Yet notwithstanding all this, in recompence of the cruel death which they gaue him, & the great shame and infamy they put him to, he saith with a loud voice, Father for­giue them, for they know not what they doe.

CHAP. IX. How that Christs mercy was far greater towards the Syna­gogue, then their naughtinesse towards him; seeing hee pardoned her, though she desired no pardon.

FRons meretricis facta est tibi, & noluisti eru­bescere, tamen reuertere ad me & dic pater meus es tu. God spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Ieremy, complaining vnto him of the enormious and great sinnes the Iewish nation had committed against him. And they are as if he should say; O wicked and infortu­nate people of the Iews, which art come vnto that boldnesse of sinning, that like vnto a publick whore, thou hast no shame in doing naught. Turne therefore vnto me O sinfull Hierusa­lem, turn thy selfe vnto me thou vnfortunate Synagogue; for I can doe no lesse when thou doest aske any thing of me like as of a father, but I must graunt it vnto thee like a sonne. S. Ie­rome vpon these words saith. O what an infinit goodnesse and mercy is this, O my God and Lord, that seeing thou hast tan­ted & condemned Ierusalem as one which was full of sinne, and without shame, yea and hast compared her vnto a pub­licke strumpet, yet thou doest entreat her to amend, & giuest her license to call thee Father. Whome wilt thou cast from thee, and denie to be thy son, seeing thou doest vouchsafe to be a father vnto a strumpet? If thou dost admit publick lewd womē into thy company, is it like that thou wilt cast frō thee the honest and vertuous ones of thy house? If thou loue those which are sinfull and shamelesse, who is a greater sin­ner, or lesse bashful, or more lewd then this my wicked soule? If the remedy of my soule consist in nothing else but in cal­ling thee Father, from this time forward I do cal thee Father; and if thou dost require nothing else of me, but that I should turne vnto thee, O good Iesus I turne vnto thee, and [Page 52]aske thee forgiuenesse of all my sinnes, and seeing I doe turne vnto thee as vnto my Lord, and confesse my selfe before thee to bee a great sinner, I beseech thee most humbly, that thou wouldst not cast me from before thy face, & that thou woul­dest not take thy holy spirit from me: for if thy holy grace for­sake me, my soule is turned vnto that that she was before, that is vnto a shamelesse and lewd woman. It is much to be noted here, that God doth not cōplaine of the Iews that they were enuious, angry, or gluttennous, but that they were bold and without shame; which wanteth not a high mystery, because there is no greater signe in all the world that a mans consci­ence is very corrupt, then when to sin he hath no shame at al. I haue a great hope (saith S. Augustine) that that sinner will a­mend his life which sinneth secretly, and is ashamed of it; which hope I haue not of him, who is resolute in his speech, and dissolute in sinne, because that that man doth either very late or neuer amend his manners, who by long vse hath har­dened his conscience. To come then vnto our purpose, with very great reason and for iust occasion God called the syna­gogue a shamelesse and dissolute strumpet, seeing that in the death of his sonne shee shewed not onely her malice, but also her impudency, in killing him in the open day, not being sor­rowfull for it at all. Christ knew very well that which his fa­ther had promised vnto the Iewes, that is, that if they would call him Father, hee would forgiue them as his chil­dren. By reason whereof Christ our God began his praier with Father forgiue them, giuing thereby to vnderstand, that seeing hee called him Father, hee should bee heard like a sonne. If it seeme vnto you my louing brethrē (saith S. Am­brose) that the Iews had no occasiō to put Christ their Lord to death, neither did he see in thē any condition whereby he should pardon thē: and touching this mercifull pardon I can tell you, that I doe not so much maruell of the pardon which hee giueth on the crosse, as I doe of the cir­cumstances with the which hee dooth giue it. The Iewes shewed their naughtinesse towards Christ in many thinges, [Page 53]but the son of God shewed his mercy & clemency towards thē in many more things: for there is no mā in this life able to cōmit so great an offence, but Gods mercy can go beyond it. The first thing wherin he shewed his mercy towards thē, was in the petitiō which he made vpō the crosse for them, that is, pardō & remission of their sins being his enemies; preferring them before his blessed mother, which brought him into the world, & his welbeloued disciple which followed him, & be­fore Mary Magdalen whom he so much loued. What charity (saith Remigius) shold haue burned in his diuine bowels, who at the very instāt of his own death, remēbreth first to releeue his enemies, thē cōfort his friends? what meaneth this O good Ie­sus, what meaneth this; doest thou first remēber those who o­pēly blaspheme thee, thē those which stand at the foot of the crosse weeping for thee? O infinit charity! O inspeakable good­nes, what hart could do that which thou dost. S. Barnard saith, that it was in maner of a cōtention whether were greater the sighs of the faithful, the tears which issued out of his mothers eies, or the bloud which gushed out of Christ vains, or the blas­phemies which the wicked Iewes vttered with their mouth: but yet our holy & meek Iesus did first pardō the iniuries, be­fore he was mindful of the tears. O good Iesus, O redeemer of my soule (saith Anselmus, as thou dost say, Father forgiue thē, why dost thou not say, dry the eies of my sorrowfull mother, stanch the bloud of my tender vains, & heal the woūds of my gētle flesh, & haue pity & cōpassion of these faithfull women which here weep for my sake? as thou didst say in thy last sup­per (saith Ciprian) Mandatū nouū do vobis, I giue you a new cō ­mandemēt, so maist thou now say vpō the crosse, I giue you a new exāple, seeing that neuer any before thee hath taught vs so perfect a maner how to loue, nor so liuely an exāple how to pardon, & it was a strange & a new kind of goodnes which Ie­sus vsed in asking pardon first for those which crucified him, rather then for those which followed him, & for his mother which accompanied him: for without comparison the griefe which he had to see the souls of his enemies perish, was farre [Page 54]greater vnto him, thē to see his mothers eies run downe with tears. Let no man thē wonder, nor maruel that our good Iesus did remēber himself first of the people which murdered him before his mother which bare him, because he came not into the world to drie mēs eies frō weeping, but to sauesoules from perishing. Secōdly, the son of God shewed his mercy in asking pardon for his enemies with kind & sweet words: that is, not by calling him God, or Lord, or creator, but only father, which is a word answerable vnto mercy & pity, & contrariwise this word God, or Lord, doth alwaies signifie iustice. Whē Christ said, Father forgiue them, hee would haue said, Lord forgiue them, or my God forgiue them, it would haue seemed that he would haue had the pardon according vnto the rigor of iu­stice: the which if he had required or his father granted, there is no doubt at al, but before the son of God should haue yeel­ded vp his ghost, the ground would haue opened & swallow­ed thē vp. Whē the son of God would ask any great thing of his father, he began his praier alwaies with Father; as whē he said, I confesse vnto thee O father, & whē he said Father into thy hands I cōmend my spirit. What meaneth this O redec­mer of my soule, what meaneth this? Is thy pity so great to­wards vs, and thy mercy so abundant, that thou doest pray for thy enemies with the same wordes, as thou doest pray for thy own affairs? S. Chrysost. vpon S. Mathew noteth, That the ex­cōmunicated Iews did alwaies change their stile & maner of speech whē they spake vnto Christ: for once they said, Bene­dictus qui venit in nomine domini, & anone after they said, Vah qui destruis tēplū: but as for the son of God, as his mind was sin­cere & clear inwardly, so his words were holy outwardly: were not think you his words holy, & his thoughts pure & cleare, whē he said vnto his Father, Father forgiue them, seeing hee praied with his tongue, & pardoned with his heart? S. Barnard crieth out, O sweet Iesus, O redeemer of my soule, what coul­dest thou haue said, or what shouldest thou haue done more for thy enemies, thā pardon them with all thy heart, & make intercession for thē with such sweet & louing words? Thirdly [Page 55]Christ shewed his goodnes & mercie, in asking pardon in the presence of such as were there, that is, in the presence of his sorrowful mother, of his welbeloued disciple, his deer friend Mary Magdalen, his cousins and kindred, shewing that as all men were by him redeemed, so also all should be by him par­doned. Vbertinus to this purpose saith, O good Iesus in the death which thou didst suffer, and in the pardon which thou diddest giue to thy enemies, thou diddest not only helpe thy selfe there with thy tongue, but also with thy heart, seeing thou didst entreat thy father with thy tongue that he would haue pity on them, and diddest also beseech thy mother with thy heart that she would forgiue them. Rabanus vpon S. Mat­thew saith, That it was not without a high mystery & hidden sacrament, that the son of God when he died would haue his mother & his kindred there; & the reason was, because they should all be witnesses of his pardon, as they were of his pas­sion: for our holy Lord had a greater desire that his bloud should benefite his enemies, than that his kindred should en­treat at his death for him. Wherfore O good Iesus (saith An­selmus) wherfore didst thou bring thy mother & all thy fami­ly to the foot of the crosse, but only because as thou didst suf­fer in thy flesh, so they should also fuffer in their hearts; & as thou didst forgiue thē thy death, they should also forgiue thē their iniuries & wrongs done by thē? Bonauenture saith, that as the son of God said father forgiue thē opēly, so he said mother forgine thē insecret, in so much that as the hangmē did mar­tirize the sonne, so the son martirized the mother, leauing her bound to weep his death, but not licensed to reuēge it. O my Iesus, O my soules health, I beseech thee, that as thou didst get pardon of thy father and mother for thy enemies, so thou wouldst get me pardon for my sinnes, saying, Father for­giue, mother forgiue him, seeing I am hateful vnto thy father by reason of the sins which I commit against him, & vngrate­full vnto thy mother for the benefites which I haue receiued of her. O happy & holy day in which thou didst die, seeing that on that day the Father forgaue his iniury, the son pardo­ned his death, the mother pardoned her martyrdome, Saint [Page 56] Iohn pardoned his reproch and perill, Mary Magdalen her anguish and distresse, and the good theefe was pardoned of his sinne. How was it possible that the Father should not for­giue the world of their sinnes, seeing that on one day in one houre, and at one time they said, Father forgiue them; the son by letting his bloud streame from his vaines, the mother by suffering her tears flow from her eies, and the sadde familie by piercing the heauen with their sighes? Because (saith Ci­prian) the office of the son of God was, to put together that which was broken, and reconcile those which disagreed, hee would not depart out of this world, before hee had made an attonement betwixt his friendes and his foes, beseeching his father to forgiue thē, & cōmanding his mother not to accuse thē. The sorrowful mother had great reason to challenge the Iews for the life which they took frō her son, and also the fa­ther for the wrongful death which they put him to: & there­fore our most merciful redeemer, besought of his father that he wold not cōdemn thē into euerlasting damnatiō, & obtai­ned with his mother that she shold not challēge hisdeath be­fore any iustice. But what iustice could she ask of those male­factors, seeing they had been already pardoned of her sonne? Anselmus saith, That whē Iesus gaue vp the ghost vpon the crosse, he left no death for his mother to reuēge, nor iniury to forgiue, but only a bitter passion to weep and bewaile, which shold be great inough to rend her bowels in sunder, & dry vp the tears of hir eies. The 4. goodnes which Christ shewed the Iews, was in that he gaue pardō to his enemies which did not demād it, & yeelded that vnto his crucifiers which they wold not haue. For how is it possible for those men to seek for par­don, which will not acknowledge themselues culpable? And how should they acknowledge thēselues culpable which cast al the fault vpō him which deserued it not? The Iews were so fleshed in the bloud of Christ, & so far out of their wits, that they did not not only procure & ask pardō for their offēce, but rather hindered it & put it frō thē when it was offered thē, ta­king delight in the hurt which they did vnto Christ, & griefe [Page 57]that they were not able to do him more. When they led the innocent lambe to be crucified, for very ioy they said, O thou which doest destroy the Temple of God. And when Pilat would haue deferred his crucifying, with great enuy they said, If thou let this man goe, thou art not a friend vnto Cae­sar: in so much that if they did shew themselues grieued and sorrie, it was not for that they thought themselues culpable of any crime, but because they had deferred and prolonged Christs life so long time. The wickednesse of the Iewes was not content in not hauing pardon of God for their offences, but they demaunded openly vengeance for them, when they said vnto Pilat, Let his blood fall vpon vs and vpon our chil­dren; and therefore by these dreadfull words they desire to be punished of God, and at no time pardoned at his hands. O wicked Synagogue, O impious saying. Let his blood be vp­on vs. Tell me, I pray thee, why doest thou desire that the blood of Christ which hee shed for to redeeme thee, be [...]ur­ned to condemne thee? The sonne of God appealeth from these words which they speake, and he will not stand vnto that agreement which the Iewes made with Pilat; hee will not agree that his blood should be shed against them, but for them: and therefore as they said, Let his blood fall vpon vs; so contrariwise he said, Father forgiue them. O wicked Syna­gogue, O vnfortunate Iewish nation (saith Remigius) who hath led you vnto such great folly and madnesse, that you should more esteeme of the blood of kine (which your priests shed in the Temple) than of the blood which Christ shed in the mount of Caluarie? Saint Ierome saith, On the al­tar of the crosse the Prophecie of Simeon was fulfilled, who said, that Christs comming into the world was to some mens good and to others hurt, seeing that wee doe pray that the blood which hee sheddeth should be in the remission of our sinnes, and the Iewes doe intreat that it turne vnto their con­demnation, and vpon their children. It is much to be noted, that wee see it often times fall out, that one enemy hurteth not another, and that a good Christian doth pardon another [Page 58]of his offence when hee repenteth, wee see it also by experi­ence; likewise we see it fulfilled that a perfit man doth loue his enemy: but yet wee neuer saw that euer any but Christ pardoned him which would not be pardoned. And how would they be pardoned who pardoned Barrabas and con­demned the sonne of God? What contrition of their sinnes haue they, who desired of Pilat that the curse of God should light vpon them and vpon their children? O infinite good­nesse! O vnspeakable charity! did they say pardy with king Dauid, Tibi soli peccaui, To thee alone haue I sinned: or with the thiefe, Domine memento mei, Lord remember me; to the end that he should say, God be mercifull vnto you, Miserea­tur vestri? What wit is able to conceiue, or what heart able to acknowledge such great mercy, when thou saidst, Forgiue them, in stead of their sanguis eius, His blood light vpon vs? O my good Iesus, O my soules health, who is hee who dare say, that hee hath enemies now, seeing that thou doest make cleane the vncleane, settest those at libertie which will not be free, loosest those which wil be bound, vnburdenest those which will bee burdened, and aboue all giuest pardon vnto those which will not be pardoned? If thou doest pardon that people which would not be pardoned, wilt thou not with a better will pardon him who hath repented him of his sinnes, and whome it grieueth with all his heart to haue offended thee? Saint Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith, Will not he who meant to meete them who came to apprehend him in the garden of Gethsemani, come out to receiue and embrace those who goe to serue him? Will not he who defended the adulterous woman from outrage, and pardoned the wicked people not beeing thereunto asked, pardon and defend that sinner whome hee seeth amended, and hath beene of him with many teares thereunto entreated?

CHAP. X. How it is meet for vs to conforme our wills vnto Christs will, to the end that we may know how to loue him and serue him.

COr tuum numquid est rectum cum corde meo, sicut cor meum est rectum cum corde tuo? Wee reade in the fourth booke of the Kings that a certaine king of Israel cal­led Iehu going from Samaria to kill the children of Achab and the priestes of Baal, met on the way with Ionadab, vn­to whome he spake these words: Tell me, I pray thee, Iona­dab, is thy heart and mind so faithfull and vpright with mine, as my heart is with thine? Ionadab answered him vnto these words, Know thou, O king Iehu, that my heart is conforma­ble vnto thine. Iehu replied and said, Seeing it is true that thy heart is agreeing vnto mine, giue me thy hand, and come to me into this charriot, where we will talke and communicate of things profitable for vs both. This is a wonderfull figure & worthy of great attention and consideration, seeing that our Lord doeth teach vs by it, the great good turnes which hee doth vnto vs, and that which in recompence thereof wee are to doe vnto him againe. Who is that king Iehu who taketh his iourney from Iudea vnto Samaria to kill and to take ven­geance vpon the wicked men which were there, but onely the sonne of God, who came downe from heauen aboue to destroy our sinnes? Assure mee (saith Saint Augustine) that there be no sinners in the world, and I will assure thee that there be no naughty men in the world; for as in heauen there is no sinne remitted, nor any wicked man there suffered, and as contrariwise there is nothing but sinne and wickednesse in hell, so also there is nothing but naughty and wicked men. Wee are much more bound vnto our Christ, than Samaria [Page 60]vnto their king Iehu, because that that king did only rid Sa­maria of naughty men, but the sonne of God made cleane & purged all the earth from sinne. Who are the children of A­chab whose heads king Iehu cut off, and who are the priests of Baal which the also slew, but Idolatry which hee tooke away from the Gentiles, and the Mosaicall law which hee tooke from the Iewes? What is the charriot which the son of God went vp into to accomplish such high and strange things, but onely the crosse vpon the which our holy Lord attained such and so many great victories? It is to be noted that the king Iehu did not aske Ionadab whether their apparell were alike or neat of one fashion, but if they loued one another alike; to let vs vnderstand, that without comparison our Lord doeth much more regard the loue which wee beare him, than the seruices which wee doe him. Saint Basil vpon the Prophet which saith, Bonorum meorum non eges, Thou wantest not of my goods, saith, I see wel, my God, I see well, that how much the more need I haue of thee, the lesse thou hast of me; and if thou hast need of mee, it is not in respect of the goods of fortune, but the loue of my mind. Note also that the king of Israel and no other tooke Ionadab by the hand to lift him vp into the charriot; whereby we are to vnderstand, that onely the sonne of God & no other Saint of heauen, is able to giue vs grace to loue him, & giue vs strength to follow him. Who is able to follow thee, or hath power to imitate thee, O re­deemer of the vvorld, if thou doe not first stretch out thy hand vnto him? who is able to lift himselfe vp vnto the char­riot where thou doest triumph, or vnto the crosse whither thou goest to die, if thou doe not take vs by the arme to lift vs vp, and if thou doe not hold vs by the hand least wee fall? How had it beene possible for Mary Magdalen to haue for­saken her prophane life, or Matthew his renting of custome, or Paul his persecution, or the thiefe his assailing of men by the high vvay, if the sonne of God had not taken them by the hand, and lifted them vp vnto the crosse with him? When in the holy scripture by the feet are vnderstood good purposes [Page 61]and desires, and by the hands good works, what meaneth he by giuing Ionadab his handes and not his feet for to mount in­to the chariot, but that our good Lord doth rather take hold of the good works which wee doe, then of the good purposes which wee haue? Gregory in his Register saith; If thou wilt get vp vpon the chariot of the crosse with thy captaine Ionadab, thou must not get vp with thy tongue, which are good words, nor with thy feet, which are good wishes and purposes, but with thy hand which are good deeds, because S. Iohn dooth not say, Veeba [...]ecorū, Their words, nor Desideria corū, Their de­sires, but Opera corum sequuntur illes, Their works follow thē, It is also to be noted, that the king of Israell would not suffer the captaine Ionudab to goe vp into the chariot to him, vn­till hee had certified and assured him that hee was his true friend, in so much that they vnited their hearts before they ioined their hands. After the [...]itation of these two friends, we must haue amity and loue with Christ, if we wil haue him to helpe vs vp into the chariot: and the amity and friendship which wee ought to haue with him, is to loue him as hee lo­ueth vs: for Christ our Lord will first bee loued of vs, then ser­ued by vs. S. Basil saith, That if any mā did labor in the church of God, and take pains, and forgetteth to loue, wee may well say of such a one, that he shall not only not bee accepted, but that God will thinke him also importunate and troublesome, because God will not be serued by men of greatstrength, & such as are forcible, but of such as are free of heart. And fur­ther the king of Israel was not content to ask Ionadabs heart, but that hee should giue it him vpright, sincere and entire; which Christ also demandeth of vs, because the son of God will neuer take him for his friend, who hath his heart croo­ked, sinister, and not vpright. And who hath his heart vpright and sincere, but the seruant of our Lord, and hee which hath no other thing in this world, nor seeketh after any thing but onely Iesus Christ? Who is hee who hath his heart crooked and awry, but hee who is without life, who hath care neither of Christ, neither of himselfe, but goeth euery houre more [Page 62]and more sinking, and as it were drowned in the world? Dauid knew this very wel, when he said, Cor mundum crea in me deus, & spiritum rectum innoua in visceribus meis, as if he would say; O great God of Israel, O great Lord of the house of Iacob, I beseech thee that thou wouldest create a new heart in mee, and fauor me with the gift of a new spirit which may be both right and true: for the heart which I brought from the womb of my mother, is such a one, as I dare not offer it vnto thee, nor he dareth not appear in thy presence, because it is vnclean with sinne, and loaden with thoughts and care. O good Iesus, O my soules hope, what better praier can I make vnto thee, or what iuster petition can I make vnto thee, then that thou wouldest create a new heart in mee. That is, that you woul­dest giue mee a cleane heart, with the which I may praise thee, and a new spirit with the which I may loue thee. Giue me O good Lord, giue me a new spirit, because mine is old & vnpleasant vnto thee, giue me a cleane and a chast heart, be­cause mine is foule and stinking before thy face: for if thou do not, no praier of mine can bee acceptable vnto thee, nor no worke that I doe can bee meritorious vnto thee. Cassiodorus noteth, That king Dauid was not content that hee was noble in bloud, a Prophet by office, a king in degree, and in surname and calling of a roiall tribe, but he asketh of God aboue all things, that hee would giue him a cleane heart, and poure the holy ghost into him; to let vs vnderstand that it doth little a­uaile vs to bee gratefull vnto the world, if withall wee bee hatefull vnto God. Then wee are hatefull vnto God and out of his sauour, vvhen our hearts bee vncleane and loaden with many spirits, and then wee haue many spirits, when vvee please others better then wee please God. Which the Pro­phet liketh not, but praieth vnto God that it would please him to giue him a cleane heart to beleeue in him, and an vp­right to serue him. Why vvouldest thou O my soule haue more then one heart, seeing thou art to loue but one Christ onely? And vvhy also vvouldest thou haue more then one holy spirit, considering that it is the Deuill vvhich poureth [Page 63]many spirits into one body, and our God for all bodies hath but one onely spirit? S. Barnard vpon the passion of our Lord sayth; If wee vvill ascend with Christ to the crosse, it is necessary for vs to doe that with our hearts that hee did with his; that is, with the heart of God hee tooke the heart of a man, and with the heart of a spirit hee tooke a heart of flesh, and with a high heart hee tooke a low heart, and vvith a heart of reuenge hee tooke a heart of pitie and mercy. Take good Lord a new heart to come downe from heauen into the world, and doe not renue thy heart to ascend from the world to heauen.

CHAP. I. ❧ Of the conuersion of the good theefe, and of the great wonders which our Lord did vnto him in this case.

DOmine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum, said the good theefe which vvas crucified on the right hand of Christ, and speaking vnto Christ himselfe: and it is as if hee had said; O maker of all things and redeemer of all mankind, I beseech thee, that [...]s thou vvouldest take mee for a companion vnto thee vpon this tree, so also thou vvouldest vouchsafe to remeber me aboue in thy king­dome. If vve marke curiously this speech, vve shall find, that there vvas neuer praier made vvith like circumstances as this vvas. For he vvho made it vvas a theefe, the place vvhere he made it vvas on the crosse, he vnto vvhom he made it a man crucified, that vvhich hee asketh is a kingdome, and the [Page 65]time when hee asketh it, is when hee was almost dead: in so much that at the very time when he should die, hee desired that Christ would let him raigne. I haue of a long time com­mended vnto my memory, and singularly well liked of that speech of Boetius which saith, Quòd nihil ex omniparte bea­tum, as if he would say; There is nothing so perfect in this life, which doth neither want, nor abound in somewhat, insomuch that either we haue need of scissers to clip off that which is superfluous, or a needle and a thimble to ad that which wan­teth. Seneca in his booke of Clemency saith; It is an hundred and twelue years agoe since I was borne in Cordua a town in Spaine, and it is threescore and eight years agoe since I came to dwell in the court of Rome, and yet in all this time I ne­uer saw any thing so perfect, which was euen when it came to bee measured, or of iust waight in the ballance when it came to be peised, or satisfied the eie when it came to bee seene, or contented mens minds when it came to be enioied. And it is easily perceiued that there is nothing, Ex omni parte beatum, because there hath neuer been any Prince in the world so fa­mous and renowned, no Philosopher so wise, no captaine so valorous, no personage so worthy who wanted not somewhat worthy of commendation, and in whom there was not found somwhat worthy of reprehension. Who doubteth that there is nothing euery way perfect, seeing there is no mā aliue who hath not wept, who hath not erred, who hath not sinned, who hath not sighed, and who hath not ben persecuted? How can wee say that there is any man happy on earth, seeing he doth a thousand things whereof hee hath cause to repent, & scarse one thing worthy of praise? Only our Lord and no other is, ex omni parte beatuis, in all respects happy seeing that of him and of no other, the Prophet saith, lustus es domine & rectum iu­dicium tuum, as if he should say; Our Lord is very iust in him­selfe, and vpright in all which hee dooth. It had beene but a small honour vnto God to say that hee was iust, vnlesse it had beene also said that hee did iustice; and it is a small matter to say that hee did iustice, vnlesse wee say also that hee is very [Page 66]iust, because there are many which are iust, and yet doe no iustice; and very many which doe iustice, and yet are not iust. S. Augustine saith, That it is so high and heroical a vertue to hit aright in all things, and not to be able to misse in any, that God reserued this point onely vnto himselfe, and participa­ted it with none but vnto his sonne and vnto his mother. Ire­naeus vpon the Psalmes sayth. That it is a small matter to say of our Lord that he is iust, seeing hee is iustice it selfe, and to say that he is vpright, seeing that he is righteousnesse it selfe, and to say that hee is holy, seeing that he is holinesse it selfe: because there is no other righteousnesse but that which hee hath, no holinesse but that which hee giueth, nor iustice but that which he doth. Who is so blind who seeth not plainely that our Lord is iust and his iudgement right, seeing there is no other goodnesse but that which is himselfe, nor other iu­stice but that which hee dooth in his owne house? Who is so iust as thou (sayth Hierome) in that which thou doest, and so vpright in that which he iudgeth as thou art, O great God of Israell; seeing that in thy iudgements and sentences nei­ther ignorance deceiueth thee, nor entreaty boweth thee, nor rewards corrupt thee, nor threatnings feare thee? To come then vnto our purpose, seeing that thou art iust O good Lord, and that thy iudgement is rightfull, how fell it out that thou diddest send Iudas from the crosse into hel, and tookest the theefe from thence with thee to Paradise? Theefe for theefe, naught for naught, sinner for sinner, vngratefull for vn­gratefull, and both alike: it seemeth vnto mans iudgement that he should as well haue bestowed his kingdome vpon Iu­das which followed him three years, as vpō the theefe which accompanied him three houres. When our Lord tooke from Cain the right of his first birth or inheritance and gaue it vn­to Abel, tooke it from Ismaell and gaue it vnto Isaac, tooke it from Esau and gaue it to Iacob, from Ruben and gaue it to Iu­dah, from Saul and gaue it to Dauid, the reason was for that hee found in those great demerite, whereby they lost it; and in the others great merit with the which they deserued [Page 67]it. If Christ should take a kingdome from a naughty man and bestow it vpon a good man, it would bee but iust: but yet it would scome a hard point to take it from one theefe & giue it to another, because that that is very ill bestowed which is giuen vnto one which is vnworthy of it. Was not the one as great a theefe as the other, seeing that when the one went robbing by the high way, the other being with Christ stole away the almes? But wee answere vnto this and say, that neither in this nor in any other God is to be called in question, nor yet holy Iesus to bee reprehended, conside­ring that iustly he sent the Traitor Iudas into hell, and iustly likewise he carried the theefe with him to Paradise; because the one did deserue it because hee was a confessor, and the o­ther lost it because hee was a Traitor. Let vs not bee proud or stout (sayth Cyrillus) for any thing that God dooth, nor bee moued at any thing that God prouideth: for we iudge a man only by the apparrell which he weareth, but he iudgeth him not but by the merites which he doth. Damascen sayth, That before the high Tribunall seat of Christ, they doe iniury vn­to no man, they deny no man iustice, they are moued with no man, neither do they any thing there without reason, because there the rod of iustice is neuer bowed, nor the measure of mercy euer falsified. For the wise man saith, Thou hast done all thinges good Lord by weight and measure, speaking of Gods gouernment, as if he would say; O great God of Israel, O mighty God of the house of Iacob, how iust thou art in thy deeds, and how rightful in thy iustice, because that thou dost make al things euen by the line & plummet which thou dost, and doest heape vp all things which thou doest giue, because they shall bee of full weight. When dooth our Lord (saith Saint Ambrose) not doe all things by measure and weight, but when he measureth our merits with his rod of iustice, & with the poise of his great mercy giue vs that which we deserue? Gregory vpon Ezechiel sayth, That when our Lord doth par­don some & not othersome, chastise these & not those, exalt [Page 68]this man and pull downe that man, he doth all this in weight and measure, and not by hap without iustice; and if at any time his worke breed any admiration in vs, it is not because God hath erred in doing it, but because wee are not able with our vnderstanding to attaine vnto it. Abraham would willingly that God would haue giuen him presently the land of pro­mise which hee had promised him, but hee gaue it him not vntill three hundred yeares after, expecting vntill the Cana­neans should fully be vnworthy of it, and the Iewes deserue [...]t. After that king Saule fell from the fauour of God, & good king Dauid was chosen king of Israell, yet there passed fortie years before they tooke the crowne from the one, and placed the other in the throne of the king: all which time God loo­ked that Saul would grow worse and worse, & that the good king Dauid should become better and better. I maruell at no­thing that thou doest O my Lord (saith Anselmus:) for al­though it be hidden from me, yet it wanteth not reason with thee. If our Lord bee determined to accept of the sacrifice which Abel offered him, and mocke at that which his bro­ther Cain offered, if his will bee to conuert Nabugodonoser, and suffer king Pharao to persist in his obstinacy, and if hee let Iudas cast away himselfe, and yet saue the theefe, what are we to aske him an account of this: yea and although he wold giue it vs, who is able to vnderstand it? Wee read in the Prophet Daniell, that when God tooke away the kingdome from king Baltaser, that first hee reckoned and compared his demerites with the merites of the Chaldeans, by mea­suring those of the one, and weighing those of the other; and in the end hee found by iustice, that the Chaldeans deser­ued to raigne, and Baltaser worthie to lose his life and e­state. Seeing there is alwaies (sayth Chrisostome) in the house of God weight and measure, Quia omnia fecisti in pon­dere & mensura, how is it possible that it should be euilly go­uerned? If our Lord giue vs troubles and vexations, it is to exercise vs; if hee giue vs rest, it is because wee should praise him; if he giue vs pouerty, it is because we should merit, if he [Page 69]giue vs abundance, it is because wee should serue him, and if he chastise vs, it is because we should amend our selues; in so much that hee giueth vs all thinges measured by his iustice, and ruled with his mercy. If our Lord sent Iudas to hell, cer­tainly hee did it not at a venture; and if hee gaue the theefe Paradise, hee did it not without right; because Iudas his de­merites were very great, and the theeues merites were not small. And because wee may not seeme to speak at randome, and that God doth nothing but by his iustice, wee will de­clare how iustly Iudas was condemned, and how rightly the good theefe was pardoned.

CHAP. II. How Iudas Iscarioth was a great theefe; and of the thefts which he committed; and how he fel from the apostleship.

FVrerat, & locules habebat, & non e­rat ei cura de egenis; saith S. Iohn, chap. 12, speaking of wicked Iu­das. In the holy Colledge of Christ there was a Disciple cal­led Iudas Iscarioth, who was a wicked theefe; he carried the purse, & he had litle purses with­in it, and hee made no reckoning of the poore which were in necessity. Vnder a few briefe wordes, the Scripture accuseth Iudas of very enormious and greeuous faultes, considering that it calleth him an open theefe, and saith, that he had little purses where he kept that which hee had stolne, and that he had no compassion or pity vpon any. It is a carelesnesse for a man to be naught alone, to bee naught in the company of naughty men is weakenesse, but to be naught in the company of good men is malice and wickednesse; because it is better reason that one follow many, [Page 70]then that many follow one. The vnhappy Iudas had no occa­sion, nor any reason to giue himselfe as hee did to sinne, nor yet to dare to steale as hee did: for if we well consider all cir­cumstances, we shall find, that in the house where hee remai­ned there was pouertie; in the company he went with, there was patience; in the mother which hee serued there was hu­militie; and in the maister which hee had there raigned cha­ritie. O how well the Apostle said, Qui se existimat stare, vide­at [...]ne cadat, He that thinketh to stand, let him take heed least he fall, seeing that poore Iudas got such great wickednesse in the house of holinesse. How should it bee possible for him to bee good in the company of the deuill, which was naught in the company of Christ? If the infamous Iudas was a theefe and a Traitor, couetous and ambitious, liuing in the company of so many good, what doest thou then hope for brother (sayth Cyprian) vvhich art compassed on euery side with so many naughty men? Irenaus sayth, That Iudas began to play the Apostatae immeadiately after that hee entered into the Apostleship, and that Christs goodnesse did much shine vpon him in looking so long for his amendment, which Iu­das neuer did, nor neuer forsooke his theeuing. The first thing that the Scripture accuseth Iudas of, was, that hee was a murmurer and a detractor: saying, Vt quid perditio haec, &c. as if hee would say, If it bee so that Christ my maister hath made profession of a vertuous man, and preacheth pouerty vnto all the world, and also reprehendeth sharpely all such as spend any thing wastfully; it would bee better for him (be­cause he might conforme his life vnto his doctrine, to com­mand this ointment to bee sold for a great deale of money, and diuide it afterward among the poore and needy. Here Iudas doth murmure notoriously, seeing hee murmureth at the ointment which was shed, and how euilly it was bestow­ed, and at Mary Magdalen which shed it, and hee murmureth at Christ vpon whome it was cast. When excommunicated Iudas said, Ad quid perditio haec, hee iniuried the other Apo­stles, which would not murmure as hee did, hee scandalized [Page 71] Simon the leaper, in hearing such thinges spoken of his mai­ster, hee iniuried Mary Magdalen in finding fault with her for spending of the ointment, and hee rebuked Christ, and noted him to be a curious and a daintie man in suffering it to be spent vpon himselfe. Anselmus talking vnto Iudas sayth, Tell mee I pray thee Iudas, if the shedding of the ointment vpon thy maister was a good worke, why doest thou not like of it as the rest of the Apostles doe? If pardy it were done scandalously, was not S. Peter there to haue reprehended it, who was thy ancient, and was not S. Iohn there also to haue hindered it, and counselled him, who was more familiar with him than thou wast? O wicked Iudas what iustice is it to sell thy maister for money, and yet to hold it for an euill thing to annoint him with ointments? Doest thou make a conscience of it, that they should annoint Christ his tender flesh, and doest thou make it no scruple at all to steale away the almes? O blessed Magdalen, O happy woman! O happy had he ben which had ben worthy to haue ben there at that hour when thou diddest annoint thy maister and my God, and happy had I beene when thou diddest annoint him with holy oint­ment, if I could haue tempered and mixed it with my tears, and as thou diddest annoint him with an ointment, I could haue washed him with my tears. I do not so much meruell at the malice of Iudas, as I doe at the patience of Magdalen, for not regarding what Iudas did, the more hee murmured, the more hast shee made in annointing him. O what a number of murmurers there be now adaies (saith S. Ierome in an epistle) which say with Iudas, Vt quid perditio haec, What needeth this losse, condemning & finding fault at all that which is not done according vnto their will and pleasure, in so much that the murmurer thinketh nothing well done vnlesse it be done as hee will. Hilarius saith, Many murmurers doe murmure at the sumptuosity of churches, and at the riches of holy pla­ces, saying with Iudas, Vt quid perditio haec, all which whē they murmure, it is not so much because they see it in the chur­ches, but because they haue it not in their owne houses. [Page 72]Because the sonne of God dooth represent all holy and ver­tuous men (saith Origen,) what other thing is ment, when hee suffered Magdalen to annoint him and refresh his body, but that he would bee well pleased, that we should serue all holy and good men, and well content that we should vse all cour­tesie towards them? Why dost thou murmure, O thou mur­murer, if thou doest see thy brother ease his body of continu­all paine and trauell, and recreate somewhat and refresh his bones, seeing thereby thou art not preiudiced at al? he which iudgeth in euill part of the recreation which his neighbor ta­keth, murmureth at Christ with Iudas, seeing that the perfe­ction of great personages doth not so much consist in hauing their bodies broken, as it doth in hauing their hearts pure and cleane. Put the case (saith S. Chrisostome) That there were a fault in that vnction, yet without comparison Iudas did far more sinne in murmuring at it, then Mary Magdalen in doing it, or Christ in consenting vnto it. Let no man iudge his neigh­bor (saith Barnard) Let no man find fault at another mans do­ing, because that murmuring is so odious in Gods sight, that oftentime hee which murmureth at anothers doing, sinneth more then he which doth the thing. The second accusation in scripture against this traitor Iudas was, that he was a noto­nous theefe; which was a vice by God in the old law straight­ly forbidden, and with greeuous punishments chastised. Ea quae mittebantur portabat Iudas, saith S. Iohn, chap. 12. As if he would say: The office which Iudas Iscarioth had in Christs house was to receiue and take charge ouer all the alms which denout persons did send vnto Christ, and to bestow them, and deuide them to Christs vse and his Apostles. S. Iohns woords are to be noted, whē he saith, That Iudas caried those things which were sent them: wherein he noteth the great perfecti­on of Christ, and of his Colledge, considering that he asked nothing from dore to dore, but did eat only of the alms which were sent them vnto their house. The son of God (saith Da­masceu) nor those of his holy colledge, were not of those poor which were troublesome and importunate, because he busied [Page 73]himselfe more in preaching than in begging: for if they had no almes sent vnto them, they did eate the eares of the come and the hearbs of the fields. We do not read in the course of the whole Gospell, that Christ commanded or commended any other matter vnto Iudas his disciple, but the gathering of the almes and the charge of those temporall matters; in so much that were it much or little which they did send vnto Christ, Iudas did both receiue it and deuide it, and withall steale the best part of it. Chrysostome saith thus, If wee marke it well, our Lord commended his holy soule vnto his Father, his blessed mother vnto Saint Iohn, his holy Church vnto Saint Peter, his glorious body to Nicodemus, and his poore substance and wealth vnto Iudas; in so much that hee com­mitted the goods of this life vnto the wickedest man that was thē aliue. It is not to be thought that it is a good sign if our Lord giue any great aboundance of temporall wealth in this world, seeing that naughty Iudas [...]charioth had more wealth lone than Christs whole company and colledge all togither. It is much to be noted, that seeing Christ had neither house, nor vineyard, nor land, not other rent, but onely the almes which they gaue him in the commonwealth: & also it is to be thought religiously, that that which Iudas stole from Christ could not bee much, nor that which hee detained from the almes which was giuen him. If it be so then, that Christ had but little, and that that which Iudas stole was not much, why doth the scripture with open mouth call him a theefe? wic­ked [...]udas was a thiefe and that a great thiefe, because that that which he stole was a holy thing, and a holy almes, and in a holy house, and did belong vnto a holy person; and ther­fore according vnto the law of God, that cannot be a small theft which is done in a holy and sacred place. Saint August. saith, that as the two mites which the poore old woman offe­red in the Temple were more acceptable vnto God than all the treasures of the people, so our Lord is more offended with a little which is taken out of the Temple, than with a great deale stollen in the world. Benauenture saith, that Iudas [Page 74]did not condemne himselfe for the great quantitie which he stole, but because it was a holy place from whence hee stole it, and therevpon it is, my religious brother, that thou maiest offend more in taking a small thing out of thy monastery, then a secular man in taking a greater out of the market. Why should any man meruell, that the Scripture calleth vnhappie Iudas a theefe, seeing hee stole away the life and goods from the king of glory? Iudas sold Christs life for many, he put Christs fame and credit to pledge with the wic­ked, and hee put Christs wealth into his purses: in so much that if Christ more had had, more this theefe would haue robbed. O good Iesus, O redeemer of my soule, if I were Iudas, or Iudas were as I am, I would neuer haue pledged thy honour and credit, nor haue sold thy life: that which I would haue stolne should haue beene the humilitie the which thou diddest liue with, the patience which thou diddest speake with, and the charitie which thou didst forgiue with, and the zeale which thou diddest preach with. O what a happy theefe should I be if I could rob all these vertues from thee, seeing that in stead of these thefts heauen gates would be open vnto me. The third accusation is, that wicked Iudas Habebat loculos, that is, had a purse with litle purses in it to hide the pence which he had stolne. Rich couetous men are wont to put their double duckats in one purse, the single in ano­ther, shillings in another, and their small money in another, because they may find them quickly, and count them easily. Wherein saith Seneca doth the felicity of couetous men con­sist, but in seeing euery houre their purse, counting their money, alwaies hoording vp somewhat, and in studieng how they may lessen their ordinary charges? Aymon noteth, That the Scripture sayth not, that Iudas had purses, but little purses, whereby is gathered Christs and his colledges great pouertie, seeing that all which that theefe stole was but small base money which might well bee contained in small purses. Saint Cyprian noteth, That there was so little money in Christs family, that there was not enough to stuffe a [Page 75]little purse, much lesse many purses: and when the Scripture sayth, that Iudas had many purses, it was because hee had one common purse to spend of, and another secretly to steale with. O happy time, O golden age of the primitiue Church in the which there was but one purse among them all: but now alasse that not among worldlings, but also among them which professe a monasticall life, there is scarse any one which hath not with Iudas his small purses to keepe his own money in. And hee saith further, tell me traiterous Monke, tell mee thou Monke which hast propertie in thinges, what difference is betwixt thee which stealest the reuenues of thy Monastery, and the Traitor Iudas which stole the almes from Christ? Anselmus sayth, That as all perfect men are more bound vnto straight vses, than all other worldlings, I dare affirme that hee hath secret purses hidden with Iu­das, which in his cell fostereth disordinate and superfluous appetites. Saint Basil in his Rule sayth, As it is a greater perfection in a religious person to want his owne will, than to want any kind of money, yet wee may say of such a one that it is more daungerous for him to bee mutinous against his superiour, then to haue his purse full of money. Now thou art to vnderstand my religious brother, that Iudas did not so much damne himselfe for the money which he carried, as he did because he did what he lusted. It is an euill thing to beare the purse, but it is farre worse to bee wedded vnto a mans owne will: it is a bad thing to carry purses with money, but far worse to fulfill a mans owne appetites, because there is no sin which burneth so much in hell as the sin of a mans owne pro­per will.

CHAP. III. Here are reckoned many other great offences which Iudas committed, and diuers treasons which he did against Christ.

IVstificationes tuas custodiam, non mederelin­quas vsquequaque, said the Prophet Da­uid in his 118 Psalme; as if hee would say, O great God of Israel, O great God of the house of Iacob, I beseech thee with all humility, that seeing I bind my selfe to keepe thy commaundements all the daies of my life, that thou wouldest not forsake me vn­till my death. This is a high praier which the Prophet ma­keth, considering that hee doeth capitulate and agree with God, and God with him, that he will serue our Lord, & that our Lord will haue charge ouer him. It is much to bee noted with Cassiodorus vpon the Psalmes, that the Prophet doth not only say, Doe not forsake mee, but he addeth also Vsque­quaque, that is, that hee would not forsake him all his life, and also that he would giue him his helping hand in all that hee shall goe about. O good Iesus, O the loue of my soule, I be­seech thee, that if thou doe suffer me to fall into any sin, yet that thou wouldest not forsake me, Vsquequaque, Alwaies or continually, and let me commit all sinne, for if thou doe not hold mee with thy mercifull hand, where shall I stop but in the pains of hel? Our Lord hath held many with his hands, as Cain, Heli, Saule, and Manasses; but hee did not hold them Vsquequaque, that is still, and all in all vntill the end; conside­ring that the one slew his brother, the other lost his Priest­hood, the other was depriued of his kingdome, and the other died a Pagan. Hee did also forsake Dauid in his adultery, S. Peter when hee denied him, Paul when hee persecuted him; [Page 77]but he did not forsake them, Vsquequaque, that is, vntil death; for of great sinners they became very holy and chosen men. O what a singular fauour, sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalmes, our Lord doth vnto those whome he doth not vtterly forsake, as he neuer doth his best friends; the which although they bee euilly handled, and suffer much, yet hee doth it rather to ex­ercise them, then to forsake them. The vnhappy and vnfor­tunate Iudas cannot say truly vnto our Lord, leaue me not for euer, because his sinnes were so great and his offences so grie­uous, that he was forsaken of Gods hands vtterly, & he made himselfe wholly vnworthy of Gods mercy and clemency. Was not the traitor Iudas vtterly forsaken thinke you, seeing that he sold our Lord & master vpon the Wednesday, & vp­on the Friday after he hanged himselfe vpon a tree? Doe not forsake mee O good Iesus, doe not forsake me Vsquequaque, for euer: but if thou wilt forsake me for a time, and withdraw thy helping hand from mee, forget mee no longer then thou diddest forget S. Peter, which was vntill hee wept; and doe not forget mee as thou diddest Iudas, vntill hee hanged him­selfe. The scripture accuseth Iudas that he had noregard vn­to the needy and poore, but that he was more careful to steal somewhat from the almes which was giuen vnto Christ, then to bee pitifull vpon the poore and necessities which were a­mong the people. Suspirabam, ligatus sum non cathenis ferreis, sed me a praua voluntate, saith Saint Augustine in the eighth of his Confessions, as if he would say; O how many times did I pierce the heauens with sighes, and watered the fields with my teares, seeing my selfe taken and bound in yrons, and yet not with fetters and cheines, but with my own proper wicked vvill: and that vvhich I cannot speake vvithout vveping is, that I yeelded my owne will vnto the enemie, and with my vvill he doth that vvhich is not my will. Who euer vttered such pitifull vvords vntill this day? O vvith vvhat great rea­son this holy man speaketh this, and vvith vvhat greatreason hee vveepeth for giuing our vvill vnto the deuill, seeing hee maketh of our vvill that vvhich vve vvill not: for if vve giue [Page 78]the enemy once an entrance into our soule, he rebelleth pre­sently with the chiefest force hee hath, Iudas gaue principal­ly his will vnto the deuill, and hee in lieu of his will, taught him to murmure, and hauing taught him to murmure hee vsed him to steale, and hauing vsed to steale he began to haue purses, and that being done hee came to sell Christ for coue­tousnesse. What would the Prophet say when hee saith, abyssus abissum inuocat, One depth calleth another, but that the qualitie of one sinne is to call another vnto him. August. vpon the Psalmes saith; King Dauid saith very well that one sinne entiseth another, considering that of idlenesse commeth looking, of looking desiring, of desiring consenting, of con­senting doing, of doing perseuering, of perseuering damning himselfe, in so much that wee goe from sinne vnto sin in post hast, vntill we be benighted in hell. Iucundus home qui misere­tur, & commodat, &c. saith Dauid in his hundred & eleuenth Psalme, as if hee would say. O how happy is that man who is pitiful with the weake, a giuer of almes vnto the poore, and modest in that which hee speaketh: for although God suffer such a one to be tempted, yet hee suffereth him not to bee o­uercome. S. Ierome vpon these words saith, If thou marke it well, there is no man called pleasant and faire in Scripture, but hee which vseth pitie, and giueth almes, and hee who mea [...]reth his words before hee vtterthem; for such a one is in fauour with God, and esteemed among men. Who hath ben mercifull vnto his brother in this world, vnto whom God hath not beene the like in the other? who hath imparted his goods vnto the poor, vnto whom God hath not imparted his glory? who hath brideled his tongue, who hath not benregar­ded & respected for it? What greater reward would he haue which vseth mercy, or he which giueth alms of his substance or he who hurteth no man with his tongue, then that oth and promise which the Prophet speaketh of, Quòd in aternum non commouebitur, that although he be neuer so much vexed and beaten with temptations, yet our Lord will not suffer him to be ouerthrown. S. Barnard saith vpon Qui habitat, O good Ie­sus, [Page 79]O the glory of my soul, if my hart be assured by thee that he shal not bee moued for euer, what doe I weigh it if pride beate me, if anger moue mee, if enuy molest me, yea and the flesh disquiet me? when our Lord asketh of vs that we would be merciful, & alms giuers, & fair spoken, it is a very smal mat­ter that he asketh of vs, considering that which he doth pro­mise for it: for for to be assured, that neither in aduersity which may come vnto him, nor prosperity which hee may happen vnto, Quòd in aeternū, that his heart shall neuer bee moued, is such a great matter that it can neither bee bought with the weight of tears, nor deserued by heroicall deeds. The contra­ry vnto all this was found in wicked Iudas: for in steed of pitty he was cruel, cōsidering how he had no regard vpon the poor, & in stead of almes-giuing he stole the almes from Christ, & instead of brideling his tongue he sold his God & Lord vn­to the Synagogue; and how could Iudas the theefe haue pity on the poor which begged among the people, seeing he stole the alms which they gaue vnto Christ? If it be a sin to steale from a rich man, yea that which hee aboundeth with; shall it not be a sin & a wicked sacriledge to steale from the poor that which they haue necessity of? whē those of Christs holy col­ledge did eat the ears of corne for pure hunger, they would rather haue earen bread and meat if they had had money to buy it. If Iudas did see Christ deuide the apostles alms to the needy poor, he should nor only not haue takē it as a reproch­full thing & dishonest, but rather he should haue ben thank­full and glad for it, because there is no worke of mercy which is not in this world commēded, and in the other rewarded. It is a certaine thing that the eues wish not well vnto the poore, because a theefe will neuer come to him whom he thinketh will aske something of him, but vnto those from whome they imagine they can steale somewhat away. Fulgentius saith in a sermon; If sorrowfull Iudas had beene loiall vnto his maister, mercifull vnto the poore, friendly with the Apostles, disciplinable in his manners, and not desirous of other mens goods, our Lord would neuer haue left him to haue gone [Page 80]out of his colledge, nor hee euer haue committed treason. Who made thee O Iudas stumble and fall into such enormi­ous and greeuous sins, but thy small or rather no pity? When the scripture accuseth the traitor Iudas that he had no care of the needy, it is a matter both to make vs afeard, and also to wonder at; because that in the sight of our Lord, the almes which we doe vnto the poore are much more accepted, than the sacrifice and incense which we offer him. Iudas is also ac­cused of that which hee did in the parlar where hee supped, when Christ said. Ecce manus tradentis me, as if hee would say; O my disciples, O my only sons and companions, truly I open and discouer one thing vnto you: that is, that one of you which are here with me, hath sold me by treason, and which is worst of all, hee doth eat with mee at my table and at my owne dish. Christ complaineth that Iudas sold him vnto the Synagogue, and that hee sate at his table with him, and that he did eat with one hand only, and that he was ashamed nei­ther of the one nor of the other: and there is none of this spo­ken without a great mysterie. Confundimini & crubescite su­per viis vestris ô domus Israel, said God by Ezechiel, chap. 6, as if hee would say: O house of Israel, O ye people of Iuda, bee now ashamed of the filthy works which you doe, and of the wicked steps yee walke in. For I am much more offended to see how little you esteeme of me, then of the offences which you commit against me. A man which is of a noble and stour courage, and of a shamefast countenance, although hee haue beene offended and wounded by another, yet he doth not so much feele the iniury which is done, as he greeueth to see his enemy walke before his house; because the brabble procee­ded of anger, but the going about his house commeth from malice. Gregory vpon Ezechiel saith thus, Our Lord had great reason to complain of the house of Israel, & of the kingdome of Iuda, and that not so much for the wickednesse they com­mitted, as for the small shame they had in committing it; be­cause that hee wil either late or neuer amend, which is not a­shamed at all to haue offēded. It is to be noted that the Pro­phet [Page 81]saith, Erubescite de vijs vestris, that is, that we should bee ashamed to walke our waies, because to walke vnto the flesh and the world there are many waies, which are all of vanity: but to walke vnto heauen there is but one way, which is of charity. What are our waies but onely our disordinate and naughty desires? Whither doe our desires lead vs, but vnto vices, and from vices vnto sins, and from sins vnto hell? Then be ashamed to sinne or to haue sinned: for as S. Ambrose saith, The first step to repentance is to bee ashamed of the sinne committed. What saith the son of God, when hee saith, Be­hold the hand of him which betraieth me: what else doth he say thā, behold the Traitor, behold wicked Iudas, who is not cōtent to haue sold me vnto the synagogue, but also sitteth & eateth at my table without any shame at all. The son of God could not haue spoken a word of greater iniury to Iudas than to call him Traitour: for after a man hath committed trea­son against another, there is neuer after any hope to be had of him, nor trust to bee put in him. Iudas was a Traitor in sel­ling Christ vnto those vnto whome hee did sell him: that is, vnto his mortall enemies, who bought him not because hee should serue them, but because they would bee reuenged on him. Iudas was a traitor, for selling Christ for so base and vile a price, because a lustie and an able young man, as Christ was, was more worth if it had beene but to make a slaue of. Iudas was a Traitor in selling him vnto them, because in doing of it he shewed great malice, and exceeding auarice, seeing hee a­greed with his enemies for him at the first word, & hee neuer replied nor hucked one word vpon the sale. Iudas was also a traitor, because he went of his own voluntary wil to sel Christ, not being asked nor induced vnto it by any, wherein he shew­ed his infamous condition & wicked treason. For by so much the more sins are offensiue, by how much the occasions were lesse which caused vs to commit them. Iudas was also a Trai­tor in sitting with Christ at his table, as though he had offen­ded him in nothing: vvherein he shewed his small conscience and great impudency; for hauing as hee had the money in [Page 82]his purse, for the which he sold Christ, it was not reason hee should haue eaten with him in his dish. Remigius exclaimeth in an epistle: O vnto how many may Christ say now adaies, behold the hand of him which betraieth mee is at the table with me, all which like vnto Iudas either by vsury, or by sy­mony dare sell Christ, and after eat with him at the same messe, prophaning and wasting church-goods, as though they had cost Christ nothing! S. August. vpon S. Iohn sayth, That there supped but one Traitor in the parlar with Christ, but now adaies in the table of his church there dineth & suppeth an infinit number of Traitors: and that which cannot be spo­ken without tears is, that neuer seruing nor benefiting the ca­tholike church at all, they eat and take away the fruit which Christ got vs with his precious bloud. Tell mee my brother, tell mee I pray thee, what difference is there betwixt thee which selleth Christ for sinnes, and Iudas which sold him for money? Is it not thinkest thou a greater sinne to sell Christ for other sinnes, then for Iudas to sell him for thirty peeces of money? The difference which I find betwixt thee who art a sinner, and wicked Iudas who was a Traitor is, that hee sold Christ but once, and thou sellest him euery day and houre: and in so greeuous an offence there can be nothing more iust, that seeing thy treason is greater than his, that thy condem­nation also should be greater than his. It is also to be weigh­ed that Christ doth not say that Iudas did eat with him with both hands, but with one only; for hee saith: Ecce manum tra­dentis me; Behold the hand of him who betraieth me, which hee spake not without a secret mysterie. S. Ierome sayth thus, He who could haue seene Iudas in the parlar, should haue seene how his heart was giuen to the deuill, his body vnto the world, his word vnto the Synagogue, his left hand vpon his purse, and with his right hand hee did eat with Christ. Vbertinus sayth, That he doth eat with the Trai­tor Iudas at the table with one hand, who liueth in a mona­stery, not with a purpose to follow Christ, but with an inten­tion to flee the perils of the world, and coker himselfe with [Page 83]the goods of the monastery. Bonauenture sayth, That then the religious man eateth with one handwith Iudas at Christs table, when he liueth in the monastery by necessitie, and not voluntarily, insomuch that his body is in his cell, & his heart in the market place. Thus then you haue had recited vnto you the heinous offences, which the Traitor Iudas commit­ted, and how iustly our Lord condemned him: so that now there remaineth onely to tell you of the perfections which were in the good theefe which died with Christ, and how iustly Christ tooke him to heauen with him.

CHAP. IIII. Of the great vertues which the good theefe had which died with Christ, and how he beleeued: and of that which the Prophet Ieremy speaketh to this purpose.

TOnde capillum tuum & proijce, & sume indirectum planctum, quiae perijt fides & ablata est de ore eo­rum, said God vnto the Prophet Ieremy in the 7. chap, as if hee would say. O Ieremy my friend and Prophet, poule the haire of thy head, and then cast it vnder thy feet, and weepe and bewaile the Synagogue, because now there is no truth in her mouth, and the faith of her Commonwealth is vtterly lost. Men did neuer poule their heads in holy scripture, nor rent their gar­ments, nor shed many tears, but for very great disasters, or pi­tifull accidents; as for the death of Iobs childrē, & with all the losse of all his goods; for what cause holy Iob shaued his hair, rent his garmēts, & cried out with loud cries. It is much here to be noted, and also necessary to bee known, that seeing the scripture saith, that the soule which committeth the sin, that the selfesame shal endure the punishment, why God cōman­ded Ieremy to weepe with his eies, and poule his hair, for the [Page 84]sins which others haue committed? If Israel do offend & fall into the sin of idolatry, how is the good Prophet Ieremy to be blamed, & why is he commanded to poule his hair for it & cast it vnder feet? Hath not euery man think you inoughto do to weep for his own sins, without weeping for other mens sor­rows? Hugo de sancto victore answereth vnto this doubt vpon those words, Defecerunt prae lachrimis oculi mei, Thren. 1. and saith that there is nothing more natural vnto good mē thē to weep for the sins of the wicked. The charity of the good is so great, & the carelesnes ossinners so idle, that the iust mē dofirst weepe for the sins of the wicked, then they do weep for thē ­selues. O how many sinners do we see in these daies, sporting & laughing in the world, for whose sins the iust do weep and giue themselues discipline? O that it would please the God of heauē, that the heart of him who sinneth would receiue such griefe as the iust in seeing him sinne? I sweare by the law of a good man, that none would go to rest at night with sinne, nor rise in the morning without grace. Is there any day (saith Cy­rillus vpō Leuit.) in which a good mā doth not better himself, or any moment wherin he doth not merit, considering that he doth imitate the good in that which they do, & weep for the wicked in that they commit? King Dauid did weepe for the death of his deare sonne Absolon, and not only because hee was his son, but because he saw him die in that euil estate. The son of God wept ouer the city of Ierusalem, not only because they would there kil him, but because they wold neuer amēd thē of their wickednes. The Prophet Ieremy did weepe very much for the captiuity of his people, not so much because they were in captiuity in Babilō, as because they would not neither for that punishmēt or any thing else leaue their idolatry: the great captain Iosua with all the nobles of Israel wept, not be­cause of his own life, which was not long, but because they saw how ingrateful the synagogue was to god. The Prophet Samu­el wept when king Saule came frō the conquest of Amelech, not so much because God had depriued him of a kingdome, but because hee had falne into such a great sinne. Saint Au­gustine in his Confessions saith thus! We do not see good men [Page 85]so much occupied in any thing as in drawing euill men to good life, and when they can neither by entreaty: nor threat­ning conuert them, then they betake themselues to weep bit­terly for them. When Ieremy said, Defecerunt prae lachrimis o­culi mei, and when Dauid said, Exitus aquarum, &c. what else would they say, but that the eies of the one of them were failed for weeping for the paines which the people endured, and that the eies of the other were made a sea of teares for the great wickednesse which he saw in Israel. Anselmus in his meditations saith thus. O sweet Iesus, O my good Lord, if good men should not aid me with their holy praiers, & if ho­ly men should not helpe me to weepe for my grieuous offen­ces, what would become of mee wicked and wretched crea­ture? O what infinit charity, O what vnspeakable mercy, saith Ierome vpon Ieremy, had our Lord vpon the wicked Sy­nagogue, and alwaies hath vpon euery sinfull soule, conside­ring that he commanded the Prophet Ieremy to weep for the sins committed by her, as though they were his own. Wher­fore thinkest thou, doth our Lord command holy & iust men to weepe for our sinnes, but because he knoweth better then we our selues, that if we haue power to fall into sins, yet that we cannot lift ourselues out of them without his grace & li­cense? Who then is able to obtaine vs this grace, but he who is in state of grace? It is to be noted, that in Ieremies weeping, our Lord commanded him first to poule his he are, then cast it and tread it vnder his feet, and that then hee should weepe ouer them: of all which things there is none which wanteth a secrete and a mystery. What other things are the superflu­ou: heares in the head, but the vaine and light cogitations which are in the mind? When he saith, That the oftner our heare is pouled and shaued, the more they encrease & grow, what meaneth hee else, but that filthy and vnclean thoughts the more they are suppressed and kept vnder, the faster they grow vpon vs? What doth he else mean when he comman­deth Ieremy not to pul vp his hear by the root, but only poule it; but only that if we be able to resist vncleane thoughts, yet [Page 86]wee are not able wholly to subdue them and pull them vp. The roots of the heare remaine alwaies in the head, and the rootes of vaine desires continue alwaies in the soule; & if our Lord dooth permit this, it is because wee should haue matter wherevpon to exercise our selfe in, and occasion to merit the more. Then we do p [...] vp our euill cogitations, whē we throw them out of our hearts; then we spurn thē with our feet, when we return no more to thinke vpon them, and then we weepe with all our heart, when we repent that euer wee consented vnto them. O how happy should I be, if I could shaue the superfluous thoughts of my heart, & could kick at the disor­dinate desires of my mind, & could weepe the times which I haue euilly spent! for in the latter day wee shall giue as strait an account of the times which we haue euilly spent, as of the offences which we haue committed. Speaking more particu­larly, seeing that God cōmanded the Prophet Ieremy to poul his head, as if he had ben a simple man, & kicke at that which he had pouled, & weep many tears, it is conuenient now that we know whether he commanded him to do these things for the sins which he hath committed, or for sins which hee hath seene in the Iudaicall people. Who euer saw Christ weepe or command any man to weep, but he had occasion to doir, and reason to command it? The reason why Ieremy weepeth is, Quid ablata est fides de ore corum, Because there is now no faith in the house of Iacob, & because the goodnes & truth of Is­rael is perished. Behold how God doth not complain here of vs, for that we do not offer sacrifice, nor because wee pay not our tithes, nor because we break the holy fasting daies, nor be­cause they are couerous, nor because they are carnall & glur­tons: because nature inuiteth & inclineth vs to all these, car [...] ­lesnesse & humane frailty excuseth vs. That which our Lord cōplaineth of is, that they are faithlesse in heart & idolaters, and that they can speake nothing with their mouth but lies, which two vices are perrillous for vs to be saued with, & very hard to amēd. Ciprian vpō the Creed saith; Although the A­postle saith, that faith without works is dead, yet I had rather [Page 87]do sinful works being a faithful Christian, thē vertuous works being a faithlesse Pagan; because that our Lord doth easilier lighten him which beleeueth that which he cōmandeth, thē him which blasphemeth him and his church. Damascen saith, That the diuel dare neuer tempt mightily any, but such as he perceiueth to be weak in faith, and in that case hee careth not much to tēpt him hardly with other vices, if he see him weak & cold in faith; because the diuel is better at ease to see a man doubtful & wauer in faith, thē to see him cōmit all other sins in the world. What dooth the diuell watch at, or ouerwatch, but to see whether thou bee doubtfull in the faith of Christ? what hast thou if thou hast not true faith? what wantest thou, if thou wantest not the true faith of Christ? O good Iesus, O the light of my soule, I beseech thee that thou wouldest not depriue me of thy faith, that thou wouldst not cast me out of thy church, that thou wouldst not take thy mercy frō me: for if thou wilt not suffer me to fall from thy faith, I shal alwaies haue a hope that in the end I shalbe saued. To come thē vn­to our principal purpose, who made vnhappy Iudas hang him­selfe, & what was the cause the good theefe was saued, but on­ly the great faith the theefe had, & the sinful infidelity which the other fel into? because Iudas wold not beleeue that Christ was our maker, and because the good theefe beleeued that Christ was our redeemer: Iudas sold Christ, and the other be­leeued in Christ: insomuch that in beleeuing & knowing litle, men come to offend much. So much (saith Gregory) the faith of a good Christiā is more meritorious, by how much the few­er argumēts & reasons it is grounded on, because the merit of the catholick faith doth not cōsist on that which we see with our eie [...], but in that which we beleeue with our hearts. If we compare the faith of the good theef with the faith of the old fathers, we shal find it to be true, that he did so far exceed thē in faithfully beleeuing, as they did go beyond him in good li­uing. How should not. Abraham beleeue in God, considering how God spake vnto him from heauē aboue, and vsed him as if he had beene his particular friend? The thecues faith was greater thā his, because that Christ neuer spake vnto him one [Page 88]word of beliefe, neither did hee euer see him in heauen, but only hanged vpon the crosse. The Prophet Esay did beleeue in God, when he saw him sit on high in his throne, beset with thousands of Seraphins; but the the eues faith was greater, be­cause hee neuer saw Christ but crucified, and accompanied with theeues. The Prophet Maises had faith when hee saw the God of Israel speake vnto him out of a bush, and that the bush wasted nor burnt not; but the faith of the good theefe was greater than this, considering that hee saw Christ loaden with thorns, which burnt nor in show, but in troth pierced his braine. S. Peter had faith, when hee saw Christ goe vpon the waters; but the good theefes faith was greater, considering he saw Christ not spurn the waters, but saw him bathed in bloud from the feet to the head. Mary Magdalen had faith when she saw him raise her brother Lazarus from death to life who had beene foure daies dead; but the good theefe had greater faith then this, considering how he neuer saw Christ raise the dead, but only saw himselfe die vpon the crosse like a malefa­ctor. S. Iohn the Euangelist had faith when he had ssept vpon our Lords breast, after he had supped vvith him in the parlar; but the theefes faith vvas greater then this, seeing that hee beleeued in the sonne of God, not sleeping vpon stis breast, but suffering vvith him by his side vpon the crosse. S. Iames had faith vvhen hee savv Christ transfigured in the hill Ta­bor and the Fathers of the old law adore him; but the good theefes faith was greater then this, considering hee saw not the sonne of God transfigured but disfigured, hee saw not his face shine, but his body torne in pieces. O happy and glorious theefe, who but thou hath stoine the faith from the syna­gogue which of old shee was wont to haue, and stolne Christ from them in whom then they beleeued not? Impart and de­uide vnto me part of the faith which thou didst steale from the Synagogue, and Christ which thou diddest rob away on the Mount of Caluary: for although I was not thy compani­on in suffering, yet now I will bee in beleeuing. That which I would haue thee impart vnto mee is, the entire faith which [Page 89]thou hast, the holy wordes which thou speakest, the abun­dance of bloud which thou sheddest, the true confession which of God thou makest, and the Christian charity with the which thou doest correct the other theefe. O that this theefe hath a happy inheritance, seeing that with the theft of worldly things he easily got the gallowes, and with the theft which hee stole vpon the crosse hee got glory. Chrysostome of the praise of the theefe saith thus; In whom O good Iesus, in whom did thy holy faith remaine when thou diddest depart out of this life, but in thy sorrowfull mother, who wept at the foot of the crosse, & in that holy theefe who suffered on thy side? O good Iesus, O redeemer of my soule (saith Barnard) what a small number of friends thou hadst with thee on the crosse, and what a multitude of enemies about thee, conside­ring that thou hadst there but two faithfull Christians, that is, thy blessed mother which did beleeue in thee with her heart, and that iust theefe which did confesse thee with his mouth. Seeing it was nothing else to be a Christian, but to be­leeue in Christ, and serue Christ, it is to be beleeued that this theefe was a Christian, and that he died a Christian: for if he had not ben one, he would neuer haue commended himselfe vnto Christ, as wee doe our selues vnto God, vnlesse hee had also beleeued him to bee God. Isichius vpon Leuiticus saith, That we doe not doubt whether this theefe was baptised or not, but how hee was baptised, and where, wee know not; but that which wee doe know in this case is, that if there wanted water on the crosse to baptise him, yet there wanted no blood to regenerate him. There was but one poole in the temple of Hierusalem to heale men with, but on the Mount of Calua­ry there are three fonts to baptise with; the one was ful of our Ladies teares, the other full of the water of our Lords side, and the third full of the bloud of his body. How could this theefe be vnbaptised, hauing such great preparations to bap­tise him? O my soule, O my heart, why doe you not baptise and wash your sinnes, why wipe you not away your wicked­nes in the tears of the sweet mother, in the water of his gree­uous [Page 90]side, and in the bloud of her holy sonne? Ecce nunc in in­iquitatibus conceptus sunt, Behold now I am conceiued inheri­ted, or what offences could I haue committed, which the mothers tears could not wash, and the sonnes bloud could not inake clean? I will not now goe with Iudith to the fountaine of Modien to wash mee; nor with Naaman to the waters of Iordā to bath me, nor to the poole at Ierusalem with the sick of the palsie to heale me, but I will goe onely vnto the holy fonts of the Mount of Caluary to baptize me, which are full of the bloud which my God shed, and of the water which issued out of his side. To conclude then, whē Christ was bap­tised, there was none present but S. Iohn: but in the baptisme of this theefe there was Christ, and his mother, S. Iohn & Ma­ry Magdalen, insomuch that in the house of God they giue more honour to good theeues, then vnto those which are naughty-Emperours.

CHAP. V. How three houres in which the good theefe was with Christ vpon the crosse, did profit him more than the three yeares profited Iudas in the which he followed Christ: and how some steale vntill they come to the gallews, and how this theefe stole vpon the gallows.

ET [...]nunc domine deus Israel, da seruo tuo cor doci­le, vt discernere possit inter bonum & malum, said the great king Salomon in a praier which hee made vnto God, Reg. 4. chap. 3. as if hee would say; O great God of Israel, O great God of the house of Israel, I pray thee & be­seech thee that it would please thee to giue me frō thy hāds a hart willing to do all that thou dost cōmand me, & beleeue al that thou dost counsell me. Who is able to gouerne so rich a [Page 91]country, if thou in teaching him do not giue him an vnderstā ­ding to discern betwixt the good & the euil? This petition of Salomōs was very grateful vnto God, because he asked him no more kingdomes to enlarge his dominions, nor riches to liue deliciously with, nor many years to liue long with, nor fauor & might to be reuēged of his enemies. To haue much, to possesse much, to liue long to be of great might, are they nor the things we desire most of al with al our hearts, & for the which we do most of al sweat for & sigh? whē Salomon asked a heart apt to learn, what did he aske else, but a mind which would suffer it self to be instructed & to be counselled by wise men, which few men are wont to ask, and much lesle to do; because euery man thinketh himself wise, & that he needeth no mans cōun­sell at all. What better praier could that happy king haue de­manded at Gods hands; thā a heart well iustructed, & ready to heare counsell? Plato in his Timaeo saith, that he neuer saw any man do amisse which followed counsel, but he saw many cast thēselues away by following their owne wil, Seneca to Lu­cilths saith that the cōmodity of a mind well taught, and of a man wel counselled is, that if he hit aright in that which hee doth, al men giue him the glory of it, & if he erre in his enter­prise, al men cast the blame vpon him which counselled him. When Christ tooke counsel vpon the see ding of the hungry companies, did he not take it trowy you of 8. Phillip, which was one of thē which could d [...]least & knew least? S. Paul writeth to his disciple Philemon, Sine tuo consilio nihil facium, that is, I wil do nothing without thy counsel: without his aduise & opi­nion he would not determine either to go to Rome, or stay & preach in Asia. King Dauid was a for greater Prophet thē Na­than, yet he consulted with the good king, whether hee him­selfe should make the holy [...], or command his sonne to make it. If Christ then being God, and S. Paule being an Apostle, and king Dauid being a Prophet, would not trust their owne iudgement, why should any man refuse anothers counsel and opinion? Foris vastauit eos gladius; & intus pauor, quia gens estabsque consilio & prudentia [...], said God vnto Moyses, complaining vppon the people of Israell; as if [Page 92]he would say, O Moises thou hast it in thy choise, which thou hast made of people to serue me vpō those which haue neither wisdome to gouern themselues, neither do ask coun­sell of that which they ought to doe, by reason wherof they shall go al their life time sore feared with the enemies knife, and alwaies beare fearfull hearts. God complaineth of the Synagogue, that she had litle wit and great folly, and that she despised counsell and was guided by her owne wit, which are two things dangerous to a Common wealth, and hurtfull vnto euery particular person. Chrysostome saith, That God doth that man great fauour vnto whom he giueth a heart apt to learne, and easie to be counselled, and not hard to be en­treated; because there are some men so vnpleasant in their conditions, so proud in their conuersation, that they are ha­ted of all men, & liked of none. It is to be noted, that the wise man saith not only vnto God giue me a heart, but he addeth, a heart easie to be instructed; because God giueth hearts vn­to many, which are rather hearts of beasts then of men, with the which they neither know that which they should, nor chuse that which they ought, nor keep that which they haue, nor keepe secret that which they know. S. Barnard expoun­ding these wordes, Abii post vestigia gregum tuarum, sayth, That it is a word of great iniury and griefe which woundeth the mind, when God commanded any to go after beasts, see­ing that man is lord ouer beasts; which our Lord doth some­time cōmand, because he is a greater beast thē a beast which hath the vse of reason and yet doth not follow reason. The end why the vvise man did aske for a heart easie to bee in­structed, was because hee might know how to chuse vvhat vvas conuenient, and eschew that vvhich vvas hurtfull: for if a man cannot doe this, a brute beast can do that which a man cannot doe; because wee see by experience that hee eateth euery day of one food for his sustenance, and of others he ea­teth at times for a purgation. S. August. de verbis Apostoli, saith, That it is so great a gift to haue a mind apt to learne in this vvorld vvhat is good and vvhat is bad, that he giueth it but [Page 93]vnto very few; for this being knowne, there is nothing else to be known. To come then vnto our purpose, had not this good theefe a heart easie to bee taught, vvhat vvas good, vvhat e­uill, and that farre better than the other theefe his compani­on, seeing he said vnto our Lord Remember me, commending himselfe vnto Christ; and the other said blaspheming Christ, if thou be Christ, saue thy selfe and vs? Origen vpon Matthew saith, Care not my brother for being a theefe, in hope to saue thy selfe, as the good theefe did to saue him: for God gaue him not heauen so lightly, but that he paied somewhat for it, FOr if he gaue him the kingdome of heauen, it vvas because he did confesse him, vvhen al denied him, praised him when all men blasphemed him, accompanied him vvhen all men forsooke him, and defended him vvhen all men accused him. O high iudgements of God, O inscrutable secrets of Gods diuine prouidēce! vvhich of the Saints deserue to vnderstand them, or vvhich of the Seraphins is able to attaine vnto thē? Let all the vvise men of the vvorld come together, let all the Hierarchies & holy principalities assemble themselues: what count can they yeeld, or vvhat reason can they alledge, vvhy three houres onely, in the which the good theefe vvas vpon the crosse vvith Christ, did profit him more than Iudas three vvhole years continually that he went vvith Christ? Agree­able vnto the saying of the Apostle, what auaileth it the gar­dener if he labour in his garden, plant lettise, and water them with the water of the morning, if our Lord doe not visite it with his grace? Chrisostome de laudibus latr [...]nis, sayth, The theefe stole, and Iudas gaue almes; the theefe filled his belly, and Iudas fasted; the theefe stole, and Iudas praied; the theefe followed the world, & Iudas serued Christ, & yet notwith­standing al this, the theef is saued, & Iudas cōdemned. What dooth it auaile vs to serue, if it please not the sonne of God? God looked first vpon Abel, then vpon his sacrifices: in the world they look first vnto the gift, although hee who giueth it bee naught, but in the house of God they regard more the merit of him who giueth, thā the value of the thing which he [Page 94]giueth. The merits of this theefe were very great, considering he serued Christ neither yeares nor monthes, nor weekes, but houres, and those very few, but hee emploied them so well, that if he sinned a long time, he repented suddenly, amended with speed, & saued himselfe in a short space. Vbertinus saith, That it is to bee noted, that the scripture passeth with silence who this theefe was, from whence he was, what age hee was of, what law he obserued, of what stocke hee descended, be­cause that Pilate being a Romane iudge, could aswell crucifie the Gentiles, as hang the Iews. The scripture kept close the secret of this secret to let vs vnderstand, that for our saluation it maketh little to the purpose, whether wee be noble men or meane men, rich or poore, well spoken of or infamous, but on­ly that wee hold Christ for our Lord and king, and that wee keepe faithfully his holy law. S. Basil vpon the Psalmes saith, That all the things of this world suffer an excuse, but those things which touch the good of our conscience, & the seruice of the catholike church do admit none at all. And that there is no excuse to be admitted in the seruice of God, let vs look vnto the good theef which suffered on the crosse with Christ, who for to aske pardon of his error, and to repent him of his sinnes, was not hindered at all by being infamous, nor cōdem­ned, nor crucified, nor of base linage, nor yet that hee had so smal time to repent. How great sinnes so euer we haue, or how late soeuer we come vnto the crosse, let vs not distrust to bee heard, nor despaire to bee admitted: for wee doe not read of this theefe, that he was baptized, or confessed, yea or that he had repented vntill he was put vpon the crosse Cyrillus crieth out; O great mercy, O infinite goodnesse, what sweats did that theefe endure for thee, what discipline did hee giue his flesh, what number of yeares did he serue thee, in what holy pilgrimages did he bestow his time, that thou shouldest with­in three hours pardon his offences, and no other but thou thy selfe take him to glory? Barnard saith, O who could become a theefe with the good theefe, seeing that one fight of thee made him a Christian, and one word brought him to heauen? [Page 95]We see daily that some steale in their childhood, some in their youth, some at mans estate, some in their old age, [...]nd some euen vnto the gallowes: but yet to steale vpon the gal­lowes, of whom do we read it, but of this holy theefe? There was neuer any famous theefe, that euer did so famous a robbe­ry before he came to the gallowes, as this good theefe did e­uen vpon the gallowes, considering that before all their faces he stole away the kingdome of heauē. O that this was a hap­py theft which the theefe stole vpon the crosse, considering that hee stole the sonne from his father, their Lord from the Angels, and their creator from the Iewes, and their redeemer from the Christians. Who euer saw any thing like vnto this, who euer heard any thing like vnto this, or who euer read a­ny thing like vnto this? Thy feet nailed, thy armes crucified, thy hands bound, all thy body disiointed, and withal hanging vpon the crosse, and yeelding vp the ghost, yet doest thou steale from others? When other men ask pardon of the peo­ple, say their beliefe, restore things taken away, as all other theeues doe, at that time thou doest go about to steale anew. O good Iesus, O the comfort of my soule, wilt thou not giue me license to rob and steale with this theefe? That which I would steale, should bee the bloud which thou diddest shed, the loue which thou diddest die with, and the charity which caused thee to die, and the crosse on which thou diddest die: but woe and alasse if I would steale all this, I should first cru­cifie my selfe. O my soule, O my heart if you will steale and rob with this theefe, suffer your selues to be taken, then to be bound, then to bee dismembred and crucified: for as in the world when wee are at liberty money is stolne, so vpon the crosse when we lose our liberty, the heauens are stoln. Adams was but a small theft, seeing of all Paradise hee stole but one apple. But this good theefe was not content with the apples of Paradise, vnlesse he stole all Paradise. It was a vaine and a light theft which faire Rachel committed against her father Laban, and this of the theefe was an honorable theft, because hee did not abase himselfe to steale idols made of wood, but [Page 96]he stole the very true God. The theft which king Dauid cō ­mitted was a bold theft, when hee stole the bottle of water and the speare from king Sauls boulster: but the good theeues theft was more solemne, who stole not a launce from a boul­ster, nor a bottle of water, but he stole Christs body drie and without bloud, and his side which was pierced with a launce. Moises spies were craftie and subtile theeues, vvhich stole a­vvay the bunch of grapes of the land of promise: but the good theefe vvas farre more subtiler, seeing hee stole from those vvho had stolne, not a bunch of grapes vvhich hanged, but Christ crucified. Let al the theeues that are, come forth (saith Cyprian) and bee compared vvith this theefe, and they shall find for a truth, that he is the greatest of all, and the most fa­mous of them all: seeing that if other doe steale they lose their life, but this in stealing recouered life.

CHAP. VI. How the good theefe had nothing remaining on the crosse, but his heart and his tongue: and that by these two hee gained glory: and there are curious points vttered tou­ching the heart.

OMni custodia custodi cor tuum, quia ex ipso vitaprocedit, said Salomon the vvise, speaking vvith his son Robo­am, in the fourth chap. of his Pro­uerbes; as if he vvould say, I coun­sell thee my son Roboam, as a thing that doth very much import thee, that thou keep thy heart vvith all care & vvatching, because from him proceedeth al the good of thy life. It doth behooue vs very much that vvee beleeue this that the vvise man saith, and also keepe it, seeing he vvri­teth it vvith such high vvordes, and persuadeth it vvith such [Page 97]deepe reasons. I confesse for my owne part, that amongst all the things which I haue read, or haue heard wise men speake of, there is none that hath taken such deep root in my memo­ry, nor hath satisfied my iudgemēt like vnto this coūsel of the wise man. For the better commending of which speech I wish I had Homers vnderstanding, Platoes wit, Diogenes phrase, Es­chines art of Oratory, & Ciceroes tongue. After this saying, & in comparison of it, there is nothing more to bee thought, no­thing more to be sought, nothing more to be said, nor nothing more to be commended: for vnder this speech is comprehen­ded, al the goodnes that hath ben written vntil this day, & all that which is necessary for thy saluation. This is a high doctrin, a wonderful saying, worthy to be heard, and true to be belee­ued, iust to be taught, & wholly to be obserued. S. Ierome saith thus of it: whē the wise man saith, Omni custodia, Keep thy hart with al watching, it is to say plainly, keep, keep, watch, watch, be aduised, be aduised, shut shut the gates & entrance of thy heart: for it is he in whom our Lord desireth to delight in, and that is he vvhom the deuill also would willingly possesse. S. Augustine in a sermon saith, The wise man saith not without cause, keepe thy heart with a carefull watch, considering that God and the deuill, and the diuell and God striue not who shall possesse the eies wee doe see with, or the tongue which we speak with, but only which of thē both shall house & shut himself as in a castle in our harts which we bear: insomuch that in the guard & keeping of the hart consisteth our saluation or perditiō. Origen saith, That whē the wise man saith, Omni custo­dia cor tuū custodi, he doth forwarne vs & aduise vs, that we put diligēt watch & ward ouer our fugitiue hart, because the flesh may not defile him, the world mooue him, the deuill deceiue him, the enemy steale him & possesse him. What els doth he say whē he biddeth thee watch & ward thy hart, but only that so much interest wee haue in Christ, how much hee himselfe hath in our hearts. If God hath little in thee, thou hast litle in God: if thou hast much in God, god hath much in thee: & see­ing thou wouldest haue nothing of God but thy saluation, & [Page 98]God would haue nothing of thee but thy heart, thou ough­test highly to keepe it, and trust it and commit it to none but vnto him. S. Gregory in his Morals saith, The counsell of the wise man is very deepe, and his aduise very diuine, when hee saith, Keepe thy heart with all watching, and the reason is, that because all that which God giueth vs, and al that which wee offer vnto him is worth nothing if it bee not kept in the heart, and proceed from the heart: and therefore it is a very wholesome thing that our hearts bee alwaies full of good de­sires, and very far from vaine thoughts. Tell mee I pray thee, why the wise man was not content to say, that wee ought to keepe the heart, but he added that we should keep him with all watching and guarding, and put him in very great safetie? What other thing is it to keepe it with al guard, but only that wee should not giue place for any vanity or folly to enter in? Seneca saith in an Epistle, Wee see that the eies are defended with the eie lids, the mouth with the lips, the ears with a cot­ton, the bands with gloues, the corne in the garner, and mony in chests: but no man is able to take away vaine desires from the ambitious & mutinous heart, nor cut off his light cogita­tions. Tel me I pray thee what treasure is there in mans heart, because he shold be gorged with so many guards? O my bro­ther if thou diddest know what a great treasure that is which God hath left in keeping in the heart of the iust man, I assure thee, and sweare vnto thee, that thou wouldst keep thy heart with a strong guard, & wouldst not consent that any but God shold enter into it. is it not thinkest thou great reason that thy hart be wel guarded, seeing God wil not haue it for any other but for himselfe? In the he [...]t of man there is the reasonable power, with the which hee gouerneth himselfe, the irascible power with the which he defendeth himself, & cōcupiscible with the which hee prouideth for things necessary; and in the keeping of these three powers, the saluation of the soul consi­steth, & the rest & quietnes of the life. The diuell trauelleth much like vnto another Ioab, to giue vs three fierce wounds in these three noble powers, because our sorrowful heart should [Page 99]faint & be dismaied, & not know how to gouerne himselfe in prosperity, nor help himself in aduersity. S. Barnard vpō Qui ha­bitat saith, O what guards & double guards, O what watches & double watches mē should put to their poor heart, that is, Liberality against the world which doth compasse vs with ri­ches, Chastity against the flesh, which doth enuiron vs with pleasures, Charity against the diuel who doth vex vs with ma­lice. If we had as great a care in guarding our harts, as the diuel hath in fighting with it, he shold neuer bring vs into such great disquietnes, nor could neuer put vs in such danger and perill. If thou wilt hear me tel thee the order of thy perditiō, thou shalt perceiue clearly, that it riseth for want of putting a guard ouer thy hart: insomuch, that at the same instant in which we with­draw the guard frō our hart, presently our cōsciēce runneth to perdition. Thē the order of our disorder is, that the sight bree­deth thought, thought breedeth delight, delight breedeth cōsent, cōsent breedeth work, the work breedeth custome, cu­stome breedeth obstinatiō, obstinatiō breedeth desperatiō, & desperatiō damnatiō. Would it not be iust to keep a hart ma­nacled & fettered, which bringeth forth such children & ne­phews? who holdeth you O my soul loaden with scrupulosi­ties, who holdeth you O my body tormēted with trauails, but only the towers of wind which my heart breedeth, & a thou­sand dāgers into which he casteth himself? It is very cōueniēt saith Anselmus, that we keepe our heart in work, because that which we shal do may be good, & keep our tongue very well, because that which we shal speak may be iust, & keep wel our thought, because that which we shall think may be clean and pure, because our hearts shalbe such as our works are. Audi po­pule stulte, audiqui non babes cor, said God by the Prophet Iere­my in the 5. chap: as if he would say, Heare my foolish & cur­sed people, heare mee people without heart, which art come to such perdition, that thou wantest reason, and hast no heart. God could not haue iested at the people of Israel, nor giuen thē a greater scoffe than call them fooles without a heart. For seeing that the life of the body is the heart, as it is, and the life [Page 100]of the heart the soule, and God the life of the soule, & that the life of God is God himselfe; what other thing is it to be without a heart, than to be naught and vvithout a soule? Ori­gen vpon [...]eremy saith, That God speaketh not of the heart of flesh which is in the breast, for this heart no Iew vvanted; but God speaketh of holy & spiritual hearts, with the which vvee serue our Lord, and saue our soules: & in this sence if any one want a heart, hee wanteth also reason. And if this be true as true it is, that the heart is nothing else but reason, vvhat lo­seth he who loseth his heart, and vvhat hath hee vvho hath not his heart? And therefore there are not any put into the house of innocents, or into Bedlem, because they wanted a heart to liue with; but because they want reason to gouerne themselues with: & for this cause is not he a verier foole who liueth not according to reason, thā he who hath his heart mo­lested and troubled. Plato saith in his Timaeo; If a man doth lose his eies, or feet, or hands, or his wealth, we may say of such a one, that if he lose, he loseth somewhat; but hee who loseth his heart & reason loseth all: for in the wombe of our mother the first thing which is engendred is the heart, and the last thing which dieth is the same heart. Because wee haue great need of patience in the trauails which we do endure, and con­stancy in the good works which we do take in hād, God doth vs a principall fauour in making vs a stout heart, & it is also a great punishmēt of him to make vs of a faint hart. Anselmus in his meditations saith, O good Iesus, O the glory of my soule, stop I pray thee, stop my ears, that I heare not, make my eies blind that I see not, cut off my hands that I steale not, with cōdition that thou wouldst leaue me a wil to serue thee, and a heart to loue thee. How is it possible that I shold loue thee, & serue thee with al my hart, if thou O sweet Iesus doest let my heart lose it self? seeing thou art the God in whom I beleeue, the Lord whome I serue, and life with which I liue, and the heart vvhich I most loue, vvhat other thing is it for me to be vvithout a heart, than to bee depriued of thee O my good Iesus? Vae duplici corde, & labijs scelestis, &c, [Page 101]said the wise man, as if he would say; Woe bee vnto that man which hath two hearts to think ill with, two tongues to mur­mure much with, and two hands to steale more with, and go­eth two waies to lose himselfe. No man hath two hearts, but hee who is malicious, no man hath two tongues but hee who cannot rule his tongue, no man hath two handes but the co­uetous man, no man goeth two waies but the ambitious man, who for to haue more, and preuaile more, leaueth no way not gone, nor any estate not shot at or shakē. It is sure a new thing & not heard of before, that the wise mā dare say, that some mā hath two tongues to murmure much with, & some two hearts to think much with, & in this case we dare well say that it is as monstrous a thing to haue two harts, as to want one. Remigius vpō these words saith, In things which do hinder the one the other, to vndo them is to win thē, to seperate thē is to flie from thē, & to cut thē asunder is to sow thē, & to diminish thē is to encrease them, and to wast them is to better thē. the example of all this may bee giuen in trees which haue many boughes, and in a vine which hath many branches, whose superfluitie if we doe cut off, wee make them grow, and the pruning of the vine maketh it fructifie. The Prophet Ieremy accuseth Israel, because he hath no heart at all; and Salomon reprehen­deth the malicious man, because hee hath two hearts: what meane shall we keep then to complie with the one, and satis­fie the other? Hugo de arra anima, answereth and saith, See­ing our loue ought to be but one, and he on whom we ought to bestow our loue should bee but one, in like manner the heart with whom we should engage our loue, should bee but one, because that cannot be called true loue which is scatte­red into many hearts. If we should be permitted by the law of Christ to haue many loues, wee should also bee suffered to haue many hearts: but seeing it is not permitted to haue more than one loue, why would we haue more than one heart? He in an Order of religion is said to haue many hearts, who re­maineth with his body in the monastery, and with his will & mind wandereth in the world, and so hee liueth with paine by [Page 102]reason of the one, and casts out sighes by reason of the other. The dissembling hypocrite hath also two hearts, who with the one desireth to bee in low degree, and with the other la­boureth to be exalted; with the one he speaketh fair, & with the other he bireth secretly; with the one he proclaimeth cō ­science, & with the other he maintaineth malice; & which is worst of all, with the one he doth forward concord, and with the other he stirreth vp war. Woe therfore be vnto him who hath two hearts: for if hee had but one, either hee would bee wholly good or wholly bad; but hauing two hearts, he cannot in religion do that which he ought, nor in the world doe that which hee would. Hee hath also two hearts, who hath good words and naughty vvorks, he vvhich crieth the spirit, & is al flesh, he vvho liueth wickedly & hopeth vvell, he vvho is ri­gorous vvith other men, and mild vnto himselfe, strait vnto his brothers, & liberall vnto himselfe. Hath not he think you two harts, vvho promiseth much & performeth litle, he vvho sweareth that he loueth, and yet in the end loueth not, but de­ceiueth? To come then vnto our purpose, all that vvhich I haue spoken, is to let you know hovv vvisely and vvarily the good theefe kept his heart, and hovv highly he did imploy it, seeing he denied it the diuel, & offered it vnto Christ. Christ and the deuill vvere at a great variance vvhich of thē should cary avvay the theeues hart, because the deuil alledged that hee did belong vnto him, because hee vvas a ringleader of theeues; and Christ said that he did belong vnto him, because he vvas the father of sinners. But vvhen the theefe said, Lord remember mee, the deuil fled, & Christ defended the theefe. Chrisostome sayth, That Cain offered corne vnto God, Abel lambes, Noe Weathers, Abraham doues, Melchisedech vvine, Dauid gold, Iepthe his daughter, and Anna her sonne. If all these men did offer much vnto God, that vvhich the good theefe did offer vvas much more: for all that vvhich they of­fered vvere externall thinges, and not their ovvne; but that vvhich the good theefe offered vvas his ovvne, and in this case there is great difference betvvixt offering that vvhich a [Page 103]man possesseth and keepeth in his house, and offering of his ovvne proper person. If any man aske thee vvhat that is that the theefe offered Christ, let him first ansvvere vvhat that vvas that he kept for himselfe for giuing as he did, all vvhich he had vnro Christ, he vvas not seene to reserue any thing for himselfe. Seneca saith in an Epistle, Who is he vvho giueth a­nother all vvhich he can, vvho doth not giue him also his vvil and al that he hath? The good theefe gaue Christ al that he could, all that he vvas vvorth, all his povver, all that hee pos­sessed, & also al his might & vvill, at vvhat time he acknovv­ledged himselfe a sinner vpon the altar of the crosse, and Ie­sus Christ to be his redeemer. O good sinner, O glorious con­fessor; vvilt thou not tel vs vvhat thou diddest offer vnto thy God, seeing thou didst obtain such grace by it? The theef of­fered not his eies because they vvere couered, neither his mony because the iailor had it, nor his coat because the hang­man had it, nor his body because it vvas crucified; he had only left his tongue, vvith the vvhich he confessed Christ, and his hart vvith the vvhich he beleeued in him. If he vvould haue giuen Christ his honour, hee knevv not vvhere it vvas, if hee vvould haue serued Christ vvith his life, it vvas novv at an end, if hee vvould haue bestovved his goods vpon him, hee had none left: for he lost his honor and credit by his theft, his life Pilat commanded to be taken from him, and all his goods the office of the Fiskall possessed. O high my stery (saith Ori­gen) O diuine example, vvho being put vpon the tree, had no­thing left but his heart, and vvith that he beleeued in Christ, and his tongue, and vvith that he commended himselfe vnto God. It is to be beleeued, that if this good theefe had had a­ny thing else left but his tongue and his hart, that vvith more he vvould haue serued Christ: insomuch, that vve cannot cō ­demn his offering for a mean and miserable gift, seeing he of­fered God al which he had: For vvhat doth he not offer vvho offereth his heart? what doth hee not deuide vvho deuideth his heart? O my tongue, O my heart, vvhy doe you not take for your companion this theefe crucified vpon the tree, [Page 104]because he may teach you how sins are bewailed, & the hea­uens stolne away? Irenaeus saith, I think I shal neuer bee con­demned, but I haue a great hope I shall bee saued, seeing that the good theefe being alone, & crucified vpon the crosse, by no other means but by offering his heart & tongue vnto God in lesse than halfe an houre, went into glory. S. Barnard sayth, O good Iesus, O the hope of my soule, why should I torment my selfe and bee sorrowfull, if I want feet to goe to glory, or haue no eares to heare sermons, nor haue no riches to giue almes, nor iewels to offer in the temples? Seeing that I hold it for certaine, that with one holy wish I shall content thee O sweet Iesus. Moyses sister was scabby, noble Lia was bleare­cied, good Moises stutted in his speech, holy Tobias was blind, Mimphiboseth was lame: yet notwithstanding al these defects and imperfections, nothing hindered them from being vertu­ous and holy. If our hearts be cleane and whole, what careth God if our members bee rotten? The great Patriarke Iacob blessed his sons being blind, dogs licked the wounds of holy Lazarus legs, patient Iob did wipe and shaue off the wormes of his flesh with a tile stone, holy Tobias saw nothing but what his children directed him vnto, but none of all these things hindered them from seruing their Lord and God, and from helping their neighbors & brothers to saue themselues. Remigius saith, Behold O my soule, behold, the good theefe had sentence to die vpon the crosse, with his ioints seuered the one from the other, his eies couered, his flesh rent & torn, his bloud shed, and yet notwithstanding al this, with his hart which only liued, he knew how to remedy and saue himselfe. In so few houres, in so short a space, the pennance which the good theefe did, could not be great, nor the sighes which hee gaue could not bee many; yet because hee gaue them so from his heart, and with such great deuotion, Christ tooke them in a sort for a iust account; & not only those which thē he gaue, but also those which he had a will afterward to giue, if death had not cut him off.

CHAP. VII. How the naughty theefe lost himselfe only for want of faith: and of two chalices which the scripture maketh mention of, of which both the theeues dranke of.

COnsurge consurge Hierusalem, quiae bibisti cali­cem irae dei vsque ad faeces, said the Prophet Esay speaking with Israel, as if he would say. Rise vp O Ierusalem, rise vp O Synagogue, seeing that of meere drunkenesse, thou art fallen vpon the earth, considering that thou hast dronke the cup of the anger of God, vnto the very bot­tome and dregs. The sonne of God the night before his pas­sion, being at his praiers in the garden of Gethsemani, when all the torments which he was afterwards to suffer, came vn­to his mind, and the torment of the death which hee was to endure, said vnto his eternall father, Pater sivis, transeat a me talix iste, as if he would say. My eternal and holy father, I ask thee as thy son, and beseech thee as thou art my father, that thou wouldest consent, that all those of my church may also drink of this cup of bitternes. The doubt now is, that seeing the cup that Israel tasted of, was frō as good a God as the cup that Christ drank of, why the cup that Christ drank of was appro­ued & liked, & the cup that Ierusalē drank of misliked & dis­allowed? The one was a cup, & the other a cup: the one was of bitternes, and the other was of ire: the one fell to the syna­gogue, & the other to the church: the one was of God, & the other was of God, & seeing it is so, why do they threatē Israel, for that which hee drunk, and praise Christ for that which he supped vp? The better to vnderstand this point, we must vn­derstād that there are two kind of cups or chalices in the ho­ly scripture. To wit, the one which is called the chalice of bitternesse, & the other which is called the chalice of ire, and [Page 106]the difference betwixt thē is, that by drinking the one, we ap­pear betimes in the morning in Paradise, & by drinking the o­ther we go down at night vnto hel. What is the cup of bitter­nesse ful of, but with hunger, cold, thirst, persecution, & temp­tation; all which things our Lord giueth to drinke, vnto all those which hee hath chosen to serue him, and vnto all those whom he hath predestinated vnto saluation. S. Gregory in his Morals saith. That it is a sign that he is predestinated to be sa­ued, vnto whom God giueth his cup of bitternes to drink; in so much that we cannot escape grieuous hels, vnlesse it be by the cost of great trauails. It is to be noted, that Christ said not vnto his father, that he wold not drink of the cup, neither yet did he offer himself to drink vp al, but he praied him only by speciall grace, that others might help him to drink it: for if he should alone haue dronken the cup of bitternes, he alone should haue entred into Paradise. O giuer of all goodnes, O distributer of al fauors, what hadst thou that thou didst not cōmunicate vn­to vs, or what didst thou possesse that thou didst not deuide a­mongst vs? Thou hast giuē vs thy body to eat, thou hast giuen vs thy bloud to drink, thou hast giuē vs thy law to keep, thou hast giuē vs thy hart to loue, thou hast giuē vs thy cup to tast, & thou hast giuē vs thy glory to enioy. Anselmus saith, That in the vain pallaces of the world, those are thought to be most familiar, which are most of all made much of by their Lord: but in the company & house of God, those are best beloued which are worst handled; insomuch that we wil say him to be his familiarest friend, whom we shall see to drinke oftenest of his bitter cup. O high mystery, O diuine Sacrament! when the sonne of God did weepe teares from his eies in the gar­den, and did sweat bloud from his body, hee did not aske that his chosen flocke might bee cockered and made much of, but only that he wold let thē sup some sup of his bitter cup. What else was S. Peters crosse, S. Andrews crosse, likewise Bartolo­mewes knife. S. Laurence grediron. S. Steuens stones, but certain pledges which they receiued of Christ, & certain bitter sups which they dranke of his chalice? Hilarius vpon S. Matthew [Page 107]saith, That how many more sups a man hath supped in this life of Christs cup, so many steps the higher shall hee bee in heauen in glory: for what cause we ought to entreat and aske earnestly, that if we cannot drink al his cup, yet that he would let vs at the least rast of him with his elect. S. Ierome sayth also, That although the cup which Christ left his elect, bee somewhat bitter in drinking, yet after that it is drunke, it is sa­uerous and profitable, because the trauels of this world doe not giue vs so great griefe and paine when wee suffer them, as they bring vs delight after we haue suffered them. It is al­so to bee noted that hee sayth, Transeat a me calix iste, that is, He would not haue his bitter cup turne backe againe, but goe on forward: wherby he giueth vs to vnderstand, that the me­rit of his passion, and the bloud of our redemption, should not be bestowed vpon them which euery day goe worse and worse vntill the end, but onely vpon them vvhich euery day grow better and better. This word of Transeat, Let this cup passe, is a high word, and worthy to bee marked, in the which and by the vvhich our good Iesus doth admonish and warne vs, that those shall not drinke of his cup of bitternesse, & en­ter vvith him into glory, which hauing been good, turn in the end to be naught; but only those vvho being naught, proue to be good: nor those vvho vvhen they should go forward from vertue to vertue, turne backward and perseuere in vices, be­cause that among the seruants of our Lord he vvho doth not profit doth disprofit. There is no rich mā in this world which doth set so much by his wealth, as Christ doth by his chalice of bitternesse: and therfore seeing that he commandeth that his cup should passe further, & that those should drink of him vvhich doe go forward, the seruant of our Lord ought to take pains to make himselfe better, and to go forward, not in ambi­tiō which doth tēpt him, but in deuotiō which he doth want. O good Iesus, O my soules cōfort, Let this cup go, not frō me, but to me, because we may tast of thy pains & trauels, feel thy griefes, weep for thy tormēr, enioy thy loue, & wash away my wickednes; insomuch that whē thy cup doth passe frō thee, it [Page 108]may light vpon me. Let euery mā make his prouision of wines of Illana, of Candie, of Dania, yet I for my comfort and de­uotion, doe aske of God that all the daies of my life I may deserue to drinke of that bitter cup one drop. There is ano­ther cup which is called the cup of the wrath and ire of God, of the which when I begin to speake, my bowels open, my heart is troubled, and my soule is sorrowfull, my flesh trem­bleth, and my eies also weepe. How is it possible that my hart should dispose, my penne write, my inke marke, and my paper suffer mee to write, how happy they are who escape the drin­king of this cup; and how vnhappy they are which drinke of it? With this cup of ire God did threaten Ierusalem, of this the Synagogue dranke, with this wicked Babilon was drunk, yea and this was the cause why all Iudea was lost. S. Augu­stine in an Homilie saith, He drinketh of the cursed cup of ire, who through his sin falleth from the estate of grace, which is an euill aboue all the euils of this life, because a soule with­out grace is farre more deader than a body without a soule. When doest thou thinke that God doth suffer vs to drinke of the cup of his ire, but when hee forgetteth to hold vs vp with his hand through our demerite? When shall wee see whether we haue dronke of the cup of his wrath, but vvhen God is carelesse in keeping vs from falling, and vvee slothfull in amending our selues? S. Ambrose vpon the Psalmes sayth, O vvhat a difference there is betwixt the vvrath of God, & the vvrath of man, for they punish vvhen they are angry, but God forbeareth to punish vvhen hee is angry, in so much that God is more displeased vvhen hee dissembleth a fault than vvhen he doth presently punish. S. Barnard sayth, That there is no greater temptation than not to bee tempted, nor greater tribulation thā not to be afflicted, nor greater punish­ment than not to be punished, nor yet a sharper scourge than not to be scourged. For as there is small hope of the sick mans life vvhome the Phisition doth distrust and despaire of, euen so in like manner there is great occasion to suspect the salua­tion of that man vvhom our Lord doth not punish in this life. [Page 109]It is also to be noted, that Esay doth not only threaten Ieru­salem, because she dronk of the cup of the ire of God, but be­cause she drunke also the dregs and lees, vntill shee left none, in so much that if there had ben more, more she would haue drunk. We call that properly the dregs of the wine, that part of the wine which corrupteth and marreth, and that which goeth to the bottome, and that which rotteth and stinketh, and that whereof we receiue no profite. What are the dregs which sinke vnto the bottome, but onely wicked sinne which beareth vs into hell? The dregs of sinne cause vs to rot, and with dregs of sinne we sinke, and by the dregs of sinne we are damned, and by the dregs of sin we are hated of God. I will visite Ierusalem and those men which are fastened in their dregs, saith God by the Prophet Sophonias in the first chap­ter, as if hee would say, I will visite all the dwellers of Ierusa­lem, and I will make no reckoning of other sinnes and offen­ces, but of such as I shall find entangled, and tumbling in the dregs and lees. Who are those which sticke in the mire & are bedurted with the dregs, but those which stand obstinately in their sinnes and wickednesse? God complaineth not of those which are defiled in the dregs, but on those which are faste­ned and fixed in them: for our Lord is not so much scandali­zed to see vs fall into sinnes, as to see vs wallow and delight in their dregs and grounds. O that wicked is the heart which is fastened, and standeth firme in the dregs of sinne, because promises cannot allure and entise him, nor threatnings feare him, nor entreatie conuert him, nor punishment amend him, nor counsell profite him! How badly our Lord liketh of them which are firme in the lees and dregs, he sheweth plainly, see­ing he threatneth such as stand fast in them, and those which drink of the cup vnto the dregs; wherof we may inferre that wee doe not so much condemne our selues for sinning, as be­cause we will not goe out of sinne. To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is, as if as there are but seuen capitall sins they were feuen thousand, to haue a will to offend in them all before we died. To drinke vnto the dregs is, that if by deed we commit [Page 110]ten sinnes euery day, in thought we commit an hundred euery houre. To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is, that if wee omit to commit any sinne, it is not because wee would not, but be­cause we could not or durst not. To drinke of the cup vnto the dregs is, that not being content to sinne, we commend and praise our selues for doing it, as if we had done our Lord some notable seruice. To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is, that when wee haue committed all kind of sinnes, yet wee cannot endure to be called sinners. To drinke the cup vnto the dregs is, to be so gracelesse and shamelesse in sinning, that we entise and importunately vrge others to do the like. To drinke the cup vnto the dregs, is to hate our neighbour with our heart, iuiurie him with words, and hurt him in deeds. Loe thus then haue I told you what is the cup of bitternes which the elect and chosen drinke of, and which is the cup of wrath and ire which the wicked drinke of: in so much that if wee would know who shall bee saued, or who damned, wee are onely to mark what cup he dranke of. To come then vnto our purpose, we must suppose that these two theeues drank of both these cups, which are so dreadfull and wonderfull; and such as the cup was, of which ech of them dranke, such was the reward or punishment which on the crosse ech of thē receiued and carried away. Whē the naughty theefe said vnto Christ, saue thy selfe and vs, he dranke of the cup of wrath, and when the good theefe said vnto Christ, Lord remember me, he dranke of the cup of bitternesse, insomuch that the one drank of the pure wine, seeing he went into heauen, and the other dranke of the stinking dregs, seeing he went into hel. What meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this? Seeing they were both cōpanions, both the eues, both hanged, both saw Christ, and both were neere vnto Christ, why doe they giue to the one to drinke of the cup of glory, and vnto the other the cup of ire? S. Augustine answereth vnto this & sayth. Why God doth giue light vnto one, and not vnto another, why he draw­eth this man and not that man, I pray thee good brother goe not about to seeke out the reason, if thou wilt not bee decei­ued: [Page 111]for all this dependeth of Gods high iudgements, the which although they be secret, yet notwithstanding they be not vniust. Origen vpon Mark saith; As there are many things in the heart which are not of the heart, and as there are ma­ny in war [...] which take no pay in the warre, so the naughty theefe was vpon the crosse, not hauing the fruit of the crosse: for in stead of asking Christ that he would pardon him, be as­ked that he would deliuer him and vnbind him. If thou bee Christ, saith the naughty theefe, saue thy selfe and vs, as if he would say, If thou bee the Christ which the Iewes hope for, deliuer thy selfe from death, and quite vs from paine. Cyprian vpon the passion of our Lord sayth; O that, that is a wicked word and a detestable praier which thou O naughty theefe doest vtter with thy mouth, when thou doest persuade the son of God to come downe from the crosse: for if he do suffer & die, it is for nothing that toucheth him, but for that which toucheth thee and is most expedient for me. Why dost thou aske him that hee would saue thee and also himselfe, seeing that he suffereth of his owne accord, & dieth for thy naugh­tinesse? The beginning of this naughty theeues perdition was, when he said, if thou be the sonne of God, and not, thou art the son of God: in which words it seemed that hee doub­ted whether hee were the sonne of God or not; and so hee doubted in his faith, and made a scruple, whether he were the redeemer of the world or not, and so hee fell into infidelitie, which is the highest wickednesse of all other. Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn saith, That the good theefe said not, If thou be Christ, neither did S. Peter say, I beleeue if thou bee Christ; but the one said faithfully, Lord remember me, and the other likewise said, I beleeue, because thou art the sonne of God, insomuch that no man can be lightened or pardoned which maketh any doubt at all in the faith of Christ. The Apostle saith in his canonicall Epistle, if any man want wisedome, let him aske it of God, not doubting in faith: as if he would say, If any man haue need of any great matter, let him take heed that he do not aske it with a faith that is luke warme: for if our Lord do [Page 112]not grant vs that which we aske him, it is rather because wee know not how to ask him, than because hee hath not a desire to giue it. Damascen sayth, If he who asketh be not a Pagan, and that which he asketh bee not vniust, and hee who asketh be holy, and the place where he asketh be also sacred, and he for whō he asketh be needy, why should he doubt to obtaine it, considering that of himselfe hee is so mercifull? O good Iesus, O my soules pleasure, giue me thy grace that I may say vvith the blind man in Ieremie, O sonne of Dauid haue mer­cy vpon mee: and keepe mee from saying vvith the naughty theefe, if thou be Christ saue thy self and me too; seeing that like a true Christian I confesse thy mighty power, and call for thy great mercy. Christostome saith, The naughty theese thought, that as Pilate had condemned him for a robber by the high way, so he had executed iustice vpon Christ for stirring the people to sedition, and that Christ did no lesse e­steeme of his life, than hee did abhorre death: vvherein cer­tainly he vvas much deceiued; for he did not so earnestly de­sire to liue as Christ did desire to die. The Iews persuaded Christ that hee should come downe from the crosse, and this naughty theefe did also persuade him that hee vvould slie from the crosse, that vvhich the sonne of God did not loue to hear of, nor would not do: for if he had forsaken the crosse all the vvorld should haue beene crucified. S. Barnard sayth, I doe not desire thee my good Iesus, that thou come down frō the crosse, nor that thou slie from the crosse, but that thou vvouldest put me there with thee, because it would be more reasonable that they should giue sentence vpon me for thee, than that they should giue sentence vpon thee for me. It may bee gathered of all that which wee haue spoken, what great courage we haue need of to begin any good worke, and a far greater to finish it: for our enemies are ready alwaies about to deceiue vs, the flesh to mooue vs, men to hinder vs, and the world to trouble vs.

CHAP. VIII. Of the great charity which the good theefe had towards the naughty theefe in correcting him of euill doing, and in aduising him of the good which he lost.

COmmendat deus omnem charitatem suam in nobis, saith the Apostle writing vnto the Romanes in the fift chap. as if he would say. The God and Lord which I preach vnto you O Romanes, dooth commend nothing more vnto you than charity, in louing your neighbours with all your heart: the which loue you must shew them, not so much be­cause they loue you, as because they serue God. Holy Paule did preach and teach vs many things, whereof some were to make vs afeard, some to giue vs counsell, some to teach vs, some to comfort vs, as this matter which we now handle, the which being wel looked into, and read with attention, we shal find that hee giueth vs as much as hee hath, and loueth vs as much as he ought. For the better vnderstāding of this speech, we must suppose that the loue of God, charity, and grace, go alwaies coupled together, in so much that no man can haue heauenly loue without heauenly charity, & no man can haue heauenly charity, but he must haue heauēly grace, & he who hath heauenly grace, cannot faile but goe to glory. Damascen sayth, That Loue, and Charitie, and Grace, are only one gift, and the greatest which came from heauē; & is called Grace, because it is giuen without any price, and it is called Charity because it is high, and it is called Loue because it doth ioine and vnite vs with God: in so much that when he recommen­deth his Charity vnto vs, he trusteth his Loue with vs. Whē our Lord doth commend vs his Loue, as a thing left to keepe [Page 114]with vs, if we marke it well, what else is it but a token, where­by we should marke with what Loue he loueth vs, and with what Charity he entreateth vs? O happy pledge, O luckie trust, when our Lord credited vs with his eternall Loue, his infinite Grace, and vnspeakable Charity! the which vertues he gaue vs because we should not liue ingratefully with them, and that in our death we should buy heauen with thē. When our Lord doth giue vs charge to keepe his Charity, what else is that but to doe vs the fauour to giue it vs? If he would not haue giuen it vs, hee knew well where to keepe it, without gi­ [...]ing it vs to pledge: but hee saith that hee dooth commend it vnto vs to keepe, and not giue it vs; because wee should bee very carefull in keeping it, and fearefull to lose it, because we cannot be saued without it. Bede vpon the Apostle sayth, One friend can giue to another his iewels of siluer and gold, but he cannot giue him the loue which hee hath in his heart; for although he can shew it, yet hee cannot passe it vnto him: but the sonne of God did not onely shew vs his loue, but did also giue it vs. He did shew vs his great loue, when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him, and he doth giue vs his sweet loue when he doth impart his grace amongst vs, insomuch that with the first loue hee deliuered vs from being slaues, and with the se­cond loue, he receiued vs to be his sonnes. In figure of all this, the altar of the Synagogue was all hollow, but the altar of the church is massie and sound, by reason of the feruent loue which God beareth vs, and great charitie and mercy which hee doth vs. It is much to bee noted, that God doth not com­mend vnto vs, Faith, Hope, Patience, and Chastitie, but only Charitie: in which words hee giueth vs to vnderstand, that if we doe set much by that which our Lord giueth vs, we ought to esteeme much more of the loue with the which hee doth giue it vs. Isidorus sayth, That all the courtesies which our Lord doth promise vs, and all the persuasions vvhich hee v­seth vnto vs, are to no other end, but because vve should bee thankfull vnto him, and because vve should be mercifull vnto our neighbours. What vvanteth hee vvhich vvanteth not [Page 115]Charity; and what hath he who hath no Charity? The mer­cifull and pitifull man hath God alwaies at his hand, that he fall not from his faith, that hee lose not his hope, that he de­file not his chastity, nor despise humility: for in the high tri­bunall seat of God, no man need to feare that they will deale cruelly with him, if hee hath had any charity in this world. Wherein doest thou thinke (saith S. Ierome) that all Christi­an charity doth consist, and al the health of thy soule, but on­ly in seruing of Christ with all our heart, and in labouring to profit and benefit our neighbour? What greater good can I doe vnto my brother, than put him in the right way if hee be out, and correct him if hee bee naught? Bede sayth vpon this matter, That true and chast loue, may bee deuided betwixt God and our neighbour, so as our neighbor be not prowd and naught: for if he be so, we are to wish his saluation, and flie his conuersation. Wee haue spoken all this, to declare the great charity which this good theefe had, and also vsed towards the naughty theefe, seeing that vpon the crosse, hee taught him that which was conuenient for him, & reprehended him in that which he spake. Neque tu times deum, qui in eadem dam­natione es? said the good theefe vnto the bad: as if he would say, O my friend and companion, I wonder much at thee, that hauing beene of such a naughty life and conuersation, and being vpon the very point to die, I say I maruel that thou da­rest to crucifie this holy Prophet more with thy tongue, than the hang men doe, with their nailes; because the nailes doe o­pen his vains, but thy euill tongue doth rend his entralls. The good theefe vsed but few wordes, but they contained many mysteries, and therefore it is needfull that they be read with attention, and written with grauity. It is to bee noted, that al­though our Lord God be present in all things with his power, yet hee is much more in mans heart, and tongue by grace; be­cause those are the two parts with the which we doe most of all please or offend God with. S. Aug. saith, That the eies doe loth oft to see, the ears to hear, the hands are loth to work, & the feet to go, yea & the body to sinne; but the heart is neuer [Page 116]weary of thinking, nor the tongue with speaking. Cor mundum crea in me deus, & pone custodiam ori meo, said the Prophet Da­uid: as if he would say, I beseech thee O good Lord, that thou wouldest renue this heart within me, & put a watch vnto this mytongue, because that al the other parts of my body can but trouble & offend me, but the heart & tongue can trouble me & damne me. S. Ambrose saith, That it is a certein token, that we are in Gods fauor, when he doth giue vs grace to keep our hearts clean, & our tongues brideled, because the foundation of all Christian goodnes is to beleeue our Lord God with all our hearts, & praise him with our tongue. Ego dabo eis cer nouū, said God vnto Israel, & I will open thy mouth said God vnto Ezechiel; as if he would say, I will lighten thy heart O Israel, to the end that thou maist beleeue in me, and I will open thy mouth O Ezechiel, to the end that thou maist preach my name: for thou hast obtained no small gift, if thou come to know me, & learn wel to set forth my name. To come thē vn­to our purpose, the grace of a new heart which God gaue vn­to Israel, and the gift of praising his name, which he gaue E­zechiel, Christ also gaue vnto the good theef which was neer vnto him, seeing he touched his heart, with the which he be­leeued in him, & opened his mouth with the which he prea­ched his name. Vbertinus saith, That this good theefe was an excellent preacher in the church of God, who in a sort see­med to goe before the Apostles in faithfully beleeuing, and preaching Christs might and power. What greater maruell wouldst thou haue the bloud of Christ worke (saith Rabanus) thā to make preachers of theeues & robbers? the pulpit in the which hee preached was the crosse, the preacher was the the [...]f, the holy one of whō he preached was Christ, the church where he preached was Caluary, the audience before whom he preached were the Iews, the Theame vpō which he prea­ched, was Neque tu deum times, Neither doest thou fear God: and that which there hee preached, was the setting forth of Christ, and the reprehending of that which his fellow spake. The office of a preacher is (saith Saint Gregory) Secreta reserarae, vitia extirpare, & virtutes inserere. The duty of a [Page 117]preacher is, to open the secrets of the scripture, extirpate vice out of the Commonwealth, and teach how our soules are to be saued. What greater secret can there bee than to confesse and preach a man crucified to bee God? Who reprehended vices like vnto this theefe, seeing that hee confessed himselfe to be a sinner, and accused the other theefe to bee a blasphe­mer: who did teach the way to heauen better thā this theef, seeing hee was almost the first that went thither? The good theefe deuided his sermon into foure parts: the first was when hee rebuked the other theefe, when hee said, Neque tu deum times: the second when hee accused himselfe to bee naught, saying, Nos quidem iustè patimur: The third when he excused Christ: saying, Hic autem quid mali fecit? The fourth when hee craued pardon for his sinnes, Domine memento mei, Lord remember mee. Seeing then that the preacher is but a new preacher, & the pulpit new, and the thing that he preacheth new, it is reason that wee should heare that which hee prea­cheth with attention, and do that which he counselleth with great deuotion. Auferetur zelus meus ate & quiescam, ne iras­car amplius, said God by Ezechiel chap. 16: as if he would say. O thou Synagogue which art hardened, seeing that thou wilt not beleeue that which I tel thee, nor doe that which I com­mand thee, I am determined not to chide thee nor punish thee for any fault that thou shall commit, but as being incor­rigible, I am determined to forsake thee. O sorrowful speech, O dreadfull word: when our Lord saith that he will aduise vs no more what we haue doe, nor correct vs of that which wee doe: for if he take his mercifull hand from vs, what shall wee dare to take in hand? Tell me I pray thee what can we doe, or what doe we know of our selues, if wee bee not guided by the hand of God, in that which wee take in hand, and aduer­tised in that which wee doe amisse? S. Gregory saith vpon E­zechiel. When our Lord saith by Ezechiel that he will be no more angry with vs, it is a signe that hee is very angry with vs, because it is a propertie of our Lord neuer to bee so angry as when hee is not angry to see vs offend. Barnard saith, O good [Page 118]Iesus the light of my soule, I beseech thee that thou take not thy zeale from mee, nor withdraw thy punishing hand from me; but as I commit a fault, so let thy punishment bee ready: for by this means I shall sooner amend, & liue also more wari­ly. When the father of a company doth not punish a peruerse seruant, it is a signe that he will put him out of the house; and when they let a sick man eat all things that he lusteth, it is a sign that he wil die: & so whē God doth let vs go with the bri­dle loose in our own hand after what vices we lust, it is a token that wee goe altogether out of the way. O how indurate that man ought to be in sin, and how he ought to be mired in wic­kednes, of whom God sayth, Auferetur zelus meusate! For when God saith that hee will not loue vs any more with rea­lousie, what doth hee mean else, but that he will be carelesse and forgetfull of vs, and forsake to punish vs? The holy scrip­ture maketh mention of two kinds of zeale; the one is holy and glorious, and it is that which God hath towards vs; & the other is common, and is that zeale which wee beare towards our neighbours: and if the one be necessary, the other is more necessary, because the true zeale and loue of our neighbour consisteth not so much in helping him to maintaine himselfe, as in directing him to sane his soule. S. Augustine in a Sermon sayth, What doth it auaile thee O my friend, that thou help thy neighbour in time of necessitie with thy money, if thou consent vnto him and hee with thee to wallow in vices? O how far a greater good turne thou shouldest doe him in lesse­ning his faults, than by augmenting his wealth, because there is no greater riches vnder the heauen, than to haue a cleane conscience! The good theefe had a great zeale that the o­ther should bee saued, seeing hee did rebuke him for being a blasphemer, and persuaded him to be a Christian: insomuch that for a recompence for helping him to steale, hee would also helpe him to die well. Chrysistome vpon this matter sayth, These two theeues had kept companie a long time to­gether, and deuided equally their prey betwixt them, be­cause that as there was no difference betwixt them in the [Page 119]fault, so they would haue equall shares in the deuision. Now the good theefe would haue continued his old vse, and as he had stolne heauen there vpon the crosse, so he would haue deuided part of it vnto his companion, if the Lord of the theft, which was Christ, would haue consented vnto it, or if the wretched theefe had deserued it. O how great and vn­speakable a charity was this of the good theeues! for consi­dering that himselfe was a Christian, hee would haue made the other one also, and seeing himselfe the heire of heauen, he would haue taken the other thither with him, and seeing himselfe pardoned, hee would haue gotten pardon for the o­ther, but that hee would neither beleeue in Christ, nor with good will giue eare vnto his companion. It is much to be no­ted (sayth Chrisostome) that the good theefe said first vnto the bad, Neither thou doest feare God, before hee said, Lord re­member me. For as I suppose, it helped much to saue the good theefe, that Christ saw with what great charity hee laboured that his cōpanion should not cast away himself. Whē he said first in fauor of the other, Neither thou doest feare God, be­fore hee spake in the behoofe of himselfe, Lord remember me; is it not most manifest and clear, that he desired as much that his companion should bee conuerted, as himselfe saued? Remigius sayth, That among all the seruices which wee can doe vnto our Lord, there is none so great, as to help our neigh­bor to saue himselfe, and contrariwise, there is none that doth more offend him, than to helpe our neighbour to damn him­selfe; because it seemeth that wee make small account of the shedding of his bloud, if we helpe him not to bestow it well. Then we bestow his glorious bloud well, when we cause it to benefit our brothers: for otherwise we may say, that it was wel shed by Christ, but euilly bestowed by vs. What greater sa­crifice can I doe vnto our Lord, than draw my neighbor from sinne, who hath been redeemed by his precious bloud? Thē I draw my brother out of sinne, when I correct him with my tongue, and help him in his worke. For as touching the offen­ding of our Lord, it is conuenient not only to aduise & counsell [Page 120]him, but if we can also punish and chastise him. Cyprian in his booke of Martyrs sayth, Who dare now adaies like vnto Phinees thrust through with a poynyard a bold Iew and a shamelesse Gentile? Who like vnto holy Samuel will weepe for the disobedience of Saule? Who like vnto holy Iob will rise earely in the morning to offer sacrifices of peace for the sinnes of his sonnes? Who like vnto the High priest Aaron will threaten Pharaoh within his own pallace, because hee should leaue off the seruice of his God in the Synagogue? Who will lose the light of his eies like vnto the good Pro­phet Ieremy in weeping and taking pity vpon those who carri­ed away those of Babilonia captiues? Now the zeale of holy men is lost, now the feruency of good men is at an end, now the punishment of naughty men is forgotten; for because that in matter of correction, a friend will rather venter his consci­ence with his friend, then suffer him to lose his credite. Cer­tainly it is no credite, but a discredit, no charity but cruelty to suffer his neighbour to damne himselfe for want of correcting him: for oftentimes naughty men would amend themselues of their errors, if their friends which they haue, would aduer­tise them of them. Seeing wee cannot auoid it, but stumble at euery foot, nor giue ouer sinning more or lesse, why haue wee friends and companions, but because they should keepe vs vp with one hand from falling, and lift vs vp with the other, if they see vs downe? S. Barnard in an Epistle saith, Let no man leaue off the correcting of his neighbour and friend, because he thinketh that by so doing, he doth displease him: for after he hath considered of the matter, hee shall perceiue that hee hath done a good worke; because that oftentimes the coun­sell which they giue vs, is more worth thā the money which they lend vs.

CHAP. IX. Why the good theefe did not chide with the naughty theefe, because hee did not loue Christ, as hee did chide with him because hee did not feare God: there are many notable things brought touching the feare of our Lord.

ECclesia quidem magis quotidiè aedificabatur, am­bulans in timore domini, & consolatione spiri­tus sancti, saith S. Luke in the ninth chap. of the Acts of the Apostles; as if he would say, After that S. Steuen was stoned to death, and the Apostle Saint Paul was conuerted, by so much the more the church of God encreased in building, by how much the more shee was founded vpon the feare of our Lord, and the church did receiue no comfort but such as the holy ghost did send her. Bede vpon this place sayth, That the scripture doth aduise vs with a high stile, how much it doth import vs that we feare our Lord and keepe his commande­ments, because the primitiue church neuer began to encrease and flourish, vntill that Commonwealths began to feare the Lord, and seeke for the consolation of the holy Ghost. S. Au­gustine vpon the words of our Lord sayth, That in the trium­phant church loue without feare worketh; but in the militant church, loue and feare goe together: and a signe of this is that the greater loue I beare my friend, the greater feare I haue to displease him. Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn saith, Although the son of God said, Ignem veni mittere in terram, which was as much as to say, that he builded his church vpon loue, yet he tooke not his feare from her: because that seeing that there is both mercy and iustice in God, wee are bound aswell to feare his rightfull iustice, as we are to loue his mercy. When God gaue Moises the old law, hee gaue it him with great thunders and terrible lightnings, and with al mixed it with many threats, & [Page 122]ordained it with many punishmēts: because the Iews should determine with themselues to keepe it, and not in any wise to breake it. King Pharaoh commanded all the midwiues of the kingdome of Egypt to slay al the male children of the Iews at the time of their birth: and because they would not doe it for fear of the Lord, the Lord gaue them great riches in their houses. The scripture commendeth very much a steward vvhich the king Achab had, vvhose name vvas Abdias, the vvhich seeing the cursed Queene Iezabel cut the throats of the Prophets of Israel, did hide some number of thē vntill all the butchery vvas past: the vvhich the good Abdias did not so much for the loue vvhich hee bore vnto the Prophets, as for the feare vvhich he bore vnto God. When king Iosaphat constituted iudges in all the cities of Iudea, he gaue them no other instruction, but that they should feare God, and be very mindfull of the good of their Commonwealth, because that by this means they should bee well liked both of God and of all the people. The scripture reporteth of holy Tobias, that he began at the same time to weane his son, and fear the God of Israel, and that hee contracted friendship vvith none nor none vvith him, vnlesse he knew that he feared God. S. Ierom vpon the Prophets sayth, Al holy men and of great perfecti­on, doe not only loue the Lord, and feare him as their Lord & God, but doe also refuse to conuerse vvith those vvhich vvill not fear our Lord: and for that cause Abraham went from the Caldeans, & holy Lot fled from the Sodomites. We must en­tise & flatter the vertuous man vvith loue, & fear the wicked & peruerse mā with threats, because that of tentimes the wic­ked man doth rather amend his life for seare of hell, than for the desire vvhich he hath to go to heauen. Irenaeus in an Ho­mily saith, That if as God made Paradise, he would not haue made also an hel, few there vvould haue been, vvhich vvould haue serued our Lord, & very many vvhich vvould haue of­fended him. Because that if an euil mā might enioy the world, he would little care if heauen vvere taken from him. A vaine vvordly man engraued in a medall of gold the wordes of the [Page 123]Psalme, Caelum caeli domino, terram autem dedit filijs hominum, The heauen of heauen vnto our Lord, he gaue the earth vn­to the sons of men: and hee wrote for a posie, take thou Lord heauen for thee, vpon condition that thou vvouldst leaue the earth vnto mee. O cursed tongue, and wicked speech! what an vngodly mouth was that, which durst vtter such horrible blas­phemy? for by the rigor of iustice, he may iustly be caried into hel, who renounceth to go to heauē, and is wel pleased to hue in the word. Anselmus saith, O what a great fauour God doth vnto that mā whō God doth not exclude frō his loue, & doth not leaue him without fear for the mā which hath both loue and feare in him, although he want other perfections, neither ought to fear, least he should be damned, nor distrust at all to be saued. We haue spoken all this in the cōmendation of the good theef, & of his piety & charity, who did not rebuke the other theefe his cōpamon, for that hee was prowd or enuious, but only because he did not feare God, saying Neque tu times deum, Neither doest thou fear God: Giuing vs to vnderstand by this, that he went down right into hell, for no other cause, but because he made smal reckoning of Christ. And it is much tobe noted why the good theef did not rebuke the other for that, that he did not loue Christ; as he did reprehend him, for that he did not fear Christ. Hilarius answereth this doubt and sayth, That because loue doth belong vnto those vvhich are perfect, and feare vnto such as are not so perfect, the good theefe did not persuade the other that hee should loue, but that he should feare, because the duty and office of louing, is of such high quality, that although many goe about it, yet few attaine vnto it. Glorious Saint Peter did persuade himselfe that hee had loued Christ, as hee ought to haue loued him; and therevpon to take away his vaine­glory, Christ asked him three times whether hee loued human which deinand, Chirst gaue vs to vnderstand, that the merit of loued oth not consist in louing with all our heart, but if good Iesus do accept it, that thē it is perfect. The wil which wee haue to serue our Lord, is rather, baslard will, than a [Page 124]lawfull will; for to tell the troth, my brother, wee haue more skill in sinning than in louing. The good theefe would not so plainely teach the euill theefe the art of loue, as hee did the duty of feare, partly because the time was too short to learne so high a matter, as then being in great torment, and neer vn­to death, and partly because the quality of mans mind is easi­ly induced to feare, and very slowly to loue. O vnto how ma­ny may wee say now adaies that which the good theefe said vnto the other, that is, neither thou doest feare God; letting them to vnderstand by these words, that they neither feare God, nor loue God, nor serue God, nor yet remember whe­ther there bee a God, considering they let no sinne vndone, vnlesse it bee because they dare not, or because they cannot. What friend is there in this world, which giueth his brother such brotherly correction? What friend dare tell his friend, take heed brother, for thou art prowd, or ill-tongued, or a bab­bler, badly beloued, and euery man marketh thy doings? S. Barnard vpon those words of Ieremy, Omnes amici eius spreue­runt eum, &c, sayth, Woe be vnto me O my good Iesus, woe be vnto me, because that all the holy maisters which brought me vp, are now dead, all my faithful friends, which were wont to giue me counsell are now gone; and if I haue any left, they rather couer my faults than correct them. There are few good theeues left to correct mee, and many naughty friends to hide my faults, and (which cannot be said without teares,) which art not content only to hide my sinnes, but also are rea­dy to entise mee to sinne. A certaine man of Athens asking Plato wherein he should shew his friendship vnto him, answe­red him; Thou shalt aduise me of all that I shall speak amisse, and helpe mee in all that I shall doe amisse; because the duty which I require of my friend is, that he would helpe mee to be vertuous, and hinder me from being vicious. There are but few friends which doe this, and very few which aske this of their friends: for there are few which will haue those for their friends, which may and will correct them for the enormities they doe, but defend them in the vices they commit. What [Page 125]doth it auaile me if my friend deliuer mee from my enemies which lay wait for me, if he deliuer me vnto vices which kill me? We see that one theefe doth correct another from the crosse, and yet one Christian will not correct another, but will rather be vicious betwixt themselues, than breake the friend­ship which is betwixt them. Nonne qui oderunt te domine ode­ram, & inimici facti sunt mihi? said Dauid in the 138 Psalme: as if hee would say, O great God of Israel, and mighty Lord of the house of Iacob, one of the duties which I haue done for thy seruice, is, that all the daies of my life I haue hated those which loue not thee, I haue vtterly disliked those which followed not thee, I went from them which loued not thee, yea I did flie from him which serued thee not. Cassio dorus vp­on these words sayth, Thou hast great reason in that which thou saiest, and greater in that which thou doest, O renow­med and gracious king Dauide for if naughty men had no cō ­panions to helpe them, and wanted friends to bandy for them, in short time wee should see them ended or amended. That one friend doe not helpe another in matters touching his wealth it may be born, but not to counsell him in things con­cerning his conscience may not be endured: for if the matter doe offend God and endanger our conscience, we should nei­ther suffer our father who engendred vs, nor yet consent with friend or brother who loueth vs. Nathan did rebuke Dauid, Sa­muel Saul, Micheas Achab, Helias Iezabel, S. Iohn Herod, and S. Paul S. Peter, not for any thing that they had done against themselues, but for that which they had committed against God: because we should know that we ought to hold him for an enemy, who is not beloued of God. How wilt thou haue God for thy Lord and friend, if thou bee a friend vnto that that he detesteth? We haue great need to say with the Pro­phet. Did I not hate those which did hate thee, and they are become my enemies? For to tell thee the truth, my brother; thou canst neues rightly Ioue vertue and vertuous men, vn­lesse thou doe first detest vice and vicious men. For as Seneca sayth, Hee shall neuer or very late bee good, who will haue a [Page 126]naughty man for his friend. S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth, What greater maruails wouldest thou see or heare, thā those which the sonne of God did at his death, where preachers became theeues, & theeues turned to be preachers? Wicked Iudas was a preacher, and he became a theefe; and hee who suffered with Christ was a theefe, and he became a preacher: and as they tooke new offices, so they ended in diuers effects; for the one sold Christ in the temple, and the other excused Christ vpon the crosse. Who was the last theefe of the Sy­nagogue, and the first preacher in the church, but that holy theefe which suffered by Christ? Who made a Sermon of greater weight than this theefe did, considering that in the presence of all men, and against them all he accused himselfe and excused Christ? Hic autem quid malifecit? These are the words, not of a Pagan, but of a Christian: as if he would haue said, Who euer being God made himselfe a man, eternall made himselfe temporall, & being infinite limited his power, and being a iudge suffered himselfe to bee iudged? What hurt did he; Who taught those which knew little, who set those aright which went astray; who did comfort those which wept, & who did pardon those which did offend. What hurt did he; He who did restore the deafe vnto their hearing, fed the hungry, gaue sight vnto the blind, and raised the dead to life? What hurt did he; He who preached vnto the Samari­tane woman, defended the woman taken in adultery, and hee who helped the Cananean, and forgaue Mary Magdalen? What hurt did he; Hee who preached the faith, taught the law, opened the Prophets, and hee who put vp a schoole throughout all the world? Quid mali fecit, what harme had he done. He who made vs a path-way to walk in, a truth to hold by, a life to liue by, and glory for vs to enioy? What hurt did he; He who endured hunger, because I might eat, took great iournies because I should take rest, and who suffered because I should not bee endangered, and hee who died because I should liue. What hurt did he? O cursed Israelites, O forsa­ken Iewes, what hurt hath hee done vnto your Synagogue, [Page 127]who neuer ceaseth to doe good vnto all the world? If hee could haue beene accused to haue done any hurt, it was be­cause he had done so much good vnto your nation, because there is nothing worse bestowed than that which is done vn­to an vngratefull people. Anselmus sayth, That it cannot bee vnderstood nor compassed with mans wit, that all the wisest of the law should bee at the Mount of Caluary to accuse Christ, and one only theefe to defend him. When [...]as that Prophecy accomplished, Perdam sapientiam sapientum, & prudentiam prudentium, I will lose the wisedome of the wise. But when on the altar of the crosse all the synagogue did ac­cuse thee, and one onely theefe excuse thee, doest thou find no sufficienter surely and witnesse to preach thy patience to extoll thy mercy to praise thy liberality, and to defend thy innocency, than a theefe ready to be hanged? That which thou doest, thou doest very well O my good Iesus, because no man can giue abetter testimony of thy charitie and cle­mency, thā rich Zachaeus whome thou diddest visite, and the Publicane Matthew whom thou diddest receiue, and the in­famous Samaritane whom thou diddest conuert, and the a­dulterous woman whom thou diddest defend, and the good theefe whom thou did dest pardon. Considering that thou diddest come into the world for sinners, diddest eat with sin­ners, conuerse with sinners, and diddest die for sinners, who can be a better surety or witnesse for thee than sinners? The good theefe did not only excuse Christ, and intreat for him, but did also accuse himselfe, saying, Nos quidem instè patimur: as if hee would say, Thou and I, I and thou, my companion, if we suffer any thing, wee suffer it worthily, because they haue giuen vs our torment according to our offence. There are ve­ry few which make a more glorious confession than this, be­cause it is so much against our nature to suffer a reproch, that we will rather suffer torment than confesse our fault. Our first father being asked by God, why he had transgressed his com­mandement, did cast the blame vpon the wom [...] who had deceiued him and she being asked why she did deceiue him, [Page 128]made answere that the serpent was importunate with her, and did persuade her; and so in stead of confessing, they began to excuse themselues. S. Augustine vpon the Apostles words sayth, Woe be vnto me, woe bee vnto me: for I doe inherite sinne from my father, an excuse from my mother, lying from the diuel, folly of the world, to make much of my selfe of the flesh, and pride of my selfe; insomuch that I am not content to be m [...]ght, but I would also bee counted good. Seneca wri­ting vnto his friend sayth thus, Our nowes from hence are these, the wals of Rome are ruined, the Temples not visited, the Priests fled, the treasure robbed, old men are dead, young men are wicked and mad, & vices are lords of all. O my good friend Eucilius, if these seeme great faults, there are other greater than these in Rome: and they are, that no man dooth confesse himselfe culpable of any of these things; but the Dictator laieth the blame vpon the Consull, the Consull vp­on the Censor, the Censor vpon the Prae [...]r, the Praetor vp­on the Aedile, and the Aedile vpon the Quaestor; insomuch that because no man doth confesse his fault, wee neuer hope to haue an amēd mēt of it. O my soule (saith Anselmus) O my heart, why doest thou confesse vs, but because thou shouldest amend vs. Woe be vnto me, woe be vntome, there is no sin that Peommit, for the which I haue not an excuse; that is, the deuill deceiued me, my friend entreated me, I was weak and feeble, the world drew mee on, I tooke not heed, insomuch that I am more faulty in my excuse, than in committing the offence. Iustus prior est accusator sut, said the wise man in his Prouerbes, The greatest token that a man is iust and honest is, that hee knoweth not how to accuse another of any thing that he seeth, nor excuse himselfe of any thing that he doth. Whē the Angel rebuked the children of Israel in Galgalos, they did presently break down their Idols, cloth themselues with fackclothes: by reason whereof when the Lord saw that they began to confesse their fault, and not excuse it, hee did not only pardon them, but did also comfort them. Whē king Dauid tooke away Bersabe vnto his house, and sent her hus­band [Page 129]vnto the wars, whē the Prophet Nathan sent from God did reprehend him for it, hee did there presently confesse his fault, and was there presently absolued for it. When Achab the murderer was rebuked by the Prophet Helias for stoning Naboth to death, because hee denied him his Vineyard, hee wept immediately and fasted, & repented him of that which he had done, and therfore he was absolued of his fault before the Prophet went out of the threshold of his dore. Who euer hath confessed with his heart, which hath not ben pardoned at Gods hands? Why doest thou thinke that the theefe ob­tained pardon so quickly at Gods hands, but because hee ex­cused Christ, instructed his fellow, and accused himself? This was a glorious confession, and a fault worthy of pardon, seeing that on the Mount of Caluary, and not in the Temple, vpon the tree & not in place of confession, publickly & not secret­ly, aloud and not in muttering wise, hee confessed the sonne of God to be our redeemer, and himselfe a sinner. O holy theef (saith Chrisostome) Why doest thou not ask that they would vnlose the cords which thou art bound with, or pull out the nailes which thou art nailed with, or looke vnto thy house & family, because thou art now going out of this world, or that they would bury thy sorrowfull body? Truly that see­meth to bee an exceeding great loue which thou didst beare vnto Christ, seeing thou diddest forget thy selfe, and remem­ber him, excuse his innocency, & proclaime thine own offen­ces. It would not hurt vs at all, to confesse that which thou diddest confesse, saying, Nos quidem iustè patimur, Wee doe iustly suffer. For if our faults were put in a ballance on one side, and our punishment on the other, without comparison our Lord doth dissemble much more than hee doth punish. For if our Lord would punish all our offences according to their desert, we could liue but a small time.

CHAP. X. How the son of God was more gratefull vnto the good theefe, which bare him company on the crosse, than Pharoahs cupbearer was to Ioseph who accompanied him in prison.

MEmen to mei, cum bene tibi fuerit, vt sug­geras Pharaoni vt educas me de isto car­cere, quia huc innocens missus sum. These are the words of holy Ioseph, speaking vnto Phareahs chiefe cupbearer: as if he would say, For a reward of inter­preting thy dream, & for letting thee vnderstand, that thou shouldest vpon the morrow returne again to the pallace, and vse thy old of­fice of the cupbearer, I beseech thee that thou wouldest bee mindfull of me, and entreat the king that hee would let mee out of this dungeon, where I haue beene two yeares without cause or desert at all. There were in prison at one time with [...]oseph Pharoahs baker and cupbearer, who hauing dreamed each of them sundry dreames, and not knowing what they meaned, Ioseph did interprete them vnto them, telling them that after three daies they would hang the baker, and return the cup bearer vnto the pallace: al which came to passe as Io­seph had told them. After that chast Ioseph had ben two years in prison because he would not sinne with his masters wife, he entreated the kings cupbearer very earnestly that he would speake vnto the king for him: but hee was so vngratefull, that he neuer thought of him any more, of whome hee had recei­ued such good newes. God doth not well like of such persons which are not thankfull for the benefites bestowed vpon thē. Which is easily perceiued: for although Pharaohs cupbearer had forgotten to doe that which good Ioseph requested him to doe, yet the scripture dooth not forget to accuse him for a [Page 131]thanklesse and an vngratefull man. Rich Laban was vngrate­full vnto his sonne in law Iacob, who although he had serued him forty yeares continually for his shepheard, yet hee paied him very vnthankfully for all that seruice: for ouer and be­sides, that he gaue him one daughter for another at the time of his mariage, he deceiued him also in parting of his goods. Saule was also vngratefull vnto his good sonne in law Dauid, who hauing slaine in his seruice that great Philistian, and oftentimes deliuered all the people of Israel from the ene­mies, yet Saule lanched a dart at him at dinner time, where Dauid had ended his life, if hee had not defended himselfe speedily from him. The yong Prince Amon was vngratefull vnto the good king Dauid, who hauing sent to comfort him for the death of his father, the young youth cut off a peece of king Dauids Embassadours coats, and shaued halfe their beards, saying: that they went not to comfort him, but to bee a spie ouer him. King Ioas was vngratefull vnto the High Priest Ioiada, who hauing brought him vp from his child­hood, and done him great seruices, yet Ioas commanded his sonne to be slame, not because he had been a Traitor, but be­cause he had rebuked the king to bee a sinner, and a trangres­sor of the law. King Demetrius was vngrateful vnto the good captaine Ionathas, who after he had sent to succour king De­metrius being in great distresse, and to leuie the siege being besieged, yet good Ionathas had no greater aduersary after­ward than the king Demetrius. Cognouit bes possessorem suum, & asinus praesepe domini suit Israel autem non cognouit me, said God by the Prophet Isay in the first chapter: as if hee would say, What meaneth this, people of Israel, what meaneth this? The oxe knoweth the labouring man which doth yoke him, and the asse knoweth him which giueth him meat, in the sta­ble, and thou Israel doest neither know me for thy Lord and master, neither remember thy selfe of the good turns which I haue made vnto thee. Isidorus vpō these words saith, That God compareth a thank lesse and an vngratefull man as it were in an anger, vnto an oxe which is a heauy beast, and vn­to [Page 132]to an asse which is a foolish beast: because that to say the troth no man omitteth to bee thankfull for the benefites re­ceaued, vnlesse he be a waiward and sluggish man in conuer­sation, or a foole in condition. Is not thinke you an vngrateful man a foole, and a very foole, seeing hee maketh himselfe vn­worthy of an other benefite, by not being thankfull for that which hee hath receaued? There is no vice in the world which hath not his seat rather in one kingdome than in ano­ther, as pride among the Babilonians, enuy among the Iewes, anger among the Thebanes, couetousnesse among the Thiri­ans, gluttony among the Sidonians, and the magicall art a­mong the Egyptians. But there is no man which will receaue ingratitude in his house, no man willingly giue him a seat to sit in. For although I bee vngrateful to thee, yet I would not haue thee bee vngratefull vnto mee. Seneca in his booke of Anger sayth, That it is not onely a griefe, but also a peril­lous thing to haue to doe with an vngratefull man: for when hee purposeth not to pay that which hee oweth, hee hateth him whome hee ought not; and by that meanes for ha­uing beene his friend, [...]e [...] turneth to bee thy enemy. Ci­cero in his Bookes De Legibus reporteth, that Bisias the Grecian, Osiges the Lacedemonian, Bracaras the The­bane, and Scipio the Romane counted it a lesser hurt to be banished into strange countries, than to liue in their owne countries with those which were vngratefull for their serui­uices. Plautus saith very well in a Comedy, That it is the pro­perty of a base mind, & of an impudent man to giue euery man leaue to serue him, & be vngrateful vnto all men for their ser­uice: and therevpon it is, that he which serueth an vngratefull man serueth no body, & he which doth any thing for an vn­grateful mā, doth for no man. Eschines the Philosopher saith, that although the cities of Thebes & Athens be ful of naugh­ty men, yet there are not so many of any sort, as of vngrateful men: & the reason of this great mischiefe is, because we take those to bee our friends which are not expedient for vs to take, and giue our gifts vnto those which know not how to [Page 133]bee thankfull for them. Whereof thinkest thou doth it pro­ceed, that no men be thankful for that which thou doest be­stow vpon them, nor acknowledge the fauors thou doest thē, but because thou doest admit those to be thy familiars, which ought not to bee taken for thy neighbours? If thou doest any good (sayth Ciprian) vnto those which deserue it, I assure thee that he will be gratefull for it: but if thou giue vnto him who is strait vnto himselfe, how wouldest thou haue him liberall vnto thee? To come then vnto the purpose, although King Pharaohs cup-bearer was vngrateful vnto holy Ioseph, yet cer­tainly Christ was not so vnto the good theefe, seeing that vp­on the crosse he did more for him than he deserued, and also gaue him more there than he asked. And therefore seeing we haue told you what the theefe demanded of Christ, it is cō ­uenient now that wee tell you what Christ gaue the theefe, and thereby wee shall plainly perceiue, that our Lord is more liberall in giuing, than we are in asking. Amen dico tibi hodie mecum eris in Paradiso, said Christ vnto the theefe: as if hee would say, O thou theefe, my friend and companion, doest thou thinke that I haue forgotten the seruice that thou hast done me in honouring me & keeping me company vntill this my last houre? I promise thee as I am God, and sweare vnto thee as I am man, that this day thou shalt bee with me in Pa­radise. O this was a glorious answere, and a happy legacy, which the diuine wisedome gaue vnto this good theefe, be­cause that in old time God recōpenced all the seruices done vnto him by increasing their wealth, or prolonging their daies, or deliuering them from warre, or sauing them from plague. O happy speech, This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise, because that all which God gaue from the begin­ning of the world, was as it were from the tiles of our house downewards: but that which he giueth now is from the hea­uens vpward, that is, such a gift as no tongue is able to ex­presse; Do tibi partem vnam extra fratres tuos, said Iacob vnto his sonne Ioseph when hee was at the point of death: as if hee would say, For the troubles which thou hast endured with [...] [Page 136]this mystery was, that when the children of Israel saw the sea before them, which they could not passe ouer, and the Egyptians behind them, who came with intent to sley them, they began to complaine of Moises, and in his pre­fence crie out aloud, why he had brought them out of Egypt, where they had their sepulchres, and lead them into the de­sarts where they should bee eaten vp of wild beasts. Moyses seeing himselfe in such a narrow strait, spake not one word vnto our Lord, but began to weepe, and with his heart only to pray vnto God and commend himself vnto him: which prai­er was of such great force & efficacy, that it seemed to moue God greatly to condiscend vnto that which hee had asked him. Good Moises did pray, & yet did not crie; he wept and yet spake not; he sighed and made no noise; hee desired and entreated not; and hee hoped, and yet hee did not importu­nately vrge. This was a high kind of importuning, by not im­portuning; and a high kind of asking in not asking: for to ob­taine that which wee desire at Gods hands, sighing is better than crying out, & more is gotten by offering vnto him tears, than by speaking many words. S. Gregory in his Morals sayth, That God did not beare false witnesse against Moises, in say­ing that he did importune him, in not importuning him; and that he astonied him by crying, he not crying at all: because there is no higher kind of asking than by praying, nor any sweeter manner of speaking with God, than by weeping. Bar­nard sayth, How is hee not busie who is busie with his heart, and what doth not he obtaine who asketh with tears? S. Au­gustine vpon the Apostles words saith, That our Lord doth oftentimes heare the heart when hee praieth, although the tongue doe not speake outwardly: but hee neuer heareth the tongue which speaketh outwardly, if the heart doe not pray inwardly: because our Lord is neerer vnto the heart with the which we loue him, than vnto the tongue with the which we speak vnto him. Our Lord had great reason to say vnto M [...]i­ses, Quid clamas ad me, What doest thou cry vnto me for? Be­cause [Page 137]he had more respect vnto the tears which Moises wept, than vnto the cries which the people made; and so he regar­ded more that which Moises desired with silence, than that which the people demanded with a noise. What meaneth this O great God of Israel, what meaneth this? Doest thou not answere one word to the people which call vpon thee, & doest thou answere Moises which doth not speake one word vnto thee? Doest thou hold thy peace when the Iewes and torturers speake vnto thee at the foot of the crosse, and doest thou answere the theefe for speaking once vnto thee? There is no such great difference betwixt torturers and theeues, and theeues and torturers, that the one should be heard, and the other repulsed: for if torturers and hangmen take their liues from such as are hanged, so doe great theeues also take away mens riches and apparell by the high way. The wicked Iewes did not deserue an answere at Christs hands, seeing they said, come downe from the crosse; because no man should bee so bold as to bid him come downe, but goe vp: because such as are to goe into hell, goe downe, and those which are to go to heauen goe vpward. The hangmen did not deserue to be an­swered of Christ, which said Thou who dost destroy the tē ­ple of God, because he came not into the world to take away the stones of Salamons Temple, but to win soules vnto his fa­ther which is in heauen. For it auailed Christ very little to that which he pretended, whether the temple stood or were fallen downe. Neither did the naughty theefe deserue an an­swere who said vnto Christ, Saue thy selfe and vs, because there was no man able by any force to put Christ vpon the crosse, vnlesse he had gone vp of his own wil, & that not to fly from it, but to redeem the world vpon it. Why should the son of God answere so naughty a theefe, seeing he demanded no­thing, but to haue his life saued, not making any mention at all of his soule? When the naughty theefe said vnto Christ, saue thy self & saue me too, what els did he pretēd or demād, but that by some miracle, or by some words of enchantment [Page 138]he should deliuer them from the crosses, and put them in safe­ty? Irenaeus in a sermon sayth thus, According vnto the great loue, that Christ died with, & according vnto the great quan­tity of bloud which issued out of his body, it had been but a small enterprise for Christ to haue loosed the theefe, & haue sent him to keepe his Easter in his owne house, because hee came not into the world to set theeues at liberty, but to saue sinners. Cyprian sayth, That if as that naughty theefe did ask Christ that hee would pull out those nailes, and slacken those cords, and deliuer him from those torturers, and asswage his torments, he would haue asked somewhat touching his soule, or that he would haue had mercy shewed vpon him, our gra­tious Lord would not haue refused to answere him to that which hee said, nor haue denied him that which hee deman­ded. O what a theefe hee is (sayth Haymo) and a theeues fel­low, who can aske nothing of Christ, but honour to get him credite, power to defend himself, and might to offend others, riches to enioy, liberty to command, and health to liue onely in this world! Such as dare to aske these things of our Lord, be either Christians without souls, or theeues without shame, of whom I doe now prophecy, that if they bee not hanged like theeues, they shall bee condemned like sinners. Let vs take example by this dreadfulll example, that wee doe not aske with the naughty theefe, that our Lord would take vs from the crosse, but that hee would keepe vs on the crosse; nor let vs not aske of him that hee would giue vs a long life, but that he would amend our consciences. For look how willing our Lord is, to giue vs things necessary to saue vs, so is hee vnwilling to giue vs that which wee doe aske of him to cocker vs.

CHAP. XI. Of these words Domine memento mei, Lord remember me, which the good theefe spake vnto Christ: the which words are deuoutly and deepely expounded.

QVia patiens est dominus, indulgenti­am fusis lachrimis postulemus ab eo, said the holy woman Iudith spea­king to the inhabitants of Bethu­lia in the eight chapter of her booke: as if she would say, It see­meth best vnto me O ye citizens of Bethulia that we kneele down vpon our knees, our hands ioined together, and our eies full of teares, and craue pardon of our Lord for our sinnes, and that it would please him to deliuer vs from our enemies. Holofernes the Tyrant had so narrowly besieged the city of Bethulia, that within fiue daies they would haue deliuered themselues vnto the enemie, if the siege had not been raised, or some new succor come vnto thē. There was in the same citie a widdow named Iudith, who was beautifull in her countenance, chast in her body, rich in estate, and of great fame and credite among the people. This holy Iudith perceiuing that the captains of the city were dis­maied on one side, and the neighbors dispaired on the other, said vnto them as followeth: Who are you which dare tempt the great God of Israel, and will giue your selues to be slaues, if he do not deliuer you from the Assyrians within fiue daies? Wil you prescribe fiue daies to the infinit mercy of the Lord, who hath neither beginning nor ending? Doe you not know that such a promise and vow made against our Lord, doth ra­ther stirre him to indignation, than appease his anger? Care not then to load your selues with armes, but with larmes: care [Page 140]you not to make prouision of victuals, but to weepe for your sinnes: because you should be more afraid of your sins, than of your enemies. The warre which you endure, and the hun­ger which you suffer, the God of heauen, and not Holofernes maketh against you, and with no other weapons but with your owne offences: and you must learne, that the enemies who besiege you, are rather executioners of Gods diuine iu­stice, than enemies of your Commonwealth. All the time that our forefathers were at peace with our Lord, they did well; and when they neglected their duty vnto him, it went not well with them: and as it fared then with them, so doth it now with vs; in so much that all our paines and trauels come from the hands of God, either to punish vs, or for to make vs merit. Tell me (saith Dauid) what are wee able to doe, what are we able to performe, or what doe wee know if we bee not guided by the hand of God? If thē our ablenesse must come from God to doe any thing, and our strength from him to be able to performe any thing, and our knowledge from him if we will guesse aright at any thing, in whose hands should wee put our hope, but in the hands of his diuine mercy? Let it bee so then, that there bee a proclamation made throughout all Bethulia, that the old men fast, the yong mē giue themselues discipline, the Priests pray, and all weepe together, that it would please God to keepe and deliuer not the wals from e­nemies, but our hearts from sinnes. All the citizens were very much amazed at that that holy Iudith counselled them, and all accepted her counsell, by reason wherof, within fiue daies Holofernes was beheaded, he and his defeated, the city vnbur­dened, and the countrey pacified. To returne then fitly vnto our purpose, agreeablie vnto this aduise our theefe behaued himselfe on the crosse with Christ: for first, he desired our re­deemer of the world to forgiue him his sinnes, before hee as­ked him that it would please him to take him with him vnto the kingdome of heauen. This theef did not say vnto Christ, When thou commest into thy kingdome, Lord remember me, for so hee might haue seemed to aske for heauen before [Page 141]he had asked for the remission of sinnes; but he said Domine memento mei, Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdome. In which words hee first made his confession, and then formed his petition. What doth it auaile thee to ask of Christ, if hee bee angry with thee: first make Christ thy friend, then aske fauour at his hands. For it is the manner and condition of our Lord, that first thou giue thy selfe vnto him, and then for him to giue himselfe vnto thee. Vbertinus sayth, That it is greatly to bee noted, that the good theefe did not say vnto Christ, take me from this crosse, help to vnloose me, giue me life, restore my credite; but hee said, Lord remember me, seeing that thou knowest better what to giue me, than I. to aske of thee. S. Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth, That this theefe was very happy and glorious, seeing hee taught the church how to pray, as he had taught the Synagogue how to steale, considering he said nothing in his petition, but Lord re­member mee: the which praier although it were short, yet it was full of mystery, because that we need not to be very im­portunate with God to win his fauour, but remember him of our busines with Domine memento mei. What saiest thou good theefe, what saiest thou? Domine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum: as if he would say, O holy Prophet, O Iesus of Galily, by the bloud which thou sheddest, I beseech thee, & by the loue with the which thou diddest shed it, I pray thee, that thou wouldest be mindfull of me, when thou shalt come into thy owne proper kingdome. If wee will reckon the fiue words, they are these: Domine the first, memento the second, mei the third, dum veneris the fourth, in regnum tuum the fift. Now it is to be noted, who spake these words, that is a theefe, vnto whom he spake them, which was Christ, where he spake them, which was vpon the crosse, and when hee spake them, and it was when hee was ready to die: insomuch that if they be easie to be counted, they are hard to be vnderstood. Hee dooth begin his praier like a curious Orator with this word Domine, Lord, wherein it seemeth that hee dooth confesse in Christ, his Deity and diuinity, his essence and power, his au­thority [Page 142]and rule, his iustice and liberality. Origen sayth, If the good theefe should beleeue that Christ was a mighty and great king, yet would he aske him no lesse than a whole king­dome? This word Lord is a high beginning of a petition: for if he who asketh do not beleeue that all things are vnder his mighty hand, he could not thinke that he should obtaine any thing. O glorious theefe (sayth Anselmus) and happy martyr, what doest thou see in this Lord which is crucified, what dost thou see in him on the crosse, why thou shouldest commend thy selfe vnto him? Who euer saw or heard the like, that one which was bound should commend himselfe vnto another, which was also bound; and one which was crucified vnto ano­ther in the same case? Doest thou aske that those confede­racies and friendships which end in death, should begin with Christ and thee in death? Seeing hee who should be a Lord, should bee at liberty and in freedome, why doest thou call him Lord, which is fastened to the crosse, and crucified like thy selfe? Seeing that he who should be a Lord, ought to bee mighty and rich, why doest thou call him Lord, who was poor in his life time, and naked in his death? But this Prophet whō I call vpon, and vnto whome I commend and commit my selfe, is a mighty Lord, and a king of great power, seeing the son lost his light for compassion, the stones broke with griefe, the vaile rent in sunder for a mystery, the graues opened with feare, and the Centurion confessed him to be Christ. O great God of Israel, O great Lord of the house of Iacob [...], for this cause thy name is admirable, and worshipped in all the circuit of the earth, because thy power and dominion is doubled and redoubled, more than any mans in the world. Cassiodorus no­teth vpon this matter, That the holy scripture doth neuer call any twise Lord, Lord, but Christ alone; because he alone, and none with him, is Lord of heauen and earth, of life and death, body and soule, and of peace and warre. Wee cannot call Hector the Troian, Anchises the Grecian, Alexander the Macedonian, and Caesar the Romane, Lord, more than once, because they were kings onely of their owne kingdomes: but [Page 143]vnto the sonne of God, wee say twise Domine domine noster, Lord our Lord, because his siegnory is so great, that no man is able to limit it, nor set any bonds vnto it. Euery other Prince hath his kingdome limited and set with bonds, either to the top of a steeple or couering of a house; and if it bee not so, let him send a post from thence vpward, and hee shall perceiue that his kingdome reacheth no higher: which cannot be said to be true of the sonne of Gods Empire, seeing it goeth from one end of the world vntill the other, and reacheth vp vnto the highest heauen. Considering that Dauid calleth Christ, Lord Lord twise, why doth he call him only once Lord. The mystery of this mystery is, that Dauid called him Lord, Lord twise, because hee should keepe his body from his enemies, and cary his soule vnto those which are blessed: but the good theefe did call him but once Lord, because his intention was not that Christ should keepe his life, but only that hee would vouchsafe to saue his soule. Why doest thou thinke (sayth S. Basil vpon the Psalme) that Dauid said vnto our Lord, Lord calling him twife Lord, but because he was Lord of the truth, and of the figure, of the church and of the synagogue, of the Prophets and of the Apostles, and of the old Testament and of the new? The good theefe would not call Christ Lord twise, because hee would let vs vnderstand, that the figure is fulfilled, and the truth come; that the church is come and the synagogue ended; that the Prophets are dead, and the Apo­stles succeeded in their place; that the old law is buried, and the Gospel proclaimed. Why, think you, doth the good theef call Christ Lord but once, but because we haue but one Lord to beleeue, & one redeemer to worship? To say once Christ remember me, was to say, that hee would haue him and no o­ther for a master to serue, for God in whō he would beleeue, for his Lord whom hee would obey, for a friend whome hee would trust vnto, & for an aduocate in whose hands he would put himselfe into. The second word which the theefe said vnto Christ was Remēber me: as if he would say, Seeing that I doe confesse thee here before all men to bee my Lord, and [Page 144]vpon this crosse acknowledge thee to be my redeemer, haue mee in remembrance, my good Lord, seeing I haue remēbred thee, and turned vnto thee. Remember me O sweet Iesus: see­ing thou hast created me, remember me; seeing thou hast re­deemed mee, remember mee; and seeing thou hast lightened me, remember mee; and seeing thou hast chosen me, remem­ber me: for it would auaile me very little, that thou shouldest giue me light to know thee, if withall thou shouldest not giue me grace to serue thee. Remēber me O good Iesus, because I am hard by thy side, remember me because I beleeue in thee, remember me because I trust in thee, remember me because I hope in none but in thee; and seeing I haue offered my selfe for to be thy perpetuall seruant, remember I beseech thee to accept me for thine. Remember mee because thou hast raised me from the dust, remember me because thou hast made me a Christian, remember me to make mee good, and remember mee to giue mee heauen, and aboue all things I beseech thee that seeing thou hast giuen thy life for me, remember me that I lose not my soule. O good Iesus giuer of life, with my tongue I beseech thee, and with my heart I aske it of thee, that see­ing thou doest shed thy precious bloud vpon the crosse for me, remember me that it be not euilly bestowed on mee: and when shall thy bloud be euilly bestowed on mee, but when it is not by thee accepted for me? Seeing thou hast sweat oft for me, suffered most grieuous pains for me, endured inspeakable persecutions for mee, and hast dissembled my abominable of­fences; what doest thou gaine O good Iesus, what doest thou gaine, if I lose my soule, and thou the fruit of thy precious bloud? Remember me O Lord, seeing that in pardoning my fault, and by sauing my soul, thou shalt make a Christian, peo­ple heauen the more, enrich thy church, spread abroad thy fame, and exalt thy mercy. Remember the sabboth day, said God in the law, remember the daies past said Moyses vnto God, remember because my life is a wind said holy Iob, remē ­ber how I haue walked before theesaid king Ezechias when he was sick, and remember me said good Ioseph when he was [Page 145]in prison, and remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome, I say vnto thee here now crucified vpō the crosse. What should I say, O the light of my life? What doest thou aske me that I haue not giuen thee, and what doe I possesse that is not thine? I haue already giuen my money to the iai­lor, my coats to the hang man, I haue salne out with my com­panion who iniuried thee, I haue made the best answere that I could for thy honour, and therefore I can do nothing more, but say, Lord remember me, Domine memento mei: and seeing I offer thee the confession of Miserere, & that vpō my knees, and my eies washed with tears, why shouldest thou shut the gates of thy mercy against me, my confession being thus iust, being condemned for a naughty person as thou art, my mem­bers disiointed the one from the other like thine, crucified vpon the crosse like thy selfe, I beleeue faithfully in thee, and commend my selfe wholly vnto thee saying, Lord remem­ber mee, Lord-remember mee: and I beseech thee haue pitie on me, seeing that in suffering I am like vnto thee. I dy for be­ing a theefe, and thou for the same cause; they put mee to death on the Mount of Caluary, and on the Mount of Cal­uary they kill thee, at high noone daies they execute mee, and at the same houre they execute thee, thou art as neere the end of thy life, as I am neere to death; and therfore Lord remember me: thus as wee depart both together out of this world so also we may both together goe into heauen. What reason doth permit it, or what iustice doth suffer, O my good Lord, that thou shouldest take me for thy companion, to suf­fer on the crosse with thee; and when thou doest go into hea­uen, to leaue mee here behind thee? Seeing thou wilt depart out of this world to death, and that through such a narrow passage and long way, whom canst thou take with thee better than the theefe, which was thy fellow vpon the tree? It is necessary that thy poore mother liue, thou hast left thy Iohn thy cousin to his owne custodie, Peter thy Disciple hath denied thee, Iudas thy steward hath sold thee, all the Iewes haue beene vngratefull vnto thee; and therfore seeing [Page 146]that thou doest see no body neere thee, who doth confesse and acknowledge thee but my selfe alone, who am here a­lone with thee, Lord remember mee, and either giue mee somewhat in thy Testament, or take mee with thee to Para­dise. O holy Nazarean and blessed Prophet, seeing that thou diddest heare Ionas out of the Whales belly, Daniel out of the lake of Babilonia, Ioseph out of the dungeon of Egypt, Ieremy out of the darke well, and diddest heare Dauid when he said, Tibi soli peccaui, I haue sinned vnto thee only, why doest thou not heare-mee, when I crie Lord remember mee, Domine memento mei? Behold O my good Lord, behold O my good companion, now my eies doe breake, now my last houre is come, now my sight faileth mee, and my speech is troubled, and my soule is pulled out of my body, and there­fore in this narrow passing and doubtfull way, vnto whome should I say better than vnto thee, Lord remember me, yea and all the whole Psalme of Miserere? Iosue was a theefe, seeing he stole grapes fron Chanaan, Dauid was a theefe, see­ing hee stole the bottle of water from Saul, Rachael was a theefe, seeing she stole the idols from her father, Ionathas was a theefe, seeing hee stole hony from the hiue, Iosaba was a theefe, seeing he stole the infant Ionas, and yet thou diddest not command any one of all these to bee hanged, nor send them from thy houseuf this be so, and if thou diddest forgiue those which stole thy goods, wilt thou not forgiue mee poore theefe, who turne for thy honours sake, and keepe thee com­pany in this place? Seeing that of old time, thou art accu­stomed to forgiue very famous theeues, and dissemble very notorious thefts, why doest thou not forgiue me among them, and absolue me of my sinnes? If thou wilt haue tears for the thefts which I haue done, thou seest that they run downe my cheekes; if thou doest content thy selfe to see bloud, thou seest that there is no drop left in mee, if thou wilt haue mee whip my selfe, I am already bowelled, if thou wilt haue mee repent, I say vnto thee Soli peccaui, if thou wilt haue mee make entire satisfaction, how canst thou haue me to do it, not [Page 147]hauing halfe an houre to liue? Lord Iesus remember mee, and bee my surety vnto thy father in the other world, and put mee with thy chosen flocke, write mee in thy booke, and place mee in thy glory, seeing that the faith of which thou art, doth flourish onely in thy mother, and remaineth in my heart. Remember mee O good Iesus, and if thou wilt depart out of this sorrowfull life into the other before mee, I be­seech thee, leaue mee the step of thy foor to tread in, and a path-way to follow thee: for if I acknowledge thee for my God, and receaue thee for my God, and beleeue in thee for my God, being as thou art dismembred and crucified, shall not I serue thee, and praise thee farre better when I shall see thee glorified? Darest thou trust me with thy crosse, because I should worship it, and with thy body because I should ac­company thee, and with thy mother to comfort her, and with thy honour to defend it, and with thy church to augment it, and with thy faith to maintaine it, and wilt thou not put thy glory into my hands, that I may alwaies praise thee in it? When they condemned thee to bee crucified, and brought mee to bee executed, I heard thee say there before Pilate, That thy kingdome was not of this world: and then seeing thou art a king, and hast a kingdome, remember mee and take me with thee, and I will tell thy father what thou hast suffe­red to serue him, and all the fauours which thou hast done for me. Now that the good theefe hath made his praier vnto God, and recommended himselfe vnto him, it is reason now that the naughty theefe haue license to speake, which is my naughty and peruerse heart; because the theefe which han­ged on the left hand of God, did blaspheme Christ but once, but thou, my soule, doest blaspheme him euery day. Remem­ber mee O sweet Iesus, and haue mercy on mee, O my soules glory, to the end that the shedding of thy pretious bloud, be not euilly bestowed in mee: for at the time when thou diddest shed it, thou diddest not feeele so grieuously the vvant of it in thy bodie, as thou diddest feele the [Page 148]vngratefulnesse of the whole world. And when is thy precious bloud vnthankfully shed for mee, but when I yeeld vnto that which my Sensuality dem [...]ndeth of mee, and not vnto that which thy Gospell counselleth mee? What is all that worth which I would, if thou wilt not? If thou goest to seeke out theeues, and if thou doest hunt after sinners; why doest thou seeke for any more than for mee; be­cause there is no theefe who hath committed greater robbe­ries than I, nor any sinners who hath done more greeuous sins than I? O patient and benigue Lord, if the wickednesse of my heart, and the offences which I haue committed, in secret were knowne notoriously vnto the iudges of the world, as they are knowne vnto thee, I should many yeares agoe haue beene hanged, and in the other world condemned. I will not say with the Prophet Dauid, Where be thy old mercies, see­ing that I see them enter euery day into my gates, because I doe not make more hast to sinne, than thou to pardon mee. The pardon which thou diddest giue vnto the good theefe, doth giue vs also great hope to obtaine pardon at thy hands: for he being come to the gibbet, condemned for his offence, went away sanctified with thy Grace. If thou do giue theeues and robbers kingdomes, what wilt thou do and giue vnto thē whom thou doest loue; and are chosen of thy father? If thou diddest giue the kingdome of heauen to a rouer and a theese for speaking one onely word vnto thee, and seruing thee one halfe houre, what wilt thou giue vnto him O good Iesus who loueth thee with all his hart, & praiseth thee with his tongue, and emploieth all his might and power in thy seruice.

CHAP. XII. How our Lord heard the theeues praier vpon the crosse, and how Christ answered him seuen words for fiue which hee spake vnto Christ.

DOminus exaudiuit vocempueri de loco in quo est, Genesis 21. said the Angel vnto Is­mael his mother: as if he would say, Take no care O Agar, take no care: for al­though thou hast lost thy way, and art banished in this desart, feare no peril, be­cause our Lord hath heard the prai­er of the youth thy sonne, because he hath praied where he hath praied. The Patriarch Abraham had a bastard child by Agar his maid and slaue, both which were throwne out of dores after that hee had a lawfull child borne vnto him, and these two went vp a mountaine alone in great dispaire, & our Lord sent vnto them an Angel to comfort them, and to giue them drinke. Origen sayth, That if wee looke well into the scripture, we shall neither read, that the mother did pray vnto the Lord, neither is it made mention that the sonne did com­mend himselfe vnto God: but that Gods great mercy is so great, that by seeing the youth Ismael weepe, and the sorrow­full mother lament and cry, our Lord was moued to comfort them by word, and also releiue them in deed. Plato in his Ti­mao sayth, That it doth smally benefit the grieued and com­fortlesse to visit them seldome, and speake much vnto them, and giue thē no comfort at all, vnlesse that comfort be wrap­ped in some remedie and reliefe. Seneca sayth, That if a friend doe visite his friend, and find him heauy and sad, and so leaue him, if hee find him poore and so leaue him, if hee find him weeping, and leaue him weeping, wee will say of such a one, that hee goeth rather to iest, than to visite and comfort: be­cause a comfortlesse heart, is much better appeased with that [Page 150]which we giue him with our hands, than with that which we speake vnto him with our tongue. S. Ambrose in his Exame­ron sayth, That to the end a worke of mercy may bee perfect & more acceptable vnto our Lord, it ought neither to bee as­ked of any, nor craued, but voluntarily & liberally be bestow­ed, because there is nothing more deare in this world, than that which is bought with entreaty. O that hee buieth very deerely, who buieth by the change and price of his shame; because that shamefast men and of liberall hearts, doe with­out comparison grieue more when they vncouer & shew their face, than when they vntie their purse. Cicero to Atticus sayth, That there is nothing wherein a Gentlemanlike man taketh more delight than in giuing, and greater griefe than in asking; because that in giuing, he maketh himself Lord of him vnto whome hee giueth, and in taking hee maketh himselfe a slaue to him of whō he receiueth. Hilarius saith, That to deale with God, there need no words but teares, nor many entrea­ties but many sighes: for whē we pray vnto our Lord, he hath greater regard vnto the heart which desireth, than vnto all that which the tongue speaketh. Agar the slaue, and Ismael her sonne, spake no word vnto God, nor yet made any petiti­on vnto him, but ech of them being set downe vnder a seue­rall oke, the sonne did neuer fill himselfe with weeping, and the mother neuer ceassed from sighing, the which holy teares were not vnpaied, nor sighes vnaccepted. To come then vnto our purpose, if our Lord did heare Ismaels teares, which was in the desart, will he not also hear the memento mei, which the theefe spake vnto him in the Mount of Caluary? Let no man maruell that we compare the theefe with Ismael, and Ismael with the theefe: for as the one was brought vp in the moun­taines a hunting, so the other went by the high waies a rob­bing, & as Ismael had one very vertuous brother, so also this theefe had a blasphemer to his companion. Is [...]ael was yong, for hee was not aboue three yeares of age, the theefe was al­so yong, for he had not been as yet three houres a Christian, because that before our Lord, the yeares when we are borne, [Page 151]are not reckoned, but the time from whence we are baptized. After Christs resurrection, hee called his disciples children and yonglings, not respecting that some of them were old, and had gray haires, but that they had not ben long baptized, that is, when hee washed their feet in the parlar, and ordai­ned them Priests after his supper. If Ismael did weepe at the foot of the oake in the desart, so did the good theefe weepe also vpon the crosse on Caluary: and that which is more ex­cellent is, that if hee gaue the one water whereof hee should drinke, he gaue the other his bloud, wherewith he should bee saued. As Abraham had one lawfull child, which was Isaac, and another a bastard which was Ismael, so God the father had or lawfull child, which was Christ, and the other a ba­stard, which was the theefe; and of these two, the one was borne in the church, and the other in the Synagogue. The blessing which fell vnto Ismael, was that he should be against all men and all men against him: the which blessing also the good theefe had, who being vpon the crosse, and all purpo­sing to kill and crucifie Christ, hee against all [though all a­gainst him] defended him and excused him. Ismael was a fa­ther of many barbarous people, and the good theefe was an example of many great sinners, but not that they should liue wickedly as hee had done, but that they should turne vnto our Lord as hee did. Agar the mother could not see Ismael her sonne die, neither could the sonne of God see his companion the theefe bee condemned: and therefore as the teares of the one were gratefull vnto him, euen so the words of the other vvere pleasing vnto him; to wit, when hee said on the crosse, Lord remember me, and O good Iesus haue mercy vpon mee. With great reason, and for good occasion the son of God did giue care vnto all that the good theefe would speake vnto him, and vnto all that which hee did request of him, because hee vsed such mea­sure and discretion in his petition, that hee asked nothing which should bee for his comfort, but for his saluation. If hee vvould haue asked any thing for his comfort, he vvould [Page 152]haue asked that the cudgels which winded his cords should haue been slackened, or that they would haue pulled out the nailes, or healed his wounds, or that they would pull him downe from the crosse, or that they would giue him longer life: but he asked none of all this, but only that Christ would haue his soule in remembrance, not mentioning his person at all. Our Lord could not denie him so reasonable a petition, nor delay him, but he answered him immediately: for euen as he said, Domine memento moi, Christ said presently vnto him, Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. The naughty theefe did not deserue to haue an answere at Christs hands neither soon nor late, partly because it was the sonne of Gods custome, not to answer those which did iniury him, nor esteeme of those which bare false wit­nesse against him, and partly to aduise vs, that it is a point of great discretion, not to set by iniurious words. Vbertinus saith, Why should Christ heare what the naughty theefe would aske him, or make account of it, seeing that he knew very wel that if he would haue beene loosed, it was to steale againe, and in stealing againe, they would hang him againe? In that that Christ would not answere vnto the naughty theefe, nor yeeld vnto his petition, hee vsed a new kind of clemency to­ward him; to wit, that he hindered him frō sinning any more, and frō augmenting his damnation: for if Christ should haue taken him from the crosse, and hee haue returned againe into the world, by how much the more he would haue augmēted his sinne, by so much the more he should haue encreased his punishment. S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth, That our Lord shewed his mercy and pity toward both the theeues; vnto the good one in giuing him glory, to the naughty one in de­nying him life: for if he had liued longer, he would haue sin­ned more, and according to the measure of his offences, his torments should haue beene giuen him. S. Gregory saith, That if our Lord doe for vs that which wee aske, wee ought to re­ioice; and if he deny vs that which wee aske him, wee must not complaine: for if our Lord would haue giuen the sonnes [Page 153]of Zebedet the kingdome which they required, and vnto the naughty theefe the life which hee craued, it had beene vnto their great confusion and also damnation. And because that in these words, Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso, there are contai­ned seuen words, as we haue noted heretofore; it shall not bee amisse, if that vpon euery word we speake one word, because the curious Reader may see how wisely the theefe dealt, and how profoundly Christ did answer him. The first word which Christ spake vnto the theefe was Amen, that is, I sweare to thee in truth: which word Amen was in the old Testament very famous, and much set by, and in the mouth of the sonne of God much vsed, insomuch that the Synagogue did profit herselfe with that word to confirme that which she sware, & Christ vsed the same word to sweare that which he spake. In monte Hebal stabunt, Ruben, Gad, Asser, Zabulon, Dan & Nep­thalim, ad maledice [...]dum populum, & respondebit omnts pepulus, Amen, said the Lord vnto Moises in the 28 chapter of Gene­sis: as if hee would say, It is my will and pleasure O Moyses that sixe Princes of Israel, that is, Ruben and Gad, and Asser and Zabulon, and Dan and Nepthalim; goe vp vnto the highest of the hill Hebal, and from thence they shall begin aloud to curse all the transgressors of my law, and in the end of euery curse, all the people shall answere, Amen. When the six prin­ces were come to the top of the hill Hebal, they began to curse those which brake the law in this manner. Accursed be that man which dare make strange Gods to worship and giue honour vnto them, although they be of gold and siluer, & let all the people say Amen. Cursed bee the sonne or daughter which will not honour his father and his mother, and let all men say Amen. Cursed bee that man which iesting at a blind man, shall put his foot before him to make him fall, and shall set him out of the way to make him erre, and let all the peo­ple say Amen. Cursed be the man which will take money to kill his neighbour by treason and craft, and let all say Amen. Cursed bee the iudge, who either through hatred or gaine which hee may pretend, giueth a wrong iudgement against a [Page 154]widdow, and oppresse the orphane, and not ease a stranger, and let all the people say Amen. You may then see that this word Amen was a word of feare and of great rigour, seeing that it was vsed to confirme their curses, which they did cast vpon the people, and not the blessings which they gaue them. It is to bee noted, that God commanded Moyses the same day to goe vp vnto the top of the hill Garisim with six Prin­ces with him, to blesse all those which would keepe his com­mandements: but hee did not command them in the end of their blessing to say Amen, as hee did in the end of his curse. The synagogue was not worthy of this priuiledge, because God kept it for his church, which is seene by the promise which Christ made vnto the good theefe, whē he said, Amen I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, in so much that Christ began to blesse the chosen of his church, with the same word that the synagogue ended her curse a­gainst the transgressors of the law. This word Amen (sayth Vbertinus) which did serue in the synagogue for a curse, doth serue now in the vniuersall Church for a blessing: the which word the sonne of God had alwaies in his mouth, when hee promised any great matter, or spake any high secret. Christ did so well like this word Amen, truly, that his Euangelists and Chroniclers doe affirme, that hee vsed it fifty and fiue times, and S. Paul in his Epistles eighteen times, and it is vsed in the Apocalips also fiue times, and in the canonicall Epistle three times. S. August, vpon S. Iohn saith, That the sonne of God was not content to say once Amen, but he did oftētimes double the word, saying Amen, Amen, truly, truly; giuing vs thereby to vnderstand, that he did not only speake the truth in that which he spake, but also that he was the truth it selfe. There is no Angell nor man (saith Remigius) which can say Amen, Amen: for although they speake the truth in all that they speake, yet it doth not follow that they be the truth it selfe, because God did not impart this high priuiledge vnto any, but his onely sonne, who by speciall grace said, Ego sum via & veritas & vita, I am the way and the truth and life. [Page 155]Christ did not say, I know which way the way goeth, but said I am the way: for in troth he who is not guided by Christ shal misse the way to heauen. Nor Christ said not, I giue life, but said I am the life, because that in the house of God, they call it not to liue, vnlesse they liue well, neither doe they say that man to liue, which is not a good man; nor Chirst did not say, I speake the truth in that which I say, but said I am the very truth: for euen as the deuill is a bottome without bottome, from whence all lies doe proceed, so the sonne of God is a fountaine from whence all truths doe spring. Benedictio & ho­nor & gloria, & potestas in secula seculorum, & quatuor anima­lia dicebant Amen, Apocalips 5. said the Angels in praise of our Lord: as if they would say, Let honour, glory, power and blessing, be giuen vnto our God, and vnto the lambe his son, for euer and euer, and the foure beasts answered Amen. Also S. Iohn said in the 7. chapter, That he saw a company of Saints before God, which were so many in number, that they could not bee numbred, and so many Angels also that they could not be numbred, clothed with stoles & palmes in their hands and prostrate vpon the ground, which said no other thing in the praise of God but Amen, Amen, Amen. O what great mysteries and deepe secrets are contained vnder this holy word Amen, seeing we find it in the old Testament, and that Christ vsed it, and the Angels in heauen praise Christ with it, and the church also doth euery vvhere profite her selfe vvith it! Doth shee not profite her selfe vvith it, see­ing that in the end of euery praier, shee doth confirme it with Amen? Vnto World without end, we answere Amen, vnto Who liueth and raigneth, vve answer Amen: vvith this holy vvord the sonne of God began to pardon, and vvith the same vvord the church endeth her praier. Rupert vpon the Apocalips saith, That this vvord Amē, is neither Greek, nor Latine, nor Chaldey, but Hebrew: and although this word might haue beene turned as other vvordes vvere, yet the church did not thinke it conuenient, but as Christ said A­men, so doth the church say likewise Amen. Why did the [Page 156]son of God (saith Chrisost.) begin the pardō, which he gaue the good theefe, with this word Amen dico tibi, but only to assure him, that he would fulfill all which he promised him? Seeing that it is a custome first to promise that which wee will giue or do, and then to sweare and affirme it, why did the sonne of God do the contrary, & swear before he promised the theefe Paradise? For when Christ said vnto the theefe, Amen dico ti­bi, it was as much as to say, I sweare in truth: and why would God swear that which he promised, and would not be belee­ued at his word? Cyprian vpon the Passion saith, That because that which Christ promised was such a great matter, to wit Paradise, and he vnto whom he promised such a grieuous sin­ner, who was a theefe, & he who promised, of such small cre­dite, who was a man crucified, and the place where he promi­sed so infamous which was the crosse, and the people before whom he promised so vile, who were the Iewes, the sonne of God would swear first before he promised. If Christ did swear it was not because there was any want in his word, but because the synagogue should the better beleeue him. August. vpon S. Iohn saith, That if the son of God would not haue sworn the performance of so great a gift, it would haue seemed vnto the Iewes, that he had promised it him in a mockage; & so much the rather, because that vntil that very instāt, in which Christ said on the crosse, Hodie mecum eris in Paradise, he neuer gaue it vnto Saint, nor promised it in scripture. If Christ had not sworn that which he promised, who would not haue thought that he had iested in promising credit & honor vnto him who had lost his credit, to promise life vnto him who was dead, li­berty vnto him who was bound, riches vnto him who was poore, and glory vnto him who was infamous? Because the Iewes obstinacy was so great, and the good theeues faith but yong and weake, good Iesus would sweare before hee promi­sed that which he meant to promise; & because al men might be certain, that he who at the point of death, confirmed any thing by oth, ought neuer to deceiue.

CHAP XIII. How the sonne of God neuer vsed this word Paradise, vntill he promised it vnto the good theefe: and of many lear­ned expositions of this saying, Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso, This day thou shalt be with mee in Pa­radise.

NOn frustra dixi semini Iacob, quaerite me, quia ego sum dominus loquens iustitias, & annunciansrecte, said God by Esay, chap. 48, as if hee would say, I said not in vain vn­to old honourable Iacob, that he should speak with me alone & beleeue in no other, because I am the Lord who can say no­thing but that which is iust, nor demand nothing but that which is holy. As God is iust (saith Ierome) hee sayth nothing but that which is iust, and as he is holy, he speaketh nothing but holy things; because other men besides him, neither tell vs aright what wee haue to doe, nor aduise vs in time of that which we are to auoid. All out friends and counsellors, when they doe aduertise vs of any thing, doe seeme rather to goe by guesse, than bee sure of that which they say: and by that means they giue vs counsell after we haue receiued hurt, and teach vs the way after that wee haue gone astray. God sayth very well, that Iacob heard him not in vaine, neither did Israel that in vaine which he commanded him, seeing that he gaue him the right of the first birth, due to Esau, and made him sonne in law vnto Laban, and gaue him Lia and Rachel for his wiues, and made him father of twelue children, and Prince ouer twelue tribes. O how true it is (saith Origen) when our [Page 158]Lord saith that hee speaketh nothing but that which is iust, and teacheth nothing but that which is right, seeing hee ma­keth those iust who deale with him, and maketh those holy who doe conuerse with him. And if he say that the obstinate men and naughty be his, yet he will not say, that hee is one of their number. What can the children of vanity tell vs but vain things, and what can the children of lies tell vs but lies? Who is loiall and faithfull vnto him whome hee hareth, or whom commodity draweth awry? It is our Lord onely who giueth vs our sight to see with, and teacheth vs which way we should goe, and taketh away the stones least wee stumble at them, and giueth vs counsell in all that wee haue to doe. Our Lord saith very well, that hee is the Lord who speaketh iustice and righteousnesse: for there hath been no man saued vntill this day, whom he hath not counselled, nor no man lost whome hee hath not deceiued. King Roboam who was ne­phew vnto Dauid, and sonne vnto Salomon, of twelue king­domes which hee inherited from his predecessors, lost ten of them, for no other reason, but because hee beleeved not our Lord in that which hee counselled him, and by following o­ther young mens humors, which pleased his fancy. Ieroboam and Assa, and Iozias, and Achab, and Benedab, and Manasses, which were famous kings of Israel, what could they do to get credit, what could they doe against their enemies, or where­in could they helpe their friends, or how could they deale in their owne affaires, because they beleeued not in God, nor followed his counsels? And therefore seeing hee sayth, I am the Lord who speaketh iustice, whom should we giue ear vn­to but vnto him, whose doing should wee credite but his, and especially, seeing that be alone & no other, seeth that which is present, and knoweth all that is past, vnderstandeth that which is doubtfull, teacheth vnto that that is secret, knoweth things to come, and withall most of all others desireth that which is good for vs? Why should I beleeue in man, and not in God, seeing that of that which is past, he knoweth nothing but that which hee hath heard; of that which heeseeth not, [Page 159]he knoweth nothing but that which hath beene told him; of secret things he knoweth no more thā hath been reuealed vnto him; of things which are present, hee knoweth no more than that which he seeth, and of things to come he knoweth no more than what hee can guesse at. S. Barnard in an Epistle sayth, That it is not without cause that God said by Esay, I am the Lord which speaketh iustice and righteousnesse, be­cause that the counsels which mē giue vs, are but coniectures and no certainties, but the counsels which God giueth vs can­not faile but be as he hath ordained. God said vnto Iacob, non frustrà dixi, quaerite me, that is, That he had not giuen him that counsell in vaine, neither did it repent Iacob at any time to haue followed it: but few men can say this, nor few counsels can bee praised in this sort: for oftentimes it were better giue a counsellor his fee, not to follow his counsell, than to follow it. He giueth me counsell in vain, who maketh me more passio­nate than already I am, and maketh me enter into more sutes than I haue already begun, because it is the dutie of a good friend to put him in his vvay vvho is out of it, lift him vp who is downe, comfort him vvho is afflicted, and quiet his mind vvho is mooued vvith passions. Vpon those vvordes of the Psalme, Audiam quid loquetur in me dominus deus, Basil the great saith, O how vvillingly I vvill heare all that thou vvilt say vnto me O good Iesus, because thou art eloquent in spea­king, vvise in counselling, pittifull in pardoning, iust in succou­ring, mighty in commanding, bountifull in giuing, and true in accomplishing all that thou doest promise. What did euer good man aske of thee, but thou hast commanded it to bee giuen him, and what hast thou commanded but hee hath ob­tained? What can a man giue but that which hee hath, and what can a man say, but that which he knoweth? Seneca vnto this purpose sayth, That if we find a man eloquent in spea­king, vve shal find him weake in vvit, to put that in execution vvhich he speaketh; insomuch that if it be a pleasure to hear him, it is daugerous to beleeue him. If vvee find a man that is iust in releeuing him vvho is oppressed, vve shall find him ve­ry [Page 160]hard in forgiuing his owne enemy; insomuch that if he be iust in other mens iniuries, he is very vindicatiue of his owne. It is the property of a man, that if he haue much temporall goods at his commandement, he hath no vvill to spend them vvith any; so that if by the request of friends, or importunitie of neighbours, he do part vvith any thing, he doth vveep be­fore he doth leaue it. It is the property of man, although not of a wise man, to desire to be heard, although he cannot speak, to be feared although he haue no authority, and wel beloued although he cannot loue, and be beleeued although he speak not true, and he vvill bee serued although hee haue no need. What tongue can speake it, and vvhat heart can suffer and endure to talke vvith a foole, to loue an vngratefull man, to aske and craue of a niggard, deale vvith a liar, and serue a proud man? Hee vvho forgetteth God, and dealeth vvith man, cumbereth himselfe vvith all these inconueniences, and bindeth himselfe vnto all these obligations, and the rather because there is no man vvho trusteth long another man, but in the end is paied for it. To come then vnto our purpose, the good theefe was most happy in vvorshipping Christ alone, and beleeuing in him onely: for reward vvhereof Christ said vnto him alone and no other, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. It is a great pitty to see how many Leuites and Priests, Lawyers and ancients, neighbours, and acquaintance of Christ vvere about the crosse, looking how he suffered, & vvatching how he died; vnto none of all vvhich he said, He­die me cum eris in Paradiso, as he did vnto the good theefe; in so much that they heard the words, but vvanted the promise. Seeing our good Iesus (saith Chrysostome) vvas determined to giue the good theefe glory, vvhy did hee not giue it him, and hold his peace? And seeing hee did not send him vvord by a third person, vvhy did he not tell it him in secret, and in his eare? And seeing he vvould not tell him in secret, but pub­likely, why did he not defer the reward? And yet if he would not defer the reward, vvhy did he not send him to heauen a­lone, but vvould take him to Paradise vvith himselfe? All [Page 161]these are such high mysteries and such deepe secrets, that there is no wit able to vnderstand them, nor tongue able to set them forth, nor hand able to write them, and therefore it is necessary for vs to craue for the grace of our Lord to di­rect vs in it, and the holy Ghost to lighten vs. When Christ said vnto the theefe, This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise, it is as if hee had said: O thou theefe my friend and fellow, seeing that I know with whome I speake, it is al­so reason, that thou doe know who speaketh: and therefore I let thee vnderstand, that I am the creator of heauen, I am the redeemer of the world, I am the Prophet which is desired, I am the Messias promised, I am the giuer of the Gospell, and I am also the Lord of Paradise. Let all men beare wit­nesse with me, & therefore I speake it openly, that I bequeath my eternall Paradise vnto this theefe by this Will and Te­stament, because that all such which shall succeed me in my church, may know how well I recompence those which serue me, and how well I deale with those which follow mee. An­selmus crieth out and saith, O glorious theefe, O happy theef, how fortunate and lucky wast thou, seeing thou diddest no­thing but that which did content our good Iesus, nor saidest nothing but that which well liked him! Thy feet with the which thou diddest follow him were happy, the eies with the which thou didst suffer with him was happy, the tongue with the which thou diddest confesse him was happy, & the heart with the which thou diddest beleeue in him was happy. S. Chrisost. noteth, That God did send Moises as an Embassa­dor to Pharaoh, Nathan the Prophet vnto Dauid, the great Prophet Esaias vnto Manasses, his holy Prophet Ieremy vnto King Ozias, the Prophet Daniel vnto Balthasar, and the Sa­tiricall Prophet Helias vnto king Achab. The sonne of God sent a greater imbasie and greater Embassadours vnto the theefe, than God the father did vnto the Kings, seeing that vnto the theefe which was crucified on the crosse with him, he sent no other embassador than himselfe, & so by this [Page 162]meanes, the embasie and the Embassador, were all one thing. Was it not think you the selfesame thing, seeing that it was Christ which sent the message, & the selfesame Christ which carried it? Origen in an Homilie sayth thus, The greatest message that euer came from heauen into the world was that of the incarnation, and the next vnto it was that which Christ did vnto the good theefe, insomuch that by the comming of the sonne of God the gate of glory was opened, and in the promise made vnto the good theefe the possession of it was taken. The embasie which Iohn Baptist brought vs, was that the kingdome of heauē was at hand, but the good theef saith not that he is neer vnto heauen, but that he is within heauen, S. Iohns was a great embasie, when he said, Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world: but that of the theeues was better whē he said, Behold him here who hath already redeemed the world. The embasie that Samuel brought vnto Dauid was good, whē as of a shepheard he an­nointed him king but the embasie which Christ did vnto the good theef was farre better, because that there passed almost fourty years betwixt the time that the kingdome was promi­sed vnto Dauid, and the time that it was deliuered vnto him, but the theef had his kingdome promised him at two of the clock in the afternoone, and was giuen him presently toward night. The reward for bringing thee news of such a great em­basie as that of Christs was, that is, the promise of glory, he would let no man haue but he would win it himself; insomuch he who promised glory & gaue glory, was the glory it self. O good Iesus, redeemer of my soule, & dost thou well see that in promising glory & Paradise that thou doest promise nothing but thy self? what meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this? Dost thou trust malefactors, cōmēd thy self vntorouers, offer thyself vnto sinners, cōmit thy self vnto theeues? If thou thinkest thy selfe ouercharged with this theefe, giue him the Prouince of Achaia, giue him part of Assyria, giue him the kingdome of Palestine, giue him the monarchy of Asia: for in giuing him as thou doest giue him thy selfe, if thou were [Page 163]not God as thou art, it would seeme that thou shouldest pre­iudice many. Is there any other Paradise but to enioy thee, is there any other glory than to see thy face, is there any greater contentment than to be in thy company, is there any goodnesse but that which commeth from thy hands? This day thou shalt bee with me in Paradise, where thou shalt see me face to face, enioy my essence, dwell with my person, haue the fruition of my glory, thy death shall die, and thy life shall rise againe. This day thou shalt bee with mee in Pa­radise, where thou shalt be alwaies mine, and I will be thine, where thou shalt serue mee, and where I will loue thee with­out end, where thou shalt leaue sinning, and I neuer cease to doe thee good. This day thou shalt bee with mee in Para­dise, where thou shalt see ioy without sorrow, health with­our griefe, life vvithout death, light vvithout darkenesse, company vvithout suspition, plenty vvithout want, and glo­ry without end. This day thou shalt bee with mee in Para­dise, where youth doth neuer waxe old, old age doth neuer appeare, beauty neuer fadeth, health neuer decaieth, ioy neuer waxeth lesse, griefe is neuer felt, no vvailing euer heard, nosorrow euerseene, and death feareth nor. This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise, where thou shalt go from the goulfe to the [...]auen, from the battaile to the triumph, from the streame to the spring, from darke­nesse vnto light, from vva [...] to vvealth, from a dreame vn­to the truth, from faith to hope, from cold loue to per­fect and seruent Charitie. This day thou shalt bee vvith mee in Paradise, vvhere thou shalt not know how to vveepe but laugh, not complain but bee [...]oifull, nor aske but g [...]e, not blaspheme but blesse, not sigh but sing, not hate but loue, not mislike but praise, not die but liue. This day thou shalt bee [...]th mee in Paradise, vvhere thy handes shall touch that which they desiced, thy eies see that th [...] they looked for, thy eares heare that which they loued and thy heart possesse that [Page 164]which hee groned for. This day thou shalt bee vvith mee in Parachse, vvhere thou shalt nor feare the deceits of the Diuell, the cockering of the flesh, the vanitie of the world, the ambushes of thy enemies, the suddaine passi­ons vvhich fall out euery day, the necessity of euery hour, nor yet the anxiety and griefe of mind. This day thou shalt bee vvith mee in Paradise; vvhere there is no night which is darke, nor day which decreaseth; no rough Winter, nor troublesome Summer, no cold to freeze thee, no heat to distemper thee, no famine to weaken thee, no thirst to make thee drie, no death to make thee afraid, nor life which shall haue any end. O my soule, O my heart, wilt thou not tell mee vvhat thou doest thinke vpon, or what thou doest contemplate on, seeing thou hearest not this which is spoken: doest thou not marke vvho speaketh it, nor vnto vvhom hee speaketh it, nor doest thou regard vvhere it is spoken? Hee vvho speaketh is the sonne of God, hee vvith vvhom hee speaketh is a theefe, that which he sayth is that he promiseth Paradise, the place vvhere hee speaketh is the Mount of Caluary, the houre vvhen hee speaketh is at the point of death, and those before whome hee speaketh is the vvhole Synagogue. Is it possible that an imbasie accompanied vvith these many circumstances, should not bee new and heard? For in Scripture there is no­thing necessary, that is not full [...] mystery. Certainly this was a very new thing, seeing that Christ neuer had this word Paradise in his mouth not from the time of his incarnati­on, vntill the last houre that hee departed out of this world, and then hauing no other there but the theefe which bare him company at that time he promised him Pa­radise. O my soule, if thou wilt haue part in Paradise, behold vvhat a one the sonne of God is vvho giueth it, and be­hold vvhat hee doth vnto the theefe vnto vvhom hee gaue it; and as thou diddest see vvhat they doe, so doe thou force thy selfe to doe the like. O my soule, O my heart, [Page 165]doest thou not see that our Lord who giueth Paradise is vp­on the crosse, and that the theefe vnto whom heauen [...] giuen, is also vpon the crosse, & therefore that the crucified doth nor giue the reward of Paradise but vnto another crucified. Saint Barnard vpon the Passion sayth, for mine owne part I thinke not my selfe deceiued, but I know that the naked giueth not his kingdome but vnto another naked, he whose ioints are vn­loosed, vnto another whose ioints are also loosed one from an other, hee that is couered with bloud, vnto another couered with bloud also, and the crucified vnto another crucified. Thou that sittest sporting thy selfe what doest thou aske of him who suffereth on the crosse? Thou that art clothed and reclothed, what doest thou craue of him who is bowelled vpon the crosse? Thou that art faire and fat, what doest thou aske of him who is on the crosse, one member rent from one another? Thou that art at freedome and liberty, what doest thou aske of him who is nailed and fastened vpon the crosse? If thou wilt heare (sayth Anselmus) O my soule, Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso, Lift vp thy affections from the earth, let thy heart bee free from all passions, let thy flesh keepe watch and vvard ouer her inclinations, crucifie thy liberty on the crosse, let bloud thy fancie of all presumptions, and bury thy affections that they may not appeare. If thou wilt ascend as high as heauen, it is necessary, that with the theefe thou take the crosse for thy ladder to steale it: for otherwise al­though thou bee a companion with him in sinning, yet for all that thou shalt not so be in raigning.

CHAP. XIIII. Why the sonne of God did not say vpon the crosse vnto all men, Amen dico vobis, as hee did say vnto the theefe Amen dico tibi: aad how he was the first martyr which died with Christ, and the first Saint which he canonized.

LOquetur ad eos in ira sua, & in furore suo conturbabit eos, said king Dauid in the se­cond Psalme: as if hee would say, when the great God of Israell shall bee angry and troubled, hee will speake vnto the wicked men with anger, and when hee shall trouble their iudgements, it shall bee with great anger. Our Lord doth threaten the wicked whome hee meaneth to punish, with two grieuous scourges, that is, that hee will speake in anger to feare them, and trouble their iudgement that they shall not bee able to guesse at any thing aright. If our Lord speake vnto vs with anger, it may bee borne with, but if he trouble our iudgement, it is a thing much to be lamented: for in this wicked world, if he doe not lighten our steps to see where wee goe, wee shall fall downe vpon our face. Barnard crieth out and saith: What shall become of thee, O my soule, if he who should lead me put mee out of the way, if hee who should succour me forsake mee, if hee who should pardon me accuse me, and he who should quit mee condemne me, and he who should giue mee sight make mee blind? Saint Augustine De verbis Apostoli sayth, When it is said in Scrip­ture, that God speaketh vnto vs with anger, it is meant that he doth not speake with mercy, and when it is said that hee doth trouble vs with fury, it is to say that hee doth not lighten vs with his diuine grace, because there cannot happen vnto vs greater hurt in this world, than for God to withdraw his hand from doing vs good. There is no anger in God, as there is in [Page 167]man, with the which hee doth trouble himselfe, nor furie to moue him withall; and when wee say that he is angry, it is be­cause he vseth that punishment which in others is done with anger, and if we say that he is in fury, it is because hee vseth ri­gorous punishment towards vs, or else because hee doth not punish at all in this world: for wherin can our Lord shew grea­ter anger, than by not vsing his accustomed clemency? Our Lords wrath is appeased when hee punisheth presently after the offence committed, and he is very angry when hee defer­reth the punishment vnto hell. S. Ambrose sayth, That in the house of God, not to punish is to punish, to dissemble is to bee angry with, not to speake is to chide, to pardon is to threaten, to suffer is to let it putrifie, & to defer is to reuenge the more. Is there, thinke you, any greater punishment, than not to bee punished in this world? When doth our Lord speake vnto vs with anger, but when wee fall from his grace into sinne by our fault? God spake with anger vnto our first father, when hee said vnto him thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face, as if hee would say, Because thou hast fallen from my grace, and eaten of the apple which I did forbid thee to eat of, for a perpetuall punishment, thou shalt eat and drinke alwaies with care in thy mind, sweat on thy face, and trauaile of thy body, insomuch that at the best morsell thou shalt giue ouer eating, and fall to sighing. God spake also with anger vnto the murderer Cain, when hee said vnto him, behold the bloud of thy brother Abel doth crie from the earth vnto mee: as if he would say Because thou hast flaine thy brother Abel through malice and enuy, I cannot but doe iustice vpon thee, because his bloud crieth aloud for it of me; and thy punishmēt shall be, that thou shalt wander to and fro all the daies of thy life, and thy head shal neuer cease shaking. God spake with anger vnto the great king Nabugodonoser whē he said, Eijciam te ab homini­bus, as if he would say, Because thou hast robbed my tēples of their treasures, and led away my people of the Iews captiue, thou shalt be throwne out frō the conuersation of men, & shalt liue with beasts on the mountaines, thou shalt eat hay like o­xen, and bee clothed like wild sauages with haire, vntill thou [Page 168]doest acknowledge mee for to bee thy Lord, and thy selfe to bee a sinner. God spake with anger vnto the great Priest He­li, when hee said, Ego praecidam brachium tuum, &c, as if hee would say, Because thou diddest not punish thy children when they stole away the sacrifices, and behaued themselues dishonestly vvith women in the Tabernacle, I will take thy Priesthood from thee, I will kill thy steward, and will make that no old man come into thy house, in so much that thou shalt haue no children in thy stocke to inherite after thee, nor ancient men to counsell thee. To come then vnto our purpose, God vsed this kind of speech vnto the Synagogue, but now speaketh otherwise vnto the church, as is easily seene in the death of Christ, when hee said vnto the theefe, Hodie mecum eris in Paradise. Wee doe not read that Christ did euer vse this woord of anger so oft as hee hath done the woord of mercy, the which hee hath vsed often, as Per viscera misericor­diae dei nostra, said holy Zachary in his song: as if he would say, The sonne of God came downe from the highest of heauen into the earth, moued thereunto by the bowels of his mercy. The holy Prophet dooth in this open a high mystery vnto vs, whereby hee giueth vs to vnderstand, how entirely our Lord dooth loue vs, seeing that hee doth visite vs vvith the bowels of his mercy. There bee many vvhich haue this word Mercy in their mouth, but not in their hands, and those bee such as are faire in speech, but cruell in deedes, and such vse sweet speech to take men, and flattery to kill them. Others there bee which haue mercy in their handes, and nor in their tongues, the which are rough in words, but mild and gentle in deeds, and those offer blowes but strike not, they feare but kill not. Only our sweet Iesus hath mercy & pity in his mouth, seeing hee dooth so much commend it vnto vs, and in his deedes seeing hee dooth vse it so much, and also in his bowels because hee dooth loue vs so much. S. Barnard sayth vnto this purpose, Our Lord would not place mercy in the eies, least they should make him blind, hee would not place it in the eares, for feare they should make him deaffe, hee would not [Page 169]place it in the handes, for feare it should bee lost, hee would not put it to keepe in the body for feare least it should grow old, neither yet in the tongue for feare hee should be dumbe: But our good Iesus put it to keepe in his heart to bestow it vpon those whom hee loueth, and keepeth it within his bow­els, because that all that which is loued with the heart is kept within the heart. O good Iesus, O the life of my soule, I be­seech thee by the bowels of thy mercy, that thou wouldest take pity on my sinfull soule, and seeing I haue no other Lord in my bowels but thy selfe, on whom wouldest thou bet­ter bestow the mercy which thou hast within thine, than vp­on mee! Thou diddest speake with the bowels of thy mercy, vnto the good theefe, when thou wast not content onely to say: Amen, Truly I say, but thou diddest adde tibi to thee, letting vs vnderstand, that thou diddest speake vnto him a­lone, and promise Paradise vnto him alone and vnto no other. Vbertinus sayth, That if when Christ said Amen dico, hee had not added tibi, his mother who brought forth his humanity, and the other theefe which had lost his liberty, might haue thought that hee had spoken vnto them, I say if hee had not turned himselfe vnto the good theefe, and said tibi. What meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this, doest thou speake vnto the theefe, and forget thy mother? Doest thou not speake vnto thy mother who bare thee nine months in her bowels, and doest thou speake vnto the theefe who had knowne thee but three houres? Doest thou promise presently Paradise vnto the theefe which spake but three words, and doest thou make no reckoning of thy mother, who bought thee with her teares? Doest thou bestow thy preci­ous bloud, first vpon a theefe which knew not how to do any thing else but shed bloud by the high waies, before thou do­est bestow it vpon thy mother? Would it not bee reason to pay thy mother now with the bloud that runneth from thy side, for the milke which thou diddest sucke of her breast? What more heroicall and diuine exchange could there bee made in the world betwixt the sonne and the mother, the [Page 170]mother and the sonne than bloud for milke, and milke for bloud? If thou doest looke O good Iesus that shee should speake vnto thee as the theefe did, doest thou not see that for wearines she cannot helpe thee, for griefe she cannot looke vpon thee, for feare shee cannot comfort thee, and for being astonied shee cannot speake vnto thee? I beseech thee Per vi­scera misericordia, that thou wouldest say, Amen dico vobis, as thou doest say, Amen dico tibi: For by that means thou shoul­dest comfort thy mother, satisfie the theefe, vanquishe Hell, helpe the world, and withall I should haue hope to be pardo­ned. If thou doest die for all and not for one, why doest thou not say, Verely I say vnto you, as thou doest say, Truly I say vnto thee? O sweet Iesus, and loue of my soule, seeing that vpon my knees, and my face bathed in teares, I say vnto thee, Tibi soli peccaui, I haue sinned vnto thee alone, doe not I de­serue to heare from thy mouth these words, Amen dico tibi, Truly I say vnto thee? Anselmus sayth, That it was too time­ly to giue Paradise vnto his mother, and the other theefe had not deserued it, and the great Centurion was not yet become a Christian, and the Iewes were hardened in their hearts, and therefore it was not without cause that he said vnto the theef, Amen dico tibi, and not Amen dico vobis. It was a great word which God spake vnto the first man, that is, dominamini pis­cibus maris, & volatilibus cali: but that which hee spake vnto the good theefe was farre greater, because it is far better to be companions vnto the Angels in heauen, than kings ouer beasts vpon earth. It was a great word that God spake vnto Noe, that is, I found thee iust in my sight: but this which hee spake vnto the theefe was far greater, because it is better to be iust & re­ceiue the reward of being iust, thā to be simply iust. That was a fauourable speech which hee vsed vnto king Dauid, I haue found a man according vnto my heart: but this which he spake vnto the good theefe was farre more fauourable, because that Dauid was but neere vnto his heart, but the theefe was in his heart. And it did appear easily, that Dauid was but neer Gods heart, seeing hee did sinne afterward, and it doth well appeare [Page 171]that hee had the theefe within his heart, seeing hee suffered him to sinne nor steale no more. That was a fauorable speech which God vsed vnto Abraham, that is, Num celare potero qua gesturus sum Abraham. But that which was vsed towards the theefe was more fauourable, because the greatest secret that God reuealed vnto Abraham was, that the son of God should come into the world, but hee did not onely reueale, but also shew this vnto the good theef. Christ did trust the good theef better thā he did trust Abraham, because he was the first sin­ner who saw the redemption of the world with his eies, & he was hee vpon whome the bloud of Christ was first bestowed. The precious bloud of the sonne of God was then otherwise shed towards the theefe, who was vpon the crosse, than to­wards his mother who was by the crosse; because it dropped downe vpon the garment of his sorrowfull mother, but it went to the soule of the theefe to saue him, & therevpon the holy theef went immediately to Paradise, but his sorrowful mother staied weeping on the Mount of Caluary. O holy bloud, O heauenly blame, why doest thou take such pity on the theefe, & doest deferre to giue thy mother the kingdome of heauen which thou doest giue presently vnto the theefe? Doest thou defer it to her who brought forth Christ, & take pity on him who bare him cōpany on the crosse, seeing thou doest augmēt tears in her, & diminish offences in him? It was a word of great fauor which hee did vse vnto Mary Magdalen, that Remissa ti­bi peccata multa, Many sins are forgiuen thee: but yet that was greater which he did vse to the good theefe, because hee vsed greater liberty with him thā with hir: for if he loued her & par­doned her, he loued the theef like a friend, pardoned him like a Christian, & rewarded him lika a iust man. Barnard saith vn­to this purpose, That it is a signe of great loue to pardon, but a greater sign to giue & pardon; because that pardon is sometime giuē by force, but a gift neuer cōmeth but of free wil. Origē vpō Mathew crieth out, O deepe mystery, O diuine sacramēt! who euer heard or saw the like vnto this, that is, betwixt the sunne rising & the sunne setting, the theef was condemned by Pilat, [Page 172]shamed by the criers, iusticied by the hangmen, confessed by his owne mouth, by Christ pardoned and also brought vnto Paradise. What meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this? Who is able to reach vnto the reason why Abel vvith his innocency, Nee with his iustice, Abraham with his faith, Dauid with his charity, Moyses with his meekenesse, I [...]b vvith his patience, Tobias with his franknesse, Lazarus with his po­uerty should so long desire to see Christ, and the theefe pre­sently enioy him!

S. Ambrose sayth, That Christ receiued in a new kind of martyrdome all the torments vvhich were giuen the theefe as a naughty man from the houre and moment that he defended Christ, and confessed with Christ: insomuch that if he began to suffer like a theefe and a rouer, hee ended and died like a glorious martyr. This happy theefe was a very glorious mar­tyr, seeing he suffered neere Christ, and with Christ, & where Christ suffered, and in the same manner that Christ suffered, and which is most of all, hee was the first martyr after Christs passion, and the first Saint which the sonne of God did cano­nize after his death. S. Stouen was the first martyr after Christs ascention, but from Christs death vntill he ascended into hea­uen there was no other Mattyr in the vvorld but the theefe, whose conuersion Christ caused, whose teares hee accepted, whose martyrdome hee approued, whose passion hee canoni­zed, and whose soule hee glorified. S. Augustine sayth, O good Iesus, O my soules delight, considering that thou doest saue him who accuseth his owne faults, and him who excuseth thy innocency, the maintainer of thy credit, the confessor of thy essence, the companion of thy person, wilt thou not saue also this sinfull soule of mine? For so great a battaile as thou hast won this day, for so great a victory as thou hast obtained, and also for so much bloud as hath issued from thee, it is a small prize to carry away with thee but one theef only, because that by so much the greater the triumph is, by how many more pri­soners the triumpher is followed with all. And if it will not please thee to take mee thither with thee, tarry thou here [Page 173]with me O good Iesus, for I desire no other glory of thee in this miserable world, but that thou wouldest let mee haue al­waies a good conscience. Origen sayth in an Homily, that it is much to be noted, and a thing to be wondered at, that Christ did not say vnto the theefe, Amen dico vobis, although there were many more there: but hee said, Amen dico tibi, to let vs vnderstand that by forgiuing him alone hee shewed his mer­cy, and by not pardoning others hee shewed his great iustice. There were store of sinners about the crosse as well as hee, which peraduenture would haue beene pardoned as well as he; but amongst them all the theefe onely deserued to heare his pardon: but by this hee maketh vs know, that there is no man which hath cause to dispaire of pardon, seeing hee for­gaue him; and yet that we presume not too much of pardon, seeing he forgaue him alone. Let the conclusion of all this be, that wee remember before wee sinne, that our Lord did not pardon the multitude that was there present; and after wee haue sinned, let vs remember that hee pardoned the theefe which suffered with him: and in so doing we shall feare his iu­stice, and remember his mercy: the which I humbly beseech him that it would please him to vse here with grace, & after­ward with glory, Amen, Amen.

CHAP. I. That the loue which the mother of God had, did exceed the loue of all other men, and also the loue of Angels.

SIcut water [...], it a ag [...] te di­ligeba [...], these are the words of holy Da­uid, 2. Reg. chap [...] 1. when [...] brought him that king Saul his enemy, and Prince Ionathas his great friend, were slaine in a battaile which they had with the Philistims. The Iewes gaue this bat­taile to the [...] the wild mountaines of G [...]boe, and when the sorrowfull newes came to king Dauid that king Saul had lost the battaile, hee began aloud to crie, and shed many grieuous teares, and said as followeth in dolefull wise. O fa­mous and renowmed Israel, why doest thou not weepe for the losse of so many excellent men, which this day they haue slaine thee, and noble Princes which this day are perished within thee? How is it possible that the strongest of Israel haue fallen downe so ignominiously, and the most famous of [Page 175]Iuda haue ended their life by sword? O how well king Saul & Ionathas should haue loued one the other when they were aliue, seeing that they left not the one the other in death, & although the cruell sword was able to take away their liues from them, yet certainly it was not able to take away their hearts from them with the which they loued one the other. What sword durst wound their hearts, or what launce durst touch their flesh, considering that Saul and Ionathas were in running more light than eagles, and in sight more strong than lions? Ionathas arrow was neuer shot but he hit, & Sauls sword drawn but he stroke. Weepe then O ye daughters of Israel, weep vpon the death of your king Saul, who clothed you in scarlet in your passeouer, and gaue you iewels of gold in your weddings. O ye mountains, O ye mountains of Gilboe, I curse frō henceforth & anathematize you for euer, to the end that it neuer raign water vpō you by day, nor any dew fal vpō you by night, seeing that you consented that the enemies of Israel should there kill Saul, and slay my good friend Ionathas in the same place. O my faithfull and old friend Ionathas, why didst thou goe to the battaile, not calling mee with thee, and why diddest thou die not taking mee with thee? My heart can re­ceiue no comfort, nor my eies cease from weeping, when I re­member how much I was bound vnto thee, and call to mind the great loue that passed betwixt vs, because that the loue which passed betwixt thee and me, was of like quality, as the loue which a mother hath when she hath but one child one­ly. It is now to bee noted, that for this last word wee haue brought all this story, whereby wee may well gather and in­ferre, that the loue which a mother beareth vnto her onely sonne, exceedeth all other humane loue. For if Dauid could haue found any greater loue, vnto a greater hee would haue compared his. King Dauid was a very holy man, and his sonne Absalon a very bold young youth, but in the end when newes came vnto him that Ioab had thrust him through, and that he was hanged vpon an oake, the poore old man made such piti­full [Page 176]complaint, and did shew such griefe for it, that euery man did perceiue plainly, that he wished himselfe rather dead thā his sonne lose his life. The which he openly said when he cri­ed aloud, My sonne Absalon, my sonne Absalon, where truly he would willingly haue gone to his graue if his sonne might haue liued. God had no better experience to proue the loue which the Patriarch Abraham bare him, but to command him to kill his onely sonne, which hee had in his house, and when the old man had lifted vp his sword to slay the young youth, the Angell tooke him by the arme, and commanded him to be quiet: for now our Lord was satisfied, to see that he loued him better than his own son. When news was brought to holy Iob, how the wise men had robbed him of fiue hun­dred yoke of oxen, and that a flash of lightning from heauen had burnt him seuen thousand sheepe, and that the Chalde­ans had taken from him three thousand Camels, and had put to the sword all the shepheards of his flocke, the good man was not grieued at all with it, nor vttered any sorrowfull word forir. But when the fourth post came to bring him news, how they had slaine his sixe sonnes, and three daughters in his el­dest sonnes house, the man of God could not dissemble his great griefe, and did shew it more by deed than by word, by rending his garments in sunder, and cutting his haire from his head, and wallowing oftentimes vpon the ground. Wee doe not read that the great Patriarch Iacob did weepe in all pe­regrinations, or complaine in all his tribulations, vntill hee heard that the wolues in the desart had eatē his welbeloued sonne Ioseph, the which euill news did strike him so near the heart, that hee said before his other children, that hee would die and goe into hell, because hee might haue space and time inough to bewaile his sonne. Sunamites the Inne keeper of Sa­maria, and hos [...]esse vnto Heliseus did so much grieue at the death of her sonne which God had giuen her by the praier of Heliseus, that shee went weeping like a foole about the fieldes, in such manner that neither her husband could bring [Page 177]her in, nor the Prophet comfort her. The great Priest Heli was so greeued vvhē it was told him that the Philistims had ouercome the Iewes, and taken the Arke and killed his two sonnes Obni and Phinees, that he fell from his seat, and imme­diately yeelded vp the ghost. The wife of old Tobias, and mo­ther vnto young Tobias, did weepe beyond all measure, and went almost beside her selfe only at the long tarrying which her sonne made in Rages a citie of the Medes, vvhether his father had sent him, to take vp certaine money, and this her griefe was so excessiue that she neuer ceassed to pray vn­to God for to keepe him, nor she neuer left off weeping vntill she saw him with her eies. I haue thought it expedient to re­hearse all these examples, the better to proue and extoll the loue which fathers and mothers beare vnto their children, and how it is not to bee compared with any other loue, and how bitterly the Parents weepe not onely for the death of their children, but also for their absence. Horace saith, That to the losse of a child, and that of the onely child, there can bee no losse comparable vnto it, because that causeth griefe at the heart, which is loued from the heart. Anselmus sayth to this purpose, that this fatherly loue is not found onely in men which are reasonable: but also in brute beasts, for we see the Henne fight with the Kite, the Storke with the Gos­hauke, the Mare with the Wolfe, the Lionesse with the Ounce, the Eliphant with the Rinoceront, the Gander with the dog, and the Pie with the Cuckow: the which fight is not only because they be enemies, but because they steale away their young ones. S. Ambrose in his Exameron saith, That the loue of the father is so great and so excessiue, that oftentimes we see brute beasts follow men which haue taken away their yong ones, wherein they let vs vnderstand that they had ra­ther be taken themselues, than see their little ones taken cap­tiues. If a br [...]te beast shew this griefe for his little oues, what shall a reasonable man doe? When Demosthenes wept bitterly the death of one of his sons, & another replied vnto him and said that he was a Philosopher; it seemeth well said hee that [Page 178]thou hast neuer been a father; nor what the loue of a sonne is, because that to haue a sonne is the greatest of all loues, & to lose him, the greatest griefe of all griefes. To come at the last vnto our porpose, what woman did euer loue her sonne, as the mother of God did loue hers? Ipsum solum tenet mater sua, & pater eius tenerè diligit eum, said the Patriarke Iudas vnto the Patriarch Ioseph his brother: as if hee would say, O most re­nowmed Prince Ioseph, I and my brothers, and my brothers and I, doe humbly beseech thee vpon our knees, and request thee with many tears, that thou wouldest forgiue our yonger brother Beniamin, the taking away of the golden flask which was found in his bag, because his dolefull mother hath no o­ther son, and his old father loueth him with most tender loue. These words may better be spoken of the virgin and of her sonne, than of Beniamin, and his mother Rachel, who had more than one sonne, although shee knew it not, seeing that Ioseph Beniamins brother was aliue, & the most richest & mightiest of all Egypt. The eternall father had no other sonne but this alone, and the immaculate virgin had no other but Christ on­ly: for the father neuer engendred other naturall son but this, and the mother neuer brought forth other sonne but this. We may very well say of the father, that hee did loue his son ten­derly, seeing hee gaue him all his nature, all his wisedome, all his power, all his will, and also all his might and authority. What being had the father which the sonne had not, what knew the father which the sonne knew not, what could the father doe that the sonne could not doe, what had the father that the sonne also had not? What is it to say, that hee loued him tenderly, but that the father loued him with most entire loue, insomuch that he denied him nothing which he had, nor hid nothing from him of that hee did know? Let vs leaue off the loue of the Father, and let vs speake somewhat of the loue of the mother, who loued her precious sonne with a tender heart, and wept for him with tender bow­els. O most sacred Virgine, how shouldest thou not loue thy blessed sonne very tenderly, seeing that vvhen [Page 179]thou diddest bring him into the world, thou vvast young and tender? When the Virgine that bringeth foorth a child is tender, the child vvhich shee bringeth forth is tender; the time also young and tender, why should not the loue with which shee loueth it bee also ten­der? If Iacob who had twelue children, loued one of them with tender and sweet loue, is it to bee thought that the mo­ther of God hauing but one onely sonne, would not loue it with most tender and sweet loue? and so much the rather be­cause Iacobs loue was deuided into the loue of many sonnes, but our blessed Ladies loue was wholly drawne to the loue of one only. S. Barnard vpon Missus est saith, That there is no loue vpon earth which may not bee waighed and measured, excepted only the loue which the sonne of God bare vnto his mother, and the mother vnto her sonne; the vvhich vvas such, that all the Angels could not measure it, nor yet all the saints weigh it. Anselmus saith, That those which are fathers, and those which are called mothers cannot loue their chil­dren, as much as the Virgine did loue hers, nor yet they are not bound vnto so great loue; because they are bound to loue their neighbours as themselues, their brothers as themselues, and their God more than themselues. Loue which is deuided into so many parts, cannot possibly bee equall with that loue which the Virgine bare her sonne. Loue that is pure and not fained, cannot bee spread abroad, but gathered in one, not in many but in one, not deuided but entire, not stroken but hea­ped vp, not for a time but for euer, not finding excuses or faults but suffering, not suspitious but confident and trusting. And he who obserueth not these lawes, hath no cause to say that hee loueth. These causes ought neither to want in him who lo­ueth, nor in him which is beloued: for if they doe, wee should not call them louers but acquaintance, for vnder the law of loue there is neither a defect admitted, nor a complaint suffe­red. There is no defect admitted because loue maketh all whole: there is no complaint suffered, because loue maketh all gentle and mild: there is no iniury done because loue [Page 180]dissembleth all, there is no sloth in loue, because heis watch­full, he is not a niggard because he can denie nothing. O glo­rious Queene, O the light of my felicity, who did euer better keepe these high bonds of loue like vnto thee? The blessed mother of God, Tenerè diligebat filium suum. For being as he was flesh of her flesh, bones of her bones, bloud of her bloud, bowels of her bowels, how should she loue him, but like vn­to her owne entrals? Tenerè diligebat filium suum, She loued her sonne tenderly, seeing she loued him as her sonne, she lo­ued him with the zeale due to a bride groome, serued him as her husband, vsed him as her brother, reuerenced him like a father, worshipped him as a God. Shee loued him tenderly, seeing she went to Bethelem, and with the teat in his mouth she carried him into Egypt, and being a child of twelue years she brought him into the Temple, and neuer forsooke him al the time that he went a preaching, and that which is most of all to be noted, she wept for all his trauails and vexations, and with her fingers ends supplied all his necessities. And how did shee supply them but by watching in the night, and wea­uing in the day? She loued him tenderly, seeing shee adored him in his presence, she contemplated on him in his absence, she succoured him in his necessities, shee followed him in his iournies, and comforted him in his aduersities. What would the child that the mother would not likewise, and what did the mother aske that the sonne did not giue her? They liued in one house, they did eat at one table, and that which shee gained with her fingers was common betwixt them, and that which was giuen to him for preaching, they spent together. What should I say more? they praied for all sinnes together, and they wept for all sinnes together.

CHAP. II. How that if the loue which the mother bare vnto her sonne was great, so likewise the loue which the sonne bare his mother was no lesse: and to proue this there is expounded asaying of the Canticles.

INtroduxit me rex in cellam vinariam, & or­dinauit in me charitatem, said the espou­sed of her espouse and bridegroome, tal­king of rich iewels which hee gaue her: and it is as if she would say, The light of my eies and ioy of my heart, toke me by the hand, and led me into the wineseller and told me the order of true loue. S. Barnard saith, O welbe­loued bride, why doest thou tel it abroad, that thy bridgroom carried thee to drinke into the wineseller, & taught thee how to bee farther in loue, seeing thou shouldest be angry to haue it spoken of, and to doe it thou shouldest be ashamed? Other brides are wont to goe to the meddowes to gather flowers, to gardens to cut fruits, to shops to buy gownes, to the common places of recreation, to visite their friends, and doest thou go to the winesellers among the cups? Doest thou not know that the noble and fine dame is noted of Incontinency, if she smell of nothing but of wine? So strange a matter wine ought to be vnto thee O thou bride of the Lord, for to thinke of it would be imputed vnto thee for a curiosity, to aske for it an euill example, to smell of it a fault, to drinke it a scandall, and to bee dronke a sacriledge. Plato sayth, That in the glorious times and golden age of the world, kinsmen kissed their kins­women for no other reason, but for to know whether they had drunk any wine for if they had they either were put to death for it, or banished into some island. If Plutarch doe not de­ceiue vs, it was an inuiolable law in Rome, that if any Matron [Page 182]of Rome had any necessity to drinke wine, either because shee was weake, or because shee was sicke, the Senate onely should giue license vnto her, and she notwithstanding drinke it out of Rome. Macrobius saith. That two Senators chiding in Rome, the one told the other that his wife was an Adul­teresse, & the other replied and told him that his was a drun­kard: and being debated in the Senate which of the two was most iniuried, it was agreed on by them al, that it was a grea­ter infamy for a woman to be a drunkard than an adulteresse. If this bee so, as true it is, why did this chosen dame & dain­ty bride not onely drinke wine, but goe also to the seller for it? Why doth she goe to fet it, & if she for it, why doth she drink of it, & if she drink of it, yet why is she drunke with it? What doe I say that she is drunke with it, seeing she doth inuite all men to drink of it? The spouse which saith openly, Bibite amici & inebriamini charissimi, what els doth she say, but drinke my friends, & you my dearest of all be drunke? Thou my sweet loue saiest that in tauerns & sellers where the wisest are wont to lose their wit and sence, the greatest loue is showne. How dost thou say, Quòd ordinauit in me charitatem, seeing a tau [...]rn is the place where patience is lost, anger kindled, lying hath the vpper hand, gluttony filleth it selfe, & vertue weakened? Maruaile not my brother, maruell not to hear me say, that he brought mee into the winesellers: for into the seller whither my deare bridegroome brought mee, there enter none but such as are predestinated, and none but the chosen drinke of those wines. Barnard saith, That the diuine seller whither this bridgroom brought his bride is the sacred & holy scripture, in which the vessels are also the holy scriptures, & the wine with­in those vessels was the son of God promised in the old law, & that wine began to bee sold, whē good Iesus began to preach. Why did the maister of the feast keep that wine to drink of in the end of the mariage, but only to let vs vnderstād that the cups & mysteries of holy scripture were to bee opened in the end of the old law? Whē Christ said vnto his Apostles, Other mē haue takē pains & you are entred into their labors, in these [Page 183]words hee would say that the Fathers of the old Testament, haue planted & pruned the vines, & gathered the grapes, but yet the Apostles only drank of the wine, seeing they did reach vnto the secret mysteries of holy scripture. Our Lord did put all the twelue Princes of the church in this seller, when in the parler he made them drunk with the grace of the holy ghost, by reason of which drunkennesse there was no secret which they did not reach vnto, nor mystery which they did not vn­derstand. O precious wine, O happy drunkennes! considering that at that very hour, whē the Princes of the church entred into that seller, of fearful mē they became stout, of simple men learned, of dul men very wise, & being without deuotion be­came very feruēt, & of dumbe mē very eloquent, & of fishers preachers. In that holy seller, pride lifteth not vp it selfe, they call for no enuy, no gluttony cōmeth neere thē, they know no wantonnesse of the flesh, there entereth in no sloth, nor they know not what malice is. In the seller of God the gate is hu­mility, patience the gouernes, charity cōmandeth, abstinence ruleth, diligence watcheth, and deuotion triumpheth. Who would not drink of such wine as this is, & who would not enter into so blessed a buttery? Origen vpō the Canticles saith, That the seller of wine vnto the which the bridegroom brought his bride, is no other thing thā this holy catholick church, where the cups are the sacramēts, & the wine which is kept in thē are the seuen gifts of the holy ghost, by whose means the church can neuer erre, & without thē no mā can euer be saued. What shold become of the child new born, who hath neither faith nor hope, if he were not put presently into that glorious shop? What are the cups which we drink in, but onely his great be­nefits & fauors through his meere mercy & free liberality be­stowed vpō vs? When we be baptized we drinke of his cup, whē we are strengthened by his diuine power against the in­ward enemy we drink of his cup, whē wee receiue grace to re­pent vs of our sins, we drink of his cup, & whē we passe out of this life in his loue and sorowfulnesse for our sins, we drink also of his cup. Behold then how this wine is kept, & how the last [Page 184]cup endeth with our life, and our life with the last cup. This grape out of the which this precious wine came out of, was first formed in Nazareth, borne in Bethelem, brought vp in Palestine, the vintage made on the Mount of Caluary, pres­sed vpon the crosse, where all the bloud which ran from the sonne of God, was turned into wine for to drinke of in his ca­tholicke church. It is a common Prouerbe vsed by one friend vnto another, that he will giue him all that he asketh, yea al­so his bloud; which offer wee see made, but fulfilled of none. Why doest thou offer thy friend that thou wilt shed thy bloud for him, if hee require it at thy hands, and afterwards if he aske thee any thing, thou turnest thy face from him? The sonne of God is none of these certainly, who saying and do­ing, gaue vs his body to eat, and his bloud to drinke, with the which we were redeemed, and by the which all the elect are saued. O good Iesus, with what wine doest thou make the soule of thy best beloued drunke, but with the wine of thy precious bloud? Vidi mulierem ebriam, &c, I saw a woman drunke with the bloud of the saints, sayth S. Iohn in his Apo­calips chap. 17, as if he would say, Being in banishment in the Isle of Pathmos, among other visions which I saw there, I saw a woman which was drunk, but not with the wine, which was made of grapes, but with bloud which issued out of vains. We see men drunke with wine euery day: for with this kind of drunkennesse the good Patriarch Noe was drunke, & the couetous Nabal, Cornelius, and the prowd captain Holofernes. We see men drunke with anger also euery day, and with this kind of drunkennesse king Iehu was drunke when hee slew in one day seuenty of king Achabs children, and when the cap­taine Ioab slew the captaine Abner. Wee see many drunke with enuy euery day, as Iosephs brethren when they sold him for enuy, & the wicked Pharasies which put Christ to death for enuy. We see many drunke with loue, as Hemor was with Dia [...] Iacobs daughter, & Iacob with Rachel Labans daughter, and good king Dauid with his neighbour Bersabe, and young Amon with Tamar his sister. See then how some are drunke [Page 185]with wine, some with vaine loue, some with anger, some with enuy, some vvith the wine of wicked Ambition, the vvhich are so farre out of their vvits and sences, that for to better their honour a little, they care little to lose their credite, and also to damne their soules. Wee haue read of no drunkards, we haue seene no drunkards, nor yet heard of any drunkards, which haue made themselues such onely vvith pure bloud: for although barbarous men loue to shed bloud, yet they loue not to drinke it. The catholicke church hath no [...]ewell com­parable vnto this, nor no greater riches in her holy shop than the bloud of the Saint of all Saints, and with the which shee healeth vs, vvhen vvee are sicke, shee vpholdeth vs vvhen vvee fall, maketh vs cleane when wee finne, and iustifieth vs vvhen vvee die. The Apostles vvere drunke vvith this kind of drunkennesse, when they said, Wee must rather obey God than man, and S. Peter was drunke in this sort, when hee said, Let vs make three Tabernacles in this place, and S. Paul when hee said, I am not ready onely to be bound, but also to die, and S. Laurence when he said, it is broi­led inough, turne it now and eat of it. The more pure wine S. Steuen had drunke of, the more impatiently hee would haue felt the stones vvhich hee vvas stoned vvith, and S. Laurence the coales, and S. Bartholomew his sword: but after they had entred into this holy seller, and drunke of this holy bloud, he suffered the stones as if they had been roses, and the coals as if they had been lillies. And therefore the bride had great reason to commend, and not to bee angry with her loue, for bringing her into this diuine seller, where shee slept without being awaked, and vvatched and yet sate not vp all night, and entred into it without infamy, and liued with change, and did eat without paying for the shot. O good Iesus, O the glory of my soule, wilt thou not let me goe into this holy tauerne, to drinke there if I lust one drop? Giue me leaue O good Iesus, giue me leaue, because I may know thy grace, and tast of thy precious bloud: for of all other drinkes in the world, the more I drinke of them, the greater thirst I feele of all the drops [Page 186]of bloud which thou hast shed most freely, wilt thou not giue mee one to assuage the thirst of this sinfull soule? It is also to bee noted, that the bride doth not only boast that her bride­groome did bring her to the tauerne to drinke, but did also teach her there the order which she shold keep in louing, in so much that of a plain maid, he taught her to be a curious louer. This that the bride said, Ordinauit in me charitatem, is worthy of great heed, seeing that by that the Scripture will let vs vn­derstand, that there is no loue firme and stable, if there be not an order in the maner of louing. If there be (saith Ouid) an or­der in fishing, in fouling, fighting, shall there not be also in lo­uing? And he saith further that all which fish loue not, nor all which hunt loue not, nor al which fight loue not: but al which loue, fish, hunt, and fight, because he fisheth well who fisheth for others good wil, & he hunteth well who hunteth after o­thers bowels, & fighteth wel who fighteth for anothers hart. S. Barnard saith, Take heed O my soule, take heed, that that do not happē vnto thee, that happeneth in vain worldly loue, where often those which loue chide, & those disagree which loue wel, not so much for any treasō which the one hath done to the other, as for want of order in louing. He who is not wise in his loue, is not my friend but my enemy, hee doth not loue me but diffame me. Origen vpon these words saith, That whē there is no order in loue, al endeth in disorder: for loue endeth in hatred, well-willing in detesting, seruing in offending, prai­sing into diffaming, speaking into not hearing, care into forget­fulnes, diligēce into slouth, oftē visiting into long absence, and sighing into cōplaining. S. August saith, O how well the bride saith, he hath set charity in me in good order, because that by how much the more feruēt the zeale is, & the spirit vehemēt, and the loue sodain, by so much the more it is cōuenient, that he who loueth be wise, because that the zeale may be printed in him, & the spirit moderated in him, & charity set in order. Anselmus saith also. O how well my good Iesus hath set cha­rity in good order in me, when he giueth me his holy grace to loue our Lord only for himself, & in himself, & by himself, & [Page 187]giueth me also grace to loue my neighbor only for God, and in God, and because he is the house of God. Cyprian vpon the Creed sayth, He cannot bee said with truth, that Ordinauit in me charitatem, vvho loueth God not because hee is good, but because he should giue him Paradise, and hee who forsaketh sinne not because it is naught, but for feare of hell, and if he loue his neighbour it is not because hee is a Christian, but be­cause hee is his friend, in so much that such a one would nei­ther loue God, nor his neighbor, but in hope to get some pro­fite by it. This kind of loue the Deuill had in the beginning, vvho when he should haue loued God in God, and for God, loued himselfe in himselfe, and for himselfe; insomuch that when he went about to climbe aboue himselfe, he fell lower than himselfe. Then God doth ordaine all things in charitie (sayth Remigius) when he setteth mee in the right way, and doth lighten me, and when my loue beginneth in him, conti­nueth in him, and endeth in him: because that cannot be cal­led true loue, which is not grounded in God for God and by God. Irenaeus in an Homily saith, I will say thē with the bride that he hath ordained charity in me, when hee hath set such order to my eies, that they see no vaine thing, and when hee stoppeth my ears that they heare no prophane things, & bri­dle my tongue that he speak no superfluous things, & shut vp my heart that hee desire no forbidden thing. S. Gregory vpon Iob sayth, That seeing there is nothing bad but that which our Lord hath forbiddē, we dare say boldly, that no mā ought to desire that which is not lawfull for him to get. S. Ierome to Priscilla saith, O vvith vvhat great truth, he may say with the bride, Ordinauit in me charitatem, vvho holdeth himselfe for a sinner, and others for iust, and hee who acknowledgeth a fault in himselfe, and preacheth innocency in others! for otherwise it should bee no Christian charity, neither is it permitted in the law of God to loue goodnesse in my neighbour, and re­taine naughtinesse in my selfe. To come at the last vnto our purpose, vvho in this life hath or shall enter so farre into the shop and storehouse of our Lord, as the mother of our Lord, [Page 188]and that without spot? No man went so farre into the selle [...] of our Lord, nor no man drunke off so many wines as she did, because shee left no cup vntasted of, neither was there any grace of the holy ghost, vvhich shee was not replenished with. Saint Ierom [...] saith, That grace was giuen vnto all other Virgines, by weight and measure, but vnto the mother of God, it vvas not giuen by weight and measure, but heaped vp. The Angels in heauen, neither yet the holy men de­parted did not reach vnto so many secrets of God, as the mother of God did: because it is to bee beleeued, that hee who did trust and credite her, would hide nothing from her. O mother of my redeemer, tell mee what couldest thou not doe, what hadst thou not, or what didst thou not know when thou haddest my God in thy wombe? O Virgin blessed and beloued of the Lord, thou maist well say, Dilectus meus mihi, & ego illi, seeing that if he hath placed thee in his eter­nall storehouse, thou diddest put him in thy virgins wombe, where thou diddest teach him to know what it was to bee a man, and hee taught thee what it was to bee the mother of God. As Iobs sonnes went sporting themselues from house to house, so the mother of God and the sonne of God went from seller to seller recreating themselues, and the mother told the sonne what hee should haue in this world, and the son told the mother how they shold rest in heauē: the which speeches the holy Orders of heauē were not worthy to hear. O (saith S. Barnard) how cōtent the sonne of God was of the wineseller, vvhere his mother kept him: for vvithout compa­rison he tooke more pleasure in the chast cogitations vvhich hee saw in his mothers wombe than in the milke which hee sucked at her breasts. Anselmus also saith, O what a thing it had been to see in that virgins wombe, the sonnes life vvithin the mothers life, and the sonnes body within the mothers bo­dy; and which is most of all, though their bodies were sepe­rated the one from the other at the time of his birth, yet their hearts vvere neuer seperated at all.

CHAP. III. Of the first and second word which holie Simeon spake vn­to our Lady: and how many fall from the law of Christ, without his fault.

ECce hic positus est in ruinam, & resurrectionem multorum in Israel, Luke the second chapter. The great Chronicler S. Luke saith, That the first time that the mother of our Lord went abroad, the mother and Ioseph her and were in a maze, and wondered at that that Simeon said of the child, and of that which the holy woman Anna Phanuel prophecied of him before them all. S. Cyprian vpon this place saith. If the great wonders which Simeon spake of Iesus the child, did make the mother ioifull, so like­wise they put the Angels in a wonder and maruell, because they said of him, that he should be the light of the Gentiles, the glory of the Iewes, and the redeemer of all Nations. And Simeon not contented with that which he had said, although he were very ioifull of that which he had seene, said further that hee desired not to liue any longer in this world but die presently, seeing that he had already seene with his eies that which his hart had so long time wished for. It is a natural con­dition of the hart which hath long wished for any thing, if at any time he hath that before his eies which he bought with many sighes rather to desire to die, than to be seperated from the same. Origen vpon Luke saith, That all the praises which Simeon spake of the sonne of God, moued the mother to fur­ther loue: for if he said that her sonne was the light, she knew that shee first of all receiued light; if hee said that her sonne was honour, she knew that hee had first of all honoured her; insomuch that the Virgin did already possesse all that which [Page 190]was promised vnto others. S. Augustine sayth in a Sermon. That Simeon did very well say, that the child Iesus was the light of the Gentiles, considering that he brought them vn­to this holy faith; and that he was the glory of the Iews, see­ing that there neuer came any one out of their stocke like vn­to him, which is easily seene in that that for their further ho­nour and fame, he made of a Synagogue a church, of a figure the truth, of Prophets Apostles, and of sacrifices Sacraments. It is here to bee noted, that Simeon did not say simply, Thou shalt be the glory of the people of Israel, but he added more and said, thou shalt bee the glory of thy people of Israel: the which he said for the wicked and peruerse of the Synagogue who although they were in the people of the Iewes, yet they were not of the people of Israel. Abel, Seth, Noe, Sem, Abra­ham, Iacob, Ioseph, and Dauid, and all the Prophets were of the people of God, of all whome the sonne of God was the honour and glory, seeing they beleeued in him, before that he came into the world, and were saued in the faith in which they liued. Cain and Cham, Ismael and Esau, Roboam and A­thalia, Iesabel, Annas & Cayphas did all dwel among the peo­ple of God, but they were not of the elect number of the people of God, because that no man can bee called a neigh­bour of the children of God, but hee who beleeueth sted­fastly in God. Let me (saith Chrysostome) be of the number of the people of God, because I may bee lightened with thy light, and glorified with thy glory, seeing that no man can be lightened but whome thou doest lighten, nor glorified, but whom thou doest glorifie. O how many there bee at this day in the church that be not of the church, and how many in re­ligion, which bee not of the religion! Because that our perfe­ction and saluation doth not consist in the names wee beare, nor in the places we haue, but in the good or euil liues which we lead. What doth it auaile me to bee called a Christian, if I lead the life of a Pagan, or what doth it helpe me to be cal­led a religious man if I liue like a worldling? As the sonne of God came into the world not to the honour of those which [Page 191]were in the people, but of those which were of the people, so thou my brother shouldest bee of the number of the religi­ous, and not in the number: for otherwise thou shalt be as Saul was among the Prophets, and as Sathan vvas amongst the children of God. Origen sayth, That when Simeon did deuide Christs gifts, he gaue light vnto the church: saying, Lumen ad reuelationem gentium, A light to the reuelation of the Gen­tiles: and he gaue the Iewes honour and glory, saying, Ad glo­riam plebis tuae Israel, which honour and glory they deserued to lose when they went about by all the means they could to dishonour the sonne of God vpon the crosse. The son of God gaue great honour and glory vnto the Synagogue, if the Iews could haue known it; and that is, in that he vouchsafed to di­scend of them, and bee borne amongst them, and in that hee would conuerse among them, & preach among them, and do so many miracles to thē: but because they knew him not, nor were not gratefull vnto him for it, all that glory and fame is turned into their dishonor and infamy. The light which hap­pened vnto the Gentiles, of which our holy mother the church is discended, was neuer taken from them, as the ho­nour was taken from the sorrowfull Iewes: for since that the holy Ghost was sent vpō the holy Apostles, we neuer saw the church of God erre nor go astray. O what inspeakable ioy the mother of God receaued at that time, whē she saw her preci­ous son presented vnto the tēple, offered to holy Simeon, praised of Anna the Prophetesse, & the vsuall offering offered vp for him! His mother reioiced much to haue him in her armes, to looke on him with her eies, to giue him suck with her breasts, to offer sacrifices for him, and to hear those maruellous things which the old men spake of him. The Virgin then being ve­ry ioifull to heare Simeon, and much more of that which shee saw in her son, the good old Simeon turned himselfe vnto our Lady, and did behold her saying, Ecce hic positus est in ruinam, as if hee would say, I haue often told thee, my daughter, that this my Lord and thy sonne should be the light of the Gen­tiles, and the glory of the Iewes: but now I tell thee al­so, that he shall be a stumbling blocke for many to fall by, [Page 192]and a helpe for many to rise by againe, and hee shall bee as it were the white in a butt, which very many shall shoot at, but few at all hit. Dauid in his Psalme spake of Christ, that which vvas not vnlike vnto that that Simeon spake of Christ; that is, Cadent in retitulo eius omnes peceatores, as if hee would say, All the sinners of the vvorld shal fall into his nets, my selfe excepted who am saued by special priuiledge. And it is much to bee noted, that the Prophet doth not say, that there is not any one constrained to fall into the net, but they will fall into it of their owne voluntary vvill, and entangle themselues; and so vve may say that there is no fault of the maisters net, if he making and arming his net to take fish, yet men will fall, into it. Neither did Simeon say, when he spake of Christ, that hee should be the fall of many; but hee said, Positus est in ruinam, Because there is very great difference if I make you fall, al­though you vvould not fall, or to fall or stumble on me with­out my making you fall. Remigius vpon S. Luke saith, That notwithstanding that Dauid doth say that all sinners shal fall into his net, and that Simeon doth say that hee is put a stum­bling blocke, I say that notwithstanding all this, wee should beare false witnesse against the sonne of God, if wee should say that hee hath beene the cause that any man hath fallen from the faith: for it cannot be spoken of the selfe same per­son, that he is come to redeeme vs, and that hee is the cause of our damnation. If I make a bridge ouer the which all men may goe ouer a strong and a dangerous riuer, what fault am I in, if you cast your selfe downe from it into the riuer, seeing that I made it to the end that you might goe ouer safely, and you would needes throw your selues headlong into the vva­ter? When the sunne doth cast his morning beames ouer all the world, what fault is he in, if through his heat and bright­nesse the durt be hardened, and waxe made soft? If there be a stone put to passe ouer a quagmire or durtie place, and you fall and beray your selfe, what fault is the stone in, seeing that you could not stand vpon it? The sonne of God was no­thing else in this world, but a bridge for vs to passe ouer, and a [Page 193]sunne with the which wee should haue lightened our selues, and a stone vpon which we should tread on, and a sword vvith the which we should haue defended our selues: and shall hee then be in any fault, if wee turne that into poyson, which hee gaue vs for triacle? Cassiodorus vpon the Psalme saith, That all the sinners of the earth shall fall into his net without any fault at al in the son of God: for seeing he came into the world, preached vnto the world, amended the world, taught the world, and redeemed the world, what fault is there in him, if a man damne himselfe, considering that hee will not keepe the law which is giuen him by God? Christs holy law is not an occasion for vs to fall, nor suspicious to be beleeued in, nor obscure to bee vnderstood, nor hard to bee kept, in so much that the danger is not in that which he commandeth vs, but in that that we doe disobey his commandement. Then when old Simeon doth say of Iesus the child, that hee is put for a stumbling blocke vnto many, he wil not say that the sonne of God should be a cause that many should be cast away in his church, but that many would fal from his holy law, and espe­cially more perfideous Iewes than of others, who when they should haue been blowers abroad of his holy doctrine, were hangmen of his holy life. Saint Augustine sayth, That all Gentiles haue fallen into his net vvhich know him not, all Iewes by not receauing him, all Tyrants by persecuting his Martyrs, all Heretikes by falsifieng scriptures, and all naugh­ty men fall daily by blaspheming his name. Of the same flowr that the Bee gathereth honny, the spider maketh poyson: rattes bane to poyson vvith, and triacle to help men vvith, is made of the same thing: the rose which smelleth sweet, & the adder which biteth deadly, is often bred in the same bush, & of the same wood men do oft cut timber to couer a church, & to make a gibbet. Good iudgements by these examples may easily perceiue that which I haue said to bee true vvithout further triall. What fault may bee imputed vnto the sonne of God if of the same holy law the Iew gather poi­son, and the Christian honny; the infidell gathereth [Page 194]gall, and the faithfull man honny, the naughty man adders, the good man roses, the iust man findeth a church to saue him in, and the tyrant maketh a gallowes to damne him­selfe on. It is also to bee noted, that sinners will fall not into a net, but they will fall into reticulo a small net: for if we wil wel looke vnto it, Christ hath put before vs more reasons to saue our selues, than the Deuill hath set occasions before vs to damne vs. They are but small nets which the deuill doth set before vs to fall into, but they are very great and large nets, which God putteth to catch vs; but yet alas if there fall tenne into Christs net, there fall tenne thousand into the de­uils small net. Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn sayth, That according vnto the prophecy of Simeon and of Daniell, the sonne of God came for the fall of the Babilonians, Egyptians, Chal­deans, Persians and Medes, Greekes and those of Palestine, because the law of the Gospell hath been preached and re­ceiued in those places. Chrysostom saith, That the son of God came to take flesh for the fall of the Temple of Salomon, the city of Ierusalem, the sacrifices of Iuda, the ceremonies of Is­raell, and of the old Mosaicall law, and of the pride of all the Synagogue, which was all ended and gaue vp the ghost with this word, Consummatum est. The sonne of God came into the world for the ouerthrow of all sinnes: for if hee was, as hee vvas, the truth it selfe, hee was a great enemy of lies, and be­cause he highly loued charitie he hated cruelty, and because hee highly commended humilitie, hee persecuted enuy, vvhich vvas the cause that no man did euer reprehend vice more sharplier than hee, nor no man did euer extoll vertue like vnto him. The sonne of God came into the vvorld, to the vtter ruine of the famous city of Hierusalem, seeing there vvas not one tower in the citie vvhich vvas not throwne downe, no vvall which was not broken, no house vvhich vvas not barnt, no Temple vvhich vvas not bea­ten to the ground, no treasurie vvhich vvas not robbed, nor orchard vvhich vvas not spoiled, no Virgine vvhich was not violated, no woman which was not forced, no man [Page 195]which was not either slaine or taken captiue. The sonne of God came into the world for the ouerthrow of the Syna­gogue, seeing he left them no kingdome whither to goe vnto, no citie where to dwel, no king to rule them, no Patriarke to honour, no Prophet to giue them counsell, no army to defend them, no captain to fight for them. The soune of God came into the world in ruinam the ouerthrow of the Pharisies and Sadduces, cōsidering that he took away their hypocrisie from thē by which they preuailed, their authority by which they commanded, their doctrine with which they deceaued, their couetousnesse with the which they robbed, and their Symo­ny with the which they made themselues rich.

CHAP. IIII. Of the third word which old Simeon spake vnto the Virgine in the Temple: and of three authorities touching this purpose.

IN resurrectionem multorum in Israel, & in signum cui contradicetur, said holy Simeon vnto the blessed Virgine, that day when she presented the child Iesus in the Tem­ple: as if hee would say, I haue told thee my daughter Mary, how this thy son and my Lord shall bee a stumbling blocke to many, and an occasion that many which are fallen shall rise againe, and many which goe astray conuerted, and he shal be a marke and a signe which shall bee spoken against by many. Origen saith, That it doth wel appear, that holy Simeon spake by the mouth of the holy Ghost, when hee said that the son of God was come into the world, not only for all naughty & wicked men to stumble at, but also because that al goodnesse [Page 196]and good men should bee raised vp by him, because it is the dutie of a good Phisitian not only to purge the humor which offendeth, but also to strengthen it. What fruit should we re­ceiue by his comming into the world, if he should only throw downe the wicked, and not raise vp the good? Whē our Lord saith by Ieremy, Consolabor me de inimicis meis, he would vvith a farre better will forgiue vs, rather thā punish vs: but because all that is in God, is God himselfe, hee cannot doe lesse than vse his iustice, giuing notwithstanding alwaies place vnto his mercy. When he sayth, Woe bee vnto mee, vvoe be vn­to me, I must reuenge mee of my enemies, what can bee spo­ken with a more tender heart, or vvhat iustice can bee done vvith greater mercy, seeing that hee first weepeth for the sin­ner before he punish the sinne, and first shed many tears, be­fore he shew discipline vpō the malefactors? In the iudgemēt seat of vvorldly iudges, they punish sinnes without iustice, & then mocke at the sinners: but in the house of God they first vveepe for the sinners, and then they punish the sinne, be­cause there is nothing more strange to God than reuenge, nor nothing more gratefull vnto him than mercy. Perditio tua ex te Israel, ex me autem saluatio, said God by the Prophet o­see: as if hee vvould say, O vvhat paines I take with thee, O Israel! for if thou lose thy way, I put thee into it againe, if thou stumble I hold thee vp, if thou see not I direct thee, if thou fall I lift thee vp, if thou defile thy selfe I make thee cleane, if thou bee blind I giue thee light, if thou doubt I counsell thee. This speech of the Prophet is vvorthy to bee noted and also vvept, and to bee bewailed vvith many teares, seeing that hee telleth vs and admonisheth vs by it, how little vvee are able to doe of our selues, how little wee are worth, how little wee possesse, how little vvee know, seeing that it is in our owne power to fall, but vvee are not able to rise vvithout the helpe of God. Thou saiest very vvell O great Simeon, that the soune of God is come In resurrectionem multorum: [Page 197]for after wee are fallen and defiled, if hee doe not giue vs his hand, who is able to lift vs from the ground? What had be­come of the people of Israell when they were captiue in E­gypt, if our Lord had not deliuered them from thence vvith his mighty hand? What would haue become of good King Dauid when he slue innocent Vrias, and committed adultery with his wife Bersabee, if God had not giuen him counsell by the mouth of the Prophet Nathan, and lightened his heart? What had become of king Ezechias when our Lord cōdem­ned him to death, and that vnto a suddain death, if our Lord had not visited him by the hands of the Prophet Esay, and accepted his tears? What had become of the Apostle Saint Peter, when hee denied Christ three times, if our Lord when he was tied to a pillar had not looked vpon him, and prouo­ked him to teares? What had become of S. Paul when hee went to the city of Damasco to apprehend all such which called vpon the name of Christ, if our Lord had not spoken vnto him by the way, and of Saul would not haue made him Paul, and of a persecutor of Christ had not made him a prea­cher of the Gospell? What would become of thee and me, and of all the sinners of the world, if good Iesus should not giue vs light, because wee should not stumble, and giue vs his hand to rise againe? S. Barnard to this purpose saith, It may be said better of me than of any, O my good Iesus, That thy perdition is of thy selfe Israel, and thy saluation of mee. For if I hit aright in any thing, it is onely through thy grace, and if I erre it is through my owne malice: and therefore my owne sinne is able to make me fall, but to rise againe I haue need of thy mercy. Anselmus in his Meditations saith, What greater weakenesse of maine can there bee, or what greater mishap, than that if I defile my selfe, I cannot make my selfe clean a­gaine, if I be sicke I cannot make my selfe whole againe, if I ray my selfe I cannot wash my selfe againe, yea and if I sinne I cannot repent of my selfe; if our Lord doe not first giue mee his light, as hee did the good theefe on the crosse, and if hee doe not first looke vpon mee, as hee did looke vpon S. Peter, [Page 198]from the piller. Heale mee good Lord, and I shall bee made whole, Saue me and I shall be saued, saith king Dauid, as if he would say, No man is able to heale mee O my good Lord, if thou doe it not, nor no man is able to saue me, if thou dost not saue me, O my redeemer, because no mā knoweth my wound but thou, nor my felicity consisteth in none but in thee. Cassi­odorus vpon the Psalme saith, That we should note how that the Prophet doth first aske of our Lord that he would make him whole before hee saue him: for if our Lord doe not first wash the fault from vs, it is in vaine to thinke that hee should giue vs his glory. S. Basil vpon this place, Sana me domine sayth, That if thou doe not goe vvith me, nor I with thee, the more I goe about to heale my selfe, the sicker I grow, when I think to goe forward I turne backward, vvhen I imagine that I goe streight, then I find my selfe most out of the way, when I la­bour to goe most cleane and neat, I find my selfe then most of all vncleane: and that vvhich is the worst of all is, that I know not vvherein I doe best, nor cannot guesse vvhen I doe a­misse. Anselmus vpon the same place, Heale mee good Lord, and I shall bee vvhole, saith: Who but thou O my sweet Ie­sus, can cure mee, and giue mee any temedy, to such hidden wounds, and such manifest offences, to faults of such quality as mine are, to such carelesse care, such vncleane thoughts, such wicked crimes, such damnable bowels, and such in­considerate speeches? Heale mee good Lord, and I shall bee made vvhole: for it auaileth me very little, to vse helpe and not bee made vvhole, to fight and kill my selfe, to swimme & drowne my selfe, [...] to studie and not profit, to take a iour­ney and neuer come to the end, to aske and neuer haue any thing giuen mee, to serue and neuer deserue any thing. Heale me good Lord, & I shall be made vvhole of the pride which ouerthroweth mee, of the enuy vvhich rotteth in me, of the anger vvhich vvasteth mee, of the gluttony vvhich disquiet­eth me, of sloth vvhich dulleth me, of couetousnesse vvhich maketh me cruell, and of all sensuality vvhich neuer leaueth me. Heale me Lord, & I shall bee free, from the world vvhich [Page 199]deceiueth me, from the deuill which tempteth me, from the flesh which pampereth mee, from my enemies which perse­cute me, from my friends which importune me, from my euill thoughts which torment me, and from malicious men vvhich diffame me. Heale me good Lord, and I shall bee healed, not of a scab but of a sin, not of blindnes but of filthines, not of the members of my body, but of my thoughts, not of my body but wickednes, not of swollen feet, but of disordinate appetites. Heale me Lord, and I shall be healed, of my vnruly desires, of the wantonnesse of my eies, of my ouermuch speaking, of the coldnes of my workes, of the stealth of my hands, of the ma­lice of my thoughts, and of the worme of my couetousnes. O good Iesus, my only trust, heale my soule, because I haue of­fended thee in thought, I haue offēded thee in delight, I haue offended thee in omission. I haue offended thee in consent, & I haue offended thee in deed, & therefore vnto thee my fault I confesse, and therfore good Iesus take pity vpon me. Sprinc­kle me with isope, & I shal be made clean, Lauabis me & super niuē dealbabor saith the Psalmist, as if hee would say, When it shal please thee, & whē thy son shal come into the world, thou shalt sprinckle me with holy Isope, & wash me with thy preci­ous hād, by which sprinckling and washing I shall not only bee clean and without fault, but I shal remain whiter than all the snow of the highest mountains. Who is he (saith Aymon) who cōmandeth vs to wash our selues, but only the eternal father, & who is he who washeth vs, but only his precious son, & with what doth he wash vs, but with his holy bloud, and who bee those which he doth wash, but such as are of his holy church? O glorious Isope, and happy washing place, in the which the Angels if they had license to come down, and the heauenly powers if they durst, would wash themselues in? There were many riuers in Samaria, but Naaman was healed in none but in the riuer of Iordan: there were many cesterns & pooles in Ierusalem, but the diseased were helped only in the Probati­ca. There were many fountaines in Palestine, but Dauid could neuer slackē his thirst, but in the fountain of Bethelem. [Page 200]Wee will inferre of all this, that there hath been very much bloud shed in the world, but none could euer make vs cleane, but only the bloud of Christ. All water washeth not, euery fish poole maketh not cleane, euery fountaine filleth not, nei­ther doth all bloud make whole: a beasts bloud hurteth, mans bloud defileth, but the bloud of Christ doth make whole, doth wash, doth fill, and content. If wee looke curiously into the Scripture, and especially into the Apocalips, thou shalt find it to bee true, that S. Iohn did not see any Saint of heauen wash himselfe in the water which did run in the riuer, but onely in the bloud which did run from the lambe. O of what great vertue this holy bloud is of, seeing that for to wash vs and bath vs in it we need no great quantity, but a very smal deale! which is easily seene in that the Prophet doth not ask, that he would make him a pole of bloud to wash him in, but that it would please him to sprinckle him with a little Isope dipped in it. A very little is sufficient, O my good Iesus, and it sufficeth to be sprinckled with it, and not washed, seeing that one drop of thy precious bloud, sufficeth to fil thy glory with many, and to people thy church with many good men. It is much to be noted, that he vseth this word Sprinckle me with Isope, and I shall be made cleane: for by casting water with I­sope, one drop falleth here, and another there, this man is wet with it, and that man is drie: euen so it falleth out in the be­stowing of Christs holy bloud: for although it were shed for all the world, yet notwithstanding it was not emploied vpon all men. The bloud of the sonne of God is sprinkled with I­sope, seeing that the Christian is saued with it, and the Pagan condemned, the inst is made cleane, & the naughty man con­tinueth vncleane, the vertuous man is bedewed with it, and the vicious man remaineth dry, and that which is more to be lamented, some doe there wash away their offences, & some haue not one drop of it. The Priest in the Leuiticall law did clense such as were infected with a leprosie if they came vn­to him, and if they brought those things which the law pre­scribed, and if they were sprinckled seuen times with the [Page 201]bloud of the bird: but if they refused to doe any of these things, the Priest was in no fault, and their vncleannesse vvas imputed vnto themselues. The High priest the sonne of God, did die for all men, and shed his bloud for all men: but if thou Infidell or Heretike, wilt not enter into the Catho­licke church, if thou sinner or naughty man wilt at the time, when it is destributed turne thy face from it, what fault is in Christ if his precious bloud worke no vertue in thee? O how happy that soule is, vpon whom there falleth one drop not of the bloud which the priest sprinckled, but this precious bloud which the son of God sheddeth! for being washed in so deep a poolshe wil go beyond the snow in whitenes, & exceed the son in clearnes. It is time now for vs to come vnto our first purpose, & apply all this vnto that which holy Simeon spake of Christ. When Simeon sayth of Christ, that he is put to helpe vp ma­ny, and when the Prophet saith O Israell thy perdition com­meth of thy selfe, and thy saluation of mee, and when Dauid saith, Heale me Lord and I shal be made whole, and on the o­ther side Sprinckle me Lord with Isope, and I shal bee made cleane, hee letteth vs vnderstand plainly, that if wee bee not made cleane by the mighty hand of the son of God, no man else hath the power to doe it. Wherefore sayth Irenaeus did the redeemer of the world come into the world, but because wickednesse and wicked men should fall downe, and because vertue and vertuous men should rise? By his comming into the world, idolatry fell downe, and the true faith was set vp; Hypocrisie was beaten downe, and truth lifted vp; tyranny fel downe, and iustice lifted vp; malice fell downe, and innocen­cy lifted vp; reuengement fell downe, and mercy lifted vp. If thou dost come into the world (saith Vbertinus) because that all naughtinesse and naughty men should fall, who in all the world is so wicked as my selfe, or who fallen so low? What greater fal than to be fallen from thy grace? Come thē sweet Iesus, come to the lifting vp of my vertues, and come to the fall of my vices: for if thou doe not make my vices first to fal, my vertues can neuer rise. Note (saith Remigius) that Simeon [Page 202]first said of Christ, that hee was come in ruinam, before hee said that he was in resurrectionem, because it is impossible that humility should rise in mee before that my pride bee ouer­throwne, neither can patience rise in me, if my anger first fall not, neither my abstinence rise in me, before my gluttony fall, and therefore I must first suffer my selfe to die, and thē I shall rise againe with Christ, Chrysostome saith, That in the house of God, there is neuer no rising of vertues, if there be not first in her a fall of vices: wherof it followeth, that if thou wilt haue wholesome vertues to grow in thee, thou must first of necessi­ty pull all superfluous passions out of thee. S. Barnard sayth, That the sonne of God came into the world for the fall & ri­sing of many, seeing that pride fell with his humility, coue­tousnesse with his pouerty, anger with his patience, the flesh with his chastity, gluttony with his abstinence, and also igno­rance fell with his doctrine. Chrysost. saith, That the sonne of God came into the world, in ruinam & resurrectionē, whē the prowd mā becōmeth humble, the couetous mā pitiful, the fu­rious man meeke, the carnall man chast, the gluttonous absti­nent, and the cold man deuout, in so much that there is in the same man a fall of vices, and a rising of vertues.

CHAP. V. How Salomon did inherite the kingdome of his father Da­uids pleasures: and how Christ did inherite the kingdome of trauails.

IN tuam ipsius animam doloris gladi­us pertransibit, Luke 2. These be the wordes which Simeon vsed to the holy Virgin, as if hee would say, I haue told thee Mary what shal happen vnto this thy sonne: I will tell thee now what shall fall vnto thy selfe, that is, that the same sword shall end his life, and pierce thy soule. What thing more strange, or what [Page 203]more grieuous newes can be told a holy and vertuous womā, than to tell her from God that her sonnes sword shal part her heart in two? Abraham tooke a knife for his sonne Isaac, but hee killed him not. Balaam met with an Angell which had a knife, but he stroke him not: Iosue saw another Angell with a drawne sword, but he did not set vpon him, and Salamon tooke a knife to cut a child in two, but in the end he did not part him in two. What meaneth this mother of God, what meaneth this? Abrahams knife did not hurt his sonne, and thy sonnes sword woundeth thy hart. Balaam did not hurt his Asse with his sword, and doth not thy sonnes sword fauour thy heart? Iosue his sword doth offer and threaten but hurteth not, and doth thy sonnes sword wound but not threaten? Had Sala­mons knife pitie on the strumpets child, and had not thy sons knife pitie on his owne mother? Hee placed a Cherubin be­fore Paradise, and a firie sword to keepe the way of the tree, saith the holy Scripture in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Af­ter that our first Parents had transgressed the commaunde­ment of God, our Lord put there presently a firie sword to keepe Paradise, because no man should enter in, to eat of the tree which was forbidden. S. Augustine vpon this place saith, That there was neither sword nor knife in the house of God, before that man knew what sinne was, but at the same houre that he fell from grace to sinne, our Lord put both sword and gibbet in his house. Before that man sinned, there was no dore to shut in the house of god, nor Cherubin to watchit, nor sword to defend it: but immediately after man sinned, the gate was shut, and the key was lost. What is the sword which we speak of here, but onely the sonne of God in whom wee beleeue? The sonne of God is called a sword in the Apocalips, and a sword vvhich cutteth on both sides, because hee alone and no other punisheth the bad and defendeth the good, killeth those which are aliue, and raiseth those vvhich are dead. It vvas in the hands of the Cherubine to let vs en­ter in or not, into the terrestriall Paradise: and it is in the [Page 204]hands of the sonne of God, vvhether wee shal enter into the celestiall Paradise or not. Wee haue a greater and a better watch in our Paradise, than Adam had in his, because that the Cherubin did but stand at the gate, but the sonne of God is the gate it selfe. When he said I am the gate, what did hee mean else, but that he was the key with the which we should open, he was the gate through the which we should enter in, and he the guide which should direct vs, and he the Paradise which we should enioy. It is also to bee noted that the sword with the which the Cherubin kept Paradise, was neither of siluer nor gold, nor yron, but was of pure fire, which is a new and an vnusuall thing which no man would beleeue if it were not in Scripture. It is a thing often tried for yron to haue fire in it, and for yron to bee in fyre: but that a fyre should bee cal­led a sword, is neuer read but of that sword which kept Para­dise. To apply thē the figure vnto the thing figured, al mē are as it vvere yron ouercast with rust, that is, fallen into original sinne, or actuall great or small, the sword of the liuing God excepted, in vvhō there was neuer found any sin, nor the rust of any fault, but was alwaies like vnto a sword of fire, made in the forge of the holy Ghost. What was the sword vvhich kept Paradise but onely Iesus vvhich suffered on the crosse? When thou diddest say. O my sweet Iesus, I come to put fire on the earth, art not thou happily all fire, seeing that thou dost come to put all the vvorld on fire? O how much better the sword is vvhich the church hath, than that vvhich the syna­gogue vsed! Because her sword did let no man enter into Pa­radise, but ours doth open the gates vnto vs. What shall I say more, but that her sword vvas of fire, vvhich did burn, & ours is but of Loue vvhich giueth comfort? O sword of holy loue, my sweet Iesus, hovv happy I should be if I vvere dead vvith thy knife, because that that killing should bee a rising from death, that bowelling of me a letting of bloud, my end a nevv beginning, and my dying a liuing. Our Lords mercy is such, that he saith not, Ego mortifico, but he saith I doe giue life: nor [Page 205]he saith not I will strike, but hee saith I will make whole, in so much, that if he kill vs it is to raise vs to life againe and if he [...] wound vs it is to make vs whole againe. Then our Lord doth mortifie vs, when he killeth our inclinations in vs, and thē we are stroken with his hand, whē we are punished with his great mercy, and like a good surgeon hee neuer seareth the quicke flesh, but the rotten member which infecteth the rest. And because Simeon saith, that the dolours and the sword of her sonne went through the mothers heart, it is expedient for vs to stay somewhat in declaring the greifes which Christ suffe­red, because that thereby we shall know them, which he im­parted vnto his mother. Cum esset Dauid in spelumcā Obdollam, conuenernat ad eum omnes qui erant in angustia, & oppressi aere alieno, saith the Scripture 1. Reg. 22. as if he would say, When king Dauid hid himselfe in the den of Obdolla, there came vnto him all such as were banished by the order of iustice, or fled for debts; of all which sorrowfull Dauid was the Prince and captaine, for of all the afflicted he was the most afflicted. This is a high figure, and deepe mystery, worthy of great con­sideration, because in it is figured very much by Dauid, and namely the great griefes which Christ endured. O that it were farre better for me poor sinner which write this, that my soule did tast of them, than for my fingers to write them! Be­cause that the doctrine which the sonne of God teacheth is of that quality, that although it bee very good to preach it, yet it is farre better to follow it. There were many figures of Christ in the old law, but none so liuely as Dauid was: in proof whereof, they did not call Christ the sonne of Adam, nor the sonne of Moyses, but the sonne of Dauid, partly because hee was of his princely Tribe, partly because he was not so liuely figured in any as in him. God said vnto Dauid by special priui­ledge, I haue found a mā according vnto my own hart, & the Father said of Christ only, this is my welbeloued sonne, in so much, that that loue which God bare in times past vnto Da­uid, was figured afterward in the loue which hee bare to his [Page 206]deere beloued sonne. Dauid was also a figure of the sonne of God in that, that as Dauid was persecuted by his maister the king of Israel without cause, euen so Christ vvas persecuted of the Israelites, not hauing offended them at all: insomuch that if Saul did persecute Dauid of pure enuy, the Iewes did persecute Christ of pure malice. Dauid was also a figure of Christ in the denne of Obdollam, where if Christ had been, Dauid had neuer beene the captaine and prince of all the af­flicted, and banished men, but the son of God had been their ringleader, as hauing endured more griefe and vexation than all they, because he did exceed all heathenish gods in power, and all the Angels in merite, and all the Martyrs in suffering. King Dauid vvas badly handeled by his brothers defied and chalenged by Golias, banished by Saul, skoffed at by Michol, stoned by Simei, persecuted by Absalon, robbed by the Ama­lechites, vvarred by the Philistims, watched by the Ceilitas, and iniuried by the Ammonites. But notwithstanding, that king Dauid suffered many griefes and troubles, yet they may bee numbred. But what shall we say of those which good Ie­sus endured, which were so many in number, that no man is a­ble to reckon them, nor yet at all follow them? Being a verifi­ed matter that king Dauid had tenne kindes of people which did persecute him, & that he had twelue tribes or kingdomes which did obey him, it is now to be knowne who was his son vvho inherited his kingdomes, and vvho was his sonne who succeeded him in all vexations and griefes. Salomon sonne vn­to Bersabee and Dauid, succeeded him in the inheritance of his twelue kingdomes, vvith vvhome his father left him no warres to maintaine, no enemies to resist him, no succeeds to contend with him, no factions to pacifie, nor debts to pay. What did not the good old man leaue his sonne, considering that he left him al his kingdomes in peace, and great treasures laid vp for him? But vvhen forgetfull Salomon saw that his fa­ther, had left him great store of vvealth and no vvarres, hee bestowed all that in vices vvhich hee should haue bestowed [Page 207]against his enemies. King Salomon inherited kingdomes and vices, vices and kingdomes, seeing hee had threescore Queenes crowned to his wiues, and seuē hundred concubines. Salomon did inherite vices and all other daintinesse, seeing he himselfe doth commend himselfe, that his eies coueted no­thing which was denied him, nor his heart desired nothing which he did not obtaine; in so much that he did not liue ac­cording vnto that which reason did prescribe him, but accor­ding vnto that the flesh did lead him vnto. Hee vvasted his fathers treasures, which hee did inherite, in building stately houses to dwell in, and strong castels to retire himselfe vnto, large orchards to recreate himselfe in, great pooles to fish in, cunning musitians to sing to him, sweet instruments to play vpon, and nimble young maids to daunce in his hall. King Sa­lomon did inherite great peace and concord from his father Dauid, considering that in fifty years vvhich hee raigned, hee vvas neuer challenged by any king, hee neuer saw enemie in his kingdome, hee neuer placed army in field, there neuer vvent banner out of his pallace, neuer captaine had pay of him, no drum euer brake his sleepe. Salomon did inherite great riches from his father, seeing that he couered the Temples with gold, he inherited great power, seeing that all the kings of the earth did serue him, he inherited great wisedome, see­ing he neuer erred in matter of iustice, hee inherited ēxcee­ding great knowledge, seeing that men came to see him as a miracle. Salomon did inherite from his father more delights and dainties than kingdomes, seeing it is not read, that euer he was sick, that euer he endured any necessitie, that any en­mity did disquiet him, that any persecution did afflict him, that any grief did trouble him, that any king durst offend him, that any kingdome rebelled against him, or subiect disobeied him. To conclude, wee say that Dauids successor in his kingdomes was his sonne Salomon, vvhome by excellency they called the rich, the wise, and quiet, because that in all his life time, he neuer put hand to sword, nor neuer shed mans bloud. Now [Page 208]that wee haue told you who succeeded Dauid in his delights and kingdomes, it is also needful that we proue vnto you who was his sonne which succeeded him in his iniuries and greifes: for seeing wee haue reioiced with the prosperous, it is reason that we suffer somewhat with the afflicted. Dauid was twise made a Prince, once in the city of Ebron, where hee was an­nointed king of the twelue Tribes, & secondly in the denne of Obdollam where hee was made chiefe of those which were in tribulation: and from hence it groweth, that when the time came when hee should deuide these two kingdomes betwixt his two sonnes, he gaue Salomon his rich and flourishing king­dome, and Iesus Christ his poore afflicted one. Our Lord will giue him his father Dauids seat, said the Angel vnto the Vir­gine, as if he would say, Thou art to vnderstand O high Vir­gine, that the pledge and dowrie which the eternall father will giue his eternall sonne, shall bee the seat of his old father Dauid, the seat I say, not of iudgemēt, but to be iudged, nor the seat of commanding, but of obeying, not of weale but of woe, not of honour but of pouerty, not of pleasure but of paine. O how the Iudaical natiō was deceiued in thinking that Christs kingdome should bee a temporall kingdome, and that hee should deliuer them out of their captiuity! For seeing that he inherited but one seat of his father Dauid, how was it possi­ble that he should deliuer the synagogue by force of armes? If the Messias promised in the old law, should bee Dauids sonne, and rich and mighty, why did they not receaue king Salomon for their Messias, seeing that hee inherited from his father armes to deliuer them, power to defend them, treasure to enrich them, and great wisdome to gouerne them? How is it possible that the sonne of God who inherited nothing of Dauid but a poore seat, should make warre vnto any, and deli­uer them from seruitude? The sonne of God succeeded his father Dauid in the seat of obedience, which hee had with those who obeied him, in the seat of charity which hee had with the diseased, in the seat of mercy which he had with the [Page 209]afflicted, the seat of humilitie which he had with the prowd, and the seat of patience which hee had among the ouertra­uelled. Christ did onely inherite the principality of the afflic­ted and comfortlesse, and was content withall with it, seeing that he was banished by Herod, sold by Iuda [...], denied by Saint Peter, accused of the Iewes, and sentence giuen on him by Pilate, and mocked of his seruants. If all the troubles & vex­ations of the world should bee put on one heape, and those which Christ alone suffered on another, all men would giue him the prime, and to none of the rest, because that of all o­ther men bee they neuer so holy, there is no man that feeleth more than his owne griefe and paine; but the sonne of God did feele his owne, and those of his elect. When the Apostle saith that the sonne of God, Factus est omnia nobis, is made all things for vs, what else doth hee say, but that hee doth suffer with him who suffereth, weepeth with him who weepeth, & dieth with him who dieth? Because he is the father of vs al, he feeleth all our griefes, and because we cost him much he is grieued that wee suffer much; and therefore being a Prince and a captaine of the afflicted, he doth helpe vs to weep our greif [...], and remedy the excesse. For he saith in his Sermon, Ve­ [...]ite and m [...] omnes qui laboratis & [...]nerati estis, & ego reficiam vas: as if he would say, Come vnto me al you which are laden and I will vnlade you, and come vnto [...]ee all you which la­bour, and I will comfort you. O glorious captaine, and happy proclamation which Christ maketh throughout the world, seeing that hee bindeth himselfe to vnload those which are burdened, comfort those wich are afflicted, turne to those which are persecuted, refresh those which are hungry, lift vp those which are troden downe, and b [...]e a father of all which be father lesse. If such as were in tribulation and necessity, and fled vnto king Dauid were sad and sorrowfull, sad and sorrow­full they returned again, if they were banished, banished they returned againe, if they were in debt, indebted they retur­ned againe, and if they were discontent, discontented they [Page 210]returned, in so much that good king Dauid could neither cō ­fort them, nor releeue them. He vvho is persecuted with Ie­sus cannot for a certaine say so, nor hee who is banished vvith our banished Lord, because none cōmeth vnto him comfort­lesse who returneth not comforted, nor no man commeth vn­to him indebted, whose debt he paieth nor. O this, this is a happy calling, Come you vnto me al you which are laden, see­ing that the son of God doth let vs vnderstand thereby, that he hath a schoole for the ignorant, an exchange for the nee­dy, an hospitall for the diseased, a tower for such as are fled, a pantry for the hungry, and a safe conduct for the banished. S. Barnard sayth, The God of all creatures, and the Lord of the heauenly gouernements is the true Phisitian of my griefes & sorrowes, because all other men haue power only to hear thē, but no skill to remedy them. Irenaeus sayth, If I be a cold, he who wisheth me vvel, can bring me to the fire, if I be hungry, giue mee a little bread, if I bee thirsty giue mee a cup of vva­ter, if I bee naked giue mee a shirt, but if my soule bee sad and comfortlesse, vvhat comfort can he giue me, but only bid me haue patience? S. Augustine to the Hermites saith, Hee who will comfort the soule, ought to be in the soule, and he vvho will remedy the heart should dwell in the heart, but because no man hath his abiding there but onely the sonne of the li­uing God, of him and of no other our remedy and ease must proceed. Cicero in an Epistle saith, O how hee is deceiued which saith and thinketh, that the griefes of the heart are le­nified and eased by seeing faire meddowes, vvalking by fresh riuers, eating dainty meats, hearing pleasant musicke? For all these things can but suspend my griefes for an houre or two, but they cannot root them out, and much lesse remedy them. Tell mee I pray thee, how can the instruments vvhich found in my eares, remedy my griefes vvhich are inclosed in my bowels? How can the pleasures and ioies which my eies receiue in beholding meddowes and forrests, giue ease to my paines vvhich lie in my bones? What doth dainty faire [Page 211]mitigate the anxiety of mind? What comfort can an a [...]li­cted mind take, if they giue him no other remedy but bid him haue patience? What careth my sorrowfull heart for my friends words, if when they are gone from mee, my sor­rowes remaine? Seeing that all the pleasures and ioies of the vvorld reach no further than vnto the fiue sences, it is a cer­taine thing, that as pleasures are seated in those sences, so like­wise griefes are rooted in the heart. Plato sayth, That griefes and delights are great enemies, and that they dwell farre one from another, and therevpon it happeneth, that there is no delight and pleasure which ent [...]reth into the inward part of the heart, nor no griefe which commeth out further than the heart. Cassiodorus saith, That as we seeke for an expert Pilote to saile with, and a skilfull Phisition to cure vs with, so for to comfort our griefes and heauinesse, we should seeke out cun­ning men in them, because that no man can take more pitty on another, than he who hath been wearied & iniuried by suffe­ring. Whē the son of God came into the world, hee came not to learne to read, nor to write, nor to swim, nor to preach: for all this is but drosse and mire in comparison of that which hee knew before hee came into the world. That which hee came hither to learne by experience, was that which hee knew be­fore onely by science, that is, to accustome himselfe to suffer corporall passions and vexations, because he might haue the more compassion vpon the afflicted. Chrysostome sayth, That the sonne of God came to trafficke in this vvorld like vnto a rich & wealthy merchant, that is, by carrying to heauen that which there wanted, & by bringing from thence that which wanted here: for there ther wanted mē, & therfore took some thither with him, & here there wanted merits, & therefore left store behind him. The son of God came into the world, because there wanted men in heauen, to enioy his glory, and because we wanted grace to deserue it, & so we gaue him hu­mane flesh to suffer with, and he gaue vs his holy grace wher­by wee might merit. O holy and glorious exchange, seeing that he changed with vs, quietnesse for trauell, innocency for [Page 212]infamy, spirit for flesh, life for death, and glory for pain [...] Now that [...] haue declared how the sonne of God came into the world to learne vexations and troubles, the better to haue compassion on them in others, it is conuenient that wee de­clare now, how that the mother of God did inherite her sons sword of sorrows, as hee did inherite his father Dauids seat of griefes and trauails.

CHAP. VI. Of the sword of griefe which killed the sonne of God, and went through his blessed mother.

ETtuam ipsius animam doloris gladius pertransi­bit, said Simeon to the Virgine in the second chapter of S. Luke: as if he would say, The sword of the passion of this thy sonne, shall bee so cruell, O high Virgine, that at one stroke it shal take his life from him, & pierce thy soule. The like prophecy was neuer heard of in times past, nor read in any booke, nor any so sorrowfull a prophecie euer spoken of, as this was which the Virgine newly deliue­red heareth this day, which the good old Simeon vttereth vnto her: for what saith the prophecy, but that at one time, in the selfesame day, in the same hour, and with the selfesame sword, they will doe iustice vpon the sonnes flesh, and vpon the mothers bowels? There are found swords commonly to cut off a theefes eare, to behead a murderer, to quarter a trai­tor, to cut a blasphemous tongue, but a sword that can pierce the soule, and mind, there is no other to bee found, but this sword of Christs. The sword which Cain killed his brother with, the sword which Moyses killed the Egyptian with, and the sword which king Dauid slew the Philistime with, and Helias sword with the which he slew the Idolaters, and Phi­ [...]es sword with the which he slew the Ammonites, did all [Page 213]wound the body, but alas Simeons sword brused the flesh of the sonne, and did not fauor the bowels of the mother. Vber­tinus noteth, that Simeon doth not say, that a sword of sorrow shall strike thee, but Pertransibit, that is, that that sword vvill not bee content onely to wound, but as it were with a mortall thrust shall peirce thy blessed soule, from one side vnto the other. And then that deadly sword peirced her from one side vnto the other, when all the sorrowes and griefes which the sonnes flesh endured did load the heart of the dolorous mo­ther with griefe. The wordes of Auegratia plena which the Angel vsed, and those which Simeon spake, doloris gladius per­transibit went togither, and were of equall force: for euen as the Virgines soule was so full of grace, that she could receiue no more, so her heart was so full of griefe, that shee could en­dure no more. There could not a greater griefe be spoken of than that which the mother was to suffer, which was vttered in saying that a sword should pierce her heart from one side vnto the other: and indeed as old Simeon had prophecied, so it came to passe, because there was neuer Martyr which suffe­red more torment in the martyring of his body, than the blessed Virgine suffered in seeing her son martyred. And this speech tuam ipsius animam, is very much to bee noted: for al­though other holy men were grieued at the death of Christ, yet none so much as his holy mother: for in other men the griefe was as it were a blow, but in the Virgins heart a thrust. Simeon doth threaten none that the sword of grief shal pierce, but only the mother of Christ, to let vs vnderstand, that as she was the creature vnto whom Christ imparted most of his comfort, so it was she vnto whom he gaue most of his dolors, insomuch that as she did most deserue, so she did most suffer. O great Simeon why doest thou threaten the mother onely, with the sonnes sword, seeing that not only the martyrs did feele his death and passion, but it seemeth also that the An­gels themselues did lament and weepe for it? For what mar­tyr is there in heauen O sweet Iesus, which did not feele thy [Page 214]death, and die for thy holy law? It is therefore said that the holy Virgine did by a speciall grace and priuiledge feele more grieuously the death of her sonne, than any other crea­ture of the world, because it is a propertie of our Lord to im­part most bitter feeling of his passiō vnto those soules whom hee doth most tenderly loue. When Simeon said that shee should feele her sonnes passion more than any other, it vvas to say, that Christ would leaue his passion and torment in kee­ping with her aboue others, to the end that they might bee knowne afterward vnto the world: in so much that it was vn­to thee, blessed Virgin, vnto whom the sonne of God bestow­ed his greatest loue on earth, and vnto whome hee imparted most of his sorrowes. Vnto whom then should wee run for a true sufferer of his sorrows, but vnto thee O mother of God now full of ioy and consolation, though then full of sorrowes and passion? O that thy soule is glorious, and thy heart most happie blessed Lady, seeing thou was not martyred with the Emperour Neroes sword as the Apostle Saint Paule was, but vvith the selfesame that thy sonne was; in so much that as in the incarnation loue coupled you together, so in his pas­sion dolour seperated you one from the other. Flebat Anna mater Tobiae irremediabilibus lachrymis: Tobie chapter 10, as if hee would say, The honourable. Matrone Anna, old Tobias wife, and young Tobias mother, vvept the absence of her wel­beloued sonne vvith remedilesse teares, saying, Woe bee vnto mee, vvoe bee vnto mee, my sonne and my heart, vvhat vvill become of mee without thee, or is it possible for mee to take any rest in thy absence? Whither art thou gone from mee, vvhere hast thou absented thy selfe, the light of my cies, and staffe of my old age, comfort of my life, and hope of my house? How is it possible that thy father could ob­taine of himselfe or of mee, to send thee to recouer a little money so farre from vs? What greater disaster could fall vn­to vs, than to lose our sonne for the recouering of a little coine? I vvould to God that that money ha [...] neuer beene [Page 215]due vnto my house: for, for the ease of my heart there is no treasure like, as to haue thee vvith mee O my deere sonne. O my sonne, O my heart, how vnfortunately did I consent that thou shouldest depart out of my sight, considering that it vvas most certaine, that hauing thee vvith mee, I vvanted nothing! What shall my sorrowfull eies doe now, seeing they cannot see thee but fill themselues vvith vveeping for thee? Such sorrowfull vvords and grieuous complaints, could not be vttered, but of a tender heart, nor could not be spoken but of a child deerly beloued. Mimus the Philosopher saith, That because, the tongue is a crier and a publisher of that vvhich is in the heart, it is most certaine, that if there bee loue in the hart, that he crieth Loue; and if there be nothing but sor­row & griefe in the heart, he publisheth also nothing but sor­row. For the better vnderstanding of this dolorous figure, it is to bee noted, that as Isaac vvas the figure of Christ in that vvhich hee vvas to suffer, so Tobias mother vvas the figure of that that the immaculate Virgine was to weepe: insomuch that the virgins glorious martyrdome was prophecied by Si­meon, and figured in holy Anna. The mystery did well answer vnto the Sacramēt, seeing the blessed virgin was a mother, & Anna a mother, the one wept & the other wept, the one had but one only son, & the other had but one onely son, the Vir­gines son went a far iourney, & Annas son went a far iourney, Tobias mother vvept remedilesse tears, & the mother of Gods tears were also without remedy. Yong Tobias took his iourney at his fathers cōmandement, & the son of God was incarnate by his fathers commandement: & if Tobias went to gather vp money which his father had lent, Christ also came to recouer soules which his father had lost. What shall I say more, but that Christ and Tobias, and Tobias and Christ, vvere sent by their owne fathers, and lamented by their owne mo­thers? O that the Virgine had better reason to vveepe for her sonne vvith remedilesse teares than Tobias mother had, because her sighes and reares found remedy and [Page 216]comfort, but the mother of God found no remedy nor comfort. O sorrowfull vvoman and comfortlesse mother! for what comfort could thy teares find, seeing thou did­dest see him end his life in one day vpon the crosse, whome thou wast thirty yeares a bringing vp? O comforelesse mo­ther, and mother of discomfort, thou art shee which should weepe with remedilesse teares, and not the mother of young Tobias; because her sonne came home well married, but thy precious sonne remained dead vpon the crosse. O honourable Anne, and blessed old woman, it is an Angell which led him, an Angell which accompanied him, an Angell which marri­ed him, and an Angell which guarded him, and an Angell which brought him backe againe. Therefore leaue thy teares for her, who is the mother of him which is crucified, consi­dering that a traitor sold her sonne, a sinner denied him, a ty­rant condemned him, and a wicked people put him to death. Our Lady wept with remedilesse tears, seeing that she & not Tobias his mother did lose the staffe which did support her, the glasse which she looked in, the light with which shee saw, the rest wherein she tooke ioy, her only hope and that which shee most of all loued. Seneca to this purpose sayth, That the griefe is not so great, when thinges are lost by little and by lit­tle, as when they are lost all at once: and therefore it is a great matter for a man to bee accustomed to endure, and har­dened in suffering. Who doth doubt at all but that the suddaine losses which fall vnto vs, are more grieuous than those vvhich come not all together? if they had apprehen­ded the sonne of God in one day, accused him on another, giuen sentence on him the other, and executed him on the o­ther, although the griefe could not but haue beene great, yet it had been tollerable; but to see that in foure and twen­ty houres they apprehended him, accused him, gaue sen­tence on him, and put him to death, vvhat heart is a­ble to suffer it, or vvhat eies can weepe and bewaile it suf­ficiently? Venient tibi has vna die sterilitas & viduitas, [Page 217]said God by the Prophet Esay, chapter sixteene: as if hee would say, When thou shalt least thinke vpon it, there shall happen two great mishaps vnto thee O Synagogue, that is, thou shalt bee made a widdow, and also barren vvithout a sonne. The space of three thousand yeares in which God vvas married vnto the Synagogue, hee raised Patriarkes and Prophets continually in her: but vvhen the son of God vvas put to death, shee vvas put from him like a naughty vvoman, and the Church admitted in her place, in so much that from good Friday forward vvhen he died on the crosse, shee neuer after vvas great vvith any gifts or graces, nor ne­uer brought foorth any holy man. Our blessed Lord vvas his mothers bridegroome, and deere sonne also, and hee vvas so certainely her bridegroome, that Ioseph vvas not more hers vvhen hee vvas betrothed vnto her: and there­vpon it is, that vvhen Ioseph died shee vvas not fully a vvid­dow, but vvhen the sonne of God died shee was fully a vvid­dow. Why dooth the Prophet call her a vviddow, but by reason of her sonne vvhich shee lost, and vvhy doth hee call her barren, but by reason that shee had no comfort and con­solation? O that the Prophet doth rightly call thee barren, seeing that in one day, and in one houre, thou diddest lose thy husband and vvast bereaued of thy sonne! But yet thou maiest comfort thy selfe vvith one thing, O glorious Virgine, that is, that thou needest not vveare a mourning vveed, though thou bee a vviddow, because thee very stones haue broken in sunder, and the heauens haue mourned for pure compassion. Magna velut mare est contritio tua; quis medebitur tibi? Sayth Ieremy in his Lamentations: as if hee would say, thy griefe dooth so much exceed all o­ther griefes, as the sea doth exceed all other vvaters; because all men can take pitie on thee, but no man remedy thee. Ie­remy doth highly set forth the dolours vvhich the sorrow­full mother suffered on the Mount of Caluary by compa­ring her vnto the sea vvater; because that as there is no drop [Page 218]of water in the sea which is not salt, euen so there was no part of the Virgines heart which did not feele griefe and paine. Hee calleth the Virgines dolour Contrition, that is, a kind of brusing or breaking: hee calleth it great, and hee calleth it a sea which is bitter, in so much that as there is nothing which can bee compared to the sea in greatnesse, euen so there is no griefe which can bee compared vnto the griefe which the Virgine suffered. There are some griefes and sorrowes, the which if they bee bitter, yet they are not great, and if they bee great, yet they are not bitter: but the Virgines dolour vvas the greatest in the world, for it was so bitter, that there could bee none so bitter, and so great that none could bee greater. What could bee more bitter, seeing it went to her heart, what longer seeing it continued all her life time? O that thy contrition was great like vnto the sea: for as there is in the sea both calme and tempest, so was there in thy heart at one time ioy and sorrow; ioy in seeing thy sonne redeeme the world, and sorrow in seeing thy sonne die vvithout iustice. What sorrow doest thou thinke should that heart feele, in the which at one time there did striue sensuality and reason, loue and feare, liking and dissiking, willing and nilling? What sea can bee compared in depth, or what water in bitternesse, vnto the heart in the which is forged at one time, a will to redeeme all the world, and a will that her sonne should not suffer? For as the sea is deepe, and large, so the Virgines griefe was deepe, because it rea­cheth vnto the heart, and great because it vvas of a great matter, and bitter because it was the greatest griefe in the world. Barnard sayth, That as in the sea one waue followeth another, and when they are come to the banke, they breake against it: euen so in the Virgines mind one sorrow ouerta­keth another, and one grief ouerreacheth another, the which both together breake against the Virgines bowels. And shee suffered all these anxieties and sorrowes alone, because there was none who might take part of them with her, nor any man [Page 219]able to giue her remedy for them. Quis medibitur tibi? as if Ieremy would say, O sorrowfull mother, and comfortlesse La­dy, what Phisition is able to cure thy wounds, hauing them, as thou hast them, so farre within thy heart? Who shall cure thee O thou of all other the most comfortlesse, because the griefes of the heart are such, that although they are easie to bee reckoned, yet they are hard to bee cured? Who shall heale thee O blessed Ladie, seeing thy carefull loue is of such qualitie, and the wounds of thy sorrow so great, that no man can guesse at the curing of them, but hee alone who was the cause of them? Who shall ease thee of all others the most desolate, seeing that the Phisitian which cured the dolours of the heart, is now crucified among theeues and malefactors? Who shall cure thee O blessed Vir­gine, or who shall make whole thy sorrowfull heart, but hee onely in whome thou hast put it, seeing wee know that al­though Gallen and Hypocrates can purge the humors, and let the vaines bloud, yet they cannot cure the griefes of the mind? Who shall ease thy sighes but only he for whome we sigh for? Who shall heale thee O my good Ladie, seeing that hee is dead on the altar of the crosse, for whome thou doest weepe, and hee hath yeelded vp the ghost for whome thou doest sigh? Who shall heale thee O my sinfull soule, if thou hast lost Christ and fallen from grace? Thou must now know, that thou hast no recompence for so great a losse. Ioine therefore O my soule with our Lady and weep with her, shee for her sonne, and thou for thy losse, because that after his re­surrection he may comfort her and helpe thee.

[...] [Page 222]would haue bestowed them all in seeking, looking vpon, in hearing and in louing, and seruing her sonne? O who could haue seene thee in that lamentable houre on foot, and not sit­ting hard by the crosse, and not farre off, looking vpon him with thy sorrowfull eies, kissing his feet with thy mouth, and receiuing the drops of bloud vpon thy head! The scripture doth not say only, that shee did stand hard by the crosse, but addeth further, iuxta crucem Iesu, by the crosse of Christ, to distinguish the crosse of Christ from the crosse of theeues: for it had been no matter whether a man had been on foot, or sitting by those crosses. Who should come to the crosse of Christ crucified, but he who is also crucified? And hee who will come to the crosse, must liue like vnto them that are on the crosse, vpon which they know nothing but how to suffer, heare blasphemies, consent to haue themselues nailed, see themselues crucified, suffer themselues to bee pierced with a spear, yea and not resist to die. Who be they which sit by the theeues crosses, but other theeues? By the crosses of theeues doe sit impatient men chiding, couetous men a deceiuing, gluttons a eating, libidenous men a playing the adulterers, malicious men a lying, and slothfull men a taking their ease. It was a crosse by which Christs poore familie stood, and they were crosses by which souldiors of the deuill stood, to let vs vnderstand, that they suffer more crosses and paines vvhich goe to hell, than those which go to heauen. S. Augustine saith, That if thou wilt see who they are which doe saue thēselues, and what multitude they bee, which condemne themselues, thou maiest see it by that, that by the crosse of Christ there stood but a few persons; and by the crosses of the theeues there were a thousand people and more, in so much that it is in thy choise either to goe vveeping a foot to heauen, or goe sitting and laughing to hell. Anselmus vpon the mystery of the crosse saith, On the Mount of Caluary there were very many which looked on the crosse of Christ a farre off, but ve­ry few which stood neere vnto it: and the reason is, because [Page 223]that by the crosse of Christ it is not permitted that any should sinne, and by the crosses of the theeues, it is lawfull for euery man to steale and sinne. O my soule, and O my heart, why doest thou not melt, and yeeld vp the ghost, seeing the drops of bloud which descend vpon our Lady, and the sighes of our Lady which ascend vnto our Lord? Doest thou not marke O my soule, doest thou not marke how the sorrowfull mother is bathed with the bloud which runneth from her sonne, and how the earth is watered with the teares which fall from her eies? Barnard sayth, What offences can there bee so great in the world, which the bloud of the sonne cannot remedy, and the teares of the mother cannot wash away? Behold O my heart saith Bonauenture, and thou shalt see the sonne vpon the crosse, and the mother at the foot of the crosse, shee is on foot, and he lifted vp, she holdeth her peace, and he speaketh no word, and that which is most of all, they looke vpon one the other with their eies, and vnderstand one another vvith their hearts. O my fingers and you my pennes, giue ouer vvri­ting I pray you, because I may meditate the better how the mother saw her sonne shed drops of bloud, and the sonne saw the mother shed teares from her heart. What hearts should they haue which had such eies? Who can write this and not sigh, and who can read it, and not be heauy for it, that is, how the mothers heart was full of griefe for that which shee saw, and the sons heartful of loue for that which he suffered? And by that meanes there was a cruell debate betwixt the sorrow of the mother and the loue of the sonne. Note well (sayth V­bertinus) that he who was vpon the crosse, and those vvhich were neere the crosse, they were all standing, and none sitting, which is to giue vs vnderstanding of the sweet tast of the crosse, and of the high mysteries contained in him, whereof hee did impart none vnto those which leaned or sate at their ease, but vnto those which stood on their feet. Non coques hae­dum in lacte matris, Deutronomy, chap. 24. as if he would say, Let no man bee so bold as to seeth the flesh of the kid in the [Page 224]milke of his damme, but let them eat the goats milke by it selfe, and eat the kid by himselfe, and the law did permit the damme to be milked, and the kid to be killed. If there vvere no other mystery in this, what did God care whether the kid were sod in his mothers milke or not? Origen saith, If it be wel noted, the law doth forbid the kid to bee sod in the milke of the goat, but the law did not forbid to seeth the goat in the bloud of the kid. In which mystery he did let vs vnderstand, that the holy mother the church was to be sod, & saued in the bloud of Christ, and not Christ in the bloud of the church. On that dismall and vnluckie day, vpon the high Mount of Caluary, the goat and the kid met together, which vvere Christ and his mother, in which place against all reason and law, they did at one time seeth the son in the mothers milke, and the mother in the sonnes bloud. From whence issued out the bloud, but out of the vaines of the sonne, and frō whence came the milke, but from the mothers eies? O goodnesse ne­uer hard of before, O vnspeakable sorrow! who did euer see or heare of a mother who shed so many tears, as were inough to bath her sonne in them, or of a sonne from whom came so much bloud, as was inough to seeth his mother in? It appea­reth well, that they vsed themselues like mother and child, and that they loued like bride and bridegroome, seeing shee gaue him distilled teares, and hee gaue her strained bloud. Barnard in an Homily saith, O of all women most blessed, O mother of my dolours, vvhat sonne had euer such a mother as he had, or what mother had euer such a sonne as thou hast, seeing thou diddest conceiue him being a Virgine, brough­test him forth with ioy, broughtest him vp with milke, follow­edst him with sweats, and buriedst him with teares? What could she doe more for him, than follow him with infinit tra­uell and paines, and bury him with remedilesse teares? And what could hee doe more for her, than chuse her for his mo­ther, and redeeme her vvith his bloud? Anselmus vpon the Conception saith, That from the beginning of the vvorld [Page 225]vntill this day, there was neuer milke better paied for, than that which Christ sucked of his mother: for if shee gaue him milke out of hir precious breasts, hee gaue her bloud out of his holy members. Who euer heard before, or saw bloud pai­ed for milke, or milke for bloud? Who can estimate or set a price on the bloud which streamed from the sonne, or of the tears which ran from the mother? O good Iesus, O redee­mer of my soule, had it not beene better for thee, and lesser griefe for thy mother to haue sod thee in the milke of her breasts, rather than in the tears of her eies? What canst thou aske more of her, or what hath shee more to giue thee, seeing she gaue thee milke when thou wast borne, griefes and swea­ting all thy life time, and teares when thou diddest die? It had been lesser hurt for her, and lesser grief vnto thee to haue giuen thee rather milke than teares, because the milke com­meth running from the vaines, and the teares come strained from the heart. For who weepeth but weepeth frō the heart? Seneca saith, That a man may talke and do his businesse being at quiet: but only a grieued and troubled heart weeepeth, be­cause there are none more certainer witnesses of the sorrows which wee suffer, than the teares which wee weepe with our cies.

CHAP. VIII. Why Christ tooke his mother with him to see him die, seeing that she was not to helpe him to redeeme vs.

QVi inuenerit auiculam eubantem cum pullis suis, tollat filios & dimittat matrem, Deutronomy 22. God spake these wordes vnto the Iewes which vvere hunters; as if he would say, If any man goe to the fields a hunting, and by chance meet with a Sparrowes nest, he may take the young ones, so as he let the old one goe, in so [Page 226]much that he should neither take her, nor much lesse kil her. What other thing is it to goe a hunting for Sparrowes nests, but to seeke out diuine bookes? Origen sayth, Who or what is the nest but the booke, what the Sparrow but the letter, & which the young ones but the sences, and who the hunter but the Christian which occupieth himselfe in holy Scripture? When God commaundeth the hunter to leane the mother, and take the young ones, he doth plainly aduise vs, that wee should leaue the letter in the nest of the holy Scripture, and take the meaning. Hee doth leaue the Sparrow in the nest which careth not for that which the letter soundeth, but for that which the holy Gospell saith, Because there bee some such obscure phrases in scripture, that they are not onely not to be taken as they sound, but also that not to be done which the very letter commandeth. When Christ sayth, If thy eie doe scandalize thee, it was not his meaning that wee should pull out our corporall eies which we see with, but the spiritu­all with the which we damne our selues; for Christs sweet law doth command no man to teare his own members, but to pul out sinnes by the root. When wee loue a child well, wee say that wee loue him like our owne eies, and thereupon Christ saith, if any of thy eies doe scandale thee, pull him out. Saint Augustine saith, That all the Synagogues perdition consi­steth, because that in the nest of the Scripture, they take the mother, and leaue the young ones, that is, they take the letter as it soundeth, and take not the sence which is hidden vnder it, making more account of the drie barke, then of the tender marrow. When the Apostle saith, that the letter killeth, and that it is the spirit which doth giue life, what else doth he say, but that we should take heed of taking the old Sparrow, and that wee should take the young ones which vvas the sence? When the sonne of God saith, Search the scriptures, he mea­neth not that we should read the bookes only, but that vvee should seeke out the true sence thereof. If wicked Arrius had searched out the meaning of those words, My father is grea­ter [Page 227]than I am, & of those other words, That they may be one as I and my Father are one, there should neuer so many good men haue been persecuted, nor so many scandales haue risen in the church by it. Seeing that all liuing beasts are created for mans vses and seruice, if our Lord had meaned no other matter in the sparrowes nests, then the letter speaketh of, hee would neuer haue bidden vs eat of the one, and not touch the other. It had beene a greater losse to the Commonwealth to kill fiue or sixe young ones, than one old one: but because the giuer of the law did intend rather the mystery, which was sig­nified in the sparrowes, than the prohibition which hee made when he commanded the young ones to be taken, & the old one to bee let louse. Conformably then vnto that which our Lord commandeth, let the curious Reader leaue the letter and take the true sence: otherwise it were better for him not to read the Scripture, than vnderstand it as the Synagogue doth. To come then vnto our purpose, what is the nest but the holy crosse of Christ? Who the sparrow but our blessed Lady? And who the young one but her precious sonne? E­zechiel saw a nest put vpon a high tree, in which nest euery bird laid an egge, and in the nest of the crosse of Christ, all the Saints lay their egges, that is, then good desires, of which the sonne of God like a good Henne, of euery one gathereth his good worke. According vnto the old law the young spar­rowes might bee taken and killed, and so they did by Christ: and wherefore then was his poore mother so grieuously tor­mented there, who was figured in the sparrow, seeing she was exempted by law? O wicked Ierusalem, and cursed Syna­gogue! seeing that in the nest of the crosse, thou diddest find the old bird and the yong, why art thou not content to kil the young one, but doest also torment the mother? O holy tree, O precious nest, O blessed sonne, O comfortlesse mother, what heart could destroy that holy nest, in the which all the holy Trinitie was inclosed? In the high nest of the crosse, the father was he who commanded the sonne to suffer, the holy­ghost which assisted, the flesh which died, the foule which [Page 228]gaue life, and the bloud which redeemed vs. All this nest was ouerthrowne by the Synagogue, vvhen his bloud lay vp­on the ground, his carkasse on the crosse, his flesh in the sepul­chre, his soule in ioy, and his diuinity vnited to all. What shal we say of his sorrowfull mother, of whose heart there was one peece on the ground with his bloud, another on the crosse vvith his skin, another in the sepulchre with his body, and a­nother in hell whither Christ went with his soule, & another on the Mount of Caluary vvith those of her family vvhich wept? What else shal I say O my soule, but that into how ma­ny parts her son was scattered, the sorrowful mothers heart in­to so many was deuided? Vbertinus saith, That the doleful mo­thers hart was scattered & deuided & deuided again; because that louing her son as shee did better than her selfe, shee kept the least part of her heart vnto her selfe. Why doe I say that shee kept some part of her heart vnto her selfe, seeing that all her heart liued and died with her sonne? If the heart doe run to desire that which the cies behold, and if whither the heart goeth there goeth also the very bowels to continue, where was all the Virgines heart, but in her sonne whom she best beloued? Because the dolefull mother had no other sonne but him, all her loue was fixed in him, and because the Iewes found the Sparrow and her young one in the nest of the Crosse, they crucified the flesh of Christ, and tormen­ted the mothers heart. Saint Barnard sayth, That if the Vir­gines breasts had been opened in that sorrowfull houre & la­mentable day, it is religiously to bee thought, they might haue found her heart of flesh, but not the force and vigour of a heart, because her vitall spirits had mortifi­ed it, and her true loue buried it vvith her sonne. O mighty Redeemer, and supreme Creator, vvho is able to tell the secret, or reach vnto this, that is to say, why thou diddest take the mother vvith thee thither, to see thee die in that great and high day of thy passion, and leaue all thy other disciples behind thee, because they might not see thee suffer? In so great a conflict, and so narrow a straight as [Page 229]this was vpon the Mount of Caluary, why wouldest thou haue rather womē with thee to weep, thā mē to defend thee? Who but thou O good Iesus (saith S. Barnard) who but thou did euer goe into the field to fight against his enemies with­out weapons, & accompanied with tears? The mother wept, the sonne wept, the kinsman wept, the disciple wept, the aunt wept, all the family wept, so that Moyses did drowne his ene­mies in waters, and the sonne of God his with teares. Ansel­mus sayth, That hee that could haue beene at the death of Christ vpon good Friday should haue seene the Iewes make an outcry, the Pharisies blaspheme, the hangmen lay on, the heauens vvaxe darke, and all the faithfull weepe, in somuch that there was nothing in the synagogue but blasphemies, and nothing in the church but teares. Non immolabitur vna die o­uis cum filio fuo, said God in Leuiticus, chap. 22. As if he would say, Let those take heed which will offer to the Tabernacle, that they doe not kill the lambe and the ewe the same day. Origen sayth, That because our Lord is mercifull, hee would haue his disciples bee so likewise, and therefore he did forbid them any thing that might tend vnto cruelty, or induce them vnto it. What can be more cruell than to take the lambe and the owe at one time? Who is the ewe which hath brought forth the lambe, but only the mother of Christ, and who the lambe but her precious sonne? God did warn the synagogue often that they vvould take heed vnto the Lambe and ewe, and especially that if they would touch the sonne, that they vvould pardon the mother. God had no greater wealth nor any equal neither in heauen nor in earth, vnto that lambe and sheep, of whom he himselfe had a care, and in whose ser­uice and guard all the powers of heauē were by him emploi­ed. This commandement was broken on the Mount of Cal­uary, where they at one time, killed the innocent lambe, and spared not the sorrowfull mother. What cruelty and inhuma­nitie like vnto this was euer seen or heard of, haung but one sheep in the Synagogue, & the church hauing but one lamb, to kill the lambe in the presence of his mother, and torment [Page 230]the ewe in the sight of the Lambe? What equall torment could there bee to the mother than to kill her son before hir face, or what greater martyrdome could the son suffer, than to sacrifice his mother in his sight? O how glorious and happy should I be if my soule would turn to be such an ewe, and my heart such a lambe, because I might bee sacrificed on the Mount of Caluary with the true Lambe! O sweet Iesus (saith Vbertinus) O mercifull Lord, seeing that all lawes doe speake in fauour of thy precious mother, why wouldest thou breake them, seeing thou art the iudge of them all? Is not the law made in the fauour of thy mother, which commandeth that the lambe should not bee sod in the milke of his damme? Is not that law made in the fauor of thy mother, which cōman­deth to take the yong Sparrows, and let the old one go? The law which cōmandeth not to kill the Lambe and the ewe at one time, is it not made in fauour of thy mother? Thou then, that art the giuer of the law, doe not breake the law; which thou doest, if thou sacrifice thy selfe which art the lambe, and thy mother which is the ewe. There is bloud inough in the bloud of the lamb, & there needeth not the bloud of the mo­ther: for if it be necessary for the son to die to redeeme vs, the mothers life is also necessary to cōfort vs. Bonauenture, Ansel­mus, & Vbertinus, cannot wonder inough what should bee the reason why the sonne would take his mother with him to the foot of the crosse, seeing that shee could not helpe him in his death, nor hee had no need of her to redeeme vs. It is not to bee thought that hee brought her thither without cause, nei­ther that shee did goe thither vvithout some mystery, be­cause that all things done betwixt the sonne and his mother should bee esteemed as a mystery of mysteries, like vnto Sa­lomons Canticles, which are songs of songs. The reason why our good Iesus would take his mother with him, was (as An­selmus sayth) Because hee would leaue her his onely inheri­trize, as being the next of kindred. O my singers, O my heart, how is it possible for you to bee able to write, or my tongue able to speake of the wealth which the sonne leaueth, or of [Page 231]the inheritance which the mother doth inherite? But what could hee leaue vnto his mother who was borne in Bethe­lem among beasts, & died on the Mount of Caluary betwixt theeues? What can his sorrowfull mother inherite of him who shrowdeth himselfe in a borrowed shrowd, and burieth himselfe in another mans sepulchre? What could hee be­queath by Testament, who hauing two coats, gaue one to the hangmen which crucified him, and the other to the knights vvhich kept him? What could hee leaue vvho neuer had a foorme to set downe on, nor a boulster to lay his head on? The inheritance then which she did there inherite from her sonne, was the bloud which there hee shed, and the dolours which hee there suffered for all men, so that with the bloud which came downe from the crosse, hee watered her body, and with the dolours which hee suffered, hee martyred her soule. Saint Barnard De passione domini saith, That in so great and high a work as this was, and in so narrow a strait as this which Christ was in, it was very necessary that the Virgine should bee there, and giue her sonne part of all that was in her, not onely to haue compassion on him, but also to suffer with him. S. Augustine vpon the passion of our Lord sayth, That because the great prophecy of Simeon was not as yet accomplished, it was done by the permisson and counsell of the holy ghost, that the mother should be with the sonne on the Mount of Caluary, where at one time the sword of grief bereaued the son of his life, and pierced the mothers soule. As it was not reason (saith Anselmus) that the mother of God should want the crowne and reward of martyrdome, so was it not reason that she should be put into tyrants hāds, & therfore it was giuen her as a meane, that because shee had serued her sonne with excessiue loue, her own sonne should martyre her with his inspeakable griefs. Who euer saw or heard, that as it were at one sound and after one measure, the hangmen should martyrize the son, & the son martyrize his mother. S. Barnard vpon those words, Maior est iniquitas mea, which Cain spake, sayth thus: O good Iesus that, that charity is greater vvhich [Page 232]thou diddest vse, than that which thou diddest command me O redeemer of my soule, seeing that on the Mount of Calua­ry, the Friday which thou diddest suffer vpon the crosse, thou diddest not only put thy owne life for vs, but also thy blessed mothers. When didst thou condemne thy selfe to die, & not pardon thy mother, but whē the knife of thy passion did take away thy owne life from thee, and pierce thy mothers soule? The greatest matter that the sorrowfull mother could inhe­rite was some thorne fallen from thee, or some of thy blood shed vpon her, or some peece of thy flesh which stucke vpon the crosse, or some of the haires of thy head which were cast abroad. Shee did also inherite the hatred which the people bare vnto her sonne, because that from that day forward, shee was called the mother of him which was put to death, of him which was possessed with a deuill, of the Southsayer & Pub­licane. His sorrowfull mother did inherit also all the holy col­ledge of the twelue Apostles. Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth thus: Christ tooke his precious mother to the Mount of Cal­uary, because she should be a witnesse of his passion, and cre­dite her with the bloud of our redemption: for to beleeue & hold for a certainty, that we are redeemed, it sufficeth if the Virgin tell vs that she saw her son die. The son of God came into the world, and paied his father the debt which was due for all the sinnes of the world, of which paiment his will vvas that his mother should be a witnesse, because she might giue testimony, after his death, how his father was paied, the world redeemed, sinne at an end, the heauen already opened, and the deuill ouercome.

CHAP. I. How Christ in this speech more than in all the rest seemeth to change his stile of speaking.

HEloij beloij lamazabathani? Hoc est: deus, deus meus, quare me dereliquisti? This is the fourth word which the redeemer of the vvorld spake on the altar of the Crosse: vvhich speech is no lesse dreadfull than pittifull, nor pittifull than dreadfull: and it is as if hee would say, My God, my God, My father, my father, what haue I done irreuerently a­gainst thee, that thou shouldst forsake me in so narrow a strait as this is? There are offered vnto vs in this diuine speech high mysteries and deepe secrets to entreat of, whereof wee can giue no reason if vvee bee not fauoured vvith Gods diuine as­sistance: [Page 234]whom with teares wee doe humbly beseech, that it would please him to lighten vs vvith his grace, and succour vs vvith his helpe and aid. The reason is to bee knowne vvhy the sonne of God did change his manner of speaking rather in this speech, than in all the others which hee vsed, as the Euangelists do record it, saying, Heloij, heloij, lamaza­bathani. Was it because hee should be vnderstood of all men, seeing that hee vvas crucified for all men? It is also to bee knowne vvhy hee doth repeat this vvord God twise, saying My God, my God, as though God vvere deaffe in hea­ring him. It is also to bee vveighed vvhy hee called him God, and not Father, seeing hee vvho complained vvas the sonne, and hee vnto whom hee complained was his Fa­ther. It is also to bee maruelled at, that seeing hee did not cal him father, but God, why he did adde this vvord My, saying, My God, my God, as though his Father were his God one­ly, and not the God of all others. It is also very much to be noted, why hee doth rather complaine that his Father had forsaken him, than put him to death: seeing that hee knew very well that Pilate was not of power to take away his life from him, if his eternall father had not giuen him license to doe it? And although hee did complaine of his Father, vvhy did hee not say, My Father why doest thou forsake mee, but My God vvhy hast thou forsaken mee, making account of that vvhich hee hath suffered, and not of that vvhich then hee did suffer? Although all these thinges are easily rehearsed, yet they are not easie to bee expounded: but because they are diuine secrets, and done betwixt diuine persons onely they passe mans capacity, yea the Angels vnderstanding. To come then vnto the myste­ries, it is first to bee seene vvho complaineth, and vnto whome hee complaineth, vvhereof hee complaineth, and vvhere hee complaineth, and before whome hee complai­neth, and vvith vvhat wordes hee complaineth. Hee vvho complaineth is Christ: hee vnto whome hee complaineth [Page 235]is his Father: that whereof hee complaineth is because hee had forsaken him: the place where, was on the crosse: and hee complained before his mother with these words, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee. These are most pitti­full words to heare, and tender to prouoke vs to weepe: for if vve consider how the sonne of God spake them being nailed vpon the crosse, his body naked, and his enemies round about him, and that vpon a dunghill, what heart is there that would not breake to thinke on it? Seeing wee know, beleeue, and confesse, that Christ was true God, and that his father was also God, and both were but one God, how can it enter into mans vnderstanding that one who is God should complaine vpon him who is also God? If between one God and another there bee complaints, is it any great matter if men sometimes fall at ods? Wee see it fall out daily, that the sonne complai­neth of the Father, and one friend vpon another, yea & one man vpon himselfe, but that Christ who is God should com­plaine vpon his father who is God, it is a thing neuer heard of before, nor humane weakenesse is not able to conceiue it. For seeing no man cōplaineth on another but for some wrong done vnto him, what grieuance could the eternall Father haue done vnto his sonne whom he loued so well? For seeing we know that Christ is the sonne of God and his onely belo­ued sonne, and with whome God hath left all his treasures in keeping, how is it possible that God should haue dealt hard­ly with him, seeing that he deserued it not, neither his father desired it? According vnto that which we haue said our rea­son is good which way so euer wee doe wind our selues: for if wee say that the father did that vnto his sonne, which hee ought not, wee can neither say it nor affirme it: then if we say that the sonne complained vvithout occasion, we dare not presume so to say, in so much that we must deliuer the fa­ther of all fault, and allow the sonnes complaint to bee good. To vnfold our selues of this businesse, it is to bee noted that Christ said by the Prophet, Abinfantia creuit mecum mise­ratio, [Page 236]Because he began to suffer from his childhood, and yet hee neuer complained vntill the time came that hee should die. Leo vpon the Passion of our Lord sayth, That the noble mens children of this world crie our presently when they see any trouble come vpon them, and aske for succour: but neuer any man saw our Lord open his mouth to complaine, vntill a quarter of an houre before they would pull his heart out of his body. S. Chrisostome vpon Luke crieth out & sayth. What newes is this O redeemer of the vvorld, vvhat news is this? When they lay hands on thee, thou takest it quietly, vvhen they blaspheme thee thou makest as though thou vvere deaffe, vvhen they vvhip thee thou doest hold thy tongue, whon they doe crucifie thee thou doest suffer, vvhen they kil thee thou doest dissemble: and yet doest thou open thy mind euen as thou art yeelding vp thy ghost? Why doest thou complaine vpon thy father alone, hauing as thou hast so ma­ny enemies which haue offended thee, that is, Iudas who sold thee, Peter which did denie thee, Pilate which g [...]ue sentence on thee, Herod vvho scorned thee, and all the people vvhich put thee to death? Demosthenes the Philosopher sayth, That a man ought neuer begin that vvhich hee cannot bring to an end, nor say that vvhich he cannot proue, nor aske that which cannot be giuen him, nor loue that vvhich cannot be gotten, no [...] contend with him vvhome hee cannot reuenge, nor yet complaine of that which cannot bee remedied. Seneca in an Epistle sayth, That no man should say that hee complaineth, vnlesse he thinke that he shall haue remedy against his com­plaint: for otherwise he doth himselfe hurt in complaining, & stirreth him vnto anger of vvhom he complaineth. Tell mee then O good Iesus, what remedy h [...]st thou for thy cōplaint, seeing that thou hast not halfe an houre to liue? Doest thou make thy request vnto thy Father when thy soule is euen now departing from thy body? Who euer heard of, or euer saw the like, that the end of thy vexitions to bee the begin­ning of thy complaint: in thirty and three yeares that thou [Page 237]diddest conuerse with vs, thou diddest neuer braule with a­ny, thou diddest neuer iniury any man, nor neuer complaine of any man, and now being at the very point of death doest thou complaine only vpon thy Father? O what great myste­ry and deep secret this thy complaint doth couer, seeing that in such a time, and such a narrow strait, thou doest complaine, when all other are woont to pardon their iniuries and recon­cile their enmities, and aske pardon for their offences? Pau­per & in laboribus a iuuentute mea: exaltatus autem, & humi­liatus & conturbatus: these wordes the Prophet Dauid sayth in the person of Christ Psalme 88, as if hee would say, I haue been brought vp in trauails and pouerty from my childhood, and then I was lifted vp, and then made low, and afterward troubled and persecuted. Thy fears haue made me afraid; and thy angers haue broken vpon me, and thy trauails haue com­passed me about, and they haue compassed me about altoge­ther as it were a vie, and ouer and aboue all this, thou hast set my friend farre from me, and hast seperated him who was my neighbour farre from me. If wee doe deepely looke into the complaints which the sonne maketh in this place against his eternall Father, wee shall find that they are many in number, great in quality, and in respect incomparable, cruell in their kind, and vnworthy of him vnto whom they are sent. Basil vp­on the Psalme sayth, That speaking like a man, it seemeth in humane reason that the innocency of good Iesus did not de­serue, neither could it be in the clemency of his good Father, that the diuine pittie should load vpon weake humanity, so many torments together, and heape so many troubles & vex­ations. The first complaint which the sonne made against his Father is, Quod pauper & in laboribus sum a iuuentute mea, to wit, That he brought him vp poorely from his childhood, he made him liue with hunger, and go like a banished man from place to place. Cicero sayth in an Epistle, When a young man doth suffer trauails, and endure pouerty, if he bee not a foole and an idiot, he beareth it with a great courage, by remem­bring [Page 238]that his Father was poore in the same manner: but if his Father had been rich, and now hee himselfe poore, this is such a misfortune, that there is no patience able to endure it, nor heart which can dissemble it. What should the sonne of God thinke when hee remembreth what a rich Father hee had, and that hee did spend all his treasure vpon other mens children, and suffer him to goe poorely, naked and a hungred, and scorned by all men? The Apostle speaking of Gods ri­ches sayth, Deus qui dines es in omnibus, as if hee would say, Thou art the God only which doth possesse great riches, and art the Lord which hath many lordships, because thou shoul­dest want nothing thy selfe, and to impart much of the ouer­plus vnto others. Gloria & diuitiae in domo eius, saith the Pro­phet, his house is full of glory, and there is infinite wealth in his chamber. If God then haue glory for those which are in heauen with him, and bee also a father who hath wealth for such as are with him in this world, what was the cause why he did not impart some of this vnto his sonne? Ambrose vpon this word Pauper & in laboribus sayth, That most sacred humanity came in pouerty of glory, seeing that his Father did not suffer his soule to impart somewhat of his glory vnto his body, and his person also liued in pouerty, seeing hee had nothing proper vnto himselfe in this life, in so much that as the father was rich in all things, so the sonne was poore of all things. Plato in his Timaeo sayth, That although pouerty bee no euill thing in a good man, yet notwithstanding mans na­ture doth much abhorre it, because there can none but he be called very fortunate who is able to giue vnto others, neither is there any other very vnfortunate, but hee who must of ne­cessity aske of others. It is to bee thought that Christs huma­nity did feele his pouerty, and necessity which hee endured, aswel because his father had very much to bestow vpon him, as for that hee must oftentimes aske for that which hee had need of. S. Bonauenture sayth in the life of Christ: Christ had much a doe to maintaine himselfe and those of his Colledge: [Page 239]for sometimes he asked that which he had need of, and they gaue it him not, and at other times he asked not, and yet they sent him, in so much that there did striue in his tender heart at one time the hunger which hee suffered, and the shame which he had to aske. Hunger did bid him to aske, and shame did bid him to forbeare: in so much that there passed very few daies in the which his stomacke was not very hungry, or his holy face couered with shame. Ginomius the Philosopher being asked what pouerty was, answered. That pouerty of his owne nature was very euilly conditioned, because it giueth no contentment vnto the person in whome it is, no sauour at the table, no tast in the cup, no warmth in the gowne, nor any life in the purse. What contentment can a poore man haue, seeing they scorne him before his face? What sauour hath he at his table, seeing that oftentimes it is time to haue dined before the fire be made in his house? What tast can he haue in his cup, seeing that sometime hee doth not send once a weeke vnto the tauern? What trust can a poor creature haue in his purse, seeing that his purse did cost him more than that which is in it? Christ had great reason to say, that hee vvas brought vp poorely, and with great paine from his infancy, seeing that he was borne poore, liued poore, and died poore, insomuch that as hee was the most holiest of all holy men, so was he the poorest of all poore men. Exaltatus autem humili­atus & conturbatus, which is the second complaint which the sonne maketh of the Father. And it is as if he would say, Be­sides that my Father hath brought me vp in pouerty, & great misery, he hath remembred to giue me honour, the better af­terward to diffame me, and to exalt mee to throw mee after­wards downe, in so much that my fame hath beene spread a­broad throughout all this kingdome, and my infamy hath flowne afterward throughout al the world. This is a very pit­tifull complaint, and a very deepe speech, and therefore it is necessary for vs to expound it well and read it vvith great heed. Seneca in his second booke of Anger saith, Laetiores reli­quit [Page 240]fortuna, quos nunquam aspexit quàm ques aspexit, & postea deseruit, as if he would say, It was better with them, and they were more merrier which fortune did neuer exalt, nor neuer thought on, than with those whom fortune had once lifted vp to great honour, and afterward thrown down again. Boetius in his first booke of Comfort sayth, In falicissimum genus in­fortunij est hominem fuisse faelicem. As if he would say, There is no torment in the world to bee compared vnto that, that when a man doth remember that hee hath beene happy in time past, and that he is fallen from that estate; because such a mans heart doth bewaile his present misery, and sigh af­ter the felicitie which he was wont to enioy. What griefe can he take for honour, who neuer knew what it was? Macrobius in his Saturnales sayth, That if wee want any thing, all that we can doe is to desire it; but if we doe once obtaine it, & then lose it, the heart is not content with desiring it only, but doth also lament the losse of it, because it is a farre greater griefe to lose that which once we haue enioied, than that which we ne­uer had, although we doe desire it neuer so much. The son of God did complaine on his owne father, because he had exal­ted him, and afterward throwne him downe, because there was neuer sonne more honored by his father than Christ, nor neuer sonne so much abased as Christ was afterward on the Mount of Caluary. The better to vnderstand this speech, ex­altatus & humiliatus, wee must suppose, that God did neuer giue nor neuer will giue vnto any those graces and prehemi­nences, which hee gaue vnto his welbeloued sonne, because there is no creature worthy to receiue them, nor any Angell of that capacity, that he is able to haue them imparted vnto him. The sonne was exalted by his Father, seeing hee gaue him his owne diuine essence and power, and in that his flesh should be vnited vnto that diuine nature, and because the ho­ly Ghost was the maker and framer of all that mystery, and because he should take flesh of a Virgine, and she remained a Virgine. The sonne was highly exalted by his father, consi­dering that hee gaue him so much power vpon earth, as hee [Page 241]had aboue in heauen. The sonne of God was highly exalted by his father, considering that hee gaue him the most excel­lent soule that euer was or shall bee created, and gaue him power to cast out diuels, and authoritie to raise the dead, and power ouer al the elemēts, & also gaue him license to pardon sinnes. The sonne of God was greatly honoured, when hee gaue him, himselfe for his father, a pure Virgine for his mo­ther, holy Ioseph for his maister, the great Baptist for his em­bassadour, the great Euangelist for his Secretary, holy Peter and Saint Paule for his Preachers. Christ was highly ho­noured by his Father, considering that he made Iohn baptize him in the riuer of Iordan, and caused the holy Ghost to bee present with him, and his glory to shine there vpon him, and openly acknowledge him to bee his welbeloued son. Behold then how the sonne of God was exalted and honoured by his father: but alasse as hee endeth his speech with exaltatus, he sayth presently that he was humiliatus & conturbatus, that he was throwne downe and troubled, so that according vnto this prophecy the end of his honour was the beginning of his infamy. Christ was abiected and abased by his father, because that from his young tender infancy, his father began to hold a rigorous hand ouer him: for in the first three and thirty years which he liued, he neuer gaue him license to shew his power, nor employ his knowledge, nor set forth his learning, nor win credite and fame in the world. Christ was abiected and made low by his father, seeing that of God he made him a man, of eternall temporall, of one that was inuisible, visible, and of one that was immortall, mortall, of one who was strong & migh­ty, weake, and of a free man a bonds [...]aue, according to his hu­manitie. The sonne of God was abased and abiected by his father, considering how he suffered the Pharisies to persecute him by malice, the Priests by enuy, the Scribes by couetous­nesse, the Gentiles through ignorance, and the Synagogue by obstinacy. Christ was brought low and abased by his father, seeing he gaue his enemies leaue to point at him as if hee had been an enchanter, diffame him as an Idolatour, accuse him of [Page 242]blasphemy, rebuke him of sedition, and condemne him for a Traitor.

CHAP. II. How Christ doth complaine vpon his father, because he doth breake all his anger vpon his body.

IN me transierunt irae tuae, & terrores tui con­turbauerunt me, saith Dauid, as if he would say, Thou was not content O my Father, thou wast not content, to bring mee vp in such great misery as thou didst, thou wast not content to exalt mee and throw mee downe againe, but now anew thou doest breake all thy anger vpon me, and doest lay vpon my back all thy dreadfull feares. It is a new speech and a grieuous com­plaint, to say that the father should breake his anger vpon his sonne, and that hee maketh his soule afeard. And therefore it is necessary for vs to shew what anger is, and how it can be ve­rified that there is anger in God. Possidonius the Philosopher being asked what anger was, answered, In my opinion anger is nothing else but a short and a suddaine folly. Aristotle defy­ning it said, that anger was but a kindeling of the bloud, an al­teration and mouing of the heart, a forgetting of wit & sence, and a troubling of the iudgement. Eschines being demanded from whence anger proceeded, said that it proceeded from the heat of the bloud, and of the abundance of choller, and a vapour of the gaule, and fiercenesse of the heart. Macrobius sayth, That no man should chide with one that chideth, nor with him who is chidden, vntill the cause be knowne on both sides: for the cause is not in the anger which wee shew in chi­ding, but in the iustice or iniustice of the cause for which wee chide. Seneca in his first booke of Anger sayth, That the con­ditions of an angry man are, not to beleeue his friends, to bee [Page 243]sodden in all his businesse, helpe himselfe with his hands, not to respect dangers, speake suddenly and maliciously, and bee angry for a smal occasion, and admit no reason. Chilo the Phi­losopher sayth, That if any man aske him what hee thinketh of anger, hee will answere that it is a thing easie to be written of, and easie to persuade, and sweet to bee counselled against, but very hard to bee bridled. Saint Basil vpon the Psalme, Neque in ira tua corripias me sayth, That Anger is such a dan­getous thing, that if wee doe giue it entrance into our will, it doth afterward make our nill of our will. Then wee yeeld our will vnto anger, when wee begin to trouble our selues with small matters, and then anger doth that which is not our wil, when in great matters we would not be angry: in so much that if wee doe not resist anger in the beginning, we shall ne­uer or late cast it out of our house. Wee haue spoken all this to the end that wee should maruell the more how it should be in God, and how he should bee moued like a man, seeing that as there is no man able to take his eternall being from him, so there is no man able any way to trouble him. Who should bee able to trouble him, seeing wee know that God is a spirit, and hath no heart in his breast, no bloud in his vaines, no vapour rising from his gaule, no gaule in his lights, no forgetfulnesse in his memory, no alteration in his iudgement? S. Ierome vpon the Prophet O see saith, That God is so wise that no man is able to deceiue him, so mighty that no man is able to resist him, so constant that no man is able to mooue him, so inuisible that no man is able to touch them, so iust that no man is able to oppresse him. Then if it bee so, that hee cannot bee deceiued, oppressed, nor moued, how is it possible that any anger should raigne in him, as it doth in a man? When the sonne sayth vnto the Fa­ther, In me transierunt iraetuae, hee sayth plainly, that hee hath vnloaden his great anger vpon him, and hath cast all his griefes vpon his shoulders. For the better vnder­standing of this complaint which Christ maketh, it is to bee [Page 244]noted, that for the space of many yeares God had enmities and hatred, and found himselfe agrieued, moued, and disqui­e [...]ed: for at the same houre that he created creatures, the An­gels would haue been equall with him, man began to disobey him, sinne began to preuaile, and also to persecute his friends. God had three notorious enemies in the world, which are man, the deuill, and sinne: whereof man went about to lift vp himselfe in Paradise, the diuell to take heauen from him, and sinne to rule and gouern the whole world. O that these were vnspeakeable griefes which these three enemies caused God to haue, and their disobedience toward him exceeding great, heaping daily sin vpon sinne, wickednesse vpō wicked­nesse, neuer going about to amend themselues, nor God to be pacified. Our Lord did dissemble all kind of disobedience, and all manner of sinne, vntill his sonne came into the world, vpon whose humanity hee did so fully vnload and vnburden his anger and griefe, as though hee had been the only inuen­ter of sinne. Gregory in his Morals sayth, That the world is a strong enemy, the deuill a stronger, and sinne the Traitor the strongest of all: for if there were no sinne in the world, God would not bee angry, nor man should not bee con­demned, nor the Deuill vvould not goe about so dili­gently, neither should there bee any hell for the vvic­ked. Damascen sayth thus, It dooth vvell appeare that the eternall Father did breake all his anger vpon his pre­cious sonne, and that hee did vnburden himselfe and load all his vvrath vpon his humanitie, seeing that be­fore his sonne did take flesh, hee did nothing but pu­nish, and after that hee died did nothing but pardon. Haue you seene since God hath broken his anger vpon his sonne, either the vvorld drowned vvith vvater, as in the floud, or burnt vvith fire, as in Sodome and Go­morra? Hath there beene seene since God brake his an­ger vpon his sonne, such captiuities as the people of the Iewes vvere in, or such plagues as vvere in Aegypt, [Page 245]or such famine as were in Dauids time, or such warres as were in the Machabees time? Christ had great reason to say vnto his father, In me transierunt irae tuae, seeing that hee broke all his anger, and discharged all his wrath vpon him. Eripuit me de inimicu meis fortissimis, & ab his qui oderunt me, saith the Prophet Dauid speaking vnder the person of Christ: That is, in recompence that my Father hath vnloaden vpon mee all his wrath and anger, he hath deliuered me from my mighti­est enemies, and hath put from my side such of my enemies which did hate mee exceedingly. What doest thou say O sweet Iesus, what doest thou say? doest thou die by the hands of thy enemies, and yet doest say that thy father hath deliue­red thee from them? My father hath not deliuered me from the deuill, seeing that he doth tempt me, nor from the Phari­sies seeing that they haue accused mee, nor from the Scribes seeing that they haue diffamed mee, nor from the Gentiles seeing that they haue crucified me, but he hath deliuered me from sinnes which are the strongest of all my enemies. Are they not the strongest of all, seeing they rule and maisterall? Augustine vpon the Apostles words sayth, Of three enemies which we haue, sinne is the strongest of them al; because ma­ny holy men, haue gone before vs in old times, vpon whom although the deuill and the world haue had no power, yet notwithstanding sin hath had a dwelling place in them, be­cause there did neuer man liue so cleane, who knew not what sinne was. Cassiodorus sayth, I for my part, thinke sinne more mightier than any other enemy, because the world and the diuell can but deceiue me, but wicked sin can hurt me & damn me. For if there were no manner of sin in the world, we should need neither gallowes nor sword. Christ onely may say, hee hath deliuered me from my enemies, because he & no other was free from sinne, because all other creatures knew what sinne was, and all knew what punishment for it was. O how happy a man he should be, who could say with the Prophet, he hath deliuered me from my strongest enemies! for it is no­thing [Page 246]else to say that God hath deliuered him from his ene­mies, but that our Lord hath deliuered him from his sinnes. The Prophet had great reason to call sinne not only an ene­my, but also his strongest enemy, seeing that without other helpe, he threw the Angell out of heauen, cast Adam out of Paradise, depriued Iudas of his Apostleship, and condem­ned all the world to death. Is not sinne thinke you the migh­tiest of all other enemies, seeing that hee is able and strong i­nough to carry mee to hell? The power of my visible ene­my reacheth no further than to take my life from mee, but sinne the Traitour is an enemy so strong, that hee is able to take my life from me, depriue me of grace, cast me out of glo­ry, hurt my soule, and condemne mee vnto paine. Who had such enemies as the sonne of God had; that is, so wicked in their cogitations, so malicious in their speech, and so cruell in their deedes? Were not the lashes which opened Christs shoulders very cruell enemies, the nailes which broke his sinewes, the thornes which tore his temples, and the speare which opened his side, and the Synagogue which tooke his life from him? Yet Christ called none of all these his ene­mies, nor did not handle them like his enemies, but only sins, which hee did not only call enemies, but mighty and strong enemies, giuing vs therby to vnderstand, that we should hold none for our enemie but onely sinne. When good king Dauid said, Persequar inimicos meos & comprehendam illos, Hee spake it not in respect of the enemies which persecuted his person, but for sinnes which did damnifie his soule. For seeing that good king Dauid did pardon Saul and Simei, and others his mortall enemies, how could hee counsell vs that wee should persecute ours? When he saith I will persecute my enemies vntill I destroy them, he spake of no other enemies but of his sinnes, the which it is conuenient for vs to persecute, and cast from vs. And it is not without a mystery that hee sayth Perse­quar & comprehendam, Because that as the enemy which is offended, if he be not taken, turneth againe and biddeth vs a [Page 247]more fierce battaile than hee did before; euen so dooth the diuell and sinne deale with vs, the which if we doe not driue away vtterly from vs, and root out from our hearts, they turn againe against vs like vnto most mighty and strong enemies. What doth it auaile the huntsman if hee run after the Hare, if he take her not: what doth it is profite thee, if thou run af­ter sinne and detest sinne, and speake euill of it, if thou doest not ouertake sinne; and what else is it to ouertake sinne, but to ouercome and destroy sinne vtterly? O how many there be which say, I wil persecute my enemies, and how few there bee which say, and I haue taken them: for if they cast out sinnes to day on one side of their house, they turne againe to morrow, and knocke at the ring of the dore, and it is opened presently vnto them.

CHAP. III. How Christ complaineth of his Father, because hee tooke all his friends from him in his passion, and all others which he knew.

ELongasti ame amicum & proximum & notos meos a miseria, These are the words which the sonne of God spake, continuing his for­mer complaint, vttered by the Prophet Da­uid, Psalm 87: as if he would say, Thou shoul­dest haue contented thy selfe O my Father, when thou didst vnload al thy wrath vpō my weake body, & not seperate anew my friends frō me, & hinder those to come vnto me which were my known acquaintance. Christ cōplai­neth in this place of his Father, that he tooke his friends from him, seeing that he sayth, thou hast remoued my friends from me, & he complaineth that he took his kinsmen from him, & that hee tooke his acquaintance from him, and at that instant when hee vvas in greatest misery. This is a pittifull complaint [Page 248]which the sonne of God now maketh, because there is no griefe to be compared vnto that, nor no hurt equall vnto the taking away of a mans trusty and faithfull friend. Horace as­keth what hee is able to doe, or what hee hath who hath no friends? To what purpose doth he liue which hath no friends? Mimus the Philosopher sayth, That a man dieth as oft as he loseth any of his good friends: and sayth further, that as the body is made of diuers members, so the heart of friends: and there vpon it is, that as the body cannot liue without it haue many members, so likewise the heart cannot liue vvithout friends. They killed Dauids greatest enemy which was Saul, and his deerest friend who was Ionathas in one day, and hee was so agreeued at the death of his friend, that by turns after hee had wept the death of his friend, hee wept his enemies death also. We doe not read that our redeemer did weep for the death of holy Ioseph his maister, nor for all the trauails which he eudured in this world; but he wept for the death of Lazarus his good friend, whose death hee could not endure, but immediately did raise from death againe. If Plutarch the great Philosopher doe not deceiue vs, Plato came from Asia vnto Cicilia, for no other cause but to see Phocion the Philoso­pher, who was his deere friend. Cicero in his booke of Friend­ship sayth, That the Philosophers do cōmend nothing more vnto vs, nor wise men did esteeme of no riches more than of the conuersation of their friends, because that without friends it is not lawfull for vs to liue, nor yet very sure to die. Aristorle being asked what friendship was, answered, That it was no­thing else but one soule which ruled two hearts, and one heart which did dwell in two bodies. Diogenes sayth, That seeing there is no greater paine than to deale with naughty men, nor no greater comfort than to conuerse with good men; for my owne part I confesse and say, that I had rather die vvith him whom I hold for my friend, than liue with him whome I esteeme my enemie. Eschines the Philosopher being deman­ded how one friend should be towards another, answered: be­twixt [Page 249]true friends there is but one yea, and one nay, one liking & one misliking, one agreeing & one disagreeing, one wil and one nill, one loue and one hatred. Experience doth teach vs, that how good soeuer the bread be yet it mouldeth, and wine becommeth vineger, and garments teare, and flesh waxeth stale, and years passe away, but friendship alone is that which neuer wearieth, & good conuersation is that that neuer doth loathe. Pliny in an Epistle sayth, If thou wilt be honored, giue honour vnto others; If thou wilt bee succoured succour o­thers; If thou wilt be loued loue others. For if thou wilt haue a friend, thou must either make him or find him: and in that case I say, that it is better for thee to make him by good turns, than buy him with money. Peter of Rauenna sayth in a Ser­mon of the holy Ghost: O what a sweet thing it is to haue friends to loue, and to loue to bee loued againe: for the quali­ties of true friendship are, that it feareth no sword, it drea­deth no arrow, it refuseth no spear, nor esteemeth not his life, but embraceth death with cheerefulnesse, rather than make any default in friendship. Isidorus sayth, That the priuiledges of true friendship are, that it maketh prosperous fortune more pleasant, and aduerse more easie, maketh doubtful things cer­taine, and fiercenesse meeke, and maketh that light which is greeuous & heauy. Hermogenes sayth, When thou art in pros­perity in this world, thou oughtest to suspect all friendship; for thou doest not know whether they loue that which thou hast, or thy selfe which doest possesse it: for true friendship is not knowne when thou hast much to giue, but when thou art in necessity to aske. Is there (saith S. Ambrose) any greater cō ­solation in this miserable vvorld, thā to haue a faithful friend, with whom thou maist open thy breast, communicate thy se­crets, discouer thy heart, impart thy pleasures, and giue part of thy griefes? If thou doest make a bed to lie in, and build chimnees to warme thee in, and garners for thy corne, vvhy doest thou not seeke bowels to hide the secrets of thy bow­els? And thou must know, that thou oughtest nor to trust the [Page 250]secrets of thy heart, but vnto another who is thy heart. Saint Ierome vnto Ruffinus sayth, Whē thou dost enter into friend­ship with any faithfull friend (Ruffinus) learne better how to keepe him than thou diddest keepe Ierome: for a good friend is not found euery where the is long a seeking for, and seldome gotten, he is hardly kept and easily lost, he is recouered very slowly, and the want of him felt very quickly. Chilo the Phi­losopher sayth, I am halfe of my friend, and my friend is halfe of me, in so much that I must seeke him in me, and my selfe in him, because he is I, and I am hee. And hee saith further, that when my friend dieth in him whom I loued, halfe of my selfe died with him, and halfe of him remaineth aliue with mee, in so much that by my will I should die, if it were not to keepe that part of him which remained in me aliue. This vertue of friendship could not bee better praised, than this Philosopher hath done it, seeing hee doth confesse, that halfe of himselfe is in the graue with his friend, and that halfe of his friend was aliue in his soule, and that he desired to liue for no other rea­son, but because his friend should not die in him. To come then vnto our purpose, if all this be true, we should haue great compassion vpon Christ, seeing his Father tooke his friends from him, separated his kin from him, & left him no comfort by his acquaintance. It is much to be noted, that Christ doth complaine that his Father took but one friend frō him, & one kinsman, but many of his acquaintance; to note vnto vs, that of faithfull friends there is scarse one to be found, and of ver­tuous kinsmen hardly one, but of acquaintance a great num­ber. O that hee knoweth but meanly what friendship is, who putteth a friend, a kinsman, and his acquaintance vnder one reckoning, because that I am to call him only my friend who loueth me, & him my kinsmā who is a good Christian, & all o­ther my neighbours & cōpanions my acquaintance. To speak properly, Christ had but one friend only who was his Father, & no other friend like vnto him; & one only which was of his kindred, who was his mother, & none other like vnto her: but [Page 251]he had great acquaintance among the Iews: & in that great conflict which he had in his passion, his friend forsooke him, his kindred did not helpe him, and his acquaintaince shewed themselues vngratefull. Thou diddest remoue farre from me, my friend, seeing that thou O my Father, wouldest not heare me when I praied vnto thee in the garden following the in­clination of the flesh: and thou diddest remoue my kin from me, seeing that my mother could not help me on the Mount of Caluary; and thou diddest remoue my acquaintance from me, seeing that there I was put to death by them. O in what great danger, and in what a narrow strait the son of God vvas at the time of his passion, seeing he complaineth that his Fa­ther did not heare him, his mother did not helpe him, and none of his friends would know him. Thou diddest say very well O sweet Iesus, that Elongasti a me amicum & proximum, seeing thy friend who was thy father, could comfort thee but would not; thy kin who was thy mother, would but could not helpe thee; and thy acquaintance who was Iudas, nei­ther would nor could accompany thee, in so much that vpon the altar of the crosse thou diddest abound in torment, and want friends. O that wee had a farre better friend of thee, than thou haddest of vs, seeing that Totum belli pondus versum est in Saul; When as to make an attonement betwixt vs and thy Father, he did lay all the danger of the warre vpon thy shoulders. Non est qui vtrumque possit arguere, & ponere ma­num suam in ambobus, sayth Iob chapter 9. As if hee would say, The one is so strong, and the other so obstinate, that there is no man able to satisfie thē, nor who dareth put his hand be­tween thē. Whē that holy mā Iob saith, that he saw two men at a variance, which al the world could not make friends & set at agreement, & yet did not name thē, it is small doubt but he vnderstandeth some great secret & hiddē mystery. Of these two which holy Iob speaketh of, who is the strong & mightie one, but only our eternal God, & who the obstinate man, but he who is without cōfort? Cyrillus saith, That God & man, & [Page 252]man & God did hādle one another very hardly, because man did nothing but sin, & God did neuer cease to punish, & ther­vpō it is, that in those daies they called God, Deus vltionū, de­us vltionū twise; because he did neither pardon their bodies of punishment, nor their soules of the fault. Because God was the highest and chiefest goodnesse that was, and man incli­ned vnto wickednesse, God did command him to better and amend himselfe: vnto which he answered that he would bee merry and take his pleasure; by reason whereof man went e­uery day worse and worse, and God more angry and incensed euery day against him. Pope Leo sayth, That God doth not weigh whether we be weake or strong, in health or sicke, rich or poore, simple or wise, but that which he desireth, is that we should be good, and he is angry if we be naught: and therup­on it is, that hee neuer casteth any good man out of his pre­sence, nor hee admitteth no naughty man into his house. Gregory sayth, That hee could not suffer one sinne in him who was an Angell, and doest thou thinke he will suffer so many sinnes in thee who art but a man? And hee sayth fur­ther, that God would rather suffer, that an Angell should take heauen from him, and man the world, than suffer one on­ly sinne either in the one or in the other; because that to make a new heauē he is of sufficient power, but to like and approue a sinne, neither is his power able to doe it, neither can it bee comprehended vnder his clemency. Seeing then that God is such an enemie vnto sinne, and seeing that man doth so much couet to sinne, how can they bee but contrary the one vnto the other, and vse one another like enemies? Holy Iob doth weepe and sigh, saying, Non est qui possit vtrumque arguere, that is, there was no man who durst be a mediator betwixt them, nor put himselfe betweene them, to the end that man might giue ouer sinning, & God withdraw his hand from punishing. Damascen sayth, When God and man, and man and God, were at strife and variance, and the one alwaies aboue in hea­uen, and the other continually vpon the earth, there vvas no [Page 253]meane to make them meet, nor no court to agree them in, be­cause there came none downe from heauen to vs, nor any fit person went hence from vs to heauen. The son of God came thē into the world, and put himself a mediator between them both, that is, betweene God and flesh. O how much wee are bound to Christ for that which he did for vs, and much more for the manner with the which he did it! for the more to bind the one and the other, he tooke the diuinity of his Father with the which he might pardon vs, and tooke flesh of man, with the which hee might suffer with vs. In so much that be­cause he tooke his kindred and alliance of both, hee was able to make them both friends. O how costly this friendship and kindred was to the son of God, and grieuous also, seeing that it did cost him his bloud which was in him, & the life which hee possessed so farre forth, that for to make mee friends with God, he became an enemy vnto himselfe. It is certaine that when two enemies doe draw their vveapons to fight, if ano­ther venter in betwixt them, that both their blowes do light vpon him, in so much that hee vvho parreth them is hurt or slaine, and those which were at debate proue after­ward good friends. On the Mount of Caluary, and on the altar of the crosse, as God and man, and man and God, had summoned the one the other to a place of defiance, blessed Iesus put himselfe betwixt them both to cut off the strife, because hee knew that if hee had not taken away all anger at that place, they vvould haue remained perpetu­all enemies. As man threw sinnes at God, and God pu­nishment vpon man, it fell out that the sinne which man fought with, and the punishment with the which God did chastise, fell all vpon the Mediatour who had not deser­ued it. O good Iesus and glory of my soule, vpon whome but vpon thee did thy Father lay his old anger, vpon whome but vpon thee did man lay his fault? Doe not then vexe thy selfe O holy Iob, and saie, Non est qui ponat manum suam in ambobus, seeing hee is already come from heauen, and [Page 254]already borne in the world vvho hath put his hand be­twixt God and man, yea and hath both his hands cut off by them? Haue not they both trow you cut off his hand, seeing his Father ordained that hee should die, and man put the fault on him for which hee should bee crucified? O diuine mediatour, O holy stickeler! which of the Angels could doe the like, or vvhat man could attempt that which thou hast done? That is willingly, and vpon good and long deliberation, thou diddest offer thy selfe to lose thy life, to set God and man in concord and vnitie. The sonne of God then doth complaine vp­on his Father with iust cause, saying, Why hast thou for­saken mee? seeing that hee did load all his wrath vpon his backe, and man likewise lay all the burden of his sinnes vpon his shoulders, vpon him in that place God did emptie all his wrath, and in that place mans sinnes tooke their end. O that this is a glorious time, and a happie age which vvee of the Catholicke church liue in! for hauing Christ for our Mediatour, there can no sinne goe vp to the Father, but it must first meet with Christ, nor any punishment come downe vpon man, but it must also come by him. The sonne of God being a meane be­twixt his Father and vs, who doubteth but that hee will stop our sinne in himselfe, that it ascend not to hea­uen, and also keepe backe the punishment of his Fa­ther, that it doe not descend into the world? As other­wise it would if Christ should not make himselfe a meane betwixt vs.

CHAP. IIII. How Christ complaineth on his Father, because hee bathed his body with the bloud of his vaines, and drowned his heart in waters of distresse.

CIrcumdederunt me sicut aqua, tota die circū ­dederunt mesimul, Psalme 88. The sonne of God spake these words, continuing his complaint against his Father: and it is as if hee would say, What meaneth this O my Father, what meaneth this? Wast thou not content to breake thy anger vpon me, and remoue all my friends from me, but now anew thou wilt compasse mee with a great floud of water, in the which my life is drowned? Christ doth set foorth at large all his trauails, and bewaileth the want of friends: for hee sayth that the waters were great, and he saith twise that they besie­ged him, and that they came all together vpon him, and that they came so ragingly, that they tooke away all his forces. First of all, we must examine here of what kind of waters our Lord speaketh in this place, whether they bee sea waters, or of a riuer, or fountaine, or of a lake, because that in all these a man may drowne himselfe, and lose his life. We read onely of two punishments which God hath inflicted by waters, the one in the floud of Noe, in which almost all the world peri­shed, the other which he vsed against the people of Aegypt in the red sea; the which two punishments were so famous, that our Lord hath not vsed the like vntill this day. The sonne of God dooth not complaine of this kind of floud, nor wee doe not read that he euer was in danger by water: for being Lord of all the waters, how is it possible that he should bee drow­ned in the waters? The sonne of God complaineth of stron­ger flouds than these, of more raging seas, & more salter wa­ters, [Page 256]of whose bitternesse none tasted so much of as hee did, nor no man went so neere the bottome of them as hee did. What waters were they then which compassed the sonne of God, but onely most grieuous tribulations, which passed through his heart, and tormented his body? In Scripture by many waters is oftentimes vnderstood many tribulations, as when hee said elsewhere, Saluum [...]e fac [...]domine, quia intraue­runt aquae animam meam, as if hee would say, Saue me O Lord because I am drowned, helpe mee O my great God, because the waters ouerflow me, because the waters of distresse enter in at my mouth, and drowne my dolorous heart. O in what great anguish of mind hee was who spake these words! for to say that anguish went to his heart, was nothing else but to bee grieued at the heart. The waters of tribulation, and the floud of vexation entred into no mans heart so deepely, as into our Sauiours: for seeing that we were the cause of them all, as he did loue vs from the heart, so hee did feele them from the heart. It is to bee noted, that hee doth not say that the water did wet him, or bemite him, or make him afraid, for all these things doe not kill, but onely put vs in feare. All the perill of water is, that a suddaine streame doe not carry vs away, and that our life doth consist in nothing but in the suddaine grow­ing or decreasing of the water. Seneca sayth, That no man can be in greater danger in this life, than hee who seeth himselfe compassed with waters, because that at the self same time our soule and life goeth out where the waters goe in, and the wa­ters goe out where our soules goe in. To what other thing could the son of God better compare his anguish & distresse, than vnto one compassed about with waters? It is to bee no­ted that he sayth, Circumdederunt me, Haue enuitoned mee, because the water which raineth doth wet onely, the water throwne dasheth onely, and that which is dronke filleth, but that which compasseth on euery side drowneth: and therfore Christ saith they haue iuclosed me on euery side; & saith not they haue wet me, because his blessed heart was drowned in the sea of sorrow, and his sacred body in the floud of tormēts. [Page 257]The waters which compassed him about, & the flouds which fell vpon him were so great, that my tongue is not able to re­hearse them, nor my heart to thinke them, nor my fingers to write them, nor my eies to bewaile them. O good Iesus & my soules delight, how or when diddest thou see thy selfe enui­roned with waters, but when thou sawest one member pulled frō another on the Mount of Caluary? O that it is an impro­per speech to say that thou wast compassed with water, see­ing that thou mightest with greater reason haue said, that thou diddest see thy selfe drowned in bloud, because that in that lamentable day of thy death thou diddest want water, and flow in bloud. It is nor without a deepe mystery and hid­den secret, that Christ saith, that hee was compassed about with water, although it were true that he was enuironed with bloud: and the reason is, because there is no man who is so greatly recreated by drinking a cup of cold water, nor taketh so great contentment in it, as good Iesus did in shedding his bloud to redeeme the world with it. Christ sayth then, they haue compassed me about like vnto water, because that if he did looke vpward, hee saw his Father who would not seeme to heare him, if downward he saw but his mother, who could doe nothing but weepe for him, if hee did looke on the left hand he saw but a thiefe, who would not beleeue in him, if on the other hand hee saw another thiefe who could not helpe him. He was compassed on euery side: for if hee should haue looked behind, he should haue seene the hangmen watching him, and before him the Iewes a mocking him. Christ saith, they haue cōpassed me like vnto a water: vpon which words S. Barnard sayth thus, O good Iesus, O my soules delight, what pitty did moue thee, what charity did force thee, being nailed vpon the crosse, loaden with thornes, beset about with speares, yet thou saiest that thou art compassed with waters? Doest thou die vpon the crosse, and that with great thirst, & couldest not get a cup of water to drinke, and yet doest thou say, that thou art cōpassed with water? What loue hath tran­sported thee, or what goodnesse hath made thee past thy [Page 258]sence, that thou shouldest thinke the bloud which issueth from thee, should bee water that runneth out of thee? What meaneth this O redeemer of my soule, what meaneth this? Doth thy hard nailes, cruell speares, grieuous thornes, seeme to be fountains of sweet waters? The loue which Christ bare vs in suffering was so infinite, that all things seemed sweet and pleasant vnto him, because it is a priuiledge of loue that no­thing seemeth hard and painful vnto him which loueth, but that which he doth vnwillingly. The sonne of God doth no­thing vnwillingly in this world, vnlesse it bee when hee puni­sheth our offences: for although he do many things daily be­ing praied thereunto, yet hee doth nothing being forced. Christ doth complaine also that they compassed him with many flouds of waters comming together: for hee sayth, Cir­cumde derunt me simul, which kind of persecution is no lesse painfull than perillous, nor perillous than painefull. Plato to this purpose sayth, That when griefes and vexations come by little and by little, they seeme to bee somewhat tollerable: but when they come by heapes, they are vntollerable; and the reason is, because man had no time to foresee such dan­gers, nor place to auoid them. Basil vpon the Psalme sayth, That griefes and vexations came vpon that most blessed hu­manity of Christ, like a very great water, and like many ene­mies which laid in ambush, the which Christ would not nor did not resist, nor yet flie away from, but only beseech his Fa­ther to giue him more strength to endure and abide them. Bede sayth in an Homily, O that this thy loue which thou diddest shew in this speech of Quare me dereliquisti was vn­speakable, and thy charity incomparable! for if thou doest complaine to thy Father, it was not because he should take a­way some part of the torment which thou diddest suffer, but because hee would not giue thee longer life to suffer more. Vbertinus sayth that Christ said very truly, when he said, that whole flouds of many waters had compassed him round a­bout, because that in the compasse of foure & twentie houres he was watched, apprehended, denied, accused, whipped, and [Page 259]receiued sentence, spoiled, crucified, and dead; insomuch that if we compare the moments of times with his torments, wee shall see, that the torments which hee suffered vvere more than the moments and quantities of the time in which he suf­fered. S. Ambrose vpon the Psalme sayth, That no man could euer say these words of Circumdederunt me aquae tota die & si­mul, with so good reason as Christ; because on that day which he suffered in, there passed no houre, nor moment, nor minute of time, in the which he was not either strockē, or whipped, or spit vpō, or blasphemed: insomuch that those ministers of wic­kednes were so busie & hasty in giuing him tormēt, that they themselues had no time to rest them in, nor Christ to breath in. Pope Leo vpon the Passion of our Sauiour sayth, That hee had great cause to say, that hee was compassed with many waters, because that all kind of people and all nations conspi­red in one against that most sacred humanity, Iews, Gentiles, Priests, Pharisies, Disciples, Pontifes, Kings, Captains, Soul­diours, hangmen, yong, old, stranger, and all others. S. Augu­stine vpon S. Iohn sayth this: What people were therein the world which were not at the death of Christ, or what tormēt was there inuented which he suffered not? In so tempestious a sea, in so dangerous a floud, in such sudden waues, and in such distresses heaped one vpon another, who would not haue the sonne say vnto the Father, Why hast thou forsaken mee, see­ing hee did not speake one word to comfort him, nor left him any one friend which did fauour him?

CHAP. V. How Christ complaineth of his Father, because he did per­mit those to crucifie him which were wont to bee his friends: and how he calleth them friends.

QVae sunt plagae istae in medie manuum tuarum? His plagatus sum in domo eorum qui me diligebant, sayth Esay, chap. 20. These words were spoken by all the Angels, vnto the Lord of all Angels, who was the sonne of God, and it is as if he would say: O sonne of God, O eternal wisedome, being descended frō heauē into this world aliue & whole, how doest thou come now from thence with such a pittifull body, and so wounded in thy hands? If thou wilt know where, how, and by whome I haue receiued these wounds and gashes, know thou that I haue receiued them in the house of such as loued me, and they gaue them me who bare me good will. Looke how new and strange this question is, so maruellous is the answere; and how maruellous the an­swere, so strange the question: for it is a very strange thing that God should goe to heauen with wounds vpon him; and to say that his friends gaue them him, is also a very maruellous thing, because it is the part of a friend to cure our wounds, and of an enemy to make them. What is this O good Iesus, what is this? How can hee vvho loueth thee vvound thee, and hee who wisheth thee well hurt thee, and hee who woun­deth thee take pitie on thee, and hee vvho serueth thee offend thee? Anselmus handling this place sayth, O eternall goodnesse of thee my God, and patience neuer before this time seene, seeing thou doest call them o­penly thy friends which rent thy flesh, vvrest thy si­newes, vnioint thy bones! To say O good Iesus that thou vvast vvounded in the house of such as loued thee, is a speech vvhich sheweth thy clemency, and giueth [Page 261]me great confidence: for if thou doe call those thy friends which doe wound thee and kill thee, what wilt thou doe by them which faithfully haue serued thee? Christ had one house in Iury, which was Ierusalem, and hee had a friend in heauen which was his Father, and he had another friend vp­on the earth which was the Synagogue, and in that house he was put to death, and hee was wounded by those two friends: for the Synagogue did crucifie him, and his Father did deter­mine that he should be crucified. If the Gentiles which were not his friends & acquaintance should haue put him to death, it would haue been tollerable: but to see that he was wounded & slain in the city where he had liued, & by his friends which he had made much of, & by the wil of his Father which begat him, did grieue him very much, although he did dissemble it. Barnard saith, The more I think vpō thy works O good Iesus, the more I wonder; seeing that man hauing done the deeds of an enemy towards thee, thou canst not call him enemy but friend, cōsidering that thou saist, I haue been wounded in the house of such as did loue me. By which words hee doth let vs vnderstand, that he regardeth more the loue which hee bea­reth vnto the world, than the offences which the world doth vnto him. If as good Iesus said vnto the Angels, my friends haue thus wounded me, hee would haue said vnto his Father that his enemies had done it, what should then haue become of the poore Iewes, and what afterward of vs all? As when friends in iesting doe hurt and scratch one another, so Christ would make the Angels and his Father beleeue, that his e­nemies had not wounded his sacred hands, but that his friends had done it as it were in sporting. O how truly we may say with the Prophet Dauid, Non est deus noster sicut dijeorum, Our God is not like vnto their gods, seeing that here vpon earth men take in earnest the words which their friends speak in iest to them, and if they scratched with a pin, or with ones naile, they make no lesse a matter of it, than if it were a thrust with a lance. The which quality could not sincke into Christ, seeing that before his father, he called his enemies his friends, [Page 262]his whipping scratching, his deep wound a raising of the skin, and earnest testing. S. Augustine vpon these words, Amice ad quid venisti, sayth, this word Enemy, O good Iesus, wil not en­ter into thy mind, because thou art accustomed to call euery man friend: for seeing that thou diddest call Iudas thy grea­test enemy thy friend, whome wilt thou call enemy? Osculan­tes se ad inuicem fleuerunt pariter Dauid & Ionathas; sed Dauid fleuit amplius. 1. Reg. chap. 20. These holy words are rehearsed in scripture, talking of the friendship that was betwixt Da­uid and Ionathas: and this is their meaning; As king Dauid was departing out of the kingdome, and going from Ionathas his faithfull friend, at the time of their departure they em­braced one the other, and wept; and although Ionathas did weepe much, yet Dauid did weepe more. Mimus the Philo­sopher sayth, That the loue which one friend beareth ano­ther, is neuer better knowne than when the one departeth from the other; for if the one want words, the other aboun­deth in teares. Cicero in his booke of Friendship sayth, That true friendship is knowne in going the one from the other, be­cause that in their embracing the one the other, they change their hearts, in so much that this mans heart goeth away with him, and his heart remaineth with this man. It seemeth that Dauid and Ionathas vvere great friends, seeing that they did embrace one another so heartily, and wept so tenderly. Da­uid did much more esteem of the friendship of Ionathas, than of the hatred of his father king Saul: the which was easily seene to bee so, considering that when Saul made a truce be­tweene them, Dauid presently departed out of the kingdome. Dauid vvith all his wisedome and force durst neuer abide the persecution of Saul his enemie, vvithout his friend Ionathas aid: vvhereby vvee may inferre, that there is no griefe in this life equall to the losse of a friend. Bee hee (saith Seneca) poore or be hee rich, be hee great or be hee little, how is it possible for him to liue without a friend? Horace sayth, That if a man be in prosperous estate, he hath need of one to giue him coun­sell, if in meane to comfort him: for I haue heard (sayth he) [Page 263]my maister Menander say, that a fortunate man hath as great need of good counsell to gouerne himselfe by, as the needy man hath need of helpe to lift vp himselfe by. If then the mighty haue need of good counsell, and the poore of helpe and succour, who can better giue vs good counsell, or supplie our vvants than a friend? Eschines in an inuectiue against De­mosthenes sayth, That an enemy can doe his enemy no grea­ter vvrong, than take his good friend from him, because hee taketh away the secret of his heart, the refuge of his trauails, the remedy of his necessities, and reliefe and cherishing of his persecutions. Plutarch maketh mention, that when Denis the Tyrant did scoffe at Phocion the Philosopher, for that he vvas poore, hee made answere thus, I confesse vnto thee that I am poore, but yet Denis is poorer: for although hee abound in money yet hee vvanteth friends, and I haue friends inough but vvant money. That Philosopher thought it a greater po­uerty to want friends, than to want money: wherein hee had great reason, because that in tribulation or sicknesse, it doth ease a man better to see two or three friends at his beds head, than to haue his chests & coffers full of gold and siluer. There are many (sayth Vbertinus) vvhich are poor of money, & not of friends, and others which are poore in friends and not in money, and there are some which are poore in the one and in the other, of which sort Christ is the chiefe, seeing that on the crosse, he had no man which vvould bestow a cup of wa­ter vpon him, nor any one which would giue him one word of comfort. Christ complaineth of the Apostles because they fled, complaineth of his parents because they did hide them­selues, complained on his acquaintance because they did not sticke vnto him, because that in all the conflict of his passi­on hee had no friend which followed him, no kinsman which defended him, nor acquaintance which backed him. Christ had (sayth Rabanus) very honourable and vertuous friends, and valerous acquaintance; but vvhen they saw him weake in strength, and poore in wealth, all of them left him in his troubles, because they vvould not bee the partakers [Page 264]of his daunger. Saint Barnard crieth out and sayth, What meaneth this O good Iesus, vvhat meaneth this? There vvanteth not one in Ierusalem to defend Barrabas, and dooth there vvant one before Pilate to defend thee? Doth Barrabas by stealing find friends, and doest thou by preaching get enemies? Doth the murderer of the quicke find defenders, and doth the raiser of the death find accusers? Doe they condemne him who made an attonement betwixt God and man, and doe they set him at liberty who disquie­ted all Ierusalem? O vnhappy and wicked Ierusalem, will there be alwaies some in thee to persecute the good, and de­fend the wicked? Venerable Bede sayth, That al those which were Barrabas friends, were Christs enemies, and all those which were Christs friends, were Barrabas enemies: for with the same note and voice that they cried, doe not let goe a­ny but Barrabas, they said of Christ, crucifie him. S. Augustine in an Homily saith, That because the twife doubling of a word is the true token of loue or hatred, the Iewes did well shew the loue which they bare vnto Barrabas, in desiring Pi­lute twise to let him loose, and the hatred which they bare to Christ in saying twise, Crucifie, crucifie him. For to say twife Non dimittas nobis nisi [...]arrabam, what else was it then to aske with all their hearts that hee would grant that thiefe his life, and send him to his house that feast of Easter? And to crie out twise aloud, crucifie, crucifie him, what else would they say to Pilate, but that they aske with their tongues, & entreat with their hearts that hee would put Iesus of Nazareth vpon the gibbet, or put him to death vpon the crosse? Chrisostome saith, The Prince of the Synagogue, and the ruler of Caper­naum, Centurio the captaine, Zacheus the rich, and Simeon the leaper, and Lazarus the knight, were not all these, trow you, Christs friends and acquaintance, and of the richest and ho­nourablest among the people? Christ did very much for eue­ry one of these, whē he was aliue, but there was none of these which did any thing for him whē he died, although he went by their gates to be crucified, and with their eies they did see [Page 265]him die. Christ then had great reason to say vnto his Father, why hast thou forsaken me, considering that himself had too many enemies, and Barrabas wanted no friends.

CHAP. VI. How Christ complaineth vnto his father, because they made more account of Iepthes daughter in the Synagogue, than they doe at this day of his death in the church.

FAc mihi quodcunque pollicitus es, concessa tibi victoria & vltione de inimicis tuis. chap. 12 of the Iudges. The daughter of that famous captaine Iepthe spake these words vnto her father when her father returned from the war which the people of Israel had against the king of the Ammonites: as though she wold say, Do with me O my Father, doe with me what pleaseth thee. For seeing that thou doest come victorious from the warre, it is very iust and reasonable that thou shouldest performe that which thou hast promised our Lord. Iepthe had promised and made a solemne vow, that if God would giue him the victory of that warre, that he would offer vnto him the first liue thing of his house which he should meet withall; and although it were a­liue vvhen hee should meet it, yet he vvould not offer it but killed and dead. Iepthe then returning from the vvarre vvith a great victory, his sorrowfull fate vvas, that hauing but one on­ly daughter, she vvent to meet him & receiue him comming home singing and playing on a Taber. Immediately as the sorrowfull Father saw his vnfortunate daughter, his eies were full of vvater, and his heart brake in two, vvhen hee remem­bred the vow vvhich he had made in the vvarre, and that he could do no lesse than kill his daughter. The father then said vnto his daughter, O my daughter and sole inheritrize, how vnfortunate vvas thy destinie, and how vnlucky vvas my for­tune, [Page 266]in that I must open my mouth, and make that promise to such great preiudice to thy life, and hurt vnto my house? His daughter answered him and said, If thou hast opened thy mouth, my father, to make any vow vnto the great God of Israel, let mee bee no hinderance for the performance of it: for I vvill like it well, onely because I see thee victorious o­uer thy enemies. And she added further and said, only I aske of thee my father, that thou wouldest giue mee two months space before thou doest sacrifice mee in the Temple, to be­waile my Virginity in these sorrowful mountains with others my companions. And when those two months were past, (the tender virgine bewailing and weeping the losse of her life and virginity vnbestowed) the Father performed his vow, and sa­crificed his daughter. Because Iephthe that captaine had that famous victory, but yet with vufortunate losse of his onely daughter, all the young maids and virgines of the people of Israell agreed a meeting to weepe and lament the death of Iephthes daughter foure daies in the yeare; and although the people of the Iewes did omit thinges of greater weight than that was, yet they did neuer forget to mourn and lamēt those daies. The holy scripture doth promise vs many great matters in this figure of Iephthe, worthy to be knowne, & hard to ex­pound. Who is vnderstood by the famous captaine Iephthe, but the sonne of the liuing God, and redeemer of the world? He who said, all power is giuē me in heauen and earth, is more valerous and mighty than Ieph the was, because that Iephthes authority extended no further than the land of Iury, but the sonne of Gods did reach ouer heauen & earth. The scripture maketh mention, that when Iephthe was a yong man, those of his countrey put him from his fathers inheritance, & banished him out of the land, and how that in progresse of time hee deliuered them from their enemies, and vvas captaine ouer them all. That which the neighbours of Gilead did to Ieph­the, the inhabitants of Ierusalem did to Christ, whome they banished out of the Synagogue, and depriued of his Fathers inheritance: and yet neuerthelesse hee deliuered them from [Page 267]their sinnes, and vvas the red [...]emer of them all. The truth doth very vvell answere to the figure in this place, and the sence vnto the letter. For as they which did banish Iephthe out of all the kingdome, did afterward entreat him to bee their guide and captaine: so those which said to Pilate, crucifie, cru­cifie him, did afterward on the Mount of Caluary strike their breasts and say aloud, Verè hic filius deifuit, This man was truly the son of God. Who was vnderstood in Iepthes daugh­ter, a virgine faire and young, but only that flesh and huma­nity of the Word? S. Ambrose vpon those words Speciosus sor­ma, sayth, Who is so beautifull, who is so pure, who so holy, as that most sacred flesh vvas and is? The daughter of Iephthe was not knowne of any man, and Christs humanitie was also vnknowne of man, seeing that it was not conceiued by consent of husband, but formed and framed by the vvebe of the holy ghost. Iephthe did promise to offer in the Temple his only daughter for the victory which hee had obtained a­gainst his enemies, and Christ did promise to offer vpon the crosse his owne flesh for the victory and conquest vvhich he had against sinnes; so that Iephthe did offer only the daugh­ter vvhich hee had begotten, and the sonne of God did offer his owne proper body. Is it not thinke you a greater mat­ter for a man to offer his owne flesh, than that vvhich is born of his flesh? Iephthe vvas very loath and grieued to offer his onely daughter, and it vvas a great corrasiue to the daugh­ters heart, to see her selfe sacrificed by her owne Father: but in the end shee vvas more ioyfull and glad of the victo­ry vvhich her Father receaued against his enemies, than grieued that her owne life should bee sacrificed. O how vvell one mystery doth answere vnto another! for vvhen the flesh said, Let this cup passe from mee, vvith the daughter of Iephthe hee vvas loath to die: but vvhen hee said, Not as I vvill, but as thou vvilt, hee was glad to suffer: so that that sacred flesh vvas very vvil­ling to bee sacrificed, because that the diuine Word should obtaine victory ouer sinnes. Doest thou not [Page 268]thinke my brother, that one mystery doth very vvell answere another, and that one secret is very vvell compa­ted vvith another, seeing that that virgine vvas sacrifi­ced for her fathers honour, and that diuine and sacred flesh also sacrificed for the honour and glory of his father? Iepthe had a great reuenge ouer his enemies, but Christ a farre grea­ter ouer sinne: and yet it is to be noted, that by how much the greater those two victories vvere, so much the more greater vvere the prices vvhich they vvere bought for, because the one did cost his daughters life, and the other his owne. What can be deerer than that vvhich doth cost a mans life? Pellem pro pelle & cuncta dabit home pro animasua, saith Iob chapter 2. The Scripture maketh mention in Iob, that as there appeared before the iudgement of God many vvicked men, the deuill made one among them: for good men doe neuer assemble themselues to doe good, but Sathan is there also to doe them some hurt. Our Lord said vnto Sathan, from vvhence doest thou come, and vvhither hast thou gone? To this Sathan an­swered, I haue gone about all the earth, and vvalked through it, to see whether I could happen vpon any more that vvere mine. Our Lord replied, hast thou seene my good seruant and trusty friend Iob, vnto vvhome no man on the earth may bee compared? And doest thou not know Sathan that Iob is a ho­ly man, sincere in condition, vpright in his conscience, fearfull in that vvhich the law commandeth, vvithout malice, & one vvho continueth till this day in his innocency? Thou hast stir­red me vp against him, that I should kil his sonnes, destroy his sheepe and deere, and that his oxen should be stolne frō him, and all his vvealth taken from him, and that I should depriue him of all his honour. Sathan answered vnto this and said, Know Lord, that a man vvill giue all his vvealth & substance vvith condition to saue his life. Pellem pro pelle dabit hemo, that is, A man vvill giue al his sheepe skins, & all the cowes hides in the vvorld to keepe his owne flesh. If thou vvilt trie Lord vvho thy friend Iob is, lay thy hand vpon his owne person, and fill his bodie with a leprosie, and then thou shalt see, that hee [Page 269]will bee more grieued to see his body plagued, than to see his goods taken from him. This then was the reasoning and dia­logue which passed betwixt God & the diuell touching Iobs tentation: whereof we may inferre, how much more that is to be esteemed which the sonne of God offered, than Iephthes sacrifice, because the one offered his daughter, and the other his owne proper life. The victory which Iephthe had, was a costly victory vnto him, but Christs was more costly, because that Iephthe did ouercome and liue, but the sonne of God did ouercome and die, and there is no dearer victory in the world than that which is bought with the exchange of a mans pro­per life. Although Iephthe did loue his onely daughter well, yet Christ did loue his precious flesh better, because it was vnited vnto the diuine eslence, and therefore the better hee did loue it, the more was his griefe in losing it. Aristotle sayth, That wise men doe loue their liues better than others of the vulgar people, because they see themselues more ne­cessary vnto the Commonwealth, and euery common good is to be preferred before a particular. And according vnto this saying of the Philosopher, as the sonne of God was wiser than all men, and better than all men, so without doubt by so much the more he loued his life, by how much it was most profitable to all men. Sathan said well Pellem pro pelle dabit ho­mo, A man will giue one skin for another. For if a man would haue asked the captaine Iephthe which of these two thinges he would rather haue done, either haue sacrificed his daugh­ter, or his owne person, it is to bee thought that hee would rather haue sacrificed his daughter twise, than his owne person once. Seneca in his booke of Clemency sayth, That because it is a naturall thing vnto vs to liue, and a dreadfull and fearefull thing to die, wee are much afraid of our owne death, and beare another mans easily. Theophilus saith, That it is much to be maruelled that Christ would die; but it is much more to bee wondered at, that hee would die with so good a will, because that without augmen­ting his glory, yea rather diminishing it, hee offered himselfe [Page 270]willingly vnto them, to the end that they should take his life from him. The figure sayth further, that Iephthes daughter, went two months weeping and wailing her virginity on those solitary mountains, with other virgines and maids which bare her company. What was the meaning that that pare virgine, bemoned and bewailed her virginity, but onely that shee was sorry that shee had not been married, and had a husband, and that she had no children to mourne for her death, or inherite her goods? It seemeth to bee a dishonest matter for a vir­gine to weepe, and bewaile her owne virginity, if there were no other hidden sence vnder this letter, because that in scrip­ture the more obscure a saying is, the more fuller it is of my­stery. Wee haue already said that Christs sacred flesh is figu­red by that tender virgine, and now wee say againe, that as Iephthes daughter bewailed her owne virginity, so did Christ likewise his: only it is to be noted, that there is a difference be­twixt weeping and weeping, virginitie and virginity. The sonne then doth complaine on his father saying, Why hast thou forsaken me: which he vttered because hee had not em­ploied his most pure virginity and most holy innocency as he desired to doe: for as he was borne a virgine, a virgine hee died; and if hee came innocent into the world, with his inno­cency hee returned vnto heauen againe. Let no man thinke that Christ bewailed and wept his virginity, because hee did inuiolably keepe his most holy flesh: for if his mother did not lose it in bringing him into the world, neither could hee lose it by liuing in the world. The chastity which the scripture speaketh of, and the virginity which Christ bewaileth with Iephthes daughter, is not the corruptible virginity, but the in­corruptible, not the virginity of the body, but of the soule, the which doth make our Lord great with holy speeches and diuine inspirations; and therefore if hee bee great with these diuine inspirations, he bringeth forth afterward holy workes. S. Augustine vpon those wordes, Desponsauit te mihi in fide sayth, Spirituall and holy men haue as great need to marry their foules with Christ, as worldlings haue to seeke husbands [Page 271]for their daughters: and if I haue said as great, now I say more need; because a maid may bee saued without the company of a husband, but a soule cannot be saued vnlesse she take Christ with her. S. Barnard sayth, O how farre more higher is the spirituall matrimony, than the corporall! the one is betweene the wife and her husband, the other betwixt the soule and Christ; of the one come children, which sometimes do breed griefe & anger, of the other there do proceed workes which doe alwaies good. If Iephthes daughter doe weepe her de­parting out of this world a virgine, euen so doth Christ weepe and lament his virginitie, because hee hath left no greater a spirituall posteritie after him: for he would willingly haue left all the hearts in the world great with child with good & ver­tuous desires, and all soules deliuered of good workes. When God said by the Prophet Esayas, Numquid ego qui alijs gene­rationem tribue, sterilis ere? That is, Shall I be barren my selfe and giue issue vnto others? hee did not speake this for any de­sire which hee had to marry himselfe with any woman, but for the great zeale which hee had to marry and couple him­selfe with our soules; because that in all ages and all times the chastity of the body is a holy thing, and in all ages & all times the barrennesse of the soule is naught and discommendable. What doest thou weepe for then O good Iesus, what doest thou weepe? I weepe my virginity with the daughter of Iephthe, because I haue scarse found any in all the world who will marry with my diuine grace, nor who will be great with child with my diuine inspirations: and that which I mislike most of all is, that if I begin to dally and make loue with any sinfull soule, she turneth her backe towards mee, and is ready to flie from mee. I bewaile my virginitie, because that in three and thirty yeares which I haue liued in the world, with al the sermons which I haue preached, and with all the dead which I haue raised vnto life, and with all the diuels which I haue cast out, and all the sinnes which I haue forgiuen, it seemeth vnto mee that I haue made small gaine, and done lit­tle good in respect of the paines which I haue taken. [Page 272]I bewaile my virginity, because that being come in person in­to the world, hauing instructed all the people, shed my bloud, rent and torne my flesh, lost my reputation, and bestowed my life, yet I see now that there is scarse any one found who would benefit himselfe with my bloud, or who is thankful vn­to me for my benefites bestowed vpon him. I bewaile my vir­ginity, because I haue found none to bestow my virginity on, none to giue my innocency vnto, none to impart my patience vnto, none vnto whome I may communicate my charity, nor any one with whom I may leaue my humility in keeping: but if I came rich and adorned with vertues in the world, so I must return rich again with thē to heauen. The figure which wee haue spoken of, saith further, that all the maids of Sion did meet in Ierusalem to mourn and weep the death of Ieph­thes daughter foure daies one after another, in the which they made great lamentations, so that no yeare did passe, in which this solemnity was not obserued. It is here to be noted, that al­though there haue beene in the synagogue many personages, noble in bloud, valerous in warre, discreet in the Common­wealth, learned in all sciences, and cleane and vnspotted in life, yet it is not read of any of thē, that after they were dead and buried, were mourned for at any other time. Al the kings, Dukes, Patriarks, and Prophets were buried by their friends and kinsfolkes, and forgotten of them, excepted onely the daughter of Iephthe, for whose death all the virgines and maids did mourne and weepe euery yeare once by a speciall priuiledge. Wee speake all this because that if the daughters of Sion thought it conuenient to thinke vpon and weepe for the death of that virgine once euery yeare, should it not bee greater reason that wee should weepe for the death of Iesus Christ euery houre and euery moment of an houre? Those virgines did weepe for the death of that young virgine for no other reason but because she was young, beautifull and vertu­ous, so that they were induced to make that solemne lamen­tation rather through compassion than reason. What other reason could there bee for that solemne yearely lamentation, [Page 273]seeing that the daughter of Iephthe died not for the Com­monwealth, nor yet had in estimation for any rare vertue a­boue the rest? Iust occasion and reason doth inuite vs to weep euery houre, and euery moment of an houre, for the death of Christ, considering that he died for the Commonwealth, and paied for our offence. For the son to say vnto his father, Why hast thou forsaken me, is to say nothing else, but to complaine of vs because wee remember not his precious death, as Ieph­thes daughter was wept for once a yeare. Although the sinfull soule doth not remember the death of Christ, yet the holy church doth not forget nor omit to celebrate his death once at the end of euery year in the holy weeke. And in steed that the daughters of Sion did weepe for the death of that virgin foure times in the yeare, the church doth represent vnto vs the passion written four times of the foure Euangelists.

CHAP. VII. How Christ complaineth vnto his father, because they did o­pen his wounds through malice, as they did stop vp Isaac his wels through enuy.

HAbuit Isaac possession [...] onium, armentorum, & familiam plurimam: ob hoc inuidentes Pa­lestini obstruxerunt omnes putees eius, implen­tes humo, Genes. 26. The Scripture hath these wordes telling vs of a great discour­esie which the king of Palestine did vn­to Isaac the Patriarke: and it is as if hee would say, Isaac was a great and mighty man, and had many flockes of sheepe, and many heards of kine, and many bond­slaues both man and woman; by reason of which prosperity of his, the Palestines did greatly enuy him, and did stop vp his wels by casting much earth into euery one of them. O that the Apostle said very true, when hee said, all things happen [Page 274]vnto them in figura, seeing that all things that were done in the Synagogue, were nothing else thā a figure of that which should happen in the Catholicke church. For if it were not so, there are many things in Scripture which vvould seeme but a iest to write of, and a superfluous thing to read. If there should not be some deep mystery & some hiddē secret in this figure, what were it vnto vs, or what profite should wee receiue in knowing that Isaac had many sheepe, kine, and slaues? What were it also vnto vs, if hee had many enemies, and that they did shut vp his wels, enuy his riches, haue an ere vnto his greatnesse, considering that it is an old custome, that euery rich man is enuied? This figure doth lead vs vnto higher my­steries than the letter doth shew, and therefore it is needfull to haue a high spirit to declare it, and great attention in rea­ding it. To come then vnto the purpose, Isaac in the Hebrue tongue doth signifie a man ful of laughter and ioy: the which ioifull name can agree only vnto the sonne of God, and hee only in this world in a high degree can be called Isaac. When rhe sonne of God was in heauen aboue, and before hee came downe into this world, no mortall man knew any cause to laugh, nor yet durst not laugh: for because that they saw that God was angrywith all the world, al the world was in a dump and mourned. When God had said vnto Noe the Patriarke, Paenitet me fecisse hominem, that is, I am sorry and repent that euer I made man, how could any man dare to laugh and bee merry? How durst holy Iob laugh, seeing that hee said with many teares, Vtinam de vtero translatus essem ad tumulum: I would to God I had been buried as soone as euer I was borne. His meaning was this, O great God of Israel, why hast thou brought mee out of my mothers wombe, and now that thou hast brought me out, why doest thou not destroy me, & why did dest thou not carry mee presently from my mothers bow­els to my graue? How could the Prophet Helias laugh, see­ing that running & flying away through the mountains from Queene Iezabel, Petiuit anima sua, vt moreretur? His mea­ning was: Am I better than my predecessors, that I should [Page 275]liue rather than they? Die then my soule, die, for because that my life is grieuous vnto me, and I would see it at an end. How should the Prophet Ieremy laugh, seeing that hee said with deepe sighes, Quis dabit capiti meo lachrimas, & oculis meis fontes lachrimarum, vt plorem interfectos populi mei? His mea­ning was, Who can bring to passe with the great God of Is­rael, that he would make a sea of water of my head, & change my e [...]es into fountaines of teares, to sigh by night, and weepe by day, for those whom sinne hath deceaued, and the sword slaine? How could old honorable Tobias laugh when he said, Quale mihi gaudium erit quia in tenebris sedeo, & lumen caeli non video? In those pittifull words hee meant to say this, What ioy can there be in my heart, or what laughter can there bee in my mouth, seeing that I find my selfe poore, and feele my selfe aged, blind, and cannot see the light of heauen? Origen vpon Exodus sayth, That because the old law was a shadow of the new, and that all those which were of the Synagogue were sad and terrified, therefore they did vse so many kinds of instruments, & such diuerse sorts of musicke, because that by thē they might forget the sorrow & sadnesse which they were in. But when the fulnesse of time came, in the which God sent his sonne into the world, hee brought mirth with him, he brought pleasure with him, hee brought the ioies of heauen with him, where they doe nothing else but laugh and reioice, as we doe nothing else but mourne and weepe. Did not trow you our ioyfull Isaac come laughing into the world, seeing that when hee was borne, the Angels did sing, Gloria in excelsis Deo, Glory bee to God on high? Damascen sayth, That if the words which God spake, and the works which he did be weighed with grauity, they doe all giue vs ioy & com­fort, and put vs in a great confidence of our saluation, and take away the distrust of damnation, because hee spake and did much more in the fauour of clemency than hee did in the ri­gour of iustice. And because wee may not seeme to speake at randome, it is reason that wee bring forth some few senten­ces which hee vttered in the fauour of mercy and pittie. [Page 276]Christ to the Hebrewes said, If any man shal keepe my vvord hee shall not die for euer; that is, His soule shall neuer perish. Si quis sermonem meum seruauerit, non morietur in aeternum: It is reason that wee marke who spake these words, vvhy hee spake them, and vnto whom hee spake them. Hee who spake them was our laughing Isaac, and the cause vvhy hee sp [...]ke them vvas, because he vvould make the vvorld re [...]oice vvith such good news: & yet for a recompence for this good newes they rewarded him very badly, seeing that because he said in Pilates house, that there vvas another world, & that his king­dome was not of this vvorld, they clothed him with purple in Herods house as if he had been a foole. He spake these vvords vnto the cursed Iewes when they called him a Samaritane, which vvas as much as to call him an Hererike; & when they said that hee had a diuell, which was as much to say, that hee was a Nigromancer. Doest thou not think, my good brother, that our merry Isaac vvas full of [...]ughter, vvhē he answered so sweetly vnto such outragious blasphemie? O sweet an­swere, O heauenly speech! vvho but thou did promise vs another life, after that this vvas ended? Doest thou not think that our Isaac is full of laughter, seeing that vvhen the Iewes doe goe about to stone him, hee putt [...]th himselfe betwixt God and our faults, to the end that they may charge all the blowes vpon his backe? Did not hee laugh, trow you, vvhen as hee had cast the Diuell out of them, yet they called him a man possessed vvith a Deuill? When the sonne of God said that his yoke vvas sweet, hee did let vs vnderstand thereby plainly, that his holy lavv vva [...] a cheere­full lavv, a gracious lavv, and a loifull lavv: and so truly it is, because all good men keepe it cheerefully, and all naughty men breake it vvith vveeping. Secondly the figure aboue na­med saith, that Isaac vvas very rich, and that hee had many flockes of sheepe, and many heards of kine, and a great number of bondsl [...]ues both men and vvomen. To say the truth the sonne of God had neither sheepe, nor kine, nor bondmen; but hee f [...]d that vvhich was signified by them, [Page 277]because his comming into the world was not to possesse sheepe and kine, nor to be wealthy in them, but his comming was to redeeme our soules, and to bee a mediator for our sins. When the Prophet said, thou hast made all thinges subiect vnder his feet, sheepe and oxen; he spake it not only in respect of sheepe which went in the stubble, or of kine which fed in pastures, but in respect of sinners soules which were in their bodies, the which he did so much esteeme, and for the which he did so much, that although his father did put them vnder his feet, yet our good Isaac did put them vpon his head. By I­saacs sheepe the good people of Israel were vnderstood, which came vnto the knowledge of Christ: such were Laza­rus, Nicodemus, Ioseph, Zacheus, the good thiefe, and many o­thers, all which were of the number of the elect. By Isaacs oxen and kine which are of the greater sort of beasts, all the Gentiles, from whome all wee which are Christians doe des­cend: for euen as a cow is greater than a sheepe, euen so the holy mother the church is greater thā the Synagogue. These are the kine which the sonne of God came to seeke, these are the sheep which our Isaac came to keepe: for of the other flocke and heard which old Isaac had, our redeemer of the world neuer had calse nor lambe. The figure sayth also that Isaac had a great family, and many bondwomen which serued him at table, & many men which gathered in his wealth. Our Isaac was a poore man in this kind of bondmen, and women, as hee was of beards and flockes of cattell and sheepe: for his pouerty was so great, that no man would liue with him, nor dwell in his house. Christ had another manner of family than Isaac had: his family was noble, aboundant, and holy, because there resorted vnto it the powers of heauē, the fathers which were departed, the iust which reioiced in his comming, and all the good men of the world. What should become of the iust man (sayth Anselmus) if he had not the sonne of God for his guide and captain? What meaneth he when he sayth, V­biduo vel tres congregati fuerint in nomine me [...], ibi ego sum, But that wheresoeuer or howsoeuer two or three iust men bee in [Page 278]Christs name, that he will be there in the middest of them. O what great difference there is betwixt old Isaacs family and our Christs family because that in Isaacs family they call those of his house youths, seruants, and men, bond slaues; but in our blessed Iesus family, hee calleth his, his friends, compa­nions, and brothers. O high mystery and diuine Sacrament, why doth Iesus call all, his friends, saying, Amicimeiestis, and another time Brothers saying, Dic fratribus meis, but onely to let vs vnderstand that hee had redeemed them with his pre­cious bloud, and iustified them with his diuine grace? Who would not be glad O good Iesus, who would not bee glad to loue thee, serue thee, and follow thee, seeing that thou art so courteous in thy words, and so gratefull in thy deeds? Who would not be glad to dwell in thy house, and who would not be willingly one of thy family, seeing that thou doest call strangers thy acquaintance, thy enemies thy friends, thy ser­uants thy companions, and vngratefull men thy brothers? Who did euer take such great care of his family as thou didst O good Iesus, seeing that at the very instant that thy enemies apprehēded thee in the gardē, thou didst request nothing else at their hands, but that they would take thee, and set thy fa­mily at liberty? In his last supper, and in his last Sermon, when he said, Pater, Father keepe them which beleeue in mee, and such as will beleeue in me, hee did well shew the loue which he bare vnto his family, seeing hee praied vnto his Father for those which were already borne, and for those which should be born afterwards, for these which were absent, and for those which were present, & as well for the dead, as for those which were aliue. O happy is that soule, vvhich doth dwell in the family of the sonne of God, seeing that hee loueth him before that hee is borne, and vvhen hee is borne giueth him iustice, and after his death glory. The figure sayth further, that all those of the kingdome of Palestine did greatly enuy the Patriarke Isaac and all his house, not because hee had done them any hurt or vvrong, but because hee vvas mightier than all they. S [...]neca in his [Page 279]booke of Anger sayth, That there is no enuie more dan­gerous than that vvhich proceedeth of another mans pros­peritie: for as long as the good lucke of the one doth last, the others enuy and malice is neuer at an end. All the in­tent and purpose of an enuious man is, to turne him backe vvhich goeth before, beat downe him which is on high, throw him downe which [...]s more fortunate than himselfe, dis­credite him vvho is in greater honour, and empouerish him vvho is richer than himselfe. H [...]race sayth, That the proper­ty of an enuious man is, that as anothers prosperity dooth encrease, so his enuy doth also grow, whereof it followeth, that because hee cannot abide him, hee hateth him with his heart, diffameth him vvith his tongue, iniurieth him vvith his hands, and stirreth vp also others against him Good Isaac did neuer hurt the Palestines his neighbours, hee did neuer forray their mountaines, nor eat vp their pastures, nor violate their vviues, nor speake euill against them, nor breed any discord amongst them, but did succour them as if they had b [...]en his brothers, and entreat them as if they had been his children. Yet notwithstanding all this, being besotted and dronke with enuy, and obstinate in malice, they commanded good Isaac to goe out of the land, forsake his vvealth, and breake vp his houshold. And further the people of Palestine not content vvith all this, agreed by the consent of the people, and by a clattering of a coun­sell to stop vp his vvels vvhich his seruants vsed, and his flockes dranke of. They could not haue shewed their malice nor bewraied their enuie more in any thing than in demming vp Isaacs vvels of vvater, be­cause that vvithout the element of vvater, neither men can liue, nor beast sustaine himselfe. To come then vn­to our purpose, vvhat mortall man hath there euer been, is, or shall bee, who hath been so much enuied as the sonne of the liuing God was? What was the cause of such vn­tollerable enuie in the Israelites, but his excellen­cy in knowledge, his skilfulnesse in learning, his [Page 280]vprightnesse in iustice, and the purity of his life? The Iewes raged, and were ready to hurt themselues to see Christ vtter such great mysteries of Scripture as hee did, preach so many sermons vnto the people, doe such strange miracles in the ci­ty, preach publickly against vice, and draw vnto his companie those which were alwaies accounted honest. The Iews malice against Christ was greater than the Palestines against Isaac, because they did nothing but command Isaac to go out of the land; but the Iewes did not commaund Iesus, but they them­selues with their owne hands drew him out, and not satisfied with that, they agreed afterward to crucifie him. They did shut vp the water where Isaac did drinke, but they did open Iesus hands and side: and therefore comparing hurt with hurt, and losse vvith losse, it was a greater losse to take Christs life from him, than to take Isaacs vvater from him. Is it not thinke you a greater hurt to open a mans vaines of bloud vvith the vvhich hee liueth, than to shut vp a mans wels vvhereof hee drinketh? If men shut vp my wels I open others, if I haue no vvater I drinke vvine, if they expell me out of this country, I goe vnto another; but if they draw my bloud from me, vvho vvill giue me more bloud, and if they breake my vains vvho vvill lend me others, and if they take my life from mee, vvho vvill helpe me vnto another? Christ then vvas vvorser hand­led through enuy than Isaac: for if Isaac did liue in honour, he vvent away vvith honour, and if he came aliue into the land he vvent away aliue: but vvhat shall we say of holy and bles­sed Iesus, vvhose family they did scatter abroad through en­uy, vvhose mother they seperated away from him, vvhose bloud they shed, vvhose doctrine they contaminated, and vvhose fame they obscured, and al through enuy and malice? Chrisostome sayth, As all the riches of man doth consist in his soule, his credite, his life and goods, so the Pharisaicall enuy and malice did leaue Christ none of all these: for they tooke his soule from him, they discredited him in his fame, they de­priued him of his life, and left him no goods at all. How farre thinkest thou did all his goods reach, but onely vnto a torne [Page 281]cassocke, and a bare coat? And yet most cursed enuy came and tooke the garments away from him, and gaue the one vn­to the hangmen which did put him to death, and the other coat vnto the souldiers vvhich kept him. What pouerty then in all the vvorld can bee equall vnto this vvhich Christ our Lord suffered hanging vpon the crosse, seeing they haue drawne his soule from him, shed his bloud, bereaued him of his life, and diuided his garments! Although the enuy and malice vvhich the Palestines bare to Isaac vvere great, yet they did neuer lay hands vpon him, but they did lay hands vpon the sonne of God vvhen they did apprehend him, they did lay their feet vpon him vvhen they did kicke him, they did lay their tongue vpon him vvhen they did blaspheme him, and they did lay their hearts vpon him vvhen they did hate him.

CHAP. VIII. How the sonne of God complaineth of his Father, because they did load his body with stripes, and his heart with care and anguish.

IN flagella ego paratus sum, & dolor meus in conspectu meo semper, sayth the Prophet Dauid speaking in the name of the son of God, and it is as if hee would say, Doe by me O good Father, doe by me what thou thinkest good: for I am ready to suffer all the stripes that thou wilt lay vpon mee, because I can neuer forget nor put out of my mind the griefe which I haue conceiued in knowing that I must suffer. Such dolefull words as these are, doe well seeme to proceed from a man which is in great anguish, and from one who seeth him­selfe condemned to die, confessing and protesting that he di­eth for obedience sake, and that he taketh his death with pa­tience: doth not he die for obedience, who offereth himselfe vnto death, and doth not hee take his death in patience, who knoweth not how to cōplain? There are some persons vvhich feele no labour and paine but of the mind, as great lords; and there are others which feele no paine but of the body, as la­bourers; and some which neither feele them in mind nor bo­die as fooles; and some there be which feele them both in the mind and the body, as vertuous men doe. Seneca in his booke of Clemency sayth, That the labour of the mind doth wea­ry [Page 287]a man by night, and is at rest in the day, because then he is also occupied; and the labour of the body doth weary a man by day, and is at ease in the night, because hee is at rest: but he who doth labour spiritually and corporally, doth passe the day time in sweating, and all the night in sighing. Cicero sayth vnto his friend Atti [...]us, That of all the infelicities of this world, the greatest is to haue his body ouerlaid with la­bour, and his heart loaden with care. Reason is wont to mode­rate the anxiety of the mind, and good cherishing the labour of the body, but what comfort can the body giue vnto the mind, or the mind vnto the body, when the one sweateth, and the other sigheth? According vnto the litterall sence, good king Dauid did complaine of both these trauails, that is, the trauell of the body, when hee sayth, Et ego in flagella paratus sum, and the trauell of the mind, when he saith, Et dolor meus in conspectu meo semper, the which vexations hee suffered at the hands of king Saul, when hee wandered like a banished man, and hid himselfe in mountaines and rockes. Dauid endu­red great labour of the body, as well for the iournies which he tooke, as for the hunger which he suffered: hee had great griefe of mind to see himselfe a stranger in his owne land, a sugitiue from his house, banished out of the kingdome, and in disgrace with his king. Although this be all true, yet who can better say, Et in flag ella paratus sum, I am ready to be whipped, than Christs tender body, or who can say with him, Et dolor meus in conspecta meo semper, and my griefe is alwaies before my eies, as his afflicted mind was? We cannot deny, but that Dauid was persecuted, yet we doe not read that he was whip­ped, the which we may affirme of Christ our redeemer, who was not only whipped at Pilates pillar, but was also showne vnto the people with Bcce home, Behold the man. If Dauid cannot say of himselfe, Ego in flagella paratus sum, neither can hee say, Et dolor meus in conspectu meo semper: But only the son of God can so say, because there was no houre nor moment of the day in which his body was not trauelled, and his heart grieued. It is long agoe since I commended vnto my memo­ry [Page 288]that saying of Plato, Quòd in humanis plura sunt quaeterrent quam nocent, as if he would say, In dangers which happen vn­to man, and in humane chances, there bee many more things which put vs in feare, than that happen vnto vs in deed: for so many times the hart is martyred, as he thinketh vpon dan­ger to come. When any malefactor hath receaued sentence of death, from the time that the sentence is read vntill his head be cut off he doth swallow death so many times as hee thinketh that he must die; in so much that if the sword doth kill him but once in the end, yet his imagination doth kill him a thousand times before. Then to apply this vnto our pur­pose, what Prophet was there at any time in the old Testa­ment who knew so much as Christ did? When the sonne of God did prophecy that there should not remaine one stone vpon another in Ierusalem, did hee not as well know that there should not bee left in his body one drop of bloud with another? When good Iesus did prophecy vnto S. Peter that he should die in his old age vpon the tree, did he not know as well that himselfe should bee crucified vpon the crosse? If then the sonne of God did know that he should die, and that his death should be, to be crucified vpon the crosse, what ioy or mirth could there be in him? The sonne of God had two things alwaies before his eies, that is, the crosse and the nailes with the which they would crucifie him, and his enemies which would crucifie him, whose conuersation hee neither vvould nor could eschue, seeing that he came to redeem thē with his bloud, and conuert them with his doctrine. What man is so stout, or who is of that courage, that can liue & con­uerse with him that must take his life frō him? O great good­nesse and infinit charity! good Iesus, who but thou alone hath defended them who persecuted him, protected those who haue accused him, giuen honour vnto those who haue diffa­med him, and pardoned their offences who haue taken his life from him? What wilt thou do, good Iesus, what vvilt thou doe for those which follow thee, and serue thee, if thou deale thus with those which lay wait to intrap thy person, impugne [Page 289]thy doctrine, take away thy same, & depriue thee of thy life? Anselmus sayth, That the sonne of God did liue among sin­ners, not because he did like thē, but because he would amend thē, because no man euer tooke greater delight in reuenging than he in pardoning. To speake more particularly, it was not without a high mystery that Christ said, Et ego in flagella para­tus sum, hauing a greater regard vnto the laslies which he was to endure, thā vnto the death which they were to giue him; because that a noble & modest man doth grieue much more at one lash with a whip giuen him in open place, than if they should strike off his head inprison. Men are woon in criminall causes to behead worshipful & free mē, or vse some other pu­nishment vpon them, & contrariwise whip, hang, or mark with a h [...]te yron bondslaues, so that in the manner of punishmēt a mans griefe is greatly augmented or diminished. Wee vse to speak it for a great reproch, to say vnto one, g [...]e thy way, thou hast been whiphed: the which words wee neuer vse vnto one who [...] because that b [...]nshment is giuē on­ly for a [...], but whipping is g [...]uē for a punishmēt & an intai [...]y Whē the Apostle [...]nd, Ter virgis caesus sum, semel lapi­datus um, & ter naufr [...]giumpe tuli, although he make men­tion of three kinds of tormē [...]s, yet if we looke well vnto it, he maketh his thrise whipping the foundatiō of his martyrdome. By the law of a noble man, as Christ was, & by the law of mo­desty & shamefa [...]ouile which he made reckoning of, it is to be thought that he felt greater griefe whē they brought him forth whipped with Ecce homo, than when they brought him to the crosse vpon the Mount of Caluary, because the crosse tooke away his life, and the whipping tooke away his reputa­tion & credite. The Iewes gaue Christ three solem [...] tormēts which they did not vse to gaue vnto other theeue, that is, la­shes with a whip, with the which they opeued his shoulders, the thornes with the which they did raze his head, and the gau [...]e and vineger, wi [...]h the which they did make his mouth bitter. In the two thee [...] they purposed nothing but to take then liues from [...] seemed not mough to take away [Page 290]Christs life, but they would also take away his same & good name. If the sonne of God had not felt the discipline of the whipp more than any other punishment, he wold neuer haue said, Ego in flagella paratus sum: in which holy words he gaue vs to vnderstand, that he was ready, nor only to suffer all kind of punishment, which they should lay vpon him, but also to beare all iniury that they would vse towards him. O what great reason good Iesus had, to bee more grieued with the whipping than with the other torments, cōsidering that in o­ther punishments he was only tormented, but in this hee was tormented & shamed: hee felt the griefe when they did whip him, & the shame whē they put him naked. O good Iesus, O my souls health, being as thou wast so tēder of skin, so smooth & soft, so subtile in bloud, & so quick in thy iudgement, what didst thou feele when they did whip thee so cruelly, and vn­cloth thee so vnseemely? If it were not whē thou didst preach, that thy face was vncouered, & whē thou diddest trauel that thy feet were without shoes, who euer saw thy precious flesh naked, vntil they took thy garmēts from thee, whē thou wast tied vnto Pilates pillar? O my good Lord, vnto what diddest thou offer thy selfe whē thou didst say, Ego in fla [...]ella paratus sum, because that at Pilates pillar, thou wast turned out of thy garmēts, tied, whipped, iniurited, shamed & beaten blacke and blew at one time. O redeemer of my soule, O maker of my life, when shall I see the day that I may see my life so spoiled of faults, & so naked from vices, as thou wast thē frō garmētes S. Barnard vpon those words of Ecce homo sayth, Thou art not content, O good Iesus, thou art not content, to goe bound from the garden, but they carry thee to Annas bound vvith a cord, thou doest goe to Ierusalem also tied vvith a rope, and thou doest returne vnto Pilate in the same order, and now thou art content to bee spoiled againe of thy apparell and whipped in open place with Ecce homo, Behold the man. One friend may suffer banishment for another, and bee taken for another; yet notwithstanding no man doth suffer himselfe to be turned naked & whipped for any other, because a friend [Page 291]should venter his person for his friend, and spend his goods, with condition alwaies that his credite and honour be conserued and kept. The sonne of God only was he who said Ecce ego in flagella paratus sum, seeing that he did suffer him­selfe publickely to bee stripped naked, and bound, and whip­ped, and so whipped to bee brought vnto shame, not respec­ting the griefe which he felt, nor the shame & reproch which he endured. What else did he meane when he said, I am rea­dy to be whipped, but that hee had as ready a will to receaue martyrdome, and such great loue in redeeming the world, that if they would haue giuē him twise as many lashes more, and doubled his torment, hee was ready to receiue it? Why diddest thou say, O good Iesus, why diddest thou say, I am ready to be whipped, but that by force of stripes they should open thy sides, to the end that thy enemies should see thy lo­uing bowels and heart? When thou doest say, Ego in flagella paratus sum, what other meaning hast thou, sauing onely that the speare should pierce thy sides, and the lashes cut and o­pen thy shoulders, to the intent that they might see thy bles­sed heart, and how that the loue, which thou doest die with­all, is farre greater than the torments vvhich thou doest suffer.

CHAP. IX. How the sonne of God complaineth vpon the Synagogue, that hauing carried them vpon his backe, yet they be vngrate­full vnto him.

AVdite me domus Iacob, & residuum do­mus Israel, qui portamini ab vtere meo, vsque ad senectam. God spake these words by the Prophet Esayas chap. 46, as if he would say, Hear me now, he are me all you of the house of Ia­cob, and all you which haue escaped of the house of Israel, giue credite vnto my words, seeing that I am the God which carry you vpon my shoulders, from the houre of your birth vntill your death. Vnder these few words God doth touch very many great matters: for first he beginneth to call them, then he bid­deth them giue eare, then he saith that it is hee who calleth them, then he noteth who they bee whom hee calleth, then how vvell he loueth them, when hee sayth, Qui portamini ab vtero adsenectutem, But we must note first of all in this place, why the Lord doth seperate the house of Iacob frō the house of Israel, and why hee doth call the house of Iacob an entire house, and the house of Israel a broken and dissolued house: for he sayth, heare mee all you of the house of Iacob, all you of the house of Israel which haue escaped, and remaine. If Iacob and Israell, and Israel and Iacob bee all one thing, and all one house, fauing that one man had two names, how vvas it possible for the one to stand, & the other to fal? In very truth in old time all the Synagogue had but one God, one people, one linage, one king, one law; but when they began to sinne and play the Idolaters, our Lord did immediately deuide thē. By the one house & by the other are vnderstood the church [Page 298]and the Synagogue, whereof the one, which was Iacobs, came wholly vnto the church, and Israels fell vnto the Synagogue, but almost ouerthrowne, not because she deserued it not, but because all which was written might bee fulfilled. According vnto this Prophecy, the Angell said vnto the virgine in his embasie, He shall raigne in the house of Iacob, & he said not, he shall raigne in the house of Israel, because the Synagogue did then draw towards an end, and the church vnto her be­ginning in the sonne of God. God then calleth the house of Iacob, which is the church, calleth those which remained of the house of Israel, which is the Synagogue, because Saint Peter was the residue of Israel, and Saint Paul was the resi­due of Israel, and all those of his Colledge were the remnant of Israel, the which the sonne of God vvent throughout all the Iewish nation to gather together as it had been crummes of bread hurled abroad. Now that wee know what the house of Iacob is, and those who remained of the house of Israel, it is now reason also that wee know what hee will doe vvith them, and why he doth call them, and why he vsed a speech vnto them, which was neuer hard of before, that is, that hee doth beare them vpon his shoulders from their mothers wombes. God will haue nothing else with them, but onely that they beleue in him and heare him, seeing he sayth, Au­dite me Heare me: and withall hee doth put them in remem­brance of the great benefites that hee doth for them, to wit, carry them vpon his shoulders, Portamini ab vtere; and ther­fore if we will haue Gods fauour, we must beleeue the words which he doth speake, and bee thankfull vnto him for all the benefites that hee shall bestow vpon vs. Robertus vpon Esay sayth, If wee will compare that which God requireth at our hands with that that hee doth giue vs, vvithout comparison hee doth bind himselfe vnto more than that which hee doth bind vs vnto: for hee doth bind vs to nothing, but to beleeue in him, and hee doth bind himselfe to main­taine and gouerne vs, Ab vtero vsque ad senectam: that is, from the time that wee bee first borne, vntill our dying [Page 299]day our Lord doth bind himselfe to bring vs vp like his chil­dren, and maintaine vs like his brothers, in so much that like a pittifull Father, and a mercifull Lord, hee giueth vs that which we haue need of, and counselleth vs that which we haue to doe. O infinite goodnesse, and exceeding charity of thine, my good God, considering that by this speech, Ab vtero portamini, thou doest bind thy selfe to giue vs food to liue vvith, and by Audite me, thou doest bind thy selfe to giue vs counsell to saue our selues vvith! and therefore vvee haue of thee a Lord to helpe vs, and a Father to counsell vs. Our Lord, vvhich did create vs, is a better Father vn­to vs than man vvhich doth beget vs, seeing that hee sayth, Qui portamini ab vtere: By vvhich fatherly speech hee doth let vs vnderstand, that hee doth not only prouide for our ne­cessities, but doth also dissemble our iniquities. O that our Lord doth say very vvell, Qui portamini ab vtero, seeing that hee doth beare vs on his shoulders as oft as hee doth vvinke at our wickednesse: for if hee should punish vs for euery fault according vnto his iustice, wee should by this time haue had no memory left of vs. If our Lord should not beare vs vpon his shoulders, and dissemble vvith our faults, to prouoke vs to repentance, hee should scarse haue any at all to punish aboue two or three houres; and for the first sinne only, if it had pleased him, he might haue condem­ned vs to hell. What temporall father doth so long suffer his owne children, as our Lord doth all vs. What father doth carry his child in his armes aboue an houre, as our Lord doth vs all our life time? Before wee bee borne, wee offend him in originall sinne, & after we be borne we offend him al the rest of our life with other grieuous sinnes; yet notwithstanding all this, hee doth bring vs vp like his children, and deale vvith vs like brothers. What vvouldest thou haue mee say more vnto thee, but that from our mothers wombe our wickednesse doth striue with his goodnesse, hee in forgi­uing vs and wee in offending him: O great goodnesse and vn­speakable clemency! what father or mother did euer the [Page 300]like for their children, that thou my good Iesus hast done for my sinfull soule? There is no liuing creature this day in the world, that doth giue milke vnto his young ones aboue two yeares: but our eternall Father and Christ his precious sonne, from our birth vntill our old age, doth giue vs the milke of his grace, the bread of his doctrine, the helpe and succour of his church, the pardon of his clemency, and the reward of his glory. Dilexit me & tradidit semetipsum pro me, sayth S. Paul [...] as if hee would say, Doe not maruell, you Galathians, that I did preach so vehemētly vnto you, & that I did exalt Christs name with such great feruency: for I tell you if you know it not, that besides that hee loued mee very much, hee suffered himselfe to be crucified for me. This is so strange a thing, that S. Paul speaketh of in this place, that vnlesse a man bee ac­quainted with the phrase of Scripture, hee would take scan­dale at it: for when Paul saith that Christ died for him, not mentioning any other, he seemeth to exclude the redempti­on of all the world beside. What meaneth this, O diuine Paul, what meaneth this? if the sonne of God did giue himself for thee, why doest thou preach him to bee the redeemer of all mankind? Were thy sinnes so grieuous and so enormious that they had need of all Christs bloud to redeeme them? If God should send into the world a new redeemer for the ta­king away of euery sinne, how were it possible that God could send so many, seeing that hee had no more sonnes but Christ? Tell me I pray thee, how could so glorious a huma­nity, so profitable a life, such sound doctrine, such a copious redemption, such a dreadfull death bee emploied in thee a­lone, and not benefite any but thy selfe? If it bee so O Paule that Christ gaue himselfe for thee, and not for me, what haue I more to doe with Christ than with a holy Prophet? If hee died for thee alone, is it not reasonable that thou alone shol­dest be thankfull for his death? God forbid that it should be so, neither doth his mercy permit that the Apostle onely should be redeemed, and all the world besides depriued of the bloud of Christ: for his redemption was so copious, and [Page 301]there was such abundance of bloud shed for vs, that on Christs part redemption did abound, and there wanted on ours to be redeemed. Did not redemption, think you, abound on his part, seeing that one drop of his bloud was sufficient for all redemption; and did there not want on our side, seeing that if there had ben an hundred thousand worlds, he would haue redeemed euery one of them? When the good Apo­stle said, Tradidit semetipsum pro me, hee spake it not to exte­nuate and diminish Christs passion, nor straiten his redemp­tion, but to confesse before all the world, that whatsoeuer the sonne of God had suffered vpon the crosse, hee was as much and as streitly bound to bee gratefull for it, as if hee had died for him alone. S. Augustine in his booke of Christian doctrine sayth. As our Lord did know euery mans offences in particu­lar, so hee did redeem euerie of them particularly, in so much that euery man in particular is as greatly bound vnto him for his bloud; and as certaine a debtour vnto him for his death, as if hee should haue redeemed him alone, and suffered for him only and no other. Theophil sayth, Euen as in thy creation thou art as greatly bound vnto God as if he should haue cre­ated thee and no other, so in thy redemption thou art [...]s great­ly bound vnto him, as if he should haue redeemed thee & no other: for at that time when he bought thee, he gaue as much for thee as for all men, and as much for all men, and no more, as for thee. S. Barnard saith. If the sonne of God should haue redeemed a thousand thousand of worlds, he would haue gi­uen no more bloud for them than hee did, and if hee should haue redeemed no more but me alone, hee would haue shed no lesse bloud than he did: by reason whereof wee cannot de­ [...]nde his redemption betwixt vs, that thou mightest bee but meanly gratefull vnto him, and another lesse; but thou must thinke that he died wholly for thee, and wholly for mee, and that euery mā is as great a debtour vnto him, as if he had died for him alone. Anselmus sayth. Doe not thinke that Christ bought vs ingreat, and at the first sight, as flockes of sheepe are bought, but hee bought euery man by himselfe alone, sa­tisfying [Page 302]in particular for euery sinne, so that as he found many in the world, so hee redeemed them all: but if hee had found but one sinfull soule in the world, hee would haue bestowed his precious bloud in redeeming her alone. Isidorus Desumme bono saith, Mark and note wel, good Christian, that Christ did not lesse loue thee, than he loued me, neither did he buy thee with lesser trauel thā he bought me, not giuing lesse bloud for one than for all. And thereupon being as it were carried away with great loue towards vs, he esteemed not, nor did not look to the price which he gaue for vs, but vnto the loue with the which he bought vs. If our blessed Lord would haue looked vnto the smalnesse and base value of that which he did buy, as hee did looke vpon the great loue with the which hee did buy vs, would hee, thinke you, haue bestowed one drop of his bloud vpon vs? If humane nature should be ioined and cou­pled with the nature of Angels, and that of them both there were made one nature, what could it doe, what were in it, what were it worth, that the sonne of God should shed so much as one drop of bloud for it? That it vvould please Christ to die for vs, let vs thanke the great loue which he bare vnto vs, and not any desert or merit of our owne. For if he should haue expected at our hands that we should first haue deserued it, he should yet be to take flesh vpon him, & to redeeme vs. Origen in his Periarchon sayth, As the sunne whē he riseth, doth no lesse giue light vnto al thā vnto one, & aswell vnto one as vnto all: euē so the son of God did not die more for all thā for one, nor nolesse for one thā for all. Barnard saith, O infinite goodnesse, O inspeakable charity! which of all creatures wold haue done so much for thee as thou hast done for me, that is, esteem more of my soule, than of thy own life, of my honor thā of thy fame, of my redēptiō thā of thy passion, & of my remedy & help than of thine own hurt. O with what great reason the Apostle did say, Tradidit semetipsum pro me, casting vpon himselfe the whole price of the bloud of Christ, but not that which it was worth in value, but that great obli­gation vnto which it did bind him. The sonne of God than [Page 303]doth complaine to his Father, saying, Why hast thou forsa­ken me, because he did punish him and not the Synagogue, vvhome hee had brought vp and carried vpon his shoul­ders.

CHAP. X. How Christ complaineth vnto his Father vpon vs for our vngratefulnesse, considering that hee hath taken vpon himselfe all our offences.

QVidvltrà debui facere vineae meae, quod non fec? Christ spake these words by the mouth of the Prophet Esayas, chap. 5. As if hee would say, What can any man doe more for his vineyard, or Lord for his Commonwealth, than I haue done for thee O Synagogue? These are tender words to feele, and pittiful to heare, seeing that on one side hee doth complaine of the Synagogue, and on the other he will reckon and debate the matter with her, and cono [...]ce her first, that all the fault is in her and not in him, before hee doe punish her and giue her pennance. God doth debate the matter with the Iewes, as one good friend doth with another, going about to win them with the great benefires which he hath done for them, and the great ingra­titude with the which they haue recompenced him. Our Lord might very well punish the Iewes without delay, and not contrary vnto the order of iustice; but yet he would first put thē in mind of the great goodnes which they had recea­ued at his hands, and of their manifold sinnes which hee had dissembled, to the end, that if they feele the smart of it, they might not iustly complaine on him. It is a cunning manner of reprehending a mans friend, to tell him of the good turnes which he hath done vnto him, and the dangers which hee hath deliuered him from, because by this meanes hee doth not only reprehend him, but also confound him. Saint Ierome [Page 304]to Martella sayth, The summe of all the benefits which God can doe to vs are, to direct vs in the right way of goodnesse, and put from vs the way of sinne and wickednesse, because wee are no lesse bound vnto him who dooth deliuer vs from perils and dangers, than vnto him who doth vs great good turnes. S. Gregory vpon the Psalmes sayth, When the redee­mer of the world did make our Lords praier, Pater [...]ster, when hee did command vs to say, Da nobu hodie, giue vs this day, hee did also enioine vs to say, Sed libera nos, But deliuer vs from euill; by which words he did teach vs, that wee should not onely craue helpe of him, but also beseech him, that hee would deliuer vs from euill. What innumerable benefites God hath bestowed on vs, Esay doth tell vs in this authoritie when he sayth, Quid vltra debut facere vincae meae, and S. Paul when he said, Tradit semetipsum pro me, where the one spea­keth of the great care which our Lord hath in gouerning and maintaining vs, and the other of the bitter paine hee tooke in redeeming vs. Our Lord sayth very well, what should I haue done more vnto my vineyard, seeing that he tooke humane flesh for vs, washed away our offences, endued vs with his grace, incorporated vs in his church, and made vs capable of glory? What should he hauedone more, considering that he hath left vs his body to receiue, his merites to help our selues with, his Saints to imit-te, his Gospel to keepe, and his Sacra­ments for a medicine? Quid vltra debus facere, considering how he made our bodies of nothing, created our soules to his owne likenesse, giuen vs Angels to guard vs, and bestowed all the earth vpon vs? What should he do more, seeing that hee hath commanded the sunne to giue vs light, the earth to su­staine vs, the fire to heat vs, the water to wash vs, & the aire to recreate vs? What should he doe more for vs, seeing th [...]t ouer and aboue all other beasts hee hath giuen vs iudgement to discerne good from bad, memory to rememberthings p [...]st, and a will to loue that which is holy and good? If these be­nefites doe seeme great vnto thee, yet I tell thee further, that he hath done more than this for thee, which thou hast for­gotten, [Page 305]of which our Lord wil call for an account, at the great day of his generall accounts. What are these new sauours, or when doth hee vnto vs any other good turnes, but when hee turneth some dangerous hurt from vs? Griefe of mind, anxie­tie of heart, feares of life, suddaine passions touching our cre­dite and fame, with such like as are woont to assault vs euery minure of an houre, although we thinke not on them: so that if our Lord should not keepe vs with his mighty hand, wee should liue with paine, and die with perill. What are those mischiefes which doe most of all weary vs, and which are ne­uer from vs, but dreadfull death, vnspeakable griefe, bitter teares, extreame sorrow, and vntollerable feare? These fine dolours doe bait, and ouerthrow all mortal men, because they are so common among great men, and so vniuersal among the meaner sort, that vntill this day we haue known none exemp­ted from them, and wee haue heard of none who haue died and not tried them. If euery man will examine his owne per­son, he shall find it to bee true, that he knoweth all these mis­chiefes and euils, not by any science which hee hath heard, but by experience within himselfe, seeing that we see nothing else euery houre, but euery man to weepe and bewaile his in­finite paines and griefes? And because we may not seeme that we doe speake at pleasure, we will speake of euery word a lit­tle, to bring thee to remembrance, how euery one of these griefes is experimented in thy selfe. As concerning the first, which is death, what mortall man was euer borne in this life, whom death in the end hath not made an end of, and put into his graue? With this condition we come into the world, and liue in the world, that in the end wee must leaue the world, and that by reason of a common law which he hath giuen vs. The second griefe are teares: and what mortall man did euer liue in this world with such great ioy, but hath wept at some time or other, and that heartily? Horace sayth, That weeping is so naturall a thing vnto all mortall men, that we be borne weeping, liue weeping, and die weeping. Demosthenes sayth. That a man hath need of a maister to learne all offices and [Page 306]duties, vnlesse it be weeping; because there is nothing wher­of a man hath such abundance and plenty, as of cares in his mind, complaints in his tongue, and teares in his eies. The third paine is sorrow: for what mortall man did euer attaine vnto such sure and quiet state of life, that hee should neuer need to fetch at any time a deepe sigh? O that it is well seene in the life of holy Iacob, that to mourne, sigh, and weepe, are offices and duties so annexed vnto the miserable life of man, that we shall first see our selues dead, than free from them! The griefes which trouble our mindes are so many, and the anxieties which charge our bowels are so huge and strong, that lamenting and vvailing is taken for a remedy, and sigh­ing for a comfort, and weeping for an ease; because it happen­eth often to afflicted minds, that the more teares they shed, the more ease their hearts receiue. The fourth paine, which is griefe: what man hath euer beene so strong and healthy, who hath not beene throwne downe with some sicknesse, or beaten vvith some great affliction? O that the Apostle said very well, that vvee haue a treasure in fickle vessels, seeing that vvee are so weake in strength, and feeble of health, that wee doe nothing but keepe our selues from the sunne least hee burne vs, and from cold least it goe through vs, and from the aire least it distemper vs, from the vvater least it stop vs, and from meat least vvee disgest it not. Auerroes sayth, That because these inferiour bodies are subiect vnto the superiour influences of the heauens, they passe great pe­rill, and are endangered by the starres and planets: for the e­lements often changing in themselues the bodies which are made of them, doe also the like. Of all the riches of this life, there is none equall or to bee compared vnto health, because that all other paines and griefes either time doth cure, or discretion doth moderate. The fist paine, vvhich is feare: vvhat mortall man had his heart euer so at rest, that no feare hath euer come vpon him, or in vvhome no suddaine passion hath raigned? Menander sayth, That of necessitie there must raigne in mens hearts, mirth or sorrow, loue or [Page 307]hatred, paine or ease, and hope or feare; but of all these, sor­row and hatred, paine and feare, are those which doe most of all raigne in our bowels, because we see mirth and loue, plea­sure and hope, either late or neuer come to our dore. Cicero in his Commonwealth sayth; put case that wee loue many things, yet without comparison wee feare more thinges, and that which is worst of all is, that our loue doth change euery day, but our feare doth neuer depart from vs. Plautus sayth, How merry so euer our countenance bee, and how full soe­uer of laughter thy mouth bee, and howsoeuer the tongue talketh, yet neuerthelesse the sorrowfull heart is loaded with feare; for hee feareth least his credite and honour shall bee taken from him, or least they steale away his vvealth, or least his life be neere an end, or least that vvhich hee loueth should be long absent. Xenophon saith, What pleasure or con­tentment can raigne in any mortall mans heart, seeing that wee suffer so many griefes without vs, and so many feares tor­ment vs within vs. Loe then you see these fiue principal griefs prooued vnto you, although it was not needfull to prooue them, seeing wee see that all men doe die, all men weep, that all men are full of sorrow, that all men complaine, and that all men liue in feare. If wee could happily meet with any man now adaies vvho would bind himselfe to keepe vs from these griefes, and cure vs of these feares, vvhat vvould vvee denie him, or vvhat vvould vvee not giue him? If we pay bountifully and bee thankfull vnto the Phisitian, vvho doth cure vs of one griefe, vvhat should vvee pay or giue him, or what thankes should vvee render vnto him, who vvould cure vs of all? Verè languores nostros ipse pertulit, & dolores nostres ipse portauit, sayth Esayas, chapter, 54. As if hee would say, The Redeemer of the vvorld, and the heire of all eternities vvas he vvho tooke our infirmities vpon himselfe, and did load and burthen himselfe with all our griefes & sor­rows. In old time Esculapius the inuenter of Phisick was much set by; the Greekes esteemed of Hipocrates their first Phisiti­an; the Thebanes of Anthony Musa their first surgeon; and the [Page 308]Romanes of Archagnatus their first Phisitian, whome they adored for a time like an Idoll, and in the end stoned him in Campus Martius. The Greekes, the Romanes, the Thebans had neuer such a Phisitian as wee Christians haue of Christ: for all other Phisitions of the vvorld can but counsell vs, but our great Phisition hath science to counsell, experience to cure, and power to heale. S. Augustine sayth, There was neuer any such manner of curing in the world as Christ brought with him, because that all other Phisitions before his time, if they found any man sicke, they left him sicke, and if they found him in paine, they left him in paine: but holy Iesus did neuer lay his band vpon any that was diseased, but hee left him whole. Hilarius sayth, Whē the Gospell saith of Christ, Totum hominem saluum fecit, bee spake it not so much for cor­porall infirmities, as hee did for spirituall diseases, the which are woont to proceed, not of corrupted humours, but of sinnes vvhich had taken root. S. Ambrose sayth, The sonne of God did then heale me of all my griefes, when he tooke them vp­on himselfe: for seeing that they had such possession of me, & so long time rooted and wxt old in me, how was it possible that any man should take them from me, if hee had not cast them vpon himselfe? Hee did cast my death vpon himselfe, when he did die vpon the crosse, hee did cast my sorrow vp­on himselfe when he was in his agonie, he did cast my teares vpon himselfe vvhen hee did vveepe for my sinnes, hee did load my griefe vpon his owne backe when hee did taste vineger and gaule, and hee did take my feare vp­on himselfe, when he did feare death like a man. When a temporall Phisitian commeth to visite a sicke person, hee dooth comply with him by taking him by the pulse, and by giuing him a regiment of life, and if hee find him to haue an ague hee leaueth him vvith it, insomuch that they may better bee called counsellours, seeing they doe giue counsell onely, than Phisitians, seeing they cure not. God forbid that any such thing should bee said of our Phisitian, seeing that from the time that he came down from [Page 309]heauen to cure the world, he himselfe became sicke, & cured him who was sick, and he who was sicke did rise vp aliue, and the Phisitian remained there dead; and the reason of that was, because he changed the health which he brought with him, with the sicknesse which the other had. O that this ex­change was a glorious and happy exchange which thou did­dest make with me, good Iesus, seeing that thou didst change thy goodnesse for my naughtinesse, thy clemency for my iu­stice, thy health for my infirmity, thy innocency for my ma­lice, and thy paine and punishment for my fault! And because we haue made mention before of fiue notable paines & euils, with the which all mortall men are beaten and afflicted, it is reason that wee see in this place how the sonne of God did bear our weaknesses, vnburdening vs of them, and burdening himselfe with them. Verè languores nostros ipse pertulit, when he said in the garden of Gethsemani, my soule is heauy vnto death: for with those dolefull words, he loaded his soule w [...]h my heauinesse, and did vnload vpon me all his ioy. Whē did our ioy begin but in his greatest sorrow? So long as God did not know by experience what sorrow was, we did neuer know what mirth was; and from that day that hee began to weepe, we began to laugh. Hee did truly take our infirmiries vp­on him, when good Iesus vpon his knees in the garden said vnto his Father, Transeat a me calix iste: for in that agonie hee did cast all my feare vpon himselfe, to the end that I should afterward be lesse timorous. Before that God tooke flesh he was feared of all men, and did feare no man, and wic­ked man did feare all things, and was feared of no body: but since the time that Christ like a fearefull man said, my soule is sorrowfull and heauy, there is no reason that we should fear any thing, for his feare was sufficient to make all the world couragious S. Barnard vpon that saying, Cum ipso sum in tri­bulatione sayth Seeing that thou doest bind thy selfe, O good Iesus, by these words to be alwaies at hand with me, and to be by my side when I shall be afflicted and persecuted, why, or for what cause, or whereof should I bee afeard? There is no [Page 310]cause to feare the flesh, seeing that thou diddest make thy selfe flesh: there is no cause to feare the deuill, seeing that thou hast ouercome him: there is no cause to feare sinne, be­cause thou hast brought it to an end: there is no cause to feare the world, because thou hast ouercome it: there is no cause to feare man, seeing thou hast redeemed him; neither will I feare thee O my good Iesus, but loue thee. Before that thou diddest make thy selfe man, I was man who did feare; & now I am he who is feared: sinne doth feare mee because I admit him not: the flesh feareth mee because I cherish him not: the diuell feareth me because I beleeue him not: and the world feareth me, because I follow him not. He did then truly take our infirmities vpon him, when as vpon the altar of the crosse he did crie with a loud voice and many teares, and when hee praied and shed many teares, with the which hee did wash a­way our offences. He did then take our infirmities vpon him, when as in the last houre he did yeeld vp his ghost, Inclinato capite, accepting the death which his Father did offer him, to transferre life into vs. Damascen sayth, From what time did we loose the shame of death, but since Christ did fear death? No man ought to maruell that the sonne of God did feare death, but that which we should maruell at is, that hee made his martyrs not feare death, and that they should goe so free­ly to death, seeing that they goe more cheerefully to be mar­tyred, than Princes doe goe to be crowned. The sonne then doth complaine vnto his Father, saying, Why hast thou for­saken me, because that hauing takē our infirmities, sinnes, and sorrowes vpon himselfe, it is no reason that wee should bee so vngratefull and vnthankfull vnto him.

CHAP. XI. Christ complaineth vnto his Father how badly enuy did vse him: and how in Samaria they sold an asse head for four­score pence, and they gaue but thirty for his.

INuidebant ei fratres sui, nec poterant ei quid­quam pacificè loqui. Genesis, 37. chap. The Scripture declaring the great hatred which Iacobs eleuen sons bare vnto their brother Ioseph, speaketh these words: and the meaning is this, The elder brothers did hate the yong very much, because his father did loue him best, and make most of him; and their ha­tred and enuy grew to that depth, that they could not endure to see him, nor speake one friendly word vnto him. Saint Paul thought that enuy was the root and foundation of the perdi­on of mankind, seeing hee sayth, that Propter inuidiam mors intrauit in mundum: and therefore it shall be great reason that we declare what enuie is, and what hurt it doth, and who is Queene of enuy. Aristotle sayth, That enuy is nothing else but a passion of the mind, & a mortall anguish to see another man in credite and honour, imagining that to be his discredit. Horace sayth, The greatest griefe that we haue with enuy is, that it is not in the eies, for so it would bee seene, nor in the hands, for it would bee felt, nor in the tongue, for it would bee heard, but his chaire and seat is in the secretest place of the heart and mind, where it abideth, complaining of euery man, and tormenting him who possesseth it. Menander saith, The mother of enuie is swelling pride, and cursed ambition, and therefore they neuer goe asunder, or very seldome, but where pride is there is enuy, and where enuy, there pride. S. Augu­stine sayth, Take away enuy, and presently all that is mine, is thine, and all that is thine is mine. Origen sayth, Enuy doth grow so fast vpon me by reason of the disordinate loue which I beare vnto my owne person: for thereby I beare malice vn­to my inferiors for feare least they become my equals, and I enuy my equals least they goe beyond mee, and I spight my superiors because they doe me no good. S. Ierome in a Sermon sayth, That the difference betwixt a malicious man, and an enuious man is, that the malicious man doth loue nothing but that that is naught, and the enuious man doth hate no­thing [Page 312]but that which is good. S. Gregory in the fift booke of his Morals sayth, The naughty man doth enuy none but such as he seeth in higher estate than himselfe, or whom hee seeth to bee of better life than himselfe, or whome hee heareth bet­ter spoken off than himselfe: whereof it insueth, that how much the other doth grow & encrease in goodnesse, so much the enuious man doth vexe and torment himselfe. Isidorus sayth, Take heed of enuy, my brother, take heed; for it is no­thing else but a certaine disease which doth trouble thy sen­ces, burneth thy breast, gnaweth thy bowels, grindeth thy heart, wasteth thy life, darkeneth thy memory, and condem­neth thy soule. Seneca sayth, That a man doth seldome enuy him whom he can ouercome, but him whom he cannot van­quish. And the selfesame Seneca sayth further, It is more ex­pedient for vs to beware of the enuy of our friends, than of the hatred and displeasure of our enemies, because the ene­my carrieth his hatred in his tongue, and I take heed of him: but because my friend hideth his enuy in his heart, it cannot be known, nor I cannot beware of him. Laertius saith, I would to God, that all enuious men had their eies scattered ouer all the world, that because other mens goods and welfare is a torment vnto them, they might bee tormented with so many tortures, as they see other mens hap and felicity encrease. Dio­genes sayth, There hath no man liued in this world in fame and credite, but hee hath presently felt the worme of enuy; whereof it followeth, that the poor and miserable man doth only escape the enuious mans hands. Demosthenes in an Ora­tion sayth, What shall I doe wretched man as I am, or whe­ther shall I goe? For if I desire to liue in pouerty, misery doth weary me; and if I chuse to be rich, enuie doth torment mee. To come then vnto our purpose, all this discourse hath ten­ded vnto no other end, but to admonish all men of honest life, and of a cleane conscience; to beware of enny, because the Deuill is such a friend vnto this vice, that if hee see a man to bee very enuious, hee will tempt him with no o­ther sinne. Cicero sayth, What hath caused all the vvarres [Page 313]which we haue had with strāgers, & all the dissensions which wee haue had among our selues, but aboundance of wealth, and the enuy which men haue borne vnto Rome? Although Christ vvas poore, yet hee vvas hated of the vvicked, accu­sed of malice, and persecuted vvith enuy. But his pouertie being so great as it was, and hiding his power as he did, wher­of should any man enuie him? They did not enuy Christ for the feature of his body, seeing there vvere other beauti­full also, nor for his stocke and kindred, seeing there vvere others noble also; not for his eloquence, seeing there were others learned, nor for his vvealth, seeing there vvere o­thers more vvealthy; but that vvhich they did most of all enuy at vvas, his Catholicke doctrine vvhich hee did preach, and holy life which hee did lead, because that none of the Prophets vvhich vvent before him, did preach of such high points as hee did, nor yet any one of them did liue so sincerely as hee did. Saint Augustine vpon those words, Sciebat enim quod per inuidiam tradidissent eum sayth, The enuy conceiued against good life, is more dangerous than that vvhich is bred by reason of our vvealth: for if hee bee a naughtie man vvhich is possessed of this vvealth, hee vvill endeuour himselfe rather to encrease his sub­stance, than amend his life. Let vs compare then the enuie vvhich Iacobs sonnes bare vnto their brother Io­seph, vvith the enuie vvhich they did beare vnto Christ, and vvee shall see how vvell the figure dooth answere vnto the thing figured, and the spirit vnto the let­ter, seeing that the one vvas fold by enuie into Ae­gipt, and the other also through enuie crucified. Io­seph did mislike his brothers doings, and therefore they did enuie him; and Christ did not like the Iewes do­ings, and therefore they did hate him: and they did persecute Ioseph because hee did accuse them before their father; and enuied Christ because hee did reprehend them before the people. The Iewes malice towards Christ vvas greater than Iosephs brothers against him; for Ioseph [Page 314]was onely sold, but innocent Iesus was not onely sold, but also crucified. Iosephs brothers could not giue him one faire word, neither could the Iewes hear Christs doctrine with patience: and therefore if his diuine prouidence should not haue kept him from their fury, they had taken Christs life long before away from him. Nolunt audire te, quiae nolunt audire me filij ho­minis, quia omnis Israel est attrita fronte, & duro corde, said God vnto the Prophet Ezechiel: as if hee should say, Bee not angry O Ezechiel, bee not angry, if thou perceiue that thou doest no good with thy speech, and hast no credite among them: for seeing that they doe not beleeue me, it is not to bee maruelled though they doe not heare thee: for the house of Israel is growne now vnto that madnesse, that it hath neither conscience in her soule, nor shame in her face. These are the words of the eternall Father, directed vnto his blessed son, letting him vnderstand by them what small fruit hee should reape by his doctrine, and what smal credite they would giue vnto his speech; & the reason is, because that all those which were of the house of Israel were inwardly without a good spirit, and outwardly without shame. According vnto this speech of the Prophet such Prelates as gouern & preach, do toile & labor exceedingly, whē the subiects which heare thē, are a people without any conscience, & of lesse shame. For be­sides that they do no good among thē, there is also great dan­ger to liue among them. Ezechiel did very well couple small conscience with small shame, and small shame with a small conscience, because that you shall neuer or very sildome see a shamelesse man, but hee is without conscience, nor a man without conscience but is also shamelesse. Wickednesse for wickednesse, and sinne for sin, A Christian can haue no grea­ter sinnes than to bee obstinate in heart, and without shame in his face, because that hell is full of none but of such as are of an obstinate heart and impudent countenance. The man which is of a tender and soft heart, and shamefast in his be­hauiour, is easily amended, and doth now and then sinne by stealth; but he who is hard harted & shamelesse in condition, [Page 215]doth late or neuer amend his sinne, because he careth not for being counted a sinner. When Christ said, Gaudete & exulta­te, quia nomina vestra scripta sunt in caelis, he gaue vs heence to be glad of nothing, but only that we were good Christians, and registred in the booke of Saints; and likewise that wee should be sorry of nothing so much, as to be naughty Christi­ans, and blotted out of the booke of life: for he was borne in an euill houre, who doth not endeuour to amend his life, and doth not care at all to sinne. We speake all this to proue that the Iewes vvere of a shamelesse forehead and hard hearted, seeing that Pilate did know plainely, that they did accuse Christ through enuy and malice, which hee gathered by the shamelesse speeches which they vsed against Christ, and the false proofes which they alledged against him. Facta est fames magna in Samaria, ita vt caput asini vaenundaretur octoginta ar­genteis, 4 Reg. 6. The Scripture rehearseth this, to shew the great misery and distresse that Samaria was in, as if it would say, When Samaria vvas at warres with the Arabians, being besieged and afflicted with famine, an asse head vvas worth fourescore rials, and a certaine measure of Pigeons dung fiue rials, so that they had no meat to eat but asses, and nothing to dresse it with but Pigeons dung. Although the flesh of an asse bee lothsome to eat, and Pigeons dung filthy to burne, yet notwithstanding vvee vvill draw some mystery of this figure, to aduance Christs honour by it, because there is no word in holy Scripture which hath not some secret hid­den vnder it. In this figure of the asse is represented the great warre that Christ found in mans nature. What other thing was the warre vvhich Samaria had vvith the king of Arabia, but the displeasure & anger which God had against the Sy­nagogue? What was the great dearth & famine which they endured, but the exceeding want which they had of good doctrine? What did it meane that an asses head was sold so deerly, but only that a good man was little worth, & a naugh­ty man highly esteemed? By the Pigeons dung wherewith they did dresse the asses head, is meant nothing else but the [Page 316]Mosaicall ceremonies with the which they did offer vp their sacrifices. There fell nothing vnto the Synagogues lot but the dregs, and the wine vnto the church; to the Synagogue the barke, and vnto the church the fruit; the thorne vnto the Synagogue, and the rose vnto the church; the Pigeons dung to the Synagogue, and to vs the Pigeon. The warre betwixt God and mans nature, was farre more cruell, than that which was betwixt the city of Samaria and the king of Arabia, be­cause men did nothing but sight with God with their sinnes, and God did nothing vnto man but inflict punishment vpon him. If they aske the sonne of God why hee came into this world, and took humane flesh vpon him, he will answer them, that his comming was to relieue this famine, and appease this warre, in testimony whereof the Angels in heauen did sing, when Christ was borne, Peace, Peace; seeing that I am a meane between you, there must be no more anger left. Whē the sonne of God came into the world, the warre ceased, and when he began to preach, the famine began to cease, because that this famine, which humane nature was afflicted with, was not caused for want of corporall food, but for want of vertu­ous mē. The want of victuals dured in Samaria but the space of one yeare, but the want of vertuous men continued in the Synagogue from the time of the valerous Machabeans vntill the comming of Christ: for from that time vntill Christs com­ming, they had no Prophet to giue them light, no captaine to defend them, no Priest to teach them, nor any other famous man to reioice in. Who did euer find a greater dearth in the world than that which Christ found among the Iewes? See­ing that he found the princely scepter broken, the priesthood at an end, the Temple robbed, the city peruerted, and her li­bertie lost? There was a great dearth in the Synagogue, con­sidering that there was not in her one person of account. For he did not chuse the twelue Apostles for his companions be­cause they were holy, but because hee meant to make them holy. There was a great famine in Samaria, seeing the gouer­nour was Pilate, who was a Tyrant, the bishop was Cayphas, [Page 317]who was a prophane person, the Pharisies were counsellers, who were Hypocrites, the Preachers were Sadduces, who were Heretikes, and their gouernours were Romanes, who were Gentiles and Pagans. How was it possible that there should bee any good in a Commonwealth, which was gouer­ned by such naughty gouernours? As in the vnfortunate Sa­maria they had no kine nor calues left, so also the Synagogues Patriarkes and Prophets were at an end, and that which was worst of all was, that as Samaria was constrained to feed vp­on asses heads, so the Synagogue was forced to bee gouerned by naughty and wicked men. Wee doe not say much in say­ing that they were gouerned by wicked men: for wee might with good reason call them asses, seeing they had no discre­tion to know that vvhich was good, nor wisedome to eschew that vvhich vvas naught. Doest thou not thinke that Pilate the iudge vvas a very asse, seeing hee confessed before them all, that hee found no cause to put Christ to death, and yet Tradidit illum voluntati eorum? Thou doest confesse, Pilate, that Christ was vvithout fault: and yet doest thou condemne him to die? Was not the High-priest Cayphas a very asse, to say that Christ blasphemed, because hee said that hee would come to iudge the vvorld? Art thou iudge of the vvorld which is not thine, and vvilt thou not let him iudge the vvorld vvho hath created it? Was not, thinkest thou, King Herod a great asse for clothing Christ in fooles apparrell, be­cause Christ vvould not giue him an answere, seeing that for that act hee should rather haue accounted him wise than otherwise? Wherein could the sonne of God haue better showne his discretion and patience, than in not answe­ring vnto any iniury, and in not misgouerning himselfe in any word? Was not all the vvhole congregation and coun­sell of the Iewes, a very asse in thy opinion, in that they did crie for libertie for Barrabas, and procured that Christ should die? The Synagogue did not buy Barrabas life so good cheape, as Samaria did the asses head, be­cause the asses head was bought for money, but Barrabas life [Page 318]did cost Christ his bloud. It was not worth so much, and yet they gaue more in Samaria for an asses head, than they did for Christs bloud in Ierusalem, seeing they gaue but thirty pee­ces of money for Christ, and fourescore for the asses head. To speake morally then; men buy the asses head deerely, when they chuse for the gouernour of a Commonwealth, or Pre­late, a simple and vndiscreet man; because that in all canoni­call elections, the learned is to bee preferred before the sim­ple, and the wise before the vndiscreet. There must needs be a great famine in that monastery, in which they chuse for their head, such a one as is light in behauiour, base in linage, a foole in his iudgement, & an asse in his conscience. The Pro­phet did not say in vaine, Cum sancto sanctus eris, & cum peruerso peruerteris; For a wise man can bring vp but wise men, a wicked man nothing but wicked men, and an asse none but asses. O thou whosoeuer thou art who doest hear or read this, doe not thinke that we call those asses who haue but small or no learning, but those which haue no conscience, nor no brin­ging vp: for he is often fitter to gouern who hath great experi­ence & discretion, than hee who is full of knowledge & folly. We do not call him an asse who is ignorant in Logick, & Phi­losophy, and Diuinity, because that in Vniuersities men learn rather to dispute than gouerne, make Sillogismes, than rule subiects. When a Prelate is vnpleasant in his conuersation, hard in charity, variable in his opinion, slacke in iustice, negli­gent in praier, these we call asses, and vnworthy of such a cal­ling; for, for my owne part, I had rather my Prelate should be experienced in gouernement, than skilfull in learning and knowledge.

CHAP. XII. Christ complaineth vnto his Father, that all other martyrs had their paines and troubles inflicted vpon them at di­uers times, and he his all at once.

EGressus est frater eius, in cuius manu erat cocci­num, quem appellauit Zaram, Genesis 38 cha. As if he would say, Thamar brought foort [...] two children at one birth, and both aliue; of the which, the one they called afterward Zaram, which was the last of the two, and was borne with a scarlet thred tied at his finger: which for a certaine was a strange thing to behold, and deepely to be con­sidered of. If wee will curiously seeke out the meaning of this figure, we shall find that it containeth a deepe mysterie, pertaining directly vnto our purpose, because it sheweth how soone our redemption began in Christ. That two children haue been borne at one birth wee haue seene often, and that one should be borne before the other we haue also heard: but that the one should haue his finger tied and not the other, is a thing that hath neuer been seene nor hard of; and therefore by how much the thing is more rare, by so much it is the ful­ler of mystery and secret. Deepely then expounding this si­gure, who were the two children born at one birth, but on­ly the humane & diuine nature, which saued the world? The two children whose names were Phares and Zaram did know no other mother but Thamar, and the diuine and humane na­ture did acknowledge no other father but God: for as it is an easie matter for a father to haue many childrē, so it is a hard & impossible thing for Christ to haue many fathers. Although those two children were very naturall, and neere brothers the one to the other, and of one belly, yet they were neuer sov­nited together, as the diuine and humane nature was vnited in Christ, because these two were neuer seperated in Christ in his life, nor seuered at his death vpon the crosse. And as one of these two children was borne before the other, so the re­deemer of the world was first God before hee was man, and was first born of his Father, according to his diuinity, than he was of his mother, according to his humanity. We know well that of the two brothers Phares and Zaram, the one was born after the other: but the diuine birth was so farre before the o­ther, [Page 320]that we find no beginning of it, because it was Ab aeter­no. Of these two brothers the first of thē was borne in health, pure and cleane, and without any marke at all, to giue vs to vnderstand, that Christs first birth, which was his diuinity, did returne againe as whole, faire, and clean to heauen, as it came from heauen; because it is the natural condition of the diuine essence, that how much the straiter his power is ioined vnto it, so much the stranger and further it is from all kind of suffe­ring. What did it mean that the other brother was born with a coloured thred tied about his finger, but that Christ should shed his bloud for the redemption of all the world? O good Iesus, O redemption of my soule! thou doest see well, that to come out of thy mothers wombe with thy finger tied, is no­thing else but to come into the world condemned to death. Zaram onely, who was the figure, and the sonne of God, who was the thing figured, were those who had their finger tied with a coloured thred, because he and no other was to die for the world, and redeeme vs out of sinne. What other meaning had the thred of scarlet, sauing onely the shedding of his pre­cious bloud? The difference betwixt thee, O my sweet Iesus, and other condemned persons is this, that they are tied in a hempen cord, and thou in a thred of scarlet, and they about the necke, and thou about the finger, and they are lead to be hanged, and thou to be crucified. A thiefe is led away bound with a great tope, because he is drawne to death by force, but the sonne of God is tied with a small fine thred, because hee dieth not by force, but of his owne free will: for if it were not his good pleasure so to doe, neither the Angels, nor men, nor the diuels were able to put him to death. O high mystery, O diuine Sacrament! who euer saw or heard, that before a child were borne, or knew what sinne was, yet that he should come out of his mothers wombe already condemned? What mer­cy can be compared vnto this, that before his mother should giue him milke to sucke, his owne father threatened him that he should die crucified? Elegit suspendium anima mea, & ossa mea mortem, & nequaquam vltra iam viuam, saith Iob chap. 7. [Page 321]And he spake them when his children were dead, and his body plagued, and his goods lost, and himself vpon the dung­hill; and it is as if hee would say: My paines and dolours doe so narrowly beset mee about, and my griefe is come to that bitternesse, that my soule hath chosen to be hanged, and my life to come at an end, because I am a weary to suffer any longer, and doe loath my life. Such pittifull complaines as these are, and such tender vvordes, cannot proceed but from an afflicted and grieued heart, and from a man which desireth death. Because it is the property of one which is distressed, to complaine vnto all those which comfort him, & fill him­selfe with weeping with all those which come to visite him. What else would holy Iob say, when he sayth, Elegit suspen­dium anima mea, & ossa mea mortem, but that his soule desired to bee hanged, and his bones chuse death, and his life to bee at an end? O holy man, thou hast nothing left thee but thy soule, and wouldest thou haue it hanged, nothing left but thy bones, and doest thou desire to haue them dead, thou hast nothing left but thy life, and vvouldest thou loose it? Thou must vnderstand, my good brother, that Iob did not speake these dolefull vvordes in his owne name, but in Christs name, vnto vvhome this speech dooth most pro­perly belong. Because that from the beginning of the vvorld vntill this day, there vvas neuer soule so sorrowfull as his, nor neuer body so martyred as his vvas. Saint Chrisostome vpon these vvords of the Apostle. Fidelis deus, qui non permittit nos tentari vltra id quod possumus, sayth thus: Our Lord is very faithfull and pittifull, because hee tempteth no man aboue that vvhich hee is able to suf­fer, nor suffereth no man to haue greater paine than he is able to beare, the sonne of God excepted onely, vpon vvhome the Father laid in the iudgement of men, torment and paine not able to bee indured, and withall innumerable temptati­ons. What vvilt thou require more in this case, but that God the Father laid martyrdome vpon Saints by ownces▪ but vpon his blessed sonne by great loads and burdens▪ Wha [...] [Page 322]great distresse vvas his soule in, thinke you, and vvhat griefe did oppresse his heart, vvhen hee sighed for the gallowes, and his body desired his graue? When did thy soule desire to bee hanged, but vvhen thou diddest crucifie thy blessed humanity vpon the crosse; & when did thy bones couet death but vvhen thou diddest loose thy life for the e­lects sake? When the Scripture sayth Elegit, Hee did chuse, it is signified that thou diddest die willingly for vs: and when he saith Suspendium, his death was signified, and withall his determination which he had to redeeme the world, and that our redemption should be hanged vpon the tree. And vvhen he sayth, Ossa mea, the multitude of people is set forth which were at his death, as well the good as the bad, the quicke as the dead: the good, to see themselues redeemed by him, and the bad to see themselues reuenged of him. All humane pains are brought vnto three principall heads, that is, to the trouble and trauell of the body, to the griefe and sorrow of the mind, and to the losse of life. These vexations are woont to happen at diuerse times, and also be deuided and laid vp­on diuerse persons, and hee who hath griefe of body fee­leth no sorrow of mind, and if hee haue anguish of mind yet not so great that it should take his life from him, because our Lord is so pittiful that hee dooth not looke vnto the mul­titude of our offences, but vnto the vveakenesse of our for­ces. God was more pittifull vvith all mankind than vvith his owne only sonne, considering that hee gaue other men their troubles and paines by peeces, and vnto his sonne all at once. For hee gaue him sorrow and griefe of mind, see­ing hee sayth, My soule hath chosen to bee hanged: and hee gaue him the paines of the body, seeing hee sayth, that his bones desired death: and hee tooke away his life considering that hee sayth, Iam non viuam. What vn­speakable sorrow, and what sea of tempest should tosse and vexe that blessed soule vvhen hee said, My soule hath chosen to bee hanged, that is, that it vvould bee a comfort vnto him to bee crucified! What cruell griefe should crush [Page 323]his bones when hee said, and my bones death, thinking it an ease to see his bones in their graue, rather than to suffer such intollerable torment? What a iest did they make of his doctrine, and how little did they regard his person, see­ing hee sayth, I vvill liue no longer, that is, that hee vvould forsake vs, because vvee are incorrigible, and be­cause vvee doe not deserue his company, hee vvill not bestow his grace among vs. This speech may o­therwise bee very vvell vnderstood, because the time vvhich hee did suffer and die in did take from him all that might mittigate his paine, and comfort his heart. No other Martyr could euer say, My soule hath cho­sen hanging, because there vvas none of them vvhich vvanted comfort in their sorrows, and helpe in their pains; and aboue all, this vvas a great comfort to them to thinke for how good a maister they suffered, and vvhat a great reward they expected for their martyrdome. That vvhich did comfort Martyrs in their Martyrdome, did discom­fort Christ in his passion. For if hee did die, it vvas for a lost and peruerse nation, and the reward hee loo­ked for was perpetuall ingratitude; because there was ne­uer so great a matter performed, as when Christ died because vve should liue, and yet there vvas neuer deed so vngratefully requited, as his death was by vs. Saint Bar­nard sayth, O good Iesus, O my soules ioy, Art thou not content to loose thy life for my life, but that thy sorrow and griefe should continue also vntill they take thy soule from thee vpon the crosse? If the sonne of God had said only, Tristis est anima mea, it had beene tollera­ble: but to say, Vsque ad mortē, it is a thing not to be any way in­dured: For it was only he and no other, in whom the paine en­ded at the same time that his soule departed from him. Cypri­an saith, That by this speech, Vsque ad mortem, the son of God dooth bind himselfe to die sorrowfully and comfortles, taking no ease at all in his passion, because there was no porti­on of the inferiour part, which griefe did not wholly possesse, [Page 324]nor any bone in all his bodie vvhich vvas not brused and bro­ken with griefe and paine. Christ sayth, Eleg it suspendium a­nima mea, because that as all the time that hee liued in this vvorld, hee kept the glory of his soule in suspence, because it should not fall vpon his body; so at the time of his passion hee did keepe his reason in suspence, because it should not comfort his soule. For if Christ vvould haue gi­uen his glorious soule license to impart some small sparkle of her glory vnto the body, hee had neuer been comfort­lesse; and if hee would haue giuen license vnto his reason to haue comforted him in his passion, hee should neuer haue felt his passion so sharpe and bitter. But because our redemption should bee more copious and aboundant, hee would admit no comfort nor consolation at all. Ne fortitudo lapidum fortitudo mea, nee caro mea, sayth ho­ly Iob; As if hee vvould say, O great God, doe not punish mee so rigorously, nor shew thy selfe so cruell against mee, because my heart is not so hard as a stone to feele no paine, nor my fl [...]sh as hard as copper, that no torments are able to hurt it. Hee who spake these words, did craue aid for his griefe, and fauour for his anguish, seeing hee did confesse that his heart vvas not able to beare them, nor his strength able to sustaine them. There are some men so sencelesse that they feele no kind of tribulation no more than if their hearts vvere made of stone▪ and contrary there are some of so tender a nature, that if a man doe but touch their coat, they crie out that they may bee heard vnto heauen, in so much that the first like vnto beasts feele nothing, and the other like impatient men neuer cease crying. When the holy man sayth, That his heart vvas not like a heart of stone, hee meant that hee did feele all tribulation and anguish, euen vnto the heart: and vvhen hee said that his flesh vvas not made of copper or brasse, his meaning was, that although he did feele all tribulation, yet hee did neuer complaine of it; in so much that if hee did feele it as a man, yet hee [Page 325]did dissemble it like a wise man. S. Gregory in his Morals saith, Iob doth very wisely vnder these vvords shew vs the manner how bad men and good men doe suffer their anguish, and hee compareth those which feele no tribulation vnto a stone, and those which complaine on them alwaies, vnto sounding cop­per: for indeed hee who feeleth no griefe at all, is like vnto a stone, and to feele it and hold his peace is the part of him who is wise and discreet. Christs heart vvas not of stone, because hee should not feele, neither was his flesh of copper, to com­plaine: for hee did feele all paine and anguish more than any man, and did suffer it better than any; for in all the time of his passion he did neuer complaine vpon any when hee suffered, nor did neuer command a reuenge to bee taken on any when he died.

CHAP. XIII. How the son complaineth of his Father, because that he had condemned him to die before that Iudas had sold him.

QVare me posuisti contrarium tibi, & factus sum mi­himet ipsi grauis? These words are vttered by ho­ly Iob, in the person of the sonne of God, speaking vnto his Father vpon the crosse: & their meaning is this, O my Father, why art thou so contrary vnto me, as if I were thy enemy? doth it not content thee that for my friends sake I am grieuous vnto my selfe, and complaine on my selfe? It is an ordinary thing to see one man complaine vpon ano­ther, and to see me complaine vpon my selfe is no new thing, but to complaine on thee and my selfe at once, is a hard case: for although my tongue can count my griefes and tribulati­ons, yet my heart cannot suffer them. If Christ did complaine of Herod for mocking him, or of Pilate for giuing sentence on him, it was no maruell; but to complaine on his Father, it see­meth that there is no patience able to endure it. For seeing [Page 326]that hee should haue defended him, it seemeth a very hard part to suffer him to bee crucified. The sonne of God dooth frame two great complaints in these wordes, the one of his e­ternall Father, the other of himselfe: and therefore it is very conuenient that we declare how the eternall Father did send his sonne to die, and how hee himselfe went to suffer on the crosse: and in so doing, wee shall find that the one did that which hee did, moued therevnto with charity, and the other to suffer that which hee suffered, was mooued with pitty. Qui proprio filio non pepercis, sed pro omnibus nobistradidit illum, saith S. Paul: and his meaning is this, The loue which God bare vnto all the world, was so exceeding great, that he would not pardon the death of his owne proper sonne, but would haue him crucified for all. Being, as he was, his naturall sonne, & his only sonne, and so holy a sonne, and so welbeloued a sonne, was it not a thing most wonderfull that hee would suffer him to be crucified? Dauid had many sonnes besides Absalon, and yet when the captaine Ioab had slaine him in field, Dauid was almost besides himselfe, and cried out, O my sonne Absalon, O my sonne Absalon, who will doe mee the fauour to kill me, and restore me thee again? He that gaue such sorrowful words for the death of a sonne, would he not, thinke you, haue pow­red out farre more pittifull lamentations, if he had been han­dled, as Christ was crucified? To haue killed a seruant for to saue his sonne, any Father would haue done; but to kill his sonne for to saue his seruant, onely the Father of Christ did, who hauing no other sonne but him, gaue them him as freely to be carried to be crucified, as if they had led him to be crow­ned. Damascen sayth, The eternall Father did well know, that our businesse could not bee brought to passe, but by his sonnes meanes; and he knew also very well, that so old a strife would cost his sonne very deerely, and notwithstanding all this he gaue his full consent that hee should bee condemned to die. And that which most of all did shew his goodnesse, and our wickednesse is, that the diuels, against whome he did plead & striue, did not giue sentence against Christ, but man [Page 327]for whom hee did plead, and whose cause he did defend. The­ophilus dooth seeme to say, that it importeth more to say, that the father did suffer his sonne to bee crucified, than to say that hee doth suffer sinne: which appeareth by the Apostle, when hee sayth, Quòd pro nobu omnibus tradidit illum: and hee sayth not, Quòd permisit, but hee sayth that hee did deliuer and giue his sonne to bee crucified. If the father did giue him to be crucified, who was able to defend him? If we doe giue credite vnto the Prophet Esayas, the sonne dooth charge no man with his death and passion sauing only his Father, seeing that hee sayth in the Fathers name, Propter peccata populi mei percussieum, as if hee would say, Let no search bee made for the death of my sonne, because I was he who stroke him and wounded him, and crucified him, and buried him, because the sinnes of my people could not be clensed, but with the bloud of my sonne. Dauid was of the same opinion in the 88 Psalm, saying, thou hast shortened the daies of his life, & hast thrown his seat vpon the ground. Who was able to cut off his daies, or cast downe his seat, but only he who gaue him life, and hono­red him with a seat? All this was figured, not onely in Abra­ham, who had drawne his sword to kill his sonne, but also in king Moab, who for the liberty of the people, did kill his own sonne from the top of a wall. Origen vpon the Apostle sayth, Although it seeme to be a thing against humanity for the fa­ther to be a butcher of his owne sonne, and make an anatomy of him, yet it was no cruelty for the father to make his sonne to die for the redemption of the world, but rather a great point of charity; because it was decreed from the beginning that as our hurt came by disobedience, so our bulwarke and defence should bee by obedience. Theophilus sayth, God left his sonne in the hands of death, with an intention, that be­cause that if shee did set vpon him without cause, hee should loose the right which he had vpon others: and so it befell vn­to him; for because hee ventered vpon him who was iust, hee lost his action against him who was a sinner. S. Augustine vpon S. Matthew saith; There were at Christs death, first Christs [Page 328]father, and then the sonne, the Lieutenant Pilate, Iudas the Disciple, and all the people of the Iews: and as they were all of diuers conditions, so they were of diuers intentions. Pilate gaue sentence on him for feare, Iudas sold him for couetous­nesse, the Iews slew him by malice, the Father deliuered him for charity, and the sonne offered himself to die with pittie: and he sayth further, Doe not say, O you Iewes, doe not say, If hee be the sonne of God, let him come downe from the crosse: for you would haue crucified him long before that time, if his Father had not denied you him, & afterward whē he would, and how hee vvould, hee deliuered him vnto you. What did Pilate in the death of Christ but sinne, what did Iudas in the passion of his Maister but sinne, what did the Iewes in crucifieng Christ but sinne? The passion of Christ our redeemer the Father permitted, the sonne suffered, the holy ghost approued, in so much that wee bee not bound for our redemption vnto those who put him to death for to re­uenge their iniuries, but vnto those who suffered it, to redresse our faults. O how much we owe vnto God the Father for his clemency, seeing that because hee would not punish my of­fence in my selfe, he punished his own sonne for it, not accor­ding vnto his innocency, but vnto my great offence, the which his holy sonne did lay vpon his owne shoulders, to the intent to disburden me of it. Anselmus in his Meditations saith, Say, O my soule, say with the Prophet, I am he who sinned, I am hee who haue offended thee, I am hee who hath sinned: for the Lambe thy sonne, what hath he done? Let thy fury bee turned against me, O Father, who haue committed the fault, and not against thy sonne who is without spot, and let not the cruell speare of yron pierce his heart, who can doe nothing but loue, and let him enter into my heart who can do nothing but sinne. O fatherly affection, and fauour neuer heard of be­fore! what is there in me to giue thee, or what is there in all the world to serue thee with, seeing that for to seeke out him vvho vvas lost, to redeeme him vvho vvas sold, to vnlose him vvho vvas bound, and deliuer him out of captiuity who was [Page 329]taken prisoner, thou diddest make thy owne sonne captiue. O infinite goodnesse, and vnspeakable clemency! what pittie did constraine thee, or vvhat charity did ouercome thee, that to giue light vnto the blind, to heale the lame, put him in the right way who went astray, to make cleane the vncleane, to lift him vp who was fallen, and pardon him who had offen­ded, thou wouldst not pardon thy owne sonne? What priest­hood can bee compared vnto thy Priesthood, or what sacri­fice is like vnto thy sacrifice, seeing that in old time they did offer nothing vnto the Priest, but some liue beast for the sins of the people, and thou diddest not offer but thy own proper sonne? The sonne then hath great occasion to complain of his Father, saying, Why hast thou put me contrary vnto thy self, seeing that he commanded that sonne which hee loued best, to die for those which most of all did hate him.

CHAP. I. Why the sonne of God did bid all those which were a thirst come vnto him, and yet said vpon the crosse that he him­selfe was a thirst.

SCiens Iesus quia omnia consummata sunt, vt consummaretur Scriptura, dicit Sitio: These are one of the seuen words which Christ spake vpon the crosse, which S. Iohn re­hearseth in the 19 chapter: as if he would say, The sonne of God knowing that all that touched the redemption of all the world was now finished, hauing an intention that all the scrip­ture should be accomplished, he spake the fift word, saying Si­tio, that is, I am a thirst. Christ did well know that it was writ­ten in the Psalme, In siti mea potauerunt me aceto, seeing that to fulfill the Scripture he suffered that great thirst, to the end that all the mysteries should bee accomplished vvhich were prophecied of his death. The Prophets had prophecied ma­ny [Page 336]things in Christs name which hee should doe when hee came into the world; among the which they had propheci­ed that he should suffer very great thirst: and therefore to say that he had thirst to fulfill the Scripture, was to say, that hee did suffer that torment to vngage his vvord. Christ did deale like a friend with all the Prophets and holy men of old time, considering that to the cost of his life, and great trauell of his holy person, he did accomplish and fulfill all that which they had laid downe in Scripture, to the great credite of the Pro­phets, and great glory of holy writ, and with the great trauell of his owne person. Christ said preaching that there was no tittle, no point, nor sentence of holy Scripture, vvhich should not be fulfilled according vnto the letter. The first mystery of the incarnation, Ecce virgo conciptes, was fulfilled litteral­ly, seeing himselfe vvas a virgine, and borne of a virgine: and also the last mystery of his passion, was accomplished litteral­ly, Dederunt in escam meam fel, & in siti mea potauerunt me ace­to, Seeing that they gaue him vpon the cros [...]e gaule and vine­ger to drinke. What did Christ meane when he said, that to fulfill the Scripture hee had such great thirst, but that hee might now freely depart and goe out of this vvorld, seeing that all the redemption was ended, and the Scripture accom­plished? The simple Reader ought not to imagine, that the sonne of God would not haue come into the world, nor re­deemed the world, nor endured this torment and thirst, if it had not been written in the Prophets: for hee must learne, that the Scriptures are tied vnto Christ, and not Christ vnto the Scriptures; because that they should not haue been writ­ten, if hee should not haue been borne and crucified; and yet he should haue been borne and crucified, although the scrip­ture had not spoken it. Venerable Beed sayth, Seeing that all Christs actions are great, and those of his death and passion most great, it is much to be noted, and to bewondered at, why it was the pleasure of the sonne of God, that his thirst should be his last work, and that he would depart out of this life with great thirst. S. Augustine sayth, The last griefe and paine [Page 337]which Christ suffered was his thirst, the last complaint which hee made vvas of his thirst, and the last request vvhich hee made vvas for a cup of vvater, and the last torment vvhich he endured vvas of the gaule, vineger and mire vvhich hee dranke, because that immediately after that hee had tasted of that cup he gaue vp his ghost vnto his Father. Seeing ther­fore that this thirst is the last torment, the last request, the last complaint, and the last vvorke that Christ did in this vvorld, it is conuenient that vvee tell vvho hee is vvho suffereth this thirst, vvhere hee dooth suffer it, for vvhome hee doth suffer it, and at vvhat time he doth suffer it. Hee vvho suffereth is Christ, the place vvhere is vpon the crosse, I am hee for vvhose sake hee suffered it, the time vvas vntill death, inso­much that with the same great thirst vvhich hee endured, his soule vvas drawne and pulled out of his body. The high my­steries of the crosse of Christ may vvell bee compared vnto the eating of Pine-apples, and their kernels, the vvhich the oftener they be cast into the fire and taken out, the more ker­nels they yeeld to eat, and more huske to burn. That which happeneth vnto the labourer vvith those Pines and kernels, dooth happen vnto vs in these diuine mysteries, in the vvhich the more vvee thinke vpon the passion and crosse, the more secrets vvee discouer, and the more mysteries vvee find. Cy­prian sayth, That vvhich men dispose of a little before their death, is alwaies of greater importance, than that vvhich vve deale vvith in our life time, because it is done vvith grea­ter heed, prouided for with deeper consideration, orde­red vvith better discretion, rated and determined vvith better conscience. No man did euer dispose better of his life and soule, than Christ did of his owne person and the church, because hee disposed of them vvith more care than Iacob, vvth more pittie than Isaac, with more discretion than Iosue, vvith greater wisedome than Dauid, and greater bounty and liberality than Salamon. Mu­lier da mihi bibere, said Christ to the Samaritane vvoman, As if hee vvould say, Giue mee a cup of vvater, good [Page 338]woman, because thou seest that I am weary of the way, and very thirsty. When Christ said vnto the woman, Da mihi bi­bere, and also when he said vpon the crosse, I am a thirst, it was a signe that he had been a thirst many daies, and also many yeares, and very desirous to quench his thirst with water. That which Christ sayth in the 7 of Saint Iohn, seemeth to bee very contrary vnto this, If any man bee a thirst, let him come vnto mee. Vpon a solemne day of Easter, Christ cri­ed publikely in the market place. If any man bee a thirst let him come vnto mee. O high mystery and deepe secret! who is able to vnderstand that which Christ sayth in this place, seeing that sometime hee asketh the Samaritane woman for a little water, and on the crosse hee sayth that he dieth with thirst, and yet on the other side hee maketh open procla­mation, that all vvhich bee thirsty should come vnto him? How can these two speeches hang together, Woman giue mee some drinke, and this, If any man bee a thirst, let him come vnto mee? Doest thou inuite all men to come to drinke at thy Tauerne, and hast thou not a cup of water for to quench thy owne thirst? For the better vnderstanding of this, it is to bee noted, that God doth take some things of vs, and yet there are some things which God doth giue vnto vs; which is easily perceiued, in that hee tooke flesh of vs when hee would become man, and yet if wee vvill become pure and holy, hee must impart his grace vnto vs. This being so, vvhen Christ sayth, If any man bee a thirst let him come vnto mee, hee doth giue vs to vnderstand, that hee is the fountaine of grace, of the vvhich vvee should all drinke of: and vvhen hee sayih, Woman giue mee some drinke, he doth let vs also vnderstand, that there are some things in vs of the which hee would bee serued vvithall. When the sonne of God sayth, If any man bee thirsty let him come vnto mee, to vvhat vvater, thin­kest thou, doth he inuite thee, but vnto the water of his grace and of his glory? And when hee sayth vnto the Samaritane woman, giue me drinke, what water thinkest thou did he ask, [Page 339]but onely patience and obedience? Christ doth inuite vs to drinke of his great goodnesse and fauours, and hee craueth of vs of the water of the pooles of our poore seruice, saying Da mihi bibere, in so much that to shew the great loue which hee doth beare vnto his creatures, hee faineth that hee hath need of their seruices. S. Barnard vpon those wordes of the Psalme, Sitiuit anima mea ad deum fontem viuum sayth, O what a great difference there is betwixt the thirst of the good and the bad, because the bad thirst after nothing but wickednesse, and the good after vertues, the bad after tempo­rall things, and the good after spirituall, the one after sinne, and the other after amendment, so that all the thirst of the wicked is after sinne, and the thirst of the good after sal­nation. Basil vpon the Psalme sayth, The Prophet vvould neuer haue said, My soule hath thirsted after God a liuely spring, if hee could haue found the fountayne of glory in this vvorld, and the vvater of grace in this life. But alasse of how many vvaters so­euer wee drinke of, and how many waters soeuer wee seeke for, wee shall neuer meet with the water of life, vn­till vvee come to enioy the diuine essence. Hugo de san­cto victore vpon the Psalme sayth, All the thinges of this life are drie fountaines, and dead waters; & conrary, all things of glory are fresh fountaines and water of life: for there and not here vvee shall liue all contented, and not thirst at all. All which liue in this vvorld, liue in hunger and thirst, because all the vices vvhich wee like of doe hurt and not profite, make vs sorrowfull and not ioifull, vveary and not recreate vs, loath and not fill vs. What vicious man is there in the world, who the more he doth giue him­selfe to vice, is not the more thirsty after them? Let not the Deuill deceaue thee, my brother, in saying I vvill now cloy and glut my selfe vvith vice: for the more thou doest eat and drinke and bee merry, although thou doe seeme to bee fully satisfied, yet thou art not so, but one­ly a vveary. Saint Barnard vpon the Passion of our [Page 340]Lord sayth, What dooth it meane that the sonne of God went out of this vvorld dead with thirst, but onely that there is nothing in this world that can quench the thirst of our soule? Anselmus sayth, How is it possible, O my good Ie­sus, how is it possible that I should liue in the vvorld conten­ted and fully satisfied, seeing that thou diddest depart out of it hungry and thirsty? S. Ierome vpon S. Luke saith, All that the vvorld doth giue vs to quench our thirst withall, is but vineger, and all that hee giueth vs to mittigate our hunger is but gaule, the which thinges being vvell prooued doe take away our life, and not our thirst. Robertus vpon Saint Iohn sayth, That for the son of God to die vvith thirst, is to let vs vnderstand, that haue we neuer so many dignities, let vs heap vp neuer so much riches, and let vs proue neuer so many vices, and let vs cocker our selues all we can, yet we shal depart with as great thirst out of this world, as if we had not liued but one moment in it. In this sorrowful life there is nothing but is thir­sty: the flesh doth thirst after daintie cherishing, the soule doth thirst after longer life, the heart dooth thirst for more strength, the Deuill to deceiue vs, and Christ doth thirst after our saluation. Which of all these doe not liue in hunger and thirst? What doth our flesh but complaine in euery part, that we keepe it naked, that we keepe it hungry, weary, disconten­ted, and dead with thirst? What sinfull soule did euer de­part out of this vvretched life, so beset vvith griefe, or loaden vvith yeares, vvhich vvould nor haue giuen all that hee had beene worth to haue liued one yeare longer? What humane heart is there on earth, which wat­cheth not to get more, and breaketh not his sleep to be worth more? Why dooth the Deuill vvatch but to keepe his own, and beguile the good? Why are there so many sorts of vices in the vvorld, and so many entisements, but to quench the thirst vvhich it hath, to make vs all vaine, vvordly, and light? Why did the sonne of God come into the world, preach the Gospell, liue in paine, and die vpon the crosse, but onely for the great thirst [Page 341]which he had to saue the world? Loe then, we haue prooued how the flesh, the heart, the soule, the world, the diuell, and Christ, are all hungry and desire thee O my soule: and that which cannot bee spoken without teares is, that onely Christ doth thirst after thy saluation, and all the other after thy per­dition. O my soule, if thou haddest as great a thirst to amend thy selfe, as Christ hath to saue thee, or if thou haddest as great a thirst to amend thy selfe as these thy enemies haue to deceiue thee, I doe promise thee that thou wouldest not liue as thou doest so carelessy, nor yet behaue thy selfe so rio­tously. The good doe inherite the thirst of our blessed Saui­our Iesus Christ, and the wicked doe inherite the thirst of the diuell. And what is the thirst which the good doe inherite, but to be peacemakers, humble, chast, sober, and very charita­ble? And what is the thirst which the wicked doe inherite of the deuill, but to bee more mighty, and rich, and more vici­ous? O what great difference there is betwixt these two thirsts! for the thirst of the good and vertuous goeth to bee quenched at the fountaine of life, which is glory; & the thirst of the wicked goeth to bee quenched at the dead waters of paine and punishment; in so much that such as our thirst is in this world, such shall bee the water which wee shall drinke of in the other. O how wel the Prophet said, My soule did thirst after the liuing God, because that all the water which our Lord doth giue vs to drinke is of the liuely fountaine, which is cleare vnto the eie, and fresh to recreat, sauerous to prouide of, and wholesome to tast of, delicare in disgesting, and most precious to keepe. The water which the world giueth his fol­lowers to drinke of is deep to teach vnto, troubled to see vn­to, vnsauery to drinke, puddle in tast, and stinking to keepe. Let vs conclude then that the seruant of God is alwaies thir­sty and desirous of God, who as hee who is very thirsty doth seeke drinke with all diligence, so he who is desirous of God doth seeke all the waies and meanes he can to serue and obey him.

CHAP. II. How the Crowes gaue the Prophet Helias meat; and how the Iewes gaue Christ neither meat nor drinke.

REcede hine, & vade contra Orientem, & ab­sconde te in torrentem Carith, & ibi de torrente viues: nam coruis praecepi vt pas­cant te: God spake these words vnto H [...] ­lias Reg. 3. chap. 17, as if he would say; It is my will and pleasure, O Helias, that thou liue no more in this land, but that thou shouldest goe out of it, and thou shalt goe towards the East, and hide thy selfe in the brook Carith, where thou shalt haue no need to fear hunger, because I wil cōmand the crows to bring thee meat and bread euery day, and there thou hast water inough for thy drinking. When our Lord did command Helias to goe out of Samaria, there was a great famine ouer all the land, and he was also persecuted by the wicked queen Iezabel: and yet hauing an intention to succour his Prophet, he appointed him a place far off, where he should hide him­selfe, and prouided him all kind of victuals for him to eat. He­lias being gone to the brooke Carith, there hee lay hidden a long time, feeding only vpon that which the crows gaue him, and drinking of the water which ran in the stream. And after a few months were past, and the Queens persecution was cea­fed, and the famine amended, Helias returned to the people, and the crowes were seene no more. Before we doe come vn­to these mysteries, it is here to bee noted, what great care our Lord hath ouer his seruants, and how he is neuer carelesse of his friends, because his naturall condition is neuer to bee vn­mindfull of those which doe not forget to serue him. Cum ip­so sum, eripiam eum, & glorificabo eum, saith the Psalmist in the name of our Lord: and his meaning is, I my self, and no other, [Page 343]will bee alwaies with him in his troubles, and I will bring him safe out of them, and he shall escape out of them with honor and glory. If wee doe well vnderstand Christ, hee promiseth three thinges vnto such as suffer persecution and tribulation for his seruice: The first is, that hee will bee at their side in all troubles and vexations: the second, that they shall neuer lose their life, nor endanger their conscience for any trouble, be it neuer so strong: the third, that hee will deliuer them out of that trouble with great fame and glory. If such great profite be gotten by persecution, why doth any man follow the plea­sures and delights of the world? What tribulation is there in this world so hard and dangerous, which is not ouercomed with the helpe of Christ? O how happy is that soule which is tempted for the seruice of God, and is persecuted for the loue of him! seeing he hath giuen his word and his credit that he will not suffer any to fall in his temptation, nor forsake any man in his tribulation. Note gentle Reader, that Christ doth not say, I am with them In gaudio & exultatione, in mirth and ioy, but In tribulatione, in tribulation: for as in this life he knew nothing but how to shed tears, suffer temptations, endure tra­uaile, so he hath compassion of none but of such as weep, and are persecuted and tempted; in so much that as the diuell is the captaine and ring-leader of all which liue in pompe and iolitie, so Christ is the head of all that are afflicted and in tri­bulation. Saint Barnard sayth, If this that is said, Cumipso sum in tribulatione, be not performed in thee, thinke with thy self that thou doest not suffer that tribulation for Christ, but for thy friend and thy selfe; and therfore in that case let him help and succour thee for whome thou doest suffer that danger. If thou doe not make reckoning of Christ, nor thinke on him, nor suffer for his sake, what hath Christ to doe with thy paint and trauaile? If thou do suffer for the flesh, let the flesh help thee, if thou suffer for the world, let the world deliuer thee, if thou suffer for thy friend, let thy friend giue thee aid, if thou doe suffer for Christ, to Christ commend thy selfe: for if thou doe serue others, what reason is it that thou shouldst ask [Page 344]fauour of him. Saint Basil sayth, What friend had God at a­ny time whom hee forgot, or in what tribulation did hee euer see him when hee helped him not? Gregory in his Register sayth, Hee who did not forget Noe in the floud, nor Abraham in Chaldea, nor Lot in Sodome, nor Isaac in Palestine, nor Ia­cob in Assyria, nor Daniel in Babilon, doest thou think that he will forget thee in thy affliction and tribulation? Remigius sayth, If this promise of Cum ipso sum in tribulatione, bee not kept with thee, thinke that our Lord dooth it, either for thy greater profite, or his owne seruice: for the greater the tribula­tion is which thou endurest, the more thou doest merite for thy soule: and if it be not for this cause, it is because thou shalt fall into some greater danger, from the which our Lord doth keepe his holy hand and diuine succour to deliuer thee. And because that the curious Reader may not thinke that wee swarue from our purpose, it is to bee noted, that the Prophet Helius (whose figure we handled) was beset with three grie­uous persecutions, that is, with the warre which was in Iury, with the famine which was ouer all the land, and with Ieza­bels hatred. He durst not preach for feare of the Queene, hee durst not goe abroad for feare of the warre, hee durst not hide himselfe for feare of famine and hunger; in so much that this holy Prophet was so much without hope of remedy, that he knew not whether hee should haue his throat cut openly, or whether he should die for hunger secretly. Our Lord there­fore to fulfill his promise, Cum ipso sum in tribulatione, tooke him out of Iury, vnwitting to the souldiors; and did hide him in Carith, where no man could see him, and sent him meat by crowes to feed on, and did prouide him a streame of water to drinke of. Wee may gather by this example what a good Lord wee haue, and what care hee hath ouer vs if wee serue him, seeing that hee doth pay vs for all wee doe, and succour vs for all that we suffer for him. To come now vnto the pur­pose, all this figure was fulfilled in Christ at the foot of the letter: for as Heliac was persecuted by Iezabel, so was Christ of the Synagogue, and Christ found as great a famine of good [Page 345]men, as Helias did in Samaria of victuals. Hugo de sancto victo­re, sayth vpon those words of Ieremy, Paruuli petierunt panem, The bread which the little ones cried for to ear, and the la­mentation which Ieremy made because there was no man to giue it him, was not vnderstood of the materiall bread which was woont to bee in the arke, but of spirituall bread, where­with the soules are fed: and to say that there was no man found to giue it them, was as much as to say, that there was no good man left to preach vnto them. Chrisostome in an Ho­mily sayth, In Commonwealths well gouerned, the want of a good man is greater than the famine of bread and wine, be­cause we haue seene that God hath sent a famine for the de­merits of one man alone, and after abundance for one good mans sake alone. Ambrose sayth, Famine, warre, and pesti­lence, are much to bee feared in naughty Commonwealths, and where there are no good persons: for although our Lord doth suffer them to come for a time, yet he doth not consent that they should long time endure. What goodnesse haue Commonwealths in them, if they haue no good men in thē? And what want they, if they doe not want good men? Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth, When I hear a knill rung for the dead, my soule is presently driuen into a perplexity, whether I should weepe first for the good which die, or the bad which liue, because there is as great reason that we should weepe for the life of the bad, as for the death of the good. Now that we haue prooued, that the want & famine of good men is more dangerous in a city than a dearth of victuals, who doth doubt but that the scarsenesse which Christ sound in the Synagogue was greater than that which Helias found in Palestine? What good thing, or what good man could there be in the Synagogue, where the Viceroy Pilate was a Tyrant, the famous high Priest Caiphas a Symoniacle, & the maisters the Pharisies Hypocrites, and the counsellours the Sadduces Heretikes, and their kings and Prophets all ended? The sonne of God did kill this hunger, when hee gaue the world a church for a Synagogue, Apostles for Prophets, a [Page 346]law of loue for a law of feare, a new Testament for an old, the spirit for the letter, the truth for the figure, and his holy grace for our old offence. What would haue become of vs, if Christ had not left so many good men in his church? Hee left vs many Martyrs, many confessours, many vir­gines, many doctors; in so much that when Christ died, although hee left not the vvorld many bookes to read in, yet hee left vs many Saints to follow. The figure sayth further, that Helias went to hide himselfe in the water-brooke of Carith, which was a figure, that the sonne of God should come to take flesh, and hide himselfe in the entralls of the Virgines wombe: and as it was figured in Helias, so it was accomplished in Christ, because that vnder his humanity vvhich hee tooke vpon him, hee did hide his diuinity which hee carried with him. When the Prophet Esayas said, Verè tues deus absconditus, hee knew well that God would hide himselfe for a time, and remoue himselfe from their eies, seeing that the catholicke Church did acknowledge him, and the vnhappy Synagogue was vn­gratefull vnto him. Recede hinc & absconde te in torrentem Ca­rith: the eternall Father spake these words vnto his precious sonne, as if hee had said vnto him, Goe my sonne, goe and hide thy selfe in the world, because thou maist redeeme the world: Where thou shalt hide thy power because thou maist suffer, thou shalt hide thy wisedome, because they may mock thee, thou shalt hide thy prudence, because they may take thee to bee vnwise, thou shalt hide thy iu­stice, because they are to iudge thee like a blasphe­mer, and thou shalt hide thy strength, because thou maist the better die. O how well this was fulfilled in Christ, hide thy selfe in the water-brooke of Carith! for if he should not haue hidden his great power before Pilate, who would haue been able to take his life from him? If the son of God should not haue hidden his eternal wisedome, durst the Pha­risies haue mocked at his doctrine as they did? If Christ should not haue hidden the rigour of his iustice, who would [Page 347]haue beene able to doe iustice vpon him? If Christ should not haue hidden his inexpugnable strength, how should it haue beene possible for any man to draw his life out of his body? The Prophet Zachary spake vnto this purpose, Ibi ab­scondita est potentia eius, As if hee would haue said: Thou maist not looke, O Synagogue, thou maist not looke for a Messias which will bee mighty but weake, not rich but poor, not in health but sicke: do not imagine that he should be ho­nourable but throwne downe; doe not proclaime him for to bee a great Lord but a seruant; hee shall not bee a warri­our, but a man of peace; and hee shall not goe much openly, but for the most part in hucker mucker. Seeing that Esaias sayth, thou art truly a hidden God, and also Zacharias that his power is hidden, why dooth the Synagogue looke that the Messias should come openly, considering that their Pro­phets said that hee was to come secretly? Origen in his Peri­archon sayth, Because the sonne of God came not to fight with visible men, but with inuisible sinnes and enemies, there was no necessity that he should come fighting, but preaching, it was not needful that hee should wander ouer all the world, but only publish his Gospell among them all, and if the arro­gant Iewes did not reach vnto the knowledge thereof, it was not because they could not, but because they would not. The­ophilus sayth: speaking with the church the Prophet Dauid sayth, Deus noster manifeste veniet; and speaking vvith the Synagogue, the Propht Esay sayth, Vere tu es deus abscon­ditus, and therevpon it happeneth, that the vnhappie Is­raelites, although they were learned in knowledge, yet of no credite in conscience, and so they deserued not to know him, because they vvould not beleeue him. The figure goeth further and sayth, that the place where Helias went to hide himselfe, vvas at water-brookes of Ca­rith, which is as much to say as, a thing cut in sunder, or parted in the middle, which had bin once whole. The water-brooke where Christ did hide himselfe, was the depth and vehemen­cy of his passion, where our good Lord entered diuing and [Page 348]ducking as in a dirty and dangerous riuer, where hee remai­ned drowned and dead in the water of his passion: and the sonne of God p [...]ted himselfe in two, when his soule went into hell, and his body remained in the graue, and when those parts which made him a man were dissolued, although they were neuer seuered from the Hypostaticall vnion, seeing that he was aswell God in hell and in the graue, as hee is this day in heauen. He was so hidden in the brooke of his passion, that there was no part of his diuinity seene, and the beauty of his humanity scarsely perceiued: and because our blessed Redee­mer would suffer his enemies to be reuenged on him, hee did suspend for that time, the operation of those miracles which might haue hindered his passion. The figure sayth further, that the Prophet Helias being in the brooke secret and close, crowes of the fields brought him his dinner in the forenoon, and his supper at night, so that the birds gaue him to eat, and the water to drink. If this mystery were not a figure and fore­telling of some other great mystery, it were to bee thought, that as God did send the Prophet Daniel meat by Abachuch the Prophet, so hee would haue sent Helias meat by some o­ther Prophet, or holy man. If by Helias Christ be figured, by Iezabel the Synagogue, by the persecution his passion, and by the brooke the crosse, and by the water his bloud, and by his hiding himselfe his death, why should not the crowes signifie the Iews? Seeing there were Eagles inowe in the aire, and Pigeons plenty in the world, what great ability did God see in the crow, that he should make him steward vnto Helias his faithfull friend? What was the meaning that God did com­mit Helias to the crowes, but that hee should also commit his sonne into the hands of the Iewes? The qualities of a Crow are, to bee in colour blacke, in flying flow, in his flesh hard, in smelling quicke, in eating rauenous, and in condition vngrate­full. And because the rauen or crow is an vngratefull bird, the Prouerbe is, that if thou bring vp a Crow, hee will pecke out thy eie. The people of the Iewes were an vngratefull Crow vnto Christ, seeing that for a recompence that he tooke flesh [Page 349]of them, and taught them so long time, although they did not pecke out his eies, yet they crucified all his members on the crosse. What bad thing is there in the crow, that is not also in the Iewes? They are blacke in faith, slow in iudgement, hard in beliefe, cruell in condition, ready to malice, and most couetous. What meaneth this, O my Father, what meaneth this? After that thy sonne had liued thirty three whole years, doest thou command him to be cast vnto Crowes? Certain­ly the Crowes which we see with our eies, are not so cruell as the Iewes which wee speake off, because the Crowes doe eat of nothing vntill it be dead, but the wicked Iewes did venter vpon Christ when hee was yet aliue. O that Helias did farre better with his Crowes, than the good Iesus with the Iewes, because Helias Crowes did giue him bread and flesh to eat, but Christs crowes gaue him nothing but vineger and gaule to tast. Let the conclusion of all our speech be, that it was bet­ter with Helias in his banishment and water-brooke, thā with Christ on the Mount of Caluary, because Helias went out a­liue from the water, and Christ remained dead on the Mount of Caluary, and Helias did neuer know what hunger was, but the sonne of God did neuer kill his hunger, nor quench his thirst.

CHAP. III. How the hangmen dranke the wine which was brought vn­to him, and the other theeues, and did suffer Christ to die with thirst.

SVper vestimentis pignoratis accubuerunt tuxta altare, & vinum damnatorum bibe­bant in dome dei sui. Osei. 2. God spake these words complaining on the Israelits, as if hee would say, My people of Israel are come to such mad and shamelesse be­hauiour, [Page 350]that within the Temple, and hard at the altar they dranke the wine which was prepared for the condemned, and they lay downe and leaned vpon the garments which were laid to pledge. It is an vsuall thing and common in tauerns, that drunkards doe cast themselues downe to sleepe vpon o­ther mens apparrell, and if it bee in hote Summer, to sleepe vpon the benches of the Temple. If there were no greater matter contained vnder this complaint and rebuke, and if the sence were not of greater weight than the letter, and the thing figured worthier than the figure, it was no new thing, nor rare fault, to drinke of another mans wine, or cast him­selfe vpon some cloke laid to pledge, or to sleepe in the holy Temple. That which God speaketh here, and that which our Lord complaineth of, reacheth further than it seemeth for, and dooth draw vs vnto a deeper mystery than outwardly it appeareth: for if we marke it well, God did neuer speake vnto the Synagogue, but it did redound afterward to some myste­ry in the church. First the Prophet in this place maketh men­tion of certain garments: secondly, that those garments were a pawne and pledge: thirdly, that they were laid neere vnto an altar: fourthly, that drunkards lay vpon them: fiftly, that they dranke there much wine: sixtly, that that wine was the wine of condemned persons: and then that they dranke with­in the holy Temple. What one of these words dooth want his mystery, or what circumstance is there not worthy of deepe consideration? In the selfesame sort that this was pro­phecied by Osee, it was fulfilled by Christ: for wine being brought for Christ to drinke of, and also the other theeues, the Iewes did not onely not giue it them, but did themselues drinke it, & then being very dronk, they took Christs clothes, and cast them on the ground, and sate vpon them. When the Prophet sayth, that they dranke the wine, & lay down vpon the garments hard by the altar, hee sayth most truly: for the first church that euer was in the world was the Mount of Cal­uary, the first altar was the crosse, the first sacrifice offered vp for the redemption of man, was his own body to be crucified [Page 351]on good Friday, vpon the same altar of the crosse the first faithfull were the Virgine and Saint Iohn, with the other A­postles and secret disciples. In that holy Temple, and by that sacred altar, who were they which leaned & were cast down vpon the garments, but onely the vnhappy and vnfortunate Iewes? Thinke it is a great mystery, that the Prophet did not see those of his Synagogue sitting, but leaning neere vnto the altar, to let vs vnderstand, that they be neither open Christi­ans, nor conceiled Iewes: for Christians they could not bee, because they will not beleeue in Christ; and if they will bee Iewes they haue no Temple where to Iudaize. Robertus sayth, Vntill this day the Iewes are not prostrate before the altar, which is Christ, to beleeue him, nor yet on their knees to worship him, nor on foot to defend him, nor embracing him in signe of loue, but leaning to offend him, because their in­tention is to tread his holy garments vnder feet, and keepe off Iesus Christ from them with their elbowes. Taking this pro­phesie in another sence, it is to bee noted, that oftentimes in Scripture by good garments are vnderstood good works, and by torne garments naughty workes; and therevpon it is, that as the body is clad and fostered with a new garment, so the soule is decked and garnished with holy workes. And because that the curious Reader may not thinke that we speak at ran­dome, we will proue our saying by Scripture. What was the meaning that Saint Iohn saw Christ Vestitum ponere, which was to see him with a long garment, but to see him loa­den with vertues from the head to the foot? Hee that went to the wedding not hauing his nuptiall garment, but because hee was vncomely clothed, was carried to prison: who is re­presented vnto vs, but hee, who although he doe lead an euill life, yet dooth dare to enioy Christian liberty? When God doth command in the Apocalips, Omni tempore vestimenta tua sint candida, let thy garments be white alwaies, what doth he signifie, but that we should be all cleane and vertuous? When the Scripture saith, that Iacob made his sonne Ioseph, Tunicam polymitam, that is, an embrodered garment downe to the [Page 352]ground. What was the meaning that his garment did reach so low, but that the sonne of God should be perfite in all ver­tues? What did it signifie that the Iewes did cast clothes vn­der the asse feet to goe ouer, and the Apostle put them vpon the asse which Christ rode vpon, but that he misliked all that the Synagogue did, and approoued all that the church did? S. Augustine sayth, Because in holy writ, by the garments which wee weare are vnderstood the works which wee doe, wee may truly say, that no man goeth well clothed but the vertuous man, nor no man with a torne coat but the wicked and naughty sinner. Christ did vse but two garments in this world, the one next his skin, which was without seame, the o­ther an vpper garment which serued him for a cloke & coat; in so much that Christ did shew the perfection of his pouer­ty not only in his diet, but also in the simplenesse of his appa­rell. Barnard sayth, The sonne of God did teach vs not onely to liue, but also to apparell ourselues, because his holy gar­ments were few in number, vild in colour, small of price, good in profite, but cleane in vse. Hylarius sayth, Although the garments which the sonne of God ware were but few, vild & torne, yet the Scripture dooth much esteeme of them, not for the value vvhich they are vvorth, but for the great mysteries which they did signifie. Origen in an Homily sayth, What vvere the garments vvhich the sonne of God vvent alwaies clad vvith, but his diuine and humane nature, wherof he was made? His coat without seame, and in which there neuer en­tred needle nor scissers, was his diuine nature in great purity glorious from the beginning, in the which there was no be­ginning, nor shall bee no end; for that nature is now as it was from the beginning, and shall be for euer as it is at this instant. By the other coat vvhich vvas sowne and cur, is vnderstood Christs sacred humanity, vvhich vvas formed by the Holy­ghost, and borne of the Virgine Mary, and therefore Christs vvearing of these two coats doth signifie, that hee and no o­ther is God and man, and the sonne vvhich vvas incarnate. Before that Christ tooke flesh, hee had but one coat to couer [Page 353]selfe withall, which was his diuinity: but after that hee came into the vvorld, he put on another coat, vvhich vvas his hu­manity, and by that means he did lend vs his coat to make vs holy, and vvee did lend him ours to make him a man. Saint Chrisostome sayth, The one of Christs coats, to wit, that vvhich vvas vvithout seame, continued vvhole and vntorne in his passion, but his vppermost garment vvas rent and torne, to giue vs to vnderstand, that although his enemies had power to lay hands vpon his sacred humanity, yet they had none at all to touch his diuinity. Damascen sayth, One of Christs coats fell vvhole and entire vnto the knights, and the other torne and ragged vnto the hangmen, and that be­cause vvee should vnderstand, that to the catholicke church there fell the entire and whole coat, seeing that shee dooth fully beleeue that Christ is both God and man, and vnto the Synagogue there happened his torn coat, seeing they beleeue that hee is no more than a bare man. Saint Augustine sayth, By Christs two garments are vnderstood both his bodies, that is, his true body made and compacted of his holy mem­bers, and his mysticall body, which are all good Christians: and because thou maiest perceaue, my brother, how much thou art bound vnto Christ, know thou, that hee did esteeme better of his mysticall body, vvhich are Christians, than of his owne true body which vvas made of his owne mem­bers. What vvas his meaning that hee suffered them to take away and teare in pieces the one of his coats, and yet neuer touch the other, but only that hee is more grieued when any man doth speake euill of his church, than to haue laid hands vpon his owne proper person? Remigius sayth, O how whole, and entire hee did leaue vs the vnsowne coat of his church! and yet naughty Christians and perfideous Here­tikes, doe rent his coat into as many pieces, as they doe raise dissentions, and stirre vp heresies in the church. It was Christs holy vvill to die not only without a coat, but also not to haue one thred of a coat vpon him, which hee did suffer to the [Page 354]great preiudice of his grauity, and losse of his credite. Who was euer, or vvho euer shall bee so graue in his doctrine, as the sonne of God vvas, and so honest in his person? And see­ing that Esayas sayth, that hee was offered vp because hee would, it is to bee beleeued, that seeing they could not cruci­fie him, if he himselfe vvould not, so they could neither haue stripped him naked vnlesse he had consented vnto it. Wher­of it followeth in a good consequence, that if hee would die for our redemption, that hee did let himselfe bee stripped for our comfort. What did it signifie that the sonne of God did put off all his garments, but that hee did dispossesse himselfe of all his good workes? I and thou, thou and I, my brother, haue great need to die clothed and clad, to wit, vvith our owne faith and good vvorks, and also bee helped by others. For as for holy Iesus, as hee came out of the vvombe of his mother vnited vnto the diuine essence, so hee had no neces­sity of his owne vvorkes, to saue himselfe, nor of other mens merits to pardon vs. Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn sayth, Of as much as the sonne of God did merite praying on the mountaine, prea­ching among the people, healing the diseased in hospitals, by suffering among his enemies, and dying vpon the crosse, I say hee did spoile and make himselfe naked of all that, and put it vpon vs; insomuch that wee are heires of his bloud with which he redeemed vs, and successors of all the merits which hee heaped together. O glorious inheritance, and happie wealth, which thou good Iesus diddest leaue to the parishio­ners of thy church! seeing that by the meanes thereof, vvee are made sonnes of the Father, brothers of the sonne, puples of the Holy ghost, companions to the Angels, parishioners of the church, and heires of thy glory. O vvhat great diffe­rence there is betwixt the inheritance of heauen, and an in­heritance in the world! Worldlings leaue their children store of goods and reuenues, and much debate and strife to defend them, and many enemies to persecute them: but our good Lord in lieue of great wealth did leaue vs his grace, and in [Page 355]steed of enemies did leaue vs his merites. What should haue become of all the sinners of the world, if as Christ died spoi­led and depriued of his goods, so hee would haue died clo­thed vvith all his merits? What should become vnto prowd men, if hee would not haue left them his humilitie, and vvhat of cruell men if hee would not haue left them his cha­ritie? What end should angry men come to, if he should not haue left them his patience, and vvhat vvere it of all sinners, if hee should not haue left them his clemen­cy? Cyprian sayth, If Christ would haue ascended to heauen vvith all that which hee merited in this world, and not im­part it among vs, and as it were vnclothed himselfe of them as of certaine garments, there should not haue been in the world at this day a church to preach in, nor Priest to bee ordained, nor Sacrament to bee administred. Cy­rillus sayth to this purpose, If the sonne of God would haue merited for himselfe alone, and died for himselfe a­lone, wee might haue said with reason, that hee had come into the vvorld, and tooke flesh vpon him for him­selfe, and not for vs. But let such blasphemy bee farre from our tongues and thoughts, and farre from our heart, because our good Lord died not for himselfe, but for vs, nor did not merite for himselfe, but for vs. Hu­go de sancto victore sayth, Because that the great Redeemer of the world did leaue vs his garments for reliques, and his merites for Treasures, the Church his spouse hath at this day, Sacraments to giue, sacrifices of a contrite heart to offer, sweet doctrine to preach, and rewards to promise for amendment of life.

CHAP. IIII. He followeth the authority of the Prophet Osee, and speaketh of the garments which Christ left in pledge.

PArtiti sunt vestimenta mea, & super ea miserunt sirtem, said Christ in the 21 Psalme, complaining vnto his Father on the crosse, as if hee would say, O my good Father, thou wast not content only, that they should spoile me of my garments, and turne me naked to my great shame, but al­so that the hangmen should deuide my coat, and the souldi­ours cast lots vpon him. We must see in this place, how many coats there were, and whose they were, and among whome they were deuided, because all our saluation dooth consist in being excluded or admitted vnto that deuision. There were but two garments in all, and Christ was the maister of them, and they were deuided betwixt hangmen and souldiours, the place where was by the crosse, and the manner how was by lots. These two garments were deuided betwixt the Gentle­men which kept and guarded Christ, and the hangmē which crucified Christ, insomuch that according vnto the merite or demerite of euery one of them, they receiued their part of the garment. Theophilus saith, Who are meant by these gen­tlemen and knights, but the vertuous and iust; and who by the hangmen but sinners and naughty men? O infinit good­nesse, O clemency neuer seene before! such as thine was O good Iesus vpon the altar of the crosse, where thou diddest barre no man of the inheritance of thy sweatings, and deui­ding of thy merits, depriue no man, exclude no man, nor dis­inherite no man, but there fell aswel one part to the hangmen which lifted thee vp vpon the crosse, as to Nichodemus who [Page 357]tooke thee down from the same. Isichius vpon Leuiticus saith, As the sonne of God was the Redeemer of all men, so his pleasure was, that his garments should be deuided for all, and that none should be excluded from the generall redemption; which he did presently himselfe declare, seeing that he saued the theefe who was a Iew, and conuerted the Centurion who was a Gentile. O what great hope wee haue to be saued, and what great confidence that Christ will pardon vs! for seeing that hee hath distributed part of his merites and garments a­mong butcherly hangmen, it is to be beleeued, that hee will giue with a better will vnto his chosen friends. The difference in deuiding his garments was this, that those cruell hangmen did immediately deuide and teare in pieces his garment as it was giuen them, and the Gentlemen kept it whole as it fell vnto them, in so much that in the handling of the garments, the persons qualities might easily haue been knowne. That which the Iewes did in those daies, the selfe same doe Chri­stians at this day: for those which are good doe keepe all that Christ commanded them, and those which are wicked, keep no more than please them: insomuch that the good and ver­tuous Christian doth keepe Christs garment entire & whole, by endeuouring himselfe to keepe the commandements; and the wicked and peruerse doe keepe it rent and torne, and be content with the bare name of Christians. S. Ierome sayth, If thou do see thy self, my brother, prowd in presumption, enui­ous in ambition, angry in impaciency, a glutton in eating, & co­uetous in giuing, tell me I pray thee, what doest thou hold of a Christian, and what doest thou want of a Pagan? What greater disaster and losse could happē vnto thy soule, or what like euill fall vpon thy body, than of all the distribution and deuiding of Christs coats and merites, there should fall no­thing to thy lot but the name of a Christian? Doest thou not know that they call thee a Christian in a mockery, if thou do not follow Christ, as they call him white Iohn, who is all blacke? O how vnhappy they be, vnto whome there fell no­thing but a shred of Christs garment, that is, to brag that hee [Page 358]hath heard the Gospell preached, and that hee was baptised like a Christian. For Christ is not content only with that, but his pleasure is, that as he gaue vs all his garments freely, so he will that wee serue him with all our might and forces. With the hangmen there fell a shred of Christs garment vnto him who keepeth but one commandement onely, and vnto him his whole coat which keepeth all that Christ commandeth: for Christ said not vnto the young man, who asked him what he should doe to goe to heauen, Keep the commandement, but keep, & obserue the commandements. There fell a shred or ragge of Christs garment vnto him, who thinketh to ob­serue the Gospell onely by wishing well; and vnto him it fell whole and entire, who serueth him with workes and deeds, and not with desires: for as Saint Barnard sayth, The heauens are replenished with good workes, and hell is full of good de­sires. S. Augustine sayth, As of children which doe equally in­herite their fathers goods, some doe encrease their portion, & some wast and consume it; so is it in the church of God: for al­though all were inheritours of the garments & merits of the son of God, yet some doe dissipate and tear them to their own perdition, and some conserue and keep them to their saluation. The authority alledged before sayth, Super vestimentis pigno­ratis accubuerunt, as if hee would say, The Gentiles sat down vpon the garments which were laid togage, and the Iews lea­ned also vpon them. For the Prophet to lay downe as a great fault and offence, that the Synagogue durst bee so bold as to leane vpon certaine garments which were laid to pawne, it must be expounded with great diligence, and read with great heed, because that in Scripture the newer and more vnusuall a tearme is, the greater mystery it doth contain. It is requisite for vs to declare what these garments are, and why they were laid to pawne, and when they were laid to pawn, and also vn­to whome, because that all these circumstances doe greatly beautifie the mystery, and lead vs to the secret. For the bet­ter vnderstanding of this new prophesie, Super vestimentis pig­noratis, &c, Wee must handle another place which is as new [Page 359]as this, the newnesse whereof vvil bring vs to the knowledge of the other. The new speech is this, Ecce noua facio omnia; Which vvords Saint Iohn in the Apocalips heard Christ speak. Behold & mark vvel all you vvhich be of my Church, how I doe not that which others haue done, nor vndertake that vvhich others haue vndertaken, nor teach that vvhich others haue taught, nor liue as others haue liued, because that in my life and family there is no corrupt & rotten thing, but all sound and whole, nor any old thing but all new. This is such a new kind of speech, that no man euer spake the like vntill the sonne of God came: and to say the truth, vnlesse it vvere he who had created all things, who was able to renue all things? For if all the Angels, and all men are not able to make a flie, how should they be able to make a new vvorld? Rupertus sayth, O how well Christ sayth, in saying, Behold I make all new! for beginning in himselfe, he was a new man, he had a new soule, tooke new flesh, gaue new light, taught new doctrine, liued a new life, and promised new glory. Was hee not a new man, seeing that no man but hee was both God and man? Who but hee had a new soule, seeing that his and no o­thers vvas vnited to the diuine person? took he not new flesh, seeing that none but he vvas of a mother and a virgine? Who but he gaue the vvorld a new law, seeing that he vvas the first vvhich preached the Gospell? did he not also promise a new reward vnto his elect, seeing none before him promised the kingdome of heauen? Si volueritis & audieritis me, bona terrae commedetis, said God. Esay 1. as if hee should say, If you vvill beleeue me, & keep my cōmandements, I vvill giue you vic­tory against your enemies, I vvill giue you health to your bo­dies, I vvill giue you corne in your fields, and I vvill giue you peace in your kingdomes. This is that thē that God promised them, & all the reward vvhich he gaue thē for their trauails, insomuch that the reward and glory of the Synagogue neuer vvent out of the kingdome of Palestine. The sonne of God dooth not deale vvith vs vvhich are Christians, as his Father did vvith the Iewes, seeing that he saith Mat­thew [Page 360]10. Qui fecerit & docuerit hic vocabitur in regno caeloruu [...], As if he would say, The Christian who shall keepe my com­mandements, and the preacher which shall set forth my law, his name shall be written among those which are predestina­ted, and he shall be placed in the kingdome of heauen. Saint Augustine saith in a Sermon, As the sonne of God did com­mand vs to keepe new precepts, so he did promise vs new re­wards for it, and as hee gaue great commandements, so hee gaue great rewards: wherevpon it is, that vntil hee came into the world, no man commanded that which hee commanded, nor no man promised that which he promised. Christ said not in vaine, Ecce noua facio omnia, but because hee instituted the Sacrament, which was a hard thing to reach vnto, and com­manded vs to beleeue the blessed Trinity, which is a high matter to vnderstand, willed vs to beleeue him both God & man, which is a new thing to bee receiued, charged vs to loue our enemies, which is a hard matter to doe, and commanded vs to keepe his law only, which was a new thing in the world to doe. S. Thomas in his book against the Gentiles sayth, That as the sonne of God did not command those of the old law to beleeue great things, so he did not promise them but small things, and because hee commanded his chosen Christians to beleeue hard things, and performe things which were not easily done, he promised that they should possesse and emoy very high rewards. To come then vnto the text of Vestimen­tis pignoratis, &c. It is to bee noted, that as the seruice of the iust was to bee done here vpon earth, and the reward which they are to receiue to be giuen aboue in heauen; because wee should not thinke that hee mocked vs, in deferring our pai­ment to the other world, his pleasure was to leaue vs a good gage and pledge in this world, vntill he should reward vs for our good life in heauen. The pledges which Christ left vs in this world were his precious garments, his holy works, and his most holy Sacraments. Why did Christ, thinkest thou, leaue vs so many pledges in this life, but because hee will vnpawne them afterward aboue in his glory? In his glory aboue all [Page 361]those pledges shall bee taken away and haue an end, because that in heauen we shall need to hope for nothing, because we shall see that with our eies, which now we desire; nor we shall haue nothing to beleeue, because there shall be nothing hid­den; wee shall haue no cause to feare, because there shall bee no death; wee shall need to aske for nothing, because life is there euerlasting; neither shal we desire any thing, seeing that glory is there perpetuall. O how happie be all Christian peo­ple, seeing they haue not only Christs garments for a pledge and hostage, but also Christ himselfe remaining with vs, vn­der the visible signs of the Sacrament, vntil he giue himselfe vnto vs in heauen glorified! Let no man maruell to heare vs say, that we haue Christ for a pledge & pawne, for that which his Father promised vs, seeing that the Apostle saith also that we haue the Holy ghost for a pledge, for that which the son commanded vs, Ipse est pignus haereditatis meae, as if he would say, God the eternal Father hath giuen vs the gifts of the ho­ly Ghost, and all the garments and merites of his sonne for a pledge of that which hee hath promised vs; and this no lon­ger but vntill hee will carry vs to his eternall glory, and giue vs the fruition of his diuine essence. What Christian is there who will bee afraid to loose himselfe, and not haue a hope to saue himselfe, hauing as wee haue for an assurance of our sal­uation, as Christs robes in pawne, and the gifts of the Holy ghost in hostage? Super vestimentis pignoratis all holymen doe leane, when they ioine their workes with Christs workes: for all that we doe is little worth vnlesse we tie it vnto Christs merits. It is to be weighed, that the Prophet Osee did not see the garments by themselues, and elbowes by themselues, but garments with elbowes, and elbowes with garments, to giue vs to vnderstand, that we cannot merite with our own works, and that Christ wil not alwaies saue vs by himselfe; by reason whereof, it is necessary, that wee fasten our armes vpon his workes, and that he sticke his workes vpon our elbows armes.

CHAP. V. Where is brought a sigure of Tobias, and declared to the purpose.

EXentera hunc piscem, & cor eius & fel & iecur repone tibi, Tobias 6 chap. The Angell Ra­phael spake these words vnto young Tobias, as if hee would say; Crie not, nor bee not a­fraid of this fish, but take him out of the wa­ter, flay him, cut him in the middle, and take out his heart, his gaule, and liuer, and keepe it all for thy selfe, because it is all very medicinable to cure a sicke man. The story of Tobias is very well knowne to the learned in Scrip­ture. When he sent his young sonne Tobias to Rages a towne of the Medes, for the recouering of tenne markes of siluer which he had lent his friend Gabelus, when hee was captiue in Babilon, and when yong Tobias came to the riuer Tygris, to wash his feet, there came foorth a very great fish to the banck side toward him, with such boldnesse, as if hee would haue eaten and swallowed him vp, before that hee could flie from him. When the Angell saw the fiercenesse of this fish, and the great feare that the youth was stroke into, hee began to encourage him, saying: Feare not the fish, because the fish ought rather to be afraid of thee, and therefore it is necessary that thou do by him that which he would haue done to thee, because another cannot recouer health before this fish bee killed. Tobias tooke heart by the encouragement of the An­gell, and fastening on the fish by the gilles, drew him out of the water, and stripped him, and tooke out his heart, and his gaule, and his liuer, as the Angell his master had commanded him to doe. Now that Tobias fear was past, when the fish was dead and drawne, he said vnto his Angell: Tell mee brother Azarias, to what purpose thou diddest command mee to [Page 363]keepe the fishes heart, gaule, and liuer, and diddest not bid me eat at all of him. To this the Angell answered, Thou must vnderstand, my sonne Tobias, that this thy iourney, and this chance which hath befaln vnto thee, wanteth not a great mystery, as hereafter it shall appeare. But for the present, let it suffice thee to know, that the meat of this fish is good for trauailers to eat of, and the heart good to cast out diuels, and the gaule good to heale the blind, and the liuer soueraine for to cure other externall diseases. There are presented vnto vs many deepe mysteries in this figure, if it may please God to giue mee the knowledge to expound them; for in it is set foorth the wonderfull death which the sonne of God suffe­red, and the inspeakeable fruit and benefite vvhich vvee re­ceiue by it. Here is to bee vnderstood, who Tobias is vvhich taketh the iourney, what the fish is which put him into a fright, what garbish he tooke from him, what skin he stripped him of, what is the flesh which hee broiled, what is the heart which hee tooke out of him, what the liuer, and vvhat the gaule which hee kept. Although wee speake but a word on euery word, yet this seemeth to bee a figure full of great se­crets. To come then to the point, who is Tobias who goeth to recouer his fathers goods, but onely all mankind, who go­eth euery day a iourney, to recouer the grace which his fa­ther Adam lost? Dum sumus in seculo, peregrinamur ad domi­num, sayth the Apostle, As long as vvee liue in this mor­tall vvorld, no man can say that hee hath a dwelling place, or neighbour, but onely, that hee is a pilgrime and a way-faring man, and the end of our iourney and pilgrimage is, to seeke for the grace vvhich our first father lost vs, and the glory which our eternall father promised vs. Then wee say a man is a pilgrime when he maketh no abode any where, but goeth on, and staieth no longer in a place than hee can get necessaries for his iourney. If vvee aske a man what hee doth, it is an ordinary answere to say, that hee either plaieth, or doth his businesse, or some such like, which in truth is not so, but his better answere is to say, that he wasteth [Page 364]and consumeth himselfe, and that he is a dying; for a mans life goeth away in playing and labouring. Seneca sayth, Doth not thy life, thinkest thou, goe away, seeing that euery houre thy life is an houre shorter, and euery day a day shorter? Saint Augustine vpon the Apostles words sayth, If a man be asked how old he is, or what yeares hee hath, he is wont to answere either thirty, or fortie, or such like; which is cleane contrary vnto that which hee should answere: for hee should not say he hath so many yeares, but that he wanteth so many yeares: for if he haue any years at all, it bee those which hee looketh for; for as for those which are past, they are now none of his. The Philosopher saith, that De tempore non habemus nisi Nunc, Whereby hee meaneth, that wee haue no time but the pre­sent moment, because that the time past is already gone, and the time to come is vncertain. Cicero de senectute sayth, What hath a man that hath liued an hundred yeares, but only time lost, a grieued heart, a weary body, smal help, a loathing life, a vading credite, and death at his gates? O how well the Apo­stle sayth, As long as wee bee in this world, Peregrinamur ad dominum, seeing that by how much the more wee increase in age, so much the more vvee decrease in life. And to say the truth, to die young, or to die old, is nothing else but to come to our Inne betimes or late. Remigius sayth, The Apostle doth call vs pilgrimes and strangers with great reason, because he seeth, that we haue no goods in this world, which are proper to our selues: for if euery man would leaue that which were another bodies, for a certaine he should be left very naked. For sayth Alchimius the Philosopher, if the sheep should take thy garments from thee, the kine thy shoes, the worms thy silke, the earth thy linnen, the vines thy wine, the corne thy bread, the trees their fruit, the fountaynes their waters; tell mee I pray thee, of thy selfe, and by thy selfe, what shouldst thou haue, what shouldest thou be worth or what shouldest thou bee able to doe? Horace sayth to this purpose, Be not prowd like a lion, nor exasperate thy selfe like an ounce: for if euery one would take from thy house & per­son [Page 365]that which is his, there would be no liuing creature more base thā thou, seeing that thou hast neither industry to main­taine thy selfe, nor weapons to defend thy selfe. Wee haue said all this, to proue that if Tobias was a pilgrime, wee are al­so pilgrimes. But alas alas, hee is accompanied with the good Angel who keepeth him, and we compassed with a thousand enemies vvhich besiege vs. Doe not wee, trow you, take our voiage beset with a thousand perils, and hindered with as ma­ny troubles, considering that the deuill doth tempt vs, the flesh molest and prouoke vs, the world deceiue vs, friends faile vs, our heart sorroweth, our health decaieth, and our life daily shorteneth? The figure sayth, that as Tobias went on his iourney, the fish came to the bancke to swallow him vp, whereof in the end hee receiued more profite than feare, insomuch that by the same fish, of vvhich hee thought hee should haue beene deuoured, his father receiued remedy. What was that great fish, of which Tobias thought he should haue been deuoured, but only the sonne of the eternall God vvhen he came to redeeme the vvorld? The fish vvas bred in the bottome of the riuer, and the sonne of God was borne in the bosome of the eternall Father; and how deepe soeuer the riuer Tygris vvas, yet the sea of the diuine essence is farre more deeper. Augustine in his booke of the Trinity sayth, Wilt thou see how much more deeper the eternity of the Father and of his sonne is, than the sea? For it is possible to empty the sea for all his greatnesse, but for the secrets of the holy Trinity, it is impossible fully to vnderstand. The fishe comming out of the vvater droue young Tobias into a great feare, but Christ caused a greater feare when hee came into the vvorld, seeing the Angels bowed themselues, the kings adored him, the starres vvere changed, the Iewes were moo­ued, and the deuils vvere aseard. The feare vvhich the fish put Tobias in, continued but halfe an houre, but the fear which Christ put the vvorld in, dureth vntill this day: for being a­feard and amazed, the Iews and Pagans cannot yet persuade themselues, that Christ should be the God whō they should [Page 366]beleeue in, and the Lord which shall iudge them. When that fish went out of the riuer to the bancke, of two which were there present, the one which was the Angel knew him, & the other, which was Tobias was afeard: and euen so in like maner when the sonne of God came downe from heauen vnto the earth, the Synagogue was scandalized, and the church recei­ued him, in so much that according vnto old Simeons prophe­cie, this diuine fish came to the shore of the world, for the resurrection of the good, and the scandale of the wicked. Praeparauit dominus piscem grandem vt deglutiret Ionam, sayth the holy Scripture, Ionas 2. As if hee would say, At the very instant when the cruell Marriners did cast the Prophet Ionas into the bottome of the sea, immediately our Lord prepared a great fish, which swallowed him aliue, and which kept him in his bowels safe and sound. As before wee met with Tobias and his fish, so now wee haue lighte vpon Ionas and his fish, whereof the one was greatly afeard, and the other swallow­ed vp, by reason whereof wee must seeke out some secret in them, and discouer some mystery in the expounding of them. Whose figure doth Ionas represent, but onely the good and godly, and who were the Marriners which threw him into the sea but onely wicked men? Then the Marriners doe cast Ionas into the sea, when the wicked doe persecute and cast downe the good, because there is no greater torment to a naughty man, than to heare a good man praised in his pre­sence. Of all those which were in that ship onely Ionas was a holy and vertuous man, as it doth plainly appeare, because there was no one which spake against the throwing of him into the sea, but were all of one opinion in that fact: for albeit naughty men bee sometime at variance among themselues, yet in doing of mischiefe they easily agree in one. O in what greater danger good mens fame and credite is in, among the wicked, than their liues and goods in the deepe seas which is plainly seene in that, that men did cast the holy Prophet Io­nas from them, and the waters did receiue him into them, Ori­gen vpon holy Iob sayth, What should become of the good, [Page 367]if God had no care ouer them? What would not naughty men venter to doe with their smal shame & lesse conscience, if their power should stretch as far as their malice? If thou wilt see, my brother, the care that God hath to keepe thee, if thou haue a care to serue him, thou shalt see it in the holy Prophet Ionas, in that our Lord had prepared long be­fore a fish to saue him, than the Marriners had determined to drowne him. The fish which did saue the Propher Ionas, did not put him by him, nor on him, nor vnder him, but with­in him, and so kept him so warily in his entrals, that neither the fish durst kill him, nor the waters drowne him. O that thy goodnesse is infinit, & thy charity very great, my good Iesus, seeing that thou doest acquit all those which the world doth condemne, loue those which the world hateth, receiue those which he casteth off, foster those which he suffereth to perish, and giuest honour vnto all those which the world doth disho­nour. Aymon vpon Ionas saith, The Prophet Ionas slept in the lowest part of the ship, & the Marriners did cast him into the bottome of the sea, & the Whale kept him in the secretest part of his bowels; I mean by this, that Christ dooth put vs in the daintiest part of his bowels: for it is his propertie to keepe those in his hart, which loue him from the hart. S. Ierome saith, If thou doe put Christ in thy eies to looke vpon him, he doth put thee in his to looke vpon thee; If thou place him in thy eares to heare him, he doth place thee in his to heare thee; if thou haue him in thy tongue to praise him, he hath thee in his to honour thee; if thou put him in thy heart to loue him, hee doth put thee in his to loue thee; insomuch that where thou doest put Christ, Christ doth also in the same place put thee. Vpon those words of the Psalme, Iacta cogitatū tuū in domi­ne, S. Basil saith. Yeeld thy selfe, my brother, yeeld thy selfe to the will of God, goe whither he will direct thee, do that which he commandeth thee, giue him that which he asketh of thee, beleeue him in that which he telleth thee: for as hee preserued the Prophet Ionas in the Whales belly, so hee will preserue thee in the dangers of this life. By this which happe­ned [Page 368]vnto the Prophet Ionas, it is very euident, that thre is no­thing firm & stable but that which God doth sustain, nor no­thing sure but that which God doth keep, seeing that that ho­ly Prophet was drie among the waters, found comfort in dan­ger, a remedy against death, and profite in his enemy. Did he not find a remedy against death, and profite in his enemy, see­ing the water did not only not drowne him, nor the huge and great fish kill him, but was in the Whales belly with as great contentment and delight, as a Prince is in his roiall pallace? We haue spoken all this, because no man should omit to doe his duty, or goe with the truth, as farre as hee can, for feare of temptation, or ielousie of naughty persons; because our Lord who deliuered Tobias that the fish should not deuour him, and Ionas from the sea that it should not drowne him, will al­so deliuer thee from temptations which follow thee, & from the enemies which persecute thee.

CHAP. VI. Here the Author followeth the figure which hee touched be­fore, which is declared well to the purpose: and there is brought also a prophesie of Ieremy.

APprehende branchiam eius, & trahe eum ad te: quod cum fecisset, traxit eum in siccum, Tobias 6. chapter, These are the wordes which the Angel Raphael spake vnto yong Tobias, as if he would say; I haue told thee already, that thou shouldest not feare this fish, but rather as he came vnto thee, so thou shouldest goe and meet him, and apprehend him by the head, and pull out his gilles, all which I would not tell thee, vnlesse I thought it conueni­ent for thee. Although Tobias did not then know the Angel for to be an Angel, but thought him to bee another man like himselfe, yet notwithstanding he gaue credit vnto his speech, and accepted of his counsell, so that Tobias did immediately kill and panch the fish vpon the sand, which thought to eat [Page 369]him in the vvater. We doe in this place aduertise the curious Reader, that he shall not be able to vnderstand this chapter, if he doe not read the chapter afore going, because this figure of Tobias vvas there begun, and from thence is cited. To con­tinue then this figure, the text sayth, that Tobias did sit vpon the fish, and tooke him by the sinnes neer vnto the head, and by the gilles in the throat, and drew him to the sand, & there did cut off his head and strip him, and tooke out his heart & liuer, and kept his gaule for himselfe, and did eat part of him, and salted the rest for his iourney. Who is Tobias but the Iu­daicall people? What was the fierce sea but the passion of Christ? And vvhat vvas the great fish but the same Christ? And vvhat vvas the sand vvhere the fish was panched, but the high Mount of Caluary where Christ vvas put to death? Tobias did greatiustice vpon that vnhappie fish, vvhen hee panched him on the sands; but the Synagogue did farre grea­ter cruelties vpon Christ vvhen they tooke Christs life away on the Mount of Caluary: for if Tobias did kill the fish, it vvas because the Angell vvhich kept him did so command him, but if the Synagogue did put Christ to death, it was done of meere enuy and malice. For the better vnderstanding of this place, it is here to bee noted, that it was done by a continuall miracle, that Christ did neuer suffer his most holy soule to communicate and impart her glory vnto his body, because that if he had not hindered that, his body had not ben passi­ble at all. It was for no other cause but Propter nostram salutë, that our great Redeemer suffered the death vpon the crosse as if he had been a sinner. Candolfus sayth, Christ sometimes gaue place, that the glory of his soule should redound and fall vpon the members of his body, as it happened in the hill Thabor, by reason vvhereof his precious flesh vvas so tender in suffering, and so passing desirous to returne to the fruition of the same glory, that the absence and delay of that diuine and heauenly comfort did bring Christ most grieuous torment. Vpon those vvords of the Psalme, Abyssus abyssum [Page 370]inuocat. Saint Basil sayth, for as much as the soule of the sonne of God vvas full of glory, and his precious body loa­den with grieuous paine and anguish, O how oftentimes the depth of his trauailes and griefes did feruently desire and sigh after the depth of his comfort and consolation, the vvhich his eternall Father vvould not impart vnto him vn­till hee had ended the redemption of the vvorld. O great goodnesse, O infinite charity! who but thou, O my good Ie­sus, vvas hungry vvith bread in his hand, thirsty vvith vvater in his mouth, naked vvith garments in his chests, sad and af­flicted with glory in his soule? Vpon those vvords, Tristis est anima mea. S. Barnard sayth, It is no maruell if my soule bee sorrowfull, and full of anguish, because the houre of my glo­ry and felicity is not yet come: but in thee O good Iesus, why should thy flesh bee so wearied? And why should thy soule be comfortlesse, seeing that thou carriest with thee all the glory which is in heauen or in earth. Vbertinus vpon this place sayth, The Redeemer of the world being in the agony of death, and very neere the end of his life, remembring him­selfe of that heauenly comfort and diuine influence, vvhich from the glory of his soule was woont to bee imparted to his precious body, spake this word Sitio, as if he would say, O how great the thirst is vvhich I suffer in this last houre, and terri­ble agony, to vvit, of that influence and heauenly comfort, which was woont to bee imparted from my owne soule vnto my owne flesh, because this death and passion which my owne Father doth lay vpon this my weake flesh, is not onely grieuous, but doth also exceed all other humane punishment. The great thirst that Christ suffered vpon the crosse, and the cooling vvater which hee desired, was not the water of the fountain of the hill Lybanus, nor yet that which ran in the riuer Silo, but that heauenly consolation which the glory of his soule vvas vvont to cause in him, for that other humane thirst could not so much grieue him, considering how neere hee vvas to the end of his life. Wee haue [Page 371]vsed all this discourse to extoll the word of the figure which sayth, Et traxit piscem in siccum, It is to bee vnderstood, that young Tobias did kill the fish vpon the sand, vvhich would haue killed him in the water. When, thinkest thou, did Tobias draw the fish vpon drie land, but vvhen the eter­nall Father did leaue his blessed sonne vpon the crosse with­out any humane consolation? O how drie was that drie tree vpon which the heauenly fish hanged, vvho hauing been brought vp in the deepe sea of the diuine essence, had not there so much as one drop of water to drinke. What can be pitied more in this life, than for a fish hauing been brought vp in the water, yet afterward to die for vvant of vvater? Tobias fish was hard by the vvater side, and yet died vvith thirst, and Christs flesh vvas coupeled with his holy soule, and died also vvith thirst, because the eternall Father to giue vs drinke of his water of heauen, killed his owne onely sonne with thirst, and brought him to die vpon the sands of this world. If Tobias should not haue drawne the fish to the land, hee could not haue mastered him: if Christ had not become man, neither could he haue died, for how­soeuer it be naturall for vs to die, yet it is much more natu­rall for God alwaies to liue. What meaneth it that the selfe same fish of whome Tobias thought he should haue been de­uoured, lay dead afterward at his feet, but that, that God which all the powers of heauen did feare and tremble at, we see now meek & gentle, & hanged vpon the tree? When God was nothing but God, & in his own diuine essence being, all the world did feare him and tremble, but after that hee came vpon our sandie humanity, & set foot vpon the drinesse of this world, hee who before made others afeard, was him­selfe afraid, and he who before did throw downe others, fell himselfe, and he who before enriched others became poore, and he who gaue all comfort wept himselfe, and hee who kil­led before died. Desertum faciam mare eius & siccabo venum e­ius, said God by the Prophet Ieremy, chap. 51. as if he would say. I will make all his sea as drie and without vvater, as [Page 372]desart and solitary mountains are woont to bee, and I will cut off all the vaines and streames of his depth, because there shal flow no water at any end. These words must curiously be expounded: for God to say, that the sea shall bee as drie as a solitary mountaine, and that hee will cut off all the vaines of his course throughout all the world, seemeth to bee a new speech, and a thing that was neuer seene to be beleeued. Lea­uing the letter, & speaking according vnto the sence of these words, the eternal Father doth forewarne his precious sonne, that he wil not onely deale with him like one which will not he are him, nor giue him any comfort, but also, that he will cut off all occasions, whereby hec may any way receiue comfort; in so much that to make the sea become a desart, is to make of God a true man, and to cut off the vaines of the sea, is to cut off all heauenly consolation. What other thing was that deepe sea, but onely the diuine essence? And what else was it to make a drie desart of the raging sea, but to make him who was the eternal God a true mā? God said by the mouth of his Prophet, Desertum faciammare eius, speaking of his son; and as he did prophecie, so he did accomplish it: for when he hanged vpon the altar of the crosse, he neuer made answere to any petition which hee made him, nor yet to quench his thirst gaue him so much as one cup of water. What a strange thing is this, O eternall Father, what a strange thing is this? For thy bastard & abortiue childrē thou didst drawwater out of the liuely rock, & for thy lawful son hast thou not so much as one drop? Whē Agar & her son. Ismael were ready to pe­rish with thirst in the mountaines of Bersabee neere vnto the Mount Lybanus, vsing thy infinite power thou didst make of the dry desart great abundāce of water; & why thē dost thou make vnto thy son of an abundant sea a dry desart? thou didst send meat to the Prophet Daniel when he was cast vnto the Lyons, although no man did demand it at thy hards, & wilt thou not giue thy precious son a little water at such great en­treaty? Cōsidering that whē the famine was at Samaria, thou didst cōmand the Crowes to carry the Prophet Helias food, [Page 373]and the riuer Carith to giue him drinke, why doest thou not helpe thy owne sonne, whom thou hast ingendred of thy owne substance, with a little water, in this his extream thirst? Considering that thou diddest turn the sower waters of Ma­rath to be sweet, because those cursed people should drinke of them, why wilt thou giue thy precious sonne neither of the sweet nor sowre? O what great encreasing of torments to Christ are framed in the figure of Tobias, ioined with the pro­phesie of Ieremy, seeing the one did draw the fish to the drie land, and the other made a desart of the sea! for vpon that drie tree of the crosse, Christ was exceeding drie, seeing hee could not obtain a little water to drink of, and hee was also in a great desart, seeing that hee found not so much as one friend to comfort himselfe with. The fourth mystery which the fi­gure containeth is, that Tobias did open the fish, and took out his gaule and his heart; both which did him & his afterwards great good, the one for his owne marriage, and the other to cure his fathers blindnesse. It is greatly to be noted, that in all that fish, Tobias found nothing which was not worthy of the keeping, commodious and profitable in curing & sauerous in eating. The best that euer hath been, or shall be in the world, was the Creator and Redeemer of the world, whose words were holy, whose doctrine was profitable, whose workes were maruellous, and whose bowels were most louing. What did Tobias vnto that fish, that the Iewes did not vnto Christ? If the fish was drawne out of the riuer, so was Christ from the people; if the fish was put vpon drie land, so was Christ carri­ed vnto the Mount of Caluary; if the fish was stripped, so was Christ whipped; if the fishes throat was cut, Christ was also crucified; if the fish was opened, so was Christ pierced with a speare; if the fish was cast into the fire, so was Christ also cast into the sepulchre. This which wee haue said is but a little in respect of that which wee will say, and that is, that the holy catholike Church hath drawne out this blessed fishes gaule, with the which hee cureth vs, and heart with the which hee loueth vs, and liuer with the which he pardoneth vs, & bow­els [Page 374]with which hee dooth cherish vs. O good Iesus, O my soules health, who hath euer had or who euer shall haue a more louinge heart than thou to loue vs, or so sound a liuer to pardon vs, or so profitable a gaule to cure vs, or such tender bowels to cherish vs? What wilt thou denie me now, or what wilt thou not now giue mee, O my good Iesus, seeing that for to shew thy clernency and mercy vpon me, thou art hanged vpon a drie tree, made a dead fish, opened, drawne and bow­elled for my sake? What loue can bee compared vnto thy loue, seeing that for that which touched me, and not for any thing that belonged to thee, thou diddest consent that they should open thy heart, and diddest permit them to rend and teare thy bowels? What am I able to giue thee, O good Ie­sus, what can I giue thee, vnlesse it be my heart which is filthy for thine which is cleane, my rotten liuer for thy vvhole one, my bitter gaule for thy sweet one, and my wicked and hurtful bowels for thy most louing ones? Which are the greatest re­lickes which are this day in heauen or earth, but the heart, li­uer, and bowels, which Christ left vnto his church? O how happy should he be who should haue such relickes in his cu­stodie! for hauing thy heart in custodie, how couldest thou chuse but loue me, and hauing thy bowels in keeping, how wouldest thou but pardon me? How is it possible, O my good Iesus, how is it possible that there should bee any euill thing in thee, vvhen as the church hath thy precious gaule for a re­licke? Since the beginning of the vvorld there hath neuer been any such thing seene or heard, that is, that among the relickes vvhich the church dooth account for the best, the gaule is one of the most precious, because that vvithout that bitter gaule, neither the world could haue beene redee­med, nor the Prince thereof haue beene ouercome. What is the gaule which the church keepeth in her treasure, but only the bitter passion which Christ suffered? The richest iewell which the Synagogue had, was the Manna vvhich came from heauen, & the greatest treasure which the church hath, is the gaule and passion of Christ. Betwixt vvhich two [Page 375]vvhat great difference there is, it is easily perceiued, because that the profite & cōmodity of our gaule doth continue vntil this day, & will continue for euer; but the memory of that old Manna is already lost. O glorious gaule, O happy gaul, which thou good Lord diddest leaue vnto thy catholick church! for if it did kill thee, it did make mee whole, if it gaue thee paine it gaue me glory, if it was gaule vnto thee, it was hony to me, & if thou diddest end thy life vvith it, yet my soule vvas re­deemed vvith it. Christs passiō vvas bitter gaule vnto Christ, and yet Christs death vvas a sweet gaule for the redeeming of all the vvorld: for if vnto him there fell trauell & pain, yet vnto vs there fell rest & quietnesse, if it fell to his lot to suffer, yet it fell to vs to reioice & be glad, if the soure fell vnto him, the sweet fell vnto vs, in so much that hee chose the gaule for himselfe, and left the hony for vs. Iurauit patribus dare terrans fluentem lacte & melle, said the Prophet Moises Exod. 13; As if he vvould say, You shall well remember, O yee children of Israel, how you did agree vvith our Lord, & he vvith you, & that both of you by oth, that you should neuer serue any o­ther Lord but him, and that he would giue you a land vvhich should flow milke and hony. Notwithstanding this oth, the children of Israel were such naughty periures, that our Lord determined not to giue them a land which should flow hony, but which should bring them forth gaule, seeing hee made it batten for to sow in, rugged and rough to trauell in, vn­healthfull to dwell in, vveake in defence, drie to drinke in, and very poore to maintaine it selfe. God did make a farre better agreement vvith his Church, than vvith the Synagogue: for hee did not send vs a land vvhich should bring forth honey but gaule, and therefore hee commanded vs to doe vvorkes vvhich should bee very vnpleasant and vnsauoury vnto sensualitie, although very conformable and very profitable. Christ did drinke bitter gaules, and gaue vs of the same to drinke: for vvhen hee vvas poore, he com­maunded vs to bee poore also, hee vvas persecuted, and commanded vs to suffer persecution, hee pardoned his iniu­ries, [Page 376]and commanded vs to pardon ours; he suffered death be­ing without fault, and charged vs to suffer it being in fault: all which things are as vnsauoury and bitter to accomplish, as ho­ny is sweet in eating. O what bitter gaules our Sauiour dooth command vs to eat, when he sayth, The way is streit which leadeth vnto life! but he turneth these bitter gaules into sweet hony-combes, when hee sayth, My yoke is sweet: for if the way vnto heauen be bitter, yet it is made very sweet, by going in Christs company. The yoke of the world doth make vs beleeue that he is of hony, and yet he is but of gaule; and con­trariwise the yoke of Christ dooth threaten vs, that hee is of hony: for immediately as wee bow our heads to carry him, Christ putteth himselfe on the other side to helpe vs.

CHAP. VII. Of a new thirst which King Dauid had, which was a thirst not to drinke, but to saue himselfe.

SItiuit anima mea, ad doum fontem viuum. Psalme 41. These words king Dauid vtte­red, shewing a new thirst which hee had, and therevpon maketh a new petition, as if hee would say; O what a great thirst my sorrowfull soule endureth, and how shee desireth to drinke of the fountaine of the water of life: for if she cannot obtaine to drinke of it, she can doe no lesse but die with thirst. The renowned king Dauid in very tender words, doth shew vs a new kind of thirst, and a manner of drinking which was neuer before seene, and a qua­lity of a water which was neuer discouered before, & a name of a fountaine neuer before heard of. First he sayth, that hee endureth thirst, secondly, that the thirst is in his soule, third­ly, that his thirst is of the water of the fountaine, fourthly, [Page 377]that the fountaine is of water of life; and lastly, it is called a diuine fountaine. It is necessary, that wee first examine, what thirst Dauid speaketh of, and what water he desireth to drink of: for as there are many kinds of waters, and many sorts of such as are thirsty, so there is also many kinds of thirste, and many things wherewith to quench the same. If Euripides doe not deceiue vs, corporall thirst is caused of the hear of the li­uer, or of the inflaming of choler, or of eating salt things, so that indeed true thirst is nothing else but ouermuch heat, and want of moisture. With this corporall thirst the people of Israel was troubled in the wildernesse, and Dauid when he desired the water of Bethleem, and the captaine Sisara when hee fled from the battaile, and also Sampson when there gu­shed out water vnto him out of an asses iawe bone. King Ar­taxerxes also was troubled with this thirst, when flying from the battaile, he was glad of water at a poore mans hands. And this thirst is very common and wearisome, and costly, if it bee to be quenched with wine, and dangerous vnto those which giue themselues to drinke too much of it. The thirst which the poore Israelites suffered in the wildernesse, and the water which they drank out of the ro [...]k, did cost them very deerly; for at the same time they dranke and wept. It did cost the poore captaine Sisarah very deerely also, when hee did aske the Prophetesse Debora for drinke: for at the same time shee gaue him a cup of milke to drinke, and put a pogge in his tem­ples to kill him with. When great king Dauid thirsted after the water of the cesterne neere vnto Bethleem, although his seruants did bring him of it, hee would not drinke of it, nor durst not tast it. This materiall thirst, which doth weary and molest vs daily, is such, that there is no wine in the world, which can wholly quench it, nor any water that can so coale it, but it will come againe. Which is easily perceiued; for if we drinke at dinner, wee drinke better at supper, and the more a man doth drinke, the more he may, and although we kill our [...]hirst for a time, yet it is not fully taken away. To come then vnto our purpose, is this the thirst which the Prophet spea­keth [Page 378]of, and whereof hee complaineth? This should not bee his thirst, this should not be his anxiety, nor yet his complaint, nor that which he so feruently desired: for being as he was, so mighty and great a king, hee wanted neither noble wines to drinke of, nor dainty waters to recreate himself withal. There were three cesterns of water in Ierusalem; the one at the gate called Salinaria, where all those of the citie dranke of, the o­ther hard by the Mount Sion, where those drank which were out of the city, & the other at the gate of the Temple, where the flesh which was sacrificed was washed. Seeing then that there were so many cesternes in Ierusalem, who could hinder Dauid of them, or let him for drinking of that cold water? If he would not drinke of these waters, because they were stan­ding, had he not the riuer Iordane hard by? Had he not hard by the floud Cedron, which came from the Mount Lybanus? If he desired water of the well, in Syon he had it; if fountaine water, in Bethleem he had it; if wine made of grapes, in La­rude he had it; if liquor made of dates, it was brought out of Egypt: so that if his thirst had been like vnto ours, hee had more meanes to quench it, than that thirst which hee suffe­red. This is not the thirst which molested him, nor the griefe which troubled him: for if the thirst which hee endured had proceeded frō the heat of the liuer, or of eating of salt meats, it is not to bee thought that hee would haue enregistred it in holy Psalms. O renowned Prince and mighty king, wilt thou not tell what thy thirst was of? If you will know after what I thirsted, where my griefe lay, and what the paine was which I endured, I let you vnderstand, Quòd sitiuit anima mea ad de­um fontem viuum; and the meaning this, O sorrowfull man that I am and comfortlesse, seeing that the thirst which I en­dure proceedeth not of a corrupted liuer, for mine is sound & whole, nor of burnt choller, for there is no such thing in me: my thirst is then not that which the body suffereth, but that which my sorrowfull soule endureth. The thirst which I suf­fer, and the drinesse which I abide is so hard to bee extingui­shed, that no liuing creature is able to take it from me, nor any [Page 379]water to quench it. O happy is the soule which thirsteth after nothing, but after our Lord! for looke what the thirst is which the soule hath, such is the water which she seeketh to mittigate it with. O that this is a diuine sentence which the Prophet doth vtter vnto vs in this place! whereby wee are plainly taught, that the thirst of the soule is farre different from the thirst of the body, and that the thirst of the spirit is one, and that of the flesh another, that of the iust man one, and that of the sinner another, and the heauenly thirst one, and the humane another. Whereby is the thirst of the body quenched, but by drinking? And with what is the thirst of the soule slackened, but by contemplation? And with what is the thirst of the spirit killed, but by seruing God? And with what is the thirst of the world eased, but by following the world? And what doth the iust thirst after, but grace in this world, and glory in the other? And what thirst hath the wicked, but to procure all meanes hee can the cockering of himselfe? The humane thirst is of humane thinges, and the heauenly thirst is of heauenly things; and therevpon it is, that what our intention is which we haue in our hearts, such is the thirst which wee suffer in this world. If our principall intent be to be greater in the world, all our thirst is to climbe high­er, if to bee richer, then our thirst is in gathering goods toge­ther, insomuch that such as our thoughts are, such are the liues we lead. Tell me, I pray thee, what doth the prowd man hunt after, but to bee of great authority, what doth the enuious man shoot at, but to throw downe another, what doth the fu­rious man intend, but how to reuenge vpon his enemy, what dooth the glutton follow but dainties for the belly? This is the thirst which the wicked doe suffer; and that which can­not bee spoken without teares is, that their life is sooner at an end, than the thirst of their wickednesse is quenched. S. Au­gustine vpon the Psalms sayth, In great sinners and obstinate hearts, although the prowd man doe die, yet pride dieth not, although the enuious man die, yet enuy dieth not, although the couetous man die, yet couetousnesse dieth not, although [Page 380]the carnall man doe die, yet his carnality dieth not, insomuch that the vicious man is dead, before that his vice is at an end. Why, thinkest thou, doe wee say that the vicious man is dead before his vice is at an end, but because that if the time, in the which he sinned, bee ended and past, yet his desire of further sinning is not ended. S. Ierom saith, In damned & vnfortunate persons, their torments are therefore infinit, because their de­sires of sinning were also infinit, because our Lord doth make greater reckoning of that which the hart doth desire, thā of that vvhich the hands doe worke. S. Basil vpon the Psalmes sayth, O how much more dangerous is the thirst which a naughtie mans heart dooth suffer, than that vvhich the body doth endure! because this is assuaged vvith a cup of cold wa­ter, but the thirst of the heart is mittigated by adding sinne vnto sinne; and therevpon it is, that if the thirsty man take pleasure in drinking, the great sinner taketh farre more in of­fending. Let mee bee no more credited, if I vvere not told of one vvhich had not left onely one vice vntried, nor let passe one day wherein hee had not sinned. What shall vvee thinke of him, but that if hee had alwaies liued, hee vvould alwaies haue sinned? What a remediles thirst should he haue after sinne, and vvhat a friend should he be of vvic­ked persons, vvho left no sinne vvhich he proued not, nor no day vvherin he offended not? The rich couetous man which vvas in hell, did not complaine of the fire vvhich did burne him, nor of the cold vvhich pinched him, nor of the hunger vvhich hee endured, but of the great thirst which tormen­ted him, and therefore asked no other fauour of Abraham, but that hee would coole and refresh his tongue with a drop of vvater: it was the iust iudgement of God, that seeing hee had no other thirst in this world, but of wealth, authority, and power, and treasure, that hee should haue an excessiue thirst in the other, not of wealth and authoritie, but of a bare cup of water. Loe thus you haue seene it proued, how the punish­ment followeth the offence, and how one thirst succeedeth another. But alas alas, the thirst of this world hath an end, but [Page 381]the thirst of the other world shall dure alwaies without end.

CHAP. VIII. God complaineth that we forsake him for vile & base things: and doth compare vs vnto old pooles.

ME dereliquerunt fontem aquae viuae, & foderunt sibi eisternas dissipatas, quae continere aquas non valent. These words God spake by the Prophet Ie­remy in the second chapter, as if hee would say, My people of Israel haue run into two great incōueniences; that is, they haue forsaken me, who am the fountaine of the liuely water, and haue made for themselues to drinke in, cesternes and pooles which cannot hold water in them. Although the Apostle doe say, that our Lord is pro­found in his iudgements, yet in those thinges which touch the profite of his creatures, he is plaine and easie: for if hee bee well pleased, he doth presently shew it, and if he be angry, he doth immediately complaine. When Abraham had ended the sacrifice of his sonne Isaac, our Lord did immediately thanke him for it, and when king Dauid had ended his adul­tery with Bersabee, he complained out of hand: for our Lord is so farre without dissimulation and malice, that he doth ne­ther faine himselfe to bee content, nor denie himselfe to bee angry. What more would wee haue God to doe for vs, than like a good Lord, bee thankfull for that which wee doe in his seruice, and like a good friend admonish vs of that which we should doe for him, and like a pittifull Father correct vs when we doe any thing against him? Our Lord then doth here com­plaine, not only for that we doe forsake and leaue him, but al­so for what vile and base things we doe it, whereby we shew how little we doe account of him, and how greatly wee doe iniury him, seeing that no man doth vse to change his master, [Page 382]vnlesse it be for his further profite. If it were so, that as we do leaue one man for another, so wee should leaue one God to dwell vvith a better, it were a thing to be borne vvithall, but seeing that there is but one true God, how is it possible to meet vvith a better God, or yet any so good? What other thing is it to forsake God for the creature, but to leaue the kernell for the shell, the fruit for the rinde, the rose for the thorne, the floure for the bran, and the fountaine for the streame? Therefore like an angry Lord, and a man greatly in­iuried, God complaineth and sayth, Me dereliquerunt fontem aquae viuae, for there can be no greater madnesse in the world, than to leaue the Creator for the creature, the Lord for the seruant, the iust for the sinner, and the righteous for the vn­iust, and that vvhich is euerlasting for that vvhich is transi­tory. Our Lord in this place as it vvere iesting and mocking vs, doth call all our workes cesternes which cannot hold wa­ter, that is, that wee are cesternes or pooles vvhich let out all vvaters, because vve be not vvell glewed and fastened. O how our Lord hath shamed vs in these words, and embased vs in saying by the Prophet Ieremy, that all our vvorkes are nothing but old broken cesternes, and puddles wherein there is nothing commonly but reeds and duckeweed, dirt & mire, stinking vvaer, and venomous adders. Our Lord doth com­pare vs vvith great reason vnto that vvhich hee dooth name, and doth scorne and mocke vs fitly by it, because the sinnes vvhich are in our soules, are farre vvorser than those filthes which are found in standing puddels. What is there in an old puddle, that is not in my soule? What are all my vvorkes but a little mire, vvhose property is to trouble the water, & hold them fast vvhich enter into it. O how vnhappie we be, seeing wee sticke so fast in worldly things, that wee cannot get out, and so bemire our selues in vaine things, that wee can neuer make our selues cleane, insomuch that there escapeth no man vvhich is not either defiled with sinne, or wet vvith infamie. Our workes are also compared vnto duckweed in standing puddles, vvhose propertie is, to fill the vvater, and giue it an [Page 383]euill sauour. O wretched and vnhappy that I am, seeing I doe no more good in the catholick church thā that weed doth in the water, which is easily seene, seeing I offend and hurt o­thers with my euill example, and that which is worst of all, I possesse the roome of a good one. Thou and I, I and thou, my brother, wherein doe we serue God, or wherein doe we be­nefite the church, vnlesse it be in furthering the bad, and per­secuting the good, and cherishing and pampering our bodies, and in eating the bread of the little ones? Doest not thou eat the bread of the little ones, when as if a Moore or a Pa­gan had receiued so many fauors as thou hast at Gods hands, he would haue serued him more than thou hast done, and of­fended him much lesse? What doth the duckweed serue for in pooles, but to hide and succour frogges, and in what doe I serue Christ in, but because all kind of sinne should rest in my heart? What sinne did euer knocke at my dore, vnto which I haue not presently opened? Woe be vnto me, woe be vnto me, what doe I say that I answered presently, when sin called at my doore, seeing that very oft before it doth call at my doore, I goe vp and downe seeking it from house to house? Our workes are also like vnto standing puddle, whose proper­ty is to be troubled and thicke to looke into, and very stinking to drinke. When our Lord sayth by the Prophet Esaias, Au­ferte malum cogitationum vestrarum ab oculis meis, how should he not detest our workes, seeing he saith, that all that we doe thinke of doth stinke? Anselmus sayth, If we will haue God accept of that which wee doe, it is necessary that all that bee cleane which wee thinke of, for God doth not so much looke vnto that which vve be, as vnto that vvhich vvee would bee if vve could. O my soule, O my heart, what is in me that hath a good sauour, and what is in thee vvhich doth not stinke? Dooth not my body stinke with the euill vvorkes vvhich I doe, my flesh vvith sloth, my mouth with lies, my life vvith couetousnesse, and my heart vvith malice. S. Barnard sayth, According vnto the time vvhich I haue liued, and according vnto the small profite vvhich I haue done, I am partly weary [Page 384]of my life, and partly afeard to die: for if I behold my flesh, it is now stinking with yeares, and if I looke vnto my condi­tions, they are also rusty with age. All my workes are so vn­pleasant and corrupt, and my conditions so stinking, that it is more tollerable to smell a dead carkasse with my nose, than vnto thee O my God, to smell this filthy heart of mine. Our workes are also like vnto the frogges which are bred in pud­dles, whose property is to make the water loathsome, and of­fend our eares with their croaking. S. Barnard vpon the Can­ticles sayth, Looke how beautifull a thing it is to see a soule when shee is in the state of grace, so deformed a thing it is to see her when she is darkened with sinne; for in the one estate God is neuer satisfied in looking vpon her, and in the other he will neuer hear her. The properties of frogs are these, they are euil fauoured to looke vpon, loathsome to touch, vnplea­sant to heare, and monstrous to eat of: for if it be well marked, they haue no scales like a fish, nor feathers like a bird. Origen talking of the frogs of Egypt sayth, A frog and worse than a frog is that soule, which in the fountain of his goodnesse doth not bath her selfe; because we may well say of such a soule, that she is euill fauoured in respect of her sinne, loathsome in respect of her punishment, and not to be suffered in respect of her infamie. The quality of the frog is to croake night & day, & it is the condition of a naughty man alwaies to complain, because it is one of the infelicities which naughty mē endure in this life, that they complaine of all things, and liue discon­tented with thēselues. It is also to be weighed, that how well soeuer the stones of a poole bee ioined, yet the water dooth woose betweene them vnlesse they bee well mortered toge­ther, because that the propertie of the water is to moisten that which it toucheth, and seeke alwaies where it may find a place to issue out. What thinkest thou is the clay and mor­ter with the which a holy soule is fastened together, but only Gods holy grace? Irenaeus in an Homily saith, What dooth it auaile vs to haue in the poole of our soule, the vertue of hu­mility, the goodnesse of patience, the wealth of almes giuing, [Page 385]and the perfection of abstinence, if there want the clay and pitch of charity to keepe them togither? S. Ambrose vpon Beati immaculati sayth, Let vs not cast away our selues, and grieue because our Lord wil not impart his graces vnto vs, but because we know not how to keepe them when we haue thē, because there is required greater vertue to keepe that which is gotten, than to recouer that which was lost. O what great reason our Lord hath to say and complaine of all the good turnes that he doth vs, and of all the fauours which he doth bestow vpon vs▪ for we cast them al into an old puddle, where we haue nothing but the dirt of couetousnesse, the frogges of vainglory, the reeds and duckeweeds of hypocrisie, and the tod-poole of lechery.

CHAP. IX. How the sonne of God did not refuse to drinke gaule and vi­neger, although he knew it would kill him.

QVis poterit gustare, quod gustatum adfert mortem? Holy Iob spake these words in his sixt chapter, As if he would say, What man is hee which so much hateth himselfe, or who hath so corrupt a tast, or who is so weary of his life, that he dare drinke or tast of any liquor which hee knoweth will presently make him yeeld vp the ghost? These words are full of matter, and containe deep mysteries in them. For as they were prophecied by holy Iob, so they were fulfilled by the sonne of God, when as on the altar of the crosse hee tasted a cup of such bitter poyson, that in tasting of it his life went presently out of his body. The Philosopher in his second booke De generatione sayth, That the life of a reasonable man dooth consist in the perfe­ction of the radicall or naturall moisture, and in the conser­uation of natural heat; and that is the only reason why nature [Page 386]doth desire meat and drinke of vs; for by eating and drinking that humor is alwaies preserued. Wee see oftentimes men of ninty or a hundred years die, and yet neuer complaine of any griefe, and the reason is, because that that naturall moisture was ended in them, and their naturall heat was extinguished in them, and therefore we may say of such that their life did rather end, thā that they died. Now that we must eat & drink of necessity, which of these two is most agreeable vnto na­ture, and which lesse grieuous? If Aristotle doe not deceiue vs in his booke De secretis secretorum, this question was deba­ted before Alexander the great, and in his presence through­ly disputed on, because that at the table of that mighty prince no man was admitted to speake but his captains which sustai­ned his warres, or Philosophers which gouerned his house. The conclusion which those learned men gaue was, that it was farre more pleasing and agreeable vnto mans nature to drinke than to eat, and their reason was, because that drinke doth assuage the thirst, which is a very troublesome & offen­siue thing to suffer, and that it hath neither need of a knife to cut it, nor teeth to chew it, Vltimum refugium naturae est potus, said the Philosopoher, as if he should say, The last refuge that nature doth giue to sustaine vs withal, is the strength to drink, which is easily perceiued in those which are sicke, whereof we see some, partly by reason of their long infirmity, partly by reason of their old age, lose their sight, some their hearing, some their smelling, some their eating, and yet none lose their drinking. What old man haue wee seene in our daies in the world who hath not beene able to drinke a cup of wine? Di­oscorus an old Phisitian sayth, that of what age or condition a man be, he is easilier comforted with drink than meat. And therefore seeing that is more necessary for me to drinke than to eat, in times past when meats at certaine times were for­bid, they did not limit their cups in drinking: for looke how much a man is recreated and refreshed when hee drinketh at his pleasure, so much hee is tormented and afflicted when [Page 387]endureth thirst; and therevpon the Philosopher sayth in his booke De somno & vigilia, That there is no torment equall vnto that, when a man is denied his drinke, and kept from sleepe. Plutarch sayth, That the great tyrant Dennis gaue his enemies no other torment, but much salt meat to eat, and no drinke to drinke, and made them labour hard, and not permit them to sleepe. Cicero in an Epistle sayth, That nature is a great enemy to three things, that is, of griefe and sorrow, be­cause it wasteth the bones, of great weakenesse, and of great thirst, with the which choller is enflamed. To come then vn­to our purpose, if to suffer thirst and want sleepe be two great torments, who was more tormented with these than Christ was? For if we talke of his sleepe, we know well that he had not slept from the last night which hee slept in Bethania, and if we talke when he dranke from the time that hee cele­brated his last supper, he neuer drunke drop of water. Barnard sayth, Considering the hunger which hee had suffered, the torments which were giuen him, the bloud which they drew from him, the iourney which hee went, doest thou not think that my good Iesus had great cause to want sleepe, and bee very thirstie? Cassiodorus sayth, Why wilt thou, O my good Lord, why wilt thou haue mee to occupy my pen in shewing how thirstie thou wast vpon the crosse, and how much sleepe thou diddest want, considering that there vvas no kind of punishment vvhich vvas not experimen­ted vpon thee? Anselmus sayth, Who but thou, O my good Iesus, who but thou, diddest suffer in the manger cold, in Egypt banishment, on the way wearinesse, in the palace scorning and mocking, on the crosse thirst, in thy honour infamie, and in thy person death? There vvere as Barnard sayth fiue torments, which did most of all afflict Christ vpon the crosse, that is to say, the stripes of the whip which did open his shoulders, the nailes which pierced his hands, the thornes which tore his Temples, the spettle which the hangmen did spet at him, and the thirst vvhich did burne his bowels. Wee must take great compassion of [Page 388]the thirst which Christ suffered vpon the crosse, and wee are to wonder at the remedy which they gaue him for it: for in steed of water they gaue him gaule mingled vvith mirrhe, and insteed of wine pure vineger. If wee maruell that Christ tooke these cruell drinkes, wee are much more to maruell to see that Christ himselfe with his owne mouth did aske for them: for if he had not said Sitio, I am a thirst, no man durst haue giuen him gaule and wine mingled with mirre. Chrisostom sayth, Christ saw those cups of g [...]ule and vineger from the crosse in the Iewes hands, and he knew very well that their desire was to giue him of that drinke, and yet notwithstan­ding he said alowd Sitio, I am a thirst, to the end that they might haue time and place to reach him that drinke. Hilarius sayth, When the maker of the world said vnto the Iewes Si­tio, it was to tell them plainely, that they should giue it him with their owne hands, although hee knew well what they would giue him, because that the great thirst which hee had, and the gaule and vineger which the Synagogue gaue him did signifie a greater matter, and enduced vs vnto a greater mystery than any man thought of. As it vvere in a maze and astonied with that that Christ did, holy I [...]b spake that vvhich hee spake vvhen hee said, Quis poterit gustare, quod gustatum adfert mortem? The meaning of these words is this: What man is there in such a desperate taking, or so farre out of loue vvith himselfe, which dare tast of a drinke vvith the vvhich hee knoweth that hee shall die pre­sently? The sonne of God did so immediately after die vp­on the crosse, that in ending his draught of gaule and vine­ger, hee began out of hand to yeeld vp his ghost. If old Hystoriographers doe not deceiue vs, Socrates among the Athenienses, Midonius among the Lacedemonians, [...]rias among the Thebanes, Escarrus among the Romanes, by drinking of poyson ended their liues, not because that their desire vvas to drinke of that poyson, but because their enemies through force caused them to doe it. God forbid that my penne should vvrite such blasphemy, of [Page 389]my good Iesus, vnto whome no man offered gaule and vine­ger, no man entreated him vnto it, no man forced him to take it, but he of his owne will said Sitio, I am a thirst and drie: for if hee would haue dissembled his thirst, and held his tongue, they would neuer haue giuen him that detestable drinke. Isi­dorus sayth, What man, or what Angel is able to reach vnto this secret, that is, that the sonne of God being then to giue vp his last breath, yet should say, that hee thirsted after a cup of water? Why doest thou say so late Sitio, and aske either for wine or water? for seeing that thou art euen at the last fare­well of thy life, it cannot otherwise be, but as thou art a drin­king, thy soule must depart from thee. It had been a far les­ser trouble and griefe, to haue endured thirst halfe a quarter of an houre which Christ had to liue, than haue suffered the thornes which boared through his head, and all the rest of the torments which he had passed through that day, but that his pleasure was to suffer them all, and complaine of his thirst only, because the thornes were onely a torment; but his thirst signified a mystery vnto his Church. There is a mystery in Christs being a thirst, there is a mystery in that that he mani­fested it, there is a mystery in that they gaue him wine min­gled with mire, and another in that they mixed it with gaule, there is a mystery in that they offered it him in a reed, and giuing him it with Isope containeth a mystery, and in that he tasted of it and did not drinke it there is also a mystery con­tained. If it be diligently looked into, the mystery of the Sa­crament where Christ communicated with his disciples ex­cepted, and the Sermon with the which he did comfort thē, and the praier which he made when hee did sweat bloud also excepted, there is no mystery written with so many circum­stances, as this of the thirst which Christ suffered, & where­of he complained. And therefore marke with great heed all that the holy Scripture writeth of Christs thirstines; because that with how many more circumstances a thing is vttered in Scripture, to so many more weightier considerations it dooth inuite vs.

CHAP. X. How the Synagogue could giue Christ nothing to drinke but rotten dregs.

PArum est mihi vt suscites faeces Israel: dedi te in lucem gentium, vt sis salus mea vsque ad extremū terrae, Esay 48. These wordes are vttered by the e­ternall Father, speaking with his on­ly sonne, when he sent him into the world, and they are as if hee would say: being my onely begotten sonne, & taking vpon thee so hard an enterprise, as is the redeeming of the world, thou shouldst be content to restore the house of Iacob only, and the dregs of Israel, because the end why I send thee into the world is, to giue light vnto al the Gentiles, and redeeme all the whole world. There are brought in in that communication, the Father which speaketh, the sonne vnto whom he speaketh, the Synagogue of whom he spea­keth, and the end why hee is sent, and also the great impor­tance of the iourney, seeing that by the meanes thereof hee will lighten the blindnesse of the Gentiles, and streine the dregs of the Iewes. And when he sayth, Vt sis salus mea, our Lord doth highly extoll the loue which hee beareth vs, see­ing that as whē one man doth commend an important affaire vnto another, the Father saith here vnto his son, that it tou­cheth his owne safety and life, that a full & generall redemp­tion be made of all men, not excluding any one at all. When the father sayth vnto his sonne, Dedi te in lucem gentium vt sis salus mea, what will he say, but that it is most agreeable vnto his clemency, & that he holdeth it for a point of his honour, that all enter in and be comprehended vnder his generall re­demption, the wine and the dregs, the good and the bad, the Gentile and the Iew, the quicke and the dead. The Father [Page 389]who dooth commend vnto his sonne the grounds and dregs, dooth hee not more earnestssy commend cleane and holy things? In Gods shop, the lees which hee casteth abroad are better than all the wine that the diuell keepeth together. I meane, that one whom our Lord hath humbled and brought low, is better than all those which the diuell hath lifted vp. And because that our Lords calling of the Iewes lees and dregs of Israel, seemeth to be a scandalous & iniurious speech, it is necessary for vs to declare how these dregs tooke their foundation: for it is not possible for vs to expound the holy Scripture as we should, vnlesse wee doe first vnderstand the letter. For the better vnderstāding of this which the Prophet Esay saith, that which Boetius saith in his first booke of Com­fort maketh much for our purpose, that is, Quòd infaelicissimum genus infortunij est, hominem fuisse faelicem, and his meaning is, that there is no greater disaster or infelicity in the world, thā for a man to haue been on the top of felicity, and then to be thrown down; because such one doth nothing els but sigh af­ter the honor which he hath lost, & neuer ceaseth bewailing the infamy which he hath gottē. Whē holy Iob thought with himselfe, & called to mind the time when he was rich and of great estimation, and very healthfull of body, and then saw himselfe vpon a dunghill vviping wormes off his owne body, vvhat griefe of mind should oppresse him, and vvhat a sea of thoughts vveary him? When our Lord degraded and put out of their kingdomes Nabuchodono­ser and Antiochus, if wee looke vvell vnto it, wee shall perceaue, that the teares which they wept, and the griefes which they complained on, were rather to thinke of the honours which they had lost, than of the punishment which they presently endured. Cleopatra queen of Egypt, Bri­as captaine of the Greeks, and stout Hannibal of the Cartha­ginenses, and the Consul Cato among the Romans, slew them­selues with their owne hands after that aduerse fortune had taken away their honours. What will not a shamefast man doe, what will hee not suffer, what will hee not settle [Page 392]himselfe vnto, after hee seeth himselfe disgraced and fallen from his honour? Seneca in his booke of Clemency saith, If all men were of my opinion, there should bee more compassion taken on him who falleth from his estate, than of him who loseth his wits: because that he who is become a foole, dooth not remember that euer hee was wise; but the disgraced man and he who is troddē down, doth alwaies bewaile his infortu­nate mishap. To come thē vnto our purpose, there was neuer nation so much made of at Gods hands, as the people of Isra­el was, because hee called them his louing sonne, his peculiar people, his chosen vineyard, his enclosed orchard, and Com­monwealth whom he most of all affected. He went for their sakes into Egypt, he opened them the red sea, he gaue them Manna from heauen, hee gaue them Angels to keepe them, Priests to guide them, duk [...]es to defend them, countries to inhabite, and great riches to ioy in. What did hee not giue them if they asked it, and what did he denie them if they re­quested it, seeing that in the day time he made them a sha­dow of a cloud, and in the night gaue them light with a pillar of fire? All these priuiledges dured no longer thā Abraham, Isaac and Iacob liued, and the rest of the fathers, and with thē all familiarity died. Tertullian sayth, That as long as there were holy men among the Iewes, they were welbeloued of God; but when the people of Israel went worser and worser, our Lord did forget them, and had no care at all ouer them. For as the church sayth, Sicut to colimus, ita nos visita, Is it much that God should be carelesse in doing of vs good, if we grow cold in his seruice? S. Augustine sayth in an Homilie, When the sonne of God came into the world to take flesh vpon him, the Synagogue had fallen into decay long before, which they shall easily see to bee true, who will diligently read the Scriptures. For the Prophet Malachias doth call her soot, Ieremy drosse, Baruch a putrified worm, Ezechiel a moth, Amos a wild vine, Abdias smoke, Osee a sinke: for as hee was wont to inuent names to honour thee, so now hee seeketh names of infamy to discredit thee. And like vnto one who [Page 393]is angry and discontented, God calleth his people of Israel dregs and sinke, and soot, and smoke: for as the Iewes grew more and more in sinnes, so God punished them more and more, and quipped, and taunted them with new names. What greater iniury could he doe to them, or what greater reproch could hee vse towards them than call them filthy dregs and rotten lees? Fulgentius in a Sermon sayth, According vnto the prophecy of Esayas, Can you, O you Israelites, denie mee that there is any thing left of your Priesthood, of your royall scepter, of your rich temple, of your ancient kingdome, of your famous people, but the lees which smell, and the dregs which stinke? Christ found very stinking dregs, in al the Iew­ish Priesthood, seeing we read of it in the books of the Ma­chabees, that they gaue not the roome of the high Bishop vnto him who best deserued it, but vnto him who bought it for most money. The sonne of God found very rotten dregs in the roiall scepter of Iuda, considering that it was vsurped of the Romanes, and tyrannized by Herods. Christ found fil­thy grounds in all the Scriptures, seeing that the Rabines had falsified them, and interpreted them according vnto their owne meaning. Christ found the Hebrew tongue stained in lees and dregs; and the reason was, because that as the vnfor­tunate Iewes had been captiues in diuerse parts, so they spake diuerse languages. Was not the Synagogue now become stinking and filthy dregs, seeing that there was no vice in the world which was not found in her? In the Princes Christ found pride, in the Priests enuy, in the Pharisies hypocrisie, in the old men malice, in the young men ignorance, & in the popular and vulgar sort couetousnesse.

CHAP. XI. How the Synagogue gaue Christ that to drinke that shee her selfe was, that is gaule, and that which she had, that is vi­neger.

ECce ignis & ligna: vbi est victima holocausti? Genesis 22. These lamentable speeches passed betwixt the Father and the sonne, the sonne and the Father, in manner of a dialogue, the one asking and the other an­swering. The case was then this, that when Abraham had brought his sonne Isaac from among the peo­ple, and being gone vp to the hill with his hands bound, the wood set on a heap, and the fire kindled, and the sword drawn to sacrifice his sonne, he said vnto his Father; behold father, here is the wood and the fire made, where is the beast which shall bee sacrificed? To this demand the sorrowfull Father answered this, Dominus prouidebit sibi victimam holocausti, sili mi; as if he would say, Take thou no care my sonne, take no care? for the Lord will prouide a sacrifice which shall be more acceptable vnto him, than all the sacrifices of the world. This prophecie, which the Patriark Abraham vttereth, is so excel­lēt & high, that although many haue read it, yet very few vn­derstand it: for although it be short in words, yet the mysteries which it containeth are many. What meaneth this, O old A­braham, what meaneth this? God doth command thee to kill and burne, and sacrifice and offer thy owne sonne, and doest thou prophecy that our Lord will prouide for a sacrifice farre better than this which thou doest bring? O high mystery & diuine Sacrament! for the holy man hauing his sonne in a rea­dinesse to be sacrificed, the wood prepared to cast him into, the fire made to burne him, the sword drawne to kill him, and a commandement from God to offer him, yet carelesly saith, that the Lord will prouide another sacrifice. Abraham dooth not speake here with the Synagogue his mother (for, for her the sacrificing of Isaac was prepared, which was the figure of a sacrifice) but he spake with our mother the holy catholicke church, for whom God would prouide another new sacrifice, which was Christ crucified, in whome all the sacrifices of the law were to end, and the Sacraments of the church take their beginning. Because all mē might know that Abraham did not [Page 393]speake of the sacrifice of Isaacs sonne, but of the sacrifice of Christ which was to come, our Lord said not, that hee had al­ready prouided a sacrifice, but that he would prouide; neither did he say that he would prouide it for another, but for him­selfe; neither that hee would prouide many, but one; neither that he would indifferently prouide for any, but a killed sacri­fice laid whole on the altar. Theophilus vpon the Apostle sayth, That in all the old Testament, there was no sacrifice so excellent, nor so strange, nor so costly, as that of Abraham & Isaac his sonne. And seeing that Abraham the maker of that sacrifice doth prophecie that there shall bee another sa­crifice which shall excell his, why do not you, O you Iewes, receiue Christ as a true sacrifice? Neither did Abraham say that he would prouide many sacrifices but only one: for if we marke it well, it was the poore Synagogue which was loaden with many sacrifices, and beleeued in many Christs, and offe­red many Holocausts; but the holy church hath but one sa­crifice, beleeueth but in one Christ, and doth offer but one Holocaust. Neither doth Abraham say that the Lord would prouide a sacrifice for any other but for himselfe, seeing hee sayth, Dominus prouidebit sibi: for vntill the very instant and houre that his sonne was crucified on the crosse, he was neuer pleased nor pacified, for the offēce which was done vnto him. Neither did Abraham say that he would prouide indifferētly any sacrifice, but specially that sacrifice which was called Ho­locaustum, because that in al other sacrifices there remained al­waies one part for the priest to eat of, & another for him which offered it for to take away. But it was not so in that sacrifice which they called Holocaustū, because that in it all the whole beast was quartered & cut in peeces & burnt, & so being made ashes was wholly offered vnto God. Was it not, think you, an Holocaust, & a great Holocaust which Christ offered, seeing there was no spot in it wherby it should be cast away, nor any mēber in his body which was not tormented? To come then vnto our purpose, it is to be noted, that we haue made all this discourse to proue that in the mystery of this word Sitio which [Page 396]end, because that the Iewes did but borrow them vntill our Lord should prouide them a sacrifice, which by Abraham he promised vnto all the world. Isidorus vpon Genesis sayth, The sacrifice which God promised to send into the world, ought to bee worthy of him vnto whom it was offered, and profitable vnto him who did offer it; which could not bee by dead calues, and the bloud of goats, and vnpleasant liquors, nor yet with bloudy hands. How was it possible that the sa­crifices of time past should please the Lord, or profit the sin­ner which did offer them, seeing their altars did seeme rather butchers shambles, than temples of Priests? Rabanus sayth, Abrahams sacrifice was profitable vnto himselfe, and hurtfull vnto his sonne, seeing he should there haue lost his life; and because we may know that this is true, the Lord did ordaine that Abrahams sword should onely threaten his sonne Isaac, and afterward kil the son of God. Our Lord seeing what smal benefite should be gotten by the death of that child, & what griefe it would cause vnto this old Father, although hee gaue him license to draw his sword, yet hee did not consent that it should come neere the child; the which our Lord would ne­uer haue hindered, if the death of that child could haue ben sufficient to redeeme al the world. God the Father was older than Abraham, and loued his sonne better than Abraham did his: yet notwithstanding all this, seeing that in that only sacri­fice did consist mans saluation, he consented that they should take his life from him. Esichius vpon Leuiticus sayth, That that which Abraham did, was only good vnto himselfe alone, be­cause hee did accomplish that which was commanded him; but when he said that the Lord would prouide a sacrifice vn­to himselfe, that was profitable vnto all the world, conside­ring that by that prophecie wee were warranted and made sure, that we should be redeemed by the sonne of God. Ori­gen sayth, That it is much to be noted, how that all the sacri­fices of the old law did proceed from two things only, that is, from the beasts which they did kill, and the fruit which they plucked from trees. Of their beasts they did offer the head [Page 397]and feet vnto the Lord, the caule, the flesh, and the entralls, and of trees incense, storax, fruit, grapes, aloes, mirrhe, oile, and sweet odours. And God was not content only, that euery mā should offer what pleased himselfe, but onely of that which God in the law commāded, that is, of beasts that they should offer the greatest, of fruits the best, of perfumes the sweetest, of mettales the richest, of liquors the most excellente. If we beleeue the Philosopher in his book De animalibus, The first thing that is engendred is the heart, and the last the gaule: & when a beast dieth it is contrary; for the first thing that cor­rupteth is the gaule, and the heart the last thing that dieth. The Commentator sayth, That as the gaule is the last thing that is ingendred in man so it is also the most filthiest and ba­sest thing that is in him. Of all liquors the wine is the most precious, and contrary no liquor worser than the dregs of soure corrupted wine. Doest thou thinke, my brother, that we haue trauelled in vaine in prouing vnto thee, that the gaule is the worst part of the beast, and putrified dregs the worst of liquors? The end why wee haue spoken all this is, because that when the Redeemer of the world was dead with thirst vpon the altar of the crosse, they gaue him these two thinges to drinke, that is bitter gaule, which is the last and worst part of the beast, and dregs and vineger which is the worst of all liquors. S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth, The purest, clearest, and cleanest of the Synagogue was already ended and gone, and turned into vineger and lees, by reason wherof they gaue Christ nothing to drinke but gaule & vineger, giuing vs ther­by to vnderstand, that they did not giue him only that which they had in the Synagogue, but also that which themselues were. For what was all the Synagogue but soure vineger, and bitter gaule? It was not without a high mystery that they of­fered that which they did to Christ vpon the crosse: for as the gaule is the last and the vildest thing that is in the beast, so the Synagogue was now at an end, and at the vvorst of all her life, in so much that shee was become nothing els but a gaule of malice, and also vineger of couetousnesse. Saint [Page 398] Ierome sayth, Euen as vineger hath been good wine, because it was gathered of the best of the vine, so the people of the Iews were somtimes good, because they had good mē among them; in so much that there is no other meaning in that they gaue Christ wine mingled with mire, and soure vineger to drinke, but that the people were now corrupted, and scarse one good man left among them. How came this hap among you, O you Iewes, that all the wine of your vessels is become soure vineger, and all the hony of your hiues turned into bit­ter gaule? Then your wine began to turne into vineger, when you would not receiue Christ for your Redeemer, and then all your hony turned into gaule, when you did defame his doctrine and bereaue him of his life. The Synagogue striketh great pity into my heart, to see that in time past they did of­fer vnto their God sacrifices, Holocausts, and offerings, and afterward gaule and vineger, and dregs, by which cursed and wicked offering, they took away their makers life, & brought their Commonwealth vnto an end.

CHAP. XII. How that the thirst that Christ had vpon the crosse, was not so much for drinke, as to desire to suffer more for vs.

EXpergefactus lassus adhuc sitit, & anima eius vacua est, Esay, chap. 29. The Prophet Esay vttereth these words, speaking in generall of the great tra­uails and most greiuous thirst which the sonne of God suffered in particular: and it is as if he would say, The great Messias waked out of his sleepe, like vnto a man who had escaped out of a lithargy, or some drousie disease, & whē he beheld the state of his soule, he found that she was emp­ty. For the Prophet to say that the sonne of God slept vpon the crosse, and that after he waked and was weary, and found his heart empty, seemeth a strange and a doubtfull thing vnto [Page 399]pittifull eares. For if it be true that hee suffered, how was it possible that he slept; and if he slept, how could it be that he suffered? What is more strange vnto torment than sleepe, and what a greater enemy to sleepe than torment? Conside­ring that the sonne of God hanged vpon the altar of the crosse, his feet bare, his hands torne, his side pierced, his sinews wrested, and his bones put out of ioint, how could it bee that he should sleepe or take any rest at all? He who should hang vpon the crosse as Christ did, that is, weary, wasted, bloudy, nailed, and one ioint drawn from another, would he not haue greater ability and inclination to complaine, than desire of sleepe? The Prophet vttereth foure things in this prophecie, the first, that Christ did awake out of a sleepe and dreame which he slept, the second, that he awaked aweary, the third, that hee awaked thirsty, the fourth, that hee found his heart empty. Of all these foure things, the one doth make vs most of all to maruell: for to say that Christ was aweary I beleeue it, to say that he was a thirst I agree vnto it, and that he wan­ted all comfort I do also admit. But to say that he slept, there is that which maketh me to wonder, because his eternall Fa­ther did not send him thither to sleepe, but to redeem all the world. It is much to bee noted in this place, that the famous Augustine sayth against Manichaeus. Saepè, imo saepissimè in sa­cris literis circumstantiae scripturarum declarant Scripturam, as if he would say, It happeneth oftentimes, that when the Scripture is darke and obscure, that the circumstances before going and comming after doe declare and explain the same Scripture, and one Prophet doth declare another, and one text another. This then being so, it is conuenient for vs to find out in Scripture some kind of sleepe, and by that we may coniecture and gesse at the manner of sleeping which the son of God slept vpon the crosse, and also wee shall know, when, how, and wherefore Christ did awake out of his sleepe. Exci­tatus est tanquam dormiens dominus, & tanquam potens crapu­latus vino, sayth the Prophet Dauid, Psalm 77. as if he would say, Our Lord did awake out of his dreame like a man that is [Page 400]sleeping, and hee rose out of that dreame like a man full of power, and like vnto one who had drunke wine. It is a verefi­ed truth in our Christian faith, that God is a pure spirit, and a substance not compounded but simple, which hath no flesh which may putrifie, nor bones which may be brokē, nor hun­ger which may cause him to eat, nor stomack to disgest with, nor vapours to ascend and prouoke him to sleepe, nor yeares to make him old. If it bee true that there is no time which can make God old, nor meat which can force him to sleepe, is it not also true, that his sleepe is otherwise to be vnderstood than ours, and that he awaketh in another manner than we doe? When the Philosopher sayth, That sleep is the image of death, what else doth he mean, but that a man which slee­peth, is nothing else but an image of a dead man? Mark well the conditions of a dead man, and thou shalt find the same in one which sleepeth: for he who is in his bed asleepe, and hee who is in his graue can neither speake, nor heare, nor vnder­stand those which call vpō them, nor feele those which touch them, nor offend those which abuse them, nor complaine on those which blaspheme them, nor reuenge on those which hurt them. Who will not say that our Lord dooth not sleepe this kind of sleep, seeing we see that in naughty men he doth dissemble their ambition, the blasphemies which they speak, the adulteries which they commit, the incests they go about, and the malice which they thinke? What is sleepe in a man but to haue all his members at rest? And what else is slee­ping in our Lord, but the suspending of his vengeance and pu­nishment? The wicked men thinke, that because our Lord doth suffer them to liue in the world, and not punish thē, that therefore he is asleep, & that he hath no care ouer the things of this world; which is an errour without all doubt: for they must know, if they know it not, that that which wee call in a man sleeping, is called in God dissembling. Vpon those words of the Prophet, Dormitauerunt omnes, S. Ambrose sayth, Our Lord doth winke at the naughtinesse of wicked men, not be­cause he hath a desire that they should sinne, but because he [Page 401]hopeth that they should amend, which if they doe not, the Lord awaketh for their wickednes, and laieth his heauy hand ouer thē. Whē is our Lord seen to awake out of his sleep but whē he laieth his hand ouer the naughty mā, & doth chastise him for his errour? Euen as whē one will giue another a great blow, the higher he doth lift his hand, the greater stroke hee doth giue him, in the self same sort, the longer time our Lord doth stay and wait for the wicked, the more rigorously and with lesser pity he doth punish him. Whereof, thinkest thou, doth it proceed, that God doth awake to punish thy sinne, but because he doth see thee sleepe so long time in sinne? Isi­dorus saith, Wilt thou see curious reader, that our Lords ca­sting himselfe to sleepe, is nothing else but to dissemble at our faults, and that to awake is nothing else in him but to be­gin to punish thy sinne; thou maiest perceiue it by that, that as the Prophet had said, Excitatus est tanquam dormiens, hee ad­ded immediately, Etpercussit eos in pectora eorum. What o­ther thing doth the Prophet say vnto vs by these words, but that at the selfe same time, houre, and moment, that the Lord did awake out of his sleepe, he did put his rigorous hand ouer the Princes of the Gentiles. Looke well vnto it, my brother, looke well vnto it, and be not deceiued, and if thou think that our Lord is asleepe, & hath no regard of thy doings, take thou heed for it is the temptation of the diuell, and that none of the least with the which he doth deceiue the world: for thou wilt one day thinke that the Lord is carelesse, and hee will send some grieuous punishment vpon thee. And thou art now to vnderstand, that there are so many in thy house which will awake him, as thou hast faults and sinnes in thy soule. In the house of our Lord, who is the waker of his clemency, but on­ly our amendment, and who is the waker of his iustice but on­ly our offence? Vpon those words of the Psalme, Ecce non dormitabit, S. Barnard sayth, As the enemy which dooth im­pugn Israel, Non aormitabit neque dormiet, so the Lord who de­fendeth Israel, Neque dormitabit neque dormiet, and if it seeme that his clemency is asleepe, when he doth fauour vs, it is be­cause [Page 402]we should liue better, and if it seemeth that hee dooth defer his iustice, it is because we should amend. What should Isay more vnto thee, but look what workes thou doest, such wakers of God thou hast. If thou be good, thou doest awake him to doe thee good, if thou bee naught, thou doest awake him to doe thee hurt: because that in the sight of our Lord the fault crieth for punishment, and goodnesse asketh reward. Ioining then mystery vnto mystery, and Sacrament vnto Sa­crament, now that wee haue declared how God slept in the old Testament, it is reason that wee declare also how his son did sleepe and awake vpon the crosse, seeing that there is no lesse to be wondered at in the sleeping of the sonne, thā there was to be spoken of in the sleeping of the Father. For to think that the sonne of God did sleepe vpon the crosse, as one that is weary and in health is woont to doe were a vanity, and also an heresie, for giuing him as they did gaule to eat, and vineger to drinke, there were more reason that his stomacke should be ready to ouerturne, rather than his head haue any inclina­tion to sleepe. When Esay sayth, Expergefactus lassus, hee speaketh nor of materiall sleepe, but of spirituall, and if hee say that Christ did awake, his powers within him without doubt did not awake, because they were broken with tormēts but those powers did awake which lie hidden within him. And although the Apostle doe say, Quòd ex ipso, & in ipso, & per ipsum sunt omnia, to wit, of him, in him, and by him all things are, yet there are sixe principall things aboue the rest in him. These sixe are, his essence, his power, his wisedome, his humane flesh, his patience, and his clemency, and of these sixe excellences and graces, three of them slept, when the sonne of God suffered, and the other three alwaies watched. His pure and diuine essence slept vpon the crosse, seeing hee did not shew himselfe by it to be an absolute God, for if hee had shewed himselfe to haue been onely God and not man, he could neuer haue died vpon the crosse. His high and eter­nall wisedome slept vpon the crosse in his passion, seeing that hee neuer answered vnto any iniurious word, were it neuer so [Page 403]grieuous against him. Esichius sayth, Christ did suffer that to be done by him on the crosse, that a sheepe doth by himselfe in the butchery, for if the sonne of God should haue showne before Pilate and Herod any sparke of his wisdome, the Iews had neuer been able to haue put him to death. His inspeaka­ble and incomparable power did also sleep in his passion vpon the crosse, not reuenging at all on his enemies, for if it would haue pleased him to haue vsed it, in lesse than a moment, hell would haue swallowed thē all aliue. Now that wee haue told what three powers slept with Christ on the crosse, it is also conuenient for vs to shew what three they were which wat­ched with him the same time. His tender flesh did not sleep at the time of his passion vpon the crosse, which was not one moment at ease, nor an instant without torment. How was it possible that Christ should not bee but awake on the crosse, seeing that there was no vaine in his holybody which did not bleed, nor no part of his flesh which was not brused, and bea­ten blacke and blew? His incomparable patience did watch and not sleepe vpon the crosse, the which our blessed Iesus did neuer lose, seeing that he neuer spake iniurious word vnto his enemies, nor neuer shewed them an angry countenance? Augustine sayth, All deuout persons ought to follow Christ in the vertue of suffering, for besides that the vertue of pati­ence is meritotious before God, shee is also an occasion of great quietnesse in mans life. Christs diuine and louing cle­mency did also watch, and not sleep in his passion, the vvhich he did shew vvhen hee pardoned his enemies, and praied for his malefactors. O infinite goodnesse, O inspeakable pitie, O my good Iesus, for if vve should grant that all the other ver­tues should haue slept on the crosse, yet thy clemency vvould neuer haue giuen ouer vvatching, for it is farre easier for the sonne to lose his light, than for thee not to forgiue and par­don. Plutarch in his Apothegms sayth, That the Emperor Titus on a time gaue a great sigh and said, Diem amisimus ami­ci, as if he vvould say, It is not reason that this day should be [Page 404]reckoned among the daies of my life, seeing that I haue done no good, nor vsed any liberality in it. This speech was spread throughout all the world, & much commended of the Phi­losophers, and worthy of so high a Prince. That which the Emperour Titus spake of his francknesse, Christ might farre better haue spoken of his infinite clemency, for if the Empe­rour did let no day passe in the which he did not some good, neither did Christ let slip any houre or moment wherein hee did not pardon some offence. And because the Prophet saith that the sonne of God did not onely sleepe, but also that he did awake, let vs now see how these three powers did awake in Christ, and when, and for what cause. His incomparable & diuine essence did rise and awake when he spake that terrible word at the time that his soule was drawne out of him, and therevpon as it were in a traunce and a maze, the great Cen­turion said of Christ, That this was the son of the true God. Christ did also awake his high wisdome vpon the crosse whē he spake those seuen wordes in the last houre of his death, in the which there is contained more profound, and deepe sci­ence and knowledge, than is in all humane Philosophy or knowledge. Christ did also awake his incomparable power, when hee made the sunne to be darkened, the earth to trem­ble and quake, the graues to open, and the dead to rise again. Who dooth doubt, but that the sonne of God doth shew in these wonderfull meruels, the highnesse of his power, the depth of his essence, and the greatnesse of his wisedome, and the valour of his person? O my good Iesus, O the light of my soule! how vnlike thou art vnto the children of vanity and lightnesse, who doe shew their essence, and yet are nothing; shew their power, and yet can doe nothing; shew their wise­dome, and yet doe know nothing.

CHAP. XIII. Where he goeth forward with the figure mentioned before.

ADhue sitit expergifactus, sayth Esay in the place before named, as if hee would say, When the redeemer of the world did awake vpō the crosse, hee did awake very drie and thirsty, which was so great a thirst, that it continueth vntill this day: it is most certaine that when a man doth suf­fer many griefes at one time, that he speaketh of that which grieueth him most, and pointeth with his hand where his greatest paine lieth. The anguishes which Christ suffered in his mind were innumerable, and the griefes which hee endu­red in his body were intollerable, and that which is most of all to be meruelled at is, that his torments being so many and so sharpe as they were, yet he complained of none of them on the crosse, but only of the thirst which he endured. Saint Barnard sayth, O good Iesus, O redeemer of my soule, ha­uing so many things to complaine on, doest thou onely com­plaine of thirst? Thy shoulders are naked and whipped, thy hands broken, thy head bleeding, thy flesh brused, and yet doest thou complaine on nothing, but of the thirst which troubleth thee, and of want of water? Doest thou complain that thou art thirsty, and not that thou art bloudy? hast thou not greater want of thy bloud, than of water? Seeing the bloud which runneth from thy head, doth bath thy face, & wet thy tongue, why doest thou aske againe for water? For a quarter of an houre that thou hast to liue, doest thou com­plaine that thou wantest water? O that the thirst which I suffer saith Christ, is not to drinke wine or water, but to see your amendment, and carry you with mee to my glory, for [Page 406]seeing that I am now taking my iourney to heauen. I haue a great thirst to take my elect with mee. The thirst which I haue, & the drinesse which I endure, is not so much to drink any liquor, as to redeem you and saue you, and reconcile you with my Father, and therefore if thou haue no pitty on mee, yet at the least take some on thy selfe. O that I had rather, that thou haddest some pitty on thy selfe, than on mee, be­cause it is a greater griefe to see thee lost, than to see my self suffer. S. Augustine sayth, Thou diddest adde vnto all thy an­guishes, this word Sitio, shewing thereby such a great thirst, and representing outwardly the exceeding loue that thou diddest beare me inwardly, and vnspeakable charity, which caused thee to make but small account of all that thou did­dest suffer in respect of that desire which thou haddest to suffer. And he sayth further, O my good Iesus, I know well that thy thirst is not for thy selfe, but for me, and this thy an­guish is for no other cause, but for the saluation of my soule: and when thou saiest that thou hast a desire to drinke, that is as much to say, as to suffer more for mee, in so much that the care that thou hast ouer me is so great, that by meanes there­of thou doest wholly forget thy selfe. What meaneth this O redeemer of my soule, what meaneth this? Thy ioints be­ing loosed one from another, thy eies broken, thy mother ha­uing her farewell, and hauing complained on thy Father, do­est thou say anew I am a thirst? What pitty may be compa­red vnto this, or what goodnesse equall vnto this Oredee­mer of my soule. Wee see by this word Sitio, that death was sufficient to take all thy dolors and griefes from thee, and yet that it was not inough to cut off the loue which thou haddest to redeeme vs. Who is able to say truly, that thy loue did end vpon the crosse, considering that for the loue of thy elect thou diddest yet thirst after more griefes and anguishes? All this Saint Augustine spake. Chrisostome sayth, When the e­ternall word said vpon the crosse, I am a thirst, I doe not be­leeue that hee did so much aske for water to drinke, as hee did aske for time of his Father to suffer more griefe and [Page 407]torment. For as the candle when it is going out doth cast the greatest light, so Christ the more his death drew neere, the more his loue and charity doth kindle towards vs. Remigius vpon Saint Matthew sayth, Although the diuine prouidence did reduce all the trauailes of his life vnto three yeares, and that also hee brought all the torments of the crosse vnto three houres, yet it is not to bee beleeued, that Christ his in­finite charity was contented with this short time, and there­fore I thinke for my owne part, that the thirst which hee shewed vpon the tree vvas not so much to drinke of any wa­ter of the riuer, as to declare and make manifest his loue vnto the world. Fulgentius in a Sermon sayth, The sonne of God did thinke, that seeing his Father had not giuen him charity by waight, so hee should not giue him torment by measure, by reason whereof hee cried aloud on the crosse Sitio, to let vs vnderstand by this thirst, that seeing the gifts which hee receiued had no end, that the torments likewise which he receiued should not be limitted.

CHAP. XIIII. Of the crueltie and ingratitude that the Iewes vsed in gi­uing Christ gaule and vineger, and how he satisfied for e­uery sinne in particular.

DEderunt in escam meam fel, & in siti mea potauerunt me aceto, sayth Christ by the Prophet, as if hee would say, Being vp­on the altar of the crosse full of tor­ments, loaden vvith griefes, compas­sed with enemies. I had scarsely spoken the word Sitio, but they gaue mee gaule to eat, and vineger to drinke. There is much matter to bee spoken vpon this, that is, what drinke they gaue him when they gaue it him, where they gaue it him, why they gaue it [Page 408]him, in what they gaue it him, and how quickly they gaue it him. The drinke which they gaue him was gaule and vine­ger, the place where was vpon the crosse, the time was when hee was yeelding vp the ghost, the cause why was to helpe him to die, they gaue it him in a reed and a spunge, and that presently when he had thirst; so that all these circumstances doe aggrauate the fault in them. Wee find that the diuell made two banquets in this world, the one in the terrestriall paradise vnto our Father, where he gaue him the fruit of the tree to eat; the other to Christ in the desert, where he inuited him to stones of the field, the which might haue ben ground, sifted and so mingled, that they might haue been eaten. The Iewes gaue Christ worser meat, than the diuell offered him in the desart, for they gaue him gaule to eat, and vineger to drinke, which are bitter and soure, horrible in tast, and mortal in eating. For as the Philosopher sayth, The truest loue is the loue of children, the smell of smels is of bread, the sauor of sauors is of salt, the sweetest of all sweetes is of hony, and the bitterest of all bitters is of gaule. For what is there vnder heauen sweeter than hony, or more bitter than gaule? For what stomacke is there in the world so strong, who after a cup of gaule and vineger would not either burst or die? Ra­banus vpon S. Luke sayth, If the Iewes had remembred that his Father gaue them fresh water in the desart to drinke of, and bread from heauen to eat of, and that his sonne likewise gaue fiue thousand of them fish their fill, and bread vntill they left off it, they would not haue giuen him gaule to eat and vineger to drinke. Damascenus sayth, That it is proper to naughty men to be very sparing in matters of vertue, and in matters of vice very lauish, which doth easily appear in Christ, for he asking for nothing but drink, they gaue him also some­what to eat. Anselmus sayth, That the abundance of malice, and the want of conscience made the Iewes put that bitter gaule to Christs mouth, which other men do loath to touch. The Iewes did also shew the depth of their wicked, naughti­nesse in giuing Christ that horrible drinke, being as hee was [Page 409]so neere death vpon the crosse, because that all men are wont in that extremity, bee they friends or enemies, to helpe him who is in torment to die well, and no man in that houre dare to trouble or vexe him. Origen sayth, That it is a cu­stome among sauage and barbarous men, that such as were e­nemies in their life time, doe reconcile themselues, and par­don one another in death, Because as Plato sayth, Death a­lone doth end all trauaile and all anger. This generall rule failed only in the Iewes, as men which were more barbarous and inhumane than all other, who at the very time that Christ was yeelding vp his spirit, did spet vpon him, blasphe­med him with their tongues, hated him with their hearts, & tormented him with gaule and vineger. King Dauid and king Saul were mortal enemies, but when the Philistims had slain Saul in the hils of Gelboe, they saw Dauid weepe bitterly for him, and caused him to bee buried with great care and dili­gence. All writers doe affirme, that there were not greater e­nemies in all Greece than Demosthenes the Philosopher, and Eschines the Orator, but when Eschines vnderstood in Rhodes that Demosthenes his enemy was dead in Athens, he did not only weepe many teares for him, but did also bestow sumptuous funerals vpon him. The great hatred and warres which were betwixt Iulius Caesar and Pempeius the great, are knowne vnto all the world, yet neuerthelesse when pittifull Casar had Pompeius head in his hands, hee spake many pitti­full words in his fauour, and shed many teares ouer his head. Cyrillus vpon S. Iohn sayth, That there was neuer read of the like hatred as the Iews bare Christ, seeing that although they saw his breath going out of his body, yet they gaue him gaule to eat, and vineger to drinke, because that as they had tormented his outward members with torments, they might also poyson his inward bowels with griefe and paine. S. Cy­prian sayth, It is not credible that the wicked Iews had mens hearts in them, but the hearts of some madde dogges, seeing that the more the sonne of God did draw neere vnto death, the more they did waxe cruell, because that the end why [Page 410]they gaue him gaule and vineger, was because hee should die sooner and also raging. If as it did please Christ onely to tast of that drinke, it had been his will to haue drunke it all, considering how there was no bloud left in his vaines, and al­so his weakenesse at that time, it is no doubt but it would haue shortened his life, and put him to a more painfull death. O that this doctor said very well, that they had not mens hearts in them, for otherwise, considering the extremity they saw him in, they could not haue done lesse than haue giuen him some wine to drinke, or water to refresh him, or vsed some words of comfort. O pittifull case, and vnspeakable cru­elty, seeing that at the houre of thy death, thou haddest no friend to encourage thee, no drop of water to refresh thee, but onely a little gaule for thy breakefast, and a little vine­ger to drie thy mouth with. Let not mee vse then any deli­cate meates, and let all superfluous diet bee farre from mee, for seeing my God and Lord doth neither eat nor drinke but gaule and vineger, from euening to euening, how dare I fare daintely at set meales? How dare I looke for death, see­king a thousand dainties euery houre, and change a thou­sand meats euery day? Seeing that thou, O my good Ie­sus, haddest thy mouth poysoned with gaule, and wet with vineger? O sacred mouth, O holy tongue, who is so wicked, as to dare bath that mouth with gaule and vineger, hauing preached with the same so many Sermons, giuen so many ho­ly lessons, taught so many people, and done so many mira­cles? You should put gaule and vineger, O yee cursed Iewes, vpon this my mouth, which is neuer opened but to de­ceiue, and vpon my tongue which can doe nothing but lie, for as for that of your Creator and our Redeemer, what sinue was there that hee did not tell you of, and what vertue is there that hee did not teach you? Saint Barnard sayth, O what great difference there is betwixt mouth and mouth, tongue and tongue? For mans tongue said vnto Pilat, cruci­fige eum, & Christs tongue said vnto his Father, Nesciunt quid faciunt. In so much, that the peoples whole drift was to in­duce Pilate to kill him, and Christs whole intention was, to [Page 411]persuade his Father to forgiue them. Vbertinus sayth, Should not Christ haue had better reason to haue giuen the people gaule and vineger, seeing they accused him openly, thā they to Christ, considering that with teares hee did excuse them? Quid vltra debui vineae meae quod non feci? Said Christ to the Prophet Esaya [...], as if hee would say, O my chosen vine, O my deere Synagogue, what diddest thou aske of mee that I did not giue thee, or what could I doe for thee that I haue not done? These wordes are deepely to bee considered of, seeing that by them our Lord dooth call the Synagogue to a reckoning, like vnto one friend which chideth with another, who with intention not to breake off their friendship, will trie out where the fault lieth. And to the same purpose God spake by the Prophet Ieremy, when hee said, Iudicium contra­ham tecum, as if hee would say, I will O Israell, that thou and I, and I and thou, sit down to iudge, and take an arbitrator be­twixt vs, to the end, that both parts being hard, he may iudge what small reason thou hast to offend me, & what great cause I haue to complaine on thee. O infinit goodnesse, O vnspeak­able clemency of thee my great God, what creature can iust­ly say, that thou hast condemned him without iustice, seeing thou doest first sit downe to verifie thy iustice? O vnto how many may God iustly say at this day, what can I doe more for thee than I haue done, and wherein canst thou offend me more than thou hast offended me? O good Iesus, O light and glory of my soule, what shouldest thou doe more for me than create me, or what couldest thou doe more for me than redeeme mee? Thy goodnesse and my wickednes do striue before thy face, and thy grace and my offence, thy bountie and my vngratefulnesse, thy mercy and mine obstinacy, thy pardon and my sinne: in so much, that I neuer cease to sinne, and thou neuer to dissemble it. But to speake more particu­larly, it is to be cōsidered, that our God was not cōtēted to re­deem all of vs in general, but he did also satisfie for our sins in particular, laying vpon himself a particular pain which should answere vnto our particular offence. Christ satisfied for the sinne of pride when hee tooke mans flesh vpon him, vnto [Page 412]which humility there can no vertue of any Saint be compa­red, because he made himselfe of God a man, of eternall tem­porall, of one that was immortall mortal. Barnard sayth, That of all those which were proud, Lucifer was the greatest, of all gluttons Adam, of all Traitors Iudas, of all patient men Iob, and of all humble men Christ exceeded all. Christ satisfied for fornication by his circumcision, and therevpon it is, that because the sinne of lechery is that sinne, into which men do easiliest and most oftenest fall into, our Lords pleasure was to redeeme it with his precious bloud. Christ satisfied for the sinne of enuy with his incomparable pouerty, which hee so streitly kept, that hee had neither house to dwell in, nor a penny to spend, nor wealth to liue by. S. Ierome sayth, That the end of Christs pouerty was, to withdraw from himselfe things necessary, because we should leaue off things superflu­ous: for if a Christian haue any thing in his house which is su­perfluous, hee dooth possesse it all as stolne from the poore. Christ satisfied for gluttony by his continuall fasting all his life time, and oftentimes suffering great hunger; which is easi­ly seene, because that after his fast in the desart he was great­ly a hungred: and also when he and his disciples did eat eares of corne in the field. S. Barnard sayth, Christ had such a great feruour to preach by day, and did contemplate so continual­ly by night, that although hee had meat, yet he did scarse re­member to eat it. Christ satisfied for the sinne of anger with his continuall patience, which patience of his was so perfect that hee neuer knew how to reuenge an iniury, nor neuer vse towards any man an iniurious word. In patientia vestra posse­debilis animarū vectrarum, said Christ to his disciples, Luke 25. As if hee would say, The merit and reward of patience is so great that it maketh him vvho hath it, lord ouer his owne soule. Many possesse their eares by not hearing of backbiting, and other possesse their eies, not seeing of vaine things, and others possesse their hands by keeping them from stealing, & others their tongues by keeping them from blasphemy, but of all these which I haue spoken off, doth Christ say that any [Page 413]of them doth possesse his soule, but only hee who hath pati­ence? What doth it auaile vs to be lords of our feet, hands, and ears, if the diuell do possesse our soules? What is it to be lord and maister ouer a mans own soule, but wholy to subdue his owne sensuality? Ambrose vpon S. Luke sayth, He onely hath his will in subiection, who in trauaile and vexation hath great patience. Christ doth say very well, that you shall pos­sesse your soules in your patience. Seeing that patience is the vertue which dooth confirme friends, reconcile enemies, cut off passions, and maketh our he arts mild and gentle. Loe then thou seest it proued, how the son of God was not con­tent to redeeme all the world in generall, but that hee did in particular as it were satisfie for euery sinne, disburdening eue­ry man of a particular fault, and casting vpon himselfe a gene­rall paine.

CHAP. XV. Here there is brought a figure of Dauid, and declared to the purpose.

OSi quis mihi daret potum aqua de cisterna, quae est iuxta portum Bethleem. 2. Reg. 23. king Dauid being in the field of the giants, and fighting with the Philistims in sum­mer time, and wearied with the heat of the sunne, and wanting water, gaue a great sigh, and vttered these wordes: O who would giue me now a cup of water of the cestern which is neere vnto the gate of Bethleem, where I was wont to re­create my selfe when I was a young man, and take my fill in drinking of the water. Dauids sigh being heard, and his great desire of drinking perceiued, three young men which were his seruants, determined to arme themselues, and goe to Be­thelem for water, maugre the enemies, with a resolution to [Page 414]bring some, or die in the place. And as they had sworne so they did accomplish it, and going through the enemies camp striking and killing, the end was, that they shed more bloud in going, than they brought water in comming againe. In the letter of this figure, there are two things to be noted, that is, that good king Dauid did not sigh, nor desire sauerous wine to make him drunk with, but for a pot of water to refresh himself with. Whereof we may take an example, that we may better ouercome our inuisible enemies with abstinence than with abundance and plenty. Yet so it was, that notwithstanding the great thirst which Dauid had, hee would not drinke one drop of that water, saying that God forbid that hee should drinke of that water which was gotten with the deaths of so many men, and was bought with so much bloud. Euery man may take an example to himselfe by this, that no man should carry any thing to his house gotten with an euill conscience, or by the preiudice of another, for we see nothing more com­mon than that men for greedinesse of another mans doe not onely lose that which was their own by inheritance, but that also which of other mens they had gotten. Leauing the let­ter, and comming to the spirituall meaning, it doth well ap­peare, that Christ is the sonne of Dauid, and that Dauid is the father of Christ, seeing the one was thirsty in the field, and the other on the Mount of Caluary, the one sighting, & the other sufiering, the one compassed with enemies, and the other hanging betweene theeues, the one to drinke a cup of cold water, and the other to redeeme mankind. How farre greater the thirst was which the sonne of God had, than that which Dauid had, it is easily seene in that, that Dauid did ma­nifest his thirst with words onely, and the sonne of God with words and teares: wherevpon wee may inferre, that his true thirst was not so much to drinke water of the cesternes, as to saue sinfull soules. O that the thirst which Christ suffered was of a farre more higher degree than Dauids thirst, for Da­uid did but sigh for water, but the sonne of God did not sigh but did suffer death to redeeme our soules, and Dauid did [Page 415]quench his thirst with the preiudice of other mens bloud, but the sonne of God did not kil his, but with his own bloud. Christ had not so good friends on the Mount of Caluary, as Dauid had in his campe, because Dauids seruants brought him water to refresh him withall, and Christs enemies gaue him gaule & vineger to tast of. Super vulnera mea addiderunt dolorem, said the Prophet Dauid speaking in the person of Christ, as if hee would say, The greatest trauaile and griefe which I feele now is, that besides the words & dolours which the Iewes gaue me in crucifieng me, sinners haue now added another dolour vnto my former dolours, which doth grieue me more than all the others did. The dolours which Christ suffered in his passion, his wounds and thornes caused them, but the dolour which he now complaineth of, our sinnes doe cause. And he hath great reason to complaine more of this than of the others, because the wounds which they gaue him and the nailes and thornes which tormented him dured but one day, but the griefe which our offences doe cause in him doe euery houre offend him. Saint Augustine sayth, If there were no fault in vs, there should be no wounds in Christ, and therevpon it riseth, that wee wound him more in his entrails with our offences, than the Iewes did with their nailes. But some man may say that Christ dooth not so much complaine by the Prophet of his wounds, as of a grief and dolour which they added aboue all dolours, and therefore it is conuenient that we declare what this dolor is, and how farre it reacheth. For the better vnderstanding of this point we must note, that ouer and aboue all the sinnes which we commit we doe adde a new one vnto them, which is as it were a counterpeise a­gainst euery sinne, the which causeth the sinne to bee more grieuous and lesser hope of amendment in vs. What is this new sinne but the pleasure which we take to haue sinned, & the desire which we haue to sinne againe? And because wee may not seeme to speake at randome, wee will giue of euery one an example. If the prowd man would be content to bee prowd only, it would be but halfe a fault, but alasse hee sayth [Page 416]that he is nothing prowd at all, if wee regard his great desart, by reason whereof he desireth to be of greater power and au­thority and ability to bestow more than hee doth. If the an­gry and impatient man would be content to chide onely, to braue it, and murmure, it might passe; but alas hee doth adde fault vpō a fault, that is, he hath a very great thirst & a desire to iniury and molest his enemies, take their liues from thē, & also to ransacke and spoile their goods. If the couetous man could be content with that which were necessary, and with somewhat more, it were tollerable; but alasse, like a noughty Christian he heapeth sinne vpon sinne, for besides that hee is not content to saue bread and drinke, yet hee neuer ceafeth day nor night to hoord vp all hee can. If the carnall man would bee content once to attaine his desire, and that which his sensuality requireth, it might be dissembled; but alasle hee hath such a great thirst to enioy all hee seeth, that if it were in his power, he would leaue no virgine vndefloured, no mar­ried woman not diffamed, nor any widdow not deceiued. If the slothfull man would bee content himselfe not to goe in the cold in the Winter, nor into the head in Summer, but would eat without any labour of his owne, and sleepe in his bed without care, we would not much care if he did it; but a­lasse, hee hath such a great desire of ease, and is such an ene­my to labour, that hee desireth nothing, but that his neigh­bours should take paine, because hee might eat, and that all they should watch because hee might sleepe. If the glutton would be content to eat till he were fill, and sometimes vntill hee belked, wee would not so much regard it; but alasse hee hath such a great desire to eat daily of exquisite meats, and drinke wines of great price, that if it were possible, there should bee no fish in the sea which hee would not eat of, nor no meat on earth which he would not tast. Loe then this is the dolour which Christ complaineth on, when he sayth, Su­per vulnera mea addiderunt dolorē, which did so much grieue him that he felt none more, for Saint Augustine sayth, That God doth not looke what we be, but what we desire to bee. [Page 417]What greater wickednesse, or what greater naughtinesse can there be in the world than not to be content to be naught, but to desire to be more naught. Cassiodorus sayth, That the of­fences which wee commit are the wounds which wee giue Christ, and the dolour which we adde vnto these wounds, is the desire which we haue to sinne more and more. This cur­sed desire and wicked thirst of adding sinne vnto sinne, is also paied for and satisfied for the iust which come vnto our Lord when he said aloud on the crosse, that he had a desire to suf­fer more, as the wicked had to sinne more. O infinite good­nesse, O vnspeakable clemēcy, who had euer so great a thirst to enioy our sinnes, as thou my good Iesus haddest to suffer torment? Who vntill this day had euer a desire to become worser and worser, but our Lord had a greater desire to make him better and better? Who had euer a greater thirst to en­crease his vices, than Christ had to make vs very vertuous? O my soule, O my heart, doe you not see that your thirst of sinning more and more is cured with his thirst of suffering, and that your thirst of heaping one sinne vpon another, is quenched by Christs thirst of adding one pain vnto another? Quod facis fac citius, said Christ to Iudas in the night of the last supper, Ioh. 13, as if he would say, Seeing that thou wast so shamelesse as to sell me yesterday, and art determined to deliuer mee this night vnto my enemies, make an end of thy supper and rise from thence, and doe that which thou wilt doe quickly, because that the end of thy perdition shall bee the beginning of my redemption. O sorrowfull speech, O heauy word which Christ spake vnto the vnhappy disciple, because that thereby he is permitted to doe what he would, as though he should giue him licence vtterly to destroy him­selfe, and that there should bee no hope of his amendment. What other meaning had those wordes which our holy mai­ster spake vnto the reprobate disciple, that is, Do that which thou hast to doe with speed; but to declare by those words, that he had forsaken him, and that hee will defend him no more with his holy hand? and yet in this lamentable speech, [Page 418]Christ vsed great clemency toward Iudas, for when hee said, Doe speedily that which thou wilt do; it was to say, deliuer me quickly, and die thou quickly: for how much the older thou doest grow in yeares, by so much the more thou wilt grow in offences. God of his mercy keep vs from this licence or permission, for it is a great signe that this man is already foreseene to be damned, whome our Lord doth permit to be­ginne to be naught presently. Our Lord doth neuer giue this licence to a Christian religious soule, but when the flesh doth moue him, or sensuality disquiet him, he taketh away the oc­casions of falling, and giues him new desires to strengthen him with. Woe be vnto him vnto whome our Lord sayth as he did to Iudas, Quod facis fac cito, that is, that hee may doe that which sensuality doth lead him vnto, & accomplish that which the diuell persuadeth, for the greatest malediction that God doth put vpon any man, is, to suffer to put that in execution which sensuality requireth. Remigius sayth, That the diuell is so great a friend vnto his friends, and hath so great care of pleasing thē, that they haue no sooner thought of a sinne, but he doth presently lay open the way to commit it. Damascen sayth also, That when a man desireth to be wor­ser than he is, the diuell is by and by so busie, that he doth a­gree that which did disagree, and ioine that vvhich was farre asunder, openeth that which vvas shut, lighteneth that which vvas darke, maketh that easie vvhich vvas most hard, and giueth that, that vvas not to be hoped for. This being true, as true it is, vvhat vvill not a naughty man doe, vvhat vvill hee not venter on, yea and vvhat vvill hee not attaine vnto, ha­uing so good a tutor and helpe as the diuell? If a good man vvould doe any good vvorke, hee findeth a thousand stum­bling blockes to hinder him: and contrariwise, if a naughty man vvill commit any naughty fact, hee shall find as many helpes for the performance of it, and the reason is, because our Lord doth seeme to forget his, because they should merit the more, but the diuell doth alwaies fauour his, because he vvill incite them to sinne. Wee haue spoken all this, by reason of [Page 419]the gaule and vineger vvhich the Iewes gaue Christ, for it is a vvonder to thinke vvith vvhat speed they sought it out, & vvhat diligence they vsed in giuing him it, for surely if the Scripture did not assure vs of it, it would seeme but a dreame to say that they should haue all thinges so readily & at hand as they gaue him. Is it not a thing much to be vvondered at, that the Iewes being out of the towne, and in open field, as soone as he had said Sitio, that they should presently haue at that place, soure vineger, bitter mirrhe, poisoned gaule, vnsa­uory isope, and a spunge to drinke it in, and a reed to reach it him? If a man should haue gone into the towne to seeke all these sixe things, hee would haue been sixe houres a getting them: For he must haue gone to the butchery for the gaule, to the Apothecary for the mirrhe, to another place for the vineger, to a shop for the spunge, to a garden for Isope, and to the riuer for a reed. But vvhen Christ said vpon the crosse, I am a thirst, they did not stay sixe houres to seek these things, but they did reach them him presently all at once, kept, and hidden ready for him: for if his soule vvould not haue forsa­ken him vvith the torment of the nailes, shee vvould haue forsaken him by the force of that drinke.

The same leaue that Christ gaue Iudas, it seemeth that he gaue it also vnto the Iewes, that is, that they should doe by him vvhat they vvould, and how they vvould, and as speedily as they vvould, vvhich liberty they vsed vvith the aduantage, seeing that in short space they vvatched him with their eies, dogged him vvith their feet, laid hold on him with their hands, blasphemed him vvith their tongues, hated him vvith their hearts, and ended his life vvith their drinkes. The naughty Iewes vvent to the Mount of Caluary, and there vvent also old Ioseph and Nichodemus, but their intentions were farre different the one from the other, the holy men carried pinsers vvith them to pull out the nailes, ladders to take him downe from the crosse, ointments to annoint him vvith, a sheet to wind him in, and a shrowd to bury him in. Non sic, impij non sic, The wicked did not go so, but to go their [Page 420]stacions on good Friday, and meditate on the Mount of Cal­uary, they carried vnder their clokes in one pot the vineger, in another bladder the gaule, in a boxe the mirrhe, & in a cloth the Isope, in one hand the spunge, & in another the reed. Tel me I pray thee, what inward minds these wicked Iewes had, seeing they did shew such outward shewes of their pilgrima­ges. Of these bitter trauails and vnsauoury liquors, we may ga­ther certaine lessons, worthy to be knowne, and profitable to be kept in memory. We must aboue al things take heed that we doe not offer vnto our Lord any liquor which is not pure, cleare, and cleane, or mixed, for here vpon earth men refuse mixed liquors, because they doe corrupt the stomacke. Cibus simplex est vtilissimus homini, compositus autēperniciosus, sayth Pliny, as if hee would say, The body is best maintained with vncompound meats, because that compound meats are dan­gerous for the body. The like condition is to bee obserued in the soule, the which doth detest dissembled manners, & ab­horre doubling in conditions, for being as she is a most simple iustice, she cannot endure to bee furred with malice. Hilarius sayth, I will say that he doth offer vnto Christ, his vnderstan­ding mingled with vineger, who occupieth his thought more on another thā God: I wil say that he doth offer his memory mixed with mirrhe, who troubleth his memory with nothing but how he may lead his life without disquietnesse: I will say that hee doth offer his will mingled with gaule, who forget­teth his creature and serueth worldly things: hee dooth offer his heart vnto Christ mingled with bitter Isope, who at the same time will liue at ease, and yet serue our Lord: & he doth offer vnto Christ a good worke put vpon a reed, who dooth it for no other end but for vaineglory: and he offereth Christ his life soken with a spunge, who doth all that he doth of hy­pocrisie. Finally, we say that those do offer vnto Christ drinks of bitternesse, who in beliefe are Christians, and in workes Pagans.

CHAP. XVI. That the church of Christ hath great abundance of spiritu­all waters, which are his grace and the gifts of the holy­ghost: and of the fire which Christ came to put in the world, which is the loue of God; and of the profit that this loue of God doth in the soule.

HAurietis aquas in gaudio, de fontibus salua­toris, Esay 12. chapter. The Prophet Esay spake these words, speaking vnto good Christians of the Catholicke church, and of the great good that Christ will doe in her: and they are as if hee would say, When the Messias promised in the law, shall come into the world, all such as were drie and thir­sty shall receiue great ioy, with great abundance of waters to refresh and recreate their persons. The Prophet dooth pro­mise foure things in this place, that is, that they shal not draw water but waters, not out of one well or fountaine, but foun­taines, not by force but willingly, not out of euery well, but of the fountaine of our Sauiour. Agar wanted the fountaine, how much more fountains? the children of Israel found wa­ter, but soure: the Patriarke Iac [...]l found sweet water, but he had great strife in getting it. They brought king Dauid wa­ter, but it was of a cesterne, insomuch that the Synagogue was so poore, that shee could not get a cup of cleane water. The catholicke church may hold her selfe very happie and rich, seeing that God hath promised her abundance of waters cleare and cleane, flowing from the fountaine of her Sauior and Redeemer. It is much to bee noted, and also to bee mer­uelled at, to see that our Redeemer Iesus Christ said vpon the crosse, Siti [...], and yet saith that hee hath waters and foun­tains to refresh and quench the thirst of all the world. What [Page 422]meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this? Hast thou not one drop of water for thy selfe to drinke of, and yet doest thou inuite all the world to drinke of thy fountaines? It doth wel appeare O my good Iesus, that thou hast all that good for me, and keepest all trauailes vnto thy selfe, seeing that of thy sweet water thou doest inuite all men to drinke, but the gaule and vineger thou doest giue no man to tast. What are the fountaines that thou wouldest haue vs drinke of, but thy holy wounds with the which we were redeemed? O sacred fountains, O holy wounds, which are so delectable to behold, and so sweet to tast, that the Angels are desirous to drinke of them, and all creatures are willing to bath them­selues in thē. They are fountains which alwaies flow, they are waters which alwaies run, & what do they flow but bloud & water, & whither do they flow but to the Catholick church? Holy Iesus did giue vs much more than Esay did promise vs, for Esay did promise vs nothing but waters, but he gaue vs af­terwards waters of his bowels, & blond of his vains. O good Iesus, O holy fountaine, from whence but from the fountaine of thy bowels did the water flow to wash our spots, and from whence but from thy precious vaines did the bloud runne to redeeme our offences? It is gathered in scripture, that the waters of Rasim were most swift, the waters of Iorda. troubled, the waters of Bethleem were pooles and standing, the waters of Marath were bitter, the waters of Siloe were soure: The waters of thy wounds O my Redeemer, are not of these qualities, for they are safe to saile in, cleane to behold, sweet to tast, and profitable to keepe. What meaneth hee to say that you shall draw waters In gaudio, but that as we were redeemed with his great loue and will, so we should serue him with great ioy and mirth? Hee doth draw waters of the fountaines of Christ with ioy and mi [...]th, who doth serue him with good will; and hee doth draw bloud out of Christs wounds with sorrow and griefe, who doth serue him with an evill will, whose seruice is neither acceptable to God, nor profitable vnto him which doth it: for as our Lord [Page 423]doth giue nothing which hee doth giue, but with ioy and mirth, so he will not that any man serue him, but with pure af­fection and entire good will. With what great loue the sonne of God hath redeemed vs, and with what a liuely will he wil be serued, wee may gather by his owne doctrine, and see it in his owne louing words. Ignem veni mittere in terram & quid v [...]lo nisi vt accendatur, Luke. 12. This high word no man could say, but hee only who was the word of the eternall Fa­ther, and the meaning is this, If thou wilt know why I came downe from heauen, vnderstand thou that it was for no other cause, but to burne and set all the world on fire, and therfore I bring this light with me, because it may burne day & night, and that thou maiest blow it that it goe not out. Christ spea­keth to the same purpose in another place, when hee sayth, Non venipacem mittere sed gladium, as if hee should say, Let no man thinke that I came into the world, to giue it peace and quietnesse, but to put a gallowes and asword in it: the gal­lowes to doe iustice on the wicked, and the sword to marti­rize the good. These words are worthy of the noting, and al­so to be feared of all mortall men, for hauing created the world, what meaneth he to say that hee came into the world but to put it all to fire and bloud? What man is there this day in the world so noble in birth, or so rich in wealth, but if he proclaime publickely, that hee will burne both man and woman, but they wil presently lay hands on him, & bind him hand & foot, or cōdemn him for want of discretiō? What can be more strāger, or what inuētiō may be like vnto that, for our Lord to tel vs. & also warne vs, that he hath brought nothing else with him but a firebrand to burne, and a sharpe sword to cut our throats? Vpon those wordes, Non veni mittere pacem sed gladium, S. Augustine sayth, If wee will well vnderstand, that which Christ sayth in this place, we should not only not bee scandalized at it, but also highly thanke him for it: for to say the truth, with that fire he doth seare our dead flesh, and with that knife he doth let out our corrupt bloud. Beda vpon the Apostle sayth. What is the sire which Christ brought from heauen into the world but his exceeding great loue? [Page 424]The quality of this high fire is, to heat and not burne, to giue light and not hurt, to burne and not consume, to putrifie and not wast, to warme and not to grieue. O good Iesus, and light of my soule, what sensuality can ouercome mee, or what ten­tation can throw mee downe, if at the coales of thy fire I warme my selfe, and giue my selfe light with the flame of thy loue? What can hee doe, what is in him, or what regard is there of him in this life, who doth not warme himselfe at the fire of thy loue? What made S. Andrew goe cheerfully and singing to be crucified, but the fire of the loue which burned in him? What made S. Agnes goe more ioifully to martyr­dome than a new married spouse to bed, but the fire of thy diuine loue which shined in her? What made those stones seeme vnto S. Steuen hony comoes, but that holy loue which burned in his soule? Iguis erat & calefaciebat se. O vvhat a difference there is betwixt the fire which Christ brought downe from heauen, and the fire which Cayphas hath in his pallace. For S. Peter warming himselfe at it, of a Christian became a Pagan, & S. Paule warming himself at Christs fire, of a Pagan became a Christian. God send me of Christs fire, seeing it doth make me know him, and God keep Cayphas fire from me, seeing it doth make me denie him. For if S. Peter had not warmed himselfe at Cayphas fire, the wench would not haue importuned him, nor he denied Christ, not haue lost the confession of the catholicke faith. The Euangelist sayth that, Petrus calefaciebat se, that is, That Peter did warm him­selfe at the fire, but he sayth not that the fire was able to take his cold from him, and therefore the fire which the world hath for her worldlings is such, that they are but few vvhich warme themselues at it, but many which waxe cold by it. S. Peter being from the fire said vnto Christ, Tecum paraui iam in mortem me, and by the fire he said, Non noui heminem, in so much that being at supper with Christ he did burne, and be­ing at Cayphas fire he was a cold. The sonne of God then see­ing that there was not below in the world heat which could recreate, nor fire which could burne, nor light vvhich could [Page 425]comfort, nor flame which could giue light, nor any thing which might content, he brought from heauen with him the fire of his holy loue, with the which wee should all be enfla­med, all lightened, and all contented. The son of God would neuer haue said, I came to put fire on earth, if hee had seene that there had been the true fire of his loue vpon the earth, but seeing that the fire of the world doth burn and not heat, hurt and giue no light, wast and not burne, grieue and not cheere, burn and not purifie, smoke and not shine, he remem­bred to bring a fire which should heat all the world. Woe be vnto him which will not warme himselfe at this fire, and woe be to him who will not receiue light at the flames of his loue, because that the only perfection of our saluation dooth con­sist in offering our selues to God, and in louing him with all our heart. It is much to be noted, that Christ brought at one time fire to burn, & a sword to cut mēs throats, seeing he saith, Ignem veni mittere in terram, and also, Non veni pacem mittere sed gladium, to let vs vnderstand, that hee brought fire with him, with the which his elect should serue him with loue, & a sword of the which the imperfect should haue feare. Hee burneth with liuely flames who serueth God with loue: and his throat is cut who serueth God with feare, and not vvith loue. Whereupon it is, that in the arke of Noe there were ma­ny little roomes, and in the house of God many dwelling pla­ces, so also in the Catholicke church there are diuers maners of seruing of God, he doth serue God much better who ser­ueth him with loue, than he who followeth him for feare: but in fine so as we doe not offend our Lord, be it with loue, or be it with feare, let vs alwaies serue him. He is happy who suffe­reth his throat to be cut with the knife of feare, but he is ve­ry happy who goeth to warme himselfe at the fire of his loue: for the feare may be so great, that he may erre in that which he taketh in hand, but he who loueth him much cannot erre in that which he doth. According vnto Ouid, he cannot erre who loueth a good thing, nor there can bee no errour where there is perfect loue. Cyrillus sayth, If the Synagogue did [Page 426]highly esteeme of the sword with the which Dauid did cut the Giant Golias throat, wee which bee Christians ought much more to esteeme of the fire of loue with the which Christ did redeeme vs, because it was his loue onely which gaue vs the hope of his glory, and ouer our death the victo­ry. Leo sayth in a Sermon, If they aske the sonne of God what he brought from heauen, hee will say loue; if they aske him what Art he knoweth, he will say loue, if they aske him what he is, he will say diuine loue, if they aske him what hee would haue vs to doe for him, hee will say nothing but loue him. Basil sayth, O what great difference there is betwixt the seruing of God, and seruing of the world; for the world would haue vs serue him with our person, flatter him with our tong, giue him of our wealth, and also venter for him our soules: but the sonne of God is farre from asking any of these things of vs, for he seeketh no more of vs, but that wee answere the loue which he dooth beare vs, and be gratefull for the bene­fites which he doth bestow vpon vs. Si obtuleris primitias fru­gum tuarum domino de spicis adhuc virentibus torrebis eas ig­ui. God spake these vvorder vnto Moises, and then comman­ded Moyses to proclaime them before all the people, as if he vvould say, When the Summer shall come, and the haruest draw neere, if the eares of the first fruits vvhich they offer vnto God should be greene and not drie, see thou drie them first in the fire, before that thou offer them in the temple. Isi­dorus sayth, The giuer of the law to commaund that they should offer the first fruits of all their harnestes, and to com­mand them that they should not offer them vp greene but drie, and to command that they should not bee dried in the sunne but at the fire, and that they should be throughly dried but not burned, the Scripture would neuer haue set downe this so particularly, vnlesse there had been some my stery con­tained vnder it. Origen vpon Exod. saith, That because in holy writ there is no blot to scrapeout, nor no letter to be added, we must so interpret that which God speaketh, & that which the law ordaineth, that without wresting of the letter vvee may [Page 427]apply it vnto our learning. What other thing is it to offer vn­to God the first fruits of our corn, but to present before him al our desires? who dare begin any heroical work vvho doth not first cōsult vvith God, & cōmend it vnto him? vnles they had first craued the fauour of the God Iupiter, the Gentiles durst not so much as vvrite a letter: & darest thou which art a Chri­stian, not asking for Gods grace, enterprise any thing? he stea­leth his first fruits frō God, vvho taketh any thing in hand, & not recōmend himselfe vnto God, & he paieth his first fruits vnto our Lord, vvho vvithout his holy grace beginneth no­thing, for it is hee only vvho vvill guide our works in his ser­uice, & he vvho vvill direct thē to our profit. Chrisostom saith vpon S. Luke, for God to ask the first fruits of that vvhich vve cut in the field, is to ask of vs that vvee loue him vvith all our hearts: for that vvhich is not begun vnder him, and in his holy name vvill end afterward by the hands of the diuel. He doth pay our Lord his first fruits, vvho vvhen hee riseth out of his bed doth cōmend himselfe vnto our Lord, & offer vnto him all that vvhich he vvill doe that day, and he stealeth his first fruits from our Lord, vvho neither careth for to serue God, nor to say any one praier, but as soone as hee riseth beginneth to lie and cousin. He paieth our Lords first fruits, vvho of four and twenty houres vvhich are in the day, bestovveth one in thinking vpon him, and hee stealeth from God the first fruits, vvho hath neither regard of his soule, nor thinketh vpon God at any houre. It is also to bee vveighed, that our Lord is not contented vvith his first fruits of greene corne vnlesse it bee offered vp dried at the fire, to giue vs knovvledge, that all that vvee doe is nothing vvorth, if vve doe not vvarme our selues at the fire of his loue. What is all that vvorth vvhich I doe, or vvhat am I vvorth vvhich doe it, if I doe it not for God? Hee doth offer vp all his eares of his corne dried, who dooth all his vvorkes for God, and hee doth offer them greene, who doth them not but only for men, vvhom vvee do assure, that for those God will neuer pay, nor yet men be thankfull. [Page 428]What other thing bee the greene eares and not ripe, but all our weake and humane actions? Greene, and hard, and vn­seasoned are all our workes, and therefore wee haue need of the heat of fire to drie them, because God dooth neuer ac­cept that which is offered, if he who doth offer it bee not ac­cepted. He offereth vnto our Lord greene eares, who hath no patience in trauels: for as the value of gold is knowne in the goldsmithes melting pot, so is a good Christian known in tri­bulation. Hee is a greene Christian who doth interprete the Gospell according vnto his owne will, and he is a very green religious man who striueth against his superiour: because that the true seruant of our Lord should haue no will of his owne, nor desire authority, nor dare to possesse any thing proper. Then we will say that the eare is drie, when it goeth easily out of the straw: then we will say that a man is perfect, when he is weaned from all couetous and worldly things. Thou art very greene my brother, if with thy humility there bee min­gled any ambition, with thy charity any enuy, with thy po­uerty any couetousnesse, with thy chastity any wantonnesse, and with thy honesty any hipocrisie, by reason whereof thou must draw neere vnto the heauenly fire, vntill thou hast cast this dreame from thee. It is a great sign that the block which lieth smoking in the sire, is not throughly drie, and the religi­ous person which yet tasteth of the world, is not well groun­ded in religion; because the true seruant of our Lord hath his heart as dead to the world for Christs sake, as a mans body is dead which lieth buried in the graue.

CHAP. I. Here there are put diuers vnderstandings of this speech:

CVm accepisset Iesus acetum dixit Consum­matum est. This is the sixt word which the Redeemer of the world spake at the houre of his death on the altar of the crosse, and it is as if he would say, As hee ended to take and tast of the gaule and vineger which they had giuen him in the spunge, and offered him vpon a reed, he said Consumma­tumest, that is. That all is now accomplished and made per­fect, seeing the redemption of the world is ended, & the ma­lice of the Synagogue fulfilled. If we looke curiously vnto it, we shall find these words true, Consummatum est, and few in number, but yet the mysteries enclosed in them very many, because wee are assured by those words by his holy mouth, that we are pardoned of the eternall Father, that is, that sa­tisfaction is now ended, and that wee are now by his precious sonne redeemed. Being a rule of the Philosopher, Quod omnia quae fiunt fiunt propter finem. If Christ had not spoken these [Page 430]words Consummatum est, we should not haue knowne so plain­ly, & of his own mouth, whether al mankind was fully redee­med, or whether there remained any mystery of holy scrip­ture to be accomplished. But seeing the sonne of God said Consummatū est, we may stand vpon a sure ground, that there is neither any workes of our redemption vnaccomplished, nor any one tittle of Scripture not fulfilled. O what a great com­fort it is to humane nature, that Christ had said, Consumma­tum est, by his owne holy mouth. For Dauid, Ieremy, Esay, Da­niel, Ezechiel, durst neuer say, that sinne was at an end, but on­ly that it should haue an end in the time of the Messias; the which as it was by them prophecied, so it was by Christ ful­filled. Septuaginta hebdomedae abbreuiatae sunt super populum tuum & super vrbem sanctam tuam vt consummatur preuari­catio, &c, The Angell Gabriell spake these words to the Pro­phet Daniel, chap. 9. as if hee should say, Seuenty weekes hence, which shall bee accomplished foure hundred and se­uen and twenty yeares hence, the holy of all holies shall be annointed, iustice shall bee perfect, noughtinesse shall bee blotted out, and sinne ended. Compare thou now, O curious reader, the prophecy of Finem accipiet peccatum, with Con­summatum est, which Christ spake, and thou shalt plainely see how it is said only of the sonne of God, that he shal redeeme vs, and how hee doth assure vs that hee hath already redee­med vs. S. Augustine sayth. Who was able to say that sinne is at an end, but only hee who died to end sinne? It is here to bee noted what is said, who speaketh it, where hee speaketh it, and in what meeting he spake it, and for what mystery hee spake it. That which is spoken is, Consummatum est, hee who spake it is Christ, the place where, is the crosse, the time was euen as he was yeelding vp the ghost, the cause why, was for the comfort of all his church: for of al the seuen words which Christ spake vpon the crosse, there is none which maketh so much for our purpose, as Consummutum est. In the first word which was. Father forgiue thē, what interest had the church in it, seeing that Christ spake it onely for the pardon of the [Page 431]Synagogue? In the second, which was, Lord remember mee; what had the church in it, seeing it was spoken by the theefe which suffered by Christ? In the third which was, Behold thy mother; what part hath the church therein, seeing hee spake it onely vnto the disciple which was there present, and to his mother which wept by him? In the fourth, which was, Why hast thou forsaken me; what hath the church therein, seeing he speaketh only vnto his Father, and complaineth of his Father vnto his Father? In the fift, which is, I am a thirst; what part hath the church therein, seeing that thereby hee dooth shew the exceeding great thirst which hee sustaineth for the torments which hee suffereth? In the seuenth vvord which is, Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit; what part hath the church therein, seeing the sonne goeth out of the world, and commendeth his spirit vnto his Father? If we haue any part of all the seuen vvordes, it is in Consummatum est, in giuing vs knowledge by his owne mouth of the perfecti­on and end of the old lavv, and of our full redemption, see­ing he spake then vnto vs only, and forthe end of all our sins, vvhich vvere at one time redeemed euen as Christ did end his life, and gaue vp his blessed ghost. O profound mystery, O vnspeakable secret, and neuer heard of before, in Consumma­tum est, seeing that it is nothing else to say Consummatum est, but to giue notice vnto all the vvorld, that the church is novv begun, and the Synagogue cast dovvne, the Scripture fulfil­led, & his life ended. His precious bloud is ended, the vvhich is so dravvne out, that there remained no one drop in his vaines, for hee came vvith a determination into the vvorld, fully to accomplish all the loue vvhich hee bare vs, and to shed for vs all the bloud vvhich hee possessed. That is Con­summated vvhich I came into the vvorld for, and my fathers commandement is also accomplished for vvhom I came into the vvorld, to manifest his holy name: for so I haue done: and if I came to lighten the vvorld & to preach, I haue prea­ched and giuen it light. The greife of my body is ended, the torments of my members, the persecutions of my enemies, [Page 432]the wearinesse of my bones, the multitude of my trauels are all at an end. All that which the Prophecies prophecied, all that which the Patriarkes signified, all that which the holy men desired, and all that which our Fathers craued of God, is finished and consummate. The riches of the Temple, the highnesse of the kingdome, the rigour of the law, the pure­nesse of Preisthood, and the honour of the people is at an end. The hatred of the Iewes, the enuy of the Pharisies, the hypocrisie of the Saduces, the malice of the Scribes, is fully at an end. What was euer seen that Christ began, which he brought not in the end to full perfection? Wee are those which doe hardly begin any good thing, and if we doe begin it, scarse bring it to the middle, and if wee bring it to the mid­dle we neuer end it. The sonne of God is he only who begin­neth all thinges when he will, continueth them as he ought, and finisheth them as he lusteth. When Christ went to Ieru­salem to suffer, he said vnto his disciples. Ecce ascendimus Hie­rosolimam, & consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de me, and when he praied ouer the supper, he said, Opus consumma­ui quod dedisti mihi, and on the altar of the crosse, he said also, Consummatum est, giuing vs to vnderstand by that speech, that like vnto a man hee doth giue that which he is commanded, pay that which he doth owe, and accomplish that which he doth promise. S. Cyprian sayth, Much greater, O my good Ie­sus, much greater is the taking of the torments, which thou hast endured, than the wasting of the grace which wee haue lost; and farre greater is thy paine than our fault, and thy offe­ring than our offence: and therefore thou doest say, Consum­matum est, because that now the fault of the seruant is ended with the death of the sonne. Anselmus sayth, O how truly thou doest say, O my good Iesus, Consummatum est, for ha­uing thy eies broken as thou hast, thy shoulders opened, thy hands piersed, and the world redeemed, what doth there re­maine to end, seeing that thou art at an end. Damascen sayth, When vpon the crosse, the sonne of God sayth, Consumma­tum est, If he would haue vsed the rigour of his iustice, as he [Page 433]did vse his accustomed clemency, had it thinke you haue been much, that all the world should haue ended with him, seeing the Lord ended and died there which did create it. Remigius sayth, O bill of paiment, O precious money, O sure account, O acquittance of God, which thou doest giue vs, O good Iesus, when thou doest say, Consummatum est, seeing that thou doest assure vs by that speech, that the bond & obliga­tion which the deuil had ouer our humane nature is payd by thee, and cancelled and blotted our, and also cast into dust & ashes. Fiue thousand yeares and more we were bound to hell, and subiect vnto the deuill, but the sonne of God going to the crosse to die, he vnbound vs from the seruice of the De­uill, and as he went by little and little towards his end, the ob­ligation went wearing away, in so much that with this speech Consummatum est, the soule went out of his body, and sinne tooke his end in vs. O high Lord, O great redeemer, when thou saiest, Consummatum est, what is that which doth not end, seeing that thy life doth end? Gods humane life dooth end, death to hell, sinne to the world, idolatry to gentility, ce­remonies to the law, and figures to the Scripture. Pope Leo sayth, by this word Consummatum est, was ended, the reproch of the crosse, the banishment from heauen, the power of the diuell, the treason of the disciple, the denying of Peter, the sentence of Pilate, the indignation of the people, the life of the sonne, and the comfort of the mother. O comfortlesse mother, O virgine borne without the like, what griefe did thy sorrowfull heart feele, when thou heardest thy sonne say that his life was ended, thou continuing as thou didst with­out thy sonne? What meaneth this O good Iesus, what mea­neth this? With this speech Consummatum est, the paine en­deth to those which languished in desiring thee, the offence of the wicked ceaseth, the bloud of thy vaines drieth vp, and yet doe not the teares of thy mothers eies end? With this speech of Consummatum est, All is finished, dost thou drie the teares of those which haue offended thee their fill, and dost thou make no reckoning of thy blessed mother, who vnto the [Page 434]crosse hath followed thee? If vnder that speech doe enter all whome thou hast created, why doest thou leaue out thy mother of whom thou wast borne? Most blessed mother of God certainly is not left out, because that here on the crosse is finished and accomplished the quietnesse of her heart, the light of her eies, the contentment of her entrails, the end of her desires, the rest of her will, the life of her soule, and the hope of her glory.

CHAP. II. Against disordered eaters and drinkers, and how Christ was a greater martir than any other, and there is decla­red a prophesie of Esayas.

QVando hora voscendi fuerit, veni huc & intinge buccellam tuam in aceto. Ruth. 2. chapter, Ho­nourable old Booz spake these wordes vnto the honourable and vertuous woman Ruth, when she went with her workmen to gather the eares of corne for to maintaine her selfe and her mother in law, as if he should say, When the houre of dinner is come, thou shalt come where my people lay the table, where thou maist eat of that that there is, with a peece of bread wet in vineger. This labourer Booz, and this woman Ruth were great grandfathers to king Dauid, because they be­gat Obed, and Obed begat Iesse, & Iesse begat Dauid, in so much that although they were simple country people, yet they de­serued to bee counted in Christs line, and be great grandfa­thers vnto King Dauid. If we looke curiously vnto this letter of the text Booz toucheth foure things in it, that he doth in­uite Ruth, that he doth inuite her at dinner time, and that to bread alone, and to wet it in vineger. This is another kind of banquet than that which the Emperour Vitellius made to certaine Embassadors of Persia, of which Plutarch sayth, [Page 435]That if they had bound themselues to giue them another dinner like vnto their supper, hee doubteth whether all the treasure of Rome would haue sufficed to haue done it. This is another banquet than that of Marcus Antonius and Cleo­patra, wherein he and shee did spend so many precious stones beaten into pouder, and such a great summe of riches, that in the opinion of writers, another Asia might haue ben bought with it. This was another kind of banquet than that which king Assuerus made to the nobles of his kingdome, in the which for the space of an hundred and fourscore daies, there was neither stint in eating, nor measure in drinking. By these examples it is manifest that prophane men doe inuite like vn­to prophane men, and vertuous & good men like vnto ver­tuous men. Such a one seemeth to bee this good man Booz, who going in the field, and reaping in summer time, doth not entreat any to breakfast but to dinner, and hath nothing to eat but a slice of bread dipped in vineger. And this good la­bourer Booz the better to shew his temperancy, and his great abstinency, did not say vnto Ruth that she should wet all the bread in the vineger, but a slice only, the which being hard, he bid her rather wet it to make it soft, than that shee should haue any great dainty of it. The holy Scripture reciteth this story for the praise of those which are past, and confusion of those which are present, I meane of those which the Apo­stle speaketh of, whose God is their belly, who rather follow Epicure in eating, than Christ in liuing. Of all the vices which mans nature is subiect vnto, there is none that groweth so fast as gluttony, because that in times past all men did keepe such a meane in eating, and sobriety in drinking, that there was o­uermuch meat, and searsity of eaters, but alasse now a daies there are store of eaters, and want of meats. Vidi monstrum a natura, hominem bis saturum in die, said Plato when hee retur­ned from Scicilie vnto Asia, as if he should say, The thing which maketh me most of all to wonder at in Scicilia, is that I saw a man a monster in nature, because hee filled his belly twise euery day in eating. O if Plato should come in this our [Page 436]time, how much more would hee bee scandalized at vs then he was to see Dennis the Tyrant fill his belly twise a day, for intemperate men are not content now adaies to dine and sup, vnlesse they haue also their breakfast and drinking. Let those take example of Booz who will giue good example, who did not inuite Ruth to breakfast & drinking, but to dinner, seeing that he sayth, Veni huc hora vescendi, because that the seruant of our Lord should not eat when sensuality doth craue it, but when reason requireth it. Booz did not entreat his welbelo­ued Ruth to dainty dishes or to precious wines, but only vnto a peece of hard bread moistened in vineger; because that im­moderate eating and disordinate drinking dooth destroy the memory, dull the vnderstanding, vvast the naturall heat, stop the stomacke, vveaken the feeling, disable the person, offend the conscience, & consume a mans goods and substance. Nei­ther did Booz inuite Ruth to eat of that bread as much as she vvould, nor tast of that vineger as much as she could, but on­ly one slice once dipped in the vineger; to giue vs to vnder­stand, that all that which sauoureth of delicacy and dainti­nesse should bee farre from a religious man. The letter left a side, and comming to the sence, wee haue thought good to bring in the figure of vineger, to search out the reason and cause why the sonne of God tooke vineger for the last tor­ment of his martyrdome, and vvhy in hauing end to tast of it, hee gaue vp the ghost. Repleuit me amaritudinibus & inebria­uit me absynthio, The Prophet Ieremy spake these vvordes in his Lamentations, in the name of the redeemer of the vvorld, as if it were in complaining of the Synagogue, and sayth, In paiment of the great benefits which I haue done thee O my Synagogue, thou hast filled me with bitternes, & made mee drunke with the iuice of wormewood. If there should be no mystery contained vnder these words, the text would seem to be contrary to it selfe, for if his body be full of bitternes, how could her cōtain any more iuice of wormwood, and if he could receiue more, how then was hee full? For the [Page 437]vnderstanding of this, you must vnderstand that as Christ was more than an Angell, so he had more innocency than an Angell; and as he was more than a Prophet, so he had more knowledge than a Prophet; & as he was more than a prince, so hee had more power than a Prince; and as hee was more than a saint, so he had more perfection in him than saints; and also because he was a greater Martyr than all other Martirs, he did suffer more martyrdome than any other Martyr. Ori­gen vpon Iob sayth, That by reason that the sonne of God was more than man, because he was both God and man, hee knew more than a man, he could doe more than a man, hee did more than a man, he suffered more than a man, and endu­red more than any man; for the griefs which passed through his heart, and the torments which his members suffered, what tongue is able to rehearse them, how much more what body is able to suffer them? Euery martyr may say with Iere­my, He hath filled me with bitternes; because they were tor­mented with so many torments: but the sonne of God onely can say, And he hath made me drunk with absynth: that is to wit, ouer & besides that he suffered all that other martirs did suffer, he did suffer another new kind of martyrdome, which did exceed all other martyrdomes of man. All the holy and chosen men of our Lord haue drunk a thousand draughts of very bitter martyrdome, but the son of God only did drinke Absynth, because there was no heauinesse which did not possesse his heart, nor no dolour which did not oppresse his members. Saint Ambrose sayth, All the words which Christ spake we may beleeue, but all the excellent workes that hee did, we be not able to imitate; because that besides the com­mon strength which bodies are wont to haue, he tooke more to bee able to suffer those torments, for the flesh of the sonne of God was so tender and delicate of it selfe, that if he should not haue added force vnto his owne force, and strength vnto his owne strength, it could not haue been but he should haue died very yong, or else neuer haue been able to haue suffered so high a martyrdome. What was Christs meaning then, whē [Page 438]he said Inebriauit me absynthio, But that hee onely drunke that drinke of absynth, seeing that hee alone did suffer more torments than all the Martyrs. Christ is not contented to say, that hee drunke much of that drinke, but that hee drunke it all, to let vs thereby vnderstand, that as no man can be drunk but with pure wine, so the sonne of God was he who suffered pure martyrdome without any ease at all. No man euer drank of pure martyrdome as Christ did, for all other martyrs, if they suffered in some of their members, they did not in o­thers, and if they suffered in body, they suffered not in spirit, and if they suffered in spirit, they had some comfort in it, in­somuch that the comfort which God gaue them was grea­ter than the martyrdome which they suffered. Vpon those words of the Psalme, Extraneus sum fratribus meis, Basil saith, Christ was a stranger and seperated from his brothers, the o­ther martyrs his companions, because that in his bitter passi­on hee was lesse comforted and more tormented than any of them. Like vnto a man ouerloaden with reproach and infamy, and full of torment, Christ said vpon the crosse, Deus, Deus, meus quare me dereliquisti? The which complaint he would neuer haue vsed, if his father had comforted him as hee did other Martyrs. Speaking the more particularly, Christ in ta­sting gaule and vineger, said immediately Consummatum est, to let vs thereby vnderstand, that in that bitter drink was en­ded the cure of the sweet tast which Adam had in eating the apple. The figure doth very well answere vnto the thing figured, and the hurt vnto the remedy, in that, that as that en­tered in by the mouth in which Adam sinned, so by Christs mouth entered in the remedie of that sin; & as sin began in a sweet apple, so it should end in soure vineger. Hard by the wood Adam committed the offence, & on the wood Christ redeemed the sinne; in sweetnesse our hurt began, and in bit­ternesse began our good and remedy. Adam in eating of that which liked him died, and Christ tasting of that which was bitter gaue vp his ghost. Because the truth should answere vnto the figure, the spirit vnto the letter, and the secret vnto [Page 439]the mystery, & the fault to the pain, the son of Gods pleasure was, that his last torment should bee with sharpe vineger, be­cause that with that drinke should bee cured the grieuous­nesse of our sinne. Ad anunciandum mansuet is misit me, vt me­derer cōtritis corde, & predicarem captiuis indulgentia & clau­sis apersionem, Esay, 61. These are the wordes of the redeemer of the world spoken by the mouth of the Prophet Esayas, de­claring by them his meaning why he came from heauen into the world, saying, The cause why I came into the world, was to preach vnto the meeke, to cure the diseased, to tell cap­tiues that they should be deliuered, and denounce to all that are bound that they shall be now loosed. The redeemer of the world reciteth foure causes why he came into the world; that is, to preach vnto the good, to cure the diseased, to re­deem captiues, and loose prisoners. These foure things are so high to be enterprised, and so hard to be atchieued, that none but Christ in the world was able to do it. It may be, that some man be able to preach, but he cannot cure, and if he can cure infirmities, yet he is not of power to redeem captiues, & if he be of power to redeem captiues, yet hee hath no authority to let go prisoners: insomuch that there is no man in the world so valerous, but doth want the performance of one of these four things, only the son of God hath all, seeth all, vnderstandeth all, knoweth all, and can do all. And therevpon it happeneth, that man doth not performe that which hee taketh in hand, because he cannot, but Christ not because he cannot, but be­cause he wil not. Esaias saith, That Christ came first to preach to the humble & meeke, & not to the prowd, to let vs therby vnderstand, that the meek & gentle would beleeue him, and the prowd and foolish mocke at his life and doctrine. Hee sayth secondly, that he came to cure and heale him who had his heart broken, and not those who had no repentance of their naughtines, to let vs therby vnderstand, that the shed­ding of his precious bloud should haue no vertue nor efficacy in those which neuer amēd, but in such as of their wickednes do repēt. Thirdly he saith, that Christ came into the world to redeem captiues out of captiuity: wherin thou saist most truly [Page 440]O my good Iesus, because there was no sinne in the world which thou diddest not pay for, nor no sinner whome thou diddest not redeeme. Fourthly, he saith, that Christ came in­to the world to deliuer prisoners out of gaole, and loose them out of prison: wherein he sayth also most truly, for he did de­liuer all men from the thraldome of the diuell, and redeeme sinners who were captiues. O glorious incarnation, O blessed cōming, O happy [...]ourney that that was which Christ made from heauen to the earth, seeing the exercises wherein hee occupied himselfe, and the office which he tooke vpon him were such, that the Angels knew not how to do them, nor all the men in the world vndertake them. Vpon these words, Vt mederer corde contritis, S. Augustine sayth, Magnus venit medicus, quia magnus vbique iacebat egrotus, as if hee should say, agreeable to the words of Esayas, There came from high heauen a very great Phisition, because that in euery corner of the earth there lay a sick body. What Phisition was there euer in the world who brought such medicines as Christ did, or kept such an order in curing vs? the order which Phisitians prescribe, is, that first they ordain a diet for the patient, to ex­tenuate the humours, then they procure him some sweat to expell ventosities, then they let him bloud to correct the matter, and then they giue him a purgation to rid and emp­ty him of all that is superfluous and hurtfull in him. The Phi­sitian doth all this, giuing a receit in a paper, and sending it to the Apothecary, and ministring it to the patient; in so much that the Phisitions cure is in the pulse which he doth handle, and receit which hee ordaineth. When good Iesus sayth by Esayas, Veni vt mederer contritis corda, although he obserued this order in curing the diseased, yet he obserued it not in ad­ministring his medicins. For the swearing bleeding, and pur­ging, which the diseased should haue receiued, our benigne Iesus tooke vpon him when hee was in health. Doest thou not thinke that he kept a diet, when he did fast not only forty daies, but considering that all his holy life was a longer diet? Doest thou not thinke that hee sweat all our sinnes, when [Page 441]in his agony in the garden his bloud did run by all his pores? Doest thou not thinke that he bled all the corruption of our sinnes, when hee did scarce leaue a drop of bloud in all his vaines? Doest thou not thinke that he purged the corrupti­on and perdition of all the world, when he tooke the purga­tion of gaule and soure vineger? Not without a high myste­ry then, and a profound Sacrament, hee said vpon the crosse, Consummatum est, as he ended to take that purgation, giuing vs thereby to vnderstand, that the diseased man was purged, let bloud, sweat, and was healed, and that there was nothing else to be done in him, if he did not fall againe by fault.

CHAP. III. Of the greatnesse of the sonne of God, and how all thinges haue weight and measure, and number, sauing only the humanity of Christ.

COnsummatus factus est, & obtemperantibus sibi causa salutis aeternae. Hebrewes 5. The Apostle speaketh these wordes, talking with the Iewes of the high perfections which were in Christ, as if he should say, This sonne of God which I preach vnto you, was very perfect in himself, and was cause that all such as did beleeue in him, should attaine to e­uerlasting life and saluation by him. There are some which be neither good to thēselues nor vnto others; and there are some which be good to others, and not good to themselues; and there are other who are good to themselues and all o­thers, and of these the sonne of God was, seeing the Apostle sayth, That he was Consummatus, to wit, that the sonne of God is good in all perfection, and to all good men very profitable. Vnder these few words the Apostle comprehen­deth many graue sentences, that is, he will call vs to memory [Page 442]who the son of God is, & therefore he saith, Quod consumma­tus factus est, & also what profite we receiue by his comming, and therefore hee saith, Quod fuit causa salutis aeterna. These two things are not of such small quality, but that vnder them all the holy scriptures are comprehended. For hauing said what Christ is, and what he hath done in the world, there is nothing more to bee sought for in all the Gospell. Because Christ did say on the crosse Consummaetum est, and because the Apostle S. Paule doth say of Christ, Consummatum factus est, it is conuenient for vs to turne againe to these words, be­cause we may see in them how great Christs omnipotency is, vnto the which no poore creature is able to reach vnto. To speake of the greatnesse and omnipotency of God, is to goe about to take the heauens with our hands, or measure the earth by handy breads, or the sea by ounces. Cum inceperit ho­ra tunc finiet, said the wise mā, as if he would say, The great­nesse of God is so high to reach vnto, so inscrutable to vnder­stand, so inuisible to see, so omnipotent to comprehend, that when we think that we are come to an end of vnderstanding it, then we are but at the beginning of searching it. Holket vp­on these words sayth, What would the wise man say, [that when we should make an end, then we should begin] but that if we will speake of the greatnesse of God, either that we ne­uer begin to magnifie it, or neuer end to praise it. S. Augustine in his fourth booke De Trinitate, sayth, The cause why the mysteries of God doe make all the world afeard is, not be­cause God is one, but Trinus, and that he is one the Iew is ea­sily conuinced, and the Moore also to beleeue it, but that God is Trinus and one, as he is, none doth beleeue it but the Christian. And he sayth further, that which God doth make vs wonder at in his diuinity, Christ doth in his humanity, for if he had but one thing alone in him, we should dare to speak of his greatnesse, but hauing three things in him which are, diuinity, flesh, and soule, and that all three are brought & re­duced to one diuine person, the vnderstanding will be aweary to thinke of it, & the tongue dumbe to rehearse it. Omnia fecit [Page 443]deus in numero pondere, & mensura, sayth the wise man, as if he should say, Our Lord is so certaine in all that he doth, and so wary in all that hee taketh in hand, that bee they neuer so many he numbreth thē all, be they neuer so great hee weigh­eth them, and be they neuer so broad he measureth them, so that in the house of God there is number, weight, and mea­sure. The most sacred humanity of the son of God commeth not vnder this reckoning, for being as it is vnited vnto the word, it is so perfect and adorned with such high merit, that there is no number to count it, nor wait to weigh it, nor yet yard to measure it. As concerning the first, Christs humanity wanteth this which we haue said of number, seeing he is but one person, and according to the Philosopher, no vnity is a number, but the beginning of number. Vpon those words of the Prophet, Tu solus cog nouisti nouissima & antiqua, S. Basil sayth, Alone and not accompanied with any, the son of God is vnited to the word, and in his holy gouernance no man sit­teth with him, nor no man doth beare him company in that high principality; for as in that he is God, he hath being by his owne proper production, so in that, that hee is man hee is first created, and of all things created, he is the beginning of num­ber. Vpon those words, Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, Irenaeus sayth, Euen as all things were made by Christ, in that that he was God, so they were made by him in that that he was man, because he was the first thing which God intēded in the cre­ation, to create all things for him, as vnto him who should be heire of all: by reason whereof we owe vnto the son of God, not only our redēption, but also our creation; for if it had not been by him, and for him, God would haue created nothing: for the means being taken away, the end was also taken away. Touching the second, the humanity of the word wanteth weight, & he cannot be weighed, for all the Saints being put in one balance, and the sonne of God in another, it would bee that, that a drop of water is in respect of all the water which is in the world. Who is hee which can be weighed with Christ, or bee compared with the least of his merits? [Page 444]If before his sight the heauens be not cleane, how dare any saints be weighed with him? Concerning the third, the hu­manity of the word cannot bee measured, because that the grace which was giuen to him alone was so much, that nei­ther in heauen, nor in earth there is found any measure for it. How can there bee found any measure in the sonne of God, seeing that it is hee with the which is measured all humane and Angelicall nature? Wee may gather of that which wee haue said, that seeing Christ hath remoued from himselfe, number, weight, and measure, yet that it is a folly and a rashnesse to thinke to find an end in his greatnesse. We speak all this, because that considering that there is two natures in Christ, one diuine, and the other humane, wee will not talke immediately of his diuine essence, but of his hu­mane, as it is compared to the diuine, and so wee shall vnder­stand somewhat of Christ, although we cannot comprehend all that doth belong vnto him. Suscepit de manu demini dupli­cia, sayth the Prophet Esayas, chap. 40. speaking of that which the eternall Father had giuen his only sonne, as if hee should say, All other creatures receiued single fauours, and only the son of God receiued them double, for all other besides him­selfe were nothing but bare men, but he was man and God, & God and man. Duplicia suscepit de manu domini, because hee was more than that which he seemed to bee, and hee was more than that which was hidden, because his diuinitie was hid, and his humanity did appeare, and to his diuinity was v­nited his humanity. He receiued two gifts of our Lord, seeing that vnder that earth is hidden a precious pearle, and vnder that rough couering is enclosed the heauenly cloath of gold. He receiued double fauour at our Lords hands, seeing that vnder the penitent weed we shall find the great king of Ni­niuy, and vnder those dead skins, wee shall find the good Pa­triarke Iacob aliue. He receiued two things at our Lords hāds, for if wee take away the couering, wee shall see all the diuine essence, and if we breake the vaile of the Temple, wee shall know the heigth and the purest part of the heauen. He recei­ued [Page 445]two singularities of our Lord, seeing hee alone and no other is at one time a traueller and at his iournies end, at one time with the superior portion enioieth, and with the inferi­or suffereth. He receiued two gifts, seeing it was giuen to him and to no other, to be passible and impassible, visible and in­visible, mortall and immortall, temporall and eternall. Susce­pit de manu domini duplicia, seeing it was giuē vnto him alone to be the end of the vnhappy Synagogue, and the beginning of the catholicke church, and to be him who doth inflict pu­nishment vpon the bad, and giueth glory vnto the good. Be­hold then how Christs humanity is a perfect image & a high resemblance, such as is not to be found neither in heauen nor vpon earth, because it is made to the liuely likenesse of God, and because it is alwaies like his mould and type which is the Word. Hilarius in his second book of the Trinity saith, Euen as a glorious body vnited vnto a glorious soule, is as it were spirituall, and hath spirituall conditions, so the humanity of the diuine word being vnited vnto God, hath the same con­ditions and qualities, as he vnto whom he is vnited. Damascen in his sentences sayth, As it was commaunded that all should be giuen to the noble dame Iudith which did belong to Ho­lofernes, seeing that she had ouercome him, so vnto the man Christ it was giuen and attributed, that all that should be said of him, which was said of the Word, seeing that hee did also ouercome the diuell. And because wee may the better see what conformity there is betwixt the humanity and the di­uinity, we wil speak one word vpon euery word of that which S. Iohn did put in the beginning of his holy Gospell, speaking of the eternall Word. In the beginning was the Word, sayth S. Iohn, speaking of the eternal generatiō of the son of God. Wherein he giueth vs to vnderstand, that that eternall word hath his being by the first internall emanation of the Father, seeing that hee proceedeth of him by the way of vnderstan­ding, which is the first emanation, and before the will, seeing it is presupposed. That which we say of the diuinity, we may also say of the humanity, seeing that it was in the beginning [Page 446]of God, by an Hypostaticall vnion in the word, and by an excellency of perfection aboue all that which God created. And the word was with God, saith also S. Iohn, as if he should say, Because thou maiest see that the person of the Father is not the person of the sonne, nor the person of the sonne the person of the Father, if I haue said, that In the beginning was the word, I say now that neere vnto God was the same word, in so much that that which is neere vnto mee is without all doubt distinguished from me. The humanity is so neere vnto the diuinity, that it is one person with it, and thereupon it is, that as in the Father and in the sonne there is but one essence although they be two persons, so in the word of God, and in the humanity of Christ, although there bee two natures, there is but one person; and this diuine, and not humane. S. Iohn saith further, And God was the Word, which may also be said of the humanity well vnderstood, as of the diuinity, by the high communication of diuine and humane qualities which are in Christ, because there are many things in Christ by grace, which are in God by nature. Vpon those words. In quo habitat omnis plenitudo diuinitatis, S. Ambrose sayth, The diuinity of the word doth dwell so perfectly in the humanity of Christ, that because that is so neerely vnited and deified which is contained, it taketh the name of that which contai­neth it: and hee sayth further, Quod factum est in ips [...] vita erat. The which hee speaketh, because that being (as he is God) the fountaine of all life, and that of his onely will dooth pro­ceed all life, it is certaine that all that should be in him should be life. S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn sayth, As all things in God shall be called life, because they are accompanied and ioined in him, so in his holy humanity, all things are life, because there are vnited in him all the goodnesse of glory and grace. As all that which is made in the word is life, & al that which is out of it is death, so all that which is wrought in Christ for his honour and glory is life, and all that which is not done in him and by him is all death. S. Iohn goeth forward and sayth, And the life was the light of men, which he speaketh for the [Page 447]light of reason, which hee did imprint in the soules, which were blind by sinne, the which blindnesse was remedied with the light of the humanity of Christ, the which although it do not shine like vnto the most simple diuine light, yet it was sufficient to lighten all humane nature: and hee addeth fur­ther, That the light doth shine in darkenesse, Et tenebrae eum non comprehenderunt, which words may be no lesse verified of the humanity of Christ than of the diuinity of the word. Hi­larius vpon those words sayth, In respect of the diuine clear­nesse all other creatures may bee called darkenesse, because it is impossible that the diuine should not alwaies shine, but the humane hath euery houre need of light. God doth shine in the darkenesse of our sinnes, seeing that none but hee can forgiue them: and in this point it is no other thing to say, Tene­brae eum non comprehenderunt, but that his most great mercy cannot be made empty. S. Barnard in a Sermon sayth, God is mighty in forgiuing sinnes, but he is most mighty in forgiuing those which are often committed, wherein is shewed his infi­nite mercy, seeing that he is not comprehended by them, nor limited in pardoning them, but hee doth pardon them when he will, how he will, and vnto whom he will. In that that hee is man, Christ hath also darkenesse where he may shine, that is to wit, all pure creatures be they neuer so holy and chosen, seeing that of themselues they haue no light at all, if they doe not receiue it of the sonne of God. S. Ierome sayth, The perfection and light of Christ is so great, that being compa­red vnto that which other Saints haue, it seemeth that it ma­keth them somewhat vnperfect, which is to bee vnderstood, not because there is any want in them, but because there is a great abundance of excellency. Irenaus in a Sermon sayth, Al­though God tooke from the spirit of Moyses to giue vnto those elders which should be iudges with him, yet notwith­standing Moyses continued wiser than they: so it is in Christ, from whom how much grace so euer the holy men doe take, or haue taken, yet they did neuer draw his grace drie, nor at any time compared themselues with him. We haue vsed all [Page 448]this long discourse to prooue how well the Apostle said of Christ, Quod Cōsummatus factus est, seeing that by these words it doth appeare, that he had all perfections in him, and by his Consummatus est, which he spake vpon the crosse, that all our wickednesse is now finished and at an end.

CHAP. IIII. Herein is entreated of the greatnesse and wealth of Salo­mons temple, and how that in the sacred and holy temple of Christs humanity, the holyghost hath bestowed greater workmanship, riches, and spirituall gifts, then were in the temple which Salomon did build.

EDificauit Salomon domum domini, & consum­mauit eam. 3. Reg. chap. 6. that is, King Sa­lomon builded a house for our Lord, & hee made such speed in the building of it, that he neuer ceassed vntill he had finished it. Origen vpon this place sayth, The loue which God beareth mankind is so great, that it pleased him to make himselfe a neighbor and an inhabitant of this world, and therfore he would haue Salomon build an house here vp­on earth, where he might with ease communicate with euery person. And because that this materiall temple was a figure of the true temple which was Christ, and because the Scrip­ture sayth of the one, Quod consummauit eam, and Christ also sayth of his Consummatum est, we will first tell you how mag­nificent Salomon was in building of his, and then wee will de­clare vnto you how liberall the holy Ghost was in framing that of Christ. The case thn [...]estandeth thus, that in the yeare foure hundred and fourescore after that the Iewes went our of Aegypt, and in the fourth yeare after that Salomon inheri­ted the kingdome, in the second month of that yeare, which was in Aprill, the building of the Temple began, and was [Page 449]finished in all perfection in the seuenth yeare. There were alwaies busied in the working of that temple a hundred fiftie and three thousand and sixe hundred workmen, and all this in time of peace, for otherwise in time of warre, it might haue been that some should haue builded, and others defended. Of this great number of workmen, fourescore thousand brought stones out of the mountaines, and seuen [...]y thousand carried burdens on their shoulders, and the three thousand and sixe hundred were as it were ouerseers and commanders: The vassales of the king of Tyrus are not comprehēded vn­der this number, who did cut wood on the Mount Lybanus, and yet they were many in number, as it may appeare in that Salomon did send them at one time twenty thousand load of corne, and twenty thousand of barley, and twenty thousand quintales of oile, and forty thousand measures of wine. Nei­ther are there included in this number the Marriners which brought timber, nor the engrauers which engraued images, nor the goldsmithes which wrought in siluer, which were a great number, seeing that the metall which they wrought was much. The Scripture maketh no mention of the siluer that was spent there, but he sayth only that there was such a­bundance of it in Salomone house, as there are stones on the earth. What shall wee say of the gold that was spent there, which would seeme incredible to all the world? Before that king Dauid died, he left three thousand measures of gold for the building of the Temple, which hee offered of his owne, and not of that which he had taken in warre. All the nobles of the Realme did offer also for the building of that holy e­difice fiue thousand measures of gold, besides others mettals of lattin, copper, and tinne, whereof there is no waight laid downe, because the quantity of it exceedeth number. What riches was spent there may bee easily gathered in that, that the Temple was all couered with gold from the top vnto the bottome, & that not of plain gold like a painted table, but cu­riously cut & kerned. In this prowd building, this word gilding is sildome vsed, but this word clad with gold, and enterlaced [Page 450]with gold, and couered with gold is oft spoken, and therefore that which Salomon did of pure gold, is more thē now adaies is wont to bee gilded. The Glosse sayth, That the floore of the greatest place, which they called Sancta, and the floore of the lesser, which they called Sancta sanctorum, were both pa­ued with fine gold, and all this for the reuerence of the arke, whereby so much the more euery thing was more precious, by how much the neerer it was vnto it. For the seruice of this Temple there were appointed twenty and foure thousand Priests, of the great tribe of Leui, whose charge was to panch the beasts, offer sacrifice, light the lampes, and kindle the fire. For to keepe the gates of the Temple, there were ap­pointed foure thousand porters, and for to sing the Psalmes which Dauid made, and those which Salomon made, there were chosen other foure thousand, whose office was also to play on instruments of musicke. If the building which Salo­mon made was prowd and stately, so was also the first sacri­fice which he offered, for he killed and offered vnto our Lord on one day twenty and two thousand beefes, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheepe. Now that wee haue spoken of the pompe, glory, and riches of that famous temple, wee will tell you in what all this great treasure did end, and thereby it may be perceiued how vaine and brittle all worldly glory is, and especially that which is founded vpon riches. It is a thing much to be wondred at, and worthely to be noted, that whē the Sancta was not rich, and when the great citie of Ierusalem was poore, with their pouerty they did ouercome all their enemies, and afterward with their wealth they were ouer­come by them. Dauid was poorer than Salomon, and Saul was poorer than Dauid, and yet for all their pouerty they had more victories ouer their enemies then Salomon and Roboam his sonne in their times, whose riches & treasures did exceed the treasures of their predecessors. Men thinke that the re­medy against misery & pouerty, doth consist in getting much wealth and riches, and in hauing abundance of all things; the which thing to thinke is a great vanity, and a dangerous thing [Page 451]to get, for we see many, who thinking to bring wealth and ri­ches to their house, bring death, war, and dissention to it: and because we may not seeke far for examples, let vs looke vp­on the Iewes with their treasures, and if wee weigh the mat­ter well, we shall find for a truth that misery & pouerty is not remedied with riches, and that the captain of misery is peace, and the companion of riches is misery. No longer after the death of Salomon but fiue yeares, Sesach king of Aegypt did send to Ierusalem seuenty thousand horsemen, and twise as many footmen, and a thousand two hundred Wagons for ca­riages, and took Ierusalem and robbed the Temple, and spoi­led king Roboams pallace: insomuch that the Temple was not so long a sacking as it was a building. The king of Babilon did send his army to Iudea, who vsed the matter so well, that hee tooke the city, and robbed the Temple, and led the king of Iudea prisoner to Babilonia, and no man was able to resist him or hurt him. After this great mischiefe came the king of the Chaldeans, who killed the yong men, tooke the women captiue, set fire on their towres, burnt the sanctuary, & tooke the people prisoners, and robbed the treasure. The warres which the Aegyptians, Chaldeans, and Babilonians had with the Hebrews, were not because they did hold them for their enemies, but only to rob their treasures: nsomuch that against the poore Israelites made greater warres their owne riches, than all other barbarous nations. Let the litterall conclusion be, that wee may say truly of the Temple of Salomon, Quod Consummatum est, seeing that the Temple is at an end, Salo­mon which made it, the people where it was made, the riches with the which it was made, and the sacrifices for the which it was made. Of all this we may gather, that God dooth not giue vs riches, because we should loue them, but because wee should benefite our selues by them, & serue him with them: but alasse that which God doth giue vs to serue him withal, we doe turne to our owne pleasures and delights. Dominus in templo sancto suo, dominus in caelo sedes eius, sayth the Psal. 10. as if he would say, The places where our Lord doth most of [Page 452]all abide are in the heauens vvhere he hath his seat, and in the holy Temple where he hath his dwelling place. Because we should not thinke that the Temple vvhich he here spea­keth of is the Temple of Salomon in Ierusalem, or of Dian. in Antiochia, or of Pantheus in Rome. God said not that hee dwelled in euery Temple, but he added holy, and also his For in the Temple where God must dwell there must be no sinne, nor any else with him. The Temple which Salomon made vvas very rich, and although it vvas a Temple, it fol­loweth not that it vvas holy, for if it had been, and those also which made it, they would not haue killed within it the great Prophet Zachary hard by the altar, nor they would not haue placed the Idoll As [...]aroth in it vpon the altar, nor they vvould not haue consented that Pompeius should haue made a stable for his horses hard by the altar which vvas dedica­ted vnto diuine sacrifices. Neither was that Temple holy in respect of the Priests and ministers which were in it, for if it had beene holy they would not haue had birds at the gate to sell, nor bankes for Vsurers, nor Christ would not haue rebuked them, nor they put Christ to death. Neither was that Temple holy in respect of the sacrifices, seeing that they were not sufficient to take away sinnes: and if there was any profit in them, it was not by reason of the sacrifice which was there offered, but in respect of the merits of those which did offer them. Neither vvill vve say that Salomons Temple vvas holy by reason of the matter whereof it was made, because that true and sincere holinesse is not in gold, siluer, timber, & stone, whereof it was made, but in the Christian and glorious Temple which is there assembled and gathered together. It followeth then of that which is spoken, that God doth not a­bide euery where, & where euery man lusteth, but where our Lord wil make his dwelling place must be a Temple, and that a holy Temple, and his owne Temple, or els hee will dwell vvith none. Where or vvho is the true Temple vvhere God dwelleth, but the most sacred humanity of the son of God? [Page 453]Wee shall call his deified body a Temple, and a holy Tem­ple, and his owne Temple: because of him and of no other, God said at the riuer of Iordan, This is my welbeloued son. This holy Temple was builded not by the hands of Salomon the peaceable, but by the hands and industry of the Holy-ghost, in whose framing and fashioning as Salomon spent seuen yeares, so the Holy-ghost did endue his with his seuen gifts. This our Temple is farre more richer than Salomons was, for if his was couered with gold, so ours is couered with diuine loue: and the difference betwixt those two may easily bee knowne, by the difference that is betwixt a simple gilter, and a great louer. In Salomons Temple, the things of gold were so measured, & those of wood so leuelled, that when they were laid downe, there was no Ax nor hamber heard: When the Holy-ghost did frame the Temple of the most sacred hu­manity of Christ in the wombe of the blessed Virgine Mary, hee framed it so iust, and made it in all perfection so ex­quisite, that there was there no axe of sinne, nor hamber of the diuell. The windowes of that temple were broader with­in than vvithout, to signifie vnto vs that the loue which Christ had secretly in his entrails was farre greater and bro­der than the wounds were which hee suffered for vs: and al­though that at the beginning he doth lead his a straight and narrow way, yet after that they doe tast of his heauenly loue he maketh all things broad and large vnto them. In this holy Temple of Christ, we must offer pure gold and excellent sil­uer, which wee doe then, when in heart we beleeue him, and with our mouth confesse him. There must also be offered lat­ten, copper, and brasse, by which we may vnderstand the ver­tue of patience, for as those mettals doe suffer many blowes, and serue to many vses, so the vertue of patience doth suffer many iniuries, and maketh many men vertuous. It is fit for vs to offer there a [...]acinth stone, which is of the colour of heauē to signifie therby vnto vs, that al our works & desires shold be directed to attain heauē, because that is in heauen which we do beleeue on earth; there he dwelleth whō we preach here; [Page 454]and that is recompenced there which wee suffer here. Wee should offer also in the liuely Temple of that blessed humi­lity, scarlet wel coloured and fine: whereby is vnderstood the memory which wee ought to haue of his holy passion, the which if it was troublesome for him to suffer, is most profita­ble for vs to contemplate. O how happy should he be of whō it might be said, thy hears are like vnto the scarlet of the king died in the gutters. What are the heares but my thoughts? and what are the gutters but his precious wounds? and what is the coloured scarlet but his most precious flesh, died in his owne precious bloud? O who could be worthy to wash in this bloud the heares of his thoughts, euery day a little time, for seeing them of that colour, they would presently be accepta­ble to Christ. Thou shouldest offer also in this most holy Tēple scarlet twise died, that is, loue doubled: & if thou wilt know what loue doubled is, we tell thee that it is the loue of God, and the loue of thy neighbor. He offereth scarlet twise died, who doth the works of charity vnto his neighbour, and giueth no euill speech vnto any man: and hee doth also offer scarlet twise died who offereth his soule vnto God, and part of his goods vnto his neighbour in necessity. God did also command fine white linnen to be offered vnto him, whereby a chast and a clean conuersation is vnderstood, because there is nothing in this world in greater danger than the fame of a vertuous person. Flie then my brother, flie the occasions of the world, and trust not so much as thy selfe, for how much the finer the thrid of thy fame is, the sooner it will be broken & spotted, if thou haue not a viligant care ouer it. God com­maunded likewise that they should offer him in his Temple timber of the wood Cethin, because it was incorruptible, whereby are vnderstood all perfect works and well finished, and this hee noteth, that if in vertuous workes wee haue not great constancy and peseuerance, the worme dooth consume them like as they doe timber. God doth also command that they should offer in his Temple goats heare, if they had no­thing else, nor no other riches, and therevpon the Lord may [Page 455]offer what he will, and man what hee can. What other thing are the goats heare which thou art to offer vnto him, but on­ly our sharpe and austere workes with the which wee are to serue him? With a vile and base and rough couering, cloath of gold and fine silke is kept, and with a seuere life fame is conserued and a clean conscience, because that dainty meats and curious apparell are not to bee vsed among perfect men. O how happy hee should bee who might say with Christ, Consummatum est, that is, that he followed our Lord vntil the last houre as hee might, and offered vnto him that which he had.

CHAP. V. How that all the mysteries and prophesies which God had prophesied of him were most highly fulfilled in Christ in Ierusalem.

ECce ascendimus Hierosolimam, & consumma­buntur omnia quae scripta sunt de filio hominis, Luke 18. Christ spake these wordes vnto his disciples in the last iourney that hee made with them in this life, and it as if hee would say, Behold we goe vp into the great city of Ierusalem, where all the prophesies shall bee fulfilled which are written of mee, and where the sonne of the virgine shall bee deliuered vnto the Gentiles, shal be scorned, and spet vp­on, whipped and put to death, and after three daies they shall see him risen again. Before all things it is principally to be no­ted, that whersoeuer this aduerb (Ecce) is put, there is alwaies signified some great mystery as in Esayas, Ecce, Behold a vir­gine shall bring forth: in the incarnation, Ecce, Behold the handmaid of the Lord: in the transfiguration, Ecce, Behold a white cloud: in the temptation, Ecce, Behold the Angels shall minister vnto him: and in his resurrection, Ecce, [Page 456]behold an earthquake. The things which Christ spake vnto them in this place were so high, and the mystery so great which hee discouereth vnto them, that they could not onely not vnderstand it, but they were also afeared and began to tremble to heare it: for they thought it a violent thing that they should martyr a holy man, and they thought it a very strange thing that any man should rise againe. Theophilus vp­on S. Matthew sayth, That it is much to bee noted, that in all other iournies which Christ made, it is alwaies said that hee went in the company of his disciples, this one excepted, where hee sayth, that hee went before them, to declare the great ioy that hee had, to see that hee went to die and suffer passion for those whom he meant to redeeme and saue. The difference betwixt those which take in hand any iourney is this, that hee who goeth with greatest ioy goeth alwaies for­most, because hee would soonest come to the end: and so it fell out here, for Christ hauing a greater desire of our redēp­tion and saluation than the Apostles had, made most hast on the way. Secretum meum mihi, secretum meum mihi, said God by Esayas chap. 24. as if he would say, From the beginning of the world in the deapth of the eternity, I haue kept close a secret which no mā knoweth. O infinit good, O high Trinity, what is this secret, and from whom dost thou hide it? If there bee more than one secret, why doest thou call it two? and if there be but one, why doest thou say twise, My secret to my selfe, My secret to my selfe? Hee doth twise iterate this word Secret, because there be two mysteries, and yet calleth them in the singular number, because they are but of one Christ, in whom they were accomplished, and for whose cause they were vnto the world reuealed. What greater secret, or what greater mystery, or what higher Sacrament could there be in the world, than for Christ to tell his disciples, that being God he should die, & being man he should rise againe? And it was not without a great mystery that Christ would draw his dis­ciples from the people, draw them to the way, and talke with them in secret, letting them vnderstand by these circumstan­ces, [Page 457]that that which he would tell them should be a great se­cret, seeing that he did not tell it thē but in great secret. Chri­sostome vpon S. Mathew sayth, All the glory of God and all the saluation of the Gentiles consisteth in the death which Christ died, and in the bloud which for al the world he shed: and therefore because the mystery was so high & so strange, he would not discouer it but vnto those of his holy colledge, and vnto them also in great secret. It was a high mystery to say, That being God he should die; and it was also as strange to say, That he who was man should rise again: and he would not reueale it vnto the people, because they should not bee scandalized, but reuealed it to those of his holy colledge for their benefit, because that the most preciousest treasures are alwaies kept in the best and surest chests. It is not then with­out cause that the text sayth, Assumpsit eos secretò, to let vs thereby vnderstand, that wee should not reueale high secrets to all men, nor yet hide thē from some men. Now that Christ hath drawne his disciples into the field, and lead them some­what beside the way, the text sayth, that hee spake secretly vnto them, saying, Behold wee goe vp to Ierusalem: as if hee should say, My children & my brethren, I will open a secret vnto you, such as you haue neuer heard before, that is, that we draw now neere vnto Ierusalem, where I am to suffer, and now the time is come when I must suffer, & the death which they will giue shall be such as my Father hath ordained, and which in the Scripture is prophecied, and which by mee is accepted. And because our Lord here sayth that he must die in Ierusalem and not els where, the prophesie of the Psalme is to be considered, 73. which sayth, Deus autem rex noster ante secula operatus est salutem in medie terrae. His meaning is, Our God and our king hath determined to redeeme the world in a place which is in the middle of the world. If vvee read Ptholome in his tables, and beleeue Strabo in his booke of the situation of the world, they will say that the situation of the city of Ierusalem is in the middle of the earth, and that that precisely is the nauell and center of the vvorld. According [Page 458]vnto the prophesie alledged Christ dying in Ierusalem, hee died in the middle of the world, because that Ierusalē hath on the South side the kingdome of Aegypt, on the East side the kingdome of Arabia, and on the West side the Medite­ran [...]an sea doth compasse it, and one the North side the king­dome of Syria. Basill the great sayth vpon the Psalmes, There could nothing bee more fit and conuenient, than that hee who was the meane and mediator that God should pardon our sinne, should die as hee did in the middle of the world: for if hee should haue died in the East or in the West, they would haue thought that they had been redeemed, & that all the rest had continued cōdemned. By reason wherof, our Redeemer of the world would die in the middest of all men, seeing that he suffered for all men. Barnard in an Epistle sayth, When the Prophet saith, that our Lord hath wrought our saluation in the middle of the earth, hee meaneth that he loueth the mean very much, & hateth extreames: for he doth aswell hate the extream of fasting, as ouermuch eating; and hee hateth as well extreame pouerty as too much vvealth; and he hateth as well too great basenesse of mind as extream pride; and hee hateth as well extreame ignorance as ouer­much eloquence. Cyprian sayth, In this thou maiest see what an enemy Christ is to extreamties, and how little hee fauou­reth such as vse them, in that, that for to giue vs an example, that in all thinges wee should cleaue to the meane, and flie the extreames, his will was to die in the middle of all the world. Wee must note also, that Christ sayth, Ecce ascendi­mus, for by this hee sheweth that hee goeth not to his death forced or constrained by any, but of his owne loue: the vvhich infinite loue as it brought him from heauen to take flesh, so it dooth lead him to die on the crosse. When the son of God sayth vnto his Disciples, Behold we go vp to Ierusa­lem, this is no speech of a malefactor, but of a great Re­deemer, because the vvicked man neuer sayth vnto his friendes, I goe to die, but looke they carry or lead [Page 459]mee to receiue iustice. O high mystery, O diuine Sacrament, vvho euer heard that such a man as Christ vvas, young, healthfull, free, and iust, of his owne proper vvill should say vnto his Disciples, Behold I go to Ierusalem to die: as if hee vvould say, Behold I goe to bee merry and to great ioy. Aymon sayth, What sayth hee else vvhen hee sayth, Behold vve goe vp to Ierusalem, but make it knowen vnto the rulers of the church, that he goeth to die before his in­formation bee drawne, before the sergeants do take him, before the hangmen doe keepe him, and before that the iudge hath giuen sentence on him. Rabanus vpon this place sayth, When Christ sayth vnto his Disci­ples, Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem: it is as if hee vvould say, Behold and marke vvell, that when you shall see mee hanged vpon the crosse like vnto a male­factor, doe not thinke that I am onely a man, for if to die bee the condition of a man, yet to die vvillingly is the property of God alone. Hee vvho is a pure man dieth although hee vvould not, but hee vvho is God and man dieth vvhen hee vvill: and such vvas the sonne of God, vvho tooke death vvhen hee vvould, and took againe his life vvhen it pleased him. Remigius in a certaine Homily sayth, In this speech of, [Behold vvee goe vp to Ierusalem] the sonne of God dooth shew two things vnto vs, that is, That hee goeth to die; and that hee go­eth to suffer that death of his owne accord: so that we owe him for two debts, the one for the bloud vvhich hee shed, and the other for the loue vvith the vvhich he shed it. Cyrillus saith also, If as Christ said, Behold I goe to Ierusalem to die of my owne voluntary vvill, hee should haue said, Be­hold they draw me to be iusticied by force; vve should haue ben bound vnto him for the martirdome which he suffered, & not for the wil vvith the which he suffered. But seeing he saith plainly that he goeth of his own voluntary vvill, to the but­chery of the Mount of Caluary to bee executed; it is cer­taine, that if vvee owe him much for that hee did suffer, [Page 460]we owe him much more for the loue vvith the which he did suffer. S. Ierome sayth likewise in this speech of Ecce ascendi­mus, our great sheepheard dooth admonish all other sheepe­heards, that when necessity doth so require, they should not oppose themselues against any tyrant if they vvould put thē to death, but also offer themselues to death for the saluation of their flocke: because there is no higher degree of martyr­dome, than to die for the sauing of his neighbour. Simon de Gassia sayth, For the sonne of God to say vnto his disciples, Behold I goe to die, and not, They carry mee to kill me; was to let them vnderstand, that to the Christian religion, & pro­fession of the Gospell vvee should not bee drawne by force, but goe willingly, because our Lord doth not so much regard the feet with the which wee seeke him, as hee doth behold out intentions with which we loue him. And Christ saith fur­ther, Et consummabuntur omnia quae scripta sunt de me, as if he would say, The cause vvhy I goe to Ierusalem is because all things vvhich are vvritten of mee by the Prophets may bee fulfilled and accomplished. Origen sayth, All thinges vvhich vvere vvritten of Christ are brought vnto three things, and all those to be fulfilled by him, to wit, that vvhich he should doe, that vvhich he should suffer, and the reward vvhich he should haue, aswell for that vvhich hee did in his life, as for that vvhich he suffered at his death. That which Christ did, vvas to plant the church: that vvhich he suffered, was a most cruell death: & the reward vvhich he receiued, vvas his glo­rious resurrection: insomuch that in his holy life, in his dread­full death and passion, and glorious resurrection, all the holy Scripture is contained. These two speeches vvhich Christ spake doe very vvell agree, that is, that vvhich he sayth here Consummabuntur omnia, and the other vvhich he vttered vp­on the crosse Consummatum est. For in that, that he died and rose againe, all vvas fulfilled that was vvritten of him. But speaking more particularly, Christ sayth, that in entring into Ierusalem, he should be deliuered vnto the Gentils, and that he should bee mocked vvith iniurious vvords, and spet vpon [Page 461]with grosse spettle, and whipped with much discipline, and that he should also bee crucified and put to death with great nailes. Who euer saw or heard the like vnto this, that they should vnload such a heape of iniuries, and such a multitude of torments vpon so tender a body, and so iust a person? Dedit percutientibus se maxillam, & saturabitur opprebrijs, saith Iere­my, chap. 3. Speaking of Christs iniuries, as if hee should say, The redeemer of the world will bee so patient in his trauails, and so obedient vnto his persecutors, that hee himselfe will offer his cheeke to be buffetted, and he will put himselfe be­fore them, because they should fill him with iniuries. How well so euer Ieremy did prophesie this, yet Christ did fulfill it better, seeing that he offered vnto his enemies not onely his cheeke that they might buffet it, but also all his holy body that they might kill it. What meaneth this O good Iesus, what meaneth this, The Prophet Elias did she from the citie of Ierusalem, because Queene Iezabel should not cut off his head, and doest thou goe to Ierusalem, where thou knowest that they wil depriue thee of thy life? Great king Dauid fled from the city of Ierusalem, and went out of it, because hee would bee no more persecuted of king Saul, and doest thou goe to Ierusalem to bee crucified? In this point sure thou art not Dauids sonne, nor Helias companion, for if they flie from Ierusalem to saue their liues, thou goest to Ierusalem to offer thy selfe to death. If thy death had been a common death, it might haue been born with, but seeing that it was more grie­uous to suffer the circumstances of thy death, than death it selfe, what necessity constrained thee, or what charity moo­ued thee why thou shouldest not haue fled with thy Father Dauid, or absented thee with the Prophet Ely? It is a thing worthy to bee noted, that Christ putteth it for the greatest point of his Martyrdome that he should be iniuried, and also that he should be scorned and mocked. By which complaint hee doth let vs vnderstand, that the sonne of God did grieue more at the iniurious words which they spake vnto him, than at the lashes and discipline which they gaue him. Ieremy doth [Page 462]not say that Christ should be filled in his passion with stripes flagellis, but opprobrijs, reuilings and iniuries, and the reason is, because stripes & lashes passe no further than the shoulders, but iniuries entred vnto the entrails. Who is he in the world which wil not be more grieued at an iniurious word, thā with the point of a speare? Ieremy maketh no reckoning of the thornes, nor of the nailes, nor of the lashes, but onely of the iniuries which Christ suffered, seeing that hee saith, Saturabi­tur opprobrijs, because hee passed through those torments but one day, but hee suffered iniuries and blasphemies euery day. In these words of Ieremies, He shall be filled with iniuries: he signified vnto vs, the cruelty of his torments and the multi­tude of his iniuries: for as hee who is full, hath no more place in his stomacke to fill, so there was no torment which to the sonne of God they left vngiuen, nor no iniury vnspoken. For what torments were there which they gaue him not, or what iniuries could there be spoken which they vttered not. Hugo de sancto victore vpon Ieremy sayth, Because the son of God would declare that hee was the iustest of all others, and of all martyrs the greatest martyr, he said that he should be fil­led with iniuries and reuilings: because that in all other mar­tyrs, they did lay hands with no other intention, but to mar­tyr them, but in Christ they laid hands to kill him, & tongues to iniury him. S. Ierome on this place sayth, Ieremy saith very well of Christ, Quod saturabitur opprobrijs: for wee doe not read of any Martyr, that he was martyred with tongues, but with hands, the son of God alone is he, whose life they tooke away with their hands, and fame with their tongues. Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth, With great reason, the Prophet Ieremy sayth of Christ, That he should be filled with iniuries: seeing wee see, that in his holy passion, liers doe sell the truth, sooles mocke wisedome, the guilty whip innocency, the wretched spet vpon glory, and the dead kill life. S. Barnard in a sermon of the passion sayth, What heart is able to endure it, or what fingers able to write it, to see that the liberty of captiues is sold, the glory of Angels scorned and mocked, the morning [Page 463]starre of the world spet at, the Lord of all scourged & whip­ped, and he who is the rewarder of trauels murthered? S. Am­brose vpon S. Luke sayth, Of Christ only, & of no other Ieremy sayth, Quod saturabitur opprobrijs: seeing that he was sold like a malefactor, mocked like a foole, spet at like a vile person, whipped like a theefe, and put to death like a traitor. S. Hilary in an Homily sayth, According vnto the prophesie of Iere­my, the sonne of God shall be filled with iniuries, seeing that he is sold of the Symoniacles, mocked of hypocrites, whip­ped of tyrants, spet at by blasphemers, and put to death by heretikes. Let our conclusion then be, that not without a high mystery, nor profound sacrament, Christ before hee should suffer, said these words of Consummabuntur, and in the end of his suffering, Consummatum est, to let vs vnderstād, that at one time Christs life did end: and if we be such as we ought to be our faults.

CHAP. VI. Here hee entreateth of that high praier which Christ made vpon the table, saying, Pater sancte non pro mundo rogo, sed pro illis vt serues eos a malo. In which prai­er if he obtained constancy and stoutnesse for his Apostles, yet he forgot not the weake saying, Non rogo vt tollas eos a mundo.

PAter sancte claritatem quam tu dedisti mihi dedi eis, vt sint Consummati in v­num, I [...]h. 17. These words are spo­ken by the mouth of the son of God, praying vnto his Father, after he had made a sermon before supper, the highest and longest that euer hee preached in all his life time, as if hee should say, O my holy, eternall, mighty and blessed Father, [Page 464]that which I entreat and request of thee in this last houre is, that seeing I haue giuen to my Disciples part of the light and science which thou hast giuen mee, thou wouldest also giue them grace to bee perfect in that kind of perfection as thou are wont to make perfect the elect. By occasion of those words which Christ spake vpon the crosse, that is, Consumma­tum est, and by reason of that other which he spake, praying vnto his Father, Consummati sunt, it shall bee necessary for vs to declare in this place what that is which the redeemer of the world spake in his praier, and what the Scripture sayth of it. It is here to be noted, who hee is which praieth, where hee praieth, when he praieth, and how he praieth, and for whome he praieth, & what he praieth: for oftentimes in Scripture the circumstances how a thing is done, makes it either weighty or very weighty. Hee who praieth is Christ; the place where, is the p [...]r [...]or; the time, is at supper; how, is with lifting vp his eies; the things which hee praieth, are very high; they for whom, are his disciples. In this high praier Christ spake dainty words, most graue sentences, very secret mysteries, very necessary aduises, and very profitable counsels; by reason whereof, it is conuenient to read them with attention, and note them with deuotion. Christ then sayth in the beginning of his praier, Pater sancte serua eos in nomine tuo qui tui sunt, & pro eis rogo & non pro mundo, as if he should say, My holy and blessed fa­ther, that which I ask of thee for these thy children and my disciples, is, that thou deliuer them from sin, & keep them in thy seruice, seeing that they bee my brothers by nature, and thy children by grace: and if I aske any thing of thee it is not for those which are of the world, but for those which thou doest keepe vnder thy safegard. O sweet words for the good, and sorrowfull for the bad, seeing that by them are diuided and seperated the perfect from the foreseene, the elect from the reprobate, Gods friends from the children of perdition, and also the neighbours of heauen from the louers of the world. Howsoeuer Christ our redeemer praied from the hart for those which he loued from the heart, yet he set this word [Page 465] Sancte Pater before his praier, because it is a very naturall thing, that this word Pater, maketh a father attentiue to here the child, and maketh his eies tender to behold him, and his heart gentle to loue him, and openeth his entrails that hee can deny him nothing. What sweeter words can come to a fathers eares, than to heare his sonne call him father? As a sonne welbeloued and tendered, once Christ calleth his fa­ther my father, another time iust father, & another time Lord and father, sometimes holy father, and sometimes father and nothing else, so that such as his praier was, such was the name which hee gaue him. It is not then here without a mystery, that hee calleth him Pater sancte, because hee who praied in this praier was most holy, hee to whom hee praied was holy, that which hee praied were holy things, the place where hee praied was a holy place, and hee for whom he praied was his holy colledge. What doest thou aske O good Iesus, what doest thou aske? Pardon for my sheepe, that God would de­liuer them from Wolues, pardon for my disciples, that God would keepe them from the diuell, pardon for my elect that God would seperate them from sinne, and pardon for my friendes that God would take them vp into heauen. As thou art going thy iourney to the crosse, at the point of death, in the euening of thy agony, and whē they come to apprehend thy person, among so many thinges which thou doest aske of thy Father, doest thou ask nothing for thy selfe? O heauen­ly care, O vnspeakable loue, O charity neuer heard of before, such as thine is O creator of my soule towards all mankind, seeing that in such a dismal day, in such a narrow strait as thou art in, thou hast cause sufficient to craue of thy father for thy selfe, sauing only that to remember me thou doest forget thy selfe. And Christ sayth that he doth aske for such as are his, that is, for those which in the depth of his eternity are pre­destinated, and are in the number of the elect, to the end that they may bee one thing in the father, as the father and the sonne are one thing. Let the curious reader marke in this place, that this abuerbe Sicut dooth not in this place make an [Page 466]equality betwixt God and man, but onely a resemblance, and a likenesse for vnlike, the which because Arrias would not vnderstād, became to be an infamous heretike. When Christ said Sint vnum in me, his meaning was this, That which I aske of thee (O heauēly Father) is, that as those of my colledge be thy children and my brethren by grace, I am thy only begot­ten sonne by nature. Saint Augustine vpon this place saith, As the father and the sonne are one, and the same thing, not on­ly by equality of substance, but also for equality of will, so the disciples are one thing with Christ, not by nature, but by a bond of loue and fellowship. And he addeth further, that be­cause the perfection of a iust man is no other thing but the participation which he hath with the diuine likenesse, we are good in so many degrees, in how many we draw neere to the likenesse of God. Christ sayth plainly for whom hee praieth seeing he sayth, Quia tui sunt; and also for whom he doth not pray, seeing he sayth, That he doth not aske for the world: so that those be participant of his praier which do serue Christ, and he excludeth those which follow the world. O how hap­py those be which follow Christ, and which loue Christ, and serue Christ, because they only be partakers of his praier, the which loue and seruice euery man should proue in himselfe, not in the words which hee speaketh of Christ, but in the workes which he doth for his seruice. Chrisostome saith, We should bee afeard very much my brethren, that Christ did not say, I pray vnto thee father for those who cal themselues thine, but onely for those which are thine, because there are many now adaies in the church of God who are baptised, & call themselues Christians, and doe goe to church, who whē they are gone from thence, are prowd, enuious, couetous, car­nall and blasphemers; of which wee may say, that they call themselues of Christ, but they bee not of Christ. For such beasts as these, Christ doth not pray, nor such naughty men as these haue no part in Christs praier, not because Christs holy praier doth not reach vnto all, but because they remaine out of it because they continue in their sinnes. Cyrillus vpon Saint [Page 467] Iohn sayth, Why doest thou aske for thy disciples, for if they bee thy Fathers, thou hast no need, and if they bee not his what hast thou to doe with them? That which I aske for them is, that as they are his by faith, they may be his also by charity, for it would little auaile them to bee constant in faith if they should not be also feruent in loue. Remigius sayth, There is no doubt but the sonne of God was neuer asked by any, nor importuned by any, nor suborned by any to pray for those of his colledge, but of himselfe, hee moued himselfe to pray, and commend them to his Father, giuing vs thereby to vnderstand, what great care he hath to looke vnto vs, if wee be not carelesse to serue him. But how should not that other part make vs afeard & astonied, when Christ said [I pray not for the world] seeing hee excludeth from his praier all vaine light worldlings, which are al worthily shut out of his church, seeing they would not follow his doctrine. When the sonne of God sayth, Non rogo pro mundo, hee sayth that he doth not pray for the proud man, hee sayth that hee doth not pray for the enuious man, for the fleshly man, for the couetous man, for the blasphemer, for vnto such persons their paradise is their vices, and hell Gods commādemēts. How (saith Christ) shall I aske for the world, seeing I am not knowne of any neighbour in it? Rupertus vpon S. Iohn sayth, Seeing that Christ sayth, I doe not aske for the world, let euery man mark what life hee leadeth, for thereby hee may see what part hee hath in Christs praier, for the rewarder of vertues is Christ, and the pay-maister of vices is the diuell. Tel me I pray thee why the sonne of God should pray for them which are blin­ded in the world, and whose glory is this wicked world, see­ing the captaine and ringleader of such is the diuell? S. Au­gustine vpon S. Iohn sayth, Why doth the sonne of God say in his praier [I do not entreat for the world] but because the transgressor of the precept is hee who committeth the sinne, and hee who committeth the sinne is the louer of the world, and the louer of the world is the seruant of the diuell, and the seruant of the diuell is a neighbor and inhabitant of hell. [Page 468] Bonauenture in the life of Christ sayth, When the deuill go­eth about to make me sinne, and when the flesh goeth about to ouercome mee, and when the world goeth about to pam­per and make much of me, I presently doe call to mind that speech of Christ, I pray not for the world; and that, Rise to iudgement; and that, Goe into euerlasting fire. Although these three enemies are strong to ouercome, yet these are three mighty arrowes to shoot at them: for if we remember, I doe not pray the father for the world, Rise to iudgement, Go into euerlasting fire; who dare commit a sinne, nor yet take his sleepe by night? Christ sayth further, Non pro eis tantum rogo, sed pro eis qui crediturisunt in me, as if hee should say, O my holy and blessed Father, behold that my church must be very much encreased, and must dure vnto the worlds end, by reason whereof, I doe not aske thee only for these which sit at my table, but also for all those vvhich vvill beleeue in mee hereafter. And hee sayth further, Non rogo vt tol­las eos de mundo, sed vt serues cos a malo, as if hee should say, Although my elect bee not of the vvorld, nor haue no part in the vvorld, and the vvorld hate them, yet I doe not aske thee that thou vvouldest take them out of the vvorld, but that thou vvouldest deliuer them from all euill. Speaking litterally, our Lord asketh here of his Father, that hee vvould not take all his Disciples so soone out of the world, partly because they bee not well grounded in matters of perfection, and partly because the Gentiles should be lightned by thē: & if they should haue died with Christ, all the world should haue ben vnconuerted. Theophilus saith, When the son of God sayth vnto his Father, I doe not craue of thee that thou wouldest take them out of this world, but that thou wouldest keepe them from euill, aboue all things I say, that blessed be that mouth which spake that, & blessed be they for whom he spake it, seeing thereby wee bee certified, that how bad so euer wee bee, our Lord doth labour alwaies to bring vs to his seruice. Marke then the infinite good­nesse and charitie of our Lord, who when hee had said, [Page 469]I doe not aske for the world, sayth presently, I doe not desire that thou wouldest take them out of the world. The which words he spake immediately after the other, be­cause wee should not bee bold to sinne, trusting vnto Gods mercy, and yet if wee doe chance to fall, that wee should not perseuere and dispaire. To say that Christ should not entreat for the world, it is a dreadfull speech, and yet to pray that he should not spoile the world of the good, is a speech of great comfort: for seeing that hee would not haue the world with­out good ones, it is a signe that hee would that by them wee should be conuerted. When the Lord would drowne all the world with a floud, he did first put Noe in safety; and when he would send fire vpon Sodome and Gomorra, hee placed Lot vpon a high hill; and when hee would punish the murmurers in the desert, hee commanded Moyses and Aaron to goe out to the field: so that it is a great signe that God is angry with some when hee taketh the good out of their company. Vn­happy Iudas immediately after hee had departed out of that holy colledge, hanged himselfe; and it happened otherwise in S. Peter, whom although Christ suffered to fall, yet hee did not abandon him and put him out of his sight, for as soone as hee had committed the fault Christ presently looked him in the face. Iudas was a disciple, and S. Peter was a disciple, Iu­das did sinne, and S. Peter did sinne, the one did sell Christ, & the other did denie Christ, Iudas was damned, and S. Peter saued, and the reason was, because Christ was where Peter sinned, and would not bee where Iudas did hang himselfe. In the two great captiuities of Babilon, there were many iust men carried away captiue among the wicked, as Thobias, Da­niell, and Esdras, and Abdias, all which our Lord did send thi­ther, not because they had committed any sinne against him, but for the consolation and remedy of some sinners. What should become of sinners and naughty persons, if our Lord should take away all good men from amongst them? In the merit of the good and vertuous, God doth sustaine vs which are sinners; for otherwise, because we are Gods enemies the [Page 470]sonne would not shine vpon vs, nor the heauen would not raine vpon vs, the aire would moue it selfe, and the earth o­pen, and wild beastes would deuour vs, and the diuels would kil vs. Gregory sayth, That sinners may haue great hope when our Lord dooth not draw the iust from among them, for in not seperating the good from the bad, it is a token that by the merits and handes of those good men, hee will draw vs from that which is naught, and lead vs to that vvhich is good. Ambrose sayth, In those words which Christ spake [I aske not for the world] hee dooth threaten vs with his iu­stice: and in the other speech of, [Non tollas eos de mundo] hee doth flatter vs with his mercy, seeing that in the one hee setteth away the obstinate from obtaining of mercy, and in the other hee giueth hope vnto the weake, that they shall haue part in his clemency. I beseech thee then O my good Iesus, I beseech thee, that thou wouldest not seperate mee from among the good, or else put not the good from mee, for if I should not bee good for conscience, at the least I should bee for shame. It is also much to bee noted, that our Lord dooth not entreat his Father, that hee would not take the good out of the world, but that hee would keepe them from all perill and daun­ger: in so much that in his most high praier hee dooth nei­ther forget the vveake, nor bee carelesse of the good, because for sinners hee praieth that they bee not forsaken of the good, and for the iust hee praieth, that they bee not ouermaistered by sinners. If it bee true that Saint Gregory sayth, Deus qui nos in tantis periculis, and that the Apostle sayth, Periculum in mari, periculum in terra, and also the Pro­phet, Hoc mare magnum & speciosum, why doth not the sonne of God pray that his Father would deliuer vs from more than one danger, seeing there are so many in the world? It seemeth that there should bee some great euill in the vvorld, seeing that Christ maketh mention of it and of no other, as so it is truly, for if that euill had not come into [Page 471]the world, there should haue beene no hell in the other. Irenaeus sayth, As in heauen there is one holy one aboue all holy ones, which is God, and in hell there is one euill aboue all euils which is the diuell, so there is in the world one naughty thing which passeth all the rest which is sinne. Tell mee I pray thee what naughtinesse would there bee in the world, if in the world there were no sinne? Hunger and cold, thirst and wearinesse, we do vniustly call euils or naugh­ty things, because they are not naught of themselues, but onely the reliques of that great euill, for if wee had not knowne what thing sinne had beene, neither should vvee haue knowne what hunger and cold had meant. For to deli­uer vs from this great euill Christ dooth teach vs to pray, when wee say, Sed libera nos a malo, and so Christ in his prai­er sayth, Non rogo vt tollas eos de mundo, sed vt liberes eos de malo. So that wee are to craue nothing else of our Lord, but that hee would deliuer vs from sinne, and guide vs in his ser­uice. What doest thou aske thy Father O my good Iesus for thy elect, what doest thou ask for thy welbeloued disciples? I doe not aske riches for them, for that is a fraile thing; I doe not aske honour for them, for that is a vaine thing; nor life, for that is transitory; nor ease, because there is none in this world; I aske onely that thou wouldest deliuer them from sinne, for my disciples cannot possesse greater riches than to haue their hearts cleare from sinnes. Christ addeth further in his praier and sayth, Non pro eis tantum rogo, sed pro eis qui credituri sunt in me, as if hee should say, I doe not pray onely (O my Father) for these which eat at my table, but for all those which will hereafter enter into my church; because that thou being in mee by nature, and I be­ing with them by grace, they may bee perfect in one perfect charitie. Christ made his praier in very good order, for first hee praied for himselfe, then for his Disciples, then for weake sinners, and in the end for all those vvhich vvere to come. If Christ should haue [Page 472]praied only for those which sat at his table, what should haue become of all those which should afterward be borne in his catholicke church? Chrisostome sayth, That Christ praied for the quicke and for the dead, for the present and for the absent, for those which were already born, & for those which should afterward be born, insomuch that all the fauors which. God dooth for vs at this day, Christ did merit for vs by his life and bloud, and obtained them with his praier. S. Augu­stine sayth, In the merit of those words which Christ spake in his praier, Non tantum pro eis rogo, wee which are now in his church haue as great part in the merits of this life in the be­stowing of his bloud, and in the perfection of his praier, as his disciples which were with him then at his table. O glorious speech, O blessed praier which Christ vsed when hee said, I doe not pray for them only, but for those which shall hereaf­ter beleeue in me, although we had neuer seen him, nor done him any seruice at all, nor deserued any loue at his hands, yet he praied with as great affection for vs as for those which sat at his table. Rabanus sayth, Because the sonne of God was the founder of the church, he praied vnto his father for those of his church, not forgetting nor excluding any one: by rea­son whereof, we shall aske with great confidence those things which belong to the saluation of our soule, for seeing he doth pray to his Father for those things which are fit for vs, it is to be beleeued, that he will not deny vs of that which himselfe possesseth. Theophilus sayth, Marke well that Christ dooth not pray here for those which beleeue that there is a God, but onely for those which doe beleeue in God. The Pagan doth beleeue that there is a God, the diuell doth know well that to be true which God saith, but onely the good Christi­an doth beleeue in God, because hee doth that which God dooth command him. There bee many which beleeue that there is a God as the Pagan dooth, and beleeue God as the diuel doth, but they do not beleeue in God as the good Chri­stian doth: for the Apostle sayth, that our faith is not knowne by the words which we speake, but in the good works which [Page 473]we doe. Christ doth conclude & sayth, Vt omnes sint Consum­mati in vnum, that is, hee entreateth his Father, that all those which be at his table, and all those which shall after succeed in his catholicke church may end in one faith, in one bap­tisme, in one loue, and in one charity.

CHAP. VII. Herein he entreateth of the variety, and diuersity of names of the sacrifices of the old Testament, and of the exellen­cy of the sacrifice of the new Testament.

SI oblatio tua fuerit de sartagine, similae con­spersum oleo, & absquefermento, diuides, e­am, minutatim, & funde super eum oleum, Leuit. 2. chap. God spake these words to holy Moyses, giuing him order how the Priests should be appointed, and how the sacrifices should be offered, as if he would say, If any Hebrew will offer vnto God any fruit to bee fried in a frying pan, the floure must bee kned with oile, and with­out leauen, and after it is well fried, and oile sprinkled vpon it, and cut into very smal peeces, so offered vnto Aaron, to bee offered vpon the altar. Before wee come to expound these mysteries, we must shew the cause why our Lord would busie and occupy the people of the Iewes, in such strange rites, in such new sacrifices, and in so many ceremonies, being as hee was, so graue a Lord, and so mighty a God. Stapulensis in the first of Leuiticus sayth, That for three causes God comman­ded the Iewes, to offer so many small sacrifices, and made with so many ceremonies. The first is, that because the Iews had beene brought vp in Aegypt, where all were idolatours, and they giuen to Idolatry, the Lord would that they should offer those sacrifices vnto him, and not to the gods of the Gentiles. The second reason is, that because vnder those sa­crifices [Page 474]hee would declare and figure the true sacrifice which should come into the world which was his precious sonne. The third reason is, that being occupied in that multitude of sacrifices they should haue no time to bestow in committing of other sinnes, because the foundation of all wickednesse is accursed idlenesse. It is also to be noted, that there was seuen kinds of sacrifices in the old law, vnto the which all other were reduced, although they seemed to be infinite. The first sacrifice was called Holocaustum, which was the greatest and most sumptuoust of all, because it was offered vnto our Lord without any other respect: the second was called Pacificum because it was offered in time of warre, partly because our Lord should giue them peace in their times, and partly be­cause he should giue thē victory against their enemies. The third was called Propiciatory which was offered in time of great dearth or pestilence, and the end of it was because our Lord should withdraw his hand from ouer them, and take that plague from them. The fourth was called Pontificat, which was offered for the sinnes of the priest of the Temple, and the end of it was, because they did hold it certaine, that if the Priest were loaden with sinnes, that the Lord at his handes would not accept the sacrifices. The fift was called Regale, which was offered for the sinnes which the king had committed, and the end of it was, because the Lord should pardon the sins which he had committed, & lighten him to gouern well his Commonwealth. The sixt was called Com­mon, which was offered for the sins of all the people of Israel, & the end of it was, that the Lord should take them vnder his protection, & look vpon that people. The seuenth was called Particular, & this was offered for euery particular person, and the end of it was, that God should pardon him for that which was past, & giue him grace to amend hereafter. All these sa­crifices differed in the beasts which were offered in them, & in the ceremonies with the which they were offered: and in one thing they all agreed, that is, that there could no sacrifice be made for the remission of any sin, vnlesse the bloud of one [Page 475]cleane beast were shed. The Apostle said not without great cause, Non fit sanguinis effusio sed remissio, because no mā could bee made cleane of a fault in the old law but by the death of some beast. Origen sayth, It is certain that euery beast doth ra­ther liue by his bloud, than by his flesh, or members, or bones which he goeth with, for when he leaueth bleeding, hee lea­ueth breathing. Although it bee true, that in recompence of the least fault, we are bound to offer our life for it, yet God in the old law was content with the life of a dead beast, in re­compence of the life which that Iew did owe him. O how happie we be which fight vnder the name of Christ, because the parishioners of the synagogue did offer the bloud of dead beasts, but the faithful Christians offer nothing but the bloud of the sonne of the liuing God; insomuch that we haue no ne­cessity to offer our liues in recompence of our offences, be­cause the life of one was sufficient to make cleane all the faults of the world. S. Paule could not praise Christs buying of vs better, than to say, Emptiestis pretio magno, giuing vs there­by to vnderstand, that with the bloud of his vaines hee had bought our liues, and also taken away our offences. For to haue pardoned a Iew of his fault, it was necessary euery time that hee had sinned, to kill a beast: but in Christs holy law one death tooke away all deaths, one life did buy all liues, and one paine tooke away all paines and offences. When the A­postle calleth Christ, Hostiam viuentem, he wanteth not a deepe secret and a profound mystery, because that in the old law they called Hostiā, the sacrifice which was offered against those which were enemies, & they offered nothing but dead sacrifices, because the beast which they did offer was neither called sacrifice, nor Hostia, vntill his life had been taken from him. The sonne of God gaue the name of Hostia a sacrifice when he died, and the name of life when he rose againe, and therefore wee may very well call him a liuely sacrifice, a ho­ly sacrifice, a pure sacrifice, and holy bread, seeing that hee is the sacrifice and Hostie which giueth life vnto all, [Page 476]and is the holiest sacrifice of all other, and the purest, and the cleanest bread of all others. Anima cum obtulerit oblationem sacrificij domino similae erit eius oblatio & fundet super eam ole­um, & ponet thus, Leuit. 2. God spake these words vnto Moy­ses, because he should tel them the people of Israel, as if hee should say, If any will offer any sacrifice which shall bee ac­ceptable vnto mee, offer mee it of the purest floure mingled with oile, and therewithall he shal adde a little frankincense. If wee doe curiously looke vnto it, of three things onely our Lord requireth an offering of vs, that is pure floure, good oile, and sweet incense; the which things are easiy to bee found, light to offer, and not costly to buy. S. Ambrose sayth, In this wee may see what a great desire our Lord hath to par­don the sinnes which we commit against him, in that he him­selfe doth teach vs what sacrifices we should offer vnto him. What is vnderstood by that fine sifted floure, but that most sacred humanity of the sonne of God? This holy floure was so sifted and putrified, that all the Angels which shall come to see it, and all the men in the world which shall come to clense it, shall not find in that sacred humanity one smal grite of originall sinne, nor on spot of mortall sinne, nor one little dust of any other small sinne. Of this most pure floure Christ did knead the sacramentall bread in his last supper, which he left vs in the church, which doth differ farre from that which mother Eue did leaue her children, because that in eating of that we doe sinne, and receiuing of this we doe liue. What is the incense which God commaunded vs to offer with the floure in his Temple, but the diuinity which is ioined with the humanity in Christ? Vntill the gate of the Temple the floure was carried by it selfe, and the incense by itselfe, but be­ing brought to the gate of the Temple, the one was incorpo­rated with the other: which mystery was most notably ac­complished in the comming of Christ, because that so farre asunder was mankind which was here vpon earth, from the diuinity which was in heauen, but the son of God comming into the world, immediately God with man, and man with [Page 477]God became one. What is the oile with the which God commanded the floure and incense to be tempered, but that which in the blessed Trinitie wee call the holy-ghost? The coniunction & bond of loue betwixt the Father and the son, and hee who did incorporate the floure with the incense, was no other but the holy-ghost, for so said the prophesie, Vnxit te deus, deus tuus eleo letetia, and so said the Angell vnto the virgine when he said, Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te. That which the Prophet called oile, the Angell afterward did cal the holy-ghost: insomuch that the cake which God deman­ded of floure, oile, and incense, was nothing else but the hu­manity of him which was made by the father, and by the son, and by the holy-ghost. A cake so well seasoned, a sacrifice so highly well made, which of the saints would not offer, and which of the Angels would not adore? The sacrifice which God did demand in times past, was not that which the Sy­nagogue did offer, but that which the catholike church doth now offer, for they did offer him dow wet in vineger, and fou­stie oile, and most sharpe incense, but the sacrifice which wee doe now offer him is the humanity and diuinity of Christ, v­nited and put together by the handes of the holy-ghost. It is no reason that the Christian and deuour reader should be ig­norant why God commanded but a part of the floure to bee offered, but all the incense. To put a measure in the floure was to say, that the humanity of it selfe was limitted and had an end, and to put no measure in the frankincense was to say, that in the diuinity there is neither beginning nor end, which is most true, because the workes which the sonne of God did were limmitted and circumscribed in that, that he was man, but being kneaded with the oile of the holy-ghost, he made them infinite in value and weight. To come then to our first purpose, the text sayth, si oblatio tua fuerit de sartagine simile conspersa oleo, & absque fermento, diuides eam minutatim, & fundas super cam oleum, as if he should say, The fritter which thou shalt offer vnto me, shall bee made of the floure of the meale, without leauen, kned with very good oile, and then [Page 438]being well pricked, thou shalt sprinckle it ouer with new oile. If there should bee no mystery hidden vnder this Iudaicall sacrifice, wee might haue occasion to thinke that our Lord were a glutton, and giuen to variety of meats, seeing that in the beginning of this chapter he asked of thē fritters or cake dressed with good oile, and now againe a cake made of the floure of wheat, and that without leauen, small broken, and fried in a frying pan in very whote oile. Of this high and new sacrifice, what is the floure but the humanity which suffered, what the oile but the loue with the vvhich hee died, and what the frying pan but the crosse where hee died? To say that God the Father did aske for a cake made in a frying pan, and to say that the crosse of his sonne was the frying pan, and that the fine floure of his precious flesh was fried in that fry­ingpan, and that the oile with the which it was fried was the loue with the which he redeemed vs, is no vnreuerent speech to vse; neither is there any errorin affirming it, seeing wee he certain that there is no word writtē in holy Scripture which is not full of high mystery. The property of the fryingpan is, being put vpon the fire the fire dooth not wast him nor melt him as hee doth many other thinges, and beside: hee maketh those meats which are cold, hard, and not to be eaten; whote, soft, and very sauourous. What was the death and passion of our redeemer Iesus Christ, but a frying pan put to the fire? The sacred humanity of Christ being put in the fryingpan of the crosse, notwithstanding all the torments which they gaue him, and all the iniuries and reproches which they spake a­gainst him they neuer diminished any part of his vertue, for although for the space of three daies his soule was seperated from his body, yet they deuide not his Diety from his soule, nor from his body. Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth, Before that the sonne of God was fried in the frying pan of the crosse, his flesh was so raw that it could not bee eaten, but after that the fire of his passion did season it vs and frie it, there is nothing in heauen more sauerous, nor nothing on the earth more pro­fitable. Cyrillus in another sence saith, There were four things [Page 479]in this sacrifice, fire, the pan, oile, and flour: These four things were found in the passion of Christ, that is, the fire which the Iewes kindled to the end hee should dieithe frying pan, vvas the crosse which they sought out where hee should die: and the oile, the loue and charity with the vvhich hee died there for to redeeme the world: and the floure, his most sacred flesh vvhich there was fried. O glorious sacrifice, O eternall meat, that thou art O sonne of the liuing God, seeing that fri­ed and whote, and seasoned, thou diddest giue thy selfe in the frieng pan of the crosse, to the end that all men might eat thee, and none excused from seruing thee. When the sonne of God said, Nisi manducaueritis carnem filij hominis, his Disci­ples being scandalized, Abierunt retrorsum & dixerunt, durus est hic sermo. But after that, that most sacred flesh was seaso­ned & fried in the frying pan of the crosse, it was soft & sweer to tast of, sauerous to eat, and profitable to be taken. Sume tibi sartaginem ferream, & ponas eam murum ferreum, inter te & eiuitatem, said God by the Prophet Ezechiel, chap. 4, as if hee should say, Goe thy way out of the city, and thou shalt put a frieng pan of iron betweene thee and the city, because thou maiest neither see her, nor shee hurt thee. Who euer saw or heard the like, that the Lord should command the Prophet to fight with a frying pan, and defend himselfe behind the same? Tell me O Ezechiel, what hurt couldest thou do with a frying pan, seeing it hath no point, or how couldest thou defend thy selfe vnder it, considering that it will scarse couer thy head? If thou wilt goe to fight take a launce with thee, and if thou wilt go to defend thy selfe from thy enemies take thy Target, because the frying pan is fitter for the kitchē thā the warre, and better to dresse meat with than to fight. O glo­rious crosse, O holy frying pan, where the flesh of my God was fried, where his bloud was shed, where his charitie vvas enflamed, where our fault was melted, and where his life was ended. The frying pan of the Synagogue was neither good for warres nor profitable for peace: But thou holy crosse and happy frying pan wast hee, with the which the diuell was [Page 480]ouercome, God pacified, the world redeemed, and the hea­uen opened. What thing can I put betwixt thee and mee O good Iesus, but this precious crosse & frying pan where thou diddest end thy life, that my sin might not come vnto thee, nor thy punishment passe to me. Doe thou not think my bro­ther, doe thou not think, that God commanded the Prophet to put betweene him and the city a frying pan, for any good that it would doe him, but for that which the frying pan sig­nified: for thereby was signified the crosse and the crucified, which should be a mediator betweene God and the world. O sweet Iesus, O my soules delight, where but in the frying pan of thy dolors and griefes, and where but in the oile of thy charity and loue, diddest thou end consume and fry my enor­mious sinnes? Where but in the frying pan of the crosse, where thou saiedst, Consummatum est, giuing vs to vnderstand by that last speech, that there thou haddest ended and made a full account of our sinne and thy anger, of our perdition and thy passion, of our ignorance and thy life?

CHAP. VIII. Wherein is declared a figure when Moyses did annoint the altar seuen times with one finger, and how that vnction was a figure of Christ, and fully accomplished in his most sacred humanity.

DIgito suo vnxit Moyses altare septies oleo vnctionis, this is written in the 40 chap­ter of Exodus, as if hee should say, In the same day that Moyses did institute his brother Aaron bishop, and ordained also his children Priests, hee did annoint the great altar seuen times, and that with one finger, and did consecrate it with oile. Cyrillus vpon this place sayth, That although all the holy Scripture be full of myste­ries, [Page 481]yet there is greatest attention to bee giuen when it spea­keth of the altar, or of a Priest, because that, that mystery cannot be handeled, and not talk of the mysteries of Christ. If we doe looke into the words of the text, we shall find that that which is annointed is the altar, that with the which it is ointed is holy oile, and the manner how is with one finger on­ly, and that seuen times; and that which was further ointed were all the ornaments of the altar. These were the qualities of the altar, neere vnto it were the holy breads, before it bur­ned lampes, on the side of it they did put the candlestickes, on the top of it the offered sacrifices, at the foot of it they shed the bloud, behind it were the people, ouer against it was the vaile, vpon it was the Cherubin, about it were the cur­taines. This altar was made of wood which would not rot, there could come none to it but the Priests, they could not goe vp to it by steps nor staires, night and day lampes burned there, & other fire which should not be put out. Although the altar of the Synagogue had many priuiledges, and great free­domes, yet it had a counterpeise with it, which was, that vpō it they slew all the beasts which they did offer vnto God, & therefore it was sometimes so bloudy & so loaden with flies, that it seemed rather a bord in the butchery to cut flesh on, then an altar of the church. Who is the true altar, & the ho­ly altar, and the cleane altar, but only the sonne of the liuing God? Origen sayth, In the Temple of the Synagogue the altar was one thing, and the Priest another, & another thing that which they offered; but in the altar of the church, the altar where they offer, and the Priest which doth offer, and the sacrifice which is offered, and he vnto whom it is offered is one and the same thing. Leo in a Sermon of our Lords Sup­per sayth, In this high supper and in this holy altar, the sonne of God is the ultar, and the meat, and he who inuiteth, and he who is inuited, he who eateth, and is eaten, hee who annoin­teth, and is annointed, he who offereth and is offered. What preheminences had the altar of the old Synagogue, which are not greater in the Catholicke church? Their altar was of [Page 482]the wood of the Mount Lybanus, & ours of the most sacred humanity of Christ; theirs was of wood which would not corrupt, and ours of flesh which cannot sinne; theirs was made bloody with other bloud than their owne, and ours is washed with his own bloud; vpon theirs they did kil beasts, vpon ours they forgiue vs our offences; to theirs there could none go vp but the Priests of the tēple, but vnto ours al the sinners of the world may come vnto; in theirs there burned a fire of light which must euery houre be kindled and put together, but in ours there burneth the fire of his loue and charity which can neuer be extinguished. O holy altar, O glorious altar of the crosse, in which there is offered not dead beasts, but mens sins, not to proue thē but to pardon them, where our weake serui­ces are offered, not because thou wouldest praise thē O Lord, but because thou wouldest accept them, and where also the merits of thy holy sonne are offered, not for his own sake who was without sin, but for ours who can doe nothing but sinne. The altar of the Synagogue had no step nor staire, because the common sort did beleeue nothing in God but his essence, but to the altar of our catholick church, which is a congrega­tion of the faithful, they go vp by three steps, because we be­leeue in one essence & three persons. The text also saith, that the altar of the synagogue was annointed with one finger on­ly: who shal we say that this finger is but the selfesame holy­ghost? Hilarius de Trinitate saith, In al the Trinity there is but one arm, & that is the Father, of whom the Prophet saith, Et brachiū meū cōfortauit eum, neither is there any more but one hand which is the son, of whom also the Prophet saith, Filius meuses tuego hodie genui te, nor there is in all the Trinity but one finger of whō the scripture saith, Digitus dei hic est. In the vnctions & creations of vs there are many fingers occupied, that is, my great grandfather begat my grandfather, and my grandfather my father, & my father begat me, & I begat my son, and my sonne begat my nephew: but in the generation of Christ there was applied one only finger, which was the per­son of the holy-ghost. August in a sermon sayth, Seeing that [Page 483]he which doth beget is one, and hee who is begotten is one, and she who doth bring forth is one, and he for whom hee is borne is one, which is the world; why should there haue been more then one finger, which was the Holy-ghost? The text sayth further, that the altar was not annointed once only, but seuen times a row. What is meant that Christ was annointed seuen times a row, but only that all the seuen gifts of the ho­ly-ghost were bestowed vpon him? It is to bee noted, that in all the sacrifices which they made of kine, sheepe, and goats, and pigeons, the altar was alwaies annointed with bloud, sa­uing when they ordained Aaron a priest, at what time they did annoint it with oile alone, the which was not done with­out a mystery. The reason thē is this, that because al their sa­crifices were done to take away the Iews sins, the which were to bee taken away with shedding of bloud, Quia sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio, sayth the Apostle, there was no need of effusion of bloud in the sacrifice which did only represent Christ, because in him there was no sinne at all. Why should they haue annointed with bloud the altar of the humanity of Christ, considering that not onely there was no sin in him, but in him all the sins of the world were to be taken away? If the curious Reader would deeply vnderstand this high figure let him turn Moyses name into the Father, and Aarons name into Christ, and the altar into humanity, and the name of an­nointing into gift, and bloud into the water of baptism, & the finger into the holy-ghost, and then hee shall truly find, how well the truth doth answere vnto the figure, and the letter to the spirit. The text sayth further in the same chapter. Vnxit altare cum omnisuppellectili, as if hee should say, After that Moyses had made an end of annointing the altar with holy oile, hee did also annoint all things that did belong to the al­tar, that is, ewars, basins, candlestickes, towels, hookes, chafin­dishes. Let no man thinke it to bee a iest, that God comman­ded to annoint with holy oile, not only the altar, but also all things which did appettaine to the altar, because that by this is discouered one of the greatest priuiledges that Christ had, [Page 484]which no man did euer but hee enioy in the world. What should it meane that at the altar of the Synagogue there re­mained nothing which was not annointed with oile, but that there was nothing in the humanity of the word which was not fully replenished with the holy-ghost? Why is Christ called Sanctus sanctorū, but because his holy vnction was more holy thā that of all the other saints? When the church doth wash her creatures in baptism, shee doth with water wash, and as it were only there annoint soules which were defiled with ori­ginal sin, the which soules are made so clean & pure with that vnction, that if they should depart presently out of this life, they should imediately by Gods fauor go to glory. O vnhap­py that we be, for although they wash & annoint our soule in baptism, yet there remaineth our memory to be annointed, see­ing that wee forget God; there remaineth our vnderstanding to be annointed, seeing we think of other things thā of God; there remaineth our will to be annointed, seeing that wee put our loue on other things besides God; & also our hart remai­neth to be annointed, seeing we giue it to another thā to god. What shall we say of our poore body, seeing there is no part or mēber of it which is annointed? seeing my eies can see no­thing but vanity, my ears hear nothing but lightnes, my toung nothing but lie, my mēbers cōmit sin, & my hands theft? what shal I say of such a body, is he not rather rottē thē annointed? whē the Apostle S. Paul said with weeping tears, alas & woe be vnto me vnhappy & vnfortunate man, who wil deliuer me frō the seruitude of this body? would he haue spoken such pi­tiful words if the powers of his body had been annointed with holy oile of loue & charity? the church like a pittiful mother doth annoint vs with the wholsome water of baptisme when we be born, & afterward she doth wash and annoint vs vvith loue & charity whē she doth giue vs grace to loue god & for­giue our neighbors: the first vnctiō is to help vs that we do not sin, & the secōd to make vs clean of al that which we haue al­ready sinned. O what small need Christ hath to bee so many times annointed, nor by the church helped; for from the first instant of his incarnation was annointed, not only the altar of [Page 485]his most holy humanity, to enioy presētly the diuine essence, but also all the members of his holy body were annointed, because they might neuer sinne, nor neuer be seperated from God. The figure of annointing the altar with all the furniture was spoke of none but of Christ, nor fulfilled in none but in Christ alone, because it doth easily appeare, that as the holy­ghost left no part in his soule nor body, which he did not san­ctifie and make holy, so there was no power in his soule nor body, which to our benefite hee did not imploy. Wee may better say of Christ than of Moyses, hee dooth annoint the altar, Cum omni suppellectile, seeing that with his feet hee visi­ted the altars of the Temples, with his hands cured the sick, with his tongue preached to the people, and with his heart forgaue sinners.

CHAP. I. How God is the only and true comforter, and how hee was Deus vltionum to the Synagogue, and is to the church Pater misericordiarum.

BEnedictus deus & pater domini nostri Iesu Christi, pater misericordiarum, & deus to­tius consolationis, qui consolatur nos in omni tribulatione nostra. These are the words of the Apostle, speaking of the goodnes and mercy of our Lord God, as if hee should say, Blessed and praised bee the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, who is the father of all mer­cies and God of all comfort, and who is the true consolation of all our tribulations. With a high stile and lofty wordes the Apostle doth extoll the greatnesse and power of God in cal­ling him Father, and Father of mercies; and God, and the God of consolations: and aboue all that, he keepeth them [Page 487]not for himself only, but doth succour vs with them in all our tribulations. O how happy is the Apostle who vttereth these words, and how blessed wee Christians for whom hee spake them, and how blessed is Christ, by whose merits they were spoken? What grauer sentences, or sweeter words could bee spoken, seeing that by them he maketh himselfe, of God, our Father; of a iudge, our aduocate; of a Lord, our brother; of a reuenger, mercifull; of him which was cruell, gentle & meek; of him which could not be spoken with, most affable; and of one which was inuisible, treatable. Thou maist haue pitty on me, and I haue pitty on thee, and I can comfort thee, & thou canst comfort me, but to haue pitty on all, who can doe it but only the father of mercies? and comfort all men, who is able to doe it but only the father of all consolations? If I be sicke one may cure me, if I be naked another can cloth me, if I be sad a freind can somewhat comfort mee, but tell mee I pray thee, who is able to helpe mee in all tribulation and distresse, but only our Lord who doth cōfort vs in all our tribulations? Who sayth by the Psalme, Cum ipso sum in tribulatione, & of whom speaketh the Apostle, Quod consolatur nos in omni tri­bulatione: of who was he euer called whom he did not helpe? The father of our Lord Iesus Christ is he, who in calling vp­on him, doth open; in speaking to him, doth answer; who be­ing demanded any iust thing, doth graunt it. By peeces & by patches, and by crownes men can giue vs of their pleasures, and the world his delights: onely hee who is the God of all comfort can comfort vs in our distresses, and succour vs in our necessities. It is much to be noted, that the Apostle doth not say the God of consolation, but the Lord of all consolation: whereof wee may inferre, that all comfort which dooth not come of him is dissolute or fained, or imperfect. Wee should haue great pitty on those men which say, Let vs go sport our selues at the water, let vs goe walke in a garden, who seeme rather to play the Idolaters then to recreate themselues, see­ing they put all their felicity and case in seeing a greene med­dow in the running of the riuer, in flourishing trees, and to sit [Page 488]in a banketting house. Seneca in an Epistle sayth, Let no man thinke that consolation dooth consist in that which wee see with our eies, or heare with our eares, or touch with our hands, or smel with our nose, but only in that which the heart desireth: for no man can bee at rest, if his heart haue not con­tentment. With variety of meats the tast is recreated, the sight reioiceth in faire sights, the hearing is delighted with sweet musick, the smell is pleased with aromaticall perfumes, and the feeling ioieth in soft thinges; but what shall the poole heart doe, which neither taketh tast in meats, nor pleasure in musicke, nor delight in that which it seeth, nor contentment in that which it smelleth? what other thing saith the church when she sayth, Sursum corde, but that we should lift vp our hearts vnto God, seeing that there is no perfect consolation for them below in the world. Al wicked men would bid God much good doe it him with his glory, if they could find any perfect case vpon earth for their hearts, but because they can­not find it, bee he neuer so bad hee sighteth to goe to heauen. We say all this, because the Apostle saying, that hee is the God of all consolation, how can any man haue any consolati­on in this life, vnlesse hee giue it him who is the God of all consolation? How great soeuer a lord Hector was in Troy, & how great soeuer Alexander was in Asia, and how mighty so­euer Caesar was in Rome; notwithstanding Christ was greater in his church: because all those Princes were such ouer their cities only, but the sonne of God is the God of all consola­tions. What greater pleasure then to giue pleasure to whom thou louest, what greater contentment then to giue content­ment to whome thou likest? Our Lord kept this treasure for himselfe alone, and reserued this segniory for himself, that is, Quod sit deus totius consolationis, and therevpon it is, that if he will not shew that which hee can doe, and impart among vs that which he hath, no iust mā should liue cōtētedly, nor any Angell happily. If as one is lord of many possessions and in­heritances, he were also of many pleasures and consolations, what would wee not giue for them, what would wee not be­stow [Page 489]to attaine vnto them, and vnto what would we not put our selues to take them? All mortal men go after their plea­sures, and hunt for delight, but alasse they seeke them in the house of the God of trauels which is the world, and forsake the Lord of consolations which is God, and therefore they goe astray in that which they seeke, and goe discomforted in that which they desire. Barnard in a sermon sayth, O what a great comfort it is to the good, that they haue him for their God and Lord who is the God and Lord of all consolations: for it is not to be beleeued, that being the God of al comforts, that he doth not impart some of them vnto his; and espe­cially, seeing that hee doth not discomfort those which of­fend him, who will not beleeue but hee will comfort those which serue him? When the Apostle sayth that our God is the God of all consolations, and not onely that, but also the father of mercies, we haue great cause to loue him, and to be thankfull vnto him, seeing that not long before hee called himselfe the God of reuenge, as now he dooth call himselfe the Father of mercies. S. Ambrose sayth, What greater news could we hear, or what could he giue vs for a greater reward, then for our Lord to giue himselfe vnto vs for our father, his sonne for our brother, the holy-ghost for our maister, his church for our mother, the Sacraments for a medicine, his death for a pardon, & his bloud for our redemption? Isichius vpon Leuiticus sayth, Marke the depth of the Scripture, and thou shalt see that when he speaketh of mercies, it doth not call God, Deus misericordiarum, The God of mercy, but Pater misericordiarum, the Father of mercies; and when it talketh of iustice, it doth not call him Pater vltionum, but De­us vltionum, The God of reuenge, because it is the office of God to punish, and the duty of the father to pardon. The Prophets did oft vse this word Deus, God, and helped them­selues little with this word Pater, Father; and Christ contrari­wise, did oft benefite himselfe with this word Pater, Father, and sildome with this name Deus, God: giuing vs thereby to vnderstand, that the time of iustice was now ended, and that [Page 490]the time of mercy was come.

Isidorus De summo bono, sayth, O eternall good­nesse, and depth of all vvisedome, vvhy should I distrust in thy great clemency, being that thou art my Father, and Father of all mercy? Let the Pagans distrust in thee who beleeue thee not, let the vvicked distrust in thee vvho serue thee not, for I vvill hope in thee vvith those vvhich serue thee and loue thee: For although I cannot wholly serue thee, I labour as much as I can not to offend thee.

Anselmus vpon the Apostle sayth, After I heard thee say, O my good Iesus, Pater ignosce illis; and the Apostle say, Pater misericordiarum, Although my naughty life make mee afraid, yet thy great mercy commeth immediately to my mind, for the same day that thou diddest make thy selfe man, thou did­dest change thy name, from the God of Reuenge, into the Father of Mercies. O glorious and happy chaunge, that is, the changing the name of God into the name of Father, and the name of a Reuenger in­to the name of a Defender, the name of Iustice into the name of Mercy, the name of a Creator into the name of a Redeemer, all which thou diddest chaunge vvhen thou wast made man, and diddest suffer on the crosse for mee.

Saint Augustine vpon the Apostles vvordes sayth, Tell mee O good Iesus, tell mee O great Redee­mer, after thou haddest chaunged the name of De­us vltionum into the name of Pater misericordiarum, what diddest thou see so hard that thou diddest not bring to passe, or vvhat sinne diddest thou see so enormi­ous that thou diddest not pardon? In calling thy selfe the Father of mercies thou diddest forgiue Matthew his exchanges, Mary Magdalene her vanities, the Sa­maritane [Page 491]her Adulteries, the good theefe his theft, and the fisher-man Peter his denying of thee, the Apostles forsaking of thee, and thy enemies putting thee to death. Irenaeus sayth, Seeing that the time of Deus vltionum is past, and that the time of Pa­ter misericordiarum is come, haue mercy on mee, O great God of Israel, haue mercy on mee: and when shall this bee, but vvhen thou vvilt giue me strength to serue and praise thee, and endue mee vvith grace to saue mee? O Father of mercies, O the God of all consolation, vvhen shall my soule heare for her selfe, Pater ignosce illi, as the vvicked Synagogue did heare thee say, Father forgiue them? What doth it auaile mee, that thou hast pardoned those vvhich did then put thee to death, if thou doe not also now forgiue vs vvhich most vvickedly offend thee? Children for children, sinners for sinners, there is as great rea­son that thou shouldest pardon those of thy holy church as those of the Synagogue, for if they vvere children of the God of reuenge vvho did put thee to death then, they are also children of the Father of mercies, who do offend thee now.

Saint Augustine in his Confessions sayth: O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, if it bee true that I vvas vvith those vvhich tooke thy life from thee vpon the crosse, vvhy shouldest thou not as well forgiue mee my fault, as thou diddest then theirs?

Vnto thee O eternall Father, I say Mea culpa, and vnto thee O holy sonne I confesse my offence, in that, that if I vvas not vvith Iudas vvhen hee sold thee, yet I vvas vvith the vvicked and vngratefull Iewes vvhen they did crucifie thee: for if they did fasten thee on the crosse vvith nailes, I did there crucifie thee vvith my sinnes. Anselmus in his Meditations sayth, O good Iesus, O the blisse of my soule, vvho [Page 492]carried thee to the crosse, but the loue which thou haddest to redeeme vs? And what tormented thee but thy dolours? And what tooke thy life from thee but my sinnes? And by whom haue I life but by thy merits? O Father of mercies, if it be true, that for my demerits thou diddest lose thy life, and that by thy great merits I recouered my soule, dost thou not thinke that thou hast much in my faults to pardon, & in my soule to redresse and amend? Barnard sayth, O creator of all things, O redeemer of all sinnes, vnto thee O my God I of­fer my selfe, and before thee O my Lord I present my selfe, not such a one as thou diddest leaue mee when thou diddest create mee, but such as one as thou foundest mee when thou redeemedst mee. What a one diddest thou leaue mee but made to thy image and semblance? and what a one diddest thou find mee but with my innocency lost, and loaden with sinne? O father of mercies pardon mee, seeing that I am a worke of thy owne hands, pardon me seeing that I am one of thy children, and seeing I say vnto thee vpon my knees, Tibi soli peccaui, it is reason that thou answer me (O my God) with Miscriatur tui.

CHAP. II. Of the difference that is betwixt Dauids testament, and Christs testament, seeing the one commandeth to reuenge other mens iniuries, and the other pardoneth his owne death.

NOn deduces canicies eius pacifice ad inferos, 3. Reg. chap. 2. King Dauid being in the last point of his life, commanded his sonne and heire apparent, Salomon, to be called vnto him vnto whome hee spake these words, Thou rememberest my sonne Salo­mon, when my seruant and capraine Ioab did slay captaine [Page 493] Abner and Amasias who were scruants vnto king Saul, the which offence because I cannot reuēge in my life, the charge shll be laid vpon thee, to see that hee goe not quietly to his graue: and Dauid said further vnto him, Thou shalt also re­member, that when I fled from thy brother and my son Ab­solon, my enemy Simei came against me, and followed mee all the field ouer, cursing me and casting stones at me; Look vn­to it like a wise and a discreet man, and that hee depart not in peace out of this world. That which Dauid commanded his sonne Salomon to doe, was not commanded to one who was deaffe, for if hee did command him to kill two, hee did kill three or foure, that is, the infant Abdonias, the captaine Ioab, Simei, and the Priest Abiathar. In al his kingdome Dauid had no captaine which had done him so great seruice, nor no ser­uant which had loued him better than old Ioab, yet neuer­thelesse, he had more respect to reuenge the iniuries done to others, than vnto their seruices past. If Dauid had not been welbeloued, and by Scripture commended, his Testament should much haue scandalized vs, seeing that at the time of his death when men forbid iniuries, hee commandeth by his Testament to take away mens liues. It is to be beleeued, that he being so acceptable to God as he was, that he had consul­ted with God, for otherwise being in so narrow a straight as he was in, it was more than time for him to prepare himselfe to confesse his sins, than to command the death of his enemies. O how vnlike Dauids Testament is vnto Christs, for Dauid commaunded in his to reuenge other mens deaths, but Iesus Christ our Redeemer commanded his owne proper death to be pardoned. How happy we be which be the inheritours of Christ, and how vnhappy they be which bee the successours of Dauid, which is easily seene by their Testaments, for Da­uids soule goeth out of his body, saying, Filine ignoscas illis, and Christ yeeldeth his last breath, saying, Pater ignosce illis, What similitude is in this, when the one commaundeth to slay Ioab, who neuer once touched so much as his gar­ment, and the sonne of God willeth to forgiue those which [Page 494]tooke away his life? How would Dauid forgiue his owne death, seeing he commandeth to reuenge another mans? wilt thou see the difference betwixt the charity of the one, and the goodnesse of the other? Thou maiest see it in that, that king Dauid would not pardon Ioab and Simei, whose sinnes were so old that they were forgotten: and meeke Iesus did pardon the Iewes, whose wickednes was new and fresh. How wouldest thou haue the wounds of him vvho pardoneth, more fresher, and the wickednesse of those which are pardo­ned more newer, but to haue them at the same time crucifi­eng as he is pardoning. Aymon sayth, Much good may Dauids Testament doe him, which hee made being annointed, for I will hold with that which Christ made when he was crucifi­ed, for the one seeketh out those which are culpable to kill, and the other seeketh out faults to pardon. Saint Augustine vpon our Lords wordes saith, O how much better it is to fall into the hands of God then into the hands of men, which is easily seene in the death of king Dauid, and in the death of the sonne of God, where the one commandeth to slay his owne seruants, and the other willeth pardon to his cruel ene­mies. Hugo de sancte victore sayth, I do not enuy king Salomon for the kingdome which king Dauid his father left him, nor for his will which he commāded him to accomplish, because he left him the heire of his kingdome with such a condition, that whē he should giue the last gaspe, the other should pre­sently begin to murder and kill. In the same day and in the same houre that good king Dauid died, as the captaine Ioab was in the Temple a praying, kind Salomon sent immediately to sley him, insomuch that before they could put Dauid in his graue, they tooke away poor Ioabs life. O my good Iesus, the conditions of thy Testament be not like vnto these, seeing that in the last farwell on the altar of the crosse, thou diddest not command thy successors to reuenge, but to forgiue, nor to take away mens liues, but to pardon iniuries, so that as the Synagogue was a house of buying and selling, so thou madest thy church a house of pardon. Christ himselfe did whip those [Page 495]who bought and sold in the Temple, and the selfesame son of God did pardon those whom he found in his house of par­don: whereof wee may inferre, that he is no inhabitant of his house, who dareth reuenge an iniury. Christ did shew him­selfe to be the sonne of Dauid, in being meeke as hee was, but he shewed it not in being vindicatiue as he was, for when he died vpon the crosse, he did not leaue in al the world any one sinne to forgiue, nor any iniury for his heires to reuenge. If as Dauid did command to reuēge the misdemeanour which his seruants did him, Christ should haue commanded to reuenge the sinnes which the Iewes committed against him, it had not been possible to haue been done, because the sinners had too many sinnes, and the tormentors wanted torments.

CHAP. III. Of the difference betwixt the bloud of Abel and the bloud of Christ, and how vnlike their cries vnto God are.

ACcessistis ad sanguinis aspersionem, melius loquentem quam Abel, sayth the Apostle writing vnto the He­brewes, chap. 9, as if hee should say, We are very happy which beleeue in Christ, and receiue his gospel, see­ing wee bee redeemed by his death, and bought with his precious bloud. And because thou maiest the better esteeme of the price of this bloud, know thou that it crieth before the eternal father better than the bloud of Abel, because that cried Iustice, Iu­stice, and the bloud of the sonne of God crieth Mercy, Mer­cy. S. Ierome sayth, The Apostle dooth highly set forth the bloud of Christ, whose soueraine price and high merit hee would not compare with the other blouds of the old Testa­ment, but with the bloud of the first iust man that euer was in [Page 496]the world, the bloud of the holiest saint that is in heauen. O­rigen saith, The Apostle should haue done Christ great iniu­ry, if hee should haue compared his bloud with the bloud of calues and goats of the old Testament, because the bloud of those beastes did serue to no other purpose but to defile the staires, and to take away their liues: but the bloud of the son of God dooth wash and make cleane offences, and saue our souls. The first bloud with the which God was offended, was the bloud of Abel; and the first bloud with which God was pleased, was the bloud of Christ; and that which is most to be wondered at is, that the bloud of Abel did benefite but him­selfe alone, but the bloud of Christ did profite all the world. S. Ambrose sayth, What bloud can be compared vnto the bloud of Christ? for the bloud of Abel did stirre vp, and not appease, seeing that thereby hee lost his life, and his brother his soule: The bloud which thou didst shed for mee O sweet Iesus, did not stirre vp, but appease, because it did pacifie the fathers anger, tooke away thy owne life, and redeemed my soule. Anselmus sayth, The bloud of Abel is bloud, and the bloud of Christ is bloud, the one the bloud of a iust man, and so likewise the other; that was shed by enuy, and this shed through enuy: But the difference was, that the bloud of A­bel cried from the earth, and the bloud of the sonne of God praied from the crosse. Weigh well this speech, Clamabat ad me de terra, and also that, Melius loquentem quam Abel, and thereby thou shalt perceiue how the bloud of Abel doth crie for vengeance vpon his brother Cain, and the bloud of the sonne of God doth pray for mercy for all the world. Consi­der well of this word Melius loquentem, that is, that the bloud of Christ should haue been but of small profit, if hee should haue died for none but for those of that time. The Apostle doth not say, that the bloud of Christ did then speake onely, but that it doth speake now, and will speake vntill the worlds end, and therevpon it is, that we do represent this bloud eue­ry day, and offer it in our praiers: for otherwise, as there is no day in which wee doe not commit some sinne against him, so [Page 497]there should no day passe in which wee should not suffer some punishment. Saint Basil sayth, His offence is very great which committeth a fault, if hee doe not immediately helpe himselfe with the bloud of Christ, for if it bee frosen for Pa­gans and Heretikes, yet it is fresh and whot for Christians and sinners. It is also to bee marked, that the Apostle sayth not Accessistit ad sanguinis effusionem, but ad sanguinis aspersionem, which speech he vsed not for the wicked Synagogue, but for the holy mother church, because the Synagogue was in the time of shedding of bloud, but the holy church came to the sprinckling & gathering of it together. O how happy we Chri­stians be, and how vnhappy the Iewes were, seeing that they came Ad sanguinis effusionem, to the shedding of bloud, and we Christians Ad sanguinis aspersionem, so that they shed the bloud of the son of God & did not gather it vp, & we gather it and did not shed it. S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn saith, By this speech of Aspersionem sanguinis, the Apostle doth let vs vn­derstand, that the bloud of Abel had no other force thē to be shed vpon the earth, but with the bloud of the son of God all the catholicke church was as it were with Isope sprinckeled, so that all the bloud of the Synagogue was but shed & cast on the ground, but the bloud of Christ was shed, & imparted amongst vs. Cyrillus vpon Leuit. saith, The church was at the sprinckling of bloud, but the synagogue at the effusiō of bloud, seeing that of the bloud of the Synagogue there was no drop gathered, & of the bloud of the church there was no drop lost. S. Barnard saith, As for the bloud of Abel let it be lost, but as for the bloud of the son of God, it is not lawful that any should be lost. And he goeth gathering it drop by drop, who by little & litle doth imitate Christs life, he doth gather one drop who doth imitate him in one vertue, & he doth imitate him in two drops who doth follow him in two, & hee doth gather many drops who doth bestow himselfe in the getting of many ver­tues, insomuch that as on the crosse he gaue it in recompence of wickednesse, so he doth now giue it in exchange of vertues.

CHAP. IIII. Where Christ complaineth on the Christian mans soule, be­cause she was vngratefull for the benefite of her creation and redemption.

VVlnerasti cor meum seror mea, vulnerasti cor meum sponsa mea, in vno oculorum tuorum, & in vno crine colli tui. Cant. 4. as if hee should say, Thou hast wounded my heart, O my sister, thou hast pierced my heart, O my spouse, and the cause of my captiuity was, because thou diddest be­hold mee with one of thy eies, and because I did behold one of thy haires. Origen vpon these words sayth, Such sweet words and such pittifull complaints as these are, from whence should they proceed but from a man sorely greeued, & with heauenly loue greatly enflamed? The louing wordes which Christ speaketh vnto the soule, and the anxiety and griefe which the soule vttereth vnto Christ, who can better declare than the soule which is familiar with Christ? Such deepe rea­sons, such pittifull wounds, such true complaints, and griefes so lamentably vttered, as these are which are contained vn­der these words, how is it possible for my pen to write, or my heart to tast of? How sweet our Lord is to the soule which seeketh him, and how delightfull vnto the soule which cal­leth vpon him, and how pleasant vnto the soule which dooth keepe him, is so high a language, that none is able to vnder­stand, but only that soule which dooth deserue to tast of the same. First of all it is here to be noted, why Christ dooth call a holy soule once sister, and another time spouse: for if she be a sister she cannot be a spouse, and if she be a spouse shee can­not be a sister. The mystery of this secret is, that she is called spouse because of the faith which shee tooke of Christ, and [Page 499]she is called sister, because of the flesh which Christ tooke, in so much that Christ is our bridegroome in that, that hee is our Creator, and he is our brother in that, that hee is our Re­deemer. Twise the bridegroome complaineth to haue beene wounded of his bride, saying, Thou hast wounded my heart my sister, thou hast wounded my heart my spouse: for in re­spect of two loues hee hath compassion on her, and in respect of two loues he suffered for her, that is, for hauing made her to his likenesse and semblance, and for hauing redeemed her with his bloud. For Christ to say twise. Thou hast wounded me, thou hast wounded me; is to say, thou hast been vnthank­full for the fauour I did to create thee, and thou hast been vngratefull for the benefite which I did thee in redeeming thee: insomuch that to bee vnthankfull vnto Christ for these two benefites, is to wound Christs heart with two deepe wounds. S. Barnard vpon the Canticles saith, Note well that Christ doth not say [thou hast brokē my head] but [thou hast pierced my heart] to let vs thereby vnderstand, that all the offences which we commit against him, and also all the serui­ces which wee doe for him, doe reach vntill his heart, as hee doth loue vs with the heart. Anselmus to this purpose sayth, Our Lord doth iest with no man, nor will not bee iested at by any man, and therevpon he loueth vs with all his heart if we be in state of grace, and hateth vs with his heart if we bee in his disgrace. By reason whereof, there is no offence which we doe commit against his Maiesty, vvhich goeth not to his heart, nor there is no seruice which we do to him, but he doth keepe it in his heart. Origen sayth, The cause why the bride­groome doth complaine vpon the bride, and not the bride a­gainst the bridegroome is, because the soule hath no cause to complaine vpon God, and God hath scarse no cause to bee pleased with the soule. The bridegroome complaineth that the bride woundeth him in the heart, because that one heart cannot be hurt but of another heart, because that that cannot be called a fault, but that which doth determinatly proceed from the will. Then thy heart doth pierce and wound Christs [Page 500]heart, when reason doth teach thee that thou shouldest not sinne, and yet notwithstanding thy will dooth determine to sinne, whereof God dooth not so much hold himselfe iniuri­ed of that which thou doest, as of the heart and will with the which thou doest it. Thou doest so many times wound Christ as thou doest consent vnto sinne, and therefore hee sayth that thou hast wounded his heart, because his iniuries and offences proceeded from thy heart. It is much to bee no­ted, that hee sayth not, thou hast killed my heart, but thou hast wounded my heart: for seeing that we see some die only because his heart is moued & stirred, it should be greater rea­son that they should die hauing their heart wounded. If a griefe of the heart be hardly cured, how shall that heart bee healed which is wounded? If it be so, that all the wounds in the heart are mortall, and not to bee cured, why doth Christ say that his louer had wounded his heart, & not confesse that he had killed him? By this is knowne the difference betwixt offending God and offending man, for a man dieth with eue­ry wound because he will neuer forgiue and pardon, but holy Iesus doth not complaine that they kill him, but onely that they wound him. Giuing vs therby to vnderstand, that at the same instant when a soule doth repent her of her offences, he doth hold himselfe satisfied for that fault. What should be­come of vs, if Christ should say that wee doe kill him as hee sayth that we doe wound him? What other thing were it to take Christs life away, but to sinne without hope of mercy? God speaking with the Angell sayth, Interfecisti cor meum, and speaking with man sayth onely, Vulnerasti cor meum, be­cause the sinne of the Angell had no remission, but the sinne of man obtaineth euery day pardon. O good Iesus, O creator of my soule, how much are wee bound vnto thee in saying, that we doe wound thee, and not that wee doe kill thee, be­cause that by this high speech thou doest let vs vnderstand, that the wounds which we giue thee in the heart, and the of­fences which wee commit against thee, are as easily cured as they are easily amended. Let no man despaire, let no man be [Page 501]discomforted in thinking that he shall not bee pardoned, and that there is no remedy for his offences; seeing that the son of God doth confesse, that wee haue not wholly slaine him, but only wounded him: of which wounds hee then beginneth to be cured when wee begin to amend. O infinite goodnesse, O great charity of thine, O my good Iesus, tell mee I pray thee, what diddest thou see in my sinfull soule, that thou shouldest trust the weapons in her hands which shee may wound thee with, and also the medicines with the which shee may cure thee? what are the weapons with the which she doth wound thee, but the faults which shee dooth commit against thee? And what is the medicine with the which shee dooth cure thee, but only the amendment of her owne life? Christ saith further, that the weapō with the which the bride did wound him was one of her eies which she had in her head, and with one of her haires which hanged at her throat, so that her eies serued her for arrowes, and her hair for bindings. Origen vpon this place sayth, O how tender the heart is which is woun­ded with the only sight of an eie, and what small force and strength he hath who is bound with a hair. The heart which is touched of our Lord, although he be stronger then Samp­son, and lighter then Asael, yet in louing of God and tasting of Gods holy loue, it is easily taken, and suffereth himselfe to be bound without resistance. We haue two eies in our head to see with, and wee haue two eies in our soules to loue with, whereof the one is the eie of loue, and the other is the eie of feare, and when our Lord sayth that wee looke vpon him with one eie, hee sayth that sometimes wee serue him with feare, and sometimes with loue. Men of high per­fection doe looke vpon him with the eie of loue, and men of lesser perfection with the eie of feare, and the difference is, that with the sight of the one there is no alteration at all, and with the sight of the other she is presently delighted. What can there be in the world more sweeter to the tast, or wherin our soule may receiue greater recreation, thā to fix all our in­tention to behold and look vpon God, and serue him with all [Page 502]our heart. When do we look vpon him with one eie only, but whē for loue we serue him, and not for fear? What can Christ speake more tenderly vnto our soule, or what more sweeter words can his holy mouth vtter vnto the soule, than to say that she had wounded him with one eie, and tied him fast with one haire? O infinite loue of thine my Creator and Re­deemer, tell me I pray thee if thou be so easily satisfied with a soule that doth but once behold thee, what wilt thou doe by her which doth behold thee euery day, and serue thee all her life time? S. Barnard sayth, He doth bind God with one haire who thinketh on God and nothing else, and hee doth wound him with the sight of one eie, who loueth him and no other, so that it lieth in our owne hands to serue Christ and attaine vnto his blisse and felicitie.