Deuout contemplations expressed in two and fortie sermons vpon all ye quadragesimall Gospells written in Spanish by Fr. Ch. de Fonseca Englished by. I. M. of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford

Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso.

To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Neuer did any former ages see a fauor comparable vnto this.

First, in regard of that which heauen is in it selfe; being that next vnto the hypostaticall vnion, it is the greatest good that the omnipotencie of God can giue vs. All other good leaueth vs still hungry; this onely affoordeth fulnesse, I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appeare. All doe seeke after heauen, and doe ap∣petere Deum, as their vltimum bonum, Desire the fruition of God, as their chiefest feli∣citie. But because they neither know what God nor heauen is, they haue scarce peept in with their heads within the doores of that Supreame Princely Pallace, but that they are rauished with that strange and vnspeakeable admiration, that blessing themselues, they breake out in this manner; This surely is God.* 1.1 Their weake apprehension not being able to conceiue the least glorie of that great Dei∣tie, so that Esay might very well say, I am found of those that seeke not after me. The capacitie of our conceit, and the modell of our imagination, is but a thimblefull, in respect of that immense Ocean of Gods greatnesse. And therefore true is that saying, That the Iust doth finde that which hee doth not seeke for. And if the crummes which fall from that diuine Table, doe robbe a man of his vnderstan∣ding, banish all other thoughts from him, and doe as it were alienate him from himselfe, how will he be transported, when he shall drinke at the fountaine of that riuer of delights, and when God shall say vnto him; Open thy mouth wide, and I w••ll fill it. So incomparable is the greatnes of this good, That God suffers him∣selfe to be rob'd by the labours and sweats of man. When we buy a thing dog-cheape, we vse to say it is stolne. Put in one scale, fastings, almes-deedes, sacke-cloth, and ashes, the torments of Martyrs, the troubles of Confessours; and in another scale, one houre, nay one minute of heauen, and in reason of buying and selling, heauen is robbed by vs. And hereunto doth allude that phrase in Scripture, Et violenti rapinus illud; And the violent take it by force. Now then, that after so many thefts, robberies, deaths, our Sauiour Christ should grant so great a good to this Theefe, a greater fauour cannot be imagined.

Secondly, in regard of the aduantage he had of others. We know, that in glo∣ry, some shall enioy more, some lesse, As one starre d••ffers from another in bright∣nesse. All shall inioy eternal glorie, but not all the same degrees in glorie. But con∣sider I pray you the great aduantage that this Theefe made; for he held it to bee a great happinesse vnto him, if God would be but pleased to afford him any the least corner of heauen. Abbot Arnaldo, a graue and antient, Authorhathaduentured to say, That God had giuen him the chaire wherein Lucifer sate. S. Cyprian saith, Quid tu Domine amplius Stephano contulisti? &c. Oh Lord, what could that Proto∣martyr Saint Stephen inioy more, or that thy beloued Disciple which did leane his head in thy bosome? And (as Cirillus Ierosolimitanus saith) What could the long seruices of those that endured the heate of the day, obtaine more at Gods hands? But God makes thē this answer, I do not thee no wrong, didst thou agree with me for a pennie? Some labourers were working hard at the Vineyardfrom the first houre; others from the third houre; others began at the ninth houre; others whē the sunne was vpon setting. First came Adam, then Noah, after him Abraham, and the rest of the holy Prophets: but the Theefe came iust at the Sunne-setting.

Saint Chrysostome saith, That the same day that Adam was cast out of Paradise of the earth, the same day did this Theefe enter into the Paradise of heauen. The word Amen, or verely, doth imply as much. Aniently the Tribes were diuided & set apart vpon two hils; the one breathing forth curses, Cursed is he that honou∣reth not his Father, Cursed is he that leadeth the blind out of the way: the other blessing; Blessed be thou in the Citie, blessed in the field, &c. Onely the difference was in this, That to these their maledictions and cursings, they did euer say Amen. For (as it is in the Prouerbe) Para el mal sobraua pann̄, For ill, there was neuer yet cloth wanting; there was stuffe still enough ready at hand. But to their blessings, they answered with silence, reseruing their Amen, or, So be it, for the comming of our Sauiour Christ, from whom all our good was to come. And Theodoret giues vs this note withall, That those that silenced their Amen, were those that were to be fathers vnto Christ, according to the flesh.

Fourthly, in regard that this fauour is made the greater by it's quick dispatch, Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso, To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Theophylact and Tigurino, read, Amen, dico tibi hodie, Making there the point. But this ought not to be receiued, as Cassianus prooueth it, but that this Hodie must goe hand in hand roundly along with Mecumeris. And Iustin Martyr saith, Iuxta fluenta plenissima, gratiam simul accepit & gloriam, Grace and glorie with a full tyde, came flowing in both at once vpon him. S. Ambrose saith, That our Sauiour Christ made this excee∣ding great haste, Ne dilatione gratia minueretur, Lest the fauour he intended to do him, should be lessened by delay. This fauour farre exceeding all the rest in the world be∣sides; As that of Alexander towards Perillus, demanding a dourie of him for his daughter; and that of the Gardiner, who had the Kingdome of Sidonia giuen him; or than that which Herod offered to his daughter Herodias, or Assuerus to Queene Hester,* 1.2 Si petieris dimidiam partem Regni mei, &c. If thou shalt aske the one halfe of my Kingdome, &c. And because Bis dat, qui citò dat, He doth a double curtesie that doth it quickly. Least delay might lessen the Doners bountie, Hee therefore saith, Hodie mecum eris, This very day shalt thou be with me, &c. S. Ambrose saith, Quod magis ve••ox erat premium quam petitio, That the reward was quicker than the request. Seneca sayes, That hee that giues, must not giue slowly: for the willing mind wherewith it is done (being therein the most to be esteemed) it looseth much of it's estimation by it's slow proceeding. Leo the Pope saith, That it was a great fauour from Christ, to put this so humble and so discreet a petition into the Theeues heart; but a farre greater fauour to giue him such a good, and quicke dispatch. Ioseph foretelling Pharaohs seruant of his libertie, being then his fel∣low-prisoner, said vnto him, Memento mei, Haue me in remembrance with thee, when thou art in good case: But for all the others faire promises, he continued two yeares after in prison. But the Theefe had no sooner said Memento mei, but his Sauiour saw him dispatcht. O happy theefe, thou didst negotiate well, and with a good Iudge, that could dispatch thy businesse so quickly, and so well.

Lastly, in regard of it's bountie and freenesse, the reward outvying the request; hauing more fauour done him than he desired.* 1.3 Vberior (saith S. Ambrose) est gratia quam precatio. God hath vsed (and still doth) the like liberalitie towards many. Abraham desired a sonne to inherit his estate, and a sonne was giuen him, from whom God was to descend. Iacob beg'd Beniamin, and god gaue him both Benia∣min and Ioseph. Tobias desired that he might see his son in safetie, God returneth him home vnto him sound, rich, and wel marryed. Iudith craued Bethulia's liber∣tie, God gaue her that, and Holofernes head into the bargaine, and victory against Nebuchadnezzar. Anna prayed for a sonne, God gaue her one, that was a Saint, a

Prophet, & Gods fauourite. Salomon desired wisedome to gouerne his kingdome the better, he had that and much more, besides infinite store of wealth bestowed vpon him. Ezechias sued vnto God for life, and whereas he would haue bin con∣tented with two years holding of it, God granted him a lease of fifteen yeares to come. The seruant that owed 10000 Talents, desired to be but forborn for a time, and the whole debt was forgiuen him. But God neuer dealt so franke and freely with any man, as with this theefe, for he but only intreating him to be mindful of him, he gaue him heauen, Qui merita supplicum excedis & vota, sings the Church.

Theophylact saith, That your Kings, Princes, and great Captains, when they ob∣taine any notable victorie, they reserue the principal captiues for their Triumph: So Saul spared King Agag, and the best things: so the Emperors of Rome, Zenobia and others: Titus and Vespasian, most of the young men of Iudaea. But that our Sa∣uiour Christ should enter in triumph into heauen with a theefe, it seemeth a thing of small glory to the Triumpher, and little honor for heauen. But Abbot Guericus answers hereunto, That it was a new and most noble kind of victorie, Nouum & pulcherrimum genus victoriae. The kings of the earth get victories ouer their ene∣mies, by treading them vnder, by kicking and spurning of them, by contemning and tormenting them, as appeareth by Histories both humane and diuine: This is a tyrannous kind of reuenge, and reuengefull cruelty. But that of the King of hea∣uen is a noble reuenge, and a sweet victorie. The enemies of a king of this world will kisse the earth for feare; but those of the King of heauen, for loue. And ther∣fore it is said, Inimici eius, terram lingent.

Againe, S. August. saith, That Christ did inrich and illustrate heauen with the person of this theefe; so far was he from doing him any the least dishonor. For it is a great honour to heauen to haue such a Lord and Master, as shall make of great Theeues, great Saints. S. Chrysost. hath the same, and further addeth, That by seeing one raigne in heauen, who wanted earth to liue on; euery man may liue in hope to inioy the like happinesse: For it is not likely that he will be miserable to any, that was so liberall to a theefe.

The Doctors do doubt whether this Theefe were a Martyr or no? For he that is a Martyr, it is not the greatnesse of the paine, but the goodnesse of the cause that makes him a Martyr. Achan was stoned to death, and Saint Stephen was stoned to death: But Achan was no Martyr, because he dyed deseruedly for his sins. The like reason you will say may be rendred of the theefe. But S. Ierome, Eusebius Nis∣senus, and S. Cyprian stile him Martyr; not because he suffered for Christ, though he suffered not without Christ; but because suffering with Christ, so great was the sorrow which he conceiued for his sinnes, that Christ taking this his torment to his account, as if he had suffered for his loue, made of the Crosse a Martyr∣dome. S. August. saith, That on the Crosse he acknowledged Christ, as if he had beene crucified for Christ. Eusebius Nissenus, That albeit he began with the pu∣nishment of a Delinquent, yet he ended with the glory of a Martyr. And S. Cypri∣an, That Christ did conuert the blood which he shed vpon the Crosse, into the water of baptisme, and that presently he placed him in Paradise.

Iustin Martyr and Irenaeus vnderstand here by Paradise, some other place of ioy; but rather earthly than heauenly. Irenaeus prooues it by the Priests of Asia. But it is most certain, That by Paradise is to be vnderstood, the blessed presence of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. And that he went from the Superficies of the earth, vp to that heauenly Pallace, &c. To which God of his great goodnesse bring vs all, Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The glorie of the heauenly Paradise.
• * 1.2

  Mar 9. Ester ••.
• * 1.3

  His reward exceeds our requests.