Saint Bernard his Meditations: or Sighes, sobbes, and teares, vpon our sauiours passion in memoriall of his death. Also his Motiues to mortification, with other meditations.

SECTION. XI.

VVHen thou wert come to the place where wret∣ched Iudas had bargained to be∣tray thee into the hands of the wicked Iewes, thou wert not asha∣med

to confesse the heauy pangs which thou didst sustaine by thy approaching Passion, in the audi∣ence of thy Brethren, which thou wert willing to endure, not for thy owne desert, but by thy owne de∣sire, for our sakes, and our sins, say∣ing; My Soule is heauy, euen vnto death, Mat. 26.38. So ponderous was the burden of our iniquities; so heauy was the weight of mine, yea of all our sins, layd vpon thy shoul∣ders. And there bowing thy knees on the ground, and falling downe with thy face on the earth, thou diddest in thy bitter agonie offer vp thy humble petition to God thy Father, saying: My Father, if it be possible, let this Cup passe from me, Matth. 26.39.

Indeed that Cup contained a deepe draught to be taken of thee, for the health of our languishing soules; more bitter then Colloquin∣tida to the mouth, or Gall in the maw.

And no doubt but the bloody sweat, which trickled downe on the earth by drops from thy most holy flesh, did plainely declare the sorrowes of thy perplexed minde, and the anguish of thy sor∣rowfull Soule, Luke 22.44.

Oh powerfull Lord Iesus, what meaneth, or what is the cause of thy lamentable supplication? Didst thou not wholly of thine owne accord offer vp thy selfe, for a Sacrifice to thy Father, and wil∣lingly shed thy bloud, to pay the price of our ransome?

Yes verely, oh gracious Lord, it was thy exceeding great loue, and onely mercy, that did moue thee so patiently to vnder-goe the wrath of thy Father, that thou mightest deliuer vs condemned sinners, from his iust and heauy displeasure, that by thy stripes wee might be healed, and that by thy free and voluntary death, wee

might be restored to a second and euerlasting life.

But we thinke, that thou didst willingly taste the bitternesse of our miseries, and in thy selfe ex∣presse vnto vs a true passion of our weakenesse, for the comfort and consolation of all thy feeling members, that no man might di∣spaire, or let goe the Anchor of stedfast Hope, when our weake flesh fainteth, and our naturall fa∣culties faileth; but yet the spirit is ready to abide the painefull pangs of any passion, and to suffer the conflicts of any affliction whatso∣euer. Truly thou didst expresse the naturall weakenesse of the flesh in thy selfe, by those tokens vnto vs, that wee might the sooner be prouoked to embrace thee with more loue, and grate∣fully to yeeld thee greater thanks. Whereby also we are taught, that thou didst truly beare our diseases,

and infirmities, and that thou hast not runne through the thornes of grieuous passions vvithout the sense of painefull afflictions. For that voyce seemeth to be the voice of the flesh, not of the Spirit, by that which thou hast added, The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weake: Marke 14.38. And thou diddest openly declare, that the Spirit was willing to suffer the deadly pangs of thy grieuous pas∣sion, when thou diddest goe forth of thine owne accord, to meete those bloudy minded persons, conducted by their damnable Ge∣neral trayterous Iudas, in the night time, furnished with lanternes, tor∣ches, and weapons, seeking with∣out any cause, raging vvith ma∣lice to destroy thy harmelesse life, and cruelly to shed thy innocent blood, and there didst openly dis∣couer thy selfe to their eyes, and offer vp thy selfe to their bloudy

hands, least they might thinke themselues beholding to their bloudy guide, and that by his craftie pollicie, thou hadst beene suddainely and vnwillingly appre∣hended. For thou diddest not re∣pell, or put backe that cruell mon∣ster, comming to kisse thy most holy mouth; but diddest gently put thy mouth, in which there was found no guile, to his mouth abounding with venome, and fil∣led with malice, who vnder token of loue, pretended nothing but deadly hate; and with a dissem∣bling kisse, to betray thee into the hands of those, who were ready armed to kill thee.

And although desperate Iudas became his owne hangman, Mat. 27.5. yet many doe follow his steps, and desperately runne to their wilfull & wofull destruction. Oh innocent Lambe of GOD, how couldest thou endure that

such a rauenous Wolfe should come neere vnto thee, that came so greedily to deuoure thee?

What fellowship hath light with darkenesse? What agreement hast thou with Beliall? But this, oh Lord, was a deed of thy gracious benignitie, and an act of thy ex∣ceeding bounty, that thou migh∣test shew vnto him all tokens of thine accustomed fauour, which might mollifie the hardnesse of his wicked heart, and quaile the ma∣lice of his couetous minde.

For, thou not forgetfull that once hee was sorted among thy Friends, & had tasted of the sweet fruit of thy former loue, admitted into the holy societie of thy faith∣full Disciples, didst kindly admo∣nish him, saying, Friend, wherefore comest thou? Mat. 26.50. And thou wouldest haue smitten the guilty conscience, and wounded the hardened heart of that odious

dissembler and damnable Tray∣tor, with the horrour of his hellish deede, and detestation of his exe∣crable fact, when thou spakest to him, saying: Iudas, doest thou betray the Sonne of man with a kisse? Luk. 22.48. And behold, the Philistines are vpon thee Sampson.