A treatise of the difference bbtwixt [sic] the temporal and eternal composed in Spanish by Eusebius Nieremberg ... ; translated into English by Sir Vivian Mullineaux, Knight ; and since reviewed according to the tenth and last Spanish edition.

§ 3.

Those seaven Circumstances, which so much aggra∣vate the pains and torments of our Saviour Jesus Christ in his passion, ought to pierce our very hearts and souls with grief and sorrow. But if they should not prevail with us to despise the world, and love him onely who so infinitely loved us, yet there are o∣ther Circumstances, which with new obligations will not onely move, but force us, if we be not more hard than stones, to love and die for him. Whom would not the sweet manner of his passion move, seeing the Son of God suffer with so much love and patience, without complaint of any thing, loving us with that

fervour, that what he did, seemed little unto him, rea∣dy, if it had been necessary, to suffer as much more for us? yea, such was his burning charity towards Mandkind, that if there had been no other way left for our Redemption, he would not have refused to continue in those bitter torments till the day of Judge∣ment. The affection of Jesus Christ what gratitude doth it not deserve? And if in benefits the good will, wherewith they are conferred, is most to be esteemed, When the benefit is infinite, and the will of infinite love, what shall we do? If, when that Traitor, who murthered Henry the Fourth King of France, was just∣ly sentenced to those cruel torments wherein he died, the first begotten Son of the dead King, and Heir un∣to his Kingdom had cloathed himselt in the habit of the Murtherer, and offered to be torn in pieces for him, and to die, that he might be freed from his tor∣ments, and not only offered but actually performed it, What love and thanks would the Prince deserve from that Caitiff? O King of Glory, and onely begotten Son of the eternal Father, in as much as lay in us, we were desirous to murther thy Father, and to destroy his Divine essence and being, and therefore were most worthy of death and eternal flames. But thou wert not onely willing to die for us, but effectually gavest thy blood and life with so inhumane torments for us, and wert prepared to suffer more and greater▪ for our good. How shall we repay so great a love? what thanks, what gratitude for so immense a benefit? Let us also consider, What we our selves are, for whom he suffered. For he suffered not for himself, or because it imported him: he suffered not for another God, nor for some new creature of a superiour nature to all those who now are: not for a Seraphin, who had faithfully served him for an eternity of years, but for a miserable vile creature, the lowest of all those, which are capable of reason, composed of dirt, and his Ene∣my. This should make us more grateful, that God

suffered so much for us, who least deserved it.

To this may be added that he suffered thus much for us, not that his suffering was necessary tor our re∣demption and freedom out of the slavery of sin, but took upon him all these pains and torments onely to shew his love unto us, and to oblige us to imitate him in the contempt of the world and all humane felicity. Let us then behold our selves in this Mirrour, and re∣form our lives. Let us suffer with him, who suffered so much for us. Let us be thankful unto him, who did us so much good, and so much to his own cost. Let it grieve our very souls that we have offended so good a God, who suffered so many evils, that we should not be evil. Let us admire the Divine goodness, who being the honour of Angels, would for so vile a creature a∣base himself to the reproach of the Cross. Let us love him, who so truly loved us. Let us put our trust in him, who without asking gave us more than we durst desire. Let us imitate this great example proposed un∣to us by the Eternal Father upon Mount Calvarie. Let us compose our lives conformable unto the death. of his Son our Saviour in all humility and contempt of temporal felicity, that we may thereby attain the e∣ternal: that humbling our selves now, he may exalt us hereafter; that suffering here, he may in his good time comfort us; that tasting in this life what is bit∣ter, we may in the other be satiated with all sweetness: and that weeping in time we may rejoyce for all eter∣nity; To which end our Saviour said unto the great Imi∣tator of his Passion St. Francis: Francis, take those things that are bitter in lieu of those that are sweet, if thou intendest to be happy. And accordingly St. Austin:

Brethren,* 1.1 Know that after the pleasures of this life are to follow eternal lamentations: for no man can rejoyce both in this world and the next. And therefore it is necessary, that he who will possess the one, should lose the other. If thou desirest to rejoyce here, know that thou shalt be banisht from.

thy Celestial Country; but if thou shalt here weep, thou shalt even at present be counted as a Citizen of Heaven.

And therefore our Lord said: Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be comforted. And for this reason it is not known that our Saviour ever laught: but it is certain, that he often wept; and for this rea∣son chose a life of pains and troubles, to shew us that that was the right way to joy and repose.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Augus. Ser. 11. ad fra.