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CONSIDER with many of the holy Fathers, that our B. Lady from her deare Sonns Ascension to this present day of her glorious Assumption, im∣ployed all her tyme in heauenly contem∣plations, feruent eleuations of harte and inflamed aspirations after her dearely be∣loued child. How often said she, with
more then a S. Paules feruour, that she de∣sired to be dissolued, and to be with Christ? How often did she adiure the daughters of Sion to stay her with flowers, to compasse her about with apples, because she languished with loue? Tell him, saith she, that I languish with loue.
[Affection.] Thus it was, my soule, that this heauenly hart continually euaporated it selfe out: thus, while her body was de∣tayned in earth, did her soule liue in hea∣uen: and thus it is too that euery chaste turtle should behaue herselfe in the ab∣sence of her mate, sometymes moaning herselfe with holy Dauid, saying: ay mé! why is my seiourning stil prolonged? Somety∣mes with S. Paule, Christ is my life, and death is my gaine. Some tymes againe with the feruent S. Augustine: Liue I will not, dye I will, I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ.
CONSIDER that Blessed Marie ha∣uing as truly conceiued in her hart the sacred fire which her Sonne brought
downe, as she had conceiued him in her Virginall wombe, she continually wat∣ched it like a holy Vestall, and did not onely keepe it a liue, but euen added new fewell to it, by euery least action of her life, so that, that holy flame was increa∣sed to such a degree that it was impossi∣ble for a humane hart to endure it, with∣out wasting away like incense in the thuri∣ble, to imbalme the world with her hea∣uenly odours.
[Affection.] Ah my soule, comme and be∣hold this heauenly Visiō. See how Moyses his burning bush, whom noe fire of concu∣piscence could euer touch, begins to melt away in the fire of loue. See our sacred Salamander readie to consume in the fla∣mes which she loued, wherin she liued, & wherwith she was ••o deliciously nourished. O that this cold lūpe were better acquain∣ted with this deare torment, with this fire which burnes so delightfully. At least, ô thou Blessed Holocauste of Loue, preuayle by thy powerfull prayers, that the fire of the Holy Ghost may burne my reynes and hart, that I may serue him with a chaste body, and please him with a cleane hart.
COnsider that Marie must dye then because she was a child of Adam: be∣cause she was the Mother of a God who dyed: because a pretious & delicious death will doe her the right to deliuer her vpp to her Sonne in glorie; nor is glorie to be had but by death, she must dye then who brought out life. But as loue brought her Iesus downe from heauen, and by loue she cōceiued him, so must noe other hand then that of loue (which is now growen stronger then deathin her) breake the band of mortalitie, and restore her to her life, her loue, her Iesus.
[Affection.] O death louingly vitall! ô loue vitally mortall! O death of loue the no∣blest of all deathes! And therfor due to the most noble life that euer was amonst creatures, whereof the verie Angells would desire to dye, if dye they could. Be ah re∣turne,
returne thou Sunamitesse, returne that we may haue the happinesse to looke vpō thee, to craue thyne assistance in our necessities. O Marie, thou Mother of gra∣ce, Mother of mercy, protect vs against our enemyes in our life, and receiue vs at the houre of our death. Amen.
CONSIDER that if loue gaue the blow, it was the most noble death that euer creature endured: If loue gaue the stroke, it was the most deliciously deare and desi∣red that euer humane hart tasted. And as this death was most noble and most sweete, so was it attended by the most noble com∣pagnie. All the Apostles) as witnesseth the great Areopagite) by Gods Proui∣dence and power, and all the Primitiue Christians about Hierusalem being pre∣fent at it. Yea euen Millions of Angells, and Christ himselfe. Witnesse S. I. Da∣mascene with many others.
[Affection.] O what a mixture of delight & sorrow did possesse those Apostolicall and primitiue hartes! Of sorrow, to see them∣selues readie to become Orphants hauing both the Mother and the Sōne taken from
them. Of delight to behold that diuin-Phenix melting away vpon her bed of hoe nour amidst the odoriferous flames of Sa∣cred loue, readie to flye into their Masters Celestiall imbracements. O what Can∣ticles of prayses did not they singe? what actions of grace did they not render?
CONSIDER that though a death of loue, or a beloued death could sepa∣rate the soule from that B. Virgines body which was buried by the Apostles &c. in Gethse many, yet deathes corruptiō durst not at all fastē vpon that incorruptible bo∣dy which had brought out life. As we de∣ney not, saith S. Augustine, that the Mo∣ther of God was subiect to the Law of death, so haue we learnt in the Shoole of Christianitie, to priuiledge her from cor∣ruption, whose grace and sanctitie was such, that she singularly merited to lodge God in earth.
[Affection.] Noe, my soule, the immacu∣late
body of this incomparable Virgine was not subiect to corruption, it was not fitting that that chaste flesh which gaue flesh to clothe our humanised God, should be deliuered ouer to the wormes. Though death was her gaine, yet had corruption bene her losse. God would not permitt, that holy one, who was vncorrupt in her Con∣ception, in her childbirth, and after her childbirth, should meete with corruption in her graue.
CONSIDER that scarcely had this sacred Depositum of her immaculate body remayned three dayes in the graue after her vitall death (witnesse S. I. Da.) till he that rose the third day by his owne power, came to rayse his blessed mothers body, that her body and soule being vni∣ted againe, he might inioy his whole mo∣ther, and she him in his glorie: Saying to her, ryse make haste my friend: or accor∣ding to S. Augustine: come from Lyba∣nus my spouse, come from Libanus, come thou shalt be crowned, taking her by the right hand, saith he, and conducting her in
pompe and magnificence, according to his good pleasure.
[Affection.] O, my soule, with what hea∣uenly acclamations, with what Angelicall admirations, and exaltations, was this singular triumph accompaigned? While euen the astonished Angells cryed out; who is this, who comes vp from the desert, flowing with delightes, and has the confidence to leane vpon her beloued, our Kinge? Let vs, my soule, earnestly begge her intercession, what cannot she preuayle for, whom the God of heauen so much honours?
CONSIDER whither this best of Sonns could leade this best of Mothers; but to the best place that euer creature was ca∣pable of, euen aboue the Cherubins and Seraphins to the Throne of God. S. Au∣gustine is my warantie saying of her. Thou didst passe the Angelicall troupes, and ad∣uance euen to the Throne of the souuerai∣gne Kinge.
[Affection.] Yes, ô thou Souueraigne
Queene, saith S. Augustine (seconded by S. Anselme) the King thy Sonne raysed thee to the the same seate, where he had placed what he tooke of thee, it being but sutable to reason, that thou shouldst be there, where that is which was borne of thee.
CONSIDER what honour accrues to her in that Throne of Glorie, and we shall find that she is honored by God the Father, in qualitie of his dearest daughter: Of God the Sonne, as his dearest mother: and of God the holy Ghost, as his dearest Spouse. Of all the Angells, and Saintes of heauen, as the best beloued Mother of their Master, and the most glorious Quee∣ne of their heauenly Court.
[Affection.] All hayle thou glorious Quee∣ne of Heauen, it is not now all the genera∣tions of mē, or one Angell that salutes thee full of grace, but all the Quires of Angells which pronounce thee blessed; and full of glorie. Yea the whole Trinitie doth in rich thee with incomparable prerogatiues of honour, and glorie, farre aboue all the rest.