To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Iesus said to the twelue Apostles; behold we goe vp to Ierusalem, and all things shall be consummate which were written by the Prophetes of the son of man. Luc 18.
CONSIDER how fitly the wis∣dome of the Church applyes this Gospell intimating Christs B. passion to this tyme, wherin we are dispo∣sing
our selves to enter into the rigour of a penitentiall life, therby to applie to our soules the merites of the said passion. Fit∣ly, I say, since it seemes to say to all Christian hartes, with the great S. Paule: thinke diligently vpon him who sustayned of sin∣ners such contradiction against himselfe, that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds: for you haue not yet resisted to blood (as he did) in fighting against sinne. Forgett not then (in the tyme of your pennance) the consolation which speaketh to you, as it were to children: my sonne neglect not the discipline of our Lord; neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked of him: for whom our Lord loueth he chastiseth, and he scourgeth euerie child which he receiueth.
[Affection.] The soldier, saith the deuoute S. Bernarde, feeles not his owne wounds, while he lookes vpon the wounds of his Kinge. Noe my soule, there is nothing that can so sweeten that sharpest sufferances, as fi∣xedly to behold the sufferances of the sonne of the Kinge of glorie; and that, not for his (which were none) but for thy crymes, for thy loue, for thy redemption. Looke vpon him then in thy pressures, be they of body, or of mynde, and thou shalt like them, thou shalt loue them, thou
shalt be delighted in them. What can be so deare to a loueing harte as to be like its beloued? cost that ressemblance what it will it shall fall far short of the delight it bringes with it.
He (Christ) shall be deliuered to the Gentils, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spitt vpon &c. and then shall be killed, and the third day shall ryse againe.
CONSIDER this description, or prediction; and blush to be found a fainte and delicate soldier, vnder so ge∣nerous and patiently suffering a Capitai∣ne. Ponder it well, and be more and more confirmed in the faith of Christ, and the truth of Christian Religion, against Iewe, Turke, or Athist: for what he here for∣tells, and afterwarde performes, was lon∣ge before foretold by the Prophetes, which could neuer haue bene so punctual∣ly performed, had not their pens bene guided by the finger of the holy Ghost. Sopho He shall be deliuered vp to the Gentils (to witt Pilate and his soldiers) to be moc∣ked. Dauid speaking in the person of the
Messias: I was whippt all the day longe. Isaye: I turned not my face from those that spitt vpon me wisdome. Let vs condemne him to a most infamous death. Sopho. expect me in the day of my resurrection, speaking in the person of Christ.
[Affection.] Consider I say, my soule, againe and againe, what thy Lord and ma∣ster, thy Christ, thy God suffers for thee; for thee a poore, miserable, lost seruant, and be ashamed to be so backward to suffer any thinge for those many crymes of thy∣ne. Let vs looke vpon that Authour of faith and consummatour of all his heauen∣ly fathers commands, and of all that was foretold of him by the Prophetes: and crye out with Dauid, ô Lord, thy testimo∣nies are made exceeding credible, they are too too cleare, for any, euer to be able to doubt of them.