Sweete thovghtes of Iesvs and Marie, or, Meditations for all the feasts of ovr B. Saviovr and his B. Mother togeither with Meditations for all the Sundayes of the yeare and our Sauiovrs Passion : for the vse of the daughters of Sion : diuided into tvvo partes / by Thomas Carre ...

THE VI. MEDITATION.

Of our svveete sauiours going into the Garden.

Cons.

HAuing now done supper, you must accompanie him into the Garden, together with Peter, Iames, and Iohn. Where you shall see the valourous young Dauid lo∣uingly prodigall of his youthfull and delicate bodie, desirous to begin the battell: yea drawen on, and animated with a feruent loue of mans saluation, goe first to the place of combate, with∣out constraint, of his owne accord; marke what kind of weapons he had prouided himselfe of; no other then humilitie, charitie, praier, with a reso∣lution to indure all for the loue of vs poore creatures. Let vs be alwaies fur∣nished with the like weapons, and the victorie is ours.

[Affect.] Sweete Iesus, in this thou

renderst me perplexed: for I know not whether I ought to ioy in thy loue, or sorrowe to see loue moue thee to so great a paine; for an vndutifull seruantes sake; Ioy, to see the book of life begin to be opened, wherein all the treasures of knowledge and wisdome are contained; or sorrow to foresee the rude manner of opening it, euen at hand And againe, thou renderest me confused, when I re∣flect vpon my-selfe, and finde my felfe so backward, yea happly one of the laste and most backward, if anie difficultie be to be endured, though for my iust de∣serts, while I finde thee who art altoge∣ther innocent, comme first to the place of paine and sufferance; and this my po∣uertie, deare Lord, I willingly laie open before the eyes of thy mercie, hoping to be cured of this spirituall infirmitie, by thy souueraigne and omnipotent good∣nesse.

Cons. 2.

But alas, looke about you now and you shall see a strange altera∣tion; you shall see him who, according to his spirit, wished to haue all things ac∣complished in himselfe, (which were de∣creed by the eternall wisedome of God

the Father, and the consell of the holy Ghost) yet according to his tender and passible flesh, being of a most delicate and noble complection, begin to haue a horrour) through the strong apprehen∣sion of neere approching death; and the∣refore he begins to sorrow, to feare, and to be irck some; outwardly to quake in all his members, inwardly to be seased vpon by a deadly anguish, Harke, and you shall heare him impart the abundance of his greefe to his best friends: Tristis est ani∣ma mea vsque ad mortē; my soule is sorow∣full euen to death: as though he should say, the anguish which I endure, is suffi∣cient to procure my death. See how the euent shewes his words most true, for who euer sawe feare cause a bloody swea∣te burst out from euerie member?

[Affect.] O vnspeakable goodnes! ô in∣comprehensible loue! was euer the like seene or heard? what louer was euer like to this louer of mine? O my soule, my soule, how comes it to passe that we can be so little affectionate, so intolerably vngratefull, as not to be inflamed, nay not at all to be touched with, or seeme to be concerned in this vnheard of argu∣ment

of affection, shewen by a person so infinitly great, to vs so extreamely litle vile and miserable? how become we so obliuious, as to forgett this memorable fact? how so vngratefull as not to be wil∣ling to correspond by enduring with pa∣tience such diminutiue crosses, con∣tempts, contumelies, contradictions, temptations and tribulations, a•• Gods wise prouidence, and fatherly loue per∣mitts to fall vpon vs; and that too, euen for the cure of our sins, which are so great, and so many?