Of the love of our only Lord and Saviour, Iesus Christ: Both that which he beareth to vs; and that also which we are obliged to beare to him. Declared by the principall mysteries of the life, and death of our Lord; as they are deluiered [sic] to vs in Holy Scripture. With a preface, or introduction to the discourse.

The great Loue of our Lord Iesus, is further shewed in his flight to Egypt.

CHAP. 19.

THIS act of so great loue vvas in the hart of our Lord Iesus, but he contents not himselfe to loue vs only vvith his hart, vnlesse vvithall he may put himselfe to further paine and shame. And behould (vvhen he vvas fast a sleepe, in those deere armes of his all-ima∣culate and most holy mother; and in house, with that holy Patriarcke S. Ioseph, an Angell ap∣peared to that Saynt, being also at that tyme a sleepe, Requiring him to rise,* 1.1 and take the child and his mother, and to fly into Egipt, and there to re∣maine, till he should be willed to returne, because Herod would procure to destroy the child.

But where shall we find meanes, wherewith to admire, and adore this Lord of ours? Who for the discouery, of the infini∣tenes of his loue, would vouchsafe so farre to ouer shadow the omnipotency of his power,

as that he, being the Lord of Angells, would be directed by an Angell;* 1.2 and being God himselfe, would be disposed of by a man; and being the seate and Center of all true repose, would be raysed from his rest at midnight; &, (together with that heauenly Virgin), to be sent, flying from the face of an angry tyrant, in so tender yeares; into a Country so remote, so incommodious, so barbarous, and so Ido∣latrous? It was a iourney of(*) 1.3 twelue daies; at the least, for any stronge traueller; & could not be of lesse then thirty or forty, for this little family, which was forced to be fleeting thus, from home. This family which was compō∣ded of a man in yeares, who loued to conuerse in the howse of his owne holy hart; a most pure and most delicate virgin, who was not wont to be shewing herselfe to strange places and persons; and that excellent diuine infant, who would permit himself to want as much assistāce, as that weake state could need, which must needes increase the trouble both of them, and him. Their pouerty without all doubte was very great; for though the Magi (when they opened, and offred of their treasures to him) must be thought to haue left inough for the contynuall entertainement of such a com∣pany; yet by a circumstance which may be considered heere, it will be euident that they were growne poore againe. For at the Pro∣sentation of our Lord in the Temple, (wherof I haue already spoken, but heer it will be fit, to looke backe vpon it once agayne) our B. Lady

was, and would be purified. Not that she had need of being purisied, (she in comparison of whose high purity, the most pure Seraphims of heauen, are but drosse and dust) but because our Lord her Sonne, would be subiect to the imputation of sinne by Circumcision, our B. Lady his mother, would be thought subiect to the comon shame of mothers by purification. To which heroicall act of contemning her selfe, our Lord, by his example, had drawne her, & thereby withall, did make vs knowe, that it was not impossible for meere creatures, (by meanes of that grace(b) 1.4 which is imparted to vs, with so much loue) to abandon and dispise our selues; and not only to be con∣tent, but euen delighted, in being dispised by others.

Now at the Purification of al women, an oblation was to be made by order of the law, and a lambe was to be offred by the rich; and a paire of Turtle doues, or two yong Pigeons,* 1.5 by the poore. And(c) 1.6 since this latter was the offring which the B. Virgin made, it is cleere that through her charity to others, her selfe would needs become poore againe. She hauing such a stronge example of pouerty before her eyes, as that God should make himselfe a naked child for the good of men; and she not fayling to learne, and lay vp the lesson of this vertue, which was the first that was made to her by our B Lord. So that since they were persons so very poore, and so, vnfit for trauaile, and to take a iourney of so great imcommo∣dity

and lengh without so much as an ynch of any ground of hope, that after such, or such a tyme expired, they should returne; was such a dish ful of difficultyes for them to feed vpon, as could neuer haue been digested, if it had not been dressed and sawced with the most ar∣dent loue of our Lord lesus.

By this example of his, he hath giuen vs stronge comfort in all those banishments & distresses, which we may be subiect to. And it hath wrought so well with the seruants of God, as that they haue triumphed with ioy for the happines of being able to suffer shame or sorrow for his sake. But(d) 1.7 especially did it worke wonders, in that rude and wicked Country of Egypt. For he had no soeuer per∣fected the mistery of our redemption vpon the Crosse; but through the odour of his sacred in∣fancy, that Prouince did early, get a kind of start, beyond all the others of the vvorld, in breeding, and nursing vp huge troopes of famous Marlyrs, Anchorites, Eremits, and other holy Monks, in the strongest Mortification and penance, which hath beene knovvn in the Christian vvorld.

And novv let vs see vvho hath the face vvhervvith to deny, or the hart vvhervvith to doubt the effects of the infinite loue, vvhich our Lord did shevv by this flight of his into Egipt. Where such a renouation of the in∣vvard man vvas made, as that insteed of dogs, and catts, and serpents, and diuels, vvhich, vvith extraordinary diligence of superstition,

were vsually there adored, beyond the other parts of the world; so many Tryumphant Arches, were erected there, so shortely after, in ho∣nour of Christ our Lord, as there were high, and happy soules, who consecrated them∣selues to his seruice, in a most pure and per∣fect manner, with detestation of all those de∣lights, which flesh and bloud is wont to take pleasure in. And they imbraced, with the armes both of body and soule, all those diffi∣culties and miseries, which they found that our Lord had bene pleased to indure for thē, and which the world doth so deepely feare, and so deadly hate.

The Tyrant, in the meane tyme,* 1.8 after some six or seauen yeares expired, (according to the most probable opinion) not disposing himself to lay downe that batbatous & bloo∣dy minde, wherby, like a wolse he persecuted the lamb of God,* 1.9 who taketh away the sinnes of the world, and vvho during all that bitter banish∣ment of his, did neuer cease to vvooe him by inspirations, and many other meanes, to de∣part frō his dānable designe) came, at last, to his due, & deserued end. For he fel into the cō∣passe of those impenitēt sinners, vvhich S. Au∣gustine discribeth thus, after his diuine manner.* 1.10 Subtrahentes se lenitati tuae, & offendētes in rectitudi∣nē tuam, & cadentes in asperitatē tuam. Videlicet ne∣sciunt quòd vbique sis, quem nullus circumscribi•• locus, & solus es praesens, etiam his, qui longè fiunt à te. They withdrew thēselues (saith he from thy mercy, and they met with thy Iustice, and they fell vpon thy rigor, or

reuenge. And all, because they knew not, that thou, O Lord, art euery where; whome no place doth cir∣cumscribe, and who only art present, euen to them who will needs make themselues far of from thee.

This was Herods case; who in vayne, did looke for the Lord of life, heere, or there, to mur∣ther him, who was not only heere or there, but euery where. Or rather with him there is no such thing, as any where, but only so far forth as it is made to be so, by his Omnipresence. Particularly our Lord had still bene knocking at his hart. But the Tyrant locked him out, seeking him in that wicked manner, & the more he sought him so, the further of he was frō finding him; though yet himselfe was found by him.* 1.11 For (as the same S. Augustine saith els where of a sinner:) Quo it, quo fugit, nisi à te placido, ad te iratum? & vbi non inuenit legem tuam, in paena sua? & lex tua veritas, & veritas tu. Whither goeth a sinner, or whither flyeth he, but from thee being plea∣sed, to thy selfe being offended. And where shall he not find thy law to his cost? and thy law is Truth, and this Truth, is thou thy selfe.

By this law of Iustice, and by this Truth the tyrāt was found out at last. For our Lord, considering that he would not make vse of his loue to him by asking pardō, resolued that he would make him an instrument of his own loue to vs, by giuing vs an example which we might auoyd. And so he(e) 1.12 strocke him with extreme afflictions of minde, and vn∣speakeable torments of body, according to the description of Iosephus. For within, he was

all burning, as in fire; his lyms were swolne, his pudenda turned themselues into vermine; and his whole body was of so hatefull a smel; as that he might rather be thought, a lining, and feeling, and talking dunghill, then a ma, and so he dyed. Yet now, though our Lord did shew his Maiesty as a God, he would not yet forsake his owne humility, patience, and charity as man; but he expected in Egypt, till this hungry wolfe were dead. And then, v∣pon the admonition of an Angell, he retur∣ned and went into Galilea, and so to Naza∣reth, where he remayned with his sacred mo∣ther, and the holy Patriarche S. Ioseph, his supposed Father.* 1.13 And he grew (as the Euange∣list saith) and was strengthned, being full of wise∣dome; and the grace of God was with him. Both which, he shewed after an admirable manner at his disputing and teaching in the Temple, as will appeare by that which followeth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Matt. 2.
• * 1.2

  (a) Obser∣ue the strange humility, charity, & patience of our Lord in this My∣stery.
• (*) 1.3

  Three hundred English ••••yles. See Baradius Tom. 1. l. 10. cap. 8.
• (b) 1.4

  The omnipo∣tency of Gods grace.
• * 1.5

  Leuit. 12.
• (c) 1.6

  A de∣monstra∣tion to prooue what shift our B. La∣dy made to grow quickly poore a∣gayne.
• (d) 1.7

  The great change which was wrought in Egypt, after the Presence of our Lord Ie∣sus.
• * 1.8

  Vide Mal∣donat. in c. 2. Matt.
• * 1.9

  Ioan. 1.
• * 1.10

  Confes. l. 5. cap. 2.
• * 1.11

  Confes. lib. 4. cap. 9.
• (e) 1.12

  How the Iusti∣ce of God vpon He∣rod, was grounded in his mer¦cy & loue to vs. Vide 10. seph.l. 17. Antiquit. cap. 8. & Euseb. l. r. Hist. Eccle siast.
• * 1.13

  Lue. 2.