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 excellent examples and instructions which our Lord Iesus gaue vs with great Loue, in this mistery of his Temptation.

CHAP. 24.

CHRIST our Lord himselfe, was farre from being able to grow light or vayne, vpon the supernaturall fauours, and visions, wherwith he had bene enriched from heauen, after the humility and charity, which he had expressed to God, and vs, in his holy Baptisme; and therfore, most safely he might instantly haue put himselfe into conuersation with men of the world. But(a) 1.1 yet because he well knew of what sōding metall poore man is made; & that his nauigation through the tēpest of this world, is found to be so dangerous, by his carrying so little balast of solid vertue, in the bottome of his soule; and so great a saile of self cōceite tyed to the mast of his giddy head; and for that vpon the feeling of diuine com∣forts, men vse sometymes, to make effusion of those treasures which yet were giuen, but that they might be improued, or at least laid in, against the comming (as I may say) of a deere yeare, or tyme of tribulation; it pleased his diuine, wise Goodnes to shew, and that not only by words but deeds, how we were to carry our selues, in such cases. And that when such pretious liquor of extraordinary grace is conueyed into our harts, by the hand of God,

we must procure to conuerse, so much the more, within; and to stopp the bottle with extraordinary care, least els the spirit fly a broade, and the soule remaine in misery at home.

Nor was our Lord in any necessity of preparing himselfe, by making such a kind of spiruuall exercise, or recollection as this, before he went in mission, for the wynning of soules to his eternall Father; in the vertue wherof, he might cōtynue more vnited with God; & that as contēplation was to giue nobility to actiō, so action might giue fecundity to contempla∣tion. But(b) 1.2 for our instruction he shewed vs, in himselfe, what we were to doe; and that before men must trust themselues, with procuring, by conuersation, and exhortation, to doe good to others; they must in silence, & solitude make vpon their owne accounts, in the sight of God. Casting off their sinnes; ta∣king leaue of all occasions therof; making ob∣seruation of their errours past; renewing good and particular purposes for the tyme to come; and in fine, preparing themselues for the do∣ing, and suffering with a sirme and faithfull hart, whatsoeuer they shall find agreable to the holy, and wife, and strong will of God. And because a mā who is to be truly Aposto∣licall, must by the goodnes of God procure to be fit to encounter with all the difficulties, to which man is subiect; and for that the chari∣ty of man, (as man) is so very could, as not to looke vpon the miseries and calamities of o∣thers,

with that compassion which becomes the fellow creatures of so good a God, (vn∣lesse first they haue tryed the variety of Temp∣tations in their owne persons, and because it is not possible for a man (without a more extra∣ordinary grace then can be expected) to ap∣ply fit remedies to such soules as shall be sub∣iect to Temptation, vnlesse himselfe haue bene sicke of the same, or the like disease; our Lord is therfore(c) 1.3 wont to suffer euen his best ser∣uants, & such as he meanes to imploy most in making warre against vice and sinne, to be in∣fested in this kind, with the assaults of the e∣nemy. But yet so, as that he enableth them withall (by his grace, if they will not be wan∣ting to themselues) to returne victorious out of the battaile. And not only by these skirmi∣shes, to abate the fury of their foes, but to eate out the rust, which their soules had contracted by their owne former sinnes; & insteed ther∣of, to fill them full of merit in themselues; & to make them expert, and safe guides of o∣thers; and in fine, by such knocks to hammer out, and to build vp, and most richly to fur∣nish such a house in their hartes, as wherin the God and King of glory, may not only be cō∣rent, but euen glad to dwell.

They are therfore deepely in errour, who thinke it be a signe of Gods disfauour, if he suffer a soule to be much tempted. The ar∣gument is rather good on the other side, to proue that it is a token of his loue. For vve see how Christ our Lord himselfe, would be

vsed heerin; to secure vs therby, that it was a happy state, since himselfe did choose to be possest therof. Especially(d) 1.4 considering, that by going so before, through his Temptations, he hath brokē the hart of such others as should afterward lay hold on vs; besides that he in∣structs vs how we are to carry our selues ther∣in, euen whilst they last. And infallibly the loue of our Lord to vs, is so very tender and so pure, that by the merit of this Temptation of his, he would haue obteyned the destruction and death of all Temptations; if he had not for∣seene, that they should suruiue, for our grea∣ter good, in case that we would vse them wel. And we may iustly beleeue, that since God refused to graunt the suite of the holy Apo∣stle, when he had begged thrice, that Sathan might no longer, buffet him with the motions of sense,* 1.5 it was only for the preseruing him in humility, and way of prouision of greater glo∣ry; and he made him a promise of sufficient grace, wherby he should tryumph after vi∣ctory.

Besides this assistance of the grace of God (which yet alone ought to be anchor inough, for the soule of man in any difficulty whatsoeuer, so that the man for his part, doe concurre therwith as his frailty will permit) it is certaine that his diuine Maiesty is so indul∣gent a Father to his deere children; and doth so thirst, not only after their solid good in the next life, but euen after their comfort and ioye in this; that ordinarily when he per∣mitteth

them to vndergoe any grieuous Temp∣tation of the enemy, he either armeth them be∣fore hand, with some extraordinary comfort by way of preparatiue; or els he visiteth them afterward, in some most gratious manner, by way eyther of remedy, or reward. We see that it is iust so in this Temptation of Christ our Lord, and that before it, in his Baptisme the heauens were opened to him; and the holy Ghost did visibly descend vpon him. And af∣ter it, the Angells did make court about him, and doe him homage; and did serue at his ta∣ble, when the fast was ended. And we also, as miserable as we seeme to be in this life, haue a promise from truth it selfe, in another part of the holy Ghospell,* 1.6 that they who shall haue re∣mayned faithfull to him, in his Temptations, (that is to say in such afflictions as God doth either send or suffer) shall both eate and drinke at his ta∣ble, in his Kingdome of eternall glory. And to the end that this might happen to vs more com∣pletely, it was the gratious pleasure of our Lord to permit himselfe to be assalted(e) 1.7 by three seuerall wayes, wherein, all kinds of Temptations might be lodged; or to which, at least, they might be all, reduced. That so, in them, we might be instructed and enabled to ouercome in all, by his example & helpe, as we shall see the Chapter following.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  That spirituall men must arme thē∣selues wel against vanity, & leuity. of hart.
• (b) 1.2

  Men are taught to recol∣lect them∣selues, be∣fore they enter, v∣pon con∣uersing, & treating much with others.
• (c) 1.3

  They are not good Physitiās of others in spiritu∣all diseases who haue not been sicke thē∣selues.
• (d) 1.4

  The example of our Lord Ie∣sus in this Tempta∣tion of his doth both sanctify Tempta∣tiōs to vs, & streng∣then vs, agaynst them.
• * 1.5

  2. Cor. 12.
• * 1.6

  Luc. 22.
• (e) 1.7

  The seuerall kinds of Tempta∣tiō which were offered to our Lord Iesus.