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 incomparable ioy which the Apostles tooke through the loue which our Lord Iesus shewed them in his Transfiguration: and how himselfe was con∣tent to want the glory of it, both before, and after, for the loue of them.

CHAP. 30.

THE sunne doth fall farre short, to ex∣presse the beauteous brightnes of his face: for if(a) 1.1 any one of the glorified bodies, shall be as bright as is the sunne, then is it certain that if all the starres in heauē should be so ma∣ny seueral s̄ns, they would al be but as mud, or inke, in cōparison of the splēdour of Christ our Lord; & of what brightnes then, must his face haue been? His garmēts were said to haue byn as white as snow,* 1.2 & that no dyer vpon earth was able to arriue to such a height of whitenes. To shew, that both art and nature, may haue some little resē∣blance, but are able to carry no full propor∣tion with things of the other world. They were ouershadowed with a cloud, but euen that very cloud was bright. For as the brightnes of this world is indeed but a kind of light-co∣loured blacke; so that, which in the other, is least bright, doth infinitely exceed whatsoe∣uer we can heere conceaue, to be so, most. At the thundring of that voyce, they were indeed. strucken with feare, yet we may safely say, that

they were more afrayd, then hurt. And(b) 1.3 how∣soeuer for the tyme, the high Maiesty of the mistery, did ouerwhesme them; yet withall, it strucke such a deepe roote of most reuerent admiring loue into their harts, as they neuer knew how to forget. And S. Peter and S. Iohn, could not faile in their seuerall Epistles, to pro∣duce the Record of this Transfiguration of our Lord, vpon the holy hill, as a principall eui∣dence of his glory, and their ioy.

I, imagine this terrour of theirs to haue bene resembled in some sort, by that state of mind, which the diuine S Augustine had found in himselfe (though incomparably after an in∣feriour manner) when he spake these wordes;* 1.4 Quid est hoc quod interlucit mihi, & percutit cor mē sine laesione? & inhorresco, & inardesco. Inhorresco in quantum dissimilis tui sum; & inardesco in quant̄ similis tui sum. What is that, o Lord, which so brightly shootes in vpon me, and which strikes my hart through, without hurting it? And I tremble with horrour; and yet I burne with loue. I tremble, for as much as I am vnlike thee; and for as much, as I am like thee, I burne with loue. So did the Apostles tremble; and so, and much more then so, did they burne with loue, through the fire wherwith our Lord had inflamed them first.

But the same loue which wrought vpō them in this mistery, by way of heare; might also worke vpon them in that extaticall ioy which they receiued therby, by way of light, to make thē see of how sublime glory he was content to depriue his sacred humanity for

loue of them; both from his holy Natiuity, till that tyme, and from that tyme, vntill his death. For the superiour part of his happy soule, from the very first instant of his con∣ception, and euen in the bottome of his bit∣terest passion, did continually, and as certaine∣ly enioy the(c) 1.5 Beatificall vision of God, as now it doth, at the right hand of his Father. So al∣so, did it in Iustice, belong to his sacred flesh and bloud, to inioy al the priuiledges of a glo∣rified body, as Clarity, Immortality, Subtility, and Impassibility. And because these indowments were incompatible with those dolours and death, which he designed, through the ex∣cesse of his loue, to suffer for our more co∣pious Redemption; he did therefore suspend those influences of glory, vpon his humanity. So, that the miracle falls out to be, not to find him thus, for a short tyme, transfigured towards glory, vpon that holy hill; but to find him, in this valley of misery throughout all those three and thirty yeares of his life transfigured, towards humility, and contempt, and paine; him I say who ought in right, to haue regor∣ged in complete glory.

The inferiour part of his soule (that is to say the sensitiue appetite therof) ought also to haue bene glorious intirely, and at all the instants of his mortall life. And yet for loue of vs, he suspended also the glory due to that; to the end that in his loue he might haue the lar∣ger leaue to suffer for vs. And that he might feele, all those afflictiōs of mind for our sakes;

& for the propitiation of our sinnes; and for the purchase of grace from God which we find him to haue endured, throughout the rest of all his sad dayes, and nights, and particularly to haue cost him once so deere, as to haue made him pay a sweate of bloud. Yea and for as much as concernes this feeling part of his soule, we are not so very certaine, that it was not suspended in him,* 1.6 euen for this short time of his trāsfiguration. Nor was it necessary that it should feele the same ioy, for those reasons, v∣pon which his body was trāsfigured. But of this we(d) 1.7 are sure, that euen then, his speach was of the passion, & he was in contemplation of the causes, why it was to be indured; & that might wel affect his mind with great sense of griefe.

Nay euen that very glory, which his B. body might thē enioy, may rather, in some respects, go for a surcharge to him of misery, then for any accesse of felicity. For that ease in suffering disgrace, and difficulties, which if he had would, he might haue gotten (as a man may say) by the long contynued practice ther∣of; was now remoued, by this glimse, and tast of glory. And he(e) 1.8 was after it, to be∣ginne the same lesson of feeling griefe againe; as if he had neuer learnt it before. And if a Prince, falling into extreme calamity, would feele it incomparably the more, through that riches and abundance, wherin he had li∣ued till then; how much more painfull to our Lord must those afflictions and persecutions needs be, which came to him after his transsi∣guration,

then if the Transfiguration had neuer bene? So that, vpon all these reasons, and by all these meanes, he doth admirably expresse his tender loue to vs, for as much as he would not only liue so long without that glory, which was his due, but moreouer because whē he would enioy it, yet he would doe it but for so short a tyme; & againe because he sought our ioy & comfort, and not his owne therin. Nay for as much as concerned himselfe, his then future paine and scorne, was perhaps to be felt by him with a quicker sense, then if neuer he had admitted of that glory, and ioy.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  The beauty of all glori∣fied bo∣dies.
• * 1.2

  Ibid.
• (b) 1.3

  They are happy and glori∣ous frigh∣tes, which grow vpō soules v∣pon such superna∣turall oc∣casions. 2. Pet. 1.
• * 1.4

  Confes. l. 11. cap. 9.
• (c) 1.5

  Our Lord Ie∣sus was still in∣dued with the Beau∣tificall vi∣sion.
• * 1.6

  Luc. 22.
• (d) 1.7

  in the middest of that glory the loue of our Lord carried him to speake of his passiō, with Moy∣ses and Elias.
• (e) 1.8

  The griefe which our Lord felt afterward must needs be the more paynfull to him, for his hauing felt this glory, soone be∣fore.