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.

How our Lord would not harken to those reasons, which might haue disswaded him from shewing this great mercy to man. Of the necessity of a visible Sacrifice: and how our Lord himselfe, doth still offer it.

CHAP. 46.

IF reason might haue preuailed, it seemes that he should haue taken heed vvhat he vvas about doe.* 1.1 That if Pearles were not to be cast to swyne, much lesse vvas this inualuable ievvell, to be mis-spent vpon so many, vvho vvould continually be vvallovving in the filth of sinne. That there vvould be a vvorld of Pagans, Iewes, Heretiques, and vvho vvould

not beleeue, and would blaspheme the truth therof. That millions of Catholikes, though they did beleeue it, would not yet frequent it, but would rather for beare this bread of life, & this fountaine of heauenly water, then the muddy miserable gust of some carnal pleasure, or some base interest of the world, which yet doth but lead them from a Purgatory in this life, to a Hell in the next. That some would do worse then to abstayne; for notwithstan∣ding that they resolued still to sinne, they would yet presume with Sacrilegious mouth to prophane this Lord of heauen and earth; & to bring God into that house, wherof the de∣uill had possession and dominion. And in fine, that they would be too few, who would of∣ten resort to it with due reuerence of that Ma∣iesty; with hungar after true sanctity; with loue of that immense beauty; and with that purity of hart which might forbid them to la∣uish and wast themselues away, in pursuite of creatures.

This might haue seemed to be the voyce of reason which was to haue diuerted our blessed Lord, from submitting himselfe to such indignity, as he seemed, by his mercy, to grow subiect to. But(a) 1.2 he, on the other side, would needs vnderstand it to be otherwise. And that he being an infinite God, it vvould become him well, to be infinitely good. That it should not be long of him, if all the world were not inchayned to him by loue. That if any man would either vnder-value the bene∣fit;

and much more if he would abuse it other∣wise, a most rigorous account should be asked therof. And that, in the meane tyme, it would be comfort inough for him, if such as were re∣solued to serue him, might be incorporated to him; not only by supernaturall grace, but by this supersubstantiall bread, which should cause an vnspeakeable vnion betwene him & them. This was a principall reason, why our Lord was pleased to institute both this diuine Sacrifice and Sacrament in this last supper of his; but he did it, besides, for the fulfilling of Prophesies, and the perfecting of the figures of the old Testament.

He was not come, as himselfe had for∣merly affirmed, To breake the law, but to fulfill it. And therfore as he was pleased to eate the Pas∣chall lambe, with all those Ceremonies which the law required, and which, till then, were to be of force; so(b) 1.3 the same, being partly a figure of the Passion and Death, of our Lord IESVS; and much more properly, of the Blessed Sacrament, and the holy Sacrifice of the Masse, it became his Truth and Good∣nes, to ordaine and institute them at that tyme.

For his Church in euery one of the states therof, aswell vnder the law of nature, as the written law, was the Spouse of Christ our Lord; and in vertue of that only coniun∣ction, it vvas acceptable and pleasing to the eternall Father. But particularly it was to be so, vnder the Law of Grace, vvhen once it

should come to be fed, by his sacred body, and inebriated by his pretious bloud. And ther∣fore, as in those former tymes, the Church of Christ our Lord, had neuer bene without her Sacrifices (neither is there indeed, or can there be, any true Religion, without a reall, and proper Sacrifice) so much lesse vvould he per∣mit, that Spouse, vnder the lavv of grace, to vvant this soueraigne meanes, wherby to pro∣test the faithfull, and incommunicable ho∣mage, vvhich she ovves, to him. For(c) 1.4 a Sa∣crifice, is a worship of Latria; and the supreme act of religion, wherby (through the oblation, and externall mutation of some corpor all thing, (according to the par∣ticular rites, and sacred ceremonies which are perfour∣med, by persons, who are peculiarly deputed for that purpose and are called Priests) the excellency of the di∣uine Maiesty, and the supreme Dominion which it hath, ouer the life and death of all the creatures, is acknowledged and protested. Now therfore, Christ our Lord, vvould not depriue vs of this bles∣sing. But as, vvith great aduātage to vs, he had already changed the Circumcisiō of the old law, into Baptisme; so also was the diuine Good∣nes pleased, to make all those figuratiue Sacri∣fices of the same old lavv, yeild vp their pos∣session in the nevv, and giue place to this one other most excellent Sacrifice, of his ovvne most pretious body and bloud.

The Sacrifices of the old lavv, vvere blou∣dy;* 1.5 and they vvere offred by that braunch of the Tribe of Leui, which descended from A∣ron. But yet Melchisedech, also vvas a Priest,

and that long before;* 1.6 and he offred an vnblou∣dy Sacrifice, and it consisted of bread & wine. Novv Christ our Lord, vvho is our true high Priest; did summe vp all the Sacrifices of both those kindes, into his ovvne sacred selfe. For as those former bloudy Sacrifices, did pre∣figure the Sacrifice of his pretious life vpon the Crosse; so that other of bread and vvine, did prefigure the Sacrifice of the holy Masse. And so truely and properly, is this last a Sacrifice, and so truly vvas he the Priest, vvho offered it first in this last supper of his; and so truly did he ordaine his Apostles to do the like by those vvords, Hocfacite in meam commemorationem, Doe this in commemoration of me,* 1.7 (& in their persons, all those others also, of succeding ages vvere appointed to doe it, vvho should in like man∣ner, be ordayned by them) that vnlesse this truth be sincerly and religiously granted, vve shall neuer be able to verify those vvords of the holy Ghost, vvherby it vvas prophesied thus by Dauid,* 1.8 concerning Christ our Lord, and so vnderstood by the holy Fathers of the Church (as vve shall shortly see,) Tues sacerdos in aeternum, secundum ordinem Melchisedech: Thou art a Priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech.

But a true and lawfull Priest he is, af∣ter the order of Melchisedech, and a Priest he is to be, till the end of the vvorld. And alth∣ough he be raigning still in heauen, yet con∣tinually doth he exercise this office of his, by his deputies, vvho are true Catholicke Priests. And principally it is he, vvho offereth vp his

ovvne body and bloud, together vvith them; he being the only true Originall Priest, and these other (though properly & truly Priests) yet being but partakers of his Povver, & Or∣der, by his grace. Novv this body and bloud of our Lord IESVS vvho is the one only Sacri∣fice, and vvho vvas offered vp in a bloudy mā∣ner vpon the Crosse, is novv offered dayly, in an vnbloudy manner vpon our Altars. Con∣teyning(d) 1.9 in it selfe, all sufficiency, and a∣boundance of grace, both for the liuing and dead; for the propitiation of sinne, and the paines vvhich follovv it; the thanksgiuing for benefits already receiued, & the impetration of graces to be heereafter graunted, by Al∣mighty God. And this is that Sacrifice wher∣of Malachy did so cleerly prophesy; vvhen (reprouing the Sacrifices of the old lavv) he spake thus, as in the tyme of the lavv of grace: Ab ortu solis, vsque ad occasum, magnum est nomen meum in gentibus &c. From the rysing of the sunne, to the going downe therof, great is my name among the gentiles. And in euery place, there is sacrificing, and there is offered to my name a cleane oblation; because my name is great among the Gentills, sayth the Lord of Hosts.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Matt. 7.
• (a) 1.2

  How the infini∣te loue of our Lord made an∣swere in our be∣halfe to this infi∣nite wise∣dome.
• (b) 1.3

  The Paschall lambe was a fi∣gure, both of the death of Christ our Lord, and of the B. Sacra∣ment.
• (c) 1.4

  The Oblation of Sacrifi∣ce is the highest act of re∣ligion.
• * 1.5

  Num. 1. & 3.
• * 1.6

  Gen. 14. Psal. 109.
• * 1.7

  Luc. 22.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 109.
• (d) 1.9

  The sacrifice of the Masse is both Propitia∣tory Impetra∣tory, and of thanks∣giuing; & doth be∣nefit both the quick & dead. Mala. ••.