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 we doe both feed, and are fedd vpon, in the blessed Sacrament; and of the admirable ef∣fects which it must necessarily cause, in such as do worthily receaue it; and of the reason why it must be so; and of the Figures which forshewed the same.

CHAP. 48.

VVE may wel perceaue, that our Lord IESVS, is a great freind of(a) 1.1 Vnion. His person is distinct, from the other persons of the B. Trinity, but the essence is one, and very same of them all. When he was resolued to become man, he was also pleased to knit mans nature to the nature of God, by the Hy∣postaticall vnion. An infinite honour this was to man; for it grew true heerby. that man was God; and that God was killed vpon a Crosse, for the loue of men. Yet though by that vnion in his Incarnation, he brought vs all to be his allies, he did not personally vnite himselfe to vs all. But by this last(b) 1.2 sacramentall vnion of him and vs, when purely we take his pre∣tious body & bloud into our selues, vnder the quality and condition of food; he maketh e∣uery one of vs, much more one with him. And then no meruaile, if the honour he doth vs, &

if the ioy he giues vs, (when the fault is not our owne) be the greatest which we can re∣ceaue in this world. For we inioye none of the other mysteries of the life, and death of our Lord IESVS, but onely by faith, and memo∣ry; wheras this, is present to vs, in very deed; and present so, as the food which we receaue, is present to vs.

And so, in like manner, when no impe∣diment is at hand, it breeds a great loue of his goodnes, and a great delight in his sweetnes, & in fine, an vnion of vs both, in one. Though with this difference from other food, that (as S. Augustine was taught by our Lord) we change not him into vs,* 1.3 as by eating other food we vse to chāge it; but we are changed into it, by it, if we approach to it, with a pure and hungry soule; & so fee∣ding in this B. Sacrament vpon him, he fee∣deth also vpon vs.

Nor is it strange that we should both feed, and yet be fed vpon, when Almighty God is a party to the contract: Omnia quaecum∣pue voluit fecit: He can doe what he will; and he is pleased to will,* 1.4 that he, and we, should feed vpon one another. And to such, as en∣deauour to be truly, and entirely, and purely his; he contenteth not himselfe with lesse then thus to come to them in person, with desire of vnion. And he is(c) 1.5 washing away all the dregs of sinne by that fountaine of grace. He is thawing all frozen hardnes of the hart by the sweet breath of his Spirit; Flabit Spiritus e∣ius & fluent aquae; and he is consuming the rust

of their selfe loue, by that burning fire of his charity; comforting them in all afflictions and satisfying them in all their doubts and wants; illuminating their vnderstanding; and com∣posing their will; and fixing their imaginatiō; and possessing, and imprinting himselfe vpon their memory; calling in, and consecrating their senses; and sealing vp their harts to him∣selfe. And changing, at length the whole tast of their soules, he make them loue that which he loues, and hate that which is any way of∣fensiue to him. To conclude, of deuills (which perhaps they were) they become as so many Angells, in flesh & bloud; & are naturalized, after a sort with God, & grow to be euen ve∣ry Christs, according to that of the blessed Apostle, who said of himselfe: Viuo(d) 1.6 ego,* 1.7 iam non ego, viuit verò in me Christus. I liue, yet now not I, but Christ is he who liueth in me, by my liuely imitation of his diuine vertues, and by a per∣fect conformity, or rather transformity of my spirit into his.

And(e) 1.8 what meruaile can it be, that such wōders as these be wrought in man, since it is the Creatour of man, and of all things els, who descends so low as to liue in him; he of whom it is sayd, that, Gloria & diuitiae in domo eius? What meruaile is it, if we be made so glo∣rious and so rich, since he vouchsafes to make pure and humble soules, the house wherin he desires to be intertayned, and euen to be the very couch wherin he delighteth to be en∣loyed, by the most chast, but yet most strayte

imbracements of diuine loue? What meruaile, I say, if such as receiue this food with pure af∣fections, doe lead euen in this world, a life which is not of this world; since the selfe same God, who feeds all the spirits of heauen, hath contryued(f) 1.9 a way, how to giue himselfe for the same food to mortall men? The same food I say, though it be dressed after a different mā∣ner, and serued in vnder a disguise of the acci∣dents of bread and wine, as betwene two co∣uered dishes, according to the custome, amōgst great persons?

Euen this of the disguise, was also done, out of an admirable diuine loue to vs, who had not bene able in this fraile state of ours, to see God and liue. And besides, we grow thus, to haue a meanes of exercising most heroicall acts of Faith, towards him. To which acts of beleeuing in this life, doth correspond the re∣wards and glory, of perfect seeing in the next. But the substance of the food, is still the same, both heere and there.* 1.10 And(g) 1.11 therfore S. Iohn. (according to the obseruation of Doctour A∣uila) relates, that it was one, and not diuers Trees, which he saw, on both the bancks of that riuer, which flowed out of the throne of God. Vpon the one of which bancks being the tryumphant Church in heauē, Christ our Lord doth sustaine them there; and on the other bancke, which is the militant Church, wherof we haue the honor and happines to be members, the same tree of life doth feed vs heere.

We are also taught this very truth, by

the sacred mouth of Christ our Lord himselfo,* 1.12 who said: That he was the bread that came downe from heauen. If therfore he be the bread of hea∣uen, he is the food of the inhabitāts of heauen: and if that food be thus imparted to his childrē in this world, it must be only their fault, if they lead not euen heere a life of heauen. We(h) 1.13 see that in the case euen of common food (how base soeuer that be) it is raysed (by being eaten) to the dignity of becōming a part of him who eates it; because the man is nobler then the meate, and he assumeth it therfore vp, to him∣selfe. And what should then become of such as doe worthily feed vpon this bread of life, this nourishmēt of heauē, which is Christ our Lord; but that, for as much as this food is infi∣nitely of better quality then our selues, by eat∣ing it we should be transformed into it; and of terrestriall in our conuersation, should become celestiall; and resemble the Angells in purity, since we carry resemblance to them, in the food we take, which is the God, and King of glory.

An infinite, and of it selfe, an incredi∣ble thinge this is, that such creatures as we, should be sublimed to such a height of digni∣ty, euen in this life. But to the end that it might astonish vs the lesse, when it should ar∣riue, and that our wonder might be all con∣uerted into loue, it(i) 1.14 was the good will of God, to foretell vs of it long before; and to re∣prosent it, as it were, to our very eyes by way of figures and shadowes; that so being accu∣stomed

to consider those shadowes, we might, with more facility, imbrace the body, when it should be come. For this is the accomplish∣ment of al those figures of the(1) 1.15 Paschall lambe; of the(2) 1.16 Manna; of the bread of(3) 1.17 Proposition; of the Banquet which King(4) 1.18 Assuerus made; & of many others. And as it was a body in re∣pect of those former shadowes and figures, so may it be accounted, in some respects, but as a figure, in respect of the celestiall Banquet of eternall beatitude, which shall be serued in, hereafter, as the second course of our delicious fare, when we are to feed for all eternity.

The Sacramentall presence of our Lord IESVS, doth stay no longer, then the species of bread and wine remaine; but the ayre & ver∣tue thereof, doth still contynue, till it be dri∣uen thence. And(k) 1.19 so great effects they are, which grow vpon it, (in such as are carefull to comply with God) as giues them aboundant testimony that no lesse then omnipotency it selfe, is there. Nay it is most certainly true, that the blessed Sacrament, doth worke, and that very often, (in the soules of such as dispo∣se themselues deuoutly to it) so many, and so wonderful effects, sometimes in giuing strēgth of body, where it was wanting before; some∣times in the vtter extirpation of some passion; sometymes in the infusion of some great ver∣tue; sometymes in changing, at a very instant, the whole sense of the soule (making it all tryumph with ioy, wheras immediatly be∣fore it was halfe dead, of griefe) as doth much

declare and proue, the diuinity of Christ our Lord. Yea and theyr soules doe feele it so; as that if there were no other argument, or au∣thority, in the whole world, but what they find within themselues, it might serue to giue them great assurance, that Christ our Lord is no lesse then God.

A(l) 1.20 Minerall this is, soe full of Spi∣rit, that it leaues a liuely tincture in the violl, wherinto it hath bene powred. It perfumes the whole soule, if it be well dissolued by acts of loue. But then we must doe, as we vse whē a roome is well perfumed, to keepe the doores and windowes shut. Recollection in this case, doth euen import a man, as much as his life. Which yet if God bid him giue ouer, and that his diuine Maiesty, doe, for the reasons of(m) 1.21 Charity or Obedience, require him to open, and impart himselfe to others, he shall be still, A good odour of Christ our Lord to God; but withall he hath so much strength, as not to be dissipated, in himselfe.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  God is a great friend of vnion.
• (b) 1.2

  How our Lord vniteth vs to himself.
• * 1.3

  Confes. l. 7. cap. 10.
• * 1.4

  Psalm. 113.
• (c) 1.5

  The vnspeake∣able bene∣fits which are reaped by wor∣thy recea∣uing the B. Sacra∣ment. Psal. 147.
• (d) 1.6

  O hap∣py holy state.
• * 1.7

  Galat. 2••
• (e) 1.8

  No wonder is strange where God is the worke man. Psalm. 111••
• (f) 1.9

  In some sort we are e∣quall to the An∣gells euen in this life.
• * 1.10

  Apoc. 22.
• (g) 1.11

  Our food in the blessed Sacramēt is the ve∣ry same, wher with the happy soules are feasted in heauen.
• * 1.12

  Iohn. 6.
• (h) 1.13

  How man en∣nobleth other food by eating it, but he is ennobled by this
• (i) 1.14

  The banquet of the B. Sacramēt was for∣told by many Fi∣gures be∣fore it came.
• (1) 1.15

  Exod. 11.
• (2) 1.16

  Psalm. 77.
• (3) 1.17

  Exod. 25.
• (4) 1.18

  Hester. ••.
• (k) 1.19

  The wonder∣ful effects of the B. Sacramēt.
• (l) 1.20

  The great life & vigour which growes to the soule by the B. Sacra∣ment.
• (m) 1.21

  Spiri∣tuall com∣forts must giue place to the ex∣ercise of charity & obedience 2. Cor. 2.