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 dignity of the pretious body of Christ our Lord, is declared, wherby the excellency of his loue is magnified.

CHAP. 4.

THE Spirit of God, in his holy Scripture doth prophetically delineate the beauty & dignity of the sacred Humanity of our Lord Iesus; I meane, of his sacred flesh and bloud. It speaketh of him thus,* 1.1 speciosus forma prae filijs hominum: A(a) 1.2 person, indued with another manner of most excellent beauty, then was euer to be seene, in any other Creature. And indeed, (euen abstracting from what is reuea∣led to vs by way of faith concerning his beau∣ty in particular) what kind of admirable thing must that Humanity needs be, according to all discourse of reason? On the one side, let vs consider, that this sacred body of his, was compounded of no other matter, but that pu∣rest bloud Royall of his al-immaculat virgin mo∣ther. Royal(b) 1.3 it was by her discēt from so many kings; Sacerdotall, and Propheticall by her being also deriued, from the Sanctity of Prophets, & of Preists. Great prerogatiues were these; but yet they are the least of them, wherewith this holy body of our Lord was endued. For it was much more dignified, in that, before it came to be his, the body of the sacred virgin, did cohabite, with her owne most happy, & most accomplished soule. Wherby(c) 1.4 her very flesh was gowne after a sort to be euen

Spirit, as we see the very soules of sensuall persons, to participate, as it were, the very nature of flesh. Much more aduantage did it yet receiue, in that the holy Ghost did frame this body of our B. Lord, out of the bloud, & in the wombe, of our B. Lady. And most of all was it aduanced by this, That in the in∣stant when she conceaued, his incomparable soule was infused, and both his soule and body was Hypostatically vnited to the diuinity.

Of the happines of that soule, already we haue spoken; and euen by this little which heere is touched, we may behould his body as the prime & maister-peece of all visible beau∣ty. Amongst(d) 1.5 the Children of this world, we see indeed, that euen they who are borne of handsome, through the disorder, which naturally accompanieth generation; and besi∣des it also growes, sometymes through a dis∣conformity, which nurses haue to the mo∣thers. But his body was framed by the neuer erring hand of the holy Ghost; & heere the mother, and the nurse, were one, and the same most holy Virgin Mary.

The excellency of Corporall Beauty, doth consist(e) 1.6 either in complexion, for as much as concernes coulour; or in feature, or shape, for as much as concernes proportion; or in facility and grace, for as much as con∣cernes disposition, and motion. We see how any one of these partes of beauty, if it be emi∣nent, doth affect the eye, and hart of a behol∣der;

although such a person do either want the other two; or haue them, at the most, but in some moderat degree. And the perfecti∣on of any one part, pleads the excuse, of wan∣ting any other. And whether therfore shall we be so bold, as to thinke that Christ our Lord was not endued with them all, in all perfection; or els so blinde as notwithstan∣ding such vnspeakeable beauty as his was, not to be enamoured of him.

It is not inough that a body haue only beauty, for the perfection therof, but(f) 1.7 withall it must haue health, and strength. Now what want of health could the body of our B. Sa∣uiour haue, whose soule was not onely free, but so infinitely farre, from the curse both of Actuall and Originall sinne; the true cause, not only of sicknes, but of death? And what in∣firmity, or weakenes, could that Humanity be subiect to (vnlesse he had would,* 1.8 as indeed he would for our greater good), which not onely was not obnoxious to any distemper of humours, but withall it was made to be one person with allmighty God himselfe. And now let him that can, conceaue heerby, the sublimity, euen of his Corporall beauty.

Quis est iste, saith the Prophet Esay: Who is he that commeth out of Edom; with his garments dyed from Bozra? this beautifull one, in his robe, wal∣king on, in the multitude of his strength? This, S. Denis affirmes,* 1.9 to haue beene spoken in person of the(g) 1.10 Celestiall Spirits; they being posses∣sed with an admiration of the vnspeakable

Beauty of Christ our Lord; Whose diuinity was vested with our humanity, as with a robe; which once was white, though it grew to be crimson, through our sinnes. Well might those spirits wonder, and well might men be amazed to see their Lord and ours, walking through those waies of Palestine, and through those streetes of Ierusalem; vnknown to men, but adored by those Angells, as their God. He went like another, and a better Ioseph, seeking his brethren. Like another and a better Moyses,* 1.11 procuring to deliuer his com∣patriots from the slauery of Egipt. And like a a true valiant Dauid, who came to fight a∣gainst, & to defeate Golias, by whome the Isra∣elites were threatned, with totall ruine. More truely and more nobly, by innumerable de∣grees, then S. Paul, was this Humanity of our Lord, made a spectacle to the world, to Angells, & to men. That spectacle which kings and Prophets had reason, to desire so much, to see; and which(h) 1.12 Abra∣ham did so long to looke vpon; and in spirit he did see it, and it ioyed him, at the very rootes of his hart. And no meruayle if the beliefe therof, did so ioy him; the presence and sight wherof, did, by the testimony of Truth it selfe, make those eyes so happy which beheld it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm. 44.
• (a) 1.2

  The beauty of the body, of Christ our Lord.
• (b) 1.3

  The dignity & sanctity of his descēt.
• (c) 1.4

  How sublimly spirituall the B. vir∣gin was.
• (d) 1.5

  Why the body of our B. Lord, must needs be admirably beautiful.
• (e) 1.6

  The conditiōs which are required for the making vp of perfect Beauty.
• (f) 1.7

  For the com∣plemēt of Beauty there are requyred health & strengh.
• * 1.8

  Isa. 63.
• * 1.9

  Decael. Hierarch. c. 7.
• (g) 1.10

  All the An∣gells in heauen were a∣mazed to see the be∣auty of the body of Christ our Lord.
• * 1.11

  Gen. 37. Exod. 4. &c. 1. Reg. 17. 1. Cor. 4. Luc. 10.
• (h) 1.12

  The Patriarkes and Pro∣phets, would haue ex∣ulted to see this sa∣cred Hu∣manity. Ioan. 8. Luc. 10.