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What griefe it must needs cause to our blessed Lord, to be estranged from feeling comfort in God.
BVT vvhat might that be, the very ap∣prehension vvherof, vvrought so impe∣tuously vpon our blessed Lord, vvhome no∣thing had bene obserued to distemper in the least degree, through all the course of his holy life; vvhat kind of thing I say must that be, vvhich durst assault his hart vvith sorrovv? Or
of vvhat had he bene ignorant till then, the knowledge wherof, at that tyme, might be able to put the powers of his mind into that appearance of disorder? His knowledge was still the same, but his loue, in some sort, was not the same; for it seemes, as if euery minute of his life, he had bene adding new feathers to those wings, wherby his hart was flying to∣wards the comfort of ours. And knowing of how great aduantage to vs, his humility and patience would be, in the sight of God,(a) it was only his pleasure, at that tyme as hath been sayd, to hide the comfort of his diuinity, from the inferiour part of his soule; wherby those apprehensions, and reasons of griefe, and desolation, were of vnspeakeable torment to his minde. Which so long as it was feeding, vpon the cleere, and sensible vision of God, could not so much as once distract it, from in∣cessant ioy. Whereas novv he vvas so very farre from ioy, that vve see him, as if he had been halfe ouercome with griefe. To let vs knowe, by the way, that as all our burthens, are light when they are carryed vpō our backs by the help of God; so when he retyreth his holy hand, there is not the least of thē, which may not trouble the strongest Saint that liues.
But the obiect which caused such excessiue anguish to our Lord IESVS, & which wrought so farre euen vpon his sacred body, as to make it vtter a prodigious svveat of very bloud (and that not by drops, but as it vvere by streames and flood, (vvhich did not trickle, but run
downe a maine, from the heauenly earth of his body, to the terrestriall earth wheron he knee∣led (which was made a kind of heauen, by drinking vp that quintessēce of life) was(b) the glory of God, which he saw prophaned by the sinne of man; and the soules of all man∣kind, (wherof he loued euery one, a million of times more then his owne pretious life) ad∣dicted to the eternall torments of hell fire. For this was that sword with a double edge which did, as it were, cut his soule in sunder,
Who is also able to imagine, what a sad affliction it must be to him, to be depriued, for one moment, of the feeling of that soueraigne delight & ioy, wherewith he did so abound, from the very instant of his Conception; by the sensible shining of his diuinity vpon his whole soule, which now, in part, was abrid∣ged thereof. The want of any communica∣tion of Almighty God, to a hart which hath seen light, in light; is of so great moment how little soeuer it be, that it wōds that hart with much griefe; which doth well discerne, that nothing of that kind, is little. To know any thing of God, by way of sensible experience, doth kindle in the spirit, a very furnace of de∣sire to enioy the rest. And how much sorrow then must it feele, to be depriued, euen of what it had? The liues of Saintes are full of the sweet, and sad complaints, which they haue made to God, vpon such occasions; and in particular, you may see store of this, in the life of that great woman, Blessed Mother Teresa
of Iesus, which was written by her selfe, vpon the commaundement of her ghostly Father.
And not only did this holy Passion, raigne among such soules departed, as the Church esteemeth to be Saints; but, by the goodnes of God, we haue met with some a∣mongst the creatures who are yet in flesh and bloud, who seruing God in great purity; & in conformity therof, hauing bene admitted to some deere imbracemēts of that heauēly spouse of their soules, haue gone lamētably mourning and that for a long tyme together, (like so ma∣ny Turtles for the absence of their beloued) through the wāt of that infinite Good wherof before, they had beene admitted to take a taste.
They(c) are so deeply wounded with loue, that to be hindred from inioying him, is wont to giue them excessiue griefe. They feele it so much, as they know not how they shall endure that want; since the only remedy of all their other paines, is the certaine(d) mea∣nes, to increase this one paine of theirs. For as a sore is most felt, when it is most toucht; so is their paine augmented by speaking, or thinking of things which concerne Almighty God; whose breath they smell, but vpon whose substance they are not suffered now to seed; and yet all things els are a torment to them. They thirst and pine, they euen con∣sume and melt, and they cry out to our Lord; and there is none but only himselfe, who can comfort, that swelling and gasping soule of theirs. And though they seeme to be neere
him (yea, and so they are, in very deed) yet they find themselues to be, as in a prison, out of which they know not how to breake.
Such affects as these, doe raigne in the harts of some choyce seruants of God, vpon the consideration which they haue of wan∣ting certayne feeling communications of his diuine Maiesty, in this woefull pilgrimage wherin they liue. Yea it is not many yeares, since one who was sicke of this sweetly sad disease, was so happy as to dy of a flux of tea∣res; and another, whose hart strings brake, and he instantly dyed in exercising some acts of the loue of God; and so it was found, when he was opened.
Measure(e) then by this, what depth of sorrow it must cause, in the hart of our B. Lord, to be absented so, from the feeling frui∣tion of God, whome he knew so well, whom he loued so much; and whome so perfectly he had inioyed before. In comparison of whose knowledge, and loue and ioy in God, the knowledge, and loue, and ioy of all the other creatures put together, is not so much as one single moate, compared to the whole body of the earth. And yet wheras they with all this griefe of theirs for wanting God haue yet, through his goodnes, some such kind of feeling of him still, as makes it to be, in the midst of paines, a kind of most ioyfull sufferance; our Lord was pleased to take the bitter without the sweet for himselfe; and only to feele, and penetrate the want vvherin he vvas of that
good; vvithout enabling the inferiour part, to reflect vpon that same very good, in the vvay of conceauing any Comfort by it.
Our Lord was pleased to suffer much for vs whom he loued so much.
Luc. 22.
The disho∣nour of God and the perdi∣tion of man, was the two edged sword, which cut our B. Sauiours hart in funder
The great sor∣row which is felt by the spouse of Christ v∣pon any hiding of himselfe from a soule; or euen by liuing in this Pil∣grimage.
By of∣ten thin∣king vpō God.
The incompa∣rable griefe of our Lord Iesus.