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.

Of the excessiue torments of our Lord, and how he was blasphemed by all sortes of persons, and of the diuine patience and Loue, wher∣with he bare it all.

CHAP. 70.

THIS passion was so highly beyond all president of former ages, and persons; as that our Lord himselfe, (though he vsed, at that, & all tymes else to carry his sufferance in profound silence) did yet inuite vs thus, long before, to the consideration therof, by the mouth of his holy Prophet, O vos omnes qui trā∣fitis per viam, attendite & videte si est dolor, sicut do∣lor meus. O all you who passe by the way, obserue & see, if there be any griefe, like this of mine. Vent, saith

another, in the person of Christ our Lord, in the Passion, in altitudinem maris, & tempestas de∣mersit me. I came into the depth of the Sea, and I haue bene euen drowned in the tempest. He came in∣to the depth of those thoughts, wherof the ho∣ly Prophet said, that they were too very deepe: Ni∣mis profundae factae sunt cogitationes tuae. A Sea it was rather of mud, then waters, and he was plunged, in limo profundi, & non est substantia; in∣to that pit of mire, from which he could nether be free, nor find any resting place, for his feete, therein. Nor is it strange, that he should say that he was drowned, when vpon the Crosse he came into the Tempest indeed; since we find that in the garden, where this Tempest was only present to his imagination, it had al∣most cost him his life. The imaginatiō of fear∣full men, doth often, by way of anticipation, represent things worse, then they proue in∣deed, because they seeme to feele, whatsouer their weake harts are induced to feare. But in the minde of our Lord IESVS Christ, it could not be so, for he foresaw things, iust as they were to proue; and that bare foresight, had cast him into that bitter Agony; it had made him powre out a sweat of bloud; and it had for∣ced him to say, that his very soule was sad euen to the death. A wonderfull thing it were, that a coale of fire, should be buried and drowned in wa∣ter, & yet should cōtinue still to burne. Christ our Lord is this(a) liuing coale, of the fire of loue; for though he were all steeped, & soa∣ked, and euen drowned in the water of affli∣ction

for our sinnes; Yet, aquae multae non potue∣runt extinguere caritatem. The siery coale of his loue, could not be quenched, by those many waters. Nay as wind doth kindle other coa∣les, so did these waters of tribulation, kindle this of his loue to vs.

Already vpon his condemnation, the Tytle or cause of his death, was deliuered in writing by Pilate, to be fixed to the instru∣ment therof, which was his Crosse. This tytle carried these words, Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeo∣rum: Iesus of Nazareth, King of the Iewes. And for so much as concerned the intention of Pi∣late, it was deliuered by a kind of chance. But the superiour prouidence of God, did ordayne for reasons of infinite wisedome, that it should be so. And although the wicked Iewes were scandalized therat, and would faine haue had it changed, from affirming positiuely, that he was king of the Iewes, to a saying only, That he had said so; yet could they not be gratified ther∣in. The words were written in Hebrew, Greeke, and Latine, which were the mother, and mai∣ster-tongues of the world, and so were to con∣tinue to the worlds end. And now they were consecrated, in most particular manner, to the publique seruice of our Lord God; and as such they are, and will be vsed in the holy Catho∣like Church, whatsoeuer is muttered by the aduersaries therof, who are also the aduersaries, both of the signe of the materiall Crosse of Christ, and of the liuing Crosse also, which is Mortification and Penance. But, the while,

though Almighty God had his ends heerin for our good, (as hath been sayd) yet their malice went by other wayes; and they vsed it to no other purpose, which was only for the increa∣se of his ignominy, in the eyes of them, who seeing such a glorious Tytle aboue, and such a dolorous and deiected person vnderneath, might the more readily, and profoundly con∣temne him, and our Lord did with excesse of charity stoope to all.

The souldiers, whilst he was suffering, had so little care, or thought of him, as that instant∣ly they were at leasure, to fall to rifeling for his cloathes. And they who made no difficul∣ty to breake through, & teare his sacred body, frō head to foote, tooke care not to breake, or cut his seam-lesse coate. Our Lord was stil cō∣tent with all, and not only was he resolued to giue his life for their soules, but he gaue way, that his cloathes should apparell the bodies of his persecutors. He had said before that our bo∣dies were more worth thē our garmēts. And if this be true in our case, how much more infinitely true, was it in his. Both because, through our Pride, our cloathes be richer thē he euer wore, and because our bodyes are so much baser, thē that most pure, and pretious body of his. But these wretches did cast vp their account after another fashion, marking all things els, with great Figures, but esteeming this Lord of all things for a meere Cypher.

The sacred Text doth further note, that they, being appointed to watch & guard him

whilst he was hanging vpō the Crosse, were so far from bearing any part of his sorrow out of pitty, as that they set(b) themselues downe at their ease, which a man would scarce haue done, at the death of any common rogue; es∣pecially if it were a death of torment. Let Pa∣gans take their pleasures for a tyme, when the Sonne of God, is suffering such bitter paine for them. Let the prophane souldiers of Pilate (who figure out the libertines of this world) sit downe, and take their ease, notwithstanding that our Redeemer, made choyce of paine; and by choosing it, did facilitate and sanctify it, vpon his owne sacred person, to our vse.

But as for vs, who are Catholikes, and Caualliers of Christ, let it be farre from vs to doate vpon delights, which he auoy∣ded, and to abhorre affronts and paines, an vncomly thing, for any inferiour member of a body, to hunt after commodity, and ease, when the head of the same body should be crowned and pierced with thornes [Pudeat sub capite spinoso mēbrum fieri deli∣catum.] Our head is crowned, and we are not liuing parts of his body, but the Canker of he∣resie hath consumed vs, or at least the Gan∣grene of sensuality hath killed vs, if we suffer not, togeather with this head by true compas∣sion; which true compassion, implyes, not a pittying, but a ioynt suffering, according to our strength of body, and the dictamen of true loue, to the beloued; and which if it be true indeed more easily your may perswade the

soule which hath, it not to liue, then the bo∣dy not to suffer.

The mortall life of our blessed Lord was drawing on apace towards an end; but yet for the little while that it was to last, he was not content with that one Crosse alone, to which he was nayled by the cruell hands of those ex∣ecutioners, but he admitted also of other cros∣ses, to which he was shot, by the blasphemous tongues of all those kindes of people which were present. They had put him out of the reach of their fingars, that he might hange as he did vpon Irons, in the ayre. But yet they gaue him not ouer so, for they wounded his hart, with most blasphemous, and bitter scoffs.

The people which past in troopes, be∣fore him, did, with serpentine tongues, and countenances full of scorne, cry out (vah) to him. And they accompanied it with the most contumelous gesture, and iogge of the head, which they could deuise, as the holy Scripture it selfe doth insinuate. And that interiection, with the words that followed, doe as bad as say after this manner:

Thou wretch, thou hy∣pocrite, thou vgly impostor; thou wert talk∣ing of wonders, but to what an end hath thy wickednes brought thee, now at last? Thou hadst a minde to be a King, but what beggar is so base as not to be thy better? might it please your Maiesty to come downe from the crosse, that we, your most humble and faithfull ser∣uants, and vassalles, may doe you homage? Thou talkedst of being the Sonne of God, &

the Sauiour of the world; Will it please your Diuinity, to be good to your Humanity; Will it please you to let your Charity beginne at home, and to saue your selle? Thou tal∣kedst of what thou couldst do, if thou wert disposed; and that the Temple, was but a toye; and that thou wert able to put it downe and rayse it vp againe, in a trice. Might your Om∣nipotēcy be intreated to beginne with throw∣ing downe that Crosse, and to cast away those nayles; and by iuggling, to play least in sight, as in former occasions you haue been known to doe. Vah, wretched, wicked thing, the worst of creatures, the out cast of the world; we hate thee, we abhorre thee, we despise thee, we spit at thee, we defy thee. The earth hath refused to be trod vpon any longer by those pernicious feete of thine; the heauen is walled vp against the entry of such a miscreāt as thou. There is no place for thee but hell, dye therfore quickly, and be damned,

These are infinite blasphemies, and we all abhorre them all, as we doe the deuill him∣selfe; but infallibly, they are but triuiall things in comparison of those others, which were darted out indeed, against our blessed Lord vpon the Crosse. For(c) since they acted their worst by the way of doing, they would be sure not to fall short in saying. And the rage they had, would quicken vp their wits; and the excessiue wrongs which then already, they had done him, would exact at their hāds, a making good of what was past, by the vtter∣most

most demonstration of how deepely they de∣tested him at that present. The high Priests be∣sides, are recorded in holy Scripture to haue put scoffs vpon him, after a particular manner, and they sayd to this effect; This fellow, had a guift to helpe other folkes, but he hath not the tricke to saue himselfe. If he, he the King of Israell, let him come downe from the Crosse, and we will belieue him. The good mā did put his trust in God, but if God haue a minde to him, let him take him.

The barbarous souldiers also were still vpon their old haunt of scorning him; hauing bene bribed, in all appearance, by those wic∣ked Iewes, euen from the beginning when he was scourged, and crowned with thornes. And they were so voyd of pitty, as to be of∣fering him vinager, though they did, but e∣uen that in iest, and scorne, at that tyme wher∣as wine was wont to be giuē to all men, who were placed in that deadly trance. Yea and e∣uen one of those very theeues, who then were suffering death togeather with him, tooke tyme not to thinke of his owne torments or imminent death, togeather with the danger of eternall damnation which he was in, through the lust he had to be like those sauages vnder whome he suffered; and he would needs be then at leasure, to reproach, & blaspheme our blessed Lord.

Notes

• Ierem. 1.
• Psalm. 68.
• Psalm. 91.
• Psalm. 68.
• Marc. 14.
• (a)

  The vnquēch. able loue of our Lord.
• Cant. 8.
• Matt. 27. Luc. 23. Marc. 18. Ioan. 19.
• Ibid.
• Matt. 17. Marc. 15. Luc. 23. Ioan. 19.
• Matt. 6.
• (b)

  Barba∣rous wretches.
• Bernard. ser. 5. in festo om∣nium SS.
• Matt. 27. Marc. 15. Ioan. 19.
• (c)

  A de∣monstra∣tion that the blas∣phemies which were vtte∣red against our bles∣sed Lord were most enour∣mous thinges, though the holy Scripture toucheth them in in few words.
• Ibid.