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The same discourse is prosecuted and concluded, con∣cerning the excellent Beauty of our Lord; especially of the attractiuenesse of his sight.
IF their feete which carried newes of Peace were beautifull (as by the testimony of our Lord himselfe they are) hovv beautifull must those feete be,* 1.1 vvhich carried not only nevves of Peace, but that very Incarnate Peace it selfe,
which passeth all vnders̄tanding?* 1.2 Hovv(a) 1.3 beautifull vvere his hands vvhich are described by the spouse (vvho knovves them best, and hath ta∣sted oftnest of their bounty) to be of gold & full of pretious stomes, for their riches; and vvithall to be round and smoth; to declare therby, that those riches, and graces, are dayly and ho∣vverly dropping dovvne on vs? Hovv beau∣tifull vvere those svveete, and sacred lipps of his; that treasure-house of diuine graces, which locked vp, & let out that Ievvel of the vvords of eternall wisedome, according to our capaci∣ties, and occasions? We(b) 1.4 perceaue in the Ghospell, hovv they vvere amazed, and yet vvith much delight, to heare him speake; how they auovved that neuer man had spoken like him; how they acknowledge him to haue, a kind(c) 1.5 of in∣imitable authority, and power of language. Which yet vvas so farre from incroaching vpon the possessions of his meekenes & modesty, which is a part of beauty that the Prophei, long before he vvas borne, foresaw, hovv he vvas to be no clamorous or contentious person, but that so softly he would(d) 1.6 speake, as to make no noyse in the streets. And it is also said of him, That he would not breake the bruised reed, nor so much as quench the smoaking flaxe, as if he would ra∣ther make his owne eyes water, then offend the poorest creature vpon earth. And the Apostle also, not longe after his death, being earnest with the Corinthians, that they would be carefull to conserue their spirit, coniures them to it, by the meekenes and modesty of our Lord
Iesus, as by vertues which shined in him after an extraordinary manner.
How(e) 1.7 sweete was that voyce of his, which inuited all the world to bring in their loades, and to discharge them all vpon his shoulders; and when, through the com∣passion of our extreeme need to be refreshed, he could not contynue his generall custome, in speaking softly; but cryed out with a loud voyce (and he did it vpon the last day of the feast of the Tabernacles, which was a tyme of great solemnity, that so he might be heard by the greater number of people) and he inui∣ted them all,* 1.8 to drinke of that water of life, with a full mouth.* 1.9 For he indeed is the true foun∣taine of life. Hunc bibam & tunc viuam, saith S. Augustiue: Let me drinke of him, and I shall liue. What(f) 1.10 scalding sighes, what profound in∣ternall groanes, would that flaming hart be often sending out, by his sacred mouth, to the Iustice seate of God (wherof we finde some, expresly to be recorded in the holy Texte) that so the diuine Maiesty,* 1.11 behol∣ding the sorrowes of his soule, might be o∣bliged to forgiue the sinnes of ours? How deere(g) 1.12 and how delightfull must the ordi∣nary accent be, of his heauenly voyce; since the accent euer carrieth a kind of neerer con∣iunction to the mind; and which, euen for that cause, can hardly be described by any words. And now, the nearer it was to the incomparable soule of Christ our Lord, who can doubt, but that needs it must be so much
the fuller, of delight and grace?
But especially how beautifull were those holy happy(h) 1.13 eyes of his, those heauēly Orbes? And what felicity was theirs, who might at leasure glasse themselues therin; they being so full of latent Maiesty, but yet sweet∣ned by such Humility and Charity. Those eyes, which are pulchriores vino (as the Patri∣arch Iacob saith, speaking literally of Christ our Lord) for the quality they had, to ine∣briate, with being looked vpon, farre, more powerfully, and more sweetely, then any most pretious wine can doe, the man who drinks it. With what kind of modest grace, do we thinke that he vvould now be raysing them vp,* 1.14 towards heauen, behol∣ding the Creatures in Almighty God; and then returning them downe to the earth,* 1.15 to see God in his Creatures? And what kind of fountaines do we thinke they grew to be, when they did so often swymme in teares, through the compassion of our miseries,* 1.16 and the remission of our sinnes; at the raysing of Lazarus; for the ruines of Ierusalem; at the gi∣uing vp of his soule into the eternall Fathers hand; and those many tymes more, which are not set downe in the sacred text?
How sweetly would they lay them∣selues to sleepe, (being folded vp, in those liddes, the only sheets, which any part of him did vse) for the releese of that frayle nature, which for our sakes he had assumed? And he lent them rest, with so much the better will,
because(i) 1.17 sleepe gaue no impediment to the working of his minde for our good; the knowledge of which mind was no way (as hath beene said else where) dependant vpon his Fancy, as ours is. How were they able when he was pleased to do it, to pierce the hartes of men by way of terrour; when for the zeale of his Fathers glory, he punished the buyers & sellers in the Temple; vvithout their daring once to bring him to the least account, for that supposed excesse? And by way of po∣werfull mercy, when, seing his Apostles, he called them at once from the world, to his eternall seruice? And looking afterward vpon S. Peter, in the tyme of his passion, by only looking(l) 1.18 he retyred him, at an in∣stant, from his sinnes, as wilbe seen, more at large, afterward. And not only did those eyes, so full of maiesty and modesty, and hu∣mility, & suauity, captiue those hartes which they beheld; but others who beheld them, were as inseparably also captiued therby, as if there had beene, no place left for election, whether they would be takē prisoners or no.
The enamoured(m) 1.19 Penitent S. Mary Magdalene, who formerly was so abandoned to the pleasure of sense, found her soule so maistered by this diuine obiect of our B. Sa∣uiours presence; that her former honny did instantly turne gall; and she was so ingulfed into a sea of chast and pure delight, that in the life tyme of our Lord, she did euen, as it were, nayle her selfe to his sacred feet. Nay
she forsooke them not, in his very passion when they were nayled to the Crosse. She was in chase of them, till his Resurection; and after his Ascension, she confined her selfe, for all those thirty yeares of her suruiuing, to a rude and most retyred desert; disdayning, with a holy kind of scorne, that her eyes should feed vpon any other obiect, then that, which her memory would euer be sure to help her to, of her most beloued, and most beautifull Lord.
His sacred presence, had not any su∣perficiall, or glearing beauty belonging to it, but(n) 1.20 a beauty which conteined a Mine of plenty. S. Mathew shall witnes this; and he shall do it better, then by words. For instan∣tly vpon our Lords commaundement, and their mutuall sight of one another, he follo∣wed him, and that for euer; and he discouered in our Lord Iesus, another mannor of beauti∣full abundance, then all the whole world could helpe him to. And perhaps, there is not a better proofe of the rich beauty and ex∣cellency of our Lord, nor a stranger conuer∣sion of any man recorded,* 1.21 then of this Apostle. Who was (as we may say) in flagranti crimine, in the very seate and chaire of sinne; beseiged by the company of others, who were likely to be as much depraued as himselfe. He was in the exercise and occasions of new extorsi∣ons; and yet(o) 1.22 he left all, without taking, so much as an howers tyme, to cleere his bookes of account, which could not choose
but be intricate. And all this, vpon the single sight & hearing the voyce of a meere man, as Christ our Lord appeared to be. And yet, I say, so rich was our Sauiours beauty, and so attractiue was his manner of speach, that in∣stātly, it was able to draw that Publicā though he were besotted by desire of gayne) to fol∣low him; who through his pouerty, seemed withall, to be the owner of no earthly thing, but only of his owne indiuiduall person. But the Maies̄ty and splendour of the diuinity though it lay hid,* 1.23 did yet shine so brightly in his face of flesh & bloud, (as S. Hierome saith) that vpon the very first(p) 1.24 aspect it was able to draw all such as lookt vpon it. For if there be such vertue in a lodestone, or a peece of amber, as that it can draw to it rings of iron, and straw; how much more easely (saith this Saint) could the Lord of all the creatures, draw to himselfe, whom he was pleased to call.
So delighfull therfore, and soe plenti∣full, was this beauty and dignity of our Lord IESVS. And if it appeared powerfull in their eyes at the first, when they beheld it but by startes and glances; much(q) 1.25 more would it doe so, afterward in the sight of his Apostles & Disciples, who had liberty, and commodity to feed their senses at large vpon that sacred obiect. In contemplation of this beauty in great part, it was, that they gaue themselues away to him without resuming themselues any more; husbands forsaking theyr wiues; and children their parents; rich men, their whole estates; poore men the very instru∣ments
of their profession; that they might haue the honour & happines to follow him. And to such excesse they grew therin, that they did not endure,* 1.26 to heare so much as any speach, euen of the Passion it selfe of our Lord, though by it, their redemption were to be wrought. For till the Holy Ghost, was sent to inhabite their soules after his Ascension, they could(r) 1.27 not content themselues to weane the outward man, from the gust and ioy, of looking on him.
But though our Lord were pleased to nourish their faith and withall to teach them how to find him reigning in their hartes, by with drawing his corporall presence frō their eyes; yet that loue, was iust and due, which they bore to him, whome God had giuen to be Incarnate for a spouse to the Church, and to all elected soules, so to draw their hartes more powerfully by that sacred sight of his person, then formerly they had beene withdrawne, by vnlawfull pleasures. Nay euen great part of our felicity in heauen, is, to consist in our behoulding the most sweete presence of the humanity of our blessed, Sauiour, and to enioy his embracemēts; and yet the forme of his diuine face, shall be the very same, which in this life it was. For(s) 1.28 so we find, that after his Resur∣rection, he continued to be knovvne by his former countenance; and so he was also be∣fore that, in his Transiguration, as S. Hierome notes; & S. Thomas teacheth, That his forme was not changed into another; but onely
that there was an addition of such splendour, as belonged to a glorified body. As on the other side, the Passibility, and Mortality, which for our good he would haue it subiect to, did no way depriue it, both of perfect, & most powerfull beauty.
Isa. 52.
Phil. 4.
The liberality of the hands of our Lord Iesus. Cantic. 5.
The wisedome & power of his speech. Matth. 21. Luc. 4. Ioan. 7. Mar. 7.
His inimita∣ble grace.
The admira∣ble meek∣nes and modesty of his speach. Isa. 41. Matth. 12. Ibid. 2. Cor. 10.
The sweetnen of his di∣uine voy∣ce. Matth. 11.
Ioan. 71
Confess. l. 12. cap. 10.
His ar∣dēt sighes & groans.
Marc. 71
The charming accent of his voice.
The inestima∣ble pure and per∣fect beau∣ty of his eyes. Gen. 49.
Ioan. 11.
Ioan. 8.
Haebr. 5. •• Luc. 19.
Christ our Lord, did nego∣tiate our saluation with God, as well whē he was sleeping, as waking Ioan. 2. Matt. 4.
The lookes of Christ our Lord did moue S. Peeter to contri∣tion. Luc. 72. Luc. 7.
How the diuine presence of Christ our Lord did most chastly captiue the soule of S. Ma∣ry Magda∣len.
The Beauty of Christ our Lord was so a∣boundāt, as to make a mā des∣pise all temporall riches.
Luc. 54
The Cōuersiō of S. Mat∣thew was most he∣roicall.
Cōment. in Matth. c. 7.
The soueraig∣ne power which the aspect of Christ our Lord had ouer creatures.
The felicity of thē who might be∣hold the person of Christ our Lord at pleasur. Bernard. serm. 20. in Cant.
Matth. 16.
The vnspea∣keable gust which the Apostles had to be euer loo∣king vpō Christ our Lord.
The fi∣gure of the persō of our Lord Ie∣sus, was so excellent; as that neither doth glo∣ry now make it other thē it was; nei∣ther did passibili∣ty & mor∣tality dis∣grace it, Matth. 17.3. part. q. 45. art. 1. ad 1.