A myrrhine posie of the bitter dolovrs of Christ his passion, and of the seaven vvords he spake on the crosse, composed by Ch. M.

THE EIGHT FLOVVER OF THE MYRRHINE POSIE OF CHRIST HIS PASSION.

Pilates shewing of Christ to the People crovvned vvith thornes, and saying.

Ecce homo: Loe the man. Ioan. 19.

(Book 8)

AFTER that the Soldiers had in mockerie, and with no litle crueltie thus crowned this dolefull King Christ Iesus, they were so farre from taking compassion on him, that they made him a laughing stock, and recreated & disported themselues with him, Pilate and the Iewes so permit∣ting, and peraduenture being specta∣tours of this cruell Comedie. They bowing their knees (sayth S. Matthew) before him,* 1.1 * 1.2 mocke him saying Hayle King of

the Iewes, and as before they did spitte in ••s face, and buffeted him, saying: Pro∣••ecie vnto vs, o Christ, who is he that ••ooke thee; so now spitting on him,* 1.3 they ••oke a reede and smote his head: To make ••e thornes wherewith he was crow∣••ed, to pierce his head more deeplie ••d so to augment his paines.

[ 2] O barbarous and cruell Caitifs, who ••ke delight in crueltie, and make ••ort of miserie. Doe thou, o deuout ••hristian, in all humilitie and since∣••tie acknowledge thy Sauiour for thy ••ing, who is not onely thy King,* 1.4 but ••ince of all the Kings of the earth, and ••ie vnto him with the saied humilitie and sinceritie (so to confront this mocking of the Souldiers) Hayle King, not onely of the Iewes, but also of ••e Gentils, not onely of men but also of Angells, not onely of Earth but also of Heauen.* 1.5 To thee he all honour and ••orie, to thee be euerie knee bowed, of ••e eclestials, terrestrials and infernals, and •• euerie tongue confesse that our Lord ••sus Christ, is in the glorie of God the ••ther.

[ 3] After that Pilat had permitted the ••uldiers to recreate themselues, and

to breake their iestes on Christ, who suf∣fered in good earnest, and euen for them also, that thus mocked him; he bringeth him forth, and sheweth him to the Iewes saying Ecce Homo,* 1.6 loe the man. Pilat imitateth blurring Pain∣ters, who because they can not ex∣presse to life, the man whom they paint, they write ouer or vnder the picture, the mans name; for Pilat had so disfigured Christ, that he was forced to say; loe the man, least perad∣uenture otherwise he would not haue beene knowne: loe the man: Behold, ó Iewes, how he hath beene torne with whippes, how he is tormented with a crowne continuallie pricking him, how deformed his face is with blood trickling from his head, and with spittle and buffets which he hath su∣stained. Let this spectacle mooue you to Compassion, at least so, as to make you laye aside all cogitation of Cruci∣fying him, and putting him to death. Loe the man: a man, not a dogge or other brute beast, a man as you are, & so miserable a man, that if you be men, that is, indewed with humanitie, you can not but commiserat him, and take

compassion on him; let therefore these miseries, in which you see him plun∣ged, mollifie your hearts, and satisfie your furie, and hatred conceiued against him.

[ 4] But whereas the Adamant is broken by blood, their stonie heartes can not be mollified by all the flouds of blood, and miseries which Christ hath suffe∣red; nothing but death, and the death also of the Crosse can satisfie their crueltie, and therefore they cry:* 1.7 Let him be crucified, let him be crucified. Yea they were so impatient, that, as S. Iohn saith, they cryed. Away,* 1.8 Away with him crucifie him. O stonie hearts. O cruell Iewes, no men but sauage beasts, cruell Tygres, rauenous wolues.

[ 5] But although mercilesse Iewes can not be mooued at this so pitifull a spectacle, yet I hope Christians will; and there∣fore leauing the Iewes, I will turne my self to all good Christians, and will present to them their dolefull Iesus Christ, in whom they professe to be∣leeue, of whom they haue taken their surname. Behold then, ô Christians, looke vpon your Sauiour, loe the man. If you know him not in this miserable

state, he is the man, whom the Pro∣phet long since foretold saying:* 1.9 wee haue seene him, there is no beautie in him, nor comelines: wee haue seene him, and there was no sightlines, and we were desirous of him: despised and most abiect of men, a man of sorrowes, and knowing infirmitie, and his looke as it were bidde and despised. Whereupon neither haue we esteemed him. He surelie hath borne our Infirmities, and our sorrowes he hath carried, and we haue thought him, as it were aleper, and stricken of God and humbled.

[ 6] This selfsame man, ô Christians, I propose to your view,* 1.10 Loe the man: A man as you are, no brute beast, how∣soeuer deformed, and vnlike a man he seemeth, and so worthie of Compas∣sion of men, that are men, that is, in∣dewed with humanitie. Loe the man: Were he your enemie, were he the greatest malefactor, yet he should in this miserie deserue compassion of you, in that he is a man. Loe the man: Not a malefactour, but most innocent euen by Pilates Confession, and who hath suffered all this, not for his owne faults, but for your sinnes, you being the onelie delinquents; for as the same

Prophet saith,* 1.11 he surelie hath borne our in∣firmities, and our sorrowes he hath carried. And againe, he was wounded for our ini∣quities: he was broken for our sinnes: the discipline of our peace vpon him (because these his sorrowes made our peace with God) and with the waile of his stripe we are healed.

[ 7] And can not this man so miserablie handled for your sakes, mooue you to compassion? Loe the man,* 1.12 who hath so well deserued of all men, both Iewes & Gentils, who was borne man for vs (for as for himself) he needed not to be borne man in time, being borne of the wombe of his Fathers Diuinitie from all eternitie, God, as his Father,* 1.13 and consubstantiall vnto him: who liued in this life 33. yeares fot our ex∣ample and instruction, who preached vnto vs the doctrine of saluation, who wrought so many good workes and miracles amongst vs, whose lame he healed, whose blind he restored to sight, whose dumme he caused to speake: and deafe to heare, and dead to liue againe; and who at length for compassion of vs (who were slaues to sinne, the Diuell and damnation)

suffred a most cruell & shameful death: and can not this man mooue vs to compassion?

[ 8] Loe the man, whose flesh (to vse Iobs words) is not of brasse,* 1.14 whose body is not phantasticall, as the Manichees sayd, nor framed of the substance of the Heauens, and so impassible, as Va∣lentinus the Heretick auerred, but is composed of flesh and blood, as other mens bodies are, and so sensible of pai∣nes also, as theirs are, yea farre more sensible, by reason of his farre more perfect complexion.

[ 9] Loe the man: behold a man, if you respect his nature: no man, but a con∣temptible worme, if you respect his externall figure and visage: so he, or Dauid in his name,* 1.15 said: But I am a worme, and no man: reproch of men and out∣cast of the People. A worme because; as a worme is generated of the wood with∣out any cooperation of an other worme, so was he borne of his Virgin Mother, without cooperation of man: A worme, because, as the worme eateth and consumeth the wood, of which it was generated: so hee (like vnto the worme, which withered the Iuie tree

that couered Ionas) consumed the fi∣gures and promises of the old law,* 1.16 by fulfilling and abrogating them, de∣stroyed their Temple, Priest hood, and law, in which they gloried, and con∣sumed the Iewish people, of whom & amongst whom he was borne. A worme: because as out of the substance of wor∣mes, are spunne & wouen silkes with which our bodies are clad; so hee out of his owne blood, death, and passion, did weaue for vs a garment of grace and Iustice, by which our soules are clothed. A worme, because as wormes are often times conuerted into flies, and then can flye, whereas before they could onelie creepe; so Christ his body after the resurrection, became glorious and so agill, that it could fly into Heauen, and euen aboue the Heauens. A worme, because, as wormes are not beheaded with a sword, not put to any honourable death, but troden vnder feete contemptiblie, and without any compassion taken on them; so he was put to a most contemptible death of the Crosse, without compassion of any but of his mother, S. Iohn, and a fewe dis∣ciples, and deuout woemen.

[ 10] Loe the man: and not whatsoeuer man, but God and Man, God by eter∣nall generation of his Father without a Mother, Man by temporall generation of his Virgin Mother without a Father; and yet this God and Man, suffered all the miseries aforesayd, and euen death for vngratefull men, and therefore the Iewes who killed this God and man, were not onelie homicides, but Dei∣cides, killers of God, that is of that man, who was also God. Loe the man: who to purchase vs life euerlasting gaue his owne life for vs, which because it was the life of God and man, was more worth then all the liues of all the men on earth, yea then all the liues also of all the Angells in Heauen.

[ 11] On this Mans miseries, as on his sweating blood in the garden, his scour∣ges and shedding of blood at the pillar, and on his thornie coronation, on his agonie and death on the crosse, the Iewes tooke no compassion, and no meruaile, they had stonie hearts. But if Christians,* 1.17 to whom God promised new hearts and fleshie hearts, prone to com∣passion, be not mooued at this mans Sorrowes, which he suffered also for

them, heauen and Earth may stand amazed; and such christians shall not be true christians, but rather cruell Schythians.

[ 12] O my soule! ô deuout Christian, whensoeuer thou perceiuest thy self to be tempted to sinne, looke vpon this Man, this man of Sorrowes,* 1.18 crowned with thornes, disfigured with buffets, blood and spitle, and for thee also, and say to thy self. Loe the man, whom by my sinnes I haue thus deformed and disfigured: Loe the man, who, as he is my loueing Sauiour, so he is my seuere Iudge also; as he is man, so he is God also: and shall I now by sinne offend this not onelie my Sauiour, but my Iudge also; this not onely man but God also? Shal I againe offend this Man, who by my sinnes is alreadie so disfigured, that he could hardly haue beene knowne for a man, had not Pilat sayd, Loe the man. Shall I so easelie as for∣merlie I haue done, adde sinnes to sin∣nes, which cost my Sauiour so dearlie? This picture drawne by that euill pain∣ter Pilat, set before thine eyes, will strike such a terrour into thee, that thou wilt not dare to sinne before it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mat. 27.
• * 1.2

  Mat. 26.
• * 1.3

  Mat. 15.
• * 1.4

  Apo. 1.
• * 1.5

  Phil. 2.
• * 1.6

  Ioa. 19.
• * 1.7

  Mat. 27.
• * 1.8

  Io. 19.
• * 1.9

  Isa. 53.
• * 1.10

  Io. 19.
• * 1.11

  Isa. 53.
• * 1.12

  Io. 19.
• * 1.13

  Psal. 2.
• * 1.14

  Iob. 6.
• * 1.15

  Psal. 21.
• * 1.16

  Ionae. 3.
• * 1.17

  Ezech. 11. & 36.
• * 1.18

  Isa 53.