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 SECOND WORD OR BRANCH.

Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso. Luc. 23.

This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. Luc. 23.

OVR B. Sauiour, as he is Goodnes it selfe, so he is most bountifull and liberall, yea & in a good meaning Prodigall. He can not be trulie pro∣digall, because he can not giue aboue his state and estate, he being King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, yet he may seeme to vs prodigall, and euen an other Prodigall Sonne. For hauing re∣ceaued of his Eternall Father his childs portion, to wit, our humane nature, he went into a farre countrie (as the Prodigall Sonne did) as farre as earth is from Heauen, and there conuersing with Publicans and sinners, he spent

his portion, our humane nature, amon∣gest them by his many afflictions and bloody passion, which he suffered; and with it he bestowed on them also his good instructions, good lessons, good examples, miracles, and holy merites and satisfactions; and whereas his least prayer would haue beene sufficient to haue redeemed vs, he would needs shed his blood for vs; and whereas one droppe of blood would haue sufficed, he bestowed on vs francklie & freelie all his blood, yea his life and death, and all he had and was; so that in a good sence it may be sayd, vt quid perditio haec? Whereto is this wast? for this might haue beene sold for more then three hundred pence and giuen to the poore: that is, this had beene sufficient not onely to re∣deeme man but also the Diuells, the poorest of all creatures, if God would haue so disposed. And yet to shew his loue vnto vs, his hatred of sinne, he would bestow all this vpon vs.

[ 2] And in his guifts how liberall is he, and how profuse doth he seeme to be? He giueth heauen for a momentarie good worke, for a cup of water giuen in his name; for a litle sorrow of contri∣tion he forgiueth all our sinnes, be they

neuer so many; for a temporall paine, endured for his loue, as fasting of one day, wearing of a shirt of haire for a litle time, he pardoneth vs eternall paines, which were due to our sinnes; and for abstaining from a corporall and momentarie pleasure for his sake, he giueth eternall blisse and life euerla∣sting. And to seeke no further for ex∣amples of his bountie, for a short prayer, confession, and acknowled∣gement of him on the Crosse, he gi∣ueth to the conuerted thiefe an hea∣uenlie Paradise, saying: This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.

[ 3] Paradise in holy Scripture is taken for any place of pleasure: So was that pleasaunt garden called, in which God placed the first man & woeman, Adam and Eue. So the countrie about Iordan is sayd to haue beene like a Paradise, before Sodome and Gomorre were sub∣uerted; so in diuerse other places of Scripture Paradise is takē for a place of pleasure. And because Christ in regard of his soule was that day to descend into Limbus Patrum, where the Saints of the old Testament were detained, and to illuminate them with the cleare

vision of his Diuinitie, in which con∣sisteth happines; that place which be∣fore was a Prison, he made a Paradise and place of heauenlie blisse, and he telleth the good thiefe that he shall be this daye with him in Paradise, that is, shall be partaker with him and his Saints of heauenlie blisse and felicitie.

[ 4] As if he had said: seeing thou con∣fessest me and acknowledgest me for thy God, not whilest I am working miracles, as others before thee haue done, but whilest I am suffering tor∣ments, and indignities; Seeing thou confessest me when thy fellow thiefe blasphemeth me, and when the Iewes crucifie and scoffe at me; Seeing thou confessest me before my cruell ene∣mies the Iewes, when Peter denyed me before a maide Seruant, yea when all my disciples, but Iohn my Euan∣gelist, fled for feare and forsooke mee, I wil graunt thee thy petition; & seeing thou desirest not to be freed from the Crosse or temporall death; seeing thou desi••est no worldlie or temporall be∣nefit, for that thou seest that both I and thou are presentlie to dye, but onelie desirest to be with me, when I

shall come to possesse my Kingdome in the next life, I will graunt thee thy pe∣tition, & will not defferre thee till the generall resurrection, no not one daye. This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, that is, thou shalt this daye participat with me in soule of my eternall glorie, with the Saints in Limbus Patrum other∣wise called Abrahams bosome.

[ 5] O good God, ô Sauiour, how liberall and bountifull art thou, who giuest a Kingdome, and an eternall Kingdome, a Kingdome of heauen so easilie, and for a momentarie confession. O holie thiefe, who hath preached Christ vnto thee? who hath illuminated thee with this so great light of faith? He acknow∣legeth that Christ the Sunne of Iustice (though now he seemeth to be eclip∣sed) hath illuminated him inwardlie by the light of his grace, outwardlie by his miracles, of which part he had heard, part he then saw on the Crosse; and he had edified him by his rare patience, and so many, and so cruell torments.

[ 6] He acknowledgeth him then for his Lord, saying, remember me Lord, & con∣sequentlie God, for how otherwise

could he be his Lord? He confesseth him to be a King, saying remember me, when thou shalt come to thy Kingdome; and he confesseth him a King of the next life and consequentlie of Heauen, for he saw he had no King∣dome in this life. He confessed him a King, though not sitting in a Royall throne, but hanging on a crosse; though not crowned with a crowne of gold, but of thornes; though not holding in his hand any other Scepter then a reede, though not inuested in a Kinglie robe, but in a ragged purple.

[ 7] O how great was his faith! It see∣meth (as S. Chrisostome saith) greater then the faith of Abraham, because Abraham beleeued him speaking from heauen, and by Angells; he beleeued in Christ hanging on a Crosse; greater then the faith of Isaie, because Isaie be∣leeued in him, after he had seene him sitting vpon an high throne and eleuated, and when Seraphins stood about him. Greater then the faith of Ezechiel, for that he beleeued in God in a vision he had of strange shapes, of a man, a lion, an oxe, and an Eagle, prefiguring the foure Euangelistes; greater then

the faith of Moyses, for that he beleeued in God, appearing in a flame of fire, and in the midst of a bush burning, but not consu∣ming; greater then the faith of the three Kings of the East, for that an vnusuall starre mooued them to seeke and adore Christ. But thou, ô faithfull theefe, be∣leeuest Christ to be God, though han∣ging on a Crosse, though suffering many indignities, torments and deathes.

[ 8] O how great was thy hope holy Thi∣efe, who hopedst to be partaker with Christ in his glorie of heauen (for els thou wouldst not haue desired it) when he was partaker with thee in thy ignominie and torments of the Crosse; who hopedst to receaue of Christ life euerlasting, when he was at the period of his temporall life. O how great was thy charitie and loue towards Christ, who thoughtst more of him then thy tormēts, who chidst thy fellow thiefe for blaspheming him, pronouncedst him innocent before the Princes of the Iewes, & thy self and thy fellow thiefe worthie of the punishment.

[ 9] But how great was Christ his goodnes to this thiefe. How prone

was he to mercie, who euen at the last houre had mercie on him, and for his short confession forgaue him all his sinnes. He is like a vessell full of wa∣ter; for as that being but touched, run∣neth ouer, so Christ is so full of mercie, that if a sinner do but touch him with true repentance (as the theefe did) he ouerfloweth and washeth away the sinners sinnes and all the filth of them.

[ 10] O how great is the force of Con∣trition and true repentance which in a moment made S. Paul of a perse∣cutour, a Preacher; S. Matthew of a Publican an Apostle and Euangelist; S. Marie Magdalen of a publick sinner, a patterne of all true penitents; which made S. Peter of a denyer of his master before a mayde seruant, a confessour of him before the Tyrants of the world; and of a poore Fisher, a Prince of the Apostles; which made a Thiefe an inhabitant of Paradise and Heauen it self.

[ 11] O my soule, art thou thus prone to mercie as thy sweete Sauiour is? Doest thou easilie forgiue them, that haue offended thee? Doest thou not shew thy self too hard and difficile in this

Kind? If thy heart be hard to forgiue, desire God with Dauid to create in thee a cleane heart, cleane from all malice, soft and easie to pardon those, that offend thee; for as thou forgiuest, so shalt thou be forgiuen.

[ 12] And thou, ô Sinner, be thou neuer so great a sinner, haue thou neuer so long cōtinued in sinne, yet do thou not dispaire of mercie; thou seest a thiefe hath found mercie, and euen at the last period of his life. But as thou must not despaire of mercie, so thou must not presume, nor vpon presumption deferre thy conuersion frō sinne. It is true the good thiefe found at the last houre of his life mercie; but the euill thiefe found it not; and though some then do repent, yet thousands more do not; and why mayst not thou be of these? especiallie seeing that ordina∣rilie, as men liue, so they dye; as vpon a sudden no man is a great sinner, so much lesse on a sudden doth a sinner become a Saint. Wise men will not deferre the making of their willes by which they dispose of their temporall goods to the houre of death: much lesse do rhey deferre the disposition of

their soules till that tyme: much lesse will they deferre the managing of the greatest businesse that they haue, to wit, of the eternall saluation or damnation of their soules; much lesse will they expose eternitie in Heauen or Hell, to the chance of a short and vncertein last houre.

[ 13] But thou wilt saye, God hath pro∣mised without setting any time, that he will haue mercie on a sinner, when∣soeuer he repenteth him of his sinnes, and consequentlie, if he repent at the last houre, he will then haue mercie. True he promiseth to pardon thee at all houres, and consequentlie at the last, if thou repent; but he hath not promised to giue thee at the last houre a true repentaunce. True it is, that thou maist haue true repentaunce, but thou maist misse it also. Then, to wit, at the houre of death, thou maist haue it, but with greater difficultie, for then thy memorie faileth; the paines of thy sicknes and especiallie the pangs of death wil trouble thee. Thy children or friends, who then will be more solli∣citous to prouide for their temporall state of body, then for the eternall

state of thy soule, will so distract thee, as thou shalt not be fit to conceaue an act of contrition. Do pennance then when thou art in good health, & when thou art best disposed for it; take time whilest time lasteth, for time will away; repent whilest thou art in good health, that when thou art to dye thou be not to seeke for repentaunce; leaue sinnes before thou art to die, els sinnes shall rather leaue thee, then thou them. Harken what S. Austin saith: Vis te de dubio liberare, vis quod in∣certum est euadere? Age paenitentiam dum sanus es &c. Si vero vis agere paenitentiam quando peccare non po∣tes, peccata te dimiserunt, non tu illa. Wilt thou free thyself from all doubt, wilt thou auoid that which is vncertaine, do pennance when thou art in good health &c. But if thou wilt do pennance when thou canst not sinne, thy sinnes leaue thee, and not thou them.

Notes

• Apo. 17. & 19.
• Luc. 15.
• Mat. 26. Mat. 14.
• Mat. 10.
• Gen. 2.
• Gen. 13.
• Cant 4. Ecle. 21. 2. Cor. 12 Ap. 2.
• Chris. nom. de cruce & latrone.
• Esa. 6.
• Ezec. 1.
• Exod. 3.
• Psal. 50.
• Ezec. 18.
• Lib. 50. Homil. hom. 45. De pae∣nit. Dist. 51. ca. si quis positus.