Meditations vppon the mysteries of our holy faith with the practise of mental praier touching the same composed in Spanish by the R.F. Luys de la Puente ... ; and translated into English by F. Rich. Gibbons ...

The fourth Pointe.

TO what had beene saide the Angell added: * 1.1 Beholde Elizabeth thy Cosin, shee also hath conceiued a Sonne in her olde age, and this moneth is the sixt to her that is called barren; because there shall not bee impossible with God any worde.

In these Wordes the Angell pretended three meruailous things: [ 1] the first, to reueale to the blessed VIRGIN a thing that would giue her much Content, because of the Abundance of her Charitye, * 1.2 whose Propertye is to weepe with those that weepe, and to rejoice with those that rejoice. And as the blessed VIRGIN had a feeling of the Barennesse of her Cosin, because of the greife that shee receiued thereby: so shee rejoiced at the newes of her beeing with Childe, because of the greate Ioye that it would giue her.

The second was, [ 2] to confirme his Embassage with some sensible Token: as if hee should say: Seeing shee hath conceiued that was olde, and barren; thou maiest well beleeue that a Virgin shall conceiue, for with God, nothing is im∣possible, hee can doe the one with as greate facillitye as the other. Whereby wee see how it is the Propertye of the good Spirit, to chastize the incredulous that require a Signe, or a mi∣racle with an affection of Incredulitye, as this S. Gabriel himselfe chastized Za••harias, * 1.3 because hee asked a signe to bee assured that hee should haue a Sonne, himselfe beeing olde, and his Wife barren, whereas contrarily to those that haue Faithe, hee giueth a Signe, allbeeit they aske it not, as hee did to our blessed LADYE

the VIRGIN, to chere, and to comfort her, and by the waye to confirme her more, and more, in her Faithe. From whence I will col∣lect how much it importeth constantly to be∣leeue the matters of Faithe: for to beleeuers, our Lord vseth to giue interiourly greater si∣gnes of his Truthe, * 1.4 which hee denyeth to the incredulous, * 1.5 according to that of the Pro∣phet Isa••as: If you beleiue not, you shall not vnderstand.

The third was, [ 3] that the Angell pretended to discouer the fundamentall reason of all that had beene spoken, * 1.6 adding that so glorious Worde, that to God nothing is impossible: which is to say. Hee can doe all that hee will, & can accomplish all that hee promiseth: especially those two miraculous things that I haue tolde thee of: to witte, That the Barren, and the Vir∣gin may conceiue, & bring forth. From whence I will collect two other for my spirituall Comfort. The first, [ 1] that by the Omnipotencye of God our Lord, any Soule whatsoeuer, that hath beene long time barren of good Workes, how deepe rooted soeuer this Barennesse bee in it, may bee altered, and become fertile. And as barren Elizabeth conceiued Iohn, which signifieth Grace, so it may conceiue in itselfe the fruites of Grace, and of Benediction, very gracious, and pleasing vnto God. And with this Hope, I am to cheere, and animate myselfe to pretende this happye Fertillitye, remembring what is saide by the Prophet Isaias, * 1.7 and the Apostle S. Paule: Reioite thou barren that bearest not, breake forth, and crye thou that trauailest not: for more Children shalt thou haue that wast barren like Sara, then shee that was fruitefull like Agar.

The second is, [ 2] that as our B. LADYE the VIRGIN by Vertue of the Holy Ghoste might conceiue, and haue a Sonne which should bee worth a hundred thousand: so those which promise, and keepe Virginity, shall conceiue Spirituall Children, which shallbee incompa∣rably more worthe, then the Carnall, * 1.8 our Lord fullfilling vnto them that Promise, which hee made them thereof by the Prophet Isaias, as was declared in the first Parte, and the 20. Me∣ditation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Luc. 1.36.
• * 1.2

  Rem. 12.15.
• * 1.3

  Luc. 1.20.
• * 1.4

  Ioan. 15.
• * 1.5

  Isa. 7.9. iuxta 70.
• * 1.6

  Luc. 1.37.
• * 1.7

  Isa. 54.1. Gal. 4.27
• * 1.8

  Matt. 19.29. Isa. 56.4.