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 ...

Esurivi enim, & dedistis mihi manducare &c.

THen declareth the iudge the reason of his senten∣ce, and the merites for which hee ge••eth them his kingdome, saying: I vvas an hungred, and you gaue mee to eate: I vvas a thirst, and you gaue mee to drinke: I vvas a straunger, and you tooke mee in; na∣ked, and you couered mee: sicke, and you visited mee; I vvas in Prison, and you came to mee to set mee at libertye. And the iust admiring that for so little workes hee should giue them a kingdome so greate; and that hee should so much esteeme these workes of mercye, as if they had beene donne to his owne Person, shall aske him, not so much with wordes, as with affections, and inward feelings of greate admiration; saying, Lord, when did wee see thee hungrye and Thirstye, and gaue thee to eate, and to drinke? Or when did wee see the a straunger, naked, sicke, or in prison, and vsed towarde thee such mercye? Then our Lord will aunswer them; Amen, I say vnto you, as long as you did it to one of these my leasle Bretheren, you did it to mee; * 1.1 for I was in them; and though but little ones. I yet esteeme my selfe to holde them for my Bretheren. O happy poore, that are accounted as his Bretheren, by the Iud∣ge that shall Iudge them, and by the eternall king that shall revvarde them, vvho likevvise revvar∣deth others, for doing them good. O happy vvorkes of

Mercye vvhose principall obiect 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Christe, and vvhose Revvarde is his kingdome. O blessed are the merci∣full, seeing in this daye they shall obtaine so greate mercye!

Lastly, I wil ponder, that albeeit Christe our Lord in the Gospell, alledgeth onely for the reason of his sentence the workes of mercye to wardes our Neighbours, yet hee will also declare the other good workes of obedience, and mortification ne∣cessarye to enter into Heauen. And as the voice of God is of infinite Vertue, hee will to every one mentally declare, (in such sorte, that all may vnder∣stand,) the speciall workes for the which hee gi∣veth him his kingdome. To the Martyr, hee will saye, Come thou blessed of my Father, to possesse the kingdome prepared for thee, because thou shedst thy blood formee. And to the Virgin, hee will say, Come thou blessed of my Father, for the Virginitie which thou preservedst with puritie of Bodye, and soule. And to the Religious man: Come thou blessed of my Father, for thou lestst all things to followe mee. And in this manner I may runne thorough all the other Estates of the iust O what Content will all receiue with the sweete voice of this comfortable sentence, * 1.2 with the which God will giue to their eares compleate Ioy, and alacri¦tie, and the Bones that were humbled shall reioice! Happy the sheepe that in this life heare the voice of their shephearde, and followe his steppes, for on this day being placed on his right hande, they shall heare the voice that calleth them to the eternall pa∣stures. O soveraigne shepheard, * 1.3 ayde mee vvith thy abundaunt grace, that I may bee vvorthy to heare so favourable a sentence. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Colloquie
• * 1.2

  Psalm. 50.10. Ioan. 10.3.
• * 1.3

  Colloquie