A MYRRHINE posy OF THE BITTER DOLOVRS OF CHRIST HIS PASSION, AND OF THE seven WORDS HE SPAKE ON THE cross, Composed By CH. M.  O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see, if there bee sorrow like to my sorrow. LAMENT: Cap. 1. 
Printed at douai by L. KELLAM, Anno 1639.   

TO HER MOST EXCELLENT majesty mary BY THE GRACE OF GOD queen OF GREAT britain, FRANCE, AND IRELAND.  
your majesties greatness, nobility, and dignity( descended unto you from a King of France, your Father, surnamed Great, from a Great queen your Noble Mother, from kings your Brothers, from queens your Sisters, and from the Great Monarch of Great britain, an other Charles the Great for his princely virtues, whose beloved Spouse you are) daunteth me,& maketh me afraid to approach to so great majesty with so little a Present, as is this little Pamphlet. But your benignity, affability, yea and princely humility, which graceth your majesty, and is graced by it; as it hath won you the love of all your Subiectes, even of them who differ from you in Religion, and hath made you not only amiable, but also admirable to all the world: so it encourageth me, and biddeth me be bold, and even assureth me, that this my Present, though little and improportionate to your greatness, will be graciously accepted of so Gracious a princess, as proportionate at least to your benignity and piety. My Present, Most Gracious queen, is a posy, and not whatsoever, but a Myrrhine posy, gathered out of the Paradise and Garden of Christ his sacred Passion, and composed of the bitter sorrows and dolours he suffered for us and of the words also h● spake on the cross: Of whic● posy, if your majesty vouchsafe to smell by your accustomend and devout Meditations, the very smell will be sovereign for your soul, and will chase away all the evil odours of whatsoever evil temptations. Other myrrh preserveth our bodies from putrefaction; this myrrh will preserve the soul from all corruption of sin. This Myrrhine posy of Christ his Dolours, your majesties piety will deign to place in the bosom and breast of your devout soul, and your Blessed saviour with it; that you may say with the Spouse in the Canticles: A Bundle of myrrh, my beloved is to me, he shall abide between my breasts. God almighty, who hath endowed your majesty with many gifts of Grace and nature; who hath given you such constancy in the catholic faith, that amongst many contrary winds of Doctrine, you haue not been so much as shaken; Who hath conserved you pure as a lily amongst thorns; Who hath blessed you with a royal Issue, which, though as yet it be young and little, is no little strength to the kingdom: He, I say bless your majesty, and ou● Noble King Great Charles your dear Spouse, with Grace Peace, and prosperity, in you● kingdom of Great britain, and with glory, and eternal Peace, and felicity in the kingdom of heaven. This is, and this ever shall be the prayer of  
your majesties. Most Humble and Obedient subject CH. M.   

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.  
HAVING spent some time in Meditation of the Sacred Passion of Christ, I find it to be a Sea in which is no bottom, a bottomless Sea of charity, a bottomless Sea of mercy, a bottomless Sea of Grace, a bottomless Sea of Iustice, a bottomless Sea of Sorrow. I find it also to be a wood in which one may loose himself, though never to his loss; a Labyrinth or Maze in which one may sooner find a way to get in, then to get out, yet shall never be out of his way; yea a Garden of such variety of sweet and odiferous flowers, that one can never gather all; hardly can he determine where to make his first choice, yet can never choose amiss. Wherefore( Gentle Reader) I will not promise thee to exhaust or draw dry this Sea for thee; I should promise an impossibility; only I will draw out of it as much as my weak forces will permit, and thine and my capacity can receive: Nor will I show thee all the ways, and windings of this wood and Maze, only I will bring thee into some few walks, which I myself haue passed; nor will I gather, nor can I, all the Flowers of this Garden; only I will select such as were obvious to me, and of which I myself haue smelled; and I will of them make a posy or nosegay for thee to smell on by devout Meditation. Thou shalt find as many diverse smells in this posy, as it containeth diuers Flowers. Some will smell of Christ his great charity in suffering so much for mans Redemption; some will savour of his Iustice in paying so full a price for the said Redemption; some will smell of his great Patience, some of his obedience to his eternal Father, some of his great humility, in that, he humbled himself, made obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. In brief there is no virtue of which in this posy thou mayst not haue an odiferous and grateful smell, if thou apply thy internal senses unto it. Diuers of the Saints of God took such pleasure, consolation, and comfort in meditating vpon Christ his Passion, that in regard of it, they contemned all the pleasures which the world could afford. And yet I entitle this my Pamphlet, a Myrrhine posy, because Christ his Dolours and sorrows were bitter as myrrh to him; though to us they be most comfortable, because in them we contemplate his great love and charity in suffering for us; in them we behold the grateful price of our Redemption; and because I desire that not only Carholikes, but also Protestants, and all they who go by the name of Christians should read this Pamphlet, and take some benefit by it, I abstain from all controversies in Religion, that none may be deterred from reading it. Take this my labour in good part, for it was undertaken for thee; and if thou reap any good by reading it, thank him who is goodness itself, and the Prime Cause, and principal author of all that is good; I was but his vnweldie Instrument.   

APPROBATIO.  
HAE Meditationes de Passione Domini concinnatae à CH. M. piae sunt& deuotae; quapropter visae sunt dignae vt praeli beneficio lucem aspiciant. Actum Duaci die 15. novembris 1639.  
GEORGIVS COLVENERIVS S. Theol. Doctor& eiusdem Regius Ordinariusque ac primarius Professor, Duacensis Academiae Cancellarius,& Librorum Censor.   

The Contents of the MEDITATIONS, OR followers OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION.  THE FIRST FLOWER Christ his agony in the Garden of Gethsemani. THE SECOND FLOWER. Christ his prayer in the said Garden. THE THIRD FLOWER. Iudas his traitorous kiss, The apprehension of Christ,& carrying to the houses of Anna, and Cayphas, where he suffered buffets, and other indignities. THE FIFTH FLOWER. Peters denial of Christ his master. THE sixth FLOWER. The whipping of Christ at the Pillar. THE SEVENTH FLOWER His Coronation with thorns. THE EIGHT FLOWER. Pilates showing of Christ to the people crwoned with thorns,& saying. Ecce Homo: lo the Man. THE NINTH FLOWER. Christ his carrying of his cross. THE TENTH FLOWER. Christ his sufferances on the cross. containeth 7. little branches, which are the 7. words or speeches, which Christ vttereed on the cross. THE I. WORD OR BRANCH. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. THE II. WORD OR BRANCH. hody mecum eris in Paradiso This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. THE III. WORD OR BRANCH 

Mulier ecce filius tuus: deinde dicit discipulo, ecce matter tua.  
Woman behold thy son; after that he said to the disciple, behold thy Mother.   THE IV. WORD OR BRANCH. 

Deus meus, Deus meus, vt quid dereliquisti me?  
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?   

Sitio.  
I Thirst.   THE VI. WORD OR BRANCH 

Consummatum est.  
It is Consummate.   THE VII. WORD OR BRANCH 

Pater, in manus tuas commendo Spiritum meum.  
Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.   
FINIS.   

THE FIRST FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy. 
Christ his agony in the garden of Gethsemanie.  Mat. 26. Mar. 14. luke. 22. joan. 18.  
our Blessed saviour after he had eaten with his Disciples the paschal Lanbe,& had also feasted them with his sacred body& blood, 
joan. 19  passed over the Torrent of Cedron to the mount olivet, 
2. Reg. 15.  where was a garden called Gethsemani. david once passed this Torrent of Cedron with an heavy heart, and weeping eyes, when he fled for fear of his son Absalon, who sought his kingdom and life;& his whole army seeing him weep so bitterly, wept also with him. Our B. saviour the son of david passeth the same Torrent, not to fly Iudas( who of a Disciple, whom Christ loved as his own son, was become an enemy but to meet him, fo● he knew Iudas would come thether, i● being Christ his ordinary place of resorr, and retire: and his Disciples follow their Master, as they were wont to do, and perceiving by his countenance that he was sad and sorrowful, they likewise were sad and sorrowed, and wept with him, and for him.  
This garden, into which Christ the second Adam entereth, is not like to the garden of Paradise, in which the first Adam was placed. 
Gen. 2.  That was a garden of pleasure and felicity, this of sorrow& misery: In that the first Adam sinned; in this the second Adam by suffering, beginneth to satisfy for his sin, and ours also, 
Rom. 5.  who sinned in him. In that the first Adam by his sin made us all slaves to sin, and captives to the devill; in this the second Adam beginneth his Passion, by which he redeemeth us, and setteth us at liberty. In that garden was planted the three of corporal and temporal life; In this is Christ the three of spiritual and eternal life. In that God ●rought forth of the ground all manner of ●ces faire to behold: 
Gen. 2.  In this appeareth ●o Christ the horrid Idea, or pattern of ●he three of the cross, on which he was ●o suffer a shameful death. In that was ● river which watered it, In this were the two running fountains of Christ his eyes, which watered it with tears, yea as many fountains as were pores ●n his body, which watered it with his sacred blood: In that, of the strong rib of Adam, Eua was framed, and frail flesh was put in the place of the rib. In this the Church was framed of the second Adams rib, that is, of his divinity, or fortitude, by which she was so strong, that she overcame all the assaults of the devill, all the persecutions of the Tyrants, and in lieu of this fortitude, Christ took to himself our frailty, which makes him in the garden so fearful and sorrowful.  
Follow o my soul, thy sorrowful saviour into this garden, join company with his Disciples, join thy tears of eyes and thy sorrow of heart with theirs. Thou never metst with a more sorrowful company, and so with them and especially with thy sorrowful saviour, not to be sad, would argue a● hard heart,& an heart of flinte rath●● then of flesh.  
Thou shalt see in this garden of Gethsemani the son of God( whose manor house is in the highest heaue● called Caelum Empyreum situated above the stars) lying prostrat vpon the ground, oppressed with sorrow, ouerloaden with thy sins, which make him to fall under the burden. There thou shalt see the flower of the field not flourishing but flettering and fading, 
Cant. 2.  there thou shalt see the lily of the valleys( of which the Angells and Saints smelling by clear vision and fruition of it, are made blessed) withered, and now not keeping, but losing it's external beauty: There thou shalt see the powerful arm of God feeble, 
Isa 53. Heb. 1.  the ioy of the Angels sad, and the splendour of God the Fathers glory, obscured and darkened.  
We can not see an Emperour, who lived in great glory, driven to such misery as causeth him to weep, but we must needs weep with him: and canst thou, ò my soul abstain from weeping, when thou seest thy saviour( who in ●eauen reigneth with all majesty, ●ower, and glory) now fallen into that distress, that he weepeth, and not one●ie weepeth tears at his eyes, but drops of blood at all the pores of his body? If ever that commandment, or council of S. Paul: 
Rom. 12  weep with those that weep, be to be fulfilled, now is the time weep then, o my soul, with these sorrowful wights Christ& his disciples, especially seeing that Christ weepeth not for any sin he had, but for thy sins: It is better to go to this place of mourning, then to the house of banqueting, 
Eccles. 7  for happy are they that mourn, especially with their saviour, 
Mat. 5.  for that they shall be comforted.  
But, o my sweet saviour, why fallest thou groveling on thy face and on the ground, whose mansion place is above the stars? if thou, who supportest heaven and earth, fall on the ground, who shall stand? If thou, who art the ioy& comfort of Angells be comfortless, who shall be our comforter? if thou, who art the strong arm of God, be so weak who shall hope for strength and courage in afflictions. 
Isai. 5●.   
But what is it, o sorrowful saviour, that thus oppresseth thee with grief that thou criest, 
Mat. 26. Mar 14.  and not fainedlie, bu● truly, my soul is sorrowful even to death that is, so sorrowful, that this sorrow naturally would be my death, did I no● supernaturallie reserve myself for the death of the cross? Is it the blasphemies contumelious and reproachful words, taunts and scoffs, which by foresight thou seest thou shalt haue from the Iewes? why, many of thy confessors and martyres of both sexes, haue born them chearfullie. Thy Apostles after thy Resurrection reioyced, because they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Iesus? 
Act. 5.  Is it the scourges& lashes of the pillar, the thorns in thy coronation, the nailes, which are to pierce thy hands and feet, and to fasten thee to the cross? why, we haue seen thy martyrs endure as great torments with alacrity: many a young Virgin, an Agnes, a Prisca, an Agatha, a Lucia, haue with great consolation endured as great torments. Is it the death of the cross that thus affrighteth thee? Why, thy Apostles S. Peter and S. Andrew, and thy kinsman S. Simeon lay with as much contentement on their cross, as men wearied on a soft bed of down; what is it then, sweet saviour, that maketh thee to be so fearful, heavy, 
Mar 1.  and ●orrowfull? Vouchsafe to tell me, and if I can ease thy mind, even with death of body, I will do it.  
But behold an angel cometh to comfort thee: hearken unto him. It is true th' evangelist affirmeth that an angel appeared from heaven strengthening him: 
luke. ●.  but he admitted not this strength and comfort of mind for any long time, that so he might suffer the more for us: and if he would haue admitted any comfort or remission of his sufferances, he could haue let the glory of his soul enter into his body, and so make it impassable: He could with his divinity haue armed hinself against all griefs, wounds, torments, and deaths; and whatsoever considerations could comfort a sorrowful man,( as consideration of greater glory to God, greater glory to his own body, a more complete redemption for man) were not wanting to him. He could by the clear vision and fruition of his divinity, wherewith his soul was endued from the first instant of his Conception, haue so exhilarated himself, as that no pains or affliction of this world, yea no torments of Hel● should haue been able to afflict him.  
Why then, o B. saviour, art thou s● sorrowful even to death, 
Mat 26. Mar. 14  who hast so many means at hand to comfort thyself● he answereth with job( whose person was a figure of his person, and whose afflictions prefigured his afflictions) Consolatores onerosi omnes vos estis: 
job. 16.  you are all heavy comforters unto me; Angells, men, my divinity, the glory of my soul, and whatsoever comfortable motives, are heavy& unwelcome comforters unto me. I will none of your consolations, because I am resolved to suffer pains for man, that he may bee freed from eternal pains, to which by sin he is subject: I will be sorrowful, that he may be joyful: I will be heavy at my heart, that he may be light hearted; I will be sad for a time, that he may be merry eternally. Away then all comforters, all comforts and consolations, and welcome all sorrows and griefs for the comfort of man: I will want all comfort now, that my Apostles, Disciples, Martyrs and confessors may not want it in their torments: I will want all force now, that ●ey may be stronger then all the Tyrants and persecu●ours, and all the en●ines of cruelty, which they can devi●e. O my soul! what shouldst thou render to this thy loving saviour for this his love? He demandeth but love for love; and what more easy then love, especially when it is provoked by such love, and by the love of thy God and creator?  
His sorrow was so great that S. Matthew and S. Mark say, 
mat 26 Mar. 14. luke. 22.  he was sorrowful even unto death. S. Luke saith he was in an agony. And indeed it must needs be a very great sorrow which put him into an agony, and made him to sweat blood. For S. Luke saith this his sweat became as drops of blood t●ickling down vpon the earth; so that his grief caused not only his eyes to  shed tears of water, but also his whole body to  shed tears of blood at all the pores of it. But, o sweet Iesus, if sorrow will permit thee, and I may be so bold as to ask such a question, tell us what are the causes of this thy so excessive sorrow, or inspire us by thy grace to guess at least what they may bee  
The first cause is by many and devout authors thought to haue bee● the bloody Idea, or foreconceite, whic● in the garden represented unto hi● the bloody tragedy of his Passion, and all the partes and circumstance● thereof, and that so liuelie, clearly,& particularly, as though he had been now suffering that which afterward he suffered; and this was a principal cause of his faint and bloody sweat, which he sweat to cure us of our ague of sin, and to purge us from all evil and malignant humours of our inordinat passions, and affections, and to wash away all the filth of our sins. So that whereas our sorrows and pains proceed from the body to the soul( for when the body is distempered, or wounded, the soul suffereth) his sorrow and pain had a contrary course and began with a strong conceit of the mind, which he voluntarily admitted, and which was so liuelie, and particular, that it wounded the body, and made it bleed at every poor so abundantly, that as S. Luke affirmeth the drops trickled down vpon the earth. 
luke. 22.   
The second cause was because he was to suffer of all kind of persons; to wit, of the Iewes in the Priests, Scribes, and pharisees; of Princes in the high priest, Herod, and Pilat; of subiectes in the officers, and seruants of those Princes; of women in the maides, which caused Peter to deny him; of his friends in his Apostles, who fled from him; and in Iudas particularly, who betrayed him; and in Peter who denied him; of his foes in the Iewes, and Romaines who all conspired against him.  
Thirldlie he suffered in all partes of his body, in his head by the thorns, that crwoned him, in his hands and feet by the nailes that fastened him to the cross, in his face by buffetts and spittle, in his whole body by whips and scourges, and by extension of it vpon the cross.  
Fourthlie he was to suffer in all his senses; in his eyes by the tears he  shed, and the blood, which from his head descended into them, and in the sight of his cruel tormenters, and their cloudy looks, and of the instruments of their cruelty, yea in the sight of the tears of his weeping mother and Apostle S. John,& of the devout woem● in his ears by the blasphemies, scurri●lous and reproachful speeches, and i● the mocks, scoffings, and taunts, whic● he heard; in his taste by gull and vinegar in his smell by the stinking bones o● mount Caluerie, in his sense of feeling by all the corporal pains he endured.  
fiftly he suffered in all his goods; in his goods of fortune, as in his good name by false accusations, in his honour, by contumelies, mocks, and scoffs, in his garments by being deprived of them: in his goods of body by his cruel pains and torments, in his goods of the mind by grief and sorrow.  
joy he had a most perfect complexion of body, which was framed miraculously by virtue of the holy Ghost; 
S. Tho. 3. p. q. 46 ar. 6. joan. 4.  for as that wine which Christ miraculously made at the marriage, when he turned water into wine, was, as Fathers and divines affirm, the best wine, and the health and sight miraculously restored, was the best: so Christ his complexion miraculously made, was the perfectest, and that made him more sensible of pains then any other man ever was.  
Seauenthlie: he had a most perfect apprehension of all that was inflicted vpon him, which apprehension made him feel his pains the more, whereas we by reason of our stupidity and astonishment caused by our torments, do not so perfectly apprehended them, and consequently do not so sensibly feel them.  
Eightlie: whereas he giveth to his Martyres grace and comfort, which diminisheth their pains, and sometimes maketh them not to feel thē at all, yea in the midst of their torments causeth in them a ioy and consolation; he would admit no comfort either from his divinity, or from the glory of the vpper part of his soul, but rather he represented to himself all the partes and circumstances of his Passion, as though he then actually suffered them, that so he might suffer the more for man, and by suffering satisfy for his sins, and by satisfying redeem him.  
Ninthlie: the sins of all men, which he at once represented to himself were a great cause of his sorrow, for he bearing greater charity to us, then we do or can do to ourselves, and knowing the malice of our sins, and how highly they offended God, was more sorry for them, then a mary Magdalen for hers, then we can be for ours, and this was the greatest corrosive to his charitable and tender heart. And therefore though the least prayer, one only tear  shed for us, had been sufficient to redeem us by reason of the dignity, which even his least works received from the dignity of his person; 
S. Tho. 3. p.q. 46 ar. 6 ad bid.  yet he would suffer so much as the greatness of his pains and sorrows might haue a proportion with all the sins which by men were ever committed, which are almost innumerable.  
Tenthlie: the ingratitude of men who, as he foresaw, would little esteem all his sufferances, the little profit that thousands would make of his death and passion, yea which( through their default) they would turn to their greater damnation, was a cause of great sorrow to his heart; and in particular, that the Iewes, of whom he took flesh with whom he lived and conversed ●3. yeares, amongst whom he had wrought so many miracles, to whom he gave so good examples, so many heavenly exhortations, should be the authors of his death, and for that, should loose their city and Temple, should be dispersed, as vagabonds over all the world, and contemned and despised of all nations, and in fine should be forsaken of God, and reprobated; this( I say) did greatly afflict his charitable heart, which desired the salvation of all, and of them particularly.  
O my soul, be sorrowful for thy sins, which haue put thy saviour to such sorrow; rue the day that ever thou wast so ungrateful, as to make him take so vnkindlie thy unkindness; and seeing that he weepeth even blood, and is sorry even to death, not for his own, 
Mat. 26. Mar. 14.  but for thy sins, be not thou wanting in weeping with him for them; be sorrowful, with this Prince of the sorrowful, and mourn with him, who mourneth for thee.   

THE SECOND FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy. Christ his prayer in the Garden. Math 26. Mar. 14. luke. 22.  
THe aforesaid causes of Christ his sorrow were also the causes of this his prayer in the garden: My Father if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; and excess of sorrow made him repeat it three times. O my B. saviour, Whereto haue these thy sorrows brought thee? wouldest not thou suffer death for man, for whom thou wast Incarnat, and hast already suffered so much? If thou shouldst not suffer death also for us, what would become of us? for although the least of thy sufferances, of itself, had been sufficient to redeem the whole World, yet seeing thy eternal Father will not be satisfied unless thou suffer death also for us( so to show his hatred of sin, and his love to man) our Redemption without thy death can not be accomplishd;& so if now thou give over, if here thou stay, thy Incarnation, thy life, and all thou hast hitherto suffered, would not redeem us, and we all should be damned, none at all saved.  
Hence it is that diuers expositors haue given diuers expositions of this prayer. The first is this: Let this Chalice of my death and passion be transferred, and let it pass from me, that is though I desire to drink it, and therefore I call it a Chalice or cup, yet it grieveth me, that my chosen People the Iewes of whom I took flesh, with whom I lived 33. 
So S. Hier& S. Bede Mat 26.  yeares, and amongst whom I wrought many miracles should offer it me, and by offering it me purchase their own reprobation, and damnation: that grieveth me;& so I would drink this Chalice, and I would suffer death, but I would not suffer it of the Iewes; so I would suffer death, but one effect of it, which is the Iewes reprobation, I would not haue, if it could be otherwise.  
Or else I am sad and suffer great sorrow for my persecutors, 
So S. Amb& S. Bas. i. 4. Euno.  who by tormenting me and putting me to death shall be guilty of great sacrilege, and in this respect I would not suffer of them, though otherwise to obey my fathers commandement, who will haue me die, and to redeem man, I am willing to die.  
Or else let this Chalice pass, that is let it not stay or end in me, 
S. Hil. in Math.  let it come to me, but let it pass to my disciples and Apostles, that as I suffer for them, so they may haue the charity to suffer for me, and the faith which I haue taught them.  
Or else let me drink this Chalice of my death and passion, and let it come, but let it also pass within three daies, that the third day I may rise to a glorious and everlasting life of body and soul, and my elect after me.  
Or else I desire to suffer according to the will of my superior part of my soul, but yet I would not suffer according to flesh and blood, and the inferior part of my soul voluntarily destitute of all aid from my divinity; for so I fear death, as it is, contrary to nature, but this will I submit to the will of my eternal Father, and therefore not this my will, but thy will( o eternal Father) be fulfilled.  
O what a resignation was this? come all the torments( saith he) vpon me, come death, and even the death of the cross, and although according to the inferior part of my soul I fear them, yet according to my superior part, they are welcome unto me, and according to this will, which is always conformable to my Fathers will, I am content and resolved to suffer for man my bloody Passion, and an 100. times more, if my eternal Father do but please to command or insinuate unto me. O my B. saviour, give me the grace in imitation of this thy resignation, and by virtue of it, to resign my will in all things to thine, and to accept from thee as willingly sickness as health, poverty as riches, disgrace as honour, death as life, all proceeding from thy will, which I desire may in all things be the rule and square of my will, for in following mine own will I may sin, in following thy will, I can never sin, because I can never olive from thee.  
But now me thinks I hear my sorrowful saviour, as he reprehended his Apostles for sleeping, when he watched, prayed,& suffered for them, so calling, vpon all Christians in these lamentable words: All ye that pass by the way attend and see if there be sorrow like to my sorrow. 
Thren. 1.  look into the heartes of the most sorrowful wights, that ever were, and see if you can find in them such causes of sorrow as I haue; see if you can find their sorrow so great as to cause them to weep blood; many haue wept tears of water at their eyes, none, but I, haue wept tears of blood at all the pores of my body.  
O Christians, I  shed tears of blood for you at all the pores of my body, and can not you  shed tears of water at your eyes for me? If you can not weep for me, weep for yourselves, and for your sins, for they are the greatest cause of my griefs and sorrows, and yet these tears of blood, which now I  shed for your sins, are but a drizeling, to that great shower of blood, which I shall rain from the cloud of my humanity at the Pillar and cross.  
Behold I am he, whom the Prophet Esay long since called a man of sorrows, ●nd knowing by experience infirmity, 
Isai. 5●.  I ●m indeed a man of sorrows, so full of ●hem, that I seem to bee nothing but sorrow: A man indeed but a man of sorrows, composed of sorrow: yea I am a Prince of the sorrowful. repair then unto me all you woeful wights as subiectes to your Prince and king; for as the king surpasseth all his subiectes in majesty, power, and authority, so I like a Prince and king of the sorrowful, do surpass you all in sorrow, as much, as the king doth the subiects in authority, and if you will be loving subiectes to your Prince of the sorrowful, weep with me with heart, if you can not with eyes. I am indeed a Prince and king of the blessed and joyful in heaven, and as God, yea as man according to the vpper parte of my soul, I surpass them all in bliss and ioy as much, as the king doth his subiectes in authority; but according to the inferior part of my soul I am a man of sorrow, and a Prince of the sorrowful: weep then with me as with the Prince of the sorrowful, if you will rejoice wit● me as with the Prince of the blessed an● joyful.  
Nay, me thinks, I hear this prince of sorrows crying unto me in particular and saying: behold, my beloved, how sorrowful I am, and what tears even of blood I  shed and even for thee in particular, and for thy sins, which with the sins of others are the cause of my sorrow; weep then with me for company, and if not for me( whose sufferances notwithstanding should move even a marble heart) at least for thyself;& be thou confounded not to weep for thyself, when thou seest me weep so bitterly for thee; and be ashamed also not to weep for me thy God, creator, and saviour, who weep even tears of blood for thee my creature.  
O my sweet saviour, this thy speech so confoundeth me, that I wish my heart were resolved into tears, which ascending to mine eyes, might accompany thy tears. loving subiectes can not abstain from tears when they see their king weep, and loving children can not hold themselves from weeping, when they see their Father weep. ●ue me then, o my sovereign Prince, and gift of tears, for from thy grace this fountain springeth, make me( o loving Father) so loving a child, as at least to weep with thee, whom I now see weeping so bitterly for me.  
O Lord; thou once by thy seruant Moyses, and by the rod thou gavest him, didst strike vpon the rock of Horeb, 
Exo. 17.  and fetchedst out water for all the people to drink on, strike, I beseech thee, with the rod of the cross, or with an efficacious consideration of thy death suffered on the cross my hard and stony hart, that a Magdalens or Peters tears may gush out of it by mine eyes, to wash away my sins, and to accompany thy tears not only of water but also of blood: that weeping and sorrowing here, I may rejoice with thee in heaven, 
Ps. 125.  that sowing in tears, I may reap in ioifullnes.   

THE THIRD FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION. 
Judas his traitorous kiss.  Mat. 26. Mar. 14.  
joab coming to Amasa saluted him with most kind words saying, God save thee my brother, 
2. Reg. 20.  and taking him by the chin, as if he would haue kissed him, he thrust his sword into his side and killed him. Iudas imitating, or rather surpassing this treachery of joab, cometh with a great multitude, 
Mat 26. Mar. 14  with swords and clubs sent from the chief Priests, Scribes, and the Ancients of the People: with intention to betray this innocent lamb to these ravenous wolves, and to cover his traitorous intention( which he could not from Christ, who foresaw ●, and told him of it at his last supper) ●s also to give them their watchword for he had given them a sign saying: 
Mar 14 Mat. 26.  whomsoever I shall kiss, it is he, lay hold on him, and led him warily) he saluteth him in these words: hail Rabbi, and he kissed him.  
O traitor! o vyper! Kissest thou him whom thou betraiest? by thy kiss thou wouldst seem a friend, but there is venom of asps under thy lips. 
Psa. 139.  Thou art one of those hypocrites, and a principal amongst them, who honour God with lips, but their heart is far from him. 
Esa. 29. Ma●. 15.  Woe to them of a double heart,& to wicked lips, and to the hands that do evil, and to the sinner that goeth on the earth two ways, that is, 
Eccle. 2.  who pretendeth externally holynes and fellowship, but secretly carrieth an evil intention.  
This kiss, was no kiss to Christ, but an heart breaking,& peradventure one of his greatest afflictions, because to a kind heart, nothing is more grievous then unkindness and ingratitude. For he so loved Iudas, that he made him a Disciple, and an Apostle, and steward of his family, he trusted him with the purse, made him privy to a his miracles, his spiritual and Diui● lessons, and exhortations; he ha● washed his feet that very evening, an● had admitted him to his last supper, ● which he had bestowed on him his sacred body and blood, which ha● been enough to haue mollified a ma●ble heart: and now after so many benefits, seeing him coming to betray him, and with a kiss also, he could no● but be much afflicted, because he could not but take this traitorous kiss mos● vnkindlie.  
Wherefore david who foresaw this, bringeth in Christ much complaining of Iudas his treason, and ungratitude, saying: 
Psal. 40.  For the man also of my peace in whom I hoped, that is in whom I might seem to haue just cause to hope, who did eat my breads, being partaker not only of my ordinary repast, but also of the bread of life, which I gave him at my last supper, 
joan. 6.  hath greatly trodden me under foot, by betraying me unto the Iewes, and in another psalm the same royal Prophet, not only in his own person, but also in the persons of all those, who haue suffered injuries of them who haue had cause to be friends, ●nd especially in the person of Christ, who suffered such ingratitude of Iudas, ●ayth: 
Psal. 54.  For if mine enemy had spoken evil to goody, I would verily haue barn it. And if he that hated me, had spoken great things on me, I would perhaps haue hide myself from ●im: But, that, thou( Iudas) a man of the ●ame mind with me( as thou seemedst) my guide and my familiar, which didst take ●weete meats together w●th me, at my last supper, shouldst thus betray me, can not but touch me to the heart.  
But what saith Iudas to this his so kind hearted Master? hail Rabbi, saith he,& there with also kisseth him. O Hypocrite, who hast hony in thy mouth, but gull in thy heart, who speakest faire but meanest ill, whose outside carrieth a faire show, but the inside is full of rancour and malice, whose outside is like a sepulchre whited and painted, but within thou art nothing but filth and stench. o Hypocrite, thinkest thou by these faire words and flattering kiss to deceive thy Master, who knoweth even thy secret and malicious thoughts? But what saist thou, o B. saviour? canst thou endure the sight of this traytour● Canst thou endure a kiss from hi● fowle and deceitful lips? yes( saith he) I can endure this, and the death also of the cross for my deadly enemies. 
Mat. 4.  O charity! o love! what canst not thou do? thou canst do good for evil, render benedictions for maledictions, when one cheek is strooken thou canst offer the other, yea thou canst love deadly enemies as dearest friends.  
But o sweet saviour, how seemest thou to be changed? thou never spakest with more seueri●ie then when thou spakest against hypocrites. Thou pronouncedst once many woes against them, 
Mat. 23. luke. 12.  and thou bidst us take good heed of the leaven of the pharisees, which is hypocrisy: and yet now, o charity, thou vouchs afest Iudas the greatest traitor that ever was a kiss, which is the g●eatest sign of love, and therefore the spouse desireth it above all things of her beloved saying, 
Cant. 1.  let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth. And yet now thou salutest the falsest ttaytour, and the most deceitful hypocrite that ever was, by the title of a friend. Amice ad quid venisti? friend whereto art thou ●ie? Osculo filium hoins tradis? Dost ●u betray the son of man with a kiss●? ●ere to art thou come? saith loving Ie●s. think yet better on the matter, ●inke whom thou betraiest: The son of God, thy loving Master, thy Father, thy greatest benefactor. think yet where to thou art come, there is yet time for thee, o Iudas, to repent. Take time while time is, for time will away, refuse not the grace I now offer,& testify noe less, by calling thee friend. This very word friend proceeding from my mouth, in which there is no deceit, as there is in thine can it not mollify thy hard heart? fearest thou to return to me thy old Master? thy old friend, and yet thy friend? Osculo filium hoins tradis? dost thou betray the son of man with a kiss?  
O Iudas how dost thou abuse the ceremonies and arms of peace, the cognisance and colours of love and fellowship? if thou beest a friend, why comest thou with bills, clubs, lanterns and a troupe of soldiers? If thou beest a foe, why dost thou kiss me? If thou hast malice, rancour, hatred and treason in thy heart, wh● usest thou a kiss, which is the ord●narie sign of love and fellowship? An● yet Iudas, though not knowing ● much, used the fittest sign and mark● to betray Christ to the Iewes; for b● what fitter sign then a kiss coul● Christ be manifested, whose heart s● burned with love, that he was readi● to die for the world? by what fitte● sign could Christ be bewrayed an● betrayed, then by a kiss the sign o● fellowship, he by his death, being the peace maker betwixt God and man?  
Amice, friend, to what purpose art thou come? I say friend, because on my part our old fellowship is constant, and as great as ever, for I am still thy friend, still thy well wisher, and well willer, I still desire thy salvation, and think not that I fain as thou dost, I am verity& so can not lie. I who to morrow will pray for my crucifiers, am now willing to receive thee to grace, do but repent of what thou hast donne against me, and though now thy treason is proceeded so far, that if thou wouldst thou canst not save my life( for thou hast put me into the hands of my cruel enemies) yet do but repent and we ●re friends again.  
O Iudas, the good lessons and exam●les thou hast had of me, the great miracles I wrought before thine eyes, the ●onour I did thee in choosing thee for one of my Disciples and Apostles, the ●ove I shewed thee in admitting thee ●o my last supper, did they deserve this traitorous kiss at thy hands? Canst thou find in thy hart to betray me, whom thou knowest to be Innocent? me? who so loved thee that even now I fed thee with my own body and bloods? me; who am ready to give my life for thee? me thy best friend, thy Redeemer and thy creator?  
And couldst thou prise me at so low a rate, as to sell me even to my enemies for thirty pense? If thou hadst ofered me to my mother, she would haue begged, but she would haue given much more for me. mary Magdalen would haue given thee all shee had or could procure. And thou, o my soul, thou o Christian wouldst how not haue given more, and even thy life to save thy saviours life, which was the most precious life, the life of God and man? Thou wouldst, thou wouldst. Bu● Iudas was an unlucky and vnthrifti● merchant, who selling Christ, sold himself and salvation to the devill for ever o Iudas, do but yet aclowledge thy treason with a contrite heart, and I a● ready to receive thee to mercy, nun quam sera est paenitentia, si seria: no pennan● to late, so it be serious. But Iudas was sunk into the depth, of his malice, and the Impious( as the wise man saith) whe● he shall come into the depth of his sins, 
Pro. 18.  contemneth, no reprehension, no sweet● persuasions, no threatenings, no allurements, no good lessons or exhortations can reclaim him.  
Behold here, o sinner, the charity of thy B. saviour, his patience and longanimity, he knew long before that Iudas would betray him, and at his last supper of the paschal lamb he told him so, for when he told his Apostles that one of them should betray him, and every one asked of him, is it I lord? Iudas also said, Is it I Rabbi? Christ said to him: thou hast said. yet Christ all that while expected him to pennance, and when Iudas came to give him the traitorous kiss, he called him friend showing thereby that he was yet ready ●o receive him to mercy. But he con●mning the riches of God his goodness, and patience, and longanimetie &c according ●o his hardness and impenitent heart, ●eapeth unto himself wrath in the day of wrath.  
And think o sinner, how God hath expected thee to pennance, and when thou contemnedst his patience and longanimity, persisting still in sin, yea heaping sin vpon sin, he still patiently expected thee to pennance. O sinner thank him daily for this his expectation, for if he had taken thee away in thy sins( as he doth many and justly also) and had not patiently expected, to see if thou wouldst think of pennance and amendment of thy life, thy parte had been now with Iudas and many damned sinners. O thank him, for thou canst never thank him enough, and do not presume any longer of his mercy, least thou provoke him to do iustice on thee, by leaueinge thee, as he did Iudas and other obstinat sinners.  
O my soul, look into thyself and see whether thou hast the charity to kiss and to do well to thy enemies, ● love them that hate thee? see wheth● thou canst not espy in lieu of this ch●ritie, hatred against thine enemy, ● desire to be revenged of him, to off● him the combat, or bid him the fie● for the lie given thee by him? and i● thou esprest this evil disposition, ri● thyself quickly of it, and according to thy saviours example urge thyself● to love him: he can not be worse to thee, then Iudas was to Christ. And seeing that Iudas by a kiss hath betrayed thy saviour; take heed least by the kisses and enticements of the world, flesh, and devill, thou beest betrayed; for as under Iudas kiss lay hid great malice, so under the pleasures and riches and honours, which the world, flesh, and devill do offer, lies hidden an intention to ruin thy soul, and by those kisses to bring it to eternal perdition.  
And, o ye, who profess yourselves Christians, that is, louers of Christ and Christian Religion, and yet offend him by mortal sin, think you hear Christ saying unto you, dost thou betray the son of man with a kiss? dost thou profess thyself one of my loving disci●es in that thou professest thyself a ●hristiā,& thereby as it were givest me and kiss, and yet offendest me by mor●ll sin? thou seemest a friend by this ●rofession, and by it thou seemest to ●ove me and to kiss me, but in heart, as appeareth by thy evil life, thou art ● traitor, as Iudas was.  
O all ye, that receive Christ in the B. Sacrament, and yet are in state of mor●all sin, you betray Christ by this kiss, and therefore S. jerome to a Priest that goeth to the Altar, and receiveth the B. Sacrament in mortal sin speaketh in these words, which S. Tho: of Aquin citeth: Dic Sacerdos, dic Clerice, 
3. p. q. 8. ar. 2.  qualiter eisdem labijs filium Dei oscularis, quibus osculatus es labia meretricis? O Iuda osculo filium hoins tradis? Tell o Priest, t●llô C●arcke how with the same lips thou kisseth the son of God, with which thou hast kissed the lips of an Harlot? O Iudas dost thou betray the so●ne of man with a kiss.  
O Bishops and Priests, o Religious persons, be not to secure in your states of life and vocations. Iudas was a disciple and an Apostle, and yet he fell, and so may you. And you live not i● better company, then he did, ● under a better governor then he ha● for he lived with the Apostles; th● were his daily companions, and his sup●riour was the son of God, who w● not wanting in giuing him good l●sons and instructions. And yet he fe● and so may you: wherefore neue● think yourselves secure, what state o● life soever, what vocation soever you embrace, but w●th fear and tremblin● work your salvation and walk worthy o● the vocation in which you are called, 
Philip 2.  an● by good lice and good works make sure you● vocation, and election. For as S. Hierom● saith; 
Ephe. 4 2. Pet 1. Hieron.  non est facile stare loco Pauli, tener● gradum Petri: It is not easy to stand in the place of paul, to hold the degree of Peter. The higher your places, and states, or perfections are, the more you are exposed to the tempests of temptations, and if ye fall, then, the higher you stood, the greater will be your fall.   

THE fourth FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION. 
The apprehension of Christ, and carrying to the houses of Anna and Cayphas, where he suffered buffets,& other indignities.  joan. 18.  
AFTER that Iudas had given his Master the traitorous kiss, the souldiers laid hold on him, knowing by that sign, which Iudas had given them, that he was the man they sought for. But Christ asketh them, whom they seek for? They answered him: 
joan. 18.  Iesus of Nazareth. Iesus saith to them: I am he. And Iudas also that betrayed him stood with him. As soon therefore as he said to them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground. O ye malicious and obstinate Iewes: was not this miracle sufficient to make you desist from laying hands on him? or haue you not just cause to fear to meddle any farther with him? But Christ, though hereby he shewed that it was in his power to free himself from them, yet asketh them again whom seek you? and they answered again: Iesus of Nazareth. Christ answereth I  told you that I am he, If therefore you seek me, let these go their ways, and so yielded himself voluntarily.  
O B saviour, thou, who with those words, I am he, couldst cast them backward to the ground, couldst haue held them there, and not haue permitted them to apprehended thee. But he intending to use his patience, not his power yielded voluntarily, and by and by they laid hold on him, and bound him.  
O indignity! the seruants bind their lord and Master, the subiects their king, the creatures their creator, the bondslaves their Redeemer, who by his death freed us all from sin, the devill,& hell. And, o sweet saviour, do those chains and bonds become thee, who art Lord of heaven and earth, and a king of glory. break them, as samson( who was a figure of thee) did his; thou art stronger then he, but it was ●he chain and bonde of love towards man, which bound him, else their chains and bonds could not haue holden him.  
These bonds he suffered, first, to free us from the bonds of our sins, for as the wiseman saith, 
Prou. 5.  His own iniquities take the impious, and he is last bound with the ropes of his sins; and indeed our sins may be called ropes, because they bind us hand and foot, hinder us from doing good, and from walking freely in the way of God his commandements. Secondlie he would suffer these bonds, that his disciples and Apostles and their successors should not be ashamed to be bound in chains and fetters for him, and his Religion; for why should they think much to suffer that for their master, which he before had suffered for them? And indeed after this example giue● by Christ, not onely his Apostles but thousands of Christians of all sexes and ages haue reioyced in bonds and chains for Christ, and haue esteemed them a garlands and above the richest chain of Gold.  
S. paul gloried more in the title o● prisoner of Iesus Christ, then in the dignity of an Apostle, 
A l Eph. c. 3.& 4. ad Phil. Cyp. l. 3. cp. 25 ad mart.  and doctor o● the gentiles. S. Cyprian thus pronounceth of chains suffered for Christ These chains which are born for Christ( saith he) are ornaments, not bonds. which couple not Christians feet to ignominy, but do grace them to glory; ò feet happily tied, which are loofed not by the smith, but by Christ. O feet happily tied to be directed the right way to paradise, o feet tied in this world for the present, to be set at liberty with Christ for ever. 
S. Chry. hom. 8. in c 4. ad Eph.  S. Chrysostome saith that to be chained& fettered for Christ is more glorious then to wear a crown of Gold beset with pearls and precious stones; and the prisons, by reason of the chains which the prisoners bear for the love of Christ, he esteemeth to surpass all Princes palaces, and therefore( saith he) If it were put to my choice whether I would sit at the right hand in heaven, or to be chained in prison, whether I would dwell with the Angells in heaven, or with Paul in prison, I ●ould make election of the prison. If were asked whether I would be the ●ngell that loosed Peters chains, or ●eter chained with thē, I would choose ● be Peter. I honour Paul( saith he) ●ot so much that he was an Apostle& doctor of the gentiles, 
Act. 12.  not so much ●or that he was assumpted and taken ●p to the third heaven, as for that he was bound in prison for Christ, 
Act 28.  and I ●euerence Paules hands, not so much For that they wrought miracles, and could not be stung by the vipers, as for that they were manacled for Christ. And although this may seem a paradox to worldlings, yet( saith he) Si quis erga Dominum insanit( vt ita dicam) si quis ardet, is novit quae sit vinculorum virtus: If any( to say so) doteth on Christ, if any burn with love towards him, he knoweth what is the virtue of chains, and how great is their dignity. O happy they who are bound and chained in prison for Christ! their bondage is true liberty, bondage of the body, liberty of the soul and spirit, their prisons are princely palaces, and their non chains are more worth then chains of gold, no bracelets like to th● manacles.  
The souldiers having bound Chr●led him or rather haled him first to t● house of Anna, 
joan. 18.  so to honour Anna, because he had been high priest the yea● before, and was father in law to Cayphas. After that Anna had seen him, h● sent him bound, as he came to him unto Cayphas his house. What scurrilities and indignities the souldier● used towards him in the way, what scoffings and mocks, what stroke and blows he endured of them may easily be imagined, and how the people in the streets came gazing vpon him, and now, forgetful of the miracles, by which he restored the lame to perfect use of their limbs, the deaf to hearing, the blind to fight, the dumb to their speech; pointed at him, jested and railed also at him, is easy to conceive, though hard and reproachful to Christ to suffer; yet all these indignities Christ took most patiently and followed the souldiers as an Innocent sheep to the butchery.  
Being entred into Cayphas house, Cayphas asked him of his disciples and doctrine: Christ answered that he had ●poken, and taught openly to the people, in the temple and Synagogues; why askest thou me? 
jo. 18  ask them that haue ●eard what I haue spoken unto them, be●old they know what things I haue said. At this his answer, one of the ministers ●tanding by, gave him a blow: saying ●nswerest thou the high Priest so? But our B. saviour was resolved to bear all patiently: he might haue said to this barbarous fellow, as Paul said to Ananias the high Priest, who commanded them that stood by, to smite him on the mouth: God shall strike thee, 
Act. 25.  thou whited wall, but he onely replied to show what wrong he received, If I haue spoken ill, give testimony of ill, but if well, why strikest thou me?  
O Base, o impudent companion; thinkest thou much that Christ should speak the truth plainly and boldly to the high Priest? He is an higher Priest then he, 
Ps. 109. Heb. 5.  and an high Priest according to the order of Melchisedech, and Cayphas hath the name of a high Priest, & magni nominis vmbram: and the shadow of a great name: But he bought his dignity,& hath not the virtues beseeming an high Priest. O barbarous Scullion, o base companion, strikest thou the son of God, thy creator, and on the face also, on which the Angells delight to look? 
1 Pet 1.  Quid hoc impudentius( saith S. Chrysostome) exhorrescat caelum, contremiscat terra de Christi patientia& juramentum impudentia: what more impudent thou this? let heaven be astonished With fear, let the earth tremble at Christ his patience, and his seruants impudency.  
O earth how dost thou support such a varlet, why dost thou not swallow him up as thou didst once Chore, Dathan, 
Nu, 16.  Abiron& Hon, for a lesser sin? for they only murmured against Moyses and Aaron, this caitiff striketh the creator in the face. O ye Angells who carry the sword of the divine iustice, why do you not reuenge the indignity done to your Lord and Master?  
O B. saviour, let me use unto thee the words of thy royal Prophet; Bee girded with thy sword vpon thy thigh o most mighty. 
Psal. 44.  Draw the sword of thy divinity sheathed in thy human nature, and dispatch this impudent companion. Thou, who with those words, I ame he, strokest to the ground the souldiers, who laid hands on thee, couldst if thou wouldst, strike this impudent varlet with sudden death, as thy Apostle Peter did Ananias and Saphira: 
Act. 5.  thou couldst haue strooken him blind, 
Act. 13.  as thy Apostle Paul did Elimas the magician. Thou couldst haue brought fire from heaven to consume him, 
4. Reg.  as Helias consumed the two Captaines, and their fifty men. Thou couldst haue called bears out of the wilderness to tear in pieces this impudent fellow, and the high Priest also, 
4. Reg. 2.  as Elizeus dealt with the forty two boyes that mocked him.  
But our sweet saviour, as he was more able to reuenge himself then all the aforesaid persons, who had their force from him, so he was more meek and patient then them all, and so did bear this affront patiently, to satisfy thereby for our impatience, to give to the world a rare example of patience, and to teach us to bear affronts and disgraces for him, who first did bear them for vs. such an impudent fellow as this that smote Christ on the face was sent by Iustina the Arian Emperesse to strike S. Ambrose, but his arm withered and could not give the blow; Valens also the wicked Emperour endeavoured to writ an edict to banish thereby S. Basil, but his arm waxed stupid, and could not writ. But our B. saviour, who used these defences for his servants, would use none for himself; or peradventure this barbarous fellowes arm which strooke Christ, withered as it was lifted up to strike, but revived at the touch of Christ his viuificating flesh.  
If we consider who strooke& who was thus strooken, we shall find that this blow was the greatest indignity or disgrace that ever was given to man. To give a blow on the face or on the ear to a simplo gentleman is taken for a great dishonour to him that is strooken, to give to a knight such a blow is a greater, to a Lord, greater, to an earl greater, to a duke greater, to the kings son, or to the king himself greater; and the greater it is by how much he that giveth the blow is base. what an indignity then was this blow given by a slave to Christ the son of God, the king of glory, king of heaven and earth, to whom the kings and Emperours of this world are but vassals? and yet he taketh this patiently without any angry word, without any angry thought.  
O the little patience, o the great pride that we haue. who at every scornful word, at the least affront that is offered us, are ready to draw, ready to reuenge, and to render as bad or worse then we receive. O my soul look into thyself and if thou find not patience to suffer wrongs, beg it of thy saviour, and by virtue of this his patience, desire him to give thee the grace in all thy life to imitate this his patience.  
They who by oaths take the name of God in vain, they who by perjuries abuse God his name and take it to countenance a lie, they who blaspheme God his name, do give him the blow on the face, yea all sinners in some sort do buffet Christ, because their sins are the cause why he suffered this indignity. when therefore, o my soul, thou art tempted to sin, take heed what thou dost, for by sin thou buffetest thy saviour, Redeemer and creator in the face, and if thou abhor this, abhor all sin, especially if it be mortal.  
But here is not an end of the indignities which Christ suffered for vs. The evangelist S. Matthew, S. mark and S. Luke say, 
Mat. 26. Mat. 14. luke. 22.  that not only this impudent caitif, but also others began to spit at him, to buffet him, and S. Matthew: saith Then did they spit in his face and buffeted him, and others smote his face with the palms of their hands, saying, prophecy unto us who is he that strooke thee. The like say S. mark and S. Luke, so that our B saviours face was no doubt swollen with buffets which these miscreants gave him, and it was altogether defiled with their spittle.  
For this I can not but much blame and condemn these barbarous Iewes, but as it was I who by my sins gave him the buffets, so it was I who defiled his face with spittle, because my sins were the cause of it. And when I sinned mortally I contemned Christ, and did, as it were, spit in his face. For this I rue the time that ever I sinned mortallie.  
And o you wicked Iewes how enormous was this your sin who really and truly buffeted him and spit in his face? when a man would spit, he looketh for some corner and the worst place in ●he chamber, and will not spit in the place most adorned,& yet these spiteful Iewes spit in the face of Christ, which heaven and earth reverence, which the good Angells love, and which even the devils fear. They thought no place more base, less to be respected then Christ his face, and therefore on it they bestowed their spittle, 
Psa. 44.  and yet he was speciosus prae filijs hominum, o ye heauens, o ye Angells, o heaven and earth, be ye astonished at this, obstupescite Caeli &c. be astonished, 
Hier. 2.  o heaven, vpon this, and o gates thereof be you desolate exceedingly.  
O how great was my saviours love that made him suffer such indignities for me! love made him take our human nature unto him in unity of person, that he might suffer for us in it, love made him suffer all that he suffered. o my soul, what shalt thou render unto him for this his love? suffer patiently indignities for him, as he hath suffered for thee, love him as he hath loved thee, and though thy sufferances and thy love be nothing to his, yet he will be content with them.  
Others, as the evangelists say, di● cover his face& blindfold him, 
Mat. 14. luke. 22.  saying prophecy, who is he that smote thee. O sunn● withdraw thy light from these unworthy spectacles; o ye Angells turn your eyes from this barbarism. O eternal Father permittest thou the splendour of thy glory to be thus defiled, 
Heb. 1.  this obscured? But see their blindness. They blindfold him, who seeth all the secrets even of their hearts; and they that covered his face now, shall at the day of iudgment call vpon the mountaines to sall vpon them, 
Ose 10. luke, 22.  so to cover them from the sight of God, his angry countenance, which they shall not be able to bear. They that covered his face now, and bid him prophecy who smote him, shall find not only at the general but also at the particular iudgment, that he knew what indignities they offered him, and all the sins that ever they committed in thought, word,& dead, and shall punish them for them.  
All sinners do imagine God his eyes to be blindfolded, and not to see what sins they commit, for if they did think seriously& efficaciouslie that they were in God his presence, and that ●is eyes were open vpon them, they would not be so impudent as to commit such sins, as they do before ●uch majesty. They say as the fornica●our or Adulterour doth, who seeth me, 
Ecc. 23.  ●arknes compasseth me, and the walls cover and, and no man beholdeth me, the Highest will not be mindful of my suins. O blindness of sinners: 
Psa. 93.  qui finxit oculum non consi●erat? he that made the eye doth not he himself consider and see? yes, yes, his yes ●re brighter thē the sun, beholding round ●bout all the ways of men and the bottom of the depth and the hearts of men.  
And here, o my soul, consider that all those indignities thy saviour suffered, not for himself,( for he had no sin, and so had no need to suffer) but for thee, to satisfy for thy sins, and to give thee example, and this he suffered not only patiently, but voluntarily, for he could haue stopped their mouths from blasphemies, reproachings, and spitting; and he could haue holden their hands from buffeting and therefore his Prophet Esaie saith in his name I haue given my body to the strikers, 
Isai. 50.  and my cheeks to the pluckers( for they not only buffeted him, but also plucked the hears of his cheeks) I haue not turned away my face from the rebukers and spitters;& the Prophet hieremy foretelling the same saith: Dabi● percutientise maxillam, 
Thren. 3.  saturabitur opprobrijs, he shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches so that he gave himself to suffer these indignities, he gave his cheek to him that stroke it, and consequently he suffered all most voluntarily.  
do thou then, o my soul, bear these indignities at least when others do● lay them on thee, and seeing thou cans● not avoid them, if the malicious wil● offer them thee, make merit of necessity, and seeing thou must suffe● them, suffer them patiently. Tho● shouldst desire these indignities fo● thy saviours sake, who voluntarily suffered them for thee, but at least murmur not when others force them vpon thee, be not impatient, offe● not the like to him, that offereth them to thee, seek no reuenge, do goo● for evil, love them that hate thee, render benedictions for maledictions, and then thou shalt imitate thy saviour, thou shalt conform thyself ●o him, and if thou suffer disgrace for him here on earth, he will honour thee before his father in heaven.   

THE FIFTH FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION. 
Peters denial of Christ his Master.  Mat. 26. Mar. 14. luke. 22. jo. 18.  
THis denial added no small grief to Christ his soul, which was but a little before sad even to death. 
Mat. 26.  yea peradventure it added more grief thē Iudas traitorous kiss did, because Christ loved S. Peter more then Iudas, and S. Peter had professed more love to Christ then ever Iudas did, and Iudas denied Christ only in fact, 
Mat. 26.  Peter even in words and oaths,& not once only, but thrice; S. Matthew setteth down Peters denial in the words. But Peter sat without in the court, and there came to him one wench saying, thou also wast with Iesus the Gallilean; But he denied before them all saying, I wote not what thou sayest. This was his first deuiall, & as he went out of the gate another wench saw him, and she saith to them that were there,& this fellow also was with Iesus the Nazarite; and again he denied with an oath, saying, that I know not the man. This was his second denial and a greater sin then the first, which was not with an oath as this was. And after a little while they came that stood by, and said to Peter surely thou also art of them, for even thy speech doth bewray thee. Then he began to curse himself( as some use to do when they say, let me die presently if it be so) and to swear that he ●●w not the man. This was his third denial, and a greater sin then the former two, because it was joined not only with an oath, 
Mar. 14. luke. 22. Ioa. 18.  but also with a curse. The like relation the other three evangelists do make of this S. Peters denial of his Master.  
O Peter the four evangelists do bear witness against thee,& do testify to all the world, that thou hast denied thy Master three times, according as he had foretold thee, what canst thou say for thyself? Thou, who promisedst a little before that although all should be scandalized in thy master, thou wouldst never be scandalised, yea though thou shouldst die with him thou wouldest not d●nie him. Thou, who deuouredst prisons, and deaths, and toldst thy Master, that thou wast ready to go with him both to prison and unto death: dost thou now so quickly forget these thy great promises? Is thy courage and zeal so quickly could? O the inconstancy of mans heart! more wavering then a reede touched with the wind! O Peter, thou who in the garden of Gethsemanie wast so courageous that even in the midst of the souldiers, and rheir clubs and swords thou cuttedst of Malcus ear in defence of thy loving master, dost thou now at the interrogation of a wench deny him, and swear also that thou knowest not the man? If he for this thy denial should at the moment of thy particular Iudgement say to thee, 
Mat 25.  as he said to the foolish virgines, I know thee not, what would become of thee? he  told thee heretofore that every one that should confess him before men, 
Mat. 10.  he also will confess him before his father which is in heaven. Thou Peter hast sworn that thou knowest him not, canst thou expect that he shall aclowledge thee▪ Thou hast denied him before men, what canst thou expect but that he shall deny thee before his Father and all the Angells in heaven?  
O Peter tell truth, dost thou not know him? thou hast good cause to know him, who hast followed him so long,& hast been an eye witness of his miracles, good life, and good examples. Thou hast good cause to know him, who hast received so many benefits at his hands, as his calling thee out of so many thousands, whom he left still in the world, in calling thee to be a disciple and an Apostle, and in showing so many signs of his love, even this night bestowing on thee his sacred body and blood, the greatest gift he could bestow on thee.  
Thou once madst this glorious con●ession of him, 
Mat. 16.  thou art Christ the son ●f the living God; and for this confes●on he made this noble promise unto ●hee. Thou art Peter, and vpon this ●ocke will I build my church. Thou a rock? a Reede rather, who art so ●asilie shaken. He promised thee also that he would give thee the keys of heaven, ●o open and shut it to others: and ●ow shalt thou open heaven to others, who by this shameful denial of him, hast shut it to thyself? If thou deniest thy Master at the voice of a maid seruant, how wilt thou confess him before Kings and Tyrants? If thou Peter the captain and head of the Apostles and all Christians( for thou wast promised to be their head) deniest this thy so loving master, 
Mat. 16.  in whom shall he put his confidence? what may he hope of the constancy of the rest, but that they shall run away as thou didst, and deny him and for swear him, as they see their captain hath done, before them? what will the Prelates of the Church, thy successors, do after this thy so ill example?  
Thou wouldst needs follow th● Master even to the houses of Anna an● Cayphas, presuming to much on th● own forces; but it had been bette● thou hadst run away with thy fellowes, then to follow him to deni● him: for in thus following him tho● forsakest him worse then they di● and to thy Masters great grief an● dishonour, to thy own great sinne● and the evil example of thy fellowes● O Peter what h●st thou done? Tho● hast denied thy Master to save a temporal and short life, and hast los●( as much as in thee lieth) an eternal● life. An ill merchant thou art, Peter● and much unadvised.  
Peter at this time of his denial stood by the fire to warm him, and indeed he was could and frozen even at the heart: but he mistook his fire. He should haue approached to his Master, who is the fire descended from heaven to earth to set all the world on fire with zeal and charity, and because he approached not to this fire, he had not the heat and zeal to confess his Master: if he had approached to his master, he had never denied him.  
But because Peter approached not ●o his Master, he approacheth to Pe●er, and with a glance of his eye dis●olueth the could ice which had congea●ed Peters heart. Et conversus Dominus, ●espexit Petrum, and our Lo●d turning, ●ooked vpon Peter: And looking vpon ●im did, as the sun doth( when he ●isplaeth his hot beams or rays ●n the snow and ice) dissolve and melt ●eters heart into tears. O Peter ●appie thou: thy Master turneth ●owards thee, and vouchsafeth to be●old thee, who hadst so shamefully ●enied him. speak Peter, for this his ●ouing look may embolden thee to speak. speak Peter, it is like if thou ask pardon he will give it thee, for he looketh on thee. But Peter at this look was so confounded, that he went ●ut of doors and wept bitterly,& could not speak for weeping; yet his eyes ●ending forth a stream of tears, ●pake better for him then his tongue could haue done, for that tears are the best orators: and his tears had never offended his Maste●, his tongue had. And no marvel that Peter who was so frozen before, is now melted into tears, the ray and beam of Christ his eye was so hot, there it dissolved him, and so he may sing that verse.  
Nix ego, sol Christus, radiorum ardore liquesco;  
nile mirum ex oculis si fluat unda meis.  
I am the snow,& Christ the sun, that meltes me with his beams;  
No meruaill then if from mine eyes the waters flow in streams.  
O happy look of Christ, o happy regard, o how potent is his eye in drawing; moving, and alluring But Christ hath three eyes: the one corporal of the body, the other spiritual of the soul, the other divine of his divinity, and with all these three eyes he looked on Peter, but the second eye was more potent in moving then the first, and the third more potent then the two others.  
But Christ, as he is our Father, so he is our judge, and he looketh on some with the eye of a judge, on some with the eye of a Father: his eye of a judge is terrible, and the look of it is severe, with this eye he looked vpon the city and Tower of babel, which the children of Adam before their dispersion, 
Gen. 11.  ●nd whilst all spake one language, ●uilt and intended to rear it up so ●ight that the top should reach to heaven; and with this eye God confounded their tongues that they could ●ot understand one an other; with this ●ye God looked on Core, 
Num. 16. Eccles. 34. Psal. 112. Psal. 39.  Dathan and Abiron, and consumed them: with the eye of a Father he looketh vpon th● humble, with the same eye he looketh vpon them that fear him: both these eyes david mentioneth saying: the eyes of our Lord vpon the just, behold his fatherly eye, but the countenance of our Lord is vpon them that do evil. See the eye of a just judge.  
With this eye Christ looked not on Peter, for then he would haue sent Peter to hell to receive just punishment for his denial, 
Mat. 9. Mar. 2. luke. 5. Mar. 1.  but he looked vpon him with the merciful and loving eye of a Father, and so moved him to pennance; with this eye he saw S. Matthew sitting in a custom house and made him leave all: with this eye he saw Simon, and Andrew, james and John,& they by and by followed him.  
This look which Christ vouchsafe● S. Peter, as it comforted S. Peter, so it was a tacit check and reprehension unto him, for Christ looking on peter, said, as it were tacitlie unto him: dost thou not know me Peter? For so thou saidst and swearedst? I know thee well enough and thy thrice denial of me, and therefore I turn my face and eye to thee. Are thy great promises Peter come to this? Thou saidst thou wast ready to go with me both into Prison and unto death, and yet thou seest thou hast denied me. Thou seest what it is to trust to thy own forces: yet because thou repentest, I pardon all, and I do receive thee into as great, ot greater grace then ever: for I shall give thee the grace by which he●eafter thou shalt confess my name before Iewes and gentiles, yea before the Kings and Tyrants of the world. O Peter thou wast unhappy in denying thy Master, but thou wast as happy in weeping so abundantly& bitterly for denying him.  
Two causes there were of Peters tears and repentance, the first was the glance of Christ his eye vpon him, for the eye being a principal organ& the chief of the senses, hath great force in moving, because our affections of love and anger, ioy and grief, do especially appear in the eye, and so every mans eye moveth much, and especially the eye of Christ who was the perfectest man, and had the most perfect complexion, w●i h gives force and spirit to the eye; and besides the glance of Christes corporal eye, he gave a glance on Peter with the eye of his divinity, which sent out a ray and beam of prevenient grace, which not ōel●e moved his heart, but melted and consumed it into those abundant tears which he  shed. The second cause or occasion as the crowing of the cock, for christ having foretold Peter, 
Mat. 26.  that in th●t night before the cock crew he should deny him thrice: he hearing the cock crow, and thereby remembering Christes words, went forth a doors and wept bitterly. But as the Preachers preaching without God his grace converteth no man, so this crowing of the cock could not, haue moved Peter to repentance, had not Christ sent from the eye of his divinity a ray of prevenient grace, and by the heat of it, resolved his heart into tears.  
As Peter now wept at the crow of the cock, 
Clem. Rom. vide Maldo. in c. 26. Matth.  so did he ever after remember this so well, that, as Clemens Romanus affirmeth, so oft as he heard the cock crow, he kneeled down on his knees and shedded tears abundantly for this his denial of his Master. To this S. Ambrose alluding in the hymn ad lauds saith. Hoc ipsa Petra Ecclesiae canente culpam diluit. When th● cock croweth, the rock of the Church himself, washeth away his fault.  
But why o B. saviour didst thou permir Peter to fall thus shamefully, who loved thee so well, and was so well beloved of thee, who was to be head under thee of the Church& was to suffer the same Kind of death on the cross for thee( though with his feet upwards) as thou sufferedst for him and all the world? He permitted this for Peters and thousands others greater good; that Peter might see how frail he is when he relieth only on his own forces, that he might hereby be humbled when he should remember ●his his fall, as S. Paul was, who because he had persecuted the first christians, did always, 
1. Cor. 15.  when that came to his mind, esteem himself an aborte,& not worthy to be called an Apostle; That by Peter who was to be head of the Church, all his successors might learn not to presume too much of their hight state and dignity, but might, know that without God his special grace, they are subject to falling as well as others: That Peter when he should come to be head of the Church might take compassion of others falls seeing he himself fel so shamefully; that when Christians see their Pastours fall by evil life, they be not scandalised at thē seeing that the chief pastor after Christ, took such a fall; that no sinner should despair of remission of his sins, seeing that Peter, who had denied and forsworn his Master, had obtained that grace; that all the world might see how frail he and the Apostles were before the coming of the holy Ghost, how courageous they were after the holy Ghost had inflamed them with zeal and charity, and how they were stronger then all the tormente● and deaths that the persecutor could devise; that Peter might take occasion by this fall, to rise to greater grace, z●le, and charity then ever he had: for as the ball the lower it falleth, the higher it reboundeth, and sometimes reboundeth higher then it fell; so many times the lower sinners fall by sin, the higher they do rise by a great repentance, in God his grace& favour; as King david, S. Peter, S. Paul, S. Matthew, S. mary Magdalen did, who had never been so great Saints if they had not been so great sinners; not that sin by itself conduceth to perfection, but that God many times taketh greater compassion where he seeth greater sins,& there vpon giveth greater grace; that as job was and is to this day an example of patience, and by it hath induced thousands to patience, so Peter might be a pattern to all sinners,& induce them by his tears to hearty repentance; lastly that we might know the force of tears and Contrition, which wash away the foulest sins that are, heal the greatest wounds of the soul, restore us from spiritual sickness to spiritual health, yea from the death of mor●all sin to the life of grace, which ●earess, contrary to the nature of other waters, ascend to heaven and there do mollify God his heart, appease his ●nger, and yet descend also to hell and ●here do extinguish Hell fire, kill all ●vice in our soul, and make it bring forth all maner of virtue, which takes away all enmity betwixt God and us, and of enemies, makes us his friends and favourites.  
O my soul how often hast thou in fact, though not in words, denied God, disclaimed from christ? as oft as thou hast committed mortal sins. For thou hast been one of those, 
Tit. 1.  who confess that they know God, but in their works deny him. And if for fear of loss of life, or goods thou hast denied thy faith, thou hast denied Christ in words, as S. Peter did, and hast seemed with S. Peter not to know Christ nor his religion: Peter denied his Master at the interrogation of a wench: and how often for a lesser trifle, or for a vain pleasure of the body, for a little trash of the world, for a passion of the mind, as of hatred, envy or anger, hast thou sinned mortallie and denied Christ.  
As thou hast denied Christ with Peter, so weep for thy sins with Peter. Christ on his part is not wanting, he looketh on thee with the eye of his divinity, and from this his eye he sendeth unto thee, as he did to Peter a ray or beam of his prevenient grace, and not one onely cock, but as many cocks, as Preachers, or good counsellors, or good books, do daily crow& cry unto thee to do pennance. Thou hast denied Christ with Peter, thou hast gone forth and run astray with Peter, but thou hast not yet wept bitterly with Peter. go out of ill company, as Peter did, when he left Cayphas and the rest, which were there assembled against Christ, leave all occasions of sins, and as heretofore thou hast taken delight in sin, so now do thou detest th● sins, abhor them, and be sorry for them.  
The Iewes lamented their dead, and mourned for them; do thou lament thy soul dead by mortal sin, all the dayes of thy life, as Peter did; let thine eyes weep, or at least let thy ●eart weep and lament so often as thou thinkest on thy sins. Thou ●weepest too easily for temporal losses, even of money, and in vain also, because weeping will not recover such losses; weep then for thy sins, which despoil thee of God his grace and his favour, and even of the kingdom of heaven, which are the greatest losses that can be, and which by weeping and tears of contrition are always recovered.  
O my soul hearken to hieremy his counsel which he gave to the Iewes, and as thou hast sinned with them, so do thou as hieremy counseled them  shed tears as a Torrent day and night, 
Hiere. 2.  give no rest to thyself, nether let the apple of thine eye cease from tears. If S. Peter as oft as he did hear the cock crow, did  shed tears for his sins, do thou all thy life, weep and be sorry at least in heart for thine, 
Esa. 38.  and with King Ezechias recount to God all thy yeares in the bitterness of thy soul. And as Peter after his denial confessed christ boldly and publicly before Iewes and Gentills, 
Alt. 4.  and even before the persecutors and Tyrants, unto death, and even to the death of the cross; so do thou( o my soul) confess Iesus by word and dead, that weeping with Peter thou mayst find mercy and grace with Peter, and confessing Christ with Peter, Christ may confess thee and aclowledge thee as he hath done Peter before his Father in heaven. 
mat. 8. luke. 12.    

THE sixth FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION. 
The whipping of Christ at the Pillar.  Mat. 27. Mar. 15. luke. 23. joan. 19.  
IT was commanded by the old law, when any offender was to be whipped, that according to the measure of the sin, 
Deu. 25.  should the measure of the stripes bee: yet so as that the number of the stripes ex●e●●ed not the number of forty, least thy ●rother,( saith the law) depart foully ●orne before thine eyes. This compassion that law took of the whipped, ●hough otherwise it was a law of rigour and terror, and with this moderation was this law commonly executed and put in practise: where fore S. Paul( who was whipped by the Iewes) saith: 
1. Cor. 11.  five times I received forty stripes, saving one. The Iewes gave him but 39. stripes at a time, choosing rather to come short of the number of forty, then to exceed it.  
But our B. saviour found not this mercy and favour, and that he might not find it, the Iewes gave him over to the romans, who were not bound to this law, and therefore did much exceed this number of forty, of which excess the Iewes also were cause, because they cried to Pilat to haue Christ crucified; but he not being willing to crucify him, or to put him to death, caused him by the roman soldiers so to be whipped, as his whipping might appease their hatred, and make them to talk noe more of crucifying. 
luke. 13.  I will, saith Pilat, correct him and let him go. By which it may easily be gathered that Pilat gave order that Christ should receive many stripes above forty, for he knew that otherwise he could not appease the hatred of the Iewes. And besides such was our B. saviours charity to us, that he would fulfil, the first words of that law which saieth: 
Deut. 25.  According to the measure of the sin shal the measure also of the stripes be: And seeing that he undertook to satisfy for the sins of all mankind, he would suffer so many stripes in number, as might haue some Kind of proportion with the number of our sins. For although one stripe of itself, in regard of the value which it received from Christ his divine person( the person dignifieth the works of him that doth them) had been sufficient to haue satisfied for all the sins of mankind, yet it had not had a proportion to the number of our sins,& so diuers authors affirm that he suffered many hundres of stripes for us,& could not with fewer satisfy his own charity towards us, nor the hatred of the Iewes towards himself.  
O what a spectacle was this whip●ing to God, to Angells, and to men! behold, o eternal Father, thy son ●o equal& consubstantial unto thee, ●nd who is not only free denizen of heaven, but also Prince thereof with ●hee, tied with a cord to a pillar, and ●hipped like a slave. Doth not this ●ouch thy honour, which is so disho●orable to thy son? Behold, o Eter●all spirit and third person in the trinity, the body of the son of God which thou framedst of the most pure blood of the Virgin mother,& which therefore was free from all servility of sin, tied to a Pillar and whipped as the body of a slave, yea of a malefactor. Canst thou endure thy handwork and masterpiece so to be disgraced? Behold, o ye Angells, your Prince and Daulphin of heaven scourged as a slave: can you hold your hands from drawing vpon these caitiffs, who so basely handle your Lord and Master? O man, behold to what a seruill condition thy sins haue brought the son of God, and detest thy sins, for which he endureth this indignity. O son of God who art the strong arm of God thy Father, equal i● force and in strength unto him, as omnipotent as he, why didst thou permit a few soldiers so to over maste● thee, as to tie thee to the pillar wit● a rope? 
Iud. 15.& 16.  If samson could be tied by n● cords, but burst them all: why did● thou not break this cord, that s● shamefully tieth thee? But I see wha● bond it was that tied thee; it was no● any cord or rope of the Iewes or romans making, which could haue tied thee, had not the chain and bond of love and charity towards us, bound thee: had not this chain of love to man( for whom thou sufferdst all thou suffredst) tied thee to this pillar, nether Iewe, nor Gentill, nor all the devils in Hell, could haue thus tied thee but as thou wast offered to death because thou wouldst, 
Isa. 53  So thou wast tied, to this pillar and whipped, because, out of thy love to man, thou wouldst. O love, seeing thou wast able to tie the omnipotent, tie me also to this pillar, that I may suffer with my Iesus, if not by passion, at least by compassion.  
But behold( o devout Christian) how thy meek, patient and loving saviour embraceth the Pillar for love ●f thee, although he knew how many ●d how cruel stripes he should suffer ● it. Being then tied to the Pillar, and ●eelding himself to the fury of the ●oldiers, you may Imagine how cruel●e his tender and virginal flesh was ●rne with whips. This you may, ●ther by the Soldiers, who were ●uell and barbarous; by Pilat, who ●used him to be whipped so, as to sa●sfie the hatred of the Iewes, which and knew could not be appeased with an ●rdinarie whipping; by the love of ●hrist, which could not be satisfied without a great number of stripes some that proportionate in number to our ● most innumerable sins.  
Stripes then were heaped on stripes, ●shes on lashes: and at the first on his body appeared many weals, then blood issued out, as wine doth out of the grape trodden and pressed: then wounds were to be seen in many pla●es; then no place was left for new ●ounds, all was one wound; then blood streamed down in such streams, that, as the contemplatives do not without cause imagine, he stood almost ankle deep in his own blood thē the whips fetch of the flesh, then the ribs begin to appear; at length the whippers were out of breath Christ not out of patience, the whippers at length want strength, but no malice, Christ wanteth not charity and as cruelty began this whipping so cruelty made an end, because they ceased not for compassion, but to reserve him for greater torments on th● cross.  
There was never malefactor so cruelty whipped, as Christ was; wha● cruelty thē was it so cruelly to whip Christ, who even by Pilats confession was innocent? and who was so far from doing any hurt or injury to the Iewes or their common wealth, as malefactours use to do, that he bestowed as many benefits on them, as he wrought miracles among them.  
O my sweet saviour, o innocent lamb, how camest thou amongst these ravenous wolves, yea cruel Tygres? O eternal Father! see whether this body thus torn with whips be the coat of thy son or not. 
Gen. 36.  O virginal Mother see whether this his body wherewith his divinity is invested, be the coat which thou by virtue of the Holy Ghosts shapedst for him out of thy most pure blood; by the coat, which thou madst him, 
Psal. 44.  he was speciosus forma praefilijs hominum, goodly of beauty above the sons of men: By this torn coat which now he weareth, he hath( as the Prophet Esaie foretold) neither beauty nor comeliness, 
Isa. 53.  but rather seemeth the most abject of men, a man of sorrows.  
O cruelty of the Iewes and romans, who haue so disfigured him! and o great cruelty of us sinners, who, when we sinned, tied him to the pillar, and when we heaped sins vpon sins, we heaped scourges vpon scourges vpon his body, because our sins were the causes of these his stripes, and of all he suffered in his passion.  
O my soul, if thou shouldst haue seen a great malefactor thus scourged, thou wouldst haue pitied him, though a malefactor, who deserved the punishment: yea if thou shouldst see a dog or horse thus torn with whipps, thou wouldst not haue endured the sight, though he be a brute beast:& canst thou behold thy saviour God and man, thy creator, thy Redeemer, thy greatest friend and benefactor, thus cruelly handled, and for thy sins also, and not take compassion of him? O Christian, no, Christian, if these so cruel and so many stripes laid on thy saviours tender flesh, and for thee also, do not move thee to compassion. Yea, o man, no man,( because devoid of all humanity) if this cruelty towards a man, and not a man only but God also, do not wrest compassion from thy heart, and tears from thine eyes.  
Blood  shed vniustlie, hath a voice to cry for vengeance on them, that  shed it. So Abels blood cried for vengeance against Cain, who vnnaturallie  shed it, and out of envy also, because Abels Sacrifices were more respected of God then Cains were: And therefore God  told him. 
Gen. 4.  The voice of thy brothers blood crieth to me out of the earth. The blood of the lust  shed by the Iewes fell vpon them, 
Mat. 23.  from the blood of Abel to the blood of zachary, the son of Barachias, whom they murdered betwixt the Temple and the Altar. 
Mat. 6.  S. John Baptists blood which Herod  shed cried more terriblie against him, then his mouth did, when he  told him, that it was not lawful for him to haue the wife of his brother. But with what a shrill voice did this holy and innocent blood of our saviour cry against the Iewes, who  shed it? It is true, it cried to God for our Redemption and for mercy towards vs. And therefore S. Paul saith, 
Heb. 12.  the sprinkling of this blood speaketh better then Abel, that is, then his blood: But it cried for a great vengeance on the Iewes, that  shed it, and on their posterity also, as we see by the ruin of their Temple, city, kingdom, law and Priesthood; Which misery they worthily suffer for their cruelty against Christ their messiah, and for the Curse they gave to themselves and children, when they said. 
Mat. 27.  His blood be vpon us and vpon our children.  
And, o my soul, dost not thou hear this blood crying to thee for compassion, it being  shed with such pain to Christ, and in such abundance? dost thou not hear it crying to thee for gratitude, it being  shed for thee? dost thou not hear it cry to thee for Repentance, it being  shed for thy sins? Many say( and experience proveth their saying true) that when the murderer cometh in sight or near to him, whom he murdered, the wounds of the murdered, will bleed again: Thou, o my soul, hast  shed the blood of thy saviour, and hast in a manner murdered him, because thy sins were cause of his death, behold then his wounds received by being whipped at the pillar: approach to him, that he may bleed again in thy heart, by making it bleed for sorrow.  
Marcus Antonius, when Iulius caesar was killed in the Senate house by Brutus and others, his fellow conspirators, carried his wounded body, in which appeared 23. wounds, with his pierced and bloody shirt into the market place, which so moved the people, that although Iulius Caesar had usurped tyranny over the romans, yet at this bloody object they were incensed with such fury against Brutus and his followers, that if they had not quickly fled Rome, they had revenged Cesars death vpon them.  
Thou, o Christian, hast had in part ●epresented unto thee the cruel stri●es and scourges, wherewith thy Sa●iours body, the shirt and garment of ●is divinity, was pierced thou hast ●eene this his shirt all gorie blood with stripes, and yet he was no Tyrant, ●ut a most clement Prince, no vsur●er( as Iulius Caesar was) but thy law●ull King by descent from his eternal ●ather, King of heaven and Earth. What compassion then shouldst thou ●ake on him, seeing him so wounded with stripes that all his body seemed but one wound, especially he being ●hus wounded for thee and thy sins? How shouldst thou be incensed with a hearty Contrition against all thy sins, which haue thus cruelly handled thy saviour, they being the cause of all his sufferances? With what rigour shouldst thou reuenge those his wounds, this his blood  shed for thee, vpon thine own body, by austere satisfactions? We read in the Machabies how the blood of the grape and mulberrie was shewed to the Elephants to stir up in them a fury and courage to fight in the battle: let the blood, 
1 Maca. 6.  o Christian, of Christ the grape pressed now at the pillar, and more to be pressed on the cross, move thee to make war by pennance, against the ugly troops of thy sins, the causes of Christes so many stripes.  
Many Saints haue imitated Chri● his sufferance of scourges at the pillar● S. Thomas of canterbury our glorious Martyr and primate of England, when he was not able to lay any more stripes on his body by his own hands, used the help of his chaplain, and caused him to whip him till the blood issued out from his body abundantly. So S. Charles Boromeus, S. Philip. Nerius, and other saints even of our times, haue done, and do daily, so to conform themselves to Christ whipped for them at the pillar, yet how many are there, who haue never  shed one drop of blood for their sins, or for Christ, who yet hath  shed floods of blood for them? how many are there, in whom S. Paules words are verified, yond haue not resisted unto blood repugning against sin? 
Heb. 12.  How many are there who haue not  shed any tears for their sins, for which Christ hath  shed floods of blood?  
O my soul, be thou confounded within thyself, when thou considerest how much blood Christ hath  shed at the pillar for thee, and how little blood( or none at all) in all thy life thou hast  shed for him: and yet one drop of his blood  shed for thee is so precious, that it is more worth then all the blood in thy body, then all the blood of the Martyres, that ever were, as being worth the redemption of a thousand worlds. O my soul, if thou wilt not every day, by chastising thy body,  shed some drops of blood for thy sins, at least  shed every day tears of sorrow for them: tears of Compassion for Christ his so many stripes suffered and so much blood  shed at the Pillar.   

THE SEVENTH FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION. 
His Coronation with thorns  Matth. 27.  
AS Pilat had caused Christ to be whipped, and so whipped that he thought thereby to move the Iewes to pity, and not to urge any more to haue him crucified: So he caused or permitted the Soldiers to crown him with thorns, thinking that so at least he should stop the mouths of the Iewes from crying, Crucifigatur, crucifigatur, let him be crucified, let him be Crucified. But behold here the malice both of the Soldiers, and of the Iewes: For as the Soldiers crwoned him with thorns, so the Iewes consented to it, and caused it, as they caused his whipping.  
As love is very inuentiue in good, and deviseth many ways to please, or pleasure the beloved: So is malice no ●esse ingenious in inventions and devises of pains, torments, and tortures, to displease, vex, and annoy the party that is hated; wherefore we may gather how great the hatred and malice was of Christ his enemies, which could excogitate and devise this his coronation with thorns, a cruelty, which neither Dionysius, nor any other the most cruel Tyrants before could devise.  
eager dimini filiae Sion &c. go forth ye daughters of Sion; 
Cant. 3.  all devout souls of the Church,& see King Salomon( Christ Iesus King not only of the Iewes, as he was, but of gentiles also, and more wise then that Salomon was) in the diadem, where with his mother hath crwoned him. His eternal Father crwoned him with the crown of his divinity, his Virgin-Mother hath crwoned him with the crown of our humanity; and his step mother, the Synagogue, hath crwoned him( o cruelty, o malice!) with a crown of thorns.  
He would be crwoned with thorns for diuers reasons. First because crownes are granted for victorie● gotten over the enemy by force o● arms, or dexterity in fighting: an● so Christ by this crown of thorns, would give us to understand for what victory he was thus crwoned, to wit, for his victory over sin, which none but he, who was God and man could achieve: because this victory over sin was to be obtained by a condign and worthy satisfaction for it, which neither God only, nor man alone could haue made, it consisting by God his ordonance, in suffering corporal death of the body for sin, which is the spiritual death of the soul. God onely could not haue made this satisfaction, because he could not suffer; man onely could not, because though he could suffer, yet his sufferance would not haue been condign, not of sufficient value: God and man onely, as Christ was, could do the dead, because as man he could suffer death, as God he could dignify the sufferance. And therefore Christ would be crwoned, not with gold, or laurel, but with thorns, which signify his victory over our sins, the thorns which gull and prick our Sou●es even to death, if they be mortal, because they deprive her of grace, which is her spiritual life.  
Secondlie he would be crwoned with thorns to purchase us thereby ● garland of roses, and a crown of glory in heaven. thirdly he would wear a crown of sharp and pricking ●hornes, so to blunt the thorns of our ●n ordinat passions and concupiseences, that they should not prick our soul to death. Fourthly by this crown he would confront the pride of those, who take great pride in frizeling their hairs, adorning their heads, more then their state requireth, with roses& precious stones; and erecting by art on their heads castles in the air, as some women do. Wherefore since Christ his Coronation, many devout Kings haue refused to wear crownes, especially of gold. Our King Kanutus thinking it absurd for him, to wear a crown of gold, when Christ the King of Kings, and Princeps regum terrae, Prince of the Kings of the earth, 
Apoc. 1  had been crwoned with a crown of thorns, set his crown of gold on the head of the crucifix, and would never after wear any crown. Godfrid also the first King of jerusalem, refused to be crwoned with a crown of gold, and onely admitted a crown of iron, saying, as the Italian Poet maketh him to speak.  
Corona d'or qui portar non debbio jo,  
ove de spini porta il Dio mio.  
A crown of gold must not by me be born,  
Where Christ my God wore one of pricking thorn.  
Theodosius the Emperour when he was to enter into the Church used always to put of his crown. S. Lewes King of france would never we are his royal robes, much less his crown, on a friday, because Christ on that day had a purple put on him, in derision, was crwoned with thorns, and a reed given him in his hand for a sceptre. Heraclius the Emperour could not enter the gate of jerusalem with the cross on his shoulder, till he had put of his imperial ro be. S. Catherin of Sienna when Christ offered her to choose whether shee would haue a ●rowne of gold or of thorns, made ●hoise of a crown of thorns,& she ●fter that was ever troubled with the ●eadeach. In memory of Crhist his ●rowne of thorns, Priests haue ever worn their shaven crownes.  
But, o my soul, dost not thou stand ●mased to see thy saviour the son of God crwoned with thorns? O indignity, o cruelty! He that is crwoned in heaven with stars, yea with the glory of his Fathers divinity, is now crwoned with thorns. O spectacle, at which heaven and earth, men and Angells, may stand amazed. O ungrateful man. 
Psal. 8.  He crwoned thee with glory and honour, and thou hast crwoned him with thorns, to his great pain and no less dishonour. O ungrateful synagogue, o ungrateful vineyard! Christ had cultiuated thee so diligently, that he said: 
Isa. 5.  What is there that I ought to do more for my vineyard,& I haue not done it? and I looked that it should yield grapes, and it yielded wild grapes Yea thorns, 
Gen. ●. Math. 27.  he looked that it should haue yielded him wine, as Noes vineyard did, and it yielded him gull.  
O you Angells, what say you to thi● strange inauguration, and Coronarion? That head of Christ, which is the cabinet of all God his treasures, the academy of all sciences, the school of all wisdom, the book of all God his knowledge, written in it by an abbreuiation of th' Incarnation, that head worthy all diadems, crownes and garlands, is crwoned, or rather disgraced then crwoned with thorns. O King of heaven, King of all ioy● and bliss, King of all the Blessed and joyful in heaven, thou art now crwoned King of sorrows and disgraces, thou art now the Prince of all the sorrowful and disgraced, because thou art more sorrowful and disgraced then they all.  
O what a strange King art thou now become? thy crown is picked of thorns, not of massy Gold, beset, not with pearls, but with sharp pricks, not with rubies but with drops of blood: thy scepteris a reed, thy kingly rob is a ragged purple, rather like a fools then a Kings coat: thy acclamations, wherewith thou art saluted, at this coronation, are mockeries, scoffs, taunts, and blasphemies; thy subiects are ungrateful Parricides; thy Courtiers are railing Soldiers; thy train and seruants, are executioners; thy chair of estate is a cross, whereon thou sittest not at ease, but hangest vneasilie; thy cates and ionkets, are gull and vinegar.  
What good Christian after Christ his Coronation with thorns, can be ambitious of Crownes, diadems, Mitres, and dignities? Who will now follow his sensual appetites and pleasures, which cost Christ his head so many prickings? What member of Christ his mystical body, will hereafter seek after delicacies, and will not be ashamed( to use S. Hieromes words) to be delicatum membrum sub spinoso capite, a delicate member under a thorny head?  
They say that Kings crownes are fuller of cares then pearls, and precious stones, because with their crown they undertake the government& defence of a whole kingdom: but howsoever it fareth with them, this crown of thorns could not but be full of pains to Christ, it being full of pricks, whereof every one pierced his head to the brain pan and made the blood, which it drew from his head to trickle down his forehead& face to the noe little disfiguring of it. O my soul, thy Spouse Christ Iesus knocketh at thy door crying, open to me my Sister, my love, 
C●at. 5.  my dove, mine immaculate, because my head is full of due, and my locks o● the drops of the night. Open thy hear● unto me by love, that I may enter: ● haue imitated the worldly wooers, who in the night watch at the windows of their beloved, till their heads be all wet with the night dews; for I haue watched so long at the windows of thine understanding and will, knocking continually by my inspirations, that my head is now full of due, and my locks, of the drops of the night, that is, of the drops of my blood, which may be called the due& drops of the night, because they are  shed for thy sins, which are the works of darkness. Open then thy heart unto me, by love and gratitude, who am thus bedewed with my own blood for the love of thee, and for remission of thy sins. If the carnal lover by suffering the due of the night to fall o● his head for his beloved, sheweth great ●ove, what love doth Christ show to ●hee, whose head is full of the due of his blood for thee?  
O my soul, how much art thou indebted to thy saviour for so many painful pricks on the head, which he endured for thee? What canst thou render him for so many drops of blood, which the pricks of the thorns drew from his sacred head, of which the least was worth the redemption of a world, yea ten thousand worlds? How many lives( if thou hadst more then one) shouldst thou render to him, every drop of his blood being worth a thousand lives? How many deaths shouldst thou suffer for so many drops of the blood of his head  shed for thee? Seeing that the least drop  shed for thee, the least pricking suffered for thee, was more in him, then the sufferance of many deaths could be in thee.   

THE EIGHT FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF CHRIST HIS PASSION. 
Pilates showing of Christ to the People crowned with thorns, and saying.  Ecce homo: lo the man. joan. 19.  
AFTER that the Soldiers had in mockery, and with no little cruelty thus crwoned this doleful King Christ Iesus, they were so far from taking compassion on him, that they made him a laughing stock, and recreated& disported themselves with him, Pilate and the Iewes so permitting, and peradventure being spectators of this cruel comedy. They bowing their knees( saith S. Matthew) before him, 
Mat. 27.  
Mat. 26.  mock him saying hail King of the Iewes, and as before they did spit in ●s face, and buffeted him, saying: Pro●ecie unto us, o Christ, who is he that ●ooke thee; so now spitting on him, 
Mat. 15.  they ●oke a reede and smote his head: To make and thorns wherewith he was crow●ed, to pierce his head more deeply ●d so to augment his pains.  
O barbarous and cruel caitiffs, who ●ke delight in cruelty, and make ●ort of misery. do thou, o devout ●hristian, in all humility and since●tie aclowledge thy saviour for thy ●ing, who is not onely thy King, 
Apo. 1.  but ●ince of all the Kings of the earth, and ●ie unto him with the said humility and sincerity( so to confront this mocking of the Souldiers) hail King, not onely of the Iewes, but also of and gentiles, not onely of men but also of Angells, not onely of Earth but also of heaven. 
Phil. 2.  To thee he all honour and ●orie, to thee be every knee bowed, of and eclestials, terrestrials and infernals, and ● every tongue confess that our Lord ●sus Christ, is in the glory of God the ●ther.  
After that Pilat had permitted the ●uldiers to recreate themselves, and to break their jests on Christ, who suffered in good earnest, and even for them also, that thus mocked him; he bringeth him forth, and sheweth him to the Iewes saying Ecce Homo, 
Ioa. 19.  lo the man. Pilat imitateth blurring Painters, who because they can not express to life, the man whom they paint, they writ over or under the picture, the mans name; for Pilat had so disfigured Christ, that he was forced to say; lo the man, least peradventure otherwise he would not haue been known: lo the man: Behold, o Iewes, how he hath been torn with whips, how he is tormented with a crown continually pricking him, how deformed his face is with blood trickling from his head, and with spittle and buffets which he hath sustained. Let this spectacle move you to Compassion, at least so, as to make you lay aside all cogitation of Crucifying him, and putting him to death. lo the man: a man, not a dog or other brute beast, a man as you are,& so miserable a man, that if you be men, that is, endued with humanity, you can not but commiserat him, and take compassion on him; let therefore these miseries, in which you see him plunged, mollify your hearts, and satisfy your fury, and hatred conceived against him.  
But whereas the Adamant is broken by blood, their stony heartes can not be mollified by all the floods of blood, and miseries which Christ hath suffered; nothing but death, and the death also of the cross can satisfy their cruelty, and therefore they cry: 
Mat. 27.  Let him be crucified, let him be crucified. Yea they were so impatient, that, as S. John saith, they cried. Away, 
jo. 19.  Away with him crucify him. O stony hearts. O cruel Iewes, no men but savage beasts, cruel Tygres, ravenous wolves.  
But although merciless Iewes can not be moved at this so pitiful a spectacle, yet I hope Christians will; and therefore leaving the Iewes, I will turn myself to all good Christians, and will present to them their doleful Iesus Christ, in whom they profess to beleeue, of whom they haue taken their surname. Behold then, o Christians, look vpon your saviour, lo the man. If you know him not in this miserable state, he is the man, whom the Prophet long since foretold saying: 
Isa. 53.  wee haue seen him, there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: wee haue seen him, and there was no sightlines, and we were desirous of him: despised and most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and knowing infirmity, and his look as it were bid and despised. Whereupon neither haue we esteemed him. He surely hath born our Infirmities, and our sorrows he hath carried, and we haue thought him, as it were aleper, and strike of God and humbled.  
This selfsame man, o Christians, I propose to your view, 
jo. 19.  lo the man: A man as you are, no brute beast, howsoever deformed, and unlike a man he seemeth, and so worthy of Compassion of men, that are men, that is, endued with humanity. lo the man: Were he your enemy, were he the greatest malefactor, yet he should in this misery deserve compassion of you, in that he is a man. lo the man: Not a malefactor, but most innocent even by Pilates Confession, and who hath suffered all this, not for his own faults, but for your sins, you being the only delinquents; for as the same Prophet saith, 
Isa. 53.  he surely hath born our infirmities, and our sorrows he hath carried. And again, he was wounded for our iniquities: he was broken for our sins: the discipline of our peace vpon him( because these his sorrows made our peace with God) and with the wail of his stripe we are healed.  
And can not this man so miserablie handled for your sakes, move you to compassion? lo the man, 
jo. 19.  who hath so well deserved of all men, both Iewes& gentiles, who was born man for us( for as for himself) he needed not to be born man in time, being born of the womb of his Fathers divinity from all eternity, God, as his Father, 
Psal. 2.  and consubstantial unto him: who lived in this life 33. yeares for our example and instruction, who preached unto us the doctrine of salvation, who wrought so many good works and miracles amongst us, whose lame he healed, whose blind he restored to sight, whose dumb he caused to speak: and deaf to hear, and dead to live again; and who at length for compassion of us( who were slaves to sin, the divell and damnation) suffered a most cruel& shameful death: and can not this man move us to compassion?  
lo the man, whose flesh( to use Iobs words) is not of brass, 
job. 6.  whose body is not fantastical, as the Manichees said, nor framed of the substance of the Heauens, and so impassable, as Valentinus the heretic averred, but is composed of flesh and blood, as other mens bodies are, and so sensible of pains also, as theirs are, yea far more sensible, by reason of his far more perfect complexion.  
lo the man: behold a man, if you respect his nature: no man, but a contemptible worm, if you respect his external figure and visage: so he, or david in his name, 
Psal. 21.  said: But I am a worm, and no man: reproach of men and outcast of the People. A worm because; as a worm is generated of the wood without any cooperation of an other worm, so was he born of his Virgin Mother, without cooperation of man: A worm, because, as the worm eateth and consumeth the wood, of which it was generated: so he( like unto the worm, which withered the ivy three that covered jonas) consumed the figures and promises of the old law, 
jonae. 3.  by fulfilling and abrogating them, destroyed their Temple, Priest hood, and law, in which they gloried, and consumed the jewish people, of whom& amongst whom he was born. A worm: because as out of the substance of worms, are spun& woven silks with which our bodies are clad; so he out of his own blood, death, and passion, did wave for us a garment of grace and Iustice, by which our souls are clothed. A worm, because as worms are often times converted into flies, and then can fly, whereas before they could only creep; so Christ his body after the resurrection, became glorious and so agill, that it could fly into heaven, and even above the Heauens. A worm, because, as worms are not beheaded with a sword, not put to any honourable death, but trodden under feet contemptiblie, and without any compassion taken on them; so he was put to a most contemptible death of the cross, without compassion of any but of his mother, S. John, and a few disciples, and devout women.  
lo the man: and not whatsoever man, but God and Man, God by eternal generation of his Father without a Mother, Man by temporal generation of his Virgin Mother without a Father; and yet this God and Man, suffered all the miseries aforesaid, and even death for ungrateful men, and therefore the Iewes who killed this God and man, were not only homicides, but Deicides, killers of God, that is of that man, who was also God. lo the man: who to purchase us life everlasting gave his own life for us, which because it was the life of God and man, was more worth then all the lives of all the men on earth, yea then all the lives also of all the Angells in heaven.  
On this Mans miseries, as on his sweeting blood in the garden, his scourges and shedding of blood at the pillar, and on his thorny coronation, on his agony and death on the cross, the Iewes took no compassion, and no marvel, they had stony hearts. But if Christians, 
Ezech. 11.& 36.  to whom God promised new hearts and fleshy hearts, prove to compassion, be not moved at this mans sorrows, which he suffered also for them, heaven and Earth may stand amazed; and such christians shall not be true christians, but rather cruel Schythians.  
O my soul! o devout Christian, whensoever thou perceivest thyself to be tempted to sin, look vpon this Man, this man of sorrows, 
Isa 53.  crwoned with thorns, disfigured with buffets, blood and spittle, and for thee also, and say to thyself. lo the man, whom by my sins I haue thus deformed and disfigured: lo the man, who, as he is my loueing saviour, so he is my severe judge also; as he is man, so he is God also: and shall I now by sin offend this not only my saviour, but my judge also; this not onely man but God also? Shal I again offend this Man, who by my sins is already so disfigured, that he could hardly haue been known for a man, had not Pilat said, lo the man. Shall I so easily as formerly I haue done, add sins to sins, which cost my saviour so dearlie? This picture drawn by that evil painter Pilat, set before thine eyes, will strike such a terror into thee, that thou wilt not dare to sin before it.   

THE NINTH FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy OF our BLESSED SAVIOVRS PASSION. Christ his carrying of his cross. Mat. 27. Mar. 15. luke. 23. jo. 19.  

Mat. 27. Mar. 15. luke. 23. jo. 19.  PILAT, who at the first, sought to free Christ from death, because he knew that for envy the Iewes had betrayed him unto him& saw no cause, as he  told the Iewes, why to put him to death; At length partly for the Iewes importunity, partly for fear of caesar, whose friend( as the Iewes  told him) he can not be, that maketh himself a King as the said Christ made himself, relented and out of human fear pronounced sentence of death, and of the death of the cross against him.  
O the vniustest sentence that ever by any judge was pronounced, because it condemned Christ to death, the most innocent that ever was; because it condemned the Iudges judge; because it was without order of law and Iustice, false witnesses being suborned; because it was without authority, neither Pilat nor any judge having authority to condemn the Innocent, as Christ was, who did not sin, 
Isa. 53 1. Pet. 2.  neither was guile found in his mouth, which also Pilat confessed; and because Christ being King of Kings and Prince of the Kings of the Earth, 
Apoc. 1.  was subject to no human authority. And therefore, when Christ said to Pilat, thou shouldst not haue any power against me, unless it were given from above: he meaneth, if it were not permitted from above; for if God had not only permitted Pilat to condemn Christ, but also had given him authority, Pilat had pronounced a just sentence, because he had done it by authority from God, who may give authority to condemn and kill th' Innocent, he being Dominus vitae& mortis. Lord of life and death. Pilat then having pronounced sentence of death vpon the cross, 
Ex plutarcho lib. de sera Numinis vindicta. Gen. 22.  decreed also that Christ according to the manner, should carry his cross on his shoulders to mount calvary the place of execution.  
This was long before prefigured in Isaac, whom Abraham according to Gods commandment was to haue sacrificed. Because Abraham took the wood of the Holocaust, on which Isaac was to haue been sacrificed, and laid it vpon Isaac his son, and himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. For so our Isaac Iesus, to fulfil that figure carrieth on his shoulders the wood of the cross, on which he was sacrificed, and his eternal Father carrieth the fire of charity towards man, for whose redemption he was sacrificed,& the sword also of his divine iustice, which by his sons death( which was a condign satisfaction for sin) was satisfied.  
Now also was fulfilled the prophecy of isaiah. A little child is born to us, in his temporal nativity, 
Isa. 9.  and a son is given to us, and principality is made vpon his shoulders. For whereas other Princes carry the sign of their principality on there Head( as they do their crown) Christ carried his on his shoulders, when he carried his cross, by which he triumphed over the world, devill, and sin, though he carried also on his head a crown of thorns. And then also was fulfilled the prophecy of the royal Prophet david, 
Psal. 9.6. justin. Mart. Dia cum Triph: tart. li. aduer. judaeos& abj.  our Lord hath reigned from the wood, as diuers Fathers allege that verse, for that by the wood of the cross, as by a means or Instrument, Christ purchased the kingdom of his church, and vanquished sin and the devill. But although Christ his carrying of the cross was glorious and triumphant before God, yet it was disgraceful before the world, the cross being, 
1. Co. 1. Deu 21. Gal. 3.  a scandal to the Iewes, and to the gentiles foolishness, Yea a curse; because cursed is every one that hangeth on a three.  
The cross being laid vpon Christ his weak& sore shoulders, sore with the scourges at the pillar, They gave him two companions, not for his comfort, but for his greater disgrace, to wit, two theeues, and Christ went in the midst, as the greatest thief of the three; 
Isa. 53.  which indignity the Prophet foretold in these words, And he was reputed with the wicked. go forth, again, ye daughters of Sion, 
Cant. 3.  all devout souls& behold your King carrying a crown of thorns vpon his head,& an heavy cross on his shoulders, and take compassion on this your King so cruelly and contemptiblie handled.  
think with what pain as well as disgrace he carrieth this heavy and lumpish cross of wood, fifteen foot long, and in respect of the piece of timber that went cross, eight foot broad, and as thick as was able to support a mans body. He had not slept the night before, but all that night was hurried and haled from one place to an other, from the garden to Anna, from Anna to Cayphas from Cayphas to Pilat, from Pilat to Herod, from Herod to Pilat again, and so he was wearied: he was very weak by reason of the great quantity of blood he had sweat in his agony in the garden, and had  shed ●●●●e Pillar, and in his coronation with thorns; his body was so sore, so wounded with the stripes he received at the Pillar, that there was no one whole place in his body to lay the cross on: and yet on this wearied, weak and sore body, was laid the heavy cross, and this he was to haue carried a long way.  
O the patience of Christ, unconquerable! o the love of amorous Iesus, which only( his body being so wearied and weakened) could bear so heavy a burden, as was this cross, heavy of itself, heavier by the sins of all mankind, which he carried with it, according to that of S. Peter, 
1. Pet. 2.  who himself bare our sins in his body vpon the cross. under this heavy burden Christ fainteth, and sometimes falleth: The Iewes push him on, and peradventure beate him, as they were wonred to beate their beasts, to make him go on, and they took not so much compassion on him, as they would in the like case, on a brute beast.  
A devout woman called Veronica taking pity on him, gave him an handkerchief to wipe his face, which sweat with faintness, and for her reward, she received the liuelie picture of his face imprinted in it, which picture is called vultus sanctus, and is reserved to this day in the Church of S. Peter at Rome; diuers other devout women ( as that sex is devout) bewailed and lamented him: to whom Christ turning, said: Daughters of jerusalem weep not vpon me, 
luke. 22.  weep vpon yourselves, and vpon your children.  
O Blessed saviour: thou, who are the man of sorrows and the most doleful wight that ever was, 
Isa. 53.  dost thou forbid these devout women to weep vpon thee? When should they weep, if not now? For whom should they weep if not for thee? They see thou shedst blood for them, and should they not  shed tears for thee? What comparison betwixt blood and tears? Methinks, o sweet saviour, thou shouldst rather haue said clean, contrary: weep not for yourselves, nor for your children, nor for any temporal adversity, that may happen unto you; but rather weep for me, in whom all sorrows haue made their rendeuous, which also I suffer not for myself, but for you, rather weep for me, whose sorrows are so great, that they deserve not only your tears, but even the tears of Angells, if their nature would permit them to weep.  
O Lord, command what else thou wilt, and we are ready to obey, but do not forbid us to  shed tears for thee, which are dew to thee, who art the man of sorrows, and necessary for us, 
Isa 53.  because in weeping for thee, we weep for our sins, which are the causes of thy sorrows. Thou badst the Iewes to weep for jerusalem, 
Hier. 3.  and to  shed tears as a Torrent for her, and wilt thou not haue us weep for thee, the King and Lord of jerusalem? When shall our eyes be wet with tears, if now they be dry? How shall our love towards thee show itself better, then by tears? So mary Magdalen shewed her love towards thee; So S. Peter shewed his. And when should our love so show itself, if not now, when shee seeth thee her beloved object and chiefest good, sweeting, groaning, fainting and falling under the cross? o lover of mankind, sorbid not love to weep in this case, it is the hardest commandment thou canst lay vpon her.  
The friends of job coming to visit him, in his afflictions, 
job 2.  and lifting up their eyes a far of knew him not, his afflictions had so changed him, wherefore, crying out they wept, and renting their clothes, in sign of their grief they sprinkled dust on their head to wards heaven, and they sate with him on the ground, seven dayes and seven nights, and no man spake to him a word, for they saw the pain to be vehement. And shall not wee cry out for thee our Iesus, so changed with afflictions, that even thy Mother could scarcely now know thee, she having born thee, 
Psal. 44.  goodly of beauty above the sons of men, nor if it were possible could thy eternal Father know thee, of whose glory thou art the splendour, 
Hebr. 1.  whose liuelie and most beautiful Image thou art, but now so disfigured, as thou seemest nothing like him. No comparison betwixt Iesus and job, no comparison betwixt thy sorrows o Iesus, and the sorrows of job, and therefore no comparison should be betwixt our love to thee, o Iesus, and theirs to job: and shall they cry out and w●epe for him, and shall not we weep for thee?  
Wherefore Christ doth not absolutely forbid the devout women to weep vpon him, but either biddeth them rather to weep vpon themselves, and their children, who not long after, by titus and Vespasian, were in great numbers to be slain, or sold, or taken captives, and their city and Temple to be ruined: or else he forbiddeth them to weep vpon him, as a malefactor lead to execution, he being innocent by Pilates Confession: or he forbiddeth them to weep vpon him, as though he did not suffer voluntarily& willingly: For he desired this death, as being ordained by his eternal Father for mans redemption: and abstracting from his Fathers ordination, to which freely he submitted himself, he could haue wrested himself out of his enemies hands, as well now, as he did a little before, when in the garden with these few words, I ame he, 
Ioa. 19.  he cast them to the ground. And so he doth not forbid the women absolutie to weep vpon him; for if they would weep as taking compassion on him for the sorrows he endured for them and for the sins of all mankind, or would weep for their own sins, which were the causes of his sorrows, such weeping could not but haue been pleasing unto him, he rejoicing with his Angells more for the repentance of a sinner, then for ninety nine just. 
luke. 15.   
O my soul, do thou walk after Iesus to Mount calvary, and if thou canst not  shed blood for him in the way, as he doth for thee,  shed at least tears for him, walk in spirit every day this way after Iesus; it is marked by his steps, yea by his blood, so that thou canst not miss it. O walk this way religiously,& put of thy shoes of all carnal and terrene cogitations, for that this way is more sanctified by Christ his holy steps and blood, then was that, where an angel appeared to Moyses in a bush. 
Exod. 3.  O walk this way with Iesus, because though the way be hard and painful, yet it leadeth to heaven. Christ thy head went this way to heaven before thee, do thou his member follow, that partaking with him in this way of his sorrows, thou mayst be partaker of his glory.  
walk not, o my soul, o good Christian the way of the wicked, which though it seem broad and pleasant, strawed with the rushes, yea roses of carnal delights, pleasures, and riches, yet it leadeth to perdition, and it is an hard way also, full of the thorns of sins and iniquities, beset with the stones of scandals, at which many stumble and fall continually: And this here after thou wilt confess with the wicked themselves, though then it will be to late, for they themselves confess, 
Sap. 5.  that they are wearied in the way of iniquity and perdition, and haue walked hard ways, but the way of our Lord we haue not known; 
Ibid.  Then they will say wh●t hath pride profited us? or what commodity hath the vaunting of riches brought to us? All these things are passed away as a shadow.  
Wherefore, o my soul, o devout Christian, take up thy cross and follow thy saviour, thou canst not err if thou follow him, because he is the way and the truth. All the Saints, all that are saved, haue gone this way before thee; and so if thou wilt be saved, take up thy cross and follow Christ. For he telleth thee plainly, and thou must beleeue him, for he is truth itself. He that taketh not his cross and followeth me, 
Mat. 10.  is not worthy of me: And again, 
luke. 14  he that doth not bear his cross, and come after me can not be my disciple.  
If they that carry not their cross of one adversity or other, and that patiently also, can not come to heaven with Christ: What shall wee say of them, who are enemies to the cross, and all sufferances. How many,( to use S. Paules words) walk, 
Philip 3.  whom often I  told you, and now weeping also I tell you, the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is the belly, and their glory in confusion, which mind worldly things. These men will suffer nothing for Christ, for their sins, to avoid Hell, to gain heaven. But they say. 
Sap. 2.  Come therefore and let us enjoy the good things, that are( in this life) and let us quickly use the creature in youth; let us fill ourselves with precious wines, and ointements, and let not the flower of the time pass us, let us crown ourselves with roses before they w●ther, let there be no meadow, which our riot shall not pass. These men( to use Iobs words) ho●d the Timbrel and the harp, 
job. 2.  and rejoice at th● sound of the organ, they led their dayes in wealth. But what is the end of all this? and in a moment they go down to Hell.  
whosoever then looketh to go to heaven with Christ he must resolve to carry his cross with Christ, and not think to go. from the pleasures of the world to the pleasures of heaven, to win that goal of heaven, without running, to purchase that crown without fighting, to receive that reward without working. resolve then, o Christian, to endure patiently what cross God shall lay vpon thee, be it poverty, sickness, disgrace or whatsoever adversity.  
Christ was not his own chooser, nor did he say, put me to some other death, the cross is to imfamous; lay another cross on me, this is to heavy; but he took patiently that cross which was offered him. And thou, o Christian, must not choose thy cross or affliction: thou must not say: I could endure such a disease, but not this, which I haue, I could be content to loose my goods, but not my honour, but thou must take that cross patiently which God sendeth: nor must thou think any to heavy, for if God lay it on thee, he giveth grace and force to bear it. He is faith full, 
1 Cor. 10. Phil. 3.  which will not suffer thee to be tempted above that which thou art able. Rather trusting in God and his grace, say with S. Paul: I can all things in him that strengtheneth me. With his grace, I can bear all Crosses and adversities. give me then, o my God, grace to bear, and lay what cross soever thou wilt on me.  
And if, o Christian, thou couldst be freed from all Crosses, it were somewhat: but if thou refuse to carry a temporal cross, thou must carry an eternal; if thou refuse to carry a cross with Christ in this world, thou must carry it with the divell in Hell. And what folly or rather madness, to choose rather to suffer an eternal cross then a temporal? And with the divell rather then with Christ? Seeing that Christ maketh the burden easy, and the carriage of it meritorius by his grace, the divell maketh his cross devoid of merit, yea and unsupportable also, by the state of damnation.  
Christ then having patiently undertaken the burden of the cross, went on with it as far as human force would permit him; divine force he would not use. But the lewes perceiving him to faint, and to fall also under the burden, 
Mat. 27. Mat. 15. luke. 23.  Compelled one Simon a man of Cyrene coming from the country, to carry the cross for him; which they did not our of Compassion, but rather out of cruelty, either fearing that he might die by the way, and so not suffer the death of the cross, as they desired that he should; or else because their cruel hearts were so desirous to see him hanged and nailed on the cross, that they were impatient of delays; and so a Gentill was preferred to carry the cross of Christ, to signify, that the honour to suffer for Christ, was reserved for the gentiles; and that God was to leave the Iewe,& embrace the gentiles, to forsake the synagogue of the Iewes,& to embrace the Church of the gentiles.  
O Peter, where wast thou, that thou didst not offer this last service to thy Master, to carry his cross for him? thou the night before saidst thow wast ready to go with him both to Prison and to death? But he peradventure was hidden in some corner, and there weeping for the denial of his Master. Where were you, o Apostles? would none of you be ready to carry your Masters cross, and so to ease him? they were all fled from him, even at his first apprehension. O my soul, wish that thou hadst been there, that thou mightest haue had the honour to ease thy Master and saviour by carrying his cross. O how easy would that burden haue been unto thy love, which maketh all easy?  
But, o my sins, which lay heavier on my saviours shoulders then the cross! O who will give water to my head, 
Hier. 9.  and to mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I may weep day and night for my sins, which weighed so heavy on my saviours wearied and sore shoulders? O what cross should not I bear for his sake, who carried for me so heavy a cross, and my so heavy sins on it? 
1. Pet. 2.  In all my afflictions and adversities, which shall ly heavy vpon me, give me grace, o Lord, by virtue of this thy bearing of the cross, to bear them patiently and ever to think on this thy heavy cross, which thou so patiently didst carry for me.   

THE TENTH FLOWER OF THE MYRRHINE posy CHRIST CRVCIFIED: Or his sufferances on the cross. Mat. 27. Mar. 15. Lu. 23. Ioa. 19.  
IF thou wouldst( devour Christian) spend some time to see a bloody tragedy acted onely in representation, and wouldst behold it with commiseration, how willingly, and with What compassion shouldst thou behold this bloody tragedy, which the son of God, thy Lord and saviour, acted really in his bloody Passion? This tragedy he began to act in the garden of Gethsemani, now he cometh to end it on mount calvary, and vpon the bed of the cross.  
A bed not of ease but sorrow, a bed indeed of sleep, but of the sleep of death, and a sleep of three dayes, which expired, he awaked more fresh and liuelie in his resurrection, then he was before. He was sick of an hot fever, none other then the love of mankind, which made him go to this bed, and because men use to put of their clothes, when they go to bed, he putteth of his, or rather permitteth the soldiers to pull them of violently, that they sticking to his sore body, torn before with whips, his wounds might be renewed and bleed again for vs. This his bed was hard, but his love to us, made it as soft to him, as the softest bed of down: It was narrow and could hold no bed-fellow, because none on this bed could redeem man but he: It was narrow because he would suffer alone, that wee might not suffer, It was narrow and capable of him only, because he would lie alone in this bed of his Passion, that we might lye with him in his bed of eternal felicity.  
O what difference was there betwixt the bed of Salomon, and the bed of Christ? 
luke. 11.  Who yet was more then Salomon, because Salomon was but a temporal King, Christ an eternal; He King onely of a part of the world, Christ of heaven and earth; he King of the Iewes, Christ of Iewes and Gentiles, yea of men and Angells; he was wise, but Christ much more, as who was wisdom itself, and of whom Salomon was taught all he knew; and yet Salomons bed was soft, Christ his bed hard; Salomons bed was large, Christ his bed was narrow; Salomons bed was easy, Christ his bed uneasy; Salomons bed was richly hanged and adorned, Christ his bed was all naked, as he himself was. The bed of Salomon was compassed and guarded by threescore valiants all holding swords, and most cunning to battels: 
Cant. 3.  But no guard, no friends, do stand about Christ his body to guard and deffend him, onely enemies, and cruel executioners do compass it.  
O ye Angells, ye Champions and valiants of the court of heaven, and stout soldiers of Christ your King, who every one single is able to encounter and to defeat the greatest army that ever was seen on earth, where are you? why come you not to rescue this your King? why do you not draw the sword of the divine Iustice in defence of this your King, whose sword bearers you are? but they knew that this their King was resolved to sleep to death on this bed of the cross for mans redemption, and would not awake or rise till the morning of his resurrection. david prayeth, that our Lord would help the just vpon the bed of his sorrows: 
Psal. 40.  But none come to help just Iesus. His Father could, but he will not, because he will haue him suffer for mankind; he himself could help himself by his divinity, yea by the glory of his soul, which if he would permit to redound into his body, would haue made it impassable, but he would not, that so he might suffer, and by suffering satisfy for our sins.  
O cruel Iewes, o ungrateful caitiffs! Christ had laboured three and thirty yeares in preaching, teaching, and working of miracles, and these labours he undertook for your salvation;& is this the bed you prepared for him, to take his rest thereon after his labours? He had but a little before made a journey from the garden of Gethsemani to Anna his house, and from Anna his house to Cayphas his house, from thence to Pilat, from Pilat to Herod, from Herod to Pilat again, from Pilat to mount calvary, in which last journey he carried a heavy& lumpish cross vpon his sore shoulders and weakened and exhausted body, and the night before he had not slept any wink; and is this the bed you haue prepared for him, to rest his weary limbs on?  
Others haue drink given them, when they go to bed to make them sleep and repose; and what drink( o hard hearted jew) dost thou give to Iesus? S. Matthew saith that when they had brought him to Golgotha, and mount calvary, they gave him wine to drink mingled with gull. 
Mat. 27.  In the proverbs the wiseman willeth to give strong drink to them that be sad, and wine to them that be of a pensive mind, that they may not remember their sorrows: But thou, o cruel jew, givest to thy Saviour, whose heart was full of griefs and sorrows, wine mingled with gull, not to ease, but to increase his sorrows, which when he had tasted, he would not drink, as detesting this thy ingratitude more then the bitter gull.  
After they had laid him on the hard bed of the cross, they stretched his arms& legs, and all his body thereon, as the Fuller doth his cloth on the tenter hooks; in so much that out of his flesh and veins, the blood issued out again; and least he should, as men wearied use to do, turn himself for his ease, they nailed him hand and fear unto it, so that he could not stir.  
O my soul, hearken what a doleful noise the hammers make, which strike in the nailes through his hands and feet so deep into the wood of the cross; see how fast the blood floweth again from his hands and feet, as from four fountains, in which thou mayst wash thyself clean from all filth of sin. think what grievous pains thy beloved feeled in this nailing of his hands and feet, which are the most sensible partes, by reason that in them, the sinews meet, which are the organs of feeling. And yet thy beloved would suffer this so painful nailing of his feet, to satisfy for thy ranginge in the broad way, which leadeth to perdition, to stay the feet of thy soul from running after unlawful pleasures, to keep thy feet from stumbling in the way of God his commandments; and he would suffer the nailing of his hands, to writ thee, o my soul, in them in read letters, 
Esa. 49.  never to be forgotten: to satisfy for all thy sins committed by thy hands, which as they are the instruments of working, so by thy ill usage, they are instruments of working evil.  
O my soul, how dead a sleep art thou, if the knocking of the hammers, that drive in the nailes into his hands and feet, do not awake thee out of the sleep of sin? How dry are thy eyes, if the blood which streameth down the cross from his hands and feet, do not cause tears to flow from them? 
Psal. 6.  david washed his bed with tears for his own sins; Christ Iesus thy saviour washed his bed of the cross with blood for thy sins, not for his own; and canst not thou wash thy bed at least with tears for thine own sins?  
O my soul, if thou desire to find thy spouse, 
Cant. 1.  and to know where he lieth in the mid day, run to the cross and there thou shall find him lying, or rather hanging, and at mid day also; and fear not least thy sins make him run from thee, he is nailed to this bed hands& feet, and more by the love of thee then by the nailes. O kiss his hands, which haue bestowed so many blessings& benefits on thee, kiss his feet with mary Magdalen, which haue made so many iourne eyes for thee, and which he permitteth to be nailed for thee, to procure thee constancy and perseverance in the way of virtue; And nail thyself to Christ& his cross by reciprocal love, and leave him not, but rather say unto him, as jacob said to the angel, with whom he had wrestled till morning: I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me, 
Gen. 32.  and with no less a blessing, then the remission of all my fins.  
He being thus nailed to the cross, is lifted on high into the air, to sanctify it by breathing there his last breath, as he had sanctified the earth by his blood, yea to suffer thereby for us greater confusion. For he that choose little Bethlem for his nativity, choose great jerusalem for his Passion, and he that was born in an obscure stable would suffer an ignominious death on mount calvary, and on high in the air, in the sight of all jerusalem, and not onely of Iewes, but also of many nations, who then were come to jerusalem to celebrat the great feast of the Pasche. Yea this confusion he suffered, to control our pride, who would haue our sins and imperfections hidden, but our perfections, honour and praise, to be divulged. And lastly he would be crucified on a Mount and on high also in the air, that all might behold him, and haue recourse unto him as to the saviour of all.  
The Iewes that were stung by the serpents in the desert, by looking up to a brazen serpent, 
Nu. 25.  which God commanded to be hanged up in the air, were cured of all their stings: and now Christ the wise and good serpent is hanged on high on the cross, 
joan. 3.  to fulfil that figure, and that we should behold him, and look vpon him with a liuelie faith, and so be cured of all the stings of sins received from the infernal serpentes the devils. If then, o devout Christian, thou be stung with pride, behold Christ his humility in suffering so publicly the most ignominious death, that then was, to wit, 
Deu. 21. Gal. 3.  he death of the cross, which then was a malediction. If thou be stung with inordinate love of the world, behold his contempt of it, and of all it can afford; if with avarice, behold how poor he dieth, hownaked, as one who was deprived by the Soldiers even of his poor clothes, the only temporal goods he had: If with impatience, look vpon his invincible patience in suffering: If with sloth and ease, see on what an uneasy bed he lieth or rather haugeth; if with hatred of thy enemies, behold how he prays for his crucifiers; if with stubbernes and disobedience, behold how he is obedient to his Father unto death, 
Phil. 2.  even to the death of the cross: If with lust and carnal delights, behold what his flesh suffered before at the Pillar, and now on the hard cross; If with fear of death, behold how willingly he dieth for thee, 
jo. 10.  because, no man taketh a way his life from him, but he yeeldeth it of himself, and he hath power to yield it, and he hath power to take it again. And therefore the Prophet isaiah saith, 
Esa. 53.  he was offered because himself would.  
Behold, o devout Christian, how he hangeth on high in the air with his arms and hands extended and ready to embrace thee, if now at least thou wilt return unto him by, hearty pennance and sorrow for thy sins; behold his arms and hands extended, and though nailed, yet fighting for thee. For as all the time that Moyses had his arms and hands extended, and lifted up, Iosue overcame Amalec: 
Exo. 17.  So whilst thy saviours arms and hands are extended on the cross, he fighteth for thee, and overcometh thine enemies the world, flesh, and divell, and thou in him and by him ouercomest. Of this the Prophet Abacue speaketh saying: horns in his hands, 
Abac. 3.  there is his strength hid. Because when his hands were nailed to the corners of the cross, then he had as it were horns in his hands,& there lay hid his strength, by which he overcame his and our enemies.  
Hasten to him, o my soul; this his stretching out of his hands and feet ●o the corners of the cross, argueth that he will impart the grace and fruits of his Passion to all partes of the world, and will exclude none from receiving salvation by it. Hasten to him, for he extendeth his hands to give thee on his death bed a far greater benediction then jacob, 
Gen. 49.  on his death bed, gave, or could give to his children. Hasten and hearken to him, least he complain on thee, as he complains on others, and say; I haue spread forth my hands all the day to all incredulous people. hearken to him, 
Isa. 65.  least he exprobrat unto thee, as he doth to others, and say, I called and thou refusedst, 
Rom. 10. Prou. 1.  I strerched out my hands, and there was none that regarded. You haue despised all my counsel and haue neglected my reprehensions: I also will laugh in your destruction, and I will scorn when that shall come to you, which you feared. hearken to my call( saith he) least hereafter you shall invocate me, and I will not hear.  
O my soul! look up, and contemplat thy saviours five wounds, which in his hands, fear, and side he received, to cure thee of the spiritual wounds of thy soul. In these five fountains, thou mayst refresh and free thyself of inordinate desires, and thou mayst draw heavenly water out of them; In these baths thou mayst wash thyself from all filth of sin; In these furnaces thou mayst hear, yea melt thyself with the love of God; In these castles thou mayst defend thyself from all the assaults of the world, flesh and divell; In these cells thou mayst contemplate Gods mercy and Iustice, his mercy in s●ffring and dying for thee, his Iustice in paying so rich a ransom for thee: In these beds thou mayst sleep in spirit and forget all the vanities and pleasures of the world: in these gardens thou mayst gather the flowers of all virtues; In these Tabernacles thou mayst shelter thyself from all winds and tempests of temptations: In these Cabinets thou mayst find Christ his treasures: In these holes of the rock Christ Iesus, thou mayst mourn like a dove with thy doleful saviour: In these nests thou mayst chirpe and sing, like an heavenly bide, the psalms, and praises of God: in these Temples thou mayst adore God: In these ports and havens thou mayst repose securely from all Tempest, 
Deu. 19.  and ship wracks; In these Cities of refuge, thou mayst save thy life.  
O my soul, consider with attention what pangs and pains thy beloved suffereth for thee on the cross, and hearken what he saith: O all you that pass by the way, 
Thren. 1.  attend and see if there be sorrow like to my sorrow. For I haue suffered in all the partes of my body, in all my senses, of all Kind of persons, friends, foes, Iewes, gentiles, Princes, subiects &c. I haue suffered great pains, 
See this above in the first flower. & I was more sensible of thē, by reason of my most perfect complexion, then any other man could be. O behold how vneasilie I lie or rather hang on this hard bed of the cross; If I would ease my hands, I shall hurt the more my feet; If I would ease any part, I hurt all the rest of my body; nay I am so fast nailed, that I can not stir to ease any part. O Attend and see whether there be any that ever suffered such pains as I suffer; look into the afflictions of job, Into the torments of the martyrs, yea of the greatest malefactours, and thou shalt find that their sorrows were not like to mine, by reason of my most perfect complexion, quick apprehension, and because I had no ease from my divinity, nor vpper part of my soul. O attend and consider who it is that suffereth all this, not a beast, but a man as thou art, and so worthy of compassion; not a malefactor, but most innocent, even by Pilates and Herods confession; not a mortal man only but God and man, not a mere stranger unto thee( though on him, thou shouldst take compassion) out thy greatest benefactor, as who hath bestowed on thee all thy gifts of nature and grace, and is ready also to give unto thee the gift of glory; nor an enemy( though in this case he ●hould be lamented) but thy greatest friend, who hath given his life for thee, and not whatsoever life, but the life of God and man. O attend, consider who ●uffereth, and for whom? the King for his subject, the Lord for his vassal, ●he judge for the guilty& condemned, ●he innocent for the nocent, God for man, the creator for his Creature; and if thou render not love for love,( though what is thy love to his) and if thou render not life for life( though what is thy life to his) thy heart is not of soft flesh, but of marble or flinie.  
And thou, o jew, with whom Christ Iesus lived, to whom he preached, whom he teached, for whom he wrought miracles for many yeares together, elevate thine eyes, if thy guilty conscience will permit thee, look up, 
Gen. 4.  unless, like as Cains was, thy countenance be fallen, and behold this rueful and doleful spectacle of Iesus Nazarenus, whom thou hast crucified. And indeed the Iewes behold him, but without all compassion, nay they rather rejoice to see him tormented, and with no little exprobration and scorn, they bid him descend from the cross, and save himself if he can, who saved so many others: 
Mat. 27.  O malicious jew, he that saved others( as thou hast confessed) could haue descended from the cross, and saved himself, but he would not descend to earth, that thou mights ascend to heaven if thou wouldst, and he would not save himself, but would hang to death on the cross, to save thee and all the world.  
O cruel hearted jew, if thou wilt not look on him with compassion, hearken at least to what he tacitlie saieth unto thee. 
Mich. 6.  My People what haue I done to thee? Or what haue I molested thee? Answer me. I brought thee out of egypt, and thou hast brought me out of jerusalem to mount calvary: 
See the like complaint in the service of good friday.  I planted thee a vineyard, where I conuersed with thee for thirty three yeares,& I expected grapes of thee,& thou broughtst out thorns only to crown me. I whipped egypt with ten plagues for thy delivery out of captivity; thou hast whipped me with cruel rods, and thou hast made thereby so many wounds in my body, that all my body seemeth one wound: I lead thee through the desert by a cloud in the day, and a pillar of light in the night; thou sentst Iudas with Soldiers, lanterns, clubs, and swords, to apprehended me in the garden. I bestowed on thee not only a sacred Priesthood, but also a regal crown and sceptre; thou rewardest me with a ragged purple and a crown of thorns. I was thy first King, and after gave thee a race of Kings to rule under me; thou hast denied me for thy King, and hast publicly avouched that thou hast no King but caesar. I gave thee water in the desert out of a rock; thou, when I cried on the cross that I was dry, gavest me vinegar; I fed thee with sweet Manna; thou offrest to me bitter myrrh. I brought thee through the read sea dry footed, and drowned the egyptians that pursued thee; thou broughtst me into the read sea of my Passion, and there drownedst me. I killed all the first begotten of egypt, but spared thee, and thine; thou hast slain me on the cross, the first and only begotten of my heavenly Father and Virgin Mother. I gave miraculously limbs to thy lame, health to thy sick, speech to thy dumb, sight to thy blind, hearing to thy deaf, life to thy dead; thou hast heaped pains and torments on me, and even death itself.  
But if Iewes hearts can not be moved at this doleful spectacle of Christs hanging on the cross, at least, o Christians, as you are partakers of Christ his name, as being of him called Christians, so be you partakers of his passion, by compassion. If Iewes, and Pagans do not compassionate him, no marvel; they neither profess themselves his disciples, nor do they beleeue in him: But if Christians, who profess to beleeue in him, do not compassionate him hanging on the cross, and for them also; then, o Christians, no Christians, or Christians onely in name and profession, not in affection. And is it possible that a Christian should behold Christ on the cross, full of pains and dolours, and not be moved? The sun though insensible puts of his garments of light and ioy, and mourneth in black for his creator, of whom he received his Light, as of a greater sun; 
Mat. 27.  the stones and rocks break in sunder: the veil of the Temple is rent in two pieces, from the top even to the bottom, the earthquaked and the graues opened, and many bodies of the Saints, that had slept, rose, as amazed at this doleful spectacle; and can not thy heart, o Christian, be moved to compassion? o heart of flint not of flesh. O Christian, no loving Christian, for if thou lovedst, thou couldst not but lament.  
But notwithstanding al this, the Iewes, some laugh at him, some scorn him, some blaspheme him: only his loving Mother and his Disciple S. John, S. mary Magdalene and some other devout women, and peraduentur one or two secret disciples, do compassionate him, and suffer in mind with him: yet Christ hangeth still on the cross and patiently endureth for all: At length desirous also to die for man, that man might die to sin, 
Mat. 27. Mat. 15.  and live by grace, Crying with a mighty voice he yielded up the ghost. He cried with a mighty voice, that all the world, yea heaven and earth might hear and know, that God dyed for man; that all might know that he could haue resisted death, seeing that at the point of death, he cried with so mighty a voice; that all might know that he was more then a man, 
Mat. 27. Mar. 15. luke. 23.  and no less then God and man, as the Centurian confessed saying, indeed this was the son of God, and as all the multitude of them that were present tacitlie also confirmed, because they returned knocking their breasts.  
S. John the evangelist saith: bowing his head, he gave up the ghost. 
jo. 20.  He held up his sacred head till now, though to his great pain, but now he bowed down his head, to yield to death: he bowed down his head, as not having any place to rest it on: he bowed his head, to adore on the bed of the cross, his eternal Father, to whom he offered himself a sacrifice for mans redemption, as jacob adored God, 
Gen. 47.  on his deaths bed, turning to the beds head: He bowed his head, to point at Limbus Patrum, or Abrahams bosom, whether his soul was to descend to illuminate with clear vision the holy souls there detained,& to deliver them; He bowed his head to point at his grave and monument, in which his body was to be butted for three dayes; He bowed his head to point at his heart, and to signify that he dyed of love to mankind: He bowed his head, to salute his loving Mother, and Disciple S. John, yea mary Magdalene also, and other deuotes there present: He bowed his head, to inuire all sinners to the kiss of reconciliation, which he, on his part, was ready to give unto them, and even to his crucifiers: He bowed his head, to bid adieu to the merciless jew,& ungrateful world: He bowed his head, to take a nap of three dayes sleep of death, and then to rise again more fresh and liuelie in his resurrection. And thus Christ Iesus, God and man, after he had lived thirty three yeares amongst the Iewes, and had bestowed as many benefits on them, as he gave them good lessons& examples, as he wrought miracles amongst them, and suffered pains and torments for them, and all the world; died on the cross for man, the creator for the Creature, the Father for the children, the judge for the guilty, God for man.  
But what shall I say? What can I say to this? God is dead for man. O wonder; no mouth, no tongue, no eloquence can express what love was shewed to man, in that God died for man. If I had as many tongues, as I haue members, and if these tongues were as eloquent, as the tongues of the most eloquent orators, nay if I could speak with the tongues of all the Angells in heaven, I could not express what love was she wed to man, in that God died for man; here silence is the best speaker; amazement, astonishment, admiration, ecstasy, are the fittest orators. only I will say: God is dead for man; who for whom? O my soul pause here a while, and think seriously on this; God is dead for man. If thou shouldst think all thy life time on nothing else but this, that God is dead for man, thou couldst not think sufficiently, thou couldst not admire enough. Can I say any more to move man to admiration, to move man to love, to move man to gratitude? No; this containeth all, this infoldeth all implicitlie, onely I can unfold this, and say the same more explicitlie: Iesus Christ, God and man, the son of God, coequal& consubstantial unto him, creator of all, depending of none, all depending on him, not obliged to man at all, but man infinitely obliged to him, became man for man, undertook mans cause as mans surety, sustained mans person, as guilty, and suffered death for man, which not he but man had deserved. O what love? and yet by man sin reigneth, the cause of his death; o Ingratitude! Christ Iesus God and man, sweateth blood in the garden, was torn with whips at the pillar, crwoned with pricking thorns, nailed hands and feet with piercing nailes, hanged on the cross for three hours, and at length died on the cross, and why, but for man? Why, but to cancel mans debts of sins, to satisfy for his sins past,& to put a bar or bridle to his sins to come? And yet man heapeth sins vpon sins. O senseless man! Iesus Christ, God and man, endureth in his tender flesh cruel lashes with whips, many prickings with thorns, pearcings with nailes,& other most cruel pains and torments; and yet man walloweth in unlawful pleasures of the flesh, and as much, as in him lieth, Crucyfieth Christ again, by renewing the sins, which were cause of his crucifying. Obstupescite caeli supper hoc,& portae eius desolamini vehementer: 
Hier. 2.  Be astonished, o heauens, vpon this,& ò gates thereof, be ye desolate exceedingly. O man( who dost this) no man but rather a monster of mankind.  
But, o my soul! be thou none of these ungrateful, hard hearted, and senseless wretches: Let thine eyes be always fixed on Christ crucified, and dying on the Ctosse for thee; let his sacred wounds never be out of thy sight, as which are so many infallible signs of his love to thee; let thy heart continually suffer with him by compassion; let thy, heart be continually linked to him by love and affection; let thy heart continually render thankes unto him for so great a benefit, as is his death, the price of thy redemption; let thy heart always render love for his love shewed to thee, in dying for thee, even then, when thou wast his enemy; Let the cross be thy bed, on which thy soul may so repose, as she may be always waking to Christ and his Passion, but dead a sleep to the world,& all the world can afford: Let the cross be thy mannor house, and place of habitation, and do thou say with david: This is my rest for ever and ever, here will I dwell, because I haue chosen it. 
Psa. 132.  And rather then leave Christ and his cross, nail thyself to him by the three nails of faith, hope, and charity; bind thyself fast to Christ crucified, haue him continually in thy mind and memory, that, as once he imprinted his wounds in S. Francis his hands, feet and side; so the same wounds and all his dolours, and pains he suffered, may by continual meditation be written in thy soul, and engraved in thy heart, and he with them; that he and his death and passion, may be never out of thy mouth, never out of thy memory, never out of thee: But that he may ever live in thee, and thou in him, and more in him and to him, then in thyself and to thyself, that so thou mayst say with the Apostle, 
Gal. 2.  with Christ I am nailed to the cross, and I live, now not I, but Christ liueh in me: that so dying here to sin, and living to Christ by grace, thou mayst live with him in heaven by glory, which he grant to thee, who died for thee.   

THE ELEVENTH FLOWER OF our MYRRHINE posy, containeth 7. little branches, which are the 7. words or speeches, which Christ uttered on the cross.  

THE FIRST WORD OR branch. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. luke. 23.  
THis Prayer proceeded from the greatest charity that ever was,& no marvel, for it proceeded from Christ Iesus, who as man, had the most tender and charitable heart of all the men that ever were; 
1. Ioa. 4.  and, as God, he was charity itself, and loved us all from all eternity,& with a love as great as himself. And this his prayer proceeded also from the love of his cruel enemies, which is the hardest and purest act of charity; the hardest, because there is nothing in our enemy, which we respect, to facilitate our love unto him; rather there are many things to move us to hatred of him, as his cross nature, his malice he beareth us, the injuries in word or dead he hath done us; whereas in the love of our friends, or benefactors there are some motives to love, as their benefits bestowed on us, their love( for nothing winneth love sooner then love) they bear us, and the like. And for the same cause the love of our enemy is an Act of purest charity; because we do not love him for any thing we respect in him, but only and purely for the love of God and his divine goodness.  
And hence it is that before the coming of Chr●st, few could find in their hearts to love their enemies; and the Iewes commonly thought that they were not bound to love their enemies, but rather might hate them. They found in the old lawe this commandment of God. 
levi. 19.  Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself, whence they inferred, that they might hate their enemy: not considering that in other places of Scripture God commandeth thē to do good to their enemies: 
Exo. 23.  As to bring back their enemies ox or ass, if they meet him going astray: not to be glad in their enemies fall, nor to rejoice in his ruin; and if he be hungry to give him meate, if he thirst to give him water to drink. Wherefore our saviour correcting the Iewes evil interpretation of the Law, 
levi. 19.  that commandeth to love our friend, commandeth expressly to love our enemies in these words. 
Mat. 5.  But I say unto you love your enemies: Wherefore the patriarchs and Prophets, did exercise this love of their enemies, and so did some others, though not so frequently, and in that perfection, as the Apostles, Martyrs, and thousands of Christians did.  
david loved Absalon, who sought his life and kingdom; but he, as he was Dauids enemy, so he was his son. joseph also loved his brethren, who had sold him into Egypt, but they, as they were his enemies, so they were his brethren. But after that Christ had given the example of loving our enemies, by praying on the cross for his enemies, and even his crucifiers, millions of Christians were moved to love their enemies, and to do good for evil.  
But, o B. saviour, thou knewest that the Iewes, 
Mat. 27.  out of envy had delivered thee unto Pilat: Thou knewest that out of malice they caused thee to be scourged at the Pillar,& crwoned with thorns; thou knewest that out of hatred they caused thee to be nailed to the cross, and to endure the most ignominious death on it: thou knewest that out of spite they did spit at thee, scorn thee; scoff at thee, revile thee, and blaspheme thee: and these injuries they did unto thee, after millions of graces, favours and benefits received at thy hands; and canst thou find in thy heart to pray for them, yea and to excuse them? O charitable heart, o charity itself!  
Noe, when he understood that Cham had revealed his nakedness, 
Gen. 9.  cursed him and his posterity: thou prayest for them that hanged thee all naked on the cross; yea thou hangest naked to cover their nakedness, and to cloth them with grace and glory. O singular charity! 
4 Reg. 1.  Helias when Ochozias sent Captains over fifteen soldiers to apprehended him, called for fire from heaven, which devoured them and their fifteen men: thou sendest up a fiery& charitable prayer to heaven for them, that apprehended thee in the Garden, and after many torments put thee to a cruel death. 
4. Re. 2.  Elizeus when the children in derision called him bald head, cursed them, and by his curse caused bears to come out of the desert to devour them. But thou, o loving saviour, prayest for them, who called thee Samaritan, a Saducer, a blasphemer, and one that in beelzeebub prince of the devils didst cast out devils. O patient charity! o with what burning charity was thy heart inflamed, which so many floods of injuries could not quench not cool? True it must be, 
Cant. 8.  which the spouse in the Canticles said of this thy burning charity: Many waters( as many as were the injuries and dolours of thy Passion( cannot quench thy charity, neither shall the floods( of thy blood  shed by the Iewes) overwhelm it. 
Cant. 8.  Thy love was as strong as death. Yea stronger, because not death itself, to which the Iewes put thee, could overcome thy love towards them.  
But, o Christian, how little is thy charity, which not floods onely of injuries, but even drops, the lie given thee, the least word of reproach, not onely cooleth, but quiter extinguisheth it, yea turneth it into deadly hatred? Christ, thy King& Lord, had such charity, as he could not only put up the greatest injuries, but also prayed for his deadly enemies; and canst not thou his vassal and seruant, put up a little reproach, but thou must draw on him for the lie given, thou must needs bid him the field, and nothing, but his blood, can cool thy hatred conceived against him?  
Some may say, why should I love my enemy, who is so contrary to me? I answer, because Christ commandeth; because Christ, and many his seruants haue given thee the example, and for many other reasons: For first every living creature loveth his like,& those of the same Kind? Secondlie they who are ordained to one end, and are of the same profession, as Soldiers, Artificers, Schollers, do love one an other; and why should not we love even our enemy, who professeth Christ with us, and who is ordained to the same end with us, to wit, life everlasting? And how absurd should we think it to hate our enemy, with whom perchance we shall live hereafter in all bliss and felicity, yea and charity also, for ever? thirdly, if our enemy were not to beloved for himself, yet he were for Gods sake, who created him, conserveth him, and causeth the rain to rain on him; the sun to shine on him: yet he were for Christ his sake, who dyed for him, and prayed for him on the cross. Fourthlie, we should rather compassionate our enemy then hate him, because his hatred is his greatest misery, and hurteth himself more then us, when, be hateth. fiftly, when a mad man, or a possessed person doth strike us, we take it patiently, because we imagine that it is not so much he, as his Phrenesie or the divell, who moveth him, that striketh vs. And why should we be angry and in hatred towards our enemy, seeing that it is not so much he that wrongeth us, as his phrenesie of passion, or the divell who moveth him? joy, if you could not be revenged of your enemy, nor could give him a wound, but by first running yourself and your own body through with the sword, you would spare him: Seeing then you can not hurt your enemy in his body or riches, but you must first hurt yourself in soul and spiritually; seeing you can not hurt him, but with hurt, yea and damnation of your own soul, spare your enemies, love them also, at least for love of your own souls. Seuenthlie, our enemies are indeed our greatest friends, and so are most to be beloved; for they observing our actions, to take advantage against us, do make us wary, circumspectly, and heedie; and they give us matter of patience and merit, and therefore the Martyrs received more good of the persecuting Tyrant●, then they did of their egreatest friends: And though they persecuted them out of a malicious mind, yet that evil mind did no hurt to them. Eightlie, why do we hate our enemy but for his hatred of us? For otherwise we would love him. Hate then his hatred, and kill his malice, not him; and seeing that malice and hatred is overcome by his contrary, which is love and charity, and good turns; let us love him and do good unto him; so we shall extinguish his hatred towards us, and make him of an enemy, a fast friend. Ninthlie, why do we persecute our enemy but to overcome him? bear patiently the wrongs he doth you, and you overcome him; for if you take them impatientlie, he overcometh you, and is master of you. lastly, let us herein imitate almighty God; none hateth sin more then he, yet he loveth the person of the sinner. It is true that God punisheth us in this life, but not out of hatred of our persons, but out of love of them, meaning thereby to amend us, and to induce us to true repentance: as physicians give bitter potions to their patients, not to torment them, but to cure them of their ague; and as Surgeous lance and cut, only to heal the wound. It is true also that God punisheth the damned in Hell, but not out of hatred of their persons( for those he conserveth and loveth) but out of hatred of their sins, and out of Z●ale of Iustice. And although the scripture saith. 
Prou. 4.  To God the Impious and impiety are odious alike: Yet that is not said, because God hateth the Person of the impious, but because he punisheth him, and so seemeth to us to hate him, because we use often to punish out of hatred of the person whom we punish; wherefore let us love the persons of our greatest enemies, and let us only hate their sins and seek to convert them.  
O my soul look into thyself and see whether thou findest in thyself a sincere love of thy enemy, whether thou canst pray heartily for him, whether from thy heart thou forgivest him, whether from thy heart thou wishest him well, whether thou beest ready to do good unto him for the evil he hath done to thee; and if thou find not this love, seek by such motives as are alleged to stir up in thy heart a love of him; otherwise how canst thou expect that God shall forgive thee, if thou dost not forgive others? If thou canst not forgive others, thou canst not say our Lords Prayer, but against thyself, for in it thou prayest to God to forgive thee thy debts( that is thy sins) as thou forgivest thy debters, that is, 
Mat. 6.  those that haue sinned against thee. If thou canst not forgive others, how canst thou expect but that Christ, who hath forgiven thee many sins shall say unto thee( as the King in the gospel said to his seruant, to whom he had forgiven ten thousand talents, who yet would not forgive his fellow seruant, who ought him only an hundred pence) Thou ungrateful seruant, 
Mat. 18.  I forgave thee all thy debt, because thou be soughtst me; oughtest not thou therefore also, to haue mercy on thy fellow seruant? Christ the Lord of heaven and earth hath forgiven thee( o Christian) many sins, which in that they were committed against his divine majesty, are far greater in that respect then any sin thy fellow seruant can commit against thee; shouldst not thou then forgive him his trespasses against thee, which are lesser? All of us were born and conceived in sin and consequently in enmity against him. If therefore he should, as he could reuenge himself of all his enemies, who should be saved?  
But thou wilt say, this is not the first time that mine enemy hath offended me; be it so; yet thou must forgive, though he haue not only offended thee seven times, but also seuentie times seven times, 
Mat. 18.  for that God, whom thou offendest daily and howerlie, forgiveth thee daily and howerlie, if thou be repentant. But thou wilt reply, that he asketh not forgiveness; be it so; yet thou must forgive him on thy part, as God before thou askest him forgiveness doth in effect forgive thee, because he preventeth thee with his grace, by virtue of which thou repentest and askest forgiveness.  
But Christ not only prayeth to his Father to forgive his enemies, but also urgeth him by the title of Father; knowing that if God should proceed as a just judge against them, there were no hope of pardon; and to facilitat his request for them, he excuseth them, because they know not what they do. And peradventure some of the most ignorant might be excused, but the chief of the Iewes, though they had some ignorance, yet their ignorance could not excuse them from grievous sin, because Christ his miracles, which he wrought so many, so great and so frequently amongst them, did prove him sufficiently to be God, and the promised Mesias, God and man; and his irreprehensible life argued him to be Innocent, as Pilat himself confessed; and so their ignorance was vincible and affencted, which could not excuse them from grievous sin. Yet Christ excused them also, because they had at least a vincible ignorance or affencted; 
1 Cor. 2.  for( as S. Paul saith) if they had known Christ perfectly, they would never haue Crucified the Lord of glory.  
O my soul dost thou imitate this charity? dost thou excuse the faults of thy enemies? Or rather dost not thou exaggerat them, and make them greater then they are? If thou hast not this charity, call for it of Christ thy saviour, who is charity itself, and desire him to give thee grace to excuse not onely thy enemies sins, but all mens sins whatsoever. And do thou desire God to forgive all sinners, because all do sin at least out of ignorance of evil election. By reason of which the Philosopher saith that omnis peccans est ignorans, every one that sinneth is ignorant, and when he sinneth knoweth not particularly what he doth. And so though thou shalt do well to accuse thyself even of thy least faults, because so thou wilt sooner aclowledge thy faults, and be sorry for them; yet thou must excuse others, and pray to God for them, because all sin out of some ignorance, and so know not what they do: So thou shalt the more easily live in chariti● with all, so thou shalt obtain forgiveness of God for thy own sins, because he forgiveth thee, as thou forgivest others. And never let those golden sayings of thy charitable saviour, be out of thy mind; love your enemies; 
Mat. 8. luke. 6.  Do well to them that hate you: bless them that curse you; and pray for them that calumniat you: forgive, and you shall be forgiven.   

THE SECOND WORD OR BRANCH. 
hody mecum eris in Paradiso. luke. 23.  
This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. luke. 23.   
our B. saviour, as he is goodness itself, so he is most bountiful and liberal, yea& in a good meaning prodigal. He can not be truly prodigal, because he can not give above his state and estate, 
Apo. 17.& 19.  he being King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, yet he may seem to us prodigal, and even an other prodigal son. For having received of his eternal Father his childs portion, to wit, our human nature, 
luke. 15.  he went into a far country( as the prodigal son did) as far as earth is from heaven, and there conversing with Publicans and sinners, he spent his portion, our human nature, amongst 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 been sufficient to haue redeemed us, he would needs  shed his blood for us; and whereas one drop of blood would haue sufficed, he bestowed on us francklie& freely all his blood, yea his life and death, and all he had and was; so that in a good sense it may be said, vt quid perditio haec? Whereto is this wast? for this might haue been sold for more then three hundred pence and given to the poor: 
Mat. 26. Mat. 14.  that is, this had been sufficient not onely to redeem man but also the devils, the poorest of all creatures, if God would haue so disposed. And yet to show his love unto us, his hatred of sin, he would bestow all this vpon vs.  
And in his gifts how liberal is he, and how profuse doth he seem to be? He giveth heaven for a momentary good work, 
Mat. 10.  for a cup of water given in his name; for a little sorrow of contrition he forgiveth all our sins, be they never so many; for a temporal pain, endured for his love, as fasting of one day, wearing of a shirt of hair for a little time, he pardoneth us eternal pains, which were due to our sins; and for abstaining from a corporal and momentary pleasure for his sake, he giveth eternal bliss and life everlasting. And to seek no further for examples of his bounty, for a short prayer, confession, and acknowledgement of him on the cross, he giveth to the converted thief an heavenly Paradise, saying: This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.  
Paradise in holy Scripture is taken for any place of pleasure: So was that pleasant garden called, 
Gen. 2.  in which God placed the first man& woman, Adam and eve. So the country about jordan is said to haue been like a Paradise, 
Gen. 13.  before sodom and Gomorre were subverted; so in diverse other places of Scripture Paradise is taken for a place of pleasure. And because Christ in regard of his soul was that day to descend into Limbus Patrum, 
Cant 4. Ecle. 21. 2. Cor. 12 Ap. 2.  where the Saints of the old Testament were detained, and to illuminate them with the clear vision of his divinity, in which consisteth happiness; that place which before was a Prison, he made a Paradise and place of heavenly bliss, and he telleth the good thief that he shall be this day with him in Paradise, that is, shall be partaker with him and his Saints of heavenly bliss and felicity.  
As if he had said: seeing thou confessest me and acknowledgest me for thy God, not whilst I am working miracles, as others before thee haue done, but whilst I am suffering torments, and indignities; Seeing thou confessest me when thy fellow thief blasphemeth me, and when the Iewes crucify and scoff at me; Seeing thou confessest me before my cruel enemies the Iewes, when Peter denied me before a maid Seruant, yea when all my disciples, but John my evangelist, fled for fear and forsook me, I will grant thee thy petition;& seeing thou desirest not to be freed from the cross or temporal death; seeing thou desi●est no worldly or temporal benefit, for that thou seest that both I and thou are presently to die, but only desirest to be with me, when I shall come to possess my kingdom in the next life, I will grant thee thy petition,& will not defferre thee till the general resurrection, no not one day. This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, that is, thou shalt this day participat with me in soul of my eternal glory, with the Saints in Limbus Patrum otherwise called Abrahams bosom.  
O good God, o saviour, how liberal and bountiful art thou, who givest a kingdom, and an eternal kingdom, a kingdom of heaven so easily, and for a momentary confession. O holy thief, who hath preached Christ unto thee? who hath illuminated thee with this so great light of faith? He acknowledgeth that Christ the sun of Iustice( though now he seemeth to be eclipsed) hath illuminated him inwardly by the light of his grace, outwardly by his miracles, of which part he had heard, part he then saw on the cross; and he had edified him by his rare patience, and so many, and so cruel torments.  
He acknowledgeth him then for his Lord, saying, remember me Lord,& consequently 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 kingdom; and he confesseth him a King of the next life and consequently of heaven, for he saw he had no kingdom in this life. He confessed him a King, though not sitting in a royal throne, but hanging on a cross; though not crwoned with a crown of gold, but of thorns; though not holding in his hand any other sceptre then a reede, though not invested in a kingly rob, but in a ragged purple.  
O how great was his faith! It seemeth( as S. 
Chris. nom. de cruce& latrone.  chrysostom saith) greater then the faith of Abraham, because Abraham believed him speaking from heaven, and by Angells; he believed in Christ hanging on a cross; greater then the faith of isaiah, because isaiah believed in him, after he had seen him sitting vpon an high throne and elevated, 
Esa. 6.  and when Seraphins stood about him. Greater then the faith of Ezechiel, 
Ezec. 1.  for that he believed in God in a vision he had of strange shapes, of a man, a lion, an ox, and an Eagle, prefiguring the four evangelists; greater then the faith of Moyses, for that he believed in God, appearing in a flamme of fire, 
Exod. 3.  and in the midst of a bush burning, but not consuming; greater then the faith of the three Kings of the East, for that an unusual star moved them to seek and adore Christ. But thou, o faithful thief, believest Christ to be God, though hanging on a cross, though suffering many indignities, torments and deaths.  
O how great was thy hope holy thief, who hopedst to be partaker with Christ in his glory of heaven( for else thou wouldst not haue desired it) when he was partaker with thee in thy ignominy and torments of the cross; who hopedst to receive of Christ life everlasting, when he was at the period of his temporal life. O how great was thy charity and love towards Christ, who thoughtst more of him then thy torments, who chidst thy fellow thief for blaspheming him, pronouncedst him innocent before the Princes of the Iewes,& thyself and thy fellow thief worthy of the punishment.  
But how great was Christ his goodness to this thief. How prove was he to mercy, who even at the last hour had mercy on him, and for his short confession forgave him all his sins. He is like a vessel full of water; for as that being but touched, runneth over, so Christ is so full of mercy, that if a sinner do but touch him with true repentance( as the thief did) he overfloweth and washeth away the sinners sins and all the filth of them.  
O how great is the force of Contrition and true repentance which in a moment made S. Paul of a persecutor, a Preacher; S. Matthew of a Publican an Apostle and evangelist; S. mary Magdalen of a public sinner, a pattern of all true penitents; which made S. Peter of a denier of his master before a maid seruant, a confessor of him before the Tyrants of the world; and of a poor Fisher, a Prince of the Apostles; which made a thief an inhabitant of Paradise and heaven itself.  
O my soul, art thou thus prove to mercy as thy sweet saviour is? dost thou easily forgive them, that haue offended thee? dost thou not show thyself too hard and difficile in this Kind? If thy heart be hard to forgive, desire God with david to create in thee a clean heart, clean from all malice, 
Psal. 50.  soft and easy to pardon those, that offend thee; for as thou forgivest, so shalt thou be forgiven.  
And thou, o Sinner, be thou never so great a sinner, haue thou never so long continued in sin, yet do thou not despair of mercy; thou seest a thief hath found mercy, and even at the last period of his life. But as thou must not despair of mercy, so thou must not presume, nor vpon presumption defer thy conversion from sin. It is true the good thief found at the last hour of his life mercy; but the evil thief found it not; and though some then do repent, yet thousands more do not; and why mayst not thou be of these? especially seeing that ordinarily, as men live, so they die; as vpon a sudden no man is a great sinner, so much less on a sudden doth a sinner become a Saint. Wise men will not defer the making of their wills by which they dispose of their temporal goods to the hour of death: much less do rhey defer the disposition of their souls till that time: much less will they defer the managing of the greatest business that they haue, to wit, of the eternal salvation or damnation of their souls; much less will they expose eternity in heaven or Hell, to the chance of a short and vncertein last hour.  
But thou wilt say, God hath promised without setting any time, that he will haue mercy on a sinner, 
Ezec. 18.  whensoever he repenteth him of his sins, and consequently, if he repent at the last hour, he will then haue mercy. True he promiseth to pardon thee at all houres, and consequently at the last, if thou repent; but he hath not promised to give thee at the last hour a true repentance. True it is, that thou mayst haue true repentance, but thou mayst miss it also. Then, to wit, at the hour of death, thou mayst haue it, but with greater difficulty, for then thy memory faileth; the pains of thy sickness and especially the pangs of death will trouble thee. Thy children or friends, who then will be more solicitous to provide for their temporal state of body, then for the eternal state of thy soul, will so distracted thee, as thou shalt not be fit to conceive an act of contrition. Do pennance then when thou art in good health,& when thou art best disposed for it; take time whilst time lasteth, for time will away; repent whilst thou art in good health, that when thou art to die thou be not to seek for repentance; leave sins before thou art to die, else sins shall rather leave thee, then thou them. hearken what S. Austin saith: 
Lib. 50. Homil. hom. 45. De paenit. Dist. 51. ca. si quis positus.  Vis te de dubio liberare, vis quod incertum est euadere? Age paenitentiam dum sanus es &c. Si vero vis agere paenitentiam quando peccare non potes, peccata te dimiserunt, non tu illa. Wilt thou free thyself from all doubt, wilt thou avoid that which is uncertain, do pennance when thou art in good health &c. But if thou wilt do pennance when thou canst not sin, thy sins leave thee, and not thou them.   

THE THIRD WORD OR BRANCH, 
Mulier ecce filius tuus: deinde dicit discipulo, ecce matter tua. Ioa. 19.  
woman behold thy son; After that he saith to the Disciple, behold thy Mother.   
our B. saviour( as S. John relateth) seeing his Mother and Disciple standing by the cross, said vpon that occasion the aforesaid words unto them. He saw then his Mother, not falling down on the ground in a sound, but standing with an upright body, with a constant mind; she stood, and so did S. John; they fled not for fear, as the Disciples did; shee stood, and so did S. John; she followed not a loof of, as Peter did, but stood hard by the cross, and so near, that her son from the cross might speak to her; she stood meditating & considering the grievousness, of his pains& torments, the greatness of his Passion, the excessiuenes of his charity, who died even for his crucifiers; she stood considering the great iustice of God, to which satisfaction could not be made but by the death of the son of God; thinking on the filth of sin, whose stain could not be taken away, but by the blood of the innocent lamb. She stood considering particularly his body wounded from head to feet; she considered the torments of his head caused by the pricking thorns; of his hands and feet caused by the piercing nails; of all his body stretched on the hard and rough cross; and she so derived Christ his pains unto herself, that all he suffered by Passion, she suffered by compassion; and then especially, the sword of sorrow pierced her heart. O my soul, 
luke. 2.  do thou imitate this Virgin-Mother. Stand constantly by the cross, fix it in thy memory, that thou mayst often exercise thyself in the meditation of Christ his dolorous Passion.  
Christ seeing her standing by the cross, said unto her, making a sign unto S. John, woman behold thy son. That which we prise and esteem, we keep under lock and key, or commit it to the custody of a sure and trusty friend: Whereby it appeareth, how highly Christ esteemed S. John, whom he commended, not to any angel, but to his sacred Mother, the queen of Angells. S. John was a Virgin, and so worthily commended to a Virgin-Mother. He followed Christ to his Passion when th' other Disciples fled: and he was present and a spectator of Christ his Passion, when they durst not be seen; and he was, the Disciple whom Iesus loved, 
Ioa. 19.  and above the rest:& so was commended at Christ his death to his Sacred Mother before all the rest. Our B. lady the Qeene of Virgins loved him also before all the rest, for his virginity, and so he was especially commended to her,  
O happy S. John, who art commended to such a guardian, to her, whom Christ loved above th' Angells and next to himself, she being his Mother. Who can be lost under the tutelage of such a guardian? What children can perish under such a Mother? Christ by these words: woman behold thy son, did as it were adopt S. John the son of the B. Virgin; and so she did ever after bear him the tender love of a mother: and as our B. saviour by those words, woman behold thy son, did adopt as it were S. John her son, and committed him to her Motherlie care; so in him he adopted all those her children who love her, reverence her, and who especially are virgins, and forsake at least all unlawful carnal pleasures. Do thou then, o my soul, o Christian, honour this Virgin-Mother, love her, serve her, commit thyself as an adopted child unto her. How many sodalities are there in the Church of God of those, who dedicate and consecrate themselves unto her service? How many religious orders haue chosen her for their special and chief patroness, under Christ?  
She is thy Mother, o Christian, love her, honour her, obey her. She is thy Mother: She will then cherish thee, nourish thee, provide for thee all necessaries for thy soul, yea and for thy body, and temporal state also, as it is expedient for thee: what should we not hope of such a Mother, who is willing to help us, because she is our Mother; and able also, because she is the Mother of God? And she is more able then all the rest of the Saints and Angells, because the queen-mother is more potent with the King her son, then all his Courtiers and subiects. If thou need then any thing, ask of her, and she will not deny thee, because she is thy Mother. If thou offend her( as thou dost so often as thou offendest her son Christ Iesus) ask forgiveness,& she will not deny forgiveness, because she is thy Mother. If thou offend again and again, ask forgiveness, and she will forgive, because she is a Mother; yea if thou shouldst offend twenty times seven times, 
Mat. 18.  yet despair not, ask forgiveness, and she will forgive, and demand forgiveness for thee of her son, because she is a Mother.  
O happy we, who are children of a Virgin-Mother. O how noble children are we, who are children of so noble a Mother, the Mother of God? But we are also so many Benonies unto her, 
Gen. 25.  that is, sons of pain& sorrow, because we were adopted her children, when she stood by the cross; when she suffered the greatest sorrows that ever Mother did in her bearing children, 
luke. 2.  when the sword of sorrow pierced her soul; when she saw before her eyes, her son die, who was the noblest son that ever was, being God and man; when she saw him die, whom she loved more then any other Mother loved her child, because he was more noble, and worthy, then ever any son was; because as man he had no Father, and so as man had no other parent then her, and therefore the love of a Father and Mother towards their child, which in others was dispersed, was in her united, and so greater in her, then in any other Mother; when she suffered by compassion all that her son suffered by passion.  
Christ calleth her wo●man, by the name of her sex, and not Mother, partly to give Pastours( as he was the good and chiefest pastor) to understand, 
jo. 10.  that when there is question of their office, or the honour of God, they must not respect either Father, or Mother, Brother or Sister, nor must they regard carnal affection, but only must set God his honour before their eyes: partly because, if he had called her Mother, he knew he should haue wounded her tender heart too deeply. partly to show that he had a far more noble nature, which he received of his eternal Father by eternal generation, then was that which he received of her by temporal generation.  
As Christ commended S. John to our B Lady; so he commendeth her to his tuition and care, saying unto him: Behold thy Mother. As if he had said. I must now deprive my Mother of the comfort and aid she had by my corporal and visible presence; I therefore substitute thee in my place; and as I was not wanting to her in care, love, and obedience, so be thou in stead of me, that is a loving son unto her: do thou therefore love her, care for her, obey her, be thou ready to assist her in all offices due from a son to his Mother. I loved her above all creatures, even the Angells, because she was my Mother; do thou love her and respect her above all, but me, and my eternal Father and our Eternal Spirit, the Holy Ghost, to whom she is next in dignity, and as near to God, as is the Mother to her son; she is my Mother by natural and temporal generation, she is now made by me thy Mother by affection, and as it were by adoption; in that she is the Mother of God the creator, she is queen Mother of all Creatures, especially men and Angells, but now more especially of thee.  
O what honour is this to thee, o Holy Apostle? thou and thy saviour haue both one Mother. Wherefore this Apostle, 
jo. 19.  took her( as he himself averreth) to his own, 
' eis Tà ●ldia.  not to his own house, for he had none, unless borrowed, but to his own care& charge, to assist her, to honour her, to obey her to serve her, o S. John, thy saviour promised that, 
Mat. 19.  whosoever shall leave house, or Brethren, or Sisters, or Father, or Mother, or wife, or children, or lands for his name sake, shall receive an hundred fold; and now thou receauest this hundred fold, when thou receauest this Mother of God, this queen of heaven and Earth, who is more worth a hundred fold, yea a hundred thousand fold then were thy nets, 
Mat. 4.  and Father, and Mother, and all that thou didst leave to follow him.  
O happy Host, who entertainest so honourable a guest: she entertained in the palace of her sacred womb the son of God; thou entertainest the Mother of God, and hast care and charge of her. 
Gen. 18.  Abraham was Host to Angells, thou to the queen of Angells; 
3 Re. 17. 4. Re. 4.  the widow of sarephta received the Prophet Elias; the Sunamite lodged the Prophet Elizeus, thou the prophetess, who was queen of all Prophets. happy wast thou, o B. Apostle, both in that thou wast commended to her, as a son to his Mother, and in that she was commended to thee, as a Mother to her son; that argued Christ his esteem of thee whom he commended to his Mother; this argued the great trust and confidence he put in thee, to whose care and charge he commended his Mother; both argued, that thou wast, the Disciple, whom Iesus loved. 
Ioa. 19.   
O son of God, commend me with S. John. to thy sacred Mother; If thou commend me to her, she will not refuse me; and if she receive me into her protection, I cannot miscarry. O Mother of God commend me to thy son: none can prevail so much with him, as thou, who art his Mother; and if he be for me, 
Rom. 8.  who can stand against me? O son and Mother grant me the favour, and do me the Honour,& give me the grace to love you, for if I love you, I shall one day enjoy with you, that which eye hath not seen, 
2. Cor. 1.  nor ear hath heard, neither hath it ascended into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them, that love him.   

THE fourth WORD OR BRANCH, 
Deus meus, Deus meus, vt quid dereliquisti me? Mat. 27.  
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?   
IT seemeth strange that Christ, God and man should complain that his eternal Father had left him, seeing that not onely as God, but as man he was united and linked to God by diuers ties, and unions, which were never dissolved. As God, he was consubstantial to his Father, and so linked to him by consubstantiality, which can not be dissolved, 
Ioa. 10.  because he and his Father are one, and the same substance. As man he was united hypostaticallie, and personally to the second divine person, so indissolublie, that death which separated his body from his soul, could not separate his human nature from his divine person. As man also he was united to God( as the Blessed in heaven are) by clear vision, which he had from the first instant of his conception, and from which neither by his infancy, nor by sleep, nor by his many occupations in his life time, nor by all the sorrows and agonies suffered on the cross, he could be distracted. He was also as man so united to God by love and affection, which supposing clear vision, can neither in Christ, nor in the Blessed Saincts& Angells be dissolved: because clear vision of the divine Essence and goodness, doth, as the divines say, necessitate the will to love God; and therefore as in all his life, yea in his agonies on the cross, and even in the moment of his death, his soul still retained the clear vision of God, so it still loved God, and so though dying, he ceased for a time to live( that is till he rose the third day to life again) yet he never ceased to love. Of what forsaking then doth Christ complain, when he saith, my God, my God, Why hast thou forsaken me?  
He complaineth that God had forsaken him, in withdrawing the assistance of his divinity, by which he might haue hindered all the torments, and even death, which he suffered; and therefore he saith, my God, my God, by consubstantiality; my God, my God, by Incarnation, by which thou art Emanuell and Deus nobiscum, that is God with vs. My God, my God, by clear vision; my God, my God, by fruition and eternal love; why hast thou forsaken my human nature, and dost not protect it against the cruelty of the Iewes? My God, 
Gen. 6.& 7.  my God, who hast saved Noe from the Deluge, Abraham from the Chaldees, Isaac from Abrahams sacrificing sword, 
Gen. 22. Exo. 11.  the Israelits from pharaoh, and the destroying angel, jacob from Esau, joseph from his Brethren, and his Mistresses false accusations, david from Goliath and Saul, 
Dan. 6.  Daniel from the Lions, and the three children from the burning furnace, Susanna from the Adulterours and false Iudges, 
Dan. 13. tub. 6.  young toby from the fish, and the evil spirit; why hast thou forsaken me? Why dost not thou assist me? Me, thy natural son, me the verity of these figures, me, who never offended thee; 
Phil 2.  me who ever loved thee, honoured thee, and obeyed thee, even to death.  
But although he thus complained according to flesh and blood, and the inferior part of his soul, yet according to his superior part of his soul, he was resolved to die as we haue seen above; 
in the 2. Flower pag. 18.  and this his complaining was not murmuration, but groaning amid so excessive pains, not to contradict his Fathers will, to which he was ever resigned, but to show himself a true man, who feareth death; to give us courage in sickness, torments and what soever adversity, to give us example to haue recourse to God, as he had, in all our corporal or spiritual distresses; to forewarn us not to think much, when we seem to be left of God in our adversities.  
think, o my soul, who it is that crieth, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He, to whom his eternal Father said, 
Mat. 17.  this is my w●ll beloved son in whom I am w●ll pleased. 
2. Pet. 1.  And mark that he saith not my Father, my Father, but my God, my God, because at that time he would not show himself to Christ as a Father, that he might be a Father to vs. 
Psal. 26.  david complaineth that his Father and Mother had left him, but he comforteth himself, that Dominus autem assumpsit me: Our Lord hath taken me. And yet he forsook his only son. david saith that he hath not seen the just forsaken, but now Christ Iesus, Iustice itself, is forsaken. Who would beleeue that such a Father should forsake such a son, but that the son himself, who is verity itself, saith so?  
O eternal Father, how great is thy love towards sinners, which made thee foresake thy onely begotten son for a time, that he might suffer for us, and suffering, satisfy for our sins. O eternal son, how great also was thy love to us, which made thee willing to be forsaken of thy Father, that thou mights suffer even death for us, and suffering it, redeem vs. O son of God! Thou sayedst once that thou knewest that thy father doth always hear thee, 
Ioa. 11.  but now he doth not, and thou art content that he doth not, that thou mightst suffer, what thou didst, for vs.  
O what love can we render for such love? What gratitude? And yet o we ungrateful. Christ crieth, o my God my God, why hast thou forsaken me? To wit, for the love of man;& Christ is willing to be forsaken for the love of man, and yet man heareth not this voice, is not moved with this love.  
We cry out and complain, if God permit us to suffer hunger, or thirst, diseases, or sicknesses, plagues or warres; Christ complaineth indeed according to the inferior part of his soul, that he is left of his Father,& permitted to suffer death; but according to the superior part of his soul he is most willing. he is forsaken of his Father even to death, and beareth it patiently; we murmur if our Parents, Brothers, or Sisters, or friends forsake us in our necessities. O eternal Father, how severe art thou to thy own son for our sakes? dost thou prefer us thy adoptive children, yea thy enemies, before thy own natural son, who never displeased thee.  
Who ever heard of one plunged in the Sea, ready to be drowned,& crying for help and aid to a friend, nay to a mere stranger, and not assisted? And yet Christ the son of God plunged in the waters of his Passion, and ready to be drowned by death, crieth, not to a stranger, nor a friend onely, but even to his eternal Father and cannot be heard: and why, but for our sakes?  
O sinner, thou art the cause of this: to draw thee out of the Sea of sin, in which thou art plunged, the son of God must be permitted to be drowned in the waters of his Passion, O hard hearted sinner, if this love of God the Father, who would forsake this his son for thee; if the love of God the son, who was willing to be thus forsaken for thee, do not move thee to love God. O ungrateful man, if after this love thou canst find in thy heart to love any but God, or for God.  
O sweet Iesus, who wouldst be forsaken of thy Father for a time, that I might not be forsaken; whensoever I am tempted to any sin, forsake me not, but give me grace to overcome the tentation: whensoever thou sendest me sickness, or any other adversity, forsake me not, but give me grace to bear it patiently; and when I am to die, and to pass from this life to the next, forsake me not, but assist me in that journey, and by thy grace bring me to heaven, where I shall never forsake thee, nor be forsaken of thee.   

THE FIFTH WORD OR BRANCH. Sitio. joan. 19. I thirst.  
THIS thirst of our B. saviour must needs be very great, which makes him to complain of it particularly, and on it alone, and not on any of his other torments. He complained not of the lashes he endured at the Pillar, nor of the pricking of the thorns in his coronation, nor of the heaviness of his cross, which he carried to mount calvary, nor of the nails by which he was nailed hands and feet to the cross;& on the Cros●e he complained not of his head, nor hands, nor feet, nor any other part of his body, though he hung so vneasilie that all the parts thereof must needs suffer extremely, onely he complaineth of his thirst, saying: Sitio, I thirst, which he doth for two causes.  
The first cause of this complaint was, because, although he suffered excessiuelie in other partes of his body, yet what he suffered in other partes( as in his head hands, and feet) was easily seen of others, but what he suffered in his tongue by thirst, he onely felt, others could not see; and so that the spectators of his Passion might know, that he suffered also extremlie in his tongue by thirst, he complaineth of it particularly.  
The second cause of this his complaint was the excessiuenes of his thirst, which peradventure was so great, that it was the greatest torment he suffered. For as, peradventure, there is no torment greater then extreme famine& thirst, so it is likely his thirst was the greatest of all thirsts. He was afflicted with two thirsts, the one corporal of the tongue, the other spiritual of the soul. And Imagine( o my soul) how excessive his corporal thirst must needs be. The night before he was crucified, he slept not a wink, nor did he rest at all, but was drawn and haled from the Garden of Gethsemanie to Anna his house, from him to Cayphas, from Cayphas to Pilat, from Pilat to Herod, from Herod to Pilat back again, from Pilat to mount calvary, in which last journey he carried on his weak body his heavy cross, which must needs cause in him great thirst, no man all that time presenting him with so much as a cup of could water.  
Besides all this, his evacuation of blood that night and the next morning could not but cause extreme thirst. He sweat blood in the Garden at all the pores of his body, so abundantly, that( as S. Luke saith( the blood trickled down to the ground; 
luke. 22.  at the pillar also, where he received so many and so cruel lashes, he  shed a great quantity of blood; In his coronation with thorns no little quantity of blood distilled from his sacred head, no little from his hands and feet, when they were nailed to the cross; and on the cross from his wounds of his hands and feet blood ran continually, as from four running fountains, in so much that the veins of his body( which like so many running riuers do water mans body) were almost quiter emptied, and so all his body was devoid of moisture, which made his mouth dry, and his tongue to cleave to his mouth for want of moisture, Which could not but cause an extreme thirst. And therefore it is like that there was never man that had so much thirst as he, and yet lived. Yet this thirst he would suffer, to teach us temperance and sobriety, to satisfy for our too much pleasure, which we take in drinking delicious wines, to satisfy for our excess in drinking& even for our drunkenness.  
O my soul, behold thy saviours patience; he was extremely thirsty before he was nailed to the cross, yet never complained; he was extremely thirsty on that cross, where he hanged three houres, that is from six a Clock to Nine; and yet in all that time, he is silent, patient, and complaineth not, whereas many of us will drink at all times of the day and night also rather then suffer the least thirst that is.  
O my soul! dost not thou pity thy saviour so tormented with thirst, that he complaineth of it, and not of any his other sorrows? Wouldst thou not willingly haue given him drink if thou hadst hard him call for it? wouldst thou not as willingly, at least, haue hazarded thy life to fetch thy thirsty saviour drink, as those three Valiants went to fetch david drink of the cistern of Bethlem? 
2. Reg. 23.  But there is no body to give thy saviour drink. His Mother and loving Disciple, and his conuertite mary Magdalen hearing him cry, I thirst, would with their blood haue bought him water, if they could. The Iewes could haue given him water, but they gave him vinegar to increase his torment, not to diminish it. O sweet saviour, beggars call, for bread& drink, and are heard; thou the Lord of all, callest for drink, and none will give thee any.  
But why, o B. saviour, dost thou cry to others for drink? Is it not thou, who givest meate and drink to all living creatures? dost not thou rain on the just and unjust? Are not the Seas, riuers, and fountains thy Cellars? Why dost thou not then provide drink for thyself, 
Exo. 17.  who givest drink to all living creatures. Thou, who by striking the rock, fetchedst out water in the desert for thy People, couldst haue made water issue as well out of the cross to quench thy thirst, but thou wouldest suffer this also for vs.  
O ungrateful Iewes, he fed you in the desert abundantly with quails and manna, and gave you to drink water out of a rock even to your fill; and can not you find in your hearts to give him so much as one cup of water? 
Iud. 3.  samson being thirsty cried, en siti morior: Behold I die for thirst, and miraculously water flowed out of the Iaw-bone of an ass to refresh him. The seruant of Abraham wanting water, Rebecca gave water both to him and his Camels: 
Gen. 24.  but you, o ungrateful Iewes, deny water to Christ the God of Abraham, 
Mat. 25.  though he crieth, Sitio, I thirst. When Christ therefore at the last day shall condemn the reprobat, because when he was thirsty in the poor, his members, they gave him no drink, what can you say for yourselves? will you say, as they did, when did we see thee a thirst, and did not minister drink unto thee? if you do, he will reply to your confusion, when I was a thirst on the cross and cried Sitio, I thirst, you denied me drink, even in mine own person.  
O ye rich, who abound in all wealth, when the poor demand of you an alms, be it money, bread, or drink deny them not, as the Iewes deny your saviour, but think you hear him cry Sitio, I thirst; think that in relieving them you relieve him, and in not relieving them you deny relief to him; for he said, 
Mat. 25.  as long as you did it not to one of these lesser( to wit the poor) neither did you it to me.  
Besides this corporal thirst, which Christ suffered for us, he had a spiritual thirst of his soul, greater then that; which was a vehement desire, by which he thirsted after the honour and glory of his eternal Father, after the conversion of the Iewes and even those that crucified him, and therefore he desired his Father to forgive them: He thirsted after the conversion of all sinners in general, yea after the conversion of all sinners in particular, yea( o my soul) he thirsted after thy conversion, he thirsted also so much after death which was our Redemption, as though he thought every moment an hour, 
Phil. 2.  till he dyed. Sitio, I thirst; I haue suffered most cruel torments for man, and now, o eternal Father, I am ready to die to obey thee. And though now this my life faileth me, yet so I thirst after mans salvation, that this cup and chalice of my Passion, can not extinguish it, but I could be content to hang still on the cross in these and greater pains, yea to suffer death again and again, if it were necessary for my Fathers glory and mans redemption.  
O how great was the thirst of this loving saviour: he came into this world thirsty, for he was incarnat and became man out of a thirst and vehement desire of our Redemption, and all his life he thirsted for our salvation, and out of that thirst traversed the Iewes country, preached, and taught in their villages, towns, Castles, Synagogues, wrought miracles, gave good instructious and examples, and now being to go out of the world he thirsteth, and more now then ever before; for this thirst being a vehement desire of our salvation and this desire being grounded in love( for, that we love we desire) as at the end of his life according to S. John, he loved us most, so he then desired most,& thirsted most after our salvation.  
O sinners hearken unto this cry of Christ, Sitio, I thirst? he was dry corporally, and so according to flesh and blood he desired corporal drink; and the Iewes were so cruel that they would not give it; but he was more dry spiritually, because he desired more the sinners conversion then all the wines or waters in the world. O sinners how deaf are you if you hear not this his cry, Sitio, I thirst? How cruel to him, and to yourselves, if hearing him cry that he thirsteth after your conversion, you give him not this drink which he so much thirsteth after? And yet how often do sinners, how often dost thou( o my soul) deny Christ this drink of thy conversion which he so much thirsteth after? o my soul hearken to his inspirations by which he crieth for the water of thy salvation. O deny him not this drink, refrigerat his thirst, o cool him, o recreate him with this so much desired drink, more grateful to him then the most delicate wines in the world.  
Priests, Pastours& Preachers should especially haue this thirst of the conversion of souls; that should be their drink which they should thirst after. And yet how many Pastours thirst more after ecclesiastical dignities and livings then after the Good of souls; contrary to our B. saviour, who contemned the riches and honours of the world, and onely thirsted after his eternal Fathers glory, and the good of souls: for that he came into the world; for that he lived above thirty three yeares in the world; for that he dyed to the world.  
O Christians, thirst not after honours, or riches, or carnal pleasures; those things will never content you, never extinguish your thirst; but the more you haue of them, the more still you shall desire them. Imitate the royal Prophet david, who saith of himself, even as the hart desireth after the fountains 
Psal. 41.  of water, so doth my soul desire after thee o God: for as the hart after a course, being hot and thirsty, flieth to the fountains, so a penitent sinner set on an heat with the love of God, thirsteth after him, after the fountain of living water. O Sinners thirst after the waters of contrition; they will extinguish the thirst and drought of your souls caused by sin; thirst after the water of grace, to which Christ inviteth you, 
jo. 7.  saying: Si quis sitit, veniat ad me& bibat: If any man thirst let him come to me and drink. And what drink wilt thou give o B. saviour? He  told the Samaritan woman that he that drinketh of the water which she came to draw should thirst again, 
jo. 4.  But he that drinketh of the drink that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever: But the water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water springing up to life everlasting. That is, he who drinketh of the water, which the world offereth, to wit the water of temporal honour, temporal riches, carnal peasures, shall thirst again; but he that drinketh of the water of grace, and vomiteth it not up again by mortal sin, shall never thirst again, because this water is a fountain springing to life everlasting where we shall never thirst again.  
O my soul cry to thy saviour with the Samatitan woemā, Lord give me this water, 
joan.  that I may not thirst by the merites of thy corporal& spiritual thirst, I desire thee, o Lord, to give me to drink of thy grace even to the last moment of my life, for then I shall drink of the river of thy glory, which is the river which maketh joyful the city of God, 
Ps. 45.  to wit, heaven, of which the Blessed Angells and Saints in heaven do drink their fill of all heavenly bliss, and felicity; and this river is the clear vision whith quencheth and quiter extinguisheth their thirst, because it proposeth unto thē God his own self, his divine essence, his goodness, wisdom, mercy, and all his divine perfections, which being seen clearly, do extinguish in the Blessed all thirst, all desire of any thing but God, or for God; which so replenisheth them with bliss, and not for a time only, but for all eternity, that they cry, sufficit, enough, Lord, enough: for seeing that by clear vision and fruition they possess thee who art all in all, in whom is all pleasure, beauty, bounty, goodness, perfection, as in the fountain, they can haue no more, they can desire no more.  
O sweet Iesus by virtue of the thirst both corporal and spiritual which thou sufferdst on the cross for me, admit me to drink of this water, of this fountain of all bliss. Thou inuitest all by thy Prophet isaiah saying: 
Isa. 53.  Omnes sitientes venite ad aquas, ò all you that thirst come to the waters. O Lord, I haue heretofore left thee the fountain of living water, 
Hier. 21.  and I haue sought for water in thy creatures, to extinguish my thirst, and to content my soul, but they were Cisternae dissipatae, broken Cisterns, which did not contain water, which satisfieth, because the more I drink of those waters, which the creatures afford, the more I thirsted, wherefore now I return to thee,& desire that I may drink of the living water. which the clear vision affordeth. Thou inuitest me, o Lord, how then canst thou repelle me? thou hast bought this water for me by the thirst thou sufferedst on the cross, how canst thou deny it? Let me haue it then, o Lord, let me haue it that water of eternal bliss which only can extinguish my thirst: that only can satisfy mine infinite appetite; if I haue not that, I haue nothing though I had all the world can afford, because to that the whole world is nothing, it is not a drop to that Sea, and if I haue that I haue all, because I haue thee the fountain of all bliss, and who art all in all.   

THE SIXTH WORD OR BRANCH, Consummatum est. joan. 19. It is consummate.  

Dan. 9.  THE seuentie weekes of yeares after which daniel the Prophet telleth that Christ, shall come, and shall be slain, his People denying him, are consummate. The Prophecies that ran on me, and foretold my Conception, nativity in Bethleem, my life, passion and death, and my sacrificing on the cross are consummate; the figures of the old Law, which did prefigurate me are all fulfilled in me,& are consummate: my task of Preaching to the People imposed on me by my Fathers commandment is finished, performed and consummate: the price of mans Redemption, which I was to pay by my death, is now payed, and mans Redemption consummate: the malice of the Iewes, the power, which was permitted to Pilat over me, are at an end& consummate, because they haue done all they can against me; the Deluge of my Passion is ceased; my glass is almost quiter run out, my thread is almost quiter spun, my life draws to an end,& I, whose yeares are eternity, which hath neither biginning nor ending, as I began( as man) to live, so now as man I die, and cease to live, and make an end of a mortal life, to begin within three dayes an immortal life, which hath no end. consummatum est: it is consummate, all things in me or belonging to me, as I am a mortal man, are consummate and haue an end in me, and I must end this mortal life with them. It must be true which david saith; 
Psa. 118.  omnis consummationis vidi finem, of all consummation I haue seen the end.  
O my soul, learn by this thy saviours example, to accomplish and fulfil all good purposes& intentions, to consummate and perfect all good works begun. To begin well is a small thing unless thou go forward to the end. Hell is full of good beginners, heaven onely admitteth those that persever to the end. To resist temptations of the world, flesh and devill for a while, to do good works for a time, to fight manfully against thy spiritual enemies for a time, and after to give over, and not to continue to the end, doth little avail thee to heaven; for if once thou give over, all that thou hast done is lost, for as God saith by his Prophet: If the just man shall turn away himself from his iustice and do iniquity &c. 
Eze. 18.  All his iustices which he had done shall not be remembered.  
O my soul! If thou wilt work to the purpose, thou must not only lay thy hand on the plough, 
luke. 9.  but thou must go on with thy work; if thou wilt get perfection in virtue, thou must not give over till thou hast gotten it; if thou wilt overcome the devill, world and flesh, thou must not wrestle with them for a time, thou must not strike a blow or two, and then cast away thy weapons; If thou wilt come to heaven, thou must not only begin thy journey, but thou must persever, because he that persevereth shall be saved: other virtues may begin, perseverance onely makes an end; other virtues may fight, perseverance onely getteth the victory.  
They who begin, but do not consummate, are like to those trees which bud, but never bear fruit, or if they do, they are like the figs in could countries which never are ripe; they are like to those woemē, who conceive, but never bring forth children; their good works and virtues are like to corn, which for a time is green, but after is blasted; they are like to chickens killed in the shell; they are like to apple, which are rotten before they be ripe. And therefore, o my soul, fulfil thy good purposes and intentions, perfect and consummate thy good works, which thou hast begun: And as thou hast begun to serve God, so continue, as thou hast begun thy journey to heaven, so go on till thou comest thether; then all will be Consummate. temptations of the world, flesh and devill will cease, difficulties in the way of virtue will be overcome, adversities and afflictions will be at an end, all danger of sinning will be past, all thy labours will be ended, and the time of receiving thy reward will begin. This life will be consummate, and everlasting life will begin, and never haue an end.   

THE SEVENTH WORD OR BRANCH. Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum. luke. 23. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. luke. 23.  
our Blessed saviour finding no rest on earth, no charity amongst th' ungrateful Iewes, resolveth to return to heaven, from whence he was descended; but before commendeth his spirit and soul to his eternal Father. As if he had said with the prodigal son: How many of my Fathers seruants in heaven do abound in all felicity and are satiated with the Nectar and Ambrosia not of the false Gods, but of the Blessed in heaven; 
luke. 15.02.19.  and I here perish for famine and thirst. And though I cry that I thirst, yet I can not get so much as a cup of water. I will therefore return to my Father, who I know will receive me with all love, and will not permit me to want. And so leaving the world, I commend myself to heaven; leaving men, and not confiding in them, I commend my soul to God my Father.  
Yet I will do as jacob did, I will divide my substance, I will sand my spirit and soul before, 
Gen. 32.  my body shall follow three dayes after. Yea I will do as Noë did, who sailing in that great deluge, 
Gen. 8.  sent a dove out of the ark, to see if the waters were ceased, which returned, carrying a bough of an olive three in her mouth; By which Noë gathered that the furious waves of the Deluge were appeased; for so will I, the true Noë, of whom he was a figure( the waves of my Passion not as yet quiter allayed) sand out of the ark of my body the white dove of my blessed soul, but will commend her to my eternal Father, that she may return to the ark of my body, with the green bough of immortality, by which my body may be resuscitated to an immortal life, never to suffer or die again.  
We use to commend those things which we esteem, to sure custody; and so Christ having commended his Sacred Mother to S. John, and him to her, commendeth now his soul the most precious, most Sacred, and most holy of all the souls of men, unto his Father, in whose hands nothing perisheth, all things are conserved.  
In the old law there were two lambs offered every day in sacrifice, the one in the morning, the other in the evening. And that was called the morning sacrifice, this the evening. Christ therefore, who is the Lamb of God, 
joan 1.  that taketh away the sins of she world, offered himself to his eternal Father in the morning, and beginning of his life, in the stable,& on the Altar of the crib, for even then he had use of reason, and now again in the evening and end of his life he offereth himself on the cross to his eternal Father, saying: Father into thy hands I commend my spirit. 
luke 23.   
As if he had said, Father I commend my Spirit, into the hands of thy charity, that by it's leaving my body( in which consisteth my death) man may be redeemed I commend my spirit into the hands of thy power, that it may give life again to my now dying body; commend my spirit into the hands of thy mercy, that it may visit the souls detained in Limbus; I commend my spirit into the hands of thy will, that, as it hath loved, served, honoured,& obeied thee in this life even to death, so it may ever hereafter love, and honour thee for all eternity; and no doubt with his own soul and spirit he also commended ours.  
And as the evangelist saith, Crying with aloud voice, he thus commended his Spirit, to show that even then he had power over death, who immediately before his death, could cry so Loud; to show that he desired that heaven, and Earth, yea and Hell also should know that he gave his life for mans redemption; to signify unto us that at that time especially, at that moment, on which dependeth our making or marring, on which dependeth eternity of salvation or damnation, we should commend ourselves ●o God through his sons merites, ●at at that time especially we should commend ourselves to God, with a loud voice, and cry of heart, that is with strongest faith, with firmest hope, with most ardent love of God and charity, with greatest sorrow for our sins, with greatest contempt of the world, with greatest desire of heaven, and of the sight of God, and his Angels and Saints, saying with heart and tongue, and if we can not with tongue at least with heart, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, my soul, my salvation, that I may live and reign with thee in all heavenly bliss, for all eternity; my soul is thine by creation and redemption, I received it from thee, I render it unto thee again,& I beseech thee to receive it for all eternity, that it may honour thee, praise thee, bless thee, and enjoy thee for all eternity. Amen.   
FINIS.