386 [* Ej] if my heart were of so much value as all the hearts LORD, I FREELY GIVE THEE MY HEART. to defire, which arte fo excelent, if my poore harte were of fo much value as all the hartes of men and of men and women weomen that euer were, if they were put togither in one, that ever were, put together in one, if it were precious as all orders of angels, yet it were but a little gift to so great a Lord; and wretched as it is now. Still, as Thy goodness doth ask Thee, & if it were as precious & noble as there is price and but it is naughty rather my loue and hart as it is now naughtie, wretched, 10 praying that I may ever avoid [* Ej, back] from it all other contrary love. Conclusion. These considera- make your 'reli- The finall conclufion of all. N 20 Ow then good Sifter, I trust that these con- Chrift. Iefu, and that loue once established in you, all the other points and ceremonies of your religion fhall bée eafie vnto you, and no whit painefull, you fhall then comfortriblie doe euerie thing that to 30 good religion appertayneth, without any great wearyneffe. Neuertheleffe if it fo fortune that you at any quicken it by the tyme begin to féele any dulneffe of mynde, quicken it again by the meditation of death, which I fend you here before, or els by fome effectuall prayer, earnestly 35 If ever you feel dulness of mind, meditation of death which I send you, or by prayer. PRAYERS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK. calling for helpe & fuccour vpon the moft fwéete Iefu, thinking as it is in déed, that is your neceffitie, & that no where els you can haue any helpe but of him. And if you will vse these fhort prayers following, for euerie 5 day in the weeke one, I thinke it fhall be vnto you profitable. For thus you may in your hart fhortly pray what companie fo euer you be amongeft. The Prayers be these. O bleffed Iefu make me to loue thée intierlie. 10 O bleffed Iefu I would fayne, but without thy helpe I can not. O bleffed Iefu let me déeply confider the greatneffe of thy loue towards mée. O bleffed Iefu giue vnto mée grace hartilie to thanke 15 thée for thy benifites. O bleffed Iefu giue me good will to ferue thée, and to fuffer. O fwéete Iefu giue me a natural remembraunce of thy paffion. 20 O fwéete Iefu poffeffe my hart, holde and kéepe it onelie to thée. 25 30 35 T Hefe fhort praiers if you will often faye, and with all the power of your foule & harte, they fhall merueylouflie kindle in you this loue, fo that it fhal be alwaye feruent and quicke, which is my especiall defire to knowe in you. nothyng may be to my comfort more then to heare of your furtheraunce and profiting in God & in good religion, the which our bleffed Lorde graunte you for hys great mercie. Amen. FINIS. the For [* E ij] 387 Short prayers, one for every day in the week, to be used in any company. [* E ij, back] These prayers often said with all your soul and heart will kindle in you the love of God. Nothing may be more to my comfort than to hear of your furtherance in good religion. 388 SERMON ON THE PASSION. [* E iij] Lamentationes, carmen, et vae. A Sermon verie fruit full, godly, and learned, vpon thys fentence of the Prophet Ezechiell, Lamentationes, Carmen, et væ, very aptely applyed vnto the paffion of Chrift: Preached vpon a good Friday, by the fame Iohn Fif her, Bishop of Roche fter. 5 Eze. 2. Ezechiel saw a book written within and without: lamentation, song, and woe. In his mouth it was sweet as honey. Eze. 3. To us this book may be the cruci[* E iij, back] fix. 'Meruayling' was the cause why philosophers came to their great knowledge. Beholding earthquakes, light nings, blasing stars, eclipses, He Prophet Ezechyell telleth that hée fawe a T booke fpread before him, the which was written 10 both within and without, & there was written alfo in it, Lamentationes, Carmen, et væ, that is to fay, lamentation, fonge, & woe. This was a wonderfull booke, and much to be merueiled vpon. Much comfortable knowledge and 15 fwéetneffe this Prophette gate by this booke, (as he faith in the Chapter next enfuing factum eft in ore meo ficut mell1 dulce, thys booke was in my mouth as fwéete as honye. This booke to our purpofe may bée taken vnto vs, the Crucifixe, the which doubtleffe is a 20 merueylous booke, as wée fhall fhewe héereafter. In the which if wée doe exercife our admiration, wée fhall come to wonderfull knowledge. Meruayling was the caufe, why that the Philofophers came to fo greate knowledge, as they had. They behelde and fawe 25 many wonderfull thynges, and effectes in thys worlde, as the marueylous earthquakes, Thunders, lightnings, Snow, Rayne, & Frostes, blafinng 2 Starres, the Eclipfes PHILOSOPHY BEGINS IN WONDER. aboue 389 they searched for the causes of these effects, and phy natural. came to philoso A philosophy above nature is And also gotten with marvelling, and And this is the philo sophy of Christian a of the Sunne and of the Moone, and fuche other effectes. And those marueylous wonders moued them to fearch for the caufes of the fame. And fo by dyligent fearche and inquifition, they came to great knowledge and cun5 ning, which cunnyng men call Philofophie naturall. But there is another higher Philofophie which is nature, which is alfo gotten with marueyling. this is the verye Philofophie of Chriftian people. doubtleffe amongeft all other things concerning 10 Chriftian man, it is a thyng muche marueylous, and moft 'wonderfull, that the fonne of God, for the loue that he had vnto the foule of man, woulde fuffer hym felfe to bée crucified, and fo to take vpon him that most vyllanous death vpon the Croffe. Of thys the Prophet 15 Abacuck fayeth. Admiramini et obftupefcite, quia opus factum eft in diebus veftris, quod nemo credet quum narrabitur, marueyle, and wonder you, for a worke is done in your dayes, which when it shall bée fhewed, no man will beleéue. 20 Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he whych is moft to bée dreade and feared, would be in fo much feare, that for verie feare and dreade of payne hée had to fuffer, he fwet water and bloud. Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he that was moft 25 inestimable in price, and moft precyous, woulde fuffer hys bodie to bée folde for fo little a pryce, as for the value of thyrtye pence? Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that hée that is the Lorde of heauen and earth, and all other creatures, 30 'would fuffer him felfe to be bound of thofe vyllaynes wyth ropes lyke a théefe? people. fo He who hath so be suffered Himself Is it not a wonderfull thing that he that hath great might and power, would fuffer him felfe to taken of his cruell & mortall enimyes, and fo led vnto 35 all these paynes? Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that hée that is the great power, 390 MARVELS OF CHRIST'S PASSION. The Judge of all Iudge of all the worlde, woulde thus wrongfullye he wrongfully judged. The Allwise mocked as a fool. The Almighty fell under the burden of the cross. The Lord of angels spitted and bobbed of a sort of lorrelles. The King of glory thorns. He that gives life to all died a sorrowful death. The Lord of liberty nailed hand and foot to the cross. Who list to muse of this book (the crucifix) shall coine to more than many which daily study common books. iudged? Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that hée that had in hym all wifedome, would thus bée mocked and reputed as a foole? 5 Is it not a wonderfull thing, that he that is fo ftrong & mightie, would be made fo weake, and féeble, that he fell vnder the wayght and burthen of the Croffe? Is it not a wonderfull thing, that hée that is the Lord of Angels, would be fpytted and bobbed of a forte 10 of Lorrelles in that mofte difpytefull maner? Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he that is the Kyng of euerlaftyng 'glorie would fuffer his head in mockerie to be crowned with thornes! Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he that giueth lyfe 15 to euery creature, would fuffer this moft fhamefull, forowfull, and fo painfull death? Is it not a wonderfull thing, that he that is the Lord, and Aucthor of all libertie, would thus be bounde with ropes, and nayled hand and foote vnto the Croffe? 20 Thus who that lift with a méeke harte, and a true fayth, to mufe and to maruayle of this moft wonderfull fruitful knowledge booke (I fay of the Crucifixe) hée fhall come to more fruitefull knowledge, then many other which dayly studie vpon their common bookes. This booke may 25 fuffice for the ftudie of a true chriftian man, all the dayes of his life. In this boke he may finde all things necessary for the that be neceffarie to the health of his foule. Sainct Fraunces coulde paffe hys time with this booke, & was neuer wery thereof, and his great studie was in the 30 the words: Quis compaffe of a fewe wordes. Quis tu, et quis ego domine. That is to fay, who arte thou Lord, and who am I. "Thys thought alway dyd run from hym felfe to Chrift: And agayne, from Chrift vnto hym felfe. This book con tains all that is health of the soul. St Francis was never weary of this book and of Tu, et quis ego, [* E v, back] And fo euer he meruayled of the moft excelent 35 |