Chapter 108

That Christ our Lord, taketh away the deformity of the soul, by his blood; and that it was convenient, that rather the Son, should become man, then either the Father, or the holy Ghost; and of the great force of the blood of Christ our Lord.

CONSIDER then, how deformed the spot is, which sin doth cause; and how fare we are to fly from it; since being once received, into the soul, it could neither be washed away by the shedding of so much blood, as was offered in the Temple, by the commandment of God himself; nor could all the force of man, arrive unto it. And if that, beautiful, and dear¹ Word of God, had not come down to beautify us, the deformity of sin, would for ever have remained in us. But that lamb, without spot, coming down, he had the power, and he had the way, and he had the will, to put away these spots; & he destroyed our deformity, and he endued us with beauty.

And to the end that thou mayest see, with how much conveniency the Son of God, rather than God the Father, or the holy Ghost was to be he, that should beautify our deformed souls with his blood; Consider, that as Eternity is attributed to the Father, and Love to the holy Ghost; so, to the Son of God, as God, is attributed Beauty; because he is most² perfect, and without the least defect; and he is the³ image of the Father, as S. Paul⁴ saith; and so lively an one, that in regard he is engendered, by way of the understanding, he is, to all purposes, as his Father; who gave him the same essence that himself hath; in such sort, as that he,⁵ who seethe him, seethe the Father, as the holy gospel saith. Now by reason of this proportion, between the Son, and the Father, which is so absolute; most justly, is beauty ascribed to him, since the image is taken, in so lively a manner, out of the original.

Light⁶ is not wanting to him; for he is called the word, which is a thing engendered by the understanding; and in that understanding, as S. John⁷ saith, which was true light. Greatness is not⁸ wanting to him; since he is infinitely immense; and therefore was it convenient, that this beautiful God, by whom we were made when we were not, should come to restore us when we were lost; and who, apparaylling himself with our flesh, should take upon him, the resemblance of our deformity; and so impart to us, the excellency of his own beauty. And although, neither our being punished, or spoken fair, was able to free us, from our spots; yet was the value so great of the punishing of that beautiful person, that the sharp salpetre of his passion, falling upon his shoulders, there distilled down upon us, the sweet dew of his whiteness. And howsoever God doth say, to the sinner, Although⁹ thou wash thyself with salpetre, & with the Fuller's herb, thou shalt not be clean; yet telling us, that he would send a remedy, against this spot, he saith, in another place, If thy sins, be as red as scarlet, they shallbe made white like snow; and if they shallbe as red as blood, they shall become white like will.

Very truly well, did David believe this, when he¹⁰ said; Thou shalt sprinkle me, O Lord, with¹¹ hyssop, and I shallbe clean; thou shalt wash me, and I shall become more white than snow. Hyssop is a little herb, and somewhat hot, and hath the property to purge the lungs, whereby we breathe. This herb they brought to a wand of Cedar, & they tied it thereunto, with a string of crimson, double died. And so being bound together, they called it that Hyssop, wherewith, (when first it had been steeped in blood, and water; and then with water, and ashes) they sprinkled both leprous persons; and such as had touched any dead body; and thereupon they were held for clean. Full well knew David, that neither the herb, nor the Cedar, nor the blood of birds or beasts, nor yet water or ashes, could give any cleanness, to the soul; although it were figured by them. And therefore, he desired not God, that he would take into his hand, a branch of Hyssop, & sprinkle him with it; but¹² he saith so, in respect of the humanity, and humility of Jesus Christ our Lord, which is called an herb, because it grew from the earth of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and because he was begotten, without the help of man, as the flower springeth in the field, which is neither ploughed, nor sowed. For this it is, that he saith, I am¹³ the flower of the field. And this her be is called little, for the meanness which he took upon himself in the world; so far forth, as to say, A¹⁴ worm I am, and no man; the dishonour of men, and the very outcast of the people.

This¹⁵ humbled flesh of our Lord, is such a remedy, against the puff of our foolish pride; as that it may be cured, by this so great humility; since there is no colour, for a worm, to exalt itself, when the King of Majesty is so abased. And forget not, that Hyssop is hot. For Christ, by the fire of that love, which was burning in the roots of his hart; was pleased to abase himself, to purge us; thereby to make us know, that if he who was so high did abase himself, how much reason there is, why we (who have so true cause to abase ourselves) should not, by ourselves, be exalted. And if God be humble, how much more should a man be so.

This¹⁶ flesh, so full of true physic, was then put to the stick of a Cedar, when it was placed upon the cross; & tied by that delicate third of wool, twice died. For, although the nails which fastened thereunto his hands, and feet, were hard, and great, and long enough; yet, if the third of his ardent love had not fastened him to that cross; and unless he had been willing, to deliver up his life, for the kill of our death; those nails, would not have been strong enough, for such a business. So that, it was not they, but the love he bore us, that held him there. And¹⁷ this love carried a double aspect, as crimson which is double died: for he suffered, that which he suffered, to satisfy for the honour of his father, who was offended by our sins; and for the love of sinners, who were lost thereby.

Footnotes

1. Christ our Lord. ↩

2. The first quality of Beauty. ↩

3. The second quality of Beauty. ↩

4. Heb. 1. ↩

5. joan. 14. ↩

6. The third quality, of Beauty. ↩

7. joan. 1. ↩

8. The fourth quality of beauty. ↩

9. Hier. 12. ↩

10. Ps. 50. ↩

11. The inward meaning of this place, delivered. ↩

12. That hyssop was a figure of the humility and Passion of Christ our Lord. ↩

13. Can. 2. ↩

14. Psal. 21. ↩

15. The passion of our Lord is the only sovereign cure of pride. ↩

16. Of our Lord jesus. ↩

17. The double aspect which was carried by the love of our Lord; the reparation of God's honour; and the remission of man's sin. ↩