Chapter 113

Wherein is prosecuted, the way that we are to take in beholding of Christ; and how he is beautiful in all things; and that those things, which in our Lord seem ugly, to the eyes of flesh & blood (such as are troubles, and torments) be of great beauty.

IF thou know how to make the right use of that which hath been said, thou wilt employ all thy intention, in beholding this Lord of ours, with thy spiritual eyes; & thou wilt find it to be of more profit to thee, then if thou didst see him, with the only eyes, of flesh and blood. For to these eyes, Christ was made deformed; but in the eyes of faith, he was full of beauty. Isay saith, That, to the eyes of the body, his face was, as if it had been hidden; but¹ nothing is hidden, from the eyes of faith; but like the eyes of a Leopard (which looketh as it were through walls) they pass through all exterior impediments; and striking in, they find divine strength, under that humane weakness; and under contempt and dishonour, they find beauty with glory. So that the words which Isay said. We saw him, and he had no beauty, were spoken in the person of such, as beheld him, with the only eyes, of their body.

But thou, O Virgin, take in thy hand, the light of faith, and look further in; and thou wilt perceive, that he who comes forth, in likeness of a sinner, is both just, and a justifier of sinners; and that he, who is murdered, hath in him the innocency of a lamb. And he that hath his, face all discoloured, is of himself most beautiful; and did but dress himself so, for the making of them beautiful, who were deformed. And² how much the more, the spouse doth suffer, and abase himself for his fellow-spouse; so much the more is she to exalt him; and how much the more he cometh wounded, and steeped, as it were, in sweat & blood; so much the more beautiful is he, in her eyes; considering the love wherewith he resolved to suffer those afflictions for her. And in fine, it is clear, that if we ponder the cause, why Christ took upon him this deformity, so much the more beautiful will he seem to be, as he shall seem to be more deformed.

Tell³ me therefore now, if the first condition of beauty, were hidden in him; when being rich, and abundant, he abased himself, to the want of many things; what cause can be assigned thereof, but that he did it to prevent every want of ours. And⁴ if he grew to seem unlike the image of his beautiful Father; it was for no other reason, but because the Father, resolved not to give us beauty, but by the sons taking upon him, our deformity. And⁵ if the third condition, which is light or heat, did hide itself from that sacred face, which was obscured, and mortified; and those bright shining eyes were darkened, when he was dying, and after he was dead; why was it, but to give light, & to put a lively colour upon our obscurities. According to that which himself figured, when, of spittle (which signified himself, as God; and of earth which signified his humanity) he made dirt (which signified his contumelious passion) and so the blind man (who signified, mankind) received sight? And⁶ if, when he made himself man, and that, the most abased of men, he hide the fourth condition of beauty, which is to be great; why was it, but to make his greatness stick to us, by conforming himself to our littleness, as it was figured, in the great⁷ Elizaeus. Who, to revive the little boy, that was dead, did shrink up into the making of himself, a just measure, for the other; and so he restored him, to life? For, if as Saint Augustine saith, by loving of God, we are made beautiful, it is clear that we are made more beautiful, by acts of greater love. Now wherein did Christ Jesus, so much show the love which he carried to his Father, as in suffering for his honour, as himself hath said; That the world may know, that I love the Father: rise up, let us go hence. But whither went he? It is evident, that he went to suffer. And⁸ therefore, since so much the better as a work is, so much is it the more beautiful (for good is fair; & bad is foul) it is plain, that the more Christ suffered, so much the better was his work. And therefore, the more abased, and deformed he seemed; the more beautiful he is, in the eyes of such as know him. For he was not obliged to what he suffered, but he endured it for the honour of his Father, and for the good of us.

These, are then the eyes, wherewith thou art ever to Behold this man, that he may ever seem beautiful to thee, as indeed he is. As also, to the end, that Pilate may know in hell, (where he now remains) that God doth give a kind of eyes to Christians, wherewith (they, looking upon Christ) he appeareth so much the more beautiful to them, as he endeavoured to deform him. And now hear, how all this is said by⁹ S. Augustine. Let us love Christ; and if we find any thing in him, that is deformed, (though he found many deformities in us, (and yet us he loved) but still I say, if we find any thing deformed in him, let us not love him. For whereas he was appareled with flesh, for which it is said of him, We saw him, and he had no beauty; if thou consider the mercy, wherewith he became man, he will then appear beautiful in thine eye. For that which Isay¹⁰ said, we saw him, and he had no beauty; he said, in the person of the jews. But why did they see him without beauty? because they saw him not, with understanding; But they who understand, that the Word is made man, do hold it for a high point of beauty. And so it was said by one of the¹¹ friends of the spouse, I glory in nothing but in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Doth it seem a small matter to thee, O Paul, that thou, art not ashamed of the dishonours of Christ, but that further, thou wilt needs glory in them? But yet again, why had Christ no beauty? Because Christ crucified, is a scandal to the jews, and seemeth folly, to the unbelieved Gentills. But now, on the other side, How can Christ be said to have had any beauty, upon the Cross? How, but because the things of God¹² which seem folly, are more full of wisdom, than the wisdom itself, of all mankind. And the things of God, which seem weak, are more strong, than the strength, of all mankind. And since this is true, let Christ thy spouse appear beautiful in thine eye, since God is beautiful, and that he is the Word of his Father. Beautiful he also was, in the womb of his mother, where he took his Humanity without loss of his Divinity. Beautiful, was the Word, when he was borne an infant; for although he were an infant that spoke not; yet even whilst he sucked, and when he was carried, in his Mother's arms; the heavens did speak; the Angels sung his praises; the star lead on the three wise Kings; and he was adored by them in the manger, where he was laid, as the food¹³ of innocent, and quiet beasts. Beautiful then, he is in heaven; Beautiful, upon earth; Beautiful, in the womb of his Mother; Beautiful, in her arms; Beautiful, in miracles; Beautiful, in those scourges; Beautiful, when he inviteth us to life; Beautiful, in despising of death; Beautiful, in leaving his soul, when he expired; Beautiful, when he took it again in his resurrection; Beautiful, in the Cross, and Beautiful in the sepulchre; Beautiful, in heaven; and Beautiful, in the understanding of man, on earth. He is in fine the true, and sovereign Beauty, and justice. All this S. Augustine saith.

And certainly, if thou wilt behold Christ our Lord, with such eyes as these, he will not seem deformed to thee; as he did, to those carnal persons, who put reproach upon him, in the passion. But as it happened to the holy Apostles, who¹⁴ beheld him in Mount Thabor, his face will seem to thee, as bright as the Sun; and his garments, as white as the snow; yea so white, as S. Mark recordeth, That no earthly Dyer, could have raised them, to such a height of whiteness. Which signifieth, that we, who are the¹⁵ garments of Christ (because we go round about him (and because we adorn him, by believing and loving & praising him) are so whitened by him, as that no man on earth, could have given us that beauty of grace, & justice, which he gave us. Let him seem to thee, as a Sun; and the souls redeemed by him, to be white as snow. Those souls I say, which confessing, and with grief abhorring, their own deformity, desire to be beautified in this¹⁶ Piscina, or Poole, of the blood of our Saviour; from whence they issue out, so beautiful, so just, and so rich, through the grace and other gifts which they receive by him, that they are able to enamour, even the very eyes of God. So that these words aforesaid, may be sung, with great joy, and much truth, The King will desire thy beau●●ty. FINIS.

THE TABLE OF CHAPTERS, Contained in this Cabinet.

Footnotes

1. How clear and piercing are the eyes of Faith. ↩

2. There is nothing that ought so to enamour a soul upon the beauty of christ out Lord, as to consider, that our sins and his love, did cause his deformity. ↩

3. The four conditions of beauty recapitulated. The first. ↩

4. The second. ↩

5. The third. ↩

6. The fourth condition of beauty. ↩

7. 4. Reg. 4.
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8. This is excellently, & most truly inferred. ↩

9. S. Augustine was able to say this and more, for in another place he affirmeth of himself that God had shot his hart quite through, with the love of him. ↩

10. Isa. ●1. ↩

11. The great S. Paul. ↩

12. God is infinite in all things. ↩

13. Men who have mortified affections; and to such our Lord becometh food, after an admittable manner. It is S. Augustine who speaketh thus. ↩

14. Luc. 9 ↩

15. A noble and comfortable application, of that place of Scripture. ↩

16. The precious blood of our Lord jesus, is that only true Piscina, which is able to recover us out of all diseases. ↩