Chapter 78

That the most excellent thing which we are to meditate and imitate, in the passion of our Lord, is the love where with he offered himself to the Eternal Father.

AFTER having entered into the first exterior part of the Temple, of this true Solomon; which is, to consider Christ, in the exterior man; and, after having sacrificed thy disordinate passions, by the knife of the word of God; (which office was executed in that part of the Temple, which was called Holy) it remains (if we mean to proceed in our way) that we procure to enter into the Sancta Sanctorum, the Holy of Holyes, which is a more precious place, and the period of all the rest. If now thou ask me, which is this place;¹ I answer, That it is the hart of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is truly, the Holy, of Holyes. For as he did not content himself to suffer only in the exterior, but with a cordial love; so thou art not to stay, upon the seeing, and imitating that which exteriorly appears; but thou must enter into his hart to behold, & imitate the same. And to the end, that this entry might be more easy for us; and that, which was locked up in his hart, more manifest; he permitted, after he was dead, that (howsoever he then, felt no pain) his hart should be² disclosed; that so, as by an open gate, whereby we might discover a world of admirable mysteries, men might be induced to enter into it; & might be invited, as to a thing wherein they were to behold that strange beauty, which was there contained.

But who is able, with a tongue, to speak thereof, since he that hath entrance thither, and looks upon them, cannot reach to the greatness. And even that which he reacheth, he is not able to express. S. John³ delivereth, in figure of this, that the temple of God was opened, and that the Ark of the Testament, was seen therein; for in the hart of Christ, the law of God is fulfilled; and there, is kept the Manna of celestial bread; and that precious, and complete⁴ sweetening of God, which was signified by that coverture of gold, of the ancient Ark. And all this, in so great excellency, that it far exceedeth the very highest pitch of all our thoughts. David⁵ saith, Many marvels hast thou wrought, O Lord my God, and in those thoughts which thou hadst for my good, there is none like to thee. Marvellous⁶ is all that which God hath done, and more marvellous is all that, which he hath suffered. But yet, if thou consider the thoughts of his⁷ hart (which, even whilst lest he was suffering; did (through his love) think as it were but little of any thing, except the same very love) thou wilt cry out, with a loud cry of thy soul There is none O Lord like to thee. Do thou desire him, O Virgin, when thou shalt see him suffer his hands, and neck to be tied; when thou shalt see him endure buffets, thorns, nails, and death; to do thee the favour to let thee know, why being so strong, and so powerful, he should suffer himself to be treated, as if he were so weak, & without ability of making resistance. To this, S. John⁸ will answer thee in his name; He loved us, and he washed us from our sin, with his blood. Ruminate well upon these words; and lodge them deeply in thy hart; and entertain thyself in thinking, what an admirable and excessive love that is, which burneth so in his hart, as to flame out, by suffering such things in the exterior. Say within thyself; What⁹ person might there be in the world, for whom I, or such an one as I, would endure such miseries; without pretending any proper interest, but only for pure love of that other person; and thou will see, that to suffer all that which our Lord suffered, is not such a kind of thing, as which we may look to find elsewhere; for there would be no forces fit, for so heavy a burden.

To endure some small part of what he endured, might perhaps be found betweens fathers, and sons; brother, and brother; friend, and friend; man and wife; or the like, to whom either necessity, or blood, or friendship, may give strength to suffer, yea and to dye; though this of dying, but very rarely. But to suffer for strangers without any interest of a man's own; without being obliged to it; yea, and to dye; and that for nothing, but for mere love; was a thing never seen. And yet, if it should be seen, that a slave should offer to dye for a King; and that, before his death, he would be scourged, & endure some of the many torments, which our Lord did suffer; it would be such an act of prowess, as that the slave, might deserve a Pardon, although he had committed many faults. And all men would judge, that he had merited many favours, at that King's hands, if he were able to impart any, in the other life. Nor would this famous action departed from the mouths of men, for a long time; yea & the King himself, would recount it, both with much thankfulness, and much tenderness.

But¹⁰ now let us turn the story the other way, and conceive, that the King himself (after having suffered grievous torments and extreme reproach), would needs dye for his slave; from whom he had received no service, but great offences, which deserved a most cruel death; & that the cause of the Kings dying, were the mere nothing but the love, which he bore this slave: This would be a thing never seen, and never heard before; and it would betoken such an excessive kind of love, as would cast them that heard of it, into a horrible kind of amazement; and would furnish matter to men, for publishing the goodness of that King, all the days of their lives. And so admirable, so new, and so sublime a love would this be; that some men, of superficial virtue, and weak understanding, would be scandalised thereat; and would not make such a judgement, of this work, as were convenient, affirming it to be a kind of absurd excess, that the majesty of a King, full of all power and virtue, should so cast away his precious life; to the end that his wicked slave might live, who had most justly deserved death.

And¹¹ if moreover, it were added to this story, that this King were so wise, and so powerful, as that, with much facility, and without suffering the least inconvenience, and without doing the least injustice to any, he could deliver that slave of his, from death; and that yet nevertheless, he would make up his love, into so huge a heap; and would give him to understand, that he were resolved to endure such, and so many miseries, as never any man endured; and all this, for no other reason, but because that so it would be better for the slave; most certain it is, that few eyes would be found in the world, which could be able to behold such a bright sun of burning love as this. And if any man should have so good an apprehension, as to think thereof, as the thing deserved; he would escape well, if he kept his wits, through the excess of admiration, and amazement. And if this would happen, to such as in their own person had not received this benefit from the King, but by the only thinking what he had done for another man; what may be believed, that it would work, in the hart of that very slave, (unless he were frantic) for whom that King, should so, have died. Dost thou not think, that such a knock of love as this, would awake him; would change him; would so entitely captive him, to the love of that King, as that he could never get leave of himself, to conceive his praises, nor think of his merits, but with tears? Nor employ himself upon any other thing, than the expressing of supreme gratitude, and love, by doing, and suffering for him, all that possibly he could?

Hast thou heard this Parable, which in the world did never take effect? Then¹² know; That what the Kings of the earth have not done; that very thing, hath been done by Christ Jesus, the King of heaven. Of whom, S. John¹³ saith, That in his thigh, he carried this title written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. For even, as he is man, & as he hath taken humane nature; (which is signified by the word Thigh) so great is his altitude, as that it surmounteth all Lords, & Kings created; not only them of this world, but¹⁴ also of heaven. Enjoying a Name, which is above all Names; and a height, and power of dominion, above all the highest men, and Angels. Behold this height, which hath no equal; and cast down they eyes, to behold that¹⁵ baseness, for which it suffers. And thou wilt see, as S. Paul saith, That¹⁶ we are weak, and wicked, and traitors against God, and his enemies. Which titles, are of so much dishonour & baseness, as that they cast a man back, and down, into the hindmost place, and into the lowest price, that can be set upon any creature. Since there is nothing so base as to be wicked; nor nothing so wicked, as a sinner is, in respect, that he is such.

Comparing therefore these extremes which are so different; of so high a king, and so wicked slaves; behold now, the much that he loved them. Come¹⁷ hither, into the hart of our Lord; and if thou have the eyes of an Eagle, here in matter for them to work upon. Nay, they will not serve thy turn, to make thee sufficiently see, the brightly burning, & high heaped love, which inhabited that most holy soul; with such extent, and latitude, that although those highest Angels of heaven, for the great power which they have to Love, are called Seraphims, (which signifieth that they are set on fire;) yet if they had come to mount Caluary, at the time, when our Lord did suffer there, his excessive love would have cast them into wonder; in comparison whereof, their own, would have been no more, then mere tepidity.

For, as that most sacred soul, possesseth greater altitude, and honour, then can be had by any other, either in heaven or earth (for as much as, instantly upon the creation thereof, it was united to the person of the Word of God;) so was the Holy Ghost infused into it, beyond all measure; and such degrees of grace, and love were given to it; that neither they could increase, nor could the soul contain more. So that, it is with great reason applied to this most holy soul, which is written, The¹⁸ King did place me, in the cellar of wine; and in me he ordained Charity. Or as we read in another translation, he placed his Ensign, or Banner of love upon me. For, in regard that this soul, as soon as it was created, did clearly see the Divine Essence; and was carried to it, with an unspeakable force of love, the banner of holy love, was planted on it. To give us to understand, that this soul, was the most overcome by love, that ever man, or Angel was, either in Heaven, or on Earth. And¹⁹ because, in the war, of the love of God, he that is most overcome, is most worthy, and most valiant, and most happy; therefore doth this most blessed soul, carry the Ensign of love, which stands upon it. That all they may know who either on Earth, or in Heaven, do pretend to love God, that they must follow the conduct of this Lord, if they mean to do it well; as the disciple would do, his master, or the soldier his captain; since he exceedeth them all in love, as he exceedeth them otherwise, in dominion.

Now, since so great a fire of love was lodged in that most sacred soul; it is²⁰ not strange, if the flame fly out, and scorch, and burn the , which are, his most sacred body, which was loaden with such torments, as give testimony of the interior love. For it is written, Who shallbe able to carry fire in his bosom, and that his garment should not be burnt? And when thou shalt see, that in the exterior, they guide in his hands, with cruel ropes; thou art to understand, that within, he is taken prisoner, by the nets of love, which are so much stronger than those other, as chains of iron are beyond threads of flax. This²¹ love, this was it, which defeated him; which over came him; which took him; which tossed him, from judge to judge; and from the torment of scourges, to the torment of cruel thorns; and which cast the Cross upon him first, and which carried him to Mount Caluary, where he was after, cast upon the Cross.

There stretched he out his arms abroad, to be crucified; in token that his hart had been opened by his love; and that so widely towards all; as that the brightly burning, and puissant beams of love, did sally out from the centre of his hart; and went to determine themselves, upon every²² man in particular; both such as were passed, such as were present, & such as were to come; offering up his life, for the good of them all. And if²³ the high Priest do exteriorly carry the names of the²⁴ twelve Sons of Israel, written both upon his shoulders, and upon his breast; much more excellently, doth this Priest of ours, carry men upon his shoulders, by suffering for men. And he carrieth them also, written in²⁵ his hart; for he doth so cordially love them; that if the first Adam sold them all, for an apple; and if they sell themselves, at a base price; and if so they grow indeed to hate themselves, through the love they have of being wicked; this enamoured Lord, doth so highly prise them, & so much love them; that to redeem them, out of such a miserable captivity, he gave himself as a price for them. In testimony, that he loveth them more, than they are beloved by any other, or then they know, how to love themselves.

Footnotes

1. The precious hart of our Lord jesus, is the Sancta Sanctorn. ↩

2. By the point of a lance. ↩

3. Apoe. 11. ↩

4. By the incarnation & passion of Christ our Lord. ↩

5. Psal. 39 ↩

6. Mark this gradation. ↩

7. O bottomless Abyss, of the lou: of our Lord jesus, to mankind. ↩

8. A●oc. 2. ↩

9. Observe well the gradations of this chapter, which tend towards the making thee all enamoured of our Lord jesus; & it is the top of any thing, that I have seen in this kind. ↩

10. Give great attention. ↩

11. Be still attentive, for these are circumstances of high importance. ↩

12. A miserable man thou art, if this do not movethee to the very soul. ↩

13. Apoc. 19 ↩

14. The celestial spirits. ↩

15. The infinite God, for base and sinful man. ↩

16. Rom. 1. ↩

17. If thou refuse this invitation, thou art undone. ↩

18. Cant. 1. ↩

19. They only conquer, who are captived, by the love of our Lord jesus. ↩

20. If thy hart love deeply, it will find means, to express i● self. ↩

21. Shall we not pa● such love with love? ↩

22. whereof thou, and I are two. ↩

23. Note. ↩

24. E●●d. 28. ↩

25. And our Lord make us able to write him, i●●●t●. ↩