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Of the Eight Beatitudes

1. Which are the Beatitudes of the Law of the Gospell?

THose certes, 1 which Saint AMBROSE calleth 2 our Lords Beatitudes & Benedictions, which in 3 S. MATHEVVES Gospell are in this manner recounted eight in number.

1. Blessed are the4 poore in spirit: For theirs is the kingdome of Heauen.

2. Blessed are the5 meeke: for they shal possesse the Lande.

3. Blessed are they that6 mourne: for they shall be comforted.

4. Blessed are they that7 hunger and thirste after Iustice: for they shall haue their fill.

5. Blessed are the8 mercifull: for they shall obtaine mercie.

6. Blessed are the9 cleane of heart: for they shall see God.

7. Blessed are the10 peace-makers: for they shalbe called the children of god.

8. Blessed are they that11 suffer persecution for Iustice: for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen.

11. Why is this doctrine of the Beatitudes to be obserued?

BEcause it is the chiefest & greatest part of the Law of the Gospel which Christ our12 law-maker deliuered vpon the Hil with his own most sacred mouth, that euery man might consider what is contained & required in Christian Iustice besides Faith: then also that they might vnderstande, howe vnto iust persons a crowne of Iustice, as Saint PAVL13 calleth it, or a full, and14 eternall reward doth not come without15 labour. For heereupon doth S. IAMES also affirme. Blessed is 16 the man that suffereth temptation: For when he hath beene proued, hee shall receiue the crowne of life.

3. And what is principally to be noted about the doctrine of the Beatitudes?

FIrst of all certes ought to bee obserued,17 that there be certaine distincte degrees amongest them, as appeareth both by their number, & order. Then, in euery degree there are iointly proposed two thinges: whereof the one is the very acte of vertue, or the merit and the Beatitude (as they call it) of this life: the other is the rewarde of life euerlasting, aunswerable to his proper and peculiar merit, which wee may call the Beatitude of our countrey. And as the first part offereth labour and difficulty to the beleeuers: so the latter, which in each degree is presently adioined; by the greatnesse of the proposed reward, doth afford consolation, & easeth the laboures, sweates, and agonies which euerie man must sustain in Christian warfare. For no man 18 shall be crowned vnlesse hee striue lawefully. Euery one 19 shall receiue his owne rewarde, according to his owne labour. What things 20 a man shall sowe, those also shall hee reape, as constantly affirmeth the doctor of the Gentiles. And therefore our Lord before he come to sitte in 21 dreadfull iudgement ouer the world, stirreth vs to the expectation of his comming with these wordes: Beholde I 22 come quickely saith he, & my rewarde is with me, to render to euery man according to his workes. He that 23 shall ouercome I will giue vnto him to sitte with me in my throne: which finally is the most high, eternall, and absolute beatitude & happines.

But most24 vaine is the iudgement of the worlde, touching beatitude and happines: by which in the meane season many are deceiued and brought to destruction. For commonly and for the most parte are accounted happie, the rich and the mightie, those that excel in glory & autoritie, those which abound with the goodes of fortune, those which giue themselues wholly to pleasure. But Christ laieth a double woe25 vpon those men. And boldly thus26 doth ESAIE crie out: My people, they that call thee happy, they deceiue thee, and bring to nought the way of thy footesteptes. 27 Blessed is the people to whom our Lord is God: to wit: that in liuing well and happely, he may alwaies praise and magnifie his auctour and creatour.

Footnotes

  1. Vide Aug. lib. 1. de serm. Dom. in monte cap. 2. & sequent. Chroma. Episco. in declamatione de octo Beatitudinibus. Greg. Nyss. de Beatitudinibus. Leo. ho. in omnium Sanctorum. Item Bern. ser. 1. de festo omnium Sanctorum, & ser. 4. de Aduentu Dom. ↩

  2. Amb. in 6. cap. Luc. ↩

  3. Mat. 5, a & ibidem. Hilarius, Chrysostomus, Hieronymus, Chromatius. Theoph. Euthym. Anselm. &c. ↩

  4. Luc. 6, c Esa. 66, a Iac. 2, a Mat. 18, a ↩

  5. Psa. 36, b Mat. 11, d Psal. 26, d ↩

  6. Luc. 6, c 16, f 1. Reg. 15, g Io. 16, c Esa. 61, a Mat. 26, g ↩

  7. Sap. 1, a Psal. 15, b 61 d Esa. 65, b ↩

  8. Psal. 40, a Pro. 11, c Eccli. 29, b. Luc. 6, c ↩

  9. Ps. 23, a Psal. 50, c ↩

  10. Ps. 36, d Ioan. 14, d ↩

  11. Luc. 6, c. 1. Pet. 3, c 2. Tim. 3, c Act. 14, d Aug. de ser. Do. in monte, l. 1. cap. 5. ↩

  12. Esa. 53, d Iac. 4, c Mat. 5, a ↩

    1. Tim. 4, b
    ↩
    1. Io. ep. c Luc. 6, c
    ↩
    1. Cor. 3, b Mat. 11, b Luc. 16, d
    ↩

  16. Iac. 1, b ↩

  17. Amb. in 6. cap. Luc. ↩

    1. Tim. 2, a
    ↩
    1. Cor. 3, b
    ↩

  20. Gal. 6, b ↩

  21. Heb. 10, e g Act. 17, g ↩

  22. Apoc. 22, c ↩

  23. Apoc. 3, d Mat. 19, d. Luc. 22, c. ↩

  24. Eccles. 2, a b 5, c 11, c d Ps. 143, c d Sap. 2, a b ↩

  25. Luc. 6, d Esa. 5 b c d 65, b c Amos. 6, a b ↩

  26. Esa. 3, c ↩

  27. Ps. 143, d 32, c et ibid. Aug. conc. 2 & in Ps 118 concione. 1. ↩

Chapter 28 of 36