A spiritual consolation and other treatises.

mHilliiiiiK iili

ASPIRITUALCON.

SOLATION 1 By Blessed
JOHN FISHER, Bp and Martyr

LIBRARY

UNlV!rRSiTY OF
CALIFORNIA

SAN DIEGO ;

THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO

LA JOLLA. CALIFORNIA

A SPIRITUAL
CONSOLATION

/'•^"

4

.^^'

THE BLESSED JOHN FISHER
From a Dimviiig- by Holheiii in tJie fin'tish Museum

A SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION

and other Treatifes. By the Bleffed

Martyr lohn Fijber, B^ of Roche-

fter. Edited by -D. O'Connor jf>^j^

ART & BOOK COMPANY, Paternoster
Row, LONDON e^j* and LEAMINGTON

m.cxnJLlj

Nihil obstat :

Dns Beda Camm, O.S.B.

Imprimatar :

►J^ EDUARDUS Epus Birmingham.

Die 3g Aprilis, igoj.

PREFACE

A DESIRE to see Blessed John Fisher better
known and appreciated as a spiritual writer
has prompted the publication of these small
treatises. They present him in a new light,
and any one familiar with the writings of
St Francis de Sales will, after perusal of this
little book, gladly corroborate Canon Mackey's
statement that, " had Fisher lived in happier
times, he himself would have been another
St Francis de Sales."*

The Spiritual Consolation and Ways to
Perfect Religion were written during his im-
prisonment in the Tower, and addressed to
his sister Elizabeth, a Dominican nun at Dart-
ford in Kent.

The exact date on which the Sermon on the
Passion was preached is uncertain ; it was first
published in London in 1535, the very year of
his martyrdom.

The present edition has a spiritual, not a

* Cf. Preface to " Letters to Persons in the World "
by St Francis de Sales, edited by Canon Mackey,
O.S.B., p. xi.

vj PREFACE

critical, object, and, consequently, any neces-
sary annotation has been kept within narrow
compass. The spelling and punctuation have
been modified, and a modern equivalent occa-
sionally substituted for some quite obsolete
word. Reference to the Scripture texts has not,
save in a few cases, been given, as Fisher
generally quotes from memory.

Those who desire to make further acquain-
tance with Blessed John Fisher as an author
may be referred to the volume of the Early
English Text Society (Vol. 27, Extra Series,
1876) The English Works of John Fisher, Bishop
of Rochester^ Part I, edited with great care by
Professor E. B. Mayor, of St John's College,
Cambridge.

The beauty of the treatises is their best
recommendation; they cannot fail to increase
in the reader an ardent love of God and devo-
tion to the holy martyr.

D. O'C.
Feast of Si Stephen Harding^
April jgoj.

PAGE

CONTENTS

A Spiritual Consolation i

The Ways to Perfect Religion 19

A Sermon : Lamentationes, Carmen, et vae ... 59

IT A fpirituall Confola-

tion, written by lohn Fyffher,

JBifboppe of Rochefter, to bgs Sifter

}BU3abetb, at fucbe tgme as bee waa

priConec in tbe ^owev of Uonc^on. Der^

neceirare, anD commot)ious for all tbofe

tbat mgntJe to leaDe a vertuous Igfe :

Blfo to aOmonifb tbem, to be at all

tfimes prepared to Oge, and eeemetb to \)cc

fpoken in tbe perfon of one tbat

wae soDainlg preve*

teD be Deatb

2 Corinthians, vj.

Beholde nov) ij the acceptable tyme
now is the day of jaluation.

Mathew, xxiiij.

Watch therefore , for ye know not what
hour your Lorde doeth come.

A Spiritual Consolation

Written by John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester,
to his Sister Elizabeth

Sister Elizabeth, nothing doth more help effec-
tually to get a good and a virtuous life than if
a soul, when it is dull and unlusty without
devotion, neither disposed to prayer nor to any
other good work, may be stirred or quickened
again by fruitful meditation. I have therefore
devised unto you this meditation that followeth,
praying you for my sake and for the weal of
your own soul, to read it at such times as you
shall feel yourself most heavy and slothful to do
any good work. It is a manner of lamentation
and sorrowful complaining made in the person
of one that was hastily prevented by death (as
I assure you every creature may be) : none other
surety we have, living in this world here.

But if you will have any profit by reading
of it, three things you must do in anywise. First,

I

^ SPIRITUAL CONSOLAriO:>C

when you shall read this meditation, devise
in your mind as nigh as you can all the
conditions of a man or woman suddenly taken
and ravished by death; and think with yourself
that ye were in the same condition so hastily
taken and that incontinent you must needs die,
and your soul depart hence and leave your
mortal body, never to return again for to make
any amends, or to do any release to your soul
after this hour.

Secondly, that ye never read this medita-
tion but alone by yourself in secret manner,
where you may be most attentive thereunto,
and when ye have the best leisure without any
let of other thoughts or business. For if you
otherwise behave yourself in the reading of it,
it shall anon lose the virtue and quickness in
stirring and moving of your soul when you
would ratherest have it stirred.

Thirdly, that when you intend to read it,
you must afore lift up your mind to Almighty
God and beseech Him that, by the help and
succour of His grace, the reading thereof may
fruitfully work in your soul a good and virtuous
life according to His pleasure, and say : Veus
in adjutorium meum intende^ Do?nine ad adju-
vandtim vie festina. Gloria Fahi, etc. Laus
tiU Domifie Rex ceternae gloriae. Amen.

"DEATH UNPREPARED

A LAS, alas, I am unworthily taken, all sud-
denly death hath assailed me, the pains
of his stroke be so sore and grievous that I
may not long endure them ; my last hour, I
perceive well, is come j I must now leave this
mortal body ; I must now depart hence out
of this world never to return again into it. But
whither I shall go, or where I shall become, or
what lodging I shall have this night, or in
what company I shall fall, or in what coun-
try I shall be received, or in what manner
I shall be treated, God knoweth, for I know
not. What if I shall be damned in the per-
petual prison of hell, where be pains endless
and without number ? Grievous it shall be to
them that be damned for ever, for they shall
be as men in most extreme pains of death,
ever wishing and desiring death, and yet never
shall they die. It should be now unto me
much weary, one year continually to lie upon
a bed were it never so soft; how weary then
shall it be to lie in the most painful fire so
many thousands of years without number ; and
to be in that most horrible company of devils
most terrible to behold, full of malice and
cruelty ?

O wretched and miserable creature that I
am, I might so have lived and so ordered

^ SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIOJ^

my life by the help and grace of my Lord
Christ Jesus, that this hour might have been
unto me much joyous and greatly desired.
Many blessed and holy saints were full joyous
and desirous of this hour, for they knew well
that by death their souls should be translated
into a new life; to the life of all joy and endless
pleasure, from the straits and bondage of this
corruptible body into a very liberty and true
freedom among the company of heaven, from
the miseries and grievances of this wretched
world, to be above with God in comfort ines-
timable that cannot be spoken nor thought.
They were assured of the promises of Almighty
God, which had so promised to all them that
be His faithful servants ; and sure I am that if
I had truly and faithfully served Him unto this
hour, my soul had been partner of these pro-
mises.

But unhappy and ungracious creature that
I am, I have been negligent in His service,
and therefore now my heart doth waste in
sorrows seeing the nighness of death, and con-
sidering my great sloth and negligence. I
thought full little thus suddenly to have been
trapped ; but, alas, now death hath prevented
me, and hath unwarily attacked me and sud-
denly oppressed me with his mighty power, so

LEISURE FOR REPENTANCE

that I know not whither I may turn me for
succour, nor where I may seek now for help,
nor what thing I may do to get any remedy.
If I might have leisure and space to repent
me and amend my life, not compelled with this
sudden stroke but of my own free will and
liberty, and partly for the love of God, putting
aside all sloth and negligence, I might then
safely die without any dread ; I might then
be glad to depart hence and leave my manifold
miseries and encumbrances of this world. But
how may I think that my repentance or mine
amendment cometh now of mine own free will,
since I was before this stroke so cold and dull
in the service of my Lord God ? Or how may
I think that I do this more rather for His love
than for fear of His punishment, when, if I had
truly loved Him, I should more quickly and
more diligently have served Him heretofore?
Me seemeth now that I cast away my sloth and
negligence, compelled by force. Even as a
merchant that is compelled by a great tempest
in the sea to cast his merchandise out of the
ship, it is not to be supposed that he would
cast away his riches of his own free will, not
compelled by the storm. And even so like-
wise do I : if this tempest of death were not now
raised upon me, it is full like that I would not

U SPIRITUAL CONSOL^riOJi

have cast from me my sloth and negligence.
O would to God that I might have now some
farther respite, and some longer time to amend
myself of my free will and liberty. O if I
might entreat death to spare me for a season :
but that will not be; death in no wise will
be entreated; delay he will none take; res-
pite he will none give, if I would give him
all the riches of this world; no, if all my
lovers and friends would fall upon their knees
and pray him for me. No, if I and they would
weep (if it were so possible) as many tears as
there be in the seas drops of water, no pity may
restrain him. Alas, when opportunity of time
was, I would not use it well, which, if I had
done, it would now be unto me more precious
than all the treasures of a realm. For then my
soul as now should have been clothed with
good works innumerable, the which should
make me not to be ashamed when I should
come to the presence of my Lord God, where
now I shall appear laden with sin miserably, to
my confusion and shame. But, alas, too negli-
gently have I let pass from me my time, not
regarding how precious it was, nor yet how
much spiritual riches I might have got therein,
if I would have put my diligence and study
thereunto.

TAKE WARNING FROM ME

For assuredly no deed that is, be it
never so little, but it shall be rewarded of
Almighty God. One draught of water given for
the love of God shall not be unrewarded, and
what is more easy to be given than water? But
not only deeds, but also the least words and
thoughts shall be in like wise rewarded. O
how many good thoughts, deeds, works, might
one think, speak and do in one day ? But how
many more in one whole year? O alas, my
great negligence ! O alas, my foul blindness !
O alas, my sinful madness that knew this well,
and would not put it in eifectual execution !

0 if now all the people of this world were
present here to see and know the perilous con-
dition that I am in, and how I am prevented by
the stroke of death, I would exhort to take me
as an example to them all, and while they have
leisure and time, to order their lives and cast
from them sloth and idleness, and to repent
them of their misbehaviour towards God, and to
bewail their offences, to multiply good works
and to let no time pass by them unfruitfully.
For if it shall please my Lord God that I might
any longer live, I would otherwise exercise my-
self than I have done before. Now I wish that

1 may have time and space, but righteously I
am denied, for when I might have had it I

tA SPIRITUAL CONSOL^riO:^

would not well use it ; and, therefore, now when
I would well use it, I shall not have it.

O ye, therefore, that have and may use this
precious time in your liberty, employ it well, and
be not too wasteful thereof, lest, peradventure,
when you would have it, it shall be denied you
likewise, as now it is to me. But now I repent me
full sore of my great negligence, and right much
I sorrow that so little I regarded the wealth and
profit of my soul, but rather took heed to the
vain comforts and pleasures of my wretched
body. O corruptible body ! O stinking car-
rion ! O rotten earth, to whom I have served,
whose appetites I have followed, whose desire I
have procured, now dost thou appear what thou
art in thy own likeness ! That brightness of
thy eyes, that quickness in hearing, that liveli-
ness in thy other senses by natural warmness,
thy swiftness and nimbleness, thy fairness and
beauty ; all these thou hast not of thyself, they
were but lent unto thee for a season, even as a
wall of earth that is fair painted without for a
season with fresh and goodly colours, and also
gilded with gold, it appeareth goodly for the
time to such as consider no deeper than the
outward craft thereof; but when at the last the
colour faileth and the gilding falleth away, then
appeareth it in his own likeness ; for then the

THE BODY A PAINTED WALL

earth plainly showeth itself. In like wise my
wretched body, for the time of youth it appear-
eth fresh and lusty, and I was deceived with the
outward beauty thereof, little considering what
naughtiness was covered underneath ; but now
it showeth itself.

Now my wretched body, thy beauty is
faded, thy fairness is gone, thy lust, thy
strength, thy loveliness all is gone, all is
failed; now art thou returned to thine own
earthly colour ; now art thou black, cold and
heavy, like a lump of earth ; thy sight is dark-
ened, thy hearing is dulled, thy tongue faltereth
in thy mouth, and corruption issueth out of
every part of thee; corruption was thy begin-
ning in the womb of thy mother, and corruption
is thy continuance. All things that ever thou
receivest, were it never so precious, thou turnest
into corruption ; and naught came from thee at
any time but corruption, and now to corruption
thyself returnest : altogether right vile and
loathly art thou become, where in appearance
before thou wast goodly: but the good lines was
nothing else but as a painting or a gilding upon
an earthen wall ; under it was covered with
stinking and filthy matter. But I looked not so
deep, I contented myself with the outward
painting, and in that I took great pleasure ; for

U SPIRITUAL CONSOLATJOO^i

all my study and care was about thee, either to
apparel thee with some clothes of divers colours,
either to satisfy thy desire in pleasant sights, in
delectable hearings, in goodly smells, in sundry
manner of tastings and touchings, either else to
get thee ease and rest as well in sleep as other-
wise. And I provided, therefore, pleasant and
delectable lodgings, and to eschew tediousness
in all these, not only lodgings, but also in
apparel, meats and drinks procured many and
divers changes, that when thou wast weary of
one then mightest thou content thyself with
some other. Oh, alas, this was my vain and
naughty study whereunto my wit was ready
applied, in those things I spent the most part of
my days. And yet was I never content long,
but murmuring or grudging every hour for one
thing or other.

And what am I now the better for all
this? What reward may I look for of all
my long service ? or what great benefits shall I
receive for all my great study, care and dili-
gence ? Nothing better am I, but much
the worse ; much corruption and filth my
soul thereby hath gathered, so that now
it is made full horrible and loathly to behold,
-Reward get I none other than punishment,
either in hell everlasting or at the least in

rHE SERVICE OF THE BODT

purgatory, if I may so easily escape. The
benefits of my labour are the great cares and
sorrows which I now am wrapped in. May
not I think my wit to have been well occupied
in this lewd * and unfruitful business ? Have
I not well bestowed my labour about this ser-
vice of my wretched body ? Hath not my time
been well employed in these miserable studies,
whereof now no comfort remaineth, but only
sorrow and repentance ? Alas, I heard full often
that such as should be damned should grievously
repent themselves and take more displeasure of
their misbehaviour than ever they had pleasure
before. And yet that repentance then should
stand them in no stead, where a full little re-
pentance taken in time might have eased them
of all their pains.

This I heard and read full often, but full
little heed or regard I gave thereunto ; I well
perceived it in myself, but all too late, I dread
me. I would that now, by the example of me,
all others might beware, and avoid by the
gracious help of God these dangers that I now
am in, and prepare themselves against the hour
of death better than I have prepared me.
Alas, what availeth me now any delicacy of

* Light or frivolous.

^ SPIRITUAL CONSOLAriO:Si

meats and drinks which my wretched body
insatiable did devour? What availeth my
vanity or pride that I had in myself either of
apparel or of any other thing belonging unto me ?
What availeth the filthy and unclean delights
and lusts of the stinking flesh, wherein was
appearance of much pleasure, but in very deed
none other than the sow hath, waltering * her-
self in the miry puddle ? Now these pleasures
be gone, my body is nothing better, my soul
is much the worse, and nothing remaineth but
sorrow and displeasure, and that a thousandfold
more than ever I had any pleasure before.

O lewd body and naughty, which hast brought
me to this utter discomfort ; O dirty corruption ;

0 sachell f full of dung, now must I go to
make answer for thy lewdness ; thy lewdness,

1 say, for it all cometh of thee. My soul had
nothing need of such things as was thy desire :
what need my soul that is immortal, either
clothing, or meat or drink? What need it any
corruptible gold and silver ? What need it any
houses or beds, or any other things that ap-
pertaineth to these ? For thee, O corruptible
body, which like a rotten wall daily needeth
reparations and botching up with meat and

* Wallowing. + Satchel or sack.

BEFORE THE JUDGE'S THRONE 13

drink, and defence of clothing against cold and
heat, was all this study and diligence taken, and
yet now wilt thou forsake me at my most need,
when account and reckoning of all our mis-
deeds must be given before the throne of the
Judge most terrible. Now thou wilt refuse
me and leave me to the jeopardy of all this
matter.

O alas, many years of deliberation suffice
not before so great a Judge to make an-
swer, which* shall examine me of every idle
word that ever passed my mouth. O then how
many idle words, how many evil thoughts, how
many deeds have I to make answer for ! and
such as we set but at light, full greatly shall
be weighed in the presence of His most high
Majesty. O alas, what may I do to get some
help at this most dangerous hour ? Where may
I seek for succour ? Where may I resort for
any comfort ? My body forsaketh me, my
pleasures be vanished away as the smoke, my
goods will not go with me. All these worldly
things I must leave behind me ; if any comfort
shall be, either it must be in the prayers of my
friends, or in mine own good deeds that I have
done before.

* Who.

14 e^ SPJRJrUAL CONSOLAriO^i^

But as for my good deeds that should
be available in the sight of God, alas, they
be few or none that I can think to be
available; they must be done principally and
purely for His love. But my deeds, when of
their kind they were good, yet did I linger
them by my folly ; for either I did them for the
pleasure of men, or to avoid the shame of the
world, or else for my own affection, or else for
dread of punishment ; so that seldom I did any
good deed in that purity and straightness that it
ought of right to have been done. And my
misdeeds, my lewd deeds that be shameful and
abominable, be without number ; not one day of
all my life, no, not one hour I trow was so truly
expended to the pleasure of God, but many deeds,
words and thoughts miscaped me in my life. Alas,
little trust then may I have upon my deeds !

And as for the prayers of my friends
such as I shall leave behind me, of them many
peradventure be in the same need that I am in;
so that where their own prayers might profit
themselves, they cannot so profit another. And
many of them will be full negligent, and some
forgetful of me, and no marvel : for who should
have been so friendly unto me than mine own
self? Therefore I that was most bound to have
done for myself, forget my own weal in my life-

HOPE IN GOD'S MERCY 15

time ; no marvel therefore if others do forget me
after my departing hence. Other friends there
be by whose prayers souls may be helped, as by
the blessed and holy saints above in heaven,
which verily will be mindful of such as in earth
here have devoutly honoured them before. But,
alas, I had special devotion but to a few, and
yet them I have so faintly honoured, and to
them so coldly sued for favour, that I am
ashamed to ask aid or help of them. At this
time indeed I had more effectually meant to
have honoured them and more diligently to
have commended my wretched soul unto their
prayers, and so to have made them my special
friends; but now death hath prevented me so, that
no other hope remaineth, but only in the mercy of
my Lord God, to whose mercy I do now offer
myself, beseeching Him not to look upon my
deserts, but upon His infinite goodness and
abundant pity.

Alas, my duty had been much better
to have remembered this terrible hour ; I
should have had this danger ever before my
eyes ; I should have provided, therefore, so that
now I might have been in a more readiness
against the coming of death, which I knew
assuredly would come at the last, albeit I knew
not when, where, or by what manner ; but well

1 6 ^i SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIOJi^

I knew every hour and moment was to him in-
different, and in his Uberty. And yet (my mad-
ness ever to be sorrowed), notwithstanding this
certainty of his coming, and the uncertainty of
the time thereof, I made no certain nor sure
provision against this hour. Full often I took
great study and care to provide for little dangers,
only because I thought they might hap, and yet
happed they never a deal ; and but trifles they
were in comparison of this. How much rather
should I have taken study and care for this so
great a danger which I knew well must neces-
sarily fall unto me once. For this cannot be
eschewed in no wise, and upon this I ought to
have made good provision ; for in this hangeth
all our wealth. For if a man die well, he shall
after his death nothing want that he would de-
sire, but his appetite shall be satiate in every
point at the full ; and if he die amiss, no pro-
vision shall avail him that ever he made before.
This provision, therefore, is most effectually
to be studied, since this alone may profit without
other, and without this none can avail. O ye
that have time and space to make your pro-
vision against the hour of death, defer not from
day to day as I have done. For I often did
think and purpose with myself that at some
leisure I would have provided; nevertheless, for

PREPARE FOR DEATH ij

every trifling business I put it aside, and de-
layed this provision always to another time, and
promised with myself that at such a time 1
would not fail to do it; but when that came
another business arose, and so I deferred it
again unto another time. And so, alas, from
time to time, that now death in the meantime
hath prevented me. My purpose was good, but
it lacked execution ; my will was straight, but it
was not effectual ; my mind well intended, but
no fruit came thereof. All for because I delayed
so often and never put in effect that that I had
purposed; and, therefore, delay it not as I have
done, but before all other business put this first
in surety, which ought to be chief and principal
business. Neither building of colleges, nor
making of sermons, nor giving of alms, neither
yet any other manner of business shall help you
without this.

Therefore, first and before all things, pre-
pare for this ; delay not in any wise, for if you
do you shall be deceived as I am now. I read
of many, I have heard of many, I have known
many that were disappointed as I am now.
And ever I thought and said and intended that
I would make sure and not be deceived by the
sudden coming of death ; yet, nevertheless, I
am now deceived, and am taken sleeping,

18 ^ SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIOJi^

unprepared, and that when I least weened
of his coming, and even when I reckoned my-
self to be in most health, and when I was most
busy and in the midst of my matters. There-
fore, delay not you any farther, nor put your
trust overmuch in your friends ; trust yourself
while ye have space and liberty, and do for
yourself now while you may. I would advise
you to do that thing that I, by the grace of my
Lord God, would put in execution if His
pleasure were to send me longer life. Account
yourself as dead, and think that your souls
were in prison of purgatory, and that there
they must abide till that the ransom for them be
truly paid, either by long sufferance of pain
there, or else by suffrages done here in earth by
some of your special friends. Be you your own
friend ; do you these suffrages for your own soul,
whether they be prayers or almsdeeds or any
other penitential painfulness. If you will not
effectually and heartily do these things for your
own soul, look you never that others will do
them for you, and in doing them in your own
persons, they shall be more available to you a
thousandfold than if they were done by any
other. If you follow this counsel and do there-
after, you be gracious and blessed, you shall
doubtless repent your follies, but too late.

The Ways to Perfect Religion

Made by John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester,
being Prisoner in the Tower of London

Sister Elizabeth, gladly I would write unto
you something that might be to the health of
your soul and furtherance of it in holy religion.
But well I know that without some fervour in
the love of Christ, religion cannot be to you
savoury, nor any work of goodness can be
delectable, but every virtuous deed shall seem
laborious and painful. For love maketh every
work appear easy and pleasant, though it be
right displeasant of itself. And contrariwise
right easy labour appeareth grievous and pain-
ful, when the soul of the person that doeth the
deed hath no desire nor love in doing of it.
This thing may well appear by the life of
hunters, the which out of doubt is more labo-
rious and painful than is the life of religious
persons, and yet nothing sustaineth them in

22 THE WATS rO PERFECT RELIGIO:>(^

their labour and pains but the earnest love and
hearty desire to find their game. Regard no
less my writing, good sister, though to my pur-
pose I use the example of hunters, for all true
Christian souls be called hunters, and their
office and duty is to seek and hunt for to find
Christ Jesu. And, therefore. Scripture in
many places exhorteth us to seek after Him,
and assureth that He will be found of them
that diligently seek after Him — Invenieiur ab
his qui quaerunt eum. That is to say. He will
be found of them that seek Him ; well happy
are all those that can find Him, or can have
any scent of Him in this life here. For that
scent, as St Paul saith, is the scent of the very
life. And the devout souls, where they feel
this scent, they run after Him apace — Ciirre-
mus in odorem unguentorutn tuorutn. That is to
say, we shall run after the scent of Thy sweet
ointments. Seeing then all devout souls may
be called hunters, I will further prosecute the
comparison made before between the life of the
hunters and the life of the religious persons
after this manner.

RELIGIOUS LIKE HUNTERS 23

A Comparison between the Life of Hunters
and the Life of Religious Persons

What life is more painful and laborious of
itself than is the life of hunters, which most
early in the morning break their sleep and rise
when others do take their rest and ease ? And
in his labour he may use no plain highways and
the soft grass, but he must tread upon the
fallows, run over the hedges and creep through
the thick bushes, and cry all the long day upon
his dogs, and so continue without meat or drink
until the very night drive him home. These
labours be unto him pleasant and joyous, for
the desire and love that he hath to see the poor
hare chased with dogs.

Verily, verily, if he were compelled to take
upon him such labours, and not for this cause,
he would soon be weary of them, thinking them
full tedious unto him ; neither would he rise
out of his bed so soon, nor fast so long, nor
endure these other labours, unless he had a very
love therein. For the earnest desire of his
mind is so fixed upon his game that all these
pains be thought to him but very pleasures.
And therefore I may well say that love is the

24 THE WAYii ro PERFECT RELIGIOJ^

principal thing that maketh any work easy,
though the work be right painful of itself, and
that without love no labour can be comfortable
to the doer. The love of his game delighteth
him so much that he careth for no worldly
honour, but is content with full simple and
homely array. Also the goods of the world he
seeketh not for, nor studieth how to attain
them ; for the love and desire of his game
so greatly occupieth his mind and heart. The
pleasures also of his flesh he forgetteth by
weariness and wasting of his body in earnest
labour. All his mind, all his soul, is busied to
know where the poor hare may be found. Of
that is his thought, and of that is his commu-
nication, and all his delight is to hear and
speak of that matter, every other matter but
this is tedious for him to give ear unto ; in all
other things he is dull and unlusty, in this only
quick and stirring; for this also to be done,
there is no office so humble, nor so vile, that
he refuseth not to serve his own dogs himself,
to bathe their feet and to anoint them where
they be sore, yea, and to cleanse their stinking
kennel, where they shall lie and rest them.
Surely if religious persons had so earnest a
mind and desire to the service of Christ as
have these hunters to see a course at a hare,

rilE PAINS OF RELIGION 25

their life should be unto them a very joy and
pleasure.

For what other be the pains of religion
but these that I liave spoken of? That is
to say, much fasting, crying and coming to
the choir, forsaking of worldly honours, worldly
riches, fleshly pleasures and communication
of the world, humble service and obedience to
her sovereign,* and charitable dealing to her
sister ; which pains in every point the hunter
taketh and sustaineth more largely for the love
that he hath to his game, than doeth many
a religious person for the love of Christ. For
albeit the religious person riseth at midnight,
which is painful to her in very deed, yet she
went before that to her bed at a convenient
hour, and also cometh after to her bed again.
But the hunter riseth early, and so continueth
forth all the long day, no more returning to his
bed until the very night, and yet peradventure
he was late up the night before, and full
often up all the long nights. And though the
religious woman fast until it be noon, the
which must be to her painful, the hunter yet
taketh more pain, which fasteth until the very
night, forgetting both meat and drink for the

* i.e., religious superior.

26 THE WAYS TO PERFECT RELIGIOO^

pleasure of his game. The religious woman
singeth all the forenoon in the choir, and that
also is laborious unto her, but yet the hunter
singeth not, but he crieth, hallooeth and
shouteth all the long day and hath more
greater pains. The religious woman taketh
much labour in coming to the choir and sitting
there so long a season, but yet no doubt of it
more labour taketh the hunter in running over
the fallow, and leaping over the hedges, and
creeping through the bushes than that can be.
And would to God that in other things, that is to
say, touching worldly honours, worldly riches,
worldly pleasures — would to God that the re-
ligious persons many of them might profit as
much in mindfulness in seeking of Christ, as
the hunter doeth in seeking of his game, and
yet all their comfort were to commune and
speak of Christ, as the hunters have all their
joy to speak of the poor hare, and of their
hunting.

And furthermore, would to God the reli-
gious persons would content themselves with
the humble service done to their sovereign,
and with charitable behaviour unto their sisters,
and with as good a heart and mind as the
hunters acquit them to serve their hounds. I
wot it is a thing much more reasonable to love

LCfVE SWEETENS PAIN 27

and serve reasonable creatures made to the
image of Almighty God, rather than to love
and serve dogs which be unreasonable crea-
tures. And rather our duty were to speak of
Christ, and of things belonging to His honour,
than of the vain worldly matters which be but
very trifles indeed. And also with more atten-
tive mind we should seek after our Saviour
Christ Jesu, to know our very comfort in Him
— wherein resteth the great merit of our souls —
than the hunters should seek after the hare,
which when they have gotten they have no
great gains thereby. But as I have said, the
cause why so many religious persons so dili-
gently pursue not the ways of religion as do the
hunters, is the want of the observation of their
game, which is nothing else but the lack of
love. For verily, as I think, the earnest love
and hearty desire of game maketh all labours
and pains joyous unto the hunter. And if
there v/ere in religious persons as great favour
and love to the service of God, as be in hunters
to their game, all their life should be a very
paradise and heavenly joy in this world. And
contrariwise without this fervour of love it can-
not be but painful, weary and tedious to them.
My purpose therefore, dear sister, is to
minister unto you some common considera-

28 THE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIOO^

tions which if you will often resort unto by
due remembrance and so by diligent prayer
call upon Almighty God for His love, you
shall now by His grace attain it.

The First Consideration
The first consideration may be this : First con-
sider by your own mind and reason that Al-
mighty God of His own singular goodness and
free will did create you and make you of
naught, whereunto He was not bound by any
necessity, nor drawn by any commodity that
might rise upon Him by your creation. No
other thing moved Him but His very goodness
and special favour that He bare unto you, long
or ever He did make you. This, good sister,
take for a very truth and firmly believe it, for
so it is in very deed ; innumerable creatures,
more than ever were made or ever shall be
made, He might have made if it had been so
pleasing unto Him. For how many, suppose
you, married men and married women have
been and shall be hereafter in this world, that
never had nor never shall have any children,
yet they full gladly would have had, and by
possibility of natnr.- might have had many, if it
had so pleased A' mighty God to have made
and to have given unto them children. But all

GOD MADE YOU 29

those be left unmade, and amongst them He
might have left you also unmade, and never
have put His hand to the making of you if
He had so would. Nevertheless, as I said,
it pleased His goodness herein to prefer you
of His special favour that He bore unto
you, leaving unmade others more innumerable,
electing you and appointing you to be made,
refusing and setting apart all them which
would, peradventure, have considered His
special grace and favour more lovingly than
you hitherto have done, and would have
studied more for His pleasure and service than
ever you did ; and you occupy the room and
place that some of them might have occupied
by like favour as Almighty God hath shewed
unto you. Ah, dear sister, how much should
this one consideration move you to the earnest
love of this our so gracious a Lord, that thus
hath appointed and chosen you to be His
creature before so many others, where He
might have taken any of them at His pleasure
and repelled you and left you as naught with-
out any manner of being!

The Second Consideration
The second consideration is this : Where there
is many manner of beings, some creatures

30 rHE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIO:?^

have a goodly being, some have an ungoodly
being. It is a more goodly being margarite *
of a precious stone than of a pebble stone ; of
the fair bright gold than of rusty iron ; of a
goodly pheasant than of a venomous serpent ;
of a pretty fawn than of a foul toad ; of a rea-
sonable soul than of an unreasonable beast.
And it is not to be doubted but Almighty God
might have given to any of them what being so-
ever He would, and might have transformed
each of those into the nature and kind of any
of the other at His pleasure and will. For of
the stones He might make men, as in the
Gospel our Saviour doth affirm : Potens est Deus
de lapidibus istis suscitare filios JbrahcB, Al-
mighty God hath the power to make of these
stones the children of Abraham. And contrari-
wise He might of men have made stones, as the
wife of Lot was turned into a salt stone. And
in like wise me or you or any other man or
woman, He might have made a stone, or a
serpent, or a toad, for His pleasure. There is
no creature so foul, so horrible, or so ungodly,
but He might put you in the same condition
that the most loathly of them be put in, and
them, in contrariwise, He might have put in
the same condition that you be in. Consider

* i.e., a pearl.

THE LIKENESS TO GOD 31

now, by your reason, that if you had been
made in the hkeness of an owl, or of an ape, or
of a toad, how deformed you should have been,
and in how wretched and miserable condition.
And thank your Lord God that hath given you
a more excellent nature, yea, such a nature as
excelleth in nobleness, in dignity, all other
bodily natures ; for it is made to the very like-
ness and image of Almighty God, whereunto
none other bodily creature doth reach near.
Metals nor stones, be they never so precious,
neither herbs nor trees, neither fishes nor fowls,
neither any manner of beast, be they never so
noble in their kind, doth attain to this high
point of nobleness to have in them the image
and likeness of Almighty God, but only man.
Forasmuch then as our Lord God might have
given this excellent dignity to other innumerable
creatures, as to beasts, to fowls, to fishes, to-
trees, to herbs, to metals, to stones, and hath
not so done, but before all those hath elected
and chosen you to bear His image and likeness
and to be endued with a reasonable soul, how
much should his loving dealing move you to
enforce yourself with all the strength and power
of your heart and mind to love Him therefore

32 THE WATS TO PERFECl RELIGIOC^

The Third Consideration
The third consideration is this : That whereas,
notwithstanding this great and excellent gift,
you, nevertheless, by reason of original sin
wherewith you were born of your mother into
this world, had lost the great inheritance above
in heaven and purchased everlasting imprison-
ment in hell, He of His great and singular
goodness had provided you to be born within
the precincts of Christendom, where you have
been instructed in the doctrine of His taith and
received the holy Sacrament of Baptism, and
have been made a Christian woman, whereby
you did receive again your inheritance before
lost, and have escaped the most horrible danger
of everlasting damnation. How many, sup-
pose you, in all the world that be not instructed
in this law and faith of Christ, nor have not re-
ceived the holy Sacrament of Baptism, both
noble men and women, both knights and
princes, which have great wisdom and reason,
and many such as, peradventure, if they were
taught it, would more readily apply their minds
to Christ's faith than you do, and more heartily
serve Him, honour and love Him than ever you
■did ; and yet, lo ! thus graciously hath He

THE BLESSING OF FAITH 33

provided for you before all them, and hath ap-
pointed you to be a Christian woman and to be
partaker of all those graces and benefits that
belong unto the Christian people, which be so
many and so great, that it passeth the wits of
men, not only to number but also to think.

And here, good sister, do deeply consider in
your soul how much this loving preferment of
our Lord God should stir you to love Him
again, when He suffereth so innumerable a
multitude of men and women to perish and to
be lost for ever, amongst whom many do pass
you in all natural virtues, both of body and
soul, and also would farther pass you in profit-
ing in the law of Christ if they were received
thereunto; and yet, I say, He suffereth them to
perish everlastingly and perpetually to be
damned ; and for your safeguard hath provided
of His singular goodness and mercy towards
you, for the which since it is not possible of
your part to recompense, why shall you not
with all your power enforce yourself to love
His most gracious goodness again, and after
your possibility to give unto Him most humble
thanks therefor ?

34 "fHE H^ATS ro PERFECT RELIGIOO^

The Fourth Consideration
The fourth consideration is this : That where,
since that time of your Baptism and that you
were made a Christian woman, you have many
times unkindly fallen into deadly sin and
broken His laws and commandments, setting at
naught all those benefits which He before had
given to you, following your wretched pleasure
to the great displeasure and contempt of His
Most High Majesty ; and yet He furthermore
did not strike you, nor yet revenge Himself
upon you rigorously, punishing the trans-
gressors and breakers of His law as He might
and should by His righteousness have done.
But, contrariwise, He did long spare you by
His excellent mercy, and mercifully He did
abide your return to Him again by sorrowful
repentance and asking of Him mercy for your
abominable offences. And where you so did
with good hearty mind at any time, He received
you to His grace, and by the sacrament of
penance you were taken into His favour again,
and so yet escape the horrible pains of hell due
for your outrageous unkindness. No reason
may judge the contrary but that you of good
right have deserved them for your foul pre*

SIN FORGIVEN 35

sumption in breaking of the laws of your Lord
God, and preferring your wretched appetites be-
fore His pleasure, and following your own wilful
desires before His most high commandments.
Alas, what miserable condition should you now
have been in if He so incontinent after your
offences had stricken you by death and had
sent you to the horrible pains of hell, where
you should not only for a time have bidden,
but for ever and without all remedy. No
prayers of your friends, no almsdeeds, no such
other good works should have relieved you.

Ah, sister, imprint deeply in your soul this
inestimable mercy of your Lord God showed
unto you through His most gracious and merci-
ful abiding for your return to Him by true re-
pentance and asking of His mercy. For innu-
merable souls of men and women, for less
offences than you have done, lie now in the
prison of hell, and shall there continue without
end ; which if they might have had as great
sufferance as you have had, and so long leisure
to repent them, they would have taken more
sorrowful repentance than ever you took, and
do now more sorrowfully repent than ever you
did, but that as now cannot profit them, for
that sorrow and repentance is now too late.
But to my purpose, how may you think that

36 THE TVATS TO PERFECT RELIGIOO^

this loving sufferance and gracious abiding of
your amendment and merciful accepting of
your sorrows and repentance for your great
sins, Cometh not of a singular love showed
unto you by your Lord God before all them ?
And shall not this consideration pierce your
heart and move you much to love Him again ?

The Fifth Consideration
The fifth consideration is this : Peradventure,
after that thus by your repentance and asking
mercy you were taken to this grace of your
God, yet far more grievously and far more un-
kindly you fell again to sin, and kept not the
purpose and promise that before you did make,
but more without shame and dread of His high-
ness took your liberty in your sinful ways,
abusing His gentleness and presuming upon
His mercy, not regarding any benefit or kind-
ness showed by His most excellent goodness
unto you before, so defiling your soul by innu-
merable ways, and making it filthy and more
ungoodly than is the sow that waltereth herself
in the foul miry puddle, and more pestilently
stinketh in the sight of God than is the stink-
ing carrion of a dead dog being rotten and lying
in a ditch ; yet, nevertheless, for all these mis-
behaviours, your Lord God of His far-passing

THE BRIDES OF CHRIST 37

goodness hath called you again from your sin-
ful life and hath graciously stirred your soul to
forsake your sin and to leave this wretched
world and to enter the holy religion. Whereby
(after the sentence of holy doctors) your soul is
made as clean as it was at your baptism and
restored again to the purity and cleanliness of
your first innocence; and not only that, but
also He hath appointed you to be of the
number of them that He assigned for His best
beloved spouses. And what high point of
singular favour is this? How many women,
far better than you, be left behind in this world,
not called to this high dignity nor admitted to
this most special grace? When the noble
King Asuerus, as it is written in the Scripture,
commanded many fair maidens to be chosen
out and to be seen unto with all things that
might make them fair and beautiful and pleasant
to his sight, to the intent that they at all times
when it should like him to appoint any of them
to come to his presence and to be his spouse,
they might be the more ready, this thing, no
doubt of it, was to them that were thus chosen
a comfort, that they were preferred before
others, and also every one of them might live in
hope to come to the king's presence and have
some likelihood to be accepted for his spouse,

38 THE WATS rO PERFECT RELIGIO:\^

in SO much that all others but they were excluded.
In like manner it is with religious women.
All they, by the gracious calling of the great
King of heaven, be gathered into God's religion
and dissevered from the other secular women
that be of the world, there a season to abide
until they be sufficiently prepared by the holy
sacraments and the holy observations of religion
to come to His gracious Highness's presence,
and to be brought into His secret chamber
above in heaven, there to abide with Him in
endless joy and bliss. Blessed is that religious
woman that so doth prepare herself for this
little time that here she shall tarry by prayer, by
meditation, by contemplation, by tears of devo-
tion, by hearty love and burning desire, that
after that this transitory lite she may be ad-
mitted to the most excellent honour, and not
with shame and rebuke be repelled therefrom
when the day shall come.

The Sixth Consideration

The sixth consideration that you call well to
your remembrance, who it is that doth thus ex-
hort you for to love, verily He is that person
that if either you will freely give your love, or
else sell your love, He is most worthy to have

GOD'S COMELINESS 39

it above all other. First, if ye were of that
mind to give your love free, it were good yet
there to bestow it that you should choose such
a one, as both in goodliness of person, as also
in prowess and wisdom, and good gentle man-
ners may be worthy of your love. For if there
be any deformity in him whom you would love,
it is an impediment and great let for to love
him ; but in our Saviour Christ the Son of God
is no deformity, for He is all goodly, and sur-
mounteth all other in goodliness ; and, there-
fore, of Him the prophet David affirmeth in
this manner : Speciosus fonna prcefiliis hoininuniy
that is to say, **He is goodly before the children
of men." And of truth much goodly must He
needs be that hath so many goodly creatures.
Behold the rose, the lily, the violet; behold
the peacocks, the pheasant, the popinjay ; be-
hold all the other creatures of this world — all
these were of His making, all their beauty
and goodliness of Him they received it.
Wherefore this goodliness describeth that He
Himself must needs of necessity be very goodly
and beautiful. And for that in the book of Can-
ticles the Spouse describeth His goodliness,
saying : Dilectus mens Candidas et ruhicunduSy
electus ex millibus^ that is to say : " He that I
love is white and red, chosen out amongst

40 THE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIO:Xi

thousands." And this beauty and goodliness
is not mortal, it cannot fade nor perish as doeth
the goodliness of other men, which like a flower
to-day is fresh and lusty, and to-morrow with
a little sickness is withered and vanisheth away.
And yet it is sensible to the goodliness of man's
nature, for the which also he is more naturally
to be beloved of many. For likeness is the
ground of love, like always doth covet like, and
the nearer in likeness that any person be, the
sooner they may be knit together in love. The
same likeness He hath and you have, like
body and like soul, touching His manhood ;
your soul is also like unto Him in His Godhead,
for after the image and similitude of it your
soul is made. Furthermore of His might and
power you may be likewise a certain season.
He made this world by the only commandment
of His mouth, and gave to the herbs and all
other creatures their virtue and might that they
have ; and may also by His power save and
damn creatures, either to lift them up in body
and soul into heaven above, or else to throw
them down into ever-during pains of hell. If ye
doubt of His wisdom, behold all this world, and
consider how every creature is set with another,
and every of them by himself, how the heavens
are apparelled with stars, the air with fowls, the

GOD'S GENTLENESS 41

water with fishes, the earth with herbs, trees and
beasts, how the stars be clad with Hght, the fowls
with feathers, the fishes with scales, the beasts
with hair, herbs and trees with leaves, and flowers
with scent, wherein doth well appear a great and
marvellous wisdom of Him that made them. Fi-
nally His good and gentle manner is all full of
pleasure and comfort so kind, so friendly, so
liberal and beneficious, so piteous and merciful,
so ready in all opportunities, so mindful and
circumspect, so dulcet and sweet in communi-
cation. For as Scripture saith : Non hahet
aniaritudi7iem conversatio vel taediujti convictus
illius^ sed laetitiam et gaudium, that is to say :
" His manners be so sweet and pleasant that
the conversation of Him hath no bitterness ;
yea, His company hath no loathsomeness nor
weariness in it, but all gladness and joy." Here
peradventure you will say unto me, how may I
love that I see not? if I might see Him with all
the conditions ye speak of, I could with all my
heart love Him. Ah ! good sister, that time is
not come yet ; you must, as I said, now for the
time prepare yourself in cleanness of body and
soul, against that time ; so when that time
Cometh you may be able and worthy to see Him,
or else you shall be excluded from Him with the
unwise virgins, of whom the Gospel telleth that

42 rHE WATS ro PERFECT RELIGIOO^

they were shut out from His presence with
great shame and confusion, because they had
not sufficiently prepared themselves. Therefore,
good sister, for this time be not negligent to
prepare yourself with all good works, that then
you may be admitted to come unto His presence,
from the which to be excluded it shall be a
more grievous pain than any pain of hell. For,
as Chrysostom saith : * Si decein mille gehemias
quis dixerit, nihil tale est quale ab ilia beata visione
excidere, that is to say : " If one would rehearse
unto me ten thousand hells, yet all that should
not be so great pains as it is to be excluded
from the blessed sight of the face of Christ."

The Seventh Consideration
The seventh consideration is this : where now
it appeareth unto you, that if you will give your
love freely, there is none so worthy to have it
as Jesus the Son of the Virgin Mary. I will
further shew unto you that if you will not freely
give it, but you will look peradventure to
have something again, yet there is none so
well worthy to have it as He is; for if another
will give more for it than He, I will not be
against it ; take your advantage. But sure I

*S. Chrys. in ep. Philipp, c.4, horn. 13 4, p. 302bc.

IHE REDEMPriO\^ 43

am there is none other to whom your love
is so dear, and of so great a price as it is unto
Him, nor any that will come nigh unto that
that He hath given or will give. If His bene-
fits and kindness shewed towards you, whereof
I spake somewhat before, were by you well
pondered, they be no small benefits, and es-
pecially the love of so great a prince, and that
He would thus love you, and prefer you
before so many innumerable creatures of His,
and that when there was in you no love, and
when you could not skill of love ; yea, and that,
that more is, when you were enemy unto Him,
yet He loved you, and so wonderfully that for
your love, and to wash you from sin, and to
deliver your soul from the extreme peril, He
shed His most precious blood, and suffered
the most shameful, the most cruel and the most
painful death of the cross ; His head to be
pierced with thorns. His hands and feet to be
through holed with nails, His side to be lanced
with a spear, and all His most tender body to
be torn and rent with whips and scourges.
Believe this for a very truth, good sister, that
for your sake He suffered all, as if there had
been no more in all the world but only yourself,
which I will declare more largely unto you in
the next consideration following.

44 THE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIOO^

Believe it in the meantime certainly, for so
it is indeed, and if you believe it not, you do a
great injury and shew a full unkindness unto
Him that thus much hath done for you.

And if this belief truly settle in your heart,
it is to me a marvel if you can content your
heart without the love of Him, of Him, I say,
that thus dearly hath loved you, and doth love
you still. For what other lover will do thus
much for your love ? What creature in all the
world will die for your sake ? What one person
will part with one drop of his heart blood
for your sake ? When then the Son of God,
the Prince of heaven, the Lord of Angels, hath
done this for your sake, which thing no other
creature will do, what frost could have congeal-
ed your heart that it may not relent against
so great an heat of love ? If He, so excellent
in all nobleness, should have given you but
one favourable countenance from the heavens
above, it had been a more precious benefit than
ever you could recompense by your love again.
It were impossible for your love to recompense
that one thing. But how much rather when He
hath descended into this wretched world for
your sake, and here hath become man, and
hath endured all misery pertaining unto man,
save only sin and ignorance, and finally hath

CHRIST'S LOVE IS INFINITE 45

suffered this great horrible death for your love,
how shall you ever now recompense this by any
love or service to be done for your pity ? And
He hath not only done all this for your sake,
but also hath prepared for you after this transi-
tory life a reward above in heaven, so great
that never mortal eye saw the like, nor any
tongue can express, nor yet any heart can
think. Ah, sister, when your wretched soul
shall hence depart, which cannot be very long
here, who shall give you refreshing the space of
one hour ? Good therefore it is that you look
unto yourself and upon Him bestow your love,
the which hitherto hath done most for you
and best hath deserved it beyond all other; and
yet after this life He will give for it a reward so
inestimable that it shall never fail you.

The Eighth Consideration
The eighth consideration is this : that albeit,
there are many others which also are beloved
of Christ Jesu, yet the love that He sheweth to
them, nothing minisheth His love towards you,
as if there were no more beloved of Him in all
the kind of man. This may evidently be
shewed unto you by this example following. If
before any image of our Saviour were disposed
and set in a long row many glasses, some great

46 rHE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIO:Xi

and some little, some high and some low, a
convenient distance from the image, so that
every one of them might receive a present-
ment of the image, it is no doubt but in
every one of these glasses should appear the
very likeness of the same image. I will not
say but this likeness should be longer in the
great glasses than in the less, and clearer in the
better cleansed glasses, and in them that were
nigh unto the image, than in the others that
were not so well cleansed and much farther off.
But as to the likeness itself it shall be as full
and as whole in every one glass as though
there were but one.

Now to my purpose, if you consider likewise
that all the good souls that be scoured from
deadly sin be in the manner of glasses set in
an order to receive the love of our Saviour
Christ Jesu, such souls as by true penance
doing, by sighing, by weeping, by praying, by
watching, by fasting and by other like, be the
better scoured and cleansed from the spots and
malice of deadly sin, they be the brighter
glasses and more clearly receive this love, and
such also be near unto our Saviour, for nothing
putteth us far from Him but only sin. And
therefore they that have more diligently scoured
their souls from the rust of sin be nearer unto

CHRIST'S LOVE IS INFINITE 47

Him than the others that so have not done.
Such souls also as of their part enforce them-
selves to a great love and to a more ample
fervour, they do enlarge the capacity of their
souls to receive a more large abundance of
love; again, those that less enforce them, have
a less capacity in receiving, and therefore so
much the less they receive of this love, even
as a man that openeth his bosom wide and
enlargeth it, is more able to receive a greater
thing into it than he that doeth not.

But yet, as I have said before of the glasses,
every one of the souls receives as full and as
whole a love of Jesu Christ as though there
were no more souls in all the world but that
one alone, for the love of Christ Jesus [is] in-
finite. And therefore when innumerable of souls
have every one of them received as much the
love of Christ Jesu as to every one of them is
possible, yet hath He still in Himself love suffi-
cient for infinite more, and this His love there-
by is not in any point diminished nor lessened,
though it be divided into many, be the number
of them never so great. None of them that
be beloved receive the less because of the multi-
tude of his fellows, nor if he had no more but
himself he should not thereby have any more
abundance of love to his part, but according to

48 rHE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIOC^

the cleansing and capacity of his soul and nigh-
ness unto Christ, his part in love shall be the
less or more. Wherefore, good sister, I pray
you be diligent to scour your soul clean, and
to enforce your soul on your part fervently to
love your spouse Christ Jesu, and draw nigh
unto Him with entire devotion, and then un-
doubtedly you shall be partner to the more
plenteous abundance of His love, notwith-
standing any other multitude which beside is
beloved of Him; for He nevertheless is as
studious of you and as mindful and as fervently
careth for your weal as though there were no
more beloved of Him but you alone in all this
world.

The Ninth Considefation
The ninth consideration is this : where perad-
venture you would object to me again and say :
" Brother, if it be thus as you say, that my
Lord Jesu loveth me so much, and is so mindful
of me, and so fervently intendeth my weal,
what need me to care whatsoever I do ? He
will not cast me away ; He will not forsake me
nor suffer me to perish." Good sister, without
doubt as I have said, our Saviour Christ Jesu
is in love towards you, and He is mindful and
more loving towards you than I can express.

GOD'S HATRED OF .SXX 49

And sure you may be that He will never cast
you away, nor forsake you, if you before cast
not yourself away, nor forsake yourself. But
if you give any place to sin in your soul, and
suffer it to enter upon you, verily then you
forsake yourself and cast yourself away, and
willingly destroy yourself, that is your deed and
not His ; for He never forsaketh any creature
unless they before have forsaken themselves.
And if they will forsake themselves, were they
never in so great favour with Him before, they
then incontinently lose His favour. The which
thing well appeareth in His first spiritual crea-
tures the noble angels, Lucifer and his company,
which were created in excellent brightness, and
were much in the favour of Almighty God, they
presumptuously offended Him in pride ; for the
which not only they lost His favour, but also
their marvellous brightness became inconti-
nently horrible, foul, and were expelled out of
the glorious kingdom of heaven that they were
in, and thrown into perpetual darkness, into
the prison of hell.

The first man Adam also, who was created
in singular honour, and was put into paradise,
a place full of gladness, there to live in comfort
of all pleasure, the which was done to him for
a singular love that Almighty God had towards

50 THE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIOD<i

him ; yet anon as he fell to sin he was in like
manner expelled out from that pleasure, and
sent into this miserable world to endure misery
and pain.

If those noble creatures which were lifted
up into so great favour with Almighty God, so
lightly by their misdemeanour in sin lost His
gracious favour, let none other creature think
but if they admit any sin to their soul, they
shall be likewise excluded out of His favour.
For sin is so odious unto Almighty God, that
not the dearest friends that ever He had in all
the world, but if there were found in their souls
any deadly sin after death, they should never
be received into the joy of heaven. Not the
blessed Mary Magdalene for all her love towards
Him, nor yet His own blessed Mother that
bare Him into this world, if one deadly sin
were found in their souls, they should inconti-
nent be thrown into the dark dungeon of hell.
Wherefore, good sister, say not, if His love
be so much upon you, and He so desirously
intendeth your profit, that you may do what
you list, you need not to care what you
do ; but contrariwise, the more that He loveth
you, the more you should take heed unto your-
self and beware that you offend Him not, for so
did the Blessed Mary Magdalene, of whom

JESLTS LOVE 51

I spake before. She, notwithstanding the great
love that both our Saviour had to her and she
unto Him again, for the which also her sins were
forgiven her, yet after His death she fled from
the company of men, and lived in the wilder-
ness far from any worldly comfort, in great
wailing, fasting and prayer and such other
painfulness of her body, and was nothing the
less diligent to keep herself warily from sin, for
the great love that our Lord and Saviour had
to her; but for that the more studiously she did
avoid and eschew everything whereby she might
run into any displeasure against Him.

The Tenth Consideration
The tenth consideration is this : it were well
done, and much it should further this cause if
you truly esteem of how little value your love
is, how vain, how light and how trifling a thing
it is, and how few there be that would much
regard it or set much price thereby, for few
there be or none to whom it may do any profit
or avail. Contrariwise, you should consider the
love of your spouse, the sweet Jesu, how ex-
cellent it is, how sure, how fast, how constantly
abiding, how many have much specially regarded
it. Martyrs innumerable, both men and women,
for His love have shed their blood and have en-

52 THE WATS TO PERFECT RELIGIOD<^

dured every kind of martyrdom, were it never
so cruel, were it never so terrible. No pain, no
torment, might compel them to forsake His
love ; so desirous were they of His love that
rather than they would forego it, they gave no
force of the loss of all this world beside, and
their own life also. So dear and precious was
that love to them that all the honours, pleasures
and possessions of this life they accounted as
very trifles in comparison of that. And what
be you in comparison of them, but naughty,
wretched and miserable ? Where then they,
which be now glorious saints above in heaven,
so much have valued and so greatly esteemed
this most excellent love, and you may have the
same love for yours, that is so naughty and so
little worth, what should you do of your part ?
How much should you enforce yourself not only
to obtain this love, but studiously to keep it,
since that you have it once, and for nothing
to depart therefrom ! He of His goodness doth
not repel any creature from His love, but per-
mitteth them assuredly that if any draw nigh
unto Him by love, He will love them again, and
give His most precious love for theirs. He
sayeth : Ego diligentes vie diligo ; that is to say :
*' I love them that love Me." And in another
place : En qui venit ad me non ejiciam foras;

PRA7'ER FOR JESITS LOVE 53

that is to say : " What person soever cometh
unto Me, I will not cast him away." Sister,
if you consider this deeply, it should move you
to fall down upon your knees and with all your
heart and mind say unto your Spouse in this
manner ;

" O my blessed Saviour Lord Jesu, Thou
askest my love, Thou desirest to have my heart,
and for my love Thou wilt give me Thy love
again. O my sweet Lord, what is this for Thee
to desire, which art so excellent ? If my poor
heart were of so much value as all the hearts of
men and women that ever were, if they were put
together in one ; and if it were as precious and
noble as there is price and nobleness in all the
orders of angels ; if furthermore it did contain
in it all bodily and spiritual treasure that is
within the compass of heaven or without, yet it
were but a little gift to give unto so great a
Lord, for His most delicate and precious love
to be had of Him again : much rather my
love and heart, as it is now naughty, wretched
and miserable, so is it but a small gift and of
little value. Nevertheless, such as it is, since
it is Thy pleasure to have it and Thy goodness
doth ask it of me, saying : Praebe mihi cor tuum ;
that is to say : ' Give me thy heart ' — I freely
give it unto Thee, and I most humbly beseech

54 THE WAYS TO PERFECT RELIGIOJ(^

Thy goodness and mercy to accept it, and so to
order me by Thy grace, that I may receive into
it the love of nothing contrary to Thy pleasure,
but that I always may keep the fire of Thy love,
avoiding from it all other contrary love that
may in any wise displease Thee."

The Final Conclusion of All
Now then, good sister, I trust that these con-
siderations, if you often read them with good
deliberation, and truly imprint them in your
remembrance, they will somewhat inflame your
heart with the love of Christ Jesu, and that love
once established in you all the other points and
ceremonies of your religion shall be easy unto
you, and no wit painful ; you shall then com-
fortably do everything that to good religion
appertaineth, without any great weariness.
Nevertheless, if it so fortune that you at any
time begin to feel any dulness of mind, quicken
it again by the meditation of death, which I
send you here before, or else by some effectual
prayer earnestly calling for help and succour
upon the most sweet Jesu, thinking, as it is in-
deed, that is your necessity and that no where
else you can have any help but of Him. And if
you will use these short prayers following, for
every day in the week one, I think it shall be

FETITIONS FOR JESU'S LOVE 55

unto you profitable. For thus you may in your
heart shortly pray, what company soever you
be amongst.

The Prayers be these :
O BLESSED Jesu, make me to love Thee entirely.

O blessed Jesu, I would fain, but without
Thy help I cannot.

O blessed Jesu, let me deeply consider the
greatness of Thy love towards me.

O blessed Jesu, give unto me grace heartily
to thank Thee for Thy benefits.

O blessed Jesu, give me good will to serve
Thee, and to suffer.

O sweet Jesu, give me a natural remem-
brance of Thy passion.

O sweet Jesu, possess my heart, hold and
keep it only to Thee.

These short prayers if you will often say,
and with all the power of your soul and heart,
they shall marvellously kindle in you this love,
so that it shall be always fervent and quick,
the which is my especial desire to know in you.
For nothing may be to my comfort more than to
hear of your furtherance and profiting in God
and in good religion, the which our blessed
Lord grant you for His great mercy. Amen.

A Sermon

Vcrie fruitful!, godly, and learned, upon thys
sentence of the Prophet Ezechiell, **La-
mentationes. Carmen, et vae,** very aptely
applyed unto the passion of Christ: Preach'
ed upon a good Friday, by the same John
Fisher, Bishop of Rochester

The Prophet Ezechiel telleth that he saw a
book spread before him, the which was written
both within and without, and there was written
also in it, "Lamentationes, Carmen, et vae," that
is to say : " Lamentation, song and woe." This
was a wonderful book and much to be mar-
velled upon. Much comfortable knowledge
and sweetness this Prophet got by this book (as
he sailh in the chapter next ensuing, Factum est
m ore meo sictit mel dulce — " This book was in
my mouth as sweet as honey." This book ta
our purpose may be taken unto us, the Crucifix,
the which doubtless is a marvellous book, as we
shall shew hereafter.

In the which if we do exercise our admira-
tion, we shall come to wonderful knowledge^

^O ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIOJ<^

Marvelling was the cause why that the philoso-
phers came to so great knowledge as they had.
They beheld and saw many wonderful things
and effects in this world, as the marvellous
earthquakes, thunders, lightnings, snow, rain and
frost, blazing stars, the eclipses of the sun and of
the moon, and such other effects. And those
marvellous wonders moved them to search for
the causes of the same. And so by diligent
search and inquisition they came to great know-
ledge and cunning, which cunning men call
philosophy natural. But there is another higher
philosophy which is above nature, which is also
gotten with marvelling, and this is the very
philosophy of Christian people. And doubtless
amongst all other things concerning a Christian
man, it is a thing much marvellous, and most
wonderful, that the Son of God, for the love
that He had unto the soul of man, would suffer
Himself to be crucified, and so to take upon
Him that most painful death upon the Cross.
Of this the prophet Habacuc sayeth : Admi-
ramini et obstupescite, quia opus factum est in
diebus vestris quod nemo credet quum narrabitur
— "Marvel and wonder you, for a work is done
in your days, which when it shall be shewed,
no man will believe."

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that

GOD'S WATS WONDERFUL 6l

is most to be dreaded and feared, would be
in so much fear that for very fear and dread
of pain He had to suffer, He sweat water and
blood?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
was most inestimable in price, and most precious,
would suffer His body to be sold for so little a
price as for the value of thirty pence ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
is the Lord of heaven and earth and all
other creatures, would suffer Himself to be
bound of those villains with ropes like a thief ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
hath so great might and power would suffer
Himself to be taken of His cruel and mortal
enemies, and so led unto all these pains ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
is the Judge of all the world would thus wrong-
fully be judged ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
had in Him all wisdom would thus be mocked
and reputed as a fool ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
is so strong and mighty would be made so
weak and feeble that He fell under the weight
and burthen of the Cross ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
is the Lord of Angels would be spitted and

62 ^ SERMON ON THE Py4SSI0J^

bobbed of a sort of lorels * in that most de-
spiteful manner?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that is
the King of everlasting glory would suffer His
head in mockery to be crowned with thorns ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that
giveth life to every creature would suffer this
most shameful, sorrowful and so painful
death ?

Is it not a wonderful thing that He that is
the Lord and author of all liberty would thus
be bound with ropes and nailed hand and foot
unto the Cross ?

Thus who that list with a meek heart and a
true faith to muse and to marvel of this most
wonderful book (I say of the Crucifix), he shall
come to more fruitful knowledge than many
other which daily study upon their common
books. This book may suffice for the study of
a true Christian man all the days of his life. In
this book he may find all things that be neces-
sary to the health of his soul. St Francis
could pass his time with this book and was
never weary thereof, and his great study was in
the compass of a few words, Quis tu^ et quis ego^
JDomine ? that is to say, " Who art Thou, Lord,

* Low, worthless fellows.

THE STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS 63

and who am I ? " This thought always did
run from himself to Christ, and again from
Christ unto himself. And so ever he marvelled
of the most excellent nobleness of Christ, and
compared it with his own naughtiness, always
marvelling that Christ, being of so incomparable
worthiness, would suffer that most painful death
for so unworthy sinners ; which lesson is so
plain and so common that every man, be he never
so simple, may somewhat profit in it. And,
again, it is so high that few can attain to reach
to the special fruit of it. This holy St Francis
so profited in this lesson that it caused in his
heart such a fervent love, such a devotion, such
an affection to Christ, that the capital wounds
which he beheld in the hands and feet and side
of Christ were by miracle imprinted in his own
hands and feet. This thing the Bishop of
Rome, Innocent,* and his cardinals did see, and
had very proof thereof.

The meditation and imagination of this
book was so earnest and so continual that the

* Pope Innocent III. is here referred to. This
statement of Fisher is not quite accurate, as the date
of the Stigmata is commonly fixed about the year
1224 and Innocent died in 1216. Alexander IV. was
the Pope who saw the Stigmata in St Francis' life-
time. St Bonaventure assures us that he had this
information from Alexander's own lips.

64 tA SERMON ON THE P^SSIO:^

tokens of the five wounds of Christ were im-
printed and engraved in this holy saint's body.
But to this high fruit (as I said) few or none
besides him doth attain. It is a singular gift
of Almighty God, and not common to be
looked for of other persons. Nevertheless, who
that will exercise this lesson, though he come
not to this high point of perfection, he shall,
nevertheless, greatly profit in the same and
come to a great knowledge, both of Christ and
of himself. A man may easily say and think
with himself (beholding in his heart the image
of the Crucifix) : " Who art Thou, and who am
I ? " Thus every person, both rich and poor,
may think, not only in the Church here, but in
every other place, and in his business where-
about he goeth. Thus the poor labourer may
think, when he is at plough earing * his ground,
and when he goeth to his pastures to see his
cattle, or when he is sitting at home by his fire-
side, or else when he lieth in his bed waking
and cannot sleep. Likewise the rich man may
do in his business that concerneth him. And
the poor women also in their business, when
they be spinning of their rocks f or serving of

* Tilling.

+ The rock was a staff held in the hand, from
which the wool was spun, by turning a ball below.

DUST AND ASHES 65

their pullen.* The rich women also in every
lawful occupation that they have to do. It is
an easy thing for any man or woman to make
these two questions with themselves : '* O my
Lord, that wouldest die for me upon a cross,
how noble and excellent art Thou ! " and
again, " How wretched and miserable am I 1 '*
Doubtless, O thou Christian soul, He that hung
for thy sake on the cross was verily the Son of
God, as the noble centurion said when, at the
death of Christ, he saw so many wonderful
tokens; he saw the sun withdraw his light, and
the air in darkness, and felt all the earth tremble
and quake and the stones break asunder, then
he said : Vere Filius Dei erat iste^ that is to say,
'* Verily this person was the Son of God."
Think with thyself, O Christian soul, how great
a person He is that is the Son of God. And
think again how villainous and how wretched
thou art in comparison of Him. What art thou
but ashes ? cinis es^ and unto ashes thou shalt
return, et in cinerem reverteris, Abraham, who
was a man of high perfection, yet when he
should speak unto Almighty God he said :
Quum sum pulvis et citiiSy loquar ad Domifiu?ny
that is to say, " I am but dust and ashes, and
yet I must speak unto my Lord." David also

* i.e., poultry.

66 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIOJ^

saith : Universa vanitas omnis homo vivens^ that
is to say, " Man containeth in him all vanity."
Furthermore, Job speaketh of man, saying in
this manner : Qui quasi flos egrcditur, et conteri-
tur, et fugit velui utnbra — " Man is like a flower,
he doth issue forth into the world, and soon
after he is trodden down, and so, finally, he
passeth like a shadow." Man is but earth and
ashes, and shall pass away like a shadow and
like a mere vanity.

Contrariwise, Christ was, is, and ever shall
be, the Prince of heaven, the Lord of angels
and the Creator of all creatures. Qui fecit
ccelwn et terram et omnia quce. in eis sunt — He
made heaven and earth and all that is in them.
His power is infinite and most to be dreaded —
Omnipotens rex et metuendus nitJiis. His wis-
dom is incomprehensible — O altitude divitiarum
sapientice et sciefitice Dei, His greatness passeth
all measure — Magnus Dominus et laudabilis
nifnis, et magnitudinis ejus nan est finis. Shortly
to say, when a man hath spoken or thought all
that can be to the praise of His excellency, yet
He doth far pass and surmount all that, as the
Scripture saith : Glorificantes Dofninum, quan-
tumcumque poteritis, supervalebit adhuc^ et admi-
rabilis magnificentia illius.

Now then, O thou sinful creature, marvel at

THE CRUCIFIX A BOOK 67

His excellent worthiness, that was thus cruci-
fied. And marvel also at thy naughtiness, for
whose love He was thus crucified. Thus, I
say, did the holy St Francis : Quis es tu, et
quis sum ego^ Domine ? — " Who art Thou, my
Lord so excellent, and who am I, for whom
Thou wouldest endure all this pain.? "

O Christian soul, often behold this book
and say with this holy man: Quis es tu, et quis
sum ego? Marvel that His inestimable good-
ness would thus die for so miserable a vanity.
And so marvelling, thou shalt profit in a gra-
cious knowledge of Christ, and thy heart shall
taste marvellous sweetness and be replenished
with a devout savour of His most excellent
goodness. But you marvel, peradventure, why
I call the Crucifix a book ? I will now tell you
the consideration why. A book hath boards,
leaves, lines, writings, letters, both small and
great. First, I say, that a book hath two
boards : the two boards of this book are the
two parts of the cross, for when the book is
opened and spread, the leaves be couched upon
the boards. And so the blessed body of Christ
was spread upon the cross.

The leaves of this book be the arms, the
hands, legs and feet, with the other members of
His most precious and blessed body.

68 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIO:Xi

Never any parchment skin was more
Straightly stretched by strength upon the tentors
than was this blessed body upon the cross.
These lorells that crucified Him drew by vio-
lence His most precious arms with ropes unto
either branch of the cross, that the sinews
burst asunder, and so nailed His hands fast
with spiking nails of iron unto the cross. After
they stretched His feet likewise unto another
hole beneath in the cross, and there nailed
them with the third nail through both His feet.
And so they reared up this body aloft against
the sun, even as a parchment skin is set forth
before the heat of the sun to dry. It was set up
aloft to the intent that all the world might look
upon this book.

This book was written within and without.
First, within was written but one word ; never-
theless this one word compriseth in it, as saith
St Paul, the whole treasure of all cunning and
wisdom pertaining unto God, In quo sunt omnes
thesauri sapientice. Dei — " In whom are all the
treasures of the wisdom of God." Of this word St
John speaketh, saying : In principio erat Verbum
— "The Word was in the beginning, before all
creatures." This Word is the second Person in
the Godhead, the Son of God, which by the
Holy Ghost was written in the inward side of

rHE HIDDEN GODHEAD 69

this parchment. For the Godhead of Christ
was covered and hidden under the likeness of
man. The Holy Ghost was the pen of Al-
mighty God the Father ; He set His most
mighty word unto the body of Christ within the
womb of the Virgin Mary, and so this book
was written within.

For as St Paul sayeth : Si cogtiovt'sseni, num-
quam Dominum gloriae crucifixissent, that is to
say, " If they had known the Son of God, which
was and is the Lord of everlasting glory, they
would never have crucified Him." They saw
His manhood which was in outward sight, but
they saw not His Godhead, which was covered
within the same. The Godhead was the in-
ward side, and the manhood was the outward
side. Furthermore, when a book is spread,
you see that in the leaves are many lines drawn.
And many letters, some red, some black and
some blue ; so in this book (the most blessed
body of Christ) were drawn many lines, for it
was all scourged with whips, so that everywhere
the print of the cords of the scourges was left
behind, and that in every place, from the neck
downward unto the soles of His feet, so that
there was no margin left in all this book, there
was no void place, but everywhere it was
either drawn with lines or else written with

70 ^ SERMON ON THE P^SST03^

letters ; for these scourges filled not only His
most precious body with lines drawn every-
where, but also left many small letters, some
black, some blue, some red. For the blood, by
the violence of the scourges, sprung out in
every place. And for because no part of this
book should be unwritten. His head also was
pierced with sharp thorns.

These cruel Jews put upon His head a
crown of thorns, and pressed it down upon the
same as hard as they might press it by violence,
beating it down with a strong reed. £t arun-
dtne percutiebant caput ejus. And His blessed
head so crowned, they did beat it down with a
gadde or a hard reed.

Thus you perceive that this book was full
of lines and small letters (which were of divers
colours, as I said), some black, some blue,
some red, some bluish, that is to say, full of
strokes and lashes, whereby the skin was torn
and rent in a thousand places. Besides these
small letters yet was there also great capital
letters preciously illumined with roset colour ;
roset is a red colour like unto the colour of a
rose, which colour that most precious blood
which issued out of His hands and feet doth
represent unto us; with this most precious blood
was illumined the five great capital letters in

THE FIVE fVOUNDS 71

this wonderful book. I mean by these capital
letters the great wounds of His body, in His
hands, and in His feet, and in His side.

These five great wounds were engraved with
sharp and violent pens, that is to say, the sharp
nails and the spear. And they do represent
unto us the five capital letters of this book.
Thus then you may perceive what be the
boards of this book, and wliat be the leaves ;
how it is written within and without; how it is
lined and leathered, and what be the letters,
as well the small as the great. Now we shall
hear what manner of writing is contained in
this book. But first here let us make our
prayer for grace, beseeching Almighty God to
give unto our hearts the gracious light of His
beams, whereby we may the more clearly per-
ceive the writings of this book, and that they
may bring forth some good fruit to our souls'
health.

Now you shall hear what writings be con-
tained in this book. In the book which Ezechiel
did see, were written three manner of things :
Lamentaitofies, Car?nen, et vae, which is to say,
lamentations, songs and woe. And the same
three things in like manner are written in this
book of the Crucifix. First is lamentation, and
this very conveniently is written in this book of

72 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIOD<i

the Crucifix. For whosoever will joy with
Christ must first sorrow with Him. And by
sorrow and lamentation he may come unto joy j
but he that will not sorrow and lament with
Christ here in this life, he shall come finally to
the place where is everlasting woe, I say woe
that shall never have end. Here therefore is
written all these three, lamentation, song and
woe.

First then we will speak of lamentation.
Lamentation ariseth of four affections, either of
a great fear or dread, or of a great shame, or
of some sorrow, or else of some hatred. When
Holophernes with a mighty power was entered
into the country of Jewry, and terribly threatened
to destroy all before him, the people were in
a great fear and dread to be oppressed, and so
fell down before Almighty God, and with great
lamentation did call for His help. Omnis
populus cecidit in faciem^ adorantes Dominum
cum lamentatione et fletu — "All the people fell
on their faces, worshipping our Lord with weep-
ing and lamentation."

The cause of this lamentation was the great
dread which they were in. Here first then let
us learn to dread; and doubtless, thou Christian
soul, thou mayest here learn greater matter of
dread than the Jews then were in \ for the Jews

rHE LESSON OF THE CRUCIFIX 73

then were only in peril of temporal death, thou
art in peril of everlasting death.

Consider, man, how grievously thou hast
sinned ; and also behold how grievously sin was
revenged and punished in the blessed body of
Christ. And thou shalt anon find here great
cause and matter of dread. The stories telleth
of Cambyses the King of Persia, that where
one of his judges had given a false and a wrong
judgement, he deprived him of his office, and
made another in his place their judge after him.
Furthermore, because of his falsehood he caused
him to be slain, and his skin to be hanged up
before the place of the common judgement, to
the intent that this new judge, beholding the
grievous punishment of his predecessor, might
beware of falsehood, and always dread to give
any wrong judgement. In like manner the
image of the Crucifix is hung up in every
churcii to the intent that we may see how
grievously sin was punished in that most
blessed body of our Saviour Christ Jesu : not
for Himself, nor for His own sin, but for ours
was He thus cruelly treated : we were the cause,
we committed the sin. But yet nevertheless
He bare the pains and burthens of our sins
upon His back.

As writeth St Peter : Peccaia nostra ipsepettulit

74 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIOO^

m corpore suo super lignum cruets. And there-
fore when we behold the image of the Crucifix
in any place set up, we should think how
grievously sin was punished in the body of our
Saviour Christ. And thereby learn to dread the
grievous punishment of sin. Alas, man, thinkest
thou not that this was matter of dread ? This I
say, that the very Son of God was for thy sin
put unto this cruel death of the cross : if thou
believe not this, thou art worse than the devils.
For, as St James sayeth, daefnones credunt et
contremiscunt, *' The devils do believe and
tremble." And if thou verily believe it, thou
mayest thereby think and learn how much our
Saviour and His Father both do hate sin. For
sith Almighty God the Father would give His
most dearly beloved Son unto such an horrible
death, only for to quench and to extinguish sin,
thou mayest be sure that He hateth sin very
much.

Our Saviour also must needs hate sin, when
He rather would suffer this most villainous death
than that sin should have dominion upon our
souls. Seeing then that thou knowest that both
they hate sin, how shouldest thou dread to
receive any sin into thy soul ? If sin were so
displeasant to Almighty God the Father that
rather than He would suffer it, He would give

rHE SINNER'S SHAME 75

His own Son unto death for the expulsion of it ;
how much rather now doth it displease Him,
when His Son hath suffered death therefor,
and yet sin reigneth nevertheless, and more
generally than ever it did before.

Furthermore, if sin was so grievouslypunished
in Him that never did sin, how bitterly shall it
be punished in thee, O sinful creature, the which
hast done so many great outrageous sins ? Surely
where He hath one nail in His hands and feet,
thou sinful creature hast deserved one hundred.
And for every one thorn that He suffered in
His head, thou hast deserved a thousand. And
for every one lash that He felt of the scourges,
thou art worthy to have innumerable.

Who that deeply considereth this that I have
said, and with an earnest study resorteth often to
look upon this book, I marvel if he do not find
herein great cause and earnest matter of dread.

Here also may every sinner quicken his sin,
if any lie within his breast, for it is marvel that
a sinner can without shame behold this blessed
image. If a sinner call to remembrance his
great unkindness, and repute the same unkind-
ness any manner of vice, I trow that he will be
much ashamed of his most unkind and ungentle
dealing against so loving a Lord.

Say to me, thou sinful creature, wilt thou

76 ^ SERMON ON THE P^SSIO:}(^

not look that other men, when thou hast been
unto them in anything beneficial, I say, wilt
thou not look that they shall be kind and loving
unto thee again? And if any person be unkind
unto thee, wilt thou not rebuke him fully, and
lay it unto his reproof to make him ashamed
thereof? I am sure that thou wilt. Now then
let me see, where is thy shame ? Behold and
view every part of this blessed body ; what pain
it endured for thy sake !

Seest thou not His eyes, how they be filled
with blood and bitter tears ?

Seest thou not His ears, how they be filled
with blasphemous rebukes and opprobrious
words ?

His cheek and neck with buffets, His
shoulders with the burthen of the cross?

Seest thou not His mouth, how in His dry-
ness they would have filled it with asell * and
gall?

Seest thou not how His back is pained
against the hard cross ?

Seest thou not His sides, how they were
scourged with sharp whips ?

Seest thou not His arms, how they were
strained by the violence of the ropes ?

* i.e., vinegar.

THE SINNER'S UNKINDNESS 77

Seest thou not His hands, how they be
nailed just unto the cross?

Seest thou not His legs, how they be wearied
with labour ?

Seest thou not His feet, how painfully they
stay and bear up the weight of His whole
body ?

O most unkind sinner, all this He suffered
for thy sake. No greater kindness ever was or
could be shewed to thee by any creature than
this, which sweet Jesus did show for thee and
for thy sake, and where is now thy kindness
again ?

No kindness thou canst shew, but much
unkindness thou hast often shewed unto Him,
and yet thou art not ashamed. Alas ! man,
where is thy shame ? Think with thyself how
many abominable sins thou hast done against
His pleasure. I do ascertain thee that the
least of them striketh Him more painfully unto
the heart than any unkindness that ever was
done unto thee in all thy life.

For, as St Bernard saith in the person of
Christ, when he hath rehearsed all the grievous
pains of His Passion, he putteth unto these
words : Extat inferius planctus praegravtor, quum
te ingraium experior^ that is to say, but in-
wardly mourning is much more grievous be-

78 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSlOO^i

cause I perceive thou art to me so mucli
unkind. So many sins, so much unkindness,
and the more heinous and the more accustom-
able that they be, the more abominable is thine
unkindness.

If the least of many of thy sins had come to
light and to the knowledge of men, thou wouldst
have been sore ashamed of them. Christ
knoweth them and saw thee do them, for
Omnia nuda et aperta sunt oculis ejus — "All
things be naked and open before His eyes " ;
and yet thou art not ashamed of all thy un-
kindness.

Alas, man, hear what the king and prophet
saith : Tota die verecundia viea contra me est,
et confusio faciei meae co-operuit me — "All the day
long my shame is before me, and my face is
covered with confusion." Thus said this holy
king, when our Saviour as yet had not suffered
His Passion for him.

This high point of kindness was not as yet
shewed unto this man by our Saviour Christ,
and he, nevertheless, was ashamed of his sin.
Thou hast, peradventure, done much more out-
rageous sin, and hast been much more unkind
after this His most wonderful Passion suffered
for thy sake than ever that king was, and that
also maketh thy sin much more horrible. Thou

BjIPriSMAL VOJVS BROKE:\i 79

hast after thy promise made unto Him, falsified
the same promise and untruly broken it by
multiplying of many foul and abominable sins
and by often renewing of the same. Thou
didst promise once at the Sacrament of Baptism
to keep thy faith and truth unto thy Saviour
and to forsake the devil and all his works. An
honest man or an honest woman would be
much ashamed to break their promise, and
specially to their friend. Albeit the world is
now full of such lorells, that do no more re-
gard to break their promise than for to drink
when they be dry. How often hast thou
broken thy promise ? Alas, man, learn to be
ashamed, and say with the Prophet Esdras :
Deus mgus, confundor et erubesco levare facievi
mgam, quoniam uiiquitaies nostrae levatae sunt
super caput nostrum, that is to say, " O my God,
I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face
unto Thee, for our sins be risen far above our
heads." Ye women, when there is any black
spot in your faces, or any moole * in your ker-
chiefs, or any mire upon your clothes, be you
not ashamed? Yes forsooth, sir; but I shall
tell you whereof you ought to be ashamed.
Surely, if your souls have any spots of deadly

* i.e., any stain on your head-dress.

8o U SERMON ON THE Pj4SSI0:Hi

sin in them, for when our Saviour so dearly
with His most precious blood, and with all these
grievous pains, did wash and wipe and cleanse
our souls from every spot of deadly sin, ye
should be much ashamed to defile them again.
If you be ashamed for a foul, miry shoe, and
not of a foul, stinking soul, ye make more
dearer your shoes than your souls. If ye be
ashamed of a spot in your clothes and have no
shame for many great blots in your souls, what
shall I say but, J^rons meretricis facta est tibi, no-
luisti erubescere^ that is to say, " Thou hast
taken upon thee the face of a brothel, thou
wilt not be ashamed." If thou then deeply con-
sider how many shameful blots of sin be in thy
soul before the eyes of Almighty God and all
the glorious court of heaven, and how by them
thou hast utterly broken thy promise unto God
and committed so great unkindness against this
most loving charity, that was showed unto thee
for thy love and for thy sake by our Saviour on
the cross, I suppose thou shalt find matter and
cause of great shame if any sparkle of honesty
be yet left in thy soul.

Thirdly, thou mayest here take matter
enough of sorrow, for here your Saviour
piteously crieth and complaineth of His great
sorrow, saying : O vos omnes gut iransitis per

Tirr FOR THE CRUCIFIED 8i

vtam, attendite et vidcte si est dolor similis sicut
dolor mens — " All ye that pass forth by, take heed
and see whether any sorrow was ever like unto
Mine." Alas, to see so noble a Man, so gentle
and so innocent, so cruelly treated in every
part of His most delicate body, and to hear
Him so piteously complaining, who shall not
be sorry ? Surely none, except his heart be
harder than any flint stone or adamant stone.
These same four points alone may suffice to
stir any gentle heart to sorrow. I say His
excellent nobleness. His innocency, the cruelty
that He did suffer and His piteous complaining.
If thou, O Christian man, sawest thine enemy
thus mangled and wounded, it might stir thee
to take compassion upon him. If thou saw
any Jew or Saracen thus tormented, it might
move thee to pity. Bat much rather to see
thy Lord, thy Saviour, and for thy sake thus
cruelly treated, thus without any pity cruci-
fied and pained, hanging on a cross, should
move thee to compassion. For say to me, for
whom supposest thou that our Saviour Christ
Jesus suffered all those grievous pains? Surely
for thy sin. Pro impits Christus nwrhius est*
For sinners Christ Jesu died, there was no
cause but sin. Thy sin was the cause of His

Rom. V.

82 >A SERMON ON THE PASSIO:Si

death ; thy sin gave Him His death's wound.
O sinful creature, how much cause hast thou
for to be sorry ! For thy sin was the root and
fountain of all His sorrow, and yet thou ceasest
not daily by thy sin to increase His sorrow.
O what flood of tears did the blessed Magda-
len shed, remembering her grievous sin ! She
first conceived a great dread in her soul for
her sin. Secondly, she was greatly ashamed
of her abominations within her soul, for she
regarded much more the inward shame of her
conscience than the outward shame of the
world. And therefore she let not in the pre-
sence of many persons to come to the feet of
our Saviour and to shew herself a sinner, and
there took great sorrow and wept full bitterly
for her sin. Thus after dread and shame
followed her sorrow. And when had she this
dread, shame and sorrow ? Truly before that
our Saviour hung on the cross. Yet she
knew not that her sin was cause and occasion
of His most cruel death.

But when she saw Him hang so painfully
on the cross, and considered that for her sin He
suffered all the pains, her heart was then so full
of sorrow that for very pain it might have
burst.

O thou sinful creature i If ihou cannot

7/rr FOR THE CRUCIFIED 83

sorrow, come learn of this blessed woman to
sorrow for thy sin. Think that thy sin was
the cause and occasion of all this pain and
sorrow, that thy Lord and Saviour did suffer
on the cross.

And not only she giveth the example of
sorrow, but His blessed Mother abundantly
then sorrowed at His death. St John sorrowed,
St Peter sorrowed and wept bitterly. All the
apostles were in sorrow.

But whereunto speak I of reasonable crea-
tures ? The unreasonable and the unsensible
creatures shewed a manner of sorrow. The
earth quaked, the mighty stones burst asunder,
the monuments opened, the dead corpses is
sued out of their monuments.

All these were moved with compassion.
And only thou, wretched sinner, for whose cause
He suffered all this pain and grievance, hast no
pity nor compassion upon Him.

Alas, how great is thy hardness ! How
obstinate is thy heart, that will suffer no pity to
enter into it ! Verily, thou art more harder
than are the stones, for they were moved by His
passion so mightily that they broke asunder.
Petrae scissae sunt. When then the hard stones
and all the other unreasonable creatures were
thus moved and stirred to take some com-

84 ^ SERMON ON THE FASSIO^X^

passion of the painful death of Christ, and yet
felt no profit by His death, thou much rather
shouldst be moved, for whose love He did en-
dure all these grievous pains. Look thou there-
fore upon this book, and thou shalt here find
great cause and matter of sorrow.

Fourthly, if thou canst not sorrow, yet
thou mayest here learn to hate. Thou mayest
learn to hate sin, which was cause of all
this trouble. It is not for nought that the
Scripture saith ; Quasi a facie colubri fuge
peccahim, denies leonis, de?ites ejus interficientis
animas hominum — *' Flee from sin, even as thou
wouldst flee from the face of an adder, for as
the teeth of the lion devoureth the body of
man, so death doth slay their souls." Sin is so
odious, and so great an injury to God, that it
was necessary for the recompense of this injury
that the Son of God should suffer this most
painful death of the cross. Sin provoked
Almighty God the Father so deeply to dis-
pleasure and wrath, and to take vengeance
upon sinners, that without the sacrifice of His
own Son on the gibbet of the cross. He would
not be appeased nor reconciled unto sinners
again. Sin so deadly wounded and blotted
the soul of man, that without shedding of the
mpst precious blood of our Saviour Christ Jesu,

IHE FRUITS OF SHXi 85

no life could be restored unto sinners, nor could
the souls be washed from the foul abomi-
nable corruption of sin.

Sin so debarreth and shutteth from sinners
the gates of heaven, that they might not have
been opened, but only by the merit of this most
bitter passion, and suffering these most painful
torments on the cross. Sin set the gates of
hell so wide open and brought all this world
into that danger and thraldom of the devil,
that we should all have been devoured of the
pit of hell, unless we had been ransomed with
this most precious treasure that was shed for us
on the cross. O sinful creature, hast thou not
great cause to hate sin, that hath brought thee
into that miserable condition that by thy sin
thou hast done and committed high injury
against Almighty God, and hast provoked Him
to vengeance? That by thy sin thou hast
thus mortally wounded thine own soul ? That
by sin thou hast brought thyself into the
danger of the devil, and be damned in hell per-
petually? That by thy sin thou hast shut
the gates of heaven against thyself? Alas,
man, where canst thou find greater occasion for
hatred ?

If thy neighbour do unto thee but a light
injury, thou canst anon hate him ; yea, and so

6

86 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIO^

hate him, that thou wilt say thou mayest not
find in thy heart to love him. Sin hath done
unto thee all these great injuries, and yet thou
lovest sin, and canst not hate it ! Alas, what
madness is this ! Joab said unto King David :
Diligis odientcs te, et odio habes diligentes U —
" Thou lovest them that hate thee, and thou
hatest them that love thee." The same word
may well be said unto every sinner that fol-
loweth the course of sin ; and likewise vice
doth procure the destruction of sinners, and
yet the sinners do follow after them.

Our Saviour with all grace and virtue pro-
cureth the salvation of sinners, but Him they
will not hear, nor take any ways after His
counsel. And this is nothing else but an
extreme madness, for they should contrariwise
love our Saviour, that so loving for their weal
endured the grievous pains of the cross, and
hate the devil and sin which were the very
cause of death.

By this then you may perceive that in this
book you may find matter enough of lamenta-
tion, since you may read in this book so much
cause of dread, of shame, of sorrow and of
hatred. And this is the first writing whereof
we promised to speak.

* 2 King-s xix.

LOVE FOR THE CRUCIFIED 87

The second writing that I said was also
written in this book, was Carmen, that is to say,
song. Surely, if either love, or hope, or joy, or
comfort, will make a soul to sing, here he may
take great occasion to sing.

First, here is great matter of love, and so
great that if any person will either give his love
freely, or else for some certain price sell it, He
that died on the cross is best worthy to have it.
If thou search in heaven and on earth one person
upon whom thou rnayest best bestow thy love,
thou shalt find none comparable unto Christ
Jesus, so wise, so mighty, so gentle, so kind, so
amiable, far passing all other; and there too He
is much desirous of thy love. For when Moses
had rehearsed the great benefits which Almighty
God had given unto man, he saith : E^ nu7ic
audi quid Do minus Deus tuus requirat a te, nisi
ut diligas mm — '* Now hear what thy Lord God
doth require of thy part, but that thou love
Him."*

So now, if thou wilt freely give thy love, thou
canst not more wisely nor better bestow it than
upon Him who is so excellent and hath all the
conditions above said, and there too also is so
desirous to have thy love.

* Deut. X.

88 e>4 SERMON ON THE PASSI03^

And if thou wilt sell thy love, I trow there
is none that will give unto thee more liberally
for the same than He hath done. Where shalt
thou find him that will shed one drop of blood
out of his heart for thy sake ? Where shalt thou
find him that will give his own soul and life for
thy love? There can no more be asked of
any man than that : Afajorem charitatem nemo
habet nisi ut animam suam ponat quis pro
amicis suis — " No man can show greater charity
than to put his own life in jeopardy for his
friends."

But, peradventure, thou wilt say : " Sir, if
He had done this for me alone, I had been
bound then to have given Him my love wholly
again."

Why, man, art thou so envious, that thou
wouldest have no partners of this most precious
death with thee, but thine own self? This is
a very malicious desire to exclude all others,
and especially when thy profit and merit shall
not be diminished.

Albeit there be never so many besides that
take commodity thereby, I say unto thee, O
man, and I assure thee that as fruitfully He
died for thee — if thou wilt dispose thyself to be
partner of His death — as if there had been no

ULL SHARE IN CHRIST'S MERITS 89

more but thyself in all this world. Truth it is,
there be many more besides thee that be
partners of this death. But all they, yea, and
if there were a thousand thousand times innu-
merable more than there be, all that multi-
tude shall nothing diminish any one crumb of
merit of this most blessed death belonging unto
thee. And again, if thou take much more fruit
thereof than any one of them, yet shall they
take no impairment, or receive the less because
thou hast so much.

Wilt thou see by some example that this is
truth that I now say ?

When thou seest a torch-light in a house
where many persons be, doth not that torch
give as much light to them all as if there were
but one person there ? Every person after the
quickness of their sight, taketh more or less
profit of that light than doth another, but yet
he that taketh more hindereth his fellows nothing
in so taking, nor he that taketh less giveth
thereby any occasion for his fellows to take
any more.

And if it be thus of the light of a torch,
much rather it is so of the merit of this most
gracious death, and of this most precious blood,
which by the reason of the Godhead abun-

90 U SERMON ON THE P^SST03^

dantly sufficeth for the redemption of innu-
merable souls, were their sins never so many,
never so horrible, never so abominable.

Surely, as St John saith : Ipse est propi-
tiaiio pro peccatis nostris, non pro nostris ta?itum
sed et totius mundi — " He was and is a sacrifice
abundantly sufficient for the sins of all this
world."*

When then for thy sake, and for thy love,
He suffered this most horrible death, which
was so painful that the only remembrance of
it made Him to sweat bloody sweat, and that in
so great abundance that it trickled down by
His side unto the ground \ if the only thinking
of this death was so painful, how painful was
the suffering of the same indeed ! How might
He more evidently express unto thee the love
of His heart than by this means? Or what
more might He have done for thy love, as He
sayeth Himself: Quid ultra facere debui^ et
non feci? — "What might I further have done,
which I did not for thy love ? "

Thou mayest then find here in this book
great matter for love.

Here is also great matter of hope, and es-
pecially to sinners that will utterly forsake their
sins and amend their lives for Christ Jesu's

* I John ii.

rHE CROSS OUR HOPE 91

sake. Doubtless for such He suffered this most
bitter death. I'ro impiis Christus nwrtuus est.
" For wicked sinners Jesus Christ died."* And
in another place the same St Paul saith :
Christus Jesus venit in hunc mundum salvos
facere peccatores — " Christ Jesus came into this
world to save sinners that will amend their
lives." t

O Christian soul, take thou upon thee the
cross of penance and be crucified with Him,
and then without doubt thou shalt be partner of
the merit of His crucifixion and of His most
fruitful Passion.

What shall exclude thee from His merit ?
Almighty God the Father ? Nay. Qui prop? io
filio suo non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradi-
dit illmn^ quo tnodo non cum illo nobis omnia do-
nabit? " He that did not spare His own Son, but
gave Him unto the death for us all, what shall
He deny us?" What greater evidence canst
thou ask that Almighty God the Father will
forgive thy sin than this, that He would not for-
sake to give unto death His own Son ? I say,
His own most dearly beloved Son, of whom He
said : Hie est filius meus diiectus, in quo mihi
complactii — " This is My well-beloved Son, in
Whom is all My pleasure." What greater evi-

* Rom. V. t I Tim. i.

92 ^ SERMON ON THE Py4SSI0:>C

dence and proof mayest thou desire, that He
will forgive thy sins, than that He would put
this most inestimable jewel into such a danger
for thy sake, and send it unto this most painful
and shameful and sorrowful death of the
cross ?

But, peradventure, thou thinkest that our
Saviour, because thou hast been so unkind unto
Him, will not receive thee unto His mercy ? I
say, therefore, forsake thy sins, and accuse thy
unkindness, and be sorry for it ; and doubt not
but He will forgive and forget thine unkindness
and receive thee again unto His great mercy.

St Bernard saith : " Who may not be
ravished to hope and confidence, if he consider
the order of our Lord's body. His head bowing
down to offer a kiss, His arms spread to em-
brace us. His hands bored through to make
liberal gifts, His side opened to show unto us
the love of His heart, His feet fastened with
nails that He shall not start away but abide
with us, and all His body stretched, forcing
Himself to give it wholly unto us ? "

Surely, O man, He that would thus and
after this manner exhibit His body unto thee on
the cross (if thou wilt endeavour thee upon thy

JESm S BLOOD CRIETH MERCY 93

part), He will not refuse thee but take thee
unto His mercy.

This most precious blood that He shed on
the cross crieth always mercy for sinners that do
thus return. And, therefore, St Paul sayeth :
Accessistis ad sanguinem melius loquefitem quam
Abel — '* Ye become and have returned you unto
the blood that speaketh more graciously than
did the blood of Abel." The blood of Abel
cried vengeance before God, as Almighty God
said unto Cain in the Book of Genesis :
Sanguis Abel fratris tui claviat ad vie vindi-
dam de terra — " The blood of thy brother Abel
crieth vengeance in Mine ears from the ground
where it is shed."

But the most precious blood of our Saviour
Jesu Christ crieth mercy for all sinners that do
repent; and our Saviour now, before the face of
His Father, showeth His wounds and showeth
His most precious blood, and ceaseth not to
procure mercy for them. This plainly doth
affirm the blessed apostle St John saying in this
manner : Filioli, haec scribo vobis ut non peccetis :
sed ei si quis peccaverit, advocatum habemus apud
Patrem Jesum Christujii justum^ et ipse est propi-
tiatio pro peccatis nostris, that is to say, "Child-
ren, I write these things unto you to the intent
that you should not sin. Nevertheless, if it

94 ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIOiX

fortune any man to sin, we have an advocate
for us, Christ Jesus, before the face of His
Father. And He is righteous, and without sin,
and a very satisfaction for all our sins."

Who then attentively doth behold this Cruci-
fix and verily believeth that on the cross was
paid the ransom of all sinners, how may he not
fully trust that if he asks mercy for his sins they
shall be forgiven him? So that every sinner
may find great matter and occasion of hope.

In the cross is also matter of joy. Here is
occasion of such excessive joy that a soul which
verily tasteth it cannot but highly rejoice in the
same. And therefore St Paul did say : Mi/ii
autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini Jesu
Christi — " God forbid that I rejoice in any
other thing than in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ." Here, doubtless, is great cause for
every true Christian man to rejoice, and speci-
ally for three points.

The first is that by the death of our Saviour
on the cross and shedding of His most precious
blood on the cross we be fully reconciled to
Almighty God as often as we do true repentance
with a fast purpose of amendment.

Thus St Paul saith(ad Col): Complacuit per
gum reconciliare omnia in ipsum per sangtiinefn
crticis — " It hath pleased God the Father that by

RECONCILIATION BT THE CROSS 95

His Son and by His blood shed on the cross all
should be reconciled."

But you will ask me what meaneth this word
** reconciled"? It is as much to say, as to be made
at one with Almighty God and to be at friend-
ship with Him, as two men when they have been
at variance to be made lovers together again,
so the displeasure which He had against us for
our sin is taken away, and His great wrath is
fully pacified. So where we were by sin the
children of the devil, now we have recovered to
be made again the children of God and, con-
sequently, the inheritors of heaven. O thou
Christian man, is not here great cause to
rejoice ?

If thou hast a rich man for thy father which
had loved thee much, and he for thy misde-
meanour had cast thee out of his favour, and so
thou wert in jeopardy to lose thy inheritance, if
by means of a brother of thine thou mightest be
brought into his favour again and be taken for
his son as thou wast before and restored there-
by to thine inheritance, hadst thou not great
cause to be joyous and rejoice, that by this
means thou hast recovered again thy father's
love with all the commodities belonging unto
the same ? In like manner it is of every sinner,
for he by his lewd demeanour and by his sinful

96 U SERMON ON THE PASSIO:X.

dealing hath so displeased his Father that he is
cast out from the favour of his Father, and is in
peril to lose his inheritance which his most
loving Father had provided for him.

Nevertheless, His only begotten Son, by His
inestimable goodness and charity, suffering the
most painful death of the cross and shedding
His most precious blood for amends and recom-
pense of our ungracious dealings, hath recon-
ciled us again, and made us at one with His
Father, and set us at a perfect peace, concord
and unity. And this is concerning the first
point.

The second, by the virtue of the cross and
of His most blessed Passion, the power of our
enemies be much broken, for on the cross our
Saviour by His death got the victory upon
them, for the which St Paul said : Expolians
prina'patus et potestates traduxit confidenter^
triumphans eos in semetipso — " Christ Jesus, spoil-
ing the mighty power of the devil, hath openly
detected their frauds, and got a very triumph
of them in His own person." And therefore
nothing is yet more terrible unto them than the
sign of the cross. A blessed virgin, St Chris-
tian, had such a confidence in the token of the
cross, that when she felt herself tempted with
her ghostly enemy, she marked herself with the

THE VIRTUE OF THE CROSS 97

same token, and at every temptation she got the
better of the devils ; and by this holy token
chased them away and put them ever to flight.
Thirdly, by the virtue of the cross and of this
most fruitful death, our handwriting which
made most against us, was clearly put out.
Where was it written ? In the book of our
own conscience. There is no manner of sin that
we do, but it is written in the book of our
conscience. And if we repent us not of the
same and be heartily sorry for it before our
death, this book of our conscience shall be
shewed against us in the dreadful day of
judgement. Nevertheless, if we repent us and
confess us, and do true repentance therefor,
then by the virtue of this Passion it shall be
scraped out of the book of our conscience.
Therefore St Paul calleth sin our own hand-
writing: Delevit quod adversum nos erat, chirogra-
phum decreti quod erat contrariuni nobis, et ipsum
tulit de medio, affigens illudcruci — " Christ Jesus
(he sayeth) put out the handwriting of that
decree which was against us, and so withdrew
it, fastening it unto the cross." When thou per-
ceivest, O sinful creature, that by the cross of
Christ, and by that most precious blood which
was shed on the cross, thou art reconciled
and made at one with God, and the power of

qS ^ SERMON ON THE PASSIO:^.

thine enemies is greatly repressed. And finally
thy sin which was most against thee was
crucified on the same cross, so that thou mayest
clearly see that here is great matter of excessive
joy and to rejoice in the most blessed Crucifix.

Finally, in the cross is also matter of great
comfort, when a person hath deserved a great
open shame, and is brought even to the plunge
of the matter, and yet by the means of help
he is delivered from the same, is not this his
deliverance from this open shame a comfort
unto him ? Yes, doubtless.

The noble woman Susanna, as the Prophet
Daniel telleth, albeit she was guiltless, yet for
because she would not assent to the wretched
desire of two lewd priests, she was by them
wrongfully accused and put to great shame;
for they wrongfully slandered her, that she had
taken another man besides her husband, and
that she had committed adultery. Neverthe-
less, when the matter was tried by the goodness
of Almighty God, and she was clearly dis-
charged from this terrible occasion, and clearly
delivered from this shame, it was a great com-
fort unto her.

The blessed Magdalen by her wretched
living had deserved great shame, yet when she
came to our Saviour Christ, and wept at His

COMFORT IN THE CROSS 99

feet, and so by His great mercy was excused of
her shame, her heart was set at a great rest and
in great comfort. The woman of wliom the
Gospel tellelh, that was taken in adultery by
her enemies and so brought before our Saviour
Christ, and there in His presence, and before
all His people, her shameful deed was pub-
lished, who may think but that she was sore
accombred with that open shame ? but yet when
our Saviour had confounded her enemies, and
delivered her from that shame, she was restored
to much ease and comfort of her heart. Why
tell I this ? Truly to the intent that we may
see great matter of comfort in the cross, for we
sinners have deserved great shame for our
abominable sin, surely so great that if we verily
knew the greatness of the shame that we have
deserved, we might never sustain the remem-
brance thereof. And yet that most inestimable
goodness of Christ by that horrible shame that
He suffered on the cross, delivered us from ever-
lasting shame. He took there upon His back
all the burthen of our sins. There wanted no
circumstances of horrible shame, for then the
death of the cross was the most shameful
manner of death that was put to any villain.
It was then the most villainous death to be
hanged on the gibbet of the cross; and this

lOO U SERMON ON THE PASSIOC^

was done in no secret place, but high upon
an open mountain, that all the people might
behold and look upon Him. And He was
hanged there naked, and between two thieves,
as though He was a prince and captain of
misdoers ; and against the feast of Easter,
when the most number of people did assemble
unto the temple of the Jews, nigh unto the
city of Jerusalem, that all the people might
commodiously resort to gaze upon this cruel
spectacle. This thing was done also in the open
day, for from the midst of the day He thus did
hang alive on the cross by the space of three
hours and more. And all the strangers as they
passed close by did wonder upon Him ; the
soldiers opprobriously rebuked Him, the priests
with words of derision and mockery assaulted
Him, the thieves that hung beside Him blas-
phemed Him ; finally all His enemies rejoiced
in their victory againstHim. Alas, what crea-
ture might be more shamefully treated than was
our Saviour Christ Jesu hanging thus on the
cross? A truth it is, now the cross is made hon-
ourable by His death; but then, as I said, it was
more shameful than any gibbet or gallows, or any
other instrument of death. And moreover, and
besides that. He was hanged on the same with
the utmost despite and villany that could be

THE CROSS COVERETH OUR SHAME

thought of or devised for any creature to be
put unto. O thou Christian soul, Christ Jesu
the Son of God took upon Him all this shame
for thy love, to the intent that if thou wilt
amend thy life and forsake thy sin and do true
penance, thou shalt by His shame be delivered
from all shame. His shame shall hide thy
sins. He was there naked and spoiled of all
His clothes to the intent that thou shouldest be
covered under His mantle from thy shame.
And therefore by the Prophet Ezechiel He
saith : Expandi cwiictum ?neum super te^ et
opetm ignorniniam hiam — " I did spread My
mantle upon thee, and so covered thee from
shame." Let every person here think with them-
selves what deeds they have done worthy of great
shame, which if they had come to light and been
openly known, they should have been blotted
with open infamy here in this life, and without
the special mercy of God in the day of judge-
ment they should thereof have an open shame
before all the world, and finally in hell an ever-
lasting shame. But from all those shames, by
the gracious mantle of Christ, many be covered.
He hath mercifully spread His mantle over
them, and kept them from those importable
shames. Of this covering also the Prophet
David saith : Beati, quorum tecta sunt peccata

^ SERMON ON THE P^SSIO:^^

— " Blessed are those whose sins be covered."
O thou sinful creature, if thou mightest see what
shame thou hast deserved for thy sin, thou
shouldest reckon this a singular comfort. But
thou seest not the abomination of thy sin, and,
therefore, thou perceivest not what shame thou
hast deserved.

Every sinner that lacketh the Hght of faith
neither considereth the greatness of his sin, nor
the presence of Almighty God which looketh
upon the same. He regardeth nothing the
blessed angels which behold the abominable
conscience to their great discomfort, nor the
devils, his mortal enemies, which be full joyous
of his shameful demeanour. If the sinner
clearly considered all these things (as they
be matter in very deed), he would doubtless
be greatly ashamed of himself and in great
discomfort. Nevertheless, a penitent soul that
is sore pressed and wrong with utter shame, Hke
as were the women of whom I spoke before, I
mean Susanna and Mary Magdalen and the
woman that was apprehended in adultery ; I say,
such a soul being holden in such distress of
shame, and considering that, by the opprobrious
and shameful death which our Saviour did
suffer on the cross, He hath delivered all true

THE fVOE OF THE CROSS 103

penitent sinners from the shame which He de-
served for their sins, and that He thereby took
all their sins on His own neck, hath great cause
(as me seemeth) to take a wonderful comfort in
the most blessed cross. So that here also (as I
said) is great matter and cause of very comfort
and of solace incomparable. Wherefore, to
conclude my tale as touching this second
writing, if either love, or hope, or joy, or com-
fort will make us sing, here in this book of the
Crucifix is great occasion of song. If thou first
truly lament with Christ, thou shalt after joyfully
sing with Him, and each of these shall induce
other ; hatred of sin shall bring into thy heart
the love of Christ, dread shall bring in hope,
sorrow shall bring in joy, and shame here taken
for thy sin shall bring into thy soul perpetual
comfort. And thus much I have said for the
second writing.

The third writing that is written in this
book I said is vae, that is to say woe : vae be-
tokeneth in Scripture everlasting damnation.
And doubtless this woe may such sinners here
read, that neither will lament nor sing with
Christ on the cross, as He said unto the Jews :
Cecinimus vobis et non saliastis^ lafnentavimus
vobis et non planxistis, that is to say, " We sung
wnto you, and you sorrowed not." And soon

104 SERMON ON THE PASSION

after the Gospel telleth that He reproachfully
spake unto the cities, to which He had shewed
many great miracles, and they for all that did no
manner of penance for their sins, to such there
He terribly threatened, saying : Vae tibi Coro-
zatn, vae tibi Bethsaida — " Woe shall be to thee,
Bethsaida." By this we may learn that such
which will not stir in themselves these affections
above rehearsed, whereby they may lament or
else sing with Christ on the cross, they shall
come to everlasting woe.

I say who that will not stir in their hearts
dread, shame, sorrow and hatred of their sins,
and so truly lament with Jesu, either else
quicken in their hearts love, hope, rejoicing
and comfort, and so sing with Jesu, doubtless
they shall come to the woe of everlasting dam-
nation, which woe is the third writing that, as
we said before, is written on the cross.

Behold, O thou Christian soul, the extreme
pains that our Saviour suffered on the cross for
thy sin. And if thou wilt not by such afflic-
tions, as I now have rehearsed, enforce thyself
to be made partner of the same pains in this
life, thou shalt in the life to come endure like
manner of pains, and that everlastingly, where
He suffered them on the cross for a time.

Let us, therefore, deeply consider what

CHRIST S PAIN ON THE CROSS

'05

pains He did endure and suffer on the cross.
The first, when He was crucified He was spoiled
and made naked of all His clothes, and so
violently thrown down upon the hard timber,
and His hands and feet cruelly digged in with
nails, as He sayeth in Psalm 21 : Foderunt
manus meas et pedes tneos — *' They have digged
My hands and My feet." This He suffered for
thy sin, O sinful creature, and if thou wilt not
amend thy life betimes, thou shalt be spoiled
of all thy clothes, and so cast down into hell
upon a more painful couch than was the cross.
The prophet Isaias saith unto such a sinner :
Subtus te servatur tinea et opera mentum tuum
vermis * — " The moths that shall tear and gnaw
thy body shall lie under thee, and the burning
worms and serpents shall sprawl above thee
and dig away part of thy body." O think
what an horrible pain it were for to lie in a bed
full of snakes, adders and toads, creeping and
sprawling, and biting and pinching thee on
every part.

The second, when our Saviour was reared
up aloft on the cross, that same hanging there
was very painful unto Him. O what pain was

* The Vulgate text is : Subter te sternetur tineaj
et operimenium tuum erunt vermes, — Isai. xiv, 11.

f06 SERMON ON THE PASSION

it unto that most delicate and tender body of
His to hang so long in that tormentry !

But where He did hang here but for a time,
if thou amend not thy life, thou shalt hang
in the gibbet of hell for evermore. For be
thou well assured that if thou shalt suffer for
thine own sins in hell, thou shalt suffer a more
grievous tormentry than He did, and that with-
out ceasing. For as it is said in the Apoca-
lypse : Fumus tormeniorum ascendet in secula se-
ctdorum — "The smoke of the tormentries of that
place shall ascend by innumerable worlds," that
is to say without end. The torments which He
suffered on the cross were the nails, the thorns,
the ropes, the scourges, the spear ; but the tor-
ments that thou shalt suffer, shall a thousand-
fold pass them. Look how far the malice and
wit of the devils passeth the malice and wit
of the Jews, so far exceed the engines which
the devils have conceived and forged for the
damned souls to be tormented, above them that
the Jews maliciously devised against our Saviour
Christ.

The third, our Saviour endured an extreme
heat and fervour, when He for the great afflic-
tion and agony which He did suffer, was con-
strained for the grievous anguish to sweat water
and blood. But this heat is nothing: to the

THE PAINS OF HELL

107

heat of the burning fire of hell which never
shall be quenched. Ignis tile non extinguetur ;
as the Gospel saith, " That fire shall never be
quenched. The Prophet Isaias sayelh; Quis ex
vobts poterit habitarc cu?n ardoribus sempiternis ?
— " Which of you may continually inhabit with
the heats that never shall cease ?"

0 sinful creature, think with thyself the
largeness of these two words, ever and never.
Think with thyself how painful it shall be ever
to be in that burning fire, and never to be
released of thy pain. If thou shouldest be
compelled to lie but one night upon a soft
feather bed, I suppose thou wouldest weary
thereof? But how weary shalt thou be ever to
lie stewing and burning without ceasing ?

The fourth, our Saviour Christ endured also
cold, not only for His nakedness, but also when
His natural heat by death left His body. But
the damned sinner shall endure in hell a more
excessive cold. Job saith of such, Transibiint
ab aqiiis nivis ad calorem nimiuvi — " They shall
be shifted out of the cold snow and brought
into the outrageous heats," O Jesus, a tender
hand which in the frost and snow hath been
made extreme cold and suddenly is brought
into the heat of the fire, feeleth a greater
pain; but nothing comparable unto that shift-

lo8 SERMON ON THE PASSION

ing Irom that cold into that heat which is
in hell.

The fifth, our Saviour on His cross heard
blasphemous and opprobrious words, and much
insulting of His enemies against Him, which
doubtless was very painful unto Him. But the
damned sinners shall in hell hear nothing else
but continual outcries, opprobrious insulting, blas-
phemies of the devils and others that be damned.

Blasphetnabunt Deu?Jt coeli doloribus — "They
shall blaspheme the God of heaven for con-
tinual pain and sorrows." And they shall see
before their faces continually the most horrible
and ireful countenance of their immortal
enemies the devils.

The sixth, our Saviour wept on the cross
for the sins of others, as St Paul saith : Cum
clamort et lacrymis — ** With crying and tears."
But the damned sinners that would not here
weep with Christ, such tears as might wash
their sins, shall weep in hell for their own sins,
such tears as shall scald their bodies, and yet
they shall be never the better. Ibi erit fletus
et stridor dentium — '* There shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth," the smoke of the fire shall
make them weep, and the coldness of the
snow shall make their teeth gnash and chatter
in their heads.

THE PAINS OF HELL

109

Yea, and that is more marvellous, neither
the cold shall temper the heat, nor contrari-
wise, the heat temper the cold, but either
of them shall increase the violence of the
other. Even as in the forge of a smith, the
cold water when it is cast into the fire causeth
the fire to be much more fierce and violent.
The seventh, our Saviour on the cross had
extreme dryness, of which He complained and
said: Sitio — ** 1 am dry"; and no marvel
though He were dry, after so much pain and
travail, after so much bleeding and sweating,
whereby no moisture almost was left in His
body. But how unmeasurable dryness shall
the damned souls endure in the fire of hell ?
The rich glutton that was buried in hell
teacheth us what dryness is there, for he would
have given all this world to have had one drop
of water or liquor to have refreshed his tongue,
that was made so dry with the flame of that fire.

The eighth, our Saviour on the cross had
much sorrow and heaviness. If He for the
only remembrance of the pain to come was
in so great an agony that He sweat water and
blood, who can express or think what sorrow
and heaviness He suffered when all the pains
were present and presently did oppress Him.
Nevertheless every damned person, by the

no SERMON ON THE PASSION

reason of their continual and everlasting pains
shall have much more sorrow and heaviness,
for the which it is written in the book of
Sapience : Fenitenttafn agenUs et pre iristitia
spiritus gementes — "They verily lamentably re-
pent themselves, and for extreme heaviness of
spirit mourn and sorrow," thinking for how brief
and transitory pleasures they lost the joys
everlasting and got the pains that ever shall
endure.

The ninth, our Saviour on the cross did
suffer much infamy and shame, and specially to
deliver (as I said) all sinners that would amend
themselves, and forsake their sins, from ever-
lasting shame ; but such as will not, shall suffer
their own shame, as they have deserved. The
true penitent soul shall be satiate with perpetual
glory, but he that will not repent himself shall
have perpetual shame and infamy.

Almighty God sayeth to such by his prophet
Nahum : Revelabo pudenda iua in facie tua : " I
will make open all thy shamefuiness and evil
dealing in thine own face." And the prophet
Jeremy sayeth : Saiurabitur oppiobriis — " He
shall be satiate with opprobrious shame."

The tenth, above all other pains that our
Saviour did suffer on the cross, was to be deso-
late of all comfort, yea of His Father, and to be

THE ABANDONMENT OF HELL 1 1 1

as a person forsaken of Almighty God, and
destitute of all help and succour, for which He
sore complaineth on His cross, crying unto His
Father : Deus meus, Deus mens, ut quid derdi-
quisttmel — " O my God, O my God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me?" But this forsaking was
but for a season, for within a short time after,
He was raised again to immortal glory. But
the damned sinners, which shall be punished
for their own sins in hell, shall ever be forsaken,
and fully be deprived, not only from all joy
and comfort, but from that most glorious sight
of the face of Almighty God, wherein standeth
all blessedness and consummation of all com-
fort ; and this shall more pinch the damned
souls, than all the other torments of hell
besides. For the which St. Chrysostom saith :
Ego autem multo graviores cruciatus diw, quam
gehennam^ removeri et adduci ab ilia gloria — " I
think, saith he, that to be removed and cast out
from that everlasting glory, is more grievous
torment than all the other pains of hell."

Finally, our Saviour on the cross suffered
the pains of death for our sins, whereby we had
deserved death ; and therefore He suffered death
to deliver us from the death of sin. Neverthe-
less He remained no long time in the bonds
of death ; but the damned sinner that must pay

112 SERMON ON THE PASSION

his own debts in hell, shall suffer everlasting
death, not so that the sinners shall have no life
nor feeling in them, but they shall be ever as
though they were in the extreme pains of death,
and yet they shall have a perfect sense of the
pains, and never die. The pains shall be to
them so violent that they shall perish a thou-
sand times, and desire continually to die, but
death shall fly away from them. Desidcrabunt
mori^ et mors fugiet ab eis — "They shall desire
death, and death shall fly from them."

O Jesu, in what misery they shall be in, that
ever shall covet death, and never may fully die.

The prophet David, speaking of their pain
sayeth : Mors depascet eos ; which words may
have three senses, one is that death shall be
their pastor and herdsman, he shall order them
and lead them to their pastures. In hell are
two pastures : the one is full of snow, the other
full of fire, for which Job sayeth, Ad calorem
nimiufu transient ab aquts niviuni — " They shall
walk from the snow into the fire, and again
from the fire into the snow." This may be one
sense. Another may be this : they shall be the
continued meat of death, as ye see in the
pastures where the sheep feed. They crop the
grass ever as it riseth and keepeth it low, and so
the grass is ever in eating, and never full eaten.

DEATH THE SINNER'S FOOD 1 13

In like manner death shall continually crop
the damned persons in hell ; and he shall ever
be gnawing and eating upon them, and yet they
shall never be fully consumed.

The third sense may be this : death shall
be their continual meat, for they shall ever long
and desire to die, they shall ever above all
other things covet to have death, and their
desire shall always be alike fresh and fervent.
Another comfort and refreshing besides this
they shall have none. But whatsoever the sense
of these words be, thou mayest well perceive
by them, O thou Christian soul, that if thou
shalt come to that place to pay thy debts of
thine own sins, it shall be too grievous and too
importable for thee to sustain; for, as I said,
behold every manner of pain our Saviour Christ
suffered on the cross for all our sins, if we
be not before our death by such affections as
I did before rehearse made partners of His
suffering, we shall suffer all the same pains
in hell perpetually.

And therefore, it is a truth, we may read in
the book of the Crucifix great matter of woe,
which is the third writing that we had to
speak of.

Now, thou sinful creature, have often before
thine eyes this wonderful book, which, as I said,

114 SERMON ON THE PASSION

is written within and without. In the which
also thou mayest read three manner of writings,
that is to say, lamentation, song, and woe. If
thou wilt begin to lament with Jesu, thou shalt
thereby come to sing with Him, and thereby
thou shalt be made so fully partner of His
passion that the debts of thy sins shall be
thoroughly paid, and thou shalt escape ever-
lasting woe. But if thou dost refuse this
remedy, and follow the desires of this world,
and of the flesh, be thou well assured that
then thou shalt pay thine own debts amongst
the devils in hell with everlasting woe. From
the which He defend us, that for our love has
this day suffered on the cross His most pain-
ful and sorrowful death, our Saviour Christ
Jesus. Amen.

Per Johannem Fyssher Episcopum Rofensem.

The memory of the Crucified crucifies vices.
(St Greg.)

Let him who is bitten by the wiles of Satan
behold Christ hanging on the cross. (St Aug.)

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