THe Prophet Ezechy­ell telleth y ^t hée sawe a booke spread before him, Ize. 2. the which was written both within and without, & there was written also in it, Lamentationes, Carmen, et vae, that is to say, lamenta­tion, songe, & woe. This was a won­derfull booke, and much to be meruei­led vpon. Much comfortable know­ledge and swéetnesse this Prophette gate by this booke, (as he saith in the Chapter next ensuing, Eze. 3. factum est in o­re meo sicut mell dulce, thys booke was in my mouthe as swéete as honye. This booke to our purpose may bée taken vnto vs, the Crucifixe, y ^e which [Page] doubtlesse is a merueylous booke, as wée shall shewe héereafter. In the which if wée doe exercise our admiration, wée shall come to won­derfull knowledge. Meruayling was the cause, why that the Philosophers came to so greate knowledge, as they had. They behelde and sawe many wonderfull thynges, and ef­fectes in thys worlde, as the mar­ueylous earthquakes, Thūders, lightnings, Snow, Rayne, & Frostes, bla­sinng Starres, the Eclipses of the Sunne and of the Moone, and suche o­ther effectes. And those marueylous wonders moued them to search for the causes of the same. And so by dy­ligent searche and inquisition, they came to great knowledge and cun­ning, which cunnyng men call Phi­losophie naturall. But there is an other higher Philosophie which is a­boue nature, which is also gottē with marueyling. And this is the verye Philosophie of Christian people. And doubtlesse amongest all other things concerning a christian man, it is a thyng muche marueylous, and most [Page] wonderfull, that the sonne of God, for the loue that he had vnto y ^e soule of man, woulde suffer hym selfe to bée crucified, and so to take vpon him that most vyllanous death vpon the Crosse. Abac. 1. Act. 13. Of thys the Prophet Aba­cuck sayeth. Admiramini et obstupesci­te, quia opus factum est in diebus vestris, quod nemo credet quum narrabitur, mar­ueyle, and wonder you, for a worke is done in your dayes, which when it shall bée shewed, no man will be­léeue.

Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he whych is most to bée dreade and feared, would be in so muche feare, that for verie feare and dreade of payne hée had to suffer, he swet wa­ter and bloud.

Is it not a wonderfull thing, that he y ^t was most inestimable in price, and moste precyous, woulde suffer hys bodie to bée solde for so little a pryce, as for the value of thyrtye pence?

Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that hée that is the Lorde of heauen and earth, and all other creatures, [Page] would suffer him selfe to be bound of those vyllaynes wyth ropes lyke a théefe?

Is it not a wonderfull thing that he that hath so great might and po­wer, would suffer him selfe to be ta­ken of his cruell & mortall enimyes, and so led vnto all these paynes?

Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that hée that is the Iudge of all the worlde, woulde thus wrongfullye be iudged?

Is it not a wonderfull thing, that hée y ^t had in hymall wisedome, would thus bée mocked and reputed as a foole?

Is it not a wonderfull thing, that he that is so strong & mightie, would be made so weake, and féeble, that he fell vnder the wayght and bur­then of the Crosse?

Is it not a wonderfull thing, that hée that is the Lord of Angels, would be spytted and bobbed of a sorte of Lorrelles in that moste dispytefull maner?

Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he that is the Kyng of euerlastyng [Page] glorie would suffer his head in moc­kerie to be crowned with thornes?

Is it not a wonderfull thyng, that he that giueth lyfe to euery creature, would suffer this most shamefull, so­rowfull, and so painfull death?

Is it not a wonderfull thing, that he y ^t is the Lord, and Aucthor of all libertie, woulde thus be bounde with ropes, and nayled hand and foote vnto the Crosse?

Thus who that list with a méeke harte, and a true fayth, to muse and to maruayle of this most wonderfull booke (I say of the Crucifixe) hée shall come to more fruitefull knowledge, then many other which dayly studie vpon their cōmon bookes. This booke may suffice for y ^e studie of a true chri­stian man, all y ^e dayes of his life. In this boke he may finde all things that be necessarie to y ^e health of his soule. Sainct Fraunces coulde passe hys time w ^t this booke, & was neuer wery thereof, and his great studie was in the compasse of a fewe wordes. Quis tu, et quis ego domine. That is to say, who arte thou Lord, and who an [...]. [Page] Thys thought alway dyd run from hym selfe to Christ: And agayne, from Christ vnto hym selfe. And so euer he meruayled of the most exce­lent noblenesse of Christ, and com­pared it with hys owne naughty­nesse, alwayes meruaylynge that Christ being of so incomparable wor­thynesse, woulde suffer that moste paynefull death for so vnworthye sinners, which lesson is so playne, and so common, that euerie man (be he neuer so simple,) may somewhat profite in it. And agayne, it is so hygh, that fewe can attayne to reach to the specyall fruite of it. This ho­lie Sainct Fraūces so profited in this lesson, that it caused in hys hearte such a feruent loue, such a deuotion, suche an affection to Christ, that the capitall woundes which he behelde in the handes and féete, and syde of Christ, ware by myracle imprinted in hys owne handes and féete. This thing the B. of R. Innocent and hys Cardinalles dyd sée, and had verye proofe thereof.

The meditation and imagination [Page] of this booke was so earnest, and so continuall, that the token of the fiue woundes of Christ, were imprinted and ingraued in thys holy Saynctes bodye. But to this hygh fruite (as I sayde) fewe or none besides him doth attayne. It is a singular gyfte of al­mightie God, and not common to bée looked for of other persons. Neuerthe­lesse, who that will exercise this les­son, though he come not to this hygh poynte of perfection, he shall neuer­thelesse greatly profite in y ^e same, and come to a great knowledge both of Christ & of him selfe. A man may easi­ly say & thinke with him selfe (behol­ding in his hart the Image of y ^e Cru­cifixe, who arte thou, and who am I. Thus euerie person both ryche and poore▪ may thinke, not onely in the church here, but in euery other place, and in hys businesse where about hée goeth. Thus the poore laborer maye thinke, when he is at plough earyng hys grounde, and when hée goeth to hys pastures to sée hys Cattayle, or when hée is sittyng at home by hys fire side, or els when he lyeth in hys [Page] bed waking and can not sléepe. Like­wyse the rich man may do in his bu­sinesse that concerneth him. And the poore women also in theyr businesse, whē they be spinning of their rocks, or seruing of their pullen. The ryche weomen also in euerie lawfull occu­pation that they haue to doe. It is an easie thyng for any man or woman to make these two questions wyth them selfe. O my Lorde that woul­dest dye for me vpō a Crosse, how no­ble and excelent arte thou? & agayne, how wretched and myserable am I? Doubtlesse O thou christian soule, he that hunge for thy sake on y ^e Crosse, was verelie the sonne of God, as the noble Centurio sayde, when at the death of Christ he sawe so many wonderfull tokens. He saw y ^e sunne withdrawe his lyght, and the ayre in darkenesse, and felte all the earth tremble and quake, and the stones brake a sunder, then he sayde, vere fi­lius dei erat iste. [...]at. 27. That is to say, verely thys person was the sonne of God. Thinke w ^t thy self, O christan soule, how great a person he is that is the [Page] sonne of God? And thinke againe how vilaynous and how wretched thou art, in cōparison of him. What art thou but asshes, ciuis es, Gene. 3. and vnto ashes thou shalt returne, et in cinera reuerteris. Abraham which was a man of high perfectiō, yet when he should speake vnto almightie God he sayde, quū sum puluis et ciuis loquar ad dominū, Gene. 18. that is to say, I am but dust and as­shes, and yet I must speake vnto my Lorde. Dauid also sayth, Psal. 38. vniuersa vani­tas omnis homo viuens, that is to saye, man contayneth in him all vanitie. Furthermore Iob speaketh of man saying in this maner, Iob. 14. Qui puasi flos egreditur, et cōteritur, et fugit velut vmbra. Man is lyke a flower, he dooth issue foorth into the worlde, and soone after he is troden downe, and so finally hée passeth lyke a shadowe. Man is but earth and asshes, & shall passe away lyke a shadow, and lyke a méere va­nitie.

Contrarywyse Christe, was, is, and euer shalbe, the prince of heauen, the Lorde of Angells, and the creator of all creatures, Act. [...] Qui fecit coelum et terram [Page] et omnia que in eis sunt, Psal. 145. He made heauē and earth & all that is in them. His power is infinit, & most to be dreade, Omnipotens rex, et metuendus nimis. His wisedome is incomprehensible. O al­titudo diuitiarum sapientiae et scientiae dei. Rom. 11. His greatnesse passeth all measure, Psal. 47. Psal. 144. Magnus dominus et laudabilis nimis, et magnitudinis eius non est finis. Shortly to saye, when a man hathe spoken or thought all that can be to the prayse of his excellencie, yet he dooth farre passe and surmount all that, as the Scripture sayth, Excle. 43. Glorificantes dominū, quantum cūque poteritis super valebit ad huc et admirabilis magnificentia illius. Now then, O thou sinfull creature, maruell at his excellent worthines, that was thus crucified. And maruell also at thy naughtinesse, for whose loue he was thus crucified. Thus I say dyd the holy sainct Francis, Quis es tu et quis sum ego domine, Who arte thou my Lord so excellent, and who am I, for whome thou wouldest en­dure all this payne.

O Christen soule often beholde this booke, and saye with this holy man, [Page] Quis es tu et quis sum ego. Marueyle that his inestimable goodnesse would thus dye for so myserable a vanitie. And so maruelinge, thou shalt profyt in a gracious knowledge of Christ, and thy heart shall taste maruelous swéetenesse, and be replenished with a deuoute sauour of his most excelent goodnesse. But you maruell perad­uenture why I call y ^e crucifix a booke? I will now tell you the consideracion why? A booke hath boardes, leaues, lynes, wrytinges, letters booth small and great. Fyrst I saye that a booke hath two boardes: the two boardes of this booke is the two partes of the crosse, for when the booke is opened & spread, the leaues be cowched vpon the boardes. And so the blessed body of Christ was spred vpon the crosse. The leaues of this booke be y ^e armes, the handes, legges, and féete, with the other members of his most pre­cious and blessed body.

Neuer anye Parchement skynne was more strayghtlye stratched by strength vpon the tentors then was [Page] this blessed body vpon y ^e crosse. These lorells that crucifyed him, drewe by vyolence his moste precious armes, with ropes vnto either braunche of the crosse, that the sinowes burst in sonder, and so nayled his handes fast with spykinge nayles of yron, vnto the crosse. After they stretched his féete lykewyse vnto an other hole beneath in the crosse, and there nayled them with the third nayle thorough bothe his féete. And so they reared vp this body a loft against the sunne, euen as a parchment skinne is sette foorth before the heat of the Sun for to drye. It was set vp a loft to the en­tent that all the worlde might looke vpon this booke.

This booke was written with in and without. Fyrst within was wrytten but one worde: neuerthelesse this one word compryseth in it, as sayth saint Paule, the whole treasure of al cunning and wisdome partayning vnto God, In quo sunt omnes thesauri sapi­entiae dei, Col. 2. in whome are all the trea­sure of the wisedome of god. Of this worde Saint Iohn speaketh, Iohn. 1. saying, [Page] In principio erat verbum, the word was in y ^e begynning before all creatures, thys worde is the second person in the godhead, the sonne of God which by the holie Ghost was written in the inward syde of thys parchment. For the Godheade of Christe was couered and hidde vnder the lyke­nesse of man. The holy Ghost was the penne of almyghtie God the fa­ther, He set hys most mightie word vnto the body of Christ, within the wombe of the Uyrgine Marye, and so this booke was written within. For as Sainct Paule sayeth, 1. Cor. 2 [...] si cog­nouissent nunquam dominum gloriae cru­cifixissent, That is to saye, if they had knowne the sonne of God, whiche was and is the Lorde of euerlasting glorie, they woulde neuer haue cru­cified hym. They sawe his manhood which was in outwarde sight, but they sawe not hys Godheade whych was couered within the same. The Godhead was the inward syde, and the manhoode was the outwarde syde. Furthermore when a booke is spread, you sée that in the leaues [Page] are many lynes drawen. And many letters, some read, some blacke, and some blewe, so in this booke, (the moste blessed bodie of Christ) was drawne many lynes, for it was all to scourged with whippes, so y ^t euery where y ^e print of y ^e cordes of y ^e scour­ges, was left behynd, & that in euery place, from y ^e necke downward vnto the soles of his féete, so y ^t there was no margent lefte in all thys booke, there was no voyd place, but euery where it was eyther drawne with lynes, or els wryttē with letters, for these scourges fylled not onely his moste precyous bodie with lynes drawne euerie where, but also left many small Letters, some blacke, some blewe, some reade. For the bloud by the vyolence of the schour­ges sprunge out in euery place. And for bycause no parte of thys booke shoulde bée vnwritten, hys head also was pearsed with sharpe thornes. These cruell Iewes put vpon hys heade a Crowne of thornes, and pressed it downe vpon the same, [Page] as harde as they myght presse it by vyolence, beatyng it downe with a strong Réede. Mat. 2 [...] Et Arundine percuciebant caput eius. And hys blessed heade so Crowned, they dyd beate it downe with a gadde, or a harde Réede. Thus you perceyue that this booke was full of lynes and small Let­ters, whyche were of dyuers cou­lers, (as I sayde) some black, some blewe, some reade, some blewyshe, that is to saye, full of stroakes, and lasshes, where by the skynne was toarne, and rente in a thousande places. Besides these small letters, yet was there also greate Capytall Letters precyouslie illumyned with Roset colour: Roset is a reade colour lyke vnto the coulour of a Rose, which colour that most precy­ous bloude, whiche issued out of his hands and féete, doeth represent vnto vs, with this most precious blud was illumined the fyue great Capital let­ters in this wonderful booke. I mean by these capital letters y ^e great woūds of his body, in his handes, and in hys féete, and in his side.

[Page]These fyue great woundes were in­graued with sharpe & vyolēt pennes, that is to say, the sharpe nayles, and the speare. And they doe represent vnto vs the fyue capytall Letters of thys booke. Thus then you maye perceyue what bée the boardes of this booke, and what be the leaues, howe it is written within, and with­out, howe it is lyned and leathered, and what bée the Letters, as well the small as the great. Now wée shall heare what maner of wryting is contayned in thys booke. But first héere, let vs make our prayer for grace, beséechyng almyghtie God, to gyue vnto our hartes the gracyous lyght of his beames, whereby wée may the more clearely perceiue the writings of this booke, and that they may bring foorth some good fruite to our soules health.

Now you shall heare what wry­tings be contayned in thys booke, in the booke which Ezechiel did sée, was written thrée maner of things. Lamē ­tationes, Carmen, et vae, which is to say, Lamentations, songes, and woe. [Page] And the same thrée things, in lyke maner be wrytten in thys booke of the Crucifixe. Fyrst is lamentati­on, and this verie conuenientlye is written in thys booke of the Crucy­fixe. For whosoeuer will ioye wyth Christ, must fyrst sorow with him. And by sorowe and lamentation hée may come vnto ioye: But hée that will not sorrowe and lament wyth Christ héere in thys lyfe, hée shall come fynallye to the place where is euerlastyng woe, I saye woe that shall neuer haue ende. Héere ther­fore is written all these thrée, lamen­tation, songe, and woe.

Fyrste then wée will speake of la­mentation.

Lamentation aryseth of foure af­fections, eyther of a great feare, or dreade, or of a great shame, or of some sorrowe, or els of some hatred. When Holophernes with a mightie power was entred into y ^e countrey of Iurie, & terribly threatned to distroy all before hym, the people were in a greate feare and dreade to be op­pressed, and so fell downe before [Page] almyghtie God, and with great la­mentation, dyd call for hys helpe, omnius populus cetidit in faciē, Iudith. 4. adorantes dominum cum lamentatione et fletu, all the people fell on theyr faces, wor­shyppyng our Lorde with wéepyng and lamentation.

The cause of this lamentation, was the great dreade whych they were in. Héere first then let vs learne to dread, and doubtlesse thou Christian soule, thou mayest héere learne grea­ter matter of dread, then the Iewes then were in. For the Iewes then were onelye in perill of temporall death, thou arte in perill of euerla­styng death.

Consider man how gréeuouslie thou hast sinned: And also behold how grée­uously sinne was reuenged, and pu­nished in the blessed bodye of Christ. And thou shalt anon fynde here great cause and matter of dread. The sto­ryes telleth of Cambises the King of Persia, y ^t where one of hys Iudges had giuen a false and a wrong iudge­ment, he depriued him of hys offyce, and made an other in his place their [Page] Iudge after him. Furthermore bi­cause of hys falsehoode he caused him to be slayne, and his skinne to be han­ged vp before the place of the com­men iudgement, to the entent that this newe Iudge beholdyng y ^e grée­uous punishment of his predecessor, might beware of falshood, and alway dread to giue any wrong iudgement. In like maner y ^e Image of the Cru­cifix is hunge vp in euery Church, to the entent that we may sée how grée­uouslie sinne was punyshed in that moste blessed bodye of our Sauyour Christ Iesu, not for him self, nor for hys owne sinne, but for ours was he thus cruellye intreated, wée were the cause, wée committed the sinne. But yet neuerthelesse he bare the paynes, and burthens of our sinnes vpon his backe.

As wryteth Sainct Peter, Peccata no­stra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super ligium crucis. 1. Peter. 2▪ And therefore when we behold the Image of the Crucifixe in anye place set vp, we should thynke howe gréeuously sinne was punyshed in the body of our sauiour Christ.

[Page]And there by learne to dreade the gréeuous punishment of sinne. (Alas) man thynkest thou not, that thys was matter of dreade. This I say, that the verie sonne of God, was for thy sinne put vnto thys cruell death of the Crosse: If thou beléeue not thys, thou arte worse then the dy­uylles▪ For as Sainct Iames sayeth, demones credunt et contremiscunt, [...]cob. 2. the di­uilles doe beléeue, and tremble. And if thou verely beléeue it, thou mayest thereby thynke and learne howe muche our sauyour and hys father both doeth hate sinne. For sith al­mightie God the father woulde gyue hys moste dearely beloued sonne vn­to suche an horrible death, onely for to quenche and to extincte sinne, thou mayest bée sure that he hateth sinne very much.

Our Sauyour also must néedes hate sinne when hée rather would suffer thys moste vyllanous death, then that sinne shoulde haue domynion vpon our soules, séeyng then that thou knowest that bothe they hate sinne? Howe shouldest thou dreade [Page] to receue any sinne into thy soule. If sinne were so displeasant to almighty God the father, that rather then hée would suffer it, he would giue his owne sonne vnto death for the expul­sion of it. How much rather now doth it displease him, when his sonne hath suffered death therfore, and yet sinne rayneth neuerthelesse, and more ge­nerally then euer it dyd before. Furthermore, if sinne was so gre­uously punished in him that neuer did sinne, how bytterly shall it be puni­shed in thée O sinfull creature, the which haste done so many great out­ragious sinnes. Surely wher he hath one nayle in his handes & féete, thou sinfull creature hast deserued one hū ­dreth. And for euery one thorne, that he suffred in his head, thou hast deser­ued a thousande. And for euery one lash that he felt of the scourges, thou art worthy to haue innumerable. Who y ^t déepely considerith this that I haue sayde, and with an earnest stu­dy resorteth often to looke vppon this booke I maruell if he doo not fynde here in, great cause and earnest mat­ter [Page] of dread.

Here also may euery sinner quicken his sinne, if any be within hist breast, for it is maruell that a sinner can w ^t out shame beholde this blessed Ima­ge? If a sinner call to remembrance his great vnkyndnesse, & repute the same vnkyndenes any maner of vice, I trow that he wylbe much ashamed of his moste vnkynde and vngentle dealing against so louing a Lorde. Say to me thou sinful creature, wilt thou not looke that other men, when thou haste béene vnto them in anye thinge beneficiall, I saye, wylt thou not looke that they shall be kynde and louing vnto thée againe? And if any person be vnkynde vnto thée, wylt thou not rebuke him fully, and lay it vnto his reproofe to make him asha­med thereof? I am suer that thou wylt. Now then let me sée, wher is thy shame? beholde and vew euery part of this blessed body, what payne it endured for thy sake?

Séest thou not his eyes, how they bée fylled with blood and bytter teares? [Page] Séest thou not his eares, how they be filled with blasphemous rebukes, and obprobrious words?

His chéeke & necke with buffets, his shoulders with y ^e burthen of y ^e crosse? Séest thou not his mouth, how in his dryghnesse they would haue filled it with Asell and Gaule?

Séest thou not, how his backe is pay­ned against the hard Crosse?

Séest thou not his sydes, how they were skourged with sharpe whyps? Séest thou not his armes, how they were strayned by the violence of the ropes?

[...] thou not his handes, how they be nailed iust vnto y ^e crosse? Séest thou not his legges, how they be wearyed with labour?

Séest thou not his féete, how payne­fully they stay and bere vp the wight of his whole body?

O moste vnkinde sinner, all this he suffred for thy sake. No greater kyndes euer was, or could be shew­ed to thée by any creature, then this which swéete Iesus dyd shewe for thée and for thy sake, & wher is now [Page] thy kindenes againe?

No kyndnesse thou canst shewe, but much vnkyndnesse thou haste often shewed vnto him, and yet thou art not ashamed. Alas man where is thy shame? Thincke with thy selfe how many abhominable sinnes thou hast done against his pleasure. I doo a cer­tayne thée that the least of them stry­keth him more paynefully vnto the hart then any vnkyndnesse that euer was done vnto thée in all thy lyfe. For as Sainct Barnerd sayth in the person of Christ, when he hath reher­sed all y ^e gréeuous paynes of his pas­sion, he putteth vnto these wordes, Extat interius plauctus pregrauior, quum te ingratum experior, that is to say, but in­wardly mourning is much more gre­uous bicause I perceue thou arte to me so much vnkynd. So many sinnes so much vnkyndnesse. And the more haynous, and the more accustomable that they bée, the more abhominable is thyne vnkyndenesse.

If the least of many of thy sinnes had come to lyght, and to the knowledge of men, thou wouldest haue béene [Page] sore ashamed of them, Christ know­eth them, and saw thée doo them, for Omnia vnda et aperta sunt oculis eius, Heb. 4▪ All thinges be naked and open before his eyes: and yet thou art not ashamed of all thy vnkinddes.

Alas man, heare what the King and Prophet sayth, Psal. 43. Tota die verecundia mea cōtra me est, et confusio faciei meae coope­ruit me, All the day long my shame is before mée, and my face is couered with confusion. Thus sayd this holy Kinge, when our sauiour as yet had not suffered his passion for him. This high poynte of kindenesse was not as yet shewed vnto this man by our sauiour Christ, and he neuerthe­lesse was ashamed of his sinne. Thou hast peraduenture done much more outragious sinne, and hast béen much more vnkynde after this his moste wonderfull passion suffered for thy sake, then euer that king was, & that also maketh thy sinne much more horryble. Thou hast after thy promise made vnto him, falsified the same pro­mise and vntruely broken it, by mul­tiplying of many foule and abhominable [Page] sinz, & by oftē renewing of y ^e same Thou dyddest promise once at the sa­cramēt of baptisme to kéepe thy fayth & trueth vnto thy sauiour, & to forsake the diuel & all his works? An honest man, or an honest woman would be much ashamed to brek their promise, & specially to theyr friend? Albeit the worlde is now full of such lorrells, y ^t doo no more regard to break their promise, thē for to drīk whē they be drye. How often hast thou broken thy pro­mise? Alas man learn to be ashamed and saye with the Prophet Esdras, Deus meus, cōfundor et erubesco leuare fa­ciem meam quoniam iniquitates nostrae leuatae sunt super caput nostrum, [...]. Esdr [...]ea. 8 that is to say, O my god I am confounden and ashamed to lyft vp my face vnto thée, for our sinnes be rysen far aboue our heads. Ye women when there is any black spot in your faces, or any moole in your kerchiues, or any myer vpon your clothes, be you not ashamed? yes forsooth syr? But I shall tell you, where of you ought to be ashamed. Surely if your sowls haue any spots of deadly sinne in them, for when our [Page] sauiour so dearely with his most pre­cious bloud, & with all these gréeuous paynes dyd wash and wype, & clense our soules from euery spot of deadly sinne, ye should be much ashamed to defyle them againe? If you be asha­med for a foule myrie shoo, and not of a foule stincking soule, ye make more dearer your shooes, then your soules. If ye be ashamed of a spot in your clo­thes & haue no shame for many great blots in your soules. What shal I say but Frons meretricis facta est tibi, Iere. 3. noluiste erubescere, that is to say, thou hast takē vpon thée the face of a brothell, thou wylt not be ashamed. If y ^u then depe­ly consider how many shameful blots of sinne be in thy soule, before y ^e eyes of almightie God, & all the glorious court of heauen, & how by them thou hast vtterly broken thy promise vnto god, & cōmitted so great vnkindnes against this moste louing charitie, that was shewed vnto thée for thy loue & for thy sake by our sauiour on y ^e crosse I suppose thou shalt fynde matter, & cause of great shame, if any sparkle of honesty be yet left in thy soule? [Page] Thirdly thou maist here take matter inough of sorrow, for here your saui­our pitiously cryeth & complayneth of his great sorrowes, saying, O vos omnes qui transitis per viam attendite et vi­dete si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus. Lamen. Hier. ca. 1. All ye that passe foorth by, take héede & sée whether any sorrow was euer lyke vnto myne. Alas to sée so noble a man, so gentle, & so innocent, so cru­elly intreated in euery parte of his most delicate body. And to here him so pitiously complayninge, who shall not be sory? surely none, except hys hart be harder then any flynte stone or Adamant stone. These same foure poynts alone may suffice to styrre a­ny gentle hart to sorrowe. I say his excelent noblenesse, his innocēcie, the crueltie that he dyd suffer, and his pi­tious complayning.

If thou saw (O Christiā man) thyne enimie thus mangled and wounded, it might styrre thée to take compassiō vpon him? If thou sawe any Iew or Sarazin thus tormented, it mighte moue thée to pittie? But much rather to sée thy Lord, thy sauiour, and for [Page] thy sake thus cruelly entreated, thus with out any pittie crucified, and pay­ned, hanging on a crosse, should moue thée to compassion. For say to me, for whome supposest thou that our sauy­our Christe Iesus suffered all those gréeuous paines? surely for thy sinne, Pro impijs Christus mortuus est. Rom. [...] For sin­ners Christ Iesus died, there was no cause but sinne. Thy sinne was the cause of his death. Thy sinne gaue him his deathes wound. O sinful creature, how much cause hast thou for to be sory. For thy sinne was the roote & foūtayne of all his sorrow, & yet thou ceasest not dayly by thy sin to encrese his sorrow. O what floud of teares dyd the blessed Magdalene shed, re­membring hir gréeuous sinne. She firste conceiued a great dread in hir soule for hir sinne. Secondly, she was greatly ashamed of hir abhominacy­ons, with in hir soule, for she regar­ded much more the inward shame of hir conscience, then y ^e outward shame of the world. And therfore she let not in the presence of many persons to come to the féete of our sauiour, & to [Page] shewe hyr selfe a sinner. And there tooke great sorrow, and wept ful bit­terly for hyr sinne. Thus after dread and shame followed hyr sorrow. And when had shée this dread, shame, and sorrow? truely before that our saui­our hung on the crosse? yet she knew not that hir sin was cause & occasion of his most cruell death.

But when shée sawe him hange so painfully on the Crosse, and conside­red that for hir sin he suffered all the paynes, hir harte was then so full of sorrow that for very payne it myght haue brast.

O thou sinfull creature? If thou can not sorrow, come learne of thys blessed woman, to sorrow for thy sin. Thinke that thy sinne was the cause and occasion of all this payne and sor­row, that thy Lorde and sauiour dyd suffer on the Crosse.

And not onely she giueth y ^e example of sorrowe, but his blessed mother a­bundantly thē sorowed at his death. Sainct Iohn sorrowed, Sainct Peter sorrowed and wepte bitterly. Luke. 2. All the Apostles were in sorrow.

[Page]But wherevnto speake I of reaso­nable creatures, the vnreasonable, and the vnsensible creatures shewes a maner of sorrowe. The earth qua­ked. Math. 27 The mighty stones brast in sun­der. The monuments opened, y ^e dead courses issued out of theyr monu­ments.

All these were moued with com­passion. And onely thou wretched sin­ner, for whose cause he suffred all this paine and gréeuance, hast no pitie nor compassion vpon him.

(Alas) howe great is thy hardnesse? Howe obstinate is thy harte, that will suffer no pittie to enter in to it? Uerely, thou arte more harder then are the stones? for they were mo­ued by his passyon, so myghtely that they brake in sunder.

Petrae scissae sunt. Math. 27. When then the harde stones, and all the other vnreasonable creatures were thus moued, and stir­red to take some compassyon of the paynfull death of Christ, and yet felt no profite by his death.

[Page]Thou much rather shouldest be mo­ued, for whose loue he dyd endure all this gréeuous pains. Looke thou ther­fore vpō this booke, & thou shalt here fynde great cause & matter of sorrow. Fourthly, if thou canst not sorrowe, yet thou maiest here learne to hate. Thou maiste learne to hate sinne, which was cause of all this trouble. It is not for nought that y ^e scripture sayth, 21. Quasi a facie colubri fuge peccatū, dentes leonis, dentes eius interficientis ani­mas hominum. Flée from sinne euen as thou wouldest flée from the face of an Adder, for as the téeth of the Lion de­uoureth y ^e body of man, so death doth sleay their soules. Sinne is so odious, and so great an iniury to god, that it was necessary for the recompence of this iniury, y ^t the sonne of god should suffer this most paineful death of the crosse. Sinne so prouoked almightie god y ^e father so déeply to displeasure, & wrath, & to take vengance vpon sin­ners that without the sacrifice of his owne sonne in y ^e gybbet of the crosse, he wold not be appeased, ne recōciled vnto sinners againe. Sinne so deadly [Page] wounded & blotted the soule of man, that with out shedding of y ^e most pre­cious bloud of our sauiour Christ Ie­su, no lyfe could be restored vnto sin­ners, nor the soules might be washed from the fowle abhominable corrup­tion of sinne.

Sinne so debarreth and shutteth frō sinners y ^e gates of heauen, that they might not haue béene opened, but on­ly by the merit of this moste bytter passion, & suffering this most painfull torments on the crosse. Sinne set the gates of hell so wyde open, & brought all this world into that daunger, and thraldome of the diuell, that all we should haue béene deuowred of the pyt of hell, vnlesse we had béene raū ­somed with this most precious trea­sure, that was shed for vs on y ^e crosse-O sinful creature hast thou not great cause to hate sinne, that hath brought thée into that miserable cōdicion, that by thy sinne thou hast done, and com­mitted high iniurie against almighty god, and hast prouoked him to venge­aunce. That by thy sinne, thou hast thus mortally wounded thyne owne [Page] soule. That by sin, thou haste brought thy selfe into the daunger of the dy­uill, and be dampned in hell perpetu­ally. That by thy sinne thou hast shut the gates of heauē against thy selfe. (Alas) man where canst thou fynde greater occasion of hatred.

If thy neyghbour doe vnto thée but a lyght iniurie, thou canst anon hate him, yea, and so hate him, that thou wilt say thou mayest not finde in thy harte to loue him.

Sinne hathe done vnto thée, all these great iniuries, and yet thou loueste sinne and canste not hate it?

(Alas) what madnesse is this? Ioab sayde vnto Kyng Dauid, [...]. Reg. 19. dilegis odien­tes te, et odio habes diligentis te.

Thou loueste them that hate thée, and thou hatest them that loue thée. The same worde may well be sayde vnto euery sinner that followeth the course of sinne. And lykewyse vyce doeth procure the dystruction of sin­ners, and yet the sinners doe follow after them.

[Page]Our sauiour with all grace & ver­tue procureth y ^e saluation of sinners, but him they will not heare, nor take any wayes after his counsayle. And this is nothing els but an extreame madnesse, for they should contrary­wyse loue our sauiour, that so louing­ly for theyr weale indured the grée­uous paynes of the Crosse, and hate the diuill and sinne which was the very cause of death.

By thys then you may perceyue that in this booke ye may fynde mat­ter inough of lamentation, sith you may read in this booke so much cause of dread, of shame, of sorrow, and of hatred. And this is the first wryting wherof we promised for to speake.

The secōd writing that I said was also writtē in this booke, was Carmē, that is to say, Songe. Surely if ey­ther loue or hope, or ioye, or comfort, wil make a soule to sing, here he may take great occasion to sing.

Fyrst here is great matter of loue, and so great, that if any person will eyther gyue hys loue fréely, or els for some certayne pryce sell it, hée [Page] that died on the crosse, is best worthy to haue it. If thou search in heauen, & in earth one person vpon whom thou maist best bestowe thy loue. Thou shalt fynde none comparable vnto Christ Iesus, so wyse, so myghty, so gentle, so kynde, so amyable, far pas­sing all other, and there to he is much desirous of thy loue, for when Moy­ses had rehearsed the great benifites which almightie God had giuen vnto man, [...] 10. he sayth, Et nunc audi quid domi­nus deus tuus requirat a te, nisi vt diligas eū. Now here what thy Lord God dooth require of thy parte, truely but that thou loue him.

So now if thou wylt fréely giue thy loue thou canst not more wysely, nor better bestow it then vpon him which is so excelent and hath all the condi­cions aboue saide, and there to also is so desirous to haue thy loue.

And if thou wylt sel thy loue, I trow there is none that wyl giue vnto thée more liberally for the same than he hath done. Where shalt thou finde him that wyll shedde one droppe [Page] of bloud out of his harte for thy sake. Where shalte thou finde hym that will giue hys owne soule and lyfe for thy loue. There can no more bée asked of any man then that, Iohn. 1 [...]. Maiorem charitatem nemo habet nisi vt animam su­am ponat quis pro amicis suis. No man can shewe greater charitie, then for to put hys owne life in ieopardie for his friendes.

But thou peraduenture wilt say, Syr if he had done this for me alone, I had béene bounde then to haue gy­uen him my loue whollye agayne?

Why man arte thou so enuyous, that thou wouldest haue no parte­ners, of this moste precious deathe with thée, but thine owne selfe? This were a very malicious desire to ex­clude all other, & specially when thy profite and merite shall not be myni­shed.

Albeit, there bée neuer so manye be­sides, that take commoditie there by. I say vnto thée O man, and I assure thée that as fruitefully hée dyed for thée (if thou wilt dispose thy selfe to be partener of this death) as if there [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] had beene no more, but thy selfe in all thys world. Truth it is, there bée many moe besides thée, that bée parteners of this death. But all they, yea, & if there were a thousand thou­sande tymes innumerable moe then there be. All that multitude shall no­thyng mynish any one crum of merit of this most blessed death belongyng vnto thée. And agayne, if thou take much more fruite thereof, then any one of them, yet shall they take no impayrement, or receyue the lesse bicause thou hast so much.

Wilte thou sée by some example that thys is trueth that I nowe say?

When thou séest a torch lyght in an house where many persons bée, doeth not that torche gyue as muche light to them all, as if there were but one person there? Euery person af­ter the quicknesse of theyr sight, ta­keth more or lesse profitte of that lyght, then doeth an other, but yet he that taketh more, hyndereth hys fellowes nothyng in so takyng, nor he y ^t taketh lesse giueth thereby anye [Page] occasion for his fellowes to take any more. And if it be thus of the light of a torche, muche rather it is so of the merite of this most gracyous death, and of this most precious blud, which by the reason of the godhead abun­dauntly suffyseth for the redemption of innumerable soules, were theyr sinnes neuer so many, neuer so hor­rible, neuer so abhominable. Surely as Sainct Iohn sayth, ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris, 1. Iohn. 2 [...] non pro no­stris tantum sed et totius mundi. Hée was and is a sacrifice abundantly sufficy­ent, for the sinnes of all this world.

When then for thy sake, & for thy loue, he suffered thys most horryble death, which was so painfull that the onely remembraunce of it made him to sweate bloudy sweate, and that in so great aboundance that it trickled downe by hys syde vnto the ground. If the onely thinking of thys death was so painfull, howe paynefull was the suffring of y ^e same in déede. Howe might he more euidētly expresse vnto thée, y ^e loue of his harte, then by thys means. Or what might he more haue [Page] done for thy loue, as he saith himself, quid vltra facere debui, et non faci, what myght I further haue done, whiche I did not for thy loue.

Thou mayest then fynde héere in this booke great matter of loue.

Héere is also great matter of hope, & specially to sinners & will vtterly forsake their sinne, and amend theyr liues for Christ Iesu sake. Doubtles for such he suffered this moste bitter death. Rom. 5. Pro impijs Christus mortuus est, for wicked sinners Iesus Christ dyed. And in an other place, y ^e same s. Paul sayth. 2. Tim. 1. Christus Iesus venit in hunc mundū saluos facere peccatores. Christe Iesus came into this world for to saue sin­ners that will amend theyr lyues.

O christian soule take thou vpon thée, the crosse of pennaunce, and bée crucyfied with him, & then without doubt thou shalt be partener of the the merit of his crucifying, and of his most fruitfull passion.

What shall exclude thée from hys merite? Rom. 8. Almightie God the father? Nay, qui proprio filio suo non peporcit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum, quo­modo [Page] non cum illo nobis omnia donauit. He that dyd not spare his own sonne, but gaue him vnto the death for vs all, what shall hée denye vs? what greater euidence canst thou aske? that almightie God the father wil forgiue thy sin, then thys that he would not forsake to giue vnto the death hys own sonne, I say his own most dear­ly beloued sonne of whom hée sayde, Hic est filius meus dilectus in quo mihi cō ­placui. 2. Pet. [...]. This is my welbeloued sonne in whom is all my pleasure. What greater euydence and proofe mayest thou desire, that he will forgyue thy sinne, then y ^t he would put this most inestimable Iuell into such a daunger for thy sake, and sende it vnto thys most painfull and shamefull, and sor­rowfull death of the Crosse.

But peraduenture thou thynkest that our sauiour bycause thou haste bin so vnkynde vnto him, will not re­ceyue thée vnto his mercy? I say ther­fore forsake thy sinne, and accuse thy vnkyndnesse, and be sory for it. And doubt not but he will forgiue & for­get thyne vnkyndnesse, and receyue [Page] thée agayne vnto hys great mercy.

And therfore he sayth by his Pro­phet Hieremie, when a woman (saith he) is gone from hyr husbande, and hath accompanyed hyr bodye with an other man, will hyr husband receiue hir againe? As who say, that it is not verie lyke, but yet heare what comforte he giueth to a sinner, Hiere. 3. tu au­tem fornicata es cum amatoribus multis ta­men reuertere ad me et ego suscipiam te. Neuerthelesse (he sayeth to the soule of a sinner.) Albeit, thou hast forsaken me and playde the brothell with ma­nye other, yet returne thou agayne vnto mée, and I shall receyue thée. But here, thou sinfull soule deceyue not thy selfe. Thou mayest dissemble a returning, and be not in déede re­turned. And if thou set not thy backe toward all sinne, and turne thy harte fully vnto thy sauiour, thou arte not returned. But bée thou truly retur­ned and doubt not.

Beholde earnestly the maner how thy sauiour Iesu hanged on y ^e Crosse, and thou shalt sée great cause of hope of his mercy if thou thus returne. [Page] Sainct Barnerd sayth. Quis non rapi­atur ad [...]pem, impetrandique fiduciam, quā do considerat corporis cius dispositionem, caput inclinatum ad osculum, brachia ex­tenta ad amplexandum, manus proforatas ad largiendum, latus opertum ad diligendū pedum confixionem ad manendum nobis­cum corporis extensionem ad se nobis tota­liter impendendum. Who may not bée rauished to hope and confidence, if he consider y ^e order of his body, his head bowing downe to offer a kisse, hys armes spreade to embrace vs, hys handes bored thorow to make lybe­rall giftes, his side opened to shewe vnto vs the loue of his harte, his féete fastened with nayles, that hée shall not starte away but abyde with vs. And all his bodie stretched, forcesing him selfe to giue it wholly vnto vs. Surely O man, he that would thus and after this maner exhibite his bo­die vnto thée on the Crosse, (if thou wilt indeuer thée vpon thy parte, hée will not refuse thée, but take thée vn­to his mercy.

This most precious bloud y ^t he shed on the Crosse, cryeth alwayes mer­cye for sinners, that doe thus re­returne. [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] And therefore Sainct Paule sayeth. Hebr. 12. Accessistis ad sanguinem melius lo­quentem quam Abel. Ye become, and haue returned you vnto the bloude, that speaketh more graciously, then did the bloude of Abell. The bloud of Abell cryed vengeaunce before al­mightie God. As almightie God sayd vnto Caine in the booke of Genesis, Sanguis Abell fratris tui clamat ad me vin­dictam de terra. Gen. 4. The bloude of thy bro­ther Abell crieth vengeaunce in mine eares from the grounde where it is shead.

But the moste precious bloude of our sauiour Iesu Christ cryeth mercy for all sinners that doeth repent. And our sauiour now before y ^e face of hys father sheweth his woundes, & she­weth his most precious bloud, & cea­seth not to procure mercy for them.

This plainly doeth affyrme y ^e bles­sed Apostle Saint Iohn saying in this maner, [...]. Iohn. 2. filioli hec scribo vobis vt non pec­catis, sed et si quis peccauerit aduocatū ha­bemus apud patrem Iesu Christum iustum et ipse, est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris. That is to say, Childrē I write these [Page] things vnto you, to the intent that you should not sinne. Neuerthelesse if it for­tune any man to sinne, wée haue an ad­uocate for vs Christ Iesus, before y ^e face of his father. And he is rightuous, and without sinne, & a verye satisfaction for al our sinnes. Who thē attentiuely doth beholde this Crucifix, & verely beleueth that on the Crosse was payd the raūsom of all sinners, how may he not fully trust that if he aske mercy for his sinnes, they shall be forgiuen him. So that here eue­ry sinner may finde great matter and oc­casion of hope. In the Crosse is also mat­ter of ioy. Héere is occasion of such ex­cessiue ioy, that a soule which verely ta­steth it, can not but highly reioyce in the same. And therfore Sainct Paule did say Mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce domini Iesu Christi, Gala. [...]. God forbid that I reioyce in any other thing then in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesu Christ. Here doubtlesse is great cause for euerye true Christian man to reioyce, and specially for thrée poyntes.

The first is that by the death of our sauiour on the Crosse, and sheding of his moste precious bloude on the Crosse we be fully reconciled to almighty God, [Page] as often as we doe true repentaunce, with a fast purpose of amendement. Thus Saint Paule sayth, ad Col Com­placuit per eum reconciliari omnia in ipsum per sanguinem cruicis. It hath pleased God the father, that by his sonne and by his bloud shed on the Crosse all should be re­conciled.

But you will aske me what meaneth this word reconciled? It is as much to sai, as to be made attone with almighty God and to be at friendship with hym. As two men when they haue bene at variaunce to be made louers together a­gaine. So the displeasure which he had against vs for our sinne, is taken away. And his great wrath against vs is fully pacified. And where we were by sin the children of the diuell, now we haue reco­uered to be made againe the children of God, and consequentlye the inheritours of heauen.

O thou Christian man is not here great cause to reioyce.

If thou haue a ritche man to thy father which had loued thée much, and he for thy misdemaner had caste thée out from his fauour, and so thou werte in [Page] ieopardie to lose thy enherytaunce, if by meanes of a brother of thine thou mightest be brought into his fauour a­gaine, and be taken for his sonne as thou waste before and restored thereby to thine enheritance, haddeste thou not great cause to be ioyous and reioyce, that by this means, thou hast recouered againe thy fathers loue, with all the commodities belonging vnto the same? In like manner it is of euery sinner, for he by his lewde demainer and by his sin­ful dealing hath so displeased his father, that he is cast out from the fauour of his father, and is in perrill to lose his inhe­rytaunce, which his most louing father had prouided for hym.

Neuerthelesse his onelye begotten sonne by his inestimable goodnesse and charitie suffering the most painful death of the Crosse, and shedding his most pre­cyous bloude for amendes and recom­pence of our vngracious dealinge, hath reconcyled vs agayne, and made vs at one with his father, and set vs at a perfecte peace, concorde, and vnytie. And thys is concernynge the fyrste poynte.

[Page]The second by the vertue of the crosse, and of his most blessed passyon, y ^e power of our enymies be much broken, for on the Crosse our sauyour by his death gatt the victory vpō thē, for the which Sainct Paule saide, expolians principatus et potesta­tes traduxit confidenter, triumphans cos in se­me tipso. Col. 2 [...] Christ Iesus spoiling y ^e mighty power of the diuill, hath openly detected theyr frauds, and gotten a very triumph of them in his owne person. And therfore nothing is yet more tirrible vnto them, then is the signe of the Crosse. A blessed virgine sainct Christian had suche a con­fidence in the token of the Crosse, that when shée féelt hyr selfe tempted with hyr ghostly enimy, shée marked hyr selfe with the same token, and at euery temp­tation shée gatte the better of the di­uils. And by this holy token chased thē away, & put euer to flight. Thirdli by the vertue of the crosse, & of this most fruitful death, our hand wryting the which made most against vs, was clerly put out. Whē where was it written? In the booke of our owne conscience, there is no maner of sinne that we doe, but it is written in the booke of our consciēce. And if we re­pent vs not of the same, & be hartily sory [Page] for it before our death, thys booke of our conscience shal be shewed against vs in y ^e dreadfull day of iudgement. Neuerthe­lesse if we repent vs and confesse vs, and doe true repentance therfore, then by the vertue of this passion it shall be scraped out of the booke of our conscience. Ther­fore Sainct Paule calleth sinne our own hand writing, Col. 2. Deleuit quod aduersū nos erat chirographum decreti quod erat contrarium nobis, et ipsū tulit de medio affigens illud cruci. Christ Iesus (he saith) put out the hande writing of y ^e decrée whiche was against vs, and so withdrewe it fastning it vnto the Crosse. When thou perceiuest (O sin­full creature) that by the Crosse of Christ, and by that most precious bloud which was shed on the crosse thou art reconciled and made at one with God, and that the power of thine enimies be greatly represt. And fynallly that thy sin which was most against thée was cruci­fied on the same Crosse, so that thou maist clearely sée that héere is great matter of excessiue ioy and to reioyce in the most blessed Crucifix.

Finally in the Crosse is also matter of great comfort, when a person hath deserued a great open shame, & is broght [Page] euen to the plunge of the matter, and yet by the meanes of helpe he is deliuered from the same, is not this his deliuerance from this open shame, a comforte vnto hym? yes doubtlesse?

The noble woman Susanna, as the Prophet Daniell telleth, Daniel. 17. all be it she was giltlesse, yet for because she woulde not assent to the wretched desyre of two lewde priestes, she was by them wrong­fully accused, and put to great shame, for they wrongfully slaundered hir, that she had taken an other man besides hir hus­band, and that she had committed adulte­rye. Neuerthelesse, when the matter was tryed by the goodnes of almightye God, and she was clearelye discharged from this terrible occasion, and clearely deliuered frō this shame, it was a great comfort vnto hir.

Luke. 7.The blessed Magdalen which by hir wretched liuing had deserud great shāe, yet when she came to our sauiour Christ and wept at his féete, and so by his great mercy was excused of hir shame, hir hart was set at a great rest, & in great cōforte. The woman of whom the gospel telleth, y ^t was taken in aduoutery by hir enimies & so brought before our sauiour Christ, Psal. 21 & [Page] there in his presence, & before al his peo­ple, hir shamfull dealing was published, who may think but y ^t she was sore accō ­bred with that open shame, but yet whē our souiour had confounded hir enimies and deliuered hir from y ^t shame, she was restored to much ease and comfort of hyr hart. Why tel I this? Truly to the in­tent that we may sée great matter of cō ­fort in the Crosse, for we sinners haue deserued great shame for our abhomi­nable sinne, surelye so great that if we verely knew the greatnes of the shame, that we haue deserued, we might neuer sustaine the remembraunce therof. And yet that moste inestimable goodnesse of Christ by that horyble shame that he suf­fered on the Crosse, deliuered vs from e­uerlasting shame. He toke ther vpon hys back all the burthen of our sinne. There wanted no circumstances of horryble shame, for then the death of the Crosse was the most shamefull maner of death, that was put to any villaine. It was thē the most vilanous death to be hāged on y ^e gebbit of the Crosse. And this was done in no secret place, but high vppon an o­pen mountaine, that all the people might behoulde and looke vppon hym. [Page] And he was hāged ther naked & betwéen two théeues as though he were a prince and captaine of misdoers. And against y ^e feast of Easter, when the most number of people did assemble vnto y ^e temple of y ^e Iewes, Ezech. 16. nigh vnto the Citie of Ierusa­lem, that all the people might commo­diouslye resort to gase vppon this cruell spectacle. This thing was done also in the open day, for from the midst of the day he thus did hang aliue on the Crosse by the space of thrée howres and more. And al the strangers as they passed fore­by did wonder vpon him. The souldiers opprobryously rebuked him. The priests with wordes of derision and mockerye assaulted him. The théeues that honge besides him blasphemed him. Finally al his enimes reioyced in their victorye a­gainst him. Alas what creature mighte be more shamefully intreated, then was our sauiour christ Iesus hanging thus on the Crosse. A troth it is, now the Crosse is made honorable by his death, but then as I said, Psalm. 31. it was more shameful then a­nie gibbet or gallows, or any other in­strument of death. And moreouer, and besides that he was hanged on the same with the most dispight and villany th [...] [Page] could be thought or deuised for any crea­ture to be put vnto. O thou christian soule, Christ Iesus the sonne of God tooke vpon him al this shame, for thy loue, to y ^e entent that if thou wilt amend thy life, and forsake thy sin and do true penance, thou shalt by his shame be deliuered frō al shame. His shame shall hide thy sins. Hée was there naked and spoyled of all his cloathes, to the intent y ^t thou shoul­dest be couered vnder his mantle fro thy shame. And therfore by the prophet Eze­chiell he saith, Expādi amittum meum super [...], et operui ignominiam tuam. I did spred my mantle vpon thée, and so couered thée from shame. Let euery persō héere think w ^t them selues what déedes they haue done worthie of great shame, which if they had come to light and bene openlye knowne, thei should haue bene blotted w ^t opē infamye here in this lyfe, and with out the special mercy of god in the day of iudgement they shoulde thereof haue an open shame before all the world, and fy­fally in hell an euerlasting shame. But from al those shames by y ^e gracious mantle of Christ many bée couered. Hée hath mercifully spred his mantle ouer them, and kept them from those importable [Page] shames. Of this couering also the Pro­phet Dauid sayth, Beati quorum tecta sunt peccata. Blessed are those whose sinnes be couered. O thou sinfull creature, if thou mightst see what shame thou hast deserued for thy sinne, thou shouldest rec­ken this a singular comfort. But thou séest not the abhominacion of thy sin, and therfore thou perceyuest not what shame thou hast deserued. Why doeth a com­mon brothel take no shame of hir abho­mination? what is the cause, why that shée regardeth hyr infamye no more? Truely as far as I can iudge, the cause is for that al the light of honestie is quē ­ched in hyr, shée is so blynded with hyr wretched pleasure that shée is paste all shame, and hath not left in hir one sparke of y ^e light of honestye, where by shée may value & estéeme y ^e horriblenesse of hir of­fences. Shée reputeth more a litle spote in hir kyrchefe, or in hir face, thē a thou­sād blots of deadly sin in hir soule. But if she had any honesty w ^tin hir hart to think how foule & abhominable hir lif were, su­rely she wold be much ashamd of hir self.

Thamar the daughter of King Dauid, whē hir brother Amon wold haue oprest hir, 2 Reg▪ 13. she sayde. Noli facere hanc stulticiam, ego [Page] enim ferre non potero opprobrium meum. O my brother saide she, doe not this folly, for this reproch that ye inforce to do vn­to me is greater then I may suffer. This woman had some light of honestye, with­in her brest, whereby she was moued to resist, and to withstande this shamefull déede batwéene hir and hir brother.

A Romane woman also, whose name was Lucretia, whom by force & againste hir wil in the absence of hir husband, one mā called Sextus Tarquinius, had abu­sed hir, albeit the thinge was [...], yet she was there of so muche as [...]amed in hir owne mind that she might not beare the shame. But when hir husband came home, she tooke a knife and in his presēce slew hir selfe. This noble woman had the light of honesty in hir soule, she sawe how abhominable a thing it was to com­mit adultery. But a brothell hath in hir no spark of honesty wherby she can take any shame, nor she doth not consider the foule abhomynacion of, hir wretched life, and therefore she is shamles. And in like maner euery sinner, y ^t lacketh y ^e light of faith, neither considereth y ^e greatnes of his sinne, nor the presence of almightye God, which looketh vpon the same. [Page] He regardeth nothing the blessed Angels the which doth behold the [...] abhominable conscience, to their great discomfort, nor the deuilles his mortal enimies which be ful ioyous of his shameful demainer. If the sinner clearely considered al these thinges, (as they be matter in very déed) he would be doubtlesse greatly ashamed of him selfe, and in a great discomforte. Neuerthelesse a penitent soule, y ^t is sore prest and wrong with vtter shame, lyke as was the womē of whō I spake before I meane Susanna and Mary Magdalen, & the woman that was apprehended in aduoutry. I say such a soule being holdē in such distresse of shame, and cōsidering that by the approbrious and shamefull death, which our sauiour did suffer on y ^e Crosse. He that deliuered all true penitēt sinners, from the shame which he deser­ued for their sinne, and that he there by tooke all their sinne in hys owne necke, hath great cause (as me séemeth) to take a wonderful comforte in the most blessed Crosse. So y ^t here also (as I said) is great matter & cause of very comfort, & of solace incomparable. Wherefore to conclude my tale as touching this second writing, if eyther loue, or hope, or ioy, or comfort [Page] wil make vs sing. Here in thys booke of the Crucifixe is great occasion of song. If thou first truly lament with Christ, thou shalt after ioyfully sing with him, and eche of these shal induce other, hatred of sinne shall bring into thy harte the loue of Christ, dreade shall bring in hope, so­row shal bring in ioy. And shame here ta­ken for thy sin, shal bringe into thy soule perpetuall comfort. And thus much I haue sayde for the second writing.

The thyrde wrytinge that is written in this booke, I sayde is ve, that is to say wo, ve betokeneth in scriptures euerla­sting dampnation. And doubtlesse this woe may such sinners here reade, that neither wil lament, nor sing with Christ on the Crosse, as hée said vnto the Iews Cecinimus vobis et non saltastis, lamentauimus vobis et non planxistis, that is to saye, Mat. [...]. we sunge vnto you, and you sorrowed not. And soone after the Gospell telleth, that he reprochfully spake vnto y ^e cities, to y ^e whiche he had shewed many great myracles. And they for all that did no maner of pennaunce for theyr sinne, to such there he tirribly threatneth saying, Vae tibi Corozaine, Vae tibi Bethsaida, Mat. 11. wo shal [Page] be to thée Bethsaida, by thys we maye learne that such whiche will not stir in them selues these affections aboue re­hearsed, whereby they may lament, or els singe with Christ on the Crosse they shall come to euerlasting woe.

I say who that will not stir in theyr hartes, dreade, shame, sorrowe, and ha­tred, of theyr sinne, and so truely lament with Iesu, eyther els quicken in theyr hartes loue, hope, reioysing, and comfort and so singe with Iesu, doubtlesse they shall come to the wo of euerlasting damp­nation, which woe is the thirde writinge that as we sayde before is written on the Crosse.

Behold O thou christian soule y ^e extreme paines, y ^t our sauiour suffered on y ^e crosse, for thy sinne. And if thou wilte not by such aflictions, as I now haue rehearsed enforce thy selfe to be made parteiner of y ^e same paines in this lyfe, thou shalte in the life to come endure like manner of paines and that euerlastingly where he suffered them on the Crosse for a time. Let vs therefore déepely consider what paines he did endure & suffer on y ^e crosse. The first, when he was crucified he was spoyled and made naked of al his clothes. [Page] And so violently throwne downe vppon the hard tymber, and his handes & féete cruelly digged in with nailes, as he say­eth in the 21. Psalme. Foderunt manus me­as et pedes meos, Io. [...]. they haue digged my handes and my féete, this he suffered for thy sinne O sinfull creature, and if thou wilt not amend thy life be times, thou shalt be spoyled of all thy clothes, and so cast downe into hell, vpon a more paine­full couch, then was the Crosse. The Prophet Esay saith vnto such a sinner. Subtus te seruatur timea et opera mentum tuum verinis. Esay. 14. The mothes that shall teare and gnaw thy body, shall lie vnder thée acd the burninge wormes and serpents shal sprale aboue thée & dig away part of thy body. O think what an horrible paine it were for to lye in a bed full of snakes, adders, and todes, créepinge and spraw­ling, and byting, and pinching thée on e­uery parte.

The seconde, when our sauiour was reared vp aloft on the Crosse, that same hanging there was very paynefull vnto him, O what payne was it vnto that most delicate and tender bodye of hys to hange so longe in that tormentrye. But where he did hange here but for a [Page] time, if y ^u amende not thy life, thou sh [...] hang in the gibbet of hell for euermore. For be thou well assured that if thou shalt suffer for thine owne sinne in hell, thou shalte suffer a more gréeuous tormentry then he dyd, & that without seasing. For as it is sayd in the Apocalip­ses, fumus tormentorum ascendet in secula se­culorum, Apoca. 14. the smoke of the tormentries of that place shall ascende by innumera­ble worlds, that is to say without ende. The tormentes which he suffered on the Crosse, was the nayles, the thornes, the rops, the schourges, the speare. But y ^e torments that thou shalt suffer, shal a thou­sande folde passe them. Looke howe far the mallice and wit of the diuils passeth the mallice and witte of the Iewes, so farre excéede the engynes which the di­uilles haue cōceiued and forged for the dampned soules to be tormented. Aboue them that y ^e Iewes maliciously deuysed agaynst our sauiour Christ. The thyrd, our sauiour endured an extreme heate, & feruour, when he for the great afflictiō & [...] agony whiche he did suffer, was cō strained for y ^t gréeuous anguish to sweat water & blud. But this heat is nothing to y ^e heat of the burnyng fyre of hell which [Page] neuer shall be quenched, Ignis ille non extinguetur, As the gospell sayth, that fyre shall neuer be quenched. The Prophet Esay sayeth, Quis ex vobis poterit habitare cum ardoribus sempiternis which of you may continually inha­bite with the heates that neuer shal cease.

O sinfull creature thinke with thy self y ^e largenes of these two wordes. Euer and neuer, thinke with thy self howe paynefull it shall be euer to be in that brenning fyre, and neuer to be released of thy payne.

If thou shouldest be compelled to lye but one sennight vpon a softe fea­therbed, I suppose thou wouldest be weary thereof. But how weary shalt thou be euer to lye stewing and bren­ning without ceasing.

The fourth, our sauiour Christ endured also colde not onely for his nakednesse, but also when his natu­rall heate by death, lefte his bodye. But the dampned sinner shal endure in hell a more excessyue colde. Iob sayth of such, transibunt ab aquis niuis ad calorem nimirem, they shall be shyfred [Page] out of y ^e colde snow brought into the outragious heates. O Iesus, a ten­der hand wherin y ^e froste and snowe it hath bene made extreme colde and sodenly is brought into the heate of the fier, it féeleth a greater payne, but nothynge comparable vnto that shyfting from that colde into that heate whych is in hell.

The fift, our sauior in his crosse hard blasphemous & opprobrious words, and much insultinge of his enimies against him, which doubtles was very paynefull vnto him. But the dam­ned sinners shall in hel heare nothīg els but continual outcryes, opprobri­ous insulting, blasphemes of the di­uells and other that be dampned. Blasphemabunt deum caeli doloribus, they shall blaspheme the god of heauen for continuall paine and sorrowes. And they shall sée before their faces continually the most horrible and ireful countenaūce of their immortal enimies the diuells.

The vi. our sauiour wept on y ^e crosse for y ^e sinnes of other, as s. Paul saith, cū clamore et lachimis, Heb. 5. with crying & teres [Page] but the damned sinners that would not here wepe w ^t Christ, such teares as might washe theyr sinnes, shall wepe in hell for theyr owne sinnes, such teares as shall skalde theyr bo­dies, and yet they shalbe neuer the better. Ibi erit flectus et stridor dentium, Ther shal be wéeping & gnashing of teeth, Math. 22. the smoke of y ^e Fyer shal make them for to wéepe, & the coldenesse of the snow shal make their téeth for to gnashe, & chytter in theyr heades. Yea and that is more merueilous, neither the colde shall attemper the heate, nor contrarywyse, the heate shall attemper the colde, but eyther of them shall encrease the violence of the other. Euen as in the forge of a Smith, the colde water when it is cast into the Fyer, causeth the Fyer to be much more fearse and violent. The seuēth, our sauiour on the crosse had extrem drighnes, for y ^e which he cōplained & said, Scitio, I am dry, And no maruell though he wer dry, after so much payne and trauayle, after so much bléeding & sweting, wherby no moisture almost was left in his bodi. [Page] But howe vnmeasurable drighnesse shall y ^e dampned soules endure in the fyre of hell? The rich glutton y ^t was buried in hel teacheth vs what drighnesse is there, for he would haue gy­uen all this worlde to haue had one drop of water or lycour to haue re­freshed his tongue, that was made so drye with the flame of that fyre.

The eight, our sauiour on y ^e crosse had much sorrow and heauinesse. If he for the onely remembrance of the paine for to come was in so great an agony that he sweat water & bloud, who can expresse or think what sor­row and heauinesse he suffred when all the paynes were present, & pre­sently did oppresse hym. Neuerthe­lesse euery dampned person, by the reason of their continuall and euerla­sting paynes shall haue muche more sorrow and heauinesse, for the which it is writtē in the booke of Sapience, penitentiam Agentes et pretristitia spiritus gementes, they verely lamentably re­pent them selues, and for extreame heauinesse of spirite mourne and sor­rowe, thinking, for howe briefe and [Page] transitory pleasures, they loste the ioyes euerlasting, and gate y ^e paynes that euer shall endure.

The ninth, our sauiour on y ^e crosse did suffer muche infamy and shame. And specially to deliuer (as I said all sinners that would amēd thē selues, and forsake their sinne,) from euer­lasting shame. But such as will not, shall suffer theyr owne shame, as they haue deserued. The true peny­tent soule shall bée sacyate with per­petuall glory, But he that will not repent him selfe shall haue perpetu­all shame and infamy.

Almightie God sayeth, to suche by his Prophet Naum, Reuelabo puden­da tua in facie tua. I wil make open all thy shamefulnesse and euill dealyng in thine owne face. And the Prophet Hieremy sayeth, saturabitur opprobrijs ▪ he shall bée sacyate with opprobry­ous shame.

The tenth, aboue all other paynes that our sauyour dyd suffer on the Crosse, was to be desolate of all com­forte, yea of his father, and to bée as a person forsaken of almightie God, [Page] and destitute of all help and succour, for the which hée sore complayneth on his Crosse, crying vnto his father Deus meus Deus meus, vt quid dereliquistī me, O my God, O my God, why hast thou forsakē me. But this forsaking was but for a season, for within a short time after, he was raised again to immortall glory. But the damp­ned sinners which shall be punished for their owne sinnes in hell, shall e­uer be forsaken, and fully be depry­ued, not onely from all ioye & com­forte, but from that moste glorious sighte of the face of almighty God, wherein standeth all blessednesse and consummation of all comforte. And this shall more pinche the dampned soules, then all the other tormentes of hell besides. For the which Chri­sostome sayth. Ego autem multo grauio­res cruciatus duco, quam gehenuam, remo­ueri et ab duci ab illa gloria. I think (saith he) that to be remoued and cast out from that euerlastyng glory, is more gréeuous torments then all the other paynes of hell.

[Page]Fynally, our sauiour on the crosse, suffered the paynes of death for our sinnes, whereby wée had deserued death. And therfore he suffered death to deliuer vs from the death of sinne. Neuerthelesse he remayned no long tyme in the bondes of death. But the dampned sinner that must paye his owne debtes in hell, shal suffer euer­lasting death, not so that the sinners shal haue no lyfe nor féeling in them, but bycause that they shall be euer as though they were in the extreme paynes of death, and yet they shall haue no perfecte sense of the paynes, and neuer dye. The paynes shall be to them so vyolent, that they shall pe­rish a thousand tymes, and desire cō ­tinually for to dye, but death shal flie away from them, desiderabunt mori et mors fugie ab eis, they shal desire death, and death shall fly from them. O Ie­su in what myserie shall they be in, that euer shall couet death, and ne­uer may fully dye.

The Prophet Dauid speaking of their payne sayeth. Mors depascet eos, [Page] which words may haue thrée senses, one is that death shall bée their pa­stour and heardman, hée shall order them, and leade them to theyr pa­stures. In hell is two pastures, the one is all full of snow, the other full of fyre, for the whiche Iobe sayeth, Ad calorem nimium transient ab aquis ni­uium, they shal walke from the snow vnto the fyre. And agayne from the fyre vnto the snow, this may be one sense, an other may be this, they shal be the continuall meate of death, as ye sée in the pastures, where y ^e shéepe féede. They croppe the grasse euer as it ryseth and kéepeth it lowe, and so the grasse is euer in eatyng, and ne­uer full eaten.

In lyke maner death shall continu­ally croppe the dampned persons in hell. And he shall euer be gnawyng and eating vpon them, and yet they shall neuer be fully consumed. The third sense may be this, death shall be theyr continuall meate, for they shall euer long and desire for to dye, they shal euer aboue all other things couet to haue death, and their desire [Page] shall alway be a lyke freshe and fer­uent. An other comforte and refres­shing besides this, they shall haue none, but whatsoeuer the sense of these wordes be, thou mayest well perceyue by them. O thou christian soule) that if thou shalt come to that place to pay thy debtes of thine own sinnes, it shall bée to gréeuous and to importable for thée to sustayne, for as I sayde, looke any maner of paine that our sauiour Christ suffered on the crosse for all our sinnes. If wée be not before our death by such affec­tions (as I before did rehearse) made perteyners of his sufferyng, we shall suffer all the same paynes in hel per­petually.

And therefore it is a troth, we may read in the booke of the Crucifix great matter of woe, whiche is the thyrde wryting that we had to speake off. Now thou sinful creature, haue oftē before thyne eyes thys wonderfull booke which as I sayde is wrytten within and with out. In the which also thou mayest reade thrée maner of wrytings, that is to say, lamenta­tion, [Page] song, and wo. If thou wilt begin to lament with Iesu, thou shalt ther­by come to sing with him. And ther­by thou shalt be made so fully partei­ner of his passion, that the debtes of thy sinnes shall be throughly payde, and that thou shalt escape euerlasting woe. But if thou doe refuse this re­medy, and follow the desires of thys world, and of the fleshe, be thou well assured that then thou shalt pay thine owne debtes amongest the diuils in hell, with euerlasting woe. From the which he defend vs, that for our loue as this day suffered on the Crosse, his most paynfull and sorrowfull death, our sauiour Christ Iesus. Amen.

Memoria crucifixi: vitia crucifigit. Grego Quecumque momorderit astucia sathanae aspiciat Christum inligno pendentē August