HIS PRAYER EXTENDED.

O Most iust, most mercifull, His praying. most holy Father! thou seest what a weighty worke I haue begun: and now I am en­tred into two of my great offices. The office of a Priest, as well in offering my body for a sacrifice, as in making supplications for the people: and the office of an Aduocate; in pleading the cause of sinners before thee. In both [Page 13] these heare me, I pray thee. Hea­uenly Father, load this bruised body of mine with thy stripes; powre foorth the full measure of thy wrath vpon it: I am ready to indure whatsoeuer charge it shall please thee to impose. But forgiue them, I beseech thee, for whom I thus suffer. Let mee not in this cruell maner lose my blood, and lose them also for whom I expend it: the price be­ing paied, suffer me, I pray thee, to enioy my purchase.

O my eternall Father! In recompence of my obedience to thy will, in recompence of my comming into the world to re­concile it to thee, in recompence [Page 14] of all my trauailes ouer-paced, in recompence of my present tor­ments and death: I intreat no­thing of thee, but that thou wilt pardon these mercilesse sinners. I am well content that thou wouldest not yeelde to my natu­rall desire when I prayed for my selfe, that this cup might passe from me; but denie mee not (I pray thee) in praying for these. For I esteeme the benefit grea­ter that they be forgiuen, then that this cup should haue passed from me; I regard more the good that they liue eternally, then I regard the hurt that for the present I die. O my good Father! there is a time to par­don, [Page 15] and a time to punish: but if euer there be a time to pardon, it is now. Euen now, when I aske forgiuenes at the very end of my life; now whilest my blood freshly runneth for forgiuenes, whilest the sacrifice is in offring, for which thou shouldest forgiue. For now thou doest publikly pro­claime thy pardō: mercy & truth, iustice & peace, do now embrace, and kisse kindly together. Thou didst once forgiue the Israelites, O my Father! when Moses and Aaron offered a little incense for them; and wilt thou not for­giue these for whom I wholly of­fer my selfe? Thou didst once grant victory when Moses held [Page 16] vp his hands vnto thee; and wilt thou nothing regard the stretching foorth of my bleeding hands? Father! I am come into the world, I now suffer death in the world to appease thine an­ger: but what profit will ensue of my comming and of my death, if men should be still charged with thy hate? If my death cannot ap­pease thy wrath, what then can doe it? What then can make a­tonement betweene thee and sin­ners? O my good Father! when I came into the world by thy ap­pointment, when by thy appoint­ment I vndertooke to die: thou diddest promise that thy wrath should bee extinguished by my [Page 17] death; that thy wrath and my life should determine together. Wherefore to discharge thy pro­mise, and because my life is more precious to thee then thy wrath; forgiue, I pray thee, and bee ap­peased. Loe heere I set my selfe in the breach; Ezek. 22. loe heere I enter­pose betweene sinners and thee.

BVT, O great Mediator! wherfore doest thou so earnestly entreat for sinners? What ease is this to thy tor­ments? what good to thy selfe? In case thou wilt not reuenge thy wrongs, yet wherefore doest thou not leaue them to thy fathers pleasure? wherefore should [Page 18] not Iustice run her course? The Law sayth, Eie for eie, hand for hand, life for life▪ And what auayleth it thee, that these offendours must now be forgiuen?

O! YES: I am well content O my Father! that thou load me with thine anger, in what mea­sure thou thinkest fit: but so, as nothing may remaine vnrecon­ciled to thee; so as my redempti­on may not bee imperfect and maimed: so as there may remaine in man no fault to bee redeemed, and in thee no anger to bee ap­peased. O good Father! Charge me freely (I say) with thy stripes, set them so surely and seuerely as [Page 19] thou wilt: but suffer not my suf­ferings to bee vnfruitfull; doe not double my griefe, by causing me to lose the benefit of my grief. For it would be a greater griefe to mee that these sinners should perish, then are all the torments where with they teare mee: euen as a louing mother sorroweth more at the losse of her childe, then she did at her trauailes for his birth. By suffering and by pardoning the redemption of the world must bee wrought: and therefore pardon them, O good Father! For whom I suffer; or else no redemption can follow. And if the death which now I suffer, if the life which now I [Page 20] offer bee not sufficient, I will suffer another death; I will of­fer another life; I will doe anything, O my good Father! whol­ly to appease thee.

BVt if thou wilt not bee abso­lutely intreated, yet forgiue them, His Plea­ding. I beseech thee, in regard of their ignorance. And now brethren, I know that through ig­norance yee did it, as did also your Rulers. For nie­ther this people, nor their Rulers doe dir [...]ctly know, either who I am, or what worke I haue in hand. Whereby it followeth, that they know not what they doe. Act. 3. 17. Blessed Father: thou hast made mee wiser then my enemies. For I know righ [...] well what I am about to doe; b [...] thou hast not suffered the diue [...] [Page 21] perfectly to know it; much more is this vnskilful multitude inuol­ued in ignorance. And therefore I am so farre from desiring re­uenge, that the more earnestly they endeauour with many tor­ments to destroy mee; the more earnest am I, both in praying and pleading for their saluation. For alas! they are ignorant; I pitie them with my heart, and from my heart desire thee to bee in­treated for them. Giue them time and meanes to bee instru­cted; open their vnderstanding to know mee, and to know them­selues: but as the case now stan­deth, forgiue them, I pray thee; for they know not what they doe.

[Page 22] And further, seeing I am ioy­full in receiuing these harmes, wherefore art thou displeased with those who doe them? See­ing the party offended forgiue [...] the wrong, at whose suit will thy iustice prosecute? What hath Iustice to doe when no man com­plaines? Thou knowest right well, that nothing can bee ter­med an iniurie, which is not done against our will. Seeing there­fore I willingly suffer, and that in obedience to thy will and ap­pointment, to performe a most necessary worke for the world: remaine not thou displeased with those, by whose hands my owne will is performed, and this [Page 23] great worke accomplished.

BVT happily it may bee said, Obiect. that as this action in it selfe is the most heinous sin that euer was committed; so are these, in regard of themselues, the most vnwor­thy to be forgiuen.

Be it so. Answ. But O holy Father! Do I die only for small offenders? is not my death sufficient for all? Doe I die for any other end, but that all offenders may bee forgi­uen? And wilt not thou regard more my sufferings, then any mans sinnes? more my charitie in dying for my tormentors, then their malice iu putting mee to death? It is true indeed, that if [Page 24] thou wilt punish them according to their demerits, al the torments of hell are nothing neere suffici­ent: but therefore it is better freely to forgiue them. For as there was neuer sinne compara­ble to this, so shalt thou neuer haue the like occasion to manifest thy mercy. O my Father! see­ing my blood is shed by thy will, imploy the same to the best ef­fect: let not any man be depriud of the benefit of that, which is amply sufficient for all. And fauour me also, O father! since I needs must die, to make the best aduantage of my death; to se [...] my life so well as I can. And therefore pardon those, I pray [Page 25] thee, who torment me to death. For the greater offenders thou pardonest for my sake, the better I shall thinke my life employed; and it nothing auaileth that I die for sinners, if thou deniest to pardon sinners.

MEDITATI­ONS VPON THIS Prayer.

O PRECIOVS prayer! fit onely to proceede from our All-mercifull Re­deemer: who, as he taught vs to loue our enemies, to pray for them that curse vs; so heere, by his example hee [Page 26] confirmed the same. O meeke SAVIOVR! what inflamed charity did spar­kle in thy speeches? how truely had the Iewes saide of thee before: Neuer man spake, as he speaketh? For let all the prayers bee powred foorth that euer were made, and wee shall find none parallell to this. Many haue prayed for themselues, many for their friends: but who euer before in this sort prayed for his enemies? Many haue forgiuen offences after they haue beene done; when the paine is past, and the offen­der happilie displeased at [Page 27] what hee did: but whilest the mischiefe is in action, and before it bee accompli­shed; in the very height of madnesse and malice; to see thee not onely forbeare to hate thy enemies, but ardent­ly to loue them; to heare prayers for them flowing out of thy mouth, with teares and groanes, whilest thy blood was running out of thy veines; to heare thee plead for them, who woul­dest not open thy mouth to speake for thy selfe. What shall wee say? but that pity and cruelty, iniury and mer­cy, anger and patience, hate [Page 28] and loue, did here meet and contend together.

O milde IESVS! O the glory of my soule! what hu­mane iudgement? yea, what vnderstanding of Angels is able to apprehend, that thou shouldest not only patient­ly endure, but thus earnestly pray for thy mortall ene­mies? Thy smart, thy faint­ing, the streames of blood which freshly flowed from thee, might haue put thee in minde both of their ma­lice and of their iniustice: and yet wert thou wholly busied in procuring pardō, both for that & for all their [Page 29] other sinnes. O euerlasting goodnesse! what a maruel­lous example hast thou gi­uen, both of patience and of loue? Thou didst release those who fastened thee; plead for those who did ac­cuse thee; intreat for those who did reuile thee; acquite and discharge those, who are in hand to kill thee: they will not returne into the Ci­ty, before thou art dead; and thou wilt not die vntill thou hast obtayned their pardon. O Redeemer of soules! thou didst neuer ei­ther doe iniury to any, or blame any for doing iniurie [Page 30] to thee: All thy actions and words tended to teach vs patience, pity, humility, gen­tlenesse, and all other good­nesse. Albeit thou haddest many enemies in this world yet didst thou neuer term: any man enemy; all were e­steemed friendes, because thou wert a true friend to all.

Thou hadst been former­ly presented before the high Priest and Elders, before Pilate, and before Herode; in whose presence for the most part thou wert si­lent: but beeing presented before thy Father on the [Page 31] Crosse, thou didst first open thy lippes to speake for thy tormentors. O vnspeaka­ble charity! How inestima­ble was thy loue towards miserable man? When thou wert accused before worldly Iudges, thou wouldst not spend one word for thy selfe; but whē thou didst addresse thy selfe to craue of thy Fa­ther, wherefore doest thou not intreat him, either to mi­tigate or shorten thy paines? Wherefore hast thou no pi­tie vpon thy innocent flesh? thy martyred members? Wherefore seemest thou so little to regard thy life? or [Page 32] wherefore seemest thou to neglect thy mournefull Mo­ther? thy dispersed Disciples thy heauie followers and friends? and disposest thy selfe to pray for thy enemies. Wherefore intreatest thou without intreatie? Where­fore crauest thou forgiuene [...] without either satisfaction or submission for their of­fence?

O sweete and onely Saui­our! How fierie is the force of thy Spirit? how hast thou verified that which before thou didst say; that thou wert not sent but to the los [...] sheepe of the house of Israel [Page 33] what thou camest not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance? All thy life time thou diddest conuerse with sinners, both by exhor­tation, & by example to con­uert them to thee; & now at thy death thou prayest for them. The conditi­on of Calua­ry changed. O Caluarie! how is thy condition suddenly changed? Before this time thou wert a place where Iu­stice was executed vpon in­famous offendors; but now thou art consecrated for a place of oblation and inter­cession for them. It was not meete that Oblation should goe single without Interces­sion: [Page 34] and therefore, as our great Priest made heere his Oblation for sinne, so here al­so did hee make Intercession for sinners. And O you stiffe necked Iewes! See how our blessed Lord hath requi­ted your dealings. You tur­ned his house of prayer into a denne of theeues; and hee hath turned your denne of theeues into a house of pray­er. Teaching you, as before he had told, Iohn 4. that the houre was then come, when neither at your temple in Ierusalem, nor at the mountaine in Samaria the Father should bee worshipped; but hee should bee worship­ped [Page 35] in spirit and trueth.

O crucified IESVS! The great mercies of GOD. O delight of my soule! What shall wee say of thy excee­ding goodnesse? with grea­ter reason may wee now de­mand, Where is thy ancient wrath? then the Prophet Dauid once demanded, Where are thy ancient mercies? O my soules safety! who can de­spaire of thy goodnes? who dares distrust it? Thou didst pardō those who would not be pardoned, & shall pardon bee denied to those who ar­dently desire it? Thou didst pray for those who tormen­ted and blasphemed thee; [Page 36] and wilt thou not pray for those who pray vnto thee? O blessed SAVIOVR! when thou wert on the Crosse all things forsooke thee, The patience and loue of CHRIST. except onely thy pati­ence and thy loue. By thy patience thou didst endure all extremities of torments; by thy loue thou didst offer vp supplications with strong cryings and teares. The Iewes prouoked thy Father to take vengeance vpon them, in saying, His blood bee vpon vs: but thou didst pray him to remit that ven­geance, because thy blood was shed for them. They [Page 37] caried thee before the high Priest, and before Pilate to haue thee condemned; but thou didst present them be­fore thy Father, that they might bee pardoned. They cried against thee, Let him be crucified; but thou prayedst for them, Father forgiue them. Certainly, O my SAVIOVR! It is so great a mysterie that thou didst pray for those who did blaspheme thee; that thou didst pardon those who tormented thee to death, without sorow, with­out intreatie; and that thy prayer, Father forgiue them, should preuaile against their [Page 38] praier, His blood bee vpon vs; that albeit wee must beleeue it, yet we cānot cōprehend it.

And thou, The true Mediator. O heauenlie Father! Ezek. 22. seeke no more for a man who should make vp the breach, and stand in the gap betweene thee and the Land. Loe, this is he; this is the true Mediatour betweene thee and vs: raised between heauen and earth, to recon­cile both together. And be­cause nothing can serue for a fit meane to combine two contraries, but that which participates of the nature o [...] both: Loe, this Mediatou [...] participates of thy nature [Page 39] being perfect GOD; and of our nature, beeing perfect man: and therefore is a fit meane to ioyne, to fasten, to vnite both together. A fit meane, I say, vpon whom man may discharge all his sinnes, and GOD discharge all his anger: who like a strong and impregnable wall, may keepe our sinnes from approaching to GOD, and GODS vengeance from approaching to vs.

BVT O my soule! do not runne ouer this banquet in haste; take a more exact haste of euery dish; medi­tate [Page 40] and ruminate vpon these things as a cleane beast cheweth the cud. Consider first, the principall circum­stances of this prayer; then exactly weigh euery worde thereof.

THE PRINCIPALL CIRCVMSTANCES OF This Prayer.

WHo then was it that thus did pray? Who prayed. The sonne of GOD, who was most worthy to bee heard. To whom did he pray? To whom. To GOD the Father, who was most powerfull to grant. For whom? For whom. not only for his [Page 41] tormentors, not onely for the people of the Iewes; but for all sinners for whom hee died; for all men whose sins were the proper cause of his death. Euē for those who lit­tle regarded themselues; yea, for many who thē were not, he earnestly prayed: for vn­lesse CHRIST first prayeth for sinners, they shall neuer bee able to pray for them­selues. Where was it? Where. Vp­on the Altar of the Crosse. When? When. In time of his ex­treame torments, and of his drawing neere to death. How? How. His hands stretched (like another Moses) to hea­uen; [Page 42] and all his body imbru­ed with blood. In what manner. In what manner? O! in a most per­fect forme. Heb. 5. For the Apostle saith, that he offred vp Pray­ers & supplications with strong cryings and teares. His Pray­ers were many, formed in manner of humble supplica­tions; with cryings, with va­lide and strong cryings, and with teares. And therfore the matter of the prayer being of great piety and merit, it is no marueile that the Apostle added, that he was heard.

By this strong crying thou must vnderstand, His strong crying. that with a most forcible affection, [Page 43] with deepe groanes, with a violent intention of desire and will, hee offered vp his supplication to GOD. For hee is saide to pray aloude, whose soule is fired with fer­uent deuotion and desire; whose thoughts are neither distracted nor remisse, but both entirely and earnestlie attentiue to the businesse in hand. The cry of sins is ex­ceeding strōg, & yet the eare perceiueth no noise; but the feruent cry of deuotion is much stronger, albeit no voyce bee outwardly heard. There is no strong crying to GOD, but through aboun­dance [Page 44] either of loue or of griefe: both which were most forcible in our SA­VIOVR vpon the Crosse. Loue, for compasion towards others; griefe, for the passion which hee felt in himselfe. He was enflamed to loue, by his mysticall members; his naturall members enforced him to griefe. From this loue and this griefe his crie must needes bee exceeding strong. And besides; it must bee a violent voyce that was heard for all men; that did silence and drowne the cla­mour of all sinnes. For it was not for his tormentors only, [Page 45] but it was for all men that he then prayed: hee who di­ed for all, prayed for all.

But O good IESV! His teares. O the solace of my soule! who could be worthy to stand so neere thy Crosse, as to see blood streame from thy flesh, and teares from thy eyes; to see thy blood mixed with teares; to see, that, as with sweat and blood thou begannest thy passion; so with teares and blood thou diddest conclude it? What adamant heart would not breake? what leaden eyes would not melt into teares? what earthy spirit would [Page 46] not be moued, as the whole earth was? to see thy sacrifice sprinkled, or rather imbrued with blood, and thy prayers watered with teares; to see thy teares beautified with blood, and thy blood wash­ed with teares? to see thee at once to smite thy Fathers cares with thy prayers, and to mollifie his heart with thy sighes and grones? O blessed Redeemer! Albeit thou didst pray to thy Father for the greatest matter that euer was demanded of him; yet if thou hadst desired a greater, thy blood was so abundant, thy cries so strong, thy teares [Page 47] so plentifull, and the loue from whence they flowed so ardent; that thy loue, thy blood, thy teares and thy cries must haue obtayned it.

O sinne! How offen­siue sinne is. How offensiue art thou to the heauenly Fa­ther? how deepely dange­rous to the state of our soules? seeing this expiation was necessary to abolish thee; seeing pardon for thee could not be obtayned, but by these cruell sufferings, by these bloody teares of our Reedemer. And thou (o my soule) crie hideously when thou praiest to the Lord, and [Page 48] weepe abundantly for thy sinnes: sigh, groane, teare bloody teares from thy soule when thou askest forgiue­nesse; seeing thy Sauior thus cried and wept when hee made intercession for thee. For what reason or iustice is it, that thy Sauiour crie and weepe for thee, and not thou for thy selfe? Attention in prayer. Or if thou canst not weepe in thy prayers, yet be earnest & attentiue, let not thy thoughts be either scatte­red, or heauy and dull: for if thou be not attētiue to make thy prayers, the Lord will not bee attentiue to heare them. Whose sinnes we must la­ment Learne also to la­ment, [Page 49] not onely for thy owne offences, but for the sinnes and miseries of o­thers; euen as the Prophet Hieremie lamented for the calamity of his people when he sayd: Oculi mei defecerunt prae lachry­mis. My eyes faile and are dimme with weeping. For al­beit true charity beginneth alwayes at our selues, yet must it extend vnto all: there is no truer token of true cha­rity, then when it doeth ex­tend vnto all: not onely in shewing compassion for their miseries, but especially in crauing pardon for their sinnes. Ioy at the good which happeneth to other [Page 50] men, and greeue at their e­uill: and so shalt thou make profit of euery mans con­uersation.

OF THE SVB­STANCE OF THIS Prayer.

BVT proceed, O my soule! to the substance of this praier, and obserue well e­uerie word therof; for there is not one word therein that is not of weight.

FATHER.

FIRST he began with the sweet word FATHER. Hee did not terme him LORD; for that was a name of seuerity and iustice; but FATHER, which is a name of pity and mercy. If he had sayd, LORD, forgiue them, as Saint Stephen prayed after­ward; it might haue seemed that hee had referred their pardon to the curtesie and iudgement of iustice. But FATHER is a name of compassion, a name of the new Testament. A name which by the blood and me­rits [Page 52] of our IESVS, we may challenge to vse towardes hm. That, as he pleased to bee our brother: so hee would thereby make vs the sonnes of his FATHER. And therefore hee vsed the same worde in praying for vs, which hee did in praying for himselfe: For as he pray­ed for himselfe; Father into thy hands I commit my spirit: so he prayed for vs; Father forgiue them. As if he should haue said:

O my Father! acknowledge me now for thy Sonne, thy onely Sonne, thy Sonne in whom thou art well pleased, thy Sonne to [Page 53] whom thou wilt denie nothing: for as I am obedient to thee, as to my Father; so I expect to bee heard of thee, as thy Sonne. Father, I am therefore come in­to this world, that sinners also should be receiued for thy sonnes; and therefore heare mee now in praying for them. If euer thou wilt heare them praying to thee in my Name, heare now my owne prayer for them. So deare a Sonne as I am to thee; so ac­ceptable let my prayer be to thee. If thou hearest not the prayers of thy Sonne, whose prayers then wilt thou heare? If thou reie­ctest my prayers, thou doest more torment mee then doth the [Page 54] Crosse. The Crosse I patiently endure to abolish a greater euill: that is, to appease thy wrath, and to make sinners accepted for thy sonnes. But fauour these tor­ments of thy Sonne, that they be not endured in vaine. Fauour thy Sonne, not to double his ter­ments, by denying him his chari­table request. Thou doest amply reward the trauailes which any man shall performe in thy ser­uice: Now thy Sonne requireth no recompense for himselfe: for all my trauailes, for all my tor­ments in obedience to thy will, I require no other recompense, but that thou wilt grant my re­quest for miserable sinners.

FORGIVE

BY this word our Lord discharged the office of a Priest, in praying for the sins of the people: for which hee cryed, not onelie as a Priest, but as a sacrifice; which neuer demandeth free forgiuenesse, but brin­geth satisfaction with it. And not only he cried with his mouth; With how many mouthes CHRIST craued for­giuenesse. but his wounds cryed, his blood cryed, his defilements cryed, his tor­ments cryed, al his members cryed: Forgiue. So many wounds as he receiued, so [Page 56] many griefes as he endured; so many mouthes hee o­pened, with one voyce in­treating.

Accept these sufferings for the sinnes of all men, for wee doe pay thee whatsoeuer they owe. Wee giue thee blood and smarte for ransome, life for satisfacti­on, body and soule for sacrifice: Let there now bee mercy with thee, Psal. 130. for this is a plenteous redemption. It is a hard thing indeed which is deman­ded; namely, that a most indul­gent Father should forgiue and forget the cruell death of his on­ly Sonne, his entirely beloued Sonne. But the sonne himselfe [Page 57] demands it: he demands it with his blood, with his wounds; with all his sufferings he demands it.

Not vnder any condition, Not conditi­onally but absolutely. as hee prayed for himselfe in the garden; If it be possible, If thou wilt, If it may be: but positiuely and absolutely he pray­eth thee to Forgiue. His owne passion hee left to thy will; but thy pardon hee doth absolutely intreat. He put it to thy plea­sure whether hee should die or no; but he leaueth no consultati­on, no choice for thy granting of forgiuenesse: his prayer for for­giuenesse is so absolute, as it may not be denied.

Hereby thou mayest [Page 58] learne (O my soule!) that remission of sinnes, and all diuine graces are to be desi­red of GOD without condi­tion; because this prayer is alwayes referred to the ho­nour of GOD. Also, that whensoeuer thou forgiuest thy enemies, thou doe it ab­solutely, without reseruati­on. Neuer accompt it a Christian forgiuenes, when it is with exception; that thou wilt not speake to him, that thou wilt not conuerse & be familiar with him. For thy SAVIOVR did not pray for his enemies vpon condi­tion, or in part: hee prayed [Page 59] absolutely for all, and for all offences of euery one. GOD also is so noble in pardoning, that hee cannot forgiue one sinne, either alone, or in part: hee neuer pardoneth to halfes; he cannot but either wholly pardon, or wholly punish: If any one sinne be vnpardoned, the sinner must be charged with all. O gen­tle IESV! thou didst abso­lutely pray for all sinners, and therewith offer thy blood, as a sufficient ran­some for all sinnes: For all sinnes might bee numbred, but thy precious blood could not be valued.

[Page 60] And it was not onely absolutely, Presently. that thou diddest pray to thy Father, but also that hee would presently for­giue: thou wouldest not giue day, it must bee foorth­with: remission must bee granted without intermission. Thou wert then neere the point of thy death: but thou wouldest not die vntill par­don was granted: thou wouldest not make paiment of all thy blood, vntill thou hadst thy bargaine in hand; vntill peace were composed betweene GOD and Man. Thou art not like many worldly Parents, who leaue [Page 61] small inheritances to their children, intangled many times with debts, suits, or o­ther incumbrances: but for the heauenly inheritance which thou hast giuen vs, thou hast made ready pay­ment, cleared all reckonings, remooued all difficulties and charges, and concluded per­fect peace with thy Father before thy death; saying vn­to him, FORGIVE! and that presently, O my Father! for euen now is the time ar­riued to forgiue. This is the houre of sacrifice, the day of sa­tisfaction, the day of remission, I am euen now readie to lay [Page 62] downe my life, and I make now my last petition; my last suit to thee shall bee this; FATHER forgiue. O heauenly FATHER, as thou louest thy Sonne, so hold him no longer in torments; for I must not die vntill thou forgiue.

Neither did hee pray to the Father to forgiue the sinnes only which then had been committed, For all sinnes past, present, and to come. but simply to forgiue; euen those sinnes also which afterward should be committed. For his per­secuters had not then satisfi­ed themselues with blasphe­mies and scornes; they had not then offered him a [Page 63] spunge dipped in vineger; they had not then opened his side with a speare; they had not then feasted their eyes with sight of his dead bodie: and yet he prayed as well for these as for all the cruelties which before they had done: Yea, for all sinnes, not onely past and present, but to ensue, hee powred foorth this prayer; Father forgiue. Teaching vs there­by, not onely readily to re­mit all wrongs receiued, but to stand resolued nothing to regard whatsoeuer iniu­ries shall afterwards bee of­fered; and to make diligent [Page 64] search, that no secret desire of reuenge, doe secretly rankle and fester in our soules.

But O meeke IESV! Wherefore he prayed to his Father to forgiue, and did not for­giue them himselfe, O the hope of my soule! what is the reason that thou doest pray to thy Father to forgiue? Hadst thou not power in thy selfe to pardon sinnes? Couldest not thou as easily giue as aske? One word from thy selfe might haue serued the turne: wherefore then didst thou intreate thy Father to forgiue? O my soules solace! was it to de­clare thy selfe to bee a per­fect Priest, in furnishing thy [Page 65] sacrifice with prayer? for a Priest did offer, not onely sacrifice, but prayer: hee was not onely a sacrificer, but an intercessour for the people. Or was it to shew, that thou madest greater reckoning of the iniurie done to thy Fathers glorie, then of the violence vsed a­gainst thine owne life? Or lastly was it to manifest, that thou wert so intentiue to the redemption of the world, that thou wert not offended with any thing they did? that thou tookest all in good part? that thou didst not esteeme them malefactors [Page 66] to thee, but benefactors to all the world? regarding more the good that the world was redeemed, then the hurt that thou didst die? As if in o­ther words thou hadst said. FATHER, These men haue broken thy Law, discredited thy truth, violated thy Temple, bla­sphemed thy Name; and there­fore thou art hee who must for­giue them. I haue no cause to forgiue, because I am nothing grieued; I am well pleased with my death; I esteeme my life well bestowed; seeing by this meanes the world is redeemed, and hea­uen furnished with new glorious guests.

[Page 67] When losephs brethren fea­red that hee would reuenge their violence, hee sayd vnto them: When ye thought euill a­gainst me, Gen. vlt. GOD disposed it to good; that hee might bring to passe as it is this day, and saue much people aliue. Feare not therefore, I will nourish you and your children. Much more truely may our SAVIOVR say to those who crucified him▪ You entended much euill against me; but loe, all is turned to my glory, and to the good of many. You thought by taking away my life, to extinguish my power: but loe, I liue, and haue all power in hea­uen [Page 68] and vpon earth. There neuer was, nor can bee done a more wicked act, then the ta­king away of my life; and yet neuer did so much good follow a­ny act; namely, the saluation of much people aliue. And now feare not my reuenge: I haue prayed to the Father for you, I haue obtained your par­don, I haue obtained, not onelie that you be not charged with the euill, but that you may enioy the benefit of my death.

Which example if thou wilt follow (O my soule) If thou wilt regard more the good then the euil which en­sueth euery action; if thou [Page 69] wilt (which is a property of GOD) draw good out of e­uill; thou shalt neuer hate any enemie, but rather loue him for the good that hee worketh. A great mans son will wel endure to be taught and reproued by his school­master: But there is no bet­ter schoolemaster then an e­nemie; who beareth an eie ouer thy actions, and wilbe nimble to reprooue thy faults. If thou wouldest liue warilie and in good or­der, pray to GOD to send thee an enemie, and thou shalt need no schoolemaster; hee will spare thee that sti­pend. [Page 70] An enemie is the bridle, a friend is the couer of sinne. Friends puffe vs vp; but enemies humble vs, and make vs vigilant and wise. Hee who hateth his enemie, striketh one that is sicke; killeth a dying man. Triacle is made of poison. Take the malice of thy ene­mie, temper it with loue to him, and with the works of charitie towards him; and thou makest an excellent preseruatiue for thy soule.

THEM.

BVT O gracious Saui­our! who were they for whom thou diddest pray? what them didst thou meane? what them wouldest thou haue forgiuen? were they thy cruell crucifiers? where­fore then diddest thou not terme them bloodsuckers, paricides, sacrilegious hang­men, or whatsoeuer other name either cruelty or impi­ety could deserue? For two especiall causes. One, to in­struct vs, that wee abstaine from reprochfull speeches; [Page 72] The other to declare, that he esteemed no man to bee his enemy. Vndoubtedly, the Sonne of GOD did not ac­compt his executioners for his enemies, but for his friends, for his brethren, for his owne flesh and blood: and therefore hee preached vnto them during his life, and at his death prayed for them. They hated him in­deed; but in so doing, they hated the most louing friend they had in the world: one who could not bee angrie with thē, whose loue could not be, either withdrawne, or abated from working [Page 73] their good. In case he dis­liked any thing they did, it was not in regard of him­selfe, but of his FATHER: and therefore he prayed his FA­THER to forgiue them. He who was nothing offended with iniuries against him­selfe, as regardlesse both of torment and scorne; was most sensible of the iniuries and despite which reached to his FATHER: not to haue them punished, but forgi­uen.

Also he vsed the generall word them, not onely for them, who were the present actors of his death; but for [Page 74] all them besides, who by their sins gaue cause to his death. And thou, O my soule, art included in this prayer, whose sinnes also are inclu­ded in the cause of his death. Thou hast thy part in his prayer, thy part in his remis­sion: especially if thou ad­ioyne thy prayer with his. For if his prayer was profi­table to them, who neither prayed with him, nor intrea­ted him to pray for them; it will bee profitable for thee, in case thou doest both. For verily his prayer was profi­table to those who desired no pardon, who did abso­lutely [Page 75] refuse it. For how could they desire to bee par­doned, who would not ac­knowledge that they did of­fend? who cast all the blame vpon IESVS? who held him to haue deserued worse then he suffered? Those ex­communicate Iewes were so farre out of their wits, that they did not onely forbeare to aske pardon for their of­fence, but repelled pardon so much: as they could: be­ing not onely not sorrow­full for the mischiefes they did, but grieued because they could doe no more. They were not content to goe [Page 76] without pardon, but they demanded vengeance for that which they did: His blood be vpon vs, and vpon our children.

O sottish Synagogue! wherefore doest thou desire that the blood of CHRIST, appointed to redeeme thee, should bee turned to con­demne thee? O vnfortunate Iewes! O cursed people! if the Sonne of GOD had al­lowed your demand. But hee appealed from it, hee would not consent to your reprobate request: he would in no case consent, that his blood should be shed against [Page 77] you, but for you. You cal­led vpon you the most cruell curse that could bee; his blood be vpon vs; but he en­countred it with his merci­full prayer, Father forgiue them. It hath beene often seene that a man will not hurt his enemy, that he will pardon him if hee repent; but who but IESVS did par­don them, who would not be pardoned, who despised pardon? who would not pardon him by whom they were to be pardoned? who would pardon Barrabbas, a murtherer among them; but not IESVS who came to saue them?

[Page 78] O infinite goodnesse▪ what wit is able either to acknowledge, or appre­hend such exceeding loue? Thou diddest cleanse those who would be vnclean: thou diddest set those at liberty, who would be in restraint: thou didst vnburthen those, who would bee ouerchar­ged: thou didst saue those, who would bee damned. O my soules safetie! If thou didst pardon those who de­sired no pardon; wilt thou not pardon him, who with sorrow and teares entreateth thy pardon? Thou didst meet them who came to ap­prehend [Page 79] thee; meet me then O good IESV! who come to intreat thee. Thou did­dest defend thy cruell tor­mentors, who scorned thy defence; who acknowled­ged no fault: defend him, I beesech thee, who flieth to thy defence, who is much displeased that euer hee did offend. I am not yet amen­ded, I confesse: but it grie­ueth me that I am not amen­ded; and with teares I en­treat thee that I may a­mend.

Create in mee a cleane heart, and renew a right spirit within me. O great GOD! the heart [Page 80] which I brought from my mothers wombe is so vn­cleane, that I dare not offer it to thee; it dares not ap­peare in thy presence. It is polluted with many foule sins, it is loaden both with delights and cares of this world. But create in mee a cleane heart, fit to receiue thee; infuse into it a right spi­rit, fit both to loue and to praise thee. O gracious GOD! giue mee a new spirit, for mine is olde and vnplea­sant: giue mee a cleane heart, for mine is impure: If thou doest not this, if I bee not so changed, no prayer of mine shall euer be heard.

FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY doe.

BVt O mighty Redeemer! was it not sufficient, ei­ther that thou didst pardon their sinnes? or that thou diddest both absolutely and earnestly intreat thy Father to pardon? but thou must also plead their cause before him? Oh! how great was the worke of the Redempti­on of the world? far greater then was the worke of crea­tion. The reason is plaine: Because there is not so great [Page 82] a distance betweene nothing and nature, as betweene sinne and grace. For as grace is exceedingly aboue nature, so is sinne exceedingly beneath nothing. Nothing giues no offence: but sinne offendeth infinitely. And therefore GOD produced all things out of nothing, only by his word: but to reduce sinners to grace, all these great actions were required. To teach vs thereby, no lesse to abhor sinne, then we would abhor thus cruelly to intreate our SAVIOVR; thus carelesly to put him to all these per­formances againe.

[Page 83] O fountaine of Loue! Al­beit, Our Saui­our would not bee all power is giuen thee both in heauen and vpon earth; ye twouldest not thou heere susteine the office of a Iudge. Albeit, A iudge. these intolerable both iniuries and indignities were heaped vpon thee, yet wouldest not thou beare the part of an accuser: An accuser. but thou wouldest bee a Mediatour. But a Me­diatour. Two offices of a Medi­atour. Now, to a Mediatour two offices do properly pertaine: either to present supplicati­on, or to make some defence. The one our SAVIOVR did, in saying; Father forgiue them; the other, when he ad­ded; for they know not what they [Page 84] doe. By the first hee was an Intercessour; by the se­cond a Patron or Aduocate; by both a most perfect Me­diatour. The Iewes before had sought after many accu­sations against IESVS, but could find none: and now innocent IESVS seeketh how to excuse them. Noe defence for the lewes but igno­rance. And veri­ly this sinne was of so high quality and nature, that be­sides ignorance, nothing could bee brought, either for excuse or for extenuati­on thereof. The grosse­nesse of their ignorance. And yet it see­med that their ignorance was not onely grosse and su­pine, but voluntarily affe­cted: [Page 85] euen as if a man should willingly couer his eyes, be­cause hee will not see who it is, whom hee intendeth to smite or kill. But assuredly they knew not, either what good they did to CHRIST, or what euill to themselues. They knew well enough what euil they did; but they knew not what euil they did thereby deserue.

But where art thou? Ignorance cannot be alleadged for vs. O my soule! In what estate e­steemest thou thy selfe, whensoeuer thou doest vo­luntarily aduenture to sin? what shall thy SAVIOVR say for thy excuse? For it [Page 86] seemeth that thou art in worse case, then were the Iewes who tormented him to death. For ignorance was alleaged for them; but that cannot possibly be plea­ded for thee, because hee is more clearly reuealed to thee then he was to them. Thou knowest right well, both what thou doest, and what is to ensue. Yet some de­fences may. But O saluation of soules! If in the sharpest sence of thy torments, thou didst extenuate thy tormen­tors sinnes, wilt thou not now in thy seat of glory, al­leadge something to thy Fa­ther for those, who with [Page 87] faith and with griefe im­plore thy defence? It is true indeed, that ignorance can­not bee pretended for mee. But hast thou but one blessing, Gen. 27. O my SAVIOVR! hast thou but one defence for all sinners? Defend mee, euen me also, O my SAVIOVR! say I was weake, or inconsi­derate, or suddenly surpri­sed. Say what thou wilt, O my SAVIOVR! so I be not banished from thy defence. And yet in very trueth it may be said, All sinners are ignorant. that all sinners are blind, that they know not what they doe. For if they knew, with what impietie [Page 88] they violate the goodnesse, and dis-esteeme the iudge­ments of GOD; with what defilements they deforme the beauty of their soule; what losse they incurre of e­ternall glory; what penalty of eternall torments awai­teth for them: they would rather aduenture vpon a thousand deathes, then vp­on one sordide and slauish sinne.

O incomprehensible loue! The loue of CHRIST. Thy members (O my SA­VIOVR) were racked on the Crosse: thy ioynts opened, thy nerues crackt, thy hands and thy feet were painefully [Page 89] nailed; on euery side thou wert assailed with blasphe­mies and scornes; all which thou didst beare off with thy loue. Thy loue did not permit thee either to com­plaine, or to be angry; thy loue made thee sencelesse of griefe; thy loue made thee forgetfull of thy selfe, and mindfull of nothing but of mercy for thy enemies; and to appease thy Fathers wrath against them. O lo­uing IESV! what charitie burned in thy diuine breast? that almost at the instant of thy death, thou wert more regardfull of thy enemies, [Page 90] then either of thy selfe, or of any thy friendes. For thy mother and some other thy friends stood sorrowing and weeping neere the Crosse; thy enemies did most bitter­ly blaspheme; and doubt­full it is, whether the hea­uinesse of the one, or the malice of the other did most exceed: and yet thou wert not so intentiue to comfort the first, as to prodcure par­don for the last.

Assuredly, It is not CHRISTS will that wee forbeare to weepe. O my soule! it is not our Lords minde to drie vp thy teares, to as­swage the sorrow which thou shouldest expresse, in [Page 91] regard of his sufferings. It pleaseth him well, that his friendes should freely spend teares for his torments; but he cannot endure, that sins by his torments should not be pardoned. As hee died for pardon of sinnes, so was hee most carefull to vse all meanes, to obtaine the same. He came not into the world to drie mens eyes from wee­ping, but to saue mens soules from perishing: as this was his principall worke, so his principall words were dire­cted to this end.

O bottomlesse depth of charity and goodnesse! ne­uer [Page 92] exceeded, neuer equal­led. Verily, O good IESV! as thou saidest at thy last Supper, I giue you a new com­mandement: so mightest thou haue said vpon the Crosse; I giue you a new example; A new ex­ample. not onely to pardon, but to pray for our enemies; and in the best manner that you can to excuse them. And that at the very instant of offence, before it be fully accompli­shed: before either intreaty, or time, hath either worne out, or any deale abated our griefe. For whilest their malice was hottest in action, whilest with many [Page 93] cruelties they tormented thy body, whilest with high blasts of blasphemy they ve­xed thy soule, thou, as if thou hadst beene. depriued, both of sence in thy selfe, and re­spect towardes thy friendes, didst wholly bend thy selfe to obtaine their pardon. Thy griefe was greater without comparison, that thy ene­mies should perish, then that thy friends did lament; or that thy selfe didst endure a most sharpe and shamefull death.

Verily, Prophesies fulfilled. O meeke IESV! now was that verified which had beene prophesied of [Page 94] thee long before: Isa. 53. He made intercession for the transgressors. And againe: Psal, 109. For the loue that I had vnto them, loe, they take against mee; but I giue my selfe to prayer. The charity of CHRIST For thy charitie was so great, that it would not suffer thee to complaine of thy torments: Yea, it enforced thee to pray for thy tormentors; yea, to ex­cuse them. Euen as a man will easily, not only pardon, but excuse him; by whom he is cut, lanced, seared, or otherwise grieued; either for preuenting or curing some dangerous disease. As before thou hadst taught vs [Page 95] to loue our enemies; so here thou diddest giue example, how farre wee should loue them: How far to loue our ene­mies. euen to pray earnest­ly for them; to bee sorry for their offences, and rather to qualifie and couer, then either to aggrauate or dis­play them. Hee that thus loueth not his enemy, doth not beare true loue towards thee.

For the loue of GOD is so ioyned with the loue of our neighbour, The loue of GOD ioyned with the loue of our neighbour. that they can­not be separate. They both spring from the same roote; they both flow from the same fountaine; they are, as [Page 96] it were, twisted into one threed: insomuch as with the same habituall loue where with wee loue GOD, we loue also our neighbour. As all the lines of a spheare which touch the Centre, touch also one another; so whosoeuer loueth GOD, lo­ueth also his neighbour: & thou canst not separate from thy neighbour, vnlesse thou also separate from GOD. The Commaundement to loue, Not so hard to loue, as to hate. seemeth to be no hard Com­mandement because it is to doe that whereto we are in­clineable by nature. If GOD had commanded vs to hate [Page 97] our neighbour; it seemeth to haue bin more hard; because it is more agreeable to our nature, to loue, then to hate. Albeit thy neighbor be trou­blesome and hard; A trouble­some neigh­bour must be loued, yet loue him not the lesse. If it bee hard to loue thy neighbour, it is more hard to bee hated of GOD.

THE FATHERS ANSVVERE.

NOW, albeit the FATHER did not foorthwith an­swere the Sonne in an audi­ble voyce; albeit a voice did not sound from heauen, at [Page 98] the death of IESVS, as it did at his baptisme: Matth. 3. This is my beloued Sonne, in whom I am well pleased: yet, as the A­postle said, Heb. 5. that his prayer was well heard; so there is no doubt, but it was effectually answered. For as IESVS prayed much more then hee was heard to pray; so was his prayer answered, when no answere was heard. But GOD doth not alwayes an­swere prayers by words, How GOD often answe­reth. but for the most part by effects. When the Father denied his Sonnes prayer in the gar­den, he answered by an An­gel in words; but when he [Page 99] granted his prayer vpon the Crosse, hee answered not by wordes, but by effectuall workings; which is a most powerfull answere. The effectu­all answere of the Fa­ther. First, therefore by vertue of this prayer, one of the theeues crucified with him, conuer­ted to him; and desired to be remembred by him. Then the Centurion, who was ap­pointed to guard him, did o­penly confesse him to be the Sonne of GOD: and others also, who stood by, smote their breasts (their hearts be­ing smote before) and retur­ned into the city. Afterwards at the Feast of Pentecost, three [Page 100] thousand were conuerted at one Sermon, and fiue thou­sand at another. Also by merit and power of this prayer, Saint Stephen was called; Saint Paul conuerred; Saint Matthew elected; and generally, all our prayers are heard, all our sinnes remit­ted, in case we repent. Wher­fore conceiue, O my soule! that GOD the Father answe­red his Sonne, not by exter­nall voyce, but by tacite and internall consent; in maner as followeth.

O My Sonne! I see thy suf­ferings, and I see the loue [Page 101] wherewith thou sufferest. The loue wherewith thou so imbra­cest thy paines, that it will not suffer thee to bee angry for thy paines: the loue whereby thou art, both ready and desirous, to suffer more paines then thou do­est. Loe now, I accept thy sa­crifice, burning in the bright flames of thy loue: loe, thy teares, groanes, sighes and cryes, haue preuailed with me, and obtained thy desire. Loe, my Sonne, I grant thy petition, I heere lay downe my wrath; I shut the floodgates of my fury, and open the fountaines of mercy to all. I offer grace, iustice, remission of sinnes, adoption to bee children; [Page 102] aswell to those who thus rage a­gainst thee, as to all other sin­ners, in all ages, and of all coun­treys; whensoeuer they haue beene, or shall be, or wheresoe­uer they are, or howsoeuer they haue offended. All this, my son, I freely grant by the merits of thy passion; but so, as they reiect not this mercy offered; so, as they but open their armes to embrace it: GOD doth not absolute­ly compell. But I will compell no man a­gainst his will. For, as when thou diddest open the eyes of the blinde, it was their owne eyes whereby they did see: so when the will of sinners is both enlight­ned and enabled by grace, their proper will must then fall to [Page 103] worke. And therefore let all sinners but resort vnto me; let them with humility in them­selues, and faith in thee, sue forth their pardon; let them take out this my grant vnder seale of the Sacraments; and we will bee all friends: they shall be my sonnes, and thy fellow heires in my king­dome of Heauen.

MEDITATIONS vpon the same.

O HOLY FATHER! how great are thy mer­cies towards miserable sin­ners? giue me thy grace both by vnderstanding to know, [Page 104] and by loue to admire them. How much more forcible was this prayer of thy sonne vpon the Crosse for sinners, Christs pray­er more pow­erfull for sinners, then for himselfe. then was his prayer in the garden for himselfe? When hee prayed in the garden, prostrate on the ground, ba­thed in a bloody sweate, thrice for himselfe, thou wouldest not heare him: but when hee prayed on the Crosse for his mortall ene­mies, thou diddest grant his prayer at the very first word. O infinite goodnesse! that had more pity on the mise­ries of sinners, then on the flesh of thy only sonne And [Page 105] because to thy diuine eie no­thing is past, nothing to come, All things present to GOD. but all things are pre­sent; because with thee there is neither yesterday nor to morrow; because thou nei­ther foreseest things to come, nor remembrest things past, but beholdest all things with one act of thy diuine know­ledge: because things which are not only far off in regard of vs, but happily are not, are present to thee: it follo­weth, that thy sweet sonne still hangeth crucified before thee betweene heauen and earth; Christ still crucified. still bleedeth and prai­eth for sinners; Father forgiue [Page 106] them. Forgiue thou, I pray thee, by vertue of this pray­er, the sinnes of thy suppli­ant: which alas! I haue al­most forgotten, but are all present before thee, and cry to thee for iustice. For if this powerfull prayer was heard for his professed and malicious enemies, who nei­ther desired nor regarded his prayer; shall it not bee heard for those who ioyne with him, both in prayer for forgiuenes, and in teares, to extinguish thy anger a­gainst them? Heauenly Fa­ther! I haue nothing of my owne which thou canst ac­cept: [Page 107] but I heere present to thee, An oblation. the merits and obedi­ence of thy only Sonne; all the labors and griefes which in this world hee endured for sinners. For this is our stocke, this is our treasure, this is the inheritance which he hath giuen vs, and wher­of he hath made vs heires by his last will and testament: and this is rightly ours. Be­cause it is no lesse ours which is freely giuen vs, then that which wee purchase by our owne endeauours.

And, No want if we haue Christ. O blessed SAVI­OVR! what can I want if I haue thee? If I haue thee, [Page 108] I haue my part in thy pray­ers, in thy teares, in thy blood, in thy death, in all the merits of thy sufferings, and shall haue my part in thy glory. Thou didst not only pray for sinners on the Crosse, but continually prai­est to thy Father for them; that hee will vouchsafe to forgiue thē, to impute their offences to thee, and to im­pute thy righteousnesse to them. A prayer. O bowels of mercy! cease not, I beseech thee, of­ten to repeat this paryer to thy Father for mee; Father forgiue him. For because by sinning I often become thy [Page 109] enemie, I often crucifie thee: what should become of me, if thou shouldest not often pray to thy Father to for­giue me? And therefore, O my sure Saluation! so often as either by my owne infirmi­ty, or potency of my ene­mies, I slippe into sinne, so often say to thy Father for me, Father forgiue this sinner: Father, for my sake bee not di­spleased with him. The greater our offences are, the greater is GODS glo­ry in pardo­ning. And where­fore. And the greater my offences shall be, the greater shall be thy glory in procuring my pardon.

For because of all attri­butes to GOD, goodnesse, after our manner of vnder­standing, [Page 110] is the most excel­lent; and that wherein hee glorieth most, and that for which hee is most praysed both in heauen and vpon earth; it followeth, that the more goodnesse hee expres­seth in any action, the more glory he acquireth thereby. And therefore as generally GOD hath not manifested so great goodnesse in anie worke, not in all, as in the worke of our Redemption; wherein he both did and suf­fred so many things to make vs good: as thereby in ge­nerall, the passion of our SAVIOVR, is so farre from [Page 111] being ignominious, that all the workes of GOD layd together, doe not beget to him so great glory: so in particular, the greater the sinnes are that thereby are remitted; as they manifest the greater goodnesse, so the glory which they rayse must be the greater.

IN WHOSE Presence this Prayer was made.

ALL this was done in the presence of his blessed Mother, and of diuers of his dearest friends: As calling them to be witnesses of this Generall pardon; as calling them to be witnesses, that as all were redeemed, so all might bee pardoned by his death. Teaching them also, first, to forgiue iniuries done personallie to themselues; secondly, that albeit they [Page 113] were permitted to weepe for his death, yet they were not licenced either to seeke, or to desire reuenge, Lastly, to enioyne them to ioyne with him in this charitable pray­er; Father forgiue them, for they know not what they doe. Our SAVIOVR would not lay downe his life, vntill he had made a most perfect knot of amity and peace; A perfect peace-maker vntill he had reconciled man with GOD; vntill he had re­conciled his enemies with his friends. For in that he in­treated his Father to forgiue, he commanded his friendes neuer to accuse. For what [Page 114] iustice could bee required a­gainst those who were par­doned? How should man be offended, when GOD is appeased? As he left them a passion to weepe, so did hee enioyne them a compassion to forgiue.

O most happy and holy­day! A great ho­ly day. wherein the sonne prai­ed, the Father pardoned, and men were reconciled. And this was the peace, O great Redeemer! which was sweet­ly published by heauenly voices (as by thy herehaults) at the time of thy birth. Luk. 2. 14. On earth peace, good will among men. This was the gift [Page 115] which in thy last Sermon, thou didst leaue to thy Dis­ciples: Peace I giue vnto you. Ioh. 12. 27. And thus at thy death in praying for thy enemies, thou didst seeme in this sort to speake to thy friends.

LOe, The great peace of the world con­cluded. my friends, I am now concluding the great peace of the world. I haue reconciled you to my Father; I haue v­nited you to my selfe; and doe enioyne you to bee at amity with all men. As I die in loue with all men, so must all hate extin­guish by my death, among those that are mine. Alasse! what should beco0me of you and all [Page 116] mankinde, If I should now die in displeasure or discontent? As­suredly, you should not then be reconciled to my Father; you should not then bee vnited with me. And verily so often you fall from this reconcilement, so often, you breake this vnion, as you be at enmity with you brother. When you are at mutuall conten­tion your enemy the diuell in like fashion looketh on, How the Diuell eyeth contentious persons. as an Eagle eyeth a Cock fighting or a Wolf the rude encountering of Rams: intending to make you all his prey. In case you fall into ha­tred together, you thereby strike into variance with me.

O blessed Peace. Maker! [Page 117] who shall dare to take re­uenge of light iniuries, see­ing thou didst pray for those who tormented thee to death? Seeing thou madest no reckoning of the nailes which pierced thy handes and thy feete, shall I make account of an angry or dis­gracefull word? How shall I desperately dare to esteeme any man my enemy, seeing thou wouldest bee a friend and brother to all? Verily, thus much may any man borrow of his owne wea­kest reason; By hating o­thers, wee loose GODS loue. that by hating others, I loose thy loue; be­cause I hate those whom [Page 118] thou louest, and for whom thou ceasest not to pray. A short Prayer. O my soules health! Leaue me not, I beseech thee, either out of thy prayer, or out of the reconcilement which thou hast made: seeing I can haue no benefit by the one, but I must bee included in the other. And seeing the sinnes wherof I desire to bee pardoned, are infinitelie hatefull to thy Father; let me not esteeme the iniuries intolerable, which any man shall doe vnto me; let me be no lesse vnwilling to reuenge the one, then I would be to bee punished for the other. [Page 119] Yea, let me be no lesse care­full to pray for the offences of others against my selfe, then I would bee to intreate pardon for my offences a­gainst thee.

A CONCLVDING Thankesgiuing, Payer and oblation.

I Adore, laud, and glorifie thee, O LORD IESV CHRIST! I blesse thee and giue thee thankes, O Sonne of the liuing GOD! for that thou wouldest not onelie permit, but submit thy sacred [Page 120] members, to be thus cruelly both tormented and defor­med for mee. And now I lowly blesse and salute them all, for the loue and honour which I am bound, both to beare and to expresse to­wardes thee for this benefit. I salute and kisse thy blessed feete; which had trauailed many iourneys, and at last waded to death for mee in thy blood: leauing markes behinde them, in what foot­stepps I should treade, I sa­lute thy knees, which were often bowed to the earth in prayer, and often wearied with trauaile for mee. I sa­lute [Page 121] thy blessed breast; in­wardly inflamed with loue, and outwardlie deformed with knotty scourges. Haile sacred side which was ope­ned; gentle and sweet heart which was pierced for mee with a speare. Haile bat­tered backe of my Redee­mer, plowed and furrowed with grieuous lashes. Haile holy armes, spread at the largest length to embrace all sinners; and most bounti­ful hands in distributing the treasure of thy blood among them. I salute thy glorious countenance defiled with spittings; which thou hadst [Page 122] neither lust nor leisure to wipe away. I salute thy mel­lifluous mouth, and all thy instrumēts of speech; which could not bee stopped by a spunge filled with vineger, or by any othermeanes from praying for mee. And you gentle eares, filled for my sake with blasphemies and reproaches; you amiable eyes, which for mee haue powred forth many showers of teares, I reuerently salute you. I salute thy royall head, most cruelly goared and gashed with thornes; to adorne me with the crowne of glory. Most meeke IE­SVS! [Page 123] I salute thy whole bo­dy, which was scorned, scourged, crucified; which died and was buried for my saluation. Haile rosie woūds, and most precious bloode, which was offered to thy Father for me. Haile most noble soule of my SAVI­OVR, which was vilely vexed and crucified to death, to procure for mee eternall life. I confesse, O louing LORD! that since I was brought forth into this sinful world, I haue brought forth a world of sin. Therefore I beseech thee by the sufferings of thy most sacred members, to [Page 124] clense all my members from the corruptions wherewith I haue clogged them; and to sanctifie them with the me­rits of thy passion. I beseech thee (O LORD) fauourably to forgiue mee what I haue done; and liberally to giue mee what I could not de­serue.

AND O most mercifull FATHER! most mighty creator of heauen and of earth! albeit I am of all sin­ners the most vnworthy; yet doe I offer to thee the most precious death of thy onely sonne, for all the sinnes that [Page 125] I haue done, and for all the benefits that I desire. Behold, O most pitifull Father, what impieties were dealt vpon thy most pious sonne for my sake. Behold the torne coat of thy son Ioseph, dropping with blood; and see if thou knowlest it to bee his gar­ment. Verily he is fallen in­to the power of some wic­ked beast, which thus hath torne it, and trampled it in his blood; and altogether deformed it with the filth of our sinnes. O distributer of grace! cast the eies of thy maiestie vpon the vnspeaka­ble worke of thy mercy: be­hold, [Page 126] I pray thee, who it is that thus hath suffered; and fauourably regard him for whom he hath suffered.

Behold, O glorious FA­THER! the members of thy sweet childe, cruelly racked vpon the crosse; and fauou­rably regard what my sub­stance is. See his bleeding hands nayled to the crosse, and bee pleased to remit the bloody sinnes which my hands haue committed. See his naked side pierced with a speare, and renue me with the blessed fountaine which flowed out of that wound. See his vnspotted feet struck [Page 127] through with rough and ri­gid nayles; and enable mee by the fastning of them to the Crosse, to run constant­ly the way of thy comman­dements.

Obserue, O eternal Father! thy deare Sonne, in the fai­rest flourish of his age; how his necke bowed, his head declined; how his whole countenance was deformed. Behold, how his starry eies are sunke and set in his head; how his nose growth sharp, his lippes pale, his eiebrowes hard, his cheekes shrunke and wane: behold his breast swolne, his side bloody, his [Page 128] bowels drie, his armes and legges stiffe: Beholde his whole body resolued into death. Behold my Priest, who need not bee sprinkled or sanctified with other blood, but gloriously gliste­reth in his owne. Behold, my pleasing and perfect sa­crifice; odoriferous and ac­ceptable to thee. Behold my Aduocate whome I haue dire­cted to plead my cause be­fore thee. Heare him, I pray thee, and regard the de­fence that hourely hee ma­keth for me. Grant, O piti­full FATHER! that I may alwayes haue him for my [Page 129] Aduocate, whom by no me­rit of mine, but by thy pure grace thou hast giuen for my Redeemer.

O omnipotent FATHER of my LORD! what I could find most precious, most highly to bee esteemed, I haue de­uoutly presented to thee: Compose thy selfe now, to dis­pose thy grace and mercy to­wardes mee. And albeit I am vnworthy of thy rich fa­uours, in regard of my me­rits; yet remember thy mer­cies, remember thy promi­ses, remember the inestima­ble merits of my Redeemer: [Page 130] remember what hee hath done, and what he hath suf­fered, euen from his Cratch to his Crosse; not for him­selfe, but for me. All which I heere offer to thee, most gentle FATHER! as a sa­crifice for my sinnes, and for all my necessities: for whatsoeuer I require of thee, it is in his name, and for his sake; it is for the loue thou bearest to him, and for the loue that hee beareth to thee.

Thou hast promised to honour fathers in their sons, and sonnes for their fathers. [Page 131] O fauourable LORD! honor now thy onely Sonne, by doing good to moe, for the loue thou bearest to him. For he is my FATHER, my second Adam; and I am his sonne, albeit vndutifull; yet because, in trueth, I am his sonne; for the loue thou bea­rest to him, be fauourable to mee. For assuredly, he hath payd for mee much more then I owe. No offence can bee so grieuous, for which his sorrowes, his sufferings, his obedience, and aboue all his profuse loue, hath not amply satisfied: which his [Page 132] large riuers of blood cannot wash away; which may not bee drowned and deuoured in his death.

O heauenly FATHER! there is nothing in my selfe, which I dare presume to present vnto thee. For what can proceed from this cari­on, which is not noisome? what fruit canst thou expect from this earth, which thou hast cursed from the begin­ning, but thornes and briers? And therfore I offer this my SAVIOVR and Redee­mer, thy most blessed Son; and the vnmeasurable loue [Page 133] whereby thou didst send him into the world, appa­relled with my flesh, to free mee thereby from eternall death. Beseeching thee, to accept his humble and fer­uent prayers, for my dry and dull deuotions. Accept his teares, for the torrent of teares which I should powre foorth; but by reason of the hardnesse of my heart, I can­not. Accept his incompre­hensible dolours and tor­ments, which thou onelie perfectly knowest; for the sorrow & contritiō which I am bound to performe. Last­ly, [Page 134] accept his sharpe and pe­nurious life, with all his tra­uailes and exercises of ver­tue; accept his cruell death, and all his passions, as a sa­crifice to thy glorious Maie­sty; for all the euill workes which I haue done, and for all the good workes which I should haue done.

Feede mee with his flesh, inebriate me with his blood: let his griefe enter into my soule, that I may bee resol­ued wholly into his loue. Away all forraine loues; a­way with the multitude of worldly phantasies and [Page 135] dreames: let me be crucified with him to the world; let me so die with him, that my life may bee layde vp in thy diuine treasury. Thy Apo­stle compareth all worldlie things to dung: and may bee likened to the swallowes dung, Phil. 3. which fell vpon the eyes of Tobias, and made him blinde. For we cannot see spirituall things, so long as our eyes are daubed with this dung. Diuites egu­erunt, & The rich haue wan­ted, and suffer hunger; Psal. 34. but they who feare the LORD want no good thing. The things of this world doe not fill▪ [Page 136] but inflate; euen as the Pro­phet sayd of Ephraim: Hos. 12. Hee feedeth on winde. They are like sharpe liquors, which doe not satisfie, but prouoke hunger. They are like salt water, to quench thirst; or oyle to extinguish fire.

O my life! O desire of my soule! hide mee from the world; obscure me from the fawning fauours there­of, and take me into the se­cret retreits of thy bosome to dwel. One thing is necessary; and that doe I desire. My beloued is one. Cant. 6. My CHRIST IESVS, my GOD, my spouse [Page 137] is one, and my only loue. O heauenly FATHER! let nothing be sweet, nothing sauourie vnto mee; let no­thing affect mee, but onely IESVS CHRIST. Let him bee wholly mine, and I wholly his. Cant. 6. Let mee neither loue, nor know any thing but him, and him crucified. To whom with thee and the holy Ghost be all honor and prayse for e­uer. Amen.

[Page 138] Praise, and Glory, and Wisedome, & Strength, Dominion, Riches and Power, bee vnto our GOD, for euer­more, A­men.