SVNDAY.
Of Christs Humility.

1. COnsider the hu­mility, which [Page 456] the Son of God mani­fested in his Incarnati­on, in which for thee he annihilated himselfe, ta­king vpon him the form of a seruant, the Lord of Maiesty became thy ser­uant, to do thee seruice, he came downe heauen, where the Angells were attendant vpon him, & for an ample testimony of his humble seruice to thee, he pleased to be borne in a stable.

[Page 457] 2. Consider, how this Lord of heauen, a while after hūbled him­selfe much more in his Natiuity, when first he subiected his most ten­der and delicate body to circumcision, and decla­red himselfe as a sinner, and standing in need of a remedy (for Circum­cision was a signe of sin, and a remedy against it) & he vouchsafed to nū ber himselfe among sin­ners, [Page 458] al the world behol­ding it: and how more vile, and abiect could he make himselfe, then to take vpon him the forme of a seruant, and to be borne in a stable?

3. Consider the great affection of humility, that our Sauiour exerci­sed in Iordan, when he pleased to be baptized by S. Iohn Baptist, where contemning his own re­putation, he stood amid­dest [Page 459] base persons, and sinners, & was baptized by his Precursour as one of the multitude, and more contemptible sort.

4. Consider, how in his last supper, girding himselfe with a lynnen cloth, and falling downe vpon his knees before e­uery one of his Apostls, he washed their feet. At the strangenes of which fact, they were so astoni­shed and confounded, [Page 460] as that S. Peter meruai­ling at it more then the rest, that the Sonne of God abased himselfe so farre, would not, that he should wash his feet.

5. Consider the hu­mility, that the King of Glory declared in his death, when he disday­ned not to be crucifyed out of Hierusalem, in the midst betweene two theeues, in the feast of the Pasche, whither the [Page 461] people were come from all partes in great num­ber, by reasō of the feast; where he made a repre­sentation of the shame­fullnes of his most igno­minious death to the vi­ew of the whole world, when as at another tyme he made a manifestation of some little part of his glory to three of his dis­cipls alone in the desert; neither yet, while he li­ued, would speake any [Page 462] word at al touching this matter.

MVNDAY.
Of the Obedience of Christ.

1. COnsider, what the Apostle saith of Christ: He was made obediēt euen vnto death [Page 465] yea to obey the precepts of the law, wherunto he was not bound at all; & he refused no aduersi­tyes, torments, & igno­minyes, such as he suffe­red in his circumcision, and in his whole sacred passion.

2. Consider, how he being the only Sonne of God, and the wisedome of the Eternall Father, was most obedient to his Mother, and to S. Ioseph [Page 466] his reputed Father. And though he were for infi­nite causes more holy, & more wise then they, yet he neuer resisted a­gainst that they commā ­ded, nor murmured a­gainst them, nor censu­red them, but with grea­test humility & promp­titude executed, and did whatsoeuer they com­manded him.

3. Consider the great affection, wherwith our [Page 467] Sauiour tēdred the ver­tue of Obedience, for which from the very beginning he protested to all, that he came into the world not to do his owne will, but the will of his Father. And ther­fore in another place he called Obedience his meate, and therby he si­gnifyed, that it was grea­tly pleasing vnto him.

4. Consider, how he loued obedience, whiles [Page 468] he not only considered not the person of him who commanded, nor also the difficulty of the thing commanded, but was further obedient to his enemyes, who tor­mented him in his Passion, and treated him most ignominiously, when they crowned him with thornes. For being willed to strip himselfe of his garmentes, he de­layed not to doe it: wil­led [Page 469] to sit downe, he o­beyed: when the crown of thornes was put vpon his head, he contradi­cted not, and he tooke the Reed in his hand, that was giuen him for a Scepter.

5. Consider, how the Lord of the Vniuerse o­beyed without any re­ply, or further appeale; in so much as he vsed not the very least word, & accepted of the most [Page 470] vniust sentēce of death, vniustly pronounced a­gainst him by his per­uerse Iudges: and being willed by the Ministers, and officers to carry his owne Crosse, he gladly did it, and tooke it vpon his bruized and torne shoulders, and with it vpon his necke, as ano­ther obedient Isaac, he went vp to mount Cal­uary, there to be sacri­ficed for our sinnes.

TVESDAY.
Of Christ his Patience.

1. COnsider, how Christ our lord, from the very instant, that he came into the [Page 474] world, began to exercise patience. For when there was not any found in all Bethleem, that would receaue his Mother into their house, he was for­ced to make choice of a poore Cot for the place of his natiuity, where the Manger serued for his bed, & cradle to lye in. Consider what man­ner of intertainment he had, when his Mother was but a yong Virgin, a [Page 475] poore stranger, and wea­ryed by the payns of her long iourney, in the mi­dest of winter, in a poore stable, in the night tyme and from home and out of her countrey.

2. Consider, how he was no sooner borne, thē that he was persecuted, when he was forced to flye into Aegypt because Herod sought his life, & to make him away Con­sider, how many mise­ryes [Page 476] & aduersityes, the poore little child suffe­red in so long and payn­full a iourney, and in Aepypt, a strange and barbarous coūtrey, wher he liued in a most poore manner for some yeares by the labours & paines of S. Ioseph, & his poore Mother.

3. Consider the pati­ence, that the Iewes put him vnto, when they of­ten called him a seducer [Page 177] of the people, seditious, a Magitian, & raiser vp of Diuels, an enemy of God, blasphemer, a pre­uaricatour, & transgres­sour of the Law, & gaue out that he was a drin­ker of wine: sometymes in a fury they rose a­gainst him, and had a desire one tyme to stone him, another tyme to thrust him downe head­long from the top of an hill: but our meeke Iesus [Page 478] is not recorded either to haue reuenged himselfe of so great iniuryes, or to haue been incensed at al against the ingratefull people, but to haue stu­dyed to do them good e­uery way.

4. Consider, how pa­tient he was in al his do­lourous passion. When he was layed hand on in the garden, and carryed away, as a thiefe bound fast; was in the sight of [Page 479] Annas censured for arro­gant, and receaued that vnworthy buffet at the hands of a most vile bound-slaue: Caiphas held him for a blasphe­mer, and Herod for a foole; and being trea­ted for such an one, he endured all without any perturbation of mind, and with exceeding pa­tience. Consider the sin­gular acts of patience, which our Sauiour exer­cised [Page 480] in the house of Pi­late, where he was boūd fast to a pillar, scourged as some notorious male­factour, scorned & moc­ked in putting on the crowne of thornes vpon his head, grieuously pay­ned therewith, his diuin face not only buffeted, but also defiled with most loathsome spittle; and when he had much a do to stand, they for­ced him to carry his own [Page 481] crosse, whereon he was nailed, and did hang till death. All this & much more our Lord suffered with so great patience, as he complained not at al.

WEDNESDAY.
Of Christ his Meeknes

1. COnsider, how the Scripture sayd of Christ to the Countrey of Iury: Loe thy King commeth vn­to [Page 484] thee, meeke. For where the worlds desert was, that our lord shold haue come downe from heauen, armed with the sword of Iustice, to take vengeance on the ini­quityes of it, he descen­ded all benigne, and gentle, that he might re­dresse it, and giue a re­medy vnto it by meek­nes, and not chasten it with the seuerity, and ri­gour of his diuin iustice.

[Page 485] 2. Cōsider, how Christ was most meek towards his disciples, and gently bare with their defects, when they contented a­bout the primacy amōg themselues: when they were angry with Mary Magdalen, at her an­noynting his head with precious oyntment: whē they forsook him, in the garden, when-he was be­trayed into the Iewes hands. For in these and [Page 486] the like defects Christ, out of his Gentlenes, chose rather meekly and benignly to blame them the in a more seuere mā ­ner, to checke them by shar [...] reprehension.

3. Consider the meek­nes, that he vsed towards the Scribes & Pharisies his enemyes, who calū ­niated his workes, and iniustly persecuted him, affirming that he droue out vncleane spirits in [Page 487] the power of Beelzebub: when he pardoned him, his sins, who was trou­bled with the palsey, and that he blasphemed: & that he had a diuell, whē he reprehended them. For our Lord by answe­ring with mildnes to these & other their like calumniatiōs, confoun­ded their ill meaning, boldnes, and ouermuch presumption.

4. Consider further, [Page 488] how our Lord discoue­red his meeknes in the presence of the Diuell. For he permitted him­selfe to be tempted of him, and though he best knew the peruerse wil of the bad and malignant spirit, and might at the first haue confounded him, put him to silence, and driuen him away; yet he chose rather to o­uercome him with mild answeres, and in that [Page 489] manner to controle the extreme boldnes of the infernall friend.

5. Consider the won­derfull signes of meeke­nes, that Christ vsed to­wards Iudas, who be­trayed him. For though he knew that he had sold him for money, yet he louingly admitted him to his table, washed his feete, and when the houre was come, that he deliuered him into the [Page 490] handes of his enemyes, he friendly imbraced him, permitted him to giue him a kisse, and by calling him friend, in a mild manner wished him to remember him­selfe, and did put him in mind of the sin, that he then committed. Fi­nally like a meek lambe he suffered himselfe to be bound, and to be lead whithersoeuer his Ad­uersaries thought best.

THVRSDAY.
Of Christs contempt of the world.

1. COnsider, how our Sauiour cō ­temned all those things, that men of the world desire and seeke after. For first he contemned the riches of this world, and lead so poore a life, as he would not haue possessiō of any earthly thing at all, but liuing of almes, was contented [Page 494] with those thinges, that were necessary for his state of pouerty, and for cloathing.

2. Consider, how he despised al pleasures and carnall delectations. For the Iewes, who had trea­ted him ignominiously many wayes, neuer durst infame him touching Chastity, which he so plainely demonstrated in his very face, as it in­duced and moued euery [Page 495] one, who beheld him, to chastity, and purity of life.

3. Consider, how he not only contemned the honours & dignityes of this world, but also, at what tyme the Iewes would once haue made him King, he accepted it not, but went away from them, as from his enemyes, declyning all other titles & dignityes whatsoeuer. And there­fore [Page 496] he prescribed vnto his Apostles, that the greater of them should be the others seruant: & therof he had giuen thē an instance before, and had giuen answere to Ze­bedeus his sonnes, who made petition vnto him for an earthly dignity, that they knew not what they asked.

4. Consider, how he contemned the pleasurs & contentments, which [Page 497] worldly men so greedily seeke after; and thereu­pon some called him a Carpenter, because he assisted S. Ioseph in his Carpenters trade: and arriuing to 30. years of age, he withdrew him­self into the desert, wher he punished his most innocēt flesh with very soare pennance; and all the remnant of his life after, euer trauailed in procuring the soules [Page 498] health of his neighbors.

5. Cōsider, how cheer­fully he imbraced the things, which this blind world conceaueth so great an horrour of, and flyeth from; that is, he made no reckoning of iniuryes, reproaches, disgraces, tribulations: contempt, and to be re­puted a foole; he neuer sought to be reuenged, as the world doth: and when as by the very least [Page 499] signe he might haue pu­nished his enemyes, he would not doe it, but with a great & generous mind forgaue all them who had offended him.

FRIDAY.
Of Christs Charity towards his Neighbours.

1. COnsider, how the Sonne of God, whereas he was in Heauen adored of the Angels, neither stood in [Page 502] neeed of any thing, but was most happy & bles­sed in himselfe, pleased to vndergoe the person of a needy man, exposed to a thousand aduersi­tyes and dangers, tha [...] he might in this calamitous banishment be ou [...] maister & conductour whereunto not his owne profit, and vtility, bu [...] his sincere and earnest loue towards vs moued him.

[Page 503] 2. Consider, how our Sauiour thought it not inough to haue take on him mans nature for vs, but also, whē he saw that it was not within the cō ­passe of our weake abili­tyes to satisfy the diuine iustice for our faults & transgressions, he layed all vpon his own shoul­ders, and abundantly sa­tisfyed for all mankind And though his satisfa­ction was superabundāt, [Page 504] where one drop of bloud had beene more then i­nough, yet he shed all.

3. Cōsider how, thogh he foresaw there would be many who would not acknowledg this so great a benefit, & would shew thēselues vnworthy of so great charity, he did not for all that cease to loue vs, nor loued vs the lesse, neither reiected he the ingratefull from be­ing capable of his bene­fits, [Page 505] but as the inexhaust Goodnes, as he was in­deed, most munificent­ly, & most liberally be­stowed himself vpon al.

4. Consider the pains trauailes, and troubles, which Christ endured for helping his Neigh­bours, & you shall giue a gesse at the greatnes of his Charity For he tra­uayled from one castle to another on foot, and from one Synagogue to [Page 506] another, shewing vnto all the way of saluation: he neither feared, nor regarded any aduersi­tyes at all, so he might preach the kingdome of heauē to the multitude. And therfore among o­ther thinges, though he were wearied of his iour­ney, and it were very late he yet cheerfully refused meate, whereof he stood in much need, that he might conuert the Sa­maritan [Page 507] woman.

5. Consider the great loue, which our Sauiour shewed towards vs, whē in the end he loued vs so as he left himselfe vnto vs in the most holy Sa­crament of the Altar. Neither did he leaue vs any lesser testimony of his loue in his sacred passiō, who to set vs free from the bondage of the Diuell, and the miseryes of sin, endured the most [Page 508] cruell tormentes that e­uer were: and while he hanged vpon the crosse, prayed to his heauēly fa­ther for his Crucifiers, & excused them in these wordes: Father forgiue them, for they know not what they doe.

SATVRDAY.
Of Christs diligence in spi­rituall matters.

1. COnsider, how diligent our Sa­uiour was in obseruatiō of the law, no otherwise thē if he had byn boūd. For the eight day he was circumcised, and the 40. day he was presented in the Temple; at euery time of the yeare, as it [Page 512] was appointed, he went vp to Hierusalem, ac­cording to the custome to worship God there: and he euer respected S. Ioseph, and his Mother, as the law commanded.

2. Consider how, whē he was to preach pen­nance to others, he wold first of al experience it in himselfe. For after his Baptisme, he retyred into the desert, where he gaue himselfe most [Page 513] diligently, with fasting, and punishing of his owne body, to contem­plation, & to other spi­rituall exercises.

3. Consider how after his returne from out of the desert he begun to preach, & with an ami­able diligence endea­uoured to shew the way of saluation to all. To the infirm he gaue dou­dle health both of body, and of spirit; he repro­ued [Page 514] vice, he exhorted to vertue: he went vp and downe from place to place, that he might help many. To be short that he might do good, he spared no pains at al.

4. Consider, how his wil also was, that his dis­ciples should be diligent in doing of good works. For he oftē sent thē forth to the adioyning castles to preach, to cast forth Diuells, to cure the sicke [Page 515] and diseased, and there­fore he often exhorted them to great Charity, for he best of all knew, that such diligence was the mother, and begin­ning of all spirituall workes.

5. Consider, how dili­gent, and serious he was in prayer; and when as by day, by reason of his ouermuch busines, wherwith he was detayned in preaching, and in the [Page 516] conuersion of his neigh­bors, he could not pray, he attended to prayer by night, and as S. Luke sayth, he spent the night in the prayer of God. And this is also mani­fest, for that, before he began his passion, in great humility and ear­nestnes he addressed his prayer thrice vnto his heauenly Father; and in the expiration of his life he pleased to end it, [Page 517] and to dye in praying; namely, while he did hang vpon the Crosse, he prayed first for his persecutours, and in say­ing: Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit, he gaue vp his Ghost.