Sermon V
ON CHRIST'S PASSION
1. SOME think so upon the passion of Christ, that they are incensed with anger against the Jews, and envy against wretched Judas, which they vent in songs and reproachful words; and thus they are content, and think this to be sufficient, even as they are wont, in lamenting the case of others, to take pity on them, and to accuse and condemn their adversaries. But that cannot be called a remembering of the passion of Christ, but rather of Judas and his wickedness.
2. Some have noted in their minds divers advantages, and fruits proceeding from the meditation of Christ's passion, that saying which is ascribed to Albertus being commonly in their remembrance, That it is better to think upon the passion of Christ superficially or once, than if one should fast the space of a whole year, and daily in praying go over the whole Psalter, &c. This they follow hitherto, being blind and justly stumbling, contrary to the true fruit of the Lord's passion: such seek their own things therein, and therefore they bring with them images, books, letters, and crosses. Some also go so far, that they think they shall make themselves safe from waters, terrors, fire, and from all danger, as though the Lord's suffering should be without suffering in them, contrary to the quality and nature thereof.
3. Some have compassion on Christ, lamenting and weeping for him as being an innocent man, like unto the women which followed Christ from Jerusalem, who were reprehended and admonished by him, that they should weep for themselves and for their children.
4. Some so call to mind the passion of the Lord, and so consider Christ, that inwardly they are sore afraid, their reason or understanding is turned into a certain astonishment or bashfulness; which fear ought to proceed from hence, that we should be put in mind thereby of the wrath and immutable severity of God prepared for sin and sinners, forasmuch as he would not grant to his only begotten and beloved Son, that sinners should be absolved and pardoned, unless he did make so great a satisfaction for them as he speaketh by Isaiah, chap. 53:8, "For the transgression of my people was he stricken." What shall come unto the sinner, when a son so exceedingly beloved is smitten? It must needs be, that there is an unspeakable and a most serious and earnest matter, where so great and excellent a person doth descend to do good unto him, and suffer and die for him.
5. Resolve deeply in thy mind, and doubt not a whit, that thou art he which so tormented Christ, forasmuch as thy sins were most certainly the cause thereof. Thus St. Peter, in the 2d of the Acts, did strike and terrify the Jews, as it were, with lightning, when he said unto them, "whom ye have crucified;" so that the very same day three thousand men were greatly terrified, and being pricked in their hearts, said unto the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Wherefore when thou consider that his hands were pierced with nails, think that it was thy work; when thou rememberest his crown of thorns, persuade thyself that it was thy wicked cogitations which caused it, &c.
6. Think with thyself, that whereas one thorn pricked Christ, thou oughtest worthily to be pricked with a hundred thousand thorns, and that without intermission, and much more grievously; and that whereas one nail pierced the hands and feet of Christ, thou oughtest
to be grieved and molested with many and far more sharp nails continually, even as it shall come at the last unto those, in whom the passion of Christ hath not been effectual, but frustrate; for Christ, who is the truth itself, will lie to no man; will delude no man; and that which he attempteth must needs be a matter of exceeding great importance and wonderful high.
7. Such fear Barnard had conceived thereof, when he said, I played abroad in the street, and in the king's privy chamber sentence of death was given upon me. The king's only begotten son hearing this, laid off his diadem and came forth, clothed in sackcloth, his head sprinkled with ashes, and barefoot, weeping and crying out, that his servant was condemned to death. I beholding him suddenly coming forth, am amazed at the strangeness thereof, I ask and hearken after the cause. What shall I do? Shall I play still, and delude his tears? Alas, saith he, it is no time now to play, it is no time to be secure, when so weighty a matter is in hand. So he bid the women that they should not weep for him, but for themselves and for their children; and he adjoineth the cause, "For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" As if he said, Learn what ye obtain by my passion, and howsoever things fall out, yet this is true and known among you, that the whelp is sometimes smitten, that the mastiff may be terrified. So also the Prophet hath spoken: "All kindreds of the earth shall wail before him." He saith not they shall bewail him, but, they shall wail before him. Moreover they were sore afraid, of whom it is before spoken, so that they said unto the apostles, Acts 2, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
8. That this affection may be wrought in us, the Lord's passion is very diligently to be considered of, and meditated upon, as the most certain profit thereof doth much consist herein, that a man may come to the knowledge of himself, and tremble and be troubled before himself; whereunto he that doth not come, hath not yet attained unto the due profit of the Lord's passion: for the passion of Christ hath this proper and natural virtue, to make a man like unto him; that even as he was grievously tormented both in body and
mind for our sins, so we also, to imitate him, must be afflicted in the knowledge of our sins. The matter is not done in many words, but in deep cogitation, and earnest weighing of sins. Take a similitude: As thou hast great cause to fear and tremble, if, when some malefactor is condemned for that he hath killed the son of a king or prince, thou in the mean season, singing and playing securely as being innocent, art terribly apprehended and convicted, that thou didst suborn the homicide; so thou oughtest to become much more fearful when thou dost resolve in thy mind the passion of Christ. For although the wicked Jews be now judged of God, and dispersed, yet were they ministers of thy transgression, and thou for a certain art he, which with thy sins hast crucified and slain the son of God, as it hath been said.
9. He that feeleth himself so hardened and dull, that the passion of Christ doth not terrify him, nor bring him unto the knowledge of himself, is in a lamentable case; for Christ's passion is not effectual in him. But it is a hard thing for thee to be occupied in these things, and earnestly bent to the meditation of them; therefore pray God that he will mollify thy heart, and give thee grace profitably to meditate upon the passion of Christ, because it cannot, in any wise, be that the passion of Christ should be inwardly and rightly thought upon and considered of us, unless God inspire it into our hearts. Neither this meditation, nor any other doctrine, is therefore set forth unto thee, that thou shouldest boldly rush upon it of thyself to fulfil it, but that thou shouldest first ask and desire the grace of God, that thou mayest fulfil it, not by thine own strength, but by God's grace; for hereof it cometh, that they of whom it is spoken, do not meditate on the passion of Christ aright, because they desire not help of God thereunto, but rather trusting unto their own strength, and following their own invention, meditate upon it after the fashion of men, and after a slender and unfruitful manner.
10. If one should through the grace of God meditate rightly upon the passion of Christ, but the space of one day, or of one hour, nay, or the space of a quarter of an hour we would faithfully pronounce of him,
that he hath done better than if he had pined himself with fasting the space of a whole year, or had run over the Psalter every day; for this manner of meditation doth change a man, and almost regenerate him anew, like unto baptism. Then indeed the Lord's passion doth its natural, due, and noble office; it killeth the old Adam, it driveth away all pleasure, joy and confidence, which may be had of creatures, even as Christ was forsaken of all, even of his father.
11. Since such a thing is not in our own power, we oftentimes ask it, and yet do not obtain it; notwithstanding we must not therefore despair or cease: For that is sometimes given for which we have not prayed, and that sometimes is not granted for which we have prayed, even as it is the pleasure of God, and as he knoweth to be best for us, for God will have this gift to be free and without constraint.
12. When a man, thus knowing his sin, doth wholly tremble in himself, he must endeavour, that sin do not still retain on his conscience, otherwise mere despair will come upon him; but he must shake them off, and cast them upon Christ, and so unburthen his conscience. Therefore see again and again, that thou do not that which perverse men do, which, within the secrets of their hearts, do vex and disquiet themselves because of their sins; and strive with them, that by good works or satisfactions, by going far on pilgrimage, or else by pardons they may become safe, and may be made free from sin, which cannot be. And, alas, such a false confidence in satisfactions and pardons hath prevailed very far. Moreover thou castest thy sins from thee upon Christ, when thou firmly believest that he suffered and was wounded for thy sins, and that he hath payed the full ransom and satisfaction for them, as Isaiah saith, chap. 53, "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." And St. Peter saith, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree," 1 Pet. 2:24. St. Paul also saith, "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." In these, and such like authorities, thou must repose thy hope with all boldness, and that so much the more, as thy conscience doth more grievously vex and trouble thee; but if thou shalt not do this,
but presumest that thou shalt be quiet by thy contrition and satisfaction, then thou shalt never come unto quietness, but at the last shall fall even into despair: for our sins kept and meddled within our conscience, and set before the eyes of our heart, are far stronger than we, and live immortally. But when we see them laid upon Christ, and to be victoriously conquered of him by his resurrection, and confidently believe this, then they are dead and brought unto nothing; and yet being laid upon Christ, they must not remain so, for they are swallowed up in the triumph of his resurrection; as saith St. Paul, "Christ was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification;" that is, he hath taken upon him our sins in his passion, and hath thereby paid the ransom for them; but by his resurrection he justifieth us, and maketh us free from all sin, if so be that we believe this. If thou canst not attain unto this faith, thou must, as is before said, resort unto God by prayer, forasmuch as this gift is in the hand of God only, who bestoweth it when and upon whom it pleaseth him.
Thou mayest also stir up thyself hereunto; first, not now considering the passion of Christ outwardly, (for that hath now fulfilled its function and hath terrified thee,) but rather by piercing inwardly, and contemplating his most loving heart, with how great love towards thee it is replenished, which brought him hereunto, that he bears thy conscience, together with thy sins, with so great and painful difficulty. So thy heart shall wax sweet towards him, and the strength and boldness of thy faith shall be increased. Then having entered unto the heart of Christ, ascending higher even unto the heart of God, and consider that the love of Christ could not have been shewed unto thee, except the will of God by his eternal love had so appointed, whereunto Christ by his love toward thee did obey; there thou shalt find a divine heart, a good heart, a fatherly heart, and, as Christ saith, thou shalt be drawn unto the Father by Christ; there thou shalt understand this saying of Christ, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." For this is to know God aright, when he is understood of us, not under the name of
power or wisdom, (which is a terror unto us,) but under the name of goodness and love. Then faith and confidence may stand constantly, and man himself is regenerate anew in God.
When thy heart is thus established in Christ, so that thou art now become an enemy of sin, and that by love, and not through fear of punishment; afterwards the passion of Christ ought to be an example unto thee, in thy whole life, and is now to be considered, in thy mind, after a far other manner than before; for hitherto we have considered it as an outward thing, which should work in us, but now we will weigh it so, that something is to be done of us also; For example: when grief or infirmity molest thee, think how light these are, being compared to the crown of thorns, and the nails of Christ. When thou must either do or leave that which is grievous unto thee, think how Christ was taken and bound, and led up and down. When pride tempteth thee, consider with thyself how thy Lord was mocked and reputed among thieves. When lust and pleasure prick thee, think with what sharpness the tender flesh of Christ was torn with whips, and pierced through. When anger, envy, or desire of revenge, move thee, think with what tears and cries Christ prayed, even for his enemies; towards whom he might more justly have shewed himself sharp and rigorous. When sadness, or any adversity whatsoever, either corporal or spiritual, trouble thee, strengthen thy heart and say, Well, why should I not also suffer a little sorrowfulness, when my Lord sweat blood in the garden, for anguish and heaviness. Surely he were a sluggish and ignominious servant who, his master lying at the point of death, would be held from him with a soft and easy bed. Lo! thus a man may find strength and remedy in Christ, against all crimes and offences. This is truly, indeed, to meditate upon the passion of Christ; these are the fruits of the Lord's passion, in which, he that doth after this manner exercise himself, doth surely, without comparison, better, than if he heard all passions, or all superstitious masses. Such also are called true Christians, which do so represent the life and name of Christ in their life, as St. Paul saith, Gal. 5:24, "And they that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts." For the passion of Christ is not to be
handled in words and outward show, but in deed and verity: So St. Paul admonisheth us, Heb. 12:3, "Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." And St. Peter saith, "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind," 1 Pet. 4:1. But such meditation is now grown out of use and begun to wax rare, wherewith notwithstanding the epistles of Peter and Paul are most abundantly replenished.