The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 1 · Meditation 14
14. Sweete, wise Iesus, will crosse thee first, if he be to crowne thee afterward.
VVHen thy meeke King and louing Sauiour Iesus draweth neare thee, ô my soule, riding vponupon that word of truth, and so vponupon that white horse of the Gospell, to offer himselfe vntounto thee, he hath indeed both his hands full, and stretched foorth towards thee: yet so, that his left hand, as it were goeth before hanging downward, offering somewhat vntounto thee, which thou must not refuse at any time, not in any place, to receiue from him; and his right hand staying, as it were behind, lift vp somewhat on high, and inclining also towards thee, carying that in it which thou wilt assuredly receiue sometime from him, albeit not where, and when thou wouldest. Thy louing Sauiour Iesus, ô my soule, carrieth in his left hand which goeth before, a cup full of bitter crosses, couered with a thornie crowne: and this thou must first take in thy hand, taste with thy mouth, and carrie on thy head. In his right hand, staying a little behind, yet lift vp on high, he caryeth a cup full of sweet pleasures, free of all bitternesse and paine, compassed and couered with a soft shining crowne of euerlasting glorie. Attempt not, ô my soule, passing by Iesus his left hand, reached foorth first towards thee, and offering vntounto thee that bitter cup of the crosse, and that pricking crowne of thornes, to lay hold on his right hand, to the end thou mayest gripe and possesse that sweetest cup of sauourie pleasures, and that shining crowne of desired glorie: for be sure, as thou shalt find Iesus to be wise, in setting the crosse before the crowne, and so bitter pangs before sweet pleasures; thou shalt find him to be most strong also, easily able to keepe thee from the possession and fruition of the sweet cup of pleasures, & soft crowne of glorie, because thou refusedst euen at his command, to take, to drinke, and to digest with gladnesse and contentment, that bitter cup of trouble, and weare that pricking crowne of crosses and calamitie. For thou canst not find Iesus, vnlesse thou be content to be crossed with him, and for him; thou canst not keep Iesus, vnlesse that thou be content while thou keepest him, and for keeping of him, to be compassed and couered with that crowne of thornie troubles, wherewith he was couered from his birth to his buriall. Canst thou forget, ô my soule, that answer giuen by thy Sauiour, vntounto the mother of Zebedeus his children, longing to hauehave her two sonnes Iames and Iohn, propined with that sweete cup of delicious pleasures, and crowned with the soft crowne of shining glorie, euen before men, and amongst men on earth here, abhorring in the meane time, that they should taste anie bitter thing, that they should be couered with any shew of ignominie:Mat. 10. 22. 23. Are ye able to drinke of the cup that I shall drinke of, and be baptized with the Baptisme that I shal be baptized with? Shall thy wise father, ô my soule, propine his onelyonly welbeloued and dearest sonne Iesus, the sole solace of his soule, with the cup of trouble and sorrow, and crowne of pricking griefes, before he be able to come to his kingdome: and shalt thou, being filthie through sinne in Gods presence, and for sinne Gods enemie, enioy pleasure, and possesse glorie, before thou fight with Iesus in the field of affliction? Remember, remember, ô my soule, the tenor of that sentence, whereby euen with a speciall spirituall checke, that holy one thy Sauiour did iustly reprooue the slownesse and forgetfulnesse of his disciples:Luke 24. 25. 26. O fooles, and slow of heart, to beleeue all that the Prophets hauehave spoken, ought not Christ to hauehave suffered these things, and to enter into his glorie? Forget not that ground layed downe by the Spirit, ô my soule, as thou louest thy selfe.Rom. 8. 17. If we be children, we are heires, euen heires of God, and heires annexed with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. The sense hereof moued Bernard to say,Bernard. Caput coronatum spinis, membra coronata rosis habere non vult. That head which was crowned with sharpest thornes, will hauehave vponupon no condition members crowned with soft roses. And againe,Bernard. Nec sine cruce sequi Christum, nec sine vnctione crucis asperitatem quis ferre potest. Neither can a man follow Christ without the crosse, neither can he vndergo contentedly the bitternesse of the crosse, without the grace of the Spirit, Since he then died for me, ô my soule, who bringeth the crosse to me, who while I lie vnderunder the crosse▪ abideth alwayes with me; yea who by the crosse dresseth me for the crowne, that where he is, there I may be also. Let it please thee, ô my soule, to welcome the crosse gladly when it cometh to thee, to entertaine it with ioy when it lyeth on thee. For be sure, when thy Sauiour shall ceasse to crosse thee, he shall not forget to crowne thee, if thou can any wayes be content to be crossed with him and for him, who was most heartily contented, being blessednesse it selfe, to be made a very curse for thee. The fierce Lyon will be smitten by his keeper, and not repine, but if a stranger attempt to strike him (being within his reach) he will teare him in peeces. While Christ strikes me, ô my soule, he strikes me who made me, who was striken for me, who keepes me, who feeds me. Shall I, quoth a foole, dare I prooue a rebell, ô my soule! A foole I am, if I know not, if I confesse not, that all my crosses come from him who was cursed for me. A rebell I am, if knowing this, if confessing this, I dare refuse to be patient, yea to reioyce vnderunder them. And therefore Bernard did truly say,Bernard. Grataignominia crucis ei qui crucifixo ingratus non est. O how thankefully welcometh that man the shame of the crosse, who is not altogether vnthankefull to him, who was crucified for him! Oh, ô my soule, when shall that of Augustine be duly thought vponupon by our soft daintie professors, who are not content to endure any hardnesse at all for him who could scarsly find a hard stone to lay his blessed head on, when he came to be borne, to be banished, to become poore, to be scorned, to be scourged, yea, to be shamefully slaine for them? Si ipsum caput nostrum, August.noluit corpus suum leuari sursum, quod deorsum accepit nisi per tribulationis viam, quid audent membra sua sperare capite suo se magis esse felices? If our very head would not hauehave that his bodie which he tooke on, on earth beneath here, to be lift vp aboue vntounto the heauens, but through the way of tribulation, how dare the members of this bodie, attempt to thinke and expect, that they can be more happie then their head, and so passe vntounto the heauens without any kind of trouble?