Fourteen Points of Consolation, Chapter 7
The ſeuenth chapter of the ſeuenth conſideration, which is of the euill aboue vsus.
LAſtly we muſt lift vp our hart on hie, & aſcend vp the mountaine of myrre with the ſpouſe. Here is Ieſus Chriſt crucified, The euil aboue vsus, & the comfort which the conſideration thereof miniſtreth.the head of all the Sainctes, the chiefe of all that ſuffer. The memory of him is commended to the ſpouſe, where it is ſayd: Set me as a ſeale vponupon thine hart, & as a ſignet vponupon thine arme. The blood of this lambe beinge ſtriken on the poſtes, ſuffereth not the angell the deſtroyer to approch. Hereof is the ſpouſe commended, that her heare is like purple (that is, her meditation is red by the memorie of Chriſtes paſſion.) This is the tree which Moſes was commaunded to caſt into the waters of Marah, that is, bitter paſſions, & they were made ſweete. There is nothing that this paſſion doth not make ſweete, euen death, as the ſpouſe ſayth: His lippes are like lillies, Cantic. 5.14that droppe pure myrrhe. Nowe concerning this likenes of lillies and lippes, foraſmuch as theſe are red, & thoſe are white, ſurely ſhe ſpeaketh myſtically, that the words of Chriſt are moſt gentle and pure, wherein is no cruell bitternes or ſpite, but are ſweete and mylde, which notwithſtanding droppe and perſwade pure and principall myrre (that is moſt bitter death.) Theſe moſt pure & ſweete lippes are able to make moſt bitter death (which as pure myrre taketh away at once all the ſtincke of ſinne) ſweete, mild, gentle, & acceptable. How ſhal this come to paſſe? Euen while thou heareſt that Ieſus Chriſt the Sonne of God, hath by his moſt holy ſuffering conſecrated & made holy all paſſions, euen death it ſelf, hath bleſſed malediction, hath glorified ignominie, hath enriched pouerty. So that death is compelled to be ye gate of life, malediction the beginning of bleſſednes, ignominie the way to glory. Now how canſt thou be ſo hard harted & vnthākful, that thou wouldeſt not euen wiſh for & louelove all the paſſions which by ye moſt pure and holy fleſh and blood of Chriſt are ſanctified, made harmeles, wholſom, bleſſed and happy vntounto thee?
For if by the touching of his moſt pure fleſh he hath ſanctified all waters to baptiſme, how much more by the touching of ye ſame his moſt pure fleſh and blood, hath he ſanctified all death, all ſufferings, all iniuries, all ſclaunders, all ignominie to ye baptiſme of the ſpirit or blood? as he ſayth of the ſame baptiſme of ſuffering Luke 12: I muſt be baptiſed wt a baptiſme, & howe am I grieued till it be ended? Thou ſeeſt how he is diſquieted, how he is grieued, how he thirſteth to ſanctifie & make amiable, paſſions & death. For he ſaw that we were terrified wt paſſions, he ſaw that we did greatly feare & dread death. Therfore as a moſt louing ſhepeheard, and faithfull phiſition, minding to moderate this euil, he maketh haſt & with griefe deſireth to die, & by ſuffering to commēd the ſame vntounto vsus. The death of a Chriſtian.So that the death of a Chriſtian is to be counted like the braſen ſerpent that Moſes ſet vp, which in eueryevery reſpect reſembled ye forme of a ſerpent, but was wholy without life, without motion, without venim, without ſtinging: ſo the righteous ſeeme in ye eyes of the vnwiſe to die, but they are in peace. We are like to them that die, neither doth our death appeare any otherwiſe then the death of others, notwithſtanding it is an other thinge, for death is deade vntounto vsus. So alſo all our other ſufferinges are like the ſufferings of others, howbeit in appearance onelyonly, but in very deede our ſufferings are the beginnings of reſt, as death is the beginning of life. And this is that which Chriſt ſayth Iohn 8: If a man keepe my worde he ſhall neuer ſee death. Howe commeth it to paſſe that he ſhall neuer ſee it? becauſe he dying, beginneth to liue, ſo by reaſon of the life which he ſeeth, he can not ſee death. For here the night ſhineth as the day, for that the light of the life beginning is more cleare, then of the death ending. Theſe thinges are certaine to all them that beleeue in Chriſt, but to them that doe not beleeue they are otherwiſe.
Wherefore if thou wouldeſt kiſſe, louelove and embrace the coate of Chriſt, the veſſells, waterpots, and whatſoeuer thinges Chriſt hath touched, and which he hath vſed, for moſt ſweete relicks, as conſecrated by his touching & vſing them: why dooſt thou not much more louelove, embrace & kiſſe paynes, troubles of the world, ignominie and death, not only conſecrated by his touching, but alſo embrued and bleſſed with his moſt precious blood, moreouer embraced wt harty wil and exceeding louelove, which vehemently moued him thereunto? eſpecially ſeeing yt in theſe thou haſt farre greater benefits, rewards & good things, then in thoſe relicks. For by theſe thou obtayneſt victory of death and hell, and of all thy ſinnes, and not by them, O, if a man might hauehave beheld the hart of Chriſt, when hanging on ye croſſe he was diſtreſſed, that he might make death dead & contēptible, how earneſtly & ſweetely he embraced death & paines for the fearfull and them that dread death & paynes, how willingly he droonke of this cup to the ſicke, that we alſo might not be afraide to drinke thereof, while we ſee that no euill, but onelyonly good came vntounto him by riſinge againe: without doubt it would be pure myrre, diſtilling from his lippes, moſte pleaſaunt and ſweete, as the ſauour and goodlines of the lillies. Hereof ſpeaketh Peter in his firſt Epiſtle and 4. chapter: Foraſmuch as Chriſt hath ſuffered for vsus in the fleſhe, arme your ſelues likewiſe with the ſame mynde. And Paule ſayth Hebr. 12: Conſider him that endured ſuche ſpeaking againſt of ſinners, leaſt ye ſhould be wearied & faint in your mindes.
Wherefore if in the former conſiderations, which are of things ſet as yet beneath vsus or by vsus, we hauehave learned to ſuffer euill patiently: ſurely by this laſt, which is of that yt is now aboue & not by vsus, we lifting vp our harts vntounto Chriſt, and being made victors ouer all euills, VVhat affection the conſideration of the euill aboue vsus ought to breede in vsus.are taught not onelyonly to ſuffer them, but to louelove, wiſhe, ſeeke thē. And the farther a man is of from this affection, of ſo much leſſe force is the croſſe of Chriſt in him, as it is in them that vſe the ſigne of the croſſe, and Chriſtes paſſion againſt euills and death, that they may not ſuffer nor die, endeuoring to attaine vntounto that which is quite contrary to the croſſe and death of Chriſt. Wherefore in this ſeuenth conſideration it muſt needes be ſwallowed vp and conſumed, whatſoeuer euill we ſuffer, ſo that now it doe not onelyonly not grieue, but alſo delight, howbeit if this cō ſideration perſe the hart, & be fixed in the inward affection of the mind.
Thus much concerning the former table: the latter followeth.