Sermon Preached 14 February 1607, Part 9
The ninth wound.
NOt many hundred yeares ago, liued a Frier they called S. Francis, and ignorant man for learning, but wittie; and the more, for that his wit was shrowded vnderunder the shadow of great simplicity: hee beeing the founder of the Franciscans, the Pope hath suffred his fauourites and followers to set him vp as another Christ 17The ninth wound; An Italian Frier Francis was like to Christ in all things, and in some things did more then he, and bare S. wounds in his body as Christ did., and blasphemously to compare him, and oftentimes to preferre him before Christ himselfe. And to this end among many other vile onesiVide monumēta ordinis fratrū Min. Salamācae. 1511. in 4. Et firmamenta trium ordinum D. Frācisci Paris. 1512. 4. & mult al., he suffred to be published a great volume called, The golden booke of the Conformities of the holy father S. Francis with the life of our Sauiour Iesus Christ kLiber aureus, inscriptus liber conformitatum vitae bea…i ac seraphici patris Frā cisci ad vitam Iesu Christi Domini nostri correctus & illustratus aleremiah Bucchio ord. Min. doctore theol. Bononiae 1590.. In which booke with strange impiety first they paint in the first leafe Christ bearing a Crosse and Saint Francis following him with one as bigge as his; where Christ hath nothing but precedence: but after thinking that too much, they paint one Crosse, and vponupon it one of Christs armes, and another of S. Francisces, one a-crosse ouer the other: then begins the booke; In the name of Iesus Christ and of S. Francis: where, Iesus Christ is called our Lord and S. Francis our blessed Father: and the Authour saith not, that he compiles the booke to the honour of God, or Christ, but of the foresayd holy father S. Francis.
Then he salutes Saint Francis with a prayer(m) fit for none but God himselfe: First, blasphemously calling him typicall Iesus; then desiring him to cure the sinnes and driue away the spirituall maladyes of their soules, and to giuegive vntounto them place in the glory of heauen.
Then he comes to the point of Conformitie; and to shew this the better, hee paints a tree; at the toppe whereof is Christ, and at the roote Saint Francis: the tree hath twenty branches on the right, and twentie on the left side, and eueryevery branch hath foure particular fruits; in all eighty: these are equally diuided betwixt Christ and S. Francis. 40, to the one, and 40. to the other: & each couple or pair of these is one point of conformitie betwixt Christ and S. Francis, consisting in all vponupon 40. particulars; wherein they begin at the birth & conception, nay at the very prophecies & promises made of Christ, & so proceed to his life, his death, resurrection, and alcension: and in all and euerie of these, and eueryevery thing else whatsoeuer may be saide of Christ, the very same doe they not shame to affirme of that man Francis. For example, thus: Christ was foretold by the Prophets: So was S. Francis. Christ was sent from God: so was S. Francis. Thus go they ouer all his life, in such a manner as there is nothing giuen to Christ, but bare precedence. And which surpasseth all admiration, those two thinges wherein Christ did most apparantly, as God, declare his power, and his louelove as Mediatour; namely, his miracles and his passion, euen in these two is this Francis matcht with Christ our Sauiour: nay rather in his passion he is matcht, but in his miracles aduanced farr before Christ.
And first for his passion, whereas by their doctrine Christ had 5. wounds in his body (tho indeed he had more) they make S. Francis nothing his inferiour in that point: for they say that hee had wounds in his hands and feete, proportionable to Christs; and had certaine things like nailes in his feete and hands, so diuided from the flesh, that they would open from it, so as his wounds did continually bleede; insomuch, as hee was faine to put tents into them to keepe them from bleeding: which he continually did, sauing on good Friday, when alwaies this popish Iesus did pull out his tents, and let his wounds bleede, as the true Christs that day did for our saluation; and this not only in hands and feete, but that he had a wound in his side like to that in our Sauiour Christ: & all this (saith the book) was not fained nor imaginarie, but truly & really imprinted in his body by the power of God, that so he might make his friend Francis like to his son Christ in al things. And all this was not the superfluity of idle & superstitious Monks brains; but the publicke act of their Church: and manie Popes one after another hauehave allowed it, & by their buls & cha…ters cō firmed and a…ouched the truth of this story, concerning the wounds of S. Francis; & in monument and memory thereof, they hauehave their holy day of the fiue wounds to this day established by all authoritie.
Thus Christ, touching his passion, is made equall with a mortal man: & an ignorāt Erier (by the Popes diuinity) is made equall with Christ in the manner of his suffring; not in that fashion as eueryevery Christian may be, but so as none at al, no (saith this book) not S. Iohn the Euangelist, nor the Virgin Marie her selfe could be.
But if we come to his Miracles, then surely Christ must come after him; for whereas Christ wrought a miracle, he (say they) wrought 10, & those that Christ did are nothing to his. Christ neuer shewed that humility & charity & patience that S. Francis did… Christ neuer gaue away all his clothes till hee was stark naked, as S. Francis didsFor al these being too long to write in the margēt I must refer the Reader to the book it selfe, if he wil not beleeue me: or else let him suspend his iudgement till I hauehave leisure to exemplifie these at large by themselues.: he neuer preached to beasts and birds, as Saint Francis did: he neuer by his words and the signe of the Crosse tamed & conuerted wild beasts as Saint Francis did. All this may easilie bee shewed and much more; but I wil insist onelyonly in one, & on that the rather, least they should take it in snuffe that I say their Father FRANCIS conuerted beastes: hearken therefore to the storie, and then iudge and spare not.
S. Francis on a time comming to preach at the city of Eugubium tVide librū conformitatū lib. 1. conformit. 10. par. 2. pag. 140. Francis preacheth to a wolfe. Francis…calleth the wolfe brother: a couple of rauening Wolues well met. Francis offereth the wolfe his brother to make peace betwixt him and the towne. The Wolfe is content.found that the saide Citie was much troubled with a greate and cruell Wolfe, that kild not their cattell onelyonly, but their people if they were vnarmed. Francis would needs goe to him, to turne him from his rauenousnes: and seeing the wolfe come against him with opē mouth, he made the signe of the Crosse vponupon him, and commanded the wolfe to shut his mouth and hurt him not: the wolfe presently obeied & fel downe, as tho he had been a meek Lamb: then spake Francis to him and saide; Brother Wolfe thou hast shed much bloud and done much hurt; and therefore art worthy to die, and all this Citty iustly complaines of thee: but brother, if thou wilt bee content I will make peace betwixt them & thee: the wolf by wagging his taile, and mouing his eares, shewed that he was very glad. Then brother Wolfe, (saith S. FRANCIS) seeing thou art content to bee at peace with them, I will take order that they shall giuegive thee daily allowance of meate, if thou wilt promise mee heereafter to hurt no bodie: the wolfe bowing his heade aunswered by signes that hee woulde. Yea, but then (saith Francis) Brother Wolfe, giuegive mee thy faith and credit that I may beleeue thee… & the wolfe presently lifted vp his right fore-foote and layed it in Francis his hād,Francis bids his brother wolfe giuegive him his hand and faith that hee will performe his order. therby giuing his faith that he would perform it. Then Brother Wolfe (sayth Francis) I command thee in the name of the Lord Iesus that thou go with me into the Citie, and there feare not to make peace,The holy name of God fearefully abused & taken in vaine. in the name of the Lord: the wolfe forth with followed him as meeke as a Lambe. So comming into the Citie, al the people, togither with the Magistrates being assembled, S. Francis made vntounto them an excellent Sermon,Brother wolfe standeth by, whilst S. Francis preacheth to the people. the wolfe being by: which being done he said to them these words;
This Brother of mine, this Wolfe that standeth here, hath promised me, & vponupon his promise hath giuē me his faith that he will be friends with you, and doe no more hurt; prouided that you shall daylie giuegive him an allowance and portion of meate: which if you doe for your parts, then will I be surety for my Brother Wolfe that he shal perform the conditions on his part required. Then said S. Francis; Brother Wolf, Francis is surety for his brother wolfe to the towne.it is reason that as thou did before, so here before al this people thou giuegive me thy faith againe, that thou wilt keep the couenants on thy part: and the wolfe immediatly lift vp his right fore-foot, and laid it in the hand of S. Francis, his surety, in the sight of all the people, and so gaue his faith againe:Brother wolfe giueth his faith againe. and then al the people shouted and wondred, and praised God for sending S. Francis amongst them by whose merits they were deliuered from the cruel wolfe. And from that day forward, the people to the wolfe & wolfe to the people, performed their couenants made by S. Francis: & the wolfe liued 2. years after Francis was gone,Brother wolfe liueth in the towne, & takes his meate at the dores. and went vp & down the streetes, and tooke his meate, from door to doore, hurting no man, & was wel and daintily fed; & there was neuer so much as a dog that barked at him. And at last, after 2. yeares, Brother Wolfe Brother wolfe dieth & is lamented.being striken in yeares dyed, for whose death the Citizens did verie much lament.
Heere is a miracle worth the marking. Now let all Huguenots, and Heretikes shew such a miracle in their religion; no, no, they neuer can doe it: And no maruell; for Iesus Christ, who is the King & Captain of their religion, neuer did the like in his time to this Which S. Francis the king and captaine of the Franciscans uFrancisce Iesuty dicè dux formaque Minorum.hath heere done.
If the time would giuegive leaue, I could bring 20. more as impious, as incredible, and as absurd in their kinde as this: but leauing it to a further opportunitie, and referring the learned to the booke it selfe, I proceed.
What may be saide to all this? are not these wide and wofull wounds?Ierem. 7. 12… Oh! but they are healed; I maie answer as the Prophet doth: Were they ashamed when they had committed abhomination? Nay, they were not ashamed. 18 The ninth wound not healed.For whereas this booke was written aboue two hundred yeeres agoe by Bartholomeus… Pisanus, a Franciscan Frier; it was then not only suffred to passe to publique view in those daies of darknesse and superstition, but now of late within lesse then 20. yeares when one would hauehave thought they woulde (if not repented of the impieties, yet) hauehave beene ashamed of the absurdities; they contrariwise hauehave reprinted the BookexThe new edition i… at Bononie in Italie. 1590. & is dedicated to a Cardinall: in this edition is al that I hauehave alleadged., and hauehave not taken out nor reformed one worde of all these euilles, nor of manie more, which doe so directly disgrace the merits of Christ Iesus: onelie some things hauehave they altered, which they thought might make against themselues, but not one of these which doe so farre dishonour God and Christ and all religion. Compare together the olde and new bookes, who will; and he shall find this to be true: wherefore the conclusion is, that this wound is farre from being healed. Let vsus then go forward; and see if we can find one wound healed in the Romane Church.