In ourway to Heaueo,notyerof nature are tobe regarded. Sondayin Lent. Sera8. 31I andpromifesof God,remained more compleatand perfe& in thee , thanin any other creature. G uin itno,beati quiaudiunc VerbumDel,&cuftodiunt i(lud. But bee fyd, yet, rather blefed are they that heartthe Word ofGad,andkeepe it. Thefewords may carriewith them a threefold fence : Theone, That the wordmin imomay be aduerfativa, implying akindof re- pugnancieorcontradicion; and that coirethng,as it were, what Marcella fayd, hedoth mend andbetterherfpeech. Dooft thou(faith bee) terme my mother bleffedt Thouart deceiued ; for thee is not bleffed for that (beebare mee, but becaufe theheard myword. And thisfence is taken out of twoplaces of Saint Augufline. The one, in his tenth tradvpon Saint Iohn ; wherehe faith,Mater quam appel- lasfælicem,nonindefoelix, quia inea verbumcarefac?umeftJedquia VerbeDei cup- do ; Thatmother of myne whom thou calleft bleffed,was not therefore blef- fed, becaufe inher,theWordwas made Flefh,butbecaufe fhe layd vp theword of God inher heart. The other, inhisthirtie eigth Epiflle,whichhe writes toa Gentleman called Later ; whobeing newly conuerted,was fhrewdly laydat by his mother ( per- fuading him all thatfhe poffibly could,thathe thould not proceed inthis his de- termination: )And proouing vnto him, Thatin this caufche ought to denie and hate that mother that had brought him forthaccording to the flefh, and to fol- lowthe Church,bywhichhe was regenerated &borne anewaccording to the Spirit. Amongft manyother weightie reafons tomoouehim thereunro,heevr- geth this amongft the reft ; ThyKing and thy EmperourChrift (faith he) had a mother,andfuch amotheras neuer manhad the like : andbeingone daybuffe in preaching, (which was Heauens bufineffe) theytold hint, That hismother and hisbrethren were without at thedooré,expeétingthat hefhouid come forthvn- to therm. But he flretching out his hand to his Difciples, faid, Q emater ?Et quifratresneei ?Who is my mother, andwho my bretheren ? My mother and my brethrenarethey whodoe thewill ofmy Father ; as for any other Kindred or blond I acknowledgenone. Summing vp (faith Saint vlugufline) in this num- ber, etiamipfam VirginemMariam, euen theVirginMarie her felfe. For the name of Mother is terreftriall, temporali, andtrantitorie ;but that kindred which is contrafted by hearing Gods Word, is celeftiall and euerlafling. If this doubt had had it's occafion thus, or that thecafeflood fo, that this good andholywo- man Marcellahad notknowne and acknowledged orSauiour lefus Chrift tobe God,nor the bleffed Virgin tobehis mother, this fence had then beene verie plaine,and no fcruple tobe made of it : for the dignitie ofmother fhould not haue cometo a leflër degreeofgrace,than thatwhich the Virgin inioyed. The fecondfenceor meaning is , That this particle mein imo iscomparativa, comparatiuely fpoken,orby wayofcomparifon. Thoucalleft my motherblef- fed, forthatthe is mymother; thoufayeftwell:but morebleffed is thee in that fhe hearesmy Word. This fenceis likewife taken out of Saint Augufline, Li- bre do f ntlaVirginitate:Wherehe faith, Beatiorfuit Maria concipiendo mente,quam ventre, Marie wuhappier in the conceptionofher mind, thanofher wetAtbe. And anon after, Fælicivage/lauit corde,gaamcarne,Sheborehim morehappily in the Spirit,than theFlefh. This opinionis followedbySaintCyprian,ru/line Martyr,andgeneral- lyby all themoderneDottours ;and this°fall other is the plaineft , andthat whichdothbe(}openour Sauiour Chrifts intention and purpofe. Firft TheVirgin not bleffed for bearingChrifi but beleeuing in hint.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=