62.6 The Themes Faith notto be paralleld. TheConuerfion of Mat.1y. No more was hisHope. P¡at.+. themiditof abulb, feeing the bufhjaurnewith fire, and yet thebulb not confir- med. Ifthe threeDifciples beleeued, itwas becaufe they faw him transfigured inMount Tabor, inthat gloriousmanner, That his face did Ihineas the Sunne, and his clotheswere as white as the light ; whileft a bright cloud fhadowing them, they mightheareavoyce from heauen, laying ,Thu it that my beloued Sore inwhom l amt wellpleafiel ; not betweene two thceues but betweene two Pro- phets. If Saint Paul beleened it was becaufe he had beenrapt vp to the third heauen, and had feene{}range fights,&c. IfNicademtuand Xgthaniel beleeued,if the womanof Canaan,and manyothers , theywere mooned thereuntoby the Scriptures,andby our Sauiour Chrifts myracles. But this Theefe neither faw him in his offered fauours, norinhis ThroneofMaieftie,nor in the fine bufh,nor transfiguredin the Mount,norknew any thing of the Scriptures,nor of his myra- cles; onely he knew that ludas had fold him,that his Difciples had forfaken him, and that he was reuiledand hatedofthe people;&c. Et tanguam in gloria adorat, Andyet bee adoreshim (faith Chryfeflome) as if het were alreadie, in glorie. Videt (faith S. t.4ugufline) in cruce , (g wasquafffdentem in call's, Heefees himhang- ing vpon theCrof, yetfrees untohim as if be werefittingin heauen. 1:1 sicfide', quid addi pofit,ignoro. Whatmore may beadded to this Faith, Iknow not. Thofe were wauering in their faith, whichfawhim raife vp thedead ; and yet this Theefe firmely beleeues, who faw himhang vpon the Croflè. Leo andEast-ibises Emil: (emu, indeere this his beleefe. He didverily beleeue, That our Sauiour Chrift should rife again; for bee would neuerhaue madea lute vnto him , whom he faw was adying man, ifhe had thought there had been an end ofhim. Heaf- furedly did,beleeuethe immortalitie ofthe foule, and looked after another life; being morecarefull thereof, than his fellow-theefe, whodefired only this tern- poral life ; faying vntoChrift,Salua temetipfum& nos,lfthou be that Chrtfl,face thy filfeandvs. This our good Theefe beleeued that which Chrift fpake before Pilat, rosy Kingdome is not of this world: Quite contrarie to thofe Apoftles of his, who ftroue for chaires of prehemmence, one defining to fit at his right hand, the otherat his left, fuppofing his Kingdome to bee a temporali Kingdome. Againe, His Hopewas no leffe greatthan hisFaith, Atriscredetei, qui nonha- bet nidum, dre. Whowill ground the hopes of his happtnefle vpon that man, that hath nota houfe to puthis head in, nor abed to fleepein yet this Theefe had fet vp his reft vpon him that had noyelling place. Great was thehope that Daniel hadin theLyons Den, but he there faw thatthe Lions did lick the fhooes on his feet, like louing Curs. Greatwas Aminadabs confidence,whowas the firft that aduenturedto fèt vpon thefea,and to enter the deepe;but he had feengreat prodigies in Ægypt. Great was that affuranceofDauids,whenbeingbefetround on al fides bySaul,his fouldiers faid vntohim, Tranfmigra inmonteen, flewKit.. But he anfwered, Egodormiui&rmnicaps,furrexiquia Dominusfufcepit me, they wouldhaue had himAye likea bird vnto the hill ; But hee told them , That hee would lay him down,and fleepin peace, for the Lordwas hiskeeper,and would make him dwell infafetie. He had fuch confidence inhis God,that hee tooke no great care concerning his enemies. Laftly , His Loue was no lefle great than his Hope, Loue (faith Salamon) u ac{bongasdeath.But here Louewasmuchmore ftrong thandeath,for death was now fcornedbyLoue. Theyhung not himvp vpon the Croffe for ant' loue that he baretoour Sauiour Chrift ; yet beforehedyed, hewouldhaue givena thou- fandhues tohauepurchafedhis loue,andit was agreatergriefe& tormentronto him,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=