709 of that, He sent up a holy, charitable, and effective prayer for their forgiveness, and by that prayer obtained of God that within fifty-five days eight thousand of His enemies were converted. So potent is the prayer of charity, that it prevails above the malice of men, turning the arts of Satan into the designs of God; and when malice occasions the becomes an antidote to malice. And the prayer, prayer by this instance our blessed Lord consigned that duty to us, which in His sermons He had preached, That we should forgive our enemies, and pray for them and by so doing ourselves are freed from the stings of anger, and the storms of a revengeful spirit; and we oftentimes procure servants to God, friends to ourselves, and heirs to the kingdom of heaven. : 11. Of the two thieves that were crucified together with our Lord, the one blasphemed; the other had at that time the greatest piety in the world', except that of the blessed Virgin, and particularly had such a faith that all the ages of the church could never shew the like. For when he saw Christ "in the same condemnation" with himself, crucified by the Romans, accused and scorned by the Jews, forsaken by His own apostles; a dying distressed man, doing at that time no miracles to attest His divinity or innocence; yet then he confesses Him to be a Lord, and a King, and his Saviour: he confessed his own shame and unworthiness; he submitted to the death of the cross and by his voluntary acceptation and tacit volition of it, made it equivalent to as great a punishment of his own susception; he shewed an incomparable modesty, begging but for a remembrance only; he knew himself so sinful, he durst ask no more; he reproved the other thief for blasphemy; he confessed the world to come, and owned Christ publicly; he prayed to Him, he hoped in Him, and pitied Him; shewing an excellent patience in this sad condition. And in this I consider that besides the excellency of some of these acts, and the goodness of all, the like occasion for so exemplar faith never can occur; and until all these things shall in these circumstances meet in any one man, he must not hope for so safe an exit after an evil life, upon the confidence of this example. But now Christ had the key of paradise in His hand; and God blessed the good thief with this opportunity of letting him in, who at another time might have waited longer, and been tied to harder conditions. And indeed it is very probable that he was much advantaged by the intervening accident of dying at the same time with Christ; there being a natural compassion produced in us towards the partners of our miseries. Latro non semper prædonem aut Titubaverunt. . qui viderunt Christum For Christ was not void of human videbat secum in ligno pendentem.—Recolamus fidem latronis, quam non invenit Christus post resurrectionem in discipulis suis.-S. Aug. Serm. cxliv. de Tempore. [al. Serm. ccxxxii. cap. 6. tom. v. col. 982 sq.] passions, though He had in them no imperfection or irregularity, and therefore might be invited by the society of misery the rather to admit him to participate His joys; and St. Paul proves Him to be a "merciful high-priest," because He was "touched with a feeling of our infirmities:" the first expression of which was to this blessed thief; Christ and he together sat at the supper of bitter herbs, and Christ paid his symbol, promising that he should "that day be together with Him in paradise." 12. By the cross of Christ stood the holy Virgin-mother, upon whom old Simeon's prophecy was now verified: for now she felt a sword passing through her very soul: she stood without clamour and womanish noises"; sad, silent, and with a modest grief, deep as the waters of the abyss, but smooth as the face of a pool; full of love, and patience, and sorrow, and hope. Now she was put to it to make use of all those excellent discourses her holy Son had used to build up her spirit, and fortify it against this day. Now she felt the blessings and strengths of faith; and she passed from the griefs of the passion to the expectation of the resurrection; and she rested in this death, as in a sad remedy; for she knew it reconciled God with all the world. But her hope drew a veil before her sorrow; and though her grief was great enough to swallow her up, yet her love was greater, and did swallow up her grief. But the sun also had a veil upon his face, and taught us to draw a curtain before the passion, which would be the most artificial expression of its greatness; whilst by silence and wonder we confess it great beyond our expression, or, which is all one, great as the burden and baseness of our sins. And with this veil drawn before the face of Jesus, let us suppose Him at the gates of paradise, calling with His last words in a loud voice to have them opened, that "the King of glory might come in." THE PRAYER. O holy Jesus, who for our sakes didst suffer incomparable anguish and pains, commensurate to Thy love, and our miseries, which were infinite; that Thou mightest purchase for us blessings upon earth, and an inheritance in heaven: dispose us by love, thankfulness, humility, and obedience, to receive all the benefit of Thy passion; granting unto us and Thy whole church remission of all our sins, integrity of mind, health of body, competent maintenance, peace in our days, a temperate air, fruitfulness of the earth, unity and integrity of faith, extirpation of heresies, reconcilement of schisms, destruction of all wicked counsels intended against us; and bind the hands of rapine and sacrilege, that they may not destroy the vintage, and root up the vine itself. Multiply Thy m S. Ambros. in Luc., lib. x. [§§ 129, 32. tom. i. col. 1532.] blessings upon us, sweetest Jesus; increase in us true religion, sincere and actual devotion in our prayers, patience in troubles, and whatsoever is necessary to our soul's health, or conducing to Thy glory. Amen. II. O dearest Saviour, I adore Thy mercies and Thy incomparable love expressed in Thy so voluntary susception and affectionate suffering such horrid and sad tortures, which cannot be remembered without a sad compassion; the waters of bitterness entered into Thy soul, and the storms of death, and Thy Father's anger, broke Thee all in pieces and what shall I do, who by my sins have so tormented my dearest Lord? what contrition can be great enough, what tears sufficiently expressive, what hatred and detestation of my crimes can be equal and commensurate to those sad accidents which they have produced? Pity me, O Lord; pity me, dearest God; turn those Thy merciful eyes towards me, O most merciful Redeemer; for my sins are great, like unto Thy passion; full of sorrow and shame, and a burden too great for me to bear. Lord, who hast done so much for me, now only speak the word, and Thy servant shall be whole. Let Thy wounds heal me, Thy virtues amend me, Thy death quicken me; that I in this life suffering the cross of a sad and salutary repentance, in the union and merits of Thy cross and passion may die with Thee, and rest with Thee, and rise again with Thee, and live with Thee for ever, in the possession of Thy glories, O dearest Saviour Jesus. Amen. SECTION XVI. Of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. 1. WHILE it was yet "early in the morning, upon the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought sweet spices to the sepulchre," that they might again embalm the holy body (for the rites of embalming among the Hebrews used to last forty days"), and their love was not satisfied with what Joseph had done. They therefore hastened to the grave; and after they had expended their money and bought the spices, then begin to consider "who shall remove the stone:" but yet they still go on, and their love answers the objection, not knowing how it should be done, but yet resolving to go through all the difficulties; n Gen. 1. Tacit. Annal., 1. 21. [Qu. i. 22?] but never remember or take care to pass the guards of soldiers. But when they came to the sepulchre, they found the guard affrighted and removed, and the stone rolled away; for there had a little before their arrival been a great earthquakeo; and an angel descending from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat upon it; and for fear of him the guards about the tomb became astonished with fear, and were like dead men and some of them ran to the high priests, and told them what happened. But they, now resolving to make their iniquity safe and unquestionable by a new crime, hire the soldiers to tell an incredible and a weak fable, that His disciples came by night and stole Him away, against which accident the wit of man could give no more security than themselves had made. The women entered into the sepulchre, and missing the body of Jesus, Mary Magdalen ran to the eleven apostles, complaining that the body of our Lord was not to be found. Then Peter and John ran as fast as they could to see: for the unexpectedness of the relation, the wonder of the story, and the sadness of the person, moved some affections in them, which were kindled by the first principles and sparks of faith, but were not made actual and definite, because the faith was not raised to a flame: they looked into the sepulchre, and finding not the body there, they returned. By this time Mary Magdalen was come back; and the women who staid weeping for their Lord's body, saw two angels sitting in white, the one at the head, and the other at the feet at which unexpected sight they trembled, and bowed themselves: but an angel bid them not to fear, telling them that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, was also risen, and was not there: and called to mind what Jesus had told them in Galilee concerning His crucifixion, and resurrection the third day. 2. And Mary Magdalen turned herself back, and saw Jesus; but supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away." But Jesus said unto her, "Mary!" Then she knew His voice, and with ecstasy of joy and wonder was ready to have crushed His feet with her embraces: but He commanded her not to touch Him, but go to His brethren, and say, "I ascend unto My Father and to your Father, to My God and your God." Mary departed with satisfaction, beyond the joys of a victory or a full vintage, o Aurora lucis rutilat, Cœlum laudibus intonat, Victor surgit de funere.-Hymnn. Paschal. [Brev. vetust. (e. g. brev. Salisb.) in domin. in albis.-Daniel, thesaur. hymnolog., tom. i. p. 85.] and told these things to the apostles; but the narration seemed to them as talk of abused and fantastic persons.-About the same time Jesus also appeared unto Simon Peter.-Towards the declining of the day, two of His disciples going to Emmaus, sad, and discoursing of the late occurrences, Jesus puts Himself into their company, and upbraids their incredulity; and expounds the scriptures, that Christ ought to suffer, and rise again the third day; and in the breaking of bread disappeared, and so was known to them by vanishing away, whom present they knew not: and instantly they hasten to Jerusalem, and told the apostles what had happened. 3. And while they were there, that is, the same day at evening, when the apostles were assembled, all save Thomas, secretly, for fear of the Jews, the doors being shut, Jesus came and stood in the midst of them. They were exceedingly troubled, supposing it had been a spirit. But Jesus confuted them by the philosophy of their senses, by feeling His flesh and bones, which spirits have not. For He gave them His benediction, shewing them His hands and His feet. At which sight they rejoiced with exceeding joy, and began to be restored to their indefinite hopes of some future felicity by the return of their Lord to life: and there He first breathed on them, giving them the holy Ghost, and performing the promise twice made before His death; the promise of the keys, or of binding and loosing, saying, "whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained:" and that was the second part of clerical power with which Jesus instructed His disciples, in order to their great commission of preaching and government ecclesiastical. These things were told to Thomas, but he believed not, and resolved against the belief of it, unless he might put his finger into His hands, and his hand into His side. Jesus therefore on the octaves of His resurrection appeared again to the apostles met together, and makes demonstration to Thomas; in conviction and reproof of his unbelief promising a special benediction to all succeeding ages of the church; for they are such who "saw not, and yet have believed." : 4. But Jesus at His early appearing had sent an order by the women, that the disciples should go into Galilee; and they did so after a few days. And Simon Peter being there, went a fishing, and six other of the apostles with him, to the sea of Tiberias; where they laboured all night and caught nothing. Towards the morning, Jesus appeared to them, and bade them cast the net on the right side of the ship; which they did, and enclosed an hundred and fifty-three great fishes: by which prodigious draught John, the beloved disciple, perceived it was the Lord. At which instant, Peter threw himself into the sea, and went to Jesus; and when the rest were come to shore, they dined with broiled fish. After dinner Jesus, taking care for those scattered sheep which were dispersed over the face of the earth, that He might gather them into one sheepfold under one Shepherd, |