So say I now for painful death also: If we could and would with due
compassion conceive in our minds a right imagination and
remembrance of Christ's bitter painful passion--of the many sore
bloody strokes that the cruel tormentors gave him with rods and
whips upon every part of his holy tender body; of the scornful
crown of sharp thorns beaten down upon his holy head, so strait and
so deep that on every part his blessed blood issued out and
streamed down; of his lovely limbs drawn and stretched out upon the
cross, to the intolerable pain of his sore-beaten veins and sinews,
feeling anew, with the cruel stretching and straining, pain far
surpassing any cramp in every part of his blessed body at once; of
the great long nails then cruelly driven with the hammer through
his holy hands and feet; of his body, in this horrible pain, lifted
up and let hang, with all its weight bearing down upon the painful
wounded places so grievously pierced with nails; and in such
torment, without pity, but not without many despites, suffered to
be pined and pained the space of more than three long hours, till
he himself willingly gave up unto his Father his holy soul; after
which yet, to show the mightiness of their malice, after his holy
soul departed, they pierced his holy heart with a sharp spear, at
which issued out the holy blood and water, whence his holy
sacraments have inestimable secret strength--if we could, I say,
remember these things, in such a way as would God that we would, I
verily suppose that the consideration of his incomparable kindness
could not fail so to inflame our key-cold hearts, and set them on
fire with his love, that we should find ourselves not only content
but also glad and desirous to suffer death for his sake who so
marvellously lovingly forbore not to sustain so far passing painful
death for ours.
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