Twelveth Sunday After Pentecost The Gospel Luc. 10. v. 23. Wednesday Meditation: A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them."
And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him and saying, "Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?" But he said to him: "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" He answering, said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself." And he said to him: "Thou hast answered right. This do: and thou shalt live." But he willing to justify himself, said to Jesus: "And who is my neighbour?"
And Jesus answering, said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who also stripped him and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead. And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by. But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, came near him: and seeing him, was moved with compassion: And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine: and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two pence and gave to the host and said: 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay thee.' "Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers?" But he said: "He that shewed mercy to him." And Jesus said to him: "Go, and do thou in like manner."
Wednesday Meditation
The way to stir ourselves up to gratitude, and consequently to keep the commandments, is the diligent and exact consideration of Gods benefits towards us, wherein we must do as Abraham did, who being by Gods blessing, made very rich, as the scripture saith, in possession gold & silver, returned by the way her came from the South, unto Bethel, even to the place where he fixed his Tabernacle, to wit when he was at the poorest; and there innovated, and called upon the name of God, and gave him thanks, setting before his eyes by that invention of going back the same way he came, unto the very beginning of his peregrination, when, he was poor, every one of the benefits of God: So must we do, & go back the same way we came, through all our life, and every day thereof from day to day, if we were able, even unto our first beginning, by diligent enumeration and consideration of all Gods benefits towards us, spiritual and corporal, especially that we have seen Christ with the eyes of our faith, which many Kings, Princes and great persons, and most part of the world have not done; & others that do believe, but not aright, which is as if they did it not at all, as heretics and misbelievers, who if they had believed in Christ, or believed in him aright as we do, and those means of salvation as we have, would have served God better then we do.
We read in the Scripture, that a certain woman of the City of Jericho, having received into her house, and conveyed away with danger of her life, two spies that were sent to view the City, for the better taking thereof, and being called in question for it, conveyed them out at a window, her house joining to the wall of the City: The spies out of thankfulness promised when their Captain Josue (who sent them) took it, as he did she and all her house, & kindred should escape, if she would hang out a red string out of the same window for a sign; which she did, and they performed their promise accordingly when time came; where it is to be noted, that they did bid her hang out the red string, not at any other window then that where they were let out, to put themselves the better in mind of the benefits they received, that they might not fail to show themselves thankful for the same, as indeed they made great protestations with the woman they would, with imprecations upon themselves if they failed, and serious expostulation with the woman, that she would not fail to hang out the string, and of the manner of doing it, as appeareth in the Text.
So must we invent all the means and ways we can, to stir up ourselves to thankfulness to God for all his benefits unto us, as well those which we know not, as those which we know, that is to say, as well the evils he hath preserved us from, which we know not, as the good things we have received, which though they be infinite great in the themselves, yet we may make them much greater, if we consider our unworthiness, by a diligent examination and view of our selves; & that our ingratitude is so much the greater, by how much the greater the person is towards whom we are ungrateful: blessed be the eyes which see these things as they should do, which few do; and blessed are the eyes of religious persons, who have retired themselves out of the cares and turbulences of the world, to behold and contemplate the benefits of God, towards themselves and others, and to sing praises unto God continually for the same.
We read in the Scripture, that a certain woman of the City of Jericho, having received into her house, and conveyed away with danger of her life, two spies that were sent to view the City, for the better taking thereof, and being called in question for it, conveyed them out at a window, her house joining to the wall of the City: The spies out of thankfulness promised when their Captain Josue (who sent them) took it, as he did she and all her house, & kindred should escape, if she would hang out a red string out of the same window for a sign; which she did, and they performed their promise accordingly when time came; where it is to be noted, that they did bid her hang out the red string, not at any other window then that where they were let out, to put themselves the better in mind of the benefits they received, that they might not fail to show themselves thankful for the same, as indeed they made great protestations with the woman they would, with imprecations upon themselves if they failed, and serious expostulation with the woman, that she would not fail to hang out the string, and of the manner of doing it, as appeareth in the Text.
So must we invent all the means and ways we can, to stir up ourselves to thankfulness to God for all his benefits unto us, as well those which we know not, as those which we know, that is to say, as well the evils he hath preserved us from, which we know not, as the good things we have received, which though they be infinite great in the themselves, yet we may make them much greater, if we consider our unworthiness, by a diligent examination and view of our selves; & that our ingratitude is so much the greater, by how much the greater the person is towards whom we are ungrateful: blessed be the eyes which see these things as they should do, which few do; and blessed are the eyes of religious persons, who have retired themselves out of the cares and turbulences of the world, to behold and contemplate the benefits of God, towards themselves and others, and to sing praises unto God continually for the same.
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