Whitsunday. The Gospel. John 14. v. 23. Sunday Meditation Plaine Path-way to Heaven ~ THOMAS HILL 1634

Whitsunday. 
The Gospel. John 14. v. 23.

Jesus said to his disciples: If a man loveth me, he will keep my speech, and my Father will come unto him, and we will make our mansion with him. He that loveth me not, doth not keep my speeches: and the speech which you have heard, is not mine, but my Father's that sent me. These things I speak unto you, being now with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and suggest unto you all things whatsoever I have spoken unto you. Peace I leave unto you: my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your hearts be troubled, nor fear. You have heard that I have said unto you, I go and come unto you again. If you loved me, you would be glad that I go to my Father, because my Father is greater than I. And now I tell you of it before it come to pass, that when it cometh to pass you may believe. Now I shall not speak many things unto you, for the Prince of this world cometh, and in me he hath nothing. But that the world may know that I love my Father, and as my Father hath given commandment to me, so I do.

Sunday Meditation

Fifty days after the people of Israel were delivered out of their long captivity of Egypt (which was four hundred years), God gave unto them the law of the Ten Commandments in Mount Sinai. Of this benefit they kept a yearly solemn feast called Pentecost, a Greek word which signifieth "fifty days" — as much to say in English, as the Feast of the fiftieth day after their deliverance out of Egypt by their miraculous passing through the Red Sea dry-foot, their enemies pursuing them and being drowned therein.

Christ, fifty days after his Resurrection, having delivered us from the captivity of the devil through the Red Sea of his bloody death, sent the Holy Ghost upon his disciples in Jerusalem, to give them a new law (to wit, the law of the Gospel) and abundant grace to fulfil it, and to plant and propagate it in all the world.

And as the Church of the old law kept a yearly feast in remembrance of the benefit of receiving their law, which they called the feast of Pentecost: so the Church of the new law keepeth this Feast of Pentecost, in remembrance of their receiving the new Law and the grace of the Holy Ghost to preach and plant it throughout the world, and more plentiful grace to keep it than they in the old law had to keep theirs, being but a figure of ours.The coming down of the Holy Ghost from heaven upon the disciples of Christ (his blessed mother being with them) was thus:

Christ, foreseeing the heaviness and desolation of them for his departure (whereof he had told them before — although indeed they had more cause to rejoice because he ascended, as he told them, to his God and their God, his Father and their Father, to prepare mansions in heaven for them), yet they were so much delighted with the sweetness of his presence that it was almost death for them to leave it.

Christ, foreseeing this, I say, to comfort them, told them he would not leave them orphans, but send them another Comforter equal to himself, to wit, the Holy Ghost. Having thus put them in heart, he took them with him to Mount Olivet, a little distant from Jerusalem, and bid them, when he was ascended from them into heaven, to tarry together in Jerusalem in the great chamber where he had instituted the Blessed Sacrament. And after ten days he would perform his promise.

And so he did indeed upon the day of Pentecost, which is now our Whitsunday, in that ample manner that they were spiritually inebriated and drunken therewith. And so the Jews that were there present (which was a great multitude that came thither to see the strangeness thereof) thought and said as much, that St. Peter was fain to make an apology for them, saying they were not drunken as they took them to be, for it was then but the third hour of the day.

Here we may learn that God will not fail to comfort his servants in all their afflictions. Only this was a special favour of Christ to his disciples to appoint them a day; but we must expect our Lord’s time, which he always ordaineth for the best to them that love him.Likewise we must learn with the disciples to be content to leave God sometimes for God — as they did: God the Son for God the Holy Ghost. That is to say, we must leave prayer or any other spiritual exercise (though never so sweet and delightful unto us) to do the works of obedience or mercy when need is, or to omit one good work for another that is more necessary or expedient for the present.

Also we may see how much more sober men were in those days than in these: the people taking it for a sufficient reason to excuse the disciples from being drunk, because it was but the third hour of the day (that is to say, our nine o’clock in the morning), which now is no excuse at all.

Lastly, we may note the reason why, for the most part, they use to begin the solemn high Mass in Cathedral and Monastic Churches, and other places where they have solemn high Mass, at nine o’clock. Which is done in respect of the hour wherein the Holy Ghost descended upon the disciples at Pentecost and replenished them with grace, it being probable and pious to believe that hour is sanctified ever since, and fittest to serve for that use.