Of the Priests descending from the Altar. And how thereby is represented the expulsion of Adam out of Paradise.
The Priest having placed the Chalice upon the Altar, presently descendeth and standeth below at the foot of the same: representing thereby the little space of time wherein Adam remained in the state of innocency and original justice, and how, for his transgression, he was presently thrust and expelled out of Paradise. How his wretched estate after his fall. JOHN HEIGHAM A Devout Exposition of the Holie Masse 1622
I. Part, Meditation I.
Genes. 3.1. D.Th. 2.
THE II. POINT.
The second Point shall be to call to memory the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve, who having been created in paradise, and in original justice, broke the commandment of almighty God, eating the fruit of the tree the which upon pain of death he had prohibited them; for the which they were cast forth of Paradise, and incurred the sentence of death, and other innumerable miseries, as well for themselves, as for all their offspring.
Upon this verity of faith, I may discourse as upon the former, considering how liberal almighty God was to our first parents, creating them of his mere goodness according to his own image and likeness, and placing them in a paradise of delights, giving them his grace and original justice: subjecting their appetites to reason, and the flesh to the spirit; freeing them from mortality and penalties, to which by nature they were subject, and granting them a happy and most contented estate. And all this he did of his pure grace and mercy, granting it them, not only for themselves, but also for their successors, if they had persevered in his service.
Secondly, I am to ponder how ungrateful they were to almighty God, and what motive they had thereunto: for the serpent coming to tempt Eve, and promising her guilefully, that if she did eat of the forbidden fruit she should not die, but should rather be as God himself, having knowledge of good and evil: she suffered herself to be beguiled, ate of the fruit, and invited Adam thereunto, who to please her, ate also thereof, treading under foot the pleasure of God for the pleasure of his wife, without making account neither of the benefits that God had done him, nor of the punishments that he had menaced and threatened him withal.
Then will I ponder how terrible almighty God showed himself in chastising them, casting them out of paradise, depriving them for ever of original justice, subjecting them to death, and to all the miseries of a corruptible body: which miseries all we his children incur, because we all sin in him, and for his cause we are born the children of wrath, enemies of God, and adjudged and condemned to the selfsame death. And that which more affrighteth is, that from this original sin that we inherit of him proceed, as from their root, those innumerable sins that are in the world, and the inundations of miseries that overflow it: whereby I may perceive how terrible, dreadful, and hideous an evil mortal sin is, seeing one only depriveth of so much good, bringeth so much evil, and so highly provoketh the wrath of almighty God, though he be much more inclined to mercy than to the rigour of justice.
Colloquy
Who shall not fear thee, O king of the worlds! who shall not abhor so great a mischief as to offend thee! My soul, if thou knowest what thou didst when thou sinnest like Adam, doubtless thou wouldst tremble at the heavy burden wherewith thou loadest thyself. O sin, how heavy art thou to me? Thou deprivest me of grace; robbest me of virtues; chasest me out of Paradise; condemnest me to eternal death; subjectest me to temporal death; takest away the life of my children (which are my works), depriving them of the merit of glory; disquietest the kingdom of my soul, and fillest it with innumerable miseries. O my God, deliver me from so great an evil. O my soul, fly from sin (as the Wiseman counselleth thee) more than from snakes and serpents, sith one alone is more cruel and venomous than they are all being put together.
Besides this, I am to make comparison of my sin with that of Adam, like as in the precedent point: for I (wretch that I am), being tempted by the devil, suffered myself to be deluded by him, not once but often: my flesh hath been like to seduced Eve, that hath provoked me to sin, and my spirit, effeminated like Adam, to please it, hath a thousand times displeased God by breaking his commandments: my pride and ingratitude hath arrived to that height, that I have often desired to be as God, usurping to myself that which is proper to his deity. Then, if God inflicted such punishment on my first parents for one sin of disobedience and pride, founded upon no more than eating one apple contrary to the precept of almighty God, how great punishments have I deserved for so many disobediences and prides, and for so innumerable offences as I have committed against him? O how just had it been that at my first sin death should have swallowed me, or all the miseries of the world showered down upon me!
Lastly, I will ponder what a long penance Adam and Eve did for this sin of theirs, how bitter that morsel was unto them, and how dear it cost them: for Adam, having lived more than nine hundred years, spent them all in weeping and mourning, and suffering a thousand incommodities which the estate of his corruption attracted unto it: but in the end (as saith the divine Wisdom) through penance he obtained pardon; and with this example I am to animate myself to lament my miseries, and to do penance for my sins, that almighty God may deliver me from them, imitating in penance him whom I imitated in sin, and beseeching our Lord to chastise me as much as he will in this life, so that he pardon me and deliver me from the torments of the other. LUIS DE LA PUENTE Meditations upon the Mysteries of our Holie Faith (VOLUME ONE) 1619
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