THE SIXTH TREATIS E.

ON

HOLY WE E K.

TW

СНАР. І.

HE Greeks and Latins anciently called it the Great Week; the Holy Week; fometimes the Painful Week, or the week of aufterities; alfo the week of forrows, the days of the Cross, or of fufferings. "We call it the Great "Week," fays St. Chryfoftom (1), "not that it confifts

of a greater number of days, or that days in it are longer; but on account of the great things which God hath "wrought in it. For on thefe days was the tyranny of the "devil overthrown, death disarmed, fin and its curse taken away, heaven opened and made acceffible, and men made "fellows with the angels, &c." The faft of this week was two ways more auftere than in the rest of Lent; ft in the xerophagy (a), or living on dry meats, namely bread and falt with no other drink but water, which no one touched before evening and this was an universal law, rigorously obferved by all Chriftians, as St. Epiphanius teftifies. This Father confines the xerophagy to bread and falt; but it is exprefly mentioned in the Apoftolic Conftitutions, that with bread it was allowed to eat herbs or pulfe, which was not dreffed by fire. The other additional aufterity confifted in the fuperpofition of the faft, which was only of devotion according to every one's ftrength and fervour. For the more zealous continued their faft for feveral days together without any fuftenance; fome paffing over the whole fix days in this manner without any abatement till cock-crowing on EafterSunday morning; others the two, three, or four last days (2). We are affured by St. Epiphanius quoted above (3),

that

(1) S. Chryf. in Pf. cxlv. T. v. p. 526. ed. Ben. See alfo him Hom. xxx. in Gen. p. 294. T. iv. (2) S. Epiph. Expof. Fidei, n. 9 & 23. & hær. 29. Nazaræor. S. Dion. Alex. ep. Can. i. ap. Bevereg. Conftit. Apoft. I. v. c, 18, (3) Expof. Fidei, n. 9.

(3) ξηροφαγία.

that in the fourth century, when he wrote, even those Chriftians who had leaft fervour and zeal, only eat bread with a little falt, and drank water once a day at evening, all Holy Week. The Greeks who never faft on other Saturdays in Lent, which they keep an inferiour kind of festival, observe a rigorous inviolable fast on Easter Eve. Great watchings in the right were also a duty of this week, especially on Eafter Eve, and are mentioned by St. Chryfoftom, and other Fa

thers.

More abundant alms ought always to accompany the aufterer fafts of Holy Week, as the Fathers teftify. "Many in "the Great Week," fays St. Chryfoftom (4), "prolong "their fafts (by fuperpofition), increase their watchings, "and double their alms, to honour fo holy a time." The nearer we approach to the folemnity of Chrift's fufferings and refurrection, by which mysteries all the greatest bleffings were poured forth upon men, the more are we obliged to fhew all manner of acts of mercy and kindness toward our brethren.

The Christian Emperors anciently exercifed this charity in granting a general releafe from prifon to all debtors and criminals, certain more grievous crimes only excepted. This indulgence was extended to the whole Great Week before, and to the week following Eafter-day, as is clear from the imperial laws still extant (5). Whence St. Ambrofe faid (6) : "The holy days of the last week in Lent, are the time when "the bonds of debtors were to be loofed." And St. Chryfoftom fays (7): "That the Emperors fet prifoners at liberty on the Pafchal folemnity, that they might imitate, as "far as in them lay, the example of our Lord, who at "this time delivered us from the bonds of our fins, and "made us capable of enjoying numberlefs bleffings. For we ought, as much as poffible, to imitate his mercy and "kindness." And in another fermon spoken in the paffion week (8), he fays: "The imperial letters are fent forth, commanding all prifoners to be loofed from their bonds, " &c."

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Mafters likewise, during these two weeks of the paffion, and of the Pafche of the refurrection, often made free feve

ral

(4) S. Chryf. Hom. xl. n. 1. T. i. vet. ed. &c. (5) Cod. Theod. 1. ix. tit. 38. de Indulgent. Criminum, leg. 3. and 4. (6) S. Ambr. ep. 33. vet. ed. (7) St. Chryf. hom. xxx. in Gen. T. ii. p. 427. (8) Id. hom. in Pf. cxlv. T. iii. p. 823. quæ eft Hom. 78, in Hebdomadam Magnam, T. v. ed. Savil. p. 541.

ral of their flaves or fervants bound for a term of years (9). Hence the imperial laws of Theodofius which forbid all other judicial acts or legal proceffes during these two weeks, allow whatever was done by way of charity for the manumiffion of flaves, as most agreeable to this holy folemnity. "Let all "actions at law, whether publick or private, cease in the "fifteen Pafchal days. Yet all men have liberty at this time to grant freedom to their flaves, and whatever acts are necesfary to be done at law for this purpose, are not prohibit❝ed." These are the terms of the edi&t of that religious Emperor (10). This is the fame exception which Conftantine the Great had made with respect to the Lord's Day, on which he forbad all other proceedings at law (11).

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By the abovementioned law, and others enacted by feveral of the first Christian Emperors (12), the first of which was published by Conftantine the Great (13), during the two Pafchal weeks, of the Crofs, and of the Refurrection; in honour of those great mysteries, all courts of law or the administration of juftice, are commanded to be fhut, and all judicial proceedings forbid and declared void, except acts of

mercy.

Both these weeks being fet apart for the most folemn offices of the church, fermons, and both private and public devotions, all fervants had a vacation from bodily labour all this time, that they might have leisure and opportunity to attend the worship of God, and the concerns of their fouls. In the Apoftolic Conftitutions, this law is mentioned in the following words (14). "In the Great Week (before Easter) "and the week following, let fervants reft from their la"bour; because the one is the time of our Lord's paffion, "and the other of his refurrection; and fervants have need "to be inftructed in the knowledge of these myfteries."

The exterior folemnity with which the church has ever obferved this holy time, puts Christians in mind of their obligation of redoubling their fervour in all the holy exercises of Lent, and in all works of piety and religion. No one can deserve to bear the name of a Chriftian, who is fo flothful as to fail in this duty. By clofing well the holy time of Lent,

(9) S. Greg. Nyff. hom. iii. de Refurr. Chr. T. iii. p. 420. (10) Cod. Juftin. 1. iii. tit. 12. de Feriis, leg. 8. (11) Cod. Theod. 1. ii. tit. 8. de Feriis, leg. 1. See Bingham, 1. xx. ch. 5. Sect. 7. & 1. xxi. ch. 1. fect. 29. (12) Cod. Theod. 1. ii. tit. 8. de Feriis, leg. 2. S. Aug. Serm. 19. ex editis a Sirmondo, &c.

(13) Conftant. M. apud Scaliger. de Emendat. Tempor. 1. vii. P. 776. (14) Conftit. Apoft. I. viii. cap. 33.

Tr. 6. Lent, we fhall reap abundant fruits of our penance, and of the facred mysteries which we here commemorate. All who call themselves children of the church, ftrive to outdo themfelves and each other on this great folemnity, as St. Bernard obferves (15). The fentence which was paffed in the old law against those who fhould neglect to fanctify the yearly great faft of the expiation (16), will be executed in a much more dreadful manner upon thofe pretended Chriftians, who let pass the commemoration of these most tender and ador-> able myfteries, without being touched with a due sense of compunction, gratitude, love and piety. St. Bernard, in a fermon made in the beginning of this Holy Week, ftirs up his religious to fervour in the following words (17): "Be attentive with all poffible watchfulness, and with the whole "application of your fouls, that the commemoration of thefe great myfteries may not país you in vain. God is going to pour forth his most abundant bleffings. Let your hearts be penetrated with piety and devotion. Retrain your fenfes under a ftri& difcipline, cleanse your "confciences, purify and fan&tify your affections, and prepare your fouls to receive the excellent gifts, which will "be moft plentifully conferred upon those who shall be dif"pofed."

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All the exercises of Lent must be now continued with redoubled fervour, to which we must excite curfelves by the moft devout meditation on the Crofs and Paffion of our di vine Redeemer. This must be the great and only object of our thoughts and devout entertainments at this time. The divine Jetus fuffering, Jefus nailed to a cross, Jefus dying for our fins must always be prefent to our minds; our hearts must be continually occupied on Him. In his prefence, and at the foot of his crofs, we must perform all our religious and penitential exercifes, by which we study to die to ourselves, that dying with him we may rife with him, conformed in our interior to his holy image.

CHA P. II.

On PALM-SUNDAY.

N this day the church honours the triumphant entry of our divine Redeemer into Jerufalem, five days before

ON

his

(15) S. Bern. Serm. de Paff. Domini. (16) Leviticus xxiii. 27, 28, 29. (17) S. Bern. Serm. de Paff. Dom. feu 4 Major. Hebdom.

his crucifixion (1). He was pleased, before the humiliation. of his paffion, to be acknowledged and received as the Meffias, the Saviour of the world, and King of fouls. This was a moft facred and auguft ceremony, a triumph truly great and glorious in the eyes of heaven, though humble in the fight of men. The Son of God made man for the redemption of mankind, having finished the courfe of his miniftry, and preaching through the cities and country of Paleftine, in order to confummate his great facrifice at Jerufalem, in the fight of all the people affembled to keep the feaft of the Paffover, went up to that city on account of that feftival, but to be offered himself the real victim for the fins of the whole world, which the Pafchal Lamb, offered on that feaft in the Jewish law, had prefigured. Burning with an eager defire to accomplish this great work, in order to rescue our fouls from the flavery of fin and hell, and to establish in them the reign of his grace and love, he chearfully went up to the theatre of his bloody conflict and victory. As an emblem of the first fruits of his conqueft of fouls he would make a public entry into the city, which was a kind of triumph; but such a triumph as suited the spirit of humility, and contempt of the world, meeknefs and peace which he came to plant in the hearts of men, and which might heal the deep wound of their pride.

When he drew near to Jerusalem, he stopped at the house of his devout friends, Lazarus, and his two fifters Mary and Martha, in the village of Bethania, almost two miles from the city. With this holy family he rested the Sabbath-day, and on Sunday morning proceeded to the city. Being come near Bethphage, a village which was a kind of fuburb of Jerufalem, built on a part of Mount Olivet, he sent two dif ciples into the village, to bring an afs for him to ride on. To fhew that he knew all things, and was Lord of men and creatures, He faid to them: "You will find an ass tied, and 66 a colt with her loose them, and bring them to me. And "if any man shall say any thing to you, fay ye, the Lord "hath need of them, and he will let them go." The difciples obeyed, found the afs and fole as Jefus had told them; and the owner upon hearing that Chrift had occafion for them, letting them go, they brought them to Jefus. Our divine Redeemer and King, who had been always accuftomed to perform his journeys and miffions on foot, who when tired, had fat down at a well, and asked only a little water of a Sama

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(1) Mat. xxi. Mark, xv. Luke, xix.