to their parentes disorderâ—…d without loue without truth and without mercy With such and much worse this world is replenished as with heritikes scismatikes periures Tyrans Symonsellers hypocrytes ambitious men robbers spoylers extorcioners and pollers vsurers and false witnesses wicked théeues and church robbers traytors lyers flatterers deceyuers tale tellers wauerers gluttons dronkards adulterers incesteous men tender treaders and vayn vauÌ„ters slouens sluggardes and loyterers prodigall spenders and vnthriftes rashe quarellers and hackers vnpatient and vnconstant men poysoners and witches presumpteous and â—…rogant wretches deuilish mynded and desperate men To conclude with such as are packt full of all paltry of the earth and farced with all kynde of vyle abhomination Yet euen as the smoke vanisheth away so shall they vanish and as waxe melteth before the fyre so shall sinners perysh before the face of God. The wicked men doe suffer foure princypall paynes at theyr death The fyrst is the perpiexitie of the body which is then greater and more gréeuous than euer it was or is in this present lyfe vntil that tyme of dissolution For some thinke that euen without motion suche is their gréeâ—…ous paines they teare themselues in péeces For the violence of death is strong and vncomparable Bicause the knyttinges and naturall combyninges of the body with the spirit arâ—… then broken insonder And therevpon the Prophet Dauid sayth in the Psalme the panges of death haue compassed mée There is no member nor no parte of the body but is touched and twitched with that vntollerable payne Thâ—… second payne is when the body being altogither wéeryed and ouercome the force and strength therof cleane vanquished the Soule doth much more playnely perceyue in one moment all the works which it hath done good and bad and all those things are set before the inward eyes This payne is so great and this torment and disquiet is so gréeuous that the soule being much vexed and troubled is constrayned to confesse and declare against it selfe As it is sayde in the Psalmes the floodes of iniquitie haue troubled mée For as the floodes come with great force and sway and séeme to beare downe all things before them so in the houre of death the wicked man shall sodeinly sée and behold all the workes that he hath done or committed good or bad The third paine is when the soule now beginneth iustly to iudge and séeth all the paynes and tormentes of hell to hang worthely ouer it for all the iniquities whereof it is giltie Wherevpon it is also sayd in the Psalme the paynes of hell came about mée The fourth payne is when the soule béeing yet in the bodye doeth sée the wicked spirites readye to receyue it wherein the dread is suche and so vnspeakeable payne that the myserable soule although it be now parted from the body doeth runne about as long as it may to redéeme the tyme of hir captiuitie before shée forsake the body Also euery man as well good as euill doeth sée before the soule departe from the bodye Christ crucified The wicked séeth it to his 〈◊〉 when hée maye blushe and bée ashamed that hée is not redéemed throughe the bloud of Christ and that his owne giltynesse is the cause thereof Wherevpon it is sayde vnto the wicked in the gospell They shall sée agaynst whom they pricked and stoonge The which is vnderstoode by the commyng of Christ vnto iudgement and of his comming at the instant tyme of any mans death But the good man shall sée him to his comforte and reioysing as we may perceyue by the wordes of the Apostle which sayeth vntill the comming of our Lord Iesu Christ that is to say at the day of death when Christ â—…rucifyed shall appeare as well vnto the good as vnto the wicked And Christ him selfe sayeth of Iohn the Euangelist So will I haue him to abyde vntill I come That is to say continuing in virginitie vntill I come vnto hys death For we read of foure maner of commings that Christ shall come Two of them are visible The first in humilitie to redéeme the world The second in maiestie vnto iudgement And the other two are vnuisible The first whereof is in the mynde of man by grace Whereof it is sayd in the gospell wee shall come vnto him and shall make our remayning place with him The second is in the death of euery faythfull man And therevpon Iohn in the reuelation sayeth come Lord Iesus HIs spirite shall departe and he shall return into his earth At y tyme all their thoughtes shall perishe O howe many things how greate thinges doe mortall men consider and thinke vpon about the vncerteyntie of theyr worldly prouisions But sodeynly by the comming of death all thinges which they thought on and forecasted doe immediatly vanish away Lyke vnto a shadow when the sunne declyneth they are taken away And lyke vnto a Locust they are smitten down So that the spirit of man shal go out of him not willingly but vn willingly Hee shall dismisse with doler that which he did professe with desire and whether he will or nyll there is a terme apoynted the which hée shal not passe ouer In the which earth shal return vnto earth For it is written Thou arte earth into earth thou shalt goe For it is naturall that the thing made of any substance should bée resolued into that substance agayne He shall take away their spirite therefore and they shall fayle and shall returne into their dust And when man dyeth hée shall enherite beastes cattell Serpents and wormes For all those shall rest in dust and wormes shall consume them The worme shall eate them lyke a garment and shall consume them as a moth consumeth the wollen cloth I am to bée consumed sayeth Iob lyke vnto rottennesse and lyke vnto a garment that is fretted with mothes I haue sayde vnto rottennesse My father my mother my sister are gone vnto wormes meate Man is rottennesse and putrifaction and so are the sonnes of man Filthy are our forefathers vile are our mothers and how vyle are our sisters For man is begotten and conceyued of bloud putrifyed by the feruent heate of lust and concupisence And yet the wormes do come about his carkasse as mourners Whilest he liued he bredde nittes and lyse and being dead hée bréedeth wormes and magottes Whilest he liued hee made filthy ordures and excrements And being dead he maketh putrefaction stinke One man defendeth another onely But being dead hée defendeth many wormes Oh what is more filthy than the carkasse of a man or what more horrible than a dead man he whose embrasing had bene most aâ—…able méeting him on lyue euen his looke will bée most terrible when hée is dead What preuayle ritches therefore whatpreuayle banquetings what delightes they can not deliuer man from death They can not defend him from the worme Neyther shall they preserue
thinges sweare not Agayne our Sauyour sayeth Resist you not the euill dooer But if any man stryke you on the left chéeke turne the other vnto him hlso And he which will contende with thée in Judgement and take thy cote from thée geue him also thy cloke Loue your enemyes doe well to them that hate you and praye for them which persecute you and quarrell with you What thing can bée haâ—…der then this worde For euen as it is most easie most naturall for a man to loue his freind euen so it is most hard and moste vnnaturall for a man to loue his enemye And yet as Hierome sayth it is necessarye towardes saluation Naye rather sayth he he which hateth any one man doth loue no man truely and spirytually No neyther can he loue himselfe nor God being in such gréeuous and heynous sinne Furthermore our Sauiour sayth If you doe not forgeue offences one to another neyther will your heauenly father forgeue you your sinnes And agayne hée sayth Laye not vp treasure in earth and bée not carefull for to morrowe And also Judge not and you shall not be iudged Furthermore thynke not sayth he that I came to set peace in the world I came not to set peace hut the sworde For I came to seperate the Sonne from the Father the daughter from the mother and the sonnes wyfe from her father by lawe And then He which loueth father or mother more then me he is not worthy of me Also he which taketh not vp his Crosse and foloweth me he is not worthy of me And in another place The kingdome of heauen doth suffer wrong or violence and yet the violente doo take euen 〈◊〉 force And agayne For euery idell worde that men speake they shall render accoumpt in the day of iudgement And like wise he that will come after me let him dâ—…nye himselfe and take vp his Crosse dayly and folowe me For he which wyll saue his soule let hym léese it For he whiche looseth hys lyfe for me he shall finde it agayne And then thus Wo be to hym by whome offences come And Whosoeuer offendeth one of these lyttle ones beléeuing in me it were better for him that a mylstone were tyed about his necke and he drowned in the depth of the Sea. And agayne Unlesse you conuerte and become as one of these lyâ—…tle ones you shall not enter into the kingedome of heauen Herewith not forgetting that It is easyer for a Camell to enter through a Néedles eye then for a rytch man to enter into the kingdome of god We must remember also where he sayth Whosoeuer amoungest you woulde be greatest let hym be your mynister or seruaunt And Wo be to â–ª you rytch men which haue your consolation here Wo be to you which are filled for you shall hunger Wo be to you which laugh now for you shall mourne and wéepe Wo be to you when men shall prayse and blesse you Or thus what séest thou a moth in thy brothers eye and canst not see a beame in thyne owne Well Iesus sayed vnto a certayne man folowe me And he answered Lord suffer me first to go and burye my father And Iesus sayd Suffer thou the deade to burye their deade And he sayth Feare not them which kyll the body but cannot kyll the soule But feare you him which hath power to throwe the body and soule into euerlasting fyre And in another place O foole This night shall they take thy soule from thee Then whose shall that be which thou hast gathered And therevpon Such is euery man which hoordeth vp treasure and is not rytch in god What should we ouerpasse these sentences Sell that you possesse and geue almes Unlesse you repent you shall all peryshe to gither Departe from me all you which haue done wickedly 〈◊〉 thou makest a dynner or supper doe not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy brethren thy kynsmen nor thy next rytch neighbours 〈◊〉 peraduenture they byd thee agayne And so thou be wel recompenced But when thou makest a feast call the 〈◊〉 the weake the halte and lame and the blynde and thou shalt be blessed If any man come vnto me and doe not hate his father mother wyfe chyldren bretheren and â—…isters yea and his owne soule hée cannot bée my discyple And he which doth not forsake all that he hath cannot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discyple And that which is hyghly esteemed with meâ—… is abhomynation in the sight of god Fynally When you haue done all that which was commaâ—…nded you then saye We are vnprofitable seruauntes we haue 〈◊〉 but that which we ought and were bounde to doe Agayne Euery man which exalteth himselfe shal be 〈◊〉 lowe And he which doth humble himselfe shal be exalted â–ª Beware least you ouercharge your bodyes with gluttony dronkennesse or the cares of this worlde By these and infinite other places my déerely beloued â–ª thou 〈◊〉 perceiue how streyght in déede and how narrowe the waye and gate are which leade to saluation But of these before 〈◊〉 passages some perteyne vnto the commaundements And therevnto all men are bounden Some other are of conncell and aduyse which neuerthelesse are to be obserued of as many as professe Christ sincerely Yea futhermore the selfe same may apeare by dyuers other Scryptures For the Apostle sayth They which are of Christ haue crucifyed theyr fleshe with the vyces and concupysences thereof Whosoeuer therfore doe not extinguish vyce and concupisence nor chastyse theyr bodyes they then perteyne not vnto christ Agayne A wyddowe saith he which liueth in delightes is dead liuing For though she liue by lyfe of nature yetis she dead by the death of punishment and iudgement Then if delightful lyfe be a fault or sinne in wyddowes how much more blameful is it to be thought in such as ought by reason of their 〈◊〉 to be gydes and paternes of godlynesse to others Herevnto many thinges might be added but let these suffise And these welbeloued I haue here thus rehearced to the end I might thereby induce thée to the feare of God the watchful care of thy harte and to the diligent reading of scripturs least thou shouldest in vayne flatter thy selfe with gods mercye And so become one of their socyetie which walke in the broad and spatyous waye For as the Apostle sayeth If we suffer with Christ wée shall also reygne with Chryst. If wée bée pacyente wyth him wée shall also lyue wyth him Yea and must we not accordyng to the Apostles wordes entre into heauen by many trybulations But it is true which GOD forbyde should be verified in thée which Bernard sayth Lorde many would reigne with thée but they will not suffer with thée Many would be with thée but fewe will folowe thée Many would finde thee but fewe doe seeke thee Therefore let vs not be afeard to beare trybulations synce Hierome sayth No seruaunt of Christ is without trybulation And if thou
fury to bring the earth into solitarines to chase the sinners therof out of the same For the stars of the heauens the brightnes therof wil not geue their light The SuÌ„ne wil be ouercast with darcknes at his rysing the Moone shall not shine in hir cource And I wil visit euill vpoÌ„ th earth wil set the iniquitie of the wicked men against theÌ„selues And I wil make the pride of the vnfaythful to be stil wil bring down the arrogaÌ„ce of the mighty Therfore all the handes shal be weakened and all hartes of men shal be tamed and astonied They shall haue panges and gripes and shall feele payne lyke vnto women with childe Euery man shall looke agast and a mased on his neighbour and the countenaunces of their faces shal be tanned and burnt That day shal be the day of wrath the day of trouble the daye of perplexitie the daye of calamitie and the daye of miserys The day of mist darknes the day of the clang of the TroÌ„pet bicause the Lord shall make an end with spéed of all thâ—… which dwel vpon the earth And that sodeyne day shal créepe lyke a snare vpon all theÌ„ which sit vpoÌ„ the face of the round world For as a lightning he coÌ„meth out of the East is séene into the west Such shal be the comming of the sonne of man For the daye of the Lorde is lyke a théefe and shall come stealinge in the night When they say peace and securitie then sodeyne distruction shall come vpon them lyke vnto the paines of a womaÌ„ in hir belly they shall not eskape theÌ„ And there shall happen great tribulation before this day such as neuer was from the beginning of the world to this present nor euer shal be And but the dayes were shortened no fleshe could be saued For nation shall ryse against nation and kingdome against kingdome and great earthquakes shal be in many places pestilences and famynes and terrors from heauen and many greate tokens shal be séene Then shal be tokenes in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the starres Running togethers of people for the confusion of the Sea and the floudes Men wythering vp for feare and expectation which shall happen to the whole world Ther shall ryse false Christes and false Prophetes and they shall shewe great tokens and wonders So that many shalbée seduced into erroâ—…r yea if it many be euen the elect The appostle sayth Then shall man be reuealed for the Sonne of perdition Which is against all and is extolled aboue all that is called or worshipped as god So that he sitteth in the Temple of god as if he were god Whome our Lord Iesus shall kill with the spirite of his mouth And the Prophett Helie shal be sent before that the great day of the Lord shal come Great and horrible shall he be and shall conuert the hartes of the fatheres vnto their children and the hartes of the children towards their fathers with whome Enâ—…ch also shall come they shall prophesie a thousande two hundred and sixtie dayes clothed in sackcloth And when they haue finished their testymonie the beast which shall come vp out of the depth shall make warre against them And shall ouer come and kill them and their bodies shall lye in the strets of the great Citie which is called Sodom and Egipt wheras our Lord was crucified And after thrée dayes a half the spirit of lief shall enter into them Immediately after the tribulatioÌ„ of those dayes the suÌ„ne shal be darkened the Moone shal not giue hir light the starres shal fall froÌ„ heauen the powers of the heaueÌ„s shal be moued and theÌ„ shall appere the signe or tokeÌ„ of the soÌ„ne of maÌ„ in heaueÌ„ And then all the Trybes of the earth shall bewayle themselues as Iohn sayth in the reuelation The Kinges of the earth the Princes and the ritch men the mightie and all both bond and frée shall hyde themselues in Caues and Dennes in the mountaynes and shall saye to the hilles and to the rockes Fall vpon vs and hyde vs from the face of him which sitteth vpon the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe Bicause the great day of their anger is comeÌ„ And who can abyde it And he shall send his Angels with a troompe and a greate voyce and they shall gather to gether the chosen from the fower wyndes and from the height of the heauens vnto thendes thereof And the Appostle saith Then the Lord himselfe in the voyce and commaundemeÌ„t of an Archangell shall come downe from heauen And theÌ„ all they which are in their graues shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of god And shall come forth The good vnto the resurrection of lief but the wicked vnto the resurrectioÌ„ of iudgement Death and hell shall yeld forth their deade which are in them Behold he shall come in the clowdes and euery eye shall sée him Yea they which kicked against him and all the Trybes of the earth shal be waile mourne and then they shall sée the Sonne of man coÌ„ming in a cloud with great power maiestie And the Lord shall come to make reuenge not onely with the Appestles but also with the Elders of these people Where vpon Salomon doth saye A noble man is he in his gates when he shall sitt with the Senators of the land For they shall sitt also vpon the seates of the xii Trybes of Isarel I looked sayth Daniel vntill the Thrones were placed à nd the eldest did sit down Whose garmeÌ„t was as white as snowe And the hears of his head as cleane as wooll His Throne was the fire of the flame the wheles therof were bright kindled fyre A flowing a swyft ruÌ„ning fire did go forth froÌ„ his face ThowsaÌ„ds thowsands did administer vnto him And ten times huÌ„dreths of thousaÌ„ds did assist him Our god shall come opeÌ„ly manifestly our god shal coÌ„e shal not be sileÌ„t ther shal be bright burniÌ„g fire in his and round about him a mightie teÌ„pest He called the heauen froÌ„ on high the earth to iudge his people Then al nacions shal be gathered together before him He shal seperate them one from an other as the shepeheard doth seperate his shepe from the goates And he shall place them the shéepe on the right hand and the goates on the left hand O how great shall the dread and trembling then be and how great shal be the lameÌ„tacions and wepings For if the pillors doo tremble and dread his comming and the angels of peace shal wéepe bitterly what shal sinners doo if the iust shall skarcely be saued where shall the wicked sinners appeare Therefore cryeth the Prophet O Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for no man liuing shal be iustifted in thy sight If thou O
Furthermore Augustine in his booke entituled De miseria mundi doth plainly treat saying Take héed to thy self least being wrapped in the snares of the diuill thou become a pray to y huÌ„ter which raÌ„geth and séeketh whom he may deuour For this lyfe is fugityue and vntrustie since it doth not performe faithful dealing no not to the louers therof Yea euen from the beginning of the world it hath deceyued all such as put their trust therin And all such as haue wrapped theÌ„ selues therein it hath beguiled And so it hath shewed it self vncertain to all men y it might proue it selfe a lyer vnto all men For beholde the worlde which we so much loue estéeme doth passe ouer â—…ly away And yet we follow it â—…ing so froÌ„ vs through a blynd mynd of carnal ccÌ„upisâ—… cleaue fast vâ—…to it whilest it 〈◊〉 So that beyng vnable to hold it vp falling we fall with it percompany Yea is not this our lyfe lyke vnto death since therin doe abound so many dolors lamentations sighes and so great miseries one man being gréeued with loffe cryeth out Another coÌ„tinually bewayleth the barenesse of his ground One lamenteth the death of his friend another sitteth sadly being ouer whelmed in pouertie So y there is much tribulation from y time y man commeth into this world Yea his first voice or sound doth shew infirmitie He is borne an infant straight way cryeth out He can not yet speake neuerthelesse he is y Prophet of his own calamitie His teares are witnesse of his miserie paine dread y is to come WheÌ„ he is growen a little he beginneth to hunger thirst to bée weary To conclude man hath alwayes two sundry tormeÌ„ts which by turnes doe vexe him continually The which are feare sorow If A man be well he feareth if he be euil at ease he soroweth What is he whom the prosperitie of thys world hath not deceiued Or who is it y hath not ben gréeued with y aduersitie therof theÌ„ behold man what great afflictions thou doest suffer in this world which thou so much estemest Wherin in very déed there are nothing but false deceiptful voluptuousnes true yea vndoubted calamitie No safetie of myrth and ioye but a tormentyng feare a gréedie couetousnesse and a fruitlesse lamentation And who is he which can number or accoumpt all the euilles and discommodities of this lyfe For to ouerpasse with scilence those euilles which doe commonly oppresse all men that is to say secret sorowes and especiall griefes whereof all men may fynde them selues giltie let a man but call to mynde what euylles hee hath both sustayned and committed from hys youth vpwardes let him but set before hys eyes the tymes passed and diligently consider howe many vayne labours he hath vndertakeÌ„ how often he hath swet in vain for the loue of this wretched world How often he hath founde deceyptfull issues of hys most earneste trauayles and let hym then ponder that after long troubles he hath yet obteyned no rest and he shal quickly know what accoumpt is to be made of this world O myserable man then what doest thou or whether goest thou whiles thou art in this world thou doest but iust and roonne in a Tyltyearde Wherein thou findest an enemie which is to strong for thée whome thou neyther canst sée nor yet eskape from him He entyseth thée with tryflyng toyesthereby to robbe and despoyle thée of the ioyes of heauen Yea and thereby to put into thée the very tormentes of hell His lackye lyeth close hidden in the way couered with earth which is the diuells concubyne and lenunan The enimy of mankynde doth behold the manners and naturall enclynacions of euery man and vnto what vyce they be most prone those he setteth before theyr faces which may most aptly allure and betray theyr myndes And whiles he maketh them gaze at the gaynes of glystryng gold they neuer sée the perill of theyr perdicion but lyke fooles being deceiued with the delightes which they sée and carnally doe loue they neuer marke how they fall hedlong into damnacion And bicause all men are voyde of vnderstandinge they perishe perpetually Wherefore if the world doe please and delight thée beware the deceyptfulnesse thereof Remember that as Salomon sayeth Lamentacion and dolor doo come in the ende of ioyes and merymentes For all mans pleasantnesse is bytter and sowre in the ende When a man reioyseth in the world be reioyseth not in God. But yet alas how many ther be which reioyse in the world neuer reioyse in God To reioyse in the worlde is to boast tryumphe and glory in iniquitie vanitie ryches honor outwarde coomlynesse fylthy conuersacion vayne pastimes with vnfreutefull and leuds communicacion Which is in effecte to purchase sorowe and lamentacion For no man can embrace Christ and the world bothe attones Many men professing Christ doe prayse him loue him and rendre thanckes vnto him whiles they be in theyr worldly prosperitie But if aduersitie light vpon them they cursse â–ª blaspheme him Such men serue god for profit and not for loue Unto whom the Lord God may iustly saye For your owne benefit and commoditie you haue obserued my commaundementes and not bicause you loued me with a pure entent And wherefore doest thou extoll thy selfe in vanitie O man is not thy body as the Preacher sayth dust and asshes Art not thou thy selfe of earth and shalt soone be resolued againe into earth Looke into the Sepulchres of the greatest Prices and sée if any other thing doe there remayne but bones and dust And all this being thus doest thou by so many errors make hast vnto hell which hast bene enstructed in so many pathes to heauen by Christ him selfe Why is that beloued which must be forsaken and that neclected which may perpetually be enioyed These sentences and many such lyke Sainct Augustine dothe moste deuoutely propounde in his bookes before named And finally he wryteth in a certeyne Sermon saying Attende and marke O myserable Soule of sinfull Man that horryble houre in which thou shalt depart from the body Where as thou shalt prefently beholde the wycked ministers of Sathan the cursed diuills the horryble dampned spirites and the most crewell roaryng Lyones ranging and hunting about for theyr praye which is thy sorowfull selfe With the twynekling of an eye the horryble places of eternall paynes shall apeare the Chaos or confuâ—…ed heape of darkenesse the horrour of mysery the terrour and tremblyng dreade of sorrowe the quaking feare of horryble vysions and of that most horryble mansion where ther is continuall wéepinge and gnashing of téethe gnawing of wormes howling and crying the lamentacions of them that mourne perpetually and the voyce of such as crye wo wo wo be vnto vs chyldren of Eue. When the wretched and vnhappy soule departing out of the body shall heare these things and such lykâ—… or rather a thousand fold worse worse then can be expressed when