fire wheeles gibbets swords haire-shirts disciplines austerities and whither the King of Saints entred by sufferaâ—nces O miserable bodie too delicate a member to liue vnder a Heade crowned with thornes and wholy couered with blood Tell me accursed carcasse and victime of death what priuiledge thou pretendst that thou darst presume by a manifest iâ—iustice wallowing in soft lux and delicacies to enter into a Kingdome all whose gates are made with Crosses in a Paradice where none enters that is not pearced with the firâ—e sword of a louing mortification Heare this doome or rather this thunder clapp ô my body and thou ô my soule If thou dost not mortifie with the spirit the actions of sensualitie thou shalt die marrie if thou mortifiest them thou shalt liue And againe mortifie your meÌ„bers which are vpon earth and carrie still in your body the mortification of IESVS CHRIST so shall you be as dead but to th' end you may liue eternally Of the Aureola LVII BEsides the essentiall Glorie which the Blessed shall enioy Athanasia in the sight of the Soueraigne well-beloued in the loue of the Soueraigne well-seene the Diuines doe note certaine accidentall ones and as it were accessorie to the prime and principall which they haue named Aureolas grounding vpon a passage of Exodus where there is command giuen to make a litle crowne called Aureola ouer the Arke bisides the crowne of gold with which it was to be wholy inuironed Now this Aureola doth chiefely reside in the soule albeit by a certaine rebounding saith S. THOMAS as also DENIS THE CARTHVSIAN and ouerswelling it breakes out and spreads it selfe ouer all the bodie and doth euen outwardly appeare with a certaine peculiar grace And if Essentiall Glorie be different according to the diuers degrees of Charitie and merite this accidentall of which we speake shall be varied following the varietie of labours and victories For as there is diuision of graces so is there of rewards to Ordinarily these Aureolae are diuided into three kindes wherof one is attributed to MARTYRES who haue conquered the world the second to VIRGINES who haue surmounted sensualitie the third to DOCTORS who by their learning haue defeated the Artes and errours of the Prince of darknesse And if these Aureolae be compared together the comon consent giues the first rancke and preeminencie to Martyrdome for there is no greater charitie then to giue ones life for that which he loues Neuer durst any saith S. AVGVSTINE preferre Virginitie before Martyrdome Chastitie being but a lent martyrdome wheras to die in torments is a violent one A second is giuen to virgines who follow the Lambe where euer he goes clothed in white stoles The third to Doctors who were the salte of the earth the light of the world and the Lampes of Israel And when I say the Aureola shall be giueÌ„ vnto Doctors I nether vnderstand the learned nor those that shall onely haue taken the degree of Doctor ship in earth and buried their Talent and hid their Lampe vnder the Bushall For such Doctors shall enioy in Heauen the simple guife of Charitie onely a thing common with the rest of the Elect for as DANIEL saith they shall be bright as the Firmament But such as shall instruct others in the way of saluation and rightuousnes shall sparkle and shine as glorious strarrs in perpetuall Eternities Those then it is that haue taught and communicated to the ignorant sound and wholsome doctrine who shall carrie away the Aureola of Doctors For as he is not crowned who hath onely the abilitie and strength to fight and vanquish but he that in effect doth fight and ouercome the enemy according to that none shall be crowned but such as haue lawfully fought so those onely that had knowledge made others participant of it shall partake of the Aureola of Doctors according to that of the Ghospell he that shall teach and doe what is good shall be called great in the Kingdome of Heauen Some vnderstand those words of the Apocalipse of this Aureola I will bestow on him that shall ouercome a hidden Manna and a white stone wherin shall be grauen a new name which none shall know but he that receaues it and that of ISAIE speaking of the Continent vnder the name of Eunukes I will giue them a Mansion within the compasse of the walls of my house and an excellent name amongst the childreÌ„ of men As then here below in earth men are ordinarily distinguished by their clothes so shall those three bands haue some particular signe or marke which shall make them notable amongst the rest of the Blessed The Blessed societie of the Elect. LVIII ANd if an auncient Philosopher Athanasia following comon sense said that felicitie is not full and accomplished without societie what compainie is comparable to that which the Blessed inioy in Glorie Though God be sole and one in Essence yet hath he societie in the distinctions of persons and thence is not solitarie in his Beatitude What shall it be to behold the Societie of the three Diuine persons vnited together in the vnitie of their beeing yea euen to be vnited to this high Societie in the band of Charitie which is that of perfection what shall it be to be associated to the humanitie of IESVS CHRIST our brother according to Flesh as he was Sonne of man which for our sake he tooke vpon him whence we are made children of God and if children heires and if heires of God coheires of IESVS CHRIST in the inheritance of Glorie O how happie shall they be who are inrowled into the holy FELLOWSHIPE of IESVS CHRIST and made partaker of his heauenly and Diuine conuersation And if it be written that euen in this world he that is in Charitie remaynes in God and God in him and that he that keepes the Commandements is made the Tabernacle and lodginge of the three persons of the Sacred TRINITIE what are we to say of the state of consummated Grace which is Glorie where Charitie is compleate O Diuine Societie And if after the Diuinitie and humanitie of our Sauiour we turne the ey of our consideration vpon the admirable beautie of her who is the holy of Holyes yea the MOTHER of the holy of Holyes and who next vnto God to whom is due the worshipe of Latria we honour with Hyperdulia what could be imagined more rauishing since she is the mother of that verie Sonne who was eternally begotteÌ„ in the splendour of Saintes in the breast of the eternall Father were it not a spareing speach to attire her with the Sunne to make the Moone her footstoole and starrs her crowne yes verily since her Sonne and her God are her great crowne and incomparable ioy according to that of the wiseman a vertuous Sonne is the crowne and ioy of his Father and Mother And from this qualitie of MOTHER OF GOD which is in some sorte infinite there rebouÌ„ds in her such an abundance of grace that she is not
Yet the Saints who are in glorie whose faces are marked with his splendour and doe shine like the Sunne for perpetuall eternities are yet incomparably more liuely pictures of the Diuinitie For euen as the Sunne meeting with a thicke and darksome cloude in the aire doth sometymes so deeply imprint its beames vpon its face that it appeares another Sunne so are the Blessed in Heauen so transformed into God that they shewe as so many Gods and as so many dearest children of the Highest as DAVID deliuers it This excellent beautie with which the Diuine presence doth adorne them was cause that S. IOHN espying an Angell whom he tooke for God had adored him if that spirit no lesse humble then glorious bright had not giuen him to know that he was his fellow-seruant And in my opinion in this neere resemblance to God the verie toppe of the eternall glorie of the blessed is placed For what thinke you is God's owne glorie and felicitie but the life which he hath eternally of him selfe the most cleare knowledge which he hath of his immutable Truth and the most ardēt loue which he hath towards his owne infinite Goodnes His Beatitude consisting in the vision loue and fruition which the Diuine and increated Persons of the Blessed Trinitie haue of their owne mutuall knowledge Loue and eternall perfect and infinite complacence Now the soule of the Blessed being raysed to the vision loue and fruition of the same Diuine Persōs and of their Diuine and most indiuisible Essēce ought not her supernaturall and inineffable life by the resemblance which is betwixt her and God's felicitie to be said to be the accomplishment of her glorie since that without all feare of change she is wholy attentiue to the cleare contemplation of the prime and soueraigne Truth inflamed with the loue of the supreme and increated goodnes and hath the fruition of the infinite and vnspeakable sweetnes of God O truly liuing and happie life when shall it be that we shall liue in thee and by thee when shall we ô my soule inhabite this heauenly Hierusalem built as a Citie and with her glorious Citizens be made participant of him who is still himselfe immutable and whose yeares neuer decay Of the felicitie of the powres of the soule and first of the memorie XLV THis essentiall Beatitude Athanasia is extended and doth spread it selfe out yet diuersly in the lower degree of the soule to witt there wherin the three principall faculties or powres doe reside For euen as the Prophete to rayse the widowes deade child did shorten himselfe vpon this litle body and did apply his mouth to its mouth his hands to its hands and his feete to its feete So God who shall be all to all shall fill all the soule with the abundance of his bountie and shall cōmunicate vnto it a Diuine life which shall not feare the assaultes of death The memorie being entered into the liberties of our Lord shall call to mynd the effectes of his iustice and no lesse those of his mercy for she shall sing no neuer will I forgett thy iustifications ô Lord since in them thou hast giuen me life Fild with this rauishing and no lesse pressing then present obiect she shall breath out the remembrance of his sweetnes and shall exalt his adorable iudgements This remembrance shall be her soueraigne delight O how she shall call to mynd the sweetnes of the duggs of this incomparable goodnes farr passing the fuming wines of worldly delightes In how high a strayne shall she take the memorie of this supreme sanctitie Alas how can she forget him whom she hath so inwardly present and who shall be more in her then her selfe and to whom she shall be so strongly tyed in adauantine and diamantine chaynes that nothing shall euer be able to diuerte her Blessed memorie replenisht with the fairest Idea's that can possibly inhabit a heart and which then shall be a Magazine and memoriall of heauenly wonders whether she make reflection vpon things past how dearely shall she conserue the memorie of the incomparable obligations which she shall haue to this Creatour Conseruer Redeemour and Glorifier of her beeing Such as grace shall haue led from greatest sinns to repentance fauours before bounding where malice did superabound ô God! how highly shall they sing the sacred Canticle of the Diuine mercy And those who by the same grace shall haue conserued the first stole of their innocencie and being preserued from the abomination of desolation whose deluge doth ouerflowe the whole vniuerse shall haue bene drawen to the safe harbour of saluation by the chaynes of loue and humanitie will not they haue reason to beare a part in the fame Canticle and to pronounce that that mercy which conserued them vnstayned amidest the worlds impurities is a portion of that which is eternally grounded and built in Heauē The royall Prophete calling to mynd out of what an Abisse of miseries the Diuine goodnes had reclaymed him recalling him so sweetly to the accnowledgment of his faults coniures his soule and all his interiour powres to blesse God exciting his memorie neuer to permitt his benefites to fall into a disloyall obliuion for he it is that pardons saith he all thyne infirmities who cures all thy wounds who recouers thee from eternall death and who crownes thee with his mercyes O God what must this King of penitents needs say in heauen if he spoke thus in this vaile of teares reduced by a holy repentance from his iniquities to the state of grace When the Saintes whom God hath pardoned many faultes for there are in Heauē penitent sinners of all kinds shall see them selues deliuered from the innumberable torments which they contemplate in the accursed Eternitie and which they had as oft deserued as by their malice they had bene separated from God will they not haue great reason to say with the Psalmist Thy mercy ô Lord and thy iustice shall for euer be the subiect of our song vpon this shall our Psalme-singing be imployed whilst we walke in this immaculate way in which thou hast put vs. And if the memorie of paynes and perills past euen in this world be so delightfull how much more shall the Saintes and martyrs who haue suffered much for the Almighties sake haue cause to reioyce in this memorie While they walked in the way of this mortall life they sowed in teares but in the heauenly Sion they shall reape an eternall ioy They shall sing this pleasant Song We haue past through fire and water but in the end we are entred into refreshment And they shall blesse those light and transitorie moments of tribulation which brought them to eternall glorie And if their memorie doe stay vpon the present felicitie which they feele and of which they haue a liuely sense with what contentment shall they not be crowned in tasting the ineffable goodnes of God who rewards them infinitely beyond their merits Yea if they enlarge themselues vpon the
and bracelets are tokens of loue whose true proofe is the worke saith S. GREGORIE and is not the worke signified by the arme and hand the principall instruments of operation Now in euery well-ordered marriage the Bride receaues some dowrie of the Bridegroome whervpon in this great Sacrament of IESVS CHRIST and his Church and the faithfull Soule which is a member of this Church the misticall body of our Sauiour the Doctors doe assigne dowries to the soule which enters into Glorie according to that doctrine of ISAIE our Lord hath clothed me with garments of saluation and hath adorned me with a chayne as his Spouse And that of S. IOHN in his Apocalipse who compares the triumphant Hierusalem to a Bride well deckt being so adorned by her spouse And touching those dowries in particular they reduce them to three heades conformably to the three powres of the Soule and to the three Diuine vertues which God infuseth herebelow into the hearts of the faithfull Faith Hope and Charitie For they say that the Memorie is endowed with the possession of God which doth referre to Hope The vnderstanding with vision or knowledge in reward of Faith and the Will with the Diuine Fruition in recompence of Charitie This is the triple band which in Heauen shall inseparably tye vs to God a heauenly band which can neuer be broken Touching the qualities of the glorified bodies LIV. LEt 's now make a passage Athanasia from the interiour to the exteriour from the felicitie of the Soule to that of the body and let vs say that to those dowries which I haue deciphered in the former stroke admirable qualities shall be adioyned which without distroying the beeing of the bodie shall worke wonderfull changes and make them far more noble then they are in this mortall life We shall all rise againe saith the Apostle that is as well the Elect as the Reprobate but all shall not experience this happie change for the bodies of the dāned shall remayne passible heauie grosse and darke but the bodies of the Blessed shall become impassible subtile light and resplendant And to these foure qualities it is that the Doctors haue reduced the dowries of the glorious bodies Impassibilitie is a qualitie which shall make the body of an incorruptible temper not obnoxious to change exempt from hungar thrist cold heate greife infirmitie and from euery thing that can subiect vs to death or paine Glorified bodies cannot burne nor suffer in the fire nor be drowned in the water In a word nor can the tooth of Tyme nor any other force distroye them They shall enioy a continuall youth like to a flowre that cannot fade a vigorous health against which sicknesse can attempt nothing a qualitie of the heauenly bodies that suffer no alteratiō Which made the Apostle say that that which was sowen in corruption he meanes the corps layed in the graue shall ryse incorruptible and that which is mortall shall put-on immortalitie And againe the dead shall rise to incorruption The second dowrie is subtiltie which shall indewe the body as it were with a spirituall qualitie I doe not say that it shall become spirit for that is the errour of some auncient Heretikes refuted by S. AVGVSTINE in his bookes of the Citie of God nor yet that the glorious body shall be made aire an Heresie which S. GREGORIE in his Morales ascribes to EVTICHIVS Bishope of Constantinople but I say its subtiliti◠shall be so great that it shall passe through another body as through Heauen and earth which the Maisters tearme Penetration of dimensions And of this dowrie is vnderstoode that of the Apostle this sensible body shall rise againe spirituall that is resembling the spirit in sundrie things yet in such a spiritualitie as shall not depriue it of its palpabilitie according to that saying of our Sauiour to his disciples after his resurrection touch and see a spirit hath nether flesh nor bones as you see me haue And the same Sauiour did shew the subtiltie of his glorious body while he issued out of his Tombe not opening it and entred into the Hall where the Apostles were the gates being shutt The third qualitie shall be an incredible Agilitie and such as S. AVGVSTINE teacheth that the body shall be where the Spirit desireth not that this motion saith S. THOMAS is performed in an instant and without a meane but that the swiftnes of the passage shall be in a sort imperceptible and like to that of fire or lightning as saith the wiseman For the rest saith ISAIE they run without labour and trauell as far as they list without being wearie at all because this body sowen in infirmitie shall rise againe saith the Apostle in such vigour a vigour which S. THOMAS takes for Agilitie or Mobilitie that it shall be indefatigable and shall performe in a smale tyme an incredible iorney The fourth and most noble dowrie shall be Brightnes of which it is said in S. MATHEW that the Iust shall shine like the Sunne in the Kingdome of their heauenly Father and againe that they should flie like sparkes as it is in the wiseman And S. PAVLE writing to the Corinthians assures them that that which is sowen in infirmitie shall rise vp in glorie that is in brightnes according to S. THOMAS his interpretation grounding vpon the same Apostle who saith presently after as one starre differs from another in brightnes so shall the glorious bodies differre after their resurrection And the same Apostle speaking to the Philippians tells thē that our Lord will reforme the body of our humilitie and will cōforme it to his brightnes a brightnes wherof he gaue a proofe in his Transfiguration vpon the Mount-Thabor of his Agilitie by walking vpon the waters of his subtiltie in his birth and of his impassibilitie escapeing often tymes without hurt out of the hands of the Iewes who one while would stone him at another tyme would throw him headlōg downe while as yet the tyme of his suffering death for our sake was not arriued The pleasure of the Senses LV. THe glorious bodie being in this sort as it were transformed by the foure qualities which I haue touched in the former stroke O Athanasia iudge you how exquisite the pleasures of the senses shall be which they shall enioy in Organes so perfectly well disposed It is a delightfull question in Diuinitie to know whether the dowrie of impassibilitie shall exclude the act of the senses which S. THOMAS deneyes by no lesse solide then subtile arguments and shewes contrariwise that the perfection of those qualities shall render the pleasures of the Senses more pure and their delightes more excellēt He seemes to make some exception of the Sēse of tasteing for that the Kingdome of Heauen being nether meate nor drinke but ioy and Peace in the Holy Ghost and the beatified body stāding in no neede of foode to sustaine it he thinkes that this Sense made to relish meates remaynes vnprofitable and he would
Hell's Eternitie as that we doe not more thinke of his Eternitie who made them both this for the Diuells and their associates that for the Angells and the Elect. O eternall Diuinitie ô Diuine Eternitie thou art he whom I consider and whom I seake for to thee onely it is that I aspire for without thee the created Eternitie would not bee since it doth not subsiste but by the eternall essence of the essentiall Eternitie which is no other thē God himselfe And yet further to purisie myne affection and bring it to its full perfection henceforth I will not so much loue the Eternitie of God as the God of Eternitie though God be that same Eternitie and that same Eternitie be God himselfe And if by the imagination of an impossible thing one could be in Hell with his grace his accursed Eternitie would not be dreadfull nor is the Blessed Eternitie to be desired but that eternall life is to see God eternally eternally to depēd vpon him O eternall God! who is like vnto thee who is like vnto thee who is like vnto our Lord God who inhabites in the places aboue And what Eternitie can be compared vnto his from whom proceedes all Eternitie seing he hath made the ages of ages O Great God direct my wayes in thy presence and make me walke before thee in perfection that is perfect in such sort my intentions that forgetting myne owne interest and nether staying my selfe in the blessed or accursed Eternitie I may onely looke after thyne essentiall Eternitie which is thy selfe to whom be honour and glorie from generation to generation for euer and euer in the Eternitie of Eternities Amen An aspiration of Hope LXXIII BVt ô Lord will it not be too great a presumption for a worme of the earth to rayse it selfe towards thyne infinite Eternitie and promisse himselfe one day in thy glorie to be vnited thervnto Yea verily it were a manifest vanitie if a soule should persuade her selfe that of her selfe and by the strength of her owne winge she could wind her selfe thither But as of her selfe she can doe nothing so together with thee being fortified by thee what can she not performe ô great God since she holds her whole beeing of thy Grace What may she not what ought she not to expect from thy grace since it is written that thy grace is eternall life And againe with what confidence must not her heart needs be encouraged when she shall cast the eyes of her consideration vpon the great price and infinite merites of thyne eternall Sonne ô eternall Father a Sonne who hath layed her open the way to Eternitie not by the blood of gotes or calues but acquiring vnto her by his owne blood an eternall and plentuous redemption O my soule what are we not to hope from the Mercy of so good a God and who hath loued vs with an eternall and excessiue Charitie a Charitie so excessiue that he bestowed his owne Sonne to be the propitiation for our Sinnes When we were dead by our crymes his grace restored vs to life Our Sauiour dying vpō the Crosse did quicken vs by his death and the same reuiuour doth promise vs a like resurrection and ascending vnto heauen he goes to prepare vs a place before the Throne of his glorie Which made the great Apostle writing to the Ephesians say that God who is rich in mercy for his exceding Charitie wherwith he loued vs euen while we were dead by sinnes quickened vs together in CHRIST by whose grace we are salued and hath raysed vs vp with him selfe making vs sit with him in the celestials in IESVS CHRIST shewing to future ages the abundant riches of his grace through his benignitie towards vs in IESVS CHRIST And the Prince of the Apostles S. PETER Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord IESVS CHRIST who according to his great Mercy hath regenerated vs vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of IESVS CHRIST from the deade vnto an inheritance incorruptible and incontaminate and that cannot fade conserued in the Heauens in you For what ought not those to hope for who are inrowled as members in the misticall body of the Holy Church whose heade he is being most reasonable that the Champions should follow their Commander in his triumph if they did accompanie him in his Combats vnder the Banner of the Crosse You that haue followed me said he to his Apostles you shall be set vpon seates in the Kingdome which my Father hath prepared for you in Eternitie There it is that the Elect like vnto Eagles shall flocke about the bodie of the glorious humanitie of our Redeemour and where crowned with the crowne of Iustice they shall lay them downe at the feet of this Lābe Conquerour of the earth and who vanquished the world And if the eternall Father hath giuen vs his Sonne how will not he giue vs all things with him especially since this Sonne hath the key of DAVID key Scepter of his Empire vpon his shouldiers A key with which he opens and none can shut Behold saith S. IOHN what Charitie the eternall Father hath communicated vnto vs that we should be named and be his Sonnes and if his Sonnes his Heires also Heires truely of God and Coheires of CHRIST It was this holy hope that moued the Psalmists heart so generously to lanch out as by so many flightes towards the blessed Eternitie Come let vs ascend into the Hill of our Lord and into the house of the God of IACOB Hope in him all yee congregations of the faithfull for those that hope in him vnderstād the truth of his promises those that are faithfull in his loue doe place their confidence therin Those that hope in him shall not be confounded for euer for such as put their confidence in him shall be no more shaken then the Mountaine of Sion but replenished with ioy in the expectation of the eternall felicitie they cryed out I reioyced when I was told that we were to goe into the house of our Lord. And indeed what is not a man to hope of an infinite Bountie what ought not one to expect from so solemne promises and whose truth remaynes for euer No Lord neuer neuer will I forget thy iustifications for it is by them that thou hast giuen me life I doe firmely beleeue that if my soule doe constantly adheare vnto thee thy right hand will receaue one into thy bosome O how happie are those whom thou hast chosen and taken as thyne for they shall dwell in thyne eternall Court for euer and euer Let 's make no doubt of it my soule he that by his grace moues vs to tend to this goale will not forsake vs in the midst of our course and in so faire a way but since his workes are perfect he will heape grace vpon grace and will make vs happily arriue at the Port and point of all consummation O God draw vs after thee sith it is thee alone whom we search and