22.17 and effectually to assure themselues of some important truth and God himselfe did sweare by himselfe to fortify his promise that he made to blesse Abraham to multiply his seed as the Starres of heauen and as the sand of the Sea Thereof it is that in publicke iustice they cause men to hold vp their hand or to put it vpon their breast to the honour of God the soueraigne Iustice and in fauour of innocency and right The fifth shall meditate how God is not content to giue this commandement but also would add a threate to those that should break it God will not hold him innocent who shall take the name of the Lord his God in vaine This is to shew the enormity of the sinne to put a bridle in the mouth of men who doe easily fall into this fault and to giue them to vnderstand that thereof doe come the greatest part of tribulations and aduersities wherewith men are afflicted in their body wiues children and goods And therfore Ecclesiast sayth Thy mouth shall not be accustomed to swearing Eccl. 23. for there are many inconueniences therein And againe The man that sweareth much shall be filled with iniquity Matth. 5.34 and the sword shall not depart from his house And the same Wisedome not to giue footing or food to such a custome cōmandeth a contrary extreme that is not to sweare at al Sweare not neyther by Heauen nor earth nor by Hierusalem let your words be yea yea no no an aduertisement also giuen by S. Iames in the same words Iac. 5.12 The prayer or speach to God shall be thus My Lord thou hast giuen me a hart to belieue in thee hope in thee and to loue thee with all my capacity and my tongue as an interpreter of my hart and an instrument accorded and tuned thereunto to exalt thy holy Name with the harmony of a liuely Fayth and stronge Hope and sincere Charity to sing the prayses of thy greatnes all the dayes of my life continue if it please thee to deale well with thy seruāt for thy bounty is bottomlesse and giue me grace to employ my tongue to that vse for which thou hast placed it in my mouth let it be only to prayse thee to thank thee for thy benefits to confesse thee Creatour of heauen and earth Redeemer of mankind and iudge of the quicke and dead Keep it if it please thee that it be neuer loosed not only to vanity against thy holy name but not so much as vnto any idle word that it may name thee with verity iudgement and iustice sing to thee with sincerity and exalt thee with thankesgiuing for euer and euer Amen The after-dinner and Euening of the fifth dayes Iourney Diuers Meditations and Prayers CHAP. XIII AFTER dinner the Pilgrime shall make this meditation vpon some other matter proper for the day or he shall resume some point of his morning meditation or shall say his beades or some other prayer to the B. Virgin admiring her vertues purposing to imitate her and to that end demanding her help and assistance In the euening he shall bewaile the sinnes that are so cōmonly committed against this holy commandement and the euills that come therof demanding of God for himselfe and others grace to amend and shall say O Lord thy name is holy for it nameth the Holy of holyes none do comprehend the Maiesty thereof but thy selfe and the ignorance of many mortall men is lamentable in that they know it not and the peruersity of men is abhominable in that knowing it they do most wickedly dishonour it their mouth is full of blasphemy and their tongue eloquent in vanity Language of vanity their discourses interlaced with vnprofitable oathes and detestable periuryes The Souldier is not gallant except he braue it in swearing the Merchant cannot sell except he forsweare the Doctour the Priest the Iudge the women children venture to sweare and forsweare and to profane with their tongue that Name which is only to be adored And do we meruaile if the wrath of thy iustice doth rayne vpon our heads so many calamityes If warre plague famine doe persecute vs If heresy armed with our sinnes ouerruning Christendome so many yeares doe trouble the peace ouerthrow trafficke bring in robbers and tread vnder foot all lawes of God and man Let vs rather meruaile that we feele no greater euills But O Lord notwithstanding be gentle and mercifull as thou art keeping vs from incurring thy iust anger pardon vs if it please thee our faults past and keep vs from committing any more heerafter and giue vs grace alwayes to employ our tongue to the Confession and prayse of thy holy Name And so he shall betake himselfe to his lodging whither his good Angell shall bring him The sixth Day A Meditation vpon the third Commandement Remember to sanctify the day of Rest CHAP XIV The seruice of God with preparatiō THE morning meditation of the sixth day shall be of the third Commandement with the accustomed preparation and the first preamble shall set before his eyes the wordes of the Law as grauen in stone REMEMBER THOV SANCTIFY THE DAY OF REST as in the other And the second shall demand grace to reap spirituall profit of this present meditation The pointes shall be these In the first must be obserued that this third Commandement is giuen that solemnely with leasure and preparation and without any disturbance of worldly affaires and businesse we might put in practise the two precedent that is to adore God confesse and giue thankes by first fruites sacrifices offeringes and almes to prayse and sing forth his holy name Euery day we should remember this day and therefore it is sayd expressely Remember thee and thinke thereof expect it seruing God the best that we can euery man apart by himselfe the other dayes of the weeke amidst the presse of our temporall affaires But when that day is come al the children of God come togeather vnto his house to find tyme and place for this deuotion as the most important of all that they may performe it in common as perfectly as may be The second shall consider This feast is the remembrāce of the worke of God that this seauenth day of rest was giuen to the Iewes to acknowledge the benefit of the Creation of the world and with a continuall and weekly memory renew the remembrance thereof also to signify the eternall rest and repose which Iesus Christ was by his death to gaine vnto vs regenerating vs into new creatures first by his Sacraments in this life and after by his Resurrection to glory He therfore being come and we hauing gotten this rest and glory figured by the Iews Sabboth he would that the church should leaue the figure put in place thereof our Lords day Why the Iewes feast is turned to Sunday the Sunday the day of his glorious Resurrection and the closer of
he cometh weake out of the wombe of his Mother yet mightily he preserueth the virginity of his Mother he is swadled in poore cloathes but is enlightned with the splendour of heauen In his Circumcision he was reckoned among sinners Phil. 1. but he took a Name aboue al names whereat euery knee should bow in heauen earth and vnder the earth In this apparition and visitation of the Sages he seemed obscure and a poore man among men but he is honoured by the Starres and adored by the Kinges And so in all the rest of his life and especially in his Death wherin we may see a wonderfull weauing togeather in one webbe of thinges contrary and opposite which encounter in this Tragedy The Sonne of God is nayled to a tree as feeble faulty and yet as soueraigne he giueth letters of grace and as an Almighty God of a great thiefe malefactor he maketh a great and holy Confessour he endureth the torments of temporall death and promiseth the Paradise of eternall life men blaspheme him on earth and the starres do moane him in heauen The Iewes more hard then stones haue no compassion of his anguishes but the Rockes rent the Graues opened the Sun darkened to mourne for his death Of al these encounters the deuout soule shall learne the wisedome and power of this Lord hauing giuen vs so goodly instructions to teach vs to admire loue and serue him The third parte of the Meditation Of the Returne of the three Kinges CHAP. XXXVII The prouidence of God towards the Iust Psalm 33.16 THE third point shal containe the Meditation of the Returne of the three Kinges who being from heauen aduertised in their sleep not to returne by Herod tooke another way towardes their country In this aduertisement we must acknowledge and confesse the prouidence of God watching in the protection of them that serue him with a royal mind to deliuer them from danger and conduct them to a sure hauen notwithstanding all the stormes and contrary windes of this boysterous world and her worldlings By the same consideration is discouered the folly of the Tyrant Herod who thought by his craft and subtilty to deceaue not only men 1. Cor. 3.19 but God also and to catch him in the snares of his cruelty but the soueraigne wisedome deluded his folly and calling vnto him in spite of this worldly bloudy King these stranger-Kings to take honour and homage of them signifieth vnto vs that happy prey of soules The Magi the first fruites of our faith S. Leoser 2. de Ep. which in the sight of Sathan signifyed by Herod he did carry with him in the person of these conuerted Kings as the first fruits of our fayth Christian calling gathered out of the haruest of the Gentils And this is that which God before by his Prophet sayd of his Sonne newly borne Call his name Hasten to spoile for before the Child can call Father or Mother the strength of Damascus shall be taken away the spoile of Samaria Isa 8.3 in presence of the King of the Assyrians This is Iesus who not tarying as other men do for age fit to fight hath being but a child gotten the victory this noble spoile and subdued vnto him the force of Damascus and Samaria tho strength of Idolatry and the errours of the Pagan world and this in the sight of the King of Assyria Sathan the king of this world and vpon this consideration the good Pilgrime may say as followeth speaking to himselfe and to his God What sayst thou heere my soule And where shall thy eyes rest in the variety of so many wonders To his soule Wilt thou consider the greatnes or the littlenes of this Child Eyther of theÌ„ exceed the conceites of man Wilt thou behould the Maiesty the modesty the ioy of this heauenly Mother holding in her armes this litle-great King whilest the other Kinges did honour and adore with their deuotion and guifts Thyne eyes are dazelled in the light of this Maiesty and cleane lost in the depth of this humility Contemplate the deuotion the piety the submission the bounty of these thinges Thou art not capable to conceaue this do better then and confesse thyne incapacity in all adore this King as well in his littlenes as in his greatnes admire the vertues of his Mother imitate the humility and deuotion of these Kinges and say with an humble and feruent hart O my King and Sauiour gouerne me To God saue me be my guide in my pilgrimage my confort in afflictions my strength in temptations giue me of thy Gold Incense and Myrrh of thy bounty of thy diuinity of thy humanity to make vnto thee a pleasant offering of my presents and to returne by thy direction and vnder thy protection to myne owne country whence my Father and all his posterity were banished With these three Meditations he shall end this day The thirtith day and the ninth and last of his Aboad A Meditation of the Presentation of IESVS in the Temple CHAP. XXXVIII IN this last day of our Pilgrimes aboad he shall prepare himselfe to confesse and receaue happily to end and conclude his nyne dayes of stay there to depart the next morning with the greater light and courage being purged of his sinnes and armed with this pretious food and Viaticum His meditation shall be of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin and of the oblation she made of her deere child in the Temple fourty dayes after that he was borne The Law of Purification Leuit. 1â— Luc. 2. At midnight he may briefly remeÌ„ber the history of this old Ceremony of the â—ews which giueth the grouÌ„d to this Christian solemnity and to his meditation The history is that it was coÌ„manded by an expresse law that the woman who was brought to bed should be vncleane a weeke if she brought forth a sonne and two if a daughter and should remaine sometyme in her house The Sacrifice for Purification Leuit. 12. Luc. 2. before she came into the Temple not touching any thing that was holy to wit fourty dayes for a sonne fourscore for a daughter which dayes being expired she came to the Temple to offer her fruit with a Lambe of one yeare old or a Pigeon or Turtle which were sacrificed the Lambe as an holocaust for thankes-giuing the Pigeon or Turtle for expiation of sinne If the Mother could not haue a Lambe either for the tyme of the yeare or by reason of her pouerty The males consecrated to God she offered two PigeoÌ„s or Turtles to the same effect Moreouer the Male first-borne by right of being the eldest was consecrated to God and pertained vnto him to serue in his house but because God had chosen all the Tribe of Leui for the seruice of his Altars he permitted them of other Tribes to redeeme their first-borne with fiue sicles of siluere and so to be deliuered of that obligation The B.
gall to eate and vineger to drinke but himselfe neuer receiued such vsage at the Iewes hands but it was thou O sweet Lambe the true Dauid who didst tast the bitternes of this gall the sharpnes of this vineger Our Sauiour tormented ouer all his body The same Prophet sayd that they had numbred his bones of thee he did speake for he beheld with his foreseeing and Propheticall eyes thy precious body stretched out vpon the Crosse with such violeÌ„ce that men might tell thy bones and there was no part or member in thee which had not his proper torment Thy skinne was torne with the stripes of the roddes thy head crowned with thornes thy feete and hands nayled thine eyes striken with the sight not onely of thine enemies but also of thy friends and namely of thy sorrowfull mother whom I behold at the foote of thy Crosse Our B. Lady at the foote of the Crosse and whome thou seest also striken in her soule with that sword of sorrow which good old Simeon did foretell thou seest her alas with an eye watered with teares and bloud these are the torments of thine eyes Thine eares are beaten with the blasphemies and mockeries of thy persecutors thy hart is afflicted with our afflictions thy backe loaden with the waight of our sinnes and finally Dauid did forsee thee in the light of his spirit which knew things to come he did contemplate thee in this Crosse oppressed with torments and filled with reproaches as a man forlorne without all help or force The reproache of men and the refuse of the people who preferred a murderer and a thiefe before the author of life a man who was thought to be forsaken and abandoned by God there hence it is that thy grand-father wrote that verse which thou camest to pronounce O sweet Redeemer My God my God why hast thou forsaken me wordes that very emphatically doe declare the rigour of thy affliction Deus Dâ—â—â—meus Psal 21. Math. 27. Marc. 15. and with a diuine eloquence dost represent thee as forsaken of God yet by interrogation without affirming in apparence and outward shew not in truth For God had not forsaken thee yea he hath nothing so deere in heaueÌ„ or earth as thee his onely Sonne which he testifyed at that time by the dole and mourning of the whole world when he commanded the sunne to eclipse when he made the moone loose her light the earth to tremble the rockes to riue the graues to open in signe of thy griefes and sorrowes and in detestatioÌ„ of the malice of thy tormentors Why the death of our Sauiour was so long before figured foretold It was therfore the enormity of thy torments which these words declared and not any forgetfullnes of thy Father Heere suffer me O my sweet Sauiour to aske thee why thou didst cause the tenor and forme of so many torments to be so liuely expressed and fortold and why thou wouldest endure them Hast thou foretold them to proue therby that thou wert God that thy death was not by chance but a voluntary charity a designement of thy wisedome and infinite bounty towards man made long before hand a mercy proiected in the closet and counsell of thy Eternity for who could so particularly foretell so many and so diuers actions happened in this tragedy that knew them not Onely God perceiueth forseeth future things Esa 41.13 And who could know them being so remote and so vnlâ—kely but only God but thy self to whose eye all things are present And who could haue belieued that thou wouldest loue vs so soone and so happily and wouldest endure so much for vs if thou hadst not giuen vs aduertisement before hand of all that thou didest suffer vpon the Crosse But why wouldest thou endure so much O the Redeemer of my soule yea why wouldst thou suffer death or any paine at all seeing to the Redemption of man it sufficed that thou wert made man Why our Sauiour suffered so much though thou hadst suffered nothing but liued in the glory of a rich King in commanding the whole world and taking homage of all thy creatures which is due vnto thee by al titles of souerainty Why O Lord making thy selfe man wouldest thou abase thy selfe vnder our basenes after thou hadst left all and insteed of riches pleasures and honours didst choose pouerty paine and humility didst lead a life which was noâ—hing but a continuall pennance thou wouldst besides suffer death the death of the Crosse that is most bitter in griefes and anguishes most cruell in torments most shamefull and ignominious in iniuries a death armed with the fury of all the powers of hell irritated with all the vices conspired together of all notable sinners Kings Princes souldiers Iudges Priests all sorts of people wicked The 1. cause to shew his loue to his Father The 2. to shew his loue to man proper to performe an exploite of enormous cruelty Why O Lord hast thou chosen this thorny way And this field so full of asperities Is it to shew thy exceeding loue to thy Father suffering for him in our behalf whatsouer could be suffered For it is the touchstone of affliction that maketh the sure proofe of firme friendship to any man Or is it moreouer to make man see the treasures of thy charity towards him sparing nothing for his saluation not onely making thy self poore to enrich vs infirme to fortify vs little to exalt vs but also giuing thy life the most precious gift which a man can giue for his friend and vndergoing death with a thousand torments to deliuer vs from eternall death with a pleÌ„tifull aboÌ„dant fine of propitiation paiable to the diuine Iustice and therefore the same Prophet sayd that with our Lord is mercy and with him is found plentifull Redemption Hast thou not suffered so much to make man see the enormity of his sinne Psal 129. which must needs be purged with so precious a life painefull a death The 3. cause to shew the enormity of sinne My sinnes then are they that haue lifted thee vpon the Crosse they haue torne thy skinne they haue crowned thee with thornes they haue nayled thy hands and feete they haue entertained thee with gall and vineger O then my soule sinne no more for thy sinnes are the cause of this parricide bring no more forth the butchers of thy Redeemer after hauing receiued so many signes of his fauour towards thee Finally O gentle Lambe hast thou vndertaken and suffered this painfull and ignominious death To teach thy children how they must suffer 4. To giue vs example to suffer Giuing them an excellent patterne of thy life of thy death to imitate and to suffer for the honour of God and to carry his Crosse For seeing the head captaine is the formost in the fight and assalt seeing the King is the first hath the greatest part in paines and punishmeÌ„t
a courage Each one may say this specially beginners and a desire faythfull to finish it giue me also if it please thee strength and force let me suffer vpon the earth of my pilgrimage seeing I am one of Adams children condeÌ„ned to traâ—aile but let it be for thy sake and vnder the banner of thyne only Sonne Iesus Christ for I know that torments and death suffered by such a title vnder such a Captaine containe an earnest of the ioyes of thy felicity and of life euerlasting Aboue all keep me O Lord from being of the number of those who like euill pilgrimes seeke the labyrinthes of this world and not the wayes of heauen who forgetting their owne condition become insteed of wise pilgrimes as they should be mad and senseles vagabondes and after many courses perish in the desert buried in the dust which they should tread vnder foot Alas What seek they in their base dwelling Doe they thinke to find true repose in the countrey of famine of thornes of thistles Life in the region of death The vanity of worldlinges Triumph in the field of battell place of warre Heere is not the place that they must seeke such aduentures nor yet aske them Neither doe I aske it of thee O Lord I desire of thee heere the victory ouer thyne enemies and myne let the honour of the triumph if I deserue any be reserued to a better tyme and place in the spring time of thine eternity in the land of thy children in myne owne home not in a strange Countrey let the wise of this world triumph in their countrey The Romans triumphed in Rome not in strange CouÌ„treys and thy children in heauen the house and citty of their Father O glorious Virgin most pure Mother most puissant Queene in this eternity in this countrey we speake of thou art my Aduocate seeing thou art content to be so to all men that choose thee for such and fight for Heauen vnder thy protection fortify and second my prayers by thy intercession and procure them to be heard that hauing learned to honour and adore with all my hart thy Sonne in thy house of Loreto I may also adore him enioy him and magnify him for euer in his celestiall pallace The Pilgrime being refreshed with this spirituall repast shall march on his morning with his accustomed exercises The after dinner and Euening of the second day That euery Christian must suffer and beare his Crosse CHAP. IIII. IN the Afternoone he shall repeate the points of his morning Meditation and doing it with attention he shall draw thence two instructions The first The errour of worldly men that they are greatly deceaued who carrying the name of Christians and calling themselues pilgrimes vpon earth giue themselues notwithstanding to pleasures enemies of the Crosse of all that may afflict the body and for the good of the soule they thinke it sufficient that our Sauiour hath endured for vs yea and that we doe iniury to the merits of his passion to suffer any thing with him or after him people buried in the blindenes of their sensuality neither acknowledging what they haue receaued of him nor what they should render him againe nor the good they may get by suffering for him The benefit that man reapeth by the paines and passion of our Sauiour is no exemption from al payne An instructioÌ„ but from the eternall which only is to be feared to which sinne hath bound and tyed vs from the which bond no other fine Profitable and glorious to suffer with Christ Ioan. 14. and ransome could deliuer vs but the infinite merits of such a Redeemer as for temporall paynes it is so farre of that he hath therby exempted vs as that cleane contrary he hath inuited and bound vs by his example his wâ—rd and promise of reward recompense I haue giuen you example sayth he that you may doe as you haue seene me doe And againe Whosoeuer will follow me let him deny himselfe take vp his Crosse and follow me And S. Mat. â—6 Peter plainely sayth Our Sauiour hath suffered for vs leauing you an example to follow his steppes And S. Paul Rom. 8.17 We shal be glorifyed with him if we suffer with him And surely naturall reason doth teach vs that to be true which our Sauiour sayth Luc. 6.40 The Scholler is not aboue his Maister And it were a monstrous thing to see a souldier playing at Dice and drinking himselfe drunke in his Pauilion whilest his Generall with his armour on his backe in the field endureth the heat and the dust exposing himselfe to labours and dangers of death By the example and wordes of our Sauiour we haue eternall glory promised to our trauailes Happy are you sayth he to his Apostles and in them to all Christiansâ— when men curse you and persecute you Matth. 5. for great is your reward in heauen A promise that should liuely stirre vs vp if we haue any feeling of true glory to runne with a great courage in this race of tribulations and wants and to endure all paine for the loue of God and thus doing we honour him following and seruing him and accomplish his commandement and winne to our selues therein a crowne of immortality And those that do contrary are the children of confusion vnfaithfull seruants cowardly souldiers very sluggards taking occasion of dastardy of the same thinges that should moue them to fight valiantly The true Christian must alwayes goe forward in vertue CHAP. V. THE second instruction the Pilgrime shall take of his Meditation is that as he that will well performe his pilgrimage must euery day gayne ground so he that will come to heauen must euery day profit in vertue and iustice And as the true Pilgrime doth not cease to walke whilst he is Pilgrime Pern epist 91. 204. so sayth S. Bernard He that is truely iust neuer saith it is inough He is alwayes hungry alwayes thirsty of iustice and if he should liue alwayes he would labour alwayes to be wiser so that if it be a perfect desire to haue a will alwayes to profit and goe forward not to haue this will is to go backeward and where a man beginneth to haue a will not to be better there he ceaseth to be good The true Pilgrime should alwayes winne ground and aduance himselfe to God wardes and this endeauour concerneth not only Religious persons as people doe thinke but all men Inclination to perfectioÌ„ is natural and namely Christians Reason teacheth vs that each thing tendeth to be better then it is plants and trees liue to increase to flourish and fructify which is their perfection and if a Cherry-tree could expresse his naturall inclination it would say that it desireth to grow to the highest degree of goodnes that any tree of that kind could attaine vnto and so would all other creatures say Why then should not man haue the like inclination
therfore it is that he shewed himselfe to accept the sacrifice of Abel and checked Cain for hypocrisy Gen. 4.4 and after speaking to Abraham Father of his people Walke sayth he before me and be perfect I will make my couenant with thee Gen. 15. and I will multiply thee exceedingly Walke that is do well I will giue thee a rich reward of thy fidelity and good works and as he sayd a little before I am thy reward too-to great The last iudgmeÌ„t shall be vpon our workes In the new Testament there is nothing oftener or more earnestly recommended vnto vs then good workes All the sermons of our Sauiour are founded vpon this Theme and in one of them he foretelleth that at his great day at the shuting vp of the world he will iudge men for their good or bad workes Matt. 10.42 to eternall glory or confusion and in one place he promiseth reward euen vnto a cupp of cold water giuen for his sake shewing that he will leaue nothing though neuer so small without recompence Rom. 2.10 Matt. 25. Apoc. 22.12 so carefull he is to encourage vs to do well His Apostles and seruants S. Paul S. Iohn and others haue spoken in like sort preaching alwayes that God will render vnto euery man according to his workes and liuing agreeably to their preaching How good workes merit paradise The second shall note that good workes measured by the foot of bare nature without any other quality and as an effect only of free will doe not merit eternall glory a limited action hauing no proportion to a recompence of an infinit valew but being considered not in it selfe but as grafted in heauenly grace and the infinite vigour of the holy Ghost dwelling in the soule giuing it the right of adoption towardes God by the merits of Iesus Christ The woÌ„derful beginning oâ— birth of naturall thinges it contayneth in this respect the price of euerlasting glory And as we see in nature a little liuely seed to containe in it a hidden vertue and force to bring forth a great tree and fruit without number as for example a little nut incloseth in the seed a Nut-tree and millions of Nuttes and as many trees by succession for euer after so in a supernaturall sort the action of morall vertues quickened by the grace of God carieth a title and seed of the kingdome of heauen this is a meruailous strength vertue Prosper in Psal 111. and it is also from God whereupon S. Prosper sayth What can be found more strong and puissant then this seed by the growth filling wherof is gained the k ngdome of Heauen We know also that inheritance is due by iustice to adoptiue children in like sort is the inheritance of heauen due to the Christian that serueth his heauenly Father with the Charity loue of a true child And in title of this grace and adoption God promiseth felicity to his children and by his promise bindeth himselfe in iustice to giue vnto their vertue the reward of life euerlasting 2. Tim. 48 and therefore S. Paul sayth confidently I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the fayth for the rest there is reserued for me a Crowne of iustice which our Lord the iust Iudge shall render to me at that day and not only to me but to all that loue his comming He would say I haue done good works How â—od bindeth himselfe by his promise and by them deserued a crowne which God hath promised to all those that serue him and therefore I expect it as a thing due from his hand who gaue me the grace to worke well who by his promise is bound to crowne my workes and all that serue him And elswhere speaking of the adoption of the children of God If we be sonnes sayth he then heires that is Rom. 8. by right of adoption we haue heauen for well doing Now God had giuen this right grace freely to Adam he hauing lost it by his owne fault the Messias that is the sonne of God Iesus Christ How Iesus hath recouered what Adam lost was promised to recouer him and his posterity who at last comming into the world and being made Man hath meritted by his Passion in fauour and behalf of all men his brethren past present to come wherewith their workes are made liuing workes in iustice meritorious of life euerlasting Iesus the root of al merit if they be lyuely members of their head Redeemer Therefore in the first fountaine that is by the merit of Iesus Christ we merit life euerlasting and our recompence which is the glory of the goodnes and iustice of God and such as say that our merits do derogate â—rom the honour of God are ignorant of the law of God and of the vertue of our Sauiour iniurious to the same God himself to the merit of the same Sauiour The idle person is worse theÌ„ the beast The third point shall consider how he that doth no good workes doth abase his owne dignity vnder the vnreasonable and vnsensible creatures al which do worke according to their power The heauens do compasse the earth make it fertill with their influence the sunne and starres doe shiâ—â— the beastes plants elements cease not to moue and labour all the partes of the vniuersall world are in perpetual Action and employ themselues without rest to the end to which their Creatour made them If the idle be punished how much more the ill occupied That man therefore who standeth idle is a monster amongst insensible Creatures hauing so good helpes aboue them and the promise of eternall felicity which they haue not if he labour not nor serueth the maister that made him to woâ—ke and serue him is worthy of eternall misery and confusion although he should do none other ill but what death deserâ—eth he that not only dooth no good but also committeth sinnes withoâ—t number The prayer The speach shall be to God vpon the misery of man and shall begge grace to attend to good and holy Actions to his seruice in these or like termes O Lord of Angells and men what shall I â—ay after this mâ—ditation of thy workes and the workes of men Vpon thy lawes and their loyalty and obedience What shall should saâ— in my prayer of the mâ—sâ—â—y of man of thy greatnes Of his ingratitude and thy liberaâ—ity Of my pouerty and thy strength and vertue Thou hast made man O Lord that is chief Captaine of all thy other corporall creatures to thyne owne image and likenes furnished and coupled his nature with an immortall soule with an vnderstanding and freewill two noble instruments to do noble actioÌ„s and highly to prayse thee in them I contrary wise for getting my selfe and my degree only amongst all creatures haue ceased to do well and haue beene compared vnto bruit beastes Psal
brimstone with an intolerable stench and ech of all their partes and specially of those that haue been instruments of their villanies The Cholericke and cruell shal haue for their whips and scourges their owne passions and the fury of the fiends The Gluttons shall be serued at the table of Hell fed with serpents and toades and drinke of the cuppe of the wrath of God The Enuious shall beare in their bosomes euer-liuing scorpions who shall sting them to an immortall rage The Slouthfull shall be beaten with the rodes of his owne rechlesnes vexed with a particuler torment of body and soule These shall be the proportions of euery one and all in generall shall haue the horrour of that hellish company of darknes of cries howlinges one of another The eternity of hell torments The third point shall be to consider that al these torments besides that they are vnspeakable and continuall shall also be euerlasting This eternity is that which giueth the forme the name of Hell to that hellish misery and without it there should be no Hell of torments nor paradise of pleasure This shall be the great hart-breake to the damned The cause of the daÌ„neds rage and sting their soule with a raging grief that they shal suffer without ceasing they shall also see without ceasing that it shall alwayes be so They shall alwayes pay the interest of their sinnes committed and yet shal alwayes be behind in errerages they shal alwayes pay and their debt increase still that which shall be past though it were ten milions of ages shall be reckoned for nothing and the future tyme shall be followed with another future as long as all Eternity The forme of this Eternity shall flye as a fierce fury continually before their eyes beating her vnwearied wings and hissing her horrour into their eares shall couch it selfe in the depth of their imagination and grauing there the marke and round circle of these eternall ages shall breed therein the sting and immortall rage of a furious desperation O soueraigne bounty What monster may sinne be that could so incense either thyne anger or thy clemency against it O sinne how abhominable art thou seeing no payne is sufficient to punish and chastice thee but eternall O mortall men what thinke you of when you defile your soules with the familiarity of this plague this death this confusioÌ„ Where is your wit to loose glory delight and riches of heauen for a fond pleasure for a foule delight for a brutish vanity with this inestimable losse throwing your selues head-long into euerlasting damnation O my soule thinke heereof delay no longer thinke of it betymes all tyme of repentance is good tyme flye the danger of eternall euills whilest the mercy of God inuiteth thee and doth promise thee help and assistance and recompence for thy labour O my Lord I will serue thee with all my soule and withall my soule renounce all vanity and doe vow from henceforth eternal emnity to thy great and immortall enemy who hath furnished so much matter to thy iustice to build these mansions of darknes confusion death O Virgin Queene and Mother most pure most great and puissant further the desires of thy Pilgrime and deuoted suppliant and by thy credit obtayne that he may happily performe the good desires and designements which thy Sonne his Redeemer and Lord hath by thyne intercâ—ssion planted in his hart The After-dinner and Euening of the twentith dayes Iourney Other Meditations of the paynes of the damned CHAP. XLV THE two other partes of the day shall be employed in the consideration of the infinite number of soules lost The lost soules since the beginning of the world vnto this tyme also an infinit number that daily are and will be lost from this tyme to the end of this world Soules alas lost dead deadly groaning in the gulfe of their torments byting their tongue for fury that seeke for death and cannot find it Apo. 18.10 being buryed in the bowells of death it selfe dying alwayes and yet cannot dye liuing alwayes and yet cannot liue that curse the day of their birth and the name and memory of their Progenitours detesting the earth they so much loued the heauens and the starres that they could not see and foâ—â—ul measure of theâ— impiety they blaspheme the Maiesty of thy Creatour and haue no rest neither day nor night All thinges are to them affliction all is night and darkenes all is gall and bitternes all tears and gnashing all griefe and despaire Death can neither end them nor ouercome them wheresoeuer they cast the eyes of their vnderstanding they find themselues on euery side coÌ„passed and inclosed with the barres of eternity without all hope not only to escape out of the prison of this dolefull and lamentable being and worse a thousand times then not being at all but also to haue ease or respit By this consideration the Pilgrime shall learne more and more the malignity of sinne and shall harden himselfe to the hatred thereof and at night he shall yield thankes to the mercy of God for the tyme and respit he hath giuen him with a thousand meanes to do pennance in this life and to abstaine from sinne that he might auoyd these paines reserued for sinners in this euerlasting prison And after he hath in good time taken vp his lodging to prepare himselfe with leasure to the last meditation of his third weeke and the day of his arriuall The one and twentith Day Of Generall Confession and of the parts of Pennance CHAP. XLVI THIS one and twentith day is the last of the first part of this Pilgrimage wherin the Pilgrime must prepare him selfe with his best endeauour to pennance purgation of his soule which is the end of this part the more worthily to appeare in the house of the B. Virgin that he goeth to visit a Virgin of purity mother of purity and Queene of purity This preparation shall be in the chiefe foundation and exact and entire confession of all his sinnes since his last Confession or if need be To whoÌ„ generall confessioÌ„ is necessary generally of all his life since his yeares of discretion or from some other markeable time This is the Confession commonly called Generall necessary to him that was neuer so confessed or was ill confessed either by concealing any mortall sinne willingly or for want of good disposition necessary to a Penitent that is without sorrow for sinnes committed Sorrow and purpose of amendement necessary or firme purpose of amending or for hauing beene confessed to such as wanted either knowledge to help him or authority to absolue him to others that haue beene daily confessed this generall is not necessary yet to them also it is profitable for thereby gathering as it were into one heape the multitude of our sinnes we procure a confusion so much the more holesome by how much it is greater The profit of general
it O mortall men whereto leuelleth the sight of your swollen eyes where doe you cast the ancker of your light hopes what get you and to what danger of destruction doe you driue your selues what shall become of riches gathered by theft and iniquity Against worldlinges what shall become of your rapines vsuries what gayne you winning earth and loosing heauen what heape you vp but the treasure of the vengeaÌ„ce of God See you not hell open to swallow you and eternall death expecting with her lawes gaping to make a prey of your lost soules for euer and euer O sweet Iesus make vs if it may please thee in loue with thy rich pouerty amorous of thy eternall riches and contemners of these earthly treasures Luc. 13.33 and feare full of dreadfull death and pouerty eternall Neuer let it befall vs to cast our handes on other meÌ„s goods but to stretch them out to giue them of our owne and get heauen in giuing earth according to that holy trafike which thou hast taught vs. The After-dinner and Euening of the eleueÌ„th dayes Iourney Diuers Considerations of Auarice punished and Liberality practised by the Saintes CHAP. XXVI IN this second part of the day Diuers punishments of the couetous the Pilgrime shal make some spirituall discourse neere vnto the morning meditation he shall bring into his memory the punishment of theeues rouers church-robbers vsurers and other breakers of this commandement whome the reuenge of God hath already striken he shall remember Achab Iezabel who for taking from their poore subiect his vineyard and life also 3. Reg. 21 19. lost their owne life kingdome from themselues al their posterity of Giezi who was striken with leprosy 4. Reg. 5.27 which did sticke to al his race after him for taking the guifts of Naman against right and the will of his maister Elizeus of one Heliodorus 2. Macha 3.26 who was beaten by armed Angells euen vnto death for stretching his handes to the sacred treasure of our Iudas who for a few peÌ„ce became a traytour and sacrilegious homicide of his God himself Act. 1.6 To these and such examples he shall oppose others of the coÌ„trary vertue In generall the first Christians who brought their goods to the Apostles feete for a present to God and the poore and in especiall of the glorious virgin Act. 4.34 who in the imitation of her sonne lest all hauing her hart treasure in heauen in the land of the lyuing thousandes of other ChristiaÌ„s whereof the Ecclesiasticall histories doe speake And so he shal passe the rest of the day attentiuely beholding heauen as the treasure of immortall riches prepared for those that do holily contemne the transitory and shal in this point end take his nightes rest The twelfth day A Meditation vpon the eight Commandement Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy Neighbour CHAP. XXVII THESE former Commandements doe order direct the hart and hand and this following the tongue that we abuse it not against our neighbour nor against our selues by false depositions of good or euill The morning meditatioÌ„ shall be thereof beginning as before False witnesse in â— iudgmeÌ„t forbiddeÌ„ The first point shall obserue that by the principall inteÌ„t of this precept it is forbidden to beare false witnes in Iudgement against our neighbour which commonly being done by oath carieth an vndoubted credit in that quality if otherwise there be no cause of exception or chalenge And if it be taken falsely It is iniurious to God and pernicious to our Neighbour it is most iniurious to God pernicious to the person of our neighbour for he vseth the name of God in opeÌ„ Iudgement to testify falshood and is cause that iustice is peruerted that the right of inoncency is ouerborne and the iniquity of the wicked established whosoeuer therefore witnesseth falshood against his neighbour or also against himself as many do vpon the racke or tortour he sinneth against this law in the princiapll point All diffamation forbiddeÌ„ The second point shall consider that by this commandement is forbidden all sort of diffamation detraction calumniation al euill cariage of our tongue against our neighbour either by word or writing for such offend God greatly who vpon euery occasion or without occasion make sport of other folkes faultes and imperfections forgetting their owne and they more grieuously who impose feyned and false crimes and yet most grieuously of all they that write diffamatory libels for the hurt is more vniuersal the malice more bitter All lying forbiddeÌ„ The 3. point shall ponder that all kynd of lying is forbidden in the compasse of this Commandement but specially that which is against Religion For this is a great lye that striketh directly at the supreme verity a lye which Dauid detested with a sharp threat of perditioÌ„ saying vnto God Thou shalt destroy all those that speake lies Psal 5. such are in the highest degree the Arch-heretiks whome S. Peter calleth Maisters of lying such as heeretofore were Arius Manes and in our time Luther 2. Pet. 3. and Caluin The speach shall demand grace of God well to gouerne our tongue and to auoyd al wordes contrary to verity in these termes My God thou art the supreme verity and all men are subiect to lying as one of thy Prophets writeth Psal 115. Thou hast giuen me a desire of thy truth may it please thee to giue me grace to auoid all lyes not only of false witnesse against my Neighbour or in Religion against the honour and the fayth of thy Church but of all sort or kind whatsoeuer not only in thinges great and important but also in light and little for lying doth dislike thee of what sort soeuer it be made and to what intention soeuer it be spoken and all those that vse it are therein followers of thyne ennemy Sathan the Father of lyes Let my hart be in thy sight right and true and my tongue and handes conformable and agreable with my hart and that thy truth may resound with a sweet accord in my thoughts wordes and workes in all and aboue all to glorify thee The After-dinner and Euening of the twelfth dayes Iourney Of the nature and basenes of lying CHAP. XXVIII IN the Afternoone the Pilgrime if he will not change the matter may ruminate that of the morning What lying is discoursing of the nature of lying and of the diuers sortes thereof He shal consider that that is a lye Putarch de puerorâ—on educatione where the word agreeth not with the thought the mouth affirming that which the hart denieth a vice directly opposite to God the supreme verity and altogeather base and seruile as comming of dastardy not daring to speake plainely and openly and therefore hatefull worthy of punishment not only in such persons of honour Aug. l. de Mendacio c. 7. 8. but also in slaues sayth
beginning and is cleansed by fayth in the Messias certaine ceremonies in the law of nature Moyses Conc. Tri. sess 5. and after the comming of the Messias by the fayth of the same professed in Baptisme by the which we are made children of God as by a second spirituall birth and generation Actuall mortall sinne Actuall is that which man committeth by his owne free-will and worke which if it be grieuous that is committed in any important matter with deliberate will and full consent is called Mortall because it bereaueth the sinner of the grace of God which is the life of his soule maketh it guilty of death euerlasting called by s. Iohn The second death 2. Cor. 6. Gal. 5. Apo. 21. Rom. 6. Apoc. 21. Rom. 6. And by S. Paul The reward of sinne Such a sinne was the pride of the first Angell his Complices made Diuells thereby Such a sinne was the disobedience of Adam Actuall in himselfe and Originall to all his children If the Actuall sinne be not grieuous that is if it be committed in a small matter without full consent as an idle word a light negligence an euill thought a foule motion without any stayed consent it is that we call Veniall of the Latin word Venia which signifyeth Pardon because it is easily pardonable not making man enemy to God and for defacing whereof no Sacrament is necessary as it is for mortal Notwithstanding we must keep our selues as farre from it as we can for that it cooleth and quencheth charity and christian deuotion and maketh way for mortall and it is well done to confesse them dayly both to purge them and to preuent them Aug. ser de Sanctis 41. epist. 19. Conc. Tri. sess 14. c. 5. Now this distinction taught by the Catholike Church as we learne in the Councell of Trent and the ancient Doctours namely S. Augustine may be vnderstood by a similitude in the body For as there be certaine diseases and woundes deadly of their owne nature as tâ—e Plurisie the hoat ague the wounds of the brayne hart or the like others are not so as the tertian ague and quartaine the Migrame Moratll woundes or diseases and other woundes or blowes on the lesse vitall and noble partes of the body which are small healed soone so it happeneth to the soule the diseases and wouÌ„des whereof are vices and sinnes which if they depriue it of the Grace of God are mortall maladies Sinne the wound of the soule deadly woundes and is mortall sinne if they doe not depriue him thereof but alter a little the harmony of his peace with God these are light diseases and are veniall sinnes The third point shall ponder how sinne beginneth by suggestion groweth by delectation and is perfected by consent By suggestion of the diuell the world or the flesh some of these three enemies casting into our mynd some obiect coÌ„trary to the lawe of God to which suggestion sucâ—edeth a pleasing and lyking of the sense willingly beholding the obiect as Eue was delighted to see the forbidden fruit To pleasure succeedeth Consent and to consent the execution consummation of the sinne So Eue after she had receaued the suggestion of the Serpent cheapening it at the sight The steps of sinne vnto the depth and giuing her hart to delight thereon she reached her hand to the execution and bit of the apple and tooke that morsell that infected all the race of mankind Behold here say our Doctours the linkes Gre. l. 4. mora c. 25 Isido l 1. de sumâ—o boâ—â— c. 23 Psal 118. 2. Reg. 22. Prouer. 5. Aug. l. 8. contest c. 5 Greg. l. 25 moral c. 12 rings of this strong chaine of sinne Of suggestion commeth thought of thought pleasure of pleasure consent of consent the worke of the worke custome of custome despaire of despaire defence of ill of defence boasting of boasting damnation This is the chayne which that old Tyrant made of the worke whereof himself was authour that is of sinne these are the cordes and boltes wherewith he fettereth the poore sinner and in fine doth cast him hedlong bound hand foot into the shipwracke of eternal damnation In the speach the Pilgrime shal desire of God grace to auoid sinne and shall say O infinite bounty keep me from sinne if it please thee The speach and preserue me from any alliance with that abortiue impe so monstrous and infected Let death armed with all sortes of torments pull my soule out of my body rather than I should consent to any sinne though neuer so small against thy holy Law O sweet Iesu and infinit bounty how should I offend thee being so milde good and bountifull Chast Ioseph said to his Mistresse who sollicited him to vnchast loues How can I commit so great an offence against my Maister of whome I haue receiued so many benefits How can I then sinne against thee O my Maister and souueraigne Lord seeing thou hast bound me with many better titles by so many fauours and promises Seeing thou hast bought me not with gold or siluer or any corruptible price but with the ransome of thy most precious bloud how can I then offend thee O glorious virgin Mother of the Allmighty and who by speciall priuiledge from his Omnipotency wast preserued froÌ„ all spot in thy Conception and Birth To the B. Virgin and in all thy actions wast preserued all pure and beautified enriched and adorned with a thousand vertues help thy poore Pilgrime with thy credit and grace and procure me pardon of my sinnes passed and effectuall grace for hereafter to remaine without stayne of any sinne euen veniall if it may be by the grace of thy Sonne Let myne eyes be enlightened with the heauenly beames that they may neuer slumber into this deadly sleep and that myne enemie may neuer say Psal 124. I haue preuailed against him This guift O happy virgin will redound to the glory of the Maiesty of thy Sonne to the health of thy wearied Pilgrime who honoureth serueth thee and by thy assistance desireth to serue with all his soule that Lord whome thy self adorest The After-dinner and Euening of the sixteenth dayes Iourney Of the seauen Capitall sinnes commonly called Mortall and of their Branches CHAP. XXXVII IN the Afternoone and in the rest of the day the Pilgrime shall persist vpon the same matter for though it be but sowre to the taste yet taken with a holy Meditation and digested into the stomake of the deuout soule it helpeth much to deface and detest sinne He shall discourse vpon the seauen sinnes commonly called mortall or more properly Capitall for being the heades and springes of diuers others They are The 7. Capitall sinne Pride Couetice Lechery Enuy Gluttony Anger Slouth hauing so many vertues opposite to encounter them Humility Liberality Chastity Charity Abstinence Patience The contrary vertues Deuotion or Diligence Pride is an
coÌ„fession by the viewing of our sinnes thus altogeather and make vs more ready and prompt to satisfy by good workes more capable of the mercy of God by our humility it stirreth vs vp more effectually to the loue of God making vs see his long patience hauing so long tyme mercifully supported so many faultes of ours It giueth meanes to repaire our negligences which might peâ—hâ—ps haue happened in the precedent Confessions and putteth the Conscience in great peace ioy and tranquillity for afterward And therefore it is good to vse it often namely from yeare to yeare not of all their life but of the sinnes of that yeare though they haue beene often confessed within the yeare but that it be done alwayes with the counsell of a sage and discreet Confessour The Diuell who is Father of the Proud hateth all confessions of Christians Why the Diuell hateth coÌ„fession but specially those who doe more humble the deuout soule put it in better estate more easily to obtaine pardon and grace therefore as a crafty and malicious workemaÌ„ he withdraweth them by feare and shame as much as he can and by other lets whereof the Pilgrime must take good heed and arme himselfe with a strong resolution to breake couragiously through all the snares of this deceauer There is also another Confession generall in another sense Generall confessioÌ„ in common before chap 8. in the Pilgrims preparation when one confesseth to God without a Priest which may be called Generall which should be made often in the day with the ordinary Confiteor or otherwise as we haue sayd before This we speake of heere is the Generall Sacramentall But whether the Pilgrime maketh this Generall or els hauing made it already confesseth now since his last confession he must vpon so good an occasion exactly cleanse his conscience of all sinne and therefore to prepare himselfe well he shall bestow that morning in the meditation of pennance well to doe it in confessing himselfe and attending to other good workes his Meditation shall haue the whole and entiere pares The accustomed prayer preparatory The first Preamble shall represent Adam and Eue put out of Paradise to doe pennance all their life long and our Sauiour and his Precursour Saint Iohn Baptist Matth. 2.1.4.17 beginning their preachings to men themselues hauing â—â—ad all their life in pennance What penance is The first point shall shew that pennance is a Sacrament wherein the sinner duely confessed and contrite receaueth absolution of his sinnes which power of absoluing was giuen to Priests by Iesus Christ Conc. Tri. sess 4. c. 1 Can. 1. Conc. Câ—st sess 15. Ambr. l. 1 de Poenit c. 2. 7. Conc. Tri. sess 14. c. 6. Can. 10. Ioan. 20. when he sayd to his Apostles in their person to all Priests Receaue the Holy Ghost whose sins you forgiue shall be forgiuen and whose you retaine shal be retained And againe All that you bind in earth shall be bound in heauen and all that you loose in earth shal be loosed in heauen It is God then that absolueth by the seruice of the Priest and not the Priest by his owne power The second point shall note that to obtaine the fruit of this Sacrament and to be reconciled to God three thinges must be done The first to leaue and detest his sinnes and make a firme purpose to sinne no more for such is truly contrite The second to confesse The third to satisfy for as we haue offended God in three sorts by hart by word worke so by the same meanes we must recouer his fauour grace as the Scriptures Psal 50. 1. Ioan. 1. and the Holy Fathers doe teach vs Thou shalt not despise a contrite and humble hart this is the first Let vs confesse our sinnes this is the second Redeeme thy sinnes with almes this is the third Ioan. 4. So it is sayd that the Niniuites turned themselues to God cryed vnto him cloathed themselues with haire and fasted Luc. 15. And the prodigall Child rose cried Peccaui and submitted himselfe to punishment S. Chrysostome sayth Contrition is in the hart De poenit tâ—ni 5. Confession in the mouth and all humility in worke This is perfect and profitable Pennance And S. Augustine God healeth those that haue a contrite hart healeth those that confesse healeth those that punish themselues In Psal 146. The other holy Doctours and Saints write in the same stile The third point shall first consider that the detestation hatred of sinne required to contrition is grounded in the loue of God True peÌ„nance fouÌ„ded in the loue of God and not in the feare of hell or other temporall euill that is to say the Penitent must be sorry that he hath sinned because he hath offended his Creatour not that he hath incurred punishment of Iustice to purpose also heereafter to auoid sinne for the loue of God with a filiall feare and not for any other euill which shall be a seruill feare In the second place he shall renew in his memory the principall qualityes of true Confession which are ConditioÌ„s of true Confession that it be whole and entire that is of all his sinnes he can remember since his last confession that it be Simple without affectation of superfluous or choice wordes also Faythfull declaring his sinnes with their circumstances in truth as before God who seeth all accusing not historically that is in way of accusing our selues and not as telling a tale or story and finally Humble and respectiue as comming from a contrite and an humbled hart accusing it selfe before the Maiesty of so great a God offended and asking pardon In the third place he shall note Satisfaction a marke of the goodnes and Iustice of God that Satisfaction which maketh the third part of pennance doth not any thing derogat to the Passion of our Sauiour but doth honour it more for this Passion hath truly satisfyed for vs paying for vs to the diuine Iustice that fine which we could not pay to deliuer vs froÌ„ eternall death but it was with a condition that we should contribute of good will what we could satisfy also by the merit of the same Passion But as it is more honourable to God to worke miracles not only by his owne handes but also to giue power to his seruants to do the like so is it greater glory to our Sauiour to make his seruants works meritorious satisfactory then if himselfe alone had merited and satisfyed But in tne end of the reckoning as al good coÌ„meth from him as from the first fountaine and spring so all the prayse of our satisfaction will redound vnto him as to the last end Prayers and thankes-giuing to God and the Blessed Virgin CHAP. XLVII O Lord behould me at last arriued by thy fauour at the place I haue long desired there to cleanse the spots of my soule and to beautify it with the
Virgin then following the law came from Nazareth to Hierusalem where was the only and the famous Temple of the Iewes the fourtith day after the birth of her eldest Sonne with a payre of Pigeons This is the history whereon the Pilgrime shall discourse in his spirit and contemplate this heauenly Virgin coÌ„ming with the blessed fruit of her wombe first to offer him to his Father to exercise her humility submitting her selfe to the law of Purification though neither the one nor the other had any need thereof and that the soueraigne Sauiour Prince of the law was aboue the law and the Blessed Virgin was exempted for not hauing conceaued so as she could become vncleane like other women for whom this Law was made And thus hauing made his midnight prayer he may rest vntill the morning Ceremonies and feastes instituted for men to acknowledge Originall sinne the root of all the misery of mankind CHAP. XXXIX IN the morning he shall continue his meditation vpon the same mystery in three pointes The cause of this ceremony The first point shall be to consider that the principall cause of this ceremony was to make man vnderstand and acknowledge his impute and vncleane generation by reason of that infernall staine of originall sinne wherwith all the children of Adam borne by the ordinary course are infected This is the confession which Dauid made when bewailing in his owne person the misery of all mortall men he sayd Psalm 50 Behould I am conceaued in iniquity and my Mother hath conceaued me in sinne And because this knowledge was necessary to men for to huÌ„ble them and make them call for help whereby they might be cleansed from this corruption God did institute certaine Ceremonies which containe a lesson of this learning and knowledge as were the ceremonies and sacrifices of the law of Nature which did sufficiently shew the beginning of man to haue beene infected Circumcision in the law of nature and the great need he had of the fauour of God to be cleansed But aboue all was the Circumcision commanded to Abraham which was done by cutting the most rebellious part of the body the instrument of concupiscence of generation and corruption In the law of Moyses ceremonies were so much more multiplyed Purification in the law of Moyses as men were more deeply drowned in darknes and the ignorance of their owne misery and had need of more light to discouer it For there was not almost any man beside the Iewes that had any newes or notice of originall sinne nor of the remedy thereof The Paynime Philosopers boasted of knowing all thinges Most 〈◊〉 ignorant of original sinne but they could not discouer the ground and roote of all those errours and disorders wherein they saw mankind wander which though being a reasonable creature should of all others haue beene best ruled and ordered But among all these Iudaicall ceremonies ordained in the law to discouer this euill this of the Purification of the woman deliuered Leuit. 11. held the first place for it did plainly and publikely declare the corruption of our generation and the necessity of the expiatioÌ„ thereof The first point theÌ„ doth make vs see on the one side the misery of the corruption of men which beginneth at their first being on the other side the obedience of the Sonne of God and his Mother obeying the law they were not bound vnto their humility placing themselues among sinners and offering sacrifices for sinne although the one was cleanesse it selfe come for to cleanse vs and the other all pure and free not only from actuall sinne but also by a singular prerogatiue preserued from the touch of Originall common to all men as is sayd before God will be known in his guifts The second point shall meditate the ceremony of the offerings and sacrifices shall shew him how the Iustice of God requireth that with thankesgiuing we offer vnto him the good we haue receaued of him and namely that Fathers and Mothers should offer their children which is the best fruit of mariage Good workes are spiritual children that all Christians should offer their good actions which are their spirituall children ingendred and brought forth by the inspiration and grace of God and this was the morall sense of this ceremony In particuler the deuout Pilgrime shall marke that this day was presented to the soueraigne God The noblest offering that ouer was presented in the Temple the most noble and rich offering that euer was presented in the compasse of the Sanctuary and that by the handes of the greatest Lady of the world The offering was his owne deere sonne a sacred and liuing oblation infinit rich noble She that presented it was his glorious Mother gloriously endowed enriched and adorned with al the vertues that might exalt a creature aboue all other creatures humane or Angelicall Anna made an honorable present 1. Reg. 1.24 when she offered to the Temple her little child Samuel who was to be a great seruaÌ„t of God yet he was but a seruant a creature a vassall or subiect Heere is offered the Maister the Creatour the King the Sonne of the Father God of God Almighty of Almighty not by an ordinary Virgin or Mother but by a Virgin singular and without example in her degree and a mother most singular the mother of God The Prophet foretould this present and this day speaking in the person of him that receaued it Behould I send my Angell who shall prepare the way before my face and straight Malaâ—h 3. the Lord whome you seeke and the Angell of the Testament whome you desire shall come vnto his holy Temple The Father is he who speaketh the first Angell is S. Iohn Baptist the face of our Lord is his Sonne Iesus Christ the naturall and true Image of his Father the Lord and the Angell of the Testament is the same Sonne which is offered God and man the Angell and mediatour of the Testament and Couenant betweene God and man offered this day as man and adored as God for otherwise the Scripture would not haue sayd that he came into his Temple seeing that no pure creature may haue a Temple no more then an Altar or Sacrifice this preeminence being proper to the supreme deity In respect of this offering the second Temple of the Iewes being lesser in all outward humane respects was by another Prophet preferred before that of Salomon Agg. 2. being much more magnificall in gold siluer and fashion this being magnificall by the Maiesty of our Sauiour who was there offered in person The third point of the Meditation Of the Canticle Nunc dimittis CHAP. XL. THE third point shal meditate the Canticle of venerable old Simeon a man iust and fearing God who a few dayes before had reuelation from the Holy Ghost that before his death he should see the Annointed of our Lord that is the Sauiour of the world IESVS
Christ who cōming then in spirit into the Temple when the B. Virgin and S. Ioseph brought him hauing confessed and adored him tooke him in his armes and song a Canticle of thankesgiuing which the Church hath vsed euer since for the conclusion of the diuine Office sayd Nunc dimittis c. Now thou dimissest thy seruant O Lord according to thy word in peace For my eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people A light to the reuelation of the Gentills and the glory of thy people Israell And as the B. Virgin and Ioseph meruailed at these thinges that were sayd Simeon did congratulate them and call them happy and spake to Mary the Mother of the child saying Behould he shall be put for the ruine and the resurrection of many and for a signe which shall be contradicted and the sword of sorrow shall pierce thy hart that the cogitations of many may be made manifest In which history the pious soule shall contemplate the notable faith charity deuotion and ioy of this noble old Man expressed by his wordes and gestures he confessed and adored by his confession the Annointed of God though a little child in the eyes of men He foretold the redemption at hand of mankind which he should bring to passe he straitly imbraced this precious pledge of our saluation he did exalt and magnify him Our Sauiour the ruine of the obstinate and prophecyed of him and of his Mother he foretold that he was set for the fall of many obstinate for their malice such as were Herod the Scribes and Pharisies such like who running against him as against a hard stone should ruine both their soule and body and as since them haue done many Tyrants and persecutours of the same Sauiour his Church all in the end buryed in the ditch themselues diged and strucken to eternall death by the Iustice of him whome they persecuted He foretould also the resurrection of many The resurrectiō of the good who belieuing in him should liue holily and should be raysed from sinne to be made afterwards happy and glorious and by this meanes haue the cogitations of many beene knowne the hate or the loue which the Iewes and Paynimes did beare to our Sauiour he foretould that he should be a signe or marke of contradiction Our Sauiour a signe or marke of contradiction and as a butt for the vnbelieuing to shoot the arrowes of their tongues against this marke but most plainely and cruelly in his Passion when he was not only the marke of the calumniations and blasphemies of the wicked but also of the cruelty of those butchers striking all partes places of his body And this was the sword that pierced the soule of the Blessed Virgin beholder of his cruell Passion The like contradiction hath alwayes followed the mēbers of the same Sauiour his Church by the Iewes and Paynims neither was there euer Religion planted or maintayned with more contrarieties and opposition of all sortes of people then the Christian for as it is the perfectest of al other The height of the Christiā fayth enemy to the flesh the world and the diuell so hath it found most resistance in the corruption of mankynd which were very great very generall Behold the Christiā perfection it eleuateth the vnderstanding of man to the beliefe of things altogether repugnant to fleshly humours It preacheth the Crosse contempt of wisedome of the world as also of her honours and riches and by many Maximes to the world so many Paradoxes striketh iust vpon the face of her pride maketh warre to defiance with the pleasures of the body honoureth Virginity a chiefe enemy to sensuality imbraceth fastings watchings disciplines and such like austerities that hāper the body otherwise then it well liketh promiseth in this life nothing but persecution This world being corrupted could not digest this doctrine nor the flesh vnderstād it but had it in horrour and abhomination Sathan bestirred himselfe and entred into a rage and kyndled fire to those fond and foolish soules and put them in a fury therefore the more maligne the malady was the stronger the medicine so much more obstinate hath beene the contradiction and the sicke so much the more incensed against his Physitian Psal 117.13 as his frensy was fierce and burning But if the Sauiour hath beene persecuted and so contradicted he hath not for all that beene ouercome he hath beene thrust at Why God permitted these persecutiōs but not throwne downe to the ground and God hath permitted these persecutions to shew therein that his Sonne was God omnipotent and too strong for the strength and gates of hell and to draw from them his owne glory and the good of his elect The Pilgrime hauing meditated all this The zeale of Saint Anne shall turne the eyes of his Spirit vpon that which is sayd That at the same houre the most holy and deuout widow Anne did praise our Sauiour in the Temple and spake of him to all the faithfull Iewes whome she found there so was our Sauiour magnified in his Temple by the testimony of two persons diuerse in sex venerable in age singular in sanctity Heere the Pilgrime hauing found in his meditation the sense of this ceremony shall learne the truth in the shadow shal acknowledge the misery and corruption of man from the first instant of his Conception infected with original sinne he shall learne to humble himselfe and to make small account of the nobility of his birth which he seeth to be so base and abiect in the beginning he shal offer what he hath good to God the giuer of all good he shall imitate holy Simeon imbracing in his armes with like loue and purity the litle child Iesus either when he receaueth the B. Sacrament of the Altar couered vnder the visible forme as a child swadled in his litle cloathes or when he doth meditate ioyne himselfe to him by loue He shall praise him with holy Anna the Prophetesse and shall preach him to euery one by good speaches and examples of good workes and finally he shall offer him vnto God his Father as the B. Virgin did for our saluation and shall offer himselfe for his honour and seruice Hauing ended his meditation and heard Masse he shall receaue the blessed Body of our Sauiour the Viaticum of his Returne as it was of all the rest of his Pilgrimage and shll say to God the prayer following The Pilgrimes prayer at his departure from Loreto CHAP. XLI MY Lord and most merciful Father myne eyes behold thy bounty and myne owne misery more cleerly then euer heeretofore by the light it hath pleased thee to giue me It remayneth to finish my vowes and desires and to conclude my most humble prayers and requests at the end of my aboad heere If thy clemency doth willingly harken to the groanes of poore sinners to heare
your meditation Nay aske me rather quoth Vincent how goeth my distraction for my meditation hath beene but a continuall Mosaicall worke of peeces of fantasy ill hanging togeather When I would haue though of mount Caluary the montaine Atlas came into my memory when I would haue stuck vpon the straines of our Sauiours tormēts his patience my fancy was caried to the candles of their Sabaoth to other foolish imaginations I wotte not if this trash I carry in my bagge doe worke me this euill for I felt not a long tyme so litle comfort in a meditation specially vpon so worthy a subiect Lazarus comforting him we must not saith he seeke our own ease pleasure in the bitternes of the Passion of Christ I seeke at least quoth Lazarus to be attentiue to that I would meditate I see quoth Theodosius that I was not vagabond all alone were you distracted too sayth Lazarus much more than Vincent I doubt me quoth Theodosius well God pardon vs our faults replyed Lazarus giue vs of his grace I haue had my part of affliction also for I could meditate nothing to the purpose no more than you It is Gods prouidence to let vs see how litle we can performe of our selues without his help to the end to humble vs in the acknowledgment of our nothing but let vs not loose courage for this for if hauing done our diligence to prepare our selues we haue not tasted the sweet hony of deuotion we shall in humbling our selues find the profit of the sowre which is more to be desired for humility is more profitable and necessary to him that praieth and more pleasing vnto God than spirituall sweetnes Humility better thā sweetnes of deuotion and if the Diuell in despit of being driuen away by vs this night will reuenge himselfe by these mystes which he casteth into our fantasies God permitting him for our exercise he shall yet receiue confusion by our patience and profit Discousing in this manner they came vnto the Conuent of Bon-heur about six a clocke in the morning this was a Conuent of Chartherhouse Monks liuing in great austerity and perfection of life straite obseruers of their rules and great louers of hospitality and specially Dom-Prior who was a holy and venerable old man and very deuout to our Lady of Loreto as all that holy Order is This Conuent was situate at the going out of the forrest hauing many litle houses round about it where dwelt such good folke as had dedicated them selues to the seruice of God in that house called Oblati one of these saluted them and said vnto them Messieurs you shall make very glad Dom-Prior al the Religious within by your comming The Pilgrims saluted him againe courteously and entred with him into the Church where they song Prime presently after to celebrate high Masse Dom-Procurator being aduertised of their coming came to entertaine them with a cōtenance full of kindnes and courtesy and brought them to the guests chamber Lazarus deliuered him their letters patents from Loreto which he would not see taking their honest countenance for a sure Patent he imbraced them all three and sayd My deare brethren Father Priour giueth you the good morrow he hath commanded me to come entertayne you you are all three hartily wellcome your coming will bring ioy and good fortune by Gods grace in recompence of the displeasures we haue had these daies passed with theeues and sorcerers Good Father sayth Lazarus Dom Priors charity and yours doth not stay long to shew it selfe in our behalf It is we that come to the Conuent of Bon-heur there to receiue good houre and fortune and comfort in your deuotions we bring nothing but matter of paine but doe theeues and sorcerers trouble you also heere as well as Pilgrims To our great paine answered the Religious they haue robbed our Church and spoiled our fruits and done vs a thousand domages and but yesterday we tooke a man whome we thought to haue beene of that cōpany but we will talke therof afterward now let vs go eate somthing Good Father answered Lazarus we haue no need for we haue not come farre and it is early dayes we pray you permit vs to go pray a litle and heare Masse first of all he vrged them no further thinking they had rather dine at a good houre and hauing laid vp their bags he brought them to a Chappell where they resumed the points of their meditatiō Lazarus went on in this sort My Redeemer and Lord Of the Passion of our Sauiour thou knowest the trouble we endured this Morning restore to vs if it please thee now the ioy of thy saluation I enter into the meditation of thy dolefull Passion and death that great and admirable exploit of thy infinit mercy open to me the gate of thy grace and light that in this act I may see the heauenly signes of thy greatnes I behold the mountaine of Caluary the mount of dead mens sculls the sepulcher of our grandfather old Adam and now the field of thy fight O my Sauiour who art the second Adam without comparison more worthy then the first a montaine made infamous before by the burial of many malefactors there executed Psal 50. S. Amb l. 5 ep 19. S Aug. serm 71. de temp ◠to be afterward the house of glory and refuge of deuotiō by thy death couered now with people enraged who persecute thee with their hands and tongues and by all manner of hostility cruelty and blasphemous outrages one day to be the seat of a magnificall Temple where thou shalt be adored I behold thee O sweet Lambe hanging vpon the Crosse betwixt two theeues Alas what parity betwixt innocency and robbery What doth the lambe with the wolues Is it to make of a theefe a faithfull seruitour or of a lambe a wolfe The death of our Sauiour fortold I behold thee now O my Lord and turning the eyes of my memory vpon the ancient mystery of thy house and the old Prophecies of thy great booke I perceiue that long before thou didst giue the figures and newes of this death for gage of thy ancient loue towards the poore family of Adam and for a preparation and disposition By Sacrifices and figures to the perfect beliefe of thy wisedome and bounty all the Sacrifices of the law of nature all those that Moyses vsed in the bodies of beasts did foretell vnto vs that which thou hast offered in this mount on the tree of the Crosse Moyses stretching out his hands acrosse on the toppe of the mountaine Exod. 17. and by secret inspiration furnishing the Hebrewes that were in fight of force succour made a shadow of this truth which thou fulfillest now Esa 53. Thy Prophet fortold that thou shouldest be reckoned amongst theeues thou wert crucifyed betwixt two theeues yet put behind theeues Psal 68. and more vnworthily vsed then they all Dauid complained that they gaue him
you that we neuer had eyther letter or message from him this seauen years since he parted hence which maketh vs belieue that he is dead neither should there haue wanted gold or siluer to haue redeemed him if we could haue knowne where he had been I would to God he had followed my counsell whome he loued so dearely and of whome he was loued againe as much as euer wife loued husband the good Syr I wisse had now beene aliue and had not endured so much paine as I imagine he did suffer I haue lamented for and my condition had not beene so pittifull by his afflictions and myne owne and she began to weep but good Father do you know any thing of him I suppose you did not desire speake with me for nothing The good Syr seing by the countenance and wordes of his wife that he was yet vnknowne answered if I should let you see him could you know him As she changed colour for this word went to her hart he vsed his familiar language and sayd to her Mamy doe you not know Bagueuille your husband and this halfe ring therewith he presented her with the half of the ring which they had diuided The Lady seeing this gage fastening her eyes attentiuely vpon the man and aduising well she remembred the figure of his countenance and the sound of his voyce and casting herself vpon his necke with teares O my Lord and husband quoth she therewith she sâ—unded he though but weake yet held her vp The Steward and the seruitours who from the lower part of the hall did see them talke without hearing what they sayd seeing this ioy and entertainmeÌ„t ranne presently vnto them and straight did acknowledge their old maister in an instant all the Castle sounded of the rumour of this newes and his vnexpected returne Lazarus being come thus farre in his history he looked vpon Dom-Prior Lo Father sayth he I haue serued you with all that is in my budget will you that I should recite also the astonishment of the new bridegroome newly espoused to this Lady the ioy and admiration of all the kinsfolks and the old seruants and that I dresse you in this religious house where you eate no flesh a mariage feast of fish and finally that I trouble you any farther with superfluous ill seasoned meates Syr Lazarus quoth Dom-Prior the meate you haue giuen vs is very pleasant and sweet and so well dressed that it whetteth the stomacke to those that eate and filleth without glutting but it seemeth you desire to be serued no more with ours for you eate nothing I will add this yet quoth Lazarus that this Syr built the Chappell which he vowed to S. Iulian died soone after in good peace where his beard and perruque remayned a long tyme hanging in the roofe of the same Chappell as an honourable memory and hath beene seene of diuers not 40. yeares since I know not if they be there still As he sayd this came in the seruitours to take away with them the Beare marching right vpon his two hinder feete and carying in his forfeete a great basketh Euery man began to laugh to see the poore beast do such seruice as his companions in the wood are not wont to do when the cloth was taken away and grace sayd euery man rose Lazarus tooke his leaue of Gratian and exhorted him to haue good courage commending himselfe vnto his prayers Gratian thanked him with all his hart and recommended himselfe to his prayers shewing a great trust and confidence in God Dom-Prior led Lazarus his company to their chaÌ„ber where they would not suffer their feete to be washed and so he left them with his blessing They made their examen of conscience sayd the Litanies and tooke the subiect of their morning meditation which was in three points 1. Of the descent of our Sauiour to hell 2. Of his Resurrection 3. How he appeared first to his Mother After each one betooke himselfe to his bed Theodosius and Vincent were streight asleepe But Lazarus could do nothing but thinke of Sir Gratians good fortune and the fauour of God towards him O Gratian sayth he how happy a merchant art thou The desire of a deuout soule thus to haue left the worldly and earthly traficke and to haue escaped out of the gulfe of this deceitfull world Out of this Citty of confusion that maketh mortall men drunke with the cuppe of a thousand charmes vnto eternall death Thou shalt trafike henceforth with the mony of a better maister who shall make thee gayne a hundred for one and after that thou shalt wax rich thereby he will make thee heire of all his goods which are of more value theÌ„ a thousand worlds O when will that day come that like vnto thee I may serue this maister in his house whither he doth call me wherto I haue aspired euer since his light did discouer vnto me the darcknes of the earth and the inconstancy of this life where with his houshold seruants I may carry the coller of his yoke most sweet and honourable Matth. 11.30 walke the wayes oâ— his counsells gayne way to heauen by those pathes which himselfe hath marked with his owne steps and the steps oâ— his best beloued seruants to march without any hinderance of thornes which choake the good grayne to liue in the body without corruption of the body like the celestiall spirits to haue no other iudgement or will besides the iudgemenâ— and will of that soueraigne wisedome without any iudgâ—ment or will of myne owne to iudge well of all to bridlâ— myne appetites to command and maister my selfe O sweeâ— Iesus when shall this be O sweet Virgin it shall be then when it will please thee with thy credit and authority to further thy suppliant and deuoted seruant And with these desires and sighes he slept The eight and thirtith day and the eight of his returne A Meditation of the Descent of our Sauiour into Hell and of his Resurrection CHAP. XX. A LITâ—E after the Religious had begunne Mattins about midnight the Pilgrims hauing examined their conscience and resumed the memory of their meditation went to the Church into a chappell where they had marked the day before the picture of our Sauiours descent into hell and of his Resurrection very deuoutly represented euery one set himselfe to his Meditation Vpon the first point Lazarus remembred the prophecy which sayth in the person of our Sauiour Eccles 24. I will penetrate the lower partes of the earth and will looke vpon those that sleepe on all those that hope in our Lord In which words he marked three different places of soules which our Sauiour did penetrate accomplishing this prophecy the first was the bosome of Abraham where were assembled in repose the soules of the iust the second Purgatory Orig. 15. in Gen. where were the soules of the iust also but in paine and