he sees us with a kind of horrour to reject he then perswades us to abstaine for reverence sake or would make us believe that we should find the more gust in it the more seldâ—me we frequent it If this does not take he proposes to our imitation the example of some otherwise good Christians who in this are nothing so assiduall as they ought then he objects what men will say and what offence they may conceive thereat now he will pester you with a world of businesse now store you with plenty of strange cogitations and scruples of conscience and now againe set you at mutuall jarres with others whilst he blowes the coales of haâ—e and dissention He renders ones minde dry and aride and soaks out of it all gusts of spirituall things and others troubled and disquieted so that nothing is more irksome unto it than to put himselfe in way of preparation to the holy Sacrament In a third if he can prevaile no other way he musters up whole troups of extravagant thoughts that so at east he may exclude him from this sacred banquet Some other there are againe whom he deceives under I know not what religious pretext and perswades them at least to defer it though not to omit it quite and thus the wicked impostour coynâ—s a thousand false pretences and shift to eferre from day to day the frequentation of the holy Sacramâ—nt and heaps delay upon delay addes â—urpose to purpose appoynts this day then the next whilest in the meane time both weekes moneths and yearâ—s are passed over by us without repairing unto our Maker unlesse it be very rarely and then too only of force and necessity The first Paragraph Luke 14. ET ceperunt omnes simul excusare and they began all to excuse themselves saith the Gospell This had bought a farm this a yoke of Oxen that other was newly married so that none is at leasure to repaire to Christ but examine these excuses and for all their faire glosse you will find them meere sencelesse ones for what were it for one of us for a short houres space to leave his câ—res at his farme his oxen in the stable and his wife at home and apply our selves to that which so neerely concerneth our salvation If wee were requested to prune a vineyard or to till the ground we might with good reason chuse rather to sleep at home than work abroad But when we are invited to a banquet to be guests of our Saviour Christ where our food is to be no other than himselfe to excuse our selves and refuse to goe shewes a most rusticall behaviour and speakes us either extreamly mad or impudent We should appeare right Adams off-spring if we shund God Almighties sight when he were angry but to avoyd him thus when out of his great mercy he beholds us with so gracious an eye when he calls and lovingly invites us to his Table so richly furnished with all celestial rarities is the part of brute beasts and not of men But to set off our excuse with a fairer colour we pretend nothing dishonest or lesse becomming us as theft adultery or the like but excuse our offence and negligence with as faire pretences as can be imagined For what â—arm â—s there say you in matrimony and the solicitude of our domesticall affaires in buying cattell purchasing of land and what good can there be in these when once they avert us from the â—overaignst good of all from our soules salvations We are so to cherish our bodyes as our soules receive no detriment the while so to purchase land as not to deprive our selves of Heaven when we are invited to this great supper we ought presently to goe laying aside the care of all other things no thought of our farmes our oxen our wives no solicitude of any businesse ought to interrupt us then when we entertaine discourse at this royall banquet with the King of Angels but also many many times we become so impudent as not to be ashamed to answer flatly non possum venire I cannot come and what is that but to say I will not come Oh deare Christians is this the way think you to obtaine his favour miserable as we are and to none more injurious than to our selves what is this but to flye fron the fire when we freeze for cold to abuse our Physitian when we lye desperately sick the more needing his helpe the lesse sensible we are of our owne infirmity and to have the sweet and delicious Manna in loathing whilst we passionately long after Garlick and Onions God formerly signified unto the people of Israel by Moses that they should gather Manna every day except the Sabboth on which they were appoynted to take their rest This holy Sacrament is our Manna by infinite degrees more excellent then theirs which wee may take our fill of during our tearme of life till the Sabboth of death invite us to our rest But what doe we the while but imitate our first parent for as he sayes Gerson not eating of the tree of life whilst hee might was afterwards justly punished in being debarred to eate of it when he desired it So we behave our selves so fastidiously as we will not approach unto this holy refection whilst we may but whilst we gladly accept of the least invitation to anothers boâ—rd we never come to this of our Saviour but very rarely and much against our wills We are negligent in nothing so much as in the point of our salvation in this we are onely carelesse in other things we are vigilant enough For this respect God in these words sends us to schoole unto the Ant Vade ad formicam ô piger Prov. 6. disce supientiam Goe O thou sluggard unto the Ant and learne wisedome of her This little creature can tell onely by instinct of nature that winter is no fit season to make provision in and therefore it provides its selfe of food in the summer which it hoords up till then how far more diligent ought we to be than they since our Saviour commending unto us this food of immortality doth affirme that Si quis man ducaverit ex hoc pane vivet in aeternum If any shall eate of this bread hee shall live eternally Wherefore those who are predestinated to this eternall life never cease to make provision of this vitall food agâ—inst the winter of ensuing death and this was his intent who bequeathed this Sacrament unto us not to bee adored but to nourish us and as we maintaine our bodies health by duely receiving of our corporall food who otherwise by that naturall heat which is predominant in us should be consumed away so likewise the soule by repairing often to this f od is conserved in life which otherwise would be destroyed by the impuâ—e fire of his concupiscence Hence it is that Saint Inâ—ocentius so carefully admonishes us to take heed least by deferring too long the receaving of this holy Sacrament wee
men than God of riches then of conscience nor to set more by humane favour than divine that no pleasure whatsoever is to be preferred to heaven nor these instable things unto eternall ones And truely saies St. Chrysostome He can find nothing on earth to bestow his affection on who hath but once savoured of celestiall things This light of understanding our good God was pleased should shine most plentifully on St Austins soule when being advised sayes he to make reflection on my self I entred into the inmost of all my selfe and there saw with such an eye as my soule afforded me the invariable light of God which whosoever knowes doth know eternity and I perceived my selfe to be so farre estranged from thee in an uncouth land and not much unlike to this light of understanding was that light of devotion of which St Bernard speaketh Beseech for thy selfe sayes hee the light of devotion a bright Sunny-day together with a Sabboth and repose of mind where like on old souldier priviledg'd with rest for his long service thou maist passe over all the labours of thy life without any labour at all in running with a dilated heart the way of the Commandments of God whence it will arrive that what at first thou underwentest with force and bitternesse of mind thou shalt afterwards performe with much sweetnesse and consolâ—t on to which likewise the royall Psalmist invites us where he sayes Accedite ad eum illuminamini Taste and behold the sweetnesse of our Lord. And this is he delightfull light of heart that flame burning with the very spirit of pleasure which God makes us every day more and more partakers of and with proportion to this light inkindled in our bosomes God who is incapable of all augmentation and and every way immense doth yet after a wondrous manner receive increase himselfe Embleme II. A preparation to death I am in a Straight betwixt two hauing a Desire to depart to bee wth Christ. Phil 1. v. 23. The second Signe Of Predestination IS a readinesse to die which is signified by a dead mans Scâ—ll with these words Coâ—retor e ducbus desiderioum habens dissolvi esse cum Christo Phil. 1. I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Et vos similes estote hominibus expectántibus Dominum suum c. and be you sayes our Saviour like to men awayting their Lord at his returne from some Nuptiall feast that when he comes and knocks they may straight wayes open unto him Then sayes St Gâ—egorie it is that our Lord doth knock when by visiting us with any grievous sicknes he deâ—ounceth unto us that death is neere at hand and then wee readily open unto him when we entertaine his summons with a friendly welcome That guilty person makes small haste to oâ—en the Judge the doore who dares not issue out of his bodies prison to meet with him neither can bee with any security behold his countenance whom he knowes he hath affronted in such unworthy manner whereas he whom his hopes and actions have rendered secure will presently open unto him when he knocks he wil be glad and take it for an honour that hee calls him and be cheerefull in the midst of teares in consideration of his future recompence Phil. 1. Why then doe we not dâ—sire with the Apostl to be dissolved and be with Christ seeing it is every wayes bâ—tter than to â—ive here prolonging of our wofull banishment It is impossible that he shouâ—d dye ill who hath lived well Psal 119. neither on the contrary that he should dye well who hath lived ill and what is our liâ—e which wee are so fearefull to be deprived of but a scene of mockeries a sea of miseries where in what ship soever we embarke our selves whether decked with gold silver and pretiouâ— stones or but simple wood all 's one there is no avoyding of the swelling waâ—es of being often dashed against the opposite rocks and ofâ—ner grounded on perillous flats and sholes Happy â—s he who hath passed this dangerous sea happy he who is safely landed in the haven and hatâ— no more reason to complaine who chances â—o dye before he is well struck in yeâ—rs than one for comming too soon to his journieâ— end â—hy then should we feare death which is but the end of our labors the begâ—nning of our recompence It is the judgement of God upon all flesh which none in former ages could ever avoyd nor ever will in any ensuing times all must follow as many as went before and we are all borne on this condition for to tend thither where every thing must go â—eath is the end of all to many a remedy and every good mans wish as being to godly men no other than a deliverance from all paine and griefe and the utmost bound beyond which no harm of theirs can advance a pace What madnesse then were it in us to oppose our selves to such an universal decre of Almighty Gods to refuse to pay a tribute that is duely exacted of every one and pretend to an exemption that is granted to none How much more sublime is the Christian Theology which teacheth us to make life the subject of our patience and death of our desires Solin de mirab mundi The Swan if we wilâ— believe Solinus lives ever groaning and sorrowfull and onely sings and rejoyces upon the poynt of death and so it becometh the godly to doe who are to depart to the fruition of an endlesse joy So did that white aged swan holy Simeon welcome his approaching death with this melodious song Nunc dimittis c. Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace and why then shouâ—d we lament when this poor cottage of ours doth fal to ruine as if we were ignorant that when this house of earth our habitation here decayes God will prepare us a better one in heaven a house not made by hands but an everlasting one The first Paragraph VVHosoever lyes in a hard and painfull bed makes little difficulty to rise at any time onely they seek excuses and delayes who lye lazing in their softest downe and are unwilling to forgoe their warmer nests Is thy life irkâ—ome to thee I trust then thou wilt not be sorry to passe to a better one hast thou thy hearts content in my opinion then it is high time for thee to close up thy dayes before thy prosperity overwhelme thee as it hath many more with some disasterous ruine at the last Wherefore sayes Tertullian we are no wayes to fear that which secureth us from all other feares God delivers that man from a long torment to whom he allowes but a short terme of life Which conâ—â—deration made the holy Martyr Saint Cyprian when the Emperour Valerian pronounced this sentence aâ—ainst him We command that Thracius Cyprian bee executed by the sword to lift up his hands and eyes to heaven and cheerefully answer
inimicos vestros I say unto you love your enemies â—here stands his rebellious subiects and answer him presumptuously again O Christ this is lost labour you do command in vaine To you I speâ—ke to you who are Christians Wee side our selves presently with Heathens and none gives eare to Christ I say unto you resist not evill So we shall be counted cowards and weak spirited Pray for those who persecute calumniate you How seldome how cold this prayer is That you may be Sons of your Father who is in Heaven We shall buy this title at too deere a price Doe good to those who hate you It is against our natures O Lord command us somewhat more tollerable Forgive others and you shal be forgiven your selves It is impossible content your self we cannot do it In briefe we will not restrain our anger bridle our selves nor containe our hands as for our thoughts how is it possible to governe them If you shal remit to men their offences your heavenly father will remit you yours For us we are resolved to perish so our enemies perish with us The 7. Paragraph O Christians and is Heaven then such an odious thing as you must needs make such impetuous haste to hel Do you not remember the dayly petition which you make Et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittimus And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive Do you not perceive your obligation from hence to love your enemy under paine of binding your selfe unto the forfeiture as often as you supplicate Almighty God to forgive you as you forgive other men when you do but say in a manner For me I am resolved to pardon no man but to take revenge on all and persecute them with implacable hatred to the death wherfore do thou O Lord if thou please requite me with the like No this is the language of the reprobate the predestinate are of a far different straine it is impossible to provoke them by any injury beyond their custom of interceding in this manner for their enemies Father forgive them and impute not this sin unto them for my part I freely pardon them I freely forgive them without all thought of ever revenging it This is the stile of the Predestinate And here before I draw to a conclusion I would desire to know of thee whosoever readest this and yet bearest a grudge unto thine enemy in thy mind whether thou believe all this to be true or no without doubt you will not deny it unlesse you can believe the truth would conspire with falsehood to deceive you Christ with untruth Supposing then that all is true as most true it is what impious contumacy is this in you what obstinate contempt of the Law of God what presumptuous contradicting of the will of Christ Christ exhorts you with all earnestnesse to pardon forgive and love not only y ur friends but even your enemies be they whom they will and yet doe you remaine obstinate yet doe you hate your foes Will you yet afford them no forgivenesse yet cannot you love those who maliciously have detracted you Doe you care so little for Christ so little for Almighty God doe you set so light by heaven by your eternall salvation so light cannot all this extort from you one such word as this seriously uttered and proceeding from your heart Ignosco dimitto I pardon I forgive and beseech Almighty God to doe the like if perchance any have offended me Yet dost thou stand like a sencelesse statue without all voyce and motion of forgivenesse Yet out of that iron bosome of thine dost thou breath nothing but such ominous sounds as these away with mine enemies an evill death be with them and all that is evill else Yet dost thou blow out nothing but revenge death and destruction against thine enemies Is your hate of your enemies not yet extinguished doe you yet refuse to oâ—ey the commandements of our Saviour Christ If so go with other Christians your like take what way you wil you can never be out of it one way or other you will arrive infallibly unto your journies end the kingdom of everlasting woe and wretchednes Goe on confidently blind-fold as you are and assure your selves that every path you can take will lead you unto hell the certain course you can take to arrive thither is by mistaking of yoâ—r way in the mean while hold this for certaine Non potest amare Deum qui non cessat odisse inimicum That he cannot love God who ceaseth not to hate his Enemie Embleme X. Detestation of Sins past I will come unto thee quickly and remoue thy candlesticke out of his place except thou repent Reu 2 V. 5. The Tenth Signe Of Predestination IS the detestat on of our passed sins The D vice is An aged man bearing his rosse The Motto Veniam tibi cito Apoc 2. movebo candelabrum tuum â—e loco suo nisi poenitentiam egeris I will come presently to thee and remove thy Candlestick out of its place unlesse thou repent St. Austin esteems it a mo t flagitiou crime to rejoyce and glory in the remembrance of our passed â—ins wherâ—as we ought rather to conceive great sorrow for them and endevour with all diligence to extirpate them â—or a the same Saint truely affirmes in another place qui pectus suum tundit nec cor igat peccata solidat Lib. 5. de lib. Arbitr non tollit He that beares his breast and doth not amend his life rather inroots his sins more in him than extirpates them Thâ— royal Prophet affirmes of himself in the midst of his lamentations peccaâ—uÌ„ meuÌ„ contra me est semper that hiâ— sins were alwayâ—s agaâ—nst him and therefâ—â—e he beseeches God with â—uch instancy of prayer to create in him a new heart and renew a right spirit in him Cor mundum crea in me Deus spiritum rectum innova in visâ—eribus meis And such as those aâ—e onely truely happy Psal 50. who imitate this holy sorrow and prosecute their sinneâ— with such a generous hate as this who grieve only because thâ—y are grieved no more and afflict themselves because they doe not afflict themselves enouâ—h This is a true sorrow indeed according to Almighty God which to speak with the Apostle maketh repentance unto salvation 2 Cor. 7. not to be repented of Where we are maturely to consider the wâ—rd in stabilem salutem to lasting and permanent salvation to salvation not to be repented of For many by Repentance acquire the state of Salvation but alas their salvation is not permanent and lasting For which cause our Saviour expressely admonisheth us Nisi paenitentiam habueâ—itis Luke 13. omnes similiter peribitis â—nlesse yee have repentance ye shall all likewise p rish where he inâ— nuates unto us that it is not enough to repent but we must also have repentance that is be conversant in it neither is it to be
it And this is as the Scripture sayes Prov. 30. comedere ac tergere os dicere non sum operatus malum to eate and wipe their mouth clean againe and say I have done no harm Those who are of this mind do but laugh whilst they engage their soules unto the devill they lose their part of heaven and do not feele the losse as accounting it but a light and triviall one The second Paragraph BVt on the contrary the predestinate doe lay so sure a foundation of vertue in their minds that they conceive a horror from all kinde of offence and from the least shadow of any sin never consent to take pleasure in that which may be displeasing to Almighty God but they put on this firme resolution to perform that which may be most acceptabâ—e unto God although thereby they should incurre the displeasure of all the world Thither they bend all their thoughts and hence all discourse is derived neither may we doubt but from their inflamed wills with greater ardor then Epâ—ctetus did they will burst forth into these lowder exclamations O my God and my love farre be it from me that I should not ever have the same will with thee no no my will is thine or rather indeed I have no will loâ—ger of mine owne since all I have is thine And now of necessity I must fâ—llow thy wil since it is all I have I neither doe nor ought to desire any thing O my God but that which pleaseth thee Is it thy pleasure then that I be sick then be it so or poore and that too to endure much paine and that wouldst thou have mee suffer contumelies and injuries I am resolved to be despised and contemned although it would touch me to the quick I am prepared wilt thou deprive me of all solace and delight I am resolved to be perplext in minde although it should last to the â—orlds eâ—d I am content wilt thou bereave me of all that a hich I most affect although it is most hard to depart with that we love yet I likewise will since thou wilt have it so wilt thou have me dye of all difficile things this is most difficile and yet I should not refuse to dye a thousand times so I might â—ut breath my last in the deaâ—e armes of thy most sacred will and that a violent death In spight of nature I would embrace it too wâ—lt thou have me a Saint in Heaven O my God it is my hearts desire or a damned soule in Hell â—las sweet â—esus if ever thou hadst beene so minded it had beene done since I have deserved it but it is apparant it is a â—â—ing thou never desirest since thou shedst thine owne pretious bloud to hinder it But yet if it were possible as it cannot be and I might have my choyse whether thy will should be traâ—sgressed and I a Saint in heaven or else I damned and thy blessed will fulfilled O my God I should make no difficulty to conclude that it were farre better for mee to be damned than thy will left undone But O thou soveraign goodnesse I am sure thou desirest not my death since thou wast pleased that thine owne Son should dye to the end that I might live I beseech thee therefore O heavenly father for the most hitter death of that onely Son of thine that thou wouldst preserve mee from eternall death Look upon those wounds looke upon that bloud which for my sake was sacrificed when to spare thy servant thou wouldst not spare thy sonne Behold me thy humblest servant O thou immortall â—ing at the least signe of thy good pleasure ready at thy command all that shall be most gratefuâ— unto mee which proceeds from vertue of thy holy will Paratum cor meuâ— Deus paratum Psal 127. cor meum my heart my God is prepared my heart is ready Such servants as these their heavenly master hath in high esteem who with such a vigilant eye observe every least signe of his sacred pleasure as they make it no other than a law to theirs And with a chearefull countenance are ever ready to say Dominus est quod bonum est in oculis faciat c. Hee is our Lord let him doe that which is best pleasing in his eyes for there is nothing better than to have regard to Gods Commandements The third Paragraph THE Grecians doe commend that celebrated saying of theirs ne quid nimis not too much of any thing but thou O Lord hast expressely commanded mandata tua custodiri nimis that thy commandements should be very much observed God would have all his servants so ready and prompt at every command of his at every beck as they should never passe a day no not so much as that whereon they should suffer the greatest affliction without repeating over this short sentence a thousand times both in heart and mouth quod vult Deus fiat be it as it pleases God and by this meanes the will of men so vertuously disposed becomes to be the will of God himself since they hold themselves constant to this resolution never to will any thing which may be displeasing to his Divine Majesty whence it comes that whatsoever they desire they obtaine since they desire nothing else than onely to conforme themselves to the will of God as knowing that to be most true which St. Hierome writeth unto Paula upon the occasion of Blella's death God is good saies he and therefore of necessity being so good as he is al must be likewise good which he ordaines neither can men of God receive any thing in ill part which is proceeding from so good a God Are they in health they render than â—s then to their Maker for it are they diseased even in this they acknowledge and praise their Makers will are they deprived of their dearest friends they cannot but bewayle so sad an accident but yet in remembring that God hath disposed it so they beare their losses with an equall mind hath death ravished away an onely child a losse how ever grievous yet to be sustained since he who lent it demands it back againe are they overtaken with extreame poverty or more grievous infirmity afflicted to be contemned and opprobriously dealt withall subiect to a thousand inluries and scornes For all this you shall never haare them utter other words but sicut Domino placuit ita factum est ita bene factum etiam in hoc laudetur Deus God hath done as it pleased him and thrrefore hee hath done well for which cause even in this be he likewise blessed and praysed Benedictus Deus in aeternum God be blessed for ever Whosoever are fastned to God as by an Anchor with such a Will as this doe awayt their latest houre with all security and account all misfortunes in the meane time for short which with so fortunate an end are to be closed up Embleme XII Moderation of our passions And unto thee shall bee