it shall behold them and féele them then may it sensibly vnderstande what excéeding trembling dreade and terrour doth ensue of the loue and delightes conceyued in this frayle vnconstant and most wretched woâ—… But my beloued doe thou forecast all these thinges 〈◊〉 suffre none of these admonicions to slyppe out of thy mynde That thou mayest eschewe and eskape eternall payne and punishment and atteyne vnto the ioyes which shall endure worlde without ende Amen A LETTER WRYTTEN by I. B. vnto his famyliar frende G. P. teaching remedies against the bytternesse of Death WHen I remember your request made vnto me at our last parting which was that I should wryte some what vnto you either to ingender in you a meditacion of contented death or at the least to diminish the desyre of long lyfe I can not but much lyke and commend in you that disposition whereby it appeareth your desyre and mynde is let not in the loue of things transitory but in knowledge and in that knowledge which of all other is moste perfect and méete for a wyse man For if that be worth the learning that is necessary and that for euery age degrée and sexe all creatures must necessarily dye and no man of reason dyeth better and more lyke a man then he that hathe learned the Science thereof And if that knowledge be worth the learning whereof commeth certeyne and great commoditie none can be compared with the Scyence of well dying the fruite whereof is comfort and lyfe neuer enâ—…ynge And as this knowledge is most perfect worthie learninge so haue you taken a verye méete and conuenient tyme for the atteyninge of it which is youth the flower of your age haing in it selfe strengthe and habilitie to learne any Scyence and leauing tyme to practise that is well learned For as none other science profitable being lyberall is sodenly learned neither is it enough to byd a man though he be wytty sodenly to drawe a figure in Geometrie make a proporcion by Arithmiticke be a good sowldier ingenier or other lyke for he may say he lacketh tyme teaching and exercise to atteyne such knowledge euen so is the science of dying wel to be learnid with tyme meditacion and exercise And who so sayth to a sicke man not practised herein be content to dye forgo this mortal life may here of him againe I know what it is to lyue by experience but to dye I haue not learned and the lesson is not so easie as you thinke it Wherein if many would doo as you séeme to meane that is to learne to dye when they may bâ—…st lyue they should bothe lyue more quiet and dye better contented And now somewhat to satisfie your desyre and to entre into this treatie which I entende not to make longe I wyl kéepe this ordre Fyrst to shew that vnto a Christian man Death is not to be fledde but rather to be desyred or at the least well to be taken no plague but â—…enefyt no losse but gayne Next I will shewe what the lettes and causes be that make vs indge otherwise And thirdly tell how those lettes may be remoued and our opinion somewhat changed to thincke of Death and lyfe as they are without preiudice that men commonly bringe with them To the heathen not knowing GOD nor the vertue of the lyfe to come the first parte that Death is not to be fledde shonnid and terrible is a lesson harde or rather vnpossâ—…ble to be taught For lyfe being good as all men thinke and of it selfe it is no man can willingly leaue the good but for the better for otherwise he shall thinke him selfe to make suche a bargaine as the Pâ—…ete sayth Glaucus made with Diomedes change gold for copper And bicause the heathen knowe not the beâ—…r which knowledge is learned onely in Christes schole 〈◊〉 of their bookes though they wrote many of the contempt of Death with fayre and glorious woordes could make either them selues or their heires with right iudgement content to dye if they might liue to leaue presâ—…t life which thei thought good and were content with for an other to come whereof their knowledge was none or doubtfull and vncertayne And therefore a Philosoper emong the reste most learned sayde of all thinges dredefull most drâ—…adfull is Death And the excelent Dratour who in health and wealth spake lyke a whole man and as a man learnid perswaded other being for a tyme banished was him self without all comfort And when he drewe towardes death perceued he had sayde more then he could iustifie and performe in him selfe In lyke case was the Emperour for wisedome so much renowmed who approching néere to death and speaking as he founde cause by proofe and tryall and not as he before had vaynely thought sayde he was toubled with the feare of Death bicause he knewe not whether he should goe nor what the gods immortall for so he termid them had determined of him vnto whome he recommendid him selfe with this doubt that if they had appoynted any good of him they should then shew it These thrée examples of the best with other able to fill a great volume doe well shewe that the heathen were not learned in this scieÌ„ce anâ—… much lesse méete to be scholemaisters and teachers to them that will rightly learne it and therefore I intende not to vse their examples though they make a faire muster which when I sée other men do in this argument wryting vnto a christian reâ—…der I thinke they doe not wel remember what is méete for the argument they take in hande and for the person to whome they wryte But as to the heathen the ende of lyfe being is and for causes aforesayd must be dreadfull so vnto a christian man it neither is nor should séeme so vnto whom death is the beginning of lyfe the gate of blysse the ende of soroâ—… and mortal â—…reefe Whereof he is not onely informed by coniecture lyke to be true but assured by promise of him y can be all thinges sauing false so that a scholer of Christe should rather doubt whether the Sunne shyne by daye or whether he féele being awaked then whether the promises made thereof be assured or no. Then if it be so that Death endeth all sorow payne misery and trauayle and setteth vs in place of solâ—…ce comfort blysse and quiet and that such as neither hath enterlacing of the contrary nor ende of it selfe Who is sorye to make this change but he that beleueth not how good it is and how well made or how shall we thinke he beleueth it to be good and also true who slyeth from it when it is comminge towarde him or would not haue it true in him selfe that he beleueth Let him feare Deathe who hath not hard of Christe to whome Christe hathe promised naught desyrous neither to heare of him to sée him not to be with him whome fantasie leadeth vanitie pleaseth lust ruleth and the world blyndeth séekinge
but coÌ„tentedly to haue receaued it The loue they bare vnto God his will in their lyfe kept theÌ„ from disorderid loue of the world and froÌ„ the coÌ„mon sinnes vices which men for worldly thinges coÌ„mit being not troubled with conscience remorce therof sawe no cause to shunne to feare death And as this loue of god his wil encreased in the new testament where the holy ghost the spirit of loue was is more pleÌ„tiously powred in to y harts of the right beleuiÌ„g So the loue of lyfe decresed the desire of death increased in y best professors therof the appostles martirs infinite not only coÌ„tented to leue this life but also desir eddeath who receuig the faith gospel beig taught therby to coÌ„fornie theÌ„ selues to y life image of Christ did with perfect faith pleÌ„tious charitie full hope coÌ„meÌ„d theÌ„ selues to the will of God the expectation of the life to come which they knew was prouided for them y loueth God neither is there any other cause why we dye not like theÌ„ but bicause we liue not like them we feare death bicause we liue not wel some more some lesse according as the order of our liues hath ben and who so saith that the maner of death is a touchstone to way the life is not much deceiued I wil not say but many men may dye wel that liueth ill for mercie is aboue iudgement but none coÌ„tent to dye but he that by death loketh to be with Christ which is he that by his life showeth that he knoweth loueth Christ without which loue y more faith at that time the lesse comfort For faith teacheth Gods mercy his iustice and if iustice be all against vs either faith ingendreth in vs sorow of such a life and so repentance which is good an entry toward life or if it ingender not an earnest repentance it bringeth nothing to comfort ease releue vs but all contrary And therfore he that wil liue in coÌ„tinual meditation of death which is y way to make him a familier so no dreadful gest nor stranger must liue in loue I meane y loue of vprightnes honestie cleanesse iustice integritie doing good where hée can hauing inteÌ„t to hurt none getting vprightly to suâ—…in himself his of that remayneth departing liberally to the poore as he séeth cause is able to such a man y remeÌ„brance of death caÌ„ not be vnpleasant for it shal neither take him vnprouided nether beriue him of any thing wherwith he is disorderly in loue Such a man liuing coÌ„teÌ„tedly in y place wherin he is called traueling carefully to fil satisfie the same wheÌ„ death approcheth doth méekly say to God with Christ I haue done the worke thou sentest me to doe And albeit there hath bene much weaknesse many infirmities in his trauel and accomplishing that worke he was sent to doe yet with a great indifferencie he shal be able to vse the words of the vertuous learned Bishop neither haue I liued so among you that I should be ashamed to liue neither doe I feare to die bicause we haue a good Lord master The man so liuyng and so thinking is onely happie neither troubled with inordinate desire of highe estate which he taketh but for a place to trauayle for many neither affrayde to be in meaner then he is knowing that where so euer God placeth him he hath his worke to doe wherwith he may please him euer quyet content to dye and not vnwilling to liue But here some man may say although he be not disordridly desirous of life yet can he well be coÌ„teÌ„t to liue though not for him self or for his owne sake yet for others therin wisheth nothing vngodly but deceÌ„tly to kéepe the place whervnto he is called which he can fill if not better yet as wel as an other maÌ„ to help such as néed him to bring vp his childreÌ„ to see theÌ„ disposed finally to bestow the benifits y God hath lent vnto him he y maketh this obiectioÌ„ lieth not on him self is not of y worst sort nor much to be misliked vnto whoÌ„ neuertheles it must be answered if his desire be to liue for others who by him may be y better he must coÌ„sider y wel doing is not all his own wherof though maÌ„ be y minister God is the giuer who will dispose him self to doe many good and none hurt so coÌ„tinue God knoweth man knoweth not but this maÌ„ knoweth y without gods giuing he doth it not wel knoweth he also y happie had bene SalomoÌ„ if he had ben taken in his youth wel doing the like may ye read of many say by experience of some whither he would be one of them by long life he knoweth not if ther were no dauÌ„ger it shuld not haue ben writteÌ„ he y staÌ„deth let him take héed y he fal not if he think there were no dauÌ„ger in him self theÌ„ is he proud and lyke to be one of them that would fall if he doubt then is it wisdome to put him self to him that knoweth And sith he knoweth and is sure that after death no sinne is done better is the choyse to go with safetie as Gods seruant wheÌ„ God willeth then in continuaunce to put that in a hazarde which if it goe amisse at the ende can not be recouered nor the losse redubled Déepe in payne lye many who by long lyfe fell into sinne and therby into their damnation who had then dyed in their youth had lyued with Christ and howe much they bewaile their long life the oceasâ—…oÌ„ of their paiâ—… no tonge can tell nor harte thinke But to returne to the matter if he say he would doe many good in long tyme and lyue accordyng to his place and callyng let him shewe that in the tyme he hath giuen him and if in so doing he be takeÌ„ sith he may say to God I haue done the worke thou sentest me to doe and when God calleth hym away hee knoweth there is no more appointed for hym to doe he knoweth also there is no more cause for him to lyue bicause desire of doing good was the only cause why he would lyue His childre are Gods more then his who leaueth not the seede of the iust who calleth him selfe the father of Orphans and iudge of Widdows whose blessyng if they haue they shal prosper though they lacke a mortall father And if they lacke that much sorow and small comforte should the father haue to see that he could not amend for eche good father neither maketh nor leaueth a good chyld And yet doeth not such a man lacke wyfe and friendes to whom he may commit the care of children and if his friendes will doe much for them at his request and recommendation why should he mistrust Gods proÌ„uydence helpe and dyrection if hée commend them vnto hym By whom
The Droomme of Doomes day Wherin the frailties and miseries of mans lyfe are lyuely portrayed and learnedly set forth Deuided as appeareth in the Page next following Translated and collected by George Gascoigne Esquyer Tam Marti quam Mercurio ¶ Imprinted at London for Gabriell Cawood dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the Signe of the holy Ghost 1576. THis worke is deuided into three partes the first whereof is entituled The view of worldly Vanities Exhorting vs to contempne all pompes pleasures delightes and vanities of this lyfe And the second parte is named The shame of sinne Displaying and laying open the huge greatnesse and enormities of the same by sundrye good examples comparisons And the third parte is called The Needels Eye VVherein wee are taught the right rules of a true Christian life and the straight passage vnto euerlasting felicitie Heerevnto is added a priuate Letter the which doth teach remedies against the bitternesse of Death ¶ TO THE RIGHT HONOrable his singuler good Lord and Maister the Earle of Bedforde Knight of the noble order of the Garter and one of hir maiesties most honorable priuie counsell George Gascoigne wisheth much encrease and long continuance of Gods fauour according to â—…is bounden duetie RIght noble my singuler good lord if I shuld presume in this epistle dedicatorie to blasonne and set forth eyther your iust desertes in generalitie or your exceeding fauour and bountie towardes me in perticularitie I might both offend your honorable eares which are seldome seene willing to harken vnto your owne prayses and much dygresse from myne owne former course in writing since I haue hetherto in all my lyfe attayned small skill or grace in the arte of adulation Let it then please your honor to rest throughly satisfied with this my simple acknowledging of your great goodnes so much surpassing my smal deserts that I fynde none other meane of discharge but onely to coÌ„tinue your faithful seruaunt and follower The which I protest to accomplish vnto my lyues end as well towards your own person my good Ladie as to all your posteritie in euerie duetifull respecte And my good Lorde I must needes confesse both vnto your honour and to the whole world that amoÌ„gest a number of imperfectioÌ„s I finde my self giltie of much time mispent of greater curiositie theÌ„ was conuenient in penning and endightyng sundrie toyes and trifles So that lookyng backe with inward griefe towardes the beginning of my recklesse race I fynde that both the tyme and my duetie doe challenge in me the fruites of repentaunce To be shewed in some seryous trauayle which might both perticulerly beare witnesse of my reformation and generally become profitable vnto others VVherevnto I was now almost twelue moneths past pricked and much moued by the graue and discreete wordes of one right worshipfull and mine approued friend who in my presence hearing my thryftlesse booke of Poesyes vndeseruedly commended dyd say That he lyked the smell of those Poesies pretely well but he would lyke the Gardyner much better if he would employe his spade in no worse ground then eyther Deuinitie or morall Philosophie Vnto which wordes I thought not meete to reply much at that tyme hauyng learned that a rashe answere should not bee giuen vnto a graue aduyse But finding my selfe therewith throughly ticklâ—…d and therby also finding the great difference betweene that friende and many other who had suÌ„drie times serued me as an 〈◊〉 with prayses coÌ„mon suffrages affirming that I deserued a Lawrel Garland with sundrie other plausible speeches not heere to be rehersed I beganne straight waye to consider that it is not suffycient â—…or a man to haue a high â—…ying Hawke vnlesse he doe also accustome hir to stoupe such Quarâ—…ies as are both pleasant and profitable For iâ—… the best Faulkener with his best flying â—…aulcon shoulde yet continually beate the flockes of simple shiftlesse Doues oâ—… suffer his Hauke to checke alwayes at the caryon Crow the plesure might perhappes content a vayne desyre but the profite or commoditiâ—… would skarcely quyte his cost And in lyke maner whosoeuer is by the highest God endued with anye haughty gifte hee ought also to bestowe and employe the same in some worthie and profitable subiecte or trauayle Least in his default he deserue the name of an vnprofitable and carelesse Stewarde when his accoumpt is strictly cast So then to returne to my purpose my singular good Lord I haue of long time thought my selfe bounden by some seryous trauayle to declare that those graue and friendly wordes dyd not marche altogither vnmarked through mâ—… mynde And therevpon not manye monethes since tossyng and retossyng in my small Lybrarie amongest some bookes which had not ofâ—…en felte my fyngers endes in XV. yeares before I chaunced to light vpon a small volumne skarce comely couered and wel worâ—…e handled For to tell a truth vnto your honor it was written in an old kynd of Caracters and so torne as it neyther had the beginning perspycuous nor the end perfect So that I can not certaynly say who shuld be the Author of the same But as things of meane sâ—…we outvvardely are not alwayes to bee reâ—…ected euen so in thys olde torne Paumphlette I founde sundrye thingâ—…s as mee thoughte wrytten with suche zeale and affection aâ—…d tendinge so dyrectly vnto the reformacion of maners that I dyd not onely my selfe take great pleasure in perâ—…culer â—…eading â—…ereof but thought them profitable to be pâ—…blished for a generall commoditie And therevpon haue translated collected into some ordre these sundry parcells of the same â—…he which aswell bicause the aucthor is to me vnknowen 〈◊〉 also bâ—…cause the oryginal copies had no 〈◊〉 tytle but cheefly bicause they do all tende zealously to an admonicion whereby we may euery man walke warely deceÌ„tly in his vocacion I haue thought meeâ—…e to entytle The Droomme of Doomes daye Thinking my selfe assured that any Souldier which meaneth to march vnder the slagge of gods fauour may by sounde of this droomme be awaked and called to his watch and warde with right sufficient summons For more perticuler proofe wherof let it please my good Lorde to vnderstand that I haue deuided this worke into three partes VVhereof the first I haue named The viewe of worldly vanities Bicause it doth very eloquently and pythily persuade all men to contempne the pompes excessiue pleasures and delightes of this lyfe A treatise which though at the first it seeme very hard and vnpleasaunt yet whosoeuer wyll vouchsafe the dyligent reading thereof shall reape thereout no lesse commoditie then a body repleate with hewmours receyueth by the medicinable purgacion The seconde parte I haue termed the Shame of sâ—…e Bicause in deede it displayeth and blasoneth the detestable enormities thereof and helpeth to cure the sowle by remembraunce and consideracion of the very lothesoomnesse which sinne doth continually carry in it selfe This part needeth not so much demonstracion as it deserueth commendacion And whosoeuer doth
is formed and made of Dust Clay Asshes and a matter much vyler which for modestie I doe not name coÌ„â—…eiued in concupisence of the fleshe in the feruent heate oâ—… lust in the loathsome stinck of desyre and that worse is in the blot and blemish of sinne borne vnto payne sorow and fearâ—… yea and that which is most miserable vnto death He doth lewd thinges wherby he offendeth God his neighbor and him selfe He doeth filthy facts whereby he defileth his good name his conscience and his person and he doth vayne thinges wherby he neglecteth serious profitable necessary things He shal become the fewel for fier which alwayes burneth and can not be quenched the foode of worms which euer gnaw and féede vpon him the continewall masse of corruption which alwayes stincketh is filthie odious and horrible Then our Lord God hath formed man of the â—…ime of the Earth which is more vile then the rest of the Elements as it appeareth in the second of Genesis He made the Planets and Starres of the Fyer the blastes and wyndes of the Ayre the Fisshes and Fowles of the Water and Man and beast he made of Earth Then if he consider of the creatures created in the water he shall perceiue him selfe to be vile Considering the creatures made of Ayre he shall finde himself more vile coÌ„sidering the creatures of fyer he shal fynd himself most vyle Neither shal he make him self equal with the heaueÌ„ly creatures nor dareth prefer himselfe before the creatures of the Earth for he shal finde him selfe equal vnto beastes and shall acknowledge himselfe lyke vnto cattell sithence th end of man and cattel of the feild is all one and their condicion and estate are equall neither can man doe any more then a beast From the Earth they sprang and rose and to the Earth they shal retorne together These are not the wordes of any worldly man but of the wysest euen Salomon What is man then but slyme and dust and thervpon he sayth vnto God Remember I besech thée that thou hast made me lyke vnto Earth and shalt bring me into dust againe and thervpon also God sayth vnto man Thou art dust and shalt retorne into dust I am compared sayth Iob vnto Clay and am lykened vnto Imbers and Asshes Clay is made of Water and dust and both the substaunces doe remaine therein and Asshes are made of Fyer woode and bothe the substances doe fayle An expresse mistery but to be expounded in an other place Then what is Clay to be prowde on or whereof doest thou extoll thy selfe O dust O Asshes whereof doest thou glory Peraduenture thou wylt answere that Adam him selfe was fashioned and formed of clay and that thou art procreate of the séede of man But he was formed out of virgin clay and thou art procreate of séede which is vncleaue for who can make that cleane which is conceiued of vncleane séede What is man that he may seme vndefiled or that which is borne of man may seme iust For behold I was begotten in iniquitie and my mother conceiued me in sin Not onely in one iniquitie nor in one onely transgression but in many iniquities and in many transgressions yea euen in strange iniquities and transgressions for there are two kinde of conceptions one of séede an other of nature The first is made in such factes as are committed The second in such thinges as are purchased and gotten for the parents commit in the first and their issue doe purchase in the second For who is ignorant that the act of generation yea euen betwene maried folkes is neuer committed without prouocation of the fleshe without heate of lâ—…st or of concupisence wherevpon the séedes which are conceiued be vncleane be blotted and made corrupt and the sowle beinge therewith ouer flowed dothe purchase the spot of sinne the blot of gilt and transgression and the blemish of iniquitie euen as liquor is corrupted beinge thrust into an vâ—…cleane vessell and beinge once poluted is defiled euen by the first touch therof For the sowle hath thrée natural powers or three natural forces that is to say a reasonable power to deserne betwene good and euill a passionate power to reiect the euill and a power of appetite to desier that which is good These three powers are originally corrupted with three opposite and contrary vices the reasonable power â—…y ignoraunce that it may not deserne betwene good and euill the passionat power by wrath and anger that it may reiect the good the power of appetite by the concupisence that it may desier that which is euill The first of these vices begetteth transgression the last bringeth forth sinne the midlemost ingeÌ„dereth both sinne traÌ„sgression for it is traÌ„sgression to doe that which is not to be done it is sinne to indeuor that which is not to be indeuored These thrée vi â—…es are purchased and gotten out of corrupted flesh by thrée allurements for in carnall copulation the vnderstanding is lulled on slepe to th ende that ignorance may be sowed the prouocation of lust is styrred vp to th ende that anger and motion of mynde may be spred a broade and the affection of voluptuousnesse is satisfied to thend that concupicence may be obtayned This is that Tyran fleshe the lawe and ruler of the members of man the norishment of sinne the languishment of nature and the fodder of death without the which no man is borne and without the which no man dyeth the which although it passe ouer at any tyme in state of accusation yet it remayneth alwayes in acte For if we say that we haue no sinne we beguyle our selues the trueth is not in vs Oh greuous misery and vnhappy estate condition before we sinne we are bound and wrapped in sinne and before we transgresse we are caught in transgression By one man sinne entered into the worlde by sinne death tooke hold of all men for dyd not the forefathers eate a sower Grape and their childrens téeth are set on edge Wherfore theÌ„ was light geuen to him that is in wretched nesse lyfe lent to such as are in bitternes of the sowle Oh happie they are which dye before they are borne which tast of death before they know what lyfe is for soure are borne so deformed and prodigious that they seme not men but rather abhominations vnto whom nature perhappes should much better haue foresene if she had neuer suffered them to be sene for they are demonstrate and set to shew as monsters and shewes and some againe lacking some of theyr members sences are borne vnperfect to the grefe of their freindes the infamy of their parents and the abashinge of their neighbors But what nede I speake perticularly of these imperfections sithence all men generally are borne without knowledge without speach without vertue without power wéeping wayling weake féeble and but little deâ—…eringe from brute beastes or
to their parentes disorderâ—…d without loue without truth and without mercy With such and much worse this world is replenished as with heritikes scismatikes periures Tyrans Symonsellers hypocrytes ambitious men robbers spoylers extorcioners and pollers vsurers and false witnesses wicked théeues and church robbers traytors lyers flatterers deceyuers tale tellers wauerers gluttons dronkards adulterers incesteous men tender treaders and vayn vauÌ„ters slouens sluggardes and loyterers prodigall spenders and vnthriftes rashe quarellers and hackers vnpatient and vnconstant men poysoners and witches presumpteous and â—…rogant wretches deuilish mynded and desperate men To conclude with such as are packt full of all paltry of the earth and farced with all kynde of vyle abhomination Yet euen as the smoke vanisheth away so shall they vanish and as waxe melteth before the fyre so shall sinners perysh before the face of God. The wicked men doe suffer foure princypall paynes at theyr death The fyrst is the perpiexitie of the body which is then greater and more gréeuous than euer it was or is in this present lyfe vntil that tyme of dissolution For some thinke that euen without motion suche is their gréeâ—…ous paines they teare themselues in péeces For the violence of death is strong and vncomparable Bicause the knyttinges and naturall combyninges of the body with the spirit arâ—… then broken insonder And therevpon the Prophet Dauid sayth in the Psalme the panges of death haue compassed mée There is no member nor no parte of the body but is touched and twitched with that vntollerable payne Thâ—… second payne is when the body being altogither wéeryed and ouercome the force and strength therof cleane vanquished the Soule doth much more playnely perceyue in one moment all the works which it hath done good and bad and all those things are set before the inward eyes This payne is so great and this torment and disquiet is so gréeuous that the soule being much vexed and troubled is constrayned to confesse and declare against it selfe As it is sayde in the Psalmes the floodes of iniquitie haue troubled mée For as the floodes come with great force and sway and séeme to beare downe all things before them so in the houre of death the wicked man shall sodeinly sée and behold all the workes that he hath done or committed good or bad The third paine is when the soule now beginneth iustly to iudge and séeth all the paynes and tormentes of hell to hang worthely ouer it for all the iniquities whereof it is giltie Wherevpon it is also sayd in the Psalme the paynes of hell came about mée The fourth payne is when the soule béeing yet in the bodye doeth sée the wicked spirites readye to receyue it wherein the dread is suche and so vnspeakeable payne that the myserable soule although it be now parted from the body doeth runne about as long as it may to redéeme the tyme of hir captiuitie before shée forsake the body Also euery man as well good as euill doeth sée before the soule departe from the bodye Christ crucified The wicked séeth it to his 〈◊〉 when hée maye blushe and bée ashamed that hée is not redéemed throughe the bloud of Christ and that his owne giltynesse is the cause thereof Wherevpon it is sayde vnto the wicked in the gospell They shall sée agaynst whom they pricked and stoonge The which is vnderstoode by the commyng of Christ vnto iudgement and of his comming at the instant tyme of any mans death But the good man shall sée him to his comforte and reioysing as we may perceyue by the wordes of the Apostle which sayeth vntill the comming of our Lord Iesu Christ that is to say at the day of death when Christ â—…rucifyed shall appeare as well vnto the good as vnto the wicked And Christ him selfe sayeth of Iohn the Euangelist So will I haue him to abyde vntill I come That is to say continuing in virginitie vntill I come vnto hys death For we read of foure maner of commings that Christ shall come Two of them are visible The first in humilitie to redéeme the world The second in maiestie vnto iudgement And the other two are vnuisible The first whereof is in the mynde of man by grace Whereof it is sayd in the gospell wee shall come vnto him and shall make our remayning place with him The second is in the death of euery faythfull man And therevpon Iohn in the reuelation sayeth come Lord Iesus HIs spirite shall departe and he shall return into his earth At y tyme all their thoughtes shall perishe O howe many things how greate thinges doe mortall men consider and thinke vpon about the vncerteyntie of theyr worldly prouisions But sodeynly by the comming of death all thinges which they thought on and forecasted doe immediatly vanish away Lyke vnto a shadow when the sunne declyneth they are taken away And lyke vnto a Locust they are smitten down So that the spirit of man shal go out of him not willingly but vn willingly Hee shall dismisse with doler that which he did professe with desire and whether he will or nyll there is a terme apoynted the which hée shal not passe ouer In the which earth shal return vnto earth For it is written Thou arte earth into earth thou shalt goe For it is naturall that the thing made of any substance should bée resolued into that substance agayne He shall take away their spirite therefore and they shall fayle and shall returne into their dust And when man dyeth hée shall enherite beastes cattell Serpents and wormes For all those shall rest in dust and wormes shall consume them The worme shall eate them lyke a garment and shall consume them as a moth consumeth the wollen cloth I am to bée consumed sayeth Iob lyke vnto rottennesse and lyke vnto a garment that is fretted with mothes I haue sayde vnto rottennesse My father my mother my sister are gone vnto wormes meate Man is rottennesse and putrifaction and so are the sonnes of man Filthy are our forefathers vile are our mothers and how vyle are our sisters For man is begotten and conceyued of bloud putrifyed by the feruent heate of lust and concupisence And yet the wormes do come about his carkasse as mourners Whilest he liued he bredde nittes and lyse and being dead hée bréedeth wormes and magottes Whilest he liued hee made filthy ordures and excrements And being dead he maketh putrefaction stinke One man defendeth another onely But being dead hée defendeth many wormes Oh what is more filthy than the carkasse of a man or what more horrible than a dead man he whose embrasing had bene most aâ—…able méeting him on lyue euen his looke will bée most terrible when hée is dead What preuayle ritches therefore whatpreuayle banquetings what delightes they can not deliuer man from death They can not defend him from the worme Neyther shall they preserue
fury to bring the earth into solitarines to chase the sinners therof out of the same For the stars of the heauens the brightnes therof wil not geue their light The SuÌ„ne wil be ouercast with darcknes at his rysing the Moone shall not shine in hir cource And I wil visit euill vpoÌ„ th earth wil set the iniquitie of the wicked men against theÌ„selues And I wil make the pride of the vnfaythful to be stil wil bring down the arrogaÌ„ce of the mighty Therfore all the handes shal be weakened and all hartes of men shal be tamed and astonied They shall haue panges and gripes and shall feele payne lyke vnto women with childe Euery man shall looke agast and a mased on his neighbour and the countenaunces of their faces shal be tanned and burnt That day shal be the day of wrath the day of trouble the daye of perplexitie the daye of calamitie and the daye of miserys The day of mist darknes the day of the clang of the TroÌ„pet bicause the Lord shall make an end with spéed of all thâ—… which dwel vpon the earth And that sodeyne day shal créepe lyke a snare vpon all theÌ„ which sit vpoÌ„ the face of the round world For as a lightning he coÌ„meth out of the East is séene into the west Such shal be the comming of the sonne of man For the daye of the Lorde is lyke a théefe and shall come stealinge in the night When they say peace and securitie then sodeyne distruction shall come vpon them lyke vnto the paines of a womaÌ„ in hir belly they shall not eskape theÌ„ And there shall happen great tribulation before this day such as neuer was from the beginning of the world to this present nor euer shal be And but the dayes were shortened no fleshe could be saued For nation shall ryse against nation and kingdome against kingdome and great earthquakes shal be in many places pestilences and famynes and terrors from heauen and many greate tokens shal be séene Then shal be tokenes in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the starres Running togethers of people for the confusion of the Sea and the floudes Men wythering vp for feare and expectation which shall happen to the whole world Ther shall ryse false Christes and false Prophetes and they shall shewe great tokens and wonders So that many shalbée seduced into erroâ—…r yea if it many be euen the elect The appostle sayth Then shall man be reuealed for the Sonne of perdition Which is against all and is extolled aboue all that is called or worshipped as god So that he sitteth in the Temple of god as if he were god Whome our Lord Iesus shall kill with the spirite of his mouth And the Prophett Helie shal be sent before that the great day of the Lord shal come Great and horrible shall he be and shall conuert the hartes of the fatheres vnto their children and the hartes of the children towards their fathers with whome Enâ—…ch also shall come they shall prophesie a thousande two hundred and sixtie dayes clothed in sackcloth And when they haue finished their testymonie the beast which shall come vp out of the depth shall make warre against them And shall ouer come and kill them and their bodies shall lye in the strets of the great Citie which is called Sodom and Egipt wheras our Lord was crucified And after thrée dayes a half the spirit of lief shall enter into them Immediately after the tribulatioÌ„ of those dayes the suÌ„ne shal be darkened the Moone shal not giue hir light the starres shal fall froÌ„ heauen the powers of the heaueÌ„s shal be moued and theÌ„ shall appere the signe or tokeÌ„ of the soÌ„ne of maÌ„ in heaueÌ„ And then all the Trybes of the earth shall bewayle themselues as Iohn sayth in the reuelation The Kinges of the earth the Princes and the ritch men the mightie and all both bond and frée shall hyde themselues in Caues and Dennes in the mountaynes and shall saye to the hilles and to the rockes Fall vpon vs and hyde vs from the face of him which sitteth vpon the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe Bicause the great day of their anger is comeÌ„ And who can abyde it And he shall send his Angels with a troompe and a greate voyce and they shall gather to gether the chosen from the fower wyndes and from the height of the heauens vnto thendes thereof And the Appostle saith Then the Lord himselfe in the voyce and commaundemeÌ„t of an Archangell shall come downe from heauen And theÌ„ all they which are in their graues shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of god And shall come forth The good vnto the resurrection of lief but the wicked vnto the resurrectioÌ„ of iudgement Death and hell shall yeld forth their deade which are in them Behold he shall come in the clowdes and euery eye shall sée him Yea they which kicked against him and all the Trybes of the earth shal be waile mourne and then they shall sée the Sonne of man coÌ„ming in a cloud with great power maiestie And the Lord shall come to make reuenge not onely with the Appestles but also with the Elders of these people Where vpon Salomon doth saye A noble man is he in his gates when he shall sitt with the Senators of the land For they shall sitt also vpon the seates of the xii Trybes of Isarel I looked sayth Daniel vntill the Thrones were placed à nd the eldest did sit down Whose garmeÌ„t was as white as snowe And the hears of his head as cleane as wooll His Throne was the fire of the flame the wheles therof were bright kindled fyre A flowing a swyft ruÌ„ning fire did go forth froÌ„ his face ThowsaÌ„ds thowsands did administer vnto him And ten times huÌ„dreths of thousaÌ„ds did assist him Our god shall come opeÌ„ly manifestly our god shal coÌ„e shal not be sileÌ„t ther shal be bright burniÌ„g fire in his and round about him a mightie teÌ„pest He called the heauen froÌ„ on high the earth to iudge his people Then al nacions shal be gathered together before him He shal seperate them one from an other as the shepeheard doth seperate his shepe from the goates And he shall place them the shéepe on the right hand and the goates on the left hand O how great shall the dread and trembling then be and how great shal be the lameÌ„tacions and wepings For if the pillors doo tremble and dread his comming and the angels of peace shal wéepe bitterly what shal sinners doo if the iust shall skarcely be saued where shall the wicked sinners appeare Therefore cryeth the Prophet O Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for no man liuing shal be iustifted in thy sight If thou O
Esau He found not sayeth he place for repentaunce although he sought it wyth teares Therefore let no man deceyue hymselfe wyth vayne hope or solyshe perswasyones For as Hierome sayeth This I hold for certayne and doe thynke moste true that hée hath no good ende which ledde alwayes an euyll lyfe Which being sound and in health was not affeard to offend god but wallowed and toumbled in the vanityes of the world The death of Saintes is most pretious in the sight of the Lorde but the death of sinners is most abhomynable The sinner shal be persecuted with this reuenge that dying he shall forget himselfe and both lyuing and dying he forgat God As. Augustine confirmeth saying He cannot dye euill which lyued well Nay skarce can he dye well which lyued euyll And yet wée must not dispayre of any sinner But they are to be exhorted and styred to repentaunce euen in the last gaspes For some tymes percase it happeneth although very seldome that he which in tyme of health did neglect repentaunce shall yet by repenting then obteyne mercy But he is a most arogant foole which passinge ouer his lyse in health doth put his soules health vnto that ploonge of peryll But let vs doe that which is more sure and sase That is to repent and amende whyles we be sounde and in health praying most faythfully with the Prophet Cast me not out O Lorde in myne age and leaue me not nor forsake me not when my strength and power fayle me For beholde saythe the Apostle Now is the acceptable time now are the daies of health Who is this rysing as the daye rose sayeth the princely Prophet in the sixt of his Canticles fayre as the Moone and bright as the Sunne terryble as the forefroont of a battayle and John sayth in the thyrd Chapter of his first Epystle We know that when he apeareth we shal be lyke vnto him for we shal see him as he is that is to say clearely and perfectly in his forme and proper kynde For the intellectuall sight is and consisteth by view of the intellygible forme or shape whereby we see what is the lykenesse of the thing ones vnderstoode Neyther can that lykenesse playnely represent the thinge vnlesse it be made equall vnto the thinge it selfe But euery shape lykenesse or forme created dooth infinitely fayle and come short of the full representacion of the diuine essence or being and therefore God is séene onely in the heauenly kingedome bicause then the very diuyne â—…ssence it selfe is vnyted vnto the myndes of the blessed in the stéede of the intellygyble forme or 〈◊〉 Not by Inhaesyon or cleauing to but by assystaunce and 〈◊〉 So that the diâ—…yne essence or being is quod quo that is to say the very thing it selfe the thing wherby all thinges are in this blessed vysion Furthermore this vision is more then most worthy and altogether supernaturall the which all the chéefe Phylosophers dyd thinke impossible to be put in any mynde created no not in theyr separate substaunces So that to obtayne the same we haue néede of many supernaturall gyftes meanes and helpes As first that there may be geuen vs from God a blessing euen grace making vs gratefull and acceptable the which doth bedecke and adorne perfectly the very essence or being of the intellectuall and reasonable nature And maketh vs fyt to deserue eternall lyfe and to be conioyned vnto the supernaturall diuinytie Furthermore the loue and charytie whereby god the first being or essence is loued is spirytually supernaturally purely fréely and fully distylled into vs from the holy Ghost And with it hope and fayth also This charytie and loue doth as it were counterpayze him that hath it with the loue of the whole vnyuersallitie So that yet it maketh him loue God more then all thinges that euer were created Yea the least dram of this loue and charytie doth make God to be loued aboue the whole world And otherwyse man should not be in state of Saluation For according to the holy Fathers whosoeuer hath thys charitie and the grace before rehearsed he hath also the giftes of the holy ghost and all the other vertues conuected vnto charytie and conioyned vnto perfect grace Yea the more he profiteth in this grace and charytie so much the higher doeth he growe in good gyftes and vertues To conclude the excelencie and worthynesse of these supernaturall good thinges is suche and so greate that it can hardly be comprehended or expressed For no naturall perfection no bewtie no coomlynesse nor no bryght shyninge lyght can be thought equall vnto it No the heauenly lyghts doo not so much nor so well adorne and â—…e wtifie the substaunce of the Sunne and Moone as those graces doe bewtifie and adorne the substance and beinge of the soule Neyther doothe the Sunne so much bewtifie the heauenly Fyrmament as Charitie dothe bewtifye the Soule No the seuen Planettes doe not so muche adorne the heauenly Spheres or Cyrcles as the gyftes of the holy ghoste dooe adorne and bedecke the powers of the soule The vnyuersallytie of the Starres dothe not so muche adorne and set foorth the eighth Sphere or Fyrmament as the vniuersallytie of verteous actions dothe dignifie adorne and perfect the Soule For euen as by the Philosophers opinion true felicitie consisteth rather in action then in outwarde forme euen so in diuinitie also more vertue and perfection consisteth in exercise of godly actions then in profession or aparaunce And the more noble that the outwarde aparaunce be the more noble should the action and execucion be also Therefore since the forenamed gyftes and treasures of grace be habytes or outward tokens of so great highnes and excelence doth not the christian soule séeme vnto thée to be most noble gallaunt and godlyke which is occupyed continually in the exercyse of those habytes and which is so spiritually supernaturally and godly conuersant yea which doth so perfectly worship and reuerence God whose conuersacion is altogether in heauen For surely here vpon it hath bene wrytten that such a soule is the daughter the beloued and the spowse of God priuie to his heauenly secretes most familiar with him conformable in affectioÌ„s and the entyrely beloued heyre of God the coheyre with Christ which beholding gods glory with face dyscouered is traÌ„sformed into the same likenesse from one brightnes to another For asmuch as it lotheth all worldly frayle carnal humaine sollaces all prayses honors seculer pompes all that dyspleaseth god But whatsoeuer it knoweth may please God that doth it with all earnest affection embrase To conclude euen as by the Philosophers traditions euery motion hath his dignitie name prospertie from the ende wherevnto it tendeth euen so the action is dignified by the worthinesse of the obiect and matter about the which it is occupyed Then how great is the dignitie glory of that soule whose mocion and action lyfe and whole entent are
vnto a faythfull christian man is it the dissolucion of the bodie that a christian man desireth who is able to say I long to be dissolued is it that death bringeth an ende of life being heare that is not much to him that knoweth he hath an other lyfe to come in comparison of which this is no lyfe but death no ioy but sorow no ease but trauayle no quiet but misery So that either there is in deade very smal weake faith in vs to beleue gods promises infallibly made to all his Or if we doo assuredly beleue theÌ„ the greatest feare in that behalfe is past for he that loseth his lyfe temporall fyndeth eternal goeth froÌ„ labour to rest from the sea into the hauen froÌ„ weaknes to strength from sicknes to health from death to lyfe from sinne to iustice from sorow heuines paine to the place where there is no gréefe nor sighinge those former parts are then past Let the heathen feare to dye who may truely say I know not whether I goe nor what is ordeyned for me to what ende the gods haue created me whether it be good or no who are borne in sin not new borne in holines who haue neither teaching or knowledge of life neither promis of the same But a christiaÌ„ man being taught y death is the entre to lyfe that he is ordeyned to lyue with Christ created to be partaker of his glory regenerat sanctified by him with promis of blisse inestimable if he after all this retorne to the same loue of lyfe feare of death y is in the gentil what doth he then else but practise to be come a gentil heathen again selling away his enheritaÌ„ce for lesse then a messe of potage and renouÌ„cing his priuiledge whervnto he is singularly and especially called But as we haue sayd before weaknes may be a great cause to make a man feare death lack of beléefe a greater but yet are they not the greatest for perfect loue ouercoÌ„meth weaknes increaseth reuiueth faith wher loue is whole sounde the rest is soone recouered if it be lost or increased if it be decated But if loue be either deuided betwene god this world lyfe present or wholly traÌ„slated froÌ„ god vnto things traÌ„sitory How should a man be content to parte froÌ„ y he loueth and séeke that he careth not for sithe it is so true saying that where the man loueth he lyueth and vnpossible is it that who so is delited here possessed with the loue of this lyfe should willingly heare of death which can onely be welcome to them that therby desire to be with Christ whom they loue better then theÌ„selues or this lyfe so can be coÌ„tent to leaue the good for the better their welbeloued for the best beloued or y they estéeme light they entirely and tenderly loue For if it be asked what is the thing of such force y is able to make a man content to forsake his goods his liuing him selfe and his life if we will answere truely and in fewe words we must say it is loue nothing else which wher so euer it be faâ—…ed ma keth al other things séeme nothing in coÌ„parison of that it lyketh And herein to vse some exaÌ„ples it was none other thing the made the Philosopher cast himselfe into the burning fire of Aetna nor the Romain getleman-on horse backe to leape in wher y earth gaped the young man after y reading of Platoes booke to break his neck So many captains souldiers wyllingly wittingly to goe to their death but loue They louid somthing better then lyfe the wysest their couÌ„try and frendes whome they would preserue thother fame and as they called it immortalitie the lightest vayne estimacion glory but euery one somwhat wherewith they were ledde Sith theÌ„ loue is of such force as y same is able to bereue a man not only of his goods treasure but also of his lyfe and that by his owne will and coÌ„sent the right waye to learne coÌ„tentidly to receaue death when god sendeth it is to learne to employ wel fasten our loue wher it should be is due that is vppoÌ„ god and the lyfe to come louing that onely for it selfe and other things so much and so farre as we neither change nor remoue y out of his place which lesson if it be not onely beleued but practised maketh the lyfe godly and comfortable and the death easy And who so euer marieth him to the loue of the world following y desires thereof and making the desyres of it his delight that man may speake boldly of death vntil it come But when he shal stand vpon his gard to receue the assault he must will vndoubtedly shrink shew him selfe a weake souldier lacking the armour that should theÌ„ defend him for if faith his buckler byd him be strong thinck vpon the coÌ„quest that Christ his captaine hath made vpon that triumph y is prouided for him his owne hart coÌ„science which is néere him than his armour will saye all that is prouided for such as beare their loue true hart to their onely captaine whome they promised to serue for such as before in the time of theyr seruice dyd resist his enimie his atteÌ„ptes and not for such as yelded themselues prisoners vnto him content to be in his Campe and to fight vnder his banner His sword which is the worde of God being not well handeled of him before nor much occupied wyll then agrée ill with his hand he for lack of exercise not able to giue a strong blow therwith his curates of charitie so thin that eache dart arrow shal perce it his helm of hope vnlyned neither wel fitting to his head nor able to kéepe of the force of the byll Is it possible think ye y a souldier thus armed besides this not exercised in feates of warre shold withstaÌ„d a mightie stroÌ„g practised wel armed man no verely He wil either runne away if the grouÌ„d serue him or with shame be takeÌ„ prisoner and captine When I consider the maner of dying of such as were in gods fauour of whom we reade in the Scriptures old new coÌ„pare our selues with theÌ„ how willing ready glad they were to leaue this lyfe how loath backwarde sory we are for the greater part to doe the same I meruaile we should be called one mans children that are so vnlyke in condicion Moses being tolde he should no longer lyue therefore to prouide his successour dyd w his own hands ordre appoynt Iosua without coÌ„playnt sorow or token of gréefe prouiding for theÌ„ that shold lyue as it were nothing thinking on him selfe Isaac byd his sonne go hunt prouide gett him meat that he might blesse him before he dyed The lycke coÌ„tentacioÌ„ appeared in Iacob Tobias Dauid sundry other whome we finde not onely neuer to haue shunned death
most beasty wallow and delight in sinne wickednesse if he bestow but one howre in a daye to reade record the lessonnes therein conteyned I doubt not but he shall reape much profit and I some thankes for my trauayle The third and last deuision is called The Needlâ—…s Eye And teacheth aswell the right rewles of chrystian lyfe as also the meanes how to auoyde the crooked by pathes which leade vnto destruction So that the offences ones auoyded and the mynde fully bent to goe forthwardes in godlynesse it shal be hard to withdraw vs from performance of our possible duties Vnto these three parts thus collected ordred I haue thought good to adde an olde letter which teacheth Remedies against the bitternes of Death Being perticulerly and yet in myne opinion â—…loquently and well wrytten by the originall aucthour Yea very meete to be redde as the present tyme requireth All which to gether drawing to a reasonable vollume I haue now finished and publyshed in print And aswell bicause I thought the light of the aucthors ouer bright a Candle to be hydden vnder a busshell as also for that I would make the worlde wytnesse how deepe my graue freendes aduise dyd sinke into my memorye but especially to leaue some pawne of thankfulnesse in your honorable handes vntyll I may with greater deserte dyscharge some parte of such infinite dewties as I owe vnto your Lordshippe I presume ryght humbly to dedicate my trauayle herein vnto your patronage noble name Euen so beseching the same to pardone myne imperfections if any through ignoraunce and not for lacke of zeale haue passed my penne throughout this worke And much the rather for that in deede I haue bothe vsed the conference and abyd the correction of learned Deuines to make it the more worthy of so honorable a patrone How so euer it be my wyll and desire are very earnest to please and profyt all true christians in generallitie and to purchase the continuance of your comfortable fauour in perticularitie In full hope whereof I seace any further to trouble your good â—…ordshippe but shall neuer cease to beseech the almightie that he vouchsafe longe to vpholde the prosperous pyllers of your estate to his pleasure From my lodging where I finished this trauayle in weake plight for health as your good L well knoweth this second daye of Maye 1576. ¶ Your Lordshippes right humble and faithful seruaunt George Gascoigne An aduertisement of the Prynter to the Reader VNderstand gentle Reader that whiles this worke was in the presse it pleased God to visit the translatour thereof with sicknesse So that being vnable himselfe to attend the dayly proofes he apoynted a seruaunt of his to ouersee the same Who being not so well acquainted with the matter as his maister was there haue passed some faultes much contrary vnto both our meanings and desires The vvhich I haue therefore collected into this Table Desiring euery Reader that vvyll voâ—…hsafe to peruse this booke that he vvyll firste correct those faultes and then iudge acordingly Leafe Lyne Fault Correction B. 1. b. 1. man men B. 2. a. 17. 18. paie paie paine pray D. 2. b. 3. reuolueth reuolueth not D. 8. b. 10. euer faile neuer fayle E. 1. b. 16. shal be they shal be Eodem 23. temparalty temporally E. 3. a. 15. many might E. 6. a. 5. Chaos Chaos And yet after this fraile and transitory lyfe we doe not Eodem 17. degreâ—…s decrees E. 7. a. 1. that despiseth that he despyseth E. 7. b. 16. 17. then with thou without F. 1. a. last sower sowrce Eodem b. 17. coÌ„mittedagainst as the sinne is more greuous which is done against a F. 2. b. 4. minde created mynde to a goodnesse created And then put out all the fyfth lyne to the next poynt Eodem 23. fact face F. 3. b. 14. God goodnesse Eodem 23. momentarious momentarie F. 6. a. 1. and to be and be Eodem 3. this dishonour his dishonour F 7. a. 24. mynisterie mysterye F. 8. a. 14. becomme be common Eodem b. 14. dispose despise G. 1. a. 8. takers takers gratitude Eodem 25. ingratefull ingratefull vnto him Eodem b. 24. wyttinesse wytnesse G. 2. a. 10 it is not is not G. 3. a. 13. that which is with God that with God G. 4. a. 26. such is accompted in is accoumpted in such G. 5. a. 2. sinners the sinnes G. 7. b. 11. this one is this one wherefore is H. 5. b. 1. 2. in an hillate adnychilate H. 8. b. 8. sinnes sinners I. 1. b. 1. which holy which is to come it is but a mâ—…ment As holy Eodem 9. and they and as they I. 2. a. 29. foule fowre Eodem b. 3. but that he the which he I. 3. a. 14. of conference is often conference Eodem 16. passed doth passed which doth K. 4. b. 20. me such the such K. 8. b. 24. voyde open wyde open L 1. a. 20. carefulnesse carelessenesse M. 3. b. 24 intrusecall intrynsicall M. 4. a. 8. it be able yet be able P. 2. b. last torments of torments of hell fyre Q. 4. b. 32 for it is not for is not R. 1. a. 30 conuicted connected R. 6. b. 35. afflictions affections S. 3. b. 23. conceiued conueyed T. 1. b. 34. light they light for that which they ¶ The first Booke of the vewe oâ—… worldly vanâ—…ties WHerefore came I out of my mothers womb that I might behold sorrow and payne and that my dayes might be consumed in confusion Yf he whome our Lord God dyd sanctifie in his mothers womb dyd speake thus of him selfe what shall I then saye of my selfe whom my mother hath begotten in sinne Ah las for me O mother may I well saye wherefore hast thou begotteâ—… or conceyued me the sonne of bitter sorrow and payne Wherefore dyed I not in my mothers wombe Or wherefore dyd I not perrish euen as sone as I came forth of the same Wherfore was I receiued betwene hir knées suckled with hir teats yet borne to become meat for worms and fuell for Fyer Oh that I had béene slayne in hir entrales and that she had become my Sepulcre hir wombâ—… had bene my last conception Then had I bene as if I werâ—… not transferred from the Wombe to the Tombe Who therefore will geue me a Fountayne of teares to mynâ—… eyes that I may be wayle the miserable entrie of mans coÌ„dicion the culpable proceding of mans conuersacion thâ—… damnable ending of mans dissolucion Let man then with teares consider whereof he is made what he doth what hâ—… meaneth to doe Suerly he shall fiâ—…de that he was formed and facioned of the Earth coÌ„ceiued in sinne borne vnto misery that he dothe lewde thinges which are not lawfull filthy thinges which are not comely and vayne thingâ—… which are not expedient He shal be made fewell for Fyer meate for wormes and matter for corruption But let mâ—… expound these wordes more playnely I should better hauâ—… sayed Man
the lord They went about in shéepes felles in goates skynnes néedy afflicted miserable For whome the worlde was not yet worthy Straying in solitarie places in mountaynes in dennes and in caues of the carth in daunger of floods in daunger of théeues in daunger of the Iewes in 〈◊〉 of the Gentylles and in daunger of faulse brethren In labour calamitie in much watching in hunger and thirst in many necessities and in cold and nakednesse For the 〈◊〉 doth deny himselfe and 〈◊〉 his members together with all vices and coâ—…pisences that the world may be 〈◊〉 vnto him And he to the worlde He hath héere no place of aboade but séeketh diligently for the heauenly habitation to come He susteyneth the world as an exile beinge 〈◊〉 vp in his bodie as in a pryson sayinge I am an inhabitour and a stranger in the earthe as all my forefathers haue bene Forgeue me that I may be cooled before I depart I will abyde no longer Alas that my dwelling place is prolonged I haue euer dwelled with the inhabitaÌ„ts of cedar my sowle hath remayned with them Who is weakened and I am not weake Who is weakened and I am not vexed For the sinnes of the neighbors are the refreshinges of the iust This is that watering place which Caleph gaue vnto his daughter Axa in dowry The lyfe of man vpon earth is a warfare Yea is it not 〈◊〉 right warfare when manyfold enemies doe on euery syde assayle it that they may take man and persecute him and kyll him the deuill and man the world and the flesh The deuill with vices and concupisences man with beastes the world with Elements and the flesh with the sences For the flesh doth couet against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh But we must not wrastle against flesh and bloud but against the lyuely breathinges of wickednesse in heauenly thinges and against the captaines of these darcknesses For your aduersary the deuill goeth about lyke a roaring Lion séeking whome he may deuowâ—…r The fyry dartes of the most wicked are kindled Death commeth in by the wyndowes the eye doth robbe the Sowle the whole world doth fight against the sences that is nacion against nacion kingedome against kingdome great Earthquakes in many places pestilences and hongers tempestes and terrors from heauen The Earth bringeth forth thornes and thissells the water flooddes and raging tempestes the Ayre thunder and great wyndes the Fyer lightninges and flashâ—…nges Saying cursed be the Earth in thy works it shall bring forth thornes and thissells vnto thée With the sweat of thy browes thou shalt eate thy bread vntill thou retourne to the Earth For Earth thou art and to the Earth thou shalt goe The Bore out of the woode doth lye in waight and the best fruites are destroyed The Woulfe and the Beare the Leopard and the Lyon the Tyger and the wylde Asse the Crocodyle and the Gryffen the Serpent the Snake the Adder and the Bassâ—…liske the Dragon and the Ceracte the Scorpion the Uyper yea Nittes Lyse Fleas and Ants Flyes and Gnats Waspes and Hornets Fyshe and Fowles For whereas we are created to beare rule ouer the Fyshes of the Sea and the fowles of the Ayre and all lyuing creatures which moue vpon the Earth Now we are geuen as a praye for them and are made foode for their mouthes For it is wrytten I will send the téeth of wylde beastes against them with the fury of Serpents and things which glyde vppon the Earth Unhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me out of the body of this death Surely man would be brought out of pryson and would depart out of his body For the body is the prison of the Sowle Wherevpon the Psalmist saith Bring my sowle out of pryson No rest nor quietnesse no peace nor securitie at any tyme On all sydes feare and trembling and on all sides labour and payne Flesh shall be sorowful euen whylest it lyueth and the sowle shal morne and lament ouer it selfe Who had euer yet a whole day pleasant in his delight who in some part thereof the guiltinesse of consience the feare of anger and feircenesse or the motion of concupisence hath not troubled whome the swelling of enuie the earnest desyer of couetousnesse or the puffing vp of pryde hath not vexed Whome some losse or offence or passion hath not disquieted and to conclude whom neither sight nor hearing or some thing that touched dyd not offend Rara auis in terris 〈◊〉 simillima Signo Herken herevpon vnto the saying of the wise man Betwene morning sayth he and night the tyme shal be changed Uayne thoughts and cogitacions doo one succede another the mynde is wrapped into sundry conceytes They houlde the Tymbrell and Lute in theyr handes and they reioyce at the sounde of the Organnes they leade theyr life in iollytie and at the twincke of an eye they goe downe into hell Alwayes some sodeyne sorrowes doo succede and fâ—…low after worldly ioye And he which beginneth in ioye endeth in griefe For the worldly felicitie is mingled with many sorrowes and sharpe mishappes as he well knewâ—… which sayd They laughter shall be mingled with sorrow lameÌ„tacioÌ„ comes in th end of reioycing This did the sonns children of Iobe wel trye who whiles they did eat draÌ„k wine in the house of their eldest brother sodeynly a vehement wynde brake in from the desart country strake the foure corners of the house which fell downe and oppressed theÌ„ all Whereby their father sayed not without iust cause My harp is tourned into lamentacion myne organe pypâ—… into the voyce of wéepers mourners But it is better to goe vnto the house of weping lamentacion then to the houses of banqueting Geue eare and marke a holsome admonicioÌ„ In the day of reioycing good fortune be not vnmidfull of mishaps Remâ—…ber the latter daies thou shalt neuer sin Alwayes the last day is the first and yet the first daye is neuer reputed for the last yet we should so liue as though we were euer ready to dye For it is written Be myndeful and remember that death will not long tarry from thée time passeth away death approcheth A thousand yeares before the eyes of him the dyeth are as yesterday which passed away For all thinges to come doo grow and renew and alwaies thinges present doo dye and fade And whatsoeuer is past is altogether dead Then we dye alwaies as long as we lyue then at length we leaue dying when we leaue to lyue any longer Therefore it is better to dye vnto lyfe then to lyue vnto death Wherevpon Salomon saide I haue more praysed the dead then the liuinge and haue accounted him more then bothe which was neuer borne Life flieth swiftly away and cannot be
held back and death followeth instantly and will not be stopped This is then that wonderfull thing that the more it groweth the more it decreaseth and the further that life procedeth so much the néerer it draweth vnto an ende The time which is graunted and lent for quiet rest is not suffered to be quiet For dreames 〈◊〉 vs and visions doo vex trouble vs And though they be not in déede sorowful or terrible or laboursome which dreamers doo dream yet are they in déed made sorowful affrighted wâ—…ried thereby In so much that some times men wéepe in their sléepe dreams yea being awaked are yet excéediÌ„gly vexed Mark what Elephas Thematices saith vpon this poynt In the horrible dread of a vision by night saith he feare treÌ„bling came vpon me al my bones quaked for dread wheÌ„ the spyrit passed ouer in my preseÌ„ce the here of my flesh stoode right vp for fear CoÌ„sider vpon the words of Iobe which saith If I say that my bed shal yeld me quiet comfort that I shal be releued whilest I talke with my selfe in my couch theÌ„ wilt thou terrifie me in dreams wilt strik me with horrour in visions Nabuchodonosor saw a dream or visioÌ„ which troubled terrefied him maruelously And the visioÌ„ of his head did amaze vex him Many cares do follow dreams wher many dreames be there are also many vanities Dreames haue caused many men to doo amisse they haue béen ouerthrowen whilest they trusted in theÌ„ For often times filthie Images doo appere in dreams by the which not onely the flesh is polluted by nightly illusioÌ„s but also the sowl is ther with blotted and defyled Wherevpon our Lorde God speaketh in the Leuiticall lawes saying If there be emongest you any man which is polluted in his nightly sléepe let him goe foorth of the tents let him not return vntil he be washed with water in the euening And after the Sunne set let him retorne into the tents With how great sorrow are we troubled with how great trembling are we striken when we féele or vnderstaÌ„d the losses or damages of any our frends or dread the perils of our kinsfolke parâ—…ts many times a whole maÌ„ is more troubled with feare then a sicke man is with his infirmitie Some one man is of a voluntary wil more afflicted with the afflictioÌ„ of sorrow theÌ„ some â—…ther vnwilling is through the force effect of the laÌ„gnishing paine that saying of the poet is true Res est soliciti plena timoris Amor. Whose breast is so brasen or whose hart so stony hard bat he will sigh and grone and shed trickling teares when he beholdeth the deathe or greuous hurt or sicknesse of his neighbour or frende who can refrayne from hauing compassion on the passionate or from lamentinge with him that lamenteh Iesus him selfe when he sawe Mary and the Iewes that came with hir vnto the Sepulchre weping became vexed in his spirit troubled with in his mynde wept Percase not bycause he was dead but rather bycause beinge dead they reuoked him to behold the miseries of liefe But let him acknowledge himselfe blamefully hard harted and hardhartedly to be blamed which bewayleth the corporall death of his freind and neuer lamenteth for the spirituall death of his sowle Mishapes fall sodeynly when they are least suspected or loked for Sodeynly calamytie rusheth in at dores sicknesse inuadeth a man and death steppes in whome no man can eskape Therefore boast not of to morowe synce thou knowest not to what th end of the present day may bring thée to A man knoweth not his ende but euen as fishes are caught with the hooke and byrdes with snares and gynnes so are men caught and snatched vp in the euell tyme Wheâ—… they are come to that whereof they might long before haue bewared The Industry of the Phisicons coold neuer yet since the begynninge of the world search out so manie kyndes of diseases nor so many sundry sortes of passions as the frailtie of man could sustaine indure Shal I tearm it a tollerable intollerablenesse or an vntollerable tolleracion or shal better put them both togethers For I must call it vntollerable hauing regarde to the bitternesse of diseas And tollerable I must terme it since it is of necessitie to be suffered So froÌ„ day to day more more the nature of man is corrupted and made weaker In such sorte as many medecyens which in tymes paste were holesome are nowe throwe the desceyt of mans nature deadly and daungerous to bâ—… receyued For both these kyndes of worldes doe nowe wax â—…ld That is to say Macrocosmus and Microcosmus which is to say the greater world the lesser world And the longer that lyfe doth linger in eyther of them so much the worse is nature in each of them troubled and vexed What should I say of the wretched offendors which are punished with innumerable kindes of tormentes They are beaten to death with malles they are thrust throughe with swordes burned with flames of fyer ouerwhelmed with stones they are twytched in péeces with tonges and hanged vpon gibbettes wrung with mannacles and scourged with whyppes bounde in cheynes fastened in snares thrust down into darke dungeons Starued with fastinges throwne downe hedlonges drowned flayed and pulled in péeces quartered and some tymes smothered Those which are condemned to death dye those that are put to the sword must suffer there with those which are iudged to famishe must sterue and those which are put into captiuitie must indure it Crewel iudgement outragious punishment and sorowfull sight to be holde They are made a pray for the Byrdes of the Ayre the beastes of the feild and fishes of the sea Alas alas alas O miserable mothers which brought forth such miserable and vnhappy children Therefore I haue thought good to repete that horrible fact which Iosephus doth discribe in the seige of Hierusalem A certayne woman being both for bloud and wealth honourable dyd paciently beare and abyde the misery of the seige with the rest that were fled into the citie of Hierusalem and the tyrantes dyd straightwayes inuade the remnaunt of hir substaunce which she brought with hir from hir house into the Citie Yea if any thing yet remayned of hir aboundauâ—…t riches whereby she might poorely sâ—…staine hir with dayly foode the Captaynes of the sedicious rushing in at tymes dyd take it from hir by force Wherevpon the wooman by this outragious dealing was dryuen into a certayne disdayne euen as it were into a fury So that many times she prouoked the sedicious spoylers with reprochfull wordes and curses to haue killed hir But when as no man either of pittie or of furious fiercenesse would dispatch hir and yet as fast as she sought for any thinge to comfort hir there came others which sought as fast to take it from hir and hir plentie began now
other sprytes worse then himselfe And going in he dwelleth there And the ende of that man is worse then the begynning Also sinnne is fortiâ—…ed to preuayle before the iudgement of reason As Augustine speaking of him selfe doth say More preuayled the encreasing euill then the vncustomed goodnesse Lastly euen the sinner himselfe becoÌ„meth more impotent to ryse And thus behold my welbeloued how many and how vnspeable euill thinges a man doth incurre by sinning And suerly if thou doe not amend thy liefe by reading and knowing these hurts and daungers whiche come by sinne If thou doe not detest and abhorre sinne if thou doe not walke in purenesse of lyfe before God then shalt thou bée vnexcusablely reproued of great faultes by thyne owne vertues And shalt not doe that whiche béecoÌ„meth the naturall goodnesse of thyne excelent wytt For it is apparant by these things how truly Augustine spake in his twelfe booke De ciuitate del saying Synne hurteth nature And by that meanes it is contrary to nature And yet by that vice nature is apparant to be great and lawdable For by what meanes so euer vyce be blamed by the same vndowtedly nature is praysed For the right blaming of vyce is bicause thereby a lawdable nature is dishonested Of the infinite mercy of God. Art. 19. WE haue already spoken many thinges of the enormytie filthynesse and impietie of sinne And it is now thereby made manyfest how vehemently the holy and most highest God is dishonored by sinne and how he hateth and abhorreth the same Therefore least any man should by consideration thereof fall into weakenesse of courage or be broken with disperation or faynt with ouer much sorrow or pyne and wyther away with vndiscrete curyositie We will say somewhat agayne of the incomprehensible and vnmeasurable mercyes of god And therefore as the goodnesse of God is pure infinite and most plentifull so the swéetenesse of his liberalitye and his clemency is altogither vnspeakeable vnlimytable and vnexcogitable Exceding and infinitely passinge all our mallice néede and miserie Yea more then all the waues in the Sea passe a lyttle droppe of water or the great heape of the whole world doth passe incomparabily the least séede that is Let no man therefore dispare by the enormytie of vyces For thereby hée should offer an extreme iniurye to the diuyne mercy And should moste vehemently dishonor the vncreated verytie of the higest god As though Gods goodnesse and clemency which hath promysed forgeuenesse and grace vnto all men how full of iniquitie so euer they be if they doe truely repeÌ„t were lesse then his wickednesse To conclude is not the mercy of the glorious God and he which is onely to be worshipped most infinite who in euery moment doth perceue so many sinnes to be done in this worlde and séeth himselfe to be dishonored dispised and blasphemed so vnspeakeably of so many sinnes and yet doth preserue them in beinge doth vncessantly communicate vnto them the goodes of nature of fortune doth nowrishe them cloth them prouide for theÌ„ yea since according to y which hath bene said before the enormity of sinne is so incoÌ„prehensible euen therin y wonderfull greate and infinite pytie of God doth appere that he euer will vowchesafe to be reconciled or to behold or to receaue into his grace fauour the man with whome hée were but once offended or displeased by sinne And beholde euen those of whome he hath béen so often times offended by such greuous sinnes by whome he hath béen so often contempned set behynde earthly thinges in comparison he doth not onely vouchsafe to receue them vnto forgeuenes grace fauour but often tymes he doth preuent them in vncomprehensible pyetie and doeth happely change their hartes by inward compunaion vnto saluacion taking from them all hardnes of hart And filling them with so much grace and goodnesse that the same doth now most abounde where before iniquitie was most abundant And so of most hatefull enemies they are made most deare acceptable vnto God therfore we must not â—…ispayre for any thing For asmuch as God by his mercy doeth paciently abyde sinners dothe gently revoke them doth dissemble and dyffer reueÌ„ge and punishment doth deliuer them from many and manyfold daungers doth liberally and 〈◊〉 geue them grace doth multiply that which he hath geuen dothe kepe and preserue that which he hath multiplyed and dothe rewarde with heauenly thinges that which he hath kept and preserued To conclude God doeâ—…h ioyfully receue vnto 〈◊〉 the synner which 〈◊〉 vnto him doth mollyfie his hart doth quyckly forgeue the offence which he coÌ„mytted And after forgeuenesse doth neuer remember the iniurie Agayne God of his mercy doth send vs aduersities to proue our patyence withall he geueth vs prosperytie that he may prouoke vs to loue him And by his mercy doth bring agayne vnto himselfe those that goe astraie doth guyde vnto him such as returne doth rayse vp them that fall doth staye and hold vp them that stand and dothe leade vnto glorie all such as doe perseuer in godlynesse Behold how greate and how verye vnspeakeable incomprehensible and vnmesurable the clemencie of our God is especyally vpon his elect And yet let no man sin the bolder by this consideration of the diuyne mercyes presuming most foolishly vpon Gods benignitie For he is accursed which sinneth through hope For the better more méeke and clement that we know God to be so much the more intentyuely we ought to loue him not to dishoner or dispyse him Wherefore betwene desperation and presumption let vs obserue a sapientall meane hoping with feare and fearing with hope And so let vs contynewally be carefully and fearefully conuersant before God. Of those thinges by consideration whereof sinnes be the more effectually auoyded Art. 20. THere are many and almost innumerable thinges whiâ—…h ought to enduce vs vnto the auoyding and esthewing of sinnes Fyrst the consideration of the shortnâ—…sse vanytie vnstablenesse and dysceitfulnesse of this present liefe For what is our lyfe but a smoke most 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a moysture fading by little and littell 〈◊〉 our dayes are lyke a shadowe vpon the earth and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at all How long soeuer our lyfe séemâ—… 〈◊〉 in this world yet in comparyson of the neuer ending lyef which holy Iob sayth Spare me O Lord for my dayes are nothing We sée also with our eyes how many and how innumerable this present liefe doth deceaue Which being delighted ouer darkened and bedect with the rytches delightes and honors of this world doe neglect those things which pertayne to their health and saluation doe neuer couet or desier spirituall good thinges nor doe alwayes and enerie day perpare themselues vnto death And therefore euen as they lyue so doe they make an end And they doe most vnhappely dishonor God whiles they are yet sound and in health so at the tyme of their death they are most iustly of him forsaken dispised and condempned Is it not
then more holsome to contempne this liefe for the loue of that most happy and eternall lief which is to come To abiect all the vanity and impietie therof and to cleaue most faythfully fast vnto that diuyne eternall and vumeasurable goodnesse Behold in this present and most vnstedfast lief we must of necessitie haue regard either to eternal felycity or euerlasting dampnation Chuse then my welbeloued that which thou perceauest to be most holesome for thée And hate eschewe and detest most hartely all kynde of sinnes Secondarily the diligent consideration of death doth not a little preuayle to make vs eschewe and avoyde sinnes which death doth most swyftly and vncessantly approch At which time the vicyous liefe which now delighteth vs shall hanâ—… a most miserable end For then the perverse and wicked which dâ—…e cleaue more and more bent to this world then vnto God shall séeke but truce for one hower And onely their sinnes shall march on with them Thyrdly the consideratioÌ„ of the highest and most rigorous straightnesse of gods 〈◊〉 As to thinke what a horryble thing it shal be strayghtwaies after death to be presented before the trybunall seate of Christ to be of him most iustly iudged to abyde the pronouncynge of sentence to bée accused of the Deuylls and of our owne concience and to be séene and found vicyous before him Also the consideration of the last generall iudgement which is to come in the end of the world Which wil be so terryble as no tonguâ—… is able to conceyue the same Therefore whosoeuer doth déepaly consider how miserable sorowful and horrible a thing it wil be then with body and soule to goe downe into the infernall pitt to fall headlong into euerlasting â—…yer being shutt in the most tenebrous prison of hell there desperately to remayne for euer to haue the most dolorous 〈◊〉 and societie of Deuills and to be there vncessantly tormented more then can be told That man doubtlesse will auoyde and eschewe sinnes Who so euer wil bewayle those whiche hée hath already commytted will kéepe his hart with fearefull watch Fourthly the effectuall consideration of the whole infernall punyshement And therefore if he which is delighted and alured with vanytie of hart or voluptousuesse of the fleshe in this world would rightly wey and consider vnto how great desolacion and eternall payne yea the plenteous fulnesse of all calamyties and miseryes those delightes doe leade him he would vtterly abhorre them and flye froÌ„ them O my most entierly beloued brother would God that these thynges dyd sauour and were vnderstoode of thée as it is méete and right that they should For then thou wouldest most readely dispyse the world For behould who would now lye but the space of one houre in a hott burnyng furnace to gayne all the world thereby Wherfore then doest not thou eschewe daily sinnes For the which so great payne must bée suffered yea much more gréeuous then any punyshement which maye bée geuen in this present liefe But these foule considerations whereof I last spake which with drawe vs from sinne doe principally pertayne vnto foolyshe and vnperfect men Which declyne from vyces rather by feare of euill then by loue of goodnesse Fyftly then the consideration of that highest and incomprehensible heauenly felycity which God will geue to those that for his loue doe eschewe and hate sinnes is of great power to withdraw vs from sinne Synce the hope â—…f reward doth diminish the force and smart of the scourge there can be nothing in this world so painful so laboursom or so hard but y he that doeth rightly and worthily ponder the inexcogitable glorie of that blesseonesse would not readily and willingly indure Sixtly to the same end preuayleth deuout trusâ—…ie often praying â—…s if a man which thinketh coÌ„sidereth that without the abundant grace of God he can not flye from nor 〈◊〉 sinnes doe therefore neuer cease to pray hartely vnto God for grace to liue vertuously For we must as our sauiour sayeth alwayes pray and neuer cease Seuenthly the consideration of the diuyns presence is chiesly auaylable to the eschuing of sinnes by the which god doeth behold and consider vs euery where By which consideration there aryseth in vs a chaste shamefastnesse from doing of any thing that is dishonest Eightly the consideration of his benifits Furthermore it appertayneth vnto theÌ„ which are perfect to auoyde sins chiefly by coÌ„sideration of the diuyne goodnes before whome in sin the frayle goodnesse is preferred Also by consideration of the diuyne maiestie which by deadly sinne is infinitely dishonored Agayne by consideration of the diuyne holinesse and equitie vnto the which sinne is infinitly displeasing And lykewyse by consideration of the diuyne charitie by the which God did first loue vs. Moreouer by the verie loue of vertue and purenesse and the horror of the deformitie of sinne As a vertuous man did affyrme saying Although I knew that God would forgiue 〈◊〉 yet would I not â—…inne sayd hée for the verie disordrednesse thereof It is also written that the generall remedyes 〈◊〉 sinnes are 〈◊〉 these Fyrst patience in pouertie that a man may suffer néedâ—… and penurie in all things quietly and gladly as an Embassador sent by God wâ—…ither it be in food clothing or other necessaries For as the abuÌ„dance of temporal things is the 〈◊〉 of many vyces So pouertie withdraweth from many euils The second is the dispising of worldly men and their pratses yea though thou be in all things contemned reproued and troubled without cause giuen For so is the swelling of pryde repressed and a singular grace obteyned of the Lord. The thirde is a ghostly magnanimitie a stout mastership ouer a mans self without which a man is oftentimes enforced to coÌ„mit such things as wold els displease him to omit those things the which hee would willingly doe It preuayleth much for worldlings in all things to forsake their own wâ—…l The fourth is y eloyning of a man from comfort of worldly affayres By which verie often times the quiet and purenesse of the soule is much hindred The fift of conference with learned vertuous men and the following of their counselles and betwéene God and thy conscience to take an account of thy life passâ—…d doth helpe to ouercome sins and the temptations of the 〈◊〉 for since the diuil is the Prince of darkensse he doth hate flye from the light or the recordation or manifestation of his deceiptes and the humble accusing of a mans own self But the forgetting or kéeping secrete of his wyles hée 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Herevpon our sauiour sayeth Euerie man which doth euil hateth the light but hee which dealeth truly commeth to the light that his workes may bee made manifest bycause they are done in god But there are some which are verie naughtely dangerous shamefast 〈◊〉 no will to call to remembrance and examyne their owne consciences of the secretes of their thoughts affections temptations wherby it coÌ„meth to passe
mercyfull God to graunt mée such a delight in searching of his true wysedome that thou mayest say with the auctor of the booke of wysdome Hir haue I loued and searched for euen froÌ„ my youth and I wooed hir to be my wyfe and my spouse And I became in loue with hir bewtye so that entryng into my house I will lye downe by hir and take my rest with her For hir conuersation doth not weary me neyther is there any bitternâ—…sse in hir company but ioye and gladnesse dwell with hir for euer And herevpon also it is sayd Wisdome is more pretious then any ryches and all that mâ—…n desire is not thervnto to be compared God forbyd then that thou my welbeloued shouldest set thy mynde or occupy thy thoughtes in thinges that are lower and of vyler estymation THe path of the iust coÌ„meth forthwards like vnto a bright shyning lamp it in creaseth vntill it be brod dai but y waâ—…es of y wicked are dark they know not wher they fall As y holy Euangelist Iohn doth witnesse in his first Epistle saying God is light and in him there is no maner of darkenesse Also Dyonisius wryteth that God is the pure full and infinite light the lyuely intellectuall originall and most cleare brightnesse Since he then is the end and vttermost bound of our way and perigrinage we ought to walke towardes him by the bright shyning pathes and fayre wayes that the whole way may bée lyke vnto the ende of our iourney and the middest vnto the vttermost boâ—…ndes thereof For otherwyse we can neuer attayne vnto him Now this pathe of the iust is vertuous déeds good lyfe and conuersation togither with a warie obseruation of Gods lawes and commaundements Whervâ—…on Salomon sayeth The wayes of the Lorde are fayre wayes and all the pathes thereof are peaceable For the wayes whereby wée iourneye vnto God and the heauenly kingdome are good thoughtes holye medytations fruytefull talke and déedes of charitie acceptable vnto God in Christ Iesus These are iustly called the paths or wayes of the iust for as much as they be the certayne fruites and tokens whereby we passe and make way the grace of God helping vs from this exyle vnto the heauenly habitation The which wayes and pathes are by good reason tearmed bright and shinyng sithens they haue their originall beginning of Gods grace and charitie which are the supernaturall lightes of the soule Yea bicause with their brightnesse they chase darkenesse from the myndes of men they vnite and knit togither our hartes to the vncreated and heauenly light and make him which exerciseth himselfe therein to sâ—…eme cleane holy and acceptable vnto God and a good example vnto men Wherevpon the Apostle sayth That the iust doe shine as Lanternes amongest the wicked And agayne vnto sinners conuerted he sayeth You were once darknesse but now you are light in the lord Furthermore this pathe and way of the iust doeth procéede from good to better from imperfection to perfection from one vertue to another from the way vnto the ende of the iourney yea and it increaseth vntill it be broad day That is to say vntill the euerlastyng day appeare For as much as it ryseth by fayth to the speciall kynde of the thing sought for Euen vnto the euerlasting and most blessed fruition and visien of the highest and most reuerend Trinitie and Godheade This is the way of the chosen the vnspotted way the way of all vertue leading by the trauayle of repentance vnto euerlasting rest and quyet And of this way the Psalmist sayth Blessed are they whose wayes are vncorrupted and which walke in the lawes of the Lord their god And therevpon Iob sayde I kepte the way of the lord and did not decline from it As also Ieremie sayde Aske which is the good way and walke therein and you shall fynde a refreshing for your soule But now there is another way of the reprobate a darkesome way that is to say a wicked and vngodly way which lacketh the light of true vnderstanding is not guyded with the light of grace But is obfuscate and darkened with the cloudes of passions and concupiseÌ„ces peruerting ouerthrowing all iust iudgements leadeth to the dungeon of infernal darknesse This way is séene by vitious qualities vnbrydeled appetites coÌ„cupiscence of the flesh wicked thoughts euil déedes vnséemely and vnlawful talke and neclecting of tyme The which doe so ouershadow and darken the eyesight of the mynde chat it can not sée the spirituall ruyne and ouerthrow into the which it dayly falleth headlonges For in this slippery and damnable way which séemeth good vnto the wicked although the end thereof doe leade vnto death men fal from the highest vnchaungeable and moste blessed God vnto a chaungeable frayle and vayne apparaunce of goodnesse from the state of grace and saluation vnto the state of gylte and condempnation from a spirituall lyfe to a carnall lyfe and in the ende from the right waye to the infernall pryson Of the which way or wayes being wicked as aforesayde it is written you blushe and be ashamed of your wayes And therefore my beloued goe not into the waye of ruyne and perdition neyther followe the libertie of worldlye vanities and thyne owne desires but doe thou diligently followe and imitate the waye of the blessed and chosen For whosoeuer followeth the things which delight the fleshe and the outwarde sences whosoeuer doeth imbrace the loosenesse of his hearte and the ioyes of this world hée doubtlesse walketh in a darke and daungerous way But hée that walketh accordyng to the preceptes and lessons of the Gospell hée chuseth vnto him the brighte way of the electe and may saye with the Psalmist I haue kepte my féete from all euill wayes that I might kéepe thy wordes For the worthie and perfect fulfillyng whereof let vs praye dayly or rather hourely with deuout mynde saying Dyrecte my steppes accordyng to thy worde and no vnrightuousnesse shall haue the vpper hande of mée The Apostle Paule in his seconde Chapiter to the Galathyans sayeth I am fastened to the Crosse in christ Yet liue I not I but Christ liueth in mée And whereas I now lyue in the fleshe I liue in the fayth of the sonne of God which loued mée and gaue himselfe for mée And surely this is the holesome doctrine of christian religion That for the transgression of our forefathers all maÌ„kind was depryued of their pleasant habitation in the terrestiall Paradyce and throwne out into this world as into a vale of miserie into a place of banishment and a countrey far from our natiue residence To the end that through the bloud of Christ Iesu we might in this worlde shewe the fruites of true repentaunce and incessantly bewayle our owne calamitie vntil we may be thought worthie after this life to enter into the place of rest or euerlasting kingdome prepared for the elect children of God. Wherevpon
hym selfe lyued wyfe and friends wit strength goods and reuenue with other lyke which to inioy men desire to liue good giftes are to be taken thankfully at the giuers handes and so long to be kept as may stand with the giuers will and good contentation but as no ciuil gyfte deliuered vpon condition may curteously be required beyond and agaynst the gyuers mynde although he be our equal or inferior so Gods giftes who oweth no man ought and giueth all without cause haue much more this condition to be rendered at his call fréely and willingly as they were deliuered or rather lent which giftes of his as loue tokens should not serue to make vs wishe long to be from him for then is his loue ill recompensed but should make vs desire to bée with hym and to sée him of whom we haue receiued them As the Prince who sendeth to his seruant being in a forren countrey farre from him Iewels precious in token of remembrance doth therby moue a kynd louing seruant the sooner to return to y presence of so good mindful a Lord especially if y presence of his sayd Lord shal be infinitly more worth to him then all his former tokens for although it bée not blame worthie for any man to vse Gods gifts to delite in theÌ„ yet if he loue the gifts forget the giuer he is very vnkynd if he loue both the gifts the giuer vnlesse y one loue so farre surmount the other that in comparison of the greater the lesse be drowned appeare nothing that loue is disordered taking good for the best resting where it should begin I leaue here vnsaid that health and strength of bodie may impayre by sickenesse wife be lost by death friends turne to enimyes goods and reuenewes casuall suche as may decay or without desert be taken away to the occasion of great heauines sorow of al which who so maketh otherwise his accompte is farre deceiued so that to leaue them whole vntouched of any mishap before rehersed and many other that may chaunce is not lost but gaine This haue you made me in an argument handeled by many men excelent in vertue learning and wit put my pen to the booke that is to say to paynte after Apelles and graue after Lysippus which wise Artiâ—…cers euer shunned to doe But bicause you sayd that circumstances might commend the matter and the loue of the writer moue you the more attentiuely to read although I haue not satiâ—…ed my self in the argument yet haue I gone about to satisâ—…e your affection Wherein as loue hath caused me to doe against my will so must the same moue you to â—…eare withall that is to little or to muche and so amisse which is all I feare And therfore doe recommend the same to be corrected by men of better iudgement and your selfe 〈◊〉 the tuition of the almightie FINIS â—…ier 20. Of the vileneâ—… of mans substance Eccle. 3. Iob. 10. Gene. 3. Of the vice of Conception Iob. 14. Psalm 50. 〈◊〉 Io. 1 Rom. 5. Of the vveaknes of the 〈◊〉 Of the paiâ—…e of child berth the crying out of the Infanâ—… Gen. 〈◊〉 Cen. 35 1. Reg. 4. Ioan. 16. Of the naked nesse of man Iob. 1. 1. Tim. 6. What fruites a man bringeth forth Of the discomodities of age and the shortnesse of lyfe Sapi. 9. Eccle. 1. Pâ—…alm 89. Iob. 10. Of the paines and labors of men Of the study of vvise men Of the sundry studies of mâ—… Eccle. 2. Of sâ—…ndrie greeâ—…es Iobe 19. The misery of the poore and ritch man. Mat. 6. Of the misery of maryed vnmaryed folkes Mat. 19. Exod. 28. 〈◊〉 Cor. 7. 〈◊〉 Reg. 12. 1. Cor. 7. Mat. 5. 〈◊〉 Cor. 7. Pro. 8. Mat. 19. â—…en 2. Of the misery both of good and bad Timo. 3. Heb. 11. Cor. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hâ—…b 〈◊〉 Psal. 118. Psal. 98. Psal. 119. 〈◊〉 Cor. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. Of the enemies to man Iob. 7. Galâ—… 4. Ephe. 5. 〈◊〉 Pet. 5. Hier. 9. Gene. 3. Sapi. 5. Luc. 21. Gen. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 76. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 〈◊〉 Deut. 〈◊〉 Of the prisoâ—… of the Sowlâ—… Rom. 7. Psalm 114. Of the shortnesse of mirth and ioy Eccle. 18. Iob. 21. Iob. 1. Pro. 14. Iob. 30. Eccle. 7. Eccle. 1. Ibidem 2. Of the neighborhood of death Eccle. 14. Eccle. 4. Of the terror of dreames Daâ—… 〈◊〉 Leuit. 15. Of compassiâ—… Of sodeyne mishappes Pro. 27. Eccle. 3. Of the innumerable kinds of diseases Of sundrye kindes of torments Hier. 〈◊〉 Of a horrible fact that a woman dyd to eate hir owne childe Howe some times the innoceÌ„t is punished the gyltie is absol ued Rom. 11. Of the blame full culpable procedings of lmaÌ„s conuersacion 1. Iohn 2. Of couetousnesse 1. Tim. 6. Of vniust rewardes Esai 1. Esâ—…y 1. â—…ze 2â—… Deut. 16 Of the acceptation of persons Esai 1â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. 〈◊〉 3. Hier. 〈◊〉 Deut. 1. Acts. 10. Of the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Math. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â–ª 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 27. 〈◊〉 the couetous man can not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cor. 6. 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of riches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gainst 〈◊〉 Num. 22. 10. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. Reg. 5. Zach. 9. Of the superfluous carefulnes of theÌ„ which be couetous Iob. 14. 1. Tim. 6. Math. 6. Luke 22. Of 〈◊〉 Pro. 13. Eccle. 14. 〈◊〉 Iohn 5. Why couetousnesse is the seruitude of Idolles Ephe. 〈◊〉 Of the properties of a couetous maÌ„ Eccle. 4â—… â–ª Of the wicked possessings of ryches Eccle. 8. 31. Psalm 71. Math. 10. Act. 3. Esai 2. 〈◊〉 Ibidem 25. Of vnlawfull wealth Gen e. 1â—… Iob. 〈◊〉 Psalm 3â—… Of the vncâ—…rtayntie of riches Luke 22. Psalm 38. 39. Iob. 3. Psalm 48. Of gluttony Eccle. 14. Eccle. 1. Eccle. 37. 2. Cor. 6. Examples against Gluttony â—…en 3. 23. 40 Marc. 6. 4. Reg 〈◊〉 Dan. 3. Exod. 23. Psalm 77. Ieremi 4. Luc. 16. Ã’f druncken nesse 〈◊〉 3â—… Eccle. 31. Ose. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 30. Hier. 35. Luc. 8. Example against drunckennesse Gen. 9. 10. 2. Reg. 13. Iudith 13. Pro. 25. Esay 13. Esa. 22. Esa. 28. Of Lechery Apo. 22. Osee. 7. 1. Cor. 6. Pro. 3. Of the gene ralitie of Lechery Iob. 40. Of the sundry sortes of lechery and their paines Gen. 10. 34. 38 Num. 25. Iudi. 19. 20. 1. Reg. 2. 4. 11 Dan. 13. Gen 35. 49. Iud. 16. 3. Reg. 11. Eccle. 9. 1â—… Pro. 7. The punishment of this vice Gen. 18. Of the ambycious man. Of the ouer great couetousnesse of Ambitions men An example of ambition Of the short miserable lyfe of them which be in aucthoritie Psalm 3â—… Eecle 10. Of the sundry properties of proude men Of pryde and the fal of Lucifer Sap. 3. Eccle. 10. Esa. 14 〈◊〉 2â—… â–ª Iob. 24. Apo. 1â—… Lukâ—… 10. 14. Of the arogauÌ„ce of meÌ„ Daniell 4. Psalm 48. Geâ—… 11. 1. Reg. 7. â—…est 7. 2. Macch. 1â—… 9 â–ª Iudi. 6. Of the