wil make him a piller in the temple of my God he shal never go foorth more and I wil write upon him the name of my God and the name of the citie of my God which is new Ierusalem He that shal conquer I wil give unto him to sit with me in my throne even as I have conquered and do sit with my father in his throne 35 Hitherto are the words of Christ to Saint Iohn And in the end of the same book after he had described the joies and glorie of heaven at large he concludeth thus And he that sat on the throne said to me Write these words for that they are most faithful and tru Qui vicerit possidebit haec ero illi Deus ille erit mihi filius timidis autem incredulis c. pars illorum erit in stagno ardenti igne sulphure quod est mors secunda He that shal conquer shal possese al the ioies that I have heer spoken of and I wil be his God and he shal be my son But they which shal be fearful to fight or incredulous of these things that I have said their portion shal be in the lake burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death 36 Heer now we see both allurements and threats good and evil life and death the joies of heaven and the burning lake proposed unto us We may stretch out our hands unto which we wil. If we fight and conquer as by Gods grace we may then are we to enjoy the promises laid down before If we shew our selves either unbeleeving in these promises or fearful to take the fight in hand being offered unto us then fal we into the danger of the contrarie threats even as Saint Iohn affirmeth in another place that certain noble men did among the Iewes who beleeved in Christ but yet durst not confesse him for fear of persecution 37 Heer then must insu another vertu in us most necessarie to al those that are to suffer tribulation and affliction and that is a strong and firm resolution to stand and go through what opposition or contradiction soever we find in the world either of fawning flatterie or persecuting crueltie This the scripture teacheth crieng unto us Esto firmus in via Domini Be firm and immooveable in the way of the Lord. And again State in fide viriliter agite Stand to your faith and play you the men And yet further Confide in Deo mane in loco tuo Trust in God and abide firm in thy place And finally Confortamini non dissolvantur manus vestrae Take courage unto you and let not your hands be dissolved from the work you have begun 38 This resolution had the three children Sidrach Misach and Abdenago when having heard the flattering speech and infinit threats of cruel Nabuchodonosor they answered with a quiet spirit O king we may not be careful to answer you to this long speech of yours For behold our God is able if he wil to deliver us from this fornace of fire which you threaten and from al that you can do otherwise against us But yet if it should not please him so to do yet you must know Sir king that we do not worship your gods nor yet adore your golden idol which you have set up 39 This resolution had Peter and Iohn who being so often brought before the councel and both commanded threatened and beaten to talk no more of Christ answered stil Obedire oportet Deo magis quam hominibus We must obey God rather than men The same had Saint Paul also when being requested with teares of the Christians in Caesarea that he would forbear to go to Ierusalem for that the holie Ghost had revealed to many the trobles which expected him there he answered What mean you to weep thus and to afflict my hart I am not only ready to be in bonds for Christs name in Ierusalem but also to suffer death for the same And in his Epistle to the Romans he yet further expresseth this resolution of his when he saith What then shal we say to these things If God be with us who wil be against us Who shal separate us from the love of Christ Shal tribulation Shal distresse Shal hunger Shal nakednes Shal peril Shal persecution Shal the sword I am certain that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor strength nor height nor depth nor any creature else shal be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Iesus Christ our Lord. 40 Finally this was the resolution of al the holie martyrs and confessors and other servants of God wherby they have withstood the temptations of the devil the allurements of flesh and blood and al the persecutions of tyrants exacting things unlawful at their hands I wil alledge one example out of the second book of Maccabes and that before the comming of Christ but yet nigh unto the same and therfore no marvel as the fathers do note though it took some heat of Christian fervor and constancie towards martyrdome The example is woonderful for that in mans sight it was but for a smal matter required at their hands by the tyrants commandement that is only to eate a peece of swines flesh which then was forbidden For thus it is recorded in the book aforesaid 41 It came to passe that seven brethren were apprehended togither in those dais brought with their mother to the king Antiochus and there compelled with torments of whipping and other instruments to the eating of swines flesh against the law At what time one of them which was the eldest said What dost thou seeke Or what wilt thou learn out of us O king We are readie heer rather to die than to break the ancient laws of our God Wherat the king being greatly offended commanded the frieng pans and pots of brasse to be made burning hot which being readie he caused the first mans toong to be cut of with the tops of his fingers and toes as also with the skin of his head the mother and other brothers looking on and after that to be fried until he was dead Which being done the second brother was brought to torment and after his hair plukt off from his head togither with the skin they asked him whether he would yet eat swines flesh or no before he was put to the rest of his torments Wherto he answered No and therupon was after many torments slain with the other Who being dead the third was taken in hand and being willed to put foorth his toong he held it foorth quikly togither with both his hands to be cut off saieng confidently I received both toong and hands from heaven and now I despise them both for the law of God for that I hope to receive them al of him again And after they
Saint Iohn concupiscence of the flesh which conteineth al pleasures and carnal recreations as banketing laughing plaieng and the like wherwith our flesh is much delited in this world And albeit in this kind there is a certain measure to be allowed unto the godly for the convenient maintenance of their health as also in riches it is not to be reprehended yet that al these worldly solaces are not only vain but also dangerous in that excesse abundance as worldly men seek and use them appeereth plainly by these words of Christ Wo be unto you which now do laugh for you shal weep Wo be unto you that now live in fil sacietie for the time shal com when you shal suffer hunger And again in Saint Iohns Gospel speaking to his apostles and by them to al other he saith You shal weep and pule but the world shal reioice Making it a sign distinctive between the good and the bad that the one shal mourn in this life and the other rejoice and make themselves merie 28 The verie same doth Iob confirm both of the one and the other sort for of worldlings he saith That they solace themselves with al kind of musik and do passe over their daies in pleasure and in a verie moment do go down into hel But of the godly he saith in his own person That they sigh before they eat their bread And in another place That they fear al their works knowing that God spareth not him which offendeth The reason wherof the wise man yet further expresseth saieng That the works of good men are in the hands of God and no man knoweth by outward things whether love or hatred at Gods hands but al is kept uncertain for the time to come And old Tobias insinuateth yet another cause when he saith What ioy can I have or receive seeing I sit heer in darknes Speaking literally of his corporal blindnes but yet leaving it also to be understood of spiritual and internal darknes 29 These are then the causes beside external affliction which God often sendeth why the godly do live more sad and fearful in this life than wicked men do according to the counsel of Saint Paul and why also they sigh often and weep as Iob Christ do affirm for that they remember often the justice of God their own frailtie in sinning the secret judgement of Gods predestination uncertain to us the vale of miserie desolation wherin they live heer which made even the apostles to grone as Saint Paul saith though they had lesse cause therof than we In respect wherof we are willed to passe over this life in carefulnes watchfulnes fear and trembling and in respect wherof also the wise man saith It is better to go to the house of sorrow than to the house of feasting And again Where sadnes is there is the hart of wise men but where mirth is there is the hart of fools Finally in respect of this the scripture saith Beatus homo qui semper est pavidus Happie is the man which alwais is fearful Which is nothing els but that which the holie Ghost commandeth everie man by Micheas the prophet Sollicitum ambulare cum Deo To walk careful and diligent with God thinking upon his commandements how we keep and observe the same how we resist and mortifie our members upon earth and the like Which cogitations if they might have place with us would cut off a great deal of those worldly pastimes wherwith the carelesse sort of sinners are overwhelmed I mean of those good fellowships of eatings drinkings laughings singings disputings and other such vanities that distract us most 30 Heerof Christ gave us a most notable advertisement in that he wept often as at his nativitie at the resuscitation of Lazarus upon Ierusalem and upon the crosse But he is never read to have laught in al his life Heerof also is our own nativitie and death a signification which being both in Gods hands are appointed unto us with sorrow and greefe as we see But the middle part therof that is our life being left in our own hands by Gods appointment we passe it over with vain delites never thinking whence we came nor whither we go 31 A wise traveler passing by his In though he see pleasant meats offered him yet he forbeareth upon consideration of the price and the journey he hath to make and taketh in nothing but so much as he knoweth wel how to discharge the next morning at his departure but a fool laieth hands on every delicate bait that is presented to his sight and plaieth the prince for a night or two But when it commeth to the rekoning he wisheth that he had lived only with bread and drink rather than to be so troubled as he is for the paiment The custome of many churches yet is to fast the even of every feast and then to make merrie the next day that is upon the festival day it selfe which may represent unto us the abstinent life of good men in this world and the mirth that they have in the world to come But the fashion of the world is contrarie that is to eat and drink merrily first at the tavern and after to let the host bring in his rekoning They eat drink and laugh and the host scoreth up al in the mean space And when the time commeth that they must pay many an hart is sad that was pleasant before 32 This the scripture affirmeth also of the pleasures of this world Risus dolore miscebitur extrema gaudij luctus occupat Laughter shal be mingled with sorrow and mourning shal insu at the hinder end of mirth The devil that plaieth the host in this world and wil serve you with what delite or pleasure you desire writeth up al in his book and at the day of your departure that is at your death wil he bring the whole rekoning and charge you with it al and then shal follow that which GOD promiseth to worldlings by the prophet Amos Your mirth shal be turned into mourning and lamentation Yea and more than this if you be not able to discharge the rekoning you may chance to hear that other dreadful sentence of Christ in the Apocalips Quantum in delicijs fuit tantum date illi tormentum Look how much he hath been in his delites so much torment do you lay upon him 33 Wherfore to conclude this point and therwithal this first part touching vanities truly may we say with the prophet David of a worldly minded man Vniversa vanitas omnis homo vivens The life of such men containeth al kind of vanitie That is vanitie in ambition vanitie in riches vanitie in pleasures vanitie in al things which they most esteem And therfore I may wel end with the words of God by the prophet Esay Vae vobis qui trahitis iniquitatem in funiculis
take it warrant inough for thē to touch us so neer as they did Their punishment was very extreme both in that they did to our persons by imprisonment torments cruel death and in that they made the cause haeresie and so overwhelmed us with the greatest reproch that could be devised Wheras notwithstanding neither the traditions that the church appointeth and wherof there may somtimes be had a verie good use nor the profit or superioritie of their prelacie are of that importance that they may make them matter of death nor haeretiks those that speak against them When they saw it come to that point even common charitie me think should have obtained thus much of them that neither they would have urged their own traditions so far nor stood so stiff to their profit or honor but that the life of those their brethren might have obtained some mitigation especially when as the substance of christianitie may stand without them as in ancient time it is known to have done for manie hundred yeers togither The practises that they use against us now are so wel known unto al and so greevous I think to the greater and better part of themselves to hear of that forsomuch as we do not use to greeve those whom we would persuade it is not needful heer to display them although we take them so far to exceed in that kind as that lightly they cannot be over-matched with any such like of the former ages But it shal be sufficient for them to consider but this one point only whether those practises of theirs be not so contrarie to the civile state as that they cannot stand togither but that the establishing of the one must needs be the overthrow of the other If it be so which I think they wil quikly finde then may themselves also be able to gather that such execution as now is done on certain of them is not onlie just but needful also and such as in no wise might be omitted til themselves do grow to better advisement 11 That other hinderance of the lesser sort that doth somwhat respect the cause in variance betwixt us is for that they wil seem to suppose though indeed it otherwise seemeth that manie of them are not so persuaded for which cause I have put this but among their lesser hinderances that how much soever we praetend to have the word of God to direct us in al our doings yet by the means of wrong translations we have it nothing at al indeed and therfore that it may stand with great probabilitie that so much as we swerve from our adversaries in those our doings so much also should it seem that we swerve from the word of God it self And this heertofore they have but seldom and more faintly alledged but now of late they have avouched it with greater confidence upon the hope of sufficient ground that they have conceived by those quarreling labors of master Martin and certain others of the Seminarie at Remes about the translation of the new testament that they have put foorth in the English toong Wherin how injurious they are unto us and how far they have overslipped themselves although it do alreadie sufficiently appeer both in the weaknes of their own doings and in the labors of others therin as also we trust that so it wil yet further appeer every day more than other yet to help forward the weaker and those that are not able to judge of the toongs by an easier way I would wish them to be somwhat better advised what is the advantage they seem to have gotten therby if the case so stood that we had been overseen in our translations in al those things that they lay to our charge and that they had therin attained unto the truer sense of the text For though so it were yet notwithstanding if we come to the matter that is to consider how weightie those points of religion are that they would seem to have gained therby although at the first they carrie with them a glorious shew yet in truth their advantage would so also fal out to be very smal both in respect of those places themselves and in respect of al the residu that they leave unto us untouched by them For if in those very places wherin they think they have special advantage against our translations in the substance of the matter notwithstanding they gain little therby then howsoever our translators have overslipped themselves yet do our adversaries get therby no sound advantage in respect of the cause that they do defend So likewise if those places wherin they finde fault with us be very few in respect of the rest that they leave untouched then do they both justifie our fidelitie in translating of them and not only make themselves and their doctrines liable unto the trial of them but also bar themselves for ever to lay to our charge in so absolute maner as they do that we have not the scriptures among us For unlesse they can shew that such as we have in such sort translated as that themselves do finde no fault therwith do not contain the effect and substance of the Christian faith which as yet I think not one of them al did ever alledge or lean unto for his warrant therin it is not for them to lay to our charge though in al those points we had been deceived that we have not the word of God among us so far as it is needful for our ful instruction in the faith and doctrine of Christ. Therfore to let passe whether we have rightly translated or not let us a little enter into the consideration of the matter it selfe and see what advantage themselves may hope to have gotten therby Which course if we take then do we finde that in their discoverie they do charge us two principal wais first with divers things more specially by name in the first twentie chapters then with a pak of others togither as matters belike of lesse importance in two of the last We are charged by name first of al with our inward meaning that of purpose we translate the holie scriptures falsely in favor of the haeresies that they suppose us to hold in the first chapter then with our open and plain dealings correspondent as they say to so il a meaning in al the rest unto the end of the twentith chapter And hitherto the method is good and the order plain and therfore have I set these things down as they stand there In that which followeth it seemeth that it was not the authors purpose to digest them into a method but only to make recital of them as they came to hand Nevertheles that to us both it may appeer more plainly what they or we have gained or lost by our translations in the pith or substance of religion it shal be good for both parts to lay them foorth in some plain easie method Those doings of ours therfore that they charge
wherof he maketh mention in his writings As also al godly men by his example have used the like helps since for the better resisting of sinful temptations when need required and the like Wherof I could here recite great store of examples out of the holy fathers which would make a man to woonder and afeard also if he were not past fear to see what extream pain and diligence those first Christians tooke in watching every little sleight of the devil and in resisting every little temptation or cogitation of sin wheras we never think of the matter nor make account either of cogitation consent of hart word or work but do yeeld to al whatsoever our concupiscence moveth us unto do swalow down every hook laid vs by the devil and most greedily do devour every poisoned pleasant bait which is offered by the enimy for the destruction of our souls and thus much about resisting of sin 9 But now touching the second point which is continual exercising our selves in good works it is evident in itselfe that we utterly fail for the most part of us in the same I have shewed before how we are in scripture cōmanded to do them without ceasing and most diligently whiles we have time of day to do them in for as Christ saith The night wil come when no man can work any more I might also shew how certein of our forefathers the saints of God were most diligent and careful in doing good works in their dais even as the husbandman is careful to cast seed into the ground whiles fair weather lasteth and the merchant to lay out his mony whiles the good market endureth They knew the time would not last long which they had to work in and therfore they bestirred themselves whiles opportunitie served they never ceased but came from one good work to another wel knowing what they did and how good and acceptable service it was unto God 10 If there were nothing els to proove their wonderful care and diligence herein yet the infinite monuments of their almes-deeds yet extant to the world are sufficient testimonies of the same to wit the infinite churches builded and indued with great abundant maintenance for the ministers of the same so manie schooles colledges vniversities so many bridges highwais and publik commodities Which charitable deeds and a thousand mo both private and publik secret and open which I cannot report came out of the purses of our good ancesters who oftentimes not only gave of their abundance but also saved from their own mouths and bestowed it upon deeds of charitie to the glorie of God and benefit of others Wheras we are so far of from giving awaie our necessaries as we wil not bestow our very superfluities but wil imploy them rather upon hawks and dogs and other brute beasts and somtimes also upon much viler uses than to the releefe of our poore brethren 11 Alas deer brother to what a carelesse and senseles estate are we come touching our own salvation and damnation S. Paul crieth out unto us Work your own salvation with fear and trembling and yet no man for that maketh account therof S. Peter warneth us gravely and earnestly Brethren take you great care to make your vocation and election sure by good works and yet who almost wil think upon them Christ himselfe thundereth in these words I tel you make your selves frinds in this world of uniust mammon that when you faint they may receive you into eternal tabernacles And yet for al that we are not moved herewithal so dead we are and lumpish to al goodnes 12 If God did exhort us to good deeds for his own commoditie or for any gain that he is to take therby yet in reason we ought to pleasure him therin seing we have receaved al from his only liberalitie before But seing he asketh it at our hands for no need of his own but only for our gain to pay us home again with advantage it is more reason we should harken unto him If a common honest man upon earth should invite us to do a thing promising us of his honestie a sufficient reward we would beleve him but God making infinit promises unto us in scripture of eternal reward to our wel doing as that we shal eat with him drink with him raigne with him possesse heaven with him and the like can not move us notwithstanding to works of charitie But bicause those forefathers of ours were moved herewithal as having harts of softer metal than ours are of therfore they brought foorth such abundant fruit as I have shewed 13 Of al this then that I have said the godly Christian may gather first the lamentable estate of the world at this day when amongst the smal number of those which bear the name of Christians so many are like to perish for not performing of these two principal points of their uocation Secondly he may gather the cause of the infinit difference of reward for good and evil in the life to come which some men wil seeme to marvel at but in deed is most just and reasonable considering the great diversitie of life in good and evil men whiles they are in this world For the good man doth not only endevor to avoid sin but also by resisting the same daily and hourly encreaseth in the fauor of God The loose man by yeelding consent to his concupiscence doth not only lose the favor of God but also doubleth sin upon sin without number The good man besides avoiding sin doth infinit good works at the least wise in desire and hart wher greter abilitie serveth not But the wicked man neither in hart nor deed doth any good at al but rather seeketh in place therof to do hurt The good man imploieth al his mind hart words and hands to the service of God and of his servants for his sake But the wicked man bendeth al his force and powers both of body and mind to the service of vanities the world his flesh Insomuch that as the good man increaseth hourly in the favor of God to which is du increase of grace and glory in heaven so the evil from time to time in thought word or deed or in al at once heapeth up sin and damnation upon himself to which is du vengeance and increase of torments in hel and in this contrarie course they passe over their lives for twentie thirtie or fortie yeeres and so come to die And is it not reason now that seeing there is so great diversitie in their estates there should be as great or more diversitie also in their reward Especially seeing God is a great God and rewardeth smal things with great wages either of everlasting glorie or everlasting pain Thirdly and lastly the diligent and careful Christian may gather of this what great cause he hath to put in practise the godly counsel of Saint Paul which is That every man should prove
shal ever possesse the kingdome of God If you live according to the flesh you shal die and the works of the flesh are manifest as fornication uncleannes wantonnes luxurie poisonings enmities contentions emulations hatred strife dissentions sects envie murder dronkenes gluttonie and the like Wherof I foretel you as I have told you before that they which do these things shal never attein to the kingdome of God We must al be presented before the iudgment seat of Christ every man receive particularly according as he hath done in this life good or evil every man shal receive according to his works God spared not the Angels when they sinned You shal give account of everie idle word at the day of iudgement If the iust shal scarce be saved where shal the wicked man and sinner appeer Few are saved and a rich man shal hardly enter into the kingdome of heaven 10 Al these things I say and a thousand mo touching the severitie of Gods justice and the account which shal be demanded at that day wil come into his mind that lieth a dieng and our ghostly enimie which in this life labored to keep these things from our eies therby the easier to draw us to sin wil now lay al more too before our face amplifieng and urging everie point to the uttermost alledging alwais our conscience for his witnes Which when the poore soul in dieng cannot denie it must needs terrifie hir greatly for so we see that it doth daily even many good vertuous men Saint Ierom reported of holie Saint Hilarion whose soul being greatly afeard upon these considerations to go out of the bodie after long conflict he took courage in the end and said to his soul Go out my soul go out why art thou afeard thou hast served Christ almost threescore and ten yeeres and art thou now afeard of death But if so good a man was so afeard at this passage yea such an one as had served God with al puritie of life and perfect zeale for threescore and ten yeeres togither what shal they be which scarce have served God truly one day in al their lives but rather have spent al their yeeres in sin and vanitie of the world Must not these men be needs in great extremitie at this passage 11 Now then deer Christian these things being so that is this passage of death being so terrible so dangerous and yet so unavoydable as it is seeing so many men perish and are overwhelmed daily in the same as it cannot be denied but there do and both holie scriptures and ancient fathers do testifie it by examples and records unto us what man of discretion would not learn to be wise by other mens dangers Or what reasonable creature would not take heed and look about him being warned so manifestly and apparantly of his own peril If thou be a Christian and dost beleeve indeed the things which Christian faith doth teach thee then dost thou know and most certainly beleeve also that of what state age strength dignitie or condition soever thou be now yet that thou thy selfe I say which now in health and mirth readest this and thinkest that it litle pertaineth to thee must one of these dais and it may be shortlie after the reading hereof come to prove al these things upon thy selfe which I have here written that is thou must with sorrow and greefe be inforced to thy bed and there after al thy struglings with the darts of death thou must yeeld thy bodie which thou lovest so much to the bait of worms and thy soul to the trial of justice for hir dooings in this life 12 Imagin then my frind thou I say which art so fresh and frolik at this day that the ten twentie or two yeeres or it may be two moneths which thou hast yet to live were now ended and that thou were even at this present stretched out upon a bed wearied and worn with dolor and pain thy carnal frinds about thee weeping and howling the phisitions departed with their fees as having given thee over and thou lieng there alone mute and dum in most pitiful agonie expecting from moment to moment the last stroke of death to be given thee Tel me in this instant what would al the pleasures and commodities of this world do thee good What comfort would it be to thee to have beene of honor in this world to have beene rich and purchased much to have born office been in the princes favor To have left thy children or kindred wealthy to have troden down thine enimies to have sturred much and born great sway in this life What ease I say or comfort would it be to thee to have been fair to have been gallant in apparel goodly in personage glittering in gold Would not al these things rather afflict than profit thee at this instant For now shouldest thou see the vanitie of these trifles now would thy hart begin to say within thee O follie and miserable blindnes of mine Lo here is an end now of al my delites prosperities al my joies al my pleasures al my mirth al my pastimes are now finished where are my frinds which were woont to laugh with me My servants woont to attend me my children woont to disport me Where are al my coches and horses wherwith I was woont to make so goodlie a shew the caps and knees of people woont to honor me the troups of suters following me Where are al my daliances and triks of love al my pleasant musik al my gorgeous buildings al my costly feasts and banquetings And above al other where are my deer and sweet frinds who seemed they would never have forsaken me But al are now gone and have left me here alone to answer the rekoning for al and none of them wil do so much as to go with me to judgement or to speak one word in my behalfe 13 Wo worth to me that I had not foreseen this day sooner and so have made better provision for the same it is now too late and I fear me I have purchased eternal damnation for a litle pleasure and lost unspeakable glorie for a floting vanitie Oh how happie and twise happie are they which so live as they may not be afeard of this day I now see the difference betwixt the ends of good evil and marvel not though the scriptures say of the one The death of saincts is precious And of the other The death of sinners is miserable Oh that I had lived so vertuously as some other have done or as I had often inspirations from God to do or that I had done the good deeds I might have done how sweet and comfortable would they be to me now in this my last and extreemest distres 14 To these cogitations and speeches deer brother shal thy hart be inforced of what estate soever thou be at the hour of death if thou do not
gall and their clusters of grapes are most bitter their wine is the gall of dragons and the poison of cotatrices uncurable By which dreadful and lothsome comparisons he would give us to understand that the sweet pleasures of this world are indeed deceits and wil proove themselves one day most bitter and dangerous 44 The fourth point that we have to consider is how this word aerumna that is miserie and calamitie may be verified of the world and the felicitie therof Which thing though it may appeer sufficiently by that which hath been said before yet wil I for promise sake discusse it a little further in this place by some particulars And among many miseries which I might heer recount the first and one of the greatest is the brevitie and uncertaintie of al worldly prosperitie Oh how great a miserie is this unto a worldly man that would have his pleasures constant and perpetual O death how bitter is thy remembrance saith the wise man unto a man that hath peace in his riches We have seen many men advanced not endured two moneths in their prosperitie we have heard of divers married in great joy and have not lived six daies in their felicitie we have read of strange matters in this kind and we see with our eies no few examples daily What a greefe was it think you to Alexander the great that having subdued in twelve yeers the most part of al the world should be then inforced to die when he was most desirous to live and when he was to take most joy and comfort of his victories What a sorrow was it to the rich man in the Gospel to hear upon the sudden Hac nocte Even this night thou must die What a miserie wil this be to many worldlings when it commeth Who now build pallaces purchase lands heap up riches procure dignities make marriages join kindreds as though there were never an end of these matters What a doleful day wil this be to them I say when they must forgo al these things which they so much love When they must be turned off as princes mules are woont to be at the journeis end that is their treasure taken from them and their gauld backs only left unto themselves For as we see these mules of princes go al the day long loden with treasure and covered with fair cloths but at night shaken off into a sorrie stable much brused gauled with the carriage of those treasures so rich men that passe through this world loden with gold and silver and do gaul greatly their souls in cariage therof are despoiled of their burden at the day of death and are turned off with their wounded consciences to the lothsome stable of hel and damnation 45 Another miserie joined to the prosperitie of this world is the greevous counterpeaze of discontentments that everie worldly pleasure hath with it Run over everie pleasure in this life and see what sawce it hath adjoined Aske them that have had most proofe therof whether they remain contented or no The possession of riches is accompanied with so many fears and cares as hath been shewed the advancement of honors is subject to al miserable servitude that may be devised the plesure of the flesh though it be lawful and honest yet is it called by Saint Paul Tribulation of the flesh but if it be with sin ten thousand times more is it environed with al kind of miseries 46 Who can reckon up the calamities of our bodie So manie diseases so manie infirmities so many mischances so manie dangers Who can tel the passions of our mind that do afflict us now with anger now with sorow now with envie now with furie Who can recount the adversities and miseries that come by our goods Who can nūber the hurts and discontentations that daily insu upon us from our neighbors One calleth us into law for our goods another pursueth us for our life a third by slander impugneth our good name one afflicteth us by hatred another by envie another by flatterie another by deceit another by revenge another by false witnes another by open arms There are not so manie dais nor hours in our lives as there are miseries and contrarieties in the same And further than this the evil hath this prerogative above the good in our life that one defect only overwhelmeth and drowneth a great number of good things togither as if a man had al the felicities heaped togither which this world could yeeld and yet had but one tooth out of tune al the other pleasures would not make him merrie Heerof you have a cleere example in Aman cheefe counceller of king Assuerus who for that Mardocheus the Iew did not rise to him when he went by nor did honor him as other men did he said to his wife frinds that al his other felicities were nothing in respect of this one affliction 47 Ad now to this miserie of darknes and blindnes wherin worldly men live as in part I have touched before most fitly prefigured by the palpable darknes of Egypt wherin no man could see his neighbor no man could see his work no man could see his way such is the darknes wherin worldly men walk They have eies but they see not saith Christ that is though they have eies to see the matters of this world yet they are blind for that they see not the things they should see indeed The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light But that is only in matters of this world in matters of darknes not in matters of light wherof they are no children For that the carnal man understandeth not the things which are of God Walk over the world and you shal find men as sharp eied as egles in things of the earth but the same men as blind as beetles in matters of heaven Therof ensu those lamentable effects that we see daily of mans laws so carefully respected and Gods commandements so contemptuously rejected of earthly goods sought for and heavenly goods not thought upon of so much travel taken for the bodie and so little care used for the soul. Finally if you wil see in what great blindnes the world doth live remember that Saint Paul comming from a worlding to be a good Christian had scales taken from his eies by Ananias which covered his sight before when he was in his pride and ruff of the world 48 Beside al these miseries there is yet another miserie greater in some respect than the former that is the infinit number of temptations of snares of intisements in the world wherby men are drawn to perdition daily Athanasius writeth of Saint Anthonie the hermite that God revealed unto him one day the state of the world and he saw it al hanged ful of nets in every corner and divels sitting
asked it thrise upon his knees with the sweat of blood what reason hast thou to think that he wil let passe so many sins of thine unpunished What cause hast thou to induce thy imagination that he wil deal extraordinarily with thee and break the course of his justice for thy sake Art thou better than those whom I have named Hast thou any privilege from God above them 15 If thou wouldest consider the great and strange effects of Gods justice which we see daily executed in the world thou shouldest have little cause to persuade thy selfe so favorably or rather to flatter thy selfe so dangerously as thou doest We see that notwithstanding Gods mercie yea notwithstanding the death and passion of Christ our savior for saving of the whole world yet so many infinite millions to be damned daily by the justice of God so many infidels heathens Iews and Turks that remain in the darknes of their own ignorance among Christians so many that hold not their profession truly or otherwise are il livers therin as that Christ truly said that few were they that should be saved albeit his death was paid for al if they made not themselves unwoorthy therof And before the comming of our savior much more we see that al the world went a-wry to damnation for many thousand yeers togither excepting a few Iews which were the people of God And yet among them also the greater part it seemeth were not saved as may be conjectured by the speeches of the prophets from time to time and specially by the saiengs of Christ to the Pharisies and other rulers therof Now then if God for the satisfieng of his justice could let so many millions perish through their own sins as he doth also now daily permit without any prejudice or impechment to his mercie why may not he also damn thee for thy sins notwithstanding his mercie seeing thou dost not only commit them without fear but also dost confidently persist in the same 16 But heer som man may say If this be so that God is so severe in punishment of everie sin and that he damneth so manie thousands for one that he saveth how is it tru that The mercies of God are above al his other works as the scripture saith and that it passeth and exalteth it selfe above his iudgements For if the number of the damned do exceed so much the number of those which are saved it seemeth that the work of justice doth passe the work of mercie To which I answer that touching the smal number of those that are saved and infinite quantitie of such as are damned we may in no wise dowt for that beside al other prophets Christ our Savior hath made the matter certain and out of question We have to see therfore how notwithstanding al this the mercie of God doth exceed his other works 17 And first his mercie may be said to exceed for that al our salvation is of his mercie and our damnation from our selves as from the first and principal causes therof according to the saieng of God by the prophet Perditio tua Israel tantum modo in me auxilium tuum Thy only perdition is from thy selfe O Israel and thy assistance to do good is only from me So that as we must acknowlege Gods grace mercy for the author of every good thought and act that we do and consequently ascribe al our salvation unto him so none of our evil acts for which we are damned do proceed from him but only from our selves and so he is no cause at al of our damnation and in this doth his mercie exceed his justice 18 Secondly his mercie doth exceed in that he desireth al men to be saved as Saint Paul teacheth and himselfe protesteth when he saith I wil not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his wickednes and live And again by the prophet Ieremie he complaineth greevously that men wil not accept of his mercie offered Turn from your wicked wais saith he why wil ye die you house of Israel By which appeereth that he offereth his mercie most willingly freely to al but useth his justice only upon necessitie as it were constrained therunto by our obstinate behavior This Christ signifieth more plainly when he saith to Ierusalem O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the prophets and stonest them to death that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children togither as the hen clocketh hir chickins underneath hir wings but thou wouldest not Behold thy house for this cause shal be made desart and left without children Heer you see the mercie of God often offered unto the Iews but for that they refused it he was inforced in a certain maner to pronounce this heavy sentence of destruction and desolation upon them which he fulfilled within fortie or fiftie yeers after by the hands of Vespasian emperor of Rome and Titus his son who utterly discomfited the citie of Ierusalem and whole nation of Iews whom we see dispersed over the world at this day in bondage both of bodie and soul. Which work of Gods justice though it be most terrible yet was his mercie greater to them as appeereth by Christ words if they had not rejected the Son 19 Thirdly his mercie exceedeth his justice even towards the damned themselves in that he used many means to save them in this life by calling upon them and assisting them with his grace to do good by mooving them inwardly with infinite good inspirations by alluring them outwardly with exhortations promisses examples of other as also by siknes adversities and other gentle corrections by giving them space to repent with occasions opportunities and excitations unto the same by threatening them eternal death if they repent not Al which things being effects of mercie and goodnes towards them they must needs confesse amidst their greatest furie and torments that his judgements are tru and justified in themselves and no wais to be compared with the greatnes of his mercies 20 By this then we see that to be tru which the prophet saith Misericordiam veritatem diligit Dominus God loveth mercie and truth And again Mercie and truth have met togither iustice and peace have kissed themselves We see the reason why the same prophet protesteth of himselfe I wil sing unto thee mercie and iudgement O Lord not mercie alone nor judgement alone but mercie and judgement togither that is I wil not so presume of thy mercie as I wil not fear thy judgement nor wil I so fear thy judgement as I wil ever dispair of thy mercie The fear of Gods judgement is alwais to be joined with our confidence in Gods mercie yea in verie saints themselves as David saith But what fear That fear truly which the scripture describeth when it saith The fear of the Lord expelleth sin the fear of God hateth al evil he that
that to persuade our selves the contrarie therof were to mok and abuse God which hath laied down this law unto us 20 Notwithstanding as I have said this barreth not the mercie of God from using a priuilege to some at the very last cast But yet miserable is that man which placeth the ankor of his eternal wealth or wo upon so ticklesome a point as this is I cal it ticklesome for that al divines which have written of this matter do speak very dowtfully of the conversion of a man at the last end And although they do not absolutely condemn it in al but do leave it as uncertain unto Gods secret judgement yet do they incline to the negative part and do alledge four reasons for which that conversion is to be dowted as insufficient for a mans salvation 21 The first reason is for that the extreme fear and pains of death being as the philosopher saith the most terrible of al terrible things do not permit a man so to gather his spirits and senses at that time as is required for the treating of so weightie a matter with God as is our conversion and salvation And if we see often that a very good man cannot fix his mind earnestly upon heavenly cogitations at such time as he is troubled with the passions of cholik or other sharp diseases how much lesse in the anguishes of death can a worldly man do the same being unacquainted with that exercise and loden with the guilt of many and great sins and cloied with the love both of his bodie and things belonging therunto 22 The second reason is for that the conversion which a man maketh at the last day is not for the most part voluntarie but upon necessitie and for fear such as was the repentance of Simei who having greevously offended king David in time of his affliction afterward when he saw him in prosperitie again himselfe in danger of punishment he came and fel down before him and asked him forgivenes with tears But yet David wel perceived the matter how it stood and therfore though he spared him for that day wherin he would not trouble the mirth with execution of justice yet after he gave order that he should be used according to his deserts 23 The third reason is for that the custome of sin which hath continued al the life long is seldome remooved upon the instant being grown into nature it selfe as it were for which cause God saith to evil men by the prophet Ieremie If an Ethiopian can change his blak skin or a leopard his spots that are on his bak then can you also do wel having learned al dais of your life to do evil 24 The fourth cause for that the acts of vertu themselves cannot be of so great valu with God in that instant as if they had been done in time of health before For what great matter is it for example sake to pardon thine enimies at that time when thou canst hurt them no more To give thy goods away when thou canst use them no more To abandon thy concubine when thou canst keepe hir no longer To leave off to sin when sin must leave thee Al these things are good and holie and to be done by him which is in that last state but yet they are of no such valu as otherwise they would be by reason of this circumstance of time which I have shewed B. * A fift reason might be taken of experience for that we see oft times that such as repent after that maner if they recover again they are afterward as bad as they were before and somtimes much woorse which without quaestion was not tru repentance in them 25 These are reasons why there is such dowt made of this last conversion not for any want on Gods part but on theirs which are to do that great act Mark wel saith one again what I say and it may be it shal be needful to expound my meaning more plainly least any man mistake me What say I then That a man which repenteth not but at the end shal be damned I do not say so What then Do I say he shal be saved No. What then do I say I say I know not I say I presume not I promise not I know not Wilt thou deliver thy selfe foorth of this dowt Wilt thou escape this dangerous and uncertain point Repent then whiles thou art whole For if thou repent while thou art in health whensoever the last day shal come upon thee thou art safe And why art thou safe For that thou didst repent in that time wherin thou mightest have sinned But if thou wilt repent then when thou canst sin no longer thou leavest not sin but sin leaveth thee 26 And heer now would I have the careful Christian to consider with me but this one comparison that I wil make If those which do shew a kind of repentance at the last day do passe hence notwithstanding in such dangerous dowtfulnes what shal we think of al those which lak either time or ability or wil or grace to repent at al at that hour What shal we say of al those which are cut off before Which dy suddenly Which are striken senseles or frentik as we see manie are What shal we say of those which are abandoned by God and left unto vice even unto the last breath in their bodie I have shewed before out of Saint Paul that ordinarily sinners die according as they live So it is as it were a privilege for a wicked man to have his repentance to be begun when he is to die And then if his repentance when it doth come be so dowtful what a pittiful case are al others in I mean the more part which repent not at al but die as they lived and are forsaken of God in that extremitie according as he promiseth when he saith For that I have called you and you have refused to come for that I held out my hand and none of you would vouchsafe to looke towards I wil laugh also at your destruction when anguish and calamitie commeth on you You shal cal upon me and I wil not hear you shal rise betimes in the morning to see me but you shal not find me 27 When a worldling doth see that the brightnes of his honor vainglorie and worldly pomp is consumed when the heat of concupiscence of carnal love of delicate pleasures is quenched when the beautiful summer day of this life is ended and the boisterous winter night of death draweth on then wil he turn unto God then wil he repent then wil he resolve himselfe and make his conversion When he can live no longer he wil promise any pains what hearing or studieng of the word of God you wil what toil or labor in his vocation you wil what praier you wil what fasting you wil what alms deeds you can desire what austeritie you can imagin he
advertisement to the Reader How necessarie a thing it is for a man to resolve to leave vanities and to serve God What argument the devil useth to draw men from this resolution How wilful ignorance doth-increase and not excuse sin What mind a man should have that would read this Treatise The second Chapter How necessarie it is to enter into earnest consideration and meditation of our estate wherin is declared That inconsideration heerin is a great enimie to resolution What inconveniences grow therby The nature and commoditie of consideration Of the exact maner of meditating the particulars of religion in the fathers of old and the fashion of beleeving in grosse at this day The third Chapter Of the end in general why man was created and placed in this world wherin is handled How du consideration of this end helpeth a man to iudge of himselfe What mind a man should have to creatures The lamentable condition of the world by want of this du consideration And the mischeefe therof at the last day The fourth Chapter Of the end of man more in particular and of two special parts of the same required at his hands in this life wherin is discussed How exactly both these parts are to be exercised The description of a Christian life The lamentable condition of our negligence heerin The care and diligence of many of the fathers touching the same The remedies that they used for the one part what monuments of pietie they left behind touching the other The indifferent estates of good and evil men as wel praesently and at the day of death as in the life to come The fift Chapter Of the severe account that we must yeeld to God wherin is declared A principal point of wisdome in an accountant for viewing of the state of his account before hand The maiestie of ceremonies and circumstances used by God at the first publication of his law in writing and his severe punishment of offenders The sharp speeches of our savior against sinners Why two iudgements are appointed after death The sudden comming of them both The demands in our account at the general iudgement The circumstances of horror and dread before at and after the same What a treasure a good conscience wil then be The pittiful case of the damned How easily the dangers of those matters may be praevented in du time The sixt Chapter A consideration of the nature of sin and of a sinner to shew the cause why God justly useth the rigor before mentioned wherin is described Gods infinite hatred to sinners The reasons why God hateth them That they are enimies to God to themselves How God punisheth sinners as wel the penitent as the obstinate and of the bitter speeches in scripture against sinners Of the seven miseries and losses which come by sin The obstinacie of sinners in this age Two principal causes of sin Of the danger to live in sin How necessarie it is to fear The seventh Chapter Another consideration for the further justifieng of Gods judgements and declaration of our demerit taken from the majestie of God and his benefits towards us wherin is shewed A contemplation of the maiestie of God and of his benefits Of the several uses of sacraments Divers complaints against sinners in the person of God Our intollerable contempt and ingratitude against so great a maiestie and benefactor Of great causes we have to love God beside his benefits How he requireth nothing of us but gratitude That it resteth in du resolution to serve him An exhortation to this gratitude with a short praier for a penitent sinner in this case The eight Chapter Of what opinion and feeling we shal be touching these matters at the time of our death wherin is expressed The induration of some harts kept from resolution by worldly respects Of the matters of terror pain and miserie that principally molest a man at his death A contemplation of the terrors speech or cogitation of a sinner at the hour of death Of divers apparitions and visions to the iust and to the wicked lieng a dieng How al these miseries may be praevented The ninth Chapter Of the pains appointed for him after this life and of two sorts of them wherin is declared How God useth the motive of threats to induce men to resolution Of the everlasting pain in hel reserved for the damned and common to al that are there Of the two parts therof that is pain sensible and pain of losse Vehement coniectures touching the severitie of those pains Of the several names of hel in divers toongs Of the particular pains for particular offenders peculiar in qualitie quantitie to the sins of ech offender Of the woorm of conscience The tenth Chapter Of the rewards benefits and commodities provided for Gods servants wherin is declared How God is the best pay-master Of his infinite magnificence The nature greatnes and valu of his rewards A description of paradise Of two parts of felicitie in heaven A contemplation of the commodities of the said two felicities ioined togither The honor wherunto a Christian man is born by baptism An admonition against securitie in this life The contents of the second part of this booke touching impediments of resolution The first Chapter Of the first impediment which is the difficultie that manie think to be in vertuous life wherin is declared Nine special privileges and helps wherwith the vertuous are aided above the wicked 1 The force of Gods grace for easing of vertuous life against al temptations 2 Of what force love is heerin And how a man may know whether he have love towards God or no. 3 Of a peculiar light of understanding pertaining to the iust 4 Of internal consolation of mind 5 Of the quiet of a good conscience in the iust 6 Of hope in God which the vertuous have And that the hope of the wicked is indeed no hope but meer presumption 7 Of freedom of soul and bodie which the vertuous have 8 Of the peace of mind in the vertuous towards God their neighbor and themselves 9 Of the expectation of the reward that the vertuous have Of the comfort that holie men have after their conversion And how the best men have had greatest conflicts therin Of Saint Austens conversion and four annotations therupon The second Chapter Of the second impediment which is tribulation wherin are handled four special points 1 First that it is an ordinarie means of salvation to suffer some tribulation 2 Secondly that there be thirteen special considerations of Gods purpose in sending afflictions to his servants which are laid down and declared in particular 3 Thirdly what special considerations of comfort a man may have in tribulation The third Chapter Of the third impediment which is love of the world which is drawn to six points 1 First how and in what sense the world and commodities therof are vanities and of three general points of worldly vanities 2 Secondly how worldly commodities
should yeeld a reconing of so much time spent in singing so much in daunsing so much in courting and the like who would not laugh at his accounts But being further asked by his maister what time he bestowed on his marchandise which he sent him for if he should answer none at all nor that he ever thought or studied upon that matter who would not think him woorthie of all shame and punishment And surely with much more shame and confusion shall they stand at the day of judgment who being placed here to so great a busines as is the service of almightie God have notwithstanding neglected the same bestowing their studies labors and cogitations in the vain trifles of this world which is as much from the purpose as if men being placed in a course to run at a golden game of infinit price they should leave their mark and some step aside after flies or fethers in the aire and some other stand still gathering up the dung of the ground And how were these men woorthie trow you to receave so great a reward as was proposed to them 9 Wherfore deer Christian if thou be wise consider thy case while thou hast time follow the Apostles counsel examin thy own works wais deceave not thy self Yet maist thou have grace to reform thy self bicause the day time of life yet remaineth The dreadful night of death wil overtake thee shortly when there wil be no more time of reformation What wil al thy labour and toil in procuring of worldly wealth profit or comfort thee at that hour when it shal be said to thee as Christ said to thy like in the gospel when he was now come to the top of his worldly felicitie Thou foole this night shal they take away thy soul and then who shal have the things which thou hast gotten togither Beleeve me deer brother for I tel thee no untruth one hour bestowed in the service of God wil more comfort thee at that time than an hundred yeeres bestowed in advauncing thy selfe and thy house in the world And if thou mightest feele now the case wherin thy poore hart shal be then for omitting of this thing which it should most have thought upon thou wouldest take from thy sleepe and from thy meat also to recompence thy negligence for the time past The difference betwixt a wise man a foole is this that the one provideth for a mischeef while time serveth but the other when it is too late 10 Resolve thy self therfore good Christian while thou hast time Resolve thy self without delay to take in hand presently and to apply for the time to come the great and weightie busines for which thou wast sent hither which only in deed is weightie and of importance and al others are meere trifles and vanities but only so far forth as they concern this Beleeve not the world which for running awrie in this point is detested by thy saviour and every frend therof pronounced an enimy to him by his Apostle Say at length unto thy saviour I do cōfesse unto thee O Lord I do confesse can not deny that I have not hitherto attended to the thing for which I was created redeemed and placed here by thee I do see my errour I can not dissemble my greevous fault I do thank thee ten thowsand times that thou hast given me the grace to se it while I may yet by thy grace amend it which by thy holy grace I mean to do and without delay to alter my course beseeching thy divine majestie that as thou hast given me this light of understanding to see my danger and this good motion to reform the same so thou wilt continew towards me thy blessed assistance for performance of the same to thy honor and my souls health Amen CHAP. IIII. Of the end of man in particular and of two special things required at his hands in this life HAving spoken of the end of man in general in the former chapter shewed that it is to serve God it seemeth convenient for that the matter is of great and singular importance to treat somwhat more in particular wherin this service of God doth consist that therby a Christian may iudge of himself whether he perform the same or no and consequently whether he do the thing for which he was sent into this world 2 First therfore it is to be understood that the whole service which God requireth at a Christian mans hands in this life consisteth in two things the one to fly evil the other to do good And albeit these two things were required of us also before the coming of Christ as appeareth by Dauid whose cōmandement is general Decline from evil and do good and by Esay the prophet whose words are Leave to do perversly and learn to do wel Yet much more particularly and with far greater reason are they demaunded at the hands of Christian people who by the death and passion of their Redeemer do receave grace and force to be able in some measure to perform these two things which the law did not give albeit it commanded the same 3 But now we being redeemed by Christ receaving from him not only the renewing of the same cōmandement for the performance of these two things but also force and abilitie by his grace wherby we are made somwhat able to do the same we remain more bound therto in reason and dutie than before for that this was the fruit and effect of Christ his holy passion as Saint Peter saith That we being dead to sin should live vnto righteousnes Or as Saint Paul more plainly declareth the same when he saith The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to al men instructing vs to this end that we renouncing al wickednes and worldly desires should live soberly iustly and godly in this world 4 These two things then are the service of God for which we were sent into this world the one to resist sin the other to folow good works In respect of the first we are called soldiers our life a warfare upon the earth for that as soldiers do alwais lie in wait to resist their enimies so ought we to resist sin and the temptations therof And in respect of the second we are called labourers stewards fermers and the like for that as these men attend diligently to their gain and increase of substance in this life so should we to good works to the glorie of God and benefit of others here in this life 5 These therfore are two special points which a Christian man should meditate upon two special exercises wherin he shuld be occupied two special legs wherupon he must walk in the service of God and finally two wings wherby he must flie and mount up unto a Christian life And whosoever wanteth either of these though he had the other yet can he not ascend to any tru
considerations Saint Paul used when he said The sufferings of this life are not woorthy of the glorie which shal be revealed in the next The second Saint Peter used when he said Seeing the heavens must be dissolved and Christ come to iudgement to restore to every man according to his works what manner of men ought we to be in holie conversation As who would say No labor no pains no travel ought to seem hard or great unto us to the end we might avoid the terror of that day Saint Austen asketh this question what we think the rich glutton in hel would do if he were now in this life again Would he take pains or no Would he not bestir himselfe rather than turn into that place of torment again I might ad to this the infinite pains that Christ took for us the infinite benefits he hath bestowed upon us the infinite sins we have committed against him the infinite examples of saints that have troden his path before us in respect of al which we ought to make no bones at so little pains and labor if it were tru that Gods service were so travelsome as many do esteem it 3 But now in very deed the matter is nothing so and this is but a subtil deceit of the enimie for our discouragement The testimony of Christ himselfe is cleer in this point Iugum meum suave est onus meum leve My yoke is sweet and my burden light And the deerly beloved disciple Saint Iohn who had best cause to know his maisters secret herein saith plainly Mandata eius gravia non sunt His commandements are not greevous What is the cause then why so many men do conceive such a difficulty in this matter Surely one cause is beside the subtiltie of the devil which is the cheefest for that men feele the disease of concupiscence in their bodies but do not consider the strength of the medicine given us against the same They cry with Saint Paul that They find a law in their members repugning to the law of their mind which is the rebellion of concupiscence left in our flesh by original sin but they confesse not or consider not with the same Saint Paul That the grace of God by Iesus Christ shal deliver them from the same They remember not the comfortable saieng of Christ to Saint Paul in his greatest temptations Sufficit tibi gratia mea My grace is sufficient to strengthen thee against them al. These men do as Helizeus his disciple did who casting his eies only upon his enimies that is upon the huge armie of the Sirians ready to assault him thought himselfe lost and unpossible to stand in their sight until by the praiers of the holie prophet he was permitted from God to see the Angels that stood there present to fight on his side and then he wel perceived that his part was the stronger 4 So these men beholding only our miseries and infirmities of nature wherby daily tentations do rise against us do account the battel painful and the victory unpossible having not tasted indeed nor ever prooved through their own negligence the manifold helps of grace and spiritual succors which God alwais sendeth to them who are content for his sake to take this conflict in hand Saint Paul had wel tasted that aid which having rekoned up al the hardest matters that could be addeth Sed in his omnibus superamus propter eum qui dilexit nos But we overcome in al these combats by his assistance that loveth us And then falleth he to that woonderful protestation that neither death nor life nor Angels nor the like should separate him and al this upon the confidence of spiritual aid from Christ wherby he sticketh not to avouch That he could do al things David also had prooved the force of this assistance who said I did run the way of thy commandements when thou didst inlarge my hart This inlargement of hart was by spiritual consolation of internal unction wherby the hart drawn togither by anguish is opened and inlarged when grace is powred in even as a dry purse is softened and inlarged by annointing it with oil Which grace being present David said he did not only walk the way of Gods commandements easilie but that he ran them even as a cart wheel which crieth and complaineth under a smal burden being dry runneth merilie and without noise when a little oil is put unto it Which thing aptly expresseth our state and condition who without Gods help are able to do nothing but with the aid therof are able to do whatsoever he now requireth of us 5 And surely I would ask these men that imagin the way of Gods law to be so hard and ful of difficultie how the prophet could say I have taken pleasure O Lord in the way of thy commandements as in al the riches of the world And in another place That they were more pleasant and to be desired than gold or pretious stone and more sweeter than hony or the hony comb By which words he yeeldeth to vertuous life not only du estimation above al treasures in the world but also pleasure delite and sweetnes therby to confound al those that abandon and forsake the same upon idle pretensed and fained difficulties And if David could say thus much in the old law how much more justly may we say so now in the new when grace is given more abundantly as the scripture saith And thou poore Christian which deceivest thy selfe with this imagination tel me why came Christ into this world Why labored he and why took he so much pains here Why shed he his blood Why praied he to his father so often for thee Why appointed he the sacraments as conduits of grace Why sent he the holie Ghost into the world What signifieth this word Gospel or good tidings What meaneth the word grace and mercy brought with him What importeth the comfortable name of Iesus Is not al this to deliver us from sin From sin past I say by his only death From sin to come by the same death and by the assistance of his holie grace bestowed on us more abundantly than before by al these means Was not this one of the principal effects of Christ his comming as the prophet noted That craggy wais should be made straight and hard wais plain Was not this the cause why he indued his church with so many blessed gifts of the holie Ghost and with divers special graces to make the yoke of his service sweet the exercise of good life easie the walking in his commandements pleasant in such sort as men might now sing in tribulations have confidence in perils securitie in afflictions and assurance of victory in al temptations Is not this the beginning middle end of the Gospel Were not these the promises of the prophets the tidings of the Evangelists the
man that come life come death come health come siknes come wealth come povertie come prosperitie come adversitie come never so tempestuous storms of persecution he sitteth down quietly and saith calmly with the prophet My trust is in God and therfore I fear not what flesh can do unto me Nay further with holie Iob amidst al his miseries he saith Si occiderit me in ipso sperabo If God should kil me yet would I trust in him And this is as the scripture said before to be as confident as a lion Whose propertie is to shew most courage when he is in greatest peril and neerest his death 20 But now as the holie Ghost saith Non sic impij non sic The wicked cannot say this they have no part in this confidence no interest in this consolation Quia spes impiorum peribit Saith the scripture The hope of wicked men is vain and shal perish And again Praestolatio impiorum furor The expectation of wicked men is furie And yet further Spes impiorum abhominatio animae The hope of wicked men is abhomination and not a comfort unto their soul. And the reason heerof is double First for that in verie deed though they say the contrarie in words wicked men do not put their hope and confidence in God but in the world and in their riches in their strength frinds and authority and finally in the Deceaving arm of man Even as the prophet expresseth in their person when he saith We have put a lie for our hope That is we have put our hope in things transitorie which have deceived us this is yet more expressed by the scripture saieng The hope of wicked men is as chaf which the wind bloweth away and as a bubble of water which a storm disperseth as a smoke which the wind bloweth abroad and as the remembrance of a ghest that staieth but one day in his In. By al which metaphors the holie Ghost expresseth unto us both the vanity of the things wherin indeed the wicked do put their trust and how the same faileth them after a little time upon every smal occasion of adversitie that falleth out 21 This is that also which God meaneth when he so stormeth and thundereth against those which go into Egypt for help and do put their confidence in the strength of Pharao accursing them for the same and promising that it shal turn to their own confusion which is properly to be understood of al those which put their cheefe cōfidence in worldly helps as al wicked men do whatsoever they dissemble in words to the contrarie For which cause also of dissimulation they are called hypocrites by Iob for wheras the wise man saith The hope of wicked men shal perish Iob saith The hope of hypocrites shal perish Calling wicked men hypocrites for that they say they put their hope in God wheras indeed they put it in the world Which thing beside scripture is evident also by experience For with whom doth the wicked man consult in his affairs and dowts With God principally or with the world Whom doth he seeke to in his afflictions Whom doth he cal upon in his siknes From whom hopeth he comfort in his adversities To whom yeeldeth he thanks in his prosperities When a worldly man taketh in hand any work of importance doth he first consult with God about the event therof Doth he fal down of his knees and aske his aid Doth he refer it wholy and principally to his honor If he do not how can he hope for aid therin at his hands How can he repaire to him for assistance in the dangers and lets that fal out about the same How can he have any confidence in him which hath no part at al in that work It is hypocrisie then as Iob truly saith for this man to affirm that his confidence is in God wheras indeed it is in the world it is in Pharao it is in Egypt it is in the arm of man it is in a lie He buildeth not his house with the wise man upon a rok but with the foole upon the sands and therfore as Christ wel assureth him When the rain shal come and fluds descend and winds blow and al togither shal rush upon the house which shal be at the hour of death then shal this house fal and the fal of it shal be great Great for the change that he shal see great for the great horror which he shal conceive great for the great miserie which he shal suffer great for the unspeakable joies of heaven lost great for the eternal pains of hel fallen into great every way assure thy selfe deer brother or else the mouth of God would never have used this word great and this is sufficient for the first reason why the hope of wicked men is vain for that indeed they put it not in God but in the world 22 The second reason is for that albeit they should put their hope in God yet living wickedly it is vain and rather to be called presumption than hope For understanding wherof it is to be noted that as there are two kinds of faith recounted in scripture the one a dead faith without good works that is which beleeveth al you say of Christ but yet observeth not his commandements the other a lively a justifieng faith which beleeveth not only but also worketh by charitie as Saint Pauls words are So are there two hopes following these two faiths the one of the good proceeding of a good conscience wherof I have spoken before the other of the wicked resting in a guiltie conscience which is indeed no tru hope but rather presumption This Saint Iohn prooveth plainly when he saith Brethren if our hart reprehend us not then have we confidence with God That is if our hart be not guiltie of wicked life And the words immediately folowing do more expresse the same which are these Whensoever we aske we shal receive of him for that we keep his cōmandements do those things which are pleasing in his sight The same confirmeth Saint Paul when he saith that The end of Gods commandements is charity from a pure hart and a good conscience Which words Saint Austen expounding in divers words and in divers places of his works prooveth at large that without a good conscience there is no tru hope that can be conceaved Saint Paul saith he addeth from a good conscience Bicause of hope for he which hath the scruple of an evil conscience despaireth to attain that which he beleeveth And again Every mans hope is in his own cōscience according as he feeleth him selfe to love God And again in another book the apostle putteth a good cōscience for hope for he only hopeth which hath a good conscience and he whom the guilt of an evil conscience doth prik retireth bak from hope hopeth nothing but his own damnation I might heer
by him that asked pardon even for his tormentors and crucifiers to except now the world by name from his mercie Oh that worldly men would consider but this one point only they would not I think live so void of fear as they do 53 Can any man marvel now why Saint Paul crieth so carefully to us Nolite conformari huic saeculo Conform not your selves to this world And again That we should renounce utterly al worldly desires Can any marvel why Saint Iohn which was most privie above al others to Christs holie meaning heerin saith to us in such earnest sort Nolite diligere mundum neque ea quae in mundo sunt Do not love the world nor any thing that is in the world If we may neither love it nor so much as conform our selves unto it under so great pains as are before rehearsed of the enmitie of God and eternal damnation what shal become of those men that do not only conform themselves unto it and the vanities therof but also do follow it seek after it rest in it and do bestow al their labors and travels upon it 54 If you ask me the cause why Christ so hateth and abhorreth this world Saint Iohn telleth you Quia mundus totus in maligno positus est For that al the whole world is set on naughtines for that it hath a spirit contrarie to the spirit of Christ as hath been shewed for that it teacheth pride vain glorie ambition envie revenge malice with pleasures of the flesh and al kind of vanities and Christ on the contrarie side humilitie meeknes pardoning of enimies abstinence chastitie sufferance mortification bearing the crosse with contempt of al earthly pleasures for that it persecuteth the good and advanceth the evil for that it rooteth out vertu and planteth al vice and finally for that it shutteth the doores against Christ when he knocketh and strangleth the hart that once it possesseth 55 Wherfore to conclude this part seeing this world is such a thing as it is so vain so deceitful so troublesom so dangerous seeing it is a professed enimie to Christ excommunicated and damned to the pit of hel seeing it is as one father saith an ark of travel a schoole of vanities a feat of deceit a labirinth of error seeing it is nothing els but a barren wildernes a stonie feeld a dirtie stie a tempestuous sea seeing it is a grove ful of thorns a medow ful of scorpions a florishing garden without fruit a cave ful of poisoned and deadly basilisks seeing it is finally as I have shewed a fountain of miseries a river of tears a feined fable a delectable frensie seeing as Saint Austen saith the joy of this world hath nothing els but false delite tru asperitie certain sorrow uncertain pleasure travelsom labour fearful rest greevous miserie vain hope of felicitie seeing it hath nothing in it as saint Chrysostom saith but tears shame repentance reproch sadnes negligences labors terrors siknes sin and death it selfe seeing the worlds repose is ful of anguish his securitie without foundation his fear without cause his travels without fruit his sorrow without profit his desires without successe his hope without reward his mirth without continuance his miseries without remedies seeing these and a thousand evils more are in it and no one good thing can be had from it who wil be deceived with this visard or allured with this vanitie heerafter Who wil be staied from the noble service of God by the love of so fond a trifle as is the world And this to a reasonable man may be sufficient to declare the insufficiencie of this third impediment 56 But yet for the satisfieng of my promise in the beginning of this chapter I have to ad a word or two in this place how we may avoid the danger of this world and also use it unto our gain and commoditie And for the first to avoid the dangers seeing there are so manie snares and traps as hath been declared there is no other way but only to use the refuge of birds in avoiding the dangerous snares of fowlers that is to mount up into the air and so to fly over them al. Frustra iacitur rete ante oculos pennatorum saith the wise man that is The net is laid in vain before the eies of such as have wings and can flie The spies of Hiericho though manie snares were laid for them by their enimies yet they escaped al for that they walked by hils saith the scripture wherunto Origin alluding saith that There is no way to avoid the dangers of this world but to walk upon hils and to imitate David that said Levavi oculos meos ad montes unde veniet auxiliū mihi I lifted up mine eies unto the hils whence al mine aid and assistance came for avoiding the snares of this world And then shal we say with the same David Anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium Our soul is delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the fowlers We must say with Saint Paul Our conversation is in heaven And then shal we little fear al these deceits and dangers upon earth For as the fowler hath no hope to catch the bird except he can allure hir to pitch and come down by some means so hath the divel no way to intangle us but to say as he did to Christ Mitte te deorsum Throw thy selfe down that is pitch down upon the baits which I have laid eat and devour them enamor thy selfe with them tie thine appetite unto them and the like 57 Which grosse and open temptation he that wil avoid by contemning the allurement of these baits by flieng over them by placing his love and cogitations in the mountains of heavenly joies and eternitie he shal easily escape al dangers and perils King David was past them al when he said to God What is there for me in heaven or what do I desire besides thee upon earth My flesh and my hart have fainted for desire of thee Thou art the God of my hart and my portion O Lord for ever 58 Saint Paul also was past over these dangers when he said that Now he was crucified to the world the world unto him and that He esteemed al the wealth of this world as meer doong and that albeit he lived in flesh yet lived he not according to the flesh Which glorious example if we would follow in contemning and despising the vanities of this world and fixing our minds in the noble riches of Gods kingdome to come the snares of the divel would prevail nothing at al against us in this life 59 Touching the second point how to use the riches and commodities of this world to our advantage Christ hath laid down plainly the means Facite vobis amicos de Mammona iniquitatis Make unto you frinds of the riches of iniquitie
so much as he Those with whom they have held hands so long togither are either the bishop of Rome or his frinds abroad for their advantage or else of their own countrimen at home that are grown to so great misliking of the praesent state If it be the bishop and his adhaerents it is but for their own advantage that they conceive that opinion of them so to make up their losses again by the help of them when opportunitie should serve them unto it And the more that their aestimation savoreth of it the more quietly may they be able to beare the losse therof If they be of our discontented countrimen at home the losse also is so much the lesse for that none such wil not mislike of them but so far as themselves are infected with the inchanted cup of forrain power and then the more they are infected therwith the lesse woorth is the best aestimation they are able to give Again whatsoever aestimation is lost either with forrain power abroad or with hollow harts at home the same wil be much more requited with the gratious favor of their natural princes and with the tru hart of faithful subjects and that so much the more in abundance of recompense as it is of greater price or valu to be wel thought on by natural princes and faithful subjects than of forren usurpers and close aides whersoever 10 The hardnes that they account themselves to be put unto to the utter aliening of their minds from us and our profession resteth especially in these two points first that divers of them are streightly handled then that certain points of their religion as they term it are now made treason They accoūt themselves to be streightly handled both in the fining of recusants and that certain of that profession are put to death Concerning both which they would not denie but that the punishment were moderate inough both in the one in the other if either they could finde that they were so heinous offenders as we do conceive and charge them to be or else but remember what dealings themselves have used to us and yet do upon lesse occasion As touching the former they wil not denie but that princes have authoritie by the word of God both to fine and to put to death as need requireth They know that such as worship any strange God or but intise others therto or stubbornly despise the word of God are by the sentence of Gods own mouth accounted woorthie to die the death and though it may be themselves do not see that by aequitie therof they are in the danger of his justice for those yet we are out of dowt that they are and but that we do alreadie know that the blindnes of man is very great we could not but woonder that they do not see it Nevertheles such is the mildnes of hir majestie and such is the peaceablenes of these dais of the Gospel so cold are we the most of us al on behalfe of the glorie God that none are executed for any of those though the selfe-same laws that they used against us be forcible against them and if need were might soone be inlarged So notwithstanding that which is done of that kinde we think there might be done much more than there is and yet that no bodie had any just cause to finde fault therwith That certain points of their religion are now made treason that so they cannot suffer as in cause of religion but of high treason it ought not to be so greevous unto them if they consider wel either the very nature of those points that are made treason or but the maner of our proceeding therin For some points of their profession are of the nature as that they are rank treason indeed to al the states that are in the world that have they proper unto themselves of al the religions that are professed on the face of the earth And this treason of theirs that we speak of resteth especially in these two points that the bishop of Rome hath power to depose the princes and potentates of the earth and to place in their roomes whomsoever he wil and that subjects ought not to remain in alleageance to any whom he deposeth but to put on armor against them Which we take to be as rank a treason as wicked an haeresie and as open a way to al confusion as any that ever was heard of before Neither doth it help them any thing if he were indeed as they would have it the vicar general of Christ on the earth for that therby he might do no more keeping within the bounds of his master but only lay their sin to their charge utterly exclude them from hope of salvation princes if they governed il and subjects likewise if they went with their princes against their obedience and dutie to God But as for deposing the one or loosing the other from their alleageance in those points we are sure that they are not only misliked of us but of many others besides that other wais are wel willers of theirs In the maner of proceeding that in this point is used against them there are two points likewise to be noted For first as touching the law it selfe it is in effect but certain ancient statutes that were made long since revived again and not sought unto til that by many naughtie practises and some rebellions open forces and slaughters contrived we were of necessitie rather constrained than easilie induced to take that order and that for the praeservation of the whole both in religion and civile tranquillitie Then also it is very wel known that although they have been never so faultie therin and so have justly deserved to die yet if they can be sorrie for their practising and utterly renounce and abandon the same they stand not in such danger of death by their former demerits as in the hope and way of life by their new repentance if it appeer to be unfeined as wel as their guiltines sufficiently prooved The dealings that they use towards us is first the rigor that they put us unto when time did serve them and yet do where they are able in that they raised up persecution against us in the cause of religion then also their disloial and unnatural practises now to recover their former usurpation again In that persecution of theirs against us we think they then delt and yet do over-hardly with us for that the cause being no greater than it was yet notwithstanding their punishment was exceeding greevous The cause we think was not so great for that cōmonly they persecuted us for nothing else but either for some tradition of their own or else for some thing that went against the earthly estate of the church of Rome either in the commoditie that they supposed to be du unto it or in the superioritie that they had obtained Howbeit neither of these being better cōsidered wil be as we
they do in althings agree with them Freedom of wil and merit of works were indeed jolly matters to puffe us up higher in our own aestimation but we can be prowd inough without them Sufficient for us it ought to be that we may be saved let us leave the glorie therof wholy to God and take no part therof to our selves Since the fal there is not in man any inclination at al unto good that is of that kinde saving only in those that are regenerate and that which is in them is not ever continual but somtimes very rare and weak likewise and ever is the special working of God in us And though our works that are done in faith and love have reward promised unto them and so consequently by promise du yet are the best of them on our parts or so much therof as is ours so unperfect and weak that by right they could otherwise than by merciful acceptance deserve nothing at al. And when we are sure we have most absolute redemption fully and wholy in the merits of Christ what need we trouble our selves further to search out whether that we may not think that our good works have in some sense merited also Traditions so far as they do not swarve from the written word or are to aedifieng we do not mislike otherwise we think we have alreadie so much to do that is expresly commanded unto us that we think they hinder us much in the service of God that incumber us with more The preesthood and sacrifice of Iesus Christ we account to be of that sufficiencie in themselves and so proper to him alone that we cannot yet be persuaded either that we need or that we may set up any other but that we must needs bewray either our great ignorance in the one or that we have a very slender and over-base an account of the other Otherwise if these wil not serve needs must we be more out of hope to get any good by those that are brought in by them Howbeit his preesthood continueth forever and his sacrifice once made is a ful satisfaction for al so that we need never be careful for any thing else to be joined withal As for their purgatorie and the sillie helps that they have allotted therunto we can neither stand in fear of the one nor if we should be distressed by it can hope of any releefe of the other Of their purgatorie we cannot stand in fear both bicause the scripture doth not tel us of any such place and besides that it lappeth up al forgivenes of sins and remembrance therof to al beleevers in the death and sufferings of Christ and that in so ful and comfortable maner that it leaveth to us no dread at al of any such torments to be afterward suffered for sin by any of us and bicause it is so evident to al the world that it was at the first an heathenish opinion among the gentils before they came to the knowledge of Christ and hath been since used in the church of Rome as a compendious way to get in monie and that beyond al measure and mean The helps that they use to releeve the souls that they suppose to be afflicted therin can do little good both bicause that nothing can be any satisfaction for sin to the justice of God but only the death and sufferings of Christ and bicause that those helps of theirs besides that they are verie weak in themselves are not ordeined of God to be the means to apply the same unto any but only the faith of the parties themselves wrought in them by the holie Ghost In their worshipping of saints and images there is some ods howbeit we cannot finde the better of them both their worshipping of saints I mean to be any better than plain idolatrie so oft at least as it goeth beyond that honor which in the second table and fift commandement is appointed to fathers mothers and reacheth unto the worship which in the first table and in the first second commandements is before taken up unto God As also we think themselves should perceive that if they do it as a dutie that they ow unto them or as a thing that saints do like of or to get some benefit at their hands in al these points they do but wast leese their labor for that they ow them no such dutie neither do they like that they should offer them any such nor yet can help them in those things that they crave at their hands And as for their images neither are they blessed of God to yeeld any such fruit as they require at their hands neither should we so maintain the dignitie of our creation being ordeined to repraesent the person of God to al these his creatures if we shuld so servilely abase our selves to stoks and stones when as the Lord hath made us the head over them not them over us Concerning the marriage of those that are of the clergie seeing that both the scripture alloweth of it in al estates and degrees whatsoever and that God in his wisdome ordeined the same and seeing that the practise of al antiquitie hath had it in continual use it is a thing we think more plain than that we may allow any controversie therof to be made If this wil not serve let them but turn bak their eies to themselves and but make an indifferent search how fowl and manifold pollution hath broken foorth among them since the time that they have abandoned marriage from their orders and that one thing we think wil be sufficient to teach them that heerin they were far overshot and have found it tru in themselves by experience that which before they might have learned at the mouth of the Lord that generally it is not good for any estate of men to live unmarried when as therby they so quikly brought al their orders so fowl out of order As for their inhaerent justice and that with some distempered affections as it seemeth they charge us to allow of none other but that which is putative and only faith the substance of this matter being before specially touched it is not needful heer to say any more therof So these are in effect those great matters for whose sakes we are charged to have translated so corruptly and so consequently in the judgement of some that we have not the word of God at al among us Wherunto would they ad but this little correction that for these matters we have it not to their good liking therunto could we be content to yeeld and therwithal think that we stil must want al authoritie of scripture for thē Otherwise they have sufficiently found even in the ruines of their own usurpation and doctrines that we have the scriptures among us as also not many of themselves do charge us but only for these and for a few such others besides of such like or lesse importance
Rom. What mind a man shuld bring to the reading of this booke Luc. 15. Iere. 12. Ionas 3. Leu. 11. Deut. 14. Deut. 6. Deut. 11. Iosu. 1. 1. Tim. 4. Psal. 1. Pro. 15. Eccl. 14. Gen. 24. Esai 38. Or moorn for it was in the way of sorrowing or lamentation Psal. 118. Psal. 62. Psal. 118. Psal. 38. Psal. 118. Psal. 76. Beleefe in grosse Marvelous effects of inconsideration Iere. 12. The nature of consideration A fit similitude 2. Cor. 4. Deut. 6. Luc. 1. Mat. 12. 1. Cor. 5. Eph. 5. Gen. 6. Gen. 19. Mat. 7. Acts. 1. 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 4.6.11.12 1. Cor. 9. Phili. 2. 1. Cor. 2. A comparison Mat. 7. Luc. 12. Rom. 1. 1. Cor. 1. 2.3 Gal. 3. The conclusion of this chapter Esai 28. Deut. 6. Iosu. 22. Gen. 14. Luc. 1. The first consequence The second consequence Luc. 13.23 Mat. 19. Mar. 10. Luc. 19. The lamentable state of men of the world A comparison Gal. 6. Iohn 9. Luc. 12. Ioh. 7.8.2 1. Iohn 2. A praier Two parts of our end in this life Psal. 36. Esai 1. Rom. 6. 1. Pet. 2. Tit. 2. Two parts of the service of God Iohn 7. 2. Cor. 10. 1. Tim. 1. 2. Tim. 2. Phil. 1. Heb. 10. and 12. Matt. 9.10.20 Luk. 10. 1. Tim. 5. Psa. 125. Mat. 13. Esai 1. Mat. 25. Luc. 13. Mat. 25. How we ought to resist sin Heb. 12. Eph. 5. Iaco. 4. 1. Pet. 5. Matt. 5. Exo. 12. Deut. 5. How we must do good works Eccl. 9. Eccl. 1. Gal. 6. 1. Cor. 15. A description of a christian Eph. 2. The perfection of a christian life Augu. lib. 2. cont Iulian. lib. 1. de peccat mer. cap. vlt. Io. Cassian 1.5 ca. 12. deinceps Mat. 5. Iob. 9. Psal. 76. 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 12. 2. Cor. 6. and 11. 1. Tim. 1. 1. Cor. 9. Remedies used by the ancient fathers for resisting of sin How much we fail in doing good works Iohn 6. Gal. 6. Phil. 2. * * Although many such things wer doon to superstitious and very il uses yet even then also were they somtimes sufficient testimonies of a great care to do wel so far as their knowledge served them in so manie as did not wilfully er but were desirous to know the truth and to do accordingly And so may those also be in such a sense examples to us Phil. 2. 2. Pet. 1. Luc. 16. Luc. 22. Mat. 13. Rom. 8. Apoc. 22. The different state of a good and evil man at the day of death Gal. 6. A principal point of wisdome in a servant A necessarie consideration Rom. 2. Rom. 7. Gal. 3. Heb. 12. Exo. 19. The dredful publication of the law Acts. 7. Exo. 20. Deut. 5. Heb. 12. Gods punishments Gen. 3. Gen. 7. Gen. 19. 1. Re. 28. 2. Re. 12. Christs speeches Mat. 25. Mat. 24. Mat. 22. Mat. 25. Mat. 13. Luc. 18. Mat. 19. Ioh. 14. Iohn 2. Mat. 5. Mat. 28. Luc. 13. Ioh. 5. Mat. 5. Mat. 12. Of the day of iudgement Two iudgements after death Iohn 5. Mat. 25. and 16. Luc. 16. Lib. 2. de anima ca. 4. 2. Cor. 5. The particular iudgement Aug. trac 49. in Io. Why there be two iudgments appointed Consider wel this reason good reader Of the generall day of iudgment Eccl. 12. Luc. 21. Mat. 24. Mar. 13. Esai 13. 1. Cor. 13. Mat. 25. 2. Cor. 5. 1. Co. 4 a. Luc. 12. Psal. 74. Sap. 5. Luc. 23. Apoc. 6. Mat. 25. 1. Pet. 4. The demands at the last day Psa. 149. A pitiful case Anselm Mat. 24. Apoc. 6. Apoc. 9. Mat. 25. The last sentence pronounced The conclusion Mar. 13. Mat. 24. A goodly exhortation of Christ. 2. Pet. 3. Eccl. 18. 1. Cor. 11. Gods hatred to sinners Psal. 5. Psal. 14. Pro. 15. Iob. 11. Esai 1. Psal. 13. Psal. 49. Eccl. 15. The reason why God so hateth a sinner The iniurie done to God by sin Mat. 17. Mar. 15. The malice of a sinner towards God Sapi. 1. Rom. 8. Psal. 7. Rom. 5. Iaco. 4. 1. Ioh. 3. Sinners enimies to God and God to them Such like also Isa. 26.11 Psal. 90. Gods hatred infinite against sinners Why every sin deserveth infinite punishment Rom. 8. 1. Cor. 1. The punishment of Angels Of Adam and Eve Esai 53. Mat. 26. Mar. 14. Luc. 22. Mat. 27. Psal. 21. Esai 53. The sin of Esau. Gen. 25. 27. Heb. 12. Of Saul 1. Re. 15. and 16. 1. Re. 9. 15. 16. 2. Reg. 9. Psal. 6.34.68.108.105.29 2. Re. 12. Eccl. 40. Psal. 10. Psal. 9. Psal. 3. Psal. 9. Psal. 36. Psa. 144. Psal. 57. Psal. 36. Psa. 103. Psa. 140. Eccl. 2. Psal. 71. Esai 13. Psal. 57. Pro. 14. Psal. 10. Tob. 12. Eccl. 21. Tob. 4. Psal. 9. 1. Ioh. 3. The obstinacie of sinners Psal. 57. The losses that came by sin Isa. 11. Ier. ibid. Rom. 6. Heb. 10. Heb. 6. Rom. 6. Heb. 10. Rom. 16. 2. Pet. 2. Excuse of sin Gal. 6. Rom. 11. Heb. 10. 2. Pet. 2. Ep. Iud. 2. Pet. 2. 2. Pet. 4. A good maner of reasoning Mat. 7. Luc. 13. Mat. 12. Psal. 9. How necessarie it is to fear Psa. 118. 2. Cor. 5. 1. Pet. 1. The danger of them which live in sin Psa. 118. Psal. 18. The maiestie of God Gen. 17. Esai 66. Deu. 10. Psa. 148. Iob. 9. 1. Tim. 6. Apoc. 1. Exo. 35. Dan. 7. A contemplation of the maiestie of God Iac. 2. A consideration of the benefits of God The benefit of creation The benefit of redemption 1. Pet. 2. The benefits of vocation and iustification Rom. 8. 1. Cor. 1. Rom. 5. 1. Co. 13. Esai 11. The benefit of the sacraments The use of sacraments The benefit of preservation and inspiration Apoc. 3. Aelian in hist. animal The intollerable ingratitude of a sinner Sin persecuted Christ unto death Gods complaint against sinners Psal. 34. Iere. 2. Isai. 1. Isai. 4. Causes of love in God besides his benefits A praier Psal. 24. The induration of som harts Gen. 19. Ex. 6.7.8.9 Matth. 26. Zach. 7. Esai 1. Psal. 9. Heb. 9. Esai 2.13.34.37.61 2. Cor. 5. Psal. 75. The great change of things at the day of death 1. Cor. 2. Rom. 8. 1. Cor. 1. Sap. 5. Of the souls parting from the bodie the first matter of miserie in death * * Those paines in death are especially to be restreined to the death of the worldlie for the godlie have for the most part a singular comfort therin A similitude expressing the pains of death Ser. 48. ad frat in eremo The second matter of miserie in death Eccl. 41. Luc. 12. The sorrow of leaving al. The third matter of miserie in death Eccl. 10. The cogitation of the bodie Mat. 19. 1. Ioh. 2. Matt. 7. Rom. 2. Luc. 13. 1. Cor. 6. Rom. 8. Gal. 5. 2. Cor. 5. Iere. 2. Apo. 20. 2. Pet. 2. 1. Pet. 4. Mat. 19. Ierom in vita Hilarionis abba A very profitable consideration The cogitation spech of the soul at the day of death Psa. 115.