to rise againe So prouident is the Lorde ouer the vertuous sayth the Prophete and so carelesse to the sinner that if the iust man swimme vpon the mayne Sea he will not suffer him to be drowned Where the wicked walking vpon the firme Lande shall fall headlong into wels and déepe pittes which the Scripture doth conster to that foule and huge enormitie of sinnes of the which he hath no power to repent All this I haue written vpon the occasion of the sins wherein King Dauid fell who notwithstanding vsed suche diligence to rise againe and from the time of his restitution so labored to liue in Gods feare that albeit he was brused with his fall yet he was not greatly hurt Immediatly then that the Lorde aduertised Dauid by the Prophet Nathan that he was so much kindled agaynst him both for the Adulterie and Murder that he would sende vppon him punishment according to the greatnesse of his falt The good King lift vp his hart and handes to the Lorde and cried Peccaui and confessing himselfe to be an abhominable sinner he rent the heauens with his sighes and watered the earth with his infinit teares wherin it is not to be doubted but that the exercize of so vnfayned repentaunce and confession of his falt was a great degrée to his forgiunesse He willed not the Prophete to dispute with God and saye on his behalfe that he was frayle or that the Deuil had deceiued him or that it was a sinne humaine But he aspiring to the mercie of God exhibited confession of his fault saying Tibi soli peccaut et malum coram te feci Wherein in not séeking to iustifie his fault he founde forgiuenesse of his trespasse Here may be gathered to the comfort of all good Christians that after Dauid had sinned he went not so soone to searche God as God was readie to receiue him whose prouidence perfection is such ouer his chozen that though they fall in any notorious Crime yet he suffereth them to haue no perseuerance in it according to the experiēce of his heauenly bountie expressed vpon S. Mathew and S. Paule whom Christ searched with the blind man neare the highe way with others of whom the Scripture giues testimonie that Christ searched them Then let all Christians confesse the wonderfull clemencie of God who euen in our negligence goeth out to séeke vs though we praye him not yet he prayeth vs and where we forget to call to him he fayles not to call vpon vs so that if we loase our selues and be the instruments of our owne destruction it is not so much for that we haue sinned as for that after our transgression we will not beléeue Let vs therefore take pleasure to heare when God calles vs Let vs be glad to be founde when the Lord searcheth vs Let vs be readie to folow whē he guides vs Let vs be willing to beléeue when he takes from vs all deceyt And let vs thinke vs happie to serue him when he is disposed to pay vs our hire Yea since he is so liberall and pitifull towardes vs let vs with the councell of S. Paule Go with confidence to the throane of his grace For séeing he went to séeke Dauid who had offended him let vs beléeue that he will be founde and entreated of any that is his true seruant the conditions of the house of God being such that as none are compelled to enter into it so it resistes none that knocke at the Gates Where Dauid stoode not to reason with himselfe that he had Sinned in this or in that we haue to gather by him that the matter of our Saluation consistes not so much in multiplycation of woordes as too correct our liues and encrease dayly in good déedes And truely GOD hath no necessitie of great Cryes to the ende he may heare vs and lesse néede of many reasons too perswade him too vnderstande vs since Dauid vsed no other solicitor for the remouing of Gods wrath then the imploration of a penitent harte Crying Tibi tibi soli peccaui et coram te malum feci Yea though men regarde for the most part the exposition of the Tongue yet wyth GOD the impression of the harte standes alwayes most acceptable as appeared in this conuersion of Dauid who acknowledging simplie that he had sinned without further dispute with God the Lord was neyther scrupulous nor suspicious for that he spake no more but one woorde but had regard to the sinceritie of the harte where with he repented Oh omnipontent Iesus and swéet comfort of our soules grant that with Dauid we may cease to sinne and beginne to amende our lyfe let vs with S. Paule confesse our sinnes with intention to offend no more And where by our proper corruption we ar subiect to dayly transgression without the ayde of thy holy spirit graunt that as thy law is replenished with mercie so with Dauid we may finde remission confessing with him that we haue sinned with intent to offende no more Let vs in the deuotion of Dauid recommende to Gods mercie the faultes and ignorances of our youth for that in that tender age wée know not what wée dyd and were ignorant in that wée ought to doe Wherein where Dauid asked pardon of GOD onely for the transgressions of his youth and not for the Sinnes he committed when he was olde and well experienced in the thinges of the world the faults of which age are not to be called ignorances but malices not simplicities but filthie enormities not light vanities but heauie vices and not faults done for want of knowlege but offences committed wyth well aduized will and resolution We haue reason to thinke that if his olde age had bene also defiled with crimes and sinne he had likewise offered them vp as a sacrifize with the confession of the abuses of his youth By which is wel proued that much doth it import when God pardoneth our sinnes past without sufferance eftsoones to retourne fal into them againe For Dauid had no sooner cryed Peccaui then GOD was readie to aunswere Loe heare J forgeue thee Whereby it is manifest that we are more slow to confesse our offences then God to exhibite his mercie And so for end of this discourse That life and death are in the power of the tongue we sée that as to many it hath bene the occasion of death so to the good king Dauid it was the meane to preserue his lyfe here through grace and in the other world to establishe it in eternall glory to the which the spirite of God bring vs all Amen A Letter to a great learned man aunswering to certeine demaundes THis hath bene alwayes one strange propertie in your frendship that the more I traueled to serue you the more you studied to troble me and that not so much for necessitie of matter as with intētion to exercize proue my skill wherein albeit to your wit is ioyned a naturall redines more
therewith haue made seruice offerings to the Lord Multiplicati sunt super capilos capitis mei et cor meuÌ„ dereliquit me I am falne into that age sayth Dauid that I haue no more sight remaining Mine enemies haue enuironed me my frends are dead my sinnes haue made me fall my good daies are now drawne to end so that my grieffes sorrows perplexities are mo in nomber then my hears but my greatest heauinesse of all is that my hart hath forsaken me wholoaseth his eyes the other particuler parts of his body together with all his goods can not but loase right dear great things but he that loaseth his hart loaseth assuredly all that can remaine or aperteine to a man For that within the wombe of our mothers the hart is the first that engendereth taketh lyfe and the last that dissolueth and vanisheth to death So that lyke as so longe as our hartes leaue vs not we may both loue feare and serue God so also if the hart loase his vigor and géeue vs ouer assuredly we haue neyther power nor facultie to Fast Praye or perseuer in Breath And therefore according to Saynt Hierom it is a great gyfte of GOD to be endued wyth a Constant and Valiant mynde as on the other syde to haue fayntnesse of hart and Pusillanimytye canne not but beare Testimonye and Prooffe of great Punnishement Audi popule Audi qui non habes cor sayth GOD by his Prophete Jeremie heare my voyce Oh generation of Jsraell and hearken to my wordes Oh People of the Hebrues I call thée Foole because thou art wythout harte yea I saye thou hast no harte because thou art a foole wher the Prophet in this phrase charged the people to haue no hart he imposed vpon them infidelitie as though they had neither fayth nor belefe in Iesus Christ the true god because the lyke as when the hart dyeth the life dissolueth euen so by Christ aspiring vpon the Crosse the sinagog tooke ende So that the Prophete was not without great reason to call the Hebrues Fooles men without hart séeing the testimony of so many miracles suffised them not much lesse were they satisfied with the nomber of benefites blessings with infinit Sermons perfourmed by our sauiour Iesus Christ all tending to make them Christians and yet wrought small impression in them by reason of their slender knowledge and great follie Euen so according to morrall phrase when we say any man hath want of hart it is asmuch as if we should charge him not to haue Iesus christ in his spirit for that as vndertaking to doe any good worke Iesus Christ is he that geues vs hart puts vs in reason euen so by good conclusion that man we may saye is depriued of reason and vnfurnished of hart which loues not Christ thinkes not on Christ serues him not feareth him not and hopes not in him So that in the Lawe of GOD to call a man without hart is no other thing then to saye he hath a body without a soule Omni custodia custodi cor tuum sayth the Wise man euery one ought to kéepe and double garde his hart to the ende it be not defiled by the fleshe oppressed of the worlde deceaued by the Deuill and that it be not altogether exercised by his fréende nor outraged by his enemie For that euen so much and no more haue wée in Iesus Christ then we geue vnto him Possession and place in our harte Wherein according to the measure of our confidence in GOD shall we finde recompence and retribution in him Yea if we geue our selues altogether to him he wyll assuredly be wholy ours So that all those thinges which the Lord geues vnto vs being holy harty or vnfained it belonges to vs the better to Prepare our offeringes to God euen from our hartes fixed in our harte vnfaynedly to touche our hart to kéepe our hartes alwayes replenished wyth Holy desires and enuironed with good thoughts For which occasion it suffised not the wiseman to bid vs simplie kepe our hartes but he enioyned vs to a double and diligent garde the better to aduertise vs that as the Eyes may be preserued by their Eyeliddes the mouth defended by the lippes the féete and handes kept from harme by Armour Gauntlets and a mans treasure holden from the Théefe vnder Locke and Key So there can nothing in this world suffise to forbid an ambicious minde to thinke and desire And so falling eftsoones vppon our first matter I saye that much doth that man offer to God that offereth his hart as also what hath he more to lose that loseth his hart the same appearing in the conuersion of this good théefe who euen as he hanged vppon the crosse because he offered to God onely his hart founde this recompence to be caryed into the eternall Tabernacle of God and communicate in his glorie Let then the example of this théefe stande before vs all that notwithstanding we haue not handes Féete Eyes Siluer Golde precious Iewels or clothes to offer to God yet let vs not be troubled or gréeued For who hath not these thinges in his power let him not doubt to be acceptable to the Lord if he present his hart replenished with holy desires The Sister of Moyses was diseased Moyses himselfe Stutted Tobyas was Blinde Mimpheboseph was Lame Zacharias the Priest was Dumbe yet these imperfections hindred not these men to be holy vertuous yea God called some of them to the function ministerie of his will If we haue our hartes whole holy sound the Lord obserues little the state of our other members no he makes no care whether they be perfect or putrified for this théefe in his senteÌ„ce of condemnation death had his limmes brused broken his mouth his eyes whole body crucified but his hart only reteining integritie he offred it to his sauiour and by his â—…yth constancie purchased the benefit of saluation And albeit in so small a respit of time in so quicke sharpe torments in so greuous apprehension of the dollors and terrors of death suffered by this théefe on the Crosse he coulde perfourme no great penaunce expresse no varietie or copie of spéeche or vtter apparant remorse by sighes sorrowe or publike contrition yet for that to his passions he ioyned greatnesse and constancie of harte wyth fayth and deuotion to GOD The Lorde dyd accept not onely that which he dyd then but also what he would haue done if he had not ben preuented by death How wickedly the euill THEEFE spake hanging on the Crosse THe Wicked Théefe speaking to Iesus Christ sayd if thou be that same Christ that is the sonne of God deliuer thy selfe from death and vs from this Passion of torments Oh cursed impudencie to pronounce such Horrible blasphemie against the maiestie of our Sauiour For albeit the Sonne of God was committed to the Crosse and
occasiōs to sin giue him grace to serue him When the son of god would reueil any secret mistery to any of his dear disciples he vsed to lead thē into solitary places separate frō the brute of the world therby to signifie to al posterities that by how much more god loueth a man by so much more doth he estraung deuide him from the felowship of the world Ducam illum in solitudinem et loquar ad cor eius The soule that is beloued of me saith god by his prophet Osee and which I haue predestinated I wil draw out of the troubles of the worlde and leade him into solitarie places and pryuately reueale vnto his harte my secretes Right happie is that soule whom the Lorde calleth to the desert of Religion there to serue him with greater deuotion follow him with more constancie of hart God hath spoken to many by signes and hath communicated with many by writinges wordes yea to some he hath whispered in their eare But he spekes onely to the hartes of those whom he loueth with his harte And little serues it that God spake to vs in the eare to heare him to our eyes to beholde him and to our tongue to exalt him if with all he spake not to the hart to loue him For it is impossible that he should loue God with his harte who hath him not imprinted in his hart And then doth GOD speake to the hart of a Christian when he drawes him out of the stormes of this worlde and leades him into the solitarinesse of a Monasterie where he may his body in puritie and his minde in contemplation For the trée that standes by the high waye geues more shaddow to the passenger then fruite to the owner that prunes it God doth not onely say J will draw him from the worlde and leade him into the desert But he sayde he would speake to his hart meaning that little doth it auayle to be led into the desert of Religion if with a good harte we doe not abandon the thinges of the worlde For more doth it hurt then good if our Surgion draw from vs a grosse tooth and leaue behinde some corrupt rote to infect the gumes And therefore who forsakes the world with good hart and entreth into Religion with holy intention it is he with whose harte God doth communicate and loues him with his harte God hath promised that wheresoeuer two be gathered together in his name he would be the third therefore it is good Religion to beléeue that he is in all houses well corrected and in euery vertuous congregation compounded vpon religious persones magnifying and seruing him both daye and night So that such as are admitted to a vertuous assemblie can not haue in this Worlde a more great felicitie And therefore not without great misterie God commaunded Abraham to abandon the house which he had builded and the inheritance which he had established thereby to instruct all professors of religion that in all temporall thinges are impediments to be good Christians and hinder the science of perfection in religion Declina a malo et fac bonum thou oughtest to flee darkenesse if thou wilt enioy the light thou must folow the right way if thou wilt not erre auoyd the mire and durt if thou wilt be with out spot and cleane yea thou must first forbeare to be euill if thou wilt begin to be good so shalt thou which the councell of Dauid eschew the vice and follow vertue This discourse was vttered in the presence of a Noble Lady at her Churching SInt lumbi vestri praecincti et lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris Oh thou that commest or meanest to come to the house of the Lorde sayth Christ it behoueth thée to be straightly girt afore the Candle the Candlesticke be giuen thée in thy hande For amongest the Seruantes of God if we sée any goe heauely sadly and discomforted it is a good argument to say that he is negligent not well girt The Scripture beares witnesse that Elias in the Desert S. Iohn in the Wildernesse S. Peter in Prison S. Paule in Ephesus and Christ vppon the Pinacle although they were thinly cloathed yet were they well girt By which is gathered this instruction that notwithstanding the troubles and persecutions happening to perfect men they ought not for all that to giue ouer that they haue begon nor be colde or negligent in that they haue taken in hande The gowne that is well girt kéepes the body warme and gathereth lesse wynd Euenso the man that professeth a religiō to serue God being girt with puretie and holy intentions is the better armed against the winde of vanities of this world and no lesse prepared for the heate of deuotion and seruice of god So that then wée may say a man is well girt when we sée him in the way to be holy and iust For so abstinent and continent ought we to be in religion that both the worlde may behold our vertue and many made better by our example And therefore where the LORDE saith it behoueth vs to haue our gownes girt afore wée take the candels in our handes it is to aduise vs that in such sorte should wée leaue bound trodden out and naked the vanities and ryches of this world that they haue no power to followe vs and wée lesse desier too goe séeke them The lighted candelles which wée should haue in our handes be the good and holy works we ought to doe and as he is one that holdes the candell and he an other that pertakes in the vse and light of it so the good worke of the holy man is not onely profitable to himselfe alone but it also serueth to edifie an other that séeth him do it with all like as he is not exempt from sinne who to an other giues occasion to sinne in like sorte that man can not be without meritte whose vertue is the cause that an other doth any good action the same agreeing with the interpretation of this text of the Prophet Particeps sum omnium timentium te when we are the cause that other men serue God wée do communicate and pertake saith he with the merit of such good thinges as they do in his seruice It sufficeth not saith Iesus Christ to holde one onely candell in our handes but it is requisite to the office and pietie of Christians to haue many For as the true christian and man of perfect deuotion to GOD receiues of the plentifull hand of the Lorde many graces and benefites So it is necessary that he do him many seruices and kéepe his spirit in continuall exercise of thankesgiuing For as this is common in the office and frendshippe of men that by how much lesse we are raised to benefites aboue our merit so much more are bounde to owe al those due respectes of recompence and ciuility as may hold vs acquited and leaue our frend satisfied Euen so with God this
vnfeined zeale so your presēt misfortune stands in such compassion with me that if to my want were ioyned welth with my wil were matched conuenient libertie you should know that though I am innocent of your fault yet I would be partner of your paine or if as you stand in ful power to distribute dispose your goods you had also the facultie to impart your perplexities the world shuld be iudge whether my frendshp stretch to affect your goods or to cōmunicate with your fortune calamitie And as I cānot but cōfesse that you haue always expressed towards me one perpetual nobilitie boūtie of mind so I hope you wil not denie but I haue retributed that recōpence which belongs to the power of so poore a friend But as I know you haue this propertie in nature to kepe in continual memorie the good turnes you receiue of others so if I forget the benifites which you haue bestowed of me let my profession suffer indignitie by the which I holde the countenaunce of my reputatiō so wil I wade no further in protestatiō since great offers are vsed amongst staungers and good déedes ought to be familiar with true meaning friendes I know this banishement may bréede you some conceyt by the opinion which this court may haue of you and I doubt not but asmuch the Ioye of your enimies will dispight you as the displeasure of your friendes will grieue you for that in a chance of calamitie most men are more sorie for the their enimies can say then for the martirdome they indure Plutarke in his Apothegmes recites of a famous Captaine and Louer of the Lacedemoniens to whome a certaine Reader of the Atheniens making his complaint that the men at Armes in his Camp reproched thē of Athens answered that as the thing that is well kept is hardely lost that nothing prouokes the thiefe sooner then necligence so if the Atheniens had tied care and Circumspection to their wordes and Actions they had neither falne into the Mouthes of the Lacedemoniēs nor feared their malice Job saith Factus sum mihi met ipsi grauis meaning that the misaduentures and disgraces which happen to vs for the most part our selues doe search them For as the power of fortune is to do more harme in one hower then good in many Hundreth yeares so when the chaunge falleth it blindes our eyes that we cannot deserne it and binds our handes that we cannot helpe it making vs Instruments euen against our selues in the execution of our proper mishap But for your part Sir if you had eyther followed my direction or ioyned your selfe to the aduise of the Constable your deare vncle the ignorance and rashnesse of your hoate youth had not caried you thus far to your own ruine yea you had preuēted that which now wyth payne you suffer The vengeance which you sought to take ought not to be grounded vpon so small occasion séeing oftentimes reason demaundes execution of a thing which time will not suffer to be done by which meane are spoyled many particuler causes not for that they were not iust but because they were not followed in season for as conuenient is the obseruation of time place to prosecute a businesse as in due season to throw the séede into the earth to the end to haue a good haruest therefore in your quarrell or pretence of action to the Dukedom of Medina Sidonia much better had it become the vertue of a noble Gentleman and farre more suretie to your title to haue demaunded it in Parliament by iustice then to recommēd your selfe to the Bishop of Camore I haue often tolde you that tyrants committe their triall to Armes and the iust sort referre their causes to the arbytrement of the Lawes Euen so when I sawe you ioyne your selfe to the good Bishop I felt great coniecture of the ill successe of your cause in which I doubted not but he would rayse occasion to vndoe you that earst made no conscience to put in perill the whole Realme disobey the king deceiue his confederates dissemble euen with his own opinion For where in one man doe méete incertaintie of affection and malice of nature there is no other hope in that man then distrust Periurie wordes and reuenge I put you in remembrance of all these more to reprehende you then to comfort you and with all to reduce to your knowledge that if you suffer any present affliction thinke it is for no offence presently committed but for the falt that then you did for as euery offence hath his punishement so God being bound to no time vseth to visit our olde insolencies euen whom we accompt our selues most innocent More 〈◊〉 is it to your wise friendes to suffer your banishment obeying the Prince then to sée you Duke of Medina with the displeasure of his Maiestie and farre better shal you expresse that which is loked for of you if simplie you attribute to the infirmitie of your discretion that which in good equitie cannot but carie the very nature and habite of a great falt Oh how well doth it become the reputation of a valiant knight to deserue to be holden gratious in the sight of his prince and with good and true seruices to enterteine the estate and fauour he hath of him expressing alwayes this true effect and example of readie obedience that if eyther in the court the Kingdome or any dominion of the Prince there moue any faction trouble quarrell tumult or mutinie he may with libertie be heard speake and giue occasion to be employed but not of himselfe to practice secreat confederacie nor yet without Authoritie to intrude himselfe into the councell or managing of affayres of estate For the businesse of kingdomes conteyne in them many secret difficulties more daungerous to be reformed then easie to wéeld which we sée dayly in sundry cōmon weales euil gouerned worse reformed for that for the most part the popular sort is ready to reuolt and very hard to be appeased great paine had Catiline to reforme Rome Socrates Athens Ptolome Pentapolis Promotheus Egipt and Plato the Siciliens But in the ende of all these enterprises where some of these noble men escaped death the rest suffered banishement their comonweales notwithstanding in more broyle then before But now to the matter of your exile and the remedies proper to men in your fortune In which if I satisfie not your passion I doubt not but the lawe of our frendship will leade you to iudge wel of my reasons assuring you that I had rather succour you then comfort you Weying Sir with your present condition being banished in Afrika the consideration that you are of the frée Countrey of Spaine I doubt not but the remembrance of the pleasures you haue passed in Spaine will make this exchange more painfull to you being now restrained in Afrika for the loue of our countrey is so naturall to vs and we so partiall in our
common sort be rude and barbarus nor that euery courtier is fully furnished with ciuillity yet in such as receiue their fourme fashion in courts of princes is alwayes found more respect consideration and iudgement of things are of a better correctiō of manners then the others There be few things which ought to be guided by rigor of iustice but fewer to be gouerned by force by which reason it behoueth the iudge to be wise and noble to the ende that by wisedome he may know what iustice is and by his nobilitie he may moderate the rigor of the lawe A discourse afore the Emperour CHARLES the fifth Wherein is handled the Pardō that Christ demaunded of his Father for his enemies Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt AMongest all the chiefe and principall vertues the most worthie is that which we call wisedome for that without it iustice is resolued into crueltie temperance takes the habite of rage and furie and fortitude brings forth tyranny for which cause Christ sayth not expressely to his Disciples be temperate be strong or be iust but he biddeth thē be wise as serpents simple as Doues aduising vs therby that he that is discréet in spirite behauiour can not but be iust in that he commaunds moderate in his actions and strong in whatsoeuer he enterpriseth For he that is wise is constāt he that is constant is not troubled who is not troubled liues without sorrow heauines so that the discréet man is happie since wisedome discression are compounded vpon the knowledge of things good euill So excellent is the gifte of wisedome that by the prouidence direction of it abuses past are reformed thinges present are ordered by it men haue the facultie to foresée chaunces to come by which may be cōcluded that he that is not furnished with that high grace stāds voyde of meane to recouer that which he hath lost is vnable to reteine that which he hath and hath no power to aspire to that which he hopeth for Thou hast made me wise ouer mine enemies sayth the Prophet Dauid wherein he séemes to offer thankes to the Lord for that though by his wickednes sinne he hath deserued to haue enemies yet the Lorde hath succoured him in geuing him meane to defende himselfe against thē by his wisedome without the which he had not ben able to haue serued God nor resisted his aduersaries So noble is the vertue grace of wisedome that she cannot chuse her perpetual dwelling in a person altogether wicked And therfore when we sée any polletique in that they doe suttle in that they say prouident in their plots purposes diligent to execute their enterprises of such let vs say w S. Jerom quod sapientes sunt vt malum faciūt facere autem bonum nesciunt such are wise men to do euill but to do well they neither know the way nor haue the meane Saule in a great presence of his péeres potentates sayd thus of Dauid Noui dauid filium Isai virum bellicosum et prudentem in verbis I know Dauid the sonne of Jsai to be valiāt in Arms discreet in spéech wherin we haue to note that the scripture cōmendes not Dauid somuch for the stabilitie of his countenance nor for his grauitie in the iudgemēt of cases nor for his policie in the expeditiō of warrs as for the discression he vsed in disposing his spéech wordes the same remaining to vs as a good argumēt example that in nothing may be expressed and manifested the vertue of wisedome more thē in ordering the spech the wiseman vseth this text Tēpus loquendi et tempus tacondi meaning that then a wiseman is best knowne when he hath discression to discerne the difference of times to speake times to vse scilence for al things of this life haue their place to stay in there being by meane wherof they are preserued time to worke their condition wherunto they are inclined haue end wherin they suffer end God assigneth seasons enhableth euery time to his proper office functiō for as in one time men throw séed into the groūd so an other season brings vnto them their encrease fruite sometimes men trauell other seasons are appointed to rest at one time princes builde at another they pul downe and at somtimes there is liberty to speake when at a nother season it is more cōueniēt to vse scilence So that as euery thing hath his time euery time his proper season so it is necessary to speake when there is cōsent of time place together with good coūcell consideration of the matter that is spoken for as scilence is a gifte without perill conteines in it many good things so it were better our scilence brought our simplicitie in suspition then to speake either inconueniently idly or vnnecessarily this text tempus tacendi tempus loquēdi teacheth vs that if first we learne not when to holde our peace we shal hardly know how to speake in oportunity seing with the aduised resolute man this is one propertie to pōder make a iudgemēt of his words afore he deliuer them publikely And therfore it is holden an assured signe of a wiseman when he expresseth the true difference betwéene his liberty to speake discression to holde his peace for as such may be his necessity to speake that to vse scilence could not be without great suspitiō of his ignorāce so also so requisit may be the occasion to hold his peace that to speake cannot be without imputation of follie by which reason the wiseman speaking so much of time giues vs libertie to speake in season not otherwise aduising vs further that as to vse cōtinual scilence cannot be without signe of great simplicitie so to speake out of oportunitie and purpose bréedes in it selfe an opinion of great follie Who séeth his brother sayth the Prophet wallowing in wickednes and sinne and doth not admonish and perswade him to conuertion God will require accompt of the sinnes of the offender at his handes as consenting and guiltie to his wickednes the prophet Esay being sorie that he had holden his peace cryed out va mihi quia tacui as if he had sayde Oh Lord God how many faultes I haue dissembled and kept secret so many wayes am I guiltie for that if I had disclosed them I had bene rebuked and reformed But if it be an euil thing to kepe scilence it is yet worse to speake according to the example and experience in Caynemaior est iniquitas mea quam vt ventam merear so great is my sin that I deserue no grace nor mercy Much better had it bene for Cayn to haue holden his peace then to speake so euill for that his wickednes was more intolerable dispairing of Gods mercie then for the murder he made of his brother Thus we sée
the Prophet was culpable for vsing scilence and Cayn condemned because he spake by which we may gather the great necessitie we haue of wisdome to vse time to speake and time to suffer scilence For as the trée is known by his fruite the vertue of a man discerned by his workes so in his wordes and spéeche are disclosed the qualitie of his wisedome or simplicitie And as Iesus Christ in all his actions was no lesse pacient to heare then moderate in speaking so we finde not in scripture that he euer deliuered worde in vaine nor neuer helde his peace but for feare of slaunder And although it be a miserable compulsion to vse scilēce in things which we haue desire to disclose yet considering scilence bringes sewerty and conteines in it selfe many other goodly thinges let vs stand restrained to the two seasons which Socrates aloweth without reprehension the one is when we speake of that which we manifestly know and the other when we haue in hande thinges necessary In which two times onely as speache is better then Scilence so in all other Seasons experience approueth that we ought to preferre scilence afor speaking To what purpose or intentions tended all the speaches of Iesus Christ THe wordes of our Sauiour tended eyther to the prayse of his Father as when he humbled himselfe in this speach Confiteor tibi pater or to teach men what they ought to do when he sayd Beati mites or else to reprehend wickednesse and sinne when he cried vae vobis legis peritis So that when he was not occupied to giue prayse and glorie to his Father nor to preach doctrine nor to rebuke vices it was then he was setled in a deuout and holy scilence The Hebrewes led him to their consistories a fore thrée iudges that is to say they brought him to the Palaice before Herod to the Bishops house before Annas to the trée of the crosse before his Father at which place only he spake and in the others he vsed scilence and therefore afore the two first tribunals he was accused of crime because he held his peace standing as aduocate afore the thirde he spake And albeit right great infinit were the works which our Redéemer did from the time he was taken till he was crucified yet his wordes were fewe and his spéeches in very small number the better to teach vs that in time of tribulation and aduersitie we ought more to séeke our consolation in a holy and deuout patience then to preferre or expresse great eloquence Christ then being vpon the hill of Caluary not onely condemned to death but very nere the passion of the same hauing his flesh pearced with nayles his hart burning in zeale and loue cryed to his father Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt as if he had sayd Oh eternall father in recompence that I am come into the worlde and in consideration of the preaching that I haue made of thy name In satisfaction of the paynes and crucifying that I endure and in respect that I haue reconciled the world to thée I require no other reward but that it may be thy good pleasure to pardon these mine enemies who haue sinned to the end I should dye and I suffer death because they may liue Forgeue them since thou knowest and all the world séeth that in my bloud is payde and satisfied their crime with my charitie I haue raysed and put them in my glory so that let my death be sufficient to the end that no other death haue more place in the world Pardon them since thou knowest that the death which triumphed in the crosse and by the which I am nailed to the same is crucified heare in this trée by meanes wherof oh euerlasting Father I beséech thée estéeme more the charity wherein I dye for them then the malice by the which they prosecute my death Forgeue them Oh heauenly Father since if thou considerest these my enemies in the nature and merite of their sinnes there will not be founde in the furies of Hell tormentes worthye enough to punishe them Then better is it Oh gracious Father that thou Pardon them since that as there was neuer the lyke faulte committed so shalt thou neuer haue occasion to vse the like mercie And séeing my death is sufficient to saue all such as are borne or to bée borne those that are absent present deade and on liue It is no reason that these heare should be shutte out from that benefite being a thing of most equitie iustice and right that as my bloud is not spilt but with thy consent so also by thy hands it should be well employd In this we haue to note that Christ sayd not Lorde pardon them but he sayde Father forgeue them as discribing this difference betwéene those two estates that to a Lorde belonges properly to haue Bondemen Subiectes and Vassalls and the name of a Father presupposeth to haue children so that he required his Father not to iudge them as Lorde but besought him to pardon them as a Father Christ also sayde not condicionally Father if it be thy pleasure forgeue them but he prayed absolutely after himselfe had forgeuen them that his Father would Pardon them by which example we are put in remembraunce that the reconcilement which we make with our Enemies ought to be pure absolute and without affection Besides our Redéemer sayd not singulerlie Father Pardon him but he spake plurally by which we may be informed that as he prayed not particularly for any one in priuate but generally for all so his blood dispersed on the crosse was not only sufficiēt to redéem one onely Worlde but to satisfie the Raunsome of a Million of Worldes And out of this misterie may be drawne this construction that our Sauiour praying generally for all expresseth himselfe so liberall to geue and so mercifull to pardon that when he forgeues a sinner any offence he pardoneth with all his other crimes It is not also without misterie that Christ sayd not I forgeue them but besought his Father to Pardon them For that if the Sonne onely had pardoned them after his death the Father might haue demaunded the iniurie because that if the Sonne had forgeuen them he had done it as a man where the execution of the iustice remayned in God but as the deuine worde yea the liuing Lorde hath perfourmed this pardon with so true a hart so hath he not suffered that there remaine in it any scrupule And therefore he besought his Father to pardon them to the end that by the humanitie which he endured and diuinitie which suffered it his enemies might be at the instant absolued and we others haue hope to obteine remission ¶ That when CHRIST our Lord gaue pardon he left nothing to forgeue IN lyke sort we haue to note that Iesus Christ required not his Fathere to pardon them after his death but besought him to forgeue them at the instant
malice that thou takest no more shame of thy Sinnes then a common woman deuiding her body to straunge Fleshe yet if thou come afore me in Prayer and call me Father I will aunswere thée and acknowledge thée for my Sonne By this we haue to thinke that it was not to obteyne a small thing when he began his Prayer by this inuocation Father forgeue them yea he made offer of the same Phrase for the remission of his Enemies which he would haue done if he had prayed for the aduauncement of his best friendes But in recompence of this Wonderfull affection and Zeale that Nation replenished with malice Cryed out to Pylate to Crucifye him who refusing to committe his Innocencie to sentence and not fynding in him worthynesse of Death they cryed eftsoones Sanguis eius super nos et super Filios nostros Be not so scrupulus to Iudge an offendour saye they for if thou thinke thou doest an vniust thing let the Venggeance of his innocencie fal vpon vs and our Posteritie but from this petition Iesus Christe séemed to appeale for that as they Cryed that his bloud might be agaynst them so of the contrary he sought to make that Holy effusion profitable to them So that where they demaunded of Pylate their condemnation he Prayed to his Father for their Pardon For a man to doe no Euill to his Ennemie may very well happen to Pardon Ennemies belonges to the Office of CHRISTIANS to loue an Ennemie is the worke of a perfect man But to pardon him which would not obteyne pardon was neuer done by any but by Iesus Christ For when the Hebrewes cryed Sanguis eius super nos Christ lyft vp his voyce and zeale to his Father Pater ignosce illis There was no great distance betwéene the time of the petition of the Jewes and the Prayer of our Sauiour for as they cryed at the the third hower to haue him crucified and that the reueng of his bloud might light vpon them and theirs so at the ninth hower Christ prayed to his Father to forgeue them Oh Father sayth he let not the vengeance of my death redownd vpon them neyther stretch out thine Ire vpon this people that know not what they do for they are ignorant of the price of their demaunde and protestation that with such obstinate vehemencie they pursue to Pilate Much better then did the Apostle consider and féele this great miserie when he sayde Accessitis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam abell Oh wretched Hebrews and happie Oh we Christians who haue obteined pardon by the effusion of the bloud of the Sonne of God shed by your meane this spéech sure was farre otherwayes then the saying of Abell crying iustice iustice but our Sauiour sayd mercie mercie So that the iniquitie so generall and sinne so wicked as ours is had néede of such an aduocate as is Iesus Christ for who was so fitte to obtaine Pardon for our sinnes as he whose innocencie made him without sinne That God was wont to be called the God of vengeance and now is he named the Father of mercie IEsus Christ Langushing in torment and Martirdome vpon the Crosse expressed an other maner of Testament to the worlde then King Dauid who in the very passions of death charged Salomon his Sonne not to suffer the gray heares of Joab to come to the graue without bloud nor the liues of his subiects seruantes to end without reuēg yet they had not somuch as touched his garmēt to offend him where the Lord would not cease to purchase pardō euen for those by whose violēt hāds was wrought the effect of his death Deus vltionum dominus deus vltionum saith Dauid speaking of the iustice of god thou Lord art the god of reuenge since that from the instant that we commit the offence it is thou that thondrest punishment vpon vs yea thou art so called because of the feare that the world hath of thée that thou dealest with the generations of men in so great rigor with the auncients he was called the God of reuenge for the immediatly that Adam had transgressed he was chased out of the earthly paradise the regions of the earth by the vniuersalflud were drowned the two cities by his rigor subuerted the faction of Aron and Abiram consumed the idolators that offred worship to the calfe cōmitted to death the théefe of Hiericho stoaned and the host of Senacherib ouerthrowne yea without offring wrong to any he did iustice to all That god in those times was the god of vēgeāce appeareth in the actiō on the moūt Raphin whē the Hebrues demaūded of Moyses to geue them flesh to eate which tourned to their great domage for that they had scarcely begon to tast the flesh of the quailes falling in their host whē loe the indignation of the lord slew such multitudes of them that the scripture forbears to expresse the nomber The reuēge of the offence of the king Abimelech denying the Jsraelites to passe thorow his coūtries was it not executed thrée hūdreth years after the falt in the raign of Saule to whō god said I kepe remēbrāce of the smal regard which Abimelech gaue to my cōmaundements stopping the passage of my people thorow his realmes against whom looke that thou rise arreare thine armie cut in péeces all his people sparing neither man woman nor beast by which example with many others of equall continuance and equitie the men of the world may perceiue how déepe and vnsearchable are the iudgmentes of god who somtimes punish the ymediat offender oftentimes transferreth the correction vpon such onely as discende of their race So that he punisheth no man without desert and therfore not without mistery is he called by the Prophet the God of reuenge because that albeit he vseth to dissemble for sometime our transgessions committed against his maiestie yet they are not parpetually forgotten with him The same God that the Hebrues had and worshipped in those times doe the Christians hold at this day as true and soueraigne Lord of whom the Apostle yéeldes better testimonie to the Church then did Dauid to the sinagog For Dauid called him the God of vengeance and the Apostle honoureth him by the name of Father of mercie and consolation wherin as Dauid was not without some occasion to ascribe vnto him that surname title so the Apostle also had better reason to inuocate him in the phrase of mercifull father for that in that law of rigor feare God had a propertie to chastise people nations where in this law of grace he visiteth vs in affection mercy whereby hauing chaunged custome he hath also ioyned vnto him an other propertie of name title being now worthely called the father of mercy according to his many examples of mercie pitie expressed vpon many sinners as vpon S. Mthew in remitting his vseries vppō Mary Magdaline in pardoning her vanities vpō
frendes may we say with this good théefe that they are out of the feare of God that they wander in their proper destruction that they are replenished with vices and doe not obserue one of Gods commaundements But by so much more wretched is our condition by how much one frende dare not warne an other for that all frendship now a dayes standes vpon these limits and tearmes not to correct one an other but rather to couer and dissemble and suffer communitie of euill It is a wonderful confusion to sée one sinner admonishe an other and a théefe to reproue a théefe and yet one Christian dare not rebuke an other no rather they will endure their vices then deuide themselues from their frendship Not to aduertise a frend of his honour or not to aduise him of his wealth may happen and is suffered but not to admonish him of that which concerneth his conscience is hatefull and ought not to be borne withall for that in thinges touching the honor of God we are bounde not to dissemble with our Father nor to yéelde consent to our dearest frende Nathan reproued Dauid Samuell rebuked Saule Micheas admonished Achab Helias reproued Jezabell S. John rebuked Herod and S. Paule reproued S. Peter not so much for hauing erred and fayled as for offending God the better to admonishe vs that him we ought to holde as enemie whom we know doth not loue God Nonne qui oderunt te inimici facti sunt mihi Oh great God of Jsraell sayth Dauid the greatest seruice that I haue done thée is that all my lyfe time I haue hated those that loued not thée eschewed such as folowed not thy lawes was a straunger to such as searched not thy precepts and will and none haue bene worse welcome to my companye then such as boare to thee no seruice I woulde the example of Dauid might be embraced now a dayes or that to christian frends were ioyned such propertie of affection so should there be no vice in mens frendship nor toleracion of wickednes for that if euill men were not supported by their frends iustice discipline woulde either spedely determine their liues or shame instruction leade them to amendment of manners great then was the charitie of this théefe to his companion the pitie not little which he had of Iesus Christ whereof as he defended the one and perswaded the other so his vertue concludes in good Authoritie that it is a true effect of our Christian pietye to yéelde compassion to such as are troubled and reduce him that is out of the Way After this good théefe was commited to God and confessed his sinnes to Iesus Christ and aunswered for him he began then to lift vp his voyce and say vnto him Domine memento mei dum veneris in regnum tuum wherein with iust reason he calles him Lorde for that it is resolute with God not to take pitie or mercie vpon vs if first we accknowledge not in him his diuinitie and therefore in the olde times whē God spake with the Hebrues he vsed commonly this phrase haec dicit Dominus c. The better to aduertise the nations and people of the earth that all kinges and Princes of this world are in all thinges no other thing but gouernours and deputies and to God alone belonges all souereigne and Supreame Potentacie In which respect it behoueth vs afore all thinges to confesse God to be Father and souereigne Lorde and to honour his blessed sonne by the name of Lorde and redéemer for that it is directly to repugne his ordinarie power to Pardon sinne in any man which doth not accknowledge in God predomination and Lordship Let vs therefore with the humilitie fayth and conformetie of this théefe say Domine memento mei For th s ought to be an office in our beléefe that if we confesse god to be sole ceator serue him as soueraigne Lorde he will not misknow vs as straungers specially if we acknowledge vs to apperteine vnto him The seconde worde of this théefes petition was Memento mei agréeing with the inuocation of Salomon Da mihi sedium tuarum aslis tricem sapientiam vt sciam quid acceptum sit coram te omni tēpore giue me O Lord partin thy wisedome to the end I may doe the thinges agréeable to thee and tending to my saluation notwithstanding that Salomon amongest all the kings of Jerusalem was most Peasible most Riche Renoumed and most Wise yet with all these Qualities he durst not demaunde of God but Wisedome and that not without great reason For albeit a man knoweth that which he wold haue yet he is ignorant in that which is necessary for him And as we liue in God more then in our selues that God loues vs aboue our proper affections so it is he that knoweth better thē our selues what we wold haue of him what we want is néedfull for vs for which cause this well aduised good christian théefe would aske no other thing but that the Lord would haue remembrance of him instructing vs by that that God bearing to vs such plentifull will affection ther is no great nede to trouble him with importunities but onely with a feruent hart put him in remembrance of those thinges we desire to haue saying Domine memento mei Lord that hast created me haue remembrance of me Lorde that hast Redéemed me forget me not and thou Lord in whom I beléeue be mindfull of me Vouchsafe Oh Lord to draw me to thy selfe Oh loue of my soule haue remembrance of me since thou hast formed me of earth and since thou hast breathed into me a soule made me man hast employed thy lyfe for me vouchsafe to be mindefull of me to the ende there be no spoyle made of my Soule yea since thou hast suffered thy Passon for me resisted so many Temptations and spilt so much of thy innocent bloud as satisfyed the Price of my vyle and wretched Sinnes I beséeche thée be myndefull of me Here is to be noted that this théefe in these humilities to God sayd not Lorde haue remembrance of my children my wyfe my frendes or my labors and trauels but sayde onely Lorde remember me aduising vs that in this worlde there is nothing which we ought to holde so deare as the reckoning of our conscience according to the expresse text of our sauiour to the mother and children of Zebeda Nescitis quid petatis because that afore they asked pardon for their sinnes they demaunded realmes and kingdomes and before they sought to purge the transgression of their soules they aspired to be set one of the right and the other of the left hande of Iesus Christ But the wise Chananite woman afore she sayde Filia mea male a demonio vexatur cryed Miserere mei sewing first for pardon for her selfe afore she sought the recouery of her daughter for that so good is the Lorde our God that if he loue not him that
requirs him he graunteth him not that he demaundes But thrise happie was this théefe who afore all thinges desired the Lorde to haue remembrance of him when he came into his kingdome wherby demaunding pardon and remission of his sinnes he obteined the kingdome of heauen more easelie then he thought for Abraham demaunded of God linage and there was giuen to him a sonne of whose race Christ discended according to the fleshe Jacob prayed for the redeliuerie of Beniamin which he saw accomplished Tobias beséeching God for the returne of his sonne from Niniuie imbrased him safely restored and richely maried Iudith praied to God to chase away Holofernes and his Campe from her towne of Bethulia he put the Enemie into her power Anna in great compassion desired issue and she brought forth Samuell the Prophet And loe this good théefe besought God to haue remembrance of him in the other worlde and the Lorde did not onely pardon him in this worlde but also glorifyed him in his eternall kingdome Right true and absolute is the testimonie of the Scripture speaking of the liberalitie of God Quod ipse dat omnibus affluenter God geues to al men in great aboundance which is contrarie to the manner of the Princes of the world who if they geue it is not in plentie and if they distribute in fulnesse they geue it to few But such is the bountie and blessed liberalitie of our Lorde that he refuseth not to geue that which is demaunded and much lesse geues in penurie that which is required of him Aperis tu manum tuam et imples omne animall benedictione All those in this worlde sayth the Prophete that geue anye thinge geue it cloase fisted as the saying is But the Lorde alwayes encreaseth in liberalitie wyth his handes open who as he is Pitifull to pardon so also in his rewardes and recompence he expresseth hyghe Liberalitye Here also is to be noted that this Théefe in his inuocation to Christ dyd not desire the LORDE to haue remembraunce of him to the ende he were not Crucifyed nor required him to be mindefull of him that he myght escape the Perilles of Death since it was he onely that gaue lyfe But he sayde onely Lorde forget me not when thou commest into thy Kyngedome For séeing thée on thy Knées afore Pilate sayth he and béeing asked whether thou were a Kynge and had Realmes I hearde thée Aunswere that thy Kyngedome was not of this Worlde Which béeing true I beséeche thée Oh swéete comfort of my Soule that when thou art in Possession of thy Kyngedome of rest thou wilt then haue remembraunce of me being the greatest Sinner in the Worlde This Théefe séeing GOD in presence hearing him speake in person and touching him wyth his handes and woulde not demaund of him other thinges then of the Worlde to come can not but put men in a maze and drawe euen Aungels to admiration From the houre that our Blessed Sauiour suffered his bloude to be dispearced vppon the Crosse there hath bene great effect and vertue of it in the Church whereof appeared right good Testimonye in the discourse and action of this Théefe whose lyfe and whole course of his behauiour hauing béene infected wyth wicked conuersation he demaunded presently to be made a neyghbour of the Hierachies and companion to our redéemer And hauing done no seruice to GOD he asked of him wyth full mouth the Kingdome of Heauen which he obteyned not so much through the merite of his inuocation and Prayers as by the meane and vertue of the bloud of Iesus Christ wherin there is no reason to doubt but as our Lorde was readye to yéelde vp the spirite and that the effusion of his bloud prepared to an ende so this good théefe saw the Heauens open together wyth the great glory layde vp for our sauiour by which occasion he cryed in sewertie of fayth Memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum For otherwayes it had béene vaine for a Théefe to haue demaunded wyth such boldenesse the Kyngedome of infallible felicitye But whether the Maiestie and presence of Heauen were open to him or not there is no necessitye of reasoning Onely let vs ioyne our selues to his Fayth and opinion and wyth his Prayer let vs call vppon the Lorde to remember vs when he comes into his Kyngedome for there may we be sewer he will remember vs since in this world he will not recompence the seruices that we haue done to him and in the other he will laye vpon vs the offences we haue committed agaynst his Maiestye Let vs beséech him that if in recompence that we are Baptized if for the renoume name and tittle we beare of Christians if for that we are his Seruauntes and specially if because he hath redéemed vs it will please him to blesse vs wyth any rewarde let it not be bestowed vppon vs here on earth but when he shall be established in the estate and maiestie of his kyngedome For all such as he markes with recompence and rewarde in the Booke of this worlde it is a signe that he hath razed them out of the register of Heauen Jsaac was aduaunced more then Jsmaell Jacob preferred aboue Esau Juda fauoured more then Ruben Joseph raysed aboue his Bretherne and Nahabor aduaunced to the Vines of Samaria But let vs praye for no other aduauncement then Dum veueris in regnum tuum For out of thy house all honors all preferments all riches and dignities are contemnible For the ende of this discourse we haue to note that Christ pardoning this théefe sayde not Amen dico vobis but speaking singulerly he sayde Amen dico tibi Whereby as in the manner and estate of his pardon he manifested his mercie so in forgeuing him alone he shewed his vpright iustice Many nations and men of sundrie qualities and Countreyes standing then round about the crosse would haue bene glad to haue obteyned remission but amongest them all to this théefe onely was graunted pardon the better to aduertise vs that since he forgaue him we should not dispaire by the same meane to obteyne remission And since he pardoned but him alone let vs not sinne the more in hope that he will pardon vs So for conclusion let vs not forget that he forgaue the people afore they had transgressed and pardoned the théefe after he had sinned by which we are instructed to feare his Iustice and to remember his mercye which it may please him to exhibitte towardes vs here by grace and in the worlde to come by glory A discourse expounding this text of the Psalme Irasoimini et nolite peccare CHrist gréeuing still with the encrease of abuses in the Temple saw great necessitie of Discipline and therefore in one daye he whipped out the Vserers reuersed their exchaunges and dispersed their treasors Wherin we haue to note which of these two thinges were of a most importance eyther the zeale that Christ had or the fault that was in them béeing sewer that
men committing suche Cursed and miserable Sinnes GOD for recompence lendes vppon vs great and heauie Punishementes To holde that Christ was not mooued to doe this by a Spirite of good zeale were to faulsifye the Trueth and to saye that in this that he dyd he dyd euill can not be without imputation of Blasphemye For in the Eternall lawe of GOD it can not holde Concorde or comparison to be a Sinner and to be called Redéemer Before Saynt Iohn sayde Ecce agnus Dei He pronounced Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi Wherein he both confesseth him an Vndefyled Lambe and after Extolles him to take awaye the Sinnes of the Worlde One Sinner may helpe to make an other good but yet hath he no power to Pardon the least offence that is And therefore to affirme that Christ in any his actions was pushed forewarde by choller or Sinned in the transgression of Ire it were both Heresie and a Sinne desperate for that as touching Sinne and Error our LORDE was so lymited and restrayned that he neyther coulde nor had Power thereunto By this text of the Prophete Irascimini et nolite peccare is geuen vs to vnderstande that we may be angrie but yet with this condition that we Sinne not For often times the Lorde is more wrath with the Ire of the maiestrate or Gouernour then with the offence which the Subiect committes I finde it verye harde that this good Prophete should geue vs Licence to be Angrye and yet to binde vs that in it we shoulde not Sinne speciallye séeing that of the Mortall Sinnes Condemned by the Churche the transgression of Ire is one Yea it séemes more straunge that it should be in the hande and libertie of man to be angrie and yet Sinne not since by our nature euen our thoughtes enclining to Anger canne not be without Sinne Where by I holde it rat her a Vertue of Aungelles then a a power humaine when a man that is iniured is hable to limitte his passion and gouerne the affections of his hart séeing that to the nature of man nothing is more swéete then the passion of reuenge yea oftentimes we are vnmindfulto requite a good tourne but seldome doe we forget to reuenge an iniurie receiued But it is néedfull we deduce in particuler those things wherein in good conscience men may be angrie and that without scrupule of sinne For that by howmuch more they were frendes and enterteyned amitie together by somuch more the offence the anger the sinne which séemes but a dreame would put amongest them diuorce and diuision We may not be angrie against such as maliciously touch our honor or by Ambicion aspire to our goodes For that to the Noble minde it belonges to demaūd his recouerie by iustice and his honor by the swoorde May we holde anger against such as haue done vs some notable iniurie and published dishonest spéeche of vs I say no for that according to the rule of the Gospell we are bounde to pardon all wronges and leaue the reueng to God to whom it belonges Men ought not to beangrie if in their houses their wiues be Libertynes and dissolute for that so delicate is the honor of the Husbande and the Wyfe that her chastity can not be detected without that he haue interest in the dishonor and therefore in thinges that can suffer remedie we ought eyther to qualifye the rigor of the punishment or dissemble the iniurie much lesse ought we to be angrie against our seruantes when they doe not the dutie of their place or murmure when they are commaunded For being but marcenary to vs we ought to admonish thē if they wil not be brought to amendment to geue them leaue to departe We ought not to be angrie with our frends and familiars if in their prosperitie they misknowe vs and in our great aduersities will not succour vs For according to their behauiour we haue to geue this iudgement of them that as if they had bene true frendes they would not haue fayled vs so according to their corrupt affection their pryde carieth them into disdayne of our Pouertye In cases of Breache of promise it euell be séemeth a Wiseman to be angrye for that this reputation belonges to Pacience that he ought rather to loase that he hoped for then to breake the patience for the which he hath béene so longe praysed And how canne we be Angrye agaynst our selues when we erre in that we saye and vse falshoode in that we doe Séeing that the remedye of our abuses consistes not to be Angrye and vexe our selues but in the amendment and reformation of our actions Why should we be Angrye when we sée fortune rayseth others and forgetteth vs Séeing that if fortune distributed to euery one according to the rate of their will and meritte she could not be called Fortune but Iustice but because she will iustifye the Limittes and Charters of her Authoritie she vseth to aduaunce those that she fauoureth and spareth to preferre such as deserue to be exalted Sure we haue no reason to be Angrye agaynst the suttelties of the Deuill and the Worlde For that in well aduised Iudgement and consideration much lesse that they deceiue vs séeing of the contrarye they admonishe and aduise vs And according to the Testimonye of the Scripture the office of the fleshe is to pricke vs the Deuill traueleth vs in temptations and to the Worlde is ioyned a propertye to deceaue vs And let vs not be wroth if we haue not suche Power and habilitye as others since if we make aright our owne Computation and Reckoning we ought to be more sorye that we haue not deserued Honour then that we haue it not And since the Lawe of nature and Fortune make all thinges Subiect to reuolution and chaunge and that of our selues we are the proper instrumentes of our owne harmes we ought not to be Angrye or vexed but agaynst such as ryse to offende God and sturre vs to committe Sinne For a good Christian ought to be more sorye for him that hath a wounde in his soule then for any that suffer losse of their Goodes though there be neuer so great Nearenesse and respect of Kindred and frendship So that the thing that ought most to trouble a good Christian and bréede compassion in the man of holinesse and vertue is to sée that men beare such appetite to the swéetenesse of sinne and with such boldenesse follow their libertye to doe euill that many and many are those now a dayes who had rather breake the commaundementes of the holye law then to infrindge the least statute of the Prince This is a thing to be marueiled at that when the Marchaunt is taken with a counterfayt measure or the Goldesmith with a faulse weight the measure shall be brunt the Balaunce broken and the offender rendred to publyke Iustice But if a man ve knowne to renounce GOD or to beare the guilt of Periurie Murder or Adulterye much lesse
make great accompt either to be called to the Religion by the will of God or to come to it by any necessitie or misaduenture For the Seruaunt of God which trauelleth towardes his saluation in a religious lyfe ought not to remember so much how God called him as to consider wherefore God called him There be many religious men in Monasteries and elsewhere who atribute much to themselues for that they entred religion in infancie others chalenge more for that they tooke the habite in the heate of their youth Some there are that ascribe to their aduauntag for that they professe an order very strayt and reformed and others for being the followers and Disciples of men of holy lyfe And many there be with whome it is no small reputation to haue continued in Religion thirty forty or fiftie yeares and they in respect of their prescription holde all others but Nouices Yea most of them sticke not to referre all their perfection to the long time they haue dwelt in Monasteries hauing no regarde to the little they haue profited in them But to enter Religion in infancie in youth or in olde age to the man of God ought to minister no occasion of aduantage or estimation ouer others but rather let him as a good steward make a good accompt of his time and trauell more in the studie and seruice of God then to kéepe reckoning of the yeares of his continuance For what estimation can prescription bring to any man when he can shew no fruite of his time séeing that much more doth the religious man deserue for his knowledge and humilitie then for his olde age or continuance Judas remayned thrée yeares in the Apostleship of Christ and thrée houres and no more dyd the good théefe hang by our sauiour on the crosse and yet by faith we are assured that more did profit the théefe those thrée hours in torments then the thrée years did good vnto Iudas being a folower of Christ In the parable of the vineyard in the gospel was no more hire geuen to him that wrought from morning till night then to those that entred the vineyard at the last houre whereby we are instructed that our merit or not merit standes not in the seruices which we doe to God nor in the little or great charitie which we expresse but chiefely as it please his goodnes to accept or reiect vs All the Apostles were called by Christ before his death sauing S. Paule yet who doubtes though he was the last in vocation but that he was euen the first and chiefest in perfection because he laboured more then all the rest So that albeit to enter religion in infancie in youth or to remaine there long time can not be but commendable yet vnder this condition that it be not to this ende to haue a greater portion in the profites but to be more humble in their profession Beware therefore you that he Auncientes in houses of Religion that you fall not into the deceits and circumuentions of the deuill who in recompence of the great nomber of yeares that you haue dwelt in religion the many temptatiōs that you haue endured there will perhappes go about to pay you with the best chamber in the Dorter make you proude with the first voyce in the chapter Which you must eschew for that how much lesse comfort and cherishing you haue in the estate of religion so much more is your perfection and reuerence In like sort in the good religious man ought to appeare no vain glory for the he professeth the habit of a strait order or a vocation of liberty or whether he be obseruāt or cloisterer for the perfectiō of the Gospell consistes not in the monasterye wherein we enter but in the good and holy lyfe we lead The children of Jsraell worshiped one onely God in Egypt and being come into the lande of Promise they reuolted and misknewe him So that in what place so euer we are let our vertues geue dignitie to the house and not the place seduce or alter our deuotion Albeit Joseph dwelt amongst the Egiptians Abraham amongst the Chaldees Tobias amongst the Assirians and Daniel was cruelly handled amongst them of Babylon yet were they alwayes holy and happie And by them we are taught that to the perfect man the whole worlde is his Monasterie as of the contrarie the prophane and wicked man of his Monastarie makes a worlde The same appearing in many wanderers delighting in change and to raunge from one house to an other vnder couller of perfectiō which more properly may be called temptation they are not without their excuses and haue ready tongues to blame their gouernours for that their Monestaries are not reformed complayning perhaps more by opinion then that there lackes perfection For there is no place in the world so prophane where a man may not labour to be good if he will or which to the man of God helpes not to the seruice of his perfection Let not the seruant of God also be glorious for that in his order he was estéemed of holy lyfe For great is his shame to be taught by a good May ster forget to follow his vertues farre greater is his abuse if he be renoumed for holinesse and be founde an Hypocrite Dathan and Abiram had Moyses to their maister Achab had Helias Ananias had S. Peter and Judas had Jesus Chrict who albeit they heard their wordes and Preachinges yet dyd they little profite by their Doctrines And as in workes made by mans hande we haue a custome first to prayse the worke and then the workeman that made it so touching a lyfe religious it is to small purpose for a disciple to beare prayse by his mayster The good Religious man ought not to vaūt if the Lord cal him more to one religion then to an other for after that a man be baptized there is no estate in all the Church of God wherein the good man may not be saued and the wicked condemned And therfore to take rather the habite of S. Benet then of the Augustines to professe more the Dominicanes then the Franciscanes and to follow the Charterers rather then the Trinitaries or Mercenaries or to be affected more singulerly to one order then to another I hold it of smal difference since the albeit they are al habits aūciētly instituted by holy parsonages yet in truth they are but traditional subiect to alteratiō chang wher Christs religiō is of it selfe pure firme simple hath no affinitie with outward obseruations ceremonies So that as God doth more consider the hart of him that serues him then the habite which he beareth So I thinke that any man that is a good Christian delites in the true swéetnesse of the gospell may enter into what religion he will haue libertie to beare such habite as best sets forth his grauitie For for men to chuse the habit of one religion more then of another ought to
is an infallible propertie in his iustice to minister rewardes to good men aboue the rate of their merittes and prepare punishment to the wicked vnder their deseruinges And where Christ commaunds not without great misterie that we should hold in our handes our candles lighted and neither vse the seruice of the candlestick nor appoint others to hold them for vs it is to aduertise vs that if God ought to saue vs it ought to be through his great mercy onely and not by any meane of our proper merittes although in our actions we ought alwaies to expresse a holy industrie and diligence In like sort it is not enough in the profession of religion that we be girt that we haue cādles that we hold thē in our hands or that we haue many candles but it belongs to our christianitie to haue thē burning with light not as dead and stinking snuffes wher by we are warned the better were it not to enter into religiō at al if in the same we correct not the abuses of our liues gather profit by the fruit doctrine of the gospel by the example of the great prophet S. Iohn baptist being himself as the scripture saith the candle that burned gaue light are boūd al sincere vertuous religious men to take hede that they want no wax of good life to burne and be lesse replenished with vices to giue impedimēts to their lights so that no other thing is the religious man vndeuoute then a candle dead it can not by any similitude resemble a candle light but rather a snuffe troden out quenched where the man of the church hath no other good thing in him then his habit by the which he ought neuer the more to exalt or glorifie himself since afore the maiesty of God it is no no other thing to be reputed a holy man holding nothing of vertue but his habit then a candle whose light being quenched his qualitie lieth dead The virgins that had not their lamps lighted according to the iudgement of the gospel deserued not to enter with the bridgrome euenso the man by whom is not performed the dutie of a good Christian and muchlesse hath fulfilled the office of a Churchman may stande assured that when de dyeth he shall not be founde amongst those that are inuited but past ouer to the fellowship of such as are deceiued That great is the grace which God sheweth to that man whom he withdrawes from the world and reduceth into holy religion for that there is more suretie to stande and not so much subiection to fall and if he suffer him to stumble he hath appoynted him helpes to hold him vp and many readie meanes to repentance Since that in the Church he hath more oportunitie to serue God and lesse occasion to commit sinne And albeit being compounded vpon humors and complexions of corruption we cannot but erre in thinges corrupt and worldly Yet such is the care and protection of God ouer those that he loueth and hath called and chozen to the seruice office of the Church that if sometimes he suffer them to fall the better to make them know him it is not without the readie assistance of his hand to helpe them essoones to ryse agayne Yea he seldome suffereth them to slyde into such faultes as may geue him occasion to be angrie with them Therefore who vnder the habite of religion riseth into a minde of Pryde Ambition Epicuritie or Malice is amongest the children of God the same that Satan is to all Christians Dathan amongest the Jsraelites Saule amongest the Prophets and Judas amongest the Apostles Wherein let all men be warned that haue will to enter into Religion that afore they séeke it they may know wherefore they follow it since for no other cause ought they to come to the cōmunion of Religion but to amend and reforme their liues For albeit the sinceritie of Religion receiue great sinners yet it is with no tolleration to commit heynous Crimes after they be inuested What other thing is ment by that Discipline of the Scripture wherein the Lande of Promise for traueling in small labors on the Holydayes they were commaunded to be stoaned But that to the man of the Church sinning lightly in Religion was merit of great seueritie punishment for that a small sinne committed in the world beares an estimation of a grieuous crime in the Church Take héede sayth S. Paule that you receiue not the grace of our Lorde in vaine And what other thing doth he then receiue it in vaine who makes no reckoning of his election and cares not to be called to the Church and deuided from the worlde For as by baptisme we are sanctified euenso by the profession of the ministerie we are regenerat Let euerie one then take héede what it is that he takes in hande afore he beginne to manage so holy a function and whether they be professors by will or by necessitie For all religions being of the institutions of holy personages as it can not be tollerable that in their ministers be any imperfections or want of perfect deuotion and vertue So who in the habite of religion will liue prophanely or follow the libertie of the worlde in that man is no apparance of reformation and lesse argument of fayth or vertue And therfore in the church for some perticuler mento be more exempt and priuileadged then others or to aspire aboue the congregation and communitie of the Church in any priuat or familiar prerogatiue although it may be suffered for a time yet religion can not holde it tollerable long For no more then the Sea can beare bodies that be dead no more hath the Church a nature to brooke in her ministers mindes of Ambition and Pryde for which cause it is called order as wherein are conteined all thinges well ordered which without this order cannot but beare to cōfusion Who hath once taken the habite of religion and will still continue entangled with the customes of the worlde and exercise his minde in vanities can not but breake the statutes of Religion and stande in perill of infidelitie since the doctrine of the gospell and the libertie of the world could neuer holde societie or fellowshippe together A discourse in the presence of a great assemblie of Noble Ladyes of the good and euill that the tongue doth Mors et vita in manibus linguae IF to men of the worlde were power of election to demaunde the thinges they desire most afore all other temporall felicities they would require to liue long And if on the other syde they had libertie to contesse what thing in the World they abhorred most who doubtes not but all men loth nothing more then to dye Wherunto there is to be made this readie reason that as liuing they enioye that they haue and dying they leaue to be that they are So with life all things are remedied by death there is nothing which hath not end
wouldest mount vp to the highest Empire of heauen and there erect thy Throane and be lyke to the most high and mightie God it was good iustice that thou shouldest fall from that thou wast since thou aspirest to be that thou oughtest not yea in thy ouerwéening expressed in Proude and Arrogant wordes was wrought the reason and effect of thy wretched fall wherein let all men be warned to take héede what they saye what they doe and what they thinke since Lucipher was not throwne from the seate where he sate euen into the bottomlesse Pitte where he fell but for the disdainefull wordes which he spake and arrogant thoughtes he conceiued So that as his weening defaced him in heauen so through his wickednes was he recommended to Hel. Senacherib King of the Assirians and a great Blasphemer against the omnipotencie of God preparing a mightie Armie against Jerusalem sent his Heralds to King Ezechias with this sommonce Non te seducat deus tuus in quo fiduciam habes non enim poterit vos quis de manu mea eripere Take héede King Ezechias sayth he and be not abused in confidence and opinion that the ayde of thy God or the power of thy huge Armie are hable to protect thée from the stroake of my hande for that I will compell thée eftsoones to communicate in the tribute and subiection of thy Auncesters But so God kindled in indignatioÌ„ against these arrogaÌ„t threats that euen afore he had done any pillage or murder in the countrye and in the beginning of the Siege afore Hierusalem beholde the Angall of the Lorde killed in one night a Hundreth and fourscore Thousande men of his Armie and himselfe fléeing to his Citie of Niniue was there slaine by his owne children loasing in this sort through the wickednesse of his tongue his Honor his hoast his Kingdome and his Sinfull lyfe where many other Princes of the Assirians Perses Meades and Egiptians afore him notwithstanding they executed great cruelties ouer the common weals of the Hebrues yet they made warres with their weapons and kept their tongues in rest and therefore were punished with more fauor then most wicked Senacherib Therefore amongst Princes in Kingdomes magistrates in publyke office and Prelates in their congregations as it is a thing of most equitie that they doe iustice so is it no lesse vnséemely to be Blasphemers or wicked speakers since oftentims men doo more accompt of iniurious words spoken against them then of the punishment that is layd vpon them And neyther for the Prince in his kingdome nor the generall in the Camp nor to the church man in time of peace can it be any way conuenient to be proude in their conuersations lesse byting in their woordes The kindred of Cayn sonnes of the Patriarke Noe sayd they would build a tower whose toppes should aspire to heauen to saue them from the surie of the fludde if God sent any vpon the earth Wherein as they imagined that in their handes laye the power too auoyd death and not in the might of God to take from them their lyfe So we haue assuredly to holde it a great Misterie that for so great an offence GOD would not Punishe them in their persons nor spoyle their goodes nor reuerse their Cyties and much lesse take from them their vices but onely he Chastised them in their Tongues agaynst whose Pryde and Arrogancie it is a good argument that GOD boare a greater displeasure then agaynst the Huge Tower they had erected For that if he hadde not more dispized theyr conspyring Tongues then theyr suttle Buyldinges he would rather haue defaced theyr Tower then confuzed and Chaunged theyr Languages Before these Cursed BABILONIENS drewe into Councell to Buylde this Tower the whole Worlde spake but one sort and Phrase of Language But GOD séeing the disposition of People and Nations declining too doe Wickedly tooke from them the manner of speaking where if it had so pleased him he might haue drowned them as he dyd the Armye of Pharao or stricken them Blynde as he dyd the Sodomites or haue Burnt then quicke as he dyd the Children of Aaron But according too the Custome of his Iustice since wyth theyr Tongues they had disobeyed him he prouided that in their Tongues more then in any other thing was published their Punishement Oh that men in these times would looke vppe too the iustice which God thundred vpon Babylon so should they forget to Murmure forbeare to blaspheame yea if the impression of those threats would take place in their minds I doubt not but the backbiters would turne their tongs from slaunder al men cease to sinne yea if the consideration of Gods iustice stood afore the secret conscience iudgments of princes they would not be so subiect to flatterie although the time is now growne to this corruption that who cannot flatter is estéemed eyther malicious or proude Such is the danger of the tong that if it be not restrained to order limit it hath a naturall libertie to speake euen to our owne hurt And the spéech being none other thing than the image figure of the minde there is no lesse necessitie of temperance councel in the controlement of our tong then to gouerne our conscience There is no other member apperteyning to man wherein we haue a more facilitie to offende then in the tongue by whose vnbridled swiftnes we are often times caried into voices souÌ„ding euen to our proper harms as happened to the Amalechite that brought Dauid the first newes of the death of Saule I come from the Camp of the Hebrues sayth he bring thée tydinges that thy auncient enemie king Saule is dead wherof these eyes are true witnesses for that these handes slewe him obeying his owne request But Dauid notwithstanding he was deliuered of an enemie could not but disdaine the boldnes of the messenger to lay violent handes vpon the Lords anoynted and therefore he gaue this sentence of him Let thy bloude be vpon thine owne heade since thy mouth hath condemned thy life and thy selfe hast spoken against thy selfe saying J haue killed the anointed of the Lord whose garmeÌ„t thou oughtest not so much as to touch and much lesse spoyle the libertie of his life Here Dauid did not iustice vpon this messengere so much for the murder he had done as for that he made vaunt and glorie of it So that as he slewe Saule wyth the sworde so also he Killed himselfe wyth his proper Tongue And albeit in respect of the Auncient Quarrell and Warres betwéene Saule and Dauid this poore Amalechite had thought to haue béene the bringer of gladde Tydinges and for recompence to haue receiued great aduauncement yet greater was the consideration of Dauid to reuenge the offenâ—â—â—â—…ne against God then eyther to reioyce in the newes or regard the commodities that grue to him by the death of King Saule Wherein by somuch was his perfection and charitie greater
by howmuch he did not onely wéepe for the death of his enemie and honored him with funerall pompe and Burying but also he gaue Reuenge to his Death In that fearefull discourse which CHRIST makes of the rich man and Lazarus in the other worlde we finde that the riche man Cryed vnto Abraham to haue Pitie on him at least wise that he would sende Lazarus to touch with his Finger the flame and heate of his Tongue which request albeit séemes to carie no face of importance or greatnesse yet the vpright iustice of God would neither heare nor helpe him For that in his prosperitie hauing denied to the pore the very Crummes falling from his Table by what reason could he deserue a droppe of Water to refreshe or comfort his necessities And where by the testimonie of the Scripture we finde that this wretched riche man was both a glutton and an epicure in delites of Banquets Garments and all other sensualities Yet it is apparant that in no part of his body he féeles such sorow as in his Tongue nor in any sort commits so great sinnes as in speaking By whose example and Punishment let all men in their conuersation bring forth vertue and in their spéeche vse councell and discression since the next way to liue in honor and dye wyth prayse is to be honest in desires and to haue a Tongue well corrected And so for ende if to Cayn Lucipher Senacherib the builders of the tower of Babilon the Murderer of Saule the wicked riche man had not bene ioyned vaine tongues to pronounce disdainefull and vndiscréete thinges it may be beléeued that they had not with such lightnesse haue loste their liues in this world nor in the other had put their souls vnder perpetuall damation But now hauing proued how the Tongue hath béene to many the cause of their Death Let vs also in another Example of the Pietie of Dauid prooue that in so hath béene the occasion of lyfe according to the argument of our Theame That Lyfe and Death are in the power of the Tongue In the bodye of Man the most necessarie member is the Harte The goodlyest Instruments are the Eyes The partes most delicate are the Eares And the thing wherein is most daunger wyth good reason wée may saye is the Tongue For that the Harte thinketh onely the wyll consentes the Eares heare the Handes stryke but to the Tongue is tyed a propertye too Kyll and Sleye And as our Tongue is none other thinge then as a whyte Wall whereon the Wyse man may paynte deuoute Images and the Foole drawe thinges vayne and fonde So to him that canne vse his Tongue well it is an Instrument that may woorke to his Saluation as of the contrarye who employeth it in ill seruices it is sufficient to his Damnation For the Harte béeing the Fordge whereon our Wicked plottes are wrought then that which our Tongue pronounceth is none other thing then the pryce and publication of the Sinnes which we haue within our Harte But now to the Historie of King Dauid a thing no lesse pitifull to heare then necessarie to know For that the discourse leaues to all Christians a true experience what weakenesse we haue to fall and with what readinesse we may eftsoons rise againe As king Saule by Gods wil was depriued of his kingdome so in his place the eternall prouidence raised the holy king Dauid who in the sight of the Lord found so much grace as the wicked Saule was disfauored So God loued Dauid that amongst al the patriarkes he made him most honored amongest the propheâ—s best inspired amongest the Capteines most feared amongst the kings best estéemed and loued yea he founde him so agréeable in his sight that he promised and swore to discend of his race bearing himselfe such witnesse of his holinesse that he confessed that amongst all the Children of Israell he had founde and chozen Dauid as best pleasiing his Harte and most agréeable to his will And so was Dauid loued of God wyth a diuine affection For that he serued him wyth all his Harte by which wée may iudge that wyth one equall Weyght or measure are peysed the loue which GOD beares too vs and the seruices which wée doe to him But as Idlenesse is the Enemie of vertue and the verie trayne to all Wickednesse it happened that Dauid being in his Palaice well dispozed of his person and mightie in Countreyes but his minde enuironed with Idlenesse he fell into an accident most preiudiciall to his renoume no lesse infamous to his common weale Wherby Princes may sée that more punishment doe they deserue for the euill example they shew then for the vices they commit For it had not happened so to the good king Dauid if he had bene either writing of Psalmes or busie in some expedition of war or at least managing some other his affaires of importance but such is the resolution of God so it is so it hath bene so it shal be that from the time that princes take truce with their enemies they set at libertie the fludde of vices to run with maine streame into their courts palaices according to the testimonie of S. Augustine in the citie of god More hurtful was the citie of Carthage to Rome after her destruction then during the whole course season of wars which the Romains had with her For the whylest they had enemies in Affrike they knew not what vices ment in Rome But now eftsoons to the history Dauid being idle in his gallery beheld the beutie of Bethsabe the wife of Vrias being then in the warres applying the absence of her husband to the commoditie of his desire what with his great importunitie and her small constancie hée committed Adulterye and gatte her wyth childe And fearing Detection of the Fact he Wroat spéedelye to Joab his Gennerall in those Warres that at the time of the assault Vrias might be preferred to the perill of his lyfe wherein according to the societie that is in sinne it séemed that from one offence he appealed to an other as from Epicuritie he fel to idlenesse idlenesse bred in him foule desires by desire he was driuen to solicit by soliciting he beguiled her weakenesse and after he had beguiled her he fell to adulterie and from Adulterie to Murder so that the Deuill had neuer deceiued him if himselfe had not pitched the toyles of his proper harmes Yea if Dauid had so serued God as God loued him he had neuer suffered him to fall so farre For with such care doth the Lorde holde vp such as striue to serue him that he neuer suffereth them to fall into great sinnes But if we doe slyde stumble and hurt our selues let vs not be amazed for euen the same infirmities are common to Angels Therefore when we pray to God we ought to demaunde with teares and contrition for that if he then suffer vs to fall he will also geue vs grace
thinking from one day to another to giue reformation to our life so let vs be warned that the winges of old age being plumed with the fethers of death we shall find it too late to learne to liue when we are at poynt to die And therefore all men ought to examine in themselues how many deare seasons they haue past what perils they haue escaped how many friends they haue lost frō what perplexities they haue ben deliuered accōpting it not to their own merit that god hath taken thē out of so many daūgers but to the end they shuld haue further time to amend their life A man to liue soūd without diseases the regimēt of phisicke with our owne good gouernment are much helping but the stroke of death whether it come earely or late that depends more on the power and hand of God then on the will or disposition of men Therfore let all men be moderate in their exercise and vse temperance in their vniuersall actions making more estimation of their wisedome then of their olde age since otherwayes if they forget not to recken their yeres others will not forbeare to kéepe accompt of their vices Many learned men haue proued by many reasons that olde age is profitable and that the life of auncient men is good But God giue them better quiet and tranquilitie then that their opinions haue any societie with either experience or reason For now a dayes where is the retraite of infirmities but in an aged body or in what cōsistes the miserie of mans life but in the passions of age wherunto is appoynted no other cure but sufferance in paine and griefe without hope old age being none other thing then a disease without remedie and a sicknesse incurable But comming now to exhibit some priuileges and liberties which old men enioy I meane not to medle with the complexions and qualities of those whose wisedome agreeth with their age and their yeres conformable to their graue discretion and much lesse to giue libertie to my pen to contest against any of those graue honorable and vertuous auncients by whose direction common weales haue bene gouerned and in their wisedome young men haue found suretie of counsell But to set downe some customes of old men that be wanderers waspish bablers scoffers players dissemblers and such as are lead by amarous humors together with what familiar manners their sorowfull old age is accompanied I hold it neither against reason nor honestie It is a custome to old men to haue a short sight their eyes yéelding double iudgement comprehending two thinges for one and oftentimes to haue cloudes in their eyes when there is none in the skie by meanes whereof for the most part they misknow their friend and take him for an other It is a custome to old men to be thick of hearing by meanes whereof such thinges as they heare and do not well vnderstand they thinke is either spoken to the preiudice of their honour or detriment of their goods It is familiar with old men to haue their haires fall without combing wrinckles growing and no séede sowen and their head fuming without any fire made for remedie whereof when they would take the bathe it is forbidden them by reason of their weaknes Old men haue this priuilege to eat bread without crust for the ease of their téeth to haue their meat minsed for the helpe of disgestion to haue their drinke warmed for the cōfort of their stomacke and in case of infirmities in their legges they haue their oyles to supple them their rollers to wrap them their hoaze at libertie their buskins buckled and if any grudge at this brauerie they haue to aunswere that it is done more for the ease of the disease that troubleth them then for any glory they reappose in such attire It is a custome with old men to enquire after the disposition of the wether wherein they haue great sence and iudgement by the motion of their infirmities whose humors following the reuolution of the Moone and change distemper of the ayre bring the poore old man to be halfe a phisition and to haue a painefull science in Astronomie It is a custome with old men to cōplaine much of the trauels of the day and to kéepe reckoning of the houres of the night that their dinner is not resolued into disgestion and their supper would not suffer them to sléepe and yet it is no sooner day then they begin to murmure that their breakfast is not readie It is a priuilege to old men to search companie and either in temple tauerne or shoppes they enterteyne al that come enquiring of the newes of the world and whatsoeuer they heare be it true or false they will not onely beleue it for true but ad to it somewhat of their owne it is familiar to old men to be suspicious distrustfull obstinate intractable and subiect to selfe opinion by meanes wherof they lacke reason and liue in error and though they are not abused yet they wil be ielouse of their owne shadowe yea such men haue rather want of any other thing then of suspicion It is a custome with old men once a moneth to be lockt vp in their closet and compt their treasure deuiding their coynes and searching the lockes of their chestes such men will not deminish one denir of that that is heaped vp but loue to liue poorely to the end they may die rich To some old men it is a custome to haue familiaritie with phisitions and friendship with Potticaries but some delite more to haunt tauernes where is vent of good wine then in the conference of learned men by whom is ministred whole some regiments of health it belongs much to olde men to be fickle in all things but specially to be inconstant against the time commending much the ages past and complayning more of the season present which for the most part they do more of custome then by any reason and rather by authoritie then for necessitie It is due to old men to wrap and cherish themselues to haue their chamber hanged their fire ordinarie their bed warmed and yet for the most part they spend the nights in coughing and the dayes in complaints making their bed a place to debate the actiōs of their youth past and to féele the infirmities and weaknes of their present age the memorie of which thinges makes them oftentimes so ill contented that they are carelesse to prouide for death which they sée euen afore their eyes And it is one common propertie with old men to be angrie with such as enquire of their age and most familiar with those that will tell of the pleasures they haue past So that they would be honored by reason of their age and yet they are grieued when they heare a reckoning of their yeres and so old men delite in authorttie yet wish their age might be cōcealed To a noble personage touching the difference betwene the friendship
notwythstanding with so great Warre that on the one syde he leuyed those Prisoners that were kept restrayned and on the other his vertue so weakened their infernall forces that they remeyned euer since vanquished It was then that they sawe and knew that their Hell whither they thought to haue reduced all mankinde was forced and dissolued And that sinne which they had introduced into the worlde and death that ensued it were deade and vanquished by the conquest of this newe and inuincible Prince That was it which the Apostle spake of that the sonne of God hath defaced and sacked the powers of Hell the worlde am putting them to publyke confusion and Triumphing ouer them in his proper person So that the enterprises of our Sauiour in this comparison represent vnto vs the forme and actions of a valiant Capteyne marching before men before Aungelles and before the face of the Father wyth a great troupe of enemies vanquished bounde and spoyled of their forces In the beginning of this Article wée touched that our Lorde made his discending by certeyne degrées yea euen to a Wonderfull embasement of himselfe and knowne onely to the diuine wisedome This embasement hath ben Prophecied vnder the signe of discending from Heauen vnto the the Bottomes of the Earth But now we say that of all those degrées by the which he discended and of al other things which in the wisedome of the world made him séeme so embased vanquished he caried a wonderfull victory which encreased alwais more more In the first degrée he was made man that was the true and eternall sonne of god This step and wonderfull humilitie albeit it is great yet he neuer abandoned his diuinitie no he could not loase it and much lesse diminishe it by it his humanitie was greatly exalted being by the same meane so connexed with the diuinitie that one selfe person was GOD and man ▪ if it were possible that God might gaine in any thing it might be sayd that he gained in this but hauing want of nothing he gaines not as a néedie man For he hath no necessitie of any thing and much lesse can there be added to his greatnesse But because the gaine of men is great in this receiuing a benefite which was neuer Communicated with Angelles for God neuer tooke aliance nor séede of Aungelles but chused the Linage of Abraham we say also that there was a gaine and profite to God béeing a true declaration of his riches and of his workes which are comformable to him together wyth a playne manifestation of his mercie This victorie against sinne and the deuill is truly worthie of the person of the Sonne of God Séeing that mankinde which was put to perdition by the suttletie of the Serpent is redéemed and redeliuered from the seruitude of the Deuill and restored to an estate of habilitie to be the Children of God by the meane of this sauiour The seconde degrée of this discending of the Lord was in that he was condemned publykly as a malefactor In this descending there is a great want and yet by it he recouered a wonderfull victorie For béeing our brother he deliuereth vs from the eternall condemnation so that all our libertie and absolution depende vppon his Condemnation he hath payde the debtes which he made not euen so those shall be discharged which ought them He was Condemned by the Sentence of men and wée absolued in the iudgement of God hauing deliuered vs from the cursse of the law which had condemned vs The thirde degrée was when he was iudged to the Death of the Crosse For by his death he brake the forces of Death dispoyling him of his weapons wherewyth he had made so great and vniuersall slaughters For which cause the Apostle demaundes of death where was his victorie and where were become the meanes by the which he determined so many men By the fourth steppe or degrée he was put into the Sepulcher but the better to comprehend the true sense of this passage it is méete we make some iudgment and construction of thinges The storye of the Gospell declareth that our Lorde being dead Joseph demaunded of Pylate to take his bodie from the crosse and burie it which Pylate suffered by the ordinance of god And hauing taken it from the crosse they wrapped it in a newe Linnen cloath and layde it in a Sepulcher where no man had yet lyen Lastly hauing embawmed him wyth the oyntmentes which Nicodemus brought they left the body in the graue roulling to the mouth therof a great stoan Mary Nagdalin and the other Mary considering well in their vnderstanding the sayd sepulcher All this serueth to two effectes the first is to render testimony of the truth of the death of Iesus Christ shewing also a great misterie comprehended vnder the graue but the Church comprehendes both the one and the other in one worde his Sepulcher and that he remayned there thrée dayes expresseth the truth of his death making by that meane his resurrection more euident In this Article the imbasement and humilitie of the sonne of God encreaseth more and more as also his spirite and victorie which he hath obteined for vs For it is sayd first of al that he suffered the condemnation of Pilate and was executed and so being dead his body was buried It séemes that all these bring encrease to the victory of the deuill the world and death But of the contrarie it is our victory that is enlarged For by how much nere doth approch and is manifested the death of our Lorde by so much more is at hand the end and ruine of our death Death is dead and vanquished in such sort that he hath no power agaynst vs and for such one we put him into the graue Esay hath Prophesied that the Lord should destroy death eternally and drye vp the teares of his people and take away the dishonor of the earth in which words may be discerned the full victory against death which hath no power to cōfoūd nor make sorowful the true Christian It is not sayd by this that we shall not die and not féele death which is naturall but by this is expounded that the pricks and sorrows of death are vanquished haue no authority against a Christian séeing that for the exchange of this temporall lyfe he goeth to the eternall life accompanied with the fayth that he hath had that Christ is his redemption his life In this is performed the Prophecie of Ose speaking in the name of the Lord Oh death J will be thy death the same agréeing with the Apostle who assureth vs that our death is vanquished by the passion of Iesus christ our sepulcher buried in his yea our death hath lost his forces which made him reigne ouer vs and our graue hath lost his power and possibilitie to reteine vs stil seing it cannot now any more hold vs in propertie or perpetuitie but as it were by deputation and for a time In
end the power of God raysed him againe drue him out of the graue hauing vanquished death Of this besides many other prophesies Dauid hath written most manifestly speaking in the person of our Lorde as a man that by the inspiration of the holy Ghost J always sayth he set afore mine eyes the Lord whom I haue of my right hande to kepe me that J fall not For this cause doe J reioyce and my tongue shall beare Testimonie of my contentment but specially for that my fleshe shall rest in hope For Lorde thou wilt not leaue my lyfe in the graue nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption Thou hast shewed me the way of lyfe euen so shalt thou fill me wyth pleasure by thy presence For thou bearest in thy right hand a perpetual blisse In these wordes the Lord sheweth the singuler fauor which he receiued of his father in the death had not domination ouer him but was subdued and vanquished shewing withall the gladsome contentment he had to sée the eternall Father on his right hand In this hope he offered his body to the death dispersed it vpon the crosse receiued the graue being certeine of his resurrection victory that aswell touching himselfe as also for all mankind wherin declaring also his confidence ioy of his victory he sayth that his Father hath not suffered that his lyfe should remaine prisoner in the graue for euer and much lesse that his soule should be there deteyned not retourne eftsoones to be revnited to his body And lastly that his most holy body conceiued by the holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin and who had passed so many Passions of Tormentes for the Seruice and Obedience of his Father should not suffer corruption in the Graue but afore Nature coulde accomplishe that operation his Soule shoulde eftsoones receaue coniuntion wyth his Bodye The Prophet sayth moreouer that he hath shewed him the way to retorne to life concluding with action of thankes that he hath surmounted death and sinne The sonne of God did not only obteyne priuilege to rise againe but also to him was ioyned power to make his resurrection afore there was any such signe of corruption in his body as naturally appeares on others that be dead this respect was kept on the behalfe of his most holy person and the flesh which he had taken for that effect béeing pure and wihtout any marke of sinne Besides all these we may consider vppon the end of this Psalme a great misterie of the victorie which our Lord obtayned against death together with the assurance of our resurrection the same leauing vs satisfied and certayne that once againe we shall réenter into the possession of our bodies after wée haue abandoned them by the rigor of death With this Psalme S. Paule proues the resurrection of the Messias against the Jewes saying that Dauid was dead and buried whose Sepulcher was well enough knowne amongst the Jewes concluding that séeing the body of Dauid had passed by that corruption which is common and generall to all dead men it was not possible that those wordes should be vnderstanded by him and therefore what he said he meant it by Iesus Christ whom neyther hell nor the graue had power to deteyne and to whose flesh could be attributed no sense or suffrance of corruption So that Dauid being a Prophet and hauing receiued promise by othe that the Messias should discend of his séede prophesied of his comming vnder the forme of wordes afore recited This is of great importance for Christians to whom it is a true approbation and sommarie of all the workes which the Lord did and of all our religion together with an assured gage or pawne of all our hope Saint Paule sayth that it is concluded the resolution alreadie set downe against the aduersaries and vnbeleuing that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God the same being proued in this that the father hath raysed him from the dead with a great force and wonderfull testimonie thereby to shew that he was his onely sonne Wherein on the one side might be séene the sentence of men the condemnation of the worlde the reprobation of the people of the Jewes the iniuries outrages and tormentes of the Crosse and of death which may alleage agaynst the sauiour of the worlde that he was not the Sonne of God but an abuser Séeing he was condemned by so great personages endured so many afflictions yea fixed on the crosse in such sort and such extremitie that the miserable worlde might estéeme him for such one as of long time had bene Prophecied that is that he was not reputed a man as others were but as one most abandoned of God and of all men And on the other side might be séene the holy Prophesies workes and wordes of our Sauiour and his Doctrine expressing the reason of his comming and the misery of his death together wyth the sentence of his Father who to shew himselfe true in his workes and promises had raised him againe from death declaring that he was his true sonne All these thinges béeing of such importance were foretolde by Iesus Christ afore his death béeing willing to Prophesie and published his resurrection both to his frendes and to his enmies to comfort the one and conuince the other Yea he thought méete to manifest it to all to make the worlde vnderstande that he was sent of the eternall Father to saue the worlde and that it was he that had ben promised in the Law offering himselfe to death of his onely and proper will. The Jewes demaunded of him some signe to know who he was but he aunswered that they should haue no other signe but that of Jonas For as Jonas issued out of the bellie of the Whale the thirde day So the thirde day after his death he should eftsoones ryse out of the center of the earth hauing in that action vanquished death As he went once to Hierusalem he tolde his Disciples that he should be deliuered into the handes of the gentiles he comunicated the forme of his death assuring them that the third day he should rise againe And speaking with them a little before his death he comforted them saying that after his resurrection he would go before them to Gallely So that our confession by the which we acknowledge our Lorde to be risen againe the third day is confirmed by good and great testimonies requisite in a thing of so high misterie and importance being also matter of no small consolation to the children of GOD together with assured testimonyes that may bee gathered againste the wicked in the Holy Scriptures and predictions which our Lorde made before hys death Certaine Meditations and considerations vpon the resurrection of Iesus Christ THe firste consideration that the faithfull christian may take of this resurrection of Christe dependes vppon the meane wée haue already spoken of For in his resurrection we may comprehend that which appertaines to the
passe him into the land of promise he promised to make his name great and raise his renoume aboue men on the earth For my condicion sayth God is not to haue friends if they be not honored Wherein we may note that in recompence that Abraham abandoned his countrey his friendes his goods and all other his long experienced felicities yea béeing readie liberally to sacrifice his only sonne Yet God promised him not patience restitution of riches nor long life but onely to giue him honour A grace not small comming from the hand of God and a blissing great to bée bestowed on men For to whom the Lord giues honour for his person and glory for his soule there resteth no more to make that man happy in the world and much lesse to trouble God with further desires since riches being to be got by industrie and fortune to be gouerned by prouidence and pollicie and since sicknes and health are subiect to naturall causes and short or long life limited by the will and resolution of God what can be more required for the worldly glory of man then to haue honour and credite which is a treasure better resolued then riches and cares not what pollicie can do against it it triumphes aboue fortune is not tied to the destinie of sicknes nor subiect to the power of death but as a thing not transitorie it carieth men to immortalitie and dieth not til heauen earth come to their accompt Spoliauit me gloria mea abstulit coronam meam de capite meo I knowe not sayth the holy man Iob why the Lord hath set mée vppon the dunghill replenished with this deformitie of botches the same making straungers to abhorre mée and mine owne people to misknow mée But the thing that I féele wyth most bitternes is that hée hath taken my Crowne from my head that is my credite and defaced my glory which is mine honour and renowme Job in his affliction lost seuen thousand shéepe thrée thousand Camels fiue hundreth yoke of oxen and fiue hundreth she Asses yet all these temporall spoyles brought not such griefe vnto him as the losse of his renoume and credit for that in this miserable life there is nothing can be called losse but when we lease good renoume What hath that man that hath not honour What do we leaue behind vs if we die not with renoume Yea we liue in vaine if our life be infamous since a man of naughtie reputation being slaunderous to himselfe can not but bée also hurtfull to others For that to such one the good sort will geue no fayth nor the wicked any obedience no man will suffer him as his neighbour nor any chuse him for his friend Séeing of that qualitie are infamie and leprosie that with their onely conuersation they infect a man The man infamous and dishonored standes so defaced in confidence and credite that no man wyll trust him and much lesse to bée taken for a publique witnesse wherein sure the Lawe hath great conformitie with reason séeing it is not conuenient in wisedome equitie and nature to referre our goods and causes to the trust and direction of him who can not kéepe his proper honour reputation Libera me Domine ab homine malo à viro iniquo c. If I haue any part in thée oh great GOD of Israel sayth Dauid I beséech thée defend mée from him that is not a christian and from a christian euil renoumed since most commonly ill renoume is accompanied wyth ill conscience Wherein if any wyll say it is no generall rule that infamie and a corrupt conscience are coupled together for that many are vniustly sclaundered it may bée confessed but wyth this addicion that where the condicions of the ill man are instruments to detect him the vertues of the good man kéepe him alwayes from sclaunder For vertue is of that force that forth with shée disclaymeth and proueth the fault not to bée in the abuse of the good man but in the enuie that is borne him Jn die illa attenuabitur gloriae Jacob marcescet pinguedo carnis eius Esay speaking of the Sinagoge crieth out oh sorrowfull Sinagoge and vnhappie house of Jacob know thou that when hée shall come into the worlde that is so much desired of men thy fatte flesh shall growe leane and all thy glory shall bée consumed because thou hast bene a Rebell agaynst thy Kyng peruerted the Lawe By the fat flesh of Israell was ment the Patriarches and Prophetes and the glory of Jacob was the renoume they had by reason of the Scepter and Priesthode And yet in place of this fatnes came féeblenes and leanes to this renoume succéeded infamie For after the Passion of Christ they had no more Prophets and much lesse gathered honour or renoume the wordes of Esay being truly and fully accomplished for that after the death of Christ the Citie was destroyed the temple reuersed the priesthood finished the Scepter confounded the lawe expired and the whole people so dispersed that euen till this day they haue not recouered their honour nor restored their common weale Here it is not without misterie that the Prophet sayd that altogether their fatnesse should not bée consumed but that their glory should decline and their fatnesse become leane Geuing to vnderstand that for their greater punishment God would not altogether destroye that people but so appoynted that thorowe out the world and to the end of the world they might wander in sorowe feare captiuitie pouertie desolation dishonour and infamie neither obseruing Law nor acknowledging any Kyng By all these let vs bée taught how much wée are bound to estéeme honour and with what griefe wée ought to féele the losse of it séeing that as GOD doth geue it of his speciall grace so also hée takes it away oftentimes for our offences The Author modestly reprehendeth his friend for not yéelding to his request I Vnderstand Sir that you make no lesse vaunt for denying my request then I was shamefast to desire you which hath giuen mée some occasion of debate eftsones betwéene your authoritie and my iudgement and your frowardnes and my condicion The man that doth ill is but simply wicked but hée that glorieth in his ill is not wythout a Sipirite of the Deuill For as the Condition of the Deuill is inclyned to deceaue so the nature of the vayne and Frowarde is hardlye Corrected and therefore to the Glorious and Obstynate manne it is in vayne to géeue Councell and muche lesse to minister Correction since where reason yéeldes to selfe wyll and Sensualitie suffereth no Councell there the mynde is tourned into Partialytie and all the Senses resolued into Faction I saye thus muche vppon the occasion of my Requeste to you to beare fauour to my Friende to whom much lesse you Ministred any friendeshippe séeing you would not once vouchesafe to bestowe an Aunswere to my Letter an iniurie which I haue felt
Aduertisementes and warninges Séeing they are Messengers and Heraldes of God not to amaze and confounde vs but to warne and aduise vs he delyting more to sée our liues amended then to punishe vs according to our faults according to that comfortable text of Dauid Castigans castigauit me dominus sed morti non tradidit me So liberall is the mercie of God my Sauiour towardes me sayth he that albeit he hath threatened to strike me yet he hath not so much as touched me But comming somwhat more particulerly to your estate my purpose that late importunate trauell which you toke in the mariage of your sister your great heauy misfortune in the burning of your house castle the late disagréement and faction betwéene you and your bretherne and this lamentable death of the Marques your Daughter in lawe séeme to me to be thrée plagues most pitifull to heare gréeuous to endure deseruing no lesse compassion then the ten scourges wherewith Egipt was afflicted for that the one were thundered vpō a king tirant the other ministred to a christiā knight Yea the plagues of Egipt were dispersed thorow the whole land where your griefs are altogither within your hart by means wherof where afore you wer holdē but as a christiā you are now of a cōfessor made a martir not so much for the aduersities that are happened as for the patiēce you vse bearing those crosses according to vertue not as mā vnfortunate if you were persecuted as Noe was of the Idolators or as Ioseph by his Bretherne or as the good man Iob by his frends it could not be but very gréeuous though nothing daungerous For that as in the Palaice of Princes who is most Fauoured of the Prince is best estéemed of the People So in the house of God his preferment is greatest whom Christ doth most chastise since to none other ende are the Corrections hee géeues vs then to putte vs in Remembraunce and prepare vs to one pefection God suffered Tobyas to bée Blynde Susanna to suffer Sentence and Daniell to bée Imprisoned not for that hée would them ill but to erpresse the Loue hée bare them this béeinge one propertie in Gods Affection to Chastise those that hée Loueth and leaue others to their Destruction There is no greater Temptation then neuer to bée Tempted and no more sorer Punishement then of GOD neuer to bée Corrected since who receaueth no Afflictions in this Worlde beares a Signe that of GOD hée is muche forgotten Yea the Perplexityes wherewyth GOD vysiteth vs ought rather to bée called Aduertisementes then Punishementes For that they are Disciplines necessarye to our amendement and not Stumblinge Blockes to make vs fall further This made Dauyd say Omnes fluctus tuos induxisti super me All the trauelles and Daungers Oh Lorde which thou weart woont Indifferently to impart to many thou hast now reduced and retourned vppon mée onely Job hauing loste his Goodes his Cattell and his Children sayde and demaunded of GOD Haec sit mihi consolatio vt affligens me dolore no parcas Greater Consolation coulde not the Lorde sende mée in this Worlde then Punishing my faultes to spare no sortes of sorrowe vppon mée for that in a calamitie it is one comfort when men know the vtter most of their mishappes and that they can not bée Puninished further Mihi absit gloriari sayth Saynt Paule Nisi in Cruce Domini Estéeming it no greater glorie then to endure troubles as by that meanes to come to communicate wyth the glorye of Christ It is good the LORD laye his hande vppon vs for that by it wée are ledde to humylitie and taught to enter into the consideration of our selues And the Rewarde and Recompence that God Mynistreth to suche as Obeye and serue him is to suffer them to bée Traueyled in Afflictions since hée knoweth that there is no better Passage to the Eternall Glorye and Felicyties of Heauen then to beare the Crosse of Trybulation here in Earth For through Exercise of Aduersitie menne béecome Humble and béeing often tryed they are the better Iustifyed as the Mettall that passeth thorough many Fiers ryseth more to his fynenesse and Perfection For my parte Sir albéeit I haue not the facultye of a Prophette nor the inspyration of an Apostle Yet I dare assure you that if in Patience you receaue all your perplexities you shall receaue your rewarde wyth others whom GOD hath made happye by Troubles béeing no other thinge the Trybulation of the Iuste then a warning of our faultes and an aduertisemente of that wée ought to doe Wherein speakyng more particulerly I saye that to bée Sorrowfull for the death of your Daughter you haue reason according to Fleshe and Bloude as well for the Opinion of her Vertue Beautie Age and Kyndred as in regarde of the deare affection you bare her But if you consider wythall your Office towardes GOD you haue to thinke that séeing hée hath so ordeyned the beste Sacrifyce you canne Offer is to reste satisfyed wyth his will Not to Murmure of that is done since of necessitie it must bée so nor debate wyth him why hée hath done it for that in his purposes is great Wisedome which in the ende bringes forth all thinges for our beste You must thinke Sir it is a voyage that must bée perfourmed by us all and béeing a Tribute so due hée is vnthankefull that payeth it with grudging Since for this debt wée are taken out of al Debtes and béeing cleared of all Bondes wée remayne for euer most happely layde vp in the Frée felicities of god It was a Lawe amongest the Lidians that the Father Burying his Sonne was not forth wyth comforted till the yeare was past as thinking it too soone to put consolation to so great sorrowes since the hearte that is but newely gréeued can not better bée comforted then to haue tyme to Lamente his losse For that as menne in Sorrowe féele their harmes more gréeuously then that at the firste they canne géeue place to Comfort So there canne bée no greater ease in the perplexities of Fortune then when they sée others Communicate in compassion wyth them This I saye for that where you may thinke I haue written this Letter too late you may wythall knowe that I dyd it rather of Industerie then of forgetfulnesse Wherein because the Experience of the Disposition of heartes heauely Loaden wyth Sorrowe made mée somewhat doubtfull whether out of hande I should comfort your gréene gréeues or deferre them vntill by time they were more apt to receaue Consolation I thought it not vn necessarye to suffer you to Waue in your heauynesse till your Teares somewhat ceassing your hearte might bée also reduced to Capacitie and Iudgement In cases so resolute as Death Menne are not to vse desperate Sorrowe since there is no Remedie to recouer the losse but rather to dissemble the chaunce by discression hauing more néede of Magnanimitie and great courage to
Dissemble a misefortune then to assayle an Enemie So that if your Daughter bée dead your Complaintes are in vayne since Sorrowe is no Remedie to restore her and in Accidentes wythout helpe or hope Necessitye driues menne to Comfort themselues onelesse they thinke it a Remedye to their Losses to resiste the Eternall will and prouidence of God In the mightie Alexander it was hard to Iudge whether of these two things were most to be estéemed eyther his high Fortune or his great Discression for that with Fortune hée subdued Kingdomes and wyth Discression hée suffered and dissembled mishappes Euenso hauing so well ouercome many Perilles according to the proportion of your place wherein as you behaued your selfe as a valiant Knight So in these stormes of nature fleshe and bloude I wishe you consider what belonges to the law and modestie of a Christian Wherein then doe you best expresse your selfe a Christian when for your misfortunes you giue thankes to God and not complaine of him taking that is happened not as a punishment in his displeasure but as a token of the remembraunce hée hath of you Take héede the complaint of Ezechiell bée not ment by you Fili hominis c. I haue put the house of Israell sayth he into a furnace of the Captiuity of Babilon hoping that being within the fire of tribulation she would resolue to pure Gold or fine Siluer But she is conuerted into Leather Lead Brasse and Iron This is the meaning of the lord by this figure that man is conuerted into Lead who being put into the furnace of tribulation cannot only not be amended but from one day to another growes worse worse That man becomes Iron to whom God hauing sent some small punishement to aduertise him in place to be amended he ceasseth not to complaine He is tourned into leather who outwardly séemes to be of holy lyfe and when any tribulation happeneth he is founde an hipocrite And that man is resolued into brasse who in condition is intractable and in conscience negligent So that with iust cause wée may say that farre greater is the nomber of suche as in Tribulations are Conuerted into Iron Leather Brasse and Leade then of them that become eyther Golde or Siluer God kéepe vs from suche Transmutation and géeue you Grace to make a better profite of your tribulations geuing thankes to God and dissembling them afore men remembring that the patience of Job was the cause that God restored him to double of that he had taken from him A discourse written to a great Princes of the vertues and life of the Noble Quéene Zenobia HAuing alreadie satisfied thrée partes of your Maiesties letter there restes only the seruice of the fourth containing the life and vertues of the great Queene Zenobia Wherein as your Maiesties authoritie to commaund is full of vertue wisedome grauetie so it belongs to me to obey with fayth diligence and truth estéeming it much to mine honour to be commaunded by your Maiestie in whom this is no small testimonie of vertue that albeit hauing authoritie to commaund as a Quéene yet you wil vse request as a priuate person which to your seruants is no small honour and to your selfe no little glory For that amongst other merits of Princesses charitie makes them most acceptable afore God and familiaritie gathereth greatest affection with men And because to Princes and great Lordes we must minister our reasons by waight and giue our wordes by measure I will in the historie of Zenobia vse the authoritie of credible writers hoping it shall not be the lesse agreable to your Maiestie nor the more vnplausible to the reader And if as the historians make her a Gentile she had bene a Quéene Christian her life had bene no lesse worthy of imitation then by her vertues she hath left immortall prayse both for subduing most part of the East Empire and resisting the infinit ambicion of the Romaines Zenobia then being the widow of good Odenatus Prince of the Palmerins and mother to the naturall heire of the kingdome for that her sonne was yet young she tooke vpon her the institution of his youth and regiment of the Empire Wherin finding in her first gouernment certaine Prouinces to draw to reuolt she opened her treasures she assembled her forces and went in person into the field where in the age of fiue and thirtie yeres and widow being regent of the whole East Empire she was also captaine generall of the armie doing such exploytes that her enemies stoode in feare all the world in woonder of her She was so wise to suggest a plot that there was neuer found error in her coūsell so resolute to execute that to her enterprises there seldome followed ill successe yea her expedicion preuented the prouidence of her enemies being for the most part in their trenches afore they could thinke of her comming She was so discréete in her wordes that hauing once spoken she left nothing to replie but euery one to woonder at hir iudgmēt the maiestie of her countenance amasing straungers and much assuring her own people She was so iust of promise that whatsoeuer she leuied by loane or credit there was no other suretie required then the reputation of her owne word She was so liberall that she neuer gaue lesse then to suffice the wants of him to whom she gaue withall to leaue him able to liue without necessitie to aske againe She was mild in case of submission and seuere where she found obstinacie conquering the affections of good men by her clemencie and abating the pride of rebels by the discipline of her sword by which her securitie was more in the affections of men then in their armour or weapons She was familiar with all sortes but so particular in friendship that there were none knew the secret of her counsels till she saw time to publish them to al. And though she would communicate with many yet she reaposed in few for that being hable to controll their counsels she would not stand subiect to their directions and sounding them she remayned iudge of their wits and opinions Only she was ambicious for that not content with the title of regent she made her to be called Empresse and administring the whole in charge trauaile and pollecie she thought she could not be vnworthy of the title name and dignitie She neuer cared to ride in Coatch but tooke pleasure in Horses of seruice and them could shée manage with the best When she went abrode to sée the order of her campes she was alwayes armed and accompanied with gard hauing only the name of a woman and delites and will of a valiant captaine Which she perfourmed with such good example that the chieftaines of her armie neuer did exploit wherein she managed not the place of the leader atchieuing no lesse with her hands then euen hée that did the best A thing very incredible to one of her sex but not impossible to her vertues
is wrought the safetie of the state To disobey the Prince for not to breake or passe the lawe or to infrindge the lawe to obey the Prince be thinges that happen albeit they ought not to be done But according to the propertie and effect of your action to disobey the Prince and be holde to breake the law I know not how better to referre it then to mere contempt and follie For that in all ages and estates that hath bene a iust obseruation of the law when he that was a Traytor to the Prince and a troubler of the Realme was executed both in goodes and lyfe and his howse rased But you haue not onely fauoured the lyfe of the Rebell wyth a suspected respyte of his person but also as one entised wyth the beautie of his fayre howse you haue not defaced it as a monument of his offence but séemed to reserue it for your speciall vse and profite Wherein you are farre from the direction of the Philosopher Nunquam deb et fieri iuditium in conspectu obiecti de quo iudicandum est If it happen sayth he that any faire or riche thing fall into falt let it not stande afore the eyes of the Iudge when he is to pronounce sentence lest a couetous compassion of the thing preuayle aboue the vertue of equitie and reason Homer recytes that amongst the princes of Troy there was great question whether they should sende hoame agayne fayre Helene to her husbande or not In which dispute such was the incertayntie of their affections they condemned her being absent but eftsones reabsolued her when she stoode afore them bearing such compassion to her present beautie that they had no power to doe iustice Josephus lykewise in his discourse of the warres of the Jewes sayth that the good Emperour Tyrus hauing subdued the Countrey of Judea and taken the great Cytie of Ierusalem when he behelde wyth iudgement the riche and stately Temple of Salomon the presence and maiestie of the thing caryed him into that compassion that muchlesse that he suffered it to be defaced or razed séeing he gaue strayt order that no pillage or spoyle should bée offered to it till hee were gone out of Asia and retourned to Rome In like sort it is written in the firste Booke of the Kinges that God commaunded Kings Saule to aryse and put to the Swoorde the Prince of the Amalechytes and all the men women and Cattle wyth out exception which he founde But Saule béeing subiect to a corrupt Pytie killed onely all the leane weake and deformed Cattell sparing suche as were fayre and fatte For which disobedience the Lorde was mooued to Anger and the Kynge depryued of his kingdome The good consull Marcus Marcellus séeing the Noble Cytie of Sarragoce Burning Commaunded to Quenche the fyre estéeming it great losse to Burne thinges so fayre and goodly But if these Noble men and also your Lordeshippe had well studied the rule of Aristotle That the thing riche and fayre ought not to stande in the eyes of the iudge at the tyme of Sentence their errour had not bene so gennerall nor your fault so apparant wyth whom séeing you are equall in offence it is good reason you Communicate in payne and Punishement Wherein it can not gréeue mée a little that hauing in your hande the sworde of iustice wyth creditte to examine and execute you haue tourned your dutie into disobedience and your office into negligence the same géeuing occasion to the Kinges officers here not onely to accuse you but Iudge you vnhable to wéelde authoritie and not worthie of place in the administration of affayres Estéeming you no better then a Traytor for that you haue forborne to Punishe Treason But the mischiefe béeing happened I wishe you remember that in cases of offence the next way to reconcilement is the offer of Satisfaction or Submission Assuring you that to a minde so gratious as is the kinges there is no offence so great which can not be eyther Pardoned or excused Wherein as most of your friendes here are trauelled to lament your misfortune so for my parte you shall fynde mée to labour to restore you to fauour not doubting but if you wyll expresse true Repentaunce I wyll procure you Franke and readie forgéeuenesse A discourse of the antiquities of CORINTH wyth an Exposition of the Prouerbe Non cuiuis contigis adire Corinthum THere is in the greater Asia a Prouince neare to the confynes of Greece called Achaia of Cadmus who first Reygned therein It makes a tourning in or strait of the sea neare to the mount Asinius where be two goodly Hauens in olde time named Tritonius and Magus ready succoures for ships comming from the East as wherin they may enter safely and ryde without perill The auncient Historiens appoynted to recorde the monumentes of the Golden world wryte that Acolus of Greece had a sonne called Sisiphus of great and suttle experience all the dayes of his lyfe in robbing and stealing and of a wonderfull boldnesse to any vnlawfull enterprise This man for the securitie and retraite of him selfe and his companions builded a Fortresse as a Harbourugh to receaue his spoyles and pillages He planted it at the foote of the Hyll Jsosinius right vppon a poynt of the Sea to the ende if he were pursued by sea he might séeke his safety on shore being inuaded by land he might haue safe passage by Sea. This fort hée called Ethrure which signifieth in the Syrien tongue Strength or defence For to the same hée brought all his spoyles and out of the same he issued alwayes to doe his robberies but practising that trade both by sea and Lande for the space of sixe and thirtie yeares in the end he fell into the correction of iustice and payed the due retribution of his merittes together wyth his cōfederats the fort also which they had made for their defence being defaced and rased Not many yeares after were digged in the same place by pore Mariners certayne Caues for their retrayte and also to giue succour to passengers sayling that way the same bringing no small reliefe to strangers and great commoditie to the poore Mariners It happneed about that time that the prince Corinthus onely sonne to the king Orestes being dryuen out of his course by tempest and rage of Sea ariued at that port much distempered wearie and was receiued of the pore Mariners to his great reliefe and comfort This Prince Corinthus was young valiant disposed very riche from his youth trayned by his Father to scumme the Sea and commit Ilandes to spoile By meane of which tyrannies he was alwayes subiect to many enemies who gaue him occasion to make there his retrayt and reedefye the fortresse of Sisiphus finding in that place many thinges to the opportunitie of his trade hee made the forte of a great thicknesse and entrenched it with a most stately wall building many small howses for habitation and resort of people calling it