the accomplishing of Signes and miracles Those Powers who haue the commandement and domination of the very powers of the vncleane Spirits Those Principalities who haue a soueraignty ouer the Kings and Princes of this world Those Archangells which are Adiutors and Assistors of the Prelates of the Church Lastly those Angells whose incumbency and charge is of euery particular man whiles he liueth hereupon the Earth Neither are these seuerall Points signified only by the seuerall Names of the Angels but for more proofe therof these very Names are certaine Ensignes or Images of Gods Omnipotency or mirrours wherein we may glasse his Puissance For example The Seraphims as by a certaine marke Image or glasse doe represent the infinit Charity of God who moued only by the force of loue did create the Angels themselues men and all other things and being created doth conserue them The Cherubims by the like Standard Image or glasse doe proclaime and shew the infinite wisdom of God who hath ordained all things in number weight and measure The Thrones doe in like manner demonstrate as it were in a perfect Image that secure Rest which God sitting in his Throne doth enioy Who not being moued moueth and worketh all things and resting in a continuall tranquillity doth dispose and gouerne all things Dominations doe euen preach that it is God who truly and properly hath the full domination and gouerment ouer all Creatures since it is in his power alone eyther to conserue all things or else to annihilate and reduce them to nothing The Vertues also doe signify that it is God alone who worketh mirabilia magna great and stupendious wonders and who hath reserued only to himselfe the power to renew or multiply at his pleasure such prodigious matters The Powers by their name doe figure out how God is absolutely and truly Potent to whom nothing is impossible since in him alone all true Power doth reside The Principalities doe import by their Enseigne that God is the Prince of all Kings of the Earth the King of Kings and the Lord of all those who row at the oare of gouerment The Archangells signify that God is the true and supreme Prelate or President of all Churches Briefely the Angells doe manifest that God is the true Father of Orphanes And that although he hath bequeathed Angells as Guardians to euery particular man yet that himselfe is present to euery man keepeth euery man and protecteth euery Man For that same Prophet who hath savd He that giuen his Angels charge of thee that they keep thee in all thy wayes doth also introduce God thus speaking in the same place VVith him I am in tribulation I will deliuer him I will glorify him Psal 90. And our Lord who saâ—d Matt 18. Their Angels in Heauen alwayes do see the face of my Father who is in Heauen sayd also Matt. 10. Are not two sparrows sould for a farthing and not one of them shall fall vpon the ground without your father But the very hayres of your head are all numbred feare not therefore better are you then many sparrowes And thus much of those few things we know touching the Angels If it please the â—eader he may peruse S. Bernard froÌ„ whome I haue borrowed these few Points l. 5. de consider To these nyne Orders of Angels doth answere so great a multitude of Holy Men as that no man as we haue proued out of the Apocalyps is able to number them which multitude are also reduced to nyne Orders For some are Patriarchs some Prophets some Apostles Others Pastours and Doctours Others Priests and Leuites Others Monks and Hermites To conclude Others are holy Women Virgins Widowes or those who haue continued till death in coniugall State of Mariage And now ô Christian Soule I heere demaund of thee how an ineffable Felicity shall it be to interleague for all eternity with such holy Angels and Saints S. Ierome in his Epistle to Paulinus writeth that many are accustomed to trauayle into other forrayne Prouinces to discourse with People of other Nations as also to passe the very Seas to the end they might see and conuerse with such as were reputed most famous for learning and erudition It is also recorded 3. Reg 10. how the Queene of Saba came from the furthest parts of the Earth to Salomon for the so great opinion she had conceaued of his Wisdome To one Antony by profession of lyfe a poore despicable Hermite men of all parts euen flocked by reason of the report of his â—anctity yea Emperours themselues were ambitious of his friendship and amity What solace then wilâ— it be noâ— only to see so great a confluence of Angels and most holy Men but also dayly to conuerse and consociate with them in most strict loue and participation of their felicity If but one Angell should exhibite himselfe in his full splendour to our sight now in our exile who would not most willingly hasten to see him What then will it be to behould all the Angels togeather at one sight And if any of the Prophets Apostles or Doctours of the Church should now descend from Heauen with what a thirstines of attention would we euen drinke vp his words and speaches But in the Kingdome of heauen it shal be lawfull for vs to see and heare not only one but all the Prophets all the Apostles all the Doctours and to haue dayly intercourse and familiarity with them How much doth one Sunne exhilerate reioyce the whole Earth What then will so many innumerable Sunnes doe being liuing Sunnes vnderstanding Sunnes and such as do make a continuall Iubiley in the Kingdome of God I will euen vnbreast my selfe and speake what I thinke to wit the consideration of this inward amity and familiarity with the Angels and holy Men of which not any is foolish not any wicked but all most good and most wise is so pleasing and preuayling with me as that it alone would seeme a most great happinesse and for the obtaining only thereof I would most willingly abandone and shake hands for euer with all the comforts and delights of this world Of the true Monarchicall forme of the Kingdome of God CHAP. III. THe third reason why that Celestiall habitation is called a Kingdome is because in that Place is found the perfect forme of Gouerment This is the difference betweene a Kingdome a CoÌ„monwealth whether the CoÌ„monwealth consist of certaine and eminent men or of the Communalty and more vulgar sort To wit that in a Kingdome all supreme Soueraignty is inuested in onely one whereas in a Commonwealth it is shared and deuided among many In these temporall Kingdoms of men the supreme power doth not reside truly and properly in one man For it may be that a King without either the counsell or consent of others may giue commandement that such or such a thing shal be done but yet his directions cannot be put in execution except his Subiects doe affoard their concurrency aide And
often it so falleth out that the King cannot command at least dare not the effecting of a thing if so he stand in feare to the multitude of his Subiects For how many Kings and Emperours haue beene dethroned whose authority the Subâ—ects haue shaken off and often with death to the said Kings and Emperours Histories are fraught with Examples of this subiect Therefore that chiefe gouerment in mortall Kings is languide and weake since those Kings cannot performe any thing or atcheiue any exploite without the approbation and allowance of the People But the Soueraignty of God who alone is stiled and truly is The great King hath no dependancy of any thing but only of his owne VVill. The which his VVill since it is Omnipotent cannot brooke any resistance neither standeth it in need of souldiers warlike prouision or any other endeauour out of it selfe And although God doth vse Angels or Men as also euen dead and senselesse things as his inferiour Ministers yet this he doth not out of any necessity but because it so best pleaseth his diuine Will For he who without the ministeriall assistance of any created only by the vertue of his VVord Heauen and Earth and euery thing therin contained and doth conserue them only by his VVill may also no doubt gouerne all things so created only by his owne imperiall dominion Neither only is God said most truly to rule because supreme or as I may tearme it superlatiue power remaineth in him alone but also in that the chiefe mistery of gouerning is peculiar only to him For God needeth not any Senatours or others to consult withall VVho hath knowne saith S. Paul Rom. 11. the mind of our Lord or who hath beene his counsellour And before the Apostle Isay c. 40. thus contesteth the same saying VVho hath holpen the spirit of our Lord Or who hath beene his counsellour and shewed to him VVith whom hath he taken counsell and who hath instructed him and taught him the path of Iustice and taught him knowledge and shewed him the way of Prudence Therefore it followeth ineuitably from the Premisses that a Monarchy which is the best kind of gouerment is not only found to bee in God but it is found to be in him alone true and perfect For hee is not only formidable ouer all the Kings of the earth as we reade Psal 75. but also is a most Maiesticall King ouer all the Gods as is said againe in Psalm 94. For there are certaine false Gods who are rather to bee called diuells according to that of the Prophet The Gods of the Gentils are diuells Psal 95. There are also other Gods by participation as the Kings of the Earth and the Angells of Heauen are for we reade Psal 81. I haue said you are Gods But all these Gods stand subiect and obedient to that one ouerruling God who reigneth in Heauen The refore it necessarily followeth from what is aboue said that that King is truly a King and most puissant whom Nabuchodonosor that fastigious King of Babylon after his pride was iustly punished in these words fully acknowledgeth Dan. 4. Therefore after the end of the daies I Nabucodonosor lifted vp mine eyes to Heauen and blessed the Highest and praysed him for euer because his power is an euerlasting Power and his Kingdome in generation to generation And all the Inhabitants of the earth are reputed with him for nothing for he doeth according to his will as well in the Powers of Heauen as in he Inhabitants of the earth And there is none that can resist hiâ— hand and say to him VVhy didst thoâ— it c. Now therefore I Nabuchodonosor prayse and magnify and glorifâ— the King of Heauen because all hiâ— VVorks are true and his wayes Iudgements and them that walke in pride he can humble Thus Kâ—ng Nabuchodonosor confessed of himself who may be an exaÌ„ple to all others that they doe humble and prostrate themselues vnder the powerfull hand of God as S Peter admonisheth And that they stand more prepared to serue the King of Kings thereby to deserue his beneuolence and fauour then through pride and clâ—tioâ— of heart to resist his Wiâ—l by which their course they are in the end forced to suffer condigne punishments vnder his most rigorous hand accordâ—ng to their iust deserts That all the Blessed in Heauen are Kings CHAP. IV. THE fourth and most principall reason why the place and state of the Blessed may be called the Kingdome of Heauen is because all the Blessed in Heauen are Kings and in that all the conditions of Regall Authority doe most aptly agree to them For although all the Saints in Heauen doe serue and obey God as is said in the Apocalyps c. 22. yet with all they gouerne and rule For whereas it is sayd in the same place his seruants shall serue him it is also there sayd And they shall reigne for euer and euer Neyther only doe all the Bâ—essed serue togeather and rule togeather but withall they may be tearmed both Seruants and Sonnes for thus God speaketh in the Apocalyps cap. 21 They who shall ouercome shall possesse these things c And I will be his God he shal be my Sonne Thus therfore as the same Saints may be said to be SeruaÌ„ts Sonnes so also may they be sayd to be Seruants and Kings They are Seruanes in that they are created of God and do owe all obedience and vassalage vnto him of whome they receaue them Being lyfe and other thinges for nothing created is excepted out oâ— this homage euen by the testimony of Dauid saying All things do seruâ— thee Psal 118. They may be also called the Sonnes of God because theâ— receaue their regeneration from God by water and the Holy Ghost Finally they are Kings since Regalâ— Poweâ— and Dignity is communicated vntâ— them by the King of Kings who euer in thâ—s respect is styled in the Apocalyps cap. 19. The King of Kings anâ— Lord of Lords Perhaps it may be heere vrged that it is not repugnaÌ„t that one the same man should be a temporall King and withall a Seruant of God as it iâ— said accordingly in the 2. Psalme Anâ— now your Kings vnderstaÌ„d take instructioÌ„ you that iudge the earth But to be King of the Kingdome of Heauen and withall to be a seruant of the King of Heauen seeme to be incompatible togeather How then can a man apprehend this difficuâ—ty or belieue it â— answere notwithstanding it is so â—nd facile to fayth both to conceaue and to belieue it Therefore the Iust â—n the Kingdome of Heauen shall aâ—so be Kings of the Kingdom of Heauen because they shall participate of that Regall Dignity and power as also of the spiritual riches aâ—l other goods which are in the Kingdome of Heauen The Verity of which point the Holy Ghost contesteth in three places of Scripture One is in the Ghospeâ—l of S. Matthew cap. 5. Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome
of Heauen Another in the same Ghospell cap. 15. Come yee blessed of my Father possesse the Kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the VVorld The third is in the Apocalyps cap. 3. He that shall ouercome I will giue vnto him to sit with me in my throne as I haue also ouercome haue sitten with my Father in his throne What can be more clearely spoken then this We haue heare the Kingdome of God promâ—sed to vs we haue the possession of the same Kingdome assigned to vs in the day of Iudgment We haue granted to vs seates in the Regall Throne of the Sonne of God of his Father the Eternall King And what other thing is all this then the participation of the same Kingdome of Heauen which God possesseth from all Eternity We may heer adioyne the testimony of S. Paul 2. Tim. 2. saying If we shall sustaine we shall reigne togeather And of S. Iohn in the beginning of the Apocalyps and of S. Iames in his Epistle c. 2 thus writing God hath chosen the poore of this world rich in fayth and heyres of the Kingdom which God hath promised to them that loue him Neyther are we to feare that because the Kingdome of Heauen is communicated to many and almost innumerable Angels and men it is therefore diminished or lessened Since the Kingdom of HeaueÌ„ â—s not lyke to earthly Kingdomes which cannot brooke any corriualls or participation but if they be deuided by diuision they are euer made lesse and in the end are brought to nothing I say the Kingdome of Heauen beareth no proportion 〈◊〉 lyknes to these but being whole it is entirely possessed of all as a so being whole it is entirely possessed of eâ—ery particular Euen as â—he Sunne â—s wholy seene of all men and wholy â—â—ene of euery particuâ—ar Man And iâ— selfe doth no lesse â—eate and illuminâ—â—e ech particular Man then a l Men. Which â—oint shal be more clearely â—llâ—â—trated in our explication of the Gâ—ods of the K ngdome of Heauen But now before we are heere to assigne the condâ—tions and qualities required to be â—n Kings that no Man may reâ—t doubtfull but that the Blessed Saints in Heauen are iustly called Kings and Kings euen of Heauen There are two qualities with which kings ought necessarily to be inuested Tâ— wit VVisdome and Iustice. But with Wisdome the Scripture doth ioyne Pâ—â—dence Councell all other things â—â—â—onging to Intelligence with Iustice â—â—ngeth Mercy Clemency and the 〈◊〉 of the Vertues which do beautiâ—â—nd perfect the VVill. Wisdome â—efore is required that a King may â—â—w how to gouerne his Subiects â—â—â—â—ice how to gouerne them well And according heerto Salomon being admonished from God in the beginning of his Reigne that he should demand what he most desired he demaunded Wisdome which is the Queene of all good qualities necessarily required in Kings And this his petâ—tion was so pleasing vnto God as appeareth out of the third booke of Kings that it was granted vnto him as he desired I could haue wished he had demaunded also Iustice for then perhaps he had not precipitated and cast himselfe into so many crimes and sinnes as afterward he did But with more iudgement did Dauid pray for the good and prosperity of his Sonne Salomon in those words of the 71. Psalme O God giue thy iudgment to the King and thy Iustice to the Sonne of the King In which words he may be thought to haue forseene that Salomon would aske for Wisdome and that therefore himselfe prayed that Iustice Iudgment might be giuen also to his Sonne the which without Wisdome â—annot be wheras Wisdome at â—east sâ—ming and imperfect may be with out Iustice In lyke sort the Booke of Wisdome which was principally written for the erudition and instruction of Kings thus speaketh vnto them Diligite IustitiaÌ„ qui iudicatis terram c. Sap 1. and it beginneth at the vertue of Iustice because that alone and of its owne nature is not only necessary to Kings but it is also a dispositioÌ„ to Wisdomâ— for a litle after followeth Because wisdome will not enter into a malitious soule To conclude pretermitting other testimonies Ieremy prophesying of Christ the eternall King thus sayth cap. 23. Behould the dayes do come sayth our Lord and I will rayse vp Dauid a iust branch and he shall reigne a King and shal be wife and shall do iudgment and Iustice in the earth From all this then it ineuitably followeth that Wisdome and Iustice are the endowments chiefly required Kings That all the Blessed in Heauen though many of theÌ„ perhaps whiles they liued heere vpon earth were but ignorant persons do excell in Wisdom and Iustice so as they may deseruedly be Kings of any K ngdome is so euident that it can admit no contradâ—ction since there is not any one of the Blessed in Heauen who doth not see the Essence of God which is the first Cause of all things and consequently he draweth so much Wisdome out of that fountaine of increated Wisdome as that neyther Salomon not any other Mortall man euer had in lyke degree our Lord Iesus Christ only excepted who euen in the tyme of his mortality did see God and in whome were all the Treasures of Wisdom knowledge of God Now to the measure of Wisdome in all the Saints is giuen a proportionable measure of Iustice so as for the tyme after neyther haue they a desire to sinne neither can they sinne For thus S. Austine speaketh hereof de grat cor cap. 12. Prima libertas voluntatis c. The first liberty of the will was to haue power not to sinne but the last liberty of the will shal be farre greater it being not to haue power to sinne And who cannot sinne cannot therefore become vniust And since Charity is perfect therefore Iustice is also perfect And accordingly S. Austin affirmeth that he who caÌ„not loue God but wâ—th a supreme perfect loue cannot also but possesse supreme and perfect Iustice They also who behould God their supreme pure and infinite Good cannot diuert their eyes from him neither can they but prosecute him euer with most ardent and burning Affection From whence it is euicted that all the Saints in Heauen are perfectly wyse and perfectly Iust and are therefore most apt euer to reigne as Kings Now raise thy selfe vp O Christian Soule and ascend in spirit as much as thou canst and meditate how great a felicity it is to reigne with God and penetrate with the Wings of conteÌ„plation the very Heauens behould that sublime Throne of which our Sauiour speaketh Apoc. 3. He that shall ouercome I will giue vnto him to sit with me in my throne O how ineffable a glory will it be for a Soule in the presence of an infinite multitude of Angells to be placed in the Throne or seate it selfe of Christ and God And to be proclaimed by the iust iudgment of God as conquerour ouer the World ouer the gouernours
worldly felicity can delight them and thus the only remembrance and expectation of future ioyes is sufficient in this their banishment to comfort them I hold it conuenient to close vp this Booke with the words of S. Austin that such who will not perhapps belieue me may not doubt to giue credit vnto so great and worthy a man This Father in these following words doth expresse which is the true note of the inhabitants of the Citty of the world and of the Citty of God Thus he then writeth Omnes qui terrena sapiunt c All those who are wholly immersed in earthly affayres All who doe preferre a temporary felicity before God All who seeke after their owne things not after those of Iesus Christ doe belong vnto thâ—t one Citty which mystically is called Babylon and which hath the Diuell for their King But all such others who bend their labours to things which are supernall and aboue who are euen absorpt in the meditation of Celestiall matters who liue in this world with all sollicitude and care that they doe not offend God or sinne who sinning are not ashâ—med to confesse their offences finally who are humble meeke holy iust pious good All such I say belong to that one Citty which hath Christ for its King Thus faâ—re Saint Austin in explicat Psal 61. OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder the Title of the House of God THE THIRD BOOKE That all the Blessed are the Domesticks and Sonnes of God CHAP. I. I Reioyced in these thinges which were said to we VVe shal go into the House of our Lord sayth the Royall Prophet Psal 121. Certainly it is a great and ineffable cause of reioycing for a good and faithful seruant after he hath painefully laboured in the Vineyard or hath multiplyed his Talents through negotiation and trafficke or as first hath gained the Prize in the race or hath deserued the Crowne in warre spirituall fight or hath diligently fed the sheep committed to his charge couragiously and valiantly defending them from wolues for then such a man after the accomplishment of all these his labours doth with all alacrity cheerfulnes enter into the House of his Lord. But let is first consider why that is called a House which a litle before was called a Citty Truly we cannot thinke that the cause of this appellation is that this House is strait or narrow and therefore doth deserue the name of a Citty since indeed it is of that largenes as that in greatnes it giueth not place to any Citty or Kingdome Giue eare to what the Prophet Baruch cap. 3. by way of acclamaaion speakes hereof O Israel how great is the House of God and how great is the place of his Possession It is great and hath no end Why then may not so great a House iustly be called a Citty The first reason heerof then is because the blessed though they be spred throughout the Kingdome of Heauen are the domesticks and familiars of our Lord. For perhaps a man might imagine that if mention were made only of a Kingdome or of a Citty that many might be in the Kingdome of Heauen and in the Citty of God who did neuer see God nor were euer admitted to speake or haue any entercourse with God but onely by the mediation of other greater Saints But because the matter standeth farre otherwise and that all the Saâ—nts do euer see God do coÌ„uerse with him and do speake to him face to face whether they be the supreme Seraphims and Cherubims Patriarches Apostles Prophets inferiour Angels and the lowest Saints For euen of our Angels Gardians who belong to the least degree of Angells our Lord thus saith Matth. 18. Their Angels in Heauen alwayes do see the face of my Father which is Heauen And the Apostle writing to the Ephesians cap. 4. auerreth that all the Saints are not only the Citizens of God but euen the domestick friends of God Therefore from hence I inferre that the habitation of the Saints is not only called a Citty but also a House There are doubtlesly diuers MaÌ„sions in Heauen to wit greater and lesser there are also seuerall Crownes some more illustrious others not so illustrious according to the disparity and inequality of merits neuertheles all those Cittizens are blessed and happy and are cleane in hart and replenished with Charity We may then from hence coÌ„clude that there is no Saint who is not in that ceâ—estiall house and who seeth not God and conuerseth not with him as a domesticall and familiar friend howsoeuer contrary heerto in other Kingdomes and Citties there are many who neuer see the King and most few they are to whome he vouchsafes any speach or familiarity Another reason why the Citty of God is called a House may seeme to be in that in a Citty many do see the King and do speake to him yet all those are not the Domesticks Sonnes heyres of the King but only those who dwelling in the Kings Pallace are acknowledged by the King for such But now in the Kingdome of Heauen and in the Citty of God all the Saints whether oâ— higher or low degree are truly the Domestickes of God and Brethren of Christ by reason heerof they are linked togeather in the strait coniunction of fraternity or brotherhood so as the Superiours among them do not contemne their inferiours neither with them is any coÌ„tention or malignity For when our Lord did teach the Pater noster that chiefe Prayer which is daily to be recited he in these words excluded not any man and when at the day of Iudgement he shall say Come you Blessed of my Father possesse you the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation the VVorld Matth. 25. he shall not except any out of this most confortable inuitation And when the Apostle said to the Romans cap. 8. whosoeuer are gouerned with the spirit of God those are the Sonnes of God and if Sonnes Heyres also Heyres truly of God and Coheires of Christ He in these words shutteth out no man whether great or litle so that he enioyeth the Spirit of God and will suffer himselfe to be sterned and guided therewith Which one Point is doubtlesly common to all the regenerate in Christ perseuering in Fayth Hope Charity In like sort S. Peter 1. Pet. 1. promiseth to all the regenerate an incorruptible inheritance incontaminate and not decaying being reserued in Heauen To conclude S. Iohn without any exception thus preacheth to all the iust See I pray what manner of Charity the Father hath giuen vs that we should be named and be the Sonnes of God 1. Ioan 3. From all this then we gather that the Place of habitation of the Saints is a House and not only a Citty or Kingdome in which house all are Domestickes Sonnes and heyres of the great King and all of them are beloued of God as Sonnes and of Christ as brethren that they may by good right say with the
they should euen anker their hope and confidence vpon Gods good Prouidence becau e sayth he our Heauenly Father doth nourish the litle Bâ—rds which do neither sow nor gather and cloatheth the lyllyes of the fie d which neither labour nor spinne Therefore much more will he prouide for his owne Sonnes for whom he hath reserued the kingdome of Heauen And yet notwithstanding all this there is so smaâ—l or els no confidence in God found in many Christians as that in their necessities they rather flie for their sanctuary to the fraudes and impostures of men or to diabolicall Arts then to God Therefore we may bouldly conclude that if such men do not hope for these things from God which God affordeth euen to the Birds of the field and which himselfe promiseth to giue to those who place their trust and Hope in him that then all these men haue not that Hope which is peculiar to the sonnes of God and which all such ought to haue who hope from God to be partakers of the kingdome of Heauen And hence it commeth that seeing no man without an inexpugnable and liuely Hope which is a part of the gate of this supernall House can obtayne his saluation that therefore they are not many who are saued But there are yet remayning some greater straytes in the Vertue of Hope For Christian Hope commandeth to slâ—ight or rather contemne things present which are seene to Hope for things future which are not seene For example it commandeth to distribute a mans substance to the Poore to the end that it being muâ—tiplied may be restored to the giuer in Heauen where no man hath beene who could see or thincke what are those goods which shal be restored to vs in Heauen if so we sow and diâ—perse our goods here vpon earth We see that a Countrey Plowman is easely persuaded that in sowing of wheate it multiplieth vpon the earth And of this the vse and obseruation of many yeares hath warranted the truth to wit that what is sowed with labour is reaped with comfort But that riches distributed among the poore should be gathered and reaped with great multipâ—ication therof in Heauen no experience hath yet taught vs. Therefore it seemeth a difficult and harsh course to relinquish things present which are seene and to hope for things future which are not seene To conclude it is a great Argument that a firme and vnshaken Confidence in God is a most narrow and straiâ—e Gate in that we find in euery placâ— almost such a multitude of miserable lamenting exclayming blaspheming and despayring Men. For God doth either take away the Miseries from those who do trust in him or at least giueth patience conioyned with so great consolation as that they may well say with the Apostle 2. Cor. 7. I am filled full with consolation I do exceedingly abound in ioy in all my tribulation Therefore that confused Multitude of disconsolate and bewayling Men in their Miseries is an euident argument and demonstration that as S. Basill writeth in Psal 45. there are many who haue in their mouth Deus refugium nostrum Virtus but most few who in their secret hart and mind do truly hope and trust in God Of Charity which is the third part of the Gate CHAP. VIII LEt vs come to Charity which is the Transome or highest stone of the Heauenly Gate Charity is the Queene of Vertues which on the one syde seemeth to be of a greater breadth and Latitude in that it extendeth it selfe to God to Angels to Men yea such as be vnknowne to vs or our Enemyes On the other syde it is made more narrow in regard of the incredible difficulty which doth accompany it in our passing through by it since not only in word and tongue but in worke and truth the Precepts therof are to be fulfilled For what doth this Queene impose by Command vpon her Seruants First she commandeth that we loue God with all our Hart with all our soule with all our strength Matth. 20. Luc. â—0 Certainly Man is brought into great straits when he prepares himselfe to the accomplishment hereof For what other thing is it to loue God withall our strength then to loue him with a true and supreme Loue That with our Harte and soule signifyeth that the Loue towards God shouâ—d be sincere not counterfayted not in word and Tongue but as S Iames sayth in worke and Verity That other with all our strength with all our forces as another Euangelist hath sheweth that our Loue of God ought to be most intense and great Therefore the force of this Precept is that we loue God with a true and chiefe loue and that by no ballancing therof we either prefer or equall any thing before or with him but that all things be cast backe and set in a lower degree in respect of our Loue to him So as a Christian man oâ—ght to be prepared with he Patriarch Abraham if so it conduceth to the glory of God not to spare the life of his owâ—e and only bâ—gotten and most louing Child Neyther is this onely exacted but man is obliged to hate as our Lord commaundeth Luc. 14. Father Mother VVife Children Brothers Sisters yea also his owne Soule and to renouÌ„ce disclayme from all things which he possesseth that is he ought to be ready with that promptitude of mind to be depriued of all his kinred his owne life all his wealth and dignity with the which promptitude he should be depriued of them if so he truly and from his hart did â—ate all these things Doubtlesly these are great straits and who is prepared and ready to penetrate and passe through them And how more easely can we fynd Men and those not few who are pressed and as it vvere ready charged to abandon and renounce euen God himselfe and all his Promises rather then riches and temporall Honours much lesse their owne life and the life of their Children Witnes hereof is S. Cyprian in Tract de lapsis who writeth that euen in the primitiue Church at what tyme the heate of Charity was more boyling in Mens breasts then in these dayes it is for a small number of Martyrs very many were forsakers of the Christian sayth who preferred their temporall states much more their liues before their Charity and Loue of God The same Point is in like sort testified by Eusebius in hist. Eccl. l. 8 c. 2. Now what shall we speake of Charity towards a Mans neighbour What doth Charity prescribe to performe to our Neighbour It teacheth that we must loue him as well as we loue our selues And what proceeding in matters we do expect from him the same we should practise towards him Who is he if he much labour vvith pouerty but that he vvisheth part of the superfluities of rich men might be giuen to him And yet it is no sufficient excuse for the rich-man to say that he taketh money vp at rent or that he hath lately bought a
a Vision of an inaccessible light and of a Good which hath no end and which comprehendeth in it selfe All Good according to the words of our Lord to Moyses I wil shew thee all good when Moyses a litle afore thus desired of Ged Shew me thy faâ—e Exod. 33. But to proceed and that we may proue the truth of this point by force of Reason We are to learne out of S. Thomas p. 2. q. 31. a. 5. that delectation which is taken from knowledg requireth three things to wit an Intelligent or sentient Power an Obiect sorting to that Power and an Vnion of the Obiect with that Power Now by how much the power is more apt to know and the Obiect more noble and the Vnion more intrinsecall inward by so much the delectation froÌ„ thence proceeding is greater That the Vnderstanding or the mynd is more pure more high more noble and more liuely as I may say and therein more apt for knowledge then the externall sense is so euident as it needeth no proofe Now that God is a more high and more noble Obiect not only aboue all the Obiects of the Senses but euen aboue all the Obiects of the soule or mind since he is an Infinite Good all good or rather Goodnes it self no man can doubt That the Vnion of the Intelligence by an open cleare Vision is an Vnion so inward as that the Essence of God doth penetrate the vvhole mind of the seer and the mind is euen traÌ„sformed into God himselfe as into a great sea is likewise certaine Who therefore is able to comprehend or coniecture how great that Ioy is or what kind of kisse is that of the supreme good or what imbracement is it of a Spouse of an infinite Beauty Certainly in the coniunction of a fayre Colour with the sense of seeing or of a sweete sound with the sense of Hearing and the like is to be said of other sensible Obiects with their senses we receaue great pleasure and often so great as that diuers men by this meanes do almost become madd Neuerthelesse the Powers of the senses are materiall and common to vs with Beasts And the Obiects of them are things Corporall and sometymes do no lesse hurt then delight please To conclude the Vnion is but superficiall and externalâ— And in some senses there is no Vniâ—n at all of the Obiect it selfe but only of its image or likenes with the Power VVe may add hereto that spirituall Vnion and the Vnion of God with the Intelligence or mind by Vision is more firme more durable and altogether entyre wheras corporall delectations which are taken by the senses because they are subiect to change they cannot continue long neither are they wholy taken togeather but are instilled by degrees and as it were by drops VVherfore the infallible Conclusion of all this is that the delectation and pleasure of the mind is incomparably greater then the Pleasure of the sense Now O Man gather thy selfe togeather and weigh in a true ballance and with a steedy hand the Pleasure which the VVorld prostituteth and offereth to thee with that Pleasure which God doth promise when he promiseth the sight Vision of himselfe to those that loue him And then in this thy ballancing make choyce of that pleasure thou most doest couet Certainly if thou louest Pleasure the which thou canst not deny thou louest then wilt thou make choyse of that Pleasure vvhich is greatest rather then of that which is least and of that which is for all eternity then of that which is momentary and fading But neither the only Vision of God is promised to holy men in Heauen but also the Vision and sight of all things which God hath made Heere vpon the Earth we behould by the sense of our sight the Sunne the Moone the stars the sea riuers liuing Creatures Trees and Mettalls but our mind seeth nothing hereof that is it perfectly seeth no substance no essentiall differences or proprieties neither truly doth it see its owne soule but only after the manner of blind men it gropeth after the effects and so by discourse of Reason it gaineth some knowledge What then shal be that Ioy when the face of things being vnueyled our Vnderstanding shall clearely see the Nature of all things their differences proprieties forces And with how great an exultation comfort will it be euen astonished when it shall behould a whole Army of innumerable Angelâ—s all differing one from another in specie and shall perspicuously obserue the differences of all and euery one of them O Good God what a Theater and CoÌ„templation will it be how delightfull how much to be loued when we shal be admitted to behould and view all the Holy men and women vvhich haue beene from the Creation of the VVorld to the End thereof gathered togeather with all the Angels as also their merits Palms and Trophies of Victory Neither shall we see consider the Wickednes and torments of the reprobate without some pleasure in whom the Sanctity of good men and Iustice of God shall wonderfully shyne For then the Iust shall wash their hands in the bloud of sinners as the Prophet so long since foretould For what other thing is it to wash the hands in the bloud of sinners but that the works of the Iust shall more clearely appeare as being compared with the Works of Wicked men Certainly at that tyme the Virginity Chastity of some men shal be more resplendent and remarkable when it is compared with the Adulteries of others their Equalls In like sort the Fastings Almsdeeds of some when they are ballanced with the Epicurisme drunkennes and cruelty of others I meane when it shal be truly said This young man was comely and pleasing of Body yet neuerthelesse he euer professed Virginity or Chastity That other yong man was also fayre and of a good presence yet not contenting himselfe with his wyfe he often defyled himself with Adultery and sacriledge Againe that man was rich and noble and fasted and prayed much and most bountifull in Alms deeds This man being as rich and noble by byrth was so wholy giuen ouer to dainty fayre drinking and Iouiallisme as that consuming all his substance and riches in voluptuousnes he did leaue nothing for the reliefe of the poore And thus from hence it shall arise that the Ioyes of the Iust shall receaue an increase from their Knowledge of the wicked deportment and cariage of the Iniust consequently their Ioy shal be augmented from the contemplation of Gods Iustice which shall wonderfully shyne in the rewards of the Blessed and punishments of the Wicked For now in humaine proceedings a great deformity or irregularity appeareth in that offence and sinne is often accompained vvith Revvard and Vertue vvith Punishment so as the Iustice of God may somevvhat seeme to be obscured or darkened in the Eye of men But then all Punishment shal be conioyned with Sinne and all Reward
the Authour of sweetnes was thither come But if the glorifyed Body of our Redeemer did breath an odour of such sweetnes then it is altogether credible that all the Bodies of the Saints shall send forth in Heauen a wonderfull sweetnes For it is fitting that the members should be conformable to the Head not only in splendour but also in suauity of Odour Those men therefore who are delighted with Odours let them thinke with what sweetnes they are to be replenished when they shall draw into their glorified sent the diuerse and most sweet odours of so many thousands of Celestiall flowers on euery syde breathing forth in that diuine garden Of the Ioy of the senses of Tasting and Touching CHAP. VIII COncerning the Sense of Tast Deuines do write that the Blessed shall not vse any mortall meates Notwithanding they shall haue some delight in that sense that it may not seeme to be superfluous But concerning the Sense of touching or Feeling all do agree that the Vse thereof shall not be wanting in Heauen Since the Bodies of the Blessed as being true bodies with life may doubtlesly be touche Our Lord thus speaking Touch and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me to haue Luc. 24. Yet all impure touching shal be most remote from their bodies for they shall haue no desire of Generation And therefore our Lord speaketh thus Math. 22. In the Resurrection neither shall they marry nor be marryed But are as the Angels of God in Heauen But we will not heere stay about these things which are daily disputed in the Schooles This one thing we affirme that the Sense of Touching shall receaue no small pleasure from the perpetuâ—ll and most excellent habitude or disposition of a Glorious Body through its qualities of which the Apostle thus speaketh 1. Cor. 15. The body is sowen in Corruption it riseth in Incorruption It is sowen in Dishonour it shall ryse in Glory It is sowen in Infirmity it shall rise in Power It is sowen a naturall Body it shall rise a spirituall Body Of these foure qualities or priuiledges of a glorified Body that of glory or splendour belongeth to the sense of Seeing as aboue we haue said the other three seeme properly to belong to the sense of Touching For euen as when the Body is oppressed with strokes diseases or wounds endangering the life the Sense of Touching is that which suffereth and grieueth so in like manner when the Body enioyeth perfect health is sound and of a strong constitution the Sense of Touching doth reioyce Therefore this sense shall haue great ioy in Heauen vvhen after the Resurrection it shal be clad with Immortality Impassibility and Health in the highest degree and this for all Eternity What charges would not men willingly be at especially Princes and others of great estates to be freed all their life time from the dolours of the Goute or of the Heade the stomack or the reynes What ioy shall it then be in Heauen from whence not only death but all diseases and griefs shal be altogeather exiled Furthermore those Qualities through the which a corruptible body doth rise incorruptible and a body that is infirme riseth impassible do belong to the ioy of the Sense of Touching In like sort the qualities of Agility or Subtility by which a Naturall Body shall rise spirituall seeme to belong to the same Sense of touching since that Body shaâ—l be called spirituall and shal be a glorious Body not in that it hath not truly flesh and bones but because it shal be so subiect to the spirit as that at the very beck and pleasure of the spirit or soule it shal be able without any difficulty toyle or wearines to be moued most swiftly to ascend and descend to goe and returne to penetrate and pierce all places and this in such sort as if it were not a Body but a spirit Therefore euen as the Sense of Touching grieueth and beareth it selfe not well when a heauy and weighty body is forced to ascend high or with great swiftnes speed to be remoued from place to place so also on the contrary it much reioyceth and exulteth when a Body without any toyle or wearines either ascendeth aboue or passeth most speedily from place to place Behould therefore from what seruitude of Corruption the Blessed shal be freed when as they shaâ—l no more stand in neede of Horses Coaches Gards of men Weapons nor any other thing but those Blessed Bodies euen by their ovvne forces shall passe and goe into what places themselues Will and they shall be euery where most safe and exempt from all danger yea in the middest and thickest troupes of armed men I would to God that such men who cannot tast or resent spirituall delights in that they haue an inuenomed and corrupted palate or Tast at least would entertayne with due consideration these most great and perpetuall Corporall Goods and Pleasures and that they would labour with all endeauour bent of Will for the purchasing therof For thus it might come to passe that by litle and litle they would aspire to higher Matters and so by these degrees they might at length through the assistance of God arriue to euerlasting Ioyes Of the Comparison of the Ioyes of the Earth with the Ioyes of Heauen CHAP. IX VVE haue vnfoulded and explicated according to our small ability what Ioyes are prepared in Heauen for those that loue God Now we will endeauour to demonstrate by certaine externall ArgumeÌ„ts how great and transcendent those Ioyes are Our first argument shal be taken from the comparison of the Ioyes which God often in this World giueth euen to his professed Enemies and to the Reprobate And certainly there is such a confluence of Ioyes consisting in Riches Honours Power and diuers pleasures which God imparteth to sinners to his Enemies either blaspheming against his dignity or not belieuing in him as that of most men they are judged to be Blessed and most happy according to the vvords of the Prophet Psal 143. They haue said it is a happy People which hath these things Which of the Louers of this world doth not enuy and grudge at Salomons Prosperity who reigned fourty yeares abounded with all affluence of riches and delights had seauen hundred wyues and three hundred Concubines Who neuerthelesse according to the iudgment of S. Austin was a Reprobate for thus this Father writeth in Psal 126. Euen Salomon himselfe was a louer of VVomen and was reprobated of God And in his booke de Ciuitate Dei c. 20. he sayth the same of Salomon which Salust did of Cataline This man had a good beginning but an euill ending S Gregory followeth S. Austins iudgment herein thus writing l. 2. moral cap. 2. Hence it is that Salomon though receauing VVisdome did not perseuere in Gods fauour c. Neither are the Kings or Emperours of the Turks the Persians those of China and Tartary vnlike to Salomon herein
depart from the defence of his flock The Apostolicall Trumpet thus soundeth in our eares Ephes 6. Our wrestling is not against slesh and bloud but against Princes and Potentates against the Gouernours of this darknes against the spiritualls of wickednes in the Celestialls And if the Captaine be absent who shall teach the souldiers how to avoid the Weapons of their Enemies Certainly our Lord said to S. Peter and in him to all Pastours Feede my sheepe Of other things he spake nothing that we might vnderstand thereby that the feeding of the flocke is the principall charge incumbent vpon a Pastour In like sort in the Consecration of a Bispop it is said Vade praedica populo tibi commisso Goe preach vnto the people committed vnto thee But touching temporall busines nothing is added or spoken thereby to admonish the Bishop that Temporall things are not to be ballanced and equalled with spirituall and much lesse to be preferred To conclude in the fourth Councell of Carthage Can. 17.18.19.20 Bishops are earnestly commaunded that they shall not vndertake the gouerment of Widdowes strangers Pupils by themselues but by the meanes and labour of the Arch-Priests the Arch-Deacons In like sort that Bishops shall not vndergoe the defence of Wills or Contentions for any transitory matters and that they shall not ingrosse to themselues the care dealing about other mens states but that they shall wholy and only deuote their labours to reading praying and preaching of the Word Therefore the Councell of Africa consisting of two hundred and foureteene Bishops at which S. Austin was present commanded that Bishops should negotiate and execute all temporall affayres occasions though otherwise pious and necessarie by the ministery and labours of other men that so themselues might more freely spend their dayes in defending and multiplying of their flock Therfore this Parable as it sheweth that Eternall Felicity is chiefefly to be desired as containing most great power accompained with most great Pleasure so also it demonstrateth that the way to this felicity is continuall indefatigable labour placed in seeking and procuring the Health of a Man 's owne Soule and of other mens also Which labour whosoeuer doth seeke to decline and auoyd shall not onely be depriued of that felicity and of that most excellent Power and Pleasure but being damned to Hell shall there suffer eternall Punishments For thus doth our Lord speake Matth. 25. The vnprofitable seruāt cast you out into vtter darknes there shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth And heer we are diligently to note obserue that the seruant in this place eondemed to such punishment is not called wicked or facinorous but vnprofitable only for admitting that a Bishop a Parish Priest or Prince or Magistrate or Father of a family or any other may be free frō other vices yet in this respect onely that he is vnprofitable that is he doth not procure and labour according to his power his owne health the health of others subiect vnto him in this respect I say he shall be cast out into vtter darknes where shal be weeping gnashing of teeth which shall neuer haue End And if the vnprofitable seruant shall suffer these insufferable calamities what portion then is allotted to the wicked seruant who is couetous malignant proud luxurious and wholy drowned in all kind of vices Yf the vnprofitable Seruāt be reiected what account and reckoning then must he who is wicked render to our Lord touching the talents deliuered vnto him Truly they who deepely intensly consider these things will not ambitiously seeke after Honour or Authority and if it be forcedly imposed vpon them let them euer watch with feare and trembling since they are to render a most exact and strict account for the soules committed vnto their Charge Of the great Supper CHAP. V. THe fift Parable which is in Luke 14. resembleth the felicity of the Saints to a Great Supper and this truly not without iust reason In a Great Nuptiall or Regall Supper all things are there found which may delight the Senses of men or which may shew the Power riches and glory of this World Truly King Assuerus who gouerned ouer an hundred twenty seauen Prouinces desiring in great vaunting to shew the riches and glory of his Kingdomes and the largenes of his power did not find a more fitting and conuenient meanes thereto then to make a most sumptuous and magnificent Banquet For first at a great supper the Eyes are delighted in the most costly furniture and hangings of the Place in the order of Officers in costly and courtlike Apparell in the golden and siluer plate wherin the Meate is serued The Eares are much delighted with melodious musicke The sense of smell is satisfyed with the odour of flowers of precious perfumes and with other things breathing forth fragrant and sweet smells The sense of Tast is rauished with the curious seasoning of the meates of all sorts and with delicious Wynes To conclude the sense of Touching is greatly contented with reposing vpon most soft and downy Beds Therfore at a Regall Supper all corporall goods do meet togeather in the greatest affluency this World can afford So as our Lord willing to represent that Felicity which comprehends in it self all sort of Goods would compare it to a Great Supper Of which Supper we also thus reade in the Apocalyps Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the marriage of the Lambe Apoc. 19. Furthermore the greatnes of that supper of our Lord may be knowne in that the Glory of all the glorified bodies shal be as it were the last Table vpon whome all delicates daintyes shall be placed Now the sweetnes of these Dainties is so great as that S. Peter once seeing the Body of our Lord to shine like to the Sunne said Matth. 17. It is good for vs to be heare And if the dainties of Banquets be of so great worth of what dignity then shall the substance of the supper be which is placed in the fruition of the Diuinity Finally All the goods of this vvorld are nothing els then as barks or huskes of the fruites of Paradise And if these husks be of that force as to enchant men with the loue and desire thereof what then are the fruites themselues able to worke in mens soules And if the fruites be of such Vertue what then may we conceaue the more solid and substantiall meates of this Great Supper to be Doubtlesly they shall be such as that they may be euer eaten and euer desired without any fastidious satiety Neither are we to imagine that there shal be a Supper in Heauen such as great Princes haue in the celebration of their Mariage seing in Heauen we shal be as the Angells are who neither marry nor feed on Meates necessary to the mantaining of a mortall life Therefore that Supper shal be full of riches full of delights full of Ornaments full of glory agreable to the
2. We after considered the same felicity vnder the name of the Citty of God or the Heauenly Ierusalem and there also we found no small difficulty because those who are Cittizens of this World cannot be Citizens amoÌ„g the Saints for it is most hard to liue in the VVorld and not to be of the VVorld 3. In the third place we considered the same Felicity vnder the name of the House of God in the vvhich there are many Mansions and we aduertised that the Port or Gate of this House is most strait and that it cannot be penetrated or entered into without great Labour 4. Fourthly we did consider the same place of Beatitude vnder the name of Paradise but with all we considered with how high a price not of gould or siluer but of teares and bloud our Lord himselfe the Martyrs Confessours all the Saints both Men and VVomen did buy this Paradise For we read Luc. 24. Christ ought to suffer and so to enter into his glory 5. In the fift place we considered the same Felicity vnder the name of a Treasure hidden in a field and we no lesse shevved that this Treasure could not be possessed of him that found it except for the purchasing thereof he did sell all things which he had Matth. 13. 6. Sixtly we considered the same vnder the name of a precious Pearle or Margarite for the obtaining whereof the Buyar also ought to spend all the goods he hath that so he may purchase the same 7. Seauenthly vve considered the same vnder the name of a daily Penny vvhich is not giuen but only to such vvho labour in the Vineyard diligently and daily 8. Eightly we considered the same vnder the title or Name of a Great Supper and we saw that those were not reputed worthy of that Supper whose affectioÌ„s were enthralled vnto Temporall benefits and pleasures 9. Ninthly we haue considered the same vnder the appellation of the Ioy of our Lord to which they onely were admitted who with great paynes labour did multiply the Talents deliuered vnto them such others as did not performe the same being cast into vtter darknesse 10. Tenthly we considered the same vnder the title of a Princely Marriage from the which aâ—l those were excluded who were giuen to Slouth and Idlenes and who did not daily watch in the exercise of good workes and expectation of the Celestiall Bridegrome 11. In the eleauenth place we considered the same vnder the name of a Prize or Reward which they only tooke hould of who did runne in the race towards the Prize speedily and constantly and this not without great â—oyle and labour 12. In the twelft last place we did coÌ„sider it vnder the name of a Crowne which they onely did deserue who most couragiously in fight did ouercome their enemies Novv what way soeuer thou dost turne thy selfe and vnder what name soeuer thou dost consider Eternall Felicity thou shalt find that it cannot be obtayned except in pursuite thereof thou dost labour withall thy forces both of mind and Body Therefore he who desires to become Blessed which no man if he be in his Wits but wisheth to be let him shake off all drowsynes and Slouth let him labour and sweat for the gaining of so great a reward by doing of good VVorkes and suffering of Euills And let him not prefer any temporall affaires before this so great and only necessary Busines And let him euer retaine in memory those words of S. Paul and S. Barnabas By many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdome of God Act. 14. FINIS AN APPENDIX OR Short discourse of the Torments of Hell taken out of another spiritual Booke of the forsaid Card. Bellarmine entituled Of the Mourning of the Doue lib. 2. cap. 2. The Translatour to the Reader THe Common Axiome in Philosophy is that Contraries compared one to the other do affoard a greater illustration and do imprint in the Vnderstanding a more markable difference and disparity betweene them Which Consideration hath caused me now after the former Translation of the Eternall felicity of the Saints and the Ioyes of Heauen to adioyne heerevnto as an Appendix a briefe discourse of the euerlasting Misery of damned soules and of their torments in Hell translated out of another spirituall Booke of the Learned Bellarmine entituled de gemitu Columbae By which meanes the grieuousnes of the paines of Hell hereafter declared may the more stir vp the Christian Reader to be sollicitous in auoyding the same Paines and thereby beget a greater desire in him of gaining the Ioyes of Heauen There are but two Landing places of the soule for all Eternity after its departure from the Body And these two are Heauen and Hell Either Heauen or Hell must be its Lot There is no Medium betweene them A man cannot lose the one and yet auoyd the other This then being a most assured Verity and seing Heauen is made for Man and Hell for the Deuill why will men so much trench as I may say vpon the Deuills right as to share with him in his Vnfortunate Inheritance and to remaine with him in euerlasting fire and so become the vessells of Gods wrath rather then to seeke their owne designed inheritance of Heauen vnto the which Man after his Baptisme is borne Heyre Well We are men and therefore endued with freedome of Will and consequently with freedome of Election and it is engrafted in Man euen naturally to desire what is good and propitious as also to decline from what is domageable and euill How then commeth it to passe that most men will needs cease to be themselues and in a most retrogade manner will choose Eternity of Torments before Eternity of Ioyes the daily vpbraiding of the Infernall Spirits before the continuall society and familiarity of the most Holy Angells and Saints the Enemy of Man before the Creatour of Man the Deuill before God Hell before Heauen O most deplorable bewitching and enchantment Yf any of you Idolatours of this World were put to his choyce whether he would be created a great Prince or Potentate liuing in all Regality and supreme soueraingty or to become a Bondslaue for euer and to suffer daily torments and rackings he vvould no doubt presently dispatch the Election and choose the Better Here then the choyce is giuen you to speake with the Prophet Iosue c. 24. vvhether after the day of Iudgment by your vertuous life you will reigne in the Kingdome of Heauen both in soule and body and so participate of all the Ioyes thereof Or through your wickednes lye fast bound Hand and foote in Hell there suffering euerlasting Torments and Conflagration of fyre Where then by your vnderualewing of Heauen as most of you do is your Iudgment Where is that light of Vnderstanding which the Euangelist sayth doth illuminate euery man But alas it is darkened or rather extinct yea so wholy extinct as that for want of your true vse therof throgh your owne negligence
because of the blindnes of their Hart. Therefore euen as the Reprobate haue during this present tyme interiour darknes and exteriour light so in the tyme to come they shall suffer exteriour darknes and interiour Light I meane not interiour light towards the knowledge of God but towards their owne Miseries so as that light shall bring to them a greater torment for then they shall vnderstand that all tēporalities haue vanished away with tyme and then they shall vndergoe an improfitable and fruitlesse Penance Of which Persons the VViseman thus speaketh Sap. 9. They repenting sighing through anguish of spirit shall say within themselues VVe haue therefore erred from the VVay of Truth and the sunne of Iustice hath not shined to vs. Therefore the Reprobate shall haue interiour light so far forth as thereby they may see and acknowledge their Errours but they shall suffer interiour darknes so as they shal be able to see discerne nothing which may bring them any solace or may in any sort affoard the least ease or lessning of their Infelicity VVhat this torment may be especially to those who are accustomed to please and delight their Eyes with sights of thinges Tobias the elder may well testify who when the Angell said to him Tob. 5. Let Ioy be euer vnto thee answered Quale gaudium mihi erit c. VVhat manner of ioy shal be to me who sit in darknes and sea not the light of Heauen But if good Toby persuaded himselfe he could not be partaker of any Ioy whiles he remained blind vvhat may we conceaue of them who for all Eternity shall lye in darknes They shall looke for light but they shall not see it neither shall they see the rising morning VVhen any of vs lyeth alone in the darknes of the Night troubled with some sharpe paine which banisheth all sleepe how long and wearisome seemeth all the Night to be And how anxiously do we count the Howers and expect the end of the night What then do those Miserable Creatures suffer who are assured they shal watch in euerlasting darknes and dolours shall neuer find any Consolation 3. But now in this next place what shall we say of the torment of Fyer which is the third payne of the damned That the Wicked shall suffer a horrible punishment of perpetuall fier the Scripture is so plentifull in proofe and this so euident cleare as that no euasion can be excogitated against the said diuine Authorities S. Iohn Baptist speaking of Christ thus sayth Matth. 3. VVhose fanne is in his hand and he will gather his wheate into the barne but the chaffe he will burne with vnquencheable fier And Christ himselfe speaking of the darnell or Cocle in Corne to wit of sinners saith Cast them into the furnace of fire And againe Get you away from me you eursed into euerlasting fyre which was prepared for the Deuill and his Angells Matth. 25. And further our Lord saith It is good for thee to enter into euerlasting life lame rather then hauing two feete to be cast into the hell of vnquenchable fyre Mar. 9. Also in Luke cap. 3. Euery tree that yieldeth not good fruite shal be cut downe and cast into the fire To conclude our Lord in S. Iohn sayth Yf any abide not in me he shall be cast forth as a branch and shall wither and they shall gather him vp and cast him into the fyer and he burneth Ioan. 15. And accordingly we thus read in the Apocalyps cap. 20. He that was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fyar And there a litle after To the fearefull and incredulous and execrable and murtherers and fornicatours and sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars their part shal be in the lake burning with fier and brimstone which is the second death Apo. 21. Therefore touching the punishment of Fyer there can be no doubt Neither are we here to coniecture that the fyre of Hell is a fyre only Metaphoricall or spirituall because it is prepared for the Deuill and his Angels as we read in S. Mathew For S. Gregory affirmeth in direct words that fyre to be corporal◠and hereafter to burne the Bodies with the spirits The same is vnanimously taught in the Schoole of the deuines Now how spirits can be tormented and afflicted by corporall fyre is a large disputation though S. Austin solueth this doubt in one Word when he writeth that it is performed by a wonderfull yet true manner l. 22. de Ciuit. cap. 10. Which same answere may serue if any ouer curiously should demaūd from whēce this continuall fyre doth receaue its nourishment and supply and how are the bodies of the Reprobate euer burning and yet neuer finally consumed That all these things are accomplished by wōderfull yet true meanes the Catholike Church belieueth and securely belieueth because he that doth this is Omnipotent and who first reuealed it is Infinite Wisdome it selfe and the first Truth But these things omitted it is more incumbent vpon vs most attentiuely to thinke what a punishment it wil be for a mans Body truly indued with the sense of feeling to be tormented with sulphurious fyre and extremity of dolour and yet neuer to be consumed That thus in whose Will sinne would neuer haue an End in his soule and flesh torments shall neuer haue an End There are many punishments invented by Men but not any more sharpe more vehement more insufferable then fyre And as there is no torment which tortureth more cruelly and more intollerably then fyre so there is none which sooner consumeth and ceaseth to afflict then fyre In what lamentable plight then are those poore Wretches who are tormented with Fyre which most intollerably and most cruelly doth burne and yet shall neuer cease to burne Certainly if these points were attentiuely considered and withall firmely belieued no man who is guilty of mortall sinne could refraine from lamentation and teares I would to God at least that those who are touched with the guilty Conscience of their Crimes would ponder againe and againe those words of Esay as spoken to themselues by the spirit of God VVhich of you can dwell with deuouring syre VVhich of you shall dwell with euerlasting burnings Isa 35. As if the Prophet would say to sinners Do not take vpon you a burden which you are not able to beare make triall if you be able to dwell with deuouring fyre stretch out your hand into the fyer see how long you can endure the burning thereof And if you be not of ability to suffer it for the space but of one hower how then can you be able to dwell with euerlasting fyres and ardours Keepe therefore your hart from wicked Concupiscences bridle your tongue from ill Words withdraw your hand from euill Works if you haue already sinned in hart word or worke wash your sinnes away with teares confession Fasting and Almes-deeds for this is the way of escaping the deuouring fyre
to the third Heauen Concer-a House the Sonne of God himselfe thus speaketh In my Fathers House there be many Mansions Ioan. 14. Touching a Citty these be the wordes of the Apostle You are come to the Citty of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem Hebr. 12. To conclude of the Kingdome of Heauen our Lord himselfe thus in S. Matthew 5. Beatipauperes spiritu c. Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heauen And no other name through out the whole body of the Scripture is more frequently vsed then this of the Kingdome of Heauen The Place of the Saints in Heauen is called a Paradise because Heauen is a most pleasant place abounding withall spirituall delicacies But because some Men may coniectuâ—e that a Paradise is but a small Garden placed in some one corner of a House capable to receaue but few Men the Holy Ghost did adioyne in the Scripture the Word name of House because a Regall and Princely House is accustomed to be a great Pallace in which besides the Garden or Orchard there are certaaine open Halls or places of disport diuers Chambers and roomes of repose and retirement besides many others of different sort Now seeing a House notwithstanding it be great cannot containe many men therefore that wee should not thinke that they are but few who belong to the Kingdome of Heauen the Scripture doth annexe the Name of a Citty which vsually comprehendeth in it selfe many Orchards and many Pallaces of Pleasure But seeing S. Iohn writeth in the Apocalyps 7. of the nuÌ„ber of the Blessed Vidi turbam magnaÌ„ c. I saw a great multitude which no man could number And that there is no Citty which is capable of an innumerable multitude therefore the Holy Scripture vseth the name of a Kingdome and of the Kingdome of Heauen then which place no other throughout the whole Vniuersity of things created is more capacious But now againe to shew other reasons in warraÌ„t of the former foure different Appellations or Names Because in a most ample Kingdome there are many Men who neuer see nor know the Names of d uers inhabitaÌ„ts of the same Kingdome nor know not whether such Men are or haue an Existence or Being and also in that it is certaine that all the Blessed doe see and know one another and as friends conioyned in a strait bond of loue do familiarly conuerse among themselues therefore the Scripture as not being content with the Name of a Kingdome added the Name of a Citty giuing vs to vnderstand thereby that all those who doe dwell in that though most vast Kingdome are truly Citizens of the Saints and are so conioyned in familiarity among themselues as the Citizens of one small Citty are accustomed to be And that we may be further instructed that all those happy Men are not only the Citizens of the Saints but also the domesticke friends of God yea the Sonnes of God therefore the same Holy Ghost who had called it a Citty calleth it also a House To conclude in that all the Blessed in Heauen do enioy the same delights and pleasures in Heauen therfore is that place entituled by the Name of Paradise Thus these foure Wordes to wit a Kingdome a Citty a House a Paradise do signify one and the same thing And that Paradise heere mentioned is so spacious and large as that it may be truly called a House a Citty a Kingdome Therefore I haue heere determined to commit to Print whatsoeuer God shaâ—l vouchsafe to suggest and minister to me by way of meditation in the secret Closet of my soule of this most happy place And this first vn-the name of a Kingdome next vnder the name of a Citty then of a House and lastly of Paradise Towards the end of the discourse I will subioyne six other Names not of places but of things out of the Parables of our Lord to wit A Treasure hidden in a field A precious Pearle or Margarite The dayly Penny The ioy of our Lord A great supper And a regall or Princely mariadge As also two other Names out of the Apostle which are a Price or Reward and a Crowne so in all there shal be twelue distinct Considerations by the which the Eternall Felicity of the Saints is described in the sacred Scriptures OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder the Name or Title of the Kingdome of God THE FIRST BOOKE Of the Amplitude or largenesse of the Kingdome of God CHAP. I. OF what worth and dignity the doctrine of the Kingdome of Heauen is may partly be knowne in that our Heauenly Maister did begin his Sermons to his Auditory froÌ„ those words of Matth. 4. De pennance for the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand And further in that he made the Kingdome of Heauen the Subiect of most of his Parables saying Matth. 13.18.20.21.22.25 The Kingdome of Heauen is resembled c. And after his Resurrection in the time of those fourty dayes before his Ascension appearing to his Disciples he discoursed of the Kingdome of Heauen as S. Luke doth witnesse in the Acts of the Apostles Therefore we see the beginning progresse and consummation or end of the speaches of Christ were euer of the Kingdom of HeaueÌ„ Now we in this place will not vndertake to dispute of all points touching the Kingdome of Heauen but only so farre forth as concernes the place and state of the Blessed Saints And first we will explicate why the place and state of the Saints is named in the holy Scriptures The Kingdome of Heauen Well then the Habitation of the Saints for seuerall respects is entitled The Kingdome of Heauen First because Heauen is a most ample Region and far more ample and large then the narrow limits euen of Mans thought can comprehend The whole Earth which is but a Pricke or Point in comparison of the highest Heauen doth containe so many and so great Kingdomes as that with difficulty they can be numbred Of what immensenesse and huge Vastnesse then shall that Kingdome be which is but one and yet dispersed and spread throughout the whole latitude and breadth of the Heauen of Heauens For the Kingâ—ome of Heauen doth not only containe through its owne capacity the Celestiall Region but also all this Vniuersity â—nd generall State of things For that supercelestiall Region as I may tearme it which is properly the Kingdome of Heauen is as it were the first Prouince of the Kingdome of God in which the chiefe Princes all which are the Sons of God doe reside and dwell The sâ—cond Prouince may be called Eternall in which the Stars are seated Which Starres though they be inanimate neuerthelesse they are so obedient and seruiceable to the will beck of their Creatour as that they may be well said to haue life and sense according to that of Ecclesiasticus Come and let vs adore the King to whom all things doâ— liue The third Prouince is that of the Aire wherein the Winds
lyeth open to all men that the getting thereof may be had without suffering of blowes or sheeding of bloud and that it incoÌ„parably surpasseth all earthly Kingdomes If I should say to one Contemne a whole Kingdome that thou maist obtaine a litle field or vineyard thou wouldest deseruedly eyther laugh or wonder at me But when I say or rather God sayth Contemne a small earthly Kingdome and seeke after â— most precious great and eternall Kingdome the which thou mayst purchase if thou wilt through the grace of God which will neuer be wanting why dost thou not raise vp thy spirits both for the desiring and gayning of it Doubtlesly I cannot conceaue what may be answered heerto but that the glory of an earthly Kingdome as being present to the eye may be as it were touched with the hand whereas the Kingdome of Heauen cannot be seene cannot be touched nor scarse apprehended by Fayth This indeed is true notwithstanding if a man will seriously and intensly consider what force and efficacy the Verity Antiquity Sincerity and grauity of the sacred Scripture enioyeth and how perspicuously and cleerly the sayd Diuine VVrit speaketh of this poynt and how great a cloude of witnesses during already so many ages not only with miracles but euen with bloud haue confirmed the authority of the sayd diuine writings doubtlesly he cannot but burst out with the Prophet and say Thy testimonyes O Lord are made ouer much credible Psal 98. Wherefore we may conclude that it is not the obscurity and darknes of Fayth which withdrawes vs from seeking after the Kingdome of Heauen but it is because our mynds are wholy absorpt in exteriour things and burdened with the weight of custome therefore we do not take sufficient tyme and leasure to meditate and ponder of such things as conduce to our Soules good neyther do we according to the counsell of our Lord Mat. 6. enter into the closet of our hart and the dore being shut we do not euen besiege God with our feruerous prayers that in so great and wayghty â— busines he would assist vs. Certainty â—f once laying a syde all care of inferiour and lesser matters we would seriously and with due preparation take into our thought what the Kingdome of Heauen is and how easily certainly it might be obtayned and what infinite disparity there is betweene things euerlasting and temporall betweene matters of greatest weight and trifles and briefly betweene the Kingdome of Heauen earthly Kingdoms without doubt so great a contempt of temporall Thrones Crownes and Scepters would be ingendred in vs and on the contrary so ardent a desire of celestiall affayres would so inflame vs as that we should without difficulty yea with much ease and facility bestow all our labour and diligence in pursuite of the Kingdome of Heauen to the which as to one true and last end we are made by our Creatour The first path-way or Tract leading to the Kingdome of God CHAP. VII HEre we are now to know what is necessarily to be done that we may arriue to the most desired and most happy Kingdome of Heauen But to know this is no great difficulty since the King of Heauen himselfe to teach vs the same did descend to the Earth And being become our Master and Captaine setteth before vs foure chiefe and most safe wayes thereunto Of these the first is contayned in those words of Mat. 6. Seeke first the Kingdome of God the Iustice of him and all these things shall be giuen to you Morall doctrine beginneth from the end our End is the Kingdome of God which Kingdome shal be ours if so we will walke in that path wherein our Captaine walked Also the Iustice of the Kingdome of God is as it were â—he scope or marke whereat we â—re to â—euell if so we desire to enioy â—he reward of the Kingdom of Heauen For as Cassianus rightly teacheth col â— cap. 2. The End is one thing the scope an other thing The Scope is a signe or marke vnto which arrowes â—re directed in shooting But the End is the reward which those do take who haue shot more neere the scope or marke In lyke manner the Scope of our Actions propounded by God is â—ustice the Reward of those who obâ—aine this marke is the Kingdome of Heauen But the Iustice of the Kingdome of God is not the Iustice of the Scribes and Pharisies which was placed in the externall obseruation of â—he Preceps Neyther it is the Iuâ—â—ice of the Philosophers which did â—ot transcend the light of naturaâ—l â—eason corrupted by Sinne. But it â—s the Euangelicall Iustice which teaâ—heth to loue God with all our hart withall our soule withall our strength and to loue our neighbour though our Enemy as our selfe Of this Scope End S. Paul Rom. 6. speaketh saying You haue your fayth vnto Iustification but the End life euerlasting This is that whereunto the Apostle admonisheth vs that the first of all things we do seeke the Kingdome of Heauen and the Iustice therof that is that our earnest and chiefest thoughts be not caryed away to any temporall goods but be directed to the gayning of the Kingdome of Heauen and to a most diligent and inuiolable keeping of that first and greatest Precept The which Precept being neglected and broken by most men therefore it is sayd Matt. 22. Many are called but few are chosen For most men do so liue and comport themselues in their maÌ„ners as that their furthest thought is to seeke how they may come to this Kingdome of Heauen neither is there anything which they more couldly looke after then the Kingdome of Heauen the Iustice therof As if our Lord had said First seeke after the Kingdom of this world and its iniustice and deceyt and the Kingdome of God shal be giuen vnto you But that celestiall Kingdome is not of that basenes and meane esteeme as that it should be thrust vpoÌ„ those who do preferre all other things before the obtaining thereof Therefore he that will learne a certaine and easy way for gayning the Iustice of the Kingdome of God which leadeth directly to the Kingdome it selfe let that man heare our forsayd Mayster and Lord Christ Iesus thus affirming Matt. 5. Blessed be they that hungar thirst after Iustice for they shall haue their fill But what ô Lord is the facility of fynding Iustice so great with thee as that it is sufficient onely to be hungry or thirsty of it Certainly all poore meÌ„ would be blessed if only by thirsting after money they should be so replenished therewith as that they should not need to be satiated with any other thing But the matter heere is farre otherwise for it is one thing to be hungry and thirst after money and other thing after Iustice For they who suffer hunger and thirst after Iustice that is who so greedily and anxiously seeke after Iustice as men doe who thirst after water and are hungry after meate those men certainly
avvay Hence it is that in another place I haue said Luc. 18. How hardly shall they that haue money enter into the Kingdome of God For it is easier for a Camell to passe through the eye of a nedle then a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of God And againe How narrow is the gate and how straite is the way that leadeth to life And few there are that find it I haue also compared the Kingdome of Heauen to a Treasure hid in a Field as also to a precious Margarite vvhich cannot be bought vvithout the sale of all other things intimating thereby that a man must depriue himselfe of all things vvhich he holds deare vpon earth if so he hope to possesse the celestiall Treasure and precious Margarite in Heauen I haue furthermore perspicuously and vvithout any ambiguity of vvords protested Luc. 1. VVho doth not renounce all things which he possesseth cannot be my disciple And although this renunciation is to bee vnderstood of the preparation of the mind Neuerthelesse seeing this preparation of the mind to renounce all temporalities vvhen either the health of the Soule or the glory of God doth require it is not easily performed and the accomplishment thereof is found but in few therefore I haue adioyned the similitudes of him vvho vvill build a Tovver not hauing sufficient prouision meanes to performe the same as also of that King vvho thinketh of vvaging vvarre against another King and yet hath not equall forces vvherby hee might hope for victory Novv if the building of a Tovver vvithout good store of money and the encountring in vvarre and hostility against a potent King be things most difficult and almost impossible Hovv much more difficult then is it to performe both these tvvo points together But hee ought to performe them vvho vvil besiege or lay battery to the Kingdome of God For first a Tovver is to be built vvhich may reach to Heauen That is merits and the price of good vvorks are to be procured vvhich may deserue eternall life And with all he is to fight vvith very many and most potent enemies to vvit with the vncleane vvicked Spirits vvho shall labour by their subtile endeauours to hinder the building of the foresaid Tovver The Tipe or figure herof happened to the Israelits vvho endeuouring to reedify and build vp the Citty of Ierusalem then ruined and beaten to the ground by the Chaldeans were hindred by their neighboring Countreyes vvarring against them so as they vvere forced to vse incredible sollicitude and care in building vvith one hand and fighting vvith the other From all vvhich the Conclusion is that the Kingdome of Heauen cannot without great paynes and sweat be purchased by such men who become a prey to earthly and momentary pleasures and benefits not knowing how to bridle and tame the Concupiscence of the flesh or to fight with an inuisible enemy Neuerthelesse whosoeuer being assisted by the the grace of God shall seriously giue his mind to Christian Perfection and shall most attentiuely consider the words of Christ following the examples of him and all other Saints to this man by little and little the way and Tract shall be enlarged the gates shall be opened the vigour and courage of the mind shall increase the enemies shall be enfeebled and thus through the charity of God in Christ Iesus increasing in him the burden shall beginne to be light and the yoke sweet And those words of Esay c. 40. shall be verified They that hope in our Lord shall renew their strength they shall take wings as Eagles they shall runne and not labour walke and not faint And this man shall say with the Royall Prophet I did runne the way of thy commandements when thou didst dilate my heart Psal 118. Certainly it was not grieuous to S. Antony to spend whole nights without sleepe yea the night did seeme most short to him in respect of the sweetnesse of diuine Contemplation as well appeared when he complained of the Sunne it selfe in these words Quid me impedis Sol c. VVhy dost thou hâ—nder me O Sunne which risest so soone to the end thou maist withdraw me from the splendour and brightnesse of the true light Cass Col. 9. cap. 31. Neither seemed it any difficult matter to this Saint and such like holy men to coÌ„tinue their fasts by whole weeks when they euen fed vpon and were refreshed with the reading and meditating of the sacred Word of God as with a celestiall supernaturall bread Neither was it painfull to S. Austin to weane himselfe from the sweetnesse of worldly pleasures to the which euen from his youth he had beene enthralled after he once had tasted the sweetnesse of diuine loue and of internall Contemplation Therefore let no man be disanimated or let his heart and courage fall but cast himselfe with an immoueable Hope into the Armes of Gods most holy assistance who as he made vs for himselfe so will he draw vs to himselfe And who will vouchsafe to place all those in his Kingdome whome hee vouchsafed to redeeme with the precious bloud of his only begotten Sonne Now in regard of all this O Christian Soule thou oughtest not through the asperity of the way to rest disheartned but to trust in our Lord who would neuer haue inuited vs to seeke after his Kingdome before all other things whatsoeuer had he not beene prepared to strenghthen vs in this our iourney with his most powerfull and puissable help Therefore enter into this Path or tract-way towards the Kingdome of Heauen with all cherefull animosity of mind Here is no place left for a wauering mind or iudgement For if the labour be great which here presents it selfe to thee yet the reward propounded for this thy labour is incomparably farre greater and if the forces of thy enemies hindering thee in this thy voyage be powerfull yet the hand of God vvhich leads and conducts thee is more povverfull And if many of all Ages and Sexes could by this vvay arriue to the Kingdome of God vvhy vvilt thou be so faint-harted and deiected in spirit as to despaire by the same vvay to arriue to the same Kingdome Their bodies vvere not made of stone or iron but of flesh and they vvere mortall and fraile And therfore vvhat they atcheiued vvas not through their ovvne strength but through the strength of our Lord. Why therefore mayst not thou though vveake and infirme accomplish the like attempt Cast thy selfe vpon God faith S. Austin l. 8. confess c. 11. and be not afraid He will not withdraw himselfe from thee that thou shouldest fall Cast thy selfe vpon him confidently He will receaue thee He will help thee God is faithfuâ—l hee cannot deny himselfe Two things are required at thy hands The one that most firmely and vnalterably thou wouldst resolue to preferre the glory of God and saluation of thy ovvne Soule before all other things vvhatsoeuer The other That thou vvouldst repose all thy hope and
that they are all one Hart and one Spirit And since charity cannot brooke Hatred Enuy Contentions discord and the lyke therefore all such dissentioÌ„s iarres are most remoted froÌ„ that holy Citty of Ierusalem and only Charity there raigneth being atteÌ„ded on with â—ustice peace ioy in the Holy Ghost In the beginning of the Creation of things there was a great waâ—re in Heauen betweene S. Michael the Archangell and the Dragon But S. Michael and the other Angells who ranged themselues with him and remayned in the Truth and performed their loyalty and obedience to their Lord obtained victory ouer the Dragon and his Associats who breathing nothing but pride reuolted from their common Lord and Soueraigne And the great Dragon was cast forth the old Serpent whâ—ch is called the Diuell and Satan which seduceth the whole world and he was cast into the earth Apoc. 12. From which time the Holy Citty the heauenly Ierusalem did border it selfe within the limitts of Peace Neither hath any warlike Trumpet beene hard therein neyther shall hereafter be heard and this for aâ—l Eternity Now to reflect vpon what is aboue said What can be reputed more pleasing or happy then this Citty Such men who by their owne experience haue tryed the euills of warres robberies slaughters Rapines deuastation of places by Lies sacriledges and the like may easily and truly preach of the great pleasure and sweetnes of peace But passing ouer publike warres and Hostility who hath not made triall in his owne Citty yea in his owne house how distastfull and vnpleasing it is daily to conuerse with men of an irefull and froward disposition who doe interprete euery thing in the worst â—art Depart from the wicked and euill shall fall from thee saith Ecclesiasticus c. 7. But whither can we fly where we shall not be encountred with wicked men And if euery place doe swarme with such men then doubtlesly must many euills discontents and vnquietnes attend vpon vs during this our tyme of exile Giue eare to what the foresaid Ecclesiasticus pronounceth of an euill wife It shall be more pleasant to abide with a Lion and Dragon then to dwell with a wicked woman c. 25. And if she who is the fellow and companion of mans lâ—fe be through wickednesse turned into a Lyon or Dragon to how great angours and infelicities are many men exposed All that will liue godly in Christ Iesus faith the Apostle â— Tim. 3. shall suffer persecution Therefore how vnhappy is the Citty of this world in vvhich a man of necessity must be affronted vvith Aduersaries and vvage vvarre For if thou vvilt liue piously and godly thou shalt suffer persecution at the hands of men And if thou vvilt giue the bridle to all impiety thereby to decline and auoid persecution of men thou shalt then fall into the wrath and indignation of that most high and powerfull King who shall persecute and punish thee both liuing and dead whose anger no man can resist Most vnfortunate therfore and calamitous is that Countrey in which no man can escape warre no man can fly from persecution no man can find true peace What then remaineth but that euen from the bottome of our heart we doe prosecute with a I loue and prayse the Heauenly Citty wherein no persecution can be found no warres broyles or discord can take place Of the liberty or freedome of the Citty of God CHAP. III. THe third Reason why the Kingdome of God may be called a Citty is in that a Kingdome hath a Monarchicall forme o gouerment which seemeth to be opposed to liberty whereas all the Cittizens of Heauen are free and our Mother which is the supreme Ierusalem is also free as S. Paul witnesseth to the Galathians c. 4. Which blessed Apostle did well know what he did speake since he being once taken vp in spirit into the third Heauen was thereby acquainted with the manners and lawes of that Citty Therefore seeing a Kingdome doth seeme to include seruitude and a Citty liberty that Kingdome may well be called a Citty in whâ—ch all who serue the King are free Now among the holy inhabitants of Heauen there is not one only liberty but a liberty of seuerall kinds For first all the Cittizens of Heauen are free from the bondage of sinne seeing the first liberty which was in the terrestriall Paradise was to haue power not to sinne wheras the second liberty in the celestiall Paradise is far greater to wit not to be able to sinne as S. Austin teacheth lib. de correp gra c. 11. Another kind of liberty consisteth in being free from death being like to the former liberty For Adam vvas so free in the terrestriall Paradise as that it vvas in his povver not to dye And the Sonnes of Adam are so free in the celestiall Paradise as that they cannot dye Neyther must it seeme strange that vve pâ—ace liberty in that vvhich consisteth in not being able to doe seeing not to be able to sinne and not to be able to dye imply an eminency of freedome from the captiuity of sinne and thraldome of mortality For vvho hath not povver to sinne is not only free from sinne but also is so farre from the bondage thereof as that he remaines secure that sinne shall neuer haue any soueraignty ouer him In like sort he vvho cannot dye remaines not only free from death but is so farre distant from death as that he is ascertained that death shall neuer make any assault tovvards him Which liberty only God through his owne Nature enioyeth according to those words of the Apostle 1. Tim. 6. VVho alone hath immortality For although the Angells and rationall soules be said to be naturally immortall because they haue no Principle or cause of Corruption in their â—ature Neuerthelesse God who first created them can at his pleasure reduce them to Nothing But the Angells and the blessed Saints are most secure that they shall for neuer after sinne nor dye and are in this respect most free from the seruitude of sinne or death which priuiledge is a most honorable participation of the diuine liberty of God The third kind of liberty is to be free from Necessity and this liberty is also of seuerall sorts For now mortal men are forced through a certaine constraint of necessity to eate to drinke to sleepe to labour sometymes to stand another time to walke or to lye downe and repose themselues But the Saints in Heauen stand subiect and thra l to no such necessity but are freed from all corporall necessitudes And this is the liberty of the glory of the Sonnes of God of which the Apostle speaketh in his Epistle to the Romans Now of what dignity this liberty is first poore men secondly spirituall men lastly rich men such as are louers of this world do fully testify Men oppressed with penury and want in the highest degree what indefatigable paynes dâ— they vndergoe thereby to prouide for themselues and theirs meate
wordes lyke to pure glasse that is trasparent and of a whyte colour lyke vnto Cristall From this it followeth that the whole Citty whether you respect the gates the wall or the streets is most precious which hath not within it any ordure or any thing that is base abiect sordid or of small continuance And withall the Citty is sayd to be whyte and plainly lyeth open to the eye for therin is nothing couered All the Citizens then see all things neither is there any suspicion or any imposture or deceyte And perhaps this is the reason why S. Iohn subnecteth in the same place this short passage Anâ— the Gates thereof shall not be shut because there shal be no darknes no theeues no Enemies for feare of whome the Gates should be shut Neither is this repugnant to the wordes of the Psalmist who celebrateth the prayse of his Heauenly Ierusalem in these words Psal 147. O Ierusalem praise our Lord because he hath strengthened the locks of thy Gates Since both the Propheâ— the Euangalist do insinuate one and the same thing to wit that there are not any enemies or theeues who can threaten danger to this heauenly Ierusalem For the Prophet by the Gates being euer shut sign fyeth that Gods holy Protection will not suffer the enemy at any time to inuade or enter into that Citty so much beloued by him The Euangelist by the gates being open sheweth that that Citty is so secure and free from all hostile incursions as that it needeth n t to shut its Gates much lesse to keep any Watch or Centinall But let as proceed and shew what the Gates the VValls and the Streetes of his Citty do import The Gates by their standsng euer open declare that now after the Passion of our Sauiour entrance into this Citty of God and Angels is giuen to men since Christ himselfe after he had suffered death did open the Kingdome of Heauen to the faithfull Neither is there one only Port or gate but twelue by which the faythful may enter into this Citty for thus S. Iohn speaketh On the East side three gates on the North three and on the South three and on the VVest three Since not only the Iewes as themselues dreamed doe enter into that Citty but men euen from â—ll the most remote and discosted parts of the whole World Yea so few Iewes do enter there into as with reference to men of other Nations they may be said to be almost none at all for thus did our Lord speaking to the Centurion prophesy of them Matth. 8. I haue not found so great faith in Israel And I say vnto you that many shall come from the East and the VVest and shall sit downe with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of Heauen but the children of the Kingdome shal be cast out into exteriour darknes In like sort in the Parable of the Vine our Lord thus saith Matt 21. The Kingdome of God shal be taken away from you and shal be giuen to a Nation yielding fruit thereof And the same point is inculcated most clearly in S Luke VVhen you shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God you to be thrust out And there shall come from the East and the VVest and the North and the South shal sit down in the Kingdom of God Now there are said to be three Gates from euery part of the World so in number twelue because entrance sha be giuen not only to those comming from the East the South the West and the North but also from the beginning or first entrance of the East from the middle of the East and from the end of the East the lyke may be sayd of the three other Parts of the World Except this other construction following of the foresaid number of the Gates may be perhaps more pertinent to the purpose to wit that three gates are assigned to seuerall parts of the Heauenly Citty with reference to the mistery of the Blessed Trinity and the three most necessary Vertues since they all from all the foure parts of the World doe enter into this Heauenly Citty who being baptizâ—d in the name of the three diuine Persons haue perseuered to their last end in Fayth Hope and Charity Of the Wall and streetes of the Citty of God CHAP. VI. TO proceed The VVall of the Citty signifieth nothing els then Gods holy ProtectioÌ„ custody which one thing alone is sufficient to preserue this Citty without any watch forces or fortresses I will be to it saith God by the mouth of Zachary A wall of fyer round about and I wil be in glory in the middest thereof Zach. 2. A most wonderfull Promise He saith I will be a wall of fyer round about that I may hinder the entrance of Enemies and I will be a glory in the middest thereof that I may enlighten the Cittizens as if he would say Fyer burneth and shyneth therefore I will consume the enemy with fyer and will illuminate and comfort the Cittizens So I shal be a wall of fyer round about and a light of glory in the middest which very point S. Iohn a little after doth explicate when he saith Apoc. 21. And the Citty needeth not Sunne nor Moone to shine in it for the glory of God hath illuminated it and the Lambe is the Lampe thereof The clarity and brightnesse of God as a Sunne doth enlighten the minds and Christ being the Lambe of God as a Lampe doth illuminate the bodyes of the blessed Now Christ is here called a Lampe not as if this Lampe were necessary in the night time but is so called in comparison of the Diuinity For if the faces of the Saints shall shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of God as our Lord himselfe testifieth Matth. 13. then how much more shall the face of Christ not as a Lamp but as a chiefe Sunne enlighten the Citty of God And hence it is that S. Iohn doth there subioyne that there shal be no Night in that Citty Here yet remaineth the street of this Citty to be discoursed of This street coÌ„prehendeth the whole space whâ—ch is within the compasse of the walls And this street is the common habitation of all the Celestiall Cittizens The which is all of pure gold that is of a fiery and bright Charity which shall containe all those Cittizens and through force of which one of the Inhabitants shall euen liue in another through the vertue of pure Loue. Neither only shall one liue in another but all of them shall liue in God and God in theÌ„ all for who remayneth in Charity remaineth in God God in him 1. Ioan. 4. The which point that it might be affected Christ our Lord asked of his Father in that praier which ready to goe to his Passion he made in the hearing of all of his Apostles saying Ioan. 17. Not for them alone doe I pray but for theÌ„ also
who by their word shall belieue in me that they all may be one as thou Father in me and I in thee that they also in vs may be one O most blessed Citty which being seated vpon a most high mountaine dost enioy a most pure ayre Which art founded vpon a Rocke as being supported with eternall stability and firmenes Whose gates doe shine like Margarites and euer stand open for Holy Soules to enter into Whose wall is God encompassing thee about with his vigilancy and protection and as a precious Iaâ—per-stone doth adorne thee Whose street is Charity more bright and glorious then all gould more white then any Crystall Which maketh all the inhabitants to be of one heart of one mind replenishing them with an inutterable ioy and placing them in an interminable and euerlasting tranquillity and peace Concupiscit deficit anima mea my soule coueteth and euen fainteth vnto thy streets Psal 9â— What is more gratefull and more wished for by our labouring and lamenting in the midst of a wicked Nation among false brethren and in that world which is wholy placed in malignity wickednes then euen in all hast to flye to that place in which only Charity reigneth VVhen shall I come and appeare before the face of God Psal 41. What greater consolation and comfort can be to a sâ—ule louing our Lord then to see his beloued and to be seene of his beloued and through an inward and most sweet connexion reciprocally to dvvell the one in the other It is insufferable bouldnes O Holy Citty that dust and ashes should dare to aspire to thy Pallaces and it is greater bouldnes that a vile and deiected soule should dare to approach to the fruition of his Creatour But he vvill excuse and pleade for this boldnes vvho gaue it vvhen he prayed to his Father that vve all might be one and that as the Father is in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Father so vve may be but one in one another Of the Temple of the Citty of God CHAP. VII VVE are heer further to inlarge our discourse of the Citty of God in shewing the Temple therein to prayse God the meate drinke which there is to be eaten and drunkeÌ„ for as for cloathing the Inhabitants need not to be sollicitous For if Adam and Eue needed not any cloathing in the terrestriall Paradise much lesse shall the Saints in the celestiall Pararadise need any such who shall be all cloathed with splendour and light as with a vestment Now concerning meate drinke Adam and Eue could not want them neyther doe the Angells themselues want them according to those words of the Angell Raphael I vse an inuisible meate drinke which cannot be seene of men Tob. 12. And first touching the Temple S. Iohn thus speaketh in the Apocalyps 21. And temple I saw none therein for our Lord God omnipotent is the Temple thereof and the Lambe That S. Iohn did not see any Temple in the Citty may not seeme strange since Temples are erected in the Militant Church for foure ends to wit that the Word of God may be preached in them to the faythfull that the Sacraments and Sacrifices may be celebrated in them that Publike Prayer may be in them offered vp to God And finally that due praises with singing ioy may be performed to him Now the preaching of the Word of God shall cease in Heauen seeing there the increated VVord himsefe shall manifestly speake to all And according to the preaching of Ieremy the Prophet cap. 31. Man shall no more teach his neighbour or his brother saying Know our Lord for all shal know me from the least to the greatest Sacraments in lyke manner and Sacrifices shall not be necessary in that Citty since neither Sins shal be there expiated neither shall signes be there required where things signifyed shall manifestly appeare Prayers and Laudes to God are heer vpon earth performed in Churches and Temples dedicated vnto God because himselfe hath promised that in such sacred places his eyes shal be open eares atteÌ„t for thus he speaketh to Salomon Paral. 7. Myne eyes shal be open and mine eares erected to his prayer that shall pray in this place But now seeing in the Celestiall Citty God wil be openly seene and heard of all men therefore not any Temple seemeth to be necessary in that place Hence then we may easily gather why S. Iohn said And I saw no Temple in the Citty But hâ—er it may be demauÌ„ded why S. Iohn subioineth these words The God omnipotent is the Temple thereof and the Lambe For if no Temple be required in that Citty why then is God himselfe said to be the Temple thereof and not only the Temple but also the Lambe Or what explication can it haue to say that God and the LaÌ„be shal be called Temples in Heauen Or to what vse shall this Temple be in Heauen In answere heerto we are to recurre to the custome of the holy Scriptures where one text or sentence doth comment and explaine another and the more darke and obscure passage receaues its illustratioÌ„ from that which is more perspicuous and cleare Well then we thus reade in the 90. Psalme He that dwelleth in the help of the highest shall abâ—dâ— in the ProtectioÌ„ of the God of Heaue◠〈…〉 sense and meaning of which Words is this Who by a firme Confidence Hope is ioyned with God he as it were maketh to himselfe a house in God in the which he may securely liue as being exempt and free from all euill The same may be said of Prayses and Prayers to God For he that through an inward reuerence is conioyned with God doth in lyke sort build to himselfe a place of Habitation in God the which he inhabitating in that sort as he ought to doe may therein pray and offer vp his prayses vnto God So heer we say that our Lord the Omniporent God of Heauen is the Temple of the holy Citty because all those holy Cittizens most intensly and with a strong bent of feruour meditating on the omnipotency of God and so by this meanes ioyned to him by an inward reuerence do dwell in him and exhibit to him due prayses and when they pray for vs they are heard with a most willing and ready care In lyke manner when they seriously contemplate the merits of Christ who as an innocent Lambe deliuered himself vp in oblation and Sacrifice to God 〈…〉 odour of sweetnes they being firmely vnited by loue and dwelling in him as in a Temple doe powre out their Prayers and impetrations for vs and doe doubtlesly find the eyes of God open and his eares attentiue that they may obtaine in our behalfe any thing for which they pray But if those blessed Cittizens be accustomed to dwell in God in Christ as in a Temple thereby to offer vp their prayses and prayers for vs what are we poore men to doe who neither see God nor Christ O would to
Prophet Psal 132. O how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell in one For what greater consolation and comfort can be imagined to a man then to conuerse with innumerable Angels with men of all degrees eyther superiour equall and inferiour to him and he to be beloued of them all with most sincere affectioÌ„ as a brother to be vsed as a brother imbraced entertained as a brother Of the greatnes and Beauty of the House of God CHAP. II. ANother reason for which the Habitations of the Saints is called a House may be taken from that Houses especially the houses of Kings haue many ornaments in their Hals in their BedchaÌ„bers in other withdrawing roomes which the rest of the Citty doth want For who can recouÌ„t the Arras Tapestry precious vestmeÌ„ts plate of Gold and Siluer with the which the Palaces of Kings do glitter and shine Neither are these interiour ornaments only of great worth and pryce but also the externall and outward building it selfe is accustomed to be most admirable for the goodly marble stately Pillars guilded Porches hanging gardens and such other delicacies which is ouer long to relate Salomon King of Ierusalem after he had built a Temple to our Lord with such cost and charges as was fitting did make a Pallace for himselfe with such profuse cost as that he spent thirteene yeares in the building of it although he had many Maisters and Ouerseers of the whole Fabricke and had at hand with small labour great store of precious and curious marble and other stones and abundance of Cedar-trees And not with lesse charge and magnificence did he erect a Pallace for his vvife being the daughter of the King of Egypt so sumptuous as it seemed incredible Therefore when the Sacred Scripture calleth that Habitation the House of God which in other passages therof it calleth the Citty of God and the Kingdome of Heauen it seemeth to insinuate that all that Citty and Kingdome is as resplendent and glorious as any Regall house or Pallace For as we haue learned aboue out of the Prophet Baruch the House of God is of that largenesse and extension as that it is able to comprepend and containe the whole Kingdome of Heauen It seemed a little aboue a thing worthy of admiration if any whole Kingdome should appeare to be of that splendour and fayrenesse with which its chiefe Citty is adorned Who then will not rest astonished â—â—en he shall thinke that the whole Kingdome of Heauen is styled the House of God in that it is all stately all fayre all precious as beseemeth the House of God to be Therefore with good reason did the Prophet Dauid burst forth into those words Psal 83. My soule euen coueteth and fainteth vnto the Courts of our Lord. For who doth not thirstingly desire to see and possesse a most noble Kingly house which in its spacious greatnesse may equall any Kingdome As on the contrary to see and enioy a most ample and large Kingdome which for ornaments splendour and magnificence may contend and compare with any Princely house or Pallace Neither would our soule only desire the fruition of such a House such a Kingdom if attentiuely it did thinke thereof and confidently belieue the same but it would be wholy absorpt and euen faint and transgresse its owne limits through the incredible beauty and worth of so great a matter But alas we who lie vpon the ground and are become thrall to temporalities and earthly things and doe admire so much what we here see doe little busy our thoughts with inuisible matters we bearing our selues herein like to little children who neuer going out of their Fathers house doe so loue that poore Cottage as that they neuer once thinke of the Pallaces of Kings In like sort we imitate herein the Countrey-pesants who neuer saw any Citty but are busied in tilling their ground and in repayring their poore wodden and clayie house neuer thinking on Pallaces Towers Theaters Honours dignities increasing of siluer chargeable banquets and the like And perhapps these Rusticks and Children are more happy then many rich Cittizens and great Princes because those things which are in this world much prized and highly esteemed are commonly attended on with more anxiety care and danger then with solid profit and dignity But the goods which are in that Heauenly house of our Father are inestimable neither are they accoÌ„panied with any sollicitude discontent or perill but are exempted from all griefe and molestation and this not for any short time but for all Eternity Therefore S. Paul who was neither a Ch ld nor a Rusticke and who well knew the goods and commodities of this worâ—d for he was a man most learned and conuersed with most wise men He also had beene in the House of God and had perused and viewed the Heuenly Citty as being rapt into the third Heauen doth thus speake of himselfe 2. Cor. 4. VVe not considering the things which are seene but which are not seene for the things that are seene are temporall but the things that be not seene are eternall And againe Phil. 3. Our conuersation is in Heauen And according hereto he exhorteth vs all Colloss 3. To seeke the things which are aboue where Christ is sitting on the right hand of God And to mind the things which are aboue not the thinges which are vpon the Earth Of the Dyning Chamber of the House of God CHAP. III. ANother reason why that which is cal ed a Citty and a Kingdome is also called the House of God may be taken from those words of our Lord Ioan. 14. In my Fathers House there be many mansions Thus we see that in Houses there be Chambers or Partours to dine and sup in Chambers also for men to take their repose and sleepe Halles and other spacious roomes for the exercise of seuerall Actions which out of the House are not accustomed to be done But to begin with the Great Chamber as I may say or place of Refection Certainly there is a place in the House of our Lord in which all the Saints are not only fed wâ—th Princely viands but which is wonderfull and scarcely credible were it not that the Holy Ghost teacheth vs so much where the King himselfe shal be girded and prepared to minister and serue the Table For thus doth our Lord himself speake Luc. 12. Blessed are those seruants whome when our Lord commeth he shal find watching Verily I say vnto you that he will gird himselfe and make them sit downe and will come forth minister vnto them What kind of baÌ„quetting House is this Who euer heard of the lyke The Lord standeth the seruant sitteth downe the Lord is girded that without any hinderance or let he may wayte The Seruant is vngirded that so more freely and coÌ„modiously he may sit at Table The Lord goeth vp and downe to bring in and serue the meates The Seruant quietly feedeth vpon those Princely viands O if we
weake Architects and did want a solid and firme foundation did decay and became so ruinous as I may say in a short tyme as that scarcely their Names are now extant neither should we at this day take notice of their names had they not beene recorded in the Bookes of Catholike Writers who first impugned them as Irenaeus Philastrius Epiphanius Austin Theodoret and the lyke Now the Mahometans who so long and so wide haue so spread abâ—oad their Sect that they haue destroyed and expunged almost all the most difficult poâ—nts of Christian Faith as the Trinity of the Diuine Persons the Incarnation of the diuine VVord the death and Resurrection of the Sonne of God the Sacraments of Pennance and of the Eucharist All which mysteries being taken away all straitnesse touching Faith is taken away And thus the Gate being enlarged admitteth entrance for an innumerable multitude But those men who say they preach the Gospell of Christ in these our dayes haue entred in by another way and those straites they haue wholy taken away which doe not so much conduce to the Vnderstanding as to the VVill and Practice Christian Faith teacheth that all sinnes are to be auoided and that an account must be rendred of euery idle word And that if a man doe fal into mortall sinne he must confesse the same to a Priest and wash it away by a vehement Contrition and satisfaction That good works though laborious and difficult are to be performed being prescribed and enioyned by the spirituall Pastours of mans soule That the Kingdome of Heauen may be obtained and purchased by good works as the Crowne of Iustice and reward of labour That single and vnmaried life is to be led by Ecclesiasticall Persons and such others of the Clergy That the Vowes of Monks and Nuns are religiously to be obserued These Catholike and Christian Articles and such others as seemed to straiten the Gate of the Celestiall house our Aduersaries in Faith haue so ouerthrowne as that they haue opened a most large and wide Gate to Heauen teaching in all these points the contrary to vs Catholicks But to proceâ—d Neither haue haue all Catholiks ouercome all the straites of Faith For although they belieue aâ—l those points which Faith teacheth yet whiles they liue otherwise then their Faith instructeth and bindeth them they range themselues in the number of those of whom the Apostle speaketh Tim. 1. saying They confesse they know God but in their works they deny him And so by this manner themselues doe fly from the straites of Faith and enter into the broad Gate which leadâ—th to the most deadly ouerthrow of their Soules Therefore so farre forth as concerneth Faith the answere to the question propounded to our Lord VVhether they be but few that are saued is That they are but few and therefore men ought to labour and striue to enter in by the narrow Gate Of Hope which is another part of the gate of the House of GOD. CHAP. VII NOw touching Hope it also is straitned and narrow on all sides whether we consider the greatnesse of the reward or our basenesse and littlenesse For if one should command an vnlearned clowne vnexperienced in humane affayres to hope for that in a short time he should arriue to the wisdome of Salomon or at least of Plato Aristotle withall should haue the Empyre of Alexander the Great or of Augustus deliuered vp to him when would this poore silly fellow be persuaded that from his dunghil state he should aspire to such height of Wisedome and Soueraignty Yet this is far more easy then that a mortall man should hope for the Wisedome and Power of Angells who are in Heauen and are pure Intelligences For that poore Countrey Pesant and Alexander and Aristotle were of the same nature and all were mortall men And the wisdome of Aristotle did not transcend humane wisdome and the Empyre of Alexander did not comprehend within it the third part of the world But the Hope of the faithfull commands them to hope for the equality of the Angells our Lord himselfe thus saying Luc. â—0 They who shall be counted worthy of that world and the resurrection from the Dead neither marry nor take wiues neither can they dye any more for they are equall to Angells and are the Sonnes of God In like sort if a man who only creepeth vpon the earth should be commanded to hope that wâ—thin few dayes he should be ab e to fly in the ayre or to continue a long time vnder the water when could he be brought to hope for these things And yet Birds though great as Cranes Storks Eagles doe most swiftly fly through the aire and most huge and loaded shâ—pps doe subsist in the waters passing to and fro with great speedines as the Saylers shall gouerne them But the Hope of Christians without the least doubt or wauering commandeth that a Christian man shall Hope euen with his body to ascend aboue the Heauens and that he shall descend from Heauen to earth without any danger of ruine or fall and that in his poâ—â—ing from the Eaâ—t to the West he shall striue euen with the Sunne and shall doubtlesly ouercome it in swiftnesse To conclude if any poore man who is depriued of his Parents should be commanded to Hope that a great King altogeather vnknowne to him should adopt him for his Sonne no doubt be would much struggle with his owne iudgement before he could be induced to hope for the true euent thereof And yet Christian fayth teacheth that euery Man who is baptized in Christ and keepeth the Commandements of Christ shall haue the spirit of Adoption from God shal be coadopted into his Sonne shal be truly heyre of all those goods which God himselfe possesseth shal be the Coheyre of Christ who is the natura l and pâ—oper Sonne of God whom the Father hath constituted Heyre of aâ—l things whatsoeuer This vigorous Fayth if according to its owne worth it were imbraced by Christians would make them so fearlesse and resolute as that they would yield to no peri ls and dangers but would confidently say with the Prophet Psal 117. God is my Helper I will not feare what Man can do against me And Yf whole armyes should staÌ„d against me my hart shal not feare And with the Apostle Phil 4. I can do all things in him that strenghn th me And againe Rom 8. Ys God he for vs who is against vs But there are very few who do hope for such high and hard matters as they ought since there are many who do expect to receaue only temporall and small matters from God but for the gayning of them doe confide and trust in their owne subtilties in thefts and lyes rather then in the help of the Highest Our Lord him elfe in Mathew 6. and Luke 12. admonished the faythfull by most forcing and mouing similitudes tha they should not be ouer sollicitous in seeking of meate and cloathing but that
good Theefe hanging with him vpon the Crosse Luc. 23. To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise For by the vvord Paradise our Sauiour did vnderstand the Kingdome of Heauen and essentiall Beatitude For when the Theefe had said O Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy Kingdome our Lord promising to him the participation of his Kingdome did answere To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The same is also witnessed by S. Paul when he said 2. Cor. 12. I know a man in Christ rapt euen to the third Heauen he was rapt into Paradise S. Iohn doth witnesse the same in his Apocalyps cap. 2. where he bringeth in our Lord thus speaking To him that ouercommeth I will giue to eate of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of my God Now from these passages of Scripture it is euident that the Region of the Blessed is a place of delight and Pleasure Furthermore when our Lord said to the good and faythfull seruant Math. 25. Enter into the ioy of thy Lord doth he not most openly declare the House of God or the City of God to the which all the good and faythfull Seruants are admitted after their passing out of this world to be a place of Ioy And where in many places be compareth the Kingdome of Heauen to a Supper as in Luc. 14. A certaine mâ—n made a great supper And againe cap. 22. where he sayth And I dispose to you as my Father disposed to me a kingdome that you may eate and drinke vpon my Table in my kingdome To conclude in the Apocalyps â—t is said cap. 19. Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the Mariage of the Lambe Certainly the Scripture by the Metaphor of a supper signifieth delectation and pleasure except we will maintayne that in the sense of Tasting there is no pleasure And we may annex hereto that in the Gospell and in the Apocalips the Kingdome of Heauen is compared to a Regall or Princely Supper as is euident out of that King VVho made a mariage for his sonne and out of the Parable of the Wise foolish Virgins of which the Wise Virgins did enter with the Bridegroome to the Mariage but the Foolish Virgins were shut out We also fynd in the Apocalyps many things to be spoken of the Mariage of the Lambe in the Kingdome of Heauen being celebrated with all magnificent preparation Furthermore the felicity of the Saints is compared to Princely Mariages at what tyme all kind of pleasures almost are enioyed of which point we are further to discourse in the next ensuing Booke To conclude S. Iohn in the Apocalyps did see a Company of Virgins who did follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he went and did sing a new song which no others could sing Which place S. Austin expoundeth of certaine holy ioyes and pleasures which the Virgins either men or Women do enioy His words are these You shall bring to the Mariage of the Lambe a new song which you shall sing vpon your Citherns that is you shall sing prayses in your Harts not such as the whole Earth singeth but such as not any can sing but your selues Aug. de sancta Virgin c. 27. And then after Whither may we thinke this Lambe will goe Where none shal be able or dare to follow him but your selues Whither may we thinke him to goe into what gardens or other pleasant places Thither I belieue where the grasse is ioyes not the vayne ioyes of this VVorld being but lying Madnes neither the ioyes which are graunted in the kingdome of God to others not being Virgins but they are ioyes distinguished from all other kind of ioyes And then againe a little after The rest of the multitude of the faithfull shall see you which cannot follow this Lambe They shall see but the shall not enjoy and reioycing with you that which they haue not in themselues they shall haue in you for they shall not be able to sing that new song peculiar to you but they shal be able to heare it and to be delighted in your great delight But you who shall both sing and heare this new song because in that you shall sing it you shall heare it you shall with more felicity exult or reioyce and with more pleasure reigne ibid. c. 29. Thus from all aboue expressed it is manifest that in the Heauenly Kingdome and City or House there be many true Ioyes and most true and most great Pleasures Of the Ioy of the Vnderstanding CHAP. II. SEing aboue we haue proued out of the Holy Scripture that there are true Ioyes in the Kingdome of Heauen we wiâ—l now explicate what those Ioyes be And first we will vndertake to shew what the Ioyes of the Vnderstanding VVill and Memory be all which do belong to the spirit or soule next what the ioyes of the seuerall senses be which do appertaine vnto the Body VVe do not intenâ— herby to maintayne that the Vnderstanding the Memory and the sâ—nses of the Body are the proper seats of Ioy for we are not ignorant that Ioy as also desire do properly beloÌ„g to the will in the superiour part and to the Appetite in the inferiour But we heare speake as men do vulgarly speak who forbeare not to say that the Eye is delighted with the beauty of Colours and the Eare with sweetnes of sounds Therefore we vnderstand by the Ioy of the mynd or of the Memory or of the Externall senses a delectation or pleasure which a man taketh from those things which either he doth vnderstand or remember or which he doth draw from the externall senses The first Ioy then of the Blessed shal be to see with the eyes of the mind God euen face to face as S. Paul speaketh and as S. Iohn sayth to see him as he is Now how great a Ioy this wil be we may in part coniecture in that the Prophet Isay and the Apostle do witnes that it exceedeth all the Ioyes which any maÌ„ hath either seene heard desired or euer imagined The eye hath not seene nor the eare hath heard neither hath it entred into the harâ— of man what things God hath prepared for them that loue him Isa 64. 1. Cor. 2 For the Scripture here speaketh of the chiefe and Essentiall Beatitude or Happines which is placed in the vision and sight of God himselfe according to that saving of our Lord Matth. 5 Blessâ—d are the cleane of Hart for they shall see God And This is life euerlasting that they know thee the only true God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And truly there semeth in the former VVords a great amplification to wit That no man hath either seene or heard or desired or thought what kind of ioy consisteth in the Vision of God Notwâ—thstanding it is no amplification but a simple Truth because the Eyes the eares and the harts of men are accustomed to perceaue only ioyes that haue end but the Vision of God is
beginning to the End What pleasure will the remembrance of so many Vicissitudes of things and of so great Variety bring which the Prouidence of God hath gouerned so wisely and brought to their due ends And perhaps this is that mayne current of that Riuer which so wonderfully exhilerateth the Citty of God Psal 45. For what other thing is the Order of ages passing away with such speede and neuer intermitting their course then the great swiftnes of the Riuer running without any cessation till it be wholy absorpt in the mayne Ocean And now truly whiles the Riuer is in running and the Times slipping away many do dispute of the Prouidence of God yea some euen of Gods seruants are much troubled with this impetuosity of the streame for seing that it is often hurtfull to good men but commodious and beneficiall to the Wicked whiâ—es it carieth away the good earth taken from the fields of the Vertuous vnto the fields of the Wicked thus they often suffer great Temptations and seeme to complayne of Gods Prouidence Heare of this point the Royall Prophet thus moaning Psal 72. My feete were almost moued my steps almost slipped because I had zeale vpon the wicked seing the peace of sinners And a little after Loe the sinners themselues and they that abound in the World haue obtayned riches And I said then I haue iustified my hart without cause and haue washed my hands among Innocents and haue bene scourged all the day Heare also Ieremy the Prophet thus expostulating cap. 12. Thou O Lord art iust if I dispute with thee but yet I will speake iust things to thee Why doth the way of the impious prosper And why is it well with all that transgresse and do wickedly Thou hast planted them they haue taken roote They prosper and bring forth fruite thou art nigh to their mouth and far from their reynes To conclude Heare the Prophet Habacuc c. 1. Why lookest thou vpon them that do vniust things and houldest thy peace when the impious deuoureth him that is more iust then himselfe Thou wilt make men as the fishes of the Sea and as the creeping Beast not hauing a Prince Thus these former Prophets But after the reuolution of tymes and after the forsaid Riuer hath disgorged it selfe into the sea when the Saints in Heauen shall cleerely see read the reasons of all those vicissitudes or alterations as written in the Booke of the diuine Prouidence then VVords will light short to expresse the ioye which the City of God shall receaue thereby There they shall read why God suffered the first Angell and the first man to sinne and why the Mercy of God did restore the man but would not restore the Angell There they shall see why God did make choyce of the sonnes of Abraham for his peculiar people whome notwithstanding he did foresee to be after of a most stubborne necke and what good through their obstinacy he was after to prepare for the Gentills And that I may pretermit the Vniuersall Prouidence of God there they shall see why he did permit many iust Men or rather almost aâ—l to suffer pressures and â—fflictions in this World and to become balls to their Enemies that therby he might after crowne them most gloriously And from this remembraÌ„ce the Saints shall with great ioy euen blesse all those Crosses which they suffered in the VVord when they shall see them changed into euerlasting Crownes and shall say with the Prophet Psal 93. According to the multude of my sorrowes in my hart thy Consolations haue made my soule ioyfull Of the Ioy of the Eyes CHAP. V. LEt vs now take into our consideration the ioyes of a glorified Body And first the Ioy of the sense of seeing presenteth it selfe which sense among the senses of the Body is most noble and in its office and vse dilateth it selfe most largly This sense in the Celestiall Country shall first reioyce at the splendour of its owne proper Body changed by Christ and configured or made like to the Body of his Glory as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 3. Neither shall its brightnes be lesse then the splendour of the sunne For the same Apostle Act. 26. affirmeth that Christ according to whose brightneâ— we are to be coÌ„formed was seene of him to exceed the brightnes of the sunne And our Lord himselfe thus speaketh in the Ghospell Then the iust shall shyne as the sunne in the kingdome of their Father Matth. 13. How pleasing and gratefull a spectacle will it be when the Eyes of the Blessed shall behould their hands their feete and all their meÌ„bers so to send forth beames of light as that they shall not neede any more the light of the sunne or of the moone much lesse the light of a Candle to dispense all darknes And they shall see not only their owne body to shyne like to the sunne but also the bodies of all Saints and especially of Christ himselfe and of his Blessed Mother How much doth one Sunne at its rising reioyce the whole Earth What then will it be to behould innumerable sunnes togeather not resplendent only in light but also most fayre for their variety and proportion of members Neither in that place shall the Eyes shut themselues for feare least they be oppressed and hurt with ouer much brightnes for those Eyes shall be Blessed and in this respect impassible and immortall For he who shall so comfort the Eyes of the mind with the light of Glory as that they behoulding God face to face shall not be oppressed by his Glory he shall also comfort the Eyes of the body with the guift or priuiledge of Impassibility so as without any danger they shal be able to looke vpon not one only sunne but innumerable sunnes This further shal be adioyned to increase the glory of the Eyes as S. Austin teacheth l. 22. de Ciu. c. 20. to wit that the most Blessed Martyrs shall beare most fayre and beautifull prints or signes of Vertue euen in those particular partes of the Body wherein they suffered their torments What solace to the eye then shall it be to behould S. Stephen shyning with as many precious stones as he suffered dints of stones in his Body In like sort what pleasure wil it be to see S. Io. Baptist S. Iames the elder S. Paul almost infinite others whose heads were cut of for professing Christ to shyne vvith a most rich chayne more precious then any gould What to see S. Bartholomew whose skinne was fleaed off so illustrious in body as that it may seeme to exceed all Purple though neuer so precious What shall it be to omit all others to behould S. Peter S. Andrew and many others who suffered death vpon the Crosse to represent or beare most shining stars as it were in their hands and feete with incredâ—ble Beauty Concerning Christ the king of Martyrs who for his glory and our comfort will haue the signes or marks of the nayles and the Lance
said The things that please him I do alwayes Ioan. 8. And the like did the Apostle the true imitatour of Christ saying 2. Cor. 5. We striue whether we be ahsent or present to please him This perfect renunciation and disclayming from all things which a man possesseth or desires to possesse this abnegation of a mans selfe that he may serue only God is the true Pryce of Paradise Neither followeth it that who giueth himselfe away after this manner that he may buy Paradise doth loose himselfe but most truly most happily he doth find himselfe according to those words of our Lord Matth. â—0 He that loseth his life for me shall find it He that hateth his life in this VVorld doth keep it to life euerlasting But because this Wisdome is hidden from the wyse and prudent men of this wor d who truly are fooles in the sight of God and because the number of fooles is infinite therefore many are called but few are chosen Matth. 22. OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder Parabolicall Names THE FIFTH BOOKE Of a Treasure hidden in the field CHAP. I. HITHERTO I haue written so far forth as God hath vouchsafed to dictate to me in my Meditations of the felicity of the Saints vnder the name of those places which they do inhabit I meane vnder the places of the kingdome of Heauen of the Citty of God of â—he House of our Lord and of the Para◠〈◊〉 â—elights and Pleasures I will in this next place add something concerning the same Felicity vnder the name of such Things to the which our Lord in Parables hath compared the Felicity of Saints And heere in the beginning it is to be aduertized that those Words of our Lord The kingdome of Heauen is like c. the which our Lord doth commonly vse are not euer referred to the Words immediatly following As where our Lord sayth The kingdome of Heauen is like vnto a Merchant man he meaneth not that the Kingdome of Heauen is like vnto a Merchant man but he referreth those words to the whole Narration in which by way of similitude the way to the Kingdome of Heauen is demonstrated And further we are to obserue that the Kingdome of Heauen is sometimes in the Parables described more obscurely at other tymes more clearely and sometimes not touched at all I wil explicate the seuerall members of this diuision Whereas our Lord in S. Matthew setteth downe the Parable of the sower he describeth the fruite which the Preaching of the Ghospell bringeth forth according to the diuers dispositions of the earth and this he calleth the Mistery of the Kingdome of God but touching the Beatitude of the Saints he speaketh nothing But where our Lord in the same place doth add the Parable of the Cockle he briefly toucheth the felicity of Saints when he sayth that the good Seede or wheat is to be gathered vp into the barne of our Lord and the Cockle to be tyed togeather and burned But when in the same Chapter he relateth the Parables of him that sought for good Pearles and of him that did find the Treasure hidden in the field then more perspicuously he compareth the Kingdome of God to a Pearle and to a Treasure And of this third kind among the Parables of our Lord I find only six One of a Treasure hidden in a field another of a precious Margarite or Pearle The third of the daily Penny the fourth of the Lord or Mayster distributing the Talents The fift of a Great supper the sixt of a Mariage To the which we will adioyne two similitudes out of the Apostle the one of those who runne in a race the other who fight or stryue for the Maistery So as there shal be eight Considerations touching the Blessed life of the Saints deduced from Parabolicall Names or Titles The first Parable then is taken from S. Mathew cap 13. The kingdome of heauen is like to a Treasure hidden in a field VVhere our Lord teacheth how it may be gotten when he sayth Which when a man hauing found did hide it and for ioy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field Treasure signifieth a great aboundance of gould siluer and precious stones as Paulus the Ciuill Lawyer teacheth de acquir rerum dom L. Nunquam this Treasure ought to be so ancient as that there remayned no memory therof before and therfore it hath no proper Lord but belongeth by right to him that findeth it This Treasure in S. Mathew is the Diuinity it selfe which is hid in the field of the Humanity of Christ as S. Hilarius and S. Ierome in Com. cap. 13. Matth. do rightly expound For in Christ as the Apostle sayth all the Treasures of the knowledge and VVisdome of God are hidden Now the Diuinity is the most true Treasure of all goods and is indeed so ancient since it is eternall and did precede all Ages as that there can be no former memory of it extant Neither had this Infinite Treasure any proper Lord to own it for it selfe is the Lord of all things Neuerthelesse this Treasure of the Diuinity is said to belong to the right of them that find it because God giueth himselfe freely to those who by selling all their substance and Goods earnestly labour to acquire purchase him It is further said to be had as it were and digged in a field to wit in the Humanity of Christ for although the Diuinity be euery where yet it is in no place so properly and peculiarly as in the Humanity of Christ to the which it is so vnited as that one and the same Person is both God and Man And therefore the Apostle sayth 2. Cor 5. God was in Christ reconciling the VVorld to himselfe And though the Diuinity be in no place more then in the Humanity of Christ notwithstanding it seemeth to be so hid therein as that it is needfull to vse a light or candle to demonstrate and shew God to be in Christ And this light was S. Iohn Baptist who as S. Iohn writeth cap. 5. was the lampe burning shining Of whom Dauid in the Person of God the Father did thus prophesy Ps 131. I haue prepared a Lampe vnto my Christ. For S. Iohn Baptist did manifest Christ and did shew that he was God and the only begotten sonne of God when he said Ioan. 1. God no man hath euer seene the only begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared And againe He that commeth from Heauen is aboue all And a litle after The Father loueth the Sonne and he hath giuen all things in his hand he that belieueth in the sonne hath life euerlasting but he that is incredulous to the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God remaineth vpon him Ioan. 3. But although this burning and shining Lampe did manifest Christ openly to be the Sonne of God neuerthelesse the blinded Iewes could not at least would not acknowledge the
Diuinity to be hidden in Chrisi For if they had knowne so much then as the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 2. they would neuer haue crucified the Lord of Glory VVho therefore being enlightened from God doth find this Treasure doth hide it and for ioy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth the field To hide the Treasure being found is nothing eâ—s but to conceale and couer the receaued Grace of God vnder the veyle of Humility and not to vaunt of diuine Consolations and Reuelations for feare that vayne and aery glory do corrupt true Glory Therefore Esay cap. 24. was accustomed to say My secret is to my selfe And the Apostle 2. Cor. 12. If I must needs glory it is not expedient indeed I will come to the Visions and Reuelations of our Lord. I know a man in Christ aboue foureteene yeares agoe c. For that most remarkable Reuelation which the Apostle being rapt into Paradise receaued he concealed for the space of foureteene yeares and would haue concealed it but that the necessity of disclosing the same forced him thereto And he plainly pronounceth that it is not expedient to publish and make knowne such guifts or priuiledges and therefore he did discouer it vnder an vncertaine name well shewing thereby how anxiously he suffered the manifestation thereof The like fell out vnto S. Francis when the sacred Prints or wounds were from aboue impressed vpon his body as S. Bonauenture in his life relateth For at other tymes he was accustomed to conceale his diuine reuelations and to say with Esay My secret is to my selfe c. But when he saw the matter could be concealed no longer he related with great feare the whole order of his Vision to his Brethren demanding him therof But to proceed To buy with ioy that field wherein the Treasure did lye hidden signifieth only that he who will enioy God and Cbrist in the Kingdome of Heauen ought to suffer in affection renouncing and casting away of all temporall thinges and to bequeath both himselfe and what he any way hath vnto the seruice and obedience of God and this not with any painefull reluctation of Will or necessity but with all alacrity and ioy seeing that God loueth a chereful giuer 2. Cor. 9. But he who truly knoweth how immense a Treasure it is to enioy Christ in the Eternall Country to behould his Diuinity with the Eyeâ— of his Soule and his Humanity with the Eyes of his Body and to participate of all the goods of God and Christ and to be sure and certaine of so great a Possession for all Eternity will thinke it no great matter to spurne at and contemne all temporalities whatsoeuer yea his owne lyfe for the loue of God and euerlasting felicity Witnes to vs of this Point may be S. Ignatius Martyr thus writing to the Romans Fyar the Crosse cruelty of beasts cutting asunder my Body breaking of my bones a rending of all my members the extinguishment of all my Body yea all the whips and scourges of the diuell let shem full vpon me so that I may deerue to obtaine purchase Christ Now he who out of the fulnes of his Charity towards Christ thus speaketh doubtlesly would litle feare want pouerty ignominy exile prisons so that he might not lose that incoÌ„parable Treasure Whoseuer therfore earnestly coueteth to gaine the Treasure of Eternall life let him most seriously thinke coÌ„sider with himself whether he be prepared with an immoueable resolutioÌ„ to contemne betraÌ„ple vnder his feet all other goods since otherwise neither a liue nor dead shall he euer obtaine that Treasure without the which he shall eternally be most miserable and poore But I heere will demaund what is the reason why so many men in such heate of desire do seeke after the Treasures of Gould and siluer and not content to vse herein humane diligeÌ„ce they flye by most execrable Arts to the help of the Deuill with imminent danger both of their reputation and life And yet thy Treasure O Lord my God so few do seeke which alone is able to enrich a man and which they may easely purchase without labour charge or perill Truly I do see no other Cause hereof but either want of fayth in thy People or their ouermuch negotiation in temporall affaires which leaueth them no tyme to thinke and meditate of thy diuine Promisses made vnto men Therefore O Blessed Lord increase our Fayth and beliefe concerning thy Promisses and extinguish our thirst in the pursuite of temporall riches For so it may come to passe that with greater and more feruerous bent of desire we shall seeke after thy Treasure and finding it with sale of all we haue may resolue to purchase it Of the precious Margarite or Pearle CHAP. II. AN other Parable like to the former and which also next follovveth in S. Mathew cap. 13. is of the Precious Pearle or Margarite For in that there was a Treasure in this a Pearle which may be esteemed as a Treasure In that it was needfull by selling of all a man possesseth to buy the field in which the Treasure was hid In this in like manner it is necessaâ—y to buy the Pearle with the charges and expences of all we haue Therefore it is conuenient only to explicate in what points these two Parables do diffâ—r They differ in two things to wit that in the first a Treasure is mentioned in this a Pearle Againe that the Treasure was found by chance whereas the Pearle was dâ—ligently sought after by the Merchant And truly in this place the Celestiall Beatitude or Christ himselfe is vnderstood by the Pearle as S. Ambrose serm 6. S. Gregory Nazianzen orat 49. Ruffinus and others do interprete That is called the Pearle in this Parable which in the former Parable was called a Treasure to giue vs to vnderstand that the Diuinity of Christ which is the Obiect of Eternall felicity or the Vision whereof to speake in the Deuines dialect is the formall Beatitude or Felicity is indeed a Treasure but not deuided into seuerall kinds of gould siluer and precious stones but is one thing which contayneth in it selfe the price of an infinite Treasure Whereas the Pearle is but one only thing contayning in it selfe according to the iudgment of Pliny lib 9. c. 35. the perfection and height of all Precious things Furthermore a Treasure may consist of only money or goods though in very great quantity which Treasure respecteth only profit not pleasure or outward Pompe Wherefore to preuent that a man do not gather out of the former Parable that Celestiall Beatitude is only profitable and not specious and honourable our Lord did adde this other Parable of the Pearle in which he teacheth that the Diuinity of Christ and our felicity is lyke to the Pearle which besides the profit of a Treasure hath also in it fayrenes and splendour which doth adorne delight We may adde heerto that the Pearle is the Symbole Character
now be illuminated by thee to acknowledge and seeke after the same and by the selling of all that we haue with ioy may purchase and buy it Of the daily Penny CHAP. III. HEere followeth the third Parable touching the daily Penny promised by the Househoulder to such as labored in his Vineyard Which Parable we find in S. Mathew cap. 20. At the first sight the reward of eternall life seemeth to be much extenuated and lessened in this Parable since it is here compared but to a daily Penny which before was compared to a Treasure and precious Pearle But this extenuation is annexed that the reward may be sutable with the labour â—nd the Worke For the similitude would seeme incongruous if a huge Treasure or a Pearle or a Scepter or Regall Crowne should be promised to laboring men only for the space of one day Now that this penny is not a penny of some few brasse peeces but a Celestiall Penny which sufficeth for the procuring of all necessary things and this for all Eternity may be easely demonstrated seing the wages or reward ought to be answerable to the labour Now the labour of those which worke in the Vineyeard of Christ ought not to be prized esteemed only according to the substance of the Worke For in this sense we all ought to say with the Apostle Rom. 8. The passions of this tyme are not condigne to the glory to come that shal be reuealed in vs. But it is to receaue its valew and estimation from the grace of God inhabitant in the harts of the Iust which is a fountaine of liuing Water springing vp vnto life euerlasting Ioan. 4. Alâ—o it is to be weighed from the Veâ—tue of Charity which is infused into vs by the Holy Ghost who is giuen to vs for the Crowne of eternall life is prepared of God for all that loue him as S. Iames writeth cap. 1. It is in like sort to be prized from the CoÌ„iunctioÌ„ the labour hath with Christ who giueth a valew and chiefe estimation to the fruites of the liuing branches as a true Vine and to the works of the liuing members of his mysticall Body of which he is the Head and to whom himselfe said Matth. 5. Be glad and reioyce for your reward is very great in Heauen To conclude shall not our Lord at the day of Iudgment say when the reward shal be giuen to all that haue laboured in the Vineyard Come you blessed of my Father possesse you the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the World For I was hungry and you gaue me to eate c. seing the Works of Charity belong chiefly to labour by the which we toyle and sweat in the Vineyard of Christ Behould therefore how precious and inestimable is that Penny which of our Lord himselfe is called a Kingdome Neither can this Penny vndeseruedly be called a Kingdome since it doth represent and figure out Christ no lesse then a Treasure or a Pearle doth For in a Penny is ingrauen the Image of the Prince in it are also written certaine words and the forme of it is round Now Christ is the Image of the inuisible God as we learne from the Apostle Coloss 1. He is also the VVord of the Eternall Father as S. Iohn the Euangelist sayth and he hath no beginning of dayes nor end of life as the Apostle teacheth Hebr. 7. which is signified by the roundnes of the figure To conclude the most wise Salomon sayth All things are obedient subiect to money and Christ is the Lord of all riches as S. Peter witnesseth Act. 13. Therefore it followeth that the Penny which is giuen to those that labour in the Vineyard is Christ true God and therein Eternall life according to that of S. Iohn That we may know the true God and may be in his true Sonne this is the true God and life euerlasting 1. Ioan. 5. But let vs see to whom this precious Penny is to be giuen the which who haue once obtayned shall not stand in further neede of any thing Our Lord sayth Math. 20. Call the VVorkmen and pay them their hyre Therefore it is to be giuen vnto those that labour in the Vineyard without intermission without cessation without negligence It shall not be giuen to those that stand idle in the Marketplace or to those who spend their tyme in hawking hunting playes or sports For the Reward or hyre is giuen onely to them that merit it is not giuen gratis much lesse is it giuen to those that do demerit Which point the Apostle confirmeth saying Rom. 6. The stipend of sinne is death but the grace of God is life euerlasting The Apostle thus speaketh because without the precedent Grace of God no man can worke well so as the reward of Eternall life may be due to him But Grace being receaued I meane that Grace which is giuen Gratis not by reason of any works then the reward of Good workes shal be Eternall life And according hereto S. Austin thus speaketh As death is giuen as a reward for the merit of sinne so Eternall life is giuen as a reward or stipend for the merit of Iustice Ep. 105. ad Sixtum Neither are we heere to imagine that because the same Penny is giuen indifferently to all the Workemen Labourers that therefore in the Kingdome of Heauen the Rewards are alike to all For thou this Penny doth signify Eternall life or God or Christ that Eternall life and God and Christ shal be common to all Yet here we are to obserue that euen as the same sunne is more clearely seene of an Eagle then of any other Bird and the same fyer doth more heate those who stand neere to it then those who are further distant Euen so among those who shall see God and Christ one shall see more clearely and in seeing shall reioyce with greater pleasure then another And as the merits of men shal be different so also shall their Revvards be different But here one doubt may be vrged why the Lord in distribution of his revvards did change the order saying Pay them their hyrâ— beginning from the last vnto the first So shall the last be first and the first last for many be called but few Elect. But here we are to conceaue that this belongeth to the grace and priuiledge of the new Testament that therby we may vnderstand ourselues to be more happy then the Fathers of the Old Testament and that in this respect we may be more gratefull to God and may with more diligence and alacrity labour in his Vineyard The Holy Fathers who before the Ascension of Christ did cultiuate the Vineyard of our Lord were Adam Noe Abraham Moyses and the rest of the Patriarchs and Prophets They were called in the first the third the sixt the nynth hower they not only laboured a long tyme because they liued long but euen after their deaths for the space of many Centuries of yeares and some
state of the Blessed These materiall things are spoken vnto vs in this our exile because we do not here see better or greater Matters But from these we ought to learne that that Celestiall Supper shall so much excell our suppers vpon earth though neuer so dainty or curious by how much Heauen is better then the Earth and by how much God who shall prepare this Supper doth transcend and surmount mortall Kings in power and riches But heare it may be questioned why the felicity of the blessed is compared rather to a supper then to a dinner of this point the reason is in that the tyme of Dinner is about the midst of the day and the tyme after dinner till supper is commonly spent in executing of busines whereas Supper is prepared at the end of the day when as all negotiations are finished after which Supper followeth Rest and Repose And therefore in another Parable which is in Matth. 22. where meÌ„tion is made of the Incarnation of our Lord the time of Dinner introduced for the Mariage with the Church his Spouse is begunne in the midle of the day that is long before the consummation of the World After which time of Dinner many matters of greatest importance especially the Redemption of the world and the reconciliation of Mankind with God are treated But after all businesse and sollicitudes shall cease then the bringing of the Spouse to the House of the Bridegrome and the Nuptiall Supper shall follow that is Eternall Repose at the close of the day and end of the World But yet it will be worthy of obseruation to knovv vvhat is to be done that vve may be admitted vnto this Supper And of this our Lord himself hath byn pleased to instruct vs in this Parable saying Luc. 14. A certaine Man made a great Supper and called many but they began all at once to make excuse The first said I haue bought a Farme and I must needs goe forth and see it I pray thee haue me excused And another said I haue bought fiue yoake of Oxen and I goe to proue them I pray thee hold me excused The third said I haue maryed a Wyfe and therefore I cannot come A wonderfull matter Men are inuited by God to a Nuptiall and Regall Supper and they refuse to come what then would they do if they vvere called to the labour of Warre or to a long and perillous iourney But this is humane blindnes which can hardly be brought to belieue any thing but what it seeth But what is that which mortall men prefer before the Diuine Supper which is our supreme and eternall good Three things our Lord setteth downe as maine impediments of our Saluation which of their owne nature are not euill and yet through an affection to them not vvell gouerned they hinder mans Saluation To buy a farme to trye Oxen and to marry a Wife are no sinnes but to aduance and prefer them before the kingdome of God is incredible stupidity and blindnes And yet there be found many Christians in euery place who do affect and seeke after these temporalities with a wonderfull thirst and hunger coÌ„suming whole dayes and nights in pursuing of Honour which is noted in buying of the farme and of Lucre or Gayne which is signified in manuring of ground or drawing of Oxen and of Pleasure or Voluptuousnes which it taken throgh new Mariage Yea they are so absort in the depth of these earthly matters as that they remayne wholy forgetfull of the eternall and most great rewards which God hath promised to them that loue him Neither are many men content to buy farmes to proue their Oxen to marry wiues but that they may the further depart from hope of Saluation they seare not to inuade other mens farmes to steale Oxen and to maintayne Concubins and prostituted women neuer euer thinking much lesse maturely considering what hurt and domage it is for such triffles to suffer the losse of the Supper of our Lord. Certainly if God did not promise vnto vs being but poore Wormes of the Earth a Supper of infinite sweetnes in Heauen but only did promise the crums falling from that table or the refuse of the meates yet it vvere most profitable for vs to contemne all temporall things whatsoeuer that so we might feed vpon those Offalls What madnes then is it to aduance small decaying and fleeting pleasures aboue the Supper of our Lord himselfe vvhich abounds with all sempiternall goods and at the which we shall sit downe in the Heauenly Kingdome with the holy Angells and with him who is the Lord of Angells To proceed After our Lord had shevved vvhat might hinder our entrance vnto this great Supper he therpon adioyneth certaine remedies to remoue those lets and impediments for thus he goeth forvvard in his Parable Then the Maister of the House being angry said to his seruants Goe forth quickly into the streets and lanes of the Citty and the poore and feeble and blind and lame bring in hither Because rich men being occupied in buying of farmes of Oxen and in mariage refused to come to the supper of this great Lord he calleth in the Poore Weake and Lame who neither haue money to buy Farmes or Oxen neither can easely get wyues as wanting meanes to maintaine them These men therefore as free from all intanglements wherewith the others vvere ensnared are admitted to the Great Supper who may deseruedly congratulate their ovvne fortune and state that God would haue them to be Poore weake blynd and Lame Many heere in this life do much complaine that they arâ— borne Poore or that they are often sicke or depriued of sight or are lame in their lymmes and for these imperfections they hould themselues most infortunate and miserable not knowing what good God doth prouide for them in the World to come euen for this very cause which many men repute as an Infelicity But if they did know Gods sweete proceeding herein they would doubtlesly exult and reioyâ—e Thâ—rfore no man ought to complaine of the Prouidence of God but in all things to loue him with due thanks who hath a care and vigilancy ouer vs and euer to rest quiet and reposed in his good Will pleasure But how true soeuer these things are in a literall sense yet in this Parable those are said propâ—rly to be poore who are poore in spirit not in riches and those weake not in strength but in confidence and trust of themselues those blynd not in their bodily eyes but in subtilty and craft those lame not in their feete but in their affections I wil speake more plainly The Poore who are admitted to the Supper of our Lord are those who hearing the Apostle 1. Tim. 6. desire not to be rich and if they haue riches they haue them not to heape vp togeather and so to conserue them neither to wait and dissipate them in Vanities but to performe and exercise that vvhich the Holy Ghost speaketh of by the mouth