the Prophet told him Fables such like as these that we may be saued and iustified by onely Faith or only Hope but not as the Law of God which teacheth saying Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God from thy whole heart c. Fourthly It esteemeth them to be malignant people who out of their malice would fraudulently conduct others into Hell and Torments saying Depart from me ye malignant V. 115. and I will search the Commandements of my God which consist in Loue and not in onely Faith or onely Hope If I should haue saith Saint 1. Cor. 13. 2. Paul Prophecie and know all Misteries and all Knowledge and I should haue all Faith so that I could remoue Mountaines and haue not Charitie I am nothing and if I should distribute all my goods for meat for the poore and if I should deliuer my bodie so that I burne and haue not Charitie it doth profit me nothing If wee will beleeue Saint Paul neither Prophecies nor Science nor Knowledge nor Faith nor Almes-deeds nor Martyrdome for the Religion any one professeth is sufficient to the attayning vnto Happinesse without Charitie and so he concludeth saying Now these remaine Faith Hope and Charitie these three but the greater of these is Charitie according to the words of our Lord where he saith He that shall breake one of Mâ—â— â— 20. these least Commandements and shall so teach men shall be called the least in the Kingdome of Heauen But he that shall doe and teach he shall be called great in the Kingdome of Heauen So our Sauiour saith I tell Mat. 5. 21. you that vnlesse your iustice abound more then that of the Scribes Pharises you shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Yet the Scribes and Pharises had Faith as witnesseth our Sauiour saying Vpon the Mat. 23. 2. Chaire of Moyses haue sitten the Scribes and Pharises All things therefore whatsoeuer they shall say vnto you obserue yee and doe yee Whereby is manifest that the Scribes preached faithfull and true Doctrine otherwise our Sauiour would not haue wished their Auditors to obserue and doe whatsoeuer they said But they wanted Charitie in themselues to doe good Workes and keepe the Law as witnesseth our Sauiour saying But according Mat. 23. â— to their workes doe yee not for they say and doe not and so for want of Charitie or loue towards God they shall not as our Sauiour sayth enter into the Kingdome of Heauen or euer enioy Rest or Happinesse but endlesse Paines Againe our Sauiour sayth If God were your Father verily Io. 8. 42. you would loue me for from God I proceed Whereby our Sauiour giueth vs to vnderstand that such as doe not loue God with all their hearts according to the Commaundement haue not God for their Father and are not the sonnes of God but of the Deuill As in another place he sayth You are of your Father the Deuill and the desires Io. 8. 43. of your Father you will doe who though he beleeue that there is a God as S. Iames witnesseth Iam. 2. yet hee doth not loue God with all his heart and keepe his Commandements Whereupon it is written of our Sauiour That for this appeared 1. Io. 3. 8. the Sonne of God that he might dissolue the workes of the Deuill bring men to loue God Almightie vvith all their hearts and winne them to keepe his Law and so saith of the reprobate Iewes I haue Io. 5. 42. knowne you that the loue of God you haue not in you And of the elect Apostles You haue Io. 16. 27. loued me Loue being the fulnesse of the Rom. 13. 19. Law the want of loue is the worke of the Deuill in the hearts of all the wicked and the loue of God the workes of our Lord in the hearts of the elect Whereupon our Sauiour saith Verily verily I Io. 8. 15. say vnto you if any man keepe my word hee shall not see death for euer and yet againe saith He that loueth me not keepeth not my words So loue God Almightie with all thy heart and thou shalt not see death for euer He that loueth not abideth in Io 3. 14. death dead to Grace in this life and to Glorie in the other By which is manifest that happie life cannot be without the louing of God Almightie with all our hearts Insomuch as if thou haddest Happinesse and Content and yet diddest not loue it with all thy heart thou shouldest not be happie as witnesseth S. Augustine saying He is not De Ciuitat li. 14. ca. 15. happie of whom happie life is not beloued Which thou mayest find true by experience seeing thy selfe and all others to take comfort and content in that which they loue and not in that which they neglect Whereupon S. Paul sayth If any man loue not 1. Cor. 16. 2. our Lord Iesus Christ be he Anathema his bodie cut off from the communion of the Catholike Church vpon earth and his soule excluded from the ioyes of Heauen CHAP. XI How to attaine vnto the loue of God and how to loue his diuine Maiestie with all our hearts SEeing that Diuine Loue or Charitie is necessarie to the Content and Happinesse of Man it is requisite also to set downe the meanes by which thou mayest attaine vnto this Diuine Loue or Charitie that thou mayest be happie Charitie saith S. Paul is 1. Tim. 1. 15. from a pure Heart and a good Conscience and a Faith not fained So that the first thing which thou oughtest to doe if thou desire to loue God Almightie with all thy heart is to separate thy selfe for a time from all other affaires and businesses onely to attend vnto the examining of thy Conscience how thou hast spent thy life past and to call to minde all thy cuill thoughts words deeds and vniust actions which haue stayned and made filthie thy heart and soule to confesse them with contrition and sorrow to one of the Pastors of the Church of God to whom God Almightie hath giuen authoritie to forgiue sinnes saying Whose sinnes you shall forgiue Io. 20. 23. they are forgiuen that thy sinnes being forgiuen thou mayest haue a cleane and pure heart fit to receiue Diuine Loue or Charitie and God Almightie will bestow it vpon thee according to his Word saying Returne to me and I Mat 3. 7. will returne to you No bodie putteth new Wine Mat. 9. 17. into old Bottles otherwise the Bottles perish But new Wine they put into new Bottles and both are preserued together So if thou wilt receiue the new Wine of Diuine Loue and Charitie thou must first lay away thy old Conuersation Eph. 4. 22. the old Man which is corrupted according to the desires of Error thy selfe-loue proper iudgement priuate spirit inordinate appetites and passions and by sorrow for thy sinnes and Penance be renued in the spirit of thy mind and put on the new Man
a Sparrow solitarie in the house top I did eat ashes as bread and mingled my drinke with weeping So great was the detestation and sorrow this holy Prophet had for his sinne that hee withered away through sighing and groaning fled the companie of men for shame and liued as a Crow or Owle that flyeth onely by Night and as a Sparrow who hauing lost her Mate and young remayneth mourning all alone and did eat ashes as bread and would take no comfort but in weeping My teares haue Ps 41. 4. beene bread vnto me day and night I haue laboured in my sighing I will euerie Night Ps 5. 7. wash my Bed and will water my Couch with my teares And of his zeale against sinne in others hee sayth My zeale hath made me pine Ps 118. 139. away because my enemies haue forgotten thy wordes Againe I saw the Preuaricators Ps 118. 138. and I pined away because they kept not thy wordes Againe Did not Ps 138. 21. I hate them that hate thee O Lord and pined away because of thine enemies With perfect hatred I did hate them That is hee did hate their sinne and loue their persons and seeke their saluation and in this was so zealous that hee would neither permit any one who liued in the breach of the Commandements of God either to sit at his Table with him or wait vpon him or dwell in his Pallace laying One of proud eye and vnsatiable Ps 100. 5. heart with him I did not eate mine eyes are towards the faithfull of the Earth that they may sit with me A man that walketh in the immaculate way he did minnister to me He that doth proudly shall not dwell in the middest of my house And wishing all others to follow the same rule saith With the Ps 17. 16. holy thou shalt be holy and with the innocent man thou shalt be innocent with the elect thou shalt be elect and with the peruerse thou shalt be peruerted And out of his zeale of the glorie and honor of God composed the Psalmes and prepared for the building of the Temple of God The like example of Zeale wee may finde in the Apostles and Saints Loue cannot be idle nor spirituall Iealousie euer be satisfied with labouring for God Almightie and the more it laboureth and doth the lesse it esteemeth it hath done according to the words of our Lord When you haue Luc. 17. 10. done all thinges that are commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruants The infinite mercies and liberalitie of God Almightie so ouerwhelming and drowning all their affections in the Sea of his goodnesse that they finde no paines but in not suffering paines and vndergoing labours for his loue So Saint Paul sayth Who shall separate Rom. 8. 35. vs from the Charitie of Christ Tribulation or Distresse or Famine or Nakednesse or Danger or Persecution or the Sword In all these things we ouercome because of him that hath loued vs. Once wounded with his loue farewell all the base pleasures and delights of the sonnes of Agar and estimation of the commodities and vanities of the World I haue Phil. 3. 8. made all things as detriment and doe esteeme them as dung that I may gaine Christ and may be found in him to know him and the vertue of his Resurrection and the societie of his Passion configured to his death If by any meanes I may come to the Resurrection which is from the dead Then so high an estimation of God Almightie and of the glorie of the other life entreth into his soule by the taste of a few droppes of his grace and fauour that paines are turned into pleasures and labours into delights for his loue and all earthly things seeme dung base and vile as they are indeed in comparison of the enioying God Almightie and the attaining vnto eternall life the force of Charitie hauing so ouercome the weakenesse of humane nature that now they liue not they but Christ in them Loue hauing so drawne them out of themselues as that they are no more that they were but that they loue To the fulfilling of the Promises and Prophecies saying in the person of our Lord I will Osce 11. 4. pull them vnto me in the coardes of Loue in the bonds of Charitie Againe This is the Iero. 31. Testament which I will make with them After these dayes Heb. 10. 15. saith our Lord giuing my Lawes in their hearts and in their mindes will I superscribe them This is the Testament which God made with our Fathers That hee would giue vs his Loue and Charitie in our hearts and soules and draw and pull vs vnto him with coardes and chaynes of Loue and Charitie This is it which our Lord promised before his Passion saying If I be exalted from the Earth Io. 12. 32. I will draw all things to my selfe Signifying that by his Passion hee would obtaine so great Charitie and Loue for his Elect who are all things all things being for them That he would draw them to himselfe into Heauen according to the saying of S. Paul Our conuersation is in Heauen and Phil. 3. 20. the wordes of our Lord saying For where thy treasure is Mat. 6. 22. there is thy heart also The treasure of the Saints is our Lord Iesus in Heauen and their hearts being wounded with the abundance of his Loue and Charitie of them it may more properly be said that they liue in Heauen then here vpon Earth for that their hearts and affections are there and man is said rather to be there where his soule loueth then where his bodie liueth and according to this our Lord saith Father whom thou hast giuen Io. 17. 24. me I will that where I am they also may be with me by grace in this life and glory in the other and so saith Iust Father Io. 17. 2â— I will that the loue wherewith thou hast loued me may be in them and I in them This he said before his Passion and before his Ascension and by his Ascension Hee departed Aug. li. con 4. ca. 12. from our eyes that wee might returne into our hearts and finde him Hee departed indeed and yet he is heere He would not be long from vs and yet he neuer left vs Hee is in our inward hearts but our hearts haue erred from him turne sinners into your hearts and keepe his Commandements that made you stand with him and you shall stand rest in him and you shall finde Ease and Rest which God of his infinite mercies grant thee deare Reader CHAP. XX. The third Content and Happinesse which such enioy as loue God Almightie with their whole hearts and their Neighbours for God as themselues which is the becomming sonnes of God and coheires with our Sauiour THe next happines of such as loue God Almightie with all their hearts is that they become the sonnes and children of God according to the wordes of
societie is there betweene light and darknesse And what agreement with Christ and Belial or what part hath the faithfull with the Infidel and what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols For you are the Temple of the liuing God As God saith That I will dwell and walke in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people God Almightie aduanceth those who forsake sinne and iniquitie to so high a degree of Content and Happinesse that he electeth their soules for his Temple for his chiefest place of honour and glorie dedicated to the setting out of his Magnificence Laudes and Praises vpon Earth a place where are to be sung the Songs of Syon Ps 136. 3. the Song of our Lord in a Ps 104. 27. strange Land and his wonders in the Land of Cham for a place appropriated to his recreation and pleasures as God said I will dwell and walke in them Againe I am come into my Garden Cant. 5. O my sister Spouse I haue reaped my Myrrhe with mine aromaticall spices I haue eaten the hony combe with my honie I haue drunke my wine with my milke Eat O friends drinke and be inebriated my dearest my sister Spouse is a Garden inclosed a Fountaine sealed vp Thy Off-springs a Paradise of Pomegranates with Orchard fruits Cypres with Spikenard and Saffron sweet Cane and Cinnamon with all the Trees of Libanus Mirrhe and Aloes with all the chiefe Oyntments The Fountaine of Gardens the Well of liuing Waters which runne with violence from Libanus To the fulfilling of that which was spoken by the Prophet Isay saying Our Lord therefore will comfort Sion Isa 5. 3. and will comfort all the ruines thereof and he will make her Desart as Delicacies and her Wildernesse as the Garden of our Lord Ioy and gladnesse shal be found in it giuing of thanks and voice of praise Making the soule of such as loue him with all their hearts a kind of Paradise vpon Earth as God Almightie said I will dwell and walke in them in some sort as he did in Paradise with our first Parents Adam and Eua who Gen. 3. 8. heard the voice of our Lord walking in Paradise at the afternoone aire To the fulfilling of the words spoken by the Prophet Isay saying They shall Isa 6. 11. 4. build the Desarts from the beginning of the World and shall erect the old Mines and shall repaire the desolate Cities that were discipated in generation and generation Whereupon our Lord saith If any man loue me hee Io. 14. 23. will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and we will come to him and will make our abode with him Our Lord will not only dwell in the soules of them who loue him with all their hearts but will make their hearts his house and home and abiding place Insomuch as the soules of those who loue God with all their hearts are a kinde of Heauen heere vpon Earth Our Lord said Heauen is my Isa 66. 1. Seat Againe Our Lord hath prepared his Seat in Heauen Ps 102. 19. and of the soules of such as loue him with all their hearts hee saith That he will dwell and walke and abide in them Whereby wee see that the soules of such as loue God Almightie with all their hearts are as it were a kind of Heauen vpon Earth where God Almightie keepeth his Court walketh and dwelleth As the hearts of Heretikes and those who liue in breach of the Commandements of God are a kinde of Hell euen heere vpon Earth paines and confirmation in malice excepted So those who loue God with all their hearts keepe his Commandements and seeke to please him in their actions are in a kinde of Heauen heere vpon Earth glorie and confirmation in grace excepted Whereupon our Lord promiseth to those who liue chast Keepe his Sabboths choose the thinges that hee would and hold his Couenant saying I will giue vnto them in Isa 56. 5. my House and within my Walls a Place and a Name better then Sonnes and Daughters an euerlasting Name will I giue them which shall not perish That is he will giue them to be recollected within their soules his Temple wherein he dwelleth and abideth as in his House as hee said before I will dwell in them we 2. Cor. 6. Io. 14. 2. Cor. 6. will make our abode with him You are the Temple of the liuing God Whereupon the Prophet Dauid speaking of his being recollected within his Soule in his Meditations sayth These things haue Ps 41. 5. I remembred and haue poured out my soule in me because I shall passe into the place of a maruelous Tabernacle euen to the house of God So in like manner S. Augustine sayth Our Aug. con li. 12. ca. 31. Lord is high and the humble of heart are his house Againe If we liue holy and iustly whatsoeuer Aug. ser 252. de tempore is done in Temples made with hands the same is wholly fulfilled in vs by spirituall Building Whereupon Saint Paul sayth Christ as the Sonne is Heb. 3. 6. in his owne house which house are we This is Sion and new Ierusalem Isa 62. vpon Earth the soule of him that loueth God Almightie with all his heart and recollected within it hee hath a place within the house and walls of God his owne soule the Bed-chamber of our Lord. And hee will giue him a better name then Sonnes and Daughters which is his Name Isa 7. 14. of Emanuel which is by interpretation God with vs or the Luc. 1. 23. Names of Gods not by nature but by grace and participation from his Goodnesse according as before it is said I will dwell with them wee will Io. 10. 34. make our abode with him It is written in your Law that I said you are Gods If he called them Gods to whom the Word of God was made those may be called Gods in whom God Almightie dwelleth as in his Temple house and home Here Pennes and Tongues and Thoughts and Meditations and Contemplation and whatsoeuer else with excesse of ioyfull Admiration sweetly lose themselues with a happie losse of an infinite gaine and sit alone in silent speech more eloquent then all the eloquence of Greekes and Romans sellers of vaine words and crie out Lord Mat. 8. 8. I am not worthie that thou shouldest enter into my Roofe Thy friends are honoured too Ps 138. 17. much How beautifull are thy Ps 83. Tabernacles O Lord of Hostes my soule coueteth and fainteth vnto the Courts of our Lord my heart and my flesh reioyceth towards the liuing God There the Sparrow hath found her a House and the Turtle a Neast for her selfe where she may lay her young Thine Altars O Lord of Hostes my King and my God Blessed are they that dwell in thy House O Lord for euer and euer they shall praise thee Blessed is the man whose helpe is in
in this life bestoweth vpon those who keepe his Commandements and loue him with all their Hearts and their Neighbors for his sake as themselues which Ioyes and Contentments doe increase in them as the zeale of keeping his Commandements Counsels doth increase according to his Word saying Whosoeuer shall glorifie me I will glorifie him and they that shall contemne mee shall be base Whereupon the Prophet Dauid saith I am delighted Ps 118. in the way of thy Testimonies as in all riches I will be exercised in thy Commandements and I will consider thy waies I will keepe thy Law alwaies for euer and for euer and euer And I walked in largenesse because I sought after thy Commandements My portion O Lord I said to keepe thy Law The Law of thy Mouth is good vnto me aboue thousands of Gold and Siluer How haue I loued thy Law O Lord all the day it is my meditation aboue mine enemies thou hast made me wise by thy Commandentents because it is to me for euer and euer Aboue all that taught me haue I vnderstood because thy Testimonies are my meditations I haue vnderstood more then ancient men because I sought thy Commandements I haue inclined my Heart to doe thy Iustifications for euer because of the Reward Corporall and Spirituall Temporall and Eternall Ease Rest Repose Content and Happinesse Wherfore deare Reader be no more deceiued with vain imaginations of finding Ease and Rest in the sensuall pleasures and vanities of the World but cast out froÌ„ thee those strange Gods who in their eleuenth Article of the English Creede do promise Happinesse and Iustification by Faith only And return vnto our Lord in all thy Heart and in all thy Soule and keepe his Commandements and our Sauiour according to his promise will aske the Ioh. 14. 14. Father he wil giue thee another Comforter that he may abide with thee and be in thee for euer The Spirit of Truth Ioh. 14. 26. he shall teach thee all things He will teach thee Chastitie Continencie Modestie Goodnesse Benignitie Patience Peace of Minde Ioy of Heart and Charitie towards God and Man and thou shalt possesse Ioy and Isa 51. Isa 44. Gladnesse Sorrow and Mourning shall flye away for I euen I my selfe saith our Lord will comfort you I will poure out my Spirit vpon thy Seede and my Blessing vpon thy Stock and they shall spring the hearbes as Willowes besides the running Waters For the Shrub Isa â—5 shall come vp the Firre tree and for the Nettle shall grow the Mirtle tree For thy base afflicting sensuall delights he will giue thee true Ioyes and Content and Rest When thou shalt poure Isa 58. out thy Soule to the hungrie and shalt fill the afflicted Soule thy light shall rise vp in darkenesse and thy darkenesse shall be as the Noone-day And our Lord will giue thee Rest alwaies and will fill thy Soule with brightnesse and deliuer thy bones and thou shalt be as a watered Garden and as a Fountaine of Waters whose water shall not faile which is the Content and Happinesse I wish vnto thee THE Last CHAPTER Of the compleat Ioy Rest Content and Happinesse which those shall haue in Heauen who vpon Earth perseuered in louing God with all their Hearts and their Neighbours as themselues vntill Death FIrst All the Charitable shall be saued and Happy as witnesseth our Sauiour saying Come ye blessed Mat. 25. of my Father possesse you the Kingdome prepared for you from the Foundation of the World For I was an hungred and you gaue me to eate I was thirstie and you gaue me to drinke I was a stranger and you tooke me in naked and you couered me sick and you visited me I was in Prison and you came vnto me Verily I say vnto you as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren you did it to me And for their particular Happinesse first all their Corporall defects as lamenesse crookednesse disproportion of their bodies c. by the power of God shall be supplied as witnesseth S. Paul saying We shall Eph. 4. 13. meete all in the vnitie of Faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God into a perfect Man into the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ. Secondly they shall be endued with subtilitie to penetrate and passe through materiall bodies at their pleasures as S. Iohn affirmeth Ioh. â—0 19. of our Sauiour That the dore shut Iesus came and stood in the midst of the Disciples And in the Resurrection our Sauiour will as S. Paul saith Reforme the body Phil. 3. 11. of our humilitie configured to the Body of his glory Thirdly they shall be endued with Agilitie to moue and passe from one place vnto another with the same swiftnesse that their mindes can desire As the Angels of God in Heauen Fourthly they shal be indued with Impassabilitie insomuch as they shall neuer suffer any more hunger or colde or heate or sicknesse or paines or any thing of disgust as affirmeth S. Iohn saying They shall no more Apoc. 7. 16. hunger nor thirst neither shall the Sunne fall vpon them nor any heate Fiftly they shall be endued with Claritie according to the words of our Sauiour saying The Iust shall shine Mat. 13. 43. as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their Father Sixtly their Corporall eyes shall be delighted with the sight of the glorious Body of the Sonne of God and of all the Saints and with the Beautie of Heauen whose Wall is as S. Iohn saith Of Apoc. 21. 18. Iasper stone but the Citie it selfe is of pure Gold like to pure Glasse and the Foundations of the Wall of the Citie are adorned with Pretious Stone And the twelue Gates there are twelue Pearles one to euery one and euery Gate is of one seuerall Pearle and the Streete of the Citie pure Gold as it were transparent Glasse Seuenthly their Eares shall be delighted with the melody of Angels Saints who sing by Quires alwaies new songs Eightly their Senses of Smelling shall be delighted with delicate sweet smells which proceed from the body of our Sauiour and from the bodies of the Martyrs and Saints in Heauen whose Odor is as the Cant. 3. Osc 1â— Aromatical Spices of Mirrhe and Frankencense and all the powder of the Apothecarie If the bodie of our Blessed Mother Teresa the reformer of our Order and the restorer thereof to the obseruance of the first Rule yeeld so sweet a Smell heere vpon Earth as that it exceedeth the delight of all flowers as is testified by sufficient witnesses Imagin if thou canst how exceeding sweet shall be the Smell of the body of our Sauiour and all the glorified bodies in Heauen Ninthly their Taste shall be delighted with exquisite Meates according to the word of God saying To them Apoc. â— 17. that shall ouercome sin I will Apoc. 2. 7. giue him the hidden Manna I will giue him
with all their hartes and keeping of his Commandements Peace with their Neighbours by louing them as themselues no man commencing a Suite against himselfe Peace with their enemies by patient suffering whatsoeuer iniuries they shall lay vpon them Peace with the Angels and Saints in Heauen by Vnion with them in a mysticall body Peace with the Deuills in Hell by hauing authoritie ouer them Peace with all the Creatures of the earth by vsing them according to the end they were created That it may bee verified which was spoken by the Prophet Isay saying Isa 66. 12 I will decline vpon her a floud of peace Againe And I will make thy visitation Isa 60. 17 peace and thy ouerseers Iustice Iniquitie shall no more be heard in thy Land waste and destruction in thy borders and Saluation shall occupie thy walles and praise thy gates This is the Ease Rest Repose Content and Happines which wee speake of and desire to Preach vnto all Phil. 4. 7. people The peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding The Legacie which our Lord and Sauiour left vs saying Peace I leaue to you my Iohn 14. peace I giue to you A true Ioy and Content of heart and minde which hee commanded vs Math. 10. 11. to Preach vnto all the Families of the earth saying Into whatsoeuer Citty or Towne you shall enter enquire who is worthie and there tarrie And when you enter into the house salute it saying Peace bee to this house according to whose commaundement wee Preach it vnto thee deare Reader and say Peace be to thee and so rest thy humble Seruant OF EASE REST REPOSE CONTENT and Happinesse CHAP. I. That Man hath a complete Ioy and Content proportionable to his being ALmightie God hauing created all things of Ps 113. 1â— nothing according to the disposition of his will as a pious Parent and mercifull Creator hath giuen to euerie thing a Content and Happinesse which had then it is so well satisfied that it seemeth to desire no more but resteth and after his manner reioyceth as content and well pleased As wee see by experience that he hath giuen to a Stone a Content to be in his Centure Water a Rest in the hollow places of the Earth Ayre a Repose in his Region and Fire in his Sphere Trees Plants and Hearbes a Delight in the fat and firmenesse of the Earth tempered according to their properties Birds Beasts and Fishes a Pleasure in Meates Places Companie and sensuall Delights And out of his infinite goodnesse in creating euerie thing hath also annexed vnto it such a disposition to order and such a propension to his good and content that take but out of his place a piece of Earth which of all the creatures of God Almightie is the meanest and giue it all things you can deuise and make the most of it that possible you can inuent yet it will tend thither and neuer be quiet vntill it returne insomuch as doe but take away that which holdeth it vp presently it goeth thither of it selfe and that infallibly And if by some accident a subtile Vapour become to be inclosed in some hollow place or caue of the Earth where it hath as it were a chamber prepared for to rest in it will be so vnquiet that it wil teare in pieces Rockes and Mountaines ouerthrow Castles and Towers and as angrie shake the whole Earth to ascend vp to his place and if it find but an issue or you make but a passage it is gone Or if a grosse vapour by the heat of the Sunne be drawne vp into the Region of the Ayre as though it should be exalted to higher dignitie and there come to be enuironed about with clouds that it cannot descend but must stay there it taketh his exalting in such disdaine and stayeth with so great discontent that by collision of bodies and through earnest pressing it throweth fire downe from Heauen and causeth such a thunder as though it would teare the Heauens in pieces and all to descend to his place of rest there to remaine where it was ordained that it should be in his first creation And the same we may obserue in Birds Beasts and Plants put them in a Soyle not accommodated to their properties and they die or take from Birds or Beasts their naturall Companie Foodes Places of abode c. and giue them what other thing else you can yet out of anguish and grief they wil pine away and let them but loose they are gone to their ordained Companie Meat and Rest Whereby wee may inferre that since all creatures whatsoeuer haue a Content and Rest which once had then they seeme well pleased and desire no more that also Man hath his Rest Happinesse wherein also he may be satisfied and well pleased And seeing God Almightie as a most prudent Creator hath giuen to euerie thing a Content proportionable to his being it must needes be that Man being a farre more excellent creature then any of the Elements Birds Beasts Fishes and Plants must haue a more excellent Content then any of them vnlesse we should esteeme God Almightie iniurious to the nature of Man which cannot be His Mercies to Man exceeding all Ps 144. his Workes being duely considered So hauing found out that Man hath a Happinesse and Content it will be worthie of our labour to seeke wherein it consisteth and set downe the meanes how to attaine vnto it which wee will doe by Gods grace in the ensuing Chapters CHAP. II. That there is a God THe foole hath said in his Ps 1â— heart there is no God Fooles whose grieuous sinnes and horrible crimes haue extinguished the right vse of Reason denie the first Cause Agent Mouer and Creator of all things and descend to such grosse ignorance as that they attribute that to Nothing Chaunce Fortune or Accident which proceedeth from God as though Nothing or that which hath no being were more potent then that which is and could giue being beginning and motion to all things To dispute against fooles obstinate and wilfull people who haue lost wit and reason is but to become foolish To conuince them there is no better argument then to put them to the practice of their Doctrine as when they are sicke hungrie afflicted or want any thing to let them haue no other helpe or succour then their Nothing or Chance to helpe them vntill they change their Opinions since in their iudgements Nothing is so potent and actiue as that it can giue being motion and action to all things it must of necessitie also in their iudgements be of sufficient force to helpe them in their necessities to rest and content without any other assistance Aristotle setting downe common places and meanes how to find out arguments to conuince errors and establish truths against Atheists would not dispute but set downe this for an argument saying Such as doe doubt whether Top. lib. 1. c. 9. they should honor the
in the great Multitude which no Apoc. 7. 9. man could number of all Nations Tribes and Peoples and Tongues which are to be signed with thy Marke and to be conducted Apoc. 7. 17 to the Fountaine of liuing Waters O Lord of infinite Maiestie let the petition of thy seruant be accepted in thy sight and graunt that this my King and his Seed may be numbred amongst that Seed to which thou promised I will put his Seed for euer and Ps 88. 30. his Throne as the dayes of Heauen Thou art faithfull deare Lord and iust and right without any iniquitie and hast promised That whosoeuer shall 1. King 2. 30. glorifie thee thou wilt glorifie him and they that contemne thee shal be base Graunt deare Lord that this my King Queene and Prince may so glorifie thee in all their actions and deeds that thou mayest glorifie them vpon Earth and in Heauen eternally Most mercifull Lord I beseech thy infinite Goodnesse so to illuminate the hearts of all sinners that they may come to doe heartie penance for their sinnes and seeke to loue thee with all their hearts Graunt deare Lord for the Passion of thy onely Sonne Iesus Christ that all those Schismatikes and Heretikes who in effect defend that thou hast fayled in maintaining thy Oath and Promises to Abraham the Prophets and Patriarkes for many hundred yeares may see their errors and returne vnto our Catholike Church in which are abundantly fulfilled all thy Oathes and Promises Forgiue sweet Sauiour all those who persecute me and graunt that they may come so to loue thee in this life that after death they may for euer enioy thee in Heauen I beseech thee my Lord by the bowels of thy infinite mercie that all such as seeke after Ambition and earthly Dignities may turne all their Affections vpon thee who art their onely true felicitie Graunt deare Lord that I may rather die then not heartily loue and pray for my seuerest Persecutors Deare Lord for thy infinite mercies I beseech thee so to illuminate the hearts of all the Protestant English Clergie our deare Countreymen that they may see thy Oathes and Promises fulfilled in our Catholike Church and returne vnto it with all their hearts CHAP. XIIII Of the wretchednesse and miseries into which those fall who liue in breach of the Commandements of God and doe beleeue that it is not necessarie or impossible to keepe them HAuing shewed thee deare Reader that it is not possible for thee euer to be happie or find any true Content Ease or Rest vnlesse thou keepe the Commaundements of God and also hauing set downe vnto thee the meanes by which thou mayest easily keepe them Now it resteth to set downe the miseries and wretchednesse into which those fall who liue in breach of them and esteeme it a thing impossible for to keepe them that either for the loue of thine owne good and content or else for feare of thy falling into miseries torments thou mayest be woon to keepe them zealously so be happy which is that I heartily wish vnto thee First those who doe not loue God with all their hearts and keepe his Commaundements are spirituall Idolaters and doe liue in spirituall Idolatrie For our Sauiour explicating of the first Commaundement which is made against Idolatrie and the hauing of Exod. 20. 1. strange Gods sayth Thou shalt Mat. 22. 37. loue the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soule and with thy whole mind This is the greatest and the first Commandement sayth our Sauiour So if thou wilt beleeue our Sauiour himselfe thou must confesse that those who doe not loue God with their whole hearts and keepe his Commandements are Idolaters And the part of Idolaters Apoc. 21. 8. saith S. Iohn shal be in the Poole burning with fire and Brimstone An Idoll of it selfe is not 1. Cor. 10. 19. any thing as witnesseth Saint Iohn but the loue affection which any one beareth to any creature imagination or conceit more then to God contrarie to the first Cōmandement whereupon couetous men are called Idolaters because that Col. 3. 5. they loue Gold and Riches more then God and lasciuious Men or Gluttons are said Phil. 3. 19. to make their bellies their God And according to this our Sauiour sayth You cannot Mat. 6. 24. serue God and Mammon God will haue all thy heart and loue or none Whereupon S. Iohn sayth Euery one that In his 2. Epist Ver. 9. reuolteth and persisteth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God that is hath no true God but is an Idolater Againe He that saith he knoweth God and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar Whereupon it commeth to passe that howsoeuer these who thinke it impossible to keepe the Commaundements of God seeme to adore laud and praise God and haue the Lord the God alwaies in their mouths sing Geneua Psalms in their Congregations yet they doe neither serue their God nor acknowledge him in their words or song but commit spirituall Idolatrie apprehending vnder these termes the Lord the God c. such a God as they haue feigned and not such a God as he is indeed All Heathen and Cicero de Leg. li. 1. Pagan people that euer were haue acknowledged a God and haue sung songs in praise but they did not acknowledge him to be as he is but as they feigned him to be as those doe who affirme that they are assured to be saued without keeping the Commandements of God confesse that there is a God a Trinitie c. but doe not confesse him to be such a God as he is that is a God who curseth all these who decline from his Commandements Psal 118. according to his Mat. 25. word but such a God Trinitie as they haue feygned that is to say a God which will admit and receiue into Heauen filthie soules stained with Pride Idolatrie Fornication Couetousnesse c. when there is no such God but onely in their imaginations as witnesseth Saint Paul saying Doe not erre neither ◠Cor. 6. Fornicators nor seruers of Idols nor Adulterers nor the Effeminate nor the Lyers with mankinde nor Theeues nor the Couetous nor Drunkards nor Raylers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdome of God For he that hath done iniurie shal Col. 3. 25. receiue that which he hath done vniustly and there is no acception of Persons with God There shall Apoc. 22. not enter into Heauen saith S. Iohn any vncleane thing or that doth abhomination or maketh a lye Whereby is manifest that all those who do liue in the breach of the Commandements of God do beleeue that either it is not necessary or else that it is impossible to keepe them are spirituall Idolaters and doe adore and serue strange Gods in their soules and spirits contrary to the first Commandement as it is also manifest to experience for aske of any one of these
he shall enter into the kingdome of Heauen Againe Whosoeuer shall doe the will of my Father that is in Heauen he is my brother and sister and mother For this 1. Thess 4. 5. is the will of God your sanctification that you abstaine from fornication that euery one may know to possesse his vessel in sanctification and honour not in the passion of lust as also the Gentiles that know not God and that no man ouergoe nor circumuent his brother in businesse because our Lord is the Reuenger And according to this Saint Aug. de fide ad Petrum Augustine saith Hold it most firmely and doubt not any waies that not all which are baptised within the Catholike Church shall receiue life euerlasting but they which being baptised liue well that is which haue abstained from the vices and desires of the flesh For the kingdome of Heauen as faithlesse Heretikes and Schismatikes shall not haue so sinfull Catholikes cannot possesse And our Sauiour praying for vs saith And not for the Io. 17. 20. Apostles onely do I pray but for them also that by their word shall beleeue 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 by Charitie that the world may beleeue that thou diddest send me to fulfill the Promises which say This Ezek. 11. shall be the Couenant I will make with the house of Israel After these daies saith our Lord I will Deut. 30. Ier. 31. Heb. 10. giue my Law in their bowels and in their heares I wil write it c. and so concludeth his prayer saying I will that the loue Io. 17. 26. wherewith thou hast loued mee may be in them and I in them Whereby is manifest that the Elect and all those who shall be saued shall keepe the Law loue God Almightie with their whole hearts and their Neighbours as themselues CHAP. XVI What it is to be content and happie and how Content and Happinesse consisteth in louing God Almightie with all our hearts and our Neighbour for Gods sake as our selues WE see by experience that then euery one is well pleased when he hath that which he loueth and loueth that which he ought Of all the affections in the soule Loue is the strongest insomuch as Loue is said to be Cant. 8. as strong as Death and Iealousie or feare to lose that which wee loue is said to be as hard as Hell euery one beeing so loth to part from that which he loueth that of all paines it is the greatest So that in Loues motion are satisfied and filled all the other affections of our soules for who is delighted but in that which he loueth or who hateth flyeth or is sorrowfull but for some euill which may separate him from the good he loueth or who hopeth or despaireth but in the difficultie he findeth in obtaining the good he loueth or who feareth dareth or is angrie but at the euill which opposeth it selfe to the good he desireth so that in Loues motions are complete all our happinesse and affections If a man shall Cant. 8. giue all the substance of his house for loue as nothing he will dispise it He is violently carryed whom loue driueth and he was neuer poore or discontent that found what he desired and all so earnestly desire that which they loue as aske of any one whosoeuer what is that which hath greatest force with him and he will answere his loue and pleasure Yet all the pleasures which a man can take are in some speciall good that is honest profitable and delightfull for he that desireth that which is dishonest is ashamed he that desireth that which is not profitable looseth and he that desireth that which proueth not delightfull repenteth and he that obtaineth that which is honest and yet hath not in it all honestie is defectiue and hee that obtaineth that which is profitable yet hath not all the profit that he is capable of to receiue is still poore and hee that hath that which delighteth him and yet not all delights wanteth whereby we gather that the good which may giue vs complete content may be of all things honest the most honest of all things profitable the most profitable and of all things delightfull the most pleasing and yet one it must needes be for if in one thing I should loue honestie and in another profit I should be diuided and diuision weakeneth loue breaketh affection and bringeth affliction Againe this one thing must be euery where and in all places present vnto me otherwise I could not alwaies and in all places be present vnto it and happie Whereupon I answere that according to the light of naturall reason Content doth not only consist in Loue but in louing one thing which hath in it all honestie profite and pleasure and all other things for it and that one thing is to be euery where and in all places which is God Almightie call it what you will This is my God and Exod. 15. 2. I will glorifie him the God of my Fathers and I will exalt him who is most high most sweet most potent most mercifull most iust most secret most present most strong most incomprehensible most wise most beautifull most happie of infinite Honestie Wisedome Beautie Content and Happinesse who giueth all that any hath and yet is neuer the poorer and accepteth what is giuen him and yet is neuer the richer in louing him and all other things for him consisteth all our Ease Rest Repose Content and Happinesse O deceiued sonnes of Men you seeke Ease Rest and Content in the Earth and it is in your inward soules turne sinners into your hearts and there you shall finde it it is within you and you are without your selues it is present to you and you are absent to it it is before your faces and you put your selues vpon your backs you seeke for it without and it is within your hearts as witnesseth the Prophet Dauid Ps 72. saying God of my heart and God my portion for euer and in all places more present to you then you are to your selues For in him Act. 17. 28. wee liue and moue and bee This is thy Rest Repose Content and Happinesse The Mat. 6. 33. kingdome of Heauen the iustice of our Lord to loue thy God Mat. â—2 37. from thy whole heart and with thy whole soule with thy whole minde and thy Neighbour as thy selfe On these two Commaundements Mat. 22. 38. as our Lord saith doe depend the whole Law the Prophets this is the Mirth Ioy Peace and Content which is not giuen to the wicked but to such as serue God gratis whose Ioy and Content he is This is happie life O Lord to Au. li. Con. 10. ca. 22. reioice in thee of thee for thee this is it and other there is none O all ye that thirst come to the Isa 55. waters
found out by the light of Reason is most Simple One Actus purus without composition so must his Faith and Religion be one most simple and without composition of diuers Faiths as Saint Paul sayth One God Eph. 4. 5 one Faith Againe God Almightie is One and of infinite Goodnesse without Malice or Diuision and so could not plant a Faith or Religion that should diuide Men into Sects Dissentions and Diuisions in Faith because it is contrarie to his Goodnesse and Vnitie in himselfe he being God 1. Cor. 14. 33. of Vnitie and Peace and not of Dissention So that Faith and Religion by all reason must be his which can endure no Dis-vnion or Disparities in matters of Faith vvhich all men see to be our Catholike Faith which with such zeale maintaineth her vnitie that shee reiecteth all that differ from her in matters of Faith as Heretikes and Schismatikes and refuseth to make composition of her Faith with any other in any the least thing vpon any condition or benefit whatsoeuer Insomuch as that the vnitie of our Catholike Faith is one as Punctum a point Vnum one or Indiuisibile that which cannot be diuided vnto which you can neither adde nor abstract any thing but they passe either into nothing or into things of another nature as to be a line a number or a bodie So to our Catholike Faith if either you adde any Opinion or take away any Article it is no more Catholike Faith but humane opinion Schisme or Heresie As for example if you take away the Reall Presence of the Body and Bloud of our Lord in the Communion and affirme that it is but a signe then it is Zwinglianisme of Zwinglius who was the first Author of this Opinion Againe if you adde any thing vnto it and say that both the Bodie Bloud of our Lord is there really and also the Bread then it is Lutheranisme and so forth of any other Article of our Catholike Faith And if any oppose and say that some esteemed Catholikes haue or doe obstinately maintaine anie one point of Doctrine contrarie to the Catholike Faith held and receiued ouer the World and would not nor will not submit his or their iudgements to the Catholike Church and her Superiors I answere that hee or they were and be Schismatikes or Heretikes and haue or are to perish euerlastingly According to the Article of our Creede which sayth Whosoeuer Athana Creede will be saued it is needfull before all things that he hold the Catholike Faith the which vnlesse each one shall keepe whole and inuiolate hee shall without doubt eternally perish Insomuch as that it is impossible for any one of our Catholike Church to dissent obstinately from our Catholike Church since hee is bound by his Faith to beleeue inuiolately and before all things all the Articles of our Catholike Faith and if hee obstinately faile herein in any one point of Faith hee is bound to beleeue that hee shall without doubt eternally perish according to our Creede So that the words which S. Ireneus who liued so neere the Apostles times that hee affirmed to haue seene S. Policarpe who was S. Iohn the Euangelists Scholler vsed against the diuers Sects of Heretikes in his time wee may vse now without exchange The Church sowne throughout the World doth diligently keepeth is preaching which it hath receiued and this Faith as wee haue said as it were dwelling in one house and doth beleeue them as if it were hauing one soule and one heart and consonantly doth preach teach and deliuer these things as if it had but one mouth For although in the world there are different Languages yet the vertue of Tradition is one and the same So that neither the Churches which are founded in Germanie doe beleeue otherwise neither otherwise doe deliuer these which are in Spaine neither those which are in Aragon neither those which are in the East neither those which are in Egypt nor those which are in Libia nor those which are founded in the middest of the world So Saint Ireneus in his first Booke and second Chapter against Heresies and we with him Protestants though they haue but few affirmatiue Articles which in the same words and sense they defend as matters of Faith and are but few in number in respect of Catholikes yet are they in them few Articles first generally diuided into many Sects as into Elizabethians Lutherans and Caluinists and many more lesser Sects as Anabaptists Brownists Desperates Pig-Recusants or Trasquites c. The Elizabethians defend that a woman may be Head of the Church and hold the Supremacie in all causes and ouer all Ecclesiasticall persons whosoeuer and put those to death as Traitors who refuse to swear it as true and giue Authoritie to Parliaments to alter formes of Religion Lutherans and Caluinists denie both Caluinists denie the Authoritie of Bishops and Ordination of Ministers by Bishops Lutherans and Elizabethians defend both The Lutherans defend Consubstantiation in their Supper which they esteeme a Sacrament both Caluinists and Elizabethians denie it And secondly besides this Diuision into generall Sects they are all so particularly diuided one from all and all from euerie one that there cannot be found anie two of them which agree in vnitie of Faith one to beleeue the same Faith in the same words and sense that his companion doth beleeue to Saluation All beleeuing that the whole The English Creed art 19. et 2â— Church and generall Councels may erre yet euerie one beleeueth of himselfe in particular that he is assured to be saued and that he cannot erre So that Faith which one Protestant beleeueth to be saued by all the rest doubt whether it be true or no And no other else will beleeue that which his companion beleeueth for an Article of Faith videlicet That Titius is assured to be saued and cannot erre Whereby they are diuided into as manie Sects as Men. So that supposed that vnitie of Faith in the same sense and meaning were necessarie to Saluation Content and Happinesse as it is and that any one Faith professed by any one Protestant man could saue and bring to Content and Happinesse yet of all the Protestants that are or euer were or shall be one only can be saued and happie since onely one agreeth with himselfe in vnitie of faith and with none of his companions Protestants whosoeuer Secondly it is manifest by reason taken from the goodnesse of God Almightie that our Catholike Faith is the Faith of God planted by our Sauiour for that God Almightie is of infinite goodnesse and vertue and so could not plant a Faith or Religion wherby men might be saued and attaine to all goodnesse content and happinesse but it must consist of all vertues because hee cannot doe contrarie to his will which is alwaies to will good vertue which is our Catholike Faith which teacheth that it is not possible for any man to be saued or enter into Heauen
or enioy God or haue anie true content that hath anie vice or iniquitie in his soule as S. Paul sayth If any man 1. Tim. 6. 3. consent not to that doctrine which is according to pietie he is proud knowing nothing because all men may and ought to know that God Almightie is of infinite pietie and so cannot plant a Faith or Religion which is not pious and teaching all vertues as necessarie to saluation and vnion of heart with him their happinesse Thirdly that Faith and Religion in all reason must be the Faith and Religion planted by God which teacheth and sheweth men the most and best meanes how to loue God this being an Argument in Nature and Grace That euerie one loueth his owne 3. Reg. 3. 26. Ioh. 5. 19. Whereby is manifest that our Catholike Religion is the true Faith for that it teacheth vs how to loue God with all our hearts and how to obtaine Saluation and Happinesse by louing God VVhereas Protestants doe teach Saluation by onely Faith and that it is impossible to loue God or keepe the Commaundements And can there be a more vile and wicked Religion inuented then to teach that it is impossible to loue God Almightie with all our hearts Fourthly by generall consent of all People and Nations though of different Religions who all generally say and affirme That Catholikes liuing according to their Faith and Religion may be saued and haue a sparing as some tearme it sauing Faith And the consent of all People and Sects and Nations cannot erre in Reason CHAP. VII That it is as certaine that our Catholike Faith which Protestants call Papistrie is the Faith of God planted by our Sauiour as it is certaine that God Almightie cannot lye or be forsworne and how easily to end and determine all Controuersies by maintaining the Oath of God as true BY my own selfe haue I sworne Gen. 22. 16. saith the Lord to Abraham because thou hast done this thing and hast not spared thy onely begotten sonne for my sake I will blesse thee and I will multiply thy Seed as the starres of Heauen and as the sand that is by the Sea shoare thy Seed shall possesse the gates of his enemies and in thy Seed shall be blessed all the Nations of the Earth because thou hast obeyed my voice Againe our Lord promised to Isaack saying In thy Seed Gen. 26. 4. shall be blessed all the Nations of the Earth for because Abraham obeyed my voice Againe our Lord promised to Iacob Thy Seed shall be as Gen. 28. the dust of the Earth thou shalt be dilated to the West and to the East and to the North and to the South and in thee and thy Seed all the Tribes of the Earth shall be blessed Of these Promises the Prophet Esay speaketh saying Israel shall flourish and spring Isa 27. 5. and they shall fill the face of the world with Seed Againe I Isa 61. 8. the Lord that loue Iudgement and hate Robberie in Holocaust And I will giue their worke in truth and make a perpetuall Couenant with them And they shall know their Seed in the Gentiles and their Budde in the middest of Peoples All that shall see them shall know them that those are the Seed which the Lord hath blessed And of this Oath the same Prophet speaking sayth As in the dayes of Noe is this thing Isa 54 9. to me to whom I sware that I will no more bring the Waters of Noe vpon the Earth so haue I sworne not to be angrie with thee and not to rebuke thee for the Mountaines shall be moued and the little Hills shall tremble before the Day of Iudgement but my Mercie shall not depart from thee and the Couenant of my Peace shall not be remoued said our Lord thy Miserator Of this Oath the Prophet Daniel in the Captiuitie of Babylon maketh mention saying Take not away thy Dan. 3. 35. Mercie from vs for Abraham thy beloued and Isaack thy seruant and Israel thy holy one to whom thou hast spoken promising that thou wouldest multiplie their Seed as the starres of Heauen and as the Sand that is in the Sea shoare Of this Oath the Prophet Dauid speaking sayth I will Ps 88. 28 put him the first begotten high aboue all the Kings of the Earth I will keepe my Mercie vnto him for euer and my Testament faithfull vnto him I will put his Seed for euer and euer and his Throne as the dayes of Heauen But if his children shall forsake my Law and will not walke in my Iudgements if they shall prophane my Mercies and not keepe my Commaundements I will visit their Iniquitie with a Rod and their sinnes with stripes But my mercies I will not take away from him neither will I hurt in my Truth Neither will I prophane my Testament violate his Oath Againe speaking of this Oath and these Promises hee sayth He hath beene Ps 104. mindfull for euer of his Testament of the Word which he commaunded vnto thousand of Generations which he disposed to Abraham and his Oath to Isaac and he appointed it to Iacob for a Precept and to Israel for an eternall Testament That this Oath of God and Promises to the Patriarkes were to be fulfilled in Christ Iesu and in Christians maintaining and professing the Faith of God planted by our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ the Scriptures abundantly do testifie Our Lord expounding the Parable of the Cockle of the field sayth He that Mat. 13. 37. soweth the good Seed is the Sonne of Man and the Field is the World and the good Seed those are the Children of the Kingdome dispersed ouer the World according to the Oath of God to Abraham Againe our Lord sayth Doe Mat. 5. 18. not thinke that I come to breake the Law or the Prophets I am not come to breake but to fulfill Againe All things must needes Luc. 24. be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moyses and the Prophets and the Psalmes of me Our Blessed Ladie speaking of the fulfilling of this Oath in our Sauiour and his Seede the Christians saith Hee hath receiued Israel his Luc. â— 54. Child being mindfull of his mercie as he spake to our Fathers to Abraham and his Seede for euer And Zacharie replenished with the Holy Ghost prophecied saying Blessed be Luc. 1. 68. our Lord God of Israel because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people as he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets that are from the beginning to remember his holy Testament the Oath which he sware to Abraham our Father Of the fulfilling of this Oath and these Promises in our Sauiour and Christians S. Peter speaketh saying You are the Children of the Act. 31. 24. Prophets and of the Testament which God made to our Fathers saying to Abraham And in thy Seed shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed That this Oath of God
successe in all his affaires because hee was a pious Catholike Emperour that in the Battailes he fought with his Enemies their owne Weapons Darts and Arrowes were turned vpon themselues God Almightie fighting for him Of Honorius a most Catholike Emperour S. Augustine De Ciuit. Dei li. 5. ca. 28. writeth That God did so fight for him as in one Battaile he slew of the Gothes aboue a hundreth thousand and tooke their King and his sonne prisoners and not so much as one of his Armie killed or wounded Of Theodosius the yonger a verie pious Emperor writeth Socrates That making Lib. 7. hist ca. 18. his prayers to God while his Armie skirmished with the Sarazens a hundred thousand of them were driuen by Angels into the Riuer Euphrates and there perished The same prosperitie followed Iustine the elder and Hieraclius whilest they were Catholike Emperors but after they became Heretikes they neuer did any thing prosperously And to let passe Charles the Great Charles the fift and manie more Catholike Christian Kings and Emperors who attained to prosperous successe in their affaires aswell in warre as in peace by being pious Catholike Princes carefully seeking to keepe the Commaundements of God And to speake of the Kings and Princes of this Island In S. Austines time there were seuen Kings heere in England and the rest extinguished the Crowne remained together with the Monarchie in the Line of the West Saxons who were of all the rest most Catholike and pious defendors of the keeping of the Commaundedements of God And if wee looke yet further into the estate of this Monarchie of England wee shall finde it most true that the most flourishing times that euer England saw was when it most zealously professed Catholike Religion and piously labored to keepe the Commandements of God as in the reigne of Egbert who first reduced England into a Monarchie in the time of Alfred his sonne Edward the first and Athelstan his sonne Edmund Edred Edward the Confessor Henrie the first fourth and fifth to the verifying of the Promises and Prophesies saying I would thou haddest attended to Isa 48. 18. my Commandements thy Peace had beene as a floud and thy Iustice as the waues of the Sea And thy Seede had beene as the Sand and the Stocke of thy Wombe as the grauell stones thereof his name had not perished neither had it beene destroyed before my face Againe Whosoeuer 1. King 3. 30. wil glorifie me I wil glorifie him and they that contemne me shal be base Whereupon the Prophet Dauid saith Tribulation and Psa 118. 143. Distresse haue found me Thy Commaundements are my meditation Thy testimonies are equitie for euer giue me vnderstanding and I shall liue by keeping them enioying the Blessings and Promises of God comfort and helpe in all his tribulations and necessities Blessed are all that feare Ps 127. 1. our Lord that walk in his wayes Because thou shalt eate the labor of thy hands Blessed art thou and it shal be wel with thee in this life and in all eternitie which God of his goodnesse graunt thee Reader CHAP. XVIII Of the first spirituall Content and Happinesse which such enioy as loue God with all their hearts and keepe his Commaundements which is Beautie spirituall THe first spirituall Content and Happinesse vvhich God Almightie bestoweth vpon such as loue him is remission of their sinnes cleansing and washing of their soules with the water of life and decking and adorning them with spirituall Beautie Let the impious forsake his way and the vniust Isa 55. 7. man his cogitations and returne to our Lord and he will haue mercie vpon him and to our God because he is bountifull to forgiue So great are the mercies of God Almightie that at what time soeuer a sinner shall desist from violating the Commaundements of God and returne to loue him with his whole heart hee will haue mercie on him and obserue with him the faithfull mercies which hee promised to Abraham and his Seed saying Whosoeuer shall Eze. 11. 32. 34. 37. depart from his wicked wayes and turne vnto me I will receiue him into the Couenant which hee made with Abraham Dauid and the Patriarkes and their Seed for euer When Deut. 30. 1. thou shalt be turned sayth Moyses with repentance of thy heart and shall returne to our Lord and obey his Commaundements in all thy heart our Deut. 30. 9. Lord will turne to reioyce vpon thee in all riches as he reioyced in thy Fathers yet so if thou heare the voice of the Lord thy God and keepe his Precepts For thus sayth our Lord Dissolue the bands of Impietie Isa 58. 6. loose the bands that ouer-load dismisse them free that are broken and breake in sunder euerie burden Depart from sinne and doe works of Charitie Breake thy Bread to the hungrie and the needie and harbourlesse bring into thy house when thou shalt see the naked couer him and despise not thy flesh then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thy health shall sooner arise and thy Iustice shall goe before thy face and the glorie of our Lord shall imbrace thee with spirituall grace and fauour in this life and eternall glorie in the other And so sayth Cease to doe peruersly learne to Isa 1. 17. doe good to keepe the Commandements seeke iudgement succour the oppressed iudge for the fatherlesse defend the widow and come and accuse me saith our Lord if your sinnes shal be as scarlet they shal be made white as snow and if they be red as vermilion they shal be white as wooll Presently vpon the heartie conuersion of a sinner from his euill wayes and imbracing the Commandements of God and louing him with all his heart our Lord maketh his heart pure clean neat his cōscience good his faith not fained which hee doth by spirituall Water according to his Word saying If thou diddest Io. 4. 10. know the gift of God and who he is that saith vnto thee Giue me to drinke thou perhaps wouldest haue asked of him and he would haue giuen thee liuing Water He that shall drinke of the Water that I will giue him shall not thirst for euer but the Water that I will giue him shall become a Fountaine of Water springing vp to life euerlasting Again He that beleeueth in me with a faith that worketh according to charitie as the Scriptures say out of his bellie shall flowe riuers of liuing Water Whereupon it is said of such as loue God with all their hearts and keepe his Precepts that they are whiter Ier. Lam. 4. 7. then Snow purer then Milke ruddier then the old Iuorie fairer then Saphire And moreouer the soule of a sinner heartily conuerted to God is made so pure and gracious by Charitie that all the Saints and Angels in Heauen doe take pleasure and ioy to behold it as witnesseth our Sauiour saying Luc. 15. 7. There shall be ioy in Heauen
vpon one sinner that doth Penance And againe Luc. 15. 10. I say to you that there shall be ioy before the Angels of God vpon one sinner that doth Penance Neither at this must thou maruell since a soule that loueth God becommeth by his grace so beautifull as that God Almightie taketh her for his Spouse and liueth with her in chaste delights as in his bed-chamber house and home whereof we are to speake in the next Chapters Beautie corporall is a proportion of the members with a certaine sweetnesse of the mixture of colours Beautie spirituall is a portion of vertues with a certaine sweetnesse of diuine splendor which is of such excellencie that it cannot be expressed vnto thee but by changing literall sense of wordes into spirituall so abstract from thy senses that thou mayest in some part vnderstand what the Scriptures say of the Beautie of a soule louing our Lord and keeping his Commaundements vnder these tearmes How beautifull Cant. 4. art thou my Loue how beautifull art thou Thy eyes as it were of Doues besides that which lyeth hid within thee Thy haires as the flockes of Goates which haue commed vp from Mount Galaad Thy teeth as flocks of them that are shorne which haue commed vp from washing all with twinnes and there is not a barren amongst them Thy lippes as a Scarlet Lace and thy Speech sweet as a piece of Pomegranats so are also thy cheekes besides that which lyeth hid within Thy necke is as the Tower of Dauid which is built with Bulwarkes and thousand Targuets hanging on it all the Armour of the valiants Thy low breasts are low Faunes the twinne of a Roe which feedeth among the Lillies Thou art all faire O my Loue and there is not a spot in thee So the Scriptures in expressing the beautie of a Soule endued with Charitie and louing God Almightie with all her heart Whereupon S. Augustine sayth How shall Aug. in epist Ioan. tract 9. we become faire or beautifull but by louing him who alwayes is beautifull As much as the loue of him doth encrease in thee so much doth thy beautie encrease because Charitie is the beautie of the soule And how great happinesse it is to haue this beautie of soule or cleanenesse of heart our Lord himselfe in few words setteth it downe saying Blessed are the cleane of heart for they shall see God For Mat 5. this cause God Almightie was incarnate and suffered death that hee might dissolue sinne and present vs to God immaculate and pure that we might see him and enioy him in seeing and enioying of whom is consummated all our happinesse For this saith S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 3. 8. appeared the sonne of God that hee might dissolue the workes of the Deuill and present vs to God pure and immaculate according to the words of S. Paul saying Whereas you were Col. 1. 21. sometime alienated and enemies in sense in euill works yet now he hath reconciled you in the body of his flesh by death to present you holy and immaculate and blamelesse before him And againe Eph. 1. 3. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed vs in all spirituall blessings in heauenly things in Christ as he chose vs in him before the constitution of the world that we should be holy and immaculate in his sight in Charitie And yet adding sayth Christ loued the Church and Eph. â— 15. deliuered himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it cleansing it by the Lauer of Water in the Word that hee might present to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it may be holy and vnspotted So if it be a Content vnto thee to haue and possesse Beautie corporall or cleane Linnen soft Apparrell stately Pallaces rich Gardens which are nothing but a proportion of earthly thinges mixt with varietie of workes or colours how farre greater a Content and Happinesse would it be to thee to haue a pure Heart and Soule a good Conscience and Faith not fained Which the loue of God and keeping his Commaundements would bring thee vnto as affirmeth S. Paul saying The end of the Precept is 1. Tim. 1. 5. Charitie of a pure Heart and a good Conscience and a Faith not fained from the which things certaine straying are turned into vanitie of words desirous to be Doctors of the Law not vnderstanding neither what things they speake nor of what they affirme As wee see by experience in the Solifidians of this Age. And this for the first spirituall Content and Happinesse of such as keepe the Commaundements CHAP. XIX Of the second spirituall Content and Happinesse which such enioy as loue God Almightie with all their hearts and their Neighbours as themselues which is to be beloued of God Almightie WE see by experience that to loue and not to enioy or not to be beloued againe is painefull so hauing put all our Content and Happinesse in louing his Diuine Maiestie with all our hearts and all other things for him if we should not be beloued of his Diuine Maiestie nor enioy him we could not be content or happie So supposing that thou firmely beleeuest that God Almightie is faithfull in all his Promises and cannot lye or deceiue but will performe whatsoeuer hee hath promised if there bee no impediment on thy behalfe it is necessarie to shew vnto thee how hee hath promised to loue such as loue him with all their hearts and to make them his Children Sonnes and Coheires with our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ and endue them with his Spirit the holy Ghost his gifts and fruits and maintaine his Oath and Couenant with them which hee spoke to Abraham and his Seed for euer And first for the Promises to loue them that loue him and keepe his Precepts he saith He that hath my Commandements Io. 14. 21. and keepeth them hee it is that loueth me and hee that loueth me shall be beloued of my Father and I will loue him Againe If any man Io. 14. 23. loue me he will keepe my Word and my Father will loue him Againe If you keepe my Precepts Io. 1â— 10. you shall abide in my loue as I also haue kept my Fathers Precepts and doe abide in his loue Againe Io. 16. 27. The Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued mee Againe Hee that keepeth 1. Io. 2. 5. his Word in him in verie deed the Charitie of God is perfited Whereby wee see that God Almightie cannot but loue those who loue him with all their hearts and heereupon ariseth all these amorous tearmes of chast loue betwixt God Almightie and a soule that loueth him so often spoken of in the Scriptures and repeated in the workes and writings of the Fathers as Spouse and Espouse Kisse me with the kisse of his mouth my loue my beloued my beautifull one How beautifull art thou my loue my sister Spouse most beautifull