the naturall goods For whereas a man is a reasonable creature and sinne is a worke made against nature and it is naturall that euery contrary destroy his opposit it followeth that by how much more our sinns are multiplied by so much the powers of the soule are destroyed troubled not in themselues but in theyr toward workings After this manner doe sinnes make the soule miserable infirme slowe and instable to all goodnes but ready and prompt to all euill they make her weake to resist temptations and slowe to walke the way of the commaundements of our Lord. They also depriue her of thâ— true liberty and domâ—nion of the Spirit and make her captiue to the world the deuill the flesh and her owne appetites and after this manner shee liueth in harder captiuitie then that of Babylon or Egypt Besides all the spirituall sences of the minde are made slow so that they neither heare the voyces and diuine inspirations neither see the great euâ—ls that are prepared for them neither smell the sweet odor of vertue nor the woorthy examples of the Saints nor taste how sweet our lord is nor feele his scourges nor acknowledge his benefites by which he prouoketh theÌ„ to loue And besides all this they take away the peace ioy of conscience extinguish the feruor of the Spirit and leaue a man defiled lothsome deformed abhominable in the sight of God and all his Saints This benefite deliuereth vs from all these euils For the Abiss of diuine mercy is not content to haue pardoned our sinnes and to haue receiued man into his fauour except hee also expell all those euills which sinnes bring with them reforming renewing our inward man After thys manner he healeth our woundes hee washeth our vncleannes he breaketh the bonds of sinners destroyeth the yoake of euill desires deliuereth vs froÌ„ the seruitude of the deuil mittigateth the fury of our peruerse affections restoreth vnto vs the tru liberty pulchritude of the soule giueth vs peace ioy of good conscience quickneth our interior sences maketh them prompt to doe all goodnes slow to all wickednes He maketh them strong to resist temptations of the deuill endoweth them with good works To conclude so absolutely renueth hee and repaireth he our interiour man with all his powers as the Apostle feareth not to call such kind of men iustified renewed or rather newâ— creatures This renouation is so great that when it is giuen by Baptisme it is called regeneration and when it is restored by repentance it is called resurrection not onely because the soule is raised from the death of sinne to the life of grace but because in a certaine manner it imitateth the beauty of the future resurrection And that is so true that no tongue of man is sufficient to expresse the beauty of the iustified soule but only that spirit knoweth this that beautifieth the same and maketh it his temple lodgeth himselfe in it Wherefore if thou compare all the ritches of this world all his honours all his naturall graces and all his acquired vertues with the beautie and ritches of the soule that is iustified all of them shall seeme most obscure vild in comparison thereof For as great difference as there is betwixt heauen and earth betweene the spirit and the bodie betweene eternity and time so great also is founde betwixt the life of grace the lyfe of nature between the beauty of the soule and of the body betwixt the interior and exterior riches betweene spirituall and naturall fortitude For all these are circumscribed by certaine termes are temporall and seeme only faire to the out ward eye to which the generall concourse of God is sufficient but to those other a perticuler supernaturall concourse is required neyther can they be called temporall where as they bring to eternity neither any wayes termed finite beâ—ause they deserue God in whose eyes they are so precious and of such value that by theyr beautie they prouoke God himselfe to loue But whereas God might worke all these thinges by his onely presence he would not doe it but it pleased him to adorne the soule with infused vertues and with the 7. dowers of the holie Spirit with which not onelâ— the very essence of the soule it selfe but also all the powers thereof are inuested and adorned with these diuine habits Besides all these diuine benefites that eternall and infinite goodnesse of God annexeth an other namely the presence of the holy ghost or rather of the whole blessed Trinitie which entreth into the iustified soule and commeth to inhabite in the same that it may teach her how to vse in due sort so great riches Like to a good Father who not content to haue giuen his riches to his sonne giueth him a tutor also who knoweth howe to administer them well So that euen as in the soule of a sinner Vipers Dragons and Serpents inhabite who are the multitude of malignant spirits who haue taken vp their lodging in such a soule as our Sauiour in S. Mathew affirmeth So contrariwise into the iustified soule the holy Ghost with the whole sacred Trinitie doe enter and casting out all monsters and infernall beasts consecrateth the same for a temple for himselfe and placeth his seate there As our Lorde himselfe expresly testifieth in the gospell written by Saint Iohn saying If any man loue mee hee wil obserue my sayings and my Father shall loue him and we will com vnto him make our mansion with him By vertue of these wordes all the Doctors as well Ecclesiasticall as Scholasticall doe confesse that the holy Ghost himselfe truly and after a certaine speciall manner dooth dwell in the iustified soule distinguishing betwixt the holy ghost his gyfts saying moreouer that not onely these gifts of the holy Ghost â—re giuen but that the holy ghost also giueth himselfe who entring into this soule maketh her his temple and habitation fixing his seate in â—he same Hee therefore purgeth â—he same sanctifieth decketh her with his vertues that shee may be a sufficient mansion wherein hee may inhabite The aboue named benefites suffice not except another and that admirable be ioyned vnto theÌ„ nameâ—ie that all the iustified are made the lyuing members of our Sauiour who were first but dead members For they dyd not receaue the â—nfluences from theyr Lord head Christ. Hence doe orher and they very great prerogatiues and excellencies arise For hence commeth it that Gods onelie Sonne loueth them as his owne members and hath no lesse care of them then of himselfe hee is no lesse solicitous for them then for his owne members without intermission hee powreth into them his vertues as the heade into his members Finally the eternâ—â—l Father beholdeth them with fauoâ—rable eyes no otherwise then the liuing members of his onely begotten Sonne vnited with him concorporate by the participation of his Spirit and therefore their acâ—â—ons are gratefull and pleasing as
hadst so ordered thy life that in 〈◊〉 houre thou might'st haue God pâ—â—â—pitious vnto thee Thirdly that 〈◊〉 remember how great austere pâ—â—nitence thou wouldst then willing 〈◊〉 vnder-take if time might be grâ—â—â—ted thee ¶ The Authour purposely intreâ—â—teth of death in his first booke 〈◊〉 prayer meditation also in his Eâ—â—ercises in the meditation on Wâ—â—â—nesday at night likewise in the Siâ—â—ners guide lib. 1. cap. 7. in the â—â—â—cond part of this booke cap. 7. 〈◊〉 in the 3. part chap. 8. The Argument â—he day of iudgement an exact acâ—â—unt shal be required at a Christiâ—ns handes of all his thoughts and â—orkes done in this life The sinner 〈◊〉 the iust iudgement of God shall 〈◊〉 cast downe headlong into perpeâ—â—all affliction plaints darknes â—f the infernall prison There whilst 〈◊〉 is tortâ—red with most ardent torâ—â—res and punishments full of rage â—nd burning with wrath against â—od he shal curse excruiate him â—â—lfe calling to memory all those eâ—ils which he hath done and those â—ood things which he hath neglected â—o doe For which cause who soeuer â—ill not fall into these desasters let â—im repent whilst he hath time CHAP. 3. AFter death followeth euery mans perticuler iudgement after that the vniuersal of al men wheÌ„ as that which the Apostle teacheth shal be fulâ—â—d We must all of vs be manifeâ—â—â—â— before the tribunall of Christ that euery one may receiue accoâ—â—ding to that which he hath done 〈◊〉 his body either good or bad Many thinges are to be consideâ—red in this iudgement but the chieâ—fest of them is diligently to wey 〈◊〉 what things the account shal be exacted from vs. I will search saytâ— our Lord IerusaleÌ„ by candle light and I will visite vppon the men thâ—â— are intent on their dreggs The maner of speaking in holy Scripture is to signifie that the thinges of leaâ—â— consequence shal be both discust examined in that day euen as meâ— in slight things are wont to light a candle and search euery corner oâ— the house For there is not any one vaine cogitation of thine or moment of time euilly and vnfruitfully let slip by thee wherof a reason shal not be required at thy hands Who woulde not tremble and shake euery lym of him when heâ— heareth the words of our Lord Verely verely I say vnto you of euery idle worde that men haue spoken they shall giue a reason in the day of iudgement Well â—hen if an account must be made of those words â—hich offend no man what shal be â—nswered for dishonest words vnâ—hast cogitations for handes full of â—lood for adulterous euils Finalâ—â— for all the time of our life loosely â—onsumed in the works of iniquity â—f this bee true as it is most true â—hat tongue what eloquence may â—eport so much of the rigor and seâ—eritie of this iudgement which â—â—all not be lesser then the truth of â—he thing it selfe or what is it may â—ny wayes bee equalled with the â—â—me Howe shall the wretched man â—â—and heere amazed and astonished â—hen in the circle ofso many Senaâ—ors and the presence of so great a â—ounsaile the account shal be chalâ—enged at his handes of the least â—ord which such or such a day he â—â—ake fondly and without fruite Who would not be amazed at this â—uestion VVho durst say these â—â—inges except Christ himselfe had â—poken them before who affirme â—xcept he had affirmed What king â—as there euer found that expostuâ—ated with his seruants for so light a â—ault O altitude of Christian Religion how great is the puritie which thou teachest how strict is the account which thou exactest with howe seuere iudgement doost thou discusse and examine all thinges How great shal the shame be wherwith wretched sinners shall in thaâ— place be stained when as all theyr iniquities which when they lyued they hid vnder the couerts and walls of theyr houses what soeuer also dishonest what-soeuer filthy thing they haue committed froÌ„ theyr tender yeeres to the terme of their life all the angles of their harts whatâ—o euer is most secrete shall be manifested in this court before thâ— eyes of the whole world Who there shal haue a conscience so cleere who when these thinges shall beginne to be done shall not presently change his colour and tremble in all his members For if a man doe so much blush when hee reuealeth his defects in priuate to some friende of his so that some one in the very confession waxeth dumbe and concealeth his crime what shame shal that be where-with sinners shall be affected in the sight of Almighty GOD and of all ages past present and to come So great shall that shame be that the wicked as the prophet witnesseth shall cry out saying to the mountaines couer vs to hils fall vpon vs. But these thinges are tollerable but what shall become of them when as the sharpe arrowes of that finall sentence from Gods mouth shall be shotte into theyr harts Goe you cursed into euerlasting â—ire which is prepared for the deuill and his Angels Alas with what sorrowes shall sinâ—ners be discrutiate when they heare this sentence When as wee can scarcely heare a little droppe of his wordes sayth Iob who can beholde the thunder of his greatnes This voyce shal be so dreadfull and of such vertue that the earth in the twinckling of an eye shall bee opened and in a moment they shall descend to hell as the sayd Iob saith who now enioy the timbrel harp and reioyce at the sound of the organ vvho nowe leade theyr dayes in pleasure This case describeth blessed Saint Iohn in his Apocalips in these wordes After this I saw another Angel descending from heauen hauing great power the earth was lightned by his glory and he cryed out in his strength saying Great Babilon is fallen is fallen and is made the habitation of deuils and the prison of all vncleane spirits the habitation of each vncleane odible bird A little after the same Euangelist addeth saying The strong Angel tooke vp a stone as if it were a great Milstone and cast it into the sea and said with this force shal the great citty Babilon be cast down henceforward it shall no more bee found After this manner shal the wicked fall into this headlong hell and into that darksom prison ful of al confusion which is vnderstood of Babilon in this place But what tunge can expresse the multitude of punishments which they shall there suffer There shal their bodies burne in liuing vnquenchable flames there their soules without intermission shal be gnawed vpon by the worme of conscience which shal giue them no truce There shall be perpetuall weeping of eyes and gnashing of teeth that shal neuer end which the sacred Scriptures do so often threaten repeat In this place of desperation those miserable damned enraged with a certaine cruel madnes shal coÌ„uert their anger against god tyrannize
reward one and common to all the elect For there shall be perfect charity and God shall be all in all For that cause it shall be the common exercise of all to loue and praise God without end or intermission CHAP. 4. BVT in that we haue already aboundantly discoursed of the condemnation and sentence which attendeth impious and sinfull men it consequently foloweth that we speake som-whâ—â— also of the beatitude and reward of good men Now this blessednes iâ— that desired and holy Kingdome of heauen and that happy life which God from the beginning of the created world prepared for those who loue and follow him There is no tongue eyther humaine or angelicall that can worthily expresse what that reward shall be or what that life will be But that thou mayst haue some tast and receaue some knowledge of the same I will by the way report that which Saint Augustine wrote of it in certaine of his Meditations O thou life saiâ—h â—e that God hath prepared for those â—hat loue him liuing life blessed â—ife amiable life cleane life chast â—ife holy life life ignorant of death deuoyd of sorrow life without blot without greefe without anxietie without corruption without perâ—urbation without varietie and muâ—ation lyfe full of all elegancie and dignitie where there is no aduersaâ—ie to impugne where there is no â—llurement of sinne where there is â—erfect loue and no feare where â—he day is eternall and one spirit of â—ll Where GOD is beheld face to â—ace and with this foode of life the minde is satiate and satisfied without defect It dooth mee good to intende to â—hy cleerenes thy beauties delight my greedy hart the more power I haue to consider with my selfe the more doe I languish with the loue of thee with the vehement desire of thee and I am greatly delighted with thy sweete memory O thou most happy life ô thou truly blessed kingdome wanting death void of end to which no times succeede by â—ge where as the continuall day without night cannot haue time where as the conquering Souldiour accompanying those hymne-singing quires of Angels singeth vnto God without ceasing a song of the songs of Sion hauing his noble heade inuironed with a perpetualâ— crowne Would to God the pardon of my finnes were graunted mee and that presently laying aside this burthen of my flesh I might enter into the true rest of thy ioyes and that possessing the most beautifull admirable walls of thy citty I might receiue the crowne of life from the handes of our Lorde that I might accompany these holy quires that with those blessed spirits I might asist the glory of the Creator that face to face I might behold Christ that I might alwayes looke vppon that high ineffable and vncircumscribed light Happy is that soule which deliuered froÌ„ this earthly body may freely ascend to heauen that secure and peaceable neither feareth the deuil nor death Happy eternally happie my soule if after this corporall death it may be counted worthy to behold thy glory thy maiesty thy beautie thy gates walls streetes thy many mansions thy noble cittizens and thy most mightie kingdome in thy comlines For thy vvalls are of precious stone and thy gates of the purest Margarites thy streetes are of burnisht golde wherein without intermission Alleluia is sunge thy mansions are many founded on squared stones builded with Saphires couered with golden tile into which no man entreth except he be cleane wherein no one inhabiteth that is defiled Mother Ierusalem thou art made faire and sweet in thy delights there is no such thing in thee as we suffer heere and behold in this miserable life They differ very far from those thinges which are daily present before our eyes in this life full of calamitie There is no darknes in thee neither night or any change of time The light of the candle shyneth not in thee or the bright Moone or the beamy starres but God of gods the light of lights the sunne of iustice alwaies illuminateth thee The white and immaculate Lambe is thy cleere delightfull light The King of Kings is in the midst of thee his children round about him There the quires of hymne-tuning Angels there the societie of the supernall Cittizens there the sweete solemnitie of all those that returne from this wofull pilgrimage vnto thy ioyes There the prouident company of the prophets there the twelue number of the Apostles There the victorious host of innumerable Martyrs there the sacred couent of the saints Confessors there the true and perfect Monks there the holy women that haue ouercome the pleasures of the world and the infirmities of theyr sexe There the young men maidens that flying the snares of thys world with sacred manners haue past theyr time in all vertues there are the sheepe and lambes which haue already escaped the snares and pleasures of thys life All reioyce in theyr peculier mansions The glory of euery one is different yet is the ioy of them all common Full and perfect charitie raigneth there because God is there all in all whom they beholde without ende and seeing him alwaies burne in his loue loue laude him They praise and loue All theyr labour is the prayse of God wiâ—hout end without defect without labor Happie were I and truly happy for euerlasting if after the resolution of thys body of mine I shall deserue to hear those canticles of celestiall melody which are sung in praise of the eternall King by those cittizens of the celestiall country troopes of blessed spirits Fortunate were I and incredibly blessed if I likewise might deserue to sing them and assist my King my God my guide and see him in his glory euen as hee hath dayned to promise saying Father I will that those whoÌ„ thou hast giuen me be with me that they may beholde my beauty and maiestie which I had with thee before the beginning of the world Tell me I pray thee brother what a day shal that be which shal knock at thy gate the course of this thy pilgrimage beeing ended that if thou hast liued in the feare of God may from death transferre thee to immortality wherein others were wont to feare thou shalt beginne to lyft vp thy heade because thy râ—demption is at hand Come out I pray thee a little while sayth S. Ierosme writing to Eustochia the Virgine froÌ„ the prison and depaint before thine eyes the rich reward of thy present labor which neyther eye hath seene nor eare heard neyther hath the hart of man conceiued the like VVhat day shall that be when as the Virgine Mary shall meete thee attended by all the troopes of Virgins who on the otherside of the Redde-sea the host of Pharao being drowned who bearing a tymbrel shal sing to those that aunswere Let vs sing to our Lord for he hath gloriously honored vs he hath cast down the horse and the ryder into the sea TheÌ„ shal the Spouse himselfe meete her
to which the iust doe direct their course when-so-euer anie tempest of this world dooth assaile them and like a strong shield wherein all our enemies darts are receaued without any wound It is as it were a gadge or prouant hidden to â—hich in time of famine all the poore maâ— repaire and take bread It is that Tabernacle and that shaddowe which our Lord promiseth by Esay that it should be to his elect a shelter in the heate of the day and a couert from the storme and raine that is from all aduersity and prosperity of this worlde Fâ—nally it is a medicine and common remedy for all our euils For it is most certaine that what soeuer we iustly faithfully and prudently hope from God we shall receaue the same so that it be necessary for our saluation and pertaine therevnto Therefore Cyprian caleth the mercy of GOD an inexhaunst fountaine of goodnes and hope or a vessell of confidence wherein those benefites are contayned and hee sayth that according to the quantity of the vessell the proportion of the remedy shall bee likewise correspondent For in regard of the fountaine the water of mercy shall neuer faile Euery place sayth our Lorde to the chyldren of Israell which the step of your foote shall tread vpon I will giue you So all the mercy vpoÌ„ which a man shall settle his foote shall be his The wicked also haue a certaine hope yet not a liuing but a deade hope for sinne taketh away the lyfe thereof therfore their hope worketh not in them the effects which we haue aboue rehearsed Of thys hope it is written The hope of the wicked is like the downe that is tossed vp like the light foame which is scattered by the storme like the â—moake which is dispersed by the winde By which you may perceiue howe vaine the hope of the wicked is And not onely is this hope vaine but hurtfull deceitfull and dangerous also as GOD warneth by the Prophet Wo vnto you you sonnes forsakers that is you that haue forsaken your Father saith our Lord that you might doe counsaile but not of me c. hoping for helpe in the strength of Pharao and hauing trust in the shadow of Egypt And Pharaos strength shall be confusion vnto you that which followeth And in the chapter which foloweth Woe to you that descende into Egipt for help hoping in your horses c. You see heere that the hope of the wicked is flesh of the good spirit the one of them to bee nought els then man the other to be God So that what difference there is between god man the same is there founde betweene hope and hope What difference there is betweene both the hopes the Prophet Ieremie aptly describeth Chapter 17. Cursed saith hee is the man that trusteth in man c And after hee hath expounded this malediction he opposeth the blessing of the righteous Blessed saith he is the man that trusteth in our Lord c. ¶ Of these sixe fore-sayde Priuiledges and their contraries hath he entreated lib 1 part 2 of the Guide of a sinner Chapters 13 14 15 16 17 18. The Argument The riches of vertue are not circumscribed within these priuiledges only but they haue also other six annexed vnto them no lesse valuable theÌ„ the former as are That it maketh the man in whom it abideth possessor of the true liberty of thâ— Spirit and free from all perturbâ—tions That it filleth the hart with incredible peace That God heareth the prayers of good men That the diuine assistance is alwayes neere them in all their tribulations That all good things are bestowed on the godly which are any wayes necessary in this life That the death of the righteous is pleasant blessed peaceable to which goods so many euils are opposed which make the life of dissolute men miserâ—ble and vnhappy CHAP. 15. THe seauenth priuiledge of Vertue is the true liberty of the minde of which the Apostle speaketh Where the Spirit of our Lord is there is liberty Thys liberty our Lorde promised the Iewes when he sayd If you shall continue in my sayings you shall truly be my disciples and you shall knowe the truth and the truth shall deliuer you that is shall giue you true liberty They answered hâ—m We are the seed of Abraham and we haue not as yet serued any man how sayst thou then yee shall be free Iesus answered said vnto them Verily verily I say vnto you Euery one that doth sin is the slaue of sin now the seruant remaineth not in the house for euer but the sonne remaineth for euer If therfore the Son hath deliuered you you shal be truly free In which words there is a double liberty insinuated a false and a true The false is theyrs who haue theyr body free but their soule captiue subiect to the tyrannie of their own passions and sinnes such as was that of Alexander the great who beeing King of the whole worlde was a slaue to his owne appetites and vices The true is of those which haue theyr mindes voyde of all thoâ—e tyrants although they haue theyr bodie sometimes free somtimes thrale and captiue Such as was that of the Apostle Saint Paule who although he were captiue and held in bonds yet in spirit he flew thorow the heauens and by the doctrine of his Epistles seâ— at liberty the whole world This true liberty is of those that follow vertue but the false is of those that lye drowned in vice and sin ¶ Of this liberty of the good thraldome of the wicked there is a most excellent and copious treatise in the first booke of the Guide of a sinner part 2. chap. 19. to which place we refer the Reader The eyght priuiledge is the peace of the interior man which the studious in verâ—ue doe enioy Now it â—s to be noted that there arâ— three sorts of peace The one with our neighbour of which Dauid speaketh when he sayth I was peaceable with those that hated peace when I spake vnto them they imâ—ugned mee without a cause Another peace is with GOD of which the Apostle sayth Being iustified therefore by fayth let vs haue peace with GOD. The thyrd is that which a man hath with himselfe Nowe that I say thus let no man admire for it appeareth that in one and the same man there are foundeâ— two men and they contrary the one against the other as are the interior and exterior or the spirit and flesh the appetite and reason VVhich contrarietie not onely combatteth the minde with cruell assaults but troubleth the whole man also with his passions ardent desires and raging hunger The godly therefore hauing grace the gouernour of aâ—â— their sences appetites and all their wil resigned into the hands of god are not by any encounter so perturbed as that they loose theyr interior peace This peace is promised by our Lord to the louers of vertue by the kingly prophet