compassion upon thee Where be the Worldlings the would not be sorry for their sins Where are they become Are they not condemned to everlasting torment in Hell fire O think then that sin doth greatly offend God Think what punishment God hath ordained for sin which makes Man an Enemy to God and a friend to the Devil Secondly think that at this present time thou art in Gods favour by the means of his Grace who made thee a child of God and an Heir of Heaven by Hope so that now thy Conscience is quiet Think what good Consolation thou hast received by devour prayer think what spiritual instructions Gods Grace hath given to thee think all the pleasures of the World are mingled with Sorrow think that this World shall pass away with all the pomps and pleasures of the same think that thy present Estate is the high way to Heaven and so shalt thou keep perseverance Thirdly think that the just judgment of God is to come which is to the good to give Heaven and to the evill Hell Think thou must dye and that at thy death thou shalt not receive so good consolation as thou hast had of Vertue and Gods grace Think that at thy death thou must leave behind thee Wife Children Goods and Mony whether thou do good or evill Think that thou must go to a Region unknown and to a place where thou hast never been and if thou be sound to have dyed in sin without repentance the Devils will attend to take thy damned Soul and will carry it into the dungeon of Darkness there to seel eternal torments But if thou be sound with Perseverance in the Palace of Vertue millions of Angels will go before thee and with great joy will bring thee to heaven O think upon the just judgment of God to come when every one shall be judged according to his deeds For God fahoureth neither Kings Princes nor People high nor low rich nor poor without respect of persons be will chuse the good and condemn the evil at the day of doom when we must appear personally without excuse or exception before him then every man must be his own Atturney when the just Iudge at that day will shew himself terrible to the Perverse which have followed Voluptuousness and have not heartily repented but will be gentle mercifull and good unto those that have been sorry for their offences O think what torments the un-repentant shall suffer both in body and soul perpetually whereas all such as have persevered in goodness to the end shall receive joy and the fulness of God and of Heaven In such sort to persevere in goodness to the end do thine utter endeavour and thou shalt see that God will be ready with his grace to arm thee with constancy in thy Christian purpose CAP. XI A protestation which Good Understanding taught the Knight to make every day for the avoiding of temptations and how he ought to humble himself before God and what he should ask in his prayer MY Son alwayes I wish thee to keep perseverance with thee by whom thou mayest avoid temptations which would induce thee to sin and force thee to forsake the true Faith and also to transgress the holy Commandements of Almighty God This to avoid I wish thee every day to repeat the promises which thou hast made to God in thy Baptism which follow thus in effect O Most high most excellent and holy Lord God I protest that I will live and dye in the true Catholike and Apostolike faith revealed in thy holy Word and that I will do my utmost endravour to keep thy holy Commandements which heretofore I have wilfully and carelessy transgressed wherefore I am sorry and do heartily repent me for the breach of them and in token thereof I make my Confession saying I Believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth And in Jesus Christ his only Sonne our Lord which was conceived by the holy Ghost Born of the Virgin Mary Sufferred under Pontius Pylate Was crucified dead and buryed He descended into Hell The third day he rose again from the dead He ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead I believe in the holy Ghost The holy Catholick Church The communion of Saints The forgiveness of sinnes The resurrection of the body And the life everlasting Amen Then say Lord God give me grace most heartily I beseech thee without doubting to confess and believe the articles of this my Christian Faith and in the same to persevere to the end And so rehearse the Ten Commandements of Almighty God which are these The same which God spake in the xx Chapter of Exodus saying I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the Land of Ægypt out of the house of Bondage 1. Thou shalt have none other Gods but me 2. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image nor the likenesse of any thing that is in Heaven above nor in the Earth beneath nor in the water under the Earth Thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God and visit the sins of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me and keep my commandements 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine 4. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to do but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work thou and thy son and thy daughter thy man servant thy maid servant thy catell and the stranger that is within thy gates for in six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that therein is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it 5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 6. Thou shalt do no murther 7. Thou shalt not commit Adultery 8. Thou shalt not steal 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour 10. Thou shalt not cover thy Neighbours house thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours wife nor his servant nor his maide nor his ox nor his Asse nor any thing that is his Then considering the tenour of that which thou hast said crave grace at Gods hands to walk after his will using the same prayer which Christ taught thee and saying Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass
Magnanimity Constancy Hope Assurance Patience and Perseverance With this Vertue the Martyrs of all Degrees and Ages were endued grounded upon a firm Faith contemning the world and setting light by the torments of Lyrants imbracing death rather then to deny Christ Gods Prophets were armed with Fortitude who without siattery reprehended the Kings of Israel and Juda of their fals worship of God and feared not their furies The Apostles of Iesus Christ were armed with Fortitude who feared not to controll the wisdom of the wise and vanquish such as were in high places that they might with contented mindes carry the yoak of Christ This they did not with mans power or warlike weapons but with dibine Doctrine not defiring to kill any one but to die themselves It is a great worlds wonder that so few simple souls unarmed unlearned and having no humane policy should vanquish the wisdom of the World confound earthly policy and strength and subdue Kings and bring them in obedience to the Faith of Christ revoking the People from false Religion and Adoration of Debils With this Vertue of fortitude Kings ought to be Armed not fearing any danger for the Defence of the Faith of Iesus Christ but being of one mind with the holy Martyrs of God With this vertue ought Preachers to be armed worthily defending the word of God against all Hereticks and Enemies of the same not fearing the threatnings of Persecutors whatsoever But you must understand that fortitude is not a dealer in the committing of unlawfull deeds as to beat hurt or kill thy brother unless it be justly done in thy own defence or for thy Countries cause otherwise it is a mere Malice Moreover such as desperately dispatch themselves as Wretches weary of Life they do it not by Fortitude but by the Lemptation of the Devill who is permitted of Gods sufferance to tempt some even to the making away of themselves Such People are not Valiant for it is not fortitude unless it be in lawfull deeds as in the defence of thine own Person the Magistrate thy Country or the Faith of Christ for the which to suffer death is excellent fortitude Temperance saith S. Austen is an affection to resrain the appetite when a Man is excessively inclined Temperance hath rule over pleasures and delights resusing to meddle in any thing which cannot be done without offending God and not falling into any excess whatsoever wherein a man may pass the rule of reason To live in Temperance is to dispose every thing according to the right use whereto it was appointed These four Vertues have four Vices clean contrary unto them by the which Vices the Vertues are corrupted and destroyed Prudence by Folly Justice by Covetousness Fortitude by Pride and Temperance by Inconstancy is defaced These Vices are signified by the sour plagues which consumed the Goods of Job namely The Sabees the Chaldees the force of Fire and the Violence of a vehement Wind. The Sabees of Folly made havock of Prudence Oxen. The Chaldees of Pride led away the Camels of Fortitude The fire of Lechery made waste of Temperance Sheep And the boysterous winde of Covetousness overthrew the Houses of Justice The four Vertues likewise are devoured of their adversary Vices according as Joel complaineth against the Wicked Jewes under sour notable things decyphering the four Vices Opposite and against the sour Vertues before-named These sour things are the Caterpillar the Grashopper the Locust and the Blasting all which four things being vent to wastfullness leave nothing unspoyled By the Caterpillar is meant foolish bragging which destroyed the Vertue of Prudence By the Grashopper is meant Pride which destroyeth the Vertue of Fortitude By the Locust is meant Covetousness which destroyeth the Vertue of Justice And by Blasting is meant Lechery which destroyeth the Vertue of Temperance For foolish bragging destroyeth the Vertue of Wisdem Pride corrupteth the State Avarice devours Justice Lechery spoyleth Temperance Now therefore Sir Knight I wish thee to refrain from these insatiable Vices lest thou lose the enjoying of these four notable Morall Vertues thou knowest what company thou hadst in the Palace of Vertue there thou sawest Gods Graces Faith Hope Charity Prudence Justice Fortitude Temperance and that goodness which none know but they who have had experience CAP. VIII How Faith from the top of the Tower sheweth unto the Knight the City of Heaven AFter Good Understanding had delivered these good words I was ravished in my mind I felt not my self I lost my taste I neither regarded meat nor drink and most of all I marvelled that Night approached not because many hours were consumed Being in that amaze Vertue told me that darkness had nothing to do where she dwelt Then Memory put me in mind what Gods Grace told me by the way saying that by the works of Faith which are the fruits of the same I might perceive and see the City of Heaven wherein is comprehended true Felicity Then Faith led me to her Tower and all the other Vertues kept us company For Faith properly is not without Hope nor Hope without Charity and therefore they must go all together And though these Vertues have several properties yet they joyn hands and are never asunder S. Hierom saith that Abraham was furnished with Faith Job with Fortitude and patience David with Humility and so conseouently Then Faith from her Tower shewed me a high Hill whereon was Luilt a marvellous sumptuous City and she told me it was the City of Heaven wherein is comprehended true Blessedness and perfect Felicity In that City I saw never a Temple which made me marvel untill that Faith told me that the Lord God Almighty was the Temple of that City There needs no shining of the Sun no brightness of the Moon no glittering of the Stars to give them light for Almighty God is their true Light himself None enters into this City but such as are written in the book of Life Furthermore Faith told me that there was no Adversity no sin no iniquity no fear no sorrow no shame no darkness no pain no unquietness no ill no grudging finally nothing that savoureth of mortality but there was Prosperity Perfection Vnity Love Gladness Quietness Charity sure Rest perpetual Felicity and everlasting joy in God with eternal Happinesse There was mirth without Sadness Rest without Pain Abundance without Want Life without Corruption In this City God is seen Face to Face there is the endless light shining the Saints alwayes singing blessed Souls rejoycing and ever beholding God yet still coveting to see him without dulness of destre The Citizens of this City of Heaven are Co-heirs of the eternal Deity the Father Son and holy Ghost They are made immortal according to the promise of our Lord and Saviour Christ saying Father those that thou hast given me I will that they be with me where I am that they may see my brightness What can I say more In this City is our King without death and
that he would never disclose his Death nor the manner how he had bestowed himself which thing he did of a Vain arrogant proud and ambitious mind even to this end that the people might report and believe that the Gods had drawn him up to Heaven invistble but it chanced not as he desired Yet notwithstanding quoth Folly I perswaded the lying Greeks that it was so and made them worship him as a God I governed fair Paris King Priams Son whose sirname was Alexander At the first he made no account of me but leading a Contemplative life be followed the Lore of Pallas the Goddess of wisdome mine Adversary but when Juno Pallas and Venus were at strife for the golden Ball which was thrown amongst them with condition that the fairest of them should have it they committed the matter to the Iudgement of Paris firnamed Alexander who was upon point so give Sentence in the Behalfe of Pallas mine Enemy but by my perswasson afterwards he gave it unto Venus my good friend and my old acquaintance then for Recompence of his foolish judgment I counselled him to go to Greece where he ravished fair Helen Hereupon the Greeks in a great and mad rage prepared all their force against the Trojans and after ten years Siege against their City they took Ilion and put King Priam to death insomuch that the whole Realme was thereby defaced In that War were killed many Princes and Noble Knights as Hector Achilles and Paris also was slain by Philactetes the Companion of the lesse Hercules in a Combat fought hand to hand The weapons which they used were Bowes and forked Arrowes wherewith Philactetes wounded Paris in three places First in his left hand secondly in his right eye thirdly in beth his legs which were fastned with the stroak together Being thus wounded the Trojans carried him into the City where shortly after he died I governed quoth Folly fair Helen the bastard Daughter of the third Jupiter King of Crete begotten of Laeda the Wife of Tindarus which Helen by my counsell went from her Husband Menelaus and suffered her self to be ravished by a young Lecherous Trojan named Paris sirnamed Alexander the Son of King Priam she brought blood and death to Troy instead of Dowrie for by her occasion Troy was destroyed and Priam with the most part of his Children killed And to the end that her adulterous Mate Paris or Alexander should not leave her and go to his own lawful Wise Pagales Oenone she bewitched him with certain drinks wherein she was her crafts Mistresse which thing when one doth use he is in such case that he forgets all things past and all sorrows present When she was thus arrived at Troy the good man her Husband Menelaus with Ulysses and other Greek Embassadours came to fetch her away and King Priamus commanded that she should be brought into his presence offering unto her frankly with loud boyce that she should if she thought good freely and with full liberty depart again into Greece with all her retinue people and pelfe Whereunto she answered in the hearing of her Husband and King Priam with the rest of his Counsell and Commons that she was not disposed to retire to her Countrey wishing also that her Husband Menelaus that good man might go to God that she was none of his wife neither would she have to do with him and that she came not to Troy against her will neither did she esteem of his marriage To conclude at length Troy by Treason was taken and ransackt eighteen years after she had been from her Husband and all that space had lived in Leachery with two Adulterers she grew to agreement and made peace with her Hasband Menelaus But when she was waxed old she looked in a glasse and seeing her lace far from fair she fell into a loud laughter and flouted at the Fools that fought ten years together for the love of a thing that faded so soon away but when her Husband Menelaus was dead two chief men of the City Sparta named Nicostratus and Magapentus men of great authority hunted Helen out of the Citie and Realm of Lacedemonia without appointing unto her any place or provision to keep her Vpon which Banishment she came to Rhodes to her ancient Companion and Friend Queen Polipo which was also then a Widow by reason of the Death of her Husband Tlepolemus who was stain before Troy And when she was at Rhodes Queen Polipo used her very well but the young Gentlewomen her waiting Maids hated her deadly for that she was the cause that their King Tlepolemus was killed insomuch that upon a day they conspired together against her and got her into a Garden where they fastning a Rope about her Neck hung her upon a Tree and strangled her to death This was the miserable end of Helen who being dead quoth Folly I put into the heads of the blinde people that she was a Goddesse by reason of her incomparable Beauty For which consideration they being not only Idolatrousty and heretically but also damnably deceived built her a marvellous costly and stately Temple and named her with great Devotion The Goddess of Beauty and devised many false Miracles and Lyes the which for brevity I let pass I governed quoth Folly Pharaoh Amenophis and Pharaoh Bacchoris both Kings of Aegypt who by my counsell caused all the Male Children of the Iewes to be drowned which people the first Pharaoh held in marvellous subjection As for the second I instructed him so well that he would not suffer she Children of Israel to depart out of his Land but in the end being scourged by God he was constrained to let them go and when they were gone I gave him Counsell in revenge to pursue them with all their Chivalry and Power of Aegypt which thing he did but the Tyrant and all his Company were drowned in the red sea I governed Chore Dathan and Abiram counselling them not to obey the commandment of Moses whom God had ordained chief Governour over the Children of Israel but Chore in offering Incense contrary to his Office was attainted and five hundred more of his Faction with him And for the Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram the Earth opened insomuch that they their Wives children and goods were all swallowed up alive I governed Saul the first King of Israel at the beginning of his Reign he was good and Godly but at last I enchanted him so that he caused many of Gods Priests to be killed insomuch that in one day he put to Death fourscore and five I counselled him to persecute good David and to ask counsell of witches and Sorcerers contrary to Gods Laws then at the last being sorsaken of God he was vanquished by the Philistines and with his own hands stew himself upon the Mount of Gilboa I was so hold as to enter into King Davids House and by my counsell I made him commit adultery with Bathsheba the wife of Urias And notwithstanding that
the infallible Truth spake thus to Nicodemus God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son to the end that whosoever believeth in him should be saved and not perish but have everlasting life God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World but to the end the World should be saved by him To the Scrives and Pharisies which murmured because he did eat and drink among Publicans and Sinners Christ said Those that be whole need not the Physitian but such as be sick Again I came not saith the Lord to call the just but Sinners to repentance Not as a Iudge but as a Physitian for such as languish in their Sins came I into the World not that they should remain Sinners but to turn them from their Sins that being Penitent they might be made righteous Likewise he told the Pharisees that the Angels in Heaven do more rejoyce in one penitent Sinner than in 99 just persons which need no repentance God saith Saint Paul spared not his only Son but gave him that he should rather dye for us than we be unpardoned If God spared not his only Son to dye for Sinners what thing is more precious unto him that he should resuse to give them And therefore the same Apostle speaking or Iesus Christ saith thus We have not an high Priest which cannot have Compassion of our Infirmities but such a one as in all points was tempted as well as we Sin excepted Let us go then boldly to the Seat of Grace that we may obtain merry and find grace in time convenient If I should rehearse all the places of the Scripture to this effect the ti … e would fail me Thus we see then none hath cause to distrust the goodness of God or to despair because of the greatness of his Sins seeing that God hath made so many fair promises to pardon the Penitent Sinner there be many Examples in the Old and New Testament of the performance of Gods promises as namely to David who commitred bath Adultery and Murther he even he by sorrowing for his offences and crying Peccavi obtained mercy and pardon of all his Wickedness Manasses the Son of Hezekiah set up the false worship of God which his Father had defaced and of an evill zeal to infidelity he himself offered up his own Children in fire for Sacrifice He persecuted the Prophets and sine innumerable Innocents amongst all which he caused the prophet Esay to be sawn in pieces In the end he was taken by his Enemies and led Captive into Babylon but when he was in his extreamity he acknowledged his offence and asked forgiveness of God by whom he was received to favour and restored to his Kingdom again The People of Ninive whom God threatned by the Prophet Jonas utterly to destroy for the multitude of their Sins they repented and prayed and so God forgave them The Samaritane also and the Canaanite notwithstanding their horrible sins when they asked Gods mercy he forgave them Matthew Zacheus and divers other Publicans upon their repentance were received into favour Peter that denyed his Master our Lord Iesus Christ three times swearing that he knew him not when he wept vitterly for his Sins he was received into mercy The Thief also upon the Cross being at the paint of Death even this Fellow who lived upon nothing but Robbery and Man slaughter all his life time acknowledged his hainous Sins asked pardon and God forgave him yea he obtained more than he required for Christ said unto him This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise This is Gods property even to give of his Liverality more than Men do or can ask Saint Paul was a Blasphemer and a Persecuter of Gods Church and yet he received mercy God hath set down such Persons as Examples for Sinners to the end they should not doubt of his Mercy and to teach them that he doth not Pardon offences for the merits of the Sinners which are stark Naught even when they are best but for his mercies sake which is adove all his Works For so to imagine of Mens merits is Destruction if any thing be ascribed unto merits then to the merits of his Son Iesus Christ and for his bitter Passion sake Let this be the conclusion that albeit the Sinner hath committed as many Sins as there be drops of Water in the Sea or Sands on the Sea shore yet he hath no cause to despair for though they be never so monstrous and manifold yet the mercy of God doth infinitely exceed them For his mercy consumes them sooner than the fire doth durn up the dry Ton. When I heard Lady Remembrance read these words I took heart a grace and recited a place Written in the Psalmes of David According to the multitude of the grief and sorrowes of my heart thy consolations have refreshed my Soul And then falling on my knees holding up my hands with sorrowfull Countenance and Compunction of Heart resting wholly upon the mercies and promises of God and the merits of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ I most humbly desired pardon for my Sins at the hands of Gods grace Vpon which unfained confession of mine offences and heart-grief hand-maids of perfect Repentance and fore-runners to the purpose I received by the means of Gods grace the benefit of the death and Passion of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen CAP. VI. A Sermon which Understanding the good Hermit made unto the Knight upon the History of Mary Magdalen IN the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Amen The great goodness and unspeakable mercy which hath been used in all Ages and times of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ towards all poor Sinners are in many places of the Gospel made manitest and clearly notified but chiesty in the seventh of Luke Wherein mention is made of a sinfull Woman lewd of Life and of ill name contemned despised and abhorred of Men whom sweet Iesus did not only receive to Favour but also by inward and secret inspiration drew her to repentance how and in what sort hear and understand The Gospel saith that there was a Pharisie furnished with false Faith and nuzled with a vain Opinion of holiness he was a great Doctor of the Law and a renowned Iusticiary howbeit weak in Faith and yet very high minded When our Saviour had one day preached and instructed the People by his Divine and holy Doctrine exhorting poor Sinners to turn to God by repentance and uttering many Parables and Similitudes as the Prodigal Child the lost Sheep and such like whereby he doth declare and signifie that he is inclined to compassion ready to have mercy and to receive into savour all repentant Sinners the proud Pharisie prayed him to come into his House and to dine with him The good Lord which had taken upon Him Mans Nature
good Hermit wherefore I was desirous to know his Name the which I asked Lady Memory who told me that it was good Understanding Then I received the holy Communion which being ended and Thanks given to God I meant to salute gratisie him But before we went to receive the holy Sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ I remembred the great love of our Lord which humbly took upon him our fraile and weak nature for our sakes became accursed and suffered most bitter death upon the Cross to deliver us out of the bandage of Sin Hell and Eternal death and to bring us to everlasting life I remembred also that love which he shewed unto me in drawing me out of the sink of sin wherein I was plunged over head and ears so that I was not only drawn from my unspeakable sins but also made a Communicant of the mystery of his Divine Majesty by faith And to the end it might please him to give me grace to receive it aright I prayed unto him on this wise O Sweet Jesus and loving Redeemer I yield thee thanks for thy unspeakable love by which thou hast purged me from the filth of sin and pluckt me by thy grace out of the dark dungeon of death Behold I reconcile my self unto thee most heartily beseeching thee that thou wouldest vouchsafe amongst the great number of thy benefits of thy great liberality to give me grace to be a faithfull partaker of thy precious body and blood represented unto me under the visible form of Bread and Wine O immortal King I am not worthy I confess of so great a benefit yet I beseech thee as thou dost make the unworthy worthy and the sinners just so make me worthy to receive this holy blessed and Heavenly Sacrament to my Souls Health Feed my Soul O Lord with thy spiritual Body and let thy blood revive and quicken my Spirit O make me by thy grace daily encreasing in me a member of thy mysticall body that I may be included within the Covenant and blessing which thou madest with thy Saints and Apostles in thy last Supper communicating unto them the holy Sacrament of thy body and Blood and consequently that I may be of the number of them which according to the Vow and Promise made in Baptism do live in Faith and by thy grace are received into the company of Saints Amen This prayer being ended with all Reverence and Devotion I received the holy Sacrament and that being ended we went from the Chappel into a great Hall where I met the good Hermit Understanding whom when I had saluted and he me I thanked him for his good sermon Then as we were talking Gods Grace said unto me Sir Knight I give thee for thy Governour this good Hermit Understanding believe his Counsel and do what he commands Then I remembred my old Governess Folly whom I left in the bog amongst Serpents and Toads so I was very glad of my Governour and give thanks to Gods Grace who from the Table gave me drugs to eat and repeated unto me a place written in the 80 Psalme of David Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Then having swallowed that which she gave me I forgat the World and made no reckoning of any thing therein For all my desire was in haste to see the Palace of true Felicity I desired death to be with Christ in Heaven Dinner being done the Gates of Repentance were opened which were narrow contrariwise as it appeareth in the first Book that the entrance into the Palace of Voluptuousness was wide large and great but the end thereof was desperation and destruction as on the other side the entring into the Palace of Repentance is streight and narrow but the end thereof is eternal Life For Repentance as Saint Paul saith leadeth the Repentant to everlasting Salvation When the gates were open I mounted up into a Chariot of Ivory having golden wheels and two white Horses with wings drawing the same Gods Grace gat up first and with her hand helped me up then followed the good Hermit Understanding then Memory Conscience and Repentance but Gods Grace governed all who touching the Horses with her Rod they mounted up over the Mountains which are above the Earth So we passed through the Region of the Air where inhabiteth all the wicked spirits which watch to annoy such as would mount up to Heaven And though I was greatly agast hereat yet my trust was in Gods Grace under whose Wings I hid my self I trusted not in my Conscience although it was at peace nor to Repentance nor to Understanding but to Gods Grace only who safely throwded me under her Wings as the Hen doth her Chickens against the coming of the Kite Then she commanded the wicked Enemies to get them hence and they forthwith sled away crying aloud Now have we lost our Knight lo he is mounted up to the Palace of Vertue in despight of us all Now he is escaped under the Wings of Gods grace Being past this brunt I heartily thanked Gods grace of her goodness and on the sudden I saw upon the top of a Mountain a goodly Palace Now for that love ingendreth tamiliarity and familiarity breeds boldness I asked Gods grace what place it was and she told me it was the Palace of Vertue It was so high that it reached even to Heaven and about it were seven sair Towers of Alablaster In the first dwelt Faith in the second Hope in the third Charity in the fourth Wisdome in the fifth Justice in the sixth Fortitude and in the seventh Temperance In the first Tower Gods grace shewed me Faith which waited for our coming near unto whom I might perceive the Palace of true Felicity With that I desired Lady Memory to put me in mind in the morning of seeing that gallant City Whiles we talked thus our Chariot arrived at the Court where Lady Vertue with her Daughters Faith Hope Charity Wisdome Justice and Temperance dwelt At the first sight I knew it was the same Lady Vertue which afore-time had so well admonished me to whom I gave no ear Then reverently upon my knees lamenting I cryed her mercy for contemning her Counsell and following Voluptuousness Wherewith she made me arise and in token that she took in good part my recantation she sweetly kissed me and bade me Welcome So with great joy accompanied with Gods grace true Understanding quiet Conscience and unfained Repentance I entred into the Palace of Lady Vertue Thus much for the second part of the Wandring Knights Voyage THE VOYAGE OF The Wandring Knight The Third Part. CHAP. I. The Knight declareth the great good the solace and the pleasure which he found in the Palace of Lady Vertue IF I had a thousand tongues to tell the truth of all the good and pleasures which I found in the Palace of Vertue and if I live a thousand years to report this matter all were too little in every
without change without beginning and without Ending In this City there is no Night there is no limitation or term of life but continual day most brightly shinning For in this City dwelleth the Father of Lights even God himself whose brightness no darkness can over-shadow The Citizens of this City are partakers of unspeakable grace of endless joy and of such persection as thereunto there can be added no more Vnto this place shall the just be advanced as for the wicked their promotion is in the Lake voyling with Fire and Brimstone CAP. IX The desire that the Knight had to come to Heaven and how Gods Grace brought perseverance HAving seen from the Tower of faith the City of Heaven and heard by her the manner of it I was ravished of my wit and esteemed nothing at all of the World For I selt not my self methought I was walking in Heaven Hereupon I destred Faith that I might remain still in her Tower the which willingly she granted me insomuch that I was never weary out of her lower Window to behold Heaven yea the more I beheld it the more beautifull it seemed Then I was loath to live in this World and desired that I might dye the sooner to have the sight and enjoying of Christ my Redeemer and kneeling by my self all alone I made this Prayer saying O How happy is the soul that is out of this earthly prison and resteth in Heaven most joyfull seeing his Saviour face to face That soul is without fear and affliction O how happy is the soul which is in the company of Angels and holy Saints singing prayses unto the Most High Such a Soul surely is laden with abundance of joy O happy society of Citizens O happy company of Saints which lamented in their mortall life but now raigne with God immortally O sweet Jesus let me come to thy pleasant City where thy Citizens see thee daily to their great delight O let me come there where nothing is troublesome to hear or understand what melody hear they without ending And how happy were I if I might hear the Songs or be admitted to sing a Song of David in the holy Hill of Sion O that I being the least of thy Servants may by thy grace put off my fleshly burthen and come to thy happy City to accompany the holy and happy assembly of Saints to see the glory of my Creatour and to behold his amiable Majesty That I may be made meet for this so sweet a blessing grant I beseech thee O gracious God that I never look back upon this shadow or valley of tears that I remember not the false pleasures of this wicked world that I esteem not this corruptible and evill life O how can we here be happy where the Devill alwayes assaults us where the world flatters us where the soul is blinded and where all men sinne After which great evills death doth follow as the very end of all vain pleasures and then they are esteemed as if they had never been What recompence may be made unto thee O God which givest us consolation in the midst of all our extrencities by the wonderfull visitation of they Divine Grace Behold me miserable wretch filled with sadness when I consider my sins when I fear thy judgments when I think on the hour of death when I remember the pains of Hell when I am ignorant what punishment I deserve when I know not where nor in what Estate I shall end my dayes In all these things and many other I appeal to thy gracious goodness knowing that thou art ready to give me consolation against all these sorrowes Thou liftest up my soul full of anguish above all Mountains thou makest me receive thy great love charity and goodnesse by the which thou recreatest my heavie spirit and rejoycest my sad heart in revealing unto me thy heavenly delights This Prayer ended I rested my Soul upon the anchor of hope Then as I was kneeling Gods grace appeared unto me accompanyed with another Lady which I had not seen before And after I had given her thanks for all her benefits she delivered me this Lady named Perseverance to continue with me charging me on keep her with me if I meant to be a Citizen of Heaven For said she all other vertues without her are as nothing to win braven For it is written who so perseveres unto the end shall be saved And therefore if thou wilt be saved then must continue Hereof we have many Examples in the holy Scripture but I will only touch two When Saul was first annoynted King of Israel he was as lowly as the child of one year old but he continued not above two years in his goodness For after he had once put Perseverance away he became evill and grew to be a cruell Tyrant insomuch that he slue many of the Lords Priests and persecuted good David But what was his end He was vanquished of his Enemies and being given over of God he killed himself upon the Mount Gilboa Again touching the same matter Judas at the first when God made him an Apostle was good and dutifull but when he had put Perseverance away he became a Thief and by Covetousness he vetrayed and sold his Master Christ and being forsaken of God he became a Reprobate fell into desperation and with a Halter hanged himself When I heard Perse verance say so for fear lest the like should befall me I desired the counsell of Good Understanding to shew me the means how I might keep Perseverance alwayes with me that in so doing I might not be deprived of the glorious City of Heaven To which request of mine the good Hermit Understanding tendring the safety of my Soul and having a carefull regard to all my Endeavours did yield and spake to me on this wise CAP. X. Good Understanding sheweth the Knight how to keep perseverance alwayes with him MY Son the last point of thy Souls health quoth Good Understanding is to know how thou art now without going back which if thou desire then must Perseverance never leave thee for if she forsake thee then must thou needs lose the pleasures of Lady Vertues Palace wherein thou art now From whence if thou go back thou shalt be sure to lose the joyes of Heaven Thou must therefore remain constant without wavering the which to do thou must by devour and continual prayer faithfully crave helpof Gods grace And to accomplish all this thou must remember three things the first is thy Life past the second thy life present and the third thy lise to come Those three confiderations will encourage thee to stay where thou art and as it were with a bridle will keep thee from recoyling First think what thou hast done before time in following Folly how thou livedst vainly yielding to every vain concupiscence whereby thou didst fall into the filth of sin and endangeredst both thy body and Soul O where hadst thou been if Gods Grace had not taken