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
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
point to decipher it for it consisteth not in Angelical knowledge much less in mans wit wholly to comprehend so noble a mystery none knows it but he who hath proved it you may be sure that there are not as in the Palace of Worldly pleasure chambers hanged with Silk Tapestry and every corner sumptuously and superfluously adorned No no but there were Histories of the Old and New Testament to view and mark I found not their Coffers full of Gold and Silver Cup-boards of Plate Presses of Silks all manner of Mercery-ware neither dainty Dishes delicate Drinks bawdy Songs wanton Musick the Lady of Love her Son Cupid nor any thing that Worldlings imbrace but I found a thing far supassing all that is in the World This good this joyfull this comfortable this unspeakable this incomprehensible-thing cannot be named worthily enough but of good and bad he is called God even he who is the only Soveraign good above all things reasonable and unreasonable Peradventure you will say this is stoange news that you Sir Knight should see God in the Palace of Vertue How is it strange seeing he is every where not only in Heaven but also in Earth and in Hell Truly I confess that God is every where but I deny him to dwell every where and yet I know that by his power and invincible presence he is every where though not every where by the fulness of his greatness and his gifts it followes then that he dwelleth every where I pray you what profiteth it the damned that he is in hell by his power Iustice and Vengeance Truly by such presence of God they have no joy no consolation no benefit or selicity for that all are cursed in whom God dwelleth not by his grace whatsoever they be be they Kings Princes or Popes who have all other riches and delights in the World But all they that have the grace of God are happy or at least wise in hope though they live even in a loathsome prison and are poorer than Lazarus which desired to be refreshed with the crums that fell from the evil rich Mans Table Now when we pray to God we say Our Father which art in Heaven for that is the place where God gives the enjoying and possession of himself to his elect and that is their dwelling prepared by the grace of God That is that God speaks of by the Prophet Esay saying Heaven is my seat and the Earth is my foot-stoole For asmuch saith God as I dwell in mine Elect by Grace I will tumble at my feet those that love Voluptuousness rather then their Maker In the book of Wisdom it is written That the seat of wisdom is in the soul of the just God is wisdom and the just soul his seat God is in every place where he dwelleth but he dwelleth not in every place where he is This is most true though marvellous for the evil are alwayes where God is but yet God dwelleth not in them Wheresoever the wicked are they cannot hide themselves from God and yet they are not dwellers with God nor God a dweller with them They are where God is as the blind man in the Light of the Sun the Light is not in him because he hath not the use of it But the good are alwayes with God and God dwelleth in them as in his Temple Saint Paul saith That the temple of God is holy And therefore is ye live well as he commands you you are his Temple And God himself saith I will be in them I will walk amongst them I will be their God and they shall be my people Now therefore you see that although God be every where in his power yet he dwelleth no where but where he is by grace It is plain that where Vertue is there God inhabiteth by grace which is the only consolation of all reasonable Creatures Is it possible that any Man can find in Heaven or in Earth such Soveraign good as is in God who is the most excellentest and chiefest good and the true joy of all reasonable Creatures Now can that body fail in any goodness which hath God by his Grace resting in his Heart who is the only Authour of all goodness and the giver of all true Ioy and persect Felicity But some will say that they see good People in the World oftentimes suffer misery deprived of their goods and put by the pleasures of this world which appeareth in the sadness of their countenance for they seem to be conceived with sorrow and as it were to labour and travel in heaviness as a Woman in Child birth I confess it to be so but yet if you say that they are not surnished with all good and true joy and Felicity you err greatly For the Soveraign good which is God dwels in the just soul for evermore although foolish Worldings say in their Hearts and thoughts Can it be that those miserable men which are afflicted with poverty or imprisonment have more possession of true Felicity than we that wallow in Wealth and are without want of any Worldly pleasures But they consider not that true Ioy consisteth in the Soul But be you sure that as the Soul is the most precious part of the body so ought the goodness of the Soul to be greater than the goodness of the body The Ioy of the Iust and Righteous is more inward than outward for all his goodness is in the soul as the joy of wanton Worldlings is outwardly in the body This just Man suffereth outward extremities but yet inwardly he hath more joy than the Voluptuous Man And though the just man being alwayes afflicted maketh shew of sadness all his life time yet at the hour of death their joy and consolation appeareth with hope of eternal life whereas contrariwise the Wordling goeth his way with grudging and despair The just man esteems Gold and Silver to be coloured Earth worldly wealth and Voluptuous seeding to be Famine and Filth Honour Dignity and Delight to be smoak which the Air consumeth suddenly to be short he maketh all the World no better than an exile and although his body be detained here for a season yet all his thoughts cares desires and meditations are conversant among the Orders of holy Angels and the happy Assembly of Saints in Heaven singing Psalms and Prayses incessantly So that whatsoever we esteem evill in this World God turns it to good For he makes us rejoyce in Tribulations taking them for medicines to purge our corruptions and not accounting our Persecutors as our Enemies but rather as Helpers to salvation The just Man esteems simple fare sufficing nature better than abundance of delicate or excessive Drunkenness or Gluttony They take more pleasure in kneeling praying and fasting then worldlings do in dancing and singing wanton Songs Finally that they do or suffer God turns it to good And therefore Saint Paul saith that all things turn to the good of those that love God The eye never seeth the
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
against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evill Amen Besides all this thou must also most heartily humble thy self before God acknowledging thy self a sinner and that thou canst do nothing that is righteous but if there be any goodness in thee either of Nature or of Gods Grace thou must sreely confess that all comes from above Repute not thy self better than another but rather the least of all If any despise thee mock thee or injure thee suffer it not only patiently but also willingly and gladly even for the love of God For the sealing Ladder of Heaven is Humility a full denying of thy self in worldly causes Think not well of thy self for any thing that thou doest hast done or mayest do but if thou hast any goodness in thy body or in thy soul be not ashamed to confess that it is not thine because it comes not from thee but of God for from him indeed it proceeds And when at any time thou findest thy self as it were lest of God and destitute of consolation whether it be inwardly or outwardly be not discouraged for it neither think that God hath Forgotten thee but heartily Humble thy Self before God putting all thy confidence in God as in one that knows how to save his Elect. If thou receive any blessing inwardly as Wisdom or any other gift exalt not thy self in pride neither discommend others that have not received of God such grace but use that which thou hast to Gods glory Again if thou see thy Neighbour fall take heed judge him not but think that God permits thee to see his effence for thy profit Imagine thou wast never touched with that crime well it is much but yet thou hast been culpable in some other as bad or else worse upon this examination reform thy self suppose thou art in no fault thou must not therefore esteem thy self better than he that is in fault knowing thou art of such a nature as he is and made of the same stuff as he is and therefore notwithstanding thy supposition a sinner and offender as well as he so that both need amending Be thou sure that if God had provided no better for thee than thy self deserved thou hadst committed the like offence or else greater and thank God for that he hath kept thee so and pray for him that doth amisse and is not yet converted When thou seest a sinner only led to lose his life by Law know that thou standest a sinner before God as well as he although before the world thou be esteemed better There is no School wherein a Christian may so well learn to live well as in the contemplation of Christs life and conversation thou must oftentimes think on thy last end as Death Iudgement Hell and Heaven persevere in Prayer so shalt thou please God and not be loath to die Remember thy end saith the wife Man and thou shalt never sin thou must often pray deboutly to God and when thou wilt so do thou must draw thy self from all affairs for Prayer is a lifting up of the heart to God and a private speech of the soul with God If it be so were there any reason that a man should draw his cogitations from God or rather all outward businesse put apart with all reverence to submit thy soul before him All this notwithstanding it is not forbidden in all our affairs to pray and sing Psalms to Gods glory and oftentimes with Tears to say the Lords Prayer or any other Prayer to that effect And here by the way thou must understand that the longest Prayer is not the profitablest because of the multitude of cogitations of the minde besides that thou must be devout for the prayers which are done with devotion of the heart do profit all other prayers are but vain and to no purpose If thou pronounce but three words as the Publican did saying God be mercifull to me a sinner or as the Canaanite said O Son of David have mercy upon me it is enough Again be not curious of thy tongue nor line in speaking it sufficeth that thy heart speaks within thee and thy tongue though but bleatingly if unfainedly it is well as we read of Moses and Anna Samuels Mother Worldly goods superssuonsly thou oughtest not to ask but necessarily and with measure for thy bodily health and for the succour of the needy If thou be sick poor or in adversity thou mayst ask Health Riches or Prosperity so it be done to Gods glory But if thy asslictions do more advance Gods glory than thy prosperity doth yeelding thy soill to Gods will thou oughtest to ask Patience and say with a meek heart Lord thy will be done and not mine I thy senses be inclined to sin be not dismayed for there is a God to whom if thou pray he will by the power of his grace suppresse that inclination Wherefore take courage when thou art tempted ask help of God saying O God make speed to save me O Lord make haste to help me Lord God leave me not but be my help O thou Lord God of my health Do what thou canst to resist the Devil and he shall go from thee approach unto God by Faith and be will draw near unto thee by his Spirit If the Devil assault thee desy him and make thy moan to thy Saviour saying Lord help me and be with me Do thou thy endeavour and assure thy self that God will make thee strong he will aid thee he will ease thee and in the end will set thee free from all verations placing thee in the Heaven of Heavens the Portion and Inheritance of his Servants To this God and to Iesus Christ with the holy Ghost he all glory honour and praise world without end Amen CHAP. XII The Authors Peroration or Conclusion to the devout Readers or Hearers I Thank Almighty God of his goodnesse that I am come to the End of the Voyage of the wandring Knight by the which thou mavest understand that in following Folly and vain Voluptuousnesse he forsook God to the prejudice and hurt of his Soul yea to the danger of everlasting damnation Here thou mayest learn that all voluptuous worldlings are the very Subjects of Sathan and their earthly goods and worldly pleasures shall quickly consume Thou art taught likewise what great clemency God used to … m drawing him by his grace from the sink of sin wherein he was sunk how he was led to the Palace of Repentance and from thence to the Palace of Vertue where by Gods grace he is now and what goodnesse he hath found there thou hast heard at large The Lord grant us to land where he is landed even in the Land promised to the Elect. Amen And now to conclude I beseech your courtesies that if any thing in this my labour mislike you interpret the same to the best and lay nothing to my charge in the way of presumption but commending my good meaning and allowing my will not to contemn but to speak well and esteem of this my Work and to use it for thy benefit and edincation for the which end I made and compiled the same And now I exhort you all in Christian love and charity that if by Gods grace you be resident in Vertues Palace to persevere and continue there to the end humbling your selves before God and allwayes trusting unto his goodnesse not unto our own strength or merits acknowledging also Gods grace by the which you are as you are and of whom you have that you have Let all your considence be in his mercy and in his goodnesse Furthermore if any feel and perceive himself out of Vertues Palace by the means of wordly vanities let him consider the great peril he is in and speedily turn to repentance with a contrite and sorrowfull heart requiring pardon of God and trusting wholly in the merits and passion of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Let him not be ashamed to acknowledge his sins which if he do he shall finde at Gods hands grace and mercy And now I beseech nor Lord God to give us all Grace to do according unto that which is here spoken for otherwise of our selves it is not possible that leading a life acceptable and agreeable unto his holy will we may in the end after the Voyage which we have to passe in this world see and enjoy possesse and have the full fruition of that glorious city of Paradise where true Blessednesse and perfect Felicity welleth even in the Habitation of God Almighty unto whom be all Honour Glory Power and Dominion for evermore Amen FINIS