of feasting From the one we return more modest and holy from the other more wanton foolish and wicked And even as a body full of humours and bloud surcharged with grosnesse is but an hospitall full of diseases unlesse it be accustomed to labour and spare diet which preserves it long from sicknesse so a mans minde becomes effeminate and prone to vices amidst dances and delicacies except it be brought under by cares and griefs which commonly free us from vices and make us stronger and more lively to encounter adversity Behold how mourning and affliction suppresse all immodesty and lightnesse of behaviour and for this cause God sends us sorrows and afflictions to clip our wings lest we should like untamed birds flie from his protection And to what end should we deny this seeing our own conscience bears witnesse against us For the most part we are too free frolick there burn in us untamed desires and affections and because we taste as sparingly of mortification as the dog doth of Nilâ—s God of his infinite goodnesse helps us and makes us take these wholsome potions whether we will or no exercising us in such sort with troubles and miseries that we may become daily more reclaimed and orderly and with more facility put on a good and vertuous disposition of minde O that thou wouldest but once understand how profitable a thing it is for thee thus by little and little to die that thereby thy vices may not be suffered to live Assuredly the evills which surcharge us in this world are for no other end then to force us to return to God Prayer is good but together with mortification Both of them are sweetly and methodically taught in the School of Patience And this verily hath been the fervent and daily endeavour of all Saints partly to mitigate and appease Gods wrath by prayers and partly by this dayly mortification to breake and subdue themselves let us but learne this and we have profited much in the Schoole of Patience I ad for confirmation of what hath been said that which ensueth Sect. V. THE Emperour Constantine worthily called the Great having unfortunately with losse of many men assaulted the Bizantines returned from the battell sore wearied and lamenting night was drawing on and the Emperour knowing not what to doe nor whither to turne him fixed a stedfast eie upon Heaven with deep sights begging assistance from thence And see how miraculously he was aided For whilst with a pious and solicitous eie he beheld the heavens he observed a writing composed of starres which expressed these words Invoca me in die tribulationis eâ—uam te glorifiâ—abis me Call upon me in the day of tribulation and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me At this so sublime a sentence the Emperour was at first some what appaled but changing his feare forth with Niceph. l 7. cap. 19. post med Berenius ex eâ— tom 3. An. 318. into comfort he fixt his eies eagerly againe upon that part of the heavens where he saw another wonderfull vision the perfect forme of a crosse fashioned with stars about it these very words In hoc figâ—â— vinces In this thou shalt overcome The Emperour animated with these silent speeches from heaven within a few daies after went forth again in battell against the Bizantines and obtained a famous victory together with the sacke and spoil of Bizantium O man whosoever thou art troubled and discontented with miseries and misfortunes lift up thine eies behold heaven and those most expresse words a direct edict from God himselfe Call upon me in the day of tribulation and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Overcome thy selfe render God by prayers propitious unto thee whatsoever enemies shall encounter thee thou shalt easily overcome them Heer Saint Augustine carefully admonisheth us that we never be so bold as to expostulate with God and say others have hoped Aug tom 8. in ps 43. post initium mihi pag. 158. in thee and thou hast delivered them I have hoped in thee and thou hast forsaken me and I have without cause beleeved in thee and without cause hath my name been written with thee and thy name written in me This savoureth neither of prayer not mortification but of wicked exprobration against God Thou rather if thou beest wise say as the same Saint Augustine adviseth Thou art my King and August tom 10 Serm. 4. doverbis Domini fine my God thou art the very same thou art immutable I see the times changed but the creatour of times is not changed Thou wast wont to lead and conduct me thou wast wont to governe me thou wast wont to helpe and succour me Thou art our helpe and refoge O Lord by thy meanes we are borne who before were without being thou art our refuge by thee wee are borne again who were wicked and had an evill being before thou art our refuge thou hast fed and relieved us who had abandoned and forsaken thee thou art our refuge by thy means we thy children are erected and directed thou art our refuge we must not part from thee since thou hast delivered us from all the evills that we are subject to and replenished us with all the good that was proper to thee By bestowing good things upon us thou cherishest us least we should faint and faulter in our way By correcting beating and chastising thou directest us least we should wander and straggle out of the way Whether therefore thou cherishest us lest we should faint in the way or chastizest us lest we should goe astray thou O Lord art become our refuge Thus Patience teacheth us to pray Very well saith Saint Chrysostome Prayer is the rent and revenew that springs from calamities and fasting is the helper of prayer CHAP. IV. Affliction teacheth Prudence and Modesty THere was a Citizen of Phil. Bosq de carcâ—râ— Baptistâ— conc 2 mihi pag. 60. Beauvaies in Picardy a man much to be commended who seriously to shew himselfe a carefull father at his first carrying his sonne to schoole behaved himselfe thus He took with him under his cloak a great bundell of rods as a present for the master and to his son he said Come hither my childe thou must go along with me to the Schoole The School-master at that time was one Nicolas Sleeger a famous man unto whom this Citizen presented his childe saying To you sir I deliver this son of mine to be instructed in good literature I beseech you to accept him as specially recommended to your care and charge Thus much onely I intreat you that if he shew himselfe disobedient you would make no spare of the rod and with that opening his cloak offered unto him a good bundell of rods promising freely that when he had spent those he would furnish him with more This is to bring up children carefully and as they should be for their greater good This was recounted by Philippus Bosquier
God know and if there be knowledge in the hâ—ghest This is that infamous rock whereat so many have suffered shipwrack by despaire O you mortals God is neither ignorant nor unjust Most wisely and most justly are these revolutions in the world the first be made the last and the last first the innocent punished and the guilty pardoned We live heer as if we kept perpetually the Saturnalia the wicked dominier and flourish good men are made subject groan and lament masters serve and servants play the mâ—sters But how little a while will this continue Fâ—r otherwise will it be in the eternall world This is but a preludâ—um to that better life let us not wonder to see all things turned upside down in this game vertue oppressed with continuall labours and vice enjoying all ease and delicacies There is nothing upon earth done without cause Some I will here set downe Sect. II. THe first reason is that we may be conformable with Christ For whom he hath foreknowne and predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son God hath sent his Son unto us but what image I pray you hath he given us of himselfe No other then that which represented him a man contemptible miserable and nailed to the Crosse Behold O man what image thou must imitate to whom thou must conform thy selfe The whole life of Christ was nothing but a meer crosse and wouldest thou frame a quiet life to thy selfe flowing with delights and replenished with pleasures Christ before he was born had a stable pointed out for his nativity scarcely was he born but his death was sought after being born he was laid not in a cradle of Ivory or Silver but upon straw in a homely manger His infancie and youth he passed in labour and want witnesse himselfe I am poore saith he and brought up in labours from my youth When he began to preach he had many contumclies affronts and injuries offered him some took up stones to throw at him others led him to the top of a hill to cast him downe headlong Finally to conclude and crown as it were all his injuries at last he died on a Crosse and was buried in another mans tomb And as Christ began to suffer before he was born so ceased he not to suffer when he was dead for after his death and buriall he was called Seductor ille that seducer Very truly said Christ of himself Against me all thy wrath hath passed and over me thou hast brought all thy waves This is the Image of his Son which God proposeth to be imitated This is the court-colour and to be diversly afflicted is to wear our Princes livery It is a most true saying That all the life of Christ Tho. de Kempis l. 2. c. 12. n 7. was a continuall crucifying and martyrdome and lookest thou for joy and tranquillity It is the custome of some Academies to cloath those that live aâ—d study together in garments all alike so is it the pleasure of God that all his scholars in the school of Patience be clad in the same colour all sutable to his Son with contempt irâ—isions calumnies calamities and affâ—onts he hath predestinated them to be conformable to the Image of his Son The second cause is calamity and affliction awake men out of sloath We are most of us unwilling to take pains and very prone to sloath and idlenesse Hence comes it that unlesse we be rowsed we wax sluggish and slâ—epy not without danger of our salvation Garments lying still unworn are eaten with moaths a field for want of tilling is overgrown with thorns a standing water is filled with Toads and Frogs and a man never exercised with calamities becomes effeminaâ—e by pleasure and corrupted with vice For whilst men sleep the enemy comes and sowes darnell Whâ—lst Sâ—â—son sâ—â—pt in the bosome of Dâ—â—ila he lâ—st both his haire and strength the Philistines waked him indeed but to his cost being deprived of his haire and strength to defend hâ—m Scipio Nasâ—â—a that soul of valour and wisedome would have Carthage spared for no other reason then to keep the Romans awake God himselfe placed in the middest of Israel the Hetheans Gergezeans Amorrheans Châ—naneans Pâ—erezeans Heveans Jâ—â—â—zeans most potâ—st enemâ—es lest Israel shoulâ— sleep in vice and iniquâ—ty and to mâ—â—ster them occasion of perpetuall warre anâ— victory David before he was proclaimed King shrowded himself in the dens of wild beasts hardly secured from the secret practises of his enemies he made a scruple even to touch Saul his mortall enemy but when he had purchased his peace and flowed in pleasures and idlenesse he feared not by letters to proâ—ure the death of his most faithfull servant Urias The Church of God never more flourished then when she was most afflicted amidst swords and crosses she beheld the combats and victories of her Martyrs After the same manner goes it with every particular man no sooner is he at truce with adversity but he becomes sluggish and vicious assuredly unlesse we be often stirred up and visited and even galled with adversiâ—y wee languish and lose our selves with idlenesse We are perpetually inebriated and sluggish unlesse something happen to put us in minde of humane misery But observe heer what the master doth sometimes in the School He sees two of his scholars sleeping in their severall places and forthwith calls alowd to one of their fellows saying Pinch that Boy and awake him mean while lets the other sleep as if he saw him not And why commands he not both to be wakened The reason is because the one is docible capable of learning and shortly after shal be commanded to repeat his lesson being of a sharp wit ready tongue and therfore wel beloved of his master The other Endymion is the dunce drone of the school never better or more at quiet then when hee sleeps Such an one as this the master passeth over with neglect and had rather have him sleep then prâ—â—e and disturb the rest So Almighty God provokes incites and exercises his most forward and aptest scholars scourgeth every child whom he receives into his favour Sect. III. THE third reason is to increase their faith He that learns ought to believe We beleeve there is a heaven prepared for the blessed and a hell for the damned but I beseech you what lively faith or assurance have we of either No eye could ever penetrate to hell nor do any return from heaven to declare how matters go there This cogitation afflicteth many for some thinking not rightly with themselves have said There was never any known to return from hell Neverthelesse we must beleeve that there are both these places except we conclude that God is unjust for if he who hath covenanted to punish the wicked and reward the good payes neither in this world certainly in the world to come he will not fail both to punish the one and liberally to reward the other But most evident
his grievously lamenting for some disaster where shewing him all the houses under him in that great Citie he spake in Lipsius l. â— Const c. 20. c. this manner Do but consider how great mourning and lamentation there is hath been and hereafter will be in thâ—se houses and thereby comfort your selfe and lay aside all frivolous complaints The same must we doe and present these infinite miseries to the eyes of all those who bewaile our age as the most deplorable Be of good comfort that which we repute a losse is a preservation With these milde afflâ—ctions our good God purgeth as it were and expiates our offences After we have past through fire and water he will bring us to a place of rest and happinesse you are sure of the one and may expect another Sect. III. A Cloake I Call that affliction a cloake which is shaped by 〈◊〉 himselfe or else comming from some other cause is augmented by his own vain perswafions Certainly every thing appeares according to the shape and forme which a man gives it It is incredible how powerfull the imagination or conceipt is in this kinde sometimes through conceipt we fall sicke yea are kil'd outright Now and then it happens that two men are loaden euen with the very same crosse yet the one having a more generous spirit thinkes his as light as a feather the other surcharg'd with abject and melancholy thoughts calls his a crosse of lead Here the same thing by severall conceipts is diversified Oftentimes the heavinesse and waight of the crosse corresponds to the opinion of him that carries it our evils increase or decrease according to our severall humours It is burden enough for a man to perswade himselfe he beares a burden The imagination swaies as much in diseases as in other evills which we suffer There are some that liken the imagination to raine whereby thousands of little Frogs are produced others compâ—re it to thunder which makes Ewes cast their Lambes and hony become sower The imagination is like to multiplying glasses which make a company of twenty souldiers seeme a little army There is nothing in the world so great but may seeme lesse if the pregnant imagination be qualified Fearefull cogitations suspicions envies and a thousand such conceits which miserably perplex our mindes are nothing else but fond toyes produc'd by our imagination It is like a dream of one halfe awake which presents sometimes a thousand ridiculous fantasies and at other times as many hidious Bug-beares and Hobgoblins It is a common saying that imagination makes the case The like may I say Imagination either makes or aggravates a crosse Even as he that passeth over a narrow bridge or climbs up to a high place beginnes not to fall till he imagines he is falling so certainely he often becomes miserable indeed who imagineth himself to be miserable Looke what shape we give or what cloake we cast over things the same they appear which J. Climacus confirmeth by this ensuing story UpoÌ„ a time saith he as we were sitting at table in our Colledge the Superior rounded me in the eare saying Father wil you have me shew you a man very old and yet most prudent and religious I answered there was nothing I more desired to see and therefore earnestly besought him to doe me that favour whereupon the Superiour called unto him from the next table a Priest of fourescore years of age who had care of the Wardrobe and spent eight and forty yeares in the Colledge commended by all for his vertue This old man came readily and stood expecting at the table for dinner was but newly begun what his Superior would be pleased to command him But he making as if he had not seene him neither willed this old man to depart nor appointed him what he should doe but did purposely prolong dinner more then ordinary This most patieÌ„t old man stood without his dinner there almost 2 hours not moving a foote All which Climacus admired with silence but was ashamed so much as once to cast an eye upon that venerable gâ—â—y head After this manner stood this old man a spectacle worthy of heaven till dinner was ended And when all arose from table he was commanded to depart Expâ—ctaâ—â— expâ—ctavi Domiâ—num intendio mihi Psa 30. 1. and recite the beginning of the three and thirtieth Psalme Climacus astonished at this spectacle and moved with a religious curiosity calling aside this old man who had stood there so long Father said he what I beseech you did you thinke when you stood at the table so long a time without your dinner the old man mildely replyed I imagined this to be rather the command of God then of man wherefore Climac grad 4. p. 7 ab vâ—iâ—â—â— quarti grad perswading my selfe that I stood not at the table but before God I presented my prayers to him and by this meanes admitted not so much as the least evill conceit against my Superiour Behold an excellent point of art to be practis'd in the School of Patience Certainely every thing appeares unto us according to the figure or cloak we cast upon it such I meane as we frame in our imagination If we invest it with a blacke mourning robe the aspects therof will be dolefull unto us If it be glos'd over with a light and pleasant colour it will encourage us to imbrace it with an undaunted resolution But sometimes let him who would not grieve too much behold the thing it selfe naked and undisguis'd and that which before threatned death and horrour will now invite him to laughter the like happens to us which to little children for if they see one disguised though they know him very well and daily use to play with him yet they are affrighted at the sight We must not onely take from men but even from things themselves their disguise and shew them truly as they are Look I beseech you somewhat more narrowly into the matter what it is for a man to be sicke or poore when it is not through his owne fault what to have lost the favour of men Consider advisedly what it is to have injuries offered unjustly think what it is for a vertuous man to be contemned and vilified and you will say that all these are but terrible vizards onely to affright babes Most men figure sicknesse in their imagination as the greatest evill and poverty as the extreamest dishonour in this life and conceive injuries contempt disgraces losse of favour vexation of envious persons so grievous that by all means possible they are to be avoided Thus of Ants we make huge Elephants of Dogges Tigers and Panthers of Hares formidable troops and squadrons of hideous monsters By this means we dye an hundred deaths before we are so much as in danger of sicknesse And we imagine our selves poorer then Irus or Codrus before poverty hath set so much as one foot within our doores By this meanes we often cry out we have
prison for stealing a silver cup. What shall we say in this case Concerning the cup they were altogether innocent but all is not gold that glisters They had committed a farre greater theft It was not a silver cup but their owne brother Ioseph whom they had stolne from his father And this was the theft committed above twenty yeares before which was now at last to be punished The like oftentimes happens unto others Let us therefore love the truth and whatsoever we suffer say with the brothers of Ioseph worthily doe we suffer these things because we have sinned He loved vertue who said I will beare the wrath of our Lord because I have sinned against him But they that thinke themselves innocent and undeservedly punished with so great afflictions gaine nought else by this their murmuring but a greater and sometimes double punishment like the scholar who by murmuring after he is whipp'd deserveth a new correction Wherefore what injuries or calamities wee now or hereafter are to suffer let us confesse our selves guilty let us beare the wrath of our Lord because we have sinned against him Let him then whosoever he be who is a scholar in the Schole of Patience in all afflâ—ctions which he is compelled to suffer speake in this manner I doubtlesse suffer justly I am rewarded according to my deserts This is the way to profit alwayes to acknowledge himselfe worthy of the greatest punishment that may befall him THE SECOND PART CHAP. I. Affliction teacheth us Fortitude and Fidelity I Have delared what kindes of punishment are used in the Schoole of Patience That is to say what sorts of affliction Almighty God is wont to punish men withall whilst they live in this world Now I purpose to set downe what kinde of learning we ought to gather out of these punishments which are as bookes what profit we should reape by afflictions and what vertues wee may chiefely learne in adversity For to say the truth men are made wiser by adversity and infatuated by prosperity The principall vertues which offer themselves to be exercised in adversity are Fortitude and Fidelity how these two vertues are sooner attain'd amongst stormes and difficulties then pleasures and delights we will begin to declare Sect. I. THE education of children under a discreete father is wont to be farre different from that of an indulgent mother The fathers words are daily these to schoole boy to schoole And when he returnes from thence urgeth him againe saying call to mind what hath beene read to thee exercise thy memory practise thy stile anon I will take accompt what thou hast learn'd But when the boy called and examined by his father stammereth answereth not directly shewes himselfe unperfect in his grammar rules or by holding his peace convinceth himselfe of ignorance presently the father corrects him with blowes scourgeth him with roddes sharply rebuketh him with words or at such time as he should play commits him close prisoner to hâ—s study bitterly rating him with these kind of words study slothfull boy study leave off trifling bend thy wits to that which is appointed thee And so soone as this boy hath proceeded somewhat further in yeares and learning his father takes him from his mother and sends him into forraine countries And all this he doth for the good and benefit of his child But the mother alwaies tender and indulgent when shee sees her child with teares in his eies reasons thus with her husband de are heart why should we thus contristate our children Were it not better to have them cheerefull and merry they are young and tender why doe we tiranize over them wâ—th stripes many times you shall see them made worse with beating These are the mothers words and with these blandishments shee doth not only weaken their masculine vigour but with sweete meats and licourish morsells provokes them to gluttony and corrupts their wits and dispositions for one while she secretly conveyes into their pockets Sugar-cakes and Simnells another while Comfits and Marchpanes Thus by cherishing and cockering she utterly overthrowes them What wise man therefore is there that had not rather be brought up austerely by his father for his greater good then indulgently by his mother for his future destruction just in the same manner God our father in heaven who exceedingly desires to have his children vertuous like the severe fathers handleth his children roughly The Roman wise man discoursing very elegantly upon this point saith Dost thou not see that the fathers and mothers carry a far different hand over their children the fathers call them up betimes in the morning to follow their study not so much as upon play-daies will they suffer them to be idle but ply them till they draw even sweat and sometimes teares from their eyes but the mothers desire alwaies to keepe them in their bosomes not permitting so much as the sunne to shine upon them never would they have them labour never shed teares or be contristrated God beareth a favourable minde towards good men he loves them intirely let them saith he that they may gather true and firme strength be throughly exercis'd with labours griefes and adversities continuall prosperity shrinkes at every storme wondrest thou that God that entire lover of all good men who desires to have them exceeding good and excellent should visit them with sinister fortunes to exercise their patience he had rather harden them with stripes then with stroaking effeminate them We also are sometimes much delighted to see a resolute young man encounter with a Stagge at bay or couragiously grapple with a Lyon and the stoutlier he performes it the more gratefull is the spectacle See a sight worthy of God wherein he may contemplate how man the workemanship of his owne hands behaves himselfe behold a spectacle no lesse worthy of God a couragious man stoutly grappling with adversity Neither doe I Seneca see any object God hath in this world more amiable then to bâ—hold some Tobias or Job stand firme and unmoveable amidst so many funeralls of their children amidst so great havocke and destruction of all their goods and substance Christ speaking out of the clowd to Saul said Arise and stand upon thy feeâ—e As if he had said I cast thee down that thou maiest rise and stand more strongly Sect. II. WHEN therefore thou seest a man just and acceptable to God labouring swearing overcomming difficulties and evill men wallowing in pleasures and playing the wantons thâ—nke that these are brought up modâ—stly as children under severe discipline and the other licentiously emboldned like abject slâ—ves and hirelings Thâ—s custome God observeth he never choâ—sly coâ—kâ—reth holy men he tries them he hardens them and prepares them for himselfe How many Fountaines Springs Floods Showers Snowes Rivers and Brookes doe you see discharge themselves into the sea which nevertheles continues brackish so no stormes or tempests of adversity whatsoever can alter or change a couragious mans heart He abideth still in one state
looke Thus a man adviseth and exhorteth himselfe in time of affliction See I beseech you how the gall of affliction cleareth the eies that are dim how it openeth those that are shut Hieremie the Prophet plainly confirmes this in these expresse words He hath sent fire from above into my bones and hath instructed me Hereupon it was a most true saying of Saint Gregory that punishment opens those eies which sinne had closed I am a man seeing mine owne poverty in the rod of thy indignation Thou hast chastized me and I am instructed like an untamed young man because thou art my Lord God Many times we are wretched and miserable and which goeth beyond all misery are ignorant of our owne misery and deem those our enemies who esteeme us such In this respect we do like unto them who will never acknowledge their house to be on fire as long as they can keepe it close and smoother it within the wals but so soone as it flames out at the windows and makes havocke of the house then they call for helpe of their neighbours when the matter may no longer be concealed and the fire it selfe begins to speake So we never wax wise by adversity till we seriously resent it It is only vexation that gives understanding For as the wise man saith he that vexeth the eie fetcheth teares and he that vexeth and pricketh the heart makes it sensible Let a man be disparaged with some suddaine contumely affronted with some unexpected injury transfixed with some unlooked for calamity then the time is come to make triall of him Then will it appeare how mild this man is being strâ—ken with suddain calamity how patâ—ent how modest and how mindfull of true humility And albeit he trip and stumble a little yet will he if he be wise forthwith recollect himselfe gather sence and understanding out of that vexation discover patience exercise mildnesse and make shew of modesty For the scourge and doctrine saith the wise man are at all times wisdome All the writings in a manner of Anneus Seneca breath a kind of divinity worthy to be written in gold and cedar notwithstanding the principall amongst them which seemeth to chalenge unto it selfe a preeminence above the rest is that which is he wrot to his mother Helvâ—a he being then in banishment So we may see this Roman wise man was indued with more wisdome when hee had lesse fruition of those things which should solace and comfort him So the scholars daily profit in the Schoole of Patience become more prudent and are instructed by the stripes of adversity So the fisher after the sting of the scorpion learnes wisdome by his own harmes Some relate that a certaine Fisherman too greedy of his prey laid hands with more haste then good speed upon his net whence being stung by a lurking Scorpion he said From this time forward I will never run so head-long on my net this sting shall teach me wisedome hereafter Thus must we reason with our selves And when the wound of our calamity being healed we finde we have offended by impatience let us turn straight to our selves and say See thou mad outragious Bull how thou hast behaved thy selfe in this affliction how disdainfully and impatiently with such fury as if thou wouldst have torn the Moon from her spheare Is this thy Christian patience Aspirest thou to heaven by this means Fearest thou every little prick of a needle every flea-biting See thou shew thy selfe another manner of man hereafter be mindfull of patience Sect. III. GOd gave the Law to Moses amidst thunder and lightning the heavens bellowed and spit fire What was the meaning of this Mary to signifie that we are never more attentive to the lawes of God then when the thunderbolts of calamity fly about our eares when the hail-stormes of many slaughters affright us then we stand attentive and vigilant then we promise largely that we will do and performe all we can possible Do therefore now thou art well what thou promisedst in time of sicknesse For if God be so terrible in giving the law to be observed how much more rigorous will he be in taking account of those that have not kept it Here thou maist question with thy selfe after this manner How often I pray you do we meditate on the eteâ—nall joyes and delights of heaven how often do we attentively consider the torments of hell Alas but seldome and for fashion sake onely Seeing therefore we scarcely at any time bend our cogitation upon these serious and wholsome subjects Almighty God commiserating our negligence and propounding these things to be meditated by us in the School of Patience saith Fix thy minde O man and thinke advisedly that if so small a disease put thee to such pain what will the torments of the damned do for all eternity if one poore worm-eaten tooth afflict thee day and night even to madnesse how will the worm of conscience tyrannize over those desperate bond-slaves If the stone the chollick or gout torture a man so grievously upon a soft bed how will eternall fire torment him with the flame which shall never be extinguished Consider ah consider whatsoever thou sufferest now is but the flight pricking of a pin whatsoever torments thee now is but a trifle But who of us is able to inhabite with devouring fire with ardours everlasting Sometimes we are of this opinion and stick not to say I can no longer endure this fellow I have endured him as long as possibly I can what man can brook him any longer And how O man wilt thou brooke the company of Divels and damned ghosts with all the torments they endure which are farre greater then can be imagined If God punish so severly in a place of pardon and mercy how will he chastise where there is no hope of mercy Whensoever therefore thou burnest or art sick think say to thy selfe Behold a paterne of hell but a painted one See a little taste of hell but the mildest that may be It is another manner of fire which buries and burnes the wicked there then that thou sufferest this is sweet and pleasant in comparison of that eternall Learn therefore wisedome and knowledge whilst thou mayest The wise man wishing this saith Who will set up stripes in my cogitation To feele these onely avails but little for who is he there that doth not unlesse we also bend our cogitations seriously upon it and with indifferencie compare our shorter torments with those that are perpetuall and so at last we shall be driven to confesse that our paines in respect of those are but dreames and shadows But as God in the Schoole of Patience offers us a taste of hellish teares so gives he us some rellish here before hand of eternall joyes in heaven For a well minded man when he sees himselfe embroiled amidst so many troubles and miseries so many griefes and dolours will say with Saint Paul fetching a deep sigh We are oppressed
suffer evill men to live but thou wouldest not have it so Almighty God is patient and beareth with sinners thou wouldest not tolerate them But as I said before thou willest one thing and God another Convert thy heart and direct it unto God because our Lord doth compassionate those that are infirme Hee sees in his mysticall body his Church some infirme persons who at the first apply themselves wholy to their owne will but finding the will of God to be otherwise they convert themselves and their heart to entertaine his will and to follow it Seeke not therefore to wrest and draw the wil of God to thine but contrariwise correct thine according to the will of God The will of God is a square and rule not to be altered As long as there is a straight and direct rule thou must have recourse to â—e thereby to correct thy crookednesse But what would men have It is not enough for them to have their owne will crooked they would also make the will of God crooked according to their owne heart that God might doe their will whereas they should do Gods will Thus farre Saint Augustine What shall I say O you mortalls doe you not yet conceive this doctrine of conforming your will to the will of God which the ancient fathers which the holy Scriptures so often inculcate Doe we yet run so confidently of our owne heads or stand so peremprorily upon our owne opinions that we dare repine at that which God wills or will that which God will not What we suffer God will have us suffer there is nothing more certaine then this and this he willeth for our good as a singular favour These favours saiest thou I am nothing ambitious of O thou whom I can scarcely call man but rather a beast ignorant and uncapable of what belongs to heaven looke I beseech thee how many even of the Noblity every where ambitiously seeke after labours so that they may thereby gaine riches and honours And they hold it a singular favour to obtaine that they seeke after And doest thou who art to passe through short and easie labours to the great festivall of overlasting delights in heaven stand pushing and resisting with thy refractory hornes like a wilde Bull or Stagge at bay Give â—are to a wonderfull story most certainely avowed and approved by infallible testimony which Leontius Neopolioâ— Bishop of Cyprus relateth in this manner A certain Citizen whom Leontius calleth Philochristus gave a good large summe of gold to John Patriarch of Alexandria as an almes to the poore and affirmed it was all the gold he had and therefore besought this holy father that he would be pleased to recommend to God in his prayers a son of his who was absent and upon condition he might returne safe he should thinke thiâ— gold very well bestowed But to testifie how serious his petition was he oftentimes with bended knee submissively made obeisance to the Patriarch thinking thereby he should sooner obtaine his suite This childe of his whom he so earnestly commended was his only sonne not above fifteene yeeres of age whose returne he expected in a ship from Africke The Patriarch accepted the gold and withall his suite wondring at a minde so noble and generous that could dispise and set so light so great a summe of mony Wherefore he wished him all good fortune and aâ— Leontius saith prayed much for him whilest he himselfe was present and so dismissed him Afterward he ceased not to offer up his prayers for him who had so earnestly begged them for going forthwith into the Church and laying the gold under the altar he celebrated Divine service according to his promise praied to God with all the fervour he could that he would vouchsafe to restore unto him his son and ship in saftey some thirty daies after he had thus praied this liberall citizens son died and the ship fraught with merchandise was cast away three daies after the sorrowfull news was brought that his son was dead the ship with all the merchandise lost and some few men escaped with the empty boate that belonged to the ship Consider here the extream and excessive griefe of this poor distressed father he had parted with his gold lost his son and the ship which he expected behold the reward of his piety and good disposition griefe without measure and not capable of any comfort How well might then the Kingly Prophets saying be applied to this most wofull and afflicted parent If our Lord had not succoured him his soul had even dwelt in hell The losse of such a ship one would have thought had been sufficient to have daunted his manlike spirit besides the untimely death of his son two wounds alas so deadly that the least of them might have brought him to utter desolation When this relation was made to John the Patriarch the good Prelates grief was little lesse then his whom the heavy disaster did most concerne whereupon knowing not well what to do nor whither to turn him he most earnestly besought God Almighty to yield this sorrowfull father some comfort he thought not fit to send for him overwhelmed with griefe but sent one that was discreet to say thus unto him as in his name Good Sir be not dejected do not in any wise tax God for want of mercy take courage elevate your eies to heaven and behold there everlasting joyes and delights our momentary and light tribulation works in us an eternall weight of glory whatsoever is done on earth is by the most just judgement of God nor is there any disaster or chastisment so great that redounds not to our good if we overcome it by suffering patiently God our most provident Father not only foresaw but also determined from all eternity what was most expedient for us We like silly infants not knowing what is good or bad often desire and seek after those things which are most hurtfull for us Be therefore confident in God in whose hand are thy ship and son This doubtlesse was a pious and well grounded consolation yet scarcely could these words penetrate a heart so deadly wounded wherefore all humane comfort failing the helpe of God was ready to assist For the next night John the Patriarch seemed to appeare to this afflicted citizen in his sleep and to utter these words What troubles thee my brother and why dost thou pine away thus with griefe didst thou not desire me to petition God for thy sons safe return Behold he is safe for all eternity know this for certain if he had lived and returned safe to thee he had been everlastingly damned as for thy ship know thus much hadst thou not obtained mercy by so liberall an alms she with all the passengers in her had been sunk and thy brother like wise been buried in the sea who for thy comfort yet survives Arise then and render thanks to God for that thy son is saved and thy brother restord to theo alive Philochristus