to the third Heauen Concer-a House the Sonne of God himselfe thus speaketh In my Fathers House there be many Mansions Ioan. 14. Touching a Citty these be the wordes of the Apostle You are come to the Citty of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem Hebr. 12. To conclude of the Kingdome of Heauen our Lord himselfe thus in S. Matthew 5. Beatipauperes spiritu c. Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heauen And no other name through out the whole body of the Scripture is more frequently vsed then this of the Kingdome of Heauen The Place of the Saints in Heauen is called a Paradise because Heauen is a most pleasant place abounding withall spirituall delicacies But because some Men may coniectuâ—e that a Paradise is but a small Garden placed in some one corner of a House capable to receaue but few Men the Holy Ghost did adioyne in the Scripture the Word name of House because a Regall and Princely House is accustomed to be a great Pallace in which besides the Garden or Orchard there are certaaine open Halls or places of disport diuers Chambers and roomes of repose and retirement besides many others of different sort Now seeing a House notwithstanding it be great cannot containe many men therefore that wee should not thinke that they are but few who belong to the Kingdome of Heauen the Scripture doth annexe the Name of a Citty which vsually comprehendeth in it selfe many Orchards and many Pallaces of Pleasure But seeing S. Iohn writeth in the Apocalyps 7. of the nuÌ„ber of the Blessed Vidi turbam magnaÌ„ c. I saw a great multitude which no man could number And that there is no Citty which is capable of an innumerable multitude therefore the Holy Scripture vseth the name of a Kingdome and of the Kingdome of Heauen then which place no other throughout the whole Vniuersity of things created is more capacious But now againe to shew other reasons in warraÌ„t of the former foure different Appellations or Names Because in a most ample Kingdome there are many Men who neuer see nor know the Names of d uers inhabitaÌ„ts of the same Kingdome nor know not whether such Men are or haue an Existence or Being and also in that it is certaine that all the Blessed doe see and know one another and as friends conioyned in a strait bond of loue do familiarly conuerse among themselues therefore the Scripture as not being content with the Name of a Kingdome added the Name of a Citty giuing vs to vnderstand thereby that all those who doe dwell in that though most vast Kingdome are truly Citizens of the Saints and are so conioyned in familiarity among themselues as the Citizens of one small Citty are accustomed to be And that we may be further instructed that all those happy Men are not only the Citizens of the Saints but also the domesticke friends of God yea the Sonnes of God therefore the same Holy Ghost who had called it a Citty calleth it also a House To conclude in that all the Blessed in Heauen do enioy the same delights and pleasures in Heauen therfore is that place entituled by the Name of Paradise Thus these foure Wordes to wit a Kingdome a Citty a House a Paradise do signify one and the same thing And that Paradise heere mentioned is so spacious and large as that it may be truly called a House a Citty a Kingdome Therefore I haue heere determined to commit to Print whatsoeuer God shaâ—l vouchsafe to suggest and minister to me by way of meditation in the secret Closet of my soule of this most happy place And this first vn-the name of a Kingdome next vnder the name of a Citty then of a House and lastly of Paradise Towards the end of the discourse I will subioyne six other Names not of places but of things out of the Parables of our Lord to wit A Treasure hidden in a field A precious Pearle or Margarite The dayly Penny The ioy of our Lord A great supper And a regall or Princely mariadge As also two other Names out of the Apostle which are a Price or Reward and a Crowne so in all there shal be twelue distinct Considerations by the which the Eternall Felicity of the Saints is described in the sacred Scriptures OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder the Name or Title of the Kingdome of God THE FIRST BOOKE Of the Amplitude or largenesse of the Kingdome of God CHAP. I. OF what worth and dignity the doctrine of the Kingdome of Heauen is may partly be knowne in that our Heauenly Maister did begin his Sermons to his Auditory froÌ„ those words of Matth. 4. De pennance for the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand And further in that he made the Kingdome of Heauen the Subiect of most of his Parables saying Matth. 13.18.20.21.22.25 The Kingdome of Heauen is resembled c. And after his Resurrection in the time of those fourty dayes before his Ascension appearing to his Disciples he discoursed of the Kingdome of Heauen as S. Luke doth witnesse in the Acts of the Apostles Therefore we see the beginning progresse and consummation or end of the speaches of Christ were euer of the Kingdom of HeaueÌ„ Now we in this place will not vndertake to dispute of all points touching the Kingdome of Heauen but only so farre forth as concernes the place and state of the Blessed Saints And first we will explicate why the place and state of the Saints is named in the holy Scriptures The Kingdome of Heauen Well then the Habitation of the Saints for seuerall respects is entitled The Kingdome of Heauen First because Heauen is a most ample Region and far more ample and large then the narrow limits euen of Mans thought can comprehend The whole Earth which is but a Pricke or Point in comparison of the highest Heauen doth containe so many and so great Kingdomes as that with difficulty they can be numbred Of what immensenesse and huge Vastnesse then shall that Kingdome be which is but one and yet dispersed and spread throughout the whole latitude and breadth of the Heauen of Heauens For the Kingâ—ome of Heauen doth not only containe through its owne capacity the Celestiall Region but also all this Vniuersity â—nd generall State of things For that supercelestiall Region as I may tearme it which is properly the Kingdome of Heauen is as it were the first Prouince of the Kingdome of God in which the chiefe Princes all which are the Sons of God doe reside and dwell The sâ—cond Prouince may be called Eternall in which the Stars are seated Which Starres though they be inanimate neuerthelesse they are so obedient and seruiceable to the will beck of their Creatour as that they may be well said to haue life and sense according to that of Ecclesiasticus Come and let vs adore the King to whom all things doâ— liue The third Prouince is that of the Aire wherein the Winds
worldly felicity can delight them and thus the only remembrance and expectation of future ioyes is sufficient in this their banishment to comfort them I hold it conuenient to close vp this Booke with the words of S. Austin that such who will not perhapps belieue me may not doubt to giue credit vnto so great and worthy a man This Father in these following words doth expresse which is the true note of the inhabitants of the Citty of the world and of the Citty of God Thus he then writeth Omnes qui terrena sapiunt c All those who are wholly immersed in earthly affayres All who doe preferre a temporary felicity before God All who seeke after their owne things not after those of Iesus Christ doe belong vnto thâ—t one Citty which mystically is called Babylon and which hath the Diuell for their King But all such others who bend their labours to things which are supernall and aboue who are euen absorpt in the meditation of Celestiall matters who liue in this world with all sollicitude and care that they doe not offend God or sinne who sinning are not ashâ—med to confesse their offences finally who are humble meeke holy iust pious good All such I say belong to that one Citty which hath Christ for its King Thus faâ—re Saint Austin in explicat Psal 61. OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder the Title of the House of God THE THIRD BOOKE That all the Blessed are the Domesticks and Sonnes of God CHAP. I. I Reioyced in these thinges which were said to we VVe shal go into the House of our Lord sayth the Royall Prophet Psal 121. Certainly it is a great and ineffable cause of reioycing for a good and faithful seruant after he hath painefully laboured in the Vineyard or hath multiplyed his Talents through negotiation and trafficke or as first hath gained the Prize in the race or hath deserued the Crowne in warre spirituall fight or hath diligently fed the sheep committed to his charge couragiously and valiantly defending them from wolues for then such a man after the accomplishment of all these his labours doth with all alacrity cheerfulnes enter into the House of his Lord. But let is first consider why that is called a House which a litle before was called a Citty Truly we cannot thinke that the cause of this appellation is that this House is strait or narrow and therefore doth deserue the name of a Citty since indeed it is of that largenes as that in greatnes it giueth not place to any Citty or Kingdome Giue eare to what the Prophet Baruch cap. 3. by way of acclamaaion speakes hereof O Israel how great is the House of God and how great is the place of his Possession It is great and hath no end Why then may not so great a House iustly be called a Citty The first reason heerof then is because the blessed though they be spred throughout the Kingdome of Heauen are the domesticks and familiars of our Lord. For perhaps a man might imagine that if mention were made only of a Kingdome or of a Citty that many might be in the Kingdome of Heauen and in the Citty of God who did neuer see God nor were euer admitted to speake or haue any entercourse with God but onely by the mediation of other greater Saints But because the matter standeth farre otherwise and that all the Saâ—nts do euer see God do coÌ„uerse with him and do speake to him face to face whether they be the supreme Seraphims and Cherubims Patriarches Apostles Prophets inferiour Angels and the lowest Saints For euen of our Angels Gardians who belong to the least degree of Angells our Lord thus saith Matth. 18. Their Angels in Heauen alwayes do see the face of my Father which is Heauen And the Apostle writing to the Ephesians cap. 4. auerreth that all the Saints are not only the Citizens of God but euen the domestick friends of God Therefore from hence I inferre that the habitation of the Saints is not only called a Citty but also a House There are doubtlesly diuers MaÌ„sions in Heauen to wit greater and lesser there are also seuerall Crownes some more illustrious others not so illustrious according to the disparity and inequality of merits neuertheles all those Cittizens are blessed and happy and are cleane in hart and replenished with Charity We may then from hence coÌ„clude that there is no Saint who is not in that ceâ—estiall house and who seeth not God and conuerseth not with him as a domesticall and familiar friend howsoeuer contrary heerto in other Kingdomes and Citties there are many who neuer see the King and most few they are to whome he vouchsafes any speach or familiarity Another reason why the Citty of God is called a House may seeme to be in that in a Citty many do see the King and do speake to him yet all those are not the Domesticks Sonnes heyres of the King but only those who dwelling in the Kings Pallace are acknowledged by the King for such But now in the Kingdome of Heauen and in the Citty of God all the Saints whether oâ— higher or low degree are truly the Domestickes of God and Brethren of Christ by reason heerof they are linked togeather in the strait coniunction of fraternity or brotherhood so as the Superiours among them do not contemne their inferiours neither with them is any coÌ„tention or malignity For when our Lord did teach the Pater noster that chiefe Prayer which is daily to be recited he in these words excluded not any man and when at the day of Iudgement he shall say Come you Blessed of my Father possesse you the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation the VVorld Matth. 25. he shall not except any out of this most confortable inuitation And when the Apostle said to the Romans cap. 8. whosoeuer are gouerned with the spirit of God those are the Sonnes of God and if Sonnes Heyres also Heyres truly of God and Coheires of Christ He in these words shutteth out no man whether great or litle so that he enioyeth the Spirit of God and will suffer himselfe to be sterned and guided therewith Which one Point is doubtlesly common to all the regenerate in Christ perseuering in Fayth Hope Charity In like sort S. Peter 1. Pet. 1. promiseth to all the regenerate an incorruptible inheritance incontaminate and not decaying being reserued in Heauen To conclude S. Iohn without any exception thus preacheth to all the iust See I pray what manner of Charity the Father hath giuen vs that we should be named and be the Sonnes of God 1. Ioan 3. From all this then we gather that the Place of habitation of the Saints is a House and not only a Citty or Kingdome in which house all are Domestickes Sonnes and heyres of the great King and all of them are beloued of God as Sonnes and of Christ as brethren that they may by good right say with the
good Theefe hanging with him vpon the Crosse Luc. 23. To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise For by the vvord Paradise our Sauiour did vnderstand the Kingdome of Heauen and essentiall Beatitude For when the Theefe had said O Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy Kingdome our Lord promising to him the participation of his Kingdome did answere To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The same is also witnessed by S. Paul when he said 2. Cor. 12. I know a man in Christ rapt euen to the third Heauen he was rapt into Paradise S. Iohn doth witnesse the same in his Apocalyps cap. 2. where he bringeth in our Lord thus speaking To him that ouercommeth I will giue to eate of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of my God Now from these passages of Scripture it is euident that the Region of the Blessed is a place of delight and Pleasure Furthermore when our Lord said to the good and faythfull seruant Math. 25. Enter into the ioy of thy Lord doth he not most openly declare the House of God or the City of God to the which all the good and faythfull Seruants are admitted after their passing out of this world to be a place of Ioy And where in many places be compareth the Kingdome of Heauen to a Supper as in Luc. 14. A certaine mâ—n made a great supper And againe cap. 22. where he sayth And I dispose to you as my Father disposed to me a kingdome that you may eate and drinke vpon my Table in my kingdome To conclude in the Apocalyps â—t is said cap. 19. Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the Mariage of the Lambe Certainly the Scripture by the Metaphor of a supper signifieth delectation and pleasure except we will maintayne that in the sense of Tasting there is no pleasure And we may annex hereto that in the Gospell and in the Apocalips the Kingdome of Heauen is compared to a Regall or Princely Supper as is euident out of that King VVho made a mariage for his sonne and out of the Parable of the Wise foolish Virgins of which the Wise Virgins did enter with the Bridegroome to the Mariage but the Foolish Virgins were shut out We also fynd in the Apocalyps many things to be spoken of the Mariage of the Lambe in the Kingdome of Heauen being celebrated with all magnificent preparation Furthermore the felicity of the Saints is compared to Princely Mariages at what tyme all kind of pleasures almost are enioyed of which point we are further to discourse in the next ensuing Booke To conclude S. Iohn in the Apocalyps did see a Company of Virgins who did follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he went and did sing a new song which no others could sing Which place S. Austin expoundeth of certaine holy ioyes and pleasures which the Virgins either men or Women do enioy His words are these You shall bring to the Mariage of the Lambe a new song which you shall sing vpon your Citherns that is you shall sing prayses in your Harts not such as the whole Earth singeth but such as not any can sing but your selues Aug. de sancta Virgin c. 27. And then after Whither may we thinke this Lambe will goe Where none shal be able or dare to follow him but your selues Whither may we thinke him to goe into what gardens or other pleasant places Thither I belieue where the grasse is ioyes not the vayne ioyes of this VVorld being but lying Madnes neither the ioyes which are graunted in the kingdome of God to others not being Virgins but they are ioyes distinguished from all other kind of ioyes And then againe a little after The rest of the multitude of the faithfull shall see you which cannot follow this Lambe They shall see but the shall not enjoy and reioycing with you that which they haue not in themselues they shall haue in you for they shall not be able to sing that new song peculiar to you but they shal be able to heare it and to be delighted in your great delight But you who shall both sing and heare this new song because in that you shall sing it you shall heare it you shall with more felicity exult or reioyce and with more pleasure reigne ibid. c. 29. Thus from all aboue expressed it is manifest that in the Heauenly Kingdome and City or House there be many true Ioyes and most true and most great Pleasures Of the Ioy of the Vnderstanding CHAP. II. SEing aboue we haue proued out of the Holy Scripture that there are true Ioyes in the Kingdome of Heauen we wiâ—l now explicate what those Ioyes be And first we will vndertake to shew what the Ioyes of the Vnderstanding VVill and Memory be all which do belong to the spirit or soule next what the ioyes of the seuerall senses be which do appertaine vnto the Body VVe do not intenâ— herby to maintayne that the Vnderstanding the Memory and the sâ—nses of the Body are the proper seats of Ioy for we are not ignorant that Ioy as also desire do properly beloÌ„g to the will in the superiour part and to the Appetite in the inferiour But we heare speake as men do vulgarly speak who forbeare not to say that the Eye is delighted with the beauty of Colours and the Eare with sweetnes of sounds Therefore we vnderstand by the Ioy of the mynd or of the Memory or of the Externall senses a delectation or pleasure which a man taketh from those things which either he doth vnderstand or remember or which he doth draw from the externall senses The first Ioy then of the Blessed shal be to see with the eyes of the mind God euen face to face as S. Paul speaketh and as S. Iohn sayth to see him as he is Now how great a Ioy this wil be we may in part coniecture in that the Prophet Isay and the Apostle do witnes that it exceedeth all the Ioyes which any maÌ„ hath either seene heard desired or euer imagined The eye hath not seene nor the eare hath heard neither hath it entred into the harâ— of man what things God hath prepared for them that loue him Isa 64. 1. Cor. 2 For the Scripture here speaketh of the chiefe and Essentiall Beatitude or Happines which is placed in the vision and sight of God himselfe according to that saving of our Lord Matth. 5 Blessâ—d are the cleane of Hart for they shall see God And This is life euerlasting that they know thee the only true God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And truly there semeth in the former VVords a great amplification to wit That no man hath either seene or heard or desired or thought what kind of ioy consisteth in the Vision of God Notwâ—thstanding it is no amplification but a simple Truth because the Eyes the eares and the harts of men are accustomed to perceaue only ioyes that haue end but the Vision of God is
all who enioy most vast and large Kingdoms and are so deuoted or rather become slaues to all sorts of pleasure of the flesh as that they giue all liberty to the Hart to the Eyes to the eares to their tast vnto Lust wallowing in all such voluptuousnes and sensualities as may content any of these Parts But to passe ouer these Ioyes of which but few are partakers How great are the consolations and Ioyes which God giueth to all men in Common of whom the Greatest part either know not God or at lest do not adore him with that Honour feare with which they oxght Doth he not giue all the Earth with all its riches delights liuing Creatures flowers Mettals to men in generall Doth he not giue the seas the fountaynes Riuers Lakes with so seuerall sorts of fish to all men promiscuously Hath he not created Heauen which is as a Couer of this great House and beautified with so many starrs for the generall vse of Man Hath not this our most gratious and most bountifull Lord commanded the sunne to rise and the Clouds to rayne vpon both the Iust Iniust Now if he be so profuse as I may say in distributing so great benefits comforts to reprobate sinners being his vngratefull bondslaues worthy all punishment in this life Is it then not most iust and reasonable that he should reserue incomparably far greater Ioyes for his friends and his sonnes Heare what S Austin meditateth hereof saying in Psal 10. Seing God giueth to sinners dayly blaspheming him the Heauens the Earth the Fountaines Fruits Health Children Riâ—hes abundance of all temporall Benefits VVhat then dost thou thinke he layeth vp and prouides for his seruants who giuâ—th all these former ioyes and Comforts to sinâ—ers It is written of S. Fulgentius in his life that he once behoulding the glory and magnificence of the Senate of Rome did burst forth into exclamation saying How specious illustrious may the Celestiall Ierusalem be if Earthly Rome do thus shyne And if in this world so great dignity and Honour be ascribed to the Louers of Vanity what Honour and Glory shal be due to the Saints contemplating the Truth Certainly S. Austin who made a prudent and true estimation of things affirmed all earthly pleasures whatsoeuer to be so far short and inferiour to Celestiall as he doubted not to say that it were more to be wished for a man to enioy Heauenly pleasure but for the space of one day then to enioy all temporall pleasures for many thousands of Ages His words are these l. 3. de lib. arbit c. vit So great is the pleasure of eternall Light as that if it were permitted for one to remayne and stay therein no more then the space of one day yet euen for so short a space of the fruition therof innumerable yeares of this life though fraught with all delights and affluence of temporall goods are deseruedly to be contemned For it is not said through any false or mistaking iudgment Psal 83. Better is one day in thy Courtes aboue thousands Thus S. Austin Novv what shall we from all this conclude If these things be true as they are most true haue we not reason as length to begin to be wise and open our eyes Hitherto we haue beene accustomed to say that earthly pleasures are to be contemned because they are but short and momentary and that Celestiall are to be loued because they are euerlasting But we haue heard S. Austin a most wise Doctour inueighing against this our manner of speach and earnestly contesting that if earthly matters were euerlasting and Celestiall but momentary that neuerthelesse in a cleere iudgment Heauenly goods and benefits were to be preferred before Earthly Are we not therefore deafe are we not blind are we not fooles and stupid if for earthly benefits pleasures which are not only base and ignoble but also fading and momentary we do contemne or sleight Celestiall which are most precious and shall continue for all Eternity O most mercifull Lord dissolue this our deafnes enlighten our blindnes dispell our stupidity cure our madnes To what end hast thou signed vpon vs the light of thy Countenance Psal 4. if we cannot discerne and see these so great and so necessary matters And why hast thou giuen vs iudgment of Reason if we do not penetrate points so euident A Comparison of the Terrestriall Paradise with the Celestiall CHAP. X. VVE haue aboue compared the Ioyes of this World with the Ioyes of the kingdome of Heauen In this next place we will briefly parallel togeather the Ioyes of the Terrestriall Paradise How great the Ioyes of the Earthly Paradise were may be knowne from that it was as it were a Garden of Delights allotted to men who were created to the image similitude of God whereas the rest of the Earth was giuen to Brute Beasts And hereupon when Adam by sinning did lose his Honour in which God had constituted him and was made like to Beasts without Vnderstanding Psal 48. he was then cast out of that Place and banished into this S. Alcuinus surnamed Auitas writing vpon Genesis doth liuely describe this Terrestriall Paradise and sheweth it to haue byn a Region most pleasant and most temperate where the Heate of the sommer did not scorch or burne nor the cold of the Winter annoy or hurt but a perpetuall spring of flowers did exhilerate refresh and the Autumne to abound with all kind of fruits His words are these Hic ver assiduum c. In this place the mildnes of the Aire causeth a continuall spring the teÌ„pestuous Southwind is absent the Cloudes do flye away from vnder the cleere firmament giuing place to a continuall serenity Neither doth the nature of the Soyle require any showers since the buds and the young plant are content with the falling dew Thus seing neither Winter to hurt nor Sommer to burne the Autumne furnisheth the yeare with all fruits and the spring-tyme with flowers Thus he S. Basill in like manner lib. de paradiso thus describeth this Terrestriall Paradise saying Illic plantauit Deus c. God placed Paradise there where no violence of wynds nor vnpleasantnes of times nor Hayle nor lightning nor thunder nor frost nor moysture nor scorching eate nor drines is to be found But there is a peacefull and temperate agreement of all times amoÌ„g themselues c. And S. Austin agreeth with the former doctours in describing this Terrestriall Paradise lib. 14. de Ciuit. cap. 10. Quid timere vel dolere poterant illi c. VVhat should those men feare or grieue at who were euen incompassed about with such an affluency of so great goods where neyther death nor any euill disposition of the Body was to be feared neither was there any thing absent which a vertuous will could desire nor any thing there present which could displease or offend the flesh or mynd of a man liuing happily c. And then a litle
OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Fiue Bookes Writen in Latin by the most Illustrious Cardinall Bellarmine of the Society of Iesus And translated into English by A. â— Seeke first the Kingdome of God and the Iustice thereof Matth 6. Permissu Superiorum 1638. The Epistle Dedicatory of the Translatour to the Reader GOOD Reader I heere present thee with a Translation of one of the spirituall Bookes of the learned and pious Bellarmine memorable in all future Ages But before I proceed further I would wish thee call to mynd that two things necessarily concurre to the perfection and consummation of a Good Christian The first is a true and Orthodoxall fayth residing in the vnderstanding The second a deuout and vertuous life resting in the Vâ—ill Touching the first it is recorded in sacred Writ That without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. and of the other we thus read Decline from euill and do good Psal 36. Now this Blessed deceased Cardinall whose happy Soule I most humbly beseech to pray for me his poore Client endeuouring to forestall as it were surprize the contrary wayes leading to mans perdition did first for the instruction of Christians of this Age in true fayth write his learned Tomes of Controuersies for their worth deseruing to be stamped in letters of Gould and for their continuance to future ages in Characters of Brasse or Marble threatning therin a totall profâ—igation or rather extinguishment of all present Nouellisme After this his labour accomplished himselfe growing into greater yeares then did he turne his penne to write certain spiritual Treatises wholy breathing deuotion and Sanctity teaching the way of performance of the foresayd Precept of declining from Euill and doing Good Among which his deuout Discourses he made one of the Ioyes of Heauen entituling it De aeterna Felicitate Sanctorum The which booke translated into English I do now present vnto thee In thy serious perusing whereof thou wilt rest astonished at the proceedings of most Worldlings who are so wholy buried in Earth as that wheras Man is borne Heyre to the Kingdome of Heauen for wee reade to our comfort that we are Heyres of God and Coheyres of Christ Rom. 8. Neuertheles diuers of them do euen breathlesly labour toyle in seeking to adde earth for their Sonnes to inherit and yet are of such nicenes and delicacy themselues as that they will not once stirre a foote that not their Sonnes but themselues may inherit not Earth but the true Land of promise I meane the kingdome of God but in lieu thereof though their leading a wicked lyfe become inheritours of Hell fyre and euerlastinge damnation But to returne to the most worthy Bellarmine In the reading of this his Booke thou shalt doublesly fynd him not to act Moyses who was permitted only to shew the Israelites the way to the LaÌ„d of Promise not to enter with them therein but rather Iosua who conducted them into the Land and also entred with them which Land was but a Type or adumbration of the Celestiall Land or Country heere discoursed of Touching my course held in translating this Treatise thou mayst be aduertized that I haue translated it faythfully and truly Bellarmines grauity scorns to vse in his Writings any flowers of youthful Oratory but only writes whatsoeuer it pleased God to dictate vnto his spirit Therefore I should haue wronged him and his worke in disuesting it of its owne purity and easines of stile by new cloathing it in forced and borrowed robes of speach No let Bellarmine be euer suffered to speake in the dialect of Bellarmine that is grauely and persuadingly for since his wordes are darted out of a fyery deuotion and charity they therefore are most persuading and if he speaketh persuadingly no doubt he speaketh eloquently since Persuasion is the But or scope of true Eloquence I know full well that Translations in this our fastidious age are sleighted or little regarded and that highly prized which commeth heat out of the forge or mint of a Man 's owne wit and inuention Let those men whome God and their owne endeauours haue enriched with such high Talents happily employ them to the good of Gods Church I am not emulous of their due reputation and deserued prayse gayned thereby I content my selfe with the loely title of a poore Translatour aâ— not being able to performe more Only I desire to do good thereby Neuertheles to Apologize and speake in defence of Translatours I may be bould to say that they in some sense may be sayd to be the Authours of other mens Works by them translated seeing they are Authours and Causers why diuers ignorant in the Latin Tongue though benefit of their Translations do participate of the contents of the sayd Works translated of which otherwise they would neuer haue taken notice And thus a good Translatour is a good Enginer since he openeth and â—isâ—loseth the Mynes of the hidden and goulden Treasure of other Mens learning And thus leauing thee to the perusing or rather meditating of this goulden Booke If thou be Catholike reape any profit therby I intreat thy Prayers to God in my behalfe for the remissioÌ„ of my infinite sinnes This I speake not by way of Ceremony and for fashion sake as it is often vsuall to diuers in their Epistles Dedicatory to do but most humbly earnestly beseech of thee this fauour if it shall please his diuine Goodnes out of his bouÌ„d-les mercy to call me before thy death to the most happy place of Eternal Felicity of which this Booke intreateth I will not there forget to requite this thy Charity shewed me Thine in Christ Iesus A. â— The Preface of the Authour THE last yeare I wrote a small Treatise chiefly for my owne spirituall good of the Ascending of the mynd to God by consideration of certaine steps or degrees of things created Now in that it hath pleased the diuine Maiesty to draw out a little longer my feeble old age it came into my thoughts to make the Heauenly Citty to the which all we Sonnes of Adam who bewayling do inhabitate this Vale of mortality do greedily seeke after the subiect of my present meditations and to coÌ„mit the same to print to the end they may not wholy perish Therefore in the sacred Scriptures which are as it were certaine Consolatory Epistles sent from our Father in this our exile or place of banishment I fynd foure Names by which the good and Felicity of that place may in some sort be made knowne vnto vs. The Names an these A Paradise a House a Citty a Kingdome Of Paradise S. Paul thus saith 2. Cor. 12. Scio hominem in Christo c. I know a man in Christ aboue foureteene yeares ago rapt euen to the third Hauen And then a litle after rapt into Paradise And that we might not imagine he spake of the earthly Paradise he did promise and set downe before those words rapt euen
that they are all one Hart and one Spirit And since charity cannot brooke Hatred Enuy Contentions discord and the lyke therefore all such dissentioÌ„s iarres are most remoted froÌ„ that holy Citty of Ierusalem and only Charity there raigneth being atteÌ„ded on with â—ustice peace ioy in the Holy Ghost In the beginning of the Creation of things there was a great waâ—re in Heauen betweene S. Michael the Archangell and the Dragon But S. Michael and the other Angells who ranged themselues with him and remayned in the Truth and performed their loyalty and obedience to their Lord obtained victory ouer the Dragon and his Associats who breathing nothing but pride reuolted from their common Lord and Soueraigne And the great Dragon was cast forth the old Serpent whâ—ch is called the Diuell and Satan which seduceth the whole world and he was cast into the earth Apoc. 12. From which time the Holy Citty the heauenly Ierusalem did border it selfe within the limitts of Peace Neither hath any warlike Trumpet beene hard therein neyther shall hereafter be heard and this for aâ—l Eternity Now to reflect vpon what is aboue said What can be reputed more pleasing or happy then this Citty Such men who by their owne experience haue tryed the euills of warres robberies slaughters Rapines deuastation of places by Lies sacriledges and the like may easily and truly preach of the great pleasure and sweetnes of peace But passing ouer publike warres and Hostility who hath not made triall in his owne Citty yea in his owne house how distastfull and vnpleasing it is daily to conuerse with men of an irefull and froward disposition who doe interprete euery thing in the worst â—art Depart from the wicked and euill shall fall from thee saith Ecclesiasticus c. 7. But whither can we fly where we shall not be encountred with wicked men And if euery place doe swarme with such men then doubtlesly must many euills discontents and vnquietnes attend vpon vs during this our tyme of exile Giue eare to what the foresaid Ecclesiasticus pronounceth of an euill wife It shall be more pleasant to abide with a Lion and Dragon then to dwell with a wicked woman c. 25. And if she who is the fellow and companion of mans lâ—fe be through wickednesse turned into a Lyon or Dragon to how great angours and infelicities are many men exposed All that will liue godly in Christ Iesus faith the Apostle â— Tim. 3. shall suffer persecution Therefore how vnhappy is the Citty of this world in vvhich a man of necessity must be affronted vvith Aduersaries and vvage vvarre For if thou vvilt liue piously and godly thou shalt suffer persecution at the hands of men And if thou vvilt giue the bridle to all impiety thereby to decline and auoid persecution of men thou shalt then fall into the wrath and indignation of that most high and powerfull King who shall persecute and punish thee both liuing and dead whose anger no man can resist Most vnfortunate therfore and calamitous is that Countrey in which no man can escape warre no man can fly from persecution no man can find true peace What then remaineth but that euen from the bottome of our heart we doe prosecute with a I loue and prayse the Heauenly Citty wherein no persecution can be found no warres broyles or discord can take place Of the liberty or freedome of the Citty of God CHAP. III. THe third Reason why the Kingdome of God may be called a Citty is in that a Kingdome hath a Monarchicall forme o gouerment which seemeth to be opposed to liberty whereas all the Cittizens of Heauen are free and our Mother which is the supreme Ierusalem is also free as S. Paul witnesseth to the Galathians c. 4. Which blessed Apostle did well know what he did speake since he being once taken vp in spirit into the third Heauen was thereby acquainted with the manners and lawes of that Citty Therefore seeing a Kingdome doth seeme to include seruitude and a Citty liberty that Kingdome may well be called a Citty in whâ—ch all who serue the King are free Now among the holy inhabitants of Heauen there is not one only liberty but a liberty of seuerall kinds For first all the Cittizens of Heauen are free from the bondage of sinne seeing the first liberty which was in the terrestriall Paradise was to haue power not to sinne wheras the second liberty in the celestiall Paradise is far greater to wit not to be able to sinne as S. Austin teacheth lib. de correp gra c. 11. Another kind of liberty consisteth in being free from death being like to the former liberty For Adam vvas so free in the terrestriall Paradise as that it vvas in his povver not to dye And the Sonnes of Adam are so free in the celestiall Paradise as that they cannot dye Neyther must it seeme strange that vve pâ—ace liberty in that vvhich consisteth in not being able to doe seeing not to be able to sinne and not to be able to dye imply an eminency of freedome from the captiuity of sinne and thraldome of mortality For vvho hath not povver to sinne is not only free from sinne but also is so farre from the bondage thereof as that he remaines secure that sinne shall neuer haue any soueraignty ouer him In like sort he vvho cannot dye remaines not only free from death but is so farre distant from death as that he is ascertained that death shall neuer make any assault tovvards him Which liberty only God through his owne Nature enioyeth according to those words of the Apostle 1. Tim. 6. VVho alone hath immortality For although the Angells and rationall soules be said to be naturally immortall because they haue no Principle or cause of Corruption in their â—ature Neuerthelesse God who first created them can at his pleasure reduce them to Nothing But the Angells and the blessed Saints are most secure that they shall for neuer after sinne nor dye and are in this respect most free from the seruitude of sinne or death which priuiledge is a most honorable participation of the diuine liberty of God The third kind of liberty is to be free from Necessity and this liberty is also of seuerall sorts For now mortal men are forced through a certaine constraint of necessity to eate to drinke to sleepe to labour sometymes to stand another time to walke or to lye downe and repose themselues But the Saints in Heauen stand subiect and thra l to no such necessity but are freed from all corporall necessitudes And this is the liberty of the glory of the Sonnes of God of which the Apostle speaketh in his Epistle to the Romans Now of what dignity this liberty is first poore men secondly spirituall men lastly rich men such as are louers of this world do fully testify Men oppressed with penury and want in the highest degree what indefatigable paynes dâ— they vndergoe thereby to prouide for themselues and theirs meate
wickednesse As if he would had said The world adhereth to its head who is called maligne or wicked transcendently or the world is vnder the gouerment and power of the wicked Diuell But to proceed further The Cittizens of this Heauenly Citty are those who being already blessed doe reigne in the Kingdome of Heauen as also all those who remaining yet in mortall body doe inhabitate the Earth yet this not in Heart but only in Body since in heart and soule their Conuersation is in Heauen and they couet to be dissolued and with Christ who is the King of the Celestiall Citty But now because the celestiall Cittizens are promiscuously mixed with the earthly Citizens therefore the holy Scriptures say for greater distinction That the Cittizens of Heauen are in the VVorld but not of the VVorld And that they are in the World not as Cittizens thereof but as strangers and Pilgrims for S. Peter speaketh I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrimes to refraine from carnall desires 1. Pet. 2. But of the Citizens of the earth the Scripture changeth its style and thus speaketh of them They are strangers of the Testament hauing no Hope of the Promise and without God in this world Ephes 2. Now these things being thus Let no man deceaue himselfe nor dreame that he can be a Cittizen of the world and withall a Cittizen of Heauen The Cittizens of the World are of the World The Cittizens of Heauen are not of the World To be of the world and not to be of the world are contradictory and incompatible togeather and therefore cannot brooke any conuinction In regard whereof let those men then to whom the world and earthly matters are gratefull not perswade themselues that they can haue any place in the Heauenly Citty except they first goe out and as it were wholy forsake the world voyding their iudgements and wills of all earthly Pleasures and Benefitts But because these Points are high mysteries and are vnderstood by few at least not thought and meditated on as they ought to be therefore to the end that no man at the last day may pretend ignorance there is not any thing which the Apostles and Euangelists doe more often inculcate and repeate then this one point Heare our Lord Ioan. 8. You are of this world I am not of this world Againe he thus speaketh to the Apostles If you had beene of the world the world would loue its owne but because you are not of the world therefore the world hateth you Heare S. Paul 2. Cor. 3. The wisdome of this world is foolishnesse with God And againe You ought to haue gone out of this world And yet more That we may not be damned with this world Heare S. Iames cap. 4. Know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God VVhosoeuer therefore will be a friend of this world is made an enemy of God Heare S. Peter Fly the corruption of the concupiscence which is in the world 2. Pet. 1. Heare S. Iohn Doe not you loue the world or those things in the world 1. Ioan 2. And againe If any man loue the world the charity of the Father is not in him And yet more cap. 5. The whole world is set in wickednes To conclude heare our Lord himselfe speaking in prayer to his Father Ioan 17. For them doe I pray not for the world doe I pray but for them whom thou hast giuen me And the world doth hate them because they are not of the world as also I am not of the world Now from hence we may gather most euidently that the world is so as it were excommunicated and cursed by God as that Christ thinketh it not conuenient to pray for it Yet may it be here obiected that if Christ doth not pray for the world how is it said Ioan. 3. God so loued the world as that he gaue his only begotten Sonne what doth the Father loue the world and the Sonne hate the World Or how doth the Sonne exclude the world from his prayer which the Father doth not exclude from his loue S. Austin expounding this later place saith that the world for whom Christ denyed to pray signifieth only the wicked according to which acceptance the Apostle saith so that wâ— may not be damned with this world 1. Cor. 11. But we may here furtheâ— say Christ did not pray for the world because such things as he then prayeâ— for his Apostles did not in any soâ— agree to the world For he prayed foâ— the gift of Perseuerance Keepe theâ— saith our Sauiour Ioan. 17. in mâ— Name And withall he 〈◊〉 that they might obtaine eternity of glory saying I will Father that where I am they may be also with me that they may see my glory But these things are not agreeable to the world for neither is the world except it be afore cleansed of its filth aâ—d ordure apt for the Kingdome of Hâ—auen euen as it is not fitting for a man that is bemyâ—ed with dirt in riding to enter into the bedchamber of a K ng God doth truly loue the world and for it gaue his only Sonne thereby to clense and purge the world thaâ— it may be fit for his Kingdome And so Christ prayed for his Crucifiers not that they should perseuere in that state in which they then were buâ— tâ—at his Father might pardon them and in p rdoning of them might cause them to leaue and goe out of the world Anâ— therefore though Christ did say I do not pray for the world yet he adioyne a little after these words That 〈◊〉 world may belieue that thou hâ—st 〈◊〉 me Thus the closure of all 〈…〉 Christ prayed for his owne Discipâ—â— not for the world because exceâ—â— man doe first goe out of the world bâ—fore he goe out of his Body he can neuer arriue to the Kingdome of Heauen Whosoeuer therefore doth thirst after that supreme and high Citty let him hasten to goe out of the world for feare least his last day may suddenly and vnexpectedly surprize him and take him out of this life when he shall be depriued of all hope of his conuersion But if he be once happily gotten out of the world then let him forsake the same with all its concupiscences that he may daily meditate only of the Citty of our Lord and that he may euen protest with the Holy Prophet If I shall forget thee O Ierusalem let my right Hand be forgotten let my tongue cleaue to my mouth if I do not remeÌ„ber thee if I shall not set Ierusalem in the beginning of my ioy Psal 136. For this is the true Character or Note of the Cittizens of the Eternall Citty to wit to be more desirous to want both tongue and hands then to speake or attempt any thing against the loue of God their Father and their Celestiall Countrey that so the beginning of their ioy may be the Citty it selfe which replenisheth its Cittizens with such beatitude as that no
they should euen anker their hope and confidence vpon Gods good Prouidence becau e sayth he our Heauenly Father doth nourish the litle Bâ—rds which do neither sow nor gather and cloatheth the lyllyes of the fie d which neither labour nor spinne Therefore much more will he prouide for his owne Sonnes for whom he hath reserued the kingdome of Heauen And yet notwithstanding all this there is so smaâ—l or els no confidence in God found in many Christians as that in their necessities they rather flie for their sanctuary to the fraudes and impostures of men or to diabolicall Arts then to God Therefore we may bouldly conclude that if such men do not hope for these things from God which God affordeth euen to the Birds of the field and which himselfe promiseth to giue to those who place their trust and Hope in him that then all these men haue not that Hope which is peculiar to the sonnes of God and which all such ought to haue who hope from God to be partakers of the kingdome of Heauen And hence it commeth that seeing no man without an inexpugnable and liuely Hope which is a part of the gate of this supernall House can obtayne his saluation that therefore they are not many who are saued But there are yet remayning some greater straytes in the Vertue of Hope For Christian Hope commandeth to slâ—ight or rather contemne things present which are seene to Hope for things future which are not seene For example it commandeth to distribute a mans substance to the Poore to the end that it being muâ—tiplied may be restored to the giuer in Heauen where no man hath beene who could see or thincke what are those goods which shal be restored to vs in Heauen if so we sow and diâ—perse our goods here vpon earth We see that a Countrey Plowman is easely persuaded that in sowing of wheate it multiplieth vpon the earth And of this the vse and obseruation of many yeares hath warranted the truth to wit that what is sowed with labour is reaped with comfort But that riches distributed among the poore should be gathered and reaped with great multipâ—ication therof in Heauen no experience hath yet taught vs. Therefore it seemeth a difficult and harsh course to relinquish things present which are seene and to hope for things future which are not seene To conclude it is a great Argument that a firme and vnshaken Confidence in God is a most narrow and straiâ—e Gate in that we find in euery placâ— almost such a multitude of miserable lamenting exclayming blaspheming and despayring Men. For God doth either take away the Miseries from those who do trust in him or at least giueth patience conioyned with so great consolation as that they may well say with the Apostle 2. Cor. 7. I am filled full with consolation I do exceedingly abound in ioy in all my tribulation Therefore that confused Multitude of disconsolate and bewayling Men in their Miseries is an euident argument and demonstration that as S. Basill writeth in Psal 45. there are many who haue in their mouth Deus refugium nostrum Virtus but most few who in their secret hart and mind do truly hope and trust in God Of Charity which is the third part of the Gate CHAP. VIII LEt vs come to Charity which is the Transome or highest stone of the Heauenly Gate Charity is the Queene of Vertues which on the one syde seemeth to be of a greater breadth and Latitude in that it extendeth it selfe to God to Angels to Men yea such as be vnknowne to vs or our Enemyes On the other syde it is made more narrow in regard of the incredible difficulty which doth accompany it in our passing through by it since not only in word and tongue but in worke and truth the Precepts therof are to be fulfilled For what doth this Queene impose by Command vpon her Seruants First she commandeth that we loue God with all our Hart with all our soule with all our strength Matth. 20. Luc. â—0 Certainly Man is brought into great straits when he prepares himselfe to the accomplishment hereof For what other thing is it to loue God withall our strength then to loue him with a true and supreme Loue That with our Harte and soule signifyeth that the Loue towards God shouâ—d be sincere not counterfayted not in word and Tongue but as S Iames sayth in worke and Verity That other with all our strength with all our forces as another Euangelist hath sheweth that our Loue of God ought to be most intense and great Therefore the force of this Precept is that we loue God with a true and chiefe loue and that by no ballancing therof we either prefer or equall any thing before or with him but that all things be cast backe and set in a lower degree in respect of our Loue to him So as a Christian man oâ—ght to be prepared with he Patriarch Abraham if so it conduceth to the glory of God not to spare the life of his owâ—e and only bâ—gotten and most louing Child Neyther is this onely exacted but man is obliged to hate as our Lord commaundeth Luc. 14. Father Mother VVife Children Brothers Sisters yea also his owne Soule and to renouÌ„ce disclayme from all things which he possesseth that is he ought to be ready with that promptitude of mind to be depriued of all his kinred his owne life all his wealth and dignity with the which promptitude he should be depriued of them if so he truly and from his hart did â—ate all these things Doubtlesly these are great straits and who is prepared and ready to penetrate and passe through them And how more easely can we fynd Men and those not few who are pressed and as it vvere ready charged to abandon and renounce euen God himselfe and all his Promises rather then riches and temporall Honours much lesse their owne life and the life of their Children Witnes hereof is S. Cyprian in Tract de lapsis who writeth that euen in the primitiue Church at what tyme the heate of Charity was more boyling in Mens breasts then in these dayes it is for a small number of Martyrs very many were forsakers of the Christian sayth who preferred their temporall states much more their liues before their Charity and Loue of God The same Point is in like sort testified by Eusebius in hist. Eccl. l. 8 c. 2. Now what shall we speake of Charity towards a Mans neighbour What doth Charity prescribe to performe to our Neighbour It teacheth that we must loue him as well as we loue our selues And what proceeding in matters we do expect from him the same we should practise towards him Who is he if he much labour vvith pouerty but that he vvisheth part of the superfluities of rich men might be giuen to him And yet it is no sufficient excuse for the rich-man to say that he taketh money vp at rent or that he hath lately bought a
said The things that please him I do alwayes Ioan. 8. And the like did the Apostle the true imitatour of Christ saying 2. Cor. 5. We striue whether we be ahsent or present to please him This perfect renunciation and disclayming from all things which a man possesseth or desires to possesse this abnegation of a mans selfe that he may serue only God is the true Pryce of Paradise Neither followeth it that who giueth himselfe away after this manner that he may buy Paradise doth loose himselfe but most truly most happily he doth find himselfe according to those words of our Lord Matth. â—0 He that loseth his life for me shall find it He that hateth his life in this VVorld doth keep it to life euerlasting But because this Wisdome is hidden from the wyse and prudent men of this wor d who truly are fooles in the sight of God and because the number of fooles is infinite therefore many are called but few are chosen Matth. 22. OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder Parabolicall Names THE FIFTH BOOKE Of a Treasure hidden in the field CHAP. I. HITHERTO I haue written so far forth as God hath vouchsafed to dictate to me in my Meditations of the felicity of the Saints vnder the name of those places which they do inhabit I meane vnder the places of the kingdome of Heauen of the Citty of God of â—he House of our Lord and of the Para◠〈◊〉 â—elights and Pleasures I will in this next place add something concerning the same Felicity vnder the name of such Things to the which our Lord in Parables hath compared the Felicity of Saints And heere in the beginning it is to be aduertized that those Words of our Lord The kingdome of Heauen is like c. the which our Lord doth commonly vse are not euer referred to the Words immediatly following As where our Lord sayth The kingdome of Heauen is like vnto a Merchant man he meaneth not that the Kingdome of Heauen is like vnto a Merchant man but he referreth those words to the whole Narration in which by way of similitude the way to the Kingdome of Heauen is demonstrated And further we are to obserue that the Kingdome of Heauen is sometimes in the Parables described more obscurely at other tymes more clearely and sometimes not touched at all I wil explicate the seuerall members of this diuision Whereas our Lord in S. Matthew setteth downe the Parable of the sower he describeth the fruite which the Preaching of the Ghospell bringeth forth according to the diuers dispositions of the earth and this he calleth the Mistery of the Kingdome of God but touching the Beatitude of the Saints he speaketh nothing But where our Lord in the same place doth add the Parable of the Cockle he briefly toucheth the felicity of Saints when he sayth that the good Seede or wheat is to be gathered vp into the barne of our Lord and the Cockle to be tyed togeather and burned But when in the same Chapter he relateth the Parables of him that sought for good Pearles and of him that did find the Treasure hidden in the field then more perspicuously he compareth the Kingdome of God to a Pearle and to a Treasure And of this third kind among the Parables of our Lord I find only six One of a Treasure hidden in a field another of a precious Margarite or Pearle The third of the daily Penny the fourth of the Lord or Mayster distributing the Talents The fift of a Great supper the sixt of a Mariage To the which we will adioyne two similitudes out of the Apostle the one of those who runne in a race the other who fight or stryue for the Maistery So as there shal be eight Considerations touching the Blessed life of the Saints deduced from Parabolicall Names or Titles The first Parable then is taken from S. Mathew cap 13. The kingdome of heauen is like to a Treasure hidden in a field VVhere our Lord teacheth how it may be gotten when he sayth Which when a man hauing found did hide it and for ioy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field Treasure signifieth a great aboundance of gould siluer and precious stones as Paulus the Ciuill Lawyer teacheth de acquir rerum dom L. Nunquam this Treasure ought to be so ancient as that there remayned no memory therof before and therfore it hath no proper Lord but belongeth by right to him that findeth it This Treasure in S. Mathew is the Diuinity it selfe which is hid in the field of the Humanity of Christ as S. Hilarius and S. Ierome in Com. cap. 13. Matth. do rightly expound For in Christ as the Apostle sayth all the Treasures of the knowledge and VVisdome of God are hidden Now the Diuinity is the most true Treasure of all goods and is indeed so ancient since it is eternall and did precede all Ages as that there can be no former memory of it extant Neither had this Infinite Treasure any proper Lord to own it for it selfe is the Lord of all things Neuerthelesse this Treasure of the Diuinity is said to belong to the right of them that find it because God giueth himselfe freely to those who by selling all their substance and Goods earnestly labour to acquire purchase him It is further said to be had as it were and digged in a field to wit in the Humanity of Christ for although the Diuinity be euery where yet it is in no place so properly and peculiarly as in the Humanity of Christ to the which it is so vnited as that one and the same Person is both God and Man And therefore the Apostle sayth 2. Cor 5. God was in Christ reconciling the VVorld to himselfe And though the Diuinity be in no place more then in the Humanity of Christ notwithstanding it seemeth to be so hid therein as that it is needfull to vse a light or candle to demonstrate and shew God to be in Christ And this light was S. Iohn Baptist who as S. Iohn writeth cap. 5. was the lampe burning shining Of whom Dauid in the Person of God the Father did thus prophesy Ps 131. I haue prepared a Lampe vnto my Christ. For S. Iohn Baptist did manifest Christ and did shew that he was God and the only begotten sonne of God when he said Ioan. 1. God no man hath euer seene the only begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared And againe He that commeth from Heauen is aboue all And a litle after The Father loueth the Sonne and he hath giuen all things in his hand he that belieueth in the sonne hath life euerlasting but he that is incredulous to the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God remaineth vpon him Ioan. 3. But although this burning and shining Lampe did manifest Christ openly to be the Sonne of God neuerthelesse the blinded Iewes could not at least would not acknowledge the
depart from the defence of his flock The Apostolicall Trumpet thus soundeth in our eares Ephes 6. Our wrestling is not against slesh and bloud but against Princes and Potentates against the Gouernours of this darknes against the spiritualls of wickednes in the Celestialls And if the Captaine be absent who shall teach the souldiers how to avoid the Weapons of their Enemies Certainly our Lord said to S. Peter and in him to all Pastours Feede my sheepe Of other things he spake nothing that we might vnderstand thereby that the feeding of the flocke is the principall charge incumbent vpon a Pastour In like sort in the Consecration of a Bispop it is said Vade praedica populo tibi commisso Goe preach vnto the people committed vnto thee But touching temporall busines nothing is added or spoken thereby to admonish the Bishop that Temporall things are not to be ballanced and equalled with spirituall and much lesse to be preferred To conclude in the fourth Councell of Carthage Can. 17.18.19.20 Bishops are earnestly commaunded that they shall not vndertake the gouerment of Widdowes strangers Pupils by themselues but by the meanes and labour of the Arch-Priests the Arch-Deacons In like sort that Bishops shall not vndergoe the defence of Wills or Contentions for any transitory matters and that they shall not ingrosse to themselues the care dealing about other mens states but that they shall wholy and only deuote their labours to reading praying and preaching of the Word Therefore the Councell of Africa consisting of two hundred and foureteene Bishops at which S. Austin was present commanded that Bishops should negotiate and execute all temporall affayres occasions though otherwise pious and necessarie by the ministery and labours of other men that so themselues might more freely spend their dayes in defending and multiplying of their flock Therfore this Parable as it sheweth that Eternall Felicity is chiefefly to be desired as containing most great power accompained with most great Pleasure so also it demonstrateth that the way to this felicity is continuall indefatigable labour placed in seeking and procuring the Health of a Man 's owne Soule and of other mens also Which labour whosoeuer doth seeke to decline and auoyd shall not onely be depriued of that felicity and of that most excellent Power and Pleasure but being damned to Hell shall there suffer eternall Punishments For thus doth our Lord speake Matth. 25. The vnprofitable seruāt cast you out into vtter darknes there shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth And heer we are diligently to note obserue that the seruant in this place eondemed to such punishment is not called wicked or facinorous but vnprofitable only for admitting that a Bishop a Parish Priest or Prince or Magistrate or Father of a family or any other may be free frō other vices yet in this respect onely that he is vnprofitable that is he doth not procure and labour according to his power his owne health the health of others subiect vnto him in this respect I say he shall be cast out into vtter darknes where shal be weeping gnashing of teeth which shall neuer haue End And if the vnprofitable seruant shall suffer these insufferable calamities what portion then is allotted to the wicked seruant who is couetous malignant proud luxurious and wholy drowned in all kind of vices Yf the vnprofitable Seruāt be reiected what account and reckoning then must he who is wicked render to our Lord touching the talents deliuered vnto him Truly they who deepely intensly consider these things will not ambitiously seeke after Honour or Authority and if it be forcedly imposed vpon them let them euer watch with feare and trembling since they are to render a most exact and strict account for the soules committed vnto their Charge Of the great Supper CHAP. V. THe fift Parable which is in Luke 14. resembleth the felicity of the Saints to a Great Supper and this truly not without iust reason In a Great Nuptiall or Regall Supper all things are there found which may delight the Senses of men or which may shew the Power riches and glory of this World Truly King Assuerus who gouerned ouer an hundred twenty seauen Prouinces desiring in great vaunting to shew the riches and glory of his Kingdomes and the largenes of his power did not find a more fitting and conuenient meanes thereto then to make a most sumptuous and magnificent Banquet For first at a great supper the Eyes are delighted in the most costly furniture and hangings of the Place in the order of Officers in costly and courtlike Apparell in the golden and siluer plate wherin the Meate is serued The Eares are much delighted with melodious musicke The sense of smell is satisfyed with the odour of flowers of precious perfumes and with other things breathing forth fragrant and sweet smells The sense of Tast is rauished with the curious seasoning of the meates of all sorts and with delicious Wynes To conclude the sense of Touching is greatly contented with reposing vpon most soft and downy Beds Therfore at a Regall Supper all corporall goods do meet togeather in the greatest affluency this World can afford So as our Lord willing to represent that Felicity which comprehends in it self all sort of Goods would compare it to a Great Supper Of which Supper we also thus reade in the Apocalyps Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the marriage of the Lambe Apoc. 19. Furthermore the greatnes of that supper of our Lord may be knowne in that the Glory of all the glorified bodies shal be as it were the last Table vpon whome all delicates daintyes shall be placed Now the sweetnes of these Dainties is so great as that S. Peter once seeing the Body of our Lord to shine like to the Sunne said Matth. 17. It is good for vs to be heare And if the dainties of Banquets be of so great worth of what dignity then shall the substance of the supper be which is placed in the fruition of the Diuinity Finally All the goods of this vvorld are nothing els then as barks or huskes of the fruites of Paradise And if these husks be of that force as to enchant men with the loue and desire thereof what then are the fruites themselues able to worke in mens soules And if the fruites be of such Vertue what then may we conceaue the more solid and substantiall meates of this Great Supper to be Doubtlesly they shall be such as that they may be euer eaten and euer desired without any fastidious satiety Neither are we to imagine that there shal be a Supper in Heauen such as great Princes haue in the celebration of their Mariage seing in Heauen we shal be as the Angells are who neither marry nor feed on Meates necessary to the mantaining of a mortall life Therefore that Supper shal be full of riches full of delights full of Ornaments full of glory agreable to the
state of the Blessed These materiall things are spoken vnto vs in this our exile because we do not here see better or greater Matters But from these we ought to learne that that Celestiall Supper shall so much excell our suppers vpon earth though neuer so dainty or curious by how much Heauen is better then the Earth and by how much God who shall prepare this Supper doth transcend and surmount mortall Kings in power and riches But heare it may be questioned why the felicity of the blessed is compared rather to a supper then to a dinner of this point the reason is in that the tyme of Dinner is about the midst of the day and the tyme after dinner till supper is commonly spent in executing of busines whereas Supper is prepared at the end of the day when as all negotiations are finished after which Supper followeth Rest and Repose And therefore in another Parable which is in Matth. 22. where meÌ„tion is made of the Incarnation of our Lord the time of Dinner introduced for the Mariage with the Church his Spouse is begunne in the midle of the day that is long before the consummation of the World After which time of Dinner many matters of greatest importance especially the Redemption of the world and the reconciliation of Mankind with God are treated But after all businesse and sollicitudes shall cease then the bringing of the Spouse to the House of the Bridegrome and the Nuptiall Supper shall follow that is Eternall Repose at the close of the day and end of the World But yet it will be worthy of obseruation to knovv vvhat is to be done that vve may be admitted vnto this Supper And of this our Lord himself hath byn pleased to instruct vs in this Parable saying Luc. 14. A certaine Man made a great Supper and called many but they began all at once to make excuse The first said I haue bought a Farme and I must needs goe forth and see it I pray thee haue me excused And another said I haue bought fiue yoake of Oxen and I goe to proue them I pray thee hold me excused The third said I haue maryed a Wyfe and therefore I cannot come A wonderfull matter Men are inuited by God to a Nuptiall and Regall Supper and they refuse to come what then would they do if they vvere called to the labour of Warre or to a long and perillous iourney But this is humane blindnes which can hardly be brought to belieue any thing but what it seeth But what is that which mortall men prefer before the Diuine Supper which is our supreme and eternall good Three things our Lord setteth downe as maine impediments of our Saluation which of their owne nature are not euill and yet through an affection to them not vvell gouerned they hinder mans Saluation To buy a farme to trye Oxen and to marry a Wife are no sinnes but to aduance and prefer them before the kingdome of God is incredible stupidity and blindnes And yet there be found many Christians in euery place who do affect and seeke after these temporalities with a wonderfull thirst and hunger coÌ„suming whole dayes and nights in pursuing of Honour which is noted in buying of the farme and of Lucre or Gayne which is signified in manuring of ground or drawing of Oxen and of Pleasure or Voluptuousnes which it taken throgh new Mariage Yea they are so absort in the depth of these earthly matters as that they remayne wholy forgetfull of the eternall and most great rewards which God hath promised to them that loue him Neither are many men content to buy farmes to proue their Oxen to marry wiues but that they may the further depart from hope of Saluation they seare not to inuade other mens farmes to steale Oxen and to maintayne Concubins and prostituted women neuer euer thinking much lesse maturely considering what hurt and domage it is for such triffles to suffer the losse of the Supper of our Lord. Certainly if God did not promise vnto vs being but poore Wormes of the Earth a Supper of infinite sweetnes in Heauen but only did promise the crums falling from that table or the refuse of the meates yet it vvere most profitable for vs to contemne all temporall things whatsoeuer that so we might feed vpon those Offalls What madnes then is it to aduance small decaying and fleeting pleasures aboue the Supper of our Lord himselfe vvhich abounds with all sempiternall goods and at the which we shall sit downe in the Heauenly Kingdome with the holy Angells and with him who is the Lord of Angells To proceed After our Lord had shevved vvhat might hinder our entrance vnto this great Supper he therpon adioyneth certaine remedies to remoue those lets and impediments for thus he goeth forvvard in his Parable Then the Maister of the House being angry said to his seruants Goe forth quickly into the streets and lanes of the Citty and the poore and feeble and blind and lame bring in hither Because rich men being occupied in buying of farmes of Oxen and in mariage refused to come to the supper of this great Lord he calleth in the Poore Weake and Lame who neither haue money to buy Farmes or Oxen neither can easely get wyues as wanting meanes to maintaine them These men therefore as free from all intanglements wherewith the others vvere ensnared are admitted to the Great Supper who may deseruedly congratulate their ovvne fortune and state that God would haue them to be Poore weake blynd and Lame Many heere in this life do much complaine that they arâ— borne Poore or that they are often sicke or depriued of sight or are lame in their lymmes and for these imperfections they hould themselues most infortunate and miserable not knowing what good God doth prouide for them in the World to come euen for this very cause which many men repute as an Infelicity But if they did know Gods sweete proceeding herein they would doubtlesly exult and reioyâ—e Thâ—rfore no man ought to complaine of the Prouidence of God but in all things to loue him with due thanks who hath a care and vigilancy ouer vs and euer to rest quiet and reposed in his good Will pleasure But how true soeuer these things are in a literall sense yet in this Parable those are said propâ—rly to be poore who are poore in spirit not in riches and those weake not in strength but in confidence and trust of themselues those blynd not in their bodily eyes but in subtilty and craft those lame not in their feete but in their affections I wil speake more plainly The Poore who are admitted to the Supper of our Lord are those who hearing the Apostle 1. Tim. 6. desire not to be rich and if they haue riches they haue them not to heape vp togeather and so to conserue them neither to wait and dissipate them in Vanities but to performe and exercise that vvhich the Holy Ghost speaketh of by the mouth
noyse or Watchword shal be heard Behould the Bridegrome commetg goe you forth to meete him Math. 25. they with incredible ioy may presently run to meete him and enter into the Mariage place with him But woe to them who being forgetfull of so great a Busines and are deafe to the words of holy Srciptures who hauing their Lamps put forth are found sleeping and thereby being excluded from the most pleasing and most delightfull Mariage they shall in vayne cry out Lord Lord open to vs. Matth. 25. Of the Price or Reward CHAP. VII THe Parabolicall Names which do occur in the Ghospell being explicated it remayneth that we vnfould the Names vsed by the Apostle in his first Epistle to the Corinthians which are Brauium A Pryze or Reward Corona a Crowne Of Braâ—iuÌ„ or Prize the Apostle thus then speaketh They that runne in the race all do runne indeed but one receaueth the Prize So runne you that you may obtaine And that in this place by the Word Prize or Reward the celestiall Beatitude is vnderstood the same Apostle teacheth in his Epistle to the Philippians cap. 3. saying Forgetting the things that are behind but stretching forth my selfe to those that are before I pursue vnto the marke to the praise of the supernall vocation of God in Christ Iesus Therefore we see there is a Prize or Reward in Heauen to the which God doth call vs through Christ Iesus Now although the Prizes which the Princes of the vvorld are accustomed to propose be of no extraordinarie valew or worth Notwithstanding the Celestiall Prize must of necessity in euery respect be of greatest estimation And this whether thou considerest God who doth propose the Prize he being of infinit Power and magnificence of whom the Prophet thus speaketh Psal 8. Thy magnificency hath ascended aboue the Heauens or els the Persons that do runne and striue to whom the Pryze is set forth who are his Sonnes and the Brethren of Christ vvhome doubtlesly the King their Father would not haue inuiâ—ed to runne if the Prize or Reward were not of that Worth and dignity as that the Sonnes of God might worthily desire and couet it But it importeth muâ—h to shew what it is to runne for the Prize and with what art and skill we may so run as we may wynne or obtaine the same To runne for the Prize is entirely to obserue and keep the Commandements of our Lord God For stadium or a Raâ—e heere signifieth the Law of God eueÌ„ as Dauid witnesseth in those words Ps 118. Blessed are the immaculate in the way which walke in the law of our Lord c. I ran the way of thy Commandements when thou didst dilate my hart Therefore they who run the way of the Commandements do runne in a Race for a Prize or Reward To proceede the skill of running so as that vve may arriue to and obtaine the Prize comprehendeth three Documents The first is that we do not decline or depart any vvay from the Race for he vvho leaueth the Race although he may runne speedily yet he shall neuer gaine the Prize since not to the Prize or reward but to some other Vnceâ—taine scope he directeth his Course The which errour the Apostle testifiâ—th that he diligently auoyded saying 1. Cor. 11. I do so runne not as it were at an vncertaine thing VVhat then is it to runne out of the place of the Race It is not to runne in the way of the Commandements but in running to decline either to the right or left hand To instance this The Law sayth Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Leuit. 19. VVho so loueth his neighbour as himselfe runneth in the Race and runneth for the Pryze But who so passionatly and vehemently loueth his Neighbour as that for his sake he is not affraid to offend God thus making of a man an Idoll this man declineth to the right hand and running out of the Race runneth not for the Pryze but for some vncertaine thing And by how much he more swiftly runneth in heaping benefits and fauours vpon that Person whome he hath erected to himselfe as an Idol so much the more he erreth and further departeth from the Prize or Reward But he who lesse loueth his Neighbour then he ought to do as when he seeth him to be oppressed with want and penury and yet shutteth his bowells of mercy and commiseration from him as S. Iohn speaketh this man strayeth to the left hand and neither doth he runne in the race neither runneth he for the Pryze although many other good Workes he may seeme to do Therefore we ought to loue our neighbour as our selfs That is we ought so to beare our selfs towards our Neighbour as we expect our neighbour should comport and beare himselfe towards vs And this is to loue our neighbour neither more nor lesse then our selfs For thus doth our Lord God who gaue this Precept explicate the same Math. 7. Luc. 6. And what I haue here spoken of loue of our Neighbour being an affirmatiue Commandement the same vve may speake of Negatiue Commandements For who stealeth another Mans goods declineth to the right hand of that Commandement Thou shalt not steale and strayeth from the race But he vvho doth not steale another mans Goods but maketh profusion and wast of his owne Substance and state such an one declineth towards the left haÌ„d in like sort goeth out of the race For a Iust man who only remaineth in the race doth no lesse depart from the race if he violently take other mens goods as if he did vainly wast his owne Because the Vertue of Liberality which belongeth to Iustice is encompassed with two opposite Vices being extremes to wit Auarice and Effusion or Prodigalitie The summe and Conclusion of all this is that he who will remaine in the Race ought altogeather to auoyde mortall sinne Another document is that he vvho desireth to obtaine the Prize do runne swiftly and constantly He runneth swiftly or speedely vvho with an ardent and feruerous vvill keepeth the precepts according to that of the Prophet Psal 111. Blessed is the man that feareth our Lord he shall haue great delight in his Commandements As also of that other sentence of the Apostle In spirit feruent seruing our Lord. Rom. 12. He runneth Constantly vvho is neuer weary with running nor euer ceaseth from running knowing that it is written He that perseuereth vnto the End shal be saued Matth. 10. And truly these tvvo actions I meane to runne spedily and not to be weary or not to intermit running seeme to be meere Contraries and hardly compatible togeather For he who runneth speedily is quickly tyred But he who will not be vvearied runneth a slow space and vvith moderate gate perseuers in his running This thing is true and therefore few they are who do arriue and gayne the Pryze or Reward For it is most necessary that he who coueteth to gaine the Prize doth runne speedely and incessantly
of Heauen Another in the same Ghospell cap. 15. Come yee blessed of my Father possesse the Kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the VVorld The third is in the Apocalyps cap. 3. He that shall ouercome I will giue vnto him to sit with me in my throne as I haue also ouercome haue sitten with my Father in his throne What can be more clearely spoken then this We haue heare the Kingdome of God promâ—sed to vs we haue the possession of the same Kingdome assigned to vs in the day of Iudgment We haue granted to vs seates in the Regall Throne of the Sonne of God of his Father the Eternall King And what other thing is all this then the participation of the same Kingdome of Heauen which God possesseth from all Eternity We may heer adioyne the testimony of S. Paul 2. Tim. 2. saying If we shall sustaine we shall reigne togeather And of S. Iohn in the beginning of the Apocalyps and of S. Iames in his Epistle c. 2 thus writing God hath chosen the poore of this world rich in fayth and heyres of the Kingdom which God hath promised to them that loue him Neyther are we to feare that because the Kingdome of Heauen is communicated to many and almost innumerable Angels and men it is therefore diminished or lessened Since the Kingdom of HeaueÌ„ â—s not lyke to earthly Kingdomes which cannot brooke any corriualls or participation but if they be deuided by diuision they are euer made lesse and in the end are brought to nothing I say the Kingdome of Heauen beareth no proportion 〈◊〉 lyknes to these but being whole it is entirely possessed of all as a so being whole it is entirely possessed of eâ—ery particular Euen as â—he Sunne â—s wholy seene of all men and wholy â—â—ene of euery particuâ—ar Man And iâ— selfe doth no lesse â—eate and illuminâ—â—e ech particular Man then a l Men. Which â—oint shal be more clearely â—llâ—â—trated in our explication of the Gâ—ods of the K ngdome of Heauen But now before we are heere to assigne the condâ—tions and qualities required to be â—n Kings that no Man may reâ—t doubtfull but that the Blessed Saints in Heauen are iustly called Kings and Kings euen of Heauen There are two qualities with which kings ought necessarily to be inuested Tâ— wit VVisdome and Iustice. But with Wisdome the Scripture doth ioyne Pâ—â—dence Councell all other things â—â—â—onging to Intelligence with Iustice â—â—ngeth Mercy Clemency and the 〈◊〉 of the Vertues which do beautiâ—â—nd perfect the VVill. Wisdome â—efore is required that a King may â—â—w how to gouerne his Subiects â—â—â—â—ice how to gouerne them well And according heerto Salomon being admonished from God in the beginning of his Reigne that he should demand what he most desired he demaunded Wisdome which is the Queene of all good qualities necessarily required in Kings And this his petâ—tion was so pleasing vnto God as appeareth out of the third booke of Kings that it was granted vnto him as he desired I could haue wished he had demaunded also Iustice for then perhaps he had not precipitated and cast himselfe into so many crimes and sinnes as afterward he did But with more iudgement did Dauid pray for the good and prosperity of his Sonne Salomon in those words of the 71. Psalme O God giue thy iudgment to the King and thy Iustice to the Sonne of the King In which words he may be thought to haue forseene that Salomon would aske for Wisdome and that therefore himselfe prayed that Iustice Iudgment might be giuen also to his Sonne the which without Wisdome â—annot be wheras Wisdome at â—east sâ—ming and imperfect may be with out Iustice In lyke sort the Booke of Wisdome which was principally written for the erudition and instruction of Kings thus speaketh vnto them Diligite IustitiaÌ„ qui iudicatis terram c. Sap 1. and it beginneth at the vertue of Iustice because that alone and of its owne nature is not only necessary to Kings but it is also a dispositioÌ„ to Wisdomâ— for a litle after followeth Because wisdome will not enter into a malitious soule To conclude pretermitting other testimonies Ieremy prophesying of Christ the eternall King thus sayth cap. 23. Behould the dayes do come sayth our Lord and I will rayse vp Dauid a iust branch and he shall reigne a King and shal be wife and shall do iudgment and Iustice in the earth From all this then it ineuitably followeth that Wisdome and Iustice are the endowments chiefly required Kings That all the Blessed in Heauen though many of theÌ„ perhaps whiles they liued heere vpon earth were but ignorant persons do excell in Wisdom and Iustice so as they may deseruedly be Kings of any K ngdome is so euident that it can admit no contradâ—ction since there is not any one of the Blessed in Heauen who doth not see the Essence of God which is the first Cause of all things and consequently he draweth so much Wisdome out of that fountaine of increated Wisdome as that neyther Salomon not any other Mortall man euer had in lyke degree our Lord Iesus Christ only excepted who euen in the tyme of his mortality did see God and in whome were all the Treasures of Wisdom knowledge of God Now to the measure of Wisdome in all the Saints is giuen a proportionable measure of Iustice so as for the tyme after neyther haue they a desire to sinne neither can they sinne For thus S. Austine speaketh hereof de grat cor cap. 12. Prima libertas voluntatis c. The first liberty of the will was to haue power not to sinne but the last liberty of the will shal be farre greater it being not to haue power to sinne And who cannot sinne cannot therefore become vniust And since Charity is perfect therefore Iustice is also perfect And accordingly S. Austin affirmeth that he who caÌ„not loue God but wâ—th a supreme perfect loue cannot also but possesse supreme and perfect Iustice They also who behould God their supreme pure and infinite Good cannot diuert their eyes from him neither can they but prosecute him euer with most ardent and burning Affection From whence it is euicted that all the Saints in Heauen are perfectly wyse and perfectly Iust and are therefore most apt euer to reigne as Kings Now raise thy selfe vp O Christian Soule and ascend in spirit as much as thou canst and meditate how great a felicity it is to reigne with God and penetrate with the Wings of conteÌ„plation the very Heauens behould that sublime Throne of which our Sauiour speaketh Apoc. 3. He that shall ouercome I will giue vnto him to sit with me in my throne O how ineffable a glory will it be for a Soule in the presence of an infinite multitude of Angells to be placed in the Throne or seate it selfe of Christ and God And to be proclaimed by the iust iudgment of God as conquerour ouer the World ouer the gouernours
or Lords of the world and ouer all the inuisible Powers And with how much ioy shâ—ll that Soule exult when she shall perceaue her to be freed of all danger and labour and to triumph most happily ouer all her enemies And what is left more that she can defir wheÌ„ she shall be made partaker of all the goods of her Lord and Creatour yea euen to the parâ—icipation of his own Throne and Kingdome O with what alacrity doe those Men fight heere vpon Earth and how easily doe they tolerate and vndergoe all aduersities for Christ who with a vigorous faith and erected hope behould with the eye of the vnderstanding such magnificent and supreme honours in Heauen Of the goods of the Kingdome of God CHAP. V. THe fift reason of calling the happinesse of the Saints the Kingdome of Heauen may be taken from the similitude and resemblance of the Saints liuing in Heauen to the goods which terrene Kings do enioy though those of Heauen doe so much ouer-ballance these of the earth and are greater then they by how much Heauen is more worthy and noble then the Earth Therefore the Kingdome prepared for the blessed is not simply a Kingdome but is called for more fulnesse of speach the Kingdome of Heauen that thereby we may be instructed that the like proportion here is of goods to goods which is of the Earth to Heauen that is of a thing in it selfe narrow base sordid temporary to that which is most ample most high most noble and which is the chiefest eternall and euerlasting The goods of a terrene Kingdome are accounted these to wit Power Honour Riches Pleasures A temporall King may commaund ouer his subiâ—cts if they be found disobedient or stiffe-necked he may punish them with bonds imprisonment banishment penalty of money whipping or euen with death And hence it is that Kings become feareful to their Subiects and are reputed as it were certaine Gods Againe Kings wil be honored with a certaine height of veneration and worship almost transcending mans Nature for they expect the bowing of the knee neither will they ofteÌ„ vouchsafe to heare their Subiects speake but with a submisse and humble couÌ„tenance and deportement of body and if they passe through the streets they looke that all men should go backe and giue them the way Againe kings couet to haue a most copious and rich Treasury replenished with gould ane siluer neither do they number their reuenews by hundreds or thousands but by ten huÌ„dred thousands this not without iust reason since they are not to mantayne ten or tweÌ„ty seruants or followers but great powerfull armyes of soldiers against their enemies Lastly they are not content to recreate themselues with accustomed sports but they hould it as necessary to the splendour of their greatnes maiesty to wast many pouÌ„ds of gould and siluer in banqueting huÌ„ting and in publike shewes and sights And these things aboue rehearsed are the sole goods almost belonging to teÌ„porall Princes which goods haue this one thing incident to them all that is that they are but momentary fading beginning at the birth of the Princes and ending with their death except perhaps it may fall so out that the lyfe of the Kings be of longer continuance then their Reigne Furthermore these goods are not pure but are accompanyed with their â—tings Thus power is oftentymes ballanced with infirmity and weakenes Honour with ignominy Riches with Pouâ—rty and Ioy with griefe and lamentation True it is that Regall Dominion is such as that the People do depend vpon the least intimation or signification of the King his mynd yet this his power is mixed with infirmity since the Prince resteth vpon the strength and courage of his people For what can the command of a Prince eyther in beseiging or defending a Citty effect if his subiects eyther be not able or not willing to encounter the Enemy Neyther doth the authority of the Prince rest only vpon the strength of his Subiects but also in the walles of the Citty of the Trenches of weapons of miliitary stratagems and of Money which is vsually called the Sinew of Warre Therefore the people rest at the commaund of the Prince and are subiect to one man But the Prince relyeth vpon the Wills of many Men as also vpon diuers other things in all which he is forced in some sort to be seruiceable To conclude it is in the Power of the King to chastize his subiects with bonds imprisonment banishment yea with death notwithstanding the King himselfe I speake what actually may be done not what by right ought to be done lyeth open to bonds imprisonment banishment wounds death The truth of this point is proued from the pittifull examples of Iulius Caesar Caius Nero Galba Vitellius Domitian Commodus Heliogabalus and from diuers others Neyther do these wicked Princes but such as haue beene of great modesty and moderation in their comportement witnes the same as Alexander MammeÌ„a Gordianus the yonger Pertinax Tacitus Numerianus Probus Gratianus Valentinianus the second I could insist also in such Princes which haue beene most remarkable for piety and Sanctimony of lyfe as S. Edward King of England S. Wenceslaus duke of Bohemia S. Sigismundus King of Burgandy S. Canutus King of Denmark and some others In this next place let vs discourse of Honour Kings indeede in their owne presence and in the presence of others are much reuerenced but in their absence they are often slaundered and their Honours turne aâ—under with contumelious Inuectiues In like sort in their owne presence â—hey are much flattered by such their Sycophants who secretly beare to them a great contempt and inward hatred And if account should be taken both of such as extoll them in prayse and of others their detractours these later would be found far more in number Therfore doubtlesly the glory of Kings is for the most part lesse then their ignominy since those who in the presence of a King do honour him are but few whereas the absent are many of which some doe taxe the King with sordide auarice some with cruelty others with luxury and others with other vices To descend to riches Perhaps some may thinke that Kings haue no mixture of Pouerty adioyned to their riches Nothing lesse For no men are found to be more wanting and poore then Kings They haue indeed great reuenewes and treasure but withall they often are indebted more they their Treasure can discharge And that man is not so poore who hath litle as he who desireth much because he wanteth much And is it not a great argument of Pouerty for Kings to extort farthings or halfpeÌ„nies from their Subiects being poore since they exact small customes or payments of all those who sell things necessary for mans sustenance and prouision I speake not this as reprehending such exactions fot I well know that Kings may iustly require these Tributs according to those words of the Apostle in his Epistle to
the Romans cap. 13. Be subiect not only for wrath but for conscience therefore giue you Tributs also for they are the Ministers of God c. Render therefore to all men their due to whome tribute tribute to whome custome custome Onely my intention heere is to paint out the miserable state of mortall Kings who of necessity are to abound with great affluence of riches and yet are forced to gather no small part thereof from poore and needy men But now in this place what shal we say of the pleasures and delicacies which Kings enioy Kinges indeed haue their gardens their bowers their Orchards most sumptuous tables of meate their hunting sportes their theaters and other such pleasures for their recreation but these are often attended on with the goute the griefe or paine of the stomâ—ke or Head and which is more violent with most grieuous solicitude and cares of the mynd which not seldome do depriue them of their nightly rest such are suspicious feares augours c. Thus if their Bedchamber dore doe but open or make the least noyse in the night they instantly suspect treachery and treason If newes be brought them that there is seene a multude of armed men togeather they feare a combination of their Subiects against them Thus is there made a compound of their ioyes and griefs of their repose and disquietnesse which hath beene the Motiue why diuers Kings abandoning all domination and Rule haue finally choseÌ„ to liue vnder the hatches of a priuate lyfe But let vs heare S. Chrysostome who discourseth of the Emperours of his tyme in these words hom 66. ad pop Antioch Ne diadema respicias sed curarum tempestacem neque purpuram intuere c. Do not so much cast thy eye vpon the diademe or Crowne of Kings as vpon the storme of their Cares neyther behould the Purple garmeÌ„t and Robe but the Soule and mynd more blacke then the Purple The Crowne doth no more incompasse the Head then Care doth the mynd Neyther thinke thou of the great company and traine of Officers and Attendants but of the multitude of troubles For thou shalt â—ot find a priuate house so replenished with cares as Kings Pallaces are For in the day tyme death is feared in the night the very soule seemes to leape out of the body through apprehension of terrours And these thinges happen in tyme of Peace But if the trumpet be once sounded and that VVarres rush on what lyfe is more miserable then the lyfe of Kings How many dangers doe their familiars and subiects threaten to them For the very pauement and stones of Kings Courts doe euen flow with the bloud of their owne friends and kinred This will be fully acknowledged if I doe insist in some examples both of former times and of our dayes This King for example hauing a wife suspected of Adultery did tye her naked leauing her to bee deuoured of beasts in the mountaines though she became mother of many Princes Now what kind of life may wee thinke this man did liue For hee would neuer haue burst out into so great a reuenge had he enioyed the true vse of Iudgment This other Prince did throtle to death his owne Sonne This third being suprised by his enemy became his owne Homicide Another muthered his owne Nephew being Competitour to the Crowne The fifth is reported to haue depriued his owne Brother of life Another ended his life by taking Physicke being impoysoned and the eye of his Sonne was pulled out for the preuenting of future dangers when as yet he had committed no wrong The next Emperour as a Man breathing only misery and infelicity was burned with his horses wagons and other his furniture VVords light short to expresse the calamities which the next Prince to the former was forced to suffer And as for this Emperour that now reigneth is it not most euident that after hee was crowned with the Diademe he spent no short time in labours in dangers in disconsolation and secret endeauours At non talis Caelorum Regia but such is not the Court or Kingdome of Heauen Thus farre S. Chrysostome Who how truly he concluded what wee shall now relate will fully proue For it is certaine that the Kings of the Kingdome of Heauen and such are all the blessed who doe liue with God haue Power without weaknes honour without ignominy riches without Pouerry and pleasure without griefe For of them it is said in the 90. Psalme There shall no euill come to thee and scourge shall not approach to thy Tabernacle And in the Apocalyps cap. 21. And God shall wipe away all teares from cheir eyes and there shall bee no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be any more paine Therefore the power of those celestiall Kings is most great their imbecillity and weaknes none Wee reade in the 4. of Kings that one Angell without any military forces without any artillery or svvords or launces did kill at one blow a hundred eighty thousand of Assyrians neither did the Angell feare to receaue any wound from them S. Gregory relateth in his third booke of Dialogues cap. 36. how a holy man being assaulted by a bloody and mercilesse fellow with his arme stretched out and a naked sword in his hand instantly cried out O Saint Iohn hould him And presently thereupon his hand did grow stiffe so as hee could not mooue it Therefore Saint Iohn did heare the prayer of his Client from Heauen and with such celerity did punish that wicked Man as that it preuented the blow being already begun to be giuen Such is the power of Celestiall Kings as that neither almost an infinite distance of place nor the solitarines of one poore iust man nor the multitude of armed men could hinder S. Iohn from deliuering his Suppliant from imminent death Infinite other examples lâ—ke to this might be produced Now concerning the Honour of those Kings of Heauen it is so glorious and great as that not only the godly and vertuous but euen the wicked yea the very Diuells doe reuerence and giue veneration to them Many doe contemne and be trample vpon vertuous and holy men here liuing vpon the earth whome after that they be translated to Heauen their sanctimony celebrated by the publicke suffrage and decree of the Church the former men doe worship and honour And the Diuells themselues doe reuerence and feare the relicks and Images of such holy Saints in Heauen whome whiles they liued in flesh they vexed with their temptations yea often times with stripes blowes through the permission of God What shall I say of the Riches of these Heauenly Kings Their chiefest riches is to want nothing since God to them is All in al 1. Cor. 15. for he is not rich who possesseth many things but he who desireth nothing since he waÌ„teth nothing For it is the mynd which maketh a man to be rich not his stored chests or coffers We may add heerto that Heauen
and eatth and what is therein contayned belong to the riches of the Saints for what do not they possesse who are the heyres of God the coheyres of Christ Rom. 8. And whome the Father will constitute the heyres of all things Heb. 1. There now remayneth to speake of Pleasure Certainly the pleasure which the celestiall Kings enioy is most pure and cleare not contaminated with any drosse of griefe or dolour For we haue aboue learned out of the Apocalyps c. 21. that God shall wype away euery teare from their eyes and that they shall not suffer any more lamentation But touching Pleasure we shal enlarge our selues more in discourse hereafter when we treate of Paradise Now it is euident from what we haue aboue deliuered that the goods of the Kingdome of Heauen shal be common to all the Saints and Blessed and that they are of that worth as that they cannot brooke any comparison with the goods of this world especially since all terrene goods are temporary but celestiall goods euerlasting How much earthly Kingdomes are prized by Men and how much the Kingdome of Heauen ought to be esteemed CHAP. VI. NOw let vs a little obserue with what vehemency and heate of endeauour are earthly Kingdomes desired and sought after by men though they be vncertaine small in their own nature and euen fraught with infinite feare and sollicitudes that from thence we may gather with what a thirsty desire ardour the Kingdome of Heauen ought to be sought after The greedines of Domination Rule doth incomparably exceed all other humane desires Since a Kingdome is not one only particular good but it is a massing or heaping togeather of all the goods which may be desired of men For there is Power Honour Riches pleasure as is aboue sayd There also is found a liberty of liuing after ones owne will which is incident gratefull not only to men but also to beasts There is also a supereminency and as it were a certaine Diuinity in respect whereof Kings haue no Equals in the Kingdome but are aboue all command all and are worshipped of all And hence it riseth that when Kings wil promise any thing of greatnes they are often accustomed out of a glorious boasting of their owne sublimity and height to promise the halfe of their Kingdome Thus we read of Assuerus in Hester cap. 5. VVhat dost thou desire to be giuen thee c. Though thou aske the halfe of my Kingdome thou shalt obtaine And in lyke fort of Herod to the daughter of Herodias Mar. 6. VVhatsoeuer thou askest I will giue thee though the halfe of my Kingdome And from this grouÌ„d it riseth that for the obtayning of a Kingdome men hould it lawfull to peruert all lawes and right neyther do they thinke any thing so sacred and holy which they may not violate to satisfy their thirst of raigning Ninus was the first Man who prouoked his friends and neighbours by vniust warres that by that meanes whether right or wrong he might enlarge his Empire as S Austin relateth out of Iustin lib. 4. de Ciuit. c. 6. Maximinus the Thracian hauing receaued many and great benefits from Alexander the Emperour notwithstanding caused him to be slayne by his owne Souldiers that therby he might succeed in the Empyre The lyke facinorous and vnheard of act did Philip of Arabia commit vpon Gordianus his Lord and Emperour Neither this vnquenchable lust of raigning hath caused men to wash their hands in the bloud only of their Neighbours and Benefactours but also of their Brethren Nephews yea their owne Father Romulus killed Remus his brother and Caracalla Geta his brother and both through desire of raigning Athalia depriued of lyfe all the nephews of Ochozias King that herselfe might after gouerne the sterne as we read in the 4. Booke of Kings cap. 11. Thus we see that this greedines of Soueraingty inciteth not only men but euen women to commit most flagitious crymes Sinochus the Persian procured the murdering of Cosdroas his Father and Medarses his brother that himselfe alone might sway the Gouernment Yea which is more the Mother of Nero hauing receaued answere from the Astrologers that the Sonne should reigne but the mother should perish is reported to haue said Interimat dum imperet Let Nero be the cause of my death so that himself may raigne So much did this ambitious Woman affect that her Sonne should gouerne as that in respect therof she nothing pryzed her owne lyfe Neyther doth this insatiable honger of raygning and gouerning make Iniustice only to seeme iust and ouercome the loue vvhich men vse to beare to Brethren Nephews and Parents but withall it maintayneth that euen any religious oath is to be violated for that end which act of Religion was euer houlden most sacred in all Countryes and was thought most fit to be kept euen by the most fierce and cruell Souldiers though with dangers of life And according to this if we may belieue Cicero Iulius Caesar had euer in his mouth those verses of Euripides Si iusiurandum violandum est regnandi causa violandum est in caeteris pietatem colas If an Oath be to be broken it is to be broken for gouernment sake in other respects thou oughtst to keep it religiously Cic. l. 3. de Off. I pretermit infinit examples demonstrating that in all ages nothing hath been so much esteemed as a Kingdome though the Kings do not raigne long and though the Kingdomes also do in a short tyme come to vtter ruine and dissolution whereas the Kingdome of the Saints in Heauen shal be established for all Eternity Heare the Prophet Daniel of this point say cap. 2. In these dayes of those Kingdomes the God of Heauen will raise vp a Kingdome that shall not be dissipated for euer and his Kingdome shall not be deliuered vp to another People and it shal breake in peeces and consume all other Kingdomes and it selfe shall stand for euer This Prophesy is to be accomplished in the consummation and end of the world at what tyme not only greater monarchies but also lesser Kingdomes and Magistracies and power of temporall Princes shall vanish away and resolue to smoake the Kingdome of Christ and his Saints shall remaine euerlasting according to that of the Angell Et regni eius non erit finis and of his Kingdome there shall be no end Luc. 1. Now if a Kingdome which is to continue but for a moment which of its one Nature is weake and vncertaine which belongeth but to few and which standeth obnoxious and subiect to many anxieties and troubles be so â—rdently loued and sought after be to be preferred before all other things yea to be acquired and obtained by slaughter and great effusion of bloud what is then the cause why so few do loue the Kingdome of Heauen but most negligently and carelesly doe sleight it And neuerthelesse it is euident if we belieue the Sacred Scriptures that this Kingdome of Heauen
lyeth open to all men that the getting thereof may be had without suffering of blowes or sheeding of bloud and that it incoÌ„parably surpasseth all earthly Kingdomes If I should say to one Contemne a whole Kingdome that thou maist obtaine a litle field or vineyard thou wouldest deseruedly eyther laugh or wonder at me But when I say or rather God sayth Contemne a small earthly Kingdome and seeke after â— most precious great and eternall Kingdome the which thou mayst purchase if thou wilt through the grace of God which will neuer be wanting why dost thou not raise vp thy spirits both for the desiring and gayning of it Doubtlesly I cannot conceaue what may be answered heerto but that the glory of an earthly Kingdome as being present to the eye may be as it were touched with the hand whereas the Kingdome of Heauen cannot be seene cannot be touched nor scarse apprehended by Fayth This indeed is true notwithstanding if a man will seriously and intensly consider what force and efficacy the Verity Antiquity Sincerity and grauity of the sacred Scripture enioyeth and how perspicuously and cleerly the sayd Diuine VVrit speaketh of this poynt and how great a cloude of witnesses during already so many ages not only with miracles but euen with bloud haue confirmed the authority of the sayd diuine writings doubtlesly he cannot but burst out with the Prophet and say Thy testimonyes O Lord are made ouer much credible Psal 98. Wherefore we may conclude that it is not the obscurity and darknes of Fayth which withdrawes vs from seeking after the Kingdome of Heauen but it is because our mynds are wholy absorpt in exteriour things and burdened with the weight of custome therefore we do not take sufficient tyme and leasure to meditate and ponder of such things as conduce to our Soules good neyther do we according to the counsell of our Lord Mat. 6. enter into the closet of our hart and the dore being shut we do not euen besiege God with our feruerous prayers that in so great and wayghty â— busines he would assist vs. Certainty â—f once laying a syde all care of inferiour and lesser matters we would seriously and with due preparation take into our thought what the Kingdome of Heauen is and how easily certainly it might be obtayned and what infinite disparity there is betweene things euerlasting and temporall betweene matters of greatest weight and trifles and briefly betweene the Kingdome of Heauen earthly Kingdoms without doubt so great a contempt of temporall Thrones Crownes and Scepters would be ingendred in vs and on the contrary so ardent a desire of celestiall affayres would so inflame vs as that we should without difficulty yea with much ease and facility bestow all our labour and diligence in pursuite of the Kingdome of Heauen to the which as to one true and last end we are made by our Creatour The first path-way or Tract leading to the Kingdome of God CHAP. VII HEre we are now to know what is necessarily to be done that we may arriue to the most desired and most happy Kingdome of Heauen But to know this is no great difficulty since the King of Heauen himselfe to teach vs the same did descend to the Earth And being become our Master and Captaine setteth before vs foure chiefe and most safe wayes thereunto Of these the first is contayned in those words of Mat. 6. Seeke first the Kingdome of God the Iustice of him and all these things shall be giuen to you Morall doctrine beginneth from the end our End is the Kingdome of God which Kingdome shal be ours if so we will walke in that path wherein our Captaine walked Also the Iustice of the Kingdome of God is as it were â—he scope or marke whereat we â—re to â—euell if so we desire to enioy â—he reward of the Kingdom of Heauen For as Cassianus rightly teacheth col â— cap. 2. The End is one thing the scope an other thing The Scope is a signe or marke vnto which arrowes â—re directed in shooting But the End is the reward which those do take who haue shot more neere the scope or marke In lyke manner the Scope of our Actions propounded by God is â—ustice the Reward of those who obâ—aine this marke is the Kingdome of Heauen But the Iustice of the Kingdome of God is not the Iustice of the Scribes and Pharisies which was placed in the externall obseruation of â—he Preceps Neyther it is the Iuâ—â—ice of the Philosophers which did â—ot transcend the light of naturaâ—l â—eason corrupted by Sinne. But it â—s the Euangelicall Iustice which teaâ—heth to loue God with all our hart withall our soule withall our strength and to loue our neighbour though our Enemy as our selfe Of this Scope End S. Paul Rom. 6. speaketh saying You haue your fayth vnto Iustification but the End life euerlasting This is that whereunto the Apostle admonisheth vs that the first of all things we do seeke the Kingdome of Heauen and the Iustice therof that is that our earnest and chiefest thoughts be not caryed away to any temporall goods but be directed to the gayning of the Kingdome of Heauen and to a most diligent and inuiolable keeping of that first and greatest Precept The which Precept being neglected and broken by most men therefore it is sayd Matt. 22. Many are called but few are chosen For most men do so liue and comport themselues in their maÌ„ners as that their furthest thought is to seeke how they may come to this Kingdome of Heauen neither is there anything which they more couldly looke after then the Kingdome of Heauen the Iustice therof As if our Lord had said First seeke after the Kingdom of this world and its iniustice and deceyt and the Kingdome of God shal be giuen vnto you But that celestiall Kingdome is not of that basenes and meane esteeme as that it should be thrust vpoÌ„ those who do preferre all other things before the obtaining thereof Therefore he that will learne a certaine and easy way for gayning the Iustice of the Kingdome of God which leadeth directly to the Kingdome it selfe let that man heare our forsayd Mayster and Lord Christ Iesus thus affirming Matt. 5. Blessed be they that hungar thirst after Iustice for they shall haue their fill But what ô Lord is the facility of fynding Iustice so great with thee as that it is sufficient onely to be hungry or thirsty of it Certainly all poore meÌ„ would be blessed if only by thirsting after money they should be so replenished therewith as that they should not need to be satiated with any other thing But the matter heere is farre otherwise for it is one thing to be hungry and thirst after money and other thing after Iustice For they who suffer hunger and thirst after Iustice that is who so greedily and anxiously seeke after Iustice as men doe who thirst after water and are hungry after meate those men certainly
doe euer busy their mind with the thought of it and breathlesly labour after it and which is the chiefest do humbly beseech it of God with inutterable sighs and lamentations God doth willingly heare men praying in this manner and is ready to replenish them with the guifts of Iustice so as they being satiated therwith may euen breath nothing but words and works of Iustice But money or riches is not a good of this nature as that who desireth or prayeth for it to God is presently heard Since many abuse the vse of money our riches but of Iustice there can be no abuse To conclude Iustice is like to Wisdome of which S. Iames sayth cap. 1. If any of you lack VVisdome let him aske of God who giueth to all men abundantly and vpbraydeth none O ineffable clemency of God who is more ready and wiâ—ling to giue vs those things which conduce to our Soules good then we are eyther to demaund or desire them Whosoeuer therefore wanteth the wisdome of Saints or the guift of Iustice which are the chiefe dispositions for the gayning the Kingdome of Heauen let him most humbly beseech God by most earnest prayers and deep sighs and coÌ„plaints and he shall infallibly obtaine his desire For God giueth to men thus praying and he do not repell or exclude any man neither doth he giue sparingly and nigardly but largely abondantly without any vpbraiding or delay for God is not agrieued with mans importunity herein Now what may we heer say With what colour of excuse can a man plaiâ—ter ouer eyther his ignorance or weakenes at the day of iudgement Onâ—y thirst after Iustice and demaund it of God and thou shalt fully drinke thereof to thy owne satiety but do not thirst after the blandishments or allurements of the flesh neyther after the empty smoake of Honours nor â—ny other earthly benefits so shalt thou draw out thy dayes in this world in all iustice sobriety and Piety in the next thou shalt arriue to the euerlasting Kingdome of Heauen The second Path to the Kingdome of God CHAP. VIII ANother Tract or Path of the Kingdome of God the which our Captaine sheweth vs is that of Matt. 5. Blessed are the poore in spirit By which words we are not commanded to empty our chests and bags altogeather of money but only to keep our harts voyde of all greedy affection and desire of earthly things Our Lord doth offer to vs great wealth and abundaÌ„ce of riches but he will not giue them to vs except we do bring an open hart free and estranged from all worldly couetousnes The roote of all euils is couetousnes 1. Tim. 6. Which in the Greeke is called Philargyria that is loue of Siluer The roote of all good is Charity which two things cannot stand togeather Therefore except a man become truly and wholy poore in spirit so as whether he haue great or small store of riches his mynd be not fixed vpon them but that he be ready to distribute to them â—hat want and reserue to himselfe â—nâ—y what is necessary to his state this â—an I say cannot fulfill the Iustice of â—he Kingdome of Heauen and conseâ—uently cannot obtaine that Kingâ—ome This is the true Tract to the Kingâ—ome of Heauen in this path Christ â—imself did first tread who for vs was â—ade poore that he might enrich â—s through his Pouerty And although â—e had some money yet he deliuered â—t to Iudas to keepe whome he knew â—o be a thiefe that thereby we might â—nderstand his mynd was not possesâ—ed with the desire of money This Tract the Apostles also did follow â—ho might easily haue procured abunâ—ance of riches since they were faâ—ous for working of wondrous siâ—nes and Miracles did speake the tonâ—ues of all Countries and became adâ—irable throughout the whole world â—or their Wisdom But they who once â—yd Behould we haue left all things â—nd followed thee did tast the sweetâ—es of liberty as being free from the â—ares and loue of riches and contenâ—ng themselues with meate drinke cloaths did esteeme piety and the Iustice of the Kingdome of God to be the greatest riches This path not only Monks and Hermites but also Kings and supreme Bishops haue walked in who are arriued to the Kingdome of Heauen Certainly S. Lewis King of France was rich but withall he was poore in spirit for he did vse but ordinary cloathing did much fast was liberall and open-handed to the poore and onely to himselfe most sparing nor do we read that he wasted any money in Playes or Banquets S. Gregory also being Pope did possesse in diuers places great store of Ecclesiasticall Patrimony and riches yet because he was poore in spirit he was most profuse and bountifull in giuing Almes and most sparing yea euen almost couetous in bestowing any thing vpon himselfe or his kinred Thus he might well be thought to haue exceeded the bonds of liberality towards others and of sparingnes towardâ— himselfe and his friends But this is the way which leadeth to life euerlasting We will adioyne to the former Examples two rare Women S. Paula â—e Roman whose lyfe was written 〈◊〉 S. Ierome was no lesse rich in possessions and reuenues then poore in sâ—irit for being a Woman of most â—â—ble extraction she bestowed all her â—ealth riches in erecting of Monaâ—â—ries and relieuing the poore and â—â—is with such feruour of charity as â—â—at she desired in soule to be brought 〈◊〉 that low degree of want as that the Charity and mercy of others should discharge her funeralls Now how sparing in charges she was to herselfe appeareth in that she forbore to feed vpon flesh or egs or to drinke wyne for linnen next to her body sâ—e wore a haire-cloath she did lie vpoÌ„ the ground and did purge cancell euen her smallest offences with continuall prayers and teares To proceed to the next Heduigis Queene of Polonia was rich in temporall faculties but more rich in poâ—erty of Spirit She did content herselfe with one poore gowne and wore iâ— alone euen in the greatest frosts She fâ—sted euery day SuÌ„dayes great festiuall dayes only excepted She afflicted her tender body with sharpe disciplines with great watching and all maÌ„ner of austerities Now from this he course of lyfe we may easely coniecture vpon what things she did spenâ— all her Regall wealth and how smal an affection or rather none she bare to riches Therefore we are not to wounder that a woman so poore iâ— spirit and so desirous to shake of alâ— temporall cares did at the last through such spirituall endeauours arriue to Heauen The third Path way to the Kingdome of God CHAP. IX THE third way appointed by ouâ— Spirituall Captaine is this Maâ—â— S. Blessed are they who suffer persecutiâ—â— for Iustice for theirs is the Kingdomâ— of Heauen The wisdome of Iesas Chriâ—â— our Doctour is most admirable yet altogether secret and vnknowne to thâ— wisemen of this world For who woulâ— belieue were it not
that God auerretâ— it that it is good expedient for vs tâ— be poore in riches rich in pressurâ— and Afflictions And notwithstanding â—his is most true nothing more conâ—uceth to the acquiring of true riches 〈◊〉 which are the merits of the Kingâ—om of Heauen then to haue a mind â—oyd of all affection to temporall beâ—efits and withall to haue an ardent desire to suffer for Christ Heare then our Lord himselfe saying Luc. 6. VVoe â—e to you that are rich because you â—aue your consolation VVoe to you that are filled because you shâ—lbe hungry VVoe be to you that laugh because you â—hall mourne and weep As also on the contrary syde Blessed are you poore for yours is the Kingdome of God Blessed are you that now weep Blessed shall you be when men shall hate and reuile you and shall separate you and vpbraid you and abandon your name as euill for the Sonne of Mans sake Be glad in that day and reioyce for behould your reward is great in Heauen Heare also S. Iames how he magnifyeth Tribulation cap. 1. Esteeme it â—ll ioy when you shall fall into diuers temptations knowing that the probation of your faith worketh patience and patience hath a perfect VVorke Where we are to obserue that the Apostle heâ— sayth not Tolerate sustaine be you patient when you fall in tribulation be gaudete reioyce yea esteeme it to be â— ioy That is take tribulation not as tribulation but as matter of all ioy comfort and exultation And as touching riches obserue the iudgement of the same Apostle S. Iames cap. 5. Go too yoâ— Rich Men weep howling in your miseries which shall come to you And iâ— another place the same Apostle saith of rich men Be miserable and mourne and weep let your laughter be turneâ— into mourning and ioy into sorrow Iacâ— 4. But from whence commeth it thaâ— persecution doth make a man blessed the which rather should seeme to make him miserable Many thinges might be alledged in proofe of this verity but I will content my selfe with one reason To wit that persecution is like to a forge of burning fire For fire doth prepare and dresse meates doth purge siluer and proue gould Euen so persecution if it be patiently suffered rectifieth and disposeth Sinners refineth the imperfect and is a touchstone to the Iust And thus is persecution become seruiceable to all sortes of men A sinner is lyke to raw flesh vvhich except it be rightly dressed is cast forth to the beasts to be eaten for â— sinners is full of vnvvholesome and bad humours to vvit concupiscence of the flesh vvhich is Luxury concupiscence of the eyes which is Auarice and pride of life vvhich is Ambition But novv if persecution be at hand threatning a sinner then is he so prepared in that fire as that he may be fit to be honourably brought to the table of our Lord. For persecution or grieuous tribulation violently rushing vpon a sinner he instantly forgetteth all lust lucre and ambition and so becommeth transformed and another man from vvhat before he vvas A iust man but weake and imperfect though hee doth not fall into any grieuous sinne yet he is a fauourer of his flesh followeth his pleasures loueth gaine and wealth doth not detest the vanities of the world This man is like vnto siluer mixed with much drosse but if once the forge of Persecution take hould of him and that with patience hee entertaine it then presently the refuse matter in him doth beginne to bee separated from the siluer For then â—e beginneth to gather his forces togeather to meditate of things which are aboue to abhorre and loath carnall desires and to liue iustly temperatly and piously in this world and to expect with great hope and alacrity the approach and comming of the glory of that great puissant God To conclude a man perfect in Charity is gold yet he is to be tried in the fire of Tribulation that both himselfe and others may be assured that he is gold and not copper For after it is seene that he is able to endure the fire of Peresecution with all patience and euennesse of mind not only others take notice what he in himselfe is but also himselfe with a more erected conscience hope and security doth expect the wages and reward of the Kingdome of Heauen according to that of the Apostle Rom 5. Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Probation and Probation Hope and Hope confoundeth not And God himselfe doth daily more and more raise and exalt his seruant tryed in tribulation vntill he maketh him partaker of his Kingdome and Felicity Behould here how many goods Patience in persecution doth ingender And indeed it deserueth admiration to obserue how few men there are who haue the fruition of these goods of Persecution although they doe lie open to all men to be partakers of them since persecution and affliction may bee found in euery place For in euery place it doth â—ffront vs whether in our owne house in the way in intercourse with others yea euen in the Church because in euery place the wicked doe assault the good and vertuous and that Sentence of the Apostle is most true 2. Tim. 3. All that will liue godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution Notwithstanding we being ouer delicate and nice souldiers doe either flye from this trying-fire of Persecution wholy or else we retort and beate backe the receaued iniury or wrong vpon our Aduersary And thus wee doe not suffer persecution and wrong but we commit it And there are not wanting A mans owne enemyes being they of his owne House who doe prayse and commend him that disburdeneth himselfe of the wrong offered and doe transferre it vpon the Aduersary And yet these men will be accounted Christians who thus doe violate and contemne the Precepts of Christ The fourth Way to the Kingdome of God CHAP. X. BVt because few men there are who vnderstand aright these great difficulties aboue discoursed of and more few who will make triall of them by their owne practice therefore our Captaine Christ Iesus hath shewed vs a fourth way and that a most strait and narrow leading vs to the Kingdome of God saying Matth. 11. The Kingdome of Heauen suffereth violence the violent beare it away As if he would say I well know that it seemes a strange Paradoxe to men that such as are blessed should be poore and miserable men should bee rich and that on the contrary we ought to reioyce in Persecution and weepe in Prosperity Neither am I ignorant that there are fevv vvho vvould loose and exchange goods present for the gayning of goods future and vvould imbrace and vvish for present euills therby to auoid euills to come But I vvho am Truth it selfe neither can I nor ought to conceale the truth and therefore I haue here added That the Kingdome of God cannot be taken but by such as offer great violence so as only men of violence doe carry it
confidence not in thy ovvne strength neither in thy ovvne vvisdome but in the Omnipotency and infinite Charity of God Which tvvo Points if thou do performe Crooked things shall become straight and rough wayes plaine Esa 40. And thou shalt serue our Lord vvith ineffable comfort ioy and exultation And thou shalt sing in the wayes of our Lord because the glory of our Lord is great Psal 137. OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder the Title of the Citty of God THE SECOND BOOKE Of the Beauty of the Citty of God CHAP. I. GLORIOSA dicta sunt de te Ciuitas Dei Glorious things are said of thee O Citty of God Psal 86. In regard herof I much couet to behold thy Beauty by way of meditatioÌ„ though it be as it were by a glasse in a dark manner And among other things this first occurreth to be considered why the Felicity of the Saints which in the holy Scriptures is called the Kingdome of Heauen is also called the Citty of God One chiefe reason thereof seemeth to be because as it is called a Kingdom in respect of its amplitude largnes so it also deserueth to be called a Citty with reference to its splenstour and beauty When one heareth any speach of a most large and vast Kingdome he may easily thinke that in the same there are many solitary and vnpleasing places left onely for beasts to inhabit many hills vncultiuated many Vales ouergrowne with wood many Rocks inaccessible wayes vneauen and vnhaunted and finally most deepe precipices and the lyke But because all this infelicity of place ought to be most distant and remote from the felicity of Saints Therfore the holy Ghost doth instruct vs in the Scriptures that the Kingdome of Heauen is like to a most fayre and adorned Citty and though this Kingdom be of a most immense and almost infinite Circuite yet that it doth euen shine and appeare fayre as any Citty that is most populous and most rich is accustomed to doe For in the chiefest and greatest Citties there are to be seene most sumptuous and adorned Temples or Churches most stately and haughty Pallaces most pleasant Orchards most large places for resort of the Citizens most replenished houses with people besids goodly fountaines Columnes Pyramisses Theaters Towers and shops fraught with all things necessary for the vse of Man What had beene the splendour of Italy if wanting the barraine Apennines it all should shyne not as Rome as this day but as it was vnder Augustus Caesar who turned its Mud-wals into edifices of Marble And how beautifull had Syria beene long since if all of it had beene lyke to Ierusalem before Ierusalem had come to desolation by the Romans For Iosephus describeth the magnificence of it with all wounder so as the Prophet might not without iust cause say thereof Gloriosa dicta sunt de te Ciuitas Dei and yet euen then it was not brought to that height of eminency to the which after Dauid and Salomon Herod the great had aduanced it Of what luster had Chaldaea and all Assyria and Mesopotamia or rather all the East beene if the Citty of Babylon could haue contained all the parts thereof within the compasse of its owne Walles For both Pliny and Strabo describe that Citty in such manner as that the largenes and beauty thereof may seeme to be incredible And therfore the Citty of Babylon was worthily ranged among the seauen Miracles of the World But now to parallell things togeather What kind of Citty then shall that heauenly Citty that supernall Ierusalem be which possesseth or containeth the whole Kingdome of Heauen I meane that Citty which maketh that great Kingdome of Heauen so to cast forth its splendour and light as if it all were but one most faire and glorious Citty in the which there is no vacancy of place no deformity nothing vile or base Doubtlesly the supernall Citty is of such nature as that no man can seriously and with due attention meditate thereof but that he must instantly burne with desire of so great a matter And no man can trulâ— burne therewith but that abandoning all things he must thirst after it and neuer cease till he hath found it Obserue what Tobias the yonger reioycing in spirit speaketh of this Citty c. 13. Thou shalt shine with a glorious light and all the coasts of the earth shall adore thee c. The gates of Ierusalem shall be built of Saphire and Emerauld and all the compasse of the walls of precious stones VVith white and cleane stone shall all the streetes thereof be paued and in the streets Alleluia shal be sung And S. Iohn accordeth to Toby herein saying Apoc. 21. And the building of the wall thereof was of Iaspar-stone c. And the Citty was pure gold as it were transparent glasse c. And the foundation of the Citty was adorned with all precious stones and the seuerall gates thereof were of seuerall margarites and the streetes of the Citty pure gould Now heere we are not to imagine that the heauenly Ierusalem shal be seene as adorned with gould and precious stones such as are heere vpon the earth â—ut these things are so deliuered in holy Writ that thereby we may vnderstand that the Heauenly Citty is so farre more noble then any earthly Citty by how much gould is better then mud or dyrt Margarites then common stones starres then lights the Sunne then a torch or lampe Heauen then the earth and finally God the immortall Workeman then any mortall Architect But because we are heerafter more fully to discourse of the beauty of all the parts of the Citty of God I will heere forbeare further speach thereof Of the Concord and Peace of the Citty of God CHAP. II. ANother reason why the Kingdome of God may be called the Citty of God seemeth to be in that a Kingdome is accustomed to comprehend within it almost an infinite multitude of persons being among themselues distinct in language Manners and Lawes of which number though all of one Kingdome many did neuer see one another much lesse euer contracted any mutuall friendship or familiarity Now a Citty contayneth onely those which speake one and the same tongue who are of lyke manners and are gouerned by the same customes or lawes Thus the same thing is called both a Kingdome and a Citty because the inhabitants of the Heauenly Kingdome are so many as that they can hardly be numbred and as S. Iohn sayth Apoc 7. they are gathered togeather of seuerall Nations of seuerall Tribes and People and of seuerall tongues as also of Angels Archangels Principalities Powers Vertues Dominations Thrones Cherubims and Seraphims who exceed men in number of which euery one of them do differ from another not in Country people language but in diuersity of nature I meane in a specificall difference And yet neuertheles they are all true Cittizens all of vnanimous consent and are gouerned only by the law of Charity And hence it is
drinke cloaths and other necessaries And how much would they acknowledge themselues to be obliged to such men who would disburden and free them from all such seruitude of Want Necessity And hence it is that many of them practise theft and other prohibited courses for the maintayning of their liues for they say with that wicked Steward in the Ghospell Luc. 16. To dig I am not able to beg I am ashamed I know what I will do To witt I will deceaue my Lord I meane I wil free my selfe by theft and rapine from this burden of want and necessity But the close or end of this is to fall into a necessity far more grieuous that is into the seruitude of sinne and the diuell mans greatest enemy To come to holy men who greedly thirst after Heauen these men accouÌ„t it a great burden to haue the care of prouiding al things nâ—cessary for the body standing in need of so many things and spending much tyme therin which they would bestow willingly vpon more noble employments Eusebius l. 2. hist. cap. 16 recordeth out of Philo that the first Christians of Alexandria in Egypt liuing vnder the gouernm nt of S. Marke the Euangelist were so wholy deuoted to their accustomed heauenly meditations as that they neuer refreshed their Bodies with meate till after the Sunne was set that so they might spend the whole day and a great part of the night in such celestiall studies so allotting but a small part of the night for their Bodies ease and cherishment Yea he relateth that diuers for the space of three whole dayes others for six dayes togeather abstayned froÌ„ meate In like sort Ioannes Cassianus in his Collations and Theodoret in his history do affirme that the same long â—bstinence from meate was much practized by many holy â—rmites Therefore from hence we may gather that the seruitude of corporall necessities was a great clogge to these men they complaining and crying out with the Apostle Rom. 7. Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death Now to descend to the Cittizens of this World and particularly to rich men who breath nothing but temporall gaine and pleasures To these this seruitude of necessity is not vngratefull neuertheles if they weighed the matter in an euen ballance they would censure it to be most grieuous Meate drinke and sleep are pleasing to them but if these benefits of nature be taken in a superfluous degree they fill the body wâ—th a troublesome ouercharge of bad humours diseases which after to expell they are forced to drinke diuers better potions and to suffer no sleight paines Agayne such men are violently constrayned eyther to professe open emnity to God and thereupon to vndergoe his most dreadâ—ull wrath and indignation or els most couragiously to wage Warre against concupiscence of the flesh for the obtayning of temperance and sobriety which kind of feight is accustomed to be most laborious and most dangerous Therefore I conclude that both the poore the rich the godly and the wicked are disburdened and freed of a most fastidious wearisom necessity and vassilage when they are freed from the seruitude of this miserable and manifold Necessity The fourth kind of liberty consisteth in being free and vnobliged to the Law and the Precepts since the Law was instituted not for the iust but for the iniust as the Apostle teacheth Now there are none more iust then the Blessed for they are confirmed and corroborated in Iustice neither can they possibly become iniust True it is that the threatning and pressing Law is not ordained for iust men liuing in this World since of their owne accord they are obedient to the Law neuerthelesse it cannot be denied but the Law doth oblige and direct euen them to do that which the law commandeth and to flye that which the Law prohibiteth But the iust who doe enioy the liberty of the glory of the Sonnes of God doe stand in need of no Law for they conteÌ„plate all Iustice in the VVord and as being strenghtned and fortified in perfect Charity they cannot deflect or decline from the will of God This liberty indeed is of great moment which dischargeth one of all sollicitude and anxiety and it is wholy opposite to that captiuity thraldome of those vnfortunate Soules who hauing their hands and feete bound shal be cast into exteriour darknes and into a furnace of fire So as they shall not be able either to tolerate or to auoid those torments And yet there is not any man but of necessity he must vndergoe one of these two contrary lotts or fortunes Notwithstanding men are so blinded with the empty smoake of present Honour and the dust of terrene Benefits as that they make no cogitation no introuersion of iudgment vpon these matters vntill a sudden ouerthrow and calamity doe rush vpon them and thus doth irreuocable punishment open their eyes vvhich sinne had before shut and closed vp Of the Situation and forme or structure of the Citty of God CHAP. IV. BVT let vs returne to the Heauenly Citty let vs attentiuely coÌ„consider the situation forme foundation gates walles and streets therof And to beginne with the situation This Citty is placed in Holy mountaines for thus we read Psal 86. The foundations thereof are in holy mountaines With whome agreeth S. Iohn Apoc. 21. And he tooke me vp in spirit to a Mountaine great and high and shewed me the holy Citty Now Citties are seated vpoÌ„ Hils or mouÌ„taines both for healthfulnes of the ayre as also for strength But what mountaines are higher then Heauen And which is that mountaine that is exalted aboue all mountaines if not the Heauen of Heauens of which Dauid thus singeth Psâ—l 113. Caelum Caeli Domino This is that mountaine to the which the sayd Prophet coueted to aspire when he said againe Psal 23. VVho shall afcend into the mount of our Lord or who shall stand in his holy place And from whence he implored expected aide saying Psal 120. I haue lifted vp mine â—yes vnto the mountaines from whence helpe shall come to me Therefore from all this we may gather that the Seate of the Citty of God is most sublime high and transcendeth alâ— things which may in any sort disturbe the peace and tranquillity of the said Citty for it is erected to a greater height then any dust myre thornes the bitings of venemous beasts of the earth can reach vnto It is more high then any vapours darknes of the ayre hayle thunder or lightning can terrify or annoy Briefly it is more high then those vncleane and rauenous Birds which the Apostle Eph. 6. calleth Spiritualia nequitiae in caelestibus can ascend vnto He meaneth spirituall wickednes in heauenly places The forme of the Citty of God is foure square for thus speaketh S. Iohn Apoc. 2â— And the City is situated quadrangle wise and the length thereof is as great as the breadth This signifieth no other thing
wordes lyke to pure glasse that is trasparent and of a whyte colour lyke vnto Cristall From this it followeth that the whole Citty whether you respect the gates the wall or the streets is most precious which hath not within it any ordure or any thing that is base abiect sordid or of small continuance And withall the Citty is sayd to be whyte and plainly lyeth open to the eye for therin is nothing couered All the Citizens then see all things neither is there any suspicion or any imposture or deceyte And perhaps this is the reason why S. Iohn subnecteth in the same place this short passage Anâ— the Gates thereof shall not be shut because there shal be no darknes no theeues no Enemies for feare of whome the Gates should be shut Neither is this repugnant to the wordes of the Psalmist who celebrateth the prayse of his Heauenly Ierusalem in these words Psal 147. O Ierusalem praise our Lord because he hath strengthened the locks of thy Gates Since both the Propheâ— the Euangalist do insinuate one and the same thing to wit that there are not any enemies or theeues who can threaten danger to this heauenly Ierusalem For the Prophet by the Gates being euer shut sign fyeth that Gods holy Protection will not suffer the enemy at any time to inuade or enter into that Citty so much beloued by him The Euangelist by the gates being open sheweth that that Citty is so secure and free from all hostile incursions as that it needeth n t to shut its Gates much lesse to keep any Watch or Centinall But let as proceed and shew what the Gates the VValls and the Streetes of his Citty do import The Gates by their standsng euer open declare that now after the Passion of our Sauiour entrance into this Citty of God and Angels is giuen to men since Christ himselfe after he had suffered death did open the Kingdome of Heauen to the faithfull Neither is there one only Port or gate but twelue by which the faythful may enter into this Citty for thus S. Iohn speaketh On the East side three gates on the North three and on the South three and on the VVest three Since not only the Iewes as themselues dreamed doe enter into that Citty but men euen from â—ll the most remote and discosted parts of the whole World Yea so few Iewes do enter there into as with reference to men of other Nations they may be said to be almost none at all for thus did our Lord speaking to the Centurion prophesy of them Matth. 8. I haue not found so great faith in Israel And I say vnto you that many shall come from the East and the VVest and shall sit downe with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of Heauen but the children of the Kingdome shal be cast out into exteriour darknes In like sort in the Parable of the Vine our Lord thus saith Matt 21. The Kingdome of God shal be taken away from you and shal be giuen to a Nation yielding fruit thereof And the same point is inculcated most clearly in S Luke VVhen you shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God you to be thrust out And there shall come from the East and the VVest and the North and the South shal sit down in the Kingdom of God Now there are said to be three Gates from euery part of the World so in number twelue because entrance sha be giuen not only to those comming from the East the South the West and the North but also from the beginning or first entrance of the East from the middle of the East and from the end of the East the lyke may be sayd of the three other Parts of the World Except this other construction following of the foresaid number of the Gates may be perhaps more pertinent to the purpose to wit that three gates are assigned to seuerall parts of the Heauenly Citty with reference to the mistery of the Blessed Trinity and the three most necessary Vertues since they all from all the foure parts of the World doe enter into this Heauenly Citty who being baptizâ—d in the name of the three diuine Persons haue perseuered to their last end in Fayth Hope and Charity Of the Wall and streetes of the Citty of God CHAP. VI. TO proceed The VVall of the Citty signifieth nothing els then Gods holy ProtectioÌ„ custody which one thing alone is sufficient to preserue this Citty without any watch forces or fortresses I will be to it saith God by the mouth of Zachary A wall of fyer round about and I wil be in glory in the middest thereof Zach. 2. A most wonderfull Promise He saith I will be a wall of fyer round about that I may hinder the entrance of Enemies and I will be a glory in the middest thereof that I may enlighten the Cittizens as if he would say Fyer burneth and shyneth therefore I will consume the enemy with fyer and will illuminate and comfort the Cittizens So I shal be a wall of fyer round about and a light of glory in the middest which very point S. Iohn a little after doth explicate when he saith Apoc. 21. And the Citty needeth not Sunne nor Moone to shine in it for the glory of God hath illuminated it and the Lambe is the Lampe thereof The clarity and brightnesse of God as a Sunne doth enlighten the minds and Christ being the Lambe of God as a Lampe doth illuminate the bodyes of the blessed Now Christ is here called a Lampe not as if this Lampe were necessary in the night time but is so called in comparison of the Diuinity For if the faces of the Saints shall shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of God as our Lord himselfe testifieth Matth. 13. then how much more shall the face of Christ not as a Lamp but as a chiefe Sunne enlighten the Citty of God And hence it is that S. Iohn doth there subioyne that there shal be no Night in that Citty Here yet remaineth the street of this Citty to be discoursed of This street coÌ„prehendeth the whole space whâ—ch is within the compasse of the walls And this street is the common habitation of all the Celestiall Cittizens The which is all of pure gold that is of a fiery and bright Charity which shall containe all those Cittizens and through force of which one of the Inhabitants shall euen liue in another through the vertue of pure Loue. Neither only shall one liue in another but all of them shall liue in God and God in theÌ„ all for who remayneth in Charity remaineth in God God in him 1. Ioan. 4. The which point that it might be affected Christ our Lord asked of his Father in that praier which ready to goe to his Passion he made in the hearing of all of his Apostles saying Ioan. 17. Not for them alone doe I pray but for theÌ„ also
weight of the Edifice to tolerate the infirmities of all and in this respect to be vnder all And yet the same Prelate as being the Summity or height of the building ought to be aboue all to coÌ„maund all to be obeyed by All Therfore with much more reason may Christ as the fouÌ„dation of the Church be of Power to beare all vp through his authority and vertue And withall as he is placed in the head of the angle may coÌ„ioyne two Wallâ— togeather and constitute one People of the Gentils and the Iewes and so preside ouer All and commaund ouer All. Of the mysticall Port or Gate of the Citty of God CHAP. X. IT now followeth that we consider the ports or gates of this Celestiall Ierusalem The common exposition of Interpreters is that by the Ports are vnderstood the Apostles which expositours doe herein follow the iudgement of S. Austin in exposit Psal 86. But the Euangelist Apoc. 21. speaking of the Gates maketh meÌ„tion of twelve Angells twelue Tribes of the ChildreÌ„ of Israel whose names he said were written in the twelue gates of the Citty of God but of the twelue Apostles he there speaketh not at all Yet from hence it followeth not that the sentence of S. Austin and of others following him is false since S. Iohn speaketh mystically and not as the Words doe sound and there speaketh as a Prophet not as an Historian and all that description of his is euen most redundant of mysticall significations The Land of Promise was by the ioint consent of all a figure of this Heauenly Citty Abraham was the first to whom Promise of that Land was made for thus doth God speake to Abraham Gen. 13. All the Land which thou seest will I giue to thee and to thy seed for euer And the Apostle conspirâ—ngly saith the like Gal. 3. To AbrahaÌ„ and his seed the Promises were made And a little after God gaue is to Abraham by Promise Isaac was the sole heyre to Abraham Ismael who was the Sonne of a handmaid being excluded the Scripture thus speaking thereof The Sonne of the Handmaid shall not be heyre with the Sonne of a Freewoman The Sonne of Isaac was only Iacob Esau being excluded who sould his birth-â—ight Of whome the Prophet Malachy thus speaketh I loued Iacob and hated Esau Which sentence the Apostle speaketh to the Romans cap. 9. The Heyres of Iacob were all his Sonnes which were twelue not any of them being disinherited And thus the Land of Promise was deuided among the twelue Tribes of Israel as appeareth out of the Book of Iosue Now this therefore is the cause why S. Iohn in the Apocalyps said that the names of the twelue Tribes of Israel were written vpon the twelue Gates to wit because the Port or Gate of entring into the Land of Promise was that Hereditaâ—y right which belonged to all and only the Sonnes of Israel But as I noted a little aboue the Apostle S. Iohn speaketh mystically and by the twelue Tribes of Israel are vnderstood true Israelits not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit and Faith and consequently the twelue Apostles and their spirituall Children are vnderstood thereby For as S. Paul expresly teacheth Rom. 9. Not all that are of Israel be Israelites Nor they which be the seed of Abraham all be children Which Apostle â— little after compareth Israel to a Tree of which many boughes are brokeâ— through incredulity and others inserted and implanted through faith In this sense the Gentills being conuerted to the faith did begin to become the children of â—srael and many of the Iewes did cease to be true Israelits Saint Austin dâ—monstrateth and expliâ—ateth all thâ—se points very â—argely thus writing Ep ad Asâ—l Are not these great wounders and a deep mystery that many not borne of Israel should be Israel and manâ— should not be the Children who are the seed of Abraham But how commeth it to passâ— that they are not and how commeth is to passe that the other â—re I will shew Those are not the Sonneâ— of the Promiâ—e who do not belong to the grace of Christ but are the Sonnes according to the flesâ— so enioying an empty name or title and thâ—â—â—fore they â—re not Israel as we are Neither are we Israel as they are for we are Israel acâ—ording to spirituall regeneration theâ— are Israel in respect of carnall generation And a little after the said S Austin thus further enlargeth himselfe saying Euen among the Nephewes of Abraham the Sonnes of Isaac those two brethren I meane Esau and Iacob who after was called Israel this great and deepe mystery taketh place of which point the Apostle speaketh when by Isaac he maketh mention of the children of the Promise belonging to the grace of Christ. Certainly this Apostolicall and Catholikâ— doctrine euidently sheweth that according to the origine of the flesh the Iewes did belong to Sara the Ismaelits to Agar But according to the mystery of the Spirit the Christians did appertaine to Sara and the Iewes to Agar In like sort according to the origine of the flesh to Esau who is also called Edom the ofspring of the Idumeans belongeth and to Iacob who was also called Israel the Progeny of the Iewes appertaineth Lastly according to the mystery of the Spirit the Iewes belong to Esau and to Israel the Christians Thus far S. Austin Who fully instructeth vs that Christians are true Israelits not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit and consequently are the true Heyres of the Land of Promise which is in Heauen And thus it appeareth that the Gates of heauenly Ierusalem haue the Names of the twelue Tribes of Israel written vpon them because the Port or Gate by the which entrance is made into that Heauenly Land of Promise is the right or title of the inheritance of the Sonnes of God who alone are true and sincere Christians being the Sons of the Holy Apostles which are vnderstood by the name of Israelits that is by the Sonnes of Iacob the Patriarke Now where S. Iohn addeth that in those gates were twelue Angells this signifieth that the Angells are the keepers or warders of the gates their office being to take care that not any doe enter therein who haue not right of Inheritance And perhaps for this reason S. Michael the Archangell is pictured with a paire of ballance or weights in his hand in that by the Ministery of the Angells subiect vnto him he doth examine and weigh the meritts of those who doe seeke to aspire to this Heauenly Citty Thus much touching the Gates Of the Mysticall stones of the Citty of God CHAP. XII THE rest of the Edifice consisteth of stones which are all the faithfull that are built vpon the foundation as the Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul haue perspicuously expounded Now since this part of the building extendeth it selfe to all men I hould it a thing conuâ—nient to consider the conditions and qualities which are
weake Architects and did want a solid and firme foundation did decay and became so ruinous as I may say in a short tyme as that scarcely their Names are now extant neither should we at this day take notice of their names had they not beene recorded in the Bookes of Catholike Writers who first impugned them as Irenaeus Philastrius Epiphanius Austin Theodoret and the lyke Now the Mahometans who so long and so wide haue so spread abâ—oad their Sect that they haue destroyed and expunged almost all the most difficult poâ—nts of Christian Faith as the Trinity of the Diuine Persons the Incarnation of the diuine VVord the death and Resurrection of the Sonne of God the Sacraments of Pennance and of the Eucharist All which mysteries being taken away all straitnesse touching Faith is taken away And thus the Gate being enlarged admitteth entrance for an innumerable multitude But those men who say they preach the Gospell of Christ in these our dayes haue entred in by another way and those straites they haue wholy taken away which doe not so much conduce to the Vnderstanding as to the VVill and Practice Christian Faith teacheth that all sinnes are to be auoided and that an account must be rendred of euery idle word And that if a man doe fal into mortall sinne he must confesse the same to a Priest and wash it away by a vehement Contrition and satisfaction That good works though laborious and difficult are to be performed being prescribed and enioyned by the spirituall Pastours of mans soule That the Kingdome of Heauen may be obtained and purchased by good works as the Crowne of Iustice and reward of labour That single and vnmaried life is to be led by Ecclesiasticall Persons and such others of the Clergy That the Vowes of Monks and Nuns are religiously to be obserued These Catholike and Christian Articles and such others as seemed to straiten the Gate of the Celestiall house our Aduersaries in Faith haue so ouerthrowne as that they haue opened a most large and wide Gate to Heauen teaching in all these points the contrary to vs Catholicks But to proceâ—d Neither haue haue all Catholiks ouercome all the straites of Faith For although they belieue aâ—l those points which Faith teacheth yet whiles they liue otherwise then their Faith instructeth and bindeth them they range themselues in the number of those of whom the Apostle speaketh Tim. 1. saying They confesse they know God but in their works they deny him And so by this manner themselues doe fly from the straites of Faith and enter into the broad Gate which leadâ—th to the most deadly ouerthrow of their Soules Therefore so farre forth as concerneth Faith the answere to the question propounded to our Lord VVhether they be but few that are saued is That they are but few and therefore men ought to labour and striue to enter in by the narrow Gate Of Hope which is another part of the gate of the House of GOD. CHAP. VII NOw touching Hope it also is straitned and narrow on all sides whether we consider the greatnesse of the reward or our basenesse and littlenesse For if one should command an vnlearned clowne vnexperienced in humane affayres to hope for that in a short time he should arriue to the wisdome of Salomon or at least of Plato Aristotle withall should haue the Empyre of Alexander the Great or of Augustus deliuered vp to him when would this poore silly fellow be persuaded that from his dunghil state he should aspire to such height of Wisedome and Soueraignty Yet this is far more easy then that a mortall man should hope for the Wisedome and Power of Angells who are in Heauen and are pure Intelligences For that poore Countrey Pesant and Alexander and Aristotle were of the same nature and all were mortall men And the wisdome of Aristotle did not transcend humane wisdome and the Empyre of Alexander did not comprehend within it the third part of the world But the Hope of the faithfull commands them to hope for the equality of the Angells our Lord himselfe thus saying Luc. â—0 They who shall be counted worthy of that world and the resurrection from the Dead neither marry nor take wiues neither can they dye any more for they are equall to Angells and are the Sonnes of God In like sort if a man who only creepeth vpon the earth should be commanded to hope that wâ—thin few dayes he should be ab e to fly in the ayre or to continue a long time vnder the water when could he be brought to hope for these things And yet Birds though great as Cranes Storks Eagles doe most swiftly fly through the aire and most huge and loaded shâ—pps doe subsist in the waters passing to and fro with great speedines as the Saylers shall gouerne them But the Hope of Christians without the least doubt or wauering commandeth that a Christian man shall Hope euen with his body to ascend aboue the Heauens and that he shall descend from Heauen to earth without any danger of ruine or fall and that in his poâ—â—ing from the Eaâ—t to the West he shall striue euen with the Sunne and shall doubtlesly ouercome it in swiftnesse To conclude if any poore man who is depriued of his Parents should be commanded to Hope that a great King altogeather vnknowne to him should adopt him for his Sonne no doubt be would much struggle with his owne iudgement before he could be induced to hope for the true euent thereof And yet Christian fayth teacheth that euery Man who is baptized in Christ and keepeth the Commandements of Christ shall haue the spirit of Adoption from God shal be coadopted into his Sonne shal be truly heyre of all those goods which God himselfe possesseth shal be the Coheyre of Christ who is the natura l and pâ—oper Sonne of God whom the Father hath constituted Heyre of aâ—l things whatsoeuer This vigorous Fayth if according to its owne worth it were imbraced by Christians would make them so fearlesse and resolute as that they would yield to no peri ls and dangers but would confidently say with the Prophet Psal 117. God is my Helper I will not feare what Man can do against me And Yf whole armyes should staÌ„d against me my hart shal not feare And with the Apostle Phil 4. I can do all things in him that strenghn th me And againe Rom 8. Ys God he for vs who is against vs But there are very few who do hope for such high and hard matters as they ought since there are many who do expect to receaue only temporall and small matters from God but for the gayning of them doe confide and trust in their owne subtilties in thefts and lyes rather then in the help of the Highest Our Lord him elfe in Mathew 6. and Luke 12. admonished the faythfull by most forcing and mouing similitudes tha they should not be ouer sollicitous in seeking of meate and cloathing but that
engender a spirituall Dropsy and puffe vp the Body To conclude let him disuest himselfe of all proper estimation and selfe loue let him put on the Humility of Christ let him incline and bend his necke to the obedience of the Commandements and then let him complayne if he can if with all conuenient facility and ease he cannot passe through the Gate of Saluation That it is absolutely necessary to enter through the Gate though it be strait if so a man will be saued CHAP. XIV BVt whether this Gate be large or strait we ought wâ—th all our endeauour labour to enter thereinto For there is no other place left vs after this life which flieth away like a shadow where we can well repose our selues but within this Port and Gate Therefore our Lord exhorteth vs saying Luc. 13. Striue to enter in by the narrow Gate Because as himselfe in the same place subioyneth all those who remaine without shal be cast downe into those places where there is an euerlasting weeping continuall gnashing of teeth Which words do import extremity of dolours with despayre of remedy from whence then riseth certaine fury or madnes which impatiently suffereth those torments which it cannot but suffer and must be forced for all eternity to suffer How much more secure therefore is it to striue to enter by the narrow Gate where after some small paynes and labour endured euerlasting rest and felicity is found If so the matter did stâ—nd as that men might to auoyd the straitnes of the Gate withall the paines of Hell perhaps the weaknes and imbecillity of them might in part seeme excusabâ—e who haue not the courage to lay battery to the narrownes of that Gate but since of necessity men most here for a short tyme labour to enlarge this Gate or otherwise irreuocably fall into eternall paynes and torments what kind of iudgment is that or how can it be styled Reason which dictateth that lesser and shorter labours are to be auoyded that more intollerable paynes therby must after be suffered But admit for the tyme that no torments were ro seyze vpon men after this life but only they should be depriued of the House of God wherein there be euerlasting and endles ioyes yet these very ioyes alone ought to be a sufficient inducement to encourage vs with all alacrity to enter into the House of God not only through the straitnes of the Gate but euen through thornes and bryars yea through sword and fyer And although during our peregrination here we cannot feelingly conceaue what it is to be depriued of euerlasting Beatitude yet after the separation of the soule from the Body then shall the Eyes of the mind be instantly opened that they may most clearly see how great a detriment yea how infinit a losse and ouerthrow it is not to arriue to that last End to the which we are created And this desire is signified by those Words which being related in the Gospell are repeated by those who shall remayne excluded out of the Gate Math. 22. Lord Lord open vnto vs. Which desire truly of the Last end shall euer torment and afflict those miserable Wretches and their remorse of Conscience shall neuer cease And so that sentence shal be fulfilled Marc. 9 Their worme shall not dye and their fyer shall not be quenched O if we could novv seriously consider and thinke with what a greedy desire such men shall say Lord Lord open vnto vs as if they would say and complayne Without entrance into this House of God we cannot liue and yet to dye is not granted to vs therefore we liue not to the end we may liue but to the end we may be euer miserable Open to vs therefore O Lord for we are prepared to vndergoe any torments so that we may enter in But it shal be answered them Matth. 25. I know you not The yeare of Iubily is now expired When you might haue entred you would not now therefore it is but reasonable that when you would enter you cannot Thus these men being irremediably excluded shall neuerthelesse cease to cry out pricked thereto through a naturall desire Lord Lord open vnto vs. But because in this life they were deafe to the exhortatioÌ„s of our Lord crying out and saying Luc. 13. Striue to enter by the narrow Gate Therfore after they shall cry to the deafe eares of our Lord Lord Lord open to vs. To conclude if we haue any spatke of true iudgment let vs prouide and take care for the state of our owne soules whyles we haue tyme Let vs do that now when it is lawfull and in our power the which doubtlesly then from our hart we shall couet to doe or to haue done and yet it shall not be then lawfull nor in our power to do it OF THE ETERNALL FELICITY OF THE SAINTS Vnder the Title of Paradise THE FOVRTH BOOKE That in Heauen there are true Ioyes CHAP. I. PAradise is a name of Pleasure and Delight For it signifieth most pleasant Garden or Orchard most apt for recreation and pleasure In the Booke of Genesis cap. 1. 3. where speach is made of the Terrestriall Paradise it is called oftener then once The Paradise of Pleasure But in Ezechiel cap. 28. touching the Celestiall Paradise it is said to the chiefe Angell who after fell and became a Deuill Thou wast in the delicacies of the Paradise of God Now because we find nothing in the Holy Scriptures touching Paradise but that in it there were many trees and a fountaine of liuing water Therefore I thought good through occasion of the Title or Name of Paradise to explicate the pleasures felicity which the Blessed do enioy in Heauen It will be I trust a profitable contemplation to stir vp and incite mens minds to seeke and meditate vpon those things which be aboue and consequently so to gouerne and order our liues that when we are to leaue this our earthly habitation we may remoue not to lamentation and darknes but by the assistance of God to light and euerlasting consolation Most men some few excepted are accustomâ—â— to be drawne more with pleasure then with any other good or benefit and accordingly the Church in one prayer sayth Let our Harts be fixed there where true ioyes are First therefore we vvill consider vvhat the Holy Scriptures do teach vs touching the celestiall Paradise from whence we shall be able to proue that there are true ioyes therein That done vve vvill attempt to explicate vvhat those Ioyes may be In the last place vve vvill demonstrate by many reasons or rather comparisons that those Ioyes be far greater then vve can either apprehend thinke or but once coniecture First then the name it selfe of Paradise doth euen sound Pleasure and Delight as vve haue shevved before our of the Booke of Genesis And that there is a Paradise in Heauen Ezechiel testified as aboue is said The same doth our Lord in the Ghospell vvitnesse when he said to the
a Vision of an inaccessible light and of a Good which hath no end and which comprehendeth in it selfe All Good according to the words of our Lord to Moyses I wil shew thee all good when Moyses a litle afore thus desired of Ged Shew me thy faâ—e Exod. 33. But to proceed and that we may proue the truth of this point by force of Reason We are to learne out of S. Thomas p. 2. q. 31. a. 5. that delectation which is taken from knowledg requireth three things to wit an Intelligent or sentient Power an Obiect sorting to that Power and an Vnion of the Obiect with that Power Now by how much the power is more apt to know and the Obiect more noble and the Vnion more intrinsecall inward by so much the delectation froÌ„ thence proceeding is greater That the Vnderstanding or the mynd is more pure more high more noble and more liuely as I may say and therein more apt for knowledge then the externall sense is so euident as it needeth no proofe Now that God is a more high and more noble Obiect not only aboue all the Obiects of the Senses but euen aboue all the Obiects of the soule or mind since he is an Infinite Good all good or rather Goodnes it self no man can doubt That the Vnion of the Intelligence by an open cleare Vision is an Vnion so inward as that the Essence of God doth penetrate the vvhole mind of the seer and the mind is euen traÌ„sformed into God himselfe as into a great sea is likewise certaine Who therefore is able to comprehend or coniecture how great that Ioy is or what kind of kisse is that of the supreme good or what imbracement is it of a Spouse of an infinite Beauty Certainly in the coniunction of a fayre Colour with the sense of seeing or of a sweete sound with the sense of Hearing and the like is to be said of other sensible Obiects with their senses we receaue great pleasure and often so great as that diuers men by this meanes do almost become madd Neuerthelesse the Powers of the senses are materiall and common to vs with Beasts And the Obiects of them are things Corporall and sometymes do no lesse hurt then delight please To conclude the Vnion is but superficiall and externalâ— And in some senses there is no Vniâ—n at all of the Obiect it selfe but only of its image or likenes with the Power VVe may add hereto that spirituall Vnion and the Vnion of God with the Intelligence or mind by Vision is more firme more durable and altogether entyre wheras corporall delectations which are taken by the senses because they are subiect to change they cannot continue long neither are they wholy taken togeather but are instilled by degrees and as it were by drops VVherfore the infallible Conclusion of all this is that the delectation and pleasure of the mind is incomparably greater then the Pleasure of the sense Now O Man gather thy selfe togeather and weigh in a true ballance and with a steedy hand the Pleasure which the VVorld prostituteth and offereth to thee with that Pleasure which God doth promise when he promiseth the sight Vision of himselfe to those that loue him And then in this thy ballancing make choyce of that pleasure thou most doest couet Certainly if thou louest Pleasure the which thou canst not deny thou louest then wilt thou make choyse of that Pleasure vvhich is greatest rather then of that which is least and of that which is for all eternity then of that which is momentary and fading But neither the only Vision of God is promised to holy men in Heauen but also the Vision and sight of all things which God hath made Heere vpon the Earth we behould by the sense of our sight the Sunne the Moone the stars the sea riuers liuing Creatures Trees and Mettalls but our mind seeth nothing hereof that is it perfectly seeth no substance no essentiall differences or proprieties neither truly doth it see its owne soule but only after the manner of blind men it gropeth after the effects and so by discourse of Reason it gaineth some knowledge What then shal be that Ioy when the face of things being vnueyled our Vnderstanding shall clearely see the Nature of all things their differences proprieties forces And with how great an exultation comfort will it be euen astonished when it shall behould a whole Army of innumerable Angelâ—s all differing one from another in specie and shall perspicuously obserue the differences of all and euery one of them O Good God what a Theater and CoÌ„templation will it be how delightfull how much to be loued when we shal be admitted to behould and view all the Holy men and women vvhich haue beene from the Creation of the VVorld to the End thereof gathered togeather with all the Angels as also their merits Palms and Trophies of Victory Neither shall we see consider the Wickednes and torments of the reprobate without some pleasure in whom the Sanctity of good men and Iustice of God shall wonderfully shyne For then the Iust shall wash their hands in the bloud of sinners as the Prophet so long since foretould For what other thing is it to wash the hands in the bloud of sinners but that the works of the Iust shall more clearely appeare as being compared with the Works of Wicked men Certainly at that tyme the Virginity Chastity of some men shal be more resplendent and remarkable when it is compared with the Adulteries of others their Equalls In like sort the Fastings Almsdeeds of some when they are ballanced with the Epicurisme drunkennes and cruelty of others I meane when it shal be truly said This young man was comely and pleasing of Body yet neuerthelesse he euer professed Virginity or Chastity That other yong man was also fayre and of a good presence yet not contenting himselfe with his wyfe he often defyled himself with Adultery and sacriledge Againe that man was rich and noble and fasted and prayed much and most bountifull in Alms deeds This man being as rich and noble by byrth was so wholy giuen ouer to dainty fayre drinking and Iouiallisme as that consuming all his substance and riches in voluptuousnes he did leaue nothing for the reliefe of the poore And thus from hence it shall arise that the Ioyes of the Iust shall receaue an increase from their Knowledge of the wicked deportment and cariage of the Iniust consequently their Ioy shal be augmented from the contemplation of Gods Iustice which shall wonderfully shyne in the rewards of the Blessed and punishments of the Wicked For now in humaine proceedings a great deformity or irregularity appeareth in that offence and sinne is often accompained vvith Revvard and Vertue vvith Punishment so as the Iustice of God may somevvhat seeme to be obscured or darkened in the Eye of men But then all Punishment shal be conioyned with Sinne and all Reward
vvith Vertue And so the cōformity or beauty of Iustice shall stir vp an incredible ioy in the minds of the Blessed Of the Ioy of the Will CHAP. III. BEsides that Pleasure vvhich the Will taketh from the good of the Vnderstanding there are three things vvhich shall properly beget and cause Ioy in the VVill it selfe One of these is a most ardent Loue of God and of our Neighbour For Loue is a principall sauce or seasoning of all things that are to be beloued He that loueth iudgeth all those things which he loueth to be most fayre and good and therefore he much reioyceth at the presence and sight of them As contrary-wise at their absence he greatly lamenteth We see that Parents who out of a naturall affection loue their Children dearely do belieue that they are most fayre most witty and most wyse although often they be deformed and but shallow-witted if choyce were giuen them they vvould not change them for any others though in an impartiall Eye far better and fayrer In like sort we see that men either through VVitchcraft or some vnexpected accident are taken and surprized with the Loue of deformed persons houlding it a most pleasant thing to conuerse with them and most infortunate to be separated from their company and familiariry Which proceeding only Loue causeth being as aboue we said a sauce to all things which are the subiect of Loue. Now seeing these thinges stand thus what and how ineffable shall the pleasure of the Saints be euer to conuerse with God and all the Blessed whom they shall most ardently loue who are truly most fayre and most good euen in a cleare and vnpartiall iudgment and from whom they shall know that they are neuer to be separated As on the contrary it shal be one of the greatest punishments of Hell to be forced euer to be in the Company of those damned spirits whom they extremely hate and by whose diuers stratagems and deuises they know themselues to haue beene circumuented and abused An other Consideration which shal much increase the ioy of the Blessed in the will shal be an vnspeakable rest and satiety without cloying vvhich shall make them on all sydes satisfyed and content Heere vpon Earth no man liues contented with his state There is no man but he coueteth many things which he cannot obtaine And hence it riseth that there are so many hungry and thirsty men in the pursuit of temporall Benefits in the VVorld Neither is this to be much wondred at since our mind is capable of an infinite and euerlasting Good wheras the things created are small in themselues of a fading nature and cannot long continue Therefore what exultation and ioy shall it be to that man who shall see himselfe seated in that place where he shall liue in all contentment and sweete repose of mind vvhere nothing shal be wanting nothing shall affright him nothing shal be desired nothing more shal be sought after O Peace surmounting all apprehension of sense the which the VVorld cannot affoard and vvhich is found only in the heauenly Ierusalem the City of the peacefull most great King To thee this our Peregrination doth greedily bend it self VVe are here loaden vvith temptations and sollicitudes and we greatly appease and quiet our selues only in the thought and expectation of thee The third thing which shall bring great Ioy to a Blessed VVill is Iustice and this perfect and more perfect then was the Originall Iustice in Adam The Iustice of him did subiect the inferiour part of the soule to the superiour as long as the superiour was subiect to God But this Iustice subiecteth the inferiour part to the superiour and the superiour to God by a most firme and indissoluble band and connexion That was as it were a wollen or linnen Garment this a silken or goulden Vestment which maketh the VVill most fayre amiable to God to the Angells all Blessed soules This is that perfect Iustice which admitteth no spot nor any veniall blemish So as of a soule cloathed with this Iustice it may be said Thou art all fayre O my Loue and there is no spot in thee Cant. 4. This comprehendeth all Vertues as they are vnmixted with the drosse of any imperfection Now how great ioy and pleasure this Iustice may bring to a soule in Heauen the VViseman doth witnesse saying A secure mind is as it were a continuall feast Prou. 15. Heere only that mind is secure which is neuer gnawed with the worme of Conscience in that through a perfect Iustice it is so established in good as that euen for any short moment it cannot slyde Of which point the Apostle is also witnesse saying Rom. 14. The kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but Iustice and peace and ioy in the Holy Ghost In which words the holy Apostle clearely teacheth that the Kingdome of Heauen contayneth in it selfe great Pleasure consisting not in delighting the thtoat and repletion of the Belly as carnall and sensuall men perhaps could wish but in Iustice which engenders in the soule a firme Peace and true Ioy. For who is perfectly iust hath nothing in his hart which may vpbraid or reprehend him neither any thing in his Actions at which other men can take exceptions And from hence springeth a most constant and sweete Peace betweene God himselfe and all others From hence also riseth an ineffable ioy in the Holy Ghost with which ioy no earthly or temporall pleasures can be compared Of the Ioy of the Memory CHAP. IV. NOw the faculty of Memory through remembrance of things past shall minister no small matter of Ioy. For first the calling to mind the benefits of God either touching spirituall or corporall matters naturall or supernaturall temporall or eternall throughout our whole life shall bring an incredible Ioy when the iust soule shall call to mind by how many wayes it was preuented in the benedictions of all sweetnes Againe the remembrance of the perills and dangers out of which God by strange meanes hath euen snatched vs throughout all our life how great a comfort will it affoard Among other dangers I put in the first place That a man being very neere vnto committing of a mortall sinne and so thereby neere vnto Hell God moued only through his benignity and loue did hinder the committing therof Certainly this mercy of God being so great and often extended to the Elect when it shall be called to mind in that most safe and most peacefull Region shall affoard most great Ioy. VVhich remembrance if it were wanting to the Saints in Heauen how then could it be said of them in the Psalme 88. I will sing the mercyes of our Lord for euer Then which Canticle sayth S. Austin being song in the glory of the grace and fauour of Christ nothing shal be more pleasant to that Heauenly Citty l 22. de ciuit c. 30. What may I speake of the deuolution and current of Tymes and ages euen from the
the Authour of sweetnes was thither come But if the glorifyed Body of our Redeemer did breath an odour of such sweetnes then it is altogether credible that all the Bodies of the Saints shall send forth in Heauen a wonderfull sweetnes For it is fitting that the members should be conformable to the Head not only in splendour but also in suauity of Odour Those men therefore who are delighted with Odours let them thinke with what sweetnes they are to be replenished when they shall draw into their glorified sent the diuerse and most sweet odours of so many thousands of Celestiall flowers on euery syde breathing forth in that diuine garden Of the Ioy of the senses of Tasting and Touching CHAP. VIII COncerning the Sense of Tast Deuines do write that the Blessed shall not vse any mortall meates Notwithanding they shall haue some delight in that sense that it may not seeme to be superfluous But concerning the Sense of touching or Feeling all do agree that the Vse thereof shall not be wanting in Heauen Since the Bodies of the Blessed as being true bodies with life may doubtlesly be touche Our Lord thus speaking Touch and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me to haue Luc. 24. Yet all impure touching shal be most remote from their bodies for they shall haue no desire of Generation And therefore our Lord speaketh thus Math. 22. In the Resurrection neither shall they marry nor be marryed But are as the Angels of God in Heauen But we will not heere stay about these things which are daily disputed in the Schooles This one thing we affirme that the Sense of Touching shall receaue no small pleasure from the perpetuâ—ll and most excellent habitude or disposition of a Glorious Body through its qualities of which the Apostle thus speaketh 1. Cor. 15. The body is sowen in Corruption it riseth in Incorruption It is sowen in Dishonour it shall ryse in Glory It is sowen in Infirmity it shall rise in Power It is sowen a naturall Body it shall rise a spirituall Body Of these foure qualities or priuiledges of a glorified Body that of glory or splendour belongeth to the sense of Seeing as aboue we haue said the other three seeme properly to belong to the sense of Touching For euen as when the Body is oppressed with strokes diseases or wounds endangering the life the Sense of Touching is that which suffereth and grieueth so in like manner when the Body enioyeth perfect health is sound and of a strong constitution the Sense of Touching doth reioyce Therefore this sense shall haue great ioy in Heauen vvhen after the Resurrection it shal be clad with Immortality Impassibility and Health in the highest degree and this for all Eternity What charges would not men willingly be at especially Princes and others of great estates to be freed all their life time from the dolours of the Goute or of the Heade the stomack or the reynes What ioy shall it then be in Heauen from whence not only death but all diseases and griefs shal be altogeather exiled Furthermore those Qualities through the which a corruptible body doth rise incorruptible and a body that is infirme riseth impassible do belong to the ioy of the Sense of Touching In like sort the qualities of Agility or Subtility by which a Naturall Body shall rise spirituall seeme to belong to the same Sense of touching since that Body shaâ—l be called spirituall and shal be a glorious Body not in that it hath not truly flesh and bones but because it shal be so subiect to the spirit as that at the very beck and pleasure of the spirit or soule it shal be able without any difficulty toyle or wearines to be moued most swiftly to ascend and descend to goe and returne to penetrate and pierce all places and this in such sort as if it were not a Body but a spirit Therefore euen as the Sense of Touching grieueth and beareth it selfe not well when a heauy and weighty body is forced to ascend high or with great swiftnes speed to be remoued from place to place so also on the contrary it much reioyceth and exulteth when a Body without any toyle or wearines either ascendeth aboue or passeth most speedily from place to place Behould therefore from what seruitude of Corruption the Blessed shal be freed when as they shaâ—l no more stand in neede of Horses Coaches Gards of men Weapons nor any other thing but those Blessed Bodies euen by their ovvne forces shall passe and goe into what places themselues Will and they shall be euery where most safe and exempt from all danger yea in the middest and thickest troupes of armed men I would to God that such men who cannot tast or resent spirituall delights in that they haue an inuenomed and corrupted palate or Tast at least would entertayne with due consideration these most great and perpetuall Corporall Goods and Pleasures and that they would labour with all endeauour bent of Will for the purchasing therof For thus it might come to passe that by litle and litle they would aspire to higher Matters and so by these degrees they might at length through the assistance of God arriue to euerlasting Ioyes Of the Comparison of the Ioyes of the Earth with the Ioyes of Heauen CHAP. IX VVE haue vnfoulded and explicated according to our small ability what Ioyes are prepared in Heauen for those that loue God Now we will endeauour to demonstrate by certaine externall ArgumeÌ„ts how great and transcendent those Ioyes are Our first argument shal be taken from the comparison of the Ioyes which God often in this World giueth euen to his professed Enemies and to the Reprobate And certainly there is such a confluence of Ioyes consisting in Riches Honours Power and diuers pleasures which God imparteth to sinners to his Enemies either blaspheming against his dignity or not belieuing in him as that of most men they are judged to be Blessed and most happy according to the vvords of the Prophet Psal 143. They haue said it is a happy People which hath these things Which of the Louers of this world doth not enuy and grudge at Salomons Prosperity who reigned fourty yeares abounded with all affluence of riches and delights had seauen hundred wyues and three hundred Concubines Who neuerthelesse according to the iudgment of S. Austin was a Reprobate for thus this Father writeth in Psal 126. Euen Salomon himselfe was a louer of VVomen and was reprobated of God And in his booke de Ciuitate Dei c. 20. he sayth the same of Salomon which Salust did of Cataline This man had a good beginning but an euill ending S Gregory followeth S. Austins iudgment herein thus writing l. 2. moral cap. 2. Hence it is that Salomon though receauing VVisdome did not perseuere in Gods fauour c. Neither are the Kings or Emperours of the Turks the Persians those of China and Tartary vnlike to Salomon herein
after How happy therfore were our first Parents who were not troubled with any perturbations of the mynd nor hurt with any discommodities of the Body So happy should all mankind haue beene if they had cōmitted no euill which after they did cast vpon their children nor any of their posterity had perpetrated iniquity which should deserue damnation Thus S. Austin But howsoeuer these particularities of the pleasantnes and frutfulnes of this Terrestriall Paradise went we infallibly gather from the holy Scripture that it was a farre more happy place then this our Habitation is since it is said to Adam by way of punishment of his sinne Gen. 3. Because thou hast heard the voyce of thy VVyfe and hast eaten of the tree whereof I cōmanded thee not to eate cursed he the Earth in thy worke with much toyle labour shalt thou eate thereof all the dayes of thy lyfe thornes and thisles shall it bring forth to thee And to the Woman it was sayd I will multiply thy sorrowes and thy childbearings in trauel thou shalt be vnder thy Husbāds Power and he shall haue dominion ouer thee Thus we see that in Paradise there was not any barrenes of Earth nor was it to be inhabited with any labour or paines neyther did it bring forth any thornes or thisle In lyke sort the Women there should neuer haue conceaued in vaine but their cōceauings should euer haue beene accompanyed with most happy byrths And although they had beene subiect to their Husbands yet this not after any Lord lyke authority ouer them but after a ciuill and moderate māner Therefore men should there haue led a happy lyfe voyd of all feare griefe or labour Now if the Terrestriall Paradise wanted all Euill and abounded with many and great goods and commodities what then may we conceaue of the Celestiall Paradise which ought to be so much the more high and so much the more good by how much the persons for which it is ordayned are better But the Height of the Heauen of the Blessed is without any comparison more sublime and high then the Paradise of Adam and the Blessed men in Heauen who can neither sinne nor dye are by infinit degrees better then the inhabitants of the Terrestriall Paradise who could both sinne and dye Therfore we may ineuitably inferre that the Heauenly Paradise doth not only want all Euill but that it is replenished with Pleasures Goodnes and Felicity and this incomparably greater in worth and more in number then the Earthly Paradise did abound Now these things being most certaine let vs burst out into thanks and gratefulnes to God who for the Terrestriall Paradise taken from vs through the malice and enuy of the deuill hath by the Redemption of his Sonne prepared for vs the Celestiall Paradise farre more blessed and happy And to the end that we may not be vnthankfull to so great a Redemer and also that we may not seeme to be enemies to our selues let vs striue vvith all our endeauour and forces to fynd a way to the Celestial Paradise and to enlarge the way therto by an entyre Fayth sincere Hope perfect Charity and good VVorkes A Comparison of the goods of this World the goods of the Terrestriall Paradise ioyned together with the goods of the Celestiall Paradise only CHAP. XI BVT let vs proceed further in this our ballancing of things and let vs cōpare all the goods of this world as also all the goods of the Earthly Paradise ioyned togeather with the goods only of the Celestiall Paradise and so see whether of these do preponderate and weigh downe the other This we shall more easily effect if we conceaue that Riches Empyres Pleasures and all the glory of Salomon and of all other lyke most happy men could be obtained without labour and retained and kept without feare as also if we further suppose such most fortunate men neuer to sin nor neuet to dye yet so as that they might sinne and might dye Now all this by supposall being granted I most confidently affirme that the goods of the Celestiall Paradise only do infinitly surpasse all the goods of this world and of the Terrestriall Paradise together From whence it will appeare that those goods being ioyned togeather cā neither satisfy the mynd nor satiate the desire of the mynd since the Hart of Man is capable of an infinit and boundlesse good Therefore that shall euer stand for a true maine Position which S. Austin hath left recorded lib. 1. Confess cap. 1. Thou hast O Lord made vs for thy self and to the lykenes of thy selfe yet our Hart is vnquiet till it rest in thy sclfe And so true also is that which the Prophet speaketh Psal 16. I shall be filled whē thy glory shall appeare Now so long as the Hart shal be vnquiet it shal be miserable and if it be miserable so long it cannot be blessed or happy But the Celestiall Paradise enioyeth this priuiledg that it is of power to satiate the soule and to exile and expell all vnquietnesse and solicitude For what can that man want who shal be lyke to God Because he shall see God as he is 1. Ioan. 3. What can he wāt whome God shall constitute or appoint ouer all goods Matth. 24. What can he want who shall reigne with God shal be coheyre with Christ whome the Father hath appointed heyre of all Heb. 1. I say what can this man want except he will dreame that God himselfe is miserable Furthermore those goods of the world and of the Terrestrial Paradise how great or of what Nature soeuer they might be in that they stood obnoxious to be lost were not perfect goods neither could they satiate the mynd or giue to it a full repose or rest and for this respect they did not nor could make a Man Blessed or happy but the goods of the Celestiall Paradise are on euery syde perfect stable neyther are they in any sort subiect to losse or dimunition for the Saints placed in those most happy Seates can neither dye neyther can they sinne and of their euerlasting felicity they are most secure Therefore let mortall men open their eyes let them often call to mynd of what moment it is not to loose the Celestiall Paradise For heare the businesse toucheth the maine matter of all others and is not about trifles or fading vanities And therefore the Wisdome of God euen through a diuine Iudgement hath pronounced VVhat doth it profit a man if he gaine the whole VVorld and sustaine the domage of his soule Matt. 16. Marc. 8. Luc. 9. A Comparison of the price of the Celestiall Paradise and the Paradise it selfe CHAP. XII THe last Comparison shal be of the Pryce with the which Christ did buy Paradise and with the which it ought to be bought of vs with relation to the greatnes and dignity of Paradise it selfe Christ with effusion of his owne most precious bloud did buy Paradise for vs which the Enuy of
Diuinity to be hidden in Chrisi For if they had knowne so much then as the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 2. they would neuer haue crucified the Lord of Glory VVho therefore being enlightened from God doth find this Treasure doth hide it and for ioy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth the field To hide the Treasure being found is nothing eâ—s but to conceale and couer the receaued Grace of God vnder the veyle of Humility and not to vaunt of diuine Consolations and Reuelations for feare that vayne and aery glory do corrupt true Glory Therefore Esay cap. 24. was accustomed to say My secret is to my selfe And the Apostle 2. Cor. 12. If I must needs glory it is not expedient indeed I will come to the Visions and Reuelations of our Lord. I know a man in Christ aboue foureteene yeares agoe c. For that most remarkable Reuelation which the Apostle being rapt into Paradise receaued he concealed for the space of foureteene yeares and would haue concealed it but that the necessity of disclosing the same forced him thereto And he plainly pronounceth that it is not expedient to publish and make knowne such guifts or priuiledges and therefore he did discouer it vnder an vncertaine name well shewing thereby how anxiously he suffered the manifestation thereof The like fell out vnto S. Francis when the sacred Prints or wounds were from aboue impressed vpon his body as S. Bonauenture in his life relateth For at other tymes he was accustomed to conceale his diuine reuelations and to say with Esay My secret is to my selfe c. But when he saw the matter could be concealed no longer he related with great feare the whole order of his Vision to his Brethren demanding him therof But to proceed To buy with ioy that field wherein the Treasure did lye hidden signifieth only that he who will enioy God and Cbrist in the Kingdome of Heauen ought to suffer in affection renouncing and casting away of all temporall thinges and to bequeath both himselfe and what he any way hath vnto the seruice and obedience of God and this not with any painefull reluctation of Will or necessity but with all alacrity and ioy seeing that God loueth a chereful giuer 2. Cor. 9. But he who truly knoweth how immense a Treasure it is to enioy Christ in the Eternall Country to behould his Diuinity with the Eyeâ— of his Soule and his Humanity with the Eyes of his Body and to participate of all the goods of God and Christ and to be sure and certaine of so great a Possession for all Eternity will thinke it no great matter to spurne at and contemne all temporalities whatsoeuer yea his owne lyfe for the loue of God and euerlasting felicity Witnes to vs of this Point may be S. Ignatius Martyr thus writing to the Romans Fyar the Crosse cruelty of beasts cutting asunder my Body breaking of my bones a rending of all my members the extinguishment of all my Body yea all the whips and scourges of the diuell let shem full vpon me so that I may deerue to obtaine purchase Christ Now he who out of the fulnes of his Charity towards Christ thus speaketh doubtlesly would litle feare want pouerty ignominy exile prisons so that he might not lose that incoÌ„parable Treasure Whoseuer therfore earnestly coueteth to gaine the Treasure of Eternall life let him most seriously thinke coÌ„sider with himself whether he be prepared with an immoueable resolutioÌ„ to contemne betraÌ„ple vnder his feet all other goods since otherwise neither a liue nor dead shall he euer obtaine that Treasure without the which he shall eternally be most miserable and poore But I heere will demaund what is the reason why so many men in such heate of desire do seeke after the Treasures of Gould and siluer and not content to vse herein humane diligeÌ„ce they flye by most execrable Arts to the help of the Deuill with imminent danger both of their reputation and life And yet thy Treasure O Lord my God so few do seeke which alone is able to enrich a man and which they may easely purchase without labour charge or perill Truly I do see no other Cause hereof but either want of fayth in thy People or their ouermuch negotiation in temporall affaires which leaueth them no tyme to thinke and meditate of thy diuine Promisses made vnto men Therefore O Blessed Lord increase our Fayth and beliefe concerning thy Promisses and extinguish our thirst in the pursuite of temporall riches For so it may come to passe that with greater and more feruerous bent of desire we shall seeke after thy Treasure and finding it with sale of all we haue may resolue to purchase it Of the precious Margarite or Pearle CHAP. II. AN other Parable like to the former and which also next follovveth in S. Mathew cap. 13. is of the Precious Pearle or Margarite For in that there was a Treasure in this a Pearle which may be esteemed as a Treasure In that it was needfull by selling of all a man possesseth to buy the field in which the Treasure was hid In this in like manner it is necessaâ—y to buy the Pearle with the charges and expences of all we haue Therefore it is conuenient only to explicate in what points these two Parables do diffâ—r They differ in two things to wit that in the first a Treasure is mentioned in this a Pearle Againe that the Treasure was found by chance whereas the Pearle was dâ—ligently sought after by the Merchant And truly in this place the Celestiall Beatitude or Christ himselfe is vnderstood by the Pearle as S. Ambrose serm 6. S. Gregory Nazianzen orat 49. Ruffinus and others do interprete That is called the Pearle in this Parable which in the former Parable was called a Treasure to giue vs to vnderstand that the Diuinity of Christ which is the Obiect of Eternall felicity or the Vision whereof to speake in the Deuines dialect is the formall Beatitude or Felicity is indeed a Treasure but not deuided into seuerall kinds of gould siluer and precious stones but is one thing which contayneth in it selfe the price of an infinite Treasure Whereas the Pearle is but one only thing contayning in it selfe according to the iudgment of Pliny lib 9. c. 35. the perfection and height of all Precious things Furthermore a Treasure may consist of only money or goods though in very great quantity which Treasure respecteth only profit not pleasure or outward Pompe Wherefore to preuent that a man do not gather out of the former Parable that Celestiall Beatitude is only profitable and not specious and honourable our Lord did adde this other Parable of the Pearle in which he teacheth that the Diuinity of Christ and our felicity is lyke to the Pearle which besides the profit of a Treasure hath also in it fayrenes and splendour which doth adorne delight We may adde heerto that the Pearle is the Symbole Character
or signe of Christ both as he is the Sonne of God also as he is the Sonne of the Virgin For as the Pearle is ingendred of the light of the Sunne and of the dew of Heauen as Pliny in the place aboue cited and others do teach so also the Sonne of God according to his Deity is begotten of the Father of lights who is an increated Sunne and therefore it is said in the Creed Light of Light True God of true God And the same Christ according to his Humanity is begotten of the dew of Heauen because he was conceaued of the Holy Ghost and not of the seed of man To conclude the Pearle is whyte cleare solid pure light and round In like sort the Humanity of Christ much more incomparably his Diuinity is whyte through its innocency lucid or cleare through its wisdome solid for its cōstancy pure as being without spot light in regard of its sweetnes and mildnes round in that it is of ech syde perfect Now the Pearle in the Gospell is not found by chance but it is sought after diligently by the prudent Merchant Neither doth this Parable contradict the former in which the Treasure is said to be found by chance for both these Points are true but in diuers persons And therefore our Lord euen out of a diuine prudence did adioyne this later Parable to the former lest it might be thought to happen to all men to light vpon the Treasure vnexpectedly and casually For God doth illuminate some men vpon a sudden with singular or speciall grace so as they neither seeking nor coueting nor thinking thereof do notwithstanding arriue to truth of Fayth to a most ardent Charity yea to a certaine hope of obtayning eternall lyfe And these men may be said to find this Treasure by chance although God not by chance but through his Eternall Prouidence did preordayne them to this grace and to future Glory Now other men God doth indeed preuent with his Grace but he doth not presently show to them the Treasure but as it were breaths into them a desire of seeking the Truth making them carefull Merchants and helping and directing them vntill they find the Precious Pearle We may glasse this different proceeding of God in S. Paul and S. Austin S. Paul did not seeke the true Treasure which is Christ but did persecute Christ as a seducer and the Christians as men seduced And when he was in his iourney Breathing forth threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of our Lord Christ did appeare vnto him and withall did blynd the eyes of his body that he might illuminate the eyes of his hart and this with so great a splendour and brightnes as that instantly he became of a Persecutour a Preacher And although this by a happy chance did fall vnto him yet that which was chance to S. Paul was Prouidence in God For thus himselfe speaketh to the Galatians cap. 1. You haue heard of my conuersation sometime in Iudaisme that aboue measure I persecuted the Church of God and expugned it and profited in Iudaisme aboue many of myne Equalls in my Nation being more abundantly an Emulatour of the Traditions of my Fathers But when it pleased God that separated me from my Mothers wombe and called me by his Grace to reueale his Sonne in me that I should Euangelize him among the Gentills incontinently I condescended not to flesh and bloud c. Therefore S. Paul euen from the wombe of his Mother was separated by diuine Prouidence that he should preach the Ghospell of Christ notwithstanding he did not find the precious Pearle or the Treasure in the field but the Treasure did of it selfe offer it selfe vnto him caused it to be beloued of him with so an inflamed Charity as that he spared no labour but exposed himselfe to all dangers prizing all things as dung so that he might gaine Christ Phil 3. But now S. Austin did tread contrary steps to the Apostle herein for euen from his youth he began to burn with desire of fynding out this precious Pearle that is true wisdome eternall Felicity For when he fel into the Sect of the Manichees he much laboured with himselfe in searching and disputing with others how he might fynd the Euāgelicall Truth And whē as he found nothing in that Sect but fabulous and lying Narrations h◠almost despayred of finding the Truth though he had spēt many yeares in the search therof For thus himselfe speaketh lib. 6. Confess c. 6. I descended euen into the depth of the sea and I did distrust and despayre of fynding out the Truth Yet it pleased God that at length he should find out the precious Pearle And then without any delay selling all his substance that is abandoning the desire of mariage with which he was most forcibly with-houlden and contemning all lucre and honours to which he afore had enslaued himselfe he vvholy for euer after espoused himselfe to the obedience and seruice of God this therfore is the cause why our Lord in the first Parable compared the Kingdome of Heauen to a Treasure found without labour and by chance and in the later Parable resembled it to a Pearle found out by the merchant with great labour trauell and study Now this one thing remaineth I meane that a Christian Soule do seriously ponder with it self in the sight God setting aside all other businesse for a tyme what kind of traffique this is how profitable and easy during this time and how difficult or rather impossible vvill it be if once the occasion of the present Market be let slip lost Doubtlesly the children of this VVorld would not pretermit occasion of buying a Pearle vvhich might be sould for many thousands of Crovvnes of gold and yet novv at the present Fayre might be bought for one hundred only of siluer although they should be forced to take vp the momoney at excessiue Vse And shall then the Children of light be so imprudent and negligent as that they cannot be induced to buy that Pearle vvhich shal enrich and beautify them for all Eternity vvhen as they need not neither take vp siluer at vse nor yet run vp and dovvne for enquiry of the price of the Pearle but it may beholdē as sufficiēt freely to giue that vvhich they haue although all their substance arriue not to two Myres Therfore O Lord God let thy light shyne in our Harts giue to vs a desire to know the valuable pryce and Worth of this thy Pearle and withall the vtility of that pryce which is exacted of vs that so we may obtaine the Pearle Adde O Lord to our Mercies that thou wilt not in vaine shew to vs so rich a Pearle And thou who hast said Cast not your Pearles before Swyne Matth. 7. so worke in vs by thy grace that if at any tyme we haue beene like to swyne in not knowing the dignity and worth of this thy Pearle but preferring ackornes and husks before it we may
now be illuminated by thee to acknowledge and seeke after the same and by the selling of all that we haue with ioy may purchase and buy it Of the daily Penny CHAP. III. HEere followeth the third Parable touching the daily Penny promised by the Househoulder to such as labored in his Vineyard Which Parable we find in S. Mathew cap. 20. At the first sight the reward of eternall life seemeth to be much extenuated and lessened in this Parable since it is here compared but to a daily Penny which before was compared to a Treasure and precious Pearle But this extenuation is annexed that the reward may be sutable with the labour â—nd the Worke For the similitude would seeme incongruous if a huge Treasure or a Pearle or a Scepter or Regall Crowne should be promised to laboring men only for the space of one day Now that this penny is not a penny of some few brasse peeces but a Celestiall Penny which sufficeth for the procuring of all necessary things and this for all Eternity may be easely demonstrated seing the wages or reward ought to be answerable to the labour Now the labour of those which worke in the Vineyeard of Christ ought not to be prized esteemed only according to the substance of the Worke For in this sense we all ought to say with the Apostle Rom. 8. The passions of this tyme are not condigne to the glory to come that shal be reuealed in vs. But it is to receaue its valew and estimation from the grace of God inhabitant in the harts of the Iust which is a fountaine of liuing Water springing vp vnto life euerlasting Ioan. 4. Alâ—o it is to be weighed from the Veâ—tue of Charity which is infused into vs by the Holy Ghost who is giuen to vs for the Crowne of eternall life is prepared of God for all that loue him as S. Iames writeth cap. 1. It is in like sort to be prized from the CoÌ„iunctioÌ„ the labour hath with Christ who giueth a valew and chiefe estimation to the fruites of the liuing branches as a true Vine and to the works of the liuing members of his mysticall Body of which he is the Head and to whom himselfe said Matth. 5. Be glad and reioyce for your reward is very great in Heauen To conclude shall not our Lord at the day of Iudgment say when the reward shal be giuen to all that haue laboured in the Vineyard Come you blessed of my Father possesse you the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the World For I was hungry and you gaue me to eate c. seing the Works of Charity belong chiefly to labour by the which we toyle and sweat in the Vineyard of Christ Behould therefore how precious and inestimable is that Penny which of our Lord himselfe is called a Kingdome Neither can this Penny vndeseruedly be called a Kingdome since it doth represent and figure out Christ no lesse then a Treasure or a Pearle doth For in a Penny is ingrauen the Image of the Prince in it are also written certaine words and the forme of it is round Now Christ is the Image of the inuisible God as we learne from the Apostle Coloss 1. He is also the VVord of the Eternall Father as S. Iohn the Euangelist sayth and he hath no beginning of dayes nor end of life as the Apostle teacheth Hebr. 7. which is signified by the roundnes of the figure To conclude the most wise Salomon sayth All things are obedient subiect to money and Christ is the Lord of all riches as S. Peter witnesseth Act. 13. Therefore it followeth that the Penny which is giuen to those that labour in the Vineyard is Christ true God and therein Eternall life according to that of S. Iohn That we may know the true God and may be in his true Sonne this is the true God and life euerlasting 1. Ioan. 5. But let vs see to whom this precious Penny is to be giuen the which who haue once obtayned shall not stand in further neede of any thing Our Lord sayth Math. 20. Call the VVorkmen and pay them their hyre Therefore it is to be giuen vnto those that labour in the Vineyard without intermission without cessation without negligence It shall not be giuen to those that stand idle in the Marketplace or to those who spend their tyme in hawking hunting playes or sports For the Reward or hyre is giuen onely to them that merit it is not giuen gratis much lesse is it giuen to those that do demerit Which point the Apostle confirmeth saying Rom. 6. The stipend of sinne is death but the grace of God is life euerlasting The Apostle thus speaketh because without the precedent Grace of God no man can worke well so as the reward of Eternall life may be due to him But Grace being receaued I meane that Grace which is giuen Gratis not by reason of any works then the reward of Good workes shal be Eternall life And according hereto S. Austin thus speaketh As death is giuen as a reward for the merit of sinne so Eternall life is giuen as a reward or stipend for the merit of Iustice Ep. 105. ad Sixtum Neither are we heere to imagine that because the same Penny is giuen indifferently to all the Workemen Labourers that therefore in the Kingdome of Heauen the Rewards are alike to all For thou this Penny doth signify Eternall life or God or Christ that Eternall life and God and Christ shal be common to all Yet here we are to obserue that euen as the same sunne is more clearely seene of an Eagle then of any other Bird and the same fyer doth more heate those who stand neere to it then those who are further distant Euen so among those who shall see God and Christ one shall see more clearely and in seeing shall reioyce with greater pleasure then another And as the merits of men shal be different so also shall their Revvards be different But here one doubt may be vrged why the Lord in distribution of his revvards did change the order saying Pay them their hyrâ— beginning from the last vnto the first So shall the last be first and the first last for many be called but few Elect. But here we are to conceaue that this belongeth to the grace and priuiledge of the new Testament that therby we may vnderstand ourselues to be more happy then the Fathers of the Old Testament and that in this respect we may be more gratefull to God and may with more diligence and alacrity labour in his Vineyard The Holy Fathers who before the Ascension of Christ did cultiuate the Vineyard of our Lord were Adam Noe Abraham Moyses and the rest of the Patriarchs and Prophets They were called in the first the third the sixt the nynth hower they not only laboured a long tyme because they liued long but euen after their deaths for the space of many Centuries of yeares and some
thousands they expected not to receaue their hyre or vvages that is their Peny But the Apostles the Martyrs and other labourers who came to the Vineyard at the eleauenth hower that is as S. Iohn expoundeth at the last hower wrought therein but few yeares and presently vpon their death entring into the Kingdome of Heauen they receaued their Penny Now how great and worthy is this grace that a Christian Man if himselfe wilâ— may through his vndergoing a most short labour ascend to that place to the which the holy Patriarchs and Prophets for a most long tyme earnestly desired to arriue Therefore not without cause did those ancient Fathers say with a certaine murmure which might seeme to signify rather admiration then complaint Matth. 20. These last haue continued but one hower and thou hast made them equall to vs that haue borne the burden of the day and the heat But our Lord did apologize and answere for vs thus Friend I do theâ— no wrong diddest not thou couenant with me for a penny take that is thyne and goe I will also giue vnto this last as vnto thee Which answere doth not imply that men of the New Testament receaued from Grace or fauour and not from Iustice the same reward with them but it only importeth that they of the new Testament had greater abundance of Grace by vertue wherof in a short tyme they laboured no lesse but rather more in the Vineyard then the Patriarchs and Prophets did in a long tyme and therein receaued iustly the like reward or rather greater Certainly the Apostles laboured but a short tyme yet they brought great Profit to the Vineyard of our Lord. When euer did the Patriarchs or the Prophets abandoning all temporalities make a perlustration of almost the whole Wor d and did draw whole Prouinces of Heathens to the true Worship of God When in those ancient tymes was there so numerous an Army of Martyrs suffâ—ring for the fayth of the true God all torments most cruell deaths whatsoeuer When in the Old Testament were found so many Companyes of Holy Virgins who following the immaculate Lambe did deuote and render themselfes in all integrity of mind and Body to God Where were there in that ancieÌ„t time so many Pastours and Doctours who vsing all Vigilancy and care ouer their flock most valorously by their learned Writings resisted and oppugned the Wolues I meane the Heretiks and Heathens To be short where was then that nuÌ„ber of Hermites Monkes and other religious Persons who being vertuously emulous of the life of the Angellâ— did spend both day and night in the prayse of God Prayers to him These and other like Examples of most eminent and remarkable Vertue do belong to the Grace of the New Testament in regard of which Grace our Lord did rightly conclude his Parable in those vvords So shall the last be first and the first last for many be called but few are chosen That is many are called throughout all the ages of the VVorld to worke in the Vineyard euen at the eleauenth hower but few are chosen that is not few in number but that few men of one hower and that the last hower are elected to the grace of the New Testament by vertue and force wherof they made to themselues great benefit by their labouring and receaued in a short tyme most great Rewards Neither are we to thinke that all those who were called at the eleauenth hower did receaue the Penny but only those who in that short time with all their forces euen breathlesly and incessantly laboured in the Vineyard of our Lord. For there are many Men who knowing this hower to be the last and that there is but a short tyme left them do not say as they haue reason to say Our life is short therefore let vs labour couragiously that so in a small tyme we may â—eap great fruit but they say with the foolish men which we read in the Booke of Wisdome cap. 2. They haue said thinking with themselues not well Little and tedious is the tyme of our life and in the end of a man there is no recouery and there is none knowne who hath returned from Hell And a little after Come therefore and let vs enioy the good things that are let vs quickly vse the Creatures as in youth Let vs fill our selues with precious VVynes and ointments and let not the flower of our time passe Let vs crowne our selues with roses before they wither Let there be no meadow which our ryot shall not passe through Let none of vs be exempted from our riotousnes Euery where let vs leaue signes of ioy because this is our portion and this our lot These be the vvords of those who eyther know not God or saying they know him do neuerthelesse deny him in their deeds and Works VVhich men indeed are so many in number as euen to them may be extended that Conclusion Many are called but few chosen Woe therefore be to vs who being called in the last hower do consume a great part of that hower in playing and sleeping whereas we ought to be so sollicitous and carefull of euery litle moment thereof as that we should not suffer any one minute to slip from vs idly and without fruite since of these Moments all Eternity of rewards or punishments do depend And without all doubt by how much the Grace of the New Testament granted to Christians is greater by so much the more grieuously shall they be punished vvho receaue that grace in vayne And as of those who painefully laboured in the last hower the last shal be the first in receauing of hyre or reward so of those who refused to labour manfully in the last hower the last shal be the first in suffering of punishment Of the Talents and Ioy of our Lord. CHAP. IV. THE fourth Parable is that in the which our Lord in S. Matthew cap. 25. speaketh of the reward of Beatitude VVelfare thee good and fay hfull seruant because thou hast beene faythfull ouer few things I will place thee ouer many enter into the ioy of thy Lord. In which place two things are promised to fayhfull seruants to wit most ample Power and most great ineffable Ioy I will place thee ouer many things And which those many things are he explicateth in another place when he sayth Ibid. cap. 14. Blessed is that seruant whome when his Lord commeth shall find so doing for ouer all his goods he shall appoint him Now what other thing is it to be appointed ouer all the goods of our Lord then to receaue power ouer all inferiour things and to be made partaker of that Empyre Soueraingty which God hath ouer all the vniuersall Wolrd Who is able to comprehend how great this Power is What King or Emperour on Earth can be compared with the least Saint in Heauen But because so great power and domination in man is commonly attended on with much sollicitude care and
perturbation of mynd therefore our Lord as it were to alleuiate ease such supposed paines adioyneth thereto Enter into the ioy of thy Lord. As if he should say As I haue made thee consort and fellow of all supreme Power so also will I make thee partaker of all desired rest and pleasure the which no anxiety toyle or labour shall be of force to take away or diminish Certainly how great this Ioy is which is promised to the Iust in Heauen is altogether inexplicable neither can we know it before vve haue tasted it by Experience In the meane tyme we may make some cohiecture out of three VVords of this very sentence that this ioy is most great The first word is Intra or Enter into It is not said Let the ioy of thy Lord enter into thee but contrarivvise enter thou into the ioy of thy Lord An euident Argument that that ioy is greater then vve are able to contayne wholy in our selues Therefore we shall enter as it were into a great Sea of euerlasting and diuine Ioy which shall replenish vs both within and without and shall haue in it selfe a redundancy on all sydes Therefore in so great an affluency of Ioy what place can be left for care or sadnes The second word is In gaudium Into the Ioy. Where is not promised this or that ioy of this good or that good but euen ioy it selfe is absolutly promised to wit pleasure it selfe sweetnes it selfe Contentment it selfe And how then can it be otherwise but that the whole soule shall euen melt and be dissolued being thus replenished with so great a sweetnes And the third word which doth mightely exaggerate this point is Domini tui Of thy Lord. For we shall not enter into a Ioy at which men or Angells do reioyce but with which God himselfe in whome all things are infinite doth reioyce What Vnderstanding can comprehend of what nature the Ioy of God is who knoweth perfectly his owne infinite goodnes and who doth enioy the same and reioyceth thereat after an infinite manner And yet notwithstanding all this it is in thy power O Christian to enioy tast and to haue the fruition of that for euer the which now thou art not able to conceaue in thought if so thou wilt be a good and faythfull seruant But now let vs consider to what men such great Promises do belong To them no doubt who haue beene carefull to multiply the Talents deliuered to them by God For this similitude is borrowed from a Rich man who deliuered his goods to his Seruants entrusting one of them with fiue talents an other with two a third with one strictly commanding them that by their carefull and prudent negotiation they should labour to multiply the same Now what these Talents may figuratiuely signify the Iudgments of the learned Interpretes are various For some do by the Talents vnderstand Gratiam gratis datam which is Grace without any interueniency on our part freely giuen Others do vnderstand thereby the holy Scriptures Others will haue the fiue Talents to signify the knowledge of externall things which is gotten by the mediation of the fiue senses And the two Talents to signify the Vnderstanding and the Operation and the one Talent alone to denote only the Vnderstanding But notwithstanding this their disparity of iudgments they all iointly conspire in this That to multiply the Talents is to worke well and painefully for the good of their owne Saluation and of others There occurreth to me another Exposition not repugnant to the former and seemeth to be fitly accommodated to all those things the which our Lord did speake of the Talents And first the Talents in this place are called the Goods of the Lord for it is said He deliuered his goods vnto them Furthermore it is commanded that the Talents by negotiation be multiplyed in the same kynd Fiue talents thou didest deliuer me behould I haue gayned other fiue besids Thirdly the Talents are said to be giuen to euery one according to their proper vertue and ability Lastly the Talent is taken away from the naughty and slouthfull seruant Therefore I by the Talents do vnderstand the Soules of faithfull and pious men which are cōmitted to the trust and diligence of Prelates For these are truly the goods of our Lord the which he doth not giue to vs but only committeth them to our care and multiplication of thē Therefore according heerunto our Lord did not say to S. Peter feede thy sheep but my sheep Ioan. 21. Other things are our goods though giuen to vs by our Lord as Wit Iudgment the Scriptures Grace freely giuen all the rest but faithfull and pious Soules our Lord calleth his Goods his Vineyard his Family his Spouse For these he came into the World for these he shed his bloud to gaine these he sent his Apostles to whom he said I will make you to be fishers of men Matth. 4. Furthermore faythfull soules are said to be multiplied in the same kind when the Prelate by word and example conuerteth sinners Which thing S. Peter performed for when Christ had committed in the beginning to his charge a hundred and twenty faythfull persons when he said Feede my sheep S. Peter vpon the day of Pentecost euen by his first Sermon conuerted three thousand men Act. 2. and after that fiue thousand Act. 4. and after that againe many thousands more In like sort S. Gregorius Thanmaturgus when he was first created Bishop of Neocasarea did find only seauenteene faythfull Belieuers in that Citty but he so multiplied this small number as that being neere to his death he had left before his departure in so populous a Citty only seauenteene Infidels or misbelieuers which point S. Gregory Nyssene relateth in the life of the said Thaumaturgus which he had fully and diligently written But to proceed These Talents are committed to euery one according to his proper Vertue and Ability For God who knoweth the strength that is the prudence knowledge Charity and Fortitude of all men doth not commend soules to any but to such whom he knovveth to be fit and couragious inough to sustaine that burden And therefore no man ought to intrude and thurst himselfe into the care of soules especially into an Episcopall charge except he be first called thereto by him who distributeth the Talents according to the power and sufficiency of euery one Since otherwise it vvill not seeme strange if many do fall vnder the Burden Neither shall they find any excuse with God if they say their shoulders were not able to beare so great a Burden For it shall be ansvvered them Who forced thee to vndertake a burden aboue thy strength Wast not thou willing therto didst thou not petition for it and labouredst by seuerall meanes and endeauours to obtaine it Therfore now suffer thy selfe with thy hands feete bound together to be cast into exteriour darknes To conclude the Talent committed to the slouthfull seruant is taken from
since the tyme allotted here for running is short and the iourney long Neuerthelesse if Christians would imitate men running and aspiring but for a corruptible and small Reward or Prize they might be of power and hability to runne both speedily and without vvearisomnes to the gaining of an incorruptible and sublime Prize or Reward What course take they vvho runne for the purchasing of a corruptible and temporaâ—l Pryze They depose and lay aside all Heauy burdens they cast of all their superfluous cloaths that they may runne vvith greater expedition and vvillingnes The same let Christians do let them disburden themselfs of the heauy vveight of the Cares of this VVorld Let then put of the Cloathes of Carnaâ—l desires and Cupidities or at least let them put of all inordinate affectioÌ„s to earthly commodities and Pleasures VVhen they haue performed this let them not vaunt of their owne strength and forces but let them trust in God All which being accomplished then let them complayne if through speedy running they be wearied in their Course This doctrine is not myne but it is the doctrine of the Prophâ—t Esay S. Paul Esay thus saith cap. 4. They that hope in our Lord shall runne and not labour And the Apostles words are these 1. Cor. 7. This I say Brethren the time is short it remaineth that they also who haue wiues he as though they had not and they that weep as though they wept not and they that reioyce as though they reioyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that vse this VVorld as though they vsed it not In which wordes the Apostle forbiddeth not that Christian men should haue no wyues and that they do not lament in time of aduersity reioyce in prosperity and that they should not buy thinges necessary or vse the goods and benefits of this World but he only admonisheth that in the prosecution of all these matters men should vse a mediocrity therein and should so curbe their owne immoderate Appetites in the fruition and practise of the forsaid Points as if they did not in any sort belong vnto them S. Melania a most noble Roman Matrone may be to vs an exaÌ„ple of whom S. Iero. thus writeth in Epitaph Blesillae S. Melania being of these tymes and of true Nobility among the Christians when as sbe had lost at once two Sonnes and this immediatly before the dead Body of her husband was cold or interred did in this manner beare these her griefes I am heare to relate an incredible matter but I call God to witnes that it is very true VVho would noe haue thought but that she would haue stroken her breast after an enraged manner with tearing of her hayre and rending asunder her cloaths But she stood immouable and kneeling at the feete of a Crucifixe did not shee l a teare but as it were taking hould of Christ smyled and thus said I am now to serue thee heerafter with greater carefullnes and expedition in that thâ—u hast freed me of so great a burden Thus S. Ierome vvho by this example as by a most vvorthy Commentary hath explicated what it is that those who haue wyues children and other goods of this VVorld should be as though they had them not that thereby they with greater speed and celerity runne vnto the Prize But of this point we haue a more wonderfull and astonishing example in Iob who in one day lost all his Sonnes and daughters and his whole substance and riches and being full of Vlcers lay vpon a dunghill who but a litle before was the most happy man among all those of the East And yet as if all these losses had nothing concerned him he thus brake out in Words full of Wisdome Iob. 1. Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe and naked spall I returne thither Our Lord gaue and our Lord hath taken away as it pleased our Lord so is it done the name of our Lord be blessed To conclude S. Peter with the rest of the Apostles who were the first that followed Christ running after the Prize that they might teach vs vvhat is required to run both speedily and constantly thus say Matth. 19. Behould we haue left all things and haue followed thee what therefore shall we haue And our Lord approuing this their demaund by his answere clearely promised to them a Prize or Reward saying Amen I say to you that you who haue followed me in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit in the seate of his Maiesty you also shall sit vpon twelue Seates iudging the twelue Tribes of Israel There remaineth yet the third document which teacheth vs that who desire in running to gaine the Goale ought to be ioyned with Christ for as the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 9. All indeed do run but one gayneth the Prize But by this One doubtlesly is vnderstood Christ who ad currendam viaem reioyced as a Gyant to the race And of whom it is said in S. Iohn No man hath ascended into Heauen but he that descended from Heauen the Sonne of man which is ln Heauen Ioan. 3. But Christ doth not ascend alone but with all those who are liuing and true members of his Body of which himselfe is the Head Therefore all those who run though they distribute all their goods vpon the poore and deliuer vp their bodies euen to the fyer do but toyle and labour in vayne except they be ioyned with Christ by fayth and Charity and be made one with him as himselfe sayth Ioan. 17. As thou Father in me and I in thee that they also in vs may be One. But there is yet another manner of Coniunction with Christ which in a wondefull sort doth aduantage vs both to ruÌ„ne for the Price both swifly and constantly This manner consisteth in the vnion of the interiour Eye of the Soule with Christ himselfe as Christ is the Price For Christ as Man did runne for the Price and as he is God so himself in the Price For Christ is true God and eternall life as S. Iohn witnesseth which point our Lord himselfe insinuated when he sayd I am the way the truth and the lyfe For Christ as the Truth doth leade vs as the VVay doth draw vs by himselfe as the lyfe doth bring vs to himselfe Therefore it followeth that nothing is more profitable or more conducing to the gaining of the Prize then neuer to diuert our eyes froÌ„ the Prize it self and to say with the Prophet Psal 24. Myne Eyes are alwayes to our Lord. For that man who hath the Eye of his hart vnited and conioyned with the Prize neyther seeth nor heareth nor regardeth what the behoulders do eyther say or doe whether they do deride prayse or dispraise him but sayth with the Prophet Psal 17. I am become as a man not hearing with the Apostle 1. Cor. 4. To me it is a thing of least account to be iudged of you or humane day But to passe
apt for fight to wit from ouer much gorging themselues with meate and drinke from accompanying their Wyues from domesticall negotiations and briefly from all things through othervvise pleasant or profitable vvhich may hinder the Victory in this their sportly Strife Contention Therefore we who do euen sweat and labour in a true Warre for an incorruptible and eternall Crowne ought much more to forbeare and withdraw our selues from all those things which may weaken the Soule and cause it to be lesse prepared to vndergoe this great and serious Warre and withall to continue its Course running in the spirituall Race But vvhat are those things vvhich weaken the Soule Euen those very things vvhich seeme to make the Body stroÌ„g To wit much meate much sheep frequent exercise myrth sporting singning hauking hunting to pray litle to auoyde meditation not to bewaile a mans owne sinnes finally not to do works of Pennance from all vvhich courses he ought to abstaine who coueteth to haue his souâ—e strong that it may be apt to runne in the â—a e and to fight for the Maistry Our Lord sayth Luc. 21. Looke well to your selues least perhaps your harts be ouerâ—harged with surfet and drunkennes and cares of this life and that they day come vpon you suddenly Novv on the contrary part The meate of the Soule making it vigorous is fasting the refection and resocillation of the soule is Prayer The sheep of the soule is a healthfull Contemplation of things diuine The purging of the soule from all dangerous humours is Confession of our sinnes The ioy and delight of the soule is Teares The triumph and Victory of the Soule is the crucifying of our flesh and Concupiscences therof For the Apostle sayth Gal. 5. They that be of Christ haâ—e crucified their flesh togeather with their vices and coâ—cupiscences And in like sort he thus speaketh in the place aboue alledged I do so fight not as it were beating the ayre but I chastise my Body and bring it into seruitude best perhaps when I haue preached to others my selfe become reprobate Behould here a true Paraphâ—aze or Explication of those former words He abstayneth from all things For the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 9. I do so fight in this warre as that I do abstaine from those things which please the Body in which do reside carnal concupiscences which do fight against me euen in behalfe of my Enemies And I do reduce my Body into seruitude by chastizing it with Fasting Watching and other mortifications of the flesh that so it may not rebell against the Empire and Command of the Soule or ioyne in Combat with myne Enemies against me But whome are not those wordes lest perhaps when I haue preached to others my selfe become reprobate able to affright and cause to tremble and feare If a vessell of Election an Apostle created and chosen by God himselfe One who was rapt into the third Heauen feared that he might become a Reprobate if he did not punish his Body reduce it into seruitudes Who then of vs hath not iust reason to feare Reprobation except he crucify and mortify his flesh with all its Vices and Concupiscenses Certainly this Apostolicall Example is of force to admonish all men that they dare not presume to hope for Victory and the Crowne except euen in the depth of their Hart they make a serious impartiall reflection of their owne State doing works worthy of Pennance and subduing in euery sort the flâ—sh to the spirit Therefore the madnes blindnes of the Hart of many is wonderful who though they performe none of these points so necessarily exacted yea vvho are so far from abstaying from things lawfull as that they will not abstaine from things vnlawfull and prohibited do neuerthelesse liue in such security and ioillity of mind as if they had already receaued a most certaine and infallible promise of God touching their Saluation and Crowne of Glory But this is a demonstration as often we haue said that they are but few who shal be saued and that Many are called but few Elected Within the armes therefore of thy goodnes O Blessed Lord do I cast my selfe I am thy Seruant and the sonne of thy Hand-maid Euen with all desire of my soule I do greedily thirst after that Heauenly reward and most shyning Crowne vvhich thou hast prepared and promised to those that loue thee I do acknowledge the greatnes of the Warre and Conflict as also I do acknowledg the leÌ„gth of the Race I also â—aily feele and am guilty of my owne imbecilliâ—y and weaknes and I do confesse before thee vvho searchest the reines and harts of mâ—n that the Vertue which is n me is very small and almost nothing And I am not ignorant of the great forces and crueâ—ty of my inuisible Enemies who cannot brooke or disgest that we poore soules are called to that vnspeakable Glory of the which Pryde hath depriued them Enlighten Sweet Iesus my eyes that I may neuer sleep in death Increase my strength that I may not fayle in the Way Let thy Grace fight for me least at any time my Enemy do say I haue preuayled against him And what I here aâ—ke for my self the same also I aske and beseech for all my Brethren but principally for those whether Eccâ—esiast caâ—l or secular who are placed by thee in sublimity and height of Authority Whose danger is so much the greater by how much their P ace and Function is more eminent and high and vvhose Crowne of Glory shall be so much the more illustrious if so with care and solâ—icitude they rightly performe their Duty by hovv much their damnation will be the greater if the soules which thou O Blessed Sauiour hast redeemed with thy precious bloud do perish through their owne fault and carelesse negligence The Conclusion of the whole Worke. CHAP. IX THe twelue Considerations touching the Eternall felicity of the Saints being explicated and vnfoulded this Conclusion may seeme iustly to be gathered the rout To wit That the Felicity of the Saints is in it selfe a most great and supreme thing as also that it is chiefly to be desired and sought after by all men But notvvithstanding that the Way to fynd and gaine the same is most narovv and laborious so as except a man come vvith an immoueable resolution casting off the care of all other things to labour with all his forces and endeauour he shall neuer be able to passe or penetrate that way much lesse to arriue come to his desired end And that I may briefly make this more euident to the Reader I will in place of a Conclusion repeate all the forsaid CoÌ„siderations and their chiefest difficulties 1. In the first place then we did consider Eternall Felicity vnder the name of the Kingdome of Heauen yet hauing this most great difficulty out of the Word of God annexed vnto it to vvit The kingdome of Heauen suffereth violence and the violent beare it away Matt. 11.
2. We after considered the same felicity vnder the name of the Citty of God or the Heauenly Ierusalem and there also we found no small difficulty because those who are Cittizens of this World cannot be Citizens amoÌ„g the Saints for it is most hard to liue in the VVorld and not to be of the VVorld 3. In the third place we considered the same Felicity vnder the name of the House of God in the vvhich there are many Mansions and we aduertised that the Port or Gate of this House is most strait and that it cannot be penetrated or entered into without great Labour 4. Fourthly we did consider the same place of Beatitude vnder the name of Paradise but with all we considered with how high a price not of gould or siluer but of teares and bloud our Lord himselfe the Martyrs Confessours all the Saints both Men and VVomen did buy this Paradise For we read Luc. 24. Christ ought to suffer and so to enter into his glory 5. In the fift place we considered the same Felicity vnder the name of a Treasure hidden in a field and we no lesse shevved that this Treasure could not be possessed of him that found it except for the purchasing thereof he did sell all things which he had Matth. 13. 6. Sixtly we considered the same vnder the name of a precious Pearle or Margarite for the obtaining whereof the Buyar also ought to spend all the goods he hath that so he may purchase the same 7. Seauenthly vve considered the same vnder the name of a daily Penny vvhich is not giuen but only to such vvho labour in the Vineyard diligently and daily 8. Eightly we considered the same vnder the title or Name of a Great Supper and we saw that those were not reputed worthy of that Supper whose affectioÌ„s were enthralled vnto Temporall benefits and pleasures 9. Ninthly we haue considered the same vnder the appellation of the Ioy of our Lord to which they onely were admitted who with great paynes labour did multiply the Talents deliuered vnto them such others as did not performe the same being cast into vtter darknesse 10. Tenthly we considered the same vnder the title of a Princely Marriage from the which aâ—l those were excluded who were giuen to Slouth and Idlenes and who did not daily watch in the exercise of good workes and expectation of the Celestiall Bridegrome 11. In the eleauenth place we considered the same vnder the name of a Prize or Reward which they only tooke hould of who did runne in the race towards the Prize speedily and constantly and this not without great â—oyle and labour 12. In the twelft last place we did coÌ„sider it vnder the name of a Crowne which they onely did deserue who most couragiously in fight did ouercome their enemies Novv what way soeuer thou dost turne thy selfe and vnder what name soeuer thou dost consider Eternall Felicity thou shalt find that it cannot be obtayned except in pursuite thereof thou dost labour withall thy forces both of mind and Body Therefore he who desires to become Blessed which no man if he be in his Wits but wisheth to be let him shake off all drowsynes and Slouth let him labour and sweat for the gaining of so great a reward by doing of good VVorkes and suffering of Euills And let him not prefer any temporall affaires before this so great and only necessary Busines And let him euer retaine in memory those words of S. Paul and S. Barnabas By many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdome of God Act. 14. FINIS AN APPENDIX OR Short discourse of the Torments of Hell taken out of another spiritual Booke of the forsaid Card. Bellarmine entituled Of the Mourning of the Doue lib. 2. cap. 2. The Translatour to the Reader THe Common Axiome in Philosophy is that Contraries compared one to the other do affoard a greater illustration and do imprint in the Vnderstanding a more markable difference and disparity betweene them Which Consideration hath caused me now after the former Translation of the Eternall felicity of the Saints and the Ioyes of Heauen to adioyne heerevnto as an Appendix a briefe discourse of the euerlasting Misery of damned soules and of their torments in Hell translated out of another spirituall Booke of the Learned Bellarmine entituled de gemitu Columbae By which meanes the grieuousnes of the paines of Hell hereafter declared may the more stir vp the Christian Reader to be sollicitous in auoyding the same Paines and thereby beget a greater desire in him of gaining the Ioyes of Heauen There are but two Landing places of the soule for all Eternity after its departure from the Body And these two are Heauen and Hell Either Heauen or Hell must be its Lot There is no Medium betweene them A man cannot lose the one and yet auoyd the other This then being a most assured Verity and seing Heauen is made for Man and Hell for the Deuill why will men so much trench as I may say vpon the Deuills right as to share with him in his Vnfortunate Inheritance and to remaine with him in euerlasting fire and so become the vessells of Gods wrath rather then to seeke their owne designed inheritance of Heauen vnto the which Man after his Baptisme is borne Heyre Well We are men and therefore endued with freedome of Will and consequently with freedome of Election and it is engrafted in Man euen naturally to desire what is good and propitious as also to decline from what is domageable and euill How then commeth it to passe that most men will needs cease to be themselues and in a most retrogade manner will choose Eternity of Torments before Eternity of Ioyes the daily vpbraiding of the Infernall Spirits before the continuall society and familiarity of the most Holy Angells and Saints the Enemy of Man before the Creatour of Man the Deuill before God Hell before Heauen O most deplorable bewitching and enchantment Yf any of you Idolatours of this World were put to his choyce whether he would be created a great Prince or Potentate liuing in all Regality and supreme soueraingty or to become a Bondslaue for euer and to suffer daily torments and rackings he vvould no doubt presently dispatch the Election and choose the Better Here then the choyce is giuen you to speake with the Prophet Iosue c. 24. vvhether after the day of Iudgment by your vertuous life you will reigne in the Kingdome of Heauen both in soule and body and so participate of all the Ioyes thereof Or through your wickednes lye fast bound Hand and foote in Hell there suffering euerlasting Torments and Conflagration of fyre Where then by your vnderualewing of Heauen as most of you do is your Iudgment Where is that light of Vnderstanding which the Euangelist sayth doth illuminate euery man But alas it is darkened or rather extinct yea so wholy extinct as that for want of your true vse therof throgh your owne negligence