dignitie of his person to declare him such one as he is By which he hath shewed that he came to vanquishe and surmount sinne and death and to pronounce that as who so euer would followe him should liue eternally so to such was reserued euerlastinge death as would not obey his woorde and doctrine For in him saith he is conteined resurrection and lyfe yea and the Saluation of those that beléeue in him To that to proue those thinges and to assure consolation to all such as should giue faith to his woordes it was requisite that he should not only manifest himselfe the author of lyfe in raising others but that also he should expresse it in his proper person giuing this testimony of himselfe that albeit he was dead yet he had more power then death for that he was able to returne to lyfe By this it appeares that the resurrection of Christe is a trew proofe of his greatnesse and a declaration that he is the Sonne of GOD hath surmounted all trauels and perplexities hath domination ouer death and ouercome hell sinne and the deuill séeinge hée hath disfurnished them of their principall weapons wherewith they did tirrannise ouer the Linage of man which is death that followeisd It also a proofe that as wée honour serue and beléeue in a man dead and crucified so also we must obey followe and serue in faith a man that hathe foretolde his Resurrection and which is risen againe from the dead séeing that one of the reasons why he dyed was the more to declare his power and manifest further his force and excellencie of life together with his power against the kingdome of sathan In the Seconde consideration is inclosed a wonderfull secret greatly auailing the estate of mankinde it is deuyded into two partes according to the testimony of the Scripture whereof the one consistes in his death and the other in his resurrection Touching his death wee haue alreadie debated that in it was comprehended the death of our trauelles the death of our death the mortification of our olde Adam and the spoile of the forces of the wicked roote of sinne which raigned ouer vs And in his resurrection we say now is comprehended the reestablishment of our lyfe the newnes of our iustice the vertue and spirituall generation of the new Adam in vs the woorkes of this newe lyfe the hope that this newe people of GOD hath to returne to Heauen and finally the thoughtes and operations agreable to the maiestie of god Christe was not sacrificed only for himselfe but for vs he is not risen againe onely to declare what hee was but wyth all to make himselfe suche a one to vs as his Father mighte receiue vs He is dead for our sinnes risen againe for our iustificaiton His death made to dye all wicked thinges but in his resurrection were reuiued al good thinges In effect we haue to consider touching the vertue of the misterie of the resurrection that he is also so risen againe in vs Spirituallie that if it be not long of our obstinacie and Rebellion we shall féele the force of his Resurrection in vs that is he will engender in vs a power and will to doe the workes worthie of a newe lyfe and will make vs to rise agayne to a newnesse of lyfe by the which we shal be founde agréeable before the face of God And béeing risen wyth him we shall vanquishe death and sinne and be made frée from the seruitude of Sathan being affected to the commaundementes of God louers of his iustice and zealous of his glory to perticipate in the ende wyth the heauenly lyfe by the communion which we haue wyth the lyfe of Iesus Christ in thoughts and workes So that let all Christians vnderstande that if in humilitie they search a remedie for their sinnes opening wyth all the gate of their harte they shall finde wyth in Iesus Christ raysed agayne And that being in the companie of so great a Lorde liuing who hath vanquished death they can not haue in them any deade thing For they shall also rise againe spiritually wyth the Lorde into that newnes of lyfe whereof we haue spoken Let vs therefore take héede to refuse the mortification of our wicked workes of our disordered appetites and our wicked affections For if we bowe or bende our selues we shall wythout doubt apperteyne to the other parte of this misterie and rise againe wyth Iesus Christ In this sort is to be vnderstanded the saying of the Apostle That we are buried wyth Christ by Baptisme and dead to our sinnes and to our olde Adam For that as Iesus Christ is risen agayne from the deade for the glory of the Father So we must enter into a newnes of lyfe béeing assured to keepe him companie in the Resurrection if we accompanie him in his death he dyed to make dye our sinnes and liued agaiâ—e to giue life to our iustice and therefore if behooues vs to dye as touching our sinnes and to be diligent to do good workes whervnto let euerye good Christian referre all his care and study and raise al his thoughts demaunding al those things in his prayers and searching them neither more nor lesse then he would do a precious treasure wherin lyeth hidde al his felicitie The victory is already gained and the faithfull are assured of their forces for that the sonne of God soliciteth for them and holdes al these benefites in his disposing In him we may be bolde to repose our sewertye séeing he hath so much suffred for vs and to make vs communicate with these graces his mercy will neuer faile vs séeing he hath not denied it vs to get them Sure in respect they haue cost him so deare and that the paiment is already made it will not be hard to giue them vnto vs. In the third consideratcon of this article the good christian hath to vnderstand that in the resurrection of the lord we get not only spiritual resurrection as hath ben saied but also we haue assurance of the resurrection of our bodies So that considering that Iesus Christ is risen from the dead for our welth and profit we may be assured that he is risen both in body and soul that our resurrection is no lesse certain then his rising againe being the assurance and gage of our resurrection and he being in all things our first borne captain he marched before vs and we must follow him All the wretchednes that the deuill had caused were repaired by the son of God for as the deuill threw spirituall death vppon mankind so in the vertue of our sauiour that death is destroyed vanquished and a life spiritual giuen vnto men The deuil procured corporal death to mans race for death was brought into the world by sinne but the sonne of God hath ioyned to vs a corporall resurection For as death was introduced by a man so by a man came restitution resurrection we were all dead in Adam euen so
care of their calamities and is not called to be a partner of their Quarrelles which libertie many séeke for who Aunswere for many follow many and spend much of many not of franke wil but to perfourme the dutie they haue professed Many more are the prorogatiues of exile which you may boldly chalenge and enioy in Affrika and we by no right can demaund in Spaine And yet I doubt not but more deare should be to you the kinges Pardon to returne home then all these goodly priuiledges which to your great comfort you enioy in Affrika For the Puddle water in our owne countrey carieth a more swéete tast then the most pleasant fountaine in any forreine Region Let this be your Solace for the time to serue and hope in God to the ende he may leade the minde of the Prince to consent to your libertie wherein there shall want no furtherance which eyther the Authoritie of your friendes or my continuall councell may bring to passe To Don FREDERIQVE of Portingall Archbishop of Sarragoce and Viceroy of Catheliogne wherin the Author recommends to him a Letter of the Emperour M. Aurelius IN the selfe same yeare wherein the Prophete Jeremie bewayled in Ierusalem the Captiuitie of his people ledde into Babilon Reigned in Bithinia the cruell king Dracon a man of déep pollicie in affaires of estate and no lesse valiant to beare and resist the rigoures of fortune but withall so seueare in his commaundementes that it may be doubted whether the lawes he instituted conteyned more crueltie to his subiects then commoditie to his kingdoms For amongst other statutes or strayght politiques he ordeyned this lawe the one neighbour hauing receiued of another any good turne afterwards was founde vnthankefull eyther to requite or confesse it such one was punished with death for as this is a propertie anexed to the good nature to forget the benefits he doth himselfe kepe in continual memorie the graces he hath receiued of others so to ad impunity to ingratitude is to corrupt the worlde euen as in other offences to restraine iustice is to support sin suffer insolency which is the greatest errour that can happen in gouernment This I say sir to put my selfe in remembrance of the manifolde benefites I haue receiued by you whereunto hauing no power of recompence at least if I should forbeare to acknowledg them I cannot auoyd the merit of Dracons Law For there can be no such iniurie offered to a frée mind a bashfull face then to be called vnthankefull since such reproches sinke most déepely into the reputation of honoure so that though my power bee small my possibilitie lesse yet I will so honour the remembrance of your benefites that in my will shal be found no blame of ingratitude nor in my life any suspition of honest frēdship At our last being togither you made me sweare to graunt to that you demaunded without either libertie of excuse or being made priuie to what you would aske wherein as your Lordship was somwhat to oportunate so I was not enough distréete for that greater is the reason to examine a demaund then to consent to fulfill it But touching your request to pen for you some Letters of M. Aurelius I know not how I shal satisfie your desire vnlesse you refourme your demaunde for that of his morrall writings I haue none but eyther those which are alreadie published or such as he left vnperfect and for others which in the rage of his youth he wrot to his Amarus friendes as I haue alreadie published some by the perswasions of my priuate friendes so albeit at that time their opportunities enforced my will yet it behoueth me now not to abuse the dutie of my profession wherin aswel by the habite of religion as my facultie of a diuine I craue to be excused from writing such vanities since besides the offence to my grauitie the example cannot but bring hurt to the chast minds of young princes great Ladies But because as neare as I can I will be thankefull to your request and leaue you satisfied of my good meaning I haue sent you the Translation of one of his Letters wherein you may iudge with what fidelitie he entertayned his friendes since he vsed such charitie and compassion to his Enimies I cannot denie the glorie I haue obteined by this battell much lesse hide the perplexitie I féele for thy present misfortune for noble mindes are bounde to shew no lesse compassion to such as are subdued then to expresse ioye gladnesse with those that ar victors Thou being chiefe of the Partheus didest shew great courage to resist and in me the leader of the Romaines was founde no want of force to fight notwithstanding though thou lost the battell I remaine possessed of the victorie yet as I know thou wilt not acknowledge this chaunce to happen by any want of stomacke in thée so it belonges to my grauitie not to atribute it altogither to the greatnes of my vertue since God doth alwaies minister victories not to such as doe their duties best but to those that he loueth most for the effect of al things depending vpō god man can haue no power cōmaund the destenie of a battell séeing he is not hable to stay the course of the least planet in heauen Darius against Alexander Pompeius against Ceasar Hanniball against Scipio had aboue al equalitie far greater armies then their enimies by which thou hast reason to cōclude with me that against the anger of the soueraigne god cannot preuaile most huge mightie hostes I maruell Popilion that being great in byrth valiant of stomacke welthie in goodes mightie in estate dignitie why thou bearest with such sorrow the losse of this battel seing the in no worldly thing fortune is more incertaine variable thē in the action of war. It is tolde me thou withdrawest to solitarie corners sekest out shaded places thou eschewest the conuersatiō of men complaynest of the gods which extreame perplexities since thou were not woont to suffer in others much lesse oughtest thou to giue place to them in thy selfe so that the valiāt man loseth no reputatiō for the fortune faileth him but is the lesse estéemed if he want discressiō to bear hir mutability To assemble great Armies is the office of princes to leuie huge treasures belonges to souereigne magistrates to strike the ennimie is the part of a couragious Captaine but to suffer infirmities dissemble mishaps is a propertie duely annexed to noble and resolute mindes So that one of the greatest vertues that worldly men can expresse in their common behauiour of this lyfe is neyther to rise proud by prosperitie nor fall into dispaire by aduersitie For fortune hauing a fréewil to come go when she list the wise man ought not to be sory to lose hir nor reioyce to hold hir such as in their misery shew heauy coūtenāce do wel proue that they
malice that thou takest no more shame of thy Sinnes then a common woman deuiding her body to straunge Fleshe yet if thou come afore me in Prayer and call me Father I will aunswere thée and acknowledge thée for my Sonne By this we haue to thinke that it was not to obteyne a small thing when he began his Prayer by this inuocation Father forgeue them yea he made offer of the same Phrase for the remission of his Enemies which he would haue done if he had prayed for the aduauncement of his best friendes But in recompence of this Wonderfull affection and Zeale that Nation replenished with malice Cryed out to Pylate to Crucifye him who refusing to committe his Innocencie to sentence and not fynding in him worthynesse of Death they cryed eftsoones Sanguis eius super nos et super Filios nostros Be not so scrupulus to Iudge an offendour saye they for if thou thinke thou doest an vniust thing let the Venggeance of his innocencie fal vpon vs and our Posteritie but from this petition Iesus Christe séemed to appeale for that as they Cryed that his bloud might be agaynst them so of the contrary he sought to make that Holy effusion profitable to them So that where they demaunded of Pylate their condemnation he Prayed to his Father for their Pardon For a man to doe no Euill to his Ennemie may very well happen to Pardon Ennemies belonges to the Office of CHRISTIANS to loue an Ennemie is the worke of a perfect man But to pardon him which would not obteyne pardon was neuer done by any but by Iesus Christ For when the Hebrewes cryed Sanguis eius super nos Christ lyft vp his voyce and zeale to his Father Pater ignosce illis There was no great distance betwéene the time of the petition of the Jewes and the Prayer of our Sauiour for as they cryed at the the third hower to haue him crucified and that the reueng of his bloud might light vpon them and theirs so at the ninth hower Christ prayed to his Father to forgeue them Oh Father sayth he let not the vengeance of my death redownd vpon them neyther stretch out thine Ire vpon this people that know not what they do for they are ignorant of the price of their demaunde and protestation that with such obstinate vehemencie they pursue to Pilate Much better then did the Apostle consider and féele this great miserie when he sayde Accessitis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam abell Oh wretched Hebrews and happie Oh we Christians who haue obteined pardon by the effusion of the bloud of the Sonne of God shed by your meane this spéech sure was farre otherwayes then the saying of Abell crying iustice iustice but our Sauiour sayd mercie mercie So that the iniquitie so generall and sinne so wicked as ours is had néede of such an aduocate as is Iesus Christ for who was so fitte to obtaine Pardon for our sinnes as he whose innocencie made him without sinne That God was wont to be called the God of vengeance and now is he named the Father of mercie IEsus Christ Langushing in torment and Martirdome vpon the Crosse expressed an other maner of Testament to the worlde then King Dauid who in the very passions of death charged Salomon his Sonne not to suffer the gray heares of Joab to come to the graue without bloud nor the liues of his subiects seruantes to end without reuēg yet they had not somuch as touched his garmēt to offend him where the Lord would not cease to purchase pardō euen for those by whose violēt hāds was wrought the effect of his death Deus vltionum dominus deus vltionum saith Dauid speaking of the iustice of god thou Lord art the god of reuenge since that from the instant that we commit the offence it is thou that thondrest punishment vpon vs yea thou art so called because of the feare that the world hath of thée that thou dealest with the generations of men in so great rigor with the auncients he was called the God of reuenge for the immediatly that Adam had transgressed he was chased out of the earthly paradise the regions of the earth by the vniuersalflud were drowned the two cities by his rigor subuerted the faction of Aron and Abiram consumed the idolators that offred worship to the calfe cōmitted to death the théefe of Hiericho stoaned and the host of Senacherib ouerthrowne yea without offring wrong to any he did iustice to all That god in those times was the god of vēgeāce appeareth in the actiō on the moūt Raphin whē the Hebrues demaūded of Moyses to geue them flesh to eate which tourned to their great domage for that they had scarcely begon to tast the flesh of the quailes falling in their host whē loe the indignation of the lord slew such multitudes of them that the scripture forbears to expresse the nomber The reuēge of the offence of the king Abimelech denying the Jsraelites to passe thorow his coūtries was it not executed thrée hūdreth years after the falt in the raign of Saule to whō god said I kepe remēbrāce of the smal regard which Abimelech gaue to my cōmaundements stopping the passage of my people thorow his realmes against whom looke that thou rise arreare thine armie cut in péeces all his people sparing neither man woman nor beast by which example with many others of equall continuance and equitie the men of the world may perceiue how déepe and vnsearchable are the iudgmentes of god who somtimes punish the ymediat offender oftentimes transferreth the correction vpon such onely as discende of their race So that he punisheth no man without desert and therfore not without mistery is he called by the Prophet the God of reuenge because that albeit he vseth to dissemble for sometime our transgessions committed against his maiestie yet they are not parpetually forgotten with him The same God that the Hebrues had and worshipped in those times doe the Christians hold at this day as true and soueraigne Lord of whom the Apostle yéeldes better testimonie to the Church then did Dauid to the sinagog For Dauid called him the God of vengeance and the Apostle honoureth him by the name of Father of mercie and consolation wherin as Dauid was not without some occasion to ascribe vnto him that surname title so the Apostle also had better reason to inuocate him in the phrase of mercifull father for that in that law of rigor feare God had a propertie to chastise people nations where in this law of grace he visiteth vs in affection mercy whereby hauing chaunged custome he hath also ioyned vnto him an other propertie of name title being now worthely called the father of mercy according to his many examples of mercie pitie expressed vpon many sinners as vpon S. Mthew in remitting his vseries vppō Mary Magdaline in pardoning her vanities vpō
amorous dames geue to their seruaunts and friends 169 A letter aunswering certaine perticuler requestes from the Court and that it is not cōuenient to visite often those women whose husbands be absent 171 A discourse touching such as are in the ministerie and professe religion 173 Still touching the discourse of religion and of the professors of the same 178 The end of this discourse rebuking such Ministers as are wanderers 180 A resolution of certaine familiar and naturall questions with apparant coniectures and tokens of death 182 A discourse of the cononising of the Pagan Gods and why they are holden for Gods together with an exposition of sundrie poeticall inuentions tending to the same 187 A rebuke to ambicion vnder the speech of a sauage man vttered in the Senate of Rome 193 ¶ FINIS To the Gouernour Angulo declaring many good doctrines with other consolations to such as are Widowers THe fourth of Ianuary I receyued your letters which standing albeit more vpon varietie of wordes then necessitie of matter yet they well expressed your setled grauetie and no lesse resembled our auncient friendshippe Amongest other things bearing prayse to your behauiour I am glad you haue forsaken the warres and giuen ouer the regiment of Nanarre for that I hold those people hard to reclaime and not easie to gouern And in this common absence of oures albeit we could not cōueniently cōmunicate in the state and parts of our priuat conuersation yet for that you were employed out of the realme I remayned alwayes in desire to knowe howe you kept societie with fortune because such are the checkes and mutations which she bringes generally vppon the people of the world that she neither dissembleth with the straūger and much lesse pardoneth such as be naturall For which cause Cicero writing to his friēd Attiquus restrayneth one friend to wishe to an other more then these thrée things to enioye health to possesse honour and not to suffer necessitie the same well expressing a Christian modestie and truly agréeing with humaine reason For to him that hath sufficiencie to furnish the vse necessitie of his life what remaineth to be required more who enioyeth continuall health lacketh nothing to make vp the ful felicitie of his worldly delites what can that man haue lost in this worlde who neuer lost the reputation of honour Therefore neyther I for you nor you to me are bound to desire more one for an other then to haue health for the solace of our transitory time to enioye a compotent measure of wealth for the administration of our life and to be raised to honour by the which we may retayne reputation For as all other thinges are passed to vs by fortune not to honour vs but to affront vs So sir I wish you this moderation to rest contented with that which God hath bestowed of you and giue him often recompence of humble thankes for taking you out of so many daungers for as much do we owe to God for the daungers from which he deliuereth vs as for the great wealth dignities wherevnto he hath alwayes raised vs. God is so good and loues vs with so swéete affection that alwayes he requireth vs continually he doth vs good neuer ceasseth to visite vs and seldome spareth to aduertise vs yea he handleth vs not as our offences deserue but as his mercie willeth euill should it stand with vs sniners if with the rod of sinne God should do present iustice séeing that such is the horrer and infamie of sinne that if imediatly with the fact God would put vs to punishments our soules would be caried forthwith into the bottomes of hell As it is suffred in the high and hidden secretes of God to dissemble some things to pardon others and correct the rest so let vs remember that God vseth no small mercie to hym whom he chastiseth in this worlde since that to whome hée giues no affliction it séemes he is of him much forgotten Therefore when God administreth to vs diseases sorrowes deathes and infelicities they be not thinges wherewith hée chastiseth vs but necessarie matters by the which he visiteth our fraile condicion wherein his intention is not to loase vs but to admonish vs not to make vs stumble but to holde vs from falling not to poyson vs but to purge vs not to make vs slide into sinne but to call vs to amendement of behauiour so that with this full measure of bountie and mercie he giues vs not onely that which we aske but prepares vs more to that which he would we should demaund of him this giues me occasion to smile that our power being little our selues so small a thing and our knowledge so slender yet we thinke and conster to great importance all our enterprises when in déede that which in our opinion wée holde most profitable takes sometime a contrary habit and becomes most hurtfull and against vs. By meanes whereof the Lorde with good reason vsing his wonderfull mercie takes from vs those occasions wherewith we may offend him and leades vs in the exercise of such thinges as stand vs in most stéede to serue him God deales in one sort with the Christian sinner and in an other maner with the iust man to the sinner he pardoneth his offence and from the iust he takes away the occasions to sinne by which we finde that we stand more déepely bound to him which suffreth vs not to fal then to him that lendes vs his hand to helpe vs vp againe This much sir to instruct you in patience for the losse of so good a wife whose death if you lament in the office of a good husband I haue not ben without my sorow according to the dutie of a faithfull friend And albeit there is no doubt but your wife was a right worthy member of a noble house and therewithall plentifully replenished with euery condicion appertayninge to the vertue and modestie of a woman yet since in her creation she brought with hir a subiection to death I thinke your wisedome is too great to make that grieuous to you which nature ordeyneth common to all yea if in your wife were fully filled a full example of all perfection you can not in better sort expresse your zeale then to suffer God to haue his will without grudge And if you reioysed in the vse of so happie a wife whilest she liued let your gladnes still continue for that you hope she is now happely layde vp wyth God with whom this is one familiar propertie that the more honest we be the lesse while we liue for that being deare to him he doth the sooner drawe vs to his kingdome I knowe that in your wife God had expressed a spirit of great méekenesse to you made her very acceptable to her neighbours most plawsible to your parents very pitifull to the poore wherein by how much she was agréeable to all and her nature hurtfull to none by so much haue you to hope
that shée is already in the way to hir saluation But séeing she is dead and now set in the place of Gods eternall appointment and since in the world is no power eftsones to raise her let her rest at quiet in the ioyes of Paradise and resort you hereafter to a resolute patience Become imediatly carefull for your life and leaue of those funeralles and vayne ceremonies for the dead séeing that if God hath fulfilled his will to call her to him it is to place her in his tabernacle of eternall rest and leauing you still in the world he doth it to none other end but to giue you time of amendement For where God promiseth to man long and many daies it is vnder this warning that he giue order to the correction of his life Many times haue I spoken and written that the sounde and noyse of Belles doth not so much benefite the dead as do good to those that liue for that as the dead béeing wythout sence are also voyde of nature and habilitie to resume remorse so to such as liue the Belles giue warning of death as those that are alreadie departed yea they pronounce that we shall all be buried as such as are alreadie put in the graue and no more remembraunce remayne of vs then of them that lie couered with claye which makes mée still maintaine that albeit to the dead the Belles are merly vnprofitable yet to the liuing they serue as officers to somon vs to the fatall banquet They call vs to prepare our reckoning and make vs readie to appeare afore our soueraigne iudge to heare our sentence yea they put vs in remembrance of the last houre of our miserable life and then as I knowe none that wish to haue bene Emperours so there is no doubt but many desire to haue liued in the state of poore heardsmen But now to perswade with you somewhat familiarlie aswell to witnesse my good will as to warne your frailtie I wishe you to vse patience not so much to expresse your grauetie as to solace the heauinesse of your minde and by so much haue you néede to cal for aid to the spirite of God by how much the greatnes of your losse séemes to excéede the resistance of flesh and bloud consider that to render retribucion is a dutie of nature and a debt to be payed either in youth in age or at other season and that not in the hand and discretion of man but at the will and good pleasure of God with whom we haue no power to contend for that the thinges which he commaundeth ought to be accomplished and what he willeth is well worthy to be approued being impossible that he should exact any vniust thing he that is euen the selfe supreame and souereigne iustice Be it sir that you are sory for her death of whom can you redemaund your losse but of death against whom there is neyther prescription nor authoritie It is he in whom is wrought the very effect and stipend of sinne and it is he that is the fearefull tirant ouer the world who yéeldes no compassion to the teares of men takes no care of their sighes scornes at their complaints and playeth with their afflictions he maketh great kinges fall as lowe as the ground he deuides their principallities destroyeth their heyres he confoundes the proude and mightie and rayseth the humble and méeke hée neither pardoneth old men nor pitieth the young sort yea he hath authoritie to call all men to reckoning and no man to demaund reason of him The Philosopher Secundus being asked what death was Aunswered that it was an eternall sléepe a terror of riches a desire of the miserable a seperation of friends a voyage vncertaine a robber of men a beginning of those that liue and an end of such as die Death hath this absolute libertie to enter where hee list without knocking at the gate condemne whom he will not heare them speake and carie away what he thinkes good without that euen the highest authoritie either can or dare resist him Yea we must be pleased with what he leaueth vs and not complaine of that he takes from vs. I doubt not but it is grieuous to you to féele the want of so deare a wife aswell for the solace of your person as direction of your house and children but séeing the chaunces of mortall creatures do shew that al men are subiect to the law of nature and fortune and that of necessitie this must passe so put on a good countenaunce to the world and shake of all inward heauines of mind séeing the care of thinges impossible is vaine and only proper to weake men you know also that in this troublesome life many mo in number are the things that amaze vs then those that hurt vs And therfore to wéepe much to sigh often to sorrowe alwaies to weare attire of dule to flée societie of friends to retire into desolate priuat places to delite in solitarines be in one of your grauetie matters more to be rebuked then affected séeing that as too great ioye estrangeth the heart into the like so for the most part much parplexitie sorrow bring with them the effect of dispaire You ought not for the death of your wife to be negligent in the administration of your house carelesse in the state of your health forgetfull to entertaine the reputation of your honour nor vnmindful to direct your reuenue For the passions and afflictions of the hart are neuer cured by newe grieues but with the longnesse of time One of the greatest trauels that we suffer in this transitory race is that sorowes grieues enter our harts sodainly which afterwards we cānot expell but with great time and vertue And therfore we ought not at the first to vrge a troubled minde to forget his paine but rather to perswade to moderate it for that at the beginning the mind receiueth more comfort in debating the harme then in speaking of the remedie And therefore to a mind afflicted with gréene sorrowes the best remedy is to deferre them vntill by time they be more apt to receiue consolation For as tract of time carieth with it a law of forgetfulnes of things past so to a hart grieued the true souereigne plasters are temperance time forgetfulnes So that neither because you are a widower nor in respect of your passions you ought to cōmit to negligence the order of your person nor the nouriture of your children for as it is no small fully to wéepe for the dead whom we haue no power to recouer so it can not but be a great madnesse to be carelesse of them that liue standing in the way of perdicion withall no man is bound to raise vp againe such as are dead but euery one is tied to this dutie to giue succours to them that liue I hope sir you wil not lay afore you the example of your neighbour friend Roderico who assone
as he was in the state of a widower put the coole on his head eate not vppon any table cloth was not serued in vessell of siluer tooke not his seate in a chaire was not séene to looke out of a windowe in two monthes did not wash his face and in a whole yeare did not lie out of his cloathes All which I alleadge to you not so much to condemne Roderico for his follie past as to put you in remembrance that to continue in ceremonies is to offend god and abuse the reputation of a wise man One of the greatest benefites that a man can haue in this life is to be thankfull to Gods prouidence and not to attribute any thing to fortune The resolute man is neyther chaunged by a froward fortune nor raised into presumption by any prosperitie but standes as a trée well rooted which albeit is shaken with diuerse windes yet none can make it fal And be it that aduersitie make some mutation in goods yet it ought not to exchange the person much lesse haue power ouer our wisedome For the shamefast noble mind loseth much more in loasing that he deserueth then if he lost al the goods he was possest of by which reason I accompt that no losse which falles in transitory goods if with the losse of them hée recouer his shame and wisedome for let not that man thinke he hath found little which hath found himselfe it is a thing to be wondered at and no lesse worthy of slaunder that for the losse of any thing of right meane value men omit no paine nor cost to recouer it but if they loase shame patience continencie yea and conscience too they will neither be sory for losing them nor make great search to recouer them Oh corrupt nature of oures which cares not how we faile makes lesse reckoning to go the right way and that which worse is after we haue folowed error and falne from a faire path into a foule puddle we will not onely not search to find our selues but according to our full wickednesse we will not sée nor confesse that we are lost All things in this world what vile and base estimation so euer they beare we do not only make care and cost to kéepe them but also séeke out others to ioyne with vs for their safetie except our selues who not only forbeare to watch and kéepe our selues but also we search others to helpe to loase vs I wish you for end that you giue ouer to be priuat and enter into the discharge of the requestes and legacies of your wife so shall you expresse a dearer remembrance of hir then with al the funerall ceremonies you can vse for as she kéepes now no reckoning whether you are serued vpon a table at in a chaire or vse your other obseruations of dignitie so you can not yéeld a more worthy recompence to the affectiō she bare you then to visite hospitalles and haunt sermons and rather expresse the office of a true Christian then mourne in the habite of a pitifull wydower From Logronio the xj of August 1523. To Sir Peter Giron banished into Oran comforting such as liue in exile IT is written in the wonderfull visions of the prophet Daniel that two Angels disputing afore God the one mayntained that it was not méete to put the Hebrues in libertie least they were conuerted to the Persians and the other proued it necessary to giue them licence to the ende they might do Sacrifice reedifie the temple of Ierusalem by which may be inferred that that which amongest the wicked is called stubburnes with the good sort is named zeale This I write to bring into discourse the contents of your Fathers Letter and yours in which I finde such contraritie that it is harde to Iudge which is greater eyther the sorowe of the Father or the constant minde of the Sonne the Father expressed great heauinesse seing his Sonne sent into Exile vsing the nature of a pitifull Father and the Sonne according to the propertie of a noble minde beares this disgrace without grudge or griefe if this banishement had pleased your Father and you likewise had declared signes of disdaine and dispight he had abused the dignitie of a father and you transgressed the law of a valiāt Knight but seing you both perfourm that which you ought you haue no reason to distrust of that which you desire For my part to satisfie the dutie I owe to the one and exercise the good will I beare to the other I thought it agréeing with your estate and my profession to recommend vnto you these Particuler instructions which if you finde Tedius to read you shall at least féele wholesome to obserue specially conteyning poyntes of Consolation in your present banishement Now is the time wherein you are to call into exercise your Auncient wisedome to gouerne you your setled discretion to minister consolation and your valiant minde to entertaine the reputation of your honour by some worthie enterprise which thrée thinges if you omit you shall be holden a banished man euen in your owne Citie where putting them in execution being exiled you shall be sure to encrease the renowne of a valiant knight It is a verteous disposition to yéelde compassion to the afflicted but nature most of all doth chalenge it of those who prouing an estate of necessitie haue founde comfort in others And albeit one friend can owe no more to another then to remedie his necessities comfort his aduersities yet the wordes of a friend do giue lyfe to the hart of his friend if to the same be ioyned effectes of true affection and as prosperitie and aduersitie haue such societie by kinde that the one followeth the other as the shadow doth the man so also such perplexities as are fastened within a hart are hardly fogotten but with the passions of another mind the languisheth according to this example At the death of the only sonne of Diomedes the Gréeke and vppon whome depended the possibilitie of succession there appeared to this mourning father many affections of many his noble friends amongst the presse of others that came to visit and comfort his sorrowes there resorted a pore woman demaunding iustice Diomedes seing her wéepe as it were accompanie him in his sorrowfull moodes his other friendes to deliuer only reasons of consolation without teares tolde them the albeit his eares had receiued the impression of their words yet none had made passage into his hart but the sorrowful compassion of that simple woman in whome I haue receiued sayth he somuch the more comfort by how much I sée her hart suffereth the selfe same sorrowes which by effect I féele According to the conformitie of this aunswere sir you may iudge my disposition therwithal take occasion to giue faith to my wordes belieue the affection of my hart for by the fayth of a friend I sweare vnto you that as I haue always folowed you with an
the Prophet was culpable for vsing scilence and Cayn condemned because he spake by which we may gather the great necessitie we haue of wisdome to vse time to speake and time to suffer scilence For as the trée is known by his fruite the vertue of a man discerned by his workes so in his wordes and spéeche are disclosed the qualitie of his wisedome or simplicitie And as Iesus Christ in all his actions was no lesse pacient to heare then moderate in speaking so we finde not in scripture that he euer deliuered worde in vaine nor neuer helde his peace but for feare of slaunder And although it be a miserable compulsion to vse scilēce in things which we haue desire to disclose yet considering scilence bringes sewerty and conteines in it selfe many other goodly thinges let vs stand restrained to the two seasons which Socrates aloweth without reprehension the one is when we speake of that which we manifestly know and the other when we haue in hande thinges necessary In which two times onely as speache is better then Scilence so in all other Seasons experience approueth that we ought to preferre scilence afor speaking To what purpose or intentions tended all the speaches of Iesus Christ THe wordes of our Sauiour tended eyther to the prayse of his Father as when he humbled himselfe in this speach Confiteor tibi pater or to teach men what they ought to do when he sayd Beati mites or else to reprehend wickednesse and sinne when he cried vae vobis legis peritis So that when he was not occupied to giue prayse and glorie to his Father nor to preach doctrine nor to rebuke vices it was then he was setled in a deuout and holy scilence The Hebrewes led him to their consistories a fore thrée iudges that is to say they brought him to the Palaice before Herod to the Bishops house before Annas to the trée of the crosse before his Father at which place only he spake and in the others he vsed scilence and therefore afore the two first tribunals he was accused of crime because he held his peace standing as aduocate afore the thirde he spake And albeit right great infinit were the works which our Redéemer did from the time he was taken till he was crucified yet his wordes were fewe and his spéeches in very small number the better to teach vs that in time of tribulation and aduersitie we ought more to séeke our consolation in a holy and deuout patience then to preferre or expresse great eloquence Christ then being vpon the hill of Caluary not onely condemned to death but very nere the passion of the same hauing his flesh pearced with nayles his hart burning in zeale and loue cryed to his father Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt as if he had sayd Oh eternall father in recompence that I am come into the worlde and in consideration of the preaching that I haue made of thy name In satisfaction of the paynes and crucifying that I endure and in respect that I haue reconciled the world to thée I require no other reward but that it may be thy good pleasure to pardon these mine enemies who haue sinned to the end I should dye and I suffer death because they may liue Forgeue them since thou knowest and all the world séeth that in my bloud is payde and satisfied their crime with my charitie I haue raysed and put them in my glory so that let my death be sufficient to the end that no other death haue more place in the world Pardon them since thou knowest that the death which triumphed in the crosse and by the which I am nailed to the same is crucified heare in this trée by meanes wherof oh euerlasting Father I beséech thée estéeme more the charity wherein I dye for them then the malice by the which they prosecute my death Forgeue them Oh heauenly Father since if thou considerest these my enemies in the nature and merite of their sinnes there will not be founde in the furies of Hell tormentes worthye enough to punishe them Then better is it Oh gracious Father that thou Pardon them since that as there was neuer the lyke faulte committed so shalt thou neuer haue occasion to vse the like mercie And séeing my death is sufficient to saue all such as are borne or to bée borne those that are absent present deade and on liue It is no reason that these heare should be shutte out from that benefite being a thing of most equitie iustice and right that as my bloud is not spilt but with thy consent so also by thy hands it should be well employd In this we haue to note that Christ sayd not Lorde pardon them but he sayde Father forgeue them as discribing this difference betwéene those two estates that to a Lorde belonges properly to haue Bondemen Subiectes and Vassalls and the name of a Father presupposeth to haue children so that he required his Father not to iudge them as Lorde but besought him to pardon them as a Father Christ also sayde not condicionally Father if it be thy pleasure forgeue them but he prayed absolutely after himselfe had forgeuen them that his Father would Pardon them by which example we are put in remembraunce that the reconcilement which we make with our Enemies ought to be pure absolute and without affection Besides our Redéemer sayd not singulerlie Father Pardon him but he spake plurally by which we may be informed that as he prayed not particularly for any one in priuate but generally for all so his blood dispersed on the crosse was not only sufficiēt to redéem one onely Worlde but to satisfie the Raunsome of a Million of Worldes And out of this misterie may be drawne this construction that our Sauiour praying generally for all expresseth himselfe so liberall to geue and so mercifull to pardon that when he forgeues a sinner any offence he pardoneth with all his other crimes It is not also without misterie that Christ sayd not I forgeue them but besought his Father to Pardon them For that if the Sonne onely had pardoned them after his death the Father might haue demaunded the iniurie because that if the Sonne had forgeuen them he had done it as a man where the execution of the iustice remayned in God but as the deuine worde yea the liuing Lorde hath perfourmed this pardon with so true a hart so hath he not suffered that there remaine in it any scrupule And therefore he besought his Father to pardon them to the end that by the humanitie which he endured and diuinitie which suffered it his enemies might be at the instant absolued and we others haue hope to obteine remission ¶ That when CHRIST our Lord gaue pardon he left nothing to forgeue IN lyke sort we haue to note that Iesus Christ required not his Fathere to pardon them after his death but besought him to forgeue them at the instant
the Samartiayne in forgeuing her adulteries vpon the théefe in purging his theftes vpon S. Peter that had denied him and vpon the wretched Hebrues that conspired his death Oh mercifull Iesus delight of our soules since the time is past wherein thy father was named the God of reuenge the season come wherein he is called vpon by the name of father of mercies we besech thée oh sauiour of the race of man to haue pitie vppon our soules amend our liues we that are thy brethern members of thy church and since in losing our selues we lose much the meane of our safetie stands onely in thy goodnes pardon vs according to thy holy custome propertie of thy nature oh creator of all things redéemer of al faultes since thou hast spoken by thy Prophete J will not the death of a sinner but that he liue and bee conuerted Beholde vs Oh Lorde in thy presence and conuerted to thée Receaue vs Oh infinit and perpetual God as our Father and pardon vs as thy childrē and as we confesse with humilitie Tibi solipecauimus so let it be thy pleasure to saye to thy Father Pater ignosce illis he was called in the olde law the God of reuenge because his will was that there should be restitutiō of eye for eye tooth for tooth and hande for hand But in the law of grace he is called Father of mercy for that he hath cōmaunded to render loue for hate honour for infamy clemencie for cruelty pardon for iniurie Locuti sunt aduersum me lingua dolosa et odio circundiderunt me expugnauerunt me gratis ego autem orabam sayth Dauid speaking in the person of Iesus Christ Oh sinagog full well doe I know that thou canst worke me no more euil then thou hast already don for thou hast hated me with thy hart blasphemed me with thy tonge killed me with thy hands in recompence of these deadly wrongs I prayed to my father for thée with vehement humilitie called vpon him to heare my praier This Prophecie sure as it was pronoūced by Dauid both king Prophet so hath it also ben accomplished by Iesus Christ For at the time when they crucified him with nailes torments at the instāt when they blasphemed him with their tongues at the season when they helde his Prophets in derision ▪ yea when he licored the earth with his bloud and opened the heauens with his tears euen then did he pray with great cōpassion to his father to pardon them oh wonderfull boūtie of our sauiour who seing euen frō the crosse his greatest enemies Quod loquuti sūt aduersum illum quod odio circundiderūt without occasiō expugnauerūt illū yet he praied for thē as if they had ben frée exempt from fault great is the action of this boūty ouerpassing the reach of man and exceding the iudgment of Angels and yet a worke right worthie of the Lorde betwéene whose holy intentions and Wicked working of his Ennemies is expressed no small difference For that for loue they rendred hate they appoynted him prisoner where he purchased their deliuery they accused him where he excused them they persented him afore Pilate where he offered them to God his father yea where he desired to haue them pardoned they procured to sée him crucified so that in this he expresseth a greater zeale to them then they can beare to themselues for that he holdeth the offender absolued demaūdes pardon of his Father afore the falt he confessed They prepared gal and vineger to present him in the passion of death and sharped their launce to pearce his sydes and yet he besought his father to remit the punishemēt afore they had actually commited the sinne if the sonne of God would haue demaunded any other thing of his Father the present view and estate of his martirdome ministred sufficient occasion for he might haue desired of his Father to remoue the panges of his passion or to ease the paines of his fleshe pearced thorow with nailes to take his enemies from his presence to preuent the obloquie to suffer betwéene two théeues or lastly he might haue demaūded that after his death to his body might be ioyned a sepulcher But to requestes of such nature the sauiour of the world séemed to cary small regard lesse expectation of cōfort or ease to his owne distresse no he estéemed it a thing far more worthy of him an act of greater charity to require pardō for his enemies rather thē to séek solace for his presēt sorowes or be careful for his pains to com ech redéemer of the world let it please thée we besech thée that as in the act of the holy sacrifice celebrated by thée vpō the crosse thou prayedst for thine enemies besought thy father to pardō thē that euen by the same boūty thou wouldst also vouchsafe to prai to thi father for vs particularly saying pater ignosce illis for albeit we were not of the nōber of those that crucified thée yet we ar not exempt frō trāsgressing thy commaundementes and are euen with the first that haue offended thée it suffised not Christ to saye onely Pater ignosce illis but in excusing them he added Nesciunt Quid faciunt Oh Father sayth he forgeue them as people that know not the harme that they doe in putting me to death and as men ignorant of the displeasures that wil happen for want that they haue not knowne me vouchsafe to supplie the fault of their ignoraunce Quia nesciunt quid faciunt Rightly spake the Lorde of them when he sayd They know not what they doe for ignorance was to them knowledg that by his bloud should be a appaised the wrath of the Father the seats eftsoones replenished which were made voyd by the offence of the wicked Angels the olde sinne of Adam defaced the vniuersall world redéemed This was an assured argument of their ignorance for that they put to death the sonne of God the inheritour of eternitie the workeman of the world the lord of angels he which is not only iust but iustice it selfe truly they knew not what they did since the time will come wherin shal be redemaūded of thē the blood of the innocent their citie destroyed layd open to spoyle their riche temple reuersed their sacrifices confoūded their law take end yea vntill the reuolution of the world they shall wander as vagabounds without law without king Nesciunt quid faciunt for by the effusion of that precious bloud the Church hath succéeded the smagog Iesus Christ taken place of Moyses baptim supplanted circumcision the Apostles succeded the Prophets the olde testament the new the crosse of Iesus Christ abollished the serpent of brasse the sacraments of the Church defaced the olde sacrifices so that as they toke away the lyfe of Iesus christ with paines on the crosse so in the same he put end to their sinagog
in the Companie of Robbers dyd suffer a slaunderous Death yet it was not for the he had any communitie with the offences of the théeues and much lesse suffered for his proper crimes but for the Sinnes of the Worlde Quae non rapui tunc exsoluebam I make sayth Christ by the Prophete satisfaction for the faltes done by others others haue eaten the Apple and yet I paye the price of it Though I haue committed no Crime yet mine innocencie is put to punishement Yea where others haue troubled the commonweale I am committed to iustice and hauing no nature or effect of offence in me yet I passe vnto death for the sinnes of the whole Worlde Right iust was the occasion of our Sauiour to holde such argument For that if they crucifyed him vnder a most smarting and infamous death it was not for that he had deserued it but to the ende that by it mankinde should be redéemed This théefe sayd not with sewertie that he was Christ and therefore by making wicked doubt question whether he were the sonne of God or not he deserued not with his companion to be made a Christian But the good théefe making no doubt of his omnipotencie sayde absolutly Lorde haue remembrance of me and therefore was not onely adopted to Christianitie but also there was ioyned to his fayth recompence of eternall saluation In the same maner S. Peter said not if thou be Christ I wil beleue in thée but he protested in bolde fayth and cryed J beleue that thou art the Sonne of the euerliuing God For who will receaue the grace and blessing of God his fayth ought to be without scrupull or doubt he that wil obteine any thing of god saith the Apostle it apperteines to him to aske it with a faith that is not doubtful for if God giue vs not forthwith that which we demaunde of him it is more for that we know not how to aske him then that he is harde to grauÌ„t our requests Let it then be farre from vs to say with the wicked théefe If thou be Chrict saue thy selfe and vs also but let vs rather with the Blinde man of Hierico say Oh sonne of Dauid haue pitie vpon vs For so shall we be made to sée with the blinde man and not caried into damnation wyth the Théefe Who in saying to Christ Salua te met ipsum et nos thought to perswade him to leaue the Passions of the Crosse and put himselfe in libertie and deliuer him from death For this was the opinion of this wicked théefe that euen as Pilate put on him the senteÌ„ce of death for his thefts and roberies euen so also there was no lesse guiltinesse in Christ as béeing vntruely holden a Seducer of the People and a man contrarie to the common Weale And therefore he thought that as the Terrors of Death made him vnwilling to dye so also there remayned in Christ a desire to lyue longer Wherein his error was so much the greater by how much he considered not that ther was necessitie of Christs death for the redemtioÌ„ of the world for which cause though he wished to liue loÌ„ger yet our sauiour desired the present stroke of death according to his owne words to his disciples Desiderio desideraui hoc pasâ—ha manducare vobiscuÌ„ at other times sayth he I haue celebrated with you this feast the which at this preseÌ„t I esteme to be truly passeouer in holy scripture The doubling and reiteration of a worde is a signe of vehement and great desire the which was wel expressed in the zeale of our sauiour who by this phrase Desiderio desideraui published manifestly that he had no lesse desire to dye for vs then most desirous to redéeme vs For of that nature was his thirst and desire to ouercome our perpetuall death that he expected nothing more then the houre wherein he might employ for vs his most holy and vndefiled lyfe There was great similitude and likenes betwéene the blasphemie of this wicked théefe and the request of the Jewes who willed him to descend from the crosse and they would all beléeue in him wherevnto if our sauiour had condiscended and abandoned the agonies of the crosse al the world had stand crucified with death sinne and the perpetuall perplexities of Hell Oh wicked théefe Oh people hardened and obstinate if Christ had come down from the crosse according to your requestes or if he had deuided himselfe from the paines of death following the blasphemous motion of the condemned théefe much lesse that it had bene happie with any sort of people but of the contrary Hell had bene alwayes open for you and the gates of Paradise perpetually closed agaynst our posterities For the Lorde came not to descende but to mount and ascende not to eschew the crosse but to dye vpon it Cum exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum sayth our Lorde Iesus Christ Because now I goe Preaching from one countrey to an other and that I haue my ryches dispersed you cannot haue knowledge of my might nor of the vertue and benefites that are in my power But when you sée me elected and chosen to the crosse euen in the same place shall be my treasure This spéech truely is of great admiration for the good sort and leaues no little feare to the wicked Omnia traham ad me ipsum by the which we are instructed that who will obteine any thing of Iesus Christ ought to aske it vpon the crosse For neuer was the Lorde so liberall as when he was Crucifyed at no time so rych as when he was Naked nor at any time so mighty as when he was condemned to death All these treasures did Christ bring with him from heauen to earth and from the earth he recaryed them with him to the trée of his suffering and being there he dispersed them through out the worlde so that he that is found most neare the crosse of our sauiour on him is bestowed the most plentifull rewarde it was on the crosse that he recomded his soule to his Father his Church to S. Peter to Nicodemus his body and to the good théefe the ioyes of Paradise it was on the crosse where he commaunded the Sunne to hyde his lyght the stoanes to breake the vayle of the Temple to rent the graues to open and the dead to ryse agayne which carieth an assured Testimonie that in his death was wrought the effect of our lyfe it was on the crosse that he spake to his Father gaue comfort to his mother had remembrance of his Disciple pardoned the beléeuing théefe and illumined the centurion to the end he might know Iesus christ to be the redéemer and confesse himselfe a sinner it was on the crosse where his side was opened his bloud shed where he shewed most plentifully his charitie expressed most myldly his patience and vsed greatest clemencie Yea it was the place where his death tooke ende and our redemption receaued beginning Lastly
wouldest mount vp to the highest Empire of heauen and there erect thy Throane and be lyke to the most high and mightie God it was good iustice that thou shouldest fall from that thou wast since thou aspirest to be that thou oughtest not yea in thy ouerwéening expressed in Proude and Arrogant wordes was wrought the reason and effect of thy wretched fall wherein let all men be warned to take héede what they saye what they doe and what they thinke since Lucipher was not throwne from the seate where he sate euen into the bottomlesse Pitte where he fell but for the disdainefull wordes which he spake and arrogant thoughtes he conceiued So that as his weening defaced him in heauen so through his wickednes was he recommended to Hel. Senacherib King of the Assirians and a great Blasphemer against the omnipotencie of God preparing a mightie Armie against Jerusalem sent his Heralds to King Ezechias with this sommonce Non te seducat deus tuus in quo fiduciam habes non enim poterit vos quis de manu mea eripere Take héede King Ezechias sayth he and be not abused in confidence and opinion that the ayde of thy God or the power of thy huge Armie are hable to protect thée from the stroake of my hande for that I will compell thée eftsoones to communicate in the tribute and subiection of thy Auncesters But so God kindled in indignatioÌ„ against these arrogaÌ„t threats that euen afore he had done any pillage or murder in the countrye and in the beginning of the Siege afore Hierusalem beholde the Angall of the Lorde killed in one night a Hundreth and fourscore Thousande men of his Armie and himselfe fléeing to his Citie of Niniue was there slaine by his owne children loasing in this sort through the wickednesse of his tongue his Honor his hoast his Kingdome and his Sinfull lyfe where many other Princes of the Assirians Perses Meades and Egiptians afore him notwithstanding they executed great cruelties ouer the common weals of the Hebrues yet they made warres with their weapons and kept their tongues in rest and therefore were punished with more fauor then most wicked Senacherib Therefore amongst Princes in Kingdomes magistrates in publyke office and Prelates in their congregations as it is a thing of most equitie that they doe iustice so is it no lesse vnséemely to be Blasphemers or wicked speakers since oftentims men doo more accompt of iniurious words spoken against them then of the punishment that is layd vpon them And neyther for the Prince in his kingdome nor the generall in the Camp nor to the church man in time of peace can it be any way conuenient to be proude in their conuersations lesse byting in their woordes The kindred of Cayn sonnes of the Patriarke Noe sayd they would build a tower whose toppes should aspire to heauen to saue them from the surie of the fludde if God sent any vpon the earth Wherein as they imagined that in their handes laye the power too auoyd death and not in the might of God to take from them their lyfe So we haue assuredly to holde it a great Misterie that for so great an offence GOD would not Punishe them in their persons nor spoyle their goodes nor reuerse their Cyties and much lesse take from them their vices but onely he Chastised them in their Tongues agaynst whose Pryde and Arrogancie it is a good argument that GOD boare a greater displeasure then agaynst the Huge Tower they had erected For that if he hadde not more dispized theyr conspyring Tongues then theyr suttle Buyldinges he would rather haue defaced theyr Tower then confuzed and Chaunged theyr Languages Before these Cursed BABILONIENS drewe into Councell to Buylde this Tower the whole Worlde spake but one sort and Phrase of Language But GOD séeing the disposition of People and Nations declining too doe Wickedly tooke from them the manner of speaking where if it had so pleased him he might haue drowned them as he dyd the Armye of Pharao or stricken them Blynde as he dyd the Sodomites or haue Burnt then quicke as he dyd the Children of Aaron But according too the Custome of his Iustice since wyth theyr Tongues they had disobeyed him he prouided that in their Tongues more then in any other thing was published their Punishement Oh that men in these times would looke vppe too the iustice which God thundred vpon Babylon so should they forget to Murmure forbeare to blaspheame yea if the impression of those threats would take place in their minds I doubt not but the backbiters would turne their tongs from slaunder al men cease to sinne yea if the consideration of Gods iustice stood afore the secret conscience iudgments of princes they would not be so subiect to flatterie although the time is now growne to this corruption that who cannot flatter is estéemed eyther malicious or proude Such is the danger of the tong that if it be not restrained to order limit it hath a naturall libertie to speake euen to our owne hurt And the spéech being none other thing than the image figure of the minde there is no lesse necessitie of temperance councel in the controlement of our tong then to gouerne our conscience There is no other member apperteyning to man wherein we haue a more facilitie to offende then in the tongue by whose vnbridled swiftnes we are often times caried into voices souÌ„ding euen to our proper harms as happened to the Amalechite that brought Dauid the first newes of the death of Saule I come from the Camp of the Hebrues sayth he bring thée tydinges that thy auncient enemie king Saule is dead wherof these eyes are true witnesses for that these handes slewe him obeying his owne request But Dauid notwithstanding he was deliuered of an enemie could not but disdaine the boldnes of the messenger to lay violent handes vpon the Lords anoynted and therefore he gaue this sentence of him Let thy bloude be vpon thine owne heade since thy mouth hath condemned thy life and thy selfe hast spoken against thy selfe saying J haue killed the anointed of the Lord whose garmeÌ„t thou oughtest not so much as to touch and much lesse spoyle the libertie of his life Here Dauid did not iustice vpon this messengere so much for the murder he had done as for that he made vaunt and glorie of it So that as he slewe Saule wyth the sworde so also he Killed himselfe wyth his proper Tongue And albeit in respect of the Auncient Quarrell and Warres betwéene Saule and Dauid this poore Amalechite had thought to haue béene the bringer of gladde Tydinges and for recompence to haue receiued great aduauncement yet greater was the consideration of Dauid to reuenge the offenâ—â—â—â—…ne against God then eyther to reioyce in the newes or regard the commodities that grue to him by the death of King Saule Wherein by somuch was his perfection and charitie greater
what necessitie and profite to the lyfe of man. What meritte or estimation can be due to the impatient man what wealth hath he that hath not the riches of patience and how doth that man liue that liueth without patience The conuersation and lyfe of man hath often times néede of all the morrall vertues but the vertue of patience aboue all others and at all houres and momentes is most necessarie For that so many be the infelicities which surprise and trauell our humaine lyfe that if we make not as good custome to beare and suffer them as we doe to eate drinke we liue in vaine and shall assuredly fynde trouble in stead of true tranquiletie All which I applie to my selfe and there with all doe let you know that if it were not familiar with me to suffer dissemble with such as you are I had eare this in publyke sort defyed your malice and ministred reuenge to the iniurie you haue offered me The determination of enterprises of warre belongs to the Prince the affaires of the cōmon weale are referred to the Lawes al causes of controuersie are managed by iustice but quarrelles that impeach honor are tryed by the Sworde béeing albeit no lesse iust to chastice the corrupte Testimonies against our name and reputation then to wéepe and vse contrition for our proper sinnes yet in regarde I am Christian and no Pagan and that I professe religion and am a Gentleman I holde it more tollerable to forget this wrong then to reuenge it alowing the opinion of Alexāder the great that to him that is iniuried is more néede of vertue and courage to pardon his enemie then to kill him If you hadde charged me to haue taken away any trifle tending to recreation of pastime I would not haue denyed it for that I know how farre in all thinges stretcheth the office of frends but to say that I was so impudent to take your Pomander or so vaine to weare it you doe great wrong for that the one had bene against my Conscience and in the other had bene offence to my modestie and shame And therefore I saye that if to weare swéete smelles be no great sinne at least it cannot but encline to voluptuousnesse and partake wyth vanitie Such a young and valiant Knight as you are ought more to rayse his merit and renoume by actions of Chieualrie in forreine Warres then wearing Muske in the seames of his Garmentes at home To Women reteyning by nature many ordinarie infirmities which without the helpe of swéete smelles would often times appeare loathsome it is more tollerable to be perfumed then men and yet the good woman will rather labor to haue her vertues to shine then her Garmentes to smell of Muske Yea they are all bounde rather to liue well then to smell swéet A Pomander how well so euer it be tempered and how swéete so euer it smelles yet can it cast his sauour no further then the length of a streat Where a good renoume wil ring ouer a whole kingdome and the fume of a wicked lyfe will smoake ouer a whole Worlde So that whether she be maried or Wydow whether she be a Mayde or a Wyfe let her alwayes liue in feare of slaunder and thinke that the fame report of honor is the swéetest Insence to make her acceptable to all men being a thing most foule loathsome that her Garmentes should be perfumed with swéete odors and her lyfe putrifyed with euil conditions I neuer read that any Woman hath remained vnmaried for lacke of being well perfumed but many and many doe I sée refused for want of vertue for that the man inquiring of the conditions of his Wyfe will not so much care whether she smell swéete as examine if shée be of good Lyfe But let vs also speake of men to whom generally the Philosophers haue forbidden to weare perfumes or smelles By which occasion Rome remained almost thrée Hundreth yeares without eyther Spice to eate or perfumes to smell but after the Warres began to discontinue vices forgot not to réenter into custome By which we may inferre that if there were no idle men in the world there would be no such reckoning made of vanities and vice Cicero sayth that the fiue vices To erect Tombes to weare Golde ringes to vse Spice in Meates to allay VVine with VVater and to beare sweete Smelles The men of Asia sent as presentes to the Romanes in reuenge of the Cities and bloud that they had takē from them By which I gather that greater was the domage which Rome receiued by Asia then Asia by Rome For that the landes and Prouinces which the Romanes Conquered of the Asians were eftsoones reconquered and restored but the vices of them of Asia remayned as a perpetuall inheritance amongest the Posterities of the Romanes He that followeth the Warres to fight and he that laboreth the earth to liue by it hath more care to succéede his businesse then to smell to swéete odoures Yea it is familiar to vaine men to séeke to smell swéete and forget to liue well In Rome it was forbidden that neyther Mayd nor Wyfe should drinke Wine nor Man buye Muske Aumber or other perfuming smels And it was as ordinarie with the Magestrates to chastise men that boare perfumes as to punishe women that were founde Dronkardes The same being verifyed by the vertuous Emperour Vespatian who hauing the Penne in his hande readie to signe a dispatch which he had geuen to a Romane Knight and féeling him smell of perfume he did not onely reuoke his graunt but with many threates banished him forthwith his presence The Romanes persecuting Plutus a Conspirator with the Triumuirie founde him hid in a sellor by no other espiall or intelligence then by a swéete smel which he had scattered as he went Haniball a valiant and happie Captaine in his youth suffered his olde age to be seduced by the Dames of Capua and swéet oyntments of Asia who so effeminated the forces of his minde and body that he did neuer afterwardes any thing worthie of report The Romanes being in debate to chuse a Captaine to sende into the warres of Pannonia referred the resolution to Cato Censorius who of two that stoode in that adoption refused one of them béeing his nearkinsman for that saith he I neuer knewe him to retourne wounded from warres but I haue alwayes séene him go perfumed in the streates The great Numantia in Spaine could neuer be wonne notwithstanding fourtéen yeres séege of the Romanes till Scipio purged his Camp of loyterers perfumers and whores Licurgus a notable law reader amongst the Lacedemonians erected and institution vppon grieuous paines that no man should buie or sel any odiferous or swéete oyntments vnlesse it were to offer in the temples or to make medcines for the sicke By these examples may appeare how intollerable perfumes haue bene too wel ordered countreys and how hurtfull to many perticular personages it is a vice that slaundereth
to haue him steale from her to enriche his frende to communicate wyth his minion and be a straunger to his Wife and to minister to the wantes of his Concubine and be wythout pitie to his proper Children In the Lawe of Christianitie the same fayth the woman is bounde to kepe to her Husband he is al so bounde to obserue to her But if Wyues had the lyke authoritie to chastise as Husbandes take libertie to accuse sure they would neyther take to such sorrow the disorders of their Husbandes nor in them would be founde such facilitie to offende Besides from the season that Man and Woman be vnited by the holy promise and couenaunt of mariage they haue so small iurisdiction in perticuler ouer themselues that it is a kinde of theft if eyther the one or the other alien or deuide their bodies Consider therefore Sir the great occasions you giue to your Wyfe who hauing youth riches and beutie and courted with no simple importunities If she were otherwayes then she is she would perhaps bestow her hart vpon some one of those many that bestow vpon her their eyes occasion may doe much and there is no worse thing to tempt a Woman then the ill example of her husband For your parte if you thinke your Wyfe not worthie to receiue recompence of affection at least haue consideration of her merit and let not her loyaltie discouer your penurie nor her constancie complaine of your want of honor If you will not obserue to her the Law of a husband for the respectes of your soule your honor your goodes and your health at least remember that what pleasures or felicyties you finde in the companie of your Concubine are nothing in regarde of the disquiets you shall finde when you come home For how wise how secret how temperate or how holy so euer a Wyfe be yet she had rather die then not to giue reuenge to the iniuries of her Husbande or not to make him féele her Ielousie And therefore to men that are drowned in fancie wyth forreyne Women it is in vayne to repose in the Baude who will be corrupted or in the Concubine whose indifferencie makes her a blab Séeing in cases of Ielousie Wyues are so suttle and wyth all so liberall that the better to espie and trace out the Confederacies of their Husbandes they will not sticke to corrupt hte Quicke by money and Coniure the deade by Charmes And so God graunt you that you want and defende you from that you deserue A Treatise of the Resurrection of IESVS CHRIST ▪ together wyth an Exposition of the Fifth Article of the Créede that he discended into Hell and roase againe the thirde day ACcording to your request I haue sent you herewith the declaration of the fifth Article of the Créede in substance as I published it but not in sort as I pronounced it For that it is impossible that in the Penne should be represented the facilitie grace and edifying vertue of the Tongue according to the opinions of the best Philosophers and Orators both Gréeke and Latine wyth whom the Penne was accompted insufficient to satisfie or compare wyth the honor which they had gotten wyth the Tongue and specially to recorde or write Sermons wherein they helde that the matter should loase his Grace and the auther his reputation Notwithstanding according to your power to commaunde me you shall finde no want of desire to doe you seruice albeit vnder this condition that if you be not satisfyed the fault is more in your importunitie then in my charitie and so to the matter The fifth article of our faith expressing that Christ discended into hell roase eftsones the third day contayneth two partes whereof the first comprehendes our confession that he went into hell and in the second is contayned his resurrection Some deuines deuide it into two articles but wée draw it into one contayning notwithstanding two partes tending to one end We confesse that our redéemer being buried his holy bodie remayned in the graue thrée dayes being in déede dead during that season But his soule in the meane while was not ydle for that it discended into hell to do there a wonderfull action which he accomplished And so we confesse that on the third day his soule was reioyned to his bodie to geue it reall and essentiall life So that there can be no dout that he roase not againe hauing obteyned the victorie against death Wherein if we consider thinges in iudgement and equitie we shall find great matter in the humilitie of the sonne of God and in whom may be séene the singuler mercie of the father not sparing his sonne and his readie obedience to accomplish the eternall will of his father all inuiting vs to beare no small loue and thankfulnes to him In this article and in the former are declared the degrées by the which the sonne of God discended and embased himself euen to thinges incredible for a personage of that dignitie The first degrée was to make him man and to vouchsafe to be borne at a time certaine he which was borne eternally The second was that he yet humbled himself more to suffer sentence and publike condemnation as a malefactor In the third he tooke vppon him the torments of the crosse a death most cruell and more infamous then any other sort of passion By the fourth he was content to suffer death not as God albeit being God but as man in such sort as the very person of God suffred death In the fifth he suffred himselfe to be buried as others that were dead making himselfe like them in all thinges as if he had bene comprehended vnder the curse of Adam to retorne into dust whereof he was formed yea he that was frée from sinne and the curse And by the last steppe or degrée he discended into hel whether were discended such as stood destitute of their proper iustice to the end to open to them the gate of the kingdome of heauen By these degrées if we consider spiritually the discending of Iesus Christ we shall find it as long as is the distance of heauen from whence he came vntill the Center of the earth whether he discended And as there restes no other place any further to embase the sonne of God so would he not bée committed to more humilitie only there remayned one degrée which proceded of sinne and the fellowship of Sathan ▪ out of the which the person of Christ was exempted hée which came to redéeme sinners and iustifie men and vanquish the deuill All that he could suffer to be made a sacrifice for our sinnes the sonne of God was enclined embased vnto it sinne only except whereunto he could not be subiect for that there is too great enimitie betwene the iustice of the sauiour the malignity of sinne The greatest part of the degrees aboue mencioned concerning the discending and humilitie of the sonne of God are declared by the Apostle who speaking by
are we al reuiued and raised again in Jesus Christ This accomplishment appertaines to the liberalitie of the dyuine maiestie which hath reestablished and restored vs to the benefittes which he hath already communicated to vs Our death is vanquished on all partes and on all sides our life is eftsons reestablished Wée are absolued and made frée of all thinges séeing we haue on our side the death and lyfe of Iesus Christ the soueraigne bownty drawes vs from sinne the sacrifice is offered and we haue obtained pardon for our iniquities being but poore wretched slaues we are made rich and haue obteyned libertie to be the children of god And if we loose this benefitte it is eyther for some newe falt of ours or that wée will not cast or chaunge our olde skinne In effecte in this Article is disclosed the great humility and mercy of the Sonne of GOD who refused not to go into the darke prisons of the Earthe to deliuer the Soules of the iust there deteined and dispoile the Deuill of all his force and power to the ende that men may with more ease vanquish and surmount him We sée also that after all this he rose againe the thirde day and returned into true lyfe yea a life so excellent that death hath no more power ouer it nor any possibilitie eftsoones to preiudice it We haue shewed how this resurrection hath ben sufficiently iustefied euen by the places of Scripture accordinge to the testimonye of the créede That Christ rose againe the third day accordinge to the Scriptures which séemes to haue ben taken of the Apostle Wée haue also declared how necessary was this resurrection for the approbation of the dignitie of the person and doctrine of Christe séeing that in the same he is expressed the Sonne of god Wee haue also debated how it is to be vnderstanded and practised this great mistery partly for the regarde of our Lord and partely for the resurrection spirituall and corporall which he workes in vs by vertue of his restitution There remains nowe to declare who they be that practise the contentes of this article in faith and workes and who they bee that satisfie it not Such as professe and practise the substance ot this Article as appertaineth are those that perseuer in the mortification of their sinnes their fleshe and their disordered suggestions of the olde Adam that they reduce and bring him euen to the graue that is that they make a full and perfecte victory of him with a great remorse in themselues and a resolute hatred to all wicked and ill actions returning by the same meane into a newnesse of lyfe new desiers and new operations and actions Béeinge lastly altogether conformable to that newenesse which the Sonne of God is wont to coÌ„municat with suche as are risen againe with him Those be they that accompanie our Sauiour For as he is risen againe to be neuer after made subiect to death so the faithfull risen againe spiritually féele themselues so conuerted and out of taste of the woorkes of sinne that the spiritual death can not pearce so déepe as their hart And as our Lord rose againe triumphing so shall they also haue a glorious restitution beinge repurged of all wicked affections and enclyned to all good thinges to whom the yoke of the gospell shall séeme easie and swéete and shall trauell in great thirste and appetite to obserue the comaundementes of god Their charitie shall enflame their patience prepared to suffer all paines and tribulations they are glorified in the glorie of Iesus CHRIST they haue an honestie and purity of conscience they are chaste they loue their neighbour perfectly and pardon with all their harte suche as doe offend them They retire themselues from the thinges of this worlde and abandon the pompes and ambitions of the same as though they were vnapte therevnto and had no mindes affected to such transitory vanities For they are made newe men restored and raised againe by the Sonne of God who hath triumphed both ouer death and all dead thinges And so are they made his that hath raised them to serue him with new fruites which their new life bringes forth They feare not to suffer death to maintaine that which God hath ordeined they care neither for reproche nor hunger to defend iustice truth For their new life kepes them from smelling of those thinges which might hinder their faith perseuerance and constancie of hart in the traine of the gospell and ioynes vnto them a certainty of a better life which assureth them of all thinges Of the contrary such as be estraunged from this practise haue no other thinge but the simple name of those that are raised againe They are as painted sepulchers set out to the show without and within conteine nothing but rottennes and corruption such were the Pharasies with whom they haue only the title of lyfe and liuely and in effect are nothing els then dead rotten and corrupte Reteyninge that stinke and loathsomnes which is wonte to be aboute dead bodies Such be many of our christians who vnder thys name hyde a pride and arrogancie which the deuil teacheth them instructing them withall to be couetous and impatient the more to make them sauour of their stinke and filthynesse Lastly those be they that haue not chaunged nor cast their skinne and who being not mortefied can not be raised again For resurrection presupposeth death as there can be no death but there muste first be a life wherewith I ende the exposition of this article yéeldinge thankes for all thinges to GOD whom I beséech to continue his people in that proportion of faith which he thinkes necessary to their saluation Certaine testimonies of Pagan Authors seruing to approue christian Religion written in forme of a letter to a Noble man. ACcordinge to your requeste I haue sente you here with my opinion though not so liberally as you looked for yet with that faith industrie as may very well serue to satisfie your conscience and leaue me â—â—quited of my promis estéeming it to appertaine to me to instruct you séeing of your selfe you expresse such desier to know and learn. And albeit the matter it selfe drawing many circumstances requires a long time yet where thinges are debated faithfully and the resolution accepted diligently that that is long séemes not tedious and though it be little yet it may be enough for instruction beseechinge you to waye my reasons which I haue not drawn out of dreames but written them out of the best resolutions and agréementes of my bookes The vertue of christian religion is so great the miracles that haue confirmed it haue ben so publike and euident and the innocencie holynes of lyfe of such as haue professed it haue bin so cleare and manifest that the very enemies haue bin driuen to beare testimony with it notwithstandinge that they impugned it with all their industrie Yea it is a thinge wonderful seruing sufficiently to declare that our religion is
them agaynst the suttleties suggestions and illusions of the deuill So that there is no dout but this people was chosen to be a grayne wherein should be preserued the puritie of the séede of the doctrine the assurance of the mercy of god seruing withal to declare how wonderfull God is in his works to remaine as a mirror to all natiōs to serue honor but one God confounding al other Gods as faulse and of the deuil In effect God saw good to continue the roote and stocke of his truth to his people whom he had chosen to the ende the worlde might know that he drue to him his people by other meanes then did the deuil wyth whom it hath ben alwaies familiar to lay snares and suttle traps to intice the frayltie of men Ouer this people of god Abraham was chosen chiefe and leader as afore him were appointed Seth and Noe. But Abraham being a Chalde and lyuing amongest an Idolatrous Nation God sawe good to make a choyse of him and call him to himselfe cōmaunding him to abandon his countrey and kindred and go whether he would guide him promising to make him great yea euen a mightie ruler ouer a large people All this conteynes as yet nothing but misteries of the diuine wisedome and of workes of iustice and mercie For first God chused for chieftayne of his people a man who may serue for example to all posterities succéeding him for Fayth Loue Obedience Truth Iustice Pacience Charitie knowledge of Sinne and lastly for all whatsoeuer may concerne the Honour and glory of God and his Seruice He was called of God to Serue as an example to his newe People and all others and in whome God would expresse wyth what fauour support and ayde he followeth those that serue and honour him To him all Princes and principall guides of people ought to confyrme and referre their councels actions for God loues such as he as he was But now to retourne to Abraham God commaunded him to forsake his countrey and the Religion of the Chaldees Wherein first of all he shewed how hatefull that people was to him for renouncing his worde yea the more fully to Punishe them he tooke from them the Companie of a Personage which had knowledge of this Diuinitie and frueth of his worde This is it that the Prophete meanes saying Wee haue Ministred Medicines to Babylon and yet shee hath receiued no Cure and after wee haue abandoned her euery one c. Euenso the obstinacie of the Chaldees agaynst the Doctrine of Abraham deserued to bée forsaken as a thing abandoned of the Phisitions Secondly it may be sayd that Abraham was withdrawen from his Countrey for that for the most part God bears vnto his such proportion of fauor that he withdrawes them from il companies consequently from the punishments and corrections which he holdes readie to thunder vpon the heades of the wicked By that meane he drue Lot out of Sodom and preserued Helias in the time of famine shewing in them the great care and speciall prouidence he hath ouer those that serue him Thirdly in this euocation of Abraham is taught how néedeful it is to such as séeke to be of the nomber of Gods People to be deuided and drawne from vices and that they fixe not vppon the abuses of this world séeing they ought to be a People seperate and Subiect to no Communitie or traffyke wyth Sinners and Idolators For that cause the Scripture calleth the Children of God Banished and seperate from all men Esay also Exhorteth the Faythfull to retyre from the Companie of the wicked but specialsy suche as are Gods Seruauntes and Sacrifycators ordeyued to accomplishe the Statutes and Commaundementes of god Abraham issued out of the Region of the Chaldees vppon the assuraunce of Gods Promises to make him a guide leader of a mightie people and wythall to purchase such renoume and fauor that who blessed that people should be blessed who accursed them should partake with the same and that out of his séed should issue he that should bring felicitie and blessing to all the nations and kinreds of the earth This promise is a reuiuing of that which had béene made to Adam and Heua whereof the certayntie séemes to bée so much the more great by how much God assigneth the Séede out of the which should issue the Messias and Sauiour of the Worlde By this may be considered the great rewarde that such may hope for as followe the Lorde béeing called to the obedience of his Commaundements and are withdrawne from the delights and vanities of the worlde to followe bitter thinges and of harde disgestion For as God sheweth the fauor he beareth them chusing them for his seruice and aduaunsing them a-aboue all others So doth he also expresse the perticular care he hath ouer his chosen whom if he aduaunce on one behalfe he doth also priueleadge on an other But notwithstanding all those promises Abraham forbare not to endure much and to beare his Crosse wyth much trouble following alwayes the eternall will to shew that the bountie and iustice of God are pefect in all his workes And albeit he liued in great perplexitie and pouertie and suffered many tribulations and persecutions yet God deliuered him and made him prosper that he was riche mightie and victorious ouer his enemies This is the true Image of the way of God and truth and to it God calles vs wyth milke and delytes as nursses vse to intice little Children to the ende we know that all his wayes are founded vpon mercie and trueth and that he is vpright in his worde to the iust leauing vs to folow him by that way obey him as knowing his will to be readie enclined to our health and benefite the same béeing the true ende and purpose for the which he hath chosen vs to serue his turne of vs. Touching the crosse and persecution which Abraham suffered they weare necessarye to his felicitie For God vseth to proue our fayth to showe by effect what loue wée beare him and what patience and Charitie wée haue shewing wythall how much the worlde is our enemie declaring it selfe for such one in all his actions and that God onely hath created and redéemed vs and onely ministreth all fauour to vs to the ende wée should call him to our ayde in our necessities and confesse him whereby the remorce and féeling we haue of his mercie may enflame vs to yéeld him thanks And that our fayth béeing tryed by the fire of tribulation and temptation the vertue of our patience may encrease and our hope growe stronger dayly to resiste Sinne and the Worlde vnder Assuraunce and Confydence of the Bowntie of God. So that Abraham a man iuste was led in these Accidentes somtimes in glorie and sometimes in tribulation by the Contemplation of whose lyfe all Christians may know how God handleth his chosen and of what Condition hée will chuse them and wyth what courage hée
will haue them learne to worshippe him Abraham issuing out of the Lande of the Chaldees Ledde wyth him Sara his Wyfe and Loth his Nephewe together wyth all their Familie that was in Haram Instructed in the trueth of GOD according to the Reuelations that hadde béene made to their Predecessors And from thence he went into the Region of Chanaan following the ordinaunce of god The Chananites weare Idolators and a Nation more Dedicated to Vices then any Clymatte of the worlde By which meanes Abraham leauing one Countrey whose People weare nothing worth was ledde into an other where the Inhabytauntes were worsse and all thys by the wyll and ordinaunce of GOD whose Mercye doth in suche sort Dispose his Actions that what hée takes from some by Iustice hée géeues to others by hys mercie In suche sort that the Ende of his Woorks is alwayes good although the wisedome of the world estéeme it contrarie This was one Singuler ill amongest other Wicked thinges whiche the Chaldees hadde that béeinge Blyssed wyth the Presence and Industrye of a Vertuous Personage Preachinge and Teachinge them the Truethe yet they made no accompt of his Doctrine but dispised him and his aduertisementes And therefore God depriued them of that benefite whereof they had made themselues vnworthie by the resistaunce which they shewed agaynst his worde Touching the Cananits as they were the most wicked race of the Worlde so they had not as yet the knowledge of the trueth In which respect it pleased the goodnesse of God to Communicate it to them by the meane of Abraham whom he ledde into their Countrey which benefite torned afterwardes to their great condemnation by reason of their reuoltes stubburnesse and obstinacie by the which they prouoked the Ire of God against them Of the contrarie the fayth and patience of Abraham was well proued amongst this rebellious people the more to make him séeke his succours in God who had drawne him out of the Land of the Chaldees God had determined to giue the Lande of Chanaan to the people whom he had chosen in his presence shewing the greatnesse of his mercie towardes suche as follow him to whom he giues Lande Heritage And of the contrarie to shew his Ire agaynst sinners by the Punishement which he made of the Chananits other nations possessing the said Lande For this cause he willed that Abraham after the passion of many tribulations should dye in that Lande to confyrme to him his promise and to impatronize him of that Region for and in the name of suche as should discend of him And long time after yea when it was impossible to men to occupie that Lande he gaue that inheritaunce to the Children of Israell to shew that he was iust and that his Promises were certaine So that Abraham béeing at Sichem a Towne of Chanaan God appeared to him and Promised to giue the sayde Lande to his séed There Abraham builded an Aulter and dyd Sacrifyce calling vpon the name of the Lorde There he endured great Tribulations in which was established assured testimony of his faith and patience and on the otherside the Lordes goodnes was with him deliuering him of his troubles and communicated that which should happen to his people reuiuing the alliance made with him he assured him that in his seede all nations should receiue blissing and promised that he should haue a sonne by Sara his wife being already aged Thus the familie of Abraham multiplied frō one day to an other which he gouerned by the preaching of the word and all to entertaine them in the obseruation of Gods commaundements and in his feare The Lord then made alliance with him aswell in his owne name as for his successors contayning these capitulations First that Abraham and his for following his truth and the obedience of the same should bée his people and hée would bée their god That the séede of Abraham should serue him and reappose their hope in his promises made to them That they kéepe the Lawes which he calleth Iustice which hée had geuen them Lastly that hée would bée their GOD and protect and defend them in this world and instruct them in the way to obtaine the life of the other world pardoning all their sinnes in fauour and consideration of him which had bene promised for the redemption of man kind and ordayned to surmount the forces of hell and conquere the Deuill In signe whereof hée ordayned that Abraham should bée circumcised together with all the male children discending of him and his whole familie the same seruing as a monument and perpetuall memorie of the alliance made betwene GOD and them and of the spirituall generation of the séede of Abraham whom GOD adopted for his children in the name of him that was promised by meane of which adoption this spirituall people should bée a continuall enemie to the old Serpent and his workes From that time the people of GOD more obserued outward ceremonies then they had done For besides the sacrifices which they made they adioyned circumcision the same seruing them as a marke to declare outwardly the profession of their Religion and that they should worship the only God which had geuen creation and had promised redemption of their sinnes The Author aunswereth a congratulotion sent to him vpon the gift of a Bishoppricke I Haue receiued your Letter and doe refuse the horse you sent me not for that he is vnworthy but because I am curious reseruing such as you are to giue mée good counsell and my other more welthy friendes to minister to my wantes For that aduersitie is truly vsed which expects his remedy of richmen his consolation from such as are wise And béeing in the pension of the Prince for so many offices and now raysed to the commidities of a large Bishoppricke I sée not how I can suffer want nor my friends to wish mée more since to him that is already satisfied there remaynes no necessitie of further prouidence The wiseman is contented and expresseth no want but the mind of the foolish is subiect to care and thoughtes neuer being satisfied though hée flow in fulnesse so that his aboundance bréedes his extréeme pouertie and miserie That man néedeth little that measureth his fill according to the néede of kind and not after the rage of couetous For the nature of man desireth little but our opinion is neuer satisfied yea liuing in the flesh It is hard to suffice the desires of the flesh It is no small perplexitie to a poore man to aske that he wanteth but it is a great paine to the rich man to kéepe that which hée hath too much séeing to gather riches the rich man is all alone but to disperse them he hath too much company This is one other accident that fortune bringes with it that who riseth a foote in authoritie encreaseth most commonly an elne in necessitie for that nowe a dayes our chiefest trauayle resteth not so much to furnish our house as
hurts we haue by our enemies are causes to decrease our goodes the vices of our children bring losse and spoyle to our honour And where it may happen that an honest man may not receyne a blowe of his ennemie once in his lyfe the enormities of his owne children are sufficient to make him dye euery hower So that the perplexities wée haue sometimes by straungers are disgested as thinges happeninge by straungers as the wound that is outwarde may gréeue but not perishe the intrales But the displeasures passing in our house pearse déeper and as a martyr languishe the harte euen to death And therefore by howe much the Father beareth pittie to hys wicked Sonne by so much hee vseth extreame cruelty againste himselfe yea that day wherein he ministreth not correction to his Sonne that daye doth he iustice of hys proper person and sendes his renowne to question The Romaynes had a Lawe called Faelcidia by which the first offence of the Childe was pardoned the Seconde punnished and for the third he was banished which Law if it were eftsones reduced to practise in these tymes wée should not sée so many youth runne hedlong into vices nor so many Fathers suffer blame for their negligence But because Fathers doe not chastise and mothers too muche suffer the childe takes boldnesse in vice leauinge to the Parentes occasion to lament but no lybertye of remedie Where you wryte to me that you are old that your infirmityes make you weary as though you liued to longe I wishe you not to reckon your age so much by the nomber of yeares you haue lyued as by the many trauelles you haue endured For that to sensuallitie to liue a hundred yeares séemes but a short time and to the harte that is heauie and sorrowfull the lyfe of a hundreth momentes is too long and wearie It must not suffize you to séeme to bée olde but you must bée so in déede séeing he onely may bée called olde who puttes ende to his olde vices For little doth it profite to haue your head Graye and your Face Wrinckled if your lyfe follow younge customes and your minde Féede vppon Greene desyres the same béeing the cause why Olde men weakened wyth vice and Sinne are Subiecte to feare Death and to dye soone béeing wyth nothing so ill contented as to bée deuided from their vices The Author writeth to his Sister seruing in Court Partly hée instructes her how to liue in Court and partly satisfyeth her request vnder a short Discription of Loue. WEighing wyth the nature of the place where you are the qualetie of the affection I beare to you I dout whether it were better to vse playnesse according to good meaning or dissemble and so leaue you better contented For by the office of nature I cannot but warne you and yet to the place where you are nothing is lesse acceptable then to be instructed the Court béeing a place that sometimes couereth or séeth not the faultes in their frendes or else takes all thinges to blame and findes nothing in their foes that they may lyke But béeing my Sister I will vse my authoritie though not to please you yet to perswade you and acquite my selfe béeing farre from my profession to deale in matters of loue I that haue vndertaken the direction of consciences And albeit my other trauels priuat exercise make me very insufficiēt to debate with you to your ful satisfactiō yet taking the opportunity as it is I had rather put my imperfectiō vpōiudgment then leaue you not instructed hoping you wil no lesse answer for mine honor then for your sake you sée mée readie to hazarde it to Question Where you write to me that he that presented you wyth your laste Iewell was your frende and Louer I denye it since there is difference béetwéene him that Loues and one that is a Friende For a friende doth alwayes Loue but he that Loues is not alwayes a friende Which may bée well prooued in your Ladyes of the court For that in Seruice and Amarous deuotion you haue many that Serue you Follow you and desire you who may rather bée called your Louers then your Friendes since they intende no other thing then the practise of pleasure being as voyde of intent of mariage as they are of vertue Yea hauing not the Spirite to iudge of honest Loue nor true intention to follow it they bring oftentimes dishonor to their Ladyes whose simplicitie for the most parte falles into Slaunder by the Sutletie and malice of their Seruauntes Suche one I feare is hée that hath béestowed the Iewell vppon you which then you may best discerne when you finde him to Promise much and perfourme little assuring you that then hée vseth the Sleyght of the Fowler who wyth a Swéete Call bringes the Byrde to his Nette and deceaues her to her Destruction Consider therefore the place where you are the Race that you come of and what you pretende The Courte giues you Libertie to doe muche ill and little Instruction too Follow that is good And if you Stande not Faste vppon those Vertues you Learned in the House of your father the place it selfe will infect and change you since frequentation drawes into one felowship societie of Estate things that of themselues are different remēber also that to such as desire to be vertuous the house of the Prince is a schole house for their better instruction and a place helping to their aduauncement Wherein if any miscarie the falt may be more in their proper negligence then in the will of the Prince since to maydes of honor seruing in Court it is a greater aduauncement to be maried by the fauor consent of the Prince then by the patrimonies or portion which their parentes can leaue them I haue oftentimes written vnto you that if deuotion and conscience leade some women into Religion vertue and good name rayse others to preferment in court Therefore I aduise you lay not vp great confidence in your beautie much lesse presume vpon the greatnesse of your race For in Court for one Gentleman that makes loue to your persones you shall find twenty that spend the whole day to iudge of your liues since beautie without vertue and high kindred wythout good conditions is no other thing then as a goodly gréene Trée that florisheth with leaues and blossomes and brings forth no fruite or as a stately carued Image which men take great pleasure to beholde but are gréeued when they finde it dead and without qualitie You and the other Ladies your companions would haue me write what loue is wherein it consistes and what be the fignes and tokens of true loue estéeming me a man of studie and an auncient Courtier This office I might better tourne vppon your selues for that your beauties standing in the eyes of men leading them to sue to serue to solicit and to loue you mée thinkes it belonges to you to set downe the discription of loue and to me
passion as a man yet your discression makes you hable to suffer and dissemble according to reason and wisedome For that as in many iniuries there is more securitie to dissemble then to reuenge So when the might of our aduersary preuayles aboue our power the best Councell is to suffer séeing there is no possibilitie to reuenge Therefore if in the present wronges you suppose you haue receiued you wyll consider the office of a Christian and forget the Passion of a Persecutor you will not so muche béeholde the malice of him that pursueth you as the iustice of God that suffereth it in whose presence you stande so guyltie and loaden wyth Sinne that this Affliction ought not to séeme heauie considering the gréeuous merittes of your lyfe past For if wée weygh in one Balaunce our olde offences and the Punnishements wée feele wée shall finde our paynes farre inferiour to our wicked merittes and our offences rather touched wyth a mylde iustice then strayned to a due Correction Wee may note also in Gods manner of visitation a mercifull difference he vseth betwéene the Reprobate People peculiarly chosen to himselfe For to the one their myseries are but Stumbling blockes to make them fall further And in the other they worke repentaunce with many other perfections Sewer it belonges not to Christians to murmure at his Crosse nor grudge to beare it séeing his hande is not heauier then his mercie plentifull Yea hee visiteth the afflicted wyth the same comfort that the Phisition doth his Patient and succoureth the distressed as wée sée he relieueth the dry and thirstie grounde wyth the dew drops of heauen So that let euery one acknowledge that the tribulations which God suffereth are not blockes to make vs stumble nor heauie burdens whose weight may make vs fall but they be furnaces necessarie to refine our fayth and instrumentes working to our perfection wherein who remaynes not constant to the ende can not be made pure mettall For that to be afflicted and not to suffer with patience bringes forth no other fruite then as mettall throwen into the fire and not passing thorow all his heates comes out couered more wyth drosse then pure Golde And albeit I cannot denie but to be angry is naturall and most sortes of men holding more of Fleshe and nature then of spirite and grace doe drawe most that way where they finde the appetite to haue most power of action Yet for that anger hath his difinition and partes respecting time occasion and other circumstaunces I thought good to offer you a short Discription not thereby to leaue you in any affection to follow it but to lead you out of the way of those inconueniencies which he bringes wyth him hoping you will forbeare eftsones to pursue him whom you suppose to haue done you so great a displeasure seing euerie reuenge nourisheth occasions of newe Cruelties and therfore more sewertie to some men to dissemble then to execute Anger is no other thing then a wicked desire of reuenge an enemie to all good Councell and a corrupter of euerie good condition Yea that which we call anger is no other thing then a vehement desire of reuenge somtimes respecting the occasion that is giuen but for the most part pushed forwarde by a wicked minde of the partye whom he possesseth and when the punishment excéedes the fault then it hath changed the qualetie of anger into an habite of reuenge The man that is angrie beléeues no aduice of friendes and is carelesse euen of his owne estate He is suspicious of all men and suddeine in his actions his face is fierie and his handes ready to strike his thoughtes are malicious and his tongue trayned to all speaches of dispight and reproache He is dispossest of all temperance modesty and reason and runnes as one Possest wyth a wicked Spirite to all actes of Crueltie iniurie and tyranny Anger caryeth wyth it these wicked conditions that for once that wée Lende him our will hée will be alwayes after Lorde ouer all our doings and doe all thinges that hée lyste agaynst our wyll All men Posseste wyth anger are lyke to a Lamppe who by the superfluitie of Oyle géeues no lyght but castes out certayne sparckling snuffes and flames But in a Magestrate or man of Authoritie there is nothing that more discouereth his vertue or vice for that though he haue occasion to rebuke offences yet he hath no permission to shew himselfe passionate It is a iust thing that suche as offende the Lawes should receiue the Punishments of the Lawes but yet such ought to be the moderation of paynes as that they aspire not to the degrée and effect of reuenge since all men féele wyth more griefe the violent rygoure that is done them then the iudiciall Punishement they receiue So that a man to restraine or correct his Anger is not onely a vertue but a grace supernaturall for that in worldly thinges there can bée no greater kinde of Tryumph then euerie one to haue the victory of his owne hearte And albéeit Anger is then somewhat tollerable when the occasion is iuste yet béeing a vice so imperious in man I would not wishe any sufferaunce géeuen to it for that all that comes of it is wicked and of his proper Nature hurtfull There bée many thinges which in the beginning wée haue Power eyther to receaue or refuse but if Anger haue once taken Possession of vs it Sinkes as a Stoane throwne into a Ryuer and stayeth not tyll it come to the bottome of our hartes and if reason ryse agaynst it It wyll not bée remooued for that it hath taken too déepe roote in our thoughtes and wil. The same béeing the cause that all thinges that Angrie men doe are of necessitie blinde and foolishe for that it is not a thing easie that a man troubled wyth anger should haue vse of reason And dooing thinges without reason hée doth them wythout art and so by consequence wythout rule wisedome or discression Let euery man therefore Labour to hate Anger for the discommodities that are in it and learne to bée temperate wherein is the true vertue and contentment He that absteynes from speaking villanie is most wyse since Repentaunce is the verye stipende and effect of Malice and there is seldome any thing vttered in Malice which tournes not to the hurte of the speaker Wée fynde by experience that to a man in Choller it is a Principall Remedy to Correct his tongue and delaye a little to doe Reuenge For men speake and doe many thinges in their Anger which they wishe afterwardes had neuer passed their thoughtes The man that is wronged is not forthwyth to be delt withall to pardon the iniurie but rather to delay and respitte the reuenge For that a man dwelling in passion is not apt to pardon readely if first he be not appeased And therefore to séeke to reduce a man to reason so long as hée is possest wyth the heate