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Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20863	The school of patience. Written in Latin by H. Drexelius. And faithfully translated into English, by R.S. Gent; Gymnasium patientiae. English	Drexel, Jeremias, 1581-1638.; R. S., gent.; Stanford, Robert, attributed name.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1640 (1640)	STC 7240; ESTC S109941	206,150	562

waters have entred even to my soule As Almighty God qualifies and proportions the raine for the benefit of the world that neither the want nor abundance thereof should be hurtfull but in such cases when he sends them as a punishment for mens offences so he moderates and mitigates all our labours and griefes in that for want of exercise we may not wax sloathful of sluggish nor yet be so utterly destitute of consolation therein that we faint or fall in the combat And this was the request of the Kingly Prophet Leave me not destitute on every side He desireth not to be exempted from all manner of desolation vexation or affliction● this his onely suit is he may not be utterly forsaken abandoned on every side although his sinnes had deserved it But if God powre down a violent and sudden showre which seemeth to wash away and destroy the fatnesse of the earth it must be taken as a punishment Notwithstanding this may be no way prejudiciall but redound to our good seeing it pleaseth God by this meanes to humble us Quae nocent docent There are certaine trees that have their fruits growing so fast and close unto them that they will not easily let them go unlesse you pull them off with a violent and strong hand Of this sort are Nuts Almonds and Acorns If you shake these trees gently as you do Pears or Plumbs they will part with nothing not so much as a lease you must fall upon them therefore with staves cudgels and stones that they may afforod you by blowes what they refused to give by intreaties We are like these trees our fruits are the pious actions which we undertake God seekes God requires these fruits not sharply or by violence but sweetly and lovingly for these fruits he askes a thousand times My sonne quoth he honour thy Lord and thou shalt be of great power and might feare no other strange Lord beside him My son forget not my Law Give eare my son and receive my words that the yeares of thy life may be multiplied Keep my commandments and thou shalt live Give my son thy heart to me and let thine eyes keep my wayes But for so much as this good God by these prayers for the most part prevails but little and that there scarcely falls any fruit from this tree he is even forced with stones and clubs to strike and fling at it that so at least it may render him the fruits he expected A ●a●s conscience without all question often admonisheth the preachers put him in mind and others do their parts to advise him yet such is the contumacie of this tree that all these means will not suffice to make him yeeld his wished fru●t Take it not ill therefore O tree if thou beest more hardly handled Thus God dealt with the Hebrewes he delivered them into the hands of the Gentiles and they who hated them had dominion over them And their enemies oppressed them with tribulation and they were humbled under their hands that they might be taught by their own harms What reason then hath this tree to thinke much if it be pelted with cudgels and stones It might have gone free from blowes if it had freely given what was most justly demanded Naaman the Leper was highly offended because Elizeus the Prophet gave him so slender an answer In so much that slighting and contemning the river Jordan he resolved to return again into Syria But his servants appeased their master in this manner Father said they had the Prophet imposed upon you some difficult matter surely you ought willingly to have done it how much more seeing he hath now onely said unto you wash and you shall be cleansed Induced by these reasons he washed in Jordan as he was willed and so was cured of his leprosie O that we would thus be perswaded the same is said to us that we may obtain not corporall but spirituall health and salvation of our soules And albeit God had commanded you some thing of more difficulty you ought certainly to have done it For of so great importance is eternall beatitude that were we commanded to endure even the very torments of hell for a time we should not demurre long upon the matter but without delay readily endure even those paines that our soule might be happy for all eternity Nay admit the blisse and beatitude of heaven might not exceed an hundred yeares we should rather endure any thing for many yeares in this world then neglect the enjoying of that On the other side say hell fire after an hundred yeares were utterly to be extinguished neverthelesse it behoved us rather to suffer all punishments here that can be imagined then to expect those future torments How much more ought all afflictions whatsoever to be now cheerfully suffered seeing they passe away in a short time in a moment whereas the reward or punishment continues to eternity Here Saint Chrysostome opportunely a wakeing us out of our slouth urgeth in this manner What saiest thou O man Thou art called to a kingdome a kingdome of the Sonne of God and like a sluggard doest thou yawne shrugge and scratch thy head What if thou were every day to suffer a thousand deaths were not all these willingly to be endured There is nothing thou wouldest not undergoe to be made a Prince and wilt thou not do the like to be consorted in a kingdome with the only Sonne of God even leape into the fire or run upon a thousand swords And yet all this were no great matter to be suffered Sect. II. IN former times God commanded an edict to be published to this effect Let a man that is cleane gather the ashes of a calfe and powre them out before the tents in the purest place that they may serve for the custody of the multitude of the children of Israell and for water of aspersion because the calfe is burnt for sinne It was the pleasure of God that ashes to make lie off should not bee gathered indifferently by any man but by him only who was clean and that they should not be negligently cast into a by corner but into some pure and cleane place why was so much honour done to these ashes Mary that they might serve to bee sprinkled with water on them that were unclean Heare O Christians and carefully attend and see in what estimation this lie of affliction was sharpe indeed but most fit to purge and clense away the filth of sinne None amongst mortall men are free from sinne and corruption That most holy Job said If I shall be washed as it were with the water of snow and my hands shall shine as being most pure and cleane notwithstanding thou wilt dip me in filthes and my steps will make me abominable If Job were likewise to be washed what shall we say of others But as fire is to metalls the file to iron sope to a cloth so is affliction to sinners that purgeth and washeth away all filth

presently dumbe and the like befalls a wolfe if he be first seen by a man which Cardanus supposeth to come to passe by reason of the suddain fear which takes away the voice or brings a kind of hoarsnesse Even so if an unlucky chance like a wolfe first behold a man poor soul he is presently strucke dumb and loseth both hope and courage whereas if he would first behold the mischiefe he might mitigate and lessen it Seneca speaks very fitly to the purpose in such variety saith he of accidents turning and winding up and down if thou do not repute whatsoever future accidents as if they were come to passe thou givest adversity the upper hand of thee which another by foreseeing dissipates and defeat● It is too late after dangers to instruct the mind to Patience in dangers I never thought this would have happened I never supposed this would have come to passe And why not I beseech you What honour or dignity is there not waited upon with extreame contempt with a thousand disgraces What kingdome is there in the world which is not reserved for ruine or contempt to be trampled upon by some Lord or other as also by his base executioner Neither is the time long before this comes to passe there is but the distance of one minute of an howre many times between a kingdome transferred from one King to another know then by this that all estates are casuall and uncertain and whatsoever happens unto others may befall thee likewise It was the saying of Socrates that as mariners that saile in calm and quiet weather go provided of instruments to serve them in a tempest so those that are wise make provision in prosperity for adversity This if a man would seriously consider and behold other mens miseries whereof he hath an infinit number daily before his eies as if they had a way altogether as open to him he would long before the blow comes set a guard upon himselfe It is an ordinary saying forewarned forearmed and labours foreseen as Saint Gregory saith are undergone with more ease Saint Hierom was altogether of the same minde because this miserable life quoth he is altered and perplexed every day with interchangeable events let a just man prepare his mind as well for adversity as prosperity that whatsoever happens he may bear it with a free and resolute mind And I pray my Christian brother thinke not thy selfe called to the Schoole of Patience to be laid upon a soft couch or to be cockered with sundry delights thou art deceived my dearst thou art deceived Thou camest to this Schoole to wrastle to fight to be tried and to be exercised with many incommodities See then thou prepare thy minde to temptation But the best preparation in this respect is to treat often with God in prayer Hither in all calamities must you have your recourse heer must you breathe forth all your sighes hither must you chiefly addresse your selves to have help from heaven The Apostles pointed out even with their finger whither they would have you to hasten in all your distresses For whilst they were amidst the boisterous stormes of the sea they cried out to Christ Save us O Lord our God our power our refuge our helper in all tribulations which do exceedingly assault us Here Saint Augustine gives this interpretation There are some refuges saith he that yeeld no succour a man shall finde himselfe rather dis-inabled then strengthened by them For example Thou strest to some great man in the world to make him thy potent friend thou seemest now to have gotten a secure refuge a weak one God knowes for whereas thou hadst not any reason so much to feare or doubt thy cause now thou art as fearfull of him to whom thou fledst for refuge For many in flying to these men fall together with them to whom they have betaken themselves and so are the sooner discovered who would never have been sought for had they not shrowded themselves under their protection We have no such refuge but ours is power it selfe in flying thither we are safe and sure from all dangers This made King David sa● with a mighty spirit We will not fear therefore though the earth be troubled and mountaiens transferred into the heart of the sea If God stand on our side albeit mountaines dash one against another and fall headlong into the sea heaven and earth go together hell it selfe gape wide open and the whole frame of the world be dissolved all this ruine cannot affright us we will not feare The Sea-urchin and the Cuttle fish when they perceive a tempest at hand mistrusting their own strength and fearing lest by the violence of the waves they should be dasht against the rocks lay fast hold of a rock till the violence of the storm be past And what is more turbulent then this life what more tempestuous One storme begets another the clouds oftentimes are even riveted in the skies In such outragious tempests both of sea and winds let us learn of these poore fishes to cleave fast to God that sure and impregnable rock that every one may answer for himselfe It is good for me to adhere to God from whom no violence of calamities no not whole armies of Divels nor all the power of hell shall draw me For thou art my foundation and my refuge Thou art my patience O Lord thou my hope O Lord from my youth Let us my God deale it thus between us I whatsoever I shall do or suffer will never shrink from thy crosse give me I most humbly beseech thee sufficient patience to bear it constantly unto the end for I am well assured thou sendest● us adversity to exerc●se our patience and to enkindle thereby a greater confidence in thee Place me therefore my Lord neer to thee and let the power of any whatsoever fight against me I fear not now any crosses whatsoever no enemies can terrifie me because thou art my patience Sect. IV. PRemeditation then is a shield of Adamant against all adversitie It is no great wound that all the mischiefes in the world can give us if against these as Saint Gregory saith we be guatded by the shield of Providence A wise man is not exempted from humane casualties but from their errours for all things happen unto him as he imagined not as he would And this is the reason why nothing is said to happen to a wise man unexpected for he providently foresee● in his minde whatsoever impediments may fall out Wherefore you shall often heare him say I will take that voyage if some accident do not crosse me I will gea such an office if I be not prevented such a businesse will fall out according to my desire if no obstacle interpose it selfe to morrow I will be your guest if by occasions I be no● diverted within these two or three dayes if I be in health I mean to exercise my selfe in wrastling the next yeare if God spare one life I

for the most part with foule and unsavoury water The Shambles expose flesh to be sold but not without bones Fair trees many times bear small sowre worm-eaten hard and soon rotten Apples The stateliest C●ties are not without some poore and homely cottages The beautifullest houses must have their vaules sinkes and sewers for their filth and excrements and let build●●g be never so curious and artific●all they are not exemp●ed from all discommodities Look up to the sky and you shall fearcely s●e it one whole day without a cloud the clearer the sky the sooner for the most part come the cruell●st tempests the windes are never constant the milde Westerne gales oftentimes give place to the dull South or stormy North. Oyle is not without a foamy mother nor Wheat without darnell How much filth li●s hid in the fairest and comeliest men and women and how many changes are they subject to in one day Man doubtlesse never continueth stable in one state and what wonder fith God found wickednesse even in his Angels In all places we finde adversaries every where enemies there is no absolute happinesse to be looked for Would we have the Sun shine upon us every day all things passe with a gentle current at our beck and command this we may madly dream of but never waking enjoy all the workes of nature contradict it and point us out an enemy in every corner The same likewise may be observed in morall things Sect. III. THere is scarce any book free from errors and faults escaped either by the Authour or Printer Where shall you finde honour without burden or if no burden no true honour Where can you shew me a company of men exempted from all misfortunes or any man so upright and holy that hath not in him some thing to be reprehended Who is he that dines or sups without some vinegar Let me eate a full meale and satiate my selfe straight after my stomack upbraids me and makes me wish I had eaten lesse Let me check my appetite and forbear then hunger affl●cts me Thus Ash-wednesday succeds shrovetide and feasting fasting Next to the Temple of Honour is that of Labour the way lies from the one to the other hony is mixed with gall and every commodity with discommodity I have heard that Pleasure and Pain once fell at ods and chose Jupiter for their Judge the one would not yeeld in any respect to the other but Jupiter declaring his sentence so composed the matter between them that from thenceforth they should never be at difference but live together linked with indissoluble bands and what marvell Semper odoriferis proxima spina rosis The sharpest thorn grows next the sweetest rose Which way soever thou turnest thy eyes thou shalt see hony mixed with g●ll there is nothing in this world pure and sincere without dregs this is incident to all earthly creatures by a certain naturall propension to weare away and consume The Iron hath an in-bred cankering and rust wood rottennesse and little gnawing worms Thus all creatures townes and kingdomes have within them their causes of destruction Look upon all things high and low great and small made by the hand or invented by the wit of man in all ages past or to come they fall to ruine and decay And as rivers run headlong and with an uncessant course into the sea so man and all things created for man passe by this channell as it were of death and slaughter to their d●terminate end which is death for which pestilence war and slaugh●er serve as instruments Lips l. 1. de const c. 15. and means Why then are we so impatient would we trumph before the victory be choic●ly ●ed at our masters 〈◊〉 before we h●v● labou●ed for 〈◊〉 were not the ●nsolencie of that servant intoll●rable who at his return from labour should finde fault that the table were not yet covered no● the meat served up Why lay the cloath my friend bring up meat such is thy masters pleasure prepare thy selfe first to serve him after this thou maist both eate and drink There is a time to sow there will also come a time to reap the one must necessa●ily precede the other They that sow in tears shall reap in joy Going they went and wept casting their seeds b●t comming they shall come with exultation carrying their sheaves Saint Chrysostome speaketh to the purpose As all manner of grain saith he stands in need of showres to make it grow so we of tears And as it is requisite that the earth should be ploughed and cut so the faithfull so●l lest it bring forth Chrysost tom 1 in Ps 125. mihi pag. 981. ill ●oin had need in stead of the plow to have temptations and afflictions to mollifie her hardn●sse and bring under her pride We ought first to labour ●nd then se●k quietnesse and repos● of mi●d Doest thou aspire to heaven and yet entertain thy body with quiet and ease G●ve eare to the same Saint Chrysostome who not without good cause reprehendeth our s●●th in this manner What doest thou O man what say●st thou thinkest thou to scale the skies and attain unto the kingdome of heaven and yet askest without blushing or hiding thy selfe for very shame even in the bowel● of the earth whether any difficulty will occurre in the way or any tough or disastron● accident befall thee Do what thou wilt thou shalt never come to heaven bef●re thou art soundly hew'd and polish'd Very truly said that most religions man The kingdome of heaven is the kingdome of those that are tempted afflicted contemned and by sundry means polish'd and hew'd How darest thou poore cowardly wretch appear amongst so many stout and renowmed Commanders God would have thee know how pretious the good is we seeke after Vita Alvaressi cap. 40. S. 1. for attaining whereof we undergo so many labours and pains The Hebrews being to passe into the land of promise presented Sehon King of H●shbon with these requests That they might passe through his countrey along the beaten high way neither declining to the right nor left hand That he should sell them meat for money that they might eate That he should give them water for money that so they might drink The King condescended not so that they were to open a way by force We desire likewise to go to heaven without trouble or warfare many mens resolution is not to hurt any one so they may not be wronged themselves but all in vain heaven admits no such effeminate cowards who endevour nothing more then To suffer nothing Therefore let us imitate that laudable saying of the Ancients Nul●a dies sine linea No day without a line and say Nulla dies sine nubecula No day without some cloudy accident Let no day passe over our heads without doing or suffering somewhat stoutly and couragiously for Christs sake for through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdome of heaven Through many yea through very many

there is no object in the world more remarkable or worthier of admiration then a man couragious in misery and firmly resolved to sustain all adversity And behold this is an acceptable time behold now is the day of salvation The first lesson in the School of Patience is to know that without much suffering no man profiteth CHAP. II. The reason why the Schollers in this School are so sharply and roughly intreated MANY things are preserved by motion which otherwise would perish Corn corrupts unlesse it be stir'd and often turned Many times by lying still it sprowts or becomes musty A garment lying long as a close prisoner in a chest becomes a banquet for mo●thes Ir●n if it be never used is eaten and consumed with rust Vines without p●u●ing and cu●●i●g degenerate and grow wilde Grapes are soon rotten unlesse they be pressed A hundred su●h things may be observed and that which daily experiments confirme cannot be denied Neverthelesse we r●p●ne and wonder why God should exercise men with so many severall calamities we have shewed in the precedent Chapter that it is fitting and necessary this should be so Now we will make it apparent that nothing can be more for the behoofe and benefit of man Sect. I. A Thousand reasons may be alledged why God doth not vouchsafe to give his servants a Paradise on earth but rather sends them thither from the crosse Heer I appeal to the ordinary custome of men If a man conceives no hatred against a lewd house for being beaten there or tumbled down a pair of stairs much lesse will he detest that house if he be kindly entertained So if we should be well intreated in this world scarcely any would seek after the joyes of heaven Not one man amongst a thousand but would say I am well contented with those which I already have why should I seek after uncertainties Many men besotted with their pleasures and riches would neglect heaven and like brutish Oxen lye down in the pasture they go in Therefore it was requisite that all things heer should be mingled with gall lest the hony of this world should be preferred before the sweetnesse of heaven Why I pray you was Aegypt so cruell and malicious towards the Hebrews for their governours as we read were most tyrannicall their taskes doubled their scourges and afflictions insufferable and besides all their male children were threatned to be killed what was Gods designe herein Nothing else but to beget in his people an extream hatred and loathing of Aegypt and consequently of Idolatry in generall To this end were the exhortations of Moses moving them to desire the land of Promise To this end was Pharaoh suffered to tyrannize that the Hebrewes conceiving hatred against so cruell a Lord might seek another more peaceable countrey Excellently well saith Saint Gregory By Gods mercifull will it comes Greg l. 23. c. 13. post med to passe that his elect lead a troublesome life in this their pilgrimage This life is the way by which we travell towards our countrey and therefore by his secret judgement we are often afflicted heer lest we should fall in love with the way in stead of the countrey A traveller especially such an one as is easily disposed to loyter is soon perswaded to stay and solace himself under shady trees and in pleasant medows seeks new and new delayes one while sitting down in this place and another while in that till he hath trifled and idly spent the whole day Therefore Saint Gregory saith that our Lord maketh in this world the way which leads to heaven rough and sharp to his elect lest any of them entertained with ease and delights of this life as with a pleasant way should rather desire to hold on still his journey then speedily to finish it and lest too much delighted with the way he should forget what is to be desired in his countrey And as it doth much inkindle the love of God to have but once tasted how sweet our Lord is even so to have somewhat felt the bitternesse of transitory things doth not a little thrust us forward to the hatred of them Behold the power of adversity and affliction it presents us the wormwood of this world to taste it strewes the earth with thorns to force our feet to mend their pace Elegantly saith Saint Augustine O the infelicity of humane creatures the world Aug. to 10. Serm 3 de Temp. circa med is bitter and yet beloved think what it would be if it were sweet and savoury it is turbulent and yet most earnestly desired what would it be if it were calm and quiet How eagerly wouldst thou pluck the flowers since thou canst not hold thy hands from the thorns Saint Chrysostome was of the same minde If we invironed on all sides with so many miseries desire to prolong this present life what would we do without them when would we desire or seek after future felicity We are so madly blinded with selfe-love that in stead of health we dote on Physicke in stead of the journies end fall in love with the journey and the cratures in stead of the Creator Hence comes it that God is in a manner forced to give us bitter potions lest we rather covet to drink vinegar and wormwood then celestiall nectar and prefer earth before heaven Sect. II. That golden Orator Saint Chrysostome of whom I spake proveth excellently well that it is a thing very profitable to be afflicted Touching which point this is seriously to be considered that humane understanding conceiveth not so much as the least shadow of divine Majesty our imagination when we think of God reaches no further then to Kings and Emperours Alas how base how childish are even our sublimest cogitations Hence it proceedeth that we f●ll into so many errours It is the saying of the wise man God hath tryed them and hath found them worthy of himselfe So immense is the Majesty of God that no man may be esteemed worthy thereof before he be throughly exercised with sundry calamities like a stout and couragious Champion who cannot challenge the prize before he hath sought the combat To good purpose was that which Nicetas Choniates said He is onely miserable who in affliction is too much contristated and thereby rendreth himselfe unworthy of God Isaac being now almost blinde with age sought by touching to finde out his son Come hither said he my son that I may feel thee and may prove whether thou beest my son Esau or no. In like manner God dealeth with us I must touch thee my childe saith he my hands are hot indeed they burn but if thou be my childe thou wilt suffer me to touch thee he that refuseth to be touched by me is none of mine and is unworthy of me I suffered my only Son to be crucified and I found him worthy of me Even in the same sort I dealt with his Virgin-mother transfixed her heart with a sword of griefe which for many