euils wherwith they are mixed should find that chaffe feathers and smoake haue waight in respect of their lightnesse For which cause our Sauiour doth exhort vs in the Ghospell not to treasure vp riches in the earth where they are subiect to ruste and to the theife's violent hand but to heape vp riches in heauen where all is safe and sure No none can possibly heape vp riches in these two so differēt Abodes Heauen and earth for the Beautitude of the Kingdome of heauen is promised to the poore onely witnesse the example of the incompasionate Rich-man and our Sauiours declaration of the almost impossible difficultie of the rich-mans entrie into Heauen O how aduised is he who herebelow gathers together the treasures of grace and who cōuayes thē through the hands of the poore in bills of exchange into the Eternitie of glorie where such money is currant for it is written that good workes follow them that dy in our Lord and that good trees are knowen by their fruite in this land of the liuing where he reapes benedictions that hath sowen them in the land of the deade And I pray you how should not Eternitie be the perfection of all the good things which the senses and heart can neuer comprehend sythēs God himselfe is the very great reward of such as possesse it very great in deed syth they are rewarded beyond their seruice euery perfect gift and euery best present proceeding from the Father of lightes Who doth not see that he him selfe is an vndrainable fountaine of all goodnes being all desire wholy to be desired and the fulnes of all desires He is that one necessarie thing which compriseth in it selfe by way of excellencie all that is to be defired Delightes without end are in his right hand riches also and glorie wisdome goodnesse powre greatnes beautie the source of saluation and the botome of all beatitude as the Psalmist doth excellently sing My saluation is in God he is my glorie my ayde and all my hope is in him For assurance of this truth MOYSES demanding of God the happinesse to behold his face I will shew the all good said our Lord vnto him in appearing vnto thyne eyes Of the place of the Blessed Eternitie XLI I Doubt Athanasia these generall discourses sets your mouth on water and makes you desire to fill your appetite with more particular meates To comply therefor with your inclination I will serue you vp for the first dish a Draught of the place of this eternall Beatitude Truly I might say that it is situated in his bosome who makes Eternitie it selfe and who being infinite cannot be bounded by any place being present in euery place by his beeing and powre since that all is his all comes from him and all is in him in him I say in whom we liue moue and are But that you may not loose your selfe in those IMAGINARIE SPACES where this infinite thing makes abode which cannether be comprised by the Heauen of Heauens nor of heauen nor earth which he filleth with his immensitie nor by any other place I will tell you with all the grauest Doctors of the Church that God from the begining of the world did create this Kingdome which he prouided for his Angells and Elect in the Heauen called Empireall that is to say of fire not that it burnes but by reason of the brightnes of its flame and the splendour of its light This highest Heauen was vnknowen to the auncient Astrologers and is yet to the new vnlesse by the light of faith reuealed by God to the Church and her Doctors For the Astrologers like to all those that make profession of other mathematicall disciplines grownding onely vpon sensible demonstrations and making a iudgement of other places by the diuers motions of the starrs and this that we speake of being inuisible and immoueable is placed aboue the knowledge and lawes of Astrologie It is then a firme stable solide and inuariably settled heauen called in holy Scrip. The firmamēt of heauen the heauen of Heauens the Land of the liuing the Seate and Throne of God and in Geneses Heauen created from the begining as BEDE ALCVINE TOSTATE and the Maister of the sentences doe interprete it And there all the Fathers doe establish the mansion of the glorie of God together with his Angells and Blessed following these words of holy writ We haue a Mansion in heauen not made with the hand of man And our Sauiour said to his disciples your reward shall be plētuous in heauen And againe before his Ascension he said vnto them I goe to prouide you a place And what place is this but that where he is set at the right hand of the Maiestie in the highest S. BASILE THE GREAT S. CLEMENT Rom. S. CLEMENT Alexan. S. IOHN DAMASENE PHILO IVDAEVS STRABON and S. THOMAS amongst other Diuines doe warrant this opinion Of the magnificence of the place XLII THus much concerning the situation Athanasia but for its magnificencie what tongue can expresse it what pen describe it since our thoughts and senses cannot attayne thervnto O Israel how great is the house of God how ample his possessiōs his Abode is goodlie high immense and infinite these are the words of the Prophete BARVCH O eternall wisdome t is thou then that dost powrefully extend thy force from one extreamitie to another disposing all things with an incomparable sweetnesse thus speakes the wise man O how happie should I bee said the good TOBIE if I could see the light of Hierusalem O God said DAVID how I am in loue with the beautie of thy house and with the place of the habitation of thy glorie And if the glorie of God incompassng the Temple of SALOMON that miracle of man's Art and industrie added a grace vnto it which did rayse this maister-peece aboue all the workes of the earth what shall that place be where the Saintes in the light of gloric see the increated and inaccessable light of the Dietie O you DAVID's houses of Cedars hyde your selfes house of SAVLTVS which SALOMON built for his pleasures vpon the Mount-Libane yea euen you beauties of Libane hide your selues faire topps of Carmel and Saron Vayle thy selfe ô thou throne of SALOMON thou incomparable yet humane worke for who dare make the handeworkes of man enter into comparison with the mightie workmanship of God What Pallace euen of those that appeare the most proud and magnificent durst one compare with the King of glorie 's incomparably more great more wise and more powerfull then SALOMON since all the pompe of this sonne of DAVID is lesse prised in the Scripture then the simple nakednes of a place in the feilds yea in this vaile of teares Hath this wretched and miserable world any similitude wherby we might make a conceipt of the excellencie where teares and complaintes are permitted no entrie sith it is crowned with all the contentments and perfections that can be desired In vaine doth S. IOHN in his
said to be eternall and death to be defeated for euer as also the fire which shall torment the damned is named eternall it is also cleare in right reason that Beatitude which is a sufficient good or rather the collection of all good would not be compleat vnlesse it did exclude all euil and miserie especially the miserie of miseries which is death or annihilation For take away the perpetuitie of the life of the Blessed and they would be afflicted with a continuall sorrow for the losse of the beloued felicitie and a most distastefull bitternesse would disturbe the sweetnesse of the peaceable fruition Adde that Beatitude cannot be imperfect on the part of the Obiect which is God all whose workes are perfect and his guiftes without repentance which he neuer reuokes but for sinne which can neuer haue accesse to the Blessed cōfirmed in grace by Glorie And vnchangeably vnited to God whose nature is goodnesse his workes mercy And who can nether will nor can abide iniquitie Againe that word of our Sauiours to his Disciples is an Oracle of infallible truth and a promisse which shall remayne for euer Your ioy saith he shall not be taken from you God's seruants the Elect shall adore him in beholding his face and they shall raigne for euer and euer that is eternally saith S. IOHN in his Reuelations And S. BERNARD explicating that of the Psalmist I will fill my friends with the length of dayes and will shew them my SALVATION what is longer saith he then that which is eternall what continuance more longe then that which hath no end O how good an end is eternall life how good is that end which is infinite How faire is the day which hath no Sunne-setting nor is followed out by night and what is this day but the eternall VERITIE the true ETERNITIE O Societie of the Blessed eternally true and truely eternall those are they onely who may be truly said to be liuing and enioying a life truely long in heauē which knowes no end as they are truely dead and that of a long death who continually die in Hell where they continually liue without tasteing the fruite of life S. BERNARD's meditation shall make way to S. AVCVSTINE's touching the Eternitie of that blessed life O life saith he which God hath prepared for his friēds thou art a life full of happinesse crowned with assurance a quiete life and excellent life a pure life a chaste life a holy life a life that knowes no death a life without sorrow without labour without greife without vexation without corruption without varietie or chāge a life adorned with euerie beautie accomplished with honour a life that is not laboured with enuie nor subiect to anger where Loue raignes in its perfection and from whence feare is banished where the day is eternall and the hearts of all is but one where God is seene face to face and this vision is foode to those that behold him with an ardent affection O how thy shineing brightnes doth delight me and how aggreable are thy felicities to the desires of my heart The more I consider thee the more I loue thee I swoone with desire in contemplating thee yet that desire insteede of afflicting me affords me an extreame content and thy memorie is more sweete vnto mee then the honie-combe O happie life ô Empire of eternall felicitie where death hath no iurisdiction which shall neuer haue end Where the succession of tyme hath no raigne nor vicissitude where the day hath no night where change can get no footing where the victorious Champion accōpaigned with the troopes of Angells his heade being enuironed with a crowne of glorie incessantly sings to God the Song of the heauenly Sion How happie shall my soule be if after her departure out of this mortall pilgrinage she may haue the happines to see thee and to contemplate thy beautie thy walls thy gates thy Pallaces thy places thy noble citizēs and thyne omnipotent King seated in his admirable Throne of Maiestie Thy walls are built of pretious stones of an inestimable value thy Gates are inriched with peerlesse gemmes Thy streetes are paued with purest gold and in them the Diuine prayses doe continually resound Thy houses are made of fouresquare stones beautified with Saphires wrought with vinebranches and grapes of gold None enters within thy confines who are not pure for all that is defiled is repulsed The light which doth enlighten thee is nether from Lampe nor torch nor Sunne Moone nor starrs it is God alone proceeding from God that light which doth spring from light who is thyne eternall and vniuersall light The King of Kings resides continually in the midst of thee waited vpon with a numberlesse number of Courtiers and Officiers more resplendant then the lightning more bright then the flame Will you yet further giue eare to the same Sainte heare then what he saith of that liuely Eternitie that eternall life The wicked saith he shall goe into eternall fires but the iuste into eternall felicities That is the eternall life which is promised vs. And wheras men take no greater content here below then to liue behold how life is promised them and wheras they dread nothing so much as death see how an Eternitie of life is proposed vnto them What dost thou loue ô man To liue Thou shall enioy this great benefit What dost thou feare To dy Thou shalt be exempt from it Yet is it not all to liue long to liue for euer but the toppe of felicitie is to liue happie for euer What can we add to this Oracle of truth deliuered in so good tearmes by that incomparable witt but fruitlesse words in a subiect so fruitfull that the abundance therof doth oppresse him that handles it Meanes wherby to arriue at this happie Eternitie LXV BVt we are rather Athanasia to search out the meanes to attaine to this great happinesse then to enlarge our selues vpon curiosities to know it or loose our selues in the admiration therof since it is written that not all that shall say Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heauen but those that doe the will of our Lord that is such as shall liue according to his law and shall make force against his holy citie Dost thou desire to enter into true life said our Sauiour to the young man who asked his counsell which way he was to hold keepe the Commandements Of all the wayes which are taught vs by the holy scripture and the writings of Doctors to worke our saluation in feare and trembling I will onely touch two which next vnto God's grace without which we are able to doe nothing I find verie necessarie The Philosopher Epictetes made all his philosophicall Precepts turne vpon these two poles or pinnes SVSTAYNE and ABSTAYNE I am persuaded that all morall Christianitie may turne vpon the same pinnes The one doth teach vs to suffer difficulties labours paines the other the perfect contempt of worldly vanities pleasures and riches If we
of Eternitie in the Purgatiue way and the force which it hath to reclayme vs from wickednesse A continuation of the formar discourse LXIX AS for the Illuminatiue way whose propertie it is to incite vs to goodnes and vertue what difficultie is incident to the pursute of vertue which is not surmounted by the price of so great glorie which is proposed vnto vs in Eternitie as I haue alreadie at large declared For the words of thy lipps ô Lord saith the Diuine Psalmist that is vpon the hope of thy promisses I haue kept the hard wayes IACOB hauing espyed that misterious ladder a figure of Beatitude durst close with an Angell neuer leaue wrastling with him till he had wrested a benediction from him And was not MICHOL with SAVLS crowne being proposed for his guerdon who should vanquish the Giant the motife which did so generously incite DAVID to so glorious an enterprise O Lord sings the Diuine Psalmist I ranne in the way of thy Commandements when thou didst opene and dilate my heart And yet what is able to dilate it more then the thought of Eternitie O how faire are the feete that is the affections of a foule which directes her stepps towards those eternall Hills through the pathes of pietie erecting stares in her heart to ascend vp to the heauēly Sion by the stepps of vertues This is she which doth rauish the Angells with admiratiō when they discouer her ascending out of the desart of the world as a litle rod of smoke composed of all the aromaticall spices It is written in the Apocalipse that the first fundation of the holy Citie Hierusalē is made of Iasper a stone marked with all the seuerall colours which are dispersed amongst the other stones wherby is intimated vnto vs that the eternall Sion hath its fundation vpō all the vertues and that he who pretends the attayning of it must resolue to imbrace them all otherwise he will not be permitted accesse Now what vertue is not acquired by this consideration what good habite is not contayned therin Let vs cast an ey vpon those which are the principall and as it were the roote of all the rest and we shall find Eternitie to be the Sea whither all these litle brookes runne What is FAITH but the argument of things not appeareing And are not eternall things those which doe not appeare for so the great Apostle doth teach vs. What is HOPE but an expectation of eternall blesse and the coming of the glorie of the great God In thee ô Lord haue I put my hoped saith DAVID and I shall not be confounded for euer What is CHARITIE but a Vertue which according to the Apostle remaynes for euer euen when FAITH and HOPE shall cease to be and Prophecies shall be made voyde and such as are rooted and founded in this Vertue doe in some measure comprehend the length bredth hight and depth of Eternitie What is PRVDENCE but a wise foresight of future things and principally of the next life for the life which ends in this world is called a Death by the Apostle yea yet in sharper tearmes a sensuall terreane malignant life And it was this prudent thought of Eternitie which MOYSES perceaued to be awanting in Israel while he tearmed it a Nation deuoyd of Councell and iudgement and wished from his heart that that people would become wise vnderstanding and foreseeing the tyme to come Touching FORCE and TEMPERANCE we haue shewen in the formar stroke that this thought makes one abstayne from and contemne earthly things and doth in courage the heart to all kinds of sufferances and crosses for the Conquest of Eternitie Concerning IVSTICE since eternall Glorie is tearmed the crowne of Iustice and that no iniustice can be permitted to make entrie there who can deney but the fruites of the thoughtes of Eternitie are the very same with those wherof DANIEL speakes which is to free the soule from sinne and to lodge eternall Iustice in its place And doth not the Psalmist say that the iust shall liue for euer PATIENCE also doth springe frō this thought sith the Kingdome of Heauen is promissed to such as doe practise it in persecution And who will not become HVMBLE vnder the powrefull hand of God when he shall seriously consider that the Kingdome of heauen belongs to the poore in spirit and that the humble shall be saued and aduanced and that the proude of heart are cast headlong downe with Lucifer into perpetuall flames And who will not turne MEEKE and mild when he shall reflect that the promised Land of Eternitie is their inheritance Who will not be deuoute and feruent in all the exercices of pietie whether it be prayer fasting Almes-deedes or in the practise of interiour or exteriour mortifications if he fall duely to consider that the violent doe beare away the Kingdome of Heauen Who will not imbrace or at least who will not loue and honour the Euangelicall Councells when he reades what great rewards are promised to the Continent obedient and voluntariepoore Runne in this sort ouer all the vertues whose pursuite and practise is the proper imployment of the Illuminatiue way and you shall find that whether they be Theologicall or morall infused they haue all for their Obiect a supernaturall end as faith the Angell of the schoole and consequently all of them ayme at Eternitie as all the lines of the circūference at the vnitie of the Cēter As for the vnitiue way which consistes in a certaine adhearing to the soueraigne Good which is God the verie essentiall Eternitie we will shew in the ensuing stroke that the essentiall Eternitie being no other thing properly speaking then God himselfe there is no thought at all which doth more immediately nor more generally vnite vs vnto him then that of Eternitie Whence I draw this Conclusion that the consideration of Eternitie is truely that one necessarie thing which is so highly commended in the Ghospell euen from the mouth of the sonne of God and called MARIE'S BEST PART which shall neuer be taken from her Iudge you then Athanasia of what importance it is to thinke frequently yea incessantly of Eternitie since it is as it were the pinne whervpon all spirituall life doth turne Of the essentiall Eternitie LXX HItherto Athanasia we haue not giuen thee a straight and cleare but an indirect view of Eternitie we haue shewen it thee onely sideling as BALAAM beheld the armie of Israel we haue onely pondered the two armes therof not the bodie It 's effects onely not it's cause and as one would say we haue seene the shouldiers onely not the face the accidents not the substance therof For albeit the Diuines teach vs that it is a whole and perfect possession of an endlesse life yet doth not this description quiet my vnderstāding in that it doth not represēt Eternitie as a thing created and out of God and which being applyed to creatures will indeede haue no end yet presupposeth a begining God alone being
truely eternall that is without begining or end he being the begining and end of all that hath beeing by participation of his But now Athanasia I will propose vnto you the essentiall Eternitie which is no other thing then God himselfe And God too not as punishing in the Eternitie accursed nor as rewarding in the blessed Eternitie but as being in himselfe as his owne essence to his owne Eternitie and that true increated and essentiall Eternitie in which this created Eternitie consisteth wherof we haue shewen some strokes before O what an Eternitie is this Athanasia and whither is the flight of my thoughts carried since it toucheth vpon the glorie of the Diuine Maiestie in the highest regions Here it is that the winge and sight of an Eagle were required to rayse ones selfe vp into the highnesse of the riches and wisdome of God who is incomprehensible in all his wayes And to behold this Sunne of the East which is the fountaine of all light and which cānot be obscured And here not the blacke and darke lynes of a first Draught but euen the bright rayses of the Sunne were more then requisite to bring light and life to the deciphering of him who from all Eternitie doth inhabite an inaccessable light and who could not be susteyned by a created vnderstanding vnlesse it were fortified with the light of Glorie All those Diuine perfections which Diuinitie considers in God vnder the name of Attributes are in him his owne onely and incomposed Essence for being a pure Act he doth not admitt in himselfe any composition at all or multiplicitie of qualities being all Essence all substance But we are constrayned by our owne infirmitie to speake so of God according to our ordinarie manner of cōceaueing and discourseing calling him Good Iuste Mercifull Infinite Eternall Omnipotent as we doe diuersly cast our thoughts vpon his workes rather then vpon himselfe who in his one and onely beeing doth cōprehend by way of eminencie all the perfections which are found in Goodnes Iustice Mercy So that he is not onely essentially good but he is euen essentiall Goodnesse all that is good being good by the onely communication and participation of this essentiall Goodnesse Now to giue a name to this supreme excellencie is a worke proper to the same excellencie which as it alone doth perfectly know it selfe so it onely is able to name it selfe Whervpon the Angell speaking vnto SAMSON's Father and representing vnto him the Diuine Maiestie said why dost thou inquire my name which is ADMIRABLE that is which thou canst not conceaue but by admiration Howbeit amongst the multitude of Diuine names wherwith the holy Scripture is full and which the bookes of the Doctours of the Church propose vnto vs there is none more generally receaued then that which God by his owne mouth imparted vnto MOYSES who demanded his name that he might denounce it to such as should inquire after it I AM WHO AM said our Lord and if they aske thee who sent thee vnto them tell them he that IS commanded me to come vnto you This name IS saith the Angell of the schoole is the most proper of all the Diuine names as being the most significatiue for it doth not expresse any forme at all but onely a simple beeing or rather the beeing of beeings as that great Genius of nature tearmed it And God being his owne Essence and Beeing cannot be more properly named then by the name IS which caused S. IOHN DAMASCENE to say that the principall name of the Diuine names is He who IS because he is as an infinite Ocean an illimited substance Againe this name sutes well with God in that it doth expresse a continuall present tyme which doth shew the essentiall Eternitie of God in whom saith S. AVGVSTINE in his bookes of the Trinitie there is nether tyme past nor tyme to come Now this Eternitie is so essentiall to God that if he were not eternall he would cease to be God and that created Eternitie wherof Diuines speake doth onely subsiste in the increated Eternitie of God himselfe and if we may so say it is imperfect for though it shall neuer haue end being a continuall presēt without any measure of tyme yet had it a begining since God alone of all the things which haue beeing hath no begining Nor doe we see any title in holy Scripture more frequently attributed vnto God then that he is Eternall I liue eternally saith our Lord. The Kingdome of heauen is eternall Our Lord is great eternally Our Lord is seated in an eternall Throne God is not moued eternally Those that hope in him shall not be confounded eternally The name of his Maiestie is Eternall He is his Elect's eternall part Mercy is established eternally in Heauen His Word and Truth shall dure eternally He hath made an eternall Testament God is liuing and Eternall for euer and euer He is an Eternall Dominatour He doth inhabite the eternall Hierusalem His powre is an eternall powre and his Kingdome in generation and generation And many the like passages all through the holy Scripture Now he is not onely eternall but is euen the very eternall Essence or the ESSENTIALL ETERNITIE So that to thinke of Eternitie is to haue God for the onely obiect of our thoughtes And to applie the essence of our immortall soule to his essence who alone of himselfe hath immortalitie is it not the perfection and fulnesse of our essentiall Beatitude If therfore I extolle the thought of Eternitie aboue all other thoughtes by reason of that great infinite Obiect am I not groūded vpon a solide reason Is not the immensitie and incōparable perfection therof able to rauish and drinke vp all our interiour and exteriour faculties following that of the Psalmist My heart and my flesh haue reioyced toward the liuing God That this essentiall Eternitie is all things LXXI AS God is eternall Athanasia or rather Eternitie it selfe so is he also infinite or rather infinitie it selfe Infinite according to his essentiall greatnesse which is immense and boundlesse Infinite also in his cōtinuance which is without limitation too to speake with the Prince of Schoolemen He is euery where by his existence and doth existe in euery thing filling Heauen and earth and all that is therin In a word he is in euery place and beyond all place by his essence presence and powre But he is in the Blessed Eternitie after an admirable manner for the Scripture doth assure vs that he is all things in all his Elect. There saith S. AVGVSTINE God is the vniuersall good of all the Saintes and the perfect Beatitude of all their desires there he is light and colour to their eyes musike to their eares honie to their taste or rather a hidden Manna and a delicious baulme to their smell In him they haue the diuersitie and beautie of sundrie seasons the freshnesse of the Springe the brightnesse of the Sommer the fruitfulnesse of the fall of the leafe the rest
What Memori◠hath not this remembrance in abomination What Vnderstanding doth not flie a consideration so odious What Will hath not an auersion from a subiect so distastefull What Fantasie doth not turne it selfe from so sad an obiect What Pen in lieu o◠writing would not fly away from a matter so much to be fled What Inke blacke enough to equalise the blacknes of those coles of desolation This notwithstanding my Athanasia the most holy and most wise doe admonish and councell vs to thinke frequently of it and to descende into Hell liueing that we may not descend thither dying saith a Father of the Church subtilly and truly True it is this medicine is bitter and its bitternesse may cause a kind of drunkennesse and distraction of mynd marrie it is a wholsome distraction and its conuulsions giues health and holinesse to the soule it doth seaze vpon It is that volume of the Prophete's bitter in the mouth but restorature in the heart What abundance of people fall into this gulfe for want of forefeeing it Let vs cast our selues into it by foresight Athanasia but as Dyuers into the sea to bring vp the pearles of good and holy resolutions The horrour of this subiect XXII IT is neuerthelesse very hard that I may not say impossible to be hold this subiect in the face without astonishment For if the verie words eternall Reprobation and Damnation make the most constant and resolute courage quake what will the consideration of their effect doe A woman became once a Statua of salt vpon the aspect of an abominable towne burnt with heauenly fire the inhabitāts wherof descended into Hell aliue I would to God that the sight of the accursed Eternitie would make vs as immoueable as Statua's to bad actions and would Season vs with the salt of true wisdome Moyses had an horrour and an apprehension of his rodd while departing out of his hand he saw it trāsformed into a serpent and although God commāded him boldly to take hold of this beast by the tayle yet durst he not doe it without trembling O Athanasia what heart is so resolute as to behold the rodd of God rodd of direction in his Kingdome changed into a rodd of iron driuing away the reprobate as earthen potts and in a rodd of furie and not quake with a iust feare sith that euen the heauēly Intelligences the celestiall Virtues assured of their saluation shall be moued with feare when the great Iudge shall come at the consommation of the world to hold his last Assises That which the Poetes fabulously relate of their Medusa and of the Sunn's retrogradation least it might giue light to the horrid and vnnaturall banquet of Thiestes are but weake strokes of the sacred horrour which the consideration of the cursed Eternitie doth imprint vpon a soule The reprobate to preuent the definitiue and irreuocable sentence of their eternall condemnation shall one day inuoke the mountaignes to fall vpon them and to burie them in an eternall obliuion And if the heate of the Babilonian fornace did affright all the beholders with the firie flashes which it vomited out what must the aspect of that eternall fornace made hote with the wroth of God and maintained in a continuall heate with a blast of brimstone needes worke in a heart that hath its sight sharpened by Faith It is an vniuersalitie of euils XXIII I Will discouer vnto thee all sortes of good saith God to his fauorite Moyses in manifesting my selfe vnto thee Yes for in the vision of God all felicitie is comprised as also all sortes of euil in the priuation of this obiect of the soueraigne Beatitude For if the supreme Felicitie according to all the Diuines be a perfect collection of all good doth not the rule of Contraries oblige vs to beleeue that the toppe of the soueraigne infelicitie is a collection of all euil Goe to then my Athanasia let vs represent vnto our myndes all the calamities and torments imaginable and vnimaginable and let vs loade the shouldiers of one onely with this heauie masse and let vs affirme that such is the least part of the sufferances of the damned In this world calamities are alwayes in a manner particular so that it is an extraordinarie thing to see the same partie assaulted with two or three at the same tyme and when the defease is violent it dures not for that ether the desease ceaseth or the patient opprest with it ceaseth to bee In Hell it is not so for all the torments which we can cōprehend yea euen those which are incomprehensible meet in the same instā◠vpon the damned's heade vpon whom scourges are reunited and ruine◠multiplied euen as the Eagles to make vse of the Scriptures comparison and haulkes doe in troopes seaze vpon carrion O God said the good Iob that man of greeues and oppressed with infirmities and miseries thou hast rowled vpon me all the billowes of thy wroth And Dauid in a like aire I am come to th◠brode sea and the tempest hath swallowed me vp how much better doe these words suite with the reprobate who perceaue the heauie hand of the Diuine iustice vpon them without all hope of solace To them it belongs to reade in the booke of Lamentations maledictions and misfortunes which the Prophete did sometymes write by Gods command to reclaime Israel from its vice and destruction to them I say who are fallen to the bottome of all miseries The great Angell of the Schowle S. THOMAS giuing a reason why all calamities conceauable doe fall vpon the damned saith after S. BASILE that in the end of the word when fire shall generally purge it there shall be a separation made of all pure and impure things in the elements and as that which is pure shall be reserued for the pleasure and content of the Elect so that which is impure shall be cast into the Sinke or center of the earth where the comon opinion placeth Hell to be a continuall torment to the damned being most iust that as by their sinne they abused all creatures so they all should conspire to torment them as it is written in the booke of wisdome That all the world shall fight for the seruice and glorie of the iustice of God against the mad men Propose vnto your selfe then ô Athanasia a person reduced to that point of miserie that at one instant he should be afflicted with all sortes of paines not onely in the principall members but euen in the least partes of his bodie so far forth that he should resent particular stingings through euery pore Speake the truth to behold the most vile and wretched creature on the earth in this dismale estate would it not moue horrour in your heart And yet Faith doth assure vs that the torments of the damned are far other and that all this collection of euils is but a poore part of their cup. And Verily most reasonable it is that such as imployed all the powres of their
If he be feircely sicke he freely endures all the paines that the Surgeons putt him to he obeyes the Doctours order takes downe the bitterest pill in the Apothecaries shope he nether grugheth price nor paine so he may escape the graue he is willing to consume all his substance to prolonge for some few moments more his consumeing life and yet to liue eternally how few are willing to endure a litle discommoditie But if worldlings prolonge their miserable dayes with so much instance vigilancie precausion prodigalitie paine and torment what ought not they to doe whose braue and generous myndes eye nothing that is lesse then Eternitie And if they be esteemed prudent who spare nothing to conserue a miserable mortall life how imprudēt must they needs be who for an immortall one will vse no sort of violēce nether against their body nor soule A continuation of the former discourse LXVI VErily vnlesse the graine of wheate falling into the ground die it selfe remayneth alone and fruitlesse And vnlesse we doe mortifie our selues here below there is litle appearance and yet lesse hope that we shall liue euerlastingly in Heauen In the building of SALOMONS Temple there was no noyse heard of hammars nor saw because the timber was disposed and fitted by Carpenters in the Forrest and the stones were cut and pollished in the Quarries so that being led vnto the Mount-Sion it rested onely to applie them It is the like of the vnited stones wherof the heauenly Hierusalem is built to witt the Elect out of the Quarrie of this world they were to be sent readie and so to be disposed in their places in that TEMPLE OF PEACE For which cause some of them haue bene sawen cut carued holed burnt wounded with swords that they might be applied to that eternall building for they are the structure and building of God saith the Apostle No there is no other passage to this TEMPLE of VERTVE but through the GATE OF LABOVR And the Kingdome of Heauen is promised onely in the Sermō which our Sauiour made of Beatitude to the humble of heart and persecuted that is to such as suffer tribulations The Kings coyne with which letters of exchange are payed in that Contrie are Labours and the Saintes doe repose in their labours for there their workes doe sollow them And if a woman with child saith the holy Gospell doe patiently endure the panges of childbirth which are so extreamely violent for the ioy she hath to bring forth a reasonable creature into this miserable world what paines then ought we to feare so our bodie be happily deliuered of our soule to Eternitie and that when our house of clay shall be demolished we may find one in heauen build not with the hand of man but with God's owne hand wherin we shall liue inhabit and bee for euer And if the labours of winter and summer and the length of a plainefull seruice was reputed as nothing of IACOB being pricked on by the loue be bore to RACHEL who will not to be impatient at the short and light labours of this life while he hath Eternitie before his eyes Goe to then saith a Prophete le ts take courage and let not our armes repose for a great reward is promised to good actions Worke faithfully what thou art able while tyme is lent thee to labour Behold the reward and nothing will seeme painefull vnto thee I haue giuen my heart to the Diuine iustificatiōs saith the Psalmist in respect of the reward promised them For the reward of such as keepe Gods law is great Know you not saith the great Apostle that many runne in the race all runne indeede but one receaueth the Price And they certes that they may receaue a corruptible crowne but we run in the race of vertue for an immortall and incorruptible crowne Le ts so runne that we may obteyne Those saith the same Doctour of the Crosse that are afflicted are disposed therby to great rewards and if they be tryed by God it is to th' end they may be worthy to haue a part with him and that he may with his owne hand bestow vpon them a Kingdome of honour and a diademe of beautie For God crownes his Elect with glorie and honour and doth establish them aboue all the workes of his hands Let vs not therfore be discouraged saith S. PAVLE for we haue not as yet resisted sinne nor fought to blood we that are not ignorant that our Guide IESVS CHRIST entered not into the Sanctuarie of Eternitie by meanes of the blood of sheepe and goates but by powreing out his owne at that price obtaineing for vs an eternall redemption But I here heape vp proofes in confirmation of a truth which euen Nouices in Christian discipline cannot doubt of Let vs therfore stay our stepps and shut vp this first meanes in these golden words of S. AVGVSTINE O soule what I haue is vendible consider whether you will buy it And what hast thou to sell ô Lord Rest saith he buy it At what rate saith the soule the price therof is Labour But what labour is required for an endlesse rest If you will make a iust valuation an eternall labour is due to an eternall peace T' is true indeede yet feare not ô soule God is mercifull he knowes well that if thou wert eternally to labour for this pourchase thou shouldst neuer attayne vnto the promissed and desired rest and therfore that thou mightst attayne it he will not haue thy labour to be eternall not that the Eternitie of glorie would not deserue it but that thou mightest be sure to beare it It is worth an eternall and yet is bought for a temporall labour In an other place the same Father doth enlarge and continue this consideration When eternall life saith he is promissed vs let vs place before our eyes a life exempt frō all the tormoyles and troubles which we taste in this and thou shalt more happily find out the calamities and miseries which are not to be found in that blessed life then thou canst the infinite blesse wherwith it is replenished he would say that as God so it is better knowen by negation then affirmation And yet wonderfull Mercy this inestimable fauour is to be sold If thou wilt thou maist buy it nor art thou to be troubled how to procure wherwithall to pay It is not worth more then thou hast or rather respects not at all what thou hast but onely what thou art This Eternitie is worth thyselfe and yet worth no more then thou art giue thy selfe and t is thyne Why dost thou dodge why dost thou stand vpon the price Dost thou apprehend that to make the payment thou art to be sold indeed no thou art not pay thy selfe such as thou art and the purchase is made Alas I am poore and miserable wilt thou say nor shall I be receaued as currant money But I dare assure thee that in freely giuing thy selfe thou wilt become good coyne for to giue ones