finding themselues sure they put on againe their womans habit and returning to Sea they went to the towne Mylasla in Carâ—â— whither the great S. PAVLE who had found her in Co and had taken her vnder his spirituall protection led her and where afterwards being made Bishop he did so piously direct her that she erected a Monasterie and dedicated it to serue the Church in qualitie of DIACONESSES as in those dayes they were named with such feruour of Charitie that in the end she died a Saint and by a number of miracles which God did by her Relikes and intercessions was acknowledged for such To put on an attire proper to a diuers Sexe and in a disguised manner to expose ones selfe to a iourney together with men doth not onely passe the extraordinarie rules of Christian modestie but is euen contrarie to them A certaine young man hauing giuen his mother a kicke with his foote touched with a liuely repentance confessed it to S. ANTONIE of Padua who to imprint the horrour of his sinne more deepely in his heart saied vnto him amoÌ„gst other things my child the foote which serued for an instrument of wickednesse would deserue to be cut off for so great a trespasse which the youth tooke in so good earnest that being returned home to his mother transported with the feeling of contrition he cut of his foote the Saints words had not had such force according to their ordinarie qualitie vnlesse God had added his inspiration therevnto yea an inspiration so extraordinarie that it was esteemad rather a temptatioÌ„ if the miracle of his reunited foote caused by the Saints benediction had not authorised it S. PAVLE the first Hermite S. ANTONIE S. MARIE EGIPTIACA did not inhabite the vast wildernesse where they were depriued of hearing Masse communicating and confessing yea of all direction and assistance being young people without a strong inspiration The great SYMEON STYLITE led a life that neuer mortall creature would haue dream't of or haue vndertaken without an heaueÌ„ly instinct and assistance SAINT IOHN Bishop surnamed SILENTIARIVS forsaking his Bishoprike without the knowledge of any of his Clergie passed the rest of his dayes in the Monasterie of Laura nor was there after any newes heard of him Was not this contrarie to the rule of keeping a holy Residence And the great S. PAVLINE who sold himselfe to ransome a poore widowes sonne how could he doe it following the ordinarie lawes since he was not his owne but by his Episcopale consecration belonged to the Church and the Common The Virgins and wiues who being pursued for their beautie with voluntarie wounds disfigured their faces that vnder the maske of an holy deformitie they might conserue their chastitie did they not in appareÌ„ce prohibited things 2. Now the best marke of good inspirations in generall and particularly of extraordinarie ones is the peace and tranquillitie of the heart that receiues them for though the holy Ghost be truely violent yet is his violence sweete delicate and peaceable he comes as a blast of winde and as an heaueÌ„ly thunder-clape but he doth not ouerthrow the Apostles he troubles them not the feare which they had in hearing the noyse was of no continuance but was sodainly followed with a sweete assurance So that this fire seates it selfe vpon each of them where it giues and takes a sacred repose and as our Sauiour is called a peaceablâ— oâ— gentle Salomon so is his Spouse termed Sunamite calme and Daughter of Peace and the voice that is the inspiration of God doth not in any sort disquiet or trouble but drawes her so sweetely that he makes her soule deliciously melt and runne into him My soule quoth she melted when my Beloued spoke and though she be warlike and Martiall yet is she withall so peaceable that in the discord of weapons and warrs she maintaines the concord of an incomparable melodie What can you see saied she in the Sunamite but troupes of armed men Her armies consist of troupes that is of concords and singers and her troupes are armed men because the weapons of the Church and of the deuote soule are no other thing then Praiers Hymes Canticles and Psalmes So that seruants of God which had the most high and sublime inspirations were the most milde and peaceable that the world had Abraham Isaac Iacob Moyses are enstyled the most milde amongst men Dauid is famous for his mildnesse Whereas Contrariwise the Euill Spirit is turbulent rough stirring and those that follow hellish suggestions apprehending them to be heauenly inspirations are commonly easily knowen being disquieted headie fierce enterprisers and sticklers in affaires who vnder the cloake of Zeale doe turne all topce-turnie censure all the world chide euery one find fault with all things they are a people that will not be directed by or condiscend to any they will beare with nothing but exercise the passions of selfe-loue vnder the title of Zeale of Gods honour The third Marke of the Inspiration which is holy obedience to the Church and Superiours CHAPTER XIII 1. HOly humilitie is inseparably adioyned to the peace and sweetenesse of heart But I doe not terme a complementall ranging of words gestures and kissings of the ground obeissance inclinations humilitie being done as it often fals out without any inward sense of our owne abiection and of the iust conceite we make of our neighbour for these are but the vaine amusemeÌ„ts of a weake braine and are rather to be termed fantomes of humilitie then humilitie 2. I speake of a noble reall pithie and solide humilitie which makes vs supple to correction pliable and prompt to obedience While the incomparable Simeon Stylite was yet a Nouice at Toledo he could not be stirred by his Superiours aduise who sought to reclame him from the practise of so many strang austerities by which he was inordinatly cruell to hiÌ„selfe so that at leÌ„gth he was turned out of the Monasterie vpon it as one that was incapable of the mortificatioÌ„ of the miÌ„d aÌ„d too much addicted to that of the bodie but beiÌ„g recalled againe to the Monasterie aÌ„d become more deuote aÌ„d prudeÌ„t in spirituall life his behauiour was quite other as in the ensuing action he declared for the Hermits which were disperced in the neighbour Deserts of Antioche hauing notice of the extraordinarie life which he led vpon the Pillar in which he seemed to be either an earthly Angell or a neauenly maÌ„ they dispatched a Deputie with order to speake vnto him from them as followeth Why dost thou Simeon leauing the high way of perfection which so great and holy Forerunners haue troden follow another vncouth and farre different from all that hath bene seene or heard to this day Simeon forsake the Pillar and sort thy selfe with others as well in their manner of life aâ— in their methode of seruing God vsed by our holy Auncesters In case Simeon yeelding to their aduise and condescending to their pleasures should shew himselfe readie to descend they had
his heart and hands towards heauen whether the inspiration drawes him and beginning to displaie the winges of his affections flying betwixt the diffideÌ„ce which he hath of himselfe and the confideÌ„ce which he reposeth in God he intons in an ayre humbly amourous the Canticle of his conuersion by which he testifieth that euen already he knew one onely God Creatour of heauen and earth but withall he knew that he did not know him sufficieÌ„tly to serue him as he ought and therefore he petitions that a more perfect knowledg may be imparted vnto him that therby he may come to the perfect seruice of his diuine maiestie 4. Behould in the interim I beseech you THEO how God in a sweete manner fortifieth by little and little the grace of his inspiration in the consenting hearts drawing them after him as it were stepp by stepp vpon this IACOBS ladder But of what sort are his drawhtes The first by which he doth preuent and awake vs is his worke in vs without our cooperation All the other are his works and in vs but not without our concourse Draw me saied the sacred spouse that is begin thou first for I caÌ„not awake of my selfe I caÌ„not moue vnlesse thou moue me but when thou shalt once haue giuen motion then ô thou deare Spouse of my heart we runne we two thou runns before me drawing me still forward and as for me I will follow thee in thy course consenting to thy draught but let no man thinke that thou haist me after the by compulsion as a slaue or as a liuelesse charret ah no thou drawes me by the odour of thy perfumes though I follow thee it is not that thou trayles me but that thou dost intice me thy drawghtes are puissant but no way violent sith their whole force is placed in their sweetenesse Perfumes haue no other force to draw men to follow them then their sweetenesse and how could sweetenesse draw but sweetely and delightfully Of the feeling of the diuine loue which is had by faith CHAPTER XIV 1. VVHen God giues vs faith he enters into our soule and speakes to our heart not by manner of discourse but by way of inspiration proposing in so sweete a manner that which ought to be beleeued vnto the vnderstaÌ„ding that the will receiues therby a great complacence and such indeede as that it incites the vnderstanding to consent and yeeld to TRVTH without doubt or distrust at all and heare lyes the miracle for God proposeth the mysteries of faith to our soules amid'st obscurities and cloudes in such sort that we see not but onely ENTER-VIEVV it as TRVTH it happens somtimes that the face of the earth being couered with fogges we cannot view the Sunne but onely a little more then ordinarie brightnesse about where it is so that as one would saie we see it without seeing it because on the one side we see it not so faire as that we can well affirme we see it nor yet againe doe we see it so little that we may auerre we see it not and this is that which we terme ENTER-VIEVV And notwithstanding this obscure brightnesse of faith hâ—â—ing got entrie into our soule not by way of discourse or show of argument but by the onely sweetenesse of it's presence it workes the vnderstanding to beleeue and obey it with as great authoritie as the assurance which it giues vs of the TRVTH surpasseth all other assurances and doth keepe the vnderstanding and all the discourse therof in such subiection that they haue no credit in comparison of faith 2. Good God THEO may I well saie this Faith is the great friend of our vnderstanding and may iustly saie to humane sciences which vante they are more cleare then she as did the sacred spouse to the shepheards I am black yet faire ô humane discourses of sciences acquired I am black for I am seated amongst the obcurities of simple reuelatioÌ„s which haue no appareÌ„t euideÌ„ce but makes me looke blacke putting me well nigh out of knowledge yet I am faire in my selfe by reason of my infinite certaintie and if mortall eies could behould me such as I am by nature they would finde me entirely faire And must it not necessarily follow that in effect I am infinitly amiable since that the gloomie darknesse and thicke mistes amongst which I am not viewed but onely ENTER-VIEVVED could not hinder me to be so agreeable but that the vnderstanding prising me aboue all things and breaking the presse of other knowledges caused way be made vnto me and receiued me as his Queene into he most sublime throne of his Pallace from whence I giue lawes to all sciences and doe keepe all discourse and humane sense vnder yea verily THEO euen as the Commanders of the Armie of Israel stripping themselues put all their clothes in a heape and made them as a royall throne vpon which they placed IEHV crying IEHV is kinge so at faiths arriuall the vnderstanding puts of all discourse and arguments and submitting them to faith sets her vpon them acknowledging her for Queene and with a great ioye cries out VIVE LA FOY Discourse and pious arguments miracles and other aduantages of Christian religion make faith wonderfull credible and intelligible but faith alone makes her beleeued aÌ„d acknowledged enamoring men with the beautie of her VERITIE and making theÌ„ beleeue the veritie of her beautie by meanes of the sweetenesse which she poures into their wills and the assurance which she giues to their vnderstanding The IEWES saw the miracles and heard the wonders of our Sauiour but being indisposed to receiue faith that is their will not being capable of the sweetenesse aÌ„d pleasantnesse of faith by reason of the bitternesse and malice with which they were filled they persisted in their infidelitie They perceiued the force of the argumeÌ„t but they relished not the sweetenesse of the conclusion and therfore did not rest in her truth while notwithstanding the act of faith consisteth in this rest of the vnderstanding which hauing receiued the gratefull light of truth adheares to it as to a sweete yet powerfull and solide assurance and certaintie which it draweth from the authoritie of the REVELATION had therof 3. You haue heard THEO that in generall Councels there are great disputatioÌ„s and inquiries made of truth by discourse reason and theologicall arguments but the matters being discussed the FATHERS that is the Bishops but especially the POPE who is the head of Bishops doth resolue conclude and determine and the determination being once pronouÌ„ced euery one doth fully therin rest and quiet them selues not in consideration of the reasons alleaged in the precedent discussion and inquisition but in vertue of the Holy Ghosts authoritie who presiding inuisibly in Councells iudged determined and concluded by the mouth of his seruants whom he had established Pastours of Christianitie The inquisition then and the disputation is made in the PORCES by Priestes and Doctours but the resolution and determination is passed
but the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE darts our hearts into God and by consequence all our actions and affections most louingly dedicating and consecrating thē vnto him for Beneuolēce desires that all honour all Glorie ād acknowledgmēt possible should be rendred vnto God as a certaine exteriour good which is due to his Goodnesse 3. Now this desire is practised according to the complacence which we take in God as followeth We haue had an extreame Complacence to perceiue that God i◠soueraignely GOOD ād therefore by the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE we desire that all the Loues which we can possibly imagine may be imployed to loue this Goodnesse entirely We haue taken delight in the soueraigne excellencie of God's perfection and therevpon we desire that he should be soueraignely loued honored ād adored We haue bene ioyed to consider how God is not onely the first beginning but also the last end Authour Conseruour and Lord of all things for which reason we wish that all things should be subiect to him by a soueraigne obedience We see Gods will soueraignly perfect vpright iust equall and vpon this consideration our desire is that it should be the rule and soueraigne law of all things and that it should be obserued kept and obayed by all other wills 4. But note THEO that I treate not heare of the obedience due vnto God as he is our Lord and Maister our Father and Benefactour for this kind of obedience belongs to the vertue of Iustice not to Loue. No it is not this I speake off for the present for though there were no Hell to punish the wicked nor Heauen to reward the good and that we had no kind of obligation nor dutie to God be this saied by imagination of a thing impossible and scarcE imaginable yet would the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE moue vs to render all obedience and submission to God by election and inclination yea by a sweete violence of Loue in consideration of the Soueraigne Bountie Iustice and equitie of the Diuine will 5. Doe not we see THEO that a maide by a free choice proceeding from the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE doth subiect herselfe to her husband to whom otherwise she ought no dutie Or that a gentleman submits himselfe to a forraine Prince's command or else giues vp his will into the hands of the Superiour of some religious Order which he is content to vndertake 6. Euen so is our heart conformed to Gods when by holy Beneuolence we throw all our affections into the hands of the diuine will to be turned ād directed by it to be moulded ād formed to the good liking thereof And in this point the profoundest obedience of loue is placed which hath no neede of being spurred by minaces or rewards nor yet by lawes and commandements for it preuents all this submitting it selfe to God for the onely perfect goodnesse which is in him where by he deserues that all wills should be obedient vnto him subiect and vnder his power conforming and vniting themselues to his diuine intentions in and through all things How we are to conforme our selues to the Diuine will which is called the signified will CHAPTER III. 1. VVE doe sometimes consider God's will as it is in it selfe and finding it entirely holy and good it is an easie thing for vs to praise blesse and adore it and to sacrifice our owne ād all other creaturs wills to it's obseruāce in this diuine Exclamation THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN At other times we consider God's will in the particular effects thereof as in the euents that touch vs and accidents that befall vs and finally in the declaration and manifestation of his intentions And albeit that God in very deede hath but one most singular and most simple will yet doe we designe it by different names according to the varietie of the meanes whereby we know it by which varietie also we are diuersly obliged to conforme our selues to it 2. Christian doctrine doth clearely propose vnto vs the Truthes which God willeth that we should beleeue the goods that he will haue vs hope for the paines which he will haue vs to dread that which he will haue vs to loue the commandements which he will haue vs to obserue and the Coūcells which he desireth we should follow And all these are called God's SIGNIFIED WILL because he hath signified and made manifest vnto vs that his will and meaning is that all these should be beleeued hoped for feared loued and practised 3. Now for as much as this signified will of God proceeds by way of desire and not by way of absolute will we haue power either to follow it by obedience or by disobedience to resist it for to this porpose God makes three acts of his will He willeth that we should haue power to resist he desireth that we resist not and yet leaues it to vs to resist if we please That we haue power to resist depends of our naturall condition and libertie that we doe resist proceedes from our malice that we doe not resist is according to the diuine Bounties desire And therefore when we doe resist God contributs nothing to our disobediēce but leauing our will in the hand of her Libertie permits her to make choice of Euill But when we obay God contributs his assistance inspiration and grace for permission is an actio of the will which of it selfe is barren sterill and fruitlesse and is as it were a passiue action which acteth not but onely permits action desire contrariwise is an actiue action frutefull fertill which doth excite inuite and vrge Wherefore God desirous that we should follow his signified will doth sollicite exhort incite inspire aide and succour But in permitting vs to resist he doth nothing but simply leaue vs to our owne wills according to our free election contrarie to his desire and intention And yet this desire is a true desire for how can one more truely expresse the desire he hath to giue his friend a heartie welcome then to prouide for his sake a good and excellent banquet as did the king in the Euangelicall Parable and then to inuite vrge and in a manner to compell him by praiers exhortations pursuits to come sit downe at the table and eate Verily he that should by force of armes open his friends mouth crame meate into his throte and make him swallow it should not bestowe a friendly entertainemēt vpon his friend but should vse him like a beast and a cram'd Capon This kind of fauour would be offered by way of inuitation remonstrance and sollicitation not violently and forcibly thrust vpon a man and thēce it is practised by way of desire not of absolute will Now it goes after the same manner in the signified will of God for in it God doth desire with a true desire that we should doe that which he declares and to this effect he doth prouide vs of all things necessarie exhorting and vrging vs to make vse of them In
were held worthy to endure ignominie for their Sauiours name Of the conformitie of our will to Gods will signified in his Commandements CHAPTER V. 1. THe desire which God hath to make vs obserue his Commandements is extreame as the whole Scripture doth witnesse and how could he better expresse it then by the great reward which he proposeth to the obseruers of his law together with the wonderfull punishments which he doth minace to such as shall violate the same This made Dauid crye out ô Lord thou hast very much commanded thy Commandements to be kept 2. Now LOVE OF COMPLACENCE beholding this Diuine desire desires to please God in obseruing it The LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE which submits all to God doth also submit our desires and wills to this which God hath signified vnto vs whence doth spring not onely the obseruance but euen the Loue of the Commandements which Dauid doth extoll in the 118. Psalm in an extraordinarie straine which he seemes onely to haue done vpon this occasion O how thy holy law to me is deare It dayly theames my pen and thoughts doth hold And how ô Lord thy Testimonies beare Away my heart as Topase set in gold If honie be compared to thy sweete WORD Honie turn's gale and doth no sweetes afford But to stirre vp in vs the Loue of the Commandements we must coÌ„template their admirable beautie For as there are workes which are bad because they are prohibited and others prohibited because they are bad so there are some that are good because they are commanded and orthers are commanded because they are Good and most profitable so that all of them are exceeding good and amiable the commandement enriching with goodnesse such as were not otherwise good and giuing an excesse of goodnesse to such as in themselues were good without being commanded We doe not receiue euen that which is good in good part being presented by an enemies hand The Lacedemonians would not follow a solide and wholsome aduise comming from a wicked person till it were aduised them againe by a good man Contrariwise a friends present is alwayes gratefull The sweetest Commandements become bitter when they are imposed by a tyrannicall and cruell heart which turnes againe to be most amiable being ordained by Loue. Iacobs seruice seemed a Royaltie vnto him because it proceeded from Loue. O how sweete and how much to be desired is the yoake of the heauenly Law established by so amiable a king 3. Diuers keepe the commandements as sicke men take downe potions more through feare to die damned then pleasure to liue according to our Sauiours liking But as some persons haue an aduersion from phisike be it neuer so agreeable onely because it beares the name of phisike so there are some soules that abhorre things commanded onely because they are commanded And there was a certaine man found who hauing liued in the great towne of Paris for the space of fourescore yeares without euer going out of it as soone as it was enioyned him by the king that he should remaine there the rest of his dayes he went abrode to see the feilds which in his whole life time before he neuer desired 4. On the other side the louing heart Loues the commandements and by how much more hard they are by so much they are more agreeable because they doe more perfectly please the Beloued and are more honorable vnto him It sends out and sings hymnes of ioye when God doth teach it his Commandements and iustifications And as the Pilgrime who merrily sings on his way add's the paine of singing to that of going aÌ„d yet doth indeede by this surplus of paine vnwearie himselfe and lighten the difficultie of the way Euen so the sacred Louer finds such content in the Commandements that nothing doth so much ease and refresh him as the gracious loade of Gods Commandements wherevpon the holy Psalmist cryes out O Lord thy iustifications or Commandements are delicious songs to me in this place of my pilgrimage They saie that Mules and horses being loaden with figges doe presently fall vnder their burthen and loose their strength More sweete theÌ„ the figge is the law of our Lord but brutall maÌ„ who is become as a horse or Mule without vnderstanding looseth courage and finds not strength to beare this amiable burthen But as a branch of AGNVS CASâ—VS doth keepe the Traueller that beares it about him from being wearie so the Crosse Mortification the yoake the Law of our Sauiour who is the true CHAST LAMBE is a burthen which doth vnwearie refresh and recreate the hearts that Loue his diuine Maiestie There is no paine in the thing beloued or if there be any it is a beloued paine Paine mixed with loue hath a certaine tart-sweetenesse more pleasant to the pallate then a thing purely sweete 5. Thus then doth heaueÌ„ly Loue conforme vs to the will of God and makes vs carefully obserue his commandements as being the absolute desire of his diuine Maiestie whom we desire to please So that this complacence with its sweete and amiable violence doth forerunne the necessitie of obaying that which the law doth impose vpon vs conuerting the necessitie into dilection and the whole difficultie into delight Of the conformitie of our will to Gods signified vnto vs by his Counsells CHAPTER VI. 1. A Commandement doth argue a most entire and absolute will in him that giues it But Counsell doth onely signifie a WILL OF DESIRE A Commandement doth oblige vs Counsell onely incits vs A Commandement makes the Transgressours thereof culpable Counsell makes onely such as follow it not lesse laudable Those that violate Commandements deserue Damnation those that neglect Counsells deserue onely to be-lesse glorified There is a difference betwixt commanding and commending vnto ones care in coÌ„manding we vse authoritie to oblige but in commending vnto ones care we vse curtisie to egge and incite A Commandement doth impose necessitie Counsell and recommendation incits vs to that which is more profitable Obedience corresponds to Commandements beliefe to Counsells We follow Counsell with intention to please and Commandements least we might displease And thence it is that the LOVE OF COMPLACâ—NCE which doth oblige vs to please the beloued doth by consequence vrge vs to follow his Counsells and the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE which desires that all wills and affections should be subiected vnto him procurs that we doe not onely will that which he ordaines but also that which he counsells and to which he doth exhort like as the Loue and respect which a good child beares vnto his Father makes him resolue to liue not onely according to the Commandements which he doth impose but euen according to the desires and inclinations which he doth manifest 2. Counsell is giuen in fauour of him to whom it is giuen to th' end he might become perfect If thou wilt be perfect saied our Sauiour goe sell all that thou hast giue it to the poore and follow me 3. But a louing heart doth not
happie and his life blessed ô what a blessed life saith S. AVGVSTINE which to flie we flie to death If it be blessed why doe you not remaine in it So that Captaine of the Stoicks who was so greartly extolled amongst those cruell and profane people for hauing slaine himselfe in Vtica to auoyd a calamitie which he reputed vnworthy of his life performed it with so little true vertue that as S. AVGVSTINE saieth he did not testifie that he had a courage that would eschew dishonour but a weake soule which had not the heart to expect aduersitie For if he reputed it a dishonorable thinge to liue vnder Caesars coÌ„mand why had he commanded to hope in Caesars mercy why did he not aduise his sonne to die with him if death were better aÌ„d more honorable then life He killed himselfe then because he either enuyed Caesar the glorie to haue power to pardoÌ„ him or for that he apprehended it a disgrace to liue vnder a Conquerour that he hated wherein he may be commended for a stout and bigge heart yet not for a wise vertuous and stayed Spirit The crueltie which is exercised out of choler in cold blood is the most cruell of all it is the like in despaire for the most slow deliberate and resolute is the lest excusable and the most desperate And as for LVCRECIA that we may not forget the vallour of the lesse vallourous Sexe Either she was chast when TARQVINIVS did force and violate her or she was not If LVCRECIA was not chast why is the chastitie of Lucrecia commended If Lucrecia were chast and vnspotted in that occurrence was it not an vnworthy fact in Lucrecia to murther the innocent Lucrecia If she were adulterious why so much extolled If honest why was she slaine I But she dreaded dishonour and reproch from such as might haue thought that the dishonour which she suffered by force while yet she liued had bene willingly suffered if she had after daigned to liue She was afraied the world would iudge that she complied with the sinne if that which was villanously coÌ„mitted against her had bene patiently supported by her And must we then to auoyd shame and reproch which depends vpon the opinion of men oppresse the innocent and kill the iust must we maintaine honour at vertues â—ost and reputation with hazard of iniustice Such were the vertues of the most vertuous Pagans towards God and towards themselues 3. Touching the vertues that belong to our neighbours euen by their lawes they trod them shamefully vnder foote yea the principall of them Pietie For Aristotle the greatest wit amongst them doth pronounce this most horrible and violent sentence Touching the exposing that is the abandoning of children or their education let this be the law that nothing is to be kept that is depriued of any member touching other children if they be prohibited by the lawes and customes of the Citie to forsake their children and that the numbers of any ones children doe so encrease on him that he hath more by halfe then his meanes will keepe he is to preueÌ„t and to procure an aborsement Seneca that so renowned a wise man we kill monsters saieth he and such of our children as are manke weaklings imperfect or moÌ„strous we reiect and abandone So that it is not without cause that Tertullian doth reproch the Romans with the exposing of their children to the mercy of the waters to the cold to famine to dogs and this also not by the extreamitie of want for as he saieth the Presidents and Magistrats themselues practised this vnnaturall crueltie ô good God THEO what kind of vertuous men were these And what was their wisdome who taught a wisdome so cruell and brutall Alas saied the great Apostle thinking themselues wise they became senselesse and their foolish heart hath bene darkened and deliuered vp into a reprobate sense Ah what a horrour it is that so great a Philosopher should aduise aborsement It is a forerunning of manslaughter saieth Tertullian to hinder a child conceiued to be borne and S. Ambrose reprehending the Pagans for this barbarousnesse they depriue by this meanes saieth he their children of life before they are yet possessed of it 4. And if the PagaÌ„s haue at any time practised any vertues it was most ordinarily in regard of wordly glorie and consequently they had onely vertue in action but neither the motiues nor inteÌ„tion thereof nor is vertue true vertue vnlesse it haue a right intention The Pagans force was built vpon humane auarice saieth the Councell of Aur but the strength of Christians is established by heauenly charitie The Pagans vertues saieth S. AVGVSTINE were not true but onely resembled Truth as not hauing bene practised to their true end but for pretentions that vanish away FABRITIVS shall be lesse punished then CATAZINE not that he was good but because this was worse Not that FABRITIVS had any true vertues but because he was not so farre distant from them So that the Pagans vertues at the day of Iudgment will be a kind of defence to them not that they can be saued thereby but that they may be lesse daÌ„ned one vice was blotted out by another amongst the Pagans one vice making place to another without leauing any place at all to vertue And out of vaine glorie onely they repressed auarice and many other vices yea sometimes through vanitie they despised vanitie wherevpon one of them who seemed to be least vaine trampled with his feete Plato's finely made bed what dost thou DIOGENES saied PLATO vnto him I tread vnder foote Plato's pride quoth he It is true replyed PLATO thou treadst vpon it but with another pride Whether SENECA was vaine may be gathered out of his last words for the end crownes the worke and the last houre iudgeth all ô what vanitie being at the point of death he saied vnto his friends that be could not till now sufficiently thanke them aâ—â— that therefore he would leaue them a Legacie part of that which was most gracious and excellent in him and which if they carefully kept they should receiue great honour by it adding that this magnificent Legacie was no other thinge then the picture of his life Doe not you marke THEO how his last breathing stinke of vanitie It was not the loue of honestie but the loue of honour which pricked forward those wise worldlings to the exercise of vertue and indeede their vertues were as different from true vertues as the honour of honestie and the loue of merite is different from the Loue of reward Those that serue their Prince for their owne interest doe ordinarily performe their dutie with more solicitude ardour and feeling but such as serue out of Loue doe it more nobly generously and therefore more worthily 4. Carbunckles and Rubies are called by the grecians by two contrarie names to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of fire aÌ„d without fire or else inflamed and without flame They