in another place Audite coeli auribus percipe terra Harken ye heavens and thou earth bend hither thine eares Filios enutrivi exaltavi ipsi autem spreuerunt me I have norished up children and have exalted them and now they contemn me What a pitiful complaint is this of God against most vile and base worms of the earth But yet God amplifieth this iniquitie more by certain examples and comparisons The oxe saith he knoweth his owner and the asse knoweth the manger of his Lord and maister but yet my people know not me wo be to the sinful nation to the people loden with iniquitie to this naughtie seed to wicked children What complaint can be more vehement than this What threatning can be more dreadful than this wo comming from the mouth of him which may punish us at his pleasure 19 Wherfore deer brother if thou have grace cease to be ungrateful to God any longer cease to offend him which hath by so manie wais prevented thee with benefits cease to render evil for good hatred for love contempt for his fatherly affection towards thee He hath done for thee al that he can he hath given thee al that thou art yea and in a certain maner al that he is woorth himselfe and meaneth besides to make thee partaker of al his glorie in the world to come and requireth no more for al this at thy hands but love and gratitude O deer brother why wilt thou not yeeld him this Why wilt thou not do as much to him as thou wouldest haue another man to do to thee for lesse than the ten thousand part of these benefits which thou hast receaved For I dare wel say that if thou hadst given a man but an almes at thy dore thou wouldest think him bound to love thee for it albeit thou hadst nothing in thee woorth love besides But now thy Lord besides these his gifts hath infinite causes to make thee love him that is al the causes which any thing in the world hath to purchase love and infinite more besides for if al the perfections of al things created in heaven and in earth which do procure love were put togither in one as al their beautie al their vertu al their nobilitie al their goodnes and the like yet thy Lord and Savior whom thou contemnest doth passe al this and that by many and infinite degrees for that he is not only al these things togither but also he is very beautie it selfe vertu it selfe wisdom it selfe sweetnes it selfe nobilitie it selfe goodnes it selfe and the very fountain and welspring where hence al these things are derived by litle peeces and parcels unto his creatures 20 Be ashamed then good Christian of this thy ingratitude to so great so good bountiful a Lord and resolve thy selfe for the time to come to amend thy course of life and behavior towards him Say with the prophet which had lesse cause to say so than thou Domine propitiare peccatomeo multum est enim O Lord pardon me mine offences for it is great in thy sight I know there is nothing O Lord which doth so much displease thee or dry up the fountain of thy mercy and so bindeth thy hands from dooing good as ingratitude in the receavers of thy benefits wherin hitherto I have exceeded al other but I have done it O Lord in mine ignorance not considering thy gifts unto me nor what account thou wouldest demaund again of the same But now seeing thou hast vouchsafed to make me woorthy of this grace also wherby to see and know mine own state and default I hope hereafter by direction of the same grace of thine to shew my selfe a better child towards thee O Lord I am overcome at the lenth with consideration of thy love and how can I have the hart to offend thee hereafter seeing thou hast prevented me so many wais with benefits even when I demanded not the same Can I have hands ever more to sin against thee which hast given up thine own most tender hands to be nailed on the crosse for my sins heretofore No no it is too great an injurie against thee O Lord and wo woorth me that have done it so often heretofore But by thy holy assistance I trust not to return to such iniquitie for the time to come to which O Lord I beseech thee for thy mercy sake from thy holie throne of heaven to say Amen CHAP. VIII Of what opinion and feeling we shal be touching these matters at the time of our death THe holie scriptures do teach us and experience maketh it plain that during the time of this life the commodities preferments and pleasures of the world do possesse so strongly the harts of manie men and do hold them chained with so forcible inchauntments being forsaken also upon their just deserts of the grace of God say and threaten what a man can bring against them al the whole scripture even from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalips as indeed it is al against sin and sinners yet wil it prevail nothing with them being in that lamentable case as either they beleeve not or esteem not whatsoever is said to that purpose against their setled life and resolution to the contrary Of this we have infinite examples in scripture as of Sodom and Gomorra with the cities about which could not heare the warnings that good Lot gave unto them Also of Pharao whom al that ever Moises could do either by signes or saiengs mooved nothing Also of Iudas who by no faire means or threatnings used to him by his maister would change his wicked resolution But especially the prophets sent from God from time to time to dissuade the people from their naughtie life and consequently from the plaegs hanging over them do give abundant testimonie of this complaining everie where of the hardnes of sinners harts that would not be mooved with al the exhortations preachings promises and thunderings that they could use The prophet Zacharie shal testifie for al in this matter who saith of the people of Israel a litle before their destruction Hoc ait Dominus exercituum c. This saith the Lord of hosts iudge iustly And so foorth And presentlie he addeth And they would not attend but turning their baks went away stopped their ears to the end they might not heare and they did put their harts as an adamant stone to the end they might not heare the law and the words which God did send in his spirit by the hands of the former prophets wherby Gods great indignation was stirred up 2 This then is and alwais hath been the fashion of worldlings reprobate persons to harden their harts as an adamant stone against any thing that shal be told them for the amendement of their lives and for the saving of their souls Whiles they are in helth prosperitie they wil not know God As in
their minds may be altered and they yeeld themselues unto the humble and sweet service of their Lord and Saviour and that the Angels in heaven may rejoice and triumph of their regaining as of sheepe most dangerously lost before CHAP. II. How necessarie it is to enter into earnest consideration and meditation of our estate THE prophet Ieremie after a long complaint of the miseries of his time fallen upon the Iewes by reason of their sins vttereth the cause thereof in these words Al the earth is fallen into utter desolation for that there is no man which considereth deeply in his hart Signifieng hereby that if the Iewes would haue entered into deepe and earnest consideration of their liues and estate before that great desolation fel vpon them they might haue escaped the same as the Niniuites did by the fore-warning of Ionas albeit the sword was now drawen and the hand of God stretched out within fortie daies to destroy them So important a thing is this consideration In figure wherof al beasts in old time which did not ruminate or chew their cud were accounted vnclean by the law of Moises as no dowt but that soule in the sight of God must needs be which resolveth not in hart nor cheweth in often meditation of minde the things required at hir hands in this life 2 For of want of this consideration and du meditation all the foul errors of the world are committed and many thousand Christians do find themselves within the verie gates of hel before they mistrust any such matter towards them being caried thorough the vale of this life blindfolded with the veile of negligence and inconsideration as beasts to the slawghter how 's and never suffered to see their own danger vntil it be too late to remedie the same 3 For this cause the holy scripture doth recommend vnto us most carefully this exercise of meditation and diligent consideration of our duties to deliver us thereby from the peril which inconsideration leadeth us unto 4 Moises hauing delivered to the people his embassage from God touching al particulars of the law addeth this clause also from God as most necessarie These words must remain in thy hart thou shalt meditate vpon them both at home and abroad when thou goest to bed and when thou risest again in the morning And again in another place Teach your children these things that they may meditate in their harts upon them The like commandement was given by God himselfe to Iosua at his first election to govern the people to wit that he should meditate vpon the law of Moises both day night to the end he might keepe and perform the things written therein And God addeth presently the commoditie he should reap thereof For then saith he shalt thou direct thy way aright and shalt vnderstand the same Signifieng that without this meditation a man goeth both amisse and also blindly not knowing himselfe whither 5 Saint Paul having described vnto his scholler Timothie the perfect dutie of a Prelate addeth this advertisement in the end Haec meditare Meditate ponder and consider vpon this And finally whensoever the holy scripture describeth a wise happie or iust man for all these are one in scripture for that justice is only tru wisdome and felicitie one cheefe point is this He wil meditate upon the law of God both day and night And for examples in the scripture how good men did use to meditate in times past I might here reckon vp great store as that of Isaac who went foorth into the feelds towards night to meditate also that of Ezechias the king who as the scripture saith did meditate like a dove that is in silence with his hart only without noise of words But above al other the example of holie David is singular herein who every where almost maketh mention of his continual exercise in meditation saieng to God I did meditate upon thy cōmandements which I loved And again I wil meditate vpon thee in the mornings And again O Lord how have I loved thy law It is my meditation al the day long And with what fervour and vehemencie he used to make these his meditations he sheweth when he saith of himselfe My hart did wax hot within me and fire did kindle in my meditations 6 This is recorded by the holy Ghost of these ancient good men to confound vs which are Christians who being far more bound to fervour than they by reason of the greater benefits we have received yet do we live so lazily for the most part of us as we never almost enter into the meditation and earnest consideration of Gods laws and commandements of the mysteries of our faith of the life and death of our Saviour or of our dutie towards him and much lesse do we make it our daily studie and cogitation as those holie kings did notwithstanding al their great busines in the cōmonwealth 7 Who is there of vs now adaies which maketh the laws and commandements or justifications of God as the scripture termeth them his daily meditations as king David did Neither only in the day time did he this but also by night in his hart as in another place he testifieth of himselfe How many of vs do passe over whole dais and months without ever entring into these meditations Nay God grant there be not many Christians in the world which know not what these meditations do mean We beleeve in grosse the mysteries of our Christian faith as that there is an hel an heaven a reward for vertu a punishment for vice a judgement to come an accompt to be made and the like but for that we chew them not wel by deepe consideration and do not digest them wel in our harts by the heat of meditation they helpe vs little to good life no more than a preservative put in a mans pocket can helpe his health 8 What man in the world would adventure so easily vpon sin as commonly men do which drink it up as easily as beasts drink water if he did consider in particular the great danger and losse of grace the losse of Gods favour and purchasing his eternal wrath also the death of Gods own son sustained for sin the inaestimable torments of hel for the everlasting punishment of the same Which albeit everie Christian in summe doth beleeve yet bicause the most part do never consider them with du circumstances in their harts therefore they are not moved with the same but do beare the knowledge thereof locked vp in their breasts without any sense or feeling even as a man carieth fire about him in a flint stone without heat or perfumes in a pommander without smel except the one be beaten and the other be chafed 9 And now to come nere our matter which we mean to handle in this booke what man living would not resolve himselfe thorowly to serve God in deed
and were not readie jump at the very hour to go in with him and would not know them when they came after and finally he promiseth to damn al those without exception which shal work iniquitie as S. Mathew testifieth 7 Moreover being asked by a certain ruler on a time how he might be saved he would geeve him no other hope so long as he sought salvation by his works though he were a prince but only this If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements of God And talking with his disciples at another time of the same matter he geeveth them no other rule of their life but this If ye love me keepe my commandements As who should say if you were never so much my disciples if ye break my commandements there is no more love nor frindship betwixt us And S. Iohn which best of al others knew his meaning herein expoundeth it in this sense when he saith If a man saith he knoweth God and yet keepeth not his commandements he is a liar and the truth is not in him And more yet to take away al hope or expectation from his disciples of any other way pleasing him than by keeping his commandements he saith in another place that He came not to take away the law but to fulfill it and streight way he inferreth upon the same Whosoever therfore shal break one of the least of these commandements shal be called the least in the kingdom of heaven For which cause at his departure out of the world the verie last words that he spake to his Apostles were these that They should teach men to observe al his commandements whatsoever 8 By which appeereth the severe meaning that Christ had touching our account for the keeping of his commandements in this life The which also may be gathered by that being asked whether the number were smal of them that should be saved he counseleth men to strive to go into the strait gate for that many should be shut out yea even of them which had eaten and drunken with him and had enjoied the corporal presence of his blessed bodie but had not regarded to live as he commanded them In which case he signifieth that no respect or frindship must take place with him at the last day for which cause he said to the man whom he had healed at the fish pools side in Ierusalem Behold now thou art hole see thou sin no more least worse come to thee than before And generally he warneth vs in Saint Mathews gospel that we agree with our adversaries and make our accounts streight in this life otherwise we shal pay the uttermost farthing in the life to come And yet more severely he saith in another place That we shal render account at the day of iudgment for every idle word which we have spoken 9 Which day of judgement he warneth us of before and foretelleth the rigor and danger in sundrie places of holie scripture to the end we should prevent the same and so direct our lives while we have time in this world as we may present our selves at that day without fear and danger or rather with great joy and comfort when so manie thousands of wicked people shal appeer there to their eternal confusion 10 And bicause there is nothing which so fitly sheweth the severitie of Christ in taking our account at the last day as the order and maner of this judgement described most diligently by the holy scripture it selfe it shal make much for our purpose to consider the same And first of al it is to be noted that there be two judgements appointed after death wherof the one is called particular wherby ech man presently upon his departure from this world receaveth particular sentence either of punishment or of glorie according to his deeds in this life as Christs own words are wherof we have examples in Lazarus and the rich glutton who were presently caried the one to pain the other to rest as Saint Luke testifieth And to dowt of this were obstinacie as Saint Austen affirmeth The other judgment is called general for that it shal be of al men togither in the end of the world where shal a final sentence be pronounced either of reward or punishment upon al men that ever lived according to the works which they have done good or bad in this life and afterward never more question be made of altering their estate that is of easing the pain of the one or ending the glorie of the other 11 Now as touching the first of these two judgements albeit the holy ancient fathers especiallie Saint Austen do gather and consider divers particulars of great severitie and feare as the passage of our soul from the body to the tribunal seat of God under the custody both of good and evil angels the fear she hath of them the sodain strangenes of the place where she is the terror of Gods presence the strait examination she must abide and the like yet for that the most of these things are to be considered also in the second judgement which is general I wil passe over to the same noting only certain reasons yeelded by the holy fathers why God after the first judgement wherin he had assigned to ech man according to his deserts in particular would appoint moreover this second general judgment Wherof the first is for that the body of man rising from his sepulchre might be partaker of the eternal punishment or glorie of the soul even as it hath beene partaker with the same either in vertue or vice in this life The second is that as Christ was dishonored and put to confusion here in the world publikly so much more he might shew his majestie and power at that day in the sight of al creatures and especially of his enimies The third is that both the wicked and good might receave their reward openly to more confusion hart greefe of the one and to the greater joy and triumph of the other who commonly in this world have been overborn by the wicked The fourth is for that evil men when they die do not commonly carie with them al their demerit and evil for that they leave behind them either their evil example or their children and familiars corrupted by them or els books and means which may in time corrupt others Al which being not yet done but comming to passe after their death they cannot so conveniently receave their judgement for the same presently but as the evil falleth out so their pains are to be increased The like may be said of the good So that for examples sake Saint Pauls glorie is increased daily and shal be unto the worlds end by reason of them that daily profit by his writings and example and the pains of the wicked are for the like reason daily augmented But at the last day of judgment shal be an end
the discipline of the Lord and be not wearie when thou art chastened of him For whom God loveth he chasteneth he whippeth every son whom he receiveth Persevere therfore in the correction laid upon you God offereth himselfe to you as to his children For what child is there whom the father correcteth not If you be out of correction wherof al his children are made partakers then are you bastards and not children Al correction for the present time when it is suffered seemeth unpleasant and sorrowful but yet after it bringeth foorth most quiet fruit of justice unto them that are exercised by it Wherfore strengthen up your wearie hands and loosed knees make way to your feet c. That is take courage unto you and go forward valiantly under the crosse laid upon you This was the exhortation of this holie captain unto his countrie men soldiers of Iesus Christ the Iewes 47 Saint Iames the brother of our Lord useth another exhortation to al tru Catholiks not much different from this in that his epistle which he writeth generally to al. Be you therfore patient my brethren saith he until the comming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman expecteth for a time the fruit of the earth so pretious unto him bearing patiently until he may receive the same in his season be you therfore patient and comfort your harts for that the comming of the Lord wil shortly draw neere Be not sad and complain not one of another Behold the judge is even at the gate Take the prophets for an example of labor and patience which spake unto us in the name of God Behold we account them blessed which have suffered You have heard of the sufferance of Iob and you have seen the end of the Lord with him you have seen I say that the Lord is merciful and ful of compassion 48 I might heer alledge many things more out of the scripture to this purpose for that the scripture is most copious heerin and in verie deed if it should al be melted and powred out it would yeeld us nothing else almost but touching the crosse and patient bearing of tribulation in this life But I must end for that this chapter riseth to be long as the other before did and therfore I wil only for my conclusion set down the confession and most excellent exhortation of old Mathathias unto his children in the time of the cruel persecution of Antiochus against the Iews Now saith he is the time that pride is in hir strength now is the time of chastisement towards us of eversion and indignation come Now therfore O children be you zealous in the law of God yeeld up your lives for the testament of your fathers remember the works of your ancestors what they have done in their generations and so shal you receive great glorie and eternal name Was not Abraham found faithful in time of temptation and it was reputed unto him for justice Ioseph in time of his distresse kept Gods commandements and was made Lord over al Egypt Phinees our father for his zeal towards the law of God received the testament of an everlasting preesthood Iosue for that he fulfilled Gods word was made a captain over al Israel Caleb for that he testified in the church received an inheritance David for his mercie obtained the seat of an eternal kingdom Elias for that he was zealous in zeal of the law was taken up to heaven Ananias Azarias and Misael through their beleef were delivered from the flame of the fire Daniel for his simplicitie was delivered from the mouth of lions And so do you run over by cogitation al generations and you shal see that al those that hope in God shal not be vanquished And do you not fear the words of a sinful man for his glorie is nothing els but dung and worms to day he is great and exalted and to morrow he shal not be found for he shal return unto his earth again and al his fond cogitations shal perish Wherfore take courage unto you my children and play the men in the law of God For therin shal be your honor and glorie Hitherto are the words of Mathathias which shal suffice for the end of this chapter CHAP. III. Of the third impediment that letteth men from resolution which is the love of the world AS the two impediments remooved before be indeed great staies to many men from the resolution we talk of so this that now I take in hand is not only of it selfe a strong impediment but also a great cause and common ground as it were to al the other impediments that be For if a man could touch the very pulse of al those who refuse or neglect or defer this resolution he should find the foundation therof to be the love of this world whatsoever other excuse they pretend besides The noble men of Iewrie pretended fear to be the cause why they could not resolve to confesse Christ openly but Saint Iohn that felt their pulse uttereth the tru cause to have been For that they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God Demas that forsook Saint Paul in his bands even a little before his death pretended another cause of his departure to Thessalonica but Saint Paul saith it was Quia diligebat hoc seculum For that he loved this world So that this is a general and universal impediment and more indeed dispersed than outwardly appeereth for that it bringeth foorth divers other excuses therby to cover hir selfe in many men 2 This may be confirmed by that most excellent parable of Christ recorded by three Evangelists of the three sorts of men which are to be damned the three causes of their damnation wherof the third and last and most general including as it were both the rest is the love of this world For the first sort of men are compared to a high way where al seed of life that is sown either withereth presently or else is eaten up by the birds of the aire that is as Christ expoundeth it by the devil in carelesse men that contemn whatsoever is said unto them as infidels and al other obstinate and contemptuous people The second sort are compared to rocky grounds in which for lak of deep roote the seed continueth not wherby are signified light and unconstant men that now chop in and now run out now are fervent and by and by key-cold again and so in time of temptation they are gon The third sort are compared to a field where the seed groweth up but yet there are so many thorns on the same which Christ expoundeth to be the cares troubles miseries deceveable vanities of this life as the good corn is choked up and bringeth foorth no fruit By which last words our savior signifieth that whersoever the doctrine of Christ groweth up yet bringeth not foorth du fruit that is whersoever it is
by to watch the same The prophet David to signifie the very same thing that is the infinite multitude of snares in this world saith God shal raign snares upon sinners That is God shal permit wicked men to fal into snares which are as plentiful in the world as are the drops of rain which fal down from heaven Every thing almost is a deadly snare unto a carnal and loose harted man Every sight that he seeth every word that he heareth every thought that he conceiveth his youth his age his frinds his enimies his honor his disgrace his riches his povertie his companie keeping his prosperitie his adversitie his meat that he eateth his apparel that he weareth al are snares to draw him to destruction that is not watchful 49 Of this then and of the blindnes declared before doth follow the last and greatest miserie of al which can be in this life and that is the facilitie wherby worldly men do run into sin For truly saith the scripture Miseros facit populos peccatum Sin is the thing that maketh people miserable And yet how easily men of the world do commit sin and how little scruple they make of the matter Iob signifieth when talking of such a man he saith Bibit quasi aquam iniquitatem He suppeth up sin as it were water That is with as great facilitie custome and ease passeth he down any kind of sin that is offered him as a mā drinketh water when he is a thirst He that wil not beleeve the saieng of Iob let him prove a little by his own experience whether the matter be so or no let him walk out in to the streets behold the doings of men view their behavior consider what is done in shops in hals in consistories in judgement seats in pallaces and in common meeting places abroad what lieng what slandering what deceiving there is He shal find that of al things wherof men take any account nothing is so little accounted of as to sin He shal see justice sold veritie wrested shame lost and equitie despised He shal see the innocent condemned the giltie delivered the wicked advanced the vertuous opressed He shal see many theves florish many usurers bear great sway many murderers extortioners reverenced honored many fools put in authoritie and divers which have nothing in them but the form of men by reason of money to be placed in great dignities for the government of others He shal hear at every mans mouth almost vanitie pride detraction envie deceit dissimulation wantonnes dissolution lieng swearing perjurie and blaspheming Finally he shal see the most part of men to govern themselves absolutely even as beasts do by the motion of their passions not by law of justice reason religion or vertu 50 Of this doth insu the fift point that Christ toucheth in his parable and which I promised heer to handle to wit that the love of this world choketh up and strangleth every man whom it possesseth from al celestial and spiritual life for that it filleth him with a plain contrarie spirit to the spirit of God The apostle saith Si quis spiritum Christi non habet hic non est eius If any man hath not the spirit of Christ this fellow belongeth not unto him Now how contrarie the spirit of Christ and the spirit of the world is may appeer by the fruits of Christs spirit rekoned up by Saint Paul unto the Galathians to wit Charitie which is the root and mother of al good works Ioy in serving God Peace or tranquillitie of mind in the storms of this world Patience in adversitie Longanimitie in expecting our reward Bonitie in hurting no man Benignitie in sweet behavior Gentlenes in occasion given of anger Faithfulnes in performing our promises Modestie without arrogancie Continencie from al kind of wickednes Chastitie in conserving a pure mind in a clean and unspotted bodie Against these men saith Saint Paul there is no law And in the very same chapter he expresseth the spirit of the world by the contrarie effects saieng The works of flesh are manifest which are fornication uncleannes wantonnes lecherie idolatrie poisonings enmities contentions emulations wrath strife dissention sects envie murder droonkennes gluttonie and the like of which I foretel you as I have told you before that those men which do such things shal never obtain the kingdome of heaven 51 Heer now may every man judge of the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ and applieng it to himselfe may conjecture whether he holdeth of the one or of the other Saint Paul giveth two pretie short rules in the very same place to trie the same The first is They which are of Christ have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences therof That is they have so mortified their own bodies as they strive against al the vices sins repeated before and yeeld not to serve the concupiscences or temptations therof The second rule is If we live in spirit then let us walk in spirit That is our walking and behavior is a sign whether we be alive or dead For if our walking be spiritual such as I have declared before by those fruits therof then do we live have life in spirit but if our works be carnal such as S. Paul now hath described then are we carnal and dead in spirit neither have we any thing to do with Christ or portion in the kingdome of heaven And for that al the world is ful of those carnal works and bringeth foorth no fruits indeed of Christs spirit nor permitteth them to grow up or prosper within hir thence is it that the scripture alwais putteth Christ and the world for opposite and open enimies 52 Christ himselfe saith that The world cannot receive the spirit of truth And again in the same Evangelist he saith that Neither he nor any of his are of the world though they live in the world And yet further in his most vehement praier unto his father Pater iuste mundus te non cognovit Iust father the world hath not known thee For which cause S. Iohn writeth If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him And yet further Saint Iames that Whosoever but desireth to be frind of this world is therby made an enimie to God What wil worldly men say to this Saint Paul affirmeth plainly that this world is to be damned And Christ insinuateth the same in Saint Iohns Gospel but most of al in that wonderful fact of his when praieng to his father for other matters he excepteth the world by name Non pro mundo rogo saith he I do not aske mercie and pardon for the world but for those which thou hast given me out of the world Oh what a dreadful exception is this made by the savior of the world by the lamb that taketh away al sins
whole course and canon of scripture runneth that Christians should be Attenti vigilantes solliciti instantes ferventes perseverantes sine intermissione that is Attent vigilant careful instant fervent and perseverant without intermission in the service of God But these men have no one of these points nor any degree of any one of these points but every one the clean contrarie For they are neither attent to those things which appertain unto God nor vigilant nor solicitous nor careful and much lesse instant and fervent and least of al perseverant without intermission for that they never begin But on the contrarie side they are carelesse negligent lumpish remisse key-cold perverse contemning and despising yea loathing and abhorring al matters that appertain to the mortifieng of themselves and tru service of God What part have these men then in the lot and portion of Christians beside only the bare name which profiteth nothing 16 And this is sufficient to shew how great and dangerous an impediment this careles senseles and supine negligence is to the resolution wherof we intreat For if Christ require to the perfection of this resolution that whosoever once espieth out the treasure hidden in the field that is the kingdome of heaven and the right way to come to it he should presently go and sel al that he hath and bie the field that is he should prefer the pursute of this kingdome of heaven before al the commodities of this life whatsoever and rather venture them al than to omit this treasure if Christ I say require this as he doth when wil these men ever be brought to this point which wil not give the least part of their goods to purchase that field nor go forth of doore to treat the bieng therof nor wil so much as think or talk of the same nor allow of him which shal offer the means and wais to compas it 17 Wherfore whosoever findeth himselfe in this disease I would counsel him to read some chapters of the first part of this booke especially the third and fourth treating of the causes for which we were sent into this world as also the fift of the account which we must yeeld to God of our time heer spent and he shal therby understand I dowt not the error and danger he standeth in by this damnable negligence wherin he sleepeth attending only to those things which are meere vanities and for which he came not into this world and passing over other matters without care or cogitation which only are of importance and to have been studied and thought upon by him 18 The third and last impediment that I purpose to handle in this booke is a certain affection or evil disposition in some men called by the scriptures hardnes of hart or in other words obstinacie of mind Wherby a man is setled in resolution never to yeeld from the state of sin wherin he liveth whatsoever shal or may be said against the same And I have reserved this impediment for the last place in this booke for that it is the last and woorst of al other impediments discovered before containing al the evil in it selfe that any of the other before rehearsed have and adding besides a most wilful and malicious resolution of sin quite contrarie to that resolution which we so much indevor to induce men unto 19 This hardnes of hart hath divers degrees in divers men and in some much more greevous than in others For some are arrived to that high and cheefe obduration which I named before in such sort as albeit they wel know that they are amisse yet for some worldly respect or other they wil not yeeld nor change their course Such was the obduration of Pilate though he knew that he condemned Christ wrongfully yet not to leese the favor of the Iews or incur displeasure with his prince he proceeded and gave sentence against him This also was the obduration of Pharao who though he saw the miracles of Moises and Aaron and felt the strong hand of God upon his kingdome yet not to seeme to be overcome by such simple people as they were nor that men should think he would be inforced by any mean to relent he persevered stil in his wilful wickednes until his last and utter destruction came upon him This hardnes of hart was also in king Agrippa and Felix governor of Iewrie who though in their own cōscience they thought that Saint Paule spake truth unto them yet not to hazard their credit in the world they continued stil and perished in their own vanities And commonly this obduration is in al persecutors of vertu and vertuous men and especially of those that professe the truth whom though they see evidently to be innocent and to have the word of God and equitie on their side yet to maintain their estate credit and favor in the world they persist without either mercie or release until God cut them off in the midst of their malice and furious cogitations 20 Others there are who have not this obduration in so high a degree as to persist in wickednes directly against their own knowledge but yet they have it in another sort for that they are setled in firm purpose to follow the trade which alreadie they have begun and wil not understand the dangers therof but do seeke rather means to persuade themselves and quiet their consciences therin and nothing is so offensive unto them as to hear any thing against the same Of these men holy Iob saith Dixerunt Deo recede à nobis scientiam viarum tuarum nolumus They say to God depart from us we wil not have the knowledge of thy wais And the prophet David yet more expressely Their furie is like the furie of serpents like unto cocatrices that stop their ears and wil not hear the voice of the inchanter By this inchanter he meaneth the holie Ghost which seeketh by al means possible to charm thee from the bewitching wherin they stand called by the wise man Fascinatio nugacitatis The bewitching of vanitie But as the prophet saith they wil not hear they turn their baks they stop their ears to the end they may not understand they put their harts as an adamant stone least they should hear Gods law and be converted 21 The nation of Iews is peculiarly noted to have been alwais given to this great sin as Saint Steeven witnesseth when he said unto their own faces You stifnecked Iews you have alwais resisted the holie Ghost Meaning therby as Christ declareth more at large that they resisted the prophets saints of God in whom the holie Ghost spake unto them from time to time for amendement of their life and for that through the light of knowledge which they had by hearing of Gods law they could not in truth or shew condemn the things which were said or avoid the just reprehensions used toward them
is no quaestion but al were sinners and that very often they daily offended Besides al which their good deeds also but few to speak of were so imperfect for want of tru sinceritie and zeal which never are found since the fal of Adam in any of the children of men that if God should deal in his justice only and not in the depth of his mercie withal not one of those works could ever be accepted of him Hence is it that the children of God acknowledge their uncleannes in al their wais not only in such things as commonly go under the name of sin but in al their holines and righteousnes besides too high a point for the children of the world to attain unto In Christ we finde most absolute righteousnes perfectly wrought insomuch that there was never found any il in him either proceeding foorth by his deeds or words or at any time lurking in his secret thoughts and whatsoever he did or said was ever most godly wherunto the inward disposition of his hart and al his thoughts did ever accord And so must it needs be for that he was both God and man For so commeth it to passe that the infinit excellencies of his Godhead could not have sufficient issu in his manhood to shew foorth themselves to the ful but after they had thoroughly filled al his manhood with al perfection and al the organs and powers therof needs must there be immeasurable abundance left besides al which doth witnes his manhood first to be thoroughly filled So not only it might be but also of necessitie it must be and can be no other but that he loved God with al his hart with al his soul with al his strength and his neighbor as himselfe that al his deeds words and thoughts were ever good and the same in most absolute maner to the uttermost pitch that the capacitie of manhood was able to bear How to procure righteousnes to our selves to make it ours is now to be seen Where first if we come to that righteousnes that is of man either of our selves or others we shal never be able to do any good For first as touching our selves wheras we are not able to fulfil the law there is not in us any righteousnes at al to be had If we could fulfil the whole law never offending in deed word nor thought but ever having al our deeds words and thoughts fully answering to that holines and righteousnes that God requireth then might we stand in the favor of God by our own good works without any help at al by Christ and that by the vertu of the former covenant commonly called the old Testament But if we misse any point of this though we do our best indevor yet are we nothing holpen therby in this matter bicause that God hath not covenanted to accept us as righteous for doing our indevor therin but only by fulfilling the whole law in every point to the uttermost jot Neither can he in his justice accept of any other righteousnes but that which is perfect no more than the law wil adjudge any sum a just paiment be it never so much though infinit thousands so long as there wanteth any one penie of that which is covenant Then if we seek unto others those that now are saints in heaven to have the help of their righteousnes to make us righteous neither have they any such as the law requireth but are for that matter as short as we neither did God at any time make any such covenant with any of us that their righteousnes should stand us in any such steed Now therfore to come unto Christ in him only is that righteousnes to be had that can serve our turn and we have it in him by none other means but only by faith For wheras God hath made his other covenant in him which he calleth the new and the last bicause he never meaneth to make any mo besides that wheras we cannot be justified before him by any righteousnes of our own unlesse we were able to fulfil the law and he therfore hath taken this order that his Son should do it for us to the end that al that take hold therof or rest upon him should have his holines and righteousnes theirs hence commeth it both that such as rest in him by the vertu of his latter covenant have his righteousnes theirs and that they are not other wais justified but only by taking hold on him by faith For neither hath God made this righteousnes of Christ so common to al that unbeleevers may have the benefit of it as wel as the faithful neither hath he by this latter covenant declared himselfe to be of purpose to justifie us by the good works or merits of any but only of Christ. In other things without al quaestion there is a special use of our own good works of the good examples that the blessed saints have given us but in this our justification with God there is no use of them at al. Now therfore concerning the place of Saint Iames that seemeth to attribute our justification partly to our own works and not only to faith in Christ it is evident that he doth not treat of this our first justification but only exhorteth to holines of life and so consequently whatsoever he saith there it is not to be heerunto applied Wheras therfore the apostle Saint Paul concludeth his disputation of that matter that We are iustified by faith without the deeds of the law And Saint Iames in like maner concludeth his that Of works a man is iustified and not of faith only Although it may seem at the first sight that these two are directly contrarie one to the other yet the circumstances of the places and the intent and meaning of either of the Apostles being considered it is found very plainly that they are not contrarie but only divers that is one of them doth not denie that which is affirmed by the other both speaking of one thing but having two several or divers matters in hand ech of them holdeth on his own several way For Saint Paul is in hand with a point of doctrine to shew wherin our first justification consisteth before God and Saint Iames is in hand with a point of exhortation to godlines of life and to that end sheweth that our faith is but vain unlesse that it be in some good measure fruitful by works Wheras therfore although they both speak of faith and justification yet the one doth not mean either that faith or that justification that the other meaneth hence may it sufficiently appeer without any further discourse of the matter that the one of them is not against the other If Saint Iames had been of purpose to have shewed how we are justified before God he would have shewed no other way but only by faith in Christ Iesus as in the chapter before he ascribeth the estate that we have in Christ not unto
promise of Christ which assureth thee the contrary beleeve the reasons before alledged which do proove it evidently beleeve the testimony of them which have experienced it in themselves as of king David Saint Paul and Saint Iohn the Evangelist whose testimonies I have alledged before of their own proofe beleeve many hundreds which by the grace of God are converted daily in Christendome from vicious life to the tru service of God al which do protest themselves to have found more than I have said or can say in this matter 31 And for that thou maist replie heer say that such men are not where thou art to give this testimony of their experience I can do assure thee upon my conscience before God that I have talked with no smal number of such my selfe to my singular comfort in beholding the strong hand and exceeding bountifulnes of Gods sweetnes towards them in this case Oh deer brother no toong can expresse what I have seen heerin and yet saw I not the least part of that which they felt But yet this may I say that those which are known to be skilful and to deal so sincerely withal that others disburden their consciences unto them for their comfort or counsel are some part of those wherof the prophet saith That they work in multitudes of waters and do see the marvels of God in the depth In the depth I say of mens consciences uttered with infinite multitudes of teares when God toucheth the same with his holie grace Beleeve me good reader for I speak in truth before our Lord Iesus I have seen so great and exceeding consolations in divers great sinners after their conversion as no hart can almost conceave and the harts which received them were hardly able to contein the same so abundantly stilled down the heavenly dew from the most liberal and bountiful hand of God And that this may not seeme strange unto thee thou must know that it is recorded of one holie man called Effrem that he had so mervelous great consolations after his conversion as he was often constrained to cry out to God O Lord retire thy hand from me a little for that my hart is not able to receive so extreme joy And the like is written of Saint Barnard who for a certein time after his conversion from the world remained as it were deprived of his senses by the excessive consolations he had from God 32 But yet if al this cannot moove thee but thou wilt stil remain in thy distrust hear the testimonie of one whom I am sure thou wilt not discredit especially speaking of his own experience in himselfe And this is the holie martyr doctor Saint Cyprian who writing of the very same matter to a secret frind of his called Donatus confesseth that he was before his conversion of the same opinion that thou art of to wit that it was impossible for him to change his manners and to find such comfort in a vertuous life as after he did being accustomed before to al kind of loose behavior Therefore he beginneth his narration to his frind in this sort Accipe quod sentitur antequam discitur Take that which is felt before it be learned and so followeth on with a large discourse shewing that he prooved now by experience which he could never beleeve before his conversion though God had promised the same The like writeth Saint Austen of himselfe in his books of confession shewing that his passions would needs persuade him before his conversion that he should never be able to abide the austeritie of a vertuous life especially touching the sins of the flesh wherin he had lived wantonly until that time it seemed impossible that he could ever abandon the same and live chastly which notwithstanding he felt easie pleasant and without difficultie afterward For which he breaketh into these words My God let me remember and confesse thy mercies towards me let my verie bones rejoice and say unto thee O Lord who is like unto thee Thou hast broken my chains and I wil sacrifice to thee a sacrifice of thankesgiving These chains were the chains of concupiscence wherby he stood bounden in captivitie before his conversion as he there confesseth but presently therupon he was delivered from the same by the help of Gods most holie grace 33 My counsel should be therfore gentle reader that seeing thou hast so many testimonies examples reasons and promises of this matter thou shouldest at least proove once by thine own experience whether this thing be tru or no especially seeing it is a matter of so great importance and so worthy thy trial that is concerning so neer thy eternal salvation as it doth If a mean fellow should come unto thee and offer for hazarding of one crown of gold to make thee a thousand by Alchimie though thou shouldest suspect him for a cousoner yet the hope of gain being so great and the adventure of so smal losse thou wouldest go nigh for once to proove the matter And how much more shouldest thou do it in this case where by proofe thou canst leese nothing and if thou speed wel thou maist gain as much as the everlasting joy of heaven is woorth 34 But yet heer by the way I may not let passe to admonish thee of one thing which the ancient fathers and saints of God that have passed over this river before thee I mean the river dividing between Gods service and the world do affirm of their own experience and that is that assoone as thou takest this work or resolution in hand thou must expect assaults combats and open war within thy selfe as Saint Cyprian Saint Austen Saint Gregory and Saint Barnard do affirm and upon their own proofe This do Cyril and Origin shew in divers places at large This doth saint Hilary proove by reasons examples This doth the wise man forewarn thee of willing thee When thou art to come to the service of God to prepare thy mind unto temptation And the reason of this is for that the devil possessing quietly thy soul before lay stil and sought only means to content the same by putting in new and new delites and pleasures of the flesh But when he seeth thou offerest to go from him he beginneth straight to rage and to moove sedition within thee and to tosse up and down both heaven and earth before he wil leese his kingdome in thy soul. This is evident by the example of him whom Christ comming down from the hil after his transfiguration delivered from a deafe and dum spirit For albeit the devil would seem neither to hear nor speak while he possessed that bodie quietly yet when Christ commanded him to go out he both heard and cried out and did so tear and rent that poore bodie before he departed as al the standers by thought him indeed to be dead This also in figure was shewed by the storie of Laban
who never persecused his son in law Iacob until he would depart from him And yet more was this expressed in the doings of Pharao who after once he perceaved that the people of Israel ment to depart from his kingdome never ceased greevously to afflict them as Moises testifieth until God utterly delivered them out of his hands with the ruin and destruction of al Egypt their enimies Which event the holie doctors saints of the churh have expounded to be a plain figure of the deliverie of souls from the tyranny of the devil 35 And now if thou wouldest have a lively example of al this that I have said before I could alledge thee many but for brevitie sake one only of Saint Austens conversion shal suffice testified by himself in his books of confession It is a mavelous example and containeth many notable and comfortable points And surely whosoever shal but read the whole at large especially in his sixt seventh eight books of his confessions shal greatly be mooved and instructed therby And I beseech the reader that understandeth the Latin toong to view over at least but certein chapters of the eight book where this Saints final conversion after infinite combats is recounted It were too long to repeat heer though indeed it be such matter as no man need to be wearie to hear it There he sheweth how he was tossed and troubled in this conflict between the flesh and the spirit between God drawing on the one side and the world the flesh the divel holding bak on the other part He went to Simplicianus a learned old man devout Christian he went to S. Ambrose bishop of Millan after his cōference with them he was more trobled than before He consulted with his cōpanions Nebridius Alipius but al would not ease him Til at the length a Christian courtier captain named Pontition had by occasion told him and Alipius of the vertuous life that Saint Anthonie led who a little before had professed a private a solitarie life in Egypt as also others he then heard did even in Millan it selfe where then he was Which when he had heard then with-drawing himselfe aside he had a most terrible combat with himselfe Wherof he writeth thus What did I not say against my selfe in this conflict How did I beat and whip mine own soul to make hir follow thee O Lord But she held bak she refused and excused hir selfe and when al hir arguments were convicted she remained trembling and fearing as death to be restrained from hir loose custom of sin Wherby she consumed hir selfe even unto death After this he went into a garden with Alipius his companion and there cried out unto him Quid hoc est Quid patimur Surgunt indocti coelum rapiunt nos cum doctrinis nostris sine corde ecce ubi volutamur in carne sanguine What is this Alipius what suffer we under the tyrannie of sin Vnlearned men such as Anthonie and others for he was altogither unlearned do take heaven by violence and we with al our learning without harts behold how we lie graveling in flesh and bloud And he goeth forward in that place shewing the woonderful and almost incredible tribulations that he had in this fight that day After this he went forth into an orchard and there he had yet a greater conflict For there al his pleasures past represented themselves before his eies saieng Demittes ne nos à momento isto non erimus tecum ultra in aeternum c. What wilt thou depart from us And shal we be with thee no more for ever after this moment Shal it not be lawful for thee to do this or that no more heerafter And then saith Saint Austen O Lord turn from the mind of thy servant to think of that which they objected to my soul. What filth what shameful pleasures did they lay before mine eies At length he saith that after long and tedious combats a marvelous tempest of weeping came upon him and being not able to resist he ran away from Alipius and cast himselfe on the ground under a fig-tree and gave ful scope unto his eies which brought foorth presently whole fluds of tears Which after they were a little past over he began to speak to God in this sort Et tu Domine usquequo Quam diu quam diu cras cras Quare non modo Quare non hac hora finis est turpitudinis meae O Lord how long wilt thou suffer me thus How long how long shal I say to-morow to-morow Why should I not do it now Why should there not be an end of my filthie life even at this hour And after this followeth his final and miraculous conversion togither with the conversion of Alipius his cōpanion which bicause it is set down breefly by himselfe I wil recite his owne words which are as followeth immediately upon those that went before 36 I did talk this to GOD and did weep most bitterly with a deep contrition of my hart and behold I heard a voice as if it had been of a boy or maid singing from som house by and often repeating Take up and read take up and read And straightway I changed my countenance and began to think most earnestly with my selfe whether children were woont to sing any such thing in any kind of game that they used but I never remember that I had heard any such thing before Wherfore repressing the force of my tears I rose interpreting no other thing but that this voice came from heaven to bid me open the book that I had with me which was Saint Pauls epistles and to read the first chapter that I should find For I had heard afore of Saint Anthonie how he was admonished to his conversion by hearing a sentence of the Gospel which was read when he by occasion came into the church and the sentence was Go and sel al thou hast and give to the poore and thou shalt have a treasure in heaven and come and follow me Which saieng Saint Anthonie taking as spoken to him in particular was presently converted to thee O Lord. Wherfore I went in haste to the place where Alipius sate for that I had left my booke there when I departed I snatched it up and opened it and read in silence the first chapter that offered it selfe unto mine eies and therin were these words Not in banketings or in dronkennes not in wantonnes and chamber works not in contention and emulation but do you put on the Lord Iesus Christ and do you not perform the providence of the flesh in concupiscence Further than this sentence I would not read neither was it needful For presently with the end of this sentence as if the light of securitie had been powred into my hart al the darknes of my dowtfulnes fled away Wherupon putting in my finger or