many debts to discharge by reason of the offences committed in his sinfull life already past NOw then if on the one side there be so many and so great respects that doe binde vs to change our sinfull life and on the otherside we haue not any sufficient excuse why we should not make this exchange How long wilt thou tarry vntill thou fully resolue to doe it Turne thine eyes a little and looke backe vpon thy life past and consider that at this present of what age soeuer thou be it is high time or rather the time well nigh past to begin to discharge some part of thy old debts Consider that thou which art a Christian regenerated in the water of holy Baptisme which doest acknowledge Almighty God for thy father and the Catholike Church for thy mother whom she hath nourished with the milke of the Gospel to wit with the doctrine of the Apostles and Euangelists consider I say that all this notwithstanding thou hast liued euen as loosely dissolutely as if thou hadst beene a meere Infidell that had neuer any knowledge of Almighty God And if thou doe denie this then tell mee what kinde of sin is there which thou hast not committed What tree is there forbidden that thou hast not beholden with thine eyes What greene meddow is there in which thou hast not at the least in desire feasted thy letcherous lust what thing hath beene set before thine eyes that thou hast not wantonly desired What appetite hast thou left vnexecuted notwithstanding that thou didst beleeue in Almighty God and that thou wert a Christian what wouldest thou haue done more if thou hadst not had any faith at all If thou hadst not looked for any other life If thou hadst not feared the dâ—eadfull day of iudgement What hath all thy former life â—e ne but a web of sinnes a sinke of vices a way full of brambles and thornes and a fâ—oward disobedience of God with whom hast thou hitherto liued but onely with thine appetite with thy flesh with thy pride and with the goods and riches of this transitory world These haue beene thy gods these haue beene thine idols whom thou hast serued and whose lawes thou hast diligently obeyed Make thine account with the Almighty God with his lawes and with his obedience and peradâ—â—nture thou shalt finde that thou hast esteemed him no more than if he had beene a goâ— of wood oâ— stone For it is certaine that there be many Christians which beleeuing that there is a God are induced to sinne with such facilitie as though they beleeued that there were no God at all and doe offend no whit the lesse though they beleeue that there is a God then they would doe if they beleeued there were none at all What greater iniurie what greater despight can bee done than so to contemne his diuine maiestie Finally thou beleeuing all such things as Christs Church doth bâ—leeue hast notwithstanding so led thy life as if thou wert perswaded that the beleefe of Christians were the greatest fables or lies in the world And if the multitude of thy sinnes past and the faculty thou hast vsed in committing of them doe not make thee afraid why doest thou not feare at the least the Majesty and omnipotencie of hiâ— against whom thou hast sinned Lift vp thine eyes and consider the infinit greatnesse and omnipotencie of the Lord whom the powers of heauen no adore before whose Maiesty the whole compasse of the wide world lyeth prostrate in whose presence all things created are no more than chaffe carried away with the winde Consider also with thy sâ—lfe how vnseemely it is that such a vile worme as thou art should haue audacity so many times to offend and prouoke the wrath of so great a maiesty Consider the wonderfull and most terâ—ible seueâ—ity â—f his iustice and what horrible punishments he hath vsed from time to time in the world against sinne and that not onely vpon particular persons but also vpon Cities Nations Kingdomes and Prouinces yea vpon the vniuersall World And not onely in earth but also in heauen and not onely vpon strangers sinners but euen vpon his owne most innocent sonne our sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ when he tooke vpon him to satisfie for the debt that we owed And if this seuerity was vsed vpon greene and innocent wood and that for the sinnes of others what then will he doe vpon dry and withered wood and against those that are loden with their owne sinnes Now what thing can bee thought more vnreasonable then that such a fraile wretch as thou art should be so saucie and malapert as to mocke with so mightie a Lord whose hand is so heauie that in case hee should strike but one stroke vpon thee hee would at one blow driue thee downe headlong into the deepe bottomelesse pit of hell without remedy Consider likewise the great patience of this our mercifull Lord who hath expected thy repentance so long euen from the time that thou didst first offend him and thinke that if after so long patience and tarrying for thee thou shalt still continue thy leaud and sinfull life abusing thus his mercy and proucking him to further indignation and wrath hee will then bend his bowe and shake his sword and raine downe vpon thee euen sharpe arrowes of euerlasting wrath and death Consider also the profoundnesse of his deepe iudgments wherof we read and see daily so great wonders We see how Salomon himselfe after his so great wisdome and after those three thousand parables and most profound mysteries vttered by him was forsaken by Almighty God and suffered to fall dâ—wn and adore Ido's We see how one of those seuen first Deacons of the Primitiue Church which were full of the holy Ghost became not onely an hereticke but also an arch hereticke and a father of heresies We see daily many starres fall downe from heauen vnto earth with miserable fals and to wallow themselues in the durt and to eat the meat of swine which sate before at Gods owne table and were fed with the very bread of Angels If then the iust and righteous for some secret pride or negligence or else for some ingratitude of theirs be thus iustly forsaken of Almighty God after they haue bestowed so many yeares in his seruice What maiest thou looke for that hast done in a manner nothing else in all thy life time but onely heaped sinnes vpon sinnes and hast thereby offended almighty God most grieuously Now if thou hast liued after this sort were it not reason that thou shouldst now at the length giue ouer and cease heaping sinne vpon sinne and debt vpon debt and begin to pacifie the wrath of Almighty God and to disburden thy sinfull soule Were it not meet that that time which thou hast hitherto giuen to the world to thy flesh and to the Diuell should suffice and that thou shouldest bestow some little time of that which remaineth to serue him who hath giuen thee all that
that running headlong into so manifest a danger thou art not at all afraid Especially considering the sinfull state wherein thou liuest and the horrible paines and torments which doe attend for thee and the time which thou hast lost and the endlesse repentance which thou shalt haue therefore in the most horrible torments of hell Assuredly it goes beyond the compasse of all common sence conceit of humane reason to consider That there should be such negligent wilfull grosse carelesse blindnesse able to enter and take such deepe rooting in the soule of man The Conclusion of all the Premises IF now all this be so I beseech thee euen for the bitter passion of our sweet Sauiour Iesus Christ to remember thy selfe and consider that thou art a Christian and that thou beleeuest assuredly for a most vndoubted truth whatsoeuer the true faith instructeth thee This faith telleth thee that thou hast a iudge aboue that seeth all the steps and motions of thy life and that certainly there shall a day come when he will require an account of thee euen for euery idle word This faith teacheth thee That a man is not altogether at an end when he dieth but that after this temporall life there remaineth another euerlasting life and that the soules dye not with the bodies but that whiles the body remaineth in the graue vntill the generall day of iudgement the soule shall enter into another new country and into a new world where it shall haue such habitation and company as the faith and workes were which it had in this life This faith telleth thee also that both the reward of vertue and the punishment of vice is a thing so wonderfull that although the whole world were full of bookes and all creatures were writers yet should they all be wearied and the world come to an end before they should end their description and make a perfect declaration what is comprehended in each one of these points This faith informeth thee also that the debts and duties which we owe to almighty God are so great that albeit a man had so many liues as there be sands in the Sea yet would they not suffice if they were al employed in his seruice And this faith likewise telleth thee that vertue is such an excellent treasure that all the treasures of the world and all that mans heart can desire are in no sort comparable vnto it Wherefore if there be so many and so great respects that doe inuite vs vnto vertue how commeth it to passe that there be so few louers and followers of the same If men be moued with gaine commodity what greater coÌ„modity can there be than to attain life euerlasting If they be moued with feare of punishment what greater punishment can be found than the most horrible euerlasting dreadfull torments in the lake of fire and brimstone to continue euer world without end If that bonds of debts and benefits what debts are greater than these which we owe vnto almighty God as well for that he is which he is as also for that which we haue receiued of him If the feare of perils doe moue vs what greater perill can there be than death the houre thereof being so vncertaine and the account so strait If thou be moued with peace liberty quietnesse of minde and with a pleasant life which are things that all the world desires it is certaine that all these are found much better in the life that is gouerned by vertue and reason than in that life which is ruled by the affections and passions of the minde forsomuch as man is a reasonable creature and no beast Howbeit in case thou account all this as not sufficient to moue thee thereunto yet let it sussice thee to consider further that euen almighty God so abased himselfe for thy sake that he descended from heauen vnto the earth and became man and whereas hee created the whole world in sixe dayes he bestowed three and thirty yeares about thy redemption yea and was also contented for the same to loose his life Almighty God dyed that sinne should dye and yet for all this doe we endeauour that sinne might liue in our hearts notwithstanding that our Lord purposed to take away the life of sinne with his owne death If this matter were to be discussed with reason surely this already spoken might suffice to preuaile with any reasonable creature for not onely in beholding almighty God vpon the crosse but whethersoeuer we doe turne our eyes we shall finde that euery thing crieth out to vs and calleth vpon vs to receiue this so excellent a benefit for there is not a thing created in the world if wee duely consider it but doth inuite vs to the loue and seruice of our Sauiour Iesus Christ insomuch that looke how many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voices and so many reasons which doe all call vs vnto almighty God And how is it possible then that so many callings as these are so many promises so many threatnings and so many prouocations should not suffice to bring vs vnto him What might almighty God haue done more than he hath done or promised more greater blessings than hee hath promised or threatned more grieuous and horrible torments than he hath threatned to draw vs vnto him and to plucke vs away from sinne And yet all this notwithstanding how commeth it to passe that there is so great I will not say arrogancy but bewitching of men that doe beleeue these things to be certainly true and yet be not afraid to continue all the dayes of their life in the committing of deadly sinnes yea to goe to bed in deadly sinne and to rise vp againe in deadly sinne and to embrue themselues in euery kinde of loathsome detestable and odious sin euen as though all their whole endeauours intended by the practise of sinne to resist all grace and fauour in the sight of God And this is done in such sort so without feare so without scruple of minde so without breaking of one hoâ—â—â—s sleepe and without the refraining of any one delicate morsell of meat for the same as if all that they beleeued were dreames and old wiues tales and as if all that the holy Euangelists haue written were meere fiction and fables But tell me thou that art such a desperate wilfull rebell against thy Creator and Redeemer which by thy detestable life and dissolute conuersation doest euidence thy selfe to be a firebrand prepared to burne in those euerlasting and reuenging horrible fires of hell What wouldest thou haue done more than thou hast done in case thou haddest beene perswaded that all were meere lyes which thou hast beleeued For although that for feare of incurring the danger of the princes lawes and the execution of their force vpon thee thou hast somewhat brideled thine appetites yet doth it not appeare that for any feare of Almighty God thou hast refrained thy
after perill eternall rest after their paines and trauels for then are the warres at an end then need they no more to goe all armed both on the right side and on the left The children of Israel went forth armed towards the land of Promise but after that the land was conquered they laid downe their speares and cast away their armour and forgetting all feare aud turmoile of warre each one vnder the shaddow of his pavillion harbour enioyed the fruit of their sweet peace Now may the watching Prophet come downe from his standing that did watch and fix his feete vpon the place of the Sentinell There is no more feare of inuasion by the terrible armies of the bloody enemies there is no place for the subtill crafts of the lurking viper there cannot ariue the deadly sight of the venomous Baseliske nor yet shall the hissing of the ancient Serpent be heard there but onely the soft breathing ayre of the holy Ghost wherein is beholden the glory of Almighty God This is the region of all peace the place of security situated aboue all the Elements whether the cloudes and stormie winds of the darke ayre cannot come O what glorious things haue beene spoken of thee O Citie of God Blessed are they saith holy Tobias that loue thee and enioy thy peace O my soule praise our Lord for he hath deliuered Ierusalem his Citie from all her troubles Happy shall I be if the remnant of my posterity might come to see the clearenesse of Ierusalem her gates shall be wrought with Zaphirs and Emeraulds and all the circuit of her wals shall bee built with precious stones her streets shall bee paued with white and polished marble and in all parts of her territories shal bee sung Halleluia O ioyfull countrey O sweete glory O blessed companie who shall be those so fortunate and happy that are elected for thee It seemeth a presumption to desire thee and yet I will not liue without the desire of thee O ye sonnes of Adam a race of mâ—n miserably blinded and deceiued O ye scattered sheepe wandring out of your right way if this be your sheep-coat whether goe you backeward What meane you Why suffer you such an excellent benefit to be wilfully lost for not taking so little paines What wise man would not desire that all labour paine of the world were imposed vnto him that all sorrowes afflictions and diseases were euen poured vpon him as thicke as haile that persecutions tribulations and griefes with one to molest him another to disquiet him yea that all creatures in the world did conspire against him being scorned and made a laughing stocke of all men and that his whole life were conuerted into weepings and lamentations so that in the next life hee might finde repose in the heauenly harbor of eternall consolation and bee thought meet to haue a place among that blessed people which are adorned and beautified with such inestimable glory And thou O foolish louer of this miserable world go thy way seek as long as thou wilt for honors promotions build sumptuons houses pallaces purchase lands possessions inlarge thy territories dominions yeaÌ„ coÌ„mand if thou wilt the whole world yet shalt thou neuer bee so great as the least of all the seruants of Almighty God who shall receiue that treasure which this world cannot giue and shall enioy that felicity which shall endure for euermore when thou with thy pompe and riches shall beare the rich glutton company whose buriall is in the deepe vault of hell but the deuout spirituall man shall bee carried by the holy Angels with poore Lazarus into Abrahams bosome a place of perpetuall rest ioy sollace and eternall happinesse Of the benefits which our Lord promiseth to giue in this present life to such as liue a iust and godly life PEradventure thou wilt now say that all these things before rehearsed be rewards punishments onely for the life to come and that thou desirest to see something in this present life because our minds are wont to be moued very much with the sight of things present To satisfie thee herein I will also explaine vnto thee what may answere thy desire For although our Lord do reserue the best wine and the delicate dishes of most delight vntill the end of the banket yet he suffereth not his friends to bee vtterly destitute of meate and drinke in this tedious voyage for hee knoweth very well that they could not otherwise hold out in their iourney And therefore when he said vnto Abraham Feare not Abraham for I am thy defender and thy reward shall be exceeding great By these words he promised two things the one for the time present that was to bee his safegard and defence in all such things as may happen in this life and the other for the time to come and that is the reward of glory which is reserued for the next life But how great the first promise is and how many kinds of benefits and fauours are therein included no man is able to vnderstand but onely he that hath with great diligence read the holy Scriptures wherein no one thing is more often repeated and set forth than the greatnesse of the fauours benefits and priuiledges which Almighty God promiseth vnto his friends in this life Hearken what Salomon saith in the third chapter of his Prouerbs as touching this matter Blessed is that man that findeth wisdome for it is better to haue it than all the treasures of Siluer and Gold be they neuer so excellent and precious and it is more worth than all the riches of the world and whatsoeuer mans heart is able to desire is not comparable vnto it The length of daies are at her right hand and riches and glorie at her left Her waies be pleasant and all her passages he quiet she is a tree of life to all those that haue obtained her and hee that shall haue her in continuall possession shall be blessed Keepe therefore O my sonne the lawes of Almightie God and his counsell for they shall he as life to thy soâ—le and sweetnesse to thy taste â—hen shaâ—â— thou walke safely in 〈…〉 sies and thy â—eet shall not finde any stumbling blockes If thou sleep thou shalt haue no cause to feare and if thou take thy rest thy sleepe shall be quiet This is the sweetnesse and quietnesse of the way of the godly but the wayes of the wicked are farre different as the holy Scripture doth declare vnto vs. The paths and wayes of the wicked saith Ecclesiasticus are full of brambles and at the end of their iourney are prepared for them hell darknesse and pains Doest thou thinke it then a good exchange to forsake the wayes of Almighty God for the waies of the world sith there is so great difference betweene the one and the other not onely in the end of the way but also in all the steps of the same What madnesse can be greater than to choose one
then follow not sinners to the fire of hâ—ll lest thou be constrainâ—d at last when it shall be too late to bewaile thy folly to câ—y out with those that haue mispent their time in vanity Oh that now I might dye the death of the righteous oh Thus â—ran cis Spiâ—ra crieâ— out after he had renouÌ„ ced the profession of true pietie for the possession of earths vanity that I might not dâ—e at all oh that I might fâ—ele in my conscience the least hope of pardon which is as vnpossible as to vnlade all the water in the vast Ocean with a spoone Oh that God would giue mee the least dram of grace which is as impossible as for the least graine of Mustardseed to fill the whole earth preuent this betimes which thou maist doe by abandoning the vanity of the world and so liue that wheresoeuer or howsoeuer thou dyest whether abroad or at home by day or by night slâ—eping or waking whether asâ—d in death or a deliberate death thou maist willingly commend thy spirit vnto the hands of God â—s vnto the hands of a faithfull creator and maist say with the Bride Come Lord Iesu euen so come Lord Iesu come Reu 22. quickly my heart is prepared to enter into thy rest receiue me into the armes of thy mercy entertaine mee into thy owne kingdome that leauing the vanity of this world I may with thy glorified Angels and blessed Saints enioy that euerlasting felicity of a better world which neuer shall haue an end Adew therefore vain world with all worldly delights whatsoeuer and now solitary soule begin to take thy solaâ—â— in better things And to proue the world vaine and consequently thy selfe vaine behold these shapes read thâ—se Verses and in order open the leaues that are folded vp Herein as in a mirrour behold thy owne estate read and consider what thou readest that thou maist know and see thy owne vanity Here thou shalt see what thou wert what thou art and what thou shalt be Dust thou wert dust thou art and vnto dust thou shalt returne dust in thy creation dust in thy constitution dust in thy dissolution I. THough long it were since Adam was Yet seemes he here to be A blessed creature once he was Now naked as you see Whose wife was cause of all my care To say I may be bold Turne backe the leaues and then you may My picture there behold II. To thinke vpon the workes of God All worldly men may wonder But thinking on thy sinnes O man Thy heart may burst asunder The sinner sits and sweetly sings And so his heart beguiles Till I come with my bitter stings And turne to griefe his smiles III. Muse not to gaze vpon my shape Whose nakednesse you see By flattering and deceitfull words The Diuell deceiued me Let me example be to all That once from God doe range Turne backe the leaues and then behold Another sight as strange IV. Had Adam and Eue neuer beene As there you saw their shape I neuer had deceiued them Nor they ere made debate But turne behold where both doe stand And lay the fault on me Turne backe the vpper and nether erests There each of them you see I. III. Here we doe stand in perfect state All formed as we were But what the Serpent did by hate Shall sodainely appeare Then here behold how both doe stand And where the fault did lye Th' almighty power did so command That once we all must dye II. IV. See what comes of wicked deed As all men well doe know And for the same God hath decreed That we should liue in woe The dust it was my daily food Vnto it we must turne And darknesse is my chiefe abode In sorrow so we mourne Of the punishments which the Lord threat neth vnto such as liue a sinfull life ONe of the principall meanes that our Lord hath vsed oftentimes to bridle the hearts of men and to draw them vnto the obedience of his commandements hath beene to sâ—t before their eyes the horrible plagues and punishments that are prepared for such persons as be rebels and transgressours of his Law For although the hope of the rewards that are promised vnto the good in the life to come may moue vs very much hereunto yet are we commonly more moued with things that beirkesome vnto vs than with such as be pleasant euen as we see by daily experience that we are vexed more with an iniury done vnto vs than delighted with any honour and we are more troubled with sicknesse than comforted with health and so by the discommodity of sicknesse we come to vnderstand the commodity of health as by a thing so much the better perceiued by how much more it is sensibly felt Now for this cause did our Lord in times past vse this meane more than any other as it appeareth most clearely by the writings of the Prophets which are euery where full of dreadfull sayings and threatnings wherewith our Lord pretendeth to put a terrour into the hearts of men and so to bridle and subdue them vnder the obedience of his Law And for this end he commanded the Prophet Ieremie That he should take a white booke and write in the same all the threatnings and calamities which hee had reuealed vnto him euen from the first day he began to talke with him vntill that present houre and that he should read the same in the presence of all the people to see if peraduenture they would be moued therewith vnto repentance and to change their former life to the end that he might also change the determination of his wrath which he had purposed to execute vpon them And the holy Scripture saith That when the Prophet had done according as he was commanded by almighty God and had read all those threatnings in the presence of the people and of the Rulers there arose such a feare and terrour amongst them that they were all astonished and as it were bestraughted of their wits looking one in anothers face for the exceeding great fear which they had conceiued of those words This was one of the principall means which almighty God vsed with men in the time of the Law written and so he did also in the time of the Law of grace in which the holy Apostle saith That as there is reuealed a iustice whereby God maketh men iust so is there also reuealed an indignation and wrath whereby he punisheth the vniust for which cause S. Iohn Baptist the glorious forerunner of our Sauiour Christ was sent with this commission and embassage to preach vnto the world That the axe was now put to the root of the tree and that euery tree that brought noâ— forth good fruit should be cut downe and cast into the fire Hee said moreouer That there was another come into the world more mighty than hee that carried in his hand a fanne to winnow and cleanse therewith his floore and that he would put vp the corne into