to continue in doing well least the curse of God come vppon vs as it did vppon the vnfruitfull figge tree CHAP. 33. Perseuerance in godlinesse is necessary HE that endureth to the end hee shal be saued saith Iesus Christ Many doe begine wel but few hold out it booteth not to hau begun except thou perseuere Take away perseuerance and neither vertue shal haue her rewarde nor a good worke a recompence The friendes of Iob they begann wel in that they not onely agreede together to come to lament with him and to comfort him but also in that seeing him they wept rent their garments sprinkled dust vppon their heades towarde heauen and sate by him vpon the ground seuen daies and seuen nightes mourning without speaking any worde because his grife was very great but they perseuered not in doing the duty of friendes and therefore they were rebuked and that deseruedly of the Lord The beginings of Saule were good but perseuering not in goodnesse he died an euill death If thou despise the vanity of the world thou shalt bepursued of worldly men Many haue renounced the worlde and because they looked back as did Lot his wife vnto Sodome they both in this life were and in the life to come shall euerlastingly bee tormented Endeuour thou to proceede in that good waye where-into thou art entered Be thou faithfull vnto death and I will giue thee a crowne of life saith God Vppon the skirtes of the cheefe Priests vesture there were made Pomgranets of blew silke and purple and Scarlet round about the skirtes thereof and bells of golde betweene them rounde about Of all fruites that growe onely the Pomgranet hath a crowne on the toppe the which being the rewarde of vertue is placed amonge good woorkes which are signified by the little belles of golde they are not set in the highest parte nor in the middest of the garment because they are not giuen vnto those either that beginne well or be in the midst of well dooing but they are set in the end or lowest part of the vesture because they onely shall receiue the crowne which perseuere in dooing their duties vnto the end The tree that is often remooued dooth seldome beare fruite or not so much as that which continueth in a good soyle and being well bent if thou change thy minde from one thing vnto another thou shalt neuer bring foorth the wholesome frute of Christianitie or not so much as the constant man By exercising of good workes and adding vertue vnto vertue the very habite of godlinesse is attained There is nothing better than God and therefore the seruice of God is not to be omitted for any thing in the world The talking of him that feareth God all wisedome as for a foole he changeth as the moone saith the wise man Be not moued with euery wind The foules they fell on the carkases which Abraham was to offer vnto the Lord and troubled the good man very much yet could they not make him to giue ouer his good worke but he droue them away If busie and importunate cares doe trouble thee being about to offer the sacrifice of praier and thankesgiuing vnto the Lorde yet let them not altogether discourage thee but driue them away as Abraham did the foules but let them neuer driue thee from that which is good What booteth it to take great things in hande vnlesse thou bring them vnto a good ende Consume not thy time in beginning to doe well for feare least death doe come vpon thee and finde thee idle and out of the right way A painted image of a man that is made sitting in a chaire giueth a show to the eie as though it would rise and stand vppe but it neuer standeth it seemeth as though it would goe but it neuer mooueth And so playeth many a man that is often determining to draw toward God but yet hee goeth not vnto him at all he maketh many profers of going and yet standeth stocke still Our Lord himselfe saith No man that putteth his hande to the plough and looketh backe is apt to the kingdome of God The foure beasts mentioned in the Reuelation they neuer ceased day nor night praising and magnifying him that sate vpon the thron no more shouldest thou doe The kine that were yoaked together and brought the Arke of the Lorde from the Philistines although they had young calues yet did they goe the straight way to Beth-shemesh and keept one path and lowed as they went and turned neither to the right hand nor to the left And since thou hast taken vpon thee to carry the yoake of our Lord and to beare on thy backe the burden of his most holy commaundementes thou must not goe out of thy way neither to the right hande nor to the left though thy sensuall appetites like young children doe drawe and call thee backe againe from the seruice of God Let the loue of God vanquish naturall affection and whatsoeuer the children of the worlde doe crie and say yet passe thou forwarde as one that hath neither eares nor mouth vntill thou come vnto Beth shemish the house of the Sonne euen vnto that light eternall and incomprehensible glorie where thou shalt see God euen as thou art now seeene CHAP. 34. Tentations cannot be auoided MY sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God stand fast in righteousnes feare preyare thy soule to tentation saith the wise man When thou art tempted feare not for being in the seruice of God thou hast weapons appointed to defend thy selfe with all Pharao the King of Egypt did more persecute the Israelites after they made sute to goe into the wildernesse to doe sacrifice vnto GOD than euer hee did afore So dealeth our aduersarie the Diuell with vs. He plagueth him with greater stormes of tentation that is about to forsake him and to giue his minde to serue God than him whom alreadie hee keepeth in his owne possession God hee suffereth thee to fall into tentation to the end he may see whether thou wilt perseuer in that which good is or no. But beware thou consent not vnto a wicked tentation Though that fire bee striken out of a flint by force of the steele yet if there bee no apt matter vnder it for the fire to take hold on it serueth to no purpose So though the Diuell with the steele of his tentation doe strike vpon the stone of thy sensualitie yet shall hee neuer strike any fire out of it that shall doe thee harme except thou ioyne the consent of thy will thereunto Vnlesse thou bee very circumspect thou shalt soone bee deceiued For some do come to you in sheeps clothing which inwardly be rauening wolues dissembling their naughtie purposeâ— of all tentations that is the soarest because vnder the showe of vertues they faine good will being vtter enimies The rouers on the sea doe carry in their shippe with
created Hee that hauing a soule liueth as though hee had none and hee that giueth his vnderstanding and mind to the getting of worldly riches and honour doth greatly hurt and endamag his soule for vnto these endes he was not created Happinesse is the finall end of man whereunto all thinges bee ordained Place not thy felicity in earthly thinges for rest shalt thou finde neither in honour neither in riches not in learning nor in any other thing that is created Call home thine heart from all earthly thinges loue God onely of whome and for whom thou art created Despise this present worlde and so shalt thou come vnto thy desired ende This very reason were there no more besides were sufficient to perswade thee to contemne the vanity of the world if thou didest beare in mind that created thou wert for heauen and not for this world Abase not thy selfe so much as to delight in these base and contemptible thinges of this worlde and thou shalt bee quiet heere in this world for the time and happy and gloryous for euer afterwarde in the heauens CHAP. 38. Terrible and horrible shal bee the day of iudgemente vnto the wicked ENter not into iudgement with thy seruant saide the kingly prophet Dauid was the seruant of God and yet loe he had in remembrance the day of iudgement So rigorus shal the iudgement of death bee that euen the holy propheâ— so beloued of God doth quake againe at the consideration of the same Seeing therefore hee that faithfully did serue God so feared Gods iudgement howe much should hee stande in dread of the same which serueth not God but the world Enter not saith hee in iudgemente with thy seruant If the righteous scarsly be saued where shall the vngodly and the sinner appeare It is a thing much to bee lamented that any man should bee addicted to these vanities which wee haue so spoken-of especially beeing so neere vnto the ende wherein God will lighten thinges that are hid in darknesse and make the counselles of the heartes manifest Belshazzar king of Babylon liuing in all manner of voluptuousnesse and satisfying his lustes in all kinde of sinne had suddenly the sentence of Gods displeasure pronounced against him heards Mene God hath numbred thy kingdome and hath finished it Tekel Thou art waied in the balance art found to light Peres Thy kingdome is deuided and giuen to the Medes and Persians The houre is very â—igh at hande when a straight reckoning shal be taken of all thy deedes wordes and thoughtes Al the secretes of thine heart shal be disclosed and with al rigor of iustice punished Thou shalt not haue the face to deny any thing for thine owne conscience shall be thine accuser neither shalt thou haue power and courage to reason the matter before the glorious maiesty of Iesus Christ the King of Kinges Thy sinnes shal be put into the balance and all the circumstances of them shal be waied and all the benefites which God bestowed vpon thee thou most cursedly didest contâ—ne shal be rehearsed Then shal thy kingdome be diuided when thy body shal be committed to the earth to bee deuoured-vp of wormes and thy soule shal bee sent vnto hell there to bee tormented in hel fire To cal then vppon God for helpe and mercy it will not auaile thee Then shalt thou see about thee a seuere iâ—dge with a most angry countenance vnder thee hell wide open gaping to deuour thee on thy right hande thy manifold and outragious sinnes accusing thee on thy lefte a most horrible spectacle of infernall and damned spirites ready to torment thee within thy conscience without the worlde all on a hot fire If our first parentes for eating but a litle of the forbidden fruite contrary to the commandement of God did hide themselues from the presence of the Lord God where wilt thou hide thy selfe when God shall appeare with thousands of his holy Angells to call thee to an account and finde thee euen fully fraughted with sinnes and wickednesse As waxe melteth before the fire so shal the wicked perish at the presence of God It is written Let al the earth feare the Lord let al them that dwel in the world feare him At that day it shal be as great a paine to stand before the glorious maiesty of the Lord of hostes as afterwarde to lie boyling in the pitte of hell for hee shall not appeare vnto them to their ioy but to their shame and confusion The friends of this world they will not be brought to the knowledge of the vanitie wherein they liue till by the punishment in that burning lake their vnderstanding bee inlightened and they bee enforced to bewaile their extreame wretched and cursed estate Despise therefore from thine heart the vanitie and false goods of of this present world least afterward thou repent when it will bee too late CHAP. 39. The remembrance of the paines of hell should reclame vs from sinne IN asmuch as shee glorified her selfe and liued in pleasure so much giue yee to her torment and sorrow saith the Lord If thou didest consider how these pleasures and vanities in which thou liuest shall take an ende thou wouldest liue in sorrow and bitternesse of soule and of such thinges as thou now delightest in thou wouldest take small ioy Iob hee said Such things as my soule refused to touch as were sorowes are my meate In this life men cannot away with any thing that may annoy them and in the next all things will they nill they shal vexe and torment them Gather hence that the more pleasantly men passe their daies heere the more wretchedly in tormentes shall they consume the time in the other world For looke by how much any thing doth resist his contrary so much is the working of that thing perceaued to bee more forceable which ouercommeth and mastereth that which resisted it Fire doth more resist iron than woode but when the fire ouercommeth them both the heate is greater in the iron than in the woode So they which in this life doe feele no sorrow shall be the more tormented in the worlde to come as on the otherside the righteous which in this life haue had no rest shall finde the greater comforte and ioy hereafter The mightie shal mightely be tormented In those daies shall men seeke death and shall not find it and shall desire to die and death shall flie from them Like sheepe they lie in graâ—e death deuoureth them The grasse feedeth the beastes of the fielde and afterwarde it groweth againe so the damned soules in dying they shall neuer die aud though their members bee quarâ—eâ—ed into peeces yet shall they not perish Note by the hard handling of his friendes in this world how greeuosly God will afflict his foes in the life to come The Apostle saith If I should yet please men I were not the seruant of Christ. The holy Martyrs which
mony bag But the rest of the Disciples haâ— the charge of preaching committed vnto them Iudas had the sweete morsel giuen him but the Apostles had the soure Yet I Say vnto thee it is better to bee poore with the Apostles thaÌ„ rich with Iudas and better it is to eate the drie bread of repentance in sadnesse and sorrow with Christ and his Disciples than to liue in deliciousnes with vngodly men In the time of persecution fainte not but bee of courage listen what the Lord doth say If they haue persecuted mee they will persecute you also His most holy mother by many tribulations came vnto the glorious condition of the heauenlie Saintes and thinkest thou to attaine thereunto by ease and pleasure It is great persecution not to suffer persecution The sick man of whose recouery there is no hope hath all thinges giuen him by the Phisition that his heart can desire If all thinges fall out as thou wouldest haue it thou hast iust cause to suspect that God is much displeased and hath giueâ— thee ouer An happy man is he that patiently receiueth tribulations from the hand of God Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake Thou canst patiently endure to haue thy veines opened and diuers other thinges for th'attainement of thy bodyly health why then for the welfare of thy soule doest thou not abide persecution Looke not vpon the paine present but vnto the health that will ensue regard not the present affliction but the blessed rewarde that in the ende thou shalt haue He that passeth ouer any arme of the Sea that he may not bee troubled with the giddines of the head will cast his eyes not vppon the waters but vpon the firme land So east thou the eyes of thy soule vppon the land of the liuing and not vpon the raging waues of persecution so many afflictions shalt thou easily auoid sayling vpon the tempestuous sea of this troblesom world S. Stephen when he was persecuted looked stedfastly into heauen from whence he expected a crown of glory We must through many afflictions enter into the kingdom of God Persecution is the money wherwith God rewardeth his seruants in this world Many are so childish that rather they had to abide sicke and diseased than to receiue any physicke that is better or to bee seared with yron if necessity do so require The glory of a Christian is in the patient suffering of a affliction for the name of Christ. S. Paul though taken vp into the thirde heauen and adorned with special graces of the holy Spirit yet of himselfe he would not reioyce except it were of his infirmites A valiant souldier wil more boast of his manhood shewen and of his wound-receaued in the warres than of the fauour of his Lord and Master So a Christian should more reioyce in tribulation than in al the graces and giftes receaued from God Let thy glorie bee in the crosse of the Lord thy God and in thy sufferring for his sake If we be dead with him we also shal liue with him If we suffer we also shal raigne with him CHAP. 30. To be in fauour with greate men of this world it is a vaine thing KIng Ahashuerosh did promote HamaÌ„ exalted him set his seate aboue al the Princes that were with him But what good had he by the fauour of king Ahasuerosh Surely it made to his greater shame and destruction Though promotion come from the Lord yet by reason of thy wicked inclination it doth more hurte than profite thee many times Christ commended Peter saying he was blessed because flesh and bloud had not reuealed the confession whâ—ch he had made of Christ but the heauenly Father But so was he blinded with that fauour that so much as in him laie he would haue hindered the passion of our Sauiour Christ for which hee had a sharpe rebuke and that deseruedly If therefore wee abuse the fauoure of God himselfe to our hurt the fauoure of man will doe little good thorough our owne default The grace and fauoure which his mistresse in AEgipt shewed him tended but vnto the meere destruction of Ioseph As pure wine doth disquiet the head so the fauour of this world worketh our annoie therefore it is good to mingle the same with the water of detraction that wee growe not proude through our gracious beeing in the eyes of the great When the worde of adulation doth puffe vs vp then is the tongue of the murmurer necessary to bring vs downe The rebukes and hatred of other men they bring vs directly to the knowledge of our selues He that liueth in disgrace knoweth himselfe though no man else doe know him It is much better to know our selues than to be known of other men and more hurt doth fauour and friendship than displeasure and hatred many times Displeasure profiteth because it humbleth bringeth a man to the knowledge of himselfe whereas fauour doth vs blinde that we cannot see our selues Liuing in disgrace thou art driuen to seeke and so shalt finde God but beeing in the fauour of men thou maiest easily loose him Take not thy selfe for the better man though thou haue a good countenance of men of power but beare in mind that saying in the Gospel Remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasures likewise Lazarus paines therfore is he comforted and thou art tormented Thou shal hardly be of honor in this life and in the other too They which enioy this worlde and are exalted heere being not the seruantes of God shall in the end bee excluded from the inheritance of the heauenly kingdome which is reserued onely for the good They which despise worldly fauour shall haue heauenly felicitie If wicked men doe prosper grieue not thy selfe for they cannot looke for any part or portion of celestiall ioyes Therefore as the seruant of Iesus Christ contemn thou the fauour of worldly men and with patience expect that glorious day at which thou shalt enioy the euerlasting fauour of God CHAP. 31 Afflictions are profitable WE must through manie afflictions enter into the kingdom of God saieth the Scripture and the Psalmist in the person of God doeth saie I wil be with him in trouble Affliction is a faithful messinger he that doth iniurie to the messinger of a king doth offer iniurie to the king himselfe So he offendeth God likewise which is grieued at the afflictioÌ„ which God doth send let him looke to bee punished as Hanun was of Dauid for abusing the messeÌ„gers which he sent vnto him That which the fanne is to the corne the file to the iron the fire to the gold that is tribulation to a righteous man Be fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure builde the walles of Ierusalem said the Prophet Saint Peter calleth vs liuely stones Thou canst not make an high building without a low foundation and vnlesse
Little knowe the men of this world what they say when they iudge the yoake of Christ sharpe and soure and their wordes are so much to be waide as the wordes either of a blind man that will iudge of colours or of him that will condemne a way aâ—â—l which he neuer went not yet knoweth But seeing all the Saintes of God haue carried vppon their shoulders the yoake of Christ and haue by experience found the same to bee light more credit is vnto them to bee giuen than to those men whosoeuer they are which neuer did vndergoe the same No man euer hath taken vpon him this yoake of Christ but he hath confessed that the same was light againe no man will say it is bitter and intolerable but hee that knoweth not what it meaneth This wil they testisie to bee true who laying aside the burden of sinne by humble confessing them vnto the Lord haue fouÌ„d theÌ„selues so lightened as they seemed foorthwith to be rapt vp into the heauens If such comfort cometh vnto vs by forsaking of sinne howe much greater will the consolation be in proceeding forwarde in the holy exercises oâ— most Christian vertues For of one good deede thou shalt not be called good but of many actions The habite of vertue it commeth after thou hast first seuered thy selfe from euill and exercised thy selfe in godly vertues And by proofe thou shalt sinâ—e that wel it will goe with thee when thou feelest the true comfort of the soule by going forwarde in the way of the spirit The natural man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God of many good things is he depriued O that but euen a little thou hadest tasted the ioy of the holiâ— Ghost thou wouldest soone take the things which seeme so sweete here in the world for very soure and bitter Seeing the yoake of Christ is so sweete and the yoake of the worlde so burdensome take vpon thee and that cheerefully the yoake of the Lord so at the length thou wilt say that both nowe it doth and hereafter it will go wel with thee CHAP. 13 In all our troubles we must make recourse vnto the Lord COme vnto me al ye that are wearie laden I will ease you saith the Lord If thou forsake God and runnest backe vnto the worlde looke not for any comfort in thy troubles So long as thou obeiest the desires of thy minde and the world so long assure thy selfe no consolatioÌ„ wil come vnto thee That good woman Mary Magdalene when shee was comfortâ—â—sse she came vnto our Sauiour Christ into the Pharisies house and had her sinnes forgiuen her but desperat Iudas flying vnto men hanged himselfe afterward in desperatioÌ„ Here you may see that wiser waâ— that woman than Iudas the Traitor they had both offended and both confessed their sinnes but better did she for her selfe in flying vnto the fountaine of comfort than the foolish Disciple which leauing his life sought his own death If a picture that sometime was faire and perfect afterward becommeth soule and spotted who better canne restore the same to the former integritie than the painter which first made the same So if thy soule be defiled with the spottes of sinne who better can reforme it than God himselfe which created the same after his owne likenesse Be take not therefore the reformation of thy soule to the worlde for it cannot mende but empaire yea vtterly destroy the same Beleeue not lies but turne thee vnto God the fountaine of all mercy Hee that wil aske an almes of a poore man when a rich man that is both able and willing also to giue is present is a verie foole No creature is so rich that it can comfort thee but God onely heerein is most liberall Turne therfore thy praiers vnto him and cast thy heart vpon his kindnesse who is the true quietnes consolation Seeke vnto thy Sauiour Christ as the doue sought vnto the Arke of Noah But hang not vppon this worlde as the rauen hanged vppon carion The doue founde no rest vntill she returned vnto the Arke againe If thou wouldest inwardly be comforted in thy soule fly the outwarde consolation of the body If thou hungrest after Christ hee will fil thee with the bread of heauen Happy is he that setteh not his heart vpon any creature but dedicateth himselfe and al his works vnto the Lord. One thing is needful vnto thee Is it not better to ioine thy selfe to one than to many Let others seeke if they wil varietie of things external seeke thou that one thinge which is spiritual and with that be content Of one al thinges proceede and not that one thing of many By seeking these visible thinges while thou thinkest to finde rest in them thou forgoest the things which are truely good if thou turne thy selfe vnto transitory goods thou shalt leese trust vnto it the good thinges in deede and finde thy selfe incombred in many troubles but if vnto God the soueraigne good thou turne thy selfe then shalt thou in him finde quietnesse â—nd a plentifull heape of all good thinges Seeke the water of life to refresh thy soule whithall at the fountaine which by no possibe meanes can bee dried vp For better is one dropp of heauenly consolation than all the floudes and streames of worldly pleasures The men of this world they seeke for quietnesse in thinges that bee out of quiet and for continuance in things transitory Let them therefore take to themselues the dignities of the world but let it be as a shielde vnto thee to make recourse vnto God and in him to repose al thy trust and confidence CHAP. 34. The comfort of this world as they are not true so neither be they of continuance I Haue seene the wicked strong spreading him selfe like a green bay tree Yet he passeth away and loe hee was gone and I sought him but he could not be founde saith Dauid The righteous haue been counted for dead in this worlde like the treeâ— in winter whose vertue remaineth hidden in the rootes Therefore in the sight of the world they seemed fruitelesse and good for nothing but the sommer being come their vertue flourisheth and then will they shewe themselues in their glorious array The floures appeare in the earth so shall the iust say when gloriously shining as the Sunne they shal bee presented before the God of heauen Trust not the greene and goodly hew of this worldly vanity which soone vanisheth away loue not the world which thou seest to passe away so swiftly Salomon saith As the whirl wind passeth so is the wicked no more As a thunderclap which maketh a great noyse in the ayre and as a sudden shower of raine which soone passeth away and by and by the day is cleare again such is all the pomp and show of this world it no sooner commeth but it is gone again Loue the life which is eternall which enioying
very deede they are nothiâ—â— so Our soule is no Chamelion thâ— it should liue onely with winde Tâ—â— worlde it openeth his desire it â—â—cheth out and vnfouldeth his will 〈◊〉 laboureth to nourish such as loue 〈◊〉 worlde with the meere winde of vâ—nitie Ephraim is fedd with the wind saiâ— Hosea Vaine we tearm that whicâ— filleth not the place where it is The things of this world they fill not but onely puffe vp our soul make it for to swell Wouldest thou not take him for a very foole that being an hungred should open his mouth and onely take in the aier to appease his hunger withall Surely thou art no wiser than hee which thinkest to satisfie thy minde with the winde of wordly vanitie Of the men of this worlde did the kingly Prophet say Whose bellies thou fillest with thine hidde treasures Lords and great men they vse to lay â—broad the most pretious thinges of â—heir house adorning their haules and great chambers with silke and arras but the things of lesse price account â—hey fling into corners Euen so God â—ath publiquely set abroad the riâ—hes of this glory and holy loue but â—he duste of gold and siluer as vile â—hinges hee hideth vnder the earth â—et a woonderfull thinge it is to obâ—erue how the men of this world coâ—et to satisfie their bellies with the â—asest things The thinges of this world are like vnto sharpe liquor which doth not satisfie but prouoke the appetite to couet after meate They shall goe to and fro and barke like dogs and goe about the citie They shall run here and there for meate and shall not bee satisfied though they tarrie all night saith the Psalmist They shall goe too and fro and compasse about to get honors and riches and yet for al that shall not they be satisfied Thus saith the Lord by the prophet Haggai vnto such fellowes Yet haue sowen much and bring in little yee eate but ye haue not inough ye drinke bul ye are not filled yee cloth ye but ye be not warme The more thou drinkest of these worldly thinges the dryer thou shalt bee and thou shalt shewe thy selfe like vnto that man who to quench his thirst will eat salt and to quench the fire will powre oyle vpon the same The desire of worldly things is infinite and will not bee satisfied CHAP. 2 God alone is to be desired and sought after OPen thy mouth wide and I willfill it saith the Lord When God had commended the obseruation of his commaundementes vnto his people hee then said Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it He speaketh not of the opening the corporall mouth but of the desire which is the mouth of the soule It is not the world that can fulfil the desire of the soule but God alone our creator which saith Enlarge thy desire because I onely and none other can satisfie the same The reasonable soule which is created aâ—ter the image and likenesse of God may well bee occupied about many thinges but it shall neuer bee satisfied nor replenished but with God himselfe In him it resteth securely and reioyceth Happy is that soule to which God is all thinges and to whom besiâ—e God nothing is sweet and precious but all is bitter and vnsauory If our soules seeke comfort in these earthly thinges let it neuer looke for rest and quietnesse The vessell so long as it abideth in the water it seemeth not heauy but as soone as it is taken out of the water the heauinesse and waight of the same appeareth The reason is for that being altogether earth or consisting of that thing which commeth neerest vnto earth it hath most agreement and conuenience with the element of water so long as it swimmeth vppon the water and of earth beeing vppon the earth So when thou art with God in heart by vnfained loue thou art in the element as it were that that is most proper and proportionate vnto thee and there continuing with him thou goest away merrely and with a contented minde but going to the loue of the world thou leauest thy proper element and therefore euery thing seemeth painful and heauy vnto thee The wicked men doe find euen in their greatest dignities much trouble the godly on the other side in reproches quietnesse This sheweth that in God onely there is ioy of heart but without God there is no comforte at all As thy body can take no rest so long as it lieth vpon a narrow peece of wood not answering to the proportion of thy body so shall thy soule neuer find any rest and security in the base thinges of this worlde If thou wouldest enioy life turne thee vnto God It is God that satisfieth thy mouth with good thinges as the prophet sayeth Our appetite will neuer rest vntill it come vnto the end it seeketh Our soule is of that noble nature that nothing can satisfie it but the soueraigne good of all which is God himselfe This moued Dauid to cry As the heart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing Gods when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God My teares haue bene my meat day night while they dayly say vnto me where is thy God While the holy prophet was without God hee thirsted greatly and longed that hee might perfectly be satisfied of him according to that of our Sauiour Christ If any man thirst let him come vnto me and drinke Giue not thy minde to the vanities of this world vnlesse you had rather to liue in continuall affliction of the soule than at quietnesse Couet not temporal that thou may est haue eternal glory If thou wouldest attaine thine heartes desire follow the counsaile of the Prophet Delight thy selfe in the Lord and hee shall giue thee thine hearts desire Loue God aboue all and thou shalt liue a merry life not onely in this world but also in the other to come CHAP. 3. It is vnpossible that any thing besides God alone should satisfie the soule of man WHen I awake I shal be satisfied with thine image saide the Prophet to God Whatsoeuer is in the world it is very little in respect of our soule The vessell which is made to receiue God himselfe can neuer be filled with any thing vntil God doe fill it And the cause why they cannot so doe is because they are vaine The thinges of this world doe so occupy the place wherein they be that for all their beeing there the place yet remaineth empty still and gold doth no more satisfie the soule than the wind doth suffice the body So smally can these earthly thinges satiâ—fie the minde the desire thereof beeing infinite Wouldest thou not iudge him a very foole that would presume to flye vp into the skies without winges As impossible is it for thy soule to be satiate with these eathly thinges Temporall goodes they are but
thou curiously dispute and reason about that which is commaunded thee The beginng of al mans miserie and mischeefe it came from the womans curious disputing with the serpent about the commaundement giuen vnto our first parentes of God For when the Diuell reasoned thus with her Yea hath God indeede saide Yee shall not eate of the fruit of the trees of the garden If shee had done well shee would haue taken vppe her aduersarie short and saide I wot well what God hath commaunded me to doe euen that I forbeare from eating of the forbidden frute when hee hath doone so I may not enquire but seeing he hath commanded I must giue obedience thereunto because he is my God and creator but shee ouerthrew her selfe because she would enter disputation with Satan It is not the duetie of a subiect to argue but to obey Holde thy peace and obey neither make answere to thine aduersarie otherwise thou shalt bee ouercome Let thy will be all one with thy superiors will For though the man that commaundeth thee bee of an euill life yet if that which hee commaundeth thee bee good thou shalt by obeying both giue a good ensample vnto others and profite thy selfe The obedient subiect liueth at great case when the troblesome person is neuer without troubles Remoue away the burden of thin owne will which so doth tire weary thee and laie the same vppon the shoulders of thy gouernour so shalt thou liue in security and quietnesse For it is great quietnesse to liue with out care that so thou maiest the more freely addict thy selfe vnto the Spirite Onely the men of high authority in the world they may lament and mourne that they want this priuiledge But worldlings they comprehend not yet the sweetenesse of holy obedience Hence it is that many which would seeme religious hauing not thoroughly perceaued howe pleasant a thing it is to obey for Christs sake they both couet prelacy and shunne the quietnesse of the Spirite and while they thinke to finde ease they fall into troubles and are tyred continually with cares and molestations Onely therefore the good soules which bee religiously obedient they get the freedome of the Spirite and liue with ioy and comfort Many of their owne free will doe chuse out places of comfort for themselues where beeing once come they finde themselues voide of all ioy and comfort But the Godly doe euen there finde most consolation where they thinke to haue no comfort at all To bee short look not to finde any true comfort but in God which dwelleth in the heart of the obedient person If thou bee truely obedient thou shalt finde comfort wheresoeuer thou shalt dwell because God is with thee but if thou bee led by thine owne affection what place or land soeuer thou chusest to dwell in euen there shalt thou finde an hell where thou thinkst to haue paradise For thether shalt thou carry thine own will which offereth bloudy battell vnto thy soule in all places thether shalt thou carry thy affections which night and day wil vexe and trouble thee But submitting thy selfe vnto the authority of others as thou shouldest thou shalt make thy selfe a Lord and ruler ouer all thinges CHAP. 31. Pouerty is great riches BLessed are the poore in spirite for theirs is the kingdome of heaueÌ„ saith our Lord For the obtaining the custody of some strong castle or place of defence a warrant signed with the hande and seale of the Lorde or Prince of the same shall doe thee more good than a great deale of mony for vppon the sight of the warrant the captaine of the castle will giue thee possession of the same which no mony could get at his handes Pouerty in spirite is the warrant or bill assigned by the great King of heauen whereby the poore in spirite shal enter into paradise seeing the Lord doth say Theirs is the kingdome of heauen This warrant is more worth for the getting of heauen than all the temporall riches of the worlde Well said our Sauiour Christ Blessed are the poore in spirite For if he is to bee counted blessed which coueteth nothing sure the greedy gatherer of worldly riches is not blessed for hee coueteth much The poore in spirite lacketh nothing saue that hee will not haue what hee wil hee hath and that will hee not haue which hee desireth not Theirs is the kingdome of heauen saith Christ. Pouerty is a treasure that is easely kept for no man wil or can bereaue vs of it It is a sure possession which none will chaleng or lay claime vnto Hee that is so poore that hee hath nothing needeth neuer to feare that dreadful sentence against the vnmercifull rich men I was a stranger yee lodged me not I was naked and yee clothed me not sicke and in prison and yee visited me not Hee that hath not to giue is not bound vnto these workes of mercy Had not the poore estate liked God the Angel had neuer in particulars tolde the shepheardes that they should finde the Sauiour of the world swadled and lying in a cratch The apostle saith of Christ that Hee being rich for your sakes became poore that ye through his pouerty might be made rich Christ was poore at his birth in his life poore and poore at his death If the onely begotten sonne of God for thy sake became poore why art thou ashamed to become poore for his sake A good pouerty is great riches to bee thoroughly mortified it is necessary that thou despise this salfe riches and to with-draw thine hearte from the inordinate desire of them They which stand vpon the ground are nearer vnto heauen then they which liue belowe in vauts vnder the ground So they be nearer vnto God that despise the riches of this earth than are the couetous which serue the world haue made themselues slaus vnto the same Reioyce therefore if thou mayest heere-in bee a companyon of Iesus Christ who hanged on the crosse poore and naked to make thee a partaker of those inestimable riches and glory in his celestiall kingdome CHAP. 32. We are to continue in doing good workes ANd yee brethren be not weary of well dooing saith the apostle A good work is neuer without a rewarde For if thou liue in the state of grace thou shaâ—t come vnto heauen but if thou art not in such a state yet shalt thou not loose the good which thou dost Hee that liueth euell and doeth no good deedes shal hardly after become a vertuous man get therfore the custome of doing well that by the vse the thing may bee made easie Let vs not therefore be weary of well dooing saith the apostle For in due season we shall reap if we faint not Christ seeing a figge tree in the way hee came vnto it and finding nothing there-on but leaues onely said to it Neuer fruit grow on thee hence-forward â—nd anon the figge tree withered Therefore is it good
then it were good policy for thee to procure their commendation and to be counted for a Saint but sure God onely and thy soule must enter into an account of matters together it were vaine to procure the praises of men on thy behalfe vnto God For God wil not require their opinion concerning thee say they what they will God will not referre himselfe vnto their sayinges but vnto thy owne consience If all the world say thou art a Saint and deseruest glory what wil that auaile thee afore God which will iudge thee according to the constitution of thy consience Againe though all men do condemne thee and God be thy friende what can their obloquies hurte For he whom they reproue is not approued of God nor what they allowe is acceptable before him The iudgements of men are vaine for they knowe neither what men thinke nor what they deserue they see not the inward thoughtes of the mâ—nde and therefore be commonly deceaued they cannot giue grace much lesse glory to any man neither is it in their power either to condemne or to saue thee I say vnto thee as the truth is were all the men in the world thine assured friendes they all could neither prolong thy life halfe an houre nor deliuer thy soule from the streight iudgement of God How much better shal it be at the point of death to haue God on thy side then to haue spent thy whole life in the seruice of a king or other princes of the world who though they loue thee much yet can they not help a whit at that extremitie Listen therefore vnto me and afflict not thy selfe if thou doe thy dutie howsoeuer men murmur against thee labor not to please the people neither seeke their praises in this world for it tendeth al vnto vanitie and losse of time But turne thy selfe vnto GOD and labor with all thy strength to serue and please him turning away thine eares from the rumors and vanities of this vnhappy world CHAP. 8 The reproches of the world must be contemned AS touching me I passe verie little to be iudged of you or of mans iudgmeÌ„t He that iudgeth me is the Lord Therfore iudge not before the time vntil the Lord come who will lighten things that are hid in darkenes and make the counsels of the hearts manifest then shall euery man haue praise of God This said the Apostle despising the iudgements of men inasmuch as God is priuie to the hearts and condition of euery man he can search the hearts and reines At the houre of death it wil appeare who is the good or the euil man Let this therefore moue thee to giue no heed to the wicked iudgements of men but to please God They which runne a race regard not what euery one doth say but what their iudgement is which must giue the rewarde Whose example may teach thee not to care for the praise or disprayse of men but altogether to bende thy selfe to please God the supreame iudge If thou take paine for his glory he seeth it doubt thou not and from his hand thou shalt receaue a croune of righteousnes Loue the truth and care not what men say who are moued oftâ— through loue or hatred yet wot they not what is in man be not moued neither take it greuously though some haue an euil opinion of thee Art thou better than Christ himselfe Read the Gospel and there shalt thou finde written that of some he was called a Seducer a Samaritane one which had a diuel some said this man is not of God because hee keepeth not the Sabboth Others sayd how can a man that is a sinner doe such miracles Insomuch that as Iohn doth testifie there was a diuisior among them If then so diuerse opiniâ—â—s Wâ—â—e sparsed abroad of our Sauiour â—hrist who knew no sinne but was very holinesse and goodnes it selfe why art thou so proud being indeedeful of imperfections that wouldest haue al men praise thee as thou dost If the iudgements of men were so contrarie about our most innocent Lord and maister what reason hast thou to wish that al men with one mouth would commend thy dâ—ings If many praise thee which art notwithstanding a weake fraile vessel let it not grieue thee if some againe speake il of thee There is no man so holy whose life wil be commended of al men nether is there any worke so righteous but wicked persons wil murmure against the same It were a foule error not to follow vertue because of the contradictions of men Goe thou about the most holy worke that may be and thou shalt be sure some will speake against the same now if thou art so light as to esteeme what men saie assure thy selfe nothing thou wilt do that shal please God That blinde man which sate in the way toward Iericho crying vnto the Lord for helpe wanted no reprehenders notwithstanding the more he was rebuked the more ernestly he cried The mouthes of the wicked by no meanes can be stopped they will speak Which being so draw neere vnto GOD abide in the pathes of righteousnes perseuere in a good thing and regard not the wordes of idle persons whose manner is sinisterly to interpret the meaninges and doings of their neighbours Thy time is lost if curiously thou marke what men do say Labor therfore that alwaies thou maiest please God and doe his wil. for al the rest is but vanity vexation of the spirit CHAP. IX To be praised of men is a vain thing TAke heed that ye giue not your alms before men to be seene of them saith the Lord And although in an other place our Sauiour doth likewise say Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works yet his meaning is not that we should therby seeke our praise but the glory of God and therefore hee addeth immediatly And glorifie your Father which is in heauen He which doth good workes that he may be praised seeketh the glory of himselfe and not of God God doth not forbid that we should do good workes in the sight of men but he would haue the intention to be good He forbiddeth thee to seek thine owne praises and willeth that in the good things which thou dost the glory of God should be sought of thee If thou measure the treasure of good workes by the tonges of other men it is no longer in thee either to keep or to forgoe the same Keep secret the riches of vertue by thy selfe except thou wouldst that flatterers should bereaue thee of them quite Ezechias that shewed his treasurs to the King of Babilons messengers was greuously punished for the same Publish not abroad the good workes which thou dost neither seeke the praise of men least God he punish thee for a vaine and arrogant man Seeke not the reward of wel doing in this world least thou leese the reward of eternal
is right when the middle annswereth proportionably both to the beginning and ende of the same Hee that straieth out of the way fetcheth a compasse many times that hee may so come into his way againe The holy scripture doth liken vs in many places vnto way faring men and strangers At our birth wee beginne the iorney and at our death wee finish the same Aske the wise man what our beginning is When I was borne saith he I receiued the common aer and fel vpoÌ„ the earth which is of like nature crying and weeping at the first at al the other do I was nourished in swadling clothes and with cares For there is no king that had any other beginning of birth Al meÌ„ haue one enterance vnto life and a like going out Thou wast borne with tears and thou shalt die with paine and wilt thou liue in ioy If thou art of that minde thou goest not the way of righteous men but fetchest a compasse with the vngodlie Let the middle of thy life be correspondent to the beginning and end of the same that is so liue both as thou wast borne and as thou shalt die Care not much for riches but say with Iob Naked came I out of my mothers wombe naked shall I return thither â—uild not large and sumptuous houses but remeÌ„ber that a poore little cradle did holde thee beeing newely come into the worlde and forethinke that being deade a small pit shall containe thy body Neuer couet in this world to bee greate seeing thou wert so little at thy birth and shalt bee so vile when thy breath 〈◊〉 gone Into the world thou camest not great and rich but little and poore Thou camest not like a Champion and thou shalt not goe to thy graue like a wâ—â—rier with a drawenâ— word in thine hande And therefore see that thou liue in peace and quietnes while thou art in the world Loue not riches hunt not after promotion consume not thy time idlely in delights bewaile thy sinnes Repent in this life that thou mayest be blessed in the life to come The Lord saith Your sorrow shal bee turned into ioy O happy sorrowe that shall be so rewarded Loue holy compunction of the heart sigh after the celestial cunâ—rey and make not this present banishement thy paradise of pleasure Thou art vtterly loste and wanderest out of the way if thou wouldest spend thy time altogether Pleasantly in this world Returne therefore and come into the right way againe embrace the light by thinking vppon the most bitter passion of thy Redeemer so shalt thou attaine vnto the desired ende euen vnto that happines whereunto at the first thou wast created CHAP. 17. The true ioy is in the Lord. REioyce in the Lord alway againe I say reioyce saith the Apostle The ioy of the seruant of GOD ought onely to be in his Lord God A vaine man is he which reioyceth in any other theÌ„ in God alone It is not the will of God that thou shouldest liue in sorrow but in ioy and mirth onely he requireth thee to change the cause of thy ioy and in steede of that false ioy of the worlde to embrace the true comfort of the soule The Apostles reioyced when they tolde our Lorde how the diuels were subdued to theÌ„ through his name But it was answered them foorthwith In this reioyce not that the spirites are subdued vnto you but rather reioyce because your names be written in heauen So he forbideth not al but the false ioy All ioy without God is vaine and without a foundation in God onely you should reioyce nor in any other thing vnder heauen Say with the Apostle Our reioycing is this the testimonie of a tru conscience 〈◊〉 good conscience is a pleadge of the true ioy which thou shalt taste in heauen Dauid he was without God as hee thought therefore breaketh he forth into teares day and night wanting the presence of his God Signifiing that where God is not there can bee no true ioy The worldly ioy is not the true ioy because it is not founded vpon a good conscience S. Iohn the Baptist he sprang for ioy in the belly of his mother this was a true ioy All other ioy is vaine which hath not grace for the foundation thereof Get therefore Grace before God and thou shalt gette the true goodnesse of the heart Desirest thou riches Riches and treasurs be in his house desirest thou beutie The Lord saieth to the spouse Thou art faire my loue Desirest thou life I am the life saiteh the Lord Desirest thou saluation Hee shal saue his people from their sinnes Desirest thou peace The Lord is our peace as witnesseth Th'apostle Desfirest thou honor Heare the Psalmist Thy friendes bee veri honorable and their praeeminence is verie comfortable If thou hast God with thee thou hast the true ioy What more desirest thou Well may hee reioyce which hath wiâ—h him the fountaine of grace Renounce therefore al temporal ioy and more esteeme thou the smalest quantitie of spirituall consolation than all manner of worldly ioy whatsoeuer There is no true taste where God is not nor true ioy but in God for sonne vanished the comfort of this worlde Soone was the water spent which Abraham gaue Hagar and Ismael his sonne after the flesh but Isaac his soone after the spirit he wanteth noe water I he comfortes of the world doe soone leaue the vngodly but the consolation of the righteous are as wels of liuing water which may be drawen but neuer dried vp This ioie is certaine and euerlasting which no man shall take from you saith the Lorde Of worldlie folkes manie glorie in their braue apparell but this glorie is their apparels not their owne others glorie in their riches and this glorie also is not theirs but their riches For take them awaie and the glory is gone Bnt the ioy which is in the Lord proceeding from a good conscience no man can take from vs except we wil our selues Which ioy is rightly numbred among the other fruites of the holy spirit In creatures there can bee no full ioy but the ioy in the Lord is ful because it is infinite answereth to his infinite goodnes Ioy doth answere vnto desier as rest doth vnto motion For then is our rest quiet and consummate when there is not any thinge more to bee moued Euen so our ioy shal be full when their is nothing besides to bee desired Nowe because in worldly thinges the desire is neuer perfect rest it followeth that among the creatures there câ—n no true rest bee founde But because God 〈◊〉 he satisfieth our desire he is alone to be loued that our ioy be full The Kingly prophet he saith that God he satisfieth our mouth with good thinges and Anna the mother of Samuel she saith Mine heart reioyceth in the Lord mine horne is exalted in the Lorde To
celeritie vnto the graue Againe Iob he likened his life vnto a shippe The shippe is not made to rest but to sayle towarde the hauen In like sorte thou art not made to abide in pleasure but by labour and toile to come vnto the Hauen of thy saluation And as the shippe sayleth most swiftly and leaueth no printe or signe of it selfe so our life it goeth away speedily and no memory remaineth of vs after we bee gone What is become of so many Kinges and Princes which liued somtime in the worlde They passed away swiftly and left no token or signe of their being here Great are the dangers whereunto the shippe is subiect vnto sayling in the Sea Shee may drinke water and so be drowned she may sinke into the sandes shee may be ouerwhelmed by tempestes or broken into peeces with rockes or burned by pyrates If thou consider the daungers wherein thou liuest thou shalt finde how thou art open to no fewer daungers then the shippe is The mariners now and then hoyse vp the sayle and parte from the hauen with a ioyful winde and weather but after they haue sayled a while they fall vpon a rocke and then turned is the mirth into mourning So when a man is borne the friends and parentes they keepe a feast with mirth and much a doe but all in vain For when by some mischance or infirmitie hee dieth then is all the mirth turâ—ed into mourning and lamentation In the morning saith Dauid it flourisheth and groweth but in the euening it is cut downe and withereth Neither can any man how greate soeuer he be auoide these daungers of mans life Yea the higher a man is for calling the more painefull and miserable a life doeth hee leade The hearts of Princes and great men haue many a thorne in them couered from our eyes and hid with the costly attire and with garments of their bodies Full of eares is their life and with much feare doe the mighty men of this world giue themselues to rest though these lie vppon neuer so costly and soft beds no taste haue they in a manner of all their commodities Neither much delight can they take in their ordinary pleasures they be so cloyed with the common vse of them and when sicknesse and misfortunes do come their parte is greater in them then other mens is because they haue beene long inured to pleasures and delectation and through the continuall licentiousnes which they haue liued in they thinke they were not borne for any aduersity at all Inferior and priuate persons they both sustain lesse troubles and enioy greater comfort forasmuch as they haue beene brought vp in trauell taking paine Notwithstanding this life is to all men both penal and dangerous through the pleasure of God because hee would haue all men by their miseries to seeke those ioyes which neuer shall haue an end CHAP. 38 To put off our amendement from time to time it is a vaine thing MAke no tarrying to turn vnto the Lord and put not off from day to day for suddenlie shall tâ—e wrath of the Lord break forth and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed and thou shalt perish in time of vengeance saith Ecclesiasticus Thou oughtest speedily to amend thy life for thou hast not one houre to liue that thou art sure of I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way liue saith the Lord God God doth here promise thee pardon when thou dost returne but he promiseth thee not that to morrow thou shalt returne Why deferrest thou to repâ—t from day to day when perhaps thou shalt not see another day after this The man which hath store of riches and faire inheritance of his own neede care the lesse though he spend some of his moueable thinges but he which hath no more than day by day he earneth and must beside giue an account to his maister for that also for this man to lauish out his ear-rings vnthriftily it is a foolish thing Thou art not sure to liue one day more and yet lookest thou for an other yeere to turne vnto the Lorde Thou which art so poore of time that thou hast not one houres life of certainty to reckon vpon wilte thou so liberally promise to thy selfe many yeares to liue Waste not the time vnprofitably which God hath giuen thee I pray thee Promise not so manie thinges to thy selfe for thou art poore and miserable and it maie be to morowe a straite accounte shall be exacted of thee for the time passed giuen vnto thee of God to amende thy wicked life in Thou liuest in continuall daunger like a sheepe in the wolues mouth What remedie hast thou but to call for the helpe of thy shep-herde euen Christ Vnlesse thou wilt bee swallowed vp of death and that speedelie Doe not promise to thy selfe any long life The wise man saith A wicked promise hath vndonne manie a man Knowe you not that the Father hath put the times and seasons in his own power not in thine The Prophet saith It is time for thee Lord to worke for they haue destroied thy law vnlesse thou haue regarde of the time God he will shorten thy daies In the time of Noah God graunted an hundred and twentie yeeres for the worlde to repent but because they spent the time which God gaue them so ill he tooke from those yeres twentie and raised the floud in the hundred yeere If thou abuse time time shal be taken fom thee The health of the body is attained after little and little for it is not of any necessity that health should come vnto any man vppon the sudden but the helth of the soule as a thing much for the behoofe of man therefore it may be gotten at an instant Thou hast nothing at all of time but the very instant which may serue for thy conuersion Look not for another day because it may bee a count may bee exacted of thee to day Be diligeÌ„t in working sith thou art so nigh vnto thine ending This life was giuen to thee to the ende that in the same thou sâ—ouldest labour and seeke to attaine euerlasting life He that promiseth to do a peece of worke by a certaine time it stands him vpon to free himselfe from all other businesse that hee may keepe his promise Our Sauiour calleth the time of this present life the day in which we haue to worke for whoÌ„ the night of our death approacheth then can we worke no more wee can neither gaine nor loose This is the time which God hath giuen thee to seeke his euerlasting sauour in Haue an eye vnto the worke which thou hast now in hand neither suffer thy selfe to bee drawne from the same If the world call and will thee to giue it ouer hearken not vnto it if it bid thee to leaue this worke promising thee for so doing riches and promotion say thou canst not so doe because
thou wottest not when death will approch Make haste and be diligent in thy busines for now the time draweth â—eere wherein thy life shall be examined and according to thy worke such shall your wages be The Falcons towarde night bee greedy and labour eagerly for their pray for it is too late for them to pray when the night once commeth Remember thou likewise how the time of thy working in this life iâ— but short and that it is meete that thou vse all earnest painefullnesse to come vnto heauen by sighing mourning and praying vnto God It is a wonder that thou canst be so negligent hauing as thou hast one foot in the graue If thou be negligent in seeking the saluation of thy soule it may be affliction may come vnto thee as came vnto that Leuite which would needes goe on his iourney when the day was farre spent contrarie to the minde of his Father in law wherby much trouble came vnto him and his But out of hande art thou to reconcile thy selfe vnto the Lorde and whoseuer shall hold thee backe or hinder thee heare him not least death happily oppresse thee and thou be made to take vp thy lodging in that obscure place of the infernall spirites and so canst not reach at all vnto thine owne home which is heauen toward which thou art bounding Rise therefore in time and go forward to the vttermost of thy power in reconciling thy selfe both to God man if thou purpose to rest in the house where thou wouldest bee least death at any time ouertake thee on the sodaine CHAP. 39. Though repentance at al times pleaseth God yet it is not good to prolong the same vntil the houre of death BEhold now the time accepted beholde now the day of saluation and in al things we approue our selues as the ministers of God in much patience in afffictions in necessities in distresses so saide the Apostle vnto the Corinthians In the time of thine health tnrne thee vnto God for when the floudes of many waters doe compasse thee about on euery side that is when the stormes of great sorrowe shall come vppon thee and the feare of death bee present afore thine eies hardly shalt thou truly turne vnto the Lord. Assuredly hardly shalt thou at thy death drawe neere vnto God if all thy life thou hast keept thee from him God he saith In an acceptable time haue I heard thee and in a day of saluation haue I helped thee The day of saluation is the state of the life present therefore suffer it not to slip for in the same though it bee neuer so short by vnfained repentance thou maiest com vnto heauen To all thinges there is an appointed time and a time to euery purpose vnder heauen There is a time to weeepe a time to laugh The time that wee haue here to liue is the time to weep and to repent in Which repentance prolong not vnto the houre of death hardly then shalt thou finde fauour which hast contemned the same all thy life afore And who will not think that the feare of hel torments which iustifieth no man rather than a true faith in Christ whereby we are saued driueth a man to weepe shed teares at that time The passions of melancholy doe more strongly worke in the minde of man then doe those which come of any pleasant and delectable cause Now if a short delectation doth hinder the vse of reason much more wil an extreame sorrowe confound the iudgement especially the sorrow and horror of death which is so terrible and so doth darken reasoÌ„ within thee that hardly if at all shalt thou turne thee vnto God hauing serued the world all thy life afore Adde hereunto that thine vnderstanding cannot at one time perfectlie beholde two sundry and diuers obiectes yea at the houre of death dolors will so oppresse thee that very hardly thou shalt so much as lift vp thine hart vnto God The wise man saith d Man is not Lâ—â—douer the spirit to reteine the spirit neither hath hee power in the day of death An habit is such a qualitie as hardly can be remoued Sin wherein thou hast beene inured shall hale thee on the one side and greeuous tentations shall oppose themselues against thee on the other Those whom Sathan hath giuen ouer while they were well he will eagerly assaile when they are greeâ—ously sicke knowing that then â—hey bee either woone or lost for euer Besides tentations at the houre be deceiued then trust in no creature at all Wherin dost thou trust o mortal maÌ„ Trust not in thy strength seeing as valiant champions haue been whose names are not so much as thought of now adaies The wise man saith The mightie shal be mightely to rmented there is no cause therefore why thou shouldest vaunt of thy great might It is great folly our life being so short to build stately pallaces when our forefathers conteined themselues with meane cottages The Prophet Ieremiah saith Woe vnto him that buildeth his house by vnrighteousnesse his ChaÌ„bers without equitie Take not pride in thine horses pompously be trapped nor in the vaine pompes of this world seeing God he saith Woe to them which are at ease in Zion trust in the mountaine of Samaria which were famous at the beginning of the nations the house of Israel came vnto them Set not your ioy in banqueting and feasting but marke the sentence of God against Balshazzar the king of Babilon and remember which God saith in an other place Woe vnto them that rise vp early to follow drunkennes and to them that continue vntil night til the wine do inflame theÌ„ And the harpe viâ—l timbrel pipe and wine are in their feasts but they regard not the worke of the Lord nether consider the worke of his handes Trust neither in the nobilitie of thy birth noâ— in the beauty of thy body seeing the Scripture saieth Fauour is deceiptfull and beauty is vanitie Trust not in thy knowledge for no man in this world knoweth more than the very Deuil doth yet cannot al his knowledge deliuer him froÌ„ the paines of hel Trust neither in the nimblenesse and agilitie of thy body not many other such graces for euen many brut beastes in these thinges do farre exceed thee Asahel that was so light on foote as a wild Roe hee lost his life by following after Abner A miserable thing is it to set the heart vpon such thinges for al is vanitie and very foolishnes Great rashnesse is it to giue sentence before thou haue heard both parties If thou iudge the things of this worlde to be good why doest thou not thinke the thinges pertaining vnto God to be good in like wise The men of the world they pronounce senteÌ„ce in fauour of the world approuing greatly the mucke of this earth because they neuer tasted the good things of the spirit They deeme the world to be
tasted the pleasures of the same but it leaueth them comfortlesse This knewe the Prophet Baruch right wel when crying out he said Where are the Princes of the heatheÌ„ such at ruled the beasts vpon the earth They that had their pastime with the fouls of the heauen that hoarded vp siluer gold wherin men trust make none end of their gathering For they that coyned siluer and were so careful of their work whose inuentioÌ„ had none ende are come to naught and gon down to hâ—l other men are come vp in their steades Soone passed the glory of this worlde from them euen as in a moment What brought their great promotion in the world vnto them but a miserable death and infamous ruine The glory of the worlde it passeth soone away the goodes thereof are like floures that soone doe vade to which small trust is to be giuen for they will sooner be gone than you would thinke If thou be exalted one high take heede thou be not throwen downe againe as the hangmaÌ„ vseth to deale with condemned persons Know you not how the worlde dealeth so with such as it doeth aduance That great whore af Babylon spoken of in the Reuelation of S. Iohn vaunted her selfe exceedingly of her soueraigne prosperitie in the worlde but when shee thought her selfe most sane she tooke a shamefnll faâ— That couetous rich man also as we read in the Gospel after S Luke he gloried immoderatly in his riches but straight away God said vnto him O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee then whose shal those things be which thou hast prouided The children of Israel were scattered abroad throughout al the lande of Egypt for to gather stubble in the steeâ—e of strawe Al men do seek for riches al men are obedient to mony and in this respect no friende is known and after they had sought about they were well dribasted for their labour so done they might bee throwne out of that ioyfull paradise euen as the prophet Ieremy doeth say Mine enemies chased me sore like a bird without cause Worldly pleasures great promotions what are they but a baite many times laied by the Deuill or his instrumentes to bring vs into his snares When the world doth make much of thee then doth it hunt after thy soule vnlesse thou take the better heed thou wilt soone be taken with the deceipts of the same Contrarily God when he inuiteth vs he seeketh our welfare And although his call is very sweet kind yet heard is it not many times because the loue of the word shutteth the gates against him And seeing that great is the sture and noyse in the soule of a sinner maruell it is not if the knocke of the Lord bee not heard within The spiritual crying is the earnest desire of the soule and the godly praâ—â—r vttered with zeale strength of the mind Moses prayed and though his lips went not at all yet the Lorde saide vnto him Wherfore criest thou vnto me Hannah the mother of Samuel she praied vnto the Lord yet did her lippes onely moue her voice was not heard Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore thou preparest their heart thou benâ—est tâ—ine eare to them saith Dauid Great is the noyse and cry among them that giue themselues to the matters of this world the desires of promotion they alwaies make a foule sturre and therefore no maruell if the noyse of God bee not hearde in an house so ful and so oppresâ—ed with disordered appetites which can neuer be satisfied according to that of Horace The more they drinke the drier they are For the thirst of couetousnes is neuer quenched Content thy selfe with that thou hast considering both the shortnesse of this present life the poor estate of Iesus Christ this will cause thee to keep all the vnquiet appetites of thy mind in peace and tranquility Driue from thine heart the loue of this world so with Iâ—b thou maist say Thou shalt call me and I will aunswere thee CHAP. 22. The wicked are made of but the godly are persecuted in the world IF ye were of the worlde the world would loue his own but because yee are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you saith the Lord It is no new thing that the wicked do persecute the good and worldly men the seruantes of Christ. For so persecuted was Abel of Caine Isaac of Ismael Iakob of Esau Ioseph of his brethren Anna of Peninnah Dauid of Saul Helias of Iezabel The vertuous life of the children of God being a secrete reprehension of the wicked behauior of vngodlie persons what maruaile if the wicked through â—atted doe pursue the good The saintes in this worlde may not vnfithe be compared vnto babes dead borne who bee readie to be borne away and buried so soone as they are borne but the vngodly are like those children which come into the world aliue and therefore it is a place for them to liue and deale in The theeues which breake by night into a house to robbe they will first afore other things put out the light that they bee not discried so deale wicked men with the godly who are the light of the world For euâ—ry man that euill doeth hateth the light Dauid through spirituall ioy leaped and danced before the Arke of God and Michal Saules daughter despised him in her heart for so doing It is the custome of naughty persons to scorne at the actions of well disposed men So wickedly were the people inhabiting within the land of Iudah giuen that they were so farre from building the temple of the Lorde according to the expresse commaundement of King Darius that they hindered that good worke and discouraged such as set their handes therunto Euen so doe the men of the worlde at this day they will neither doe that which good is themselues nor further them that would but so much as in them lieth hinder all good actions and enterprises But the true and godly Israelites were not discouraged for all this but went forward in the businesse of the Lord They did the worke with one hand and with the other helde the sword This example may teach thee not to giue ouer a good worke for the malice of il men but to prâ—ceede in the race of true religion and in the exercise of vertue defend thy selfe in patience against thine aduersaries whosoeuer they be It is an argument that thou art not good if thou canst not quietly put vp il patience my friend it will doe thee no hurt but it maketh greatlie for thy commendatiâ—n For as it redounâ—eth to thy discredite when thou art extolled of the wicked so it is to thy great prayse when the vngodly and none else cannot abide thee Then is our life commendable
thinke the other doe saile exceeding fast and that themselues doe go but faâ—re and easily or rather stand still although in truth one ship saileth so fast as the other Euen in like sort many that see other men dayly to die before their face doe thinke themselues notwithstanding to be immortall and that they doe abide stocke still while others doe goe on apace towardes death If death doe come vpon a suddaine and doe carrie any man away with him neuer say that hee betrayeth any man since long afore hee hath proclaimed himselfe to be an open enemie of vs all And it is an euident argument that he meaneth not to bee at truce with men when euery day he killeth one or other It is thy part therefore to prepare thy selfe and euery moment to looke for death and to liue in the feare of God They which goe through the fields that bee â—cuered with snowe they knowe not their way and while they thinke to enter into their lodging they fall into some daungerous pit or place Euen so the men which enioy all manner of prosperity which as snowe taketh away a great part of the sight of men while they thinke howe still they shall liue they rush headlong vpon death and come vnto destruction No maruaile then that of rich they become poore and from pleasure and pronâ—otion they come vnto anguish and plaine For good reason is it 〈◊〉 at his death he should forget himselfe which in his life would not remember God And then can hee hardly thinke of his saluation being occupied with the deceiptful light of the worlde vnlesse hee lay aside first all hurtfull sticking about visible things So ought a man to behold death despising all the vanity glorie and worship of the world CHAP. 34. Pride is horrible in the sight of God AL that is in the worlde as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of lift is not of the Father but of the worlde sayeth S. Iohn By these three troupes of enemies doth the world oppugne thee But of these the mightiest of all is pride which is the originall of all sinne If thou purpose to approch neere vnto God flie from pride becausâ— God resisteth the proude and giueth grace to the humble The waters of Gods grace they doâ— runneaway from the hie mountaines of the vaine and hie minded people and goeth into the vallies of them that bee humble and meeke hearted Consider who thou art and thou shalt see how little cause thou hast to bee proud Thou shalt fiâ—de that in thy conception there was sinne in thy birth misery in thy life troubles and in thy death anguish and vexation To bring downe thine hie stomacke withall Almighty God hath ordained that thou shouldest bee vexed here in this life with the most vile and simple creatures as gnattes frogges and such like vermine as he plagued the proude Egyptians withalâ— Boast not arrogantly of thine own vertues neither lay open the faultes of other men but humbly consider thine owne defects and thy neighbours vertues and confesse thy selfe to bee a sinner and thy neighbour to bee an holy man Doe not thou imitate the poude Pharisie that made mention of his owne good workes and of the Publicans wickednesse Bee not arrogant least thou fall into the rigorous iudgement of the almightie God Be not proude man for thou art worthy all shame and confusion Thy casting downe shal be in the middest of thee saith Micheas Thou art a vile worme of the earth and a deâ—ne full of filth and abomination RemeÌ„ber that thou art but dust and shalt returne againe into ashes Moses he sprinkled ashes toward the heauen and there came a scab breaking out into blisters vpon man and vpon beast If thou being but ashes dost lift vp and exaâ—t thy selfe by pride thou shalt be punished as the Egyptians were and as was Nebuchadnezzar There is no sinnner that so resembleth Satan as the proud man To remoue this sinne of pride God he descended vpon the earth in great humilitie Pride is the originall of al sinne Other sinners be separated from God either by some commoditie or pleasure but the cursed proude man is so past all shame that voluntarily hee renounceth euen God himselfe Other sinnes are knowen to proceede from certaine inordinate desires but the proude man in all that hee doeth maketh showe of pride He sheweth his pride in his pompous tables in his costly bedding and in many other things It is a continuall ague that continueth still and followeth a man often yea euen to the graue and after hee is dead Whereof are witnesses the stately monuments and toumbes which they cause to bee set vp and erected for them after they bee laide full lowe in the graue For the auoiding of this pride God hee suffereth man to fall into other sinnes An argument that of all it is the greatest Euery proud man is an abhomination to the Lord For he hath stretched out his hand against God and made himselfe strong against the Almighty saith Iob Onely by pride doeth man make contention saith Salomon With other sinners man may haue some societie but the proude man will admit no peere When Saul was little in his owne fight he was made the heade of the tribes of Israel but after hee became proude he lost his kingdome Pride it is the roote of all vice and the destruction of all vertue The trees that bee planted vpon hie places doe soonest loose their leaues thorough the vehemencie of the windes Studie therefore to bee little and make account of humilitie for therein shalt thou finde most safetie CHAP. 35. God giueth grace to the humble HE that humbleth himselfe shal be exalted saith the Lord As much as pride is hatefull so much is humility acceptable in Gods sight This humilitie is so liked of Iesus Christ that therein hee would bee borne and therewith as with a most deere friend he spent the time all the the dayes of his life Enter in at the straight gate for it is the wide gate and broad way that leadeth vnto destruction and many there be which go in thereat Because the gate is straight the way narrow that leadeth vnto life saith the Lord He that wil goe in at a lowe doore had neede stouâ—e and bowe downe himselfe if thou doest not â—umble thy selfe thou shalt neuer enter into heauen Except ye be conuerted and become as litle children ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Learne of me that am meeke and lowly in heart saith our â—auiour Many there be which know themselues to be weake and offenders yet will they not be taken to be such but be thou humble in will and be content to bee as slenderly accounted of by other men as thou knowest thy selfe to bee worthy of the same and this is to be humble in very deede Iesus
to fooles as papers of infamy Though prodigality bee a vice yet couetousnesse is worse because a prodigal man doth good to many but the couetous person doeth profite none CHAP. 38. Vnlawfull lust is lothsome in God his sight KNowe ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man destroy the Temple of God him shall God destroy â—saith the Apostle Now commeth the thirde band of enemies to bee spoken of comprised in the lust of the flesh Other vices doe defile but on part of man onely namely the soule but this vice polluteth the whole man Looke not to escape the terible iudgement of God if thou handle the Temple of the holy spirit dishonestly For vnlawfull lust the Lord destroyed the old world with water Sodom Gomora with the fiue citties next adioyning Hamor and the Sichimites Onan and the whole tribe of Beniamin in a maner with the sword For this vice was Amon murthered Salomon bereaued of the Spirit of God Samson blinded Dauid manie waies afflicted the two Elders that accused Susanna vnrustly stoned three and twenty thousand in one day put vnto the sword and most greeuous plagues for this vice hath the Lord sent among his people Fly from this infection and God his spirit will comfort thee haue death in minde and lust will soone bee quenched Auoid idlenesse and repell the tentation of the flesh from thee Remember the fire of hel where fleshly men shal burne for euer and the lust of the flesh will not so inflame thee It seemeth to thee harde to resist tentations but much harder will it bee to suffer the paines of hell Hee that is not deliuered from the first shall not escape the second fire One heate euercommeth another The remembrance of the infernall fire will extinguish the flame of the internall fiâ—e If thou art held with the loue of God al other vanities wil vanish from thine heart Hee is the seruant of Satan which serueth the lust and wicked affections of the mind Of this sinne did the Apostle speake when he said They that doe such things shalt not inherite the kingdome God The sinne of the flesh is a fire of hell and the maintainer thereof is riotousnesse and gluttonie The flame thereof is filthinesse the ashes vncleannesse the smoake infamie the ende vexation of the minde destruction of the bodie shipwrack of a good conscience and an horrible contempt of the holy commaundements of God Many of them bee vtterly cast away through the wrath of GOD which giue themselues to this vice If thou wouldest ouercome thou must flye from this sinne according to the commandement of the Apostle from God himselfe This victorie is gotten by flying and not by violence Daintie fare prouoketh lust but a sober diet with godly exercise keepeth chaste A wonder it is that euer thou canst auoide this persecution of the flesh faring deliciously and liuing in idlenesse The water of teares quencheth the flame of concupiscence and vnlesse thou auoid occasions hereunto it is almost impossible but at one time or other thou wilt yeeld vnto his sinne Few there be but either in youth or in age do humble themselues before this idole and giue themselues to the flesh Many there bee which commende the unspotted life but few retaine the chastitie of the body much lesse of the mind they would seeme honest and praise honesty but yet they auoide not as they ought the occasions which cause them either to bee or to be thought dishonest Their meaning is good but their knowledge is but smal and not sufficient Happy is that soule which in a pure body serueth her spouse Iesus Christ and happy is that man which prepareth in his heart an habitation for the holy spirite Remember still the death the corruption and the filthynesse whereinto our bodies shall bee resolued and doing so much wilt thou bee moued to serue God in all holinesse of conuersasion whereby thou shalt enioy him blessedly in the heauens being deliuered from the fire of hell where they continue boyling in torments which like beastes in this worlde did giue themselues to al inordinate desires of the flesh CHAP. 39. The chaste Christian God delighteth in WIsedome cannot enter into a wicked heart nor dwel in the bodie that is subiect vnto sinne saith the wise man Gather thy senses together and refreine thine appetites Death is come vp into our windowes and is entered into our palaces sayeth Ieremie Vnlesse thou settest a watch ouer thy senses thy soule is in danger to die of an euill death Because Ishbosheth looked not well vnto his doores hee lost his life euen in his owne house lying vpon his bed Consider in thy minde what mischiefe came into the worlde through Euahs casting her eie vpon the forbidden fruite It is not lawfull for thee inordinately to beholde that which is not lawfull for thee in heart to desire Had not Dauid cast an vnchaste eie vpon â—athsheba he had neither lost so many good things neither fallen into so many euils as he did Looke warely vnto thy senses the want hereof brought destruction vnto Olofernes No vice so troubleth th'understanding nor ouerthroweth the reason of man as doeth the sinne of the flesh God who is all simple and pure He fedeth among the lillies as the Spouse doth say signifying thereby how hee is delighted altogether in cleannesse and chastitie The puritie of the creature is most gratefull before God and therein doth he most gladly rest himselfe It is written that There shal not enter into it the heauenly citie any vncleane thing The principall bewtie of the soule is principally ascribed vnto chastitie through bringing the flesh in subiection to the spirite The memorie of the chast persons is afore God immortall and renowmed of men Chastitie is compared vnto the roase not onely for the beautie and sweetnesse thereof but also for that it springeth encreaseth and continueth as the rose doth among thornes For chastitie neuer groweth nor continueth but where there is sharpenesse and austeritie of life and mortification of the flesh it is alwaies in danger where pleasure is Chastitie cannot liue where no fasting is vsed nor temperance appeareth And a wonder it were that such as are not sober should be chaste If thou wilt continue chaste bee still doing of some good worke or other flye the companie of dissolute persons and prepare a place in a pure bodie for the holy Ghost The Doue which Noah sent out of the Arke could haue no footing at all but vpon carion which she liked not and therefore returned vnto the Arke againe The holy Ghost which sometime was resembled to a Doue it cannot abide in bodies that bee vncleane but in the pure and holy Flye the vices of the flesh as thou wouldest the plague or pestilence that thy soule may remaine pure
the â—salmist All creatures when thou hast most neede will faile thee and therefore it is a vaine thing to repose any confidence in the things of this world If thou trust in men looke often to be deceaued for their wont is after a long and great seruice to make but a simple recompence Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and withdraweth his heart from the Lord Put not your trust in Princes nor in the sonne of man for there is none helpe in them saith the Psalmist Haman trusted much in the fauour of King Ahashuerosh of which he was soone depriued and brought to a most infamous and miserable end To be in fauour with great men of this world it doth vs little good and surely it vanisheth as nothing if not afore yet at the point of death What stabilitie canst thou promise thy selfe I pray you in a broken staffe of reede Euen such is man O Lord of hostes blessed is the man that trusteth in thee saith the Psalmist Happie is hee which loueth God with his whole heart and putteth his trust in him the Lord will deliuer that man from all trouble But forasmuch as true hope is founded vpon a good conscience the Psalmist doth say that is not enough in God to trust but besides a man must worke that which good is according to that Blessed is he that iudgeth wisely of the poore againe sayeth the wise man The hope of the wicked shall perish because it is not grounded 〈◊〉 on a good foundation To trust in the Lorde as some say they doe and yet dayly to sinne what is it but rash and vndiscreete presumption â—ut thy confidence in God for if thou for thy part doe that which thou oughtest doubt thou not but God of his infinite goodnesse will giue thee glorie for hee neuer for saketh them which trust in him It is a vaine thing liuing ill to presume vpon hoâ—e to repent thee heereafter whereas thou art ignorant whether thou shalt liue any longer than to day or no. Thou oughtest by and by to reforme thy life and to haue good hope that God will giue thee of his glorie since it is most sure that he neuer denied it to any which fulfill that which he commaundeth Hope still in thy God saith the Scripture so wiâ—l he deliuer thee from al thy troubles For hee is a shield to them which put their trust in him Dauid put his trust in the Lord and he was holpen Blessed is the man which feareth the Lord he will not be afraide of euil tydinges Happy is the man which falleth not from his hope happy is the man whose force and strength and refuge God is such an hope shall neuer be in vaine in the daies of trouble Consider the old generations of men ye children saith Ecclesiasticus and marke them well was there euer any confounded that put his trust in the Lord or who hath continued in his feare and was forsaken or whom did he euer despise that called vpon him Is it not good reason that the sicke man should put his trust in the Physition that healeth all diseases It is the Lord saith the Prophet which healeth all thine infirmities The Lorde is neere to all that call vpon him yea to al that cal vpon him in truth CHAP. 6. God is to bee loued aboue all THou shalt loue the Lorde thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde saith the Lord. If so thou wouldest doe then is it not sufficient for thee to leaue the euill way vnlesse thou walke by the good way through the detestation of worldly vanities Loue God aboue all Thou canst not liue without loue seeing therefore of force thou must loue then louâ— that which of all is most sweete and pleasant Thou maiest not so loue the world that thou offend God For what proportion is there of God his excellencie vnto the profite of the world For as God infinitely surpasteth his creatures so the holy loue of God without all comparison is more excellent than all other loue Who should reape the fruite but he which planted the tree The Apostle saith Wâ—o planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit therof WhoÌ„ shouldest thou loue but him that hath giuen thee power to loue He onely is to be loued of whome thou receiuest abilitie to loue Flie therefore the corruption of the world and embrace the loue of GOD with al thine heart Runne vnto the loue of God as vnto a refuge and defence Nothing so soone will make thee to despise the vanitie of earthly things as the loue of God but because thine heart was neuer touched throughly with the fire of his loue thereof it groweth that thou art so in loue with the corruptible goods of this wretched world Hence is it that thou art so troubled with cares and griefe of minde and hence thou settest not thine hart vpon the loue of God O that thou hadst but some small taste of Gods spirit to begin withall It is the nature and propertie of loue to make his account of that which it loueth That is well verified here in this worldly loue where we see many times that for the attaining of that which they loue they make no reckoning either of goods honor or name they forget themselues through musing vpon the thing beloued After their example therefore thou which sayest thou louest God giue thy selfe wholy to loue him and casting aside all other matters of the world occupy thy selfe wholy and altogether in his seruice So did the holy Fathers in times passed showe themselues they were transformed into a heauenly nature they thought not of themselues nor of the world for which cause they were iudged of the world to be very fooles not to haue so much as common sense Let it be thy chiefest exercise that God and thy soule may agree well together as though there were nothing besides vnder heauen to bee done and as though thy selfe besides wert nothing so that thou mightest truely say as the Apostle did I liue yet not I now but Christ liâ—eth in me Be not so taken with the thinges of this worlde as to make them the end of thy loue since all that thou canst loue in this world is more perfectly a great deale in God than in the world If thou loue any thing because it is beautifull why louest thou not God the fountaine of all beautie If goodnesse bee the thing wherevpon thine heart is fixed what is better than God None is good saue one euen God God is purely good in his essence and substance The goodnesse of a creature is so farre good as it receiueth some little drop from that infinite sea I meane from the incomprehensible goodnesse of God the creator thereof If thou dost so much loue any creature for some showe of goodnesse that thou
a liuely hewe that life hath lent thee there thou shalt see the foundation of your stocke and the largenesse of thy dominion That which thou now art thine ancestors were and as they are such shalt thou bee If thou looke well into thy selfe thou shalt finde greate matter why to contemne thy selfe For what art thou as touching the bodie but a vessell of corruption And in respect of thy soule setting the grace of God apart what art thou but an enemie vnto righteousnesse the childe of wrath a friend of vanitie a worker of iniquitie a despiser of God euen a creature proane vnto all wickednesse vnapt to doe well What art thou but a miserable creature in thy counsailes blind in thy wayes ignorant in thy wordes vaine in thy deedes faulty in thy destres◠filthy to conclud in all thinges vile great onely art thou in thine owne opinion Therefore if thou seeke to knowe thy selfe it will cause thee neither to bee proude nor ambitious nor disdainefull it will make thee to beare iniuries with a quiet mind in asmuch as thou shalt finde thy selfe to bee a miserable sinner and worthy of all mē to be hated and contemned Know thy selfe as admonished from heauen What booteth it to know the seuen liberall sciences and to bee a great Doctor in al the arts if thou art yet ignorant of thy selfe It is better to know thy selfe than to haue all the Scripture at thy fingers ende Consider who thou art whence thou camest where thou art and whether thou art going Thou art a mortall man a little earth a vessell of corruption full of misery standing in neede of many thinges thou wert conceiued in sinne thou camest into the world with paine to thy mother and griefe to thy selfe enuironed thou remainest with al manner of dangers and thou art bounding towarde the graue of putrefaction Iob saith I am become like ashes and dust Let the light of God teach thee who thou art Thou sayest thou art rich and encreased with goods and hast neede of nothing and knowest not how thou art wretched and miserable poore and blind and naked CHAP. 14 Miserable is the condition of man in this world MAN that is borne of a woman is of short continuanc and full of troble saith Iob What thing is so miserable as man Must not the body which thou so makest of die at the length and rot in the graue And what is more horrible than a dead man How much so euer thou wert made of beeing aliue none no not thy verie friendes will abide thee after thou art dead Is not the state wherein thou liuest a certaine vnhappy bondage It is a miserable thing to be borne a slaue to liue a slaue and to die a slaue Behold I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued mee saith Dauid O miserable life inuironed about with so many dangers and periles For one pleasure wee receaue a thousand sorrowes so that this life may iustly bee tearmed a death and not a life There is no creature more needy than a man for hee is driuen to begg his meate and rayment of the beasts and earne his bread with the sweate of his brows al which for the most part the birdes and the brute beastes haue of themselues and haue no neede to begge or to aske of any other Some liuing creatures haue wings to fly withall others haue clawes and teeth both to defende themselues and to hurt others others are light of foote to runne from dangers Al which man hath not and those which hee hath bee not in such measure in him as in them so that hee is fain to borrow helpe from those base creatures Whereby hee may learne to bring downe himselfe in the eies of God by humility and to lay-away the pride of his mind Man hath no peace in this worlde for hee can neither rest himselfe alwaies nor alwaies watch When he seemeth best in health then hath hee sundry infirmities to disquiet him as hunger thirst wearisomnesse and diuers other necessities heate cold stormes tempests lightninges thunder plagues poyson periles by sea perils by land griefes and diuers infirmities and laste of all death it selfe Eli the priest of the Lord when little hee thought of death he suddenly fell from the seate backward and brake his neck This may teach thee that when thou sittest and thinkest thy selfe most sure thou maiest take a fall and die The sleepe which thou vsest for the great ease benefit of the body howe full is it of false and vaine imaginations It is meere blindnesse and folly to loue this world so replenished with miseries wherein if any good thinge bee founde that good is mixed with innumerable sorrows and molestations which are to those that set their delight in the world euen the beginninges of the perpetuall tormentes of the reprobate in hell It is easier many times to bee in tormentes and paine than to expect the same And because that euery day thou lookest for the sentence of death to bee pronounced against thee and knowest that the life which thou liuest is miserable and not to bee tearmed in deede a life as neither death may properly bee called death but a sleepe the Lord would haue this life to bee full of all manner miseries that disliking it thou maiest couet and long after the life in heauen Thinke how this life was giuen thee of God as a ship to carry thee like a traueler thorough the raging seas of this troublesome world wherin thou wert to endure manifolde dangers and perils and that to the intent thou shouldest the more earnestly desire the other life which is the sure harbarough and hauen of most blessed comfort If this life should haue bene all prosperous and pleasant it so would haue drawen a man to the likeing thereof that hee would quite haue for gotten the other life for the enioyning wherof hee was created The manifold euils and miseries which continually thou sufferest they inuite and call thee vnto the desire of the celestiall paradise The troubles of this life doe make thee to goe vnto God many times by harty prayer and beeing thus pressed with afflictions a wonder it is that yet thou art no more willing to leaue this miserable state wherein thou art Cast not thine heart vppon these transitory thinges Here thou art subiect to continuall debate and troubles in ouercomming whereof thou shalt get a Crowne of perpetuall glory God seeing that naturally thou art desirous of quietnesse hath thought good that this life should bee full of troubles to the end thou shouldest loue and long for that quietnesse which is eternall in the heauens CHAP. 15. It is expedient that we know so much of God as he hath reuealed of himselfe in his worde I haue heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eie seeth thee Therefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes saith
Iob vnto God Seeing thou wast made to knowe God open thine eies to the end thou maiest know him Of the knowledge of God commeth the knowledge of thy selfe and by the knowledge of thy selfe groweth the knowledge of GOD. Therefore saide Iob Mine eie seeth thee There fore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes By thy knowing of God thou art moued to reuerence him But if thou knowe him not thou art like vnto him which passing nigh a King because hee knoweth him not is so farre from giuing him due honour belonging vnto his Maiesty that hee iustleth and pusheth him So dealeth the poore swaine of the country with his Lord now and then Maruel not that the holy men of God so humbled themselues when they came before the presence of God for they knew him to bee the King of heauen and therefore they fel flat prostrate on the ground before his glorious Maiesty Pray earnestly vnto God from the bottom of thine heart that thou maiest thoroughly know thy selfe Doe not deceiue thy selfe by thinking thou dost fully know God when thou dost but know onely that there is a God and beleeuest that which the holy Church beleeueth A rude fellowe that keepeth sheepe may haue a certaine confuse knoweledge of a king But if it be told him that hee is a great Lord and for power able both to rewarde abundantly such as desâ—rue well at his handes and to punish the wicked hee then will haue him in more reuerence than afore So if onely thou beleeue there is a God and art not instructed how seuere hee is in punishing malefactors thou wilt not feare him and againe if thou bee ignorant of his mercie thou wilt not trust in him Learne what great riches hee hath laide vppe in store for such as loue him Consider further his exceeding goodnesse who without any merite or desert of thine hauing no neede at all of thee came of his owne free will to seeke thee and with his infinite griefe and paines to redeeme thee that thou shouldest loue him for so doing Beholde his power his wisedome and his infinite greatnesse and yeelde that reuerence and honour which is due to his glorious maiestie If thou beleeuest that God is good seeke with all diligence for some portion of that perfection which thou knowest to be in him God would not haue any other beastes offered vnto him in sacrifice than such as did chewe the cudde Whereby was meant as I thinke such men as did meditate in their mindes and diligently call into their remembrance the wonderfull workes of God that thereby they might come vnto some knowledge of the Creator which is inuisible Labor euen to the vttermost of thy power to know thy maker preseruer and redeemer Wilt thou know who God is Behold who thou art to him and what he is to thee If thou wouldest know him then must thou take away the earth which the loue of this world hath set before the eies of thine vnderstanding whereby the sight is dimmed Before God would manifest himselfe vnto Moses hee gaue him commandement first to put of his shoos Surely God will neuer make himselfe manifest vnto thee vnlesse first thou throw away all naughtie desires of the world If thou wilt ascend into the profound knowledge and contemplation of Gods matters then must thou abandon all worldly affections or cares of this world from thine heart CHAP. 16 It is the dutie of a Christian to meditate vpon his God WHile I was musing the fire kindled saieth the roiall Prophet For to kindle the fire of Gods loue in thy will meditation and contemplation are necessarie betweene which twaine there is little difference but that meditation agrâ—eth to those which with difficultie and paine doe thinke vpon heauenly matters and contemplation to them which bee exercised in the matters of the Spirit But neither in the one nor in the other consisteth our perfection but in the loue of God onely Contemplation is the worke of the vnderstanding and the way or meane vnto perfection But perfection is in lifting vp the will vnto God through that heauenly vnion and soueraigne loue which is the chiefest There is small pleasure in contemplating but in louing there is a great ioy The vnderstanding doth not giue sustenance vnto our soules but onely prepareth the meate that our soule is fed withall There is no plesant taste in preparing that which must bee eaten but in eating that which is prepared And for so much as the obiect of our will or that thing which our will tendeth vnto is either good or seemeth to be good so that nothing can be loued but that which is good or else taken for good vnder the coulor of some thing that is good the vnderstanding conceaueth a bottomlesse depth of goodnesse in the Lord very colde should the will be if like another Phenix it consumed not it selfe euen with the fire of that heauenlie loue beholding by contemplation the glorious beames of the Sunne of righteousnesse Shake thy winges like the Phenix and lift vp thine heart in meditation and surely thou shalt perceiue thy selfe to bee conuerted into dust and ashes as it were while thou confessest thy loathsome basenesse before the infinite aud incomprehensible goodnesse of the Lord. If thou wilt enioy the sweetnesse of godly prayer be refeshed therin by heauenly contemplation thou must lift vp the force of thy will vnto God Some are exercised onely in the intellectuall part and not in the affectuall part of the will whose ende is not to bee enflamed with the loue of God but onely to attaine some curious speculation in hie matters hence are they still musing how our Sauiour Christ was borne how he liued how he suffered and rose againe from the dead But these bee farre from true contemplation in deede if they fixe their felicitie in the knowledge and pure speculation of such misteries of God for they are to ascende vnto the firie sea of Gods loue to manwarde to whom by a reciprocall loue of their owne they should be vnited and incorporate so as all the imperfection of thine owne mortification may be made perfect pure through him and his loue If thou hast gotten any knowledge of God thou must not staie there but thou art withall to proceede vnto the loue of God They which truely thinke of these things they may well bee called and counted the friendes of God such were the blessed Apostles vnto whom the Lord saith Hence foorth call I you not seruants for the seruant knoweth not what his master doth but I haue called you friendes for all things that I haue heard of my Father haue I made known vnto you But they which neither thinke hereof nor giue themselues vnto the workes of pietie may well bee called not the seruantes of God but the bondslaues of Satan True contemplation is the beginning of glorie Through it a man commeth to the
Satan doe by thee as often as hee seeketh to make the breake thy silence that so hee maye robbe thee and make spoyle of the temple of thy conscience and bring thy soule prisoner into the Babylon of hell it selfe Set therefore a good watch about these least thou bee robed and spoyled of thine enemies HHAP 21 The seruant of God must auoid not onely ill but also idle talke BVt I say vnto you saith our Sauiour Christ that of euery idle worde that men shall speake they shall giue account thereof at the day of iudgement Our heart is like vnto waxe that with cold groweth to bee harde and by heat waxeth softe and tender againe and being once soft it receiueth the print euen of a King or any other great man Thou must stoppe thine eares from vaine and idle talke for they coole and harden thine heart If thou keepe not thy selfe from either vsing or hearing the same little shalt thou profite in the seruice of God Holy and spirituall comunication it doeth inflaÌ„e the hart with heauenly good motions On the day of our Sauiors resurrection the two disciples that went traueling by the way towardes Emmaus talking with our Sauiour Christ had their hearts inflamed within them as they did after say betweene themselues Did not our hearts burne within vs while hee talkedwith vs by thy way and when hee opened to vs the Scripturs Thine heart wil bee well disposed to receiue the impression of the eternall King if thou warme and mollifie the same with the heat of Gods worde With great diligence and care should the seruante of God avoide idle wordes and to reprehend others that vse them If thou bridle not thy tongue in vaine dost thou labour take paines to profite in the seruice of God The Apostle saith the seruant of God must not striue nor bee troblesome one to another by contentions and clamorous speech Lasâ—iuious and wanton wordes are many times odious and oftensiue euen to those which make no profession of religion how much then should they bee abhorred of Christians indeede Be circumspect therfore in thy words and let thy speech bee such as well may beseeme the seruant of Iesus Christ. Of euill wordes much euill doth arise The Apostle saith Euil speakinges corrupt good manners For â—ll wordes wee goe vnto ill deeds As the ship saileth according as the winde doth blows so our soule sailing forward with the prosperous winde of good speech it shall ioyfully attaine vnto the hauen of rest As on the other side if dissolute and wicked wordes bee once blowen into the sailes of thine eares they will carrie thy soule with a contrary wind into the large sea of infinite confusion The wise man doth say Let thy talke hee with the wise and all thy communication in the law of the most high Good wordes doe inflame the hart kindle thy will edifie thy neighbour and encrease the loue of God in thee Idle and vaine wordes on the other side thee distract the spirite quench the zeale diminish deuotion and offend the hearers Mettall is knowne by his sound If golde haue not the sound it shoulde it is reputed for brasse Wordes bee as it were the sounde of the soule If the wordes be clamarous vaine and idle they are but copper and not gold but if they bee graue and good then doe they shew the soule to bee as perfect gold An empty vessell maketh a loude sounde so hee that is most voide of goodnesse is vainest in his speech Bet if thou bee graue and sober in thy wordes euery man will take thee for a staid and stable man It is written of Iudas Maccabeus that hee armed the Iewes not with the assurance of shieldes speares but with wholesome wordes and exhortations Godly wordes and wise are a notable armor but idle speech is very hurthurtfull If the clocke haue his wheele distempered within the bell without will sound false but if they goe true within then will the bell without strike truely and tell the right houre of the day by thy disordinate words thy disordered conscience doth appeare As Peter was warming himselfe in the hall of the hie Priest they that stood by said againe to Peter Surely thou art one of them for thou art of Galile and thy speech is like And else-where in the Gospel it is sayd Of thine owne mouth will I iudge thee O euill seruant By his speech wee know of what countrie a stranger is With what conscience wouldest thou be counted an honest man when thy speech is vaine and altogether dissolute By the breaking out and parting of the flesh in the mouth and tongue the ague is discerned so thine infirmitie is knowen by the words which breake out at thy lips and mouth Before thou vtter any word vse premeditation because men regard not the heart but the speech For by thy wordes thou shalt be iustified and by thy wordes thou shalt be condemned A word once vttered can neuer be reuoked againe And therefore before thou speake ought aduise thy selfe that alterward thou say not I had not thought for so to say is not the part of a wise man But afore all thinges haue alwaies in remembrance that in the day of iudgement thy Lord God will take a straight accompt of all thy wordes and sayinges CHAP. 22 The seruants of God must beware of murmuring backbiting slandering NEither murmur yee as some of them also murmured and were destoied of the destroyer saith the Apostle The tongue of the murmurer is worse than hell for hell is hurtfull onlie to the wicked but the tongue of the murmurer it afflicteth as well the good as the bad yea commonly it is incensed more against the vertuous than against the wicked Hee that snuffeth the candle with his bare fingers though hee defile his fingers yet hee causeth the candle to burne the brighter thereby so hee that defameth and speaketh il of good men defileth his owne soule and conscience but maketh such as are defamed a great deale the more glorious So the Pharisie that murmured about that which the good woman did vnto our Sauiour Christ hee was rebuked but the woman wâ—s most highly magnified and commended The murmurers doe more hurte themselues than other men themselues they kill but other men they profit Miriam and Aaron they murred against Moses and was not Miriam therefore punished with a lothsom leprosse and both Miriam and Aaron rebuked of the Lord of hoste and Moses glorie the greater by the same A good name is to be chosen aboue great riches and a louing fauor is about siluer and aboue gold Lesse doth he offend that taketh away our goods than he which taketh away our good name By the hand the bodie is strucken but by the tongue the soule is wounded the handes can hurt but such as are nigh but the tongue spareth no man be he nigh or far off All other
harmes done vnto man doe easily receaue satisfaction but the hurt receiued by the tongue can neuer or very hardly bee recompensed That which is taken away by theft from any man may soone bee restored him againe but not so of a mans good name impaired by an euill tongue for although that the defamer doe vnsay that againe which he did slaunderously report before yet is the nature of man so much the more inclined to heare euill than good that the first euill conceiued opinion will not bee so rooted out of the mind but that there will somewhat thereof remaine behind still One of the plagues of Egypt was the plague of Frogges and one of the plagues of the world is the plague of murmurers they sit like frogges all day in the mire and vncleannesse of their owne sinnes and neuer say word of any mans virtue nor speake any whit at all of their neighbours good deedes but in the night when it waxeth darke they make a loud and an euill noise and doe publish all that they can their neighbours faltes and defects The Psalmist doth say They haue sharpened their tongues like a serpent adders poyson is vnder their lippes As the serpentes do feede of earth so the murmurers doe feede of the infamie of their neighbour The Prophet Dauid moueth this question Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle who shall rest in thine holy mountaine Immediatly he answereth He that walketh vprightly and worketh righteousnes and speaketh the truth in his heart He that slaundereth not with his tongue nor doth euill to his neighbour nor receiueth a false reporte against his neighbour God hee made not thy tongue of bone nor of any other harde substance but of tender flesh which may put thee in mind that thy words should be gentle and soft and not rough nor sharpe The murmurers were so hated of the Lord that hee said Certainely they shall not see the land whereof I sware vnto their fathers neither shall any that prouoke me see it and yee shall not doubtlesse come into the land for the which I lifted vp mine hand to make you dwell therein saue Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh and Ioshua the son of Nun And so of sixe hundred thousand men of foote which came out of Egypt onely two persons entered into the land of promise if not into the earthly than how into the promised land of heauen CHAP. 23 The seruant of God must not curiously prie into the dealings of other men WE heard that there are some which walke among you inordinately and worke not at all but are busie bodies saith the Apostle If thou hast any desire to profite in the seruice of God take thou diligent heede that thou make not too earnest inquirie after the dooings of other men And if thou wouldest lead a quiet life be not too inquisitiue what other men doe He that medleth and is busie in other mens matters is euill thought of and hated of all men for his labor yea euen of his very friendes Hence commeth murmuring and hence springeth pride thorough the contempt of others and lacke of knowledge of our selues The riuer that ouerfloweth his accustomed boundes it washeth the bankes that it beateth against whereby the bankes are made the more cleane and the water that washeth them becommeth the fouler and more filthie euen so it fareth with thee when thou goest beyonde the boundes of thy vocation in medling with matters nothing appertaining to thee thou defilest thine owne conscience and giuest them occasion to purge themselues in asmuch as they grow more warie and aduised by thy wordes and thou with a troubled streame of a polluted conscience runnest on stil in thy furious course of vngodlinesse What moueth thee to intermedle in the matters of other men Art thou a iudge or magistrate appointed by auctoritie to see and ouersee others Thou must giue an account of thine owne stewardship not of another mans There is no marchant that will leaue his trade if hee peceaue but hee bee a looser thereby and thou canst no way applie thy selfe to any trade that thou shalt either gaine lesse or loose more than by medling with the liues and dealings of other men which bee not of thy charge Hast thou so little time to looke into thy selfe and so much to prie into other men Whereas thou shouldest bestow little time in seeing into other mens affaires and much in examining thine owne heart and conscience To looke so curiously vpon other men it is questionlesse an argument of an euill minde and of a guiltie conscience No man is more rigorous in fifting other men than hee that is most dissolute himselfe No man is so soone offended at the small offences of others as hee that hath many and monstrous defaultes himselfe And no man iudgeth so sinisterlie of his neighbour as hee which is moste loose aud licentious himselfe While the master is at home in his owne house all that bee in the house doe their duties there but when hee is from home they will doe what they list and take their pleasure So when reason keepeth the house and entereth into the conscience then bee all the cogitations senses and affections set in good order but if reason bee from home and wandereth abroad from house vnto house prying what others doe that while bee all the thoughtes of the minde idlely occupied and no good is done at all Be thou none examiner of other mens liues neither doe as the poore needie taylor dooth that maketh a garment for an other man and goeth himselfe naked If thy neighbour be nought he and not thou shall beare his burden Thou shalt finde for thy selfe enough to doe if thou wilt enter into the consideration of thine owne ife Why like Martha art thou troubled about many things One thing is necessary euen that thou deale with God casting of al other things if thou wilt liue in quiet It is a signe that thou louest God but litle if thou lookest curiously into the liues of other men If needes thou wilt bee an examiner of thy neighbours dealing goe to then seeing him in necessitie take thou compassion vpon his miserie yea helpe and succour him in his neede and to none other end bufie thy selfe about other men Loue all men and flie all vnnecessarie matters so shalt thou bee loued both of God and men and so shalt thou lead a ioyfull and merie life in this world CHAP. 24. One Christian must beare with the faults and infirmities of another BEare yee one anothers burthen saith the Apostle a Suffer your neighbor seeing hee must beare with you in many things Take not such offence at thy brethren neither so easily doe thou obserue their faults Thou hast enough to looke into thy selfe so that thou needest not to obserue curiously what another doth If all men be not of thy disposition blame them not therefore neither bee grieued For though very perfect thou wert
yet may others also be holie so well as thou though in all things they be not like vnto thee When you see imperfections in others thinke that vnder those defaults there be many vertues and that more good a great deale they doe than you be ware of Thou shouldest bee so farre from condemning thy neighbour or hauing indignation against him that thou oughtest to confesse none more weake and wicked than thy selfe Interpret the workes of thy neighbour in the better part if thou canst not excuse the deede yet excuse the intent which may bee good or if the worke be ill yet thinke it was done of ignorance and not of wilfulnesse And if thou canst no way excuse thy brother that hath sinned thinke that by some greeuous tentation or other hee was ouer-taken and that thou shouldest bee more wicked thy selfe if so great a tentation did assaile thee And lastly thanke God that hetherto thou hast not felt what it is to fall into such tentations and with tender compassio pray vnto God for thy neighbour that hath sinned The Apostle saith Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed least he fall If through pride thou hast iudged rashly God will suster thee to fall either into the same sin which thou condemnest in thy brother or into some other as great or greater to bring downe thy proud stomack withall S. Peter when hee thought himselfe of greater courage than the rest was forced to say vnto our Sauiour Christ Lord goe from me for I am a sinfull man True holinesse is neuer whithout compassion though alwaies without indignation The iust man hath pittie vpon the sinner knowing that himselfe may fall so well as any other man If thou bee learned wise prudent and haue more fauour either with God or man than others bee not proude thereof neither despise thy neighbour but rather finde fault with thy selfe that beeing many waies more bound to serue GOD art yet so colde in religion and thinke that if God had showen that fauour and graunted those benefites euen to a theefe which hee hath giuen to thee hee would haue beene so farre from delighting in the euerie that more a great deale hee would haue promoted the glorie of God than thou dost If God hath delt so well with thee why so wickedly doost thou requite the same Continue I pray you in the humble knowledge of thy selfe that God may powre his graces more plentifully vpon thee If thy brother offende receaue him againe in loue and mercie according to that of The Apostle Brethen if if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one with the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe least thou also bee tempted Consider thy selfe saith S. Paul and marke thine owne defectes and be not proud neither with indignation reprooue thy neighbor When thou correctest others marke with what pittie thou doost the same When thou sinnest thy selfe wouldest thou that God forthwith should tumble thee hedlong into hel If then thou wouldest that God mercifully should deale with thee pitty thou in like sorte thy neighbour For he that with seueritie would correct the sinnes of other men he shall with seueritie be punished at the hands of God himselfe Despise no man though hee bee a sinner for thou knowest noâ— what his end shall be he that is bad to day may be good to morrow Who euer woulde haue thought that hee should haue come vnto a good ende and entered with Christ into the celestiall paradise which had spent his life in the euerie and wickednesse Haue we not reade of many great sinners which afterward prooued Saincts No man therfore is vtterly to bee reiected though an hainous sinner inasmuch as hee may prooue yet a good man before he die â—or the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot saue Appoint no boundes vnto the fauour nor limits vnto the goodnesse of God It may bee those which you see to offend to day the Lord hath predestinate and chosen for his verie sainctes though not called them as yet What shall become of men heereafter thou wottest not onely this thou knowest that thou art a sinner and deseruest of all men to bee contemned and to burne in the pit of hell fire If thy neighbour doe sinne take thou heede Yee are the bodie of Christ and members for your part saith the Apostle It is conformable to the law of nature that one member shoulde helpe another Despise not thine owne flesh but patiently beare the defectes of thy brethren take none offence neither forsake the holie exercise of prayer and contemplation though thou bee enforced to behold the faultes of others which thou wouldest not It hurteth the seruant of GOD much when hee busieth himselfe about other mens defaultes and hindereth his proceeding forward in godlinesse exceedingly Enter thou into the secret closet of thine owne conscience heare in mind alwaies how thou art a sinner and liue in great feare in as much as thou maiest greatly doubt whether God bee pleased with thee or no or how long thou shalt continue in thy goodnesse if thou haue any CHAP. 25. As wicked actions so euill thoughts must be taken heede of WO vnto them that imagine iniquitie and worke wikednesse vpon their beds saith the Lord Thinke not vppon vanity in your heartes for euen of wicked thoughts thou shalt yeelde an account vnto God What would men say did they see your cogitations Now at the day of iudgement thinges shal be lightened that are hid in darkenesse and the very counsells of the heart shal be made manifest what a confusion of face shall then bee dost thou thinke If thou dwell any time in wicked cogitations it cannot bee but thou must fall into the pit of destruction For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and the hand worketh As the corne is which thou puttest into the mill such shal bee the meale that it yeedeth Thine imagination it goeth about alwaies like the wheele of a mill if therein thou puttest good thoughts it will afforde thee again the meale of good worke but if thou puttest thereunto euel cogitations looke for nothing but euell action from the same O barly corne will neuer good meale proceede nor of idle thoughts good workes He that continueth long in a wicked cogitation can hardly auoide it but he must consent thereunto Blessed shal he be that taketh dasheth thy children against the stones saith the Psalmist When thy cogitations are yet but yong of smal groweth dash thou and bruse them into peeces if they bee wicked but if they agree to the law of GOD suffer them to spring and prosper If thou maiest destroy thine enemie while he is yet but yong least after hee be growen-vp he doe kil thee A wise man will dread his enemie though hee bee but small The thought is like vnto the roote of a tree which if it bee greene it
haue two qualities the one to bee quicke and light the other to be diligent and earnest in that which he goeth about lest through the messengers negligence the mischeefe and damage may come while the message is vndon or but a doing Thy prayer cannot pierce the heauens if thy mind bee oppressed with the cares and businesse of this transitory world they are the enemies and hinderers of godly prayers Therefore vnburden thy selfe of all vnnecessary cares for the maintenance of this life if thou wouldest pray with profite Againe forsomuch as a good mesenger is to bee earnest and diligent in his sute that although hee bee not suffered at the first to come in yet he giue the attempt againe and againe vntill he be heard and sent backe againe prayer it must not bee neither hoate nor colde but feruent and firy And as they which woulde bee heard of a Prince doe first make meanes to them which may doe most with his Maiestie to haue their cause heard and their sute granted so if thou wouldest that God should heare thy prayer and yeeld vnto thy request vse the helpe of his Sonne our onely mediator and aduocate Iesus Christ And that wee should not giue ouer but continue in supplication and prayer though wee bee not heard to our desire at the first our Sauiour teacheth in that parable where hee saith that three loaues were giuen to a man and that at midnight though not because hee was his friende yet because of his importunitiâ— God hee deferreth to shew fauour that by thy constant prayer thou mayest more earnestly desire that which thou prayest for and esteeme it more highly when thou hast the same or if hee graunâ— not thy request yet bee sure hee will giue that which is a greater benefite and better for thee Though he know right well before we aske what we stande in neede of yet will God haue vs to vse prayer as a speciall meane to obtaine deliuerance out of trouble It is necessarie that thou pray not to the end thou shouldest make God priuie of thine estate which afore he knew much better than thy selfe neither yet that hee should alter and change his determination but onely that by prayer thou shouldest vse those meanes whereby God purposed to giue that vnto thee which thou dost desire Prayer it presenteth vnto God thy miserable estate humbleth thine heart deliuereth from euils bringeth into the fauour of God and maketh his maiestie at peace with thy soule Prayer it preualeth ouer all things It ouercommeth men as appeareth by the example of Dauid of Iudith of Iudas Macchabeus all which to omit an infinite number more by humble prayer vnto the Lorde ouercame their enemies It ouercame the fire so that it could not burne the three children cast into the hot fiery ouen It ouercame the sea which by Moses prayer vnto GOD diuided it selfe and gaue passage to the Israelites it ouercame time when Eliiah thereby did make it to raine and to leaue raining as hee thought it most conuenient and thereby continued 40. daies and 40. nightes without meate and drinke it ouercame death as it is manifest in Hezekiah who beeing adiudged to die by the sentence of God by prayer prolonged his life fifteene yeeres it ouercame the cloudes for by the same Heliah brought the cloudes of the sea vpon the lande it ouercame the heauens for at the prayer of Ioshua the Sunne stood still and the heauens mooued not yea which more is it ouercame God himselfe after a sort for thus saide God vnto Moses Let me alone that my wrath may waxe hote againsh them for I will consume them Low how the Lord is held backe as it were when he wileth Moses to let him lone Briefly the Lord saith Whatsoeuer yee desire when yee pray beleeue that yee shal haue it and it shal be done vnto you Seeing then praier is of such efficacy in al thy troubles afflictions and tentations take vnto thee prayer as a buâ—kler for therby out of doubt thou shalt get the victory CHAP. 37. Man beeing created for God should onely seeke God and his glory in al his actions I Am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the begining the ending saith the Lord The riuers doe all come-forth of the sea and thether doe they returne againe al thinges naturally desire their proper end and are by nature holpen towardes the same As God is our sea from which wee came and the center where-unto we tendeâ— so our soules by nature must seeke and labour to come vnto him as to the very end for which they were created Our soule can finde no resting place here in this present life For God himselfe must be the end therof as the vttermost ende of all that it seeketh after and the very cause of the creation thereof God hath made vs for himselfe and therefore can our heartes neuer be at quiet vntill they enioy him It is a thing much to be maruailed at that al creatures dooing the duty for which they were created man only should bee rebellious and haue no care of attaining vnto his chiefest ende God created thee not for the earth but for heauen hee created thee not that thou shouldest seeke after worldly thinges as the finall end of thy creation but that thou shouldest onely seeke after him The beasts of the field which God created for the earth they looke downe-warde and goe with all foureâ— but man created for heauen should looke not downe-warde as though his minde were fixed vppon earthly thinges but vp to heauen-ward Why then art thou so affected to those corruptible thinges Cast thine hearte vpon things aboue where thou shalt enioy those riches that neuer shal corrupt b Depende not vppon these visible things but tend vpwards vnto thinges inuisible Loiter not idlely by the way but proceede thou directly toward the end for which thou wert created Why did God create thee but to enioy him Let him bee the final ende of all thy thoughtes and actions Who shall assend into the mountaine of the Lord saith the Prophet And who shall stand in his holy place Hee maketh answere among other things Hee which hath not lift vp his mind vnto vanity He hath receiued a thing in vaine which vseth not the same to the ende where-unto at the first it was ordained In vaine hast thou bought a garment if thou weare it not in vaine hast thou receiued thy soule except thou doe those thinges by the soule for which the soule was created God created thy memory that thou shouldest remember him thine vnderstanding that thou shouldest know him thy will that thou shouldest loue and desire him Seeing therefore God hath made thee and that to loue and serue him good reason is it that the little time which thou hast to spend in this life thou shouldest bestowe to the attaining of that most ecxellent and noble ende for which thou wert