riches our possessions appeare and on the contrarie side how ioyfull will that man be that hath attended in this lyfe to lyue vertuouslie albeit with paine and contempt of the world happie creature shall he be that euer he was borne and no tongue but godes can expresse his happenesse And now to make no other conclusion of all this but euen that which Christ him selfe maketh let vs consider how easie a matter it is now for vs with a litle paine to auoide the daunger of this daye and for that cause it is foretolde vs by our most mercifull iudge and Sauyour to the ende we should by our diligence auoyde it For thus he concludeth after all his former threatenings Videte vigilate etc. Looke aboute you vvatch and praye for you knovv not when the tyme shal be But as I say to you so I saie to all be vvatchfull And in an other place hauinge reckonede vpp all the particulers before recited least anye man should doubt that all should not be fufilled he sayeth heauen and earth shall passe but my vvordes shall not passe And then he addeth this exhortation Attend therfore vnto your selues that your hartes be not ouercome vvith banquettinge and dronkenns and vvith the cares of this lyfe and so that daye come vppon you sodenlye For he shall come as a snare vppon them vvhich inhabite the earth be you therfore vvatchfull and alvvayes praye that you may be vvorthie to escape all thes thinges vvhich are to come and to stande 〈◊〉 before the sonne of man at this daye VVhat a frindlye and fatherlie exortation is this of Christ whoe could desire a more kinde gentle or effectuall forewarninge is there anie man that can pleade ignorance hereafter The verie lyke conclusion gathereth S. Peter out of the premisses when he saith The daye of our lorde shall come as a theefe in vvhich the elemēts shal be dissolued c seinge then all these thinges must be dissolued vvhat maner of men ought 〈◊〉 to be in holye conuersation and pietie expectinge and goinge on to meete the comminge of that daye of our lorde c. This meetinge of the daye of iudgement which S. Peter speaketh of is dewe examination of our estate and speedye amendment of our lyfe past For so saithe most notablie the wise man prouide thee of a medicine before the sore come and examyne thy selfe before iudgement and so shalt hovv finde propitiation in the sight of God To which S. Paule agreeth when he saieth if vve vvoold iudge our selues vve should not be iudged But because no man entreth into dew iudgement of him selfe and of his owne lyfe therof it commeth that so fewe doe preuēt this latter iudgement so fewe are watchfull and so manie fall a sleepe in ignorance of their owne daunger our lord geeue vs grace to looke better about vs. A consideration of the nature of sinne and of a sinner for the iustifiynge of godes rigour shevved in the chapiter before CHAP. VI. TO the ende that no man may iustly complayne of the seuere accounpte which God is to take of vs at the last daye or of the rigour of his iudgmēt set doune in the chapiter before it shall not be amisse to cōsider in this chapter the cause whye God doth shew such seueritie against sinne and sinners as bothe by that which hath bene sayde doth appeare also by the whole course of holye scripture where he in euerie place almost denounceth his extreme hatred wrath and indignation against the same as where it is sayed of hym that he hateth all those that vvorke iniquitie And that both the vvicked man and his vvickednes are in hatred vvith hym And finallie that the whole lyfe of sinners their thoughts wordes yea and their good actions also are abhomination in his sight whyles they lyue in sinne And that which yet is more he can not abide nor permit the sinner to prayse him or to name his testament with his mouthe as the holye ghost testifieth and therfore no meruaile yf he shew suche rigour to hym at the last daye whome he so greatlye hateth and abhorreth in this lyfe There might be manye reasons alleaged of this as the breach of godes commaundemetes the ingratitude of a sinner in respecte of his benifites and the lyke which might iustifie sufficientlie his indignation towards hym But there is one reason aboue the rest which openeth the whole fountaine of the matter and that is the intollerable iniurie dome vnto God in euerie mortall finne cōmitted whiche in deede is suche an opprobrious iniurie so dishonorable as no meane potentate could beare the same at his subiectes handes and much lesse God hym selfe whoe is the God of maiestie may abide to haue the same so often iterated against hym as commonly it is by a wicked man And for the vnderstandinge of this iniurie we must note that euerie tyme we cōmitt a mortall sinne there dothe passe thorowgh our hart though we marcke it anot a certaine practick discourse of our vnderstandinge as there doth also in euerie other election whereby we lay before vs on the one side the profit of that sinne which we are to committ that is the pleasure that draweth vs to it and on thother parte the offēce of God that is the leesinge of his frindshippe by that sinne yf we doe it and so hauinge as it were the balances there before vs and puttinge God in one end and in the other the aforesayde pleasure we stāde in the middest deliberatinge and examininge the wayght of both partes finallie we doe make choise of the pleasure and doe reiect God that is we doe chuse rather to leese the frindshipp of God with his grace and what soeuer he is worth besides than to lose that pleasure and delectation of sinne Now what thinge can be more horrible than this what can be more spitefull to God than to prefer a moste vile pleasure before his maiestie is not this worse than that intollerable iniurie of the Iewes whoe chose Barrabas the murderer and reiected Christ their Sauyour surelye how haynous soeuer that sinne of the Iewes were yet in two pointes this doth seeme to exceede it the one in that the Iewes knew not whome they refused in their choise as we doe The other in that they refused Christ but once we doe it often yea dailye howerlye when we geue confent in our hartes to mortall sinne And is it meruaile then that God dealeth so seuerely sharplye in the worlde to come with wicked men whoe doe vse hym so opprobriouslye and contemptuouslye in this lyfe surelye the malice of a sinner is greate towardes God and he dothe not onlye dishonour hym by comtempt of his cōmaun dementes and by preferringe most vyle creatures before hym but also beareth a secrete hatred and grudge against his maiestie and woulde yf it lay in his
transitorie worlde whiche is but a cotage to his owh eternall habitatiō what power what magnificence what Maiestie hath he shewed what heauens and how wounderfull hath he created what infinit starres and other lights hath he deuised what elements hath he framed and how maruailouslie hathe he cōpacte thē together The seas tossing and tumbling without rest and replenished with infinite sortes of fishe the ryuers running incessantlie through the earth like veins in the bodie and yet neuer to be emptie nor ouerflow the same the earthe it selfe so furnished with all varietie of creatures as the hundredth part thereof is not employed by man but onelie remaineth to shew the full hand and strong arme of the creator And all this as I saied was done in an instant with one woord onelie and that for the vse of a small time in respect of the eternitie to come VVhat then shall we imagin that the habitatiō prepared for that eterni tie shall be yf the cotage of his meanest seruant that made onelie for a time to bearof as it were a shower of rayne be so princelie so gorgeouse so magnificet so Maiesticall as we see this worlde is what must we think that the kings palace it selfe is appointed for all eternitie for hym and his freends to raigne together VVe must needs think it to be as great as the power and wisdome of the maker could reache vnto to perfourme and that is incomparablie and aboue all measure infinite The greate king Assuerus which raigned in Asia ouer a hundred twentie and seuen prouinces to discouer his power and riches to his subiects made a feast as the scripture sayeth in his citie of Susa to all princes states and potentates of his dominiōs for a hundred and fovverscore dayes together Esay the prophet sayeth that our God and lorde of hoosts vvill make a solemne banquet to all his people vpon the hill and mount of heauen and that a haruest banquet of fatt meates pure vvines And this bāquet shal be so solemne as the very sonne of God hym selfe cheefe Lorde of the feast shal be contēt to gyrd hym selfe and to serue in the same as by his ovvn vvoordes he promiseth VVhat maner of banquet then shall this be hovv magnificent hovv maiesticall especiallie seing it hath not onely to endure a hundred and fower score dayes as that of Assuerus dyd but more than a hundred and fourscore millions of ages not serued by men as assuerus feaste was but by angels the verie sōne of God hym selfe not to open the povver and riches of a hundred tvventie and seuen prouinces but of God hym selfe king of kings lorde of lordes vvhose povver and riches are vvithout end and greater than all his creatures together can conceaue Hovv gloriouse a banquet 〈◊〉 this be then hovv triumphāt a ioy of this festiuall day o miserable foolish childeren of men that are borne to so rare and singular a dignitie and yet can not be brought to cousider loue or esteeme of the same Other such considerations there be to shew the greatnesse of this felicitie as that yf God hathe geuen so many pleasures cōfortable gyfts in this lyfe as we see are in the worlde being a place notwthstanding of banishment a place of sinners a vale of miserie and the time of repenting weeping and wayling what will he doe in the lyfe to come to the iust to his freends in the time of ioye and mariage of his sonne This was a moste forcible consideration with good S. Augustin whoe in the secret speeche of his soule with god said thus O Lord yf thou for this vile bodie of oures geue vs so great and Innumerable benefites from the firmament from the ayer from the earth from the sea by light by darkenesse by heate by shadow by dewes by showers by windes by raines by byrds by fishes by beasts by trees by multitu de of hearbes varietie of plants by the ministerie of all thy creatures O sweet lorde what maner of things how great how good and how innumerable are those which thou haste prepared in our heauenlie countrie vvhere vve shall see thee face to face yf thou doe so greate things for vs in our priso vvhat vvilt thou geue vs in our palace yf thou geuest so many things in this vvorld to good euill men together vvhat hast thou layd vp for onelie good men in the vvorld to come yf thine enemies and freends together are so vvell prouided for in this lyfe vvhat shall thy onelie freends receaue in the lyfe to come yf there be so great solaces in these dayes of teares vvhat ioye shall there be in that day of Mariage yf our iayle cōtain so great matters vvhat shall our countrie and kingdome doo O my lord God thou art a great God and great is the multitude of thy magnificence and sweetnesse And as there is no end of thy greatnes nor nūber of thy wisdom nor measure of thy benignitie so is there nether end number nor measure of thy rewardes towards them that loue and fight for thee Hither to S. Augustin An other way to coniecture of this felicitie is to consider the great promises whiche God maketh in the scriptures to honour and glorifie man in the lyfe to come VVho so euer shall honor me sayeth God I vvill glorifie hym And the prophet Dauid as it were complaineth ioyfullie that Gods freends were to muche honoured by hym VVhiche he might with muche more cause haue sayd yf he had liued in the new testament and had heard that promisse of Christ whereof I spake before that his seruants should sitt down banquet that him selfe wolde serue minister vnto them in the kingdome of his father Vvhat vnderstanding can cōceaue how great this honour shall be But yet ī some part it may be gessed by that he sayeth that they shall sitt in iudgement with hym and as S. Paul addeth shall be Iudges not onelie of men but also of Angels It may also be coniectured by the exceedinge greate honour whiche god at certain times hathe done to his seruants euen in this lyfe VVherin notwithstanding they are placed to be despised not to be honoured VVhat great honour was that he dyd to Abraham in the sight of so many kings of the earth as of pharao Abimalech Melchiseedech and the like Vvhat honour was that he dyd to Moyses Aaron in the face of Pharao all his court by the wōderfull signes that they wrought VVhat excessiue honour was that he dyd to holie Iosue when in the sight of all his armie he stayed the sunne and Moone in the middest of the firmament at Iosue his appointement obeyng therein as the scripture sayeth to the voice of a man what honour was that he dyd to Esay in the sight of kinge Ezechias when he made the sunne to goe backe tenne
no more neede now of feare of wache of labour or of care Thou maiest lay downe all armoure now as the children of Israel dyd when they came into the land of promisse for there is no more enemie to assaile thee there is no more wyelie serpēt to beguile thee all is peace all is rest all is ioye all is securitie Good S. Paul hathe no more neede now to fast to wache to punishe his bodie Good olde Ierome may now cease to afflict hym selfe bothe night daye for the conquering of his spirituall enemie Thy onelie exercise must be now to reioyse to triumphe to sing alleluya to the Lambe whiche hathe brought the to this felicitie will keepe thee in the same worlde without end VVhat a comfort will it be to see that lambe sittinge on his seat of state yf the three wise men of the East came so farre of and so reioysed to see hym lyeing in a Manger what will it be to see hym sitting in his glorie If S. Iohn Baptist dyd leape at his presence in his mothers belly what shall his presence doe in this his royall and eternall kingdome It passeth all other glorie that saintes haue in heauen sayeth S. Austen to be admitted to the inestimable sight of Christ his face and to receaue the beames of glorie from the splendoure of his maiestie And yf we were to suffer tormentes euerie day yea to tolerate the verie paines of hell for a time therbye to gayne the sight of Christ and to be ioyned in glorie to the number of his saintes it were nothing in respect of the rewarde O that we made suche accompt of this matter as this holie and learned man dyd we wolde not lyue as we doe nor leese the same for suche tryfles as moste men doe But to goo forwarde yet further in this consideration Imagine besides all this what a ioye it shall be vnto thy soule at that daye to meet with all her godlie freendes in heauen with father with mother with brothers with sisters with wyfe with husband with maister with scholares with neyghboures with familiares with kynred with acquayntance the welcomes the myrthe the sweete embracementes that shall be there the ioye whereof as noteth well S. Cyprian shal be vnspeakable Add to this the dalye feasting and inestimable triumphe whiche shal be there at the ariuall of new bretheren and sisters coming thither from time to time with the spoyles of their enemies conquered and vanquyshed in this world O what a cōfortable sight will it be to see those seates of Angells fallen filled vpp agayne with men wemen from day to day to see the crownes of glorie sett vpon their heades and that in varietie according to the varietie of their cōquestes One for martyrdome or confession against the persecutor an other for virginitie or chastitie against the flesh an other for pouertie or humilitie against the world an other for many conquestes together against the deuill There the gloriouse quyar of Apo stles sayeth holie Cyprian there the number of reioysing prophets there the innumerable multitude of Martyrs shall receyue the crounes of their deathes and sufferinges There triumphing virgines which haue ouercome concupiscence with the strengthe of continencie there the good aulmners whiche haue liberallie fedd the poore and keping goddes commaundements haue transferred their earthly riches to the storehowse of heauen shall receaue their due and peculiar rewarde O how shall vertue shew her selfe at this daye how shall good deedes content their doers And among all other ioyes and contentations this shall not be the least to see the poore soules that come thither at a iumpe ether from the miserie of this lyfe or from the torments of the purging fyre how they I saie shall remayne astonished as it were beside them selues at the suddain mutation and excessiue honour donne vnto them If a poore man that were out of his waye wanderinge alone in a durtie lane in the myddest of a darke and tempestuous night farre from companie destitute of money beaten with rayne terrified with thunder styffe with colde wearied out with labour almost famished with hungre and thurst and neare brought to despare with multitude of miseries should vpō the suddain in the twinkling of an eye be placed in a goodlie large and riche palace furnished with all kynde of cleare lightes warme fyre sweete smelles dayntie meates soft beddes pleasant musike fine apparell and honorable cōpanie all prepared for hym and attending his cōmyng to serue hym to honour hym and to annoynt and crowne hym a king for euer what wold this poore man doe how wolde he looke what could he saye surelie I think he could saye nothing but rather wolde weepe in silence for ioye his hart being not able to contayne the suddain and exceeding greatnesse thereof VVell then so shall it be and much more with these twyse happie sowles that come to heauē For neuer was there colde shadow so pleasant in a hoate burning sunnye daye nor the welspring to the poore trauailer in his greatest thirst of the sommer nor the repose of an easy bedde to the wearīed seruat after his labour at night as shal be this rest of heauen to an afflicted sowle whiche cometh thither O that we could conceaue this that we could imprint this in our hartes deare brother VVold we folow vanities as we doe wold we neglect this matter as we doe Surelye our coldenes in purchasing these ioyes doeth procede of the smale opinion we doe conceaue of them For yf we made suche account and estimate of this Iewell as other marchāts before vs more skilfull wyser than our selues haue done we wolde bydde for it as they dyd or at leastwyse wolde not lett it passe so negligent ie whiche they sought after so carefullye S. Paul sayeth of Christ hym selfe propofito 〈◊〉 gaudio sustinuit crucem He layinge before hys eyes the ioyes of heauen susteined the crosse A great est imation of the matter whiche he wolde buye at so deare a rate But what counsayle geueth he to other men about the same surelie none other but to goe and sell all that euer they haue to purchase this treasure S. Paul of him selfe what sayeth he verilie that he esteemed all the uvorld as Doung in respect of the purchasing of this Lewell S. Pauls scholar Ignatius what byddeth he heare his own woordes Fire galowes beasts breaking of my bones quartering of my members crusshing of my bodye all the tormētes of the deuill together lett them come vpon me so I may enioye this treasure of heauen S. Austen that learned byshop what offereth he you haue now heard before that he wolde be cōtēt to suffer tormētes euery day yea the very tormēts of hel it selfe to gaine this ioye Good Lord how farre dyd these holy Saints differ frō vs how cōtrarye were their iudgemētes to
or no that is whether thou haue so muche good will and holie manhode in thee as to bestowe the paynes of a vertuouse lyfe yf it be rather to be called paynes than pleasure required for the gayning of this kingdome This is the question this is the verie whole issue of the matter hitherto hath appertayned what soeuer hath bene spoken in this booke before ether of thy particular end or of the Maiestie bowntie and iustice of God and of the account he will demaund of thee also of the punishement or rewarde layd vp for thee All this I saye was meant by me to this onelie end that thou measuring the one parte the other shouldest finallie resolue what thou woldest doe and not to passe ouer thy time in careles negligence as manye doe neuer spyeing their own errour vntill it be too late to amend yt For the loue of God then deare brother and for the loue thou bearest to thy owne soule shake of this daungerouse securitie whiche fleshe and bloode is wonte to lulle men in and make some earnest resolution for looking to thy soule for the lyfe to come Remember often that woorthie sentence Hoe momentum vnde pendet aeternitas This lyfe is a moment of time whereof all eternitie of lyfe or deathe to come dependeth Yf it be a moment and a moment of so great importance how is it passed ouer by worldly men with so litle care as it is I might haue alleaged here infinite other reasons and considerations to moue men vnto this resolution whereof I haue talked surelie no measure of volume were sufficient to 〈◊〉 so much as might be sayd in this matter For that all the creatures vnder heauen yea and in heauen it selfe as also in hell all I saye from the first to the last are argumētes and motiues vnto this poynt all are bookes and sermons all doe preache and crye some by their punishement some by their glorie some by their beautie and all by their creation that we ought without delay to make this resolutio and that all is vanitie all is folye all is iniquitie all is miserie beside the onelie seruice of our maker and redymer But yet not withstāding as I haue sayed I thought good onelie to chuse out these few considerations before layed downe as cheefe and principall among the rest to worke in any true Christian hart And yf these can not enter with thee good reader litle hope is there that any other wolde doe thee good VVherefore heere I end this first parte reseruing a fewe things to be sayd in the second for remouing of some impedimēts which our spirituall aduersarie is wōt to cast against this good woor ke as against the first stepp to our salauation Our Lord God sauiour Iesus Christ which was content to paye his own bloode for the purchasing of this noble inheritance vnto vs geue vs his holy grace to esteeme of it as the great waight of the matter requireth and not by negligence to leese our portions therin The end of the first parte THE SECOND PART OF THIS FIRST BOOKE Of impedimentes that lett men from this resolution and first of the difficultie or hardnesse uuhiche seemeth to many to be in vertuouse lyfe CHAP. I. NOtwithstanding all the motiues and consideratiōs before sett downe for inducing men to this necessarie resolution of seruing God for their saluatiō there want not many Christiās abrodeī the world whose hartes ether intangled with the pleasures of this lyfe or geuen ouer by God to a reprobate sense doe yeeld no whit at all to this batterie that hath bene made but sheweing them selues more hard than adamant doe not onelie resist and contemne but also doe seek excuses for their slothe and wickednesse and do alleage reasons of their own perdition Reasons I call them according to the cōmon phrase though in deede there be no one thing more against reason than that a man shoulde become enemye to his own soule as the scripture affirmeth obstinate sinners to bee But yet as I say they haue their excuses And the first and principall of all ys that vertuouse lyfe is painfull and harde and therfore they can not endure to solow the same especiallie such as haue bene brought vp delicatlye and neuer were acquainted with such asperitie as they saye we require at their hands And this is a great large and vniuersall impedimēt which stayeth infinite men from embracinge the meanes of their saluation For which cause yt is fullie to be answered in this place First then supposing that the way of vertue were so hard in deede as the enemie maketh it seeme yet might I well saye with S. Iohn Chrisostom that seeyng the rewarde is so great and infinite as now we haue declared no labour should seeme great for gayning of the same Agayne I might say with holy S. Austen That seeing we take dayly so great payne in this worlde for auoyding of small incōueniences as of sicknes imprysonemētes losse of goodes and the lyke what paynes should we refuse for auoyding the eternitie of hell fyre sett downe before The first of these cōsideratiōs S. Paul vsed when he sayd the sufferinges of this lyfe are not uvorthie of the glorie vvhich shall be reuealed in the next The second S. Peter vsed when he sayed seeing the heauenes must be dissolued and Christ come in Iudgement to restore to euery man according to his woorkes what maner of men ought we to be in holy conuersation As whoe wold say No labour no paynes no trauayle ought to seeme hard or greate vnto vs to the ende we myght auoyde the terrour of that daye S. Austen asketh this question what we thinke the riche gloutton in hell wolde doe yf he were now in this lyfe again wolde he take paynes or no wolde he bestyrre hym selfe rather than turne into that place of torment againe I might adde to this the infinite paynes that Christ tooke for vs the infinite benefites he hathe bestowed vpon vs the infinite sinnes we haue cōmitted against hym the infinite examples of Saincts that haue trooden this pathe before vs in respect of all whiche we ought to make no boones at litle paynes and labour yf it were true that gods seruice were so trauailsome as many doe esteeme yt But now in verie deede the matter is nothing so and this is but a subtile deceate of the enemie for our discouragemēt The testimonie of Christ hym selfe is cleare in this poynte Iugum meum suaue est onus meum leue My yooke is sweete and my burden light And the dearlie beloued disciple S. Iohn who had best cause to know his maisters secret herein sayeth playnlie Mandata eius grauia non sunt hys commaundements are not greeuouse VVhat is the cause then why so many men doe conceaue suche a difficultie in this matter surelie one cause is besyde the subtilitie of the deuill which
no dovvbt to delite so in it as men doe It is a straunge thing to see hovv contrarie the Iudgementes of God are to the Iudgementes of meÌ„ The people of Israel vvolde needes haue a kyng as I haue sayd and they thought God vvolde haue geuen theÌ„ presentlie some great mightie prince to rule ouer them but he chose ovvte a poore felovve that sought asses aboute the couÌ„trie After that vvhen God vvolde displace this man agayne for his sinnes he sent Samuel to anoynt one of I say his sonnes being come to the house I say brought foorthe his eldest sonne Eliab a lustie taule felovve thinkyng hym in deed most fytte to gouerne but God answered respect not his countenance nor hys taulnes of personage for I haue reiected hym nor doe I iudge according to the countenance of man After that I say brought in his second sonne Abinadab and after hym Samma and so the rest vntill he had shewed hym seuen of his sonnes All whiche being refused by Samuel they maruayled and sayde there was no moe left but onelye a litle read headed boye that kept the sheep called Dauid whiche Samuel caused to be sent for And as sone as he came in sight God sayd to Samuel this is the man that I haue chosen VVhen the Messias was promised vnto the Iewes to be a king they imagined presentlie according to theyr worldlye wisdome that he should be some great prince and therfore they refused Christ that came in pouertie Iames and Iohn being yet but carnall seing the Samaritanes coÌ„temptuouslie to refuse Christes disciples sent to them and knoweing what Christ was thoght streightwaye that he must in reuenge haue called downe fyre from heauen to consume them But Christ rebuked them sayeing you knovv not of vvhat spirit you are The Apostles preachyng the crosse and necessitie of suffering to the wyse Gentiles and Philosophers were thought presentlye fooles for theyr labours Festus the Emperours lieutenant hearing paul to speake so muche of abandoning the world and foloweing Christ sayd he was madde Finallie this is the fashion of all worldlie wyse men to condemne the wisdome of Christ and of his saints For so the holye scripture reporteth of theyrowne coÌ„fession being now in place of torment nos insensati vitam illorum aestimabamus insaniam we fond men esteemed the liues of Saintes as madnes VVherfore this is also great vanitie as I haue sayde to make suche accoumpt of worldlye wisdome which is not onelye folye but also madnes by the testimonie of the holye ghoste hym selfe VVhoe would not thinke but that the wyse men of this world were the fittest to be chosen to doe Christ seruice in his churche Yet S. Paul saythe non mul i sapientes secundum carnem God hathe not chosen many wyse men according to the fleshe VVhoe wold not thinke but that a worldlye wyse man might easilye also make a wyse Christian yet S. Paul saythe no except first he become a foole 〈◊〉 fiat vt sit sapiens If any man seeme wise amongest you let hym become a foole to the ende he may be made wyse Vayne then and of no account is the wisdome of this world except it be subiect to the wisdome of God The fyfthe vanitie belonging to pryde of lyfe is corporall beautie wherof the wyseman saythe vayne is beautie and deceaueable is the grace of countynance VVherof also king Dauid vnderstoode properlie wheÌ„ he sayde Turne aâ—…vaye my eyes o lord that they beholde not vanitie This is a singular great vanitie daungerous and deceatfull but yet greatlie esteemed of the children of men whose propertie is to loue vanitie as the prophet say the. Beautie is compared by holie men to a painted snake whiche is fayre without and full of deadlye poyson within If a man dyd consider what infinite ruynes and destructions haue come by ouer lyght geuing credit therunto he wolde beware of yt And yf he remembred what foule drosse lyethe vnder a fayre skynne he wolde litle be in loue therwith saythe one father God hathe imparted certaine sparckes of beautie vnto his creatures therby to drawe vs to the confideration and loue of hys owne beautie wherof the other is but a shadow euen as a man fynding a litle issue of water maye seek owt the fouÌ„tane therby or happenyng vpon a small vaine of golde may therby come to the whole mynne it selfe But we lyke babes delyte our selues onelye withe the fayre couer of the booke and neuer doe consider what is writen therin In all fayre creatures that man dothe beholde he ought to reade this say the one father that yf God could make a peece of earthe so fayre and louelie withe imparting vnto yt some litle sparke of his beautie how infinite fayre is he hym selfe and how woorthye of all loue and admiration And how happye shall we be wheÌ„ we shall come to enioye his beautifull presence wherof now all creatures doe take theyr beautie If we wolde exercise our selues in these maner of cogitations We might easilye keepe oure hartes pure and vnspotted before God in beholding the beautie of his creatures But for that we vse not this passage froÌ„ the creature to the creator but doe rest onelye in the eternall appearance of a deceatfull face letting goe the brydle to foule cogitations and setting willfully on fyre our owne concupiscences hence is it that infinite men doe peryshe daylie by occasion of this fond vanitie I call it fond for that euerie chylde may discrie the deceate and vahitie therof For take the fairest face in the world wherwithe infinite folishe men fall in loue vpon the sight and rase yt ouer but with a litle scrache and all the matter of loue is gone lett there come but an Ague all this goodly beautie is distroyed lett the soule departe but one halfe hower from the bodye and this louing face is vglye to looke on lett yt lye but two dayes in the graue and those whiche were so hote in loue withe yt before will skarse abyde to beholde yt or come neare yt And yf none of those things happen vnto yt yet quicklie cometh on olde age which riueleth the skinne draweth in the eyes setteth owt the teethe and so disfigurethe the whole visage as yt becometh more contemptible now than it was beautifull and alluringe before And what then can be more vanitie than this VVhat more madnesse than ether to take pride of it yf I 〈◊〉 it my selfe or to endaunger my soule for yt yf I see it in others The sixthe vanitie belonging to pryde of lyfe is the glorie of fyne apparell against whiche the scripture saythe In vestitu ne gloriaris vnque See thou neuer take glorie in apparelle Of all vanities this is the greatest which we see so common among men of this worlde If Adam had neuer fallen we had neuer vsed apparell For that apparell was deuised to couer our shame of
to him selfe a great burden to carie thence layed it on his backe and for that it satte vneasie and pressed hym muche he cast it dovvne againe and put a greate deale more vnto yt and then beganne to lyft at yt agayne But vvhen he felt it more heauie than before he fell into a greate rage and added tvvyse as muche more to yt therby to make yt lighter VVhereat vvhen this holie man mused muche the Angel tolde hym that this vvas a figure of those in the vvorlde vvho fynding it somevvhat vnpleasant to resist one or tvvo vices at the beginning do deferre their cōuersion and doe adde tvventie or fortie more vnto them thinking to finde the matter more easie aftervvard Saint Austen expounding the miracle of our Sauiour in raysing Lazarus from deathe to lyfe whiche had bene deade now fower dayes as the euange list sayeth examineth the causo whye Christ wept and cryed and troubled hym selfe in spirite before the doeing of this acte where as he raysed other with greater facilitie And he concludeth the misterie to haue bene for that Lazarus was now deade fower dayes also buried which signifieth the fower degrees of a sinner the first in voluntarie delectation of sinne the second in consent the third in fulfilling it by woorke the fowerth in cōtinuance or custome therof wherin who soeuer is once buried sayeth this holy father he is hardlie raysed to lyfe againe without a greate miracle of God and many teares of his owne parte The reason heerof is that which the wise man sayeth languor prolixior grauat medicum an olde sickenes doeth trouble the phisition Breuem autem languorem praecidit medicus But the phisition cutteth of quicklie a newe or freshe disease whiche hathe endured but a litle time The verie bones of an olde vvicked man shal be replenished vvith the vices of his yowthe sayeth Iob they shall sleepe with hym in the dust when he goeth to his graue VVe reade that Moyses in part of punishemēt to the people that had sinned in adoring the golden calfe broke the same in peeces and made them drinke it So the vices wherein we delyted during our youthe are so dispersed by custome in our bodies and bones that when olde age do the come on we canne not ridde them at our pleasure without greate difficultie and paine VVhat folye then is it to deferre our amendement vnto our olde age when we shall haue more impedimentes and difficulties by a greate deale than we haue nowe If it seeme harde to thee to doe penance novv to fast to praye and to take vppon thee other afflictions vvhiche the churche prescribeth to sinners at their conuersion hovv vvilt thovv doe yt in thy olde age vvhen thy bodie shall haue more neede of cheryshing than of punishement Yf thovv finde yt vnpleasant to resist thy sinnes novv and to roote them ovvte after the continunace of two three or fovver yeeres vvhat vvill it be after tvventie yeres more adioyned vnto them Hovv madde a man vvoldest thovv esteeme hym that trauayling on the vvaye hauing great choyse of lustye strong horses should lett them all goe emptie and laye all his cariage vpon some one poore and leane beast that could skarse beare yt selfe and muche lesse stand vnder so many bagges cast vpon yt And surelie no lesse vnreasonable is that mā vvho passing ouer Idlely the lustie dayes and times of his lyfe reserueth all the labour and trauaile vnto feble olde age But to lett passe the folie of this deceyte tell me good Christian vvhat lngratitude and iniustice is this tovvardes God hauinge receyued so many benefites from hym all redie and expecting so greare a paye as the kyngdome of heauen ys for thy seruice to appoint owt notwithstanding the least and last and worst part of thy lyfe vnto his seruice and that wherof thow art moste vncertayne whether it shall euer be or neuer or whether God will accept yt when it cometh He is accursed by the prophet whiche hauing whole and sownde cattall dothe offer vnto God the lame or halting parte therof How muche more shalt thow be accursed that hauing so many dayes of youthe strengthe vigoure doest appoint vnto gods seruice onelie thy lymping olde age In the law it was forbyddē vnder a moste seuere threate for any man to haue two measures in his howse for his neighbour one greater to hys freend and an other lesser for other men And yet thow art not ashamed to vse two measures of thy lyfe moste vnequall in preiudice of thy Lorde and God wherby thow alottest to hym a litle shorte maymed and vncertayne tyme and vnto hys enemie the greatest the fayrest the surest parte therof O deare brother what reason is there why God should thus be vsed at thy handes what lawe iustice or equitie is there that after thow hast serued the world fleshe and deuill all thy youthe and best dayes in the ende to come and clappe thy olde bones defiled and worne owt with sinne in the dyshe of God his enemies to haue the best and he the leauinges Hys enemies the wyne and he the lyes and dreagges doest thow not remember that he will haue the fatt and best parte offered to hym Doest thow not thinke of the punishement of those whiche offered the worst part of theyr substance to God folow the counsayle thē of the holye ghoste yf thow be wyse whiche warneth thee in these woordes be myndefull of thy creator in the dayes of thy youthe before the tyme of affliction come on and before those yeeres draw neere of whiche thow shalt saye they please me not How many hast thow seene cutt of in the myddest of their dayes whiles they purposed in tyme to come to chaunge theyr lyfe How many haue come to olde age yt selfe and yet then haue felt lesse will of amendement than before Hovv many haue dryuen of euen vnto the verie howre of deathe and then least of all haue remembred their owne state but haue dyed as dumme and sensles beastes according to the sayeing of holie S. Gregorie The sinner hathe also this affliction layed vppon hym that vvhen he cometh o dye he forgetteth hym selfe uvhich in his lyfe tyme dyd forgett God O how many examples are there seen hereof daylie how many worldlie men that haue lyued in sesualitie how many great sinners that haue passed theyr lyfe in wickednes doe ende and dye as yf they went into some place insensible where no account no reckeninge should be demaunded they take suche care in theyr testamentes for fleshe and bloode and commodities of this worlde as yf they should lyue styll or should haue theyr parte of these vanities when they are gone In trueth to speake as the matter ys they dye as yf there were no immortalitie of the soule that in verie deede is theyr inwarde persuasion But suppose now that all this were not
THE FIRST BOOKE OF THE CHRISTIAN EXERcise appertayning to resolution VVherein are layed downe the causes reasons that should moue a man to resolue hym selfe to the seruice of God And all the impedimentes remoued which may lett the same Psal. 62. Vers. 4. Vnam petii a domino hanc requiram vt inhabitem in domo domini omnibus diebus vitae meae vt videam voluntatem domini One thing haue I requested at gods hādes that will I demaunde still which is to dwell in his house all the daies of my life to the ende I maye knowe and doe his vvill Anno. 1582. VVITH PRIVYLEGE THE SVMMARIE OF THE CHRIstian exercise as it is intended FOR THAT three thyngs are necessarie to a man in this lyfe for the attayning of saluation that is to resolue hym selfe to serue God in deed to begynne a right and to perseuere vnto the ende therfore this whole treatise shal be deuided into three bookes THE FIRST booke shal be of resolutiō deuided into two partes And in the first parte shal be layed downe all the principall reasōs that ought to moue a man to this resolutiō In the second shal be remoued all impedimētes that commonlie doe hynder men from the same THE SECONDE booke shall treate of the waye how to begynne well and shall lykewyse be deuided into two partes wherof the fyrst shall shew the waye how to delyuer ourselues from sinne and from the custome bondage or delectation therof The second shall open the meanes how to ioyne our selues perfectlie to God and to make a right entrāce into his seruice THE THIRDE booke shall hādle the meanes of perseuerance so farre forthe as it concerneth our habilitie for though this gyft be onelie of god yet are there two thinges left by his grace to be performed of vs the one to afke his ayde the other to ioyne our endeuour with the same According to which two 〈◊〉 this booke shal be deuided also into two partes The first wherof shall intreate of all kynde of prayer bothe mētall and vocall The secōd shall declare the wayes meanes how by help of gods grace we may resist ouercome all sortes of sinne the tēptatiōs therof AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER I Hadde purposed gētle reader at the beginning to haue printed againe the Exercise of a Christian lyfe composed by D. loartes trāslated not lōg since into our lōgue as may appeare by the preface folovveing And albeit I minded to adde certaine matters and treatises vnto the same yet ment I not but to retayne so muche as therin vvas done before esteeming it so vvell done as in deed it is as no alteration needed therein But yet notvvithstanding vvhen I had 〈◊〉 dovvne an other order method to my selfe than that booke folovveth and had begūne this first booke of resolution vvhereof no parte is handled in that treatise I founde by experièce that I could not vvell ioyne that vvith this to satisfie ether the order or argument by me cōceyued therfore vvas I inforced to resolue vpon a further labour than at the first I intended vvhiche vvas to dravve out the vvhole three bookes myselfe not omitting any thing that is in the sayd Exercise or other like bookes to this effect VVhich thing by gods holy assistance I meane to doe as time healthe libertie shall permit me Novv I am constrayned to breake of for the presēt to send 〈◊〉 onelie this first booke of resolutiō vvhich I beseeche our Lord may so vvorke in thy hart by his heauenlie grace as I maye beīcouraged therby the sooner to dispache the other tvvo God for our better triall permitteth many difficulties disturbances lettes hynderāces in euerie thing that is takē in hād for his seruice but yet alvvayes after he helpeth vs out agayne as I knovv he vvill doe from tyme to tyme the cause being his and much more importing hym than vs. The onelie thing that he desireth at our hādes is that vve should once resolue our selues throughelie to serue hym in deede consequētlie cast our selues vvholie īto his holy armes vvithout reseruatiō of any one iote that vve haue vnto our selues then should vve see hovv good and mercifull a lord he is as novv also vve proue dailie beyond all desertes or expectatiō Our lord blesse preserue thee gētle reader enriche thee vvith the guyftes of his holie grace vvhen thou art amiddest thy deepest deuotiōs I beseeche thee to haue some memorie of me also poore sinner as I shall not be forgetfull of thee But aboue all others lett vs bothe be myndfull to praye for our persecutors vvho finallie vvill proue to be our best freēdes being in deed the hammers vvhich beate and polish vs for makyng vs fytt stones for the buylding of gods nevv Ierusalem in heauen THE CONTENTES OF THIS FIRST BOOKE A preface to the reader touching tvvo editions of this treatise vvherein is proued pag. 1. THat albeit bookes of controuersie be in this age necessarie for maintayninge of our faithe yet bookes of deuotion are more profitable to pietie How good life is oftentimes a meane to right faithe AN induction to the three bookes of this treatise vvherein are conteyned pag. 6. HOw there be two partes of Christian diuinitie the one called actiue the other speculatiue withe theire defferences How there be three pointes necessarie to a Christian lyfe three sortes of sinners touching the same and this treatise deuided in three bookes for helping of them THE CONTENTES OF THE FIRST parte of this first booke touching the helpes of resolution to serue God The first chapter Of the end partes of this booke vvith a necessarie aduertisement to the reader pag. 11 HOw necessarie a thinge it is for a man to resolue to leaue vanities and to serue God VVhat argumēt the deuill vseth to draw men from this resolution How willfull ignorance doeth increase and not excuse sinne VVhat mynde a man should haue that wolde reade this treatise The second chapiter Hovv tecessarie it is at this day to enter into earnest consideration and meditation of our estate vvherein is declared pag. 15. THat inconsideration herein is a greate enemie to resolution VVhat incōueniēces grow therby at this daie The nature and commoditie of consideratiō Of the exact maner of meditatinge the particulars of our religion in olde tyme and the fashion of beleeuinge in grosse at this daye The third chapiter Of the end in generall vvhie mā vvas created placed in this vvorld vvherin is handled pag. 24. HOw due cōsideratio of this end helpeth a man to iudge of hym selfe VVhat mynde a mā should haue to creatures The lamentable conditiō of the worlde at this daye by want of this due consideration And the mischyefe therof at the last daye The fowerth chapiter Of the ende of man more in particular of tvvo speciall partes of the same required at his handes in this lyfe vvherein is discussed pag. 32. HOw
this labour now taken againe He hathe suffered much sence for the cause of his conscience and is at this present vnder indurāce for the same and by that meanes so muche the more in disposition to receaue fruite by thy prayer by howe muche the more he hathe suffered for righteousnes sake and is nearer ioined to God by his separation from the world Our lorde blesse him and the allso good reader and sende vs all his holy grace to doe his will in this woorld that we maye raigne with him in the world to come Amen Thy hartie welwiller and seruant in Christ. R. P. AN INDVCTION TO THE three bookes follovvinge AL Christian diuinitie good reader that is all the busines that man hath withe God in this lyfe standethe in two poyntes The one to knowe the other to doe This first parte containeth principally our beleefe set forth to vs in our Creede and other declarations abowt our faith deliuered vs by the Catholique churche to know and beleeue onlie The other parte containethe the ten cōmaundementes the vses of holye Sacramentes and the like prescribed vnto Christians not onlye to knowe or beleeue but allso to exercise and execute in this lyfe The first of thes two partes is called theorike or speculatyue because it consisteth in speculation that is in vnderstandinge and discourse of the minde wherby a man comprehendeth the thinges he hath to knowe and beleeue The second parte is called practique or actiue because it standeth not onlye in knowledge but also in action and execution of those thinges whiche by the first parte he hath conceaued and vnderstoode In the first parte there is lesse labour and difficultie a greate deale than in the seconde Because it is easier to know then to doe to beleeue aright then to lyue accordinglie and the thinges that a man hathe to beleeue are muche fewer than the thinges he hathe to doe and therfore Christ in the Ghospels and the Apoostles in their writinges spake muche more of thinges to be donne than of thinges to be knowen of good lyuinge than of right 〈◊〉 And amongest Christians few are damned for lacke of knowledge which commonlye all men baptised haue sufficient except in tymes of heresies but many thowsandes for euill life dailye VVherfore Christ in the Ghospell tellinge the reason of suche as shoulde be damned putteth lacke of good lyfe as the reason of their damnation Departe from me saieth he into euerlastinge fire I vvas Hungrie and you gaue me not to eate et ce And the reason of this is for that the thinges which a man is bounde to beleeue as I saide before are fewe in respect of the thinges whiche a man hathe to doe or the vices that he hath to auoyed Againe the partes in man whiche appertaine to vnderstandinge and knowledge were not so hurte by the fall of Adam as the partes appertayninge to action whereby it commeth that a man hath lesse difficultie payne and resistance in hym selfe to knowledge than to good lyfe where our owne corrupt affections make warre against vs and so doe make the matter vnpleasant for a tyme vntill they be conquered For whiche cause we see manie greate lerned men not to be the best lyuers for that to know muche is a pleasure to thē but to doe muche is a payne For thes causes not onlye the scriptures as I noted before but allso the auncient holye fathers haue made greate and longe discourses ample volumes manye bookes about this second parte of Christian diuinitie whiche consisteth in action owt of whose worckes thes three bookes followinge for the most parte are gathered containinge a perfect and exact instruction or direction for all thē that meane to leade a trew Christian life as also diuers helpes for them which haue not yet fullye that determination For what so euer is necessarie to a Christian after he hathe once receaued the faithe is contained in this worcke And to speake in particuler three thinges are necessarie The first is a firme resolution to serue God for the time to come and to leaue vice The second is how to begynne to doe this The third is how to perseuer and continew vnto the ende These three thinges whoe so euer hath no doubt but he shall bothe lyue and dye a good Christian and enioye euerlastinge life in the world to come And for lacke of all or some one of thes thinges manie thowsandes the more is the pittie doe perishe daylie For some men are ether so carelesse or so carnallie geeuen as they neuer resolue them selues to lyue in deed well and to forsake wickednes and thes are farof from the state of saluation Other resolue them selues often but they neuer beginne or a least way they beginne not as they shoulde doe wherby they neuer come to any perfection Other doe both resolue and begyn well but they perseuer not vnto the ende 〈◊〉 for lacke of instruction or helpes necessarie to the same and thes also can not attayne to lyfe euerlastinge but rather doe leese their labour for that Christ hath not promised saluation but onlie to such as perseruer to the ende For helpinge therfore Christians in thes three poyntes this worcke is deuided into three bookes In the first booke there are shewed manye meanes and helpes wherby to bringe a man to this necessarie resolution of leauinge vanities to serue God with a Christian lyfe accordinge to his profession In the second booke is declared in particuler how a man shall begin to putt this resolution in practise and without errour to begyn a new trade of lyfe In the third booke are layed downe the meanes and helpes to perseuerāce vnto the ende The which beinge done there remaineth nothinge but the reapinge of glorie in the lyfe to come which we shal be able to doe without instructions yf it be our good happe to come to it which God graunte and send vs his grace that we mave be as well cōtent to labour for it in this lyfe as we will be ioyfull to possesse it in the next and to auoyde the dreadfull tormentes vvhich those must needes fall into vvho for flovvth pleasure or negligence omitt in this vvorlde to procure the kyngdome prepared for godes seruantes in the next THE FIRST BOOKE AND FIRST PARTE Of the end and partes of this booke withe a necessarie aduertissement to the reader CHAP. I. THe first booke as I haue shewed before hathe for his proper end to perswade a Christian by name to become a trewe Christian in deed at the leaste in resolution of mynde And for that there be two principall thinges necessarie to this effect therfore this first booke shal be deuided into two partes And in the first shal be declared important reasons and strong motyues to prouoke a man to this resolution In the second shal be refuted all the impedimentes whiche our spirituall enymies the fleshe the world the deuyll
are wont to laye for the stoppinge of the same knowinge very well that of this resolution dependethe all our good in the life to come For he that neuer resolueth hym selfe to doe well and to leaue the dangerous state of synne wherin he lyuethe is farof from euer doynge the same But he that sometymes resolueth to doe it althoughe by frayltie he performethe it not at that tyme yet is that resolution much acceptable before God and his mynd the rediar to returne after to the like resolution againe and by the grace of God to putt it manfully in execution But he that willfully resistethe the good motions of the holly ghost and vncurteouslie contemnethe his Lorde knockinge at the doore of his conscience greatly prouokethe the indignation of God agaynst hym and cōmonlye growethe harder harder daylye vntill he be giuen ouer into a reprobate sense which is the next doore to damnation it selfe One thinge therfore I must aduertyse the reader before I goe any further that he take greate heede of a certayne principall deceyt of our ghostlye aduersarie whereby he drawethe many millions of soules into hell daylye VVhiche is to feare and terrifie them from hearinge or readinge any thinge contrarye to they re present humor or resolution As for example a vsurer from readinge bookes of restitution a lecherer from readinge discourses against that synne a worldlinge from readinge spirituall bookes or treatyses of deuotion And he vsethe commonlye this argumēt to thē for his purpose Thow seest how thow art not yet resolued to leaue this trade of lyfe wherin thow art therfore the readinge of these bookes will but trouble afflict thy conscience and caste the into sorrowe and melancholye and therfore reade them not at all This I saye is a cunninge fleyght of Satan wherby he leade the manye blyndfolded to perdition euen as a faulkener carriethe many hawkes quyetly beinge hooded whiche other wyse he could not doe yf they hadd the vse of their sight If all ignorance dyd excuse synne than this might be some refuge for thē that would lyue wickedlye But this kinde of ignorāce beinge voluntarie and willfull increasethe greatlye bothe the sinne the synners euell state For of this man the holye ghost speakethe in great dysdayne Noluit intelligere vt bene ageret He vvould not vnderstande to doe vvell And agayne quia tis scientiam repulisti repellam te For that thou hast reiected knoledge I will reiect the. And of the same men in an other place the same holye ghost sayethe they doe leade their lyues in pleasure and in a moment goe downe vnto hell vvhiche saye to God goe frome vs vve vvill not haue the knovvledge of thy vvayes Let euery man therfore be ware of this deceyt and be 〈◊〉 at the least to reade goode bookes to frequent deuoute companye and other lyke goode meanes of his amendment albeit he were not yet resolued to follow the same yea althoughe he should fynde some greeff repugnaunce in hym selfe to doe it For these thinges can neuer doe hym hurte but maye chaunce to doe hym very muche goode and perhappes the very contrarietie and repugnance which he bearethe in frequentinge these thinges against his inclination may moue our mercifull lorde whiche seethe his harde case to gyue hym the victorye ouer hym selfe in the ende and to send hym much more cōforte in the same than before he hadd dislyke For he can easelie doe it onelie by alteringe our taste withe a litle droppe of his holye grace and so make those thinges seeme most sweet and pleasant whiche before tasted bothe bitter and vnsauerye VVherfore as I would hartelye wysne euery Christian soule that comethe to reade these cōsiderations folowinge should come with an indefferent mynde layed downe wholly into godes handes to resolue doe as it should please his holy spirite to moue hym vnto althoughe it wereto the losse of all wordlye pleasures what so euer whiche resignation is absolutlie necessarye to euery one that desirethe to be saued so yf some can not presentlye wynne that indifferencie of them selues yet would I counsayle thē in any case to cōquer theyr myndes to so much patience as to goe throughe to the ende of this booke to see what maye be sayde at leaste to the matter althoughe it be withoute resolution to followe the same For I doubt not but God maye so pearse these mennes hartes before they come to the ende as their myndes maye be altered they yealde them selues vnto the humble sweete seruice of theyr lorde and sauiour and that the Angells in heauen whiche will not ceasse to praye for theym whyle they are readinge maye reioyce and triumphe of theyr regayninge as of sheepe most dangerouslye loste before Hovve necessarie it is to enter into earnest condesiration and meditation of our estate CHAP. II. THe prophet Ieremie after a lōg complaynte of the miseries of his tyme fallen vpō the Ievves by reason of their sinnes vtterethe the cause therof in these vvordes All the earthe is fallen into vtter desolation for that there is no man vvhich cōsidereth deepely in his harte Signifieng hereby that yf the Ievves vvould haue entered into deepe and earnest consideration of their lyues and estate before that greate desolation fell vppon them they might haue escaped the same as the Niniuites dyd by the forevvarninge of Ionas albeit the svvorde vvas novve dravven and the hande of God stretched out vvithin fourtye dayes to distroye them So important a thing is this consideration In figure vvherof all beasts in old tyme vvhiche dyd not ruminate or chevve they re cudde vvere accounted vncleane by the lawe of Moyses as no dowt but that soule in the sight of God muste nedes bee vvhiche reuoluethe not in harte nor chevvethe in often meditation of mynde the thinges required at her handes in this lyfe For of vvant of this consideration and due meditation all the foule errors of the vvoorlde are cōmitted and many thovvsand Christians doo fynde them selues vvhithin the very gates of hell before they mystrust anye suche matter tovvardes them beinge carryed thorowghe the vale of this lyfe blyndfolded vvithe the veyle of negligence and inconsideration as beastes to the slavvghter hovvse and neuer suffred to see theyr owne daunger vntill it be to late to remedie the same For this cause the holly scripture dothe recōmende vnto vs most carefully this exercyse of meditation and diligent cōsideration of our deutyes to delyuer vs therby from the perill which incōsideratiō eadethe vs vnto Moyses hauinge delyuered to the people his embassage from God tovvchinge all particulars of the lavve addethe this clause also from God as most necessarye Thes vvordes must remaine in thy harte thou 〈◊〉 meditate vppon them bothe at home and abroate vvhen thou goest to bedde and vvhen thourysest agayne in the morninge And agayne in an other place teach
that by so many hills and dales and daungerouse places neuer passed by the before and this vvithout any cōsideratiō at allichou arte deceiued if thou thinckeste so for this iourney hath farr more neede of cōsideratiō than that beinge much more subiecte to bypathes and daungers euerie pleasure of this vvorld euery lust euerye dissolute thought euery alluringe sight temptynge sovvnde euery deuill vppon the earthe or instrument of his vvhich are infinite beynge a theefe and lyenge in vvayte to spoyle the to distroie the vppon this vvaye tovvardes heauen VVherefore I vvould gyue counsayle to euery vvyse passenger to looke vvell aboute hym and at leaste vvyse once a daye to enter into consideratiō of his estate of the estate of his treasure vvhiche he carryethe vvith hym in a brickle vessell as Sainct Paule affirmethe I meane his soule vvhiche maye as soone be lost by incōsideratiō as the smalleste nysest Ievvell in this vvorld as partlye shall appeare by that vvhich heerafter I haue vvriten for the helpe of this cōsideratiō vvhereof bothe I my selff and all other Christians doe stande in so great neede in respect of our saluation For suerly if my soule or anye other dyd cōsider attentyuelye but a fevve thinges of many vvhich shee knovvethe to be trevve shee could not but speedilie reforme hir selfe vvith infinite myslyke and detestation of hir former course As for example if she cōsidered thorovvghly that her onely commynge into this lyfe vvas to attēde to the seruice of God and that shee notvvithstandinge attendethe onely or the moste parte to the vanyties of this vvorld that shee must geeue accompt at the last daye of euery ydle vvorde yet that shee makethe none accōpt not onely of vvordes but also nor of euyll deedes That nofornicator no adulterer no vsurer no couetouse or vncleane persone shall euer enioye the kingdome of heauen as the scripture saiethe and yet she thincketh to'goe thither lyuinge in the same vices That one onely sinne hathe bene sufficient to damne many thousandes togither and yet shee beinge Looden vvithe manye thinckethe to escape that the vvaye to heauen is harde strayte and paynefull by the affirmation of God hym selfe yet shee thinckethe to goe in lyuinge in pleasures delytes of the vvorlde that all hollye saintes that euer vvere as the Arostles mother of Christ her selff vvithe all good men since chose to them selues to lyue an austere lyfe in fastinge prayenge punishinge there bodyes the lyke and for all this lyued in feare and tremblinge of the iudgmētes of God and shee attendinge to none of thes thinges but folovvinge her pastimes makethe no doubt of her ovvne estate If I saye my soule or any other dyd in deede and in earneste consider these thinges or the leaste parte of a thousād more that might be considered vvhich our Christian faithe doethe teache vs to be true she vvold not vvander as the moste parte of Christian soules doe in suche desperat perill thorovve vvant of consideration VVhat makethe theiues to seeme madde vnto vvyse men that seinge so manye hanged dayly for theefte before their eyes vvill yet notvvithstundinge steale agayne but onlye lacke of cōsideratiō and the verie same cause makethe the wisest mē of the world to seeme very fooles and vvorse than frantickes vnto God and good men that knovvinge the vanities of the vvorld daunger of sinnfull lyfe doe folovve soe muche the one and feare so litle the other If a lawe vvere make by the authoritie of man that vvhoesoeuer should ad vēture to drincke vvyne should vithout delaye holde his hand but halfe an houre in the fyre or in boylinge leade for a punyshemēt I thincke manye vvould forbeare vvyne albeit 〈◊〉 they loued the same and yet a lavve beynge made by the eternall maiestie of God that vvhoe so euer committhe sinne shall boyle euerlastinglye in the fire of hell vvithoute ease or end Many men for lacke of consideration doe committ sinne vvithe as litle feare as they do eate or drincke To conclude therfore consideration is a moste necessarie thinge to be taken in hande especially in these our dayes vvherein vanitie hathe so'muche preuayled vvithe the moste as it semethe to be true vvisdome the contrarie thereof to be more follye and contemptible simplicitie But I doubt not by the assistance of God and helpe of consideration to discouer in that vvhiche followethe the erroure of this matter vnto the discrete reader vvhiche is not vvillfully blynded or obstinatlye geuen ouer vnto the captiuitie of his ghostly ennemye for some suche men therebe of vvhome God sayethe as it vvere pytyeng and lamentinge their case they haue made aleague vvithe deathe a couenant vvithe hell it selfe that is they vvill not come oute of the daunger vvherin they be but vvill headelonglye caste them selues into enerlastinge perdition rather than by consideration of their estate to recouer to thē selues eternall lyfe and glorie from which deadly obstinacie our Lorde of his mercye deliuer vs all Of the ende for vvhich man vvas created and placed in this vvorld CHAP. III. NOvve then in the name of almightie God and vvith the assistauce of his most holy spirite let the Christiā man or vvoman desirous of saluation first of all consider attentyuely as a good marchand factour is vvonte to doe vvhen he is arriued in a strāge countrye or as a captaine sent by his prince to some great exployte is accustomed vvhen he comethe to the place appointed that is to thinke for vvhat cause he came thither vvhy he vvas sent to vvhat ende vvhat to attempt vvhat to prosecute vvhat to performe vvhat shal be expected and required at his handes vpon his returne by hym that sent hym thither for these cogitations no donbt shall styrre hym vpp to attende to that vvhich he came for and not to employe hym selff in impertinent affayres The lyke I saye vvould I haue a Christian to consider and to aske of hym selfe vvhye to vvhat ende vvas he created of God and sent hither into this vvorlde vvhat to doe vvherin to bestovve his dayes he shall finde for no other cause or ende but onely to serue God in this life by that seruice to gayne euerlastinge glorye in the life to come This vvas the conditiō of our creation and this vvas the onelie consideration of our redemptiō prophesied by zacharie before vve vvere yet redeemed that vve beinge deliuered from the handes of our enymyes might serue hym in holynes and instice all the dayes of our lyfe Of this it foloweth first that seinge the ende and finall cause of our beynge in this worlde is to serue God in this lyfe therby to gayne heauen in the next that what so euer we doe or endeuour or bestowe our tyme in eyther contrarie or impertinent to this ende whyche is onely to the
after though he sought the same vvith teares Also the sinne of Saule whoe his sinne beinge but one synne and that onlye of omission in not killinge agag the kynge of Amalech and his cattell as he was willed was vtterlie cast of by God for the same though he were his annointed and chosen seruant before and could not get remission of the same though both he and Samuell the prophet did greatly lament and bewaille the same synne Also I might alleage the example of kinge Dauid whose two synnes albeit vppon his hartie repentar ce God forgaue yet besides all the weepinge fastinge watchinge lyeinge on grownde wearinge of sackeloth and other punishement of bodye that Dauid did vse God punished the same with maruaylous seueritie as with the death of Dauides sonne and other continuall afliction vnto him as longe as he liued And all this to shew his hati ed against synne and thereby to terrifie vs from committinge the same Of this also doe proceede all those harde and bitter speeches in scripture towching sinners which cōming from the mouthe of the holye ghost and therfore beinge most trewe and certaine may iustlye geeue all them greate cause of feare which lyue in synne as where it is saied death bloode contention edge of 〈◊〉 oppression hunger 〈◊〉 and vvhyppes all thes thinges are created forvvicked sinners And againe God shall rayne snares 〈◊〉 vppon sinners brimstone vvith tempestuous vvyndes shal be the portion of their 〈◊〉 Agayne God wil be knowen at the day of iudgement vppon the synner whoe shal be taken in the 〈◊〉 of his owne handes manye whippes belonge vnto a synner let synners be turned into hell God shall scatter all sinners God shall dashe the teeth of synners in their mouthes God shall scoffe at a sinner whē he seethe his daye of destruction cometh on the sworde of sinners shall turne into their owne hartes thow shalt see when sinners shall perishe The armes of sinners shal be crushed and broken sinners shall wither from the earth desire not the glorye and riches of a synner for thow doest not know the subuersion which shall come vpō hym God hath geeuen him riches to deceaue him therwith beholde the daye of our lorde shall come a cruell daye full of indignation wrath and furye to make desolate the earth and to crushe in peeces her synners within her The iust man shall reioyse seinge this reuenge then shall he washe his handes in the blood of sinners These a thowsande suche sentences more of scripture which I omitt vttered by the holye ghost against synners maye instruct vs of their pitifull estate and of the vnspeakable hatred of God against them as long as they perfist in synne Of all these considerations the holy scriptures doe gather one conclusion greatlye to be noted and considered by vs which is miseros facit populos peccatum Synne bringeth men to miserie And againe Qui diligit iniquitatem odit animam suam he vvhich loueth iniquitie 〈◊〉 his ovvne soule Or as the Angel Raphaell vttereth it in other wordes shey vvhich cōmit finne are open enemyes to their ovvne sovvles VVherfore they laye downe to all men this generall seuere and most necessarie cōmaundement vpon all the paines before recited Quasi a facie colubri fuge peccata Flee from siane as from the face of a suake And againe caue ne aliquando peccato consentias Bevvare thovv neuer consent to siane For how soeuer the worlde doeth make litle accounte of this matter of whome as a scripture noteh the sinner is praysed in his lustes and the vvicked man is blessed yet most certaine it is for that the spirite of God auoucheth it qui facit peccatum ex diabolo est He vvhich cōmitteth sinne is of the deuill and therfore is to receaue his portion amonge deuills at the latter daye And is not all this sufficient deare brother to make vs detest sinne and to conceaue some feare in cōmittinge therof nay is not all this strong enough to batter their hartes which liue in state of sinne and doe committ the same daylie with out consideration or scruple what obstinacie and hardnes of harte is this surelye we see the holye ghost prophesied trewlye of them when he sayede sinners alienated from God are possessed vvith a furye like a serpent and like a deafe cocatrise vvhich stoppeth her heares to the enchaunter this furie I saie is the furye or madnesse of willfull synners which stoppe their eares lyke serpentes to all the holy enchauntmentes that God can vse vnto them for their conuersion that is to all his internall motions good inspirations to all remorse of their owne conscicnces to all threatninges of holye scriptures to all admonishmentes of gods seruantes to all the other meanes which God can vse for their saluation Good Lorde whoe would committ a mortall sinne for the gayninge of ten thowsande worldes yf he considered the infinite dommages hurtes incōueniences miseries which doe come by the committinge of one sinne for first he that sinneth mortallie leeseth the grace of God inherent in his sowle which is the greatest gift that Cod can geeue to a creature in this lyfe consequentlye he leeseth all those thinges which dyd accōpanye that grace as the vertues infused and the seuen giftes of the holy ghost wherby the sowle was bewtyfied in the sight of her spouse and armed against the assaultes of her enemies Secondlie he leesethe the fauour of God and consequentlye his fatherlye protection care and prouidence ouer hym and gayneth hym to be his professed enemie Which how great a losse it is we may esteeme by the state of a worldley courtier which should leese the fauour of an earthlie prince and incurre mortall hatred by the same Thirdly he leeseth all inheritance clayme and title to the kyngdome of heauen whiche is dew onlye by grace as S. Paule noteth and consequentlye depriuethe hym selfe of all dignities cōmoditiesfolowinge the same in this lyfe as the condition and high priueledge of a sonne of God the communion of sainctes the protection of Angels and the lyke Fowerthlye he leeseth the quiet ioye and tranquilitie of a good conscience and all the fauours cherisnmentes consolations and other cūfortes wherwithe the holie ghost is wont to visite the mindes of the Iust. Pyuethlye he leeseth the merit and reward of all his good woorkes done sence he was borne whatsoeuer he doth or shall doe while he standeth in that state Sixthlye he maketh hym selfe guyltie of eternall punishmēt and engrosseth his name in the booke of perdition and consequentlie byndeth hym selfe to all these incōueniences wherto the reprobate are subiect that is to be inheritour of hell fyre to be in the power of the deuill and his Angels to be subiect to all synne and temptation of sinne and his
destruction both of bodye and sowle with as greate diligence as they can VVhat wise man then would but feare in such a case whoe coulde eate or drincke or sleepe quietlye in his bedd vntill by the holye sacrament of penance he had discharged his conscience of mortall synne a litle stone fallinge from the howse vpon his head or his horse stumblinge vnder him as he rydeth or his enymie meetinge hym on the highe waye or an agew comminge with eatinge or drinckinge a litle to muche or ten thowsande chaun ces besydes wherof he standeth dailie and howerlye in daunger may ridd him of this lyfe and put hym in that case as no creature of this word nor anye continuance of time shal be able to delyuer hym thence againe And whoe then wolde not feare whoe wolde not tremble our lorde of his mercye geeue vs his holye grace to feare hym as we should doe and to make suche accounte of his iustice as he by threatninge the same wolde haue vs to doe And then shall not we delay the tyme but resolue our selues to serue hym whiles he his content to accept of our seruice and to pardon vs all our offences if we woulde once make this resolution from our harte An other consideration for the further iustifyinge of godes iudgementes and declaration of our demerit taken from the maiestie of God and his benefites towardes vs. CHAP. VII ALbeit the most parte of Christians through their wicked lyfe arriue not to that state wherin holy Dauid was when he sayed to God thy iudgementes o Lord are pleasant vnto me as in deed they are to all those that lyue vertuouselye and haue the testimonie of a good conscience yet at least wise that we maye saye withe the same prophet the iudgementes of our Lorde are trevv and iustified in them selues And againe thovv artiust o Lorde and thy iudgement is right I haue thought good to add a reason or two more in this chapter wherby it maye appeare how greate our offence is towardes God by sinninge as we doe and how righteous his iudgementes and iustice are against vs for the same And first of all is to be considered the maiestie of hym agaynst whome we sinne for most certaine it is as I haue noted before that euerie offence is so muche the greater more greeuous by how muche greater and more noble the person is against whome it is done and the partie offendinge more base and vile And in this respect God to terrisie vs from offendinge hym nameth hym selfe often with certayne titles of maiestie as to Abraham I am an ommipotent Lorde And agayne heaven is my seate and the earth is my footestoole And againe he cōmaunded Moyses to say to the people in his name this ambassage harden not your neckes any longuer for that your Lord and God is a God of godes and 〈◊〉 Lorde of lordes a greate God both potent and terrible vvhich accepteth nether person nor brybes First then I saye consider gentle Christian of what an infinite maiestie he is whome thow a poore woorme of the earth hast so often and so contemptuousely offended in this lyfe VVe see in this worlde that no man dareth to offende openly or say a worde against the maiestie of a prince within his owne dominions and what is the maiestie of all the princes vpon earthe compared to the thowsandth parte of the maiestie of god whoe with a worde made both heauen and earthe and all the creatures therin and with halfe a worde can destroie the same againe whome all the creatures which he made as the Angels the heauens and all the elemētes besides doe serue at a becke and dare not offend onlye a sinner is he which emboldeneth hym selfe against this maiestie and feareth not to offend the same whome as the holye Catholique Churche dothe professe daylie in her preface to the blessed sacrifice the Angels do praise the dominations doe adore the powers do tremble the highest heauens together with Cherubins and Seraphins doe daylie honour and celebrate Remember then deare brother that euerie tyme thow doest cōmitt a sinne thow geeuest a blow in the face to this greate maiesticall God whoe as S. Paule sayeth dwelleth in an 〈◊〉 light which no man in this world can abyde to looke vpon As also it appeareth by the example of S. Iohn euangelist whoe fell downe dead for very feare at the appearance of Christ vnto hym as him selfe testifieth and when Moyses desired to see God once in his lyfe and made humble petition for the same God aunswered that no man could see hym and lyue but yet to satisfie his request and to shew hym in parte what a terrible and maiesticall God he was he tolde Moyses that he should see some peece of his glorie mary he added that it was needfull he shoulde hyde hym selfe in the hole of a rocke and be couered with godes owne handes for his defence while God or rather an Angell sent from God as all deuines doe interprete dyd passe by in glorie And when he was past God tooke awaye his hande and suffered moyses to see the hynder partes onlye of the Angell which was notwithstandinge most terrible to beholde The prophet Daniell a so describeth the maiestie of this God shewed vnto hym in visiō in these wordes I did see saieth he vvhē the thrones vvere set the olde of man manye dayes sat dovvne his apparell vvas as vvhite as snovv his heare lyke vnto pure vvoolle his throne vvas of a flame of fyre and his chariottes vvere burninge fyre a svviste fludd of fyre came from his face a thovvsand thovvsandes did serue hym and ten thovvsand hundred thovvsands did assist him he sat in iudgement and the bockes vvere opened before hym All this and much more is recorded in scripture to admonishe vs therby what a prince of maiestie he is whome a synner offendeth Imagine now brother myne that thow seest this greate kynge sittinge in his chairc of maiestie with chariottes of fire vnspeakable light and infinite millions of Angels aboute hym as the scripture reporteth Imagine further which is most trew that thow seest all the creatures in the world stand in his presence and tremblinge at his maiestie and most carefullie attendinge to doe that for which he created them as the heauens to moue aboute the Sonne moone and starres to geeue light the earth to bringe foorth sustenance and the lyke Imagine further that thow seest all these creatures how bigge or litle so euer they be to hange and depende onlye of the power vertue of God wherby they stande moue and consist and that there passeth from God to eche creature in the world yea to euerie parte that hath motion or beinge in the same some beame of his vertue as from the sunne we see infinite beames to passe into the ayer Cōsider I say that no one parte of anye creature in the world
the for it albeit thow haddest nothinge in thee worthe loue besydes But now thy lorde besydes thes his gyftes hath infinite causes to make the loue hym that is all the causes which any thinge in the worlde hath to puchase loue and infiinte more besydes For yf all the perfections of all thinges created in heauē and in earth which doe procure loue were put together in one as all their bewtie all their vertue all their wisedome all their sweetnes all their nobilitie all their goodnes and the lyke yet thy lorde Sauycur whome thow contēnest doth passo all this and that by infinite and infinite 〈◊〉 for that he is not onlie all thes thinges together but also he is verie bewtie it selfe vertue it selfe wisedome it selfe sweetenes it selfe nobilitie it selff goodnes it selff and the verie fountaine and welspringe where hence all thes thinges are deriued by litle peeces and parcels vnto his creatures Be a shamed then good Christian of this thy ingratitudo to so greate so good beuntifull a Lord and resolue thy selfe for the tyme to come to amende thy course of lyfe and behauyour towardes hym Say with the prophet which had lesse cause to saye so then thow Domine propitiaro peccato meo multum est enim O lord pardon me myne offence for it is greate in thy sight I know there is nothinge o lorde which dothe so muche displease the or drye vpp the fountaine of thy mercye so byndeth thy handes from doinge good as ingratitude in the receyuers of thy benefites wherin hetherto I haue exceeded all others but I haue done it o lord in myne ignorance not conslderinge thy gyftes vnto me nor what accounte thow wouldest demaunde againe of the same But now seinge thow hast vouchsafed to make me woorthie of this grace also wherby to see and knowe myne owne state and defaut I hope hereafter by direction of the same grace of thyne to shew my selfe a better childe towardes the. O lord I am ouercome at the lēgthe with cōsideratiō of thy loue and how can I haue the harte to offend thee hereafter seinge thow hast preuented me so manye wayes with benefites euē when I demaunded not the same can I haue handes euermore to sinne against thee whiche hast geeuen vpp thyne owne most tender handes to be nayled on the crosse for my synnes heretofore no no it is to greate an iniurie against thee o lord woe worth me that haue donne it so often heretofore But by thy holye assistance I trust not to returne to suche iniquitie for the tyme to come to which o lord I beseeche the for thy mercie sake from thy holie throne of heauen to saie amen Of vvhat opinion and feelinge vve shal be to vvchinge these matters at the tyme of our deathe CHAP. VIII THe holy scriptures doe teach vs and experience maketh it plaine that duringe the tyme of this lyfe the commodities preferments and pleasures of the worlde doe possesse so stronglye the hartes of manye men and doe holde them chayned with so forcible enchauntmentes beinge forsaken also vpon their iust desertes of the grace of God saye and threaten what a man can and bringe against them all the whole scripture euen from the begynninge of genesis to the end of the Apocalips as in deede it is all against synne and synners yet will it preuaile nothinge with them beinge in that lamentable case as other they beleeue not or esteeme not what so euer is saide to that purpose against their setled lyfe aud resolution to the contrarye Of this we haue infinite examples in scripture as of Sodome and Gomorra with the cities aboute which could not heare the war ninges that good Lot gaue vnto them Also of Pharao whome all that euer Moyses could doe ether by signes or sayinges moued nothinge Also of Iudas whoe by no faire meanes or threatninges vsed to him by his maister would change his wicked resolution But especialye the prophets sent from God from tyme to tyme to disswade the people from their naughtie lyfe and consequentlye from the plagues hanginge ouer them doe geeue abundant testimonie of this complainiage euerie where of the hardnes of synners hartes that wold not be moued with all the exhortations preachings promisses allurementes exclamations threatnings thunderinges that they could vse The prophet zacharie shall testifie for all in this matter whoe saieth of the people of Israell a litle before theire destruction Hoc ait do minus exercituum et ce This sayeth the Lorde of hostes iudge iustlie and so forthe And presentlie he addeth And they vvould not attende but turninge their backes uvent auvaye and stopped their eares to the ende they might not heare and they did put their hartes as an adamant stone to the end they might not heare the lavve and the vuordes vvhich God did send in his spirite by the handes of the former prophetes vvherby godes greate indignation vvas sturred vpp This then is and alwayes hath ben the fashion of worldlinges reprobate persons to harden their hartes as an adamant stone against anye thinge that shal be tolde thē for the amendement of their liues and for the sauinge of their soules VVhyles they are in healthe and prosperitie they will not know God as in an other place he complaineth Marye yet as the prophet saieth God will haue his daye withe thes men also when he wil be knowen And that is cognoscetur dominus iudicia faciens God vvill è knovven uvhen he begynneth to doe iudgment and this is at the daye of deathe which is the next dore to iudgement as S. Paule testifieth sayinge it is appointed for euill men once to dye and after that ensewe 〈◊〉 This I saye is the day of God most terrible sorowfull and full of tribulation to the wicked wherin God wil be knowen to be a righteous God and to restore to euerye man accordinge as he hath donne vvhile he liued As S. Panle sayeth or as the prophet describeth it he vvilbe knovven then to be a terrible God and such a one as taketh avvaye the spirite of princes a terrible God to the kynges of the 〈◊〉 At this daye as there wil be a greate change in all other thinges as mirth wil be turned into sorow laughinges into weepinges pleasures into paynes stoutnes into feare pryde into dispaire and the like so especiallie will there be a straunge alteration in iudgemēt and opinion for that the wisedome of God wherof I haue spoken in the former chapters and which as the scripture saieth is accounted folye of the wise of the vvorld will then appeare in her likenes as it is in verie deede wil be confessed by her greatest enimyes to be onlietrew wisedome and all carnall wisdome of worldlinges to be meere folye as God callethe it This the holye scripture setteth downe clerelye when it describeth the verie speeches and lamentations of the wise men of this
and greeuous to a worldlye man is the sudden partinge and that for euer and euer from all the thinges which he loued most dearely in this lyfe as from his 〈◊〉 possessios honours offices fayre buildinges with their commodities goodlye apparell with 〈◊〉 iewels from wyfe and children kyndred and frindes and the lyke where with he thought hym selfe a blessed man in this lyfe and now to be plucked from them vppon the sudden without euer hope to see or vse them agayne oh what a greefe what a torment will this be for which cause the holye scripture saieth O mors quam amara est memoriatua homini pacem habenti in substantiis suis O deathe how bytter is thy memorie vnto a man that hath peace and rest in his substaunce and riches as whoe would saye there is no more bytternes or greefe in the world to such a man than to remember or thinke on death onlye but muche more to goe to it hym selfe and that owt of hande when it shal be saied vnto hym as Christ reporteth it was to the greate wealthie man in the ghospell whiche had his barnes full and was come now to the hyghest topp of felicitie Siulte hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te quae autem parafti ouius erunt thow foole euen this night they will take thy sowle from the and then whoe shall haue all that thow hast scraped together It is vnpossible I saye for anye tongue to expresse the dolefull state of a worldlye man in this instant of death when nothinge that euer he hath gathered together with so muche labour and 〈◊〉 and wherin he was went to haue so much confidence will now doe hym good any longer but rather afflict hym with the memorie therof consideringe that he must leaue all to other goe hym selfe to geeue accounte for the gettynge and vsinge of the same perhaps to his eternall dānation whiles in the meane tyme other men in the world do lyue merylye and plesantlie vppon that he hath gotten litle remembringe and lesse caringe for hym which lyeth perhapps burninge in vnquencheable fyre for the ryches left vnto them This is a wofull and lamentable point which is to bringe manie a man to greate sorow and anguyshe of harte at the last daye when all earthlie ioyes must be left all pleasures and commodities for euer abandoned Oh what a dolefull daye of partinge will this be what wilt thow saie my frende at this daye whē all thy glorye all thy welth all thy pompe is come to an ende VVhat art thow the better now to haue liued in credit with the world in fauour of princes exalted of men feared reuerenced and aduaunced seinge now all is ended and that thow canst vse these thinges no more But yet there is a third thinge whiche more then all the rest vvill make this daie of deathe to be trovvblesome and miserable vnto a vvorldlye man and that is the consideration vvhat shall become of him both in bodye and sovvle and for his bodie it vvilbe no small horrour to thinke that it must inherite serpentes beastes and vvormes as the scripture saieth that is it must be cast out to serue for the foode of vermen that bodie I meane vvhich vvas so delicatelie handled before vvith varietie of meates pillovves and beddes of dovvne so trymlye set foorthe in apparell and other ornamentes vvhere vppon the vvynde might not blovv nor the sunne shyne that bodye I saye of vvhose beavvtie there vvas so muche pride taken and vvherby so greate vanitie and sinne vvas committed that bodie vvhich in this vvorld vvas accustomed to all pamperinge could abide no austeritie or discipline must now come to be abandoned of all men left onlye to be deuoured of vvormes VVhīche thing albeit it can not but breede much horrour in the hart of hym that lyeth a dyinge yet is it nothinge in respect of the dreadfull cogitations vvhich he shall haue to vvchinge his sovvle as vvhat shalbecome of it vvhether it shall goe after her departure out of the bodie and then consideringe that it must goe to the iudgement seate of God and there to receyue sentence ether of vnspeakeable glorye or insupportable paynes he falleth to cs̄ider more in particuler the daunger therof by comparinge godes iustice and threates set dovvne in scripture against sinners vvith his ovvne lyfe he begynneth to examine the vvitnes vvhich is his conscience and he findeth it readie to laye infinite accusations against hym vvhen he commeth to the place of iustice And novv deare brother begynneth the miserie of this man For there is not a seuere saynge of God in all the scripture vvhiche commeth not novv to his mynde to terrify hym vvithall at this instant as if thovv vvilt enter into lyfe keepe the commaundementes He that sayeth he knovveth God and keepeth not his commaundementes is a liar manie shall saie vnto me at that daye Lord Lord c. not the hearers of the lavv but the doers of the lavve shal be iustifyed goe from me all vvorkers of iniquitie into euerlastinge fyar doe not you knovv that vvicked men shall not possesse the kyngdome of God be not deceyued for nether fornicatours nor Idolatours nor adulterers nor vncleane handlers of theire ovvne bodies nor Sodomites nor theeues nor couetous men nor dronkardes nor backbyters nor extorsioners shal euer possesse the kingdome of God yf you lyue accordinge to the fleshe you shall dye and the vvorkes of the fleshe are manifest as fornication vncleannes vvantonnes luxurie poyseninges enimities contentions emulations hatred stryfe dissentions sectes enuie murder dronkenes glouttonie and the lyke VVherof I foretell you as I haue tolde you before that they vvhiche doe thes thinges shall neuer attaine to the kyngdome of god VVe must all be presented before he tribunall of Christ and euerie man roceyue particularlie accordinge as he hathe donne in this lyfe good or euill euerye man shall receyue accordinge to his vvoorkes God spared not the Angels vvhen they sinned You shall geeue accounte of euerye idle vvorde at the daye of iudgement if the iuste shall scarce be saued vvhere shall the vvicked man and synner 〈◊〉 fevv are saued and a riche man shall hardlie enter into the kyndome of heauen All these thinges I saye and a thowsand more towchinge the seueritie of godes iustice the accounte which shal be demaunded at that daye will come into his mind that lieth a dyinge our ghostlye enimie which in this lyfe laboured to keepe these thinges from our eyes therby the easier to draw vs to sinne will now laye all and more too before our face amplyfiynge vrginge euerie pointe to the vttermost alleaginge alvvayes our conscience for his witnes VVhich when the poore sowle in dieinge can not deny it must needes terrifie her greatlie for so we see that it dothe daylie euen manie good and vertuous men S. Iereme reported of
woldest thrust him into fyre or flynge hym into a ditche he woold auoide it as muche as he coulde for that he loueth lyfe and 〈◊〉 death Feare thow then and be not more insensible than a beast Feare death feare iudgement feare hell this feare is called the begynninge of wisdome and not shame or sorow for that the spirite of feare is more potent to resist sinne than the spirite of shame or sorow wherfore it is saide remēber the ende and thovv shalt neuer sinne that is remember the finall punishmentes appointed for sinne after this lyfe Thus far S. Bernarde First therfore to speake in generall of the punishmentes reserued for the lyfe to come yf the scriptures did not declare in perticular theire greatnes vnto vs yet are there manie reasons to persuade vs that they are most feuere dolorous intollerable For first as God is a God in all his woorkes that is to saye greate wounderfull terrible so especialie he sheweth the same in his punishmentes beinge called for that cause in scripture deus iustitiae God of iustice as also deus vltionum God of reuenge VVherfore seinge all his other woorkes are maiestical exceedinge our capacities we maye lykewise gather that his hande in punishmēt must be wounderfull also God hym selfe teacheth vs to reason in this maner when he sayethe And vvill ye not then feare me and vvill ye not tremble before my face vvhiche haue putt the sande as a stopp vnto the sea and haue geeuen the vvater a commandement neuer to passe it no not vvhen it is most trovvbled the flooddes most outragious as who would saye yf I am wounderfull doe passe your imaginatiō in these woorkes of the sea and other which you see daylie you haue cause to feare me cōsideringe that my punishmentes are lyke to be correspondent to the same An other coniecture of the great and seuere iustice of God maye be the cōsideration of his infinite and vnspekeable mercie the whiche as it is the verie nature of God without ende or measure as his godhead is so is also his iustice And these two are the two 〈◊〉 as it were of God embracinge kyssnge one the other as the scripture saieth Therfore as in a man of this world yf we had the measure of one arme we might easely cōiecture of the other so seinge the wounderfull exāples dailie of godes infinite mercie towardes them that doe repent we maye imagyne by the same his seuere iustice towardes them whoe he reserueth to punishment in the next lyfe and whome for that cause he calleth in the scriptures Vasa furoris Vessels of his furye or vessels to shew his furye vppon A third reason to perswade vs of the greatnes of these punishmentes maye be the maruailous patiēce and longe sufferinge of God in this lyfe as for example in that he sufferethe diuers men from one sinne to an other from one daye to an other from one yere to an other frō one age to an other to spend all I saye in dishonoure and dispite of his maiestie addinge offence to offence and refusinge all perswasions allurementes good inspirations or other meanes of frindshipp that his mercie can deuise to offer for theire amendment And what man in the world could suffer this or what mortall hart can shew suche patience but now yf all this should not be requited with seueritie of punishmēt in the worlde to come vppon the obstinate it might seeme against the lawe of iustice and equitie and one arme in God might seeme longer than the other S. Paule toucheth this reason in his epistle to the Romans where he saithe doest thovv not knovv that the benignitie of God is used to bringe thee to repentance and thovv by thy harde and impenitent hart doest hoord vpp vengeance vnto thy selfe in the daye of vvrath and appearance of Gods iust iudgementes vvhich shall restore to euerie man accordinge to his vvorkes he vseth heere the wordes of hoordinge vpp of vengeance to signifie that euen as the couetous man doth hoorde vp monie to monie dailie to make his heape greate so the vnrepentant synner dothe hoorde vp sinne to sinne and God on the contrary side hoordeth vpp vengeance to vengeance vntill his measure be full to restore in the end measure against measure as the prophet saith and to paye vs home accordinge to the multitude of our ovvne obhominations This God meant when he sayde to Abraham that the iniquities of the Amorrheans vvere not yet full vpp Also in the reuelations vnto S. Iohn Euangelist when he vsed this cōclusion of that booke He that doth euill let hym doe yet more euill and he that lyeth in filth let hym yet become more filthie for beholde I come quicklye and my revvarde is vvith me to render to euerye man accordinge to his deedes By which wordes God signifieth that his bearinge tolleratinge with sinners in this lyfe is an argument of his greater serueritie in the lyfe to come which the prophet Dauid also declareth when talkinge of a careles sinner he saieth Dominus irridebit eum quoniam 〈◊〉 quòd veniet dies eius Our God shall scoff at hym foreseinge that his daye shall come This daye no dout is to be vnderstoode the daye of accounte and punishement after this lyfe for soo dothe God more at large declare hym selfe in an other place in these wordes And thow sonne of man this saieth thy lord God the end is come now I saye the end is come vppon the. And I will shew in the my furye and will iudge the acoordinge to thy waies I will laye against the all thy abominations and my eye shall not spare the nor will I take anye mercie vppon the but I will put thyne owne wayes vppon the and thow shalt know that I am the lord Behold affliction commeth on the end is come the end I saye is come it hath watched against the and beholde it is come crusshinge is now come vppon the the tyme is come the daye of slaughter is at hand Shortlie will I poure owt my wrathe vppon the and I will fill my furye in the and I will iudge the accordinge to thy waies and I will laye all thy vvickednes vppon the my eye shall not pitie the nor vvil I take any compassion vppon the but I will laye thy vvaies vppon the and thy abhominations in the 〈◊〉 of the and thovv shalt knovv that I am the lorde that striketh Hytherto is the speeche of God hym selfe Seinge then now we vnderstāde in generall that the punishmentes of Cod in the lyfe to come are moste certaine to be greate seuere to all suche as fall into them for whiche cause S. Paule saithe Horrendum est incidere in manus dei viuentis it is is a 〈◊〉 thinge to fall into the handes of our lyuinge God Let vs consider some what in particular
what manner of paines punishmentes they shal be For better conceauinge wherof it is to be noted that as there are two sortes of sinners the one whiche dye in the guylt of mortall sinne and in the dissauoure and displeasure of God of whome it is saide conuertantur peccatores in infernum Let sinners be turned into hell And againe there is a sinne vnto deathe I doe not saye that anye man should praye for that And againe the portion of wicked men shal be in the lake burninge with fire and brymstone which is called the second deathe An other sorte of sinners there are whiche haue the guylt of theire sinnes pardoned by their repentance in this lyfe but yet haue not made that temporall satisfaction to gods iustice nor are so thoroughlie purged in this lyfe as they maye passe to heauen without punishment and of these it is writen Detrimentum patientur 〈◊〉 autem salui erunt sic tamem quast perignem They shall suffer hurt and dammage but yet they shal be saued as by fire Vpon which wordes of S. Paul the holye father S. Austen writeth thus Because S. Paul sayeth that these men shal be saued by fire therfore this fire is contemned But surely though they shal be saued by it yet is this fire more greeuous than what soeuer a man can suffer in this life and yet you know how greate intollerable thinges men haue or maie suffer The same S. Austen in an other place sayeth thus They which haue donne thinges worthie of temporall punisnment of whome the Apostle sayeth They shal be saued by fire must passe thorough a firie riuer and most horrible shallowes of burninge flames signisied by the prophet vvhen he saithe and a fludd of fyre vvent before hym looke hovv much matter there is in theire synnes so lon ge must they sticke in passinge thorough hovv much the fault requireth so much shall the punishement of this fyre reuenge And because the vvord of God do the compare the sovvle of a synner to a pott of brasse sayinge put the pott emptie vppon the coles untill all the rust be melted of therfore in this fyre all ydle speeches all filthie cogitations all light synnes shall boyle out vvhich by a shorte vvaie might haue ben seperated from the sovvle in this lyfe by almes and teares Hitherto S. Austen And the same holie father in an other place hath these wordes If a sinner by his conuersion escape death and obtaine lyfe yet for all that I can not promise hym that he shall escape all payne or punishment For he that differred the fruites of repētance till the next lyfe must be perfited in purgatorie fire and this fyre I tell you though it be not euerlastinge yet is it passinge greeuous for it doth far exceede all paines that man can suffer in this lyfe Neuer was there founde out yet so greate a paine in fleshe as that is though martyrs haue abydden straunge tormētes and many wicked men haue suffered exceedinge greate punishmentes To lyke effecte dothe S. Gregorie Write of the seueritie of this punishmet expoundinge those wordes of Dauid O Lorde rebuke me not in thy furye nor correct me in thy vvrathe This is as yf he sayde saythe S. Gregoire I know that after this lyfe some must be clensed by purginge fire And other must receaue sentence of eternall damnation But because I esteeme that purginge fyre though it be transitorie to be more intolerable than all the tribulation which in this lyfe maye be suffered therfore I doe not onlye desire not to be rebuked in the furie of eternall damnation but also I greatlie feare to be purged in the wrathe of transitorie correction thus far S. Gregorie And I might add a hundred like sayinges more out of the holye fathers towchinge the extreame seueritie of this purginge fyre after death and of the greate feare which they had of it but this shal be sufficient to warne Catholiques which beeleue it to looke better aboute them than they doe for the auoydinge of the rigoure of this fyre by theire good lyfe in this world especiallie by these two meanes of almes and teares whiche S. Austen in the place before recited dothe mētion which holye father also in the same place maketh this collection We see what men doe or maye suffer in this life what rackinge what tearinge what burninge and the like and yet they are nothinge in respect of that fire whereof he inferreth this conclusion ista ergo etc. Thes thinges therfore which we suffer heere are much easiar than that fire and yet yow see that men will doe any thinge rather than suffer them how much more then ought wee to doe that litle whiche God cōmaundeth vs to auoyde that fyre farre and muche more greeuouse It is a straunge matter to consider what great feare holye men had of this fire how litle we haue now a dayes hauing much more cause than they S. Barnarde hathe these woordes of hym selfe Oh wold to God some man wold now before hand prouide for my head abundance of watters and to my eyes a fountaine of teares for so perhaps the burninge fire should take no holde where iūning teares had clensed before And agayne I tremble shake for feare of falling into Gods hands I wolde gladlie present my selfe before his face alredie iudged of my selfe not to be iudged then of hym Therfore I will make a reckonyng whiles I am heere of my good deces and of my badde My euell shal be corrected with better woorkes they shal be watered with teares they shal be punished by fasting they shal be amended by sharp discipline I will ripp vp the verie bottom of my wayes all my deuises that he may fynde nothing vntryed at that day or not fullye discussed to his handes And then I hope in his mercie that he will not iudge the same faults again and the second time as he hathe promised The lyke feare vttereth S. Ambrose in these woordes O Lorde yf thou reserue any whit in me to be reuenged in the next lyfe yet I humblie aske of the that thow geue me not vpp to the power of wycked spirits whiles thou wypest awaye my synnes by the paynes of purgatorie And agayne in an other place I shal be searched examined as leade in this fire and I must burne vntill all the lead be melted away And yf then there be found no siluer matter in me woe be to me For I must be thrust doune to the nethermost partes of hell or elles whollie waste away as straw in the fyre But if anie gold or siluer be fownd in me not throughe my woorkes but by grace and Christes mercie through the ministorie of my prestehoode I shall also once say surelie they that trust in the shall neuer be confounded And thus muche of this temporall punishement reserued euen for the
purging of gods seruants in the lyfe to come But now touching the reprobate such as for their wickednesse haue to die euerlastinglie we must Imagine that the case standeth much more hardlye for to that purpose soundeth Christs sayeing to the good wemen of Ierusalem when he was goeing to his passiō Yf they doe these things to grene vvood vvhat shalbecome of that vvhich is drye which woordes S. Peter seemeth in some parte to expōde when he sayeth Yf the Iudgement of God 〈◊〉 vvith vs vvhich are his seruāts vvhat shall the end of vvrcked men be As who wold say that in all reason their ende must be intollerable For more particular cōceauing whereof be cause the matter is of great importāce for all Christians to know it suall not be perhaps amisse to consider breeflie what the holie scriptures and auncient fathers of the Catholique ehurche directed no doubt by the holie Ghost haue reuealed vnto vs concerning this punishement And first of all to wchinge the place of punishement appointed for the dāned cōmonlie called hell the scripture in diuerse languages vseth diuerse names but all tending to expresse the greeuousnesse of punishement there suffered As in latyn it is called Infernus a place beneathe or vnder ground as most of the old fathers doe interprete But whether it be vnder ground or no most certaine it is that it is a place most opposit to heauen which is sayd to be aboue and from which lucifer was throwne downe And this name is vsed to signifie the miserable suppressing and hurling downe of the damned to be troden vnder the feet not onlie of God but also of good men for euer For so sayeth the scripture Beholde the daye of the lorde cometh burning like a fornace and all proud and vvicked men shall be stravv to that fornace and you that feare my name shall tread them dovven they shal be as burnt ashes vnder the soles of your feet in that 〈◊〉 And this shal be one of the greatest miseries that can happen to the prowde and stowte potentates of the worlde to be thrown doune with suche contēpt and to be troden vnder feet of them whome they so muche despised in this worlde The Hebrew woord whiche the scripture vseth for hell is Seol whiche fignifieth a great ditche or dungeon In whiche sense it is also called in the Apocalips lacus irae dei the lake of the wrathe of God And again Stagnum ardens igne sulphure a poole burning with fyre and brimstone In greek the scripture vseth three woordes for the same place The fyrst is Hades vsed in the gospell whiche as plutarche noteth signifieth a place where no light is The second is zophos in S. Peter which signifieth darknes it selfe In whiche sense it is called also of Iob terra tenebrosa operta mortis caligine A darke land and ouer whelmed with deadlie obscuritie Also in the gospell tenebra exteriores vtter darkness The thirde greek woorde is tartaros vsed also by S. Peter whiche woorde being deriued of the verbe tarasso which signifieth to terrifye trouble vexe importeth an horrible confusion of tormentors in that place euen as Iob sayeth of it ibi nullus ordo sed sempiternus horror inhabitat there dwelleth no order but euerlastinge horrour The chaldie woorde which is also vsed in hebrew and translated to the greke is gehenna First of all vsed by Christ for the place of them whiche are damned as S. Ierom noteth vpon the tenth chapiter of S. Mathewes gospell And this woord being compounded of gee and hinnom signifieth a valley nighe to Ierusalem called the valley of hinnom in whiche the olde Idolatrous Iewes were wont to burne alyue their owne children in the honour of the deuill and to sownd with trūpets tymprills other lowd instruments whiles they were doeinge therof that the childerens voyces and cryes might not be heard whiche place was afterward vsed also for the receipt of all filthines as of doung dead carions the like And it is moste probable that our Sauiour vsed this woorde aboue all other for hell thereby to signifie the miserable burninge of soules in that place the pitifull clamours and cries of the tormēted the confuse and barbarous no yse of the tormentors together with the moste lothesom sillthynesse of the place which is otherwise described in the scriptures by the names of adders snakes 〈◊〉 scorpions other venemouse creatures as shal be afterwards declared Hauing declared the names of this place and thereby also in some part the nature yt remaineth now that we consider what maner of paines men suffer there For declaration whereof we must note that as heauen and hell are contrary assigned to contrary persones for contrary causes so haue they in all respectes contrarye properties cōditions and effects in suche sorte as what soeuer is spoken of the felicitye of the one may serue to inferre the contrary of the other As when S. Paule sayeth that no eye hath seene nor eare heard nor hart conceaued the ioyes that God hathe prepared for them that shal be saued VVe may inferre that the payns of the damned must be as great Again when the scripture saithe that the felicitie of them in heauen is a perfect felicitie cōtaining omne bonum all goodnesse So that no one kinde of pleasure can be imagined whiche they haue not we must thinke on the contrary part that the miserie of the damned must be also a perfect miserie contayning all afflictions that may be without wanting any So that as the happines of the good is infinite and vniuersall so also is the calamitie of the wicked infinite and vniuersall Now in this lyfe all the miseries pains which fall vpon man are but particular and not vniuersall As for example we see one man pained in his eyes an other in his teeth an other in his stomak an other in his back whiche particular pains notwithstandinge some times are so extreame as lyfe is not able to resist them a man wolde not suffer thē long for the gayning of many worldes to gether But suppose now a man were tormēted in all the parts of his bodye at once as in his head his eyes his tongue his teeth his throote his stomak his bellie his back his hart his sides his thighes and in all the ioynts of his bodye besides suppose I say he were moste cruellie tormented with extreme paines in all these parts together without ease or intermission VVhat thing could be more miserable than this what sight more lamentable Yf thou shouldest see a dogge lye in the strete so afflicted I know thou couldest not but take cōpassion vpon him VVell then cōsider what difference there is betwene abydinge these pains for a week or for all eternitie in suffering them vpon a soft bedde or vpon a burning grydyron boyling fornace among a mans
eare hath heard nor hart cōceaued A vision that passeth all the beautie of earthlie things of golde of siluer of woodes of feeldes of sea of ayer of sunne of moone of starres of Angels for that all theese things haue their beautie from thence VVe shall see hym face to face sayeth the Apostle and vve shall knovve hym as vue are knouven VVe shall know the power of the father we shall know the wisdome of the sonne we shall know the goodnes of the holie gho ste we shall know the 〈◊〉 nature of the moste blessed trinitie And this seing of the face of God is the ioye of Angels and all saints in heauen This is the rewarde of life euerlasting this is the glorie of blessed spirites their euerlasting pleasure their croune of honour their game of felicitie their riche rest their beautifull peace their inward and outward ioye their diuine paradise their heauenlie Ierusalem their felicitie of lyfe their fullnesse of blysse their eternall ioye their peace of God that passeth all vnderstanding This sight of God is the full beatitude the totall glorification of man to see hym I saye that made bothe heauene and earth to see him that made the that redemed the that glorified the. For in seeyng hym thow shalt know him in knoweing him thow shalt possesse hym in possessing hym thow shalt loue hym in louing hym thow shalt prayse hym For he is the inheritance of his people he is the possession of their folicitie he is the rewarde of their expectation I vvilbe thy great revvard sayeth he o Abraham O lord thou art great and therfore no maruaile yf thow be a great reward The sight of thee therfore is all our hyare all our reward all our ioye and felicitie that we expect seing thou hast sayed that this is lyfe euerlasting to see and know thee our true God and Iesus Christ whome thou hast sent Hauing now declared the two generall partes of heauenlie felicitie the one appertayning to our soule the other to our bodie it is not hard to esteeme what excesse of ioye bothe of them ioined together shall woorke at that happie daye of our glorification O ioye aboue all ioyes passing all Ioye and without whiche there is no ioye when shall I enter in to thee sayeth S. Austen whē shall I enioye thee to see my God that dwelleth in thee o euerlasting kingdome o kingdome of all eternities o light without end o peace of God that passeth all vnderstandinge in whiche the soules of Saintes doe rest with thee euerlasting ioye is vpon their heades they possesse ioye and exultation and all payne and sorovv is fledde from them O how gloriouse a kingdome is thyne o lord wherein all Saintesdoe raigne with thee adorned vvith light as vvith apparell and hauing crovvnes of pretiouse stones on their heades O kingdome of euerlasting blesse where thow o lord the hope of all saintes art the diademe of their perpetuall glorie reioysing them on euerie syde with thy blessed sight In this kingdome of thine there is infinite ioye and myrthe without sadnesse healthe without sorow lyfe vvithout labour light vvithout darknesse felicitie without abatement all goodnesse without any euill VVhere youthe florisheth that neuer waxeth olde lyfe that knoweth no end beautie that neuer fadeth loue that neuer cooleth healthe that neuer diminisheth ioye that neuer ceaseth VVhere sorow is neuer fealt complaint is neuer heard matter of sadnesse is neuer seene nor euill successe is euer feared For that they possesse thee o Lorde whiche art the perfection of their felicitie If we wolde enter into these cōsideratiōs as this holie man and other his like dyd no doubt but we should more be inflamed with the loue of this felicitie prepared for vs than we are and consequentlie should striue more to gayne it than we doe And to the ende thow mayest conceaue some more feeling in the matter gentle reader cōsider a litle with me what a ioyfull day shall that be at thy howse whē hauing liued in the feare of god and atchiued in his seruice the end of thy peregrination thow shalt come by the meanes of deathe to passe from miserie and labour to immortalitie in that passage when other men beginne to feare thou shalt lyft vp thy head in hope accordinge as Christ promi seth for that the time of thy saluatiō cōmeth on tell me what a day shall that be when thy soule stepping furth of prison and conducted by the Angeles to the tabernacle of heauen shall be receyued there with the honorable companies and troupes of that place with all those hierarchies of blessed spirites mētioned in scripture as principalities powers vertues Dominatiōs Thrones Angels Archeangels Cherubines and Seraphines also with the holie Apostles and Disciples of Christ Patriarches Prophets Martyrs Virgines Innocentes Confessors Bishopes Preestes and Saints of Cod All which as they dyd reioyse at thy conuersion from sinne so shall they triumphe now at thy coronation and glorification VVhat ioye will thy soule receyue in that day when she shal be presented by her good Angell in the presēce of all these states before the seat and Maiestie of the blessed Trinitie with recitall and declaration of all thy good woorkes and trauailes suffered for the loue seruice of God when I saye those blessed spirites shall laye doune in that honorable consistorie all thy vertuouse deedes in particular all thy almes all thy prayers all thy fastinges all thy innocēcie of lyfe all thy patience in iniuries all thy constancie in aduersities all thy temperance in meates all the vertues of thy whole lyfe when all I saye shall be recounted there all commended all rewarded shalt thou not see now the valure and profite of vertuouse lyfe shalt thou not confesse that gaynefull and honorable is the seruice of God shalt thou not now be glad and blesse the hower wherein first thou resoluedst thy selfe to leaue the seruice of the woorlde to serue God shalt thou not think thy selfe beholden to hym or her that persuaded thee vnto yt yes verilie But yet more than this when thou shalt cōsider in to what a porte and hauen of securitie thou art come and shalt looke backe vpon the daungers whiche thou hast passed and wherein other men are yet in hazarde thy cause of ioye shall greatlie be encreased For thou shalt see euidentlie how infinite times thow were to perishe in that iourney yf God had not held his speciall hand ouer thee Thow shalt see the Daungers wherein other men are the death and damnation whereinto many of thy freends and acquayntance haue fallen the eternall paynes of hell incurred by many that vsed to laughe be merye with thee in the worlde All whiche shall augment the felicitie of this thy so fortunate a lott And now for thy selfe thow mayst be secure thow art out of all daunger for euer euer There is
concupiscence called by diuines the inferior parte of our minde whereuto the wicked are so in thraldome as there was neuer bondeman so in thraldome to a moste cruell and mercilesse tyrant This in parte may be conceaued by this one example If a man had marryed a riche beautifull and noble gentle woman adorned vvith all gyftes and graces vvhich maye be deuised to be in a vvoman and yet not vvithstanding should be so sotted and entangled vvith the loue of some fovvle and disnonest begger or seruyle mayde of his house as for her sake to abandone the companie and freendship of his sayed vvyse to spende his tyme in daliāce and seruice of this base vvoman to runne to goe to stand at her appoyntment to putt all his lyuing and reueneues into her handes for her to cōsume and spoyle at her pleasure to deny her nothing but to vvayte and serue her at a becke yea and to compell his sayde vvyfe to doe the same vvolde you not think this mans lyse miserable most seruile And yet surely the seruitude vvhere of vve talke is farre greater and more intolerable than this For no vvoman or other creature in this vvorld is or can be of that beautie or nobilitie as ladie reason is to vvhome man by his creation vvas espovvsed vvhich notvvithstāding vvee see abandoned contemned and reiected by hym for the loue of sensualitie her hand mayde and a most deformed creature in respect of reason in vvhose loue notvvithstanding or rather seruitude vve see vvicked men so drovvned as they serue her daye and night vvith all paynes perills and expenses and doe constrayne also reason her selfe to be subiect to all the beckes and commaundemētes of this nevv mistresse For vvherfore doe they laboure vvherfore doe they wache vvherfore doe they heape riches together but onelie to serue their sensualitie and her desyers vvherfore do they beate their braynes but onelie to satisfie this cruell tyrant and her passions And yf you will see in deede hovv cruell and pytifull this seruitude is consider but some particular examples therof Take a man vvhome she ouer ruleth in anye passion as for example in the lust of the fleshe vvhat paynes taketh he for her hovv doeth he labour hovvdoeth he svveate in this seruitude hovv potent and strong doeth he feele her tyrannie remember the strengthe of Samson the vvisdome of Salomon the sanctitie of Dauid ouerthrowen by this tyrannie Iupiter Mars and hereoules whoe for their valiant actes other wyse were accounted godes of the panymes vvere they not ouercome and made slaues by the enchauntement of this tyrant And yf you vvill yet futher see of vvhat strengthe she is and hovv cruellie she executeth the same vpon those that Christ hathe not delyuered from her bondage consider for examples sake in this kynde the pytyfull case of some disfloyall wyfe whoe thoughe she knovv that by comitting adulterie she runneth into a thovvsand daungers'and inconueniences as the losse of gods fauoure the hatred of her husband the daunger of punishment the offence of her freendes the vtter dishonour of her persone if it be knowen finallie the ruyne or perill of bodie and soule yet to satisfie this tyrant she will venture to committ the sinne notwithstāding any daungers or perilles what soeuer Nether is it onelie in this one point of carnall lust but in all other wherein a man is in seruitude to this tirant and her passious Looke vpon an ambitious or vaynglorious man see how he serueth this mistresse with what care and diligence he attendeth her commaundementes that is to folowe after a litle wynde of mens mouthes to pursue a litle fether flyeing before hym in the ayer You shall see that he omitteth no one thing no one tyme no one circūstance for gayning therof He ryseth betime goeth late to bedd trotteth by daye studieth by night heere he flattereth there he dissēbleth heere he stoupeth there he Looketh bygge heere he maketh freends there he preuenteth enemies and to this onelye end he referreth all his actions and applieth all his other matters as his order of lyfe his companic keeping his sutes of apparell his house his table his horses his seruauntes his talke his behauyour his iestes his lookes his verye goeyng in the streete In likewyse he that serueth this ladie in the passion of couetousnesse what a miserable slauerie 〈◊〉 he abyde his harte beynge so walled into pryson with money as he must onelye thinke thereof talke therof dream other of and imagin onelie new waies to gette the same and nothing else If you should see a Christian man in slauerie vnder the great Turke tyed in a galley by the legge with chaynes there to serue by roweing for euer you could not but take compassion of his case And what then shall we doe of the miserie of this man whoe standeth in captiuitie to a more base creature than a Turkē or anie other reasonable creature that is to a peece of mettall in whose prison he lyeth bownde not onelie by the feete in suche sort as he may not goe anye where against the commoditie and commaundement of the same but also by the handes by the mouthe by the eyes by the eares and by the harte so as he may nether doe speake see hcare or thinke any thing but in seruice of the same VVas there euer seruitude so greate as this doeth not Christ saye truely now qui facit peccatū seruus est peccati He that doeth synne is a slaue vnto synne doeth not S. Peter saye well a quo quis superatus est huius seruus est A man is a slaue to that wherof he is conquered From this slaueriethen are the vertuous deliuered by the power of Christ and his assistance in so muche as they rule ouer their passions sensualitie and are not ruled thereby This God promised by the prophet Ezechiel sayeing And they shall knovv that I am theyr lorde vvhen I shall breake the chaynes of their yoke and shall delyuer thē from the povver of those that ouer ruled them before And this benefit holye Dauid acknowleged in hym selfe when he vsed these moste affectuouse woordes to God O lorde I am thy seruant I am thy seruant and the childe of thy hand mayde thovv hast broken my bandes and I vvill sacrifice to the a sacrifice of prayse This benesit also acknovvleged S. Paul when he sayed that our olde man was crucified to the end the bodie of synne might be destroyed and we be no more in seruitude to sinne vnderstanding by the olde man and the bodie of synne our concupiscence mortified by the grace of Christ in the vertuouse After this priuilege of freedome foloweth an other of no lesse importance than this and that is a certayne heauenlie peace and tranquilitie of mynde according to the sayeing of the prophet Factus est in pace locus eius his place is made in peace And in
an other place Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam there is greate peace to them that loue thy lawe And on the contrarye syde the prophet Esay repeateth this sentence often from God non est pax impiis dicit dominus Our lorde saieth there is no peace vnto the wicked And an other prophet saieth of the same men Contrition and infelicitie is in their vvaies and they haue not knovvē the vvaye of peace The reason of this difference hathe bene declared before in that which I haue noted of the diuersitie of good and euill men touchinge their passions For the vertuous hauing now by the ayde of Christ his grace subdewed their sayd passions doe passe on their lyfe moste sweetly and calmely vnder the guyde of reasō without any pertuibatiōs that trouble them in the greatest oocurrents of this lyfe But the wicked men not hauing mortified the sayd passions are to ssed and tombled with the same as with vehement and contrary wyndes And therfore their state is compared by Esaye to a tempestuouse sea that neuer is quiet and by S. Iames to a citie or countrie where the inhabitantes are at warre and sedition among them selues And the causes hereof are two first for that the passions of concupiscence beinge many and almoste infinite in number doe lust after infinite thinges and are neuer satisfied but are lyke those bloodsuckers whiche the wise man speaketh of that crye all waies geeue geeue and neuer say hoe As for example when is the ambitious man satisfied with honour or the incontinent man with carnalitie or the couetous man with money neuer truelie therfore as that mother can not but be greatlie afflicted whiche should haue many children cryeing at once for meate she hauynge no bread at all to breake vnto them so the wicked man being greedilie called vppon without ceasing by almoste insinite passions to yelde them their desires must needes be vexed and pitifullie tormented especiallie being not able to satisfie anye one of their smallest demaundes An other cause of vexation is for that these passions of disordinate concupiscence be often times contrarie one to the other and doe demaunde contrarie thinges representing moste lyuelie the confusion of Babel where one tongue spoke against an other that in diuerse and contrarie languages So we see oftētimes that the desire of honour sayeth spend heere But the passion of auarice sayeth holde thy handes I echerie sayeth venture heere But pryde sayeth No it may turne thee to dishonoure Anger sayeth reuenge thy selfe heere But ambition sayeth it is better to dissemble And finallie heere is fullfilled that which the prophet sayeth vidi iniquitatē coniradictionem in ciuitate I haue seene iniquitie cōtradiction in the selfe same citie Iniquitie for that all the demaundes of these passions are moste vniust in that they are against reason her selfe Contradiction for that one cōtradicteth the other their demaundes From all which miseries God hathe delyuered the iuste by geuing them his peace vvhich passeth all vnderstanding as the Apostle sayeth and which the worlde can nether geue nor taste of as Christ hym selfe affirmeth And these many causes may be alleaged now beside many other which I passe ouer to iustifie Christs woordes that his yoke is sweete and easie to witt the assistance of grace the loue of God the light of vnderstāding from the holye ghoste the internall cōsolation of the mynde the quiet of conscience the confidence thereof proceeding the libertie of soule and bodie with the sweete rest and peace of our spirites bothe towardes God towardes our neighboures and towardes our selues By all whiche meanes helpes priuileges singular benefites the vertuous are assisted aboue the wicked as hathe bene shewed and their waye made easie light and pleasant To which also we may adde as the last but not the least cōsort the expectatiō of rewarde that is of eternall glorie and felicitie to the vertuous and euerlasting dānation vnto the wicked O how great a matter is this to comfort the one yf their lyfe were paynefull and to afflict the other amyddest all their greate pleasures The labourer whē he thynketh of his good paye at night is encouraged to goe thorough thogh it be paynfull to hym Two that shoulde passe together towardes their countrie the one to receaue honour for good seruice done abrode the other as prisoner to be arraygned of treasōs committed in forraine dominions against his Soueraigne could not be lyke merie in their Inne vpon the waye as it seemeth to me thoughe he that stoode in daunger should syng or make shew of courage and innocencie and sett a good face vpon the matter yet the other might well thinke that his hart had manye a colde pull within hym as no doubt but all wicked men haue when they thinke with thē selues of the lyfe to come If Ioseph and Pharaos baker had knowen bothe their distinct lottes in prison to witt that on suche a daye one shoulde be called furth to be made lorde of Egypt the other to be hanged on a payre of newe gallowes they coulde hardlie haue bene equallie merye whiles they lyued together in tyme of their imprisonment The lyke may be sayed and muche more truelie of vertuous and wicked mē in this worlde For when the one doe but thinke vpon the daye of deathe which is to be the daye of their deliuerance from this prison their hartes can not but leape for verye ioye considering what is to ensewe vnto them after But the other are afflicted doe fall into Melancholie as often as mention or remembrance of deathe is offered for that they are sure that it bringeth with yt theyr bane according as the scripture sayeth The vvicked man being deade there remayneth no more hope vnto hym VVell then deare brother yf all these thinges be so what should staye thee nowe at lengthe to make this resolution whiche I exhort thee vnto wilt thou yet saye notwithstanding all this that the matter is hard and the waye vnpleasant or wilt thow beleeue other that tell thee so thoughe they know lesse of the matter than thy selfe beleeue rather the woorde and promisse of Christ whiche assureth thee the contrarie Beleeue the reasons before alleaged which doe proue it euydentlie Beleeue the testimonies of them whiche haue experienced it in them selues as of king Dauid S. Paul S. Iohn Euangelist whose testimonies I haue alleaged before of their owne proofe Beleeue manye hundredes whiche by the grace of God are conuerted daylie in Christendome from vicious lyfe to perfect seruice of God all whiche doe protest them selues to haue fownde more than I haue sayed or can saye in this matter And for that thou mayest perhappes replye heere and saye that suche men are not where thou art to geue this testimonie of their experiēce I can doe assure thee vpon my conscience before God that I haue talked with no small
before he come to ioye Also by the infinite contradictions and tribulations bothe within and without left vnto man in this lyfe as for exāple within are the rebellions of his concupiscence and other miseries of his mynde wherewith he hath cōtinualie to make warre yf he will saue his soule VVithout are the world and the deuil whiche doe neuer cease to assault hym nowe by fayre meanes now by foule now by flatterie now by threates now alluring by pleasure and promotion now terrifieinge by affliction and persecutiō Against all which the good Christian hathe to resist māfullie or els he leeseth the crowne of his eternall saluation The verie same also may beshewed by the examples of all the moste renowmed saintes from the begyning whoe were not onelie assaulted internallye withe the rebellyon of their owne fleshe but also persecuted and afflicted outwardlye therby to confirme more many festlye this purpose of God As we see in Abell persecuted and slayne by his owne brother as sone as euer he beganne to serue God Also in Abraham afflicted diuerslye after he was once chosen by God moste of all by makyng hym yeeld to the kylling of his owne deare and onelie child Of the same cuppe dranke all his children posteritie that succeded him in gods fauour as Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moyses and all the prophetes of whiche Christ hym selfe geueth testimonie how their blood was shed most cruellye by the world the afflictiō also of Iob is woūderfull seing the scripture affirmeth it to haue come vpon hym by gods speciall appoyntmēt he beyng a moste iust man But yet more woūderful was the afflictiō of holie Tobias whoe among other calamities was strycken blynde by the falling doune of swallowes dung into his eyes of whiche the Angell Raphael tolde hym afterwarde Because thou vvere a man gratefull to God it uvas of necessitie that this tentation should proue thee Beholde the necessitie of afflictions to good men I might adde to this the example of Dauid and others but that S. Paul geueth a generall testimonie of all the saintes of the olde testamét sayeing That some were racked some reproched some whipped some chained some imprisoned other were stoned cutt in peeces rempted slayne with the swoorde some went about in heare clothe in skynnes of goates in great neede pressed afflicted wandering and hyding them selues in wildernesses in hilles in caues and holes vnder grounde the worlde not beynge woorthie of them Of all whiche he pronounceth this comfortable sentence to be noted of all men Non suscipientes redemptionem vt meliorem inuenirent resurrectionem That is God wolde not delyuer them from these afflictiōs in this lyfe to the end their resurrection rewarde in the lyfe to come might be more glorious And this of the saintes of the olde testament But now in the new testamēt founded expresselie vpon the crosse the matter standeth much more playne that with great reason For yf Christ could not goe into this glorie but by suffering as the scripture sayeth then by the moste reasonable rule of Christ affirming that the seruante hathe not priuilege aboue his maister It must nedes folowe that all haue to drinke of Christes cuppe whiche are appointed to be partakers of his glorie And for proofe hereof looke vpō the dearest frēendes that euer Christ had in this life and see whether they had parte therof or no Of his mother old Simeon prophesied and tolde her at the beginning that the svuoorde of tribulations should passe her harte signifieing therby the extreme afflictions that she felt afterward in the death of her sonne and other miseries heaped vpon her Of the Apostles it is euidēt that besyde all the laboures trauailes needes sufferinges persecutions and calamities ' which were infinite and in mans sight intolerable yf we beleeue S. Paul recoūting the same beside all this I saye God wold not be satisfied except he had their blood also and so wee see that he suffered none of the to dye naturallie but onelye S. Iohn by a speciall priuilege by name graunted him frome Christ albeyt yf we consider what Iohn also suffered in so long a lyfe as he lyued beynge banished by domitian to pathmos and at an other tyme thrust into a tonne of heate oyle at Rome as Tertulian and S. Ierome doe reporte we shall see that his parte was no lesse thā others in this cuppe of his maister I might reckon vp heere infinite other examples but it needeth not for it may suffice that Christ hathe geuen this generall rule in the new testament He that taketh not vp his crosse and folovveth me is not vvoorthie of me By which is resolued playnelie that there is no saluatiō now to be had but onelye for them that take vp that is doe beare willinglie theyr propper crosses and therwith doe folowe theyr captaine walking on with his crosse on his shoulders before them But heere perhappes some man may saye yf this be so that no man can be saued without a crosse that is vvithout affliction and tribulation hovv doe all those that lyue in peacible tymes and places where no persecution is no trouble no affliction or tribulation To which I answere first that yf there were anye such time or place the men lyuing therein should be in great daunger according to the sayeing of the prophet they are not in the laboure of other men nor yet uvhipped and punished as others are And therfore pryde possessed them and they vvere couered vvith iniquitie and impietie and their iniquitie proceeded of their fatnesse or abūdance Beside this thoghe men suffered nothing in this lyfe yet as saint Austen largelye proueth yf they dyed out of the state of mortall sinne they might be saued by suffering the purgyng fire in the next according to the sayeing of Saint Paul that such as build not golde or siluer vppon the foundatiō but woode stravve or stuble shall receaue dammage thereof at the daye of our Lorde to be reueyled in fire but yet by that fire they shall be saued Second ie I ansvver that there is no suche tyme place so voyde of tribulation but that there is allvvayes a crosse to be foūde for them that vvill take yt vp For ether is there pouertie siknesse slaunder enemitie iniurie contradiction or some lyke affliction offered continually For that those men neuer want in the vvorld wherof the prophet sayed These that doe render euill for good dyd detract from me for that I folouved goodnesse At the leastwyse there neuer want those domesticall enemyes of which Christ speaketh I meane ether our kynred carnall freends whiche commonlie resist vs yf we beginne once throughlie to serue God or els our owne disordinate affections whiche are the moste perylouse enemies of all for that they make vs warre vpō oure owne grounde Agayn there
the scripture saythe to purge and fyne the soule as fyre purgeth and fineth golde in the fornace For besides the purgyng and remouing of greater sinnes by consideratiō and contrition which tribulatiō woorketh as hathe bene shewed it purgeth also the ruste of infinite euill passions appetites and humours in mā as the humour of pryde of vayne glorie of slouthe of choler of delicate nysenes and a thousand more whiche prosperitie ingendereth in vs. This God declareth by the prophet Ezechiel sayeing of a rustie soule put her naked vppon the hoote cooles and let her heate there vntill her brasse be melted from her and vntill her corruption be burned owt and her ruste consumed There hathe bene muche labour and sweate taken abowt her yet her ouer muche ruste is not gone owt of her This also signifieth holy Iob when hauing sayed that God instructeth a man by discipline or correction to the end he may turne hym frō the thinges that he hath done and deliuer hym from pryde whiche is vnderstoode of his synfull actes he addeth a litle after the maner of this purgation sayeing his fleshe being consumed by punishementes let hym returne agayne to the dayes of his youthe That is all his fleshlie humours and passions being now consumed by punishementes and tribulations let hym begynne to lyue agayne in suche puritie of soule as he dyd at the begynning of his youthe before he had contracted these euill humours diseases Nether onelie is tribulation a strong medicine to heale sinne and to purge awaye the refuse metalles in vs of brasse tynne yron lead and drosse as God by Ezechiel sayeth but also a most excellent preseruatiue against sinne for the time to come According as good kyng Dauid sayed the discipline o Lorde hathe corrected me for euermore That is it hathe made me wary and wachefull not to cōmitt sinne agayne according as the scripture sayeth in an other place A greuous infirmitie or afflictiō maketh the foule sober For whiche cause the prophet Ieremie calleth tribulation virgam vigilantem A wachefull rodde that is as S. Ierome expoundeth it a rodde that makith a man wachefull The same signified God whé he saied by Ose the prophet I uvil hedge in thy vvaye vvithe thornes That is I vvill so close thy lyfe on euerie side with the remēbrance and feare of affliction that thou shalt not dare to treade a-vvrie lest thou treade vpon a thorne All whiche good Dauid expresseth of hym selfe in these woordes before I was humbled and broght lowe by affliction I did sinne and offend the o Lord but after that tyme I haue kept thy commaundementes Of this also appeareth an other cause why God afflicteth his elect in this lyfe and that is to preuent his iustice vpō them in the worlde to come I mean that Iustice whiche otherwise remayneth to be executed vpon euery one after their departure hence in that moste greuous fire whereof I spake before touching which S. Barnard sayeth thus Oh vvold to God some man vvolde novv beforehand prouide for my head abundance of vvaters and to myne eyes a fountayne of teares for so happely the burning fyre should take no holde vvhere running teares had clensed before And the reason of this is as that holy man hym selfe noteth after for that God hathe sayd by Naum the prophet I haue afflicted the once and I vvill not affiicte thee agayne there shall not come from me a double tribulation Sixthelie God sendeth tribulation vpon his seruantes to proue them therby whether they be fathefull and constant or no That is to make them selues and other men see and confesse how faythefull or vnfaythefull they are This in figure was signified when Isaac wold grope and touche his sonne Iacob before he wolde blesse hym And this the scripture expresseth playnelie when talking of the tribulations layed vpon Abraham It addeth tentauit deus Abraham God tempted Abraham by these meanes to proue hym And Moyses sayed to the people of Israell Thou shaltremēbre hovv thy God ledde thee fortie yeres about the desert to afflict thee and tempt thee to the end it might appeare vvhat vvas in thy hart vvhether thou vvoldest keepe his c̄omaundementes or no. And agayne a fewe chapiters after Your God and Lorde dothe tempt you to the end it may be manifest vvhether you loue him or no vvith all your hart and vvith all your soule In whiche sense also the scripture sayeth of Ezechias after many prayses geuen vnto hym that God left hym for a tyme to be tēpted that the thoughtes of his hart might therby be made manyseftie And that this is gods fashion towardes all good men kyng Dauid sheweth in the persone of all when he sayeth Thon hast proued vs o lord thou hast examined vs by fyre thou hast layed tribulation vppon our backes and hast broght men vpō our heades And yet how well he lyked of this matter he signifieth when he calleth for more therof in an other place sayeing Trye me o Lorde and tempt me burne my reynes and hart vvithin me That is trye me by the way of tribulation and persecution searche out the secretes of my hart and reynes let the world see whether I will sticke to thee in aduersitie or no. Thus sayed that holie prophet well knoweing that whiche in an other place the holie ghoste vttereth that as the fornace tryeth the potters vesselles so tribulation tryeth men For as the sounde vesselles onelie do holde when they come to the fornace and those whiche are crased doe breake in peeces so in tyme of tribulation persecution the vertuous onelie stand to yt and the counterfeit bewraye them selues according to the sayeing of Christ In tempere tentationis recedunt They departe from me in tyme of temptation The seuenth reason whye God layeth tribulation vppon the vertuous is therby to make them runne vnto hym for ayde helpe euen as the mother to make her chyld more to loue her and to runne vnto her procureth the same to be made afearde and terrisied by others This God expresseth playnelie by the prophet Ose sayeing of those that he loued I vvill dravv them vnto me in the ropes of Adam in the chaynes ofloue and vvill seeme vnto them as thoughe I raysed a yoke vpon their iavv bones By the ropes of Adam he meaneth affliction wherby he drewe Adam to knowe hym selfe as also appeareth by that he addethe of the heauy yoke of tribulation whiche he will laye vppon the heades and faces of his seruātes as chaynes of loue therby to draw them vnto hym This chayne had drawen Dauid vnto hym when he sayed O lorde thouv art my refuge from the tribulation of sinners As also those wherof Esay sayeth they sought the out o lorde in theyr affliction Also those of whome Dauid sayed Infirmities vvere multiplied vpon them and after
belonging to a good Christian are stirrd vpp exercised confirmed strengthened establyshed in mā by tribulatiō according to the sayeing of S. Peter God shall make perfect confirme and establishe those vvhiche haue suffered a litle for his name Finallie gods meaning is by layeing persecution and affliction vpon vs to make vs perfect Christians that is lyke vnto Christ our captaine whome the prophet calleth Virum dolorum scientem infirmitatem A man of sorowes and one that had tasted of all maner of infirmities therby to receaue the more glorie at his returne to heauen and to make more glorious all those that will take his parte therin To speake in one worde God wolde make vs by tribulation crucified Christians VVhiche is the moste honorable title that can be geuen vnto a creature crucified I saye and mortified to the vanities of this worlde to the fleshe and to our owne concupiscence and carnall desires but quicke full of all lyuelie spirit to vertue godlines deuotion This is the heauenlie meaning of our Soueraigne Lord and God in sending vs persecutiō tribulation affliction in respect whereof holie Iob dowteth not to saye Blessed is the man that is afflicted by God And Christ hym selfe yet more expresselie Happie are they vvhich suffer persecution Yf they are happie blessed therby then is the worldlie greatlie a-vvrie whiche so much abhorreth the sufferāce therof thē is god but vnthākfullie dealt withal by many of his childrē whoe repyne at this happines bestowed vpon thē where as in deede they should accept it with ioye and thankes geuing For proofe better declaratiō wherof I will enter now into the third pointe of this chapiter to examine what reasones and causes there be to induce vs to this ioyfullnes contentation of tribulation And first the reasones layed downe alredie of gods mercifull and fatherlie meaning in sending vs affliction might be sufficient for this matter That is to comfort and content any Christian man or woman who takethe delite in godes holie prouidence towardes them For yf God doe send affliction vnto vs for the encrease of our glorie in the lyfe to come for draweing vs from infection of the worlde for opening our eyes and curing our diseases for preseruing our soules from synne hereafter as hathe bene shewed whoe can be iustely displeased therwith but suche as are enemies vnto their owne good we see that for the obtaining of bodilie healthe we are cōtent not onelie to admitt many bytter and vnpleasant medicines but also yf neede require to yeeld willinglie some parte of our bloode to be taken from vs. And how muche more shoulde we do this for the eternall healthe and saluation of our soule But now further yf this medicine haue so many more commodities besides as haue bene declared yf it serue heere for the punishemēt of our synnes due otherwyse at an other place in farre greater quātitie and rigour of iustice yf it make a triall of our estate and doe drawe vs to god yf it procure godes loue towardes vs yeeld matter of ioye by our delyuerance prouoke vs to thankefullnes embolden and strengthen vs and finally if yt furnishe vs with all vertues and doe make vs lyke to Christ hym selfe then is there singular great cause why we should take comfort and cōsolation therein for that to come neare and to be lyke vnto Christ is the greatest dignitie preeminence in the world Lastlie yf gods eternall wisedome hathe so ordayned and appointed that this shal be the meanes of his seruantes saluation the badge and lyuerie of his sonne the hyghe waye to heauen vnder the stādarde of his crosse then oughte we not to abhorre this meanes not to refuse this lyuerie not to flye this waye but rather with good peter and Iohn to esteeme it a great dignitie to be made woorthie of the most blessed participatio therof VVe see that to weare the colours of the prince is thought a prerogatiue among courtiers in this world but to weare the robe or crowne yt selfe were to great a dignitie for anye inferiour subiect to receaue Yet Christ our lord and king is cōtent to imparte bothe of his with vs. And how then ought we I pray you to accept therof And now as I haue sayd these reasons might he sufficient to comfort and make ioyfull all those that are called to suffer afflictiō and tribulation But yet there want not some more particular cōsideratiōs besides VVherof the first and moste principall is that this matter of persecutiō cometh not by chaunces or casualtie or by any certaine generall direction from higher powers but by the speciall prouidence and peculiar disposition of God as Christ shewethe at large in S. Mathews gospell That is this heauenlie medecine or potion is made vnto vs by gods owne hand in particulare VVhiche Christe signifiethe when he sayethe Shall I not drinke the cuppe vvhich my father hathe geuen me That is seing my father hath tempered a potion for me shall I not drynke yt as whoe would saye it were too muche ingratitude Secondlie is to be noted that the verie same hand of God whiche tempered the cuppe for Christ his owne sonne hathe done the same also for vs according to Christ his sayeing You shall drynk of my cuppe That is of the same cuppe whiche my father hathe tempered for me Heerof it foloweth that with what hart and loue God tēpered this cuppe vnto his owne sonne with the same he hathe tempered it also to vs that is altogether for our good and his glorie Thirdlie is to be noted that this cuppe is tempered withe suche speciall care as Christ sayeth that what trouble or daunger soeuer it seeme to woorke yet shall not one heare of our head perishe by the same Nay further is to be noted that whiche the prophet sayeth O Lord thou shalt geue vs to drynke in teares in measure That is the cuppe of teares and tribulation shall be so tempered in measure by our heauenlie phisition as no man shall haue aboue his strengthe The dose of Aloes and other bitter ingredientes shal be qualified withe manna sufficient sweetnes of heauenlie cōsolatiō God is faithfull saieth S. Paul and vuill not suffer you to be tempted aboue your abilitie This is a singular point of comfort and ought alwayes to be in our remembrance Beside this we must consider that the appointing tempering of this cuppe being now in the handes of Christ our Sauiour by the full commission graunted hym from his father and he hauing learned by his owne sufferinges as S. Paul notifieth what it is to suffer in flesh and blood we may besure that he will not laye vpon vs more than we can beare For as yf a man had a father or brother a moste skyllfull physition and should receaue a purgation from them tempered with their owne handes he might be sure it
into the dongeon and was in chaynes with hym Sidrach Misac and Abdenago were cast into a burning fornace and presentlie there was a fowerth came to beare them compagnie of whome Nabuchodonasar sayeth thus dyd we not put three men onelie bounde into the fyre And his seruantes answered yea verilie But beholde sayeth he see fower men vnbounde walking in the myddest of the fyre and the shape of the fowerth is lyke the sonne of God Christ restored as he passed by a certaine beggar vnto his sight whiche hadd bene blynde from his natiuitie For whiche thing the man being called in question and speaking somewhat in the prayse of Christ for the benefit receaued he was cast out of the synagoge by the pharasies VVhereof Christ hearing sought hym out presentlie conforting his harte bestowed vppon hym the light of mynde muche more of importance than that of the bodie geeuen hym before By this and lyke examples it appeareth that a man is no sooner in affliction and tribulatiō for iustice sake but streight waye Christ is at hand to beare him cōpanie and yf his eyes might be opened as the eyes of Elizeus his disciple was to see his companions the troupes of Angells I meane whiche attend vpō their lord in this his visitation no doubt but his hart wolde greatlie be comforted therwithe But that which the eye can not see the soule fe leth that is she feeleth the assistāce of gods grace amyddest the depthe of all tribulations this he hathe promised agayne agayn this he hathe sworne and this he performeth moste faythfullye to all those that suffer meeklie for his name This S. Paul most certaynlie assured him selfe of whē he sayed that he dyd glorie in all his infirmities and tribulations to the end that Christ his vertue might dwell in hym that is to the end that Christ should assist hym more abundantlie with his grace Cum enim infirmor tune potens sum For when I am in moste infirmitie then am I moste strong saythe he That is the more tribulations and afflictiōs are layed vpon me the more potent is the ayde of Christs grace vnto me And therfore the same Apostle writeth thus of all the Apostles together VVe suffer tribulation in all things but yet vve are not distressed vve are brought into perplexities but yet vve are not forsaken vve suffer persecution but yet vve are not abandoned vve are flong dovvne to the grounde but yet vve perishenot This then ought to be a moste sure and secure staffe in the hand of all Christiās afflicted that what soeuer befall vnto thē yet the grace of God will neuer fayle to holde them vp and beare them owt therein for moste true certaine is that sayeing of S. Austen so often repeated by hym in his woorkes that God neuer forsaketh anye man except he be reiected and first forfaken by man For the last reason of comfort in affliction I will ioyne two thinges together of great force and efficacie to this matter The first wherof is the expectation of rewarde the other is the shortnes of tyme wherein we haue to suffer bothe are touched by S. Paul in one sentence when he saythe that a litle and momentarie tribulation in this vvorld vvorketh an eternall vveight of glorie in the byghth of heauen By momentarie he shewethe the litle time we haue to suffer and by eternall vveight of glorie he expresseth the greatnes of the rewarde prepared in heauen for recompence of that suffering Christ also ioynethe bothe these comfortes together when he sayethe Beholde I come quicklie and my revvarde is vvith me In that he promiseth to come quicklye he signifiethe that our tribulation shall not endure long by that he bringethe his rewarde with hym he assureth vs that he will not come emptie handed but redie furnished to recōpence our labour throughelie And what greater meanes of encouragement could he vse than this If a man did beare a verie heauy burden yet yf he were sure to be well payed for his labour that he had but a litle waye to beare the same he wold strayne hym selfe greatlie to goe throughe to his wayes end rather than for sparing so snorte a labour to leese so large and so present a rewarde This is our lordes most mercyfull dealing to comfort vs in our afflictiō to animate vs to holde out māfullie for a time thoghe the poyse seeme heauye on our shoulders the cōming of our Lord is euen at hand and the iudge is before the gates who shall refreshe vs and wype awaye all our teares and place vs in his kyngdome to reape ioye without fayntinge And then shall vve prooue the sayeing of holye S. Paul to be true That the sufferinges of this uvorld are not vvoorthie of that glorie vvhich shal be reuealed in vs. And this may be sufficient for the reasones left vs of comforts in tribulation and affliction And thus hauing declared the first three pointes promised in this chapiter there remayneth onelie to saye a woorde or twoo of the fowerth that is what we haue to doe for our partes in time of persecution and affliction And this might be dispatched in sayeing onelie that we haue to conforme our selues to the will and meaning of God vttered before in the causes of tribulatiō But yet for more ease and better remembrāce of the same I will breeflye runne ouer the principall pointes therof First thē we haue to aspire to that yf we can which Christ counsaileth Gaudete exultate reioyse triumphe Or yf we can not arryue to this perfection yet to doe as the Apostle willeth omne gaudium existimate cum in varias tentationes incideritis esteeme it a mattter woorthie of all ioye when yee fall into diuers temptations that is yf we can not reioyse at it in deede yet to thincke it a matter in yt selfe woorthye of reioysement reprehendinge our selues for that we can not reache vnto it And if we can not come thus the high waye nether as in deede we ought to doe yet in anie case to re member what in an other place he sayethe patientia vobis necessaria est vt reportetis promissionem You must of necessitie haue patience yf you will receaue godes promisse of euerlasting lyfe Secondlie we ought to doe as the Apostles dyd when they were in the moste terrible tempest of the sea Christ beinge wyth them but a sleepe that is we must goe and a wake hym we must crye vnto hym with the prophet Exurge quare obdormis domine O Lord arise whye doest thou sleepe in our miserie This wakening of Christ dothe please him wonderfullie as hathe bene shewed but speciallie yf it be done with that assured cōfidēce of true affectioned children wherwithe S. Marke describeth the Apostles to haue awakened Christ. For their woordes were these Maister dothe it not appertaine vnto
you that vve perish here As whoe wolde saye are not we your Disciples and seruantes are not you our I orde and Maister is not the cause yours is not all our trust and hope in you how chaunceth it then that you sleepe and suffer vs to be thus tossed and tombled as yf we appertained nothing vnto you with this affection prayed Esaye when he sayed Attend o Lord from heauen looke hither from the holie habitation of thy glorie where is thy zeale where is thy fortitude where is the multitude of thy mercifull bowelles Haue they shutt thē selues vp nowe towardes me thow art our father Abraham hathe not knowen vs and Israel hathe bene ignorant of vs thow art our father o lord turne thy selfe about for thy seruantes sake for loue of the trybe of thyne inheritance Thus I say we must call vpon God thus we must awaken hym when he seemeth to sleepe in our miseries with earnest with deuoute with continuall prayer allwayes hauing in our mynde that moste comfortable parable of Christ wherin he sayeth that yf we should come to our neighboures dore and knocke at mydnyght to boro we some bread when he were in bedde with his children moste 〈◊〉 the to ryse yet yf we perseuer in asking beating at his dore still thoughe he were not our freend yet woulde he ryse at lengthe and geeue vs our demaunde therby at least to be rydde of our cryeing And how much more will God doe this sayeth Christ who bothe louethe vs and tenderethe our case moste mercyfullye But yet heere is one thing to be noted in this matter and that is that Christ suffered the shyppe almoste to be couered with waues as the Euangelist sayeth before he wold awake therby to signifie that the measure of temptationes is to be left onelie vnto hym selfe yt is sufficient for vs to rest vpon the Apostles woordes He is faithfull and therfore he vvill not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our flrengthe VVe may not examine or mistruste his doeyngs Wee maye not inquire why doth he this or why suffereth he that or how long will he permitt these euills to raygne God is a great God in all his doeyngs and when he fendeth tribulation he sendeth a great deale together to the ende he maye shewe his great power in deliueringe vs and recompence it after with greate measure of cōfort His tēptatiōs often times doe goe very deepe therby to trye the verie hartes and reynes of men He wet farre with Elias when he caused hym to flye into a mountaine and there moste desirous of deathe to saye They haue kylled all thy prophettes o Lord and I am left alone and novv they seek to kyll me also He went farre with Dauid when he made hym crie out why doest thou turne thy face away from me o Lorde whye doest thou forget my pouertic and tribulation And in an other place againe I sayed withe my selfe in the excesse of my minde I am cast out from the face of thy eyes o Lord. God went farre with the Apostles when he enforced one of them to vvryte we will not haue you ignorant brethren of our tribulatiō in Asia wherein we were oppressed aboue all measure aboue all strengthe in so much as it lothed vs to lyue any longer But yet aboue all others he went furthest with his owne deare sonne when he constrayned hym to vtter those pityfull and moste lamentable woordes vpon the crosse My God my God vvhy hast thou for saken me VVho can now complayne of any proofe or temptation what soeuer layd vpō hym seing God vvolde goe so farre with his owne deare onelie sonne Heereof then enseweth the thyrd thing necessarie vnto vs in tribulation whiche is magnanimitie grounded vpon astrong and inuincible faithe of gods assistāce and of our 〈◊〉 deliuerance how long soeuer he delay the matter how terrible soeuer the storme doe seeme for the tyme. This God requireth at our handes as maye be seene by the example of the disciples whoe cried not vve perishe before the waues had couered the ship as S. Mathew writeth and yet Christ sayed vnto them vbi est fides vestra where is your faithe S. Peter also was not a fearde vntill he was almoste vndet water as the same Euangelist recordeth and yet Christ reprehended him sayeing thou man of litle faythe vvhy diddest thou doubte VVhat then must vve doe in this case deare brother surelie we must putt on that magnanimous faithe of valiant king Dauid whoe vpō the moste assured trust he had of gods assistāce sayed In deo meo transgrediar murum In the helpe of my God I vvill goe throughe a vvall Of which inuincible faithe S. Paul was also when he sayed Omnia possum in eo qui me 〈◊〉 I can doe all thinges in hym that comforteh and strengtheneth me Nothing is vnpossible nothing is to harde for me by his assistance VVe must be as the scripture sayeth quasi leo confidens absque terrore Lyke a bolde and confident lion whiche is without terrour that is we must not be astonyed at anye tempest anye tribulation anye aduersitie we must saye withe the prophet Dauid experienced in these matters I will not feare many thousandes of people that shoulde enuirone or beseyge me together If I shoulde walke amyddest the shadowe of deathe I will not feare If whole armies should stand agaynst me yet my harte should not tremble My hope is in God and therfore I vvill not feare what man can doe vnto me God is my ayder and I will not feare what fleshe can doe vnto me God is my helper and protector and therfore I will despise and contemne myne enemyes And an other prophet in lyke sense Beholde God is my sauioure and therfore vvill I deale confidentlie vvill not feare These were the speeches of holye prophettes of men that knew well what they sayed and had often tasted of affliction them selues and therfore coulde saye of their owne experience how infallible gods assistance is therin To this supreme courage magnanimitie and Christian fortitude the scripture exhorteth vs when it sayeth Yf the spirite of one that is in authoritie doe ryse againste thee see thou yeelde not from thy place vnto hym And agayn an other scripture saithe striue for iustice euen to the losse of thy lyfe and stand for equitie vnto deathe it selfe and God shall euerthrow thyne enemyes for thee And Christ hym selfe yet more effectuallie recōmendeth this matter in these woordes I saye vnto you my freendes be not a fearde of them which kyll the body and afterwarde haue nothing els to doe against you And S. Peter addeth further neque conturbemini That is doe not onelie not feare them but whiche is lesse doe not so muche as be troubled for all that fleshe bloode can doe agaynst you Christ goeth further
in the Apocalyps and vseth maruailous speeches to entyse vs to this fortitude For these are his woordes he that hathe an eare to heare let hym heare what the spirit sayth vnto the churches To hym that shall conquere I will geue to eate of the tree of lyfe whiche is in the paradise of my God This sayeth the first and the last he that was deade and now is a lyue I know thy tribulation and thy pouertie but thow art riche in deede and art blasphemed by those that saye they are true Israelites are 〈◊〉 But are rather the Sinagoge of Satā Feare nothing of that whiche you are to suffer beholde the deuill wil cause some of you to be thrust into prison to the end you may be tempted and you shall haue tribulation for tēne dayes But be faythefull vnto deathe and I will geue the a crowne of lyfe He that hathe an eare to heare lett hym heare what the spirit sayeth vnto the churches he that shall ouercome shall not be hurt by the second deathe And he that shall ouercome and keepe my woorkes vnto the end I will geue vnto hym authoritie ouer nations euen as I haue receaued it from my father and I will geue him besides the morning starre He that shall ouercome shal be appareled in whyte garmentes and I will not blott his name owt of the booke of lyfe but will confesse his name before my father and before his Angels Beholde I come quickelie holde fast that thow hast lest an other man receaue thy crowne He that shall conquere I will make him a pillar in the tēple of my God he shall neuer goe foorthe more and I will wryte vpō hym the name of my God and the name of the citie of my God which is new Ierusalem He that shall conquer I will geue vnto him to sitt withe me in my throne euen as I haue conquered and doe sitt with my father in his throne Hitherto are the woordes of Christ to S. Ioh. And in the end of the same book after he had described the ioyes and glorie of heauen at large he concludeth thus And he that satte on the throne sayde to me VVryte these woordes for that they are moste faythfull and true Qui vicerit possidebit haec ero illi deus ille erit mihi filius timidis autem incredulis c. pars illorum erit in stagno ardenti igne sulphure quod est mors secunda He that shall conquer shall possesse all the ioyes that I haue heere spokē of and I will be his God and he shall be my sonne But they whiche shal be fearfull to fight or incredulous of these thinges that I haue sayed theyr portiō shall be in the lake burning withe fire and brymstone which is the second deathe Heere now we see bothe allurement threates good and euill lyfe and deathe the Ioyes of heauen and the burning lake proposed vnto vs. VVe maye streache owte our handes vnto whiche we will Yf we fight and conquer as by gods grace we maye thē are we to enioye the promises layd downe before Yf we shew our selues ether vnbeleeuing in these promises or fearefull to take the fyght in hande being offered vnto vs then fall we into the daunger of the contrarie threates euen as S. Iohn affirmeth in an other place that certayne noble men dyd among the Iewes whoe beleeued in Christ but yet durst not confesse hym for feare of persecution Heere thē must ensewe an other vertue in vs moste necessarie to all tribulation and affliction and that is a strong and firme resolution to stand and go throughe what opposition or contradiction soeuer we fynde in the world ether of fawning flatterie or persecuting crueltie This the scripture teacheth cryeing vnto vs esto firmus in via domini Be firme and immouable in the waye of our lord And agayne State in fide viriliter agite Stand to your faythe and play you the men And yet further confide in deo mane in loco tuo Trust in God and abyde firme in thy place And finalie confortamini nō dissoluantur manus vestrae Take courage vnto you and let not your handes be dissolued from the worke you haue begonne This resolution had the three children 〈◊〉 Misach Abdenago when hauing heard the flattering speeche infinite threates of cruell Nabuchodonasar they answered with a quiet spirit O kyng wee may not answere you to this long speeche of youres For beholde our God is able yf he will to delyuer vs from this furnace of fyre whiche you threaten and from all that you can doe otherwyse against vs. But yet yf it should not please hym so to doe yet you muste know Syr king that we doe not woorshippe your goddes nor yet adore your golden ydole whiche you haue sett vp This resolution had peter Iohn who being so often 〈◊〉 before the councell bothe commaunded threatened and beaten to talke no more of Christ answered styll Obedire oportet deo magis quam hominibus vve muste obey God rather than men The same had S. Paul also when being requested with teares of the Christianes in Cesarea that he wolde forbeare to goe to Ierusalem for that the holie ghoste had reuealed to manye the troubles whiche expected hym there he answered what mean you to weepe thus and to afflict my hart I am not onelie readie to be in bondes for Christ name in Ierusalem but also to suffer deathe for the same And in his epistle to the Romanes he yet further expresseth this resolution of his when he sayeth what then shall we saye to these thinges yf God be with vs whoe will be against vs who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation shall distresse shall hungar shall nakednes shall perill shall persecution shall the swoore I am certaine that nether deathe nor lyfe nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor strengthe nor hyghthe nor depthe nor any creature els shal be able to separate vs from the loue of God whiche is in Iesus Christ our Lord. Finallye this was the resolution of all the holye martyres and confessors and other seruantes of God wherby they haue withstoode the temptations of the deuill the allurementes of fleshe and bloode and all the persecutions of tyrantes exacting things vnlaufull at their handes I will alleage one exāple more owte of the scripture and that before the cōming of Christ but yet nighe vnto the same and therfore no maruaylle as the fathers doe note thoghe it tooke some heate of Christian feruour and constancie towardes martyrdome The example is wounderfull for that in mannes sight it was but for a small matter required at their handes by the tyrantes commaundement that is onelie to eate a peece of swynes fleshe for thus it is recorded in the scripture It happened seuen brethren to be apprehended
ouer withe vayne delytes neuer thinking whence we came nor whether we goe A wyse trauailer passyng by hys Inne thoughe he see pleasant meates offered hym yet he forbeareth vppon consideration of the price and the iourney he hathe to make and taketh in nothing but so muche as he knowethe well how to discharge the next morning at his departure But a foole Laycthe handes on euerie delicate bayte that ys presented to his sight playeth the prince for a night or two Marie when it comethe to the reckening he wisheth that he had lyued onelie with breade and drynke rather than to be so troubled as he is for the payment The custome of goods churche is to fast the euen of euerye feast and then to make merye the next daye that is vpon the feastiuall daye it selfe which representethe the abstinent lyfe of good men in this world therby to be merye in the world to come But the fashion of the world is contrarie that is to eate and drincke merilie first at the tauerne And after to lett the hoste brynge in his reckening They eate drynke and laughe the hoste he skoreth vpp all in the mean space And when the time cometh that they must paye many a harte is sadde that was pleasant before This the scripture affirmethe also of the pleasures of this world Risus dolore miscebitur extrema gaudii luctus occupat Laughter shal be myngled with sorowe and mourning shal ensue at the hynder end of myrthe The deuill that playeth the hoste in this world and will serue you withe what delyte or pleasure you desyre wrytethe vp all in his booke and at the daye of your departure that is at your deathe will he bring the whole reckening and charge you withe it all and thē shall folow that whiche God promiseth to worldlinges by the prophet Amos Your mirthe shal be turned into mourning and lamentation Yea and more than this if you he not able to discharge the re kening you may chaunce to heare that other dreadfull sentence of Christ in the Apocalips quantum in delitiis fuit tantum date illi tormentum Looke how muche he hathe bene in hys delites so much torment doe you lay vpon hym VVherfore to conclude this point and ther withall this first parte touching 〈◊〉 truelie may we saie with the prephet Dauid of a wordlye minded man 〈◊〉 vanitas omnis homo viuens The lyfe of suche men contayneth all kynde of vanitie That is vanitie in ambition vanitie in riches vanitie in pleasures vanitie in all thinges whiche they 〈◊〉 esteeme And therfore I may well ende with the woordes of God by the prophet Esay vae vobis qui 〈◊〉 iniquitatem in funlculis vanicatis VVo be vnto you whiche doe draw wickednes in the ropes of vanitie These ropes are those vanities of vainglorie pmotiō dignitie nobilitie beautie riches deiites and other before touched which allwayes draw with them some iniquitie sinne For which cause Dauid saythe vnto God Thovv hatest o Lord obseruers of superfluous vanities And the scripture reporting the cause why God destroyed vtterlye the famylye and linage of Baasa kyng of Israel say the yt was For that they had prouoked God in their vanities And lastlye for this cause the holie ghoste pronounceth generallie of all men Beatus vir qui non respexit in vanitates insanias falsas Blessed is that man whiche hathe not respected vanities and the false madnes of this world Now come I then to the second part proposed in this chapiter to shew how this world with the commodities therof are not onelie vanities but also deceytes as Christ termeth them for that in deede they performe not vnto their folowers those ydle vanities which they doe promise VVherin the world may be compared to that wreched and vngratefull deceyuer Laban whoe made poore Iacob to serue hym seauen yeeres for fayre Rachell and in the end deceyued hym with fowle Lia. VVhat false promises dothe the world make daylye to one it promisethe long lyfe and healthe and cutteth hym of in the myddest of his dayes To an other it promiseth great wealthe promotion and after long seruice performeth no parte therof to an other it promiseth great honour by large expences but vnder-hande it castethe hym into contempt by beggarie to an other it assureth great aduauncement by mariage but yet neuer geueth hym abilitie to come to his desire Go you ouer the whole world beholde countries vewe prouinces looke into cities hearken at the doores and windowes of pri uate houses of princes palaces of secrete chābers and you shall see and heare nothing but lamentable complaintes one for that he hathe lost an other for that he hathe not wonne a thyrd for that he is not satisfied tenne thowsand for that they are deceyued Can there be a greater deceite for exāples sake than to promis renowme and memorie as the world dothe to her folowers and yet to forget them as soone as they are deade who dothe remember now one of fortie thowsand iolye felowes in this worlde captaines souldiars counsaillers Dukes Erles princes prelates and Emperoures kynges quenes Lordes and ladyes whoe remembrethe them I say who once thynkethe or speakethe of them now hathe not their memorie perished with their sounde as the prophet saythe did not Iob promise truelye that their remēbrance shoulde be as ashes troden vnder foote And Dauid That they shoulde be as dust blovvne abrode vvith the vvynde S. Paul the first heremite hydd hym selfe fowerskore and tenne yeeres in a wyldernesse without knowing or speaking with any man or once shewing or reuealing hym selfe to the world And yet now the world bothe remēbreth honoreth his memorie But many a kyng Emperour haue stryued laboured all their lyfe to be knowne in the world and yet are now forgottē So that the world is like in this pointe as one saythe vnto a couetouse forgetfull hoste who yf he see his olde gest come bye in beggarlie estate all his money beyng spent he maketh semblāce not to knowe hym And yf the gest meruayle thereat and saye that he hathe come often that waye and spent muche money in the house the other answereth yt may be so for there passe this waye so manye as we vse not to keepe accompt therof But what is the waye to make this hoste to remembre you saythe this Anthor the waye is saythe he to vse hym euill as you passe by beate hym well or doe some other notable iniurie vnto hym as Paul and his lyke did vnto the world and he will remember you as long as he lyueth and many tymes will talke of you when you are farre of from hym Infinite are the deceytes and dissimulations of the world It seemeth goodlye fayre and gorgeous in vtter shew but when it cometh to handling it is nothing but a fether when it cometh to
lampes then is there nothing for thē to expect but nescio vos I knowe you not And when they are knowen Ite 〈◊〉 in ignem aeternum goe you accursed into fyre euerlasting Of the fovverthe impediment vvhiche is to muche presuming of the mercie of God CHAP. IIII. THere are a certaine kynde of people in the world who will not take the paynes to think of or to alleage any of the sayd impedimētes before but haue a shorter waye for all and more plausrble as it seemeth to thē And that is to lay the whole matter vpon the backe of Christ hym selfe and to answere what soeuer you can saye agaynst them with this onclye sentence God is mercifull Of these men Christ complayneth greeuouslie by the prophet sayeing Supra dorsum meum fabricauerunt peccatores prolongauerunt iniquitatem Sinners haue buylt vpon my backe they haue prolōged their iniquitie By whiche woordes he signifieth that prolonging of our iniquities in hope of gods mercie is to buyld our synnes on his backe But what foloweth will God beare it no verlie for the next woordes ensewing are Dominus iustus concidet ceruices peccatorum God is iust he will cutt the neckes of sinners Heere are two coolyng cardes for the two warme imaginations before Meane you Syr to prolong your iniquitie for that God is mercifull remember also that he is iust sayeth the prophet Are ye gotten vp vppon the backe of God to make your nest of sinne there take heede for he will fetche you downe agayne breake your necke downeward except ye repēt for that in deede there is no one thing whiche may be so iniurious to God as to make hym the foundation of our sinfull lyfe whiche lost his owne lyfe for the extinguishing of sinne But you will saye perhappes and is not God then mercyfull yes truelie deare brother he is moste mercyfull there is nether ende nor measure of his mercie he is euen mercie it selfe it is his nature and essence and he can no more leaue to be mercyfull than he can leaue to be God But yet as the prophet heere sayth he is iust also VVe must not so remember his mercie as wee forgett his iustice Dulcis rectus dominus Our lord is sweet but yet vpright and iust too sayeth Dauid And in the same place all the vvayes of our lord are mercie and trueth VVhich woordes holye Barnard expounding in a certaine sermon of his sayeth thus there be two feete of our lorde wherby he walketh his wayes That is mercie and trueth And God fastneth bothe these feete vppon the hartes of them whiche turne vnto him And euerie sinner that will truelie conuert him selfe must laye hande faste on bothe these feete For yf he should laye handes on mercie onelie letting passe trueth and iustice he wold perishe by presumption And on the other syde yf he should apprehend iustice onelie without mercie he wolde perishe by desperation To the end therfore that he may be saued he must humblie fall downe and kisse bothe these feete that in respect of gods iustice he may retayne feare and in respect of his mercie he maye eonceiue hope And in an other place happie is that soule vppon whiche our lord Iesus Christ hathe placed bothe his feete I will not sing vnto thee Iudgemēt alone nor yet mercie alone my God but I will sing vnto thee with the prophet Dauid mercie and iudgemēt ioined together And I will neuer forgett these iustifications of thyne S. Austen handleth this pointe moste excellentlie in diuerse places of his workes Lett them marke sayeth he whiche loue so muche mercie and gentlenes in our lord lett them marke I saye and feare also his trueth For as the prophet saieth God is bothe sweete and iust Doest thou loue that he is sweete feare also that he is iust As a sweete lorde he sayd I haue held my peace at your sinnes But as a iust lord he addeth And thynke you that I uvill holde my peace styll God is mercifull and full of mercies saye you it is moste certaine yea add vnto yt that he beareth long But yet feare that which cōmeth in the verses ende verax That is he is also true and iust There be two thinges wherby sinners doe stand in daunger the one in hoping to much whiche is presumption the other in hoping to litle whiche is desperation VVho is deceiued by hoping to muche He whiche sayeth to him selfe God is a good God a mercifull God and therfore I will doe what pleaseth me why so because God is a mercifull god a good god a gētle God These men runne into daunger by hoping to much VVhoe are in daunger by despaire those whiche seing their sinnes greuous and thinking yt now vnpossible to be perdoned saye within them selues well wee are once to be damned whie doe not we then what soeuer pleaseth vs best in this lyfe these men are murdered by desperation the other by hope what therfore doeth God for gaininge of bothe these men To him whiche is in daunger by hope he saieth Doe not saye vvith thy selfe the 〈◊〉 of God is greate he vuill be mercifull to the multitude of my sinnes for the face of hys uvrathe ys vppon sinners To hym that is in daunger by desperation he sayeth At vvhat tyme soeuer a sinner shall turne hym selfe to me I vvil forgett his iniquities Thus farre S. Austen beside muche more whiche he addeth in the same place touching the great perill and folie of those whiche vppon vayne hope of gods mercie doe perseuer in theyr euill lyfe It is a verie euill consequent and most vniust kinde of reasoning to saye that for so muche as God is mercifull and long suffering therfore will I abuse his mercie continue in my wickednesse The scripture teacheth vs not to reason so but rather quite contrarie God is mercifull and expecteth my conuersion and the longer he expecteth the more greeuous will be his punishement when it cōmeth yf I neglect this patience And therfore I ought presentlie to accept of his mercie So reasoneth S. Paul whiche sayeth doest thow contemne the riches of his long suffering and gentlenes Doest thow not knowe that the patience of God towardes thee ys vsed to bring the to repentance But thow throughe the hardnes of thy hart and irrepētant minde doest hoarde vp to thy selfe wrathe in the daye of vengeance at the reuelatiō of gods iust iudgement In which woordes S. Paul signifieth that the longer that God suffereth vs with patience in our wickednes the greater heape of vengeance dothe he gather against vs yf we persist obstinate in the same VVherto S. Austen addeth an other consideration of great dreade and feare and that is yf he offer thee grace sayth he to daye thou knowest not whether he will doe it to morow or no. If he geue thee lyfe and memorie this weeke thow knowest not whether
that they made haste to come And God sayeth generallie of all good men They vvill ryse betimes in the morninge and come to me in their tribulation VVherfore holy kyng Dauid desiring to doe certayne men good and to wynne them to God sayeth in one of his psalmes Fyll theyr faces o lorde vvith shame and confusion and thē vvill they seek vnto thy name And this is true as I sayde in the elect and chosen seruantes of God but in the reprobate this rope draweth not this yoke holdeth not nor dothe this chayne of loue wynne them vnto God wherof God hym selfe complaineth sayeing In vayne haue I strycken your children for they haue not receaued my discipline And agayne the prophet Ieremie sayethe of them to God thovv hast crushed them and they haue refused to receaue thy discipline they haue hardened theyr faces euen as a rocke and vvill not returne to thee Beholde they haue rent the yoke and broken the chaynes Of this now enseueth an eigthe reason why God bringeth his seruātes into 〈◊〉 to wytt therby to shew his power and loue in delyuering them For as in this worlde a princelye mynde desireth nothing more than to haue occasion wherby to shew his abilitie and good will vnto his deare freend so God which hathe all occasions in his owne hādes passeth all his creatures together in greatnesse of loue and nobilitie of mynde woorketh purposelye diuers occasions oportunities wherby to shew exercise the same So he broght the three children into the burning fornace therby to shew his power and loue in deliuering them So he broght Daniel into the lyons denne Susanna vnto the point of death Iob into extreeme miserie Ioseph into prison Tobye vnto blyndenes therby to shevv his power loue in their deliue rāce For this cause also dyd Christ suffer the shyppe to be almoste drowned before he would awake and S. Peter to be almoste vnder water before he wolde take hym by the hande And of this one reason many other reasones and moste comfortable causes doe appeare of gods dealyng heerein As first that we being deliuered from our afflictiōs might take more ioye and delite thereof than yf we had neuer suffered the same For as water is more gratefull to the vvayefayring man after a long drythe and a calme more pleasant vnto passingers after a troublesome tempest so is our delyuerie more sweet after persecution or tribulation according as the scripture sayeth Speciosa misericordia dei in tempore tribulationis The mercie of God is beautyfull pleasant in tyme of tribulation This signified also Christ when he sayed your sorovve shal be turned into ioye That is you shall reioyse that euer you were sorowfull This had Dauid proued vvhen he sayed thy rodde o Lorde and thy staffe haue comforted me that is I take great cōfort that euer I was chastyned with them And agayne according to the multitude of my sorovves thy consolations haue made ioyfull my mynde That is for euery sorow that I receaued in tyme of affliction I receaue now a cōsolation after my delyuerance And agayn in an other plaee I vuill exult and reioyse in thy mercye o Lord. And wherfore good kyng wilt thou so reioyse yt foloweth immediatlie For that thou hast respected my abasement and hast delyuered my foule from the necessitie vuherin soee vvas nor hast not left me in the handes of myne enemye This then is one most graciouse meaning of our louyng and mercifull father in afflicting vs for a tymee to the end our ioye may be the greater after our delyuerance as no doubt but it was in all those whome I haue named before deliuered by gods mercie I mean Abraham Ioseph Daniel Sidrach Misach and Abdenago Susanna Iob Thobias peter and the rest whoe tooke more ioye after their deliuerance than yf they had neuer bene in afflictiō at all VVhen Iudith had delyuered Bethulia and returned thyther with Holofernes heade there was more hartie ioye in that citie than euer there wolde haue bene yf it had not bene in distresse VVhen S. Peter was dolyuered out of prison by the Angel there was more ioye for his deliuerance in the churche then coulde haue bene yf he had neuer bene in prison at all Out of this great ioye resulteth an other effect of our tribulation muche pleasant to God and comfortable to our selues and that is a moste hartie and earnest thankes geuing to God for our deliuerance suche as the prophet vsed when he saied after his deliuerāce I for my part vvill syng of thy strengthe and vvill exalt thy merice betymes in the morning for that thou hast bene my ayder and refuge in the daye of my tribulation Suche hartie thankes prayse dyd the children of Israel yeelde to God for their delyuerance when they vvere passed ouer the read sea in that notable song of theirs whiche begynneth Cantemus domino And is regestred by Moyses in Exodus From lyke hartie affect came also those songes of Anna Debora and Iudith mowed therunto by the remembrance of their afflictions past And finally this is one of the cheefest things that God esteemeth desireth at our handes as he testifieth by the prophet sayeing call vpon me in the daye of tribulation I vvill deliuer thee and thou shall honoure me Besides all these God hathe yet further reasones of layeing persecution vpon vs as for example for that by suffering and perceyuing in deede gods assistance and consolation therin we come to be so hardie bolde and constant in his seruice as nothing afterwarde can dismaye vs euen as Moyses thoghe he were first a feard of the serpent made of his rodd fledd awaye from it yet after by gods commandemente he had once taken yt by the tayle he feared it no more This the prophet Dauid expresseth notablie when he sayeth God hathe bene our refuge strengthe and helper in our great tribulations and therfore we will not feare yf the whole earthe should be troubled the mountaines cast into the middest of the sea what greater confidence can be imagined than this Agayne by persecution affliction God bringeth his children to the exercise perfect possession of all the vertues belonging to a Christian man As for example faythe is exercised in tyme of tribulation in considering the causes of gods permissiō beleeuīg moste assuredlie the promises he hathe made for our deliuerāce Hope is exercised in conceauing assuring her selfe of the rewarde promised to them that suffer patiently Charitie is exercised in considering the loue of Christ suffering for vs and therby prouoketh the afflicted to suffer againe for hym Obedience is exercised in conforming our willes to the will of Christ. Patience in bearing quietlye Humilitie in abasing our selues in the sight of God And so lykewise all other vertues