dying heart with taking in the first gaspes of his liuing breath or to haue heard the first words of his pleasing voice Finally if thou haddest thought to haue seene his iniuries turned to honours the markes of his miserie to ornaments of glorie and the depth of thy heauinesse to such an height of felicity whatsoeuer thou haddest done to obtaine him had bene but a mite for a million and too slender a price for so soueraigne a peniworth But hauing no such hopes to vphold thee and so many motiues to plonge thee in despaire how could thy loue be so mighty as neither to feele a womans feare of so deformed a coarse nor to thinke the weight of the burthen too heauy for thy feeble armes nor to be amated with a world of dangers that this attempt did carry with it But affection cannot feare whom it affecteth loue feeleth no load of him it loueth neither can true frendship be frighted from rescuing so affied a friend What meanest thou then ô comfort of her life to leaue so constant a wel-willer so long vncomforted and to punish her so much that so well deserueth pardon Dally no longer with so knowne a loue which so many trials auouch most true And sith she is nothing but what it pleaseth thee let her tast the benefit of being onely thine She did not follow the tide of thy better fortune to shift saile when the streame did alter course She began not to loue thee in thy life to leaue thee after death Neither was she such a guest at thy table that meant to be a stranger in thy necessitie She left thee not in thy lowest ebbe she reuolted not from thy last extremitie In thy life she serued thee with her goods in thy death she departed not from the Crosse after death she came to dwell with thee at thy graue Why then doest thou not say with Naomi Blessed be she of our Lord because what courtesie she afforded to the quicke she hath also continued towards the dead A thing so much the more to be esteemed in that it is most rare Do not sweete Lord any longer delay her Behold she hath attended thee these three dayes and she hath not what to eate nor wherewith to foster her famished soule vnlesse thou by discouering thy selfe doest minister vnto her the bread of thy body and feede her with the food that hath in it all taste of sweetnesse If therefore thou wilt not haue her to faint in the way refresh her with that which her hunger requireth For surely she cannot long enioy the life of her soule But feare not Mary for thy teares will obtaine They are to o mighty oratours to let any suit fall and though they pleaded at the most rigorous barre yet haue they so perswading a silence so conquering a complaint that by yeelding they ouercome and by intreating they command They tie the tongues of all accusers and soften the rigour of the seuerest Iudge Yea they winne the inuincible and binde the omnipotent When they seeme most pitifull they haue great power and being most forsaken they are more victorious Repentant eyes are the Cellers of Angels and penitent teares their sweetest wines which the sauour of life perfumeth the taste of grace sweeteneth and the purest colours of returning innocencie highly beautifieth This deaw of deuotion neuer faileth but the Sunne of iustice draweth it vp and vpon what face soeuer it droppeth it maketh it amiable in Gods eye For this water hath thy heart bene long a limbecke sometimes distilling it out of the weedes of thy owne offences with the fire of true contrition Sometimes out of the flowers of spirituall comforts with the flames of contemplation and now out of the bitter hearbes of thy maisters miseries with the heat of a tender compassion This water hath better graced thy lookes than thy former alluring glances It hath setled worthier beauties in thy face than all thy artificiall paintings Yea this onely water hath quenched Gods anger qualified his iustice recouered his mercy merited his loue purchased his pardon and brought forth the spring of all thy fauours Thy teares were the procters for thy brothers life the inuiters of those Angels for thy comfort and the suters that shall be rewarded with the first sight of thy reuiued Sauiour Rewarded they shall be but not refrained altered in their cause but their course continued Heauen would weepe at the losse of so precious a water and earth lament the absence of so fruitfull showers No no the Angels must still bath themselues in the pure streames of thine eyes and thy face shall still be set with this liquid pearle that as out of thy teares were stroken the first sparkes of thy Lords loue so thy teares may be the oyle to nourish and feede his fame Till death dam vp the springs they shall neuer ceasse running and then shall thy soule be ferried in them to the harbour of life that as by them it was first passed from sinne to grace so in them it may be wasted from grace to glorie In the meane time reare vp thy fallen hopes and gather confidence both of thy speedy comfort and thy Lords well being Iesus saith vnto her Marie She turning saith vnto him Rabboni O louing maister thou diddest onely deferre her consolation to increase it that the delight of thy presence might be so much the more welcome in that through thy long absence it was with so little hope so much desired Thou wert content she should lay out for thee so many sighes teares and plaints and diddest purposely adiourne the date of her payment to requite the length of these delayes with a larger loane of ioy It may be she knew not her former happinesse till she was weaned from it nor had a right estimate in valuing the treasures with which thy presence did inrich her vntill her extreame pouertie taught her their vnestimable rate But now thou shewest by a sweete experience that though she payde thee with the dearest water of her eyes with her best breath and tenderest loue yet small was the price that she bestowed in respect of the worth she receiued She sought thee dead and imprisoned in a stonie gayle and now she findeth thee both aliue and at full libertie She sought thee shrined in a shrowd more like a leaper than thy selfe left as the modell of the vttermost miserie and the onely patterne of the bitterest vnhappinesse and now she findeth thee inuested in the robes of glorie the president of the highest and both the owner and giuer of all felicitie And as all this while she hath sought without finding wept without comfort and called without answers so now thou diddest satisfie her seeking with thy comming her teares with thy triumph and all her cryes with this one word Mary For when she heard thee call her in thy wonted manner and with thy vsuall voice her onely name issuing frō thy mouth wrought so strange an alteration in her
the feeling of my rauing fits Whose ioy annoy whose guerdon is disgrace Whose solace flies whose sorrow neuer flits Bad seed I sow'd worse fruit is now my gaine Soone dying mirth begat long liuing paine Now pleasure ebbes reuenge begins to flow One day doth wreake the wrath that many wrought Remorse doth teach my guilty thoughts to know How cheape I sold what Christ so dearely bought Faults long vnfelt doth conscience now bewray All ghostly dynts that Grace at me did dart Like stubborne rocke I forced to recoyle To other flights an ayme I made mine heart Whose wounds then welcome now haue wrought my foyle Wo worth the bow wo worth the Archers might That draue such Arrowes to the marke so right To pull them out to leaue them in is death One to this world one to the world to come Wounds may I weare and draw a doubtfull breath But then my wounds will worke a dreadfull doome And for a world whose pleasures passe away I lose a world whose ioyes are past decay O sense ô soule ô had ô hoped blisse You woo you weane you draw you driue me backe Your crosse encountring like their combat is That neuer end but with some deadly wracke When sense doth winne the soule doth lose the field And present haps make future hopes to yeeld O heauen lament sense robbeth thee of Saints Lament O soules sense spoyleth you of Grace Yet sense doth scarce deserue these hard complaints Loue is the thiefe sense but the entring place Yet graunt I must sense is not free from sinne For thiefe he is that thiefe admitteth in MARY MAGDALENS complaint at Christs death SIth my life from life is parted Death come take thy portion Who suruiues when life is murdred Liues by meere extortion All that liue and not in God Couch their life in deaths abod Silly starres must needs leaue shining When the Sunne is shaddowed Borowed streams refraine their running When head-springs are hindered One that liues by others breath Dyeth also by his death O true Life since thou hast left me Mortall life is tedious Death it is to liue without thee Death of all most odious Turne againe or take me to thee Let me dye or liue thou in me Where the truth once was and is not Shadowes are but vanity Shewing want that helpe they cannot Signes not salue of misery Painted meat no hunger feeds Dying life each death exceeds With my loue my life was nestled In the summe of happinesse From my loue my life is wrested To a world of heauinesse O let loue my life remoue Sith I liue not where I loue O my soule what did vnloose thee From the sweet captiuity God not I did still possesse thee His not mine thy liberty O too happy thrall thou wart When thy prison was his heart Spitefull speare that break'st this prison Seat of all felicity Working this with double treason Loues and liues deliuery Though my life thou drau'st away Maugre thee my loue shall stay Times go by turnes THE lopped tree in time may grow againe Most naked plants renew both fruit and flowre The sorriest wight may finde release of paine The driest soyle sucke in some moystning showre Times go by turnes and chances change by course From foule to faire from better hap to worse The sea of Fortune doth not euer flow She drawes her fauours to the lowest ebbe Her tides haue equall times to come and go Her Loome doth weaue the fine and coursest webbe No ioy so great but runneth to an end No hap so hard but may in fine amend Not alwaies Fall of leafe nor euer Spring No endlesse night nor yet eternall day The saddest Birds a season finde to sing The roughest storme a calme may soone allay Thus with succeeding turnes God tempereth all That man may hope to rise yet feare to fall A chance may winne that by mischance was lost That net that holds no great takes little fish In some things all in all things none are crost Few all they need but none haue all they wish Vnmingled ioyes heere to no man befall Who least hath some who most hath neuer all LOOKE HOME REtyred thoughts enioy their owne delights As beauty doth in selfe-beholding eye Mans mind a mirrour is of heauenly sights Abriefe wherein all maruels summed lye Of fairest formes and sweetest shapes the store Most gracefull all yet thought may grace them more The minde a creature is yet can create To Natures patterns adding higher skill Of finest works wit better could the state If force of wit had equall power of will Deuice of man in working hath no end What thought can thinke another thought can mend Mans soule of endlesse beauties image is Drawne by the worke of endlesse skill and might This skilfull might gaue many sparks of blisse And to discerne this blisse a natiue light To frame Gods image as his worths requir'd His might his skill his word and will conspir'd All that he had his Image should present All that it should present he could afford To that he could afford his will was bent His will was followed with performing word Let this suffice by this conceiue the rest He should he could he would he did the best Fortunes falshood IN worldly merriments lurketh much misery Sly Fortunes subtilties in bayts of happinesse Shrowd hookes that swallowed without recouery Murder the innocent with mortall heauinesse She sootheth appetites with pleasing vanities Till they be conquered with cloaked tyranny Then changing countenance with open enmities Shee triumphs ouer them scorning their slauery With fawning flattery Deaths doore she openeth Alluring passingers to bloudy destiny In offers bountifull in proofe she beggereth Mens ruines registring her false felicity Her hopes are fastned in blisse that vanisheth Her smart inherited with sure possession Constant in cruelty she neuer altereth But from one violence to more oppression To those that follow her fauours are measured As easie premisses to hard conclusions With bitter corrosiues her ioyes are seasoned Her highest benifits are but illusions Her way 's a labyrinth of wandring passages Fooles common pilgrimage to cursed deities Whose fond deuotion and iole menages Are wag'd with wearinesse in fruitlesse drudgeries Blinde in her fauorites foolish election Châ—nâ—â— is â—er Aâ—â—â—rer a giuing dignity Heâ— choyse of visions shâ—wâ—s most discretion Sith â—â—â—â—th the vertuous might wrest from piety To humble suppliants tyrant most obstinate She suters answereth with contrarieties Proud with petition vntaught to mitigate Rigor with clemencie in hardest cruelties Like Tygre fugitiue from the Ambitious Like weeping Crocodile to scornefull enemies Suing for amitie where she is odious But to her followers forswearing curtesies No winde so changeable no sea so wauering As giddie Fortune in reeling varieties Now mad now mercifull now fierce now fauouring In all things mutable but mutabilities Scorne not the least VVHere wards are weake and foes incountring strong Where mightier do assault then do defend The feebler part puts vp enforced wrong And silent
Where Nature craues that grace must needs denie Where sense doth like that reason cannot loue Where best in shew in finall proofe is worst Where pleasures vp-shot is to dye accurst Lifes death Loues life VVHo liues in loue loues least to liue And long delayes doth rue If him he loue by whom he liues To whom all loue is due Who for our loue did choose to liue And was content to dye Who lou'd our loue more then his life And loue with life did buy Let vs in life yea with our life Requite his liuing loue For best we liue when least we liue If loue our life remoue Where loue is hote life hatefull is Their grounds do not agree Loue where it loues life where it liues Desireth most to be And sith loue is not where it liues Nor liueth where it loues Loue hateth life that holds it backe And death it best approues For seldome is he wonne in life Whom loue doth most desire If wonne by loue yet not enioyd Till mortall life expire Life out of earth hath not aboade In earth loue hath no place Loue setled hath her ioyes in Heau'n In earth life all her grace Mourne therefore no true louers death Life onely him annoyes And when he taketh leaue of life Then loue begins his ioyes At home in Heauen FAire soule how long shall veiles thy graces shrowd How long shall this exile with-hold thy right When will thy Sunne disperse this mortall cloud And giue thy glories scope to blaze their light O that a starre more fit for Angels eyes Should pine in earth not shine aboue the skies This ghostly beautie offered force to God It chain'd him in the linkes of tender loue It wonne his will with man to make abode It staid his sword and did his wrath remoue It made the rigor of his Iustice yeeld And crowned mercie Empresse of the field This lull'd our heauenly Sampson fast asleepe And laid him in our feeble Natures lap This made him vnder mortall load to creepe And in our flesh his God-head to inwrap This made him soiourne with vs in exile And not disdaine our titles in his stile This brough him from the ranks of heau'nly Quires Into the vale of teares and cursed soyle From flowers of grace into a world of bryers From life to death from blisse to balefull toyle This made him wander in our Pilgrim weed And taste our torments to releeue our need O soule do not thy noble thoughts abase To lose thy loue in any mortall wight Content thine eye at home with natiue grace Sith God himselfe is rauisht with thy sight If on thy beautie God enamoured be Base is thy loue of any lesse then he Giue not assent to muddie minded skill That deemes the feature of a pleasing face To be the sweetest baite to lure the will Not valuing right the worth of ghostly grace Let God and Angels censure winne beliefe That of all beauties iudge our selues the chiefe Queene Hester was of rare and peerlesse hiew And Iudith once for beautie bare the vaunt But he that could our soules endowments view Would soone to soules the Crowne of beauty graunt O soule out of thy selfe seeke God alone Grace more then thine but Gods the world hath none Lewd Loue is losse MIsdeeming eye that stoopeth to the lure Of mortall worths not worth so worthie Loue All beautie 's base all graces are impure That do thy erring thought from God remoue Sparkes to the fire the beames yeeld to the Sunne All grace to God from whom all graces runne If picture moue more should the patterne please No shadow can with shadowed things compare And fairest shapes whereon our loues do seaze But silly signes of Gods high beauties are Go staruing sense feed thou on earthly mast True loue in Heau'n seeke thou thy sweet repast Gleane not in barren soyle these off all eares Sith reape thou maist whole haruests of delight Base ioyes with griefes bad hopes do end in feares Lewd loue with losse euill peace with deadly fight Gods loue alone doth end with endlesse ease Whose ioyes in hope whose hope concludes in peace Let not the luring traine of fancies trap Or gracious features proofes of Natures skill Lull reasons force asleepe in errours lap Or draw thy wit to bent of wanton will The fairest flowers haue not the sweetest smell A seeming Heauen proues oft a damning Hell Selfe-pleasing soules that play with beauties bait In shining shrowd may swallow fatall hooke Where eager sight on semblant faire doth wait A locke it proues that first was but a looke The fish with ease into the Net doth glide But to get out the way is not so wide So long the Fly doth dally with the flame Vntill his singed wings do force his fall So long the eye doth follow Fancies game Till loue hath left the heart in heauie thrall Soone may the minde be cast in Cupids Iayle But hard it is imprisoned thoughts to bayle O lothe that loue whose finall ayme is lust Moth of the mind eclipse of reasons light The graue of grace the mole of Natures rust The wrack of wit the wrong of euerie right In summe an euill whose harmes no tongue can tell In which to liue is death to dye is Hell Loues Garden griefe VAine loues auaunt infamous is your pleasure Your ioy deceit Your iewels iests and worthlesse trash your treasure Fooles common bait Your pallace is a prison that allureth To sweet mishap and rest that paine procureth Your Garden griefe hedg'd in with thornes of Enuie And stakes of strife Your Allies errour grauelled with iealousie And cares of life Your bankes are seates enwrapt with shades of sadnesse Your Arbours breed rough fits of raging madnesse Your beds are sowne with seeds of all iniquitie And poys'ning weeds Whose stalkes ill thoughts whose leaues words full of vanitie Whose fruit misdeeds Whose sap is sinne whose force and operation To banish grace and worke the soules damnation Your trees are dismall plants of pyning corrosiues Whose root is ruth Whose barke is bale whose timber stubburne fantasies Whose pith vntruth On which in lieu of birds whose voyce delighteth Of guiltie conscience screeching note affrighteth Your coolest Sommer gales are scadling sighings Your showres are teares Your sweetest smell the stench of sinfull liuing Your fauours feares Your Gardener Satan all you reape is miserie Your gaine remorse and losse of all felicitie From Fortunes reach LEt fickle Fortune runne her blindest race I setled haue an vnremoued mind I scorne to be the game of Fancies chase Or vane to shew the change of euery wind Light giddie humours stinted to no rest Still change their choyce yet neuer chuse the best My choice was guided by foresightfull heed It was auerred with approuing will It shall be followed with performing deed And seal'd with vow till death the chuser kill Yea death though finall date of vaine desires Ends not my choice which with no time expires To beauties fading blisse I
shame to vtter nor sinne to feele But whether my wishes in this behalfe take effect or not I reape at the least this reward of my paines that I haue shewed my desire to answer your curtesie and set forth the due praises of this glorious Saint Your louing friend R.S. To the Reader MAny suiting their labours to the popular vaine and guided by the gale of vulgar breath haue diuulged diuerse patheticall discourses in which if they had shewed as much care to profit as they haue done desire to please their workes would much more haue honored their names and auailed the Reader But it is a iust complaint among the better sort of persons that the finest wits lose themselues in the vainest follies spilling much Art in some idle fancie and leauing their workes as witnesses how long they haue beene in trauaile to be in fine deliuered of a fable And sure it is a thing greatly to be lamented that men of so high conceit should so much abase their habilities that when they haue racked them to the vttermost endeuour all the praise that they reape of their employment consisteth in this that they haue wisely told a foolish tale and carried a long lye very smoothly to the end Yet this inconuenience might find some excuse if the drift of their discourse leuelled at any vertuous marke For infables are often figured morall truths and that couertly vttered to a common good which without a maske would not find so free a passage But when the substance of the worke hath neither truth nor probability nor the purport thereof tendeth to any honest end the writer is rather to be pitied than praised and his bookes fitter for the fire than for the presse This common ouersight more haue obserued than endeuored to salue euery one being able to reprooue none willing to redresse such faults authorised especially by generall custome And though if necessitie the lawlesse patron of enforced actions had not more preuailed than choise this worke of so different a subiect from the vsuall vaine should haue bene no eye-sore to those that are pleased with worse matters Yet sith the copies thereof flew fo fast and so false abroad that it was in danger to come corrupted to the print it seemed a lesse euill to let it fly to common view in the natiue plume and with the owne wings than disguised in a coat of a bastard feather or cast off from the fast of such a corrector as might hapily haue perished the sound and imped in some sicke and sory feathers of his owne fansies It may be that curteous skill will reckon this though course in respect of others exquisite labours not vnfit to entertaine wel-tempered humours both with pleasure and profite the ground thereef being in Scripture and the forme of enlarging it an imitation of the ancient Doctors in the same and other points of like tenour This commodity at the least it will carry with it that the Reader may learne to loue without improofe of puritie and teach his thoughts either to temper passion in the meane or to giue the bridle onely where the excesse cannot be faulty Let the worke defend it selfe and euery one passe his censure as he seeth cause Many Carps are expected when curious eyes come a fishing But the care is already taken and patience wayteth at the cable ready to take away when that dish is serued in and to make roome for others to set on the desired fruit R.S. MARIE MAGDALENS FVNERAL TEARES AMongst other mourneful accidents of the passion of Christ that loue presenteth it selfe vnto my memory with which the blessed Marie Magdalene louing our Lord more than her selfe followed him in his iourney to his death attending vpon him when his disciples fled and being more willing to dye with him than they to liue without him But not finding the fauour to accompany him in death and loathing after him to remaine in life the fire of her true affection enflamed her heart and her enflamed heart resolued into vncessant teares so that burning and bathing betweene loue and griefe she led a life euer dying and felt a death neuer ending And when he by whom she liued was dead and she for whom he dyed enforcedly left aliue she praised the dead more than the liuing and hauing lost that light of her life she desired to dwell in darkenesse in the shadow of death choosing Christs Tombe for her best home and his coarse for her chiefe comfort For Mary as the Euangelist saith Stood without at the Tombe weeping But alas how vnfortunate is this woman to whom neither life will affoord a desired farewell nor death allow any wished welcome She hath abandoned the liuing and chosen the company of the dead and now it seemeth that euen the dead haue forsaken her sith the coarse she seeketh is taken away from her And this was the cause that loue induced her to stand and sorrow enforced her to weepe Her eye was watchfull to seeke whom her heart most longed to enioy and her foot in a readinesse to runne if her eye should chance to espy him And therefore she standeth to be still stirring prest to watch euery way and prepared to go whither any hope should call her But she wept because she had such occasion of standing and that which moued her to watch was the motiue of her teares For as she watched to finde whom she had lost so she wept for hauing lost whom she loued her poore eyes being troubled at once with two contrarie offices both to be cleare in sight the better to seeke him and yet cloudy with teares for missing the sight of him Yet was not this the entrance but the increase of her griefe not the beginning but the renewing of her moane For first she mourned for the departing of his soule out of his body and now she lamented the taking of his body out of the graue being punished with two wreckes of her onely welfare both full of miserie but the last without all comfort The first originall of her sorrow grew because she could not enioy him aliue yet this sorrow had some solace for that she hoped to haue enioyed him dead But when she considered that his life was already lost and now not so much as his body could be found she was wholly daunted with dismay sith this vnhappinesse admitted no helpe She doubted lest the loue of her maister the onely portion that her fortune had left her would soone languish in her cold breast if it neither had his words to kindle it nor his presence to cherish it nor so much as his dead ashes to rake it vp She had prepared her spices and prouided her oyntments to pay him the last tribute of externall duties And though Ioseph and Nicodemus had already bestowed an hundreth pounds of Mirrhe and Aloes which was in quantity sufficient in quality of the best and as well applyed as art and deuotion could deuise yet such was
her loue that she would haue thought any quantitie too little except hers had bene added the best in qualitie too meane except hers were with it and no diligence in applying it enough except her seruice were in it Not that she was sharpe in censuring that which others had done but because loue made her so desirous to do all her selfe that though all had bene done that she could deuise and as well as she could wish yet vnlesse she were an actor it would not suffice sith loue is as eager to be vttered in effects as it is zealous in true affection She came therefore now meaning to enbalme his corps as she had before annointed his feet and to preserue the reliques of his body as the onely remnant of all her blisse And as in the spring of her felicitie she had washed his feet with her teares bewayling vnto him the death of her owne soule so now she came in the depth of her miserie to shed them afresh for the death of his body But when she saw the graue open and the bodie taken out the labour of enbalming was preuented but the cause of her weeping increased and he that was wanting to her obsequies was not wanting to her teares and though she found not whom to annoynt yet found she whom to lament And not without cause did Marie complaine finding her first anguish doubled with a second griefe and being surcharged with two most violent sorrowes in one afflicted heart For hauing setled her whole affection vpon Christ and summed all her desires and wishes into the loue of his goodnesse as nothing could equall his worthes so was there not in the whole world either a greater benefit for her to enioy than himselfe or any greater dammage possible than his losse The murdering in his owne death the life of all liues left a generall death in all liuing creatures and his decease not onely disrobed our nature of her most royall ornaments but impouerished the world of all highest perfections What maruell therefore though her vehement loue to so louely a Lord being after the wrecke of his life now also depriued of his dead body feele as bitter pangs for his losse as before it tasted ioyes in his presence and open as large an issue to teares of sorrow as euer heretofore to teares of contentment And though teares were rather oyle than water to her flame apter to nourish than diminish her griefe yet now being plonged in the depth of paine she yeelded her selfe captiue to all discomfort carrying an ouerthrowne mind in a more enfeebled body and still busie in deuising but euer doubtfull in defining what she might best do For what could a silly woman do but weepe that floating in a sea of cares found neither eare to heare her nor tongue to direct her nor hand to helpe her nor heart to pittie her in her desolate case True it is that Peter and Iohn came with her to the Tombe and to make triall of her report were both within it but as they were speedy in comming and diligent in searching so were they as quicke to depart and fearefull of farther seeking And alas what gained she by their comming but two witnesses of her losse two dismayers of her hope and two patternes of a new despaire Loue moued them to come but their loue was soone conquered with such feare that it suffered them not to stay But Mary hoping in despaire and perseuering in hope stood without feare because she now thought nothing left that ought to be feared For she hath lost her maister to whom she was so entirely deuoted that he was the totall of her loues the height of her hopes and the vttermost of her feares and therefore besides him she could neither loue other creature hope for other comfort nor feare other losse The worst she could feare was the death of her body and that shee rather desired than feared sith shee had alreadie lost the life of her soule without which anie other life would be a death and with which any other death would haue bene a delight But now she thought it better to dye than to liue because she might happily dying find whom not dying she looked not to enioy and not enioying she had little will to liue For now she loued nothing in her life but her loue to Christ and if any thing did make her willing to liue it was onely the vnwillingnesse that his Image should dye with her whose likenesse loue had limited in her heart and treasured vp in her sweetest memories And had she not feared to breake the table and to breake open the closet to which she had entrusted this last relique of her lost happinesse the violence of griefe would haue melted her heart into inward bleeding teares and blotted her remembrance with a fatall obliuion And yet neuerthelesse she is now in so imperfect a sort aliue that it is proued true in her that Loue is as strong as death For what could death haue done more in Mary than loue did Her wits were astonied and all her senses so amazed that in the end finding she did not know seeing she could not discerne hearing she perceiued not and more than all this she was not there where she was for she was wholly where her maister was more where she loued than where she liued and lesse in her selfe than in his body which notwithstanding where it was she could not imagine For she sought as yet she found not and therefore stood at the Tombe weeping for it being now altogether giuen to mourning and driuen to misery But ô Mary by whose counsaile vpon what hope or with what heart couldest thou stand alone when the Disciples were departed Thou wert there once before they came thou turnedst againe at their comming and yet thou stayest when they are gone Alas that thy Lord is not in the Tombe thine owne eyes haue often seene the Disciples hands haue felt the empty Syndon doth auouch and cannot all this winne thee to beleeue it No no thou wouldest rather condemne thine owne eyes of errour and both their eyes and hands of deceit yea rather suspect all testimonies for vntrue than not looke whom thou hast lost euen there where by no diligence he could be found When thou thinkest of other places and canst not imagine any so likely as this thou seekest againe in this and though neuer so often sought it must be an haunt for hope For when things dearely affected are lost loues natures is neuer to be weary of searching euen the oftenest searched corners being more willing to thinke that all the senses are mistaken than to yeeld that hope should quaile Yet now sith it is so euident that he is taken away what should moue thee to remaine here where the perill is apparent and no profit likely Can the wit of one and she a woman wholly possessed with passion haue more light to discerne danger than two wits of two men and both
seeke thee readiest to annoint thee and when she saw that thou wert remoued she forthwith did weepe for thee and presently went for helpe to finde thee And whereas those two that she brought being lesse carefull of thee than fearefull of themselues when they had seene what she had said sodainely shrunke away behold she still stayeth she still seeketh she still weepeth If this be a fault we cannot deny but this she doth and to this she perswadeth yea this she neither meaneth to amend nor requesteth thee to forgiue if therfore thou reckonest this as punishable punished she must be sith no excuse hath effect where the fact pleadeth guiltie But if this import not any offence but a true affection and be rather a good desire than an euill desert why art thou so hard a Iudge to so soft a creature requiting her loue with thy losse and suspending her hopes in this vnhappinesse Are not those thy words I loue those that loue me and who watcheth early for me shall find me why then doth not this woman find thee that was vp so early to watch for thee Why doest thou not with like repay her that bestoweth vpon thee her whole loue sith thy word is her warrant and thy promise her due debt Art thou lesse moued with these teares that she sheddeth for thee her onely Master than thou wert with those that she shed before thee for her deceassed brother Or doth her loue to thy seruant more please thee than her loue to thy selfe Our loue to others must not be to them but to thee in them For he loueth thee so much the lesse that loueâ—h any thing with thee If therefore she then deserued well for louing thee in another she deserued better now for louing thee in thy selfe and if indeed thou louest those that loue thee make thy word good to her that is so farre in loue with thee Of thy selfe thou hast said that thou art The way the truth and the life If then thou art a way easie to find and neuer erring how doth she misse thee If a life giuing life and neuer ending why is she ready to dye for thee If a true promising truth and neuer failing how is she bereaued of thee For if what thy tongue did speake thy truth will auerre she will neuer aske more to make her most happy Remember that thou saidst to her sister that Mary had chosen the best part which should not be taken from her That she chose the best parâ— is out of question sith she made choise of nothing but only of thee But how can it be verified that this part shal not be taken from her sith thou that art this part art already taken away If she could haue kept thee she would not haue lost thee and had it bene in her power as it was in her will she would neuer haue parted from thee and might she now be restored to thy presence she would trie all fortunes rather than for go thee Sith therefore she seeketh nothing but what she chose and the losse of her choise is the only cause of her combat either vouchsafe thou to keep this best part that she chose in her or I see not how it can be true that it shall not be taken from her But thy meaning haply was that though it be taken from her eyes yet it should neuer be taken from her heart it may be thy inward presence supplyeth thine outward absence yet I can hardly thinke but that if Mary had thee within her she could feele it and if she felt it she would neuer seeke thee Thou art too hot a fire to be in her bosome and not to burne her and thy light is too great to leaue her mind in this darknesse if it shined in her In true louers euery part is an eye and euery thought a looke and therefore so sweet an obiect among so many eyes and in so great a light could neuer lye so hidden but loue would espy it No no if Mary had thee her innocent heart neuer taught to dissemble could not make complaint the out-side of a concealed comfort neither would she turne her thoughts to pasture in a dead mans Tombe if at home she might bid them to so heauenly a banquet Her loue would not haue a thought to spare nor a minute to spend in any other action than in enioying of thee whom she knew too well to abridge the least part of her from so high an happinesse For her thirst of thy presence was so exceeding and the sea of thy ioyes so well able to afford her a full draught that though euery parcell in her should take in a whole tide of thy delights she would thinke them too few to quiet her desires Yea doubtlesse if she had thee within her she would not enuie the fortune of the richest Empresse yea she would more reioyce to be thy Tombe in earth than a throne in heauen and disdaine to be a Saint if she were worthy to be but thy shrine But paraduenture it is now with her mind as it was with the Apostles eyes and as they seeing thee walke vpon the Sea took thee for a Ghost so she seeing thee in her hart deemeth thee but a fancy being yet better acquainted with thy bodily shape than with thy spirituall power But ô Mary it seemeth too strange that he whom thou seekest and for whom thou weepest should thus giue thee ouer to these painefull fits if in thee he did not see a cause for which he will not be seene of thee Still thy plaint and stint thy weeping for I doubt there is some trespasse in thy teares some sinne in thy sorrow Doest thou not remember his words to thee and to other women when he said Daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for me but weepe for your selues and for your children What meanest thou then to continue this course Doth he sorbid thy teares and wilt thou not forbeare them Is it no fault to infringe his will or is not that his will that his words do import The fault must be mended ere the penance be released and therefore either ceasse to weepe or neuer hope to finde But I know this Logicke little pleaseth thee and I might as soone win thee to forbeare liuing as to leaue weeping Thou wilt say that though he forbad thee to weepe for him yet he left thee free to weepe for thy selfe and sith thy loue hath made thee one with him thou weepest but for thy selfe when thou weepest for him But I answer thee againe that because he is one with thee and thy weeping for him hath bene forbidden thee thou canst not weepe for thy selfe but his words wil condemne thee For if thou he are one for which soeuer thou weepest it is all one therefore sith for him thou maist not weepe forbeare all weeping left it should offend Yea but saist thou to barre me from weeping is to abridge me of liberty and restraint of
in Paradise For if he came to repaire Adams ruines and to be the common parent of our redemption as Adam was of our originall infection reason seemeth to require that hauing endured all his life the penaltie of Adams exile he should after death re-enter possession of that inheritance which Adam lost that the same place that was the neast where sinne was first hatched may be now the child-bed of grace and mercy And if sorrow at the crosse did not make thee as deafe as at the Tombe it maketh thee forgetfull thou diddest in confirmation hereof heare himselfe say to one of the theeues that the same day he should be with him in Paradise And if it be reason that no shadow should be more priuiledged than the body no figure in more account than the figured truth why shouldest thou beleeue that Elias and Enoch haue bene in Paradise these many ages that he whō they but as tipes resembled should be excluded from thence He excelled them in life surpassed them in miracles he was farre beyond them in dignitie why then should not his place be farre aboue or at the least equall with theirs sith their prerogatiues were so farre inferiour vnto his And yet if the basenesse and misery of his passion haue layd him so low in thy conceit that thou thinkest Paradise too high a place to be likely to haue him the very lowest roome that any reason can assigne him cannot be meaner than the bosome of Abraham And sith God in his life did so often acknowledge him for his Sonne it seemeth the slenderest preheminence that he can giue him aboue other men that being his holy one he should not in his body see corruption but be free among the dead reposing both in body and soule where other Saints are in soule onely Let not therefore the place where he is trouble thee sith it cannot be worse than his graue and infinite coniectures make probability that it cannot but be better But suppose that he were yet remaining on earth and taken by others out of his Tombe what would it auaile thee to know where he were If he be with such as loue and honour him they will be as warie to keepe him as they are loth he should be lost and therefore will either often change or neuer confesse the place knowing secresie to be the surest locke to defend so great a treasure If those haue taken him that malice and maligne him thou maist well iudge him past thy recouerie when he is once in possession of so cruell owners Thou wouldest haply make sale of thy liuing and seeke him by ransome But it is not likely they would sell him to be honoured that bought him to be murthered If price would not serue thou wouldest fall to prayer But how can prayer soften such flinty hearts And if they scorned so many teares offered for his life as little will they regard thy intreatie for his coarse If neither price nor prayer would preuaile thou wouldest attempt it by force But alas silly souldier thy armes are too weake to manage weapons and the issue of thy affault would be the losse of thy selfe If no other way would helpe thou wouldest purloine him by stealth and thinke thy selfe happie in contriuing such a theft O Mary thou art deceiued for malice will haue many locks and to steale him from a thiefe that could steale him from the watch requireth more cunning in the Art than thy want of practise can affoord thee Yet if these be the causes that thou enquired of the place thou shewest the force of thy rare affection and deseruest the Lawrell of a perfect louer But to feele more of their sweetnesse I will poune these spices and dwell a while in the peruse of thy resolute seruour And first can thy loue enrich thee when thy goods are gone or a dead coarse repay the value of thy ransome Because he had neither bed to be borne in nor graue to be buried in wilt thou therefore rather be poore with him than rich without him Againe if thou hadst to sue to some cruell Scribe or Pharisie that is to an heart boyling in rancor with an heart burning in loue for a thing of him aboue all things detested of thee aboue all things desired as his enemie to whom thou suest and his friend for whom thou intrearest canst thou thinke it possible for this sute to speede Could thy loue repaire thee from his rage or such a tyrant stoupe to a womans teares Thirdly if thy Lord might be recouered by violence art thou so armed in compleat loue that thou thinkest it sufficient harnesse or doth thy loue indue thee with such a Iudiths spirit or lend thee such Sampsons locks that thou canst breake open huge gates or foyle whole armies Is thy loue so sure a shield that no blow can breake it or so sharpe a dint that no force can withstand it Can it thus alter sexe change nature and exceede all Art But of all other courses wouldest thou aduenture a theft to obtaine thy desire A good deed must be well done and a worke of mercy without breach of iustice It were a sinne to steale prophane treasure but to steale an annointed Prophet can be no lesse than sacriledge And what greater staine to thy Lord to his doctrine and to thy selfe than to see thee his Disciple publikely executed for an open theft O Mary vnlesse thy loue haue better warrant than common sense I can hardly see how such designements can be approued Approued saith she I would to God the execution were as easie as the proofe and I should not long bewaile my vnfortunate losse To others it seemeth ill to preferre loue before riches but to loue it seemeth worse to preferre any thing before it selfe Cloath him with plates of siluer that shiuereth for cold or fill his purse with treasure that pineth with hunger see whether the plates will warme him or the treasure feede him No no he will giue vs all his plates for a woollen garment and all his money for a meales meate Euery supply fitteth not with euery neede and the loue of so sweete a Lord hath no correspondence in worldly wealth Without him I were poore though Empresse of the world With him I were rich though I had nothing else They that haue most are accounted richest and they thought to haue most that haue all they desire and therefore as in him alone is the vttermost of my desires so he alone is the summe of all my substance It were too happy an exchange to haue God for goods and too rich a pouertie to enioy the onely treasure of the world If I were so fortunate a begger I would disdaine Salomons wealth and my loue being so highly enriched my life should neuer complaine of want And if all I am worth would not reach to his ransome what should hinder to seeke him by intreaty Though I were to sue to the gaeatest Tyrant yet the equitie of
Disciples But thy loue had no leisure to cast so many doubts Thy teares were Interpreters of thy words and thy innocent meaning was written in thy dolefull countenance Thine eyes were rather pleaders for pitty than Heraulds of wrath and thy whole person presented such a patterne of thy extreame anguish that no man from thy presence could take in any other impression And therefore what thy words wanted thy action supplied and what his eare might mistake his eye did vnderstand It might be also that what he wrought in thy heart was concealed from thy sight and haply his voice and demeanour did import such compassion of thy case that he seemed as willing to affoord as thou desirest to haue his helpe And so presuming by his behauiour that thy suite should not suffer repulse the tenour of thy request doth but argue thy hope of a graunt But what is the reason that in all thy speeches which since the misse of thy maister thou hast vttered where they haue put him is alwayes a part So thou saydest to the Apostles the same to the Angels and now thou doest repeate it to this supposed Garderner very sweete must this word be in thy heart that is so often in thy mouth it would neuet be so ready in thy tongue if it were not very fresh in thy memory But what maruaile though it tast so sweete that was first seasoned in thy maisters mouth which as it was the treasury of truth the fountaine of life and the onely quire of the most perfect Harmonie so whatsoeuer it deliuered thine eare deuoured and thy heart locked vp And now that thou wantest himselfe thou hast no other comfort but his words which thou deemest so much the more effectuall to perswade in that they tooke their force from so heauenly a speaker His sweetenesse therefore it is that maketh this word so sweete and for loue of him thou repeatest it so often because he in the like case said of thy brother Where haue you put him O how much doest thou affect his person that findest so sweete a feeling in his phrase How much desirest thou to see his countenance that with so great desire pronouncest his wordes And how willingly wouldest thou licke his sacred feete that so willingly vtterest his shortest speeches But what meanest thou to make so absolute a promise and so boldly to say I will take him away Ioseph was afraid and durst not take downe his body from the Crosse but by night yea and then also not without Pilats warrant but thou neither stayest vntill night nor regardest Pilate but stoutly promisest that thou thy selfe wilt take him away What if he be in the pallace of the high Priest and some such maid as made Saint Peter denie his maister do begin to question with thee wilt thou then stand to these words I will take him away Is thy courage so high aboue kinde thy strength so farre beyond thy sexe thy loue so much without measure that thou neither doest remember that all women are weake not that thy selfe art but a woman Thou exemptest no place thou preferrest no person thou speakest without feare thou promisest without condition thou makest no exception as though nothing were impossible that thy loue suggesteth But as the darknesse could not fright thee from setting forth before day nor the watch feare thee from comming to the Tombe as thou diddest resolue to breake open the seales though with danger of thy life and to remoue the stone from the graues mouth though thy force could not serue thee so what maruaile though thy loue being now more incensed with the fresh wound of thy losse it resolue vpon any though neuer so hard aduentures Loue is not ruled with reason but with loue It neither regardeth what can be nor what shall be done but onely what it selfe desireth to do No difficulty can stay it no impossibility appall it Loue is title iust enough and Armour strong enough for all assaults and it selfe a reward of all labours It asketh no recompence it respecteth no commoditie Loues fruites are loues effects and the gaines the paines It considereth behoofe more than benefit and what in dutie it should not what indeed it can But how can nature be so maistered with affection that thou canst take such delight and carry such loue to a dead coarse The mother how tenderly soeuer she loued her child aliue yet she cannot chuse but loath him dead The most louing Spouse cannot endure the presence of her deceassed husband and whose embracements were delightsome in life are euer most hatefull after death Yea this is the nature of all but principally of women that the very conceit much more the sight of the departed striketh into them so fearefull and vgly impressions and stirreth in them so great horrour that notwithstanding the most vehement loue they thinke long vntill the house is ridde of their very dearest friends when they are once attyred in deaths vnlouely liueries How then canst thou endure to take vp his coarse in thy hands and to carry it thou knowest not thy selfe how farre being especially torne and mangled and consequently the more likely in so long time to be tainted Thy sister was vnwilling that the graue of her owne brother should be opened and yet he was shrowded in sheets embalmed with spices and died an ordinarie death without any wound bruse or other harme that might hasten his corruption But this coarse hath neither shrowd nor spice sith these are to be seene in the tombe and there is not a part in his body but had some helpe to further it to decay and art thou not afraid to see him yea to touch him yea to embrace and carry him naked in thine armes If thou haddest remembred Gods promise that His holy one should not see corruption If thou haddest beleeued that his God-head remaining with his bodie could haue preserued it from perishing thy faith had bene more worthy of praise but thy loue lesse worthy of admiration sith the more corruptible thou diddest conceiue him the more combers thou diddest determine to ouercome and the greater was thy loue in being able to conquer them But thou wouldest haue thought thy oyntments rather harmes than helpes if thou hadst bene setled in that beleefe and for so heauenly a coarse embalmed with God all earthly spices would haue seemed a disgrace If likewise thou haddest firmely trusted vpon his resurrection I should maruaile at thy constant designement sith all hazards in taking him should haue bene with vsurie repaide if lying in thy lappe thou mightest haue seene him reuiued and his disfigured and dead body beautified in thine armes with a diuine maiestie If thou haddest hoped so good fortune to thy waterie eyes that they might haue bene first cleared with the beames of his desired light or that his eyes might haue blessed thee with the first fruites of his glorious lookes If thou haddest imagined any likelihood to haue made happie thy
the first is counted vaine So is' t praise-worthy to conceit the latter The grauest wits that most graue works expect The qualitie not quantitie respect The smallest sparke will cast a burning heate Base cottages may harbour things of worth Then though this volume be nor gay nor great Which vnder your Protection I set forth Do not with coy disdainefull ouersight Deny to reade this well meant orphans mite And since his father in his infancie Prouided patrons to protect his heire But now by Deaths none-sparing crueltie Is turn'd an orphan to the open ayre I his vnworthy foster-sire haue darde To make you Patronizer of this warde You glorying issues of that glorious dame Whose life is made the subiect of deaths will To you succeeding hopes of mothers fame I dedicate this fruite of South wels quill He for your vnkles comfort first it writ I for your consolation priat and send you it Then daine in kindnesse to accept the worke Which be in kâ—ndnesse writ I send to you The which till now clouded obscure did lurke But now opposed to ech Readers view May yeeld commodious fruite to euerie wight That feeles his conscience prickt by Parcaes spight But if in ought I haue presumptuous bene My pardon-crauing pen implores your fauour If any fault in print be past vnseene To let it passe the Printer is the crauer So shall he thanke you and I by duty bound Pray that in you may all good gifts abound S. W. The Authour to the Reader IF the Athenians erected an altar to an vnknowne god supposing he would be pleased with their deuotion though they were ignorant of his name better may I presume that my labour may be gratefull being deuoted to such men whose names I know and whose fame I haue heard though vnacquainted with their persons I intended this comfort to him whom a lamenting sort hath left most comfortlesse by him to his friends who haue equall portions in this sorrow But I think the Philosophers rule will be heere verified that it shall be last in execution which was first designed and he shall last enioy the effect which was first owner of the cause Thus let Chance be our rule since Choice may not and into which of your hands it shall fortune much honour and happinesse may it carry with it and leaue in their hearts as much ioy as it found sorrow Where I borrow the person of an Historie as well touching the dead as the yet suruiuing I build vpon report of of such Authours whose hoarie heades challenge credit and whose eyes and eares were witnesses of their words To craue pardon for my paine were to slander a friendly office and to wrong their curtesies whom Nobilitie neuer taught to answer affection with anger or to wage dutie with dislike and therefore I humbly present vnto them with as many good wishes as good will can measure from the best meaning mind that hath a willingnesse rather to offoord then to offer due seruice were not the meane as worthlesse as the mind is willing R. S. The Triumphs ouer Death OR A Consolatorie Epistle for troubled minds in the affects of dying friends IF it be a blessing of the vertuous to mourn it is the reward of this to be comforted and he that pronounced the one promised the other I doubt not but that Spirit whose nature is Loue and whose name Comforter as he knowes the cause of our griefe so hath he salued it with supplies of grace powring into your wound no lesse oyle of mercy then wine of iustice yet sith courtesie oweth compassion as a dutie to the afflicted and nature hath ingrafted a desire to finde it I thought good to shew you by proofe that you carry not your cares alone though the loade that lieth on others can little lighten your burthen her deceasse can not but sit nearer your heart whom you had taken so deepe into a most tender affection That which dieth to our loue being alwayes aliue to our sorrow you would haue bene kind to a lesse louing sister yet finding in her so many worths to be loued your loue wrought more earnestly vpon so sweete a subiect which now being taken from you I presume your griefe is no lesse then your loue was the one of these being euer the measure of the other the Scripture moueth vs to bring forth our teares on the dead a thing not offending grace and a right to reason For to be without remorse in the death of friends is neither incident nor conuenient to the nature of man hauing too much affinitie to a sauage temper and ouerthrowing the ground of all piety which is a mutuall sympathie in each of others miseries but as not to feele sorrow in sorrowfull chances is to want sense so not to beare it with moderation is to want vnderstanding the one brutish the other effeminate and he hath cast his account best that hath brought his summe to the meane It is no lesse fault to exceede in sorrow then to passe the limits of competent mirth sith excesse in either is a disorder in passion though that sorrow of curtesie be lesse blamed of men because if it be a fault it is also a punishment at once causing and tasting torments It is no good signe in the sicke to be senslesse in his paines as bad it is to be vnusually sensitiue being both either herbingers or attendants of death Let sadnes sith it is a due to the dead testifie a feeling of pitty not any pang of passion and bewray rather a tender then a deiected minde Mourne as that your friends may finde you a liuing brother all men a discreet mourner making sorrow a signell not a superiour of reason some are so obstinate in their owne will that euen time the naturall remedy of the most violent agonies cannot by any delayes asswage their griefe they entertaine their sorrow with solitary muses and feede their sighes and teares they pine their bodies and draw all pensiue consideration to their minds nursing their heauinesse with a melancholy humour as though they had vowed themselues to sadnesse vnwilling it should end till it had ended them wherein their folly sometimes findeth a ready effect that being true which Salomon obserued Pro 1.25 that as a moath the garment and a worme the wood so doth sadnesse perswade the heart But this impotent softnes fitteth not sober mindes We must not make a liues profession of a seuen nights duety nor vnder colour of kindnesse to other be vnnaturall to our selues if some in their passion ioyned their thoughts into such labyrinths that neither wit knoweth nor will careth how long or how farre they wander in them it discouereth their weakenesse but discerneth our meditation It is for the most the fault not of all but of the silliest women who next to the funerall of their friends deeme it a second widowhood to force their teares and make it their happinesse to seeme most vnhappy as though they
I can then discharge this account so shall I be either crowned in eternall ioy or condemned to perpetuall damnation Rules following of this Foundation FIrst I must vse all things in this life as another bodies goods for which I must be accountable to the vttermost farthing Secondly the more I haue the greater and harder will be mine account of the good vse thereof and therefore the more warie ought I to be in disposing of it Thirdly let me often consider what bodily ghostly and externall gifts of God I haue receiued what in baptisme and at other times I haue promised how profitable and necessarie good works I haue omitted how many grieuous and hainous sinnes I haue committed how often I haue lost the grace of God and my right to heauen Finally how much honour and how many soules I haue robbed from God And these things being well perused let me seeke to make that recompence satisfaction for them which I would wish to haue made when death shall summon me before my heauenly Iudge to giue a most strict account of them The fruite of these Foundations consisteth in the often considering of them as most necessarie points and as it were the very first principles of good life vpon the vnderstanding and practising whereof dependeth my progresse in vertue and therefore I must very often read them and examine my selfe whether my mind and actions be answerable vnto them How we ought to be affected towards God First of the consideration of Gods presence THese Foundations being laid it behooueth me further to descend to the notice of my dutie to God my neighbour and my selfe And first concerning my dutie vnto God a very fit meane I can vse to please him is to beare alway in mind his presence for sure it is that as God he is euery where in substance power and presence as in him I liue moue and am as the Scripture saith because he worketh with me in all my deeds thoughts and words in so much that as the beame of the Sunne the heate of the fier or the wetnesse of the water so depend I of God and should he but withdraw himselfe from me one moment I should forth with turne into nothing and therefore it is a very forcible meanes for my good to do all things as if I did see God visibly working with me in euery action as in truth he doth and knowing that what words thoughts or deeds soeuer passe me and what part of my bodie or mind soeuer I vse Gods concourse and helpe therunto is more then mine owne I must be afraid to vse them in any such thing wherein I might offend him but rather seeke to do all things so that they be worthy of his presence helpe and assistance in them and if I can get a custome or habite to remember still the presence and assistance of God as by vse easily I may I shall with due regard reuerence consideration abstaine from such behauiour as I thinke may be any way offensiue vnto him I shall also get a great facilitie in turning my mind and heart to him and in talking often with him by prayers which are the fuell of deuotion Other Affections that we ought to haue vnto God SEcondly I must endeuour to to kindle in my selfe these affections towards God The first Affection FIrst of a sincere and tender loue of him as the fountaine of all beautie and felicity of which loue I may ghesse by these signes By often thinking and an earnest desire of God by sorrow of his absence and contentment in consideration of his presence By my diligence in performing without delay or tediousnesse that which pleaseth best my Sauiour and by finding such comfort in doing it that it grieueth me when for things of lesse value and goodnesse I am enforced to deferre it By withdrawing all disordred loue from all creatures and especially my selfe and by louing nothing but in God and for God By seeking to increase this loue by consideration of Gods goodnesse and his daily benefit By taking delight in Gods seruice or things tending thereunto not because I finde contentment in it but because it is to Gods glorie to the which I would haue all things addressed By taking tribulations or troubles of body or minde patiently yea and with ioy knowing that they come by Gods permission and thinking them as fauours which he affoordeth to his dearest friends The second Affection THe second affection is a reuerent and dutifull feare of God which I may gather by these signes If when I remember the presence and maiestie of God I frame both my body and minde to reuerence and honour him with all humility and decency fearing lest by any vnseemely and light behauiour I should seeme to be contemptuous and carelesse of my dutie towards him If I finde great feare to do any thing that may displease God not onely mortally but euen venially and be withall â—â—â—y wâ—tchfull to auoide the least offâ—nce lest â—ny frailtie which is great should draw me to it and so to farther inconuenience If I feare to be banished from him or forsaken for my sinnes and endeuour what I may to preferre his loue and fauour towards me The third Affection THe third affection is zeale of Gods honour and desire that he should be duely serued and obeyed of all his creatures of which I may iudge by these signes First if I finde a griefe in my selfe and am heartily fory when I see or heare of other folkes faults or thinke on mine owne considering how by them a base and wretched creature dishonoreth and displeaseth his Creator in steade of him seruing his professed enemies the flesh the world and the diuell The second signe is an earnest desire to helpe my neighbour or mine owne soule out of sinne by praying for this effect and refusing no conuenient labour to accomplish the same so that my Lord God be no more or at least wise offended then before The fourth Affection THE fourth affection is to endeuour as neare as I can to take occasion of euery thing that I heare see or thinke of to praise God as if the things were good then to praise God that he gaue grace to do them and if the things were euill to thanke God that either he preserued me or others from them or at least hath not suffered me to continue still in them or to be in his wrath condemned for them Also I must consider and with my inward eye see God in euery creature how he worketh in all things to my benefit and weigh how in all creatures both within and without me he sheweth his presence by keeping them in their being and course of nature for without him they would presently turne to nothing and I must assure my selfe that in all this he hath as well regard to my good as to others and therefore all creatures must be as it were bookes to me to reade therein the loue presence prouidence and
silly Eue Heire to thy Fathers foyles and borne to grieue In Thabors ioyes I eager was to dwell An earnest friend while pleasures light did shine But when eclipsed glory prostrate fell These zealous heates to sleepe I did resigne And now my mouth hath thrice his name defil'd That cry'd so loude three dwellings there to build When Christ attending the distressefull hower With his surcharged breast did blesse the ground Prostrate in pangs rayning a bleeding shower Me like my selfe a drowsie friend he found Thrice in his care sleepe clos'd by carelesse eye Presage how him my tongue should thrice deny Parting from Christ my fainting force declin'd With lingring foot I followed him aloofe Base feare out of my heart his loue vnshrin'd Huge in high words but impotent in proofe My vaunts did seeme hatcht vnder Sampsons locks Yet womans words did giue me murdering knocks So farre luke warme desires in crazie loue Farre off in neede with feeble foot they traine In tides they swim low ebbes they scorne to proue They seeke their friends delights but shun their paine Hire of an hireling minde is earned shame Take now thy due beare thy begotten blame Ah coole remisnesse vertues quartaine feuer Pyning of loue consumption of grace Old in the cradle languor dying euer Soules wilfull famine sinnes soft stealing pace The vndermining euill of zealous thought Seeming to bring no harmes till all be brought O portresse of the doore of my disgrace Whose tongue vnlockt the truth of vowed minde Whose words from Cowards heart did courage chase And let in death-full feares my soule to blind O hadst thou beene the portresse to my toombe When thou wert portresse to that cursed roome Yet loue was loth to part feare loth to die Stay danger life did counterpleade their causes I fauouring stay and life bad danger flie But danger did except against these clauses Yet stay and liue I would and danger shunne And lost my selfe while I my verdict wonne I stayd yet did my staying farthest part I liu'd but so that sauing life I lost it Danger I shunn'd but to my sorer smart I gained nought but deeper dammage crost it What danger distance death is worse then this That runnes from God and spoyles his soule of blisse O Iohn my guide into this earthly hell Too well acquainted in so ill a Court Where rayling mouthes with blasphemies did swell With tainted breath infecting all resort Why didst thou leade me to this hell of euils To shew my selfe a Fiend among the Deuils Euill president the tide that wafts to vice Dumme-Orator that wooes with silent deeds Writing in workes lessons of ill aduice The doing tale that eye in practice reeds Taster of ioyes to vnacquainted hunger With leauen of the old seasoning the yonger It seemes no fault to do that all haue done The number of offenders hide the sinne Coach drawne with many horse doth easely runne Soone followeth one where multitudes begin O had I in that Court much stronger bin Or not so strong as first to enter in Sharpe was the weather in that stormy place Best suting hearts benum'd with hellish frost Whos 's crusted malice could admit no grace Where coales are kindled to the warmers cost Where feare my thoughts canded with ycie cold Heate did my tongue to periuries vnfold O hatefull fire ah that I neuer saw it Too hard my heart was frozen for thy force Farre hotter flames it did require to thaw it Thy hell-resembling heate did freeze it worse O that I rather had congeal'd to yce Then bought thy warmth at such a damning price O wakefull bird proclaimer of the day Whose piercing note doth daunt the Lions rage Thy crowing did my selfe to me bewray My frights and brutish heates it did asswage But ô in this alone vnhappy Cocke That thou to count my foyles wert made the clocke O bird the iust rebuker of my crime The faithfull waker of my sleeping feares Be now the daily clocke to strike the time When stinted eyes shall pay their taske of teares Vpbraid mine eares with thine accusing crow To make me rue that first it made me know O milde reuenger of aspiring Pride Thou canst dismount high thoughts to low effects Thou mad'st a Cocke me for my fault to chide My lofty boasts this lowly bird corrects Well might a Cocke correct me with a crowe Whom hennish cackling first did ouerthrowe Weake weapons did Goliahs fumes abate Whose storming rage did thunder threats in vaine His body huge harnest with massie plate Yet Dauids stone brought death into his braine With staffe and sling as to a dog he came And with contempt did boasting furie tame Yet Dauid had with Beare and Lion fought His skilfull might excus'd Goliahs foile The death is eas'd that worthy hand hath wrought Some honour liues in honorable spoile But I on whom all infamies must light Was hist to death with words of womans spight Small gnats enforst th' Egyptian King to stoupe Yet they in swarmes and arm'd with piercing stings Smart noyse annoyance made his courage droupe No small incombrance such small vermine brings I quaild at words that neither bit nor stong And those deliuerd from a womans tong Ah feare abortiue impe of drouping minde Selfe ouerthrowe false friend roote of remorse Sighted in seeing euils in shunning blinde Foyld without field by fancie not by force Ague of valour phrensie of the wise True honours staine loues frost the mint of lies Can vertue wisedome strength by women spild In Dauids Salomons and Sampsons falls With semblance of excuse my errour guild Or lend a marble glosse to muddy walls O no their fault had shew of some pretence No veyle can hide the shame of my offence The blaze of beauties beames allur'd their lookes Their lookes by seeing oft conceiued loue Loue by effecting swallowed pleasures hookes Thus beauty loue and pleasure them did moue These Syrens sugred tunes rockt them asleepe Inough to damne yet not to damne so deepe But gracious features dazled not mine eyes Two homely Droyles were authors of my death Not loue but feare my senses did surprize Not feare of force but feare of womans breath And those vnarm'd ill grac'd despis'd vnknowne So base a blast my truth hath ouerthrowne O women woe to men traps for their falls Still actors in all Tragicall mischances Earths necessary euils captiuing thralls Now murdering with your tongues now with your glances Parents of life and loue spoylers of both The theeues of hearts false do you loue or loth In time O Lord thine eyes with mine did meete In them I read the ruines of my fall Their cheering rayes that made misfortune sweet Into my guilty thoughts powrd flouds of gall Their heauenly lookes that blest where they beheld Darts of disdaine and angrie checks did yeeld O sacred eyes the springs of liuing light The earthly heauens where Angels ioy to dwell How could you deigne to view my deathfull plight Or let your heauenly beames looke on my hell But
those vnspotted eyes encountred mine As spotlesse Sunne doth on the dunghill shine Sweet volumes stor'd with learning fit for Saints Where blisfull quires imparadize their mindes Wherein eternall study neuer faints Still finding all yet seeking all it findes How endlesse is your labyrinth of blisse Where to be lost the sweetest finding is Ah wretch how oft haue I sweet lessons read In those deare eyes the registers of truth How oft haue I my hungry wishes fed And in their happy ioyes redrest my ruth Ah that they now are Heralds of disdaine That erst were euer pitiers of my paine You flames diuine that sparkle out your heates And kindle pleasing fires in mortall hearts You Nectar'd Aumbries of soule feeding meates You gracefull quiuers of loues dearest darts You did vouchsafe to warme to wound to feast My cold my stony my now famisht breast The matchlesse eyes matcht onely each by other Were pleas'd on my ill matched eyes to glance The eye of liquid pearle the purest mother Broch't teares in mine to weepe for my mischance The cabinets of grace vnlockt their treasure And did to my misdeed their mercies measure These blazing Comets lightning flames of loue Made me their warming influence to know My frozen heart their sacred force did proue Which at their lookes did yeeld like melting snow They did not ioyes in former plentie carue Yet sweet are crums where pined thoughts do starue O liuing mirrours seeing whom you shew Which equall shadowes worths with shadowed things Yea make things nobler then in natiue hew By being shap't in those life-giuing springs Much more my image in those eyes were grac't Then in my selfe whom sinne and shame defac't All-seeing eyes more worth then all you see Of which one is the others onely price I worthlesse am direct your beames on me With quickning vertue cure my killing vice By seeing things you make things worth the sight You seeing salue and being seene delight O Pooles of Hesebon the baths of grace Where happy spirits dine in sweet desires Where Saints delight to glasse their glorious face VVhose bankes make Eccho to the Angels quires An Eccho sweeter in the sole rebound Then Angels musicke in the fullest sound O eyes whose glances are a silent speech In cipherd words high mysteries disclosing Which with a looâ—e all Sciences can teach Whose texts to faithfull hearts need little glosing Witnesse vnworthy I who in a looke Learn'd more by rote then all the Scribes by booke Though malice still possest their hardned minds I though too hard learn'd softnesse in thine eye Which yron knots of stubburne will vnbinds Offring them loue that loue with loue will buy This did I learne yet they could not discerne it But wo that I had now such need to learne it O Sunnes all but your selues in light excelling Whose presence day whose absence causeth night Whose neighbour course brings Sommer cold expelling Whose distant periods freeze away delight Ah that I lost your bright and fostering beames To plonge my soule in these congealed streames O gracious Spheres where loue the Center is A natiue place for our selfe-loaden soules The compasse loue a cope that none can misse The motion loue that round about vs roules O Spheres of loue whose Center cope and motion Is loue of vs loue that inuites deuotion O little worlds the summes of all the best Where glory heauen God sunne all vertues starres Where fire a loue that next to heauen doth rest Ayre light of life that no distemper marres The water grace whose seas whose springs whose showers Cloth natures earth with euerlasting flowers What mixtures these sweet Elements do yel'd Let happy worldlings of those worlds expound But simples are by compounds farre exceld Both sute a place where all best things abound And if a banisht wretch ghesse not amisse All but one compound frame of perfect blisse I out-cast from these worlds exiled rome Poore Saint from heauen from fire cold Salamander Lost fish from those sweet waters kindly home From land of life stray'd Pilgrime still I wander I know the cause these worlds had neuer hell In which my faults haue best deseru'd to dwell O Bethlem cesterns Dauids most desire From which my sinnes like fierce Philistims keepe To fetch your drops what Champion should I hire That I therein my withered heart may steepe I would not shead them like that holy King His were but types these are the figured thing O Turtle twinnes all bath'd in Virgins milke Vpon the margine of full flowing banks Whose gracefull plume surmounts the finest silke Whose sight enamoureth heauens most happy ranks Could I forsweare this heauenly payre of Doues That cag'd in care for me were groning loues Twise Moses wand did strike the stubburne Rocke Ere stony veines would yeeld their chrystall bloud Thy eies one looke seru'd as an onely knocke To make mine heart gush out a weeping floud Wherein my sinnes as fishes spawne their frie To shew their inward shames and then to die But ô how long demurre I on his eyes Whose looke did pierce my heart with healing wound Launcing impostum'd sore of periur'd lyes Which these two issues of mine â—yes haue found Where runne it must till death the issues stop And penall life hath purg'd the finall drop Like solest Swan that swims in silent deepe And neuer sings but obsequies of death Sigh out thy plaints and sole in secret weepe In suing pardon spend thy periur'd breath Attire thy soule in sorrowes mourning weed And at thine eyes let guilty conscience bleed Still in the Limbecke of thy dolefull brest These bitter fruits that from thy sinnes do grow For fuell selfe accusing thoughts be best Vse feare as fire the coales let penance blow And seeke none other quintessence but teares That eyes may shead what entred at thine eares Come sorrowing teares the off-spring of my griefe Scant not your Parent of a needfull ayde In you I rest the hope of wisht reliefe By you my sinfull debts must be defrayd Your power preuailes your sacrifice is gratefull By loue obtaining life to men most hatefull Come good effects of ill-deseruing cause Ill gotten impes yet vertuously brought forth Selfe-blaming probates of infringed Lawes Yet blamed faults redeeming with your worth The signes of shame in you each eye may reade Yet while you guilty proue you pitty pleade O beames of mercy beate on sorrowes Clowd Proue suppling showers vpon my parched ground Bring forth the fruit to your due seruice vow'd Let good desires with like deserts be crown'd Water yong blooming vertues tender flowre Sinne did all grace of riper growth deuoure Weepe Balme and Myrrhe you sweet Arabian trees With purest gummes perfume and pearle your ryne Shead on your hony drops you busie Bees I barraine plant must weepe vnpleasant bryne Hornets I hyue salt drops their labour plyes Suckt out of sinne and shed by showring eyes If Dauid night by night did bathe his bed Esteeming longest dayes too short to moue Inconsolable teares if
Anna shed Who in her sonne her solace had forgone Then I to dayes and weekes to moneths and yeeres Do owe the hourely rent of stintlesse teares If loue if losse if fault if spotted fame If danger death if wrath or wreck of weale Entitle eyes true heyres to earned blame That due remorse in such euents conceale That want of teares might well enrole my name As chiefest Saint in Calendar of shame Loue where I lou'd was due and best deseru'd No loue could ayme at more loue-worthy mark No loue more lou'd then mine of him I seru'd Large vse he gaue a flame for euery sparke This loue I lost this losse a life must rue Yea life is short to pay the ruth is due I lost all that I had and had the most The most that will can wish or wit deuise I least perform'd that did most vainely boast I staynd my fame in most infamous wise What danger then death wrath or wreck can moue More pregnant cause of teares then this I proue If Adam sought a veyle to scarfe his sinne Taught by his fall to feare a scourging hand If men shall wish that hils should wrap them in When crimes in finall doome come to be scand What Mount what Caue what Center can conceale My monstrous fact which euen the birds reueale Come shame the liuery of offending minde The vgly shroud that ouer-shadoweth blame The mulct at which foule faults are iustly fin'd The dampe of sinne the common sluce of fame By which impostum'd tongues their humours purge Light shame on me I best deseru'd the scourge Cains murdring hand imbrude in brothers bloud More mercy then my impious tongue may craue He kild a riuall with pretence of good In hope Gods doubled loue alone to haue But feare so spoyld my vanquisht thoughts of loue That periur'd oathes my spitefull hate did proue Poore Agar from her pheere inforc't to flie Wandring in Barsabian wildes alone Doubting her child through helplesse drought would dye Laid it aloofe and set her downe to moue The heauens with prayers her lap with teares she fild A mothers loue in losse is hardly stild But Agar now bequeath thy teares to me Feares not effects did set a-floate thine eyes But wretch I feele more then was feard of thee Ah not my Sonne my soule it is that dies It dies for drought yet hath a spring in sight Worthy to die that would not liue and might Faire Absoloms foule faults compar'd with mine Are brightest sands to mud of Sodome Lakes High aymes yong spirits birth of royall line Made him play false where Kingdoms were the stakes He gaz'd on golden hopes whose lustre winnes Sometime the grauest wits to grieuous sinnes But I whose crime cuts off the least excuse A Kingdome lost but hop't no mite of gaine My highest marke was but the worthlesse vse Of some few lingring howers of longer paine Vngratefull child his Parent he pursude I Gyants warre with God himselfe renude Ioy infant Saints whom in the tender flower A happy storme did free from feare of sinne Long is their life that die in blisfull hower Ioyfull such ends as endlesse ioyes begin Too long they liue that liue till they be nought Life sau'd by sinne base purchase dearely bought This lot was mine your fate was not so fearce Whom spotlesse death in Cradle rockt asleepe Sweet Roses mixt with Lillies strew'd your hearce Death Virgine white in Martyrs red did steepe Your downy heads both Pearles and Rubies crown'd My hoary locks did female feares confound You bleating Ewes that wayle this woluish spoyle Of sucking Lambs new bought with bitter throwes T'inbalme your babes your eyes distill their oyle Each heart to tombe her child wide rupture showes Rue not their death whom death did but reuiue Yeeld ruth to me that liu'd to die aliue With easie losse sharpe wrecks did he eschew That Sindonlesse aside did naked slip Once naked grace no outward garment knew Rich are his robes whom sinne did neuer strip I rich in vaunts displaid prides fairest flags Disrob'd of grace am wrapt in Adams rags When traytor to the sonne in Mothers eyes I shall present my humble sute for grace What blush can paint the shame that will arise Or write my inward feeling in my face Might she the sorrow with the sinner see Though I despisde my griefe might pitied be But ah how can her eares my speech endure Or sent my breath still reeking hellish steeme Can mother like what did the Sonne abiure Or heart deflowr'd a Virgins loue redeeme The Mother nothing loues that Sonne doth loath Ah loathsome wretch detested of them both O sister Nymphes the sweet renowned paire That blesse Bethania bounds with your abode Shall I infect that sanctified ayre Or staine those steps where Iesus breath'd and trode No let your prayers perfume that sweetned place Turne me with Tygers to the wildest chase Could I reuiued Lazarus behold The third of that sweet Trinity of Saints Would not abstonisht dread my senses hold Ah yes my heart euen with his naming faints I seeme to see a messenger from hell That my prepared torments comes to tell O Iohn O Iames we made a triple cord Of three most louing and best louing friends My rotten twist was broken with a word Fit now to fuell fire among the Fiends It is not euer true though often spoken That triple twisted cord is hardly broken The dispossed Diuels that out I threw In IESVS name now impiously forsworne Triumph to see me caged in their mew Trampling my ruines with contempt and scorne My periuries were musicke to their dance And now they heape disdaines on my mischance Our Rocke say they is riuen O welcome howre Our Eagles wings are clipt that wrought so hie Our thundring Cloud made noise but cast no showre He prostrate lies that would haue seal'd the skie In womans tongue our runner found a rub Our Cedar now is shrunke into a shrub These scornefull words vpraid my inward thought Proofes of their damned prompters neighbours voice Such vgly guests still wait vpon the nought Fiends swarme to soules that swarue from vertues choice For breach of plighted truth this true I try Ah that my deed thus gaue my word the lie Once and but once too deare a once to twice it A heauen in earth Saints neere my selfe I saw Sweet was the sight but sweeter loues did spice it But sights and loues did my misdeed withdraw From heauen and Saints to hell and Deuils estrang'd Those sights to frights those loues to hates are chang'd Christ as my God was templed in my thought As man he lent mine eyes their dearest light But sinne his temple hath to ruine brought And now he lightneth terrour from his sight Now of my late vnconsecrate desires Profaned wretch I taste the earned hires Ah sinne the nothing that doth all things file Out-cast from heauen earths curse the cause of hell Parent of death author of our exile The wrecke of soules the wares that
Fiends do sell That men to monsters Angels turne to Deuils Wrong of all rights selfe ruine roote of euils A thing most done yet more then God can do Daily new done yet neuer done amisse Friended of all yet vnto all a foe Seeming an heauen yet banishing from blisse Serued with toyle yet paying nought but paine Mans deepest losse though false esteemed gaine Shot without noise wound without present smart First seeming light prouing in fine a lode Entring with ease not easily wonne to part Farre in effects from that the showes abode Endorc't with hope subscribed with dispaire Vgly in death though life did faine it faire O forfeiture of heauen eternall debt A moments ioy ending in endlesse fires Our natures scum the worlds entangling Net Night of our thoughts death of all good desires Worse then all this worse then all tongues can say Which man could owe but onely God defray This fawning Viper dum till he had wounded With many mouthes doth now vpbraid my harmes My sight was veild till I my selfe confounded Then did I see the disinchanted charmes Then could I cut th' Anatomy of sinne And search with Linxes eyes what lay within Bewitching euill that hides death in deceits Still borrowing lying shapes to maske thy face Now know I the deciphring of thy sleights A cunning dearely bought with losse of grace Thy sugred poyson now hath wrought so well That thou hast made me to my selfe an hell My eye reades mournfull lessons to my heart My heart doth to my thought the griefe expound My thought the same doth to my tongue impart My tongue the message in the eares doth sound My eares backe to my heart their sorrowes send Thus circling griefes runne round without an end My guilty eye still seemes to see my sinne All things Characters are to spell my fall What eye doth reade without heart rues within What heart doth rue to pensiue thought is gall Which when the thought would by the tongue digest The eare conueyes it backe into the breast Thus gripes in all my parts do neuer faile Whose onely league is now in bartring paines What I ingrosse they traffique by retaile Making each others miseries their gaines All bound for euer prentices to care Whilst I in shop of shame trade sorrowes ware Pleasd with displeasing lot I seeke no change I wealthiest am when richest in remorse To fetch my ware no Seas nor Lands I range For customers to buy I nothing force My home bred goods at home are bought and sold And still in me my interest I hold My comfort now is comfortlesse to liue In Orphan state deuoted to mishap Rent from the roote that sweetest fruit did giue I scorn'd to graffe in stock of meaner sap No iuyce can ioy me but of Iesses flower Whose heauenly roote hath true reuiuing power At sorrowes doore I knockt they crau'd my name I answered One vnworthy to be knowne What one say they One worthiest of blame But who A wretch not Gods nor yet his owne A man O no a beast much worse What creature A rocke How cald the rocke of scandale Peter From whence From Caiphas house Ah dwell you there Sinnes farme I rented there but now would leaue it What rent My soule What gaine Vnrest and feare Deare purchase Ah too deare will you receiue it What shall we giue Fit teares and times to plaine me Come in say they thus griefes did entertaine me With them I rest true prisoner in their Iayle Chayn'd in the yron linkes of basest thrall Till grace vouchsafing captiue soule to bayle In wonted See degraded loues install Dayes passe in plaints the night without repose I wake to sleepe I sleepe in waking woes Sleepe deaths ally obliuion of teares Silence of passiions balme of angry sore Suspence of loues security of feares Wraths lenitiue hearts ease stormes calmest shore Senses and soules repriuall from all cumbers Benumming sense of ill with quiet slumbers Not such my sleepe but whisperer of dreames Creating strange Chymeras fayning frights Of day discourses giuing fansie theames To make dum shewes with worlds of anticke sights Casting true griefes in fansies forged mold Brokenly telling tales rightly fore-told This sleepe most fitly suiteth sorrowes bed Sorrow the smart of euill Sinnes eldest child Best when vnkind in killing whom it bred A racke for guilty thoughts a bit for wild The scourge that whips the salue that cures offence Sorrow my bed and home while life hath sence Here solitarie Muses nurse my griefes In silent lonenesse burying worldly noise Attentiue to rebukes deafe to reliefes Pensiue to foster cares carelesse of ioyes Ruing lifes losse vnder deaths dreary roofes Solemnizing my funerall behoofes A selfe content the shrowd my soule the corse The Beere an humble hope the herse-clorh feare The mourners thoughts in blacks of deepe remorse The herse grace pitie loue and mercy beare My â—eares my dole the Priest a zealous will Penance the tombe and dolefull sighes the knill Christ health of feuer'd soule heauen of the mind Force of the feeble nurse of infant loues Guide to the wandring foote light to the blind Whom weeping windes repentant sorrow moues Father in care mother in tender heart Reuiue and saue me slaine with sinfull dart If King Manasses sunke in depth of sinne With plaints and teares recouered grace and Crowne A worthlesse worme some mild regard may winne And lowly creepe where flying threw it downe A poore desire I haue to mend my ill I should I would I dare not say I will I dare not say I will but wish I may My pride is checkt high words the speaker spilt My good ô Lord thy gift thy strength my stay Giue what thou bidst and then bid what thou wilt Worke with me what of me thou doest request Then will I dare the most and vow the best Prone looke crost armes bent knee and contrite heart Deepe sighs thicke sobs dew'd eyes and postrate prayers Most humbly beg release of earned smart And sauing shrowd in mercies sweet repaires If iustice should my wrongs with rigor wage Feares would dispaires ruth breed a hopelesse rage Lazar at pitties gate I vlcered lye Crauing the reffuse crums of childrens plate My sores I lay in view to mercies eye My rags beare witnesse of my poore estate The wormes of conscience that within me swarme Proue that my plaints are lesse then is my harme With mildnesse Iesu measure mine offence Let true remorse thy due reuenge abate Let teares appease when trespasse doth incense Let pitty temper thy deserued hate Let grace forgiue let loue forget my fall With feare I craue with hope I humbly call Redeeme my lapse with ransome of thy loue Trauerse th' inditement rigors doome suspend Let frailty fauour sorrowes succour moue Be thou thy selfe though changeling I offend Tender my suite cleanse this defiled denne Cancell my debts sweet Iesu say Amen The end of S. Peters Complaint MARIE MAGdalens blush THe signes of shame that staine my blushing face Rise from
sees that speech could not amend Yet higher powers must thinke though they repine When Sunne is set the little starres will shine While Pike doth range the silly Tench doth fly And crouch in priuy creekes with smaller fish Yet Pikes are caught when little fish go by These fleete aflote while those do fill the dish There is a time euen for the wormes to creepe And sucke the deaw while all their foes do sleepe The Marline cannot euer soare on high Nor greedy Grey-houn still pursue the chase The tender Larke will finde a time to fly And fearefull Hate to runne a quiet race He that high growth on Cedars did bestow Gaue also lowly Mushrumps leaue to grow In Hamans pompe poore Mardocheus wept Yet God did turne his fate vpon his foe The Lazar pinde while Diues feast was kept Yet he to heauen to hell did Diues go We trample grasse and prize the flowers of May Yet grasse is greene when flowers do fade away The Natiuitie of Christ BEhold the Father is his daughters sonne The bird that built the nest is hatcht therein The old of yeares an howre hath not out-runne Eternall life to liue doth now beginne The Word is duâ— the mirth of heauen doth weepe Might feeble is and force doth faintly creepe O dying soules behold your liuing spring O dazled eyes behold your Sunne of grace Dull eares attend what word this Word doth bring Vp heauy hearts with ioy your ioy embrace From death from darke from deafnesse from dispaires This life this light this Word this ioy repaires Gift better then himselfe God doth not know Gift better then his God no man can see This gift doth here the giuer giuen bestow Gift to this gift let each receiuer be God is my gift himselfe he freely gaue me Gods gift am I and none but God shall haue me Man altered was by sinne from man to beast Beasts food is hay hay is all mortall flesh Now God is flesh and lyes in Manger prest As hay the brutest sinner to refresh O happy field wherein this fodder grew Whose taste doth vs from beasts to men renew Christs Childhood TIll twelue yeares age how Christ his childhood spent All earthly pens vnworthy were to write Such acts to mortall eyes he did present Whose worth not men but Angels must recite No natures blots no childish faults defilde Where grace was guide and God did play the child In springing locks lay couched hoary wit In semblance yong a graue and ancient port In lowly lookes high maiesty did sit In tender tongue sound sence of sagest sort Nature imparted all that she could teach And God suppli'd where Nature could not reach His mirth of modest meane a mirrour was His sadnesse tempered with a milde aspect His eye to try each action was a glasse Whose lookes did good approue and bad correct His Natures gifts his grace his word and deed Well shewed that all did from a God proceed A Childe my Choice LEt folly praise that fancie loues I praise and loue that child Whose heart no thought whose tongue no word whose hand no deed defil'd I praise him most I loue him best all praise and loue is his While him I loue in him I liue and cannot liue amisse Loues sweetest marke laudes highest Theame mans most desired light To loue him life to leaue him death to liue in him delight He mine by gift I his by debt thus each to other's due First friend he was best friend he is all times will trie him true Though yong yet wise though small yet strong though man yet God he is As wise he knowes as strong he can as God he loues to blisse His knowledge rules his strength defends his loue doth cherish all His birth our ioy his life our light his death our end of thrall Alas he weepes he sighs he pants yet do his Angels sing Out of his teares his sighes and throbs doth bud a ioyfull Spring Almightie Babe whose tender armes can force all foes to fly Correct my faults protect my life direct me when I die Content and rich I Dwell in Graces Court Enrich with Vertues rights Faith guides my wit Loue leades my will Hope all my minde delights In lowly vales I mount To pleasures highest pitch My silly shroud true Honour brings My poore estate is rich My conscience is my Crowne Contented thoughts my rest My heart is happy in it selfe My blisse is in my breast Enough I reckon wealth A meane the surest lot That lyes too high for base contempt Too low for Enuies shot My wishes are but few All easie to fulfill I make the limits of my power The bounds vnto my will I haue no hopes but one Which is of heauenly raigne Effects attaind or not desir'd All lower hopes refrainâ— I feele no care of coyne Well-doing is my wealth My mind to me an Empire is While grace affoordeth health I clyp high-climing thoughts The wings of swelling pride Their fall is worst that from the height Of greater honour slide Sith sayles of largest size The storme doth soonest teare I beare so low and small a sayle As freeth me from feare I wrastle not with rage While furies flame doth burne It is in vaine to stop the streame Vntill the tide doth turne But when the flame is out And ebbing wrath doth end I turne a late enraged foe Into a quiet friend And taught with often proofe A tempered calme I finde To be most solace to it selfe Best cure for angrie minde Spare dyet is my fare My clothes more fit then fine I know I feede and clothe a foe That pamp'red would repine I enuie not their hap Whom fauour doth aduance I take no pleasure in their paine That haue lesse happie chance To rise by others fall I deeme a losing gaine All states with others ruines built To ruine runne amaine No change of Fortunes calmes Can cast my comforts downe When Fortune smiles I smile to thinke how quickly she will frowne And when in froward moode She proou'd an angrie so Small gaine I found to let her come Lesse losse to let her go Losse in delayes SHun delayes they breed remorse Take thy time while time doth serue thee Creeping Snayles haue weakest force Flie their fault lest thou repent thee Good is best when soonest wrought Lingring labours come to nought Hoyse vp sayle while gale doth last Tide and winde stay no mans pleasure Seeke not time when time is past Sober speed is Wisedomes leisure After-wits are dearely bought Let thy fore-wit guide thy thought Time weares all his locks before Take thou hold vpon his forehead When he flies he turnes no more And behind his scalpe is naked Workes adiourn'd haue many stayes Long demurres breed new delayes Seeke thy salue while sore is greene Festered wounds aske deeper launcing After-cures are seldome seene Often sought scarce euer chancing Time and place giues best aduice Out of season out of price Crush the Serpent in the head Breake ill
egges ere they be hatched Kill bad Chickins in the tread Fligge they hardly can be catched In the rising stifle ill Lest it grow against thy will Drops do pierce the stubburne Flint Not by force but often falling Custome kils with feeble dint More by vse then strength preuailing Single sands haue little waight Many make a drowning fraight Tender twigs are bent with ease Aged trees do breake with bending Yong desires make little prease Growth doth make them past amending Happie man that soone doth knocke Babels Babes against the rocke Loue seruile Lot LOue Mistresse is of many minds Yet few know whom they serue They reckon least how little Loue Their seruice doth deserue The will she robbeth from the wit The sense from reasons lore Shee is delightfull in the ryne Corrupted in the core She shrowdeth vice in Vertues veile Pretending good in ill She offereth ioy affoordeth griefe A kisse where she doth kill A hony showre raines from her lips Sweet lights shine in her face She hath the blush of Virgine mind The minde of Vipers race She makes thee seeke yet feare to find To find but none enioy In many frownes some gliding smiles She yeelds to more annoy She wooes thee to come neare her fire Yet doth she draw it from thee Farre off she makes thy heart to fry And yet to freeze within thee She letteth fall some luring baits For fooles to gather vp Too sweet too sowre to euerie tast She tempereth her cup. Soft soules she binds in tender twist Small Flyes in spinners webbe She sets aflote some luring streames But makes them soone to ebbe Her watrie eyes haue burning force Her flouds and flames conspire Teares kindle sparkes sobs fuell are And sighs do blow her fire May neuer was the Month of loue For May is full of flowers But rather Aprill wet by kind For loue is full of showers Like Tyrant cruell wounds she giues Like Surgeon salue she lends But salue and sore haue equall force For death is both their ends With soothing words enthralled soules She chaines in seruile bands Her eye in silence hath a speech Which eye best vnderstands Her little sweet hath many sowres Short hap immortall harmes Her louing lookes are murdrings darts Her songs bewitching charmes Like Winter Rose and Sommer Ice Her ioyes are still vntimely Before her hope behind remorse Faire first in fine vnseemely Moodes passions fancies iealous fits Attend vpon her traine She yeeldeth rest without repose A Heauen in hellish paine Her house is sloth her doore deceit And slipperie hope her staires Vnbashfull boldnesse bids her guests And euerie vice repaires Her dyet is of such delights As please till they be past But then the poyson kils the heart That did entice the taste Her sleepe in sinne doth end in wrath Remorse rings her awake Death cals her vp shame driues her out Despaires her vpshot make Plow not the Seas sow not the sands Leaue off your idle paine Seeke other mistresse for your mindes Loues seruice is in vaine Life is but Losse BY force I liue in will I wish to dye In plaint I passe the length of lingring dayes Free would my soule from mortall bodie fly And tread the tracke of Deaths desired wayes Life is but losse where death is deemed gaine And lothed pleasures breed displeasing paine Who would not dye to kill all murdering greeues Or who would liue in neuer-dying feares Who would not wish his treasure safe from Theeues And quit his heart from pangs his eyes from teares Death parteth but two euer fighting foes Whose ciuill strife doth worke our endlesse woes Life is a wandring course to doubtfull rest As oft a cursed rise to damning leape As happie race to winne a heauenly crest None being sure what finall fruits to reape And who can like in such a life to dwell Whose wayes are strait to Heauen but wide to Hell Come cruell death why lingrest thou so long What doth withhold thy dint from fatall stroke Now prest I am alas thou doest me wrong To let me liue more anger to prouoke Thy right is bad when thou hast stopt my breath Why should'd thou stay to worke my bouble death If Sauls attempt in falling on his blade As lawfull were as ethe to put in vre If Sampsons leaue a common Law were made Of Abels lot if all that would were sure Then cruell death thou should'st the Tyrant play With none but such as wished for delay Where life is lou'd thou readie art to kill And to abridge with sodaine pangs their ioy Where life is loath'd thou wilt not worke their will But dost adiourne their death to their annoy To some thou art a fierce vnbidden guest But those that craue thy helpe thou helpest least Auant oh viper I thy spite defie There is a God that ouer-rules thy force Who can thy weapons to his will apply And shorten or prolong our brittle course I on his mercie not thy might relye To him I liue for him I hope to dye I dye aliue O Life what lets thee from a quicke decease O death what drawes thee from a present prey My feast is done my soule would be at ease My grace is said O Death come take away I liue but such a life as euer dyes I dye but such a death as neuer ends My death to end my dying life denies And life my liuing death no whit amends Thus still I dye yet still I do reuiue My liuing death by dying life is fed Grace more then Nature keepes my heart aliue Whose idle hopes and vaine desires are dead Not where I breathe but where I loue I liue Not where I loue but where I am I dye The life I wish must future glorie giue The deaths I feele in present dangers lye What ioy to liue I Wage no warre yet peace I none enioy I hope I feare I frye in freezing cold I mourne in mirth still prostrate in annoy I all the World imbrace yet nothing hold All wealth is want where chiefest wishes faile Yea life is loath'd where loue may not preuaile For that I loue I long but that I lacke That others loue I loath and that I haue All worldly fraights to me are deadly wracke Men present hap I future hopes do craue They louing where they liue long life require To liue where best I loue death I desire Here loue is lent for loue of filthie gaine Most friends befriend themselues with friendships shew Here plentie perill want doth breed disdaine Cares common are ioyes faultie short and few Here Honour enuide meannesse is despis'd Sinne deemed solace Vertue little pris'd Here beauty is a baite that swallowed choakes A treasure sought still to the owners harmes A light that eyes to murdring sights prouokes A grace that soules inchants with mortall charmes A luring ayme to Cupids fierie flights A balefull blisse that damnes where it delights O who would liue so many deaths to trie Where will doth wish that wisedome doth reproue
am no thrall I burie not my thoughts in mettall Mines I ayme not at such fame as feareth fall I seeke and finde a light that euer-shines Whose glorious beames display such heauenly sights As yeeld my soule a summe of all delights My light to loue my loue to life doth guide To life that liues by loue and loueth light By loue to one to whom all loues are tyed By duest debt and neuer equall right Eyes light hearts loue soules truest life he is Consorting in three ioyes one perfect blisse A FANCY TVRNED to a Sinners Complaint HE that his mirth hath lost Whose comfort is to rue Whose hope is fallen whose faith is cras'd Whose trust is found vntrue If he haue held them deare And cannot ceasse to mone Come let him take his place by me He shall not rue alone But if the smallest sweete Be mixt with all his sowre If in the day the moneth the yeare He feele one lightning howre Then rest he with himselfe He is no mate for me Whose time in teares whose race in ruth Whose life a death must be Yet not the wished death That feeles no paine or lacke That making free the better part Is onely Natures wracke O no that were too well My death is of the minde That alwaies yeeld extreamest pangs Yet threatens worse behinde As one that liues in shew And inwardly doth dye Whose knowledge is a bloudy field Where Vertue slaine doth lye Whose heart the Altar is And hoast a God to moue From whom my ill doth feare reuenge His good doth promise loue My Fansies are like thornes In which I go by night My frighted wits are like an hoast That force hath put to flight My sense is passions spye My thoughts like ruines old Which shew how faire the building was While grace did it vphold And still before mine eyes My mortall fall they lay Whom grace and vertue once aduanc't Now sinne hath cast away O thoughts no thoughts but wounds Sometime the Seate of ioy Sometime the store of quiet rest But now of all annoy I sow'd the soyle of peace My blisse was in the spring And day by day the fruit I eate That Vertues tree did bring To Nettles now my corne My field is turn'd to flint Where I a heauy haruest reape Of cares that neuer stint The peace the rest the life That I enioyd of yore Were happy lot but by their losse My smart doth sting the more So to vnhappy men The best frames to the worst O time ô place where thus I fell Deare then but now accurst In was stands my delight In is and shall my wo My horrour fastned in the yea My hope hangs in the no. Vnworthy of reliefe That craued is too late Too late I finde I finde too well Too well stood my estate Behold such is the end That pleasure doth procure Of nothing else but care and plaint Can she the minde assure Forsaken first by grace By pleasure now forgotten Her paine I feele but graces wage Haue others from me gotten Then grace where is the ioy That makes thy torments sweet Where is the cause that many thought Their deaths through thee but meet Where thy disdaine of sinne Thy secret sweet delight Thy sparkes of blisse thy heauenly ioyes That shined erst so bright O that they were not lost Or I could it excuse O that a dreame of fained losse My iudgement did abuse Or fraile inconstant flesh Soone trapt in euery ginne Soone wrought thus to betray thy soule And plonge thy selfe in sinne Yet hate I but the fault And not the faulty one Ne can I rid from me the mate That forceth me to moane To moane a sinners case Then which was neuer worse In Prince or poore in yong or old In blest or full of curse Yet Gods must I remaine By death by wrong by shame I cannot blot out of my heart That grace writ in his name I cannot set at nought Whom I haue held so deere I cannot make him seeme afarre That is in deed so neere Not that I looke hence-forth For loue that earst I found Sith that I brake my plighted truth To build on fickle ground Yet that shall neuer faile Which my faith bare in hand I gaue my vow my vow gaue me Both vow and gift shall stand But since that I haue sinn'd And scourge none is too ill I yeeld me captiue to my curse My hard fate to fulfill The solitary Wood My City shall become The darkest dennes shall be my Lodge In which I rest or come A sandy plot my boord The wormes my feast shall be Where-with my carkasse shall be fed Vntill they feed on me My teares shall be my wine My bed a craggy Rocke My harmony the Serpents hisse The screeching Owle my clocke My exercise remorse And dolefull sinners layes My booke remembrance of my crimes And faults of former dayes My walke the path of plaint My prospect into hell Where Iudas and his cursed crue In endlesse paines do dwell And though I seeme to vse The faining Poets stile To figure forth my carefull plight My fall and my exile Yet is my griefe not fain'd Wherein I starue and pine Who feeles the most shall thinke it least If his compare with mine Dauids Peccaui IN Eaues sole Sparrow sits not more alone Nor mourning Pellican in Desart wilde Then silly I that solitary mone From highest hopes to hardest hap exilde Sometime ô blissefull time was vertues meede Ayme to my thoughts guide to my word and deede But feares are now my Pheeres griefe my delight My teares my drinke my famisht thoughts my bread Day full of dumps Nurse of vnrest the night My garments gyues a bloudy field my bed My sleepe is rather death then deaths allye Yet kill'd with murd'ring pangs I cannot dye This is the chance of my ill changed choyse To pleasant tunes succeeds a playning voice The dolefull eccho of my wayling minde Which taught to know the worth of vertues ioyes Doth hate it selfe for louing fancies toyes If wiles of wit had ouer-raught my will Or subtile traines misled my steppes awry My foyle had found excuse in want of skill Ill deed I might though not ill doome deny But wit and will must now confesse with shame Both deede and doome to haue deserued blame I Fansie deem'd fit guide to leade my way And as I deem'd I did pursue the tracke Wit lost his ayme and will was Fansies prey The Rebels wan the Rulers went to wracke But now sith Fansie did with folly end Wit bought with losse Will taught by wit will mend Sinnes heauie load O Lord my sinnes do ouer-charge thy brest The poyse thereof doth force thy knees to bow Yea flat thou fallest with my faults opprest And bloudie sweat runs trickling from thy brow But had they not to Earth thus pressed thee Much more they would in Hell haue pestred me This Globe of Earth doth thy one finger prop The world thou do'st within thy hand
me from my fall and grace my ruines did repaire Mans ciuill warre MY houering thoghts wold fly to heauē and quiet nestle in the skie Faine would my ship in vertues shore without remoue at anchor lie But mounted thoughts are hailed downe with heauie poise of mortall load And blustring stormes denie my ship in vertues hauen a sure aboad When inward eye to heauenly sights doth draw my longing hearts desire The world with guesses of delights would to her pearch my thoughts retire Fond fancie traines to pleasures lure though reason stiffely do repine Though reason woo me to the Saint yet sense would win me to the shrine Where wisedome loathes there fancy loues and ouer rules the captiue will Foes senses and to vertues lore they draw the wit their wish to fill Need craues consent of soule to sense yet diuers bents breeds ciuill fray Hard hap where halues must disagree or trust of halues the whole betray O cruell fight where fighting friend with loue doth kill a fauoring foe Where peace with sense is warre with God and selfe delight the seed of wo Dame pleasures drugges are steept in sin their sugred taste doth breed annoy O fickle sense beware her ginne sell not thy soule for brittle ioy Seeke flowers of heauen SO eare vp my soule vnto thy rest cast off this loathsome load Long is the date of thy exile too long the strickt abode Grace not on worldly withered weed it fitteth not thy taste The flowers of euerlasting spring do grow for thy repast Their leaues are staind in beauties die and blazed with their beames Their stalks enameld with delight and limbde with glorious gleames Life giuing iuice of liuing loue their sugred veines doth fill And watred with eternall showers they nectard drops distill These flowers do spring from fertile soile though from vnmanur'd field Most glittering gold in lieu of glebe these fragrant flowers do yeeld Whose soueraigne sent surpassing sense so rauisheth the mind That worldly weeds needs must he loath that can these flowers find FINIS MARIE MAGDALENS FVNERALL TEARES Ieremie Chap. 6. verse 26. Luctum vnigeniti fac tibi planctum amarum AN CHO RA. SPEI LONDON Printed for W. Barret To the worshipfull and vertuous Gentlewoman Mistresse D.A. YOur Vertuous requests to which your deserts gaue the force of a commandement won me to satisfie your deuotion in penning some little discourse of the blessed Mary Magdalene And among other glorious examples of this Saints life I haue made choice of her Funerall Teares in which as she most vttered the great vehemencie of her feruent loue to Christ so hath she giuen therein largest scope to dilate vpon the same a theame pleasing I hope vnto your selfe and fittest for this time For as passion and especially this of loue is in these dayes the chiefe commander of most mens actions and the Idol to which both tongues and pennes do sacrifice their ill bestowed labours so is there nothing now more needfull to be intreated than how to direct these humours vnto their due courses and to draw this floud of affections into the right chanel Passions I allow and loues I approue onely I would wish that men would alter their obiect and better their intent For passions being sequels of our nature and allotted vnto vs as the handmaides of reason there can be no doubt but that as their authour is good and their end godly so their vse tempered in the meane implyeth no offence Loue is but the infancie of true charitie yet sucking Natures teat and swathed in her bands which then groweth to perfection when faith besides naturall motiues proposeth higher and nobler grounds of amitie Hatred and anger are the necessarie officers of prowesse and iustice courage being cold and dull and Iustice in due reuenge slacke and carelesse where hate of the fault doth not make it odious and anger setteth not an edge on the sword that punisheth or preuenteth wrongs Desire and hope are the parents of diligence and industrie the nurses of perseuerance and constancie the seedes of valour magnanimitie the death of sloath and the breath of all vertue Feare and dislikes are the scoutes of discretion the harbingers of wisedome and pollicie killing idle repentance in the cradle and curbing rashnesse with deliberation Audacitie is the armour of strength and the guide of glorie breaking the Ice to the hardest exployts and crowning valour with honorable victorie Sorrow is the sister of mercie and a waker of compassion weeping with others teares grieued with their harmes It is both the salue and smart of sinne curing that which it chastiseth with true remorse preuenting need of new cure with the detestation of the disease Despaire of the successe is a bitte against euill attempts and the hearse of idle hopes ending endlesse things in their first motion to begin True ioy is the rest and reward of vertue seasoning difficulties with delight and giuing a present assay of future happinesse Finally there is no passion but hath a seruiceable vse either in pursuite of good or auoidance of euill and they are all benefits of God and helpes of nature so long as they are kept vnder vertues correction But as too much of the best is euill and excesse in vertue vice so passions let loose without limits are imperfections nothing being good that wanteth measure And as the sea is vnfit for trafficke not onely when the windes are too boysterous but also when they are too still and a middle gale and motion of the waues serueth best the saylers purpose So neither too stormy nor too calme a mind giueth Vertue the first course but a middle temper betweene them both in which the welordered passiōs are wrought to prosecute not suffered to peruert any vertuous endeuour Such were the passions of this holy Saint which were not guides to reason but attendants vpon it and commanded by such a loue as could neuer exceede because the thing loued was of infinite perfection And if her weaknesse of faith an infirmitie then common to all Christs disciples did suffer her vnderstanding to be deceiued yet was her will so setled in a most sincere and perfect loue that it led all her passions with the same byas recompencing the want of beliefe with the strange effects of an excellent charitie This loue and these passions are the subiect of this discourse which though it reach not to the dignitie of Maries deserts yet shall I think my indeuours well appayd if it may but woo some skilfuller pennes from vnworthy labors either to supply in this matter my want of ability or in other of like pietie whereof the Scripture is full to exercise their happier talents I know that none can expresse a passion that he feeleth not neither doth the penne deliuer but what it copieth out of the minde And therefore the finest wits are now giuen to write passionate discourses I would wish them to make choise of such passions as it neither should be
principall fauorits of the parent of all wisedome Or if notwithstanding the danger there had bene iust cause to encounter it were not two together being both to Christ sworne champions each to other affected friends and to all his enemies professed foes more likely to haue preuailed than one feminine heart timorous by kind and already amazed with this dreadfull accident But alas why do I vrge her with reason whose reason is altered into loue that iudgeth it folly to follow such reason as should any way impaire her loue Her thoughts were arrested by euery thread of Christs Sindon and she was captiue to so many prisons as the tombe had memories of her lost master Loue being her Iaylor in them all and nothing able to ransome her but the recouery of her Lord. What maruaile then though the Apostles examples drew her not away whom so violent a loue enforced to remaine which prescribing lawes both to wit and will is guided by no other law but it selfe She could not thinke of any feare nor stand in feare of any force Loue armed her against all hazards and being already wounded wtih the greatest griefe she had no leisure to remember any lesser euill Yea she had forgotten all things and her selfe among all things onely mindfull of him whom she loued aboue all things And yet her loue by reason of her losse drowned both her mind and memory so deepe in sorrow and so busied her wits in the conceit of his absence that all remembrance of his former promises was diuerted with the throng of present discomforts and she seemed to haue forgotten also him besides whom she remembred nothing For doubtlesse had she remembred him as shee should shee would not haue now thought the tombe a fit place to seeke him neither would she mourne for him as dead and remoued by others force but ioy in him as reuiued and risen by his own power For he had often foretold both the manner of his death and the day of his Resurrection But alas let her heauinesse excuse her and the vnwontednesse of the miracle pleade her pardon sith dread amazement hath dulled her senses distempered her thoughts discouraged her hopes awaked her passions and left her no other liberty but onely to weepe She wept therefore being onely able to weepe And as she was weeping she stouped downe and looked into the Monument and she saw two Angels in white sitting one at the head and another at the feet where the body of Iesus had bene layd They said vnto her Woman why weepest thou Iohn 20. O Mary thy good hap exceedeth thy hope and where thy last sorrow was bred thy first succour springeth Thou diddest seeke but one and thou hast found two A dead body was thy errand and thou hast light vpon two aliue Thy weeping was for a man and thy teares haue obtained Angels Suppresse now thy sadnesse and refresh thy heart with this good fortune These Angels inuite thee to a parley they seeme to take pitty of thy case and it may be they haue some happy tidings to tell thee Thou hast hitherto sought in vaine as one either vnseene or vnknowne or at the least vnregarded sith the party thou seekest neither tendereth thy teares nor answereth thy cryes nor relenteth with thy lamentings Either he doth not heare or he will not helpe he hath paraduenture left to loue thee and is loth to yeeld thee reliefe and therefore take such comfort as thou findest sith thou art not so lucky as to finde that which thou couldest wish Remember what they are where they sit from whence they come and to whom they speake They are Angels of peace neither sent without cause nor seene but of fauour They sit in the tombe to shew that they are no strangers to thy losse They come from heauen from whence all happy news descendeth They speake to thy selfe as though they had some speciall embassage to deliuer vnto thee Aske them therefore of thy master for they are likeliest to returne thee a desired answer Thou knewest him too well to thinke that hell hath deuoured him thou hast long sought and hast not found him on earth and what place so fit for him as to be in heauen Aske therefore of those Angels that came newly from thence and it may be their report will highly please thee Or if thou art resolued to continue thy seeking who can better helpe thee than they that are as swift as thy thought as faithfull as thine owne heart and as louing to thy Lord as thou thy felfe Take therefore thy good hap lest it be taken away from thee and content thee with Angels sith thy master hath giuen thee ouer But alas what meaneth this change and how happeneth this strange alteration The time hath bene that fewer teares would haue wrought greater effect shorter seeking haue sooner found and lesse paine haue procured more pittie The time hath bene that thy annointing his feet was accepted and praysed thy washing them with teares highly cōmended thy wiping thē with thy haire most curteously construed How then doth it now fall out that hauing brought thy sweet oyles to annoint his whole body hauing shed as many teares as would haue washed more than his feet and hauing not onely thy haire but thy heart ready to serue him he is not moued with all these duties so much as once to afford thee his fight Is it not he that reclaimed thee from thy wandring courses that dispossessed thee of thy damned Inhabitants and from the wilds of sinne recouered thee into the fold and family of his flock Was not thy house his home his loue thy life thy selfe his disciple Did not he defend thee against the Pharisie pleade for thee against Iudas and excuse thee to thy sister In summe was not he thy Patron and Protector in all thy necessities O good Iesu what hath thus estranged thee from her Thou hast heretofore so pitied her teares that seeing them thou couldest not refraine thine In one of her greatest agonies for loue of her that so much loued thee thou didst recall her dead brother to life turning her complaint into vnexpected contentment And we know that thou doest not vse to alter course without cause nor to chastise without desert Thou art the first that inuitest and the last that forsakest neuer leauing but first left and euer offering till thou art refused How then hath she forfeited thy fauour or with what trespasse hath she earned thy ill will That she neuer left to loue thee her heart will depose her hand will subscribe her tongue will protest her teares will testifie and her seeking doth assure And alas is her particular case so farre from example that thou shouldest rather alter thy nature than she better her Fortune and be to her as thou art to no other For our parts since thy last shew of liking towards her we haue found no other fault in her but that she was the earliest vp to
this empty Syndon lyeth here to no vse and this Tombe being open without any in it may giue occasion to some mercifull heart that shall first light vpon my vnburied body to wrap me in his shroud and to interre me in this Tombe O too fortunate lot for so vnfortunate a woman to craue no no I do not craue it For alas I dare not yet if such an ouer-sight should be committed I do now before-hand forgiue that sinner and were it no more presumption to wish it aliue than to suffer it dead if I knew the party that should first passe by me I would woo him with my teares and hire him with my prayers to blesse me with this felicity And though I dare not wish any to do it yet this without offence I may say to all that I loue this Syndon aboue all clothes in the world and this Tombe I esteeme more than any Princes monument yea and I thinke that coarse highly fauored that shall succeed my Lord in it and for my part as I meane that the ground where I stand shall be my death-bed so am I not of Iacobs mind to haue my body buried farre from the place where it dyeth but euen in the next and readiest graue and that as soone as my breath faileth sith delayes are bootlesse where death hath won possession But alas I dare not say any more let my body take such fortune as befalleth it my soule at the least shall dwell in this sweet Paradise and from this brittle case of flesh and bloud passe presently into the glorious Tombe of God and man It is now enwrapped in a masse of corruption it shall then enioy a place of high perfection where it is now it is more by force than by choise and like a repining prisoner in a loathed gaile but there in a little roome it should find perfect rest and in the prison of death the liberty of a ioyfull life O sweet Tombe of my sweetest Lord while I liue I will stay by thee when I die I will cleaue vnto thee neither aliue nor dead will I euer be drawne from thee Thou art the Altar of mercie the temple of truth the sanctuary of safeâ—ie the graue of death and the cradle of eternall life O heauen of my eclipsed Sunne receiue vnto thee this silly starre that hath now also lost all wished light O Whale that hast swallowed my onely Ionas swallow also me more worthy to be thy prey sith I and not he was the cause of this bloudie tempest O Cesterne of my innocent Ioseph take me into thy drie bottome sith I and not he gaue iust cause of offence to my enraged brethren But alas in what cloud hast thou hidden the light of our way Vpon what shore hast thou cast vp the Preacher of all truth or to what Ismaelite hast thou yeelded the purueiour of our life Oh vnhappy me why did I not before thinke of that which I now aske Why did I leaue him when I had him thus to lament him now that I haue lost him If I had watched with perseuerance either none would haue taken him or they should haue taken me with him But through too much precisenesse in keeping the Law I haue lost the Law-maker and by being too scrupulous in obseruing his ceremonies I am proued irreligious in losing him selfe sith I should rather haue remained with the truth than forsaken it to solemnize the figure The Sabboth could not haue bene prophaned in standing by his coarse by which the prophaned things are sanctified and whose touch doth not defile the cleane but cleanseth the most defiled But when it was time to stay I departed when it was too late to helpe I returned and now I repent my folly when it cannot be amended But let my heart dissolue into sighes mine eyes melt in teares and my desolate soule languish in dislikes yea let all that I am and haue endure the deserued punishment that if he were incensed with my fault he may be appeased with my penance and returne vpon the amendment that fled from the offence Thus when her timorous conscience had indited her of so great an omission and her tongue enforced the euidence with these bitter accusations Loue that was now the onely vmpire in all her causes condemned her eyes to a fresh showre of teares her breast to a new storme of sighes and her soule to be perpetuall prisoner to restlesse sorrowes But ô Mary thou deceiuest thy selfe in thy owne desires and it well appeareth that excesse of griefe hath bred in thee a defect of due prouidence And wouldest thou indeed haue thy wishes come to passe and thy words fulfilled Tell me then I pray thee if thy heart were dissolued where wouldest thou harbour thy Lord what wouldest thou offer him how wouldest thou loue him Thine eyes haue lost him thy hands cannot feele him thy feet cannot follow him and if it be at all in thee it is thy heart that hath him and wouldest thou now haue that dissolued from thence also to exile him And if thine eyes were melted thy soule in langour and thy senses decayed how wouldest thou see him if he did appeare how shouldest thou heare him if he did speake how couldest thou know him though he were there present Thou thinkest haply that he loued thee so well that if thy heart were spent for his loue he would either lend his own heart vnto thee or create a new heart in thee better than that which thy sorrow tooke from thee It may be thou imaginest that if thy soule would giue place his soule wanting now a bodie would enter into thine with supply of all thy senses and release of thy sorrowes O Mary thou diddest not marke what thy maister was wont to say when he told thee that the third day he should rise againe For if thou hadst heard him or at the least vnderstood him thou wouldest not thinke but that he now vsed both his heart and soule in the life of his owne body And therefore repaire to the Angels and enquire more of them lest the Lord be displeased that comming from him thou wilt not entertaine them But Mary whose deuotions were all fixed vpon a nobler Saint and that had so straightly bound her thoughts to his only affection that she rather desired to vnknow whom she knew already than to burthen her mind with the knowledge of new acquaintance could not make her will long since possessed with the highest loue stoope to the acceptance of meaner friendships And for this though she did not scornefully reiect yet did she with humilitie refuse the Angels company thinking it no discourtesie to take her selfe from them for to giue her selfe more wholly to her Lord to whom both she and they were wholly deuoted ought most loue and greatest duty Sorrow also being now the onely interpreter of all that sense deliuered to her vnderstanding made her conster their demand in a more doubtfull than true
lesson it fell out to be the bitterest part of thy miserie that thou diddest so well know how infinite the losse was that made thee miserable This is the cause that those very Angels in whom all things make remonstrance of triumph and solace are vnto thee occasions of new griefe For their gracious and louely countenances remember thee that thou hast lost the beauty of the world and the highest marke of true loues ambition Their sweet lookes and amiable features tell thee that the heauen of thy eyes which was the reuerend Maiesty of thy Masters face once shined with farre more pleasing graces but is now disfigured with the dreadfull formes of death In summe they were to thee like the glistering sparkes of a broken Diamond and like pictures of dead and decayed beauties signes not salues of thy calamity memorials not medicines of thy misfortune Thy eyes were too well acquainted with the truth to accept a supply of shadowes and as comelinesse comfort and glory were neuer in any other so truely at home and so perfectly in their prime as in the person and speeches of thy Lord so cannot thy thoughts but be like strangers in any forraine delight For in them all thou seest no more but some scattered crums and hungrie morsels of thy late plentifull banquets and findest a dim reflexion of thy former light which like a flash of lightning in a close and stormie night serueth thee but to see thy present infelicitie and the better to know the horrour of the ensuing darknesse Thou thinkest therefore thy selfe blamelesse both in weeping for thy losse and in refusing other comfort Yet in common courtesie affoord these Angels an answer sith their charitie visiting thee deserueth much more and thou if not too vngratefull canst allow them no lesse Alas saith she what needeth my answer where the miserie it selfe speaketh and the losse is manifest My eyes haue answered them with teares my breast with sighes and my heart with throbs what need I also punish my tongue or wound my soule with a new rehearsall of so do lefull a mischance They haue taken away O vnfortunate word they haue taken away my Lord. O afflicted woman why thinkest thou this word so vnfortunate It may be the Angels haue taken him more solemnely to entombe him and sith earth hath done her last homage haply the Quires of heauen are also descended to defray vnto him their funerall duties It may be that the Centurion and the rest that did acknowledge him on the crosse to be the Sonne of God haue bene touched with remorse and goared with pricke of conscience and being desirous to satisfie for their haynous offence haue now taken him more honorably to interre him and by their seruice to his body sought forgiuenesse and sued the pardon of their guiltie soules Peraduenture some secret disciples haue wrought this exploit and maugre the watch taken him from hence with due honour to preserue him in some better place and therefore being yet vncertaine who hath him there is no such cause to lament sith the greater probabilities march on the better side Why doest thou call sorrow before it commeth which without calling commeth on thee too fast yea why doest thou create sorrow where it is not sith thou hast true sorrow enough though imagined sorrowes helpe not It is folly to suppose the worst where the best may be hoped for and euerie mishap bringeth griefe enough with it though we with our feares do not go first to meet it Quiet then thy selfe till time try out the truth and it may be thy feare will proue greater than thy misfortune But I know thy loue is little helped with this lesson for the more it loueth the more it feareth and the more desirous to enioy the more doubtfull it is to lose It neither hath measure in hopes nor meane in feares hoping the best vpon the least surmises and fearing the worst vpon the weakest grounds And yet both fearing and hoping at one time neither feare with-holdeth hope from the highest attempts nor hope can strengthen feare against the smallest suspitions but maugre all feares loues hopes will mount to the highest pitch and maugre all hopes loues feares will stoupe to the lowest downe-come To bid thee therefore hope is not to forbid thee to feare and though it may be for the best that thy Lord is taken from thee yet sith it may also be for the worst that will neuer content thee Thou thinkest hope doth enough to keepe thy heart from breaking feare little enough to force thee to no more than weeping sith it is as likely that he hath bene taken away vpon hatred by his enemies as vpon loue by his friends For hitherto sayest thou his friends haue all failed him and his foes preuailed against him and as they would not defend him aliue are lesse likely to regard him dead so they that thought one life too little to take from him are not vnlikely after death to wrecke new rage vpon him And though this doubt were not yet whosoeuer hath taken him hath wronged me in not acquainting me with it for to take away mine without my cōsent can neither be offered with out iniurie nor suffered without sorrow And as for Iesus he was my Iesus my Lord and my Maister He was mine because he was giuen vnto me borne for me he was the author of my being and so my father he was the worker of my well doing and therefore my Sauiour he was the price of my ransome and thereby my Redeemer he was my Lord to command me my maister to instruct me my pastor to feede me He was mine because his loue was mine and when he gaue me his loue he gaue me himselfe sith loue is no gift except the giuer be giuen with it yea it is no loue vnlesse it be as liberall of that it is as of that it hath Finally if the meate be mine that I eate the life mine wherewith I liue or he mine all whose life labours and death were mine then dare I boldly say that Iesus is mine sith on his body I feed by his loue I liue and to my good without any neede of his owne hath he liued laboured and dyed And therefore though his Disciples though the Centurion yea though the Angels haue taken him they haue done me wrong in defeating me of my right sith I neuer meane to resigne my interest But what if he hath taken away himselfe wilt thou also lay iniustice to his charge Though he be thine yet thine to command not to obey thy Lord to dispose of thee and not to be by thee disposed and therefore as it is no reason that the seruant should be maister of his maisters secrets so might he and peraduenture so hath he remoued without acquainting thee whither reuiuing himselfe with the same power with which he raised thy dead brother and fulfilling the words that he often vttered of his resurrection It may be thou wilt
busie about him and notwithstanding all this hast thou now forgotten him His countenance auoucheth it his voice assureth it his wounds witnesse it thine owne eyes behold it and doest thou not yet beleeue that this is Iesus Are thy sharpe seeing eyes become so weake sighted that they are dazeled with the Sunne and blinded with the light But there is such a shower of teares betweene thee and him and thine eyes are so dimmed with weeping for him that though thou seest the shape of a man yet thou canst not discerne him Thy eares also are still so possessed with the dolefull Eccho of his last speeches which want of breath made him vtter in a dying voice that the force and loudnesse of his liuing words maketh thee imagine it the voyce of a stranger and therefore as he seemeth vnto thee so like a stranger he asketh this question of thee O woman why weepest thou whom seekest thou O desire of the heart and onely ioy of her soule why demandest thou why she weepeth or for whom she seeketh But a while since she saw thee her onely hope hanging on a tree with thy head full of thornes thy eyes full of teares thy eares full of blasphemies thy mouth full of gall thy whole person mangled and disfigured and doest thou aske her why she weepeth Scarce three dayes passed she beheld thy armes and legges racked with violent puls thy hands and feete boared with nayles thy side wounded with a speare thy whole bodie torne with stripes and goared in blood and doest thou her onely griefe aske her why she weepeth She beheld thee vpon the Crosse with many teares and most lamentable cryes yeelding vp her ghost that is thy owne ghost and alas asketh thou why she weepeth And now to make vp her miserie hauing but one hope aliue which was that for a small reliefe of her other afflictions she might haue annointed thy body that hope is also dead since thy body is remoued and she now standeth hopelesse of all helpe and demandest thou why she weepeth and for whom she seeketh Full well thou knowest that thee onely she desireth thee onely she loueth all things beside thee she contâ—mneth and canst thou finde in thy heart to aske her whom she seeketh To what end ô sweet Lord doest thou thus suspend her longings prolong her desires and martyr her with these tedious delayes Thou onely art the fortresse of her faint faith the anker of her wauering hope the very center of her vehement loue to thee she trusteth vpon thee she relyeth and of her selfe she wholly despaireth She is so earnest in seeking thee that she can neither seeke nor thinke any other thing and all her wits are so busied in musing vpon thee that they draw all attention from her senses wherewith they should discerne thee Being therefore so attentiue to that she thinketh what maruell though she marke not whom she seeth and sith thou hast so perfect notice of her thought and she so little power to discouer thee by sense why demandest thou for whom she seeketh or why she weepeth Doest thou looke that she should answere for thee I seeke or for thee I weepe vnlesse thou wilt vnbend her thoughts that her eyes may fully see thee or while thou wilt be concealed doest thou expect that she should be able to know thee But ô Mary not without cause doth he aske thee this question Thou wouldest haue him aliue and yet thou weepest because thou doest not find him dead Thou art some that he is not here and for this very cause thou shouldest rather be glad For if he were dead I it is most likely he should be here but not being here it is a signe that he is aliue He reioyceth to be out of his graue and thou weepest because he is not in it He will not lie any where and thou sorrowest for not knowing where he lyeth Alas why be wailest thou his glory and iniurest the reuiuing of his body as the robbery of his coarse He being aliue for what dead man mournest thou and he being present whose absence doest thou lament But she taking him to be a Gardener said vnto him O Lord if thou hast carried him from hence tell me where thou hast layd him and I will take him away O wonderfull effects of Maries loue if loue be a languor how liueth she by it If loue be her life how dyeth she in it If it bereaued her of sense how did she see the Angels If it quickened her of sense why knew she not Iesus Doest thou seeke for one whom when thou hast found thou knowest not or if thou dost know him when thou findest him why doest thou seek when thou hast him Behold Iesus is come and the partie whom thou seekest is he that talketh with thee ô Mary call vp thy wits and open thine eyes Hath thy Lord liued so long laboured so much died with such paine and shed such showers of bloud to come to no higher preferment than to be a Gardener And hast thou bestowed such cost so much sorrow and so many teares for no better man than a silly Gardener Alas is the sorry Garden the best inheritance that thy loue can affoord him or a Gardeners office the highest dignitie that thou wilt allow him It had bene better he had liued to haue bene Lord of thy Castle than with his death so dearely to haue bought so small a purchase But thy mistaking hath in it a further mysterie Thou thinkest not amisse though thy sight be deceiued For as our first Father in the state of grace and innocencie was placed in the Garden of pleasure and the first office allotted him was to be a Gardener so the first man that euer was in glorie appeareth first in a Garden and presenteth himselfe in a Gardeners likenesse that the beginnings of glorie might resemble the entrance of innocencie and grace And as the Gardener was the fall of mankinde the parent of sinne and authour of death so is this Gardener the raiser of our ruines the ransome of our offences and the restorer of life In a Garden Adam was deceiued and taken captiue by the deuill In a Garden Christ was betrayed and taken prisoner by the Iewes In a Garden Adam was condemned to earne his bread with the sweat of his browes And after a free gift of the bread of Angels in the last Supper in a Garden Chrid did earne it vs with a bloudy sweate of his whole body By disobedient eating the fruite of a tree our right to that Garden was by Adam forfeited and by the obedient death of Christ vpon a tree a farre better right is now recouered When Adam had sinned in the Garden of pleasure he was there apparelled in dead beasts skinnes that his garment might betoken his graue and his liuery of death agree with his condemnation to die And now to defray the debt of that sinne in this Garden Christ lay clâ—d in the dead mans shrowd
and buried in his Tombe that as our harmes began so they might end and such places and meanes as were the premises to our miserie might be also the conclusions of our misfortune For this did Christ in the Canticles inuite vs to an heauenly banquet after he was come into this Garden and had reaped his myrrhe and his spice to forewarne vs of the ioy that after this haruest should presently ensue namely when hauing sowed in this Garden a body the mortalitie whereof was signified by those spices he now reaped the same neither capable of death nor subiect to corruption For this also was Mary permitted to mistake that we might be informed of the mysterie and see how aptly the course of our redemption did answer the processe of our condemnation But though he be the Gardener that hath planted the tree of grace and restored vs to the vse and eating of the fruites of life Though it be he that soweth his giftes in our soules quickening in vs the seeds of vertue and rooting out of vs the weedes of sinne yet is he neuerthelesse the same Iesus he was and the borrowed presence of a meane laborer neither altereth his person nor diminisheth his right to his diuine titles Why then canst thou not as well see what in truth he is as what in shew he seemeth but because thou seest more than thou diddest beleeue and findest more thrn thy faith serueth thee to seek and for this though thy loue was worthy to see him yet thy faith was vnworthy to know him Thou diddest seeke for him as dead and therefore doest not know him seeing him aliue and because thou beleeuest not of him as he is thou doest onely see him as he seemeth to be I cannot say thou art faultlesse sith thou art so lame in thy beleefe but thy fault deserueth fauour because thy charitie is so great and therefore ô mercifull Iesu giue me leaue to excuse whom thou art minded to forgiue She thought to haue found thee as she left thee and she sought thee as she did last see thee being so ouercome with sorow for thy death that she had neither roome nor respite in her minde for any hope of thy life and being so deepely interred in the griefe of thy buriall that she could not raise her thoughts to any conceit of thy resurrection For in the graue where Ioseph buried thy body Mary together with it entombed her soule and so straightly combined it with thy coarse that she could with more ease sunder her soule from her owne body that liueth by it than from thy dead body with which her loue did burie it for it is more thine and in thee than her owne or in her selfe and therefore in seeking thy body she seeketh her owne soule as with the losse of the one she also lost the other What maruell then though sense faile when the soule is lost sith the lanterne must needes be darke when the light is out Restore vnto her therfore her soule that lieth imprisoned in thy body and she will soone both recouer her sense and discouer her errour For alas it is no errour that proceedeth of any will to erre and it riseth as much of vehemencie or affection as of default in faith Regard not the errour of a woman but the loue of a Disciple which supplyeth in it selfe what in faith it wanteth O Lord saith she If thou hast carried him hence tell me where thou hast laide him and I will take him away O how learned is her ignorance and how skilfull her errour She charged not the Angels with thy remouing nor seemed to mistrust them for carrying thee away as though that her loue had taught her that their helpe was needlesse where the thing remoued was remouer of it selfe She did not request them to enforme her where thou wert layd as if she had reserued that question for thy selfe to answer But now he iudgeth thee so likely to be the authour of her losse that halfe supposing thee guilty she sueth a recouerie and desireth thee to tell her where the body is as almost fully perswaded that thou art as priuie to the place as well acquainted with the action So that if she be not altogether right she is not very much wrong and she erreth with such ayme that she very little misseth the truth Tell her therefore ô Lord what thou hast done with thy selfe sith it is fittest for thy owne speech to vtter that which was onely possible for thy owne power to performe But ô Mary sithens thou art so desirous to know where thy Iesus is why doest thou not name him when thou askest for him Thou saidest to the Angels that they had taken away thy Lord and now the second time thou askest for him Are thy thoughts so visible as at thy onely presence to be seene or so generall that they possesse all when they are once in thee When thou speakest of him what him doest thou meane or how can a stranger vnderstand thee when thou talkest of thy Lord Hath the world no other Lords but thine or is the demanding by no other name but him a sufficient notice for whom thou demandest But such is the nature of thy loue thou iudgest that no other should be entitled a Lord sith the whole world is too little for thy Lords possession and that those few creatures that are cannot chuse but know him sith all the creatures of the world are too few to serue him And as his worthinesse can appay all loues and his onely loue content all hearts so thou deemest him to be so well worthy to be owner of all thoughts that no thought in thy conceit can be well bestowed vpon any other Yet thy speeches seeme more sudden than sound and more peremptory than well pondered Why doest thou say so resolutely without any further circumstance that if this Gardener haue taken him thou wilt take him from him If he had him by right in taking him away thou shouldst do him wrong If thou supposest he wrongfully tooke him thou layest theft to his charge and howsoeuer it be thou either condemnest thy selfe for an vsurper or him for a thiefe And is this an effect of thy zealous loue first to abase him from a God to a Gardener and now to degrade him from a Gardener to a thiefe Thou shouldest also haue considered whether he tooke him vpon loue or malice If it were for loue thou maiest assure thy selfe that he will be as wary to keepe as he was venturous to get him and therefore thy pollicie was weake in saying thou wouldest take him away before thou knewest where he was sith none is so simple to bewray their treasure to a knowne thiefe If he tooke him of malice thy offer to recouer him is an open defiance sith malice is as obstinate in defending as violent in offering wrong and he that would be cruell against thy maisters dead body is likely to be more furious against his liuing
as if she had bene wholly new made when she was onely named For whereas before the violence of her griefe had so benummed her that her body seemed but the hearse of her dead heart and the coffin of an vnliuing soule and her whole presence but a representation of a double funerall of thine and of her owne now with this one word her senses are restored her minde lightened her heart quickened and her soule reuiued But what maruell though with one word he raise the dead spirits of his poore Disciple that with a word made the world and euen in this verie word sheweth an omnipotent power Mary she was called as well in her bad as in her reformed estate and both her good and euill was all of Maries working And as Marie signifieth no lesse what she was than what she is so is this one word by his vertue that speaketh it a repetition of all her miseries an Epitome of his mercies and a memorial of all her better fortunes And therefore it layd so generall a discouerie of her selfe before her eyes that it awaked her most forgotten sorrowes and mustered together the whole multitude of her ioyes and would haue left the issue of their mutinie very doubtfull but that the presence and notice of her highest happinesse decided the quarrell and gaue her ioyes the victory For as he was her onely Sunne whose going downe left nothing but a dumpish night of fearefull fansies wherein no starre of hope shined and the brightest planets were changed into dismall signes so the serenity of his countenance and authority of his word brought a calme and well tempered day that chasing away all darknesse and dispercing the clouds of melancholy cured the lethargy and brake the dead sleepe of her astonied senses She therefore rauished with his voice and impatient of delayes taketh his talke out of his mouth and to his first and yet onely word answered but one other calling him Rabboni that is Maister And then suddaine ioy rowsing all other passions she could no more proceede in her owne than giue him leaue to go forward with his speech Loue would haue spoken but feare enforced silence Hope frameth the words but doubt melteth them in the passage and when her inward conceites serued to come out her voice trembled her tongue faltered her breath failed In fine teares issued in liew of words and deepe sighes in stead of long sentences the eyes supplying the tongues default and the heart pressing out the vnsillabled breath at once which the conflict of her disagreeing passions would not suffer to be sorted into the seuerall sounds of intelligible speeches For such is their estate that are sicke with a surfet of sodaine ioy for the attaining of a thing vehemently desired For as desire is euer vshered by hope and wayted on by feare so is it credulous in entertaining coniectures but hard in gronnding a firme beleefe And though it be apt to admit the least shadow of wished comfort yet the hotter the desire is to haue it the more perfect assurance it requireth for it which so long as it wanteth the first newes or apparence of that which is in request is rather an alarum to summon vp all passions than retreit to quiet the desire For as hope presumeth the best and inuiteth ioy to gratulate the good successe so feare suspecteth it too good to be true and calleth vp sorrow to bewaile the vncertaintie And while these enterchange obiections and answers sometimes feare falleth into despaire and hope riseth into repining anger and thus the skirmish stil continueth til euidence of proofe conclude the controuersie Marie therefore though she suddainly answered vpon notice of his voice yet because the noueltie was so strange his person so changed his presence so vnexpected and so many miracles layd at once before her amazed eyes she found a sedition in her thoughts til more earnest viewing him exempted them from all doubt And then though words would haue broken out and her heart sent into his duties that she ought him yea euery thought striuing to be first vttered and to haue the first roome in his gracious hearing she was forced as an indifferent arbitrer among them to seale them vp all vnder silence by suppressing speech and to supply the want of words with more significant actions And therefore running to the haunt of her chiefest delights and falling at his sacred feete she offered to bath them with teares of ioy and to sanctifie her lippes with kissing his once grieuous but now most glorious wounds She stayed not for any more words being now made blessed with the Word himselfe thinking it a greater benefit at once to feede all her wishes in the homage honour and embracing of his feete then in the often hearing of his lesse comfortable talke For as the nature of loue coueteth not onely to be vnited but if it were possible wholly transformed out of it selfe into the thing it loueth so doth it most affect that which most vniteth and preferreth the least coniunction before any distant coÌ„tentment And therfore to see him did not suffice her to heare him did not quiet her to speake with him was not enough for her and except she might touch him nothing could please her But though she humbly fell downe at his feete to kisse them yet Christ did forbid her saying Do not touch me for I am not yet ascended to my Father O Iesu what mysterie is in this Being dead in sinne she touched thy mortall feete that were to dye for her sake and being now aliue in grace may she not touch thy glorious feete that are no lesse for her benefit reuiued She was once admitted to annoint thy head and is she now vnworthy of accesse to thy feete Doest thou now command her from that for which thou wert wont to commend her and by praysing the deed didst moue her often to do it Sith other women shall touch thee why hath she a repulse yea sith she her selfe shall touch thee hereafter why is she now reiected What meanest thou O Lord by thus debarring her of so desired a duty and sith among all thy Disciples thou hast vouchsafed her such a prerogatiue as to honour her eyes with thy first sight and her eares with thy first woâ—ds why deniest thou the priuiledge of thy first embracing If the multitude of her teares haue won that fauour for her eyes and her longing to heare thee so great a recompence to her eares why doest thou not admit her hands to touch and her mouth to kisse thy holy feete sith the one with many plaints and the other with their readinesse to all seruices seemed to haue earned no lesse reward But notwithstanding all this thou preuentest the effect of her offer with forbidding her to touch thee as if thou haddest said O Mary know the difference betweene a glorious and a mortall body betweene the condition of a momentary and of an eternall life For sith the
I will not wrong him with so vniust a suspition sith his appearing improueth it his words ouerthrow it his countenance doth disswade it why then should I sucke so much sorrow out of so vaine a surmise Thus Maries trauelling fansies making long voyages in this short iourney and wauering betweene the ioy of her vision and the griefe of her deniall entertained her in the way and held her parley with such discourses as are incident vnto minds in which neither hope is full maister of the field nor feare hath receiued an vtter ouerthrow But as she was in this perplexed manner now falling now rising in her owne vncertainties she findeth on the way the other holy woman that first came with her to the graue whom the Angels had now assured of Christs resurection And as they passed all forwards towards the Disciples Behold Iesus met them saying All haile But they came neere and tooke hold of his feete and worshipped him Then Iesus said vnto them Feare not Go â—â—l my brethren that they go into Gallilee there they shall see me O Lord how profound are thy iudgements and vnsearchable thy counsels Doth her sorrow sit so neare thy heart or thy repulse rebound with such regret by seeing her wounded loue bleede so fast at her eyes that thy late refusall must so soone be requited with so free a graunt Is it thy pitty or her change which cannot allow that she should any longer fast from her earnest longing But ô most milde Phisition well knowest thou that thy sharp corrosiue with bitter smart angred her tender wound which being rather caused by vnwitting ignorance than wilfull errour was as soone cured as knowne And therefore thou quickely applyest a sweete lenitiue to asswage her paine that she might acknowledge her forbidding rather a fatherly checke to her vnsetled faith than an austere reiecting her for her fault and therefore thou admittest her to kisse thy feete the two conduits of grace and seales of our redemption renewing her a Charter of thy vnchanged loue and accepting of her the vowed sacrifice of her sanctified soule And thus gracious Lord hast thou finished her seares assured her hopes fulfilled her desires satisfied her loues stinted her teares perfected her ioyes and made the period of her expiring griefes the preamble to her now entring and neuer ending pleasures O how mercifull a Father thou art to left Orphanes how easie a Iudge to repentant sinners and how faithfull a friend to sincere louers It is vndoubtedly true that thou neuer leauest those that loue thee and thou louest such as rest their affiance in thee They shall finde thee liberall aboue desert and bountifull beyond hope a measure of thy gifts not by their merits but thine owne mercie O Christian soule take Mary for thy mirrour follow her affection that like effects may follow thine Learne ô sinfull man of this once a sinfull woman that sinners may finde Christ if their sinnes be amended Learne that whom sinne loseth loue recouereth whom faintnesse of faith chaseth away firmnesse of hope recalleth and that which no other mortall force fauour or pollicie can compasse the continued teares of a constant loue are able to attaine Learne of Mary for Christ to feare no encounters out of Christ to desire no comforts and with the loue of Christ to ouer-rule the loue of all things Râ—se early in the morning of thy good motions and let them not sleepe in sloth when diligence may performe them Runne with repentance to thy sinfull heart which should haue bene the Temple but through thy fault was no better than a Tombe for Christ sith hauing in thee no life to feele him he seemed vnto thee as if he had bene dead Role away the stone of thy former hardnesse remoue all thy heauy loads that oppresse thee in sinne and looke into thy soule whether thou canst there find the Lord. If he be not within thee stand weeping without and seeke him in other creatures sith being present in all he may be found in any Let faith be thine eye hope thy guide and loue thy light Seeke him and not his for himselfe and not for his gifts If thy faith haue found him in a cloud let thy hope seeke to him If hope haue led thee to see him let loue seek further into him To moue in thee a desire to finde his goods are precious and when he is found to keepe thee in a desire to seeke his treasures are infinit Absent he must be sought to be had being had he must be sought to be more enioyed Seeke him truly and no other for him Seeke him purely and no other thing with him Seeke him onely and nothing besides him And if at the first search he appeare not thinke it not much to perseuer in teares and to continue thy seeking Stand vpon the earth trending vnder thee all earthly vanities and touching them with no more than the soles of thy feete that is with the lowest and least part of thy affection To looke the better in the Tombe bow downe thy neeke to the yoke of humilitie and stoupe from loftie and proude conceits that with humbled and lowly lookes thou mayest finde whom swelling and haughtie thoughts haue driuen away A submitted soule soonest winneth his returne and the deeper it sinketh in a selfe contempt the higher it climeth in his highest fauours And if thou perceiuest in the Tombe of thy heart the presence of his two first Messengers that is at the feete sorrow for the bad that is past and at the head desire to a better that is to come entertaine them with sighes and welcome them with penitent teares yet reckoning them but as herbingers of thy Lord ceasse not thy seeking till thou findest himselfe And if he vouchsafe thee his glorious sight offering himselfe to thy inward eyes presume not of thy selfe to be able to know him but as his vnworthy suppliant prostrate thy petitions vnto him that thou maist truely discerne him and faithfully serue him Thus preparing thee with diligence comming with speed standing with high lifted hopes and stooping with inclined heart if with Mary thou crauest no other solace of Iesus but Iesus himselfe he will answere thy teares with his presence and assure thee of his presence with his owne words that hauing seene him thy selfe thou maiest make him knowne to others saying with Mary I haue seene our Lord and these things he said vnto me LAVS DEO FINIS THE TRIVMPHS OVER DEATH OR A Consolatorie Epistle for afflicted minds in the effects of dying friends First written for the consolation of one but now published for the generall good of all by R. S. AN CHO RA. SPEI LONDON Printed for W. Barret To the Worshipfull M. Richard Sackuile Edward Sackuile Cicilie Sackuile and Anne Sackuile the hopefull issues of the honorable Gentleman maister Robert Sackuile Esquire MOst lines do not the best conceit containe Few words well coucht may comprehend much matter Then as to vse
also in her future meeting being both titles of more certaine delights than her casuall life could euer haue warranted If we will thinke of her deâ—th let it be as a warning to prouide vs sith that what happeneth to one may happen to another yea none can escape that is common to all It may be that blow that hither was meant to some of vs and this missing was but a proofe to take better aime in the next stroke If we were diligent in thinking of our own we should haue little leisure to bewaile others death When the souldier in skirmish seeth his next fellow slaine he thinketh more time to looke to himselfe then to stand mourning an haplesse mischance knowing the hand which sped so neare a neighbour cannot be farre from his owne head But we in this behalfe are much like the silly birds that seeing one sticke in the lime bush striuing to get away with a kind of natiue pitty are drawen to go to it and to rush themselues into the same misfortune euen so many for their friends deceasse by musing on their lot wittingly surfet of too much sorrow that sometimes they make mourning their last deceasse But slippe not you into this toyle that hath taken none but weake affections hold not your eyes alwayes vpon your hardest happes neither be you still occupied in counting your losses There are fairer parts in your body than scarres better eye-markes in your fortune than a sisters losse You might haply find more comfort left than you would willingly lose but that you haue already resigned the solaces of life and shunned all comforts into the hopes of heauen yet sith there is some difference betweene a purpose and proofe intending and performing a subdued enemy being euer ready to rebell when he findeth mighty helpes to make a party it is good to strengthen reason against the violence of Nature that in this and like cases will renew her assaults It was a forcible remedie that he vsed to withstand the conceit of a most lamentable occurrent who hauing in one ship lost his children and substance and hardly escaped himselfe from drowning went presently into an hospitall of lazars where finding in a little roome many examples of great miseries he made the smart of others sores a lenitiue to his owne wound For besides that as lownesse and pouerty was common to them they had also many combers priuate to themselues some wanting their senses some their wits other their limmes but all their health in which consideration he eased his minde that Fortune had not giuen him the greatest fall If God had put you to Abrahams triall commanding you to sacrifice the hope of your posteritie and to be to your onely sonne an authour of death as you were to him of life If you had bene tied in the straights of Iepthaes bitter deuotions embruing his sword in his owne daughters bloud and ending the triumphs ouer his enemies with the voluntary funerals of his only ofspring yet sith both their liues their labours had bene Gods vndeniable debt your vertues ought to haue obeyed maugre all encounters of carnall affection And how much more in this case should you encline your loue to Gods liking in which he hath receiued a lesse part of his owne and that by the vsuall easiest course of natures lawes Let God strippe you to the skinne yea to the soule so he stay with you himselfe let his reproach be your honour his pouerty your riches and he in lieu of all other friends Thinke him enough for this world that must be all your possession for a whole eternity Let others ease their carefullnesse with borrowed pleasures not bred out of the true roote but begged of externall helpes They shall still carry vnquiet mindes easily altered with euery accident sith they labour not for any change in their inward distempers but by forgetting them for a time by outward pastimes Innocencie is the onely mother of true mirth and a soule that is owner of God will quietly beare with all other wants nothing being able to empouerish it but voluntary losses Beare not therefore with her losses for she is won for euer but with the momentary absence of your most happy sister yea it cannot iustly be called an absence many thoughts being daily in parley with her onely mens eyes and eares vnworthy to enioy so sweete an obiect haue resigned their interest and interested this treasure in their harts being the fittest shrines for so pure a Saint whom as none did know but did loue so none can now remember but with deuotion Men may behold her with shame of their former life seeing one of the weaker sexe honor her weaknesse with such a traine of perfections Ladies may admire her as a glorie to their degree in whom honour was portraied in her full likenesse grace hauing perfected Natures first draught with all the due colours of an absolute vertue All women accept her as a patterne to imitate her gifts and her good parts hauing bene so manifested that euen they that can teach the finest stitches may themselues take new workes out of this Sampler Who then could drinke any sorrow out of so cleare a Fountaine or bewaile the estate of so happy a creature to whom as to be her selfe was her praise so to be as she is was her highest blisse You still floate in a troublesome sea and you find it by experience a sea of dangers how then can it pitty you to see your sister on shoare and so safely landed in so blisfull an harbour Sith your Iudith hath wrought the glorious exploite against her ghostly enemies Iud. 15. for the accomplishing whereof she came into the dangerous campe warfare of this life you may well giue her leaue to looke home to her Bethulia to solemnize her triumph with the spoiles of her victorie Yea you should rather haue wished to haue bene Porter to let her in than mourne to see her safe returned For so apparent hazards she carried an heauenly treasure in an earthly vessell 2. Cor. 4. which was too weake a treasurie for so high riches sinne creeping in at the window of our senses and often picking the locks of the strongest hearts And for this it was layd vp in a surer to the which the heauens are walles and the Angels keepers She was a pure fish but yet swimming in muddy streames it was now time to draw her to shoare and to employ the inwards of her vertues to medicinable vses that layd on the coals of due consideration they may draw from our thoughts the Diuels suggestions and applied to their eyes Tob. 6. which are blinded with the dung of flying vanities the slime of their former vanities may fall off and leaue them able to behold the cleare light The base shell of a mortall body was vnfit for so precious a Margarite Mat. 13. and the Ieweller that came into this world to seeke good pearles and gaue not
fatherly care that God hath ouer me The fift Affection THe fift affection is to consider that I being a Christian not onely my faith and all my actions proper thereunto ought to be different from the erronious opinions sectes and actions of infidels but euen mine ordinary actions of eating drinking playing working and such like ought to haue a marke and badge of Christianitie and some difference from the like things done by heathens and this marke which maketh Christian and good works is a right and sincere intention which in euery principall action I ought to procure so that it be done to the honour glorie and seruice of God and agreeable to the rule of Christian duty with that measure temperance and circumstance that faith requires perswading my selfe that as well in these actions done in this sort as in others that carry more shew of pietie God may be serued and honoured and therefore should it be a great negligence and carelesnesse in me for want of directing my intention which by vse is easily gotten to lose so many great vertues as by these ordinarie actions I might daily and hourely gaine The sixt Affection THe sixt affection is a perfect resignation of my selfe into Gods hands with a full desire that he should vse me as were most to his glorie whether it were to my temporall comfort or no and to be as ready to serue him in miserie need and affliction as in prosperity and pleasure thinking it my chiefest delight to be vsed as God will and to haue his pleasure and prouidence fully accomplished in me which is the end for which I was created and for which I do liue To attaine this resignation it is a very fit way to debate and discourse with my selfe what thing there is could happen vnto me though neuer so much against my liking which if it should fall out would trouble me or make me lose that indifferencie which I ought to haue in most willingly yeelding my selfe to whatsoeuer God shall lay vpon me and if I find any thing which I thinke I should not well digest nor accept with due patience let me endeuour to ouercome my selfe in it and by prayer and meditation seeke to winne the difficulty thereof that there may be nothing which I could not willingly accept at Gods hands how contrary soeuer it were to my inclination to which these considerations may helpe me First the end I ayme at is Gods glory in this world and his reward in the next and therefore knowing that nothing but my voluntary sinne can barre me from this end what need I much care by what meanes God will haue me to attaine it for the meanes can last but a little and the end endureth for euer and is so much the more comfortable in that it hath bene atchiued with discomfortable toyles Secondly God loueth me more then I loue my self is so wise that he seeth what is fittest for me all present and future circumstances considered he is so mightie that what his wisedome and loue shall conclude for my good his power can put it in execution and therfore let me yeeld my selfe rather to his prouidence then to mine owne desires Thirdly whatsoeuer moueth me to feare or dislike any thing which I could not frame my minde to beare God seeth it far better then I yea and all other secret and vnknowne hazards annexed to that thing If therefore he knowing all these things will neuerthelesse let it happen vnto me I must assure my selfe that it proceedeth from loue and is for my greater good and that he hauing laid a heauy burthen vpon weake forces will by his grace supply all my wants feares and frailties The seuenth Affection THe seuenth affection is gratitude and thankefulnesse which I ought to finde in my selfe towards God and the feeling an earnest desire to do any thing that might counteruaile or in part answer the excessiue loue that God hath and doth hourely bestow vpon me and to let no little good that I receiue though neuer so ordinary passe without thankes to him who euen in the least things is content to serue me and finally to make God my repose and his remembrance my comfort and to loath all earthly things as base and vnpleasant in comparison of him Of my duty towards my neighbour AFter knowledge of my dutie towards God I must consider my duty towards my neighbour and the manner how to demeane and behaue my selfe in company and conuersation First I must procure to remember that my externall behauiour my gate my gesture my countenance and my outward actions be done with grauitie modestie and all decencie that I be not light vaine or too lauish in mirth nor too austere nor too much inclined to sadnesse but with temperate modestie rather composed to mirth then to melancholie Which externall composition is necessary both for edifying our neighbour who being vnable to iudge or enter into our thoughts iudgeth of euery one according to that whereof his sense is witnesse And next in respect of God who being euery where present requireth in vs behauiour worthy of his sight and company and lastly in respect of our owne soule this care of externall decencie being an approued meanes to auoide infinite sinnes Of externall composition there be three chiefe pointes First the care of our countenance gate and gesture Secondly of our voyce and speech Thirdly of our apparell and other adherents In countenance I must auoide an vnstayed kind of varietie and often change keeping as neare as I may one setled tenour therof rather bent to smiling then heauinesse and free from frowning and such like vnseemely distemper neither ought I to alter countenance but when reasonable and iust cause moueth me to shew either mirth sorrow dislike or compassion or some other modest or temperate affection My gate ought to be graue neither too swift nor too slow but with a meane and sober pace my gesture must be decent free from affection or singularitie and from all shew of inward disquietnesse or vnordered passion which though I cannot chuse but sometimes feele yet it is good as much as I may to conceale it because outward signes do feede the inward distemper and bewray to others my imperfections to my discredite and their euill ensample My voyce neither ought to be very loud nor my laughter so vehement as to be heard afarre off both seemely and modest for excesse in the voice and immoderate loudnesse are alwayes certaine signes of passion and therefore ought not to be vsed but vpon some extraordinary necessitie My speech ought not to be so much as to make me be noted for talkatiue yea it is good to be rather sparing in words and readier to heare then to speake but when occasion forceth vnto much talke I must speake deliberatly without rashnesse or leuitie auoiding ouer many ieasts especially bitter taunts and sharpe words I must also take heed of affected speech and impertinent ceremonies vsing such
be certaine After I am vp for a good pretty space it is good not to talke but at the least for halfe a quarter of an houre to busie my minde in prayer and meditation and then afterwards to talke if neede require because my businesse with God being greater then with any man it is fit that he should be first talked with of matters concerning my soule and then others of worldly things I must procure to go â—eately and handsome in my attire agreeable to my calling and to auoide all kind of vndecencie which breedeth dislike and contempt and doth rather offend then please God When I am ready I must go to my prayers appointed and before I set my selfe to pray I must call to minde what I promised to do for any at that time of what other necessary businesse I haue then to dispatch and I must keepe touch in my words in the least things cutting off occasions of being interrupted as neare as I may In prayer I must consider the presence of God not speaking vnto him carelessely or negligently but thinke a few prayers well said better and more acceptable then many hastily shuffled ouer and I must not omit to remember the ioyes of heauen the paines of Hell mine owne death and the death of Christ for me After prayer I must go about some exercise of worke agreeable to my facultie and vocation such as may be of some profit hauing an especiall respect aboue all things to sequester idlenesse the parent of all vice When I go to dinner I must thinke and consider for what end I am to eate which iâ— to helpe and strengthen nature and to make my selfe able to serue my Creator and feeder not to content mine owne appetite I must learne my little children if I haue any to say some godly grace or at the least performe that duty of thanksgiuing my selfe When I am set before I lay hand to my trencher I may pause a while and desire God to giue me temperance and mindfulnesse of his presence At meales I must neither be too curious or doubtfull of what I eate neither precise in the quantitie finenesse or coursenesse of the meat but of that which God hath sent take a competent meale measurable to my neede and not hurtfull to my health After dinner I must thanke God for his gifts remembring the end why he hath fed me is that I should be the better able to serue him I must also thinke that many haue wanted that sufficiency which I haue had and would be glad to accept of my leauings and therefore I ought to haue care and regard to the poore procuring something for them and sometimes seeing them serued my selfe considering Christ in their persons If I haue strangers I may keepe them companie and talke friendly and merily with them as occasion shall serue directing my behauiour agreeable to vertuous conuersation and hauing this intention in my talke that amitie and loue may be maintained and all breach and vnkindnesse auoided I must if time and place will permit me be alwayes doing some profitable thing to auoide sloth directing mine intention in all mine exercises to this end that I may auoide idlenesse and temptations bestowing my time in good sort to Gods glory After dinner I must call to mind whether I haue any promise to performe or any other businesse to do that is not ordinary that I neither forget the thing nor time appointed for it It is good for me sometimes to go about the roomes of the house to see that they be kept cleane and handsome thinking that God is delighted with cleanenesse both bodily and ghostly detesteth sluttishnesse as a thing which he permitteth for a punishment of sinne and one of the scourges of hell A little before supper it will be good to reade part of some godly booke procuring to take some benefit by it and continuing in one booke till I haue read it ouer and then beginne a new I must by watchfulnesse auoide all offence to God leauing him in one exercise to serue him in another as he appointeth me occasions When I sit downe to supper I must remember what my intention ought to be and to take the same course which is prescribed for dinner After supper I may talke as occasion shall serue or employ my time in reading of a godly booke Towards the houre of my going to bed I must examine my selfe first whether my promises and appointments concerning extraordinary businesse be performed or if I haue forgotten any necessary thing I must take order to remember it that I forget it not the second time This done I must examine my conscience concerning the thoughts words and deeds of that day and especially touching the purposes that I haue made in the morning and how I haue obserued my godly determination and what faults I haue committed of any moment After I haue examined my conscience and said my prayers it is good to abstaine from talke that night vnlesse some iust occasion require the contrary that my minde may be free from idle thoughts when I go to sleepe Of Temptations FIrst I must learne to know when I am tempted for if I can find my temptation I may reckon it halfe ouercome for if I haue feare of God or care of my soule I cannot but arme my selfe earnestly to resist knowing that temptation proceedeth from an enemie to whom I haue resolued by Gods grace neuer to consent what miserie or trouble soeuer I endure How to know temptations and good motion IT is alwayes a spirituall desolation originall and proceeding from the diuell when it darkeneth and disquieteth the minde awaketh and stirreth vp our passions when it draweth to externall and earthly solaces leauing in the minde a tediousnesse and vnwillingnesse to prayer and other workes of deuotion Also when it diminisheth our affiance and taust in God and driueth to a dispaire in Gods mercy or perseuering in his seruice making it seeme an irkesome and impossible thing and mouing vs to forsake it and when I finde my selfe troubled in this sort I must assure my selfe without all doubt that I am then tempted by the Diuell and therefore arme my selfe to resist him by doing that which those temptations disswade me from On the other side comfort which is caused by Gods Spirit is knowne by these signes It incenseth the minde by a quiet and calme motion to the loue of God without any inclination to any creatures loue more then for Gods only glory and it breedeth a kind of inward light and brightnesse wherby for the time the mind seeth after a most effectuall sort the necessity profit and true comfort that is in Gods seruice conceiuing a contempt and dislike of worldly delights and tasting that which is the greatest felicitie in this life that is so assured contentment in being in Gods grace and seeking to please him that it then iudgeth no contentment in the world like or comparable vnto it as
that beareth me such a cankred malice that he careth not to increase his owne paine so that he may worke me any spirituall yea or corporall harme Fourthly I must print that saying of Christ in my minde He that perseuereth vnto the end shall be saued for not he that beginneth nor he that continueth for a moneth or a yeare or a short time but onely he that perseuereth vnto the end of his life shall be saued Wherfore the same cause that moued me to beginne ought also to moue me to continue that the reward and crowne of my good resolution be not cut off by any want of perseuerance Let not the cries of mine enemies moue me let me with Saint Paul say The world is crucified to me and I to the world And with Dauid It is good for me to cleane vnto God Finally let me imitate the ensample of Christ that perseuered on the crosse vnto death for my sake though often called vpon to come downe Fiftly I must consider that in what state so euer of grace or merit of damnation I beginne the next life I must and shall vndoubtedly perseuer in it according to the words of Salomon Wheresoeuer the tree falleth there shall it be whether it be towards South or North that is towards heauen or hell for both the paine of this continueth for euer and the ioy of the other is also euerlasting If therefore I will perseuer in heauen let me perseuer in the way that leadeth vnto it and neuer forsake the painefulnesse of it vnto the iourneyes end The passions of this life are not condigne and comparable to the future glorie and it is extreame follie for auoiding a short and transitorie paine to hazard the losse of euerlasting ioy and put my selfe in perill of perpetuall bondage in sarre more extreame and endlesse torments The sinners perseuer still in wickednesse and seruice of the Diuell The worldlings perseuer in pursuing vanities and following the world yea and that with most seruile toile and base drudgerie and not without many bodily and ghostly harmes how much more ought a true seruant of God perseuer in Gods seruice and not seeme by forsaking him in the way to condemne him for a worse maister then the world or the Diuell whom many thousands serue to the end to their owne damnation Let me remember that the first Angell for want of perseuerance became a diuell Adam for want of the same was thrust out of Paradise and Iudas of an Apostle became a prey of hell Finally there be many thousands in hell fire burning that beganne very good courses and for a time went forward in the same and yet in the end for want of perseuerance were damned for euer What good a soule loseth by mortall sinne THe grace of the holy Ghost The friendship and familiaritie with God All morall vertues infused and gifts of Gods Spirit The inheritance of the kingdome of heauen The portion of Gods children and patronage of his fatherly prouidence which he hath ouer the iust The peace and quietnesse of a good and quiet conscience Many comforts and visitations of the holy Ghost The fruite and merits of Christs death and passion What misery the soule gaineth by mortall sinne COndemnation to eternall paine To be quite cancelled out of the booke of life To become of the child of God the thrall of the diuell To be changed from the temple of the holy Ghost into a denne of theeues a nest of vipers and a sinke of all corruption How a Soule is prepared to iustification by degrees Faith setteth before one eyes God as a iust Iudge Angrie with the bad Mercifull to the repentant Of this faith by the gift of Gods Spirit ariseth a feare by consideration of Gods iustice and Our ownâ— sinnes This feare is comforted by hope grounded in Gods mercie and the Merits of Christ Of this hope ariseth loue and charity to Christ for Louing vs without desert Redeeming vs with so many torments Of this loue followeth sorrow for offending Christ of whom we haue bene so mercifully Created Redeemed Sanctified Called to by Faith Of this sorrow ariseth a full purpose to auoid all sinne which God aboue all things detesteth The diuell aboue all things desireth Aboue all things hurteth the soule A short Meditation of mans miseries VVHat was I O Lord what am I what shall I be I was nothing I am now nothing worth and am in hazard to be worse then nothing I was conceiued in originall sinne I am now full of actuall sinne I may hereafter feele the eternall smart of sinne I was in my mother a lothsome substance I am in the world a sacke of corruption I shall be in my graue a prey of vermine When I was nothing I was without hope to be saued or feare to be damned I am now in a doubtfull hope of the one and in a manifest danger of the other I shall be either happie by the successe of my hope or most miserable by the effect of my danger I was so that I could not then be damned I am so that I can scarce be saued what I haue bene I know to wit a wretched sinner what I am I cannot say being vncertaine of Gods grace what I shall be I am ignorant of being doubtfull of my perseuerance O Lord erect my former weaknesse correct my present sinfulnesse direct my future frailtie from passed euill to present good and from present good to future glorie sweete Iesus A deuout prayer to desire pardon and remission of our sinnes O Most mightie Lord and Creator of all things when I thinke with my selfe how grieuously I haue offended thine infinite Maiestie with my sinnes I wonder at mine owne follie when I consider what a louing and bountifull father I haue forsaken I accurse mine ingratitude when I behold how I am fallen from such a noble libertie into such a miserable bondage I condemne my selfe for an inconstant foole and know not what other thing I may set before mine eyes but onely hell and damnation for so much as thy iustice from which I cannot flie putteth a great tetror into my conscience but contrariwise when I consider thy great mercie which as the Prophet witnesseth exceedeth all thy workes then do I feele forthwith a fresh and pleasant aire of hope to refresh and strengthen againe my weake and sorrowfull soule Wherefore should I then dispaire to obtaine pardon of him who hath so often times in the holy Scriptures inuited sinners to repentance saying I desire not the death of a sinner but that he should liue and be conuerted Moreouer thine onely begotten Sonne our sweete Sauiour Iesus Christ hath reuealed vnto vs by many parables how ready and willing thou art to graunt pardon vnto all such as are penitent for their sinnes This he signifieth vnto vs by the Iewell lost and found againe By the strayed sheepe brought home againe vpon the shepheards shouldiers and much more by the comparison of the prodigall sonne