had in this sort tormented and put to death six of the brethren every one most constantly protesting his faith and the joy he had to die for Gods cause there remained only the yongest whom Antiochus being ashamed that he could pervert never a one of the former endevored by al means possible to draw from his purpose by promising and swering that he should be a rich and happie man and one of his cheef frinds if he would yeeld But when the youth was nothing moved therwith Antiochus called to him the mother and exhorted hir to save hir sons life by persuading him to yeeld which she faining to do therby to have libertie to speak to hir son made a most vehement exhortation to him in the Hebrew toong to stand to it and to die for his conscience which speech being ended the youth cried out with a lowd voice and uttered this noble sentence woorthy to be remembred Quem sustinetis Non obtempero praecepto regis sed praecepto legis Whom do you stay for I do not obey the commandement of the king but the commandement of the law of God Wherupon both he and his mother were presently after many and sundry torments put to death 42 This then is the constant and immoveable resolution which a Christian man should have in al adversitie of this life Wherof Saint Ambrose saith thus Gratia preparandus est animus exercenda mens stabilienda ad constantiam vt nullis perturbari animus possit terroribus nullis frangi molestijs nullis supplicijs cedere Our mind is to be prepared with grace to be exercised and to be so established in constancie as it may not be troubled with any terrors broken with any adversities yeeld to any punishments or torments whatsoever 43 If you ask heer how a man may come to this resolution I answer that Saint Ambrose in the same place putteth two wais the one is to remember the endles and intollerable pains of hel if we do it not and the other is to think of the unspeakable glorie of heaven if we do it Wherto I wil ad the third which with a noble hart may prevail as much as either of them both and that is to consider what others have suffered before us especially Christ himselfe and that only of meer love and affection towards us We see that in this world loving subjects do glorie of nothing more than of their dangers or hurts taken in battel for their prince though he never took blow for them again What then would they do if their prince had been afflicted voluntarily for them as Christ hath been for us But if this great example of Christ seem unto thee too high for to imitate look uppon some of thy brethren before thee made of flesh blood as thou art see what they have suffered before they could enter into heaven think not thy selfe hardly delt withal if thou be called to suffer a litle also 44 Saint Paul writeth of al the apostles togither Even unto this hour we suffer hunger and thirst and lak of apparel we are beaten with mens fists we are vagabonds not having where to stay we labor work with our own hands we are cursed and we do blesse we are persecuted and we take it patiently we are blasphemed and we pray for them that blaspheme us we are made as it were the very outcasts and purgings of this world even unto this day that is though we be apostles though we have wrought so many miracles and converted so many millions of people yet even unto this day are we thus used And a little after describing yet further their lives he saith We shew our selves as the ministers of God in much patience in tribulations in necessities in distresses in beatings in imprisonments in seditions in labors in watches in fastings in chastitie in longanimitie in sweetnes of behavior And of himselfe in particular he saith In laboribus plurimis c. I am the minister of God in many labors in imprisonments more than the rest in beatings above measure and oftentimes in death it selfe Five times have I been beaten of the Iewes and at everie time had fortie lashes lacking on three times have I been whipt with rods once I was stoned three times have I suffered shipwrak a day and a night was I in the bottom of the sea oftentimes in journeies in dangers of fluds in dāgers of thevees in dangers of Iewes in dangers of gentils in dangers of the citie in dangers of wildernes in dangers of sea in dangers of false brethren in labor and travel in much watching in hunger and thirst in much fasting in cold and lak of cloths and beside al these external things the matters that daily do depend upon me for my universal care of al churches 45 By this we may see now whether the apostles taught us more by words than they shewed by example about the necessitie of suffering in this life Christ might have provided for them if he would at leastwise things necessarie to their bodies not have suffered them to come into these extremities of lacking cloths to their baks meat to their mouths and the like He that gave them authoritie to do so many other miracles might have suffered them at lest to have wrought sufficient maintenance for their bodies which should be the first miracle that worldly men would work if they had such authoritie Christ might have said to Peter when he sent him to take his tribute from out of the fishes mouth Take so much more as wil suffice your necessarie expences as you travel the country but he would not nor yet diminish the great afflictions which I have shewed before though he loved them as deerly as ever he loved his own soul. Al which was done as Saint Peter interpreteth to give us example what to follow what to look for what to desire what to comfort our selves withal in amidst the greatest of our tribulations 46 The apostle useth this as a principal consideration when he writeth thus to the Hebrews upon the recital of the sufferings of other saints before them Wherfore we also brethren having so great a multitude of witnesses that have suffered before us let us lay off al burdens of sin hanging upon us and let us run by patience unto the battel offered us fixing our eies upon the author of our faith and fulfiller of the same Iesus who putting the joies of heaven before his eies sustained patiently the crosse contemning the shame and confusion therof and therfore now sitteth at the right hand of the seat of God Think upon him I say which sustained such a contradiction against himselfe at the hands of sinners and be not wearie nor faint in courage For you have not yet resisted against sin unto blood and it seemeth you have forgotten that comfortable saieng which speaketh unto you as unto children My son do not contemn
A Booke of Christian exercise appertaining to RESOLVTION that is shewing how that we should resolve our selves to become Christians in deed by R. P. Perused and accompanied now with a Treatise tending to Pacification by Edm. BVNNY Heb. 13 8. Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for ever Imprinted at London by N. Newton and A. Hatfield for Iohn Wight 1584. Hoc insigne priùs proavis musÃsque decorum Postremò Petri concelebravit honos TO THE MOST REverend Father in God his very good Lord and Patron EDWIN by the providence of God Archbishop of York Primate of England and Metropolitan c. MAY it please your Grace to understand that wheras at the first by a frind of mine and after by mine own experience I perceived that the booke insuing was willingly read by divers for the persuasion that it hath to godlines of life which notwithstanding in manie points was corruptly set down I thought good in the end to get the same published againe in some better manner than now it is come foorth among them that so the good that the reading therof might otherwise do might carrie no hurt or danger withal so far as by me might be praevented For this cause I have taken the pains both to purge it of certain points that carried either some manifest error or else some other inconvenience with them and to join another short Treatise withal to â—â—â—ort those that are not yet persuaded to join with us likewise in the truth of Religion For so to accept of our adversaries labors so much as is good may I trust bring to passe with some few of them that themselves wil better perceive that wherin they shal do wel they may looke to be as readily incouraged by us as when they do il to be admonished or reprehended either as the case doth require and others likewise of their welwillers yet notwithstanding in this varie from them that they stand more indifferent in the cause of religion and mean not otherwise to persist in their opinions but so far as they think they have reason for them may so be the rather induced to assure them selves as the truth indeed is that wherin they have sufficient warrant for the points that they stand on they are not in any wise misliked by us but onlie for those wherin they have no sufficient groundwork to bear them out I was also very glad both that some of them had taken pains in that kind of labor and that others of their profession were somtimes occupied in reading of such For wheras by their bookes that are of the Controversies the readers of them that are before smitted with that kind of infestion are oft times therby the more intangled in their errors and more kindled likewise with inordinate heat against al those that more sincerely hold the Christian faith by this kind of labor it may fal out that comming therby to the fear of God though but after a corrupter maner yet therin may they possibly finde a readie way first to draw them somwhat on to a better advisement of their wais and then after that to espie their wonted errors likewise and to join with us in the truth of religion In which course the better to help them I have added this other Treatise withal so to bring before their eies how the case for that matter doth stand betwixt us and how little cause there is for them so much to be afraid of our profession as some have born them in hand that they ought trusting withal that as they do already agree with us in many points of great importance so they can be content to condescend unto us in the rest likewise if it may appeer unto them that in so doing they shal do none otherwise than as of conscience and dutie they ought Both which bookes when I thought to have praesented unto your Grace I was for a time staied by this for that I thought them not a praesent woorthie inough in respect of my labors therin But when I did more deeply consider that I might very wel hope of better acceptance than the strict woorthines of the thing should deserve I was then fully resolved to be so bold as to praesent your G. with them such as they be and for whatsoever wanteth either in them or me to rest in the good assurance that I have that your G. wil notwithstanding of your own inclination in good part take them As also I take it that I am by good reason induced so to do both for that the dignitie of your place in the church of God among us and mine own special dutie besides doth of right require it and much more than it if mine abilitie might accordingly serve and the nature of the matter in one principal point is such as that by a certain kind of necessitie it leadeth me therunto For wheras it may be the persuasion of some that no such work as is at the first so corrupt in it selfe should be brought foorth to light by any of us though never so warily we purged it before wherin notwithstanding there be many good reasons to ground upon for those that are otherwise minded hence is it that your Graces censure especially heer in these parts is of me and others of the same jurisdiction especially to be regarded for the place that God hath given you among us In which kind of labor as Castalion first then also Maister Rogers have done very wel in that little booke of Kempicius that is called The Imitation of Christ leaving out the corruption of it and taking onlie that which was sound so hath Iohn Baptist Fikler been very bold in wresting that which another had written so wel of the power of the magistrate over his subjects and the dutie of subjects to him again altogither to the establishing of the Popes supremacie and to animate their own confoederates against their godlie and lawful princes changing nothing else to speak of but those very titles and otherwise using the others matter method and stile Nevertheles as the former of these examples shew us how such things may rightly be used so the other likewise may admonish those that would mislike to have their oversights so holpen that they had need as much to go about to excuse their own fellows as to impugn any others therfore that use their freedom more moderately As for my selfe having used my libertie so easily as I have done altering no more than need required and doing the same in quiet maner without any greefe against the Author whosoever it were or disgrace to his doings so much as might be not betraieng the truth I am the lesse careful under the protection of your Graces censure either of the censure or assalts of others that are more led by affection than reason To be short wheras the former of these two bookes calleth men from the love of the world and the latter likewise doth cal men from their
in another place Audite coeli auribus percipe terra Harken ye heavens and thou earth bend hither thine eares Filios enutrivi exaltavi ipsi autem spreuerunt me I have norished up children and have exalted them and now they contemn me What a pitiful complaint is this of God against most vile and base worms of the earth But yet God amplifieth this iniquitie more by certain examples and comparisons The oxe saith he knoweth his owner and the asse knoweth the manger of his Lord and maister but yet my people know not me wo be to the sinful nation to the people loden with iniquitie to this naughtie seed to wicked children What complaint can be more vehement than this What threatning can be more dreadful than this wo comming from the mouth of him which may punish us at his pleasure 19 Wherfore deer brother if thou have grace cease to be ungrateful to God any longer cease to offend him which hath by so manie wais prevented thee with benefits cease to render evil for good hatred for love contempt for his fatherly affection towards thee He hath done for thee al that he can he hath given thee al that thou art yea and in a certain maner al that he is woorth himselfe and meaneth besides to make thee partaker of al his glorie in the world to come and requireth no more for al this at thy hands but love and gratitude O deer brother why wilt thou not yeeld him this Why wilt thou not do as much to him as thou wouldest haue another man to do to thee for lesse than the ten thousand part of these benefits which thou hast receaved For I dare wel say that if thou hadst given a man but an almes at thy dore thou wouldest think him bound to love thee for it albeit thou hadst nothing in thee woorth love besides But now thy Lord besides these his gifts hath infinite causes to make thee love him that is al the causes which any thing in the world hath to purchase love and infinite more besides for if al the perfections of al things created in heaven and in earth which do procure love were put togither in one as al their beautie al their vertu al their nobilitie al their goodnes and the like yet thy Lord and Savior whom thou contemnest doth passe al this and that by many and infinite degrees for that he is not only al these things togither but also he is very beautie it selfe vertu it selfe wisdom it selfe sweetnes it selfe nobilitie it selfe goodnes it selfe and the very fountain and welspring where hence al these things are derived by litle peeces and parcels unto his creatures 20 Be ashamed then good Christian of this thy ingratitude to so great so good bountiful a Lord and resolve thy selfe for the time to come to amend thy course of life and behavior towards him Say with the prophet which had lesse cause to say so than thou Domine propitiare peccatomeo multum est enim O Lord pardon me mine offences for it is great in thy sight I know there is nothing O Lord which doth so much displease thee or dry up the fountain of thy mercy and so bindeth thy hands from dooing good as ingratitude in the receavers of thy benefits wherin hitherto I have exceeded al other but I have done it O Lord in mine ignorance not considering thy gifts unto me nor what account thou wouldest demaund again of the same But now seeing thou hast vouchsafed to make me woorthy of this grace also wherby to see and know mine own state and default I hope hereafter by direction of the same grace of thine to shew my selfe a better child towards thee O Lord I am overcome at the lenth with consideration of thy love and how can I have the hart to offend thee hereafter seeing thou hast prevented me so many wais with benefits even when I demanded not the same Can I have hands ever more to sin against thee which hast given up thine own most tender hands to be nailed on the crosse for my sins heretofore No no it is too great an injurie against thee O Lord and wo woorth me that have done it so often heretofore But by thy holy assistance I trust not to return to such iniquitie for the time to come to which O Lord I beseech thee for thy mercy sake from thy holie throne of heaven to say Amen CHAP. VIII Of what opinion and feeling we shal be touching these matters at the time of our death THe holie scriptures do teach us and experience maketh it plain that during the time of this life the commodities preferments and pleasures of the world do possesse so strongly the harts of manie men and do hold them chained with so forcible inchauntments being forsaken also upon their just deserts of the grace of God say and threaten what a man can bring against them al the whole scripture even from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalips as indeed it is al against sin and sinners yet wil it prevail nothing with them being in that lamentable case as either they beleeve not or esteem not whatsoever is said to that purpose against their setled life and resolution to the contrary Of this we have infinite examples in scripture as of Sodom and Gomorra with the cities about which could not heare the warnings that good Lot gave unto them Also of Pharao whom al that ever Moises could do either by signes or saiengs mooved nothing Also of Iudas who by no faire means or threatnings used to him by his maister would change his wicked resolution But especially the prophets sent from God from time to time to dissuade the people from their naughtie life and consequently from the plaegs hanging over them do give abundant testimonie of this complaining everie where of the hardnes of sinners harts that would not be mooved with al the exhortations preachings promises and thunderings that they could use The prophet Zacharie shal testifie for al in this matter who saith of the people of Israel a litle before their destruction Hoc ait Dominus exercituum c. This saith the Lord of hosts iudge iustly And so foorth And presentlie he addeth And they would not attend but turning their baks went away stopped their ears to the end they might not heare and they did put their harts as an adamant stone to the end they might not heare the law and the words which God did send in his spirit by the hands of the former prophets wherby Gods great indignation was stirred up 2 This then is and alwais hath been the fashion of worldlings reprobate persons to harden their harts as an adamant stone against any thing that shal be told them for the amendement of their lives and for the saving of their souls Whiles they are in helth prosperitie they wil not know God As in
prophet And why so Bicause we draw therin with a sweet companion we draw with Christ that is his grace at one end and our endevor at the other And bicause when a great ox and a little do draw togither the waight lieth al upon the greater ox his nek for that he beareth up quite the yoke from the other therof it commeth that we drawing in this yoke with Christ which is greater than we are he lighteneth us of the whole burden and only requireth that we should go on with him comfortably and not refuse to enter under the yoke with him for that the pain shal be his and the pleasure ours This he signifieth expreslie when he saith Come you to me al that labor and are heavie loden and I wil refresh you Heer you see that he mooveth us to this yoke only therby to refresh and disburden us to disburden us I say and to refresh us and not any way to load or agreeve us to disburden us of the heavy lodings and yokes of this world as from the burden of care the burden of melancholy the burden of envie hatred and malice the burden of pride the burden of ambition the burden of covetousnes the burden of wickednes and hel fire it selfe From al these burdens and miserable yokes Christ would deliver us by covering our neks only with his yoke and burden so lightened and sweetned by his holy grace as the bearing therof is not travelsome but most easie pleasant and comfortable as hath been shewed 10 Another cause why this yoke is so sweet this burden so light and this way of Gods commandements so pleasant to good men is love love I mean towards God whose commandements they are For every man can tel and hath experienced in himselfe what a strong passion the passion of love is and how it maketh easie the verie greatest pains that are in this world What maketh the mother to take such pains in the bringing up of hir child but only love What causeth the wife to sit so attentive at the bedside of hir sik husband but only love What mooveth the beasts and birds of the air to spare from their own food and to indanger their own lives for the feeding and defending of their little ones but only the force of love Saint Austen doth prosecute this point at large by many other examples as of merchants that refuse no adventure of sea for love of gain of hunters that refuse no season of evil weather for love of game of soldiers that refuse no danger of death for love of the spoil And he addeth in the end that if the love of man can be so great towards creatures heer as to make labor easie and indeed to seem no labor but rather pleasure how much more shal the love of good men towards God make al their labor comfortable which they take in his service 11 This extreme love was the cause why al the pains and afflictions which Christ suffered for us seemed nothing unto him And this love also was the cause why al the travels and torments which many Christians have suffered for Christ seemed nothing unto them Imprisonments torments losse of honor goods life seemed trifles to divers servants of God in respect of this burning love This love drove many virgins and tender children to offer themselves in time of persecution for the love of him which in the cause was persecuted This love caused holie Apollonia of Alexandria being brought to the fire to be burned for Christ to slip out of the hands of such as led hir and joifully to run into the fire of hir selfe This love mooved Ignatius the ancient martyr to say being condemned to beasts and fearing least they would refuse his bodie as they had done of divers martyrs before that he would not permit them so to do but would provoke and stir them to come upon him and to take his life from him by tearing his body in peeces 12 These are the effects then of fervent love which maketh even the things that are most difficult and dreadful of themselves to appeer sweet and pleasant and much more the laws and commandements of God which in themselves are most just reasonable holie and easie Da amantem saith Saint Austen speaking of this matter et sentit quod dico Si autem frigido loquor nescit quid loquar Give me a man that is in love with God he feeleth this to be tru which I say but if I talk to a cold Christian he understandeth not what I say And this is the cause why Christ talking of the keeping of his commandements repeateth so often this word love as the surest cause of keeping the same for want wherof in the world the world keepeth them not as there he sheweth If you love me keep my commandements saith he And again He that hath my commandements and keepeth them he is he that loveth me Again He which loveth me wil keep my commandements In which last words is to be noted that to the lover he saith His commandement in the singular number for that to such an one al his commandements are but one commandement according to the saieng of Saint Paul That love is the fulnes of the law for that it comprehendeth al. But to him that loveth not Christ saith his commandements in the plural number signifieng therby that they are both many and heavie to him for that he wanteth love which should make them easie Which Saint Iohn also expresseth when he saith This is the love of God when we keep his commandements and his commandements are not heavie That is they are not heavy to him which hath the love of God otherwise no marvel though they be most heavie For that every thing seemeth heavie which we do against our liking And so by this also gentle reader thou maist gesse whether the love of God be in thee or no. 13 And these are two means now wherby the vertuous life of good men is made easie in this world There follow divers others to the end that these negligent excusers may see how unjust and untru this excuse of theirs is concerning the pretended hardnes of vertuous living which in very deed is indued with infinite privileges of comfort above the life of wicked men even in this world And the next after the former is a certain special and peculiar light of understanding pertaining to the just and called in scripture Prudentia sanctorum the wisdome of saints which is nothing els but a certain sparkle of heavenly wisdome bestowed by singular privilege upon the vertuous in this life wherby they receive most comfortable light and understanding in spiritual matters especially touching their own salvation and things necessarie therunto Of which the prophet David ment when he said Notas mihi fecisti vias vitae Thou hast made the wais of
the discipline of the Lord and be not wearie when thou art chastened of him For whom God loveth he chasteneth he whippeth every son whom he receiveth Persevere therfore in the correction laid upon you God offereth himselfe to you as to his children For what child is there whom the father correcteth not If you be out of correction wherof al his children are made partakers then are you bastards and not children Al correction for the present time when it is suffered seemeth unpleasant and sorrowful but yet after it bringeth foorth most quiet fruit of justice unto them that are exercised by it Wherfore strengthen up your wearie hands and loosed knees make way to your feet c. That is take courage unto you and go forward valiantly under the crosse laid upon you This was the exhortation of this holie captain unto his countrie men soldiers of Iesus Christ the Iewes 47 Saint Iames the brother of our Lord useth another exhortation to al tru Catholiks not much different from this in that his epistle which he writeth generally to al. Be you therfore patient my brethren saith he until the comming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman expecteth for a time the fruit of the earth so pretious unto him bearing patiently until he may receive the same in his season be you therfore patient and comfort your harts for that the comming of the Lord wil shortly draw neere Be not sad and complain not one of another Behold the judge is even at the gate Take the prophets for an example of labor and patience which spake unto us in the name of God Behold we account them blessed which have suffered You have heard of the sufferance of Iob and you have seen the end of the Lord with him you have seen I say that the Lord is merciful and ful of compassion 48 I might heer alledge many things more out of the scripture to this purpose for that the scripture is most copious heerin and in verie deed if it should al be melted and powred out it would yeeld us nothing else almost but touching the crosse and patient bearing of tribulation in this life But I must end for that this chapter riseth to be long as the other before did and therfore I wil only for my conclusion set down the confession and most excellent exhortation of old Mathathias unto his children in the time of the cruel persecution of Antiochus against the Iews Now saith he is the time that pride is in hir strength now is the time of chastisement towards us of eversion and indignation come Now therfore O children be you zealous in the law of God yeeld up your lives for the testament of your fathers remember the works of your ancestors what they have done in their generations and so shal you receive great glorie and eternal name Was not Abraham found faithful in time of temptation and it was reputed unto him for justice Ioseph in time of his distresse kept Gods commandements and was made Lord over al Egypt Phinees our father for his zeal towards the law of God received the testament of an everlasting preesthood Iosue for that he fulfilled Gods word was made a captain over al Israel Caleb for that he testified in the church received an inheritance David for his mercie obtained the seat of an eternal kingdom Elias for that he was zealous in zeal of the law was taken up to heaven Ananias Azarias and Misael through their beleef were delivered from the flame of the fire Daniel for his simplicitie was delivered from the mouth of lions And so do you run over by cogitation al generations and you shal see that al those that hope in God shal not be vanquished And do you not fear the words of a sinful man for his glorie is nothing els but dung and worms to day he is great and exalted and to morrow he shal not be found for he shal return unto his earth again and al his fond cogitations shal perish Wherfore take courage unto you my children and play the men in the law of God For therin shal be your honor and glorie Hitherto are the words of Mathathias which shal suffice for the end of this chapter CHAP. III. Of the third impediment that letteth men from resolution which is the love of the world AS the two impediments remooved before be indeed great staies to many men from the resolution we talk of so this that now I take in hand is not only of it selfe a strong impediment but also a great cause and common ground as it were to al the other impediments that be For if a man could touch the very pulse of al those who refuse or neglect or defer this resolution he should find the foundation therof to be the love of this world whatsoever other excuse they pretend besides The noble men of Iewrie pretended fear to be the cause why they could not resolve to confesse Christ openly but Saint Iohn that felt their pulse uttereth the tru cause to have been For that they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God Demas that forsook Saint Paul in his bands even a little before his death pretended another cause of his departure to Thessalonica but Saint Paul saith it was Quia diligebat hoc seculum For that he loved this world So that this is a general and universal impediment and more indeed dispersed than outwardly appeereth for that it bringeth foorth divers other excuses therby to cover hir selfe in many men 2 This may be confirmed by that most excellent parable of Christ recorded by three Evangelists of the three sorts of men which are to be damned the three causes of their damnation wherof the third and last and most general including as it were both the rest is the love of this world For the first sort of men are compared to a high way where al seed of life that is sown either withereth presently or else is eaten up by the birds of the aire that is as Christ expoundeth it by the devil in carelesse men that contemn whatsoever is said unto them as infidels and al other obstinate and contemptuous people The second sort are compared to rocky grounds in which for lak of deep roote the seed continueth not wherby are signified light and unconstant men that now chop in and now run out now are fervent and by and by key-cold again and so in time of temptation they are gon The third sort are compared to a field where the seed groweth up but yet there are so many thorns on the same which Christ expoundeth to be the cares troubles miseries deceveable vanities of this life as the good corn is choked up and bringeth foorth no fruit By which last words our savior signifieth that whersoever the doctrine of Christ groweth up yet bringeth not foorth du fruit that is whersoever it is
world the love of God the father is not in him For that al which is in the world is either concupiscence of the flesh or concupiscence of the eies or pride of life In which words S. Iohn beside his threat against such as love and follow the world reduceth al the vanities therof unto three general points or branches that is to concupiscence of the flesh wherin he comprehendeth al carnal pleasures to concupiscence of the eies wherin he containeth al matters of riches and to pride of life wherby he signifieth the humor disease of worldly ambition These then are the three general principal vanities of this life wherin worldly men do wearie out themselves ambition covetousnes and carnal pleasure wherunto al other vanities are addressed as to their superiors And therfore it shal not be amisse to consider of these three in this place 8 And first to ambition or pride of life belongeth vainglorie that is a certain disordinate desire to be wel thought of wel spoken of praised and glorified of men and this is as great a vanitie though it be common to many as if a man should run up and down the streets after a feather flieng in the air tossed hither and thither with the blasts of infinite mens mouths For as this man might wearie out himselfe before he gat the thing which he followed and yet when he had it he had gotten but a feather so a vain glorious man may labor a good while before he attain to the praise which he desireth and when he hath it it is not woorth three chips being but the breath of a few mens mouthes that altereth upon every light occasion and now maketh him great now little now nothing at al. Christ himselfe may be an example of this who was tossed to and fro in the speech of men some said he was a Samaritan and had the divel other said he was a prophet other said he could not be a prophet or of God for that he kept not the sabboth day others asked if he were not of God how he could do so many miracles So that there was a schism or division among them about this matter as Saint Iohn affirmeth Finally they received him into Ierusalem with triumph of Hosanna casting their apparel under his feet But the friday next ensuing they cried Crucifige against him and preferred the life of Barrabas a wicked murderer before him 9 Now my frind if they delt thus with Christ which was a better man than ever thou wilt be and did more glorious miracles than ever thou wilt do to purchase thee name and honor with the people why dost thou so labor and beat thy selfe about this vanitie of vain glorie Why dost thou cast thy travels into the wind of mens mouthes Why dost thou put thy riches in the lips of mutable men where every flatterer may rob thee of them Hast thou no better a chest to lok them up in Saint Paul was of another mind when he said I esteem little to be iudged of you or of the day of man and he had reason surely For what careth he that runneth at tilt if the ignorant people give sentence against him so the judges give it with him If the blind man in the way to Iericho had depended of the liking and approbation of the goers by he had never received the benefit of his sight for that they dissuaded him from running and crieng so vehemently after Christ. It is a miserable thing for a man to be a windmil which maketh no meal but according as the blast endureth If the gale be strong he surgeth about lustily but if the wind slake he relenteth presently So praise the vainglorious man and ye make him run if he feel not the gale blow he is out of hart he is like the Babylonians who with a little sweet musik were made to adore any thing whatsoever 10 The scripture saith most truly As silver is tried in the fire by blowing to it so is a man tried in the mouth of him that praiseth For as silver if it be good taketh no hurt therby but if it be evil it goeth al into fume so a vain man by praise and commendation How many have we seen puffed up with mens praises and almost put beside themselves for joy therof and yet afterward brought down with a contrarie wind and driven ful neer to desperation by contempt How many do we see daily as the prophet did in his dais commended in their sins and blessed in their wickednes How many palpable and intollerable flatteries do we hear both used and accepted daily and no man crieth with good king David Away with this oile and ointment of sinners let it not come upon my head Is not al this vanitie Is it not madnesse as the scripture calleth it The glorious angels in heaven seek no honor unto themselves but al unto God and thou poore worm of the earth desirest to be glorified The four and twentie elders in the Apocalips took off their crowns and cast them at the feet of the lamb and thou wouldest pluk fortie from the lamb to thy self if thou couldest O fond creature How truly saith the prophet Homo vanitati similis factus est A man is made like unto vanitie That is like unto his own vanitie as light as the verie vanities themselves which he followeth And yet the wise man more expresly In vanitate sua appenditur peccator The sinner is weighed in his vanitie That is by the vanitie which he followeth is seen how light and vain a sinner is 11 The second vanitie that belongeth to ambition is desire of worldly honor dignitie and promotion And this is a great matter in the sight of a worldly man this is a jewel of rare price and woorthy to be bought even with any labor travel or peril whatsoever The love of this letted the great men that were Christians in Iewrie from confessing of Christ openly The love of this letted Pilat from delivering Iesus according as in conscience he saw he was bound The love of this letted Agrippa Festus from making themselves Christians albeit they esteemed Pauls doctrine to be tru The love of this letteth infinite men daily from imbracing the means of their salvation But alas these men do not see the vanitie heerof Saint Paul saith not without just cause Nolite esse pueri sensibus Be you not children in understanding It is the fashion of children to esteem more of a painted bable than of a rich jewel And such is the painted dignitie of this world gotten with much labor maintained with great expenses and lost with intollerable greefe and sorrow For better conceiving wherof ponder a little with thy selfe gentle reader any state of dignitie that thou wouldest desire and think how many have had that before thee Remember how they mounted up how they descended
woonted errors unto the truth in both these respects I thought your G. would so much the rather accept of them For having had so long experience of the world as you have very likelihood teacheth that needs you must grow more and more from the love therof and it is sufficiently known unto al that having found this mercie your selfe to be delivered from the former ignorance to be brought to the knowledge of the truth you have in like sort in this long course that God hath given you much called on others to do the like These bookes therfore that treat of the same I thought should be the rather welcome And I beseech almightie God the fountain and giver of al good things to give you grace so to consider of the one and to go on forward in the other as that more and more departing from the love of the world and more and more performing the work of the ministerie you bring the former at length to nothing and make the other a pollished work for the day of the Lord. Your Graces most humble in the Lord EDM. BVNNY The Praeface to the Reader COncerning the former of these two Bookes gentle Reader I have to admonish thee of certain things therunto belonging and first as touching the Author of it then as touching the booke it selfe Who it is that was the Author of it I do not know for that the Author hath not put to his name but only two letters in the end of his praeface which two letters I have set down under the title of the booke it selfe But whosoever it is that was the Author of it himselfe doth set down both the occasion wherupon he wrote it and what was his intent and purpose therin The occasion of it was that one Gasper Loart Doctor of Divinitie and a Iesuit frier had before written a booke of much like argument in the Italian toong which a countrie-man of ours at Paris in France had about four yeers since translated into English and had done as he thought much good therby Wherupon the Author heerof minding to have imprinted that again and to have inriched it both with matter and method he found the course that he determined to have this issu in the end that he thought not good to imprint again that booke of Doctor Loarts but rather to make another of his own and to gather in therunto whatsoever is in that booke or others such like to this effect Which course when he had taken he thought good to follow this order therin first to shew how to resolve our selves to serve God indeed then how to begin to do it and lastly how to continu unto the end And so setting in hand with the work and having finished the first part that hath he sent over in the mean season until he shal be able to finish the rest His intent and purpose was as himselfe doth witnes that his countrie-men might have some one sufficient direction for matters of life among so many bookes of controversies for that those though otherwise he account them needful do help but little he saith oft times to good life but rather fil the heads of men with a spirit of contradiction contention that for the most part hindereth devotion Insomuch that he much misliketh that men commonly spend so much of their time so unprofitably talking of faith but not seeking to build theron as they ought to do and so do but wearie themselves in vain making much ado but getting but little profit therby much disquieting our selves and others and yet obtaining but smal reward Which complaint of his is just indeed as the matter is handled by many And so having protested his good meaning therin desireth al though they dissent from him in religion yet laieng aside hatred malice and wrathful contention to join togither in amendement of life and in praieng one for another Which we might have heard in his own words but that he interlaceth other things withal that I dare not in conscience and dutie to God commend unto thee Concerning the booke it selfe it seemeth to be most of al gathered out of certain of the Schoole-men as they are termed that living in the corrupter time of the church did most of al by that occasion treat of reformation of life when as others were rather occupied about the controversies that were most in quaestion among them And although my selfe have bestowed no great time in them yet by the little that I have bestowed I see it to resemble them so much especially for the invention of it that as we finde somtimes a readie help in the face of the childe to gesse at the father so in this likewise me think that we have in the booke it selfe that which may lead us to this conjecture But my meaning at this time is no more but this first to shew thee what it was as it is set foorth by the Author himselfe and then what is done therunto by me that so I might get it published to al. As it is set foorth by the Author himselfe if we consider the substance of it surely it was wel woorth the labor a few points only excepted and much of it of good persuasion to godlines of life But if we consider the form or maner of it therin maiest thou finde that it was needful for me before hand to admonish thee of these few things First that throughout the whole booke the Author hath used in those scriptures that he alledgeth the vulgar translation that was before in common use with them and some special words praecisely such as before they have taken upon them to observe and therin stil to discent from us The vulgar translation is known wel inough so that I need to say nothing of it Those special words that praecisely he useth are Our Lord when it is more agreeable to the text to say The Lord iustice for righteousnes poenance for repentance merit for good works or the service of God and a few others Then also in divers parts of the booke there were mingled in withal certain opinions and doctrines of their own profession most of them such as are manifest corruptions and some of them no more but over-venturous and certain places alledged out of others little appertaining to the matter or else more coldly handling the matters propounded than that wel they could match with the residu that are in the Treatise to that purpose alledged In this maner came it into my hands and so it is yet extant among them Now concerning my doings therin first for the substance of it bicause it is much of it good I have so far not only conceived liking of it my selfe but also have done my best indevor thus to publish it unto al that so many as wil may take to themselves the benefit of it In which kind of argument though many others in these our dais have done very commendably likewise Yet I
advertisement to the Reader How necessarie a thing it is for a man to resolve to leave vanities and to serve God What argument the devil useth to draw men from this resolution How wilful ignorance doth-increase and not excuse sin What mind a man should have that would read this Treatise The second Chapter How necessarie it is to enter into earnest consideration and meditation of our estate wherin is declared That inconsideration heerin is a great enimie to resolution What inconveniences grow therby The nature and commoditie of consideration Of the exact maner of meditating the particulars of religion in the fathers of old and the fashion of beleeving in grosse at this day The third Chapter Of the end in general why man was created and placed in this world wherin is handled How du consideration of this end helpeth a man to iudge of himselfe What mind a man should have to creatures The lamentable condition of the world by want of this du consideration And the mischeefe therof at the last day The fourth Chapter Of the end of man more in particular and of two special parts of the same required at his hands in this life wherin is discussed How exactly both these parts are to be exercised The description of a Christian life The lamentable condition of our negligence heerin The care and diligence of many of the fathers touching the same The remedies that they used for the one part what monuments of pietie they left behind touching the other The indifferent estates of good and evil men as wel praesently and at the day of death as in the life to come The fift Chapter Of the severe account that we must yeeld to God wherin is declared A principal point of wisdome in an accountant for viewing of the state of his account before hand The maiestie of ceremonies and circumstances used by God at the first publication of his law in writing and his severe punishment of offenders The sharp speeches of our savior against sinners Why two iudgements are appointed after death The sudden comming of them both The demands in our account at the general iudgement The circumstances of horror and dread before at and after the same What a treasure a good conscience wil then be The pittiful case of the damned How easily the dangers of those matters may be praevented in du time The sixt Chapter A consideration of the nature of sin and of a sinner to shew the cause why God justly useth the rigor before mentioned wherin is described Gods infinite hatred to sinners The reasons why God hateth them That they are enimies to God to themselves How God punisheth sinners as wel the penitent as the obstinate and of the bitter speeches in scripture against sinners Of the seven miseries and losses which come by sin The obstinacie of sinners in this age Two principal causes of sin Of the danger to live in sin How necessarie it is to fear The seventh Chapter Another consideration for the further justifieng of Gods judgements and declaration of our demerit taken from the majestie of God and his benefits towards us wherin is shewed A contemplation of the maiestie of God and of his benefits Of the several uses of sacraments Divers complaints against sinners in the person of God Our intollerable contempt and ingratitude against so great a maiestie and benefactor Of great causes we have to love God beside his benefits How he requireth nothing of us but gratitude That it resteth in du resolution to serve him An exhortation to this gratitude with a short praier for a penitent sinner in this case The eight Chapter Of what opinion and feeling we shal be touching these matters at the time of our death wherin is expressed The induration of some harts kept from resolution by worldly respects Of the matters of terror pain and miserie that principally molest a man at his death A contemplation of the terrors speech or cogitation of a sinner at the hour of death Of divers apparitions and visions to the iust and to the wicked lieng a dieng How al these miseries may be praevented The ninth Chapter Of the pains appointed for him after this life and of two sorts of them wherin is declared How God useth the motive of threats to induce men to resolution Of the everlasting pain in hel reserved for the damned and common to al that are there Of the two parts therof that is pain sensible and pain of losse Vehement coniectures touching the severitie of those pains Of the several names of hel in divers toongs Of the particular pains for particular offenders peculiar in qualitie quantitie to the sins of ech offender Of the woorm of conscience The tenth Chapter Of the rewards benefits and commodities provided for Gods servants wherin is declared How God is the best pay-master Of his infinite magnificence The nature greatnes and valu of his rewards A description of paradise Of two parts of felicitie in heaven A contemplation of the commodities of the said two felicities ioined togither The honor wherunto a Christian man is born by baptism An admonition against securitie in this life The contents of the second part of this booke touching impediments of resolution The first Chapter Of the first impediment which is the difficultie that manie think to be in vertuous life wherin is declared Nine special privileges and helps wherwith the vertuous are aided above the wicked 1 The force of Gods grace for easing of vertuous life against al temptations 2 Of what force love is heerin And how a man may know whether he have love towards God or no. 3 Of a peculiar light of understanding pertaining to the iust 4 Of internal consolation of mind 5 Of the quiet of a good conscience in the iust 6 Of hope in God which the vertuous have And that the hope of the wicked is indeed no hope but meer presumption 7 Of freedom of soul and bodie which the vertuous have 8 Of the peace of mind in the vertuous towards God their neighbor and themselves 9 Of the expectation of the reward that the vertuous have Of the comfort that holie men have after their conversion And how the best men have had greatest conflicts therin Of Saint Austens conversion and four annotations therupon The second Chapter Of the second impediment which is tribulation wherin are handled four special points 1 First that it is an ordinarie means of salvation to suffer some tribulation 2 Secondly that there be thirteen special considerations of Gods purpose in sending afflictions to his servants which are laid down and declared in particular 3 Thirdly what special considerations of comfort a man may have in tribulation The third Chapter Of the third impediment which is love of the world which is drawn to six points 1 First how and in what sense the world and commodities therof are vanities and of three general points of worldly vanities 2 Secondly how worldly commodities
God in some measure of his majestie did passe by in glorie And when he was past God tooke away his hand and suffered Moises to see his hinder parts only which was notwithstanding most terrible to behold 5 The prophet Daniel also describeth the majestie of this God shewed unto him in vision in these words I did see saith he when the thrones were set and the old of many dais sate down his apparel was as white as snow his haire like unto pure wool his thron was of a flame of fire his chariots were burning fire a swift flud of fire came from his face a thousand thousands did serve him and ten thousand hundred thousands did assist him he sate in iudgement and the books were opened before him Al this and much more is recorded in scripture to admonish us therby what a prince of majestie he is whom a sinner offendeth 6 Imagin now brother mine that thou seest this great king sitting in his chaire of majestie with chariots of fire unspeakable light and infinite millions of Angels about him as the scripture reporteth Imagin further which is most tru that thou seest al the creatures in the world stand in his presence and trembling at his majestie and most carefully attending to do that for which he created them as the heavens to move abovt the earth to bring foorth sustenance and the like Imagin further that thou seest al these creatures how big or little soever they be to hang and depend only of the power and vertu of God wherby they stand move and consist and that there passeth from God to ech creature in the world yea to everie part that hath motion or being in the same some beam of his vertu as from the sun we see infinite beams to passe into the aire Consider I say that no one part of any creature in the world as the fish in the sea the grasse on the ground the leaves of the trees or the parts of man upon the face of the earth can grow moove or consist without some litle stream of vertu and power come to it continually from God So that thou must imagin God to stand as a most glorious sun in the midst and from him to passe foorth infinite beams or streams of vertu to al creatures that are either in heaven earth the aire or the water and to every part therof and upon these beams of his vertu al creatures to hang and if he should stop but any one of them it would destroy and annihilate presentlie some creature or other This I say if thou shalt consider touching the majestie of God and the infinite dread that al creatures have of him except only a sinner for the devils also do fear him as Saint Iames saith thou wilt not marvel of the severe judgement of God appointed for his offence For sure I am that very shame of the world maketh us to have more regard in offending the poorest frind we have in this life than a wicked man hath in offending God which is an intollerable contempt of so great a majestie 7 But now if we adjoin to this contemplation of majestie another consideration of his benefits bestowed upon us our default wil grow to be far greater for that to injurie him who hath done us good is a thing most detestable even in nature it selfe And there was never yet so fearce an hart no not amongst brute beasts but that it might be woon with curtesie benefits but much more amongst reasonable creatures doth benificence prevail especially if he come from great personages whose love and frindship declared unto us but in smal gifts doth greatly bind the harts of the receavers to love them again 8 Consider then deer Christian the infinite good turns and benefits which thou hast receaved at the hands of this great God therby to win thee to his love that thou shouldest leave of to offend and injurie him and albeit no toong created either of man or Angel can expresse the one halfe of these gifts which thou hast receaved from him or the valew of them or the great love and hartie good wil wherwith he bestowed them upon thee yet for som memorie sake I wil repeat certain general and principal points therof wherunto the rest may be referred 9 First then he hath bestowed upon thee the benefit of thy creation wherby he made thee of nothing to the likenes of himselfe and appointed thee to so noble an end as is to serve him in this life and to reign with him in the life to come furnishing thee for the present with the service and subjection of al creatures The greatnes of this benefit may partly be conceaved if thou do imagin thy selfe to lak but any one part of thy bodie as a leg an arm an eie or the like and that one should freely geeve the same unto thee or if thou wantest but any one sense as that thou were deafe or blind and one should restore sight or hearing unto thee how wouldest thou esteeme of this benefit How much wouldest thou professe thy selfe beholding unto him for the same And if the gift of one of these parts only would seeme such a benefit unto thee how great oughtest thou to esteeme the free gift of so manie parts together 10 Ad to this now as I have said that he hath created thee to the likenes of no other thing but of himselfe to no other end but to be his honorable servant in this world and his compartener in kingly glorie for al eternitie to come and this he hath done to thee being only a peece of dirt or clay before Now imagin thou of what maner of love proceeded this But yet ad further how he hath created al this magnificent world for thee and al the creatures therof to serve thee in this busines the heaven to distinguish times and seasons and to geeve thee light the earth and aier and water to minister most infinit varietie of creatures for thy use and sustinance hath made thee lord of al to use them for thy comfort and his service And what magnificent gifts are these And what shameful ingratitude is it to turn the same to the dishonor and injurie of so loving a geever as thou dost by using them to serve thee in sin 11 But yet consider a little further the benefit of thy redemption much greater than al the former which is that thou having lost al those former benefits again and made thy self guiltie by sin of eternal punishment wherto the Angels were now delivered for their sin committed before God chose to redeeme thee and not the Angels and for satisfieng of thy fault to deliver his own only Son to death for thee O Lord what hart can conceave the greatnes of this benefit Imagin thy selfe being a poore man hadst committed a greevous crime against a kings majestie together with some great man of his cheefest nobilitie and that
what severitie But it is not lawful we onlie which are yet alive have that singular benefit if we know it or wold resolve our selves to make the most of it One of these dais we shal be past it also and shal not recover it again no not one hour if we would give a thousand worlds for the same as indeed the damned would do if they might Let us now therfore so use the benefit of our present time as when we are past hence we have not need to wish our selves here again 24 Now is the time we may avoid al now is the time we may put our selves out of danger of these matters now I saie if we resolve our selves out of hand For we know not what shal become of us to morrow it may be to morrow our harts wil be as hard and carelesse of these things as they have been heretofore and as Pharao his hart was after Moises departure from him Oh that he had resolved himselfe thoroughlie while Moises was with him how happie had he been If the rich glutton had taken the time while he was in prosperitie how blessed a man had he been He was foretold of his miserie as we are now by Moises and the prophets as Christ signifieth but he would not hear Afterward he was in such admiration of his own follie that he would have had Lazarus sent from Abrahams bosom unto his brethren to warn them of his successe But Abraham told him it was bootlesse for they would not have beleeved Lazarus but rather have persecuted him as a liar and defamer of their honorable brother dead if he should have come and told them of his torments Indeed so would the wicked of the world do now if one should come tel them that their parents or frinds are damned in hel for such and such things and do beseech them to look better to their lives to the end by their comming thither they do not increase the others pains for being some cause of their damnation for this is onlie the cause of care which the damned have towards the living and not for any love they now bear them if I saie such a message should come from hel to the florishing sinners of this world would they not laugh at it Would they not persecute eagarlie the parties that should bring such news what then can God devise to do for the saving of these men What waie what means may he take when neither warning nor example of others nor threats nor exhortations wil do anie good We know or may know that leading the life which we do we can not be saved We know or ought to know that manie before us have been damned for lesse matters We know and can not choose but know that we must shortlie die and receave our selves as they have receaved living as they did or woorse We see by this laid down before that the pains are intollerable and yet eternal which do expect us for the same We confesse them most miserable that for anie pleasure or commoditie of this world are now fallen into those pains What then shuld let us to resolve to dispatch our selves quiklie of al impediments To break violentlie from al bonds and chains of this wicked world that do let us from this tru and zealous service of God Why should we sleep one night in sin seeing that night may chance to be our last and so the everlasting cutting off of al hope for the time to come 25 Resolve thy selfe therfore my deer brother if thou be wise and cleer thy selfe from this danger while God is willing to receive thee and mooveth thee therunto by these means as he did the rich man by Moises and the prophets while he was yet in his prosperitie Let his example be often before thine eies and consider it throughly and it shal do thee good God is a wonderful God and to shew his patience and infinite goodnes he wooeth us in this life seeketh unto us and laieth himselfe as it were at our feet to moove us to our own good to win us to draw us and to save us from perdition But after this life he altereth his course of dealing he turneth over the leaf and changeth his stile Of a lamb he becometh a lion to the wicked and of a saviour a just and severe punisher What can be said or don more to moove us He that is forewarned and seeth his own danger before his face and yet is not stirred nor made the more warie or fearful therby but notwithstanding wil come or slide into the same may wel be pitied but surely by no means can he be helped making himselfe incapable of al remedies that may be used CHAP. X. Of the most honorable and munificent rewards proposed to al them that truly serve God THE reasons and considerations laid down before in the former chapters might wel suffice to stir up the hart of any reasonable Christian to take in hand this resolution wherof we talk and wherunto I so much covet to persuade thee for thy only good and gain gentle reader But for that al harts are not of one constitution in this respect nor al drawn and stirred with the same means I purpose to adjoin heer a consideration of commoditie wherunto commonly ech man is prone by nature And therfore I am in hope it shal be more forcible to that we go about than any thing else that hitherto hath beene spoken I mean then to treat of the benefits which are reaped by service of God of the gain drawn thence and of the good pay and most liberal reward which God performeth to his servants above al the maisters created that may be served And though the just fear of punishment if we serve him not might be sufficient to drive us to this resolution and the infinite benefits alreadie received induce us to the same in respect of gratitude of both which somwhat hath been said before yet am I content so far to inlarge this libertie to thee good reader that except I shew this resolution which I crave to be more gainful and profitable than any thing else in the world that can be thought of thou shalt not be bound unto it for any thing that hitherto hath beene said in that behalfe For as God in al other things is a God of great majestie ful of bountie liberalitie and princely magnificence so is he in this point above al other in such sort as albeit whatsoever we do or can do is but du det unto him and of it selfe deserveth nothing yet of his munificent majestie he letteth passe no one jot of our service unrewarded no not so much as a cup of cold water 2 God commanded Abraham to sacrifice unto him his only son Isaac which he loved so much but when he was ready to do the same God said Do it not it is inough for me that I see thine obedience And bicause thou hast not refused
for this purpose which is this world a place of intertainment and trial for a time which afterward is to be destroied again But yet in creating of this transitorie world which is but a cottage of his own eternal habitation what power what magnificence what majestie hath he shewed What heavens how woonderful hath he created What infinite stars and other lights hath he devised What elements hath he framed And how marvelouslie hath he compast them togither The seas tossing and tumbling without rest and replenished with infinite sorts of fish the rivers running incessantly thorough the earth like veins in the bodie and yet never to be emptie nor overflow the same the earth it selfe so furnished with al varietie of creatures as the hundred part therof is not imploied by man but only remaineth to shew the ful hand and strong arm of the creator And al this as I said was done in an instant with one word onlie and that for the use of a smal time in respect of the eternitie to come What then shal we imagin that the habitation prepared for that eternitie shal be If the cottage of his meanest servant that made onlie for a time to bear off as it were a shower of rain be so princely so gorgeous so magnificent so ful of majestie as we see this world is what must we think that the kings pallace it selfe is appointed for al eternitie for him and his frinds to raign togither We must needs think it to be as great as the power and wisdome of the maker could reach unto to perform and that is incomparable and above al measure infinite The great king Assuerus which raigned in Asia over an hundred twentie and seven provinces to discover his power and riches to his subjects made a feast as the scripture saith in his citie of Susa to al princes states and potentates of his dominions for an hundred and fourscore daies togither Esay the prophet saith that our God and Lord of hosts wil make a solemn banket to al his people upon the hil and mount of heaven and that an harvest banket of fat meats and pure wines And this banket shal be so solemn as the verie Son of God himselfe cheefe Lord of the feast shal be content to gird himselfe and to serve in the same as by his own words he promiseth What maner of banket then shal this be How magnificent How ful of majestie Especiallie seeing it hath not onlie to endure a hundred and fourscore dais as that of Assuerus did but more than a hundred and fourscore millions of ages not served by men as Assuerus feast was but by Angels and the verie Son of God himselfe not to open the power and riches of a hundred twentie and seven provinces but of God himself King of kings and Lord of lords whose power and riches are without end and greater than al his creatures togither can conceive How glorious a banket shal this be then How triumphant a joy of this festival day O miserable and foolish children of men that are born to so rare and singular a dignitie and yet can not be brought to consider love or esteme of the same 8 Other such considerations there be to shew the greatnesse of this felicitie as that if God hath given so many pleasures and comfortable gifts in this life as we see are in the world being a place notwithstanding of banishment a place of sinners a vale of miserie and the time of repenting weeping and wailing what wil he do in the life to come to the just to his frinds in the time of joy and mariage of his Son This was a most forcible consideration with good Saint Augustine who in the secret speech of his soul with God said thus O Lord if thou for this vile bodie of ours give us so great and innumerable benefits from the firmament from the air from the earth from the sea by light by darknes by heat by shadow by dews by showers by windes by rains by birds by fishes by beasts by trees by multitude of herbs variety of plants and by the ministery of al thy creatures O sweet Lord what maner of things how great how good and how innumerable are those which thou hast prepared in our heavenly countrie where we shal see thee face to face If thou do so great things for us in our prison what wilt thou give us in our pallace If thou givest so many things in this world to good evil men togither what hast thou laid up for onlie good men in the world to com If thine enimies frinds togither are so wel provided for in this life what shal thy only frinds receive in the life to come If there be so great solaces in these dais of tears what joy shal there be in that day of mariage If our jail contein so great matters what shal our countrie and kingdome do O my Lord and God thou art a great God And great is the multitude of thy magnificence and sweetnes And as there is no end of thy greatnes nor number of thy wisdome nor measure of thy benignitie so is there neither end number nor measure of thy rewards towards them that love and fight for thee Hitherto Saint Augustine 9 Another way to conjecture of this felicitie is to consider the great promises which God maketh in the scriptures to honor and glorifie man in the life to come Whosoever shal honor me saith God I wil glorifie him And the prophet David as it were complaineth joifullie that Gods frinds were so much honored by him Which he might with much more cause have said if he had lived in the new testament and had heard that promise of Christ wherof I spake before that his servants should sit down and banket and that himselfe would serve and minister unto them in the kingdome of his father What understanding can conceive how great this honor shal be But yet in some part it may be gessed by that he saith that they shal sit in judgement with him and as Saint Paul addeth shal be judges not onlie of men but also of Angels It may also be conjectured by the exceeding great honor which God at certain times hath done to his servants even in this life Wherin notwithstanding they are placed to be dispised and not to be honored What great honor was it that he did to Abraham in the sight of so many kings of the earth as of Pharao Abimelech Melchisedech and the like What honor was that he did to Moises and Aaron in the face of Pharao and al his court by the woonderful signes that they wrought What excessive honor was that he did to holie Iosue when in the sight of al his armie he staied the sun and moone in the midst of the firmament at Iosue his appointment obeing therin as the scripture saith to the voice of
caused him to yeeld and put off not only his cloke but also his cote Wherby is ment saith this father that the allurements of pleasure are more strong harder to be resisted than the violence of persecution The like is shewed by the example of David who resisted easilie many assaults of adversitie but yet fel dangerouslie in time of prosperitie Wherby appeereth that vertuous men have no lesse war in time of peace than in time of persecution and that never there wanteth occasion of bearing the crosse and suffering affliction to him that wil accept of the same And this may suffice for this first point to proove that every man must enter into heaven by tribulation as Saint Paul saith 7 Touching the second why God would have this matter so it were sufficient to answer that it pleased him best so without seeking any further reason of his meaning heerin even as it pleased him without al reason in our sight to abase his Son so much as to send him hither into this world to suffer and die for us Or if we wil needs have a reason heerof this one might be sufficient for al that seeing we look for so great a glory as we do we should labor a little first for the same and so be made somwhat woorthy of Gods favor exaltation But yet for that it hath pleased his divine majestie not only to open unto us his wil and determination for our suffering in this life but also divers reasons of his most holie purpose and pleasure therin for our further encouragement and consolation which do suffer I wil in this place repeat some of the same for declaration of his exceeding great love and fatherly care towards us 8 The first cause then and the most principal is to increase therby our glorie in the life to come For having appointed by his eternal wisdome and justice that none shal be crowned there but such as endure in some good measure a fight in this world the more and greater combats that he giveth togither with sufficient grace to overcome therin the greater crown of glorie prepareth he for us at our resurrection This cause toucheth the apostle in the words alledged of the saints of the old testament to wit that they received no deliverance from their miseries in this world to the end they might find a better resurrection in the world to come This also ment Christ expresly when he said Happie are they which suffer persecution for theirs is the kingdome of heaven happie are you when men speak evil and persecute you c. Reioice and be glad I say for that your reward is great in heaven Hither also do appertain al those promises Of gaining life by leesing life of receiving a hundred for one and the like Heerhence do proceed al those large promises to mortification and newnes of life In both which are great conflicts against the flesh world and our own sensualitie and cannot be performed but by sufferings and affliction Finally Saint Paul declareth this matter fully when he saith That a little and short tribulation in this life worketh a weight of glorie above al measure in the hight of heaven 9 The second cause why God appointed this is to draw us therby from the love of the world his professed enimie as in the next chapter shal be shewed at large This cause Saint Paul uttereth in these words We are punished of God to the end we should not be damned with this world Even then as a nurse that to wean hir child from the liking of hir milk doth annoint hir teat with alloes or some other such bitter thing so our merciful father that would retire us from the love of worldly delites wherby infinite men do perish daily useth to send tribulation which of al other things hath most force to work that effect as we see in the example of the prodigal son who could by no means be staied from his pleasures but only by affliction 10 Thirdly God useth tribulation as a most present and sovereign medicin to heal us of many diseases otherwise almost incurable As first of a certain blindnes and carelesse negligence in our estate contracted by wealth and prosperitie In which sense the scripture saith that Affliction giveth understanding And the wise man affirmeth that The rod bringeth wisdom as also the sight of Toby was restored by the bitter gall of a fish And we have cleer examples in Nabuchodonosor Saul Antiochus and Manasses al which came to see their own faults by tribulation which they would never have done in time of prosperitie The like we read of the brethren of Ioseph who falling into som affliction in Egypt presently entered into their own conscience and said We suffer those things woorthily for that we sinned against our brother And as tribulation bringeth this light wherby we see our own defects so helpeth it greatly to remoove and cure the same wherin it may be wel likened unto the rod of Moises For as that rod striking the hard rocks brought foorth water as the scripture saith so this rod of affliction falling upon stonie harted sinners mollifieth them to contrition and oftentimes bringeth foorth the fluds of tears to repentance In respect wherof holie Toby saith to God In time of tribulation thou forgivest sin And for like effect it is compared also to a file of iron which taketh away the rust of the soul also to a purgation that driveth out corrupt humors and finally to a goldsmiths fire which consumeth away the reffuse metals and fineth the gold to his perfection I wil try thee by fire to the quik saith God to a sinner by Esay the prophet and I wil take away al thy tin and reffuse metal And again by Ieremie I wil melt them and try them by fire This he ment of the fire of tribulation whose propertie is according as the scripture saith to purge and fine the soul as fire purgeth and fineth gold in the fornace For besides the purging and remooving of greater sins by consideration and contrition which tribulation worketh as hath ben shewed it purgeth also the rust of infinit evil passions appetites and humors in man as the humor of pride of vain glorie of sloth of choler of delicate nisenes and a thousand mo which prosperitie ingendereth in us This God declareth by the prophet Ezechiel saieng of a rustie soul Put hir naked upon the hot coles and let hir heat there until hir brasse be melted from hir and until hir corruption be burned out and hir rust consumed There hath been much labor and sweat taken about hir and yet hir over-much rust is not gone out of hir This also signifieth holy Iob when having said that God instructeth a man by discipline or correction to the end he may turn him from the things that he hath done and deliver him from pride which
is understood of his sinful acts he addeth a little after the maner of this purgation saieng His flesh being consumed by punishments let him return again to the dais of his youth That is al his fleshly humors and passions being now consumed by punishments and tribulations let him begin to live again in such puritie of soul as he did at the beginning of his youth before he had contracted these evil humors and diseases 11 Neither only is tribulation a strong medicin to heal sin and to purge away the reffuse metals in us of brasse tin iron lead and drosse as God by Ezechiel saith but also a most excellent preservative against sin for the time to come according as good king David said Thy discipline O Lord hath corrected me for evermore That is it hath made me warie and watchful not to commit sin again according as the scripture saith in another place Agreevous infirmitie or affliction maketh the fool sober For which cause the prophet Ieremie calleth tribulation Virgam vigilantem A watchful rod. That is as Saint Ierom expoundeth it a rod that maketh a man watchful The same signified God when he said by Ose the prophet I wil hedge in thy way with thorns That is I wil so close thy life on every side with the remembrance and fear of affliction that thou shalt not dare to tread awry lest thou tread upon a thorn Al which good David expresseth of himselfe in these words Before I was humbled and brought low by affliction I did sin and offend thee O Lord but after that time I have kept thy commandements 12 Of this also appeereth another cause why God afflicteth his elect in this life and that is to prevent his justice upon them in the world to come Touching which Saint Barnard saith thus Oh would to God some man would now beforehand provide for my head abundance of waters and to mine eies a fountain of teares for so happily the burning fire should take no hold where running teares had clensed before And the reason of this is as that holie man himselfe noteth after for that God hath said by Naum the prophet I have afflicted thee once I wil not afflict thee again there shal not come from me a double tribulation 13 Sixtlie God sendeth tribulation upon his servants to proove them therby whether they be faithful and constant or no That is to make themselves and other men see and confesse how faithful or unfaithful they are This after a sort was figured when Isaac would grope touch his son Iacob before he would blesse him And this the scripture expresseth plainly when talking of the tribulations laid upon Abraham It addeth Tentavit Deus Abraham God tempted Abraham By these means to proove him And Moises said to the people of Israel Thou shalt remember how thy God led thee fortie yeers about the desert to afflict thee and tempt thee to the end it might appeer what was in thy hart whether thou wouldest keepe his commandements or no. And again a few chapters after Your God and Lord doth tempt you to the end it may be manifest whether you love him or no with al your hart and with al your soul. In which sense also the scripture saith of Ezechias after many praises given unto him That God left him for a time to be tempted that the thoughts of his hart might therby be made manifest And that this is Gods fashion towards al good men king David sheweth in the person of al when he saith Thou hast prooved us O Lord thou hast examined us by fire thou hast laid tribulation upon our baks and hast brought men upon our heads And yet how wel he liked of this matter he signifieth when he calleth for more therof in another place saieng Try me O Lord and tempt me burn my reins and hart within me That is try me by the way of tribulation and persecution search out the secrets of my hart and reins let the world see whether I wil stick to thee in adversitie or no. Thus said that holie prophet wel knowing that which in another place the holie Ghost uttereth that As the fornace trieth the potters vessels so tribulation trieth men For as the sound vessels only do hold when they come to the fornace and those which are crased do break in peeces so in time of tribulation and persecution the vertuous only stand to it and the counterfet bewray themselves according to the saieng of Christ In tempore tentationis recedunt They depart from me in time of temptation 14 The seventh reason why God laieth tribulation upon the vertuous is therby to make them run unto him for aid and help even as the mother to make hir child more to love hir and to run unto hir procureth the same to be made afraid and terrified by others This God expresseth plainly by the prophet Ose saieng of those that he loved I wil draw them unto me in the ropes of Adam in the chains of love and wil seem unto them as though I raised a yoke upon their iaw bones By the ropes of Adam he meaneth affliction wherby he drew Adam to know himselfe as also appeereth by that he addeth of the heavie yoke of tribulation which he wil lay upon the heads and faces of his servants as chains of love therby to draw them unto him This chain had drawn David unto him when he said O Lord thou art my refuge from the tribulation of sinners As also those wherof Esay saith They sought thee out O Lord in their affliction Also those of whom David said Infirmities were multiplied upon them and after that they made haste to come And God saith generally of al good men They wil rise betimes in the morning and come to me in their tribulation Wherfore holy king David desiring to do certain men good and to win them to God saith in one of his psalms Fil their faces O Lord with shame and confusion and then wil they seek unto thy name And this is tru as I said in the elect and chosen servants of God but in the reprobate this rope draweth not this yoke holdeth not neither doth this chain of love win them unto God Wherof God himselfe complaineth saieng In vain have I stricken your children for they have not received my discipline And again the prophet Ieremie saith of them to God Thou hast crushed them and they have refused to receive thy discipline they have hardened their faces even as a rok and wil not return to thee Behold they have rent the yoke and broken the chains 15 Of this now ensueth an eight reason why God bringeth his servants into affliction to wit therby to shew his power and love in delivering them For as in this world a princely mind desireth nothing more than to have occasion
received and imbraced as it is among al Christians and yet bringeth not foorth good life there the cause is for that it is choked with the vanities of this world 3 This is a parable of marvelous great importance as may appeer both for that Christ after the recital therof cried out with a lowd voice He that hath ears to hear let him hear as also for that he expounded it himselfe in secret only to his disciples and principally for that before the exposition therof he useth such a solemn preface saieng To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven but to others not for that they seeing do not see and hearing do not hear nor understand Wherby Christ signifieth that the understanding of this parable among others is of singular importance for conceiving the tru mysteries of the kingdome of heaven that many are blind which seem to see and many deaf and ignorant that seem to hear and know for that they understand not wel the mysteries of this parable For which cause also Christ maketh this conclusion before he beginneth to expound the parable Happy are your eies that see and blessed are your ears that hear After which words he beginneth his exposition with this admonition Vos ergo audite parabolam Do you therfore hear and understand this parable 4 And for that this parable doth contain and touch so much indeed as may or needeth be said for remooving of this great and dangerous impediment of worldly love I mean to stay my selfe only upon the explication therof in this place and wil declare the force truth of certain words heer uttered by Christ of the world and worldly pleasures and for some order and methods sake I wil draw al to these six points following First how and in what sense al the world and commodities therof are vanities of no valu as Christ heer signifieth and consequently ought not to be an impediment to let us from so great a matter as the kingdome of heaven and the serving of God is Secondly how they are not only vanities and trifles in themselves but also deceptions as Christ saith that is deceits not performing to us indeed those little trifles which they do promise Thirdly how they are Spinae that is pricking thorns as Christ saith though they seem to worldly men to be most sweet and pleasant Fourthly how they are aerumnae that is miseries and afflictions as also Christs words are Fiftly Quomodo suffocant how they strangle or choke us as Christ affirmeth Sixtly how we may use them notwithstanding without these dangers and evils and to our great comfort gain and preferment 5 And touching the first I do not see how it may be better prooved that al the pleasures and goodly shewes of this world are vanities as Christ heer saith than to alledge the testimonie of one which hath prooved them al that is of one which speaketh not of speculation but of his own proofe and practise and this is king Salomon of whom the scripture reporteth woonderful matters touching his peace prosperitie riches and glorie in this world as that al the kings of the earth desired to see his face for his wisdome and renowmed felicitie that al the princes living besides were not like him in wealth that he had six hundred sixtie and six talents of gold which is an infinite sum brought him in yeerly besides al other that he had from the kings of Arabia and other princes that silver was as plentiful with him as heaps of stones and not esteemed for the great store and abundance he had therof that his plate and jewels had no end that his seat of majestie with stooles lions to bear it up and other furniture was of gold passing al other kingly seats in the world that his pretious apparel and armor was infinite that he had al the kings from the river of the Philistians unto Egypt to serve him that he had fortie thousand horses in his stables to ride and twelve thousand chariots with horses and other furniture readie to them for his use that he had two hundred spears of gold born before him and six hundred crowns of gold bestowed in everie spear as also three hundred buklers three hundred crowns of gold bestowed in the gilding of everie bukler that he spent everie day in his house a thousand nine hundred thirtie and seven quarters of meal flower thirtie oxen with an hundred wethers beside al other flesh that he had seaven hundred wives as queenes and three hundred others as concubines Al this and much more doth scripture report of Salomons worldly wealth wisdome riches and prosperitie which he having tasted and used to his fil pronounced yet at the last this sentence of it al Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas Vanitie of vanities and al is vanitie By vanitie of vanities meaning as Saint Ierom interpreteth the greatnes of this vanitie above al other vanities that may be devised 6 Neither only doth Salomon affirm this thing but doth prove it also by examples of himself I have been king of Israel in Ierusalem saith he and I purposed with my selfe to seek out by wisdome al things I have seen that al under the sun are meer vanities affliction of spirit I said in my hart I wil go and abound in delites and in every pleasure that may be had And I saw that this was also vanitie I tooke great works in hand builded houses to my selfe planted vineyards made orchards and gardens and beset them with al kind of trees I made me fish ponds to water my trees I possessed servants and hand-maids and had a great familie great herds of cattel above any that ever were before me in Ierusalem I gathered togither gold and silver the riches of kings and provinces I appointed to my selfe singers both men and women which are the delites of the children of men fine cups also to drink wine withal and whatsoever my eies did desire I denied it not unto them neither did I let my hart from using any pleasure to delite it selfe in these things which I prepared And when I turned my selfe to al that my hands had made and to al the labors wherin I had taken such pains and sweat I saw in them al vanitie and affliction of the mind 7 This is the testimonie of Salomon upon his own proof in these matters and if he had spoken it upon his wisdome only being such as it was we ought to beleeve him but much more seeing he affirmeth it of his own experience But yet if any man be not mooved with this let us bring yet another witnes out of the new testament and such a one as was privie to the opinion of Christ heerin that is Saint Iohn the evangelist whose words are these Do not love the world nor those things that are in the world if any man love the
rich men of this world not to be high minded nor to put hope in the uncertaintie of their riches The reason of which speech is uttered by the scripture in another place when it saith Riches shal not profit a man in the day of revenge That is at the day of death and judgement which thing the rich men of this world do confesse themselves though too late when they crie Divitiarum iactantia quid nobis contulit What hath the braverie of our riches profited us Al which evidently declareth the great vanitie of worldly riches which can do the possessor no good at al when he hath most need of their help Rich men have slept their sleep saith the prophet and have found nothing in their hands that is rich men have passed over this life as men do passe over a sleep imagining themselves to have golden mountains and treasures and when they awake at the day of their death they find themselves to have nothing in their hands In respect wherof the prophet Baruch asketh this question Where are they now which heaped togither gold and silver and which made no end of their scraping togither And he answereth himselfe immediately Exterminati sunt ad inferos descenderunt They are now rooted out and are gone down unto hel To like effect saith Saint Iames Now go to you rich men weep and howl in your miseries that come upon you your riches are rotten and your gold and silver is rustie and the rust therof shal be in testimonie against you it shal feed on your flesh as fire you have hoorded up wrath for your selves in the last day 23 If wealth of this world be not onlie so vain but also so perilous as heer is affirmed what vanitie then is it for men to set their minds upon it as they do Saint Paul saith of himselfe that He esteemed it al but as doong And he had great reason surely to say so seeing indeed they are but doong that is the verie excrements of the earth and found only in the most barren places therof as they can tel which have seen their mines What a base matter is this then for a man to tie his love unto God commanded in the old law that whatsoever did go with his breast upon the ground should be unto us in abhomination How much more then a reasonable man that hath glewed his hart soul unto a peece of earth We came in naked unto this world and naked we must go foorth again saith Iob. The mil-wheel stirreth much about and beateth it selfe from day to day and yet at the yeers end it is in the same place as it was in the beginning so rich men let them toil and labor what they can yet at their death must they be as poore as at the first day wherin they were born When the rich man dieth saith Iob he shal take nothing with him but shal close up his eies and find nothing Povertie shal lay hands upon him and a tempest shal oppresse him in the night a burning wind shal take him away and a whirl wind shal snatch him from his place it shal rush upon him and shal not spare him it shal bind his hands upon him and shal hisse over him For that it seeth his place whither he must go 24 The prophet David in like wise forewarneth us of the same in these words Be not afraid when thou seest a man made rich and the glorie of his house multiplied For when he dieth he shal take nothing with him nor shal his glorie descend to the place whither he goeth he shal passe into the progenies of his ancestors that is he shal go to the place where they are who hath lived as he hath don and world without end he shal see no more light 25 Al this and much more is spoken by the holie Ghost to signifie the dangerous vanitie of worldly wealth and the folly of those men who labor so much to procure the same with the eternal peril of their souls as the scripture assureth us If so manie physicians as I have heer alledged scriptures should agree togither that such or such meats were venomous perilsom I think few would give the adventure to eat them though otherwise in tast they appeered sweet and pleasant How then commeth it to passe that so many earnest admonitions of God himselfe cannot stay us from the love of this dangerous vanitie Nolite cor apponere saith God by the prophet that is Lay not your hart unto the love of riches Qui diligit aurum non iustificabitur saith the wise man He that loveth gold shal never be iustified I am angrie greatly upon rich nations saith God by Zacharie Christ saith Amen dico vobis quia dives difficile intrabit in regnum caelorum Truly I say unto you that a rich man shal hardly get into the kingdom of heaven And again Wo be to you rich men for that you have received your consolation in this life Finally Saint Paul saith generally of al and to al They which wil be rich do fal into temptation and into the snare of the divel and into manie unprofitable and hurtful desires which do drown men in destruction and perdition 26 Can any thing in the world be spoken more effectually to dissuade from the love of riches than this Must not heer now the covetous men either denie God or cōdemn themselves in their own consciences Let them go and excuse themselves by the pretence of wife and children as they are woont saieng They mean nothing els but to provide for their sufficiencie Doth Christ or Saint Paul admit this excusation Ought we so much to love wife or children or other kindred as to endanger our souls for the same What comfort may it be to an afflicted father in hel to remember that by his means his wife and children do live wealthily in earth Al this is vanitie deer brother and meer deceit of our spiritual enimie For within one moment after we are dead we shal care no more for wife children father mother or brother in this matter than we shal for a meer stranger and one penie given in alms while we lived for Gods sake shal comfort us more at that day than thousands of pounds bestowed upon our kin for the natural love we bare unto our own flesh and blood the which I would to Christ worldlie men did consider And then no dowt they would never take such care for kindred as they do especially upon their death-beds whence presently they are to depart to that place where flesh and blood holdeth no more privilege nor riches have any power to deliver but only such as were wel bestowed in the service of God or given to the poore for his names sake And this shal be sufficient for this point of riches 27 The third branch of worldly vanities is called by
by to watch the same The prophet David to signifie the very same thing that is the infinite multitude of snares in this world saith God shal raign snares upon sinners That is God shal permit wicked men to fal into snares which are as plentiful in the world as are the drops of rain which fal down from heaven Every thing almost is a deadly snare unto a carnal and loose harted man Every sight that he seeth every word that he heareth every thought that he conceiveth his youth his age his frinds his enimies his honor his disgrace his riches his povertie his companie keeping his prosperitie his adversitie his meat that he eateth his apparel that he weareth al are snares to draw him to destruction that is not watchful 49 Of this then and of the blindnes declared before doth follow the last and greatest miserie of al which can be in this life and that is the facilitie wherby worldly men do run into sin For truly saith the scripture Miseros facit populos peccatum Sin is the thing that maketh people miserable And yet how easily men of the world do commit sin and how little scruple they make of the matter Iob signifieth when talking of such a man he saith Bibit quasi aquam iniquitatem He suppeth up sin as it were water That is with as great facilitie custome and ease passeth he down any kind of sin that is offered him as a mā drinketh water when he is a thirst He that wil not beleeve the saieng of Iob let him prove a little by his own experience whether the matter be so or no let him walk out in to the streets behold the doings of men view their behavior consider what is done in shops in hals in consistories in judgement seats in pallaces and in common meeting places abroad what lieng what slandering what deceiving there is He shal find that of al things wherof men take any account nothing is so little accounted of as to sin He shal see justice sold veritie wrested shame lost and equitie despised He shal see the innocent condemned the giltie delivered the wicked advanced the vertuous opressed He shal see many theves florish many usurers bear great sway many murderers extortioners reverenced honored many fools put in authoritie and divers which have nothing in them but the form of men by reason of money to be placed in great dignities for the government of others He shal hear at every mans mouth almost vanitie pride detraction envie deceit dissimulation wantonnes dissolution lieng swearing perjurie and blaspheming Finally he shal see the most part of men to govern themselves absolutely even as beasts do by the motion of their passions not by law of justice reason religion or vertu 50 Of this doth insu the fift point that Christ toucheth in his parable and which I promised heer to handle to wit that the love of this world choketh up and strangleth every man whom it possesseth from al celestial and spiritual life for that it filleth him with a plain contrarie spirit to the spirit of God The apostle saith Si quis spiritum Christi non habet hic non est eius If any man hath not the spirit of Christ this fellow belongeth not unto him Now how contrarie the spirit of Christ and the spirit of the world is may appeer by the fruits of Christs spirit rekoned up by Saint Paul unto the Galathians to wit Charitie which is the root and mother of al good works Ioy in serving God Peace or tranquillitie of mind in the storms of this world Patience in adversitie Longanimitie in expecting our reward Bonitie in hurting no man Benignitie in sweet behavior Gentlenes in occasion given of anger Faithfulnes in performing our promises Modestie without arrogancie Continencie from al kind of wickednes Chastitie in conserving a pure mind in a clean and unspotted bodie Against these men saith Saint Paul there is no law And in the very same chapter he expresseth the spirit of the world by the contrarie effects saieng The works of flesh are manifest which are fornication uncleannes wantonnes lecherie idolatrie poisonings enmities contentions emulations wrath strife dissention sects envie murder droonkennes gluttonie and the like of which I foretel you as I have told you before that those men which do such things shal never obtain the kingdome of heaven 51 Heer now may every man judge of the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ and applieng it to himselfe may conjecture whether he holdeth of the one or of the other Saint Paul giveth two pretie short rules in the very same place to trie the same The first is They which are of Christ have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences therof That is they have so mortified their own bodies as they strive against al the vices sins repeated before and yeeld not to serve the concupiscences or temptations therof The second rule is If we live in spirit then let us walk in spirit That is our walking and behavior is a sign whether we be alive or dead For if our walking be spiritual such as I have declared before by those fruits therof then do we live have life in spirit but if our works be carnal such as S. Paul now hath described then are we carnal and dead in spirit neither have we any thing to do with Christ or portion in the kingdome of heaven And for that al the world is ful of those carnal works and bringeth foorth no fruits indeed of Christs spirit nor permitteth them to grow up or prosper within hir thence is it that the scripture alwais putteth Christ and the world for opposite and open enimies 52 Christ himselfe saith that The world cannot receive the spirit of truth And again in the same Evangelist he saith that Neither he nor any of his are of the world though they live in the world And yet further in his most vehement praier unto his father Pater iuste mundus te non cognovit Iust father the world hath not known thee For which cause S. Iohn writeth If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him And yet further Saint Iames that Whosoever but desireth to be frind of this world is therby made an enimie to God What wil worldly men say to this Saint Paul affirmeth plainly that this world is to be damned And Christ insinuateth the same in Saint Iohns Gospel but most of al in that wonderful fact of his when praieng to his father for other matters he excepteth the world by name Non pro mundo rogo saith he I do not aske mercie and pardon for the world but for those which thou hast given me out of the world Oh what a dreadful exception is this made by the savior of the world by the lamb that taketh away al sins
by him that asked pardon even for his tormentors and crucifiers to except now the world by name from his mercie Oh that worldly men would consider but this one point only they would not I think live so void of fear as they do 53 Can any man marvel now why Saint Paul crieth so carefully to us Nolite conformari huic saeculo Conform not your selves to this world And again That we should renounce utterly al worldly desires Can any marvel why Saint Iohn which was most privie above al others to Christs holie meaning heerin saith to us in such earnest sort Nolite diligere mundum neque ea quae in mundo sunt Do not love the world nor any thing that is in the world If we may neither love it nor so much as conform our selves unto it under so great pains as are before rehearsed of the enmitie of God and eternal damnation what shal become of those men that do not only conform themselves unto it and the vanities therof but also do follow it seek after it rest in it and do bestow al their labors and travels upon it 54 If you ask me the cause why Christ so hateth and abhorreth this world Saint Iohn telleth you Quia mundus totus in maligno positus est For that al the whole world is set on naughtines for that it hath a spirit contrarie to the spirit of Christ as hath been shewed for that it teacheth pride vain glorie ambition envie revenge malice with pleasures of the flesh and al kind of vanities and Christ on the contrarie side humilitie meeknes pardoning of enimies abstinence chastitie sufferance mortification bearing the crosse with contempt of al earthly pleasures for that it persecuteth the good and advanceth the evil for that it rooteth out vertu and planteth al vice and finally for that it shutteth the doores against Christ when he knocketh and strangleth the hart that once it possesseth 55 Wherfore to conclude this part seeing this world is such a thing as it is so vain so deceitful so troublesom so dangerous seeing it is a professed enimie to Christ excommunicated and damned to the pit of hel seeing it is as one father saith an ark of travel a schoole of vanities a feat of deceit a labirinth of error seeing it is nothing els but a barren wildernes a stonie feeld a dirtie stie a tempestuous sea seeing it is a grove ful of thorns a medow ful of scorpions a florishing garden without fruit a cave ful of poisoned and deadly basilisks seeing it is finally as I have shewed a fountain of miseries a river of tears a feined fable a delectable frensie seeing as Saint Austen saith the joy of this world hath nothing els but false delite tru asperitie certain sorrow uncertain pleasure travelsom labour fearful rest greevous miserie vain hope of felicitie seeing it hath nothing in it as saint Chrysostom saith but tears shame repentance reproch sadnes negligences labors terrors siknes sin and death it selfe seeing the worlds repose is ful of anguish his securitie without foundation his fear without cause his travels without fruit his sorrow without profit his desires without successe his hope without reward his mirth without continuance his miseries without remedies seeing these and a thousand evils more are in it and no one good thing can be had from it who wil be deceived with this visard or allured with this vanitie heerafter Who wil be staied from the noble service of God by the love of so fond a trifle as is the world And this to a reasonable man may be sufficient to declare the insufficiencie of this third impediment 56 But yet for the satisfieng of my promise in the beginning of this chapter I have to ad a word or two in this place how we may avoid the danger of this world and also use it unto our gain and commoditie And for the first to avoid the dangers seeing there are so manie snares and traps as hath been declared there is no other way but only to use the refuge of birds in avoiding the dangerous snares of fowlers that is to mount up into the air and so to fly over them al. Frustra iacitur rete ante oculos pennatorum saith the wise man that is The net is laid in vain before the eies of such as have wings and can flie The spies of Hiericho though manie snares were laid for them by their enimies yet they escaped al for that they walked by hils saith the scripture wherunto Origin alluding saith that There is no way to avoid the dangers of this world but to walk upon hils and to imitate David that said Levavi oculos meos ad montes unde veniet auxiliū mihi I lifted up mine eies unto the hils whence al mine aid and assistance came for avoiding the snares of this world And then shal we say with the same David Anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium Our soul is delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the fowlers We must say with Saint Paul Our conversation is in heaven And then shal we little fear al these deceits and dangers upon earth For as the fowler hath no hope to catch the bird except he can allure hir to pitch and come down by some means so hath the divel no way to intangle us but to say as he did to Christ Mitte te deorsum Throw thy selfe down that is pitch down upon the baits which I have laid eat and devour them enamor thy selfe with them tie thine appetite unto them and the like 57 Which grosse and open temptation he that wil avoid by contemning the allurement of these baits by flieng over them by placing his love and cogitations in the mountains of heavenly joies and eternitie he shal easily escape al dangers and perils King David was past them al when he said to God What is there for me in heaven or what do I desire besides thee upon earth My flesh and my hart have fainted for desire of thee Thou art the God of my hart and my portion O Lord for ever 58 Saint Paul also was past over these dangers when he said that Now he was crucified to the world the world unto him and that He esteemed al the wealth of this world as meer doong and that albeit he lived in flesh yet lived he not according to the flesh Which glorious example if we would follow in contemning and despising the vanities of this world and fixing our minds in the noble riches of Gods kingdome to come the snares of the divel would prevail nothing at al against us in this life 59 Touching the second point how to use the riches and commodities of this world to our advantage Christ hath laid down plainly the means Facite vobis amicos de Mammona iniquitatis Make unto you frinds of the riches of iniquitie
omit to labor 11 The second impediment is called by me in the title of this chapter negligence But I do understand therby a further matter than commonly this word importeth For I do comprehend under the name of negligence al careles and dissolute people which take to hart nothing that pertaineth to God or godlines but only attend to worldly affairs making their salvation the least part of their cogitations And under this kind of negligence is contained both Epicurism as Saint Paul noted in some Christians of his dais who began only to attend to eat and drink and to make their bellies their God as many of our Christians now do and also a secret kind of Atheism or denieng of God that is of denieng him in life and behavior as Saint Paul expoundeth it For albeit these men in words do confesse God and professe themselves to be as good Christians as the rest yet secretly indeed they do not beleeve God as their life and doings do declare Which thing Ecclesiasticus discovereth plainly when he saith Vae dissolutis corde qui non credunt Deo Wo be unto the dissolute and careles in hart which do not beleeve God That is though they professe that they beleeve and trust in him yet by their dissolute and careles doings they testifie that in their harts they beleeve him not for that they have neither care nor cogitation of matters pertaining to him 12 These kind of men are those which the scripture noteth and detesteth for plowing with an ox and an asse togither for sowing their ground with mingled seed for wearing apparel of linsie woolsey that is made of flaxe and wool togither These are they of whom Christ saith in the Revelations I would thou were either cold or hot But for that thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot therfore wil I begin to vomit thee out of my mouth These are they which can accord al religions togither and take up al controversies by only saieng that either they are differences of smal importance or else that they appertain only to learned men to think upon and not unto them These are they which can apply themselves to any companie to any time to any princes pleasure for matters of life to come These men forbid al talk of spirit religion or devotion in their presence only they wil have men eat drink and be merry with them tel news of the court and affairs abroad sing dance laugh and play at cards and so passe over this life in lesse consideration of God than the very heathens did And hath not the scripture reason then in saieng that these men in their harts works are Atheists Yes surely And it may be prooved by many rules of Christ. As for example this is one rule set down by himself By their fruits ye shal know them For such as the tree is within such is the fruit which that tree sendeth footh Again The mouth speaketh from the abundance of the hart and consequently seeing their talk is nothing but of worldly vanities it is a sign there is nothing in their hart but that And then it followeth also by a third rule Where the treasure is there is the hart And so seing their harts are only set upon the world the world is their only treasure not God And consequently they prefer that before God as indeed Atheists do 13 This impediment reacheth far and wide at this day and infinite are the men which are intangled therwith and the cause therof esspecally is inordinate love of the world which bringeth men to hate God and to conceive enmitie against him as the apostle saith and therfore no marvel though indeed they neither beleeve nor delite in him And of al other men these are the hardest to be reclaimed and brought to any resolution of amendement for that they are insensible and beside that do also flie al means wherby they be cured For as there were smal hope to be conceived of that patient which being greeuously sik should neither feele his disease nor beleeve that he were distempered nor abide to hear of physik or physitions nor accept of any counsel that should be offered nor admit any talk or consultation about his curing so these men are in more dangerous estate than any other for that they know not their own danger but persuading themselves to be more wise than their neighbors do remoove from their cogitations al things wherby their health might be procured 14 The only way to do these men good if there be any way at al is to make them know that they are sik and in great danger which in our case may be done best as it seemeth to me by giving them to understand how far they are off from any one peece of tru Christianitie consequently from al hope of salvation that may be had therby God requireth at our hands that We should love him and serve him With al our hart with al our soul and with al our strength These are the prescript words of God set down both in the old and new law And how far I pray thee are these men off from this which imploy not the halfe of their hart nor the halfe of their soul nor the halfe of their strength in Gods service nay nor the least part therof God requireth at our hands that we should make his laws and precepts our studie and cogitations that we should think on them continually and meditate upon them both day and night at home and abroad early and late when we go to bed and when we rise in the morning this is his commandement and there is no dispensation therin But how far are those men from this which bestow not the third part of their thoughts upon this matter no not the hundred part nor scarce once in a yeer do talk therof Can these men say they are Christians or that they beleeve in God 15 Christ making the estimate of things in this life pronounced this sentence Vnum est necessarium one onely thing is necessarie Or of necessitie in this world meaning the diligent and careful service of God These men find many things necessarie beside this one thing and this nothing necessarie at al. How far do they differ then in judgement from Christ Christs apostle saith that a Christian Must neither love the world nor any thing in the world These men love nothing else but that which is of the world He saith that Whosoever is a frind to the world is an enimie to Christ. These men are enimies to whosoever is not a frind to the world How then can these men hold of Christ Christ saith We should pray stil. These men pray never Christs apostle saith that Covetousnes uncleannes or securitie should not be so much as once named among Christians These men have no other talk but such Finally the