of Angels Therefore if the righteous for their secret pride or negligence and ingratitude became so vnmiâ—d full of God after they had béene his dutifull Seruaunts so many yeares What doest thou looke for hauing framed thy life to no other trade then to accumulate one sinne vppon an other Therefore whosocuer we sée to liue in this sort as wee haue tolde of before shall it not bee expedient that hee shoulde nowe at the length cease to fill vppe the measure of his iniquities and to assay to please God and to deliuer his soule from bondage should it not suffise him that he hath liued so leaudlie till this houre addicting himselfe wholy to the worlde the flesh and the diuell and hereafter to imploy himselfe and to runne out the remnant of his race 〈◊〉 the homage and honour of God is it not néedefull after so long time and so many iniuries committed against his Diuine Masestie to feare his seuere instice which the more patiently it beareth with the wicked so much the more rigorously is reuenged vppon them in the ende shall it not be reason that hee should bee afraid to lye so long swallowed vppe in the gulfe of sinne depriued of the grace of God and to haue so strong an enemie as is hee who of a deare father through his deserts is become his adnersarie and his iudge Shall it not bée reason to dread least the force of long vse bee turned into nature and habitte making of vice necessitie How should hee not feare by little and little to fall into a reprobate sence whereunto when a man is come hee doth not any thing that is acceptable in the sight of almightie God The Patriarke Iacob said to his father in lawe Labin Fourtéene yeares are passed since I haue scrued thée and haue had charge of thy businesse and now it is time that I attend vppon mine owne affaires and that I begin to prouide for mine owne house Wherefore I pray thée sith thou hast bin so long not a retayner but a daylie waiter to the worlde not letting slip any oportunitie of this life which was eyther appendaunt to thy pleasures or agréeing to thy appetites shall it not to be reasonable for thée nowe at the length to get some commoditie for the soule and for the bertering of thy estate in the other life certainly there is nothing more short and vnsure then the life of man Why then thou prouiding so carefully all necessaries for that which is so momentall and transitory dost not likewise make some prouision for that which endureth for euer The Argument A man ought to remember himselfe and that he is a Christian and that he beleeue firmely all that he is taught by his faith which should mooue him eyther through loue or feare All things inuite him to the loue and seruice of God among which hee should acquire wisedome and harken to the words of Christ who fixed himselfe to the crosse for our redemption CHAP. XIIII NOw therfore if it be true as I haue said I beséech thée deare brother and charge thée by the precious blood of Christ that thou remember thy selfe that thou art a Christian and that thou take all that which our faith teacheth for vnfeined veritie which plainly prooueth vnto thée that besides other things thou hast a iudge to whose eye lyeth open all the actions and moments of thy life who will come at a day vnwares wherin he will exact an account of thée euen of euery idle worde This faith telleth shée farther that a man at his death is not quite extinguished because after this mortall life succéedeth an other which lasteth eternally and shat mens foules doo not perish with their bodies but that the bodies resting and raked vp in their graues the soules yet enter into a newe Kingdome and into an other new world where such condition and company shal be assigned vnto them as their manner and behauiour hath bin in this life Héere vnto this faith adioyneth yet more that as the rewarde of vertue so the scourge of vice is so infinit that although the whole worlde were full of bookes and euery creature were a Scriuener the writers woulde sooner dye and the world be at an ende before it could bee knowne and treated of particularly that which each of these doth containe in it selfe This faith also informeth thée that our debt and dutie is so great through our benefites receiued of God that though the number of a mans yeares did surpasse the sandes of the seas yet they should be too fewe to acquite himselfe in his seruice towards him The same faith affirmeth that vertue is of such passing valour that all the treasures of the worlde and all that a mans heart can desire may in no respect be coÌ„pared the reunto Wherfore if such and so great things doo exhort vs to vertue why be there so fewe which imbrace it and endeuour themselues to attaine it If men may bee mooued with any aduauntage or interest what greater gaine is there what life more perdurable If with feare what sharper punishments what paint more permanent If with the bonds of bountious liberalitie what greater debt haue wee then that which we owe vnto God of whom wee haue receiued all things If the dread of dangers may stirre vs what greater perill can there bee then that of death whose comming is so vncertaine whose account so straight If peace if libertie if the gifts of the holy Ghost and the solace of a sugred life be desired of all men it appeareth euidently that all these things are founde more readilie in that life which is lead by vertue and reason then in that which is ruled by rage and passions for that a man is a reasonable creature and not a beast But if all this bee not regarded shall it not bee sufficient that for the maintenaunce of veriue GOD descended from Heauen to the earth and was made man who hauing created the world in six dais imployed thirtie and thrée yeares in this worke wherein hee also spent his bloud and life God dyed to slay sinne yet for all this wee endeuour to reuiue in our hearts those whom God would destroy with his owne death What should I say more for all reasons are sufficient to promote this matter or to shewe it as it is Fo I say not respecting the crosse onely but which way soeuer we turne our eyes we shall finde that all things doo cry and cal vs to this commoditie sith there is no creature in the world if hee bee well noted but doth inuite vs to the loue and seruice of our supernall Lord in such sort that looke howe many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voyces which doo stirre vs therevnto Wherefore howe is it possible that so many shriking sounds as héere thou hearest so many promises thundring threats can beare no parte to perswade thée thereunto What should God or could
wealth whose power whose wisedome can be neither augmented nor diminished who neither before the cōstitution of the world nor after he had made all things is one iot more or lesse then hee was before nor if all the angels and all mankinde should be saued and should praise him perpetually is any whit the woorthier nor if they all were damned and did blaspheme him is lesse glorious at all This so great a lord not drawne nor driuen by any straights at all but of méere grace and bountie whilst our acts of hostilitie were yet in fresh memorie was content to encline the heauens of his royall maiestie and to descend into this Caue of calamities to cloath him with the vesture of our mortalitie to charge himselfe with the déepe debt of al our sins and for satisfaction thereof to endure such torments as were neuer suffered in this world For my sake O Lorde thou wast borne in a stall for mée thou wast laid in a manger for mée thou wast circumcised the eight day for me thou wast conueyed into Egypt for me to conclude thou wast persecuted and turmoyled with a number of infamies for me thou watchedst for me thou trauailedst for me thou swettest for mée thou didst wéepe for me thou hast prooued all those euils which my enormous crimes haue deserued thou béeing innocent and guiltlesse Finally for mée thou wast apprehended as a malefactour abandoned of thy fréends solde denied presented before the tribunall seate of those iudges where thou were accused bufferted defamed whipped spitted at scratched condemned crucified blasphemed pierced with a speare dead and buried Therefore with what desert of mine can I acquite my selfe I will not say of all these courtesies but of the least drop of blood shed out of thy holy side for me vnworthy wretch How is it possible that I should loue him sufficiently who so hath loued me so hath created me so hath redéemed me and hath bought mée so dearely If I be lifted vp from the earth sayth our Sauiour all things shall be drawne after me But with what chaines with what violence With the force of loue and with the bondes of his benefits With the rope of Adam sayth our Lorde I will draw thē vnto me and with the knot of loue Therefore who will not bee lifted vppe with this draught who will not suffer himselfe to bee catcht and caried with such chaines If one little drop of water falling continually vppon a stone will pearce and breake it at the last how shall not the bonds of so many benefits be inough to rent my stony heart a sunder And if the very earth wrought in the feruent heat is sometimes conuerted into fire how shall my heart be frée from burning béeing so beset with the glowing coles of such vnmeasurable loue if it bee so haynous an offence not to loue this Lorde what shall it be to offend him to despise him and to transgresse his commaundementes How canst thou haue any heart or hand to offende those handes which haue bene so bountifull vnto thée which for thée were spread vpon the crosse When that lasciuious woman besought the Patriarke Ioseph that he would betray his maister the holy man repelled her with this saying Behold O wretched woman what trust my Lord hath reposed in me to put all that he hath into my handes except thée his wife therefore with what face can I commit this vilanie against my Soueraigne Which is as if hée had sayd If my Lord hath béen so friendly affectioned towards me if he hath committed all that he hath to my custodie if in such wise he hath fancied and honoured me that in me only it resteth to dispose of his affaires how may I béeing tyed with the bonds of so many benefites haue any handes at all to offende a Lorde so liberall And it doeth not content him to say It is no reason to offende him but How can I offend him for the greatnesse of good turnes doo not onely restraine the will but in a manner all power and possibilitie to annoy the benefactor And it bindeth fast both the handes and the féete of a man that he cannot striue against it Wherefore if these kind of ceremonies as to bee gratefull for good turnes bée of so great force what shall we thinke of the benefites of God That man committed to Iosephs fidelitie all his businesse and God hath put into thy hands all that he hath Consider then howe much Gods treasures are more woorthy then any that Pharao did possesse for that so much more is this which thou enioyest then was that which Ioseph did receiue But tell me what thing hath God which he hath not giuen into thy hands heauen earth the sunne the moone the starres the sea birdes fishes trées beasts and finally all that is conteined vnder the golden globe he hath bestowed vppon thée and yet not that onely which is héere belowe in earth but likewise all that is in the Heauens aboue which is the glory the riches and the delights of Angels and Saintes which are there praying busily for thy commoditie All things saith the Apostle are yours whether it be Paul Paul or Apollo or Peter bee it the worlde bee it life bee it death bee it the time present or that to come all is yours for that all serueth for your behoofe and yet not that alone which is aboue the heauens but the Lord of heauen himselfe hath giuen vs his onely sonne after sundry sorts sometimes as a patron sometimes as a defendor sometimes as a sauiour sometimes for a teacher sometime for a Phisitian sometime for a rewarde sometime for a conseruation sometime for a remedie and for each other our néed The Father hath giuen vs his sonne the sonne hath merited for vs the holy Ghost the holy Ghost hath made vs meritorious of GOD the Father himselfe from whome floweth the streames of all felicitie Therefore if this father as the Apostle sayth hath giuen vs his onely sonne which was the greatest gift he could bestow on vs howe will hee not deliuer vnto vs with him all other things whatsoeuer Therfore if it bee true that God hath giuen vnto thée al that he hath if he hath wrapt thée fast with obligation of so many benefites howe is it possible that thou shouldest molest or gréeue so liberall and bountifull a benefactour If it be a gréeuous crime not to be thankfull for so good turnes what shall it be to adioyne to ingratitude the contempt and offence of the benefactor If that young man founde himselfe in such bondage and so impotent to annoy him who had committed to his fidelitie the charge of his house what heart or courage canst thou haue to offend him which for thy behoofe hath created both heauen earth O more vngrateful then the very beast O more cruell then the Tigres O more insensible then the senslesse creatures not to consider so great a fall for what beast what Lion what Tiger
did euer hurt the man that did them good Saint Ambrose writeth that a dogge all one night howled and bewayled his maister which was slaine by his enemie whither repairing many the next morning to view the dead corpes amongst whom the murtherer also made his appearance whome so soone as the dog beheld furiously ranne vpon him in such wise that the malefactour was detected thereby Wherefore if a dogge for a péece of bread did shewe such loyall loue to his maister howe canst thou become so vngratefull to suffer thy selfe in the lawe of reason and humanitie to be inferiour to a dogge If that beast was wroth against him that had slaine his maister what wilte not thou bee wroth against them that haue killed thy Lorde and Soueraigne and who are those that haue killed him but only thy offences these are euen they that tooke him that bounde him that whipped him that nayled him to the Crosse For all the torments had not bene sufficient for this exployt had they not bene assisted by thine offences Wherfore then doest thou not waxe wood against these so cruell murderers which haue bereaued thy Lord of his life Wherefore séeing him dead in thy sight doth not thy affection increase towards him and thy wrath towards sin which hath killed him knowing that whatsoeuer in this world hee hath said done or suffered was to imprint such an hatred in our hearts against sin that we should detest it vtterly To slay sinne he dyed himselfe and to binde it hand and foote hath suffered himselfe to be bound vpon the crosse Why then wilt thou make frustrate all the labours and paines of Christ Wilt thou run headlong into the thraldome and bondage frō whence Christ hath deliuered thée with the ransome of his precious blood why doest thou not tremble and shiuer at the onely name and sounde of sin now that thou hast séene the extremities that Christ vsed in the remoouing thereof what could GOD doo more to restraine vs from sinne then to set himself before vs bowed pitifully vpon a crosse who durst displease God if hee saw heauen and earth open before him yet much more it is to sée God stretcht vppon a crosse then all this Wherfore whosoeuer is not stirred with this motiue there is nothing in the wide world whereby he may be reduced from the fonde and perillous iourney wherein he is entred The Argument God doth not suffer those to want any thing necessarie to this world which bee righteous and do keepe his cōmandements but doth comfort them with his graces and gifts infinitly as well temporall as spiritual present as those to come Whereof the vngodly haue exceeding great scarcitie for that noble vertue is euermore associated with all good things and contrariwise vice with mischiefes and miseries CHAP. VII BUt peraduenture thou wilt say that all these things before treated of are right iust as well the good things as the evil yet desirest to sée some present motine which should serue to eleuate thy heart fithe the thinges obiected to our daily viewe doo moue vs more forcibly Of these things also we will giue thée thy glut and thou shalt haue thy sacietie of that thou desirest For admit our Lord had kept the best wine and meate fill the ende of the banket yet for all this he will not that his seruants should faints with famine by the way for he knoweth very well if they should be so scanted they cannot continue in their iourney Wherefore he said vnto Abraham Feare not O Abraham for I am thy defendour and thy rewarde shall be great By these words two things are promised one in this present life as he was his defendour in all things perteyning therevnto the other in the life to come which is the guerdon reserued for him But howe great the first promise is and howe many swéete solaces it conteyneth no man knoweth but he that hath read the Scriptures diligently which inculketh and repeateth nothing more then the singular prerogatiues which our Lorde hath promised to his seruaunts in this life Reade the holy Psalme of the Prophet Psal 25. Psal 91. Psal 18. Dominus regit me Reade Qui habitat in adintorio Regarde with thy vnderstanding Diligam te domine fortitudo mea reade the benedictions and the curses of Deuteronomium finally reade the new and old Testament and thou shalt sée apparantly what fauour and friendship is promised to the iust and righteous in this life Heare the verdit of Salomon in his Prouerbes vpon this matter Blessed is the man that hath found wisedome for it auayleth more to-possesse that then all the heapes of golde and siluer be it neuer so fine and precious it is of greater price then all the riches of the world and all that can be wished for and desired in the heart of man is nothing comparable therevnto The length of his daies are in his right hand and in his left are riches and glorie his wayes are faire and his pathes peaceable and to all them that obtaine it and to euery one that with perseueraunce shall enioy it shall be happie Marke then my sonne the constitutions and counsailes of God for this shall be likings and life to thy soule Then shalt thou take thy iourney voyde of care and thy feete shall not fayle thée if thou sléepe thou shalt not be affrighted and if thou betake thée to rest thou shalt haue a quiet repose This deare brother is the solace and quietnesse that the righteous haue in their wayes but consider howe much the wayes of the wicked differeth from this by the sentence of the Scriptures vnhappinesse and lucklesse chaunce is euer in their way neyther know they what it is to tread the steps of peace and tranquilitie And againe Ecclesiastick sayth The path of the vniust is ful of lets and obstacles and at the ende of their iourney for an harbour is addressed for them hell darkenesse and paine Doth it séeme now good vnto thée to diuert from the way of God to follow the way of the world béeing so contrary each to other not onely in the and but also in the midway and at euery step Which then is the greater inconuenience to endeuour through one torment to get another torment or else with one repose to atchieue an other repose But that thou mayest discerne more clearely the manifolde benefites which presently doo accompanie this good thing bee attentiue to the promise that GOD himselfe made to the Prophet Esay to the obseruers of his commaundements in these woordes according to the intent of diuers Interpreters When thou shalt be sayth hée such and such as I haue willed thée to be vnwares shall come vpon thée the dawne of bright day that is the light of iustice which shall cast out and bannish quite the dryerie darknesse of thy errours and defaultes and shalt quickely knowe true health and the equitie of thy well dooings shall stande before thée as a burning lampe and the glory
swearing forswearing which ringeth rounde about wherein they â—â—céede all Infidels Then how can theâ— bee vnited to the number of those 〈◊〉 whom Esay speaketh in this wise All they that behold this people shall quickly knowe them to bee the plantes to whom God gaue his benedictioÌ„ Wherfore if suche ought to bee the life of a Christian that all they whiche beholde him may soone iudge him so be the sonne of God in what sort shall we déeme of those which séeme rather scoffers and contemners of Christ then Christians indéed If this then be the life of these what hope can we haue of their saluation according to the generall rule we haue set downe before All this is spoken that thou maiest perceiue if God notwithstanding his so great mercie that thou alledgest suffereth so many Infidels in the world and so many euill Christians in the church and if all these Infidels doo perish and so many Christians too he will also be contented that thou shalt perish with them if thy life be conformable to theirs But peraduenture the heauens were fauourable to thy birth and therewith all the commaundementes of God were altered and the lawe of his Gospell and of his iustice that for thy sake should me made an innouation of all things With this pittie he suffered the fall of Angels and the transgression of our first Parentes and with them the blot of humaine generation and destruction of the whole worlde with the great floud and the dreadfull desolation of Hierusalem of Babylon of Niniuie and of many other noble Cities and Prouinces And with this he suffred also that hell should bee enlarged and that daily so many millions of soules should tumble thither And will he not suffer likewise that thine shall passe the same way liuing as disorderly as they did before thée But thou maiest obiect that then God was rigorous and is become now more milde and curteous and yet with this pitie clemensie he hath suffered all that thou hast heard to the end that thou shouldest likewise feare thy fall although thou be a Christian whilest thou art wicked Sith it is certaine that fruitlesse faith is not the instrument of saluation but the chéefest matter of aggrauate damnation Perchaunce Gods glorie shall be lessened if thou enter not therein Or art thou of such power that God standeth in néede of thée and must heare with thée perforce Or hast thou any bill of his hande whereby hée is hound to bestow vpon thée such passing priuiledges If the children of Dauid which were priuiledged by the merite of their parents God did not spare to punish them according to their deserts for that they offended gréeuously in his sight so that many of them died miserably in his disgrace whence hast thou this confidence so to assure thy selfe of thy safetie Thou doest ere deare brother yea thou offendest if thou take this to be trust hope in God this is not hope but plaine presumption for that which we call hope is to beleeue that a man repenting forsaking sin God will forgiue him all his gréeuous crimes but thine is presumption if thou beléeuest that persisting still in wickednesse shalt not faile of thy saluation The Argument To say that the loue of the world is the cause of sinne is a vaine excuse proceeding from a corrupt and carnall Christian who hath no taste nor sent of supernall blisse Wherefore hee abiecteth those which are true and sincere and searcheth busily after false fraile momentall pleasures which presently he perceiueth not Then should he knowe the deceit and daunger of them and how perfect good are the spirituall delights CHAP. XI BUt perhaps thou wilt say that the loue of the world hath thy heart and hands fast hardle with the fetters of her slourishing vanities and that she it is that maketh thée to decline from thy well attempted voyage This is the excuse of one that hath not tasted of the spirituall delights and therefore desireth corporall comfort The countrey clowne déemeth that there is no brauer Palace any where then his rude Cottage at home for that he neuer sawe the loâ—â—e furress and curious workemanshippe of Castles and Cities The litle babe wofully wéepeth being descended from his mothers womb because he is ignoraunt yet howe much this worlde is better whither he commeth to dwell then the prison where he was pent before Our first parentes made great reckonings of their villages and houses made with strawe before they espied the braue buildings framed with timber stone To whome wee may well resemble all sensuall men who hauing yet no taste of spirituall spices nor prooued their sap their swéetnesse their beautie dignitie and nobilitie couet more gréedily the shadowes and shewes of happinesse because they knowe not any part of perfelt selicitie indéede For if they had any true knowledge hereof it were impossible but that they should vtterly despise all sensuall solace According to this saying of the Prophet Esay In that day thou shalt detest all siluer and golde and the idols which earst thou diddest adore euen as durtie ragges of no reputation and shalt say vnto them when thou art clensed Depart from me get you out of my house in such sort as men contemne their false gods after they know the omnipotent God So will they reiect the vanities of the worlde so soone as they haue a smacke of the true celestiall blisse For as Saint Bernard saith at the first taste of spirituall comfort all flesh from whence issueth each earthly delight léeseth his sent For this is that Syren song that dreame of Sirces which hath bewitched so many foretches But in opening this deceit mother fraude that lurked earst appeareth in sight which is that they are not onely ignoraunt of the spirituall blisse but also of the temporall ioyes themselues for if they knew them throughly it is not possible that they shoulde like them so well as they doo For tell me what is the world and all the iolitie thereof if with in corrupt eyes ye rightly regarde it his guise his begining and progresse what is this world I say other then a heape of wo a schoole of vanitie a market of deceit a bottomlesse pit of errours a prison of darknesse alwaies infested with théeues a durtie dunghill a sea of stormy troubles This world as the Philosopher said is a barren lande a stormie field a wood of thornes a gréene medowe full of serpents a gallant garden but fruitlesse vtterly a fountaine of vaine thoughts a pleasaunt poyson a fable finely framed a delighting frenzie what good things are therein which bee not altogither false and frayle and what euill things are incident to it which bee not tryed to be true his purpose is restlesse his securitie without safetie his paines to no purpose his teares auaileth not his intent without euent his hope frustrate his mirth fatned and forced his dolours to bee true is order full of disorder and confusion So