all the Palace Lady Venus and her waiting maids tending upon me But every one departed after I was in Bed saving only Venus the Goddess of Love with whom I lay all night CAP. XII The Authour declareth how the wandring Knight and such like Voluptuous livers in this world transgress the ten Commandements of Almighty God underwritten SO long as the Knight continued in this pestilent Palace of Worldly Desire following his own Fantasie by Vain Voluptuousness enticed he did no other thing but play the tool Dance Leap Sing Eat Drink Hawk Hunt Fish hunt Whores and such like as did the Prodigal Son and lead a dissolutè life for the space of eleven dayes which signifies a marvellous mystery and unfortunate For the Number Eleven by the Opinion of Christian Doctors and Philosophers is a wicked and unlucky number for that the number ten signifies the ten Commandements of God the number of Eleven which is one more prophesieth and sore-telleth the transgression of them Wherefore the Knight having remained eleven dayes in the Palace grievously transgressing the will of God letting loose the bridle of his own affections without refraining any of them if you note well the premises and see into the senuel you shall find that such as live after the order of the Palace of worldly Felicity being given to follow the pomp and Pride of the World with the Pleasures and Voluptuousness of the same and seem willing to lead that life without purpose of change nay rather triumphing and rejoycing therein I say truly that such are Transgressors of Gods Lawes Contrariwise such as account themselves here to he but Pilgrims and fix their affection on the other World where Iesus Christ raigneth in glory reputing this life an exile and destring to be delivered out of it to the end they may enter in at the Pallace of the heavenly King shall enjoy the fulness and happiness thereof As this World yields a great deal of Temporal goods and Transitory Honour so doth it also make an end of them Now these that use these gifts to the glory of God are Gods people Contrariwise those that do use them voluptuously are Vessels of the Devil and transgressours of the Lawes of God as may appear by the Ten Commandements which I have set down for that purpose Wherein all Worldlings may perceive that by living voluptuously they grievously transgress Gods Laws to their own destruction And as the Ten Commandements were written in two Tables even so are they divided into two parts The first comprehends four concerning the Love of God The second six touching the love of your Neighbour And therefore who so loseth his Life Worldling-like and fixeth his Felicity in Voluptuousness is doubtless a Vessel of the Devil and loveth not God nor his Neighbour because he transgresseth the Law of God which followeth in due and convenient order I Am the Lord thy God thou shalt have none other Gods but me 2. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above nor in the Earth beneath nor in the Water under the Earth Thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them For I the Load thy God am a jealous God and vifit the Sins of the Fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me and keep my commandements 3. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in Vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in Vain 4. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six dayes shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work thou and thy Son and thy Daughter thy Man servant thy Maid servant thy cattel and the stranger that is within thy Gates for in six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that therein is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it 5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 6. Thou shalt do no murther 7. Thou shalt not commit Adultery 8. Thou shalt not steal 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour 10. Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours House thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours Wife nor his servant nor his Maid nor his Ox nor his Ass nor any thing that is his This is the Law of God by which you may perceive that such as live in the Pallace of Worldly Voluptuousness are Transgressours of the same Contrariwise such as seek for Heavenly Felicity are Gods beloved and they shall have the possession thereof Now hearken what hapned unto the Knight having lived eleven dayes in the Pallace of Vain and worldly Felicity CAP. XIII The Knight rode to recreate himself and view the warrens and Forrests which were about the pallace of worldly Felicity anon he saw it sink suddenly into the Earth and perceived himself fast in the mire up to the saddle AFter I had sojourned eleven dayes in the Pallace transgressing Gods Commandements and leading a beastly life I desired to ride into the Forrests thereabouts not intending to give over my Voluptuous life but for my pleasure because I was weary of making good chear For although Worldlings delight to eat drink dance leap sing ride run and such like yet notwithstanding they cannot continue in this trade of Life without intermingling it with some other recreation wherefore they often leave by constraint their pastimes though they intend to return thereto again They do not utterly abandon them but break off for a season to procure them better appetite I then being weary was willing to see the Warrens and other pleasures which when my governess Folly understood she told the same to Lady Voluptuousness and she consented to Hunt or Hawk with me whereof I was right glad Then I apparelled my self in Hunters guise instead of my Helmet a Hat full of Feathers for mine Armour an Horn and I leapt upon Temerity my Horse Voluptuousness had a Hobby Folly a Ienner and the other Ladies every one of them a Palfrey There came the Huntsmen with Grey-hounds and Mastives hooping hollowing and galloping together some one way some another The dogs were at a beck up starts the Hare the cry was pleasant to hear But in the midst of all our pastime I chanced to breathe my Horse and turning towards the Palace of Worldly Felicity suddenly I saw it stuk into the Earth and every Body therein But what lamentable Out-cries they made you that have reason are to judge then did there arise amongst us a Whirl-wind with an Earth-quake which set us all asunder in so much that I and my Horse sunk in mire up to the Saddle all this while my mistress Folly
which the Prophet speaketh saying Cursed is the man that trusteth in man and contrariwise happy is the man that trusteth in God We ought alwayes to do well to delight in well-doing and to hope in the goodness of God that he will give us that which he hath promised But this Hope ought to be firm and as an Anchor constantly to hold thy conscience that by the floating of temptation it move not But some will ask by what testimony or witness can the conscience rest assured of remission of sins of Gods adoption and of Heavenly blessedness I answer S. John Epist 1 chap. 5. saith There be three things that bear witness in Earth that is the Spirit Water and Blood These three testifie unto the spirit of the believing Man that Christ is the infallible truth who fulfilleth in the believing man the whole sum of his promises The first witness then that assureth man in Hope is the precious bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ which was shed for the remissien of our sins The second witness is the water of Baptism by the which also our sins are forgiven But these two witnesses put not the conscience in full and perfect Hope and Assurance And therefore there must be annexed unto them a third which third is The holy Spirit which beareth witness with our spirit that we are the Sons and Heirs of God Who so hath not this witness he cannot be assured of his Salvation The works of the holy Spirit in Man if thou ask me what those works are I answer thee that they are these that follow and such like namely Sorrow for sin hatred of all things which displease God and are contrary to his Commandements taking pleasure to read and hear Gods word mourning for thy imperfections and sure Faith Hope and Charity and effection desire intent and purpose to love God above all things and to do thy endeavour to fulfill his Commandements For all these things spring not from the corrupt nature of man unless his Heart be moystened with the dew of Gods grace without the which we feel not in our selves any good affections nor desire to do good works which are signs of the presence of the holy Chest in us Wherefore we ought with sighing to pray unto God and to beseech him most humbly that it would please him of his unspeakable pity to send us his holy Spirit which may assure us of the remission of our sins to Vouchsafe us his heavenly Adoption and the enjoying of everlasting Blessedness And thus much concerning Hope New let us speak of Love or Charity CAP. V. The Description of Love or Charity and how we ought to love God and our Neighbour CHarity is a Vertue by the which God is loved for the love of himself and our neighbour for the love of God or in God It is said in the first part of this Desinition that Charity is a Vertue Let us see how certainly Charity in the excellentest vertue that is even the mother and nurse of all the rest For he that hath not charity hath nothing in him to obtain everlasting life This Charity is given when the holy Spirit it is given For the holy Spirit being resident in the Soul makes us to love God for the love of himself and our Neighbour for the love of God To love God for the love of himself is to love him for his own sake and because he is God And that is to be done three wayes that is to love God above all things entirely above all things orderly above all things preciously We will declare these three wayes of loving God the more plainly that every one may know how to love God To love God intirely is to have a good will to God and to rejoyce greatly that he is such a one as he is But for the better understanding hereof it shall not be amiss to shew what it is to love to love is nothing else but to wish well to every body as when I love a man I wish as well to him as to my self Now there are two manners of love One is called the cobetous love as when a Man loves any thing for his own profit sake in such sort men love their horses their victuals and all other worldly necessaries The 〈…〉 the love of friendship when one loves a thing for the love of it self without respect of particular profit as when I see a man wise I take pleasure in him and wish that the Vertues which are in him may not only be continued but also encreased in him and this do I being to him well affectionated and loving him with delight There is not in God and good that is not like himself For his might or Power his Wisdom his Mercy his Iustice and his knowledge are Heavenly as he himself is who is all wise all just all mercy all knowledge and all mighty So that we love God above all things intirely when we rejoyce and be glad that he is as he is without regarding our proper profit or honour Thou oughtest not to love God with a covetous love that is thou must not love God only because he gives thee all things profitable for thee or in so doing thou lovest thy self better then thou lovest God If thou love God rightly he will reward thee greatly but this love must be single and it must be pure and not depending upon any other thing for who so loveth God for gain loveth him but as his Horse in whom he delights because he serves his turn God ought to be loved lovingly without respect of particular profit But then maist ask me a question May I not love God to this end and under this condition that he may give me Heaven which is the principallest thing that Man can wish for after this life the Doctors say no if we consider well of the thing beloved which is God for in so doing thou lovest thy self better then thou lovest God Thou maist come to Heaven by this means as namely by keeping his Commandements by giving Alms and by doing other good deeds and yet give God his due and single love Now these things are not charity it self but the works of Charity We say then that God ought to he loved in doing good deeds and in keeping his commandements but this love ought to be entire without respect of profit or reward To love God orderly above all things is to refer thy self and all thy goods to God so that all which thou lovest wishest dost and leabest undone thou oughtest to love to wish to doe and leave undone for the love of God and his glory Thus referring all to the Honour and Glory of God thou lovest God above all things ordarly and accomplishest as much as in thee lyeth what is written in Deut. and in Saint Mathew where it is said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy strength For what other
THE PRINCE AND ROOT OF ALL SINS For as a King accompanied with a great Train of Servitours even so hath Pride a sort of Sins for her Subjects over whom she Reigneth Prince like Again as Kings keep and hold their own right even so doth Pride behave her self toward the proud It is a singular sign of a great Reprobate and east-away when a Man liveth long in Pride For this sin displeaseth God more than all other Vices as humility pleaseth him more than all other vertues And because the proud advance themselves above all orver the Devill dealeth with them accordingly For as the Crow when he in not able to crack a hard Walnut with his Bill taketh his flight aloft right over a great stone and letting it fall breaketh the same and then alighteth to eat the kernell even so playeth the Tevill with the proud for first he advanceth them alost and bringeth them to promotion in this World but when they are in the top of their happiness and think upon no danger then even then comes the Devil and throwes them down head-long with a mischief into Hell The difference between the humble and the proud may be known by that of Corn and Chaffe For as Chaffe being light is puft up alost with the winde and is suddenly Consumed whereas contrariwise good Corn lying low is gashered from the ground laid up in Garners and esteemed of every body even so it falleth out with the pride of the proud and the Humility of the Humble Vnto Pride do appertain these Vices following namely Arrogancy Presumption Contempt Heresie Hypocrisie Disobedience Vain-glory Ambition and such like In the second Tower lodged Envy over whose Entry-dooâ—e this device was Written FIRE-BRAND OF HELL AND THE DEVILS DARLING Now Envy is a Sadnesse and Heavinesse of Heart for anothers Prosperity This Sin hath Saveraignty in the had as Charity in the good Charity is a Badge of Salvation Envy of Damnation The envyous Man differs not from the Devill in any Degree they are Partners in gain and in loss If the Devill reap profit by doing evill the envious Man will â—e sure to follow his trade for lucre sake And as the envious Man grudgeth at anothers profit and good name so doth he delight in anothers loss and ill Report Where cannot be a souler and more cruell Sin than Envy for she alwayes tormenteth and vexeth her Fosterer I mean the envious in whem she dwelleth He that seeketh to get good by others evill never amends in that minde And he that planteth his pleasure upon anothers pain shall have such fruit as he that grasts Figs on Thorns or would make Fire to burn by pouring Weser thereon Envy is a disease hard to be healed because it lyeth hidden in the heart where the Phystrian cannot come to cure it There belongs unto this Vice Hatred Malice Slander Disdain Treachery and the like In the third Lower dwelt Wrath over whose Porch this Posey was written THE VERY MURTHERER OF HOLY LOVE For as holy Love prepares the Conscience to dwell with God so doth Wrath prepare it to dwell with the Devill Wrath taketh away the hearing of Reason The Wrathfull Man will hear the Counsell of none There is nothing Resembles the Image of God more than Man being in perfect Love For God will be there where Vnity is kept where People be at peace and where Countreys be quiet which cannot be in Wrathfull Wretches A Wrathfull Man is like unto one possessed with a Devill who is ever tormented untill he hath vomited him out Wrath maketh Men fight Wrath causeth Blasphemy by Wrath the Devil conquereth Countreys Wrath is like a muzled Dog For when he cannot bite yet with snarling he makes others go together by the ears And as the Fisher-man troubleth the Water because the Fish should not see his Nets even so the Devil by Wrath troubleth Man to the end he should not understand nor perceive his own destruction To the wrathfull Man belongs inflaming of the heart Indignation Disorder Blasphemy Contention Rancour Revengement Murther and such like In the Fourth Tower dwelt Covetousness whose Posey is this IDOLATRY AND A BOTTOMLESSE GULFE ARE INSATIABLE The covetous man is forsaken of God for he loves his gain better than God he had rather lose God than Goods For little trifles that touch his profit he swears and lies which is a thing most damnable The Faith and Hope and Charity which he should have towards God Covetousness turnes it to Riches The covetous Mans heart is all upon his Goods and not upon God for where the heart is there is also a Mans love The covetous Man offendeth in evil getting in evill using and in evill loving his goods The Covetous Man is governed by the Devill hazarding his Soul to eternall torment for the lewd Love of Temporall toyes And as the Mouse is caught in the Trap whiles she hopeth to get the Bait even so is the covetous Man by the Devil in hunting after Riches The covetous Man is like unto a Hog whose life doth little good to any Man but rather great harm by reason of the noysomness and filthy stink which that nasty Beast procureth but when the Butcher hath killed him then he yields profit because it nourisheth c. Even so the covetous Man whiles he liveth doth good to none but rather damnifies his Neighbours but when Gods slaughter-man Death I mean comes and destroyeth him then those that live fare the vetter The Covetous man is like a Band dog that seedeth upon Carrion and will admit no companion to take part with him but eating all alone and filling his guts till he burst he dyeth and the Fewles of the Air devour him The covetous man hordeth his goods and suffereth the needy to starve The covetous Man croweth over the poor the Devil croweth over him And upon covetousuess attend these Monsters Usury Simony Fraud Perjury and all Sacriledge Deceipt Extortion Oppression and the Devil In the fifth Tower dwelt Gluttony over whose Portall this Posey was Written VENOMOUS WINE AND DEADLY DAINTIES Truth it is that the throat is the gate of the Body you know that when an Enemy would winne a Castle if once he get in at the Gate he makes no doubt of winning the held even so the Devil when he hath entred in at the Throat it is no question but he would winn both the heart and body Now his custome is to enter with many Sins of which Cluttony is the Mother For the Drunkard and Immoderate Feeder consenteth to all Vice Therefore it is renuiste to set a good Porter to keep the Throat lest the Devil get in For as a Man may lead a Horse when he hath him by the Bridle even so may the Devil rule a Man having once gotten hold of his mouth by Gluttony yea he then possesseth himself 〈◊〉 The servant being Corn-sed oftentimes rebelleth against his Master even so the Body having received excess and more than enough is apt
set down by Moses in the 13. of Deut. and by S. Peter in his 2 Epistle chap. 2 and by our Saviour Iesus Christ in the 24 of Matthew And though we live in the later times when many Sects do abound and Vertue and truth in many places do fail yet let us listen what our Saviour saith Whosoever believeth to the end shall be saved Fourthly and lastly thy Faith must be quick and lively that is it must be linked with love and charity which is the life of faith as the Soul is the life of the hedy And therefore abuse not thy self as some do saying I have Faith and I shall be saved whatsoever chance No no assure thy self that if thy Faith be not quickned with Love and Cherity it is nothing Worth and therefore unable to atchieve true Blessedness as S. Paul well noteth in the first Epistle the 13 chap. to the Corinth Even so when our Lord in the Gospel attributeth salvation unto Faith and S. Paul justification this is to be understood of an holy lively and Evangelical Faith working with Love and Charity Likewise when our Saviour saith in the Gospel that he which believeth and will be Baptised shall be saved that is meant of such a Faith as love quickneth and Charity reviveth The holy Scripture in many places expresseth that none shall be saved unless he observe and keep the Commandements of God Now none can keep the Commandements without Love and charity Ergo none can be saved without Love and Charity The sum and effect of all is this That whosoever renounceth Sin and imbraceth a quick and lively Faith and liveth in Love and Charity he cannot perish but shall find in the end perfect and everlasting Felicity in the Kingdom of Heaven CAP. IV. The Description of Hope and how we ought to hope in Almighty God NOw Sir Knight know this that Hope is a Vertue whereby Happiness or Blessedness both spiritual and eternal are hoped for And as Faith is of things not seen so is Hope also For Saint Paul saith Hope that is seen is no Hope because we have possession of it already It is common to Faith and Hope to be of things unseen and yet Hope is distinguished from Faith not only by name but by reason For by Faith we believe as well evill things as good that is Hell as Heaven We believe that Adultery is a very wicked sin we believe also Charity is a very good thing all these things good and bad we believe but we Hope only for good things and not for bad Again Faith is of things past present and to come For we believe the death of Iesus Christ which is past we believe also that at this present he sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven and we believe that Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead But under correction I think that Hope is of things present as when I Hope that I am in Gods favour and of things past as when I Hope my Sins be forgiven me and of things to come as when I Hope to have eternal life This is true that Faith hath an eye generally unto that which is spoken in holy Scripture believing that all the promises without exception which God made shall be accomplished without descending to particular or special Persons but Hope applyeth unto her self those same promises waiting for the accomplishment of that which God hath promised And therefore it is requisite for assured Salvation that thou believe thou shalt be saved but to Hope so is not sufficient For Faith in it self importeth an infallible assurance and certainty of things as when we firmly believe all the Articles of our true and Christian Faith and all things contained in the holy Scriptures to be more certain then man is man but the hoping of it is not so requisite For if we have a firm assiance in the goodness of God touching our Salvation and doubt not a whit of the remission of our sins it is enough There be two degrees in Hope which are two contrary extremities The one being the most highest is the infallible assurance of eternal Blessedness The other being the basest and lowest is to despair of Salvation Between these two extremities consisteth Hope But the more that a Man approacheth to the highest extremity which is an infallible assurance of Eternal life and the more he rejoyceth from the lowest extremity which is desperation the more perfect he is in hope As it sufficeth the hoping Man that believes anâ— loves God that he hath a firm affiance and confidence that God of his good grace will give him whatsoever he hath promised to his Elect hoping that he is of their number So it is necessarily requisste that we have a perfect infallible certainty of our Salvation Now for that in the Definition of Hope it is said that by her we Hope and look for the eternal Happiness it is to be noted that Hope hath two Objects the first the perfect enjoying of Gods presence the other is all the necessary means to come unto the clear seeing and enjoying of God and these means are remission of Sins through Gods Grace justification Faith unfained and charitable deeds and agreeableness unto God Now all that we hope for we ought with prayer devoutly to crave of God as his Kingdom the remission of our sins justification encrease of Grace and Vertue deeds of faith and Charity But concerning goods temporal forasmuch as we may use them well and ill they may be said to hinder the Salvation of Man rather then to surther it And therefore the good Christian ought not to ask them nor covet them excessively indeed so much as will necessarily serve him for sustenance in this life he may lawfully ask and here by the way it is a lesson worthy the Learning namely that it is necessary for us to do good Works because it hath pleased God to enrich us with Goods which Goods ought well to be employed Now unto him properly belongeth the merits of the works which he worketh in us For all our good works are the gift of God howbeit he doth not deny us his Grace whereby we consent to do the good works which he only moveth in us And therefore every one ought to the uttermost that he is able to do good works considering that they come of God who is the Author of all good works and without whom we are not able to think so much as one good thought much less do a good deed For otherwise to hope in doing ill to go to heaven without good works springing from a firm faith is not hope but a flat presumption And therefore thou oughtest to enforce thy self to do good works hoping that thou and thy works may be acceptable unto God nevertheless thou must not in any case trust upon thy merits or good works but altogether to the infinite goodness of God For otherwise thou fallest into that curse
thing is it to love God with all thine heart with all thy soul and with all thy strength but to refer all things to God and to his glory all our thoughts all our worde all our works all our purposes and all our intents To love God therefore above all things orderly is to refer to God and his glory our selves and all that is within and without us which we cannot well do if our thougts if our words if our works be not good and acceptable unto God To love God preciously is to love him so dearly and so much to esteem of him that for no cause thou wouldest lose him nor his love but wish rather to lose thy goods thy lands thy limbs thy life and the love of the World This indeed is to love God lovingly when without respect of profit we referr to God and his glory all that we have our hearts our hands our lips to praise and magnine him and to set forth the greatness of his Divine Majesty and omnipotency To love God then for the love of himself is to love God because he is good And he that loveth God in this sort shall be sure never to miscarry or perish To love thy Neighbour it is required that thou do it in God or for the love of God Now thou must understand that every Man is thy Neighbour when either thou to them or they to thee can shew mercy or relief by succour and help So that every reasonable creature is thy Neighbour wheresoever he dwell in the World Thus are the Saints in Heaven thy Neighbours by whose example thou art taught to live godly wherefore thou oughrest to love them and all mankind for the love of God or in God Thou oughtest to love thy Neighbour because he is good or because he should be good then thou lovest him indeed for the love of God every Man which is a Sinner thou oughtest to love not because he is a sinner but because he is a Man for the love of God Thou oughtest to love in the sinfull Man that which he hateth and to hate that which he loveth The sinfull Man loves sin and iniquity which thou oughtest to hate The sinfull Man hateth his Soul and the purity of Nature which thou oughtest to love For Sin is against nature it defileth Nature it oppresseth nature yea it quencheth nature and he that committeth sin killeth his own soul and corupteth nature Thou oughtest then to love the Soul and the Nature of the Sinner but not his sin And when thou givest Alms to a sinner being in need thou oughtest not to do it because he is a Man but because he is a man of the same nature that thou art Some be thy friends and some thy Enemies thy friends thou oughtest to love in God lest loving them otherwise thou shouldest offend God Thy Enemie thou oughtest to love for the Love of God and if he offend thee in word or deed and doth repent him and asketh thee forgiveness thou oughtest for the love of God to forgive him with all thy heart and to receive into friendship Again if thy Enemy be obstinate and will not cease to persecute thee although thou canst not presently forgive him yet thou oughtest not to hate him but rather to do him good and to be ready alwayes to pardon him and then chiefly when he shall raquire it Yea thou oughtest to do him what good thou canst in his need By that which we have spoken already it appeareth that thou oughtest to love all men living both good and bad friends and foes no worse then thy self Our Lord had an eye to the love of our Neighbour when he said in the 7 of Matthew All things that thou wouldest thy Neighbour should do unto thee do thou the like to him Whosoever then doth to his Neighbour as be would his Neighbour should do to him loveth his Neighbour as himself But this is to be understood according to God and reason For if one offering to pleasure thee bring thee a Wench to lye with thee or lend thee a sword to fight and to kill another as reason would instruct thee to refuse such offers so the love according to God should teach thee obedience and they both ought to be the rule of thy life and the lights to guide thee in the dark places Thus far have we declared in as much brevity as we could how a man ought to love God and his Neighbour Now intend we to shew the effects of love and Charity CAP. VI. The effects and praises of Love and Charity NO tongue in the World can tell for truth all the Excellency of the effects and praises of love or charity For first of all she makes men the Children of God and Heirs of Heaven according to that saying of Saint John behold what Love or Charity the Father hath shewed unto us to make us the Children of God S. Paul also saith That those which be lead by the Spirit of God are the Children of God For you have not received the spirit of bondage to fear any more but you have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father and that same Spirit which is the Spirit of Love or Charity beareth witness with our Spirit that we be the Children and Heirs of God and Coheirs with Christ Can we desire a thing more excellent than to be the children of God and Heirs of Heaven what dignity is that to boast of Such as have feeling of the love of God in their hearts have boldness courage though the world contemn them For this is certain that they whom the world hateth are not the children of the world but the children of God as contrariwise such as the world loveth they indeed are the children of the world Secondly Charity worketh the cause in us that God dwelleth in us who dwelleth in Charity saith S. John dwelleth in God and God in him Our Lord likewise saith If any Man love me he will keep my Commandements and my Father will come and dwell with him Can we desire a more rich a more bountifull or a more liveral Host than he Is it like that so loving an Host will suffer the soul to want Will he ask mony for his expences No he commeth not to dwell with us to consume that we have but to encrease our riches and to make our store greater Thirdly Charity maketh our goods be they little or be they much acceptable unto God it maketh a Man contemn the World it maketh a man to rejoyce in temptations and tribulations When Charity enters into the soul she knits us to God and uniteth us with him Love or Charity makes men of one mind and will Love or Charity makes men reform their manners and to draw near unto God Love or Charity makes men to consider of things present and visible as if they were not Love maketh a pure and clean heart which may contemplate and behold Heavenly things By
love the Goods of this World are well ordered and by Love the Goods of this World are contemned and by Love the secrets of God are revealed Saint John saith That God is Love or Charity whereby no doubt he meaneth the Father the Son and the holy Ghost the three persons in Trinity God the Father is Charity God the Son is Charity and God the holy Ghost is charity This Love or Charity requireth in the same such likely things namely love and charity by the which as by some spiritual affinity thou art joyned unto God which Love also boldly commeth unto God and familiarly speaketh unto him without any doubt or fear He that loveth not shall lose his Life but He that loveth alwayes lifteth his eyes to God whom be loveth whom he desireth on whom he museth in whom he is refreshed and by whom he is preserved such a debour and religious soul doth so sing so say read so dispose all his business and so circumspectly foreseeth all things as if God were ever present with Him as doubtless in spirit he is The man in whose soul the love of God is lodged so prayeth as if God were personally present with Him The Love of Charity awaketh the soul when she is asleep it puts him in mind of His Salvation it softneth and moysteneth the Heart Charity or Love setteth the cold Heart on fire Love maketh the froward soul gentle Love chaseth away sin Love keepeth the affections of the flesh and blood under Love amendeth Iewd Mens manners Love reneweth the Spirit Love bridleth the light motions of wanton youth all this worketh Love or Charity where she is present Contrariwise where Love or Charity is absent there the Soul doth Languish and waxeth cold even as a Caldron of water doth when the fire is taken from under it and raked abroad Charity is the only thing whereby the soul boldly approacheth unto End constantly cleaveth unto him and familiarly speaketh unto him The Soul that loveth God cannot but think and talk of God insomuch that it hateth all ungodly things Who so will know God must love God the more that one loves God the more be growes in the knowledge of God To read to write and to study of God yieldeth no true knowledge of God without Love In vian do we read in Vain do we talli in Vain do we preach in Vain do we pray to God if we do not love God the love of God ingendreth the love of thine own Soul and maketh it attentive alwayes to God God loves to be loved again and when he loveth he requireth nothing but love happy therefore is he that loveth God The Soul which loveth God rejecteth his own effections being earnestly given to Gods love The Soul that loveth hath no fear the soul that loveth not is ever in fear The Soul that loveth is carryed by promises and drawn by desires unto Heaven the soul that hath in it the presence of Gods love is tickled with joy and with ravishing leapeth up to Heaven having by coutemplation exceeding great joyfulness Love breeds familiarity with God familiarity breeds boldness with God boldness breeds the taste of God and Taste breedeth an hunger after God If I should declare all the excellency of Love or Charity the time would fail me and mine Ability in that behalfe would not suffice But let this stand for a conclusion that the Soul which is touched with the love of God cannot desire any thing contrary to God but ever after it hath received any taste of Sin it cryeth out and saith with the Prophet Psal 14. O Lord God like as the Hart desireth the Fountains of water even so long I after thee Well then Sir Knight lift up thy Soul and remember the great Love and Charity of God and his manisold benefits bestowed upon thee that by them thy Heart being enlightned thou maist encrease and go â—orâ— and day by day in doing good works to the glorifying of God 〈◊〉 delighteth in the same according as it is said Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorisie God in Heaven Thus much touching these three spiritual Vertues now come we to the four morall Vertues CAP. VII The description of the four moral Vertues Prudence Justice Fortitude and Temperance By these sour Marral Vertues Man liveth orderly in this martalise Saint Hierom saith that the Christian man by these 〈◊〉 liveth well in this mortality and by them after death cometh to everlasting Life Prudence knoweth the good we should do and evil we should leave Justice doth good Temperance leaveth the evill Fortitude is constant without losing courage in adversity or waring proud in prosperity Prudence teacheth man how to approach unto God Fortitude and Temperance how to govern himself Justice how to use his Neighbour These are the four things which Satan shooteth at to destroy the Soul By Prudence which is the rule of right Reason we govern our selves wisely we order our affairs discreetly doing nothing but Right and reason In Prudence consisteth Reason Knowledge Fore-sight Aptness to give good Counsell Plato saith That Prudence is the Governess of all Moral Vertues shewing how we should understand and use the rest For as Faith informeth us what we should hope after and what we ought to love even so Prudence teacheth us how we should use Justice Fortitude and Temperance Aristotle saith that it is impossible but a prudant Man should be good If he mean moral goodness it is most true for a wise Man doth nothing but that which is lawfull But yet without Love or Charity Prudence is a Vertue no more meritorious then Faith without Love and Charity But if the prudent man love God with all his heart it is unpossible but that he should do good and consequently be good Justice is a Vertue used in two sorts sometimes it is a general Vertue and comprehends in her self all Vertue as the man that Ilbeth well and justiy is therefore called good and Iustice otherwise is understood a particular Vertue called Justice distributive yeelding to every one that which unto him belongeth This Vertue Justice distributive is convenient for all men and principally for Emperours Kings and such as have the Administration and Governments of Common-wealths to the end that they may yeeld to every one their right defending the innocent and punishing the offender doing justice and right according to equity as well to little as great and to poor as rich Many have justice painted in their Houses and yet have wrongfull dealing lodged in their hearts Many a one hath Christ in their mouth but the Devil in their minde He that will be acceptable to GOD he must be just in word upright in deed undefiled in thought Fortitude is a vertue unto which belongs a magnisicent courage not fearing any thing but unlawful actions He that hath this vertue keeps himself constant in adversity and waxeth not proud in prosoerity Fortitude gives a man