lyes or deceives useth double terms to cover his designs He that speaks ill hateth light as well as he that does ill Take heed therefore thou dost not observe the same rule in thy words as thou dost in thy cloaths that is to have one to wear when thou goest abroad another to use at home least one thing appear in thy looks whilst thou concealest the contrary in thy hart Nature itself abhorreth this vice Doe but take notice of yong children not yet come to the use of reason They object lying to one another as the greatest reproach and although out of a childish lightnes they often fall into it yet by a naturall inbred judgment they alwaies condemn it in others In which we ought to admire the providence of God which hath planted in our minds a naturall inclination to those vertues which are necessary to maintain human society And lying is the most prejudiciall to this For if thou detestest all falsity of speech as unworthy of a generous mind why dost thou permit thyself and thy whole life to be nothing else but a continuall cheat It it is a great matter to deal plainly and not to have a double hart 2. Simplicity though a vertue little known amongst men is notwithstanding of so great dignity that God is wonderfully delighted with it for as the Scripture sayes his discourse is with the simple For whereas he is simple and sincere in himself he also requireth the vertue of simplicity in all souls that come unto him and this consisteth in speaking our mind plainly without all equivocation or hypocrisy so that our exteriour be still conformable to our interiour It consisteth in acknowledging plainly and sincerely our own faults when occasion requires it consisteth in shunning all malice and detesting all cunning and politick way of dealing it consisteth in giving credit to all mens words unles prudence requires the contrary and thinking well of all men it consisteth in not refusing to be esteemed fools by the world that soe we may be found wise in the sight of God In a word he that is free from all duplicity of hart does all things with a pure and simple intention to please God alone Unhappy craft why dost thou seek so many wayes of deceiving There is but one thing necessary that thou maist find him whose nature is Vnity and simplicity Thou wilt never arrive to the place thou aymest at if thou walkest in two different wayes 3. Fidelity is the greatest and cheifest good which can be wished for amongst men for take away this and all commerce and communication will cease all freindship will be broken all Leagues will be dissolved all things will be out of order And yet this is a vertue which is very rare and little known in thâ— world T is a sign that perfidiousnes is very common amongst men since we see so many witnesses so many cautions and so many sureties are required in every contract yet all too little many times to render the compact sure The greater part of men is grown so base and treacherous that they make more account of temporall gain then of keeping their word Oh! what a shame it is for human kind thus to confesse themselves guilty of publick fraud and common malice We trust no man now a dayes without a witnes to answer for him and we are forced to put more trust in the Notaryes book then in the minds and meaning of those we deal with But a true honest man faithfully performeth all that he hath promised he never revealeth any mans secret he keepeth his word and promise even to his enemies and will rather dye then break it T is true he is somewhat slow in promising because he knows that he who is too hasty in promising is often forced to repent very soon but if he hath once promised he will not deceive he will not break his word unles perhaps the matter should soe change as it cannot be performed without sin No man is obliged to keep a promise which cannot be fulfilled without offending God CHAP. XXVI Of Friendship How it is to be entertained Certain rules of mutuall Conversation 1. NOthing is more necessary in human society then Friendship nothing is more commodious nothing more sweet It consisteth in a mutuall benevolence grounded upon vertue betwixt two persons and in a mutuall communication of each others felicity How happy wilt thou be if thou canst find a friend to whose brest thou maist safely commit thy most secret thoughts whose conscience thou maist trust as much as thy own whose speech may comfort thee in thy afflictions whose advice may help thee in thy affairs whose merry disposition may dispell thy sorrows whose only sight may recreate thee what is more sweet then to have a man unto whom thou hast no difficulty to confesse any fault thou hast committed As we doe not perceive that we are bit by certain little beasts untill we see the swelling so in conversing with a good friend thou wilt not perhaps perceive when and how he does thee good yet thou wilt find at last that thou hast profited by his conversation If there is not a mutuall love there can be no true friendship but t is more noble to love then to be loved and therefore benevolence is the main ground of friendship and reciprocall love is but an addition to it Besides that is to be counted true Christian friendship which is begun not for any temporall interest but for the interest of God which is entertained not by a corporall presence vain services or deceitfull flattery but by a mutuall assistance in the study of holy things There can be no solid friendship if grounded on evill 2. Great caution is to be used in choosing a friend according to the common saying That we must eat many bushells of salt together before we make a perfect friendship with any man Four things are to be tryed in one whom thou desirest to choose for thy friend First his Fidelity a thing which is very rare in this world that thou maist safely trust him with thy person and most secret affairs Secondly his Intention that friendship may have a lawfull end least that a holy thing be changed into some shamefull commerce Thirdly his discretion that thou maist know what to ask of him and what services thou art to render him Fourthly his Patience that thou maist know whither or no he will be willing to undergoe any hazard or adversity for his friend When thou hast tryed all these things in him inform thyself also how he hath behaved himself formerly towards other friends for thou maist expect he will prove the same to thee as he was to others A true friend is a living Treasure and therefore to be kept with great care and to be lamented if lost with great sorrow Thou art happy if thou hast a friend who loveth thee and not thy riches table or wit who will correct thee committing any
that the Pilot should call and give sign that all things were ready to set Sail which sign given thou wouldest presently make hast to the ship Soe thou art to doe in this life Fix thy mind alwaies on God and use the things of this world so as not to tye thy hart unto them nor to suffer them to withdraw thee from thy last End which is God All the riches and creatures of this world serve thee that thou maist serve God The neglect of this necessary care of thy salvavation is the cause that thou permittest thy thougts to wander after many unnecessary Objects so that t is true to say thou adorest as many Idols as thou louest Creatures with a disordinate love These are thy Gods unto whom thou offerest sacrifice not of an Oxe or Buck but thy self thy whole salvation It is not permitted in the law of divine Love to love any thing else besides God unles it be in him and for him There can be no greater misery then to abandon the soveraign Good to place our affection on creatures 4. That which the Prince of Phisitians sayes of sick bodies the same may be said of vicious souls to wit the more they are fed the worse they are For those who intend to passe from a bad life to a better ought first to vomit up all the Poyson of their past sins before they begin to receive the solid nourishments of vertue This purgation of thy soul must be done so as not only to expiate thy past sins but also to extirpate all affection unto them to root out all thy vicious habits to master all thy disordered appetites and make them subject unto reason to subdue thy body senses particularly that of the tongue and to avoid all that may hinder thee from arriuing to the state of perfection Why dost thou fear and imagine the way that leads to eternall Felicity to be hard and difficile It lies in thy own power to make thyself happy assisted with his grace who is the beginning end of all things But thou must first goe out of thyself before thou canst come unto him and the more thou leavest thyself the nigher thou wilt come unto him 5. Wherefore thou shouldest first consider with thyself what thou desirest to enjoy and whither thou art going then examine the means thou art to use for arriving to that happy state Which done thou will easily perceive what progresse thou dost make every day Be very carefull in examining thy Conscience and taking a serious view of thyself consider what thou oughtest to be whilst thou hast time to amend It will be too late to discover the deceit when thou canst not avoid it Learn how to moderate the violence of thy passions and desires how to appease the frights and fears of thy mind Learn to contemn all earthly things and willingly forsake those things which cannot remain long in thy power Leave all things before they leave thee that soe when Death comes it may find nothing to rob thee of Let thy cheifest care be to provide for thy soul for considering it is first in dignity it is not fit it should be the last in thy care What will it avail a man to have gained the whole world if he looseth his soul in the end we cannot esteem it any profit if the soul perisheth CHAP. II. That he who desires to live well must choose a good Spirituall Directour The qualities of such a Directour and the duties of such as desire to learn Vertue 1. NOthing is more necessary for one that begins to serve God then to permit himself to be guided and instructed by a good Maister And indeed what wise man would undertake to perform a long Journey where he knows not the way without a sure Guide who would goe about to learn any difficile Art without a Teacher We shall find but very few who have advanced in perfection rendered themselves vertuous without the help of others It is an easy matter to instruct in generall terms those who are absent and also to leave in writing for those that shall come after us what is to be done But no man at a distance can tell of persuade when and how this to be done We must be present in time place to deliberate aright of that A Physitian can never prescribe by letter the just time of taking some Medicine or dyet he must be present and feel the pulse of the sick person Soe in curing the maladies of the Soul there are some things which cannot be so well expressed and declared without being present S. Paul whom God had designed to be the Apostle of the Gentils after he had bine converted by Christ himself was sent to Ananias that he might learn of him the way of Salvation Thou hast a hard task to overcome the corruptnes of thy Nature to wrestle with the euill Spirits thy invisible Enemyes and to arrive to the height of Perfection amidst so many obstacles and Impediments Wherefore thou hast need to call for help and that from one who will lend thee his hand who will shew thee the dangers and discover unto thee all the Ambushes of Satan and in fine who will teach thee how to come of with victory in all thy spirituall combats But thou wilt tell me whom shall I call to help me I answer It must be a wise and trusty man who shal be able and willing to doe all for thy spirituall Good one that shall strike respect and not fear into thee when thou meetest him one that is more ready to teach thee how to rise and amend after thy fall then to cry out against thee when thou fallest one who gives more Edification by his vertuous life then by his eloquent words He is little fit to govern who commands others to doe well but doth no good himself 2. Choose such a Helper or Director who flatters no body who doth not haunt much company who doth not goe to great banquets nor intrude himself into the houses of great persons choose one if possible who hath the spirit of discretion and can discern betwixt vertue and vice betwixt good and bad as a skillfull Goldsmith discerneth betwixt true and false money who like a shilfull Phisitian can judge of all thy spirituall diseases prescribe fit remedies to every one of them Choose one that shall be free from all interest and seeketh nothing but thy spirituall profit One that shall instruct thee in the spirit of mildnes and charity one that shall tell thee of thy faults one that shall be able to discover and teach thee how to ouercome all the subtileties stratagems of thy spirituall enemy the Devill one in whom thou maist have a particular confidence unto whom thou maist have no difficulty to reveal thy most hidden thoughts If thou canst find such an one thou are happy is this world 3. Speak frequently unto him of thy spirituall affairs let him
the next place learn to doe and speak little for if thou cuttest of in thy words and actions all that is not necessary thou wilt have lesse trouble of mind Doe not say this is a thing of no great importance or concern Whatsoever is the beginning of vertue and perfection although it seem of little consequence is notwithstanding a matter of great concern 5. The originall and sinfull man which is derived from Adam if we consider him as bearing the ressemblance of a Tree hath for his root selflove for his trunk a propension unto evill for his boughs his disordered passions for his leaves vitious habits for his fruit thoughts words and deeds which are contrary to Gods law Wherefore that the boughs of evill affections may not bud forth into leaves and fruit put the Axe to the root and cut down all self-love When thou hast once taken away this thou hast cut of with one blow all the vicious ofspring of thy sensitive appetite The means to root it out is to contemn thyself to esteem thyself the least amongst men and that thou hast no preeminence before others either in learning vertue or other prerogatives not to be afraid to displease men and be contemned by them to be willing to want all comfort and temporall commodities Thou wild save thyself if thou canst hate thyself thou wilt damn thyself if thou hast too much love for thyself CHAP. XIII Of Love The nature Causes Effects of it Of the Remedies against it Of Hatred 1. LOve is a compleasance of Good or the first impression which is made upon our desires when the knowledge of Good begins to make us like it T is this which rules all the world which if once subdued and brought to obey it will be an easy matter to overcome all our other passions True love ever tends unto that from whence it had its beginning it still inclineth to Good because it is derived from the Soveraign Good Examine thy life and weigh thy hart in the balance of a strict consideration observe what sort of love prevaileth in it for that which weighs heaviest in the balance of love that is thy God that is the Idol which thou adorest God hath commanded thee to love him with all thy hart to this end that he might keep thy mind and affections employed because it is certain that that which thou louest with all thy hart is the thing which thou adorest as thy God 2. T is not only goodnes and beauty which makes us love any person but also a certain sympathy and proportion of mind and manners as also an exterior modesty industry noble birth learning quicknes of wit and such like other endowments of body and mind Love itself is the loadstone of love which if accompanied with any curtesy or civility he is now forced to return love who before would not begin to love In fine some have more naturall inclination to love then others For example those who are of a lively spirit a tender hart a delicate blood a sweet facile nature 3. The power of Love is very great it transformeth him that loveth into the thing loved Love is a kind of sally wandering out of ourselves a kind of voluntary death He that loveth is absent from himself thinks nothing of himself takes care of nothing does nothing and unles he is received by the person loved he seems to himself to be setled no where Oh how unhappy is that love which is not directed to God For he that loveth the objects of this world cannot dwell in them nor find any solid contentment in them because they are limited subject to vanity and death But he that loveth God is in God and ceasing to live in himself lives in him in whom all things live who is our center and immutable Souveraign Good Human love is violent and bitter divine love is alwaies humble and peaceable human love is tormented with jealousy but we need not fear any Rivall in divine love The one fears least another should love the same object the other wisheth all may love the same he loveth Wherefore if thou lovest thyself love God for this love profiteth thee not him Any human object may change or perish but God is never lost unles we wilfully dismisse him from our harts 4. That the love wherewith thou louest thy neighbor may be sincere be sure to exclude from it all human causes of wit compleasance and similitude and regard only those causes which consist in piety and vertue That sort of Love which is called Platonick and by which some fancy that the Soul is raised from the sight of a corporall beauty to contemplate the eternall beauty of God is very dangerous The sight of a beautifull face raiseth a desire of touching it and whatsoever it is that proceedeth from the eyes of a beautifull person whither it be a light or some subtile spirit or humor it bewitcheth a mans hart and is often the occasion of his ruine It is better and more safe that our feet should occasion our fall to the ground then our eyes be the occasion of our falling into sin But the remedies of love are very hard because whilst we seek to overcome it the more it torments us and unles we resist it in the beginning it so creepeth by little and little that we find ourselves much entangled in love before me thought of louing But if we resist it in the first beginning t is easy to be cured T is not amisse likewise to keep our mind employed in other things which bring some care with them and may blot out the memory of the object we love Then we ought to avoid all things that may bring it again into our mind as seeing and speaking of it for nothing is sooner renewed then love which if it once invade thee and take possession of thy hart it wil soe vexe thee that nothing but the slow remedy of time and absence will be able to cure thee of it to wit when tyred with long sufferings it will expire of itself Many have bine cured by shame to wit when they have perceived they were noted talkt of pointed at by all that knew them as also by considering the shamefulnes of it being a thing full of disgrace full of danger and subject to much sorrow in the end Others have found help by seeking into and considering attentively the defects and imperfections of the object they had loved for by this means the beauty and lovelynes of it is much lessened Lastly it is a good remedy to change our love into the love of God into the love of vertue and eternall rewards things which truly deserve to be loved that soe good love may drive out our bad love and our mind which was created for more noble objects blush to soil and defile itself with terrene objects Evill and dishonest loves cannot but infect good manners 5. Nature seems to have tyed all things together with
is he that hath prepared life everlasting for thee without any preceding merit of thine The skies the earth the ayr the water all things contained in them cry dayly unto thee that thou art bound to love him above all things because he is the Author of all these things and hath created them for thy use Why then dost thou wander here and there to seek thy happines where it is not to be found Love that one soveraign good to wit God in whom alone is all that is good Seek that soveraign Good then which nothing is greater nothing more desirable T is Love alone that can make us capable to shew our gratitude to God although it is altogether impossible we should requite his benefits with an equall proportion of Love Love is not idle doth not seek its own interests it worketh great things when it is great itself Nothing seems hard unto Love A true lover may suffer death but can never be overcome 4 Nature hath made us sociable and given us all a mutuall Love for we are all members of one great Body being all called to the same Faith and same glory He doth not love God who loveth not his brother The effect of charity to our neighbors is to doe good unto all to be kind to be civill and prevent them with love and good turns Doe good unto those who have need of thy help with a cheerfull and willing mind without delay unles it be requisite to deferr it for a while thereby to favour the bashfulnes of those who are to receive thy benefits Doe not stay untill thou art asked when thou once knowest the necessity of a person It is a hard word to be obliged to say I desire your assistance If thou preventest thy friend by doing him a curtesy before he asketh it t is a double good turn He that hath obtained by asking cannot say he had it for nothing If thou canst not prevent his asking at least let him not ask long but grant him what he asketh with such a readines that he may think thou wert ready to assist him without being asked Then together with the good turn thou dost him give him also good words and let no sadnes slownes upbraiding or boasting be mixed with thy Curtesy The matter will speak for it self although thou sayest nothing in giving it God who seeth thy most hidden thoughts will reward thee for it 5. Amongst all the acts of Christian Charity we may give the first place to Alms-giving by which our faith is shewn our sins are redeemed heaven is bought Take heed then thou dost not contemn the poor who although he is in want himself yet is able to make thee rich in the sight of God Thou art sold to the devill by thy sins redeem thyself with thy mony and change the instrument of Avarice into a subject of mercy Thou givest a Comedian mony to fill his purse only for making thee laugh and wilt thou give nothing unto Christ who promiseth thee the kingdome of heaven Thou payest taxe and contribution to a Prince and that unwillingly although thou hast received no advantagious crop from thy harvest and canst thou deny to give a small alms unto God out of the abundance of thy stock Take heed least by sparing thy mony thou becomest guilty of thy brothers death Thou hast killed him perhaps by not feeding him in his want Thou takest great care how thy Heirs may live at their ease after thee but thou takest no care to make a happy end thyself It is better thy heirs should want something of that full Estate which thou intendest to leave them rather then thou shouldest hazard thy Salvation to enrich them Cast up thy accounts and see what portion or chare thou hast in heaven and what thou possessest in this world Of all that thou possessest in this life nothing will remain thine when death comes but only that which thou hast sent before hand into heaven by the hands of the poor Consider and blame thy own infidelity Theeves may deprive thee of what thou lockest up in thy chests but that which thou hast sent into heaven is secure for ever CHAP. XXII Of Prudence The Necessity and difficulty of it The duty of a prudent man 1. AS it is impossible for an Architect to make his work just and even without the help of his Rule and Plummer so we can never doe our actions aright without Prudence This is the Guide of all other vertues by this things are done in due order t is the eye of our Soul and the art of well doing No man can lead a contented life without prudence And yet t is the most difficile and most obscure of all arts to learn The difficulty proceedeth from its comprehending and considering all manner of things as well general as particular Besides whereas the things of this world are subject to continuall change and depend on severall circumstances it is not in every mans capacity to reduce them to a certain rule or to joyn temper and reconcile things which are many times quite opposite and contrary As for the obscurity unto which it is incident the cause seems to be in a certain darknes wherein the severall causes of things are involved We see as it were the top of our affairs but we know not where their foundation is hidden Moreover the prosperous or unhappy event of things depends on the eternall decree of God which is another cause that true prudence is rarely found Very few and perhaps not one man in the whole world can alwaies foresee what is most expedient in every matter 2. Prudence is got by use memory and experience Particular things which are governed by prudence are known unto man by use and experience Thou wilt ever be safe if thou wilt believe thy own and others experience and never undertake any thing which may give thee reason to fear or put thee in danger to fall But that thou maist dispose all things with prudence first look unto thyself then consider the busines thou art going about and lastly the persons for whose sake or with whom thou art to deal Examine well thy own ability least that thou maist seem to thyself able to doe more then really thou canst One falls by trusting to and relying too much on his own eloquence another offends against prudence by undertaking more then his Estate is able to bear a third indiscreetly oppresseth his infirm body by some laborious office Consider what thou undertakest and compare thy forces to thy designs He that will goe about to carry more then he is well able to bear will fall under the burden Undertake nothing then unles thou knowest or hopest at least thou shalt bring it to a good end Choose such persons to deal withall which thou thinkest are worthy of thy friendship and deserve that thou shouldest employ part of thy life in their service study their nature and manners that thou maist not endammage
without a speciall grace of God Men have found a way to tame Bears Lyons and Bulls and yet no man can tame his own Tongue Our nature is so subject to pratling that we presently desire to utter whatsoever comes into our mind The tongue is so neer unto the brain and the mouth so neer unto the phancy that what the fancy representeth is presently formed into words Nature hath taught thee how necessary it is to guard thy Tongue well since it hath walled it in with a double fortification of Teeth and lips But as the sweet smell of a pretious oyntment is soon dissipated if the box that keeps it be left unshut so the vigour of the Soul is easily weakned through an open mouth that is by too much talking He cannot be truly said to attend unto himself who doth not attend to rule his Tongue 2. Be ever wary in thy discourse and moderate that unbridled custome which most men are subject to of speaking without any consideration all that comes into their fancy Fly all dissimulation still declare thy mind openly without all reserved meanings God hath given thee the faculty of speaking that thou shouldest use it to expresse things truly and sincerely as they are in themselves Before thou speakest consult thy reason and see if thou art not possessed with some disordered affection and doe not speak till that passion is over Otherwise thou maist speak many things which hereafter thou wilt repent to have spoken Thou wilt have no difficulty to be silent provided thou art not disturbed with some irregular clamors within and that thou enjoyest a peace and tranquillity of mind Our speech and mind cannot easily disagree If the mind be temperate quiet and in good order our speech will also be sober and good If the mind be any way discomposed with passions the Tongue will also discover the same for we all discover what we are within by our outward speech 3. Doe not use thyself to idle words As thou choosest what to eat soe choose what to speak Thou examinest the meat that goes into thy mouth and why dost thou not examine the words that are to come out of thy mouth which many times are occasion of greater trouble and disorder in thy house then thy meat is in thy stomack Accustome thyself to speak little unto others and much with thyself Wise men often repent themselves to have spoken but never to have held their peace Even amongst irrationall creatures those which seem to have most wit are observed to make the least noyse Too much pratling is the defect of children and women who have naturally lesse reason then men He hath little vertue who is alwaies speaking vain and frivolous things If thou didst love God and wert carefull of thy Saluation all thy discourse would be of God of vertue and perfection Love cannot feign cannot be hidden Every one commonly speaks of those things which he loveth his Tongue is ever subject to discover that which his hart feeleth The reason why thou speakest soe little of heavenly things is because thou art still plunged in the deep abisse of thy old vices To which may be added another reason to wit the little reading and lesse meditation which thou practisest so that if thou hadst a mind to speak of good things thou knowest not what to say The mouth speaketh out of the abundance of the hart 4. When we are in company we commonly talk of nothing else but of the life manners and affairs of our neighbour Thus every man hath as many Judges of his actions as there are heads in the city Every one hath his eyes abroad to see the faults of others and scarce any one keeps them at home to see his own imperfections we are blind in our own concernments and quick sighted in what belongs to others We are still ready to hearken unto detractions against our neighbours fame but seldome or never willing to hear any thing said in his praise Wherefore by how much this sin is more common we ought to avoid it with soe much more care Thou hast enough to doe with thy own vices mark and correct those Take heed of revealing to any man thy own or others secrets in things which ought to be concealed Many have put themselves into great disquiet and trouble by their own indiscretion in committing their secrets unto such as could not or would not keep them private There is little difference whither thou revealest such things to one or more It is an easy matter for a secret to be told from one to another and soe to be diuulged to all the world This facility of discovering our mind too freely commonly ariseth from talkiing too much and too long soe that we take a pleasure in talking which hath the same effect on our mind as drunkenes would have for by this it happens that there is no secret however soe private and holy which doth not come forth in discourse He with whom thou talkest first tells thee his secrets and thou upon this as being assured of his faithfulnes presently discoverest thine also unto him But thou perhaps art true unto him in keeping his secrets whilst he is unfaithfull unto thee and revealeth thine unto every one he meets soe that by this means although they are all ignorant of thy busines in publick yet thy all know it in private A man would think that a hundred Tongues did secretly fly to all ears untill at last that which was a secret is now diuulged and become a common report All the mischief committed under the heavens hath bine either caused immediatly or promoted by the Tongue Wherefore make a balance for thy words and bridle thy Tongue and never speak any thing which had bine better unspoken It is more commendable to be sparing in thy words then in thy mony He that prodigally spends his mony does good to others although he is bad to himself but he that is prodigall of words hurteth others and himself too He imitateth the perfections of the Almighty who can be content to hear much and say little 5. Nothing is secure from an evill Tongue The Princes of the world are not free from calumnies though their power and authority hath placed them above the reach of their enemies swords those who are eminent for Sanctity are not yet free from slanders though the innocency of their lives is above all censure Christ himself whilst he was upon earth was not exempt from the calumny and censures of evill Tongues Considering these examples learn to be patient in the midst of all calomnies Look upon detraction as an incitement to vertue and a bridle to keep thee from running out of the right way to it Nothing is a greater enemy to vice then the censure of others When any one speaks ill of thee thou art taught what to avoid If thou desirest to be secure from the poysonous stings of an evill Tongue contemn all its darts Thou wilt feel
follyes of his infancy to undergoe again all the fears of his child-hood all the dangers of his youth all the cares of his man-hood all the labours of his old age No man hath lived soe happily as to wish to be born again Consider therefore whither thou art going and whence thou art parting But perhaps thou wouldest not be afraid to dye if thou didst certainly hope to goe to Heaven This is the cause of thy fear because thou are void of all vertue and good workes and only now beginnest to be good when thou art forced to leave the world Were it not for this thou wouldest not be afraid to dye considering that it is the Gate to eternall felicity It would be a torment to a just man to be born unles death were to follow 5. No man dyeth with joy unles he hath long prepared for it before hand Render it familiar to thy thoughts by a continuall meditation of it that soe thou maist receive it when it comes with a joyfull hart A man is not said to have lived enough for having lived many dayes or many years but for having a mind that desires to leave the world to fly to its Origine He hath lived long enough who dyes well and he dyes well who hath lived well Dost thou desire to procure thyself a quiet death Accustome thyself first to contemn all temporall things He cannot fear death who hath already deprived himself of more then death can take away from him Dost thou desire to lead a pleasant life Clear thy mind of all un-necessary care concerning it be ready for all sort of death and doe not concern thyself whither thou art to dye by the sword or by the violence of a feavor Live foe that thou maist dayly say I have lived He liveth in security and dyes with joy who dayly fancies himself carried to his grave and who is permitted to live after he was content to dye It is impossible thou shouldest live well unles thou dyest every day CHAP. XXIX Of Magnanimity The Character of a magnanimous man 1. THe very name of magnanimity denotates some great matter it is a high vertue of great force and alwaies tending to great things Without this all other vertues would droop and languish For whereas there occur many difficulties in the practice of vertue magnanimity resists all and ouercomes all and never shrinketh untill having past all difficulties it hath generously arrived unto what it had proposed to bring to effect This is the property of magnanimity to wit to incline us at all times to great and heroicall actions and with the help of Gods grace to make us undertake the most difficile labours with a secure and ready mind Thou must resolve to be bold and couragious if thou intendest to come to any thing We cannot expect to perform great matters without great pains Man is able to doe much when he resolves to doe like a man 2. A man of a great spirit alwaies aspires to great things and contemneth all those things as little which the vulgar esteemeth great He does things which are worthy of much honour but is not sorry when this honour is not paid and contemneth it when offered unles Obedience or Gods honour requires the contrary He does nothing for ostentation but all for conscience sake and seeketh a reward for doing well not in the mouth of the world but from the work itself He stands alwaies firm is invincible above all bad fortune and still equall to himself upon all occasions and doth not strive to ascend to higher dignities but is content with his own greatnes He is above all things and therefore is a Slave to no body begs and entreats nothing of others because he wanteth nothing of all that is without him Nothing can frighten or make him yield Sometimes he makes shew of his generous nature but then t is not out of any vain glory for he still considers the degree he is in the gifts which God hath given him But he alwaies joyns unto this a firm and profound humility in the sight of God because he refers all his glory and all the gifts of nature and fortune which he possesseth unto him alone holding for certain that of himself he hath nothing can doe nothing and is really nothing This is to know the true limits of vertue alwaies to have an humble opinion of our selves and all our actions and yet not to refuse those honours which are due unto such actions when we may accept them without breaking the rules of modesty We must not pursue honours but permit them to follow us 3. He that hath this vertue of magnanimity receaveth all the blows of adverse fortune with an undaunted hart that he may attain to the height of perfection When he meets with inferiour persons he can still carry himself towards them with a certain moderation and when he meets with Princes or some other powerfull and wealthy persons he doth not cast himself at their feet in a flattering manner nor will he permit his liberty to be oppressed with their tyrannous power Those things which are worthy of hatred he hateth openly and those things which are worthy of Love he loveth them after the same manner And those things which ought to be done and spoken openly he does and speaks them openly because he fears nothing and hopes for nothing He does the same things which other men doe but not after the same manner and therefore he hides his actions from the eyes of the common people and does not willingly make himself familiar with them He soon forgetteth injuries and is not subject to complain when forced to suffer any thing He praiseth few nor does he desire the praise of others but still labours to doe things worthy of praise He cares not for pleasing any but his friends and superiours nor does he easily admire any thing because nothing ever seems great or new unto him He fears no disastrous event being ever secure in his own Vertue He hath a slow gate a grave voice a moderate staid speech for he that is not sollicitous about many things hath no need to make great hast amd he that is content within himself needs not any great wrangling CHAP. XXX Of Patience The occasions and effects of it Marks of true Patience An exhortation to Patience in all manner of sufferances The necessity of Perseverance 1. PAtience is a Vertue which makes us suffer all the miseries of this life with a willing mind But because these miseries are manifold this vertue hath severall names according to the diversity of Evils which we are wont to suffer It is properly called Patience when it beareth injuries with an equal mind it is called Equanimity when we suffer patiently the losse of outward goods It is called Longanimity when it fortifies the hart in the long expectation of some good It is called Constancy when it strengthens the will to bear all other sort of publick and