is perfect for ten is a complete perfect number all vnder it receaue increase and this none and all vnder it do take their parts and composition thereof being but repetitions of the partes of ten Ten the ground of al other nuÌ„bers or whole Tens 11. is 10. 1. 12. is 10. and 2. and so vnto 20. 20. is twice 10. 30. thrice 10. 100. ten times 10. 1000. a hundred times 10. 10000. is ten times 1000. a 1000000. is ten tymes 100000. and so forth infinitly in the composition of these numbers Ten is found to rule as the perfection of all It is ther fore a signe of the perfection of the law Psal 32.2 Psal â—49 3 which Dauid signifyed by his musicall instrument by his Harpe tuned with ten strings vpon the which he sounded the prayses of God The Pilgrime hauing learned al this shall say the law of God is perfect it is reason then to eÌ„deauour to performe it perfectly for how much better is the musicke so much better should it be song And this is that which God in plaine language sayd vnto Abraham â—oâ— 17.1 Matth. 5. Walke before me and be perfect And by the mouth of his Sonne to his Disciples and in them to all Christians Be yee perfect as your heauenly Father is perfect That is Goe foreward to the greatest perfection you can and follow as neere as you can the actions of your heauenly Father And he shall obserue that the Creatour marking the labouring parts of man with the same number hath made his handes and feet with ten toes and ten fingers to teach him by a naturall and domesticall document the perfection that should be in our works The affections are the feeet of the soule signifyed in our handes the executours of the Law and in our affections the feet and carriers of our soule in the way of the sayd law for they carry our soule to the execution thereof as our feet carry our body from one place to another He shall also conclude thus that seeing God would haue vs aspire to the perfect obseruation of his law that it may be perfectly obserued and that to the same end God will not faile to furnish that good will he hath giuen vs with necessary grace for otherwise in vaine had the law beene giuen if it could not be kept as in vaine is that musicke which cannot be song and the Law-maker should be vnwise to coÌ„mand that which cannot be obserued and vniust to inflict punishment vpon those which do not performe that which is not in their power These are the conclusions which the pilgrime for his profit and instruct on shall make of the first point of his meditation In the 2. point he shall consider another diuision of this law into two Tables The Law giuen in two Tables whereof the first concerneth the worship of God contayning the three first commandements the second that which appertayneth to our Neighbours comprised in the other seauen which diuision shall giue him to vnderstand that thinges pertayning to God must first enter into consideration and after that which concerneth men The third and fourth point of the precedent Meditation The loue of God and of our neighbour is the end of the Law and the obseruatioÌ„ of the law is proofe of the same loue Motiues to the loue of God CHAP. VIII IN the third point he shall obserue The end of the law is the loue of God that the commandements of both the Tables are giuen to exercise vs in the loue of God and to make proofe and tryall thereof by doing what is told vs as well for his seruice and in consideration of his greatnes as for the good of our neighbour for that he wil haue it so So that the groundes and end of the whole law is the loue of God teaching vs by the three first commandments to loue him in himselfe and for himselfe and by the other seauen to loue him in his creatures louing our Neighbour for the loue of him Therefore our Sauiour the soueraigne supreme interpreter of his owne law for he it was that before had giuen it to the Hebrewes reduceth all to Loue as appeareth by his answere he made being asked by a certaine Doctor what was the great commandement of the Law Matth. 21 Marc. 12 Luc. 10. Loue sayth he thy Lord thy God withall thy hart withall thy soule with all thy spirit and with all thy strength This is the first and great commandement and the second is like vnto this Loue thy Neighbour as thy selfe And concludeth All the Law and Prophets depend of these two Commandements S. Paul deliuereth the same doctrine Rom. 3. Charity is the fullnes of the Law This is the bond of perfection And againe The end of the Commandement is Charity out of a pure hart Coloss 2. a good conscience and vnfayned Fayth Al the law then consisteth in loue and charity and is giuen for loue That the obseruation thereof is a true meane to make proofe and triall of this loue towardes God the same Sauiour sayth in plaine termes of affirmation and negation If you loue me keep my Commandements He that hath my commandemeÌ„ts and keepeth them is he that loueth me he that loueth me not keepeth not my wordes And his well beloued Disciple S. Iohn sayth This is true Charity to keep his CoÌ„mandements And He that sayeth he knoweth God and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar And S. Gregory sayth plainely Greg. hom 30. in Euang That the execution of the worke is the proofe of loue Wherof the deuout pilgrime shall conclude that it is not inough for to loue God duly to belieue in him but we must keep and practise his Commandements for Fayth without workes is dead Iac. 2. sayth S. Iames. The liuely fayth is that which is quickened with the fire of Gods loue which loue cannot be without mouing and stirring for it is an heauenly fire the worke is the true touch-stone of loue In the fourth point the Pilgrime shall set before his eyes some motiues to stirre him vp to the loue and seruice of God A motiue to the loue of God He shall consider who this Lord is hauing found by faith that he is an essence of infinite bounty beauty and wisedom a Lord most puissant rich and liberall he shall confesse it is a duty more then iust to loue seeing there is nothing more naturall to man nor more facile then affection for no man of what estate soeuer can liue without louing somewhat where should we rather fasten our loue Loue is a naturall affection then vpon an obiect so infinitly amiable Vpon bounty beauty wisedome it selfe and that bounty beauty wisedome infinite Vpon whome can we better employ our feare and respect then vpon a Lord that is Almighty Or where may we better bestow our seruice then to the honour of him of whome commeth all
of neighbours and for him is made the first commandement which shall make the meditation of the eight day in this sort The Morning Meditat on of the 4. Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother to the end thou maist liue long vpon the earth CHAP. XIX THE Prayer preparatiue as before The first Preamble shall set before his eyes The first Preamble the wordes of this Commandement HONOVR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER The second shall aske grace of God to gather profit of this meditation For the first point the Pilgrime shall meditate the equity of this commandement taught by the wiseman saying The 2. Honour thy Father thy mother and forget not the paines of thy mother Eccl. 27.9 and remember that without them thou hadst not beene borne and render vnto them as they haue done vnto thee He meaneth they are cause that thou art in the world Why Fathers should be honoured and haue suffered much for thee they haue nourished and brought thee vp with great labour and trauile thou art then bound by law of nature to render them honour to succour them if they haue need of thy help to obey them so they command thee nothing against the commandments of God or the counsells of our Sauiour as to kill another to be an heretike not to follow the way of perfection if God call thee for then we must sticke to that exception taught by our Sauiour himselfe He that hateth not his father Luc. 14. Act. 5. and mother is not worthy to be my disciple And that which S. Peter sayth VVe must obey God before men The name of father extendeth to all parents and Superiours For the second point the pilgrime shall marke that in this Cōmandement are comprehended Fathers Mothers Vncles Ants and all sortes of superiours spirituall and temporall as are Prelats Pastours Priests Maisters Kings Princes Magistrats Tutors and such like to whome to euery one by this law is due honour respect and obedience in all that toucheth their charge with the foresayd exception that they command nothing contrary to God In the third point he shall note that this law doth secretly teach that Fathers and Mothers should carry themselues Christianlike towards their children to the end they may deserue and retaine worthily the right of this honour commanded by God to them to loue them with a Christian loue to giue them good example and edification in wordes and workes to bring them vp in vertue and in the feare of God Eph. 6.4 You Parents sayth the Apostle bring vp your children in the doctrine of our Sauiour To prouide for their necessityes but specially that concerne the life of their soules for this is the end of true and fatherly loue as all the care of beastes toward their yong ones is the life of their bodyes the like should other Superiours performe with due proportion to their subiects The speach shall prayse the diuine Maiesty in the iustice of this his Commandement The speach and shall demand grace for all children that they may honour and serue their parents for al subiects that they may respect and obey their Kinges Superiours and Magistrates for Fathers Kinges Pastours Magistrates and Superiours that they may discharge toward God that fatherly care they owe to their children subiects and that both by the one and the other he may be praysed blessed in the execution of this his Commandement shall end with this prayer It was not inough for thee O Lord to giue vs lawes cōcerning thyne owne honour thou hast made lawes also for thy creatures seeking to haue euery thing wisely and iustly ordered in thy house for this is the house of thy soueraigne Wisedome and iustice the creature with his Creatour the creatures among themselues giuing and taking euery one his due that appertayneth vnto him and that man should honour thee not only in thy selfe but also for the loue of thee in thy workes Powre forth O Lord thy holy spirit in aboundance vpon all fathers and children subiects and superiours and namely those that liue in the compasse of thy holy Church that they may holily accomplish thy commandement and by a reciprocall performance of honour and obedience prayse thy holy name and merit eternall glory the reward of good and faithfull subiects The after-dinner and Euening of the eight dayes Iourney The corporall and spirituall VVorkes of mercy CHAP. XX. IN this afternoone the Pilgrime shall frame some Meditation of the workes of mercy both corporall and spiritual for in them we make proofe of our loue to our Neighbour The corporall are 1. To giue meate to the hungry 2. To giue drinks to the thirsty Matth. 25 3. To cloath the naked 4. To lodge the pilgrime 5. To visit the sicke 6. To visit prisonners 7. To bury the dead Tob. 1.2 2. Reg. 9. The spirituall are 1. To correct the sinner 2. To instruct the ignorant 1. Tim. 5.20 3. To counsell those that doubt 4. To set those that erre into the right way 5. To comfort the afflicted 6. To pardon iniuryes 7. To beare patiently the troublesomnes of others 8. To pray for the liuing and the dead By all these workes men make triall of the loue they beare vnto their Neighbour and principally by the spirituall which concerne the health of the soule by those also principally the Son of God hath shewed his infinite loue towards vs attending to no other exercise euen to his last breath In particuler for that which concerneth this fourth Commandement the Pilgrime shall haue ready some examples of holy Scripture of such as singularly haue beene true children of their Fathers and Mothers as were Isaac Iacob Tobie and such like Plin. l. 7. cap. 36. as also among the Gentils that Roman Damsell who nourished many dayes with her own milke her Mother being condemned to dye by famine in prison by visiting her in the way of comfort Vai Max. l. 5. c. 4. secretly giuing her her breasts to sucke and was the cause that the Iudge wondring at this piety not only deliuered this prisonner but gaue her also a perpetuall pension out of the publicke treasure The piety of Storkes The like is written of a Grecian Lady towardes her Father Cimon prisonner in his extreme age He shall consider also the like piety in some vnreasonable creatures as in Storks who nourish their father and mother growing old and impotent bringing them their prey into their neast as they were wont to nourish them when they were yong But aboue all he shall admire the Sauiour of the world who not only honoured his heauenly Father by his obedience but also his Mother and Creature the B. Virgin Mary and his presumed father Ioseph He was subiect to them sayth the Scripture that is Iac. 2.51 he respected them he honoured them he obeyed them O sweet Iesus O Creatour of heauen and earth O
soueraigne Maiesty hast thou loued man so as to make thy selfe man to be his Neighbour so happily hast thou made such account of humility as not only to annihilate thy self in ioyning thy selfe in an insoluble bond to so small a creature infinitely distant from thy greatnes but so to subiect thy selfe therunto O B. Virgin I behold thee rauished at euery moment in this chamber of Nazareth when thou sawest this little infant this great God whome thou didst adore to obey honour and serue thee O my soule fixe thy sight vpon this beautiful obiect and kindle the coldenes of thy will by the lightenings of this great wonder and follow with fiery feet the example of such a Lord. It shall not be besides the purpose also to meditate vpon the markable punishments of such as haue beene vngratefull to their Progenitours And so the pilgrime shall passe the day till his retire The ninth Day A Meditation vpon the fifth Commandement Thou shalt not kill CHAP. XXI THE morning meditation shall be vpon the fifth Commandement The preparation ordinary The first preamble shall propose the words of the fifth Commandement THOV SHALT NOT KILL The second shall demand grace well to vnderstand it and effectually to obserue it The first point shall note that as life is the most precious present which man hath and holdeth of his Creatour Life is the goodliest guift of God so to loose it is one of the greatest grieues he can incurre therfore with good reason it is prohibited to assault the life of our Neighbour and heerein shineth the prouidence and iustice of our Creatour prouiding for the safety and security of the principall good of his creature in his family of this world By the same law is forbidden sayth S. Aug. a mans killing of himselfe Aug. l. 1. ciuil c. 20 26. Lib. de poenit c. 13 Lib. 1. con Gaud. c. 30. ep 61. S. Tho. 2. 2. qu. 64. art 5. so much the more detestable by how much a man is neerer neighbour to himselfe then to another and for that he destroyeth himselfe with a double death that is with the temporall death of his body and the euerlasting death of his soule And this sinne is in such sort against nature that there is no creature though neuer so cruell that dareth kill himselfe and therefore the law doth punish with extraordinary ignominy such furious folkes after their death as guilty of an extraordinary crime The second point shall marke that by this commandmēt is also forbidden to hurt strike or otherwise to endomage our Neighbour in body though we kill him not yea euen with our tongue to touch his good name by any iniury or to beare any hatred to him in our hart or desire reuenge and therefore our Sauiour a sage interpreter of his owne law to shew what meeknes is required in his children to obserue this law Matth. 5. sayth VVhosoeuer is angry with his brother shal be guilty of iudgement and who shall speake iniury to his brother shall be guilty of hell fire This is to rule draw the first motions of the soule to meekenes and to barre and banish a farre off the occasions of man-slaughter Matth. 6. to cut vp that vice by the root in another place he forbiddeth reuenge and after him his Apostle S. Paul Heb. 10. and in the prayer himselfe taught and gaue vs for a patterne and modell of all our prayers he put in this clause of pardoning our Neighbour for iniuryes receaued Pardon vs our offences as we pardon them that offend vs. Matth. 6.12 The third point shall be to meditate vpon those killings which are not forbidden as those which the Prince or Magistrate ordayneth according to the lawes against malefactours such as are committed in a lawfull warre or in iust defence of a mans life being vniustly assaulted not otherwise able to saue himselfe The speach shall prayse God in his iustice of this Commandement and his Sonne Iesus in the perfect practise therof and shall beg grace to be able to follow his sweetnes and clmency and shall say All thy lawes O Lord are iustice and mercy Th prayer thou hast giuen life to man a guift worthy of thy goodnes and a law for the safegard thereof thou hast made man sociable and to make him liue peaceably with his Neighbour thou hast prescribed a law of peace and tyest therewith as with a stronge cord his handes and will that he hurt not neyther in hart or deed his Neighbour Thou hast at last sent thy deere Sonne into the world made man among men remayning alwaies God with thee Prince of peace and our true peace who hath honoured this commandement with his rare doctrine Esay 9.4 Eph. 12.14 and by the exploites of his singular sweetnes no man could euer complaine that euer he did him any wrong his hart was full of loue louing all the world friendes and enemies his eye was full of mercy and compassion towards all his handes full of liberality and his doctrine agreable to his actions For he taught his Disciples not to hurt any in word or deed to pardon vnto seauenty tymes seauen that is To par◠vnto 70. tymes 7. as often as we shal be offended and neuer leaue pardoning and what he taught he practised vnto death in the greatest conflict of his tormēts and reproches praying his heauenly Father for his very enemyes that crucifyed him The Captaines of this world triūph of killing many enemies in the battel his great triumph hath beene to dye for his enemyes vpon the Crosse and to giue life euerlasting to those that would take it O my Creatour and Redeemer how rich art thou in mercy and clemency O my sweet Iesus powre it to me this spirit of thy sweetnesse and graunt me for thyne own loue that I may exactly keep what thou hast commanded that I may perfectly follow what thou hast taught by word and example and that pardoning all and profitting all I may obtaine thy mercy and at thy great day be partaker of thy glory with thy elect So hauing walked a little and finished his ordinary deuotions he may if he will sing for his spiritual solace the Canticle following A Canticle of the loue of God and our Neighbour O worldly wights who loue this world so deere And prize so high the presents of this life Riches sports pleasures glory and good cheere Alas how can these last where all is briefe You that affect which perish shall And where with eke your selues shall fall All heere below is brittle and doth fade Al 's vaine deceitfull false and variable Loue thy Creatour then who all thinges made And is ' boue all he made most amiable The louely obiect of our hart VVho only doth true blisse impart Loue thou his louely Clemency whose brest Did from eternall times thy soule imbrace Loue him at last who loued thee thus first And shew
it by true vsing of his grace Loue that rare and boundlesse beauty Loue eke thyne owne felicity Thy Neighbours friends and foes must be inclos'd VVithin the boundes of thy vnfeyned loue For this iust Law was framed and compos'd By God that sittes and ruleth from aboue VVho sayth he loues God not his brother Loueth neither th' one nor th' other The mortall race of mortall men we know Of one sole man did their beginning take So all that from this one did spring and grow One houshold only and no more do make Euery of whome by right of kind To fastest loue doth straitly bind Yet straiter is the knot and neerer band VVherewith God bindes vs in his holy house Sweetly vs conioyning with his blessed hand To be all one in his sole Sonne IESVS VVherto in reason all are lead Since all are members of one head Blessed is that soule which this Law keeps And is found faythfull to her spouse aboue VVho daily him doth seeke and neuer sleeps Burning in the flames of his holy loue VVho ' boue all thinges loues God the best And for his sake loues all the rest The After-dinner and Euening of the ninth dayes Iourney Threats and punishments of man 〈…〉 CHAP. XXII IN the After-noone the 〈…〉 make some repetition of what he meditated 〈…〉 setting before his eyes the threates which God 〈…〉 against mankillers also some examples of such as haue from heauen beene discouered and punished for this sinne contrarywise some others of such as haue byn easily pardoned Math. 2◠All those that take the sword sayth our Sauiour shall perish by the sword And long before that he sayd VVho so shall spill the bloud of man Gen. 9. his bloud shall be spilled for God hath made man to his Image Cain was accursed for killing his brother Gen. 3. and by his owne mouth he condemned himselfe for well worthy of banishment death Plutar. lib Quae animalia sūt prudentiora for his murder Before Pyrrhus King of Epyrus a dogge discouered the murderers of his Maister who were therefore punished Hesiodus his dogge also discouered them who had killed him The swallowes him that had killed his Father The greatest men haue beene most sweet and courteous Moyses Dauid yea euen among Paynimes Alexander Iulius Caesar and the like Great men gētle and courteous and contrarywise slaues base and cowardly people haue beene fierce and cruell to reuenge Our Sauiour the patterne of all perfect and high vertue was wonderfull in this which he shewed at all occasions where he might make triall but most cleerly in the last distresse of his death and passion when he prayed that diuine prayer for his enemyes who crucifyed him encountring with a singular exploite of clemency the cruelty of his crucifyers Hauing discoursed vpon these examples and the like and sayd his beades or some other prayer to the B. Virgin he shal end his iourney betake him to his lodging The tenth day A Meditation vpon the 6. Commandement Thou shalt not commit Adultery CHAP. XXIII THE sixth Commandement shall be the matter of the tenth dayes Meditation The sixth commādement well placed after forbidding to kill which followeth very fitly after the forbidding of killing for the second and next iniury a second death whereby a man may offend and hurt his owne body or his neighbour is adultery and as by murdering the society of men is iniuried so also by adultery fornication and other such vices of the flesh the cōmon wealth is dishonoured disturbed with confusion of children The preparation and preamble shall be as before the substance of the meditatiō shal consist in these pointes following The first point shall ponder that this precept prohibiteth not only adultery Al impurity forbidden which man or wife committeth but also all kind of impurity all that may cause it as thoughtes words touchings lookes kissings gestures dishonest songs vaine superfluous attire wanton talke dissolute beholding paynting vnchast bookes and such like allurements to this vice Adultery is named as the principal head the other acts as making way thereunto and as complices to the crime How pleasing to God purity of body is The 2. shall be employed to meditate how cleanesse and purity of body is in it self pleasing to God and his Angels It is a vertue wholy heauenly diuine for to liue in flesh and not to sinne with the flesh is to liue in spirit and to be like those heauenly spirits who liue without stayne of flesh The Sonne of God made thereof so great account that he would be borne of a virgin he preached chastity and by all meanes inuited mē thereunto he would haue about his Altars ministers not maried but perpetually chast virgins also in his house as Queens betroathed to his maiesty by vow of virginity barren in body but in soule fertill in all sortes of vertuous workes Finally he hath restrained the mariage of all those that liuing vnder the name of Christians Chastity in euery vocatiō will be maried to one only wife establishing a law of Chastity in all estates and degrees of his houshould The 3. point shall consider how contrariwise Impurity is as pleasing to the Diuell our capitall enemy The sin of the flesh pleasing vnto the Diuel wherfore as it is displeasing to God our Creatour For though this wicked spirit hauing no body cannot directly take any pleasure therein notwithstanding it pleaseth him wonderfully well knowing that it displeaseth God and that aboue all other sinnes it maketh a man forget both heauen and hell for there is none doth so darken the iudgement and vnderstanding of man and take away the tast of heauenly things the feare of hell fire that doth more draw man from heauen and from saluation and that maketh him more carnall more stupide and beastly By meanes wherof this old preuaricator vseth all his craft deuises possible to make men fall thereinto therein to hold and keep them vnto old age yea euen vnto death Against playes wanton bookes To this purpose he inflameth their flesh with extraordinary fire by al sortes of enticements he chafeth them by charmes he proposeth them playes and comedyes which in Threaters may represent vnto them the fond fancies and loues as Painters do in the pictures of Amadis and such other wanton Writers which paint them in the bookes of base soules Against lasciuious Poets vnder the name of Poets who like trumpets of flesh and ignominy blow forth without blushing and with full mouth the shame of their owne others passions and finally he worketh al the wayes to giue the reines and liberty to this Cupid infernal Theon euen vnto the transforming himselfe into man or woman cloathing himselfe with figure and fantasticall body to pollute and defile the bodyes and soules of those whome he would hold fast in the fetters and chaynes of his tyranny thence
therfore it is that he shewed himselfe to accept the sacrifice of Abel and checked Cain for hypocrisy Gen. 4.4 and after speaking to Abraham Father of his people Walke sayth he before me and be perfect I will make my couenant with thee Gen. 15. and I will multiply thee exceedingly Walke that is do well I will giue thee a rich reward of thy fidelity and good works and as he sayd a little before I am thy reward too-to great The last iudgmeÌ„t shall be vpon our workes In the new Testament there is nothing oftener or more earnestly recommended vnto vs then good workes All the sermons of our Sauiour are founded vpon this Theme and in one of them he foretelleth that at his great day at the shuting vp of the world he will iudge men for their good or bad workes Matt. 10.42 to eternall glory or confusion and in one place he promiseth reward euen vnto a cupp of cold water giuen for his sake shewing that he will leaue nothing though neuer so small without recompence Rom. 2.10 Matt. 25. Apoc. 22.12 so carefull he is to encourage vs to do well His Apostles and seruants S. Paul S. Iohn and others haue spoken in like sort preaching alwayes that God will render vnto euery man according to his workes and liuing agreeably to their preaching How good workes merit paradise The second shall note that good workes measured by the foot of bare nature without any other quality and as an effect only of free will doe not merit eternall glory a limited action hauing no proportion to a recompence of an infinit valew but being considered not in it selfe but as grafted in heauenly grace and the infinite vigour of the holy Ghost dwelling in the soule giuing it the right of adoption towardes God by the merits of Iesus Christ The woÌ„derful beginning oâ— birth of naturall thinges it contayneth in this respect the price of euerlasting glory And as we see in nature a little liuely seed to containe in it a hidden vertue and force to bring forth a great tree and fruit without number as for example a little nut incloseth in the seed a Nut-tree and millions of Nuttes and as many trees by succession for euer after so in a supernaturall sort the action of morall vertues quickened by the grace of God carieth a title and seed of the kingdome of heauen this is a meruailous strength vertue Prosper in Psal 111. and it is also from God whereupon S. Prosper sayth What can be found more strong and puissant then this seed by the growth filling wherof is gained the k ngdome of Heauen We know also that inheritance is due by iustice to adoptiue children in like sort is the inheritance of heauen due to the Christian that serueth his heauenly Father with the Charity loue of a true child And in title of this grace and adoption God promiseth felicity to his children and by his promise bindeth himselfe in iustice to giue vnto their vertue the reward of life euerlasting 2. Tim. 48 and therefore S. Paul sayth confidently I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the fayth for the rest there is reserued for me a Crowne of iustice which our Lord the iust Iudge shall render to me at that day and not only to me but to all that loue his comming He would say I haue done good works How â—od bindeth himselfe by his promise and by them deserued a crowne which God hath promised to all those that serue him and therefore I expect it as a thing due from his hand who gaue me the grace to worke well who by his promise is bound to crowne my workes and all that serue him And elswhere speaking of the adoption of the children of God If we be sonnes sayth he then heires that is Rom. 8. by right of adoption we haue heauen for well doing Now God had giuen this right grace freely to Adam he hauing lost it by his owne fault the Messias that is the sonne of God Iesus Christ How Iesus hath recouered what Adam lost was promised to recouer him and his posterity who at last comming into the world and being made Man hath meritted by his Passion in fauour and behalf of all men his brethren past present to come wherewith their workes are made liuing workes in iustice meritorious of life euerlasting Iesus the root of al merit if they be lyuely members of their head Redeemer Therefore in the first fountaine that is by the merit of Iesus Christ we merit life euerlasting and our recompence which is the glory of the goodnes and iustice of God and such as say that our merits do derogate â—rom the honour of God are ignorant of the law of God and of the vertue of our Sauiour iniurious to the same God himself to the merit of the same Sauiour The idle person is worse theÌ„ the beast The third point shall consider how he that doth no good workes doth abase his owne dignity vnder the vnreasonable and vnsensible creatures al which do worke according to their power The heauens do compasse the earth make it fertill with their influence the sunne and starres doe shiâ—â— the beastes plants elements cease not to moue and labour all the partes of the vniuersall world are in perpetual Action and employ themselues without rest to the end to which their Creatour made them If the idle be punished how much more the ill occupied That man therefore who standeth idle is a monster amongst insensible Creatures hauing so good helpes aboue them and the promise of eternall felicity which they haue not if he labour not nor serueth the maister that made him to woâ—ke and serue him is worthy of eternall misery and confusion although he should do none other ill but what death deserâ—eth he that not only dooth no good but also committeth sinnes withoâ—t number The prayer The speach shall be to God vpon the misery of man and shall begge grace to attend to good and holy Actions to his seruice in these or like termes O Lord of Angells and men what shall I â—ay after this mâ—ditation of thy workes and the workes of men Vpon thy lawes and their loyalty and obedience What shall should saâ— in my prayer of the mâ—sâ—â—y of man of thy greatnes Of his ingratitude and thy liberaâ—ity Of my pouerty and thy strength and vertue Thou hast made man O Lord that is chief Captaine of all thy other corporall creatures to thyne owne image and likenes furnished and coupled his nature with an immortall soule with an vnderstanding and freewill two noble instruments to do noble actioÌ„s and highly to prayse thee in them I contrary wise for getting my selfe and my degree only amongst all creatures haue ceased to do well and haue beene compared vnto bruit beastes Psal
coÌ„fession by the viewing of our sinnes thus altogeather and make vs more ready and prompt to satisfy by good workes more capable of the mercy of God by our humility it stirreth vs vp more effectually to the loue of God making vs see his long patience hauing so long tyme mercifully supported so many faultes of ours It giueth meanes to repaire our negligences which might peâ—hâ—ps haue happened in the precedent Confessions and putteth the Conscience in great peace ioy and tranquillity for afterward And therefore it is good to vse it often namely from yeare to yeare not of all their life but of the sinnes of that yeare though they haue beene often confessed within the yeare but that it be done alwayes with the counsell of a sage and discreet Confessour The Diuell who is Father of the Proud hateth all confessions of Christians Why the Diuell hateth coÌ„fession but specially those who doe more humble the deuout soule put it in better estate more easily to obtaine pardon and grace therefore as a crafty and malicious workemaÌ„ he withdraweth them by feare and shame as much as he can and by other lets whereof the Pilgrime must take good heed and arme himselfe with a strong resolution to breake couragiously through all the snares of this deceauer There is also another Confession generall in another sense Generall confessioÌ„ in common before chap 8. in the Pilgrims preparation when one confesseth to God without a Priest which may be called Generall which should be made often in the day with the ordinary Confiteor or otherwise as we haue sayd before This we speake of heere is the Generall Sacramentall But whether the Pilgrime maketh this Generall or els hauing made it already confesseth now since his last confession he must vpon so good an occasion exactly cleanse his conscience of all sinne and therefore to prepare himselfe well he shall bestow that morning in the meditation of pennance well to doe it in confessing himselfe and attending to other good workes his Meditation shall haue the whole and entiere pares The accustomed prayer preparatory The first Preamble shall represent Adam and Eue put out of Paradise to doe pennance all their life long and our Sauiour and his Precursour Saint Iohn Baptist Matth. 2.1.4.17 beginning their preachings to men themselues hauing â—â—ad all their life in pennance What penance is The first point shall shew that pennance is a Sacrament wherein the sinner duely confessed and contrite receaueth absolution of his sinnes which power of absoluing was giuen to Priests by Iesus Christ Conc. Tri. sess 4. c. 1 Can. 1. Conc. Câ—st sess 15. Ambr. l. 1 de Poenit c. 2. 7. Conc. Tri. sess 14. c. 6. Can. 10. Ioan. 20. when he sayd to his Apostles in their person to all Priests Receaue the Holy Ghost whose sins you forgiue shall be forgiuen and whose you retaine shal be retained And againe All that you bind in earth shall be bound in heauen and all that you loose in earth shal be loosed in heauen It is God then that absolueth by the seruice of the Priest and not the Priest by his owne power The second point shall note that to obtaine the fruit of this Sacrament and to be reconciled to God three thinges must be done The first to leaue and detest his sinnes and make a firme purpose to sinne no more for such is truly contrite The second to confesse The third to satisfy for as we haue offended God in three sorts by hart by word worke so by the same meanes we must recouer his fauour grace as the Scriptures Psal 50. 1. Ioan. 1. and the Holy Fathers doe teach vs Thou shalt not despise a contrite and humble hart this is the first Let vs confesse our sinnes this is the second Redeeme thy sinnes with almes this is the third Ioan. 4. So it is sayd that the Niniuites turned themselues to God cryed vnto him cloathed themselues with haire and fasted Luc. 15. And the prodigall Child rose cried Peccaui and submitted himselfe to punishment S. Chrysostome sayth Contrition is in the hart De poenit tâ—ni 5. Confession in the mouth and all humility in worke This is perfect and profitable Pennance And S. Augustine God healeth those that haue a contrite hart healeth those that confesse healeth those that punish themselues In Psal 146. The other holy Doctours and Saints write in the same stile The third point shall first consider that the detestation hatred of sinne required to contrition is grounded in the loue of God True peÌ„nance fouÌ„ded in the loue of God and not in the feare of hell or other temporall euill that is to say the Penitent must be sorry that he hath sinned because he hath offended his Creatour not that he hath incurred punishment of Iustice to purpose also heereafter to auoid sinne for the loue of God with a filiall feare and not for any other euill which shall be a seruill feare In the second place he shall renew in his memory the principall qualityes of true Confession which are ConditioÌ„s of true Confession that it be whole and entire that is of all his sinnes he can remember since his last confession that it be Simple without affectation of superfluous or choice wordes also Faythfull declaring his sinnes with their circumstances in truth as before God who seeth all accusing not historically that is in way of accusing our selues and not as telling a tale or story and finally Humble and respectiue as comming from a contrite and an humbled hart accusing it selfe before the Maiesty of so great a God offended and asking pardon In the third place he shall note Satisfaction a marke of the goodnes and Iustice of God that Satisfaction which maketh the third part of pennance doth not any thing derogat to the Passion of our Sauiour but doth honour it more for this Passion hath truly satisfyed for vs paying for vs to the diuine Iustice that fine which we could not pay to deliuer vs froÌ„ eternall death but it was with a condition that we should contribute of good will what we could satisfy also by the merit of the same Passion But as it is more honourable to God to worke miracles not only by his owne handes but also to giue power to his seruants to do the like so is it greater glory to our Sauiour to make his seruants works meritorious satisfactory then if himselfe alone had merited and satisfyed But in tne end of the reckoning as al good coÌ„meth from him as from the first fountaine and spring so all the prayse of our satisfaction will redound vnto him as to the last end Prayers and thankes-giuing to God and the Blessed Virgin CHAP. XLVII O Lord behould me at last arriued by thy fauour at the place I haue long desired there to cleanse the spots of my soule and to beautify it with the
ordered that this Name may be a defence to vs against our enemies a solace of our sorrowes in this mortall pilgrimage the oyle and remedy of our woundes and in the end our life and saluation The Pilgrime hauing thus prayed shall heare Masse at his tyme shall finish his accustomed deuotions of the morning The After-dinner and Euening of the nine and twentith Day A Meditation Of the Adoration of the three Kinges CHAP. XXXV IN the euening after Euensong the Pilgrime after the two precedent mysteries shall meditate of the Adoration of the Kings those notable first Pilgrimes of the Paynims come out of the East by the inspiration of God to adore the King of the Iewes at the place where they should find him borne of whose birth they had a reuelation in their CoÌ„ntry without knowing in particuler where it should happen For ground of this meditation he shall consider how these Magi were men skillfull and learned in humane The learned amoÌ„g the Persians were called Magi and diuine things whether they were of Persia or Arabia or of any other country of the East where they called such people Magi as many Writers tell vs. And though these were men curious yet no coniurers according to S. Agustine They were also Kings as the preparations and presents they brought did declare for meane personages had no meanes to come so farre to offer gold incense and myrrh and therefore also they were Magi Tert. l â— Iud. Plin. l. 30. c. 1. 〈◊〉 l. 1. de 〈◊〉 for the Roialty could not there be without this Magia in the East none might be Kings but Magi and learned folkes as amongst other authors one of our Doctours do note And they are by the Euangelist rather called Magi then Kings for before God the name of Sage is more honorable then the name of King This ground being layd the first point of the meditation shall be to contemplate these holy Kings coÌ„ming out of the East into strange couÌ„try moued heerunto first by the inspiration of God as Abraham left his couÌ„try to come into Canaan secondly by the Prophesies as well of Balaam their Ancestor who prophesied of a starre that should arise out of Iacob as of the Sybills who had most playnly written Num. 24. that there must be borne a King of the Iewes Ci ero 2 â—â—uin Sueton. in Oâ—tau c. 94. in Vespas who should rule all the world It was also about that tyme a common bruit ouer all the East as profane Authors themselues doe testifie Cicero Suetonius and others Thirdly they were moued and forcibly driuen to vndertake this voiage by the visioÌ„ of the extraordinary starre which did appeare to them in the East whereof they had heard the foresayd Prophesy of Balaam had long expected according to our Doctors as a signe of this King borne They came then to Hierusalem as to the chiefe and Metropolitane Citty of Iudea there to learne this newes Num. 24. they aske for him that is borne King of the Iewes The earthly King entred into a rage and fury enquireth also with them Chrysos Hier. in Matth. not to adore with them but to kill him if he could he assembleth the Doctours he demandeth of them who should answer the truth he did all prudently sauing what was the principall for he enquireth exactly after the truth but will not imbrace the truth They al tell that this King must be borne at Bethleem he exorteth them to go and to aduertise him when they had found him he feygned that he would be good to destroy goodnes it selfe They goe on and are guided by the new Starre which had brought them from the East which lead them euen to the house where the King they sought was they find him they prostrate themselues before him they adore him they behould a little Child they belieue a great King a small port and a great Maiesty a mortall infant an immortall God and by their presents of Gold Incense and Myrrh they do homage as to a King adore him as God and confesse him to be Man And in this comming and adoration was accomplished what Isay prophesied Isa 60. Arise Hierusalem and be thou enlightned for thy light is come the glory of thy Lord hath appeared vpon thee and the Gentils shall walke in thy light and Kings in the brightnes of thy birth Psalm 71. And King Dauid The Kings of Tharsis and the Ilands shall offer guifts the Kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring their presents he shal liue and the Gold of Arabia shall be brought vnto him Then O Christians soule instructed in the house of God adore this King seeing these poore Paynims coÌ„ming out of the darkenes of their Paganisme Vide S. Chrys hom 14. in 1. Cor. 10. are come to adore worship him after so many wonders wrought seeing they did adore him being a child adore him prostrating thy selfe before him and offering thy selfe as they did and after offer thy presents for first he regardeth the hart and then thy guifts so he cast his eye vpon Abell Gen. 4.4 and after vpon his Sacrifice adore him with fit and conuenient presents with the Gold of Charity with Incense of deuotion with Myrrhe of Purity offer him thyne vnderstanding thy will and thy memory thy spirit humbled thy will ordered thy flesh mortified to confesse loue and serue him as thy true God and true Redeemer The second point of the Meditation A demonstration of the Power of Iesus in the adoration of the Kings CHAP. XXXVI THE second point shall be to consider how the Sonne of God did heerin an act of an Almighty King although he appeared low and humble The Kings of the earth when they are crowned and take possession of their kingdomes are visited by diuers Embassadours and honoured by forren Princes Here our Sauiour entring into possession of his spirituall kingdome is not only honoured by Embassadours but adored by the Kings theÌ„selues comming vnto him in person Meruailous coniuÌ„ctions Of which worke the contemplatiue soule shall take occasion to consider the meruailous conioyning of things most different which our Sauiour made in all the parts of his life And euen as he had maried into one person two naturs infinitly distant the natures of God and man to be a mediator God and man betwixt God meÌ„ so hath he alwayes ioyned diuine actioÌ„s to humane and testified the truth of these two natures by the diuersity and encounters of workes directly opposite In his Incarnation it was an act of great humility abasement that God was made man yet was it a most high worke that this man was borne without man by the power of the Holy Ghost of a Virgin In his Natiuity was seene the Son of God borne in a stable hauing lesse then the least among men but the same is song by the Angels and adored aboue by the immortall spirits
assistance escaped victorious the fury of the floting waues and the rage of those mad Merchants and carried by that Element that choketh others they landed againe at the hauen of Ancona and presently without shifting or drying their cloathes they came all wet and mullied to visit againe the holy Chapell and before all thinges to render thankes to the Sonne and the Mother of so notable a benefit Concerning the history of the other Table I thinke it is that good Florentine Dominico de Castro Tursel l. 4. cap. 17. who had his house ioyning to the riuer of Elsa and was surprised in the night by the inundation of the sayd riuer and was carryed downe the streame almost two miles with his sayd house floting with him and three of his companions also and in the end were deliuered by the intercession of the sayd Virgin so we haue heard it told The tale is very true sayth their Host as I haue alwayes vnderstood Lazarus would faine haue learned the history of the other two Tables Their supper the Pictures whereof he admired without knowing the story but their Host fearing to make them stay too long Let vs leaue sayth he somewhat for afterward in my opinion we were best now go to supper the history may be told in Supper tyme or after so they returned to the Hall where they found the Table couered with victualls They washed their handes sayd Grace and sat them downe euery one did his attendance and the good old man was alwayes calling vpon his guests to be of good cheere with a singular demonstration of harty good will especially when he vnderstood they were French men towardes whome he alwayes bare a particuler affection and in signe of the greater friendship spake French with them Whilst they supped diuers discourses were proposed of matters pious and pleasant both such as talke at the Table should be They talked of the Pilgrimages of the old Fathers in the law of nature of Christians now of the piety of the ancient French men in that behalfe of the misery and troubles of this present age of the prouidence of God therein towards his Church what these Pilgrimes endured in their iournyes and namely in the holy Land by reason of theeues and robbers And vpon this occasion their Host told them good tydings of their way as long as they should trauaile in those parts that a notable good Captaine with a certaine number of Hors-men did scoure the fields and the woods by the Princes commandement to chase away the robbers who infested the wayes had lately made an incursion and lead away certaine Pilgrimes prisoners fiue or six dayes since At these wordes Lazarus fetched a deep sigh for they went to his hart doubting least Theodosius might fall into some mischance and be perhaps one of those prisoners for it was iust about that very time that they lost him The good old man marked how he became pensiue thinking it was vpon apprehension of these theeues and robbers sayd vnto him Feare you not for the wayes are now cleare and safer then they were any tyme these two yeares and will be safer euery day when these gallants and good fellowes shal be catched as no doubt but they wil be shortly I hope answered Lazarus that though there should be dāger yet that God would assist vs by the intercession of our good Aduocate giue vs grace either to auoyd all euil or to profit by all that may befall vs by his permissiō But I cannot choose to grieue at the absence of one of our Countreymen a vertuous yong man and faithfull companion of our pilgrimage who six dayes since strayed from vs and we know not whether he be dead or aliue and I feare much that he is fallen into the handes of some theeues or which were more lamentable deuoured of some sauage beast the very point of my griefe is this that I can neither help him not heare any newes of him since we first lost the sight of him although we haue vsed all possible diligence and we can now do no more nor lesse then to sigh pray to God for him whersoeuer he be and to hope in the prouidence of God and in the help of this glorious Lady to whome he was singularly deuoted Behold the cause of my griefe and my resolution Your griefe saith their Host commeth of a singular loue friendship and your resolution is Christian If I haue any experience of the particular assistance of God towards them that serue him with a true and loyall hart and honour the Mother of his deare Sonne I dare assure you that you shall shortly see him safe and sound and therefore be merry and make good cheere of this little we haue and to which you are most hartily wellcome Lazarus thanked him much and found himselfe much comforted in this good old mans talke taking it as a Prophesy and shewed from thenceforth a more cheerefull countenance When grace was sayd he called immediatly for the narration of the miracles attending to heare them for a sweet recreation after their supper I remember saith their host I haue promised you to tel you two memorable histories though I see you haue more need of rest then of talke but I will not refuse what you request so courteously heare then the first In the towne of Cabala neer to Gallipolis a certaine Burgesse of note among the Catarians Three slaues deliuered Tursel lib. 4. cap. 1◠called Michaell Boleta had now remayned fiue yeares slaue among the Turkes and not able any longer to endure so great affliction of body spirit tooke a secret resolution with two of his companions of the same cōdition to seeke some meanes to escape be deliuered from their paine and hauing long watched an occasion for this purpose one day they found at the hauen a barke fraighted without maister or guard they entred it hoised vp the sailes and hoping the wind would be for them sailed into the full sea as farre as they could with their oares They had not gone farre but their maister perceauing they had stayed longer then they were wont repayred to the port to heare newes of them where at the same time he found the maister of the barke and both of them were informed that three men had a little before taken the barke as to go on fishing Immediately they made out after them two Brigantines furnished with men weapons who followed them so lustily with sailes and oares that they discouered them three or fowre miles of Michael and his mates discouered thē also and saw them follow after them in all fury comming within the very sight of their barke there appeared no way to escape the handes of these Barbarians nor the cruell torments they were to endure if they were taken In the very point of the danger they had recourse to the mother of him who commandeth windes and waues and they make a
that the estate of merchandise which attendeth to the world and hath nothing for her end but wealth is a great stoppe and hindrance to Christian life It is our Sauiour sayth Lazarus who saith it is impossible to serue two maisters and compareth Riches to Thornes Mat. 6.24 but this rule and this Parable do not condemne the estate of Merchants nor riches neither for both before and since the comming of our Sauiour there were many Merchants Math. 13. and rich men too good seruants of God they cōdemne only the folly of those who calling themselues Christians that is seruants of God and disciples of Iesus Christ will also haue the World for their maister obeying and pleasing it who say they serue God and suffer themselues to be carryed away by riches who behold heauen with their left eye and earth with their right who take on both sides and finally who saile to East and West both at once Our Sauiour then sayth not that it is impossible to be a good Christian a good Merchant but only sheweth it to be impossible to set their loue vpon the World and earthly goods and withall worke their saluation which is very true doctrine therfore it is the loue of the world auarice that crosseth Christian vertue not the estate of a Merchāt And in that sense S. Paul sayth They that will become rich fall into temptation 1. Tim. 6. the snares of the Diuell and into many foolish and hurtfull desires which drowne men in destruction and perdition for Couetise is the root of all euill So that if the Merchant driue away all auarice and couetousnes from his shoppe he shall receaue no more impediment of doing well by his estate then the Iudge doth by his office or the Souldier by warre Friend Pilgrime quoth the other Merchant you haue touched the point A man may be a good Christian a good Merchāt both for doubtlesse if the Merchant be not worldly or couetous he may be a good Christian but how many such doe you see In my opinion it is as easy to find a white Crow or a blacke Swan or a Pike without a bone as a Merchant without Couetise Syr quoth Lazarus will you condemne all Merchants of that fault And Syr quoth the Merchant can you name me one Merchant who would not gaine and be richer still Syr replyed Lazarus it is another matter to haue a desire to gaine honestly and make a reasonable profit of ones mony and paines another thing to be couetous for the second cānot stand with a good Christian conscience the first pertaineth to his estate and hindreth not a good Merchant but that he may be a good Christian also For a well ordered desire to get his liuing and to gaine by buying and selling neuer compelleth any man to do any thing against Gods law but auarice will lay his fingers on all and will fill his pouch with all manner of gaine It wil make him corrupt his ware take vsury loue his shop better then the Church his counting-house better then the Altar and a reckoning better then a Masse or a sermon Effects of couetise It will make him loose his soule and heauen rather then his earthly riches It is auarice therfore that alwayes corrupteth the merchant and his estate but not that the estate is contrary to the obseruation of the lawes of God And if there be any difficulty of working saluation in this calling besides auarice it is a common case to all estates for in euery one shall a man meet with difficultyes which may turne him from the way of well doing if he will suffer himselfe to be turned out In being a King a Iudge a Captaine and the like There are the like also in euery age Youth hath her faultes All estats and ages haue their difficultyes and old age hath hers and other ages haue theirs but as for these obstacles we do not condemne all estates ages so must they not make vs condemne the estate of Merchants for these are not impossibilityes to liue well for so all the world must become Religious but matter to merit in euery vocation For the more difficulty there is in any worke so much more is the vertue and reward and glory in ouercoming it No estate without difficulty To thinke we may exercise any estate in this mortall life without difficulty is to imagine a Sea without tempest or a Warre without encounters The Religious themselues who at one blow haue broken the greatest difficultyes casting from them the baggage of the world and haue entrenched themselues within the counsels of our Sauiour out of the wyndes and stormes of this worldly sea are not exempt from all difficultyes for they carry their flesh about them which is a seminary of many troubles and the Diuell goeth euery where Euery man carryeth his Crosse Math. 16.24 Marc. 8.34 who alwayes cutteth worke for our infirmity and euery where ech man carryeth his Crosse for that is a decree pronounced by the mouth of our great Maister It is true that all do not profit thereby because they carry their Crosse ouerthwart without merit as without patience Syr sayth the Merchant if difficulty make merit and glory then our condition and that of worldly men is in better case then the Religious for that we haue more difficulty to be saued without comparison I answere quoth Lazarus that worldly men haue more difficultyes and letres of saluation then Religious yet for al that they haue no more merit but much lesse because they breed the causes of their owne difficulty and fasten the fetters on their owne feet Whereas the Religious do ouercome at one blow all the chiefe difficultyes pulling themselues out of the presse of the world with a resolute mind forsaking all things to submit themselues wholy to the seruice of God which are too great exploites of a noble mind the one of fortitude and the other of Charity and if after they haue lesse difficulty to liue well they misse not therefore of more merit for it is the fruit of their victory and a continuall prayse of vertue to them valiantly to haue passed through the bowells of their enemies and an increase of glory to haue chosen so noble a field to fight in and therein to gaine the crowne of euerlasting glory The excellency of an estate doth not consist in the difficulty but rather in the goodnes and beauty of her actions Wherein cōsisteth the excellency of an estate as in the foundation and of the end thereof as in the crowne Therefore the vocation of Theology is preferred before that of Phisicke because it hath a higher subiect which is God and a more noble end which is the health of the soule wheras Physicke respecteth onely the body and the health thereof though physike perhaps may haue more difficulty then the other Also when the difficulty cometh of the excellency of
of the cleare vision and contemplation of their Creatour the cause of all beauties that are in heauen or earth and infinitly more beautifull then all other beauty put together Of the body He meditated in the second place of the glory which the bodies of the â—ust shall haue after the ResurrectioÌ„ which can not otherwise be declared but as the Apostle declareth the whole felicity That the eye hath not seene nor the eare heard nor the hart of man comprehended â— Cor. 2. what God hath prepared for those that loue h m he could say no more then in saying as he did that it is impossible to conceiue that felicty The scripture sayth that the iust shall shine like the sunne and compareth them to eagles Matt. 15. signifying the beauty agility of their body Our Sauiour to whose similitude we shall rise agayne came out of the graue that he rose out subtile impassible such in similitude shall our bodies be in such qualities shining Phil. 3.20 transpareÌ„t agile subtile penetrant and immortall heere withall euery particular part of the body shall haue a supernaturall beauty as now it hath a naturall with this difference that then all the body being transparent like christall all parts shall be visible in it as well the inward as the outward the bones the muscles the sinewes the veines the arteries the lungs the liuer the hart all shall be cleansed and cleared from all imperfectioÌ„ indewed with their proper beauty in propoâ—tion clearenes and colour This of Saphire that of Emeraldes one of Carbuncles another of Diamonds and aboue all shall be most adm rable those which haue beene employed in some speciall and peculiar seruice of the diuine Maiesty So the skinne of S. Bartholomew stead off for the faith shall shine with a particular beauty the armes and feete of S. Peter crucifyed the head of S. Paul cut of the tongues of true preachers the hands of Almoners the armes of the true souldiours of Iesus-Christ the eyes of chastity the hayres of virginity nothing shall be without recompence without excellency without particular glory Lazarus was plunged in this meditation and sayd O my soule if thou beest rauished meditating these beauties how great shall thy ioy be in enioying them O Lazarus what doost thou to deserue them What giuest thou to buy them What sufferest thou to gaine this honour And with what pace walkest thou to get the goale of this glory O soules redeemed with the precious bloud of Iesus thinke vpon these honours O Christian Dames who so highly esteeme the beauty of the body that not hauing it you would gladly purchase it with great summes of gold and siluer hauing it do hold it so deere tender it so carefully by art by gold by apparell by chaynes carkenets and iewels your beauty is nothing it is foule and ill fauoured in respect of this and if it were any thing you know well it shall finally perish eyther by some misfortune or by touch of sicknes or by age or surely by death Where is the beauty of AbsaloÌ„ of Lucrece of so many men women admired in the world Loue then the beauty of this Resurrection which shall be proper for euer vnto your bodies and to obtaine it loue now the beauty of your soules O my soule be thou amorous and in loue with this beauty O glorious Virgin O faithfull aduocate aduaÌ„ced this faire and ioyfull day aboue all the thrones of the heauenly and happy spirits the wonder of all goodly creatures on earth whilst thou wert aliue the wonder of all the creatures in heauen for euer the honour of the triumphant Church the refuge of the militant the comfort of the afflicted the guide of wanderers helpe vs with thy graces and credit with him by whome thou wert this day carryed vp into heauen with the company of all the heauenly hostes Procure o most B. Virgin that we obtaine grace holily to liue vpon earth to the imitation of thy selfe and happily to dye to thy example and one day to enioy eternally the riches of the triumphant Resurrection in the Kingdome of thy Sonne Iesus 1. An exhortation to a sick person in agony of death 2. The affliction of Lazarus 3. His arriuall at his Fathers house 4. His farewell to his Father and to the world CHAP. XXV THVS Lazarus ended his prayer Theodosius and Vincent ended then also and had felt great inward ioy therein The steward came early to their chamber hauing made ready their breakfast but they would eate nothing saying it was to soone They desired him humbly to salute in their behalfe Monsieur the Marquesse the Abbot the Vicount the Baron his children and to assure them that they would pray to God for their prosperity The steward had closely put into Lazarus bagge ten Crownes wrapped in a paper with these words of the Marquesse owne writing Pray to God for the Marques which Lazarus found at night in his fathers house He imbraced the Steward with many thankes after they had sayd their Pilgrims prayers they went out of the Castle and hauing beene a while silent they began to talke Lazarus praised much the prudence and liberality of the Marques and of his brother the sincere and harty loue of his children full of humility and courtesy the true markes of true nobility as contrariwise pride and disdaine is a true token of a base and rude mynd he commended also greatly the modesty diligence of all the officers and seruants and tooke this for a sure signe of the Marquesse his vertue for commonly like maister like men and the subiects doe for the most part frame themselues after the fashions of their Lord. Theodosius sayd that he noted at supper a meruailous contentment of all in the answere that was made to Syre Cime and that he did neuer better perceiue the leuity obstinacy of heresy then in that man who sought nothing but to talke and shew himselfe though he shewed himselfe alwayes void of good learning Pride the Father of heresy Whereupon Lazarus sayd Pride is the Father of heresy and vanity is her Mistresse and therefore you may not meruaile to see an Heretike both proud and vayne togeather Wherefore then quoth Vincent doth not the Marquesse his nephew shew himselfe like his maister Because sayth Lazarus he is not so much an Heretike as bred and brought vp in heresy neuer hauing beene Catholike knowing nothing but what they haue giuen him to vnderstand without contradictioÌ„ it is well to be hoped that as he is of a noble tractable nature and of a goodly spirit that as soone as he shall haue free liberty to conferre with some learned man or cast his eyes vpon some learned booke he will discouer the deceits of these impostures which his maister hath commended vnto him for rules and maximes of his Religion will imbrace the truth of the Catholike fayth Surely sayd Vincent I longed much
that dolorous mystery when thy Sonne praying in the garden to his eternall Father in his agony swet drops of bloud in such aboundance that they ranne downe vpon the ground and after was by one of his disciples betrayed and deliuered to the ministers of the Iewes by whome he was taken and his hands being manicled with a cord about his necke was cruelly haled to the houses of Annas and Cayphas The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me of thy deare Sonne the gift and grace of true prayer and that in all my tribulations and afflictions I may conforme my will vnto Gods bearing them all with patience and that he will assist me in the agony of my death Amen Of the Whipping The Oblation O Virgin most afflicted I humbly offer thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster in memory of the griefe and shame which thy Sonne felt Dolo ∣ rous 2 when after all the scoffing beating and spitting of that darke and dolefull night the next day he was in the house of Pilate despised and put to shame being he that cloathed the heauens with beauty and is himselfe the most beautifull of all the children of men bound to a piller and whipped most cruelly with no lesse then 5000. stripes and more The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee aske of thy Sonne for me that he would rid me of all earthly affections giue me grace and courage to chastice and subdue myne owne flesh that it preuaile not against the spirit and that I may patiently beare the rods and chasticements which in this life his diuine Maiesty shall send me Of the Crowning The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 3 O Virgin distressed I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster in reuereÌ„ce of that griefe which thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christ suffered when the cruell tormentors crowned him with a crowne of thornes which pierced his most tender and holy head in such sort that his precious bloud trickled downe round about most aboundantly They mocked him also put in his hand a reed for a scepter striking him therewith on the head The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee pray for me that I may auoid all desire of pride presumption and may rather desire â—â—ame iniuries for my sweet Sauiour Christ his sake that in this life being crowned with thornes of tribulation I may deserue hereafter to be crowned with glory in thy blisse euerlasting Of the carrying of the Crosse The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 4 O Virgin so darkened and filled with griefe sorrow I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster for the sorrow thy holy soule felt when thou didst see thy dearely beloued Sonne led through the streetes of Hierusalem with proclamation condemned to death as a malefactour and disturber of the people carying all along that heauy Crosse vpon his weake shoulders and sawest him failing to the ground with the weight thereof with which dolefull sight thou wert euen pierced with griefe and sorrow The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me perfect feeling and tendernes of hart and compassion in these sufferings of thy Sonne and tâ—â—e repentance whereby I may weepe also for my selfe confessing correcting and satisfying for my sinnes and that with promptitude and alacrity I may carry any Crosse which God shall lay vpon my shoulders Of the Crucifying The Oblation Dolo ∣ rous 5 O Virgin spring and fountaine of teares at the foote of the crosse crucifyed in hart with thy Sonne I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster to the incomparable griefe which thou feltst when in mount Caluary thou â—awest thy good Iesus that lambe without spot fastened to the Crosse with cruell blowes which pierced thy hart where after pardoning of his enemies and fulfilling the scriptures with a great cry and teares he commended his soule to his eternall Father thou sawest him yield vp his ghost The Prayer BY the greatnes of thy griefes which heare B. Lady thou didst suffer obtayne for me that I may pardon and loue myne enemies that our Lord may pardon me all my sinnes and not forsake me in the houre of my death but that hauing performed all my duty I may yield my soule into his holy hands Amen Of the Resurrection The Oblation O Queene of heauen full of ioy I humbly offer thee 10. Aues one Pater noster for the ineffable ioy thou tookest in the Resurrection Glori ∣ ous 1 of thy well-beloued Sonne when to thee before all others he appeared glorious risen from the dead and conuerted all thy sorrow into ioy and gladnes and after in token of his great loue and for confirmation of the fayth of this Resurrection he appeared often to his Apostles and disciples The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee procure me the true ioy of a good coÌ„science and that my soule may rise againe in newnes of life and manners and firmely belieue the misteries of the fayth which our holy Mother the Catholike Church teacheth Amen Of the Ascension The Olation O Glorious Lady full of comfort I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues Glori ∣ ous 2 and one Pater noster for the ioy thou haddst in the wonderfull Ascension of thy Sonne our Lord when thou sawest him with glorious triumph mounted vp accompanied with the blessed soules of the holy Fathers adored and worshipped of all the quires of Angels ascending into the heauens there sitting at the right hand of God his Father leauing thee heere on earth for the stay and light of his Apostles for the example comfort of his Catholike Church The Prayer I Humbly beseech thee obtaine for me that my hart may be lifted vp to loue heauenly things and that thou wilt be to me a sweete comforter in the iourney of this present life that I may deserue life euerlasting Amen Of the comming c. The Oblation O Excellent Spouse of the holy Ghost mother of the motherles comfort of the comfortles I humbly offer 10. Aues and one Pater noster to the sacred mystery of the coÌ„ming of the holy Ghost when Glori ∣ ous 3 in the figure of fiery tongues he descended vpon thee most B. Virgin and the whole company of the Apostles euen as thy Sonne promised in such sort did inflame and fill their harts that immediatly they began to speake in diuers tongues the wonders of God The Prayer PRay for me O B. Lady that I may deserue to receyue plentifull grace the gifts of the holy Ghost the language of ChristiaÌ„ loue in all my conuersation with my neighbours and perseuerance in vertue and all good purposes Of the Assumption The Oblation Glori ∣ ous 4 O Soueraigne Lady and Virgin the honour of mankind beauty of the heauens I humbly offer vnto thee 10. Aues and one Pater noster to the glorious mystery of thy Assumption when by the B. Sonne thou wert called to his euerlasting glory deseruedst at thy happy passage to