the conuersation of men and the hart of a beast was giuen him and he past his tyme among the beastes Not that he lost the nature of a man but that euen to himselfe it seemed that he was not such This did he continue till God gaue him vnderstanding and humility whereby he knew confessed That honour dominion was of God and that he bestoweth it where he would Certainly (x) Note so it is that the man who attributes the buylding vp of chastity to the strength of his owne arme God doth driue him from amongst his seruants and being departed out of that company which was as it were of Angells he dwelleth now amongst beasts hauing so bestiall a hart in his body as if he had neuer loued God nor known what chastity meant as if there were no hell nor glory nor reason nor shame In (y) How highly true is this so much as themselues are amazed at what they do and they seeme not to haue the iudgment or discourse of men but to be wholy abaÌ„doned to this brutish vice like very beasts till the mercy of our Lord do looke with pitty vpon so great misery and make him whose case is such to know that for his pride he fell and by meanes of humility he is to recouer and rise And then doth he confesse that the kingdome of chastity by which he had dominion ouer his body is a blessing of God which by his grace he giues and which for the sinnes of man he taketh away This sinne of Pride is so hard to be discouered and consequently so much to be feared that sometymes a man hath it so conueyed into the most secret corners of his hart that euen himselfe vnderstands it not A witnesse of this may be S. Peter and many others who whilest they were taking pleasure and confiding in themselues did thinke that they were putting their trust in God who by his infinite wisedom seeth their infirmity and with his mercy accompanyed by his iustice doth cure and heale them by giuing (z) For Pride and Ingratitude many haue grown to lose their chastity them to vnderstand though to their cost that they were vnthankefull vnto him vnduely confident in themselues since now they see how miserably they are fallen Now although this fall cost them deare yet doth it not carry so great danger with it as doth the secret sinne of Pride wherein they were For not knowing therof they would haue sought after no remedy and so they would haue runne vpon their owne ruine but comming to find out that sinne by their fall and being humbled before the mercy of God they obtayne remedies from him against both inconueniences For this I say it is that S. Augustine told vs That (a) A golden sentence of the great S. Augustine God doth punish secret pride by open lust because the second sinne is manifest to him that committeth it and by meanes thereof he grows to a knowledge of the former which lay hidden And thou art to know that some people are only proud within themselues and others are so with contempt of their neighbours whom they conceaue to be defectiue in vertue and especially in that of chastily But (b) Note this thou O Lord how truly wilt thou behould this fault with angry eyes And how thankelesse were those thankes to thee which were giuen thee by that Pharisee who sayd I am not ill like other men I am not an adulterer nor a robber like that Publican This O Lord thou doest not leaue without punishment Thou doest punish it and that with great seuerity by letting him fall that stood on foot in punishment of his sinne and thou dost rayse the other vp who was fallen thereby as it were to make him a kind of amends for the wronge which the other had done him It is a sentence of thyne and thou obseruest it very well Do (c) Luc. 6. not condemne others and thou shalt not be condemned And with the (d) Matt. 5. same measure wherewith you measure to others with the same it shall be measured to you againe And he that exal teth himâ—elf shall be humbled And thou didst command it to be thus published in thy name to such as despise their neighbours Woc be to thee who despisest for thou shalt be despised O how many haue myne eyes seene punished according to this sentence who neuer had vnderstood how much God abhorreth this finne til they saw themselues fallen into the very same for which they condemned those others yea and into worse Of (e) Take heed of contemning others least thou grow the subiect of the contempt of others three thinges sayd an Ancient of former tymes I condemned others and into all three my selfe did fall Let him that is chast giue God thankes for the fauour he doth him and let him liue with feare and trembling least himselfe do fall and let him help to rayse such an one as is fallen already shewing (f) We may be seuere to our selues but we must haue compasio vpon others compassion towards him and not contempt Let him consider that they are both made of one piece and that as the other fell so he for as much as concernes himselfe doth fall For as S. Augustine sayth There is (g) He is blind who beleeues not this no sinne committed by one man which would not be also committed by another man if he were not assisted by him that is the maker of man Let him draw good out of euill humbling himselfe by occasion of the others fault Let him I say draw good out of euill and as for the good of his neighbour let him reioyce in that Let him not be as a venemous serpent which fetcheth euill out of all thinges pride out of ethers miseryes and enuy out of their felicityes Such (h) Note soules as these will not escape the punishment of God He will suffer them to fall vpon that into which those others fell and he will not giue them the felicity for which they did enuy others CHAP. XIII Of two other dangerous meanes which are wont to make way for the losse of Chastity in such as endeauour not to auoyd them AMONGST the miserable falls from chastity wherewith the world is made acquainted it is reason that we forget not that of the King Prophet Dauid Because that fall being so miserable the person that fel so highly qualifyed it leaues the hearer with great apprehension that there is no one who may not feare his owne infirmity The occasion of this fall as sayth S. Basil was a light kind of complacence which Dauid tooke in himself when once he was visited by the hand of God with much consolation and he presumed to expresse himselfe in this manner I sayd in my abundance that I shall neuer be moued But O how far otherwise did it fall out and how well did he afterward vnderstand that whereof before he was
considered of dangerous poyson doth he drink who committeth sinne A most deformed and terrible face it hath in the eyes of such as truly consider of it and very able to afright any man though he be neuer so stout if he pause and consider with a liuely feeling what that is which he hath done thereby and against whom he hath done it and the promises of happynes which he hath lost and the threates of misery that hang ouer his head Dauid beholding these thinges doth cry out though he were full of courage My hart hath fayled me But this so great misery is noâ— left by God without remedy as hath byn sayd And to the end that he who needeth remedy may haue it I will declare somewhat of the greatnes of the mercy of God which he vseth towardes sinners that aske his pardon The Diuell will not faile to play his parte and will fright thee as hath byn sayd by representing the greatnes of thy sins But make thou no answeare only turne thy selfe to God and say For thy names sake O Lord pardon my sinne (b) A strange reason but so good is God as that it workes vpon him for it is great And if God wil giue thee grace to find out the mystery of these wordes certainly thou wilt be farre from despaire how much soeuer thou haue sinned Didst (c) Be sure to marke this well thou euer see or heare of any Tribunall of a iudge where a man being accused of many and grieuous crimes with intention that he might be condemned punished according to his demerit himselfe should confesse his fault and admit of the accusation and should take for the meanes of his pardon the confession it sâ—lfe of that very thing which the accuser did so much exaggerate and whereby he laboured so to condemne him So as thou art to make account that the guilty person speaketh thus O Lord I graunt all and I confesse that I haue sinned much but thou shalt pardon me for the honour of thy name And this course taketh effect with him both in respect of God and in regard of himselfe Our (d) A consideration of vnspeable comfort for vs. Lord God hath both iustice and mercy and when he beholdeth our faultes with iustice they prouoke him to wrath and the more sinnes we haue committed we vrge him to inflict the greater punishment But agayne when he looketh vpon our sinnes with mercy they mooue him not to anger but to compassion because (c) Noâ—e he doth not consider them as an offence of his but as a misery of ours And as there cannot happen to vs a thing that hurteth vs so much as sinne so also is there not to be found so fit an obiect for his mercy to worke vpon as the same sinne if it be considered as I haue sayd And so much more as we haue sinned so much more hurt haue we done our selues and so much more do we prouoke to mercy the hart which hath it and which is disposed to vse it as is the hart of our mercifull Lord who is the true shewer of mercies Know therefore now that the men who haue sinned much doe carry themselues in one of these two manners Some (f) Obstinate and insolent despayring sinners despayring of remedy like Cain do turne their backs to God and deliuer themselues ouer as S Paul sayth to all filthynesse and sinne and their hartes do harden dayly more and more against all goodnesse So farre at that euen when they are in the deep bottome of iniquity it neuer troubleth them but they take pryde therein and so much more is it fit to haue compassion of them as they haue none of themselues The thing which happeneth to these men is that whereof the scripture speaketh With the hard hart it shall go yll in the latter end And woe be to him who is to feele this yll for it were better for him that he had neuer byn borne There (g) The sinner who is penitent are others who hauing committed many sinnes doe by the help of God returne to themselues and wounding their hart with greife and being full of confusion and shame do humble themselues before the mercy of God and that with so much more humility and cordiall sorrow as their sinnes haue byn greater more And because God doth lodge his eyes vpon an humbled and contrite hart and when men are humbled he giueth them grace more grace he giueth to such as he findeth more humbled and the occasion thereof was the hauing committed so many sinnes which they confesse and bewayle but without despayre And they do thus alleadge and beg before the mercy of God That since their misery and ruine is very great his mercy may be also plentifull and very great Thus sayd Dauid Haue mercy O Lord vpon me according to thy great mercy Now because God as hath byn sayd looketh with eyes of mercy vpon the sinner who is contrite and humbled there doth he giue a greater pardon and a larger grace then where there were not so many sinnes nor so much humiliation Fulsilling that which S. Paul (h) Rom. â—â— hath sayd That where sinne abounded grace did superabound and thus a mans greater fall doth result to the greater prayse of God since he giueth him greater pardon and more grace And (i) A most soueraigne remedy against despayre where now is he who vnderstanding this will despayre for being subiect to many debtes since he seeth that the liberality and bounty of our Lord is more discouered more glorifyed in making such a large and generall release and that God taketh it as a point of honour to his Name to pardon and to pardon much Nay knowing that it is but iustice that our Lord and his Name should be glorifyed we will say without despayre yea and not without great confidence For thy name O Lord thou shalt pardon my sinne euen because it is great But (k) Note Now the glory which God draweth from hence doth no way grow from this sinne of ours for sinne is of it selfe a high contempt and a great irreuerence against God (l) See how artificiall the deer goodnes of God is to wicked mankind but this proceedeth from his omnipotent diuine bounty which draweth good out of euill and procureth that his enemies may serue him by giuing matter for his friends to prayse him Call to mind that when the people of God remayned in Egypt men found themselues in great affliction and they did but expect their death by the hands of their enemies who came close vpon them Yet Moyses sayd to them Feare (m) A place of Holy Scripture diuinely pondered nothing for these Egyptians shall perish and you shall neuer see them more And when the sea had drowned them and cast them vp vpon the shoare the children of Israel made a stand to looke vpon them And although they saw them yet they saw them dead and consequently
without feare of seing them as if they had seene them no more Hereby they tooke occasion to giue glory to him that slew them and they sayd Let vs singe vnto our Lord for he hath beene gloriously magnifyed and he hath drowned both horse and horsemen in the sea All this is a figure of that straite affliction wherein our sinnes do put vs representing themselues vnto our soules as enemyes of mighty strength who are about to kill and swallow vs vp But the word of God being full of all reason to make vs hope doth giue vs hart by requiring that we despayre not and that we turn not backe vpon the vices of Egypt but that proceeding in the good purpose whereby we began to walke in the way of God we should keep on foot being comforted in his assistance to the end that we may see his wonders Which are that in that sea of his mercy and in the crimson bloud of Iesus Christ his Sonne our sinnes are drowned so also is the Diuell who came mounted vpon them like a Cauallier that so neither he not they may do vs hurt But (n) A circumstaÌ„ce excellently applyed rather we remembring them although they grieue vs as it is fit they should they may yet giue vs occasion to render thankes and glory to our Lord God for hauing beene such a father of pitty in pardoning vs and of supreme wisedome in drawing good out of our euill by giuing true death to sinne which killed vs. And that which remayneth therof in vs aliue which is the memory of hauing committed it doth but serue that his elect may grow the better by it and become the exalters of his honour CHAP. XXII Where he prosecutes the treaty of the Mercy of God which he vseth towards vs his Maiesty ouercomming our enemyes after an admirable manner THIS admirable maister-piece of Gods hand which driueth treacle out of poyson against the very poyson it selfe and draweth the destruction of sinne out of the very sinne doth spring and carry a resemblance to another piece of prowesse which the most High hath wrought not lesse but greater both then that other and then all the rest This was the worke of the Incarnation and Passion Wherein God was not pleased to fight with the weapons of the greatnes of his maiesty but by taking those of our weaknesse and apparailing himselfe with human flesh which howsoeuer it were free from all sinne it did yet resemble the flesh of sinners for as much as it was subiect to that payne and death which sinne had brought into the world And by this paine and death which without their being his due he tooke vpon him he ouercame and destroyed our sinne and they being destroyed both payne death which entred in by their meanes were destroyed also As (o) A noble consideration and a lâ—uely comparison if a man should set the body of a tree on fyre by the braunches of the same tree and so should burne vp both the tree and the braunches How (p) The infinitenes of our obligatioÌ„ to our Lord Iesus greatly O Lord is thy glory magnified and with how much reason are we to sing to prayse thee more then they praysed Danid for going into the field against Golias who put the people of God into straites when there was none that could ouercome yea or who had the courage to set vpon him But thou O Lord our King our honour dissembling as it were the weapons of thy Omnipotency diuine life which thou hast as thou art God didst fight with him by taking that stafle of the Crosse into thy hand and in thy most holy body fiue stones which were the fiue wounds and so thou didst ouercom and kill him And although the stones were fiue yet one of them had beene inough for the victory For if thou hadst endured lesse then what thou didst endure there would yet haue beene merit inough for our Redemption But (q) Note thy pleasure was O Lord that our redemption should be copious and superaboundant That so weake persons might be comforted such as were negligent inflamed by seeing the excessiue loue wherewith thou didst suffer for vs and kill our sinnes being figured in the person of Golias whomâ— Dauid slew not with any sword which he might haue carryed of his owne but by the very sword of the Giant and so the victory became more glorious and the enemy was made subiect to more dishonour Much (r) The infinite wisedom which did accompany the iâ— finne mercy of God honour had our Lord gained if with his owne weapons of life and diuine Omni potency he had fought against our sinnes death and had so defeated them But much more did he gaine in ouercomming them without so much as drawing his sword Nay by taking the same sword that is the effect of sinne which is payne and death he did in flesh condemne sinne offering his flesh to be made subiect to payne and such hard vsage as if it had beene the flesh of a sinner being indeed both of a iust man and of God That so by this meanes as S. Paul sayth The iustification of the law might be fullfilled in vs who walke not according to the flesh but the spirit And since the iustification of the Law is fullfilled in vs by our walking according to the spirit it is plaine that these being such workes as wherwith the Law is fullfilled are such as it requireth at our hands and wherby satisfaction is giuen to it and so it groweth to be euident that he spake falsly who sayd That (s) This is saâ—d by nâ—â—e but our moderne Sectaryes all the workes which were done by a iust man were sinne Christ (t) They who affirme as our Sectaâ—â—s do that sinne doth still remayne in the soule of persons who are penitent pardoned depriue the passion of our Lord of the better part of the worth thereof did perfectly ouercome sinne both by deseruing pardon for such as were past and force for the auoyding of such as might be to come and so he freed our soules from the law of sinne Because we are no longer subiect to the command thereof and he deliuered vs from the hurt or payne due vnto it since by giuing vs grace to suffer payne we satisfied for that to which we might be liable in Purgatory and besides it helpeth vs to gayne crownes in heauen He did further also deliuer vs froÌ„ the law of death For howsoeuer we be to passe that way we are not yet to remay ne therein but as one who laieth himselfe downe to sleepe and is afterward awaked our Lord will rayse vs vp to leade a new life which neuer is to dye againe And that life is to be so happy as that it shall reforme this base body of ours and shall conforme it to the body of his brightenesse and then we shal be ioyfull and entirely secure and despising our
gather who liue well although they looke not for it And after the rate of the one increaseth the other Now from a contrary cause followeth a contrary effect as it is written The (u) Eccl. â— wicked hart giueth sorrow and from hence groweth disconfidence and other miseries in company thereof CHAP. XXIV Of two remedies for the getting of Hope in the way of our Lord and that we must not turne coward although the remooue of the temptation be differred and how there be certayne hartes which know not how to be humbled but by the knocks of tribulation and therefore that they must so be cured THE conclusion that thou must draw out of all this is That since it doth so much import to go on comforted with a good hope and with alacrity in the seruice of God thou must procure two thinges towards it The one is the consideration of his diuine goodnesse and loue which he hath manifested by giuing vs Christ Iesus for our owne The other that castng off all slacknesse and sloath thou serue our Lord with diligence and when thou fallest into any fault be not deiected with disconfidence but procure remedy and hope for mercy And if many tymes thou fallest procure thou many tymes to rise For (a) If this be not true what is no discourse of reason will endure that thou shouldest be weary of asking pardon since God is neuer weary of giuing it And since he commaunded vs to pardon our neighbours not only (b) Matt. â—â— seauen tymes in the day but seauenty tymes seauen which signifyeth that we must doe it without limitation much and much better will our Lord graunt vs pardon as often as it shal be asked since his goodnes is greater and is placed before vs for an example which we are to follow And if integrity of life and the remedy which thou desirest do not come so soone as thou couldest wish let not that make thee conceiue that it will neuer come Nor (c) Take heed that such a thought as this do not once enter into thy hart be thou like them that sayd If God send not remedy within fiue dayes we will giue our selues vp to our enemies For the holy (d) Iud. 7. Iudith reprehended such men as these with great reason and she sayd who are you that will thus tempt our Lord For such wordes as these are not to mooue him to mercy but rather to stirre vp his wrath and to kindle his fury Haue you perhaps appointed a tyme wherein our Lord is to shew mercy and haue you set downe the day according to your owne mind Learne to hope in our Lord till his mercy come and be not weary of suffering since patience importeth you as much as life And (e) Note if the straytes be great which weaken thy hope euen (f) A comfortable consideration for English Catholikes which ought to fill our soules with patience and with an humble peaceful expectatioÌ„ of the good will of God those very straites should in reason giue thee courage because they vse to be the very Eue and introduction of the remedy For the houre wherein our Lord deliuereth is when the tribulation hath lasted long and at the present afflicteth most As it appeareth plainly in the case of his disciples (*) Luc. 5. Whom he permitted to suffer during three parts of the night and in the last he gaue them comfort He also deliuered his people out of the captiuity of Egypt when the tribulation which they suffered was growne vp to the highest so wil he do with thee when thou thinkest not of it And if thou conceaue that thou wouldest faigne leade a holy life and perfect life and which all might be to the glory of God thou (g) Examine thy consciéce by this light and see if the case be not thyne art to know that there are some so proud and lofty that there is no humbling of them but vpon the price of temptations discomfortes and falling into sinne and so weake they are withall that they will not goe on in the way of God with diligence if they be not ridden vpon the spurre and their hart is so hard as that they must be hammered vpon with a great deale of misery Nor haue they any caution or discretion but vpon the experience of many of their owne errours In fine they haue a mind which is filled and puffed vp with a few graces and they haue need of many afflictions to make them proceed with humility in the sight of God and of their neighbours Thou seest already that the cure of these inconueniences cannot be wrought but with (h) If gentler pnisicke be not able to cure vs we must be cotent that God do play the Surgeon with vs. burning irons and by Gods permitting men to fall into desolations obscuritics of mind and euen into sinnes that so being much afflicted they may humble themselues and then be freed from their miseries The Prophet Micheas sayth Thou (i) Mich. 4. shalt goe as farre as Babylon and there thou shalt be deliuered and God will redeeme thee from the hand of thine enemies For by the confusion of this kind of life and by these falles in to sinne a man vseth to be humbled and both to seeke remedy of God and to find it which if he had not fallen he might perhaps haue lost by pryde or not haue sought with diligence and greâ—fe Eternall thankes be giuen to thee (k) Amen O Lord who out of such preiudiciall miseries art wont to draw these celestiall benefits and that thou art glorified as wel in pardoning sinners as thou art in making and keeping them iust and who sauest by the way of a contrite and humbled hart him who was not in disposition to serue thee with a hart of innocency and who makest a mans sinnes giue him occasion of being humble diligent and aduised that so as thy selfe did say He (l) Luc. 7. to whome more is forgiuen may loue more that so it may be fulfilled which the Apostle sayth Mercy in iustice maketh that iustice of thyne appcare more glorious as it maketh thy goodnesse seeme more in pardoning and sauing such as haue sinned and returne to thee In another place he also sayth That (m) Roun 8. all things prooue to the good of such as loue God Yea so do (n) Infinite goodnes of our God the very sinnes themselues which they haue committed as S. Augustine sayth But (o) Absâ—â— yet this must not be taken as a ground for thy tepidity or facility in sinning to buyld vpon for that must in no case be done But to the end that if thou fall into so great misfortune as to offend our Lord thou do not yet commit a greater sinne then that can be by dispayring of his mercy CHAP. XXV How the Diuell procureth to draw vs to despayre by tempting vs against fayth and the diuine mysteries of the remedies
discourse both ouer thy body and thy soule and thinke how thou wert obliged to reuere him and to be gratefull to him and to loue him with thy whole hart seruing him with entiere obedience and obseruing the commaundements both of him and of his Church with all the power thou hast Consider how he hath conserued thee by a thousand other benefits that he hath bestowed vpon thee as many miseries from which he hath deliuered thee and aboue all things remember how to inuite thee to be good by his example and loue the same Lord of the world came into it by making himselfe a man and for the reliefe of thy miseryes and the remouing of the blindnes wherein thou wert would needs endure many afflictions and first did shee l many teares and afterwards his very bloud and he did cast away his precious life for thee All (e) Our Lord giue vs all grace to make great vse of this certaine truth which ponderation in the day of thy death and of the iudgement which must passe vpon thee shal be placed in one ballance laying it to thy charge as that which thou hast receaued and an account shal be demanded at thy handâ— how thou hast serued thy selfe of so great fauours and how thou hast carryed thy selfe in the seruice of God and with what care thou hast kept correspondence with that so great goodnes wherewith God hath desired and procured to saue thee Consider well and thou shalt see how much reason thou hast to feare since not only thou hast not answered by doing seruices according to thy debtes and obligations but thou hast payed him with euill for good and hast despised him who hath valewed thee at so high a rate turning thy backe and flying from him who did so fast follow thee for thy good What thanks doth it seeme to thee that thou art to giue him who by his infinite mercy hath deliuered vs from hell we hauing so iustly deserued it What shal we offer him for a present who hath so often stretched forth his hand towardes vs that the Diuells might not strangle and carry vs instaÌ„tly away to hel And to vs who haue been cruell offendours of his Maiesty he hath been a piteous Father and deare defendour Consider that (f) Yea without Perhaps perhaps there are soules in hell who haue committed fewer sinnes then thou And in such sort weigh thy selfe and serue God as if for thy sinnes thou hadst already entred into hell and that he hath fetched thee out from thence For it comes to the same account for him to haue hindred thee from going thither as thou didst deserue or to draw thee out from thence through his great (g) Nay the former is the greater mercy mercy after thou shouldst haue beene entred in And if by comparing the blessings which God hath affoarded thee and the sinnes which thou hast committed against him thou do not yet find in thy selfe that shame or sorrow which thou desirest be not yet afflicted therewith but continue in this discourse and lay before the eyes of God thy hart which is so wounded and so indebted to him and beseech him that he will tell thee who thou art and what account thou art to make of thy self For the effect of this exercise is not only to vnderstand that thou art wicked but to feele it and to tast it with thy will and to take fast hold of thy sinnefulnes and vnworthynes as a man would clap the stincking carren of a dead dogg to his nose Therefore are not these considerations to be certaine fleeting thinges not the work of one day alone but they are to be of good length and to be vsed with much quietnes that by little and little the will may go drinking vp that contempt and vnworthynes which by thy vnderstanding thou dost iudge due vnto thy self this thought of thyne thou art to present before God beseeching him that he will lodge it in the most internall part of thy hart And from thenceforth esteeme thy selfe with great simplicity and verity for a most wicked creature deseruing all contempt and torment though it were euen that of hell And (h) The true vse which is to be made of these considerations be thou ready for the patient suffering of any labour or neglect which shall occur considering that since thou hast offended God it is but reason that all the creatures should rise against thee to reuenge the iniuryes that are done to their Creatour By (i) Note this this patience of thyne thou shalt vnderstand if in very deed thou thinke thy selfe a sinner and worthy of hell saying within thy selfe All the mischiefe that they can do me is very little since I haue deserued hell Who is he that will complaine of the byting of flyes when he hath merited eternall torments And thus go thou wondering at the infinite goodnes of God how he can perswade himselfe not to cast off such a stincking worme but to maintaine it and to regale it and to powre blessings downe vpon it both in body and soule but al this must be for his glory and not that we haue any thing to glory in CHAP. LXII That the dayly examination of our faults helpeth much towardes the knowledge of our selues and of other great benefits which this practise of Examen doth bring and of the profit which commeth to vs both by the reprehension of others and those also which our Lord doth interiourly send vs. TO end the Exercise of thy knowing thy selfe two things there remaine for thee to heare The first that a Christian ought not to content himselfe with entring into Iudgment before God for the accusing himselfe of those sinnes which in former tymes he had committed but of them also which he committeth dayly because thou wilt hardly find a thing so profitable for the reformation of thy life as to take account how thou spendest it and of the defects which thou dost fall into For that soule which is not carefull to examine her thoughtes and wordes and deeds is like to some lazy husbandman who hath a vineyard and who as Salomon sayth passed by it and saw the hedge fallen downe the vineyard it self full of thornes Make account that they haue recommended the daughter of some King to thee of whome thou art to haue continuall care that she be well taught and that at night thou take account of her reprouing her for her faults and exhorting her to practise vertue Consider thy self (a) The great obligation which we haue to looke to our souls as a thing recoÌ„mended to thy self by God and teach thy selfe to know that thou art not to liue without a law or rule but in a holy kind of subiection and vnder the discipline of vertue that thou shalt (b) Marke this well neuer do any one thing that is iâ—â— but thou shalt be sure to pay for it Enter (c) An earnest an
pace that the eyes of God do make is not against the man whome he created but against the sinne which we committed And whensoeuer he looketh vpon a man to his destruction it is then when the man will not suffer him to execute his wrath against sinne which he would (h) By drawing that soule to pennance fayne destroy But man would needs continue in sinne giue life to that which destroyed himself and displeased God It is therefore but reason that his death remaine aliue and that his life be for euer dead since he would not open the gate to him who for loue and with loue both could and would haue murthered his death and endued him with life But some will say what remedy shall I meet withall that God may not behold my sinne to punish but that he may looke vpon his creature to saue it S. Augustine (i) Hearken to the great and good S. Augustine doth briefly and truely answere thus Let thy selfe looke vpon thy sinnes that is do thou consider them and do pennance for them and God will not see them but if thou cast them behind thy backe then will God place them before his face Dauid did beseech our Lord to forgiue his sinnes saying thus Haue (k) Psal 50. mercy on me O Lord according to thy great mercy and he also sayd Turne thy face O Lord from my sinnes But what did he alleadge towards the obtayning of so great a fauour Nothing lesse then any seruice that he had done For he wel knew that if a seruant should commit a treason against his Lord his seruices would not be considered though he should haue serued many yeares before with diligence For if he serued before he was obliged so to do and he brought not his Lord in debt thereby but his treason is the thing that must be thought of which he was bound not to haue committed and therefore by paying that which he did owe before he came not to ransome himselfe from that penalty which afterward he incurred Neither yet did Dauid offer sacrifices as well knowing that God takes no pleasure (l) Vnles it were accompanied by a penitent Religious hart for if it were it was acceptable to God in the old law for so himself had ordained in the burning of beasts But he who could find no remedy eyther in seruices that were past or in pious external works which then vvere present did find it in an humbled contrite hart And he desired to be pardoned vpon this ensuing reason For I know my wickednes and my sinne doth euer stand before myne eyes An admirable power did God giue to this our beholding and profoundly sighing for our sinnes since Gods seeing of them doth follow to the end that he may dissolue them And we conuerting our eyes with griefe towardes that which vve did wickedly commit he conuerteth his towards the saluation and consolation of him vvhome he did create CHAP. LXXXVII Of the many and great benefits which come to men in that the Eternall Father doth behold the face of Iesus Christ his Sonne BVT some wil say whence commeth so great force to our looking and to our weeping that so instantly it should draw after it Gods seeing and that so as to forgiue vs. It is far from comming from our looking it selfe For the theef deserueth not to be pardoned the gallowes because he knowes that he did ill in stealing and how much and yet much more soeuer he lamenteth But this proceedeth from another sight which is more fauourable and withall so full of power that it is the cause and fountaine of al our good This is that whereof Dauid (a) Psal 83. sayth Behold O God our defendour behold the face of thy Christ. He twice beseecheth God to behold to giue vs therby to vnderstand with how much affection we are to thinke of this and how much it importeth vs to obtaine it For as the sight of God vpon vs doth bring all benedictions to vs so Gods looking vpon Christ doth draw the sight of God to vs. Do not thinke O Virgin (b) How Almighty God commeth to loue mankind that the gracious and amorous beames of the eyes of God descend in a right line vpon vs when he receaueth vs inâ—o his grace or euen when already we are in grace that they desceÌ„d vpon vs as vpon a differeÌ„t thing from Christ For if so thou thinke thou art no better then blind But know that first they addresse themselues to Christ and from thence to vs by him and in him Nor (c) No creature can obtaine the least cast of an eye of â—erev from God but only for the loue of Christ our Lord. will our Lord vtter one word nor cast one countenance of loue to any creature of the whole world if he see it separated from Christ but for the loue of Christ he so behouldeth all them as to pardon them who although they be neuer so wicked will behould and lament themselues in Christ he also behoâ—ldeth such persons for their preseruation and for their increase in the good which already they haue receaued Christ being beloued is the cause that we are receaued into grace And if Christ Iesus were not no creature at all would be acceptable or beloued in the sight of God as was sayd before Know therefore O Virgin what necessity thou hast of Christ and be thou (d) Al woe will be to such as are not so internally and profoundly gratefull to him For the good which thou hast came towardes thee by no other meanes then by Christ and in him is it to be conserued to thee and augmented by the eternall Father And this is that which was figured in the beginning of the world when the iust Abel that Pastour of sheep did offer a sacrifice to God out of his flocke which sacrifice was accepted as the Scriptore sayth For our Lord did looke on Abel and his guifts And this looking on him doth import that Abel was gratefull to him and for that agayne his guifts were gratefull And in testimony that so they were God sent downe visible fyre which consumed the sacrifice Now this is a figure of our iust soueraigne Pastour who sayth himself I (e) Ioan. 10. am the good Pastour and he is also a Priest consequently as S. Paul (f) Hebr. 5. sayth he is to offer guifts and sacrifices to God But what can (g) Leuit. 22. Deut. 22. he offer that shall be worthy of him Certainly not brute beasts and much lesse sinfull men for such do rather serue to prouoke the wrath of God theÌ„ to obtayne his mercy Nor without cause did God commaund in the old law that the beast which was to be offered should be male not female and of such an age neither too little nor too great nor blind nor lame nor subiect to any of those conditions which are there described to the end that the
as much as may be that so being frighted he may fall afflicted as vnder the weight of a heauy burthen without hope of help Thus did he proceed with Iudas from (a) This is the vsuall tricke of the Diuel whose sight he tooke the grieuousnesse of the sinne when he was to commit it but afterwards he represented to his mind what a huge crime it was to haue sold his maister and for so meane a price and to such a death And thus he blinded his eyes by the greatenesse of the sinne and made him fast in the snare and from thence he carried him into hell So that as he blindeth some by their good workes letting them see the same and remouing their sinnes out of sight that so he may deceiue them through pryde so from others he hideth the memory of the mercy of God and the good deedes which by his grace they haue performed and he bringes their sinnes into their remembrance and so pulls them downe by desperation But (b) A most profitable aduice as the remedy of the former was That when he would vainely hoyse vs vp into the ayre we were to fasten our selues to the earth not considering our peacockes feathers but the durty feete of our sinnes which we had committed or should commit if it were not for the help of God so in this other deceit our remedy must be to transfeâ—re our eyes from our sinnes and to lodge them vpon the mercy of God and vpon the good deedes wherein by his grace we haue imployed our selues For when our sinnes do striue to make vs despayre it wil be very well done to call the good deedes to mind which we haue done or do performe according to the example which we see in Iob and King Eâ—echias But (c) Note this for it is a most comfortable and withall a most safe doctrine this must not be done for the placing of confidence in our owne good works in as much as they are ours for feare that least when we are flying from one snare we fall into another but to the end that we may hope in the mercy of God that since he did vs so much fauour as to make vs by his grace to do well he will reward it in vs yea euen to a cuppe of cold water which we gaue for his sake And that for as much as he hath placed vs in the course of doing him seruice he will not leaue vs in the halfe vvay since his vvorkes are perfect as himselfe is and it was a greater matter for him to draw vs formerly out of emnity against him then to conserue vs now in amity with him This (d) Philip. 1. S Paul doth teach vs saying If when we were enemies we were made friendes with God by the death of his Sonne much more now that we are made friends shall we be saued in his life It is most certaine that since his death was of power to raise the dead his life will be as able to preserue life in them that liue If he loued vs when we loued him not he will not vnloue vs since now we loue him So that we may presume to say with (e) Philip. 1. S. Paul That he who began this good worke in vs will continue it euen to the day of Iesus Christ And if the Diuell procure to trouble vs by laying those sinnes before vs which we haue coÌ„mitted let vs consider that he is neither the party offended nor yet the iudge who is to giue any sentence concerning vs. It is God whome we offended when we sinned and he it is that must iudge both men and Diuells Therefore let not that trouble vs which this accuser doth obiect against vs but let vs be comforted in that he who is the true iudge doth pardon and absolue vs by (f) God absolueth vs from our sinnes by means of the sacraments which are ministred by his true Priests meanes of Pennance and of his Priests and Sacraments This is that which (g) Rom. â— S Paul sayth If God be for vs who shall be against vs he that pardoned not his owne Sonne but deliuered him vp for vs. And how then shall it be possible that he hauing giuen vs his Sonne shall not with him haue giuen vs all thinges Who shall be able to accuse the elect of God It is God that iustifyeth who shall condemne All this sayth S. Paul And this being considered ought to giue vs great strength of hart and to hope well for that which is to come since we haue such tokens for what is past Nor let vs be frighted by our sinnes since the eternal Father did punish his only Sonne for them that so man might haue his pardon who deserued to be chastized if he would dispose himselfe to sue it out And since he is pleased to forgiue vs what can the Diuell get by crying out in demaund of Iustice. The Iustice due for all the sinnes of the world was once done vpon the Crosse and it fell vpon the innocent Lambe Iesus Christ our Lord that so euery sinnefull person that would might approach to him and might enioy the benefit of hi redemption when (h) Not by sayth alone but accompanied with Pâ—unâ—nce shall we be saued if we haue sinned he should be pardoned by doing pennance What kind of Iustice would it therfore be to punish the sins of a penitent man a second tyme in hell they hauing beene sufficiently punished once before vpon the person of Iesus Christ our Lord I say punished with hell for I speake of a penitent who is already baptized and who hath now by meanes of the Sacrament of pennance â—eceaned pardon and grace which was lost because to such a one the punishment of hell which is eternall is changed into temporall which is either satisfyed in this life with good works or in (i) They who haue not satisfied in this life nor will beleeue a Purgatory where they may satisfy in the next shall be â—aâ—e to do it in Hell Purgatory by suffering those other paynes Yet (k) Note this and thereby learne to answere the obiection which is made by ProtestaÌ„â—s let no man conceaue that the not taking totally away the payne proceedes from any want in the redemption of our Lord whose vertue is and worketh in the Sacraments * Psalm 129. For his redemption is aboundant as Dauid sayth but this happeneth by the fault of the penitent who wanted disposition to receaue more And such griefe shame he may haue for his sinnes that he may rise from the feet of his Confessour fully pardoned as wel of all the paine as of all the guilt no lesse then if he had then receaued holy Baptiâ—me For in Baptisme all that is taken away in them who are but euen moderatly disposed to the receauing of it Let all men know that the Oyle which our great Elizaus Iesus Christ our Lord did giue vs when he gaue vs
it shall be to night or to morrow and since it must certainly come it is reason that I take it into my thought Consider how thou shalt fall into thy bed and how thou must sweate that sweat of death Thy breast shall beate and rise vpward the very stringes of thyne eyes shal breake the colour of thy face shal vanish and through the excesse of payne that so friendly society of thy body and soule shall be cut off They shall prepare thy body for buriall lay it vpon a Beare and they shall carry thee to the earth some weeping and others singing they shall cast thee into a strait graue and load thee with dust and when they haue troaden well vpon thee thou shalt remaine alone and be soon forgotten Consider all this by which thou must passe and thinke what kind of thing thy body will be vnder ground and how soon it will come to such a passe as that whosoeuer he be that loues thee most will not endure to see thee or smell thee or come neere thee Behould then with attention to what end this flesh and the glory of it doth arriue and thou wilt see what fooles they are who being to go out of the world so poore do now walke on with so much anxiety of being rich and being so soone to be so defeated and forgotten haue such thirst to ranke theÌ„selues in higher places then others how deeply they are deceaued who regale their body and walke in conformity of their desires since therby they haue done nothing but make themselues cookes for wormes being curious to dresse the meate which they are to eate and the whyle they haue made by those short delights a purchase of certaine tormeÌ„ts which shall neuer end Consider and behold with great attention and leasure thy body stretched a long in thy graue and making account that already thou art there procure to mortify thy desires of flesh bloud as often as they shall come to thy mind and so also mortify thy desires of pleasing or fearing to displease the world and of making any reckoning of whatsoeuer thing is most flourishing since thou art to leaue both it and thy selfe so suddenly and so miserably And considering how thy body when first it shall haue beene fed vpon by wormes will be conuerted into filth dust do not thinke of it heereafter but as of a dunghill couered with snow the very remembrance whereof may turne thy stomacke And possessing thy body in this manner thou wilt not be deceaued in the estimation thereof but thou shalt obtayne the true knowledge of it and shalt vnderstand how thou art to gouerne it looking forward vpon the full point to which it must arriue as he that placeth himselfe in the poope of the ship that so he may direct it the better CHAP. LXI Of that which is to be considered in the meditation of Death about that which shall happen to the soule that so we may profit the more in the knowledge of our selues TO this (a) A most singular discourse which thou hast heard is thy body to arriue it remaines that thou heare what shall happen to thy soule which in that houre of thy death wil be full of anguish by the remembrance of those offences which in thy life thou hast committed against our Lord. And those thinges seeming grieuous at that tyme which before thou thoughtst to be of little moment it wil be depriued of the vse of thy senses nor will thy tongue serue thee for the asking succour of our Lord. Thy vnderstanding will grow so darke as that thou wilt scarce be able to thinke of God and in a word by little and little the end of that houre draweth on wherein by the commaundement of God thy soule is to spring out of thy body and when that resolution concerning it must be taken which shall fasten it either vpon eternall damnation or eternall saluation It must heare from the mouth of God eyther Depart from me to eternall torment or remaine with me in state of saluation either inpurgatory or in Paradise Thou art to be wholy depending vpon the hand of God and of him only thou mayst hope for remedy and therfore thou oughtest in thy life tyme to fly farre from offending him of whome then thou art to haue so much need The Diuells will not be wanting to accuse thee and demaund iustice of God against thy soule laying particulerly to thy charge euery sinne which thou hast committed and if then the mercy of God forget thee what wilt thou be able to do thou poore weake sheepe being enuironed by those rauenous wolues who are so full of desyre to swallow thee vp Consider then in this tyme of thy recollection how in that straite passage thou art to be presented before the iudgement of God all naked and (b) There is no company in death but the good or euill which we shall haue done depriued of all thinges sauing only that thou shalt be accompanied by the good which thou hast wrought or by the euill which thou hast committed and say to our Lord that now thou doest willingly present thy self to him to the end that thou maâ—est obteyne mercy in that other houre when perforce thou art to part out of the world Make (c) Help thy selfe to be confounded with sham sorrow for thy sinnes by these coÌ„parisons account that thou art some theefe who is taken in the manner whilest he is stealing whom they present with his handes bound before the Iudge Or else that thou art some woman whose husband found her dishonouring his bed and who through the excesse of confusion knoweth not how so much as to lift vp her eyes and much lesse how to deny the fact And do thou belieue that God hath much more cleerely seene all that wherein thou hast euer offended him then any eyes of man can see that which is done before him And be thou full of shame for hauing bin so wicked in the presence of so great a goodnesse Couer thy selfe with that very shame which before thou didest loose and procure to find in thy selfe confusion for thy sinnes as one that standes in the presence of her soueraigne Lord and Iudge Accuse thy selfe then as thou shalt afterward be accused and especially draw to thy memory the most greiuous of those synnes which thou hast committed though if they should be sinnes of the flesh it is safer for thee not to detaine thy selfe very particulerly vpon them but only do it all in grosse as of a thing that stinckes and the beholding whereof doth greately amaze thee Iudge thy selfe and sentence thy selfe for wicked and cast downe thyne eyes vpon those fyres of hell belieuing that thou hast well deserued them Lay (d) If thou haue a generous noble hart this thought will pierce it on the one syde the blessings which God hath bestowed vpon thee from the time of thy Creation walking with thy
or hungry or wel fed he sayth it is (a) Matt. 25. himself that is so So that As soone as we were he was in vs as S. Augustine sayth and when we are heard by God he sayth that he is heard through the (b) The vnspeakable vnâ—oÌ„ of Christ Iesus our Lord with his seruantâ— and his infinite loue to them vnspeakable vnion which is between him and his which is signifyed by the name of the Spouse the fellow spouse and of the head in respect of the body which he loued so much that howsoeuer in ordinary course we see that a man exposeth his arme to receaue the blow for the sauing of the head yet this blessed Lord being the head would needs meet that blow which was giuen by the hand of the iustice of God and so dyed vpon the Crosse to giue life to his body which is our selues And after that he hath quickned vs by the meanes of pennance of the Sacraments he doth regale vs and defend vs and maintayne vs as a thing so much his owne that he is (c) Note not content with calling vs his seruants and friends brothers and sonnes but to teach vs yet better how much he loueth vs and that so he may rayse vs vp to greater honour he endueth vs with his (d) An vnspeakable honour it is if we had the grace to weigh it well to be called ChristiaÌ„s yea as it were one Christ owne name For by this vnspeakable vnion of Christ the head with the body which is the Church he and we are called one (e) 1. Cor. 12. Christ And this most sweet mystery full of all consolation doth S. Paul giue vs to vnderstand in those wordes when he said That (f) Ephes 2. the heauenly Father did make vs acceptable in his beloned Sonne and that we were created in good workes in Iesus Christ. And to the Corinthians he said You are in Iesus Christ Which manner of speach by the word In doth point vs out to this vnion of Christ and his Church So also our Lord saith by (g) Ioin 11. S. Iohn He that is in me and I in him beareth much fruit for without me you are able to do nothing Thanks (h) A holy conclusioÌ„ of this chapter be giuen O Lord to thy loue and goodnesse who by thy death didst giue vs life And thankes be giuen to thee also because by thy life thou consernest ours and thou doest imbrace vs so close to thy selfe in this exile of ours that yf we will perseuere in thy seruice thou wilt carry vs to geather with thy selfe and wilt keep vs for euer in heauen where thou art as thy selfe hath said Where I am my selfe there shall my seruant also be CHAP. LXXXV How lowd Christ cryed out and doth euer cry out for vs before the Eternall Father and with how great speede his Maiesty doth heare the prayers of men and bestoweth benefitts vpon them by meanes of this out-cry of his sonne THov mayst already see by what is sayd how great necessity all men haue of the fauour of Christ Iesus to the end that their prayers may be heard as acceptable in the presence of God But it is not so with Christ himselfe for he hath no need that any other should speake for him He it is and he alone whose voyce is heard in respect of it selfe For as S. Paul (a) Hebr. 8. saith he is able to go to his Father himselfe to pray for vs he also saith That Christ in the dayes of his mortall life offering prayers to his Father with a lowd cry and with teares was heard for his reuerence Christ desired his Father that he would deliuer him from death not suffering him to remaine therein by raysing him vp to a life immortall And as he desired so was it granted to him He also offered vp teares and prayers to his Father many times which proceeding from a hart which was full of loue are said to haue bin made with a loud cry And although that loue which made him cry was euer all alike in him for as much as euery teare he shed and euery (b) What infinite loue therfore was that and what loue ought ours to be in answer of it pace that he made was performed with as much loue as when he laid himself downe vpon the Crosse yet considering the exteriour and the nature of the worke it selfe which was wrought so much difference there was betweene the offering of his most holy body vpon the Crosse and the offering vp prayers for vs as there is betweene suffering yea and suffering death on the one side and praying or speaking on the other Remember that which God (c) Gen. 4. said to Cain The voyce of the bloud of thy Brother Abel doth cry out to me from the earth And of that also which S. Paul (d) Hebr. 12. said to vs Christians You are come to aâ—hedâ—ing of bloud which cryeth out better then that of Abel For (e) The difference betweene the bloud of Christ our Lord and the bloud of Abel that of Abel cryed out to the diuine iustice demaunding vengeance against Cain who spilt it but the bloud of Christ which was shed vpon the earth cryed out to the diuine mercy demaunding pardon The former calleth for anger the later for pitty the former for indignation the later for reconciliation that of Abel asketh vengeance against Cain alone this other asketh pardon for all the wicked men that euer were or will euer be so farre forth as they shal be ready to receiue it with (f) Pennance such a disposition as is fit yea it asketh pardon euen for them which shed it The bloud of Abel was able to profit no man because it had no such power as to pay for the sinnes of others but the bloud of Christ did cleanse both the heauens the earth and the sea as the Church doth sing and drew out such as were detayned in the very pittes of Limbus as the Prophet Zachary affirmes Without fayle the cry of the bloud of Christ desiring mercy is a great cry since it hindred the hearing of that other cry which was made by the sinnes of the world and which demaunded vengeance against the committers thereof Consider thou O Virgin if (g) And thou also who art no virgin consider of it for it speakes to all the world that one only sin of Cain made such a noyse by asking vengeance what noyse what cryes what shouting out do all the sinnes of all men make demaunding the same and greater vengeance in the eares of the iustice of God But yet neuertheles how loud so euer they cry incomparably more loud crieth the bloud of Christ in the eares of the diuine mercy demaunding pardon And it makes that those others are not heard that the noise of our sinnes may be so little and so low as that God may be to them as if he
his passion and which doth worke in his most pretious (l) The benefit of the Passion of our Lord Iesus is conueyed to our soules by the Sacraments of the Holy Church sacraments is that we may thereby be able to pay all our debts to liue heere in the life of grace and afterwards in that of Glory But it is necessary that like the other Widdow we doe walke on maintayning good dispositions in our selues according to which euery one shall be sure to receaue the effect of his sacred passion which in it selfe is most sufficient yea and superaboundant CHAP. XIX Of the much which God the Father gaue vs in giuing vs Iesus Christ our Lord and how thankefull we ought to be and to help our selues by this fauour and to strengthen our selues thereby for the excluding of all desperation wherwith the Dinell is wont to assault vs. MVCH reason hath God to complaine and his Preachers to reproue men for being so forgetfull of this benefit which is so excellent as that for it we should giue thankes to God day and night For as S. Iohn sayth So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne to the end that euery one who belieueth in him loueth him may not perish but haue eternall life All other blessings are locked vp in this as the lesse in the greater and as the effect in the cause It is a plaine case that he who gaue the sacrifice against sin did giue pardon to those sinnes for as much as concerned him and to whome our Lord gaue that he also gaue command ouer them And in (a) The great reason of our comfort fine he that gaue vs his Sonne and such a Sonne and so giuen and borne for vs will deny vs nothing that is necessary And he that hath not what is fit let him blame himselfe for to complaine of God he hath no reason For the vnderstanding heerof S. Paul sayth thus He that gaue vs his sonne will he not giue vs all things togeather with him Nay he sayd more He hath already giuen vs all thinges with him for in as much as concerneth the part of God all is already giuen pardon grace and heauen O (b) Lay vp these considerations at thy hart you men why do you loose such happinesse and why are you vngratefull to such a louer and for such a benefit And why are you slothfull in the preparation of your selues to receiue it Worthy it were of all reprehension that a man should goe naked vp and downe halfe dead with hungar and full of miseries and if when another had giuen him great legacies by his will whereby he might pay his debtes and depart from his wantes liue at ease he should yet remaine without enioying all this happines rather then trauell two or three leagues for the prouinge of that will Our redemption was made so copiously that although Gods forgiuing the offences which men coÌ„mit against him be a blessing which exceedes all humane conceite yet the payment which is made by the passion and death of Christ our Lord doth exceed the debt of man in valew much more then the highest part of heauen doth the lowest part of the earth as S. Augustine sayth It (c) This coÌ„parison in full of coÌ„sort to vs sinners was due to sinfull man that he should be fettered torne and killed and can you find in your hartes to thinke that these debtes are not well payd by the scourges tormentes and death of a man who was not only a iust man but man and God An inexplicable fauour it is that God doth adopt for his sonnes the sonnes of men who are but as so many little wormes of earth But to the end that we might not doubt of this fauour it is seconded according to (d) Ioâ—n 1. S. Iohn with another and a greater For he sayth The word of God is made flesh As if he had thus expressed himselfe you may not fayle to belieue that by spirituall adoption men are borne of God for in proofe of this wonder hearken here to a greater which is That the sonne of God 〈◊〉 made man the sonne of a woman So (c) Note also is it a wonderfull thing that a miserable little thing called man made of earth should arriue to heauen enâ—oying God and accompanying the Angells therein with vnspeakeable glory But yet a farre greater matter was it that God should be placed in the torment and ignominy of a Crosse and that he should dye betweene a couple of murthering theeues Whereby the diuine iustice was so entirely satisfied both by reason of the much that our Lord did suffer and chiefely because he that suffered it was God as that he both pardoned that which was past and doth further powre his benedictions vpon vs for the future But yet so as that our barrennesse must bring forth the fruite of good life worthy of heauen which is figured by the Sonne who was graunted to (f) Gen. 18. Sara when she was old and barren For the calfe which was sodden in the house of Abraham this being Christ Iesus crucified by the people who (g) The â—ace of the lewes descended from Abraham was of so much gust to God that of wrathfull he grew calme thereby and curses were exchanged into blessinges Because he receyued a certayne thing which contented him more theâ—â— all the sinnes of the whole world could displease him Why then O man dost thou despayre hauing for remedy of thy miseries for payment of thy debtes God himselfe humaned who is of infinite merit and who by dying put our sinnes to death much better then the (h) Iud. 16. Philistines were made to dye by the death of Sampson And (i) How infinitely good is God although thou hast committed as many sinnes as the very Diuell himselfe who thus would draw thee into despayre thou must take hart in Christ who is That lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Of whom it was prophesied That be would cast and as it were shoote all our sinnes into the lowest bottome of the sea and that he was to be anointed the holy of holies And that sinne should haue an end and then that Iustice should raigne for euer Yf then our sinnes be remooued be drowned and be dead vvhat cause can there be that such vveake and defeated enemies should ouercome and cast thee vpon despayre CHAP. XX. Of some meanes which the Diuell vseth against the remedy that is spoken of whereby to fright vs and how for this we must not fainte but animate our selues the more considering the infinite mercy of our Lord. BVT I already heare O Man that which thy weakenesse answeareth to what is sayd What (a) A shrewd obiection but mark the answear for it satisfyeth doth it profit thee sayest thou that Christ dyed for thy sinnes if the pardon therof be not applied to thee And though Christ dyed for
all men yet many of them are in hell not through any fault of his redemption which is abundant but for want of their disposition to receiue it From hence therfore groweth thy despayre To this I answeare That although it be true which thou sayest yet doest thou not serue thy selfe wel thereof S Bernard telleth vs that towards 2 hauing the testimony of a good conscience which may giue a man the ioy of a good hope it sufficeth not to beâ—eeuâ— in generall That sinnes are pardoned by the death of Christ but it is also necessary to haue confidence and good coniectures that this pardon is applied in particuler to such a man by meanes of (b) Contrition Conseâ—â—ie and Sâ—â—â—ofaction those dispositions vvhich the Church doth teach For though he belieue the first part he may yet despayre but that he cannot do if he belieue the second for how can he despaire if he liue in hopes But (c) Behold the solution indeed thou oughtest to consider that it is high reason that when thou seest euen those bowells of the heauenly Father all open for the giuing to thee his sonne as he gaue him seeing that he was at such cost therein and that the diuine Lamb is already dead to the end that thou mayst feed vpon him and not dye thou art to driue from thee all pusillanimity and sloath procure to serue thy self of this Redemption with confidence that God will help thee to it And since for thy being pardoned there is no cause why Christ should put himselfe to new paines or to suffer heereafter more or lesse or to dye for thee any more why shouldest thou thinke it to be any desyre of his that since he hath beene at the charge of such a feast there should be want of guests to sit thereat But it is far from this nor is it his will That the sinner should dye but that he should be conuerted and liue And to the end that he might do so himselfe left his life vpon the Crosse And do not thou belieue that it is needfull for thee towardes the enioying of this Redemption to do any impossible thing yea or euen so hard as that thou shouldst despaire to go throgh with it euen when thou art considering thy weaknes Send but one cordiall sigh to God for hauing offended such a Father and haue thou a purpose of amendment and manifest thy sinnes to a Priest who may absolue thee and the eares euen of thy flesh and bloud shall for thy (d) It is a picture in little of the ioyes of heaueÌ„ which no man knowes but he that feels thâ—â—â— greater consolation heare the sentence which is giuen vpon the ending of thy suite Which shall certify thee in this manner I absolue thee from all thy sinnes in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost And (c) Note although it should seeme to thee that thy griefe for thy sinns were not so complete as it ought to be and that therefore thou art afrayd of thy selfe yet art thou not (f) So that yet thou be sorrv though imperfectly for that which is past and haue a firme purpose to auoyd the like in tyme to come to be afflicted thereat because the desire which our Lord hath of thy saluation is so great that he supplyeth our wants by the priuiledge which he gaue his Sacrament which maketh a man of attrite contrite And (g) Note yet againe if it seeme to thee that thou art not able to do euen so much I tell thee once for all that thou must not presume to do it of thy selfe but call vpon thy heauenly Father and beseech him by his Sonne Christ Iesus that he will help thee both to grieue for thy life past and to purpose an amendment for the tyme to come and to confesse thy selfe well and lastly for all that whereof thou hast need And (h) Deus cutus nâ—tâ—â—a bonitaâ—â— cutus Voluntas potentia cuâ—us opus misâ—râ— or dâ—◠〈◊〉 S. Leo. he is of such a nature as that there is no cause why we should expect any other thing at his hands then sweetnes and succour since he who giueth the pardon is the same who doth first inspire vs with a disposition to demand it And if withall this thou do not find comfort euen after hauing heard the sentence of absolution yet (i) In the seruice of God a man must haue a patient noble courage be not thou dismayed thereat nor giue ouer that which thou hast begun For if in one confession thou hadst no comfort thou shalt be sure of it in others and that shall be fullfilled in thee which was sayd by that penitent King (k) Psal â—0 Dauid Thou shalt giue ioy and comfort to myne eares my bones which are humbled shall reioyce It is certainly so that although the wordes of sacramentall absolution do not giue a man such a certainty of pardon as that he can beleeue (l) Not as an article of Faith it by fayth or know it by expresse euidence yet do they giue such repose and consolation as wherwith the powers of our soule may be recreated which by sinne were humbled and oppressed And let no man giue ouer to aske pardon for if he persist in his desire the Father of mercyes will go out to meete his prodigall sonne and will giue him pardon and will cloath him with the heauenly garment of grace and he will take pleasure to see him so recouered by pennance who was lost by sinne Nor (m) Note let any man thinke it to be incredible that God should liue with sinners vnder the laws of so great tendernes sweetnes which are penned by his owne goodnes most faythful loue since he executed lawes of so great rigour vpon his Sonne as that louing him as he loued himselfe and being the person that he was and paying for the iniquity but of others he did not yet acquit him of any one only sinne for which his iustice was to be satisfyed And for this reason as (n) A comparison which is both significaÌ„t sweet a Lyon who how fierce soeuer he be if he yet be satisfyed and fully fed doth no harme to inferiour creatures which yet he would swallow vp if he were hungry so the iustice of God being satisfyed with that which was payed by Iesus Christ that diâ—ine lambe he doth them no hurt whome he findeth â—o approach towards him that so they may be incorporated to his body nor doth he hinder his mercy from working in them according to his custome And from hence it groweth that insteed of being an angry iudge to vs he becommeth a Father full of paâ—ty CHAP. XXI He proceeds in the discourse of Gods mercy which he sheweth to them that cordially aske pardon This is a consideration of power to conquere all Despaire A Cup (a) What a hideous thing sin is if it be truly
enemies and triumphing ouer them we shal say O death where is thy victory O death where is thy sting which sting is sinne in them where death is still in force whereby it doth wound as the Bee is wont to do with her sting for by sinne death entred into the world Both the one and the other enemy which were wont to gouerne and to wound the world remayne drowned in the blessed bloud of Iesus Christ and slayne by his precious death And in (u) See heer how copious the Redemption is which our Lord hath purchased for vs. their place succeedeth that euerlasting iustice whereby heere the soule is iustifyed and afterwards shall succeed the vision of God face to face in heauen and a life which shal be eternally blessed both in body and soule What shall we say to this O Virgin but that which S. Paul hath taught vs Thankes be giuen to God who hath graunted vs victory through Iesus Christ Him thou art to adore and with a gratefull and enamoured harte say to him Let all the earth adore thee and prayse thee and singe a hymne to thy name And see thou say this often euery day and especially when at the Altar his most holy body is eleuated by the hands of the Priest CHAP. XXIII Of the great mischeise which despayre doth worke in the soule and how we must ouercome this ene my with spirituall alacrity and diligence and feruour in the seruice of God THis despayre and loosing of hart is such a dangerous instrument of our enemy that when I remember the great mischeifes which haue growen by it to the consciences of many I desyre to speake a little more concerning the remedy thereof if perhaps any good may come thereby It (a) This is a case too common happeneth so that sometymes there are persons who be loaden with a multitude of great sinnes and neither know what despayre nor so much as a little feare is nor doth it once passe through their thought But they goe on as being assured by a false hope offending God and yet not fearing punishment for the same And (b) We see by lamentable experience that such as are not Catholiks do passe from one extremity of presâ—â—â—tion to the other of de peration without resting in true hope if once the mercy of God shine vpon their soules and they beginne to see the grieuousnes of their sinnes though it be reason that since they aske pardon of God with purpose of amendement and that they receiue the benefit and comforte of the Sacramentes they should be strengthned thereby both against that which is past and that also which in the seruice of God might afterward present it selfe yet fall they vpon the other extreame of feare as before they were subiect to that of false security Not (c) Note considering that they who oftend God and do not repent haue reason indeed to feare tremble though all the world smile vpon them because the wrath of the omnipoteÌ„t is prouoked against them which wrath there is no power that can resist and that they who humble themselues to God and receiue his holy Sacramentes and who will procure to do his will ought to haue the hart of Lions for as much as they are commaunded to confide in God by that token that God is with them Whome as they hold for an enemy to the wicked and for that themselues haue byn such they are in feare so it is all reason that they should hold him for a friend of the good and that in regard of the holy purposes which he hath inspired them with they may confide that he is also their friend and that so he will be giuing increase to the good seed which himselfe did plante and perfecting that which he hath begunne This is certainely true that when once a man coÌ„meth to say in earnest that which Dauid sayd I haue held vp my hands towardes the performance of thy commanamentes which I haue loued God putteth his eyes and hart where that man putteth his hands that so he may help him and as one who is good by an infinite goodnesse he taketh him into protection with care and ranketh that man on his syde who will fight for his honour making warre vpon himselfe to giue contentment to God And (d) The difficulties which vse to occur to such as begin to serue God although it be true that when a man beginneth to serue God through some particuler calling which may incite him with the contempt of all thinges to seeke that pretious pearle of the Ghosâ—ell by the perfection of a spirituall life there may grow against such a man such traines and warres of the Diuells both immediately from themselues and also by the meanes of wicked men and they lock him vp in such straytes that when he rayseth the first foote from ground and placeth it on the lowest of those fifteene steppes whereby men rise to perfection he is forced to say When I was in tribulation I called vpon our Lord and he heard me O Lord deliuer my soule from wicked lipps and from the deceitefull tongue which wicked lippes are they which doe expressely hinder that which is good and a deceitfull tongue is that which procureth in a disguised manner to deceyue and sometymes so great impediments are presented or at least it seemeth so towards the making one depart from his course begunne that they are like those great Giantes wherof the children of Israel sayd Compared with them we are no more then a few little grashoppers and the walles of the Citty which we are to assault seeme to threaten heauen with their height and the earth in that place seemeth to open to swallow vp her inhabitantes notwithstanding I say all this thou art to consider and let vs all consider it with well opened eyes how much that faint-hartednes despaire displeased God which the Sonnes of Israel were subiect to by the meanes aforesayd For as much as the sinns which they committed in the wildernes howsoeuer they were great many and one of them was that they adored a Calfe for God which seemeth to be the very outside of wickednes yet God endured all this at their hands and did them fauour towards the prosecuting of their enterprize begun But (c) Note how predominaÌ„tly despaire is displeasing to Almighty God he would not endure their disconfidence and despaire of his mercy and power and he sware to them in his wrath as Dauid sayth that they should not enter in to his rest and as he sware it so he performed it Doth it not seeme to thee that we haue reason to curse this vice which is opposite to the honour of the diuine goodnes That being so much greater then our wickednes as God is greater then man And be thou assured that as the way of perfect vertue is a kind of stiffe battaile made against our enemies who are full of strength both within vs and without vs yet
he that shal begin such a warre cannot bring in his company a thing of greater preiudice then pusillanimity of hart For he that hath this will be put to flight euen by shaddowes With much reason did God command in tymes past That when his people were in the warres his Priests should encourage them before they began to fight not by humane reasons of the multitude of their men and strength but by thinking vpon the (f) Firrne hope in God is the only souÌ„d receite against hart-breaking protection of the Lord of hoastes who holdeth victory in his hand and who is wont to conquere lofty Giants by little grasse-hoppers for the glory of his holy Name And agreably to this which God commanded the valorous S. Paul sayth to them who were entring into the spirituall warre Comfort (g) Ephes 4. your selues in our Lord and in the power of his strength that so being hartned you may fight the battailes of God with cheerefullnesse and courage So is it read of Iudas Machabaeus who fought with cheerefulnes and so he conquered And S. Anthony a man well experienced in theses piritual combats was wont to say That this spirituall cheerefullnesse was an admirable thing and a powerfull remedy towards the ouercomming of our enemyes For certain it is that the delight which is taken in doing of any worke doth increase a mans forces towards the doing of it Therefore (h) How necessary it is to haue alacrity and courage in the seruice of God doth S. Paul aduise vs thus Reioyce alwayes in our Lord. And we read of S. Francis that he reprehended such of his fryars as he saw to go sadly vp and downe as if they were ill contented and he would say to them He that serneth God should not be after this fashion vnles it were for hauing committed a sinne and if thou haue committed any confesse it and returne to thy former alacrity And of S. Dominicke it is also read That there appeared in his face a kind of cheerefull serenity which gaue testimony of his inward ioy This is wont to grow out of the loue of our Lord and from a liuely hope of his mercy whereby they are able to carry their Crosse vpon their backes not only with patience but euen with pleasure as they did whose goods were stolne yet they remayned content the reason of that was because they had lodged in their harts a better kind of riches in heauen Experimenting that which S. Paul sayd Being ioyfull in hope and patient in tribulation for (i) It is hard to haue patience in a longe-liued Crosse without hauing a great hope in God without the former men can hardly ariue to the later But when this vigour and alacrity fayleth it deserueth great compassion to see how men that walke in the way of God are full of vnprofitable sadnesse their harts being discontented and without gust in things that belong to God and vntoward euen to themselues and to their neighbours and with so little confidence in the mercy of God that there wanteth not much to make it none There are many amongst these persons who commit no mortall sinnes or very rarely But they say that because they serue not God as they ought and as they desire and by reason of the veniall sinnes which they commit they liue in such a fashion as we see But (k) A worse effect of an euil cause if the effects of superfluous sadnes be such as these they do men more harme then the faults themselues which they committed And that which they might preuent and cut off if they had discretion and courage they make to increase and so they fall out of one euill into another Such as they ought to procure and labour to serue God withal diligence if they see they fall let (l) This is indeed good counsaile them weep but not distrust and knowing that they are weaker then they thought let them humble themselues more and demand more grace and liue with greater caution taking help of the tyme past for the tyme to come There (m) Excessiue sloath doth sointymes also cast men afterward vpon despayre are many who on the contrary syde are carelesse and slothfull in seruing God and when they fall into sinne they know not how to help themselues but they go down into the pit of disconfidence and of greater negligence Whereas in very deed for the auoyding of despaire we must auoyd to be lukewarme and negligent in the seruice of God For (n) No man can haue a good hope who endeauours not to lead a good life otherwise as long as a man hath these rootes within him he cannot though he would neuer so faigne haue that vigour and strength of minde which (o) Note this point well groweth from a good and diligent life And if such persons would consider that they endure more (p) The Diuells Martyrs trouble by these sadde and despairing thoughtes which grow from melancholy then they should in cutting vp by the roote those cuill affections and dangerous occasions which hinder them from seruing God with feruour they would especially since they loue to fly from payne make choyce of those troubles which are annexed to the perfection of vertue to fly those others which follow vpon the want thereof S. Paul (q) â— Tâ—â—â— 4. sayth That the end of the law is Charity which proceedeth from a pure hart and vpright conscience and a fayth vnfeigned And he meaneth this vpright conscience to be hope as S. Augustine sayth giuing thereby to vnderstand that vnlesse there be a good conscience hauing fayth and loue and good works which flow from thence there (r) There may be in such men a fond daÌ„gerous kind of presumption such as the Sectaryes are acquainted with but no true Christian hope which is pleasing to God wil be no liuely hope which may giue vs alacrity and if there be any want at all of good conscience there wil be also want of cheerefulnesse and consclation which are caused by a perfect hope For although such a fearefull man be not slayne perhaps by sinne but do liue in state of grace yet he shall worke but weakely So as they who tell thee Belieue that God doth pardon thee and loue thee and then thou shalt be pardoned and loued with such other words as these doe (s) As Luther and Caluin hauedone their followers grieuously deceiue thee and they giue testimony that they speake by imagination not by experience or according to the doctrine of fayth And (t) A most certaine a most soueraign truth the not vnderstanding whereof makes so many cast themselus away by violent death such braueries as those for as much as they are not of God cannot hold a man vpon his feete when tribulation coÌ„meth if it be a sound one Strength of hart and the ioy of a good conscience are the fruites of a good life which they
belongeth to God which is pretended to by such a one as serueth him therfore God commeth out to his succour with great fidelity and in this hope and not in any thing of our owne we are to set vpon the enterprize of Gods seruice CHAP. XXVIII Of the great remedy which groweth against these tentations by seeking a wise and well experiented ghostly Father who must be entirely informed and credited and how the ghostly Father ought to proceed with such persons of the fruit which riseth from these temptations IT vseth in these temptations to put men to much difficulty that they are plainly to declare them to their Ghostly Father in regard that they are thinges so wicked and so deformed that they deserne not to be mentioned and euen the very naming of theÌ„ doth strike with horrour And yet on the other syde if they declare them not very much at large and do not expresse euery thought though neuer so little it seemeth to them that they made no good confession and so they neuer go well satisfyed whether they speake or be silent but with the same affliction that they had before Such (a) It is no â—nerâ—aile if so many make theÌ„selues away for despayre who are not Catholiks for they want this great and soueraign meanes of comsort persons as these are to seeke a wise and well experienced ghostly Father to whome they must lay open the roots of the temptation in such sort as that he may be satisfyed and possesâ—e the businesse And the penitent must giue entiere credit to him for therein consisteth the remedy of these persons who eyther for the litle that they know or the much passion that they haue are wholy vnfit to iudge themselues Now this ghostly Father must pray much to our Lord for the recouery of his patient nor must he be made weary if the penitent do many tymes aske him the same questions nor for other weaknesses which such vse to haue Nor must he wonder at them nor despise him for them but he must carry a cordiall and deep compassion towards him and (b) Galaâ—â— â— correct him in the spirit of meeknesse as S. Paul saith least himselfe grow also to be tempted eyther in that or somewhat else so he fynd to his cost how great humane weaknesse is He must recommend to him the reformation of his life and to resort to the remedies of the Sacramentes then assure him that there is no thought so deformed and so wicked as that it can defile the soule vnlesse it consent and let him giue him good hope that by the mercy of our Lord he shal be deliuered in fit tyme that in the meane whyle he must content himselfe to suffer that torment by those executioners in discharge of his sinnes and in imitation of that which Christ Iesus suffered The penitent being thus comforted and carrying his Crosse with patience and offering himselfe to the will of our Lord to carry it all his life if it be pleasing to God shall gaine more by that vinegar and gall which the Diuell gaue him then by the hony of deuotion which himselfe desired From hence it groweth that our soule being in the flower of her beginnings doth enter vpon yealding the fruite of perfect men since for merly we were sucking the milke of deuotion and now we can eate the bread with the (c) Note the true difference between beginners and proficieÌ„ts in spirit crust Sustaining our selues by the hard stones of temptation which he did cast before vs to try whether or no we were the sonnes of God as he proceeded with our Lord himselfe Thus do we fetch hony out of poison and health out of being wounded we come out of the tentations wel tried with a million of other blessings For which yet we must not giue the diuell thankes whose intention was not to make Crownes for vs but Chaiâ—es But (d) The infinite power wisedom goodnes of God the thankes we are to giue is to God that supreme Omnipotent Good who would neuer suffer any euill to happen if it were not to draw good from thence in a superiour kind of manner Nor would he suffer that enemy who is both his and ours to afflict vs if it were not for the great confusion of that enemy and for the good of him that is afflicted as it is written That (e) Psal 2. God will scoffe at these scoffers he that dwelleth in heauen will deride them For although this dragon play his part and doth in the sea of this world make a ieast as it were of tempting and vexing the seruantes of God yet it is God who indeed doth make a ieast of him because he draweth good out of the others mischeife And whylest the diuell thinkes that he doth vertuous men most harme it is then that he doth them most good whereat he is so confounded and ashamed that through his pryde and enuy he could wish that he had not begunne that enterprize which fell out so much to the aduantage of him whom he hateth And that mischeife and snare which he prepared for others hath cast it selfe about his own necke and he is choaked with enuy to see that the persons whom he tempted go free a way with this cheerfull song in their mouthes The (f) Psal â—â—â— sâ—are is broken and we are free our help is from our Lord who made heauen and earth CHAP. XXIX How the Diuell procureth by exteriour meanes to make vs giue ouer good exercises And how we must strengthen our hart by confidence in our Lord for the ouercomming of him And of other things which help to free vs from this feare and of the fruite of this temptation SO great is the enuy which the Diuells haue of our happinesse as that they alwayes endeauour to keepe vs from enioying that which themselues lost And when in any battayle they goe away ouercome by vs or to speake more truly by Almighty God they are still ranging more and more battailes if so peraduenture they may find some carelesse person to be defeated They change their weapons and their manner of fighting in hope that whom now they ouercame not they may afterward And so when they haue discouered that they could not intangle vs by craft for as much as we are guy ded by true Christian doctrine which telleth vs that we must commit our selues to the most iust will of God that patiently we must suffer what he sendeth vs eyther from without or within they resolue to denounce an open warre and he maketh himselfe a fierce Lion who was before a Dragon but concealed He aymeth at one thing and thrusteth at another and more boldly doth he procure to make himselfe be feared conceauing that he may obtaine that by giuing frightes which he was not able to doe by other crafty meanes Heere shall you see him not made a foxe but a fierce Lion who amazeth men
Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
excellent lesson coÌ„cerning the strict examinatioÌ„ of our coÌ„science as it were into the chapter-house with thy selfe towardes night and iudge thy selfe very particulerly as thou wouldest do any third person Reprehend thy selfe and punish thy selfe for thy faultes and preach thou more to thy selfe then to any other body how much so euer thou loue him and where thou findest most fault there procure to apply most remedy For belieue me that by the continuance of this examen and reprehension of thy selfe thy thoughts cannot continue long without being reformed And thou shalt ariue to a science which will doe thee much good and it will make thee weepe not swell and it will keep thee from that dangerous infirmity of pride which entreth euen insensibly by little and little a man thinking well and taking contentement in himselfe Be very watchful against the approach there of and preserue thy selfe with all care Take not thy selfe into good conceite but know by the light of truth how to reprehend be displeasing to thy selfe and so the mercy of God wil be neere thee in whose right they only are pleasing who are displeasing in their owne And he pardoneth their faultes with a great liberality of goodnesse who know them and who humble themselues for them with (d) But it must be a true one a true iudgement and who lament them by their will Thou shalt also hereby decline two other vices which are the ordinary companions of pride and they are ingratitude sloth For by knowing and misliking thy defects thou wilt see thy weakenesse and thy vnworthynesse and the great mercy of God in suffering pardoning thee in bestowing benedictions vpon thee who hast deserued misery and by this meanes thou wilt be gratefull And on the other side considering the little good thou doest the many sinnes which thou committest thou wilt be awaked out of the sleepe of slouth and wilt euery day begin with new feruour to serue our Lord seing the little that thou hast done hitherto For this and many other benefittes which grow from a mans knowing and reproouing himselfe a holy old man of ancient tymes being asked whether a man might be more secure by seruing God in solitude or in company of others did answeare That is he knew how to reprehend himselfe he might be euery where safe and if not that he would be euery where in daÌ„ger And because through the inordinate loue which we beare our selues we cannot know or reprehend our selues with that vnpartiall iudgement which truth requires we must (e) A hard lesson but by the goodnes and grace of our Lord Ieâ—â—â— it is learâ—ed practised by 〈◊〉 in the Catholike Church thanke that person that doth it for vs. And we must earnestly beseech our Lord that himselfe will rebuke vs with loue bestowing vpon vs light and truth that so we may belieue of our selues as we ought in very deed to belieue And this is that which the prophet (f) Ierem. 10. Ieremy desired saying Correct me o Lord in iudgement and not in sury least otherwise thou do turne me into nothing To correct with fury doth belong to the last day when God will send the wicked to hell for their synnes and to correct in iudgement is to reprehend his children in this world with the loue of a Father Which reprehension carrieth a great testimony with it that God loueth such a person Nor is there any other so sure an one as that nor which bringeth so good newes as being the preface to vs of our receiuing great fauours from God So doth S. Marke relate that our Lord Iesus Christ appearing to his disciples did (g) Mare 10. reprehend them of incredulity and hardnesse of hart and then he after gaue them power to doe wonderfull thinges And the prophet (h) Isa 4. Isay sayth That our Lord doth wash away the vncleanes of the daughters of Sion and the bloud out of the middle of Hierusalem in the spirit of iudgement and in the spirit of heate Giuing vs so to vnderstand that for our Lord to wash way our faultes by comming to vs is first to make vs know who we are and this is iudgement And afterward he sendeth in a spirit of heate which is loue and that prouoketh vs to griefe and so he washeth vs giuing vs pardon by his grace Of this we must not presume to allow our selues any part of the glory since it is he who first gaue vs to vnderstand our owne wickednesse and rashnesse Nor (i) A description of that true â—orrow for sinne which is of God yet art thou to conceaue that this reprehension is any afflictiue kind of thing which may excessiuely oppresse thy soule by making it offensiue to thee For any such disposition as this is eyther of the Diuell or of a mans owne spirit and it must be fled But it is a quiet knowledge of a mans owne faultes and as a iudgâ—ment of heauen which is pronounced in the soule which makes this earth of our infirmity quake with shame and feare and loue which clappe spurres into the sides to make it mende to serue our Lord with greater diligence Yea it giues a man much confidence that our Lord loueth him as his sonne since he exerciseth the office of a Father with him as it is written And (k) Prou. 3. whom he loueth he correcteth Be therefore carefull to behold and reprehend and to present thy selfe in the presence of God before whom an humble acknowledgement of our owne faultes is a matter of more security then the proude altitude of any other science And be not like some who loue to haue themselues in good estimation who because they are loth to thinke ill of themselues they take pleasure in spending much tyme to thinke of other deuout thinges and to passe lightly ouer the knowledge of their owne defects because they find no sauour in them since they take no pleasure in the contempt of themselues Whereas in very Truth there is nothing so safe nor which so maketh God withdraw his sight from our sinnes as for vs to see and to reprehend them with griefe and pennance As it is written If we did iudge our selues we should not be iudged by God CHAP. LXIII Of the estimation which we are to make of our good works that we may not fayle thereby in the knowledge of our selues and of true Humility and of the meruailous example which Christ our Lord doth giue vs for this purpose THE second thing that thou art to obserue concerning this knowledge is that although it be good and profitable since therby we come to haue a contrite and humbled hart yet hath it this fault that it is euer grounded vpon our hauing committed sinne And it is not to be much meruailed at if a sinner do know and esteeme himselfe to be a sinner For being such he should withal be a hideous monster if he would esteem
a sinner to whom the spirituall being of grace is wanting must be accounted notwithstanding all the greatnesse and riches that he may haue otherwise for nothing in the sight of God S. Paul expresseth this in this manner If I should haue the guift of prophesy and should know all mysteries and all science and should haue all Fayth so far as to remooue mountaines from one place to another and yet withall I should not haue charity I were nothing Which sentence is so highly true as that a sinner is yet worse then nothing because an euill being is worse then a not being And there is no place so base nor so cast out of the way nor so despicable in the eyes of God amongst all the things that are and are not as a man that liueth in offence of him being disinherited of heauen and adiudged to hell And to the end that thou mayst haue somewhat to rouse thee a little vp in the consideration of the miserable staâ—e of a sinner hearken to this When thou shalt set any thing which is very contrary to reason and much out of order consider that it is a most vgly and abhominable thing to be in the displeasure and emnity of our Lord. Thou hast heard men speake of some huge theft or treason or some other wickednesse which some woman may haue coÌ„mitted against her husband or of some high irreuerence which a sonne may haue expressed towards his Father or some other crimes of this nature which in the eye of any ignorant person whatsoeuer will instantly appeare to be foule because they are against all reason But thou must know that to offend God by one only sinne is (c) There is no comparison betweene these two a greater deformity in being against the Commandment giuen by him and the reuerence which is due to him then all the wicked actions that can be wrought in consideration that they are against reason only And since (d) A naturall and reasonable addresse thou seeft that al they are so much disesteemed who commit wickednes of that kind do thou esteeme thy selfe for a most contemptible creature and sincke thou downe into that profound pitt of being despised which is due to a person who offeÌ„deth God And as for thy knowing that thou wert nothing thou didst call that tyme to mind wherein thou hadst no being so now for the knowing of thy basenes and vilenesse call to mind the tyme when thou didst liue in the offence of God Behold as in wardly as feelingly as profoundly as leasurely as thou canst when in the eyes of God thou wert displeasing and deformed and esteemed nothing and lesse then nothing For neither vnreasonable liuing creatures nor others which haue no life how vgly base soeuer they be haue committed any sinne against our Lord. Nor are they vnder the obligation of eternal fire as thou wert And thus despise thou and abase thy selfe the most deeply aduisedly that thou canst for (e) There is nothing more assuredly true then this thou mayst safely belieue that how much soeuer thou do it thou wilt neuer be able to descend so low into the very abysse of contempt as is deserued by him who is the offendour of an infinite good which is God For (f) Our Lord grant that we may see it there till in heauen thou shalt see how good God is thou wilt not be able out-right to know how wicked sinne is and what misery he deserueth that committeth it But yet when thou hast soundly felt in thy soule and drunke deeply of this disesteem of thy selfe cast vp thyne eyes to God considering his infinite goodnes who drew thee out of such a deep pit which for thee it was impossible to haue done and behold that supreme goodnes which with so great mercy drew thee out whylest thou didst merit nothing towardes it nay when thou didst greatly demerit For till God giue his grace though al that which a man doth be not sinne yet neither doth he nor can he do any thing which may deserue his forgiuenes grace Know that he who drew thee out of darcknesse into his admirable light and made thee of an enemy a friend and of a slaue a child and of a creature that was good for nothing to become acceptable in his sight he I say who did this is God And (g) There is no reason of interest in the loue of God to vs God graunt there be nomotiue of interest in our loue to him the reason why he did it was not any former desert of thyne Nor any regard which he could haue to the seruice which thou mightest do him afterward but it was for his owne only goodnesse and by the merit of our only mediatour Iesus Christ our Lord. For thyne owne thou art to esteeme the vile state wherein thou wert and thou maiest accompt hell to be the place so due to such sinnes as thou didest or wouldst haue committed vnlesse it had byn for God For that which thou hast more then this acknowledge thy selfe to be a debter to him and to his grace Hearken to that which our Lord said to his beloued disciples and in them to vs. You (h) Ioan. 15. chose not me but I you Consider what the Apostle S. Paul (i) Rom. 3â— saith You are iustifyed gratis by the grace of God by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus And lodge this in thy hart that as thou hast thy being from God without any reason at all to giue the glory of it to thy selfe so doest thou also hold thy well-being from God and thou hast both the one and the other to his glory And carry in thy tongue and in thy hart that which S. Paul (k) Cor. 19. saith by the grace of God I am that which I am CHAP. LXVI Wherein the aforesaid exercise is prosecuted in particuler manner CONSIDER thou moreouer that as when thou wert nothing thou hadst no power to mooue thy selfe nor to see nor heare nor taste nor vnderstand nor will any thing but God giuing thee a being gaue thee also these faculties and forces so not only is the man being in mortall synne depriued of that being which is acceptable in the sight of God but he is without all power to doe the workes of life which may please him When therfore thou seest some lame man without leggs or armes thinke that so is a man without grace in his soule and if thou see one who is blind or deafe or dumbe take him for a glasse wherein thou mayst behold thy selfe in all those sicke persons who were leapers or paralytikes who had their bodies crookedly bent towards the ground not being able once to looke vp with all that multitude of diseases which they presented in the presence of Iesus Christ our true physitian do thou vnderstanding that wicked men are as much defeated in their spirituall partes as those others were in their corporal And obserue that
that not only during the space of eightteen houres which passed in the tyme of thy sacred Passion but for the whole course of three and thirty yeares from one fiue and twentith of March when thou didst become incarnate till another fiue and twentith of March and eight dayes after when thy life did leaue thee vpon the Crosse Thy (d) The great loue of God to vs is exempliâ—ied by diuers comparisons and proofs of holy Scripture selfe did call thy selfe a Mother when speaking to Hierusalem thou didst say How often (e) Watt 23. would I haue gathered thy children vnder my winges as the Hen doth her chickens but thon wouldest not And to giue vs to vnderstand that thy hart doth carry a particuler loue and tendernes towards vs thou didst compare thy selfe to a Hen which is the creature that is content in extraordinary manner to cast away her comfort and to afflict her selfe for that which concerneth her little ones Nor only art thou like the Hen in this but thou exceedest both that all other mothers in the world as by (f) Isa 49. Isay thy selfe didst say A mother perhaps may forget the sonne of her wombe well yet though she forget him I will not forget thee for I haue written thee in my handes and thy walles do euer stand before me Who O Lord shall be able though he dig neuer so deep to discouer those vnspeakable secrets of loue and sorrow which are in thy hart Thou doest not content thy selfe O Lord with carrying the lone of a Father towardes vs which might only be strong and patient in suffering the afflictions and troubles of a Father but to the end that no delightfull comfort might be wanting to vs not no vexation to thy selfe thou wouldst needs be also a Mother to vs in the tendernes of thy affection which causeth an vnspeakable kind of loue towards her children Yea and more art thou to vs then a Mother for of no Mother haue we read that to the end she might stil remember her sonne she hath written a booke whereof hard nayles of iron were the pen and her owne handes the paper and that by pressing those handes and passing them through with the nayles bloud may issue out insteed of inke which with grieuous payne may giue testimony of the great internall loue not suffering that to be forgotten which still she carryeth in her hands And if this which thou didst endure vpon the Crosse by hauing handes and feet so nayled to it be a thing which exceedeth all loue of Mothers who (g) Christ lesus our Lord became vpon the Crosse as it were a woman in trauaile shall recount that great loue and great griefe wherewith thou drewest all men into the wombe of thy hart groaning deeply for their sins with the groanes of labour like them of child-birth And that not for an houre nor for a day alone but for the whole tyme of thy life which lasted three and thirty yeares till at length like another Rachel thou diedst of trauell vpon the Crosse to the end that (h) Genes 35. Beniamin might be borne aliue The serpents which thou carriedst within thy selfe did giue thee O Lord such gripes that they made thee burst vpon the Crosse to the end that at the price of thy paines those serpents might be conuerted into the simplicity mildnesse of lambes and that in exchange of thy death they might obtaine a life of grace How iustly O Lord mayst thou cal men if thou considerest what thou hast suffered for them the Sonns of thy griefe as Rachel called her sonne since the griefe which their sinnes gaue thee was greater then the pleasure which they tooke by committing them And greater was thy humility and that breach of thy hart then the irreuerence and pride was which they expressed against the most high God when they offended him by breaking his law that so thy paines might ouercome our sinnes as the greater do the lesse More (i) The incomparable griefe of Christ our Lord for sinne is excellently desaâ—ibed O Lord did the sinnes of others grieue thee then any man hath bin euer grieued for his owne And if we read of some who had so great repentance for their sinnes as that their hart not being able to conteyne such griefe it did cost them their liues what sorrow was prouoked in thee by that vnmeasurable loue which thou didst carry both to God and man since one sparke of the same lone being cast into the harts of those others did oppresse them in such sort that it made them breake as if they had bin blowen vp with powder Of many we reade and we know that by hauing heard a newes which was very painefull to them did loose their liues And tell vs now O Lord for thy mercy how thou hadst force to out-liue such a bitter newes when all the sinnes of all mankind were first presented to thee thou louing men much more then any man euer loued another yea or euen himself Especially when thou didest coÌ„sider know that the misery which was hanging ouer theÌ„ for the same was greater then any other that could happen And where O Lord didst thou get strength to endure to see thy diuinity oftended and yet to liue since the loue which thou bearest both to it and men did exceed all measure Yet didst thou liue O Lord when thou heardst this newes yea and thou didst liue with the griefe thereof all the dayes of the life But vnles particuler force had bin giuen thee for the enduring of such sorrow it would not haue fayled to haue brought death vpon thee as lesse sorrow hath brought it vpon others So that O Lord they are many and not one only debt which I owe thee And although in regard of these sorrowes which as a mother thou didst endure for men with much reason thou mayst tearme them the sonnes of thy griefe as hath bin said yet as thou also art their Father thou mayst call them also the sonnes of thy right hand as (k) Gen. 35. Iacob did Because (l) The reformation of men doth manifest the power of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. in them is expressed and declared the greatnesse of thy hand which is thy power since thou drawest them out of sinne and dost place them in the state of grace euen in this life and at the later day shalt ranke them vpon thy right hand that so they may accompany thee in glory Being seated there in great security of repose as thou art O Lord at the right hand of thy Father where thou wilt esteeme all that which thou hast laboured and suffered for them to be well imployed CHAP. LXXXI Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawn out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other pointes and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise YF thou
his hauing been pleased to performe them first He hath commanded vs as hath beene sayd that we should heare him and behould him and encline our eare vnto him which is all most reasonable and easy For such a maister who will not heare Who will not be delighted in beholding such a delightfull light Who will not encline his eare to that infinite wisdome But (a) The example of the holy life of our Lord Iesus to the end that the thing which is light might be yet more light he was pleased to passe by the same law which he hath imposed vpon vs he performed it with great diligence He heareth vs he seeth vs he enclineth his eare to vs to the end that we may no loÌ„ger say there is none who looketh towards me none who hearkneth to my complaintes A (b) Look attentiuely to this consideraon great comfort it is for one that is in distresse to haue some body who at all tymes of both day and night will be at good leasure and in good humour to heare his difficultyes related and if without the fayling of any moment he stand looking vpon his miseryes and infirmityes and if he doe not so much as say I am weary of seeing those afflictions thy wounds and soares do turne my stomacke And although such a person were hard of heart we would yet be glad that he should euer heare and see vs. For we would hope that the gutter of our sorrowes which would fall vpon his heart by the conduit of his eares and eyes would one day eate into him and breed compassion since how hard soeuer he were he would not be more hard then stone which yet is wrought vpon by the fall of water although sometimes that water cease to fall And although we knew that he were not able to relieue our miseries yet should we comfort our selues much by the only compassion which he might haue of our case Now (c) The case applyed if we should owe much gratitude to such a person how great must that be which we owe to our Lord And how ioyfull ought we to be in that his eyes and eares are bent vpon the sight of our afflictions and that he doth not at any tyme retire them from vs. And this is done by him not with any hardenesse of hart but with internall and profound mercy and not with mercy of the hart alone but with entire power to relieue our necessities Be (d) God doth euer heare our coÌ„plaints he is inclined to pitty our ease he is highly able to help vs. thou O Lord eternally blessed who art neither deafe nor blind to our afflictions since thou doest euer heare and see them Nor art thou cruell since of thee it is said Our Lord is a worker (e) Psal 10â— of mercies and he is of a mercifull hart he expecteth vs and he is very mercifull Nor is he weake withall since all the miseries and sinnes of the world are both weake few if they be compared to his infinite power which hath no end nor measure We read that in tymes past God gaue a meruailous victory to King (f) 4. Reg. 10. Fzechias ouer his enemies who as some relate did not yield those thankes and sing those praises to our Lord which were both due and accustomed to be presented in such cases For which offence God (g) A great example of â—ods mercy and mans misery did cast him into a sicknesse and that so dangerous that humanely speaking it could expect no cure And least through a vayne hope of life he might forget to set his soule in order the Prophet Isay was sent to him and he said by the commaundment of God This saith our Lord Dispose of the affayres of thy house for know that thou shalt dye and not line The King being frighted by these wordes turned his face towards the wall and wept with great lamentation imploring the mercy of our Lord. He considered how iustly he had deserued death since he had not bin gratefull to him who had giuen him his life and he reflected vpon the sentence which had already passed on him which said Thou shalt not line Ho found not that there was any thing superiour to him who had passed that sentence that so he might procure to haue it reuersed And although there had bin any such yet would not his title haue bin good For from the man who is vngratefull that is iustly taken away which was mercifully afforded to him He saw that he was but a man of middle age and that the line of Dauid was to fayle in his person for then he was to haue dyed without children And besides all this he was assalted by all the sinnes of his life past the feare wherof is wont to presse men most in that last houre And by these things his hart was euen broken with griefe and troubled like a tempestuous sea and which way soeuer he looked he found reasons of sorrow and feare But (h) They are sure of remedy who haue recourse to prayer especially if they resort to it immediately after the occasion is ministred yet in the middest of so many miseries the good King met with a remedy and it was to aske physicke at his handes who had made him sicke and security of him by whome he had bin frighted and to conuert himselfe to him by hope and pennance from whome he had fled before through pride Yea and of the iudge himselfe he desires that he will become his aduocate and he falls vpon an inuention how to appeale from God not as to any other more high then he but from himselfe being iust to himselfe being mercifull And the reasons of his defence are no other then the accusations of himselfe and the Rhetorike that he vseth are but sighes and teares And by these meanes he is able to preuaile so farre in that court of Chancery of the diuine mercy that before the prophet Isay who was the proclaymer of the sentence of his death could go but haâ—fe way ouer the Kings chamber our Lord sayd to him Returne and say thus to King Ezechias that Captaine of my people I haue heard thy prayer and I haue seene thy teares I grant thee health and I giue thee moreouer fifteene yeares of life and I will deliuer this Citty out of the handes of thine enemies What is this O Lord So soone doest thou sheath thy sword agayne so soone doest thou turne thy anger into mercy Can a few teares which are shed not in the Temple but in the corner of a bed whilest the eyes looke not vp to heauen but vpon a wal make thee so soone reuoke that sentence which thy maiesty had giuen and commaunded to be notifyed to that guilty person What (l) The pardon of God to man is instant and amorous without vpbrayding is then becomâ— of coppying out the whole processe what of the costes of the suite what of the
tearmes that haue bin giuen what of the producing of the testimonies both of the plaintiffe and defendant and what can be said to this That the iudge ought to esteeme himselfe to haue receiued an affront if his sentence be reuoked Thou doest passe ouer it all by the loue which thou bearest and by the desire which thou hast to powre blessings downe vpon vs. And thou saidst I haue heard thy prayer and I haue seene thy teares All tearms seeme long till thou mayst free him that is faulty for neuer did any man so desire to receaue pardoÌ„ as thou dost to giue it and more doest thou ioy to pardon them to whome thou desirest to giue life then the sinner doth himselfe for hauing escaped from death Thou obseruedst no ordinary delayes or lawes but the law shall be That he who hath broken thy lawes shall afflict his hart with griefe for what is past and shall purpose an amendment of life for that which is to come and shall apply the wholesome receites of thy Sacraments which thou didst leaue in thy Church or at least shal haue intention to take them And the delayes shall be these That (k) Ezech. 33. whensoeuer a sinner shall be deeply sorry for his sinnes thou wilt remember them no longer And to the end that sinners may take hart in crauing thy pardon for their offences thou wert pleased to graunt this man more fauour then he asked of thee by fifteene yeares of life and the deliuery of his Citty and the retraite of the Sunne as far as it is wont to walke in ten houres in token that vpon the third day after that the King should go vp into the Temple safe and sound And thou wert mercifull by vouchsafing him other secret fauours who neither yet wouldst suffer sinne to approach to vs but only for the bringing of greater good from thence letting vs see thy mercy by our misery and thy pardon and goodnes by our wickednes and thy power by our weakenesse Therefore (l) A conclusionful ful of comfort thou O sinner whosoeuer thou be who art threatned by that sentence of God which (m) Ezech. 18. sayth The soule that sinneth the same shall dye be not yet all dismayed vnder the burthen of thy great sinnes and that insuportable waight of the wrath of God But taking courage in the consideration of the mercyes of him who (n) Ezech. 33. desireth not the death of a sinner but that he may be conuerted and liue do thou humble thy selfe by weeping in his sight whome thou hast despised by committing sinne And then receaue thy pardon from the hand of that piteous Father who (o) Infinit goodnes of God hath so very great desire to giue it yea and to impart greater blessings to thee then thou hadst before As he did to this King who rose vp sound in body sound â—n soule as appeared by the thankes he gaue in these wordes Thou (p) Isa 38. O Lord hast deliuered my soule that it might not perish and thou hast cast away my sinnes behind thy backe CHAP. LXXXIII Of two threats which God vseth to expresse One absolute and the other conditionall and of two kinds of promises like those threats and how we are to carry our selues when they arriue THov art not to be scandalized in that the word vvhich was spoken to this King Thou shalt dye and thou shalt not liue was not accomplished But thou art to know That sometymes our Lord commandeth that to be declared which he hath determined to be effected in his high counsell and eternall will and that vvillbe sure without all fayle to arriue In this sort he commanded that it should be told King Saul That he would cast him off and choose a better in his place And so also did he threaten Hely the Priest and accordingly it was fullfilled And in the same manner he also menaced King Dauid That he would kill that sonne of his whome in adultery he had begotten of Bersabee And notwithstanding the earnest suit which the King made for the life of the child by prayers by hairecloth and by fastes it was not graunted for God had resolued that the child should dye But (a) That which sometime may seem to be denounced by God as absolute is but meant to be conditionall at other tymes he commandeth that to be published vpon which he hath not absolutly resolued but only vpon condition of the mending or not mending such a fault And in this sort he sent word to the Citty of Niniue That within fourty dayes it should be destroyed But afterward by their pennance he did reuoke that sentence for he had not determined to destroy them because he did it not But he declared what their sinnes deserued and what also would haue happened if their liues had not beene reformed And although considering thinges after an exteriour manner it seemed to fauour of inconstancy to say that it shal be destroyed and not to destroy it yet is it not so in that high will of God because he did not absolutely meane to do it For as S. Augustine sayth God varieth his sentence but he changeth not his counsell Which in this case was not to destroy it but not to destroy it by means of their pennance which he resolued to incite them to by that menace And this is that which our Lord sayth by (b) Hier. 18. Heremy Suddainly will I say to Nations and Kingdoms That I will destroy them and roote them out but if that people do pennance for their sinnes I will also repent my selfe of the euill which I meant to bring vpon them and I will instantly say of Nations and Kingdomes That I will plant them and build them vp But if they worke wickednes in my sight and do not hearken to my voice I also will repent my selfe of the good which I sayd that I meant to do them The (c) What vse we are to make of not knowing whether any thing which God denounceth be an absolute sentence or a coÌ„ditionall threat vse which we are to make heerof is this That because we know not when that vvherewith God doth threaten vs is but only a threat or whether it be a finall determinatioÌ„ we must not cast our selues vpon despaire nor forbeare to implore his mercy that so he may be pleased to reuoke the sentence which he gaue against vs as he did to this King and to the citty of Niniue who did both of them get their suits And though Dauid did not obtaine his yet did he not sinne in beseeching our Lord to reuoke the sentence coÌ„cerning him because it appeared not to him whether it were a decree or a threat And in the same manner if God make a promise to affoard vs any blessing we must not vse neglect in seruing him by saying I haue a byll that is written by the hand of God which can deceaue no body For the same Lord (d)
were deafe For incomparably more acceptable to God was the voyce of Christ and of his Passion and death which demaunded pardon then all the sinnes of the whole world are offensiue demaunding vengeance What doest thou thinke that (h) The profound silence of Christ our Lord in his sacred passion the silence of Christ did procure and that he made him selfe as deafe who did not heare and as a dumbe man who did not open his mouth when he was accused Without doubt since the sinnes of them who by their mouth accused Christ did make a noyse which was full of lyes against him who was not guilty and when he in the meane tyme would needes hold his peace who yet might haue answered them with all iustice it is but due that the rest of the world may not be accused of their sinnes by the Diuells though of it selfe this might be iustly done but that they should be dumbe because they had accused him who was innocent And that since he would needs be (i) Sicâ—â— mutus non aperiâ—â—s os suum deafe who yet was so well able to answere it is but reason that the diuine iustice to which Christ offered himselfe for vs should also make it selfe as deafe though we haue done thinges which require vengeance Reioyce therefore O thou spouse of Christ and let all sinners reioyce if indeed they be sorry for hauing sinned and if they dispose themselues to take the (k) Contrition ConfessioÌ„ and Satisfaction remedyes which are in the Catholike Church For God is deafe towards the punishment of our sinnes but hath his eares wide open towardes the hearing of our prayers with mercy Feare not thy accusers nor those outcryes although thou haue giuen cause thereof since Christ was accused and by his silence did strike dumbe the clamour of our sinnes It was (l) Isa 35. prophesied that he would be silent as the lambe is before the shearer But (m) The great profit which we reape by the silence that Christ our Lord did vse in his sacred Passion when most he was silent and did suffer most in the sight of men so much greater were the out cryes which he gaue to the diuine iust 〈◊〉 by paying for vs. And these out cryes were heard as S. Paul (n) Hebr. 5. sayth for his reuerence that is for his great humility and for the reuerence wherewith he humbled himselfe to his Father euen to death and that of the Crosse reuearing in as much as he was man that superexcellent diuine Maiesty and loosing his life for the honour of it He was heard I say by his Father of whome it was written He (o) Psal 102. regarded the prayer of the humble and despised not their petition Now who is so humble as our Blessed Lord who sayd Learne (p) Matt. 11. of me for I am meâ—ke and humble of hart And therefore he was heard as before it was prophesyed in his person Our q Psal 21. Lord did not remooue his face from me and when I cryed out he heard me And the same Lord of ours sayth in the Ghospell I giue (r) Ioan. 21. thee thankes O Father because thou doest euer heare me Now since the Father doth heare him when he prayeth for thee and that the obtayning of grace whereby thou mayst be made iust that so thou maist be heard by God did cost him so dear procure to get it if thou haue it not and if thou haue it employ it in offering vp prayers to God since to such prayers his eares are open And as we must heare our Lord with the Prophet Samuel when he sayth Speake (Å¿) 1. Râ—g â— Lord for thy seruant heareth so doth our Lord say to vs Speake seruant for thy Lord heareth thee And as we sayd long before that our hearing the voyce of God must not be the only hearing of the sound of the wordes but to belieue them and to be pleased in them to put them in execution so the eares of our Lord are opened by the loue of Christ not only to heare what we say for so also doth he heare the blasphemies which are spoken of him and which offend him but our Lord doth heare our petitions in such sort as to performe them And to the end that thou mayst see how true it is that our Lord doth heare the deep sighes that we present to him hearken thou to that which the â—aâ—â—â—e Lord sayth by (t) Isa 65. Isaias Before they call I will heare them O blessed be that holding thy peace O Lord for both within and without didst thou hold thy peace vpon that day of thy Passion Out wardly by not cursing or so much as answearing and in wardly by not contradicting but accepting with great patience those blowes and cryes and paynes of thy passion For thereby thou didst so speake in the eares of God as that we may be heard euen before we speake Nor is this any great meruaile for (u) The inestimable prouidence and goodnes of God in Christ our Lord. as much as we being yet nothing thou didst make vs and before we could aske thee any thing thou didst maintayne vs both within and without the wombe of our Mother and before we knew what it was that might do vs good thou gauest vs the adoption of Sonnes and the grace of the Holy Ghost in holy Baptisme And before we had beene ouerthrowne by sinne thou didst keep vs and when vve were fallen through our own fault thou didst raise vs vp and thou didst seek vs when we sought not thee And that which is more before we were borne thou hadst already dyed for vs and prepared heauen for vs. It is not therefore any wonder that of whome thou hadst so much care before they had any of thee thou haue it also in this particuler And that thou dost giue vs that many times wherof thou seest vs to haue need without expecting that we should weary our selues so much as to aske it since thou didst weary thy selfe so much both in asking and procuring it for vs. What shall we giue thee O most blessed Iesus for this silence which thou didst vse before them vvho did so hate and hurt thee And what shall vve giue thee for those loud cryes so full of loue vvhich thou gauest for vs before thy Father O (x) A deuout contemplation that it were pleasing to thy infinite goodnes to do vs so great a fauour as that we might be so silent towardes the offence of thee and so willing to suffer that which thou vvouldst do with vs as if we vvere so many dead men And that we vvere so full of life towardes the vttering of voyces in thy prayse that neither we whome thou hast redeemed nor the heauens nor the earth nor that which is vnder the earth nor any of that which is in them all might euer cease with the very extremity of all our strength and theirs to sing
thing which was to be offered for the taking away of sinne might be subiect to no imperfection or fault Now (h) The necessity which we were in that Christ our Lord should be sacrificed for vs. because no man was without synne this great Priest of ours had nothing else to offer but himselfe making him that was the Priest to be also the sacrifice offering vp himselfe to himselfe he being cleane that he might cleanse vs who were defiled he who was iust to iustify vs who are sinners he who vvas acceptable and esteemed to the end that we might be receiued into fauour Who in our owne respects were offensiue and vnbeloued And this sacrifice was of so high valew both in regard of the thing it selfe and in respect of him who did offer it which is al one that we who were separated from God like lost sheepe were brought backe all washed and sanctifyed and made worthy to be offered vp to God Not that we had any thing of our owne stocke which was fit to please him but being bedewed by the bloud of this Pastour and being adorned with the beauty of his grace and iustice which is bestowed vpon vs for our Lords sake and being incorporated to him we are cleansed from our sinnes and we are beheld by God and made acceptable to him as a sacrifice offered vp by this high Priest and pastour This did (i) 1. Pet. â— S. Peter thus expresse Christ dyed once for vs to the end that he might offer vs vp to God being mortifyed in the flesh and quickned in the spirit And so it appeares how our Abel doth offer vp an oblation out of his flocke which God beheld because (k) Agnus occisus ab origine inuâ—ds first he had beheld his most deare sonne And as there visible fire came downe vpon the sacrifice so also did fire come heere vpon the day of Pentecost in the forme of tongues And this hapned after Christ ascended vp to heauen where he might appeare to the face of God for vs. To the end that we might vnderstand that from the cast of the countenance of God vpon the face of Christ which as it is said (l) Hester â—worâ— of Hesther is full of grace came that fire of the holy Ghost which burnt those giftes which this great Pastour and Bishop offered vp to his Father and they were his disciples both such as were then present and such others as were to follow afterward And as God promised to Noë that whensoeuer it should raine much he was to looke vpon the bow which he placed in the cloudes in token of the league which he made with men not to destroy the earth any more by water so much more God beholding his Sonne being layd vpon the Crosse hauing his armes spread abroad in the forme of a bow doth take the arrowes which he was about to shoot out of that other rigorous bow of his and insteed of punishing he doth imbrace vs being more ouercome to shew vs mercy by this strong bow which is Christ then he was induced by our sinnes to punish vs. And howsoeuer we went wandring away with our backes turned towardes the light which is God and that we would not looke vpon him but passe our dayes in the darcknesse of sinne yet we are brought backe by him vpon his shoulders And because it is (m) It is only for the loue of Christ that God behouldeth sinners with mercy he that bringeth vs our Lord God looketh vpon vs and he maketh vs also looke on him And he hath so particuler care of vs that not for so much as any one moment of time doth he remooue his eyes from vs least other wise we should vndoe our selues Whence dost thou thinke did proceed this amourous word which God did speak to a sinner thereby to draw him to repentance I will (n) Psalâ—â— 21. giue thee vnderstanding and will teach thee the way wherein thou art to walke and vpon thee will I place myne eyes but only from that amorous countenance wherewith God beholdeth Iesus Christ who is the wisdome which teacheth vs the true way wherein we may walke without stumbling and the true pastour as he is man by whome we are beheld who as he is God beholdeth vs. Remoouing (o) Note heere a liuely and deare description of the innumerable wayes whereby Almighty â—od sheweth mercy towarde vs through Christ our Lord. the daungers that are before vs wherinto he knoweth that we would fall hereafter holding vs fast against such as do assault vs at the present and deliuering vs from them into which by our fault we haue fallen euer thinking of that which importeth vs though our selues be full of negligence remembring our good when we forget his seruice watching ouer vs when we sleepe keeping vs close to himselfe when we would faine be gone calling vs backe when we fly giuing vs imbracementes when we returne being euer the last in breaking of friendship and the first who begges the renewing of it though he were the person offended and carrying in all and throughout all such a watchfull amorous eye ouer vs as ordaineth all thinges for our good What shall we say or what shall we do for so great fauours but giue thankes to this true Pastour who to the end that his sheep might not be estranged from the eyes of God did offer his owne face to so many affrontes That his Father seing him so afflicted and yet vvithout all fault might behold such as indeed vvere faulty vvith the eyes of mercy And to the end that we might carry this word engrauen both in our harts and vpon our tongues Looke O Lord vpon the face of thy Christ. Knowing well by great experience that God doth much better both heare and see and encline his care to vs then we do to him CHAP. LXXXVIII How it is to be vnderstood that Christ is our Iustice least otherwise we should fall into some errour by conceaning that iust persons haue not a distinct iustice from that whereby Iesus Christ is inst SO much (a) I beseech the Protestát reader vpon my knees that he will reade this following discourse without passion is the cockle which our enemy hath sowed in their hartes who will belieue him that he induceth them to draw peruerse opinions out of the wordes of holy Scripture which speak of this most sweet mystery of Iesus Christ our Lord and of the benefits which we possesse by him and in him Whereof I thought it fit to aduertise thee that so thou mightest be free from danger Do not thou conceaue that because Christ is called our iustice or because it is sayd That (b) Ephes 2. we are made acceptable to God in him or in fine by such other wordes as these that therefore I say they who are in the state of grace haue not a iustice in them which is theirs whereby they become iust acceptable to God and which
make vs know that neither we haue that blessing of our selues nor yet that in our selues we can conserue it sometymes the Apostle sayth That (m) 1. Cor. 2. those blessinges are not ours and that we do not obtaine them for our selues as where our Lord sayth to his disciples You (n) Ioan. 15. chose not me but I chose you And in another place he sayth It (o) Matt. 10. is not you that speake but the spirit of your Father speaketh in you And least any body might vnderstand by this that a man were not able to workâ— well and with liberty the Scripture sayth in other places That (p) Ezech. 30. man doth performe such a good work without making mention of any thing which therein is done by God I sayth God by (q) Ezech. 1â— Ezechiel will giue you a new hart the same Prophet sayth Make to your selues a new hart S. Paul (r) Rom. 9. sayth in one place It is neither he that willeth nor he that runneth And yet elsewhere he sayth againe I (Å¿) 1. Cor. 9. will that which is good and I runne not as to any thing vncertaine And the like he sayth often elsewhere to giue vs therby to vnderstand That (t) The true Catholike doctrine concerning this point is heer summed vp into one sentence the good which we haue we haue of God that both God man do concur to the accomplishment of a good worke but yet so as that the glory both of the one and the other is due to God since all that which is good doth come from him And by the same manner of speach our Lord expressed himselfe when he sayd My (u) Ioan. 7. doctrine is not myne but his that sent me And so he might haue sayd My workes are not myne my iustice is not myne but of him that sent me And he that by this manner of speach should inferre that our Lord had not iustice or doctrine or other blessings in himselfe would be easily discerned to be in a grosse and wicked errour His saying My doctrine is not myne doth but affirme thus much I haue it not of my selfe but of my Father and so by the like wordes it ought not to be inferred That iust persons haue no iustice in them which is their owne And with this agreeth that which is sayd in the (x) Sess â—de Iustif Councell of Trent That the iustice is ours because we are iustifyed by it whilst it is in our soules as in a subiect And that which our Lord sayth both heere and elsewhere also by that speach of his The word which you haue heard is not myne doth also agree with that which hath heere beene sayd because howsoeuer iustice is in vs yet haue we it not of our selues but it is imparted by the hand of God and therefore it is sayd to be the iustice of God CHAP. XCII That we must fly fast from pride which is wont to grow vp apace by occasion of good workes considering the much which is merited by them and of a particuler instruction which Christ hath giuen vs whereby we may profit against this tentation THERE (a) It it a good thing to know a truth which it doth import vs to know but it is better if we know how to vse it wel is a great deale of difference betweene the knowing of a Truth and the knowing how to vse it rightly for the first without the later will not only profit nothing but do hurt For as S Paul sayth He that thinketh he knoweth somwhat may perhaps not know it as he ought And this he sayd because some Christians knew that the thing which was sacrificed vp to Idolls might as well be eaten as that which was not sacrificed but they serued themselues ill of that knowledge because they did eate thereof in the presence of such as were scandalized thereat All (b) The end that the Author had in making this discourie this haue I sayd to thee to the end that thou mayst not content thy selfe with knowing this Truth That such as are in the grace of our Lord are iust and acceptable by that grace and iustice which is in them and that the valew of their good workes is so high as to deserue that this grace should be augmented in them and that glory also should be imparted to them but that thou mayst also procure to lodge this truth in his true place For men there are who vse it ill more or lesse the former running hazard of being proud and the later of pusillanimity and sloath Many (c) It is often more easy to come to pennance froÌ„ sin then for men of vertue to mantaine themselus in humility haue I seene who by the goodnes of God became free in a short tyme from great miseries wherein they had remayned a long tyme and the same men haue not bin free in many yeares from those dangers which presented themselues by occasion of their good workes Remember that which Dauid (d) Psalm 139. said That wicked persons did spread a snare for him neere his way yea and that also they did spread it in the very way For not only do our enemies pretend to draw vs out of the good way by inciting vs to do ill but euen in the very way it selfe of good workes they procure to do vs mischiefe prouoking vs not to vse the good as we ought And so that cometh to be verifyed vpon vs which the (c) Eccles 5. Wise man saith Another mischeife haue I seene vnder the sunne Great riches heaped vp in preiudice of the owner For it were better for a man not to haue a thing then not to vse it as he ought To these men it happens that seing the good workes which they do and hearing talke of the much which they merit by them their heades run round with the vanity and conceited delight thereof (f) Consideration which may seruâ— for the preuenting of pride or at least for the curing of it without considering the many faultes which in those very workes they commit and without acknowledging them to come from the mercy of God as indeed they do and without procuring to passe further on like people of a little and empty hart which is satisfyed with small matters Whereas on the other side it is reason as S. Bernard saith That we should not be negligent whilest we coÌ„sider those things which God doth in vs but sollicitous to obtaine the much which yet is wanting to vs. Some others againe there are so blind through an ignorant kind of Pride as that how soeuer (g) This seemeth not so impossible as indeed it is true their tongue be saying somwhat else yet their hart doth really belieue that God is bound to giue theÌ„ all such benefittes for their meritts without considering that euen they are giuen them by the grace of God as they shall desyre or may hope for at his
(c) An incomparable fauour of God an incomparable fauour that he hath so close at hand so fit a means to shew and exercise the loue which he beareth to Christ Iesus the (f) He alludeth to Iacob seruing for Rachel labour seeming small which he endureth for his Neighbour and the yeares seeming short through the strength of that loue which he carryeth to Christ for himselfe and to others for the loue of him and in him And euer doth he carry at his hart that to which our enamoured Lord did so straitly enioyne vs when he sayd My (g) Ioan. 13. commandement is this that you loue one another as I haue loued you CHAP. XCVI Of another consideration which teacheth vs in excellent manner how we are to carry our selues with our Neighbours ADD thou to this another consideration of how thou art to behold thy Neighbours and it is That although on the one side it be a most certaine truth that our Lord doth not seek or expect any returne of retribution for the benefites that he bestowes yet in other respectes we find it true that he giueth nothing at all for which he expecteth it not Yet this is not in regard of himselfe who is so rich and who cannot increase in being so and what he giueth he giueth men for pure loue but the returne that he desires is in respect of our Neighbours who haue necessity to be esteemed beloued and succoured Iust as if a man had lent much money to another and done great matters for him and then should say For all that which I haue done for thee I haue no need that thou shouldest make me any payment but all the title that I make against thee I transferre and passe ouer to the person of such an one who is in necessity or who is my kinsman or my seruant Pay that to him which thou owest to me I shall hold my selfe for well satisfyed In this (a) A consideration of great force towardes charitable conuersation with our neighbours manner let a Christian enter into accoumpt with God and let him consider what he hath receaued of him as wel by the afflictions and death which the sonne of God endured for him as by the other particuler mercyes which since his creatiō were powred vpon him Not punishing him for his sinnes nor driuing him a way for his infirmityes but expecting him to come to pennance pardoning him as oft as he desired it giuing him benefits in requitall of the sinnes that he cōmitted with other innumerable blessings which exceed all possibility of being reckoned And let him thinke that this way of amorous trafficke of God towards him is to be a kind of (b) A good rule whereby we may grow to esteem loue our Neighbours patterne rule for the conuersation which a man ought to hold with his neighbour And that the intentiō wher with God imparted to him so many fauours was to giue him to vnderstand that howsoeuer his neighbour might not perhaps deserue to be tolerated or beloued or relieued for his owne respect yet God is pleased that the benefit which the other deserueth not for himselfe should be imparted to that other for the obligation whereby he is bound to God and that he should esteeme himselfe to be indebted and euen a very slaue to others whilest he looketh vpon God For God looking vpon men did not fynd that he ought any thing to any body and he will haue that person who is in necessity to demaund succour vnder this title Do thou this for me since God hath done the same for thee And (c) Apoint which it much cōcerneth men to consider let such a person be sure to take heed how he be vnkind or cruell towardes one that hath need of help least God be so towardes him depriuing him of the benefits which already he had imparted and punishing him as vngratefull for the pardon of his former sinnes as he proceeded with that wicked seruant who hauing receiued at the handes of his Lord a release for the debt of ten thousand talentes was of a cruell hart towards his neighbour casting him into prison because he ought him a trifle being neyther content to let him keep his liberty or yet to giue him day And that Lord of whome it is not read that he was so much as angry with his seruant for imbezeling so great a summe as that of ten thousand talents is but did shew such mercy towards him as that desiring time he gaue him time and liberty yea and he pardoned him his debt is now in so great indignation at the cruelty which he vsed towards his neighbour that seuerely he rebuked him saying thus Thou wicked seruant I pardoned thee all that which thou owedst me because thou didst desyre it at my handes (d) How displeasing it is to God that we be hard-harted one to another had it not therefore bin reason that thou shouldst haue shewed mercy to thy neighbour as I shewed it to thee And in this wrath of his he deliuered him ouer to the tormentours till he should pay euen that whole debt which already he had released to him Not that God doth punish the sinnes which he hath once forgiuen but he punisheth the ingratitud of the man who is forgiuen which ingratitude is so much the greater as his sinnes forgiuen were greater and more enormous And although it may well be thought that the seruant of whome I haue spoken did cry out for pardon vnto his Lord yet is it likely that he would answeare as it is written The man who shutteth his cares against the cry of the poore shall cry out himselfe and not be heard Resolue therefore thou O Virgin that beholding thy selfe and beholding in Christ both what he is and the benefittes which thou hast receiued at his handes it is reason that in thy hart there be engendred an estimation of loue towardes thy neighbour so very great as that nothing may be able to remooue it And when the inclination of flesh bloud shall say to thee What (e) The practise of this doctrine is of great force towards the indaming vs to the loue of our neighbours do I owe that person that I should affoard him this benefit or how can I loue him who hath done me such a mischiefe Make thou this answeare That perhaps thou wouldest giue eare to the motion if the cause of thy loue were no other then thy neighbour as he is considered in himselfe but since it is Christ who receiueth any benefit or pardon which is giuen vnto a mans neighbour as if it were giuen to himselfe what reason I pray you is there why my neighbours being this or doing that should haue power to hinder my affection the fruites thereo◠which are good workes since therein I pretend not to haue any thing to do with him but with Christ. And by this meanes will thy hart burne in charity in such
that we must vse against these temptations AT other tymes the Diuell vseth to fright vs by drawing thoughtes vnto our mind which are soule and abominable against fayth and the mysteries of God And he maketh him who hath them conceyue that they proceed from the man himselfe and that he consenteth to them And hereby he giueth him so great affliction as to depriue his soule of all alacrity and he maketh it belieue that it is cast of by God and condemned by him and doth put him into an humour of despayre by telling him that it is impossible for him to belodged in anyother place but hell since he holdeth blasphemies and such other incidentes to that place The (a) Note diuell is not such a Dunse as not to vnderstand that a Catholike Christian can neuer come to consent to thinges which are so detested by his Christian hart but the meaning is to dismay him that so he may loose the confidence which he had in God and being tormented with such importunities may grow to loose his patience and so carry a hart in his body which is full of tempest and disgust that being a thing whereby the diuells vse to make much haruest through the disposition which vpon this occasion men haue to receyue what euill impression the same diuells will The (b) A mayne poynt of all points first thing then which we are to do if it be not done already is to consider our conscience with care and great repose of mind and to cleanse it by confession from all that euill which we find therein and to put it into such order neither more nor lesse then if we were that day to dy and from thence forth to liue with greater care in the seruice of our Lord then before For it hapneth sometymes that our soueraigne iudge permitteth these fearefull things to come vpon vs against our will in punishment of other thinges which we haue willingly fallen into and for the negligence which we haue vsed in his seruice which our Lord is disposed to cure by a scourge that shall smart so much as that being bruized thereby we may for beare to feed vpon forbidden fruite and that we may put on a pace in our way as an vnreasonable creature would doe when he were followed by the whippe Sometymes our Lord sendeth this torment for other endes which to his high wisedome are not vnknowen But whether it be sent for these or the former reasons euery one is to do as hath byn sayd by purifying his conscience growing diligent in Gods seruice for this remedy can hurt none and it will do good to all And their confiding in the mercy of God and desyring succour of him if yet he cannot giue ouer to heare this Language because the diuell is able whether we will or no to bring these thoughts and inward speaches to our mind let the man at least proceed by way of action as if he heard them not and let him remaine in peace without afflicting himselfe vpon that occasion without (c) There is nothing to be gotté by arguing with the diuell changing of words or making answears to the enemy according to that of (d) Psalm 37. Dauid As one that is deafe I did not heare and as one that is dumbe I did not open my mouth These things are hard to be belieued by such as are ignorant of the diuells craft but if they giue not ouer to thinke or do the good thinges they were about and if they employ not themselues in hearing and catching at and killing those former thoughtes as they would do flyes they presently thinke that they haue consented thereunto But they know not what great difference there is (e) Great errours grow in the mind◠of many for want of wel cōsidering this difference betweene hearing and consenting And so much the more as those thoghts are highly abominable so much more cōfidence may they haue in our Lord that he will preserue them from consenting to so extreame wickednesse to which they carried no inclination but detestation The (f) Note best remedy is therefore through a quiet kind of dissimulation not to seeme to valew them for there is nothing which doth more afflict the diuell vvho is so proud then to contemne him with such a downright contempt as not to make any reckoning eyther of him or of that which he bringeth for our trouble Nor is there any thing so dangerous as to hold argument with one that can so easily ouer reach vs and the best of our case wil be that he will make vs loose our tyme and giue ouer the good that we were wont to do We must therfore shut the dore of our vnderstanding as hard as we can and vnite our selues to God and make no answeare to our enemy And for our satisfaction and consolation we must diuers times euery day declare our selues to belieue that which our holy Mother the Church belieueth and that we haue no will at all to consent to any such false and foule conceits Let vs say vnto our Lord as it is written O Lord I suffer violence answeare thou for me And we must hope in his mercy that he will do so For the victory in this combat dependeth not vpon the only labour of our armes but the principall is to inuoke our Lord omnipotent and to shrowd our solues vnder him Whereas if we should vse much discourse and make many answeares to our enemies how can we desire of God that he will answeare for vs. You saith (g) Exod. 14. the Scripture shall hold your peace and our Lord shall fight for you And in another place Isay saith (h) Note In silence and hope thy strength shal be And in failing of either of these two thinges instantly a man groweth weake and troubled but by this silence with a not seeming to heare togeather with hauing a good hope I haue seene many cured in shortty me of this great affliction and that the Diuell hath growen to hold his peace finding that they neither heard nor answeared him And it is after the manner of little country dogges that barcke if he that passeth hold his peace they do so too or else they barke but so much the more CHAP. XXVI How the Diuell endeauours by meanes of the aforesaid temptations to remooue vs from our deuotion and good exercises and that our remedy is to increase therein laying aside all superfluous desyre of feeling spirituall sweetnesse in the soule and to what end these also may be desyred BVT some (a) Note this Chapter well for it may profit much weake man will say These wicked thoughts take deuotion from me and the nearer I am to be deuout and diligent in good workes the more they presse me to the end that I may not heare them I grow to haue a desyre to giue ouer the good worke that I began But the answeare is cleare For this is that very