a right sure stronge defence the more that the dyuell depresseth man by the conscience of his synnes the more to lyfte vp him selfe with the hope of goddis mercy mysticall societie with Christ so againste the ieoperdy of arrogancy it shal be a present and redy remedy to abiect and humiliate hym self with consyderation of his owne weakenes For who so euer in Christ is strong haute and in hym selfe humble and abiect can neither be throwen downe of Satanas nor yet confounded Suche a certayne thinge we rede in the olde cronycles of saynt Antony the monke whome the dyuell assauted by a thousand meanes and yet he coulde neuer ouercome hym On a certayne tyme whan that he had wrought and done all the polycies and subtylnesse that he coulde deuyse and all in vayne he confessed hym self to be conuict and vanquysshed sayenge thus I labour all in vayne for yf I deiecte the and shewe the thy vnworthynesse thou doest auaunce and lyft vp thy selfe and yf I extoll the thou humblest and depressest thy selfe Wherfore accordinge to the exaumple of saynt Antony if the dyuell saye Thou arte worthy to syt amonge the hyghe seraphical sayntes in heauen than let the sycke manne make answere My worthynes is nothing but that I acknowlege my vnworthynesse Dyuell Moche hast thou prayed thou hast fasted moche thou hast led a streyght and a sharp lyfe thou hast delt moche to the pore people Man All that thou sheweste of me the dampned Pharisces do the same If any maner of good worke hath come from me it is the lordes and not myne Dyuell But thou art pure frō those vices which raigne in hym or in him Man I haue then cause to gyue thankes to the lorde not to loue my selfe For oules the lordes mercy had protected me and yf that lyke tētation had fallen vpon me I shulde haue committed the same or els more greuous ¶ With suche praty answers the sycke man must be armed short and redy againste the croked suggestions of the dyuell Ensaumples of holy men muste be called to mynde but specially of suche in whome a notable mercy of the lorde hathe bene declared as in Dauyd whiche augmented the synne of adultery with manslaughter and with two wordes he escaped vengeance in the Nyniuites in Achab in the prodygall sonne in the publicane whose rightwysenes the lord preferred before the pharisaic all holynes in Mary Magdaleyne to whom the lorde sayde thy synnes be forgyuen the in the auoutrous woman to whom it was sayd Go and synne no more in Peter whiche thrise denyed our lorde in Paule which dyd persecute the church of god bynding and killynge all that professed the name of our lord Jesus in Cypriane which of a southsayer was made a martyr and in many other mo which from their ydolatry from blasphe my from horrible crymes through their faith in Christ atteyned mercy and crownes To exclude desperation rayse hope the scriptures of the newe testament be more apte than the scriptures of the olde Nor it is no wonder Moyses feared the Jewes with commaundementes Christe comforted all men by fayth and grace The holy scriptures haue not onely exaumples but also sayenges very many partly which cast on men a dicde partly which comfort the ferefull For vpon these two thinges in maner al the bokes of the prophetes do renne heapinge vp vnto them that turne awaye frome god the vengcance of god and agayne amplyfyenge the mercye of god to theym that be conuerted to repentaunce Eyther of these medicines is holsome if it be taken wysely and in place Those that be terrible and put men in fere must be ministred to hole in body and sycke in soule wylde and dronken in the prosperitie of this worlde or cast into a slepe with the delytes of this worlde as it were with the herbe called Mandrake to the entente that as by takynge of Helleborus they maye be brought into their ryghte wyttes or by takynge the herbe Brassica called Cole they may returne to sobrenes or myghtely cryed on and plucked they maye awake Those that cause hope of forgyuenes muste be gyuen to tymorous and fearfull persons specially in the daunger of deathe How be it neyther to the one feare must be so ministred that there shal no hope of forgiuenes be mixed to the medicine nor to the other asswagementes and comfortes must be so gyuen that they shall be disceyued For it is two thinges to chastyse and to cast downe to comfort to flatter Wherfore it forceth not a lytell what persons do kepe and syt with sycke men They ought to haue alwayes at hande sundry places of scriptures that eyther by the rehersall or tellynge of them they maye establyshe and holde vp the fayntynge harte of the sycke person To this purpose certayne prayers aptely made will helpe For certayne prayers go aboute whiche be made of vnlerned persones by vnlerned persons be taught to sycke folke Hope beyng thus called vp yet remayneth the feare of Purgatory the which feare some men go about to mitigate and put out with remedyes after myn opinion nothinge effectuall Some do promyse to be sure redemed from the fyre of Purgatorye by byenge of pardons but I feare least this be not to succour and comfort the sycke manne but rather a mockynge and a mere dissimulation They do better whiche by Masses and prayers of good men also by almes dedes counsayle hym to dymynish the paynes of Purgatory But the strōgest remedy of all is to aduertyse the sycke mā as moch as he can to styre and rayse vp his faith and charitie towarde god his neighboure with all his harte to forgyue al men of whom he hath bene hurted and greued and paciently to suffre for the loue of Christ Jesus the paynes of the syckenesse and also death submytting him selfe holly in al thinges to the wil and pleasure of god thinking that god wil not iudge two tymes vpon one thinge and that Christ for our synnes hath suffered great peynes on the crosse Out of these fountaynes and namely of his blode let hym fetche a refrigeration and asswagement of the fyre of Purgatory And so mystrustynge hym selfe and trustyng vpon the excedynge mercye of god the merytes of Christ and the suffrages of all holy menne with a contrite harte and religious trust let hym saye In manus was domine commendo spiritum meum Into thy handes lord I commende my spirite There shal be no disdayn though the synner and weake man vsurpeth the wordes of his lord For to that purpose our heed expressed these thingis in him self that we shoulde folowe hym whiche be his membres That yf it please any man also of the other holy men to fetche an exaumple let him saye with saynt Steuen Lorde god take my spirite Examples haue a great vertue and strēgth to moue mens myndes For they shew as it were in a glasse what is comely and what is
of Caria soo many tymes the multitude of phisitions kyll many sycke men but also that theyr offycious and busy cure whyle that one counsayleth one thynge and an nother an other thynge and eche desyreth at the perylle of an nother to be compted very wise and by that meanes medicines be heaped vpon me dyeines it commeth than to passe that the sycke manne hath noo leysure iustelye and fully to regarde the mattiers concernynge his sowle helthe Doubtlesse whan perylle commeth ouerfaste vppon the moste valyant and strongest comfortes must be giuen at whiche tyme many do flatter hym that is in the departyng ye and many flatter them selues with vulgar remedies of none effect as whan one counsayleth hym to cōmande his executours to bury hym in the coote of suche or suche friers or monkes or to make an auowe to god that if he recouer he wyl be professed in the order of the monkes of Charterhowse Why is not the sycke man rather monyshed to absteyne frome suche maner of vowes durynge the tyme of his sycknes and that it is sufficient if he pourpose to chaunge his lyfe into better and as touchynge the fourme of lyuynge let hym delyberate with hym selfe whan he is hole and free from perturbations and feare For a foolysshe promyse displeaseth god And that is foolyshe whiche feare extorteth of a distourbed mynde An other saythe Dye without drede I within the space of a yere wyll go to Hierusalem for the or I wylle crepe on my bare knees to saynt James or I wyll go into saynt Patrikes purgatorye whiche is in Ireland I knewe a woman of noble byrthe and of high prudence whiche by testamente deuysed to a prieste a good somme of money to synge masse dayly durīg the space of a yere at Rome as though the masses at Rome were of more holynes than the masses of Englande And yet that money had ben better bestowed if she had bound that priest neuer to go to Rome For I know the person very well whom I iuge rather to do sacrifice to Uenus than to god Other some exhort him to bye all the good dedes of some house of religion or of some order I deny not but there is gret comfort in the communion of holy men but yet neuerthelesse whether god wyll allowe and ratifie suche contractes I doubt After my sentence it is a more redy remedy ageinste desperation to putte before the eies of the sycke perfone the communion or parte takynge of the holle church which spredeth very farre conteynyng all the good menne from the begynnynge of the worlde which haue pleased god In whiche company be also the aungelles This hole felawshyppe and fraternite with theyr vowes and prayers dothe helpe the paciente lokynge for a glorious victorie Why than shulde he caste away his buckelar whiche hath soo manye companies succouryng hym If the prayer of one religious house causeth the man to hope in this numbre be al houses I speake not this to th entent that it auayleth not to require the prayers of certayn men or that the prayers of few be not profitable namely yf they come of a christen and free charitie but that to styre and pluck vp the hope of the sycke man the contemplation of the vniuersall churche is of greatter strength For by this way his hart shall be more confirmed But the moste puisant solace of all is neuer to remoue the eyes of faith frome Christ whiche gyueth him selfe holly vnto vs whome we haue a suter for vs vnto god which neuer cesseth crienge Come to me al ye that labour and be burdened and I wil ease you In the hollownes of this rock let him hyde hym into this persones woundes let the sycke man crepe and he shal be sure frō Satanas Wherher to so euer that wyly serpent plucketh away his mynde let hym alwayes haue his eyes to that brasen serpent fixed on a hyghe pole to the contemplatiō of whiche Paule calleth backe agayne the Galatees whiche for none other cause began to wauer than that they turned their eies from the crucifixe The venemous bytynges of the fleynge spirites shal not noye hym yf fayth with vnmouynge ere 's beholdeth that signe of euerlastyng helth Christ hangynge on the crosse is a signe of triūph a signe of victorie a signe of euerlastynge glorye For oure sakes he fought for oure sakes he ouercame for our sakes he wanne the triumphe only so that we haue the eyes of our fayth intentyue and wakynge herevpon In humayne warres it is no lytel help to victorie which thinge Alcibiades prayseth in Socrates neuer to wynke But in this conflyct which we haue with our spirituall ennemy the hole hope of the victorye is in the eyes But there is moche diuersifie in the two batayles For in the mundane warres it muste be marked on euerye syde with intentife eyes what the ennemy doth but in this battayle we muste be blynde and deafe at the assautes of the deuyll and only haue our eyes fyxed to the sygne of grace our eares lyfte vp to the voyce of our redemer Satanas casteth tho thynges into our myndes which hepe vp the ire of god But Christ hanginge on the crosse she weth tokens of mercy The dyuel barketh ayenst vs such thinges as wold brynge man downe to desperation Christe speapeth the thinge that plucketh man vp to hope For fayth as it hath eyes so also it hath eares The holy goste requireth of the soule both these two senses whiche saythe in the. xliiii Psalme Audi filia vide incline aurē tuam Harken daughter and see and incline thyne eare Harken that thy spouse byddeth and commaundeth and see what he pramyseth And if that it shall seme inconuenient a thinge not lykely that so great a felicitie is prepared for them whyche set their truste in our lorde Iesu inclyne thyn eare that the thinges which passe mans wytte and reason for this self consyderation thou mayst well beleue bycause it is the lorde which hath promysed it whose mercy is no lesse incomprehensyble than is almightines Of these eares maketh mention the. lxxxiiii Psalme I wil heare what the lorde speketh in me Harken not what in the speketh the flesh what the dyuel what mās reason for they speake nothing but desperatiō but heare what the lorde speaketh in the. For he speketh peace vnto his communaltie The churche is the communaltie of the lorde a nation peculiar and the people of acquisitiō be thou of this people and thou shalt heare the lorde speakinge thinges of peace It foloweth And vpon his sayntes Here agayne mans infirmitie falleth downe crienge I am a damned persone Alas I am all laden with synnes what felawshyp haue I with sayntes or holy men But he sayth not Vpon the holy mē of the lawe or of Moyses but vpon his holy ones His holy ones be they whom he hath sanctified by his sonne If thy mynde be not quieted harken what foloweth And vpon
them that be conuerted to their hart Do not weye the greatnes of thy crimes onely repent and thou shalt heare the lorde speking within the peace A worde of peace was that which was spokeÌ„ to that notorious sinfull woman Thy faithe hath saued the go in peace Saye with Dauid but saye with thy harte Peccaui domino I haue trespassed the lorde With those two wordes thou shalte turne the prepared and redy vengeance into mercy Such eares had he which saith Sacrifice for my sinne thou hast not required but eares thou hast made persite vnto me Of the eyes speaketh the. xii psalme Illuminate myne eyes leaste at anye tyme I sloumbre in deathe least my ennemy shulde saye I haue greuayled led against him Thou seest here that victorye is in the eyes rather thanne in the handes Deathe obscureth the eyes of the body but there shall be no cause why oure ennemy shall glory and triumphe vppon vs so loÌ„ge as faith sheweth lyght in the mynd neuer mouynge the eyes from Christ that was crucyfyed Yea this hole Psalme goth about nothinge elles but by the contemplation of the diuine mercy to resuscyte rayse vp agayne man that is in agony and in danger of desperation And therfore it foloweth They that trouble me ' shall ioye yf I be moued that is to say if I wauer in faith Thou hearest a great peryll but take a souerayne remedye But I haue trusted in thy mercy But howe cometh the hope of mercy My harte shall reioyse in thy saluatory I shall synge in prayse of the lorde whiche hath done me good The saluatorie or Saâ—y of god is Christ nor there is none other name in which we ought to be saued as it is sayd in the fourth chapter of the actes So great vertue hath the contemplation of Christ which was crucified for vs that desperation is tourned into hope hope into gladnes And he which before nyghe to desperation sayd They which trouble me shal reioyse yf I be moued now sayth My hart shall reioyse in thy saluatorye Thou haste hard victory now here the triumphe I wil synge to the lorde which hath gyuen good thinges vnto me Who hathe not his owne good dedes to synge let him syng the good dedes whiche god graunteth frely by his sonne If we haue truste in oure owne good dedes our aduersary wil therof reioyse but yf in the lorde Iesu we fyxe the shote ancre of hope our ennemye will shrynke lyke as the apostel reioysing saith in the. viii chapter to the Romans If god be for vs who is againste vs He also whiche spared not his owne sonne but for vs all delyuered hym to the Jewes howe will he not also with hym gyue all thinges vnto vs who shall make any complaint or accusation against the elect of god God is he that iustifyeth who is he that condempneth By this polycie meanes it is so brought aboute that sodeynely thinges shall be tourned and tossed vp sette downe and by the helpe of Christe he shall beare awaye the victory whiche semed desperate and the ennemy beynge discomfyted and repelled shall shrinke away which began right now to triuÌ„phe This vndoubtedly is the victory of faith of whych saynt JohnÌ„ speaketh in the. v. Epistle All that is engendred of god ouercometh the worlde and this is the victory which ouer cometh the worlde our fayth But who is he the whiche vanquysheth the world but he that beleueth that Iesus is the sonne of god whoÌ„ the father wolde that he shoulde be a sacrifyce for the synnes of all mankynde In this degre so longe as the souldyour of Christe standeth howe moche so euer that our ennemy the dyuell leapeth aboute how moch so euer he inuadeth vs we can not be ouercome But in this supreme and last battayle the ennemye to his vttermoste powers attempteth to brynge the sycke man into desperation which is amonge all crymes most greuous And therfore than in especiall resystence must be made on the contrary syde with all laboure and meanes soo that the sycke personne be moued taught and perswaded to all suche thynges that maye induce and brynge him to hope and confirme his mynde To this thinge shall helpe the ymage of the crucifixe layde right agaynst his eyes which may euer among renewe the infirme mynde of the sycke And also the pictures of tho sayntes in whome oure lorde wolde haue a memorial or monument of his bountie and mercy to be notorised publysshed as of Marye Magdaleyne of Peter wepinge after he had denyed our lorde and of suche lyke After this the rchersall of places of holy scriptures which do set forthe vnto vs the immense mercye of god charitie towarde mankynde but namely tho thinges which our lorde Jesus for the saluation of the worlde vouchesafed bothe to bo and to suffre There be innumerable such places which maye brynge great stronge comforte to a feble and wauerynge mynde For in this article of deathe the deuyll heapeth vp to mannes mynde all that euer may extynguyshe or put forth the sparke of faith and of hope He maketh suggestion how great the maieste and iustice of god is whiche so often hathe bene neglected defowled He amply fyeth the softnes and bountifulnes of hym that so oft hath bene neglected and reiected detortynge and wrasting that selfe thinge for a profe of desperation which ought to nouryshe hope of forgyuenesse He putteth in mynde so manye yeres euyll spent so many occasioÌ„s omytted whiche exhorted to well doynge yf any thing were ryghtely done he depraueth it and sclaunderously constreweth it to the worst He tempteth also and assayeth the faythe of the man to th entent he myght doubt of the authoritie of scriptures of the artycles which that the church hath taught vs proÌ„ptyng into our myndes the reasons of philosophërs and of heretykes and perplexe and doubtfull questions of the creation and redemption of the worlde of the immortalytie of soules of the resurrectioÌ„ of bodyes of Christe whether he was trewe god and man of the sacrameÌ„tes of the church what strength they haue of the prescience predestination of god wrastyng and wrything all thinges to distruste and desperation deprauinge also the testimonies of scriptures to the same purpose whiche thinge he presumed to do also vpon our lorde the author of scriptures Besyde this these thinges do helpe our aduersary in this behalfe as it were by occasion that is to wyt the peynfulnesse of the syckenes the drede of death the horrour of hell and the naturall weaknesse of the mynde and heuynesse of harte which the greuous sicknes causeth Wherfore to this inclination the ennemy is redye in his assawtes workinge all craft and layenge all his ordynaunces and engyns to throwe and dryue to the ground the weake and wauerynge personne But in lyke wyse as with synnes a man ought not to struggle but from consyderation of theym to tourne awaye his mynde to the grace
of Christ so with the deuyll we shoulde not dispute but whan he suggesteth and casteth into mans mynde wycked and vngodly thynges he must say to hym Abi retro Satana So backe Satanas It is not lefull for me to doubte of tho thinges which the churche instructed by the holy goste hath taught and it is also sufficient to beleue tho thinges which I can not attayne with my wytte They tell a certayne thinge not out of holy scripture but neuerthelesse to the mattier that we go now about it is sufficientely accommodate mete of two whome the dyuell at tyme of their deth tempted of their beleue the one was lerned in Philosophie the other was nothinge but a Christen man rude and vnlerned he assayled the fyrst how he beleued whether that Christ was god and mā whether that he was born of a virgin and whether he beleued the generall resurrection And began with reasons of Philosophie to demonstrate that it was impossible to ioyne tho thinges in one betwixt whiche there is no agreance as betwyxt fynite and infynite create and increate Furthermore that it is against nature that a virgyn shulde brynge forth a childe without carnal knowledge of man nor that accordynge to Aristotell the Prynce of the Philosophers there can be no returne frome priuation to the habyte What nedeth mo wordes The man wauered and was conuicte and the dyuell departed a victour The other rude man whā the dyuel asked him how he beleued of this and of that thynge he aunswered him with a cōpendious way As the church beleueth Agayne whan he obiected howe dothe the churche beleue Marye quod he as I beleue How dost thou beleue As the church beleueth How beleueth the church As I beleue Frome this rude vnprepared man so disputations but with symple fayth stable and stedfast the gostly ennemy departed vanquyshed This aunswere is good ynoughe to confounde and dryue awaye the subtyll and craftye ennemy the dyuell But chiefly it is good in obscure and doubtefull causes and matters As yf the ennemy wyll suggest or some other captious felaw how maye it be that in thre persones there shuld be one god and one essencie in numbre and also by whatte meanes they be distincte the one from the other Let him make answere thus Euen as the churche beleueth How can all one bodye be in dyuers places all at one tyme And how in the Sacramente of the aulter maye the trewe body of a man be conteyned in so lytell a space Let him answere as the church beleueth Agayn what maner of fyre is in hell how can a bodyly thing be an agent in an vnbodyly substance let him answere as the church beleueth Or yf any thinge is to be answered let him answere with fewe wordes eyther out of the Crede which dayly ought to be rehersed vnto the sicke man or out of holy scripture or els by the spirite of faith If Satan heapeth vp the greatnes of his synnes let him turne hym to god and say Auerte faciem tuā a peccatis meis Turne thy face lorde frome my sinnes loke vpon the face of thy sonne Christ Jesus Dyuell The noumbre of thy synnes do passe the grauell of the see Man But yet the mercye of god is more plentuous Dyuell How doest thou trust to haue a rewarde of rightwysenes which art all vnrightwyse Mā My rightwysnes is Christ. Dyuell Shalt thou whiche art all beclad in wyckednesse go with Peter and Paule to euer lastynge blysse Man No but with the thefe to whome it was sayde on the crosse This daye thou shalt be with me in Paradyse Dyuell How hast thou this trust which hast done nothinge that is good Man Bycause I haue a good lorde an intreatable iudge and a gracious aduocate Dyuell Thou shalt be haled downe to hell Man My heed is in heuen Dyuell Thou shalt be damned Man Thou art a barratour and a fals harlot no iudge a damned fende no damnour Dyuell Many legions of dyuels wayte for thy soule Man I shoulde despaire yf I had not a protectour which hath ouercom your tyranny Dyuell God is not iuste if for thy euyll dedes he gyueth the euerlasting lyfe Man Nay he is iuste that kepeth his promises and I longe sythen haue appeled frome his iustice vnto his mercye Dyuell Thou flattereste thy selfe with vayne hope Man He that is verite can not lye it is thy properte to be false of promyses Dyuelle Thou seest what thou leauest behynde but what thou shalt haue thou seest not Manne The thinges that be sene be temporall and the thinges that be not sene be euerlasting and he seeth and more than seeth whiche surely and stedfastly beleueth Dyuel Thou departest hence laden with euyll dedes and naked of good dedes Man I will praye to the lorde that he wyll dyscharge me of my euyls and clothe me in his good thinges Dyuell But god heareth not synners Man But he heareth penitentes and for synners he dyed Dyuell Thy repentance is to late Man It was not to late vnto the thefe Dyuell The thefes faithe was stedfaste thyne wauereth Man I wyll praye to the lorde that he will encrease my faith Dyuel Thou doeste falsely perswade thy selfe that thou haste a mercyfull lorde which with so many euyls vexeth and punyssheth the. Man He healeth as a louynge phisition Dyuell Why than wolde he that thy deathe shoulde be so bytter Man It is the lorde he can not wil but that thinge which is good Why shulde I an vnprofytable seruaunt refuse to suffre the thinge that the lorde of glory hath suffred Dyuell It is a wretched thing to dye Mā Blessed be they which dye in the lord Dyuell But the deathe of synners is euyll Man He ceasseth to be a synner which with hope of mercy acknowlegeth hym self for a synner Dyuell Thou leauest this worlde Man Frome heuy exyle I departe into my natiue countreye Dyuell Thou leauest behynde the many great commodities good thinges Man But many mo euyll thinges Dyuell Thou leauest thy rychesse Manne They be other mens that I leaue I beare myne with me Dyuel What dost thou bere syth thou hast no goodnes in the Mā That is trewly myne which the lorde hath frely gyuen me Dyuell Thou forsakest wyfe and childerne Man They be the lordes I cōmyt them vnto hym Dyuell It is an harde thinge to be plucked away from the derely beloued Man Within short space they shall folow me Dyuell From thy swete frendes thou arte sundered Manne I go to sweter frendes In as moche as the moste wyly and subtill ennemy whome he can not drawe to desperatiō entyseth and solliciteth them to a trust and confidence in them selfes to th entent that whō he can not thrust down heedlong he maye brimge vp on a heyght and so confounde them therfore against this no smal daungier the sycke man must be armed defended and protected Lykewyse also as againste the daungier of desperation it is