of Eternall happinesse he spareth him not here in this life but scourgeth him dayly I might bring infinite examples to prove this I will name but one but the like I think hath not been seen or heard of in many ages CHAP. III. How God punisheth here that he may spare hereafter A strange example the like hath scarce at any time been heard of IN the yeare of our Lord one thousand one hundred eighty five Andronicus Emperour of the East being overcome and taken prisoner by Isaac Angelo had two heavy iron-chains put about his neck was laden with fetters and shackles and was most barbarously and despitefully used and at length in this manner was brought before the forenamed Isaac Before whom complaining of his hard usage he was delivered over to the multitude to be abused at their pleasure They being set on fire with anger thought it a fine thing to be revenged of their enemy And thus they used him They buffetted him they bastinadoed him they pulled him by the beard they twitcht his hair from his head they dasht out his teeth they dragged him in publick they made him a laughing-stock they suffered women to beat him with their fists Then they cut off his right hand and being thus maimed they thrust him into the dungeon of theeves and robbers without either meat or drink or any other thing that was necessarie or any one to look after him After a few dayes they put out one of his eyes and being thus shamefully mangled having one eye put out and one hand cut off they put upon him a very sory short coat shaved his head set him upon a scabbed Camel with his face toward the tail put upon his head a Crown of Garlick made him hold in his hand the Camels tail in stead of a Sceptre and so they carried him through the market-place very leisurely with great pomp and triumph And here the most impudent base vile amongst the people like savages after an inhumane sort fell upon him nothing at all considering that not past three dayes before he was no lesse then an Emperour crowned with a Royall Diadem commended worshiped honoured yea and adored of all men Nothing at all regarding their oath of Allegiance They raged and were mad upon him and their rage and madnesse fitted every man with instruments of mischief against him Some struck him on the head with clubs others filled his nostrils with dirt others squeezed sponges upon his face first soaked in the excrements of man and beast others runne him into the sides with spits Some threw stones others threw dirt at him some called him mad dog others called him fool and blockhead An impudent woman running out of a kitchin with a kettle of scalding water in her hand poured it upon his head as he passed by There was none which did not some mischief or other to him At length they brought him to the Theatre to make him a laughing-stock took him down from the Camel and hanged him up by the heels between two pillars Thus poore Emperour having suffered a thousand indignities yet bore them patiently carrying himself like a man and a true Christian Champion He was never heard all the while to lament or cry out of his hard fortune For it had been to no purpose He was all the while casting up his account which he was to make unto God and begging pardon for his sinnes He was heard to say nothing but onely this and this he said often Domine miserere Domine miserere Lord have mercy Lord have mercy Unhappy Andronicus which was compelled to suffer such things But happy in this that thou didst suffer them so patiently as being the just reward of sinne When he was hanged up one would have thought their malice should have ceased but they spared him not then as long as he lived For they rent his coat from his body and tossed him up and down with their hands tearing him in pieces with their nails One more cruell then the rest run his sword through his belly and guts as he was hanging Two others to trie whose sword was sharpest thrust him through the back leaning upon their swords with both their hands Here the most miserable unhappy Emperour with much ado lifted up his maimed hand to his mouth to suck out the bloud as some thought from the fresh and bleeding wound and so ended his life miserably After some few dayes he was taken down from the gibbet and thrown under one of the arches of the Theatre like a beast till some that had more humanitie in them then the rest removed him But yet notwithstanding he was not suffered to be buried Oh Andronicus Oh thou Emperour of the East How much wast thou bound unto God whose will it wâ—s that for a few dayes thou shouldst suffer such things that thou mightest not perish for ever Thou wast miserable for a short time that thou mightest not be miserable for all Eternitie I make no doubt but thou hadst the yeares of Eternitie in minde seeing that thou didst suffer such things so constantly and couragiously Nicetas Choniates is mine Authour from whom I borrowed this lamentable historie and he lived about the same time when this happened Let us Christians keep alwayes in minde the yeares of Eternitie So whatsoever adversitie or affliction happeneth we shall more easily beare it Every thing is short if we compare it with Eternitie For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and Eternall weight of glory Hereupon S. Augustine cryeth out and prayeth so earnestly Domine hîc ure hîc seca modò in aeternum parcas Lord seare me here lance me here so thou sparest me hereafter And Fulgentius though a most holy man drawing neare unto his death threescore and ten dayes before he died was often heard to cry out Domine da mihi modò patientiam postea indulgentiam Lord grant me patience here and ease hereafter These were his words and prayers even to the last gasp Certain it is God spareth them least of all whom he determineth to take unto himself to dwell with him throughout all Eternitie THE SIXTH CONSIDERATION upon ETERNITIE How the Holy Scripture in many places teacheth us to meditate upon Eternitie THe kingly Prophet speaking of the wicked saith that they walk on every side or in a circuit This is their manner of life They go from feast to feast from delights to delights from wickednesse to wickednesse This is their Circuit And when they think they have almost finished their Circuit of wickednesse and gone over the round of their lust they begin again returning still to their former course till death steals upon them before they be aware The children of Job made this law amongst themselves to feast one another round every one in his course The good man their father observed and knew very well that this their feasting round could not be without sinne
that never dieth What miserable and improvident men are we that having but â— short journey to go but full of dangers all the way go on notwithstanding so merrily and sportingly as if we were walking all the while through a Paradise or a most pleasant garden free from all fear of enemies and in the end of our walk presently to be received and admitted as citizens into our heavenly Countrey a place of all securitie For can we be ignorant if we be it is our own fault But we cannot be ignorant that at length we shall come to the two gates of Eternitie the one of the blessed the other of the damned And enter we must at one of them that is certain at which God knows it is according as we shall behave and carry our selves by the way Laurentius Justinianus wondring at the merry madnesse of such travellers breaks forth into this exclamation Oh the lamentable condition of mortall men which go on exulting all the way whilest they are but exiles or banished men from their own countrey Let us not settle our mindes upon any vain joyes and fond toyes by the way whilest we are travelling towards our countrey but let us so runne our race that at the end thereof we may obtain admittance in at the gate which is the entrance to Eternall blessednesse God hath indeed created us rather unto joyes and pleasures then unto labours and sorrows but we are much mistaken both of the time and place It is not here it shall be hereafter Joyes are prepared in heaven but none but the good and faithfull servants shall enter into them And by what means may a man obtain entrance Knowest thou not what Christ said The kingdome of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by sorce Think now â—hus with thy self Am I this vioâ—ent man Is this the violence here â—poken of To eat to drink to rise â—p to play to lie down to take my ease It is not certainly Fight we must but it must be the good â—ight like Christian Champions Run we must but so that we may obtain Strive we must but to enter in at the strait gate Labour we must and offer violence to the kingdome of heaven but it must be in due time and place Now whilest we have time here whilest we are on the way whilest we have life and strength that when we come to the point of death and so passe the Horizon of this world and depart into another never to return back again when we shall be translated from time to Eternity then at the last we may have joy for our life past and hope for that which is to come Let us labour therefore let us labour I say and offer violence to our selves fighting against our own froward wils and affections so shall we obtain by the mercy of God everlasting rest for short labour and Eternall glorie for a few dayes travell True and solid joy is not here to be found in vain delights and pleasures but in heaven where there is joy and pleasure for evermore God prepared a gourd and made it come over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd And what is all the pleasure or rather vanitie of this present world Is it not like Jonahs gourd flourishing for a time and yeelding a comfortable shadow Rich men have their gourd also that is their riches under the shadow whereof they rejoyce with exceeding great joy Drunkards and gluttons have their gourds also that is great tables and delicious fare under the shadow whereof they are merry and joyfull Voluptuous men also have their gourds too that is their unlawfull pleasures under the shadow whereof they lie down and sport themselves But Alâ—s sorrow follows after such joy and suddenly overtakes it Their mirth â—s soon turned into mourning And their delights and pleasures end â—n gall and bitternesse For what became of Jonahs gourd God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day and it â—mote the gourd that it withered Now tell me Jonah where is thy gourd What is become of it Where is now thy exceeding great joy They are both gone together Thy gourd is withered and thy joy is ended Such are our vain delights and pleasures such is our joy rather shadows of things then any thing indeed they passe away suddenly and become like Jonahs gourd that soon withered The joy of this world is but for a moment but the joy of the life to come is for all Eternitie CHAP. III. Here is declared by a most memorable example How sweet and precious the taste of Eternitie is THis knew Theodorus very well one born of Christian Parents and as it seems he learned it betimes when for yeares he was but a youth but an old man for judgement and discretion For on a great Festivall day kept throughout all Egypt there being a great feast at his fathers house and many invited thereunto when some were eating and drinking others laughing and playing and others sporting and dancing he amidst all these â—ollities retired himself to his inward closet finding himself wounded to the heart but with a chast arrow For thus he began to expostulate with himself Unhappy Theodore What would it profit thee if thou shouldst gain the whole world Many things thou hast indeed but canst thou tell how long thou shalt enjoy them Thou livest in abundance now thou maist feast it and make merry thou maist laugh and be fat thou maist rejoyce and skip for joy But art thou sure how long this â—â—all last I should like it well if 〈◊〉 would last alwayes But what shall I do Shall I for the enjoying of these short and transitorie pleasures and delights deprive my self of those joyes which are Eternall Tell me Theodore is this according to Christian Religion to frame unto our selves an heaven here on earth and think to passe from delights to delights from Temporall to Eternall Either I am much deceived or else Christ shewed unto us another way unto the kingdome of heaven and that is through many tribulations Therefore have no more to do with worldly vanities but preferre Eternall joyes before Temporall Thus he said and fell a weeping So then he retired himself into a withdrawing room and there prostrating himself upon the earth he prayed after this manner Eternall God my heart is naked and open before thee I send up my sighs as humble Oratours and Petitioners unto thee I know not what to ask nor how Onely this one thing I beg at thy hands that thou wilt not suffer me to die an Eternall death Lord thou knowest that I love thee and that I desire to be with thee that I may sing Eternall praises unto thee Lord have mercie upon me Whilest he was thus praying in comes his mother on a sudden and presently perceiveth by the rednesse and moistnesse of his eyes that
short labour for rest Eternall Hast thou joy for a time Do not trust too much to it Art thou sad and sorrowfull for a time Do not despair of joy and comfort Neither let prosperitie puffe thee up nor adversitie cast thee down God hath promised unto thee Eternall life Therefore contemne Temporall felicitie He hath threatned Eternall fire Therefore contemne all Temporall sorrows To conclude then with the same divine authour Let us therefore be in love with Eternall life and thereby we shall come to know how much we ought to labour for the obtaining of it For we see that those men which are lovers of this present life which is but temporall and shall shortly have an end labour with might and main to preserve and prolong it as long as they can And yet they cannot escape death For that at one time or other will seize upon them All that they can hope for is but to put it off for a little time When death approacheth then every one is labouring and seeking to hide himself ready to give and part with any thing that he hath to redeem his life He sends for the Physician he will be ruled by him in any thing he will take any thing at his hands he will suffer any thing purging bleeding cupping scarifying and what not You see what charge a man will be at and what pains he will voluntarily endure to live here though but for a short time And yet he will scarce be at any charge or take any pains after this life ended to live for ever Brethren it should not be so If there be such labouring and watching such sending and going such running and riding such spending and praying such doing and suffering to live here a while longer What should we not willingly do and suffer to live for ever And if they be accounted wise which labour by all means they can to put off death a while longer being loth to lose a few dayes What fools are they which live so that finally they lose the day of Eternitie Think upon these things well with your selves O mortall men and foresee the day of Eternitie whether of joy or of torment before it cometh For although all other things passe away yet Eternitie still remains and shall never passe away CHAP. I. The Punishment of Eternall death THe Messenians had a certain prison or dungeon under earth void of aire and light and full of Hellish horrour which as it was a most dismall place so had it also a glorious title for it was called the Treasure-house This prison or dungeon had no doores at all to it onely one mouth at which the prisoners were let down by a rope and so it was stopped up again with a great stone Into this Treasure-house was Philopoemen that great Emperour of Greece cast and there by poyson he ended his life God also hath his Treasure-house under earth if I may so speak But I pray you what a one is it It is of most wicked and ungodly desperate and damned men Actiolinus a Tyrant of Padua as Jovius reports had many prisons so infamous for all kinde of miseries and torments that whosoever were cast thereinto counted their life miserie and their death happinesse Death might come in there without knocking he was so welcome unto them and so long lookt for For this was their hard usage They were laden with irons starved with hunger poisoned with stench eaten up with vermine and so in a most miserable manner they lived and died at length a long and a lingring death There every one was judged most miserable but he that was dead and could feel no misery Whilest they lived it was a punishment worse then death to have their habitation amongst the dead For the dead bodies lay on heaps rotting amongst the living in such manner that it might be truely said there That the dead killed the living But the very worst of these prisons is a Paradise and a most pleasant place if it be compared with the infernall prison of Hell Whatsoever miserie was suffered in Actiolinus his prison in this regard it was tolerable because it was of no long continuance being to last no longer then a short life and quite vanishing away at the houre of death But the Treasure-house of the damned which is Gods prison is void of all comfort The torments thereof are intolerable because they are Eternall Death cannot enter in there neither can those that are entered get out again But they shall be tormented for evermore For evermore What a fearfull thing is this They shall be tormented for evermore It was a most true saying of Cassiodorus As no mortall man can apprehend or understand what the Eternall reward is so neither can any man conceive or imagine what that Eternall torment is The Persians had a prison into which a man might enter easily but being once in could get out no more or if he did yet very hardly And therefore it was called Lethe or Oblivion It is an easie matter to descend down into Hell but to ascend up again it is altogether impossible Was ever any heard to return from Hell This prison of Hell is not without just cause called Lethe or Oblivion For God is so unmindefull of the damned that he will never remember them to have mercy upon them Hell is called the Land of Oblivion or Forgetfulnesse and that for two reasons as a godly and learned Writer observes First Because saith he they remember God no more for their good neither have they any memorie at all of things past but such as doth afflict and torment them All their pomp and glory pleasures and delights are quite forgotten or else not remembred without grief and sorrow Secondly To those that are in this horrid Region and lake of fire God hath forgotten to be gracious and mercifull neither will he send his Angels at any time to minister unto them the least comfort If once in there is no coming out again For what said Abraham unto the rich Glutton frying in Hell and desiring him to send Lazarus to cool his tongue with a drop of water Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would passe from hence to you cannot neither can they passe to us that would come from thence Oh gulf full of horrour and despaire Oh Eternitie of torments the very thought whereof is able to make a stout man quake and tremble The wicked and ungodly men dig their own graves and dwell therein for evermore But what manner of graves do they dig They dig as deep as Hell where the rich Glutton was buried from whence he lifted up his eyes in torments and saw Abraham afarre off and Lazarus in his bosome to his greater torment Oh what a terrible deep is this Oh what a fearfull grave is this Who lies here He that suffered Lazarus to lie at his gate having no compassion on him How is it with him now He