at the soules of men and not at the only tickling of their eares or the applause of their handes shoots at no lesse then the souls of meÌ„ them he conuinceth by so pregnant reasons and obligeth by so plaine demonstrations as to make them glad or or least he giues them cause why they should be so to cast away that loose liberty which made them slaues to their own passions to step or rather to leap into the chaines of the loue of God which will put them into a kind of soueraignity not only ouer all other thinges created but euen ouer their very selues And (y) The extraordinary great care wherwith he conducteth his Reader throughout the whole discourse in this he equalleth in my poore opinioÌ„ if he do not rather excel any other whom I haue read That he most carefully doth conduct the soule which he instructeth in the way of spirit accompanying his discourse with aboundance of caution so to saue his Reader from sliding into any extreme and being no lesse sollicitous to guide him straight then a tender mother or nurse would be to lead her only child by the sleeues or armes for feare least otherwise he might take a fall I (z) The occasion whereupon he wrote this booke will further premise to you vpon what occasion he wrote this Booke and to whom he did particulerly direct the same and then by way of preuention I will both make and answere an obiection to the end that your selfe may be kept from errour afterward There was a Lady called (a) The person for whom he wrote it Donna Sancba the daughter of the Lord of Guadalcaçar who for her beauty and other better parts was designed to serue the Queene of Spayne in quality of a Lady of Honour Already she was euen vpon the point of parting from her parents who had put her into an equipage which was to haue becom a Court But before her iourney she meant to arme her selfe with the holy Sacraments of the Church in the strength of that desire she went and cast her selfe at the feet of Doctour Auila in the way of Confession She would after say that he reprooued her a little sharply for bringing a hart which pretended to be penitent for sinne in a body set out ardorned too curiously too costly for such a busines What els passed between them in that priuate conference and Confession of hers God and they do only know but the sequele thereof was notorious to the world For she instantly did vnturne Courtier she grew quickly to cast away her vaine and sumptuous attires and she betooke her selfe though only in her Fathers house to a course of admirable pennance recollection which she accompanied with a Vow of perpetuall chastity wherein she dyed most holily and most happily some ten yeares after This Lady then as being the Child and Creature as it were in spirit of Doctour Auila was deare to him after an extraordinary manner And so for her both consolation and instruction he made this Booke of Audi Filia and she esteemed it as she ought for she neuer would know or call it by other name then of her Treasure But when she was gone to God he took the Booke againe to himselfe and enlarged it and enriched it to that proportion which at this day we see it beares Now in regard that he chiefely speakes therein to her as to a person who had giuen her selfe to God by a vow of chastity you (b) An obiection which it importeth much to be wel answered may seeke perhaps to make your selfe belieue that the doctrine therin conteined belongeth only to such as she But the answere is obuious and assured That howsoeuer it may import such as she was knowne to be in a more eminent manner then other Christians in regard that she had consecrated her selfe to our Lord Iesus as to the spouse of her soule by a particuler vow yet for as much as coÌ„cernes the obligation which we (c) The general obligation to which all good Christians are subiect all haue to abstaine from sinne to imploy ourselues in prayer good workes to despise the vanity of the world to resist the motions of sense to arme our selues against the temptations of the Diuel to which the promise euen of our very Baptisme bindes vs to loue God aboue all thinges to imitate the life and to practise the doctrine of our Lord Iesus and finally to be and to continue true children of his holy Catholique Church this doctrine I say doth so much and so mightily belonge to vs all as that none of vs shall euer get to heaueÌ„ but either by an exact obedience to it or a cordiall griefe for hauing swarued from it And so (d) Of the variety of addresse in the way of spirit which is to be found in this book for persons of al quality es if you may be intreated to obserue what variety of addresse for spirit the Authour giueth in the seueral parts of the worke you cannot chuse but discerne that it is not only meant for Virgins but for all others also if they be Christians yea and if they be not so much as that they yet will heer find reason to beg of God that they may grow so happy Let (e) How much it importeth that this booke be read with great attention deuotion vs also all beg hard for that whereof we haue most need That when heerafter at the day of Iudgment we shall meete Doctour Auila in the valley of Iosaphat there may be no cause to be reproached by our Iudge of so deep ingratitude as not to haue been the better for the great benefit which the godnes of God hath vouchsafed to mankind by means of this his deare and most deuout seruant But (f) In this valley there abouts is the vniuersall IudgmeÌ„t to be made Ioel. 3. that the seed which hath fructified so abundantly in Spayn in Italy in France in I know not how many other countryes by the translatioÌ„ of this booke into so many seuerall languages may also in England be of comfort to that good (g) Matt. â—â— husbandman of the ghospell and not be choaked by thornes nor supplanted by stones nor deuoured by the rauenous birds of the aire who are euer watching how to enrich themselues by our pouertie For so truly miserable are those damned spirits as to think themselues more happy in nothing then if they might draw vs into a society with them in torment though indeed euen our very torment would be sure to serue but for an increase of theirs Our Lord Iesus deliuer vs from that place of eternall malediction both for that which we know thereof by Fayth already and much more for that which we do not know and which I hope we shall neuer know by experience A RICH CABBINET FVLL OF SPIRITVALL IEWELLS CHAP. I. WHEREIN IS TREATED How necessary it is for vs
prouided a day for thy selfe wherein thou wilt complaine of this offence and say My name is blasphemed vpon your occasion amongst the infidells and to chastize him with seuere punishment who in steed of gathering togeather with thee that which was scattered as he ought to haue done doth eyther scatter that which was gathered or doth hinder it from being so And (l) Let men be as wicked as they will God will stil be iust good then wilt thou make the whole world vnderstand well mough that thou art good though thou haue seruantes that be wicked For the sinnes which they commit displease thee And thou doest forbid them by thy commaundmentes and thou doest seuerely punish them CHAP. XXXV That the very conscience of him that deâ—yreth to obtaine vertue doth testify that our Faâ—th is true and how the desire of leading an euill life doth both procure the loosing of Faith and hinder the getting it BY how much more the witnesse of any thing in question is nearer to vs and well knowne by vs so much doth his credit increase towards the making vs belieue that be sayth true And therefore since I haue â—old thee of some of the meanes which giue testimony of the truth of our Fayth Hearken heere to some others and those not past but present And they againe are so neere thee that they are in thy very hart if thou wilt receaue them and take particuler knowledge of them as thou vsest to take of those thinges which passe there This is grounded vpon the word which our Lord spake If (a) Ioan. 7. any man will doe the will of my Father he shall know whether my doctrine be of God or no. Blessed be thou O Lord who art so assured of the iustice of this thy cause that is the Truth of thy doctrine that thou leauest the sentence which is to proceed vpon it in the hands of whosoeuer will whether he be friend or enemy with this only condition That he who shall make himselfe the Iudge thereof will do the will of God which is but that he should be vertuous and so be saued It is (b) Note this well for it is a wise and most certayne truth certaynely so that if a man should cordially desyre to be good both towards God and towards himselfe and towards his neighbours and would seeke out the fittest doctrine that he could find for making himselfe such if before such an one I say they should lay all the Lawes and doctrines which are in the whole world both true and false to none of which he already carried any particuler affection or passion but did only ayme at the finding out of Truth this man laying aside all the rest would take in hand the Ghospell doctrine of Christ if he (c) According to the true sense therof which is only taught by the holy Catholique Church vnderstood it as a thing which might addresse him better to the end of his iust desires then any other And as he were practising the vertue that he aspired to he would be making experience of the efficacy of this doctrine how fit it were for all that is good for the soule and how wel it were framed for the reliefe of our necessityes and in how short a tyme with how great clarity it did help a man to be vertuous So that such a man comming on by the very experience of the power of this doctrine would confesse as our Lord hath sayd That it came from God and he would also say that which others sayd when they heard Iesus Christ our Lord preaching to them neuer did man speake so well And if euen they who know not Christ by fayth did but heare that admirable charitable word which our Lord himselfe did vtter with so loud a voice If (d) Ioan 7 any man be thirsty let him come to me and drinke and if they would come and make triall of that delicious fullnes and so take experience of this doctrine with desire of being vertuous it is certaine that they would not remain in their infidelity and blindnes But (c) Behold heere the most true cause why Catholik Religion is no more imbraced in England for as much as they are friendes of the world and not of true and perfect vertue nor do they seeke with care the certainty of Truth and the knowledge of God they continue without hearing receauing it And although they heard it yet would it not be receaued by some because it would be contrary to the things which they desire And for this our Lord sayd to the Pharisees certaine wordes which I cyted once before How (f) 1. Ioan. 5. will you be able to belieue since you seeke honour one of another and seeke not the honour which is of God alone And not without great waight of reason did S. Paul (g) 1. Tim 〈◊〉 affirme That some had lost their faith by giuing themselues to couetousnes Not that a man doth instantly loose fayth by committing of any sinne except heresy but for that a hart which is affected to thinges of the world disaffected from vertue when it finds in Christian doctrine certaine Truthes which are contrary to the wicked desires of the same hart and which condemneth vnder so grieuous paynes the thinges which it selfe desires to practise it growes by little and little to seeke other doctrine which may not be of so bad tast in the mouth nor keep such a barking against the ill affections actions thereof And (h) The case of most Protestants who are intelâ—â—gâ—â— so the will being ill inclined is wont to be a meanes of putting blindnes vpon the Vnderstanding and preuailes so farre at last as to make a man giue ouer that Fayth which cryeth out against wickednes that he may follow and belieue other doctrines wherin he may be more at ease and liue how he listes And as this corrupted will is a meanes sometymes to make him loose Fayth that hath it so is it also a meanes to deâ—aâ—ne him from it that hath it not For both these those carry a fastidious kind of mislike against perfect vertue without alleaging in very deed any other cause but only That it is vnsauoury or too highly good so they haue also such a mislike against the Truth of Fayth as being contrary to that wickednes which they loue CHAP. XXXVI That the admirable change which is made in the hart of sinners and the great fauours which our Lord doth to them who follow him with perfect vertue and do call vpon him in their necessityes is a great testimony to the Truth of our Fayth IN how much better case are they who with desire to serue God haue chosen to imbrace this perfectioÌ„ of vertue though al they that serue him do enioy otherwise if they will marke it many testimonyes which Fayth placeth in their hart But especially do they enioy it who serue him with a profiting and
themselues esteeming that they are somewhat and resting so vpon their owne strength To this soule therfore the Spouse doth say If thou dost not know thy selfe get thee out and see the footsteps of thy heards of Cattell Which is as much as if he had sayd that he gaue herâ—â—uer to follow the trace and workes of sinners who commit iniquity by troopes like heardes of Cattel one helping on the other And (d) Companions in sinne companionâ— in torment so also at the last day shall they be tyed vp in bundles to be iointly burnt in the fire of hell who heere haue iointly giuen themselues to sinne And the spouse to such a soule doth say Thy heardes because sin is of vs and not of God and the good that we do is of God and not of vs since we do it by vertue of him Now this he is resolued that we should soundly know to be so not so much for that which it importeth him whose glory in himselfe is not increased although he be glorifyed by vs but for that which concerneth vs for whose good it makes and that greatly to know that the honour of all the good we haue or do must be ascribed to him and not to vs. And if of that which he placed in vs for his owne prayse we will erect an Idoll by attributing the glory of the incorruptible God to our selues who are corruptible men he will not suffer it to passe vnpunished but will say Continue thou with that which is thyne and perish since thou wouldest not remaine in me who had a mind to saue thee from perishing O with how (e) Read take heed and tremble high Truth are these words accomplished in proud men and how soone do they grow from being spirituall to be carnall from being recollected to be dissolute from being gold to be durt And they who were wont to feed vpon the bread of heauen with gust do afterwards take pleasure to eat the food of swine And it groweth to be afflictiue to theÌ„ not only to do the works of God but euen to heare men speak of him Whence doest thou thinke it did proceed that some persons who were chast in their youth although they were assaulted with stinging temptations when they came into old age haue miserably fallen into such deformed vilenes of this kind as that they were amazed and euen did abhorre themselues The cause was this In their youth they liued with holy feare and with humility and finding themselues so vpon the brimme of falling they called vpon God and were defended by him But (f) The fruit of pride when afterward vpon a long possession of the chastity which they had they grew to be high fed and to confide in themselues at that very instant were they forsaken by the hand of God and did that which was proper to themselues which was to fall And so is it accomplished That they feede their kiddes which are their light and dishonest appetites neere the Tentes of the sheepheardes which are the bodies of the creatures of God For in them they dwell as if it were in a Tente which is set vp in a field to be remooued vpon euery short warning and not as in a house or Citty of rest And so they are sayd with much reason to feede their senses vpon bodies and thinges belonging to the body because by their pride they lost the true sense which they had belieuing otherwise of themselues then they are which is indeed but to be sinners and good for nothing of themselues and robbing God of that glory which doth so duly and truly belong to him for all the good which we doe at all Awake therfore O daughter and be warned by the hurt of others and serue thy selfe of the threat least otherwise thou be put to feele the smart And be thou like the spouse to whome this speach was vsed who hearing so sad a word of Go thy wayes and see to fall from his mouth from whome all good thinges proceed she considered and she knew herselfe and she cast off certayne presumptions to which formerly she had beene subiect Being thus humbled by this reprehension the spouse doth comfort (g) Cant. 5. her by saying I haue resembled thee O thou my friend to my troopes of horse amongst Pharaos Chariots thy cheekes are fayre as of a Turtle By pride a man growes like the Diuell who as the Ghospell sayth did not remaine in the Truth which is God but did resolue to subsist in himselfe and vpon himselfe to leane and rest and so he fell For a creature cannot subsist in himselfe but in God And on the other side a man by the humble knowledge of himself growes like to those good Angells who did cast themselues vpon God and vntied themselues from themselues For they saw that they were but as a kind of broken reed so God vpheld them and confirmed them And they cryed out saying Michael which signifyeth Who like to God Wherein they contradicted the wretched Lucifer and his followers who would needes make Idolls of themselues ascribing that to themselues which did belong to God which is To be the beginning and the protection and the entiere repose of all creatures Not as if they conceaued that this could be they who knew themselues to be creatures but because they tooke pleasure in it as if so it had beene As proud men vse to do who although with the mouth or vnderstanding they crye out that they hold and hope for all their good from God yet by (h) Note and take heed their will they exalt themselues and they vainely reioyce in themselues as if of themselues they had that good Confessing with their vnderstanding that the glory is due to God but robbing him of it by the will But those good Angells cry out both with the will and vnderstanding Who like to God For with their harts they did humble and disesteeme themselues as they knew by their vnderstanding that they were to do And for this they were exalted to the participation of God without so much as a possibility of euer loosing it Now to these troupes of horse which is the Angelical army that destroyed Pharao and his chariots in the red sea Christ compareth his Spouse when she is content to know measure her selfe he praiseth her cheekes wherein she vseth to shew bashfullnesse For the spouse was ashamed of that reprehension as hauing demanded higher thinges then were conuenient for her meanenesse And her cheekes of bold grew bashfull and chast as of the turtle which is an honest and a modest bird And for this it was that the deuout S. Bernard (i) S. Bernâ—â— was therefore no Protestant sayd That he had found by experience that nothing was more profitable for the obtayning conseruing or reconering of grace then euer to liue in feare and holy care When (k) A Christian must euer liue with a holy kind of feare and
as a stone by the weight which 〈◊〉 hath worketh downeward so through the corruption (a) That is the ill inclinatioÌ„ which it leaues behind euen after the remission thereof in Baptisme or original synne which we carry about vs we haue a most ardent inclination to the workes of sense of honour and of profit making idolls of our selues and doing that which we do not for the true loue of God but of our selues Most liuely we are towards the earthly things which concerne vs and all dead towards the taking of any gust in the thinges of God That (b) Because our appetite doth naturally now command our reason exerciseth authority ouer vs which should obey and that obeyeth which should commaund And so miserable we are that vnder the persons and priuiledges of men we harbour the appetites of beastes which lye hidden in vs and our harts are drawne downe towards the earth What shall I say to thee but that in as many weake and dry and deformed and disordered deeds as thou shalt see thou mayst obserue and conclude vpon the corruption and confusion which the man who is without the spirit of God doth carry in his actions and passions And (c) A good lesson as soone as thou behouldest any of them retire presently into thy selfe and ponder that thy selfe is the same thing for as much as concerneth thee if God had not giuen thee help And if thou be (d) Many do thinke that they are recouered who still are sicke indeed recouered thou wilt know that it was only God who opened thy hart to the feeling of him who subdued thy affections to the dominion of reason and who made that distastefull to thee which formerly was delightefull and who gaue thee an appetite to those things which before were so vnsauoury who operateth new workes in thee It was God as S. Paul (e) Philip. 〈◊〉 saith It is God who worketh in vs a will and an executing of it through his good will But (f) Take heed of this monstruous and vnmanly arrour and consider this place of Scripture well expounded by this Authour conceaue not vnder colour of this that the free-will of man worketh nothing in good workes for this should be a great ignorance and errour But it is said that God worketh the willing and the finishing because he is the principall operatour in the soule of him that is iustifyed And he it is who moueth and sweetly induceth the free will to worke and cooperate with him as S. Paul (g) â— Cor. 3. saith we are the helpers of God who doth procure by inciting and assisting a man that he may freely giue his consent to good workes And therefore doth he worke because by his proper and free will he willeth what he will and he worketh that which he worketh and it is in his power not to do it But God doth worke more principally in producing the good worke and helping the free will that it may concurre to the production therof and the glory both of the one and of the other is only due to God And therefore if thou wilt be sure not to erre be not curious in sifting out the blessings of nature and of thy free will what giftes of grace thou hast for this is fitter for such as are learned but go thou with thyne eyes shut after the direction of sound faith which admonisheth vs to giue the glory of them both to God and that we as of our selues are not sufficicient so much as to thinke one good thought Gonsider that which S. Paul sayth reprehending such an one as shall ascribe any good to himselfe What hast thou which thou hast not receaued and if thou haue receaued it of what doest thou glory as if thou hadst not receaued it As if he had sayd If thou haue the grace of God whereby thou pleasest him and whereby thou performest workes though neuer so excellent do not glory in thy selfe but in God who gaue it And (h) See how all kind of pride is euen in all reason to be for euer plucked vp by the roots if thou wouldest glory in the good vse which thou doest make of thy free-will and in consenting to those good inspirations of God and of his grace yet neither must thou glory in thy selfe for this but in God who wrought it by inciting and mouing thee sweetly and by giuing thee thy very free-will it selfe whereby thou mightest consent freely And (i) Note this excellent gradation if yet thou wouldst fayne glory because when thou couldest resist that good motion and inspiration of God thou didst not do it yet euen of this little thou art not to glory because first that were not so properly to do any thing as to leaue to do it next thou didst owe euen that to God For when he holp thee to consent to good he did incidently assist thee in not resisting it And whatsoeuer good vse thou hast made of thy free-will in that which concerneth thy saluation is all of it the guift of God deriued from (k) For which his holy Name be euer praysed that mercifull predestination whereby he determined to saue thee from all eternity Let therefore all thy glory be in God alone of whom thou holdest all the good thou hast And know that without him thou hast nothing of thyne owne stocke but vanity and impiety and indeed the thing which we call Nothing And in conformity of this there is a glosse vpon that Text of Saint Paul He (l) Galat. â— that thinketh himselfe to be somewhat whereas indeed he is nothing doth deceaue himselfe which sayth A man of himselfe is but vanity and sinne and if he be any thing better it is by our Lord God that he is so And agreably to this S. Augustine sayth Thou (m) See how humble the sublime S Augustin is O Light didst open myne eyes thou didst awake me illuminate me and I saw that the whole life of man vpon earth was but tentation and that no good man can glory in thy sight nor is any man so iustifyed that liueth For if he haue any goodnes great or little thy guift it is and that which is ours is but sinne In what then shall any man take glory Shall he peraduenture glory in euill This is no glory but misery Shall he glory then in the good he hath No for it belongeth to another Thyne is the good O Lord the glory must be thyne And agreably to this the same S. Augustine sayth els where O Lord (n) Loue and imitate this incoÌ„parable Saint our God I confesse my pouerty to thee and to thee be rendred all glory for all the good that I haue done is thyne I confesse according to that which thou hast taught me that I am no other thing then meere vanity A shaddow of death A deep and profound piâ—t An empty and barren soyle which without thy benediction doth bring
as if it were some great and wholesome Truth A (*) Heresy is one of the most terrible iudgmēts which God inflicts for the punishment for other sinnes great and extreame iudgment of God is this and since he is iust that sinne must needs be great whereof the punishment is such and what this sinne is S. Paul (e) Thess 2. himselfe declareth to vs by saying Because they receaued not the loue of Truth to be saued thereby For if thou consider how powerfull the Truth is of that which we belieue for the helping vs to serue God to be saued soone wilt thou acknowledge it to be a great fault not to loue this Truth and not to follow that which it teacheth and much more to worke wickedly against it How (f) A good and iust consideration far should he be from offending God who belieueth that for such as offend him there is prepared an euerlasting fire with other innumerable tormentes wherewith such an one is to be punished as long as God shal be God without all hope of the least remedy How will he presume to sinne who belieueth that when sinne entreth into the soule by one dore God goeth out by another And what kind of creature a man is without thee O Lord he well knew who prayed O (g) Psal 4◠Lord depart not thou from me For when God is gone we remaine in the first death of sinne which is but an introduction to the second death of infernall paine With great reason did Iob (h) Iob. 6. say Who can find in his heart to taste that which being tasted bringeth death Without doubt it is but reason that since we would not taste of any food which a Physitian whom we belieued should tell vs did carry death therin we should lesse taste of sinne since God hath sayd That (i) Ezech. 18. the soul which finneth shall dye For the Fayth or beliefe which thou hast in the word of God doth not worke that effect in thee which the word of that Physitian doth worke and yet this later both can deceaue and vseth sometymes to do it which God neuer doth And since God hath sayd That he is the eternall reward of such a seruant why doth not this make vs all go towards his seruice with great diligence and courage although we were to passe through many labours and that it should cost vs euen our liues Why do we not loue our Lord whome we belieue to be supreame goodnesse and whom we know to haue loued vs first yea and that so farre as to dye for vs And so (k) Note we should discourse in all other things which this holy Fayth doth so powerfully teach vs and inuite vs to for as much as concerneth it our selues are in great fault for leauing to follow it yea and for doing the very contrary things to it Can there be a more prodigious thing in the world then that a Christian should belieue the things which he belieueth and that yet he should do so wicked things as many of them do In punishment therefore of this that they did not loue the Truth whereby they might haue byn saued putting in practise that which they were taught thereby it is a most iust iudgement of God VVho (l) Psal 65. is terrible in his counsailes ouer the sonnes of men That this Fayth be taken from them they be permitted to belieue errour And if thou do consider how God doth suffer the snare to be prepared whereby Iewes and heretikes are chastised as we haue sayd it will appeare to thee that it is a thing rather to be trembled at then to be talked of Aske any of these that are so peremptory in following the obstinacy of their errour vpon what it is that they ground themselues The (m) Almost all heretikes do offer to shrowd thēselues vnder holy scripture one sort will say that it is the Scripture of the old Testament and the other of the New and thou shalt plainely see the prophesy of Dauid accomplished when he sayth The (n) A passadge of holy Scripture excellently pòdered Table of these people shall be turned into a snare and into a punishment and into a stumbling blocke Didst thou euer see a thing of so contrary appearance as that the Table of Life should be turned into a snare of death the Table of comfort and pardon into a punishment that Table where there is light which guideth men into a way that leadeth to life to conuert it selfe into a meanes of making one loose the way and fall vpon death Great without (o) A holy contēplation of the Authour of much terrour to such as are in heresy all doubt is the fault which deserueth such punishment that a man should be blinded in the light and that his life should be conuerted into death But thou art iust O Lord and thy iudgements are iust and there is no wickednes in thee but that wickednes is in them who serue not themselues well of thy goodnesse and therfore it is fit that they should but stumble vpon the same goodnes of thyne that the dishonour should be punished which they do both to it and thee A great blessing O Lord an extraordinary blessing is thy Fayth being reuered obeyed and put in excution as al reason doth require And a great blessing didst thou bestow in giuing vs thy holy Scripture which is so profitable and so necessary for vs in the way of thy seruice But (p) Note because the wind which bloweth vpon this sea is a wind that cōmoth from heauen and there haue byn some who would needes sayle by the earthly windes of their owne braynes and studyes they haue beene drowned and thou hast suffered it Because as in the Parables which thou O Lord didst preach on earth those men were secretly taught therby who had a good disposition thereunto whereas others were blinded euen thereby through thy iust iudgment so doest thou also gouerne the profound sea of thy diuine Scripture which is deputed for the shewing of mercy to the lambes of thy fold who may swimme therein to the profit both of themselues and others and so also is it designed for the shewing of iustice in suffering proud Elephants both to drowne themselues others also A fearefull and very fearefull thing it ought to be esteemed to enter into the diuine Scripture and no man ought to runne vpon it without much preparation as to a thing wherein there may be much danger to him Let him that (q) An-vnderstāding exercised in humility a lifeled in piety are good dispositiōs for the reading of holy Scripture with profit entreth into it carry with him the sense of the Catholike Roman Church and he shall auoyd the danger of heresy Let him for his further profit by it carry purity of life as S. Athanasius doth aduise by these wordes Goodnes of life and purity of the soule and Christian piety is
necessary for the search and true science of the Scriptures And he sayth afterwards that without purity of mind and a life which followeth in the steps of sanctity it is not possible to vnderstand the speach of Saints For as if a man would behould the light of the Sunne he maketh cleare his eyes and by so doing his sight groweth cleare and by that meanes to be of some resemblance with the very Sunne which he desireth to behold that so his eye being made light he may the better looke vpon the Sunnes light and as also if a man desire to see any Citty or Countrey he must come within a certayne distance for that purpose so he that would procure the vnderstanding of holy books must first endeauour to cleanse purify his soule by a resemblaÌ„ce of life manners to draw neare to the Saints who wrote theÌ„ that so approaching to them by his intentions actions he may vnderstand those things which God reuealed to them being made as it were one of them he may escape from the danger that sinners are subiect to from the fire which against the day of iudgement will be prouided for them It is necessary to ponder this greatly which S. Athanasius deliuered that so we may receaue profit by the diuine Scripture For though without this purity of life a man may easily know by Scripture what God in generall requireth of him yet in particuler to know the counsaile will of God cannot be learned as the Wiseman sayth by humane study but he affirmeth thus in the manner of a question Who O Lord shall know thy meaning vnles thou giue him wisedome vnles thouâ—end thy holy spirit from on high This Wisedome (r) True celestiall wisedom is that which teacheth the vvay how to please God in particuler manner this resideth not in wicked men But when this industry continueth with experience of holy labours humble prayers and the fruit of good workes it maketh a man truely wise that so by reading of Scripture and long experience he may teach others after the manner of an eye vvitnesse and may light vpon the veyne of another mans hart instructing it by that which passeth in his owne And without this though he may chance to hit right for once he will mistake many tymes and will fall out to be one of them of whome S. Paul sayth That (s) 1. Tim. 1. taking vpon them to teach the law they vnderstood not that wherof they speake A man who putteth himselfe vpon the studdy of holy Scripture must help himselfe also by the interpretation and exposition of the Saints as also of the Schoole-Deuines For as for the profit which may be drawne from the study of holy Scripture without accompanying it by these endeauours Germany hath taken experience of it to her cost CHAP. XLIX That we must not grow in pride for not hauing lost our Fayth as others haue done but rather we must be humble with feare and the reasons which we haue for being so DO not thou by hearing of the fal of others grow to such pride of hart as to say I am not like one of them who so wickedly haue lost their fayth Call thou to mind those men who related to our Lord how Pilate had caused certaine Galileans to be kil'd as they were in the middest of offering their sacrifices And they that related this carryed in their hart a kind of vayne contentment wherewith they held themselues for better then those others who had deserued that Pilate should cause them to be murthered But now when this soueraigne Iudge did know their pryde without the manifestation of it on their partes and being desirous to vndeccaue them he sayd after this manner Thinke you that those Galileans were the greatest sinners of all the men in that Prouince because that punishment came vpon them Or doe you thinke that those eighteene men vpon whome the tower of Siloe did fall and slew them were the greatest sinners of all them that dwelt in Hierusalem I tell you No. But if you do not pennance you shall also perish The same did S. Paul intend when he sayd For their incredulity were the Iewes cut off which had byn the branches of the Oliue tree of belieuers and thou who by fayth art on foote do not thou grow proud but feare for else thou shalt also be cut off The (a) The punishment which God inflicteth vpoÌ„ others must mak vs humble and not insolent punishments which God hath inflicted vpon others ought to make vs chast and humble and not proud For whither soeuer we cast our eyes in these vnhapy tymes of ours they will find reason to weep and to say with Ieremy If (b) Ierem. 14. I go out into the field I see that men are slayne by the sword if I enter into the citty I find them defeated and dead of hunger The former are they who went out of the Citty which is the Church A kind of people this is without a head for the sword of incredulity hath taken off from them the head which God gaue to Christians which is the (c) The Bishop of Rome as successour to S. Peter is the visible head which God hath giuen to the Church vnder Christour Lord. Bishop of Rome And the later are those many who in this citty of the Church haue their Fayth vntouched but they are miserably dead of hunger because they tooke not the food of obedience to the coÌ„mandmeÌ„ts of God of his church These things deserue that we should feele them much if we haue any feeling of Christ and that we should bewayle them in his high presence and say to him How long O Lord wilt thou forbeare to haue mercy on them for whom thou didst shed thy bloud and loose thy life vpon the Crosse in the middest of so many torments And since the busines is thyne let the remedy also come from thy hand being impossible that it should come from any other Be thou carefull O daughter to feele and to pray for this for (d) Note if thou loue Christ thou art to lodge in thy hart a tender and profound compassion of the soules for which Christ Iesus dyed And so art thou also carefully to consider how thou liuest and how thou doest profit by the Fayth which thou hast least otherwise God doe also punish thee by suffering thee to fall into some errour and so to loose it since thyne eares haue heard the newes of so many that haue lost it by the heresies of that peruerse Luther And others there are who haue denied Christ amongst the Moores to follow the bestiall law of Mahomet whereby thou shalt see accomplished that which Saint Paul sayth That some had lost their Fayth for hauing cast away a good conscience in their life And whether it be as we sayd before when we spake of the motiues which induce a man to belieue because euen their euill