seeing never satisfide God as he is sight beyond estimate Which angels tongues are untaught to discover Whose splendor doth the heavens illustrate Vnto which sight each sight becomes a lover Whom all the glorious court of heaven laud With praises of eternities applaud There where no teares are to interprete greeves Nor any sighs heart dolours to expound There where no treasure as surpris'd by theeves Nor any voice that speakes with sorrowes sound No use of passions no distempered thought No spot of sinne no deed of errour wrought The native home of pilgrime soules abod Rest's habitation ioies true residence Ierusalem's new citie built by God Form'd by the hands of his owne excellence With gold-pav'd streets the wals of precious stone Where all sound praise to him sits on the throne Finis ⧠Of the glorie of the blessed Saints in Heaven TO the end there might want nothing to stir up our mindes to vertue after the paines which Almightie God threateneth to the wicked he dooth also set before us the reward of the good which is that glorie and everlasting life which the blessed Saints doe enjoy in heaven whereby he dooth very mightily allure us to the love of the same But what manner of thing this reward and what this life is there is no tongue neither of angels nor of men that is sufficient to expresse it Howbeit that wee may have some kind of savor knowledge therof I intend here to rehearse even word for word what S. Augustine sayth in one of his meditations speaking of the life everlasting ensuing this transitorie time and the joies of the blessed Saints in heaven O life sayth he prepared by almighty God for his friends a blessed life a secure life a quiet life a beautifull life a cleane life a chast life a holy life a life that knoweth no death a life without sadnesse without labour without greefe without trouble without corruption without feare without variety without alteration a life replenished with all beautie and dignity where there is neither enemy that can offend nor delight that can annoy where love is perfect and no feare at all where the day is everlasting and the spirit of all is one where almightie God is seene face to face who is the only meat whereupon they feed without lothsomnesse it delighteth me to consider thy brightnesse thy treasures do rejoice my longing heart The more I consider thee the more I am stricken in love with thee The great desire I have of thee doth wonderfully delight me no lesse pleasure is it to me to keep thee in my remembrance O life most happie ô kingdome truly blessed wherin there is no death nor end neither yet succession of time where the day continuing evermore without night knoweth not anie mutation where the victorious conqueror being joined with those everlasting quires of Angels and having his head crowned with a garland of glorie singeth unto Almightie God one of the songs of Syon Oh happie yea and most happie should my soule bee if when the race of this my pilgrimage is ended I might bee worthie to see thy glorie thy blessednes thy beautie the wals and gates of thy city thy streets thy lodgings thy noble citizens and thine omnipotent king in his most glorious majestie The stones of thy wals are precious thy gates are adorned with bright pearles thy streets are of very fine excellent gold in which there never faile perpetuall praises thy houses are paved with rich stones wrought throghout with Zaphirs and covered above with massie gold where no uncleane thing may enter neither dooth any abide there that is defiled Faire and beautifull in thy delights art thou ô Ierusalem our mother none of those thinges are suffered in thee that are suffered here There is great diversitie betweene thy things and the things that we doe continually see in this life In thee is never seene neither darkenesse nor night neither yet any change of time The light that shineth in thee commeth neither of lampes nor of Sunne or Moone nor yet of bright glittering stars but God that proceedeth of God and the light that commeth of light is he that giveth clearenesse unto thee Even the very king of kings himselfe keepeth continuall residence in the middest of thee compassed about with his officers and servants There doe the Angels in their orders and quires sing a most sweet and melodious harmonie There is celebrated a perpetuall solemnitie and feast with everie one of them that commeth thither after his departure out of this pilgrimage There bee the orders of Prophets there is the famous companie of the Apostles there is the invincible armie of Martyrs there is the most reverent assembly of confessours there are the true and perfect religious persons there are the holy Virgines which have overcome both the pleasures of the world and the frailtie of their owne nature there are the young men and young women more auncient in vertue than in yeares there are the sheepe and little lambs that have escaped from the wolves and from the deceitfull snares of this life and therefore do now keep a perpetuall feast each one in his place all alike in joy though different in degree There Charitie raigneth in her full perfection for unto them God is all in all whome they behold without end in whose love they be all continually inflamed whom they doe alwaies love and in loving do praise and in praising doe love and all their exercises consist in praises without wearinesse and without travell O happie were I yea and very happy indeed if at what time I shall bee loosed out of the prison of this wretched bodie I might bee thought worthie to hear those songs of that heavenly melodie sung in the praise of the everlasting king by all the cittizens of that so noble cittie Happie were I and very happie if I might obtaine a roome among the chaplaines of that chappell and wait for my turne also to sing my Alleluia If I might be neare to my king my God my Lord and see him in his glorie even as he promised mee when he said O father this is my last determinate will that all those that thou hast given unto mee may bee with me and see the glorie which I had with thee before the world was created Hetherto are the words of S. Augustine Nowe tell mee Christian brother what a day of glorious shine shall that bee unto thee if thou lead thy life in Gods feare when after the course of this pilgrimage thou shalt passe from death to immortallitie and in that passage when others shall begin to feare thou shalt begin to rejoyce and lift up thyhead because the day of thy deliverance is at hand Come foorth a little sayth S. Ierome unto the Virgine Eustochia out of the prison of this body and when thou art before the gate of this Tabernacle set before thy eyes the reward that thou hopest to have for thy present labours Tell
shold they all bee wearied and the world come to an end before they should end their description make a perfect declaration what is comprehended in each one of these points This faith informeth thee also that the debts and duties which we owe to almightie God are so great that albeit a man had so many lives as there bee sands in the sea yet would they not suffice if they were all employed in his service And this faith likewise telleth thee that vertue is such an excellent treasure that all the treasures of the world and al that mans heart can desire are in no sort comparable unto it Wherefore if there be so many and so great respects that doe invite us unto vertue how commeth it to passe that there bee so few lovers and followers of the same If men be mooved with gaine and commodity what greater commoditie can there be than to attaine life everlasting If they be moved with fear of punishment what greater punishment can bee found than the most horrible everlasting dreadfull torments in the lake of fire and brimstone to continue even world without end If that bonds of debts and benefites what debts are greater than these which we owe unto the almightie God as well for that hee is which he is as also for that which wee have received of him If the feare of perils doe move us what greater perill can there bee than death the houre thereof being so uncertaine and the account so strait If thou be moved with peace libertie quietnes of mind and with a pleasant life which are things that all the world desires it is certaine that all these are found much better in the life that is governed by vertue and reason than in that life which is ruled by the affections and passions of the mind forsomuch as man is a reasonable creature and no beast Howbeit in case thou account all this as not sufficient to move thee thereunto yet let it suffice thee to consider further that even Almightie God so abased himselfe for thy sake that he descended from heaven unto the earth and became man and whereas he created the whole world in sixe dayes hee bestowed three and thirtie yeares about thy redemption yea and was also contented for the same to leese his life Almightie God died that sinne should die and yet for all this doe wee endeavor that sinne might live in our hearts notwithstanding that our Lord purposed to take away the life of sinne with his owne death If this matter were to be discussed with reason surely this alreadie spoken might suffice to prevaile with any reasonable creature for not onely in beholding Almightie God upon the crosse but whether soever we doe turn our eyes we shal find that every thing crieth out to us and calleth upon us to receive this so excellent a benefite for there is not a thing created in the world if we duly consider it but dooth invite us to the love and service of our Saviour Iesus Christ insomuch that looke how many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voices and so manie reasons which doe all call us unto almighty God And how is it possible then that so many callings as these are so many promises so many threatnings and so many provocations should not suffice to bring us unto him What might almightie God have done more than hee hath done or promised more greater blessings than he hath promised or threatened more greevous and horrible torments than he hath threatned to draw us unto him and to pluck us away from sinne And yet all this notwithstanding howe commeth it to passe that there is so great I will not say arrogancie but bewitching of men that doe beleeve these things to bee certainely true and yet bee not afraid to continue all the dayes of their life in the committing of deadly sinnes Yea to goe to bed in deadly sinne and to rise up againe in deadly sinne and to embrue themselves in every kind of lothsome detestable and odious sinne even as though all their whole endeavours intended by the practise of sinne to resist all grace and favour in the sight of God And this is done in such sort so without feare so without scruple of mind so without breaking of one houres sleepe and without the refraining of anie one delicate morsell of meat for the same as if all that they beleeved were dreames and olde wives tales and as if all that the holy Evangelists have written were meere fiction and fables But tel me thou that art such a desperate wilfull rebell against thy Creator and Redeemer which by thy detestable life and dissolute conversation doest evidence thy selfe to be a firebrand prepared to burne in those everlasting and revenging horrible fires of hell What wouldest thou have done more than thou hast done in case thou haddest beene persuaded that all were meere lies which thou hast beleeved For although that for feare of incurring the daunger of the princes lawes and the execution of their force upon thee thou hast somewhat brideled thine appetites yet doth it not appeare that for any feare of Almightie God thou hast refrained thy will in any one thing neither from carnall pleasures nor from taking revenge of thine enemies nor from backbiting and slandering thy neighbours nor yet from fulfilling thine inordinate lusts and desires in case thine abilitie served thee thereunto Oh what dooth the worme of thy conscience say unto thee whiles thou art in such a fond securitie and confidence continuing in such a dissolute and wicked life as thou doest Where is now become the understanding judgement and reason which thou hast of a man Why art thou not afraid of so horrible so certaine and so assured perils and daungers If there were a dish of meat set before thee and some man albeit he were a lier should say unto thee refraine to touch and eat thereof for it is poysoned durst thou once adventure to stretch out thy hand to take a tast thereof though the meat were never so savorie and delicate and hee never so great a lier that should beare thee thus in hand If then the Prophets if the Apostles if the Evangelists yea if Almightie God himselfe doe crie out unto thee and say Take heed thou miserable man for death is in that kind of meat and death dooth lie lurking in that gluttonous morsell which the devill hath set before thee Howe darest thou reach for everlasting death with thine owne handes and drinke thine owne damnation Where is the applying of thy wits thy judgement and the discourse and reason which thou hast of a spirituall man Where is their light where is their force Sith that none of them doe bridle thee anie whit from thy common usuall vices Oh thou wretched and carelesse creature be witched by the common enemie Sathan adjudged to everlasting darkenesse both inward and outward and so doest goe from one darkenesse
to the other Thou art blind to see thine owne miserie insensible to understand thine owne perdition and harder than any Adamant to feele the hammer of Gods word Oh a thousand times most miserable thou art woorthie to be lamented with none other teares than with those wherewith thy damnation was lamented when it was said Luke 19. Oh that thou knewest this day the peace quietnesse and treasures which Almightie God hath offered unto thee that doe now lie hidden from thine eyes Oh miserable is the day of thy nativitie and much more miserable the day of thy death forsomuch as that shall bee the beginning of thine everlasting damnation Oh how much better had it beene for thee never to have beene borne if thou shalt bee damned in the horrible pit of hell for ever where the torments are perpetually durable How much better had it beene for thee never to have beene baptised nor yet to have received the Christian faith if through the abusing thereof by thy wicked life thy damnation shall therby be the greater For if the light of reasâ—n onely sufficeth to make the Heathen Philosophers inexcuseable because they knowing God in some degree did not glorifie him nor serve him as the Apostle sâ—yth in the first to the Romanes how much lesse shall he be excused that hath received the light of faith and the water of Baptisme yea and the holy Sacrament of the bodie bloud of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ hearing dayly the doctrine of the Gospell if hee doe nothing more than those Pagan Philosophers have done Now what other thing may wee inferre of the premisses but breefely to conclude That there is none other understanding none other wisdome none other counsell in the world but that setting aside all the impediments and combersome daungerous wayes of this life wee follow that onely true and certaine way whereby true peace and everlasting life is obtained Hereunto are wee called by reason by wisedome by law by heaven by earth by hell and by the life death justice and mercie of Almightie God Hereunto are wee also very notably invited by the holy Ghost speaking by the mouth of Ecclesiasticus in the sixt chapter in this wise My sonne hearken to instruction even from the first yeares of thy youth and in thy latter dayes thou shalt enjoy the sweet fruit of wisedome Approch unto it as one that ploweth and soweth and with patience expect the fruitfull encrease which it shall yeeld unto thee The paines that thou shalt take shall be but little and the benefites that thou shalt speedily enjoy shall be great My son hearken to my words and neglect not this my counsell which I shall give thee put thy feet willingly into her fetters and thy necke into â—er chaines bow downe thy shoulders and carrie her upon thee and bee not displeased with her bonds approch neare unto her with all thy heart and follow her wayes with all thy strength seeke for her with all thy diligence and shee will make her selfe knowne unto thee and after that thou hast found her never forsake her for by her shalt thou find rest in thy latter daies and that which before did seeme so painefull unto thee will afterwards become very pleasant Her fetters shall be a defence or thy strength and a foundation of vertue and her chaine shall bee a robe of glorie for in her is the beautie of life and her bonds are the bonds of health Hetherto Ecclesiasticus Whereby thou maiest understand in some degree howe great the beautie the delights the libertie and riches of true wisdome are which is vertue it selfe and the knowledge of Almightie God whereof wee doe intreat But if all this bee insufficient to mollifie our stonie hearts lift up thine eyes and fix thy thoughts constantly to behold our omnipotent God in his mercie and love towards sinners upon his dying crosse where hee made full satisfaction for thy sins There shalt thou behold him in this forme his feet nayled fast looking for thee his armes spread abroad to receive thee and his head bowing downe to give thee as to another prodigall sonne new kisses of peace and attonement From thence hee calleth thee if thou wouldest heare with so manie callings and cries as there bee wounds in his whole bodie Hearken thou therfore unto these voyces and consider well with thy selfe that if his praier bee not heard that hearkeneth not unto the cries of the poore how much lesse shall he be heard that maketh himselfe deafe to such cries as these beeing the most mercifull cryings of our loving saviour and intended for our soules salvation Who is hee that hath not cause to resolve himselfe wholly into teares to weepe and bewaile his manifold offences Who is he that can lament and will not lament at this Vnlesse hee bee such a one as seeth not nor careth not what great shipwrack wast and havocke he maketh of all the riches and treasures of his soule FINIS